Money Saving Challenge Today

Today was just a beautiful sunny day with the nicest breeze. Nice days always make me very energetic. So this is how I saved money today:

- Breakfast was 7 Grain Hot Cereal with flaxseed and cut up peaches. 

- I reorganized my pantries to accommodate a huge box of food that my son brought to us last night. They are now following the Evolution Diet and some of their food did not fit in with their plan. Since they have always eaten very healthy, I was more than happy to take the food off their hands. Besides the aforementioned cereal, he brought another kind with flaxseed, honey, sugar in the raw, Splenda for baking, candied cherries for baking, Edy's fruit pops, condensed milk, 2 bags of basmati rice, a bag of organic unbleached white flour, a huge McCormick Barbecue seasoning, many different bags of dried beans, 2 jars of Hellmans mayo ( much to DH's delight) and so many other things that I can't remember them all. I was thrilled. I will always take any free food that comes my way. He mentioned he needed to go to the market for dishwasher detergent, so of course I went to my stockpile and gave him 2 boxes and 2 containers of Dawn dish liquid also. One hand washes the other!

- UPS brought me 12 - 8 oz. Kraft Parmesan Cheese ( pictured) that I ordered at Amazon.com through Subscribe and Save the other day. One container at Top's cost me $ 3.49. These cost me $ 21.13 after coupon code and free shipping. I used gift certificates earned through SwagBucks to pay for them. Even if I had to pay for them, it would have cost me only about $ 1.76 a container. There have been no coupons for these so this is the cheapest way I could get them. Are you jealous, Michelle? ( She is my DIL and loves this cheese!)  

- Did two loads of laundry today using cold water in the HE washer and I dried them on low in the dryer. My back wouldn't let me hang them today.

- Did a full load of dishes in the dishwasher on the quick cycle. I put them away after they air dryed.

- Continued reading my John Grisham novel that I received free through BzzAgent.

- I have been organizing a grocery list for Budwey's - a new to me market that I want to check out.

- Lunch was spicy chicken bites with blue cheese dressing.

- DH and I watched a DVD, late this afternoon, from Netflix: The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey. 

- The mail today brought a magazine from Wegmans with some nice coupons inside and $ 6.29 in a rebate. 

- I made a new recipe ( pictured ) for dinner. The recipe is here:  Chicken ala Crescent . But I made some substitutions. I used leftover turkey from our dinner on Sunday. When I went to make it I realized that I had no curry powder, so I substituted a mixture of  coriander, turmeric, cumin, and ginger. I also used pepper jack cheese instead of monterey jack cheese. I used my fresh chives from my garden.
I also made bigger packets with the crescent rolls. We ended up with 4 larger ones which will give us two meals. These were absolutely delicious but I think they would be even tastier if I add thinly sliced green olives with pimento next time. Actually I think I will add them to the leftover sauce for tomorrow night's dinner. This recipe brought back memories of my grandmother making us creamed chicken on toast when I was a kid. 

- Now I am going out and join DH on the glider in front of the fire he has going. We are still burning the wood from the pallet that the fireplace came on. I will use free wood any day. I can't wait for them to start building in here soon so that I can raid the dumpster for the pieces of wood they throw away.

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with us what you did to save money today.   


    

For Those of You in the Lockport/Amherst area: Groupon

 The Groupon today is for the Davison Road Inn in Lockport. For $10.00 you get $ 20.00 worth of Pub Fare and Non- Alcoholic drinks. It must be used by Feb. 2, 2012.

DRI is located at 383 Davison Rd. in Lockport. You can sign up here for this Groupon. You can also look at DRI's website here:  Davison Road Inn  This is a terrific place to wind down after a long day with their delicious hamburgers, pub sandwiches and appetizers.  DH and I won't have any trouble finding food on the menu to bring our total over the $ 20.00. Then we can add a couple of beers and we will have a very nice night out.              

Exploring Another Option: Dash's Market

Yesterday after my dental appointment, I explored another option for groceries. There are 4 Dash's Markets in the Buffalo area. I had never been to one and decided to shop at the Clarence/Lancaster store yesterday. You can read more about these markets here:  Dash's Market 

I was pleasantly surprised with their selection of meats and seafood and will definitely be shopping their specials as soon as my meat supply dwindles in my freezer. They also had deli meats and salads that were  calling to me. My son told me that the best roast beef he has ever had is Red Osier. So I broke down and bought a lb. and DH and I had sandwiches for lunch. He was right. It was delicious. I have not had as good roast beef from Top's or Wegmans. It was $ 6.88 a lb. which was a sale price. Of course I had to buy 4 Kummelwick rolls to with it. They were $ .40 a piece which is about 1/2 the price of what I have been paying for inferior rolls at Top's. I also purchased two packages of boneless chicken at $ 1.88 a lb. which is a good price here.

We have a very large neighborhood party this weekend. For this party, I need to bring a watermelon basket full of fruits, a large tossed salad and 2 bottles of wine. Since their watermelons were seedless and $3.88, I grabbed one. I also picked up peaches, green peppers, local tomatoes all at $ .88 a lb. Cucumbers were $ .50 each. Cantaloupes were $ 2.45 each. They had the best looking produce in a market that I have seen in this area.  I have many more fruits and veggies to get for the party food and I will purchase them at Niagara Produce the end of the week. The things I got yesterday will keep keep in the refrigerator until then. 

