Frugalicious Living

A Family Favorite: Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-11T11:18:00.001-05:00

"Healthy" Chocolate Chip Cookies

Weight Watchers Points Value: 2 pts. (per cookie)
Servings: 16

1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white
1 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. mini chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix sugars, margarine, vanilla and egg white. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by using a rounded teaspoon about two inches
apart on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Tip: To get soft-centered cookies, don't over-bake.

*I quadruple this recipe for my family. That way we have LOTS of cookies to stick in the freezer for easy snacks throughout the month.

Sneak Peak at Hy-Vee ad for 5/12/10

2010-05-11T11:01:00.000-05:00

A big thanks to Kiley for pointing out that the Jordan Creek Parkway Hy-Vee in West Des Moines puts out their ads from Tuesday to Tuesday. That means that if you go to the Hy-Vee website and choose that location, you can view the ads a day early! It seems like Wednesdays are a good shopping day for me so it is nice that I can look through the ad on Tuesdays and get my list ready to go. Here are some noteworthy deals that I see for this week:

Cottonelle, 12 double rolls, $5.00
-various MFC out there

Boneless, skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb.

Dubuque plumper franks, $.99

Betty Crocker brownie mix, $1.00
- there may be coupons out for this

Sunbelt granola bars - 3/$5

Sara Lee bread, rolls and buns, $1.88

Dole bagged lettuce, $.97

Bananas, $.44/lb.

Meal Plan Monday - 4/26/10

2010-04-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

Monday - Red beans and rice, green beans (in freezer)
Tuesday - Hamburgers, oven baked onion rings
Wednesday - Pasta Bake and bread (in freezer)
Thursday - Dinner at the McCarter's house :)
Friday - Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage
Saturday - Church night (sandwiches in the car)
Sunday - ? (I need to make next month's menu plan!)

Meal Plan Monday - 4/19/10

2010-04-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

Monday - Hamburgers, baked potato
Tuesday - Burritos, refried beans and rice (all three in freezer)
Wednesday - Steak, corn, cornbread muffins (muffins in freezer)
Thursday - Spinach salad and sandwich
Friday - PLC Volunteer Dinner (a night out for mom and dad - yay!)
Saturday - Sloppy Joes and baked zucchini fries (sloppy joe in freezer)
Sunday - Popcorn/leftovers

I'm wondering if anyone has some Weight Watcher-ish, freezer friendly meals that they'd like to share? I'm looking for something new for next month's freezer cooking day!

Meal Plan Monday - 4/12/10

2010-04-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

Monday - Broccoli and Beef stir-fry and brown rice (steak cooked, veg and rice in freezer)
Tuesday - Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, toast and jelly
Wednesday - Spinach and rice casserole and cooked carrots (in freezer)
Thursday - Sloppy Joes and oven-baked onion rings (sloppy joes in freezer)
Friday - Tuna Melts and green beans
Saturday - Chili and cornbread muffins (in freezer)
Sunday - Homemade pizza (in freezer)

OAMC for April is DONE!!!!

2010-04-08T22:04:00.000-05:00

I finally finished up my OAMC list this morning, thank goodness! I'm not sure that I could've handled standing on my feet much longer and I have some serious dish-pan hands that need some TLC right now. The kids helped me make a quadruple batch of blueberry pancakes (WW recipe) and I baked up the cookie dough that we mixed up yesterday afternoon. Just a side note here about the pancakes: I had some fat-free vanilla soy milk in my freezer that I used in this recipe and it was SO GOOD! It gave the pancakes such a yummy flavor and from now on, whenever I see this stuff on sale I'm gonna stock up for my baking projects! Yum!

Here are the kids enjoying the blueberry pancakes. The way they were putting them away I wasn't sure we'd have any left but thankfully after THREE, they decided their tummies were finally full!

Even Tade got to have a pancake this morning and boy, did he enjoy it! Just look at that smile!

We ended up with about four dozen cookies and enough blueberry pancakes to last us another two or three breakfasts for the kiddos. I am thankful to have a fully stocked freezer but I am even more thankful to be DONE! (Until May anyways when I'll tackle this seemingly impossible task yet again!)

OAMC: Day Two (and still not finished!) Results

2010-04-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

Holy smokes! After about 10 hours on my feet in the kitchen, I am ready to sit down and relax for a bit! Wow - next time I am wearing my Asics while I cook so these poor feet don't hurt so bad!

I started off around 9:00 this morning cooking up some sausage and hamburger for use in breakfast burritos and sloppy joes.

Then I got out my breakfast burrito ingredients and assembled 14 burritos with egg whites, sausage, onion, green peppers and cheese. Yummy!

Macy got home from preschool and wanted to help in the kitchen. Seriously...do you see that mess??? I think I did dishes almost as long as I cooked food!

Anyway, Macy helped me whip together our healthy chocolate chip cookie dough. We didn't get the cookies made yet, but the dough is ready and we plan to bake them tomorrow morning.

She is such a good little helper!

Along with cookies I also did up 3 batches of baked brown rice,

cooked up two boxes of whole wheat pasta for my Spinach pasta bakes,

and made another batch of crockpot refried beans. I let these cool and then put them in the food processor to make really yummy, really healthy and really cheap refried beans to use in burritos and as side dishes.

To finish off the day I made 30 bean, rice and cheese burritos and did a whole counter full of dirty dishes. All in all I'd say that today was a pretty big success. Tomorrow morning Macy is going to help me make two batches of blueberry pancakes and we'll bake our chocolate chip cookies. That will complete our April OAMC!! Yippee!! Check out my final results below:

30 - bean, rice and cheese burritos

14- egg and sausage breakfast burritos

3 - 1.5 lb. bags of sloppy joe meat

8 - 4 cup bags of brown rice

16- cups of refried beans

2 - Spinach pasta bakes

4- batches of "healthy" chocolate chip cookie dough

April OAMC - Day One

2010-04-07T14:13:00.000-05:00

So pleased with myself that I actually remembered to soak the beans before I went to bed Monday night, I woke up yesterday thinking that I had this whole OAMC thing in the bag. I quickly realized what I had forgotton to do:

1. Thaw out hamburger
2. Thaw out sausage
3. Thaw out steak
Off to a great start, huh? Oh - there's more.
4. Ran out of eggs
5. Forgot to buy blueberries
6. No cheese for burritos
7. Ran out of rice

It became quite apparent right off the get-go that I wasn't nearly as prepared as I had thought! I managed to push through and get some of my cooking done and then made a quick trip to town (right as the storm hit which produced golf-ball sized hail. Thank goodness for gas stations and over-hangs that saved my vehicle!) for the remaining ingredients. By the end of the day yesterday I was able to cook up two batches of rice,

a batch of crockpot refried beans

and I got my scrambled eggs whites with onion and green pepper ready to go for my breakfast burritos.

I have been working like crazy in the kitchen all morning to try and get my OAMC list finished by the end of the day today. As of right now, I still have to assemble my burritos, make two pasta bakes, grill up my steak, make a quadruple batch of chocolate chip cookies and a double batch of blueberry pancakes. YIKES!!! Check back later to see if I am able to pull it off!

April OAMC Master Plan

2010-04-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

FINALLY, I have my April OAMC Master Plan in place and ready to go! I just couldn't bear the idea of cooking up a whole bunch of food right before Easter and frankly, I just didn't feel like doing it today either. However, I have my beans pre-soaking and am ready to put on my apron first thing tomorrow morning. Now, due to the fact that my freezers are still VERY FULL, I am not going to be making nearly as much food this month as I did in March. I need to get these freezers emptied out in preparation for all of the produce we'll get from the garden this summer. Here is what is on my "to do" list for tomorrow:

Pasta Bake x 2

Bean and Rice Brown Bag Burritos x 30
(I follow this basic method, but just fill mine with refried beans, brown rice and cheese)

Breakfast Brown Bag Burritos x 10
(I'm gonna fill these with scrambled egg whites w/onions and peppers, sausage, and cheese. Hopefully these will be a quick and healthy breakfast item for my hubby to grab in the mornings.)

Sloppy Joes x 2

Blueberry pancakes x 3

Baked brown rice x 2

Crockpot Refried Beans x 1

Healthy chocolate chip cookies x 4

I will also grill up a package of sirloin, cut it up and freeze for use in salads and wraps

Wish me luck! (Or should I say wish me well-behaved children and a whole lot of patience?) Tune in tomorrow for pictures and progress reports!

Meal Plan Monday - 4/05/10

2010-04-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

Monday - Egg Salad Sandwiches, green beans
Tuesday - Hamburgers, oven fries
Wednesday - Burritos, refried beans, rice (in freezer)
Thursday - Steak salad (w/egg), sandwiches
Friday - Pasta bake, bread (carb-loading for my 1st 5K!) (in freezer)
Saturday - Steak, corn and potato packets (if I survive the 5K!)
Sunday - Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger pizza (dough in freezer)

Meal Plan Monday - 3/29/10

2010-03-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

Monday - Whole wheat waffles and scrambled eggs (in freezer)
Tuesday - Baked spaghetti and bread (in freezer)
Wednesday - Sloppy joe's and oven fries (in freezer)
Thursday - Vegetable soup, sandwiches
Friday - Easter dinner at Roberts'
Saturday - Church - sandwiches in car on the way home
Sunday - Easter dinner at Grandma Marks'

Another easy peasy week for me! I'm working on my April OAMC plan as we speak, so stay tuned to find out what I'll be cooking up next week!

GO UNI PANTHERS!

2010-03-26T10:09:00.001-05:00

I'm so sorry that I haven't had time to blog much the last two weeks - I promise that I will be blogging much more in the coming days! I have my April OAMC master plan to blog about, and I still need to get a picture up of my toilet paper stockpile! But for today, all I can think about is UNI Panther Basketball!!! As a UNI alum, I am proudly wearing my purple and gold today - even on my toes! Help us cheer on the Panthers tonight to earn a spot in the Elite Eight!! Gooooooooooooo PANTHERS!!!!

Panther Fight Song:

Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal,
Showing our strength and unity.
As we rise, we firmly stand behind you,
Urge you on to victory.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
As you lead us on to fame and honor,
Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry.
So, give us a yell, Ho! the purple and the gold,
Victory for UNI!

Meal Plan Monday - 3/22/10

2010-03-22T11:38:00.000-05:00

Monday - Hamburgers, oven fries, green beans
Tuesday - Nana Rosa's Pizza (with our TN cousins!)
Wednesday - Bible Study (Hubs and kiddos out to eat?)
Thursday - Rice, chicken and spinach casserole, peas/carrots (in freezer)
Friday - UNI Panther Tailgate with McCarters! Go Panthers!
Saturday - Church Night (sandwiches in car on the way home)
Sunday - Homemade pizza - (toppings and dough in freezer)

Have I got it made this week or what? We are going to be REALLY busy, but I'm not going to have to do much in terms of cooking, that's for sure!

Wise Words

2010-03-16T10:20:00.000-05:00

I found this quote on another blog today and think that I need to blow it up and place it in every room of my home so that I am constantly reminded that these days are going by too fast and that these little ones will soon be grown and gone and that maybe, just maybe it is okay that I can't see my living room floor and my hubby has no clean underwear and the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes. Some day I WILL miss this profoundly.

"Be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."
-Thomas S. Monson

Meal Plan Monday - 3/15/10

2010-03-15T12:03:00.000-05:00

Monday - Hamburgers, zucchini fries
Tuesday - Tuna melts, carrots/peas
Wednesday - Broccoli cheese soup, sandwiches
Thursday - Baked spaghetti, green beans (in freezer)
Friday - Stir-fry veggies, brown rice (in freezer)
Saturday - McCarter/Roberts Family Fun Night!
Sunday - Homemade Pizza (dough and toppings in freezer)

Hy-Vee: FREE upBeat Energy Drink!

2010-03-12T09:36:00.000-06:00

If you are a Hy-Vee shopper like me, you can print a coupon for a free Upbeat Energy Refresher Drink here.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

MckMama's Misson Trip: 397 Children Sponsored!!!

2010-03-10T16:10:00.001-06:00

I am so totally blown away by MckMama's blog, especially this week! She and her husband are in Nairobi, Kenya on a mission trip with Compassion. You can go here to see her amazing pictures, read about her heart-wrenching experiences and find out how you can sponsor one of the 554 children who still desperately needs help. Her blog readers alone have sponsored 397 children this week! If you're not able to contribute financially, you can PRAY for these children that they might receive sponsorship this week! God Bless!

Happy Hump Day - 3/10/10

2010-03-10T13:19:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking that the strawberries from Hy-vee sound delicious and that the cheap whole wheat bread from Fareway is a GREAT deal! Too bad I'm under a self-imposed "Eat From the Freezer" Challenge huh? Happy Shopping!

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
16 oz. strawberries - $1.38
Blue Bonnet margarine, $.49 with in-ad coupon
Creamette pasta - 10/$10
Pepsi 2 liter - 10/$10
Pillsbury cake mix - $.88
Jacks Pizza - 3/$7

Fareway - click here to view ad
Sara Lee whole wheat bread - $.99
-use $.55/1 printable = $.44! STOCK UP PRICE!!
cabbage - $.40/lb.
Starkist tuna - $.59
Blue Bunny ice cream - $1.99
Fastco 12 pk. pop - $1.88
Busch Lt., 18 pk. - $9.99
baby carrots, $.88
Russet potatoes, 15 lb. bag, $2.99
Fastco saltines, $.69
Hunts spaghetti sauce, $.88
Pepsi 2 liter - $1.00
Fresh boneless chicken breasts - $.99/lb STOCK UP PRICE!!

Aldi - click here to view ad

My $200 Freezers and $400 in FREE Groceries!

2010-03-08T21:48:00.000-06:00

You might remember the Hy-Vee freezer deal that I talked about on Thursday. You purchase a 5.0 cubic feet deep freeze and you get $200 in Hy-Vee coupons for free food. Well, we decided that it was just too good to pass up so we went to town on Thursday evening to pick up one of these little cuties. When we got home we quickly unplugged our old beast of a freezer...

and transferred all of our frozen beef to the new freezer. After looking through the coupons a time or two, we realized that this was a REALLY great deal and thought hmmmm....should we go and get another? Well, if you know us you know our motto, "Go big or go home!" Of course we were going to get a second freezer! The next night we packed up the kids once again, hit up the Hy-Vee bakery for our free kids cookies and headed to the check-out to purchase our second $200 deep freeze and collected our second envelope filled with $200 in coupons. See how cute they are?

