Lowe's: $10/$50 Coupon

Here's a great coupon if you are doing any home improvement project- save $10 off a $50 purchase at Lowe's.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

A Peak in My Mailbox

I know when I first learned about couponing and the drugstore game I came across websites that had freebies that I could sign up for and I was intrigued but skeptical. Were they really legitimate? But I went ahead and requested a couple and waited several weeks and what do you know, I had some fun stuff waiting for me in my mailbox!

Since then I have requested literally hundreds of free samples and products. It's one of the easiest ways to save a little because it only takes a couple of seconds to request them (especially if you use Roboform!) and often they come with coupons as well.

The picture above is of all the freebies I received last week. I think the only ones that are still available are the Dunkin Donuts free beverage, Woman's Day subscription, and Healthident Dog Treats.

The ones that I received that aren't available any more are Heart-shaped Post-It notes, Target beauty bag, John Frieda shampoo and conditioner, Wisk laundry detergent, Family Fun and Baby Talk subscriptions.

What fun things have you received in your mailbox lately?

Groupon: $7 for $15 Ebay Gift Certificate

This is a Groupon that I'm excited about! I shop on Ebay fairly often for books, postage, and gifts so I'll have no problem using this Groupon to save me some money.

Here's the deal.

1. Sign up here if you aren't registered already with Groupon.

2. Once you sign up, go to the Ebay Groupon offer. You will need to have both a registered Ebay and Paypal account in order to take advantage of this offer. You can purchase the Groupon without these accounts but in order to use the gift certificate you'll need Ebay and Paypal accounts.

Here's the fine print:
Limit 1 per person. Limit 1 per order. Valid only on eBay.com in the U.S. Must have a registered eBay and PayPal account. Credit card info may be required at checkout. Not valid towards service fees. No cash back. May apply value toward tax & shipping. May use over multiple visits.

Book Review: Lazarus Awakening

The last number of months have been tough for me- especially due to the loss of our infant daughter. Although I felt God close during this time, I also felt distant from Him. (Does that make any sense? Such a paradox!) I was really searching for answers to a lot of the questions that come with difficult situations like this. So when I saw that Joanna Weaver had written a third book Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God I was excited and knew that I wanted and needed to read it.

I read Weaver's first book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and loved it. It challenged me and pushed me in good ways. And I found Lazarus Awakens doing the same thing. In fact, this book helped me see that although God allows difficult experiences to come into our lives, He is also right there with us, loving us through them. And so much of how the experience shapes us, for the good or the bad, is in our response.

Weaver starts the book talking about how our view of God affects how we view the circumstances that come into our lives. Then she goes on to talk about what a true relationship with God looks like during difficult times, what hinders that and what we can do to keep that relationship healthy. She reiterates over and over that God wants what is best for us and sometimes he allows "tomb experience" or "death" experiences to come into our lives to actually bring more life. She ends the book by discussing what it looks like to live resurrected- what it means to live free of our "tomb", of our "graveclothes". This by far was my favorite part of the book! I loved the picture of hope she paints and found it so encouraging and helpful.

A few of my favorite quotes:

- Isn't it strange how we humans tend to view God as our servant rather than our Master? Insisting that He do our bidding rather than standing ready to do His?
- If we embrace the process of crucifying our flesh, we'll find the joy that Lazarus found. Because spiritually speaking, nothing frees us more than dying to live.
- It seems that the times we come fact to face with pain and death are the times we're reminded best that this world is just a shadow. A crude drawing and a mere outline of the beauty that awaits us in a world outside this one. An alternate reality so magnificent and incomprehensible that we often forget it's there.

One of the things that I love about this book, is that Weaver includes lots of little helpful sections in each chapter that specifically flesh out what she is writing about. Sections such as "Disciplining your Mind" "Dethroning Lies" and "The Art of Listening". I find these to be very helpful as she gives specific step-by-step instructions on how to do the things she suggests. Or helpful tips that flesh out what she talked about. She also includes a lot of resources as well as a study guide in the back of the book. I always feel like her books are just full of helpfulness!

If you are looking for a book that will help you draw closer to God, especially if you are in a dark time in your life, and if you don't mind your toes getting stepped on a bit, Lazarus Awakening is for you!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Lazarus Awakening for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, however all opinions are mine.

Changes

For some time I've been considering what I wanted to do with my blog. I love blogging, but it does take up a lot of my time and I've been battling that whole issue.

