Frugal Fun #11

Here is a shot of my happy hubby during our last back yard fire. The picture doesn't do him justice. He is sooooo cute. You'd think after 12 years (high school sweeties) I'd cool off a little, but I love him more than ever and find him more attractive too.


My hubby and I are going on a date!!!!!! I am so excited. We hardly ever get out alone. It isn't that we don't want to either. It is hard during the school year because I hate being away from the kids. I wanted to be a stay at home mom, but it hasn't worked out yet. My hubby keeps telling me I might be able to stay home a while with future babies. And during the summer it is hard because we are usually short on cash.

So anyways, we are keeping the evening very cheap. My hubby is working, so I won't get a start on our date until late. We plan to eat at Olive Garden. I know it sounds strange, but we love going there.... breadsticks, salad, leftovers... I have been saving points at MyPoints and trading them in for Olive Garden gift cards. Then we are going to listen to free music at the local arts festival taking place this weekend. If we still are awake, which for me will be easy but not so much for him, we are making a fire in our back yard where we can sit and chat uninterrupted.

I am so excited!

If you are interested in My Points you can check it out here or I can send you a personalized email invitation. I take surveys through the site and also click though emails. I never actually do the offers they send. I just click on the 5 points for going to the offer's website, but I don't actually sign up for anything. Some days I'll get over 10 emails from them, so it is easy to get points.

How do you keep your dates affordable? I'd love to get some new ideas...

Target Trip 7/30

My car is fixed!!!!!

So my first stop was to Target to try and find a new pool. My car, the pool, our roof, the broken things just pile up around here. My husband says we have such bad luck with things because it everything else in our life is so wonderful. He tells me it is the the Ying and the Yang. I am trying to believe him...

Anyways, here is my trip:

Pampers $8.99
used $2 coupon from P&G to make it $6.99
(I hate to pay that much but I was in a pinch and really needed them... now I'm on the hunt for some diaper deals)

2 Tide travel sized $0.97
used 2 - $1 off coupons from P&G to make free

Wonka candy bar $2.29
used $1 off target Q and $1 off printable to make it $0.29

Ritz Crakerfuls $2
used free coupon from Kraft First Taste

Miracle Whip $1.97
used $1 facebook coupon to make it $.97

4 Chef Boyardee $0.97 each $3.88
used 2 - $1 target coupons and $1.50/4 conagra coupon
made it $0.38 total or about 10 cents each

2 Bear Naked Granola $3.50 each
used BOGO coupon and 2 - $.50 off target coupons
$1.25 each

2 Juicy Juice 8pk $2.29 each
used 2 - $1 Target coupons and $1/2 from a calendar to make about 80 cents each

Kids Cuisine $1.75
used $1 target coupon made it $.75(I hate to give kids frozen foods like this, but told little love she could try it once... it made her sick today at lunch. Our tummies are just not made to each like that.)

2 Sobe Lifewaters $1 each
used BOGO and 2 $.50 target coupons to make it free

2 SOBE drinks $1.22 each
used bogo coupon to make them $0.61 each

2 Purell $1.37 each
used 2 $1 off coupons from sunday insert to make it $0.37 each

5 Satin Care $0.97 each
used 5 $1 off from P&G to make them free

3 Olay Soap Bars $0.97 each
used 3 - $1 off from P&G to make them free

2 boxes of crayons for $0.25 each (one missing from picture)

Kashi Deal - I bought 6 items
2 frozen meals $2.85 each
1 cookie $2.85
2 carckers $2.85
1 cereal bar $2.50
used 2 buy 2 get 1 free target coupons
$1/2 frozen target coupons
$1/3 crackers, bars, cereal target coupon
3 -$1 off any kashi item coupons I got from writing to the company
makes these items $6.05 total or about $1 a piece

So my total was $25.29 for everything pictured and I saved $45.83, a 64% saving.

If I take out the diapers, my total is $16.80 with $43.83 savings, which is 72% savings.

Rite Aid Stop 7/29

Well, my SUV had a leak in the fuel line and needed a new ditributor cap... It is a 99 with LOTS of miles, so I am just happy it isn't dead yet. We have had more bad luck and aren't any where near ready for a car payment. So I took my little ones for a walk to Rite Aid this week. We had 3 stops to make that would normally take 45 minutes with a car. It took us 4 hours walking!!! We have been walking everwhere this week and it has really been fun.

