I just made a run to Walgreens.
I hadn't planned on it since I wasn't feeling well, but Micki (my dd) has a bladder infection and therefore having trouble with staying dry throughout the night. We talked to her about getting something some "big girl" pull-ups temporarily, so clothing and bedding won't need to be changed several times a night. I happened to look at the Wags ad and sure enough there were "GoodNites" on sale. Of course, if I have to go to Walgreens, I want to make it worth my effort. The one bad thing about getting these "big-girl" pull-ups is that the cost was more than I would spend, but it was part of a RR program and had a coupon, so I did my best.
My retail total was $46.71. After sales and coupons, my total was 9.21 which is a savings 81%. I received $6 in RR making my total 3.21. That's a 93% savings.
Here's my major deals thanks to Mommysnacks.net and Bargainbriana.com
Huggies, Kotex, Cottonelle, Depend, Poise, Viva or Scott Products: $5 RR (purchase 3)
$1.50 on 2 Kotex coupon *link may expire on 2/28*
$1.50 OverNites 2/28 Insert
I purchased 2 Kotex and 1 OverNites for 14.97. I used the two coupons for $3 total and then received $5 in RR. That's a total of $8 off making my final price for those 3 items $6.97.
Final Price: $2.32 each
Colgate Total Toothpaste 2.99
Recieve $2 in RR making it .99
$0.75/1 Colgate – 2/21/10 SS Insert
Final Price: $0.24
Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets 2/$9
$1 RR (purchase 2) making it 2/$8
B1G1 FREE in the 2/21 RP Insert (exp 3/6/2010)
Final Price: 2 for $3.50 or $1.75 each!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Finally, a Walgreens Run
Finally managed a run to Walgreens but not before my stash of Register Rewards expired!!! UGH! I hate throwing away money!
It reminded me, however, that when you start couponing at Wags or CVS, you don't get as great as deals as later because you don't have any rewards to use. That was definitely evident in my run today, but I can make a good spin on it!
My retail total was 56.53. After sales and coupons, my total was 29.97 which is a 47% savings. I received $10 in Register Rewards making my savings 65%. Again, not as good as usual BUT, I purchased a box of Prilosec which was $24.99 on sale and $19.97 after RR. With that fact in mind, it means that the 4 Right Guard Deodorants and 2 boxes of Theraflu were totally free! See, it's all how you can spin it!
This week I used Mavenofsavin.com and bargainbriana.com for my resources.
Right Guard Sport 3-D Deodorant $2.99 BOGO
$2/2 Right Guard HERE
final = $0.50 each after coupon
Prilosec OTC (42 ct.), $24.99
Earn $5 Register Rewards
$3/1 Prilosec OTC – 2-7-10 P&G
Final Price after Register Rewards: $16.99
Triaminic or Theraflu, 2/$10
Earn $5 Register Rewards when you buy 2
$2/1 Theraflu HERE
Final Price=$0.50 each
It reminded me, however, that when you start couponing at Wags or CVS, you don't get as great as deals as later because you don't have any rewards to use. That was definitely evident in my run today, but I can make a good spin on it!
My retail total was 56.53. After sales and coupons, my total was 29.97 which is a 47% savings. I received $10 in Register Rewards making my savings 65%. Again, not as good as usual BUT, I purchased a box of Prilosec which was $24.99 on sale and $19.97 after RR. With that fact in mind, it means that the 4 Right Guard Deodorants and 2 boxes of Theraflu were totally free! See, it's all how you can spin it!
This week I used Mavenofsavin.com and bargainbriana.com for my resources.
Right Guard Sport 3-D Deodorant $2.99 BOGO
$2/2 Right Guard HERE
final = $0.50 each after coupon
Prilosec OTC (42 ct.), $24.99
Earn $5 Register Rewards
$3/1 Prilosec OTC – 2-7-10 P&G
Final Price after Register Rewards: $16.99
Triaminic or Theraflu, 2/$10
Earn $5 Register Rewards when you buy 2
$2/1 Theraflu HERE
Final Price=$0.50 each
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Save or Wave
From http://www.homemakingwithteach.com/lorriesblog/. Even though this article is not about couponing specifically, I think the ideas are really great and apply well.
How to Decide to Save It or Wave Bye to It. . .
. . . 10 Things You Should Ask Before Deciding
All day long moms have many decisions to make, what to cook for dinner, whether to do two spelling lessons or not, if we should go to the library today or tomorrow, etc. We have all kinds of decisions to make and one of the biggest and longest lasting as far as long-term impact, is whether or not we should buy this or that . . . or not. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself when faced with talking yourself into taking it or leaving it.