Knowing that finding all of the items in the coupon book would take a really long time, we decided that we would leave the kids with grandma while we did our FREE-coupon grocery shopping Sunday after church. That was probably one of the better decisions that we've made. I'm pretty sure that it took nearly 2.5 hours to find our items and check out with all of our coupons. We then had to head to another Hy-Vee in town to pick up a few items that the first store was sold out of. After a surprise flat tire, a trip to Wal-Mart to get it repaired, a romantic dinner date at Subway (while we waited for the tire to be fixed), a stop to pick up the kids and lots and lots and lots of unloading, this is what we ended up with:

You might not be able to tell it from this little picture, but my kids were really excited about all of the free ice cream, ice cream treats, granola bars, pizzas and other fun foods that we brought home. There are lots of items here that I would not typically buy, but they are going to be a nice treat for our family on special occassions. (I won't lie: I'm really looking forward to some mozzerella sticks and chicken tenders!) Oh, and a side note: I got two free half gallons of soy milk and that stuff is really, really good! I let the kids try it and they were fighting over who got the last little drop! I've got a ton of stuff here and I fully intend to use up as much as I can in next month's OAMC plan. I'm going to have to get creative, but I'm already thinking about how I can incorporate some of the items into my recipes. For instance; I'm going to use the vanilla flavored soy milk in my pancake mix. I'll cook up the sausage and use it in some yummy breakfast burritos and as a topping for homemade pizza. I plan on using the frozen veggies in shepherd's pie and tuna noodle casseroles. We are going to need to eat up a lot of stuff in our freezers though if I plan on making any more OAMC freezer meals. I have one freezer FULL of the free Hy-Vee food:

I have another freezer FULL of beef (and a few random items):

And yet another freezer FULL of OAMC meals, frozen veggies and bread:

You probably won't be surprised to find out that I'm going to do an "Eat From the Freezer" challenge this month huh? I am pretty sure that this is a ridiculous amount of food and there should be little or no reason for me to have to purchase anything other than milk, eggs, and fresh produce over the next few weeks. I've declared a self-imposed decrease in my grocery/toiletries budget for the next few weeks. Instead of $100/week I'm going to stick to a $50/week budget. This week I've spent $10 so far (on pop of course!). We need milk, apples, oranges, bananas and salad dressing before the week is over and if that is all we purchase, we should be well under budget! Did anyone else pick up a freezer at Hy-Vee this week or have ridiculously full freezer pics to share (so that I don't feel like a crazy hoarder)?

Meal Plan Monday - 3/08/10

2010-03-08T08:38:00.001-06:00

Monday - Sweet and Sour Meatballs, brown rice (in freezer)
Tuesday - Nana Rosa's Pizza - Happy Birthday Grandma Judy!
Wednesday - Shepherd's Pie, garlic bread (in freezer)
Thursday - Rice, Chicken and Spinach Casserole, green beans (in freezer)
Friday - Sloppy Joe's, onion rings (in freezer)
Saturday - Chili, c orn bread muffins (in freezer)
Sunday - Homemade pizza (dough is in freezer)

Are you starting to see how that OAMC thing really pays off or what? All I have to do is remember to take my meals out of the freezer the night before we are going to use them! Now back to eating my bon bons.......

My Super Deals - Fareway, Hy-Vee and Walgreens

2010-03-06T15:35:00.001-06:00

I didn't buy all that much this week, but I did find a few REALLY GREAT deals! First stop: Fareway! This week Fareway has their Gold Medal flour on sale for $.99 with in-ad coupon. There is a $.75/1 printable coupon that you can pair up with the Fareway coupon making a 5 lb. bag of flour just $.24!!! STOCK UP TIME! They also have a really good Kelloggs sale going on right now and they have a $5/5 Kelloggs cereal coupon in their weekly ad. Rice Krispies, Corn Pops and Apple Jacks are all priced at $2. Paired with various manufacturer coupons that are out there, you could get cereal for $.50 a box or less! (There were previously some $1.50/2 printables out there and I also found $1/2 Rice Krispie blinkie coupons in the cereal aisle.) I had two $3/3 MFCs in my coupon binder so I was able to get 10 of my boxes for just $.10 a box! How cool is that?!?!

Oh - I almost forgot! If you printed off some of the $1/2 Bar S printables that were available a while back, this would be a great week to use them at Fareway! They have their Bar S hot dogs priced at just $.88 and paired with the $1/2 coupon, they end up being $.38 a package! I am COMPLETELY stocked up for the summer! (I have many, many more already in my freezer! We may be having a weenie-roast every night, paired with Rice Krispie treats of course!)

Next stop: Hy-Vee! Hy-Vee also had a Kelloggs deal this week with a $5/5 in-ad coupon and cereal sales. Macy LOVES Shredded Mini Wheats so I decided to stock up on a few boxes of these for her. I purchased 5 boxes at $2.48 each. I then used the $5/5 in-ad coupon, two $1.50/1 printables and one $1/1 MFC that I found in the cereal aisle. I got all five boxes for just $3.40. I also picked up a couple bags of lettuce for $.77 which is the sale price this week. My last great find: Kraft cheese on clearance for $.99 a bag! Upon looking through the cheese bin, I found three bags of pizzaria cheese marked down to just $.50 a bag! Luckily I had two $1/2 MFC in my binder and was able to get 4 bags of cheese for just $.50!!! I see homemade pizza in our near future! Mmmmmm.....

My final stop this week was Walgreens, where it was reported that the Pull-Ups Cool Alert were on clearance for just $3.19. Out of the four stores that I went to, I only found two packages of clearanced Pull-Ups. I bought the two Pull-Ups and one package of Huggies diapers. I used a $5/1 Huggies coupon, two $2/1 Pull-Ups coupons, a $3 Register Reward and paid $4.89 in cash. I then got back a $5 RR for purchasing three Huggies products! I love free diapers! I also bought two bottles of Purex, on sale this week for buy one at $5.99, get one Free. I used a B1G1 Free coupon to get two bottles of detergent for FREE!!! Yay!

I know that keeping a coupon binder organized and stocked up takes a LOT of work (and I curse it every week as I sit and clip and organize), but this week it paid off for me big time! I hope it inspires you to keep on with your couponing efforts as well!

Beautiful Blogger Award

2010-03-05T22:53:00.000-06:00

Thank you so very much to Shelley at Finding My Life in Faith for giving me this Beautiful Blogger Award!

* The rules for accepting this award:
1. Post a thank you, and link to the person that has given you the award.
2. Pass this award on to other Beautiful Bloggers whom you think are fantastic.
3. Contact said blogs to let them know they've won.
4. State seven things about yourself.

Seven things about me:

1. At one point in my life (early college days) I thought that I wanted to be a successful business woman and wasn't sure if I wanted to get married and have children - if I did, I was for sure waiting until I was forty!

2. At 31, I have been married for 6.5 years, have 4 children and am a stay-at-home mom.

3. My husband is absolutely the love of my life and the best father in the entire world!

4. As an avid couponer, gardener, and once a month cooker, I'm pretty sure that my wild and crazy younger self would kick my now conservative, frugal self's rear end!

5. My husband and I took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class last year and our lives have been forever changed. We have paid off over $20,000 in debt in 12 months and can't wait to scream "We're Debt Free!"

6. I have three sons and one daughter. As their mom, I of course think that they are the most perfect, beautiful, wonderful children on earth. (They REALLY are!)

7. I love living in a small town in Iowa. (Other than the weather - I'd take 70 degrees every day! Oh- and back to #4...I would have NEVER said this 10 years ago!)

Hy-Vee - Buy a Freezer for $199, Get $200 in FREE Food!

2010-03-05T10:01:00.000-06:00

That's right! If you are in the market for a new deep freeze, this might just be the deal for you! For the entire month of March, Hy-Vee has their annual Freezer Stock Up Sale going on. March 4-6, you can actually purchase a Haier 5 cu. ft. deep freezer for $199 and get a $15 Hy-Vee gift card and $200 in coupons for FREE food! There are some REALLY great coupons too that I can't wait to use! I was really excited that my cousin Kiley (who bought a freezer yesterday morning) contacted me right away to tell me about the awesome coupons that she got with this deal! We have two giant, totally energy-draining deep freezers in our basement right now, costing us between $30-40 a month to run for each one (that is around $800 per year!) This new, energy efficient freezer costs just $26 a year!!! The energy cost savings alone will more than pay for the cost of the freezer!!! I will also have a freezer full of yummy food to "shop" from for the next few months! In fact, I'm going to try and incorporate some of the foods into next month's meal plan and OAMC. The manager I talked to last night said that they sell out of these every year so if you are interested in getting one for yourself I wouldn't wait too long! Here are the coupons included with the purchase of this freezer (Thanks Kiley!):

Hy-Vee coupons-
$15 Hy-Vee Gift Card
Sunbelt family packs-limit 2 max val $3.32
Wonder classic or wheat bread free up to $2.99
Tombstone pizza free up to $3.66
DiGiorno or California pizza for one free up to $2.88
Post cereal free up to $2
Hefty one zip bags-limit 2 free up to $3
Michelina's lean gourmet frozen meal-limit 3 free up to $3.75
Breyes or Klondike ice cream free up to $3.50
Edy's ice cream free up to $3.50
Hy-vee ice cream pail free up to $4.99
kraft cool whip free up to $1.99
hungry man dinners free up to 2.50
welch's juice-limit 2 free up to 2.36
grand frozen veggies limit 2 free up to $3.32
hyvee frozen juice limit 3 free up to 2.97
kemps premium ice cream or yogurt free up to 3.48
snickers ice cream free up to $3
hyvee cheese sticks or jalapeno poppers free up to 2.50
bagel-fuls free up to 2.39
rich's sea pak shrimp free up to $5.99
hyvee bread dough limit 2 free up to 3.36
farm rich snacks free up to 5.99
birds eye veggies free up to 1.98
hyvee potato patties free up to $3
coffee mate creamer free up to 2.68
dannon activia free up to 1.99
snickers candy bar limit 3 free up to $2
nestle fun size candy bars free up to $3
handi-foil basics limit 3 free up to $3
3M sponge limit 2 free up to 3.38
land o'frost free up to 2.50
Di Lusso deli meat free up to $3
tyson tenders free up to $14.99
pepsi 2 liters limit 3 free up to 3.75
soup dujour free up to 4.99
hyvee veggie dip free up to 3.49
hormel fully cooked bacon free up to 2.99
tennessee pride sausage free up to $4
Tony's snacks or Larry's potatoes free up to 2.50
rostello sliced deli meat free up to 2.50

Manufacturer coupons
Jones sausage
Mr. Dell's frozen potatoes
Old orchard juice
$5 off fast fixin
Weight watchers frozen novelty b1go
blue bunny frozen yogurt granola novelty b1go
Johnsonville breakfast sasage
Healthy choice frozen meal
Spice island or tones spices
asian sensation product
Tony's pizza
Mrs. T's Pierogies
Klement's brats
8th ontinent soy milk
ziploc freezer bags
3 free redbox rentals

My March OAMC Recipes and Links

2010-03-03T21:59:00.011-06:00

By popular demand, I have gathered together a list of recipes that I used this week to make my OAMC meals. I have used lots of tried and true recipes that have been "lightened" up so that they fit into our Weight Watchers diet. For instance, in a lot of the recipes I cut the amount of cheese or ground beef in half, saving us lots of calories and WW points. I have plugged all of the meals into the WW recipe builder and have the points values listed in the recipes. These are certainly not fancy meals but they are definitely low on fat, calories, and sodium. I am blessed to have really non-picky-eating children so as long as they get an occasional "healthy" cookie, they are more than happy to eat things like beans and spinach and rice!

Spinach, Rice and Chicken Casserole - 3 points

Spaghetti Pie - 3 points

Corn Bread Muffins/Corn Dog Muffins - 3 points
You can go here to see tutorial on how to turn them into corn dog muffins. Also, if you use light hot dogs, the points value per muffin stays at just 3 points!

Zucchini Bread - 4 points

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies - 2 points

Crock Pot Low Fat Refried Pinto Beans - 2 points

Brown Bag Burritos - 3-4 points
(I followed this basic method for making and freezing burritos but used my own fillings. In half of them I used 1T. refried beans, 1T. cooked brown rice, 1 T. of ground beef and a sprinkle of cheese. These are 4 WW points. For the other half I just used 2T. refried beans, 2T. cooked brown rice and a sprinkle of cheese. These are 3 WW points.)

Money Saving Mom's Pizza Crust - 3 points

Money Saving Mom's Whole Wheat Waffles - 6 points

Baked Brown Rice - 2 points (per half cup serving)

Got a yummy, easy-to-freeze meal that you'd like to share? Please leave your recipe in the comments section!

Recipes - Test

2010-03-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

I am not sure how to go about posting my OAMC recipes. I'm not sure if I should just post them directly on my site or link them to a Google Document. You can go here to view them in Google Docs. I am just testing out a couple of recipes to see how this works. Please let me know if you have any trouble viewing them. Thanks!

Spinach, Rice and Chicken Casserole - 3 WW points

Spaghetti Pie - 3 WW points

Happy Hump Day - 3/03/10

2010-03-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

Wow! Looks like a pretty good shopping week to me! Though both stores seem to have good deals, I will have to say that if this were a competition, Fareway would be kicking Hy-Vee's tail end this week!

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
Applesauce, $.99
Kelloggs cereal, Buy 5, Get $5 off
Capri-Sun, $1.88
5lb potatoes, $.97
Hy-Vee ketchup, $.88

3-Day Sale: Thurs, Fri, Sat.
85% lean ground beef 16 oz., $1.88
Sunkist oranges 4lbs, $1.99
Hy-Vee chips, $.99
Hy-Vee salad bag, $.77
Purchase a Haier chest freezer for $199, get $200 in coupons!
(Thanks to my cousin Kiley for telling me about this deal! She asked a manager what would be in the coupon book and he said it would mostly be for items that are included in their frozen foods sales for March. I'll let you know as soon as I have more details on this one!)

Fareway - click here to view ad
Red or green grapes, $.99/lb.
Gold Medal Flour, 5lbs, $.99 with in-ad coupon
-use $.75/1 printable = $.24!! STOCK UP PRICE!!
Kelloggs cereal, 5/$10 (Corn pops, Apple Jacks and Rice Krispies)
-use $5/5 in-ad coupon = $1 each!!
-used various manufacturer coupons = even cheaper!! STOCK UP PRICE!!
Betty Crocker brownie mix, 5/$5
-use $.75/2 printable = $1.25 for two!
Betty Crocker pizza crust mix, 2/$.69
Fastco cheese puffs, $.99
Sunbelt granola bars, 3/$5
Bar S Hot Dogs $.88
-use $1/2 printable = $.38! STOCK UP PRICE!!
Fastco frozen veggies, $.88
Dole bag lettuce, $.99
Red delicious apples, $.69/lb.
All Detergent, $2.99
-use $1/1 MFC

Aldi - click here to view ad

My OAMC Master Plan is DONE!

2010-03-02T23:42:00.002-06:00

Whew! Finally I am done with my March OAMC. Or should I call it TAMC (Thrice a Month Cooking) as it took me three days to get everything accomplished? Regardless of how long it took me, how many hours I stood in the kitchen, how many dishes I scrubbed, how many spatulas I licked (kidding), how many cookies I taste-tested (four. no lie.), or how many baby puffs I had to feed to my seven month-old to keep him from crying so that I could do just "one more" batch of something - regardless of all of that, I am SO HAPPY with the results! I have SO MUCH food in the freezer. I am pretty sure that I can just hang out in front of the TV everyday eating bon bons because I don't have to cook supper for the next 29 days. Okay, so maybe I'll have to get up now and then to do a load of laundry or to change a diaper or vacuum or bathe the kids, but NO MAKING SUPPER for me! Yay! Check this out people! How cool is this?!?

Here is my final OAMC list for March:

10- Beef and bean burritos

10- Bean and rice burritos

2- Chicken, spinach and rice casserole

2- Spaghetti pie

2- Sloppy Joe meat

4- Brown Rice

10- Refried beans (2 C. portions)

24- Corn dog muffins

24- Corn muffins

3- Chickpeas (for salads and soups)

2- Whole wheat pizza dough

20- Whole wheat belgian waffles

24- White cupcakes

12- Zucchini muffins

2- Zucchini bread loaves

5- Dozen "healthy" chocolate chip cookies

What I learned:

1. Be PREPARED!!! I thought that I had everything ready to go before I started but ended up running out of tin foil and muffin liners. Not a big deal, but having to run to the store definitely slowed up the process a little bit. I also should have multi-tasked a little better. There were many times when I should have had the oven and stove-top going at the same time to get things done quicker.