So here is my Trip:

4 Nivea Body Wash for men $1.99 each
2 Reach Toothbrushes $3.99 each
1 Reach Floss (this was all they had)
6 SOBE lifewaters $1 each
2 Crush sodas (we hardly ever have soda and with the hours we had left to walk, we splurged!) $1.59 each

My total was a little over $26 plus tax.
I used $5 off $25
2 - $4/2 Nivea
BOGO Reach toothbrushes
$1 off Reach Floss
3 BOGO Sobe coupons from heads or tails game
1 BOGO coupon for Crush
$2 +up rewards

(took off $24.59)

So I was left with a little out of pocket which I paid for with some of a SCR.

I got back:
4 - $1 +Ups for Nivea
2 - $1 +Ups for Reach Toothbrushes
I will get $2.99 in SCR for toothbrushes as well.

Wasn't as good as planned with all the floss, but still a money maker!

My little love kept stealing things out of the picture. He is so cute.

Getting Veggies Cheap

I know that many people probably see my garden and say, well I don't have a garden so I can't save money on vegggies. Well I think that is totally untrue.

My tomatoes and peppers aren't quite ready and I'm out of the peppers I had frozen from last year. So I stopped by a local veggie stand to pick these up. (I couldn't get to the market with car broken down...ugh...) I couldn't help myself from the fresh peaches either. I love fresh produce and I enjoy giving my money to local farmers as well. I paid $6 for all of this food, which I think is a tiny bit high, but better than the grocery store.

I think that farmer's markets are even better. I have gotten entire baskets filled with peppers at the market for $3 or $4 dollars. So you can get great deals on produce without the work of the garden. I happen to love the garden, but it does require a lot of work. If you would like to find a farmer's market near you try Local Harvest where you just put in your zip code and and they find markets near you. I found some that I didn't even know about that carry all sorts of fun items. Check it out and let me know what you find.

In my Mailbox

Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture...ooops


Here are a few items that made their way into my mailbox.

Free Better Homes & Garden 2010 Cookbook (cames with this month's magazine)

Lots of rebate checks: Flavor Ice and Schick Hydro

Check from taking surveys $30 (yippee)

Batteries from facebook

pack of dentyne pure gum from facebook

I cannot believe how fast the facebook freebies came in the mail. I had just signed up for them.

Great Target Deals

I am going to try to get to Target before some of my coupons expire. But that willonly happen if my car gets fixed. boo hoo

If you are planning to go here are some things to look for:

Remember that prices may vary regionally from Target to Target.

I am hearing that many stores have put lots of toys at 75% off for clearance. Might be a good time to start stocking up on bday and Christmas presents....

9ct Boxes Of Bagel Bites $2.28
Use $1/1 Target PRINTABLES And
$1/1 PRINTABLES
(.28c Each!)

Kid Cusine $1.75 each (buy 2)
Use 2- $1/1 Target PRINTABLES
$1/2 From ALL YOU June Mag
(.25c Each)

Bic Pens $.99
Use $1/1 Target PRINTABLES
(FREE)

3 Hunts Snack Pack Pudding 2.85 total ($.95 each)
Coupons: $1/3 Target PRINTABLE
And $1/3 From ALL YOU June Mag
( .28c Each)
If you don't have ALL YOU I think the cans are 97 cents so you could get two for free

4 Chef Boyarde Microwavable Cups $3.20
Coupon: (2) $1/1 Target PRINTABLES
And $1.50/4 PRINTABLE
(4 FREE)


Kids Aqua Fresh Kids Toothpaste $1.62
Coupon: .50c/1 Target PRINTABLES
And $1/1 PRINTABLES
(.12c Each)

2 Sobe Life Waters $2.00 ($1 each)
Coupon: (2) .50c/1 Target PRINTABLES
And B1G1 PRINTABLE
(2 FREE)

Pillsbury SweetMoments Dessert $2.78
Coupon: $1/1 PRINTABLE
( $1.78)

Wonka Bars around $2 (I've heard several different prices)
use $1 Target coupon
use $1 printable or coupon from last month's Better Homes and Gardens
(close to free)

Kandoo Wipes $1.49
use $1 off from a P&G insert months ago (april or may???)
($0.49 each)

Bear Naked Granola $3.50 buy 2
use BOGO printable on their facebook page
use 2 $.50 off Target printables
total $2.50 for both
(there is also a deal with yogurt and the granola. buy 2 Dannon yogurts and get granola for free)

TO see even more deals posted see TotallyTarget.

Friendly Friday

I am so excited because I am going to be featured on Friendly Friday. You can check it out at any of the three great blogs that host this event. They include Thanks, Mail Carrier, Healthy Home Blog, and The Frugal Novice.

And if you are here visiting from Friendly Friday, thank you for stopping by. I'm glad you came.

If you choose to follow, leave a comment and I'll follow back!

