Summer Reading Programs for Kids

There are lots of free Summer Reading Clubs for kids to earn cool prizes. Obvious sources include your local library, schools and city programs, but here are some of my favorites that are open to most anyone:

Half Price Books: Feed Your Brain! Kids can earn a $3 shopping card each week for reading just 15 minutes a day. Maximize your savings by selling your books back to the store once you are finished with them! Don't forget, you can also sell your magazines! (Sign up instore for this one)

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading will reward kids with a free paperback book when they read just 8 books this summer!

Borders Kids Reading Challenge allows kids to save 50% or more on selected items when they read 8 books this summer!

Scholastic Summer Challenge gives kids a chance to read books, earn points, win prizes and sweepstakes, help a worthy cause and achieve a world record!

H-E-Buddy Reading Club lets kids earn a cool T-shirt for reading 10 books this summer! While you're there, don't forget to click on Clubs & Contests to register for other great clubs for even more fun and prizes!

TDBanknorth will make a $10 deposit into a Young Saver Account for your child when they read 10 books this summer! This offer is available at TDBanknorth locations in CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, and VT.

The AAPC is sponsoring a Sensory Gang Summer Reading Program specifically for kids with Autism. Upon completing the reading log, kids will earn a certificate of completion and a $25 AAPC gift certificate!

Know of any national summer reading clubs that are not mentioned here? Send them to me and I'll add them to the list!

JCPenney: $10 off $25 plus Awesome Clearance Savings

I wanted to tell you about this sooner, but I've been so behind after being without internet all week. However, the coupon is still good through Tuesday, June 2nd, so there's still time!

To use the coupon to save $10 off $25 online at JCPenney.com, click on "Checkout + Promo Code" and enter the code 10GIFT. If you have your order shipped to the store, shipping will only be about $4.50.

Or you can go here to print out the coupon to use at the store! They are having a great clearance sale right now! I bought a gorgeous dress that was originally $80 but was on sale for $47.99. After my coupon savings and tax, I paid $41.03 out of pocket. I know I could have got a better deal by sticking closer to the $25 minimum but the dress was just too awesome to pass up: http://tinyurl.com/n5lsqd.

Thanks to Nickels-n-Dimes for this awesome deal!

OldNavyWeekly.com IS UP NOW!

UPDATE: I just got the $75 off $100 coupon!!!!! Click on the tree behind the lady in the red tee, then catch that pesky parrot!!!

This is the first time I've seen them do it on a Sunday, so I have no idea what time they're gonna update! But keep your eye on OldNavyWeekly.com today, including the totally awesome $75 of $100 coupon that's back this week! Combine any of these coupons with the great sales Old Navy's been having and you'll have yourself a heck of a deal!

I'll update this post with the specifics for each coupon once I the site is up.

Fresh Express/Chiquita Fresh Funds

Fresh Express/Chiquita Fresh Funds is a promotion from Chiquita and Fresh Express that allows you to collect points from specially-marked packages to redeem for cool prizes and bid on auctions for even cooler items!

And right now, there is a code that will allow you to get 50 bonus points to get you started! Just enter the code FRESHFUNDS for 50 free points!

Thanks to Freebies4Mom for this latest discovery! I had two bags of salad in my fridge with codes on them that almost went to waste!

NWA Deals says that you can find codes on specially-marked bag of Chiquita and Fresh Express products will have a Fresh Funds point on the back of the package. Here's a List:

Chiquita
Fruit & Veggie Bites

Fresh Express
Crispy Lettuce
Tender Lettuce Mixes
Flavorful Whole Tender Leaf Blends
Complete Salad Kits
Specialties* (Organics not included)

Technical Difficulties

I have been having some serious trouble with my AT&T U-verse service so I haven't had internet access all week. I finally convinced them to send a technician out this afternoon, so hopefully I'll be able to get back on track today. Just wanted to update everyone and assure you that I am still here! See you soon!

OldNavyWeekly.com Coupons Are Up!

