Awesome New Coupon: BOGO Scotch Brite Wipes

Here's a great new coupon that just popped up:

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Weekly Goals

I've been blogging nightly following along with Money Saving Mom's 4 weeks to a more organized home challenge, and it's been helping me out a lot around here, I think.

One of the things she does each week is to set goals for her week, and they break them down into smaller daily tasks.  I made daily goals each day last week, and I already feel like things are running more smoothly around here, but since I've got two more houseguests coming in succession after the current one leaves (I love it!), I thought having a weekly big picture of my goals would be quite helpful.

Here they are (and I've already been working on some of them today):

• Clear out blog email  (DONE!)  --I thought I was going to have to do this a little bit here and there, but I got through deleting all the unneeded stuff in the time span of one cartoon!  Then I moved on to my "junk" email and cleared that out completely as well once my daughter was napping!  Now I intended to keep up with those two and clear out my Outlook this week (personal account shared with my husband).
• Move plants to bigger pots.  --My plants are growing!  I'm so excited!  (I will post a garden update soon!)  I need to transplant some of them into larger pots, and will likely need more soil to do that, so a trip to Lowe's is likely in my future.
• Keep up with dishes and laundry.--I usually do one load of each per day.  Somehow, when I skipped washing clothes for two days over the weekend...I ended up with 4 loads to wash, and somehow, with one more mouth to feed I've been having to do two loads of dishes each day.  It makes NO sense, I tell you!  I've already washed three loads of clothes today and done the dishes, so now I just need to maintain that.
• Organize Recipe Binder.--This task has been on my to-do list forever!  Ok, well maybe not quite that long, but long enough!  I've got random printed papers tossed loose into a binder and I have to flip through them all looking for the one I want until I give up and just go google it and print another and then add it to the pile.  ENOUGH!  It's madness.  They will be in plastic sleeves, and organized with divider tabs by protein, like they were in the distant past.
• My closet--I have too many clothes in there...many of them are from college and most of those don't fit.  They need to GO!

Sounds like a lot to do this week, but I have help!  Even if help is just entertaining the kiddo while I work in the other room, that's help!

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A Few New Printable Coupons

We had a coupon free weekend, and the printable coupons have been pretty slow also, but here are a few new ones that have appeared recently that may interest you:

 **This goes along with an ECB deal at CVS this week!

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CVS Trip 4/8--$0.44 OOP

Last night after we got back home from having a lovely Easter celebration with some relatives that live nearby, I was really tired.  I sat down at my desk, and began thumbing through the CVS ad because I knew I had a $5/$25 to use by today.  I really just wasn't feeling it, though.  I had flipped through quickly that morning, and nothing had really jumped out at me.

Last night, I saw a deal that I had overlooked....Biore!  If I bought two Biore at 2 for $15, I would get back $5 ECBs.  I knew I had a BOGO Biore coupon, and I knew this $15 added to the few other things I wanted to get would put me over the $25 to use my $5 off  coupon, so I dug into the ad and started clipping my coupons and working my calculator.

I had $11.99 in existing ECBs, and my total was going to come to $11.48, so I was going to get everything for FREE and even need to pick up a filler item.  I decided to run out right then instead of waiting until this morning and risking them selling out, so I made a quick trip while my husband tucked out girls in for the night.

Here's what I came home with:

Total Shelf Price:  $31.34
Total Sale Price:   $26.86
Price Paid After Coupons and $11.99 in ECBs:  $0.37 +  .07tax =  $0.44  PLUS  $9.50 in ECBs

That's a savings of 99% and plenty of CVS money to spend on my next trip!

Coupons used:  BOGO Biore, $1/1 Speedstick (3/25 SS), $1/1 Always (4/1 PG)

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Menu Plan 4/9-4/15

My menu plans are going to be a little bit different than normal this week and next week, as I have guests visiting.  My sister in law is here through Saturday, and my mother in law is flying in on Thursday, so their visits will overlap a couple of days.  After she leaves, I have a friend from college coming the very next day for a quick weekend visit.

It's going to be a busy time around here, and I'll be doing much less eating from my freezer, as I normally freeze in perfect portions for my family of 4, so simply put...my pre-made meals do not contain enough food for extra mouths.  But that's quite alright, because I love cooking for guests. =)

Right now I've got some chicken leg quarters and port stew meat thawing, and I plan to cook them on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I may have to push that back if they do not finish thawing, and later in the week is totally subject to change.   I pretty much just have an outline of what I'd like to eat this week, and I've jotted them down on random days, but I've determined to stay flexible.  Some weeks just have to be like that!

So, here's my "plan":


Monday:  Tilapia & salad (we brought a salad to Easter, and had a ton leftover)

Tuesday:  Chicken & broccoli casserole  (I've got broccoli in the fridge to use up)

Wednesday:  Crockpot Pork Stew  (It's got red potatoes I need to use up)

Thursday:  Leftovers  (I'm not sure what time my MIL flies in, so this night is going to be very flexible, and hopefully we'll have plenty of food on hand.)

Friday:  Gumbo  (this is in the freezer, but I may need to thaw two container--if I have two...flexible!)

