Coin raffle- perfect for any party!

When we had the celebration for the Duchess's birth last week, I came up with a great raffle idea to help fill up the cute piggy banks we got from friends.  I called it the "penny raffle" and the premise was that we'd get the guests as soon as they come through the door and tell them to empty their pockets of loose change.We told them that it was a starter to her college fund. Each penny would get them one raffle ticket. The prizes we gave away were a big movie basket and spa basket I put together with some stockpiled items. They're were all items I had on hand, so I could fill the baskets up sky high and entice more people to enter.

But my Mom did me one better: she told me to change the title to "coin raffle" and give one raffle ticket per COIN. So, if they gave a penny or a quarter, they would still get one ticket.  Surprisingly, everyone tried to use up as much of their change, especially quarters, on the raffle.  The line was even so long that my Sister couldn't handle passing out the tickets on her own after a few minutes.  My Mom and I had to step in and help her out. It was fun and we filled up one piggy bank and halfway filled another.

This would be a great idea for anyone planning parties in the future. It's ideal for a kid's birthday party, but it would even be great for an anniversary(a piggy bank to raise money for the couple's date nights that year), a bridal shower(a piggy bank to start the bride's "just for me" account) or even a housewarming( a piggy bank to start a "house emergency fund"). I just thought I'd share that with you all in case someone had an event coming up. I hope it helps you!

Quotable Wednesday

"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand that uses it bleed."

-Rabindranath Tagore

Maybe I'm just like my Mother....

This past weekend, my mother and I threw a "welcome to the world" party for the Duchess. Since she's the second child, we didn't want to go "full-on" baby shower but we do believe that every child deserves some type of celebration when they are brought into the world. So, Miss Diva Duchess Supreme got her very own party.

Now, obviously this could have been a recipe for financial disaster(who doesn't love to go all out for a cute little baby?) but after planning this gathering with my Mother, I see now that maybe, when it counts, I'm just like her.

First off, we had to decide on the venue.  I wanted to go all out frugal and have it at either our house or my Parents' house. I'd do the clean up before and after and that would save us on hundreds of dollars. My Mother wholeheartedly disagreed. Her thoughts were, if we want to invite all of our friends and family, then we should have it at a location. Otherwise, one of them just may destroy something and that's the end of that relationship. Also, she pointed out that just because you are ABLE to do something, like clean up your place for 50 or so of your closest friends to hang out in, doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. I'm glad we listened to her, because two days before the party, everyone in my house got a nasty cold and we were bedridden all of Friday; the day I would have cleaned up the place. So we agreed on a great Chinese buffet that's halfway between our house and my Parents' house.

After the venue was set and the deposit was put down, we started on the details. Much to my surprise, my Mom was adamant about keeping the costs low on all of these items as well. She found the invitations at the dollar store, along with the centerpieces and even found a book of baby shower games there that we could copy from.  Since my Mom is a cake decorator, we knew that we wouldn't have to worry about the cake. She had me pick up the tableclothes and since the venue had an extra charge to pipe "muzak" into the banquet room, we nixed that and I made a playlist on my Ipod of great party songs. I have a Ipod dock that I got a few Christmases ago, so I bought that and it was more than loud enough to fill the whole room with music. When it came to putting together the games and prizes, we stayed even more frugal. I got lucky a few days before the party when I saw on a deal site that Office depot offered a coupon for 25 free copies. I printed one off for me and one for my Mom and we used those to copy the games we had typed up. The prizes were found from my gift box and my Mom's liquor cabinet. She had a great bottle of a specific wine that she actually didn't like(and never offered to Hubby and I lol) so we used it as one of the prizes. I had a Dunkin' Donuts gift card that I had been saving, and offered that up to the pot as well. I was able to also put together a "manicure" kit as a prize. Our two big prizes were a movie pack and a spa kit, with all items I had stockpiled as gifts. Those two prizes were used for our "coin raffle." I'll share more on that tomorrow.

We also kept it frugal when it came to the favors.  I'm not a fan of favors that are not useful, or edible, so I told my Mom that I wanted to make cut-out cookies and pipe the Duchess's name and birthdate on them. Unfortunately, I got to make the dough but didn't get to bake the cookies since by Friday morning I was way under the weather. I then came up with the idea of having everyone take a picture with the Duchess on the day of the party, then I could get the pictures printed with one of my free credits on one of those printing sites, like shutterfly or snapfish.  To make it a little easier, I grouped families together in the picture so we didn't have to take pictures of her with each and every person. I'll send these pictures off with the thank you cards (also found at the dollar store) and everyone will have their own personalized favor.

