Just Sayin'

What I learned this year- 2011

2011-12-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

My happiness is important.

I can control my happiness through my thoughts.

Popcorn may help the immune system. (shocking!) ANTIOXIDANTS IN POPCORN

Not all doctors are created equal.

I enjoy the challenge of taking a good photo.

Life is very peaceful without my brother in it.

I'm turning out to be a lot like my mom. And that's not so bad.

Estranged relationships are even better after they are repaired, better than they originally were.

My parents really did love me when I was a teenager. (and they still do! lol)

To trust my instincts when I feel manipulated.

My boys will never understand me because they are now MEN. (Sob. My heart justbrokealittle)

Good things DO happen to good people.

Not everything has to be bought with a coupon. (gasp!)

Just because a family member is a taker does not mean I'm obligated to give.

Boundaries work!!!!!

Letting go is the hardest thing EVER!

LISTENING + ACTION = LOVE

I AM a strong person. I can survive without credit cards and dinners out every week. (It's funny how I never even thought twice about this until hearing so many people complain about having to do without these things THANK YOU WHINERS, you are good for something! heh heh)

I love the library. Oh wait. I already knew that. But, this year just confirmed my love. :-)

Some people tell lies because they have a low self esteem and need to feel better about themselves. Which has nothing to do with me.

I have some work to do this coming year. People to forgive... and people to ask forgiveness from.

Hey, I guess 2011 Hasn't been too bad. Looks like I've done a lot of much needed healing. :-)

Frugal Winter Theme Table

2011-12-07T15:41:00.001-08:00

It was time for a change of scenery! I searched the internet for some inspiration and found this table display HERE. Now I had to figure out how to do it on a dime, Goodwill here I come! That's where I found the white/silver vase in the center. Not only did I find the gorgeous vase, but also the candle stick holders, pillar candle holders, and the two little crystal dishes.

I searched my yard for some pine cones... and painted them silver, along with the candle stick holders and pillar holders.

They were screaming at me on the Goodwill shelf to be painted! (ha) Be sure to do your painting outside. This stuff is stinky!

I took advantage of the hurricane glasses I made for my Fall table setting. You can find out how to make them HERE. I love how they look like completely new vases with the ornaments inside!

I found the White Poinsettia flowers at Wal-Mart for $3 each. I only needed two bunches. While I was there I picked up two white pillar candles for $2.88 each. Put it all together and (jump up and down crazy happy), I had an inexpensive, absolutely gorgeous table!

Total cost breakdown.

Two pewter candle stick holders found at Goodwill- $3.06 x 2= $6.12
Two Pillar candle holders found at Goodwill- $1.06 x 2= $2.12
Two crystal dishes found at Goodwill- $1.06 x 2= $2.12
One large white/silver vase found at Goodwill- $8.99
Faux White Poinsettia's found at Wal-Mart- $3.00 x 2= $6.00
Two white unscented pillar candles found at Wal-Mart- $2.88 x 2= $5.76
One can of Rustoleum metallic silver paint at Wal-Mart- $4.76
One pkg of silver shatterproof ornaments found at Wal-Mart- $4.99
Already had the table cloth. It's actually one made for Spring time (shhhhh).

=$40.86
Not too bad.... It could be even less if you already have some things on hand! It is amazing how much a can of silver paint makes a difference! Pssst... in case you are wondering what is inside those little crystal vases, it's coffee beans. Not cheap. I know. But, they smell SO good!

Christmas. It's Magical.

2011-11-28T22:02:00.001-08:00

After reading a post that I found on Pinterest HERE, I simply could not wait to photograph my Christmas tree! Can't you just see a sleigh with eight tiny reindeer circling it? My Christmas tree may have the starring role, but that rocking chair is the real magic. It's the same rocking chair that I rocked my two babies in (who are now grown young men). So many sweet, sweet memories.

I do realize my photo isn't nearly as well done as my inspirational blogger's is, but I am going to have joy for what I was able to accomplish! Because Christmas IS just that. Magical! And even though it's not a perfect photo, I love it. Why not have joy for all things even if they aren't perfect? Perfection is impossible anyways. I challenge you to focus on the small things in your life that you think aren't all that great, as something joyful. Your cookies might be burned. Your decorations might not be as grand as the Griswold's. The top button of your pants may have just popped off. But, you are ALIVE. Be joyful.

Thanks Alot!

2011-11-23T10:01:00.001-08:00

I'm joining a fellow blogger with a post of the ABC's of thankfulness. Here goes...
A. Angels- the only way I can get any morsel of peace. Just knowing there are angels that can watch over the ones I love when I am not able to.
B. Birthdays

C. Carrots make the most moist and flavorful cake. No matter what someone may say about vegetables not belonging in cake. :)

D. Dreams make me eager to get out of bed.
E. Exploring the nearby river We love to explore!

F. Father who I am now speaking to.

G. Graduation

H. Hearing- I love music. Not to mention that the ability to hear makes life so much easier. I know this first hand from watching my brother struggle.
I. Ideas for free- internet is a wonderful thing
J. Junking at the Goodwill- So many treasures there!
K. Knowledge

L. Laughter

M. My Mom who goes long distances to see me.

N. Newspaper - Where would we be without all those great coupons?!
O. Open mind
P. Pranks

Q. Quiet moments
R. Really hard workers

S. Salt with iodine- It helps low thyroid. So thankful to be getting some of my energy back!
T. Traditional Punch

U. Understanding husband (with grease on his nose... he was teaching Austin how to change brake pads on my sister's truck)

V. Valuable friends on facebook
W. Work from home- Happy to be able to start a business at home making buttons, mirrors and magnets. It's a wonderful thing and a work in progress.
X. XOXOX Life wouldn't be the same without them.
Y. Young men in my life Gatlin and Austin
Z. Zippers to keep my pants up. Don't laugh. You know you're thankful too!

Hi peanut butter cup. Meet Cookie.

2011-11-23T08:55:00.001-08:00

What could be better than a peanut butter cup inside of a cookie? Me: almost nothing. I'm a full blown Reese lover. I found this recipe on All Recipes website.

Find out how to make them HERE. One thing I realized was that I needed to measure the amount of cookie dough before putting it into the mini muffin pan. I used a measuring spoon. The Tbsp worked really well.

It was a struggle not eating those peanut butter cups while waiting on the cookie to finish baking! But, I prevailed!

Baking Therapy

2011-11-10T07:43:00.001-08:00

This is the result of my baking therapy. When I'm upset, I bake. When I'm angry I clean. So, right now I have a clean house and it's full of these little pumpkin loaves. Not so bad, right? They are yummy. We spread cream cheese frosting on them and they were delish! I feel much better now!

I got the recipe from ALL RECIPES. It's good, but I adapted it. I always cut the oil in half and add applesauce. I didn't have cloves, so I increased the amount of cinnamon.

Ingredients

3 cups canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cups vegetable oil and 3/4 cup applesauce
3 cups white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

I think they came out a little too sweet. If I make it again, I will cut down the sugar. I'm sure the frosting didn't help any in the sugar content...but hey, it was screaming, "I NEED FROSTING".

