CVS Deals - 12/30

I headed over to CVS to use up some coupons that I had expiring at the end of the year. I wound up doing the one transaction wrong and could have gotten the more expensive foundation for less out of pocket. I might go back today, since I still have the same coupon. I also did them in the wrong sequence, I could have used the ECBs from the second transaction to pay for the first transaction instead of paying so much on a gift card. I guess that is the value of being prepared.

Here is what I got:

Transaction #1
2 - Covergirl Foundation
1 - Essence of Beauty Mesh Sponge

-$6.19 BOGO Covergirl Foundation coupon
-$2 Essence of Beauty CVS coupon
-$3 $3/$15 CVS coupon

Paid $1.56 on gift card.

Transaction #2
1 - Sobe Life Water (filler)
2 - Old Spice High Endurance Deodorant
2 - bags of Christmas candy
1 - 4.0z Colgate Total
1 - Essence of Beauty Mesh Sponge

-$1 $1/2 Old Spice mfg coupon
-$1.50 Colgate mfg coupon
-$1 Colgate CRT
-$2 EoB CVS coupon
-$3 $3/$15 CVS coupon

Paid with $3.99 and $2.59 (adjusted down to $2.27) ECBs. Earned $2 and $1 ECBs.

Not a great week overall. I reduced my ECB position by $3.58 and spent money from my gift card. However, it still cost me nothing OOP and I got things that we use and will need soon (and some things that we didn't need, like more candy).

Check out how others did this week at CVS Superstars on The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Free Coffee at Sheetz

Tomorrow, starting at 4 pm, running through Thursday at 4 pm, Sheetz will be offering free cups of coffee as a gesture of appreciation at each of their 352 locations. The coffee is 100% Arabica beans, and they brew fresh coffee every 30 minutes. You can see the press release here.

Coldwater Creek Deal

Over at WantNot.net, they have information on how you can take advantage of a deal to get 70% off your order at Coldwater Creek. Even the outlet items are included in this great sale. Head over to WantNot.net to get the coupon code and information.

Menu Plan Monday

New Year's Day has always meant pork and sauerkraut in my family(although this evidently is not a universal tradition - my husband doesn't understand it and never heard of it before he met me). I need to get to the store to pick up saurkraut and some fresh fruit and veggies and dairy products, but otherwise, we will be eating stuff we have in the freezer/pantry.

For us, the focus is dinner. This week, we are all home all week, so that means lunch at home. Likely, we will eat leftovers or sandwiches. We have some free meal coupons that we need to use up, so we will do lunch out at least once.

Sunday
Cereal
Leftovers/Sandwiches
Homemade Pizza

Monday
Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuesday
Cube Steaks

Wednesday
Shrimp
Special New Year's Eve Dessert (Cheesecake most likely)

Thursday
Pork and Sauerkraut

Friday
Pasta

Saturday
Cereal
Leftover/sandwiches
Out?

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/28

There are few things that are of interest to me this week. I have a number of coupons expiring, that I think I can use to take advantage of some of the sales.
After looking at some other posts, I must say that there are some regional differences to the ECB deals that we have in NEO and what I am seeing elsewhere (as well as the prices).

Transaction #1
2 - Colgate Total
-$1.50 Colgate mfg coupon
-$1.50 Colgate mfg coupon

$2.99 total, earn $4 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner
-$3 $3/2 Pantene mfg coupon

$4 total, pay with $4 ECBs from Transaction #1. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Old Spice Deoderant
-$1 $1/2 Old Spice mfg coupon

$4 total, pay with $2 ECBs from Trasnaction #2 and $2 OOP. Earn $1 ECB.

Transaction #4
2 - Dawn Dishsoap
-$.25 mfg coupon
-$.25 mfg coupon

Total $.99. Pay with $1 ECB adjusted down.

For $4.99 OOP, you will have 2 Toothpastes, Shampoo/Conditioner, 2 Deoderants, and 2 Dishsoaps.

Of course, if you plan to use the $3/$15 coupon then, you might want to combine these transactions or take advantage of some of the buy $20 get $10 deals - Excedrin and Benefiber/Maalox.

Check out more $5 CVS Scenarios at the CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First. Check out even more scenarios at The "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $3/$15 coupon

Tara over at Deal Seeking Mom, has a link for a $3/$15 coupon that appears in a free online version of a newspaper.

The coupon expires 1/9/09, so you have a couple of weeks to use it to sweeten your deals.

CVS Deals - 12/21

Hard to believe, it's been about a week now, but last Sunday evening, I headed to CVS to try to take advantage of some of their two day free after ECBs deals. No surprise, but by evening, they were out of many of the deals. My scenarios pretty much fell to the wayside and I just picked up those items they still had and was able to get rainchecks for a few of the others.

Here is what I got:

1 Halls Natural 25ct
1 Excedrin Express Gels 20ct
2 Sally Hansen Nail Laquer
1 L'oreal Metallic Eye Shadow Duo

- $1 L'oreal mfg coupon
- $2 Excedrin mfg coupon
- $3 $3/2 Sally Hansen Nail product
- $1 CVS coupon Excedrin

Paid with $17 ECBs and $2.05 on Gift Card. I earned $6.99, $11.98, $2.59 and $3.99 ECBs. I improved my ECB position by $8.55 and it only cost me $2.05 on my free gift card. Not too bad of a day.

I was happy to see that the CVS store I shopped at Sunday now has one of those scanners that everyone talks about. Unfortunately, I didn't have my card with me and you have to have your card to scan to get the coupons. Hopefully, there is something I will head to CVS for next week and I can see what type of coupons it generates for me.

Samples and Freebies

With all of the activity around the holidays, I didn't sign up for much, but my mailbox was pretty active.


$5 coupons for Old Orchard

Received:

Dr Pepper 20 oz coupons – one each for my husband and me, and a mysterious third one to me.
Orville Redenbacher Salt and Lime popcorn sample with coupon
Coupon for Free 3.5lb bag of 9-Lives
Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling Square from SheSpeaks

Merry Christmas....

and a Happy New Year to you!

Kroger Deals - 12/21

While at home with my family, I decided to stop by Kroger for some deals. I loaded up my P&G and Shortcuts coupons to my Kroger card and grabbed my coupons.

Here's how I did:

6 - 4ct Cottonelle (not all pictured)
1 - 16 oz Twizzlers
1 - 3# Cuties
2 - 10.5 oz cans Skyline Chili

-$.50 coupon for each Cottonelle
-$.49 doubled coupon for each Cottonelle
-$.55 Cutie coupon
-$.45 doubled Cutie coupon
-$.50 Skyline $.50/2 coupon
-$.50 doubled Skyline coupon

Total - $6.96. I saved 9.64 or 58%. I am pleased to get everything I did for under $7. Of course, the candy was a completely impulse, unnecessary spend, but it's Christmas and I love candy.

CVS Scenarios -week 12/21

These scenarios are to take advantage of the 2 day free after ECB deals in this week's circular, so you will need to go on Sunday/Monday to take advantage of these deals:

Transaction #1
2- Excedrin 20ct Express Gels

-$4 2x$2/1 Excedrin Mfg Coupon

Total $3.98 OOP. Earn $7.98 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Sally Hansen Nail Polish

-$3 $3/2 Sally Hansen from CVS Beauty Handbook

Total $8.98, pay with $7.98 ECBs from Transaction #1 and $1 OOP.

Transaction #3
1 - Loreal Eye Shadow
1 - Listerine
2 - Arm & Hammer Essentials

-$1 Loreal Mfg coupon
-$1 Listerine Coupon from Diabetes Handbook
-$2 2x$! Arm & Hammer Essentials Mfg coupon

Total $11.96, pay with $11.98 ECBs adjusted down to $11.96. Earn $15.96 ECBs.

(Transaction #3A, B, C - optional

1 - Listerine
2 - Arm & Hammer Essentials

Pay with $2.99 & $4.98 ECBs from Transaction #3, earn $2.99 and $4.98 ECBs.

2 - Listerine
1 - Arm & Hammer Essentials

Pay with $2.99 and $4.98 ECBs from Transaction #3A, earn $2.99 and $4.98 ECBs.

1 - Listerine

Pay with $2.99 ECBs, earn $2.99 ECBs)

Transaction #4
1 - Hall's Naturals
1 - Thermacare
1 - Right Guard Professional
1 - Benefiber
1 - Hershey's Stocking Stuffer

-$.50 Hall's mfg coupon
-$.55 Right Guaurd peelie
-$2 Benefiber mfg coupon

Total $15.82, pay with $15.96 ECBs from Transaction #3, adjusted down. Earn $18.37 in ECBs.

(Transaction #4A, B, C, D optional

1 - Thermacare
1 - Right Guard Professional

Pay with $2.49 and $6 ECBs from Transaction #4, earn $2.49 and $6 ECBs.

1 - Thermacare
1 - Right Guard Professional

Pay with $2.49 and $6 ECBs, earn $2.49 and $6 ECBs.

1 - Right Guard Professional

Pay with $6 ECBs, earn $6 ECBs.

