Oprah Magazine for $5/year

Here is another amazing Amazon magazine deal! Oprah's O Magazine is currently just $5 for an entire year subscription here at amazon.com. I have already got so many great $5 magazine deals this year I am excited for another one! The deal is good through December 19, and remember to check out the other great magazine deals while you are there!

--Savvyteacher

Surprise Deal for Walgreens Fans!

Have you become a fan of Walgreens on Facebook yet? If not, head over here and become a fan to be able to take part in a special fan only deal tomorrow. They aren't saying what it is, but it doesn't hurt to fan for a possible deal! Many companies have given away great rewards, so maybe Walgreens is jumping on that same bandwagon!

--Savvyteacher

$10 off $50 Purchase at Pier 1 Imports

Go here to get your coupon for $10 off your next $50 purchase at Pier 1 Imports. This offer expires on December 24th so you have a few weeks to use it.

Site Showcase: PriceGrabber

PriceGrabber is a website that allows to comparison shop quickly and efficiently. The information you can get about various products includes consumer reviews and Bottom Line Calculators that quickly tell you what something costs including shipping and tax. Many people use PriceGrabber because it is reliable. You can sign up for updates on their website.

I always check PriceGrabber before making a purchase to ensure that I am getting the best deal.

~Thriftynester

Kohl's Deal with $10 Coupon

I talked about the $10 Kohl's card I received in the mail last week here. Tonight I went to Kohl's to see what I could find. I found 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings that were 80% off. The total came to $10. I used my $10 card and assumed I would be paying the tax which was 86 cents. The total rang up $0! I was so excited because it was all completely free!

I saved $60 on the total purchase. As cute as these beads are I still can't imagine paying $60 for all of it! Check your junk mail pile and see if you received this coupon too.

Coupon Trivia: Why do coupons expire?

Each Sunday I clip coupons and sort them in my binder. A few nights a month I take a few minutes and remove expired coupons during the advertisements of my favorite shows. It can be rather time consuming! Sometimes I wonder why coupons expire so fast? Is it really worth a manufacturer's time to generate a coupon that expires so quickly?

The answer is YES.


A decade ago coupons were generally good for at least six months. Today, the average coupon expires in about six weeks. Are you wondering why? Let's consider a few things. Coupons are often for new products and manufacturers want us to use new products as soon as they hit the market. Manufacturers pay good money for shelf space at grocery stores and there is quite a bit of competition to get it. Manufacturers use coupons to showcase these new items and introduce us to the product and/or brand hoping that we will come back for more and tell our friends to buy it.

Manufacturers are hoping that we will feel compelled to use our coupons before they expire. This means we might pay more then we should if we aren't watching the sales. Manufacturers are fine with that! 25 cent coupons can be very useful, but you have to watch for a good sale to pair them with or you might be wasting your money!

So remember that it is worth your time to cut and organize coupons. It is also important to watch for sales and only use a coupon when it is truly a deal.



Thanks Grocery Coupon Guide for the info!

Free Wi-Fi onboard American Airlines

Travelling this holiday season? American Airlines boasts 165 aircraft in their fleet are now equipped with Wi-Fi internet connections, but at a cost: $10-$13 depending on the length of your flight. The good news is there are two codes available that will give you one-time complimentary access.

Users must create an account with Gogo, the internet service provider, and enter promo code Promo Code #1: AATRYGOGO or #2: 1939Admiral70aa when prompted. The first code has an unknown expiration date, and the second code expires December 31, 2009. Happy flying, and surging!

Entertaining on a Budget!

One of my favorite things to do is to entertain. I am a very social person and love to go out with my friends, explore new places and enjoy our local favorites, but I also enjoy having people over for an evening of good food and fun. More and more I realize how much everyone saves when we take turns entertaining at our houses, and we always have just as much fun, if not more!

Last weekend was no exception. Last Saturday night I hosted a dinner party and thriftynester and her hubby came over to eat dinner with us. I love cooking as you might know if you are a frequent reader, and I love to find frugal ways to make more upscale and interesting meals. I wanted to challenge myself to utilize things I already had in combination with a quick trip to the store, to make a great meal for less while still being impressive!

We had a lovely meal, and spent less than $8 total for the whole meal! That is about $2 per person, plus the cost of dessert and wine. Going out for an evening dinner with friends usually runs about $20 a person, and while I sure do enjoy a night out, dining in is just as fun plus we enjoyed great food!

I cooked what I call "Tuscan Pasta" which includes a variety of vegetables and chicken and a homemade roasted red pepper sauce. If you enjoy cooking, this is a way to enjoy an evening out while saving money. If you have a group of friends and you trade off cooking and hosting, it can become a more frugal way to add to your social life.

--Savvyteacher

Site Showcase Sunday: Free Film Screenings

Go to the movies often? It can be SO expensive! Check out filmmetro.com and gofobo.com to find free film screenings in your area. Plan to arrive at the theater early as showings are typically on a first-come, first-served basis. Make sure you read all the details when you print your tickets.

