Last day of the month!

TIME TO CLEAN OUT THOSE COUPON BINDERS!!!! :) This is just a friendly reminder!!

Cool Deal at Target!

My kids have Leapsters. It a hand held educational gaming toy. Target has 2 of these games for $15.00 on sale (full price is $25.00). They have Wall*E and Star Wars. Also, coupons.com has $5.00 any Leapster Game. I printed those coupons. Sent my husband over to buy them

2 Leapster Games $30.00
2 Coupons off -$10.00
4 Gift Cards from the Quaker Oatmeal Deal -$20.00
OPP: $1.65 (tax)

YEAH!!! 2 games for $1.65!! I am going to put these in the Easter Baskets!!! YEAH!!!

My Easter Baskets are now ready to be filled in two weeks. :)
My Daughter will get:
WallE game ( Target Deal, Free)
Disney Jams CD ( free from Disney Rewards codes)
Crayola Tools Markers ( Menards Rebates items)
Disney Princess Hair and nails kids ( 99 after christmas clearance)
Mentos gum ( Free from Walgreens)
Dora Toothbrush ( Almost free, Walgreens)
4 small disney photo frames ( Free from a clothing share)
Juicy Fruit Gum ( Free after coupon)


My Son will get:
Star Wars Game ( Target Deal, Free)
JUMP IN music CD ( Disney Rewards, Free)
Crayola Tools Markers ( Almost Free, Menards Rebate)
Mentos Gum ( Walgreens, Free)
Diego Toothbrush ( Walgreens, Almost free)
Cars Paintset ( 75 cents after clearance)
Juicy Fruit Gum ( free after coupon)
Stuffed animal doggie ( 55 cents after clearance, walgreens)

So, most of the itesm were free or close to free. :)

Stay Frugal!

Redbox code Monday

Here is the Redbox Monday Code...sorry so late, Long day!

89ZQJ3

Remember it expires at Midnight and you must return it by 9pm the next day!!!

Walgreens Trip...

So, I was sorting coupons when I got "the itch" to go out and get the Soft Soap deal at Walgreens. I found my Soft Soap coupon and headed out.

After several transactions, I picked up:




5 bottles of Soft Soap body wash
9 containers of Mentos Gum
3 rolls of Renyold's Wrap
1 Lip Gloss

Total before coupons: $35.71
After coupons: $6.51
I also got a coupon for another Free Body Wash and $2.00 Register Reward for next time!!!!

Counterfeit Coupons??

I have had an email about Counterfeit Coupons. I will tell you that MOST coupons are not counterfeit. Yes, they are out there. If you are concerned about accidentally using a counterfeit coupon, here are things you should know.

1. If you print a coupon from an IP source, don't COPY it. Each one of those IP coupons has it's own code, so if you copy it, you will have the same code on the coupons and the coupon will be rejected. Make sure your IP coupon has the pin code/ or ID code on it and the UPC.

2. Don't buy coupons. Typically if you buy a coupon with a high value on an auction site, there is a chance that it's counterfeit. It's just better to stay away from those. Also, don't pay for coupons you can get for free, most coupons you can get if you contact the manufacturer.

3. Go to this site http://www.cents-off.com/body_coupon_counterfeiters.cfm# they have a list of counterfeit coupons. If you think you have one, look at this list or check out the many coupon websites.

4. If you come across a coupon and it's in a PDF file, Be very diligent. PDF Files are typically NOT used by manufacturers because it can be altered easily. I try to avoid PDF file coupons.

5. Be honest, let's keep couponing legit. It saves us money and those who get to greedy will ruin it for those who just want to save money. Many of these counterfeit coupons are not redeemed by the actual person who faked the coupons, they give them away to unsuspecting shoppers. Please remember if it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

I hope this answers your email. If not, PM me back. Most coupons aren't counterfeit, there are deals out there.

Stay Frugal!! Stay Honest! Enjoy finding those bargins!

Free Bowling for Kids All SUMMER!

http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/all_centers.php

This link will take you to a website that has different bowling centers that have free bowling for kids. Maybe one will be in your area! Hope some kids get to enjoy this!!!

Stay Frugal!

