Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

I know you haven't heard anything new from me in a few days, but Thanksgiving is always a really busy time around my house with all the cooking, family to visit, shopping to do, and Christmas decorations to put up!  I hope it was a wonderful time for your family this year!

Did you brave the crowds for Black Friday?  I usually try not to get out in all of that mess unless there is a REALLY great deal.  But, this year there wasn't much that thrilled me.  My husband did go out and get a few things Friday morning, but, the only place I made it to was CVS.  I wanted to make sure I got at least some of the freebies they were offering up this weekend! 

Walgreens had some great freebies for Black Friday also, but I was told by a store employee that my Walgreens was going to be limiting shoppers to two transactions this weekend, so I didn't bother going b/c I knew I would not want to pay extra money out of pocket for what they had on sale. 

Here was my CVS deal...

Total Value of all 11 Items: $53.66

Okay, can I just stop right there for a minute?  I could NOT believe that it would have cost me $53 to buy 11 things had I walked in there with no CVS card or ECB's!!!  That just seems a little outrageous to me.  Okay...continuing on...

Total Spent OOP: $1.48 (once again put on a gift card!  yay!)
Total ECB's Received: $40.89

I had a lot of ECB's to start with, so I was able to do this all in one transaction.  And, I actually MADE 10 ECB's on this deal!  I am really hoping to geta good deal on diapers next week because I really need to stock up and have a good number of ECB's to play with now!

Did you get any great Black Friday deals?  I'd love for you to share them!

$5 For Taking Mattel Survey?!

This morning I had an email from Mattel.com offering me $5 to take a survey about my 2010 holiday shopping plans!  I had never gotten an email like this from them before, but decided it was worth a try, so I took the survey (took about 10 minutes) and at the end it asked for my mailing information so that they could send me $5!  They also said that after the holidays, they were going to be sending me another survey to complete that would pay $15!!  Did any of you receive this survey???  I'm not sure how I got on the list for it, but I have ordered from their website before, so I do have an online account with them.  I will let you know if I actually get my $5!

Cheap Greeting Cards at Kmart!

If you still have your Kmart ad from this past Sunday's newspaper, you may want to cut out the coupon good for $2 off any 3 American Greetings cards priced $.99 or higher.  I took 3 of these coupons to Kmart today and got 9 $.99 cards for a total of $3.36 - including tax!  This is a great price for stocking up on birthday cards, baby shower, wedding, etc.  Because these are store coupons, you will have to use them in separate transactions if you have more than 1. 

Dollar General Deals

Did you know there is a Dollar General store in Salem across from Food Lion??  Here are a few deals you can snag there this week!

Through TUESDAY, get...

Libby's Canned Vegetables 3/$1  (Update:  When I tried this today, the computer would not accept my coupon.  I was told it was because the register is programmed not to accept any coupon that will make an item free.  But, they also acted like they had never seen this before so I'm not sure if that is the real reason or not.  In any case, try it if you like but beware!)

-$1/3 (RP 8/29) = FREE!

Oreo Cookies 3/$5
= $1.66 each

Glad Candles 3/$5
-$1/2 (SS 11/7) = $1.16 each

Infant or Toddler 2-piece Sleepwear $4 (SpongeBob, Spider Man, Tinkerbell, and Elmo shown)


Through Sunday, get...

Charmin Basic Bath Tissue, 20 double rolls $7
-$.25 (PG 10/31) = $6.75 each (34 cents per roll)

Bounty Basic Paper Towels, 12 regular rolls $7
-$.50 (PG 10/31) = $6.50 each (54 cents per roll)

Crest Toothpaste or Oral-B Indicator Toothbrush $1
-$1 off Crest (PG 10/31) = FREE or $.50 off Crest (PG 10/31) = $.50 each
-$.75 (PG 10/10) = $.25 each
-$.75/2 Indicator toothbrushes (PG 10/31) = $.63 each

Eight O'Clock Coffee, 11-12 oz $3.50
-$1 (SS 10/24) = $2.50 each

New Rebates Page!