After the party was over, everyone commented on how much fun they had, even the men that joined us! I even got phone calls Sunday and Monday to let us know that a few people really appreciated being invited. I couldn't help but think about how things could have gone if my Mom and I still had different mindsets when it comes to spending money. So, maybe I am like my Mom a bit. Or, like DH says, maybe I just got the "good parts."

Meal Plan Monday!

This week we are doing our "rubber chicken" routine this week, so lots and lots of chicken dishes! We are also getting over a cold that Sonny Boy bought home from school, so soup needs to be on the menu too.

Monday: Roasted Chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots
Tuesday: Chicken, potato and carrot soup
Wednesday: Hamburg steak with peas and brown rice
Thursday: Chicken spaghetti with garlic bread
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Grilled Cheese sandwiches with tomato soup
Sunday: All day trip to Six Flags! Junk food for everybody lol!

Winner of the Pillsbury giveaway!

I totally forgot to pick the winner for this! Well, according to random.org the winner is entry number 20!

Congrats to Rhonda C! I'll be contacting her via e-mail for her information. If she doesn't reply within 24 hours, I will pick another winner.

Thanks to all that entered!

ShopRite Deals 9/26 to 10/2

Barilla whole grain or piccolini pasta- 1.05
use .55/1 coupon from 8/29SS doubled- FREE

Carolina Rice(1lb)- .89
use .50/1 coupon from 8/29RP doubled- FREE

Nesquik milk- 1.00
use .50/1 coupon from 8/1RP doubled- FREE

Fisher Boy fish sticks- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Philadelphia cream cheese- .99 (limit 4 per variety)

use 5.00/5 printable coupon- FREE

Libby's canned veggies- .50
use 1.00/3 coupon from 8/29RP- .16 each

Campbell's chicken noodle soup- .60
use .40/2 coupon from 8/29SS doubled- .20 each

Superpretzel- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from October All You magazine doubled- .49

General Mills Total whole grain cereal- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 9/19SS doubled- .49

Apple and Eve apple juice- 2.00
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .50


Shake and Bake mix- 1.99
use .55/1 coupon from September All You magazine doubled- .89


Kraft shredded cheese- 1.99
use 5.00/5 printable coupon- .99 each

Hostess muffins- 1.99
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .99

All 2x laundry detergent- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 9/26RP- .99

Maxwell House coffee- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 9/26SS- .99

Sorrento Mozzarella block- 1.77
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/20SS- 1.27 each

4 day price break (Wednesday to Saturday)
Soft soap elements hand soap- .88
use .35/1 coupon from 9/19RP doubled- .18

Other Deals
Perdue cornish hens- .99/lb(wednesday to saturday only)
Seedless grapes- .99/lb

"There's no point burying a hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site."

-Sydney Harris

It's coming....

Well, there it is. The first signs of Autumn. Are you all ready for "sweater weather"?

Night Owl/Early Bird

For most of my life, I've been a night owl. I'm just more productive at night. Anytime after 9pm, I am ready to go take over the world. Because of this fact, the whole 21st year of my life is something that exhausts me to think about now. I think I went out every weekend of that year...to more than one place. Ah, to be young again. Anyway, it's because of this reason that I don't mind staying up with the baby nowadays, and why most of my posts for this blog are typed up after the sun goes down.

With all that said, I've always noticed that although I'm productive at night, the world works around the sun. And, unfortunately for me, my family all seems to work around it too. Even the duchess is now showing that she would rather rise early with Dad and Big Bro, than sleep in with me.  So, what to do? Well, thanks to my training in the military(waking up at 4:30am for 6 months and only getting a few hours of sleep the nights before), I can get up with the rest of the bunch. I CAN. But, I still don't like to.  What I've been doing lately is getting as much done at night for the following day, so when I'm stumbling in the morning, I have everything laid out, ready to go. For example, I've been placing Sonny's cereal and milk in the fridge so it's ready to go in the morning for him and I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep.  I place the cereal in his bowl and his serving of milk in a travel coffee mug I got at the dollar store. When he gets up, he takes a spoon from the drawer, takes his bowl and cup out of the fridge, and chows down. I've actually been doing this since my first trimester because I needed sleep and nausea often kept me in the bathroom most mornings. I'm just saying.....