1. Do I have a place to put it?
Do you tend to make impulse purchases and then have to deal with where to put it and how to use it? I’m especially challenged in this area when garage sale or thrift store shopping. Come on! A deal is a deal and where to put it and how to use it don’t often enter into the decision. It’s a grab it now or someone else will!
So, let’s make a conscious decision to stop and think before we buy. Make purchasing decisions based on knowing exactly where it will go in your home. If you do, chances are you won’t make that impulse purchase after all!
2. Do I absolutely love it?
This question won’t work in every case. I mean, I don’t love my vacuum, I just love what it does to my carpet! But this is a great question to ask yourself when you are trying to decide whether to keep an item, or get rid of it. If you cannot honestly say you absolutely love it, chuck it!
3. Is it a time or money saver?
If you can’t use it for one of these, and, if it doesn’t bring you joy when you see it, let it go!
4. Will it still be current when I need it again?
Saving clothes, shoes, and textbooks between kids is rather risky. I like to use the saying, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Clothing styles change rapidly as does technology. It’s easy to replace clothing from thrift stores and it’s just too easy to find the most up-to-date information on the web to keep many books.
5. Am I hard up for hard copy space?
Saving papers means we need storage space AND we need to be able to relocate where we stored it. Rather than printing from your computer, save a copy to your computer. Create different folders on your computer or better yet, store it on a removable or external drive the size of a pair of fingernail clippers!
6. Am I hanging on to it out of obligation?
Let’s face it, we all feel a twinge of guilt when we think about not keeping a gift. It’s good to ask ourselves the question of whether or not we’re keeping it out of obligation. If we are, then we need to remember that a gift is given without strings or obligations, and the receiver is free to do as they wish with the gift.
7. Will it affect me financially if I toss or shred it?
There are many places that you can get advice on what financial records you need to keep and for how long. Beyond that, you can shred financial papers without fear. If it’s a receipt for an item you still own that is under warranty, by all means keep it with the owner’s manual, but other than that, fear not!
8. Do I really need to buy it, or can I rent it?
Movies, carpet cleaners, sewing machines, foot baths, etc. How much have you purchased that you only needed once or twice a year? In most cases, rather than owning and thus storing, you can rent much of what you use.
Let’s think about entertaining. If you entertain infrequently and need some warming trays and large beverage dispensers for coffee, tea, and/or a cold drink, the charge to rent isn’t usually anywhere near the cost to purchase and you don’t end up with clutter that you have to store!
9. Do I use it?
Why do we keep things we don’t use? If we don’t use it, lose it! If we don’t wear it, donate it! If we don’t eat it, get rid of it! Think how much less work there will be around the house if we don’t spend all our time maintaining stuff we never use, wear or eat!
10. What’s the worst case scenario if I get rid of it?
By trying to figure out the worst `what-if’ we can be assured that in all likelihood, it won’t ever be an unrecoverable act to get rid of something. For example, say you shred your bank statements and end up needing a copy of one of the statements? No problem, simply contact your bank for another copy!
Or, if you have scanned and stored copies, you have them at the ready without having paper taking up valuable space. In nearly all cases, recovery is that easy!
I hope the 10 questions to ask yourself give you clarity while making decisions on whether to save it or wave bye to it.
How to Decide to Save It or Wave Bye to It. . .
. . . 10 Things You Should Ask Before Deciding
All day long moms have many decisions to make, what to cook for dinner, whether to do two spelling lessons or not, if we should go to the library today or tomorrow, etc. We have all kinds of decisions to make and one of the biggest and longest lasting as far as long-term impact, is whether or not we should buy this or that . . . or not. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself when faced with talking yourself into taking it or leaving it.
1. Do I have a place to put it?
Do you tend to make impulse purchases and then have to deal with where to put it and how to use it? I’m especially challenged in this area when garage sale or thrift store shopping. Come on! A deal is a deal and where to put it and how to use it don’t often enter into the decision. It’s a grab it now or someone else will!
So, let’s make a conscious decision to stop and think before we buy. Make purchasing decisions based on knowing exactly where it will go in your home. If you do, chances are you won’t make that impulse purchase after all!
2. Do I absolutely love it?
This question won’t work in every case. I mean, I don’t love my vacuum, I just love what it does to my carpet! But this is a great question to ask yourself when you are trying to decide whether to keep an item, or get rid of it. If you cannot honestly say you absolutely love it, chuck it!