2. Be PREPARED for the unexpected!!! When you have little ones at home, you can pretty much plan on something happening that will keep you from getting as much done as you had planned. For example; a fussy baby that just wants to be held. It is really hard to assemble burritos while holding a flailing child. Another example would be kids puking all over your house the night before you start your OAMC. (This one REALLY slows down the process!)

3. Be PREPARED to be really tired!!! I fell asleep on the couch at 8:00 last night and did not get up until almost 8:00 this morning. I know - I am a loser but that is just how tired I was.

4. Be PREPARED to feel like you really accomplished something big!!! I might be tired and my kitchen may be a little messy and my kids might have been a little neglected for a few days but I am really pleased at everything that I was able to get done! I know that for the next month I am going to have healthy, budget-friendly, and wholesome meals ready to serve to my family.

Check back tomorrow for recipes and Weight Watcher's points values for all of the meals that I prepared!

Yesterday's OAMC Results

2010-03-02T10:54:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought that yesterday was going to be a total bust (with the stomach flu hitting our house and all) but as it turns out, I was actually able to cross a lot of things off of my OAMC master plan. I am still cooking away today, but I think we are going to be able to get it all finished up by late this afternoon! Yay! Check out yesterday's cooking results:

I've got my batch of brown rice cooling and my whole wheat waffles cooking....

The yummy pinto beans are cooling while I cook up some whole wheat spaghetti for spaghetti pie......

I have the shredded zucchini thawing out on the counter while the waffles cool down on racks...

Ta Da! Two baked spaghetti pies!

Ta Da! Two Chicken, Rice and Spinach Casseroles!

Ta Da! This is what I was left with when all the cooking was done!

Here is what is on the agenda for today:

Cook one batch of pinto beans (in progress)

Puree beans from yesterday to make refried beans

Assemble bean, rice and cheese burritos

Throw together a double batch of chili (beans and hamburger are ready to go)

Cook up black beans and freeze

Cook up chickpeas and freeze

Cook up small red beans and freeze

Hey- it's a "beans and rice" kind of life in this house!

Make a double batch of whole wheat pizza dough and freeze

Make cookies

Make rhubarb shortcake muffins

Make double batch of zucchini bread

Okay, I'm starting to panic a little now. That list is a little bit bigger than I thought it was going to be. Time to get my rear end in gear and get BUSY! I'll post my final OAMC results tonight (if I don't fall asleep on the couch at 8:00 like I did last night. Oops.)

OAMC - Almost a Disaster!

2010-03-01T15:20:00.000-06:00

Wow. I had really expected to have a lot more done by 3:00 today. I had really intended to start cooking right away this morning and maybe even be working on cleaning up by now. I had really NOT planned on two of my kiddos getting up in the middle of the night with the stomach flu. UGH! After cleaning beds and sheets and doing laundry and bathing four kids, I was FINALLY able to start my master plan around 11:00 today. I realized that I had forgotten to soak the pinto beans overnight so I had to do a quick-soak method right away and get those cooking. Then, because I only have one large pan, I had to wait for the beans to finish cooking so that I could get the spaghetti cooking for spaghetti pie (remind me to pick up another one of these if ever I see a good sale would ya?). I made about 24 whole wheat belgian waffles, 2 spaghetti pies, 2 chicken, rice and spinach casseroles, a whole bunch of pinto beans (to be made into refried beans later) and 9 cups of cooked, brown rice. Okay, so I guess I did get quite a bit accomplished, huh? Check back later tonight for some pictures of everything that I made today!

I Just Couldn't Resist!

2010-02-28T23:40:00.000-06:00

Every time I look at these pictures I just can't help but crack up! I was getting ready to feed Tade some baby cereal one afternoon and got side-tracked with laundry or e-mail or dishes or whatever it might have been, and Tade was screaming his little head off. All of the sudden, I noticed that the crying had stopped and it was quiet. I turned around to find this:

Levi, obviously sporting a peanut butter and jelly mustache, had taken it upon himself to feed his little brother. Do you see that smile??? That is one proud, happy, mess-making little boy! This photo is for sure in my "favorites of all time" folder. You wanna' see another one that made it to that folder?

He might be a little messy, but I guarantee a little cereal in his hair (nose, ear, neck, etc.) wasn't bothering him. This kid likes his food and he doesn't care who is dishing it out or how close to his mouth they are/aren't getting! Do I have some precious boys or what?

March OAMC - Day One is a Success!!

2010-02-28T23:13:00.001-06:00

I really had no idea how I was going to get everything on my March OAMC list done in one day. In fact, I wasn't sure that I would get it done in one week! Thankfully, due to some pretty amazing planning on my part (pat, pat) and my wonderful husband's offer to take the non-nap-taking baby on a little road trip, Macy and I were able to get a TON of my list knocked off on Saturday afternoon.

We started off by making a nice big batch of Cornmeal Muffins.

Then we stuck some hot dogs in them and voila!: Corn Dog Muffins

While the muffins were cooking we browned some hamburger (my hubs did this when he got home with the finally-happy-after-taking-a-nap baby), cooked two batches of brown rice, mixed up three pounds of sloppy joe meat, cooked, cooled and chopped up 2 pounds of chicken breast and got everything ready for the freezer.

All told we spent about 3.5 hours in the kitchen but I really feel like we got a lot accomplished. I know that it is going to make for a much easier cooking day on Monday!

Our results:

24 Corn meal muffins (to go with chili)

24 Corn dog muffins (for kids' lunches)

18 cups cooked brown rice (to use as sides and for casseroles to be made on Monday)

2 pounds cooked, chopped chicken (to use in casseroles on Monday)

3 pounds sloppy joe meat (two meals worth)

4 pounds browned ground beef (for chili and baked spaghetti to be made on Monday)

Check in tomorrow to see how the rest of our March OAMC Master Plan goes!

Fareway - CHEAP lettuce, veggies and bread!

2010-02-28T22:57:00.000-06:00

What was I thinking?!? I totally almost forgot to post this picture! I was SO excited to see that Fareway has Sara Lee whole wheat bread on sale for just $.99 this week! I try to buy whole wheat bread as often as I can and stocked up BIG TIME when I found it for under a buck a loaf. I also had some coupons for the Green Giant veggies and fruit snacks that I was excited to use this week. My kids weren't over-the-top about the frozen peas, but you should have seen their eyes light up when they saw the fruit snacks! (These things are SO EXPENSIVE and we have not had them in the house since last summer!) Remember: Fareway deals are Wednesday to Tuesday, so you still have some time to get in on these sales!

12 - Sara Lee whole wheat bread - $.99

-used (2) $.55/1 MFC (from paper)

3- Dole lettuce, $.59

6- Green Giant steamers, $.99

-used (6) $.50/1 printables

5- Kelloggs fruit snacks, $1.67

-used $1/1 printable

1- 5lbs. potatoes, $.99

I got all of this for less than $20!!!!

My OAMC Master Plan for March

2010-02-26T23:11:00.001-06:00

I am SO excited for this month's once a month cooking event! I did this last month kind of on a whim, and I only made a few things, but we have REALLY been enjoying all of the ready-to-go meals from the freezer! In fact, tonight we had enchilada pie, brown rice and homemade refried beans, all from the freezer, and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! I have a much more extensive list of goodies to freeze this month and I can't wait to get started! When I am finished, I will end up with so many pre-made meals in the freezer that I'll only have to cook one or two nights a week for the entire month of March (and I have really easy dinners planned on those nights)! I have also noticed that while it takes a few extra groceries to do the OAMC, I haven't had to buy nearly as many things on my weekly shopping trips; basically just milk, eggs and fresh produce. I truly think that the OAMC will not only make for some easy meals, but it will help me lower my monthly grocery spending every month as well.

I strongly encourage you all to give this OAMC thing a shot. You don't have to try and tackle a ton the first time - maybe just make a couple of lasagnas and stick them in the freezer. You will be amazed at how rewarding it is to take that yummy meal out of the freezer on a busy day and have dinner already made and ready to go! I know that my kids appreciated all of the tasty waffles they got to have this month for "special suppers." (AKA mommy needed something quick and easy so I could get the kids to bed quickly and easily!)

Here is my OAMC Master Plan for March:

Corn Dog Muffins x 2
Quinoa & Red Bean Burritos x 2 (I still haven't actually found quinoa. Can anyone help me on this one?)
Rice, chicken and spinach casserole x 2
Baked spaghetti x 3
Sloppy Joe meat - 4 lbs.
Brown Rice x 4
Crock-pot Refried Beans x 2
Whole Wheat Waffles x 4
Cookies x 2
Rhubarb Shortcake Muffins x 2
Zucchini Bread x 2
Whole Wheat Pizza dough x 2

You can go here to see what Money Saving Mom is making this month. You can also go here to see how Money Saving Mom plans her once a month cooking and get free worksheets to help you get started!
Anyone going to join me on Monday? Please let us know in the comments section - I'd love to find out what you are all making!

Tuna: It's What's For Dinner

2010-02-24T23:16:00.000-06:00

I sure hope everybody in my family likes tuna becuase we're gonna be eating it for quite a while! I ran into CVS last night to check for any good deals or clearance items and didn't find much but I had a $4 ECB that had to be used up. Here is how I spent it:

10- Bumblebee tuna cans, $.49 each

-used (2) $1/5 MFC = $.29 each
2- Honey Nut Cheerios, $1.99
-used (2) $1/1 MFC = $.99 each
Total = $4.88
Paid with $4 ECB and $.88 cash. (I love free (or almost free) food. It is my favorite kind!)

Target Bulk Items on HUGE Clearance!

2010-02-24T23:03:00.000-06:00

So my love affair with Target is more of a love/hate kind of a thing. You see, I LOVE Target because they keep on having these AMAZING sales and deals and clearance items but I HATE Target because I am a deal-seeking, bargain-shopping, stock-piling kind of crazy woman and when I find premium toilet paper at just $.19 per double roll, I simply CANNOT pass it up! I had been doing really well the last couple of weeks sticking to my $100 grocery and toiletries budget. We even had friends over last weekend and I was able to buy some tasty adult beverages and lots of extra groceries for a big yummy dinner and I still stayed under budget. I was doing so good this week too.....spent maybe $16 total before I walked into Target. When I stumbled upon the warehouse/bulk clearance aisle it was all over for me and my budget. I actually had to take Tade out of his carseat (which was in the shopping cart) and carry him on my hip, and then fill his car seat, the rest of the cart, under the cart and then under Macy's feet (she was in one of those cool new 2-seater style of carts). I had almost 200 rolls of toilet paper jammed into my cart along with a HUGE box of baby wipes, and LOTS of other super-cheap stuff. I'd love to encourage you all to run out right now and get yourself to Target for some cheap goods too, but if you are in my town, you are OUT OF LUCK! The Cedar Falls and Waterloo Targets are out of everything other than some cereal and the Quaker oatmeal. (You wanna know how I know that right? Okay, okay, so I tried to go back today to get even MORE toilet paper! I swear I'm not crazy! I just love me some dirt-cheap tee pee!) Here is what I got and how much I saved buying it on clearance and with coupons:

1- box of 770 Pampers wipes WAS: $15.99 PAID: $8.48
5- kids gloves    WAS: $1.00    PAID: $.50
2- Quaker Oatmeal, 30pks      WAS: $6.99    PAID: $2.48 (used $1/1 MFC)
1-Softsoap refill, 2pk.              WAS: $6.99    PAID: $3.48
4- 3pk of gallon bags               WAS: $5.99    PAID: $2.48
5- 36 double rolls t.p.              WAS: $15.99 PAID: $6.98 (used $1/1 MFC)
1- Sharpie markers, 10ct.        WAS: $12.99 PAID: $2.94
1- packing tape, 4 rolls            WAS: $8.99    PAID: $4.18

Total amount before sales and coupons: $174.85
Total amount paid: $78.36
Total amount saved $96.49

Even though my stores are out of these items doesn't mean that every Target store is! If you find that your store still has some of these sale items left, please leave a comment and let us know where they can be found!

Happy Hump Day - 2/24/10

2010-02-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

It seems like a pretty good shopping week to me! I am looking forward to super cheap lettuce and the kids are going to think it is CHRISTMAS when they see fruit snacks again (it has been a LONG time)! If you see any other good deals while you are out and about shopping, please share with us!

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
Dole head lettuce, $.59 (GREAT price!)
Oscar Mayer hot dogs, 2/$1 (with instant coupon)
Hy-Vee microwave popcorn - $.68 w/ in-ad coupon (limit 1)
MCF frozen veggies - $.88

Fareway - click here to view ad
Sara Lee whole wheat bread - $.99 (GREAT price!)
Era detergent - $2.99
Fastco pop, 2 liter - $.48
Green Giant Steamers, $.99
- use $.50/1 printable = $.49 each
Dozen large eggs - $.99
Russet potatoes, 5lbs. - $.99
Fruit snacks - 3/$5
-used $1/1 printable = $.66 each!
Cheez It crackers- $1.67
-use $.75/1 printable = $.92 each!

Aldi - click here to view ad

Meal Plan Monday - 2/22/10

2010-02-22T08:30:00.001-06:00

Monday - Shepherd's pie (5 WW pts), freezer corn
Tuesday - Stir-fry veggies and brown rice
Wednesday - Chicken noodle soup and bread
Thursday - Sloppy joes, oven fried onion rings (2 WW pts)
Friday - Enchilada pie (already in freezer), spanish rice
Saturday - Tuna melts and green beans
Sunday - chili and cornbread

My First Attempt at OAMC - I LOVE IT!!!

2010-02-15T23:41:00.001-06:00

So I mentioned about a week ago that I was going to try my hand at OAMC (Once a Month Cooking). I have to tell you, it was quite a lot of work over a couple of days but SO WORTH IT!!!! I didn't make as much as I originally had wanted to becuase I didn't get around to doing it until the second week of February, but I ended up with lots of goodies to put in the freezer for some simple breakfasts, easy weeknight meals and yummy afternoon snacks for the kids. Here is what I made:

Shepherd's Pie - 2 meals
Whole Wheat Waffles - 5 meals
Brown Rice - 2 meals
Banana/Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - 4 batches
Apple/Cinnamon Mini Muffins - 3 batches
Homemade Refried Beans - 5 meals (These were REALLY yummy!)

Stay tuned for my OAMC plan for March! I have TONS of meals planned and can't wait to stock my freezer up again!

Meal Plan Monday - 2/15/10

2010-02-15T08:30:00.003-06:00

Monday - Baked steak, green beans
Tuesday - Broccoli cheese soup (2 WW pts), sandwiches
Wednesday - Pasta bake and garlic toast
Thursday - Roasted vegetables (0 WW pts!), black bean wraps
Friday - Hamburgers, oven fries
Saturday - Steak dinner with friends
Sunday - Homemade whole wheat pizza

WAGS - 15% OFF, Tomorrow Only!

2010-02-11T11:24:00.000-06:00

S-W-E-E-T!!! I just found out over at Hip 2 Save, that Walgreens has a special 15% off coupon out!!! The coupon is only good tomorrow, February 11th so hurry on over to your store to snag some super-dee-duper (yep, we watch lots of Barney here) deals! You can also go here to check out the deals that Hip 2 Save has put together for us! I see even more diapers in our future! Hooray!!!

In WAGS Heaven!!!