1 - Right Guard Professional

Pay with $6 ECBs, earn $6 ECBs.)

You will have spent $4.98 OOP and have $18.37 in ECBs to roll to next week.

OOPS! I used 2 of the Excedrin deals and it was a limit of 1. I have revamped my scenario and here are my new transactions:

Transaction #1
1 - Excedrin
1 - Arm & Hammer Essentials

-$2 Excedrin IP
-$1 Arm & Hammer Mfg coupon

Total $3.98, earn $6.98 ECBs.

Transaction #2

1 - Loreal Eye Shadow
1 - Arm & Hammer

-$1 Loreal Mfg coupon
-$1 Arm & Hammer mfg coupon

Total $7.98, pay with $6.98 ECBs from transaction #1 and $1 OOP. Earn $9.98.

(Transaction #2A, B, C Optional

Repeat 3x
1 - Arm & Hammer

Pay with $2.99 ECB, earn $2.99 ECB)

Transaction #3
1 - Benefiber
1 - Halls Natural
1 - Thermacare

-$2 Benefiber Mfg coupon
-$.50 Halls Mfg coupon

Total $9.87, pay with $9.98 ECBs from transaction #2, adjusted down to $9.87. Earn $12.37 ECBs.

(Transaction #3A optional

1 - Thermacare

Pay with $2.49 ECBs, earn $2.49 ECB)

Transaction #4

1 - Thermacare
1 - Right Guard Professional
2 - Listerine
1 - Hershey Stocking Stuffer

- $.55 Right Guard Peelie
- $2 2x$1 Listerine (CVS Diabetes handbook)

Total $12.42, pay with $12.37 ECBs and $.05 OOP. Earn $14.47 ECBs.

(Transaction #4A

2 - Listerine

Pay with $5.98 ECBs, earn $5.98 ECBs.)

Transaction #5
1 - Right Guard
2 - Sally Hansen Nail Polish

-$.50 Right Guard mfg coupon
-$3 $3/2 Sally Hansen (CVS Beauty Handbook)

Total $14.48, pay with $14.47 ECBs from Transaction #4 and $.01 OOP. Earn $17.98 ECBs.

(Transaction #5A, B, C

1 - Right Guard

Pay with $6 ECBs, earn $6 ECBs)

So, you will have spent $5.04 OOP and will have $17.98 in ECBs to roll to next week, or use them to pick up some necessities.


For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First. See even more CVS Scenarios at Money Saving Mom, the "Cent"sible Sawyer and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS Deals - 12/14

I headed to CVS early this week, to use a $5 coupon I had received by e-mail late last week. I used all of my ECBs, but earned a number back.

Here is what I got:

4 - 12pk Pepsi product
6 - boxes of GM cereals
1 - 3oz Right Guard
1 - 4oz Colgate Total Advanced
1 - 2pk Dove bar soap
1 - EOB Mesh Sponge

-$5 $5/$30 CVS coupon
-$2 EOB coupon
-$.55 Right Guard "peelie"
-$.75 Cereal mfg coupon
-$.75 Cereal mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch coupon
-$1 $1/2 cereal mfg coupon
-$1.50 Colgate Total mfg coupon

Paid with $28.59 in ECBs and $3.35 on free gift card. I earned $10, $3, $2, $2, and $1 ECBs. I paid nothing OOP but between the gift card and ECB reduction, it cost me $13.94 for 6 boxes of cereal and 4 12-pks, along with some other necessary items. I don't think that is too bad.

For other great deals, check out the "Cent"sible Sawyer's CVS Superstars and Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday. Check out other Centsable Savings Stories at BeCentsable.

Free Broadway Tickets for Ohio

So, I don't know the full back story, but evidently Nancy Coyne at an advertising agency that reps 24 current Broadway productions, made some sort of a remark to the effect..."we hate tourists from Cleveland" and it created quite a stir. Now, as a form of apology, Ohioans are going to get free tickets to Broadway. It looks like it is limited to Tuesday - Thursday showings of Chicago in January, but if you are from Ohio (have to show a license) and heading to NYC mid-week, this is still a good deal. In addition, if you happen to live in Cleveland, Coyne is planning to give away Broadway tickets on Cleveland Radio.

Munchie Mug Giveaway

Denise, of the "Cent"sible Sawyer is launching a new blog entitled Baby Buzz, as part of her participation in Walmarts Eleven Moms. In celebration of her new blog, she is hosting a giveaway. There will be two lucky winners of a Munchie Mug.

They look pretty cool and I think they just might help reduce the amount of food on the floor of my car. There is a soft cloth cover that the child can reach in through and get food, and when they pull out their hand, the fabric goes back into place - trapping the food inside. The mug and lid are dishwasher safe.

For a chance to win, head over to her giveaway.

Free Shipping Day - TODAY

Free shipping day is TODAY. Click here for the link to the site that has the merchant list and more information.

Birthday Bear

This is a "re-run" of a previous Works For Me Wednesday. I "borrowed" the re-run idea from Rocks In My Dryer, our gracious host.

Today is a tip that I received from a mom friend of mine. She has since lost the battle with cancer, but I am very appreciative of a tip she shared when she dropped off a dinner for my family in the days following the birth of my son.

She suggested that I select a stuffed toy to be a "Birthday Bear" and that every month during the first year, take a picture of the baby with that bear. It provides a great gauge for how they are growing and changing. She said she started it when her kids were younger and now, they just take annual pictures with the bear on their birthdays.

I loved this tip. I decided on a birthday bear for my son, in his case it was actually a stuffed bear. I took a picture of him and the bear every month for the first year and then every three months the next year and now, every year on his birthday. My husband mocks me, asking if I will still take his picture with that bear when he is a teenager (if he lets me, I just might). When I did his first year scrapbook, I was able to build a two page layout that showed his progress from month one to twelve very clearly.

When my daughter was born, my Mom and son went to the hospital gift shop and bought her a pink fluffy bear. It became her birthday bear and I have carried on the same tradition with her.

Conveniently, though they are different bears, they are both Ty Bears, so they are the same size, so they also can serve as comparison between the two kids.

I always have to remind myself that I need to take the picture. There has been at least one occasion where the kids had had their bath, read their books and were about to be placed in bed when I recalled that I needed to take that picture. In those cases, not considering the next day to be an option, I dragged them downstairs set them in the picture chair with their bear and snapped away. Those pictures show one tired child in their PJs with their birthday bear, but it is still the milestone picture that I will always have.

I love to look back at all of the pictures to see how they have changed and grown.

Do you have a tradition by which you measure how your child has grown and changed?

Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway

Over at Mommies with Cents, they are hosting a $100 Home Depot Card giveaway in honor of their 1000th post. You have until Wednesday at 11:59 pm CST to enter to win.

Reminder - Toys'R Us and Free Shipping Day

Toys'R Us is posting new coupons everyday. Be sure to check back daily to see if you can use any of the in store coupons. You can see my original post here with link.

Free shipping day is Wednesday. The merchant list seems to have grown. You can see my original post here for a link to the site that has the merchant list and more information. I will post a reminder on Wednesday.

Menu Plan Monday

This week, I continue to use up some of our stockpile to make sure we are getting good rotation, so this week we are eating what we have on hand. I did make a stop at the grocery for some fresh fruit and a couple of things we needed and a stop at CVS where I got 6 boxes of cereal. Together, the two stops only amounted to about $12.

At our house, we don't eat breakfast or lunch together during the week, so there is minimal planning that goes into those meals. For us, the focus is dinner.

Sunday
Cereal
Leftovers/Bagel Bites
Cheeseburgers

Monday
Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuesday
Brats and Dogs

Wednesday
Mac'N Cheese

Thursday
Pizza

Friday
Pork Tenderloin

Saturday
Cereal
lunch out
Ham/Lasagna

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me. My son either packs or buys lunch at school. If he packs, it is generally a lunch meat sandwich or a PB&J with some sides.

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/14

Last week, of course, I shopped early in the week and then at the end of the week, I received an e-mail coupon for $5 off of $30. It doesn't expire until today, so my hope was that there would be a good deal that I was interested in this week, so I could use my coupon. Here is a transaction I built around that coupon, if you don't have the same coupon, your total could be higher - but you could also split transaction #1 into two to reduce OOP.

Transaction #1
6 boxes of GM Cereals
1 EARinse

-$.55 mfg coupon (assorted GM Cereal coupons available in coupon side bar)
-$.55 mfg coupon
-$.75 mfg coupon
-$.75 mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 mfg coupon
-$5 $5/30

$21.40 OOP. Earn $10 and $9.99 ECBs. (That's like paying $1.41 for six boxes of cereal - $.23 / ea)

Transaction #2
1 - Dove Bar Soap
1 - Pantene Shampoo
1 - Clairol Haircolor

-$2 Pantene mfg coupon
-$2 Clairol mfg coupon

Total $10.47. Pay with $10 ECB from transaction #1 and $0.47 OOP. Earn $1, $1 and $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - St Ives Moisturizer

Total $10. Pay with $9.99 ECBs from transaction #1 and $0.01 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Crest Spin Brush

-$2 Crest Spin Brush IP

Total $3.99. Pay with $1, $1 and $2 ECBs from Transaction #2 (adjusted down by $0.01). Earn $2 ECBs.