I'm not going to stop blogging, but you will see some changes. Starting this week I will no longer post freebies or coupons- or if I do it will be very rare. I plan to still do my Tasty Tuesday, Weekly Spending Summary, and You Might Enjoy posts. And I hope to do more "meaty" posts about how to lower your expenses and probably some posts with money saving tips as well. I'm guessing that I'll do one or two of those posts a week. And along the way I'll include other hopefully interesting things too.

My decision comes based on several things. For one thing I want to be able to give myself more fully to my family and to those who I'm in real life relationships with. As much as I enjoy blogging, it is not worth it if I am not able to care well for my dear husband, little boy and others that God has placed in my life. I want to live my life with no regrets and I've got this nagging feeling that if I don't stop putting so much time into blogging I'm going to look back in a couple of years and wish that I would have spent more time with those that I love.

I also am finding this time of grieving to be exhausting. I never knew that grief would be so draining physically and emotionally. In the last couple of weeks I have felt extremely exhausted and I knew something had to change. I really sensed God was asking me to consider giving up my blogging time, even though it is something I enjoy a lot. I'm hoping that by not spending as much time blogging I'll have more time for personal things. Things that help me work through this grief and also projects and activities that help me grow as a lady.

Thanks for reading my blog! As always I'd love to have your input so feel free to leave a comment or email me. I take your input seriously and try to use it to improve my blogging style and content.

Oh and if you don't feel like always having to come here and see if I've updated, may I recommend that you simply subscribe to my posts via email or a blog reader? It's really quite simple, just look at the top left-hand side of my blog.

Have a great week...and remember, I'll still be here, just not quite as much as usual. :)

Weekly Spending Summary

Another average week...

Total Saved: $29.05
Total Saved with Coupons: $111.96
Total Saved with Sales: $66.40
Total Saved: $178.36

Rite Aid: $0.59 ($0.06)
Saved with Coupons: $90.88
Saved with Sales: $48.40

I bought the Johnson's baby wash and Ester-C with a rain check.

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $15.08
Saved with Sales: $4.51

Had I not used a gift card to pay for this purchase I would have paid $0.99.

I forgot to take a picture of my purchase right away and so by the time I got to taking a picture I didn't have 2 of the items I bought. I bought a 5 ct. Allegra that I gave to a friend and also a bag of CVS brand animal crackers that got consumed by the children at our church's Mom's Morning Out.

Giant: $7.67
Saved with Coupons: $5.00
Saved with Sales: $13.49



Target: $2.00
Saved with Coupons: 6.00

Staples: $5.29
Saved with Coupon: $1.00

This was for a pack of printer paper. Okay, so I know that paper isn't really a grocery item but occasionally I put stuff like this under grocery because I use it mostly for grocery related things, such as printing coupons. In actuality I will only pay $0.30 (tax) for the paper after rebate.

Misc.: $13.50
Part of this was for fresh ground whole wheat flour from my mother-in-law. They have a wheat grinder and so we take advantage of it.

$0.50/1 Stove Top Stuffing Coupon

Here's a coupon for $0.50/1 Stove Top Stuffing. If you have a store that doubles coupons, this should make for free or nearly free stuffing.

Bath & Body Works: Free Country Chic Lotion

Use this coupon to get a free 2 oz. Country Chic lotion at Bath & Body Works, no purchase necessary. Coupon is only valid Fri. 3/25 and Sat. 3/26.

If you are headed to the mall, don't forget about the JCPenney coupon!

Thanks For the Mommas!

Eight O'Clock Coffee: Extra 40% Off

Right now you can get an extra 40% off the sale price of Eight O'Clock coffee at Amazon when you purchase it through Subscribe & Save and use code SOLOCOF5. You'll even get free shipping on your order!

Here are a few of the deals, although there are many more flavors included in the sale (prices reflect all discounts):

* Eight O'Clock Coffee, Dark Italian Roast Ground, 11.5-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4) $7.89
* Eight O'Clock Coffee, Mocha Ground, 11-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4) $9.99
* Eight O'Clock Coffee, 100% Colombian Whole Bean, 11-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4) $9.90

For some reason the above links seem to not be bringing up the sale price. I'd recommend that you click on the link, then just search for "Eight O'Clock coffee" on Amazon and you should see some listed with sale prices. Those are the ones you want. And remember, the sale prices listed are not the final price- you'll get an extra 40% off.