I also picked up 2 - 2 ltr. Diet Cokes, one free after coupon, baking powder, Butter Buds, croissants from the bakery, 2 Simply Orange Juice at $ 2.88 each, and a lb. of potato salad from the deli( DH's surprise).   Considering all the meat and produce I purchased, I think I did well paying $ 50.80 OOP.

This market is going to become a staple for us for meat, seafood, produce and baked goods. I am hoping to make a trip there every 2-4 weeks especially for great sale prices. 

I also stopped at CVS while I was out and purchased the pictured Oral B Floss and the flavored water for $ .38 after coupon and a $ 2. ECB earned for taking a survey and I received a $ 1.00 ECB. 

Do any of you shop at Dash's Market? Is there a particular meat, seafood or any other item that you feel is superior from there?  

It's Very Important to Look at ALL the Options

In my quest to make sure that I am getting the best prices in my area, I work all kind of options. Since Top's only has a few of the things on my list at the cheapest price this week, I shopped at Aldi's today. With prices increasing so rapidly, Aldi's is fast becoming my favorite store. 

Because I am keeping a price book, I know what items on my list are cheaper at Aldi's 99% of the time. So I looked at my list this morning and decided that was where I was going to shop today. On the way there I did make a quick stop at Walmarts for $ .34 after coupon Tucks.

At Aldi's I purchased 3 stove top stuffing for $ .89 each, a loaf of white bread for $ .79, tortilla chips for $ 1.19, 3 lbs. of onions and 5 lbs. of salt potatoes for $ 1.99 each, onion soup mix for $ .79, taco sauce for $ 1.29, a jar of Spanish olives for $ .99, Fit and Active Neufchatel for $ 1.29, 3 jars of medium salsa for $ 1.19 each, and 2 crescent rolls for $ 1.49 each. My total was $ 19.54. 

One of the stove top will get used for dinner tonight. I am cooking a turkey breast dinner for my son, DIL, my grandson, DH and I. I had no leftover bread to make stuffing so this is next best thing. I use chicken stock in my stove top and leave any butter out. We rarely buy white bread. I usually buy 9-12 grain; however DH wanted some white bread to make a steak sandwich for lunch. I am so busy today that I didn't have time to make a homemade loaf.

A mainstay in our home is salsa and chips not only for lunches but snacks. The tortilla chips are always a great price at Aldi's and so is the salsa. DH and I love this Casa Mamita salsa. It is our very favorite and about $ 1.00 less than the supermarkets for comparable salsa. 

I was out of potatoes and we love salt potatoes. The same goes for the onions. Crescent rolls are something I rarely buy. I think it has been a couple of years since I have purchased them. However, I am trying a new recipe this week that I need them for. The neufchatel is for the same recipe. The onion soup mix is so cheap there. The taco sauce we have never tried.  Since we emptied our bottle this week, I decided to try theirs.

Aldi's is so much cheaper than the supermarkets on most items that I have no coupons for. Even if I do have a coupon, they are sometimes cheaper. You have to test their no name brands to see if you like them. We have found very few that we don't like and believe me when I say....DH is very fussy about his brand foods. A lot of the items are made by the major manufacturers. You can almost tell by their design who the manufacturer is.   

I will be picking up a few things at Top's tomorrow on my way home from the dentist. And I am also planning a trip to a supermarket that I have never shopped in. We will see how that goes.

Do you shop at Aldi's? Is there a product that they sell that you absolutely love? Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us.    

Money Saving Challenge The Past Twenty Four Hours

These are the things we have done to save money in the past twenty four hours:

- Snagged a Free Steak Dinner coupon from Outback Steakhouse on Facebook last night

- Signed up for Crest Complete Samples

- Turned off the sprinkler system since we got many hours of rain last night

- Watching all of the episodes of Jericho on Netflix. Cheap entertainment.

- Completed my grocery list for Sunday shopping and pulled all of my coupons

- I had no more baking powder in the house and I am not seeing any sales on it. So I made my own this morning using 1 tsp. of baking soda and 2 tsps. of  cream of tartar. I used it to make banana bread. I had 3 bananas that were getting way too ripe.

- Received a Free survey product to try. 

- Working on the drugstore ads to see if anything is cheap that we need

-  Breakfast was homemade oatmeal and peaches.

- Thawing $ 1.99 a lb. chicken breasts( 2 small breasts) to make homemade sweet and sour chicken for dinner

- Lunch will be thai chicken soup from the stockpile

- Ordered another free Amazon Gift Certificate from SwagBucks

- Mailed out $ 14.00 in NBPR Rebates

- We have an area that is puddling when it rains on the patio. The contractor is back today to remove the pavers in that area and relevel the base and reinstall the pavers. This is a big job but since we paid a fortune to have the patio installed, we want it done right.

- Turned off some items in the house that were drawing phantom power.

- DH and I went for a long walk for our exercise today. We brought our new water bottles( pictured) that I purchased for $ 2.10 each at BonTon over the weekend. 

