Thoughts for thursday

With hurricane Irene last week hitting the East Coast, I thought to myself, how prepared am I for an emergency? Have you thought about this? Here are a few things you may want to gather to make sure you are prepared for anything that may happen.

 

Water

Food

Batteries

Glow sticks

Matches/ or magnifying glass

Duct Tape

Manual can opener

Someone to call

What situation do you need to prepare for? How long could you be without water or electricity? Make sure you have at least three 20oz bottles of water for each person in your home for two to three days. After two or three days you should be able to get help and be able to obtain more water if needed. You may also look into getting water purification tablets or a solar powered water purification device and have bleach on hand. You can use 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water to disinfect water. Shake and let it stand for 30 min.

Do you have enough food to eat if you do not have electricity or gas to cook? Since I stockpile my food, the answer to this is a resounding YES. We could even cook outside for a while with propane or wood on the grill or smoker. I think we would survive for at least a month if I could not buy any more food from the store. Be sure you have a manual can opener to open any can goods you may have in case the electricity is out.


Do you have enough batteries for your flashlight or candles if the electricity goes out? We have been purchasing only rechargeable batteries for every battery we replace. This may be a little more expensive, but we are not putting many batteries back into the environment as our kids use them up like candy for all their toys. I think we have replaced nearly every battery at least once. We have a set in the drawer that has been charged for each battery type, AA, AAA, D, C and 9 volt just in case they are needed. I am considering purchasing a solar battery charger for just in case such an emergency is needed. They even have solar powered battery chargers for your phone. I am thinking of getting one of these as well.


Someone to call to check in to let them know you are OK and to spread the word to everyone else. This is a good idea to have someone to call and then they can post on social media or get the word to others to let everyone know you are OK and survived. This also helps relieve the phone lines of unnecessary calls. The lines will be free for emergencies from others who truly may need help.


If you do not have a kit all put together, you should make a list of the items you would want to bring or collect in case of an emergency. Also keep this list in a convenient place like taped to a kitchen cabinet where everyone in the house knows where it is.


Do you have any other items you think are a must for an emergency kit? Do you already have and emergency kit packed?

Friday Finals

CVS 08/23/11

(1) Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing $2.00

(1) Hydro 5 blade 4 pack $8.49 – Printed $5.00 ECB

(4) Skippy Peanut butter $1.66 Raincheck

Used:

$5.00 ECB

$1/1 Kraft Mayo RP or SS in August

$2/1 Hydro Blade multipack

2 $1/2 Skippy peanut butter RP 07/31/11

I paid $7.13 and saved $23.51 on $30.64 retail from CVS.

Wal-Mart 08/24/11

I wanted to stock up on a few items at Walmart that normally don’t have coupons for like beans. We make a lot of beans for the winter, and I am thinking of starting a fall garden. I would have purchased more wipes, but that is all they had.

(1) Strawberries - $1.68

(1) Navy beans 1lb. - $1.00

(1) Black beans 1lb. - $1.00

(1) Pinto beans 1 lb. - $0.78

(1) Red Kidney beans 1lbs - $1.36

(1) Lentils 1lb. - $0.92

(1) Pull ups $9.47 – I forgot my coupon for these

(4) Pull ups wipes $1.64 – 4 $1/1 Q SS 08/14/11

            -Final $0.64 each

(1) All You Magazine $2.49 – $0.25/1 10% off RP 06/19/11

            -Final $2.24

(2) Eight ‘O Clock Coffee - $4.88 – I didn’t give him my Q for $2/2 for the coffee

I paid $30.77 and saved $4.25 for $35.02 retail. Obviously I was not on my ‘A’ game when checking out at Wal-Mart this time. I could have used the extra $3.50 I would have saved had I use my coupons. Darn. Oh well I have them for next time.

Kroger Mega Event 08/25/11

Ok due to my coupon mess up at Wal-mart I curtailed my spending at Kroger. I did some research while I was at the store to plan for another shopping trip next Tuesday before the Mega event ends. MEI = Mega Event Item $0.50 off

(1) Gallon Milk $2.39

(2) Sunny D $0.99 – MEI, 2 $0.25 Tripled SS 08/07/11

            -Final $0.24 each

(8) Del Monte Tomatoes $0.50 – MEI

            -Final $0.50 each

(2) Nesquik Chocolate Drink Mix $1.09 – 2 $0.50/1 doubled RP 06/05/11

            -Final $0.09 each

(2) Aunt Annies Mac and Cheese $1.00 – 1 $1/2 Q Catalina Printed

            -Final $0.50 each

(4) Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade $1.00 – 4 $0.50/1 doubled RP 07/24/11

            -Final FREE

I spent $8.09 and saved $24.32 on $32.41 retail worth of groceries 75% savings. I even bought real food this time. I am stocking up on tomatoes for this winter. I make lots of soups, stews and chilis. We will need the tomatoes for those items.