I Want To Know

2011-10-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

I want to know when will it ever feel like my kids are not kids anymore. When will I stop feeling the need to be sure they have balanced meals, safe vehicles to drive, or enough money?

I have been thinking about something that happened at a friends mom's home last year. We were standing outside in the mom's driveway and she came out and told my friend that he needed to be sure everyone was out of the driveway because they were leaving and needed to back out. My friend is my age. Old enough to know that when a car starts moving in your direction that he needs to move. And I am sure I am old enough to know that too. Yet, his mom felt the need to give her motherly advice like we were all five years old or something. He muttered something under his breath and moved onto the grass and made a sarcastic comment to us that we needed to move too. It was humorous. But, I am sure, somewhat humiliating for him. I thought the same way he did. That his mother was being quite ridiculous. She might has well brought him a juice box too.

Today, I am feeling like his mom. It seems like letting go will never come. Do I have to fully let go? If I do, will I stop being a mom? I have been a mom my entire adult life. How can I stop being a mom?

But, do I really want to be that kind of mom? Can I help myself from being that kind of mom? And if I am not that kind of mom anymore, am I really being me? Or maybe I am just being ridiculous. Oh brother. Someone pass me a juice box please.

Make Your Own Camera Bag

2011-10-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

Friends, bloggers, crafters! Lend me your ears! (teehee) I have thwarted commercialism by bucking the system. How? I made my own camera bag! And it was easy!

Seven months ago, when my fellow photographer friend found out that I was getting a DSLR camera she sent me a nice little care package. One of the things she sent was a camera bag. Wasn't that thoughtful of her? I'm fortunate to have friends like that. :-) So, here I am, 7 months later and all my ~~stuff~~ lenses won't all fit anymore. So, I began looking for a new bag. That's when I found these cute little bags that look like purses. Awesome! Right?! Until I looked at the price!

$169 Kelly Moore bag

Not in my budget. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a blog that showed how to make your own stylish camera bag with a purse, a few materials and a little sewing. And that is what I set out to do. Find out how to make yourself one here.

So my sister and I set out on a mission to find the perfect bag for my needs. We found one at Burlington Coat Factory for $25 that was lightweight with enough room for my camera and a couple lenses. I wanted it to have a zipper top and some pockets. Nothing really big. I just wanted something that I could grab for a quick trip out, and not have to lug around my purse too.

My $25 bag.

Then I rounded up my Joann's Fabric store coupons ( love that 50% off one item coupon) and went shopping for my supplies. I didn't do things exactly as my inspirational blogger did. I chose to use a velcro called Fabric Fusion that adheres by ironing with steam. I just wasn't up for the battle of sewing on velcro. It seems to have worked rather well, too! All of my supplies came up to almost $30. I have enough supplies left over to even make another camera bag. Woohoo! Maybe I will return that favor and send my friend one. :-) Here is how my bag turned out.

I love the front pocket!

If I want more space I can move the inserts around. There is also a zipper pocket to put lens cleaner and extra memory cards in too.

Dontcha know I was having so much fun that I couldn't stop at making just a camera bag! I had to have a matching camera strap and key chain too. None of the Kelly Moore bags have those! Find out how to make a camera strap here. And the key chain instructions are here.

I even put velcro on the back of my keychain. What fun!

Don't know how to sew? I seen a bag made by hot gluing the fabric to the foam. I'm not lying! It looked pretty good too. See for yourself.Ya know, all this creativity got me to thinking... a person could make a camera bag out of other things too. Maybe a diaper bag, or a fanny pack. Or maybe even a lunch box could be used. But, I love my bag so much, I think I'm stopping here. It's exactly what I wanted ---at my price. -----Oh wait. I might add an extra pocket. Or maybe, make a bean bag for a tripod alternative. Hmmmm... it might get heavy though. OH... but wait, I could use my teenager's air rifle pellets! Okay.. so maybe this project isn't quite finished...YET.

Here are some sites that sell camera bags that look like ~~moneybags~~ purses.

http://kellymoorebag.com/
http://epiphaniebags.com/
I love the Belle one on the Epiphanie site.
http://jototes.com/

Nuts ARE Pretty

2011-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

A month ago, I was digging around in my pantry and found a package of pecans. They were in their original packaged, shoved into a click clack container. Expiration date November 16, 2011. Ahhhh two months left to eat these nuts! So, I made my plea to everyone in the household to eat these nuts. Did it happen? No.

UNTIL.... I found this cute little glass pumpkin dish at Target yesterday. It is now sitting on my table with pecans in it. And guess what? They are being eaten! So much better than candy. Now I just need to come up with a bright idea to make carrots and celery pretty.

Frugal Decor

2011-09-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, when my creative monster wants to come out and play. Where to start first? Well, a couple months ago we got a new dinette set. I have been chomping at the bit to decorate it! Isn't it lucky? (teehee) The other day, I was in Sams Club and seen this beautiful centerpiece. (It was much more impressive to see in person)

But it was so expensive for what it was. Almost thirty five dollars! That got me to thinking. I can make my own table decor! As I began my search for the perfect items for my table, I seen so many possibilities. But, one particular blog really caught my eye.http://www.decorchick.com/dollar-store-hurricanes/ How to make your own hurricane glasses. And here is what I came up with.

Isn't it gorgeous? Believe it or not, I bought the glassware at the Dollar Tree, WalMart and Goodwill. Yes, Goodwill! I'm not kidding. So, let me show you how I put this all together for dollars.

*****

You will need some vases. I found the two tall ones on the right at Dollar Tree for $1 each. I was rather impressed with the quality too. It's not the cheapo thin glass that you would expect to find at a dollar store. In fact it is the same thickness as the vases I bought at WalMart for $2.49 each. The WalMart Vases are the shorter ones on the left. And lastly, I found the round one at Goodwill for $1.06. I love going to Goodwill. You never know what kind of treasure you will find there!

You will also need some candle stick holders. I found the ones on the left at Dollar Tree for only a buck! I found the others at Goodwill for $1.06. I really felt like I hit the jackpot at Goodwill. I was able to find a slew of candle stick holders to use for my mantle and cocktail table.

THEN, get yourself some Gorilla Glue... it will cost around $5. You could use Super Glue if you have it. But, I think Gorilla Glue is stronger. Anyways, you dampen one surface and then put the glue on the other surface. Then, you stick them together. The glue takes longer than a few seconds to really start sticking, so if you don't have it quite centered you can move it.

After you stick them together, place something heavy on top to seal it up. Next, (here's the hard part) you wait one to two hours. The glue expands and dries white. Here is a closer look.

And there you have it! I made all of these for a little over $13.00... and it was so much more fun that buying a centerpiece already made at the store. PLUS mine is unique!