2010-02-11T11:07:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have heard me talking about my glucose monitors last week. I acquired 20 coupons (on eBay) for glucose monitors that were on sale last week at Walgreens. I was able to get them for FREE after coupon and got a $10 RR for each one that I purchased. In total I ended up with $260 in RR to start off this week's Walgreens shopping. I knew that a diaper sale was coming up, so that is why I got in on as many of the meter deals that I could. Walgreens has their Huggies, Pull-Ups and GoodNites on sale for $8.99 this week and you get a $3 RR for each pack. Paired with a $2.00/1 MFC, that makes these packs just $3.99 each! Yippee! I had to do over 40 transactions in two different days, but check out what I was able to accomplish!!!!

Trip One:

Total purchased: $131.14
Paid out of pocket: $27.89
Coupons and RR used: $103.25
Register Rewards left to spend: $66.00
(I basically MADE $38.11 for buying all of this!)

Trip Two:

Total purchased: $471.70
Coupons and RR used: $356.00
Paid out of pocket: $115.70
Register Rewards left to spend: $111.00
(I will go back this week and buy another 12 pkg. of diapers with the $111 in RR)

After factoring in the $64 I spent on meter and diaper coupons, and accounting for the $111 in RR that I still have to spend, I will have spent about $208 out of pocket. The diapers alone would have cost me over $500 at $8.99 a piece. Check out everything that I got!!!!

56 packs Huggies
1 Pull Ups
1 Good Nites
5 Kleenex
6 Pudding
4 Valentine cups
2 Valentine day cards
3 Paper towels
2 bags of candy
15 body wash
7 dozen eggs
6 Valentine candy for kids
3 Mike & Ikes
3 Valentine pencils
1 make-up bronzer

I know that I spent a little out of pocket for all of this, but I shouldn't have to buy any diapers now for five or six months (or body wash for like the rest of my life)! That will really help me keep my weekly budget down! THANK YOU Walgreens!!!

Hump Day Hot Deals - 2/10/10

2010-02-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

It looks like a rather slow week at the grocery stores. However, there are some great sales on bagged lettuce and some awesome produce prices at Aldi. Happy shopping everyone!

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
Dole bagged lettuce, $.99
Betty Crocker cake mix, $.79
Hy-Vee applesauce, $1.76
Hy-Vee butter, $1.77 (with in-ad coupon)
Hunts Ketchup, $.99
Corn King bacon (3-day sale Th-Sat.), $1.77

Fareway - click here to view ad
Fareway ice cream, $1.49
Dole bagged lettuce, $.79 (GREAT Price!)
broccoli, $.99
cauliflower, $1.49
yellow onions, (3lb. bag) $.99
Hunts ketchup, $.99

Aldi - click here to view ad
navel oranges, (4lb. bag), $1.39 (GREAT price!)
cantaloupe, $.99
Apples, (3lb. bag) $1.69
Pears, (4 pack), $.99
Bacon wrapped beef filet, $1.79
one dozen roses, $16.99

Meal Plan Monday (a day late!) - 2/8/10

2010-02-09T11:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I had a REALLY busy weekend and quite frankly, I just did not get much of anything accomplished yesterday and I'm okay with that. (After four long days of birthday party preparations I needed a little down time!) Seeing as how we are snowed in (AGAIN) I thought it would be a good idea to go through the pantry and come up with my meal plans for the rest of the month. Here is this week's plan of attack:

Monday- Veggie soup, grilled cheese
Tuesday - Scrambled eggs, whole wheat waffles (4 WW points each)
Wednesday - Enchilada pie (already in freezer - yay!), refried beans
Thursday - Stir-fry veggies and brown rice
Friday - Texas Chili (jar mix that we got at Christmas), cornbread
Saturday - Sloppy joes, oven-fried onion rings (our FAVE and only 2 WW points!)
Sunday - Black bean/green pepper/onion wraps, spanish rice

I'm also going to try and do some OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) today. Typically I'll try to do this the first week of every month but adding any more chaos to last week's schedule was out of the question! I'm sure all of you with little ones know that supper time is ALWAYS crazy! My kids are tired, I am tired, the baby is tired, I can't think of what to make, the kids all want something different (which I DO NOT do) and we are stuck running to the store for some last minute ingredients or putting a bowl full of sugary cereal in front of the kids and calling it good. In hopes that dinner time will run more smoothly, I plan on making and freezing lots of meals and snacks and at the beginning of each month. I can just pull them out as I need them and save myself lots of time and energy during the week. Today I plan on making:

whole wheat waffles- 4 batches
banana/choc. chip muffins - 2 batches
zucchini bread - 2 batches
brown rice - enough for 3 meals
shepherd's pie - 2 meals
cook and freeze black beans, garbanzo beans, red beans (for use in chili, wraps, etc.)

Wish me LUCK!!!!

Hump Day Again???

2010-02-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

Could it really be Hump Day again? Already? Where is the time going? What have I been doing? Well, I'll tell you one thing that I have NOT been doing:

Cooking. Notice anything funny about this picture?

Yeppers, just in time for Macy's birthday on Thursday, Macy's friends party on Friday and Macy's family birthday party on Saturday. Yep. Who needs an oven to bake a mini cake, 3 dozen cupcakes, and one Taylor Swift cake anyways? Do you REALLY have to make macaroni and cheese corn in the oven? I know that in the good ole' college days I was able to MASTER macaroni and cheese in the microwave, but I'm pretty sure that it was barely edible and and only really tasted good at two in the morning. Let's hope that our good friend Carl at the fix-it shop can fix it - and FAST!!!!

So, after the oven broke yesterday just as I was trying to bake cakes and cupcakes, this is what I looked like for a while.

Then we went to McDonalds with grandpa and got free bologna at Hy-Vee and got the kids put to bed and the basement cleaned and now I feel like we just might make it through this crisis. And when I say crisis, I am TOTALLY exaggerating! We could have easily had our house burn down yesterday or had to fork out $$$ for a new stove or had this all happen on Saturday with a house full of people ready to eat! When I think about it that way, yesterday was really a blessing. Kind of like the "big guy" up there knew just what he was doing! So, in honor of the lesson that we taught the 3 year-olds in church Saturday night, I pray: "Thank you God for my friend Carl, the fix-it man. Amen."

Week Three - Eat From the Pantry Results

2010-01-27T15:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry. Not going to happen. Let's just say I did REAL bad. On a happy note, I managed to add 108 rolls of toilet paper to my stockpile for this year. I think that puts me at just over 1/2 a year's supply. By the middle of February I hope to have 700 rolls stockpiled for the year and all for around $100. Can I do it???? I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! Oh, and I'm doing MUCH better at the Pantry Challenge this week and hope to post my final week's results at the end of the week!

Hump Day HOT Deals! - 1/27/10

2010-01-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
Ground beef, 16 oz. roll, $1.88
Hy-Vee canned tomatoes, 2/$.88
whole mushrooms, $.99
kiwi, 5/$1
Hy-Vee baking chips, $1.58
Can't believe Its Not Butter or Country Crock, 8-16 oz., 2/$3
-use $1/1 printable = $.50 each
Knorr sides, 5/$5
    -use $.50/2 MFC = $.83 ea.
Hy-Vee cream cheese, $.99

3 DAY SALE, 1/29-1/31
whole chicken, $.77/lb.
red grapes, $1.48/lb.
french loaf, $.99
M.C.F frozen veggies, $.77
Weight Watchers Smart Ones, 3/$5
     - use various coupons from inserts two weeks ago

Fareway - click here to view ad
Pillsbury cake mix, $.88
Totinos pizza, 5/$5
     -use $.50/3 MFC = $.83 ea.
grapes, $1.88/lb.
broccoli crowns, $.99/lb.
head lettuce, $.79
Russet potatoes, 10lb, $1.99
Knorr sides, 10/$10
    -use $.50/2 MFC = $.75 ea.
Nacho or corn chips, $.99
AE sour cream, $.79
Green Giant Steamers, $.99
    -use $.50/1 printable = $.49
Tombstone, 4/$10
Hellmans Mayo, $2.99
    -use $.75/1 printable = $2.24
Post cereals, 2/$4
    -use $2/1 printable = FREE!
Ziploc bags, $2.49
    -use $1.50/2 MFC = $1.74 ea.

Aldi - click here to view ad

Eat From the Pantry Challenge - Week Four

2010-01-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Meal Plan Monday - Week Four

Monday - Loaded Baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Vegtable Soup, sandwich
Wednesday - Hamburgers, oven fries
Thursday - Sauteed vegetable wraps, bean dip
Friday - Grilled Steak, roasted vegetables
Saturday - Broccoli cheese soup, sandwich
Sunday - Homemade pizza

Happy Birthday Hy-Vee - 12 hour Sale on Sunday!

2010-01-22T22:06:00.000-06:00

Hy-Vee rocks this month! They are celebrating their 80th Anniversary by treating us to some great deals! Last week they were almost giving away cheese and this week it is toilet paper and milk! Check out all of the great deals they will be offering up during their 12 hour sale on Sunday, January 24th, from 8 am to 8 pm:

Hy-Vee milk 1/2 gallon, $.88 (limit 2)
Country Pride boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2.5 lbs, $3.88
Tostitos chips, $1.88
-use $.55 off wyb chips and dip (1/17 SS)
Tony's pizza, $.88
Cottonelle 12 double rolls, $4.88 (stock up, stock up, STOCK UP!)
-use $1/1 MFC or $.50/1 printable
Skippy peanut butter, $.98 (limit 2)

Go here to view the full ad on Sunday at 8 am and please let me know if you find any other coupon match-ups for these deals!

I HEART WAGS!!!

2010-01-20T12:08:00.000-06:00

Wow. Check out all of the great stuff that I found at Walgreens on Sunday! You'll never guess how much (I should say how little) I spent!

2- Gilette shampoo, clearanced at $1.59
-used (2) $1/1 MFC = $.59 each!
8- BonneBelle Lip Smacker Combo packs - clearanced at $1.59
-regular price of these was $5.99 at WAGS and $4.99 at Walmart!
6- BonneBelle Lip Smackers - clearanced at $1.09
-regular price of these was $2.99!
3- Lip Smackers, clearanced at $.65
-regular price was $1.99!
(I will use all of these for stocking stuffers, birthday gifts, and as party favors for Macy's upcoming birthday)
4- Lindsay olives, $.99 with in-ad coupon
-used $1/2 printable = $.49 each
Aveeno body wash, clearanced at $2.00
-used $2/1 printable = FREE
2- Bayer Meters, $14.99
-used (2)14.99 MFC = FREE + RR's
3- Cover Girl Powder, clearanced at $1.59
-regular price was $5.99
-I had $1/1 MFC's at home - that would have made these $.59 each - Darn!!
2- Quaker snacks, $.99 (these did not make the pic, but were really yummy on the ride home!)
-used (1) $.75/MFC

Total Paid = $3.39 o.o.p., $18.50 RR (Yeah, I'm cool like that!)

Huggies Coupons and Upcoming Deals

2010-01-20T11:33:00.000-06:00

If you are like me and go through a LOT of diapers and pull-ups, then you are going to be happy to hear about this! Next week, 1/24-1/30, Walgreens is going to be having a sale on Huggies products: Get $5 RR when you buy $25 in Huggies products. Diapers and Pull-Ups will be priced at $8.99 and there are LOTS of Huggies coupons out right now. Just go here to get them before they are gone! It also looks like CVS will be having a Huggies sale starting 1/31: Get $5 ECB wyb $20 in Huggies products. If you prefer Pampers, don't worry - the week of 1/31 to 2/06, Walgreens will have Pampers on sale: $2 RR wyb 2 Pampers, 2/$20. There were also some $2/1 Pampers coupons in the paper a couple of weeks ago to pair with this sale.

Deal Scenario for Walgreens next week:

Buy 3 Huggies Snug and Dry, $8.99 = $26.97
-use (3) $2/1 printable = -$6.00
Pay $20.97, Get $5 RR back
That is like paying $5.32 per pack! At that price, I'm gonna stock up!

Hump Day HOT Deals! - 1/20/10

2010-01-20T10:34:00.000-06:00

Hooray for Hump Day! Boo for ice storms! Good thing I went to town to stock up last night as it appears that we will be iced in for a couple of days. Hy-Vee and Fareway both have a few good deals this week, but check back tomorrow for a list of Hy-Vee's Super Sunday Sale items!! That's right, this week Hy-Vee is going to have a special 12 hour sale on Sunday and there are going to be some great deals to be had!

Hy-Vee - click here for weekly ad
Kleenex, 200ct. - $.99
-use $.50/1 MFC
-use $.50/3 MFC
Oranges - $.48/lb.
Grape Jelly - $.88
-with in-ad coupon
Hy-Vee apple juice - $.99
-with in-ad coupon
Pepsi 2 liter - 10 for $10
Hy-Vee flour - $1.28
Lays chips - 2/$5
Hy-vee margarine - $.55
H-Vee russet potatoes, 10 lb. - $1.88

Fareway - click here to view ad
Betty Crocker cake mix - $.89
Fastco cheetos - $.99
Gold Medal flour - $1.49
LOTS of meats deals! - various prices
broccoli - $.99/head
Dole lettuce bag - $.99
Del Monte ketchup, 24 oz. -$.99
Cheerios - $1.98
-use $1/1 printable
Lays chips - 2/$5
Pepsi 24 pk. - $5.88
Velveeta box - $3.99
Kool-aid Jammers - $1.89

Aldi - click here to view ad

Eat From the Pantry Challenge - Week Three

2010-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

Meal Plan Monday - Week Three

Monday - Turkey sausage and roasted vegetables
Tuesday - Scrambled eggs and whole wheat waffles
Wednesday - Baked steak, baked potato, green beans
Thursday - Texas chili, bread
Friday - Sloppy Joe's and oven-fried onion rings
Saturday - Dinner at my sister's house
Sunday - Grilled chicken breasts, broccoli and corn bread

Week Two Results - Eat From the Pantry Challenge

2010-01-17T09:00:00.001-06:00

I don't know why, but I am HORRIBLE at this challenge. I think if I had a real, tangible person that I was competing against, I'd be a RockStar Eat From the Pantry Challenger but for whatever reason, I went WAY over this week. Part of it was the pop that I stocked up on, part of it was the stupid Reinbeck garbage bags that I had to buy this week for $7.50, and part of it was that I once again cannot pass up great deals. Bread was on sale at Fareway for $.99 so I HAD to stock up and we eat LOTS of fresh fruit and veggies and it is simply more expensive to buy those items. I have decided to share with you my embarrasing way-over-the-budget weekly totals anyway. I'm no quitter so I'm going to keep going with challenge and hope to do better next week. How did you do this week?

Walmart - $17.98
Aldi- $23.64
Fareway - $17.64
Target - $11.52
Trunck's - $9.75

Week Two Total = $80.53 (Wow....$50.53 over budget!)

Cool contest I found to win free groceries for a year

2010-01-16T23:33:00.001-06:00

Hey, I just entered this contest on Cozi.com to win free groceries for a year. All you have to do is put in your email address.

Even if you don’t enter, please click the link to help me win. (I get an extra entry for telling you.) Thanks!

View >>

Target - 75% off Toys, Shoes and Housewares!