They're up early tonight! Old Navy is giving out coupons on their OldNavyWeekly.com site each week. The site updates each Thursday night (used to be late night/early Friday AM, but now it seems to be earlier Thursday evening) with new coupons. You have to perform little actions with the supermodelquins in order to make the coupons appear. Here's the info I got from SlickDeals.net:

$60 off $100 = take yellow pail from Owen and drag to water in swimming pool with Heather and Josh, then drag pail to Wesley, Kimmy, and Michelle. Continue until box is full of water (GONE for now)

$45 off $100 = take spray can from Heather and drag to Amy twice (GONE for now)

$20 off $100 = drag orange/white striped bag to Heather's right hand

$15 off $75 = play video, click coffee in Josh's hand at .10 and click Heather's belly at .04 or all the flip flops she's holding at .05/.06

$10 off $50 = put Wesley's head back on his body

$5 off $50 = click Kelly's bottle in her hand

Even though the best coupons are gone for now, check back throughout the week because they randomly add more sometimes.

Don't forget! Old Navy flip-flops will be $1 this Saturday morning, in-store only! My cashier said they sold out last year by 10:30am so get there early!

Most Awesome Giveaway Ever!

So I'm sitting here in front of my computer, munching on my free sample of Total Cranberry Crunch (free sample's no longer available, but go here for $1 coupon), browsing the many blogs I follow, when lo and behold, I find the most awesome giveaway ever!! Metropolitan Mama is giving away a laptop!!!!

The prize is a Toshiba Portege M750 ($1,699 value) and a handy Small Phantom bag from STM Bags to carry it around in! Oh how I want to win this with all my might! I told you it was awesome!! So run, don't walk, to Metropolitan Mama and enter today! Contest ends Friday, May 22nd.

One Lovely Blog Award

I just received my very first blog award! I'm so proud! Thanks to Brighten Your Eyes With Savings for the award! I'm flattered that you thought my little ol' blog worthy of an award!

Here are the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm still fairly new to the blogging community, so let's see if I can come up with a full 15...

1) Heathermama - my buddy IRL who got me into this blogging thing

2) Your Coupon Buddy - great site all-around

3) The Broke-Ass Bride - my latest find! so awesome! the name says it all!

4) Free Sample Freak - more freebies than you can imagine

5) Jane4Girls $800 Annual Budget - my hero, my inspiration!

6) Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - my frugal-fashion guru

7) The Freebie Blogger - more great freebies!

8) Grammy Janet's Place - lots of rocking giveaways

9) News Around the Blogs - a wrap-up of the best frugal blogger deals

10) Couponing 101 - great DFW area weekly coupon matchups

11) Be Centsable - The Grocery Gathering is a must-stop for me each week

12) Never Pay Retail Again - savings for everything else!

13) Surviving the Stores - tons of great deals

14) $5 Dollar Dinners - yummy, cheap meal ideas

15) Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House - lots of great giveaways!

Have Some Fun With Instant Win Games

There is a new instant win game to play! Yay!

Dress your salads in style by playing the Restaurant Style Salads at Home instant win game for a chance to win a salad ingredient coupon for a FREE product from Dole, Marie's Dressing, Fresh Gourmet or Athenos! You can play this game daily thru 7/12/09. If you're not an Instant Win Game Winner you'll receive an additional opportunity that day to play the Game by answering trivia questions regarding various products.

A maximum of 5,600 Game Prizes are available to be won throughout the Promotion Period. The Game Prize will be one of the following coupons, each worth up to $3.99 when purchasing that product: a Dole Salads Coupon; a Marie's Salad Dressing Coupon; a Fresh Gourmet Coupon good on any Fresh Gourmet product; a Dole Mandarin Orange Coupon; or an Athenos Feta Cheese Coupon.Please keep in mind that you can ONLY win once per household! Game Prizes will be mailed to each verified Winner within 6-8 weeks.

Don't forget that the Pace Instant Win game is still going on:
Pace is giving 160,000 first price winners a coupon for a FREE Pace product, with a maximum value of $4! The odds of winning seem better then most sweepstakes. If you win you'll be able to print your coupon right away too. Remember to press the browser back button to print a total of two FREE coupons (possibly more)!Wanna try?!?Just go on over here and register or log in to play. If you need a code you can use SAL321.

Thanks to It's Hip to Save! for the heads-up on these!

