New Coupons I have found!

Time to stock up those coupon organizers!!  Ya never know when you'll come across a good deal!

$1/3 Healthy Choice good to use on canned soups

$1/1 Happy to Fly for anxiety (Walgreens carries these!)

From Sleep Pretty $2/1 to help you sleep!

For all those school supply sales Bic $1/2 here.

$1/1 Bertolli sauce pouch!

and, I hope you've signed up for your 6 $1/1 Cheerios coups!

Seventh Generation has $2/1 diapers, we think they are just as good as Pampers, and chemical free!  (we just used them again on vacation)

A couple of freebies!

Well, not the greatest freebies this week, but oh well!

Clip on radio from AARP for people over 50!

Free Tempur-Pedic info; dvd and material sample.

A free cosmetic bag when you visit this site, print out the home page and mail to; 

Shape Magazine, c/o Neutrogena Offer

PO Box 1919-Murray Hill Station

New York, NY 10056

Try a sample of Sensational, Celine Dions new parfume.

Whats my deal??

Okay, I've been sooo busy!  Returning from vacation, taking care of my baby, coming to an agreement on the house price/addendum....Oh, and I made a batch of soap!  I have the Albertsons deals posting less than half done and should be able to finish it here momentarily, assuming my daughter stays asleep for more than 15 minutes!  She has not been sleeping much lately.  She sleeps well with us at night, waking maybe 2-3 times per night for a total of 10 hours.  But daytime naps by herself???  They have been almost non-existent, from 2 minutes to 20 at the very most.  She has never been a big napper, maybe just once had a 2 hour nap..... But, thats a story for another day....

How much I have loved having all 7 days planned out for our dinners.  I also made sure when I did my grocery shopping that I would have all ingredients for the entire week (a first for me!) and my goodness did it come in handy.  With all going on, I know I can throw together a healthy and well organized dinner without effort, what a lifesaver!! 

And...... the greatest news.....  we had the inspection on our prospective home today and it went great!  No surprises and the inspector even said how great of a deal we were getting on such an impressive and high quality home!!  That is so exciting for us.  What a dream to raise our daughter in such a nice house.  I really feel like someone was watching over us for this deal, what a blessing.  Next step, paperwork, then its ours!!

Okay, time to catch up on email, finish Albertsons posting and go read my favorite blogs!!  Oh, and catch up on the newest freebies!!  Yippee!

Albertsons week of July 30- Aug 5

Not the greatest week for Albertsons but not terrible!

Produce

Strawberries 1.39 lb

Artichokes 2 for $3

Peaches, Plums or Nectarines 1.99 lb

Tomatoes on the vine 1.99 lb

Cantaloupe .79 lb

Post Cereal Deal

Buy 2 gallons of milk get up to 5 boxes Post cereal for 1.19 each!

(includes soy, organic and chocolate)

Great place to use coupons for Just Bunches or Organic or Soy coupons!

10 for $10

Kraft Mac and Cheese

Plochmans Mustard 

Geisha Mandrin oranges

Comet Cleanser

Honest Tea 16.9 oz

Garorade 32 oz

Gerber 2nd foods

Pasta or Rice A Roni

Well, Im sure there were more deals if you really searched but this is all I found.  Oh, well, maybe next week will be better.  The first of the month always seems to be good....

Odd mix of Freebies today!

Free full size baby wipes!!

Free phone call from Hannah Montana.  Great fun for kids, or even more fun to enter in your husbands cell number.  Ha, ha, ha!

Sample of Energy Tea from Shaklee.

Free Acid Reflux pills and newsletter for heartburn.  (click on bottom of page)

Free sample of Computer monitor wipes, always good to have!  

And, Tampax Pearl has a sample here.

Menu Plan Monday

This week I will be focusing on extremely healthy meals.  We are back from our vacation and ready to detox!!  (and inch toward my weight loss goal)

And I think I will start planning all 7 days from now on!  I am really enjoying this planning ahead thing!

Monday

Wheat Berry Minestrone been wanting to use my wheat berries!

Kalamata Rolls (left over from vacation)

Green salad from the garden

Tuesday

Vegetable Yakisoba I made this before, it is really good!