All together this week I spent $45.99 on groceries and diapers and saved $52.08. How did you do this week? Any great savings? What Freebies did you find. Share your trips here so we can all learn together. LINK UP below

Meals

Are you getting in the back to school mode yet? I am there and trying to figure out fun lunch ideas for my daughter. Sandwiches everyday is not going to cut it. I just thought of something today and tested it in my kitchen. I call it Cheesy Bread.

I normally buy the 9 grain or whole wheat fresh baked bread that is discounted in the back of the store. I freeze this and we take it out as we need it and warm it up in the toaster. This bread is smaller than the average size loaf I use a couple of more slices than I would the average loaf.

First place the bread in the toaster. You want it to be nice and dry and crunchy. Then I placed some shredded cheese and sprinkled some parmesan on top. I put it in the microwave for 1 minute or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Then I take it out and let it cool. You can cut it up into bite size pieces or leave as is. Then I put some pasta sauce in a small dish to dunk the slices. This was delicious. It was just like pizza, but the bread doesn’t get soggy with the sauce. I am definitely doing this again.

A small variation could be adding some Italian spices to the top of the cheese or adding different cheeses.

I hope you enjoy.

Money saving Monday

I have been extremely busy last week getting ready for school and planning a 2 year old birthday party. Everything went really well. I can now get back into my blog and keep all of you updated with everything that is going on. My toe/foot is still broken. This has slowed me down tremendously this past week. That is why I have been away from blogging. I just didn’t have time.

I am trying to find structure and organization in my life. Slowly but surely we are getting there. We finally purchased some shelves from Ikea for the play room upstairs and everything is off the floor and put away. My husband is now kicking himself wondering why didn’t we do this sooner. I have been asking for the past three years for these shelves. Everything has a place and the kids know where everything goes and can pick it up very quickly. This has brought some much needed peace and serenity back to the home.

 My daughter has the same teacher she had in first grade for her fourth grade teacher this year. She is very excited. My son is in preschool and loves going on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The 2 year old is sleeping and the big one is at her first day of school. This is the quietest my house has been in a while. I really miss her today. Within the past two weeks she has been an angel and I have really enjoyed being with her.

I am going to be more diligent in writing and keeping up with my blog. I haven’t even been that great with my budget lately. So we are going to be giving this a shot and I will keep you informed where to find good deals, how to save money, freebies and much more.

Friday Finals

To start things off this week had been pretty good until yesterday. I seem to have broken my pinky toe on my left foot. It hurts so badly. I am sitting typing to you with an ice pack on my blue and purple toe. Thank goodness it is summer and I can get away with wearing flip flops everywhere; however, it is a challenge with a very active two year old. With all of his toys lying around the floor has made for an exciting time trying to navigate through the house without hitting my toe on anything.

Kroger Shopping 08/10/11

(4) Domino Brown Sugar $0.62 on clearance

(2) Domino Confectioner Sugar $0.62 on clearance

(3) Loaves Bread Discount Bin

(1) Pine Sol $1.89

(1) Coke 20 oz. $1.59 – 1 Q for Free Coke for using Recycle machine outside Kroger

            -FREE

(5) Yoplait Yogurt 4 Pack $1.88 – 5 $0.50/1 Q doubled 4 Pack Yoplait Yogurt

            -$0.88 each or $0.22 each cup

(1) Kroger Multigrain Chips $2.50 - $0.40/1 Kroger eQ

            -Final $2.10

(4) Welch’s Jelly $1.99 – 4 $0.35 tripled Welch’s Jelly

            -Final $0.94 each

(2) David Sunflower seeds $1.00 - $1/2 All You Magazine

            -Final $0.50 each

(1) Energizer 4 pack AA batteries $9.03 - $1/1 Energizer batteries

            -Final $8.03

I spent $28.00 and saved $20.71 on $48.71 retail. We have been buying Rechargeable batteries to replace all of our batteries. These are just a few dollars more and you can get many more uses out of them instead of throwing them away after one use. We feel this is better for the environment.

