Stressed By Mess

8/10/11 Garden update

2011-08-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

3 plants in the back row are tomato and 3 in the front are pepper. I planted yellow, cherry and standard red tomatoes. The pepper plants I planted are red, yellow and green. I bought plants this year from Kmart and they are doing really well. I have already harvested some cherry tomatoes. I haven't had to use as much fungicide on my plants this year. I think a major reason for this is that I am using my unfinished compost as mulch around the base of all my plants. I will be doing a seperate post on composting later.

Yellow

Cherry

Regular red

I only had one cucumber seed grow after trying to plant more multiple times so when the top of this plant reached the top of the trellis I "tucked" it back down and kept wrapping the vines so it woul grow down. When it reaches the bottom I will let it naturally grow up the trellis.

Cukes

Plant on the left is summer squash and the one on the left is zuchini. I had to plant the summer squash a couple times before I got any plants so I don't even have any "babies" yet. I've already harvest one beautiful zuke. The female flowers have been opening on their own this year. So I haven't had to "artificially inseminate" any this year : )

zuke

I've had one harvest of green beans this year.

Harvests

Would love to hear how all of your gardens are doing. Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Busy as a bee!!

Organic Horizon coupon

2011-01-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

$1/1 Organic Horizon coupon from the Krazy Coupon Lady

A visual guide to buying REAL food at the grocery store

2011-01-12T21:52:00.002-05:00

Click this link below-

How can you tell if they're real?

Don't drink bottled water

2011-01-06T07:28:00.001-05:00

I just saw this documentary, Tapped, on bottled water and it just reinforced the decision we made 2 years ago to buy a filter pitcher and use refillable water bottles.

Well well well by Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama

Free Gardening Catalog with coupon for $25 off $25 purchase!

2011-01-05T08:31:00.004-05:00

Here is a link for a free gardening catalog that usually contains a $25 off a $25 purchase posted by JANE4girls

Newman's Own printable coupons!

2011-01-05T08:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some Newman's Own printable coupons from The Krazy Coupon Lady

USDA regulations for organic labeling of food

2011-01-04T09:07:00.002-05:00

What is the difference between a food labeled "USDA organic" and "made with organic ingrediants", etc. ?

Click here to see the regulations used to define what is "organic"

2011 New Year's Resolution-Living green, organic and all natural on a budget

2011-01-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

We live on one income and have made many of our purchases based on that fact. Before I had a family of my own and more money to burn I bought all natural and organic as much as possible. In the past many of these items had to be purchased at small, out of the way and EXPENSIVE stores. We have always bought used items if they are cheaper than new but have strayed from this quite a bit in the past couple of years because it was more convenient.

In my quest for saving money I became hooked on blogs detailing how to get things for free or close to free with coupons, sales and rebates. But most of these items are loaded with unhealthy chemicals and are produced by companies that are only concerned with profits. I am hoping that my blog will become a resource and gathering point for other people trying to save money but not compromise their health, ethical beliefs or the environment.

Why are we making such a big lifestyle change? I don't feel healthy and I know better and I'm tired of making excuses. We have recently watched many documentaries on what goes into our food, how it is processed and the unethical motivations and damaging consequences of the company's making these products. I have always known what is in my food/health and beauty/cleaning products but because of money concerns chose to turn a blind eye to the unhealthy and environmentally damaging ingredients in the items I purchased. I have always known that buying used, recycling, reusing was cheap and environmentally friendly but I became lazy and complacent. I could say that all the stress and tight budget we've had over the years is an excuse for spending money on the wrong things but we are adults and make choices and are responsible for the consequences. The fact that a product is cheap is not a good enough reason for me to buy it anymore.

Now, many all natural, organic and environmentally friendly products are available at major grocery stores. Most of these stores even have their own line of all natural and organic products. These stores frequently have these items on sale and because of this availability and cheaper cost the stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have cheaper prices and sales in order to compete.

The hardest thing to do is figure out what you want and the easiest part is to find a way or make a way to reach your goals.

This year is going to be a transition period. We need to use up what we already have. We are going to have to try some new things and it might take a while to find tasty/effective products to replace what we are used to. These are some of the things we are going to do to eventually reach our goals.

-I will no longer purchase any items that aren't environmentally friendly, all natural or organic when possible.
-Buy used when possible
-Continue to recycle and buy a paper shredder. We only produce 1-2 bags of trash a week and most of it is paper. I am paranoid about people going through our trash. I will be composting the paper when possible. In the winter all shredded paper will be stored in the attic that won't fit in my compost bins.
-Continue to use rags for cleaning and wiping up spills
-Continue to recycle the paper towels we use to dry our clean hands for cleaning and wiping up spills. I only use paper towels when I have to have clean hands to eat or prepare food
-Buy from farmer's markets when they are open
-Try to find coupons for green, all natural and organic products/food
-Locate/compare prices/try all natural/organic and earth friendly products available in my local grocery stores
-Wait to buy grocery items until they are on sale/have a coupon
-Buy from bulk bins and bulk sizes
-Eat more whole foods
-Shop groceries on an as needed basis as opposed to a set schedule.
-Cook from scratch in large quantities enough to have leftovers
-Make a meal plan and only buy what is needed for those meals (including snacks when possible) every week
-Continue to compost
-Continue to grow my own organic veggies in the warmer months
-Make purchases based on needs and not wants as much as possible
-Try harder to combine errands into one trip
-Use our canvas shopping bags for all shopping trips

Click here for organic/all natural and environmentally friendly coupons : ) This link has MANY links to product websites and websites for green/all natural/organic stores.

I will be sharing coupon links and sharing tips as I come across them.

Are you now or have you wanted to live green/eat all natural, oranically while saving money. Why haven't you and if you are, do you have any tips?

When you buy ANYTHING you cast your vote for the products you want to purchase in the future and help bring prices down through store/company competition and creating a demand. The more of us that demand healthy, humane and environmentally friendly products the more available and cheaper they will become : D

9/4/10 Garden update

2010-09-04T06:52:00.019-04:00

My yellow and red tomatoes that I cut up to make spaghetti sauce with. I've harvested so many tomatoes over the past couple of weeks that I have been able to make several batches of sauce for meals AND eat them raw and slice them up for sandwhichs!

I took these photos on 8/30.

My tomatoes have been very bountiful and delicious. Unfortunately, this past week has had hot days and cool nights (creates a lot of condensation on the leaves) and my tomato plants have become infected. One plant had signs of late blight but I pulled off the infected parts and its still hanging in there. Another plant has lots of small brown spots. Again, I cut off the infected parts and its still kicking. I probably should have been spraying them with fungicide more often but things have been crazy this past week.

My yellow tomatoes below have all been huge and a beautiful yellow inside.

My snow pea and pea plants have replaced my cukes on the trellis.

My summer squash are very infected and not producing very much. I think it might be time to rip them out and transplant some of my seedlings.

The trellised zuke plant is the only one left. It just keeps on growing! I still have to hand pollinate the female flowers and not all of the ones in this photo have continued to grow : ( I've noticed two side shoots forming with male and felmale flowers forming. I think as long as it's warm enough I could be harvesting zukes for another month.

Both rows of green beans are still producing. In fact, I think I need to check them daily because they are growing so fast that they are HUGE by the time I havest them. The photo below is one day's harvest. The back row had purple streaks on them and were harvested from bothe rows. All the green beans I harvested in the past couple days don't have the purple streaks.

Does anyone know what caused this? I didn't cook them for a meal because I didn't know if they were safe to eat.

I harvested my first tomatoes EVER!!!

2010-08-18T10:08:00.004-04:00

Yippee! After last years tomato blight and having to rip out and throw away plants with bright red ROTTING tomatoes on them I am so proud and excited to have harvested healthy tomatoes this year :D I have more ripening as we speak.

I almost killed my entire garden yesterday when I was spraying it with organic

fungicide. I had half a bottle of concentrate and within a minute it was all gone!! There was a kink in the hose which meant that I was spraying my garden with concentrated UNDILUTED fungicide. I immediately smelled a strong vinegar smell. I unkinked the hose and just sprayed the crap out of my garden with water. The already sick cuke plants took the most damage to the leaves. I pruned all the damage. They are still alive this morning. Fingers crossed they survive!

This was yesterdays harvest. The lettuce is almost gone. I have a new crop growing in my nursery.

8-14-10 garden update

2010-08-14T10:31:00.022-04:00

I took the above photos this morning.

HARVESTS

These were harvested yesterday.

The photos above and below were harvested within the last two weeks.

CUKES

I took these photos a week ago before a harvest. I am loving the trellis. Unfortunately, it has not done much to help prevent fungal/bacterial infection.

These leaves are on one of my three sickest cuke plants. the cukes on the sick plants are still growing, I'm not sure how it will effect them (size, taste, etc.) if at all.

LETTUCE

I'm still harvesting the outer leaves. I've been finding that if I rinse the leaves, store them in an open plastic bag for a few days before eating it makes them much tastier. My second row of younger lettuce is not ready for harvest yet and is hidden behind my huge summer squash plant leaves.

TOMATOES

They are hanging in there and still disease free. I'm just starting to see ripening ones and hoping they stay disease free until harvest. I've been pruning and spraying frequently with fungicide. My tomato, green bean and lettuce plants are staying healthy but the cuke, summer squash and zuke plants are very infected.

SUMMER SQUASH AND ZUKES

My squash plants are heavily infected with powdery mildew but are still producing.

I am down to 2 zuke plants. The two that were in the middle row never produced despite my best hand pollinating efforts so I pulled them out. The trellised zuke plant is doing well and I will be definetly be trellising all of them next year.

Out of all the female zuke flowers I have hand pollinated only 4 have reached maturity and been harvested. These are the most current zukes I have hand pollinated. Fingers crossed they make it!

GREEN BEANS

The oldest row is on a second round of blossoms and starting to produce. The youngest row are extremely tall for some reason. I planted fewer seeds in this row so I don't know if the tall growth is due to the plants having more room for the roots or what.

