Social Retargeting by Chango

April 2009

23
Apr
2009

Tips for New Couponers

04/23/2009

Share

Here are a few tips for those new to couponing:

1. If you are interested in seeing your weekly grocery ad a day early, sign up for Red Plum here. I get the local store ads that typically break on Wednesday, in my mailbox on Tuesday. I also get assorted coupons for fast food restaurants with the mailer. Obviously I like the ads early to get a jump start on matchups but also so I know if it is a terrible week I need to hit my store one last time Tuesday night to catch the prior weeks sales.

2. Saving with Shelly has put together a great scenario for new couponers to take part in the Living Well promo at Safeway using Internet Coupons only. No coupon stash needed to get started! Click here to check it out.

3. Local readers: Its Thursday! If you live in Placer County the Rocklin and Roseville newspapers (not the Bee!) have duplicate copies of coupon inserts. At .50 this is a great way to get extra copies. The Placer Herald typically has next weekend’s Red Plum and last week’s Smart Source- I am crossing my fingers for more Electrasol coupons!

{ 1 comment }

23
Apr
2009

Cheerios Coupon

04/23/2009

Share

I have been looking for a new Cheerios coupon to go with the Living Well promo at Safeway and Crystal found it here!

Cheerios ran this program last year and once you sign up they will send you coupons weekly. This doesn’t start until June but these high value cereal coupons almost always result in a great deal somewhere!

Be sure to look out for specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios that have free Discover Cards inside for up to $30!

{ 0 comments }

23
Apr
2009

Happy Try This Thursday!

04/23/2009

Share

I made these incredible Italian breadsticks featured on Cooking During Stolen Moments (and please visit her site as her photos are so much prettier than mine!)
I left them in the oven a little too long as the phone was nonstop that day, but they were still really delicious. Even better I have half the dough left in the fridge for another batch this week.
I have been looking for ways to use the Bertolli pasta sauce that has been free at Safeway and viola! These were really good dippers in the sauce.

{ 0 comments }

23
Apr
2009

Target Preview 4/26

04/23/2009

Share

Here is a peek at next week’s ad from Target courtesy of NeekyMe at AFC! I don’t see a whole lot to get excited about but it could be a week where the deals just sneak up on us.
Make sure to print the Kashi coupons from my sidebar before they are gone!
Looks like a great deal on cereal next week- Buy 5 Kelloggs at $2.39 each and get a $5 gift card. I will have coupon matches this weekend which will bring the cost down to .39/box after coupon and gift card.

{ 0 comments }

22
Apr
2009

Townhall for Hope- free event 4/23

04/22/2009

Share

You have heard me talk about Dave Ramsey here and here. We are big followers of his program and are diligently working to become debt free.

Tonight he is hosting a special event called Townhall for Hope. He will be discussing the economy, the recession, the housing market and much more. You can click here to find a FREE venue near you or just tune in to the Fox Business Channel to catch the entire 3 hr program. Dave will spend an hour answering questions and it should be an informative evening.

I listen to Dave’s tv show every night and his folksy approach to finances makes the hour pass really quickly. If you are struggling to get control of your finances, facing a lot of consumer debt or just want to try and do a little better I highly recommend getting on board with his program!

I suggest getting started by getting Dave’s book Total Money Makeover to learn about his debt free program and how to get started gaining control over your money. You can check his book out at the library or purchase it at Amazon here for $9 used and $14 new. (Do you have Swagbucks to cash in yet?)

Once you are on the program, his book Financial Peace Revisited is a great second step and can be purchased at Amazon for $7.73 used or $15 new by clicking here.

Do I have any readers that are on Dave’s program? I’d love to hear where you are at and if you plan to attend/watch the event tonight.

{ 4 comments }

22
Apr
2009

Safeway Living Well Run, take 3

04/22/2009

Share

This is how to really maximize the Living Well promo I keep mentioning at Safeway- you want to keep your total as close to $30 as possible (mine was $30.83) and keep rolling the $10 into the next transaction to pay the least amount possible out of pocket.
Paid $2.83 after catalina!
Breakdown:
(3) Kashi Pizzas $4.99 each- used $3/1 tearpad coupons I traded for. To learn how to buy and trade coupons check out my article here.
Smuckers Syrup $3.29- used .55/1 MQ
Capri Sun Sunrise $1.99- used .50/1 Safeway q and $1/1 MQ
Starbucks Ice Cream $3- used $1/1 Safeway q and $1/1 IP (and two thumbs up to the Caramel Macchiato flavor)
Eating Right Bread $1.99- used $1/1 Eating Right coupon
Healthy Ones Lunchmeat $2- used .75/1 MQ
Lean Ground Meat $3.14- used $2/1 store coupon
Del Monte Peaches $2.50- used $1/1 MQ stuck to package
Baby Carrots $1- used $1 store coupon
Used $10 catalina from prior transaction.
So I messed this up as the store was out of half of what I planned to buy. The carrots were marked as part of the promo but they were not- so I was technically .17 under and my cat didn’t print. I spoke with the store manager and in 5 minutes they just gave me back the one I already used.
See the complete list of deals for this week here.