I've started compiling a list of rebate offers currently available!  Some of these will come in handy with all the Christmas shopping we'll be doing over the next several weeks!  I know there are more offers floating around out there, so let me know of any you run across and I'll post them!  Check back often for new rebate offers!

Feed It Forward with Restaurant.com!

Wow!!  Restaurant.com is currently giving away $40 million in FREE restaurant.com gift cards!  If you have never used Restaurants.com before, it is basically a site where you can purchase gift certificates for local restraunts.  Most of these gift certificates really act like coupons - for example, you may buy one that is "$25 off a $50 purchase," or "$25 off the purchase of 2 entrees," etc.  What makes this site great is that they often run promotions where you can buy the certificates for up to 80% off!
Right now, when you go here, you can send up to 40 friends a day a FREE $10 Restaurant.com gift certificate through December 31!  What a great way to make someone smile today!  Want to try one yourself?  Send one to you hubby!! :)

You can also use the code GOBBLE right now to get 80% off certificates - making a $25 certificate only $2!

New Food Lion Coupon Booklet

The next time you're in Food Lion, check the display in front of the meat case in the back of the store for the new "Hunger Has a Cure" coupon booklet.  It has several Food Lion store coupons in it!

The Coupons:

$2 off any 2 Peter Pan peanut butter 13-16oz.
$2 off any 5 Banquet Dinners
$2 off any 1 Marie Callender's Bakes
$1 off any 3 Chef Boyardee products
$1 off any 3 Manwich 15.5oz

And, don't forget to scan your MVP card that the coupon kiosk at the front of the store (if your store has this).  You can scan your card once a day to have store and manufacturer coupons printed out!

Now, on a very random, personal note....can I just say how much I love the new "race car buggies" that they have at the Food Lion in Salem?!  My kids love these buggies and they do help to distract them while I shop, but the old ones were sooooo big and hard to drive!  The new ones are so much better and I actually don't dread my kids asking to sit in them!  Whoever designed the smaller, easier to push, version is a GENIOUS in my opinion and obviously has children of their own!!!  (Imagine!)  :)

FREE Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich!

Lifeway Christian Stores and Feeding America SW Virginia are working together to provide food for the needy this holiday season and they need our help!  Through December 15, take 4 canned food items to either Lifeway Christian Stores or Valley View Grande and in return you will receive a coupon good for a FREE chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A!  I'm sure after last week's great sales at Kroger, we all have more than enough canned food in our pantry and can afford to pass along a few items to those who really need it!  I mean, I'm sure there's got to be someone else out there who now has 20 cans of cream of mushroom soup....

(Thanks, Charlene!)  :)

New Walgreens Coupon Book!

The next time you're in Walgreens, stop by the cosmetics counter and look for the "Everything Bright and Beautiful" coupon book with over $35 in store coupons inside!  If you can get there tonight or tomorrow, some of these coupons would pair up nicely with the cosmetics clearance and B1G1 50% off sale I posted about here.

The coupons are:

25% off Photo Collage Prints or Posters
$10 off a Walgreens My Personal Movie Photo DVD (regularly $19.99)
$2 off any Neutrogena Cosmetics
$5 off any Neutrogena Clinical Skin Care item
$3 off select L'Oreal products
$2 off select L'Oreal products
$1 off any Revlon cosmetics
$1 off any Almay cosmetics
$3 off Red by Kiss Power File Deluxe
$3 off Red by Kiss Power File To Go
$5 off any University Medical Facelift Treatment
$.50 off Softsoap Premium Foam Pumps
$1 off select Colgate toothbrushes
$1 off select Colgate kids toothbrush or toothpaste

New Restaurant Coupons!

Just wanted to let you know that I've updated my list of printable restaurant coupons!  There are several new $ off a total purchase coupons and some gift card deals for the holidays!  Check them out before you go out to eat this weekend!

As always, if you know of any good restaurant coupons that I don't have listed, please let us all know by leaving a comment below!

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Grocery Savings workshop last night at Bethel Baptist Church!  I had a great time and can't wait to hear about all of your savings!!