3. Is it a time or money saver?
If you can’t use it for one of these, and, if it doesn’t bring you joy when you see it, let it go!
4. Will it still be current when I need it again?
Saving clothes, shoes, and textbooks between kids is rather risky. I like to use the saying, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Clothing styles change rapidly as does technology. It’s easy to replace clothing from thrift stores and it’s just too easy to find the most up-to-date information on the web to keep many books.
5. Am I hard up for hard copy space?
Saving papers means we need storage space AND we need to be able to relocate where we stored it. Rather than printing from your computer, save a copy to your computer. Create different folders on your computer or better yet, store it on a removable or external drive the size of a pair of fingernail clippers!
6. Am I hanging on to it out of obligation?
Let’s face it, we all feel a twinge of guilt when we think about not keeping a gift. It’s good to ask ourselves the question of whether or not we’re keeping it out of obligation. If we are, then we need to remember that a gift is given without strings or obligations, and the receiver is free to do as they wish with the gift.
7. Will it affect me financially if I toss or shred it?
There are many places that you can get advice on what financial records you need to keep and for how long. Beyond that, you can shred financial papers without fear. If it’s a receipt for an item you still own that is under warranty, by all means keep it with the owner’s manual, but other than that, fear not!
8. Do I really need to buy it, or can I rent it?
Movies, carpet cleaners, sewing machines, foot baths, etc. How much have you purchased that you only needed once or twice a year? In most cases, rather than owning and thus storing, you can rent much of what you use.
Let’s think about entertaining. If you entertain infrequently and need some warming trays and large beverage dispensers for coffee, tea, and/or a cold drink, the charge to rent isn’t usually anywhere near the cost to purchase and you don’t end up with clutter that you have to store!
9. Do I use it?
Why do we keep things we don’t use? If we don’t use it, lose it! If we don’t wear it, donate it! If we don’t eat it, get rid of it! Think how much less work there will be around the house if we don’t spend all our time maintaining stuff we never use, wear or eat!
10. What’s the worst case scenario if I get rid of it?
By trying to figure out the worst `what-if’ we can be assured that in all likelihood, it won’t ever be an unrecoverable act to get rid of something. For example, say you shred your bank statements and end up needing a copy of one of the statements? No problem, simply contact your bank for another copy!
Or, if you have scanned and stored copies, you have them at the ready without having paper taking up valuable space. In nearly all cases, recovery is that easy!
I hope the 10 questions to ask yourself give you clarity while making decisions on whether to save it or wave bye to it.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Free Sample of South Beach Bar
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
These Hard Economic Times
Received this thought provoking article from http://www.livingonadime.com/.
I keep asking myself, "Has the world gone crazy?" What are people talking about when they say "these hard economic times?" I am so confused because I hear so many people say these are such hard economic times but, at the same time, what I see happening with my own eyes and hearing with my ears is a totally different story.
Let me give you some examples what I mean. Are these examples of hard economic times?
Last year we spent more at Christmas and all year shopping than the year before.
Americans spend 500 million dollars a year to have their teeth whitened -- not cleaned, just whitened to look nice.
A single mom on welfare spends $350 on a cell phone-- not on the calls, just the cell phone.
On a home shopping show they were selling American Girl dolls for $135. The woman selling it said "Kit is our most popular doll."
The other woman said "That is probably because Kit represents the Depression Era and girls nowadays relate so well to that because they have to sacrifice and give up so many things in these hard economic times." They sold out of the doll. This meant several thousand of these poor little girls who have had to give up so much received a $135 doll for Christmas. What was it they had to sacrifice? Maybe it was the $25 outfits that went with the doll. (I have never paid $25 for an outfit for myself let alone for a doll!!)
A woman just lost one of her part time jobs. She was sobbing and crying because her family was going to have to sell their house, which they could no longer afford. For the past several years they have been making very good money but they have been spending it on everything including $150,000 for decorating their home, several trips a year for the whole family to travel across the country and to Canada for sports events their sons wanted to play in, buying a couple of new cars every year, eating out frequently and the so on.
Even after she lost her job they still took another cross country trip to go to a game. After coming totally unglued about the thought of having to sell the house she was asked if they might be able to save the house if they would cut back on their spending a little. Her reply was, "No way. I hate to scrimp and save and do without. I won't live like that." As my son in law loves to say "Allllrighty then..."
My brother just met a man who restores hot rods for a living. When asked if things are getting harder for him the man laughed and said "No, I'm doing better than I ever have and I need to hire someone to help me." My brother is now working for that man. He is getting paid to sand people's car engines so they will look pretty and smooth. People have so much money they can pay bunches to have their engines sanded? Go figure. For those of you who restore cars, don't yell at me! My dad has restored Model A and Model T cars for years, so I know all about car restoring.