Swagbucks

I know there are a few new readers here. Some of you may already know about this site and some may not. So I am going to share about it again.

For about the past 4 months or so I have been using swagbucks as my search engine. Each time you search you have the chance of earning "swagbucks." These can then be traded in for different items or even gift cards. 450 swagbucks can get you $5 Amazon gift card. I usually search for something in the morning and the evening making about 15-25 swagbucks a day. Some days are better than others. It usually takes me three searches to earn any bucks. I look for websites that I visit daily or just random things that I can think of. Lately forthemommas has been getting me atleast 10 swagbucks with each search. Today it got me 11.

I know that some bloggers have made enough in Amazon codes to do all their Christmas shopping. I don't think I'm quite there yet, but I welcome any way to save money to put towards the things we need right now like a roof that doesn't leak.... ugh...

If interested you can sign up here.

As I get time I will continue to post the easy ways I bring in extra income without a lot of work.

Do you have any ways you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about them.

Wegmans Deals of the week

I am not sure how many of you are out there looking for Wegmans deals. Because their sales last soooooooo long, I usually update my list every two weeks. If this bothers anyone leave me a comment and I can update more regularly.

In addition, I use the actual store and the Wegmans site to make this list since the ads never post what's really on sale. The website has pages and pages that takes me quite a while to get through. So I will update as I continue to find more deals.

Here are some of the deals that caught my eye:

Wegmans Brand

Milk $1.98 (1 gallon)

8pk paper towels $4.99

Ice Cream or Ice Cream Sandwiches $1.99

Soda 12pk 5/$10 ($2 each)

64fl oz lemonade $0.99

Dressing $1.49

Slices America Cheese $1.99 (12oz??)

Yogurt fruit on the bottom 3/$.99

French Onion Dip $1.29


Other Deals


Nutrigrain Bars 2/$5
use 2 of the $1 off from insert to make them $1.50 each

Goldfish 2/$3
use $.50 printable *doubled* to make it $.50
there was a $.75 which would make it free, but I wasn't able to get this one at the time. I'm guessing that for most of these you would need to have already printed.
I also saw a $.35 printable that would make them $.80 each

Capri Sun $1.79

Doritos $1.99

Folgers 11.3oz coffee
use $1/2 to make them $1.49

Purex laundry detergent $1.99 50 fl oz

Heluva good bricks of cheese $2.49
use $2 off from Section A of Democrat and Chronicle to make it $0.49

Pepsi 2 liters $0.99

Hebrew National Beef hotdogs $2.99
use $1/2 to make the $2.49 a package

Eggo Waffles $1.99
use $1/2 from redplu to make these $1.49

Edy's Fruit Bars $2.99
use $.50 printable *doubled* to make it $1.99

Rinaldi pasta sauce $1.29

Suddenly Pasta Salad $1.99
use $1/2 to make it $1.49

Reach Crystal Clear Toothbrush $1.49
use $1 off coupon to make it $0.49

Townhouse Flatbread Crisps $1.99
I thought I saw $1/1 printable somewhere, but don't remember where to make it $0.99
There is also $1/2 from the inserts to make it $1.49 each

Healthy Choice Select Entrees $1.69

You can check out some of the previous Wegmans posts here for other deals that may be still going.

Mable's Labels Review

I know I mentioned that I'm a Buzz Mama for Mabel's Labels quite some time ago. I never got a chance to really get into all the things that Mabel's has to offer.

Mabel's Labels sent me some awesome products to try in a Welcome Kit. There was a canvas bag, higlighter/pens, notepads of different sorts and lots of coupons to offer others that are interested.

Now I fell in love with these labels and stationary. Here are some reasons why:

* Mabel's makes labels that won't fall off and look cute.
For someone that doesn't have time to sew on a label, but needs to mark items clearly, Mabel's has great labels for clothing. Plus they have labels that can go on water bottles and other containers that won't fall off.
You might think that the price looks high, but keep in mind that these labels last forever! You do not have to constantly replace and they save you time.



* There are great combo packs.
Maybe you don't want 45 of the same label, you can pick up a combo pack with all the best selling labels so that you have just a few of the ones you want and nothing wasted.

* These labels are actually attractive. I am a bargain shopper, but I want my home to look put together (and my classroom too). So I can get the cheap containers, but put a cute label on them that won't fall apart to help any space look decorative and organized.




If you are at all interested in Mabel's Labels please contact me so that I can share a coupon code with you to help you save money.

Rite Aid Scenarios

There are quite a few oral care deals this week at Rite Aid along with some great freebies and money makers.