Check out other CVS Scenarios at Deal Seeking Mom, Money Saving Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
1 - Pantene Shampoo

-$2 mfg coupon

Total $3.99. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Dove bar soap

Total $2.49, pay with $2 ECBs and $.49 OOP. Earn $1 ECBs.

Transaction #4
2 - Candy Bars (3/$2)

Total $1.33. Pay with $1. ECB and $.33 OOP.

Total OOP $4.81. Or skip the last one and save your $1 ECB for next week.

Check out more $5 Scenarios at Keeping the Kingdom First, $5 CVS Challenge.

Toys 'R Us Coupons

Toys 'R Us is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with daily in-store coupons. There are 3 pages worth of coupons today that you can print out and bring to your local store. The deals change daily. Check it out here.

Happy Shopping!

Samples and Freebies

Another slow week on the requesting side.

I have signed up for a number of fun giveaways.
Gain Scent Card

My mailbox was full this week though:

Bear Naked Natural Granola sample and coupon.
Try Me Free Coupon for Horizon Organic Milk.
Earthbound Farm Organic coupons, including a number of coupons for Horizon Organic products (yogurt, milk, and butter)
Saturn Convenience Wallet Cards from VocalPoint - has a tip calculator, stain removal chart, ingredient substitution chart and family clothing size chart.
Pantene (mystery shampoo) sample
$1.99 Chapstick Rebate
$2.50 Arm & Hammer Essentials Rebate

Free Shipping Day - December 18th

I recently learned that December 18th is Free Shipping Day. There are a number of participating merchants for Free Shipping Day. And the best part, shipments are guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas. It appears that this is the First Annual Free Shipping Day.

For a list of participating merchants and more information, check out Free Shipping Day.

CVS Deals - 12/9

I made my trip to CVS yesterday to pick up some of the deals this week and I think I did pretty good. I used the ECBs I had earned at the Black Friday Sale. They were almost 2 weeks old and I was afraid of "losing" them to expiration.

Here's what I got:

Transaction #1
6 - Hershey's Bliss
4 - Hershey's Stocking Stuffers

-$6 6x$1 Bliss Mfg coupon
-$2 Hershey Mfg Coupon

Paid with $5.99 and $5.99 in ECBs and $.02 on Gift Card. Received $10 and $10 ECBs (for prescription)

Transaction #2
2 - Huggies Pull-ups
2 - Huggies Wipes
1 - 32oz Powerade
1 - Theraflu Warming

-$2 Huggies CRT
-$2 Huggies Pull-ups Coupon
-$2 Huggies Pull-ups Coupon
-$1 Huggies Mfg coupon
-$.50 Huggies Wipes coupon
-$2 Theraflu coupon (blinkies)

Paid with $4.47, $5.69, $5.93 and $6.99 ECBs and $.47 on gift card. Earned $5, $2, and $1.59 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - 12pk Mtn Dew
1 - 12pk Diet Pepsi
1 - Duracell 9V
1 - Tide 100oz

-$.75 Duracell Mfg Coupon
-$1 Tide Mfg Coupon

Paid with $5, $5.98 and $7.99 ECBs and $.41 on a gift card. Earned $5 ECBs.

I used up all of the ECBs that I had built up on Black Friday ($49.08) and now have $28.59 in ECBs. So, the net cost for everything I got today was $20.49 in ECBs and $.90 on my free gift card. Not too bad for 24 cans of soda, 58 pull-ups, 160 wipes, 52 loads of laundry detergent, 1 battery, 32 oz of Powerade, 8 doses of cold medicine, 216 pieces of Hershey's Bliss, 4 stocking stuffers and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (oh not that last one :-)! ).

For more deals, check out Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday and find more CVS deals at The "Cent"sible Sawyer's CVS Superstars.

Saving Money at the Holidays

There are many ways that you can save money at the holidays and still share the holiday spirit.

Homemade Gifts
When my children started to school, I decided that homemade gifts would be the way to go. How do you buy a gift for someone that you only know in their work environment and who has how many ever children's families purchasing gifts too. There was always the bath products - lotion, bath gel, bubble bath, bath fizzies; the candles; the "teacher" paraphernalia; etc., but how many times can a teacher get the same type of gifts before they are ready to explode. I decided that it would be nice to make them a plate full of the cookies that we bake each year. I pick up a festive plate on sale and fill it with goodies that the kids help me make. That way, they have the treats to enjoy and share with family, and they have a plate they can use in the future.

For the grandparents, we tend to use pictures of the kids for their gifts. We have done photo books, calendars, collages and such in the past. They love pictures of the grandkids and usually, around the holidays the on-line photo shops have excellent coupons - offering 30%, 40% and more off. If we do a collage, we usually place it in a nice frame to complete the gift. If you know what size collage you will do, watching the sales can help you find a nice frame for a reasonable price (or you could find a frame you like and make a picture to fit).

Last year we also tried paint your own pottery. It was a nice opportunity for the kids to paint a personalized mug/plate for the grandparents.

Buying All Year
Now, I don't buy everything ahead of time, but I do start to watch at clearance sales throughout the year for things that I can give as gifts. Especially for clothing. I like to be able to buy nice outfits and if you buy them at the end of season for next year, you can generally get a really great deal. Especially if you can couple it with additional % or $ off coupons. I do watch though for toys that go on sale as we enter the fall. Generally, by then, I have a feel for what other gifts I would like to get for the kids I am buying for.

Additionally, right after Christmas is a great time to stock up on supplies for Christmas - wrapping paper, cards, tape, napkins, plates, etc. Everyone clearances those items out to free up their shelves for the next season. If you have the place to store them, why not buy the supplies for 50% or more off. You can also buy tins, plates and more for sharing your homemade goodies next year.

Coupons
Coupons can be a great way to save money on the gifts you are buying. For instance, when I hit the Black Friday sales, I was armed with $ off coupons at Toys 'R Us and % off coupons at The Children's Place. Coupled with the already great sale prices that they were offering on Black Friday, I was able to get some awesome deals. Store coupons are found in ad, in the paper, in the mail or on-line.

Coupons can also help when you are stocking up on the ingredients needed for baking. I find that it is best to buy those ingredients in the early fall, when the retailers are starting to put them on some great deals.

Price Match/Adjustments
If you buy something that you plan to give on what you think is a good sale, continue to scan the sale ads. Many stores will adjust your purchase if they offer the same item at a lower cost. Others will even adjust your purchase price by matching a competitor's deal. And, if they don't, return it and rebuy it,if it will save you money. I don't make a special trip to do this unless the savings is significant, but I do check my ads at the beginning of the week and that way, if I know I will be by that store, I can stop in for the savings.

Rewards Programs
There are a number of rewards programs out there that can help you save money during the holidays. My grocery store offers gift cards after you spend so much in the store. By participating in programs like Harris Polls and MyPoints, you can earn points that are redeemable for gift cards that you can use to buy Christmas presents. If you carry a credit card, why not have one that pays you back. We have cashed in our points from these different programs, not only to buy gifts, but also to treat ourselves to a low cost dinner out at favorite restaurants.

Read Blogs
This is a new one for me. I only started reading blogs this summer and let me tell you, I have learned about some great deals from both on-line and brick stores, I have found coupons that I didn't know were available, and you can even enter to win a giveaway, which can help you save money.

Right now, the members of Walmart's ElevenMoms group are hosting giveaways. One example you should check out is Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First. She currently has a $500 Walmart gift card up for grabs. To enter, share your most creative way to save money at the holidays.

This approach works for me to save money at the holidays. To learn more tricks and tips check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer.

Giveaway: Walmart $500 gift card

Denise over at The "Cent"sible Sawyer has a giveaway for a $500 Walmart Gift Card, sponsored by Nickelodeon and Walmart.

To enter, head over to The "Cent"sible Sawyer and leave a comment with how to make your favorite holiday appetizer. There are 4 other ways to enter to win.

Chocolate Mug Cake

Okay, so as I visited $800 annual budget for 4 girls, Erin mentioned this chocolate mug cake that sounded incredible. I had to go back to As our time gose by to check it out.

It sounds and looks so delicious. I am definitely marking this as a got to try it. Just need to find a time (only takes 5 minutes) to try it.

Menu Plan Monday

This week, I continue to use up some of our stockpile to make sure we are getting good rotation, so this week we are eating what we have on hand (when we aren't out). I need to make a quick stop at the store, but only for a few fresh ingredients for the week.

Our friends are making dinner for us on Saturday so that we can try Venison (and some other game?). It should be an experience. I have had it only once before and it was in a stew.

At our house, we don't eat breakfast or lunch together during the week, so there is minimal planning that goes into those meals. For us, the focus is dinner.

Sunday
Blueberry Muffins and Cereal
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Pizza/Leftovers

Monday
Pork Chops

Tuesday
Blueberry Bread Pudding

Wednesday
Turkey Pot Pie

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Chicken Gravy over Biscuits

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Venison and more

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me. My son either packs or buys lunch at school. If he packs, it is generally a lunch meat sandwich or a PB&J with some sides.

