Adventures of a Coupon Queen

Been a while...

2011-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted... We don't have internet access at home anymore for now. Right now we are working on cleaning up and going through our freezer and pantry stashes, before getting more... It's always good to try to use through excess every so often so that you throw out less expired things.

I have a facebook page now, @Coupon Dawn. Come check it out! Not posting a whole lot right now, trying to get used to library internet again...

$1.50 supper!

2010-06-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished the best $1.50 supper I've ever had! :)

I got 2 Chef's Requested Bacon Wrapped Beef Filets for $.98 at Walmart with a $3 off coupon from www.chefsrequested.com. This coupon has reached its max, and the site states that you can register to receive an email when it resets and get 4 different $1 off coupons.

With the steaks we had Libby's green beans that I got on sale around Christmas with a coupon. I don't remember exactly how much I payed, but I think it was $.50 a can.

Free Ice Cream!!!

2010-05-20T10:22:00.001-07:00

Joy of Ice Cream

Dates: 5/22/2010 - 5/22/2010

Cool Off With Ice Cream
Get a free ice cream sundae at a Walmart near you.

Saturday, May 22, 2010
11:00AM - 4:00PM

Come have a free ice cream sundae* with Breyers new and exclusive flavors, and Blue Bunny Premium Ice Cream and new All Natural Frozen Yogurt topped with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Reddi-wip, and Fresh Strawberries.

*While supplies last.

Free Download of Rodney Atkins Song ~ Get Together

2010-05-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Velveeta, you can download this fantastic song! Can't get any better than free food and free music! Let's see if I can't find any free food today to add to it!

http://www.cmt.com/asm/atkins_rodney/

Steak for Pennies!

2010-05-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

The $3/1 Chef’s Requested Steak coupon is still available when you sign up here.

According to the Money Saving Mom blog, the Chef’s Requested Bacon Wrapped Steaks are priced at $3.28 at Walmart making them only $0.28 after the coupon. They may not be priced that near you, but still, steak for less than a dollar, is still a good deal!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Free Limeade Sparklers @ Taco Bell!!!

2010-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

First 500,000!!!

Print a coupon for a free Limeade Sparkler from Taco Bell.

Limit one per person. Coupon expires seven days from printing.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Pantry List ~ Repost from Journey To Homesteading Blog ~

2010-05-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

A question was just posted to one of my yahoo groups asking what all was kept in your pantry to help stretch your budget. So, I typed mine up and thought I'd post it here for you all... Feel free to ask questions or suggestions :)

Here's my basic pantry list (as I can think of it from my head), all dry ingredients... there's more that's frozen.

*Flour
*Sugar
*Cornstarch
*Cornmeal
*Brown Sugar
*Powdered Sugar
*Cereal (whatever I've gotten free after coupons)
*French fried onions
*Dried Fruit for snacking (I buy fruit when it's under $.99 a lb and dehydrate it myself to save money)
*A few Hamburger Helpers
*Ramen
*Cooking Soups (Tomato, Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Celery, Cheddar Cheese)
*Rice
*Ketchup
*Mayonnaise
*Tea Bags
*A few Kool-Aids
*Crystal Light (when I get it close to free after coupons)
*Crackers (usually bought only with coupons)
*Popcorn (kernels, and we either airpop or stovepop)
*Tomato Sauce
*Tomato Juice
*Tomato Paste
*Mushrooms
*Pasta (many different kinds, usually whatever I can get cheapest with coupons)
*Dried Beans & Peas
*Spices & Herbs (I usually grow my own herbs and dehydrate them)
*Dehydrated Veggies (I buy carrots, celery, etc. when I can get it really cheap, or grow my own, then dehydrate them myself)
*Other Various Soups (Chicken Noodle mostly, and whatever I can get really cheap with coupons)
*Canned Veggies (Green Beans, Corn, Peas, Mixed Veggies, whatever I can get cheapest with coupons)
*Bread Crumbs (Most of the time make my own and freeze)
*Canned Fruit (whatever I can get cheap with coupons)
*Pudding/Jello (only when I can get it free/close to free with coupons)
*Cake Mix/Icing (only when I can get it free/close to free with coupons)
*Molasses
*Honey
*Jam/Jelly/Preserves (usually can my own, or buy it when it's free after coupons)
*Peanut Butter (Buy only with coupons when close to free)
*Gravy Mixes/Jars (Only when very cheap with sales/coupons)
*Bouillon
*Sure-Jell
*Cooking Oils

DG COUPON POLICY CHANGE!!!!

