"To believe in angels, is to know that they exist on Earth as they do in Heaven. Keep your eyes open; you'll find them in the most unusual places."
-4 Hats and Frugal
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Quotable Wednesday
"To believe in angels, is to know that they exist on Earth as they do in Heaven. Keep your eyes open; you'll find them in the most unusual places."
-4 Hats and Frugal
Monday, September 28, 2009
Shop Rite deals 9/27- 10/3
Ok, this is super duper late, but the cable company decided to not honor the appointment they gave me for saturday, so we were without cable during the whole move. I'm now down at the base, and wanted to take a minute to get this up before I hit the hay. I'm so sorry for the delay!
Playtex rubber gloves- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/28SS- FREE
Pure protein Hot and Healthy Bar- BOGO
use BOGO coupon from 8/23RP- 2 FREE
Bear naked granola bars- 4 for 5.00
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .25
wise chips or snacks- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .49
malt-o-meal- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .50 each
Fisher nuts(assorted varieties)- 1.74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/21SS- .74
super pretzels- 1.84
use .50/1 coupon from 9/27SS doubled- .84
Nature valley nut clusters granola- 2.49
use 1.60/1 printable coupon(no longer available)- .89
Get FREE Kraft singles when you buy 2 packs of Hillshire farm select lunchmeat for 5.00
Use 2 .55/1 coupons from 9/27SS doubled- 1.40 each
Klondike bars- 2.50
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.50
listerine mouth rinse- 2.84(with 10.00 additional purchase)
use 3.00/2 coupon from 8/2SS- 1.84 each
Boost kids essentials- 8.49
use 5.00/1 printable coupon- 3.49
Freschetta Pizza- 4.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 9/13SS- 3.99
good deals
perdue whole fryers- .79/lb(rock bottom without a store coupon)
chicken leg quarters- .49/lb(BELOW rock bottom! that's a first!)
Playtex rubber gloves- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/28SS- FREE
Pure protein Hot and Healthy Bar- BOGO
use BOGO coupon from 8/23RP- 2 FREE
Bear naked granola bars- 4 for 5.00
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .25
wise chips or snacks- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .49
malt-o-meal- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .50 each
Fisher nuts(assorted varieties)- 1.74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/21SS- .74
super pretzels- 1.84
use .50/1 coupon from 9/27SS doubled- .84
Nature valley nut clusters granola- 2.49
use 1.60/1 printable coupon(no longer available)- .89
Get FREE Kraft singles when you buy 2 packs of Hillshire farm select lunchmeat for 5.00
Use 2 .55/1 coupons from 9/27SS doubled- 1.40 each
Klondike bars- 2.50
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.50
listerine mouth rinse- 2.84(with 10.00 additional purchase)
use 3.00/2 coupon from 8/2SS- 1.84 each
Boost kids essentials- 8.49
use 5.00/1 printable coupon- 3.49
Freschetta Pizza- 4.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 9/13SS- 3.99
good deals
perdue whole fryers- .79/lb(rock bottom without a store coupon)
chicken leg quarters- .49/lb(BELOW rock bottom! that's a first!)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Moving Day!
As you read this, we are sweating away getting all of our stuff moved from the old crap-tastic apartment, to the new, wonderful, beautiful, roomy, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, big kitchen, full porch love-nest. Yeah, it's that cool. Don't be jealous.
So, please excuse me if I don't any other posts up until later today. I should be able to get the Shop Rite deals up for you SR shoppers, but if they don't show up until later tonight, don't hate me. 'Cause I love you. Fo shizzle.
P.S.-I love you all for bearing with me. With all the weeks having to work down at the base, I haven't been posting like I used to. I promise you, I'll get back on track since next week is the last week I'll have to do this. I really miss y'all!
So, please excuse me if I don't any other posts up until later today. I should be able to get the Shop Rite deals up for you SR shoppers, but if they don't show up until later tonight, don't hate me. 'Cause I love you. Fo shizzle.
P.S.-I love you all for bearing with me. With all the weeks having to work down at the base, I haven't been posting like I used to. I promise you, I'll get back on track since next week is the last week I'll have to do this. I really miss y'all!
Friday, September 25, 2009
When a scam hits home....
Yesterday, at the crack of dawn, I got a frantic call from my Husband. He had been at work for over an hour already and woke me out of my slumber. First off, to get a call from him so early was unfathomable. He knows how I cherish my sleep. So, I knew something was up.
As I said hello, he realized jumbled sentences that I couldn't understand. Something was really up. After calming him down, I finally got the whole story. Supposedly, some cash advance place had called him minutes before he called me, saying that he needed to pay them $555 by 3pm or he, my father and my husband's friend would be arrested.
Hmmm interesting. Now, while he was screaming to me that we needed to find 600 dollars in 6 hours, I got to thinking. How valid was this? How shady was this?
Let's take it back a notch. My hubby is adorable, strong, loyal and unfortunately, gullible. Not very gullible, but he hasn't developed his New Jersey smarts yet. He's a corn-fed, Mid-West boy. He loves to pretend he grew up "in the streets" but if there is a farm behind your "street" then that may not qualify as the ghetto. I'm just saying. So, even though he is my husband and he's been here for over 5 years, he's still my padawan. He's not an East Coast Jedi just yet.
Now, that you know that little tidbit, let me add in that he loves to spring into action without thought. Besides this being a horrible attribute when dealing with life issues, it's so hard to tame when we try to keep a budget. Like I said, I'm just saying.
Once he calmed down, told me to go take the money out of our account and quickly hung up the phone, I let my street smarts go into action. What he didn't realize is that this was an obvious scam.
What were the tale-tell signs?
1. They called him out of the blue. If this was ligitimate, we would have gotten documentation a long time ago. Someone calling you at 8 in the morning and telling you you have until 3pm to get them money is not legitimate. That's called extortion.
2. The number came up as blocked. Any valid corporation would not only have a real number show up on the caller ID, but they would leave you a message. They called my husband 4 times in 3 minutes. Again, not legitimate.
3. WE DID NOT BORROW MONEY FROM THESE PEOPLE....EVER! My husband made the mistake of looking up cash advance options over a year ago when he was being bull-headed and wouldn't go over the budgert with me. He looked at the account, assumed we didn't have enough for a big bill that was due at the end of that week, and inquired about it. He also didn't realize that we had(and still have) sub accounts for our bills. The CFO he is not. This is why I now handle all bills.
