If you haven't done so already, you can go here to sign up for a $0.50/1 Discoll’s Berries printable coupon. My computer let me print this twice!! I'm always on the hunt for good coupons for produce since that is generally the bulk of my money spent at the grocery store. The more I save with coupons in other areas, the more I can load up on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables...both at the store and the Farmers Market. These particular coupons state that they cannot be doubled, but regardless, it's great to have a coupon for fresh produce!!
Check out your Dillon's ad this week as well....they are having another round of their save $5 when you buy any certain 10 products. I used this sale last time to stock up on 60 bags of pasta that was down to $.49/bag! These deals are the best because you can stack coupons on top of these low prices for great savings!! It's the easiest way to get your stockpile really going! The way this particular sale works at Dillon's is that you have to buy a combination of any 10 items to get the savings. So if you buy more than 10 of any of these items, make sure you do it in increments of 10 to get the good price. They will do multiple sets of 10 in one transaction which is nice!
Target Deals - We just moved baby girl #2 into her big girl car seat. Target has the Graco My Ride 65 car seat on sale for $100 right now (This normally goes for around $150). This is a good price for this particular seat, which is durable, comfortable and has tested extremely high in safety tests.
Happy Shopping!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
FREE Ivory Body Wash at Dillons
At Dillon's right now the Ivory body wash is included in the 10/$10 sale. With the recent Ivory coupon that came out this past Sunday in the P&G Insert for $1/1, that makes these free :) I had 4 of these coupons so I got 4 FREE body washes!
Sometimes the sale will continue for 2-3 weeks and sometimes not, it just depends on the item and the specific store, so I don't know if the Ivory body wash will continue to be at that low price, so if you can, run to your closest Dillon's store tonight! :)
Happy Shopping!
Sometimes the sale will continue for 2-3 weeks and sometimes not, it just depends on the item and the specific store, so I don't know if the Ivory body wash will continue to be at that low price, so if you can, run to your closest Dillon's store tonight! :)
Happy Shopping!
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Best Bang For Your Buck: Minivan Shopping and 3rd row options for vehicles
I finally made the leap and officially joined the mom club...on Saturday I traded my sporty cross-over SUV -my Toyota Rav4 that I LOVED, for a Minivan. I'm not going to lie, I struggled with this in a big way! But the reality is that with two kids and a socially active 5 year old, we needed more space!! We ended up with a sporty 2010 Kia Sedona LX. It's black with tan interior and is about as sporty as you can get with a van :) So far in the 2 days I've had it, I really like it!
Here is what I found when shopping for a new vehicle, we drove several different ones and ended up with the Sedona.
Vans:
Our Top 3 choices on vans came down to what was ranked the highest in safety, reliability, features and price. The Kia Sedona, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna were the only 3 vans I would look at based on safety and reliability reviews. I've always been a car snob and have never had anything except for Toyota (yes, people laugh when we are all gathered at my parents' house because it looks like a Toyota car lot over there! We ALL have Toyota's) The reliability and the history we have with Toyota has been nothing but superb (as indicated by the 1996 Toyota Camry that has survived commuting by my dad, me and now my husband. It has 270,000 miles on it and is still going strong!)
Because Safety, Reliability and Features were all equal on the three choices of vans, the next thing it came down to was price. We could get more features for a better price by going with the Sedona. Standard on the LX is the Sirius Satellite radio, MP3/USB hookups, 6 disc CD changer, Roof Rack, Rear Air/Heat, Back up Reverse Sensors, 2nd Row Bucket Seats, Stow-N-Go 3rd row with 60/40 split bench, power rear windows, security system, key less entry, extra cargo space, tons of extra storage cubbies and cup holders throughout and an overall nice design on the inside. Other options you can get include the DVD system, heated seats, automatic climate control, power sliding doors and windows and other luxury features found in both the LX and EX models. The Kia warranty is also the best out there - some are 5 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper, all of the way up to 10 year/100,000 mile warranties.
