Today's CVS Trip

I  told you about the $5/$30 coupon that came by email last week.  When I looked through the CVS ad this week, I was very disappointed in what I saw, and I almost decided it just wasn't worth it.  That was until my husband told me he was almost out of Prilosec.  I usually get the store brand, but this week the name brand was on sale for $24.99 and giving back $7 ECBs.  There are usually high value coupons available for it, but I was only able to find a $1 off coupon this morning in my hurried prep to get out the door with the kids in tow.  I also picked up two Welch's juices that were on sale giving back $1 ECB.

Sale Price Before Coupons:      $30.99
Price After Coupons:                $23.49
I used the $22 ECBs I had from last trip, total paid:  $1.51 on my gift card.
I got back $8 in ECBs to use next time


Things to note:

1. The box of Prilosec contained $15 worth of P&G coupons inside the box.
2. They were out of the Prilosec on the main shelf, but they had some behind the pharmacy counter.  When I was told to go to the pharmacy counter to get it, I kind of cringed on the inside.  The pharmacy tech's just don't deal with coupons all that often, and I've had trouble checking out at the pharmacy counter before.  This time, she did not believe that I could use all of my ECBs since I had four of them that added up to $22 along with my other coupons, so she called the manager, who told her just to ring until it beeped.  Of course, I knew it wouldn't beep since it didn't go over the cost, and it worked just fine.  I have once had a Target pharmacist refuse to let me use a Target store coupon with a manufacturer coupon.  So my point is, avoid the headache and just go to the front where they are hopefully better trained.  It's really not their fault.
3. I truly think that shopping with coupons at CVS has made me brain-damaged.  I somehow, in my crazy little mind, think that I have failed to get a good deal at CVS this week since I went in with $22 ECBs and came out with only $8 ECBs.  In an ideal situation, you want to pay as little as possible out of pocket and maintain a constant amount of ECBs to use for the next week.  So I keep having to smack myself and tell myself that I pretty much just got my husband's $25 meds for nothing and still made money off of the deal.  Some weeks you will get back more than others.  This week was not a good week for ECBs, in my opinion, but I was able to get what I really needed, which was prilosec and juice, and not pay for it, and that's what really matters. =)

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Dial Hand Soap Coupon=Possibly Free Soap

There is a $0.50/1 Dial Complete Foaming Hand Wash coupon.  The link is on the right hand side under the Dial logo.  I was able to print it twice, but I had to go back to the original page and click through to it a second time.

If you store doubles, this could mean free soap, since I have seen this go on sale for $1 from time to time.

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Freezer Cooking: Pot Pies and Chicken Enchiladas

I have been a little less ambitious with my freezer cooking lately.  I have been sticking to just one recipe per day, which means I've been cooking on more days, but that is ok.  I've been able to put a few meals here and there into my freezer, and that is always a time-saver in the end.

This past week, I thawed a couple whole chicken that I had in my freezer.  My husband likes how the meat tastes when he injects a homemade marinade into them and then cooks them in out small rotisserie.  You do not need to do it this way though.  There are plenty of other ways to cook the chicken that are not as messy and time consuming. ;)  After we cooked the chicken, we took the meat off and put it aside.  We put the carcass into  a pot of boiling water and made some chicken stock.

The first recipe I made was my grandmother's chicken pot pie recipe.  This is a very easy recipe to make and it is great to keep on hand for when someone needs a meal.  I've given these out to several of my friends at church who have had a baby or other health problems and everyone has raved about them.  In fact, a good friend of mine that I had given this recipe to (hi Amber!) just told me she successfully made one and intends to make more to freeze. =)

Here's the recipe (makes 1 pie):

2tbsp butter
1/2 lb white onions
1/2 cup celery
6tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth (I use what came from boiling the bones)
1 cup milk
3 cups cooked chicken  Edited:  This is what my grandmother's recipe calls for, but I have always thought it was a mistake and way too much.  I don't see how that much chicken can even fit into the pie pan with all of the other ingredients!  I use about 1-1 1/2 cups per pie.
1 can corn*
1 can peas*
1lb potatoes*
season to taste
pie crust **

*I leave the potatoes out entirely because they turn to mush when thawed.  I opt for a bag of frozen mixed veggies instead of the canned veggies.
**You may make your own crust if you like and have a recipe for that.  I buy the frozen deep dish shells and the refrigerated roll out tops.  Sadly, the crust is the most costly part of this whole recipe. =P

Heat butter in a large pot, add onions and celery, cook for 10 min.  Remove from heat.  Stir in flour, seasonings, broth, milk, meat, and veggies.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake according to the instructions for the crust you use.

Here is the filling.

 Here is one completed pie:

 I quadruple the recipe.  This needs 4 cups of cooked chicken, which I have found is nearly perfectly the meat from 1 whole chicken.  I have also found that this makes enough filling for 5 pies.  I only had 4 shells, so I took a corning ware dish and lined it with foil and poured the last part into it.  I froze it, then removed it from the dish and bagged it.  I will that it and place in back into the same dish and top it with biscuits for dinner one night.  Here they are in my freezer.

The next day we cooked another chicken in the rotisserie.  We boiled down its carcass, and froze the stock from this chicken to use later.

 With the meat from this second chicken I made a double recipe of chicken enchiladas.

Here's the recipe:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (it has a strong cilantro flavor, so cut down on that if you aren't a huge fan)
season to taste
4 oz (1 cup grated) cheddar cheese for topping
6 6-in flour tortillas

Combine all but the cheese and tortillas in a bowl and mix well.