CVS Shopping

CVS did not go as planned at all. I didn’t have enough items to qualify for my $5/$25 so I went back to get a couple of things and I still didn’t have enough after check out. Since I was in pain from my toe, I just checked out and left. This has left me a little over budget this week.

(2) Herbal Essence Shampoo and conditioner $2.49

(1) Maybelline Mascara $4.99

(2) Edge Shave Gel $1.99

(1) Pampers EZ ups $8.99

(1) Candy $0.33

Coupons used:

2 $1/1 Herbal Essence Shampoo or conditioner

2 $.55/1 Edge Shave cream

1 $1/1 Maybelline mascara

$1/1 CVS Maybelline

ECBs Used:

$5.00 ECBs

ECB received:

$5.00

I spent $14.25 and saved $8.68 on $22.93 retail. I thought I had a $2.00 off pampers diapers however it was for 60 count or larger that didn’t work. I didn’t get to my $25.00 mark and I received rain checks on several items they were out of. I am not very happy about this trip today.

Tom Thumb Shopping

(10) Pepperidge Farm Goldfish 2 for $4 – $1.00 each Tom Thumb Coupon

            -Final $1.00 each – for birthday

(1) Odwalla drink $1.99 - $0.35/1 tripled  All You

            -Final $0.94

(2) International Delight Creamer $3.29 - $2.48 Tom Thumb Q

            -Final $2.48 each

(4) Nature Valley Granola Bars $2.99 - $1.78 Tom Thumb Q, $0.75/2 Q

            -Final $1.41 each

I paid $23.76 and saved $27.13 on $50.89 retail. The Goldfish is not counting against my weekly totals. These are for my sons Elmo Birthday party with a crayon and goldfish theme. These will be favors and snacks at the party. I am so excited. I can’t wait.

How did you do with your shopping trips this week? LINK UP below

Tips for Tuesday

I am reposting this article, since it was so popular a couple of months ago.

With many of us couponing or trying to save money we need to stretch those box meals a little further. For me a simple box meal just doesn’t feed all five of us.  I like to have leftovers for little face and me for lunch the next day. It is easier to decide what we will eat and I don’t have to make a big meal just for two people.

I would like to share with you a few ideas I have for adding flavor to boxed meals without adding sodium. The sodium content of these is amazingly high. I try not to feed these to my family very often, but they are better than buying fast food for five of us. I will do it in a pinch.

The best thing to add to any meal is an onion. I can purchase these for $0.49 lbs. So I am only adding $0.49 extra cost to my meal. I usually use ½ or 1 onion chopped and sautéed . This adds not only lots of flavor but around a ½ to 1 pound of food to the meal. The kids don’t even know it is in there, since most boxed meals have onion powder. Adding onion ramps up the flavor and increases the vegetables for the meal.

I also like to add carrots, especially to higher sodium meals. This will help decrease the salty taste in a meal. I will add around 1 or 2 peeled and either shredded, pureed or chopped finely. This is around ¼ to a ½ cup of carrots. What a sneaky way to enter extra veggies into the kids meals and they don’t even know. I like to add carrots to Sloppy Joes too. We just need a little more to make it stretch to feed all of us.

Corn is the next best thing to add to a meal. I find it goes well especially with Mexican dishes. I try to buy frozen when I can. Otherwise just open a can and pour it in. I like the cream style corn with the Asian Rice a Roni. Use the water from the can for the water to add to the dish. This will add just a little more flavor than just regular water. I will also save the water from the corn and use this for soups later.

Try adding peas to a meal. If you or your kids don’t like the taste of peas try pureeing them and add that to the meal. You won’t see them or taste them either. I like to add peas to fried rice and canned soups.

Beans can be added for extra protein to any dish. I like black beans for Mexican dishes. Sometimes I will add both corn and black beans to stretch a meal.

Try adding a little of two or three of the above mentioned vegetables to each meal to see what you can come up with and not change the taste too much. This is a fun experiment to try with your family. Try other vegetables you like to see what other combinations you can come up with. Look at the box and see what dehydrated veggies are already in there and add the real thing. This is a great way to stretch a meal for just a few pennies per meal.

