End of the Month Reminder

It's the end of the month and soon we'll see a whole new batch of coupons available. I just wanted to remind you that if you want any of the coupons from Coupons.com, now is the time to print them. Most of them will change February 1.

Here's the list of what is available:

• $1.00/1 All Laundry Detergent
• $.75/1 Hostess Cupcakes
• $3.00/2 Glade Candles
• $2.50/1 Pure & Natural Huggies Diapers
• $2.00/1 Huggies Diapers
• $.75/1 Huggies Wipes
• $1.00/1 Scott’s Tissue
• $1.00/1 Cottonelle
• $2.00/2 Welch’s Grape Juice
• $1.00/6 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt Cups Coupon
• $1.00/1 Red Baron Singles Pizza Coupon
• $.50/6 Yoplait Yogurt Cups Coupon
• $.75/1 No Yolk Egg Noodles Coupon
• $2.00/1 Everpure Shampoo, Conditioner or Treatment Coupon
• $1.00/1 January Issue of Real Simple Magazine Coupon
• $1.00/1 L’Oreal Eye Product Coupon
• $.50/1 Green Giant 19oz – 24oz Frozen Bagged Vegetables Coupon
• $.50/2 Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables Coupon
• $2.00/1 L’Oreal Face Product Coupon
• $.55/1 Weight Watchers Frozen Novelty or 2 Multi-packs Coupon
• $1.00/2 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls or Grands Sweet Rolls Coupon
• $2.00/1 L’Oreal Haircolor Coupon
• $.75/1 Big Bag Malt-O-Meal Cereal Coupon
• $.40/1 Box any flavor Nature Valley Granola Bars Coupon
• $.40/1 Box any flavor Fiber One Chewy Bars or 90 Calorie Bars Couponn
• $.55/1 Box of Trix Big G Cereals Coupon
• $1.00/1 Yoplait Frozen Smoothie Coupon
• $1.00/1 GE Energy Smart compact flourescent lighting product Coupon
• $1.00/1 Opti-Free Contact Solution Coupon
• $.50/2 Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls Coupon
• $2.00/1 Aleve 80ct or larger Coupon
• $.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers or Fruit Rollups Coupon
• $4.00/1 Sudafet Triple Action 36ct Caplets Coupon
• $.50/1 Chocolate Chex Mix 4.5oz or larger Coupon
• $.80/2 Yoplait Go-Gurts, or Yoplait Trix Yogurt Cups Coupon
• $1.00/1 Digiorno Flatbreat Melt Product Coupon
• 75% off Prescription Drug Coupon
• $2.00/1 Aveeno Facial Care Product (excl trial sizes) Coupon
• $1.00/2 Goya Rice Mixes Coupon
• $1.00/2 California Pizza Kitchen Flatbread Melts Coupon
• $.55/1 Just for One Green Giant Vegetables Coupon
• $1.00/1 McCann’s Irish Oatmeal Product Coupon
• $1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough Coupon
• $.50/1 Tetley Tea Coupon
• $2.00/1 Schiff Vitamin or Supplement Coupon
• $1.00/1 Milk Bone Essentials Plus Biscuits or Chewy Treats Coupon
• $1.00/1 L’Oreal Lip Product Coupon
• $1.00/1 Weight Watchers Sweet Bakery Coupon
• $2.50/1 Aveeno Nourish + Hair Care Product Coupon
• $1.00/1 Yoplait YoPlus or Yoplus Light Yogurt 4-pack Coupon
• $.60/1 Morton’s Season-All Product 5oz or larger Coupon
• $.50/1 Old El Paso Heat & Serve Side Coupon
• $1.50/1 Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entree
• $.40/1 Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored Shapes Coupon
• $3.00/1 Miralaz 30 dose Coupon
• $1.00/1 Alka Seltzer Product 12 ct or larger (excl Alka Seltzer Cold Products) Coupon
• $.30/2 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits Coupon
• $.40/1 Yoplait Go-Gurts, Yoplait Kids Cups or Yoplait Trix Yogurt Cups Coupon
• $.50/1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights Bowls or Warm Delights Mini’s Coupon
• $2.00/1 Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solutions Product Coupon
• $.75/1 Fiber One Frozen Muffins Coupon
• $1.00/1 Scotch Single Use Super Glue Coupon
• $2.00/1 16, 20, or 32oz VitaLife Product Coupon
• $4.00/1 Flex-a-min Coupon
• $1.00/1 Bag any flavor Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters Coupon
• $.50/1 Can Diamond Crystal Sea Salt Coupon
• $1.00/1 Alka Seltzer Plus Product 10 ct or larger Coupon
• $1.00/1 5.7oz or 8oz VitaLife Product Coupon
• $.75/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Holiday Cookies Coupon
• $2.00/1 Schiff MegaRed Coupon
• $2.00/1 Caribou Coffee Coupon
• $.40/2 Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads Coupon
• $.75/2 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits Coupon
• $2.00/1 Purpose Skin Care Product Coupon
• $2.00/1 AmLactin Lotion or Cream Coupon
• $2.00/1 Sililasan Earache or Pink Eye Relief Coupon
• $.55/1 Bridgford Frozen Rolls, Bread Dough, or Monkey Bread Coupon
• $1.00/2 bags of 40, 50 or 80lb Salt Pellets
• $.55/1 Any flavor Pillsbury Savorings Product Coupon
• $2.00/1 Milk Bone Essentials Plus Long Lasting Chew Coupon
• $1.00/1 L’Oreal Skincare Product Coupon
• $5.00/1 Whole Body Cleanse Coupon
• $1.00/1 17oz Hartz Nodor Litter Spray Coupon
• $2.00/1 RID Product Coupon
• $.35/3 Pillsbury Grands Jr. Biscuits Coupon
• $5.00/1 Slimquick Appetite Control Product Coupon
• $.30/1 Can of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt Coupon
• $1.00/1 Miralax 10 or 14 dose Coupon
• 70% off Frame Sale at JC Penney Optical plus 25% off all lenses Coupon
• $2.00/1 Wardley Advanced Nutrition Fish Food Coupon
• $3.00/1 Similasan Sleeplessness Relief Coupon
• $1.00/1 Truvia Natural Sweetner Coupon
• $1.00/1 January/February Issue of Cooking Light Magazine Coupon
• $2.00/1 Ester-C Product Coupon
• $2.00/1 Similasan Dry Eye Relief Coupon
• 20% off entire purchase at Sears Portrait Studio Coupon
• $3.00/1 Similasan Stress & Tension Relief Product Coupon
• 50% off Portraits at Olan Mills Coupon
• $.55/2 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries Coupon
• $2.00/1 Theraflu Product Coupon
• $1.00/1 Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt Multipacks Coupon