Some other tips to make it less expensive: I gathered acorns from the Publix parking lot to use as filler for my vases. I knew they were perfect the moment I spotted them. Dollar Tree also has packages of faux leaves for a buck. I only needed one package for my table. You might already have some candles that would work beautifully for your display. If not, WalMart has some unscented and scented, affordable ones from $1.88-$4.99 each. I was able to find the place mats at a store called Tuesday Morning in a pack of 6 for only $7.99. If you have done some looking in the stores, you won't find them for less than $3 each. I was given the McCoy dish (holding the fruit) by my mom. It's always nice to have something special that means a lot to you in your decor. Maybe you have a special dish that you have had a long time, or that someone has given you. It gives an extra touch of love to your table.

Since I live in Florida and the leaves don't really change colors much here, I love bringing the outdoors inside. I'm not sure what that little, round doo-dad is that I found outside my home, but I knew it would look fabulous on my table. It must be some kind of seed or something.

So, I hope you found some inspiration here to decorate your home. You don't have to spend a bundle! Why pay more when you can have it cheaper? Just sayin'. Happy decorating to you!! As for me, I'm going to get to work on my cocktail table and mantle next. What are your plans to decorate this fall?

UPDATE: If you decide to scout for acorns... be sure to use ones that aren't cracked. If you don't, you may end up with some unsightly squiggly things in your decor. Take my word for it. HA. Definitely not pretty... unless maybe you are an entomologist. :-)

I shared this project at the Idea Room Linky Party:

The Idea Room

Relentless

2011-09-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! It's been almost a year since I blogged!

So, what have I been up to? Well, I chewed out a sales rep who called my house at 8:40 in the morning. I was still in bed. It was not pretty. I told her not to call my house again. Do you know that lady called right back? So, I answered and gave her another piece of my mind and hung up on her again. ANDDDD do you know that lady called back again??? And again, and again, and again.... She continued to call as I picked up and hung up on her. Some people just aren't that smart. I'm just sayin'.

In A Pickle

2010-12-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

A sandwich just isn't a sandwich without a pickle. I have been out of pickles for a week. It leaves my sandwich so blah. I went to the pickle aisle of the grocery store and stared at the price of my beloved jar of Vlassic Stackers pickles. $2.50 for a little jar. I couldn't bring myself to pick it up. I know I can get it for less than $1.50 with coupons at Publix, once they go on sale. ugh... what to do? I mean, geez, it's only a dollar difference! C'mon, what's a dollar?

I will tell you what a dollar is:

A dollar is 40% of the total cost! If you were going to buy a large item, such as a t.v. Would you pay $500 for one, or would you wait for it to go on sale for $300? It's only $200, after all.

A wise man once told me, "It's not what you earn, it's what you save." Those little dollars add up quick. If I spend a dollar on pickles, I spend another on something else. And it continues on. I can wait for those pickles to go on sale. I must, I must! But, for now, I will get some Mt. Olive pickles at Publix that are buy one get one free, which makes them about $1.40 a jar. They will do for now....while I'm in a pickle...until Vlassic goes on sale. :)

Go ahead and laugh. Say I'm crazy. I don't care. :-p

Videos

2010-08-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/nutnwithoutgod

I've made some videos about my coupons and stockpiling... enjoy!

blueberry + cream= heaven

2010-07-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

It is sooo good! We made the full fat version and it is heavenly. I want to eat all of it!

First, I prepared the blueberry sauce with the frozen blueberries we stashed away in May.

1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

In small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Then I made the graham cracker mixture:

1 cup and 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in butter. Pat into an ungreased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

I didn't put it in a pan that big because the recipe was too big for my ice cream maker so I halved it. These measurements are good for a 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker. Do you know how tempting it was to eat these cracker crumbs by themselves! ?

So, then I was ready to make the ice cream!

In a large bowl whisk the ice cream ingredients.

Ice Cream ingredient mixture:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 (3.4 oz) package instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix (i used cheesecake)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fill ice cream freezer cylinder.

Crumble graham cracker mixture in bottom of container. ( I only had a bowl handy)

Then, the icecream mixture, and then the blueberry mixture go on top.

Keep layering the crumbs, blueberries and ice cream.

Then you swirl it ( I used a butter knife) and put it back in the freezer.

It was SOOO YUMMY!

Austin gave it thumbs up!

Now, I'm thinking about changing it up. I'm trying to figure out a lactose free version...and maybe a low fat one too. I've read that goat milk is lower in lactose, maybe that would be good too. No matter how it's changed, I'm sure it will be good... after all it's ICE CREAM!

Mailbox Freebies

2010-06-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

I love checking my mailbox! I'm getting all kinds of free stuff this week! Good thing too because the sales aren't that great this week.

I got these coupons from www.kraftfirsttaste.com and I don't have to buy anything to get them free!

I got this free recycled bag from Green Giant, and was surprised when they also sent a coupon for a FREE 5 lb bag of potatoes!

I got all this stuff free in my mailbox a couple weeks ago... lots and lots of coupons, and free pack of gum.

More free gum Brian picked up for me yesterday while at Wal-Mart. He used eight $1 coupons from 6/13 SS newspaper.

FREEEEE GUM, now that's something to chew on! ;)

Out with the BAD, and in with the GOOD

2010-06-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

"Where the heart is willing, it will find a thousand ways. Where it is unwilling, it will find a thousand excuses."

~ Arlen Price

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." ~Unknown

Today and every day from now on, I am throwing out the excuses. The past two years have been full of nothing but excuses. So, it's out with the bad, and in with the good. It's time to be with people who will find a thousand ways to be there for me, like I have been for them. It's time to stop making people a priority, who only make me an option. LET THE HEALING BEGIN!

PUBLIX

2010-05-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

**oh I almost forgot to tell you about the Kraft rebate! If you buy $30 worth, you get $10 back. Even your free item qualifies for this, since it rings up on your receipt and then deducts it back off. So, my Nabisco cookies, Planters Trail Mix ,Athenos Hummus and A-1 steak sauce qualifies for this. I also had bought two bags of shredded cheese too. So, my receipt shows that I spent $30, but because of bogo's I actually only spent $15. Then I will get back $10....which means I only spent $5 for $30 worth of food!! Thank you Kraft!

Love to shop here. Love to save here. I love their motto. :)
Spent $75.52 and Saved a total of $109.43!
Some of these deals require your Publix to accept Target as a competitor. Check with your store to be sure.

(6) El Monterey Tornado -2 for $4
used six $1/1 coupons 5/9 SS
=$1 each

(6) Jose Ole Taquito- bogo 4.99
used six $1/1coupon 4/25 SS
=$1.50 each

(4) Planters Trail Mix- 2 for $3
used two $1/2 coupon 3/7 SS
AND one target coupon buy 3 Planters get 1 FREE
=.63 each

(4) A-1 Steak Sauce-bogo $3.95
used one target coupon buy 2 get 1 free
= .99 each

(8) Hefty One zip baggies- bogo 2.29
used four $1/2 printable coupons from HERE & HERE (2 COUPONS FROM EACH SITE)
= .65 each

(4) Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta- bogo1.79
used two $1/2 from HERE
=.40 each

(4) Athenos Hummus - 2.99
used two buy one get one from HERE AND
used two $1/1 coupon from 4/25 SS
= $1 each!