CABBAGE

My two remaining heads of cabbage are swiss cheese. I'm not pulling them yet because I'd rather have the bugs eat this than my nursery seedlings close by.

THE FALL VEGGIE NURSERY

Almost all the seeds I sowed have sprouted. I have to thin them soon.

7/25/10 Garden update

2010-07-25T09:47:00.027-04:00

I trellised this zucchini plant because it was in danger of growing over the wall and it is producing the most (with hand pollination, more on that below) and I just wanted to try it : )

Not sure when I should pick this lettuce. I'm hoping it doesn't get bitter. Any advice on when to harvest it would be appreciated.

I replaced the wooden 4 ft. stakes on my my taller tomato plants with vinyl coated 6 ft. stakes. I think I will no longer use the wooden stakes after this summer because they are prone to rotting, getting moldy and encourage fungal growth. I've been using a stretchy, plastic "tape" for staking, training to vine to a trellis, etc. and I really like it. It doesn't rot, get moldy or cut into the plants.

I really like the Bayer Natria Disease Control Spray. It is the only spray I am currently using. It can be sprayed on all the plants in my garden and is very effective. I have been using the same bottle (attached to your hose and mixes as you spray) all summer.

I have been pruning my tomato plants aggressively (pruned them again after these photos). I think my tomato plants were falling victim to late blight last month and was picking off all signs of disease daily along with the suckers. I am finding that the indeterminate variety that I have is more work but is much easier to keep disease free. You can take off quite a bit of the branches and leaves and they will continue to produce new growth. I had a couple of plants that had a diseased main stem early on and either a new main stem grew in its place or I was able to take a sucker (I leave one sucker below each tomato cluster) and make that the new main stem.

My cukes are doing really well. I am pruning off the suckers by cutting them after the first leaf and cucumber.

My other row of lettuce.

The summer squash plants are doing well but the squash they are producing are pretty small but still tasty : ) I've harvested 4 so far.

My zukes have been giving me some trouble. I started noticing that they were turning yellow and dying at 1-2 inches in length. With some internet research I decided the problem was that the female flowers (they become the zucchini) were not opening at all and therefor not getting pollinated by the male flowers (these were opening but the pollen was not able to be transferred to the female via bees, wind, etc.) So I have been forcing open the female flowers when they are about 1-2 inches long and still green and taking a wilted closed male flower, ripping off the petals and sticking the stamen into the female flower. I have been able to grow 2 zukes to full size and harvest them by doing this. I currently have 1 (below) that is on it's way to becoming mature. None of the female flowers are opening. I have not had this problem with my cukes or squash (they are equipped with male and female flowers and are from the same plant family called cucerbits)

I trellised this zuke plant to see what would happen : )

The green beans are producing well. We have already eaten two harvests this past week.

I planted another row where I had been trying to grow cauliflower unsuccessfully. I tried transplanting the pumpkin plants to a garden below the wall. The female flowers have not been opening on them. I ripped out one and planted gourds and will be taking out the remaining pumpkin plant and planting gourds.

The cabbages are finally forming small heads. I ripped out the broccoli and Brussels sprouts. I will be using this empty area as a nursery to grow my fall crops of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach and cauliflower (maybe more cabbage).

I would really love to see garden updates from you all!

7/10/10 Garden update

2010-07-10T09:41:00.026-04:00

As much as I hated this recent heat wave, it was great for my veggie garden.

Organic Fungicide/bactericide/pest control I am using

I use Natria Disease Control on all the plants (I use the big bottle that you attach your hose to). I have found that using it during the heat wave after the sun went down was a great way to not only prevent disease but cool off the plants after they baked in the sun all day. I am no longer watering my plants overhead except when I use this product. When temperatures are normal I use it in the morning so the plants have a chance to dry before they are subjected to direct sunlight which can burn the leaves if they are wet.

I used Natria Disease, pest and mite control which contains sulfur before the heat wave on my tomatoes and a few cabbage and broccoli plants. This product cannot be used when temperatures are going to be 90 degrees and above because it can burn the plants. It also is not recommended to be used on cukes, zukes and squashes because they can be burned. I notice a lot of brown and dying leaves on my tomato plants after using this product on them. I was seeing this before using the product also which prompted me to use it because I was worried it was Late Blight. this spray also changed the color of the cabbages and broccoli I used it on and I have not seen the plants improve much since using it so I'm not really sure I will use it again.

I used Ecosense Fungicide on my cukes, zukes and summer squash which contains copper. I really liked this product and how the plants responded to it. I have read that copper sprays are the most recommended for preventing/treating Early and Late Blight. The two major drawbacks this product are price and availability. It is $10 for one small spray bottle which I have only been able to find at ACE hardware.

Compost

I used my oldest tote of compost as a mulch after I side dressed my plants with composted cow manure. I don't think it was completely finished but I had read that if you put it on top of the soil it will continue to compost without hurting the plants and will help feed the plants and protect the soil from moisture loss.

Other products

I am still using Miracle Gro Shake and Feed. I am using as soon as I no longer see in when I turn over the soil. I am finding that because my soil is very sandy and rocky that I have to water more lightly and frequently because it is draining too quickly and the plants don't have enough time to feed if I only water once a week more deeply. I just started using Epsom Salts sprinkled on the soil around the plants. This is supposed to be done once a month but because of my soil issues I will be doing this more often.

To be truly impressed by these photos you need to look at the last garden update I did. I looked at it before doing this post and couldn't believe how much everything had grown in just a couple of weeks!

Lettuce

Here is the row that is in between my tomato plants. I planted the two in the front a few weeks after the top three to help give my an ample supply. I transplanted the other younger ones to a row in between the cukes and summer squash.

Tomatoes

Cukes

I pulled out the 4 ft. stakes and replaced them with 6 ft. stakes and put up another panel of coated rabbit wire. It's a good thing I did because they are almost half way up already.

More younger lettuce transplants

Summer squash

Zukes

Pumpkins

I'm very tempted to transplant these to the upper lever of my back yard because I just don't care enough about growing them and I've already had one little pumpkin die. I would much rather plant another row of green beans in their place.

Green beans

I think I might put up some kind of support for these because they are starting to bend down and I really don't want them in the dirt. I would love some suggestions.

Cabbages, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli and Cauliflower

Still not expecting too much out of these. I am planning on doing a fall sowing all over again because they really prefer cooler/cold weather. I didn't even bother taking photos of the cauliflower because they are still tiny and not very impressive.

Hope everyone's gardens are thriving. I would love to see some update posts!

Aveeno MONEYMAKER and free M&M's at CVS!

2010-06-29T15:18:00.003-04:00

4 Aveeno hair products $6.49 each ($25.96)-4 $1.50/1 coupons ($6)=$19.96 got $10 EB (wyb $25 of Aveeno) will submit for $10 rebate when you buy $25 of Aveeno=$0.04 MONEYMAKER

8 M&M's BOGO FREE (.89 each, 8 for $3.56)-4 BOGO FREE M&M's ($3.56)=FREE!

06/23/10 Veggie garden and compost updates!

2010-06-23T14:38:00.018-04:00

I have been putting in a lot of time and energy into my veggie garden this year. I had no clue what I was doing last year. Here is a brief description of my veggie gardening last year. I was given some tomato and pepper plants and seeds from my landlords father and stuck them in the ground and just used Miracle Gro. I staked all my plants. My tomato plants all succumbed to blight and I didn't prune them early on so they became ginormous. I grew my cucumbers vertically which worked really well. My summer squash plants had mildew on the leaves and produced tiny squashes. My yellow bean and green bean plants did well but the leaves looked yucky pretty quickly. I planted way too many of each different veggie and planted them too close together.

Here is what I am doing differently this year. My wonderful hubby doubled the size of my garden and we used the grass he dug up to build up a wall at the front of the garden because my garden is on a hill. I am growing everything from seed. I am using composted cow manure and Miracle Gro Shake and Feed for fertilizer. I am using Bayer Natria Organic Disease control spray to ward off fungus and bacteria. I started composting. I built a trellis for my cucumbers and will be using a trellis for my zukes (would love to see photos from other people as I have never grown zukes or trellised them).

Compost Bins

The one on the right is the first one I started and I stopped adding to it (only add newspaper after is rains a lot but stopped doing that this week) about a month ago. I think it is almost ready but my ongoing problem with both bins is too much moisture. I think I need to use that tarp I bought to cover it when it rains a lot and leave the tops off when it is sunny. I have been turning them over every couple of days and throwing worms in when I find them.

The Veggie Garden

My tomato plants.

I started these from seed indoors, transplanted to a window box and then hardened off outside before transplanting to the garden. I had to plant these indoors twice, the first time they died. I started with 18 baby plants in the window box and this is what I have left. I read this past weekend that blight has been confirmed in the state below us so I have been checking them twice a day and pulled out and thrown away several. I have also been picking off any suspicious looking leaves. The blight scare is what prompted me to start using an organic fungicide/bactericide spray. They are doing well so far.

Romaine lettuce

I direct sowed into the ground and 3 survived. I just planted some more seeds so I'm hoping I'll have a continuous supply for a while. The lettuce row is in between the two tomato rows.

The cukes

I will be pulling out these 4 ft. stakes and replacing them with 6 ft. stakes and putting up another panel of coated rabbit wire above the one already there. I have an empty row between the cukes and the summer squash where I am planning on planting spinach. I had tried starting pepper plants indoors TWICE and they died. I tried direct sowing them in what is now and empty row and nothing sprouted so I decided to try and plant something different.

The summer squash, zukes and green beans

I'll be building a trellis for the zukes.

The pumpkins

These are from seeds that were left in the garden from the pumpkins I chucked in there after last Halloween. The started sprouting so I figured I'd try growing pumpkins! I have them planted at the front edge of the garden so as the vines get longer I can grow them on the ground in front of the rock wall.

Cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli

I have never grown these and they are taking forever!!! Not expecting much. If they produce I will be happy but considering I have never grown them I not getting my hopes up. I originally planted them where the tomato plants are but moved them to this part because it is in shade most of the day and these plants prefer cool/cold weather. Not pictured but planted to the left is cauliflower. Again, not expecting much as it is my first time growing it. If none of my cold weather plants produce over the summer/fall I will plant again in the fall.

Of course, within 24 hours of taking these photos the plants have grown a lot. I'm hoping to do an update at least every two weeks now that they are growing rapidly. Hope every one's garden are doing well : )

I am going to do an update on my flower/fruit gardens/plants this week. So check back!

Video on how to prune indeterminate tomato plants

2010-05-27T09:27:00.002-04:00

Pruning indeterminate tomato plants

FREE Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta at BigY through 5/26!!

2010-05-20T12:04:00.001-04:00

Price through 5/26 is 2 for $3. If you use 2 $0.75/1 coupons (doubled $3.00) they will be free!!

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta $0.19 a box through April 28 at BigY!

2010-04-15T14:23:00.003-04:00

BigY April month long sale through the 28th

Sale price is $1.69-$0.75/1 coupons doubled=$0.19 a box!!

Freebies, cheapies and MONEY MAKERS, oh my!

2010-04-15T14:02:00.003-04:00

Walgreens

trip #1

Schick shave gel $2.99=$2.99 got $3 RR $0.01 profit!

trip #2

Cottonelle tp $5-Wags $1 coupon (April coupon book)-$1/1 coupon (April All You mag)=$3 FREE after paying with $3 RR!

3 7 packs and 2 10 packs Scotch envelopes $9.95-$5 (Wags flyer coupons make them $0.99 each)=$4.95

I sell our old clothes, etc. a couple times a year on ebay and for items under 13 oz. (can ship first class cheap) these envelopes can save you tons on shipping costs. Just a 4 pack of the large ones are almost $3 at Walmart.

Total-$7.95-$3 RR from trip #1=$4.95

Rite Aid

Crest 3D white toothpaste $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 will get $2 SCR $0.01 profit!

CVS

Dove conditioner $4.49-$1.50/1 coupon=$2.99 got $4.49 EB $1.50 profit!

March 2010 grocery spending/savings totals

2010-04-10T10:12:00.003-04:00

Grocery spending totals include all food (including eating outside the home), health and beauty, cleaning and household supplies (trash bags, paper towels, tissues, etc.) and pet food and litter.

Total grocery spending after coupons, in-store card savings and gift cards/rebates earned and submitted (does NOT include RR's, CVS extra bucks, Reward Zone coupons earned and NOT spent).

$559.90

Total grocery savings (does not include savings from in-store card savings or the difference between the retail and sale price) which includes actual value of coupons used, RR's, CVS extra bucks and Reward Zone coupons used and rebates submitted/gift cards earned.

$288.00

10 Dixie Grab n Go cup packs for a $1.58 with Kmart double coupons!

2010-04-10T09:48:00.005-04:00

10 Dixie cup packs $30.90 ($3.09 each)-5 $2/2 coupons doubled ($20)=$11.58 (includes tax) got $10 off a $10 or more item on my next shopping trip=$1.58!

Plus, 3 had $0.55/1 peelie coupons that can be doubled!

I think the $10 catalina was for a month long promo.

More freebies and Dove MONEYMAKER at Kmart!

2010-04-08T17:23:00.003-04:00

4 All $16 (2 for $8)-4 $2/1 coupons doubled ($16)=FREE!

1 Tampax $4.59-$2/1 coupon doubled=$0.59

5 Dove deodorant $18.75-2 $2/1 IP coupons doubled (adjusted 7.58)-3 $1.25/1 coupons doubled ($3.75)=$4.11 got $5 off next purchase at Kmart= $0.89 profit!

I think the $5 catalina that printed was for a month long promo, not sure of the details. I found out about it on The Krazy Coupon Lady website

Storing and planting Dahlia bulbs

2010-04-06T09:21:00.011-04:00

I had my first flower gardens last summer and was given many Dahlias. Dahlias grow from bulbs and although I could have just left them in the ground I liked the idea of trying to store them for the winter and planting them in the Spring. There are many different ways to store bulbs. I went for the easiest and lowest maintenance method. I was able to use about half of the bulbs I stored. More than half survived covered in pine pet bedding in a closed cardboard box I kept in my basement but the only ones that are most likely to bloom are the ones that had "eyes"

Here are some photos of bulbs that have "eyes". Some sources I looked at on the Internet for storing Dahlia bulbs separated the bulbs before storage.

I found that it was almost impossible to see the "eyes" before storage. I was pleasantly surprised to see very obvious "eyes" on half the bulbs.

Before separating bulbs you need to locate the "eyes". Make sure that as many bulbs as possible have at least one "eye" once separated from each other. I just used a pocket knife to cut them apart.

Did any of you dig up and store bulbs for the winter? How do you go about storing them?

KMART doubles! Freebies galore! CVS freebies and moneymaker!

2010-04-06T08:19:00.005-04:00

CVS

3 Pantene $8.97 ($2.99 each)-3 $2/1 coupons ($6)=$2.97 got $3 EB ($1 for each, limit 3)=

$0.03 profit!

1 Stride gum $0.99=$0.99 got $0.99 EB=FREE!

Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2.00!! Click on the link below for details and products that will be free or really cheap after coupon savings.

Thanks I heart coupons!

2 Gillette men's body wash $8 ($4 each)-2 $2/1 coupons doubled ($8)= FREE!

Tampax Pearl $4.59-$2/1 coupon doubled ($4)=$0.59

2 Dove Ultimate deodorants $7.58 ($3.79 each)-2 $2/1 coupons doubled and adjusted to prevent overage ($7.58)=FREE!

You have to have a KMART rewards card but if you don't you can just go to the website and print off a temporary one after you register. You can only use 5 coupons per customer per day. I will be go daily for all the great freebies and cheapies!

Seed "baby" pictures

2010-03-25T11:59:00.017-04:00

Get Toy Story 1 and 2 Special Edition combo packs cheap and free tickets to Toy Story 3!

2010-03-23T12:59:00.003-04:00

If you already own Toy Story 1 and 2 on VHS or DVD go to Disney Movie Rewards for a $10 coupon towards the purchase of Toy Story 1 and 2 special edition Blu Ray/DVD combo packs! Then get a free ticket to see Toy Story 3 with each special edition combo DVD/Blu Ray purchase!

My first compost bin and mini indoor greenhouse

2010-03-19T17:14:00.016-04:00

I made my first compost bin a couple of weeks ago by drilling holes in the top, bottom and all sides of a tote.

I got my WinterSown.org FREE seeds this week! I am sowing these and about half of my veggie seeds that can be sown indoors. The rest of the seeds can be sown outside after the last frost. Some of the seeds I decided to sow indoors can be sown in or outside but I wanted to be able to use all the pellets in the tray so I sowed them to germinate indoors. The tray of pellets was only $6 at Walmart. The tray comes with directions.

This is what the pellets look like after they have expanded from adding warm water. The ones on the left I first pulled apart the mesh and them stuck my finger in the middle of the peat about 1/2 an inch down and pushed the peat to the outer edges to make a spot for the seeds. It also makes it easier to lightly cover the seeds when you are done.

I made sure to mark left and right sides so I would be able to know what plants are what on my grid that I filled in as I sowed the seeds.

I waited until I put all the seeds in each pellet before I covered them all by pushing the outside edge of the mesh so the seeds wouldn't get pushed down.

Then I gently pushed down the top.

I put the plastic cover on the tray that came with it and put it into my "mini greenhouse". This will keep the cats out and keep my little plants safe once it's time to remove the plastic lid on the tray.

Here is the grid I filled out as I planted each type of seed.

Walgreens-Free Reach floss and toothbrushes and Listerine!

2010-03-09T16:30:00.002-05:00

1 Listerine $3, 1 Reach 2 pack and 1 Reach Listerine floss-Walgreens flyer coupon $5.01-$1/1 Listerine coupon-$1/ Reach floss coupon-$2/1 Reach value pack coupon= $0.01 profit
(cashier scanned WMC of $5.01 first then the rest and the last $1/1 coupon beeped but she pushed it through)

Peeps 2 for $1.50

Total OOP=$1.49

Rite Aid-Free Starburst, Oral-B, Gillette deodorant+body wash, cheap Cadbury creme eggs!

2010-03-09T15:48:00.010-05:00

4 Starburst $2.98 (BOGO so 2 free)-2 BOGO coupons ($2.20)=$0.78

Become a fan of Starburst to get your BOGO coupons (after print one make sure you hit the back button and refresh to print the second one)

2 Gillette deodorants $8 (2 for $8)-$4/2 coupon=$4 will submit for $2 SCR

final cost after SCR=$2

2 Gillette body washes $9.98-2 buy one Gillette deodorant get one Gillette body wash free coupons=FREE

2 Oral-B Advantage toothbrushes $5.48 ($2.74 each)-$1/1 and BOGO coupon ($3.74)=$1.74 will submit for $1 SCR

final cost after SCR=$0.74 for 2!

22 Cadbury Creme eggs (2 for $1)=$11 Yes, we are addicted to these things!

Total OOP=$14.55 (used $3/15 Rite Aid coupon)

Total OOP after SCRs=$11.55 so I basically got everything but the creme eggs for FREE!

CVS-Super cheap Kellogg's cereal, free Nivea, Gillette body wash and Oral-B MONEYMAKER!

2010-03-09T14:51:00.006-05:00

4 Corn Pops $10-2 $1/2 coupons ($2)=$8 got $5 EB limit 1
final cost after EB earned=$3 that is $0.75 a box!

2 Gillette deoderants $7.98-$4/2 coupon=$3.98 got $2 limit 2
2 Gillette body washes $9.98-2 FREE Gillette body wash when you buy Gillette deodorant=FREE
Final cost for 2 deodorants and 2 body washes after EB earned=$1.98 that is $0.49 each!