2010-01-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually did NOT make it to the Hy-Vee Red Hot sale today. You wanna know why? Because I pretty much spent ALL of my money yesterday on the A-W-E-S-O-M-E deals that I found at Target! I had originally headed to the store to look through the clearance toys, but found myself in the shoe department first. They had LOTS of kids shoes on sale for 75% off, making most of them just $3 or $4 a pair! I picked up four pairs of super cute shoes for Macy and my total was just $14.96! I spent that much on just ONE pair for her before Christmas! I also found several more toys in the clearance section that I put away for future birthday and Christmas gifts. I even managed to find a few really great grocery deals to finish up my trip and although I didn't buy anything in housewares, there were a TON of great sales there as well! Check out my pictures and totals below to see how well I did!

Groceries:
2- 18ct. eggs, $1.49 ea.
3- Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt, $1.50
-used (3) $1/1 MFC
3- Green Giant Broccoli, $1.79
-used (3) $1/1 Target coupon (expired 1/16/10)
3- Green Giant Cauliflower $1.79
-used (3) $1/1 Target coupon (expired 1/16/10)
10- Vanilla almond bark, clearance at $1.04 (mmmmm....chocolate covered pretzels!)
2- Chocolate almond bark, clearance at $1.04
2- Red hots, clearance at $1.48
4- Weight watchers meals, $2.54
6- Weight watchers meals, $1.89
-used (2) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (1) $4/1 MFC
-used (3) Buy 3 meals, get 1 free Flatbread MFC
-Total for 10 meals = $4.80!
5- Weight watchers yogurt, clearance at $.38 each

Total = $31.42
Total saved = $25.70

Shoes:
1- black sparkly flats Was: $14.99   Paid: $3.74
1- silver flats             Was: $14.99 Paid: $3.74
1- brown wedge       Was: $16.99   Paid: $4.24
1- black/pink flats      Was: $12.99   Paid: $3.24

Total= $14.96
Total saved = $45.00

Toys:
2- Hannah Montana Dolls Was: $19.92   Paid:$4.98 x 2 = $9.96
1- Hannah Montana Doll   Was:$17.92    Paid: $4.48
2- Black & Decker Tools Was: $10.00   Paid: $2.50x 2 = $5.00
2- Disney Cars 2 pack      Was: $6.96     Paid: $1.74x 2 = $3.48
1- Sesame Street remote Was: $11.88 Paid: $2.97
1- Spike Red Dinosaur    Was: $129.99 Paid: $32.48
1- Smart Cycle Express     Was: $99.99   Paid: $24.98
1- Polar Express Train       Was: $59.96   Paid: $14.99

Total = $98.34
Total saved = $295.16

Target Grand Total Spent = $144.72
Target Grand Total Saved = $365.86!!!

Target Toy Clearance - 75% off

2010-01-15T16:00:00.001-06:00

WOW! Check out what my good friend C was able to grab in the toy section last night at Target! There are apparently LOTS of things marked down 75% off. If you are in the market for some inexpensive toys, head on over fast as I'm sure they won't last long! (I'm so excited about the things she picked up for me! My boys are going to love them! Thanks C!)

Polly Pocket Designables

(2) Courtyard bedroom Was $33.99 marked down to $8.48. Saved $25.51 each = $51.02 savings

Polly Designables with pets

Was $32.99 marked down to $8.24. Saved $24.75

Barbie and the Three Muskateers Fashion Accessory Set

Was $7.99 marked down to $1.98. Saved $6.01

Disney Princess Ultimate Art Activity Set

Was $11.99 marked down to $2.98. Saved $9.01

My Little Baby Born (can put her in the bathtub!)

Was $14.99 marked down to $3.74. Saved $11.25

Moon Sand Royal Castle

Was $14.99 marked down to $3.74. Saved $11.25

Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (she can fly!)

Was $24.99 marked down to $6.24. Saved $18.75

Red Sweaters

(2) Were $12.99 marked down to $6.48. Saved $6.51 each = $13.02 savings

OshKosh Genuine Kids Vest

Was $12.99 marked down to $3.24. Saved $9.75

Fisher-Price Smart Cycle Extreme

Was $99.99 marked down to $24.98. Saved $75.01

Spike Red the Ultimate Dinosaur

Was $129.99 marked down to $32.48. Saved $97.51

Total saved $327.33

Hy-Vee RED HOT Deals, 1/16 - 1/17

2010-01-14T18:35:00.000-06:00

Holy RED HOT cheese deal! I almost can't even believe it! Hy-Vee has some SUPER AWESOME deals going on this weekend and as you can probably tell, I think I'll be making a trip to stock up on cheese! (Once again, I S-U-C-K at the Eat From the Pantry Challenge. Sorry folks - I am not passing up $.20 cheese!) Here are the deals listed below:

Bananas, $.29/lb.
Kraft cheese, 5/$6 and get a $5 coupon to use on your next trip
Frosted flakes, $.99 (limit 2)
ground beef, $4.95/5 lb roll (limit 2)
Pepsi 2 liter, $.77 (limit 10)
Jacks pizza, $1.98
Hy-Vee 1/2 gal. orange juice, $.99

Happy Shopping!

Week One Results - Eat From the Pantry Challenge

2010-01-14T16:30:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know that this is a little behind (like a full week - oops!), but I thought I would let you all know how I am doing with the Eat From the Pantry Challenge. It appears that I have a real problem with resisting the urge to pick up great deals that will add to my pantry stockpile. I've only been doing this couponing/stockpiling thing since last April and already I am such a changed person. Deal-seeking is in my blood, people! It is just so hard for me to pass by a great deal, which I know my family will use, and I know I have coupons for, especially when it is almost free or free. I can no longer bare to pay full price for anything (exception: Diet Pepsi)! That said, you'll notice that I went slightly over my $30/week budget.

Aldi = $32.58
Trunck's = $12.00 (Darn you, caffeine!)
Total = $44.58

I may have gone $14.58 over budget but I am pretty okay with that. I mean really, I spent under $45 for the WEEK for a family of six. That is pretty awesome considering that last year at this time I was spending $200-$250 every week. That is a potential savings of $600 a month! If you are doing an Eat From the Pantry Challenge this month as well, I'd love to hear about it in my comments section!

FREE Pizza - My Favorite!

2010-01-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

It has been reported that some Fareways may have the DiGiorno 200 calorie portion pizzas on sale for just $.99! There were some $1/1 MFC out a while ago or you can go here for $1.25/1. (You will have to register and then there will be an "offer" (coupon) waiting for you.) Your cashier will most likely just have to adjust the coupon down to $.99 for this to work. There is nothing as tasty and delicious as a FREE pizza! If you find some of these at your store, please comment back so we know where to go!

HY-Vee RED HOT Weekend Deals, 1/16 - 1/17

2010-01-13T16:00:00.005-06:00

Yay! More HOT Deals! I can't wait to find out what they are and I can't wait to check out the coupon book that they are going to be handing out!!! This is straight from the Hy-Vee website:

These deals are so hot that we have to keep them a secret until Thursday at 5 p.m. So check back then to view the Red Hot Weekend ad. Information will also be available on Facebook, Twitter, and your local T.V. and radio programming.
Some of the deals include: Dole Bananas, Pepsi Products, Kraft Shredded Cheese, Hy-Vee Orange Juice, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Jacks Pizza, Fresh Ground Beef and Kitchen Fresh Tenderloin Sandwiches.
A Special Bonus For You
For all our loyal customers who take advantage of the Red Hot Weekend, we’ll be handing out customer appreciation coupon books. These coupon books are filled with red hot savings good all next week.

Red Hot Weekend deals and customer appreciation coupons? It’s Christmas in January!

Hump Day HOT Deals! - 1/13/10

2010-01-13T15:03:00.000-06:00

I know that most of my loyal readers (my husband, cousin, aunt and BFF) are already aware of, and slightly addicted to, some of the best deal-seeking, coupon-linking, clearance-finding, and money-saving blogs that are out there. (Check my blog list for the links if you have not already done so.) That being said, I think I'll leave that to the real pros and focus my time and energy on the local stores that are not usually mentioned in those other blogs. For instance, I know that all of you (C and Aunt T) get all excited and giddy when Fareway comes out with their new weekly ad every Wednesday. They have some super weekly sales and what is even better is that Hy-Vee, who also comes out with their "HOT Deals" every Wednesday, will price match Fareway and vice versa. I just found out that Aldi will be running their ads Wednesday to Tuesday as well, so we now have a third store to throw in the mix! Although Aldi does not accept any coupons, I have found the BEST and CHEAPEST produce there almost every week. You can typically buy most in-season fruits and veggies there for quite a bit less than what the other grocery stores charge. Other notably cheaper items include shredded cheese, eggs, milk (usually under $2.00/gal.), salsa, chips, and canned goods. In my humble opinion, this store has really turned it up a notch in the last year or two and is really competing with the other grocery stores to offer some great deals and some great products. Heck, I even did a little Christmas shopping there this year for my kiddos! Anyway, I am going to do my best to bring you this new weekly post, "Hump Day HOT Deals!" every Wednesday, featuring all of the best deals from Fareway, Hy-Vee and Aldi. If you find any deals that I've missed, PLEASE add them below in the comments section!

Fareway - go here to view full ad
Special K cereal, $2.49
Special K bars, $1.99
-Buy 4 Special K, get one free in-ad coupon
-$1/2 Special K bars, 1/03/10 RP
-$1/2 Special K crackers, 1/03/10 RP
Tostitos, 2/$5
Birds eye frozen veg., $.99
Fastco shredded cheese, 8oz., $.99
Quaker products, 2/$5 or 2/$4
-$3.00 off wyb 5 Quaker products, in-ad coupon
Fastco ice cream, $1.99
Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, $1.79/lb (GREAT price!)
Broccoli, $1.28/head
Lettuce, $.88/head
Onions, $.29/lb.

Hy-Vee - go here to view full ad

Potatoes, 5lb bag, $.79 (GREAT price)
Dole lettuce head, $.88
Onions, 3lbs., $.99 (with in-ad coupon)
Hy-Vee large eggs, dozen, $.99 (with in-ad coupon)
Hy-Vee garden salad, 16oz, $.88
Hy-Vee sandwich bread, $.88
Hy-Vee diced tomatoes, $.39
Mrs. Grimes chili beans, $.59
Hy-Vee ketchup, $.88
Bar-S franks, bologna, salami, 10/$10
Pampers Diapers, box, $17.99
-$2/1 MFC (from Sun. inserts a week or two ago)

Aldi - (Coming SOON!)

Making Myself More Accountable in 2010

2010-01-11T21:45:00.000-06:00

I came across this great tool on The Coupon Project. I am going to use this Savings Tracker for the entire year and see how well I do with coupons, sales, rebates and saving money! For all of you who already have a budget in place or for those of you who are thinking about getting started on your journey to save money, this would be a great tool to have at your disposal!

Toilet paper challenge: UPDATE

2010-01-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

Rolls of toilet paper needed for one year stockpile: 700

Rolls of toilet paper acquired in week one: 128

Rolls of toilet paper needed to reach goal: 572

Percent of toilet paper goal completed: 18.2%

Sweet Sunday Scores!

2010-01-11T08:30:00.001-06:00

Another trip to town and another 60 rolls of toilet paper to add to the stockpile! Yippee! I am getting excited thinking that I really may be able to stockpile a year's worth of toilet paper over the next six weeks! Not only did we get lots of great stuff today but I was also able to "roll" the deals to spend very little out of pocket and I managed to come home with quite a few ECBs and RRs again today as well. That way, when I make another trip later this week, I will be able to keep my OOP (out of pocket) very low again. We were in a hurry and forgot to take pictures when we got home today but you can check out my before and after coupon totals below.

CVS Total before coupons: $97.31
Total out of pocket after coupons: $11.41
ECBs remaining: $11.00

(3) 20 double rolls Cottonelle
(6) Natures Bounty multi-vitamins
(2) Soy Joy bars boxes
(3) Sweetheart candies (for kiddos)
(1) Little Debbie valentine cake-thingies (for kiddos - I'm such a nice mom!)

Walgreens Total before coupons: $24.51
Total out of pocket after coupons: $10.11
Register Rewards remaining: $12.50 (Notice that this is $2.39 money maker today!)

(5) Thermacare heat wraps ($1 money maker on each one)
(4) Kleenex (I got these for $.04 each!!!)
(1) Aveeno body wash (FREE after coupon)
(2) John Frieda hair spray (FREE after coupon)
(4) Christmas wrapping paper (clearance for $.25 each)

Eat From the Pantry Challenge - Week Two

2010-01-11T07:30:00.000-06:00

Meal Plan Monday - Week Two

Monday - Vegetable Soup, sandwich/wrap
Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles, green beans
Wednesday - Grilled chicken salad, leftover vegetable soup
Thursday - Hamburgers, zucchini fries
Friday - Whole wheat spaghetti pie, broccoli
Saturday - Cheesy potato soup, sandwich/wrap
Sunday - Roast, carrots, potatoes

*Click on the above links for Weight Watchers-friendly recipes and points values*

SUPER Saturday Savings!!!

2010-01-10T20:50:00.000-06:00

Macy and I headed out early Saturday morning to get started on our $100 toilet paper and diaper challenge. Thank goodness that daddy kept the baby because it was -17 degrees when we left home! Despite the miserably cold temperature, we made several stops and used TONS of coupons, Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks, and we did A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!

CVS Total before coupons: $116.83

Out of Pocket after coupons/ECBs: $19.99

ECBs left over: $10 ECB

Walgreens Total before coupons: $55.25

Out of Pocket after coupons/RRs: $7.00

Great Deals at Fareway:

10 oranges for $2.00

$.99 cottage bread

$.99 Marcal t.p. (used $1/1 MFC=FREE!)

Great Deals at Target:

12pk. Pepsi, $3.00 (used $1/1 Target coupon)

Yet Another Challenge

2010-01-07T14:30:00.001-06:00

Okay, so call me crazy, but I am going to give myself yet another challenge for this month. Michelle over at Money Saving Madness claims that she can get a year's worth of toilet paper stockpiled for her family for next to nothing. You can check out her post here. Toilet paper is one of our biggest expenses and something that is very hard to get a good deal on. I would be thrilled if we could get a good stockpile going and not have to break the budget by doing so. This month we are blessed to have a little extra money in the budget and I am going to put it to good use. Last week alone I spent $50 on diapers (which will only last two weeks) and $14 on toilet paper. Yikes! That is $64 dollars out of a $110 weekly budget and I of course still had to buy things like milk, eggs, bread and other necessitites. That being said, I am going to take on Michelle's challenge, watch her blog for deal scenarios, and see how far I can stretch $100. Granted, I will have to spend a little money initially to get going (I have no ECB's to start off with). My goal is to get a major stockpile of both toilet paper and diapers going. The last time I did a challenge like this I took $100 and bought Walgreens diapers during a major sale. Those diapers lasted me six months, diapering two kiddos! It was so nice during that time not to have to worry about finding money in the budget for diapers. I'm going to try and start my stockpile this week by using Michelle's deal scenario posted here. Anyone wanna join me on this challenge? C'mon - you all are going to be jealous when you see my free t.p.!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge: UPDATE

2010-01-06T15:11:00.000-06:00

As you all know, as part of my Eat From the Pantry Challenge this month, I am giving myself only $30 to spend each week on fresh produce, milk, etc. It appears that this may be really hard to accomplish. You see, I have an addiction to Diet Pepsi and unfortunately, I have yet to be able to find coupons that make it free. That's right, I broke down today and bought myself a big old cube of caffeine. Our groceries on Sunday cost $32 and I spent $12 at the local store today. Thankfully, there is a blizzard on the way, so I will be stranded at home for the next several days and unable to make it to the store to blow my budget again. In all honesty, my typical budget for groceries for a week is $110 so I am still WAY below that. Budgeting and saving money is not always easy and it is not always realistic. If you read any of Dave Ramsey's books, he will tell you that too. Each month is different from the next and it may take a few months to really get a budget figured out. I may have gone over this week, but I am pretty darned proud of ourselves for the changes we have made and the goals that we have set for ourselves. Oh, and in case you were wondering, this $12 pop is G-O-O-D!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge - Week One

2010-01-05T15:41:00.001-06:00

So it is official. We have started our Eat From the Pantry Challenge! I am super excited to see if we can really make this work for the next four weeks, and a little bit nervous at the same time. I have a well stocked pantry to "shop" from and a freezer full of beef, but you all must remember that I have two kiddos in diapers and two in pull-ups. (While we are on the subject, does anyone have any ideas to help keep your kids from wetting at night?) Anyway, our challenge does become a little bit more complex because Michael and I are following the Weight Watchers program right now. That means lots of healthy fruits and vegetables which we all know are much more costly than canned goods and junky snacks.

