Walmart Deals - 10/31

I had a lot of Kashi coupons that were expiring today that I had printed back when Target was doing their Kashi gift card deal. I never got to use them because the store was out of the Honey Sunshine. So, I headed to Walmart to do some price matching and pick up some cereal.

I got all of this for $13.02 after coupons and tax.

Not bad for 8 boxes of cereal ($8.75 after coupons), 2 boxes of pasta ($1.70/2 after coupon), 2 bars of Johnson's Buddies bath soap (free after coupon), and some oil (on sale for $2.50).

After Walmart, I headed to Target where I got some other deals. I picked up some cleanance Halloween cards for next year, a Christmas present for one of my nieces, and cake and frosting for birthday treats.

For more deals, check out:
Shopping Superstars
Super Savings Saturday

Fat Burnin' Friday

WoooHooo! It was a great week. Sure I had my share of challenges, but something sure was working. I have a few theories on this.

First, it's been two weeks since I crossed a decile and reduced my points by one per day. I think the first few weeks, with everything else going on, I found myself using more of my weekly allowance. This week, I finally have adjusted to the smaller intake (about 50 calories on average) and didn't need the weekly points.

Second, I ate soup with and for many meals. Soup is one of those things that is filling and satisfying, but since it is in large part water, doesn't hang around as much. I made a delicious Turkey Noodle soup for dinner on Sunday and used it as a side for dinner and as my lunch for a couple of days. I definitely think I will try to keep more soup on the menu, at least for lunch.

I'd like to say that I got around to exercising, but aside from an ocassional walk, really didn't get back into the groove that I had hoped to.

At Weight Watcher's this week, I had a successful week as well. Last week, when I had weighed in, I had experienced a weight gain. I had literally driven home from vacation that day, so I wasn't completely surprised. I lost what I had gained and more. I have now lost a total of 7.4# over 5 weeks, on average about 1.5#. I like this number. I really think that the meetings and the weekly weigh in are doing their job in keeping me motivated. It is awesome to sit in the meeting and hear about other's success and to talk through how to make plan work for you.

Since last Friday, I have lost almost 4#!!! I now only 27.8# to go! I am very happy with my accomplishment. My original goal was 40#, so I am now 1# away from being 1/3 of the way to my goal.

I started tracking on Fat Burnin' Friday a couple of weeks before I started Weight Watchers, so my totals are different. In addition, I weigh on Monday for Weight Watchers and Friday for Fat Burnin' Friday.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:

Kashi TLC Bar
Pampers Extra Protection
Taster's Choice Singles

Received:
Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo and Conditioner sample

CVS Deals - 10/29

I headed over to CVS finally this week. I needed to exchange a bottle of Robitussin that I had bought last week and pick up some of this week's deals. The bottle expired in December. Since I was buying medicine to have it on hand, having it expire in two months wasn't practical. I was able to get one that expires in 2011. Of course, they were out of some things that I needed for this week's deals, so I will try to head out this weekend to a different location.

Transaction #1
1 - Zicam
1 - Speedstick Pro
1 - Benefiber

-$2 Zicam Mfg coupon
-$2 Zicam CVS $100 booklet coupon
-$1.50 Speedstick CRT
-$2 Benefiber Peelie

Paid with $6.99 and $5 ECBs and $5.37 OOP ($4.49 pretax). Earned $3 and $1 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Zicam

-$2 Zicam Mfg coupon
-$2 Zicam CVS $100 booklet coupon

Paid with $3 and $1 ECBs and $4.22 OOP ($3.50 pretax). Earned $10 ECBs.

Total OOP $9.59 , total net cost (including $1.99 reduction in ECB value) $11.58. Not stellar, but when you consider the sale price on the Zicam alone was $11.50 each, not too bad.

For more deals, check out:
Super Savings Saturday
Shopping Superstars

New Coupons at SnackPicks

Snackpicks has put out a new set of coupons here.

If you haven't already, you will need to register to print these exclusive Kellogg's coupons! Don't forget, any of the coupons on snackpicks that are also on coupons.com, have a separate print limit at snackpicks.

Here are some of my favorites (there are currently 11 total coupons, this is just a sampling):

-$1 off any (2) pkgs Keebler Club Snack Stick Crackers, 12 oz only, any flavor (my kids like crackers, this is a handy way to snack on them)

-$.75 off (1) pkg Sunshine Cheez-It Whole Grain Baked Snack Crackers, 13.7 oz box
-$.75 off (1) pkg Sunshine Cheez-It Duoz, Pepper Jack, Reduced Fat, Hot and Spicy, or White Chedder, 11.5 oz or larger (who doesn't love Cheez-Its?)

-$1 off any (1) pkg Kellogg's Cinnabon Bars, 6-ct or larger (I tried these a while back, definitely microwave them)

In addition, don't forget to check out the Halloween Recipes and tips for a great Halloween party.

Sticky Rolls

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals. Always has been. I like it so much, that we have it for dinner a couple of times a month. Breakfast for dinner is both a welcome reprieve from the everyday and a chance to enjoy a hot breakfast (there's not time at breakfast).

One dish that is simple to make, but a tasty treat for breakfast is Monkey Bread or this twist that one of my friends introduced me to:

Sticky Rolls
2 loaves of frozen bread dough - partially thawed
1 package butterscotch pudding (cook and serve type)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar.

Cut dough into slices and place in a buttered bundt pan. Sprinkle with the butterscotch pudding. Let dough rise for a couple of hours or overnight. Combine butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts and becomes like a thick syrup. Pour mixture over bread dough.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Here are some other breakfast recipes I have shared in the past:
Homemade Hash browns
Breakfast Casserole
Blueberry Bread Pudding
Fruit Cobbler

For more breakfast recipes, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap Breakfast Edition over at Life As Mom.

Tinted Moisturizer

I have never been one to wear much makeup. Sure, I have been using blush and lipstick since about high school, but it took me years to use up the foundation I purchased for my wedding day.

I liked the fact that foundation created a smooth, even tone for my complexion, I just didn't like the look and feel of foundation. It always seemed thick to me and I worried that it looked as heavy as it felt on my face. I worried about whether I had successfully blended away the edges. I can remember in high school a friend that would always seem to have her foundation on the collars of her coat. This just turned me off to foundation - who wanted that.

It wasn't a big deal for much of my adult life anyways. I worked on the production floor for many years, wearing steel toe boots and gear. Working in a production facility, especially in the summer, when the temperatures were high (heat outside + production equipment heat = hot!!), it wasn't reasonable to even wear foundation most days. So, I pretty much only wore makeup on the weekend and then, only when I had plans. (Of course, for the past couple of years, I have worked in an office and feel like I needed something.)

Well, once I started this blog, I had a couple of opportunities to try tinted moisturizers (free after ECBs, product trial/giveaway opportunities). I really liked the products. They were easy to apply and went on smooth. They offered a moisturizer and a sunscreen feature, and at the same time, they helped give my face a nice, smooth, even finish. With them being part of my moisturizer, I felt like the edges blended away easily and I also didn't feel like the moisturizers were heavy on my face.

Unfortunately, tinted moisturizers are not on deal very often. What is on deal frequently is foundation. So, I decided to adapt. Now, I use my regular moisturizer, first applying a base of lotion to my face. Then, I dab on foundation and before smoothing it in, I dab on lotion adjacent to each dab of foundation. Then, I smooth it on. By using this technique, I feel like I can get a smooth, even coverage without using as much foundation. This leaves it feeling lighter on my face.

By mixing moisturizer with foundation, on my face, I feel like I get the benefits of the tinted moisturizer without the cost and this works for me. For more tips and tricks, check out Works For Me Wednesday.