2010-05-12T09:40:00.001-07:00

Wow, So I know some of you will be as excited about this as I am! Dollar General has changed their coupon policy, and has a posted copy of it on their website!!!! I'm posting it here, but it's a good idea to go to the website, and print it from there, to take with you to the store. There will be alot of employees that don't know, or are slow to learn the new policy. It can be found at: http://www.dollargeneral.com/OurStores/Pages/CouponPolicy.aspx

Coupon Policy

Updated 4/8/10

Dollar General is pleased to accept Manufacturer’s Coupons and Dollar General Store Coupons at any of our more than 8,700 stores. These coupons come from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines, print-at-home (internet), direct mail, product packaging, and in-store coupon boxes.

Our coupon requirements are as follows:

Dollar General will accept coupons, including Internet Coupons, provided they meet these requirements:

1. Coupons must be original (no photocopies)

2. Coupons must have a scan-able barcode

3. Coupons must have an expiration date

4. Coupons may be used only on products sold at Dollar General, and must match exactly to the item as it is packaged and sold at Dollar General.

5. Coupons must clearly say “Manufacturers Coupon” or “Dollar General Store Coupon”

Dollar General will NOT accept the following:

1. Manufacturer’s coupons that do not scan, or Dollar General Store Coupons with an invalid promotional code

2. Expired Coupons

3. Coupons for products not sold at Dollar General

4. FREE Item coupon if printed from the Internet, unless a purchase is required (example: a “buy one, get one free” is acceptable).

5. Coupons from other retailers or coupons that may be used only at other retailers

In addition, unless the coupons state otherwise, you may use multiple coupons in one transaction. You may also use a Dollar General coupon along with a Manufacturer’s coupon for the same item, as long as neither coupon states otherwise.

Cleaning the Dishwasher

2010-05-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Anybody else get really annoyed when they go to unload the dishwasher and there's food & nasties all over the "clean" dishes??? Well, I don't have a dishwasher myself, but when I go to my mom & dad's house, they have a dishwasher. Mom was having my unload the dishwasher for her last night and 3/4 of the dishes had to be washed again... What's the point!?!?! So... I went online and found a recipe for a dishwasher cleaner. We had found one at Walmart last night for $3-4 but that was for one use. This one is a small fraction of that!

"Every once in a while your dishwasher may need a little maintenance of its own. Check your owner's manual for information on how to maintain your dishwasher. To clean the inside of the dishwasher, occasionally run an empty dishwasher with a cup of baking soda and 1 1/2 cups of vinegar. This not only cleans the inside of the dishwasher, but also freshens it as well."

I found this on : http://housekeeping.about.com/od/takingcareofdishes/a/dishmistakes.htm

It worked great! The next load I ran there was only 4-5 dishes that had caked on stuff that was still there, and we had used the cheap off brand soap. So I'm sure if we had used good soap it would have all come off!

Ima Be an AUNT!!!

2010-04-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

We just found out about a week ago that my sister is gonna have a baby! She's just over 6 weeks pregnant. We are busy hunting freecycle, garage sales and others for baby stuff... Any good advice on coupons/freebies/must haves for the mommy-to-be? I'll be posting lots of baby stuff over the coming months :) Maybe even a giveaway if we get alot of followers... I'm at 12 right now, maybe if I reach 50 before the baby comes, in December I'll do a giveaway... Baby related of course! Spread the word!

Post your advice on coupons/freebies/must haves and I'll pass them along to the mommy-to-be!

Saving Money... as a housewife

2010-04-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Last night it was brought to my attention, through a chat on facebook with an old junior high classmate, that there are people who look down upon those of us who take on the noble profession of housewife. He asked me what I was up to these days, and I answered with, I'm married, living in Southwest Missouri, and I am a housewife. He then continued on with telling me that he didn't believe in women being completely dependent upon their husbands, and that a woman should be able to support herself should something happen (making me think that he is saying that because I am a housewife, I am unable to work or unable to make a living for myself). He also went on to tell me that he and his live in girlfriend both work full time, and are going to school full time to be nurses. The subject slightly changed to how much "work" is involved in being a housewife or house husband (as he told me he would love to be a house husband someday). I told him that most days I do alot harder work than my husband does at his job, although mine is more physically taxing and his is more mentally taxing. This "friend" went on to tell me that house work was not hard, it was not work, it just took time. So.... I decided that I would blog about this tonight. About the hard work that I do as a housewife, and how much money we are saving by doing this hard work, and by me staying at home.

