Saturday, December 31, 2011

Tomorrow's coupon inserts

Did you know you can get a sneak peek at upcoming newspaper coupon inserts at Sunday Coupon Preview?  Keeping in mind that coupons are regional and there can be a difference in the values and products listed on the website, it's nice to be able to plan whether or not you should be making a trip to the store to buy some extra newspapers.

It looks like in tomorrow's newspaper there will be 4 coupon inserts: 2 SmartSource, 1 Red Plum, and 1 Proctor & Gamble.  What a nice way to start the new year!

Friday, December 30, 2011

End-of-the month reminders

Not only is it the end of the month, but it's also the end of 2011.  Can you believe how it has flown by?!?  If you haven't already thought about these things, you may want to:
  • Go through your coupon stash and check expiration dates.  I know I have a bunch that expire on 12/31 and I realized that a few of them were for items I need.  I'll be taking them to the store today or tomorrow to use them before they expire.
  • Go to printable coupon sites and print off any coupons you think you may want, since often they will change with the start of a new month.  Try coupons.com, CouponNetwork, SmartSource, and Red Plum.
  • If you're a Tops shopper and collect gas points, remember that the current earning period ends tomorrow, 12/31.  If you have any coupons that will net you free or cheap items, this is the time to take them to Tops and get some extra gas points. Also remember that you will have until 1/14 to redeem your points.  I've earned a $2.20/gallon discount this time around.  Yay!
I've been pretty disappointed overall with sales and coupons the past moth or so, but I'm looking forward to the (hopefully great) new ones in 2012!

Today's Mega Swag Bucks Day

Today is Friday, so you know what that means, right?  Every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the chances of being rewarded large denominations of Swag Bucks is increased.  Go do your searches now!
 
Not familiar with Swagbucks?  Here's the deal:

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo).  You are awarded points randomly (called Swag Bucks) when you search the internet, answer surveys, watch videos, play games, etc.  Once you sign up (it's free!), you can also refer friends and family and earn points from their referrals.

I normally earn my points through doing the web searches only (and really, who doesn't already do that?  Why not get rewarded for what you're already doing?). I seem to get points after my third or fourth search and I try to do it once in the morning and again in the evening.  When I earn points for a search, they are generally in the 7 - 10 point range.  I've also done some surveys and earned a bunch of points very quickly.  And every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the odds of winning high-value Swag Bucks are increased.

Swag Bucks are redeemed in the Swagstore.  While there are a lot of things to choose from, my favorite item hands down is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points.  I know, that sounds like a lot of points, right?  I've  been using Swagbucks for about 6 months or so (and as much as I try to get my search points twice a day, life often gets in the way or I forget) and I've already cashed in for $45 in Amazon gift cards which really helped with my Christmas shopping.  I figure by next year I'll be consistent enough about it that I will have quite a bit of free money to play with!

Interested?  Sign up at Swagbucks (remember, it's free) and start earning free stuff! And to sweeten the deal and get a head start, new members earn 100 Swag Bucks by entering the Swag Code HOLIDAYSWAG.  This offer is only good until 12/31.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

$2 Tops Super Coupon

If you get your Tops ad in the mail, be on the lookout for a new Tops store coupon on the front cover of the mailer:
The Super Coupon is good for $2 off a frozen appetizer or entree purchase of $10 or more, and expires on 1/7/12.  I may have to rethink my New Year's Eve snacks now!

12/25 - 12/31 Tops and Wegmans shopping

After a posting break due to the holidays, I'm back!  Unfortunately for the blog (but fortunately for my wallet!) I haven't done much shopping at all this week, due to a combination of slow sales and a well-rounded stockpile.

Here is last night's trip to Tops:
10 cans Red Pack tomatoes - $0.20 each
On sale 10/$10, plus a Tops promo is get $5 off instantly when you buy 10, plus used 3 $1 off 3 coupons from registering here

2 bottles of Fuze - $0.50 each
On sale 10/$10, used a $1 off 2 tearpad coupon (I don't think they're available any longer)

2 Tony's frozen pizzas (not pictured) - $2.99 each
On sale $2.99 each and I had no coupons.  This killed me to buy them without coupons, but we had been travelling and wanted an easy dinner.  At least these were cheaper than take-out!

The total retail price was $29.66 and I paid $9.06 after discounts and coupons, for a savings of approximately 69%.

I'll be heading out today to Wegmans to grab some free Muir Glen tomato sauce (will be free after the $1 coupons from a past Nature's Marketplace magazine) and free Woodstock organic sugar (free after the $2 coupon printed from their Facebook page). As long as I don't make any impulse purchases, I should be able to escape the store without opening my wallet!

Friday, December 23, 2011

More points available at Recyclebank

If you are earning points from the Green Your Seasons campaign at Recyclebank, I noticed today that there are 90 new points available in the New Year section.

Recyclebank is a great way to learn about living green and earning points to cash in for things like high value coupons.  You can sign up here and start earning!

T.G.I. Mega Swag Bucks Day!

Today is Friday, so you know what that means, right?  Every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the chances of being rewarded large denominations of Swag Bucks is increased.  Go do your searches now!
 