Other Vehicles:
A few other vehicles we looked at were SUVs and Cross-Over SUVs with the 3rd row. The main problem I found with all of these is lack of rear cargo space and difficulty getting access to the 3rd row. With older kids this isn't as big of a deal, but when you still have car seats latched in, it's too much work to take the entire car seat in and out to fold up the seat just to get in and out of the 3rd row seating. Most of the 3rd row SUVs were not designed for car seats...meaning you can't even use the extra seating with smaller kids.
a few we looked at and liked:
The Honda Pilot: Very nice, loaded with tons of great features. Not great on gas mileage, but great safety reviews. 3rd row didn't have much leg room, was not equipped for car seats and took up most of the cargo space in the back. I couldn't fit a full sized stroller in, only a smaller McLaren stroller fit back there.
GMC Acadia - Liked the look of this a lot but it didn't get great reviews on reliability and it was very heavy. Decent cargo space even with the 3rd row, can have car seats in the 3rd row as well. Some models come with 2 captains chairs in the middle, which made access to the 3rd row much easier with small kids.
Chevy Traverse - By far my favorite of the SUVs we looked at. If we hadn't gotten a van or if our kids were older, this is what I would have gotten. Tons of interior room, great cargo and storage space. Good reviews on safety and reliability. So/So on gas mileage. Drives a little lighter than the Acadia. Still harder to get in and out of the 3rd row if you have car seats.
Toyota Highlander - I've always wanted a highlander, but would only do it if I knew we weren't having any more kids and only had the 3rd row for occasional guests. It's not functional for everyday use with 3+ kids. The 3rd row takes up the entire cargo area, I couldn't fit any strollers back there with the 3rd row up.
So there are a few ideas if you are in the market for a new car! I loved my Rav4 and highly recommend it if you are needing a sporty little fuel efficient SUV. But we are on to the more practical phase of life where the reality is that a minivan just makes like SO much easier with small kids :) Our find, the Kia Sedona offered the most "bang for our buck".
Here is what I found when shopping for a new vehicle, we drove several different ones and ended up with the Sedona.
Vans:
Our Top 3 choices on vans came down to what was ranked the highest in safety, reliability, features and price. The Kia Sedona, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna were the only 3 vans I would look at based on safety and reliability reviews. I've always been a car snob and have never had anything except for Toyota (yes, people laugh when we are all gathered at my parents' house because it looks like a Toyota car lot over there! We ALL have Toyota's) The reliability and the history we have with Toyota has been nothing but superb (as indicated by the 1996 Toyota Camry that has survived commuting by my dad, me and now my husband. It has 270,000 miles on it and is still going strong!)
Because Safety, Reliability and Features were all equal on the three choices of vans, the next thing it came down to was price. We could get more features for a better price by going with the Sedona. Standard on the LX is the Sirius Satellite radio, MP3/USB hookups, 6 disc CD changer, Roof Rack, Rear Air/Heat, Back up Reverse Sensors, 2nd Row Bucket Seats, Stow-N-Go 3rd row with 60/40 split bench, power rear windows, security system, key less entry, extra cargo space, tons of extra storage cubbies and cup holders throughout and an overall nice design on the inside. Other options you can get include the DVD system, heated seats, automatic climate control, power sliding doors and windows and other luxury features found in both the LX and EX models. The Kia warranty is also the best out there - some are 5 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper, all of the way up to 10 year/100,000 mile warranties.
Other Vehicles:
A few other vehicles we looked at were SUVs and Cross-Over SUVs with the 3rd row. The main problem I found with all of these is lack of rear cargo space and difficulty getting access to the 3rd row. With older kids this isn't as big of a deal, but when you still have car seats latched in, it's too much work to take the entire car seat in and out to fold up the seat just to get in and out of the 3rd row seating. Most of the 3rd row SUVs were not designed for car seats...meaning you can't even use the extra seating with smaller kids.
a few we looked at and liked:
The Honda Pilot: Very nice, loaded with tons of great features. Not great on gas mileage, but great safety reviews. 3rd row didn't have much leg room, was not equipped for car seats and took up most of the cargo space in the back. I couldn't fit a full sized stroller in, only a smaller McLaren stroller fit back there.
GMC Acadia - Liked the look of this a lot but it didn't get great reviews on reliability and it was very heavy. Decent cargo space even with the 3rd row, can have car seats in the 3rd row as well. Some models come with 2 captains chairs in the middle, which made access to the 3rd row much easier with small kids.