I signed up for email from these sites several weeks ago when I found out about them in All You Magazine. I'm looking forward to a free movie night very soon!

Black Friday Deals: Spent $26, Saved $100!

I was excited to be in town for Black Friday deals this year! Last year we were out of the country and didn't get any deals. We left early and hit up several stores. My best deals came from my favorite stores. Imagine that! I shopped at Walgreens, CVS, Target, Petsmart, World Market and Costco. I can't believe everything in the picture above was so cheap!

Total OOP - $26.46
Total Value - $126.10

*Earned $8 ECB to spend at CVS
*Earned $5 Register Rewards to spend at Walgreens
*Received $5 Hallmark Gold Crown store coupon

*We didn't spend anything at Costco. We picked up 2 free recipe books!

Yummy Frugal Pecan Oatmeal Pie

I have never enjoyed a pie so much in my entire life! I made a pecan oatmeal pie for Thanksgiving. It was delicious! It was also VERY inexpensive to make. It only required 1/2 cup of pecans, which are about $1 at Walmart. The recipe is here. I plan to make another one in the next few weeks because we loved it so much!

Free Christmas Stocking

Here is a great opportunity to get a free stocking. It will take 2-4 weeks to get here (bummer), but it is free so you can always save it for next year. Go here to get your stocking. Mine is on the way. I left the field blank that says "organization" and it worked fine.

Series: Cooking from the Pantry, Potato Pouches!

So two weeks ago I utilized my day off for Veteran's Day to organize my pantry with all of my newly stocked items from triple couponing. While doing this I realized I had 19, yes, 19 pouches of potatoes that I had got for about 4 cents each during triple coupons at Harris Teeter. I know these do not expire for a long time, but it got me thinking on how I could utilize all of these potatoes and I came up with a few ways I'd like to share with you.

1. Donate some! I realized that even though I could probably end up using all of these without letting them expire, donating some to a local food pantry or food drive allows me to give without breaking my very tight budget. As I cleaned out my pantry and organized, I pulled out many items that I had several of and made a donation bag. This included several packages of potatoes!

2. Cook with them! Use them in recipes! Below is a picture of my version of Shepherds Pie. Instead of real mashed potatoes on top, I used 2 bags of the redskin pouches. Tasted almost the same, and definitely delicious!


3. Use them as meal sides. There are many meals that go great with mashed potatoes. This weekend I did a slow cooker pork roast, whipped up a bag of those potatoes and a salad and enjoyed a well rounded meal. They actually taste really good, and I bet your family wont even know the difference!

Get creative, and enjoy.... Cooking from the Pantry!!

--Savvyteacher

Series: Cooking from the Pantry, Budget Update + Recipe!

How are you doing with your monthly grocery budget? As it is approaching the end of the month, it's time to check in on my budget, so I thought I would take a moment to update you on my Cooking from the Pantry progress and my new weekly budget of $20. The envelope system has been working because I feel like I am more cautious of what I am spending and it is keeping me on track with my budget. It is so easy to "swipe" your card and not realize how much we are spending on groceries. This system has forced me to be more mindful of what I am buying and how much I am spending.

Monthly Budget for November: $80
Spent so far: $69
Amount Left: $11

I am pleased with where I am at right now because this includes already purchasing all my ingredients for my Thanksgiving feast I will be cooking on Thursday, I already grocery shopped for this coming week, and I have lots of items stock piled that will last me the remainder of my month. I plan on spending the last of my budget on last minute things for the big day on Thursday. While I was actually hoping to come in under budget with money leftover, I will just settle for actually staying on budget and aim next month to challenge myself to spend less. I will be posting about prescription transfers soon, because I was able to get extra money to spend for my Thanksgiving dinner by transferring prescriptions!

I will leave you all with a recipe from my Cooking from the Pantry series that utilized my stock pile paired with fresh ingredients for a very frugal, but delicious meal!

Chile Relleno with Saffron Rice (serves 2)

Ingredients:
-One large green pepper
-Tomato paste
-1/3 pound of ground turkey or beef
-Spices (chili powder, salt, pepper)
-Mozzarella Cheese
-Saffron rice packages, cook as directed or any other rice on hand

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut pepper in half to create two bowls. Gut insides and put on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and then roast in oven for about 20 minutes. While peppers are roasting, brown the ground turkey or beef in pan on the stove. Add a couple table spoons of tomato paste and spices to taste.

Take the peppers out of the oven and stuff with the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Pair with rice, and enjoy!

Cost:
Chile: 99 cents
Meat: $1 for 1/3 lb
Rice: Free from triple coupon's
Other ingredients: Already had these on hand!

Final Cost: Just over $2 total!