Not familiar with Swagbucks?  Here's the deal:

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo).  You are awarded points randomly (called Swag Bucks) when you search the internet, answer surveys, watch videos, play games, etc.  Once you sign up (it's free!), you can also refer friends and family and earn points from their referrals.

I normally earn my points through doing the web searches only (and really, who doesn't already do that?  Why not get rewarded for what you're already doing?). I seem to get points after my third or fourth search and I try to do it once in the morning and again in the evening.  When I earn points for a search, they are generally in the 7 - 10 point range.  I've also done some surveys and earned a bunch of points very quickly.  And every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the odds of winning high-value Swag Bucks are increased.

Swag Bucks are redeemed in the Swagstore.  While there are a lot of things to choose from, my favorite item hands down is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points.  I know, that sounds like a lot of points, right?  I've  been using Swagbucks for about 6 months or so (and as much as I try to get my search points twice a day, life often gets in the way or I forget) and I've already cashed in for $45 in Amazon gift cards which really helped with my Christmas shopping.  I figure by next year I'll be consistent enough about it that I will have quite a bit of free money to play with!

Interested?  Sign up at Swagbucks (remember, it's free) and start earning free stuff! And to sweeten the deal and get a head start, new members earn 100 Swag Bucks by entering the Swag Code HOLIDAYSWAG.  This offer is good until 12/31.

Canned tomatoes $0.20 each!

The week of 12/25 - 12/31, Tops will have RedPack canned tomatoes on sale 10/$10.  If you buy all 10 you'll get $5 off automatically, making them $0.50 each.  There is a printable coupon here for $1 off 3 (you may have to register first).  If you have multiple computers and can print 3 coupons, you'll pay only $2 for 10 cans.  That's definitely a stock-up price for me!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

New SavingStar offers

Be sure to head over to SavingStar to check out their new e-Coupons including deals on Lay's, McCain's, Scott, and Schick, to name a few.

Learn more about how SavingStar e-Coupons work here.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

12/18 - 12/24 Tops deals

Just like the previous several weeks, I didn't feel the grocery sales love again this week.  I stopped into Tops today and bought these:
12 boxes Green Giant frozen veggies - $0.67 each
On sale 10/$10, used 4 $1 off 3 coupons printed from here (I just printed these last night, but I don't see them when I click the link now, so they may no longer be available).  There was also a $1/3 coupon in the 12/11 SmartSource insert.

1 Bison chip dip - FREE
On sale 2/$3, used a free product coupon I received via snail mail.  There was also a $1 off 2 coupon in the 12/4 SmartSource insert, which would make these $1 each.

4 packages Mission flour burrito tortillas - $1.00 each
On sale 2/$4, used 4 $1 coupons previously found on a display tearpad

1 POM pomegranate - $0.50
On sale 2/$3 (unadvertised deal, I think, because I didn't see it in the ad), used $1 coupon from a display tearpad.  There was also a $1 coupon in the 12/4 SmartSource insert.
Note: If you shop at the Mt. Read Tops, there were still tearpad coupons available as of this afternoon (in the produce section, on the cooler case where the POM drinks are)

2 bags baby carrots - $1.00 each
No coupons, but I had no carrots and I know Rudolph and his buddies will need some Saturday night! ;-)

The total retail cost was $49.20 and I paid $12.50 after discounts and coupons (I also had a $2.00 Catalina coupon from a trip last week that I used today), for a savings of approximately 75%.  I am also up to a $2.10/gallon gas discount. 

I have another tortilla coupon and a couple more for the Green Giant veggies, so I'll probably head back another day this week.  I'm really looking forward to 2012 and hopefully some better sales!

Monday, December 19, 2011

$2 Charmin coupon tomorrow

Head over to the Fan Perks tab on the Charmin Facebook page tomorrow, Tuesday, December 20 at 9:00pm and try to snag a $2.00 coupon off a MegaRoll pack of toilet paper.  I've been looking for some good toilet paper coupons (Why does TP cost so much?  It's TP for crying out loud!) and found this just as tonight's deal went live.  Believe me when I say these went fast tonight, so if you want a chance at getting tomorrow's coupon you may want to head over a little early. 

Just as an FYI, the coupon will arrive via snail mail in 4 - 6 weeks.

Possible free Coke Zero!

Go over and "like" the Coke Zero Facebook page and get a high-value coupon for $0.99 off any Coke Zero product.  This is the first time I've actually seen a coupon for $0.99, but according to Wegmans' and Tops' coupon policies this will double (coupons with a face value of $0.99 or less).  I would imagine you should be able to get some free soda with this coupon!   

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Lots of Swag Bucks starting tomorrow!

Starting tomorrow, Monday, December 19, you may want to check in frequently at Swagbucks. Not registered yet?  You'll definitely want to sign up and start earning free gift cards.  Read about my Swagbucks love affair here. :-)

There will be a set of 5 holiday-themed bills available to collect from tomorrow until December 26th.  Collect them all and earn an extra 12 Swag Bucks bonus!  Learn more about it here.

Also tomorrow, there will be a Swag Code Extravaganza.  If you find all 8 codes, you will get 70 Swag Bucks.  Read more about it here.