Saturday:  Spaghetti  (ditto)

Sunday:  Pork Chops   (I'll have to thaw some, and I'm not sure how I'll cook them yet, but my MIL loves them and I've got plenty in the freezer!)



As always, I'm on the lookout for great meat deals, so depending on what the ads bring on Wednesday, the latter part of the week might be totally different, but as it stands the only thing I might need to buy for this menu is some more carrots to toss into the stew.

I'm really trying to shop the great meat and produce deals each week and incorporate them into the following week's menu.  That way I always have what I need on hand, and can focus on what's on sale.  Sometimes it makes me be pretty ...creative..when it comes to planning meals, but I've been enjoying trying new recipes, and my family has actually been quite fond of them, too!

This post is linked at Menu-Plan Monday.

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New Glade Printable Coupons

There are a couple new BOGO printable coupons available this morning for Glade products:

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4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 5

I have so been enjoying blogging along with Money Saving Mom's 4 Weeks To A More Organized Home Challenge!  I've enjoying being held accountable to do the things, and also seeing the things that others have accomplished has been a great motivator to me.

Today was Day 5 of the challenge.  She'll be taking the weekend off from it and resume on Monday with Day 6.

Today's assignment was as follows:

--Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
--Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, andmake a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
--Complete your morning routine.
--Remove your couch cushions and clean out any crumbs, toys, or other miscellaneous items you find. Use an attachment on your vacuum to vacuum the cushions, underneath the cushions, and all crevices of your furniture. Spot clean the fabric, if needed.
--Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you. If you need ideas, here are a few: read, write, call a friend, pray, exercise, bake, play with your children, laugh with your husband, stop by the bookstore and browse the book selection, work in the garden, or take a nap! Take some time to just stop and enjoy life today!

She gave us a pretty easy day today. ;)

First off, since school was out today, we had no alarms to wake up to, which was lovely.   I woke up around 8am to the sounds of my kids giggling in the other room, which meant that they woke up someone other than me!  (I like when relatives visit.  LOL)

I had a quick version of my morning routine while they ate the carrot muffins I had made last night for breakfast.  That made for a very relaxing morning already.

I made myself out a list of things that I needed to do.  It was a short list, but at the top of it was a quick trip to the store, so of course I had to get dressed for that!

When I got back, my husband had already gotten my little one down for her nap, so I quickly had some lunch and got to work on my list.   My sister in law was helping my older girl with some math homework, so I took advantage of not having to do that today, and started on the couch!

I was really glad that she assigned that today, because my little one was building a fort last week, and I noticed then that it *needed* some serious attention, but I wasn't able to take care of it then.   Once that was done, and they were still working, I decided to pull out the couch and clean under it, since I did not get to that yesterday.  My daughter was done by this point, so I sent her on a run through behind there to pick up anything that was hers and not trash.   We found a couple books, some small toys, and a few missing puzzle pieces.

Once I had all that cleaned up and vacuumed, I figured that while I was back there and had easy access, I would clean in the corner between my couch and entertainment center that is a catch all for everything that falls off the end tables, and also where we had stowed the clothe diapers that had been lent to us by a friend.  We're done with them, but I had not yet returned them, so I pulled them all out, tidied up everything else that was in that corner, vacuumed well (even the cobwebs on the wall).  Then I threw all the diapers into the wash one last time and bleached them well.  Once they finished I bagged them all up and sat them back in the corner ready to be returned, but out of the way.

After getting the diapers on to wash, I had some time to sit and read a bit, and once my little one woke up, their aunt and I took then to ride bikes down the road for a bit and they had a lot of fun.   Dinner was already made except for some pasta and garlic bread, and after dinner we watched the very last episode of the very last season of the Cosby show.  I was kind of sad to see it end.  We had been watching through them on Netflix, and then one day they just disappeared, so I had to hunt the rest down at the library so we could finish them.  We even had some ice cream while we watched.

After dinner, I had some help to finish folding all the clean clothes that I had washed yesterday and didn't get to put away.  it didn't even take us that long.

We had a great productive fun-filled day, and we're ready more over the weekend.   Hopefully the past two days were productive enough that I can relax a bit this holiday weekend.

Not only is my sister in law helping with the laundry and the kids, she also helping me declutter.   We weren't told to get rid of 7 things today, but I did!  More even!  She's in Bible college and will be studying Greek, so my husband is passing along some of his books from his seminary classes.

And, I let her go shopping in my stockpile. ;)

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Weekly Totals

I made a quick trip out to Aldi today with my sister in law.  I did not get a picture, but I bought some bread, produce, and lunch items for the weeks, as well as some ice cream as a treat.   We get some on the weekend as a treat whenever my daughter has a well behaved week at school, and she didn't get in trouble even once this week. =)

All told I spent $27.02 at Aldi today.


That added with the $35.75 I spent at Albertsons on Tuesday brings my weekly spending to just $62.77, well under budget.


How did you do this week?

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Sunday Coupon Preview For 4/8

No Coupon inserts this week for the Easter holiday.

Have a nice relaxing time with family, or catch up from the 5 inserts from last week!

If you want to get a glimpse of what's to come, go here and click on "schedule" up top.