Want to print some of these? Go here.

Thanks to For the Mommas for the list!

Free Sample: Pampers

Go here (you'll need to either log in or create an account) to request a free sample of Pampers Cruisers.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Free Swagbuck Code Today

Do you love Swagbucks as much as I do? Well, then you'll love getting a code for a free Swagbuck. Simply login to your account, click "Ways to Earn" at the top left hand corner, then click "Special Offers". On the right hand side of the page, you'll see a blue box that says "No Obligation Offers". Click that then scroll to the bottom of the page and hit "Skip Offer" until you get to the page with the free Swagcode. You do not need to sign up for any of the offers in order to get the Swagcode.

Don't have a Swagbucks account? No problem! Simply create one and start earning money searching the web. It's as simple as that. (My favorite thing to use Swagbucks on? Amazon.com e-giftcards. For only 45 Swagbucks, you can get a $5 Amazon e-giftcard! This is an excellent way to buy Christmas gifts!)

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Looking for other ways to earn a few dollars? Check out some of the ways that I earn a little extra money.

HeluvaGood!: Facebook Freebie

Become a Facebook fan of Heluva Good!, fill out the entry form (under the promotions tab), and they'll send you a coupon for a FREE Heluva Good! product. How sweet is that?

Thanks For the Mommas!

Sharpen Your Scissors Readers

I'm so glad you stopped by! If you are wondering what posts Laura was referring to, you might want to check out ones under "Ways to Save" and "Money Saving Ideas".

I hope you enjoy your visit!

Please...Be a Responsible Consumer

The other day when I was at the checkout of my favorite CVS store, the clerk ringing me up wondered what I do with all this stuff I buy. She's a lady that often rings me up and really, I can't blame her for wondering. I mean seriously, how many people need four glucometers?

So anyway, I explained to her how I use coupons to get things for free and then proceeded to tell her briefly what I do with all the stuff I buy that I don't use myself. She responded, "That's good! At least you don't throw it all away." I was shocked! "Throw it away?" I said. "I'd never do that!" She went on to tell me about two customers who frequently shop there who buy all sorts of stuff like I do but then just throw it all out.