Stockpiling: A basic guide

I have had a few emails with questions about stockpiling. So, I thought this would be a good topic to blog about. Stockpiling is taking your sales and storing them long term. Recently, if you look at my shopping trips, I have been doing A LOT of stockpiling. I know over the summer, when I am off of work, money will be tight. My husband may or may not have a job by then so I want to make sure I am well stocked.

I bought 8 deodorants my last trip. They don't have expiration dates, but most of those items don't lose their potency for a long time. I typically go through one every 4 to 6 weeks. So I could have deodorant for up to 4 months or so before I have to buy more. I know that another sale will be along in that time frame so I am set. I actually right now have about 6 months worth of deodorant in stockpile.

Here is a photo of my bathroom cabinet.


I have enough toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, fluoride rinse, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, body wash, razors, lotion, men's body wash, Bandaids, maxi pads, Qtips, and hand soap to last about 6 to 8 months. I understand that sounds like a lot and some people don't like having that much stuff in the house; but this is what works for my family. I have paid next to nothing for most of this stuff.

When you find a clearance and you have coupons to match, buy what you can use for 3 to 6 months (depending on your storage). I bought those deodorant because they were on sale for $1.00 and I had 50 cent coupons that doubled. I had six coupons. If it just happens that I don't like them, I can give away the unused ones to a shelter or something. BUT, I am not brand specific and I typically can use just about anything.

Also, when you shop, have all your coupons with you. NOTHING drives me as crazy as seeing a clearance or sale and my coupons are AT HOME. Stockpiling takes organization and time. At first your stockpile will seem like miscellaneous piles, but it will end up being like a mini store that you can shop at when money is low.

Most of my food stockpile includes canned goods and frozen food. I also stockpile milk by buying it in bags and freezing it. You can freeze milk. Homogenized milk can be frozen up to six months. Sometimes the water can separate but it's still safe to drink. We go through milk so fast that we don't have it in stockpile 6 months. Typically I buy 8 to 10 bags at a time and we go through that in about 6 weeks. I also buy ground turkey, it's healthier and cheaper than ground beef and can be frozen for up to one year! We are still eating ground turkey from our big shopping trip in February. We have plenty of turkey frozen.

You can stockpile food and drinks, health and beauty items, clothing, cleaning supplies, etc.

I hope this answers some of your questions! PM me with more!

Wednesday Promo Code - March 25, 2009

Here is your Wednesday promo code is here, courtesy of Redbox. It is good for one free night’s rental at any Redbox kiosk.

MMM325

Expires tonight (Wed, Mar 25) at midnight CST.

Enjoy your movie !!!

Shopping trip...

With Kmart having super doubles, many coupons are expiring next week and my husband going into town to give plasma, I decided to do a little shopping. :) This is pretty much it for awhile. I am going to take a bunch of items over to the humane society for some doggies and kitties. :) Also, the rest of this week, I will record what I have in stockpile, I want to see how long all this lasts, since I normally don't shop for 4 to 6 weeks, and recently I have been shopping like crazy!!!

Okay...here is the trip...



Kmart
2 Gillette Body Washes
2 boxes of Band Aids
Soft pink fleece top (Packer logo)
Soft gray matching pants (Packer Logo)
Long sleeve t shirt (Packer logo)
1 Mega Pack of Pull ups
3 bags of Cat Food
1 box of Tea
1 box of Total Cereal
2 bags of Sun Chips
2 bags of Fritos
1 bag of Cheetos
2 boxes of Post Trail Mix Cereal
Total Before Coupons and Clearance:$138.16
After Clearance and Coupons and my $10 gift card from last month's trip: $20.66
I have to comment that the cashier this time was wonderfully pleasant, the store was nicer and they had most of what I was looking for in stock. Much better experience than last trip!!!

Then I went to Menards:


Woman's Jeans
6 packs of Crayola Marker "tools" (For their Easter Baskets)
2 Soft Soap Refills
Total: 42.11
I am getting $27.00 in rebates. I am currently waiting on $91.50 in Menards Rebates. This will really help come summer when we need seeds, potting soil, and plants. :)

Then I stopped by Logli's.