How about you all? Are you night owls or early birds? How about your family members? Does it effect the flow in your households?

ShopRite Deals 9/19 to 9/25

Barilla whole grain or piccolini pasta- .88
use .55/1 coupon from 8/29SS doubled- FREE

Carolina Rice(1lb)- .89
use .50/1 coupon from 8/29RP doubled- FREE

Pepperidge farm milano cookies- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .99
use .75/1 coupon from 8/1SS doubled- .49

Minute rice ready to serve- 1.67
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .67

Kellogg's raisin bran- 1.99
use .60/1 coupon from August 29th Parade magazine doubled- .79

Kikkoman sauces- 1.99
use .55/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .89

Keebler coconut dreams or baker's treasures cookies- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon(coconut dreams or baker's treasures)- .99

Hostess mini muffins- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .99

President Brie log cheese- 3.99
use 3.00/1 printable coupon (no longer available)- .99

Almond Breeze milk- 2.49
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- 1.39

Nutella spread- 2.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 8/29RP- 1.99
___________
Buy 15.00 worth of participating items, get 5.00 off your next order

Tums Dual Action- 3.99
Buy 4 Tums DA- 15.96
use 4 2.00/1 coupons from 8/29RP
Pay 7.96 and get back 5.00 catalina! 2.96 for 4 items after coupons and catalina!
____________
 

4 day price break(Wednesday to Saturday)
Coffee mate creamer- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
use .55/1 coupon from September All You magazine doubled- FREE

Other Deals
California nectarines- .69/lb (limit 4lb)
Perdue oven stuffer roaster- .79/lb
5lb bag eastern potatoes- .99

Quotable Wednesday

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

-Winston Churchill

I hate car maintenance....

OK, hate may be a harsh word, but I loathe it. It's one of those necessities that I see as a pain in my side.

Let me explain. We only have one vehicle, so it is very important that we keep up with the maintenance of it. It's also a used vehicle, so that increases the importance even more.  Since I'm the one that stays home, the responsibility falls on me most of the time, unless it's a big job that requires Hubby to take deeper look and find outside help who can qualify to fix it.

It's a pain in my side because every month there seems to be something. Since we use the car so much, there's always an expense towards it. As every frugalite should do, we run our used car to the ground. Constant oil changes, new brakes, and tires are needed all the time. We even have to replace the battery this fiscal year. I do tend to think, "why not just get a brand new car and not have to deal with this crap?" If every month there is going to be something that we have to fix or update or replace, then why not just put that money into a car payment? But then I remember, brand new cars become "used" ones as soon as you pull off the lot. New cars will eventually need new brakes, tires and oil changes. if I want that "new car smell" I can buy it at the auto parts store for 2 bucks. So, I re-group, realize that you have to make do with what you have, and move on. I still hate car maintenance, though.

Now that I've said all that, I'm off to get yet ANOTHER oil change.

Meal Plan Monday!

Monday: Chicken Parmasan with spaghetti and side salad
Tuesday: Slow cooker meatloaf with mashed potatoes and sweet peas
Wednesday: Fried rice with side salad
Thursday: Beef and onion soup with homemade rolls
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Dinner out...finally
Sunday: Grilling out at my parents' house while we still can!

Dessert of the week: Cookies and milk (we were bombarded with cookies from the In-laws Labor Day weekend)

ShopRite Deals 9/12 to 9/18

Ronzoni pasta- .67
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

GUM floss- 1.49
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Fisher Boy fish sticks- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Mission tortillas- 1.64
use .75/1 coupon doubled(expires Monday!)- .14

Kozy Shack puddings- 1.49
use .55/1 coupon from 6/6SS doubled- .39

Ziploc EZ zipper bags- 2 for 3.00 (must buy 2)
use 2 .55/1 coupons from 7/25SS doubled- .40 each

Ajax 2x Ultra laundry detergent- 1.49
use .50/1 coupon from 5/23 or 8/15SS doubled- .49

Ziploc sandwich bags- 1.59
use .55/1 coupon from 7/25SS doubled- .49

Luigi's italian ice- 1.66
use .50/1 coupon from 7/25RP doubled- .66

Wise potato chips- 1.89
use 50/1 printable coupon doubled- .89

Air Wick compact or freshmatic i-motion starter kit- 4.99
use 4.00/1 coupon from 8/8SS- .99

