Pallet for Home

There are  great deals at Walgreens this week.  For the basics, you can start with MoneySavingMom.  Now, if you really want to get busy shopping, here are a few scenario deals you could do...

From the Walgreens Forum of Hot Coupon World.  Go here to see all the deals and links for printable coupons!

"I'm not sure if you have any RRs to begin with, so I'll go on thinking you're starting from scratch. It's best to do smaller transactions to bring your total OOP down. Any RR you get should be rounded to closest $ so Vitamin Water wll be 2.00 and the Blink would be 8.00. Since Wags considers RRs to be MQs you may need fillers.
Scenerio 1:
9.98 x 2 Advil PM
-4.00
--
5.98 + tax OOP get $5 RR

Scenerio 2:
7.99 x 1 Blink
1.99 x 1 Vitamin Water Lip
-----
9.98
-1.50 Blink Q
-5.00 RR from Advil
-----
3.48 + tax OOP get an $8 and a $2

Scenerio 3:
20.00 x 2 Joint Juice
.50 x 2 Small fillers, but can be lower and just using for rounding out
------
20.50
-10.00 BOGO IP on Joint Juice
- 2.00 RR from Vitamin Water
- 8.00 RR from Blink
------
.50 + tax OOP (or around there) get $10 RR

Scenrio 4:
20.00 Pepsi deal without Qs
-10.00 RR from Joint Juice
-------
10.00 plus tax get $10 RR

Scenerio 5:
7.99 x 1 Blink
5.99 x 1 Scalpacin
1.99 x 1 Vitamin Water Lip
-----
15.97
-1.50 for Blink
-1.00 for Scalpacin
10.00 Pepsi (or Joint Juice) RR
------
3.47 OOP + tax get back $8, $6, $2"

Be sure and watch for Physician's Formula on clearance, and don't forget about all the rebates I listed in this post.

I haven't found the "rich people's" Goodwill yet, but I do like to shop my local thrift stores for great finds, just like Jen who is hosting a Frugal Fashionista Fashion Show and I'm linking up!  I could probably find ten outfits in my closet from Goodwill, but I'll stick with one of my most recent and very favorite purchases, my "muppet coat."

It is a beautiful winter white Talbots size XL in like new condition.  I probably wouldn't have looked twice at this jacket, but I've been following Jen's posts on fashion, and unique details are one of the things she says to watch for, so I tried it on, and loved it.


I love the rosette headband! 

The fine net detail was perfect for the event to which I wore this outfit, a wedding rehearsal which I coordinated!  Of course I couldn't wear this to the wedding, since I coordinated that as well, and didn't want to risk getting something on my $5.49 jacket!

And remember my post about Ann Kroeker and her excellent book, Not So Fast?  Well, I was excited to find her book, The Contemplative Mom, at the Goodwill last week for $1!  Talk about doing the happy dance.  I was thrilled, and saved myself $8.99 over the retail price.

I also picked up:

1. The Other Side of Love by Gary Chapman, still has the $12.95 sticker on back!
2. Avoiding Deception by Sharon Daugherty
3. and Hidden Keys of a Loving Lasting Marriage by Gary Smalley

Each of them were $1 at Goodwill, except the Chapman book, which was just $0.50 at the library!  I frequent both places looking for books to use, and to resell.  I've spent $0.50 on a paperback library book before, and sold it for $15 at a homeschool bookfair!

Some people flip houses, but I prefer much smaller investments because they fit my lifestyle at the moment!

Yesterday, I found some  "buy 2 bags tostitos, get a free dip" tearpad q's at Walmart in Coweta.  I took several to Walgreens and did the following deal:

Tostitos chips and dip

TOTAL: $5 for 6 chips & 3 dips

SALE: $2.50 ea

MQ: buy 2 Tostitos chips get a free Tostitos dip (not salsa, see db for more details)

Register Reward: 16, buy $20 in PepsiCo, get $10 RR

MATH: 6 chips ($15) + 3 dips ($7.50) - 3 mq (-$7.50) - $10 RR = $5

If you don't use Walgreens Register Rewards program, you need to learn.  I had Register Rewards from another purchase, so I used those to purchase my chips for $4.xx and got back a $10 Register Reward (Catalina coupon that prints at the end of the transaction) to use on my next purchase!

Check the display by the Meat Department for:
JetPuff Mini Marshmallows $0.79 each
Tearpad on display has $0.50/2 coupon which doubles!
Final Price is $0.29 each wyb 2!

Coupons up to $0.50 will double at CountryMart, so keep that in mind when looking for deals. Coupon or rebate in red.