- Did some research on other dentists in the area. I found that the dentist I am going to is much more expensive than every one of the others. I found an office that is clean and the staff was friendly and more than happy to answer all of my questions. This dentist I think we are going to switch to is 35% less costly than the one I go to now. I have 2 more to research.  I could kick myself for not doing my research when we first moved here. It always pays in the long run.  So Friday will be my last appointment with this one and that is only because I am already partially paid for the filling being done that day. I like this dentist but I am going to let him know( after he does the filling) we are leaving because he is too expensive compared to everyone else and he is not willing to give me a discount. I am sure his answer will be...but I am the best. My answer to that will be that at my age, I don't need my teeth to last another 50 years.

-  Planning a frugal but fantastic Fall vacation.

- The dishwasher was full of glassware but not many dishes. So I ran it on 1/2 load to save on water and power.

- Made some more homemade eyeglass cleaner. We keep two bottles of it in the house. We just refill the orginal store bought bottles by refilling with 1/3 isopropyl alcohol and 2/3's water.

That is it for today. However I have to confess to a spend today. I got sick and tired of my gray hair. So I not only got my haircut today but I had my hairdresser color and highlight my hair -back to my original color which was a sandy brown. Total with tip after my 20% discount was $ 67.00 and worth every penny of it. I love it and the teenager who was in the salon and watched me get it done, said : You look 20 years younger! I wanted to bring her home with me. :-) But the best part...DH loved it. I have been in chronic pain since March and finally had someone diagnose my problem after many weeks of PT and many different Doctor's appointments. I have sciatica which is a pinched nerve in my back. I have resolved myself to the fact that there is no cure for it but surgery. But that is not something I would do. So I am learning to live with it and doing the little things that I can to get some relief. I tell you this not so that you can feel sorry for me but so you will understand that I needed to spend that money on my hair to make me feel better. Sometimes you just have to do it!

Feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us what you did today to save money.     

Top's Deals Starting Next Sunday

I don't usually have the time or energy to share these with you. But tonight, I have some spare time and thought I would share the Top's deals that I see so that you can order your coupons. Please ignore the rough draft or any mispellings:

Update: There is also a coupon in the ad for up to $10.00 off when you transfer a prescription to Top's Pharmacy. Its says nothing about not good in NY.    
  

Tropicana- 59 oz. - $3.00 – Use $.1/1 from 7/10 or 8/7 RP = $ 2.00 

Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Links, patties or crumbles - $ 3.33 – Use $ 1.50/1 – 3/6 RP = $ 1.83 

International Delight Creamers - $ 1.66 – Use $.55/1 IP Coupon = $ .56 each 

Yoplait Greek Yogurt -- $1.00 – Use $ .50/1 – 7/31SS doubled = Free 

1 lb. package of Land O Lakes Butter Quarters - $ 3.49 – Use 8/7 SS - $ .50/1 = $ 2.49 

Friendship Sour Cream - $ 1.50 – Use $ .55/1 IP Doubled = $ .40 

SuperPretzel Soft Pretzels - $ 2.50 – Use  $ .50/1 MQD from 8/14 RP = $ 1.50 

Starbucks 16-17.6 oz carton - $ 3.50 _ Use $ 1.50/1 IPQ = $ 2.00 

Keebler Jumbo Fudge Sticks - $ 2.00 – Use $ .70/1 IPQ Doubled = $ .60 

Buy 10 cans of Libby’s Vegetables( $1.00 each)( all bought in one transaction)- Get an instant $ 2.00 off = $ 8.00 –Use $ 1./4 from 8/28 RPQ’s = $ 6.00 or $ .60 a can. I am thinking it might be a good time to stock on corn and carrots for winter soups. 

Buy 10 Libbys canned fruit) not tropical) - $ 1.50 each – Get $ 2.00 off instantly = $ 13.00 – Use 8/28 RP $ 1./2 MQ’s = $ 8.00 

Newmans Own Pasta Sauce or Salsa - $ 2.50 – Use $ 1./1 IP = $ 1.50 

2 Libby’s canned Pineapple - $ 1.33 each – Use $ 1./2 8/28 MQ’s = $ .83 each 

Vanity Fair Napkins or Plates - $ 2.50 – Use $ .55/1 RP( DND)= $ 1.95 

Kraft Salad Dressing – 16oz. - $ 2.00 _ Use $ .55/1 IPQD = $ .90 each ) extra 200 gas points wyb 6 

Sweet Corn - $ .33 an ear 

Mann’s Vegetables - $ 2.00 – Use $ .55 MQD = $ .90

I personally don't think this is a very good week and will be getting just a few of these. 

A Coffee Run

There is one thing that DH and I refuse to go without and that is coffee. Right now we are drinking our last bag of Dunkin Donuts. We still have a Rite Aid can that we got free in the stockpile. But I was getting very nervous about running out. Have you noticed how high the coffee prices have gotten? There was no way I was going to pay $6.00 to $10.50 a can at my local market. Since I don't shop at Wegmans very often, I was not aware that they had their brand on guarantee through 2011. Didicoffeegirl let me know that it was $ 2.49 a can. Thanks Didi!   So I made a run and picked up 4 cans yesterday. We will try them and see if we like them. If so, I will be stockpiling them.

On my route they also had a Tops which I stopped at to get 8 more Dannon Oikos yogurts and a Walgreens where I did two more orders of Dawn ( 6 bottles). At Wegmans, I also picked up their Italian Classics Tortellini for $ 2.49 with a Wegmans $1.00 store coupon, 2 bottles of Hot Sauce for $ .19 each after doubled coupon, 2 Keebler Fudge Sticks for $ .59 after coupon, and 4 Pounce cat treats for $ .19 after coupons.