Do you normally add anything to a box meal? What are your favorite recipes to add veggies to? What Veggies do you add?

*Photos provided courtesy of Wikipedia

Friday Finals

I had a fantastic shopping week. I found many deals I am going to share with you today. I hope you will LINK up any shopping trips you had this week. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

It is still hot here. Although I love shopping, I am not enjoying getting out in this heat. Here are the stores I went to this week and here is how I did.

Walmart would not let me combine 2 V8 Fruit juice coupons and the V8 tea FREE twice. I had enough coupons to have 4 juices and 2 teas for free, but they would not honor it. So that is why it came out the way it did below.

Walmart 07/29/11

(1) Diapers $13.47

(3) V8 Fruit Fusion Juices $2.98 - 3 $1.50/1 V8 Juice Not sure when this came out

            -Final $1.48 each

(1) V8 Fruit Tea $2.98 – B2 V8 Juice G1 Tea Free

            -Final FREE

(4) Speed Stick Deodorant $0.98 – 4 $0.50/1 Speed Stick SS 07/24/11

            -Final $0.48 each

I spent $19.83 and saved $9.48 at Walmart on $29.31 retail. The diapers will last me for two weeks or longer.

Instead of going to CVS on Sunday like everyone else, I am waiting to go on Thursday or Friday. I normally get a coupon emailed to me for $4 off $20.00 or more or $5 off $25.00. Also my CVS doesn’t stock all the items on Sunday they hold back. If I go after Wed. that is when the truck comes they will usually replenish their stock. This is also easier to shop with not as many people in there.

CVS Saturday 07/30/11

(1) Kotex 18 ct Pads $3.49 - $2.00 ECBs printed

(4) Playtex Sport 18ct $5.29 - $10.00 ECBs printed, Spend $20.00 get $10.00 ECB

(1) Carmel $0.33 – to get me $25.00. It was close and they took the $5.00 off

Used:

1 $1/1 Kotex SS 07/24/11

2 $2.50/2 SS 06/19/11

1 $5/$25 CVS emailed coupon

2 $4.00 ECBs

Total spent in one transaction $5.98 received $12.00 in ECBs for next time. Total saved $20.40.

Tom Thumb shopping 08/01/11

I mainly went to Tom Thumb to get French bread for us to have Red Beans and Rice, my husband’s favorite dish from New Orleans. Since I was there, I decided to take advantage of a few deals.

(1) Loaf of Fresh Baked French Bread $1.59

(2) Nature Valley Granola Bars 12 ct $1.88 - $0.75/2 SS 07/17/11

            -Final $1.50 each

(4) Classico Pasta Sauce $1.49 – 2 $1/2 Classico Sauce SS 05/15/11

            -Final $0.99 each

(2) Honey Graham Crackers $1.99 - $1/2 Nabisco Honeymaid Crackers

            -Final $1.49 each

I spent $11.54 and saved $16.00 on $27.54 retail worth of groceries. I love Classico Pasta sauce. I have a lot of pasta right now and need some sauce to go with it.

Sprouts is where I get my produce and buy things found in bulk bins that do not have any packaging. This is a great way to save not only money, but also on packaging. I shop what is one sale in the bulk bins. I am still waiting for the multigrain pancake mix to go on sale. Yum.

Sprouts Shopping 08/03/11

(0.94) lbs Whole Wheat Flour @ $0.89 lb

            -Final $0.84

(0.89) lbs Quinoa @ $2.49 lb

            -Final $2.22

(3.82) lbs Grapes @ $0.99 lb

            -Final $3.78

(6) Pints of Blueberries @ $1.88

            -Final $11.28

(1) Stalk Celery $0.88

            -Final $0.88

I spent $19.00 for produce this week.  I use the Quinoa for a vegetarian dish during the week. I can get two meals out of one pound. I will take and wash the blueberries and dry them real well and freeze them. I will use them in muffins, pancakes and smoothies throughout the year.

