Thanks Mackenzie...

It's hard to think of a child that really inspires you. Besides your own children or a child in your family, you really have to think about one that makes you want to do better by you and by your family. Well, last year, I found one, and her name is Mackenzie.

A Tale of Two Parties- Sonny(part 1)

This year was a bit more challenging when it came to organizing Sonny's birthday. Since he is old enough to have an opinion, and is school age and has school age friends, he was full of ideas about how his birthday should go down. Of course, none of these ideas were practical, easy, or frugal.

Money Saving Challenge(a continuation)

I know some of you remember the Money Saving Challenge that Precious from Frugal Makes Cents started. Well, she's been continuing to post what she does daily to save money and I love to read them! I haven't posted daily, but I have been making an effort daily to save. Within the past few days we've done some cool things that have saved us cash, so I wanted to share a few.

-I've run out of my lactose-free milk, but instead of going to pay full price for it, I've made myself a different breakfast from everyone else. While they have their fruit and cereal, I've either been using up the grits stockpile or the oatmeal stockpile.

- We've been re-using leftovers in great ways lately.  We had london broil leftover from last week adn used some to have steak and eggs for sunday breakfast; slow cooker BBQ chicken and the rest of the london broil will be used this friday for empenada appetizers for friends we are having over this friday. I'll even make the dough from my wheat flour and cream cheese stockpile.

- Saturday Hubby wanted to grill outside. Earlier in the week I found 2 racks of beef ribs on deep discount at Stop and Shop. I let them sit in the fridge until the sell by date, then I placed them in a brine for about a day and a half. Hubby grilled them up and that was dinner on Saturday.

- Instead of letting the warm coals go to waste, I pulled out some frozen lamb chops we had and marinated them for a few hours. By the time the ribs were almost done, the lamb was ready to go. I also sliced up two onions and placed those on the grill. Once all the meat was done, we moved the grill and placed some foil wrapped peaches with vanilla and brown sugar right into the coals. By the time the coals cooled, the fruit was cooked and caramelized.

- To save money, we've been following a baby led solids diet for the Duchess. Basically, she's been eating what we eat since she was 6 months. Steak, onions, real chicken pieces, broccoli stems, etc. This has saved a ton of money on baby food, and time, since I don't even have to make her baby food from home. This was even better in the last few days because whatever leftovers we had in the fridge, I could make the same lunch for her and her brother, if need be. If you would like more information on baby led solids, check out this blog run by Emily of Joyful Abode and other awesome moms.

- I participated in a twitter party late last week and won a 25 dollar walmart gift card and a coupon for free huggies diapers. The gift card will be used during our trip to Ohio in July and so will the coupon. This means that we don't need to pack diapers and a few other things we plan on getting once we arrive. On a side note, I love twitter parties! They are fun and I've won some great things, including a birthday bike for Sonny.

- Today, I took the kids to the playground a half hour after breakfast. I kept them there as close to lunchtime as possible. This saved us money by being out of the house while everything was turned off, and it exhausted them, so Sonny was not anxious to watch a show or play the Wii once we got back. I got him to keep away from both of those things today and read books. The Duchess was ready for a nap right after lunch and even took another long one later in the day.

-All day we've kept the lights off and the central air off. We've been able to keep the air off for most days lately. Unless the tempurature is in the high 80s or 90s, we really don't need to have it on.

- I cleaned out our patio closet and found 3 items we can sell on craigslist. 2 of the 3 have never even been opened, so they should sell well.

- I started to make a list of items I want to make for Sonny's birthday party on Sunday. Most of it will either come from sales this week or from our current stockpile. I'll be sharing more about his party tomorrow.

- Thanks to a tip from Precious, I was able to totally clean the kitty's litter box today with an old kitchen sponge I saved. It really was a great idea; I was able to scrub the heck out of the box more than ever.

- We are low on kitty litter stockpile, so I mixed his litter with shredded newspaper. I'll have to remove the paper almost daily, but since we clean his box daily anyway, that doesn't bother me.

- I need to vacuum our couch, but we have no vacuum. I've asked to borrow a friend's handheld vaccum. This will save money because we don't need to go out to get one(we don't have carpet, so we never wasted money on a vacuum), and I don't have to try to find a place to put a big or even a hand held vaccuum in our space. Borrowing is awesome.

-I got a 4.00 check from Cash4Books.net in the mail on Satuday. I also got a full size Gillette razor in the mail today.