The best part is that after he called me, he called my gangster boo, street smart, born in NYC, Mother and she got ON this "company." She googled the company and found out that there have been many complaints about this scam. She even got the number for the "attorney" that called my husband and attempted to get more information. When she didn't, she called the local news reporter that does undercover stories about scams. Yes, my mom is THAT serious.
He even called and worried his mother to death. I cleaned up that mess quickly.
Now, what did we learn?
1. I learned that my husband still has lots to learn. I keep thinking he's my established macho man, but I still have the upper hand with my east coast paranoia. Like the X Files say, "trust no one."
2. I also learned that I have grown up quite a bit. I used to yell back at him and refuse to follow through with anything foolish until he calmed down and put all the ducks in a row. Now, I let him panic, agree to follow his instruction and do what I KNOW is the right thing to do. Isn't that the Christain way? Ha!
3. Hubby learned that giving out your information, my information and even his friend's information, is a big no-no. Seeing as this was over a year ago, and he was still so young then mentally, I pass that up as a big life experience for him. A year later, he sees how stupid that was.
4. Report all scams immediately. One smart thing that hubby did was call the Edison police station to see if there was a warrant out for his arrest, like the "attorney" said there was. Of course, there was not. He went down to the station, filed a complaint, and even took out bank statements from November of last year to January of this year to prove that we had no money tranfer from this company. I will be calling the Attorney General tomorrow and trying to contact the Better Business Bureau. This is how we got concrete information that this was a scam; lots of other people who had this issue reported it to BBB and it was posted online.
Of all days, that didn't need to happen to us. All bills were paid, most of our items were packed for the new place, and I was going to get up that morning and get our bank check for our deposit on the new place. When all is in place, things love to fall apart. But, when it comes to the silver lining, this scam helped us learn even more life lessons.
As I said hello, he realized jumbled sentences that I couldn't understand. Something was really up. After calming him down, I finally got the whole story. Supposedly, some cash advance place had called him minutes before he called me, saying that he needed to pay them $555 by 3pm or he, my father and my husband's friend would be arrested.
Hmmm interesting. Now, while he was screaming to me that we needed to find 600 dollars in 6 hours, I got to thinking. How valid was this? How shady was this?
Let's take it back a notch. My hubby is adorable, strong, loyal and unfortunately, gullible. Not very gullible, but he hasn't developed his New Jersey smarts yet. He's a corn-fed, Mid-West boy. He loves to pretend he grew up "in the streets" but if there is a farm behind your "street" then that may not qualify as the ghetto. I'm just saying. So, even though he is my husband and he's been here for over 5 years, he's still my padawan. He's not an East Coast Jedi just yet.
Now, that you know that little tidbit, let me add in that he loves to spring into action without thought. Besides this being a horrible attribute when dealing with life issues, it's so hard to tame when we try to keep a budget. Like I said, I'm just saying.
Once he calmed down, told me to go take the money out of our account and quickly hung up the phone, I let my street smarts go into action. What he didn't realize is that this was an obvious scam.
What were the tale-tell signs?
1. They called him out of the blue. If this was ligitimate, we would have gotten documentation a long time ago. Someone calling you at 8 in the morning and telling you you have until 3pm to get them money is not legitimate. That's called extortion.
2. The number came up as blocked. Any valid corporation would not only have a real number show up on the caller ID, but they would leave you a message. They called my husband 4 times in 3 minutes. Again, not legitimate.
3. WE DID NOT BORROW MONEY FROM THESE PEOPLE....EVER! My husband made the mistake of looking up cash advance options over a year ago when he was being bull-headed and wouldn't go over the budgert with me. He looked at the account, assumed we didn't have enough for a big bill that was due at the end of that week, and inquired about it. He also didn't realize that we had(and still have) sub accounts for our bills. The CFO he is not. This is why I now handle all bills.
The best part is that after he called me, he called my gangster boo, street smart, born in NYC, Mother and she got ON this "company." She googled the company and found out that there have been many complaints about this scam. She even got the number for the "attorney" that called my husband and attempted to get more information. When she didn't, she called the local news reporter that does undercover stories about scams. Yes, my mom is THAT serious.
He even called and worried his mother to death. I cleaned up that mess quickly.
Now, what did we learn?
1. I learned that my husband still has lots to learn. I keep thinking he's my established macho man, but I still have the upper hand with my east coast paranoia. Like the X Files say, "trust no one."
2. I also learned that I have grown up quite a bit. I used to yell back at him and refuse to follow through with anything foolish until he calmed down and put all the ducks in a row. Now, I let him panic, agree to follow his instruction and do what I KNOW is the right thing to do. Isn't that the Christain way? Ha!
3. Hubby learned that giving out your information, my information and even his friend's information, is a big no-no. Seeing as this was over a year ago, and he was still so young then mentally, I pass that up as a big life experience for him. A year later, he sees how stupid that was.
4. Report all scams immediately. One smart thing that hubby did was call the Edison police station to see if there was a warrant out for his arrest, like the "attorney" said there was. Of course, there was not. He went down to the station, filed a complaint, and even took out bank statements from November of last year to January of this year to prove that we had no money tranfer from this company. I will be calling the Attorney General tomorrow and trying to contact the Better Business Bureau. This is how we got concrete information that this was a scam; lots of other people who had this issue reported it to BBB and it was posted online.
Of all days, that didn't need to happen to us. All bills were paid, most of our items were packed for the new place, and I was going to get up that morning and get our bank check for our deposit on the new place. When all is in place, things love to fall apart. But, when it comes to the silver lining, this scam helped us learn even more life lessons.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Quotable Wednesday
"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."
-Bob Newhart
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Alfredo Sauce
This is a super easy sauce to make, and adding in a few other touches makes it even better!
Alfredo sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup milk(whole is best, but 2% works too)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg(oops! forgot to add this ingredient!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Combine the corn starch and milk in a small saucepan; stir until smooth.
Add butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg and garlic powder.
Stirring constantly, simmer over medium heat for 1 minute.
After 1 minute, when the mixture starts to thicken slightly, stir in the cheese.
Serves 4(but the 3 of us gobble it up, so doubling the recipe would be wise)
Now, if you wanna get really decadent, add in 2oz(1/4 of a bar) of cream cheese along with the parmesan cheese. Also, if you make this without the cream cheese, it is a perfect base to white pizza. This is what I use to make ours. Add some chopped frozen spinach and mozzarella/provolone shredded cheese mix to the top of the pie, and it will rival any white pizza you'd spend 10 bucks on at the pizzeria.