I certainly don't have time to spend all day glued to my computer tomorrow, but I know I'll definitely be checking in more than my typical 2 times per day to try and grab some extra Swag Bucks.  It's not too early to start earning gift cards for next year's birthdays and Christmas!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

90 new Recyclebank points available

It's been a while since I've blogged about Recyclebank, but I figured this was as good a time as any now that they have 90 new points available in their "Green Your Seasons" campaign by heading over here.  If you're not currently registered, you can do that here.

Not familiar with Recyclebank?  You can earn points for participating in activities, such as quizzes and pledges, that encourage living a more "green" lifestyle.  You can then cash in your points for coupons, many of which are high-value.

No coupon inserts on Sunday

If you don't get your Sunday newspaper delivered, you may not want to run out and buy one this weekend.  According to Sunday Coupon Preview, there will be no coupon inserts tomorrow, so if you're only interested in the coupons you can save yourself a trip to the store in the morning.

Friday, December 16, 2011

New SavingStar offers

Be sure to check out the new eCoupons available at SavingStar, including offers for Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, Pepsi, Cheetos, and Campbell's soup.

Not familiar with the SavingStar program?  Learn more here.

Cheap pizza at Wegmans

I'm so excited to see the latest Wegmans eCoupon for $1.00 off a Wegmans Bake & Rise Crust frozen pizza!  This will get you a pizza for just $2.99 after the coupon. Guess what's for dinner tonight? ;-)

The coupon is a .pdf so you can print multiple copies before it expires on 12/31.  Remember, though, that you can only use one coupon per visit.

It's Mega Swag Bucks Day!

Today is Friday, so you know what that means, right?  Every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the chances of being rewarded large denominations of Swag Bucks is increased.  Go do your searches now!
 
Not familiar with Swagbucks?  Here's the deal:

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo).  You are awarded points randomly (called Swag Bucks) when you search the internet, answer surveys, watch videos, play games, etc.  Once you sign up (it's free!), you can also refer friends and family and earn points from their referrals.

I normally earn my points through doing the web searches only (and really, who doesn't already do that?  Why not get rewarded for what you're already doing?). I seem to get points after my third or fourth search and I try to do it once in the morning and again in the evening.  When I earn points for a search, they are generally in the 7 - 10 point range.  I've also done some surveys and earned a bunch of points very quickly.  And every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the odds of winning high-value Swag Bucks are increased.

Swag Bucks are redeemed in the Swagstore.  While there are a lot of things to choose from, my favorite item hands down is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points.  I know, that sounds like a lot of points, right?  I've  been using Swagbucks for about 6 months or so (and as much as I try to get my search points twice a day, life often gets in the way or I forget) and I've already cashed in for $40 in Amazon gift cards that I used towards Christmas gifts.  I figure by next year I'll be consistent enough about it that I will have quite a bit of free money to play with!

Interested?  Sign up at Swagbucks (remember, it's free) and start earning free stuff!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

12/11 - 12/17: Thirsty? Head to Tops this week!

This has been such a busy week for me, I can't believe it took me until today to finally get over to Tops.  There really weren't many things in the ad that interested me this week, but I did buy some beverages:

4 International Delight coffee creamers - $0.17 each
On sale 3/$5, used 4 $0.75 coupons (double to $1.50) printed from here (try zip 30013 if you don't see it)

4 bottles (1 liter) Jana water - FREE (plus deposit)
On sale 4/$5, used 4 $0.75 coupons (should "double" to $1.25, see note below) from here
Note: I went through the self-checkout and none of these coupons scanned.  I took them to the attendant and had to double-check my receipt: it looks like she entered the 4 $0.75 coupons with 2 of them doubling the full $0.75, 1 "doubled" $0.50, and the 4th coupon didn't double at all.  In the end, the math works out to 4 free bottles but the receipt looks weird.

1 bottle of Propel water - FREE (plus deposit)
On sale 3/$4, used the Tops store coupon printed from here

Total retail value was $17.76 and I paid $0.92 after discounts and coupons, for a savings of 95%.  I am also now at a gas discount of $1.90 per gallon.

Day 12: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

For the final meal in my frugal stockpile meals series, I made fish with sides of broccoli and pasta:
Here is the cost breakdown for the ingredients:

  • Wholey swai fillets - $3.60 (used an entire package of 4 fillets ($2.88) plus 1 fillet ($0.72) from a second $2.88 package)
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli - $0.67 (I have to say, I'm glad my kids love broccoli because they've been the most easily accessible veggie in my freezer!)
  • Lipton Pasta Sides (not pictured, since I accidentally threw the package out before remembering I should have taken a picture first - oops!) - $0.50
  • Goya Adobo seasoning - I only paid $0.59 for the entire jar and I used a negligible amount sprinkled on each fillet
Total cost of a meal for a family of 5: $4.77 ($0.95 per person).

We had never eaten swai before (to be honest, I had never even heard of it until these packages went on sale at Tops a while back) but we all liked its very mild flavor.  The package says you can use it in any recipe calling for catfish (which I've never eaten, either) but it reminded me a lot of tilapia. As far as preparation, I simply sprinkled each fillet with a bit of adobo seasoning and baked them in the oven at 425 for about 12 minutes.