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 12/7

There are a lot of deals that I hope to take advantage of this week at CVS. I have a decent amount in ECBs after building up the day after Thanksgiving.

Transaction #1
4 Hershey Bliss @ $3
2 Miniatures @ $3.50
2 Stocking Stuffers @$.50

-$4 - 4x$1 Hershey Bliss IP (you will need to print these on different computers)
-$2 Hershey Mfg Coupon
-$2 Hershey Mfg Coupon

Total $12, earn $10 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Huggies Pull-ups
1 - Huggies Wipes
1 - Huggies Bath

-$4 2x$2/1 Pull Ups IP
-$1 Huggies Mfg Coupon
-$.50 Huggies Wipes Mfg Coupon

Total $19.50. Pay with $10 ECBs from transaction #1 and $9.50 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Tide
1 - Duracell

-$1 Tide Mfg Coupon
-$.75 Duracell Mfg Coupon

Total $13.25. Pay with $5 ECBs from transaction #2 and $8.25 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Theraflu Warming
1 - Powerade 32 oz

-$2 $2/1 Theraflu IP

Total $5.58. Pay with $5 ECBs from transaction #3 and $0.58 OOP. Earn $2 and $1.59 ECBs.

The net cost for the above is $26.74, but you have 6 bags of chocolate, 2 packs of Huggies Pull-ups, Tide, some medicine and diapers to show for it. I will be using ECBs that I built up on the day after Thanksgiving, so the net cost will still be $26.74, but it will come from ECBs. I'll still have $22.34 in ECBs to roll into next week.

See more deals and other scenarios at Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
1 - Powerade

Total $1.59, earn $1.59 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Theraflu Warming

-$2 $2/1 Theraflu IP

Total $3.99. Pay with $1.59 ECB from Transaction #1 and $2.40 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - 12 pk Mountain Dew (or any other Pepsi product)

Total $3.00. Pay with $2 ECBs and $1 OOP.

Total OOP $4.99 (plus tax).

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First.

Giveaway Winner!!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

21
Timestamp: 2008-12-07 23:12:05 UTC

That makes Ashley (ashlomb@...) the winner. I will send an e-mail to get your information.

Thanks for participating.

CVS in the News

This news report is a little disheartening - according to the article, CVS has problems with selling expired product and with poor health inspections.

A few weeks ago, I bought two candy bars at CVS that had expired last February. I guess after reading this article, maybe I should be a little more cognizant of the expiration dates on products at CVS, especially since I am generally buying for stockpile. Now I know that stores of all walks run into issue with proper product rotation. One of my local stores has a fresh or free guarantee - if you find an expired item on shelf, they will give you a fresh one of the same item for free. It helps them ensure that they are properly removing expired products from the shelf. I'm sure it has to be tied to some performance measure for the department if consumers find expired product. After all, they aren't in the business of giving product away.

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Oooh! Now here is a dress that I could win that will fit my little lady come summer/fall. She is a cutie in green. Check it out!

Some Giveaways

I just entered a couple of giveaways that I am excited to share with you...

At Stitches and Roses, she is giving away a very cute, approx 12 mos dress with hearts on it. Alas, my little lady is too big to wear this dress, but I have friends with little baby girls that would be adorable in this dress.

At Deal Seeking Mom, Tara is giving away an awesome lunch bag giveaway by Mario Batali or Elle.

At Mommies with Cents, the ladies are giving away The Snow Queen book.

Samples and Freebies

It's been a quiet week (actually, I've just been extremely busy), so I didn't request anything this week.

However, my mailbox has been busy this week.

I received the Crest Weekly Clean calendar and coupons from Vocal Point.
The Kotex liner samples from Costco.
Two Jello Singles from First Taste. I actually also had just bought some on Sunday, but haven't tried them yet.
The "mystery" shampoo and conditioner from WalMart (Pantene)

200th post - Avon Giveaway

In honor of my 200th post, I am happy to offer an Avon Giveaway.

I have been a long time user of Avon. One of my favorite products is their Silicone Glove Hand Cream. It works really well to help keep my hands soft in the dry winter months without leaving my hands feeling greasy. I like it so much, that I tend to have many on hand - the small size ones are in my purse and the diaper bag and I have the big ones in my kitchen, my bathroom, the kid's bathroom and my desk drawer at work. I also use their bubble bath and have used their kids bath "paints".

So, when I was offered the opportunity to try some of their facial products, as a participant in Mom Select, I was anxious to give them a try. They sent me four samples from the ANEW REJUVENATE Line:

ANEW REJUVENATE Flash Facial
ANEW REJUVENATE Night Revitalizing Cream
ANEW REJUVENATE 24 Hour Eye Moisturizer SPF 25
ANEW REJUVENATE Dial-A-Glow Anti-aging Moisturizer SPF 15

I have to say, that so far I am pleased with the product. The moisturizers are light, not heavy or greasy feeling, and my skin feels soft and looks smooth and fresh. A little goes a long way, which I like because it means I won't have to purchase it too frequently. It is a few more steps than I used to do. I pretty much had a wash only in the evening and a wash and moisturize in the morning type of routine. It takes a little more time, but I like the results. The Flash Facial is meant to be used as a creamy toner. It’s a great clarifying treatment for the skin. The Dial a Glow can be used alone or underneath foundation. It’s basically a tinted moisturizer designed to give you a natural looking glow.

As a part of my participation, Avon was kind enough to extend the offer of letting me host a giveaway on my site. The prize package will consist of ANEW facial products, tailored to the winner's age range. Besides Rejuvenate, there are 2 other ANEW skin care sets and Avon will send the one that is best suited for the winner's age range.

To enter to win the gift pack, leave a comment telling me your favorite holiday memory or tradition. Make sure to include your contact information if I can't get it through your user name. For an additional entry, blog about my giveaway and come back and leave a comment with a link to your post. Don't have a blog, you can also get an additional entry by Tweeting about the giveaway on Twitter - again, come back and leave a comment with your Twitter user name.

The contest will remain open until Sunday, December 7th at noon EST. I will determine the winner using a random number generator. After being contacted, you will have 24 hours to respond with your mailing address and age range. After 24 hours, if I have not heard from the winner, I will draw for a new winner.

In the meantime, head over to Avon.com and do your holiday shopping in their Holiday Boutique. By entering the code JINGLE30 you will get free standard shipping with a $30 order when you shop with an eRepresentative. This free shipping offer expires on January 1, 2009.

Giveaway - Walmart $500 Gift Card

Tara over at Deal Seeking Mom has a giveaway for a $500 Walmart Gift Card, sponsored by Nickelodeon and Walmart.

To enter, head over to Deal Seeking Mom and leave a comment with how you can cut back by $1 a day.

Time Shifting

One of the things that I really have come to enjoy is my DVR. I know that there are many out there that prefer to stay completely away from the television, but I rather enjoy the opportunity to relax and unwind while watching a little bit of television.

There were many things that used to bother me about using a VCR. First, you could only record one show per VCR. Second, the way ours was wired, you had to be watching the channel that was recording. Third, if you were watching a show on playback, you couldn't be recording. Fourth, if you didn't watch your shows soon enough, your tape was full. Fifth, you either had to watch from the end back or commit to a long period of watching shows, so you could leave the tape where you were able to record. It made it really hard to record and watch shows. When possible, I tried to be home and available when shows were on so that I could watch them live. When I couldn't, we had to plan when we would watch the shows. I felt a little bit like a slave to the TV/VCR.

Now, we have a DVR and I control the TV instead of it controlling me. You can record two shows. Of course, if you have the TV on when you are recording two shows, you either have to watch one of those shows or something that was previously recorded. If your show moves days of the weeks, the DVR knows. You can elect to record all episodes or only new episodes.

Having a DVR allows me to always have a show that is appropriate for my children to watch available. Most of the shows that we record for the kids are on while we are away. Curious George, Little Bear, Backyardigans, Blue's Clues and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse are amongst the shows we record. Another benefit is we are able to tape from commercial free networks. We typically only allow 1 or 2 episodes in the evening, generally while I am attempting to make dinner for the family. My son, who has grown up with a DVR learned early on that we could pause shows so that he could run to the bathroom or take a break. So much so that he didn't understand why we couldn't pause TV at Grandma's house or when he would watch a show upstairs from time to time, while I was showering or taking care of chores upstairs. He also didn't understand the first time he watched a show with a commercial, why his show was being interrupted. Oh my!

For me, the nice thing about the DVR is I can watch the shows I want when it is convenient for me and in a fraction of the time, because I can skip commercials. I can start a show one evening and finish it the next. I can start watching a show 10 minutes late and finish at the regular time because I don't spend time watching commercials. It really is a lot more convenient for me.

Now, it may sound like I watch a lot of shows, but really, I only watch about five shows - CSI, Without a Trace, Monk, Lost, How I Met Your Mother and two reality series - Amazing Race and the Biggest Loser. The rest is "filler" - I tape Hidden Potential and House Hunters. I enjoy seeing different houses and what your money can buy across the country.