Also, this is heavenly drizzled over baked Chicken breasts and served with a side salad. Yum!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Meal Plan Monday!
So sorry this is late. I've been dealing with a lose this past weekend and just went to the funeral Yesterday. Just got all of my thoughts together and realized I didn't post a meal plan for this week! Since this is moving week(boy, when it rains, it pours), I'm gonna hit up some tried and true recipes that I know we like and that are easy to make. We will be having ground beef twice this week, but I need an easy slow cooker recipe for Friday, since we technically are starting to move that day. We also acquired 2 bottles of open soy sauce somehow, so I think teriyaki fried rice needs to be made. No real dessert this week; hubby and the boy will be able to pop some pre-made frozen cookie bites in the toaster oven and have hot cookies at their leisure.
Monday: Chicken Adobo with white rice and carrots
Tuesday: Beefy Mac with side salad
Wednesday: lobster teriyaki fried rice(made with imitation lobster)
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner! Yogurt pancakes with sausage and grapes
Friday: Slow cooker chili (with beans, though) with tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese
Saturday: Off to TGI Fridays to use our gift certificate
Sunday: Cooking day! I'm off to the base again next monday, so I'll be cooking in my new kitchen all day!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Shop Rite deals 9/20- 9/26
Deal: Buy 2 herbal essences products, get 3.00 back
Herbal essences shampoo or conditioner- 2.49
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 9/13RP- 1.49
buy 2, pay 2.98, and get back 3.00
Barilla pasta- .88
use .50/1 coupon for whole grain or piccolini from 8/23SS doubled- FREE
Smithfield bacon- 2.50
use 3.00/1 printable coupon- FREE
Schick Quattro titanium razor- 3.99
use 4.00/1 coupon from 8/23SS- FREE
Schiff Vitamins- 1.74 to 23.49
use 2.00/1 coupon from 7/19SS-possible FREE vitamins
Nature's bounty vitamins- 1.74 to 17.49
use 2.00/1 coupon from 9/13SS- possible FREE vitamins!
Nabisco mac & cheese crackers- .99(these are delicious!)
use .75/2 coupon from 8/23SS doubled- .25 each
Hormel compleats- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .75/1 coupon from 7/12SS or 8/16SS doubled- .50
there was also a coupon in the 9/13 parade magazine
Turkey Hill ice cream- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/21RP(expires 9/21!)- .99
Chock Full O' Nuts coffee- 2.49
use .75/1 coupon from 8/30SS doubled- .99
Silk Soy Milk- 2.50
use .75/1 coupon from 9/13SS doubled- 1.00
Other deals
Perdue oven stuffer roaster- .79/lb(rock bottom!)
Granny Smith apples- .99/lb
80% lean ground beef- 1.69/lb
5lb bag russet potatoes- .99(limit 1)
Herbal essences shampoo or conditioner- 2.49
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 9/13RP- 1.49
buy 2, pay 2.98, and get back 3.00
Barilla pasta- .88
use .50/1 coupon for whole grain or piccolini from 8/23SS doubled- FREE
Smithfield bacon- 2.50
use 3.00/1 printable coupon- FREE
Schick Quattro titanium razor- 3.99
use 4.00/1 coupon from 8/23SS- FREE
Schiff Vitamins- 1.74 to 23.49
use 2.00/1 coupon from 7/19SS-possible FREE vitamins
Nature's bounty vitamins- 1.74 to 17.49
use 2.00/1 coupon from 9/13SS- possible FREE vitamins!
Nabisco mac & cheese crackers- .99(these are delicious!)
use .75/2 coupon from 8/23SS doubled- .25 each
Hormel compleats- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .75/1 coupon from 7/12SS or 8/16SS doubled- .50
there was also a coupon in the 9/13 parade magazine
Turkey Hill ice cream- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/21RP(expires 9/21!)- .99
Chock Full O' Nuts coffee- 2.49
use .75/1 coupon from 8/30SS doubled- .99
Silk Soy Milk- 2.50
use .75/1 coupon from 9/13SS doubled- 1.00
Other deals
Perdue oven stuffer roaster- .79/lb(rock bottom!)
Granny Smith apples- .99/lb
80% lean ground beef- 1.69/lb
5lb bag russet potatoes- .99(limit 1)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Money Saving Challenge- Part 2 of the move!
It's been so hard to get ready for this dang move! Since I had to be gone for almost a week, it really put me behind on all of my plans. I have been doing things slow and steady this week and I'm just hoping that we will be ready to move by the end of next week!
1. I called the cable company and electric company to have everything transferred to the new address on our move in date. I also reserved our Uhaul package for the 26th. Had to sweet talk the representative at the cable company into giving us a saturday appointment, but it all worked out.
2. I packed up all of our VHS tapes and plan on mailing them off to ACT. I talked about the organization in this post. This gives us an excuse to get these movies in DVD. Ha!
3. Hubby got lots and lots of free boxes from work that we're using to pack everything up.
4. I looked through my books again and found a few that I wanted to sell off to Cash4books. They only ended up taking 2 of them, but 4 dollars is still 4 dollars! Since they pay for shipping and I already had a mailing envelope here, I see it as pure profit. The rest of the books will be taken to the book mobile that comes every week in our current complex.
5. The stockpile is so small! We are down to 2 rolls of TP, 3 rolls of PT, 6 bottles of wash, 3 packs of "feminine" stuff, etc. I also found a large tupperware that I thought was full out on the patio. All of my stockpile, food and HBA items, should fit in it(it's really big). Whatever does not fit, will be re-evaluated and if need be, I'll do one last karma box for our current complex.
6. I haven't been to CVS or Walgreens in two weeks. I figured that as long as my rewards aren't going to expire soon, I should be OK. I do plan on picking it back up once we are moved and I can focus on going hard-core on deals.