Oral-B Cross Action toothbrush $4-$1/1 coupon=$3.00 got $4 EB limit 2
final cost after EB earned is FREE and $1 profit!

1 Nivea lip care $2.99=$2.99 got $2.99 EB limit 1
final cost after EB earned is FREE

How I paid

Trip #1

4 Corn Pops+Nivea lip=$12.99-$7 in coupons and EB=$5.99 got $7.99 EB

Trip #2

2 Gillette deodorants, 2 Gillette body washes and 1 Oral-B toothbrush=$21.34-$21.34 in coupons and EBs (one EB had to be adjusted)=FREE got $6 EB

Join Vocalpoint for free samples and great coupons!

2010-03-08T12:23:00.002-05:00

Join Vocalpoint for free and get free samples, coupons for free items and high value coupons sent to you in the mail!

I received this sample cereal from Kashi, a coupon for a FREE box of this kind of Kashi and 3 coupons for $1.50/1 of this kind of Kashi cereal from Vocalpoint.

All You magazine rebate

2010-03-08T09:49:00.003-05:00

If you still have your December 18, 2009 issue of All You, there is a page that has a rebate for $2.23 (page 171) when you send in 5 UPC codes from All You magazines and filled out form. If you don't already buy All You, it is only sold at Walmart and always has coupons in it, some are high value and some months have a lot of coupons.

6 packs of free seeds!

2010-03-08T09:46:00.001-05:00

Just click on the link below and follow the instructions!

Winter Sown free seeds

February 2010 grocery spending and savings totals

2010-03-05T08:17:00.006-05:00

Grocery spending total includes all food (including eating outside the home), health and beauty, cleaning and household supplies (trash bags, paper towels, tissues, etc.) and pet food and litter.

Total grocery spending after coupons, in-store card savings and gift cards/rebates earned and submitted (does not include RR's or CVS earned and NOT spent).

$618.60

This is still higher than I would like but I am trying to stock up before spring when I would prefer to be outside in my gardens and in my yard enjoying the weather instead of shopping all the time! We also have to have certain brands. I still have faith that as my stockpiles grow I will be spending less per month as the year goes on.

Total grocery savings (does not include savings from in store card savings or the difference between retail and sale price) which includes actual value of coupons used, RR's used, CVS extra bucks used and rebates submitted/gift cards earned.

$499.30

Whoo hoo!! This figure shows why my spending is still higher than I would like for the month but that by buying things when they are very cheap (on sale and I have a coupon and/or there is a rebate) I am saving myself a lot of money in the long run.

Cheap MultiGrain Cheerios and MONEYMAKER Colgate at CVS!

2010-02-26T12:41:00.006-05:00

3 MultiGrain Cheerios 12.8 oz. $1.99 ($5.97, limit 8)-3 $.75/1 coupons ($2.25)=$3.72 (retail for $4.49 each!)

Get MultiGrain Cheerios $.75/1 coupons here and here

Colgate Max Fresh $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 get $2 EB for $0.01 profit!

How to get CVS Extra bucks + pay next to nothing

2010-02-20T07:49:00.007-05:00

I bought 3 more yesterday and think this is the perfect opportunity to explain how to get the most out of getting EB at CVS with spending the least OOP.

3 Glade 10 oz. soy candles $18-3 $3/1 coupons ($9)=$9 got $8 EB

How I actually paid OOP-$9-$4 EB (from trip #1)=$5

Total or final cost after EB earned=$1

I didn't include the $4 EB I used to pay because I already used that in calculating FINAL COST in trip #1

The deal for this is buy $12 of select Glade and get a $4 EB and the limit is 3 times. I got $8 in EBs this time because you can get $4 for every $12 you spend. I bought 3 the first trip and spent $18 before coupons. The $4 EB I got was for the $12 retail on 2 out of the 3 candles. The retail for the 3rd candle for trip #1 stays in the computer system for CVS so when I bought 3 more I got 2 $4 (printed one EB for $8) for 4 candles. Another way to look at it is to figure out how many items you need to buy total to get the limit. $12 x 3 (limit of EB)=$36. The candles were $6 each. So, $36 divided by $6 =6 candles. The register uses the RETAIL PRICE towards the EB. IT DOES NOT SUBTRACT THE COUPON VALUE OR VALUE OF EBs USED TO PAY FOR PURCHASE. This is why I was able to get the EBs even though my OOP cost was very low.

I don't have to make multiple trips to get the EBs but by doing so you can "flip" your EBs which will save you more money OOP.

Free Carolina rice mixes at BigY!

2010-02-19T17:36:00.003-05:00

9 Carolina rice mixes $6 (3/$2)- 4 $.75/2 coupons doubled ($6)=FREE!!!

Glade 10 oz. candle MONEYMAKER at CVS!

2010-02-19T08:53:00.003-05:00

Spend $12 on select Glade get $4 extra bucks, limit 3

3 Glade 10 oz. candles $6 each ($18)-3 $3/1 coupons ($9)=$9 got $4 EB

Total OOP-$9-$7 EB=$2

Will submit for $5 SC Johnson rebate

After $4 EB and $5 rebate my profit will be $7!!

Cheap Dixie grab n go cups and cotton balls at BigY

2010-02-15T09:57:00.005-05:00

6 Dixie Grab n Go coffee cups $3.39 ea. buy 1 get 2 free $10.17-3 $2/2 (tear pad with cup display not in regular aisle) ($6)=$4.17 makes them $0.69 per package!

3 Top care cotton balls $1.69 each buy 1 get 2 free=$1.69

Orea double stuff cookies $2.99-Free coupon (from facebook fan page a couple weeks ago)=FREE!

Crest, Colgate and Aussie MONEY MAKER at CVS!

2010-02-15T09:19:00.005-05:00

Trip #1

Colgate $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 got $2 EB $0.01 profit!

Total OOP=$1.99

Trip #2

2 Crest (limit 2) $3.50 ($7)-$1/2 coupon=$6 got $7 EB $1.00 profit!

Total OOP-$6-$2 EB (from trip #1)=$4

My mom is visiting and I have a done of hair products so I gave her my Aussie coupon.

Buy any Aussie shampoo, conditioner 13.5 oz. or styling product 5.1-14 oz. for $2.99 get $2 EB. Use $1/1 from this Sunday coupon insert and it's a $0.1 money maker!

Free Venus razors+Olay body wash MONEY MAKER, cheap Gillette Fusion razors at Target!

2010-02-15T08:22:00.004-05:00

I bought this on Saturday but the deal is still going on all this week!

3 Venus razors $6.99 ($20.97)-3 $2/1 ($6)coupons=$14.97 got $5 Target gift card (when you buy 2)
3 Olay body washes $5.49 ($16.47)-Buy one Venus razor get any Olay body wash free ($16.47)=FREE

Total OOP=$14.97-$5 Target gift card -$15 mail-in Olay rebate =$5.03 profit!

2 Gillette fusion razors $6.99 ($13.98)-2 $4 coupons ($8)=$5.98 got $5 Target gift card (when you buy 2)

Total OOP=$5.98-$5 Target gift card=$0.98

2010 financial goals update

2010-02-13T12:26:00.003-05:00

Here is what we have done and things we are doing to reach our financial goals for 2010. Read our 2010 financial goals here.

We paid off our car insurance for the year. This eliminates an almost $70 bill every month.

We paid off a small loan of my hubby's. This eliminates and almost $60 bill every month.

We have only used a credit card once for 2010. This was for the $52.00 Tubo tax charge for me to do our taxes online. I know our goal was to not use them at all, however, this was a small charge and saved us hundreds of dollars in tax preparation fees if we had gone to H& R Block again this year. I have been using my debit card for all other online purchases. If your debit card has a Visa or Mastercard logo on the front you can use it like a credit card online except you are spending REAL money and not putting yourself into deeper debt.

One thing that is helping us live within our means is taking his check amount (he gets paid every two weeks) and subtracting the bills we have to pay for that period until his next check and putting what is left in an envelope for grocery, gas, newspapers and other spending. I like this system because you can see what you have to work with at any time. Unlike using a debit card, you can count the money in the envelope at any time to see what is left for spending and stay within budget until your next check. Now, if there is anything left in the envelope when he gets his next check we will figure out what our spending limit is for the new check after bills and add to what is still in the envelope to give us that amount. When my hubby deposits the money I need to pay my bills the extra money will go in the bank and it will be like we never saw it.

Using this system also helps us not spend our emergency fund. Our emergency fund of at least $1,500 is for unexpected bills, like the almost $300 excise tax we need to pay this month, amazing sales that will get us necessities that we always use for free or at a significant discount (our first choice is to try and do this with our allotted spending money for that period) or something breaks or needs to be replaced that we can't live without or an emergency.

We've all been very disciplined about writing dates on food when we open them or put leftovers in the fridge which has helped us waste less. I also bought a very large metal rack to store stockpile items in my kitchen and now all of my food stockpiles (except bottled water) are in my kitchen. I think this will help me avoid buying too much and not using things before they expire.

We are paying almost double the minimum on two of our bigger credit card balances every month. We are paying $15.00 over the minimum on my student loan with the overage going towards the principal. We paying $5-$10 over the minimum on all other credit cards.

How are you all doing with your financial goals?

Stop spending money on razors!!

2010-02-13T10:29:00.004-05:00

Every few months or so you can get brand name, high quality razors for free or close to free when they are on sale and you use a coupon and get back CVS extra bucks, Walgreens RR's or Rite Aid SCR's. According to Clark Howard, you can use a maximum of 2 razors a year! Click link below to read the article.

Dry your razor to extend shelf life

Just this week I purchased the razor below for $.99 OOP at CVS.

Gillette Fusion razor $8.99-$4/1 coupon (P&G 2/7)=$4.99 got $4 EB

This week at Walgreens I purchased another Gillette Fusion for only $0.99.