Kroger Meal Ideas

Gotten all the deals this week at Kroger but still not sure what to fix for dinner?  Try these simple recipes that match up with this week's sale items and things you probably already have in the fridge or pantry from recent sales.


Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups chicken broth (hopefully you stocked up on this last week!)
ground black pepper
1 medium carrot sliced ($.59lb)
1 stalk celery, sliced ($.89)
1/2 cup uncooked extra wide egg noodles (on sale last week)
1 cup shredded cooked chicken ($1.99 lb)

Directions:

Heat broth, pepper, carrot and celery in 2-qt saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.  Stir in noodles and chicken.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.  (Makes 4 servings.)


Pork BBQ on Buns (crock pot recipe)

Ingredients:

Porkloin ($1.99lb - can also have butcher slice into chops for other recipes)
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 - 1/2 cup water
barbeque sauce (should have some on hand from previous sales)
Hamburger or Sandwich buns ($1)
slaw (optional)

Directions:

Place pork in slow cooker.  Pour water in bottom of slower cooker and sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  Cook all day on low heat until meat is cooked through and tender.  Remove from crock pot and shred or chop.  Return meat to crock pot and mix with as much bbq sauce as you like (I probably use 1/2 - 3/4 cup).  Leave in crock pot until heated through.  Serve on buns with slaw if desired.


Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic
(taken from Food and Family Magazine)

Ingredients:

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves ($1.99 lb)
20 cloves (or however many you have), peeled
3/4 cup chicken broth (on sale last week)
1/4 cup cesear salad dressing
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

Directions:

Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken and garlic; cook 4 minutes, turning chicken after 2 minutes.  Stir in broth and dressing & cover with lid.  Cook chicken 4 minutes on each side or until done.  Sprinkle with parmesean cheese.  Remove from heat & let stand, covered, for 1 minute.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible Sides:

Fresh Green Beans $.99lb
Iceburn Lettuce $.99
Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes $1
     -$.50/2 mc (GM 11/14) & $.50 (CellFire.com) = $.25 each

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible Breakfast Items:

BC Muffin Mix $1.49 (Mega Sale Price)
     -$.50 mc (GM 10/3) & $.50 (CellFire.com) = FREE!
Pillsbury Refrigerated Grands Sweet Rolls $1.49 (Mega Sale Price)
     -$.50 mc (GM 11/14) & $.40/2 (Kroger.com) = $.29 each
Pillsbury Toaster Strudels $1.49 (Mega Sale Price)
     -$.50/2 mc (SS 10/3) & $.50/2 (ShortCuts.com) = $.75 each

New Money-Saving Coupon Book at Valley View Mall!

I am so excited about a new coupon book that my mom gave me today!  Apparently, in the women's mall restroom at Valley View Mall in Roanoke, she found a basket full of these great books!  It has a TON of coupons good for stores and restaurants in and around the mall.  Some of my favorites...

FREE Appetizer at Abuelos 
20% off ANY purchase at Ben & Jerry's
FREE Chicken Sandwich with the purchase of any meal at Chick-fil-A
15% off your entire purchase at The Children's Place
15% off your entire purchase at Eddie Bauer
20% off any regularly priced purchase at Gap or Gap Kids
15% off any purchase at Puppy Love (including Puppies!)
FREE slice of fudge when you spend $15 at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (makes great gifts!)
$10 off a $35 purchase at Trade Secret
Buy 2 regularly priced Jar or Tumbler Candles, get 2 FREE at Yankee Candle Company

The next time you're at the mall, check around for this great booklet!  I imagine it will come in handy when you're out doing your Christmas shopping!

Silly Bandz Savings!

Are your kids obsessed with Silly Bandz??  If so, you may want to head over the Kroger on Main Street in Salem where they have a buggy-full near the cash registers for $.99 a package!  Most of the packages I saw contained between 20 & 24 Silly Bandz.  They had characters such as Disney Princesses (you know those ended up in my buggy), Disney Fairies, Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, Cars, Harry Potter, Tom & Jerry (another personal favorite of my 4 year old!), Angelina Ballerina, and lots of generic shapes also.  These will make great stocking stuffers for my kiddos!