7. Another reason I stepped back from CVS is because i'm going to start a new card for them under the new address. I haven't been getting good CRTs for a while, so starting the new cards should make up for that. I'll keep the old cards in case there is a really good deal and I need to stock up like crazy, but I plan on using the new cards most often. I'm even gonna make Hubby fill out for a card too :o)
8. We are enlisting my sister and my cousin to help us move the little things that Saturday. My sister is allergic to cats, so her main job will be to stay at the new place, wait for the cable guy to come and entertain the kiddo in his new room. My cousin will help with the "heavy lifting" of the boxes and (if she gets her license on time) driving one of our cars to the new place. Unfortunately, we do have to pay for movers. We tried to move our new couch in here and it took us half a day. We also damaged it a bit in the process. Plus, our bed is huge and heavy, so hubby can't move that by himself. It's not too much money and we're only gonna need them for 2 hours or so.
9. To pay back my sister and cousin, we're gonna take them out to TGI Fridays with my gift card I got from Mypoints. I also have free movie ticket vouchers, so we may take them to a movie too. It all depends on how fast we can get everything in the new house.
10. Hubby has some studio equipment he doesn't want to move to the new place, so he will be putting up for sale on craigslist this weekend. I also have some MREs that I got from down at the base that I want to sell. They go for around 30 dollars a pop on ebay, so I'm wondering how much they will go for on craigslist. Since I got them free, it will be all profit anyway.
11. All of our extra bed linens have been washed and put away. I have one box with linens for every bed and towels for each bathroom for us to use right away on saturday so we dont have to dig in boxes to look for them after we are exhausted from moving. I'll make sure we take care of this before we leave to take the girls out to dinner, so once we get back we can just take our showers and fall into bed.
12. I cleaned out our cooler. All of our freezer items will go in the cooler. All fridge items that we plan on bringing with us will go in reusable bags. They will be going to the new house first and my sister will take care of getting them in the new fridge and freezer.
13. I sold one of our super old camcorders to gazelle.com. They gave me an amazon gift card that I will save for Christmas gifts, or maybe even for my textbooks I need for school starting in November.
14. I went through Sonny's toys again and gave away lots of baby toys. Once we move to the new place, I don't want his room to be overrun with toys that he won't play with. Plus, why move those toys?
1. I called the cable company and electric company to have everything transferred to the new address on our move in date. I also reserved our Uhaul package for the 26th. Had to sweet talk the representative at the cable company into giving us a saturday appointment, but it all worked out.
2. I packed up all of our VHS tapes and plan on mailing them off to ACT. I talked about the organization in this post. This gives us an excuse to get these movies in DVD. Ha!
3. Hubby got lots and lots of free boxes from work that we're using to pack everything up.
4. I looked through my books again and found a few that I wanted to sell off to Cash4books. They only ended up taking 2 of them, but 4 dollars is still 4 dollars! Since they pay for shipping and I already had a mailing envelope here, I see it as pure profit. The rest of the books will be taken to the book mobile that comes every week in our current complex.
5. The stockpile is so small! We are down to 2 rolls of TP, 3 rolls of PT, 6 bottles of wash, 3 packs of "feminine" stuff, etc. I also found a large tupperware that I thought was full out on the patio. All of my stockpile, food and HBA items, should fit in it(it's really big). Whatever does not fit, will be re-evaluated and if need be, I'll do one last karma box for our current complex.
6. I haven't been to CVS or Walgreens in two weeks. I figured that as long as my rewards aren't going to expire soon, I should be OK. I do plan on picking it back up once we are moved and I can focus on going hard-core on deals.
7. Another reason I stepped back from CVS is because i'm going to start a new card for them under the new address. I haven't been getting good CRTs for a while, so starting the new cards should make up for that. I'll keep the old cards in case there is a really good deal and I need to stock up like crazy, but I plan on using the new cards most often. I'm even gonna make Hubby fill out for a card too :o)
8. We are enlisting my sister and my cousin to help us move the little things that Saturday. My sister is allergic to cats, so her main job will be to stay at the new place, wait for the cable guy to come and entertain the kiddo in his new room. My cousin will help with the "heavy lifting" of the boxes and (if she gets her license on time) driving one of our cars to the new place. Unfortunately, we do have to pay for movers. We tried to move our new couch in here and it took us half a day. We also damaged it a bit in the process. Plus, our bed is huge and heavy, so hubby can't move that by himself. It's not too much money and we're only gonna need them for 2 hours or so.
9. To pay back my sister and cousin, we're gonna take them out to TGI Fridays with my gift card I got from Mypoints. I also have free movie ticket vouchers, so we may take them to a movie too. It all depends on how fast we can get everything in the new house.
10. Hubby has some studio equipment he doesn't want to move to the new place, so he will be putting up for sale on craigslist this weekend. I also have some MREs that I got from down at the base that I want to sell. They go for around 30 dollars a pop on ebay, so I'm wondering how much they will go for on craigslist. Since I got them free, it will be all profit anyway.
11. All of our extra bed linens have been washed and put away. I have one box with linens for every bed and towels for each bathroom for us to use right away on saturday so we dont have to dig in boxes to look for them after we are exhausted from moving. I'll make sure we take care of this before we leave to take the girls out to dinner, so once we get back we can just take our showers and fall into bed.
12. I cleaned out our cooler. All of our freezer items will go in the cooler. All fridge items that we plan on bringing with us will go in reusable bags. They will be going to the new house first and my sister will take care of getting them in the new fridge and freezer.
13. I sold one of our super old camcorders to gazelle.com. They gave me an amazon gift card that I will save for Christmas gifts, or maybe even for my textbooks I need for school starting in November.
14. I went through Sonny's toys again and gave away lots of baby toys. Once we move to the new place, I don't want his room to be overrun with toys that he won't play with. Plus, why move those toys?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
How I do my monthly totals
Ok, I've had quite a few of you ask me how I keep track of my monthly totals: what counts as a free item, how I record my receipts, how I keep track of my rebates, etc. *sigh* The truth is, it's so complex to talk, or type, it out but it's so easy to do in my head. But, since I love you all, I'll go through this agony just this once. BUT, in order to make this a little easier, I'll ask you all to ask me specific questions about how I track everything and then I can answer back. I have been working on a post about this for the past 2 weeks and it turning out to be waaaaay to long for how simple this is for me. I had to break down the "break downs" and it was boring to read and sucked to write. I deleted it and that was that.
Now, here's how we'll do it. Leave me your questions in the comments section of this post and I'll tackle them one by one. Once the question is posted, I'll put it in this post along with the answer. So, by the end of the "town hall" we'll still have a post with all of the questions and answers all together. Sounds like a plan? Cool. So get at it, you all. I'm a budgetting open book!