*We hand wash all of our laundry, and hang dry. Most of the time I make my own laundry detergent. By hand washing, the clothes get cleaner, and whiter, and usually they smell cleaner, not of chemicals.

*With me not working, we are able to cut our gas consumption by over 1/2. We walk to run most of our errands, or we ride the local trolley. My husband most of the time walks to work. Mostly the only car running we do is to take him to work on nights that the weather is bad or we're running late, to go to church, to run errands to far away to walk or ride the trolley, or to go out of town. We can usually make a tank of gas last 2-3 weeks, if not longer.

*With me at home, I have time to cook, and cook from scratch. I use the internet for most of my recipes. We do use some convenience as of now, but we are hoping to soon stop using processed foods and do everything from scratch. This not only cuts costs but also is healthier.

*We don't have cell phones. Currently our only bills are Internet, Skype, Electricity, Water and Rent. We pay $43 a month for Internet and roughly $5.45 per month for skype full phone service for the U.S. and Canada. So for less than it would cost us to have landline phone service through AT&T we have internet and home phone.

*Obviously, I coupon. By couponing, I have been able to "buy" free HBC products, free food, and almost free cleaning chemicals. I have been able to donate them and help out friends and family members when they couldn't afford to buy food for themselves. For the past month and a half, I haven't had to buy groceries, and when I did go buy groceries or we went out to eat, it was because it was something that we wanted special. And I still have a freezer full and 2 pantries full of food! When I was working, I didn't have time or energy to do this.

*I make the internet work for me. Currently I have 3 different websites that I use to "make money". I do Inbox Dollars, Mypoints and Listia. Inbox Dollars pays me to check my email, and sends me out a check for $30 when I reach that amount. Mypoints does the same thing, but you rack up points to redeem for gift cards. Listia is an ebay style auction site where you bid points for free items. You can obtain more points by listing items you want to get rid of, among other things. I have been able to get many wonderful things so far through this site. If you would like to join me on any of these sites, please use these urls, as they give me a bonus for people signing up from my site. Inbox Dollars and Mypoints: I have to send a referral email, so contact me. Listia: http://www.listia.com/signup/27823.

Feel free to ask me any questions about these sites, or about any of the other things that I've talked about.

These are the things that I can think of so far, I would like to hear from you, my readers, things that you do to save money. Also, if you are a housewife, how you stand up for this noble choice of staying home to take care of your family.

Snowed in...

2010-03-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

Well, we were snowed in for the past couple of days. Today it's pretty much all gone though.

Friday it was 70*, we were out in the garden, tilling & planting. Went for a walk with my friend's kids, it was a great day!

Saturday morning we woke up to 38* temps, and a forcast of snow. Within a few hours the snow was falling. By that night it was below freezing, and there was 6 1/2 inches of snow on the ground.

Sunday there was no church, there was another 2-3 inches on the ground, and when we woke up there was sleet coming down. By afternoon it was all over, but we had lots of snow...

Today it is 53* and most of the snow is gone. Tomorrow is to be in the 70s again...

I broke...LOL

2010-03-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday we went to Price Cutter... (I know... I know... I'm in the middle of a pantry challenge!!! What was I thinking, going to a grocery store!!!) We only spent $7.79 though. Here's what I got.

(2) $1.00 Hodgen's Mill Macaroni & Cheese (Whole Grain)

$1.25 Hodgen's Mill Whole Grain Mini Shell Pasta

$3.29 Pimento Cheese Spread (So that when hubby isn't home I have something quick & easy for a meal)

$.89 Cream Cheese

Last night we had yummy grilled hamburgers with mozzerella cheese & french fried onions on them... OOOOO they were sooooooo good!!!

Tonight we are having hamburger gravy & cornbread :)

Rachel Ray's Oven Fries

2010-03-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe that I use for my oven fries. I don't remember which of her cookbooks it came from, but it is one of Rachel Ray's recipes. I didn't write down how long to cook them for on the recipe card when I copied it down, so we just watch them to see when they're done. Probably about 15 minutes in our oven.