Check out Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer for even more tips and tricks.

Shopping Deals - Kmart and Giant Eagle

As I sorted through my coupons on Sunday, I realized that I had some coupons that would be expiring that I would like to use. As I indicated, my Kmart is not a Super Kmart, so their grocery selections are more limited, so I decided to split my shopping between Kmart and Giant Eagle, which doubles coupons up to 99 cents.

Kmart
1 - Colgate Kids Toothbrush
-$.75 Colgate Toothbrush
-$.75 doubled coupon
1 - Kotex Lightdays (18ct)
-$1 Kotex coupon
-$.28 doubled coupon (got a penny back, should have been $.29)
1 - 75oz Cascade Dishwashing Gel
-$1 Cascade coupon
-$1 doubled coupon
2 - 64 oz Juicy Juice
-$2 2x$1 Juicy Juice coupon
-$2 2x$1 doubled coupon
3 - Nestle Chocolate Chips
-$1 instant savings
-$1 $1/3 Nestle coupon
-$1 doubled coupon
1 - Bumblebee Tuna 3 oz pouch
-$.55 Bumblbee coupon
-$.55 doubled coupon

$8.41 OOP. Total savings $11.88 in coupons, 14.36 total with sales. Saved 59% with coupons, 63% total.

Giant Eagle (I'll spare you the full details)
Jello Singles
Waxed Paper
4# Iams Cat Food
4pk Angel Soft TP
Nabisco 100 cal granola bars
3 Russell Stover Private Reserve
1 dozen eggs
2 Nabisco Triscuit crackers
28 oz Minute Rice
16oz Daisy Sour Cream
2 8 oz Hunts Tomato Sauce
2 15oz Hunts Diced Tomatoes
5# Pillsbury Flour
French's Fried Onions
2 24oz Sunmaid Raisin cannisters

Paid $30.87, saved $24.08 in coupons and $7.70 in store savings, for a total savings of $31.78. Saved 51%.

So, in total, I got $85.42 worth of groceries for only $39.28 (saved 55%). Not too bad.

Also, there was no CVS for me this week.

Check out other savings at the "Cent"sible Sawyer Drugstore Divas and Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

This week, I continue to use up some of our stockpile to make sure we are getting good rotation, so this week we are eating what we have on hand (when we aren't out). I did do a quick grocery trip to pick up a few necessities, but mostly to take advantage of coupons that were expiring.

At our house, we don't eat breakfast or lunch together during the week, so there is minimal planning that goes into those meals. For us, the focus is dinner.

Sunday
Cereal
Blueberry Pancakes, Sausage, Spaghetti & Eggs, Toast
Out for Mexican

Monday
Buffalo Bites and Bagel Bites

Tuesday
Potato Soup, Salad and Beer Bread

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Women's club carry-in for me/grab what you can for the home bunch

Friday
Fajita Burritos (didn't have last week)

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Spaghetti and meat sauce

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me. My son either packs or buys lunch at school. If he packs, it is generally a lunch meat sandwich or a PB&J with some sides.

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

K-mart Super Doubles

The K-mart in my area is participating in the Super Double coupons deal this week. I have a number of high value coupons, some that expire today, so I think I might try to make it over to K-mart to take advantage of some deals. I am somewhat limited since my store only has a pantry and not a full grocery, but I am hoping to take advantage of some of these deals. You can review the KMart Super Doubles Price Book at Hot Coupon World for some other coupon matches.

Nestle Morsels 3/$7.
-$1 instantly with 3.
-$1/3 mfg coupon
-$1 doubled coupon

3/$5 for Nestle Morsels

French's French Fried Onions $1.99
-$.75 Mfg coupon
-$.75 doubled coupon

$.49 each (I have 2 coupons)

Cascade Powder $4.29

-$1 Mfg coupon
-$1 doubled coupon

$2.29.

I also have the following coupons (some expiring), I hope to use:

$.40/2 Hunt's tomato products
$1/2 Sunmaid Raisins
$1 Fisher Baking Product
$1/2 Christmas "mini" candy bags

CVS Scenarios - week of 11/30

There wasn't much in this week's ad that I feel that I need. I probably will stop by to pick up my December ECB book and while I'm there, I might pick up a couple of things.

Here are the deals I am considering this week:

Transaction #1
3 - Venus/Fusion razors

-$12 (3x$4 Venus coupons from vocalpoint and/or Fusion coupons from the paper)

Total $5.97 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #2
4 - Febreeze Air Effects

-$4 (4x$1 Febreeze Air Effects coupons)

Total $6.00. Pay with $5 ECBs from transaction #1 and $1.00 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner

-$1 $1/2 Pantene coupon

Total $5.98. Pay with $5 ECBs from transaction #2 and $0.98 OOP. Earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Holiday M&Ms
1 - Snickers Nutcracker

Total $2.38. Pay with $2 ECBs from transaction #3 and $.38 OOP.

$8.33 OOP for 3 razors, 4 air sprays, 2 shampoos and some candy for Christmas.

For more scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

$5 CVS Challenge
I really struggled with the $5 CVS Challenge Scenario for this week, but here it is at just over $5 - maybe a "have a penny, give a penny; need a penny, take a penny" dish will be there to keep you at $5.

Transaction #1
1 - Extreme Energy drink

$4.99 OOP, earn $4.99.

Transaction #2
1 - Cascade
1 - Shout Gel
1 - 3L Ice Mountain Spring Water

-$1 Cascade (expires today)
-$.75 Shout mfg coupon.

Total $5.01. Pay with $4.99 ECB from transaction #1 and $.02 OOP.

Your total OOP will be $5.01.

For more $5 CVS scenarios, check out $5 CVS Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First

Samples and Freebies

Free samples week of 11/24

Kirkland Signature Diaper sample

Covergirl Exact Eyelights Giveaway – first 1000 entered in contest

Signed up for our free Dr Pepper coupons.

Crest headband for VocalPoint members

Lipstock Chapstock

I received a lot of stuff in the mail this week.

Orville Redenbacher – Smartcakes and single serve natural microwave popcorn with coupons.

Ziploc bag with paper with Saturday coupon.

ob small & mighty sample – 3 plus a travel case and coupon

Avon product as part of Mom Select program, watch for an upcoming giveaway.

Kashi Cereal Bar and coupon for Free Box from VocalPoint.

Giveaway: Walmart $100 gift card

Tara over at Deal Seeking Mom is having a giveaway for $100 Walmart Gift Card. To enter, leave a comment letting her know what you would do with a $100 gift card. The contest ends on Monday, so enter now at Deal Seeking Mom.

Giveaway: I Wanted to Wonder

Over at Stretching a Buck, there is a giveaway going on right now for a Custom Hair Bow Organizer from I Wanted to Wonder. You have to check them out. They are really cute wall hangings with ribbons to attach hair bows, clips and the like to.

You can enter to win, but heading over to Stretching a Buck and leaving a comment about your favorite.

Black Friday

I wasn't really sure if I planned to go out for Black Friday or not, but there were some gifts that I felt inclined to pick up. I didn't start my day very early. In fact, the kids let me sleep until 7, which was very welcome.

I took my youngest with me and headed to Toys R Us. I should have known that I was in for it when I had to park in a different lot. I was wise enough to snag a cart in the parking lot and take it in with me, since they were sparse inside. I was able to get quite a few gifts for the kids (nearly done) and take advantage of some coupons that I had gotten in the mail - one for $5/$25 and one for $10/$100. In addition, I had received a $100 gift card for opening a new account at a local bank. I applied that to my purchase and did really well, only $67 OOP. Part of that was a box of diapers (100ct) I got for only $10! I will also be returning an item I got cheaper later. The biggest draw back was the 1 1/2 hours in line, with a 2 year old, who was very well behaved for sitting in a cart that long.

I stopped at Michael's to pick up some chocolates for my Christmas baking. They had a great sale and when coupled with a 25% off coupon, I got 4 bags of Wilton Chocolate discs for under $4 - now that is a deal.

Then, because my mom had asked me to swap some items for larger sizes at the Children's Place, I headed to the mall. It was clear that parking was sparse, even the far out spaces were full. I happened upon a woman just getting in her car to leave and got a parking space in short order. I headed in to Children's Place, arriving at 10:57 - just moments before their roll in early take an additional 20% off your purchase was about to end. I got a "tag" that would allow me to get the discount at check out, even though it would be after the sale ended at 11. Turns out, I couldn't exchange my mom's gifts for the next size (supposed to check the outlet), but I got some great deals. They have already clearanced their Christmas outfits, and had them with an additional 30% off marked price. So, I got a skirt, shirt, sweater and patent leather shoes for my daughter and a pair of slacks, shirt and cardigan for my son, as well as a winter coat for next year for my daughter. At check out, I asked, can I use my 15% off coupon with the sale - they said YES! I was psyched. I got all of the above, plus 6 pairs of socks for about $80. And...I will get a Place Perks reward to boot - $10 off of $10. I clearly was meant to stop there today.