I usually check out Shannon's posts at For the Mommas. She truly is the queen of Rite Aid. If you want to see her complete list of deals check it out here.

My scenario:

4 bottles of Nivea for Men $1.99 each ($7.96)
2 Reach Toothbrushes $3.99 each ($7.98)
6 Reach Floss $.99 each ($5.94)
8 SOBE lifewaters $1 ($8)

Total $29.88

I will use:
$5 off $25
2 - $4/2 printable on Nivea
6 - $1 off Reach Floss
1 B1G1 Free Reach Toothbrushes
4 B1G1 Free Sobe from heads or tails games

This leaves about $2.90 oop which I'll pay with previous +ups.

I will get a $2.99 SCR for the toothbrushes and 2-$1 +ups for the toothbrushes as well. I should get 4-$1 +ups for Nivea which I missed the first time through to make it even better. I think my math is better now too...oops!

So this is definitely a money maker.

Now if you remember last week, I mentioned that snapple and M&Ms would be on sale this week. They are, but not for me. I got the short ad. But lucky for you if the long ad came your way. There are some great deals in the wrap around.

Review of Online School Solutions

I was recently given the opportunity to take a look at an online alternative to the typical school setting. This was offered to me through MomSelect.

So as a teacher, I was excited to see what would be offered. And I was curious to see how learning would take place over the computer instead of interacting face to face with others. I started by going to onlineschoolsolutions.com where I was asked to choose my state to see exactly what is offered in my state. I then took a peak at the different course offerings for the middle and high school levels. I was able to watch a previously recorded session where students were interacting with their teacher through the Internet. And finally, I was able to watch a multimedia presentation from Aventa Learning.

SO here are some of the things that I liked about the program:

* students can repeat lessons over and over if they missed something
* students can interact with other students and teachers in several different ways (posting messages, one on one conferencing using computer capabilities, email)
* there are multiple ways of assessing the learning that takes place (tests, essays, projects, research papers, etc.)
* students can take classes anywhere and any place (great for students that need to be out of the country for extended times, students that become ill, students that have mental health issues, students that need extra support but are busy with extracurricular activities
* parents can view grades and how well students are doing over the Internet at any time
* students do love using computers and having a say in their learning...
* AP and honors level classed are offered
* the curriculum does look age appropriate and challenging
* curriculum for made using backwards design
* students can "test" out of things that they already know so that they won't be bored
* this is a great option for homeschooling families where the parent/teacher may not have a firm foundation or understanding of the content being taught
* cheaper for districts than creating new classes and hiring more teachers for special circumstances

As a educator in New York State, here are some of the negatives that I see:

* Prices of classes ranged anywhere from $200 - $600 per class. Public school would be free. So this could be a high cost to parents if they chose to use it as a tutor for a class or two. (Although, I have heard of $50 per hour fees for tutors, which would make this a bargain.)It would be even more expensive for the parent that chose to enroll their child in this type of school full time.

* Classes do not align with state curriculum.
I only looked at the standards for New York Math classes since that is what I teach. The math classes do have a great curriculum, but it does not follow what is being taught in the public classroom.

* Limited Electives
One of the things students love are electives. This gives them the choice of what subject they are being taught. I didn't see a whole lot of options under this category. All of the "electives" being offered at the Middle School level were already mandatory at the school I teach at. I was hoping to see specific topics that cater to what kids want to learn since the goal of this program seems to be catching students that aren't able to go to school or aren't successful at a traditional school.

* Limited Interaction
I was pleased to see that students could conference with their teachers to have discussions. But this can't possibly happen as often as my students can come to me. I can have a face to face conversation and answer questions on the spot for students when they have them. They can come to me at lunch or after school. I don't see this being possible over the Internet to the same extent.

Plus students, especially at the high school levels, need to interact with others to learn how to deal with people for the real world. If students are using this as the only source of their education they are going to miss out on meaning learning from just dealing with peers.

* Will all schools except this for credit? I know New York can be picky on what they give credit for. Students may have to get a GED instead of a high school diploma. This may not be considered a bad things to some.

Final Conclusions

I think that this is a great program for a very small population. There are students and situations were this would be a better solution than the public or private school systems. For these students there haven't been good options. So this is exciting to have to offer to students that normally failed or dropped out or just had circumstances that made it impossible for them to go to school. It will give students that were hard to reach a chance at success. This program also seems to be a great way for busy students to get help or tutoring. I don't think that all students would be successful at school online. I also don't think it would be wise to let all students go to school online. However, for the students that need something different, this is a great option. I will be holding on to this imformation to offer to future parents and students that I meet.