Although I'm not typically a meal planner, I really had a lot of fun creating a 12-day meal plan for this series of blog posts.  My family enjoyed trying some new recipes and I felt like I was able to get out of my typical rut of making the same few dinners every few days.  I was pleasantly surprised to find how inexpensively I was able to cook for family, and a bit shocked to find that a couple meals I had always thought of as quite frugal turned out to be much more expensive than I had realized!  Most of all, I hope my readers enjoyed it and maybe found some new ways to use up items you've perhaps stockpiled.  Or, if you haven't stockpiled much in the past, maybe this series has caused you to reconsider how valuable and useful it can be.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Day 11: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

I tried a new recipe tonight, Easy Crock Pot Lasagna, and served it with a side of corn:
Yes, it looks kind of gross.  To be honest, it didn't taste as bad as it looked but it wasn't spectacular, either.  Here is the cost breakdown for the ingredients:

  • Dreamfields lasagna noodles - $0.86 (I used 2/3 of a $1.29 box)
  • Ground beef - $1.99 (1 pound portion from a Wegmans $1.99/lb.Club Pack)
  • Muir Glen tomato sauce - free (I could've used a jar of cheap pasta sauce, but I have tons of small cans of free Muir Glen sauce so I opted to use several of those instead)
  • Bison cottage cheese - free (thanks to a free product snail mail coupon from Bison!)
  • Weight Watchers shredded mozzarella - $0.87 (half of a $1.75 package)
  • A few seasonings from my pantry - negligible, I'm sure
  • Green Giant corn - $0.67
Total cost of a meal for a family of 5: $4.39 ($0.88 per person).

As I mentioned, this was a new recipe for me.  I used the recipe found here as a starting point but made some changes to it (I used about 12 noodles, increased the amount of sauce to 40 ounces, doubled the water, left out the mushrooms, and unexpectedly decreased the amount of mozzarella since I thought I had more than a half-package on hand).  The noodles were pretty mushy and although it smelled wonderful, the taste was pretty bland.  If I make it again (and I'm not sure that I will) I'll definitely season it more and cook it less (and make sure I have plenty of cheese before I start layering it in the crock pot LOL).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal meal idea.  I can't believe tomorrow will be Day 12 already!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Looking for a holiday gift?

Can you believe how quickly Christmas is coming? Are you still searching for the perfect gift for someone on your list?  Do you like supporting a small, local business?  Check out the adorable wine charms Reality Couponing in Rochester reader Tara makes over at Simply Charming Wine Charms.  I have seen them in person and they really would make a great present.  Heck, if the holidays stress you out you may want to order a set for yourself as you relax with a nice glass of wine!

Disclaimer: I did not receive compensation of any sort in exchange for my review.  This is just my honest opinion on these wine charms!

Day 10: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

For tonight's dinner, I used leftover turkey I had frozen from Thanksgiving and made turkey and gravy over egg noodles with a side of broccoli:

The ingredients and cost breakdown are:

  • Turkey - $0.72 (I raided my freezer for approximately 1.5 pounds of leftover Thanksgiving turkey priced at $0.48 per pound)
  • Heinz homestyle gravy - $1
  • No Yolks noodles - $0.47
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli - $0.67
Total cost of a meal for a family of 5: $2.86 ($0.57 per person).

Tonight I found that having a wide variety a foods in my stockpile not only makes for cheap meals, but helps when I need to make a change on the fly.  Originally I had planned on making a crock pot recipe but when I realized I wasn't going to be home at the correct time to turn it on, I had to make a quick change in my meal plan.  I had then considered making another meal in the oven, but I wasn't able to get home in time to make a dinner that would require a longer baking time.  Being able to pull items from my stockpile and make up a new meal quickly was a real life-saver today.   I'd be lying if I said the thought of hitting a fast-food drive-thru didn't cross my mind tonight, but I buckled down and made use of what I had.  And my wallet is now thanking me for it! :-)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal stockpile meal...

Monday, December 12, 2011

Day 9: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

For a change of pace, I thought I'd feature a typical school lunch as my frugal stockpile meal of the day.  When I pack my kids' lunches, I generally have a main component (ex: sandwich, yogurt, or soup), a drink, a fruit or vegetable, and a snack or treat item.  The ingredients and cost breakdown of my daughter's lunch today are:
  • PB&J sandwich - $0.15 (2 slices of $0.89 Aldi's white bread = $0.09, 1 serving of $0.50 jar Peter Pan peanut butter = $0.04, 1 serving of $0.16 jar of Smucker's jam = $0.01)
  • Horizon organic milk - free
  • Pomegranate seeds - $0.17 (1 fruit = $1, and each fruit yielded about 1.5 cups of seeds.  I used 1/4 cup in her lunch)
  • "S'mores-in-a-bag" - $0.09
Total cost of a school lunch for 1 child = $0.41.

It may not have as many components as the school's lunch program, but it sure beats paying $2.00 for food that my kids probably won't eat all of anyway.