Oven Fries with Herbs

3 All-Purpose potatoes, scrubbed & dried

About 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon herb mixture:

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 500*. Cut the potatoes into wedges and place on a cookie sheet. Pour the olive oil over the potatoes, and evenly rub them all with it. Rub the herbs onto the potatoes as well. Bake.

We've been continuing on with our pantry challenge. We made chili the other night, with 4 different kinds of beans, just to use up what we have. We used great northerns, pintos, kidneys & lentils. It's not too bad...

Let's Hear it for My Followers!!!

2010-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, Guys! I had all of 4-5 followers as of about a month ago! Now I have 8!!!! I know that doesn't seem like much, but those 4-5 people were all people that I personally know here around town! I would truly love to hear from my followers, what they've gotten out of my blog, or what they would like to hear from me... I am planning on posting more recipes...

I forgot to post yesterday on how the challenge was going, but the baking the fish worked well, I would say that most of the grease dripped off in the baking! Last night we then had macaroni & cheese and hot dog sandwiches. I cut the hot dogs longways and put them on bread with ketchup. (We didn't have any buns, so it makes it to where you don't have to have buns...)

Today for lunch we had the last of the leftover fried rice and mac & cheese. Not sure what's going to be for supper tonight yet.

Leftovers!!!

2010-03-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

We've been eating on leftovers for the past 2 days... Leftover fried rice and leftover fish & oven fries. The fried rice is almost gone now, and we finished the fish & fries today at lunch. We'd been having problems with the grease from the fish being fried, so today I thought I'd try something a little different. I took one of my cooling racks, and put it down in a "walled" baking sheet, and put the fish on top. This allowed the fish to warm up evenly all around, without having to be turned, and also for the grease to drain off. It worked like a charm! I'm thinking that from now on, we are going to make the things homemade (chicken nuggets/popcorn chicken, fish, french fries, etc) in the fry daddy, but not cook it completely, and then allow it to finish cooking in the oven. I'm going to try doing this idea and freezing the pre-battered items as well... :) I can't wait, I'll let you know the outcome!

Pantry Challenge Improvising...

2010-03-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Well, sometimes, when you go to cook something, you find you have run out of an ingredient... This happened to me tonight. When I went to make the fish batter for the fish, I discovered that I was plumb out of cornstarch! (That is a fairly big part of the batter.) I was elbow deep in dishes and cooking and such, so I had hubby go and see if he could borrow some from a neighbor. He very quickly came back and said that she didn't have any, but said that she had read a newspaper article that said that you could substitute flour 2:1 for cornstarch. So... here's the recipe that we used... I love the regular way, but it wasn't bad without the cornstarch... We did 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cornmeal (to add in the corn flavor) instead of 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Oh, and we didn't have any garlic powder this time either, so we just left that out (again, better with it...)

Fish Batter

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Add 1 beaten egg after mixing the other ingredients. Flour fish then put in the batter. Fry in grease at Low Temperature 375*.

~*~We have found that we also like this batter for pork chops & chicken~*~
~*~I think it tastes somewhat like Long John's batter~*~

Blessings!

2010-03-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight we were blessed with food from a freecycler here in town. She had posted that they had some unopened food that they weren't going to need because of a change in diet. So I hurried and posted that it would help us out alot. She came by this evening to bring it to us. There was 6 shopping bags of food! Sugar, flour, bread crumbs, french fried onions, powdered sugar, tea, coffee, all kinds of staples!!! Praise God for providing for our needs in times that we cannot!!!

Tonight we are having fish (from the freezer) and hush puppies (from a mix in the blessing box), and I might make some french fries (homemade from potatoes) to go with it. :) Yummy!

Day 5

2010-03-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are Day 5 and we are still in full swing. I took a break from house work today to read some of the Coupon Mom's book. I have read through the first 3 chapters, and already I would recommend it very highly! Tonight supper will be Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup (from the pantry!!!). I've been doing the Flylady system of cleaning/organizing my home as well for the past week, and tonight on the chat we are doing a "slumber/pamper party". ALL FROM MY PANTRY!!! I will try to post some pamper recipes afterwards :).

I'm sorry...

2010-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted... I've been busy working on the house... I am starting the challenge over again, with March. I'm going to try my best to post every day. :) Ok... we haven't done any grocery shopping so far, and it's looking like there won't be able to grocery shop for the rest of the month (if we do, it won't be much...) So, it's a complete pantry challenge! I'm excited cause we have alot of food to go through :). I've started inventorying my pantry & freezer, haven't got it done yet, but I have alot of food!!! :) 5 gallons of milk in the freezer, 5 chickens, 2 turkeys, just for starters!!! Here's what we've eaten so far:

Sunday: Smoked Chicken
Monday: Meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade carrot cake :)
Tuesday: Chunky Soup
Wednesday: Fried Rice
Thursday: Leftovers

Lunches are usually soup or leftovers.