Homemade Turkey Soup

Okay, so this is my Tried It Tuesday post. "Tried It" can really be applied to anything new I have tried (or something tried and true that I would like to share with you). This can be a product, a service, a recipe, a new tip, etc. For the most part, they have been product and service discussions, but let's be honest...there are a lot of new products out there, but I don't really try something new every week. So this week, I wanted to share my experience with making Turkey Soup. My mom has told me at every event that I have hosted and roasted a turkey about how my aunt would always take home the carcass and turkey soup. Last weekend, when I picked up a turkey breast on a great deal, I decided I would see how many meals I could get out of it. So, on Sunday, I roasted the turkey - stuffed only with a few herbs. I made a side of Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans. Not a full out feast, it wasn't Thanksgiving after all, it was just the four of us sharing dinner. After carving the turkey, I decided that I would try to make soup. I also had a plan for the leftover turkey, putting Leftover Turkey Pot Pie on the menu for Tuesday. The nearly 6# turkey breast was able to feed us for Sunday's lunch, plus 3 dinners. In addition, there were leftovers to pack for lunch a few days. I definitely would say I got my $8.50 out of that turkey.

Turkey Soup

To make the soup, I submerged the turkey (breast) carcass (skin all removed, but some meat here and there still sticking to the bone) in water in a pan. I added about 6 cups of water and set it to a simmer. I cut up a few baby carrots and a stalk of celery. I added a bay leaf. I let it all simmer for 2 hours, adding water as necessary to keep it submerged. After two hours, I strained everything, putting the stock back in the pan. I cleaned the carcass removing all meat and adding it to the stock. I disposed the bones as I went. Then, I took the carrots and celery and put them back in the stock. I added 3/4 c of Pastina pasta to the dish. These little stars were the perfect size pasta for our soup. I brought it up to a boil and cooked it for about 10 minutes, to allow the pasta to cook.

The review - amazing. It was simple and tasty. We had it for dinner on Sunday, a nice light dinner after our big lunch of turkey. We also ate it as leftovers the next night for dinner and it was perhaps even a little better, with the pasta continuing to absorb the flavor of the broth. Making it with breast meat, it also was reasonably healthy.

Have you tried something new this week? Share your experience in the comments or leave a link to your blog.

Free Food Events

Today: "All of us can attain citizenship in Grilled Nation this Monday, October 26, when more than 5,000 KFCs from coast to coast are giving away FREE Kentucky Grilled Chicken during Grilled Nations’ UNofficial holiday, “UNFry Day.” Potential Grilled Nation citizens are encouraged to stop by KFC throughout the day on Monday, Oct. 26, and receive a FREE piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken." As always, I recommend checking with your local KFC before stopping by to enjoy your free piece of Grilled Chicken.

Saturday: Taco Bell is giving away free Black Jack Tacos on Halloween. On Satruday, October 31st, swing by your local Taco Bell to try their new Black Jack Taco for free. Offer runs from 6 pm to midnight. As always, you should confirm that your location is participating.

Menu Plan Monday

I went shopping everywhere! on Saturday this weekend. As I mentioned in this post, I went to Target, Kohl's and Acme to get some deals. I then went to Buehler's to get groceries for the week and to let the kids trick or treat at the grocery. On the way home, I realized I forgot bread, so I headed back out! to Giant Eagle once the kids were in bed. Since they double coupons, I decided to pick up a few deals - a lot of yogurt and ice cream.

I decided to go ahead and make the Turkey Breast I had bought at Acme on Saturday for Sunday's meal. Then, I decided to get mileage out of it. After roasting it and carving it on Sunday, I took the carcass and put it in a pot of water and made some Turkey Stock. I had never done this before, but it worked very well. I used only the meat that I cleaned off the carcass to add to the soup...I was amazed at how much was left on the carcass after I had cleaned it. So, we will have straight up Turkey one night for dinner and will have pot pie another night. I like that although it was a cook once, eat four times, each meal is unique and so we shouldn't tire of the turkey. I definitely will make Turkey Noodle Soup again next time I roast a turkey.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans
Turkey Noodle Soup

Monday
Leftover turkey, side of Pastina

Tuesday
Leftover Pot Pie

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Chicken Nuggets

Friday
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Gorditas

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.

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

CVS Scenarios - week of 10/25

There are a few deals at CVS this week that would be worth pursuing.

Transaction #1

2 - Simply Saline
1 - Zicam

-$1 Simply Saline Mfg coupon
-$1 Simply Saline Mfg coupon
-$2 Zicam Mfg coupon
-$2 Zicam CVS coupon

Total $15.50, earn $10 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Dove Conditioner
1 - Dove Shampoo
2 - Dove Deodorant
1 - Dove Body Wash

-$1.50 Dove Conditioner Mfg coupon
-$1 Dove Haircare CVS coupon
-$1 Dove Shampoo Mfg coupon
-$1 Dove Haircare CVS coupon
-$1 Dove Deodorant Mfg coupon
-$2 Dove Body Wash Mfg coupon

Total $14.50. Pay with $10 ECB from Transaction #1 and $4.50 OOP. Earn $10 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Benefibers

-$2 Benefiber Peelie coupon
-$2 Benefiber Peelie coupon

Total $15.98. Pay with $10 ECBs from Transaction #2 and $6 OOP, earn $6 ECBs.

Transaction #4
1 - Speedstick Deodorant
1 - Venus Embrace

-$.75 Speedstick Mfg coupon
-$2 Venus Embrace Mfg coupon

Total $8.73. Pay with $6 ECB from Transaction #3 and $2.73 OOP. Earn $5 and $1 ECBs.

Total OOP $28.73 with $6 ECBs to roll. Of course, if you have one of those $5/$25 coupons, you could combine transactions to make the deal even better.

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

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1

2 - Colgate Toothpaste

-$1 Colgate Mfg coupon
-$1 Colgate mfg coupon

Total $3.50, earn $1 ECB.

Transaction #2

1 - Speedstick

-$.75 Speedstick Mfg coupon

Total $1.74. Pay with $1 ECB from Transaction #1 and $.74 OOP. Earn $1 ECB.

Total of $4.24 spent, with $1 ECB left to roll.

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

Target Deals and more!

The kids and I had a very busy morning this morning.

Our first stop was Kohl's. I got some Christmas gifts - Sit'n Spin (on sale for $19.24 - $10 coupon), Potato Head (on sale for $5.49 - $2 coupon), Barbies (50% off sticker) all on a great deal. I also picked up a Halloween costume for next year. Not only did I save 15% off the sale prices, but I also got $10 in Kohl's cash for next year.

The next stop was Target. Here we had hoped to get some free Chex Mix, but they no longer carry the smaller bags at check-out. I hadn't brought in my regular coupons, so when I bought some bigger bags, I got a deal, but not as good of a deal as I could. They also raised the prices on Nut Clusters, from $2.34 to $2.50. Here's what I got:
2 - Nature Valley Nut Clusters
2 - Chex Mix Bags
2 - Quaker Granola Bars
1 - Ocean Spray Cran Pomegranate
1 - Gatorade (not a deal, but we were out and drink it when we are sick)

-$1.60 Nature Valley Nut Clusters Mfg coupon
-$1.60 Nature Valley Nut Clusters Mfg coupon
-$1 Chex Mix Target coupon
-$1 Chex Mix Target coupon
-$1 $1/2 Quaker Mfg coupon
-$.50 Quaker Target coupon
-$.50 Quaker Target coupon
-$1 Ocean Spray peelie
-$1 Ocean Spray Target coupon

Total $8.13. I saved 56%.

The next stop was Edible Arrangements, where I picked up the free 6 pieces of chocolate dipped fruit from becoming a Fan on Facebook. They were all Strawberries. Not that I'm complaining, but I was hoping for some Pineapple or other fruits.

The next stop was Acme, where they were having a one day sale. I picked up 6 2-L of Pepsi products, 4 jars of Jif, 1 jar of Grape Jelly, 1 Whole Frozen Turkey Breast (5.75#), 3 bags of Lay's Potato Chips and Snuggle Dryer Sheets (80ct). My total was $22.83. The regular price on the turkey alone was over $13. My savings was 58%.

Our next stop was Barnes and Noble. We went there for the kids to get a free Hot Chocolate and Cookie. While there, they also got a bag of treats from a local radio station. Cost = $0.

Next up...a stop to the grocery, for some Trick or Treating and our groceries.

For more deals, check out:
Super Savings Saturday

Free Yo Crunch Yogurt

Here's a deal you might want to check out.

Send in any wrapper from the candy that your kids earn Trick or Treating (up to two weeks after Halloween) and Yo Crunch will send out a coupon for a free Yo Crunch Yogurt. Limit one submission per household.

Details here.