Now let me tell you, I was appalled! As you know, I am all for saving money. But I am not at all for saving money if it means that it is promoting waste. If you purchase items that you don't need simply because you can make $1 on them, fine. But then find a use for it. There are lots of things you can do with those moneymaker items that you don't want...and none of them include the trashcan.

So what can you do with the things that you buy that you don't want or need?

* Donate it to your local Salvation Army, Women's Shelter or other similar organizations
- if you contact these places, they usually willingly give you a list of items that they are more than glad for

* Give it to family or friends that can use it
- I keep my in-laws, my parent's and some of my friends supplied with toothpaste, shampoo, light bulbs, and occasionally other items because I get way more free than we could ever use.

* If nothing else, yardsale it for $0.25
- You already got it for free or made money on it, the least you can do is give someone else an incredible bargain and allow them to get some use out of the item.

Whatever you do, please...be a responsible consumer!

What do you do with surplus items or items that you don't want/need? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Free Sample: Playtex

Go here to request your free sample of Playtex Gentle Glide tampons.

Thanks Frugal and Thrifty Mama!

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Cream Soup Mix

I've been trying to make more and more of my own foods, especially convenience foods, partly because it is more healthful and partly because it is less expensive. Recently I came across this Homemade Cream Soup Mix recipe and I love it! It so easy to make, both when you make it and when you use it in a recipe. It is also very inexpensive. I figured it cost me right around $ 0.25 to $0.30 per 1 serving (equivalent to 1 can).

Homemade Cream Soup Mix

2 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder

10 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup mashed potato flakes

1/4 cup chicken bouillon granules

2 tablespoons dried vegetable flakes*

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients; cover and process until vegetable flakes are finely chopped. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 year.

When ready to make whisk 1 1/3 cups water and 6 tablespoons soup mix together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring occasionally. For mushroom soup, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup sauteed sliced mushrooms; for celery soup, add 1/8 teaspoon celery salt or one sauteed sliced or chopped celery rib.

Update: If I'm using this in a casserole etc. I actually never add the mushrooms or celery- just use the plain cream soup and it tastes great. Easy as can be!

* So far I have been unable to find these, so the two times I made the mix, I just made it without. It still worked quite well!

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Weekly Spending Summary

It was kind of an average week-- I spent a little under budget and was able to get some decent deals.

I was sure I took pictures of all my purchases but I simply can't figure out what happened to a couple of them. So you'll just have to imagine.

Total Spent: $35.52

CVS: $0


I wasn't even going to go to CVS this week since the deals were pretty much nonexistent. Then I realized I had around $10 in Extra Bucks expiring so I decided to stop by anyway.

I paid for this with a CVS gift card that we got from a cash back plan with our Discover card, otherwise I would have spent $3.41. I used $20.99 in Extra Bucks and got $24 back, so I made $3.01.

Weis: $8.59

I don't often buy roast, but it was on sale this week for 1.69/lb. so I caved. While I was there, I scanned the meat department for reduced items and found some pork chops reduced to $1.56/lb. so I decided to get those too for a bit of variety.

Save-A-Lot: $5.83

I was making whoopie pies with a friend and we ran out of powdered sugar, so I did a quick Save-A-Lot run. While I was there I grabbed a few other things that I had coupons for as well.

Walmart: $14.05


Giant: $1.34

I also got another block of cheese.

Rite Aid: $3.21

Will get $4 back from Rite Aid in rebates for the Prell which I bought with a rain check, which means I made $0.79.

Misc. : $2.50

Bought some potatoes at a roadside stand.

Free Sample: Kashi

Go here to request your choice of a free sample from Kashi. The options are:

* GOLEAN Crisp!™ Toasted Berry Crumble cereal
* TLC® Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit & Grain bar
* GOLEAN Crunch!® Honey Almond Flax cereal

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

ConAgra: Free $17 Coupon Booklet

Go here to request a free coupon booklet from ConAgra foods with $17 worth of coupons in it. This was available before, but it appears like even if you requested it then, you can do it again.

Thanks Frugal and Thrifty Mama!

Free Sample: Depend

Go here to request your free sample of Depend disposable underwear.