My last stop before I headed home was to Petsmart for a 30 lb. container of cat litter. While I was there, I picked up a package of Friskies new Crispies cat treats to see if the cat would like them. They were $ .50 after the $ 1.00 coupon from Sunday's paper. She loves them so I will be watching for a better price on these.

Always feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us any great deals you get.
   
   

Another Stockpile Shop and Miscellaneous

DH drove on fumes this morning to his dentist appointment. I told him I would fill the car up at Top's after he came home. I did and paid $ 2.399 a gallon after saving $ 1.40 off a gallon with my Top's points.

While I was there, I did a little more shopping. Besides getting some more of the items I bought yesterday....2 Coffeemate, 2 Nabisco To Go Paks, and 2 LOL's margarine, I purchased 9 Dannon Oikos Yogurt; one was free with the Parade coupon and I used $ 1./2 MQ's on the other 8. They ended up costing $ .50 each.  BTW, they freeze very well. I also picked up 4 Heluva Good Dips for $ .67 each after $ .50/1 IPQ's.  And lastly, I purchased 2 - 200 ct. Scotties tissues for $ .33 each after $ 1./1 IPQ's.

I am starting to wonder if the dentist we found after we moved here is too expensive. DH's appointment for a cleaning and the bonding of two front teeth today cost $ 525.  In the past ten months we have paid OOP a total of $ 5963. for 3 fillings, one crown build up, bonding of 2 front teeth, 1 root canal, 3 cleanings, 1 deep cleaning, 2 sets of X-rays, 1 extraction  and a laser polish. I still have to go next Monday for a filling which will cost $ 263. Then I am sure he will want to charge me another $ 238. or more for a cleaning within days of that appt. Is this what it costs these days for dental in the Amherst, NY area?  Or I am being overcharged because I pay cash? If anyone in the Buffalo area who visits my blog could comment and let me know if these figures are reasonable, I would really appreciate it. I feel like I am paying way too much. I paid about half of this for the same services in Arizona.  

In the mail today, I received my free Money magazine and free Self magazine. I also received a $ 5.00 rebate check.

Feel free to leave a comment and let us know if you got any great deals today. And please let me know if you think these dental charges are reasonable. 

Sunday Stockpiling

I have spent most of the morning making the rounds for my shopping. I went to two Top's, a CVS and a Walgreens. The Top's shops I will consolidate. And yes, I bought lots of junk food today. I love chips. It is my biggest downfall diet wise. So I have stockpiled for months since I had ECB's to burn which were expiring and coupons. I bought enough Kettle chips and Palmolive Dish Liquid to get a $ 10.00 gasoline card. Not all of the soda is in the picture. It's too much for me to lift it so many times. The D in the shops stands for doubled. 


This is what I purchased: 

Tops:  

1 Carefree - $ .99 - Used $ .50/1 MQD= Free

16 Nabisco Cookie and Cracker Go Paks - $1.00 each - Used $.75/2 MQD = $ .25 each or $ 4.00 for all 16

6 Glad Storage Bags - $ 2.50 each - Used $ 1./2 MQ = $ 2.00 each or $12.00 and I received 200 gas points

6 Glad Trash Bags - $ 6.99 each - Used (4) $ .50/1 Vocalpoint QD and (1) $ .50 Vocalpoint Q not doubled and 1 - $ 1./1 Vocalpoint Q =  $5.99 each for 5 and $ 6.49 for 1 = $ 36.44 and I received 200 gas points 

10 - 2 ltr. bottles of Diet Sierra Mist - $ 1.00 each - Used (5) $ 1./2 MQ when you buy veggies or fruit = $ .50 each or $ 5.00

5 ears of corn - $ 1.67 ( This was the purchase to be able to use the soda coupons. I had her ring them separately in case there was any question on the coupon.) 

1 Fresh Express Iceberg Garden Salad - $ .99 with Tops Super Coupon - Used $ 1./1 Vocalpoint Q = Made $ .01

2 Pkgs. of 85% Lean Ground Round - on sale for $ 2.99 a lb = $ 6.13 and $ 6.37 for total of $12.50

1 -16oz. Pkg. of Land O Frost Honey Ham - $ 1.99 with Top's Super Coupon - Used $ .55/1 MQD = $ .89

2 - 48 oz. PineSol ( I love this stuff) - $ 2.99 each - Used $ .50/1 IPQD = $ 1.99 each or $ 3.98

2 Dozen Egglands Best Large Eggs - $ 2.00 each - Used $ .35/1 MQD = $1.30 each or $ 2.60

4 Coffeemate Bliss Creamers - $ 2.00 each - Used $ .55/1 MQD = $ .90 each or $ 3.60

2 Land O Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste Spread - $ 1.66 each - Used $ .50/1 IPQD = $ .66 each or $1.32

1 Florida's Natural OJ - $ 3.00

Total OOP was $ 86.99+ tax.

I spent alot but I wanted to stock on trash and storage bags while they were on sale. I had no storage bags left and I was on my last box of tall kitchen trash bags. Since I could also get bonus gasoline points and had coupons, it was a win win. Have you noticed how expensive these have gotten?


