Of Hoarding and Giving Away

Earlier this week a friend shared all of the above produce with me. I was so excited to have fresh produce that was not only beautiful and organic but also free (you know how expensive peppers can be!). This same friend has often shared of her garden bounty with me since she knows we don't have room for a garden here on our little city plot. And a couple of times she even picked a whole bunch of her extra green beans for me so that I could freeze them. I have just been so blessed by this busy mom of three's generous spirit.

After she left our place Wed. night I was wishing I could have blessed her more than just giving her the leftover cake that we had served for our snack. And suddenly I wondered why in the world I never before thought of sharing with her some of my coupon freebie stockpile.

You know, we couponers, at least those of us that are "serious" couponers, usually have a large stockpile of toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes etc. How generous are we with the extra we've been blessed with? No, I don't have garden produce that I can share with others, but I do have lots of freebies that I've scored with coupons.

I do frequently give of my "overstock". But my temptation still is to hoard just in case there are no more sales or coupons. I mean, what if I actually had to pay $0.50 for toothpaste?! Seriously, I was convicted of how stingy I can still be and I was challenged to give more freely.

How about you? Have you been finding joy in sharing from your stockpile? What are some of your favorite ways to bless others with your "overstock"? I'd love to learn some more creative ways to give that stuff away!

Take a Couple of Seconds and Help a Fellow Couponer

A friend, Eunice B., that I met through blogging emailed me this morning and asked if I'd be willing to post this on my blog. I'd love to be able to help her out and I'm sure some of you would be too. After all, it only takes a couple of seconds to click on the link below and vote. Hope you win Eunice!

UGH! I'm like most people...I don't like to ask for things, but sometimes it's a good thing. This just might be one of those times. Our grill died. It's served us more than faithfully the past 8+ yrs, but now it's gone. We've been searching for several months, and just last week, we decided on one. After thinking about it some more, we were ready to place the order online this evening. We got as far as placing it in our cart, and then we stopped. I asked if we should wait a few more days. Not sure why, but sure no problem, we've been waiting this long.

Fast forward to 4 hrs later....I'm browsing a few blogs and came across one that's giving away a grill...not just any grill, but the next step up from the cheaper version we were going to buy. There is a contest until Aug 2, 9:00 PM EST, and you can vote once per household. Anyway, here is my shameless plug...would you vote for us? http://www.classymommy.com/giveaway_new/contest9/vote.php?contest=hotdogs&name=Eunice+B Competition is stiff, and I don't like to beg, but this would be such a blessing....that's putting it mildly at this stage of our lives! For those of you that don't know us personally, we've been asked, along with 6 other families to move to Maine to help with a church plant next month. More than a few uncertainties, but God is faithful!

Thanks for your support!

Home Made Simple Coupon Book (New Offer)

Go here to request a Home Made Simple Coupon Book.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Free Sample: Kotex

Go here to request a free sample of Kotex.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Weekly Spending Summary

I was so busy this week that I didn't get much shopping done. And truth be told, I didn't really need that much either.

Total Spent: $10.24
Total Saved with Coupons: $33.49
Total Saved with Sales: $21.06
Total Saved: $54.55

Rite Aid: $8.24
Saved with Coupons: $25.00
Saved with Sales: $17.30

Freebies: All of the above after rebates/coupons etc.

Also purchased an Aveeno lotion not pictured.

I had a $10 Rite Aid gift card that I earned through the Single Check Rebate program and I used that to pay for part of this purchase...thus my out of pocket was only $8.24. I will get back $22.98 in Rite Aid Single Check Rebates and I also got $7 +UP Rewards to spend on a future purchase.

Giant: $2.00
Saved with Coupons: $8.49
Saved with Sales: $3.76

Freebies: Crystal Light, Yoplait

I forgot to take a picture of this purchase. Here's what I got: 3 boxes of Crystal Light drink mix, 1 4-pack of Yoplait yogurt and 1 box of Giant ice cream. I had a free product coupon for the Yoplait yogurt.

Baskin Robbins: Soft Serve Cones BOGO

Print this coupon to get soft serve cones Buy One Get One Free at Baskin Robbins. Coupon expires 8/8/10.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Free Sample: Natural Nibbles Dog Treats

Go here to request a free sample of Natural Nibbles dog treats.

Thanks She Saved!

Free Sample: Nexxus Shampoo & Conditioner

Go here to request a free sample of Nexxus shampoo and conditioner.

Free Sample: Gano Coffee

Go here to request a free sample of Gano coffee.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Free: Organic Sample Mix

Simply fill out this short survey and you'll get a mix of sample organic goodies (super-foods, nutritional bars, health foods, dietary supplements, beauty brands).