- After seeing a mom on Extreme Couponing use her military discount, I decided to look up what discounts I can use on certain parts of our budget. I've called up my last credit card debts and asked about military assistance. Since I'm in the guard, they re-evaluated my debt! I got 500 dollars taken off of it, which means we will be done with that debit in T-minus 4 months now! I'm now on a mission to ask around EVERYWHERE before my enlistment is up.

There were lots more that we've done but that's all that stands out right now. I hope you all are continuing to pinch those pennies and finding creative ways to save!

A Tale of Two Parties

For us, summer will forever mean the preparation of two birthday parties for two very different children. This year will be the first time I'll experience planning two parties that will happen within a 3 week time frame.

Am I nervous about this? Yes. Will this be difficult. Absolutely. Am I up for the challenge? Heck yeah! I am excited to share how I'll do this will you all on here, as well as have it documented for future reference years to come, when I get overwhelmed around the end of June and think that I can't go through it again. Not only will I share what I'm doing for my own children, but I'll share some great ideas I've learned while thinking of how to keep each party original and fun for the guests. Since most of the guests will the the same for both parties, it's important to me to display each child's personality while creating totally different interactions for the guests. It should get fun to show you all what I have in mind.

So, come back during this week and check out what I have in mind and what we will be implementing this year, what we've done in past years, and what we may implement in years to come.

Did you know that I update my facebook and twitter when new posts are up on the blog? Never miss a post by liking and following me, in that order. Stay tuned!

ShopRite Deals 6/26 to 7/3

NEW! Joy cake cones- .99
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled(gone in 2 hours! yikes!)- FREE!

Wacky Mac pasta- .99
use .40/1 coupon from 5/8SS doubled- .19
plus, get .40 back from SavingStar- FREE plus .21 overage!

Ronzoni garden delight pasta- .88
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- .38 each
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- .38 each
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/15SS- FREE

International delight creamer- .99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 4/10SS(expires 6/30!)- .49 each
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
use .55/1 coupon from 4/10SS doubled(expires 6/30!)- FREE

Heluva Good dips- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 5/15SS doubled(expires 6/30!)- FREE

Mt. Olive relish- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use two .75/1 coupons from 6/26SS doubled- FREE

When the Devil attacks....

As I sit down to write this, I know I have about a million things to do. All of a sudden this week, I have had to put out so many fires. During this dreary and cloudy week, when it rained it poured all over our home. But, like every other time this happens, I have to realize that the Devil may be attacking for a reason.

I know not everyone believes in the so-called "devil" but most of us believe is the downsides of life and the amazingly unfortunate situations that seem to pop up in threes, fours, and fives sometimes. You kind of feel like you are under machine gun fire and it's hard to get your thoughts straight. Lately, the fire has been coming in bursts around here. Just when we go to peek around the corner, it starts right back up. The enemy has been on my ass, so to speak, and he's not letting up.

Now don't get me wrong; this will NOT be a Debbie Downer post. It's just an acknowledgement of a current series of situations. I've learned in my short years on Earth that once you acknowledge the the elephant in the room, you can begin to shoo him away.

Whenever we are challenged, the payoff seems to come in abundance and I'm sure that may be the case. During a few of our last attacks, we gained a promotion, windfalls and windfalls of "fun money," awards and decorations in my military career, and oh yeah, a baby boy and girl.

We're dealing with the closed doors, but waiting on those windows to open. And they better hurry up because it's getting stuffy in here.

Strangers with candy(unsolicited advice)

You just have to love strangers that offer you advice about you, your shopping habits, your relationships and your children. I mean, don't you? They're only trying to help, of course, and them butting into every part of you within the first 5 minutes they know you is warranted. Right?

Well, I have my top ten things I would love to say to those strangers that seem to know how to raise my kids and what I'm doing wrong by them. This should be interesting:

The 1st of Grades

Just less than a week ago, my boy graduated from Kindergarten.

Now, I thought this would have been the end of me; blubbering, sobbing, taking a million pictures, but this was not the case.

One of a mother's proudest days is when she sends her child to their first day of real school. Whether that be a brick and mortar classroom, or starting their official home school curriculum, your heart skips a beat when that first day starts. Some moms even shed some tears during that first day and can document that in a video, picture or even a box with the first day of school outfit tucked away for embarrassment during the teenage years.