2 boxes of Glad Sandwich Bags 100 count ( this will last a long time, I haven't bought any in ages, and I needed to finally throw out the ones I have reused.)
2 boxes of Fruit Snacks
3 bottles of Gaterade
4 packages of Nylons
1 bag of Fritos
2 cans of OJ
1 rice soup bowl
1 gillette shampoo/body wash ( 14 cents after coupon)
1 bottle of vanilla
1 bag of shredded cheese
2 bottles of Sure Deodarant (yes, they were free!)
6 containers of Sauve Deo. (yeap these were free too!)
1 Dry Idea Roll On (Free)
Box of Hello Kitty Band Aids (Free)
2 4 pks of Yo-Plus Yougart cups
2 boxes of Wheat Thins Cheese Crackers
2 doz eggs
4 jars of Pace Salsa (all free)
5 Pepperidge Farm Garlic Breads
3 Ham Steaks
1 bag of Bagged Chicken Dinner (on clearance)
one bottle of garlic seasoning (on clearance)
Total Before Coupons: $97.51
After Coupons: $26.80

And Finally Walmart:


3 ALL YOU Magazines (for some friends who wanted copies of the article)
7 Mascaras (They were sold out at every Walmart I have visited, but this one had 3 racks of them! I think it's because they were priced $6.67 so I had to pay 20 cents per mascara where the other Walmarts were all $6.47) I didn't clean them out. I left at least 20 or more there!
2 Gauze pads (I got a IP coupon in a ROAK envie! So I wanted to use it before it expired!)

Total before coupons: $56.67
After coupons: $11.50

Total before coupons: $334.45 Total spent: $101.07. 69.8% in savings and I am getting $27.00 back in rebates. I got myself a cute pink and gray outfit. Not a bad trip.

Coupons and Samples

Here are some coupons

Glade Fragance Collection LINK
Fill out the form and they will be sent to you.

Pace Salsa $4.00 off any jar!! (Now EXPIRED!!)
LINK

**********************UPDATE 3-30-09************
Pace Salsa coupon is from an instant win game. You can now WIN this coupon ( 1 in 20 chance). So, here is the link http://www.pacefoods.com/default.aspx
************************************************


Free Sample and Coupon for GasX
LINK

"Found Money"

A local TV station had a story about Unclaimed Property. I didn't think we had any but I looked up all the names in our family and sure enough. My name came back as having money waiting for me.
I filled out the forms and today I got a check for $15.37. Not a lot of money but for 42 cent postage stamp and a little time, it's gas money. :)

Make sure you check your state's unclaimed property lists, you never know what you might find!

Walgreens Clearance and Rebate items

Went to Walgreens this morning to pick up some of the rebate deals. I ended up finding that they were clearancing out razors and deoderant. So, I got out my coupons and found a few good deals.



Here is my transactions.

Transaction one:
Schick Quatro Razor (had a free MP3 exercise arm band inside)
Gilette Fusion Razor
Guinness Men's Slippers ( On clearance)
2 bottles of Natural Solutions Bathroom Cleaner
Right Guard PRofessional Deoderant
Dry Idea Deoderant
2 boxes of Kitchen Garbage bags

Total Before Coupons: $62.87
Total after coupons and RR's: $21.11
And I got another $4.00 RR for the last transaction.
I am sending in for $10.00 in refunds on this transaction.

Transaction two:
3 more packs of Reach Dental Floss
Total: $9.50
After coupons: $8.00. I was expecting to get a $6.00 RR like last week ( I thought it was a deal through the end of the month, I was wrong, it was $3.00 RR)
So, I got the $3.00 RR for the last transaction.

Transaction three:
Schick Intution Razor
3 refill 4 packs of Soleil Razors
2 Degree mens Deoderants
2 Degree Womens Deoderants
2 snack pizzas
Total before coupons: $50.92
Total after clearnace discounts and coupons: $13.67
Total after my RR's from the other two transactions: $6.64

So, out of pocket I spent $35.75 and I am getting $10.00 back in rebates. The one Razor had 8 free music downloads and another razor had this armband that you can put your MP3 Player in while you are exercising. I needed the garbage bags, running low on those.

Redbox Code Monday

Here is today's redbox code. HG7W56 Enjoy your movie!!!