If making fresh (not freezing), spoon the mixture into the tortillas and lay them out into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  Cover with cheese.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.  This picture is before baking.

If you want to freeze it, place the mixture and the cheese into separate small freezer bags.  Place them into a large freezer bag containing the tortillas.  To serve, thaw and assemble as above.

I doubled the recipe, and we ate one meal of it that night and I had one more meal to put into my freezer.

I really like this recipe, but it is very heavy on the chicken.  With the pot pie recipe, I can get 5 meals out of one whole chicken, but with this recipe I can only get two.  If anyone has a recipe that is a little lighter on the meat, I would love to try it.  I was thinking about maybe adding some Spanish rice to the mixture, and see how that is.

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Aldi Trip Today

My fridge was nearly bare, as is usually the case right before payday each month.  I went to Aldi today, and rectified that situation.  I have a few more places I want to get to before their sales end, though.  My husband is going to stop at one of the Hispanic grocery stores on the way home from work to get some ground beef and chicken breasts that are on sale for $1.19/lb each.  I was able to stock up on a lot of produce at Aldi this afternoon, though.  Here is a picture of what I got.  You can click on it to enlarge it.  My total for everything pictured, plus some decongestant that got left out, was $67.98 and that included a large bag of cat food, a 12 double roll pack of toilet tissue, 3 packs of Italian sausage links.  I also picked up 6 packs of the tri-color peppers and 4 bags of the yellow onions that I had told you about here.  The onions were actually only $0.85/bag at my store.

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Playtex Coupon

Go here to print a coupon for $2.00/1 box of Playtex Gentle Glide tampons, 18 ct or larger.  This will make a great deal paired with a sale.  Print it twice.  Sometimes I've seen these on sale buy one get one free, so you could use both coupons, if your store allows that, for a great deal.

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In The Mail

My mail has been really slow lately, but I got a few freebies yesterday.  Here they are:

I honestly do not remember signing up for this magazine, so I don't know if it was a full year subscription or just a couple issues.  This is the second one I've gotten.  Now I am not a huge fan of this woman, but I was surprised that many of the recipes in the magazine sounded really good.  Usually, the recipes in food magazines do not appeal to me at all.  So, I was pleasantly surprised flipping through it.  if I decide to try any of them I will tell you about it.

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Friday is Mega SwagBucks Day

Just wanted to give you guys a quick reminder that you can win Mega Swagbucks on Fridays!

If you have not signed up yet, you can do so here.

Just a note:  The site is having some issues today and is only working sporadically.

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Check Your Email: $5/$30 CVS Coupon

Check you email!  I just got a coupon for $5 off my next $30 in-store purchase at CVS.   This one is even better than the ones they usually send because it is valid for a whole week, not just three or four days!  It does not expire until next Wednesday, and that is great because I had not planned on going to CVS this week.

If you are new to shopping at CVS, make sure you print this coupon!  This types of offers are great for reducing your initial expenses before you have any ECBs to use!

If you have not registered your email address yet, or you do not have a CVS card, go to CVS.com.  There you can register your card and link it to your email address, or even request a card.  Of course, you can also just ask for one when you go to a store. ;) When you first register your email address, your welcome email will contain a similar coupon as above.  It is usually a $4/$20-$25 coupon.

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Free Sample of Crest Pro Health For Me

Vocalpoint is offering a free sample of a new product called Crest ProHealth For Me.  This is a product designed for teens and preteens.  The site description says:

"Crest & Oral-B Pro-Health® FOR ME is created for tweens and specially designed to protect areas dentists check in kids.
Kids helped design the products with cool looks and kid-friendly flavors, so they'll actually want to use them to take care
of their mouths.

Help your tweens establish healthy habits for life. Because you can't (and don't want to) look over their shoulders forever.."

Click the link above and login to your vocalpoint account.  Scroll to the bottom and you will see a link that says "Request a Sample"

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A Few Deals from Kroger

Kroger:

Pilgrim's Pride Split Chicken Breast       $0.99/lb.
Sara Lee Bread Classic White               $0.98
Kraft Cheese (shreds, bars, or singles)   $1.99
  *Deal*:  Buy 5 and use the $5/5 coupon I told you about here to get them for $0.99 each!

Thats a pretty good stock up price for cheese in my opinion, so I intend to go and buy 10 packs.  It won't be the first time I've gone into Kroger just for cheese. ;)

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A Few More Tom Thumb Deals

When I first get the newspaper on Wednesday mornings, the first thing I do is glance through the grocery sale ads to see if anything jumps out at me as a great deal.  Sometimes there are so many great deals that I am almost giddy with excitement, but lately I have not been incredibly impressed by the sales going on at any of the major grocery chains around me.  It seems like there has been a major lull in the good coupon deals lately, but those don't usually last very long, so I keep hoping the next set of ads will bring something grand.

Most weeks, though, I find a few good deals at each store.  I honestly do not have the time to do full coupon match-ups for every store I shop at, but I would like to share with you the few things that jump out at me.  These are things that I know there are great coupons for, and they are also the things that I will most likely be buying for my family.  If you live in my area, and are having trouble finding a deal on a particular object, email me and let me know, and I will keep an eye out!

