Free For All Friday

There are so many great free things to score today.

Fisher Price is offering a free Precious Places DVD for the little princess in your life. Click HERE to request yours.

Mattel is offering a free Geo Trax DVD- HERE.

Enjoy!!!

Frugal Friday

Ahhh.. SUMMER!!! I never imagined how much I would truly love the school calendar! Last night I had a summer vacation theme trip to Target- The summer fun headquarters in my humble opinion. Thank you Lifeasmom.com for hosting Frugal Friday- check out her great site for more $$ saving tips and tricks!

Today's post will be dedicated to one of my best friends; The Target Coupon Generator.

Click here to visit this new friend of mine HERE!

I visit this link frequently- I simply plug in how many of each I want and print. You can cash in as many coupons as you want- ONE per Item. This week print a scad of the Edy's ice cream coupons. The single serve ice cream treats are only $0.19 each! Head over to coupons.com for an additional $1/3- that will make 5 of them FREE when paired with 5 Target coupons.

Target has many great deals in their Trial Sized lane- Nexcare bandages, vasaline, 10 varieties of deodorant, hefty garbage bags (3 bag trial pack), and a variety of sunblocks are all FREE. Target is great- if the coupon does not say NO TRIAL size, then they take it no problem.

If the register does not recognize a match, tell them to over ride and ask for a manager. Every target has a "white phone" near customer service on the wall. Target has a chain wide coupon policy, 1 coupon or combination of coupons (1 Target Coupon and One Manufacturer Coupon per item). Individual stores cannot vary from corporate policy. The white phone is a direct connect to Target Corporate- during all operating hours. If you find a coupon scrooge- threaten the phone and demand a manager. The ladies at Plattsburgh Target are super- they know the drill and nearly jump out of their skin for you!!

Some of the Best finds this week:

Buy 4 Lipton tea ($2.50 each for a total of $10) pair with 2 $1 off coupons from Lipton web site and 2 $.60 coupons from 5/11 or 6/3 Insert- pay about $6.80 out of pocket, get a $5 target gift card.

Buy a Gillette Razor ($7.99 on sale from $13) and a deodorant or body wash ($3.49) use a $4 coupon from June inserts for the razor, $1 off body wash, or $2/2 deodorant, so pay about $7 out of pocket, Get a $5 gift card

Use the Target coupon generator for $2/1 soft soap coupons. The double packs are priced at $6- buy 2 for a total of $8 out of pocket (there are some great $2 off manufacturer coupons from late May to drop the cost to $4/2 double packs) get a $5 gift card

Pace Salsa (gourmet) is on sale for $2.09- pair with a $.50 Target and $1 manufacturer (6/11) coupon and pay only $.59.

Tide to Go Pens are on clearance near the Pharmacy on an end cap in Plattsburgh. Two pen packs ($5.49 REG) clearanced to $2.47- pair with $1 off Late May coupons to pay only $1.47 for 2!

I also found a variety of Kraft products on clearance near Frozen Pizzas- ($.10-$.50) after last month's Kraft coupons.

Coupons.com has a variety of Hasbro game coupons- one happens to be $5.00 off for Pictureka. At Target these coupons are accepted for travel size games as well. I printed 2 coupons and purchased 2 @ $1.64 each- Perfect for age 6 and up. A great summer treat for the favorite school aged kiddo in your life.

Today I enjoyed my first outing with my neighbor- I fully intend to have her hooked on coupon shopping before she turns 12! I thought her eyes were going to pop out when the cashier took her coupons and she watched her total shrink from $25 to $2.02- She felt a little guilty until I explained the concept to her. Thank you for joining me Mikayla- I look forward to many girls outings this summer!

free finds

Glidden kicks of National Glidden Pain Giveaway tomorrow 6/25 (Thursday). Visit their site by clicking on the paint can, select a color, and they will send you a free quart of paint.

Value Mags is offering a free 24 month subscription to Parent's Magazine over the next 48 hours. They also have a few other mags to pick from. I have hit a few good ones over the last year- and they are really free!

Click on the Magazine to sign up.

I am on summer vacation mode as of tonight- Watch this space for new improved and timely coupon match ups and $$ saving offers/promotions. 2009 is my summer of savings!

Thank you OrgJunkie for helping me start my week off right. I am trying to buy only what I need, but have managed to stockpile quite a bit. This week my menu features some beautiful farmer's market finds, and many of my Price Chopper deals.