In order to make this work for our family, I will budget $30 each week for the next four weeks for milk, produce, eggs, etc. The rest of our meal ingredients will come from our existing stockpile. We have come up with a meal plan for the entire month of January based on what we already have on hand. These meals may be altered based on what sale items I can find each week. I will share with you our menus and our successes each week. By spending only $30 each week for the next four weeks, we will be saving more than $300 for the month! I encourage you all to give it a try - even just for a week!

Meal Plan Monday - Week One
(Okay, so it is Tuesday. Next week I will be more timely. Promise.)

Monday - Mini Meatloaves, Green beans, Corn
Tuesday - Broccoli/Cheese soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
Wednesday - Whole wheat pasta and sauce
Thursday - Sloppy Joe's and oven-fried onion rings
Friday - Chili and cornbread
Saturday - Vegetable stir-fry and brown rice
Sunday - Pot roast, carrots and potatoes

Breakfasts and lunches will consist of cereal, fruits, sandwiches, mac n cheese and leftovers.

Anyone want to comment on their own Eat From the Pantry Challenge?

I'M BACK!!!!!

2010-01-04T22:24:00.006-06:00

Okay, so my New Years resolution involves getting back to my blog and back to my frugalicious shopping habits. Apparently, since the birth of my fourth child, I have been able to get nothing accomplished ever, including blogging, shopping, couponing, cleaning, laundry, organizing, brushing my teeth, etc. Now that baby is 5 months old and sleeping through the night, I plan on getting back to business and back in the money-saving game. One of my favorite blogs, Money Saving Mom, has challenged her readers to an "Eat from the Pantry Month." She has done this before for a week or even two at a time, but never for a month. Seeing as how we spent a little extra money just before Christmas and haven't been real great at sticking to our frugal budget, I decided that I was going to join her in this challenge. For the next month, I am going to budget only $30 a week for my family of six for groceries, toiletries and diapers. We have LOTS of beef in the freezer and are stocked up on diapers and wipes for a few weeks, so that will help tremendously. In order for this to work, I went through my pantry and came up with a meal plan for the entire month of January. We will buy mainly produce, milk and eggs for the next four weeks, allowing us to save $330 by the end of the month!

I have also been very motivated by fellow bloggers and their personal financial goals. For instance, Money Saving Mom and her husband have saved up for the past seven years and are going to pay for their first home with cash! Can you imagine?!?!?! I'm not going to get quite that crazy, but one of our personal financial goals for this year is to get our vehicle loan paid off. I am going to come up with some very specific goals and timelines and post them on my blog from now on. I think that by sharing our financial goals, it will help me to be more accountable and in turn, more frugal with our money. Remember Dave Ramsey's tag line: Live like no one else, so that later you can LIVE like no one else! Let 2010 be the year that you cut up your credit cards, pay down your debt and take steps towards FINANCIAL PEACE!

Free Cocoa Puffs and More!

2009-09-11T09:00:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that the $1/1 General Mills cereal Target coupon expires on Saturday. There are tons of coupons on Coupons.com and from recent paper inserts to pair this with to get some FREE or super cheap cereal. You can also price match with this week's Walgreens ad for $1.99 General Mills cereals. That means that you can price match the cereal for $1.99, then use the $1/1 Target coupon and then use your manufacturer coupon on top of that! You should be able to get free Cocoa Puffs and lots of other cereals for around $.50 a box!

Awesome Target Deals!

2009-09-04T08:07:00.009-05:00

Macy, Tade and I headed out for some deals last night and we really scored big at Target. I had stopped there Monday night to get in on the Special K deal (buy 4, get a $5 Target gift card) and the Special K coupons have reset since then on Coupons.com, so I wanted to grab some more. While we were there we also got some FREE ice cream, almost free Buddies soap and really cheap cereal. I broke up my purchases into 4 transactions so that I would have the least out of pocket expense. Check out my deals below!

Transaction #1
4-Special K bars, $2.39 each
-used (2) $1/2 printable
-used (4) $.50/1 Target coupon
Total = $5.56
Paid = $5 gift card (from Monday night) and $.56 cash
Got = $5 GC (for purchasing 4 Special K products)

Transaction #2
1- Special K Blueberry cereal, $2.39
-used (1) $1/1 printable
1- Special K crackers, $2.39
-used (1) $1/1 printable
-used (1) $.50/1 Target printable
2- Special K bars, $2.39
-used (1) $1/2 printable
-used (2) $.50/1 Target coupon
Total = $5.06
Paid = $5 GC from previous transaction and $.06 cash
Got = $5 GC (for purchasing 4 Special K products)

Transaction #3
5- Edy's ice cream, $2.50 each
-used (5) $1/1 Target coupons
-used (1) $2/2 MFC (got in mail)
Total = $5.50
Paid = $5 GC from previous transaction and $.50 cash
Got = $5 GC (for purchasing 5 Edy's products)

Transaction #4
2- Huggies wipes, $1.99
-used (2) $1.50/1 printable
5- Johnson's Buddies soap, $1.09
-used (5) $1/1 Target coupon
4- Kelloggs Rice Krispies, $1.75
-used (1) $1/2 MFC
-used (4) $.50/1 Target coupon
(according to the signs, this should have given me a $5 GC, but I am just realizing now that I didn't get one so I WILL be going back for my $5!)
2- Tortillas, $1.89
2- Fruity Cheerios, $2.44
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupon
-used (1) $1/2 MFC
2-Cookie Crisp, $2.54 (my kids really smiled this morning at breakfast time!)
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupon
-used (2) $.50/1 MFC
2-Cinnamon Toast Crunch, $2.54
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupon
-used (1) $1/2 MFC
4-MP cheese sticks, $.40
-used (2) $1/2 Target coupon
4- MP cheese sticks, $1.00 (I thought these were $.50 - oops!)
-used (2) $1/2 Target coupon
1- laundry basket, $2.11 on clearance
2- hampers, $2.96 on clearance
Paid = $5 GC from previous transaction and $20.82 from another gift card
Should have gotten = $5 GC

In total, my purchases yesterday at Target were $81.44 and I paid $1.12 out of pocket!!! (And once again, I will go back for that final $5 GC, making my deals even sweeter!)

OH! I almost forgot to mention this: Target has a $1.50/1 Huggies diaper coupon out right now. I had lots of $3/1 Huggies pure and natural diaper coupons to match them up with, but my Target only had the really big packs of diapers and I didn't want to spend that much. So, I took my Target ad over to Walmart and they price matched the Target diapers at $8.99/package and then they also accepted the Target coupons, bringing them down to $7.49. Paired with my $3/1 MFC, I paid only $4.49 for each package of diapers. I will also send in my receipt to the Caregivers Marketplace rebate and get $3 back, making these diapers just $3.74 a pack! Now that is what I call super couponing!

Last Week's Deals

2009-08-27T09:12:00.005-05:00

So these are a little late, but I thought I'd show you how well I was able to do last week. I will admit that shopping is a LOT harder with a newborn but I was still able to MAKE money at Walgreens - pretty cool, huh?

Walgreens Transaction #1:
4-Lindsay Olives, $.99 with in-ad coupon
2- Childrens's Zyrtec for Hives, $3.29 on clearance
-used (2) $3/1 MFC
-got $5 RR for purchasing two Zyrtec products = profit of $4!
1- Softsoap, $3.99
-used (1) $2/1 MFC
-got $4 RR = profit of $2
3- Huggies wipes, $2.99
-used (1) $2/1 Walgreens Back to School coupon (takes off $6.00)

Paid= around $13
Got= $ 5 RR for Zyrtec, $4 RR for Softsoap, $5 RR for purchasing $25 in products (special last week only)

Walgreens Transaction #2
1- Softsoap, $3.99
-used (1) $2/1 MFC
-got $4 RR = $2 profit
1- Huggies wipes, $2.99
-used (1) $2/1 Walgreens Back to School coupon

Total= $3
Got= $4 RR for Softsoap

Target:
2- Jenny-O Turkey Sausages, $2.99
-used (2) $5/1 MFC = overage of 4.02!
1-Tide Release, $3.79
1-Bounty basic, $.99
-used (1) $1/1 MFC = free!
4- Artisan mini loaves, $.99
-used (4) Target coupons = free!
1- 18ct. eggs, $1.92
1- bananas, $.91
-used (1) $.50/1 Target coupon
1- bananas, $.83
-used (1) $.50/1 Target coupon
2- Orbit gum, $.48
6- Skittles Crazy Cores, $.52
-used (6) $1/1 Target coupon = $2.88 overage!
1- Cheez-It Whole Grain, $2.50
-used (1) $.75/1 MFC
-used (1) $1/1 Target coupon
4-Kelloggs Cinnabon, $2.00
-used (4) $1/1 MFC
-used (4) $.50/1 Target coupons
4- Connect Four, travel sized, $4.99
-used (4) $4/1 MFC
3- Hungry Hippos, travel sized, $4.99
-used (3) $4/1 MFC
2- Fiber One Yogurt, $2.04
-used (2) $1.25/1 MFC
Apples (two bags), $3.03
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons

Total before coupons= $77.38
Total after coupons=$15.93

Hy-Vee HOT DEALS!!!!

2009-08-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

Today only (8/27/09), Hy-Vee has some HOT DEALS going on! I may have to make yet another trip to town just to stock up on some yummy ice cream (and other healthy things of course)!

Hy-Vee Split Chicken Breast, $.78/lb.
Midwest Country Fare Cottage Cheese, $.99
Hy-Vee Russet Potatoes, 5lb. bag, $.88
Hy-Vee Shredded Cheese, $.99
Willowbrook Sliced Turkey Breast, $1.99/lb.
Midwest Country Fare paper towels, 3 rolls, $.99
Midwest Country Fare mac-n-cheese, 4 for $1
Top Ramen Noodles, $.13
Hy-Vee 24 ct. water, $2.77
Totinos pizza, $.88 (pair these with $1/5 and $.50/3 MFC that came out a couple of weeks ago)
Hy-Vee ice cream, $1.18
Driscoll's strawberries, $1.88
Amana Bacon Wrapped Fillet, $1.88

My Excuse .....

2009-08-27T08:51:00.003-05:00

Isn't he the cutest?!? This pic was taken yesterday as Tade napped on the couch amidst all of the chaos around him. How do babies do that?!? Anyway, my new little man has kept me pretty busy this last six weeks so I apologize for my absence on this blog. I probably won't be making quite as many shopping trips as I did before Tade arrived, but I am starting to get back in the game and promise to try and post the really awesome deals when they come along! Also make sure and follow the gals on my blog list - they do a fantastic job of posting all of the weekly deals and coupon match-ups! Happy Shopping!

Hy-Vee and Fareway Deals 7/22/09

2009-07-22T14:46:00.002-05:00

FINALLY!!!! It appears that there are finally some pretty good deals to be had this week at both Hy-Vee and Fareway. Check out the lists below for just a few of the deals that I think are worth getting in on this week. ALso, if you still have Kraft coupons, you might be able to snag some of these items for SUPER CHEAP or even FREE!

Fareway:
Pepsi 24 pk. - $5.99
Kraft MacnCheese - 2/$1 (there was a buy 3, get one free printable out there)
Jacks Pizza - 5/$11
Fareway white or wheat cottage bread - $.88 (GREAT PRICE!)
Wonder hamb. or hot dog buns - $.88 (GREAT PRICE!)
red or green grapes - $1.49/lb.
carrots, 2lb. bag - $.99
Kraft BBQ sauce - $.99
Kraft shredded cheese - 2/$3

Hy-Vee:
Dannon Yogurt - 10 for $1.90
green grapes - $.99/lb.
Hunts ketchup - $.98
Hy-Vee applesauce - $.97
brown or powdered sugar - $.99
Blue Bunny ice cream - $1.99
Hy-Vee butter - $1.68
Hy-Vee cottage bread - $1.28

Introducing......Tade Grayson Roberts

2009-07-22T14:39:00.002-05:00

I am happy to announce that we welcomed Tade Grayson Roberts into our family on July 13th at 8:17 p.m. Tade weighed 9lbs, 1oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. He has been a wonderful baby and everyone has adjusted well to the change in our family. Macy, Drew and Levi all fight over who gets to hold him first in the mornings and they LOVE to give their new baby brother LOTS of smooches during the day. I am feeling great and loving my new little guy! I am even thinking that after his doctor's appointment on Monday that I may hit up the new Cedar Falls Target store and see if I can get back into my weekly coupon routine. I hope to back up and blogging about my deals shortly - until then, thanks for your patience and keep on couponing!

No Baby Yet = More Coupon Shopping!

2009-07-10T21:55:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I had kind of expected to either have the baby by now or at least be miserable at home, almost ready to have the baby. Too bad I'm feeling great and am not seeing any signs that he/she will be here in the next day or so. I decided today that I might as well go through my coupon stash and get some last minute deals in before the little one arrives. Macy and I headed out this afternoon and though we didn't need a whole lot, we were able to get some pretty good bargains. I kind of expect this to be my last shopping trip for a couple of weeks, but if that little guy/gal still hasn't shown up by next week, then you will undoubtedly find me on another coupon shopping spree!

Walmart:
2-Sparkle Paper Towels, $2.73
2-Angel soft 4pk. toilet paper, $1.00
-used (2) $2/1 wyb Sparkle and Angel Soft printable
4-Cottonelle 4pk. toilet paper, $1.00
-used (2) $.50/2 MFC
1-Cascade, $3.14
-used (1) Free MFC
4- Mac n Cheese, $.50
-used (1) B3G1 Free printable
3-croutons, $.98
2-Wacky Mac, $1.26
-used (2) $.75/1 MFC

Total before coupons= $22.05
Total after coupons= $11.92

Target:
6- Kashi cereal bars, $2.50
-used (6) $1.50/1 printables
-used (3) $1/2 Target coupons
4- Velveeta shells and Cheese, $.99
-used (2) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (2) $1/2 MFC
4- Easy Mac, $.73
-used (2) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (2) $1/2 MFC (overage of $1.08 on these!)
2- Barilla Piccolini, $1.00
-used (2) $.75/1 printables
3- Driscoll's Strawberries, $1.99
-used (3) $1/1 Target coupons
2- Eggo Bakeshop, $1.50
-used (2) $1/1 printables

Total before coupons= $32.85
Total after coupons= $6.39

Hy-Vee:
1- Medium eggs, $.89
-used (1) $.49 Hy-Vee coupon
2- Rice Krispies, $2.00
-used (2) $1/1 MFC
2- Froot Loops, $2.00
-used (2) $1.50/1 MFC
4.16 lbs. Bananas @ $.49/lb, $2.04
2- Hy-vee 5lbs. potatoes, $.99

Total before coupons= $12.92
Total after coupons= $7.52

Preparing For Baby!