Of course, my husband would argue if it was worth the price of the stamp...hummm...guess I need to think about that, since they are frequently on sale for 50cents.

Fat Burnin' Friday

Another week has come and gone. I finished the week right where I started. This is a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that I managed to take a long weekend vacation to the water park and had a family meal at my parent's, including homemade apple dumplings, and had no gain for the week. The bad thing is that a lack of progress is very unmotivating for me.

The scales at Weight Watcher's on Monday weren't kind either, showing a weight gain from last week...I had just driven home that afternoon from the vacation, so I wasn't surprised, but was a little disappointed. I knew though that by consuming all of my weekly points on Sunday, it was not going to be a good thing.

I am back on track and I plan to report a positive result next week (see me being positive!). I really need to get back into an exercise routine, but with everyone in the house being sick, it is not going to be easy in the short term.

As I said, no weight change this week. I still have 31.5# to go.

Linked up at Fat Burnin' Friday.

CVS Deals - 10/23

I feel like lately, it is a struggle to get to CVS to take advantage of the deals. I headed there today, feeling only half organized.

Transaction #1
1 - Glade Fragrance Collection Candle
1 - Glade Sense and Spray
1 - Dimetapp
2 - Robitussin
1 - Advil
1 - Halloween Card

-$5 $5/$25 CVS coupon
-$1 Glade mfg coupon
-$3 Glade CVS coupon
-$4 Glade mfg coupon
-$2 Robitussin mfg coupon
-$2 Robitussin mfg coupon
-$1 Advil Mfg coupon

Paid with $13 in ECBs and $3.98 OOP (included $1 tax). Earned $10 and $6.99 ECB. Essentially, this transaction was a wash with no net cost or profit.

Transaction #2
1 - Trident Gum 2 pk
2 - Trident Layers
7 - Fun Size Bags (Hershey/Nestle/Mars)
1 - Tootsie Roll Jr.

-$.75 Trident Layers IP
-$1 Buy one Trident Get one Trident Layers CRT
-$1 $1/3 Hershey mfg coupon
-$2.50 Hershey B3GO mfg coupon
-$1 Nestle mfg coupon
-$1 Nestle mfg coupon
-$.50 Mars mfg peelie

Paid with $10 ECB and $3.29 OOP. Earned $5 ECBs. This transaction cost me $8.29 for a lot of candy and a good amount of gum. This candy will be used for part of my Dad's Christmas gift - I give him a tin of chocolate candies every year.

So, net for the day I was down $1.01 in ECBs and spent $7.27 OOP. Not bad for 7 bags of candy, 4 packs of gum, home fragrances, 3 bottles of cold medicine, some Advil and a Halloween card.

For more deals, check out:
Super Savings Saturday.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:

Free reusable shopping bag from Red Gold (limitation on states)
L'oreal EverPure Sample
Lubriderm Sample - text MySkin to 467467

Received:

Tampax Pearl/Always samples and coupons
EmergenC sample

CVS Deal!

As you may recall, CVS now offers coupons to print for in-store use on their website. They currently have a coupon for the Glade Sense and Spray Starter Kit for $3 off. They are on sale this week for $5 each. Since this is a CVS coupon, you should be able to stack it with a manufacturer's coupon. Now, my store doesn't allow overage, so they would adjust the coupon down to $2, even if I bring in my $3 or $4 coupon.

Get Smartsource Coupons by Text Message

I checked this out today and it worked!

You can now get exclusive coupon offer by text message from SmartSource. To get access to the coupons, simply text COUPONS to 87415. They will send you a text message with a link to the available coupons. You select the ones that you would like, enter your e-mail and they send them to your inbox. Log on to your e-mail and hit "Get My Coupons".

Some of the current exclusive offers are:

Save $1.00 on any TWO Kellogg's Special K Cereal or Protein products
Save $1.00 On any two single packs of Trident Layers gum
Save $1.00 on any Tyson heat-and-eat entree
Save $2.00 on any Pull-Ups Training Pants (Jumbo Pack or larger)
Save $2.00 on any HUGGIES Overnites Diapers
plus more diapers/wipes coupons from Huggies.

When I followed the link, I selected only a handful of the offers, but when you click Get My Coupons in the e-mail, it does take you to a SmartSource page where you can select offers that you didn't select on your phone. I'll be curious to see how frequently they will send text messages with new offers.

Zing Zang Zoom - Our Trip to the Circus

Last night was opening night at the Circus in Cleveland. It was the first time to attend the circus for both of my children and it had been years since my husband or I had attended a circus.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Zing Zang Zoom, a "fun-filled magic merges with traditional circus arts".

The show actually starts an hour before the show with Clown College - an all-access pre-show, where anyone with a ticket can come down to the floor and take part. There were opportunities to take pictures with circus performers, try on jackets from the wardrobe and lots of audience participation - in magic tricks, tightrope walking and more. My kids both had a great time with this. Neither were chosen to participate, but they enjoyed watching it all. We didn't get to see it because it was on the other side of the floor, but they even have a pair of elephants that demonstrate their ability to paint! And, one lucky guest, who registers, can win that painting.


Then, everyone is directed up to their seats so the "Greatest Show on Earth" can get started. It was full of magic, music and mayhem. Interspersed with the regular circus acts were magic acts. We got to see an elephant disappear, people sawed in half and more. Again, there was audience participation, as members of the audience were brought down to the floor to play musical chairs, children were given the chance to make their parent's levitate and more.

There are so many amazing elements to the show - the high wire acts and other suspended gymnastic demonstrations, the elephants, the horses and zebras, the doggies doing tricks, the tigers, the clowns. The tricks that they had the elephants, doggies, horses and zebras, and elephants do never fail to amaze me. Watching them dance in a choreographed fashion. The way they sit up like a person or walk on their hind legs. I always like when the elephants line up one behind the other and put their front legs on the back of the elephant in front of them.

For me the time went incredibly fast. When they took the intermission after a full hour of performance, I was amazed to realize it had already been a full hour. After the intermission, they returned and put on another 50 minutes of the show. If you count the pre-show, that is about 2 hours and 45 minutes of entertainment for the family...not bad.

My daughter loved the show. When there was singing and dancing, she was up in front of her chair singing and dancing along. Other times, she was sitting in her chair and telling the bad guy, "Mr. Gravity" to leave. It was sort of cute the way she would get upset whenever Mr. Gravity appeared on the scene, telling him to "leave mean guy". I asked her at one point if she was enjoying the show, and when she looked at me and smiled, I knew she was.

My son enjoyed the show, but was not feeling well. It was part exhaustion, the show ended nearly 2 hours after their regular bed time, and part the start of a cold.

After the show, I asked my kids what their favorite part of the show was. My son's response, "Everything." I asked if there was one thing better than the rest and he decided it was Alex, the ring leader. He did many of the magic tricks that we saw and that is my guess as to why he was his favorite. Of course, "me too" also thought that Alex was her favorite.

It is not too late to take advantage of the special offer on tickets for your family to the circus. As a special offer to my readers, Mom Central and Feld Family Entertainment are excited to extend the following special family offers: You can purchase a 4-pack of tickets for weekday shows for only $44 or receive $4 off any weekend ticket by logging onto Ticketmaster and entering coupon code: MOM. You can get additional weekday tickets at a price of $11 each, 4 tickets is the minimum required purchase for the discounted tickets. Zing Zang Zoom is playing at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland from October 21st through October 26th. There are both weekday and weekend evening shows at 7:30 pm and two weekend matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but Feld Family Entertainment and Mom Central provided my family with a complimentary set of tickets to the circus so that I could review the performance and share my experience with my readers.

Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About

I have a lot of utensils - spatulas, wooden spoons, pizza cutters, ice cream scoops, scrapers, whisks, tongs, cheese graters, potato mashers, and so on. I have a drawer that was dedicated to many of these tools. The problem was the drawer was so full and disorganized, that we could never seem to find what we were looking for or if we did, then we couldn't get everything back in the drawer so that it could open and close properly.

I tried to organize, but it never failed that it was in complete disarray in a matter of days. I had a crock that I would keep some utensils in on my counter top, but it didn't fit everything that I needed it to. Then, a few weeks ago (perhaps it is months now), I hosted a Pampered Chef party. One of the things that I had on my wish list was the Tool Turn-About.