• Monday: Chicken Parm with angel hair pasta, dole bagged Veggie Blend Salad, Garlic Bread using Farmer's Market Herb bread
• Tuesday: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Watermelon
• Wednesday: Ranch Burgers, Oven Roasted baby Potatoes, Broccoli
• Thursday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Panini Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
• Friday: Seafood Boil- Lobsters are $6.99 this week, I have frozen Shrimp, corn, and sausage in the freezer.
• Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes (maybe banana or McMama's Spinach and Sour Cream, Johnsonville Sausage, fruit, Bagels and Cream Cheese
• Sunday: BBQ- Hotdogs, Drunken Chicken, Salads, Watermelon

Recipes of the Week:

Cheese Tortellini Salad

In Large Salad Bowl Combine the following

• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. buttermilk (1/4c milk with 1 tsp vinegar will work too)
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing mix (powder)
• 2 tsp fresh minced chives
• 1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1 bag cooked and cooled frozen Cheese Tortellini (Cook according to package, dump into ice water to stop cooking and cool).

Mix all together, cover and refrigerate. Guaranteed to be the hit at your next picnic.

Pregnancy Pickle Poppers

I love pickles- Dill pickles! When I say pickle I mean Dill pickle- to me they are the only variety! No you will not have to be pregnant to enjoy them, but they are sure to please the pregnant or non-pregnant pickle lover in all of us.

You will need:

• 1/2 lb Deli Sliced Ham (Cut on #2)- I love Saleen Ham
• 1 Brick Cream Cheese (Good time to cash in the Kraft Philladelphia Cream Cheese Coupons)
• 1 Jar Dill pickles- whole (spears or slices are not ideal)

Place 1 slice of ham flat, spread lightly with cream cheese. Roll a pickle into the ham slice. Cut log into rounds. Chill and serve.

Not Me Monday 6/15/09

Thank you McMama for hosting another great edition of Not Me Monday- a fabulous blog carnival where you can clear your mind and soul from all of the things you would never do!

Wow- There were so many things that I would never consider doing.

After my mother evicted her useless boyfriend- I certainly did not spend the better part of a week collecting dog and cat hair to package in with his belongings. Shed? Not my animals! Annoy the heck out of Dickie by making him face something he really hates when he unpacks his things..Not ME!! Never!

And while we are on the topic I certainly didn't share the tale of his disloyalty, thievery, and nastiness with his ex-in-laws, the mail man (mine and my mothers), or any of his co-workers- NOT ME!!

For the past 8 years I have had to cook with his allergies in mind- no salt or pepper in anything- Pass the Peppers and Hot sauce- I am certainly not wearing a large grin!

My mom is free- her spirit and face certainly show it!!

Wags 6/14-6/21/09

I have been full of butterflies this week- The construction of our new Plattsburgh Walgreens is in full swing- I can't wait until it opens, but until then I will continue to trek to Malone when the deals make it worth my while. This week the deals may require several trips in.

• All Axe shower Gel and Shampoo are Buy 1 get 1 50% off- there are many $2 coupons (coupons.com) Use 2 on 2 and get two for about $1
• St Ives Body Wash $2.99- Use $1.50 6/7 coupon to pay $1.49 out of pocket, Bring home a $2.99 Catalina= Free, with $1.50 overage
• Reusable Grocery Bags 3/$1 with in ad coupon, Hefty Food Storage BOGO with in ad coupon, use 2 $1 coupons from 5/11 insert= $1.39/2
• Gillette Fusion $9.49- $4 (5/11 or 6/7 coupon)= $5.49 out of pocket, Bring home $2.50 Register Reward= overall $3 out of pocket
• Buy 8 for $8 register reward or buy 6 for $4 Register Reward (Skippy PB or Ragu $2/4, Hellmann's Mayo 2/$7, Lipton Tea 2/$5) There are many Skippy, Ragu, Hellmann's and Lipton coupons out there from inserts and online) It will be easy to pay little or none out of pocket to get this great RR deal!!
• Off Mosquito Coil/Clip- On sale $9.99, print out a coupon for a free refill ($4.99 value), add a $3 coupon from 6/7 Smart Source= $6.99 oop, free refill, take home a $3 Register Reward= like spending $3.99 for both.
• Right Guard or Dry Idea Deodorant- $.99 each with in ad coupon, use online coupons or one of many from last 6-8 weeks to get 3 for free.
• Kleenex $.89 limit 3 in ad coupon, pair with $.50 off/3
• M&Ms candy 2/$5, use $1/2 6/7 coupon= 2/$4, Bring home a $1 register reward

happy shopping!!