All out of the pantry/freezer :) Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! I love hearing from my readers!!!

Update on the $30 a week challenge...

2010-02-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I've kinda fudged a little on it, but got some really good deals! Today alone I went to Walgreens and got some amazing deals...

(3) Jif Peanut Butter - $1.50 ea.
(3) Smuckers Squeeze Jelly - $1.50 ea.
(1) Sprite 12 pk. - $3.25 (going back on Friday, cause they're on sale 4 for $13 with a $2 RR. I didn't have enough to get all 4.)
(4) Dozen Eggs - $.39 ea. (BYGO Free Coupons from the incredible edible egg on facebook)
(1) 4 pk. English Muffins - $.99
(4) Progresso Soup - $1 ea. (Sale $1.25 ea. with a $.50 off 2 coupon)
(1) Neutrogena Facial Bar - $.25 (Clearance for $2.25 coupon for $2)
(1) Dixie Paper Plates Dessert size 48 pk. - $1.04 (Clearance for $1.59, coupon for $.55 going back on Friday for more!!!)

Total Spent: $22.63
Total Saved with Coupons: $30.53

:)

My Homemade Laundry Soap

2010-01-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

This is the original recipe. Over time I have changed it to fit more of my needs. I'll put how I changed it in parentheses after wards.

Laundry Soap (From Reader's Digest Homemade)

*1/2 cup soap flakes (I use Ivory Soap most of the time, but have been known to use whatever I've been able to get cheapest, just grate them finely, or run them through the food grater, and I usually grate up 5-6 bars)
*1/2 cup baking soda (I usually just dump in 3-4 of the small boxes)
*1/4 cup washing soday (I usually just dump in a whole box)
*1/4 cup borax (I just dump in a whole box of this too)
*(I add in 1/2 box of All-Color Bleach)

1. To make the soap flakes, lightly grate a bar of pure soap, such as Ivory, on a coarse kitchen grater (I've found if you coarsely grate it, they don't melt in the wash water)

2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together. Store in a tightly sealed container. (I usually keep mine in a 5 gallon bucket.)

3. Use about 1/2 cup of the mixture instead of detergent in each load of laundry. (I don't use near that much, I usually use between 1 Tablespoon & 1/3 of a cup, depending on how dirty the clothes are and the load size.)

Detering from the plan...

2010-01-26T18:53:00.001-08:00

Well, tonight we're neither feeling like cooking, so we're munching on garlic & cheese biscuits that we baked last night. For supper, we're having frozen meals from this last weeks grocery shopping... Oh, by the way, we bought something last night and I forgot to post it. We walked up to the gas station up the road last night and got a sunday paper and a quart of milk. Total: $4.33. We're in for a storm in the next few days... Not sure what we're in for, but ya know...

Followers!!!

2010-01-26T16:21:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited! I got on today and I gained 2 more followers since yesterday!!! Yay! Tell your friends!!! So far today we haven't done anything, I slept most of the day, since I didn't go to bed till 6:45 this morning.

I got a special present in the mail today :)

We haven't put it together yet, but it's here!!! I'm really excited. It folds down flat, for easy storage. I can't wait to get it together!!!

Day 3, Morning

2010-01-26T02:13:00.000-08:00

Well, Tonight is a sleepless night, as I'm still not feeling well. It's 4:15 am, and we are eating breakfast :). For breakfast this morning we had 1 egg, 2 apple cinnamon muffins with butter and hot tea. All pantry items :) We made up the muffins last night.

For lunch we have planned leftover turkey bowls, with the corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, turkey and gravy leftover from the last two days.

For supper we will have a ham steak (we bought a big bone in ham and sliced out some steaks from it, while they were on sale right before Christmas). We're gonna have buttered lima beans, frozen from the garden, with it.

We also made up last night some jello for today and some pudding that we ate as a snack last night. We're working on trying to eat through all of the expired and close to expired things in the pantry and freezer so that we can start out fresh.

