Been a while...

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!

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!!!

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

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!

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!!!

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 ~

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!!!!

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

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!!!

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

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...

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

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

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!!!

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!!!

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...

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!

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

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...

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!!!