Walgreens:

3 Dawn Dish Liquid - $ .99 each with In AD Q - Used $ .50/1 MQ's = $ .49 each

Total OOP was $ 1.47 + tax.



CVS:

11 Bags of Kettle Chips - $ 2.50 each - Used (11) $ 1./1 MQ's = $ 1.50 each or $ 16.50

3 Palmolive Dish Liquid = $ .89 each or $ 2.67

Used $ 5.99 in ECB's

Total OOP was $ 13.18 + tax and I received a $ 10.00 Gasoline Card for this deal.  

Please feel free to leave a comment and tell us about any deals you got today. 

Money Saving Challenge - August 18

These are the things I did today to save money:

- Breakfast was homemade zucchini bread using free organic zucchini

- I had a package to ship today. I needed packing material. The only material I had was newspapers but they make the box heavy and get newsprint all over everything. So instead of buying packing material, I used small packages of Bounty Napkins that I got free a few weeks ago. The recipient gets a bonus and I saved money.

- I shipped the box at UPS and got a 5% discount using my AAA card.

- The mail today brought $ 47.86 in rebate checks, my Free Better Homes and Garden magazine, and a Kashi Bar sample and $ 1.50 off any Kashi product coupon. It was a very good haul.

- Washed a blanket in cold water in the HE washer and hung it to dry.

-  Lunch was homemade chicken soup using leftover farfalle, chicken, broth from the freezer and various veggies from the fridge.

- I forgot to change the filter in the furnace the beginning of the month so I did it now. It was getting dirty since we have been running our A/C almost all summer.


- I need more shelving units in the basement to house my stockpile. So I have DH watching for a sale. Meanwhile, I will check Craigslist.


- Made apple, tomato and celery juice with my juicer this morning. 


- Making good use of our Netflix subscription. We have been watching "Jericho".


- Planning a stockpile list for Wegmans tomorrow since I have other errands to run down that way. I only get to Wegmans about once a month.


- I also scoured the Tops ad for next week. There are very few deals that I will be getting.


- Dinner is being grilled as I finish this. DH is grilling onion and potato packets that I made up, fresh pineapple and sirloin steaks from Kansas City steaks.


- DH will be watching football tonight for entertainment so I think I will continue working on a Christmas gift that I am making.


That's it for today. Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us what you did to save money today.    

Stockpile Sunday

I have decided to start stockpiling again and not put a limit on the money spent. I will write a post later this week and explain why. So I bought a lot of deals this morning. Not everything is pictured because of the busy day I am having between shopping, having company this morning and having my kids and grandson here for dinner. I have a few minutes before I have to get the leg of lamb ready for the oven.

This is what and where I purchased today:

Rite Aid:

2 Carefree Pantiliners - 20 ct. -2 for $ 2.00 -Used $ 1./2 RA VV cpn & (2) $ .50/1 IPQ's = Both Free 

6 - 4 packs of Simplify Bath Tissue - $1.00 each - Got Wellness 20% off = $ .80 each. I had an RR to burn so might as well stockpile something we use all the time.  

Used $ 5.00 UP Reward

Paid $ .42 OOP which was all tax!  The cashier said she didn't know if the $5.00 UP would work on the tax but it did! 

Walgreens:

3 Boxes of Kleenex - $ 1.09 each with In Ad Cpn - Used $ 1./3 MQ = $2.27

2 Expo Dry Erase Markers - $ 3.99 each - Used (2) $ 3./1 IVC Q's & a $2./2 IPQ = Both Free

2 Dove Chocolate Bars - $ .49 each - Used B1G1F Tearpad Q = $ .49 for both

3 M&M Peanuts - $ .49 each There is a $ 1.25/3 cpn but I had none left and basically used them for fillers and will save for Halloween. So Paid $ 1.47.

Used $ 4.50 RR

Total OOP  was $ .40 which was all tax. The cashier had a lot of trouble with coupons beeping but he made it work. 


CVS:

5 Vaseline Total Moisture Lotion - $ 2.50 each = $ 12.50 - Used ( 4) $ 1.50/1 MQ's = $ 6.50

1 Hershey's Almond Bar $ 1.19 - Free CVS Cpn - This Q was actually for a different Hersheys bar that my store didn't carry, so they let me substitute. = Free

1 gallon of Byrne FF Milk - $ 2.49

1/2 gallon Byrne Orange Juice - $ 1.99

2 Gain Dishwashing Liquid - $ .99 = $ 1.98 - Used $ 1./2 MQ = $ .98

1 Revlon Nail Polish - $ 4.99 - Used $ 1./1 MQ = $ 3.99 and I received a $ 3.00 ECB  

1 CVS 20 ct. Fabric Bandaids - $ 3.69 - Used Free CVS Q good up to $4.29 - This took the entire $ 4.29 off so I made $ .60

Used $ 4./20. CVS Q 
Used $ 11.00 in ECB's

Total OOP was $ .86 and I received  $ 3.00 in ECB's.