I am a mom that sobs at the birth of her child, and even at the loss of a first tooth(which also happened this week), but that first and last day of school brings anxiety to me.  On the first day I think if my kiddo will be picked on, will he like his teacher, will I have to come get him early because he just can't stand school? Or, like his Mom and Dad, will he just be so bored to tears and cause all types of troubles because he's not challenged enough? Or even scarier, will he be the kid that lags behind and can never catch up to the work?

The last day of school is none the better. It's filled with thoughts of him learning enough from his teacher, wondering if we asked enough questions or intervened enough to make a difference in his school experience. Figuring out if we need to send him to a camp this year, or if my summer school curriculum will keep him challenged and busy. Did we express enough how much we appreciated the hard work his teacher put into his intellectual growth? Pardon my french, but it makes me bat sh*t crazy. My psychosis is all effed up, and I'm hoping not to pass that on to my kids when it comes to school, but I would love to be the blubbery mom. I envy the blubbery mom. She's so carefree and living in the moment. Then I feel myself turned tides. I can feel the tears welling up. Why do you think this is happening now. Well, this is why....

*sigh* High school graduation. I don't even want to think about retched my neuroses will be by 2023. It's going to take a lot of yoga and meditation to get over THAT last day of school.

Please tell me I'm not alone in this! Do the last days of school make you crazy? Or do they bring tears to your eyes?

Meal Plan Monday!

I haven't put one of these up in a few weeks! This week should be pretty easy, since we have some leftovers that will be transformed into other things.

Monday: BBQ chicken empanadas with green peas and brown rice
Tuesday: Beef fried rice with side of asian slaw
Wednesday: Brown butter tilapia with carrots and buttered noodles
Thursday: Grilled cheese and tomato sammies with vegetable soup(it's gonna rain all day!)
Friday: Pizza night! Gonna try to make a sicilian pie made with a little wheat flour
Saturday: Homemade sloppy joe sammies with french fries and salad
Sunday: Family dinner at my parents' house

Dessert of the week: mini blueberry crumb cakes

ShopRite Deals 6/19 to 6/25

Sylvania mini twist bulb- .99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- FREE

Colgate total advanced toothpaste- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 6/5SS doubled- FREE

L'oreal kids shampoo- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/19RP doubled- .49
Plus, buy 2 get 1.00 catalina- FREE after coupons and catalina!

Select Scotch Brite cleaning items- .99
use .75/2 coupon from 6/5SS doubled- .24

9lives canned cat food 4pk- 6 for 8.00(must buy 6)
use two 1.00/3 coupons from 5/15SS- 6 for 6.00 or .25 a can

Slow cooker roasted garlic

Since Father's Day is this weekend, I knew I had to put together some of Hubby's favorite things. Plus, he had been hinting at wanting to grill out on Sunday, so having a few condiments on hand will be great. I looked on the counter and saw that we had a ridiculous amount of garlic. It's too hot to put them in the oven, so I decided to place them in the slow cooker instead. The end result was fantastic!  Almost as good as my slow cooker caramelized onion recipe, which I also made. Try not to enjoy the smell this will make in your house. Your neighbors will be jealous, I promise.

Slow cooker roasted garlic

7 or 8 bulbs of garlic
oil(olive, canola, whatever you have)
aluminum foil

Pull 7 or 8 sheets of foil from the roll. Make sure they aren't too big, but are big enough to cover the whole clove.
Rub each clove in your hand and get off as much of the outer layer of skin as possible. You want the bulb to stay in tact, but you don't need all that skin on the outside.
Place each bulb in the foil pieces, drizzle with oil, and close.
Place foil-covered bulbs in the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Barefoot and Hormonal...

This week, Mama Kat wanted us to focus on something that is near and dear to my heart; my pregnancies. Here's the prompt I decided to blog about:


Barefoot and hormonal…describe an incident that upset you when you were pregnant, but now looking back makes you laugh.

In an instant, a pregnancy hormonal rage can transpire.  With 2 pregnancies under my belt, I have some occurances that would make a grown man weep, and some profanity-laden outbursts that would make my Pastor blush. The funny thing is, I never remember them. 