I'm always amazed at your rebate totals. Are they all rebate checks or do you include catalinas and ECBs?
-Lucky
Great question Lucky! I do count my catalinas, Register Rewards, and ECBs as rebates. Some count them as coupons and still count them in their rebates. The way I see it, I have to buy something in order to get these "instant rebates" so they should be counted as rebates in my totals. Now, I do use them to pay for my future purchases along with any actual rebate money that comes back to me.
Do you use specific software or spreadsheets?
Do you record data throughout the month or do you keep receipts and recap at the end of the month!?
-Heather
Heather sneaked in a second question but I'll let it slide this time :o)
I just use the basic Microsoft excel and I created my own different cells. I try my hardest to record all of my data as soon as I get in from shopping, but sometimes I get backed up and have to save the receipts for a day when I have down time. One month I did wait until the end of the month and it was horrible! I didn't realize how much of my budget I had used up(I still didn't go over though) and it felt like I had to put in 50 receipts!
How do you classify BOGO items. Do you count them as one being free or both of them at 50% off?
-Shymom
I classify them as one being free. That's how my stores here classify them, which can be hard when trying to use a coupon on the "free" item, but I still count them as free in my totals.
Now, here's how we'll do it. Leave me your questions in the comments section of this post and I'll tackle them one by one. Once the question is posted, I'll put it in this post along with the answer. So, by the end of the "town hall" we'll still have a post with all of the questions and answers all together. Sounds like a plan? Cool. So get at it, you all. I'm a budgetting open book!
I'm always amazed at your rebate totals. Are they all rebate checks or do you include catalinas and ECBs?
-Lucky
Great question Lucky! I do count my catalinas, Register Rewards, and ECBs as rebates. Some count them as coupons and still count them in their rebates. The way I see it, I have to buy something in order to get these "instant rebates" so they should be counted as rebates in my totals. Now, I do use them to pay for my future purchases along with any actual rebate money that comes back to me.
Do you use specific software or spreadsheets?
Do you record data throughout the month or do you keep receipts and recap at the end of the month!?
-Heather
Heather sneaked in a second question but I'll let it slide this time :o)
I just use the basic Microsoft excel and I created my own different cells. I try my hardest to record all of my data as soon as I get in from shopping, but sometimes I get backed up and have to save the receipts for a day when I have down time. One month I did wait until the end of the month and it was horrible! I didn't realize how much of my budget I had used up(I still didn't go over though) and it felt like I had to put in 50 receipts!
How do you classify BOGO items. Do you count them as one being free or both of them at 50% off?
-Shymom
I classify them as one being free. That's how my stores here classify them, which can be hard when trying to use a coupon on the "free" item, but I still count them as free in my totals.
Quotable Wednesday
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Suess
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sams Club gift card Winners!
Wow, that was a great showing of entries! We ended up with 136 VALID entries(some didn't wanna follow the rules *sad face*) and I went to random.org and got 4 random choices from there. Here they are:
#34- Jenine P. (jtrophy@)
#113- anonymous (pimpinpinkinky@)
# 94- Jenni (jennivb@)
#18- Nicole (godsnicole@)
Congrats to all that won! I have e-mailed all of you, and you have 24 hours to respond with the information I requested. Thanks for entering and more importantly, thanks for following the rules.
DISCLAIMER: For those that may be sore about getting their entries deleted, please don't be. I had to follow the rules I put in the giveaway post to a tee. When I let some slide and they end up winning, you wouldn't believe the amount of e-mail I get from those that did follow the rules and lost, so now I have to enforce them. Also, I wasn't asking for e-mail addresses just to be difficult or gather them up for some mass mailing, it just makes it easier for me when I have to contact the winners. With all the "hats" I wear, I just don't have the extra time to go through blogs or websites to find an e-mail. So, getting your "junk" e-mail is so much easier. Sorry for all the confusion.
#34- Jenine P. (jtrophy@)
#113- anonymous (pimpinpinkinky@)
# 94- Jenni (jennivb@)
#18- Nicole (godsnicole@)
Congrats to all that won! I have e-mailed all of you, and you have 24 hours to respond with the information I requested. Thanks for entering and more importantly, thanks for following the rules.
DISCLAIMER: For those that may be sore about getting their entries deleted, please don't be. I had to follow the rules I put in the giveaway post to a tee. When I let some slide and they end up winning, you wouldn't believe the amount of e-mail I get from those that did follow the rules and lost, so now I have to enforce them. Also, I wasn't asking for e-mail addresses just to be difficult or gather them up for some mass mailing, it just makes it easier for me when I have to contact the winners. With all the "hats" I wear, I just don't have the extra time to go through blogs or websites to find an e-mail. So, getting your "junk" e-mail is so much easier. Sorry for all the confusion.
Meal Plan Monday
I was surprised to come home and see some of the food I made last week in the fridge! So, this week we're gonna have some meals that revolve around getting the leftovers finished. The beef will make a great cheesy casserole and the turkey will make a great soup on the rainy day we're expecting Thursday.
Monday: Cheesy beef brisket casserole with corn bread
Tuesday: "krabby patties" with garlic spinach and rice pilaf
Wednesday: macaroni salad with roasted corn on the cob
Thursday: Slow cooker turkey vegetable soup with homemade dinner rolls
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Slow cooker italian chicken breast with carrots and buttered noodles
Dessert of the week: choco-nana pie
Bread of the week: buttermilk bread
Monday: Cheesy beef brisket casserole with corn bread
Tuesday: "krabby patties" with garlic spinach and rice pilaf
Wednesday: macaroni salad with roasted corn on the cob
Thursday: Slow cooker turkey vegetable soup with homemade dinner rolls
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: Slow cooker italian chicken breast with carrots and buttered noodles
Dessert of the week: choco-nana pie
Bread of the week: buttermilk bread
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Shop Rite 9/13- 9/19
Ok all, i'm still down at the base and only got 4 hours sleep. I'm off to another 12 hour shift in an hour, so i'm gonna do a quick list of the good deals. I'll expand it tomorrow when I have a chance to breathe and really look at the circular again. Also, the database on hot coupon world is all squirrelly, so they don't have all the coupons up. If you all know a deal that I don't post, please please let me know.