Tops ( this was done in 2 different orders but I will consolidate to save time):

1 Pkg. of Boneless Chicken - on sale for $ 1.99 a lb. = $ 9.37

8 Dial Hand Soap - $ 1.00 each = $ 8.00 - Used (8) $ .35/1 MQ's doubled = $ .30 each or $ 2.40

7 Bounty Basic Paper Towels - $ 1.00 each = $ 7.00 - Used $ .25/1 MQ's Doubled = $ .50 each or $ 3.50

4 Muellers Spaghetti - $ 1.00 each - Used ( 4) $ 1./1 MQ's = Free

16 Baileys Creamers - $ 2.00 each - Used ( 16) $ 1./1 MQ's = $ 16.00 or $ 1.00 each

4 Salada Tea Bags - $ 1.99 each - Used $ .75/1 MQ's doubled = $ .49 each or $ 1.96

1 Larry's Potatoes - $ 1.00 - Used Free MQ = Free

20 Diet Adirondack ( Waist Watchers) Soda - $ .99 each - Used (10) $ 1./2 MQ's = $ .49 each or $ 9.80

4 Lipton Brisk - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .50/1 Tearpad Q doubled = Free

Total OOP was $ 43.03 plus tax and bottle deposits.

Feel free to share with us any great deals that you got today by leaving a comment.  
      

It's Been a Busy Day!

This morning DH and I went and picked up the organic co-op vegetables. On the way home, we stopped at Top's so that I could pick up 6 more Purex laundry detergent and 1 more Kozy Shack. This time they had restocked the Purex Free and Clear for All Machines so I was thrilled.

After we got home, I sauteed up the rest of the yellow squash in some olive oil for lunch. It's pictured above. I absolutely love yellow squash. 

Next I decided to turn this:

   
into this:

That is two loaves of zucchini bread loaded with zucchini, yellow raisins and walnuts. DH is now eating his second piece so it must taste really good. I used this Betty Crocker recipe. But instead of the sugar, I substituted Splenda.

The leg of lamb that you see in the picture is thawing for dinner tomorrow night. My son, DIL and grandson will be coming for dinner.  Since they have been away at the ocean in Hampton Beach, NH for the week and have now returned, I have missed them and look forward to dinner with them. 

Later I will be making Banana Brown Betty from the bananas above. Some will be for that and the rest will be used to make juice, along with some other fruits and vegetables, in my juicer.  

For dinner I am making Chef's salads with cheese, ham, turkey and lots of fresh veggies. I am loving the tomatoes and cucumbers this time of year.

Then we plan on relaxing and watching a movie on Netflix. It will be a nice way to wind down from all of activity. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

HE Detergent is Usually So Expensive

Finding laundry detergent that can be used in my HE washing machine at a decent price is a real problem. Since I am on my last container, I have been looking for a decent deal. So when Didicoffeegirl posted about this Purex Laundry Detergent deal at Top's, I was very hopeful that they would have some that I could use in my washing machine. WooHoo, they did. Thanks Didi! 

While running other errands this morning, I stopped at Top's and this is what I purchased:

6 -50oz. Purex Laundry Detergent for All Machines - on sale B1G1F =  $ 4.99 each = $ 14.97 - Received $ 3.00 off instantly for buying 6 = $11.97 - Used (3) $ .50/1 MQ doubled = $ 8.97 or $ 1.495 each.

2 Kozy Shack - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .50/1 MQ's = Free

1 Mission Tortilla - $ 2.50 - Used $ 1./1 MQ = $ 1.50 ( DH has been begging for these. So to keep my man happy....)

Total OOP was $ 10.47. 


     

Tops Shopping

Thanks to my internet BFF, my cat will be eating well for quite a while. You know who you are and I hope you know how much I appreciate how good you are to me. I was getting very low on cat food when the Fancy Feast B3G1F coupon appeared in last Sunday's inserts. Fancy Feast is one of the only canned cat foods that my cat will eat. Since she dehydrates so easily, the vet wants me to feed her a can a day. Fancy Feast usually runs $ .89 a can at Tops. But this week, it is on sale for $ .60 a can. MY BFF sent me the coupons that I used today to get 48 cans. So I ended up paying $ 21.60 after coupon for 48 or $ .45 a can. I can't buy them that cheap at Amazon which is where I usually would purchase a case.  

Also thanks to the same woman, I was able to purchase the Thai Rice Soup for $ .19 after a $ 1. MQ. And while I was there, I picked up 4 more Kozy Shack pudding packs for Free after coupons.

Sorry about the two pictures. The soup got lost in the bag until all of sudden I remembered that I had purchased it.

Tuesday Shopping

There were not a lot of great deals this week. But I did manage to find a few this morning. At Top's, I purchased  3 Kozy Shack rice puddings. They were on sale for $1.00 each and I used $ .50 MQ doubled so they were all free. I also purchased a Fresh Express Asian Salad Kit. It was $ 3.00 but using a $ 1.00 Top's E Coupon and a $ .75 MQ doubled, it ended up being just $ .50. DH and I are eating lots of salad and veggies this week. 

I also got a deal at Rite Aid. I bought 2 Oxi Clean stain cleaners. They were 2 for $ 7.00. I used a $ .3/2 MQ and a $ 1.00 UP Reward. The OOP total including tax was $ 3.56 but I received $ 4.00 total in UP Rewards. I got a $ 2.00 one and two $ 1.00 ones. I thought it was odd until I got home and realized that I had purchased two different size Oxi's. That has to be the reason why I got so many UPs. This was not on purpose but by mistake. So in the end, I made $ .44 on this deal.   

Tonight: Dinner and a Movie

Who says you have to go out on a Saturday night for a date? DH and I can have a great dinner at home and a movie streamed by Netflix. So that was our plan.