Peter Pan Peanut Butter  2/$3
-B2G1F All You Magazine, January 2010 in-store version
-ConAgra Rebate (see link for details)
-Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Any Jars - 01-10-10 SS $0.50/2

Campbells Chunks Soup or Chunky to Go, 2/$3
-$1.50/3 printable plus many insert coupons from 1-3 and 1-24 SS

Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, 2/$3
-$1/2 Healthy Lifestyles flyer found at CountryMart on display

Colgate Toothpaste, select varieties, $1.89
-$1/1 Colgate Total Enamel Strength, Adv Whitening, Adv Clean, Or Adv Fresh, Any 4.0 Oz. + - 01-17-10 SS 

Sure Original and Invisible Deodorant, 2/$4 (If Sure For Men is included)
-$1.50/1 Sure for Men Anti-perspirant & Deodorant - 01-24-10 SS $1.50/1

Healthy Choice Soups, 3/$4.00
"Pick it Up in the Pasta Aisle" Mail in offer, rebate offer, form required, check here

Solo Places, Bowls Cups, 2/$4
-$1/1 Solo Cups, Plates or Bowls, Any - 12-06-09 SS $1.00/1

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, 2/$4
multiple coupons and possible Catalina deal, B6G$3 OYNO

Earth Grains Whole Grain Pan Breads, 2/$5
EarthGrains 100% Natural Thin Buns or 100% Natural or Double Fiber Bread, buy any save $1 on Produce

Pringles Select Varieties, 2/$3
-$1/4 SuperStack cans, 1-31 RP (came in Coweta's mail today)

My friend Lisa gave me this recipe for restaurant style Chicken Tortilla Soup.  It's become one of our most favorite recipes.  Since it takes cilantro and Poblano peppers it can get expensive, but watch for sales and stock up on those fresh items when you can.

Cilantro leaves can be cut from stems and frozen whole until ready to use.  It's also super easy, although rather invasive, to grow but is mostly a cool weather crop so keep that in mind.

Poblano peppers are also very easy to grow.  We ended up with only one plant last year thanks to some hungry gophers, but we still had as many peppers as we could eat fresh, and freeze, with only one plant! 

Lisa's Favorite Tortilla Soup
1 cup chopped onion
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. cumin seed
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Cook above ingredients in hot oil about 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring constantly.

Add the following:
1 1/2 cups (about 3 ears) fresh cut corn kernals
     (Use a package of frozen corn in winter)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 14oz. cans chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups.  I use bone broth!)
1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken
2 bunches snipped fresh cilantro

Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered until tomatoes are tender.  Serve with:
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
cilantro
sour cream

Just found this Kotex Money Back Guarantee (exp 3/20), thanks to Couponing to Disney!  Pair this with a Walgreens sale and coupons, and it would be a great money maker!

If you like Physicians Formula products, there are several rebates available for 2010.  Print them now, and then match up with a sale for some great free cosmetics.  There are also several different peelies to watch for, including a $2/1 Shimmer Strips and $3/1 Organic Wear!

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Make-up Removers Rebate x 12/31/10 pdf

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Mascara Duo Rebate x 12/31/10  pdf

Physicians Formula Bamboo Wear™ Compact, Mirror & Brush Rebate x 12/31/10 pdf

I was able to stockpile three packages of chicken sausages which were $0.99 with coupon. The $0.99 tomatoes were included in the Chicken Tortilla Soup we had tonight (first photo), AND Brushetta which is on the menu for tomorrow, AND a quart of diced fresh tomatoes which are now in the freezer.  All that for less than the price of one can of tomatoes.  I'll post the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe tomorrow!

We are down to a few oranges and a pint of blackberries in the fridge, but I have some frozen berries in the freezer, and hope to pick up cheap apples tomorrow.  That should get us through to the end of the month with fruits, and we have enough milk and eggs carried over from Week 3.

Total grocery spending for Week 4:  $40.59. 

This post is linked to:
MoneySavingMom's SuperSaving Saturday
BeautyAndBedlam's Tasty Tuesday
Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays

I received this question from one of my friends: Would you share your favorite children's books?

I know this will sound funny to some, but we loved the Get Fuzzy Comics by Darby Conley. I believe at one time we owned every book he ever published!
 

They are bite sized, so a kinistetic child can move through them at their own pace. Comics use words and pictures to tell a story, but they are not all created equal.  We chose black and white comics, to not overstimulate the reader, and chose to purchase the books so they could be read and reread at our leisure.
 