Steamed fresh peas from the garden

Green salad w/ canned oranges, almonds and ginger dressing

Wednesday

Frozen burritos w/ mole sauce

veggie tray

Corn  tortilla chips and salsa

Thursday

Pasta Bake

Green salad from the garden

Carrot Thyme Bread

Friday

Pizza night (I may do vegan pizza- cheeseless!)

Veggie Tray w/ simple Tofu Dip

Saturday

Tacos (bean)

Lots of veggie toppings

Chips and salsa

Sunday

Indian Curry (we use Trader Joes sauce w/ veggies)

Brown rice

Spicy Indian Potatoes (we made this on vacation, soooo good!)

Ahhhh, good to be back!

Well, were home. It sure feels good to be back.

We had a really great time, got a lot of sun, relaxed and even stuck really close to the budget. We did spend a little extra on beer (yum!), baby wipes (not used to this disposable diaper thing) and on bicycle rentals (we even got a little cart to tow the baby, so fun!).

Good news came late thursday night with a call from our broker informing us that we got the house!!! We are so very excited. The inspection will happen late next week and if all goes well we should be in it in a month!

To make up for all my fun indulgences I will tighten up my diet this week. When I say diet I mean the way I eat, I don't 'diet'. I will stay away from sugar, high fat and dairy. Hopefully when I weigh in next friday I will not be disappointed with the results! I always and only weigh myself on fridays (except vacation!) As I had a baby 8 months ago I have been loosing weight ever since and am getting close to my 'goal' weight (10 pounds to go!) This week I will have a really healthy menu plan and may even share some healthy eating tips and recipes.

Happy to be back to life again.

Super Sample Sunday!

I came home to some really great freebies this week.  Four magazines I really like and an awesome book from Seventh Generation!  Natural laundry detergent, Fish Oil and a Sleep Kit from Tylenol.  Love it!

What did you get??

its cloth diaper week!

I just did a little reading on BabyCheapskate and was super excited to hear that it is Cloth Diaper Week! You know I am a huge cloth diaper fan. Not only are they environmentally responsible but even the most expensive BumGenius diapers will end up being cheaper than disposables in the long run!

Ironically, we have decided to go with disposable diapers for our vacation this week and boy do I feel a little bad! I did purchase only one pack of the Seventh Generation for her, at least they are a little better for us all. Though they will still sit in a landfill for hundreds of years I am happy they contain no bleach or harmful and toxic chemicals and scents. It was just was not convenient to do cloth on our trip. I do hate the way they smell though and I know I am also at risk of her getting diaper rash, but one week is not the worst thing in the world. Soon we will have her home in her cozy BumGenius!

Anyway, BabyCheapskate will be giving away 10 BumGenius diapers this week, so all you die hard cloth diaper fans do check out their website as they will be posting the giveaway any day!

Our hike

(view from the top)

Our vacation is going wonderfully.  So far we have done a number of frugal activities.  We took a 3 mile hike. (free of course, and so was the parking!) It was quite a steep hike and very hot.  When we got to the top of the 'mountain' we saw a great view of the lake and the area surrounding.  

(much needed rest)

The 2nd picture I have shown is us taking a little break half way up the hill.  I am wearing the baby pack and you cannot see Sydneys face (we have decided to protect her privacy and will not post pictures of her for the public to see).  The backpack we bought off Craigslist just a week ago and it was a great investment.  We did not discover till we reached the top that unzipping the backpack attachment would lighten the load a TON!  We had to switch the pack back and forth on the way up because it was so heavy.  With the cargo pack taken off and worn separately she is a breeze to carry, I guess we packed too much!

All in all it was a fun hike and we got a really great workout! 

super Sample Sunday!

Super Sample Sunday

I will post my samples in the morning as soon as I get a chance.  I did get a whole bunch this week and snapped a pic before we left for vacation.  My favorite this week was some kind of Mr Safety Man keychain, its super cute!!  Did any of you get that?

I have escaped to the balcony where the internet signal is strongest and have left my camera inside and will upload later.