Kroger 08/04/11

(2) Yoplait Yogurt 4 packs $1.88 each

(4) Dawn Dishwashing Liquid $1.39 – 4 $0.50/1 Doubled Any Dawn P&G 07/31/11

            -Final $0.39 each

(2) Disney Vitamins $6.99 – B1G1 in store, $1/1 Printable

            -Final $2.50 each

(3) Softsoap $1.00 - $0.35/1 tripled Softsoap SS 07/24/11

            -Final FREE

(4) Crest Toothpaste $1.00 - $0.50/1 doubled P&G 07/31/11

            -Final FREE

(2) Bounce Dryer Bar $4.99 - $2.00 off for buying two, 2 $0.50/1 doubled P&G 07/31/11

            -Final $2.99 each

(4) Dole Tropical Fruit $1.00 – 2 $0.50/2 doubled SS 07/24/11

            -Final $0.50 each – Plus $0.50 off next order for purchasing 3 cans

I used $2.00 OYNO coupon from purchasing 4 Crest.

And 2 $0.50 OYNO for purchasing 6 Dole Tropical Fruit.

I spent $14.01 and saved $48.47 on $62.48 retail. I saved 78%. This is one of my best shopping trips at Kroger so far. Should have received $2.00 off next check out for purchasing 4 Crest toothpastes, but two rang as toothbrushes. I didn’t realize this until I got home. Little face was not being the best baby at the store. I was pretty bummed.

CVS 08/04/11

Here is my awesome CVS trip!

(2) Gallons Milk $2.99 - $2.00 ECB printed
(1) Gillette Fusion Pro Razor $9.99 - Used at $4.00 coupon, $5.00 ECB printed
(2) Revlon Lip Sticks $5.79 each- Used 2 $1.00/1 Revlon Coupon, $3/$10 cosmetic purchase, $6.00 ECB printed
(1) Tums 72 count $4.99 - Used CVS coupon for FREE stomach aid

I used $13.00 in ECBs in one transaction and I had $4/$20 or more I loaded to my card.

I spent $3.55 and saved $28.99 on $32.54 worth of items retail. I had a lot of coupons print at the machine and they are sending me a coupon almost every week for some dollars off of $20.00 or more. This was the best trip for me combined with the Kroger trip above. I had a really good feeling about couponing after this week.


LINK UP below to share your shopping trips this week.

Tips for Tuesday

Wow! It is hot here. It is supposed to be 108 today. This past winter I thought I moved to Minnesota. Now I feel like I have moved to Las Vegas. It is hot. I said I would not complain one day about summer during our week being below 30. That was cold and I am really thinking about those days now. Kinda wishing they were back. It is hot. I think I am going to try to lead a campaign where everyone will exhale at the exact same time and blow this high pressure right outta Dallas. I am not sure that would work, but anything is worth a shot at this point.

I have a few tips on keeping cool in this heat and things to do with the kids. First make all sorts of popsicles. I have been making some yogurt and berry ones. Next I am going to try an orange dreamsicle. Yummy. I just love those. Also we have a snow cone lady here. She makes the best snow cones in the world. We are going to see her again this weekend.

Next try taking the kids to a splash park. These are a lot of fun. The water is usually cool and will cool the kids down too. I tend to stay on the outside edge and might walk through a couple of times to cool down myself.

Today I went to the play area inside the mall and let Little Face play there. He wants to go outside, but it is just too hot. We went outside at 9:00am yesterday morning and he was dripping with sweat within 15 min. There is no humidity here either. It is just hot, hot, hot.

Does anyone have any tips for keeping cool this summer? I need some. Please link up any tips about home, life, work, kids, family or crafting you would like to share.

Friday Finals

Kroger Mega Event

(2) Pop Secret Popcorn 3pk $1.49 – Mega Event $0.50, $0.50/2 doubled RP 06/19/11

            -Final $0.50 each

(2) Advil 20 count $3.49 - Mega Event $0.50, $4/2 SS 05/22/11

            -Final $0.99

(1) Ocean Spray Craisins $1.99 - Mega Event $0.50

            -Final $1.49

(2) Gorton Frozen Fish 6 each $2.99 - Mega Event $0.50, $1/2 Gortons Fish Items Printable

            -Final $1.99

(5) Velveeta Shells and Cheese cups $1.00 - Mega Event $0.50, $1/5 Tear pad in store

            -Final $0.30 each

(5) Rice A Roni $1.12 - Mega Event $0.50

            -Final $0.62 each

(1) Herdez Salsa $1.99 - Mega Event $0.50

            -Final $1.49

(2) Quaker Life Cereal $1.99 - $1/2 Life Cereal RP 6/19/11

            -Final $1.49 each

(2) Kroger Tomatoes $1.09 - Mega Event $0.50

            -Final $0.59 each

(1) Coke a Cola 20 oz $1.59 – FREE coke for using recycle machine outside of Kroger