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4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 4

This morning was day 4 of Money Saving Mom's 4 Weeks To A More Organized Home Challenge.

Today's assignment was as follows:

--Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
--Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, andmake a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
--Complete your morning routine.
--Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom.
--Clean out underneath your beds and furniture. Remove clutter and trash and put it away or throw it away. Move the furniture (if possible) and vacuum underneath.
--Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

How did I do today?

--I got up 15 minutes before my daughter did, so that was progress.

--She had a program this morning at her school from 9-10 so I did get dressed, and even put on some make up.

--Before we left, I sat down and wrote out a list of what I had to do today.  There were several things that I *had* to do, not just wanted to do, because my husband's younger sister came to visit us from her college today.   On my list was:

• Make up the guest bed (I had to finish washing the bedding this morning), 
• Gather the trash (tomorrow is trash day), 
• Clean the bathrooms--I opted to do a deep clean of the hall bathroom instead of just a quick tidy. The master bathroom got a quick tidy up though.
• Clear off the dining room table--we don't usually eat at this table so it tends to be a place where things get dropped.
• Clean my daughter's room--the toddler made a big mess yesterday, and ended up getting put to bed early, but she happily picked it up this morning.  She did a great job, too!
• Do the dishes (and of course now that I've made dinner the sink is overflowing again!)
• Sweep  (With all the storms the other day and all the pollen and whatnot falling from the trees, it is ridiculous how fast my floor gets dirty!)
• Fold and put away ALL the laundry--this is the only thing on my list I did not complete.   I ended up finding another load to wash that I had not planned on, but I did get the towels and washcloths and dishrags folded and put away.

I did get a couple of extra things done also--when I made dinner, I had a large chunk of ground beef thawed, and so I went ahead and cooked the rest and whipped up a big pot of spaghetti sauce, so tomorrow night's dinner is already cooked, and I should have some to freeze, too.  Then, after dinner I made a batch of my carrot apple raisin muffins for "dessert" and they can either be breakfast this week, or they may end up in the freezer as well.

I did not move around any furniture today, and I did not find anything to get rid of, unless you count taking out the trash. ;)  My little one was following me around helping me hold the trash bag and dump the bathroom cans chanting something about "teamwork".  It was really cute.

Sorry I do not have any pictures for you today.   I kept myself very very busy though.  I'm ready for a little break with school out tomorrow, so my older girl and husband will both be home.   Hopefully since I accomplished so much today, I can relax just a bit tomorrow.  But not relax like I did when I was sick last week.  I do NOT want that to happen again.  *shudder*

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Dishing It Up Recipe Hop: Easter Dishes + Win Tupperware!

Welcome to the April Dishing It Up Recipe Hop  & Giveaway!

 Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny. Over the last year, our hop has grown and changed to make it better for you. Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on casseroles.

Well, for the rest of the month we will be focusing on casseroles.  This week we are focusing on Easter dishes!

The recipe I'm going to share with you this week can be used as an Easter appetizer, side dish, or even a great way to use up that leftover ham.  Bonus:  It freezes well!

Head over here to see my full recipe for Ham & Broccoli Quiche!

Please visit the other recipes in the linky for more Easter recipe ideas, and if you have your own Easter recipe, please add it to the linky below!




Now about the giveaway....

Last month, we brought you our first giveaway (40lbs. of Zaycon Chicken!) and here we are again! We are excited to be bringing you another giveaway and this month's giveaway is sponsored by Mama's Tupperware. 

One lucky winner will receive the Crystal Wave 8 pc set shown above! The virtually liquid-tight, steam-vent seal makes the CrystalWave® container line ideal for storing, transporting and reheating meals later. This collection includes CrystalWave® Divided Dish, 4¼-cup/1.1 L Bowl, 6¼-cup/1.5 L Bowl, 8½-cup/2 L Bowl plus three exclusive 2½-cup/600 mL Bowls and an exclusive 3-Qt./3 L Bowl. The set is dishwasher safe and is valued over $130!

 This giveaway starts on April 5 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on April 30 at 11:59 PM EST.

 There will be new recipes added each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Dishing It Up April Giveaway: Win Tupperware!

Welcome to the April Dishing It Up Recipe Hop Giveaway!

 Dishing It Up is brought to you by Dearly Domestic, Deals From MS Do, Eating With Mimi, Happy Lil Homemaker, Mama Does It All, Pary Moppins, Saving Myself Silly, and Thrifty Texas Penny. Over the last year, our hop has grown and changed to make it better for you. Each month, we bring you recipes with a different theme and this month we're focusing on casseroles.

 Earlier this year, we added a website and a Facebook page. Last month, we brought you our first giveaway and here we are again! We are excited to be bringing you another giveaway and this month's giveaway is sponsored by Mama's Tupperware. 

One lucky winner will receive the Crystal Wave 8 pc set shown above! The virtually liquid-tight, steam-vent seal makes the CrystalWave® container line ideal for storing, transporting and reheating meals later. This collection includes CrystalWave® Divided Dish, 4¼-cup/1.1 L Bowl, 6¼-cup/1.5 L Bowl, 8½-cup/2 L Bowl plus three exclusive 2½-cup/600 mL Bowls and an exclusive 3-Qt./3 L Bowl. The set is dishwasher safe and is valued over $130!