Silvania double life or daylight bulbs- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 8/9SS- FREE
breyers yogurt- .39
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- 2 FREE
perdue flavor bites- 1.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 8/23RP- FREE
uncle ben's long grain or wild rice- 1.69
use .75/1 coupon from 7/26RP doubled- .19
coffee mate refridgerated creamers- 1.24
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .24
pillsbury grands biscuits- .99
use .35/1 coupon from 7/12SS doubled- .29
fantastik cleaner- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 8/2SS doubled- .49
wise snack products- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .49
Carolina rice 2lb bag- 1.79
use .55/1 coupon from 8/30RP doubled- .69
ortega taco shells(12 ct)- 2 for 3.00
use .75/2 coupon from 9/13SS doubled- .75 each
skippy peanut butter- 2 for 4.00
use 2 .60/1 coupons from 8/2RP doubled- .80 each
folgers coffee- 2.49
use .25/1 coupon from 8/2RP doubled- 1.99
4 day sale
Barilla pasta- .88
use .50/1 coupon from 8/23SS doubled- FREE
other deals
grapes- .99/lb
chicken leg quarters- .59/lb
chicken drumsticks or thighs- .99/lb
Silvania double life or daylight bulbs- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 8/9SS- FREE
breyers yogurt- .39
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- 2 FREE
perdue flavor bites- 1.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 8/23RP- FREE
uncle ben's long grain or wild rice- 1.69
use .75/1 coupon from 7/26RP doubled- .19
coffee mate refridgerated creamers- 1.24
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .24
pillsbury grands biscuits- .99
use .35/1 coupon from 7/12SS doubled- .29
fantastik cleaner- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 8/2SS doubled- .49
wise snack products- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .49
Carolina rice 2lb bag- 1.79
use .55/1 coupon from 8/30RP doubled- .69
ortega taco shells(12 ct)- 2 for 3.00
use .75/2 coupon from 9/13SS doubled- .75 each
skippy peanut butter- 2 for 4.00
use 2 .60/1 coupons from 8/2RP doubled- .80 each
folgers coffee- 2.49
use .25/1 coupon from 8/2RP doubled- 1.99
4 day sale
Barilla pasta- .88
use .50/1 coupon from 8/23SS doubled- FREE
other deals
grapes- .99/lb
chicken leg quarters- .59/lb
chicken drumsticks or thighs- .99/lb
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thank a Service Member Today!
Today of all days....
Remember, Reflect, Recognize, and Rejoice.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and I am honored to serve for all of you, my readers. I hope that you will go out of your way today to personally thank any service member you may know.
Please remember to thank those that serve this country. Today of all days, we hope that you remember that we fight for you, your families and your freedom. We appreciate all of your support and remember those that have fallen. 9-11....
Remember, Reflect, Recognize, and Rejoice.
Freedom is a wonderful thing and I am honored to serve for all of you, my readers. I hope that you will go out of your way today to personally thank any service member you may know.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I'm talking Body Language.....
This article was originally posted on July 11th, 2009....
How many of you out there actually pay attention to the body language of people you converse with? I have to admit, I do immensely. Learning how to read body language has helped me excel in work, school and relationships and it has even helped with my frugality. I just read this lovely list called "the 25 acts of body language to avoid" and was nodding my head in agreement with most of them. I also learned a few more that I will be looking out for in the near future. Here are 2 that stuck out at me:
#8: Touching or scratching parts of the face. I CONSTANTLY see this one with managers and cashiers at stores. They try to tell me that they can't order a specific item, or give me a raincheck, or accept a certain coupon but all the while the are touching or scratching at their faces! Liars! Fibbers! When I see them do that, I know I got them. My response when they do that? Recite their policies for them. A savvy shopper knows what the policies are at the stores they frequent or they are smart enough to try to find out BEFORE they enter the store again.
#20: Propping up your head with your hands. I do this to cashiers that are hell-bent on giving me a hard time for using coupons. They like to take their time, examining every one, making sure I have EVERY item that goes with each coupon, and once they are done, they do it all again for good measure. I just place my elbows on the little check writing area, put my head in my hands and smile at them like a little kid. They hate it! I've done it with every "mean" cashier at my stores and now when I show up with my coupons and HAVE TO get in their line, they leave me alone. I think I get in and out of the store quicker when I go to my "mean" cashiers now then when I go to the nice ones. OK, I know that its not a very mature thing to do, but it keeps me from getting stressed and entertains the patrons behind me.
How about you all? Do you pay attention to body language of the other patrons, the cashiers, or the managers when you are on the hunt for great deals?
How many of you out there actually pay attention to the body language of people you converse with? I have to admit, I do immensely. Learning how to read body language has helped me excel in work, school and relationships and it has even helped with my frugality. I just read this lovely list called "the 25 acts of body language to avoid" and was nodding my head in agreement with most of them. I also learned a few more that I will be looking out for in the near future. Here are 2 that stuck out at me:
#8: Touching or scratching parts of the face. I CONSTANTLY see this one with managers and cashiers at stores. They try to tell me that they can't order a specific item, or give me a raincheck, or accept a certain coupon but all the while the are touching or scratching at their faces! Liars! Fibbers! When I see them do that, I know I got them. My response when they do that? Recite their policies for them. A savvy shopper knows what the policies are at the stores they frequent or they are smart enough to try to find out BEFORE they enter the store again.
#20: Propping up your head with your hands. I do this to cashiers that are hell-bent on giving me a hard time for using coupons. They like to take their time, examining every one, making sure I have EVERY item that goes with each coupon, and once they are done, they do it all again for good measure. I just place my elbows on the little check writing area, put my head in my hands and smile at them like a little kid. They hate it! I've done it with every "mean" cashier at my stores and now when I show up with my coupons and HAVE TO get in their line, they leave me alone. I think I get in and out of the store quicker when I go to my "mean" cashiers now then when I go to the nice ones. OK, I know that its not a very mature thing to do, but it keeps me from getting stressed and entertains the patrons behind me.
How about you all? Do you pay attention to body language of the other patrons, the cashiers, or the managers when you are on the hunt for great deals?
Quotable Wednesday
"Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask why not."
-Bobby Kennedy by way of Bernard Shaw
Monday, September 7, 2009
Meal Plan Monday! (Or lack thereof...)
Well, it's another week where mama has to go down to the base, so i'm leaving the boys on their own. I stocked up on all the unhealthy things: chicken nuggets, fish sticks, french fries, etc. I also have a beef roast cooking in the slow cooker right now which they can nosh on during the week. Hubby has a loaf of week bread and lunch meat for his lunches and *sigh* my boy starts school on tuesday, so he'll get breakfast, lunch and snack there everyday. They don't need me at all this week!