We just finished dinner. DH roasted filet mignons out on the grill.  My plate shows the meat topped with portabella mushrooms and cooked green beans, to the side, that were picked this morning. I also made a very nice tossed salad for each of us using some of the organic veggies that my son gave us. The organic beets were still roasting since they took longer than I planned. They were added to our plates the minute they were done. We added a nice glass of red wine and our dressing on the salads and this meal was better than most restaurant meals. 

Later tonight, we will pick out a movie and finish our date night. This date night cost us a lot less than the same meal at a restaurant and the cost of a movie. We love Saturday nights like this.   

Organic Vegetables

I am thrilled with all of the organic vegetables that my son gave me today.  They were all free to me. Since lettuce and onions were on my list for tomorrow, I guess I won't have to buy them.  

Another Great Deal

We use Splenda all of the time in our home due to health issues. So I made a run to Top's to stock on it.

This is what I purchased:

6 Splenda - $ 3.99 each - Used (6) $3./1 MQ = $ .99 each 

4 Old El Paso Seasonings - $ .99 - Used (2) $ .50/1 IPQ Doubled = Free 

Used 4 - Tops $ Doubler Q

Total OOP was $ 1.94

Feel free to leave a comment and share with us what deals you got today.

Yeah! Free Meat!

There is nothing that I love better than free meat. I guess it is because it doesn't occur very often. So I just had to go to Top's again today with another $ 15.00 order to use the Super Doubler Coupons. I also make a quick stop at Rite Aid for a prescription and some allergy meds. At Rite Aid I bought the Allegra Allergy for $ 6.99 minus my 20% Wellness discount and a $ 1.00 IPQ and I will get the full price back from a Mail in Rebate.

At Tops, this is what I purchased:

4 Hatfield Ham Steaks - $ 2.00 each - Used (4) $ 2./1 IPQ's + Used (3) $1. Doubler Q's = All Free +
made $ 3.00

4 Ears of Sweet Corn - $ .25 each

2 Wishbone Salad Dressing - $ 2.00 each - Used $ 1./2 MQ - Used $ Tops $ Doubler = $ 1.00 each 

3 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce - 3 for $ 5.00 - Used $ .40/2 MQ Doubled = 3 for $ 4.20

Total OOP was $ 4.20.  

Savings By Room?

Now that Penny has cut her grocery bill and I have tried to teach her as much as I know about it, I am going to move on to other topics.

Have you ever thought about savings in relationship to a particular room? Or am I the only one whose mind works overtime out here in cyberspace? It's a little game I play. I challenge myself to come up with savings in each room to make sure that I am doing everything that I can to plug the leaks in our outgo. It's just part of what I call "good stewardship" of our money.

Today, I will start in the bathroom or in the case of multiples, bathrooms. Think about your bathrooms and all of the things that you can do to save money in there. I will list my ideas. Here we go:

- Clean the tile in your shower on a daily basis. I keep a squeegee hanging in there and take the time to squeegee the sides of the shower, both tile and glass, just before I towel off. This saves so much cleaning of soap scum and water spots. It cuts down on the product you have to use to keep it clean.

- A few years ago, we were all getting those automatic shower cleaners free after coupon. Don't pay the exorbitant price that they want for refills. Just refill it yourself.  The recipe is here: 
Shower Cleaner .

- Once every three months or so, I use baking soda to clean the grout. With everything else, I do to keep it clean, this is all that is necessary. That way I do not have to use chemicals.

- If you have mold, you will have to use a strong cleaner. Don't let it get out of hand or it will cost you dearly besides the fact that it is unhealthy. But ask yourself, why do I have mold? Is it because the ventilation is poor or is it because you don't take the humidity out of the room with the fan? Use the fan but don't forget to turn it off after a few minutes. When you are heating or air conditioning, this is especially important since it draws the heat and cooled air right out of your home.  

- Use baking soda to clean your tub and sinks every week and you will also avoid toxic cleaners in those. I do use Scrubbing Bubbles when I can get it for pennies, but most of the time, it is just baking soda and water.

- I use a homemade all purpose cleaner of bleach and water to disinfect in the bathroom and cut down on germs. This keeps us healthier for pennies.

- I also use about a 1/2 cup of bleach and a scrub brush to keep the toilets clean. Just be careful not to splatter the bleach when you are adding it to the water. You don't want to bleach anything else in the bathroom by accident.

- Use the cheapest window cleaner you can on the mirrors in the bathroom. I find that a gallon jug of automotive window cleaner lasts forever and usually you can get it on sale for about a $ 1.00.  You can also make your own homemade. Clean your mirrors, sink  faucets and knobs, and windows with the same cleaner.

- Use washable microfiber cloths to clean instead of sponges that get grimy and hold germs or paper towels that you just throw away. You can use hot water in your washer to clean them when you get a full load. I just hang them to dry after using and do a large load at a time after they have accumulated.

- One of the things that I keep in my bathrooms is eyeglass cleaner since DH and I both need glasses to read. I refill a bottle with homemade glass cleaner for pennies. I refill the bottle with about 3 oz. of isopropyl alcohol and the rest with water. Shake it up and you are ready to use it. No need to buy prepared at Walmart or the eye doctor's office.