Giveaway Roundup

I'm entering several giveaways tonight so I thought I'd round them all up for ya'll real quick.

Suzy Q Homemaker is giving away a $30 gift card to 1-800-Flowers. Contest ends May 16th at 10am.

Simply Being Mommy is giving away 3 copies of System Mechanic. Contest ends May 21st at 10pm.

News Around the Blogs is giving away a Save the Ta-Tas Gift Basket - and supporting a great cause too! Contest ends May 17th.

Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is giving away a $25 Build-A-Bear Gift Card. Contest ends May 15th at 11:59pm.

Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is also giving away a 2-year subscription to All You magazine which is chock full of awesome coupons each month! Contest ends May 20th at 11:59pm.

Therapeutic (Ad-Free) is giving away a $250 Visa Gift Card! How cool is that? Contest ends July 8th.

AuntieThesis is giving away $150 worth of Carolina Pad Office Supplies! Just in time for next school year! Contest ends May 25th.

Grammy Janet's Place is giving away a large mailer envelope full of coupon inserts! At least 20 coupon inserts with savings of over $300. Great way to build your coupon stash! Contest ends May 24th.

Couponing 101 is giving away The Couponizer - a 7-piece coupon organizer system! Contest ends May 20th at 11:50pm.

RedPlum Roundup

Lots of great printables from RedPlum, including:


$2 off Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix
$1 off Del Monte Fruit Chillers
$1 off any Eucerin Body product
$1.50/2 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, All-Bran or Raisin Bran
$1/3 Rice-a-Roni
$1/2 Aunt Jemima Mix or Syrup
$1 Nivea for Men
$1 Snuggle Liquid Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets
$1 off Marzetti Produce Dressing
$1 any Fast Fixin' Product
$1.50/2 Poise Pads
$1.50/2 Poise Liners
$1/2 Minute Rice Ready to Serve
$0.50 off Minute Rice
$1 off Caltrate
$1 off Excedrin Express Gels
$1 off Excedrin Migraine
$1 off Excedrin PM
$1 off Excedrin Back & Body
$1.50/2 Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressings
$3 off Huggies Pure & Natural
Free box of Meaty Bone dog biscuits when you buy Meaty Bone Chew-lotta or Denta-Delicious



Head on over to RedPlum.com to print these goodies!

More Printable Coupons

$2 off Dr. Scholl's For Her Insoles - these things feel so good on your tootsies!


$1 off Cranergy Juice Drink

$2 off Post Trail Mix Crunch - I love this cereal!

Become a fan of Snapple on Facebook to get a coupon for Buy One Get One Free Snapple (up to $1.99). (Thanks to Heather at Freebies4Mom for this one!)

You can also print more of the great Kraft coupons from Albertsons. I was able to print 2 more of each coupon from this site, and they don't say anything about Albertson's on them so you can use them at any store!

Get $20 in Slim Fast Coupons! First, sign up HERE, then activate your account through email, log into your account, and then click where it says "TV offers" on the bottom right of the page. You will be able to print out some great coupons and then they will send you more in about 3 weeks!

Awesome Giveaway: $500 Home Depot Gift Card

Yep! I had to read it twice too! But Heather at Freebies4Mom is really giving away a $500 Home Depot Gift Card! I could finally get that patio furniture I've been wanting forever! Or maybe a swing for my backyard!! Head on over to Freebies4Mom and enter today! Contest ends June 23rd.

Good Luck!

Free Kellogg's All-Bran Promise Pack

Get a free Kellogg's All-Bran Promise Pack that samples and coupons. Your Promise Pack will include: Strawberry Medley cereal sample, Strawberry Drizzle Fiber bar, Red Raspberry Fiber drink mix, and coupons (total value of $4 in savings). I had to register for an "All-K Pass" in order to request this sample, but it was easy to do. You can expect to receive your Promise Pack in 4 to 6 weeks.

Thanks to Heather at Freebies4Mom for this little gem.

Giveaway: $5 Cash Card

It's Hump Day Giveaway time over at YourCouponBuddy.com. This weeks prize is a $5 Cash Card from General Mills. Hurry over for a chance to win!