With this new tool, many of my kitchen utensils are now within easy reach of my stove, allowing me to quickly grab a spoon to stir or serve. No more hunting through the drawer for all of my tools. As an added bonus, the cheese graters and funnels and such that are left in the drawer are now more accessible and easier to find.

This new organization tool works for me! For more things that work, check out Works for Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.

Giveaways around the Blogosphere

Jess, over at Moonlight Mom is hosting her first blog giveaway. A Yoplait Kids Less Sugar, More Fun Prize Pack!! The prize pack contains a coupon for any Yoplait kids yogurt, a travel cooler, two spoons that change colors in warm water, a reusable play mat with games (GREAT for goign out to eat!) and a tangle puzzle. Head over to Moonlight Mom and check it out.

The Not-So-Blog's Experimental Mommy is giving away a My Princess Party Giftcard. The party packs available at My Princess Party are so cute. My daughter would love to have a princess party complete with dress-up clothes for the guests to take home with them.

Whitman's Weight Watcher's Candies

I recently was invited to try a sample of Whitman's Weight Watcher Candies. The variety that I sampled was the Mint Patties.

The Mint Patties have a nice refreshing flavor and are covered in my favorite - dark chocolate. They are a one point item for those following Weight Watchers. The nutritional information on the package is actually provided for 3 pieces, but if you divide, you will see that each one has just over 50 calories each with about 3.5g of fat and 2g of fiber.

I also sampled the Double Chocolate Mousse candies while visiting my parents over the weekend. My mom had found them on sale and had them in her candy dish. They were a nice, rich, chocolaty indulgence.

With the Mint Patties, they do use sucralose. In general, I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners (even the natural ones), but with this product, I did not taste the sucralose like I do in many products. Reviewing the ingredient list, my guess is because there is still real sugar in there to, so the amount of sucralose is probably low.

It certainly is convenient knowing that I can just grab one candy and confidently know that there is just 1 point in it. I frequently find myself on a hunt for chocolate and these candies from Whitman's certainly make it easy to satisfy my need for chocolate while keeping myself on task for losing weight.

I will admit that they are a convenience item and that there are other chocolates, "regular" ones at that, that are also one or two points a piece, but as with 100 calorie packs - I buy them too - they are a safe, portioned snack that allow me to indulge, while maintaining control. Of course, like 100 calorie packs, you have to stop at one.

Have you tried any of the Whitman's Weight Watcher's Candies? What did you think? Share your thoughts or a link to your blog.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive a complimentary pack of Whitman's Weight Watcher Mint Patties to try and review.

CVS Scenarios - week of 10/18

There are few deals at CVS. I never made it back last week to pick up the candy deal, so I think I might try to this week. There also is a new $5/$25 coupon available (thanks Money Saving Mom) The Robitussin/Dimetapp is another deal I might take advantage of. Here are my scenarios:

Transaction #1
1 - Glade Fragrance Collection Candle
1 - Robitussin Cough Syrup
8 - Hershey Fun Size bags

-$5 $5/$25 CVS coupon (new link)
-$3 Glade Fragrance Collection mfg coupon
-$2 Robitussin IP
-$2.50 B3GO Hershey Fun Size Bags mfg coupon
-$2.50 B3Go Hershey Fun Size Bags mfg coupon

Total $17.49. Earn $5 and $6.99 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Robitussin Cough Syrup
2 - Advil
1 - Trident Layers
4 - Sobe Life Water

-$2 Robitussin IP
-$1 Advil Mfg coupon
-$1 Advil Mfg coupon
-$.75 Trident Layers IP
$2 (4x$.50 Sobe Life Water CVS coupon from tearpad)

Total $11.93, pay with $5 and $6.99 ECBs adjusted down to $11.93. Earn $10 ECBs.

Total OOP for the day is $17.49 with $10 ECBs to roll, a net cost of $7.49 for medicine, candy and more.

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

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1

1 - Glade Fragrance Collection

-$3 Glade Fragrance Collection Mfg coupon

Total $3.99, earn $6.99 ECBs.

You could use your ECBs to pick up some other items or hold them for next week.

For more deals and scenarios, check out The CVS $5 Challenge at Keeping the Kingdom First.

Menu Plan Monday

I skipped the grocery store again this weekend (I love have a good stockpile and being able to skip the store), but will likely head out early this week to pick up milk, bread and a few staples.

We had those homemade hash browns again last week, they are very tasty. The are so simple to do, you can find my recipe here.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Apple Dumplings

Monday
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada

Tuesday
Crocked Beef

Wednesday
Hot Dogs (and other Circus food)

Thursday
Pizza

Friday
Sheppard's Pie

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Dinner Out at our favorite local Mexican restaurant

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.

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

Homemade Hash Browns

A few weeks ago, I went with my son's class as a chaperone on their field trip to a farm. We did a hayride and got pumpkins, but we also got potatoes. I decided to buy a bag of potatoes, which I don't do often. It wasn't any old bag of potatoes, but a 20# bag of potatoes. We have mashed potatoes around the holidays and baked potatoes in the summer, but otherwise we use a lot of instant mashed potatoes. I knew I would need to get creative and include a lot of potatoes in our meals over the next few weeks.

One thing that I decided would be fun was homemade hash browns. I've made them as a side for chicken sausage and part of breakfast for dinner. We usually play them up, Waffle House style, with tomatoes, onions, cheese, etc. with each person choosing their own toppings.

Homemade Hash Browns

2 Large Potatoes
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Sugar

olive oil

butter
cheese
diced onions
diced tomatoes
mushrooms
gravy
diced peppers
other toppings as desired

• Fill a large bowl with water and mix in Lemon Juice and Sugar. Using a Cheese Grater, shred your potatoes into strings. Place in bowl of water to soak for about 15 minutes.

• Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove a portion of the potatoes, drain and blot on a paper towel. Add to the skillet. Let cook for 5 minutes and then turn over and let cook another 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Prepare all hash browns in this fashion.

• Add a portion of hash browns back to the pan and add a small pat of butter. Top as desired, waiting to add cheese. Turn once and add cheese. When cheese is melted, remove to plate. Continue for each person. Enjoy!

I have found that it is best to cook all of the potatoes the first time through before going back and topping them. If you decide to skip this step, I would let them cook a little longer, so they aren't raw in the middle. Also, this allows everyone to get their hash browns hot and within a short window. The butter is a flavor thing, so you could skip adding the butter when you go back to top them.

We have really been enjoying these homemade hash browns.

This recipe shared on Life As Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap and the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Now, does anyone have pointers on homemade fries. I made some the other night, didn't want to fry and felt they needed a little something.

Fat Burnin' Friday

It was another tough week (I'm starting to feel like that is always the case). I guess the good news is I persevered. It was a struggle, but I ultimately was able to report a loss for the week.

I traveled for work again this week. The travel overall wasn't a challenge, but I did manage to eat a full day's worth of food at one meal - at least it was lunchtime. I wasn't hungry the rest of the day, so it balanced out a little bit. It was a yummy meal, but I felt so stuffed and uncomfortable afterwards that had I to do it again, I would have certainly had more constraint and skipped some things - likely the overly sweet, rich bread pudding dessert.

We also had a goodie day at work - I am happy to report that I avoided it almost entirely. I skipped all of the baked goods and had a taste of some buffalo chicken dip on a cracker. My ability to avoid that makes me proud of myself, a few months ago and I likely would have grazed all day completely unaware of how much I was eating.

On the exercise front, I just haven't managed to get myself back into a schedule where I can get to bed at a decent time so I can get up and exercise in the morning. It also doesn't help that my daughter has decided that the day starts at 5:30. I need to make time for me and figure out how to get back on an earlier bedtime routine so I can get up and work out.

Speaking of me time, that was the theme of the meeting for Weight Watchers this week. It is so true, in order to succeed, you need me time. Without it, it becomes hard to plan your meals and shop for them, to calculate and track your points (or calorie intake), to exercise and such. All things that are important to successful weight loss on Weight Watchers. It was a good weigh in at Weight Watchers on Monday - I am happy to say that I lost 2.4#. That brings my weight loss on Weight Watchers to 6# total. Not too bad. I also crossed a decile, so my daily point allowance is decreased by one now. I think I really like that approach. I'm hoping that the reduction (about 350 calories per week) is enough to keep me from hitting the plateaus that I normally encounter in my weight loss journeys.