 This giveaway starts on April 5 at 12:01 AM EST and ends on April 30 at 11:59 PM EST.

 There will be new recipes added each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 3

I have my Day 3 Assignment from Money Saving Mom.   It is as follows  (she bolds one item that we should try to do even if nothing else gets accomplished):

• Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.
• Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, andmake a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
• Complete your morning routine.
• Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bedroom: throw out any trash, put away items that are out of place, get rid of clutter, tidy up, vacuum, and make your bed.
• Clean out your freezer(s).
• Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

First off...that morning routine did not happen today.  Today is Wednesday, and on Wednesday, my morning routine is to be up no later than 4:30 and start typing up grocery deals.  This morning my alarm clocks (yes multiple) did not cooperate with me (or maybe I was so exhausted I have no recollection of turning them off?).  I awoke to my husband nudging me at 6:35 when he was leaving for work.  BOTH of my girls were already awake (the 2 year old should NOT have been--I usually have to wake her to go to the bus stop!) and my chaotic morning began.

After oversleeping, the awake younger sister completely distracted my older girl, and there was lots of dawdling this morning.  There was also (after they were dressed) a pee accident that had to be cleaned up on the bathroom floor from the 2 year old.  Simultaneously, the 5 year old decided to sit on the bathroom counter instead of brushing her teeth, and proceeded to get toothpaste all over the back of her shorts, so with 10 minutes to leave the house, BOTH of my girls needed to change clothes!  Somehow, we still made it to the bus stop on time!

I did get dressed today, in a shirt and jeans instead of my usual lets stay in the shirt and yoga pants I slept in ensemble.

I did sit down and make myself out a list this morning, and my toddler scribbled helped "decorate" it.

Most of what was on my list today were my grocery posts.  Usually, even when I get an early start, I'm still up late finishing the last one, but today I had them all posted by the time I had to go get my daughter from the bus.  We also went to the library, and I washed and dried 3 loads of clothes (haven't folded them yet), cooked dinner (yesterday's dinner--I had planned something much easier for tonight), and did the dishes.

I did not get around to the "clean desk portion of my list because I remembered that I'm having a houseguest *tomorrow*...totally snuck up on me!  So, instead of doing the 15 minute clean in my bedroom, I decided it would be more prudent to tidy up the guest room.

Here's my before picture:

This room is also my husband's office, so there are several items that i just stacked in his chair for not knowing what to do with them, so he will have to finish it up when he gets home, and I've not made the bed yet, but I've got the bedding washing so I'll get it made up in the morning.

I cleaned up what was on the floor, dug out everything that had gotten shoved under the bed, and vacuumed well.  I even got in all the corner crevices and I know that had not been done in a LONG time in that room.

Here's what it looks like now (lets just ignore the bookshelf, shall we?):

I even found my 7 items to get rid of (8 if you want to count the broken pencil):

These are 4 workbooks that my older daughter went through last year and over the summer before starting school.  Obviously, I was hanging on to them for sentimental value, but they really serve no purpose anymore.  They are all written in and worked through, and she brings home daily reminders of her academic progress, so they are really just taking up space.

Then I found a container lid with no container, one play earring with no mate (pretty sure the other one was already broken and trashed) and a Dora ponytail chewed by the dogs.  All have been trashed.

I didn't do anything more to my freezers today, but I had re-organized my small inside freezer when I did my kitchen cleaning on Monday before this challenge began, and I had to rearrange my garage upright freezer yesterday to fit in my shopping haul, so those are both in pretty good shape right now.

This was my Day 3 of the challenge.  I'm hoping that Day 4's assignments will be something I need to do to prepare for my guest also! ;)

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Albertsons Deals 4/4-4/10

Another mega Sale Happening *AND* Double Monopoly Tickets All Week!

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Albertsons this week:


Meat:


Cook's Shank Portion Ham Bone-In  $0.98/lb  (limit 1)

Atlantic Salmon Whole Fillets (Flown In Fresh)  $3.99/lb   (Limit 3)  *Wed-Sat Only*


Produce:


Corn  10 for $3

Asparagus  $1.49 each bunch (Wed-Sat Only)

Texas Yellow Onions or Sweet Potatoes   $0.79/lb

Celery Or Red Bell Peppers  $0.99 each


Mega Sale  (Buy any multiple of 10 participating Kraft Items, Save $5)


Kraft BBQ Sauce   $0.59*

Maxwell House Original Roast  $6.99*

• 4/1 SS

Nabisco Snack Crackers   $1.69*

Kraft Deluxe Or Velveeta Shells & Cheese  $1.49*

Kraft Salad Dressing 16oz.  $1.49*

Ritz  $1.69*

Kool-Aid Jammers  $1.39*

Capri-Sun  $1.69*

• Use B3G1 FREE from 3/18 SS  ($1.27 per pack wyb 4)