Gillette fusion (MVP only for $8.99 price manual or power) $8.99-$4 coupon=$4.99 got $4 RR

Stockpile photos Feb. 11, 2010

2010-02-11T15:22:00.020-05:00

January 2010 grocery spending and savings totals

2010-02-11T13:42:00.003-05:00

Grocery items I include in my calculations are food, health and beauty, pet food and litter and cleaning products.

Total grocery spending out of pocket after coupons, CVS extra bucks, in-store card savings and rebates submitted for the month-

$696.46

Keep in mind that I did A LOT of stockpiling (I will be posting photos in a separate post) in January. My year end total for grocery spending will reflect a bigger overall savings.

Total savings from coupons, extra bucks and rebates submitted (does not include savings from in-store cards)

$336.91

I do not have a grocery budget for the month or year. This is the first time I am tracking grocery spending and savings. My plan is to see how much I spend for the year and set a yearly budget. I don't think a monthly budget would work for me because I stock up on items when they are on sale and have a coupon which means I will spend more money one month and much less another month.

Do any of you have a set grocery budget for the month or year? Are you tracking your grocery spending and savings?

What can you buy at Rite Aid for $2.63?

2010-02-07T17:37:00.004-05:00

All this!

To receive rebates, rewards cards and Rite Aid gift cards you must sign up for Rite Aid single check rebates online.

Buy $100 of select P&G products get a $35 Visa gift card

4 100 fl. oz. Tide ($10.99 ea.) $43.96- 2 $1/2 coupons ($2)=$41.96

4 Tide stain release ($5.99 ea.) $23.96-4 Buy 1 Tide 75 oz. or larger get one Tide stain release (certain sizes) FREE=FREE!

Swiffer sweeper kit $11.99-$2/1 coupon=$9.99

Swiffer sweeper 36 ct. dry cloth refill $7.99- Buy 1 Swiffer sweeper kit get any refill free=FREE!

Venus razor $7.99-$2/1 coupon=$5.99

Olay body wash $8.99-Buy 1 Venus razor get one Olay body wash FREE=FREE!

Total cost before coupons that count towards P&G rebate for $35 Visa Reward card=$104.88

What I paid after coupons

$57.94-$20 Rite Aid gift of savings from Christmas rebate=$37.94

OOP after I receive $35 Visa Rewards card=$2.94

Buy $15 select Nivea products get $5 Rite Aid gift card

6 Nivea body wash $17.94-6 $2/1 coupons ($12)=$5.94

OOP after I receive $5 Rite Aid gift card=$0.94

Dove Mens + Care body wash $4-$1.25/1 coupon=$2.75 will get SCR $4 $1.25 PROFIT!

Total OOP after I receive all rebates for today's trip to Rite Aid=$2.63!!!!

Free candy after $10 KMART gift card rebate when you buy 4 Reese's Pieces!

2010-02-06T09:13:00.003-05:00

When you buy 4 bags of 10-10.5 oz bags of Reese's Pieces you will get a rebate form that prints out with your receipt for a $10 gift card towards the purchase of Hershey's. The Reese's Pieces are on sale 2 for $5. I was only allowed to use one coupon $1/1 when buying the 4 bags. 4 bags for $9 (after coupon) and receive $10 gift card =$1 PROFIT and free candy! You might be able to use 4 $1/1 coupons at your store. Limit of 4 rebates per household so potential of $40 in gift cards. Each rebate has to be mailed separately. My hubby is doing transaction #3 right now and I'm hoping he can do #4 when he runs errands later. Don't forget to use you KMART rewards card! Click on the link below to sign up to get your rewards card if you don't have one already.

https://www.shopyourwayrewards.com/cp/login.aspx?RGD=3B6032C1-CAD6-4CB7-BFF0-49B3D7B34CE1

Cheap M&Ms at CVS!

2010-01-26T12:04:00.003-05:00

This week (until 01/30) Buy $20 worth of M&Ms (all varieties, only the bags that are around 11-12 oz., not jumbo bags) get $10 extra bucks. I bought 7 bags of peanut butter and 1 dark which came to $24. I used 4 $1/2 coupons that I found in one of those dispensers in the snack aisle which brought my total to $20. That makes it $1.25 a bag after the $10 extra buck! These bags of M&Ms retail for $3.99 each.

Free Fruit2O at Bigy!

2010-01-24T10:20:00.002-05:00

If you can get your hands on the coupon $.75/1 18 oz. or 6 pack of Fruit2O the 18 oz. will be free with the coupon doubled at BigY. The coupons don't expire until 3/31/10 so there is lots of time to stock up! They are probably free at Stop and Shop as well because they also double coupons but I don't know the regular price so I can't confirm they will be free with coupon.

50% off Old Navy clearance ends tomorrow!!

2010-01-24T09:23:00.003-05:00

I hit this sale last January and bought $1000 worth of clothing for my whole family for about $200!! Call your local store ahead of time to make sure they are running this sale. Make sure you go to the Old Navy website and print off the $10/$50 purchase coupons.

Coupons and rebates rock! This cost me $26.00 at BigY!!

2010-01-12T12:46:00.002-05:00

After all coupons this cost me $26.00.

Coupons and rebates rock! This cost me $8.66 at Stop and Shop!!

2010-01-12T12:34:00.005-05:00

This all cost me nothing actually. I used a Stop and Shop gift card. The total came to $13.66 after coupons and 5 cents off for each reusable bag I used and I will be submitting for a $5 rebate for SC Johnson products for the Scrubbing bubbles.

http://www.scjohnson.com/files/Rebate_Form.pdf

Thanks frugalsuz! Check out her website for great deals!

Rite Aid Gift of Savings

2010-01-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

I got my $20 Rite Aid Gift of Savings check yesterday. I love getting paid to shop! Did any of you get yours?

Free Stayfree at Rite Aid!

2010-01-07T20:00:00.005-05:00

Rite Aid

Store #1

4 Stayfree BOGO $7.98-2 BOGO coupons $7.98=FREE!!
Clearance Christmas pencil $0.49=$0.52 (includes tax) OOP

Whenever I buy BOGOs with BOGO coupons at Rite Aid I buy something really small so the total won't be zero. If your total is zero for a transaction at that store, the cash register will prompt the cashier for a code from the manager and it's a big pain to wait for the manger to come put in the code.

Store #2
same Stayfree transaction as above=FREE!!
Clearance Christmas lollipop $0.25=$0.25 OOP

More free Soyjoys and free GE "green" bulb!

2010-01-06T11:47:00.003-05:00

CVS

6 pack of Soyjoy $6=$6 got $6 EB FREE
GE bulb $2.99-$1/1 IP coupon=$1.99 got $2 EB $0.01 profit!

Total OOP $7.99-$7 EB=$1.01 (includes tax)
Total EB earned and unused=$9 (got $1 for 4th use of green bag tag)

Free stuff at Staples!!

2010-01-05T16:12:00.005-05:00

4 Avery heavy-duty view binders ($6.99 ea.)=$27.96 will get back $27.96 rebate in Feb.
Any size but limit of 4 and this is a Staples Rewards rebate ( you need to have a rewards card for this offer which means you don't have to go online and submit for it)
2 HammerMill copy paper reams ($5.99 each)- 2 $0.99 instant savings=$10 will get back $8 rebate making it $1 for each ream (limit 2)
1 Pentel Hyper G pen 4 pack $6.99-$3 instant savings=$3.99 will get back $3.99 rebate

Total OOP $41.95-$6.00 Staples Rewards check=$38.20 including tax
Total rebates earned=$39.95 $1.75 profit!

Cheap Green Works at KMART

2010-01-05T15:56:00.004-05:00

You can only get this deal 1 per customer so I got these in two separate trips. This deal is good until 02/08/10!! Buy any Green Works laundry detergent and get a green works product free up to $3.79 value.

Trip #1
Green Works FREE (Only the Free was on sale for this price) laundry detergent $7.99-$3/1 IP=$4.99
Green Works all purpose cleaner FREE

Trip #2 repeat above

Get your $3/1 Green Works laundry detergent coupon by going to the website below. I was able to print it twice.

http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/laundry/

75% off Christmas stuff at Walmart!!

2010-01-05T15:43:00.003-05:00

All this was only $10.25 !!

2 10 ct. gift bags

5 6 count money/gift card cards with envelopes

1 4 pack of red metallic assorted shapes gift boxes

4 2 packs of 12x12x5 inch white gift boxes

4 3 ct.10x10x4 inch white gift boxes

1 big glass tree candy holder

1 150 ct. silver ornament hooks

What's really great about this haul besides the price is that the white boxes and gift bags can be used for occasions other than Christmas : )

Rite Aid money maker, free Soyjoys and cheap Cheerios at CVS!

2010-01-04T16:41:00.015-05:00

CVS

Trip #1

6 pack Soyjoy bars=$6 got $6 EB (limit 3)

Cheerios bonus pack of 2 $7.99-$1/2 coupon=$6.99 got $4 EB

Total OOP-$12.99-$3.50 EB (Fall spending EB)=$9.49

Total EB earned=$10

CVS

Trip #2

6 pack Soyjoy bars=$6 got $6 EB

Cheerios bonus pack of 2 $7.99=$7.99 got $4 EB

Santa hat (says "I've Been Good" for me ; P )=$1.25

2 Wonka gummies $4-2 $1/1 IP coupon ($2)=$2 got $1 EB

Total OOP-$17.24-$10 EB from trip #1=$7.28 (includes tax)

Total EB earned and unused=$11

RITE AID

Listerine $3.50-$1/1=$2.50 will submit for SCR $3.00

Total OOP=$2.50

SCR earned=$3.00

$0.50 profit!

Total OOP for today =$19.27

Total EB earned and unused=$11

Expected SCR=$3

Where are you getting your Marcal single roll toilet paper?

2010-01-03T15:17:00.002-05:00

My BigY normally carries the single rolls but the last two times I've gone there haven't been any and there is no space for them. I'm trying to find another source for getting them with the free coupons. Please let me know if any of you know where to find them. I've gotten so used to paying nothing for my t.p.!!

Where are my awesome coupons?