Well readers, what are your thoughts? Do you think online learning could work? What do you think would be the benefits or the drawbacks? Any homeschoolers out there? Would you use this program? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

New Target Coupons

I just printed pages and pages of great Target coupons just released. You can go here to get them. They don't expire until 8/28 or so. So we have a while to put together the best deals.

I know Mercedes at Common Sense with Money has already been putting deals together.

I am excited for the Capri Sun, Chef Boyardee, all the Kashi deals, and the Kids Cuisine. These are all things that my daughter asks for and I have to say no. But we might just be able to throw an item or two in the basket if my store prices match with Mercedes.

I will post my shopping plan once it is finalized.

Happy to be a Mom

So this might sound dorky, but I'm just having a "I love being a mom" moment. I have these alot. Instead of focusing on my Sunday ads and coupons, I spent most of the day playing with my family, taking a nice long walk around town, picking veggies from my garden, and my husband and I rented a $1 movie from redbox. So I will come up with some scenarios for all the stores soon and share what I find, but for now.... I am just going to smile and enjoy that incredible bursting feeling in my heart when I think about how great it is to be a mom.

Decorating on a Budget

I have to say that over the years I have found that many things come with patience. I think that being successful in frugal living also comes from being patient. As I look at what some of my friends and family have, I'll admit that I do get jealous. But then I remember that their stuff isn't important. The square footage in my house doesn't give me worth. And if I am patient, we can have nice things in our home too. I have chosen not to charge anything and everything I want when I want it. Instead, I have to be patient and trust that the Lord will provide.

Now before I get all preachy, I do want to share that being frugal doesn't mean that you can't have nice things or a home that doesn't make you look homeless. I actually think it is better not to have lots of stuff. It is just more stuff to break, clean, keep track off... I could go on. SO here I want to share with you how we patiently worked on my oldest Love's bedroom so that it could be happy and cheerful just like my little one.

We started by letting her pick the color. I bought the paint at Wal*mart and the planning began. I started by trying to come up with items that we already had or things that I could make myself. So I used a painting that I had made while I was pregnant for her as the first decoration. Now I am no artist, so please don't make fun of me. I made it with love and thought it went well with the rest of the room. Homemade decorations can be much cheaper than already made items. A painting similar to this could have cost over $20, but I made it for under $5.



This decoration was an art kit given as a gift to my daughter that we then put together. She and I both agreed that it looked so nice it should hang in her room. If you couldn't tell she loves fairies and butterflies.




Here you can see homemade curtains. We have strange shaped windows here. So regular curtains didn't fit and a valance alone didn't seem quite right either. So we bought cheap sheer curtains and used ribbon that was in my cupboard to tie it up in this cute design. There was no sewing involved!!!




The butterflies on the curtains came a few months later. The center butterfly was on top of a gift given to my daughter for her birthday. And the two on either side were found at the Christmas Tree Shop my grandmother who thought that they were perfect for her room. We actually got all of these butterflies about 2 years apart from each other. So I patiently had to wait to see this idea come together for her curtains.

We also looked through clearance for anything that might help. At Joann Fabric we found these cute butterfly hooks. The were less than a dollar, but at the time they were ugly!!!! I had to paint them and get wire to use as antennae.




All of the furniture is "re purposed." The bed frame was mine when I lived at home with my parents. Her dresser was found on the side of the road. I'd take a picture, but I haven't refinished it yet...

The bed spread was bought at Wal mart for around $25. I didn't have a sewing machine when we found this blanket. She and I both agreed that it was perfect for her room and decided to splurge at the time. I am still patiently waiting to get the money to either buy fabric or buy an already made bed skirt.




I guess my point is that #1 You can have a nice looking home with little money. #2 Patience is key. Putting this room together has taken my Love's entire life. She is 4 and a half. So it doesn't happen over night. Be patient and keep your eyes open for treasures in disguise. They are everywhere.

Walmart stop 7/18

My yogurt coupons were expiring last Sunday, so I made a quick stop.

We got 7 of the Dan-o-ninos yogurts $1.97
used 7 of the $1.50 off coupons to make it $0.47 each
(The kids already ate a whole package which is why there is only 6 in the picture.)

2 Pampers Wipes $1.97
used 2 of the $2 off coupons to make it free

12 pack of Coke (not pictured)
used mycokerewards points to get a free 12 pk coupon, so no cost to us

2 Deep Dish Digiorno Pizzas
used 2 free coupons (mine and my mom's) from Kraft First Taste

1 Red Baron Pizza by the Slice $2.88
used $2 printable to make it $.88

We paid about $4.50 for all

Follow Me Friday

Here is another week of follow me Friday. Check it out and meet a great group of interesting and wonderful bloggers.