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

I'm Finally Back

Okay, so I am sure some of you were wondering what in the world happened to me since last Tues. Well, we were visiting family in Ohio and Indiana since last Wed. (had an absolutely wonderful time!) and I had every intention of posting a little blurb telling you I'd be gone but things were just crazy around here and I never got it done. Then after getting home close to 1 pm. last night I had to get up and go to work today to get my monthly shift in. So...I'm tired, but ready to get back into the swing of things around here again. I'll try to catch you up on the freebies and hopefully this week will be a bit more normal!

Free Sample: Special K Bar

Go here to request a free sample of Special K Meal Bar plus a couple of coupons. It appears that even if you requested this sample previously you can again.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Free: WordLock Luggage Lock

"Like" WordLock Luggage on Facebook then click the free WordLock tab and you'll be able to request a free WordLock Luggage lock.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Free Sample: Grandma Bowser's Dog Biscuits

Go here to request a free sample of Grandma Bowser's dog biscuits.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Free Sample: Better Than Ears Dog Treats

Go here to request a free sample of Better Than Ears dog treats.

Thanks Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

Weekly Spending Summary

This was another week of spending for me. I'm beginning to get a little worried I'll go over budget this month since it is a 5 week month and I only have $50 left to spend for the next 2 weeks. It will definitely help that we are going to be away most of this week (meaning we'll go through less food!). Anyway, here's the breakdown.

Total Spent: $67.97
Total Saved with Coupons: $27.00
Total Saved with Sales: $17.02
Total Saved: $44.03

Rite Aid: $23.69
Saved with Coupons: $24.00
Saved with Sales: $7.13

Freebies: All of the above after SCR & other rebates

I will get $4.69 back in Single Check Rebates and $35.99 back via the Neutrogena rebate. Plus the Neutrogena will qualify for the Skin Care Single Check Rebate which will get me another $20 in SCR. I used $8.00 +UP Rewards and got $3.00 back to use on future purchases. So this was one huge moneymaking transaction! Every week I think, surely Rite Aid won't be as great as it was last week but then sure enough, I am able to get more great steals!

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $2.00
Saved with Sales: $5.00

Freebies: All of the above after Extra Bucks

I didn't use any Extra Bucks towards this purchase...shockingly enough, I actually didn't have any to use for once! Had I not used a gift card, my total would have been $4.45. I did get $10.97 back in Extra Bucks.

Oregon Dairy: $25.67
Saved with Coupons: $1.00
Saved with Sales: $4.90


I was tickled to get a great deal on both ground beef and chicken breast. And the Red Baron pizza will be a $0.56 moneymaker (including postage cost) after a mail in rebate.

Aldi: $8.61


Misc.: $10.00
Will use this to purchase produce at the local farmer's market.

$0.50/1 Softsoap Printable

Go here to print a coupon for $0.50 off any Softsoap. These frequently go on sale for around $1 which would get you a great bargain on hand soap!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Pampers Gifts to Grow: 70 New Points

Add these codes to your Pampers Gifts to Grow account to get 70 more points:

GTGFIVEMONTHS10 (10 points)
GTGTENMONTHCODE (10 points)
WELCOME2PAMPERS (50 points)

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Recommended Reading: What About Facebook Freebies?

Are you one of those people that has been weighing the benefits of having a Facebook account just to get the freebies offered there? Shannon over at For the Mommas has an excellent post on this subject that you might enjoy. In fact, even though I already have a Facebook account I was happy to learn about the option to turn off public search capabilities.

$1 Miracle Whip Coupon

"Like" Miracle Whip on Facebook and you'll be able to print a coupon for $1 off any Miracle Whip. Coupon link is on the bottom left hand side of the page.

Personally I can't stand Miracle Whip, but I'm sure there are some of you that love the stuff. So happy saving!

Thanks Frugal and Thrifty Mama!

$2 BioTrue Coupon + Store Deals

Go here to print a coupon for $2 off any BioTrue Solution. Then use it at CVS or Rite Aid this month to make some money purchasing the product. Here's how:

CVS
Bausch & Lomb Biotrue Multi-purpose solution 2 oz $2.99, get $2.99 ECB (Limit 2)
minus $2/1 BioTrue Coupon
Total: $2 profit after Extra Bucks

Rite Aid
Bausch & Lomb Biotrue Multi-purpose solution 4 oz $4 get $4 Single Check Rebate
minus $2/1 BioTrue Coupon
Total: $2 profit after Single Check Rebate

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

New HomeMade Simple Coupon Book Link

Go here to request the HomeMade Simple Coupon Book. This book contains $30 worth of coupons on brands like Swiffer, Cascade, Dawn etc. The "hot" coupon is for $1 off Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap. This soap frequently is on sale for $1 or less which means you can get dish soap free!

(To find the coupon book, click on the link above and then look for the $1 Dawn image pictured above and click on that.)

Thanks For the Mommas!