(4) Nabisco Chips Ahoy cookies - 2.99 bogo
used one buy three get one free Target coupon from HERE
= .94 each

(3) Dr. Pepper 8 pks - 3 for 10
used Publix buy two get one free coupon from their Yellow Advantage Flyer
=$2.22 each

(2) Grape tomatoes bogo 2.99
=$1.50 each

And then I always add a coupon to the end of my final total. I usually use Albertsons $5 off $50 total. But, this time I used Winn Dixie's $5 off $30 total.

A couple days after the shopping trip, I ran across a couple more coupons and we used those too!

.42 each!

Mott's Medley's- bogo 2.95

used four $1/1 coupon found in Publix's Summer Savings booklet. (the store had these coupons stuck to the bottles already!)

=.42 each

FREE!!

Wayyy back in February, this lady in Sweetbay Supermarket was handing out Fisher nut samples and giving away coupons. She gave me three $1/1 coupons. I kept them until I found a deal!

(3)Fisher Fusions Snacks- 2 for $2

used three $1/1 coupons I had been holding for a very long time. :)

WOOHOO! It's been a great shopping week!

Publix's BOGO sale ends here in Tampa Bay Area on Wednesday. So, Thursday starts the new week! And I already know I'm getting FREE Morningstar veggie patties! YAHOO.

If you want to score some of these deals and have questions. Drop me a line!!! :-D I would love to help!

Week of Good Deals

2010-05-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

TARGET

Deals good thru 5/29
All this for $3.61

RP- RED PLUM

SS- SMART SOURCE

PG- PROCTER AND GAMBLE

We did really good at Target this past week.

Bounty paper towels-.99
- used three $1 coupon on one found in 5/16 RP
= FREE

Tide trial size soap-.99
used six $1 coupon on one found in 5/2 PG
=FREE (going to put these into a gift basket)

Benadryl itch sticks-2.29
used $5 off 2 coupon found in 4/11 RP
=FREE +overage

KC Maserpiece bbq sauce-1.42
used two $1 off one coupon found in 5/9 SS
= .50 each

Hydro Schick razor-6.99
-used one $5 off one from 5/9 SS AND stacked with Target's $1 off one found on their site.
=.99

Bounce dryer sheets 45 ct.-1.94
-used two .25 off one coupon found in 5/2 PG AND stacked with two Target's .75 off one found on their site.
=.94 each

**Deals are good until May 29! **

I found all these good deals by reading www.hip2save.com You can find more deals there!

My final total was $3.61 for all this stuff. I saved $24.47. Not too shabby!

Now, on to Wal-Mart. The cashier almost didn't take the coupons. She said there has been a lot of fake printed coupons coming through their store. She checked with her manager and it was approved. YAY! No fake coupons here! Here is what we got from there:

Three items for .47!

Bic Pens- $1 off one package coupon from HERE It is a bricks coupon, so you just hit your back button and print out another coupon for a total of 2! If you have more than one computer you can print extras!
=FREE

Armor All- use $2 off one coupon found HERE.
=.47

Not sure how long these deals are good for. I found them on hip2save site . See link above.

I LOVE CHECKING MY MAILBOX!! Look what I found in it this week!

3 Tomato Basil Wheat Thins
3 Vanilla Caramel Latte (Maxwell House)
1 coupon for FREE Kraft Macaroni Cheese Dinner
1 coupon for FREE Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheese

Yesterday, I checked my mail and got: ***I got these from facebook***
1 coupon for FREE Hood Simply Smart milk
1 coupon for FREE Bailey's coffee creamer

What do you find in your mailbox?

MINE'S THE BEST!

2010-05-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Go ahead and argue with me all you want... but, I got the best Mother's Day card. Better than anyone else's. For the past 2 years I have cried on friendly shoulders, and cried in my own silence...that my little babies are growing up and changing into grown men. It feels like losing someone. No more pinky fingers to hold while crossing the street and no more home made Mother's Day cards.

Except, this year I received the BEST card EVERRRR.... I keep opening it and re-reading it all day. :-) It is so special to me, even though it's not home made. And that is because it makes me so proud... proud that I did SOMETHING right. Proud that, even though I can't go back and right all the wrongs, and fix all the mistakes...or even go back into time and make them little again... I'm proud that my boys are growing into loving men.

(double click on the card to read the fine print) Gosh...I hope they don't mind I'm sharing it. But, I just gotta.

THEY ARE THE BEST!

Happy Mother's day to all you mom's out there! It's a hard job, but very rewarding. :)

It's a little late...but I'm still here

2010-04-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting any on my blog lately, because I have been trying to start an official coupon blog. I am NOT a computer guru! Oh, how I wish I were! I can't wait to get it up and running. I'm also battling some big time allergy problems right now. I'm hoping that when I get the new a/c installed I will start feeling better. Cross your fingers for me too! When I get my energy back to normal I plan to do some shop alongs, so my friends can see how easy it is.

Anyways, it's been a little while, but here's a super fantastic job we did shopping a few weeks or so ago. Thank goodness we have a freezer and extra pantry!

Okay, are you ready for this? We got $206.57 worth of groceries at Publix for only $31.70!

I have never had so much food in my house! It almost seems crazy, ya know? And then, I read how this one lady only has 3 people in her household and she has 50 boxes of cereal! I thought wow!! I guess as long as the expiration dates are good and you have the space, why not? After reading that, I had to go count my cereal! I have 25 boxes...and there are 5 people in my house. TEEHEE. Anyways, everyone in the family loves the new extra pantry. Even Angel admitted that she likes to look in there JUST to look in there. LOL Here, take a peek!

It's like a mini grocery store! The other night we ran out of ketchup and I was thinking...thank goodness I don't have to run out to the store to get some! Who wants to drop everything they are doing and run out to get JUST a bottle of ketchup? And who wants to eat their french fries without it??? And the best thing is...I didn't pay full price for it....AND I didn't have to waste my gas! MAJOR WIN!!

I got the pasta you see in there for only 0.085 cents a box! And the oatmeal was only .75 a box. The cereal ranges from .60-$1.50. The Ritze crackers were FREE, and the canned corn was only .19 a can. Uncle Bens rice was .25 a box. That's all I can remember off the top of my head. LOL

Be looking for my new blog coming soon. I will have many tips listed, and be giving stuff away! Hope to see you there! ;) It's a great deal to save!

Free samples pay!

2010-03-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Don't think it pays to get free samples in the mail? Check this out! I got this from Vocalpoint.com It is a sample of Kashi cereal and it came with four super duper coupons! I'm using two today along with a Target coupon at Publix today, to get three boxes of cereal for .33 each! AWESOME!

If you get free samples in the mail be sure to always look for the coupons. You will always find at least one!

I messed up

2010-02-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

On the last Publix trip I made... we made a goof. We accidentally picked up the (6) Organic sauce , which isn't B1G1. AND... I also picked up the wrong Right Guard deodorant. I noticed that goof while at the store. So, I told the cashier and he found the correct deodorant that was B1G1..but he forgot to take off the 2 deodorants that rang up wrong. So, back to the store it all went. We got $28.28 back.