Thrifty Thursdays!

Check in each Thursday to see pictures and posts of deals I've gotten around town!  Today I made it to CVS and Kroger.  CVS wasn't too thrilling...it was only a quick trip in for 3 things.  (I'm hoping next week's ad will be a little more exciting.)  And, I wasn't thinking I was going to do very well at Kroger, but some of the mega sale items paired up with e-coupons made for some great deals!!!  Here were my totals...(sorry my pictures are so dark)

CVS Totals

Total Value of all 3 items = $14.42
Total Spent = $0.94 (Which I was able to put on a gift card!  Yay!  thanks, Stephen!)
Total Saved = $13.48 or 93%!
ECB's Received = $3


Kroger Totals

Total Value of 43 items = $112.41
Total Spent = $47.42
Total Saved = $64.99 or 73%!

As far as the mega sale items were concerned, there were paper coupons AND e-coupons for almost everything!  I bought a total of 16 items from the mega sale, but just as an example, I was able to get all 12 items above (a $37.27 value) for a total of $3.45 (tax included)!!!  I was so glad to get a good deal on cookies since I have to make some for may daughter's dance recital this weekend!  Plus, who doesn't love cinnamon rolls on a Saturday morning?!  Especially when they cost next to nothing!!  :)

LOTS of Diaper E-Coupons to Download!

Yay!!!  I was just on Kroger's website downloading coupons to my Kroger Plus Card and noticed a lot of new diaper coupons available to load!  All of the following coupons expire on 12/25 so you'll have plenty of time to wait  for a good sale and paper-coupon match-up!

Save $1 on any one Pampers wipes 60 count or larger
Save $1 on any one Pampers Baby Dry Diapers
Save $1 on any one Pampers Cruisers Diapers
Save $1 on any one Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
Save $1 on any one Luvs Diapers
Save $1 on any one Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers
Save $1 on any one Pampers Easy Ups Trainers
Save $1 on any one Pampers Extra Protection Diapers
Save $3 on any two Huggies Snug and Dry Diapers

Other good coupons to load while you're there...

Save $3 on any one Charmin 24 roll or larger or any Mega Roll pack (exp. 12/25)
Save $1 on any one Suave Professionals 14.5oz or larger (exp. 1/25)

B1G1 Starbucks Drinks!

Here's another Starbucks deal for you!  November 18 through 21, get Buy One Get One Free Holiday drinks from 2-5 p.m.!  Go here for more info.

Starbucks 12 Days of Sharing Promotion

December 1 through 12, Starbucks will be texting out one special offer per day to all who sign up for their "12 Days of Sharing" promotion.  Simply text 12DAYS to 29943 to get in on these special offers!

I can't wait to see what they are!!

$5 Rebate When You Get A Flu Shot!

Right now, you can send in for a $5 rebate from Lysol when you or a family member gets a flu shot by November 30!  Just send in the original, dated receipt showing your purchase of a flu shot along with the completed form here to get your rebate.  Requests must be postmarked by 12/30/10.

(Thanks, Shelby!)

Additional Coupons in Yesterday's Paper!

In addition to the 3 coupon inserts I told you about already, we also received the following coupons in yesterday's newspaper...

(1) General Mills Insert
(2) Kroger Inserts

There were also (2) coupons in the Parade Magazine as well as a coupon good for 50% off the regular price of any one item in the A.C. Moore ad!

Make sure you dig through and find all of these great coupons before throwing your paper out!

FREE Shipping Kit!

Do you do a lot of shipping over the holidays?  If so, you may want to head on over here where you can currently request a FREE Flat Rate Holiday Shipping Kit from the postal service (through 2/15/11).  Your FREE kit will include:

four sizes of Flat Rate Boxes
a gift card envelope
sheet of Flat Rate shipping tips

Online Photo Deals!

In need of prints or photo cards for the holidays? 
Here are two great online deals for you...