Here's my favorite: A sales person selling a $1500 piece of jewelry said, "We know things are so rough in these hard economic times so we have put this on 5 easy payments for you." They sold out of it. Do you know how contradictory that is? If things are so hard, what in the world are people doing buying $1500 pieces of jewelry, even on 5 easy payments?!?!
I don't have anything against people buying jewelry, dolls, cell phones or restoring hot rods. What I do have a problem with is people moaning and groaning about how hard these times are and then taking off to go shopping or play a game of golf.
I keep asking myself, "Has the world gone crazy?" What are people talking about when they say "these hard economic times?" I am so confused because I hear so many people say these are such hard economic times but, at the same time, what I see happening with my own eyes and hearing with my ears is a totally different story.
Let me give you some examples what I mean. Are these examples of hard economic times?
Last year we spent more at Christmas and all year shopping than the year before.
Americans spend 500 million dollars a year to have their teeth whitened -- not cleaned, just whitened to look nice.
A single mom on welfare spends $350 on a cell phone-- not on the calls, just the cell phone.
On a home shopping show they were selling American Girl dolls for $135. The woman selling it said "Kit is our most popular doll."
The other woman said "That is probably because Kit represents the Depression Era and girls nowadays relate so well to that because they have to sacrifice and give up so many things in these hard economic times." They sold out of the doll. This meant several thousand of these poor little girls who have had to give up so much received a $135 doll for Christmas. What was it they had to sacrifice? Maybe it was the $25 outfits that went with the doll. (I have never paid $25 for an outfit for myself let alone for a doll!!)
A woman just lost one of her part time jobs. She was sobbing and crying because her family was going to have to sell their house, which they could no longer afford. For the past several years they have been making very good money but they have been spending it on everything including $150,000 for decorating their home, several trips a year for the whole family to travel across the country and to Canada for sports events their sons wanted to play in, buying a couple of new cars every year, eating out frequently and the so on.
Even after she lost her job they still took another cross country trip to go to a game. After coming totally unglued about the thought of having to sell the house she was asked if they might be able to save the house if they would cut back on their spending a little. Her reply was, "No way. I hate to scrimp and save and do without. I won't live like that." As my son in law loves to say "Allllrighty then..."
My brother just met a man who restores hot rods for a living. When asked if things are getting harder for him the man laughed and said "No, I'm doing better than I ever have and I need to hire someone to help me." My brother is now working for that man. He is getting paid to sand people's car engines so they will look pretty and smooth. People have so much money they can pay bunches to have their engines sanded? Go figure. For those of you who restore cars, don't yell at me! My dad has restored Model A and Model T cars for years, so I know all about car restoring.
Here's my favorite: A sales person selling a $1500 piece of jewelry said, "We know things are so rough in these hard economic times so we have put this on 5 easy payments for you." They sold out of it. Do you know how contradictory that is? If things are so hard, what in the world are people doing buying $1500 pieces of jewelry, even on 5 easy payments?!?!
I don't have anything against people buying jewelry, dolls, cell phones or restoring hot rods. What I do have a problem with is people moaning and groaning about how hard these times are and then taking off to go shopping or play a game of golf.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Free Heart Mini Books
How about free Heart Mini Books made by The Whole Word Publishing? It's available at CurrClick now through Valentine's Day. Free Heart Mini Books
Remember, if you are interested in homeschool things, please check out my homeschool blog at http://www.mrspriceisrighthomeschooling.blogspot.com/.
Remember, if you are interested in homeschool things, please check out my homeschool blog at http://www.mrspriceisrighthomeschooling.blogspot.com/.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Free Excedrin
Take a simple quiz and they will mail you a coupon.
Excedrin Free Coupon
TWO V-Day Walgreens deals on FRI., Feb 12
Friday, Feb. 12, Walgreens will be doing two special deals for Valentine;s Day. I got this because I signed up for emails from Walgreens. Always a good idea!