I promise that I will follow back if anyone decides to follow here. And if you look at the numbers over there.... I could really use some help in the followers department. Thanks to all and have a great weekend!

Frugal Fun #10

I think that blogging or just being part of the computer age can cause many to become stuck behind a computer or hooked to electronics. So I like to spend a large portion of my day away from any cell phones, computers, or gadgets. I take my children outside with me for all sorts of activities. Jogging is one of my favorites. It gives my children fresh air, change of scenery, and no TV. It gives me exercise, a chance to relieve stress and regroup, and chance to be me. Before I was a mom I would run a good 12 miles a day. It was glorious. Now I'm lucky if I get an hour to run... and almost never by myself. I like to think that I can't get as far because now I'm pushing over 100 pounds, but that is a whole other story. Jogging gives me energy and is free. I did have to buy the stroller. We bought a double for under $200 and have used it for over 15 months which makes it way less than a dollar a day to pay for it. Plus I've added a new element. We like to collect cans as we go. I would never do this without the stroller to hide the bottles in. Yes, I would feel a little silly. But picking up the bottles helps clean up the area and I make 5 cents on each bottle in New York state when I return them.

If you don't have the money to buy a stroller you could always look to groups like freecycle or freepeats for used strollers that other families don't want anymore.

Dumpster Diving

I took a little break from visiting the dumpster after they moved it. I kind of felt like someone must have been watching. But oh well, I went back after I found the $2 off Helluva Good Cheese coupon in the Sunday paper. It makes them free at Walmart and really cheap at Wegmans. So I bit the bullet and went back. As you can see, it was very successful. I found mycokerewards, tons of cheese coupons and lots of new inserts.

Rite Aid Trip 7/22

Although I am starting to enjoy the +Up rewards, I really haven't seen too much at Rite Aid that my family needed at a decent price. So I didn't shop last week. Then I noticed that my plus up rewards were expiring this week. So, I didn't want to lose 7 bucks!!! I couldn't figure out how best to help my family. Should I get diapers? Was there something I was running out of... Then my husband mentions how he just really wants some snacks in the house. He mentions Doritos and M&Ms specifically. I checked the deals with forthemommas.com and iheartriteaid.com to see what was on sale this week and what was on sale in the coming weeks to make my plan.

I did 2 transactions:

Transaction #1
Zegerid $10
Used $4 from smartsource insert
used $3 from in-ad
used $3 VV coupon

So I got it free and it printed a $7 +up reward

Transaction #2
Zegerid $10
2 Doritos $2.99 each ($5.98)
2 Chex Mix bogo $2.99???
2 M&Ms 2/$1
1 Peanut Butter Cups (My love already ate this on the way home... She was in tears because she loves one of the female managers who was too busy to come out and give her a hug.... She is so sweet, but gets all worked up about her hugs.)
Total was $20.47 after tax

I used:
$5 off $20
$4 off Zegerid from Smartsource
$3 in ad for Zegerid
$1/2 Chex Mix
$5 and $2 +up rewards from previous transactions

I paid $0.47 for all and got another $7 +up for Zegerid and 2-$1 +up for Doritos.
Then I am going to mail in for Zegerid rebate. I am not sure if they will send me $10 or $6.

So I figure I will get anywhere from $22 to $26 from this purchase to use on future transactions.

My husband will be partially happy. I did get his Doritos. But the bigger bags of M&Ms will be on sale next week. So I will get them then with my new +up Rewards.

This is a win to me because I was able to get non-necessities for almost nothing out of pocket and my family is happy too!

In my Garden

I know that if anyone is reading this, you are probably sick of looking at my garden. But I love it so.

Here you can see that our second round of roses are blooming now. We have a plethora of delicious green beans that I have been munching on. Our watermelons are just the cutest. This is our first year planting these, so they have been exciting to watch grow. Cucumbers and squash are coming in by the arm fulls. The neighbors love it, and so do we. Cucumbers make great snacks and I cannot believe all the things I have been able to make with the squash (green and yellow).
The tomatoes seem to be taking their time, but I am happy to see the little green balls finally appearing. We will have to start them earlier next year!!

What's growing in your garden? I'd love to hear...

In my Mailbox

Here are some of the latest finds in my mailbox. Not everything made it into the picture.

All Bran Summer pack

-sample of cereal
-sample of bran
-eye cover - kids ran off with it, but it was really cute on them

Sample of Hamburger Helper

Sample of Fiber One Cereal

Sample of Pampers Cruisers from Vocal Point

Sample of Overnight Pampers

Glass or goblet from Johnny Walker

Sample of Feminine Maxi Pad - I think it was Stayfree

And my mom stopped by and give me her Kraft First Taste Coupons... She is so good to me!!!!