Anyway..here are the things that I noticed are great deals at Tom Thumb this week:

Sanderson Farms Whole Chickens        $0.59/lb---great price!
Fresh Express Salad & Spinach            $1    (use $0.55/1 coupon from my previous post=$0.45)
Campbell's Select Harvest Soups          $1    (use $1/1 coupon makes these free, or $0.50/2 from 9/12 or 9/19 SS)
Spaghettios of Campbell's Condensed   $1  (coupons in 9/12 and 9/12 SS and here)
Quaker Oatmeal Squares Cereal           $1.49 w/in-ad coupon
Silk Soy Milk                                        $1.99 w/in-ad coupon  Use $2/2 coupon from 9/19 to get them for $1 each.
Dial Hand Soap                                      $0.99   (use $0.35/1 from 8/15 Red Plum-triples=FREE)

Notes:
*There were some Campbell's and Spaghettios e-coupons available on Shortcuts.com.  Perhaps I did not allow enough time after loading them to my card, but they did not come off of my order last week.  Make sure to load them up, because Tom Thumb allows those to stack with paper coupons.
*Tom Thumb will triple coupons up to $0.39 and double coupons up to $0.50, *BUT* they will only multiply one like coupon per transaction.  It you use two of the $0.50/2 campbell's, the first will double, but the second will not.

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New Fresh Express Coupon=Cheap Salad at Tom Thumb

There is a new coupon available for $0.55/1 Fresh Express Blends, Baby Blends, or Gourmet Cafe Salads.

This week at Tom Thumb, Fresh Express Spinach, Lettuce Trio, and Green & Crisp varieties are just $1 each.  I do not believe this coupon will work for the spinach, but it should for the other two kinds.  These are regularly priced at $2.99, so the sale price is amazing to begin with.  After the coupon, you will pay only $0.45!

I am going to get some of the spinach also, because I need it to make one of my favorite soup recipes!  I will share that with you when I make it.

Thanks, Amber!

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Aldi Produce Deals 9/22-9/28

Aldi has some really great deals going on this week:

1 Gallon Milk                      $0.99!!!!!
Avocados                           $0.35
3 Pack Multicolor Bell Peppers  $1.49   (red, yellow, and orange)
12 oz. Garden Salad            $0.49
Grape Tomatoes (10oz.)     $0.75
Yellow Onions                    $0.29/lb sold in 3lb. bags for $0.87 each
Whole Mushrooms (8oz.)   $0.59 each



I am definitely going to be stocking up on the peppers.  I like to slice them up in strips and freeze them.  Then they are ready to go for any recipe that needs them!  Besides fajitas, of course, I love to throw a few handfuls in with alfredo sauce recipes.  They add color and flavor!

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New Site: Mills Advisory Panel

I just stumbled upon a new site, or at least it was new to me.  It is called the Mills Advisory Panel .  You can register, fill out a short survey, and it says you will be contacted whenever a project is a match for your profile.  There is also some sort of points system that you are able to redeem points for certificates at giftcertificates.com.  I don't have any points right now, since I just joined.  I do not know how many fast eh points will accumulate in order to redeem a reward.  I am willing to give it a shot though, and I'm hoping that I will get to test out some new products for them.  I think that is sometimes more fun than earning rewards, anyway.

Have any off you previously signed up with this site?  If you have, let us know what it is like!

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Green Giant Coupon = Free Veggies?

There is a $0.50 off any one Green Giant Vegetable coupon available.  Scroll down to the bottom right of the page.  This is a bricks coupon, so hit the back button and print it twice.  You may even want to print from multiple computers if you have that option because the small boxes of these will go on sale for $1 or less.  If your store doubles this will mean free veggies!

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A Few Free Samples

Here are a few free samples that I found.  Click on the links to request yours.

Cream of Wheat Cinnabon Flavor  (looks like the coupon has reached its print limit)

Wisk Laundry Detergent  (scroll your mouse over the blinking hexagons on the bottle and the free sample link will light up)

Jergens Overnight Repair Lotion  (says it will arrive with a $1 off coupon)

Pampers Dry Max  (from Sam's but membership number is not required)  *Note*:  Looks like only size 3 is still available, which is what my baby wears, but it told me I had already requested the sample...I do not recall doing so.  Let me know if it works for you!

Shout Color Catcher  Also, once you hit submit, the following page has a link to print a $0.55 coupon.

Sun Crystals All Natural Sweetener  After you hit submit, you will have the option to print a $1 coupon.

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Sunday Coupon Preview 9/19

Go here for a list of what coupons should be in tomorrow's newspaper.  We should be getting 1 SmartSource and 1 RedPlum.

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CVS Part 2

I told you about my previous trip to CVS this week, and how I had gotten a $5/$15 coupon at the bottom of my receipt.  Well, I was running around cleaning my house this morning and almost completely forgot about it.  Then, I sat down to check my email and saw the Lysol coupons I shared with you earlier, and that sparked my memory!  I quickly gathered up those coupons I had just printed, and made a quick trip over there.  Here is what I came home with this time:

Shelf Price:  $25.12
Sale Price:   $16.36
Price After Coupons:  $5.99  (including the $5/$15 but no extra bucks)
I paid using a $5 ECB's from my last trip and put the remaining $1.07 with tax on my gift card--after 4 trips I still have $3.20 on there!

I also received $9.99 total ECB's ($5 from Lysol and $4.99 from Nivea).  I have a $9.99 and a $2 remaining from Tueday for a total of about $22 in ECB's to spend next week.

My total after the Lysol and Nivea was going to be only $14.99, so I needed to add one more penny to my total to be able to use my coupon.  Luckily I noticed that they had finally stocked the Gain dish soap.  I had a free coupon for it that was expiring soon and I had not been able to find the small bottle anywhere.