Chevy Traverse - By far my favorite of the SUVs we looked at. If we hadn't gotten a van or if our kids were older, this is what I would have gotten. Tons of interior room, great cargo and storage space. Good reviews on safety and reliability. So/So on gas mileage. Drives a little lighter than the Acadia. Still harder to get in and out of the 3rd row if you have car seats.
Toyota Highlander - I've always wanted a highlander, but would only do it if I knew we weren't having any more kids and only had the 3rd row for occasional guests. It's not functional for everyday use with 3+ kids. The 3rd row takes up the entire cargo area, I couldn't fit any strollers back there with the 3rd row up.
So there are a few ideas if you are in the market for a new car! I loved my Rav4 and highly recommend it if you are needing a sporty little fuel efficient SUV. But we are on to the more practical phase of life where the reality is that a minivan just makes like SO much easier with small kids :) Our find, the Kia Sedona offered the most "bang for our buck".
Good Deals and Coupons this week!
Here are a few quick deals I've found this week!!
Goldfish Crackers - right now at Dillon's (Kroger) these are 10/$10. If you go to http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/News.aspx you can print two coupons for $.75/2 bags of goldfish crackers. Since this would double up to $1, that works out to be $.50/bag. Not bad to get 4 bags of goldfish (any flavor) for $2!
Yoplait Greek Yogurt - $.99/1 right now at Dillon's. With my Coupons from the last few papers for -$.60/2, I was able to get these for as low as $.49/each. That's a good deal, normally the Greek yogurts retail for around $1.20-$1.30 each. I stocked up on 16 of these! These are great in the mornings and wonderful source of protein for before or after a workout!
Crest Toothpaste - part of the 10/$10 sale at Kroger right now. With -$.50/1 coupons that double up to $1 it made these totally FREE! I had 6 coupons for these, so 6 FREE toothpastes.
Kellogg's Cereals - Several Kellogg's Cereals are on sale for $1.98/each right now at Kroger. If you go to the Kellogg's website you can print off coupons for different Kellogg's cereals to stack with this sale price. I normally try to stay around $1/box, sometimes I'll go as high as $1.25 per box. For boxes that normally retail for $3-$4, this is still a great deal.
Some Target Deals I also found:
The P&G insert in this weeks paper had a Target Coupon that was good for $5.00 off one box of Pampers Diapers and one wipes. Plus, Target is offering a deal that if you buy these two items together, you get a $5.00 off gift card at check out. I bought a box of diapers ($19.99) and a pack of wipe refills ($6.99). With my $5 off coupon, plus a $3 off Pampers coupon stacked on top of it, plus the $5 gift card, it makes a box of diapers and a 3-pack of wipe refills $13.98 total.
Aquafresh Training Toothbrushes for Kids — $1.99
Use $1/1 Target couponStack with the $1/1 Aquafresh Kids toothbrush coupon from the 4/17 RedPlum insert (or use the $.50/1 Aquafresh coupon)
Free after coupons
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars – $2.50
Buy 4 – Get 1 Free
Buy 5 and use 2 $0.75/2 coupon from the 3/13 RedPlum insert
Stack with 2 $1/2 Target printable
$1.30 each after coupons
Tostitos Chips – $2.50
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/1 Moments to Save insert
$1.50 after coupon
Happy Shopping!!!
Goldfish Crackers - right now at Dillon's (Kroger) these are 10/$10. If you go to http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/News.aspx you can print two coupons for $.75/2 bags of goldfish crackers. Since this would double up to $1, that works out to be $.50/bag. Not bad to get 4 bags of goldfish (any flavor) for $2!
Yoplait Greek Yogurt - $.99/1 right now at Dillon's. With my Coupons from the last few papers for -$.60/2, I was able to get these for as low as $.49/each. That's a good deal, normally the Greek yogurts retail for around $1.20-$1.30 each. I stocked up on 16 of these! These are great in the mornings and wonderful source of protein for before or after a workout!
Crest Toothpaste - part of the 10/$10 sale at Kroger right now. With -$.50/1 coupons that double up to $1 it made these totally FREE! I had 6 coupons for these, so 6 FREE toothpastes.