Price Chopper Best Chops 6/14

Oh the deals are plentiful this week at Price Chopper! Earlier today I brought home almost $160 of groceries for less than $40.00. At just about 75% in savings it was a great day!

Printable coupons via www.coupons.com, www.pricechopper.com, www.redplum.com, www.couponbug.com, and www.kraftfoods.com will help you chop your bill nicely with little fuss. There were a few good coupons in the Press Republican and Troy record, but not the greatest.

The other coupons I will mention were from 6/7 smartsource, P&G insert and Supersaver.

Great deals

• Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs BOGO again (2 pkgs for $1.60 after kraft coupon)
• Ballpark Hotdogs BOGO (Use 2 coupons from 6/7 to score 2 for $0.79)
• Bryers Ice Cream $2.48 (use $1/2 or $1/1 to get each carton for $0.48-$1.48 each)
• Price Chopper Large White Eggs $0.99
• Dole Salad BOGO (Use 2 $1 coupons from Dole online= 2/$0.49)
• Edge Shave Gel $2- free with any of many recent $1 coupons
• Too many deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo free deals to mention
• Wheat Thins & Triscuits- $1.99 (free with any of many $1.00 coupons)
• Keebler Chip Deluxe Cookies BOGO (use 2 $1/1 coupons= both free)
• Ragu $1.78 (many $1/2 or $.60/1 coupons= $.68-78 each)
• Kraft BBQ Sauce $.99 (free with coupon- Kraft)
• Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad $1.19 (.40 coupons online= $.39 each)
• Hood Simply Smart Milk- Price Chopper Catalinas over past month= $.99-$1.99 per half gal.
• Reynolds Recycled Alum. Foil= on sale $2.29 (use one of many $1/1)= $.29
• Arm & Hammer Laundry Soap BOGO (use $1 printable on their site x2)= 2/$.99

Our local Flyer has 3- double paper products coupons up to $3 to be paired with manufacturer coupons- Huggies has had many $3 coupons- cases are on sale. This makes each case of huggies $11.99. That is by far the cheapest I have ever seen. I will be going back several times for this deal alone.

• Buy $15 worth of Clorox, Clorox Cleaner, Glad food storage, KC Masterpiece Marinades, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (Mix and match recent coupons to pay less that $5 out of pocket for $15 worth of goodies. Bring home a $5 catalina towards your next Price Chopper Adventure.
• Buy any 4 on sale Ice cream products (all on sale $2.99 with coupons rampant for $1/1 on all sale products)= pay $.99 out of pocket on each, $4.96 for 4- bring home a $4 catalina towards your next trip in. In the end you get 4 boxes of Yum for $.99- I am stocking the freezer- Emma loves ice cream (Who doesn't??)

Blogging Vacation

This week has been very hectic! Tomorrow I will post my weekly Price Chopper coupon matchup. There are MANY wonderful deals! Lots of Catalina and rebate offers, and if you were lucky enough to grab a Troy Record on 6/7 (or two or three of them) you will be rewarded richly!!! Life has gotten a bit hectic here and we have been running back and forth all over the North Country this week. I feel like a ping pong ball.

New Ads

Love the concept of the new Blog Ads now featured here. Blog Frog now offers ads and offers targeted to the viewer, not the publisher. Ads are simple- register, fill out a profile and we both earn a little $$ every friday based on traffic and offers viewed. It works via paypal and so far I have had two Friday deposits. Happy frogging!

Loving the Legos!

Lego is giving away a FREE 2 year subscription today. No Strings attached, no $$ at all out of pocket. Thank you Money Saving Mom for sharing! (Click on the Magazine to get yours today!)

Great Chops- How My Plan Worked Out

I was really disappointed when the Price Chopper Flier came out this week. It looked dismal again. Last week I felt the same way, but ended up having two great shopping experiences. Today was another fantastic trip! Well worth the planning and I was glad I had an extra hour to browse and find unadvertised specials.