Enjoy,
--Savvyteacher

Site Showcase Sunday: Black Friday Websites

Black Friday is getting closer. I'm looking forward to sitting in my warm pajamas with a nice cup of coffee in front of my computer for an hour on that day. I'm planning to get all the online deals I can and then head out to my favorite stores! This is a day that I will shop with a specific plan. (I don't usually do that!)

Check out the following websites to see what deals you can get and where they are this Friday! Remember nothing is a deal if you can't afford it so plan a budget before you go and stick to it. Watch for updates from your favorite stores. Some of them have not reported their deals yet.

• http://bfads.net/ *This is the site I have been using.
• http://www.blackfriday.info/
• http://www.black-friday.net/

Here are a few more sites and discount codes that have some nice gift ideas...

• Go to redenvelope.com/allyou for 20 percent off any purchase through Dec. 25th
• Go to cherrymoonfarms.com/allyou and get 20 percent off through Dec. 25th to send a gift basket to someone special
  
  

Site Showcase Sunday: Online Booksellers

Friday I mentioned the book I found at Borders and my plan to sell it online here. I am showcasing several online booksellers I have used in the previous year. I made about $600 last year by selling off a ton of books from my teaching days that I no longer wanted to store. Keep in mind that you won't make millions doing this, but you will clean out your house, keep books out of landfills, and make some money.

If you have books to sell check out the websites below. Remember you will not pay shipping on the books you send to these booksellers.

• www.powells.com - Powell takes many children's books that many others do not.
• www.cash4books.net
• www.bluerectangle.com - Make sure you compare what companies offer. Blue Rectangle bought one of my books last year for $14 and two other websites were only offering $2!
• www.abebooks.com

You can also sell your books on www.ebay.com and www.half.com. You will have to find a buyer so it might take longer, but you might be able to make more money.

Gift Stockpile Opportunities: Kohl's & Borders

Kohl's really does have great deals. I found two necklaces that would have cost $42 OOP, but because they were on deep clearance my total was $8.40 OOP! Remember, I don't buy stuff unless it is at least 75% off and these items were about 80% off. I was buying them for my stockpile, but honestly I think I am going to keep these!

If you don't already get email from Kohl's make sure you sign up at a register in your neighborhood Kohl's. There are small tablets sitting next to the register. When you sign up they send you a coupon for a free $5 to spend in their store. This could make your money go further on many clearance items there!

In addition, I printed the Borders coupon that Savvyteacher talked about here to get an item for 30% off. I also logged into my Borders Rewards account here and found that I have spent just under $150 at Borders this year. I stopped there on my way home looking for a cheap item that could get me over $150 so I could get my $5 reward. (I plan to use the reward to buy Hubby a book for Christmas.) I found the book pictured above on the hidden "Last Chance" rack for $1. I paid 75 cents after I used my coupon and now my total spending is over $150! I'm excited to use my $5 reward very soon.

I plan to stretch my bucks even further with the book! It was originally priced at $24.95. When I got home I checked out all the online used book dealers and found one that will buy the book for $5 and pay shipping. I will actually make money on the book I purchased when I send it in. The best part is that I spent five minutes in the store and 10 minutes online to make extra cash! This means I have another $10 to use shopping for Hubby for Christmas. I can't wait to see what I can find for $10 for him!

*If you are curious about online book dealers, google "sell used books" and you will get many options.

Cheers!
~Thriftynester

Coupon Swaps

Every week in the paper do you either wish you had more of certain coupons, or find yourself with a whole bunch of coupons you know you won't use? The answer to your problem is a coupon swap! Coupon swaps provide the opportunity to share your unused coupons with others and hopefully get you some coupons you will gladly use.

One way for those working professionals to organize a coupon swap is to simply start a coupon bag around the office or work place. After the weekend, bring your extra coupons to work, stick them in a ziplock bag and pass it around to your co-workers. They can take out ones they want, and add any of their unused coupons. It doesn't take much time, and you can share the savings. Ask around your work place and find out who is interested in couponing.

Another way is to meet up with your friends over coffee on the weekends. You could do this every week or even just once a month. I do this often with thriftynestor. We meet up and enjoy coffee, clip coupons while catching up, and then swap anything we might want. This not only provides some entertainment during what can be a labororous job of clipping, but allows you to swap instantly! For the stay at home parents out there you could organize a swap among your friends or neighbors. Involve the kids, or enjoy a kid free afternoon!

Coupon swaps are a great way to share coupons! Share your experiences in a comment in you have done coupon swaps before.

Earn Money by Selling Your Gadgets

Did you save money for your upcoming holiday shopping? Do you have random gadgets around your house you would like to get rid of? You can trade these items in for cash or gift cards to stores like Best Buy. Go here to Coupon Cravings blog to check out various companies including Walmart who take gadgets like Ipods, cell phones and digital cameras and give you cash or gift cards for them. You won't make a bunch of money trading items like this, but you will purge your house and keep that stuff out of landfills.