P & G Rebate- Prilosec, Pepto Bismol, Metamucil and Align

This is isn't the best rebate ever but if you have to use these products and buy them anyway, you might as well take advantage of this rebate from Proctor & Gamble. Here's the scoop: Spend $30 (excluding sales tax) by July 31, 2010 on two or more Prilosec, Pepto Bismol, Metamucil or Align products and receive a $10 gift card. Go here to see all the details and print out the rebate form.

Thanks Cha-ching on a Shoestring!

Free: Pedometer from Nature's Bounty

Go here to request your free pedometer from Nature's Bounty.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Free: CVS/Pharmacy Hand Santizer Pen

Enter your Extra Care card number and email address here and you'll receive a free CVS/Pharmacy Hand Sanitzer Pen.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Free Sample: Pendaflex SureHook Folder

Go here to request a free sample of Pendaflex SureHook Folders.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Crush Soda Coupon: Buy One, Get One Free

Go here to print a coupon for buy one, get one free on 20 oz. Crush soda.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Barnes & Noble: Buy One Smoothie, Get One Free

Heading to Barnes & Noble soon? You might want to check out this coupon for a free smoothie when you buy another one. Coupon expires 7/19/10.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

McDonald's: $1 Off Any Frappe or Fruit Smoothie

Until August 15, you can use this coupon at McDonald's to save $1 off any frappe or fruit smoothie. Supposedly this coupon prints out on a whole page and takes a lot of ink, so I wouldn't print it unless you are sure you'll use it!

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Freebie: Natura Pet Food

Request a free product coupon for a bag of Natura Dry Pet Food (5 to 6.6 lb.). The coupon will be mailed to you.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Croutons

We love eating salads around here and enjoy the crunchy and flavorful addition of croutons but not the addition of the cost to our grocery bill. One day I happened across this recipe for croutons and decided to try it. We loved it and I have not bought croutons since. Not only is this recipe easy and inexpensive to make, we like the fact that the croutons aren't quite as hard and crunchy as many of the bought ones.

Croutons

1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper (to taste)
1/4 c. olive or vegetable oil
3 c. bread cubes*
2 tsp. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Put bread cubes into a bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Pour oil mixture over bread cubes and toss well. Spread out onto a baking sheet (9x13 pan works fine). Bake, stirring once, until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container. These taste best if they are allowed to sit for one day before using.

Yield: 3 cups

*Any thick piece of leftover bread will work. In fact, this is a great way to use bread that has gotten a bit stale.


For other great 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.

Neutrogena Try Me Free Rebate & Moneymaking Deal

This week only (7/11-7/18) you can try Neutrogena Clinical free with this rebate. Want to see how you can turn this into a moneymaker? Check out For the Momma's deal scenario.

$2/1 Red Baron Pizza By the Slice

Go here to print a coupon for $2 off one Red Baron Pizza By the Slice product (has 2 slices). Target has these price reduced right now to $2.50 which would make this a half decent deal. Also, don't forget that many areas got a Try Me Free rebate in the 4/25 SmartSource insert which you could use as well.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Another McNeil Product Recall

McNeil just issued another product recall, this time for Motrin, Tylenol and Benadryl. Since these are things that most of use and that we often get free or nearly free with coupons I thought I should give you a heads up.

Instead of taking the time to post all the nitty gritty details, I'll just link you to Colin's Hip 2 Save site where she has that all covered.

Sigh. I'm beginning to wonder if there is ANY medication that is okay to take anymore with all these recalls!

Weekly Spending Summary

This week is pretty self explanatory, so I won't bother writing any more.

Total Spent: $64.00
Total Saved with Coupons: $88.87
Total Saved with Sales: $41.54
Total Saved: $130.41

Target: $0.43
Saved with Coupons: $17.22
Saved with Sales: $0.73

Freebies: Tide; Rayovac batteries; Sobe; Kellogg's cereal; Flame Disk

You'll just need to imagine 4 packs of Rayovac batteries and 2 travel sized packages of Tide in the above picture. I realized after I got home that I was missing those items so I called and thankfully someone had turned them in at the service desk, so I will still get them. I don't think the cashier ever handed me that bag actually. Anyway, I was relieved that it was at least items that I got free so if I hadn't been able to get them, it would not have been a huge loss.

I had a free product coupon for the Flame Disk, but the rest of the items I got free by combining sales and store and manufacturer's coupons.

Oregon Dairy: $2.07
Saved with Sales: $1.08

This was for 3 dozen eggs. I actually went to purchase some boneless, skinless chicken breast that was on sale only to get to the store and be told they were totally out. I was less than excited. Anyway, to make a long story short, I did manage to get a raincheck, so hopefully next week I can stop by and still get some.