            -Final – FREE

(5) Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta $1.00 – 2 $1/2 printable NLA, 1 $1/1 Morning Star Coupon Book

            -Final $0.40 each

(2) Kroger Tuna $0.62 each

(1) Blueberries $2.50

(2) Gallons Milk $2.39 each

(1) Bacon $3.24 – For grilling some tenderloins we bought earlier

(1) Hershey Chocolate Bars 6pk $1.00 – found in discount bin

(2) 18 ct Eggs - $1.67 each

(1) Blue Bell ice cream $1.25

(1) Loaf Raisin Bread $1.00 – Soon to expire, now in my freezer

(1) Water chestnuts $0.89 – This is for a spinach dip I love to make in the summer

Altogether I spent $40.59 saved $43.97 on $84.56 retail. This went towards last weeks budget, since I was at my mother’s house. I had a few items that I didn’t have coupons for. We grill on the weekend and my husband wanted some bacon to wrap the tenderloins with. This is very delicious. I also have been shopping the discount bread section and purchasing my bread there. I can usually get a good deal on bread for $1.00 a loaf for 100% whole wheat with no preservatives. I freeze the bread and take it out slice by slice and pop it in the toaster and hit the frozen button to thaw for sandwiches.

This weeks shopping

Sprouts

(0.93) lbs Whole Wheat flour @ $0.89 lbs

            -Final $0.83

(0.94) lbs Granola @$2.49 lbs

            -Final $2.34

(2.19) lbs Red Onions @ $0.49 lbs

            -Final $1.07

(4.21) lbs While Onions @$ 0.49lbs

            -Final $2.06

(0.79) lbs Roma Tomatoes @$0.77lbs

            -Final $0.61

(1) Cilantro $0.34

(1) Cucumber $0.77

(1) Bell Pepper $0.49

(1) Green Leaf Lettuce $0.88

(2) Voskos Yogurt $2.00 each

(1) Bay Leaf $1.25

I always go to Sprouts when they have Voskos yogurt 2 for $4. Their sales over lap days so next Wednesday it will be on sale still, I will usually go and pick up two more. I use these for smoothies and instead of sour cream. Greek Yogurt has more calcium and protein than regular yogurt or sour cream. They usually have sales on granola too. I love the prices for onions too. Onions are great to stretch any meal. Just add a medium to large size onion and you are adding another pound of food and extra flavor to a box meal and make it stretch. Especially if you have company coming over.

Kroger round 2

(2) Kroger Whole Wheat handmade Tortillas $0.50 each – discount bin

(1) Whole Wheat artisan bread $1.00 – discount bin

(1) Off Aerosal spray $1.50 – discount bin

(1) Package Pork Chops $5.83

(1) Pillsbury cake mix $1.00 – birthday is coming up soon

(1) Pillsbury brownie mix $1.00 - $0.55/1 printable RP 06/12/11

            -Final $0.45

(4) General Mills Cereals $2.79 – 2 $1/2 SS 07/10/11

            -Final $2.29 each

(2) Gallons Milk – B4 general Mills cereals G2 gallons of Milk FREE

            -Final FREE

(4) Dan-o-nino Yogurt $1.88 – 4 $0.50/1 doubled SS 06/05/11

            -Final $0.88 each

(2) Edge shaving cream $2.42 - 2 $0.55/1 SS 7/24/11

            -Final $1.87 each

(2) Ivory Soap $1.00 - 2 $0.50/1 Ivory Soap doubled

            -Final FREE

(6) Dole Tropical Fruit $1.00 - 3 $0.50/2 doubled Dole Tropical Fruit SS 07/24/11

            -Final $0.50 each + (2) $0.50 OYNO for each three you purchase

(1) Soft Soap $1.00 - $0.35/1 tripled Not sure when this came out

            -Final FREE

(4) Crest Toothpaste $1.00 – 4 $0.75/1 Crest Toothpaste P&G 06/05/11

            -Final $0.25 each, $2.00 OYNO printed for purchasing 4 Crest

Altogether I spent $31.52 and saved $47.70 on $79.22 retail. Please note the two deals where I received $0.50 OYNO for purchasing 3 or more cans of Dole tropical fruit and $2.00 OYNO for purchasing 4 crest items. I now have an extra $3.00 in the budget for shopping next week.