Kraft Mayo Or Miracle Whip  $2.99*

• 3/25 SS

Kraft Sizzling Salads   $1.69*

Baker's Coconut  $1.79*

Jet-Puffed Marshmallows  $0.79*

• 3/25 SS

Mio  $2.49*

• $1/1 from 2/26 SS

A1 Steak Sauce 10oz.  $2.49*

• $1/1 from 3/11 RP

Baker's Baking Bars  $1.99*

Planters Mixed Nuts or Cashew Halves & Pieces  $3.49*

• $1.50/2 from 1/29 SS

Nilla Wafers  $2.49*

Fig Newtons  $2.49*



Other:


Hamburger Or Hot Dog Buns   $0.79  (Wed-Sat Only)

Albertons Shredded Cheese 8oz.   3 for $5   (limit 3)

Land O Lakes Butter  BOGO FREE  (limit 2 deals..does this mean 4 total?)

• $0.50/1  (doubles)  (use 2!)
• Use $0.50/2 from 3/18 SS  (doubles)

Green Giant Frozen Vegetables or Bird's Eye  Select Varieties   $0.99

• Use $1/3 Birds Eye from 3/4 RP or $0.50/2 from 4/1 SS (doubles)

Dole Mandarin Oranges Or Pineapple

• $0.50/2 pineapple from 1/29 RP  (doubles)

Grands Biscuits  $1.25

• 2/5 GM, 3/11 SS, 4/1 SS

Cool-Whip 8oz.  BOGO Free

• $0.50/2 from 3/25 SS  (doubles)

Quaker Quakes!   $0.99

McCormick Taco Seasoning, Brown Gravy Mix, Or Grill Mates Marinade Packets   2 for $1

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Tom Thumb Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Tom Thumb this week:


Produce:


Celery  $1.25

Yams  $0.99/lb.

Green Onions or Radishes   2 for $1


Other:


Nabisco Snack Crackers or Toasted Chips   3 for $5

Prego Pasta Sauce  $1.49  (Wed-Sun Only)

• Use Coupon from 2/26 SS  (value varies by region)

Tyson Breaded Chicken Selections (Includes Nuggets)  BOGO FREE

• Use $0.75/1 Nuggets from 2/12 SS

Quaker Life or Cap N' Crunch  $1.99  (Wed-Sun Only)

Kraft Salad Dressing   $1.49   (Wed-Sun Only)

Land O Lakes Fresh Buttery Spread   15 oz. tub.   $1.50   (Wed-Sun Only)

• Coupons in 3/18 SS  (value varies)
• Use $0.50/1 printable (doubles) = $0.50

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits   $1.00

• Coupons in 4/1 SS, 2/5 GM, & 3/11 SS

Hefty One Zip Bags  BOGO Free

Kingsford Charcoal  $5.99

Hefty Foam Plates 30-50ct.   BOGO Free

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Kroger Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Kroger this week:


Produce:


Sweet Potatoes  $0.57/lb

Corn  6 for $2

Green Beans or Brussels Sprouts  4lbs. for $5

Strawberries  3 for $5


Other:

Kroger Butter   $1.99 each



Seriously, there's not much going on at Kroger.  Nothing I'd waste a coupon on for sure. =(

Holiday weeks are usually slow for sales though, so I'm expecting something big starting next week!

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Fiesta Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at Fiesta this week:


Meat:


Beef brisket  $1.77/lb   (limit 1 with $10 purchase)

Tyson Whole Chickens   $0.77/lb   (limit 3 with $10 purchase)

Split Chickens  (whole chicken, not just split breast)   $0.99/lb


Produce:


Hass Avocados  3 for $1

Yellow Onions   $0.49/lb

Romaine, Red, Green Lettuce or Bunch Spinach  $0.99 each

Cucumbers  3 for $1

Celery  $0.69 each

Green Onions   $0.39 each

Green Beans   $0.99/lb

Sweet Potatoes  $0.69/lb

Granny Smith, Red or Golden Delicious Apples  4 for $1


Other:


Land O Lakes Butter 1lb. Sticks  $1.99 each  (limit 2)

• Use $0.50/2 or $1/2 from 3/18 SS

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El Rancho Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at El Rancho this week:


Meat:


3lb. Pack Eckrich Smoked Sausage   $4.99 each

Chicken Leg Quarters  $0.48/lb  (limit 1 bag with $10 purchase)

Tilapia Fillets  $2.47/lb


Produce:


Roma Tomatoes   3lbs. for $1

White Onions  6lbs. for $1

Pineapple  $0.88 each

Avocados  3 for $0.99

Lettuce   $0.88 each

Green Onions   3 for $1

Mangoes   $0.58 each

Bananas  $0.38/lb

Oranges  8 for $1

Watermelon  $0.39/lb  (If it is a 15lb. melon this would be $5.85)


Other:


18 ct. Medium Eggs   $0.88

4lb. Rice  $1.99

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El Rio Grande Deals 4/4-4/10

Here are the best prices I see advertised at El Rio Grande this week:


Meat:


3lb.pack  Eckrich Smoked Sausage  $4.99 each

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast  $1.19/lb

Pork End Chops  $1.00/lb

Tilapia  $2.49/lb


Produce:


Yellow Onions  5lbs. for $1

Small Oranges  15 for $1

Round Tomatoes  3lbs. for $1

Ataulfo Mangos  3 for $1

Yellow Corn  3 for $1

Small Avocados  3 for $1

Pineapple  $1.50

Sweet Potatoes  2lbs. for $1

Green Beans  $0.69/lb

Cilantro  4 for $1

Key Limes  30 for $1

Bartlett Pears  5 for $1


Other:


30ct. Medium Eggs   $1.88

4lb. Rice   $1.99

16oz. frozen vegetables  $0.99

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Aldi Deals 4/4-4/10

Aldi will be closed on Easter Sunday!