Plus I did get my All You for August. It isn't free, but pays for itself in the coupons I use out of it!!!!

Weekly Menu

You might look at what I purchased and wonder what in the world my family might be eating. So, I'm going to try better to share my weekly plans. I always make a menu and grocery list before I shop.

Breakfast
eggs
toast
cereal

Lunch

pb&j
egg salad sandwiches
tuna on lettuce w/ tomato
mac n cheese
bagel bites - treat when neice comes over
turkey and cheese sandwiches

Snacks

yogurt - cold and frozen into pops
veggies and dip (from garden)
chhocolate chip zucchini muffins
crackers
smoothies

Dinners

pasta with prego and meatballs (trying to find homemade recipe that family likes for red sauce... would love suggestions)

homemade mac n cheese with green beans from garden

hot dogs and macaroni salad

zucchini casserole

tuna sandwiches

leftovers/grab night

frozen pizza

Awesome Wegmans Trip

****Not everything is in the picture... Some needed to be put away right away in the heat! And others didn't fit on counter at the time (bread, eggs, ice cream, etc.)****



My husband started work on Monday, but he won't see a paycheck until next Friday. With all the different things that came up this year, I wasn't able to get a whole lot saved for summer this time around. Last summer just killed our finances. My husband lost his job and my work had messed up my paychecks.... It was a mess. So, in our attempts to keep from touching a credit card, here is my grocery shopping trip:

Bread $1.99

Kraft 100 Calories Snack Cheese $2.99
Free with Kraft First Taste (KFT) Coupon

Wegmans Mozzarella $3.69
saved $.70 with SSC $2.99

Wegmans parm cheese $2.79
(thought my husband was going to cry the other night when we ran out... funny story... he went into our pantry and stole the parm cheese out of one of the Macaroni Grill Kits...)

Weg sliced cheese $2.69

Weg large eggs (18 pack) $1.48

Helluva Good Colby jack Cheese $2.49
used $2 coupon from page 3A of Democrat and Chronicle a few Sun ago

Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey $2.99
free with KFT coupon

2 Bagel Bites $2.19
used 2 $1 off coupons to make $1.19

Mrs. T spinach & feta pierogies $2.49
saved $.50 with SSC
used $1 coupon to make it $.99

2 Ice Creams at $1.99 each

2 Cinn Toast Crunch 2/$4 with SSC
used 2 $0.55 from smartsource *doubled* to make them $0.90 each

2 Folgers Coffee $1.99 each with SSC
used $1/2 to make them $1.49 each

French Mustard $1.69 with SSC
used $.50 *doubled* from frenchs.com to make it $0.69

French's Worcestershire Sauce $1.29
used $.50 *doubled* from frenchs.com to make it $.29

2 jars of Prego sauce $1.99 each
used $1/2 from campbells site to make it $1.49 each

Nabisco Crackerfulls $2.99
used free coupon from KFT

Noxzema Original Cream $1.99
used $.75 from this Sunday's paper *doubled* to make it $.49

2 Summers Eve Cloths $1.69 with SSC
used 2 $.75 printed from Smartsource.com *doubled* to make them $.19 each

bananas 1.78 lbs for $.87

celery for $1.49

All in all, I spent around $30 and saved $33.55... It is really rare that I am able to do that at Wegmans. But you have also noticed I didn't really buy any meat this week. We are eating whatever meat I have saved in the freezer for the next two weeks. And we had just bought milk on Sunday when we ran out...

Target Trip 7/16

You may have noticed that I don't go to Target very often. I really don't live very close to one and my vehicle is a gas hog. So I stopped because I had a few deals I wanted to try and I was already at work for a couple curriculum writing days. The school I teach at is only 5 to 7 minutes from a Target, so it made sense to stop while I was there.

While I wasn't able to find all the deals that I had read about on other people's blogs, I did find a few. Here is what I got:

Green women's shirt $10 marked down to $6
used $2 Merona Target coupon to make it $4
(I seem to have very few shirts that aren'y extra small, from my days before having babies....ugh)

C9 cardio top $14 marked down to $7.48
used $5 C9 Target coupon to make it $2.48
(for all the exercising to get back into those XS)

2 Crystal Light Pure Fitness $1.97 each
used $2 off Vocal Point coupons to make them free

Kraft Miracle Whip $1.97
used $1 Facebook coupon to make it $.97

4 SOBE lifewaters $1
used 2 BOGO coupons from heads or tails game
used 2 $0.50 off Target coupons
made these $0.25 each

Red Baron pizza by the slice $2.50
used $2 smartsource printable to make it $.50

And I picked up two storage containers for taking lunches to work on clearance from $2.99 to $1.49.
There are similar ones on clearance at Rite Aid, but these were bigger. And when it comes to my salads, I need bigger containers. Yum

Nothing too exciting here, except for my really sweet tank top!!!!