There was also that $1 off Gain coupon in the 8/29 P&G insert.  The shelf price was $1.37, so you can use that coupon to get it for just $0.37 next time you go.  Maybe they will put it on sale for $1 and then the coupon would make it free. =)

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Scott Extra Soft Coupon

Go here to save $1 on any 8-roll or larger pack of Scott Extra Soft.

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Cleaning Product Coupons: Arm & Hammer and Lysol

Here are a few coupons that I recently received by email.  If you use these products regularly, sign up for their email lists while you are there and they will be delivered to your email, too!

Arm & Hammer Coupons

Lysol

If you haven't gotten to CVS yet this week, print these quickly to use on the Lysol deal that ends today!

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Yesterday's Tom Thumb Trip

I made a trip to Tom Thumb Yesterday because they were running two promotions, a Kraft Promotion, an a Campbell's Promotion.  We were all out of juice and cream soups, so I wanted to grab some while they were cheap.   Here is what I got:

Shelf Price:  $53.10

Sale Price:   $33.78

Total OOP:  $21.28          (60% savings)

I also got several coupons from the Catalina machine.  Apparently there was a Catalina promotion for the V8 Juice.  I purchased 4 bottles, and I received a $1 coupon.  I wonder if I would have gotten more if I had bought more?  I also got a coupon for a FREE box of mashed potatoes.  I'll be sure to pick those up next time I'm in there.

The store I went to had just installed self check-out machines that morning, so I got to test them out on day one.  They were very nice, and allowed you to scan your own coupons (at my Kroger you have to give them all to the attendant).  Since I used so many, I had to have the worker come approve it, but its hard to show them the coupons when you've already had to stick them in the little slot...lol.  But all went smoothly.

I know many people do not like self-check out machines, but personally I really do not mind.  I worked at a grocery store when I first got married, and I would go in at 6am and have to man all 4 self check-out machines plus open a register if a customer refused to go to them.  I learned their quirks, and at times I find them easier to deal with than humans.  Plus, no one else wants to use them, so there is never a line. ;)

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New Instant Win Game at Kroger.com: Free Products

Kroger has a new Cart Buster Instant Win Game available on their website.  To play, drag all the items on the shelf into your basket, and then it will tell you if you are a winner.  I just won a free 2-Liter of Pepsi Max or Sierra Mist!

Let me know if you win!  I still have to redeem my free Angel Soft from the last instant win game they had!  It expires on Saturday.  If you still haven't redeemed something you won during their last game, check your account to make sure it is still active and redeem it soon!

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My Kikkoman Rebate Item Arrived

Here is what I got in the mail today from the Kikkoman rebate I told you about here.  Can't go wrong with a free shopping bag!  Did anybody else submit for this rebate?  Have you got your's yet?  If so, what was it?

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Aldi Produce Deals 9/15-9/21

These are the produce deals advertised this week at Aldi for the Dallas area:

Cantaloupe                      $0.79 each
Bananas                           $0.39/lb
Pineapples                        $1.49 each
Red and Green Grapes     $0.79/lb (sold in 2lb packages for $1.59)


I know that not everyone has an Aldi in their area, as they just opened up in my area, and until then I had never heard of them.  However, in the past 5 months that they've been in business here, I have come to LOVE this store!  They have great everyday low prices on many of the essentials, and for their small size there have only been a handful of items on my list that I have not been able to find there.  They advertise very little, and there is not a lot of change in many of their prices, but I would like to note the produce prices that they advertise each week.  These prices are what I am always floored by, and they are going to change based on the season and what type of produce is available.

I would like to know how many of you have an Aldi in your area.  If you have one, do you shop there?

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Clorox Coupons On Facebook

If you "like" Clorox on Facebook, there are a couple coupons you can print.  First, click on the Clorox Home tab, and then on the Products and Offers tab.  Scroll down and you will see two coupons.  One is for $1.50/1 Clorox 2 Stain Fighter and Color Booster, the second is for $1/1 Clorox Wipes.  They are bricks coupons, so you can hit the back button and print twice.

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Tonight's CVS Trip and Some Extra Coupons I Got

I knew I had to go out to CVS today since the $4/$20 coupon that I told you about on facebook was expiring.  I just honestly was not feeling it.  I woke up with a backache that only got worse as the day progressed.  However, one of the items on sale was the Tylenol Precise heating pads, so I thought those just might be good to have right now.  Also, my husband was running out of vitamins and deodorant, and those items were on sale with Extra Bucks, too.  So I finally was able to pull my list and my coupons together and made a trip out after dinner, and I'm pretty glad I did.

Here is what I came home with:

• Degree on sale 2 for $5 (other items also included)  $5 ECBs when you spend $15--I got 6, and had 4 $0.75/1 coupons from the 8/29 RP
• Alive! was $9.99 and get back $9.99 ECBs--I found this $1.00/1 coupon 
• Tylenol Precise was $5.99 and get back $2 ECBs--I used the store and manufacturer coupons I told you about here, $2 off from each one.  There were also some in one of this past Sunday's SS inserts (it was on the back page of mine).

Shelf Price: $41.32

Sale Price:  $30.98

Price Paid After Coupons:  $18.98  (I also had $15 in ECBs from my last trip)

Total OOP w/ Tax:  $4.02 (which I paid for with a gift card I received from using a pharmacy coupon from KROGER!  They do accept competitors pharmacy coupons.  Thanks to my good friend Amber for telling me this!)