You can use this money to work on your gift stockpile!

~Thriftynester

Target Coupon Generator

A great website for all the Target shoppers out there is the Organize Grocery Deals website. On their site they have a coupon generator that allows you to choose the Target coupons you want to print, and the quantity. Right now there are some great deals on grocery items for those that live near a Super Target. They also have tons of game and toy coupons to help you score some great holiday gifts. The Connect 4 coupon is still available, go here to see that deal if you missed my post about it.

Some Coupons to Check out:
-$1.50 off 1lb or more Archer Farms Cheese
-$1 off 2lbs or more bulk apples
-50 cents off Archer Farms artisan bread
-$1 off bakery purchase of $1 or more
-$5 off Hasbro games
-$10/2 Wii games

And lots more!! Check out these Target coupons!

--Savvyteacher

NC Triangle Town Center Coupon Book

If you are one of our Raleigh area readers and you shop at Triangle Town Center Mall you will be excited about this opportunity. Go here to print your Triangle Town Center coupon book. You can also get one at the mall. There are many coupons for a variety of stores in the mall. Some of the coupons in the book include:

• Swoozie's 20% off entire purchase (I LOVE shopping at this store!)
• Aeropostale $10 off a purchase of $50 or more
• Caribou Coffee $2 off any one pound of coffee
• McDonald's Buy 1 Big Mac, get 1 free
• Nine West 20% off one regularly priced item
• The Twisted Fork 25% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages for you and a guest
• The Spa by Mitchell's 20% off all retail products
• The Spa by Mitchell's $15 off 55 minute massage or facial

~Thriftnester

Site Showcase: Inbox Dollars

InboxDollars.com is a website that pays you to take surveys, shop, read email, and play games! You will receive a $5.00 bonus for signing up! If you are doing any online shopping for the upcoming holidays you will want to check out Inbox Dollars as you will earn a bonus by shopping through their website.

I have a seperate email that I use for Inbox Dollars and MyPoints because I get a fair amount of email from them each week and I don't like to have that in my regular email.

~Thriftynester

Series: Cutting Your Grocery Bill

It's time for another post about cutting your grocery bill. If you follow the blog then you know that one way I am working to cut my grocery bill is by eating from my pantry and freezer stockpile and living off of a $20 per week budget. Last time I told you about shopping the manager's specials, see here if you missed that!

Many of the NC locals know that Harris Teeter has triple coupons this week. Today I want to share with you how you can use triple coupon weeks in order to stockpile, save money, and cut your monthly budget. Something I learned about a year ago when I first began couponing is to think monthly, and not weekly. I used to only buy the groceries I would eat in one week, until I learned how stockpiling can seriously cut your grocery budget. Of course there are things you must buy week to week like produce and some dairy products, but overall if it's a deal, I stock up.

Many stores nationwide offer triple coupons on certain weeks of the year. This means they will triple coupons up to 99 cents, making many items free or very inexpensive. This is when I stock up on the pantry basics like rice, noodles, soup, pouched/boxed potatoes, baking products, cleaning products, and whatever else seems to be on the great deal that triples week.

Why triple coupon? Because you save lots of money and can stock up on items. So far this week at triple coupons I have saved over $150.





Spent Total OOP (out of pocket) on groceries pictured: $19.93
Saved with Coupons: $156.18

**Over $150 saved just with using coupons! That is almost 90% savings on the groceries purchased!


Tips for Managing Triple Coupon Week

#1 Get several copies of the paper in the weeks before your store has triple coupons. For our local store, they offer it Wed-Tues, so I think of triples in two parts. I use all my existing coupons the first 4 days, then I get more copies of the paper that comes out that Sunday, and use the new coupons over the last 3 days. We have a 20 coupon limit, and depending on how good the deals are I may go everyday, or a few times.

#2 Print coupons from smartsource.com and coupons.com. These sites offer a variety of coupons, and if you check the several sites that may post about your local store's triples week you can check to see what you might want to print.

#3 Be organized! I used to walk around with a fist full of coupons I wanted to use. I didn't find this to work real well because it took so much time! Now, I use an envelope system (*see picture above). The weekend before triple coupons start, I go through my coupon binder and pull out all of the coupons I either *think* might be a deal, or know *are* a deal from looking up the deals on a website. I organize the coupons into the envelopes by categories. Then, when I walk around and I am in the aisles, I just pull out that envelope. I also always bring my coupon binder, because many times I find other things I didn't know were deals and I can pull out my coupons from the binder as I come across them. Another important thing is to have a place you will put the coupons that you want to use. I have a "To purchase" envelope where I stick all of the coupons I will use at check out. Using the envelope system is also helpful when putting back the coupons that I didn't use in my coupon binder.