This is where it got fun! Went back to the store with some more coupons and got all this stuff:

Guess how much money all of this stuff cost! You are just not gonna believe it!

$18.50 for all that stuff!

(2) 17 oz boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch $3.99 B1G1 use two $1/1 HERE
= $1 each

(6) Ragu Sauce @.27 B1G1 used two .60/2 in 1-31 Redplum (could use three of them)
=.84 each

(2) Smuckers Uncrustables $2.00 each used two $1/1 HERE AND two .55/1 found in the Healthy Meals Healthy Kids booklet found at front of store.
=.45 each

(6) 4 pk Frusion Smoothies $2 each, used six $1/1 in 2-24 Smart Source AND six Buy One Get One free coupons found in Healthy Meals Healthy Kids booklet found at front of store.
=.25 each

(6) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers B1G1 $2.39, used four.40/1 in 1-03 General Mills insert (EXPIRES 2-28) AND two .50/1 HERE
= four for .80 each
=two for .70 each

(2)14.4 oz Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes $1.50 each , used two $1/1 HERE AND one $1/2 store coupon from little booklet called Italian Days found at front of store or HERE
= FREE!!

(8) Weight Watchers yogurts, .50 each, used four B1G1 from 1-17 Smart source AND four B1G1 store coupon from Healthy Meals Healthy Kids booklet found at front of Publix store.
=FREE!!

(2) 15.25 oz Green Giant Corn, $1.25 B1G1, used $1/1 store coupon in Italian Days booklet found at front of store or in link shown above.
=.13 each

(1) Excedrin Migraine (used coupon that I received in mail for signing up for it FREE awhile back)
=FREE!

AND.... these were not on sale but got them anyway.... going to use them in the veggie dip we got B1G1 on a previous week.

(1) baby carrots for $1.69
(1) celery hearts for $1.99

Best part is: I still have $9.78 left over from my refund!!!

After getting the stuff in the car, Angel trudged her empty cart back to the store (It was almost closing hour). As she was leaving, there was a lady hollering at her from the ATM machine. It was the customer that was standing behind her in the Publix line. She said, "Excuse me, exactly how much money did you just save?" Angel told her, that it was like 60 bucks. "And how much did you spend?" she asks. Angel tells her that she spent about 18 bucks. The lady then asks, "could you please tell me how you saved all that money?" Then Angel tells her that most of the items were buy one get one free and that you have to use 1 coupon per each item, even the free item.... and that you can also use a store coupon AND a manufacture coupon per item.

priceless....

That lady's mouth dropped! LOL What a fun way to end the evening. :o) Happy shopping everyone! ;)

Catalina deals galore!

2010-02-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

This is the first I have heard of this! A national Catalina deal. These should work in any store that has the Catalina machine.

You know how much of a milk girl I am ... so the milk deal is a big time YAY!

Purchase 3-4 (three or four) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina goof for one (1) Free Gallon of Milk
Purchase 5-6 (five or six) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina goof for two (2) Free Gallons of Milk
Purchase 7+ (seven or more) Kellogg’s Cereals (10oz+), Receive Catalina good for three (3) Free Gallons of Milk
runs 3/19 – 4/10/10

Find the rest of the deals here:

HERE Thanks Coupons, Deals and More

Getcha Coup On~~

2010-02-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Coupon Filing

Put coupon inserts into a hanging folder labeled with the date.

People have been asking me how I make my coupons work...so, this is a little peek into my coupon world.

This is where my coupons start. I put the entire coupon insert (do not cut the coupons yet) into a hanging file folder with a date. Put it in the box. Then, later.....when I sit down to make my grocery list, I pull the coupons I want to use out of my filing box shown above, cut them out (ok, you can cut them out now), and I sort them into my folder.

My handy dandy coupon folder

I just love this folder. It makes shopping with coupons easy if you are one of those shoppers who likes to get in and get out of the store. EWwww, I bet you are one of those people, aren't you? LOL Most coupon addicts use a big binder with baseball card inserts to organize their coupons. I might graduate to that system later. But, for now this system works for me. Here's how it works...

My Publix list is in the very first pocket.

First I check the coupon blogs to see what Publix has on sale with coupons. I locate the coupons in my filing box and then put them in that little pocket in the front. My shopping list is made with each item's quantity and how much it will cost per item. My list slides down behind the pocket very easily, so I can refer to it while shopping. :) This is also where I put my competitor coupon..mainly the $5 off $50 Albertson's coupon.

Hidden pocket! And the coupons are in a separate pocket.

This folder has so many pockets! I love it! I slide in the Publix weekly ad to the left of my list and any other booklets I might need. This is what you see when you turn the page....

More pockets!

And more pockets in back!

I have pockets/pages for Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Target, and WalMart. We find most our great deals at the first 3 stores listed, though. You could actually label each pocket...but I have not had any problems remembering which pocket goes with each store.

So, after I gather my coupons and make my list...I just grab this notebook to take along with me to the store. I pull out the coupons and as I am shopping, I place the "used" coupons back inside the pocket. Easy!

My coupons pulled out and ready to shop!

This is everything you need to shop with coupons! It is a very simple system. Most of my time is used at home and not inside the store. That's the part I like the best. This little folder only cost about $4 at Walmart. It's a great way to getcha coup on! :o)

YAHOO

2010-02-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here's how we did:

(1)Stacy's chips- FREE coupon for being facebook friend
(1) pkg Oreo golden cookies-FREE coupon for being facebook friend
(10) Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers meals- .50 each coupons in All You magazine

Buy one get one free deals: Always use 1 coupon per item.

(8) Healthy Choice Fresh Mixer meals-$1.00 each --$1.50/3 PRINT
(4) boxes of Kelloggs cereal- $1.51 each PRINT & PRINT
(4) Mrs. Pauls fish- $2.32 each
(4) bags of Birds Eye Steamfresh meals for two-$2.00 each $1.50/1 1-17 Smart Source
(2) Pillsbury cookies ready to make- $1.05 each PRINT
(2) Keebler Cheesecake Middles cookies-.75 each PRINT
(6) Yoplait Fiber One yogurt 4 pks- .25 each $1/1 PRINT
(6) Birds Eye steamfresh veggies- .70 each   used six .50/1   1-10 Smart Source
(6) 3 pound bags of The Goodlife Recipe cat food- .25 each (went ahead and picked up for my sis's friend)
$2/1 coupon 1-24 Red Plum -( used 6 coupons)
We were really happy to see the expiration dates on cat food were good til December!!
(4) boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks- $1.17 each (had previous coupons)
(4) Jose Ole taquitos- $1.50 each $1/1   1-17 Smart Source Coupons- used 4 coupons
(2) Kens Steakhouse Marinade - .90 each $1/2    1-10 Smart Source

Items on sale:
(4) Fisher snacks - 50 each $1/1    2-7
(2) 50 ct boxes of Ziploc bags- 1.25 each (was going to use for sale, but realized I would come out ahead by buying the larger boxes)

(2) boxes of Cheerios -$1.50 each

There were so many other good deals that I did not get. If you would like the full list you can go to www.iheartpublix.com    click on Weekly Ads at the top.