Also, received $16.99 total ECB's ($2 from Tylenol, $5 from Degree, and $9.99 from Alive!Vitamins)

Plus, when I walked in, of course I scanned my card at the price scanner.  One of the coupons I got was really exciting.  It was for $3 a big box of Huggies diapers, and it does not expire until 9/29.  Since this is a store coupon, I can also use a manufacturer coupon as well for even greater savings.  

Also, when I was putting my ECBs away for next time, I noticed that the last portion of my receipt tape was not one of my ECBs but a coupon for $5/$15 good for 3 days only.  Usually when this type of coupon is printing, everyone gets one no matter how large the purchase.  My suggestion:  if you did not get the Twitter coupon, buy a candy bar when you first walk in and see if you get this coupon so you can use it right then!

There was some other stuff that I wanted to get this week, like the lysol deal (select items 4 for $10and  receive $5 ECBs), and the Nivea Men that is free after ECB's this week, with a $1 off coupon available (my store was out), so I may have to make another CVS run.  I'll be sure to let you know about it if I do.

Did any of you score some good deals?  If you did, and you blogged about it, leave us a link!  If you don't have a blog, email me a picture.  I'd love to know how your CVS shopping is going!

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Petite Pepperoni Pizzas and Pretzels(?)

Its hard to believe, but I have been cooking all day long and had no idea what we were going to have for dinner come 5pm.  What, you might ask, have I been working on?  I made a bunch of English muffin pizzas to start off with.

Here's what you need:
12 pack of English Muffins (makes 24 small pizzas)
1 jar of pizza sauce
1 package of pepperoni (or whatever topping you want)
shredded cheese --I bought an 8oz bag of pizza blend, but as you can see, I ran out and had to switch to cheddar, so I would suggest getting 16oz or 2 8oz bags.

Here's what you do:
Separate the English muffins on baking sheets.  Spoon some sauce on them.  Add the toppings.  I put the cheese on top, and then baked them just until the cheese melted (so the toppings would not fall off in the freezer), then I let them cool, and stacked them up in a freezer bag for easy lunches.  I ate a couple of course.

I figured up how much these cost me to make, and it came out to about a quarter per pizza.  That's not too bad, and they are tasty and quick.  I like to keep these in the freezer, but I had not made any in quite some time.

I still had some pepperoni left over, and I still had my bread machine out on the counter from yesterday when I made dough for dinner rolls.  I shaped them and let them rise in muffin pans.  Then I baked what we needed for dinner, and froze the rest of the dough.  The frozen ones will turn out a little bit more dense than the freshly baked ones, but they are pretty good to grab in a hurry.  We love fresh bread, but never have the foresight to get it going in time for dinner, so this way we can just thaw and toss in the oven.

Since, the machine was still out, and I had seen a recipe in the bread machine cookbook that called for pepperoni:  soft pretzels,  I decided to give it a shot.  Now, I am not a great baker, and I have never in my life made a pretzel, so I decided that pretzel twists would be more in line with my abilities.  Even still, they were not a lovely thing to behold.

They were really soft, though.  More like bread sticks, in fact.  I brushed them with some garlic butter, and we had a few with our chicken soup that I grabbed from the freezer.  They were good.  I hardly noticed the pepperoni.  I hope they freeze well, because the recipe made a lot.

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New E-Coupons at Shortcuts.com

There are a lot of great e-coupons that were just released today at Shortcuts.com.  Head over there now and check them out.  Many of them are the same as the coupons from the General Mills coupon insert that we got over the weekend, so if your store allows a paper and an e-coupon (Tom Thumb does!), that will mean double savings.

Also, on a side note, be on the lookout for Fall coupon booklets in the Grocery stores.  I found one recently at the front entrance to Kroger.  It had some really great coupons and recipes in it.

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Free Tub of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes For You And a Friend

Go to Get Fresh With a Friend to request a coupon by mail for a free tub of Cottonelle Fresh Wipes.  You will also put in a friends email address, and they will receive an email telling them how to get their free coupon.

 I put my husband's email address, but that was probably a silly idea, since we have the same address, so he most likely will not be able to request another free coupon sent to this address.  =/  It is possible we could get two free coupons, though (but I doubt it).

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New Wal-Mart Samples: Quaker and Crest

There is a free sample of Quaker Life Soft Baked Bars available right now from Walmart.  You can choose from two flavors:  Banana Walnut or Cinnamon Raisin Pecan.

There is also a free sample of Crest Pro Health Clinical Gum Protection toothpaste available, if you qualify based on a short survey (say you have bleeding gums!)

There are still a few other samples available that I have told you about before, but if you haven't requested them yet, you can check them out here.

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Free Kindle Book: Edge of Apocalypse

Amazon currently has Edge of Apocalypse by Tim Lahaye as a free Kindle Download.  This is the author of the Left Behind series that was popular a few years back.  I read several of those, and they were really good. I have heard of this book before, but I thought it was part of a new series.  The description doesn't say anything about it being a series though.  Does anyone know?

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What Coupons Will Be in Tomorrow's Paper?

It looks like there will be four coupon inserts in tomorrow's newspaper:  2 Smartsource, a RedPlum, and a General Mills.

The General Mills one looks like it will contain many of the same coupons that are available online to print, so hopefully a store nearby is gearing up for a big sale on these products soon.

Go here to check out what will be in the other three.  There are a lot of high value ones that could make great deals paired with a sale.