1. Walgreen's Friends and Family Day-in store only
15% off eligible items and 20% off Walgreens and W store brand items with coupon. You present the coupon at the photo or beauty counters. Here's the link for the coupon: Friends & Family Coupon
2. Get 1 FREE 8 x 10 collage print on Fri., Feb 12 only.
Here's the link: Free 8 x 10 Collage Print and you type VDAY in the check out. I actually like getting these collage prints because it's like getting almost a whole page of scrapbooking done in one setting
Here's all the small print:
1. Valid in Walgreens stores on Friday, February 12, 2010 only, during regular store hours. Offer not valid on prescriptions, cigarettes, dairy products, liquor, liquor department items, phone cards, newspapers, magazines, stamps and gift cards or where otherwise limited by law. Also not valid toward Prescription Savings Club membership fee. Limit one use per person per purchase. Coupon must accompany purchase. Coupon must be presented at the photo or cosmetics counter to apply discount.
2. Present your Friends & Family text message at the photo or cosmetics counter on Friday, February 12, 2010 during regular store hours to receive your discount. Message and Data rates may apply.
3. Coupon code VDAY valid for one use per account on February 12, 2010. Code must be entered at time of checkout to apply discount. Photo cart must include your 8x10 collage print at time of checkout to qualify. Discount does not apply to taxes or shipping charges. Order must be placed by logged-in customer by February 12, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time to qualify. Timing will be determined by Walgreens server clock. 8x10 print format not available at all locations. Not valid on 8x10 single image prints or magazine covers. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Multiple coupon codes may or may not be used based on cart contents. Only one coupon code per order. Only one free 8x10 collage print per customer. Shipping and handling may apply.
1. Walgreen's Friends and Family Day-in store only
15% off eligible items and 20% off Walgreens and W store brand items with coupon. You present the coupon at the photo or beauty counters. Here's the link for the coupon: Friends & Family Coupon
2. Get 1 FREE 8 x 10 collage print on Fri., Feb 12 only.
Here's the link: Free 8 x 10 Collage Print and you type VDAY in the check out. I actually like getting these collage prints because it's like getting almost a whole page of scrapbooking done in one setting
Here's all the small print:
1. Valid in Walgreens stores on Friday, February 12, 2010 only, during regular store hours. Offer not valid on prescriptions, cigarettes, dairy products, liquor, liquor department items, phone cards, newspapers, magazines, stamps and gift cards or where otherwise limited by law. Also not valid toward Prescription Savings Club membership fee. Limit one use per person per purchase. Coupon must accompany purchase. Coupon must be presented at the photo or cosmetics counter to apply discount.
2. Present your Friends & Family text message at the photo or cosmetics counter on Friday, February 12, 2010 during regular store hours to receive your discount. Message and Data rates may apply.
3. Coupon code VDAY valid for one use per account on February 12, 2010. Code must be entered at time of checkout to apply discount. Photo cart must include your 8x10 collage print at time of checkout to qualify. Discount does not apply to taxes or shipping charges. Order must be placed by logged-in customer by February 12, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time to qualify. Timing will be determined by Walgreens server clock. 8x10 print format not available at all locations. Not valid on 8x10 single image prints or magazine covers. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Multiple coupon codes may or may not be used based on cart contents. Only one coupon code per order. Only one free 8x10 collage print per customer. Shipping and handling may apply.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Walgreens 2/9 Now that's what I'm talking about!
I got most of my deals off becentsable.net with another from couponmom.net. Boy, did I enjoy myself!
The retail on my items was $43.83. After sales, coupons, and RRs, I paid...drum roll....$0.94! Yup, less than a dollar for over $43 worth of stuff. That's a savings of 98%! Of course, it doesn't end there. I earned $20 in RR which means that Wags paid me $19 to take almost $44 worth of stuff out of their store!
Dove Men's Body Wash $5.99
Get $5.99 RR
$1.25 off (1/31 RP)
or $1 printable HERE
Final Price: overage
Super Poligrip .75 oz $2.00
Get $2 RR
Final Price: FREE
Nabisco Cookies or Crackers 4-8 oz $.99
$2.00 off 2 printable HERE (IE) or HERE (FF)
Final Price: FREE
Kotex Feminine Care 2 for $6.00
Get $3 RR on two
$2 off 2 printable HERE
Final Price: 2 for $1.00
Fusion razors $8.99 each
buy 1 get $4 RR
$4 off ( 2/7 PG - Fusion)
Final Price: $0.99
Theraflu Products $2/10
Get $5 RR on 2
$2 Theraflu Coupon (print 2)
Final Price: 2 for $1.00
The retail on my items was $43.83. After sales, coupons, and RRs, I paid...drum roll....$0.94! Yup, less than a dollar for over $43 worth of stuff. That's a savings of 98%! Of course, it doesn't end there. I earned $20 in RR which means that Wags paid me $19 to take almost $44 worth of stuff out of their store!