I made a mistake in stopping at JoAnn's for some fabric. When I saw that there was a line to get fabric cut (the number I drew was 30 away from what they were calling), I debated leaving. When I saw how far the check out line wrapped, I decided that the $7 I might save was probably not worth the headache. So, I hit the road, having lost about 30 minutes.

Next stop was Target, one gift and some household supplies before heading home.

Of course, as I was going back through the ads, I discovered that one of the items I purchased at Toys R Us, was $15 cheaper (only a $25 toy) at Radio Shack. After a call to confirm availability, I headed there to purchase. So, now tomorrow, I will be back to Toys R Us to return the item and save my money.

How about you? Did you get any great deals?

Head over to Money Saving Mom, Super Savings Saturday to see what other deals everyone got.

CVS Deals - Thanksgiving Day (Black Friday Sale)

I went to CVS with a plan and they actually had everything on my list, but I did learn that I had made a mistake in my plan. I had bought two of the Johnson's Lotions, but the limit was 1. I was able to return the lotion and use the credit towards my next purchase, otherwise, since I had paid in ECBs, I would have only gotten back $.97 of the $5.69.

Here's what I got:

Transaction #1
1 - Hershey Kit Kat King Size
1 - Bic Soleil Razor
1 - Johnson & Johnson Soft Lotion
1 - Schick Quattro
2 - 4oz Colgate Total Advanced Clean
3 - 20 oz G2 Gatorade

-$3 Bic Soleil Coupon
-$1 Johnson & Johnson Soft Lotion
-$4 Schick Quattro coupon
-$1 Colgate coupon
-$1 Colgate coupon
-$1 Colgate CRT
-$5 $5/30 CVS coupon from E-mail

Paid with $15 ECBs and $0.72 on a gift card. Earned $1, $5.99, $5.69, $6.00, 5.98 and $3.47 ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Aussie Haircare
1 - J&&J Soft lotion
2 - L'oreal Lipgloss

-$1 Aussie coupon
-$1 J&J Soft lotion coupon
-$1 Loreal coupon
-$1 Loreal coupon
-$4 $4/20 CVS beauty coupon from e-mail

Paid with $2, $6 and $8.99 ECBs and $0.97 on gift card. Earned $5.98 adn $13.98 in ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Garnier Towelettes
1 - Covergirl Powder
1 - Covergirl Foundation

-$1 Garnier coupon
-$1 Covergirl coupon
-$1 Covergirl coupon
-$3 $3/15 Face care CRT

Paid with $13.98 ECB, adjust down to $13.97 and $.20 on a gift card.

Transaction #4
Return J&J lotion
2 - A&W Rootbeer 12 pk
1 - Phillips Ear Headphones

Paid with $1 and $5.99 in ECBs and $1.05 on gift card. Earned $6.99 ECBs.

I started the day with $25.99 in ECBs and ended the day with $49.08 in ECBs. I spent 2.94 off of my gift card. So, I improved ECBs by $23.09, for a net profit of $20.15. Not bad for less than an hour on a holiday.

See more great deals at Money Saving Mom Super Savings Saturday.

CVS - Black Friday Scenarios

After much deliberation and consideration of how to put together the deals to take advantage of the ECBs and coupons that I have, here are the 3 transactions I have come up with. I will pay $.78 (plus tax) OOP and improve my ECBs from $25.99 to $53.77.

Here is what I plan to do:

Transaction #1
1 - Bic Soleil
3 - Gatorade G2
1 - Hershey King Size Candy Bar
2 - Aussie Haircare
2 - Colgate Advanced Clean
1 - Schick Quattro

-$3 Bic Soleil coupon
-$1 Aussie Hair Care coupon
-$1 Colgate CRT
-$1 Colgate coupon
-$1 Colgate coupon
-$4 Schick Quattro coupon
-$5 $5/30 CVS coupon

$15.41. Pay with $15 ECBs, plus $.41 (+ tax) OOP. Earn, $29.42 worth of ECBs.

Transaction #2
2 - Loreal Lip Gloss
2 - Johnson's Lotion

-$2 2x$! Loreal Coupon
-$2 2x$1 Johnson's lotion coupon
-$4 $4/20 Beauty coupon

Total $17.36. Pay with $8.99, $6 and $2 ECBs, plus $.38 (plus tax) OOP. Earn $25.36 worth of ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - CG smoothers Powder
1 - CG smoothers Liquid Foundation
1 - Garnier Cleaning clothes

-$1 CG coupon
-$1 CG coupon
-$1 CG coupon
-$3 $3/15 CRT

Total $13.97. Pay with $13.98 ECB, reduced to $13.97.

I will start with $25.99 in ECBs and end with $53.77 in ECBs, a gain of $27.78.

Check out Money Saving Mom and The "Cent"sible Sawyer for more scenarios.

Shaving Cream Alternative

One thing that I haven't seen many deals on since I started the "Drugstore Game" at CVS earlier this summer has been Shaving Cream. But, I'm not too worried. I rarely use shaving cream anymore.

I read somewhere a while back about the advantages of using conditioner in place of shaving cream or soap when you shave. I have been using conditioner for months now and it works great. It provides a better lubricant than soap and it is a lot cheaper than shaving cream. The conditioner softens the hair and since it usually has moisturizers, also hydrates your legs. I recently was able to pick up 6 bottles of V-05 conditioner with vitamins A C & E for 50 cents a piece. The bottle lasts for a long period of time compared to shaving cream and it is a lot easier to pack for travel then a bottle of shaving cream.

Check out Rocks In My Dryer for other Works for Me Wednesday tips.

(I'll confess, this is a repost from before I participated in Works for Me Wednesday - but I loved this tip that I had read and wanted to share it - plus with Thanksgiving a day away, I've been busy.)

Thanksgiving Desserts - Pumpkin Surprise Pie

This year, I am trying a new dessert at Thanksgiving. I probably will still make the traditional pumpkin pie, but my husband loves both Cheesecake and Pumpkin Pie, so I thought I would try a recipe I came across a few months ago (where oh where did I find it though?). It is a pumpkin pie, but beneath the pumpkin pie is a layer of cheesecake. I have made Pumpkin Cheesecakes before, but I thought this unique dessert was worth a shot.

Pumpkin Surprise Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 pie crust

Cream cheese layer
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
Pumpkin Layer:
1 can pumpkin puree
3/4 c evaporated milk
1/2 c packed light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Fit piecrust inot 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges.

Cream Cheese layer: Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, & egg until smooth. Spread evenly into bottom of pie crust.

Pumpkin layer: Beat together pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice & salt until smooth. Gently spoon this mixture over cream cheese layer.

Brush the edge of the pie crust with egg water. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Check out other Thanksgiving Desserts at the Recipe Swap at Life as Mom.

CVS Deals - 11/24

Okay, I didn't consider this deal worthy of a picture. I only picked up one item to roll (and grow) some extra bucks in preparation for this weekend.

Here is what I got:

1 - Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation

-$3 Maybelline foundation coupon

Paid with $3.49 and $2.00 in ECBs and $0.72 on a gift card. Earned $8.99 ECBs. A net "profit" of $2.78 ($3.50 growth in ECBs, but I had to pay OOP).

Check back soon for my Black Friday CVS Scenarios.

Menu Plan Monday

We started the week out at one my cousin's, followed by dinner at Grandma's house with the other side of the family. This is the first time I can remember that Thanksgiving at Grandma's was not on Thanksgiving. It allowed us to join, so for that I am thankful.

This week, I continue to use up some of our stockpile to make sure we are getting good rotation, so this week we are eating what we have on hand. I will head to the grocery store mid-week to get what we will need for our Thanksgiving meal and some sides for the week.

We are all home Thursday and Friday this weekend, so there are more meals together. My family is considering coming up for part of the weekend, so that portion of the menu is subject to change.

At our house, we don't eat breakfast or lunch together during the week, so there is minimal planning that goes into those meals. For us, the focus is dinner.

Sunday
Pumpkin Muffins/Cereal
Thanksgiving Dinner at Grandma's
Pasta

Monday
Cube Steaks and rice

Tuesday
Sloppy Joes

Wednesday
TGIF Skillet Meals Chicken Fajita and Rice

Thursday
Cereal
Thanksgiving meal
Leftovers

Friday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Chicken Parmesan

Saturday
Cereal
Leftovers
Buffalo Chicken Salad (to try Buffalo Chicken Bites from Market Day)

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me. My son either packs or buys lunch at school. If he packs, it is generally a lunch meat sandwich or a PB&J with some sides.

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

Don't Forget - Free Dr. Pepper

There are just a few more hours to claim your free Dr. Pepper 20 oz coupon. There is a 1-800 number posted for those of you, like me that are experiencing difficulty in signing up.

My original post here with details.

CVS Scenarios - week of 11/23

There are a couple of free after ECB deals that when paired with coupons, are money makers. I think I will stop in to take advantage of these deals. I also understand that for the Black Friday sale there are supposed to be a number of free after ECB deals.

Here is my plan:

Transaction #1
1 - Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation

-$3 Maybelline Foundation mfg coupon

Total $5.99, earn $8.99 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Multipurpose Solution
1 - Dial Multipack

-$2 Multipurpose Solution IP

Total $8.98, use $8.99 ECB from Transaction #1, adjusted down to $8.98. Earn $8.99 + $1 ECBs.