Swagbucks: 50 Swagbucks for New Sign-Ups

Have you been thinking about signing up for Swagbucks but just haven't gotten around to it? Well, now is the time to join. Through April 8, new sign-ups will receive an additional 50 Swagbucks when they sign up here and use code HelpJapan- this is in addition to the usual 30 Swagbucks. So if you sign up now and use the code at sign up, you'll have a total of 80 Swagbucks in your account right off the bat.

Looking for more ways to earn Swagbucks? You might enjoy reading this.

What is Swagbucks? It's a free search engine kind of like Google. The great thing about it is that each time you search the web using Swagbucks, you have the chance to earn "bucks" which you then can trade for things like gift cards from Amazon, Starbucks, Target and more. My favorite thing to redeem my Swagbucks for is Amazon gift cards. I've gotten so many great things for free thanks to my Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks.

$0.75/1 Smucker's Fruit Spreads Coupon

Go here for a coupon for $0.75/1 Smucker's Fruit Spreads.

Pampers Gifts to Grow: 10 Points

Add this code to your Pampers Gifts to Grow account to get another 10 points:

FollowPampers10

Remember, you don't need to have a baby to take advantage of these codes.

Thanks Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

$0.50/5 Kool-Aid Coupon

"Like" Kool-Aid on Facebook, then enter the Kool Sweeps and you'll be able to print a coupon for $0.50/5 Kool-Aid. If you have a store that doubles coupons, you should be able to get this close to free.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

$0.50/1 Celestial Tea Coupon

There's a coupon here for $0.50 on any Celestial Tea. I'm going to check out the price of this at Giant. I'm thinking with a doubled coupon I should be able to get a box of tea for around $2. Coupon expires 4/30/11.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

You Might Enjoy...

* A mom's thoughts about a cure for Down syndrome
- I love reading this blog. Wade's mom does such a great job of showing the joys that can come with a "special needs" child. I'm always challenged when I read her posts. I think those of us that are considered normal can learn so much from those that are considered "special needs".

* A cute jar vase idea
- I thought this was a cute, simple idea. Not that I don't have enough vases mind you. Anyone else out there have vases coming out there ears? And I even yard-saled some last year!

* A homemade no-sew Quiet Book
- Why is it that I'm always drawn to these craft things that I'll probably never do? I did think this was a really cute no-sew idea though. And it would make a great gift idea too.

Credit

* Efficient dish-washing
- I thought this was an excellent, creative idea! Logan isn't old enough to help me with dishes yet, but I'm tucking this one away.

JCPenney: $10 off $25 Purchase Coupon

Here's a great coupon for JCPenney. Save $10 off a $25 purchase at JCPenney on Fri. 3/25 and Sat. 3/26. Coupon is also valid online.

To use at JCP.com, simple enter coupon code SALEDAZE at checkout. You can also get 3% cash back when you shop JCPenney through Ebates.

Thanks For the Mommas!

Huggies: $2 and $3 Coupons

There are two new Huggies coupons available.

$0.50/1 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix Coupon

Here's a coupon for $0.50/1 Duncan Hines Brownie Mix. These often go on sale for $1, so if you store doubles you could possibly get them for free.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Michael's: 40% Off Coupon

Here's a coupon for 40% off any one regular priced item at Michael's. Coupon expires 3/26.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

T.G.I. Friday's: Buy One Get One Free Entree

Use this coupon to get an entree free at T.G.I. Friday's when you purchase another entree and 2 beverages.

$1/1 Minute Maid Orange Juice Coupon

"Like" Minute Maid on Facebook, click on the MOJO tab along the left side, then click the Get it Now button. You should then see a page pop up that will allow you to print a $1/1 coupon for 64 oz. Minute Maid orange juice. My coupon popped up in a new window and at first I couldn't figure out where it was!

I'm excited about this coupon. Orange juice is one of those things that we love but do without unless I can get it really cheap with a coupon. So I'm going to watch for good sales on Minute Maid like a hawk.

Thanks Michelle!

Thank You!

I know different of you were curious if I actually ended up winning anything with the Purex contest that I asked for your help in. Yes, I finally found out Friday that I was one of the top 100 referrals and won $25! I know, that isn't much, but I make very little through blogging so I was pretty happy!