Shady Brook turkey meatballs- 2.24
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.24

Real Goodness Lactose-free milk- 2.50
use 1.00/1 coupon from 8/8SS- 1.50

Juicy Juice bottles- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use 1.00/2 coupon from 8/1RP- 1.50 each
__________
Pillsbury Catalina Deal
Buy any 4 & get $1 OYNO
Buy any 5 & get $2 OYNO
Buy an 6 or more & get $3 OYNO

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits- .99(limit 4)
buy 4, use 2 1.00/2 printable coupons(only prints twice per computer)- 1.96 and get back a 1.00 catalina! .24 each after catalina!
_________
Buy 2 Skippy peanut butters, get a loaf of white sandwich bread FREE
Buy 2 skippy peanut butter naturals, get 1.00 catalina

Skippy Naturals Peanut Butter- 2 for 4.00
use 2 .50/1 printable coupons doubled- 1.00 each and get back 1.00 catalina! 1.00 for 2 PBs and bread!
________
4 Day Price Break (Wednesday to Saturday)
Ragu pasta sauces- .99(with 10.00 minimum)
use .75/2 coupon from 9/12RP doubled- .24 each

Other Deals
Red or Green Seedless grapes- .99/lb
Pizza dough- 1.00
ShopRite 2.5 dozen eggs- 2.49

Going back to frugal school-part 2

If you missed part 1 of my "back to frugal school series," click here.

Another part of our budget that gets the frugal overhaul are the utility bills. For the most part, we have a monopoly here when it comes to utility companies, but this year, I planned on really evaluating all of our options. There is a new company that we are able to use, so it have become a contender.  We do a good job of not using up too much energy, but in the winter we always seem to have an increase in our bill. It could be because I'm always cold (I mean ALWAYS...it's ridiculous) or because we spend more time indoors, but now that we have been in our new place for over a year, I can look back at the bills and tighten the budget based on those numbers.

We will continue to take advantage of off-peak hours and wash clothes and dishes during those times. I've also tracked when the sunlight shines right into the main rooms of our home, so I can make sure I turn off the heat during those times and rely on mother nature. I would like to decrease our utility bill by about 15% this year so we can more aggressively save for some things that we have coming up.  It will be interesting to see if we accomplish that goal.

Giveaway: Pillsbury sweet moments prize pack!

Are you drooling yet? Can you just picture you and that chocolate piece of heaven up there having a moment? Well, I have to admit that I loved these sweet moments from pillsbury.  I had the chocolate caramel pictured up above and it really hit the spot when I had an intense chocolate craving. With the sweet baby girl wanting all of my time nowadays, when I have a few minutes to do something nice for myself, I have to make those minutes count. The fact that I could pull these out of the fridge and make in seconds was a God-send. Also, learning to take 2 minute showers has helped tremendously, but I digress.

Here's what Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark is offering one of my readers: a VIP coupon for a FREE package of the new Sweet Moments AND a chocolate spa kit! Here's what the goodies look like:

Let me tell you, that spa kit is awesome! It smells so good and the package it beautifully. You can save as a gift for a loved one or, better yet, use it on you! Wanna win this giveaway?

-Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite chocolate treat. Do you like brownies? Cake? Or does a dark chocolate bar tickle your fancy?

If you aren't part of blogger or have a google account to sign into, please make sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

One entry per person and the contest will be open until Wednesday, September 15th at 10pm. The winner will be announced next Friday. Good Luck!

Hiatus....

I know I owe you all another post about my return to frugal school, and I promise it's coming, but this mama needs a quick hiatus. At least for today. I feel a "blues moment" coming on and need to just chill for a minute. I'll be back with 2, yes 2, posts tomorrow, one being a giveaway....that includes something chocolate. Hmmmm...chocolate. Maybe that's what I need....

Quotable Wednesday

"The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open."


-Gunter Grass

Going back to frugal school-part 1

Well, Labor day has passed and that means all the kiddos are back at school.  With my own little bookworm off to kindergarten, I realized that this would be a great time for Mom to go back as well. This is the time of year when I re-evaluate everything financial in our house. While the rest of the world may use the beginning of the year to review finances, I find that staying on a fiscal schedule helps us stay within a steady budget, especially with the big holidays a few months away. By reviewing how we've been spending our money at this point, it helps us not go into the red during the holidays.