2009-06-30T15:12:00.002-05:00

So I'm still here...no baby yet. Some of you were probably starting to wonder, with the lack of my posting and all. I have been busy getting ready for the new baby. Last week was spent deep-cleaning every nook and cranny of my house and it seems that this week will be spent re-cleaning everything that I cleaned last week. My kids just don't understand that I want the house to be spotless when we leave for the hospital! (I have major issues with coming home to a dirty house!) Anyway, I saw the doctor yesterday and it turns out that I'm already dilated to a two and she thinks by 38 weeks the baby will be here. I'm really hoping that he/she comes on his/her own by then so that poor Drew doesn't have to share his birthday or worse yet, spend it at the hospital with us! I will not be doing my usual shopping this week as I am super-stocked up and all I really need is some random items for our 4th of July party. Make sure to check out Hy-Vee and Fareway tomorrow as I'm sure they'll have some great last minute deals for the holiday weekend! Oh- and get in on the cheap Edy's ice cream at Target this week! I grabbed some yesterday and it is YUMMY! Good luck on your weekly deals and have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Shopping with No Kids = EASY!!!

2009-06-15T21:17:00.005-05:00

Grandma had the kids yesterday while I went to my doctor's appointment, so I decided to take advantage of the situation and get some shopping done at Target. Did you know that in less than an hour you can fill your cart up twice and still have time to spare? It was pretty awesome to just go in and get what I needed - no potty breaks, no slushie spills, no melt-downs over who gets to push the cart, no "Can I have this?" Just me, a cart full of deals and a binder full of coupons....ahhhh....so SIMPLE!!! Check out my three super-speedy transactions below!

Target:
Transaction #1:
3- Pull Ups, $8.99
-used (3) $3/1 printables, IE or Firefox
3- Huggies Diapers, $8.99
-used (2) $3/1 MFC
-used (1) $2/1 printable
Total= $36.94, Got (2) $5 Target Gift Cards
(Will send in for Caregivers Marketplace Rebate and get $4.50 back, making these just $3.58 each!)

Transaction #2:
15- Pepsi product 12 pks., $2.75 each
-used (15) $1/1 Target coupons
1- can deposit, $9.00
Total= $37.09, paid $27.09 cash, and $10 in Target gift cards

Transaction #3:
6- Wheat Thins, $2.00
-used (6) $2/1 peelies (makes these FREE!)
5- Crystal Light, $2.66
-used (5) $1/1 printables
1- Crystal Lt. Skin Essentials, $2.66
-used (1) FREE printable (FREE!)
4- Joint Juice, $.99
-used (2) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (2) $1/1 printables (makes these FREE!)
2- Kraft Dressing, $1.99
-used (2) $1/1 printables
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons (FREE!)
2- Kraft Mayo, $1.99
-used (2) $1/1 printables
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons (FREE!)
2- Kraft Miracle Whip, $2.99
-used (2) $1/1 printables
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons ($.99 each!)
2- wheat bread, $1.39
-used (2) $1/1 bread wyb Miracle Whip peelies ($.39 each!)
2- marshmallows, $.92
3- Driscoll's strawberries, $1.99
-used (3) $1/1 Target coupons ($.99 each!)
2- Ziploc bags, $2.49
-used(1) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons ($.25 each!)
Total before coupons= $63.39
Total after coupons= $18.26

Fun Friday Shopping Trip

2009-06-12T19:34:00.005-05:00

The kids and I headed out early today for a quick (yeah right!) shopping trip. We only had three stores to stop at but do you think that we could get home by nap time? For some reason it still took us six hours! Well, we did stop and have a picnic lunch with daddy on the UNI campus at his job site and the kids loved watching the PCI excavator scoop up dirt and load up the trucks. I guess too that because it feels like this baby is just going to fall out at times, I was not exactly moving at a very fast pace. All in all we had a pretty good day and got some pretty good deals. I was also $17 under budget for the week meaning that over the last two weeks I only spent $93 for a family of five with two in diapers! Not too shabby if you ask me! Here is what we got today:

Target:
Transaction #1:
2- Softsoap refills, $6.00 each
-used (2) $2/1 printables
-used (2) $2/1 Target coupons
Paid $4.00, Got $5 Target Gift Card (a $1 money maker!)

Transaction #2
2- Snickers, $.64
-used (2) FREE coupons from mail
9 - Wheat Thins $2.04
-used (9) $2/1 MFC peelies found at Hy-Vee
9 - Crystal Light, 3pk. by registers, $.99
-used (9) $1/1 printable coupon here, here, or here
4 - Joint Juice, $.99
-used (2) B1G1 Free printables
-used (2) $1/1 printable
1- Strawberry Jam, $1.89
1- Kraft Mayo, $1.99
-used (1) $1/1 printable (this one may be gone, sorry!)
-used (1) $1/1 Target coupon
4 - 12 pk. Pepsi products, $3.66
-used (4) $1/1 Target coupons
1 - can deposit, $2.40
2- Ziploc quart bags, $2.49
-used (1) B1G1 Free MFC
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons (makes these $.25 a box!)
2- Ziploc sandwich bags, $2.29
-used (1) $1/2 MFC
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupons (makes these $.79 a box!)
2- Dollar items from the dollar aisle for Macy and Drew
1- Wedding card, $.99
Total before coupons = $68.24
Total after coupons and $5 gift card= $17.49

CVS:
Transaction #1:
2- Dawn dish liquid, $2/2
-used (2) $.50/1 MFC
1- Bayer Glucose Meter, $14.99
-used (1) $14.99/1 MFC
Total paid= $1.14, Got $5 ECB from meter and $1 ECB from dish soap (made $4.86!)

Transaction #2:
2- Dawn dish liquid, $2/2
-used (2) $.25/1 MFC
4- bedding flowers, $1 each
1- Cherry tomato plants, $.50
1- Bayer Glucose Meter, $14.99
-used (1) $14.99/1 MFC
5- Gallons skim milk
-used (5) $.55/1 printables
-Used (1) $10/$30 CVS coupon
Total paid= $6.45, Got $5 ECB from meter and $1 ECB from dish soap
*I now have $14 in ECBs to use next week! Yippee!

Hooray for Milk Coupons!

2009-06-09T21:42:00.004-05:00

Register HERE to get some printable Robert’s Dairy coupons. It appears that you can print as many of these as you want! Yippee!

*Thanks to The Thrifty Mama for posting this new coupon!

Target Freebies!

2009-06-08T20:42:00.003-05:00

I am very excited to see that there are lots of Target freebies this week! The last couple of weeks have been kind of slow, so it is great to see some fantastic deals again! Thanks to Money Saving Mom for putting these deals together! You can see her complete Target list here.

Through July 13, 2009, there's a sweet Softsoap deal going on at Target: Buy 2 Softsoap value packs and get a $5 Target gift card.
Here's how to get these for free:
Buy 2 Softsoap Ensemble Value Packs at $6 each
Use 2 $2/1 manufacturer's coupons here
Stack with 2 $2/1 Target coupons here
Spend $4 plus tax out of pocket, Get a $5 Target gift card
Remember, you can roll these deals--using the gift card earned from the previous transaction to purchase another two Softsoaps to earn another gift card--thus lowering your out-of-pocket costs even more.

Degree men's deodorant (Artic Edge and Intense Sport)--$2.49
Use the $1.50/1 Target printable coupon here
Stack with the $1/1 manufacturer's coupon from the 5/17 RedPlum insert
Free after coupons

Crystal Light On-The-Go 3-packs--$0.99
Use the $1/1 coupon here, here, or here (sign up or login and then click on the "coupons" tab)Free after coupon

Joint Juice (single serve bottles)--$1
Buy 2 and use B1G1 coupon and $1/1 coupon here or from the 4/26 SmartSource insert
Get two free after coupons

Kraft Mayo--$1.99Use $1/1 from the 4/26 inserts or $1/1 printables here and here
Stack with $1/1 Target printable here
Free after coupons

Coppertone Suncare Product (trial size)--$0.99
Use $1/1 coupon here
Free after coupon

Banana Boat Sunscreen (trial size)--$0.99
Use $1/1 in 5/3 SmartSource insert
Free after coupon

Hefty HandySaks Small Trash Bags (trial size pack)--$0.99
Use $1/1 Target printable here
Free after coupon

Aquafresh Toothpaste--$1.99
Use $1/1 Target printable here
Stack with $1/1 here
Free after coupons

Johnson's Soap Buddies--$1
Use $1/1 coupon from the 3/8 or 4/26 RedPlum insert or buy 3 and use $3/3 coupon here--IE or Firefox
Free after coupon

Ziploc Bags--$2.49Buy 2 and use B1G1 coupon from 5/3 SmartSource insert
Plus, use $0.40/1 any Ziploc bag from 5/10 SmartSource insert
Stack with 2 $1/1 Target coupons
$0.05 per box after coupons

A1 Steak Sauce--$2.09
Use $2/1 from the 5/10 SmartSource insert or here
$0.09 after coupon

Kashi Frozen Waffles--on price cut at many stores for $1.79
Use $1.50/1 here or here
$0.29 each after coupon

Shopping Trip - 6/3/09

2009-06-04T09:03:00.008-05:00

My first stop today was Walgreens. I wanted to see if they had any of the great clearance items that I have been reading about on the different blogs and forums. Unfortunately I did not find much of what I was looking for but I was able to get in on a couple of great deals while I was there. Next stop was CVS (also to look for some clearance deals). I had to bite the bullet and buy ridiculously expensive tin foil ($3.75 for this stuff!) and picked up a few other things that we needed. Last stop was Fareway and maybe it was the smell or maybe the pregnancy cravings kicking in or maybe the fact that it was so cheap, but I just couldn't pass up the cheap bread and buns that I found so I think we should be stocked up for a few weeks at least! Mmmmm.....I love bread! (I think that I am only so crazy about bread right now becuase my doctor suggested that I cut back on carbs for the remainder of my pregnancy. What we can't have we always want, right?) Anyway, you can see what I got below.

Walgreens:
1- Revlon Hair Dryer, $12.99 on sale
-got back a $10 RR (makes the hair dryer $2.99!)
4- Skim milk, $2.27
2- Cottonelle 4 packs, $1.99 (this was only at the C.F. store)
-used (2) $1/1 MFC
1- Ecotrin asprin, $2.00
-used (1) $2/1 MFC
-got back a $2 RR
1- Dove face soap,$.99
-used (1) $1/1 MFC

*I did the hair dryer first in a separate transaction so then I used my $10 RR from that to pay for the rest of the purchases.
Total before coupons and RR= $30.44
Total after coupons and RR= $13.44 (not bad for a hair dryer, t.p. and a week's worth of milk!)

CVS:
1- Cover Girl Mascara, $3.49 on sale 50% off
1- Coppertone Sunscreen, $8.99
-used (1) $3/1 printable
1- Glad cling wrap, $.75 on clearance
2- Reynolds foil, $3.74
-used (1) $.75/1 MFC
1- Johnson's first aid kit, $.99
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
-used $4 off $20 purchase CVS coupon

Total before coupons= $22.64
Total after coupons= $14.20

Fareway:
1- Tootsie Pops bag, $1.99 (I don't like rewarding my kids for bad behavior, but Levi and Drew were slapping each other in the face in their race car cart. I had to spare the other shoppers and think of a way to quiet them up FAST!)
2- cottage cheese, $.99
10- wheat cottage bread, $.99
1- hot dog buns, $.99
4- hamburger buns, 12 ct., $.89 on sale (this is a great price!)
2- Chinet plates, $2.59
-used (2) $2/1 MFC (thanks to Cortney for the heads up on this one!)
1- Dole bag lettuce, $.69 (great price!)
2 - cartons of strawberries at $.99/lb = $3.62
Total spent = $24.41

Walgreens Hair Dryer Deal - Just $2.99!

2009-06-03T20:56:00.002-05:00

Right now, Walgreens has an awesome Register Reward deal going on -- you can purchase any Revlon Hair Dryer or Straightener for $19.99 (advertised sale price). You will then earn $10 Register Rewards (remember, these are the coupons that print out after you have paid--you can use it on your next purchase). This would make these $9.99.

However, even better, the Revlon Ionic Styler Dryer (1875 Watt or Travel) is reported to be on a clearance sale of $12.99 - you will still earn your $10 Register Rewards = $2.99 for the hair dryer!! You can't beat that price!!

Thanks to Thrifty Northwest Mom for posting this amazing deal! My hair dryer is back from the good old high school days, so I just know that it doesn't have much life left to it. I picked up one of these today in Cedar Falls and they had several left. Seriously... $2.99 for a hair dryer...is that a great deal or what?!?!?

More FREE Johnson's Buddies Soaps!

2009-06-03T20:46:00.005-05:00

The awesome Johnson's coupon is back for $3 off any 3 Johnson's products!! This means that you can get a total of 6 Johnson's Buddies Soap bars (print it twice by hitting the back arrow and refresh). Johnson's Buddies soaps are typically under $1 at Target or Walmart and often other places like the drugstores or grocery stores as well! They are great for little kids as they have a mesh type of covering around them so that the soap doesn't slip from their hands. I stocked up on a ton a few months ago, but you can never have too much soap--and if we do, then it's a great item to donate to somewhere like a domestic violence shelter for women and their children.
Go here for the coupon!!

Thanks Thrifty Northwest Mom for posting this new coupon!!

Hooray for Wednesday!

2009-06-03T08:40:00.003-05:00

I've got some good news: It looks like Hy-Vee and Fareway both have some pretty good deals going on this week! Go here to view the Fareway ad and here to check out Hy-Vee's ad.
This is just a small list of the great deals that I found:

Hy-Vee:
red grapes, $.99/lb.
Hy-Vee pasta, $.88
Jiff peanut butter, $1.88
Dole lettuce, $.69
Nature's Pride Bread, $2.99, B1G1 Free
Oscar Meyer Bologna, 4 for $5
Bananas, $.39/lb.
Kraft shredded cheese, 2/$5
Hy-Vee sour cream 16 oz., $.89
English muffins 12 ct., $1.59

Fareway:
cottage bread, $.99
cottage cheese, $.99
strawberries, $.99
bag lettuce, $.69
hamburger and hot dog buns, $.88

What great deals do you see going on this week?

20% Off at Children's Place and $10 JCPenny Coupons!

2009-05-29T07:30:00.002-05:00

I am off to Des Moines for the weekend, so I won't be sharing any shopping trips until next week some time. However, I did find these great coupons (that I will be taking to Jordan Creek with me!) and thought I would share them with you.

Click here for $10 off any $25 purchase at JCPenny.
Click here to save 20% off your next purchase at Children's Place.

Have fun shopping and let me know how you did!

More Huggies Codes!

2009-05-26T20:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks Lynn for providing me with these new Huggies codes to share!

Codes Worth 1 Point Each

DRRLN-QJSRH-KWPGB
FFQLB-PSQMP-ZCPGB
GMHPR-XCQWL-FRPGB
JFBLF-MCMCZ-GCPGB
HNCXQ-JJMCJ-FCPGB
HPDTG-XHMGX-BWPGB
PXGDB-WGHLZ-FGPGB
QSHCR-CHRND-ZJPGB
RPLSZ-BRLDD-RTPGB
SQJTJ-NJBXK-CMPGB

Codes Worth 2 Points Each

RZMRR-QFZNP-WGPGB

Codes Worth 5 Points Each

BBRJH-WHDPT-JZPGB
BGZQZ-JCXFC-HZPGB
JXBQX-LWHPP-HPPGB
TXZKZ-JNRJQ-DDPGB
XXDZB-QBPHH-GLPGB
ZKZTH-XSJJN-MHPGB

Has anyone won anything on the Huggies Rewards site yet?

