Monday, November 30, 2009

Wubbzy Christmas DVD giveaway!

Our kids love the cartoon Wow, Wow Wubbzy, so I was happy to find a giveaway for the Christmas DVD! Head over to http://momstart.com/2009/11/wubbzys-christmas-adventure-dvd-and-book-giveaway/" and enter to win. There are details on how to gain extra entries, as well! This contest ends tonight, 11/30 at 11:59 PST.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Another Super Saturday post!

After I posted the great deals I got earlier this week, I made a trip to Giant Eagle and saved a bundle! Here are the pictures:

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The breakdown is:

(2) 4-packs of Marcal toilet paper = $2.99 each. I used two $2/1 coupons and paid 99c each.
(4) 4-packs of Yo-Crunch yogurt = $2 each. I used four 75c/1 coupons which doubled, and paid 50c per pack.
(2) Breyer's swirled yogurt 6-packs = $2 each. I used two 75c/1 coupons (doubled) and paid 50c per pack. I froze these, and just got 20 more coupons in the mail today! So I'll be buying, freezing, and sharing with family soon.
(6) tubes of Pillsbury biscuits = $1 each. I used two 75c/3 coupons (which doubled) and paid 50c per tube. I then received a coupon for $4 off my next order at GE.
(2) boxes of Hot Pockets breakfast sandwiches = $2 each. I used two 75c/1 coupons (which doubled) and paid 50c per box.

(10) pouches of Starkist ready-made tuna salad = $1.50 each. I used ten 75c/1 coupons (which doubled) and got all 10 for free!! I am going to get 10 more and share some with my BIL for his work lunches.
(1) DiGiorno flatbread melts = $3.50. I used a 75c/1 coupon (which doubled) and paid $2.00. This was a splurge, but I was hungry and they had a Chicken Bacon Ranch variety! So I couldn't resist. And it was really good!
(1) bag of Nestle Tollhouse swirled morsels = $2. I used a 50c/1 coupon (which doubled) and paid $1.

I will be doing several more trips like this, between now and Wednesday! Some great items to stock up on.

Visit Money Saving Mom to read about more deals!

Super Saturday!

I had a fabulous week for deals! Some weeks are slow, and some are great - and this was one of those.

Yesterday at Payless Shoes, I used the 50% off all shoes printable (exp. 10/30), and bought 6 pairs for $31! What I did was only select shoes that were already 50% off. Those baby shoes for my son were only $2 after my coupon!

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At Giant Eagle, Pop Tarts were on sale 5/$10, with an instant $2 off if you purchased 5. I purchased 10 boxes and then used ten 55c/1 coupons, which doubled to $1.10 each. So I paid 50c per box!

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At Target, Skippy peanut butter is $2.04 each (regular price). I used five 40c/1 manufacturer coupons, and five $1/1 Target printables. That makes it 64c per jar!

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I got this book for free, plus I earned 500 MyPoints! The book is through Book of the Month Club 2. I clicked through the email from MyPoints, signed up with BOMC2, selected my free book (free shipping!), and will cancel my membership within 30 days. So easy!

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And these are the freebies I got in the mail this week:

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Olay Pro-X wrinkle cream from Vocalpoint, Sensodyne iso-active toothpaste from SheSpeaks, and a coupon for a free Herbal Essences product!

Visit Money Saving Mom to see what other people scored this week!


Wednesday, October 7, 2009

WFMW: Cleaning ceiling fan blades















This week over at
We Are That Family, it's a cleaning edition of Works For Me Wednesday. My cleaning tip comes from a tip posted by one of the readers, a year or so ago. I've never forgotten it, and it's helped me a lot!

To easily clean your ceiling fan blades, take an empty pillowcase and slide it over each blade, then pull all the dust into the pillowcase. Just toss into the laundry when you're done. This eliminates most of the flying dust! My husband has asthma, and since I started doing this trick when cleaning the blades in our bedroom, he doesn't cough the night afterwards. So this really helps me!

Visit the above link to get tons of other cleaning tips!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Works For Me Wednesday: Outfits and Silverware

My daughter just started 1st grade! It's hard to believe. Next thing I know, her two little brothers will be going to school in a few years.

Our mornings are pretty crazy, with my husband being gone (he's in the military), our 2 year old being his cranky self when he first wakes up, and our 8 month old needing fed and diapered. So we have to be on pace to make it out to the bus stop on time!