This is what we got from Target:

5 Quaker Instant Oatmeal
5 Quaker True Delight granola bars (6 pk)
4 four packs GE Reveal light bulbs

All for $9.61!!! Plus we got two $5 Target giftcards! YAYHOO! I would share how we did it except yesterday was the last day! ;)

Super Bowl Savings

2010-02-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Publix was out of some of my stuff! :( Dixie plates and napkins, GONE. Kellogg's Granola, GONE. Glass Plus, GONE. Forgot the Quaker coupon for my cereal. :(

BUT, we did get:

(4)jars of Claussen picklespears for $1 each
(6) Nabisco Crackerfuls for .40 each
(2) Nabsico Wheat Thins for .35 each
(8) Kraft Mac n Cheese for .50 each
(2) Kraft Cheese slices for $1.25 each
(4) 32 oz jars of Kraft Mayo for $1.45 each
(4) French's mustard for .45 each
(6) Marie Callendar's Al Dente frozen dinners for $1.05 each
(2) Lloyds bbq beef for $1.75 each
(2) cartons of College Inn broth for .25 each
(4) Kraft 8 oz shredded cheese for $1 each
(2) cartons of Edy's icecream for $1.73 each
(2) pkgs of Ball Park hotdogs for $1.72 each
(2) Helluva Good dip for .55 each
(4) 5.6 oz pkg Pupperoni dog snacks for $1.10 each
2) 100 oz Wisk laundry soap for $4 each
(1) Gallon of FREE MILK
(1) 1/2 Gallon of FREE CHOCOLATE MILK
(1) dozen of FREE EGGS

PURDY DARN GOOD. :) I'm working on that charity box too. Already have a special person in mind for it. :)

AHHHHHH!

2010-02-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

This is me today.

I Am Expecting

2010-02-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's so sad that some people feel they have to stoop to telling lies. I have no room in my life for lies. The people who love me know who I am and love me for who I am. I do not have to worry about anyone believing lies. I am a good person. I know it...and God knows it. And that's really all that matters to me. Does it hurt? Yeah. But, maybe I had my expectations too high. I had my hope in the wrong place.

I AM

I am no longer placing my hope in people. They just let me down. From now on I'm placing my hope in God. I'm placing all my expectations in Him. I am going to expect Him, to give me peace, love, comfort and happiness...just as a pregnant woman expects to give birth.

I don't understand why things have happened the way they have. But, I do know that God has good things planned for me. And maybe what "I" wanted....just wasn't good enough. :)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

Awesome Use of My Time

2010-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

This week at Publix was a gooood week! I spent $45.26 and saved $104.66! That's 70% savings!
Some of the good buys I got were:

(4) Uncle Ben Rice - .25 each
(4) Taco Bell kits- $1.35 each
(2) Aunt Jemima syrup-$1.45 each
(8) Dole Fruit cups-.97 each
(2) boxes Quaker Instant Oatmeal - .99 each
(2) Morning Star veggie pattie boxes- $1 each
(2) Soft Scrub- .75 each
(2) Aleve 24 ct- .05 each!
(6) Hunts diced tomatoes- .21 each!
(5) boxes of cereal - $1.66 each
(4) Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies- .49

My extra closet is beginning to get full! But, that's okay because we will eat all that food! :) After leaving Publix, my sis then picked up some meat on sale at Sweetbays. She got three london broils and four packs of skinless chicken breasts and 2 packs of Purdue ground chicken for $45.83. That's enough meat for about 1 1/2 weeks in my house. I still have ground beef and some chicken breast and a roast in my deep freezer. Don't you just love those? If you don't have one...it's a good way to save money. Can you believe my sister managed to get all this done and back home in ONE HOUR?? She rocks! Thank you, Angel!

So, my sister just got around to making the Walgreens trip for me. Since I have been feeling extra bad this week...she has done most of my trips. Unfortunately, since we waited so long...they are out of the Sure deodorant that we planned to get for free. I haven't called to ask if they offer rain checks and how that would work with store coupons. But, we still did pretty good. Here's our loot:

We got all of this for **drum roll please** $16.16! And that's including tax! We managed to get six of the Bic razors, which have 7 cartridges in each package! (they were free!) So, what do you think? Am I crazy? :)

Here's the rundown:
(2) Dijorno Pizzas $5 with free sprite
(6) Bic Hybrid razors **All free**
(4) Chex Mix .50 each
(1) 2 liter Sprite FREE
(4) cans Manwich .44 each
(4) liquid CoffeMate .25 each
(2) Velveeta Mac n'Cheese $1 each
(3) Pert Plus for Men 3 in 1 $1 each (plus $2 register reward for next trip)
(2)Arizona tea drinks one we made a penny and the other we made $1.01 yes they paid us for buying it

And last but not least...Wal-Mart. Four packages of Tuna free.

Just how long does it take to find all these deals and cut the coupons? It takes me about 3 hours at most a week. I do most of it while I am watching t.v. That's pretty good use of my time. What do you think? Would you be willing to take that much time out of your week to save this much money? It's a no brainer for me!

Lesson Learned

2010-01-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

I had planned on this spectacular deal of a rebate. I was supposed to spend $30 of Unilever product and I would get a $10 Publix giftcard back. I figured it up to be $30.22( but in actuality I would have only spent $10 because of BOGO sales and coupons). Well, I purchased my items and got home to fill out my rebate when I realized my items only totaled $28.32!! What happened? I had it all figured out at home before I went to the store. This is what happened: I made the mistake of looking at a blogger's prices at a Publix in another state! Dangit! I am so totally bummed. It was still a good deal regardless, but dang...I wanted it all free. :)

(click to enlarge picture)

As you can see it would have been an EXCELLENT deal. Part of me wanted to go do it all over again. But, I realized I would be spending $10 dollars just to get $10 dollars back. And do I really need four more butters, two more jars of mayo, and two more cartons of icecream?? LOL So, anyways....this is my lesson learned. I will be sure to check the figures with my store before I make my plan next time. It is just a bummer that all of the items have to be on the same receipt per rebate instructions. What about you? Would you go on another shopping trip? Here is the link to the rebate:

do the rebate here and show them who is boss :)

So, even though I didn't get my rebate, I did get some really awesome deals at Publix. I was able to get:

10 Healthy Choice Entrees for 50 cents each
6 Betty Crocker fruit snacks for 86 cents each
4 boxes of 13 gallon, 45 count Hefty trash bags for $2.50 each
2 Scotties Tissues 75 count for FREE
12 Dannon Light yougurts for 21 cents each
3 Chobani Greek Yogurts for FREE
4 boxes Quaker Granola bars for 97 cents each
4 boxes of Can't believe it's not butter for 25 cents each
2 bottles of Hellman's Mayo for $1.57 each
2 Ocean Spray 64 ounce bottles Grapefruit juice and 5lb bag of Ocean Spray Grapefruits for $4

Vendor coupons: $29.10
Store coupons: $ 9.50
Advertised savings $ 43.31
Advantage buy savings $2.21

Total savings: $84.12
Total spent: $63.47

I am also REALLY excited about my trip to Walgreens. :) I got all this for $5.21!