2010-01-03T08:56:00.005-05:00

Looks like I will be getting the Stayfree BOGO and Nivea lip BOGO coupons off ebay because they weren't in my inserts. No Electrasol/Quantum $2.50/1 coupons and I already have a stockpile and it's not worth spending the $5 (cheapest on ebay) to go through the hassle of using Register Rewards at Walgreens to get them free. No Welch's jelly coupons. We use the squeezable grape jam to cover my son's seizure meds on bread twice a day and go through at least one a week so I will also be getting these off ebay. I will still be buying at least ten newspapers because my inserts had $1/1 V8 Vfusion coupons (not available on ebay and I go through about 2 a week making popsicles for my kiddos), Campbell's Harvest selects and $1/1 Lysol wipes, $1/1 Baked Lays (hubby's favorite), B2GO Free and $2/$10 Soyjoy coupons amongst others.

Were any of you disappointed with the coupons you got in your inserts?

**UPDATE**

We just got a $50 gift card for Stop and Shop from a friend for Christmas so I decided it makes more sense to get coupons that can be doubled in a higher quantity of coupons for less than it would cost to buy the newspapers and use the gift card to buy those items. So it's only one Sunday newspaper for me this week.

Buying multiple newspapers for coupons vs. buying lots of coupons on ebay

2010-01-01T21:52:00.005-05:00

I have done both. I prefer buying multiple newspapers every Sunday that there are good coupons. I buy a minimum of 5 newspapers. If there are a lot of really good coupons I will buy 10 or more newspapers on Sunday. My CVS sells them for $1.50. When I run errands on Sunday and flip extra bucks I buy newspapers at my local one, then the next town over and back to my local one I can use my green bag tag for each trip and you get a $1 extra buck for every fourth use of the tag.

One big advantage of buying multiple newspapers on Sunday is that you have the coupons immediately and can jump on sales that might be sold out by Monday. It's also just cheaper. Most Sunday newspapers have at least 2-3 coupon inserts and the total value of the coupons outweighs the $1.50 per paper price.

I still occasionally get coupons from ebay only if they are something that is never in the newspaper. For example I get $4 off any size Iams cat food and $3 off any size Arm and Hammer cat litter coupons because they never have anything of that high value in the Sunday paper or as an internet printable.

How do you get your Sunday paper coupons?

Financial goals for 2010!

2009-12-31T07:46:00.004-05:00

My financial goals for 2010 are pretty simple.

Spend less.

Since my stockpiles of pharmacy goods like toiletries are pretty full I am going to try to only buy stuff at Walgreens, RiteAid and CVS if it will be free after rebates and/or coupons. I think this is a good way to cut back on spending and have already implemented this strategy.

I am going to try to only shop once a week. I am already trying to go out and shop at as many stores in one trip as possible. Not only does this save money and time but it also saves on gas.

Only spending on what is needed. This can be hard for anyone. But really, a need is something that you have to have to function and live. Heat, running water, electricity, food, clothing (not a new wardrobe everytime fashions change, lol!), a car, a place to live and phone service are all things you need to live. I think some wants are ok, if they help maintain your mental health or save you more money than if you didn't buy it. Is on demand cable really a need? No. But it saves us money because we don't leave our house for entertainment that often and it facilitates us spending more time at home as a family. Is our internet service a need? No. But it saves us money because I can follow money saving blogs and research prices and products, find deals and play free games on facebook, etc. Plus, I would have no social life if it weren't for all my internet friends! Are all my cleanig wipes and products a need? No. But I do need to have a sanitary and clean house and I am not superwoman and it is conveniant. Using these products saves time that allows me to have a clean and sanitary home AND have more free time for myself and my family. Ok, I probably could use rags more and less paper towels....I'll try : )

No surfing online stores unless we NEED something or are shopping for presents for birthdays, Christmas, etc and it is going to save us money by getting it online.

If we have a want, we have to really think about how spending money on it is going to take away from us paying down the debt we have and how much our debt is stressing us out. That usually makes the want go away pretty quick.

NO CREDIT CARD SPENDING.

This is the first year since we have both had credit cards that we are going to make it through an entire year without using them. If we budget our money properly and keep our savings at a reasonable amount we shouldn't need to use them at all.

More saving.

My hubby got a very nice Christmas bonus that allowed him to get some things he wanted and still leave us with some money in the bank. We have never had an emergency fund. Ever. My goal is to keep at least $1,500 in the bank for the entire year. Of course, it is there for a reason and if we have to spend any of it, I want to replace the money we spent as quickly as possible. I know this amount is nothing close to what you're supposed to have but for us and our limited financial resources it's a good place to start.

I'm also trying to really wait for things to be on sale and have coupons for them before I buy it. This is where it really helps to separate wants from needs. Most things don't have to be purchased right now and you can wait on until a deal comes along. Some things you have to buy full retail because you run out like milk or it just never goes on sale. Luckily, there are only a few things for us that we have to consistently pay full retail like our Welch's fruit snacks or my son's Welch's grape jam because that is what we like and we just have to have it.

Pay down credit cards.

This is just as important as saving money in the bank. Because we have so much debt to pay down our savings goal for the year is pretty small. But, as the gap between our credit limit and our card balance increases we will be saving money from the finance charges getting smaller. We are going to pay more on the cards with the bigger balances and pay at least five dollars over the minimum on the cards with the smaller balances. Our goal is to get all of our credit cards paid down to 50% of the limit.

Waste less.

This is probably the area where I need to make the most improvement when it comes to buying food. We have had periods in our life together where we were very strapped for cash and didn't always have a lot of food. We were never starving but we both feel better when there is an abundance of food in the house. I'm going to try to be more realistic about how much food we are going to be able to consume before it expires. I also want to try to freeze more leftovers if they will not be eaten before they go bad.

I am very concerned with food safety. I have probably thrown away perfectly good food. One thing I have done to help me throw away less food is writing the date on dairy and meat with a Sharpie when I open it. That way I know I am not throwing away perfectly good food and because I know when I will have to throw it away I can keep an eye on my calender and try to use it all before it goes in the trash.

Notice that I say I am going to TRY to do all these things. I think it's important to have goals and do your best to reach them but we all know that mistakes are made or unexpected things come up to throw us off the path towards our goals. Tomorrow is only a day away and it's never too late to make a change. Sometimes making mistakes or taking a detour from our goals is part of the path we are supposed to be on and are there to teach us a lesson we need to learn.

I hope you are all looking forward to the new year and saving more and spending less!

Happy New Year!

CVS Free Listerine and money makers-Revlon lipstick, Nivea body wash + Glade!

2009-12-22T14:43:00.003-05:00

Buy $12 of select Glade products get $4 extra bucks

2 Glade essential oil candle holders 2/$6-2 $1.50/1 coupons ($3)=$3

2 Glade essential oil candle refill bonus packs 2/$6-$6(used 2 buy 1 candle holder get 1 refill free)=FREE

1 Glade essential oil candle refill bonus pack-$3 (used buy 2 refills get 1 free)=FREE

Total=$3 got $4 EB=$1 Profit!

1 Nivea body wash $5.99-$2/1 coupon (available at coupons.com)=$3.99 got $5 EB=$1.01 Profit!

1 Listerine $3.99-$1/1=$2.99 got $3 EB=$0.01 Profit!

3 Revlon lipsticks $6.99 ($20.97)-3 $2/1 coupons ($6)=$14.97 got $15 EB=$0.03 Profit!

Total Profit-$2.05

And free stuff!

Almost credit card free Christmas shopping!!

2009-12-19T10:55:00.002-05:00

So far we have only used our credit cards for $30.00 worth of Christmas gifts! How are all of you doing staying away from using your credit cards this year for your Christmas/Hanukkah shopping?

Next year we are hoping to not use any credit cards for the entire year!!!

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you are working those sales, refunds and coupons!

Where the heck have I been?

2009-12-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

I know you are all wondering why I haven't been blogging much about all of the wonderful subjects I cover in this blog.

Please read this blog post from my other blog to understand why I have been MIA.

http://queenbuv3.blogspot.com/2009/12/ptsd.html

Most extreme frugal footwear of the year award goes to.....

2009-12-06T11:16:00.005-05:00

The owner of these worn out shoes.

He is a hard working, self-sacrificing, father of two and devoted hubby.......

.....to me.

I am proud of his frugalness but VERY happy to see these go. As much as I like to save a buck, I have been ENCOURAGING, some might say nagging, him to buy new shoes for a year. In fact, over six months ago I bought him "new" pair of shoes off ebay to replace these. They were mint condition, barely used shoes. It took him months to tell me that they were not comfortable and that is why he wasn't wearing them. So I have been telling him to go buy some new shoes. He hadn't until yesterday. This is the same man that will tell me to buy something if I or the kids need it and acts like I am being ridiculous for even discussing it with him. He tells me to just buy whatever it is we need.

He even called me from the mall yesterday saying he had found his dream shoes but couldn't justify the $39.99 price tag. He wears these shoes EVERY DAY. If you do the math, a pair of shoes that cost $39.99 only cost my hubby 0.10 cents a day!!! I think he is worth it : )

He also bought himself a pair of lined jeans for the winter, on sale of course. Now if I can ENCOURAGE him to replace more examples of his extreme frugality in his wardrobe......

Goodbye baby poop yellow and hello clean bright white paint!

2009-09-11T10:14:00.018-04:00

We finally painted over the yucky paint in Olivia's room last weekend.

BEFORE

AFTER

Needless to say, Olivia has been spending much more time in her room since we painted it.

08/31 Garden update

2009-08-31T08:46:00.023-04:00

Here are my tomato plants about a week ago.
I had quite a few red ones.....that were all rotting on the vine.

I ripped every single plant out and put them in a trash bag. The blight was so bad this year. Maybe we will have a drier summer next year.

Here is my garden now, minus the tomato plants.

The green and yellow beans are on their second round of blossoms.

Many of my squash plants had leaves that looked like this so I cut all of the affected ones off.