So a BIG thank you to those of you that clicked through on my link! I really do appreciate it and appreciate you taking the time to read this blog. And while I'm at it, let me just say feel free to leave comments and suggestions. Your comments are what keep me going and I always enjoy reading them. And your suggestions and criticisms are invaluable to me. When you share your opinions it helps me know if I am doing something that is helpful or unhelpful to you as a reader and hopefully will help me improve this blog.

Hope you are enjoying your second day of Spring!

Weekly Spending Summary

Total Spent: $48.87
Total Saved with Coupons: $59.55
Total Saved with Sales: $43.89
Total Saved: $103.44

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $24.45
Saved with Sales: $10.01

If I had not used a gift card to purchase this I would have paid $1.01 out of pocket. All of the above was either free with coupons or free after Extra Bucks.

Rite Aid: $0.84 (+$0.39 pocket change)
Saved with Coupons: $26.00
Saved with Sales: $14.83


Not a bad week at Rite Aid, although I had to get rain checks for several items. I was excited to find a lone bottle of Purex Crystals on the shelf when I did an end of the week run on Sat. evening. They had been out earlier in the week and the cashier said they weren't sure where that bottle came from. I had some UPRewards to use up so I was pretty happy- and that is also why you see a pair of nylons and 2 candy bars. Had to buy something to use up my odd UPReward amount!

Giant: $11.77
Saved with Coupons: $4.10
Saved with Sales: $7.85

Breakdown: $0.75/bag for croutons, $0.40 for Rinaldi pasta sauce, $1.00/bag for 8oz. Sargento, $2.49 for 19.5 oz. sausage, $3.99 for 10 lb. potatoes, $2.39 for 6 oz. feta cheese (more than I typically pay but I'm kind of addicted to this salad!).

Just in case you are wondering, my typical buy price for regular (as in not feta or Parmesan) cheese is $2/lb. or less. Meat varies, but I will never pay more than $2/lb. for any meat. And frequently I can get ground beef and roasts for close to $1.50-$1.70/lb.

Weis: $2.04
Saved with Coupons: $5.00
Saved with Sales: $11.20

I did a deal where by buying the cereal I got a catalina coupon for a free gallon of milk. I plan to use that the next time I go to Weis. I don't ever remember the cereal deals being so plentiful! I've gotten so much cereal for $0.50 or less the last number of months. Funny thing is, we typically aren't big cereal eaters. But we are now. :)

Aldi: $13.22

We're having some dinner guests this week and I wanted to make a special salad and so I bought some things I wouldn't normally purchase.

Misc.: $21.00
- money for milk from a local dairy

$2/1 Silk Milk Coupon

Sign up to take the Silk 10-Day Challenge and instead of printing the $0.75 coupon, answer a few additional questions and you'll be able to print a $2/1 coupon! For those of you that can't use regular milk, I'm guessing this should help get you a great deal.

Thanks Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

Free Sample: Dove Men + Care

Go here to request a free sample of Dove Men + Care deodorant and body wash.

Thanks Saving with Shellie!

Staples: Free-after-rebate Paper

You can get free paper at Staples this week- and we all know how much paper we can go through printing coupons! Here's the deal:

Buy 1 HP Multipurpose Paper at $5.99
- Get a $4.99 Staples Easy Rebate (Limit 2)
- Use 1/1 HP ColorLok Technology Paper printable coupon (under Office Supplies)
FREE after coupon and rebate (you may need to pay tax)

Staples Easy Rebates are just that- easy. You can submit your information online and then choose to get your rebate via Paypal or check. I've been very satisfied when I have used it.

Weekly Spending Summary

Okay so I'm just finding this post several weeks later still sitting in my "drafts". I had looked at looked for it a couple of weeks ago when I realized it was missing but to no avail. At any rate, here is my weekly spending post for the first week in March. I honestly have no clue what I purchased back then so I can't even add the pictures.

Total Spent: $21.99
Total Saved with Coupons: $55.38
Total Saved with Sales: $52.59
Total Saved: $107.97

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $30.38
Saved with Sales: $11.65

Rite Aid: $1.99 (+ 1.00 in change)
Saved with Coupons: $25.00
Saved with Sales: $40.94

Misc: $20.00
- I took some cash out of our bank account to use for produce at market and milk at the dairy where we purchase it.

Monthly Spending Summary (Feb.)