Freebie and coupons and ramblings

Good Nights Boxer Sample
LINK

Energizer Hearing Aid Battery Sample
LINK

CoffeeMate $1.50 off IP
LINK

Post Trail Mix Cereal $2.00 off IP
LINK

Pop Tarts .55 cents off IP
LINK

Coupon Booklet with $10.00 worth of coupons in it
LINK

I didn't get many coupons in my newspaper this week. Which is fine, I need to catch up on what I have. There is a great deal at Target and Menards. Not food related, but I may get over there anyways.

I am really stocked for food right now. All my stockpiles are stocked. I am putting together a bag for our food pantry, because they said at church that more and more people are going there for help.

Also, I have not posted this yet, but since my hubby is laid off and getting a bit impatient, he decided to start giving plasma. In our area, they pay $250 a month for plasma donation. I am scared of needles, so I can't do this, but he is not bothered by it so he started donating last week. They don't pay cash, they pay in a Visa Gift Card. So, after one week, he has money on there already. At least he feels like he is doing something to help.

I am still socking away as much as I can towards our savings. We will not be debt free this summer, due to the lay off, but we have enough money to pay for our bills for 2 months while I am not working over the summer.

STAY FRUGAL EVERYONE!

Good Weekend!

Well, I sent my husband over to pick up the Quaker Granola Deal at Target. I gave him a handful of different Quaker Coupons. I told him to only use if it's a great deal. He called me to say he saved $69.49. I told him that was great. Then I asked him how much he spent. He told me $54.62. I was speechless!! LOL. I didn't expect him to spend that much for Granola Bars. He kinda sheepishly said,"I did get $30.00 in Gift Cards back." Which I was happy about and told him I was proud of him for doing his best. He told me that he may be married to a coupon queen, but he isn't qualifing for coupon king. We both laughed and it's all good! LOL.

He got:
6 boxes of Quaker Fiber Granola Bars
16 boxes of Quaker Oatmeal
5 boxes of Quaker Oat Cereal
2 boxes of Quaker chewy Granola Bars
2 bags of Quakes
Total: $54.62 after coupons
He got $30.00 in gift cards for Target
Also, there is a rebate fun pack on the boxes of Chewy Granola Bars. So I will send in for them.


Then today, our church cleaned out their refrig. They do this every other week. They asked if I wanted the milk (unopened) and some soup. :)

Then, another couponer came over and traded with me. I got some winetags and 24 rolls of rolaids for 2 of my mascara coupons. :) Great trade! I can use the winetags and my husband uses rolaids alot. She also told me about some winetags she has seen at our local grocery store. I went over there and scored one $2.00 chicken, 2 $2.00 ham, 2 $1.00 eggs, and 2 $1.00 OJ coupons. So it was worth the short drive over there!!!

More Shopping...

I have to admit our family has done alot of little shopping trips lately. I normally don't but we are trying to stockpile loss leaders so we can make the money stretch.

Today, my husband went out and got:
Sentry:
3 packs of hot dogs
2 4pks of Yougart
1 4 pound sugar
6 cans of soups
Total after coupons:$8.01, but we used our visa gift card so NOTHING out of pocket

Walgreens:
Transaction 1:
2 Reach Dental Floss
1 2pk of toothbrushes
Total after coupons: $7.00 and I got a $6.00 RR back

Transaction 2:
Electrosol Dishwasher Tabs
4 packs of Paper Plates
1 box of Antibotic Band Aids
2 tubes of Crest Pro Toothpaste
Total after coupons: $5.01, and I got a $1.00 RR. Which was odd, because I thought that was high. Sure enough, they overcharged me for the Electrosol Tablets, so I have to go back and see if I can get a refund. I used a RR, so I doubt that I can, but I am going try.

*************************
UPDATE: Went to Walgreens and they refunded me the Electrosol, no problem. I love the local Walgreens! Very coupon friendly and no hassle returns!! I sure hope it stays that way!!!
*************************

My husband will go out tomorrow to do the Target deal. I want to see what he comes back with. :) I will keep you posted!

Stay Frugal!!!

YEAH! My husband won a $100 gift card!

Recently, when we went to meet Clark Howard, there was a sign up for a drawing for a resturant gift card. Today in the mail, he got a letter stating he won! $100 at a resturant that we really like!! YEAH!!! That will be 2 maybe 3 meals for us!!!

We are so happy!!!!