Free Jennie-O Ground Turkey Coupon

During the Biggest Loser finale tonight (8/7c), Jennie-O will be giving away $5 coupons for ground turkey (which should make it free at some stores!). An ad will play during the finale letting you know that the coupons are available on their website HERE. I'll probably just start trying at 7:00! :)

The coupons are only available to the first 25,000 and I am sure they will go QUICK!

Thanks to Rachel at Surviving the Stores for this deal!

Menu Plan Monday - May 11

Better late than never, right? ;)

Monday - Chicken Parmesan, Penne pasta with garlic and olive oil

Tuesday - German Pork Chops, Rice-A-Roni, Corn, Crescent Rolls

Wednesday - Grandma's Sunday Roast, Potatoes & Veggies, Biscuits

Thursday - Dinner at Mom's using the new smoker we got her for Mother's Day!

Friday - Shepherd's Pie*, Salad, Biscuits

Saturday - Taco Ring, Salad

Sunday - Bourbon Chicken with Garlic, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Green Beans, Rolls

For the Shepherd's Pie, I will use leftover meat from Wednesday night, the veggies in my freezer stash and a package of Homemade Gourmet Mom's Smashed Potatoes. Whenever we have corn or green beans with dinner and have a spoon or two leftover, I toss them in a container in the freezer to use for soups, stews or recipes like this. So this recipe will cost me almost nothing and be oh so yummy!

For more menu planning resources, head on over to Menu Plan Monday. Have a great week!

Giveaway: Crystal Aura

Crystal Aura is Avon's Premier sophisticated and luminous fruity floral fragrance captured in a multi-faceted rectangular bottle with a Swarovski pendant around its neck. Win it today at Heathermama's blog!

Good Luck!

Hot New Printable Coupons!

My printer is smoking from all the work this afternoon! There are over $50 in Kraft printable coupons available now! These coupons are HOT, are going fast and are only available in limited quantities. Once they are gone, they're gone! So hurry and print yours now!

You can print the coupons directly from the Coupons.com widget on my sidebar or visit Coupons.com. You should be able to print 2 each of the coupons from Coupons.com and then you can head on over to KraftFoods.com to print 2 more of each of the coupons.

Now I just need to find a good deal on ink for my poor printer! :)

And the winner is....

I am so sorry that I didn't get to post this last night. Our Mother's Day gift to my grandmother was that everyone went to her house yesterday and did a whole bunch of yard work and stuff she needed done. We worked our little butts off and I was so tired last night I didn't even get on the computer at all!

I used Random.org to choose the winning entry and the winner of the $10 GameStop giftcard is........

Comment #3: shbrighteyes

Congratulations! I will be emailing you with instructions to redeem your prize.

And thanks to all who entered!

Giveaway: 15 Coupon Inserts - 5 Winners!

Rachel at Surviving the Stores is hosting an awesome giveaway! Head on over to her blog to enter to win one of 5 sets of 5 each of the 3 coupons inserts from this past Sunday's paper! This would be a great way to start building your coupon stash for those of you just starting out!

Good Luck!

KFC Raincheck

Remember those cool coupons we printed earlier this week for the free KFC Grilled Chicken Meal? Due to the overwhelming response KFC is not going to honor the coupon any longer.

BUT, if you bring your coupon to KFC, they will give you a form to fill out to get a raincheck on the coupon. Then they will send you another coupon to use at a later date.

You can get more information and view the video from KFC's President HERE.

Join Homemade Gourmet for FREE - Today Only!

Homemade Gourmet is running a Mission in Motion Special Today Only where you can join the company for FREE! Normally, there is a $400 initial order requirement when you sign up but they are waiving that until June 30th if you sign up today! This is an awesome opportunity to start earning some extra income!

The Starter Kit is a $54 value and includes all the business supplies you need to get started, plus 7 mixes! You only have to pay $14.95 shipping and handling. (The 7 mixes alone are worth over $30!) There's no risk or obligation, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Plus, if you place your first $400 order by May 31, 2009, you'll get an additional $60+ worth of retail products and supplies for FREE! The BBQ Bonanza Bundle and 3 Host CDs will be shipped with your initial order. You can easily reach your $400 order with just one party! I'll help you get started and show you how!