I also made some oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie dough and froze them in individual scoops, so if the boys want dessert, the can pop a few in the toaster oven.
Next week's menu will be much better. I promise! See you then!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sam's Club gift cards giveaway!
Thanks to everyone that gave me their input on warehouse clubs. I loved all the responses and can't wait to go to Sam's Club and use my knowledge to stretch all the deals I hope to find there. I have a good idea of what I'm going to focus on, but you'll have to stay tuned for that post!While you're waiting, let's do a giveaway! Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I'm offering my readers 4, yes 4, one day passes to Sam's Club AND! a 25.00 gift card for each winner! Wahoo!
This is a great opportunity for anyone who hasn't tried a warehouse club to see how far they can stretch 25.00 there, and it's great for all of you that do frequent warehouse clubs and know exactly what you're doing in there *chuckle*.
This giveaway will end on Sunday, September 13th, at 11:59pm EST. Please, PLEASE, leave your e-mail address in the comment section to be entered into the giveaway. If you do not leave a valid e-mail address, I cannot enter you. I need your e-mail address to contact you if you won, and get the information I need from you, so don't forget!
I'll use Random.org to pick the winners. Thanks for entering and good luck!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Shop Rite 9/6- 9/12
Alright, let's get down to it. Thanks to Hot Coupon World for filling in a few of the blanks. I hope my scenarios help you guys out!
Fisher boy fish sticks- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
playtex handsaver gloves- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/28SS- FREE
Ronzoni pasta- .59
use .75/1 coupon from September All You(this coupon is for quick cooking type)- FREE
or
use 1.00/2 coupon from 8/2RP- .09 each
coffeemate creamers- 1.24
use .50/1 coupon from 6/28RP doubled- .24
Oikos organic greek yogurt- 1.00
use .75/2 printable coupon doubled- .25 each
fancy feast medleys- 4 for 3.00(must buy 4)
buy 12, use 2 1.00/6 coupons from 8/9RP- .58 each
Chef Michael's dry dog food- 3.99
use 3.00/1 coupon from 8/23RP- .99
cling free fabric softener sheets- 1.99
use .50/1 coupon 8/9SS doubled- .99
Crest toothpaste- 1.49
use .50/1 coupon from 8/30PG doubled- .50
Scenario:
buy 2 crest toothpastes and get back 1.00 catalina
buy 2 crest toothpastes for 1.49 each
use 2 .50/1 coupons doubled
pay .98 and get back 1.00- .02 money maker
General Mills promo:
GM Cereals, Betty Crocker, Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, Yoplait, Pillsbury, Jeno’s, Totino’s, Chex Mix, Gardetto’s, & Bugles
Save $10 when you buy $40 participating GM products
Save $5 when you buy $20 participating GM products
Save $2 when you buy $10 participating GM products
Chex mix- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .50 each
Scenario:
chex mix- 2 for 3.00
buy 4 bags and use .50/1 printable coupons(DND-5)
if they let you double the coupons, you pay 2.00. After 2.00 catalina, these are FREE
Betty crocker fruit shapes- 4 for 6.00(must buy 4)
use .40/1 coupon from 8/9SS2 doubled- .70 each
Scenario:
buy 4 for 6.00
use the .40/1 coupons from 8/9SS2
pay 2.80 and get back 2.00. After catalina, that's .20 a box
General Mills cereal- 4 for 8.00(must buy 4)
use .75/1 printable coupon for Kix doubled- .50
use .75/1 printable coupon for coco puffs doubled- .50
use .55/1 printable coupon for cinnamon toast crunch doubled- .90
use .55/1 printable coupon for Trix doubled- .90
Scenario:
Buy a combination of 8 cereals
4 of them have to be kix or cocoa puffs
4 of them have to be cinnamon toast crunch or trix
use the .75/1 printable coupons for kix and cocoa puffs(DND-5)
use .55/1 printable coupons for cinnamon toast crunch and trix(DND-5)
if they let you fully double the coupons, you will pay 7.80 and get back 5.00. After catalina, that's .17 a box
Other deals:
bananas- .39/lb
manischewitz egg noodles(excluding whole grain)- .69
18ct large eggs- 1.49
All natural, free range whole beef tenderloin- 3.99/lb
Fisher boy fish sticks- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
playtex handsaver gloves- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/28SS- FREE
Ronzoni pasta- .59
use .75/1 coupon from September All You(this coupon is for quick cooking type)- FREE
or
use 1.00/2 coupon from 8/2RP- .09 each
coffeemate creamers- 1.24
use .50/1 coupon from 6/28RP doubled- .24
Oikos organic greek yogurt- 1.00
use .75/2 printable coupon doubled- .25 each
fancy feast medleys- 4 for 3.00(must buy 4)
buy 12, use 2 1.00/6 coupons from 8/9RP- .58 each
Chef Michael's dry dog food- 3.99
use 3.00/1 coupon from 8/23RP- .99
cling free fabric softener sheets- 1.99
use .50/1 coupon 8/9SS doubled- .99
Crest toothpaste- 1.49
use .50/1 coupon from 8/30PG doubled- .50
Scenario:
buy 2 crest toothpastes and get back 1.00 catalina
buy 2 crest toothpastes for 1.49 each
use 2 .50/1 coupons doubled
pay .98 and get back 1.00- .02 money maker
General Mills promo:
GM Cereals, Betty Crocker, Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, Yoplait, Pillsbury, Jeno’s, Totino’s, Chex Mix, Gardetto’s, & Bugles
Save $10 when you buy $40 participating GM products
Save $5 when you buy $20 participating GM products
Save $2 when you buy $10 participating GM products
Chex mix- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .50 each
Scenario:
chex mix- 2 for 3.00
buy 4 bags and use .50/1 printable coupons(DND-5)
if they let you double the coupons, you pay 2.00. After 2.00 catalina, these are FREE
Betty crocker fruit shapes- 4 for 6.00(must buy 4)
use .40/1 coupon from 8/9SS2 doubled- .70 each
Scenario:
buy 4 for 6.00
use the .40/1 coupons from 8/9SS2
pay 2.80 and get back 2.00. After catalina, that's .20 a box
General Mills cereal- 4 for 8.00(must buy 4)
use .75/1 printable coupon for Kix doubled- .50
use .75/1 printable coupon for coco puffs doubled- .50
use .55/1 printable coupon for cinnamon toast crunch doubled- .90
use .55/1 printable coupon for Trix doubled- .90
Scenario:
Buy a combination of 8 cereals
4 of them have to be kix or cocoa puffs
4 of them have to be cinnamon toast crunch or trix
use the .75/1 printable coupons for kix and cocoa puffs(DND-5)
use .55/1 printable coupons for cinnamon toast crunch and trix(DND-5)
if they let you fully double the coupons, you will pay 7.80 and get back 5.00. After catalina, that's .17 a box
Other deals:
bananas- .39/lb
manischewitz egg noodles(excluding whole grain)- .69
18ct large eggs- 1.49
All natural, free range whole beef tenderloin- 3.99/lb
Friday, September 4, 2009
Quick Poll- Warehouse Clubs
I have the opportunity to review a well known warehouse club to view the frugal aspects of using it. I used to shop at BJs all the time before I got my "frugal calling" so I know that there are some aspects that can help us frugalites and some that are just a waste of money. But, I'd like to give it one more go with the knowledge that I've learned in the past few years.