Big Lots: 20% Off Coupon

Go here to print a coupon for 20% off at Big Lots. Coupon is valid 1/23/10 to 1/31/10. Want to see if there is a Big Lots near you? Go here.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

Free Sample: Cream of Wheat

Go here to request your free sample of Cream of Wheat. There are six flavors for you to choose from.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Pamper's Facebook Giveaway

I don't often mention giveaways, but I thought you all might enjoy this one.

Right now when you become a fan of Pampers on Facebook, you can enter a giveaway for a years supply of diapers. There is one winner every day. Plus when you become a fan, Pampers donates a free pamper to charity.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Krispy Kreme: Doughnut Freebie

From now until Feb. 14, when you purchase one dozen doughnuts at Krispy Kreme you'll get 12 free Valentine's day cards. What's so special about these Valentine's day cards? They each have a coupon on the back for a free doughnut. So really, you will get another dozen doughnuts free!

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

Saving on Meat- Part Two

Last week I shared with you how buying meat in bulk and then freezing it saves us money and time. This week I have a few more ideas that help us out. Maybe one or all of them will give you an idea of something you can do to further help out your budget.

* Replace ground beef with ground turkey. Not only is this healthier it is also cheaper. I find that I can get ground turkey for at least $0.50/lb. cheaper than what I can get ground beef. Now ground turkey does taste a little different than ground beef and you may find, like we did, that you just can't quite reconcile saving money and having food that you really do NOT enjoy. Here's what we have found works for us.

Instead of doing a 100% switch, I simply buy a package of ground beef and a package of ground turkey and then separate them out into individual 1lb. packages- 1/2 lb. ground beef, 1/2 lb. ground turkey. Honestly, we have not been able to tell any difference. Well, other than the fact that there is less fat when I fry it! And I have made burgers and meat loaf with this 50/50 mixture.

No, it doesn't save us as much as using all ground turkey would, but we can enjoy our food and it still save a little too.

* Never pay full price. To me this seems like it goes without saying, but I know there are some people that aren't used to this idea. Seriously though, you really don't EVER need to pay full price for meat. Every kind and cut of meat goes on sale usually at least every other month. The key is to plan ahead and stock up on enough meat to last you until the next sale. Once you start doing it, you'll get into the groove and it will become second nature. You'll also start seeing a pattern as to when your local stores run sales on each meat, which will help you plan more effectively.

* When buying meat look for yellow tags. What do yellow tags have to do with saving money on meat? A lot! Yellow tags mean that the meat is price reduced because it is within a day or two of it's sell by/freeze by date. Often you can get meat for the same price or less than a good sale. And if you can't use it right away, you can always freeze it.

Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam recommends asking your meat department manager when they do the meat markdowns. Most stores have a set time daily or weekly when they do them and that is your chance to get the best deals. I personally have just recently starting looking for yellow tagged meat and when I asked at several local stores, I was told they have no set time when they do it. So obviously it varies from store to store.

* Reduce the amount of meat in your recipe. I can almost see some of you raising your eyebrows about now. And to be honest, when someone first suggested this to me I was rather skeptical. I'm a meat lover and I was sure we would notice the lack of meat in whatever dish I made. It took me a little to get up the courage to try it, but I finally did. And guess what? That's right, we barely ever notice it!

If you simply switch to using 3/4 lb. instead of 1 lb. in most recipes, I assure you that you will rarely notice a difference. Now obviously this won't work in things like meat loaf, sloppy joes, or ham balls. But soup, casseroles and such like will do just fine with a little less meat.

* Replace meat with beans. Again, this won't work in just any dish, but I have found that most Mexican dishes taste wonderful with beans replacing all or part of the meat. In fact we prefer the one super quick Mexican skillet dish that I make with beans instead of meat. And we prefer our chili soup with double the beans and half the meat. The great thing is that you can still get your protein, just at half the cost.

* Make your own chicken broth. One of the side benefits of cooking chicken as I mentioned here is that you get chicken broth for FREE! Believe it or not I used to miss this whole blessing. Seriously.

When we first were married, I bought chicken in bulk and then baked it, chopped it up and froze it. One day I was on the phone with my mom and she was talking about this chicken she cooked for something and how she got so much broth from it. Suddenly I felt like I had just been struck with a lightening bolt as I realized what I had been missing out on!