As I said, I did lose this week - 1# since last Friday. I now have 31.5# to go.

Linked up at Fat Burnin' Friday.

Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit - Winner

Congratulations to Stephanie! You are the winner of the Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit giveaway.

An e-mail was sent to Stephanie.

Thank you everyone for entering.


Random Integer Generator
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20
Timestamp: 2009-10-17 01:06:34 UTC

Samples and Freebies

Requested:

Baseball Digest from Free Biz Mags (we'll see if this works?)

Received:
Free Chick-fil-A Sandwich (from joining the wave)
Coupon for $3 on Schick Disposable Razor
Secret Clinical Strength sample and coupons (VocalPoint)
VS Free Underwear giftcard

Pumpkin Butterscotch Treats

I read somewhere about Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins and the thought intrigued me. The pumpkin and the butterscotch are complimentary flavors, plus I enjoy both, so why not combine them into on delicious treat. I found a handful of recipes on line, but none of them were quite what I wanted, so I did a little custom blending and also sized the batch to use a 15oz can of pumpkin...it bothers me when it only uses 2/3 of the can. Unfortunately, the first time I made it, I tried to make it all in one 9" square cake pan. I learned that I needed to either make it in two pans or at least a larger pan - the center was too thick and didn't cook through the right way - or I need to make it as muffins. I was able to rescue my uncooked cake from the middle by placing it in muffin cups (after it cooled) and re-baking for 15 minutes. I was glad not to waste any of this delicious treat.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Treats

2 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
3/4 c butter, melted
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
1 bag (11oz) Butterscotch Morsels

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, egg, butter, sugars and spices. Gradually add the flour, stirring to incorporate. Add the butterscotch morsels and stir. Pour into two greased 9" cake pans, one 13"x9" cake pan or 24 greased muffins. Bake at 350 for 18 - 20 mins, until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Tasting this treat makes me want to try pumpkin pudding using a butterscotch base. If you are looking for other pumpkin recipes...check out a few of my favorites: Pumpkin Sheet Cake and Pumpkin Streusel Muffins.

For more baked goods, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Baked Goods over at Life As Mom.

Also submitted to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Everything's a Changing

Sometimes it frustrates me the way that clothes, shoes and everything change styles every 5 minutes. I'm not talking about stylish or trendy clothes - those you expect to change every time the wind changes direction. I'm talking about staples. Those basic black slacks, socks, shoes, undergarments, mops. I finally find a style that works well for me and the designers up and change it.

The worse is when they restyle the garment and don't change the style name. This happened to me with my favorite slacks from Kohl's. I found a style and fit that I liked. Sure they updated and introduced new colors and more, then one day I went in and the style was completely different. Not only was it a new style, there were multiple styles with the same name. The worse part was that none of them had the same fit as the original - they added pockets (not flattering if you have any extra around the middle), they lowered the point where the pants sat and the flow of the leg. I was so disappointed. I had been buying a variation on the original style for a few years and now, I had to find a new style that worked for my body type.

These challenges exist outside of the clothing world too. I've even had this happen with mops. I buy a mop that has replacement heads available. Sure, I usually can buy one replacement head for the mop, but by the time I am ready to buy another replacement head, the style has changed and I need a whole new mop as the refills are no longer available. Had this happen with the 'soap wand' we use for quick washing of dishes in the sink too.

You may think that stocking up on an item is mostly for food and other consumables, but I have learned that you can stock up on other things.

To combat this ever changing style of even wardrobe and household staples, I frequently purchase multiple of an item style that I like...lest it change before I can rebuy. So, now when I get a new mop, I buy two or three replacement heads in hopes that I can get some life out of the handle before I have to replace it. When I find a pair of tennis shoes that fit well, I go back (when there's a sale) and purchase my next pair and stash it away in my closet. When I buy a bra that I like, I buy a few extra. When it comes to pants, I buy the style I like in two or three colors/patterns, so that I have variety in a style that fits. With more of an item to wear, the slower they wear out.

This works for me. For more of what works, check out Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Once In A Blue Moon & Lady In Red Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Victoria! You are the winner of the giveaway for two Eileen Goudge books.

An e-mail has been sent to Victori.

Thanks everyone for entering.

Random Integer Generator
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18
Timestamp: 2009-10-14 01:16:08 UTC

Brach's Candy Corn

Okay, if you haven't figured it out, I am a candy fiend. That's probably why I have to worry about my weight. When it comes to candy though, not just any old candy will do - I have standards.

Candy Corn has always been one of my favorite treats, but I learned early on that the one's made with honey (like Brach's) are the best. They are smoother or creamier or something and they just have a better taste. I have bought the "cheaper" versions and blah! - they were not worth the savings. I definitely splurge now and only buy Brach's Candy Corn. And, while we are on the subject - Candy Corn, not Indian Corn. Something about that chocolate or whatever the black section is, doesn't work for me. Candy Corn is one of my favorite treats in the fall - although, now I stock up post holiday (when it is 50% off!) so that I can savor them into the winter and spring.

My first real "candy corn memory" was from high school. A friend and I went to a youth group event and when we arrived, it was just the two of us. We decided to still do something, so she drove us over to the local grocery store (local to where we were, not home). We bought 1/2 gallon of Apple Cider and a large bag of Brach's Candy Corn. It was a great fall combination - if you can handle the sugar rush. We didn't have any cups, so we went through a drive through and ordered a small fry or biscuit or something really cheap like that and a cup of water. We headed to Charleston Falls Preserve (a local park, check out the pictures) and went for a walk. We dumped out the water, so that we could use the cup to share Apple Cider. We had a great time that evening, doing a whole lot of nothing, just walking (more like meandering), talking and giggling. To this day, when I enjoy Brach's Candy Corn, I am reminded of that experience.

I've already purchased something like 4 bags of candy corn this year. Yum! Of course, with watching what I eat, I do have to limit myself to 20 pieces (one serving, which has 150 calories - 3 points!) so I really have learned to savor it when I have it.

Do you have a favorite candy or candy memory? Share it in the comments or post a link to your story on your blog.

CVS Deals - 10/12

I made a stop on Monday at CVS so that I could get a refund for the two extra boxes of cones I was charged for on Friday. Of course, they were out of the carving kit, but I learned that pretty much all of the bagged candy in the Halloween section, not just that featured in the ad, is included on the candy deal - including the candy corn! I have a whole new set of coupons to consider now. I likely will pick up some for the chocolate tin I fill for my dad at Christmas.

Transaction #1
2 - Candy Corn
1 - Halloween Nylon Bag

Total $1.96, paid $2 with money from return (so like no cost) and earned $.99 ECB.

I did grab a rain check for the carving kit, on the off chance that I find it at another store after Tuesday.

For more deals, check out Super Savings Saturday and Shopping Superstars.

Circus Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the 4-tickets to opening night at the Circus in Cleveland is Stacey!

An e-mail has been sent to the winner.

Thanks for participating.

Random Integer Generator
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12
Timestamp: 2009-10-13 01:16:53 UTC

Snackpicks

The Kellogg Company has launched a new site - Snackpicks. The site offers up recipes, money saving ideas, as well as coupons.

Right now, the theme on the site is, not surprisingly, Halloween. They offer a number of recipes that are Halloween themed, including Cocoa Krispies Cats.

There are eight promotions featured on the site right now, 4 of them are special purchase offers, 3 are enter to win giveaways and 1 is $10 toy cash with purchase of select items.

The site also includes the Snackpicks Moms. This group of 6 moms will be sharing snacking tips. "Their goal and ours is to give you tips, time-tested secrets and yummy snack ideas for both seasonal and everyday occasions each and every time you visit." (from the about Snackpicks page) Of course, these tips include many Kellogg's products, but they do go beyond that with ideas...like the after school fancy tea party posted by Vanessa - which includes tea sandwiches, fruits and veggies, and a sweet treat like Yogos or Fudge Shoppe Cookies.