Show us your samples this week!!  And I would love to hear any creative ideas you have for your samples!

Frugal Vacationing.

How I take a thrifty vacation.

We are going to go on vacation next week and I am soooo excited!  This year we are going to go on a trip with my parents, brother and step sister.  My parents belong to a timeshare-type resort group, so the room is already paid for.  We will be driving 6 hours to get there and as we have a baby now, will be taking our own car.  We are on a budget (and so are they somewhat) so making most meals in is a go.  

Transportation; gas, will be the biggest expense appx; $200 total

Room and Board; free, thanks to my parents

Food; we will bring most of our food already purchased with our monthly food allowance, the rooming is equipped with a full kitchen

Treats; I have set aside snacks and goodies that I have purchased with sales/coupons. Junk food is so much more fun on vacation!

Eating out; we will have appx 2-3 dinners out, 2 lunches and a few snacks.  I have alloted $100.

Activities; we are planning to go see the local sites, spend time at the lake and do lots of window shopping when we aren't hanging out at the lodge.  My husband may play a round of golf (if his clubs fit in the car!!) and that would add $60 + $10 for a snack/drink.  I would then have $30 to spend shopping on a girls day.

Total for trip; $400

Not bad for a seven day vacation!

Share your vacationing tips with me!!  I would love any great ideas to make this even more fun!

a few freebies this morning...

Free Ponds Clean Sweep towelette here.

Guide to sleep disorders w/ lots of info.

Subscription to Automobile magazine. (my husband will LOVE this one!)

Greenies Pill Pocket sample for dog or kitty.

Like to tan?  Get your free Tanning Bed catalog and dream of tanning at home!

Free Jiffy Mix recipe book. Yum!

Albertsons week of July 16-22nd

Albertsons has some deals this week.  Heres how I see it;

10 for $10 -$3= .70 each!

Kraft BBQ sauce

Kool Aid Burstin Waters 6 pack

Kraft Jet Puff marshmallows

Taco bell seasoning

Kraft Easy Mac cups

Jello pudding or gelatin

Taco Bell refried beans

5 for $10 -$3= $1.40

Kool Aid jammers 10 pack

Kraft squeeze mayo or Miracle Whip

Taco Bell Fiesta Bowl

Taco Bell Salsa

Nabisco Snak Sacks (cookies)

Jello Singles

4 for $10 -$3= 1.75 each!

South Beach cereal Bars

Kraft Mac and cheese Crackers

South Beach living Entree sign up for coups here

Kraft Salad dressing

Planters peanuts

Crystal Light ready to Drink 4 pack

Kraft BagelFuls

Post Cereals (HBO, Shredded Wheat, ect.)

Grey Poupon mustard

Kraft Easy mac cups

DiGiorno or California Kitchen for One

Velveeta Shells and cheese or Kraft Deluxe

3 for $10 -$3= 2.34 each

Kraft miracle whip or mayo

Tombstone pizza

Capri sun 100% juice

Family size Nabisco crackers

Yuban coffee

Tazo tea or chai concentrate

General Foods Intl instant flavor coffee

10 for $10

Betty Crocker instant mashed potatoes

Pasta or Rice-a-Roni .50 coupon here

Albertsons Burger or Hotdog buns

Albertsons Baked beans

Albertsons pasta

Sylvania light bulbs

Soyjoy, Cliff, Balance or Luna bar (have coupons from recent paper insert?)

Poweraid (use last weeks .75 coupon)

Homelife napkins

Rosarita refried beans

Albertsons can fruit

John Morrell meat franks, sausage rolls or franks

Produce

Blueberries 1 pint 2.99

Peaches, plums or Nectarines 1.99 lb

Leaf Lettuce .99

Mini watermelon 3.99

Walla Walla onions .99 lb

Red or Green grapes 1.99 lb

Cucumbers .79

Tomatoes on the vine 1.99 lb

mangos .99

Red Cherries 2.99 lb

Have you seen any good deals?  Or any matching coupons?  Share that knowledge for everyones benefit!!

Check out BeCentsAble for more grocery deals!

freebies!