Since then I have been cooking my chicken and love the rich broth that I get as a result. In fact, I think since I started doing that I have bought maybe 7 cans of broth, 6 of which was just last week when I bought them for $0.10/can and used them as filler to get my order to $15 so I could take advantage of a special bonus offer.


What do you do to save money on meat? I'm sure I have much more to learn about this whole subject and I'd love to hear from you all!

JoAnn Fabrics: 50% Off Coupon

Go here to get a coupon for 50% off any one item at JoAnn Fabrics. Coupon is good through 1/23/10.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

Tasty Tuesday: Creamy White Chili

This is a healthy, satisfying soup that we love often throughout the cold winter months. It has lots of flavor and yet is mild enough that even children enjoy it.

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. chicken breast, cubed (2-3 cups) *
1 med. onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz.) chopped chilies, optional
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. orgeno
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream or milk

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute chicken, onion & garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

Yield: 7 servings

* I use frozen chopped chicken (as I describe here) and just eliminate the sauteing part and the vegetable oil. We love it just as much and it is much faster.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Weekly Spending Summary

Well, I need to be honest with you and say that I went over my budget this week by $32.32. The reason? Two good meat sales. I now have enough meat in our freezer to last at least 1 1/2 months and that feels good.

However, I still always feel just a little stab of something (guilt, fear,...not sure what) when I go over my weekly budget. It did make me feel better when I realized that I have only spent 1/2 of my monthly budget so far. Not to mention the fact that I have about $40 worth of rebates that should be coming to me in the next month. Still...I hate going over.

Total Spent: $76.16

Giant: $0.58

The yogurt was totally free- love that!

Stauffer's: $18.50


I was thrilled to get boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.49/lb- that's about the lowest I can find it around here.

CVS: $0

I failed to take a picture of my CVS purchases this week. I paid for my items with a CVS giftcard earned through our Discover credit card. Had I not used that I would have spent $1.01 out of pocket. I also used $4.98 in Extra Bucks and then got $11 in Extra Bucks back.

Aldi: $6.67


Rite Aid: $21.46

I had a coupon for a $25 Rite Aid gift card when you transferred a prescription. I took advantage of that so $15.99 of this weeks purchase was the prescription. I wouldn't normally put that under grocery, but since I am going to use the gift card for grocery/household items, I figured it was only fair.

I then used the gift card to buy some of this weeks Rite Aid deals. Without the giftcard I would have spent $21.86. I will get back $10 from Johnson & Johnson rebate as well as $11.99 in Rite Aid SCR (Single Check Rebates). So really, I made $0.53.

Oh, and I had fun using the two $5/1 Huggies coupons I earned through Recycle Bank. It made for a sweet deal!

Local Bulk Food Store: $7.69


Dutchway: $21.26
My sister-in-law works at this store and is kind enough to get me things when I ask her too. I don't have a picture, but I got approximately 10 lbs. ground turkey for $1.19/lb. and around 10 lbs. of oatmeal for $0.49/lb.

Tylenol Recall

There has been a big Tylenol recall due to some foul smelling products that are linked to gastrointestinal problems. Common Sense with Money has more details.

Free Sample: Kerasal Foot Ointment

Go here to request your free sample of Kerasal Exfoliating Foot Ointment.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

Hobby Lobby: 40 % Off Coupon

Go here to print a coupon for 40% any one regular priced item at Hobby Lobby. Coupon expires 1/23/10.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Johnson & Johnson: Product Testing Opportunities

Sign up for the Johnson & Johnson Friends & Neighbors Program and if you are accepted you'll be eligable to receive full sized products and give your feed back on them. In fact, from what Money Saving Mom posted, there's a good chance you'll even get paid for it! I love these kinds of programs!

Saving on Meat- Part One

The Reward: 12 cups chicken broth, 22 cups chicken, and 13 cups ham.

Yesterday I was busy making granola, doing laundry, walking to the farmer's market and putting some food in our freezer. Meat to be exact- chicken and ham.

One of the ways I save money and time (time is money, right?) is by buying meat when it is on sale and then freezing it for use later. I have found it is almost always the least expensive to buy meat in family sized packs (5 to 10 lbs.). You don't have to have a huge family to buy this size package you know! We are only a family of three, but we have no trouble using the meat up before it spoils. You see, when I bring the meat home, I do one of several things with it.

1. I separate it out buy weight or pieces into freezer bags, date it and put it in the freezer. I try to put it in portions that I would often use, such as 1 lb. hamburger, 1 whole chicken breast etc.