To access the coupons, you will need to sign in. If you already have an All-K pass, then you can sign in with that, otherwise you simply need to register here. Right now, the coupons include $1 on Nutri-Grain Bars, $.75 on Cheez-It crackers, and $1 on Cinnabon Snack Bars, plus more. The coupons are hosted through Coupons.com. Many of the coupons will be unique to Snackpicks.com, but some will be available at both Snackpicks and coupons.com. The great thing is that each site has it's own print limit, so if there is a great coupon shared, then you will be able to print 2 at both sites.

Snackpicks.com has an entire section dedicated to promotions and saving money on your favorite Kellogg's snack products. The coupons and promotions are always changing, so take a moment to sign up for the Snackpicks.com Newsletter for ongoing information on snacking and valuable deals.

Menu Plan Monday

I skipped the grocery store this weekend. My husband picked up some milk and bread when he was out and that should get us through the week.

Last week, I used the potatoes I had bought to make hash browns. I had never made homemade hash browns before, but they turned out great. We even served them up Waffle House style, smothered, covered, diced, etc. We had them with Chicken Sausage, which was very tasty - even my husband, who is not a fan of sausage said they weren't too bad. So, this week, we are having hash browns again, as part of Friday's breakfast for dinner.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Monday
Hamburgers on the grill

Tuesday
Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Crocked Beef

Friday
Omelets and Hash browns

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
TBD

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.

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

CVS Scenarios - week of 10/11

I wasn't overly excited by many of the deals at CVS this week, although I do plan to pick up a few things. There are a few items on a 3-day sale, so you might want to head out to CVS early in the week to take advantage of those.

Transaction #1
1 - Halloween Nylon Treat Bag
2 - 4-in-1 Pumpkin Carving Tool

Total $4.97. Earn $.99 and $3.98 in ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Gillette Fusion Razor
2 - Gillette Shave Gel

-$4 Gillette Razor mfg coupon
-$1 Gillette Shave Gel mfg coupon
-$1 Gillette Shave Gel mfg coupon
-$1 Gillette Shave Gel CVS coupon from $100 coupon book
-$1 Gillette Shave Gel CVS coupon from $100 coupon book

Total $7.18. Pay with $4.97 in ECBs and $2.21 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

Transaction #3
2 - Rice Krispies Treats
2 - Mini Quaker Granola Bars
4 - Fruit by the Foot (pictured, but not listed on 2/$5 sale)

-$.50 $.50/2 Fruit by the Foot coupon
-$.50 $.50/2 Fruit by the Foot coupon

Total $19. Pay with $5 ECBs from Transaction #2 and $14 OOP. Earn $5 ECBs.

The treats deal I was hoping to find some Rice Krispies treats coupons or some Quaker granola coupons. I will do a search and look for those. Have you seen any? Leave me a comment if you know of coupons out there for this deal. For my son this year, we have to send a snack for him each day and these treat size items are just the right size.

Total $21.18 OOP with $5 ECBs left.

For more deals and scenarios, check out Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

CVS $5 Challenge
Transaction #1
1 - Halloween Nylon Treat Bag
1 - 4-in-1 Pumpkin Carving Tool

Total $2.98. Earn $1.99 and $.99 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - 4-in-1 Pumpkin Carving Tool

Total $1.99. Pay with $1.99 ECB from Transaction #1. Earn $1.99 ECBs.

Use your ECBs to pick up something else or hang on to them for next week. (sorry, my creative juices aren't flowing on this one this week.)

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

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Diamond Edition Combo Pack

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition Combo Pack was released on October 6th. This new edition features both a BluRay and a DVD of the movie in one package. I was given the opportunity through One2One Network to preview and review the film.

As soon as the movie arrived earlier this week, I made a 'date' with my daughter to watch Snow White this weekend. She was excited. We have been reading Snow White in our big Princess book and this was the first Princess movie that we sat down to watch. What fun!

I really like that the BluRay disc also includes a standard DVD. We only have a BluRay player in our basement. The car and the family room both only play DVDs. Of course, we wanted to experience the full impact, so we headed down to the media room to watch the movie this morning, where we could enjoy the improved picture quality and 7.1 Surround sound featured on the BluRay.

When we put the BluRay in, the Magic Mirror on the Wall, that is part of the menu, addressed us with a 'Good Morning' greeting and commented on it being our first time there. I thought that was kind of cool. The movie looked great. We chose to watch the original 4:3 ratio, rather than a special feature they offer called Disney View, which features the art of Toby Bluth in place of the black sidebars.

My daughter asked a lot of questions during the movie, she is 2 after all. From the get go, she wanted to know where the dwarfs were and then when we got to the part of the movie they were in, she kept asking about those 'boys'. All-in-all, it was a great experience. We explored a few of the extra features, including BD Live. There are also many other features that we have yet to explore on both the DVD and the BluRay version as well as on the bonus material BluRay disc, including games and activities, commentary, 'Snow White Returns', Karaoke sing-along and more.

If you already own Snow White on DVD, you can go here to get a $10 coupon when you upgrade to the Diamond Edition. This deal is only good until October 20th.

There also was a coupon available here to save $10 . This coupon, when I printed it last week expired on 10/10, so I'm not certain if it is still available or not - but you can give the link a try. Many stores have it on sale this week. In addition, there is a rebate available when you purchase Snow White and Hefty plates, bowls or bags.

Alternatively, you can use coupon code SNOWHITE at Amazon.com and save $10, getting it for $9.95. I've not been able to find anything that indicates how long this code is good for, but it is worth a try.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive an advanced copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Diamond Edition from One2One and Disney.

CVS Deals - 10/9

I headed out to CVS on Friday to take advantage of the Benefiber deal a second time and with a goal of using a $5/$30 coupon I had received in e-mail. I have to say, that $5/$25 is a much better deal. I wound up having to fill my order with extra stuff to use my 2 $10 ECBs. If it had been a $5/$25 coupon, then I would have likely just paid cash for the couple bucks I was over, but with it $8+ over, I felt it was better to use fillers to get there.

Here is what I got:
3 - Benefiber Sticks
2 - Gold Emblem Bagged Candy
2 - Ice Cream Cones (for ice cream cone cupcakes for daughter's birthday)
2 - CVS Notebook (raincheck)
1 - CVS Sticky Notes (raincheck)
2 - CVS Pocket Tissues (filler)
1 - Ice Cubes gum (filler)

-$5 $5/$30 CVS e-mail coupon
-$2 Benefiber mfg coupon
-$2 Benefiber mfg coupon
-$2 Benefiber mfg coupon
-$1 $1/2 GE candy

Paid with $20 in ECBs and $.71 OOP. I earned $10, $2, and $1 ECB. Unfortunately, as I was going through my receipt, I discovered that I was charged for 4 Ice Cream Cones, so now I will have to go back to the store to get a refund. I would have skipped the fillers if I had known. I am sure it will be a challenge since I only paid $.71 in cash and need a refund of $2.

For more deals, check out:
Super Savings Saturday
Shopping Superstars

CVS Deals - 10/4

Wow! I can't believe it has already been almost a week since my stressful trip to CVS. I went on Sunday, as I had an e-mail coupon I wanted to use before it expired.

Transaction #1
1 - Dial Body Wash
1 - Colgate 360 Actiflex Toothbrush
2 - Boost

-$3 $3/$15 e-mail coupon
-$1 Dial Body Wash mfg coupon
-$1 Dial Body Wash CVS coupon
-$1 Colgate 360 mfg coupon
-$1 Boost CVS coupon
-$1 Boost CVS coupon
-$2 Boost Mfg coupon
-$2 Boost Mfg coupon

Paid with $7 ECB and $2.31 OOP. Earned $2 and $1 ECB.

Transaction #2
1 - Boost
3 - Benefiber Sticks
1 - Spree Roll
1 - Arizona Tea
1 - Neosporin Lip Therapy

-$5 $5/$25 CVS coupon
-$1 Boost CVS coupon
-$2 Boost Mfg coupon
-$2 Benefiber Mfg coupon
-$2 Benefiber Mfg coupon
-$2 Benefiber Mfg coupon
-$3 Benefiber CRT
-$2.89 Neosporin $3 IP, adjusted down

Paid with $9 ECBs and $6.98 OOP. Earned $10 and $10 ECBs.