First, head on over to Snapfish.com where you can currently get up to 365 FREE 4x6 prints with any $10 purchase through Nov. 20!  Just add $10 worth of items to your cart (before taxes or shipping) PLUS however many free prints you want to get.  Then, use the following codes at checkout:

for 50 free prints - 2010MY50
for 100 free prints - 2010MY100
for 365 free prints - 2010MY365

(You will need to pay taxes and shipping for all of the prints ordered.)

------------------------------------

Second, you can get 5 FREE 5x7 Holiday folded greeting cards or flat stationary cards at Shutterfly.com through Nov. 24 by entering the code XCAY-08C5-RVD2-5J1UT5 at checkout.  (be sure to enter the code exactly as you see it here - dashes and all)  You will need to pay tax and shipping which for me came to $6.10.  Not bad for 5 personalized photo cards!!!

New to Shutterfly?  Sign up for a new account and receive 50 FREE prints!

New Printable Coupon List

Sorry you haven't heard much from me today, but I have been working hard tonight on a list of printable retail coupons.  The next time you're headed to the mall or any other retail store, click on the link at the top of the page to see if there are coupons available for the places you're going!

If you know of any other retail coupons that are available to print on the web, leave a comment below!

Mail Time!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE checking my mailbox every day??

FREE tissues, FREE trash bags, $1.50 Kandoo wipes coupon, FREE Parents Magazine (with a new 20% off code for diapers on Amazon.com!!), and my favorite...FREE Coffee from Dunkin Donuts!

Enroll in Dunkin Donuts Perks program here.  You will receive a FREE cup of coffee when you sign up and another FREE cup on your birthday!

Go here to send a FREE box of Kleenex tissues like the one pictured above to someone you love.  (I sent mine to my husband!)  :)

140 Custom Multi-Purpose Labels only $2.95 Shipped!

You can currently get 140 Multi-Purpose Labels from Vista Print for only $2.95 shipped!  That's a great price for what could be personalized address labels, Christmas gift tags, kids labels (ex> "This belongs to Amy"), etc.!  You could even make them as a gift for someone!

To get this deal...

Go here and scroll down until you see 2 FREE label offers.  Click on "get started" under either one.
Next, choose a design and customize your labels however you want.
Once you begin the checkout process, DO NOT click on any partner offers.
Choose slow 21 day shipping.  (Though it usually does not take this long to get your order.)
Your total should be around $2.95 (depending on where you live)!

Plus, you can always get 250 FREE business cards, a FREE ink pen, and a FREE rubber stamp any time you order from Vista Print.  Just remember that each item you add to your order will add a little to your shipping costs.

11/14 Coupon Inserts

This Sunday, we should get 3 inserts in our newspaper:

(1) SmartSource
(2) Redplum

Remember to check the Parade magazine for coupons also!  You never know what might be in there!

According to SouthernSavers, the SmartSource insert may have a coupon in it good for $1.50 off "any Huggies product."  If we get this one, it could make for a good deal on wipes!

Family Christian Stores Doorbusters Sale!

If you shop at Family Christian Stores, you may want to take note of 2 great $5 doorbuster sales they are going to be having before (Nov. 20 - 24) and after (Nov. 26 - 28) Thanksgiving in stores and online!  Some of these things would make good stocking stuffers!  Don't want to leave your house to face the Thanksgiving sale madess??  The ad I saw also states that they will have $.99 shipping now through December 24!

Some $5 deals to note:  (each doorbuster sale - before and after Thanksgiving - will have different items on sale though some are included in both sales)

2010 Christmas Card Holders (regularly $12.99)
2011 Inspirational Planners (regularly $16.99)
Roses 5x7 Photo Frame (regularly $21.99)
Various children's DVDs (including Veggie Tales) (regularly $14.99 - $19.99)
Various CDs (regularly $11.99 - $15.99)

I saw these deals advertised in a Family Christian Stores booklet that was sent to my house.  I tried to find a full list of doorbuster items on the Family Christian website but couldn't.  If you don't already receive ads and coupons by mail from Family Christian Stores, go here to create an account!

Kroger Totals

I went to Kroger today to get another round of Mega Sale items.  When it was all said and done, my totals came to...