If you're interested, hurry and contact me today or visit my website: www.homemadegourmet.com/karrisa for more details!

Summer Fun

Now that summer is just around the corner and I will soon have two bored little girls staring at me all day waiting for me to do something cool to entertain them, I'm collecting info and ideas for some upcoming posts on free or cheap summer activities. This will be my first summer I don't have to work, so I'm wanting to make it very memorable for them, on a shoestring budget, of course! I'm looking for a variety of things from free admission or discounts on area attractions, free or cheap activities, frugal vacation ideas, kid-friendly crafts, recipes for kids to make in the kitchen, and inventive ways to pass the time. My goal is to gather enough ideas for a full post on each topic. I'm in Texas so I'm especially interested in ideas for that area, but will accept ideas for anywhere in the U.S.

If you have any tips, tricks, ideas or resources to contribute, please email them to me at karrisahg at gmail dot com.

I will be sure to give credit where credit is due in my posts, so if you have a blog you would like to link your idea to, include the link in the email!

Giveaway: $100 Home Depot Gift Card

I found another giveaway over at The Thrifty Mama, and in the process discovered a really awesome site! The Home Depot Garden Club is sponsoring a giveaway at The Thrifty Mama for a $100 Home Depot Gift Card!!

You can visit www.homedepotgardenclub.com to join The Home Depot Garden Club for FREE, and you will get exclusive coupons, tips and DIY advice on gardening, lawn care, landscaping and outdoor living projects.

And be sure to enter the giveaway for the $100 Home Depot Gift Card! Good luck!

Giveaway: Romano's Macaroni Grill

Abby at Me and My Boys is hosting a Romano's Macaroni Grill Gift Basket giveaway. Yummy! There will be 3 winners in this giveaway, which ends on 5/9/09. Go check it out!

My Very First Giveaway!

I'm so excited to be hosting my very first blog giveaway!!! The prize:

A $10 GameStop Gift Card!

This card may be used at any of the following stores, or at GameStop.com or EBgames.com: GameStop, EBgames, Babbage's, Electronics Boutique, EBX, Funcoland, PlanetX, and SoftwareEtc. To find a store near you, visit GameStop.com.

You can enter up to 5 times:

1) Leave a comment stating why you want to win this gift card!

2) Subscribe to my blog by email (see link in sidebar to the left)! Leave another comment stating that you have subscribed. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment stating that.

3) Become a Follower of my blog! Leave another comment stating that you are a follower. If you are already a follower, leave a comment stating that.

4) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter! Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet. Please link directly to the Tweet about this giveaway, not just your Twitter profile.

5) Blog about this giveaway on your own blog! Leave a comment below with a link to your blog post. Please link directly to the post about this giveaway, not your blog's main page.

This giveaway ends at 6pm CST on Sunday, May 10, 2009. The winner will be announced on the blog by 9pm CST on Sunday, May 10, 2009. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize. If for some reason the winner does not contact me within 48 hours, I will choose another winner.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Giveaway: $25 Walmart Gift Card

Clenece over at Good or Free Deals is giving away a $25 Walmart Gift Card on her blog! Hurry, contest ends on Friday, 5/8/09. So head on over there and check it out today!

HURRY! Free Gillette Fusion Razor

Today’s code is 4tRf6. Enter it where it says “Already have a code from a Yankees Game”.

During Yankees games, text GILLETTE to 56418 and you’ll receive a code redeemable on www.gillette.com/walk to receive a Gillette Fusion Razor. The offer is available to the first 1,000 each game. Click here to view the Yankees schedule.

Thanks to The Freebie Blogger for this deal!

Awesome Giveaway at YourCouponBuddy

YourCouponBuddy.com is sponsoring a giveaway for a free 10 pack of personalized note cards from Come Together Cards. These look really awesome! Check it out!!

ConAgra Rebate

I found a flyer on my desk today, not sure where it came from, but it reminded me about the Con Agra "Summer of Savings" rebate promo going on now. The one I have started April 7th, but if you can't find that one, there was one in the 5/3 paper for purchases made 5/3-5/31. Receive a coupon booklet with over $34 in savings when you buy $25 in participating products, including Snack-Pack, Hunts, Rediwhip, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Slim Jim, Healthy Choice, Peter Pan, Manwich, Ro-Tel, Orville Redenbacher, Hebrew National, Crunch 'n Munch and Banquet.