How did you do this week? Link up your savings below.

Thoughts for Thursday

I have been talking to a few of my friends and some of them think the stockpiling is silly. Why would you buy all that food to just sit around and take up space in your house? They understand saving money, but don’t understand the need to purchase larger quantities of items and stockpile them for later use. When I thought about this it is really not too far from the pioneer days. They would have to go to the general store and purchase large quantities of items to last until the next time they could go to town and purchase items again.

People grow gardens and can store their own food. When you can your own food, you don’t just can a few items for the month. You try to make enough to last for the whole year. Isn’t that like stockpiling? You buy enough to last you until the next sale cycle or if the price is right to last through the whole year.

I may have rows and rows of tomatoes in my pantry, but so does my mother. Hers just happen to be fresh and canned by her. Mine happen to be from the store and already in cans. I am hoping next year we will be able to grow and can tomatoes. This year was not so successful. We currently have two tomatoes and I am not sure if they are going to grow because of the heat. I hope so. I would like to get the seeds and grow my own again next year.

My pantry is stocked with more food than it has ever had. I also have food stored on the top shelf in my wash room. If I canned fresh fruits and vegetables I would need more space to store food to last an entire year. In the end we are going back to our pioneer roots as women and gathering food for our families in quantities and storing them for use when they are needed.

What are your thougths on stockpiling?

Tips for Tuesday

Dishwashing soap has many uses. If you spill any oil or greasy items on your clothes put some liquid dishwashing soap on the area and rub gently. You can do this as soon as it happens or is you spot before you put it into the wash. If it doesn't come out with the first wash you can do it again. If it can get black funky oil off birds it can get out just about any oil. I got this tip from a friend of mine who was a message therapist who used it to get the message oil out of her clothes.

I use this for my pillow cases and sheets. I put a small amount in the machine before I wash. My husband sweats a lot in his sleep and releases a lot of oil. I swirl this around the washing machine tub once and wash on hot to get all the oils out. I keep a small bottle of this on my laundry shelf.

If you have run out of bleach or need to spot treat a white area, you can use automatic dishwashing machine gel. It is made of bleach and is great in a pinch if you have a small spot you need to bleach.

You can also use dishwashing gel for bad mildew stains in bathrooms. Since this is bleach based, anywhere you can use bleach you can use this product. I have had to use it on a stubborn mildew stain or two. Just coat the area and let it soak for a while. Come back and scrub this will get the mildew out.

You can make your own laundry soap. I am exciting about this one. I am going to be doing this soon. These ingredients are simple and do not cost a lot to make. I am going to be changing the recipe from this one instead of using Fels Naptha, I am going to grate some ivory soap I got for free. Some one else posted you can use this instead.

Make your own softener and dryer sheets. I am exciting about this one too. These ingredients are simple and do not cost a lot to make. I am thinking you can use lotion if you do not have conditioner for this recipe. My husband travels frequently so we have a ton of the little bottles of conditioner, so I am just going to use some of those. Wow FREE fabric softener.

Hope these help. Do you have any tips you would like to share?

Money Saving Monday

I don’t have much to write. Last week I went to my mothers in South Texas. Even though they have had a longer drought than us, it felt much cooler there. It only got to 100 not 105 like here. After our winter where we had a week under freezing, I said I would not complain no matter how hot it got this summer. I don’t like the cold more than I don’t like the heat.


We had a great time at my Mother’s. We went to visit the Blue Bell factory to see how ice cream is made. At the end of the tour you get your choice of ice cream. They had three new flavors they are testing this season. They are Krazy Kookie dough, Orange Swirl and I can’t remember the other. I tried the Krazy Kookie Dough. This is delicious. It does not have any chocolate in it just yellow vanilla ice cream with cookie dough bits frozen inside. The Orange swirl is supposed to taste like a dreamsicle. If you like these flavors buy them in the small containers. The more you buy determines if these will be made in the big tubs next year.


It was fun. I am glad to be back. I think I gained 10 pounds with mama’s cooking. So diet will start this week to get back to my weight.


I hope you have a happy Monday. Come back tomorrow to read about laundry tips.

Friday Finals

Wow this was a great MEGA EVENT at Kroger. This brought back the fun I have for shopping and getting deals. 