The squash plants have been producing only teeny tiny squashes in the past week. But I'm not seeing all that mold or fungus or whatever it was.

My cukes are the super stars of my garden this year. I am up to my eyeballs in cukes!!!!

My method of staking the cuke plants and guiding the vines so the cukes grow off the ground has been a complete success and I highly recommend it!

My pepper plants are producing finally!!

I'm hoping to pick this and the other big pepper I have growing this week : )

I plan on doing a harvest update and flower update post this week. Hope all of your gardens are still producing and healthy!

08/26 Super cheap king size candy bars at Rite Aid!!

2009-08-26T14:20:00.003-04:00

Sorry, no pictures of my huge pile of candy, too busy. King size candy bars are buy one get one free at Rite Aid this week. One is $1.49 and there is a coupon from this Sunday's paper for $1/2 Snickers, Milky Way, Twix or Three Musketeers which makes each candy bar $0.24 after sale and coupon! Plus, there is a coupon from this Sunday's paper $0.55/1 any Reese's and after sale and coupons makes each King size Reese's peanut butter cups $0.19 each.

***Attention coupon bloggers (you know who you are)****

If I see you suddenly post this deal on your blog without giving me credit I will call you on it!! None of you have done a post on this yet so it will be real easy to see who is stealing my ideas. Stop taking credit for my ideas and making money off of them with your monetized and product promoting blogs!!

If the thievery doesn't stop I will make a separate blog for non-idea stealing followers and bloggers that is invitation only for my deal ideas.

08/12 Day of firsts in harvesting and blanching!

2009-08-12T10:17:00.006-04:00

I harvested my first cukes and squashes today! Not impressive in size but hopefully they will be impressive in taste.

Above-harvest #2

Below-2 days later harvest #3 of yellow beans.

I don't want my family to get sick of yellow beans so I decided it was time to try blanching and freezing. It was not as difficult as I thought. I love this free Ziploc pump (coupon) and bag system. The pump is easy to use and can be washed in the dishwasher. If the pump holds up and the veggies survive freezing I will do a full review at some point.

How is your harvesting and preserving going?

Why do I bother?

2009-08-12T00:18:00.004-04:00

I've been coming up with lot of original coupon/sales matchup deals lately and posting them. The day or two after these big coupon bloggers post these ideas and don't give me credit. They give other people credit when they are posting about someone else's original deal ideas but not me. Very irritating. I always give credit to the person I got the idea from and put a link to their blog. People are so greedy and selfish. It makes me want to stop posting about my deal ideas and freebies. These are also the same people that seem to shop EVERY DAY and clearly have a shopping addiction. Very sad.

08/09 FREE stuff at Walgreens + Walmart + MONEY MAKER at Wags!!

2009-08-10T08:28:00.010-04:00

Walgreens

Transaction #1

6 8 pk. Bic pens $3-3 $1/2 coupons ($3)=FREE

1 Colgate toothpaste $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 got $3 RR $1.01 PROFIT

1 Listerine +1 Reach floss+ 1 Reach toothbrush twin pk $9-$3/3 coupon=$6 got $6 RR=FREE
2 Band-Aid boxes $5.98-2 $1/1 coupons ($2)=$3.98 got $4 RR $0.02 PROFIT

Total spent-$11.97-$7 RR (from last week RR sales)=$4.97

RR earned and unused=$13

coupons used=$9

Transaction #2

2 Walgreens children's activity books (found in pharmacy) used as fillers to use RR=$1.98

1 Listerine+1 Reach floss + Reach toothbrush twin pk $9-$3/3 coupon=$6 got $6 RR=FREE

Total spent-$7.98-$4 RR-$3 RR (from transaction #1)=$1.67 (including tax)

RR earned and unused=$6

Coupons used=$3

Transaction #3

2 Band-Aid boxes $5.98-2 $1/1 coupons ($2)=$3.98 got $4 RR $0.02 PROFIT

1 Colgate $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 got $3 RR $1.01 PROFIT

2 pop toys (not pictured) used as fillers to use RR=$1

Total spent-$6.97-$6 RR (from transaction #1)=$1.41 (including tax)

RR used=$6

RR earned and unused=$7

Coupons used=$3

Transaction #4

1 Listerine+1 Reach floss+ 1 Reach toothbrush twin pk $9-$3/3=$6 got $6 RR=FREE

1 Plackers flossers clearance (used as filler to use RR)=$0.75

1 3 pk pens clearance (used as filler to use RR)=$0.49

Total spent-$7.24-$3 RR-$4 RR (from transaction #3)=$0.88 (including tax)

RR used $7

RR earned and unused=$6

coupons used=$3

Transaction #5

1 Colgate $2.99-$1/1 coupon=$1.99 got $3 RR $1.01 PROFIT

2 Band-Aid boxes $5.98-2 $1/1 ($2) coupons=$3.98 got $4 RR $0.02 PROFIT

1 nail polish (used as filler to use RR)=$0.99

Total spent-$6.96-$6 RR (from transaction #2)=$1.40 (including tax)

RR used=$6

RR earned and unused=$7

Coupons used-$3

Total spent at Walgreens-$10.33

Total RR earned and unused (from transaction #4 + #5)=$13

$2.67 PROFIT!!

**The Walgreens children's activity books have coupons in the front. Each has a $2/1 Neosporin and they are on sale for $3.99 and if you buy 2 you get $4 RR back. Sooo if you buy 2 Neosporin for $3.99 a piece and use 2 $2/1 coupons it will cost $3.98 and you will get a $4 RR so $0.02 profit!**

Walmart

4 Glade soy candles free after I used 4 FREE coupons that just came out this week!

08/08 Garden update

2009-08-08T15:16:00.029-04:00

This lovely image of blight in my garden snapped me out of my gardening naivete very quickly in the past week. I started seeing leaves in even more advanced stages of blight about 2 weeks ago but didn't realize the magnitude of what I was looking at. I saw a post from a fellow blogger about 2 weeks ago with horrific photos of her completely rotten tomato plants and realized that the same thing was beginning to happen to mine. I have been gardening by the seat of my pants this summer with no real knowledge of the all the things that could kill my veggies. I now know that there are more than bugs and slugs that can wipe out an entire crop. I will be doing my homework this winter so that I will be able to garden organically at a higher level next year.

There are no zukes for me. I was given seeds that were labeled zukes but all I have is summer squash. Anybody got good summer squash recipes?

This is the reason I staked almost all my plants. We have had terrible storms and winds this summer. I also think that keeping my plants off the ground helps prevent rot and keep them away from slugs and other ground dwelling predators.

The big one.

The yellow beans and green beans.

We have already had a dinner with yellow beans this week!

The green beans are coming along.

Here are my stripped down tomato plants. I have stripped about half of the branches off in the past week to keep the blight at bay. These things are the size of small trees! Should I cut back the tops?

I have pulled off about 4 rotten tomatoes so far. Hoping to actually get a couple that ripen and are edible.

The peppers.

The big one #2. #1 fell victim to some bugs and had to be picked off and chucked.

This is 2 different cuke plants that I have criss crossed between the stakes.

The big one. My first cucumber has bit the dust. This is the biggest one now.

The other cukes.

The cukes have been growing across the tops of the squashes and attaching themselves to the squash stakes. I think next year I will alternate rows of squash with cukes to save room.

This one is strictly vertical.

These cuke plants are producing spiky punk rock looking cukes.

Hope you are all doing well with your gardens!

My first harvest of veggies from my organic garden!

2009-08-07T08:38:00.005-04:00

Olivia insisted that I take a photo showing the yellow beans she picked (napkin) and the ones I picked separated from each other.

All the yellow beans together.
They were still a little green but tasted great and were very squeeky to eat!

08/02 FREE Kellogg's products with sales and rebate at Walgreens!

2009-08-02T23:07:00.003-04:00

2 Corn Pops $5-1 $1/2 coupon=$4 got $2 RR
2 Special K $5-2 $1/1 ($2)coupons=$3
2 Nutri-Grain bars $5-1 $1/2 coupon=$4
2 Pop-Tarts $4-1 $1/2 coupon=$3
2 Rice Krispies Treats $4-1 $1/2 coupon=$3
Got $5 RR for spending $10 on participating Kellog's or Sunshine products.

Total spent=$17-$5 RR-$2RR (both earned and unused)=$10-$10 mail-in rebate ( must buy 10 participating Kellogs or Sunshine products in one transaction)=FREE plus $70 profit for $70 Dell coupon code (we are buying our son a new computer!)

08/02 Free Electrasol, school supplies and eye drops at CVS!

2009-08-02T22:57:00.002-04:00

5 Electrasol (2/$9) $22.50 - 5 $2.50/1 coupons ($12.50)=$10 get $10 EB=FREE

(spend $20 get $10 EB)

All school supplies were FREE after EB.

Blink eye drops $7.99-$3/1 coupon=$4.99 get $7.99 EB $3 profit : )

Blight sucks!

2009-08-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure my tomatoes and possibly my bean plants have blight : ( I pulled off the dead stuff and I'm praying for lots of sun! Are any of you affected? Any advice?

Happy birthday to me!

2009-07-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

Garden update-baby veggies!!

2009-07-28T22:02:00.026-04:00

Despite all the rain and lack of sunshine my garden is thriving! I have been slug hunting and salting everyday, doing Miracle Grow once a week and turning over the soil in between plants with my little hand rake.

The peppers have lots of blooms and a few babies.....
The big one.

My tomato plants are ginormous. I have had to move my ties and restake them many times because of this rapid growth!

The green beans and yellow beans.....

There are lots of blossoms on the green beans....

And teeny weeny baby beans!!

The yellow beans are just starting to bloom.

The zukes and summer squash....

I have staked the zukes and squash after a particularly horrible storm. Plus, I have a very crowded garden so I decided to grow everything vertical.

The cukes.

The big one.....

This was a photo I shot yesterday.

I shot this one today!

Can't wait to start eating all my free organic veggies!!!