Dove Men's Body Wash $5.99
Get $5.99 RR
$1.25 off (1/31 RP)
or $1 printable HERE
Final Price: overage
Super Poligrip .75 oz $2.00
Get $2 RR
Final Price: FREE
Nabisco Cookies or Crackers 4-8 oz $.99
$2.00 off 2 printable HERE (IE) or HERE (FF)
Final Price: FREE
Kotex Feminine Care 2 for $6.00
Get $3 RR on two
$2 off 2 printable HERE
Final Price: 2 for $1.00
Fusion razors $8.99 each
buy 1 get $4 RR
$4 off ( 2/7 PG - Fusion)
Final Price: $0.99
Theraflu Products $2/10
Get $5 RR on 2
$2 Theraflu Coupon (print 2)
Final Price: 2 for $1.00
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Free Copybook
A Copybook of Love- Passages from 1 John 4:7-21
from Proverbs 22:6 Academy
On each page is a King James verse from the passage with space for the student to copy the passage. The passages can be used for penmanship practice, memory work, and/or Bible study.
Click here to download this copybook in three different font styles: manuscript, transitional manuscript, and cursive.
from Proverbs 22:6 Academy
On each page is a King James verse from the passage with space for the student to copy the passage. The passages can be used for penmanship practice, memory work, and/or Bible study.
Click here to download this copybook in three different font styles: manuscript, transitional manuscript, and cursive.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Valentine's Day on a Dime
From Livingonadime.com
Using a little imagination, you can make your Valentine's day a little more fun and a lot less expensive. If you want to add a little personalized romance or if you don't have the time or money to buy all the pre-made things in the store, here are some ideas to help you make the day special.
For The Kids:
My mom always made a great but inexpensive Valentine's Day treat for us. She would take construction paper and cut a big heart out of it. (About 8x10 inches) then she would staple the edges together and write our names and an "I love you" on the outside. Then she would fill the heart with candy, purchased on clearance after Christmas. It was very inexpensive but we loved it!
Have a Valentine's treasure hunt. Leave little notes around with the last one leading back to the kitchen table with a heart full of candy.
For The Lunches:
Make heart shaped Valentine's cookies, cut the kids (or hubby's) sandwiches with a heart shaped cookie cutter to make a heart sandwich. Add a few Valentine's chocolates and put a note in red with a big heart on their napkin.
Serve anything red for the day. Serve red Jello, red pudding, red apples, toast with strawberry jelly, tomato soup, red applesauce, red Kool-aid, strawberry milk, or red frosted cookies. Use powered food coloring from the cake store to get the deepest shade of red. Leave sticks of red gum in their Valentine's Day cards.
Make red heart shaped cupcakes. Make cupcakes as usual but place a marble down the side of the muffin tin between the muffin tin and each cupcake cup. This will make heart shaped cupcakes.
Make hearts out of chocolate chips in each of your pancakes.
Things To Do With Or For Your Honey:
Mail your pre-addressed and stamped Valentines to Loveland, Colorado and they will postmark them and mail them for you. Send them to: Postmaster, Valentine Re-mailing, 446 E. 29th St., Loveland, CO 80538(If you do this, you'll want to do it soon! To arrive on time to a US Destination, your cards should be in Loveland by Feb. 9.)
Make a treasure hunt for your spouse. Start by mailing or e-mailing him the first clue. Then leave clues all over the house, yard, car or his office telling him where to find the next clue. End the hunt by making a picnic in the back yard or going to a park for a picnic. Use your imagination and have fun. The simple things are the ones people remember.
Go to a bookstore and enjoy the silence and browse. Get a cup of coffee and make a date of it.
Celebrate Valentine's day AFTER Valentine's day. Everything is half off.
Mail a love letter to your hubby's work.
Send your spouse a sexy email message.
Leave "Why I love you" message all over the house. Buy a package of the cheap Valentines. Leave a message on each one and hide them all over the house for your honey. They will get to enjoy the gift for months!
Use lipstick to make hearts and love notes on the rear view mirror, car windows, bathroom mirror or windows of the house.
Leave a kiss on his napkin for lunch or dinner.
Make a bunch of hearts out of construction paper. Put a love note on each one. Paste them all over the front door or car before your hubby or kids come home from work.
If you don't have money to go out, have a picnic on the floor. Use some candles and lay a soft blanket on the floor. Put on some soft music and have a romantic Valentine's dinner on the floor. Use some white Christmas lights for additional romantic lighting!
Using a little imagination, you can make your Valentine's day a little more fun and a lot less expensive. If you want to add a little personalized romance or if you don't have the time or money to buy all the pre-made things in the store, here are some ideas to help you make the day special.