#4 Know what you are willing to pay, how many items you will use, and what you need. When I walk in I have an idea in my head of what I am willing to pay for each item based on if I would have bought it anyways. For example, during a stock up for triple coupons I am not willing to pay more than 25 cents for pasta, and I will only get the rice if it is free because of how much rice I already have. The first couple times I went I got caught up in things being so "cheap" that I now have 4 things of mustard and even though I only paid 5 cents for each thing of it, I passed on the mustard this time because I just have way too much! I also have to sometimes stop and think if I really need that item. If I do, I am willing to pay a bit more, but if it's just an "extra" then I may not. Just be aware of what you are buying, and how much you are buying!

#5 Have time set aside. I always take more time on the first day, as I am figuring out what is a deal and what is not. I usually allow an hour the first time so I can really spend some time walking around and looking for deals. Then, each time after is much quicker. On my my fourth trip it took only 15 minutes because I knew exactly what I was looking for. On Sunday with new coupons from the Sunday paper, it might take a bit longer again.

#6 Calculate your savings. Add up what you spent and what you could have spent. This is always a great motivator to keep going. It is a lot of work, but the time pays off when you see what you are saving!

#7 Have a spot for your stock pile. Make sure if you are buying things to stock up on that you have a spot ready otherwise you'll be overflowing some area of your home!

Shopping on triple coupons week can take some time, but if you follow my tips, stay organized and dedicated, your hard work will pay off in cutting your grocery bill!

--Savvyteacher

Red Plum Printables

Red Plum's website has some new Internet printables. For the local NC people, there are a couple coupons you will especially want to print to use at Harris Teeter.

Red Plum Printables
*Martha White Muffin Mixes: $1 off of 4 packages. These are BOGO, so you'll pay 1.38 for all 4 packages, around 34 cents each!
*Dominoes Sugar 40 cents/1
*Sara Lee Meats 75 cents/1 package

Plus many more printables! Make sure you enter your zipcode to have more coupons come up.

--Savvyteacher

Series: What's FREE Week of 11/8

Last week was fantastic for me because of all the FREEbies during triple coupons at Harris Teeter! I also got LOTS of great stuff in the mail that I am very excited about. I would say that this was a fantastic week!









In the mail this week I got:
*$5 giftcard to the new Walmart that opened, just to come stop in
*$10 to DSW shoestore, for my rewards card reward (I get these about 4 times/year)
*$2 giftcard to Panera, I joined their survey panel and if you qualify for the survey you can get $5, I didn't qualify that time but they still sent me a $2 GC!
*Dunkin Donuts dark coffee sample (not pictured)
*Kroger coupons for my Kroger rewards points, including up to $60 in Kroger giftcards for bringing prescriptions (Will be using for my grocery budgeting series!)

Other FREEbies I scored:
-Free Connect Four game from Target,
-Free Dominoes medium pizza coupon in the Connect Four game (extra score!)
-TONS of freebies during Triple Coupon week at Harris Teeter-- most of the food pictured was free or less than 50 cents each.






What was FREE for you last week? Leave a comment and let us know!
What's FREE this week?

CVS

-Buy 2 Crest Pro Health, scope, vivid white or Sensitivity Toothpaste 2/$6.98=$4Ecb, Use 2 $1/1 coupons from the 11/1PG = $0.98 for two
-Bengay $5.99=$2Ecb, use $2/1 coupon from the 10/4RP = $1.99
-EARinse $7.99=$7.99Ecb = FREE

(*See more CVS deals here thanks to hip2save*)

WALGREENS

-Clearasil on sale buy One, get one FREE
Buy 2 Clearasil Stayclear Oil-Free Daily Face Wash $4.79 use 2/1 coupons from the 9/27SS Or use the $2/1 coupon from here (scroll down and click on "save now") = 40 cents each!
-Robitussin DM To Go 2pk $2.49=$2.49RR = FREE (monthly deal)
-Almay Pure Blends Foundation $9.99=$10RR = FREE

(*See more Walgreens deals here thanks to hip2save)

Rite Aid

-Oral-B CrossAction Toothbrush $2.99,$2.99 Single Check Rebate #123
Use the $0.75/1 or $1/1 coupon from the 10/11 or 11/1PG = FREE
-GE Reveal Light bulbs 4 pack $2, $2 Single Check Rebate #10 (on 2)
Use two $1/1 coupons from the 10/4SS = FREE!
--Honey Bunches of Oats cereal is $1.99, use a $2/1 coupons from here to get this free!
-Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers buy one get one free
Use the buy Herbal Essences shampoo, conditioner and styler, get styler FREE coupon from the 10/11PG = FREE

(*See more Rite Aid deals here thanks to hip2save)

Good Luck with your FREEbies this week! Check back next week to see what we got FREE this week and share your success!

--Savvyteacher

Target Deal: Hasbro and More!

This week at Target, my deals were no small scores! I am so excited about the Hasbro deal on Connect 4 at Target.