Extreme couponing: even babies love coupons

Since tonight is the finale of our "favorite" show (insert sarcasm here), I thought I would share a video I took of Duchess a few weeks back. She knows about Mama's coupons and that they are important, so when she can get her hands on one of my organizers, she feels so special. If only she could actually keep her hands on it:



Please excuse her naked baby outfit. She hates clothing when indoors. So does her brother. I have their father to thank for that trait.

That wonderful Walgreens Brand

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There's no need to say that Spring is the time for allergies. Every one of us in this house suffer from them, so that means I have to make sure we have a stockpile of meds on hand all year 'round.  Even though name brand are now available over the counter, they still cost an arm and a leg. So, we tend to stick to generic products, such as Walgreens Brand Health and Wellness.

We are big fans of Wal-dryl here, since the name brand version is the only allergy remedy that seemed to work for both Hubby and I.  It works just as well, if not better than the name brand version and doesn't cost a millions dollars. Even when cold and flu season rolls around, we can rely on the Walgreens brand to carry a version of the top cold remedy for children. Sonny Boy had to use these a few times after catching colds at school, and they were fantastic.

Besides having a great price, Walgreens Brand Heath and Wellness products, are Walgreens pharmacist recommended, most have the same active ingredients as the name brand version, AND have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

You can visit the Walgreens website to learn more about Walgreens Health and Wellness Products. Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

Also, there are several bloggers who are doing giveaways of Walgreens gift cards! You know how much we love giveaways, so go check them out, and enter to win. giveaways

Walgreens has a program called Walgreens Way to Well Fund™. It's a great program and you can read up on that here: Walgreens Way to Well Fund™

Do you all use Walgreens Brand Health and Wellness Products? Have you been able to save in your budget by purchasing them?

Frugal Fashion Rotation

One of the biggest expenses for me is clothing. With weight fluctuation, and my addiction to having trendy pieces and loving my classic pieces, well, to pieces, it seems like I'm always trying to find a deal on clothes or looking for ways to make the clothes I do have last as long as possible. The newest idea I've been implementing is clothing rotation,

We already rotate our clothes in and out with each season, so doing this within each season is an even better concept.  Just imagine: you have a favorite tee that you love to where in the summer but you know that within those months you will end up wearing and washing it down to the point where it will become a new cleaning rag for housework.  How about rotate that t-shirt in and out of your wardrobe every few weeks? Here's the plan I've been following since the beginning of spring:

1. Pull out all spring  and summer clothes. Go through them and discard any items that you know you won't want to wear(or can't fit) and put aside to give to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.
2. Place like items together. Same style t-shirts, shorts, tank tops, or dresses all get put into their own piles.
3. Decide what type of rotation you want to use. I suggest doing a 2 or 3 week rotation, so you won't get tired of using certain pieces for a long period of time, but you'll have enough time with your mini-wardrobe so that you don't feel like you are constantly switching out clothes.
4. Create your 2 new wardrobes. If you have 2 pairs of similar style shorts, place one pair in one pile and one pile in another. If you have 4 pairs, place 2 in one pile and 2 in the other, etc. By the time you are done with this, you'll not only have your items organized, but you will be able to see what outfits you can create from each pile.
5. Place one pile in your drawers to be used for the next few weeks, fold up the second pile and place in nearby storage(like a linen closet or a tupperware under your bed).
6. Make a goal to wear every piece of clothing in your first pile. This will ensure that all pieces get their time out in public. It also ensures that you may not have to wash your wardrobe until the rotation period is over.

I started doing this right before the first day of spring, and even with the fluctuation of the weather, I've been able to give each item it's due time. I also was able to add in a few more pieces since I could see what was missing from each rotation group(new items pictured above). I've even been able to rotate out my purses, which is big since I wear out purses like crazy. My favorite clothing pieces seem even more special now since I don't give myself the opportunity to wear them every time I have the inclination to pull them out.

Do you all do anything special to stretch out the use of your favorite clothing pieces? Do you think this idea might work for you?

ShopRite Deals 6/12 to 6/18

Wacky mac veggie pasta- .99
use .40/1 printable coupon doubled- .19
or use this .40/1 printable coupon doubled- .19
use .40/1 coupon from 5/8SS doubled- .19
plus, get .40 back from SavingStar- FREE with .21 overage!


Tic Tac single pack- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/12RP- FREE

Ronzoni quick cook pasta- .77
use .55/1 coupon from 4/10SS doubled- FREE

Ban solid deodorant- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 6/5SS doubled- FREE

Colgate toothpaste- .77
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Weight Watchers yogurt- .40
use 1.00/5 printable coupon- .20 each
use .55/3 printable coupon doubled(use zip 22222 or no zip code)- .03 each

ShopRite Deals- FREE 6 pack snapple!