2. I cook it and then put it in freezer bags or containers. Often when I get hamburger, I put some of it in the freezer raw and then cook up the rest of it. Once it is browned, I let it cool and then separate it into 1 lb. portions and freeze it. This makes it super easy to prepare a meal that calls for cooked hamburger. I simply pull out the cooked meat and if it needs thawing and I haven't planned ahead very well (shocking, I know!) I place the sealed container in a dishpan of hot water. It is soon thawed and ready to use. If I am making soup, I can easily just throw the meat in unthawed.

I do the same with chicken. I will cook chicken breast then chop it up into little pieces and freeze it in 1 cup, 2 cup, and 3 cup portions. Making Scalloped Chicken Easy Basil Ranch Chicken Wraps or Salsa Chicken Soup is now super easy.

3. Some meat such as ham sometimes comes pre-cooked, which obviously means I can skip the cooking step and just slice or chop it and then freeze it in whatever portion size I want. One of my favorite recipes that takes ham is Cream Cheese Potato Soup.

Yes, I may spend half a day cooking chicken and chopping it up for the freezer, but in the long run it saves me time.

Next week I plan to share a few more ways that I have found to save on meat, so stay tuned!

Do you think I'm crazy or do you do this too? How do you save money on meat? What have you found that works for you? Please share with us!

Freebie: 3 Issues of Family Circle

Go here to request 3 FREE issues (May, June, July 2010) of Family Circle magazine.

Thanks Frugal and Thrifty Mama!

Honestly, there are no strings attached. I've done these offers frequently and never get spammed, billed etc. They truly are FREE.

Free Sample: Glad ForceFlex

Are you a Sam's Club member? If so, you can go here and request a sample of Glad ForceFlex trash bags.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

Help for Haiti

This is now closed. I made a donation on 1/18/10 of $20 to Heart of Compassion. Thanks to those of you that participated!

The country of Haiti and the few people that I know that are there right now have been on my mind and in my prayers often the last several days. When these sort of disasters happen I always find myself wishing that I could do something to help...something big and amazing. There is so much need and I wish desperately that I could somehow ease some of it.

While not big and amazing, you and I can do something. My husband and I have already given a donation to Heart of Compassion Outreach, a ministry that has been helping Haitians for a number of years. But I felt led to do more and so I am going to allow you to help as well.

For every comment left on this post, I will donate $0.50 to Heart of Compassion Outreach who will then use the money to continue to meet the physical needs of the earthquake victims.

There's more you can do as well. We are a blessed people and have been given so much. I encourage you to donate to Heart of Compassion Outreach or other organizations that are helping to meet the needs in Haiti. And then visit Money Saving Mom's site and leave a comment/comments to allow more to be given.

Thank you and may God bless you!

Free Sample: Poise Pads

Go here to request your free sample of Poise pads.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

JoAnn Fabrics: 40% Off Coupon

Print this coupon to save 40% off any one item at JoAnn Fabrics until 1/31/10.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Food Lion: Free Product Offers

Have a Food Lion MVP card? Get these free offers loaded on it by doing the following. (Remember, standard texting rates apply!)

• Text MVPBIGGAME to 467467 between January 13-24
• Enter your Food Lion MVP card number
• Offers will be loaded on your Food Lion MVP card and redeemable January 27 – February 3. Offer includes: 7 Up, Digiorna, Pringles, Tyson & Canada Dry

Go here for all the details!

Thanks For the Mommas!

Free Sample: Clorox Green Works

Answer a few questions here and you can get a free sample of Clorox Green Works.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

Auntie Anne's Coupon

Sign up for Auntie Anne's Pretzel Perks Club and you'll get a coupon emailed to you for a Buy One Get One Free.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

FREE Swagbuck

Check your email inbox for the Swagbuck newletter. Look closely and you'll find a free code good for one swagbuck. The code expires 1/14/10 at 3 pm. Not a Swagbuck user? Why not sign up today?

Freebie: Uniball Pen

Register here and get a free sample Uni-ball retractable pen. The giveaway starts at 12 pm. CST daily and is limited to 10,000 a day for a total of 500,000 from 1/11/10-4/30/10. So if you don't win today, keep checking back daily until you do!

Thanks Coupon Geek!

Kroger: FREE Healthy Choice Dinners

We don't have a Kroger, but I know a lot of you do and this offer is just too good! Mojo Savings posted about how you can get five FREE Healthy Choice Dinners at Kroger this week. Check it out!