- Keep your floor tile grout clean by sealing it yourself. You can buy cans of sealer at Home Depot or Lowes. Just be sure to do this with a window open in the room. One can was more than sufficient for us to do two bathrooms. This has to be repeated every 2-3 years. But since I hate cleaning set in stains on grout, DH and I are more than happy to do it. Hiring someone to clean and seal it is very expensive. 

- I keep a plastic container under the sink to throw all of the bathroom related samples in. When I need  shampoo or bodywash for the shower, that is where I look first. If you don't use them up, they won't save you any money. Use them instead of purchasing products.

- Keep one of those toothbrushes that you got for free after coupon in the bathroom to clean shower tracks, around your sink edges and around faucets. I also use cheap Q-tips for places the toothbrush won't reach into.

- Take navy showers. For those of you who don't know what that is: Wet down. Turn off the shower. Soap up. Turn the shower back on to rinse. Do the same while washing your hair or shaving your legs. No sense in having the water go down the drain while you aren't using it. 

- As far as shaving your legs lady or shaving your beard men, don't pay for razors or refills. You can get them free almost every week at the drugstores just working the deals.

- On the subject of shampoo or conditioner, a little bit goes a long way. You don't need a handful to get the job done, so use it sparingly.

- When it is time to clean that shower, do it at the end of your shower. The walls are already wet.

- I have low flow toilets to save on water. If you don't, fill a bottle with sand and sink it in your tank or use a brick in there to displace some of the water that each flush uses. Just make sure the bottle or brick do not interfere with the inside workings. I used a brick for years but then I switched to a full bottle of  sand , tightly capped and it worked well.

- Take showers more often than tub baths. This will be a big savings in water especially if you take a navy shower.

- Replace as many light bulbs as you can with CCF's. Use the flat limelights for night lights instead of the traditional night lights. Or use flameless candles to give you enough light to find the bathroom at night. Be sure to use rechargeable batteries in those flameless candles. All of these options will save you on your electric bill or money laid out for batteries. Always remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room. 

-  Small children love to use wads of toilet paper. Flatten a new toilet paper roll, a little bit, before you put it out. It will make it harder for them to take 1/2 the roll when they are spinning it off. You want them to use what is necessary but no one needs to use 50 sheets at once. I learned this trick when my boys were little.      

- DH loves body wash. I love bar soap. But we use washcloths in the shower to use them and it cuts down on the amount you need to use. Buy them on sale with coupons and you can pay just pennies for both. 

- I do use liquid hand soap at the sinks. I have quite a stockpile at the moment. But when I didn't, I bought large refills at Walmart so that I could refill the bottles cheaply.When I run out this time, I am going to make my own using glycerin and bar soap. I have so much bar soap that I can't justify paying for liquid hand soap.  

- I only change towels in the bathroom every 3 days to so. It is not necessary to change them every time you take a shower or bath or wash your hands. Think about it. Your body and hands are clean when you use them. This cuts down on the amount of towels you need to own and how much washing and drying you need to do. 

- When you brush your teeth, don't run the sink water down the drain. Wet your brush and turn off the water. Put your toothpaste on the brush and clean your teeth, only turning on the water when you need to rinse. When you are done, just quickly clean the sink. BTW, a small amount of toothpaste goes a long way. Also be sure to get all of that toothpaste out of that tube before you toss it. I know we all get toothpaste for free right now, but that could and probably will go away in the future. Just because we have a large stockpile of something doesn't mean that we should use it up faster. That defeats the purpose of stockpiling for free or pennies. And that statement can be applied to everything.

- DH and I each have a decorative reusable glass at our sinks. We use those instead of buying paper cups. We do keep paper cups in our guest bathroom for company. I run the glasses through the dishwasher with the regular dishes to keep them clean and germ free.

- To keep razor blades sharper longer, make sure that your blade is very dry when you put it away. It is the moisture that dulls them. Either hang it to dry or dry it with a microfiber cloth kept for that purpose. 

-  Use just the amount of floss that you need to do your teeth. There is no need to wrap it around your hands 4 or 5 times. We use floss holders to cut down on the amount we use.

- Keep a plunger near the toilet to take care of clogs. Plumbers are costly. Make sure that you keep nothing on the back of the toilet tank that little hands could knock in and clog it. I had a son, who will remain nameless, who flushed a hot comb ( yes I am showing my age ) down our toilet years ago. DH had to take the toilet out of the floor to get it out. You can put a new wax seal between the floor and toilet when it leaks yourself. DH and I have done it many times over the years.

- Shower curtain liners can be washed in the washing machine. When they need replacing, buy them for a $1.00 at your local Dollar Tree or comparable store.

- When you have to replace your hot water heater, research and think seriously about purchasing a tankless one like our Rinnai. One of our neighbors who has about 150 sq. ft. less house and we do things like keeping our heat and A/C about the same temperature, have the same size freezer and dehumidifiers and the same amount of wash and showers etc., is averaging $40. more a month in his gas and electric bill. We all attribute it to the fact that he has a hot water tank instead of the tankless. We only heat water when we use it. His tank always keeps it hot. The Rinnai is costly to buy but pays for itself quickly.   

These are all the ways we save in the bathrooms. Take what you want to use and leave the rest if you are uncomfortable with any of it. Just using a few of these tips will save you money in the long run.

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us what you do to save money in the bathrooms.