Here's the kicker, since the form I have is good for purchases from 4/7 thru now, all the Healthy Choice entrees I bought for the Living Well promo will count toward this rebate! I'm mailing my form tomorrow!

Final Tom Thumb Living Well Trip

Tonight was a bit of a mess but we made it through. I wanted to take advantage of the last day of the Tom Thumb Living Well trip so I did 3 quick transactions. (Sorry, no time for pics when I got home.)

Transaction #1:
4 Ozarka Sprt Top 6pk - $1.99 ea (used $1/2 Catalina)
2 Bright Green Facial Tissue - $1.49 ea (used $1/1 from Bright Green Flyer)
4 Newman's Own Frozen Pizza - $4.99 ea (used $1/1 printable)
Used $15 in Catalinas from previous transactions

Total OOP: $8.74
Received: $10 OYNO from Living Well and $4 OYNO from Ozarka

Transaction #2:
3 Special K Blueberry - $2.79 ea (used $1/1 printable)
1 Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend (coupon expired - bummer)
2 Trop50 Orange Juice - $2.50 (no coupon - new family fave!)
4 Precious String Cheese - $3.49 ea (used $1/1 peelies)
Used $14 in Catalinas from Transaction #1

Total before coupons was only $29.83 but somehow the $10 OYNO still printed!!!
Total OOP: $8.67
Received: $10 OYNO from Living Well

Transaction #3 (just to use up $10 catalina):
1 18ct Lucerne Eggs - $1.99 (used 2-$0.50 peelies on pkg)
3 Ground Turkey Rolls - $2.49 ea
4 Candy Bars - Buy 2 @ $0.99 ea, Get 2 Free (as filler)

This is where it gets funny! Somehow transaction #3 came out to less than $10 so I grabbed a magazine as a filler. Turns out I grabbed the only magazine on the rack that cost $10.99 so my OOP came to $9.44! The line behind me was getting long and impatient so I just paid and went to the customer service desk to exchange for a $2.99 Woman's Day magazine and got back $8.66.

So... Total OOP: $0.78
Only after I got home did I realize that the reason my total on Transaction #3 was off was because cashier somehow only charged me for 2 Ground Turkey Rolls. Normally that would be a good thing but it messed things up for me tonight. LOL

Grand Total OOP: $18.19
Retail Value: $107.32
Savings: 83%

Got some great deals with the Living Well promo but I'm kinda glad it's over now! My brain is fried from calculating all the scenarios!

$20 Cash Card from Sierra Mist

Remember those BOGO Sierra Mist coupons I posted about a few days ago? Well get ready to use them! Sierra Mist has a new flavor called Sierra Mist Ruby Spalsh. There are certain 2-liters that have a folded "Special Offer" card stuck to them. Inside the "Special Offer" Card you will find a serial number. Type that serial number here and you will be led to do a 5 minute survey. That's all you have to do and within six (6) weeks you will get a $20 pre-paid cash card in your mailbox!!!

Thanks to Free Sample Freak for this deal!

Free 2 piece Grilled Chicken Meal at KFC

Hurry! Coupon is only available for printing until 9:59pm Central on 5/6/09. Go to www.unthinkfc.com for a coupon for a Free 2 pc Grilled Chicken Meal at KFC, includes 2 pc grilled chicken, 2 sides and a biscuit! Fine print says you are "limited to 4 online prints" of the coupon, so be sure to print it all 4 times! (If it won't let you print, try typing the web address directly into your browser rather than clicking on the link.)

Thanks, The Freebie Blogger!

Nobody's Perfect!