Now, here is the kicker: I have the awesome opportunity to give away gift cards to this warehouse club after I do my review. But, the question is, how many of you 4 hats and frugal readers actually shop at warehouse clubs? What memerships do you have? Do you have family members that love to shop at them?
Just let me know in the comments and I can gauge if this will be a good deal for you all.
Now, here is the kicker: I have the awesome opportunity to give away gift cards to this warehouse club after I do my review. But, the question is, how many of you 4 hats and frugal readers actually shop at warehouse clubs? What memerships do you have? Do you have family members that love to shop at them?
Just let me know in the comments and I can gauge if this will be a good deal for you all.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Frugal Magazine Tips- August
I decided that with all the wonderful, FREE, subscriptions I get to great magazines, I should share the best frugal tips and blurbs from them. Also, this will give me a place to reference back for my favorite tips without keeping loads of magazine pages on file somewhere. Every month I'll do this rundown, and hopefully you all can learn something too!
From Woman's Day:
Afraid of losing that recipe you wrote down a few weeks ago or detailed directions to a friend's new house? Take a picture of it with your cell phone and e-mail it to Qipit.com. They'll change it into a PDF file that you can save right on your computer!
Love to read? Download thousands of ebooks to print for free at Gutenberg.org/catalog
How about music? Want to listen to your favorite type while surfing the web, but don't want to pay for it? Log on to pandora.com and listen to an ongoing stream of music based on songs that you like.
Learn a new subject for only 5.00! Go to ocw.mit.edu and peruse MIT's OpenCourseWare. They have lecture notes, videos and even exams for 1,900 courses. How fun!
If you are shopping for a big ticket item, like a laptop or TV, register at the site you are surfing(like best buy, circuit city, etc), place the item in your shopping cart, but don't buy it. Next time you log on, they just might offer you a discount code or deal on that particular item since they "know" that you are interested in it. Pretty cool!
From Glamour:
How to Detox your hair: to combat product buildup in your hair, add a teaspoon of vinegar to your shampoo bottle. It instantly turns it into a clarifying shampoo! Make sure to only use this weekly, though.
From Parents Magazine:
Get the kiddos to have fun and be grossed out at the same time! Let them help you make Oobleck:
Pour one cup of water into a large mixing bowl
Add a few drops of food coloring
Slowly stir in two cups of cornstarch(start with a spoon and end with your hands)
Everyday with Rachael Ray:
When in the car, save your last sip of cola for your windshield! The carbonation cuts through dirt and grime(and even leftover buggies on the windshield...yuck!). Just wipe clean with a napkin or a piece of newspaper.
From Woman's Day:
Afraid of losing that recipe you wrote down a few weeks ago or detailed directions to a friend's new house? Take a picture of it with your cell phone and e-mail it to Qipit.com. They'll change it into a PDF file that you can save right on your computer!
Love to read? Download thousands of ebooks to print for free at Gutenberg.org/catalog
How about music? Want to listen to your favorite type while surfing the web, but don't want to pay for it? Log on to pandora.com and listen to an ongoing stream of music based on songs that you like.
Learn a new subject for only 5.00! Go to ocw.mit.edu and peruse MIT's OpenCourseWare. They have lecture notes, videos and even exams for 1,900 courses. How fun!
If you are shopping for a big ticket item, like a laptop or TV, register at the site you are surfing(like best buy, circuit city, etc), place the item in your shopping cart, but don't buy it. Next time you log on, they just might offer you a discount code or deal on that particular item since they "know" that you are interested in it. Pretty cool!
From Glamour:
How to Detox your hair: to combat product buildup in your hair, add a teaspoon of vinegar to your shampoo bottle. It instantly turns it into a clarifying shampoo! Make sure to only use this weekly, though.
From Parents Magazine:
Get the kiddos to have fun and be grossed out at the same time! Let them help you make Oobleck:
Pour one cup of water into a large mixing bowl
Add a few drops of food coloring
Slowly stir in two cups of cornstarch(start with a spoon and end with your hands)
Everyday with Rachael Ray:
When in the car, save your last sip of cola for your windshield! The carbonation cuts through dirt and grime(and even leftover buggies on the windshield...yuck!). Just wipe clean with a napkin or a piece of newspaper.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Quotable Wednesday
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
-When Harry Met Sally
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
August grocery savings
Wow, quite a slow month! Since I knew we were going to move at the end of September, I decided not to take advantage of a few of the drug store deals in August. I know that those deals will come back around again, and it will be fun to fill up the new pantry with the future deals.
Total items purchased: 228
Total coupons used: 127
Total before coupons and discounts: 597.45
Total out of pocket: 172.86
Total savings: 424.59
Total number of free items: 88
Re-usable bag credits: .80
Total amount received from rebates: 61.56
Total OOP: 111.30
Organic items total before savings: 12.87
Organic items total after savings: 3.50
organic savings: 9.37 or 73%
Total items purchased: 228
Total coupons used: 127
Total before coupons and discounts: 597.45
Total out of pocket: 172.86
Total savings: 424.59
Total number of free items: 88
Re-usable bag credits: .80
Total amount received from rebates: 61.56
Total OOP: 111.30
Organic items total before savings: 12.87
Organic items total after savings: 3.50
organic savings: 9.37 or 73%
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