Day 2

2010-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today was day 2 in our challenge. We had leftover ribs with baked potatoes for lunch. Instead of rice-a-roni we had baked carrots with the baked potatoes and ribs. :)

For supper, we had leftover turkey from a turkey that we bought when they were on sale for $.49 before Thanksgiving. We bought 4 of them and we cooked one up at that time to eat on and freeze the leftovers. We still have the other 3 in the freezer. We had mashed potatoes, which we already had on hand, we usually get these in a 15 lb bag for around $2.98 at Food 4 Less. With that we did gravy that I got on sale with a coupon at Target before Christmas. The veggie was corn from the garden this summer that we had frozen.

I didn't get a chance to play with the bread machine today, I wasn't feeling well most of the day. Maybe tomorrow... I'm thinking maybe a pumpkin or banana bread (I bought a case of pumpkin when they first put it out before thanksgiving with the shortage! and I have tons of frozen bananas in the freezer)

Day 1

2010-01-24T18:54:00.001-08:00

Tonights dinner meal cost us close to nothing. We did a little pantry/freezer raiding.

Smoked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Au Gratin Potatoes

Green Beans

Bread & Butter

The Ribs were given to us, as well as the bread. The Green Beans came in a box that I got of food off of freecycle. The Au Gratin potatoes were a Betty Crocker box mix that I had bought on sale, with a coupon. We will probably have ice cream here in a bit for dessert, I got those on sale with a coupon too. Got 6 bricks of Hiland ice cream a few weeks back for $0.99 each!!!! :)

For an evening snack, while we watched movies, we had yummy popcorn, popped on the stove, in a pot, with butter :) Yummy!

The ribs were done smoked on the charcoal barbecue grill. Hubby made them up, putting them on the grill over a pan of water, with the charcoal over to one side, to smoke them. They were so good they didn't even need any bbq sauce!!! They were yummy.

Tomorrow we have planned

Leftover ribs with a baked potato and maybe a rice a roni or something for lunch

and for supper, turkey slices (from a turkey, we got for $.49 a lb) we cooked before Christmas and froze the pieces of), mashed potatoes & corn & bread and butter.

I'm also going to work on trying out my garage sale bread maker tomorrow as well! :)

$30 a week Challenge

2010-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

So, we sat down the other night to figure out our budget. DH asked me, how much would I need on an average week for my household budget (personal care items, cleaning, food, etc.), and I said, well, on average here lately, I've been spending between $30 and $40 a week. So we decided that for a while at least that my weekly budget is $30. I'm going to keep track of my progress on here. I'll post my shopping trips, menus, recipes, and everything else I do to stay within that budget. We also bought me a book tonight, that I'm going to post things that I learn from. We bought The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half by Stephanie Nelson (The Coupon Mom). We also ordered my very own shopping cart so that I can start taking public transportation more for my shopping trips, and I can walk to the stores within walking distance (within a mile from the house). I can't wait to see where this takes us!

Dawn

Shopping Trip 1-22-10

2010-01-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Target:

(1) Tide Sample Size - $1.12 Coupon: $1 Final: $.12

(4) Healthy Harvest Ronzoni Pasta - Sale $1.22 Coupon: $1/2 Final: 2.88/4

(1) Honey Nut Cheerios 25.25 oz - Sale: $3.50 Coupon: $1 Final: 2.50

(2) Lean Cuisine Meals - Sale: $2 Coupon: $1 Final: $1

(3) Lean Pockets - Sale $1.79 Coupon:$1/3 Final: 4.37/3

(1) Cosmetic Bag (for use as a coin purse) - $.97

Target Discount for bringing my own bag $.05

Final Spent: 14.49

Savings: 11.05

Aldi's (went yesterday but was still this weeks budget)

Neufchatel Cheese - $.99

2 lbs Carrots - $.99

Total: $2.08

Dillons:

(2) Cheerios 14 oz. - $2.77 Coupon: $1 Final: $1.77

Total: $3.66

Savings: 2.84

Walgreens:

(2) Wet Wipes - $2 Coupon: $1.50/1 RR: $1/2 Final: FREE

(1) Dozen Eggs - $.79

(3) Chunky Soup - $3.19 Coupon: $1.50/3 Wags: $1.50 ea. Final: $1 ea.

(1) Dawn Ultra - $ 1.39 Coupon: $.25 Wags: $.99 ea. Final: $.75

(4) Lindsay Olives - $2.19 Coupon: $1/2 Wags: $.99 ea. Final: BOGO Free

Total: $7.91

Savings: $16

RR Recieved: $1

Cool contest I found to win free groceries for a year

2010-01-17T22:26:00.001-08:00

"Even if you don't want to enter, please click so I get an extra entry!!!"