I've been blogging about all the great deals I've gotten lately, so I thought I'd blog about my trip to Wal-Mart that wasn't so thrifty yesterday. After taking a long break from couponing, I've really just started rebuilding my stockpile within the past month. So there were a few things I needed yesterday that weren't really on sale anywhere, so I just hit up my local Wal-Mart. (GV=Great Value brand)

10lb bag Sugar - $4.98
5lb bag Flour - $1.92
2lb bag Brown Sugar - $1.42
5 boxes Pop-Tarts - $1.92 ea (used $1/1 peelies and will send off for free movie ticket)
2lb bag GV Shredded Cheese -$6.38
16oz GV Sliced Cheese - $2.38
8oz block Marbled Jack Cheese - $1.68
16oz Oscar Mayer Ham - $2.98
16oz Oscar Mayer Turkey - $2.98
16oz pkg Lil Smokies - $3.78
Bar S Hot Dogs - $1.00
Bar S Bologna - $1.25
2 - 1lb Ground Turkey Rolls - $1.97 ea
8oz Daisy Sour Cream - $1.00
Disposable Camera - $5.24 (for daughter's field trip)
20oz Dr. Pepper - $1.38
2 pkgs Sunflower Seeds - $0.47 ea (the girls had the after-school munchies!)

Total OOP: $48.15

Granted it could have been much worse, but it still hurt after all the awesome deals I've been getting lately. Can't win 'em all I guess!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm going to start posting a weekly menu as part of Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I fully intended to post this earlier in the day but due to technical difficulties, I'm just now getting around to it. Better late than never though!

Monday - Taco Salad, Maria's Salsa, Spanish Rice

Tuesday - Bruschetta Chicken Bake, Corn, Salad

Wednesday - Grilled Steak, Au Gratin Potatoes, Italian Green Beans, Biscuits

Thursday - BBQ Chicken Leg Quarters, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Broccoli, Texas Cornbread

Friday - Season 'N' Steam Tenderloin, Rice, Salad

Saturday - Lemon-Rosemary Whole Roasted Chicken, Chicken & Mushroom Rice, Corn, Texas Cornbread (leftover from Thursday)

Sunday - Mother's Day - I'm not responsible for dinner! ;)

You'll notice a few of the recipes are Homemade Gourmet recipes. For more information on Homemade Gourmet, visit my website.

For more menu planning resources, head on over to Menu Plan Monday. Have a great week!

More Kellogg's Coupons

There are 8 more Kellogg's Cereal Coupons available here. Be sure to click your back button to print them twice for a total of 16 more coupons!

For Just One Week

"For Just One Week" is an idea from My Ice Cream Diary where you set mini-goals for one week. I can do anything for a week! I'm going to try to make this a regular Saturday posting so we'll see how it goes. (Yes, I know I'm late this week, but better late than never right?)

I'm going to start small this week with 2 goals:

1. Have dinner on the table every night by 7:00pm.

2. Make a menu plan and stick to it!

This really shouldn't be a problem for me since I'm not working now and I have no excuses, but it seems like we never get to eat before 9pm. One of the problems is that my fiance has a crazy schedule and I never know when he will get home. I try to wait for him so he can have a hot meal after working hard all day, but it's not right for the kids to be eating that late! And I absolutely refuse to make two separate meals! So I'm going to try to make things that reheat well if he's not home in time to join us. And notice I stressed the words "on the table"? That means we are going to sit down at the table and eat. Not in the living room glued to the TV, not in the office in front of my computer or wherever else we may land, but at the table, all together!

As for the menu, I will be posting my weekly menu every Monday as part of Menu Plan Monday. My problem is that even when I take time to carefully plan a menu, I rarely stick to it. And I have the buns and thighs to prove it! So my goal this week is to make that menu and stick to it!

What are your goals for the week? Leave a comment below. And if you want to join in or get more info about For Just One Week, visit My Ice Cream Diary!

Ways to Earn a Little Extra

As a WAHM, I am always looking for ways to bring in a little extra to help the family budget. I've rounded up a few of the highlights here for you. Rest assured, if I have included a program here, it is one that I personally have received money from before.

YouData.com
Get paid to read ads. It only takes a few minutes to sign in, click on a few ads and collect your money each week. And every Friday, YouData automatically transfers the balance you earned directly into your paypal account, no matter how big or small it may be. I love that you don't have to wait for any crazy minimum level before you get your money! Since mid-December I've earned about $15 through YouData. That may not seem like much but every little bit counts and I maximize my earnings by using it to order additional coupons from YourCouponBuddy.com to save even more on my weekly shopping trips! So I can easily turn a few dollars earned into an extra $30-40 savings at the grocery store! Click here to sign up with YouData and start earning money today!