Kellogg's Cereals - Several Kellogg's Cereals are on sale for $1.98/each right now at Kroger. If you go to the Kellogg's website you can print off coupons for different Kellogg's cereals to stack with this sale price. I normally try to stay around $1/box, sometimes I'll go as high as $1.25 per box. For boxes that normally retail for $3-$4, this is still a great deal.
Some Target Deals I also found:
The P&G insert in this weeks paper had a Target Coupon that was good for $5.00 off one box of Pampers Diapers and one wipes. Plus, Target is offering a deal that if you buy these two items together, you get a $5.00 off gift card at check out. I bought a box of diapers ($19.99) and a pack of wipe refills ($6.99). With my $5 off coupon, plus a $3 off Pampers coupon stacked on top of it, plus the $5 gift card, it makes a box of diapers and a 3-pack of wipe refills $13.98 total.
Aquafresh Training Toothbrushes for Kids — $1.99
Use $1/1 Target couponStack with the $1/1 Aquafresh Kids toothbrush coupon from the 4/17 RedPlum insert (or use the $.50/1 Aquafresh coupon)
Free after coupons
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars – $2.50
Buy 4 – Get 1 Free
Buy 5 and use 2 $0.75/2 coupon from the 3/13 RedPlum insert
Stack with 2 $1/2 Target printable
$1.30 each after coupons
Tostitos Chips – $2.50
Use $1/1 coupon from the 5/1 Moments to Save insert
$1.50 after coupon
Happy Shopping!!!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Weekly Meal Plan and Challenge to myself!
With Easter and several other events coming up as the school year winds down, I am having to stretch my grocery budget more and more to account for all of the "extras" that come up this time of year. So my goal and challenge to myself for this week was to plan an entire menu for a week using only things I already had in my freezer/stock pile/pantry. I was able to do it (other than the fresh produce for a couple of meals) and devote my entire weekly grocery budget to adding items to my stock pile plus fresh produce and milk for this week!!
Here is my meal plan for the week:
Saturday - Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, *Caesar Salad, French Bread
Sunday - Easter Brunch -Out with the Family
Monday - Baked Chicken, Creamy Lemon Risotto, Mixed Veggies
Tuesday - Parmigiano Reggiano Crusted Chicken Picatta with angel hair pasta, Green Beans, Garlic Bread sticks
Wednesday - Texas Steak House BBQ Beef Sandwiches (meat was cooked and frozen, ready to throw into the crock pot for Wed night!) French Fries, *Corn on the Cob, *Sliced Watermelon
Thursday - Spaghetti Ham Bake (already in the freezer, ready to be cooked), Garlic Bread, Peas
Friday - Cornbread Casserole (1 lb hamburger for this already cooked and frozen), Cottage Cheese, Peas and Carrots.
Some of this I already had prepared and in the freezer for busy weeks like this that I need some extra time that I would normally be cooking. And everything else (except for the few fresh produce items) I already had in the house! So my grocery budget went this week to stock up on produce, milk, eggs, yogurt, diapers, granola bars, more cereal etc.
Obviously I've been working on my stock pile for a while so this was possible. If you are just starting out you might not have quite enough to be able to do this. I challenge you to see how many meals you can make with what you already have in the house, or how many meals you can make without having to buy much for them!! Having this much set aside and ready for crazy months is a wonderful way for us to stay on budget and not worry about spending more money to eat out if I just don't have enough time (or hands) to cook.
Happy Menu Planning!!
Here is my meal plan for the week:
Saturday - Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, *Caesar Salad, French Bread
Sunday - Easter Brunch -Out with the Family
Monday - Baked Chicken, Creamy Lemon Risotto, Mixed Veggies
Tuesday - Parmigiano Reggiano Crusted Chicken Picatta with angel hair pasta, Green Beans, Garlic Bread sticks
Wednesday - Texas Steak House BBQ Beef Sandwiches (meat was cooked and frozen, ready to throw into the crock pot for Wed night!) French Fries, *Corn on the Cob, *Sliced Watermelon
Thursday - Spaghetti Ham Bake (already in the freezer, ready to be cooked), Garlic Bread, Peas
Friday - Cornbread Casserole (1 lb hamburger for this already cooked and frozen), Cottage Cheese, Peas and Carrots.