Target $5 off Printable (Scroll to the third page, it should be on the bottom left- Hasbro board game coupon, select to print)
Hasbro Manufacturer $5 off Printable

Print both Hasbro Connect Four coupons, go to Target and find the Connect Four game with the Dominoes FREE PIZZA coupon sticker. Inside these marked boxes in a coupon for a FREE medium pizza! The games are marked at $10, so it makes them FREE, plus you get a FREE pizza! That is a moneymaker in my eyes. I plan to go do this deal one more time to have another game for a gift. This one I kept for my house, I sure love game playing!

Other Deals:-Tide Single Packet, 97 cents in travel size aisle, use $1/1 coupon from paper = FREE
-Kraft marshmallows $1.19 each, buy 2 and use the $1 Target printable here = 69 cents each
-Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, on clearance from Halloween for $1.49, used $1/1 coupon from the paper to get each bag for 49 cents! I bet these are even more on clearance this weekend so you might be able to score them for free!
-Skippy Peanutbutter is on sale for $1.69 at many stores, use the $1/1 Target printable here(expires today!) to get it for 69 cents.

**I also found some great clearance gifts that are not pictured, keep shopping the clearance for great gift stockpiles!

--Savvyteacher

Series: Cooking from the Pantry

Eating from the Pantry is going well, and it has given me the opportunity to be more creative with everyday items. On the menu this past week was spinach spaghetti with garlic toast and slaw. I used many ingredients I already had on hand, with few fresh ingredients from my weekly budget.

Spinach Spaghetti
Half box whole wheat pasta (FREE from stockpile)- follow directions on box

Sauce:-Jar of store bought sauce (I have a stockpile of this I got for 25 cents each!)
-2 cups of fresh spinach
-spices to taste

*Simmer sauce in stove top, add in spinach towards the end. I used basil and oregano plus some salt in the sauce.
*Toss the pasta into the sauce, on low, and allow for it to mix. Top with Parmesan cheese.


Cranberry Coleslaw

-Half a small head of green cabbage
-1/2 cup of Cranberries
-2 Tablespoons of Light Mayo or Miracle Whip
-1 Tablespoon of a vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar
-Sprinkle of sugar or sweetener, I used splenda

*Chop cabbage into strips. Mix together vinegar and mayo in small bowl, whip in sweetener. Toss with cabbage, add cranberries. Soy nuts or sunflower seeds are also great in this, I just didn't have any on hand.

Garlic Toast

*Instead of spending money on garlic toast, and in order to control the butter, I usually make my own. Take whole wheat bread (or any kind of bread you have) and either spread on butter or use a spray (I used I can't Believe it's not Butter spray). Sprinkle on garlic salt and toast in oven or toaster oven. Then for an added touch if you have fresh garlic, rub on garlic glove after toasted. Still tastes great, for less $ AND calories!

Look for my update on my grocery savings, and more recipes, as I continue "Eating from the Pantry"!

--Savvyteacher

Triple Coupons: $4.10 OOP at Harris Teeter

Did you go to Harris Teeter today? I got all of this for $4.10! My total started at $44 before coupons. I was in the store about 45 minutes with my coupon binder on my way home from work. Get motivated and get going! I can't wait to go tomorrow with 20 more coupons! Those bananas were in the reject pile for 40 cents! How fabulous is that.

Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter Starts 11/4/09!

That's RIGHT! Harris Teeter is doing triple coupons once again and it starts tomorrow! There has been a very large dry spell for triple coupons at HT, which was good because my pantry was over stocked, but now I am ready for some deals! I can't blow my budget stocking up since I am "eating from the pantry" but I just can't resist going for some good freebies and nearly freebies this week.

Check out the list of free and nearly free items here at Southern Savers. As I shop the triples, I'll update with new items and great deals you won't want to miss!

Remember, if you are new to couponing and don't have any or many coupons you can still participate! There are MANY printable coupons that will allow you to get some deals. So get printing, organizing, and GO get your triples!

Series: Cooking From the Pantry

In October I informed you about the challenge I was about to take with my grocery budget. This challenge was to "eat" from the pantry while cutting my grocery budget. I decided that $15 a week was not enough wiggle room while I figured out how to cut my budget even more, so I changed to working on a $20 a week budget. Therefore, I would need to use most ingredients I had from my pantry and freezer and find other ways to cut my grocery budget. I started this challenge with 3 weeks left in October. I was successful, however looking back at the amount of "take out" charges, I realize that part of my budget must be reworked in order to feel the savings.

October 3 week budget: $60
Spent during those weeks: $54.39
Results: Under budget!

I am happy with this success because it included an unplanned dinner for guests as well. However, I had to make some decisions about "take out" and how I could control my spending and save more money! In the past I have used an all cash envelope system for my budget such as groceries, drug store game, and going out. This worked! With being so busy I allowed myself to get away from this... but I am back!