Swagbucks.com
Swagbucks.com is a search engine that pays you to search the internet! Use Swagbucks.com every time you search and you can earn "Swagbucks" that are redeemable for all kinds of merchandise in the SwagStore. For as little as 45 Swagbucks, you can get a $5 Amazon.com gift certicate! Or save them up for something even bigger, like a $20 Target E-Gift Card for 220 Swagbucks. Click here to start searching today!

Ebates.com
I love shopping through Ebates.com. When you sign up with Ebates.com, you earn cash back on purchases from hundreds of stores. All you have to do is visit the Ebates.com website and click on the store you want to shop at. Most stores earn between 1-4% cash back plus you can still use any coupons or discounts you may have to save even more. I used Ebates.com for just a small fraction of my Christmas shopping and earned $21.62 in cash back! Checks are sent out quarterly as long as you have over $5.01 in your account. Sign up today!

SendEarnings.com
Get paid to read email! I spend a few minutes each day clicking on the emails from SendEarnings.com and earn $0.02 for every email I read. There are other opportunities to earn money by completing offers and such but those are completely optional. Once you have earned $30, you can request a check be sent to you for your earnings. Again, certainly no get rich quick scheme but an easy way to earn a little bit extra! Join today!

InboxDollars.com
This site is just like SendEarnings.com. Use them both to maximize your earnings. Click here to sign up!

So what are your favorite ways to earn a little extra money? Post them in the comments below!

Doing the Tom Thumb Happy Dance!

I'm so happy! I planned it all out, everything was in stock and my transactions went very smoothly! I was in and out in under 30 minutes even after a trip to customer service! I think I'm still on the money-saving high!!! I got everything in the above picture, plus 9 more Ozarkas that I was too lazy to unload from my trunk for $14.69. Check it out:

Transaction #1:

10 Ozarka Sprt-Top 6pks - $1.99 each (only 1 is pictured)

2 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers - $2.50 each (used $1/1 printable)

2 Colgate Total - $2.99 each (used $1.50/1 printable from Aetna)

3 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls 4ct - $1.50 each (used $1/3 from 4/26 SS)

Used $15 in Catalinas from previous transactions

Total OOP: $14.52

Received: $10 OYNO from Living Well promo, $3 OYNO from Pillsbury and 5-$2 OYNO from the Ozarkas - That's a total of $23 back!

Transaction #2:

4 Electrasol Powerball Tabs - $3.99 (used $2.50/1 from 4/19 SS)

1 Bright Green Bleach - $1.49 (used $1/1 printable from Tom Thumb website)

1 Bright Green Tissue - $1.49 (used $1/1 from Bright Green Flyer in-store)

20 Yoplait Light Yogurt - $0.50 each (used 3 $0.40/6 from 4/19 SS)

1 pkg Pork Chops - $6.19 (used 30% off peelie on pkg)

3 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls 4ct - $1.50 each (used $1/3 from 4/26 SS)

Used $23 in Catalinas from 1st transaction above

Total OOP: $0.17 Woohoo!!!

Received: $10 OYNO from Living Well promo, $3 OYNO from Pillsbury and $2 OYNO from Yoplait Yogurts

Grand Total OOP: $14.69

Retail Value: $106.48

Savings: 86%

Plus, I still have $15 to spend on my next order! What shall I buy next? :)

(The trip to customer service was because a couple of my coupons stuck together on the first transaction so they weren't deducted. They actually charged me $20.02 and I had to go to customer service to get the other $4.50 back. Easy as pie!)

ETA: I know the pork chops weren't exactly the best deal, but I didn't have anything thawed out for dinner and $4.33 for some pork chops is still cheaper than a restaurant! ;)

Getting Organized

Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie has posted a great grocery list template on her site. It's not one of those annoying checklist ones that I despise! This one actually works for me and makes sense to me! Head on over to her site for the template and her explanation for why she designed it the way she did, as well as a few other handy templates and wonderful organizing templates.