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I Got My Schick Hydro Rebate

The full rebate from my Schick Hydro razor that I told you about here came in the mail today.  I received check by mail for the full purchase price of $8.97.  Did any body else send for this rebate?  Have you got it yet?  If not, maybe you will soon!

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Reminder: Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day!

Every Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day.  That means that the value of Swagbucks that you can win from a single search has a chance to be very large.  So, don't forgot to do your searches through Swagbucks tomorrow and everyday!  If you are not a member yet, you can sign up here, and get 30 free swagbucks.

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A Cheap Meal and a Kitchen Mishap

I grew up in South Louisiana, and most people from there agree that the food cannot be beat.  My whole childhood I ate this delicious food that my parents and grandparents had cooked, and thought (since they tended to start cooking a meal long before it was time to eat it) that the recipes were somehow complex and I was always too chicken to try them.  Well, I have learned now that this is not the case at all.  They were just making sure the food simmered a LONG time.

One of my favorite meals, a favorite of my whole family actually, is red beans and rice.  This was even my baby's first "real food" experience, and she gobbled it up.  My 4 year old, who can be quite the picky eater, always cleans her bowl in no time when we have this.

It is so simple and inexpensive to make, and it freezes really well, so I always make sure I have some waiting in the freezer.  I use a crockpot to make mine, but you can make it in a pot on the stove, too.

Here is what you will need:
1lb sausage (any kind)
1lb light red kidney beans
season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, maybe some tabasco)

Serve over rice, and with cornbread.  Don't ask me why, that's just what you do. ;)

I throw the beans in the crockpot early in the morning, fill it up with water, and season the water well.  I let these cook all day long.  A couple hours before we eat, I cut up the sausage and add it, but you can add it at the beginning, too.  When I make this, I triple the recipe because I can usually find a 3lb package of sausage on sale for $3.99 (they are regularly $5-$6).  I purchased 3 1lb bags of the beans for $1.29 regular price at the expensive grocery store since I was already there, but this is about the going price for them.  If you can find them on sale, that's even better.

I actually have to use both my larger and smaller crockpot (2lbs each of beans and sausage in the big one and 1lb each in the small one) because after attempting the full 3lbs of beans in the larger one and not having room for the sausage 2 times, I finally wised up.

I cooked this last night, and we all ate and I fixed my husband a nice lunch to take for today as well (which, he forgot in the refrigerator).  I also bagged up 5 more bags to freeze. Each should be enough for all of us to eat once, and my husband to have a lunch.  All I will have to do is make fresh rice and cornbread!

I did a little bit of calculations, because I was curious how much this meal cost per person.  6 occasions times 5 meals (each of us dinner + 1 lunch) =30 servings
Here is what I figured up:
$3.99 for sausage
$1.29 x 3=$3.87 for beans
$0.35 x 6=$2.10 for 6 packs of cornbread from Aldi
I got my rice free, and maybe you do too, but only using 2cups per meal (5 servings) makes this almost negligible, but lets say it was $2 for a 2lb bag

Total spent: $11.96  divided by 30 servings = $0.40/serving if you factor in the rice.  Since I got mine free, my total was only $0.33/serving!  Even if I paid full price for the sausage, it would still be less than $0.50/serving.  You could even do this dish vegetarian if you wanted.

I bet you are wondering where the mishap came in, right?  Well, on the way to the freezer, one of the bags sort of jumped right out of my hand.  But, I seem to think my dogs did not mind...

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Another Survey Site That Has Paid Me: Survey Spot

SurveySpot is a survey site that I have been a member of for quite some time now.  For a while, I never took their surveys because all you ever got was a sweepstakes entry, but rarely a survey was worth a few dollars *IF* you qualified, and I hardly ever did.  However, they have recently switched over to a points system, and it seems like the surveys are much easier to qualify for.  They also paid by check in the past, but when I just logged in, I found that they have switched over to a paypal/e-voucher system, which is very easy to use.  I found that I had enough in my account to request a $10 Amazon certificate!  You certainly will not get rich doing this but they are fun and can make you a little spending money.  Sometimes they also offer product tests, which they may or may not tell you in the initial email (sometimes they are purposely vague about that sort of thing).  I just got an email from them this morning with the subject "Try Our Product."  I qualified, and will be getting two versions of a new lip care product by mail to try and take a survey about when I'm done.  I will also get points in my account.  It is a fun site to be a part of.  Them seem to send emails more frequently than other survey sites I am registered with, so you have more chances to qualify and earn points.

*If you register for these survey sites, I would suggest making a free email account, such as hotmail or gmail, specifically for these emails to go to.  If you want the best chance to earn, you need to sign up with alot of sites.  If you sign up with alot of sites, you are going to get alot of emails.  That is a good thing, but you don't want your personal emails to get lost in the mix.

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Kellogg's Coupons

The Kellogg's website has several printable coupons available on their website at the moment also.  You can find there here.

I know I'm posting a lot of coupons on manufacturer's websites tonight, but if you find that these websites are products that you use frequently, it may be a good idea to bookmark them (or if you are like me...out of sight, out of mind...put a link on your desktop) so you can check back often when you need more of the products.  Then you may never be without a coupon!

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New Coupon For Keebler Coconut Dreams Cookies

There is a new coupon for $1 off one package of new Keebler Coconut Dreams Cookies.  Hopefully there will be a good sale to pair this one with.