Redbox Free Movie Wednesday Code

Redbox Free Movie Wednesday Code for March 18th

Today's free movie rental promo code is: GTL456

Enjoy your movie!!!

Trip to Walgreens

WOW! I found some great deals at Walgreens.
It seems they are clearancing ALOT!

Anyways, I got:
4 bottles of Acid Reducer Tablets ( my husband uses these nightly)
1 bottle of Acid Blocker Tablets
1 watercolor paint set ( Easter Basket item!)
1 2pk of toothbrushes
2 packages of dental floss
4 bottles of soda
Total: $22.75
After coupons and my RR: $12.19
I got $9.00 in RR's back!!!! WOO HOO!! 4 bottles of my husband's medicine typically cost $47.96 ($11.99 a bottle). I spent $12.19 and I got $9.00 back in RR's!!
Also, we only had 2 dental flosses left in stockpile, so getting 2 more helps keep my stock.

Some coupons

Windex Outdoor All in One Cleaner Coupon LINK

Tidy Cats Coupon LINK

Pepsi Buy 2 12 pks get one Free Coupon LINK

Degree Woman's Deoderant Coupon LINK

Degree Men's Deoderant SAMPLE

Redbox Code For Monday, March 16th

The Promo code for a free movie rental for today is:

2GR4N8

Enjoy the movie!

Ways to help others...

...as you read my blog, you probably think,"WOW, does she have enough razors, toothbrushes, candles, cat food,etc??"

I wanted to share with you what happens with some of these items and other ways I use my shopping skills to help others. These are ways you can help others too.

First of all, my stockpile has helped me with Church donations (the church asks everyone to bring in food, personal items, etc. to help needy families). I don't always have the money to donate, but I can always put together a bag full of items that others may need.

Second, Pet supplies have been donated to local shelters.

Third, I have traded coupons to help other women who need them.

Forth, many ( not all) food pantries want your extra coupons. Since food pantries are only to help supplement families food shortage. Many pantries (including my local one) take your extra coupons and put them out for the families to look through and take what is needed. Many of these families can't afford Sunday papers so they don't get the chance to pick up the coupons that are in them.

Fifth, teach others. I use these blog and just talking to people who are interested to teach them ways to save. Not only using coupons, but stockpiling, reusing, reducing debt, etc. By teaching them, They can also teach others and the word is spread.

In these economical difficult time, try to use your skills to help others. If you end up getting 12 packs of razors ( like I did), keep half for your stockpile and donate half to a local shelter. I am sure some homeless father going for a job interview would be relieved to use it for his next job interview. If you kids outgrow their clothes, donate them to a clothing exchange. There are so many ways we can help each other and support each other.

STAY FRUGAL!!!

I went out shopping...

Logli's had a 87 cents sale on meat, so I had to get over there!!! I stopped at a few other places on the way.

First stop:
Walmart
I wanted to pick up the free mascara. I also found a pair of pants I have been wanting. They were on clearnace. OOP: $5.63

Then I stopped at Walgreens:
I needed to use that $3.50 RR that I still had. I picked up the razor that was $8.99 with a $4.00 RR. I had a $4.00 coupon for that. I also picked up Electric toothbrushes that were on clearance and I had a 75 cent off coupon. Those will go in the kids baskets for Easter, since they both have been wanting one.
Total:$22.97
After Clearance and coupons: $5.01
OOP: Zero
Used my rebate card from February, so I didn't spent anything out of pocket and I got my $4.00 RR on the Razor.

Next Stop:

Menards:
They had a lot of Free after Rebate items. I wanted to get my friend something simple for her birthday. They had beautiful 3 tiered candles for free after rebate. So I picked up those and alot of other things. You have to spend $10.00 of NON Refundable items to get the Free Rebate items. So, I picked up the Bird Seed they had on sale.
I got 2 40 pound bags of bird seed
1 bottle of gas treatment for the car
3 photo books
3 lighters
1 box of Forever Bags
1 bottle of Pure Dish Soap
1 can of RainX
2 polo shirts
4 candle jars

Total: $87.67
Total after my rebate credits from last time: $72.77
I am getting back $55.51 in refunds. So, I can use these next time I shop there. I am using the Polo Shirts, Candles and Photo Books in gifts. So, overall, alot out of pocket but worth it!