A free sample of Degree deodorant. (super long intro!!)

Free sticker, poster, magnet and tattoos from TNT Fireworks.

Join the Cetaphil Skincare club for free samples.

Try a free Azo sample for UTI treatment and prevention.

Menu Plan Monday

This week will be quick and easy.  We will be going on a family vacation next week so I will be busy preparing, packing and getting our house in order.  (plus we are still dealing with possibly purchasing a new home!!!  We are in the process of bidding right now, we may be dealing with a bidding war, we cant get confirmation of that though yet....)

Monday

Speghetti w/ fresh basil

Salad from the garden

green beans

bread from the machine

Tuesday

Baked potatoes

all the toppings

Steamed broccoli

Cantaloup 

Wednesday

Indian Veggie curry

rice

pita bread

Thursday

no ideas yet....

my husband wants to make Spicy Indian potatoes, yum!!

Friday

Pizza night

veggie tray

Super Sample Sunday!

I got quite a few this week;

Country Home magazine (what a great mag!)

Womens Day magazine

Aveeno facial lotion

Gilette mens bodywash (for the husband)

2 Poise pads

Cottonelle wipe

Berry Metamucil

MultiGrain Cheerios (great for traveling and vacations)

My favorite? The Cheerios.  We are going on a family vacation next week and I have been saving those cereal samples for times like these!!

What is your favorite sample this week?  What are you planning to do with your samples?  We would love hear!

Vinegar Update!!

Well, last night I decided to go out and purchase some Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, we were going out for Subway anyway- may as well make use of the gas!  I went to our local Maxx Nutrition (love them) and they had Bragg Organic ACV (as all those pro-vinegar sites refer to it)!!  The cheapskate in me was very happy to see that it was only 2.79 for a 16 oz bottle.  I read the label on the way home, quite interesting, though not as bad as Dr Bronners, and decided to try it in water, hoping for a better experience this time.  The bottle suggests mixing 1-2 tsp w/ 8oz water and a sweetner of your choice, listing honey, maple syrup, molasses and stevia as options.  Okay, Stevia?  My favorite, I'll give it a shot.  So I get home and make up a glass using 4 drops of stevia.  Maybe it was because my nose was stuffy from the allergies, but it tasted like apple juice, soooo good!!  I actually had 2 glasses.

Now I am excited to try this, just had my morning glass, can't wait for my next!!

Frugal Friday, Apple Cider Vinegar

There are so many claims for Apple Cider Vinegar uses.  I have recently done some research on seasonal allergies and Vinegar.  The claim is that the vinegar balances the acidity in the body and helps, or even ceases, allergies.  Huh.  Its worth a shot I thought.  As I am breastfeeding I refuse to take any drugs for my horrible hay fever, no matter how bad it gets. 

How to take the vinegar?  I have read that some people like to pour the dosage in a glass of water to drink and some prefer 'shots' and some even make a honey lemon tea with it.  I imagined drinking it in water to be the least offensive.  Now for the amount, anywhere from 2 tsp to 2 Tbs seems to be the most popular.  I will use 1 Tbs of my Heinz Apple cider vinegar.  It seems many prefer Organic or even the Braggs but I dont have any of those on hand but will purchase some soon as my vinegar may not be 'real'.

So I pour the vinegar in a glass of water and proceed to drink.  What a horrible mistake.  It takes me a good few minutes to get the stuff down and I seem to have gotten a bit of a stomach ache.  Yuk.  For my next dosage (I will do 2 per day) I decide to take a 'shot'.  This is actually much better and I barely even taste the stuff after 'chasing' it with water.  Not bad, I can do this.

Well, it has been a few days of these treatments and my allergies seem to be a little better.  I think I will get some organic vinegar and mine may not be true apple cider vinegar since it is generic.  I will see if I have better success with that and report back next week!!

Freebies.

Free sample of Airborne Seasonal here.

Pantene Pro V sample here.

Home Depot 10% off coupon and sign up for newsletter w/ free coups as well!

Free Murad skincare sample.