Wet Ones and the Hershey bars were FREE! WOOT!!

I paid $1 each for 32 ounce Grape Jelly and the Mitchum deodorant. Oh, and the best part is...I got $3 register rewards to use for my next visit. YAY. I think I'm in love with Walgreens now too. :)

Three Free Things I Got At Wal-Mart

2010-01-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

I was able to get all of these items FREE with $1 coupons (thanks to Angel for doing the shopping). They had all gone on sale at Wal-Mart for less than a buck. Since I don't have any toddlers, I'm going to pass the Johnson & Johnson Buddies soap along to my neighbor who gives me the free veggies/fruit. The First Aid kits are going into our vehicles...and the floss is going into my cabinet. :) I actually got 5 flosses but, we already broke 2 of them open to use. So, this week I was able to score 5 free flosses, and 4 ten cent toothbrushes (got the toothbrushes at Walgreens). Oh, and I got one more thing free this week.. at Publix, I was able to get those Cottage Cheese Doubles.

Another great deal we were able to get at Wal-Mart was broth. We paid .78 each for the carton's and .26 each per can with coupons.

Since my sis, Angel, had gone back out to CVS to get make-up on sale, she was able to pick me up two more All Laundry Soaps for $1.99. YAY! So, I ended up with four of those.

This week, I can get two free 6 ounce Lubriderm Daily Moisture Body Lotions at Walgreens, free trial size bandaids, trial size All soap, and trial size Tide Stain Release at Target. Hopefully my sister will be planning a Target trip this week. Walgreens is around the corner from me, right across from Publix. How convenient for me! ;)

E Coupons

2010-01-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

I like the Upromise program. If you get a card from your local grocery store and register it, it's like getting free money. It's for your child's college savings...but it says you can take money out for anything. You don't have to save for college(I'm not saying it's not a good idea, but when your kids are almost grown, like mine, there's not much time to save a whole lot for them). Anyways, companies donate money per each item you buy.Some are there all the time and give you a percentage. But, something new they are doing now is called E Coupons. The items change every month. You click on the coupon and it gets registered with your card. If you buy Huggies you get $2 for your college savings. You can get $2 for buying a 6 pack of Bounty towels. There are a bunch of others on the list too.

Upromise E Coupons

It just takes a little planning is all. But, it saves you in the end. Most of the coupon blogs will let you know when there is an item on sale, has a coupon, AND if it has an E Coupon. Which helps with the planning A LOT! Just don't forget to hand over the U Promise card when you shop! :)

Oh No Baby

2010-01-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

I pushed my full cart up to the check out line and started unpiling my items onto the belt. I handed the cashier, LaTonia, my coupons. She said, "Oh, no...baby, what are you trying to do to me?" I laughed. I noticed right away that she was handling the transaction differently than the cashier I had been using previously. She painstakingly eyeballed each and every coupon and each item to be sure they all matched up. She was very careful, but she laughed the whole way saying, "I AM NOT BELIEVING THIS". She was joking that the next time she sees me coming to her line, she was going to turn her light off! I laughed. At the end of the transaction she looked at my receipt and said, "WOW,you made a killing! I will remember your face".

Well, the next day I came back in because I had found those Breakstones Cottage Cheese Double coupons that would make them free. So, as I was on my way to the bathroom, I seen last night's cashier, LaTonia, walking towards me. She asked, "What's the name of that site you go to? I was telling my friends that you taught me something last night. I want to shop like that too." So, I gave her the name of the site and a couple others that I really like.

www.frugalcouponliving.com
www.iheartpublix.com
www.hotcouponworld.com

So, my best buys at Publix this week were:

Teddy Grahams - (4)50 cents a box
Special K cereal- (2) free boxes (2) 50 cent boxes
Cascadian Farms granola bars- (2) boxes for $1 each
Lender's Bagels- (2) .50 each
Peter Pan Peanut butter -(4) .66 each
Breakstones Cottage Cheese Doubles- (5) free
64 ounce Juicy Juice-(4) .25 each
Egg Beaters/chive- (2) .40 each
Thermacare heat pad 2 ct- (1) .99

(Double click images
to enlarge)

Of course this is quite a bit of food, but I have 2 growing teenage boys! It is a lot of boxes to have in my pantry so I have assigned another closet for some of the extra food that I have multiples.

Organizing the coupons are pretty simple now that I have a system in place. I don't cut out the coupon until I am ready to shop. They all stay in this crate my sister picked up for me at Walmart for $5. I label each folder by the date of the coupon insert. I buy multiple newspapers ( have been buying 4 each weekend), to make good use of my coupons.

Uhh...that brings me to the Walmart trip. We found some really good stuff there too, (because not all things are cheaper at Publix ), as well as Walgreens and CVS. I will post those later. :) It really isn't as difficult as most people think. Before I got my crate, I basically had all my coupons in a stack with post it notes on them so I could remember what date they came in the paper. I also save the weekly grocery fliers that come in the mail in the middle of the week. They always have coupons in them too. I especially love the $5 coupon in the Albertson's paper because Publix takes competitor coupons. :)

We are all crazy

2010-01-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

This coupon thing has become an addiction of mine. Yes, sister...you can stop saying it. I've gone crazy. Coupon crazy. It's gotten to the point that I don't want to shut down my computer because I know I can find just ONE more deal. The sneak peeks for the grocery store sales start on Tuesday/Wednesday. By the time Thursday has rolled around I have my coupons printed and ready to go. And then I have to wait another 5 days for my next fix! I have begun sending texts, emails and msg's to most of my friends spouting off about the money they can save! I haven't been getting any replies. I think maybe I have gone overboard. Someone may need to rescue me. BUT, one thing I have learned from watching many hours of Internvention is that you can't rescue someone who doesn't want to be saved. :)

The other day I paid $5.99 for a bag of Ore Ida french fries. It almost killed me. It reminded me of the time my best, long time friend, Cathy, became pale after buying an expensive pair of jeans. Well, they weren't really expensive, they just weren't Wal-Mart el cheapo jeans. :) I didn't understand it then. But, I do now.

I have become a walking coupon commercial. When I see a coupon, I see $$$$$. Couponing isn't like it use to be, where you stand in the store with your box of coupons desperately attempting to match up coupons with items to save a few dollars. Now, someone figures it all out for you and posts all the deals online. AND there are extra coupons that you can print online. This week, I have over $80 worth of coupon savings. Can I help it that I want all my friends to benefit from saving this kind of money? These companies are handing it over, freely. Why not take it? Why do my friends keep shrugging me off? Oh yah, I forgot, I can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved........ It's crazy. Just plain crazy, I tell ya.