Last Logli's:


They had a meat sale!
3 boxes of Super pretzels
24 cans of Friskies canned cat food
1 can of OJ
5 bottles of Hot Sauce
4 packs of Cat Treats
3 boxes of Apple Jacks
2 bottles of Dr. Pepper Soda
3 bottles of Apple Juice
2 bagged salads
15 pounds of Pork, Ham and Chicken

Total was $65.40
After coupons it was: $34.95. I also got a $5.00 rebate on the ham, so I will send that in. :)

If you are in the South Eastern Wisconsin Area...

...BP Gas Stations have started their Free Baseball Game Promotion. Fill your gas tank with 8 gallons of gas and get a stamp on the stamp card. Fill up the card with 8 stamps and get a free Brewers Baseball Game ticket. :) This is one way we get to go to one free game each summer. :) Enjoy!!

The ALL YOU Magazine Has Been Released

I am on page 70 of the April 17th Issue of ALL YOU magazine that is sold at Walmart. I am feeling kind of nervous about it. I has a nice photo of our family with our church members singing in the church. The story is written in first person but I didn't actually write the story. I am hoping my story inspires other woman, the other 3 stories they had were very inspiring.

I hope you check it out and give my some feedback!

Quick Run to Sentry

Sentry had some good prices, so I decided to grab the loss leaders. I didn't buy much else. Just trying to keep the shelves stocked!

Sentry:
2 packages of butter
3 packs of chunk cheese
3.25 pounds of grapes
1 can of fruit
4 pounds of chicken

Before coupons: $19.38
After coupons: $12.15

Not a great coupon trip, but we need basics like butter right now. The chicken was a great deal for 4 pounds and the grapes were a nice treat!

Want to get coupons?

Since Red Plum sends coupons in the Sunday Paper, and so many newspapers are closing down, Red Plum is starting to send coupons directly to your mailbox! You can follow this link http://www.advo.com/consumersupport.html Fill it out and get coupons mailed to you.

Also:
Soft Scrub Scrubbers $1.00 off LINK

Bertolli Oven Baked Meal Coupon LINK

Free Sample of Caress Body Wash
LINK

Aveda Shampoo Sample LINK
Must fill out survey for this one.

1.50 IP coupon for Pampers Diapers
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100502/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100502&source=bzzagent1

REDBOX CODE MONDAY!

Here is the code for today
F3T9L6

Enjoy your video!

Freebies and 100 Disney Rewards Points

Freebies:
Dove Hair Care Samples
Heat Defense Sample
Intense Damage Sample

Free Coupon for BOB's Country Sauce

This one is for WI and Ohio Only:
RED GOLD Tomatoes has a tote bag when you sign up for their newsletter. Also, you can print IP coupons 50 cents off one can of their tomatoes. LINK


DISNEY REWARDS POINTS
Click on the Blu-ray tab when you log into your account.
Do you feel your television is better suited in an antique show than in your living room? HDTV is the answer you've been looking for. Like all new technology, it can be confusing...but, not to worry! Choose "PLAY ALL" and watch the ENTIRE clip for a complete education and to earn your points.
You'll receive 100pts for watching.
http://disney.go.com/disneymovierewards/

Walgreens Trip

Walgreens has a great deal right now! Buy 8 Dove items and get a $10.00 RR. So, I decided to get over there.

First Transaction:
8 Dove Bath Bars
Total: $8.36
Paid on my Rebate card, so no money spent. I got the $10.00 RR.

Second Transaction:
Michelina's Frozen Meals ( On clearance for 76 cents each)
Wal-Zyr Tabs
Walgreens Headache medicine
4 packs of Angel's Soft Toilet Paper
1 bottle of AXE shampoo
1 Tube of Kids Toothpaste ( on clearance and I had a coupon)

Total: $13.80. I used the $10.00 RR from my Dove Purchase and I used a $1.00 RR I had from a few weeks ago. Also, I will be getting $12.97 back in Walgreens Refunds! I used my refund card, so no money out of pocket.