For The Kids:
My mom always made a great but inexpensive Valentine's Day treat for us. She would take construction paper and cut a big heart out of it. (About 8x10 inches) then she would staple the edges together and write our names and an "I love you" on the outside. Then she would fill the heart with candy, purchased on clearance after Christmas. It was very inexpensive but we loved it!
Have a Valentine's treasure hunt. Leave little notes around with the last one leading back to the kitchen table with a heart full of candy.
For The Lunches:
Make heart shaped Valentine's cookies, cut the kids (or hubby's) sandwiches with a heart shaped cookie cutter to make a heart sandwich. Add a few Valentine's chocolates and put a note in red with a big heart on their napkin.
Serve anything red for the day. Serve red Jello, red pudding, red apples, toast with strawberry jelly, tomato soup, red applesauce, red Kool-aid, strawberry milk, or red frosted cookies. Use powered food coloring from the cake store to get the deepest shade of red. Leave sticks of red gum in their Valentine's Day cards.
Make red heart shaped cupcakes. Make cupcakes as usual but place a marble down the side of the muffin tin between the muffin tin and each cupcake cup. This will make heart shaped cupcakes.
Make hearts out of chocolate chips in each of your pancakes.
Things To Do With Or For Your Honey:
Mail your pre-addressed and stamped Valentines to Loveland, Colorado and they will postmark them and mail them for you. Send them to: Postmaster, Valentine Re-mailing, 446 E. 29th St., Loveland, CO 80538(If you do this, you'll want to do it soon! To arrive on time to a US Destination, your cards should be in Loveland by Feb. 9.)
Make a treasure hunt for your spouse. Start by mailing or e-mailing him the first clue. Then leave clues all over the house, yard, car or his office telling him where to find the next clue. End the hunt by making a picnic in the back yard or going to a park for a picnic. Use your imagination and have fun. The simple things are the ones people remember.
Go to a bookstore and enjoy the silence and browse. Get a cup of coffee and make a date of it.
Celebrate Valentine's day AFTER Valentine's day. Everything is half off.
Mail a love letter to your hubby's work.
Send your spouse a sexy email message.
Leave "Why I love you" message all over the house. Buy a package of the cheap Valentines. Leave a message on each one and hide them all over the house for your honey. They will get to enjoy the gift for months!
Use lipstick to make hearts and love notes on the rear view mirror, car windows, bathroom mirror or windows of the house.
Leave a kiss on his napkin for lunch or dinner.
Make a bunch of hearts out of construction paper. Put a love note on each one. Paste them all over the front door or car before your hubby or kids come home from work.
If you don't have money to go out, have a picnic on the floor. Use some candles and lay a soft blanket on the floor. Put on some soft music and have a romantic Valentine's dinner on the floor. Use some white Christmas lights for additional romantic lighting!
Monday, February 1, 2010
10 Food Budget Ideas
From a recent flylady.com email:
According to the USDA, the average American family of four is spending $80 a month more on groceries than they did a mere 3 years ago. For a lot of families, the upturn in grocery spending does not reflect an upturn on family income. Clearly something has got to give!
We've all noticed how much food has gone upâI can't think of one thing that hasn't. And while I cannot control food prices, I can control my own budget and as it becomes necessary, cut back to keep my food expenses in line. Here are 10 ways to cut back without sacrificing nutrition:
1)Eat vegetarian one night a week (rice and beans is a favorite with my kids).
2)Eat breakfast for dinner one night a week (pancakes and eggs are way cheap). Light candles and serve juice in wine glasses for fun.
3)Eat greens and beans one night a week (I use frozen collards, turnip greens etc. on sale to keep the cost down). Give your big guys Tabasco sauce to bump it up!
4)Eat homemade soup one night a week (try the one below!).
5)Cook with your crockpot one night a week (utilizing inexpensive cuts of meat and poultry).
6)Only buy meat and produce on sale and/or marked down.
7)Eat from your freezer one night a week (you'd be surprised at how many meals are in there just waiting to be thrown together!).
8)Buy dried beans and make your own instead of buying canned (instructions on how to cook them are right on the bag).
9)Make your own chicken broth from your leftover roast chicken (throw the carcass, an onion, carrots and celery into a pot, cover with water, simmer for an hour or so).
10)Pack PB & J's, some carrot sticks and waters for dinner the night you're all running all over the place (nixing the drive thru). No one will die from not having a "proper meal".