There is a great Snapple rebate deal out right now. Since Snapple 6 packs will be 4.99 next week, I figured I would post this now. This rebate is good until 6/30, so I'll reference in all the match ups until then in case you forget about it. Here are all the details:

Mail-in rebate for a free 6 pack of Snapple (up to $6.99). If you have submitted a Snapple mail-in rebate in the past you are still eligible for this offer. Offer not valid in Rhode Island.
No rebate form? That's ok! You can provide the following information on an index card:

Name:
Address:
Phone and/or email address:
Flavor purchase:
Price paid:
Store name:

Send your original receipt dated between 3/27 – 6/30/11 and the UPC code found on the Snapple box. Envelope must be postmarked by July 11, 2011. Allow up to 6-8 weeks for delivery of rebate check.

Snapple 6 Pack Rebate Offer
P.O. Box 40896
Houston, TX 77240

Unlike most rebates this rebate has a limit of 1 rebate request per person and up to 5 requests her household. There can even be multiple Snapple products in one transaction as long as the receipt shows multiple purchases.

A BIG thanks to A Full Cup for posting this information!

ShopRite: .67 bagged salad next week!

Now that summer has beat up spring and taken over, I know we are all looking for great deals on salad. ShopRite will have Fresh Express salad bags on sale for 1.67, starting 6/12!

Click here and put in zip code 77477 to get a .50/1 coupon for fresh express. After double coupon, this will make the salad .67!

The rest of the ShopRite match ups will be posted either later tonight or very early tomorrow morning, since I have military duty this weekend.

Are you following me on twitter? Or have you liked 4 Hats and Frugal on facebook? As soon as match ups are done, I update both of those, so come on over and join me.

A quick(sort of) 30 dollar shopping spree!

I haven't posted a picture of my shopping trips in a while, but since it was such an adventure to do these transactions today, I thought I'd share.  There is one thing you can say about those of us living a frugal life, we have a tough skin and when we are dead set on getting a deal, we do it.

Today, Sonny Boy's school had early dismissal because of the heat, which meant that he needed to be to school even earlier than usual. It also meant that I only had 2 hours between the time I dropped him off and the time I would have to pick him up. To me, this means a perfect time to hit up all the stores. Because of the heat, I took a top from Precious, and got our biggest cooler cleaned and put in the car before we left for the day. I had 2 frozen bottles of water in there and a cooled sippy cup for the little girl. Once we started our shopping, I placed anything that needed to stay chilled in the cooler. Within those 2 hours, we dropped off the kiddo, went to Stop and Shop, ShopRite, Staples, and Pathmark. I even had time to run to Dunkin Donuts to get my free frozen hot chocolate. We did all this in 98 degree weather. I have to say, my little girl was having a ball! It looks like she's more like my Mother In Law; she is loving this hot weather. Plus, she's a busy body, so going into all those stores just kept her in a good mood. I think the sippy cup also hit the spot. Last but not least, here is the picture of all of my loot:

Here's a list of everything:
1 pack of chicken thighs
2 boxes raisin bran
2 dozen eggs
3 cartons of soy milk
2 cartons of smart balance milk
1 gallon of 2% milk
3 4packs of cat food
4lbs rice
1 bunch of bananas
8 limes
2 20packs soda
2 packs of razors
4 boxes of italian ice
2 bottles of spicy mustard
2 greek yogurts
4 packs daninino kids yogurt
1 bottle laundry detergent
1 bottle fabric softener
1 pack swimming diapers for Duchess

The soda, mustard and the italian ices are being saved for Sonny Boy's birthday party. The limes were on sale for 8/1.99 and bought to use in lime iced tea for the week and to make hubby lime curd for father's day. Bananas are a favorite here and were on sale for .49/lb this week at ShopRite. The soy milk, smart balance milk and greek yogurt were all part of a great deal at Stop and Shop this week and were all purchased for 3.00 total. That's less than the regular price for one carton of the soy milk. The rice and cereal will be put in the charity box for the church pantry. I'll also get back 4.00 from SavingStar for buying the detergent, diapers and fabric softener. The fabric softener and detergent are .50 after coupons and the rebate, and the diapers are 2.99 after 2.00/1 coupon and the rebate.