Here are the best prices I see advertised at Aldi this week:

Produce:


Pineapple  $0.99

Strawberries  $1.29   (these were actually $0.99 at my store last week, even though advertised this price!)

Cantaloupe   $0.69

Oranges   $1.29 for 4 lb. bag

Russet Potatoes   $1.69 for 10lb. bag

Sweet Potatoes   $0.99 for 3lb. bag


Other:


Milk   $1.99

Eggs  $0.89

16oz. Sour Cream  $0.99

8oz. Cream Cheese  $0.99

Butter Quarters   $1.99

Crescent Rolls  $0.99

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4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 2

Yesterday I told you that I would be blogging each day, following along with Money Saving Mom's 4 Weeks To  A More Organized Home Challenge.  Today was Day 2, and the assignment was as follows:

Day 2 Assignment:
--Get dressed in something that makes you feel great.

--Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.
--Complete your morning routine.
--Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your kitchen: wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, clear off the countertops, and, if you have time, wipe down the countertops and the outside of the cupboards with wet rag or cleaning cloth.
--Clean out your refrigerator.
--Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

How did I do?

I have to admit, I was pretty excited when I saw this list, because I had accomplished most of this stuff yestereday!  I fully intended to get to the other things on *my* list, which included cleaning the bathrooms and shopping (how on Earth did I think that was possible?)

I did get out of my pajamas today!  I am actually on my third outfit of the day since the other two got completely soaked in the rain.  I did not get dressed until I was ready to go to the store, however.

Yesterday, I said my morning intention was to get up early and have some quiet time to myself.  Somebody up there is pretty funny, because i randomly woke up at 4:45 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep.   I had some quiet time to read my Bible for once!  I'm reading a novelization of the story of Job right now called Love Amid The Ashes, so I thought I would read through Job again with this story fresh on my mind.  I enjoyed it and I think it brightened my mood for the rest of this stressful storm filled day, and this is what I want my morning routine to consist of daily!

I had made a list of things to do last night (after I finished my one remaining task..organizing under my kitchen sink, and cleaning out my purse).  I thought I was going to plan my shopping list, and shop in the morning, come back home, put my little one down for a nap, and then clean bathrooms like a mad woman.

Did. Not. Happen.

I think what did happen worked out better in the scheme of things with all the storms, though.

I promised you some pictures today, and I do have some for you.   The thing was, when I sat down to make out my shopping list, I just couldn't function, because this is what I was looking at:

You see there is a wicker basket under there somewhere, and that basket is supposed to contain everything coupon related except my file box (it doesn't fit).   You can see printable coupons and sale ads just tossed in there.  I found some of my kids toys, and the lost hairbrush, and lets not even talk about the piles of clipped coupons on the bottom waiting to be put into the binder.  It was a mess.  I just could not work like that.

I took everything out, laid them out in piles on the table, clipped the coupons, placed them in the binder.  *insert sleeping child*  I went through my file box (not shown) and got rid of several weeks worth of inserts that were expired, making room for last weekend's  inserts (I'd run out of slots).  While I was in there, I literally flipped through every page, looking for coupons to use at Albertsons and just basically refreshing my memory on what's in there.  I like to do that about once a month.

Ah, much better!

I'm sure that she meant 7 actual items to get rid of, but for today I'm going to let all the papers, expiring grocery ads, and expired coupons that I rid my life of count!   Paper clutter is my absolute biggest offender!

Now I'm going to get a good night's sleep so I can be up early and get those grocery deals posted for you all!   I'll be anxiously awaiting my next assignment for tomorrow.  Hopefully it has something to do with the bathroom because I just keep putting that off!

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Albertsons Trip 4/3 --Oh, Hail!

I haven't been doing a whole lot of coupon shopping lately, and I know I need to because I'm running out of a lot of things....like I was down to the very last bottle of laundry detergent!  How did that happen??

I woke up this morning very early, and thought I might get my trip planned out before my little one woke up, but she woke up very early, too.  Then, I got sidetracked organizing my coupons (more on that in a bit).  I was trying to hurry that up so I could squeeze in a morning trip, but then I looked up and noticed this:

She had been down on the floor playing with some scissors and an old magazine and then she just went and crawled up on the couch and passed out.  I decided to let her nap and go out shopping after lunch.  I knew that some rain was on the way, but the hourly forecast didn't predict it until 4ish so I thought I would have plenty of time.  I leisurely finished going through the rest of my coupons, flipping through all of my inserts and seeing which could be discarded to make room in my file box for last weekend's coupons.  I got completely finished with that, and then fixed us some lunch.  We ate and left the house just before 1pm.