Hey, I just entered this contest on Cozi.com to win free groceries for a year. All you have to do is put in your email address.

Even if you don’t enter, please click the link to help me win. (I get an extra entry for telling you.) Thanks!

View >>

Wags & Dillons Trip

2010-01-15T16:38:00.001-08:00

Total for Trip: Spent $30.48

Saved $41.38 (from coupons and some discounts)

-DILLONS-
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Sale $.85 Coupon Buy 3 get 1 free

Nissan Chow Mein Dinner - Sale $1.00 Coupon $.50 Doubled FREE

Yakisoba Cheddar Cheese Dinner - Sale $1.00 Coupon $.50 Doubled FREE

Nissan Bowl of Noodles - Sale $.89 Coupon $.50/2 Doubled

Fleschmann's Yeast - Sale $5.99 Coupon $.50 Doubled

Airwick Warmer - Clearance $.59 Coupon (Free with purchase of 2 refills) FREE

Airwick Refills - Clearance $1.99 Coupon $1/2

Glade Oil Candle Holders - Sale $1.74 Coupons $2/1, $1.50/1, $2/2

Frozen Wild Blueberries - Sale $3.99 Coupon $.65 Doubled

-WAGS-

Mother Earth News Magazine - $5.99

Post Grape Nuts - Sale $1.75

Nivea Body Wash - Sale $4.99 RR $2 Coupon $1

Herbal Essences - $3.99 Coupon FREE

Biotene Gum - $2.19 Coupon $2

Burt's Bees Hand Soap - Clearance $3.59 Coupon $1

LySyl Lip Balm - $2.99 Coupon $1 Mail in Rebate $2 MONEY MAKER!!!

AT WAGS I ALSO HAD A $3 OFF PURCHASE OF $10 OR MORE, AND A $5 GIFT CHECK TAKEN OFF!!!

Seventh Generation Sample & Coupon!

2010-01-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

This arrived in my mail today! It's a sample of the Seventh Generation Dish Soap & Fabric Softener sheets! There's enough soap to do one sink load of dishes and 2 softener sheets! And, a $1 off any Seventh Generation product coupons that doesn't expire till March! I have found these products at Target, and many of the products are very inexpensive, as Natural/Earth-Friendly products go.

Yahoo Groups

2009-11-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have started a Yahoo Group for couponers in the Joplin area to be able to swap coupons, discuss good deals they've found and let people know about freebies they've found. Come check it out! When asking to join, just tell me in the comment box where you live, and how you got into couponing.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jomocouponswappers/join

Awesome Shopping Trip!

2009-10-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Starting Price before coupons $78, after coupons $27. Included in that $27 was a box of ramen (full price) and a bag of cat litter (full price).

Febreze Noticeables $4 off coupons for both
making them $1 each

AirWick FreshMatic Ultra I Motion -
Original $6; one had a $6 off coupon, the other $4

Glade Sense and Spray -
Original $5 - $4 off each of the starters,
$3.42 for the refills, $1 off two

Glade Scented Oil Candle Holder $2.98
$2 off coupon

Free Friskies Natural Sensations Treats
$1.86 Price - Has Princess' 2 paws up!

Princess also got a new toy, a Hannah Montana dangling toy on clearance $3.50 from $7

I think Princess likes this scent the best!

Glade Lasting Impressions - $5

One Free, the other two, $4 off!!!

I figure that after buying all of these different air freshners, I can buy whichever refill I have a coupon for, and the others can be in the cleaning closet for when I can buy their refills cheaper!

More Freebies for today!