The Plan:

Use an envelope system with cash for groceries, going out/eating out and the drug store game (my out of pocket at stores like Walgreens and CVS). Eat from the pantry and save more this month! I have aquired some major medical expenses from last month so I am looking to find a way to pay those without taking a hit to my small teacher salary!

November:
Grocery budget: $80
Drug Store Game: $20
Entertainment/meals out: $40

Each week I'll update you on where I am at with my challenge, and look forward to pictures and posts of recipes I create as I "eat from the pantry"!

Sign Up for Free Redbox Movies

Did you get your code for a free movie from Redbox today? On the 1st Monday of every month Redbox will send a text message to your cell phone with a code for a free movie.
Prior to this month they were always general codes that anyone could use with a debit/credit card, but now they are specific. You will have to get the text messages. Boo! Go here to sign up for text messages.

I rented X-Men: Origins Wolverine tonight! I've got a bunch of paperwork to catch up on while I watch my movie.

~Thriftynester

Site Showcase Sunday: Upromise

The good people over at Upromise believe that each individual should be able to go to college. Upromise has been around for almost 10 years and has more than 10 million members. This website that pays you to shop. You have the opportunity to earn money with everyday purchases. Here's how it works:

• Join Upromise for free!
• Link your shopper rewards cards like Food Lion and CVS and debit cards, etc.
• Shop online through upromise.com, eat at participating restaurants invite family and friends to upromise
• Enjoy watching your account grow!

This is a great way for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends to help save money for college. If you don't have kids you can still participate. You can help a child you know or fund your Upromise account for your own education. This is free money!

I have had a Upromise account for about 5 years. Internet printable coupons for many items I buy to stockpile are delivered to my email monthly by Upromise. When I use these coupons, I receive a small amount of money in my Upromise account! It is very simple and a great opportunity to save for college. There is no limit on what you can earn from Upromise.

Check out Upromise and start earning some free money!

~Thriftynester

Free Subscription to Car and Driver Magazine

Anyone in your family like reading about cars? Go here to get a free subscription to Car and Driver magazine. These usually go fast so grab your subscription quickly!

Thanks My Frugal Adventures!

~Thriftynester

Show Me Saturday: Wholesale Club Shopping

Are you a member of a wholesale club like Costco, Sam's, or BJ's? Go here to watch my Youtube video about shopping at BJ's.

I activated a 60 day trial membership offer to BJ's I received in the mail. Did you receive this? If not, you can try a one day membership here. Brad's Deals also posts offers for BJ's trial memberships when they are available.

BJ's is the only wholesale club that accepts manufacturer coupons and allows those manufacturer coupons to be combined with BJ's store coupons. This would be the place to take any high value coupons you have. Just remember that many items at BJ's will not be a deal if you are coupon user. I discuss some of those items in the video. I plan to go to BJ's several more times in the next month for a few Christmas presents and then will let my membership expire.

While I was at BJ's I used a coupon for a free Alka Seltzer product valued up to $12. You might be able to score some high value coupons by writing to companies or calling them and explaining that you like their products, would like to try their products and/or had a problem with their product.

Hip2save blogger discusses this and listed many companies that will send coupons upon request here. This might be a great way to stock up on some coupons and it shouldn't take you more then a few minutes of your time.

Please let us know about your experiences at BJ's!

Happy shopping!

~Thriftynester

FREE Holiday Address Labels

Sending holiday cards soon? Go here to get your holiday address labels. When you get there select labels under holiday on the left side. You can personalize them however you like and there are many options. You could also make them into gift labels or upload your own photos.

140 address labels are FREE. You will only pay shipping of $2.95!

~Thriftynester

Series: Gift Stockpiling

Welcome to a new weekly series! Each Thursday I will tell you more about how to create a gift stockpile and fill you in on great opportunities for your stockpile throughout the week.

I wanted to photograph my closet where I store my gift stockpile, but there are several readers that might see their Christmas gifts so I couldn't do that. Instead I photographed the tags from my Target shopping experience yesterday and the free Connect Four game.

Today I had about 15 minutes to spare on my drive home so I stopped in Target and quickly hit all their endcaps around the store. I scored BIG. I was able to find 3 Christmas presents and 2 things that we need in our household for very little money. The following are a few rules that work for me (find a version that works for you):

• Get organized! Make a general list of people you shop for throughout the year and their likes and dislikes. I always leave some extra space on this list because sometimes you need a gift for a secretary, new friend, or gift exchange party.


• Put the list somewhere accessible. I keep my list in my coupon binder. There is no reason to have it if you can't find it. Also, decide how you will manage gifts when you get them. I note what I got and put a sticky note with that person's name on it so I don't forget or loose the gift. I also keep an extra small box where I put general gifts that are not for any specific person. (Ex: pretty candle, stationary, neat pens)


• I will only buy items if they are at least 75% off. I didn't start out with this rule, but as I got better about shopping this way I found that it isn't that difficult as long as I consistently look for items.