Giant: $1.00
Saved with Coupons: $9.49
Saved with Sales: $2.80

Freebie: Chavrie

I had a free product coupon for the Chavrie goat cheese and I'm sure Vince and his dad will enjoy that.

CVS: $0
Saved with Coupons: $11.77
Saved with Sales: $6.96

Freebies: Sobes; 3 Musketeers; Little Swimmers

I used $4.50 in Extra Bucks and got none back.

Rite Aid: $27.12
Saved with Coupons: $50.39
Saved with Sales: $29.97

Freebies: All of the above after Single Check Rebates

This was another fun week at Rite Aid! I love that store. Even with their new coupon policy changes, I still have been able to get some great deals. I should get $23.28 back in Single Check Rebates which means this was a moneymaker of $7.13! Plus I got $8 in +UP Rewards to use on future purchases as well. (I don't count them in as part of my moneymaking because then it would be counted twice...since they also reduce my total when I use them. Make sense?)

Oh and you should see my diaper stockpile about now. Rather crazy. I think I have about 12 or 14 packages right now! Some of them are newborn and size 1 & 2 for the baby. I figure I might as well start stocking up now...if we have two in diapers it's going to be harder to get them all really cheap.

Centerville Bulk Food & Kauffman's Fruit Farm: $28.38


Misc: $5.00

Freebie: Dentyne Pure

Head over to Dentyne's Facebook page to request a free sample of Dentyne Pure gum.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Free Sample: Stayfree

Go here to request a free sample of Stayfree Thermo control. This appears to have reset as I have requested this previously and was able to again.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Toys 'R Us Birthday Freebie Update

Remember the post I did back in June about birthday freebies? Well, I just wanted to update you a little bit on the Toys 'R Us Birthday Club one.

Logan's birthday is this month and just yesterday I got his birthday freebie from Toys 'R Us. Instead of a $3 Toys 'R Us gift card there was a coupon for $3 off any purchase of $3 or more (not bad, I thought). Then here is the really cool part. There was also a coupon for a FREE Thomas & Friends wooden railway engine valued at $11.99-$12.99, no strings attached! I was pretty excited about that and I'm sure Logan will love his new toy once we have the chance to stop by.

So if you have any children and you live within a reasonable distance of Toys 'R Us, I'd highly recommend signing up for their birthday club. It sure seems worth it to me!

Pampers Gifts to Grow Codes

Here are some new points to add to your Pampers Gifts to Grow account. If you want to see the previous 40 pts. I posted, go here.

GTGGETREADYSOON (10 pts.)

ENJOYYOURSUMMER (10 pts.)

FACEBOOKJUL2010 (10 pts.)

4THFACEBOOK2010 (10 pts.) only good through 7/10!

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

THE VERDICT: Bleached or Unbleached Flour

Remember way back in March when I did an Ask the Reader's Post about what your opinion was of unbleached flour versus bleached flour and promised you an update of my opinion once I had given it a fair trial. Okay, honestly I'm sure by now you've long forgotten all about it, but I really did want to let you know what I thought.

First off, let me just explain that I only just recently finished using that 5 lbs. of unbleached flour. So seriously, I wasn't just being lazy by not posting. :) On a side note, I was surprised to find it lasted that long; but I guess because of my pregnancy and then this warm weather I just haven't been doing much baking and therefore I haven't used much flour.

Anyway, so what did I think? Well, to be honest, I couldn't tell any difference in the things I used it in. I made cakes with it. I made cookies with it. I used it for cooking. And never once did it seem to make anything weird, heavy or just not right. So, my verdict? I'll be buying unbleached flour whenever possible. I mean after all, we can use every extra little bit of nutrition available around here!

So thanks for all the comments you left on my original post. They encouraged me to go for it and give it a try. And yes, I'm glad I did!

Printable Coupon Roundup: Lance, Jello, Pepperidge Farms

* $1/2 Sugar-Free Jello (Firefox) (IE)
- priced close to $0.50 at Walmart
(Thanks Money Saving Mom!)

* $0.55 Lance Crackers
(Thanks Cha-ching on a Shoestring!)

* $0.55 Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies (must "like" them on Facebook)
(Thanks Mojo Savings!)

* $1/1 Keebler Club Crakers (must log into your Snackpicks account)

Flavor Grove Almonds: $1.50 Coupon

"Like" Mr. Peanut on Facebook and then you'll have the chance to print a coupon for $1.50 off any bag of Flavor Grove Almonds. According to Michelle, these are priced $2.50 at Walmart. I haven't tried them yet, have you? If you did, what flavor do you recommend?

Note: This coupon is only available today (7/7) and expires 7/18/10.

Free Sample: Zantac

fGo here to request a free sample of Zantac.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Free Sample: Tena Ultra Thins

Go here to request a free sample of Tena Ultra Thins.

Thanks For the Mommas!