Some of this I already had prepared and in the freezer for busy weeks like this that I need some extra time that I would normally be cooking. And everything else (except for the few fresh produce items) I already had in the house! So my grocery budget went this week to stock up on produce, milk, eggs, yogurt, diapers, granola bars, more cereal etc.
Obviously I've been working on my stock pile for a while so this was possible. If you are just starting out you might not have quite enough to be able to do this. I challenge you to see how many meals you can make with what you already have in the house, or how many meals you can make without having to buy much for them!! Having this much set aside and ready for crazy months is a wonderful way for us to stay on budget and not worry about spending more money to eat out if I just don't have enough time (or hands) to cook.
Happy Menu Planning!!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Great Deal at CVS!
I always clip coupons that I think I *might* be able to use. And it often works out to be a great deal...even if it's not a product I normally buy!! I clipped 4 of these coupons from the 3/27 Smart Source insert thinking I could possibly use them.
CVS has a deal right now on their Dove Men+Care Deodorant. Normally these are $4.99 each. Right now they are on sale for $.99 at CVS...the sale price paired with my $1 off of 1 coupon I got these totally FREE!!! Yes, 4 tubes of Dove Men's Deodorant for Tim that normally would have cost me $20 retail, I got for FREE and paid $.40 for tax. I'll take that any day!!
Dillons had some decent sales today as well, they are still having their buy 4 of certain General Mills products and get a $5 off gift card for your next trip. I bought 4 boxes of Fiber One Bars and 4 boxes of Nature Valley Yogurt Bars to get 2- $5 off gift cards. I had coupons for $.40/1 box for the Fiber One Bars (doubles to $.80/off per box) and then $.75/2 boxes of the Nature Valley bars (which doubles up to $1/2). Both brands were on sale for $2.79/box. Total retail for these would be $22.32 for the 8 boxes. After coupons the total came down to $17.12. If you figure in the $10 worth of gift cards that I earned, this brings the total for the 8 boxes to $7.12...which works out to be $.89 per box. These boxes are generally over $3 a box normal price, so to pay $.89 per box for healthy snacks that my whole family enjoys is a great bonus!!
Happy Shopping!
CVS has a deal right now on their Dove Men+Care Deodorant. Normally these are $4.99 each. Right now they are on sale for $.99 at CVS...the sale price paired with my $1 off of 1 coupon I got these totally FREE!!! Yes, 4 tubes of Dove Men's Deodorant for Tim that normally would have cost me $20 retail, I got for FREE and paid $.40 for tax. I'll take that any day!!
Dillons had some decent sales today as well, they are still having their buy 4 of certain General Mills products and get a $5 off gift card for your next trip. I bought 4 boxes of Fiber One Bars and 4 boxes of Nature Valley Yogurt Bars to get 2- $5 off gift cards. I had coupons for $.40/1 box for the Fiber One Bars (doubles to $.80/off per box) and then $.75/2 boxes of the Nature Valley bars (which doubles up to $1/2). Both brands were on sale for $2.79/box. Total retail for these would be $22.32 for the 8 boxes. After coupons the total came down to $17.12. If you figure in the $10 worth of gift cards that I earned, this brings the total for the 8 boxes to $7.12...which works out to be $.89 per box. These boxes are generally over $3 a box normal price, so to pay $.89 per box for healthy snacks that my whole family enjoys is a great bonus!!
Happy Shopping!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Meal Planning, Coupons and so much fun!!
Today was a fantastic day: I got to go grocery shopping TOTALLY ALONE. That's right, it was just me, my coupon binder, my list and the entire grocery store with no children to entertain and/or chase through the store. I admit, my kids are pretty well behaved when it comes to grocery shopping so I'm blessed that I can bring them if needed...but lets be honest, no matter how great they are at the store, my budget is always better when I'm totally alone and can focus.