Last Transaction:
Colgate Toothpaste
Total: $2.72 after coupon
I got a $3.50 RR back for the next time I shop. :)

I still have a balance on my Refund Card. So I can save that for my next trip. I have $3.50 in RR's for next time also. So, no money out of pocket!! :) YEAH!!!
The soap I will not only use for washing, but it has a strong scent, so I will put one bar in each of my clothing drawers ( the soap stays in the box) to make my clothes smell nice ( I quess this won't work if you don't like the scent!) The frozen meals will be for my work; .76 cents for the meal, 25 cents for milk and I have a meal. :)

Shoppers Hotline taking new members

Shoppers Hotline is asking for new members. If you are interested, email me at frugalmommie22@hotmail.com. I will email you the reference number ( You need it in order to join). They don't pick everyone, they need so many people in each area but it's worth trying to apply for. Shoppers Hotline is a program that keeps track of what you buy, and you get points for letting them do so, then those points transfer to cash on a gift card. The gift card is a VISA and can be spent any way you want. They send you a scanner, and when you bring something into your home, you scan it. It also wants you to scan coupons when you get ready to do some shopping. I earn about $125 a year doing this. They have surveys and a RX program that you can participate in to earn more points.

Interested? email me! :)

I met Clark Howard and My Financial Story

For those of you who don't know who Clark Howard is, he is a great money guru. His website is www.clarkhoward.com. He has a national radio show and TV spots about money saving and finances. WOO HOO! He is a very positive and friendly person. He is an amazing man and I was thrilled to meet him!

I got to meet him tonight and share part of my story with him.

For those of you who don't know my story, here is a very short version. My ex husband and I divorced 2000. I had no job and he maxed out 6 credit cards. We had been doing credit counseling, but our financial lives were a mess.

After the divorce, I met and married my husband, he brought in $20,000 of credit card debt in to our marriage. So, when we got married, we decided we had to get control of our $52,000 in massive credit card bills!

Now, despite 2 layoffs, a birth of our son, buying a home and my husband breaking his leg in 3 places back in 2003, we are almost credit card free. We have paid off over $45,000 in credit card debt. We have paid off our Van. Currently my husband is unemployed but we are ahead in all our bills and still trying to pay down that last $5,300. We have an emergency fund and are doing okay.

SO, when someone says it's too hard to clean up their finances, they need to listen to Clark and other great financial minds and learn how to do it.

Tonight was a great "pick me up" again, since concern about my husband's lay off is on my mind. Also, Clark, prayers for you as you "manage" you cancer. You and your family are in our families prayers.

STAY FRUGAL EVERYONE!!!

Recent Sunday Paper Coupons and Time to clean out binders!

If you get the sunday papers, check out the last few weeks. Last week was coupons for free gum and this week was a coupon for free hot sauce. Also, there was BOGO coupons for cat food. Now, maybe you won't use those coupons, but if you trade on the forum boards, you may find someone who wants them. Just a thought!

Also, it's the end of the month! Time to clean out the coupon binders!!!

Stay Frugal!

Quick Sentry Pick up

My husband went and picked up his redbox video tonight so I had him pick up some good deals and freebies. Not a great trip...but we needed the Laundry Detergent.

Here is what he got:
Kashi Frozen Entree ( use for my lunch at work)
3 Bottles Laundry Detergent
2 bottles of Dr. Pepper
2 packs of gum ( will add to Easter baskets)
1 doz eggs
2 packages of Oscar Mayer Meats

Total: $19.99
After Coupons: $8.42

RedBox Code Monday

Sorry, this is late, we had a family pet die.

Here is the code today.
MS72K3

Remember to turn in the video before 9pm tomorrow to avoid fees!

ENJOY YOUR MOVIE!

Tennis Shoes

Both of my kids are growing fast and their tennis shoes were very old and worn out!! I haven't bought any..I keep telling myself that we have to find a great deal. We did! Today after church, we went to get prices on a wooden cabinet ( TOO EXPENSIVE..have to figure something else out for that!) Anyways, Shopko had buy one pair of shoes get the second at half price. Not typically a sale that moved me, but it included clearance shoes AND I had a gift card from WAY back that I haven't used.

So, we found cute tennis shoes for both kids on clearance and a plastic toy box on clearance. After sales and the gift card. We paid $3.00 out of pocket!! The kids got new shoes and I didn't have to break the bank!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!