Walgreens: Free 8x10 Collage (1/13/10 ONLY!)

Today (1/13/10) only, Walgreens is offering a FREE 8x10 Photo Collage to their Facebook fans. Go here for all the details.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Home Depot: Paint Rebate

Oh how I love Home Depot's paint rebates. Since we are in the process of remodeling our whole house, we have done them often.

Here's the deal. Buy paint at Home Depot between 01/14 and 01/18 to get a $5 rebate off gallons or a $20 rebate off five gallon pails. Rebate must be submitted by 2/17/10. Go here for all the details.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Tasty Tuesday: Peanut Butter Frosting

If you love peanut butter, you'll adore this creamy frosting recipe. This is one of our favorite frostings and is especially delicious on chocolate cake. Because it is made with butter and not shortening it doesn't have that greasy texture many homemade frostings have.

Never made your own frosting? Let me tell you, Betty Crocker and Pillsbury know nothing about good frostings! I'm pretty sure if you try making your own, you'll be slow to ever open a container of bought frosting again. Try it and let me know what you think!

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp. milk

Cream peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt. Add sugar alternately with milk. Beat until light and fluffy.

For other recipe ideas, check out Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday, Blessed with Grace's Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and All the Small Stuff's Tuesday's at the Table.

Freebie: Uni-Ball Pen

Register here and get a free sample Uni-ball retractable pen. The giveaway starts at 12 pm. CST daily and is limited to 10,000 a day for a total of 500,000 from 1/11/10-4/30/10. So if you don't win today, keep checking back daily until you do!

Thanks Coupon Geek!

$1 Quaker Oatmeal Coupon

Go here to print a $1/1 Quaker Oatmeal coupon. This coupon is good on instant oatmeal or quick or old fashioned oats.

Want to see where you can get it free or cheap this week? Check out For the Mommas post. I'm sure there will be other great deals on this as well before the coupon expires.

Weekly Spending Summary

I'm a little late getting my Weekly Spendings for last week posted. We were gone all day Sat. and then had dinner guests tonight so I just haven't had much time!

Total Spent: $19.28

CVS: $0

Since I still have gift cards earned through MyPoints and also through our Discover credit card, I spent nothing on the above items. Had I not had the gift card, I would have spent $0.10 out of pocket after using $14.99 in Extra Bucks. I also got $6 Extra Bucks back and will get a $9.99 Bioluxe rebate (look for tag on bottles), so essentially I made $15.99.

Rite Aid: $4.69

I will get back $8 in Single Check Rebates from Rite Aid, so made $3.31.

Sav-A-Lot: $3.09

This was a fun trip. I won a $15 gift card for Save-a-Lot from The Frugal Girls. Save-a-Lot had a $5/$20 coupon (expired now) as well as a number of other coupons which saved me $11.19! I was tickled to get to milk that $15 to the max.

Giant: $11.50

I save $13 by using coupons to buy the above items. I took advantage of the four $1 coupon doubler coupons that were in the ad this week, as well as the $2/$5 produce coupon. There is also a catalina deal going on for Kraft products and I did that as well which earned me a $5 off coupon for my next purchase.

Arquest Diaper Survey

For those of you with children in diapers, I have a great program to tell you about. You can get paid to sample diapers. Seriously! There is this company called Arquest that pays you do to diaper surveys and they are super easy. I recently did one and got paid $10 to do the surveys (which took maybe 15 min.) and also received around 70 diapers free!

If you want to do a diaper survey and get paid $10 plus get free diapers, simply call 1-888-diaper2 and if you have a boy dial ext. 634, if you have a girl ext. 646. You will then be prompted to leave your name, your child's gender and the diaper size that you want to try and your phone number. Sometimes you'll have someone call you back immediately, but most often it will go up to several weeks. I think I waited three to four weeks before I got the call that they had a diaper survey opening for my son's size, so be patient.

And just in case you are wondering I was not asked to do this promotion nor did I get paid in anyway to tell you about this. I am just telling you because I think it is a great way to save and I know how you all love to save!

Free Sample: Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer

Go here to request your free sample of Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer.

Facebook Freebie: Einstein Brother's Bagel

Become a fan of Einstein Brother's on Facebook and get a coupon for a FREE bagel and schmear!

Thanks Mojo Savings!