Did you stock up on the cheap Golden Grahams and Cocoa Puffs last week at Tops?  Are you looking for a way to use them up, besides eating them with milk?  I came up with the "S'mores-in-a-bag" idea since I had so many boxes. I tested them out on my kids and all 3 of them loved it!  Here's now to make it...Combine a box of Golden Grahams ($0.80), a box of Cocoa Puffs ($0.80) and half a bag of Aldi  mini marshmallows ($0.89/bag = $0.45 for this recipe).  Easy peasy.  It makes a ton (I filled 2 gallon-size Ziploc bags), I'm estimating at least 25 kid-size lunch servings.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal stockpile meal...

Do you have a frugal snack you've created using your grocery stockpile?  Share it in the comments!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Day 8: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Today's frugal meal I'm spotlighting was actually our breakfast of waffles and ham steak with hot chocolate to drink:
The ingredients and cost breakdown are:

  • Hungry Jack pancake mix - $0.13 (Used about 1/3 of a $0.40 box)
  • Hatfield ham steak - $1.50
  • Nestle hot chocolate - free
  • Additional waffle ingredients - $0.69 (This includes an $0.08 egg, $0.11 for 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and $0.50 for syrup.  I can't find a receipt, and I'm not seeing the Wegmans sugar-free pancake syrup on their website to check the price, but I think I paid around $2 for it and we used less than 1/4 of a bottle.)
Total cost of a meal for a family of 5: $2.32 ($0.46 per person).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal meal...

Besides cereal and homemade waffles or pancakes, do you have a favorite frugal breakfast?  Let me know what it is.  I can always use new ideas!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Day 7: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Tonight I used these:

to make Cheeseburger Macaroni with a side of broccoli for dinner:

OK, I'll completely admit that it doesn't look very appetizing at all, but I can assure you it's one of my kids' favorites!  It's a filling, stick-to-your-ribs dish, especially on a cold night like tonight.
The ingredients and cost break-down are as follows:
  • Wegmans 80% ground beef - $1.99 (I used a 1-pound portion of their Club Pack)
  • Mueller's pasta - free (I only needed 2 cups, so there's still some left over)
  • Campbell's tomato soup - $0.23
  • Campbell's cheddar cheese soup - $1.39 (It kills me to buy this, but I use it in so many recipes.  I wish it would either go on sale regularly or someone would make a generic version of it!)
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli - $0.67
Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $4.28 ($0.86 per person).

Before I started my frugal stockpile meals series, I never would have guessed this would be my most expensive meal to date.  I had always thought of it as one of my cheapest meals.  This experiment has certainly been a real eye-opener for me!

Want to make this meal?  It's easy!  Brown a pound of ground beef over high heat and drain it.  Add the cans of soup, 2 cups of pasta (the recipe I have calls for shells, but as you can see I used elbows tonight, and regularly use whatever kind of pasta I have on hand), and 1.5 cups of water.  Stir well and let it come to a boil.  Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.  Stir often or the pasta will stick to the pan (just ask me how I know LOL).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal meal!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Day 6: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

What better way to enjoy a Friday dinner frugally than by having homemade pizza?! We also had organic lemonade to drink and brownies for dessert:


Here's the cost breakdown for the ingredients:
  • Fleischmann's yeast - $0.10 (used 1/3 of a $0.29 package)
  • Wegmans flour - $0.27 (used 5 cups out of a $0.99 5-lb.(18.25 cups) bag)
  • Aldi's vegetable oil - $0.22 (I can't find the receipt but I think I paid $1.28 for the 48-oz. bottle, and I used 4 oz. for the pizza and 4 oz. for the brownies)
  • Muir Glen organic tomato sauce - free
  • Tops mushrooms - $0.50 (used half of a $1.00 package)
  • Weight Watchers shredded mozzarella cheese - $0.88 (used half of a $1.75 package)
  • Pillsbury Funfetti brownies - $0.17 (The mix was free but I used 2 eggs from a $1.04 dozen. I included the cost of the oil above)
  • Santa Cruz organic lemonade - free
  • I also used a bit of salt and oregano from my pantry for the pizza, but I used so little that I'm pretty sure the cost wouldn't change.
 Total cost of a meal for a family of 5: $2.14 ($0.43 per person).

The recipe I used for the pizza dough can be found here.  I used the "Self-rising pizza crust" recipe, but I doubled it to make 2 pizzas (1 cheese and 1 cheese and mushrooms). 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal meal...

Do you have a different homemade pizza dough recipe you've used and liked?  I'd love to try it!

It's Mega Swag Bucks Day!

Today is Friday, so you know what that means, right?  Every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the chances of being rewarded large denominations of Swag Bucks is increased.  Go do your searches now!
 
Not familiar with Swagbucks?  Here's the deal:

Swagbucks is a search engine (like Google or Yahoo).  You are awarded points randomly (called Swag Bucks) when you search the internet, answer surveys, watch videos, play games, etc.  Once you sign up (it's free!), you can also refer friends and family and earn points from their referrals.

I normally earn my points through doing the web searches only (and really, who doesn't already do that?  Why not get rewarded for what you're already doing?). I seem to get points after my third or fourth search and I try to do it once in the morning and again in the evening.  When I earn points for a search, they are generally in the 7 - 10 point range.  I've also done some surveys and earned a bunch of points very quickly.  And every Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day, where the odds of winning high-value Swag Bucks are increased.