One big deal I got today that I was super excited about was the General Mills cereal at Dillon's. We are big time cereal eaters in this house, so cereal is something I *always* have stock piled in the basement. Dillon's is offering a promotion that several of their GM cereals are part of a deal: buy 4 participating cereals and get a $5 gift card at check out. I already had 4 boxes on my list today (2 chex, 2 multi-grain cheerios). So, I ended up getting 8 instead (SOOOO glad I had my coupon binder with me...that way I could pull out more of the -$.50 off coupons I had to save even more for this particular deal)
Here is how the deal broke down:
4 boxes Chex: $2.99/box = $11.96
4 boxes Cheerios: $3.08/box=$12.32
Total: $24.28
Coupons I had: 6 -$.50 coupons (each of these doubled to be $1 off) plus 2 ecoupons from cellfire.com for -$.75/1 box.
Total after coupons taken off = $16.78
Now if you factor in the 2 $5 gift cards I got at check out to be applied to another purchase, that brings my total down to $6.78. Divided by 8 boxes of cereal,that works out to be about $.85 per box of cereal. I'll take paying less than $1 per box of cereal that normally runs around $4/box any day!!
So what are my plans with the $10 worth of gift cards I have??? DIAPERS!! I have a $3 off coupon for a box of Pampers Cruisers which are on sale at Dallon's right now for $19.99. So with my coupon it brings my total to $16.99 PLUS I have a -$1.50 store coupon to stack on top of my manufacture coupon, bringing my total to $15.49. With my gift cards, that makes a giant box of diapers $5.49 out of pocket :)
Another great deal I got today was on Suave deodorant. I actually made $.12 per tube today. I clipped 4 coupons for -$.50/1 suave deodorant (no size listed). Dillon's had smaller tubes on sale for $.88 each. Since my coupons doubled to -$1.00/1 = +$.12 each...which equaled +$.48 for the 4. I love to carry these in my gym bag, diaper bag, pool/boat bag etc because they are little and compact! And since they are FREE that's even better!!
Onto Menu Planning....with everything going on with my oldest child health wise, we've eaten out a lot in the last two weeks. So I'm pretty anxious to get back to cooking good, wholesome meals again! I'm trying to make meals that I can freeze for a second meal so that when summer gets busy I have food to pull out. So far in my freezer are 4 different pasta casseroles, 4 containers of spaghetti sauce, a few pounds of chicken and ground beef already cooked and frozen in 1 pound bags, a batch of pizza burgers, a batch of Texas Steak House BBQ for sandwiches and some shredded BBQ pork. All of these are things that I made big batches at one time to get 2, 3, and even 4 meals out of one cooking time.
My Meal Plan for this week to give some ideas: (I'm happy to share recipes if requested!!)
Friday (4/15) - Marinated Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Peas
Saturday (4/16) - Rotisserie Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Corn
Sunday (4/17) - Blue Cheese Crumbled Chicken Salad Sandwiches, French Fries, Fresh Fruit
Monday (4/18) Beef Enchiladas, Cheesy Rice, Chips and Salsa, Apple Sauce
Tuesday (4/19) Teriyaki Chicken Shish-Ka-Bobs on the grill, homemade green beans, Gnocchi, Brownies
Wednesday (4/20) Beef Stroganoff (crock pot), Egg Noodles, Rolls, Peas
Thursday (4/21) Greek Chicken over Orzo with Kalamata Olives, Mixed Vegetables, Garlic Toast
Friday (4/22) Orange Glazed Chicken with Lemon Risotto, Roasted Veggies, Strawberry Shortcake
Between coupons, sales and my stockpile, I'm able to make each of these meals for around $5-$7 per meal for the entire family of 4...much cheaper than eating out!
Some ways to cut down on cooking time for this particular meal plan:
*save half of the rotisserie chicken from tonight to use for the blue cheese chicken salad tomorrow
*Because Sundays are busy with church and lunch with family, I will make the chicken salad up tonight so it's ready for tomorrow.
*The chicken and vegetables for the Ka-Bobs are already marinating in a Ziploc bag that I tossed into the freezer. On Monday night, I will pull it out and let it defrost so that it marinates as it defrosts.
So that's what we will be eating this week! I always love to hear other people's meal plans...What are you cooking this week???
Until Next Time...Happy Couponing!!