The Benefiber sticks rang up at the wrong price. I didn't realize it until after I had walked out of the store. I went back in and of course, since I had paid with ECBs, they were having trouble doing a credit to me. What I don't understand is why they can't do a credit and purchase together on one transaction. They had to return all 3 and then resell all 3. So, they refunded me $20 something and then rerang the $20 something. Normally, stores can return something and then purchase against the credit instead of two transactions. Of course, in doing all of this they used up my second time to use the ECB deal on the Benefiber. The supervisor who rang the transaction told me to ask for her when I came in to do the second one...but they were out, so she wrote down her number and that I still had one left on my receipt and tore up the ECB.

In the end, still a good deal. I had to pick up somethings for my husband, since he was there and still, I spent $22.29 and have $20 in ECBs to roll. So, I got everything, including the tea and Spree for a net cost of $2.29.

For more deals, check out:
Shopping Superstars
Super Savings Saturday

Fat Burnin' Friday

As I continue on this weight loss journey, I am really loving the Weight Watchers eTools on my phone. We decided to go out to dinner with a friend on Saturday night. As we were driving to Red Lobster (husband loves endless Shrimp promo), I pulled up Red Lobster and was able peruse what type of points different meals would be, allowing me to make a smart choice. I even managed to avoid those wonderful garlic cheddar biscuits.

I did make some food choices that seemed reasonable at the time and turned out to be not as good as I hoped. I ate a lot of soup this week - rich, creamy soups. I had chicken tortilla soup one night for dinner - turns out it was not a great choice, using 25% of my daily points. Then, for lunch one day, we had a catered lunch and my favorite tomato bisque soup was on it - well, I had two bowls for about 50% of my daily points. These decisions caused me to tap into my weekly points earlier than planned, so I will have to be a little more selective this weekend.

I still haven't been able to get back into a regular exercise routine. I walk occasionally at lunch, but even that is far from routine with my busy schedule and the weather. I need to get myself back on target with getting to bed at a reasonable hour. Otherwise, I just don't have the ability to get myself out of bed early enough in the morning to exercise. Plus, I've discovered that I have a tendency to eat one more thing if I stay up later...not anything specific, I just feel like I need to eat something.

This week I attended my second Weight Watchers meeting. My loss at the meeting this week was 2.2# (3.6# total). The meetings are a great support. You hear from other members about their struggles and successes and the leader provides support and encouragement as well. It's funny, you hear a lot of the same quotes that I recall from a while back. "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"; "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"

I love watching the show the Biggest Loser. It is inspiring. But, sometimes it can make my own journey a little frustrating. Here they are, losing 5 - 10 pounds per week, it makes me wonder why I am so slow...until I consider that they are under medical supervision and their job is to lose weight...if I had that type of time and attention, I could lose faster too.

Based on my Friday morning weigh in, I lost another 1.5# this week. In the end, I am happy to say that I now have only 32.5# to my target.

Samples and Freebies

Requested:

Oregon Chai Tea Latte Mix

Received:

Nut Clusters and Trail Mix bar samples and coupons

Herbal Essence - 75,000 Free Product Coupons

Herbal Essence is giving away 75,000 free product coupons from now until October 13th. The availability will start anew each day at 11:30PM Eastern. That equates to 18,750 coupons per 24 hour period. First come, first serve. Limit of per household.

For more details you can head over to their Facebook page here.

Crocked Beef

Frequently, the local grocery ad will feature a recipe. These recipes tie to items in the ad and they do taste testings in store as well.

A few weeks ago, they featured a recipe called Crocked Beef. Essentially, it was a much simpler sounding recipe for pulled beef than my standard barbecue beef, which has at least 15 ingredients. I bought the roast and the ingredients a few weeks ago to give it a try.

My family enjoyed the recipe. My husband expressed interest in it being a bit spicier/diverse flavor, so I likely will tweak with some spices like cumin and/or chili powder next time. I liked that I could put it all in the crock pot before I left for work and when I got home, all I had to do was shred the meat and dinner was ready. The less time I have to spend in the kitchen to get dinner done, the better.

Crocked Beef

3 lbs (approximately) chuck roast
1 bottle chili sauce
1 envelope dried onion soup mix
12 oz can cola

Combine all ingredients in crock pot; cook on low for 8-10 hours. (Don’t lift the lid) Shred cooked beef.

We had the shredded beef on buns, but you could also serve it over some egg noodles.

For more recipes, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap Where's the Beef? edition at Life as Mom.

Also, shared at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Review and Giveaway

See that shirt? That is the type of random stain that seems to come home on my son's shirt on a regular basis. Sometimes, it is obvious what the stain is, other times any guess is a good one. I have seen spaghetti sauce, ice cream, mud, pencil, crayon and more. This can be quite a laundry challenge.

When I was contacted about an opportunity to try out OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover, I knew we could put it to the test. I am definitely one to pre-treat stains, when I can. I find that this can really help get the garment clean. I even carry around assorted mini spray bottles, wipes and pens to help treat stains on the go. Sometimes the pre-treatment comes moments before it goes in the wash, but I think the focused application of a cleaning agent to the spot still helps it come cleaner than just detergent in the water.

I received my bottle last week and have been using it to treat stains as they come home. I have been pleased with the results. Most of the stains have come out completely with just one treatment and wash. On the more stubborn stains, I had to treat it a second time, but in the end OxiClean won the battle and the stains have come out. (this isn't uncommon in my house - many stains require a little extra TLC in the form of repeat treatment even with other laundry stain removers we have used)

I was interested to learn when I read the back of the bottle that it is a multi-purpose stain remover and that I could also use the same spray to clean the kitchen and bathroom or on water washable upholstery. I never would have thought to use a laundry stain remover elsewhere, but figure that could be handy.

You can learn more about OxiClean and the other products produced by Church & Dwight, including brands like Kaboom and Arm & Hammer at GreatCleaners.com. According to the company, many women (and men) are finding it harder to find the time to clean their homes and GreatCleaners.com offers a host of products that make that job much easier and faster.

At GreatCleaners.com , you can get cleaning tips, by reading Julie's Cleaning Secrets blog. You can order product to be delivered direct to your door and even sign up for the Clean Club, a service that offers automatic delivery of cleaning products to your door - you set the frequency for your account.

Pre-treating my laundry works for me. For more cleaning tips, check out Works For Me Wednesday Cleaning Tips edition at We Are THAT Family.

Giveaway
I'm glad to say that in addition to allowing me to trial the product, the company was kind enough to offer me an opportunity to giveaway an Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit to one of my readers.

How to enter:

Primary entry - Leave a comment sharing your biggest laundry or cleaning issue.

Bonus entries -
Follow GreatCleaners on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter ID letting me know you follow.

Fan Great Cleaners on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you became a fan.

Tweet about this giveaway. Can be done once per day, be sure to leave a separate comment for each tweet. You can copy this: Win an Arm & Hammer Stain Fighting Kit courtesy of @GreatCleaners and @ABusyMomofTwo. http://bit.ly/3urNMA

Fave this blog on Technorati. Leave me a comment letting me know you did.

Giveaway will remain open until Friday, October 16th at 9 pm Eastern. Winner will be selected using a random number generator. Winner will be contacted by e-mail and have 36 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways: Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge and 4 tickets to the circus in Cleveland, Ohio.


I did not receive any compensation for this post, but did receive a complimentary bottle of OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover to use and review.

Giveaways

Looking for more giveaways to win? Laura over at the Heavenly Homemakers is hosting a weeklong giveaway carnival. Be sure to stop by to find even more giveaways.

Don't forget to enter to win 4-tickets to the Circus in Cleveland (if you don't live nearby, please forward to friends or family who live nearby) or the fabulous book, Once in a Blue Moon.

Redbox Free Rental Code 10/5

It's the first Monday of October. Here's your Redbox free Monday rental code. Use coupon code QNGJ7KD at check-out. Expires tonight at midnight central.

Joshua Bell: At Home with Friends

Through One2One Network, I had the opportunity to preview the new Joshua Bell CD, At Home with Friends. The new album was released on Tuesday, September 29th.