My FREE coupon from Iams rebate won't scan at Walmart!!

2009-07-28T20:24:00.003-04:00

Did anyone else get this coupon yet for a free 3.5 or 4 lb bag of Iams dry cat food? I tried the pink bag and the coupon wouldn't scan. Then I went and got the orange bag, no luck. WTF!! The pictures on the bag was of the orange bag (chicken flavor) and the Natural. They only had the orange TUNA flavor and the Natural was the 8 lb. bag. The coupon only specifies weight and that it has to be Iams dry food. Is anyone else having this problem?

Check me out on NATURALLYYANTAN

2009-07-28T19:59:00.002-04:00

Check me out and all the other natural beauties on NATURALLYYANTAN

http://naturallyyantan.blogspot.com/2009/07/natural-beauty-7.html

07/26 CVS free school supplies, cheap Mentos gum, Wags cheap Starbucks coffee....

2009-07-26T22:06:00.007-04:00

Total full retail value-$66.11

CVS
Transaction #1
5 Mentos gum $5-5 $1/1 coupons ($5)=FREE
2 Pilot pen 2 packs=$1.98 got $1.98 EB
2 composition books=$1.98 got $1.98 EB
2 pencil cases=$1.98 got $1.98 EB
1 pack erasers=$0.99 got $0.99 EB
1 pack push pins=$0.99 got $0.99 EB

Total spent-$7.92-$3.98 EB=$4.21 (including taxes)

Transaction #2
2 Arm and Hammer laundry detergents (buy 1 get 1 free)=$6.99 got $2 EB
10 Mentos gum $10-10 $0.55/1 coupons ($5.50)=$4.50 got $5 EB (spend $15 on candy in flyer get $5 EB) $0.50 profit
1 Colgate $2.88-$1/1=$1.88 got $2 EB $0.12 profit
Total spent-$13.37-$8.92 EB from transaction #1=$4.68 (including taxes)-$9 EB earned and unused=$4.32 profit!

Cashier put CVS coupon flyer in my bag. One coupon was for $1.50 off 1 Kotex!

Walgreens

hair dryer=$14.99 got $10.40 back on credit card (RR wouldn't print!!)
4 Starbucks ice coffee 4/$5 (Walgreens flyer coupon)- 4 $1/1 coupons ($4)=$1
3 Sharpie pen 2 packs (buy 1 at $1.99 get 2 free)=$1.99
Total spent-$18.83-$10.40 refund for RR (hair dryer)=$8.43

Total spent-$12.64-$4.32 profit (EB)-$0.62 profit (Mentos, Colgate)=$7.70
Total saved off full retail value-$58.41
Total coupons used-$14.50
Total EB used-$12.90
Total EB earned and unused-$9
Total RR earned and unused-$10.40

07/26 Cheap deal on I can't believe it's not butter at Walmart!

2009-07-26T21:33:00.002-04:00

I only use I can't believe it's not butter for everything, on veggies, in baking, etc. The 15 oz. container of spread is $1.66 at Walmart and after the $1.25 coupon that is out right now is only $0.41!!! I plan on going back and stocking up on as much as I can fit in my fridge. I really need another fridge and an upright freezer.....

Freebies at Staples!

2009-07-24T23:39:00.003-04:00

Got this super cute backpack with matching lunch box, pack of mechanical pencils and pack of pens at Staples. The back pack was originally $39.99 and it was on sale for $29.99. Everything will be free after I get my rebates : )

07/24 Free Hefty storage bags at Walmart!

2009-07-24T23:28:00.002-04:00

These are $1 at Walmart right now and there are $1/1 coupons for them so they are free!

Cheap Frizz Ease at Rite Aid, Free school supplies at CVS, etc

2009-07-22T06:44:00.004-04:00

Quick run down. The 24 packs of pencils, 2 10 packs of pens and two little notebooks were all free after extra bucks at CVS. The Listerine was $3.99 and used $2/1 coupons on both. The Smart Rinse was 50% off so $2.95 and I used $1/1 coupons (my daughter loves the stuff!). The G2 pens were $1 and I got $1 Register Reward back at Walgreens. The Frizz Ease is buy one get one Free this week and I used $3/2 for each 2. One Frizz Ease product is $6.49 so I got them for $1.74 a piece!

Walmart cheapies and don't forget to use those Kraft dressing q's tonight!!

2009-07-21T17:41:00.002-04:00

The $1/1 Kraft dressings coupons expire today. At Walmart they are $0.58 after the coupon. I found 1 gallon Rubbermaid pitchers on roll back at the entrance for $1.50 and used a $1/1 coupon so it was only $0.50. The Kraft Mac and Cheese is still on rollback for $0.50 a box and I've been using the buy 3 get one free coupons which makes it 4 boxes for $1.50! Those coupons expire on the 28th so use them if you've got them : )

My first blog interview!

2009-07-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Check out my interview on Black girl with long hair
http://blackgirllonghair.blogspot.com/2009/07/sunday-retrospective-i-follow-bglh.html

Got my free Glidden paint!

2009-07-19T23:56:00.003-04:00

My paint was delivered last week by Fedex. Did anyone else get theirs yet?

Free stuff at Walmart!

2009-07-19T23:49:00.003-04:00

I price matched the 5 packs of Bic pens from the Staples flyer for last week (bought this stuff Saturday) for $1 each and used $1/1 coupons. The water and floss were a $1 each and used $1/1 coupons (thanks Jamie!).

Wish I had a coupon for this!!

2009-07-19T23:39:00.002-04:00

We almost had to buy a new computer today. My computer was dying a horrible death right before my eyes. I couldn't get past the boot up screen. I called tech support and dropped $49 to fix it. It was worth every penny!! I am covered for more tech support for this problem for 30 days. Wish I had a coupon for things like this.... > : (

But I am counting my blessings that $49 dollars gave me my precious computer back and actually saved me hundreds of dollars. So, it's sort of like a coupon, right?

07/18 Garden update

2009-07-18T08:50:00.019-04:00

My first pepper blossom!

I replaced my green metal supports with bamboo stakes that I tied with natural twine (seisel?)

We have climbers!

07/16 Super cheap Finish (Electrasol) with Walmart price match and coupons!!

2009-07-16T17:27:00.005-04:00

The Finish Quantum was rated 2nd best according to the last issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Walmart will price match any stores price on the same item. Target has these 20 + 5 packs on sale this week for $3.49. I live far away from Target and hate the harassment that comes with trying to use coupons there so I figured I would try the price matching at Walmart for the first time today. I just showed the cashier my Target flyer and she put in the $3.49 for all ten and I gave her my 10 $2.50/1 coupons and got all these for $0.99 per 30 pack!!

I will be price matching everything I can at Walmart from now on!!

Free Mars candy at Rite Aid

2009-07-13T17:45:00.003-04:00

Mars candy is buy one get one free this week at Rite Aid. I used my Free coupon from the Mars promotion that runs on fridays.

Super cheap mechanical pencils and Coppertone at Walgreens

2009-07-13T07:40:00.003-04:00

Transaction #1

2 mechanical 10 packs=$0.82 (including tax) (hubby did this one)

Transaction #2

2 Coppertone $21.98-2 $5/1 coupons ($10)=12.58 (including tax) got $10 CASH (The RR wouldn't print so the manager gave me cash!!!)
Total spent-$12.58-$10 RR=$2.58

Transaction #3
6 mechanical pencil 10 packs=$2.46

Total spent-$5.86

Free school supplies at CVS!!!

2009-07-13T07:01:00.002-04:00

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only sale!!!

Transaction #1

3 Paper Mate 8 pack pens=$2.97 got $2.97 EB

1 notebook=$0.99 got $0.99 EB

2 rulers=$1.98 got $1.98 EB

1 school glue=$0.99 got $0.99 EB

Hubby bought 2 mechanical pencil 10 packs(not pictured)=$2.99 (later returned for cash, better deal at Wags)

Total spent-$9.92-$1 EB-$1.98 EB-$5 EB (all from last week)=$2.04 (including tax)

Transaction #2

3 Paper Mate 8 pack pens=$2.97

2 mechanical pencil 10 packs (not pictured)=$2.99 (hubby bought later returned for cash same reason as above)

1 school glue=$0.99 got $0.99 EB

Total spent-$$6.95-$0.99 EB-$0.99 EB-$1.98 EB-$2.97 EB=$0.02

Transaction #3

Returned 4 mechanical pencil ten packs=$6 and change

1 pair of scissors=$2.99 got $2.99 EB

Total spent-$2.99-$0.99 EB-$1 EB-$1 EB=FREE

Transaction #4

1 notebook=$0.99 got $0.99 EB

1 pair of scissors=$2.99 got $2.99 EB

Total spent-$3.98-$2.99 EB=$1.04 (including taxes)

Total spent-$3.10-$6 from returned pencils=$2.90 profit

Super cheap Feverall at Rite Aid

2009-07-13T06:57:00.003-04:00

This was on sale last week $5 for 5 but I still got the sale price only buying 2. I got 2 boxes of the Feverall acetaminophen suppositories for $2. There is a single check rebate for a dollar so I got 2 boxes (normally retail for $8.49 a piece!) for a $1. These are a must have in my house since my son who has Autism won't take oral medicine.

Cheap clearance Root Awakening sample packs at Walgreens

2009-07-13T06:49:00.004-04:00

Total full retail value-$11.97

I went to Wags last week to get more Starbucks ice cream and see if they had restocked the Cheez-its. They were cleaned out of both. I noticed all kinds of clearance tags throughout the store so I decided to take a stroll and came across the sample packs on clearance. They also gave me the Olay bag full of coupons at check out!

3 Root Awakening sample packs $3.27-3 $1/1 coupons ($3)=$0.28 (including tax)

I'm going to let my daughter use these because she is showering and grooming herself and she likes having her own products : )

Each box came with a coupon for $3/2 Root Awakening product that expire 12/31/09.

Pretty pictures of what is growing in my yard

2009-07-07T21:29:00.021-04:00