• Know where the clearance section is in your favorite stores. Target is my favorite store for gift stockpiling, but I also frequent Tuesday Morning (in Garner, NC), Borders, REI, and Brad's Deals.

If you still aren't sure about gift stockpiling consider the points below:

• You will be shopping endcaps at Target anyway looking for good coupon deals.


• You will find amazing stuff for nothing. Yesterday, Target in Garner had $100 old fashioned popcorn makers on sale for $25 and a $129.99 nice George Foreman grill on sale for $25. Borders (at Six Forks and Wake Forest Road in Raleigh) has nice candles 75% off and $50 Baby Delivery Room survival kits for 75% off. Do you really want to miss these sales?


• It suddenly seems crazy to pay full price for stuff after you start noticing all the clearance!

Hopefully this will get you started thinking about a gift stockpile. I have a lot of fun finding silly gifts and unique gifts for friends and family. I also don't have stress about gift finding because I do it all year.

Head over to Target this week and do a few coupon deals. Then hit their end caps and grab some great stuff for nothing! Let us know in the comments section if you find anything we need to run and buy!

~Thriftynester

More Coffee-Mate Coupons

Coffee lovers, you are in luck! Coupons.com just released another high value Coffee-mate coupon. Now you can stock up on more creamer! I am very excited because the winter flavors have been released in stores, so now I can stock up on pumpkin spice and gingerbread Coffee-Mate without breaking my grocery budget. Hopefully a local store will offer these on a deal soon to make it a better offer. I'll keep you posted if I snag a great find!

Get MORE Coffee-mate!

High Value Glade Coupon

Go here to print Glade soy candle BOGO coupons and go here to print $3/2 coupon. Then save these for a great sale. If you are new to couponing you will be excited to know that several places including CVS will allow you to use a BOGO coupon with their BOGO store sale to get 2 items completely free. (Savvyteacher and I did this with Cover Girl makeup at Rite Aid recently and we scored $40 in free foundation. We just paid tax!)

Now you just have to watch for a BOGO sale on Glade soy candles. I also watch the Target endcaps for these as they move pretty quickly through Target and I have been able to get them free or close to free.
Candles is another example of something to stockpile so you are never out of pocket very much!

Freebie Alert

If you are shopping in Victoria's Secret any time soon you can get FREE Beauty Rush Lip Gloss with a free bra fitting. This lip gloss would be another thing to add to your gift stockpile or an extra treat for you. (Offer expires 11/15/09)



~Thriftynester

Target Deal

Hubby and I went to Target on Sunday afternoon to fill 2 new prescriptions. We brought the $10 gift card coupons we scored in the Target ad several weeks ago. I previously discussed these coupons and how I shop the Target sales here.

We had 20 minutes to burn while we waited for our prescriptions so we quickly hit the endcaps around the outer perimeter of the store along with a few specific aisles. I was pretty excited by what we were able to find!

Here's the deal...

• 1 bottle of Snuggle fabric softner @ $4.69, used $3 off coupon from 10/4 Red Plum insert(We are low on this so I needed to buy it.)


• 2 boxes of Kashi cereal @ $2.75 each, used 2 $1.50 coupons (Kashi cereal coupons are availabe here) (My rule is cereal must be about $1, but less is always better.)


• 1 GE CFL lightbulb on clearance @ 87 cents (originally priced at $3.79), used $1.25 coupon from 10/4 Smart Source insert


• 3 Post It Note cubes (I already gave 1 away.) @ $1.47 each (originally priced at $5.99 each)


• 1 Hasbro Connect 4 game @ $4.99, used $5 off coupon here (Thanks Savvyteacher!)


• 1 Halloween tutu @ $4.99 for our dog, Molly's costume (not pictured)

Total bill: $14.86

Total Out of Pocket (OOP): $0

*I put all of this on gift cards from new prescriptions and transfers. I have $15 on gift cards left for future purchases. The game was free (going to the gift stockpile), the lightbulb was a moneymaker, the cereal,Snuggle and tutu were needed, and the Post Its were over 75% off for my gift stockpile.

~Thriftynester

Restaurant.com has a deal for you!

Go here to score great deals on gift cards for your local restaurants! Restaurant.com has released a new promo code that will allow you to get $25 gift certificates for just $2! All gift cards are 80% off. The promo code is TREATS. Gift certificates are good for one year. Stock up while you can!

For all our Raleigh area readers, I'm stocking up on gift certificates for Amedeo's! We LOVE this restaurant. Great, local eats! I will be using my Restaurant.com gift card so I will have no out of pocket expense! Wondering how I will do this? Go here to read my post about Restaurant.com and how I limit my out of pocket when I shop for gift certificates on their website.

Looking forward to another CHEAP date night with Hubby!

~Thriftynester