Drum Roll Please.....Grand Total was 258.98 and my total out of pocket was $71.35- a 73% savings!!!

I was able to stock up on Summer favorites (Crystal Light, Ice Cream Toppings, Salad Dressing, Jello, Snapple Ice Tea). I was also able to pickup many personal care items for free (Suave Shampoo, Right Guard Deodorant, St. Ives Body wash, ACT Mouthwash). There are so many great BOGO and B1G2 deals that give you 2-3 free items instead of just one!

Some Unexpected Finds
Soda Pop Ice Cream Toppers ($1.00 coupons I found on ebay) 99 cents after coupon
Johnson&Johnson Baby Wash 2/$5 (used 2 $1 coupons from last weekends smart source)= $1/2
Betty Crocker Brownies $.99/ used 75 cent coupons to get them for $.19- what a great deal, down from regular price of $1.79.

I felt so good about my price Chopper Run that I headed over to Target. I was able to score double packs of Pantene Shampoo for $1.12 each. I took advantage their trial size department and brought home 2 free Purell and 2 free Banana Boat Sun Screens. I walked out with $53 worth of great finds for just over $21. A great day!

Price Chopper best chops 5/31-6/6/09

At first glance the flyer is filled with a bunch of junk this week, but with a little creativity there are indeed some good deals.

This afternoon www.coupons.com , www.couponbug.com , and Price Chopper online coupons re-set and re-stocked. There are lots of great Kraft and useful grocery coupons to satisfy the coupon addict in all of us!

Some of the best deals:

Chef Boyardee- 10 pk case $9.99 (use 2/$1 off 5 coupons from yesterdays saverpack)=$5.99

Butter $1.69/lb- Limit 3. There is a $1.00 off coupon via ISave

Jello 6pk pre-made snacks in dairy section- $2.69- $1/2 printable kraft coupon = $1.69 each

Dole Salad- 40% off this week. Use printable from coupons.com or 5/31 insert for a bag or 2 of free salad greens

Marzetti Dressings $2.99- $1 www.redplum.com coupon= 99cents

Suave Shampoo is on sale for 88cents (use 75cent coupons from 5/17) and they cost 13 cents each

This week there are great BOGO deals on personal care items
ACT 18oz Mouthwash
St. Ives Body wash
BIC Comfort 3 Razors
Soft Soap

Right Guard Deodorant is B1 G 2

All of these have been featured in multiple Sunday paper inserts over the last 2 weeks. Put two in your cart- turn in 2 coupons (or 3 right guard with 2 coupons). Get them all for about 50 cents total out of pocket. Thank you Price Chopper for doubling up the free things this way!!

Raisin Brand 2/$5 (use $1 Kelloggs coupons that were featured several weeks ago online) to kick the price down to 50cents per box.

Wise Cheese Doodles- There was a 5/17 coupon for 50cents off in smartsource. Use 2 coupons on this BOGO promotion and pay about $1.79 for 2 big bags.

Kraft Salad Dressing on sale for $1.99. Visit any of the coupon centers above to print free $1 off coupons. FREE AGAIN THIS WEEK!

Hefty Garbage bags $3.99- use $1 from 5/17 or 5/10 inserts to pay only $1.99

Sorrento Cheese has offered many coupons in most Sunday papers over the last month. I have been holding my multiples waiting for a sale. Jackpot this week!!! Most Sargento cheese (Mozzerella, String, Ricotta) on sale for $2.99- use $1 off coupons to pay just 99cents each. I am stocking the freezer full of 8oz Mozerella. I will also plan on Lasagna next week to use up some Ricotta.

Did you find any other good Price Chopper Deals this week? Happy Chopping!

Not Me Monday

Thank you McMama for hosting such a fun, spirit lifting, and free Weekly Therapy Session. We continue to pray for baby Stellan!

While talking to my mother's annoying significant other I certainly was not thinking; How can I make him shut up? (Duct tape) How can I make his disappear into the bathroom for hours? (Visine) How can I send him to the hospital for an extended summer vacation? (import a little Ebola).. Not me! No Way!

I didn't roll my eyes at a volunteer this morning when she told me I shouldn't answer questions about fire safety posed to me by my new graduate intern...Not me! That would be so rude..To react in such a snot nosed way to a nosey volunteer...

I didn't eat a bag of nestle dibs for dinner. I certainly would not rationalize it by claiming it was dairy.