One big deal I got today that I was super excited about was the General Mills cereal at Dillon's. We are big time cereal eaters in this house, so cereal is something I *always* have stock piled in the basement. Dillon's is offering a promotion that several of their GM cereals are part of a deal: buy 4 participating cereals and get a $5 gift card at check out. I already had 4 boxes on my list today (2 chex, 2 multi-grain cheerios). So, I ended up getting 8 instead (SOOOO glad I had my coupon binder with me...that way I could pull out more of the -$.50 off coupons I had to save even more for this particular deal)
Here is how the deal broke down:
4 boxes Chex: $2.99/box = $11.96
4 boxes Cheerios: $3.08/box=$12.32
Total: $24.28
Coupons I had: 6 -$.50 coupons (each of these doubled to be $1 off) plus 2 ecoupons from cellfire.com for -$.75/1 box.
Total after coupons taken off = $16.78
Now if you factor in the 2 $5 gift cards I got at check out to be applied to another purchase, that brings my total down to $6.78. Divided by 8 boxes of cereal,that works out to be about $.85 per box of cereal. I'll take paying less than $1 per box of cereal that normally runs around $4/box any day!!
So what are my plans with the $10 worth of gift cards I have??? DIAPERS!! I have a $3 off coupon for a box of Pampers Cruisers which are on sale at Dallon's right now for $19.99. So with my coupon it brings my total to $16.99 PLUS I have a -$1.50 store coupon to stack on top of my manufacture coupon, bringing my total to $15.49. With my gift cards, that makes a giant box of diapers $5.49 out of pocket :)
Another great deal I got today was on Suave deodorant. I actually made $.12 per tube today. I clipped 4 coupons for -$.50/1 suave deodorant (no size listed). Dillon's had smaller tubes on sale for $.88 each. Since my coupons doubled to -$1.00/1 = +$.12 each...which equaled +$.48 for the 4. I love to carry these in my gym bag, diaper bag, pool/boat bag etc because they are little and compact! And since they are FREE that's even better!!
Onto Menu Planning....with everything going on with my oldest child health wise, we've eaten out a lot in the last two weeks. So I'm pretty anxious to get back to cooking good, wholesome meals again! I'm trying to make meals that I can freeze for a second meal so that when summer gets busy I have food to pull out. So far in my freezer are 4 different pasta casseroles, 4 containers of spaghetti sauce, a few pounds of chicken and ground beef already cooked and frozen in 1 pound bags, a batch of pizza burgers, a batch of Texas Steak House BBQ for sandwiches and some shredded BBQ pork. All of these are things that I made big batches at one time to get 2, 3, and even 4 meals out of one cooking time.
My Meal Plan for this week to give some ideas: (I'm happy to share recipes if requested!!)
Friday (4/15) - Marinated Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Peas
Saturday (4/16) - Rotisserie Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Corn
Sunday (4/17) - Blue Cheese Crumbled Chicken Salad Sandwiches, French Fries, Fresh Fruit
Monday (4/18) Beef Enchiladas, Cheesy Rice, Chips and Salsa, Apple Sauce
Tuesday (4/19) Teriyaki Chicken Shish-Ka-Bobs on the grill, homemade green beans, Gnocchi, Brownies
Wednesday (4/20) Beef Stroganoff (crock pot), Egg Noodles, Rolls, Peas
Thursday (4/21) Greek Chicken over Orzo with Kalamata Olives, Mixed Vegetables, Garlic Toast
Friday (4/22) Orange Glazed Chicken with Lemon Risotto, Roasted Veggies, Strawberry Shortcake
Between coupons, sales and my stockpile, I'm able to make each of these meals for around $5-$7 per meal for the entire family of 4...much cheaper than eating out!
Some ways to cut down on cooking time for this particular meal plan:
*save half of the rotisserie chicken from tonight to use for the blue cheese chicken salad tomorrow
*Because Sundays are busy with church and lunch with family, I will make the chicken salad up tonight so it's ready for tomorrow.
*The chicken and vegetables for the Ka-Bobs are already marinating in a Ziploc bag that I tossed into the freezer. On Monday night, I will pull it out and let it defrost so that it marinates as it defrosts.
So that's what we will be eating this week! I always love to hear other people's meal plans...What are you cooking this week???
Until Next Time...Happy Couponing!!
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