The album has a very nice sound to it. Joshua Bell is a very talented, classical violinist. The new album At Home with Friends features duets with Josh Groban, Sting, Chris Botti, Regina Spektor, Kristin Chenoweth, Tiempo Libre and many others. I do like the sound of the violin and Joshua Bell has definitely got talent in playing it. A few of the songs on the album were familiar to me.

For me the biggest challenge is when do I get to listen to it. It's not really driving around in my car music, which is where I listen to about 95% of my music. I definitely could see it playing during dinner or during a small gathering.

Album Tracklisting :
I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

You can learn more about Joshua Bell by checking out his website or fanning him on Facebook. While on his website, be sure to check out the history of the 1713 Gibson Stradivarius violin that he plays. It has a really interesting history.



I did not recieve any compensation for this post, but did recieve a complimentary copy of the disc to review.

Harry Connick, Jr Your Songs Winner

Congratulations trasmall! You are the winner of the Harry Connick, Jr Your Songs CD giveaway.

An e-mail has been sent to trasmall. A response is needed by Tuesday at 6 pm or a new winner will be selected.


Here are your random numbers:

1
Timestamp: 2009-10-05 10:28:25 UTC

Menu Plan Monday

I went to the grocery this weekend to wrap up this quarter's free grocery giveaway requirements. For the first time in a long time, I went without a menu plan. I probably did shop as efficiently as I might as I planned my menu as items struck my fancy. I also was trying to work in a few recipes that would allow me to use up some potatoes. I was a chaperone on a field trip last week and we went to a potato farm, so I bought a 20# bag of potatoes, which is a lot of potatoes.

At our house, the focus is on dinners. I tend to only list the main course and any standard side we have with it. We do still have vegetables and/or fruit with each of our dinners, I just don't always call them out.

Sunday
Cereal
Pasta
Chili

Monday
Chicken Sausage and Hash browns

Tuesday
Tacos and Chicken Tortilla Soup

Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Pepper Steak and rice

Friday
Pasta

Saturday
Cereal
Sandwiches
Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes

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.

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

Once In a Blue Moon Giveaway

I wanted to post so that those that read my blog in e-mail or a feed reader wouldn't miss out. After I posted my review, I learned that I can giveaway one copy of Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge. So please, head back here and enter.

Zing Zang Zoom (The Circus is Coming to Town & a Giveaway)

The Circus is coming to town!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Zing Zang Zoom, playing at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland from October 21st through October 26th. In Zing Zang Zoom, "fun-filled magic merges with traditional circus arts". I can't wait to see what they mean, it sounds like a combination of a magic show and a circus - should be a great show.

There are both weekday and weekend evening shows at 7:30 pm and two weekend matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm.

In addition to the circus, all ticket holders are invited to come to the show an hour early and experience the Ringling Bros. Clown College® at the All Access Pre-show for free.

I am looking forward to taking my kids to the circus, neither of my children have ever been to the circus. We read a book from the Harold and the Purple Crayon series called, Harold's Circus. In the book, we see Harold walk the high wire, ride on the back of a horse, tame lions, play with the clowns and more. My kids were excited when I told them we are going to go to the circus. I can remember going to the circus as a child. I remember one time, my aunt and her boyfriend (now my uncle) took me and a number of my cousins to the circus, when it came to town.

As a special offer to my readers, Mom Central and Feld Family Entertainment are excited to extend the following special family offers: You can purchase a 4-pack of tickets for weekday shows for only $44 or receive $4 off any weekend ticket by logging onto Ticketmaster and entering coupon code: MOM. You can get additional weekday tickets at a price of $11 each, 4 tickets is the minimum required purchase for the discounted tickets.

Thanks to Mom Central and Feld Family Entertainment, I have the opportunity to offer a chance for one of my readers to win 4 tickets to the opening night performance in Cleveland.

How to enter:

Primary entry - leave a comment telling me your favorite circus act.

Additional entries:

• Follow me on Twitter (@ABusyMomofTwo) and tweet about this giveaway. Come back and leave a comment with the link to the tweet. (this can be done daily!)

• E-mail your friends to share the coupon code and opportunity to win, cc: or bcc: me (abusymomoftwo at gmail dot com). Come back and leave a comment letting me know you sent an e-mail. One entry per e-mail. (e-mail addresses will not be collected or used in any way other than used to determine completion of entry).

• Sign up for daily updates or e-mails and leave me a comment letting me know you subscribe.

• Post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back. Leave a comment letting me know you blogged, with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until Monday, October 12th at 9 pm Eastern. Winner will be selected using a random number generator. Winner will be contacted by e-mail and have 36 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. If your e-mail is not available through your profile, please be sure to include with your comment, so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

I did not receive any compensation for this post, but Feld Family Entertainment and Mom Central are providing my family with a complimentary set of tickets to the circus.

CVS Scenarios - week of 10/4

There are some good deals this week at CVS. If you haven't used the $5/$25 coupon for taking the Flu IQ quiz, you can use this coupon for these deals. Also, be sure to stop by the pharmacy and pick up your $100 coupon booklet (*no purchase necessary according to the ad).

Transaction #1
1 - Dial Body Wash
2 - Boost 6 pk
1 - Colgate Actiflex Toothbrush

-$3 $3/$15 CVS e-mail coupon
-$1 Dial IP
-$1 Dial Body wash coupon from $100 savings booklet
-$2 Boost IP
-$2 Boost IP
-$1 Boost coupon from $100 Savings booklet
-$1 Boost coupon from $100 Savings booklet
-$1 Colgate Actiflex IP

Total $8.96. Earn $2 and $1 ECBs.

Transaction #2
1 - Boost
3 - Benefiber Sticks

-$5 $5/$25 CVS coupon
-$2 Boost Mfg coupon
-$1 Boost coupon from $100 Savings booklet
-$3 Benefiber CRT
-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 Benefiber IP
-$2 Benefiber IP

Total $11.56. Pay with $3 ECBs from Transaction #1 and $8.56 OOP. Earn $10 and $10 ECBs.

Total OOP of $17.52 with $20 in ECBs left to roll.

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

CVS $5 Challenge

Transaction #1
1 - Dial Body Wash
1 - Cheerios Single cup
1 - Mom's Best Natural Oatmeal
1 - Colgate Actiflex Toothbrush

-$1 Dial IP
-$1 Dial Body wash coupon from $100 savings booklet
-$1 Cheerios IP
-$.75 Mom's Best IP
-$1 Colgate Actiflex IP

Total $4.22 OOP. Earn $2 and $1 ECB.

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

Kmart Super Double Deals - 10/3

Well, with just two hours remaining to take advantage of Super Doubles at Kmart, my friend and I headed out. I wouldn't say I was very prepared, but I still did pretty good.

Here's what I got:
1 - Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino coffee drink $2.39 - $1 - $1 = $.39
3 - V05 Shampoo/Conditioner $3 - $1 - $1 = $1 / 3
1 - Visine Allergy $3.99 - $2 - $1.99 = FREE
1 - Bumble Bee Tuna $1.29 - $1 - $.29 = FREE
1 - Bumble Bee Tuna $1.29 - $1 - $.29 = FREE
1 - Bumble Bee Tuna $1.29 - $.55 - $.55 = $.19
2 - Ziploc Quart Size Freezer Bag $4 - $2(BOGO) - $2 = FREE
2 - Ziploc Quart Size Freezer Bag $4 - $2(BOGO) - $2 = FREE
2 - Hershey Bliss Bars $1.33 - $.67(BOGO) - $.67 = FREE
1 - Whiskas Purrfectly with Chicken 2.7# $4.99 - $2 - $2 = $.99
1 - Healthful Cat 1# $1.99 - $1.50 - $.49 = FREE
2 - Friskies Indoor Wet Cat food $1.58 - $.79(BOGO) - $.79 = FREE

Total $2.57 ($3.52 with tax). I saved $28.58 with coupons, a total of 92% saved.

WooHoo! I actually had planned to go to the nearest Super Kmart, but when I called they told me that they were participating in double coupons, but only P&G. The Kmart I went to told us there was no limit to the number of coupons this time. This was also the first time I used BOGO coupons and just like I had read on line if the BOGO coupon was for $2 or less, it doubled the value making both items free. I was nervous or I would have dug around looking for more of those coupons.

For more deals, check out:
Super Savings Saturday
Shopping Superstars