This is kind of pathetic, but I realized the other day that I never posted my monthly spending for Feb. So here it is, for whatever it is worth. :)

Monthly Grocery/Household Budget: $190

Total Spent: $120.16
Total Saved with Coupons/Sales: $624.50

Week 1: $58.62
Week 2: $6.72
Week 3: $15.25
Week 4: $39.57

Credits: $11.00
- from Rite Aid Rebate

Ending Monthly Balance: $80.84
Balance carried from Jan.: - $8.82

Ending Annual Balance: +$72.02
- In case you are confused, this is the amount I have left over for the year. This comes from being under budget in some previous months. So basically I am ahead by $72.02 for the year.

$1/1 Scott Toilet Paper Coupon

There's a coupon for $1/1 Scott 1,000 ct. 12 pack or larger bath tissue here (click "Household"). You should be able to print two coupons. Scott 12 packs typically go on sale at CVS and Rite Aid for around $6.00. If you are like us and actually prefer this toilet paper, you'll know how rare this coupon is!

Walmart Gift Card Rebate: Cheap Toilet Paper or Cereal

All You has a great deal going on right now where you get a $10 Walmart gift card via rebate when you buy any two of the following products (mix and match):

• Cottonelle Ultra Toilet Paper (12pk)
• Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Family Size
• Any Zicam Cold Remedy

I'm feeling a bit lazy tonight, but I wanted to make sure you all heard about the deal, so I'm going to just send you over to Saving with Shellie's blog to see all the details. Basically you can get Cottonelle 12 pack of toilet paper for $1.74 each or Frosted Flakes cereal for FREE or possibly $2 overage.

Pampers Gift to Grow: 10 Points

Here is a new code to add 10 pts. to your Pampers Gifts to Grow account:

T9PDXPKKGA3M4GK

Buy One Get One Free Pepsi Skinny Cans Coupon

Print this coupon for Pepsi Skinny Cans Buy One 4 pk. Get One Free. I'd recommend printing this coupon now if you are interested. It was available earlier and went very fast!

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

I'm Human Too...

I thought it would be good to have a little dose of reality for those of you that think I am the super-coupon-shopper-who-only-gets-good-deals-and-saves-lots-of-money.

See, I had a ton of Rite Aid UPReward coupons and I knew a bunch of them expired on the 15th, but somehow in my foggy brain I was thinking that the 15th was the end of the week. I was just going through my coupons getting ready to do an end of the week run to Rite Aid when the lights went off. The 15th was Tuesday and this is Friday. My stomach sank as I counted up the total amount. I have $11 worth of UPRewards- all worth nothing now.

I actually called Rite Aid customer service just in the off chance that they do like some CVS stores and honor UPRewards that are a couple of days expired. But no such luck. So it looks like I just lost that money. Makes me annoyed, but hey what am I supposed to do?!

So, just in case you were under the impression that I have this whole couponing, saving money thing down pat. I don't. I'm human too you see!

Recyclebank: 50 More Points

Login or sign up for a Recyclebank account, then click the "earn points" tab and scroll down to the "Saw us on Television link"(with the above logo). Then follow the instructions to get your 50 points. Recyclebank frequently offers some amazing deals that are only 50 points, so I'd highly recommend doing this!

Vocalpoint: Free International Delight Creamer

Head over to Vocalpoint and request your coupon for a free bottle of International Delight Creamer.

Free Sample: Emergen-C

Go here to request a free sample of Emergen-C drink mix.

Thanks Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

Free Sample: Power Bar Protein Plus Bites

Go here to request a free sample of Power Bar Protein Plus Bites.

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

T.G.I. Friday's: 25% Off Entire Purchase Coupon

Use this coupon to save 25% off your entire purchase at T.G.I. Friday's. Coupon expires 3/21/11.

Vocalpoint: Free Kellogg's Cereal Sample

Sign into your Vocalpoint account and you'll be able to request a free sample of Kellogg's new Frosted Mini Wheats with a Touch of Fruit.

If you aren't a Vocalpoint member I'd highly recommend signing up. It's free and you'll get quite a few coupons and samples from them.

Thanks Michelle!

Freebie: Parenting School Years Magazine

Request a free issue of Parenting School Years Magazine.

Thanks Mojo Savings!

Free Sample: Chef of the Future Seasoning

Request a free sample of Chef of the Future seasoning.

Thanks Mojo Savings!