When I pulled up at the store, I could see dark clouds rolling in in the distance behind the store, and a lady rolled her window down and hollered something at me.  I'm still battling this ruptured ear drum, so I'm hard or hearing and the wad of cotton I have to keep in there doesn't help matters.  I don't know exactly what she said, but it was something about a tornado.  "But it's not even raining yet", I shrugged to myself and casually went in to do my shopping.

I had a couple FREE coupons for Purex detergent, and I happened to luck out because it was BOGO FREE, so I got 4 FREE bottles of detergent!

Albertsons was having a Mega Sale, and I love it when they have them because they have great deals (and they still double, unlike Kroger!), but they have very poor in store signage for their Mega Sales (again, unlike Kroger who has awesome signs!)   I can never tell if i'm getting the right items because they say Mega Sale NOWHERE!

Ok, to be fair, there were a couple vague signs on freezer doors...for example, I was looking for the Bird's Eye vegetables.  The sign on the door near then said that the ones on the sale were the one's priced at $1.29 (mage sale would make them $0.79), but NONE of them were priced $1.29!  I intended to get 10 bags because I had a few coupons to use, but I ended up only getting 2 bags and I had to ask the cashier about those.  I'm still not certain I got all my $5 offs because their receipts are pretty confusing also.  (I did!  I found it!  All is well!)

Here is everything I got at Albertsons:

Total Shelf Price:   $108.53
Total Sale Price:    $67.87   (Already 37% Savings)
Price Paid After Coupons:   $35.31 + .44 tax = $35.75     67% Savings


When we walked out of the store (not yet 2pm, mind you), it was raining..not much, but raining.  As we drove home, the rain became heavier, and as I was unloading the groceries from the back of the van, it began to hail on me!  Not my idea of fun!

Safely inside the house, my 2 year old watched the hail bounce off the patio in amazement as I put the groceries away.  My freezer is full.  My husband is drooling over cheap pizza, and I'm praying my kids will like toaster strudels!

After I got my groceries put away, I still had to deal with the aftermath of an Albertson's shopping excursion these days...

I'm loving this Monopoly game, actually.  Last time, I had one that won $2 cash (which is still in the pocket of my soaking wet jeans I had to remove upon my return).  This trip, I received 11 game pieces.  I won a FREE pack of Capri Sun and two bonus game tickets, as well as various other coupons, and I still have all the online codes left to enter.

I would have gotten this post up much sooner, but it was now 3pm..time for school to release and my daughter to get on the bus.  Only, there were tornado warnings and none of the buses were released to run yet.  My only choice was to leave my 5 year old at school until they decided to let the buses run (in which case she would not have gotten home until around 5:30) or venture out into the storm and retrieve her.

The rain was picking up as we prepared to go...digging back out the jackets that I'd just packed away in the back of the closet.  I drove over to the school very carefully amid blasts of lightning and roars of thunder, waiting for the next tornado to pop out of the sky (there had been several touch down by this point...and apparently one not far away while I was out and about).  We parked and ran in through the rain.  I couldn't go through the carpool line because she is a bus rider, so I had to go inside and properly sign her out.   Once we were back in the van and all strapped in, the second I turned the wheel to pull back into traffic, the hail began once more.

This time I had to drive back to my house with it pummeling my van, slowly rolling through flooded streets.  The rain was just letting up as I pulled into the driveway safely and breathed a sigh of relief.  My husband still could not leave.  Being a teacher, he was stuck at school until they decided to let the buses run, also, so his last period class was 3 hours long today.

Thankfully, we all made it back home safely and the storms passed us by without causing any major damage.  This is a bad line of storms, and it is still moving through East Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma as I type this, so please remember these people and say a prayer for their safety!

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New Candy Coupons!

If you are still needing some candy for your Easter festivities, here are a couple brand new coupons:

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New Survey Panel For SmartPhone Users--Earn Cash!

There is a brand new survey panel, IdeaShifters, that is looking for people who own smartphones and would like to take paid surveys from their phones.

Sign Up Today!

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Food On The Table: Another FREE For Life Offer

Throughout the month of April, use the code "SPRINGFREE" to register with Food On The Table for FREE for LIFE!

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$0.50/2 Swanson Broth Or Stock Coupon

Here's a great new coupon that you just might need for all of your holiday cooking:

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4 Weeks To A More Organized Home: Day 1

I have been very busy cleaning my house all day long.   I have only one small organizational task left on my list, and I sat down to have a break, and I saw this post from Money Saving Mom.  She is beginning a challenge to organize her home, and since I am already in the cleaning spirit (and that spirit never usually lasts long, so I could use a bit of cajoling!) I'm going to take her up on this challenge.

Since I've already completed a whole day of cleaning, what I accomplished today isn't really going to line up with  her assignment, but I think the main point is that I got stuff done  (alot of stuff, in fact!)

Here was her assignment for the day  (and you can check out her progress post where I'll be linking this up here):

Day 1 Assignment

--Get dressed in something that makes you feel great   (PJ pants are comfy, right?  Yeah...I clean a lot today, but never actually got dressed HAHA!)

--Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and make a list of 5-10 goals for this week.  (I did this last night and early this morning, making a detailed list for today and a generalized list for the week).

--Complete your morning routine  (right now my morning routine is all about getting my daughter off to school, but I keep trying to get myself up earlier so I can have a little me time..that snooze button is just sooo tempting!)

--Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up the main living areas of your home.  (One of my tasks was vacuuming, so my girls tidied up their toys in the living room after dinner so I could do that.)

--Clean out your purse and/or diaper bag.  (I've not yet done this yet, but I'll put it on my list for tomorrow).

--Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.  (I threw out quite a bit of stuff today, and also one goal for the week is going through my closet and getting rid of things I can't wear).

Other things I did today were:  sweeping/mopping my kitchen, cleaning out my fridge, wiping down my trash can the fronts of my cabinets (my girls helped with this task with some soapy rags this afternoon and they had a blast!), reorganizing my small inside freezer (above the fridge), vacuuming all rooms (a couple I could only get just in the doorway, but its a start!), and even using the attachment to get along the walls that I never feel like doing.  

She is going to be posting a new assignment every weekday morning for the next 4 weeks, and then blogging her results of her own challenge and letting up link up our results.   If I had seen it earlier in the day today I would have snapped some pictures.   My daughters room--the after was enough for me to usher her in there after school and say "You see this floor?  This is what clean looks like!  Please help me keep it this way!"

I've also just started my daughter with her very own weekly schedule with check off lists to help her remember everything she needs to do before and after school and at bedtime, and she's actually very excited about it, and its sort of two fold because the two year old follows along and does the stuff she needs to do as well.

I'm very excited to take up this challenge because I have been trying my best to get my house in order since the year began, and I was making some progress and then I got sick and everything fell apart.  I'm still not quite 100% with my ear infection, but I'm feeling a whole lot better!

I'll be checking each morning for the assignment post and working it around my own goals for my house, and I think I'm going to make a lot of progress.

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Still Haven't Filed Your Taxes? File Easily And For Free!

It's officially April, and only 2 more weeks remain until the deadline to have taxes filed.

Have you filed yours yet?  If not, wait no longer!  This free program will allow you to file easily and automatically online.  It will walk you through step by step and help assure you do it right!  So click the button below, and get started NOW!

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Free Sample Of Prilosec

Prilosec OTC® provides all-day, all-night protection against frequent heartburn. That's zero heartburn for 24 hours with just one pill a day.*
With Prilosec OTC®, you won't get frequent heartburn in the first place. One pill a day. 24 hours. Zero heartburn.*
With just one Prilosec OTC® pill a day, you can block frequent heartburn before it begins for a full 24 hours with zero heartburn. So you can get through the day - and rest at night - without the worry of heartburn flare-ups on your mind.*

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FREE Digital Subscription To Ladies Home Journal

Free magazines are fun to get, but they sure can clutter up the place!  I have been on a mission to eradicate clutter around my house lately, so this is the kind of freebie for me--A FREE Digital Suprcription!

Get Yours!

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New Coupons to Print

Yesterday was April 1 and there were a lot of new coupons.  Unfortunately, I didn't find many of them very exciting.  The past few months have started off slow on coupons.com and then a ton of good ones seemed to appear everyday toward the end of the month.

Here's hoping that happens again!

Here are the best new coupons I see available right now:

$2.00 off renu fresh multi-purpose solution
$0.75 off any 18.5 oz. Gold Peak Tea
$0.40 off one Frigo Italian Style Cheeses
$0.40 off one Dragone cheese product
$0.40 off one Treasure Cave cheese product
$0.50 off One Package of LAND O LAKES
$1.00 off one Kashi steam meal
$1.00 off 2 General Mills Kid cereals
$0.75 off Multi Grain Cheerios
$1.00 off 4 LARABAR or JOCALAT bars
$0.75 off any Cascadian Farm product
$0.40 off one Stella cheese product

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Menu Plan: 4/2-4/8

I'm on the mend, and trying to get things back organized around here.  Last week I didn't even have a menu plan, and I didn't like it one bit!  We ate from the freezer mostly, and one night i was feeling so bad and had nothing planned, so my husband whipped up some grilled cheeses.  I did get out to the store for some fresh produce on Friday, so over the weekend we had a big salad with some of everything in the fridge tossed in.

My sister in law is going to be spending her Spring Break with us, and she's getting here on Thursday, so that should be lots of fun.

I've planned my meals for the week around what I have on hand, so when I shop this week, I hope to have a plan in mind for the following week.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday:  Ham & broccoli quiche   (I froze it in my pie plate, and I need it to make pies for Easter!)

Tuesday:  Cabbage Roll Casserole

Wednesday:  Beef Stroganoff or something of the sort with things in my pantry.  It'll be good, whatever it is. ;)

Thursday:  Spaghetti  (can you tell I'm thawing a 5lb. block of ground beef?)

Friday:  Gumbo

Saturday:  Tilapia  (subject to change)

Sunday:  EASTER!  Heading to some relatives.


I'm linking this up at Menu Plan Monday!

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