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New Hormel Coupons

There are several Hormel coupons available to print at their website.  Here is what is offered:


Save $0.50 on any two (2) HORMEL® Chunk Chicken products. Any variety.
Save $0.55 on any two (2) HORMEL® COMPLEATS® microwave meals. Any variety.
Save $1.00 on any one (1) HORMEL® Refrigerated entrees product. Any variety.
Save $0.55 on any one (1) HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE® deli meat product. Any variety.
Save $0.55 on any two (2) HORMEL® pepperoni products. Any variety.
Save $0.75 on any one (1) HORMEL® CHILI MASTER® product. Any variety.
Save $2.00 on any one (1) HORMEL® Party Tray. Any variety.
Save $1.00 on any one (1) HORMEL® ALWAYS TENDER® product. Any variety.
Save $.75 on one (1) HORMEL® Fully Cooked Bacon product.
Save $0.55 on any two (2) HORMEL® chili products. Any variety

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Yet Another Site With Coupons

I got ALOT of newsletters in my email today from various sites that offer coupons.  BettyCrocker.com was another one.  It has alot of the same coupons as the other two sites I have posted this evening, and also many of the same coupons as are featured on coupons.com.  In fact, I started to not even post about it, but I really do value getting this particular newsletter because there are always yummy recipes included, and there are always coupons included.  Plus, because there are always coupons available for the items, I usually have many of the items on hand, and the recipes use the items that I have purchased using the coupons.  Ar you following me here?  Betty Crocker give you coupons to use to buy their products, and then they send you recipes for new ideas on how to use their products.  Its a win-win, I think!  So, if you like new meal ideas that use items that you bought with coupons, I think this one is a great one to sign up for too! (Of course, if you had a better coupon for a different brand that was one sale, you can certainly make substitutions =P)

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New Coupons From Eat Better America

Eat Better America is also offering several members only coupons at the moment.  This is another free site that you should sign up with, as they often offer coupons, and they email delicious recipe ideas.  Some of these coupons are identical to the ones offered from Box Tops For Education in the previous post because the same company runs both websites.  You should be able to print them from each place, though.

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New General Mills Coupons from Box Tops For Education

Box Tops For Education is offering several coupons to its members right now.  If you are not a member, registration is free, and they offer coupons regularly, so sign up!

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Coffee-Mate Coupons Available

There are two Coffee-Mate coupons available right now here.  One is for $1 off 3 products, and the other is for $0.75 off 1 product (only needs to be the 15oz size)--a much better coupon, if you ask me!   You can print them twice.  I like to use these coupons during a sale to try new flavors.  They have some yummy ones available, and some of their seasonal ones should be coming back out soon.

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Reminder to "Like" Saving Myself Silly on Facebook

I just wanted to remind you that if you do not already, you can follow my blog on facebook.  I will sometimes post things to my facebook page, such as recipes that I like and used my deals on, or free samples (especially those on facebook) that will not last long, and these will show up right in your news feed.

If you stop by the page, leave me a comment. =)

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Free Samples Available From VocalPoint

Vocalpoint.com has a couple of free samples to offer on their site right now.  If you are not a member yet, sign up!  This is a Proctor and Gamble community, and from time to time they will send you packages of free samples totally unrequested, along with high value coupons for you to share with friends.  Today they have two offers available.   The first is a free sample of Downy, and the second is a free sample of Kashi GoLean Crisp Cereal.

They also have a new option to sign up for text messages, so you will be the first to know about their free sample and coupon offers!  Find it listed under "Try & Tells" and it will log you in to update your profile.  I got a text right away asking me to respond "yes" to confirm.  Then I got a second one saying that I should receive no more than 5-6 texts per month.  *Note that my plan has unlimited texts, so I won't get charged for this.  I would only suggest doing this if you have unlimited texts also.*

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New E-Coupons Available at Cellfire.com....and a Warning!

Cellfire.com has some new e-coupons available as of today.  But before you rush and load them to your cards, I wanted to let you know about a new issue I have been having, and what I was told about it when I emailed customer service.

In my area, two stores participate in the Cellfire offers:  Tom Thumb, and Kroger.  When I log into the page, Tom Thumb is listed on top, and I have always just made my way down the page loading them all onto my card.  Many of the coupons were identical for both Tom Thumb and Kroger.   A few weeks back I noticed that when I made it down to the Kroger list, I would try to load them, but the offers would disappear as I clicked them instead of saying loaded to card.    I would end up having all of my Tom Thumb coupons loaded, but only a handful of coupons left loaded for Kroger (the ones that were not also on the Tom Thumb list, apparently).

I did not know why this was happening, since it had never happened before, so I emailed their customer service about it.  I got a very short form-letter response from them that basically said that if the coupons are the same you can load them to one store card or another store card.  Once you load them to one store card, they are only available on that card and cannot be loaded to another card.

This is going to make things a little bit tricky when using Cellfire because of how their system is set up.  The way their site works is that they offer a new set of coupons every two weeks, and you have those two weeks to load them to your card.  Each set of coupons will expire one month after the date they are available.  So essentially, the coupons themselves are usable for two weeks after they disappear from the site, if you have loaded them to your shopper card already.  The problem is in not knowing which store is going to have a sale on those products in the future two weeks, so you cannot know which card it would be better to load them to.

Shortcuts.com makes this much easier because you load all of the coupons and when you use one at any participating store, then it is deleted and no longer available to any card.  You don't have to choose in advance where you will use that coupon.  Now I'm not saying that I don't like Cellfire, or that you shouldn't use the site.  That would be like throwing extra money away!  But I did want to make you aware of this change so that you can be careful to scan the sale ads before you load up your coupons.  If there is only one participating store in your area, then this will not even be an issue for you.  But, if you have two or more stores that participate, be sure to choose carefully!