FREE Ziploc bags

2010-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Ziploc bags are on sale at Publix, two for $4.00. I bought three for $6.00 and used a $1 coupon in December 6th's Sunday's paper, which made them $5.00.

Then fill out the rebate form for $5.00 back and get them FREE!! You can do the rebate 3 times per household.

Tomorrow, Jan. 6, is the last day for the sale.

Silly New Years

2009-12-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

I think it's funny how people wait until the New Year to start on goals, they wait on Thanksgiving to express all the things they are thankful for, and they wait on Christmas to give back to those who need. Why can't we do these things all year? Life. Life gets in the way. Why do we let life get in the way? What is life without goals, giving thanks, and giving back? Why can't we do these things everyday? It's silly.

So, here goes my silly New Years Resolution list:

I will pursue my goals, give thanks daily and give back at least weekly.
I will learn to prioritize a "to do" list and forgive myself for not completing everything on the list.
I will put myself first in the area of health.
When life punches me in the face, I will punch back!
I will not spend time with people who don't care if they hurt me.
I will make a conscious effort to start letting go of my babies. (this is going to be the hardest)

One of the things that makes me the happiest is giving back. I use to work at Kash N Karry (now Sweetbays) as a cake decorator. It was a new store, so they had top executives stopping in frequently. We had to make sure the shelves were stocked full. Of course, after the executives left, the items were never bought. They went into the trash. My heart dropped. All that food, gone to waste. I drove my car around to the back of the store where I had discarded all the unfresh baked goods, and I put all of it into my trunk and drove off. It was all still edible, just not fresh fresh. There was a family that lived down the road whose kids had came to my door one day asking for some food. The teen girl told me that they didn't know where their mom was and that they were hungry. (coincidentally this is the family who lost the little girl, Sarah, who was strangled to death and left in a pond) I packed them up some bread and peanut butter among some other stuff I had that day. Anyways, they were the first ones that I thought of when I had all this food in my trunk. So, I gave them a big cake, and some bread. The kids were home alone; they appreciated it with big smiles. Then, I found a local charity right down the road that gives food to families and the elderly who can't afford it. I showed up with my trunk full of food. THEY HAD SMILES ON THEIR FACES FROM EAR TO EAR. And so did I. I told them about all this food that the store was throwing away. They couldn't believe it. So, I gave them the name and number of the store manager and before I knew it they were showing up weekly to pick up dented cans, slightly bruised and over ripened produce, AND the baked goods. I was so happy the food was not going to waste anymore. I hate waste. Eight years later, I still see them going in there to pick up their free food to give to people who need it.

So, I got to thinking. I have learned how to save money with all these coupons I'm clipping. I am going to set aside a box and put something in it weekly. And when the box is full, I am going to take it back to that charity, to give back. Nothing feels better than giving back. Why should I wait for Christmas to do it?

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.~MARRIANE WILLIAMSON

The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds.~ ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Clean up on aisle 25

2009-12-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

Cleaning up is never fun, but I will be smiling a little bit brighter when I have to wipe up that spilled drink, and wipe my mouth, with these items I got from Sweetbay today, for two reasons: 1. they are made from recycled paper and 2. they were all FREE with coupons from the Tampa Tribune!

I also got the Kleenex from Walgreens for only 4 cents each. How cool is that? My cabinet is stocked! :)

FREEBIES

2009-12-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

If your local grocery store was handing out free items, wouldn't you take them? Well, that's exactly what Publix is doing! I can't believe how easy it is to get free food! Yeah, I don't need TWO ketsups but, I got them free, and I have the space to keep them. When you are feeding a family...ketsup goes fast! Check out the other free stuff I got!

SCORE!

Where have you been all my life, Publix? I found so many deals this week. I bought 4 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter packages (4 sticks of butter per pkg) for only .25 each. I also bought three Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese pkg's for only .25 each! Check out my receipt. (Double click on the image to enlarge).

My total could have been around $52 if I had shopped on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and used the Albertson's coupon for $5 off of $50 purchase, and if I had not donated a holiday bag of food. But, it sure did feel good to give back when I have been given sooo much. :)

The Nice List

2009-12-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

1. Even though the Corporations have scaled back, Brian's company still gave him his Christmas Bonus. And no it wasn't a tin of cookies, or a raunchy legged lamp. lol It was cash...and it's the same amount they have given him every year since he started there 4 years ago. I am soooo thankful! We really needed it. Thank you Liberty Property Trust!

2. My crockpot definitely deserves a spot on the NICE list. I don't know how I would even manage without it. The latest recipe I found is so simple and yummy! 1 two-three poud roast, 1 can of whole cranberry sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Scrumptious!

3. My neighbor is a true sweetheart. She gets a vegetable basket from a local co-op every week. Her family doesn't eat sweet potatoes, magoes, squash, eggplant or asparagus. So, she sends them over with one of her little boys for us to eat. :) I LOVE FREE FOOD.

4. Sleeping in on weekend mornings is NICE. My family is NICE to be quiet and allow me to get extra rest.

The Naughty List

2009-12-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when Santa is making his list and checking it twice. He has a lot of work to do...so, I'm lending him a little help.

1. I baked 24 cookies Sunday night. When I went to bed, the bag was still full. Monday morning, only 2 cookies and crumbs were left. The perpetrators escaped on a runaway school bus!

2. Someone in this house called their mother a reallly bad name. Thankfully, I was NOT the receiver. Because if I had been, I would soooo be on the NAUGHTY list.

3. One of our poor Poinsettia plants that Brian brought home on Friday night was munched on by a little doggy (and I know which one).

4. I shipped the boys off to their friends house to spend the night, got into my santa suit (with a very fun night planned) and waited on Brian to come home.

OKAY OKAY THAT DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN. ;-P LOL

5. And finally, last on the list is the favorite Christmas skit from Saturday Night Live:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4156/saturday-night-live-nprs-delicious-dish-schweddy-balls

Momaholic's Anonymous

2009-12-14T06:58:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Melanie, and I'm a recovering momaholic.

It's been a secret. Yes, I am addicted to "being a mom" to my children. Except...they aren't little children anymore. :-/ It's hitting me hard this Christmas. At age 15 &16, soon to be 16 &17, they no longer enjoy Christmas crafts like they use to. I suppose I will get over this, just as I managed to get over their refusal to color in coloring books several years ago. It's getting harder and harder to connect with them as they get older. I miss my babies. I never realized how much I could miss someone....someone who is still here, yet not. It won't be long before they are moving out of the house and starting their own lives. I should be so proud. I should be happy. But, I'm a momaholic. I still want them here ...holding my pinky finger as we cross the dangerous street. HEY, I am sure their wives would appreciate that. :)

Maybe the saying "too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing" is correct. I think my brain made too much of that hormone, oxytocin, that ensures bonding with baby. It must STILL be circulating through my brain. LOL

So, mom's are given the natural physiological components needed to bond with their child. Classes are also available for mom's to learn how to do a good job. I'm just wondering where is my hormone to deactivate this bonding need ....and where are my classes to learn how to let go? I'm just sayin'. LOL