Epinions

Just found a great way to earn a little income.  Have you heard of Epinions?  It is a great website that compares products and allows you to shop at different sites, somewhat similar to Amazon.  This site will pay you for your reviews.  10 reviews = $10!!  

It is really easy to participate, just write a review on a product you know well, review must be at least 200 words.  Do read through the details here, although I didn't find anything concerning.  I have just done a couple and am on my way to my first check!

When you are there be sure to rate each others reviews, 10 great reviews equals another $10 (this promotion only lasts through the month) 

So, good luck and happy earning!

Super Sample Sunday!

Well, not much this week!  I requested the Kiels sample a long time ago and will use that, the stickers came free in a magazine offer, and thats it!!  My favorite?  the Kiels sample, I do really love their products!

What was your favorite sample this week?

Show and tell Saturday.

I did 2 grocery trips this week.  My first stop was the Commissary where I really  stocked up on a bunch of food we needed and filled the freezer a little.  I spent $98 there, saved $24 in coupons and tons in great Commissary reduced prices.

The next day I went to Albertsons and got a ton of grapes, some pantry staples and tons of Albertsons brand pop.  The cases were only 1.25 each and my husband(and my brother) drinks this garbage (usually one a day), so we will be stocked up for a long time!!  I also used a Wild Harvest $1 coupon for some organic applesauce, making it after sale just $2, not bad.  As you can see I also got almost 6 pounds of grapes, Yum! All for 21.18

This months total; 120.80

My goal (with brother staying w/ us) under $300

Home Depot Coups

Home Depot has a new Moving Club, information for anyone who may be moving in the future.  They will also help you with moving announcements and housewarming invitations as well as 10% off a purchase (thats hard to beat!).  You can also sign up here for the Free Garden Club newsletter and get free coupons (the last one was a BOGO on plants!!) and optional is info about the free clinics and newsletter. 

I just thought this one sounded great, especially the free coupons with their super cheap plant prices, you cant beat those! 

Frugal Friday; cheap baby food

This week I discovered a super cheap and easy to prepare baby food.

I try to make it a priority to feed my daughter only organic baby food. As we all know organic can be very expensive. I am a big fan of boiling down my own organic produce, pureeing it and storing it in jars for my daughter. This is a great way to save some money but is a bit time consuming.

This week I purchased (with a coupon and sale, of course!) a jar of organic applesauce. I mixed the apple sauce with some organic baby oats and water, poured it into jars and tossed them in the freezer. I got about 8 2nd size jars worth of food, costing me appx .25 each and only taking seconds of my time!! That is a super deal for organic food packaged in safe glass containers (I wont buy the cheaper organic in plastic).

I won, I won!

I just won these really great Target Coupons from Sienna at NW Deal Mama!  I cannot wait to use them!!  What a nice surprise to find an envelope full of coupons when I was only supposed to win 1.   There are so many possibilities in using the $5/3 stackable coup I just dont know what to do....  Anyone have any great deal scenarios they have used??

more freebies

My mailbox has been really bare lately!! I have gotten one teeny-tiny freebie this week, and it is not even one I requested!!  Hope I get more or my Super Sample Sunday will be 'Sad Sample Sunday' this week!!!

Check this out for a free Slurpee at 7-11 on 7-11.  Just looking at it made me thirsty!

Try a sample of Aricept or learn more about it if a loved one suffers from Alzheimers.

Free Gillette Body wash/shampoo here.

Free subscription to More Magazine, if you have not seen this one before, I have, its a great mag aimed at women 40+.

Traditional Home magazine, I already get this one, its pretty good!

freebies!

Free sample of Pero, a caffeine free coffee substitute. 

Free subscription to Bassmaster or Latina magazines.

Try Nivea for Men comfort shave balm here.

A full bottle of Zout for free?  Here is a link to the try-me-free rebate form to mail in after purchase.

also check out the NatureMade site for new vitamin liquid samples!

my fav coups'

I've added a new feature on the left, 'my favorite coups' right now'.  I will keep what I think are the greatest coupons out there on it.  I will try to add coupon links that are pdf files with multiple coupons when available as these are the easiest way to print multiple coupons at one time.

Always feel free to let me know of any great coups' you have found!