This is all easy stuff and doesn't require a lot of thought. Eating vegetarian for example, could be combined with eating greens and beans for dinner or eating soup, or breakfast for dinner. The point is the thought process of cutting back, making do and using up what you have. You can live on less than you think, that includes food.
Try some of these suggestions. Go shopping in your freezer and fridge before you even begin to plan your menu this week. Likewise, check out that pantry for anything that might turn into dinner this week.
Keeping clutter at bay requires cutting back on unnecessary purchases. This includes food!
Crock Bean Soup with Kale
Serves 6
3 tablespoons olive oilâ¨
3 medium onions, choppedâ¨
1 medium carrot, choppedâ¨
3 cloves garlic, pressedâ¨
1 bunch kale, trimmed and slicedâ¨(or use 2 cups frozen greens)
1 pound cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can also use white beans)
4 cups low sodium chicken brothâ¨(make your own or buy canned)
1/4 cup tomato sauceâ¨
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to tasteâ¨â¨
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add kale and cook till wilted, about 3 minutes.â¨In a crock pot, place soaked, drained beans; add crushed red pepper flakes and the contents of the skillet; cover with broth (add a little water if necessary, but crockpot should be 3/4 full).
Cook on high for 8 hours, or until beans are tender. Once beans are tender, add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste.â¨â¨
Per Serving: 349 Calories; 8g Fat; 19g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 85mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain (Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.â¨S
ERVING SUGGESTIONS: Some whole grain rolls and a big salad.
Love,Leannewww.savingdinner.com
Follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/savingdinner
According to the USDA, the average American family of four is spending $80 a month more on groceries than they did a mere 3 years ago. For a lot of families, the upturn in grocery spending does not reflect an upturn on family income. Clearly something has got to give!
We've all noticed how much food has gone upâI can't think of one thing that hasn't. And while I cannot control food prices, I can control my own budget and as it becomes necessary, cut back to keep my food expenses in line. Here are 10 ways to cut back without sacrificing nutrition:
1)Eat vegetarian one night a week (rice and beans is a favorite with my kids).
2)Eat breakfast for dinner one night a week (pancakes and eggs are way cheap). Light candles and serve juice in wine glasses for fun.
3)Eat greens and beans one night a week (I use frozen collards, turnip greens etc. on sale to keep the cost down). Give your big guys Tabasco sauce to bump it up!
4)Eat homemade soup one night a week (try the one below!).
5)Cook with your crockpot one night a week (utilizing inexpensive cuts of meat and poultry).
6)Only buy meat and produce on sale and/or marked down.
7)Eat from your freezer one night a week (you'd be surprised at how many meals are in there just waiting to be thrown together!).
8)Buy dried beans and make your own instead of buying canned (instructions on how to cook them are right on the bag).
9)Make your own chicken broth from your leftover roast chicken (throw the carcass, an onion, carrots and celery into a pot, cover with water, simmer for an hour or so).
10)Pack PB & J's, some carrot sticks and waters for dinner the night you're all running all over the place (nixing the drive thru). No one will die from not having a "proper meal".
This is all easy stuff and doesn't require a lot of thought. Eating vegetarian for example, could be combined with eating greens and beans for dinner or eating soup, or breakfast for dinner. The point is the thought process of cutting back, making do and using up what you have. You can live on less than you think, that includes food.
Try some of these suggestions. Go shopping in your freezer and fridge before you even begin to plan your menu this week. Likewise, check out that pantry for anything that might turn into dinner this week.
Keeping clutter at bay requires cutting back on unnecessary purchases. This includes food!
Crock Bean Soup with Kale
Serves 6
3 tablespoons olive oilâ¨
3 medium onions, choppedâ¨
1 medium carrot, choppedâ¨
3 cloves garlic, pressedâ¨
1 bunch kale, trimmed and slicedâ¨(or use 2 cups frozen greens)
1 pound cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can also use white beans)
4 cups low sodium chicken brothâ¨(make your own or buy canned)
1/4 cup tomato sauceâ¨
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to tasteâ¨â¨
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add kale and cook till wilted, about 3 minutes.â¨In a crock pot, place soaked, drained beans; add crushed red pepper flakes and the contents of the skillet; cover with broth (add a little water if necessary, but crockpot should be 3/4 full).
Cook on high for 8 hours, or until beans are tender. Once beans are tender, add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste.â¨â¨
Per Serving: 349 Calories; 8g Fat; 19g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 85mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain (Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.â¨S
ERVING SUGGESTIONS: Some whole grain rolls and a big salad.
Love,Leannewww.savingdinner.com
Follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/savingdinner
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