I first start off with our grocery budget. This is the section of budget that is most flexible, but can cause the most trouble if we don't pay attention to it.  By this time in the year, I can think about what items we have been using up quickly and what items have been sitting in the freezer or pantry since the beginning of the year.  I also keep into account what hubby likes to take into work for lunch and get feedback from him on how well i've been keeping those favorites in stock.  This is important because my Husband has no qualms about buying his lunch if I don't have his fixins' in stock at home.  This can wreck our entertaining budget(that's where his the money for his lunches out come from) and cause us to have a very boring month without any nights out. As a stay-at-home Mom, nights outs are essential for me, so maintaining that budget is pretty important.
 This year, we added another member to the family, so I know that the grocery budget will have to be evaluated and changed to reflect that as well. I know she's just a baby now, but I have to factor in the within this year, she'll be starting solid foods and drinking regular milk, so that gives me another person to cook for and another person to drink up all of the milk I can get on sale. I'll also have to factor in that my son is growing like a bean pole, and has recently starting asking for second servings of dinner. I'm fortunate enough to have a kid that loves seconds and thirds of veggies, but that means that I'll have to really keep up with a stockpile of fresh and frozen ones to accommodate his growing appetite.

But that's not all! Tomorrow I'll share another part of our budget that I review for the fiscal year....

ShopRite Deals 9/5 to 9/11

NEW MONEY MAKER! Krustaez pancake mix- 1.49
buy 2, use 2 .50/1 coupons from 8/22SS doubled- .98 and get back 2.00 in catalinas!

Post its- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from 8/15SS- FREE

Rayovac batteries- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 7/25SS- FREE

Colgate toothpaste- .77
use .75/1 coupon from 8/29SS doubled- FREE

Stonyfield Farm organic maple vanilla yogurt- .50
use .50/2 printable coupon doubled- 2 FREE

Fisher Boy fish sticks- .99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Carolina rice 16oz- .89
use .50/1 coupon from 8/29RP doubled- FREE

Bic crystal pens- .60
use 1.00/2 coupon from 8/1SS- .10

Hefty trash bags- 1.24
use .55/1 coupon from 8/1RP doubled- .14

Betty Crocker brownie mix- 1.00
use .75/2 coupon from 8/8SS doubled- .25 each

Yoplait Greek yogurt- 1.00
use .30/1 coupon from 7/11SS doubled- .40

Perdue chicken nuggets- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 8/29RP doubled- .49

Krustaez pancake mix- 1.49
use .50/1 coupon from 8/22SS doubled- .49

Butterball turkey breast- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 8/8SS doubled- .49

Chex mix sweet and salty or chex mix treats- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .50/1 coupon from 8/8GM doubled- .50

Friendship cottage cheese- 1.77
use .55/1 coupon from 8/15RP- .66

Jell-o puddings, mousses or gelatins- 1.99
use .60/1 coupon from 8/8SS doubled(expires 9/8)- .79

General Mills cocoa puffs cereal- 1.99
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- .88

Wise potato chips- 1.89
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- .89

Hormel Compleats- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .55/1 coupon from 8/1SS doubled- .90

Crystal light mix- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .99

Planters flavor grove nuts- 2 for 5.00(must buy 2)
use .75/1 coupon from 8/29SS doubled- 1.00

Nabisco Chips Ahoy- 1.99
use .75/2 coupon from 8/8SS doubled(expires 9/5!)- 1.24 each

Turkey Hill ice cream- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 8/29RP- 1.49 each

Quaker instant oatmeal- 2 for 5.00(must buy 2)
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 8/29RP- 1.50 each


4 Day price break(Wednesday to Saturday)
Totino's pizza rolls- .88
use coupon from 8/8GM doubled- FREE

Lawry's season salt- .99
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Other deals
Bananas- .39/lb
Perdue oven stuffer chicken- .69/lb
Farm Flavor apple juice- .99(Wednesday to Saturday only)

We have a winner!

The winner of the Box tops prize pack and 25.00 Target gift card, as chosen by Random.org, is entry number 80...Davney!

Davney says she collects box tops for her niece's school, which is truly awesome. Congrats! The winner has been sent an e-mail. If I don't get back a reply within 24 hours, I'll have random.org pick another winner.

Thanks to all that entered and keep a lookout through the rest of the month for more giveaways!

Quotable Wednesday

"Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained."

-James A. Garfield