I purchased the exact Colgate in the ad and I had an exact coupon to match. However when they rang the Colgate it did not ring as a Mega Event item. The assistant manager checked me out and he overrode the system to manually change the price. Therefore my totals were off. It said I had 38 participating Mega Event items instead of 40. I didn’t realize this until I got home. I thought my total was high for what I purchased. I was missing out on $4.00. I was going to pick up my stepson on in the afternoon and Kroger is sorta on the way. I stopped by the service desk to get my $4.00.

Here is how I did:

(2) Colgate Whitening Tooth pastes $1.00 – 2 $0.50/1 doubled

            -FREE

(4) Kettle Chips $2.79 - $0.50 each Mega Event item, 4 $1/1 Kettle chips

            -Final $1.29 each – Stocking up for birthday party next month

(1) Pasta Roni $1.12 - $0.50 Mega Event Item, Peelie Q B3 Rice a Roni G1 Pasta Roni FREE

            -Final FREE

(5) Rice a Roni $1.12 - $0.50 Mega Event Item

            -Final $0.62 each

(2) Gortons Fish Sticks $2.49 - $0.50 Mega Event Item, $1/2 Printable

            -Final $1.99 each

(2) Pringles Whole Wheat $1.49 - $0.50 Mega Event Item – No coupon

            -Final $1.00 each

(6) Lipton Ice Tea $1.00 - $0.50 Mega Event Item, 3 B1G1 Free found at Target

            -Final $0.25 each

(4) Sunny D Punch $1.49 - $0.50 Mega Event Item, $0.25/1 Sunny D Doubled

            -Final $0.25

(8) Kroger Tomatoes $1.09 - $0.50 Mega Event Item

            -Final $0.59 each

(1) Silk Almond Milk $2.69 - $0.50 Mega Event Item, $1/1 Silk Milk

            -Final $1.19

(4) Weber Marinades $0.99 - $1/1 any Weber Marinade

            -Final FREE +$0.01 profit each

(3) Herdez Salsa $1.99 - $0.50 Mega Event Item

            -Final $1.49

(1) Ocean Spray Cranberries $1.99 - $0.50 Mega Event Item

            -Final $1.49

(1) Kroger Peanut Butter $1.79 – we were out

(2) Disney Kids Vitamins $6.99 – B1G1, 2 $1/1 Q

            -Final $2.50 each

(1) Kroger Hazelnut spread $2.50

After my $4.00 refund, I spent $37.58 and saved $58.19 for $95.77 retail or around 60%. The coupon for the Pringles was not for the ones on sale. I also had coupons for the Garden Delight pasta, but they were out. I could have gotten 5 boxes. One would have been for free. My splurge item this week was the Hazelnut spread. We were out of Nutella and I didn’t get the coupon a while back to purchase some. We just love Nutella. With couponing there are some sacrifices you make, but sometimes you have to get items your family loves. I am not so extreme I would not buy something just because I don’t have a coupon for it.

I went to Kroger on Tuesday to pick up a couple of things:

(2) Gallons Milk $2.39

            -Final $2.38 each

(8) Kraft Big Sliced cheese 8 oz. $1.99 – 8 $1/1 blinkie a while back

            -Final $0.99 each

Total $12.70 and saved $23.30 on $36.00 retail or 66%. I am going to use the cheese to crumble and put on things like shredded cheese. I only had one bag left of shredded cheese. I crumbled some of the sliced cheese for a dish I make this week. It worked out great. When buying cheese if you can get it under a $1.00 for 8 oz you should buy it anyway and think of ways you can use it. Cheese is expensive.

I also went to Sprouts yesterday and got the $0.88 lbs for the split chicken breast. I picked up nearly 8 lbs and also purchased some granola for $2.49 lbs. I spent around $10.00. I can’t find my receipt.

I made a trip to Walmart for diapers. There were no great diaper deals this week. I ended up buying Walmart brand. Here is how I did:

(1) Diapers $13.49

(1) Dixie Paper Plates $2.50

(4) Cascade trial packs $0.97 – 4 $1/1 Cascade product

            -Final FREE +$.03 profit each

It was around $18.00 with tax for everything. I can’t find that receipt either. I thought I put them all on my desk with my receipts.

For the week I spent around $79.00. This is way over budget for the week, but there were some really great deals out there. I am taking the kids to my mother’s next week. So I should be saving a lot next week.

Link up your savings below.