Transaction #3
1 - Right Guard Professional
1 - Dial Multipack

Total $9.98. Use $8.99 and $1 ECBs from Transaction #2, adjusted down to $9.98. Earn $7 and $1 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Spinbrush Pro
1 - Reese Cluster
1 - Dial Multipack

-$2 Crest Spinbrush IP
-$1 Reese Cluster coupon

Total $7.98. Use $7 and $1 ECBs from Transaction #3, adjusted down to $7.98. Earn $2 and $1 ECBs.

Hang onto the $3 ECBs to use on Black Friday or use them to pick up some other need.

For more scenarios, check out Deal Seeking Mom, Money Saving Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
1 - Crest Spinbrush

-$2 Crest Spinbrush IP

$3.99 OOP, earn $2 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Dial Multipack

Total $1.99. Pay with $2 ECBs adjusted down to $1.99. Earn $1 ECB.

Transaction #3
1 - Dial Multipack

Total $1.99. Pay with $1 ECB and $.99 OOP. Earn $1 ECB.

Total $4.98 OOP with $1 ECB to roll. Keep it for Black Friday or use it to pick up something little.

Check out more $5 CVS Challenge Scenarios at Keeping the Kingdom First.

Samples and Freebies

Free samples week of 11/17

Bertolli Microwaveable Pouch
Earthbound Farm Organic coupons - complete a short survey; plus the the first 9,000 quiz winners will also receive coupons worth $3.30 off delicious Horizon Organic dairy products! I'm hoping that I might have been one of them. I loved their milk when I tried it.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment

This week in the mail, I received a $10 check from Arquest for a diaper study I participated in. I received my $10 Fuel for School rebate from Kellogg's.

CVS Deals - 11/21

After returning from my shopping trip to CVS on Sunday, I discovered that two of the candy bars were expired. When I went to the store to exchange them for fresh ones, I decided to repeat the battery deal. I had no luck finding the $5/2 coupon tearpads at my store, but still had one more $.75/1 coupon left.

I got the following:
1 - 4pk Duracell 9V
1 - 16pk Duracell AAA
1 - Right Guard Deoderant

- $.75 Duracell Mfg coupon
- $.55 Right Guard peelie

I paid with $15, $1.59 and $3.49 in ECBs and put the other $1.78 on a gift card I have. I earned $15 and $2 ECBs. Not too bad $4.86 net for all of those batteries and some deoderant.

Check out my deals from earlier this week here.

Check out other CVS deals at CVS Superstars at the "Cent"sible Sawyer. Find more deals at Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom.

Free Dr. Pepper

Evidently, Dr Pepper made a promise of free soda to everyone if Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" was released in 2008. It has been delayed since the recording began in 1994 and is now scheduled to go on sale Sunday.

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 am, you can go to Dr Pepper's web site for a free coupon for a 20 oz Dr. Pepper. They will only be available for 24 hours. The coupon is good until February 28th.

Corn Souffle

Jessica over at Life As Mom has been hosting some Thanksgiving recipe swaps. This one might have qualified last week for the vegetable dish swap, but I didn't find the chance to post.

A few years back (okay, it's been more like 10 or 12 years ago), we started occasionally hosting Thanksgiving at our house, for those that weren't headed home. Along the way, I have picked up some recipes from dishes my guests made. This is one that I really enjoy. The recipe is easy, yet somehow, I only think to make it on occasion.

Corn Souffle

1 8 oz can Cream Corn
1 8 oz can Corn
1 8 oz container Sour Cream
1 stick margarine/butter
2 eggs
1 box Corn Muffin Mix

Mix all ingredients and bake at 325 for 1 1/4 hours or 350 for 45 minutes.

I usually use a casserole dish and spray it with cooking spray before pouring in the mixture. I haven't tried it, but have thought about getting a can of the corn with the diced peppers in it to give it a little extra flare.

You can check out other Thanksgiving side dishes in the Recipe Swap at Life As Mom. You can find more recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap as well.

Time...

Where does it go? I have so many things that I intended to post and yet, none of it seems to happen. Hopefully, things are slowing down a little bit and I will get back into a regular posting habit again.

Il Divo: The Promise

Recently, as a participant in One2One Network, I was given the opportunity to preview and review a copy of Il Divo The Promise. I was not familiar with Il Divo prior to this opportunity arising.

Their music is described as "POPera". The group was brought together by Simon Cowell back in 2004 and this is their fourth album. Three of the members have an operatic background and one a pop background.

The songs on The Promise are sung in Spanish, Italian and English. They apply operatic touches to pop music. The result is a very rich and wonderful sound. Not only do the four members have excellent voices, but their songs also are accompanied by strings.

On first listen, two comparisons came to mind (although, it definitely is a unique style). The first is the Moody Blues, who sing their songs against the orchestral backdrop. The second is one of my favorite albums, Michael Crawford performs Andrew Lloyd Weber with his strong voice. There is just something that draws me in with the combination of strong voices and the orchestral music.

I really enjoy the way the music fills the room, but I do struggle with many of the songs not being in English - not that I can't enjoy them because of the language barrier, but I can't sing along...which I love to do, especially in the car (despite the fact that I probably can't sing).

I'd say they covered some songs, but it seems strange to hear a cover song in another language. Their version of ABBA's The Winner Takes it All, I really enjoyed. Their version of Amazing Grace, the only one in English on the album, is beautiful.

You may have caught them today on Good Morning America, but if you did not, you can catch them on Regis and Kelly on Friday morning (11/21).

You can learn more about Il Divo at their website: Il Divo.com

Money Saving Milestone...

So, as I was logging my CVS receipt in my spreadsheet (yes, I am a geek), I noticed that I passed a milestone. I have now saved over $1000 at CVS since I started shopping there and using the ECB program back in June. Not bad, over $1000 saved in just over 5 mos.

How much did you have to spend though to save $1000, you ask. Well, my out of pocket since June is just $54.54 and I have sent in and received $10.49 in rebates and $2.25 of my OOP was from a free $25 GC I got with filling a prescription. So, essentially, I have spent $41.80 and still have $22.75 available on the free gift card.

Saving money is so much fun!

CVS Deals - 11/16

Well, I made my first trip for the week to CVS on Sunday. I think I will likely go back and get some more batteries. It just too good of a deal to not repeat. I just need to see if I can get my hands on some coupons. My store didn't have any sort of tear pad at the battery display that many others had referenced finding.

Here is what I got:
Transaction #1
1 - Loreal Age Perfect
1 - Crest Pro Health Whitening
2 - 2ct Duracell C Batteries
1 - Kotex Lightdays

-$5 $5/$30 e-mail coupon
-$1 Crest Pro Health coupon
-$.75 Duracell coupon
-$.75 Lightdays coupon
-$1.49 $2 CRT for Lightdays adjusted down to $1.49

Paid with $22 ECBs and $.76 on a Gift Card (free from a prescription fill). Earned $15.99 and $3.49 ECBs.

Transaction #2
4 - Hershey's candy bars
1 - Right Guard Deodarant
1 - 16ct Duracell AA Batteries
1 - Crest Pro Health Whitening

-$.75 Duracell coupon
-$.75 Crest Pro Health coupon
-$.50 B4GO CRT for Hershey's
-$.50 BOGO Hershey's Special Dark coupon

Paid with $15.99 ECB adjusted down to $15.97. Earned $15, $3.49, and $2 ECBs.

I paid $.76 in free money and improved my ECB position by $1.98 (started with $22 in ECBs, ended with $23.98). Not too shabby for all of those batteries.

I likely will head back later this week. I might wait to see if they send another e-mail coupon before heading back.

You can see more CVS deals at CVS Superstars at the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

Fun Website Find

Every week in the newspaper, there is a little blurb about new stuff to check out in the Home section. I have found some really interesting stuff in the little blurb. This week was no exception. They featured a site called Spoonflower.

Spoonflower is an online business that allows you to upload a design to be printed on cotton fabric. Yardage of the custom fabric is $18. It sounds though, like you can also get swatches and fat quarters as well for a lesser cost.

The design you upload needs to be no larger than 25MB and at a resolution of 150 dpi ("The print size of your image in pixel dimensions will be 150x the number of inches.") They will tile your design to fill the fabric, unless of course your design is larger than the piece you order, in which case they indicate they will crop from the lower left corner.

I think this has some really great opportunities.

You can use a drawing by your budding Picasso or a photograph that you took or just something that you created in Photoshop or other graphic software. Your design private unless you decide to make it public.

I'd like to suggest that I might use them for a quilt, but I started a quilt nearly 15 years ago and I still haven't finished it. Perhaps I was too ambitious planning to hand piece and quilt a queen size quilt for my first project, but that is a whole other story. Perhaps though, with custom fabric, I might feel that I could stick with simple squares and machine piece it.

I think it might be a fun way to make some custom pillow cases or covers. You could use the fabric in your favorite pattern to make some custom clothing - shorts, skirts, shirts. A crafty person could use the fabric to make some simple curtains for their house.