2009-07-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ok. so this one isn't for today. You have to go on Fridays to this website and Mars will give you free chocolate (from what I understand, haven't done it yet.)
www.realchocolate.com

Free Cooking with Stock Cookbook
<http://www.kitchenbasics.net/recipebooklet.htm>

All You Grocery Challenge

2009-06-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

I recently recieved an email about this and think it would be interesting to try. I already have a fairly good stockpile going. I've been wanting to work on menu planning and better budgeting within my stockpiling.

http://www.allyou.com/general/grocerychallenge/?xid=Deals&Meals6.19-300x250

All You Grocery Challenge Sign-Up
We're thrilled that you're joining the ALL YOU Grocery Challenge! Show off your shopping smarts by spending no more than $25 per family member per week on groceries over a four-week period beginning July 13. That's $100 a week for a family of four. You could win a $1,000 grocery card plus a year's supply of Knorr side dishes and the chance to appear in ALL YOU magazine.
Follow these guidelines:
During the contest, groceries that you purchase count toward your weekly total. However, feel free to grow, barter or use stockpiled food to supplement your meals. Creativity and ingenuity count!
If you eat at a restaurant or buy takeout, the cost must go toward the week's total.
Household supplies and toiletries do not count toward each weeks total.
Keep track of your money using the optional Spending Log.
Save receipts--you will be required to submit them if you are a finalist.
Post your strategies on our Grocery Challenge blog, and be sure to tell us your money-saving tips
Click here to sign up
Official Rules
The contest starts July 13 (we'll send you a reminder email), so start planning your strategies now. Good luck!

More Freebies!

2009-06-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's Monday, but here's more freebies...

This one is a drawing for a free soy candle. Drawing occur weekly.
http://www.marybachert.scent-team.com/weeklydrawing/index.php

Free T-Shirt. Pay Shipping.
http://www.vistaprint.com/qs/freet-shirt.aspx?GP=6%2f8%2f2009+2%3a51%3a19+PM&U2=dIyGRySistQzCSmcDJTb

Free Stuff Friday!

2009-06-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's just a coincidence that I happened to be here on a Friday posting free stuff, but it sounds good!

Here's some free stuff that I've come across today!

BathandBodyWorks.com - If you sign up for their emails, they'll send you a coupon for a free travel size signature product with any purchase!

http://www.movefreely.com/ Free Sample of Kotex Pads.

http://www.prilosecotc.com/en_US/consumer/ Free Sample of Prilosec OTC.

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid69402.aspx - Free Sample of Aveeno Hair Care Products.

http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13726&nid=20&zid=vz75 - Coupon for $1 off GE Energy Efficient Light Bulbs.

Shopping Trip 5-2-09

2009-05-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry there's no pictures today. I'm at a different computer, and can't figure out how to upload my pictures. :( They'll be up as soon as I can. I will categorize what I bought into a list, first what it was, the price i paid, the original price and where I got it. The price paid includes coupons, sale prices, and everything.

Item Price Paid Original Price Store
Pace Picante Sauce (2) 1.72 1.92 Walmart :(
Eggs (2) .78 1.00 Walmart :(
Always Infinity (2) Free! 5.39 Dillons
Ortega Grande Dinner 3.20 5.35 Dillons
Dawn Pure Dish Soap (2) 1.24 3.25 Dillons
Ortega Taco Sauce 1.06 2.15 Dillons
Colgate Toothpaste .50 2.15 Dillons
Tostitos Multigrain Chips .98 3.85 Dillons
Kroger Value Bread .78 .88 Dillons
Sara Lee Wheat Bread .68 3.25 Dillons
Whoppers .50 ? Clearance Dillons
Green Beans (1/2 pound) .52 .72 Dillons
2% Gallon Milk 2.57 Price Cutter
Kool-Aid Packets 2.00 4.8o Price Cutter
Reynolds Wrap 20 ft. (3) .89 1.69 Walgreens
Domino Sugar (2) 2.19 3.49 Walgreens
String Cheese 1.99 ? Clearance Walgreens
Excedrin Back & Body (2) 2.59 7.99 Walgreens
Campbell's Tomato Soup (3) .59 1.39 Walgreens
Campbell's Chicken Noodle (3) .59 1.39 Walgreens
Excedrin Extra Strength Gelcaps Free 5.49 Walgreens
Duracell 8pk AA Batteries 4.99 Walgreens
Glade 3-Wick Soy Candles (2) 6.49 9.99 Walgreens
Bayer Asprin Quick Release Crystals 1.49 Walgreens
Bertolli EVOO 17 oz. (2) 4.29 8.99 Walgreens
Hallmark Cards (3) 2.90 3.32 Walgreens
12 Roll Quilted Northern TP 4.99 Walgreens

My Couponing Adventures Have just Begun!

2009-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

I decided that my couponing was getting in the way of why I started my other blog "A journey to Homesteading" and that is why I've started this one. So that I can post my savings and my findings and not get in the way of what that one was meant to be. So I hope that I can help you learn more, as I learn more!