My husband is back to work today!

It has officially been 12 weekks since my husband's back surgery. He was cleared to go back to work! He has a very labor-intensive job, so keep him in your prayers as he returns to his literally back-breaking work!!!!

I am truly going to miss him. We were having so much fun together. And I know he is going to be coming home exhausted.

Frugal Fun #9

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I love to play in the rain. It makes me feel like a child again... even though I 'm not that old yet. Here my daughter and I were playing in the pool while in the rain. It was so much fun.

In my Garden

Here are the latest pics from the garden. We continue to get great squash and cucumbers. The lettuce is still yummy too. Unfortunately our spinach has started to flower. So we pulled them and are trying to start more. I had no idea it would do this so fast, being the first time we tried planting it ourselves. We'll know more next time. I think we'll keep growing it inside during the colder months too.

I am excited about the many flowers on everythihg. We have flowers on our tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkins, watermelon, etc.

And the peppers are finally starting to take shape as well.

I am so excited to be getting real food from them now.

200 Pampers Gift to Grow Points

You'll have to hurry on this one. It expires at 2:59am eastern time.

TWITTERPARTYWTP

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Thanks to a great comment from the adventures of the domesticated mama, I was on the great search for more yummy zucchini recipes when I came across one from chickinthekitchen. I baked these muffins with things I already had in the house. And everyone agrees that they are delicious. You can find the recipe here. I had to use 3cups of all purpose flour because I didn't have any whole wheat flour. And they were still super yummy.

Here is the recipe from Dara's website:

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes’ Zucchini Muffins
Makes 14 muffins

3 c. grated zucchini (about 1 large)
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ c. all-purpose flour
1½ c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients up to the chocolate chips, and mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Lightly grease your cupcake liners with non-stick spray and fill to just below the top — you may need to pat the batter down as you fill the liners, as it is very thick.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes before removing muffins from their liners.

What's in my Mailbox

Here are some of the latest freebies that have shown up in my mailbox:

Chex Mix
Samy Conditioning from a text (467467)
Propel Water falvoring
Crystal Light from Vocal Point with great $2 off coupons
Some stickers that my daughter has already run off with
toilet paper sample from walmart.com

And my favorite came from family that is living in Hawaii for the next few years. They sent a little something for each of us. The matching shirts were just too cute.

Wegmans Deals 7/11-7/17

Here are some coupon deals I've found for Wegmans this week. Some of these items do require the Shoppers Club Card (SCC). Others are at their regular price. So you may want to wait and see if they go on sale before your coupon expires for an even cheaper price! I will keep updating as I find more. You can see some of last weeks deals that are still running here.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze $2.49
use $0.55 off *doubled* from Smartsource.com to make it $1.39

Summer's Eve Products (washes, cleansing cloths)
use $0.75 off *doubled* from smartsource.com

Cinnamon Toast Crunch $2
use $.55 from smartsource *doubled* to make $.90
use $.60 from coupons.com *doubled* to make $.80

Nature's Valley Sweet and Salty Granola Bars $2.79
use$.50 off *doubled* from smartsource to make it $1.79

Dentyne Gum $1.19
use $1 off from Sunday insert to make it $.19

Pampers Wipes $2.49
use $2 off from Sunday insert it make it $.49

Bagel Bites $2.19 fr 9ct box
use $1 off from Sunday insert to make it $1.19
(even better if you have Wegmans coupon from receipt to make it $.19)

Folgers $1.99 for 11.5oz SSC needed
use $1/2 to make them $1.49 each

Using coupons from Frenchs.com

French's Mustard 20oz $1.69 SSC needed
use $.50 *doubled* to make it $.69

HOney Mustard Dipping Sauce $1.99
use $.75 *doubled* to make it $.49

Worcestershire Sauce $1.59
use $.50 *doubled* to make it $.59

French Fried Onions $2.19 (smaller can)
use $.50 *doubled* to make it $1.19

Frugal Fun #8

Do you own a Chevy? Do you live near Hershey Park? They are having a Chevy owner appreciation day on several upcoming Saturdays and they are giving away free tickets into the park if you fill out the given form. To find out more you can go here. To fill out the form go here. This is a great offer if you can go with prices into the park at $30- $50 per person!!! What an awesome freebie!!!