Swag Bucks are redeemed in the Swagstore.  While there are a lot of things to choose from, my favorite item hands down is the $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points.  I know, that sounds like a lot of points, right?  I've only been using Swagbucksfor a few months (and as much as I try to get my search points twice a day, life often gets in the way or I forget) but I've already cashed in for $40 in Amazon gift cards that I plan to use towards Christmas gifts.  I figure by next year I'll be consistent enough about it that I will have quite a bit of free money to play with!

Interested?  Sign up at Swagbucks (remember, it's free) and start earning free stuff!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Day 5: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Tonight's dinner was quesadillas with sides of yellow rice and corn, and apple cider to drink:
The ingredients and cost breakdown are:
  • Mission tortillas - $0.50 (used half of a $1.00 package)
  • Wellsley Farms shredded cheddar cheese - $0.49 (I generally can't stockpile cheese because we seem to eat it as soon as I bring it home.  Instead, I used about 3/4 cup of a 10-cup package I bought at BJ's Wholesale Club for $6.59.)
  • Goya black beans - $0.17  (used at most 1/4 of a $0.69 can)
  • Zatarain's yellow rice - $0.50 (I think I remember paying $0.50 for this, but I can't find my receipt to confirm)
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh corn - $0.67
  • Tops apple cider - free
Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $2.33 ($0.47 per person).

I often make quesadillas by just melting cheese between 2 tortillas in the microwave (so quick and easy when I need to get dinner on the table in a hurry, and my kids really like them), but I decided to change it up tonight.  My kids have spoken: these were much better than the "old way." :-)

If you've never made them, they're actually very simple.  I put a tortilla in a skillet over medium-high heat and flipped it over after about 10 seconds or so.  I sprinkled some cheese on half of the tortilla and topped the cheese with some beans, then using a spatula I flipped the other side of the tortilla over to cover it (like an omelet).  After a few seconds, I flipped the entire quesadilla over to brown the other side a little more.  Remove it to a plate and cut into fourths for easy eating.  I had originally planned on cooking up some chicken and adding it to the cheese and beans, but I forgot to take it out of the freezer.  Oops!  Maybe next time. ;-)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's frugal stockpile meal...

Is there a new recipe you've tried or a favorite meal you make regularly using your stockpile?  I'd love to read about it in the comments!

Mountain Dew coupon

Coupons.com has a new coupon available for $1.00 off any 20-oz. Mountain Dew. I'm not a Mountain Dew fan but I know a lot of people like it, and I've never seen a coupon for it before.  It should make for a pretty cheap bottle of soda, I would think.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Target $10 gift card coupon is back!

Head over to Target's Facebook page for a link to a new coupon for a free $10 Target gift card with a purchase of $50 or more.  I printed last week's coupon but never made it over to the store, so I'm very happy they brought it back this week!

Day 4: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Today was a rough day.  My car died not once, but twice (at least it happened both times in my driveway!) so I was in no mood to cook.  As a result, I took the easy way out for dinner tonight.
Yes, tonight ended up being "Breakfast for Dinner":
  • Cocoa Puffs - $0.80
  • Golden Grahams - $0.80
  • Milk - free
Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $1.60 ($0.32 per person).

I promise, tomorrow's dinner won't be so cheesy. :-)

If you have a frugal meal you've made utilizing ingredients from your stockpile, I'd love to hear about it. Especially since we may need to replace a vehicle sooner rather than later, I'm sure I'll have to continue to be super frugal with my meals!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Day 3: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Tonight's dinner was baked chicken with sides of peas and macaroni and cheese.

I used these:

to make this:
I'm sorry (again!) for the picture being sideways.  I have no idea why it's doing it randomly, even though it looks like it will appear normally until I actually post it. :-(
 
Here are the ingredients and a cost break-down:
 
  • Chicken thighs - $2.48 (Honestly, this is a total guess on my part.  I found them in my freezer, but since I don't normally buy bone-in thighs, I must have found a good deal on these although I can't find a receipt.  To estimate the cost, I'm using the regular price of $0.99/pound for the Wegmans Club Pack to be on the conservative side, since I really think I only would have bought them if they were super cheap.  I'm also estimating that each thigh weighs a half pound.)
  • Idahoan instant mashed potatoes - free 
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh peas - $0.67 
  • Annie's Homegrown macaroni & cheese - free (I don't use butter to make the cheese sauce, I only use milk which I picked up for free with a coupon yesterday!)
I really really wish there was technology available to share the way the chicken smelled.  It was absolutely divine!  The picture doesn't do it justice.

Making the chicken was easy.  I poured the instant mashed potatoes into a plastic bag and tossed each chicken piece to coat (I knew I'd find a way to use these potatoes, since I don't like to actually eat them in their mashed form!).  Since it was garlic and parmesan flavored, I didn't have to add any additional seasoning to it and it made a nice crispy coating on the outside.  After the oven preheated to 450, I put the chicken in on a foil-lined baking sheet and turned it down to 375 and baked it for 40 minutes.  Easy peasy!

Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $3.15 ($0.63 per person).

Stay tuned to see what's on tomorrow's menu...

Do you have a favorite cheap meal you make from your stockpile?  I'd love to read about it -- just leave a comment!

Carmex Facebook contests

If you haven't already, you may want to head over and "like" the Carmex Facebook page.  They are having an "Add a Little Holiday Color" giveaway here, and you can also enter to win a $2500 sweepstakes here
There is also a $1.50 skin care coupon available on their page for you to print, although I've never seen their lotion or cream in any local stores (admittedly, I haven't gone out of my way to look for them).

I could certainly use that extra cash, but I'd settle for some of their lip care products for free!

New Nature's Marketplace magazine

The new December issue of Nature's Marketplace magazine is now available.  Most (if not all) of the coupons in it are repeats:
  • $1.00 off any 3 4.6oz. YoGreek Yogurt+Crunch (expires 3/31/12)
  • $2.00 off Olba's instant herbal tea (expires 12/31/11)
  • $1.00 off any Traditional Medicinals tea (expires 6/30/12)
  • $1.00 off any 2 Dr. Oetker Organics baking mixes (expires 1/15/12)
You can pick up a copy for free in the Nature's Marketpace section of Wegmans.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Mom's Coupon Affair interview

A great big welcome to readers who've arrived here via Mom's Coupon Affair!  I'm happy you're here. :-)

Also a huge "thank you" to Amanda for highlighting so many local bloggers.  For those of you who didn't realize it, there are about 30 bloggers in the Western NY area who specialize in coupons and deals and Amanda is featuring them on her blog over the next few weeks.  If you haven't read her blog before, head over there and tell I her I sent you. ;-)

To learn more about me and read the interview she conducted, check out this post.  Don't forget to enter her coupon giveaway while you're there!

Day 2: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

Tonight's chef salad and "milk shake" dinner is day 2 of my frugal stockpile meals (sorry, I have no idea why the picture is on it's side and I can't seem to rotate it!):

This one is a little harder for me to do a cost break-down for, but I'll give it a try:
  • Leaf lettuce - $1.10 (I bought a total of $3.30 worth of lettuce last week, and I'd estimate I used about 1/3 of it for tonight's salad).
  • Mushrooms - $0.50 ($1 for the package, only used half of it)
  • Trans Ocean imitation lobster - $0.62 (used the remaining half of last night's $1.25 package)
  • Hard boiled eggs - $0.26 (I *think* I paid $1.04 per dozen after my coupon and I used 3 eggs in the salad)
  • Kraft Ranch salad dressing - $0.11 (I paid $0.44 for the bottle and I'd estimate we used about 1/4 of it tonight, maybe less)
  • Pomegranate seeds - $0.04 (I paid $1 for the pomegranate and found it yielded about 1.5 cups of seeds, and I used 3 teaspoons worth in the salad)
  • Tops brown and serve rolls - $0.50 (This wasn't on my original meal plan, but I swear the coupon and sales gods were smiling down on me today.  I found these marked from $2.39 down to $0.50 today when I stopped by to pick up milk and cereal)
  • "Milkshake" - $0.17 (No milk in the shake, I combined a carton of International Delight White Chocolate Raspberry coffee creamer and ice in the blender.  I topped it with a few fresh raspberries I picked for free from my backyard raspberry bush.  Fresh raspberries in December in Rochester.  How amazing is that?!)
Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $3.30 ($0.66 per person).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's meal...

If you have a favorite frugal stockpile meal you enjoy making and serving your family, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section!

Holiday headaches?


I get headaches often, but they seem even more frequent and painful when I get stressed around the holidays.  You can bet I'll be printing off many $2 coupons good on any 20+ count Excedrin Extra Strength!  Find them over at coupons.com.

My 12/4 - 12/10 Wegmans deals

Again, not a stellar week for sales in my opinion.  I did pick up some freebies and cheapies, though!  Here is what I bought today:


2 single-size cartons of Horizon organic milk - FREE
Priced at $0.99 each, used 2 $0.55 ("double" to $0.99) coupons printed after registering here

1 strip of Fleischmann's yeast - $0.69, see note
On sale for $1.49, used $0.40 coupon printed from here
Note: I also activated the $0.40 e-coupon at SavingStar, making the final cost $0.29!

6 bottles Poland Spring sparkling water - FREE (plus deposit)
Priced at $0.99 each, used 6 $1 coupons printed from here

1 canister of Diamond Kosher salt - $0.59, see note
Priced at $1.39, used $0.40 coupon (doubles to $0.80) from here
Note: I also activated the $0.40 e-coupon at SavingStar, making the final cost just $0.10!

4 cans Muir Glen organic tomato sauce - FREE
Priced at $0.99 each, used 4 $0.85 coupons ("double" up to $0.99) printed from here
Note: There are also $0.75 coupons here, which will get you more free sauce.

2 boxes of Kikkoman panko bread crumbs - FREE
Priced at $1.99, used 2 $3 coupons from here
Note: Instead of marking the coupons down to $1.99, the cashier put them both in at the full $3.