Besides packing some of her lunch the night before, what really helps me in the morning is outfit organization. I paired together about 8 outfits in her closet (for starters), and I bring down 1 or 2 when it's time for her to get dressed. This way, she still has a choice of which one she'd like.

I just loop items together on one hanger, like this:

Leah's outfits for school

This Works For Me!


Also, this is something I just figured out recently. I have always despised washing silverware (why? because there is so much of it! all the little forks and spoons floating around in the water :P). I let it all pile up in the sink until every piece is dirty! Bad, I know. But I discovered that if I simply place the empty silverware basket in the bottom of my sink, I am more apt to load it up as I go along. Then I transfer the full basket straight to the dishwasher. This also Works For Me!

To see more organizational tips, visit We Are THAT Family.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

WFMW: Fun For Toddlers

Our middle child is almost 3, and when he gets bored or I need him to stay put for a few minutes, here's what I do:

I set him in the highchair and give him a few bowls and spoons. Into the bowls, I'll pour things like uncooked rice, beans, dry pasta, oats, etc. He loves to use the spoons to stir them, feel them with his fingers, pour them out on the tray, and mix it all together. =)

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This also works with Play-Doh, crayons and paper, blocks, bubbles while I'm doing the dishes, toy cars, etc. Any other creative ideas I could do to keep him entertained in the chair?

For more ideas on What Works, visit We Are That Family.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Super Saturday: Feeding a large crowd!

Tomorrow we're having my family over for Father's Day. I'm the oldest of 7 children, so any time we get together, it's a big crowd! All but one of my siblings will be coming - she's a summer camp director and will be gearing up for another round of campers. :)

Anyhow, we have 14 "eaters" plus 2 babies. I offered to help plan the menu and buy most of the food, as my mom is crazy-busy (2 jobs, finishing up her Master's degree, etc!). Plus, I always love to see how little I can spend for our family. Here's what I bought:

(1) bag of frozen chicken breasts @ Aldi = $5.97
(1) bottle of Open Pit BBQ sauce = $1
(3) 8-ct bags of sandwich buns = $1.69 each

With that, I'm making BBQ chicken in the Crock Pot. We don't have a grill, so I wanted to do something easy, and I can throw this in the CP before church in the morning.

(2) packages of Oscar Mayer hot dogs
(2) 8-ct bags of hot dog buns = $1.69 each
(1) bottle of Hunt's ketchup

The hot dogs were B1G1 Free at Giant Eagle, and I had a "Free" coupon for one package. The packages actually ring up as half off each one ($1.89), so the cashier rang up my Free coupon as $1.89. Can't complain - that's 2 packages for $1.89!

I also had a "Free" coupon for the ketchup, from the ConAgra summer booklet of coupons. We've got mustard here, so no need to buy that.

24 ears of corn = $5.36
(1) 5-lb bag of potatoes = $1.99 (I'm making roasted potatoes with those)

(2) large loaves of crusty Italian bread = 80c each! A local grocery store was having an 80c sale on many items.
(1) jar of olive oil @ Aldi = $3.29 (I was out, anyway)
(1) shaker of dried basil @ Aldi = $1.09
(1) bag of garlic (3 cloves) @ Aldi = 69c
With the above 4 ingredients, I'm going to make bruschetta. I have many jars of free Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes in my pantry, so I'm going to use those. I already have mozzarella cheese, and am going to make cheesy bread for the kids.

(4) 2-liters of pop = $3.39

(4) pints of Pierre's vanilla ice cream = 80c each. Again, same store with the 80c sale. My sister is making brownies, and we're going to combine those 2 for sundaes. :)

Plastic cups @ Aldi = 99c for 20
Napkins @ Aldi = $1.29

I think that's it? The grand total is $40.20 - that's less than $2.90 a person. We couldn't pay that amount for 14 people, at a fast food restaurant! And we're going to have delicious summer food. My mom is pitching in for half of the food; she just didn't have time to shop, whereas I did. :) And I love to do it.

My sisters are also bringing a fruit platter and either pasta salad or baked beans. YUM! Looking forward to the big meal tomorrow!

*As an added bonus, my daughter won a bag of free food at Giant Eagle! I had dropped her off at the PlayPlace while I shopped, and entered her in a drawing (I didn't even know what the prize was!). When I picked her up, the employee handed me a bag and said, "Congrats!" Inside was a 2-liter of pop, cookies, chips, popcorn, Twizzlers, and gummy snacks. All junk food, but still fun to win and enjoy! She was tickled.

To read about more deals obtained this week, head over to Money Saving Mom.