Total Value: $96.60
Total Spent oop: $42.25  (43 items)
Total Savings: $54.35 or 57%!

And, thanks to the nice lady in Kroger who told me about the great deal on San Georgio Pasta!  (am I spelling that right?!)  This pasta (several varieties) is part of the Mega Sale priced at $.79 but there was a $.55/1 coupon hanging on the shelf that made each box $.24!!  My daughter's preschool is collecting items for our local food pantry this month, and this will be a great item to donate!

JC Penney Clearance = $1.97 shirts!

If you're headed to the mall this weekend, you may want to stop in JC Penney where they have a HUGE selection of clearance items right now.  (mostly summer & fall items)  I found shirts on the clearance rack today for $1.97!!  I bought 3 shirts for a total of $6.21!!  (A savings of over $74!!) 

Staples Dollar Days

In need of some paper to print all of your coupons on?  Consider heading to Staples where they are having a "Dollar Days Sale" this week.  Here are some of the best deals...

$1 Deals

Staples Bright Multipurpose Paper, 500 sheet ream (after $4.99 Easy Rebate)
HP Everyday 8.5" x 11" Photo Paper, 50/pack (after $8.99 Easy Rebate)
Staples Stickies 3"x3" notes 12/pack (regularly $11.79!)
Westcott 8" recycled scissors (regularly $6.99!)
"Pull & Seal" Envelopes 25/pack (regularly $3.99!)

$2 Deals

Clasp Envelopes 12/pack (regularly $2.99 - $4.99!)
Staples Construction Paper, 200 sheets (regularly $5.99!)
Sharpie Permanent Markers, fine point, black, 5/pack (regularly $4.49!)

Check out all of the $1, $2, and $5 dollar deals in their ad here.

$.99 Rimmel Mascara!

I decided to put my new coupon organizer to the test at Walgreens today and ended up scoring a great deal on Rimmel mascara!  (This was especially exciting to me since I was in desperate need of mascara!!)

Total value of everything here: $27.38

Total spent out of pocket: $3.11!

Do you need mascara?!  Get this deal for yourself....

This week at Walgreens, all Rimmel cosmetics are on sale B1G1 50% off.

However, the Glam'Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara is on clearance for $3.99!

Buy (2) Glam'Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara $3.99 each = $7.98

-B1G1 50% off sale = $5.98

-(2) $2 coupons from here.  ("like" them to print the coupon - good for ANY Rimmel product)

Pay only $1.98!  That's only $.99 per mascara!!

There are other Rimmel, Cover Girl, and Loreal clearance items also - all in the B1G1 50% sale, so I would take any coupons you have for these brands with you if you go!

Kroger Meal Ideas

I by no means consider myself to be a great cook (my friends are all smiling now...), but I often have people tell me that they go to the store and get all these great deals but then don't know what to make with them once they get home.  This is especially difficult when you are just starting out with couponing and haven’t built up your stockpile yet.

So, I’ve decided to try and put together a couple of meal ideas for you based on what is on sale at Kroger this week!  (I’ve also thrown in a couple of random sale items that you might want to pick up.)  Keep in mind – I said I’m not much of a cook – so these are going to be SIMPLE recipes that ANYONE can make!!  Kroger’s sale ad runs 2 weeks at a time, so I’ll try to make a list of meal ideas at least twice a month.

If you have any other good meal ideas based on this week’s sales, please share them!

Breakfast Items

Kroger Medium Dozen Eggs $.50ea

Krusteaz Pancake Mix $1.60 (Mega Sale price)

-$.50mc (SS 8/22) = $.69ea

Krusteaz Muffin Mix $1.49 (Mega Sale price)  **My FAVORITE muffin mix!**

-$.50mc (SS 10/17) = $.49ea

Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll 12 - 16oz B1G1 @ $4.59

-$.75/2mc (RP 10/10) = $1.92ea

Dinner Ideas

Mushroom Gravy Pork Chops (for the crock pot) 

Ingredients:

Bone-In Mixed Pork Chops $1.99lb

(2) cans Campbells “great for cooking” Cream of Mushroom Soup $.49 (Mega Sale Price) -$.25/4mc (SS 11/7) = $.37ea

Salt & Pepper (or I like to use Nature’s Season’s seasoning blend)

½ can water

Directions:

Put pork chops in bottom of slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix cream of mushroom soup with water and pour over pork chops.  Let simmer all day on low until meat is flaky, tender, and done.

Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Smart Taste tube or spiral pasta $.79ea (Mega Sale price)

Kroger Jar Pasta Sauce $1 (or use any you already have on hand)

Shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (hopefully you have some from the Kraft sale a few weeks ago!)

½ - 1 lb ground beef, cooked (optional)

Directions:

Toss cooked pasta with pasta sauce and shredded cheese in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.  (Mix in cooked ground beef if desired.)  Top with more cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese has melted.

Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

(4) Tyson Split Chicken Breast $.99 lb

4 tsp taco seasoning (Kroger brand runs around $.60 a package, I think – don’t quote me)

1 cup Chi Chi’s salsa $1.49 (Mega Sale price)

1 cup shredded cheese

Sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken in greased 9x13in baking dish.  Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides.  Pour salsa over all.  Bake 25 – 35 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese over chicken and bake 3 – 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Top with sour cream if desired.

Halloween Clearance!

Have you all be taking advantage of all the Halloween clearance around town?  A few stores I know of that have clearance items right now are...

Kroger  75% off
Kmart  50% off
Walmart  75% off
Toys R Us  90% off (thanks, Shelby!)

I got four Halloween costumes (including the one above) at Kroger this past Thursday for just over $3 each!  I was saving them for Christmas but had to get one out when Ashlyn almost fell on her face trying to walk down the hallway in one of her big sister's princess dresses!  She feels VERY special now that she has one of her own!!!

New Coupon Organizer!

Okay....I have to admit it....I am slightly obsessed with organizers!  That's why I was soooo excited when one of my good friends gave me this new coupon organizer for my birthday!  I just had to share a picture of it....I've decided to use it to keep all of my CVS, Walgreens, Staples, etc. things all in one place!  There is a place for all of my cards as well as scissors, a calculator, pen, etc.!  And, it has hooks that allow you to hang it on the shopping cart!!  Plus, how cute is the print?!?!  If you want to check it out for yourself, go to TheCouponWallet.com!
Thanks, Renae!

FREE Dunkin Donuts Coffee!

Did any of you receive the RedPlum home mailer that came last week?  I hope you didn't throw it away like I almost did, because inside was a coupon good for 1 FREE Small Hot or Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts!!  No other purchase necessary!  This coupon is good through 11/30, so you have a while to use it.  I'll take free coffee any day!!!

10/7 Coupon Inserts

You should receive 2 coupon inserts in tomorrow's newspaper: 

(1) SmartSource
(1) Redplum

And, always be on the lookout for coupons in Parade Magazine as well as Kroger single-page inserts that are sometimes thrown in.  You never know what you might find!

Hallmark Holiday Open House!

Today and tomorrow, Hallmark stores will be hosting a Holiday Open House where they will be showcasing some of their holiday items.  One thing they are promoting is the Holiday Recordable Storybook (regularly $29.95).  You can print a coupon good for $10 off any Holiday Recordable Storybook here!  What a cute gift idea!!

Birthday Freebies!

November is my birthday month, and I am always excited to see birthday freebies pop up in my inbox!!!  Lots of businesses will send you fun freebies on your birthday when you sign up to receive emails from them on their websites.  Some freebies I've gotten this month...

FREE dessert from TGI Fridays
FREE burger from Red Robin
FREE burger from Ruby Tuesday
FREE slice of pepperoni pizza from Salem Pizza and Subs
FREE drink from Sonic
Special coupon offer from Old Navy
Special coupon offer from Frames N' Things

Do you know of any other FREE birthday offers??  Let us know!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!  I am excited about being able to share all of my shopping adventures and deals as well as information on any new workshops I'm offering!  I'd love to hear your stories, too!  So, come back often and share any ways you are saving your family money!!