We also loved anything to do with whatever interest we had at the moment: Royal Dairies, American Girl books, and Hank the Cowdog, which can be found through most local libraries or ILL. My readers were connection driven, and wanted a story, so fiction books were the better choice for the majority of our reading in the early years.  We did choose some historical fiction, especially as the reader matured.

The important thing for us was to be interested in what we were reading, not to read from a list compiled by someone who knew nothing about us. Some people call that type of reading "cake" but I say, let them eat cake.  There will be plenty of time for booklists.

Lots of amimal books, and lots of reading in short spirts throughout the day were also key to developing the love of reading.  I personally never imposed grade level limits on reading (above or below), and limited the number of books checked out from the library to 50.  Yes.  I said 50.  She could go though that many in a week, looking for something that held her interest until the next library visit.

Did it work? My daughter now reads an average of 130 books a year and has two book blogs. She publishes book reviews for Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, LitFuze, Revel, and Tyndale and is friends with many Christian authors from around the US. She recently moved her clothes out of a drawer in her dresser to make way for her growing personal library!

I'm not bragging; I'm making a point. Don't be concerned about following traditional methods. Pray, and then do what works for your family!

MoneySavingMom and a host of other terrific bloggers have come together to create a new forum for blogger education!  I'm excited to be participating in their TwitterParty tonight.  Here's the info from MSM:

We're hosting a Savvy Blogging Twitter Party on Thursday evening (January 21, 2010) from 9-11 p.m. EST and you are invited to come.

I've got a cake in the oven, and cup of Chai tea, so I'm ready to go.  Hop on over and participate in the fun! Look for me on the TweetGrid.  My name is @goodplans, of course!  See you there.

Head to Coweta CountryMart and pick up some of the Healthy Lifestyles coupon flyers near the registers to do this deal. 

Reasor's has a $2.00 OYNO (on your next order) Catalina coupon printing WYB (when you buy) 3 or more Ragu sauces. You can use the in~ad Reasor's coupon plus the $1.00 off coupon from the Healthy Lifestyles flyer for cheap Ragu sauces!    Deal is dead.  Ended on January 21!

Thanks, Kristi!

It would be nice if I actually had a plan!  I've been battling a little health issue, which has interfered with my life, including planning the meals for this week.  But I'm not giving up!

Today, we had cereal with milk and hash browns for breakfast.  Lunch was baked potato and quiche with salsa, a weird combo, but my dd17 loves baked potatoes and since they have more bio-available potassium than a banana, I let her have them as often as she wishes.  She also weighs 98 pounds...  I on the other hand, stick with the quiche.

This evening we had a yummy green salad with baked chicken, cottage cheese, and a black eyed pea salad with fresh cilantro.  I didn't like it as much as I had anticipated, but my dh likes cilantro, so he'll have the rest with lunches, or crackers for a snack later in the week.  I also took a loaf of Panera Asiago Cheese bread from the freezer, and toasted it in the oven to have warm with the rest of a cheese ball. 

The Pantry Challenge plan for the rest of  Week 4 looks something like this:

Breakfasts
Quiche cups with phyllo dough, fresh orange juice
Homemade waffles with peanut butter and bananas, milk (using my waffle maker!!!)
Bagels with cream cheese, milk or cocoa
Shredded Wheat with milk
Cinnamon rolls with milk, stewed apples
Repeats x2

Dinners
Chili with beans, onions, cheese and fritos, Apple Sticky Bun Bread Pudding (new!)
Spaghetti/Ravoili with tomato meat sauce, parmesan, green salad
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Cabbage Sausage Stew, bread
Beef and Noodles with English peas, (my new recipe for the week) with Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake

Lunches
Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, carrot sticks with ranch
Green salad with baked chicken, orange slices
Grilled Cheese sammies,
Creamy Mac & Cheese or Creamy Fettuccine (another new recipe!)
Pigs in Blankets (to have with leftover chili)
Leftovers from dinners

I'm going to try my Any Meal Cheese Pie recipe, and make Quiche Cups using  phyllo dough I have frozen. I've gotten to the "creative stage" in the Pantry Challenge!  I'm out of my comfort zone, and am having to put together things we don't normally eat, but I know I can do this!

Ann asked if I would post my recipe for homemade biscuits, but I have to admit that it is not my original recipe.  It came from a Southern Living magazine article written by Deborah Lowery, circa 1987,  and the recipe was created by Mrs. Ken Altizer, from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cloud Biscuits
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients, then cut in shortening.  Combine egg and milk, beat slightly, then add to flour mixture, stirring until just moistened.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead 3 or 4 times.  Roll or pat out dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with biscuit cutter.  Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired.

I hope you like them as much as we do!