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Free Samples on AllYou.com, Now in Your Inbox!

I've told you before about the daily free samples listed on allyou.com.  Well, I stopped by their website today to check if that was still going on, and I was delighted to find out that it was.  I think they have decided to make this an ongoing thing!  I also noticed something that I had never seen before when checking their free sample calendar:  a daily free sample E-mail alert sign up!  The link will take you to this month's free sample calender (and you can see what's available while you are there.  Today was a sample of loose leaf tea!).  The pink box on the right hand side of the calendar is where you can input your email address.  I am really excited about this new feature, because I am terrible at remembering to check each day.  I can't wait to get my first email in the morning and see what I can get for FREE! =)

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What We Just Bought Using Swagbucks

My husband and I have been growing increasingly agitated at our 6 year old cookware.  Well, actually just the skillet.  Somehow it has lost its non-stickyness.  After not being able to flip over an egg without it breaking this morning, my husband had had enough.

Knowing we had some money stashed away in Amazon certificates from Swagbucks (yes, I know I said those were for Christmas presents ...), he went searching for a good deal on some new skillets.  I think what he found is a pretty great deal, even though it is regular price!  It is a triple pack of Farberware Cookware that includes an 8in and 10 skillet, as well as an 11in square griddle (which we've also been talking about getting for some time now) for only $24.99.  The item does qualify for Free Supersaver Shipping, but you will have to add another penny to your total.

I just thought I would share this find with you guys in case any of you were also looking for a good price on cookware.  I am needing to do alot of freezer cooking soon (in that post my freezer was really full, but now it's pretty much empty), so I will be needing some good non-frustation causing equipment. ;)

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New Target Printable Coupons

There are ALOT of new coupons that have just been released at the Target website.  Many of these are store coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer coupons for even more savings.  There are also many available at the moment for their Up & Up store brand items, which cost less to begin with.  There are also a few coupons for $2- $3 off certain clothing items or accessories.  Think clearance!  One is for $3 off a Merona dress, and I know I saw some of these on clearance last time I was there!

I love deal shopping at Target, but since they closed down my nearest (non-Super) Target, I haven't been getting there nearly as often.  When I do, I usually try to plan a trip around getting one of my husbands prescriptions filled, so I can use a $10 pharmacy gift card coupon that is often available in their sales ad.  This brings my cost down even further!

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New Pet Food Free After Rebate

You may or may not know this, but we just obtained two more 3 month old miniature dachshund puppies to go along with the 4 year old one we already had.  When it comes to dog food, the adult one is about as picky an eater as I have ever seen (although when it comes to thrown baby food, the only thing she won't eat is bananas).

That said, i have been trying to find a dog food that they all like, but I'm having a lot of trouble.  They always seem to prefer the cats' food.  The one type they all did enjoy was the Hills Science Diet samples from the vet, but I simply cannot afford to buy *that*.  I did buy some Iams Healthy Naturals last week, but they don't seem to like that very well either.  So, I continue my search for the perfect dog food...

All that being said, I was pretty excited to see this offer for a mail-in rebate for the full purchase price of By Nature dog or cat food (3-6lbs, up to $12.99).  The offer is good through November 10, so there is a lot of time to use it.  I have never heard of this brand before, but I may just have to give it a try.  The site says it is available at PetSmart.

Thanks, Living Rich With Coupons

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New Activia Dessert Flavors and a Coupon

Activia has new dessert flavors, and they are offering a coupon for $1 off.  Go get your's now!  These often go on sale for less than $2, so this coupon will make a great deal.

Thanks, Money Saving Madness

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Have a Great Labor Day Weekend!

I just wanted to wish everyone a great Labor Day Weekend.  Today is my mother's birthday, and she is driving up here to visit in the morning and surprise my kids, so shhhhh! ;)  I hope to have a fun-filled weekend with her and my girls.  I am loving this cooler weather, and we are going to the first home football game at my husband's school tomorrow night.  I can't wait for that.  I hope its not raining.  I may be a little slow on posting while she is here, but I hope everyone else is out enjoying their weekend, too! 

Anyone know of any cool Labor Day free stuff going on?  I haven't heard of anything. =(

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Win Mega Swagbucks on Fridays

Every Friday is Mega Swagbucks Day.  That means that the value of Swagbucks that you can win from a single search has a chance to be very large.  So, don't forgot to do your searches through Swagbucks tomorrow and everyday!  If you are not a member yet, you can sign up here, and get 30 free swagbucks.

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A Few Reminders for the New Month

Yesterday, I reminded you to head over to coupons.com to see if there were any new printable coupons that you would like to have.  Tonight I wanted to give a reminder about loading your e-coupons to your shopper cards.  Here are all the places that have new e-coupons for you:

Cellfire--I did not have any new ones here today, but they come out every other Tuesday, so I will check back on Tuesday.
Shortcuts--In addition to e-coupons, this site now offers printable coupons and cash back offers for online shopping!
P&G eSaver--These recently came back to my area, but are only available at Kroger, not Tom Thumb.  I have heard stories of Tom Thumb Affiliates allowing paper coupons with these as well, which made for huge savings.  I do not know if that is the case for Kroger.  Anybody know?
Upromise--Activate these a the beginning of the month, and then if you purchase the products with your shopper cards (drug stores are included) the savings will get added to your Upromise savings account.  Be sure to hit the "Activate Coupons"  button on the bottom right when you are done selecting your coupons.

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