1 Terry's chocolate orange - $1.79
Priced at $2.79, used $0.50 coupon (automatically doubled to $1, although it did state "do not double" it) from the 11/13 SmartSource coupon insert
Note: I might have been able to find this cheaper elsewhere or could have waited for a sale, but I saw it and had the coupon so I bought it.  It's a stocking stuffer tradition in our house. :-)

6 Dove chocolate singles - $0.40 each
Priced at $0.79, used 3 BOGO tearpad coupons I found in Tops last week
Note: These had a maximum price limit of $0.69, but my cashier put them in at $0.79.

6 Green & Black's organic chocolate bars - $0.50 each
On sale 2/$5 (I don't care if they're organic, I would never pay that much for a candy bar!), used 6 $1.50 coupons emailed from taking their quiz on Facebook
Note: Unlike a "bricks" coupon where you can get 2 prints by hitting your browser's back button a couple of times, you'll have to click the link given in the email 2 times in order to get your 2 prints.

1 Suave Professionals dry shampoo - FREE
Priced at $2.79, used coupon for a free item I received via snail mail (Thanks, Amanda!)

2 packages of Oral-B dental floss - FREE
Priced at $1.19 each, used 2 $0.75 coupons I recently received via snail mail
Note: These coupons beeped for some reason and the cashier doubled them to $1.50 instead of adjusting them to $1.19.

My total retail was $52.01 and I paid $11.27 after Shopper's Club and coupons, for a savings of approximately 78%.  Since Wegmans' policy is to not give overage, I was expecting my bill to be higher.  If I had known I would get so much in overage today, I would've bought a big pack of meat!;-)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Free Kikkoman products

I was sitting here puttering on my computer with Food Network on TV in the background, and I just overheard a great deal.  Go here and print a coupon good for $3.00 off any Kikkoman panko bread crumbs or ponzu sauce.  You can get either of these free at Wegmans, where the panko is priced at $1.99 and the ponzu is $1.79.  I'm not sure what the prices are at other stores, but I would guess with such a high value coupon they should be free elsewhere, too.

Day 1: 12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals

This is the time of year when everyone seems to advertise their "12 days of" whatever.  Well, since I've been really cherry-picking the grocery deals the past few weeks I decided today to do a lot of cooking with items from my stockpile that I've bought pretty inexpensively by combining sales and coupons.  To keep in the festive spirit, I'll be blogging my "12 Days of Frugal Stockpile Meals." 

Tonight's dinner was lobster alfredo with a side of broccoli:


I am not a fancy cook, my family is not picky when it comes to eating, and I'm neither a great photographer nor a food stylist. :-)  My goal for the next 12 days is to create low-cost meals using foods in my stockpile.  Unless otherwise noted, beverages were either water or milk.

Here are the ingredients and a cost break-down:


  • Mueller's spaghetti - free
  • Ragu alfredo sauce - $1.67
  • Trans Ocean imitation lobster - $0.63 (I paid $1.25 for the package, but I only used half of it tonight.  The remainder will be used tomorrow.)
  • Birds Eye Steamfresh broccoli - $0.67
Total cost for a meal for a family of 5: $2.97 ($0.59 per person).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's meal...

In the meantime, I'd love to hear about any frugal stockpile meals you enjoy making and serving your family!

Just a few 12/4 - 12/10 Tops deals

So again this week I'm pretty underwhelmed by the Tops ad.  I stopped by today just to pick up the following (sorry it's so blurry, it looked OK on my camera):


4 boxes of Cocoa Puffs - $0.80 each
On sale 4/$10, used 4 $0.85 coupons (double to $1.70!) from here
Notes: There are also $0.75 coupons (double to $1.50, making them $1 per box) here and here.  Also, if your school collects Box Tops for education, look for boxes with double Box Tops on them.

4 boxes of Golden Grahams - $0.80 each
On sale 4/$10, used 4 $0.85 coupons (double to $1.70!) from here
Notes: There are also $0.75 coupons (double to $1.50, making them $1 per box) here and here.  For added value, look for boxes with coupons on them for $1 off any 1 box of Golden Grahams Treats of Chex Mix Treats (I was only able to find 2 boxes with coupons on them).

2 POM pomegranates - $1 each
On sale 2/$4, used 2 $1 coupons from here
Note: There are also $1 tearpad coupons I saw last week but forgot to look for them again today, as well as a $1 coupon in today's SmartSource coupon insert.

The total retail cost was $35.90 and after coupons and discounts I paid $8.40, for a savings of approximately 76%.  The register also spit out a $1 off Listerine Smart Rinse Catalina coupon  (because of all the sugary cereal perhaps? haha), plus using 10 manufacturer coupons earned me another $0.10 off per gallon of gas (I'm up to $1.50 off so far -- yay!).

I'll go back multiple times this week to stock up on more cereal and pomegranates.  I also have coupons I received via snail mail that will get me a free gallon milk (to go with all that cereal!) as well as a roll of  free Bounty paper towels, so I'll pick those up later this week as well.  Overall, though, I found it a pretty disappointing week.  I've decided that partly because of this, I'll make a lot of meals frugally by eating out of my stockpile.  Watch for my upcoming posts chronicling my cheap stockpile meals!