Also, if you have a Staples nearby, print out this 3.00 off your purchase coupon and look for this box:

I got these for free after coupon! They are on sale this week for 3.00. They are perfect for sending off homemade kids' birthday invitations or thank you cards since they come in bright colors. Since we have 2 parties planned for July, I was dying to find these and super happy to get them for free. The coupon expires on 6/11, so you only have a few days to use it.

Life without kids

This week Mama Kat had a writer's prompt that really spoke to me:

Describe what you think you life would be like if you never had kids.

When I think about life without kids, I immediately turn to work.  Before I met my husband, I was addicted to work. I had 3 jobs, by choice, and loved being productive. Even when we got together, I still kept 2 jobs just to feel like I was contributing to society.  Once I entered the military, I didn't see it as my primary career; I had dreams of becoming a lawyer, and serving meant that I could attain that on someone else's dime.  If I had never had kids, I'm more than positive I would have graduated law school, finished up internship and started at a firm by now.

I also see lots of travel. Hubby and I seeing the world, living the life of a "newlywed" couple for years.  There are so many places that we both have on our "bucket lists" and I don't think we'll be able to see them anytime soon.

I do see a bit of sadness with us as well. We are by nature "kid people," having been the oldest, in both families, of lots of cousins. It's difficult to go from being in a family where a new baby is introduced every few years to having it just be "you and I."

I have to say, when I was so-called planning my life, I never thought it would take me down this path. Marriage was never in my future, but a kid was.  By the age of 29, I thought I would have the world at my fingertips and only success on my mind. It's funny how the whirlwind of a family can make you laugh at those "plans."

The "Meriod"

 This past weekend, I became subject to an epidemic that has plagued many a-house; an occasional occurrence that effects your humble abode in the strangest of ways. I'm of course speaking of The Meriod.

Also known as the "Man period," this bought of raw male emotion is seen quite a bit all across the world but we are always hesitate to put a name to the problem.  I have to thank my wonderful Gay friend from High School for letting me know the exact name.  When Collin (Hi Collin!) left a status update a few months ago announcing that his "meriod" had returned and his emotions were through the roof, I immediately knew what he was referencing.  My dear sweet, pain in the ass Husband experiences this issue; and this past weekend, it was on overload.

ShopRite Deals 6/5 to 6/11

Click here for full ShopRite match up information

NEW! 3-in-1 multipurpose oil- 1.79
use 1.25/1 printable coupon- .54
Plus, click here to get the Try Me Free rebate- 1.25 money maker! Thanks Leann!

Luigi's Italian Ice- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 5/1 RP doubled- FREE

Ban deodorant- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 6/5SS doubled- FREE

Ken's Salad dressing- .99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 5/8SS- .49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/8SS- FREE

Butterball turkey bacon- 1.50
use 1.00/2 coupon from 5/22SS- 1.00 each
use .65/1 coupon from 5/22SS doubled(DND5)- .20

Ronzoni Quick Cook pasta- .77
use 1.00/2 coupon from 4/10SS- .27 each

Have you heard about Savingstar?

 
Anyone who is into couponing and getting great deals at the grocery store knows all about cellfire.com, a wonderful site that will add e-coupons to the loyalty cards of some of your favorite stores. Well, now there's another contender, Savingstar.

A note from Welch's to YOU!

This is why I love twitter! I just got a Direct Message from Welch's . They read my post about 100% juice and wanted to let my readers know about something really cool they are doing. Here is their note for you:

Hi! We're giving away free grape juice if you share a  "grape" photo today! Thought your followers might be interested! http://ow.ly/57WB0

So, break out those cameras, grab a bottle of Welch's or anything "grape" you have around the house, and get clicking!

ShopRite shoppers: get .55 to 5.00 off your next order!

Cellfire is doing it again! Log on today, June 2nd, from 6am to 6pm, and score a e-coupon worth any amount from .55 to 5.00. This was a cool promotion they did last time, and some of your got some great amounts. Click here to go straight to the coupons and get them loaded to your card today.

The skinny on Juice

As Americans, we are obsessed with what we put into our bodies. Whether that means nit picking every little thing, or over-indulging and making ourselves feel guilty later, food consumption runs the country.  I was lucky enough to attend a twitter party about one of  our biggest dietary obstacles here in our home: juice.