The company is located in North Carolina. They launched their Beta site in May of 2008, so they are a relatively new online entity, but boast over 10,000 crafters signed up to use the site already.

What design would you use for custom fabric? What would you do with the fabric?

Menu Plan Monday

This week, I continue to use up some of our stockpile to make sure we are getting good rotation, so this week we are eating what we have on hand. I did a quick stop to the grocery store today, where I spent about $22 and got my sugars (white, brown and powdered) and some butter for the upcoming Christmas baking season. Other than a block of cheddar for shredding for tonight's dinner and some bologna for my son to pack this week, I also got some fresh fruit and vegetables for use during the week.

At our house, we don't eat breakfast or lunch together during the week, so there is minimal planning that goes into those meals. For us, the focus is dinner.

Sunday
Cereal
Bagel Bites
Skyline Chili (homemade knock off)

Monday
Leftover chili

Tuesday
Chicken Gravy over Biscuits

Wednesday
Sloppy Joes

Thursday
Leftover Chicken Gravy

Friday
Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes

Saturday
Cereal
Out
Out

Weekdays breakfast is at daycare for my daughter, the rest of us eat cold cereal, frozen waffles, oatmeal, toast or whatever strikes our fancy. Lunch we pack, usually leftovers for me. My son either packs or buys lunch at school. If he packs, it is generally a lunch meat sandwich or a PB&J with some sides.

Check out other menu plans for the week at I'm An Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

CVS Scenarios - week of 11/16 (OOPS!)

I hate it when I learn that I made a mistake. Better to learn it before I leave home than once I was at the store. It is a lot easier to regroup before heading to the store than to try to figure it all out on the fly.

I just discovered that my coupon was actually $5 / $30. Guess I will need to add an $8 item to transaction #1. Given that, I would add the $9.99 pack of batteries to the order. With another $.75 coupon, it would bring the OOP for Transaction #1 to $24.49. (Less if you have ECBs to roll like I do.)

Then, I would add transaction #5:

1 pk of Duracell $9.99.

(out of coupons, but maybe you have just one more?)

$9.99 total. Pay with $5 ECB from Transaction #3 and $4.99 ECB from Transaction #4. Earn $15 ECBs.

So, my total OOP would be $26.43 and I would have $21 ($15, $2 and $4) ECBs to roll to next week. My net cost would be $5.43 ($4.23 more) and I would have twice as many batteries as in my original post.

You can see my original post for full scenario details here.

CVS Scenarios - week of 11/16

There are a lot of good deals at CVS this week. I hope to head over later today in hopes of getting some of the deals and use the $5/$20 coupon that I recieved via e-mail this week. (I realized this was a $5/$30, see the revision here) The $5 CVS Challenge is at the bottom of the post.

Scenario #1:

Transaction #1:
1 - Loreal Age Perfect...
1 - Duracell Batteries @ 5.99

-$5 $5/$20
-$1 Loreal Mfg Coupon
-$.75 Duracell Mfg Coupon

Total $15.25, Earn $15.99 ECBs. If you have ECBs to roll, like I do, your OOP could be less.

Transaction #2:
2 - Crest Pro Health Toothpaste
1 - Duracell Batteries @9.99
2 - Glade Glass Scents

-$2 2x $1 Crest Pro Health Mfg Coupons
-$.75 Duracell Mfg Coupon
-$2.50 BOGO Glade Mfg Coupon

Total $16.72. Pay with $15.99 ECBs from Transaction #1 and $.73 OOP. Earn $6.98 ECBs.

Transaction #3:
2 - Glade Glass Scents
1 - Duracell Batteries @5.99

-$2.50 BOGO Glade Mfg Coupon
-$.75 Duracell Mfg Coupon

Total $7.74. Pay with $6.99 ECBs from Transaction #2 and $.75 OOP. Earn $15 and $5 ECBs.

Transaction #4:
1 - Vaseline Clinical
1 - Zantrex 3 2-pk
2 - Right Guard Deodorant

-$1.50 Vaseline Clinical Mfg coupon

Total $15.46. Pay with $15 ECBs from Transaction #3 and $.46 OOP. Earn $2, $4.99, and $4 ECBs.

You will have spent $17.19 OOP and have $15.99 ($5, $2, $4.99, and $4) ECBs to roll to next week. So, for a net cost of $1.20 (OOP - ECBs earned), you will have batteries for all of your Christmas toys, 2 tubes of toothpaste, Air Fresheners, Facial Moisturizer, Lotion, 2 sticks of Deodorant and some energy drinks.

For more great CVS scenarios, check out Deal Seeking Mom, Money Saving Mom and the "Cent"sible Sawyer.

CVS $5 Challenge
With the $5 Challenge, the goal as always is to maximize product while minimizing out of pocket. Frequently, this means a number of small transactions are needed.

Transaction #1
4 - Glade Glass Scents

-$5 2xBOGO Glade Coupon

$5 OOP, earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Zantrex 3 2-pk

$4.99. Pay with $5 ECB from Transaction #1, adjusted down to $4.99. Earn $4.99 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Crest Pro Health

-$2 2x$1 Crest Mfg Coupon

Total $4.98. Pay with $4.99 ECBs from Transaction #2, adjusted down to $4.98. Earn $6.98 ECBs.

Transaction #4
2 - Right Guard Deoderant
1 - Candy Bar (or other $1 filler)

Total $6.98. Pay with $6.98 ECBs from Transaction #3. Earn $4 ECBs.

Total OOP $5, and you have $4 ECBs to roll to next week. So, for a net cost of $1 (OOP - ECBs earned), you will have 4 air fresheners, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 deoderants and a candy bar treat.

For more $5 Scenarios, check out the $5 CVS Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First.

Samples and Freebies

All was quiet on the Samples and Freebies front this week.

I don't think I requested or received anything. Perhaps I should go and search. If I find somethings, I will update this post with the requests I made.

Update!!!!

Okay, so not a quiet week anymore.

Tonight, I signed up for a free can of No Salt Diced Tomatoes from Del Monte. (Limited to the first 50,000) and also signed up get 2 free issues of Cooking Light through the same sign-up.
I also requested a sample Schick Quattro Titanium razor.
I also signed up for a free shopping list from Marie Callender's.

I also recieved in the mail today, my Vaseline Intensive Rescue sample. I requested that here, just two weeks ago.

Making Dinner

One of the things I struggle with as a working mom is how to keep things interesting at meal time and not spend my life in the kitchen. I love to cook, I just don't want to miss out on the precious few hours with my children each evening.

I have found that by planning out my menu each weekend for the coming week that I can save time and plan an efficient group of meals. When possible, I like to multipurpose what I am cooking. If I am grilling chicken on one night, why not throw on a couple of extra pieces to incorporate into a meal the next night. In some ways, it is like creative leftover-ing (not a word, but it describes it well) - using something from a previous dinner in a new way. As example, this week, we had Turkey on Saturday for my daughter's birthday party. Then, on Monday for dinner, we used some of the nice white pieces in place of chicken breast in a recipe. It worked well, allowed us to use up leftovers without feeling like we were eating leftovers again and cut the meal prep time. The balance of the turkey, I cut up and froze in 2 cup portions for use later in Leftover Pot Pie which can be assembled with frozen ingredients and placed in the oven - almost no prep time needed.

The other benefit of menu planning is making sure that you have the ingredients you need on-hand. I plan my menu and then my grocery list. Some weeks, like this one, I only needed two ingredients for meals I was planning - I added in a couple of deals but I was able to keep my shopping trip quick and cheap. Having the ingredients on-hand also can include prepping the night before. If I am making something that needs diced peppers, I can dice it the night before after the kids are in bed. The alternative is to buy prepped ingredients - this can be convenient, but for some things the price isn't worth the convenience. My goal is to be prepared, so that I can minimize the amount of time it takes to get something delicious on the table for my family.

Another benefit of menu planning is ensuring you don't eat the same thing every week. When I don't menu plan, because we were traveling or something, and I don't have time on the weekend to hit the store, it seems like we fall back on the same 3 or 4 meals - which can quickly get boring and make meal prep something that I dread. When I plan my menu, I fill in a few days based on on-hand food in the freezer/pantry and any deals that there are at the store. Then, I usually ask my husband what we haven't had in a while that he would like to have this week. It helps me because it is one less meal that I have to choose and it ensures that he gets to have some of his favorites as well.

I also rely on leftovers for my lunch, so keeping dinner diverse can help keep my lunch from getting boring. I have found that boring lunches lead me to eating out for variety, which can get expensive and unhealthy. A few weeks ago, an article was shared with me about how to rework leftovers into a tasty lunch (or dinner depending on how much you have). You can read that article here. Some of the ideas like the pulled pork will work well with beef roast or chicken as well. I like to make chicken salad for lunch sometimes. Just grill/bake/broil an extra chicken breast when you make dinner. Take the chicken and either shred it or cube it, add mayo, sour cream, diced onions/celery, add in some cut grapes and a little salt and pepper. It makes a tasty treat for lunch and keeps leftover boredom from setting in.

For other tips and tricks, check out Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks in my Dryer.