More Sunscreen Coupons!

2009-05-26T11:31:00.006-05:00

UPDATE: Here is another great coupon for you! Go here for a $3/1 Coppertone Sun Care product - this should make for some really inexpensive sunscreen when paired with a sale and it appears that you can print it as many times as you want!

Seems that this must be the hot item for this week! Here are some more sunscreen coupons to print and deals to be had!

Coppertone Sunscreen, Use the $1 coupon from here, IE or Firefox)
Use these at Target to purchase the trial sized tubes for $.99 each, making them FREE after coupon!

Hawaiian Tropic - Buy One Get One Free at Walgreens
Prices starting at $8.49
Use 2 $2 coupons from here, IE or Firefox
Final cost ONLY $4.49/2, just $2.25 each! (Thanks Hip 2 Save!)

Banana Boat- Buy One Get One Free at Walgreens
Prices starting at $8.49
Use 2 $2 coupons from here
Final cost $4.49/2, just $2.25 each! (Thanks Hip 2 Save!)

Sunscreen Days are Here Again!

2009-05-26T11:22:00.006-05:00

Since my sunscreen stash is almost depleted, I have been looking for the best prices and coupon match ups for this week. I buy Neutrogena for my kiddos (they are VERY sensitive to sunscreen and this is the ONLY brand that doesn't make their face all red and puffy!) and it is typically about $9 a bottle! I have been squeezing out the last few drops from last year's bottle, hoping for a sale to come along, and I think I have found it!! Thanks to Hip 2 Save! for posting this great deal at CVS:

WOW! There is a SUPER HOT moneymaker at CVS this week! In the weekly deals I mentioned the Neutrogena Extra Care Buck deal: Buy 2 Neutrogena Sun Care products and get a $10 Extra Care Buck. Well, apparently purchasing 2 of the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 (1 oz.) will generate the $10 Extra Care Buck. These are ONLY priced at $1.99, so buy 2 for a total of $3.98 and get back a $10Ecb. Final cost FREE + a $6 moneymaker! Yay!

My plan is to get in on this money maker and then use my $10 in ECB to purchase two full-sized bottles of sunscreen. That way, I get the most sunscreen for the least out of pocket expense! (I also really love these little tubes to stick in the diaper bag or my purse for unplanned outdoor excursions!)

Last Week's Deal-ios

2009-05-23T21:23:00.017-05:00

Levi had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and though I did not have the energy to take the kids on a "big" shopping trip, I decided to make a couple of stops to see if I could find some good deals. First, we stopped at Walgreens where I got almost FREE baby wipes and then we went next door to CVS where I also did AMAZING, spending just over $1.00!!! Our final deal of the day was at Payless, where I got a pair of the croc-like shoes for Drew for just $2.14!! On Saturday we headed out for a day of haircuts and errands with daddy and the kids in tow. It actually went pretty smoothly at Target where Michael and I each loaded up a cart and then checked out in two seperate transactions as to not "over-do" it with too many coupons in one transaction. We also made a trip into Walgreens where I stocked up on bug spray for the year (they are terrible at our house already!) Check out my pics below to see how I did!

*On a side note, I probably will not do much shopping this week as Michael and I are headed to Des Moines on Friday for a friend's wedding, so I would much rather save up for a trip to Children's Place, just in case we have a little down time and need something to do!! If I see any great deals at Hy-Vee or Fareway tomorrow morning or any great coupon match-ups I will try and let you know so that you all can get in on the deals!

Walgreens
Trip #1
1- Planter's Nuts, $1.75 on sale
-used (1) $1/1 printable
2- Huggies wipes (184 ct.), $2.19 on clearance
-used (2) $2/1 Huggies product MFC
Total = $1.44

Trip #2
1- Colgate Whitening Tooth Paste, $4.49
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
-got $4.50 RR (overage of $.70)
1- Colgate Whitening Tooth Paste, $4.49
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
-got $4.50 RR (overage of $.70)
5 - Cutter bug spray, $3.29 on sale
-used (5) $2/1 MFC
2- ISU Koozy, $.75 (these were my filler items)
Total = $8.95 (bug sprays are about $4.99 each at regular price, so this was a great find!)

CVS
Transaction #1
2- Prilosec, $24.99 each
-Got $10 ECB back
(I picked these up for Grandma, so she will reimburse me for them)

Transaction #2
2- Sunsilk shampoo/conditioner, $1.07 on clearance
-used (1) $2/2 MFC
5 - Pepsi products, $12.00
1- Can deposit, $3.00
2- Accent plants, $1.49
2- Six packs annuals, $.99
-used $4 off $20 CVS coupon
-used $6 ECB from previous trip
-used $10 ECB from 1st transaction
Total= $1.11

Target
12- Bliss candy bars, $.99
-used (12) $1/1 Target coupon
10- Pringles (small by registers), $.69
-used (10) $.50/1 Target coupon (expired)
7- Ritz crackers, $2.54
-used (7) $1/1 Target coupon (expired)
-used (7) $1/1 printable (using both made these $.54 a box!)
12- Quaker bites (small by registers) $.99
-used (12) $1/1 Target coupon (expired)
4- Crystal Light, $3.99
-used (2) $3.50/1 printable
-used (2) $2/2 printable
-used (4) $1/1 Target coupon (expired)
4- Crystal Light (3 pk. by register) $1.00
-used (4) $1/1 printable
2.08 lbs. red delicious apples, $2.47
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupon (expired)
2- Cottonelle toilet paper, $4.15 on clearance
-used (2) $1/1 printable (Go here to take the pledge!)
-used (2) $1/1 Target coupon (expired)
4- Kraft shredded cheese, $2.09
-used (4) $1/1 printable (see post here)
-used (2) $1/2 Target coupon (expired)
1- whole seedless watermelon, $2.99
4- Coppertone Sun Screen (trial size) $.99
-used (4) $1/1 printable (Use the $1 coupon from here, IE or Firefox)
Total before coupons = $93.05
Total after coupons = $14.17

Another Kraft Cheese Coupon!

2009-05-22T09:36:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Ginger at Attention Target Shoppers for posting this great Kraft Cheese coupon!

$1.00/1 printable - make sure to print two of these!

You can also find a $1/1 Kraft coupon here if you didn't print it earlier, and you can find a $1/2 coupon here from earlier.

Remember - Target has a coupon here for $1/2 Kraft cheese shreds or chunks, that you can use with the great manufacturer coupons, but it is only good until tomorrow, May 23rd, so get in and get yourself some $.59 cheese while you can!!

Holy Hot Dogs!

2009-05-21T16:13:00.003-05:00

I just found a new link for yet ANOTHER $1/2 Bar S Products! Just enter your first and last name and e-mail address and it will take you to your coupon - remember to hit your back arrow to print it twice! Also note that I Googled how long you can freeze hot dogs and bologna and according to the USDA, you can freeze them for one to two months. (I'm thinking three or four sounds better). The good news is that these new coupons have an expiriation date of 7/31/09, so you can save them until later this summer! Happy hot dog day!

More Dog Deals!

2009-05-21T15:02:00.006-05:00

Here is another great hot dog deal thanks to Hip 2 Save! I have seen these for sale at Hy-Vee, Walmart and Fareway for $.88 a package the last couple of weeks, making them just $.38 a package after coupon! Did I mention that my family is eating hot dogs ALL SUMMER after the new baby arrives? That and cereal, of course!

Coupons.com just rolled out a great new coupon! Save $1 on the purchase of ANY 2 Bar-S products! Walmart has Bars-S hot dogs (in some regions) on roll back 2/$1... which makes them FREE after the coupon. Other areas have these priced around $1 each, so just .50 after the coupon!

*Don't forget to print additional $1/2 Bar-S coupons here, IE or Firefox! Plus, there is also a Bar-S coupon available in the 5/10 Red Plum insert! Time to stock up for grilling season!!

Kraft Cheese for $.59!

2009-05-20T09:33:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: Fareway has the DiGiorno Flatbread Melts on Sale this week, 4/$10, so paired with four coupons, that makes them just $1 each!

Thanks again to Money Saving Mom for posting these deals! I got in on this deal yesterday at Target and was able to snag 6 bags of Kraft shredded cheese for just $.59 a bag! What a great deal!

$1/1 Kraft cheese and $1.50/1 DiGiorno Flatbread Melts

Here are two hot printable coupons--print 'em before they are gone:

Print a coupon for $1/1 any Kraft 2% Natural Cheese Shreds or Blocks--IE here or FireFox here*. Use your browser's back button to print it twice per computer. If you live near a Meijer or Target store, you can stack these with the $1/2 Target coupon or the $1/2 Meijer Mealbox coupon to make for some very inexpensive cheese!

Get a coupon for $1.50/1 DiGiorno Flatbread Melts--IE here or FireFox here*. These are sometimes on sale for $2 or so at a number of stores which would make them $0.50 each after the coupon.

FREE DOGS!

2009-05-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

Hot dogs, that is! Thanks Money Saving Mom for this info!

Free package of Oscar Mayer Beef Franks!

Go here to request your coupon for a free package of Oscar Mayer Beef Franks. These offers usually go fast so I'd recommend you jump on this while it's available!

FREE Detergent, FREE Deoderant and almost FREE Cheese!

2009-05-19T19:36:00.010-05:00

Do you see a pattern here? Macy and I went shopping today and we found some pretty darn good deals, but man am I exhausted! (That also seems to be a regular thing lately!) I can't wait until like oh, next Spring sometime when the baby (who will be here in just 9 weeks!) is finally sleeping through the night so I can have a little energy already! (I have been told that I just need to start drinking coffee, and I would, if only it was cold and bubbly and tasted like Diet Pepsi!) Anyway, check out all the FREE and super cheap stuff that we found today and don't forget....tomorrow we get to check out the new Hy-Vee and Fareway deals! Yippeee!

CVS:
6 - Dry Idea Deoderant, 2/$5
-used (6) $2/1 MFC
4 - Purex laundry detergent, B1 at $6.99, G1 Free
-used (2) B1G1 Free MFC

Used (1) $4 off $20 purchase CVS coupon
Total= $0.75
Got $6 ECBs back and one $4 off $20 purchase coupon (In other words, I got paid $9 for buying 4 detergents and 6 deoderants - How cool is that? Since I am super stockpiled on these items already, I am going to put them in a box to donate. See? Told you I am not a hoarder!)

Walgreens:
4- Good Nights, on clearance for $2.89 each!
-used (2) $1.50/1 MFC
-used (2) $1/1 MFC

Total= $7.36
Put $3.18 on gift card and paid $4.18 cash

Target:
10 - Bliss candy bars, $.99
-used (10) $1/1 Target coupons (free)
6 - Pringles, $.69 (small, by registers)
-used (6) $.50/1 Target coupons
6 - Ritz crackers, $2.54
-used (6) $1/1 printable
-used (6) $1/1 Target coupons (makes these $.54 each)
6 - Quaker bites, $.99 (small, by registers)
-used (6) $1/1 Target coupons (free)
10 - Crystal Light, $3.99
-used (3) B1 Crystal Light, get one Skin Essentials Free
-used (3) Get $2/2 Crystal Light products
-used (10) $1/1 Target coupons
2 - Hershey's syrup, $1.56 (Drew has been begging for chocolate milk!)
-used (1) $1/2 MFC
2.0 lbs, red delicious apples, $2.38
-used (2) $1/1 bulk apples Target coupon
4 - Miracle Whip, $1.99
-used (4) $1/1 printable
-used (2) $1/2 Target coupon (makes these $.49 each)
2 - Lite Mayo, $1.99
-used (2) $1/1 printable
-used (1) Target printable (makes these $.49 each)
2 - Huggies wipes, $1.99
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
-used (1)$.75/1 MFC
6 - Kraft naturals cheese, $2.09
-used (6) $1/1 printables
-used (6) $1 off purchase of 2 Target coupons

Total Before coupons= $104.57
Total after coupons= $17.95

Walmart:
1 - Zucchini plant for garden, $1.00 (already in the ground!)
1 - Pickles, $1.88
1- French's mustard, $1.27
-used (1) $.75/1 MFC
1 - Tabasco sauce, $.98
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
1- Sour Cream, $1.44
-used (1) $.50/1 MFC
4 - Hunts ketchup, on sale for $.50 each!
1 - Breyers ice cream, $2.25
-used (1) $1/1 MFC
4 - Bar S Franks, $.88
-used (2) $1/2 printables
1 - 4pk. plastic plates, $1.00
1 - graduation card, $.48
Total = $10.70

Let's hear what kind of deals you were able to get this week!

Huggies New Rewards Program!

2009-05-15T09:45:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: NEW CODES!
LNXBX DXTSH BSPGB - 5 POINTS
RSZNG TJNPH DHPGB - 5 POINTS
ZQQGS FLRLM XBPGB - 5 POINTS
BBMRG BFQGS FBPGB - 1 POINT
KDBDC NJGCF SLPGB - 5 POINTS
STLPM MBQPZ RLPGB - 5 POINTS

I just came across Huggies NEW Rewards program last night - actually, Michael and I were watching Grey's and saw a Huggies commercial for this new program, but the coolest thing is that you can enter every day for a chance to win a year's worth of diapers! I know we could sure put that to good use around here! Anyway, I registered right away and then spent some time checking out the new program. It actually looks pretty cool. When you register, you get 10 points right away. Then, it appears that a lot of the bloggers post codes from time to time that you can enter on the Huggies site to win even more points! The best part: You can use the codes to enter differnet sweepstakes (like a spa vacation or $500 cash) or you can use them to enter instant win games (a $25 Visa gift card or $10 Subway card, etc.)! Sounds pretty great to me! So, I will post the codes that I find on here, and I would love it if you all would help add to the list and leave me comments with any codes that you might find in your searching! Let's all win some free stuff, huh?!?! Here are the codes that I have found so far:

QKKZJ MTZRZ HPPGB - 5 POINTS
TKHNF RLPLS TRPGB - 2 POINTS?
WPBXZ RDDNS PPPGB - 2 POINTS
BBWBH SDHTQ CJPGB - 1 POINT

HOT DEALS at Hy-Vee 5/13 - 5/19

2009-05-14T11:01:00.007-05:00

Thought I would share some of the HOT DEALS that I see at Hy-Vee this week, since this seems to be a new favorite store for me and my fellow couponers here in Iowa! You can also go here to view their full ad!

Whole seedless watermelon, $3.88
Baby carrots, 16oz. bag, $.88
Hy-Vee Russet potoatoes 10lb. bag, $1.58 with in-ad coupon - GREAT PRICE!
Hy-Vee ice cream, 2/$3.00 (I see strawberry shakes in my future!)
Tombstone pizza, 4/$9
-use (2) $1/2 printables, makes these just $1.75 each - stock up!
Jacks pizza, 4/$10
-use (2) $1/2 printables, makes these $2.00 each
Bar S Jumbo Franks, $.88
-buy 2 for $1.76, use (1) $1/2 printable, makes these just $.38 package - stock up! There was also a $1/2 MFC in last Sunday's paper for these.

What other deals have you found at Hy-Vee this week? Please share!