{ 1 comment }

22
Apr
2009

$5 Dinners on Rachael Ray (Quick tips for new couponers)

04/22/2009

Share

Did you catch Rachael Ray yesterday? If not, check out the clip here of Erin from $5 Dinners- it is a quick clip that covers the basics of how to get started menu planning. Erin’s blog $5 Dinners has tons of great recipe ideas that really show how you can still feed your family well on a tight budget.
The menu plan you see on her fridge is very similar to what I use and my process is similar to Erin’s- I go through the circulars and plan from there! Bloggers make it very easy to match coupons up weekly to just about every store out there- not only do you get the deals but you can also get amazing recipes.
Erin shows her coupon binder on $5 Dinners- I use a different method that I will show in detail for Frugal Friday this week.
Also- did you know I participate in Erin’s Bargain Meal of the Week challenge? She features a long list of grocery stores and various bloggers go through the store deals and match them up to create dinner ideas for less than $5.
This week I can’t wait to try the Strawberry- Mango Salad- I also have a kicked up BBQ Burger recipe and a Mango-rita- all recipes take advantage of the great promotions at Safeway this week (and don’t require coupons!!) Check out this week’s recipes here.
If you need more recipe inspiration, I also participate in Menu Plan Monday. Hundreds of bloggers (including myself and Erin) post our weekly menus with recipe links. I have also started breaking down the costs of the items I use and showing how I pull from my stockpile to create a complete menu for $35/week. You can see my menu here and you can check out the entire list of Menu Plan Monday participants at Orgjunkie here.

{ 0 comments }

22
Apr
2009

Menu Plan Monday April 27- the cost breakdown

04/22/2009

Share

I am hoping to show new couponers how you can utilize your stockpile to create a complete menu. I know it looks crazy when couponers buy 20 cans of soup in a week and hopefully this will show you why…

OK we are still working the hot weather and mommy is super pregnant edition of the Menu Plan, so quick and easy is the name of the game!

We have a $35 grocery budget for 3+dog in the land of no doubles. I post pictures and breakdowns of most of my shopping trips and lately Safeway has been the place to be. It is not a cheap store– so if I can do it you can do it!

MONDAY: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese w/ salad
Will use sour cream I got for .29 after doubles at Kmart, mac noodles I got for free at Sfwy, and cheddar cheese I stock up on at Costco (32 oz for $4.99). I have cucumber left so I will toss this with red wine vinegar and make a simple salad.

TUESDAY: Tacos- vegetarian meat for me and meat lovers for hubby
We have been getting lean ground beef for dirt cheap at Safeway after coupons. I also stocked up on Boca burgers several weeks ago during a promotion. We buy tortillas at Costco- 2.99 for 40 ct. Salsa was free w/ Pace coupon from awhile ago.

WEDNESDAY: Strawberry and Mango Salad w/ Homemade Bread (DH can have chicken too)
The bread is in the freezer already, we are on the last of the boneless, skinless chicken I stocked up on a few months ago at $1.50/lb.

THURSDAY: BBQ Burgers w/ Grilled Artichokes
See cheap ground beef above, I also buy 48 ct packs of buns at Costco for $2.45 and freeze them.

FRIDAY: Calzones- homemade dough- I use cheese and veggie sausage, DH gets cheese and ground beef
We make these often and I throw in whatever is on hand as far as meat and veggies. We don’t have pepperoni or sausage right now so DH gets ground beef. We buy 32oz of Precious Mozzarella at Costco for $4.59. I also got tons of yeast for free after coupons at Sfwy a few months ago….

SATURDAY: Organic Red Pepper Soup for me and Chicken & Rice for husband w/ cheesy crescent rolls (I shred cheese and bake it inside the crescent rolls. I usually make a dessert version w/ nutella spread inside for pain au chocolate)
The soup I bought on sale at Raley’s for .99 each. Husband’s soup is Progresso which was .30 a can after coupon months ago. I have crescent rolls that were free after coupon and catalina at Safeway. If we didn’t have nutella, I could easily put chunks of Hershey’s Bliss inside the crescents. The Bliss is .99 a bag at Target and cheaper (and better) than chocolate chips.

SUNDAY: Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo spaghetti (w/ chicken for DH)
I have lots of pasta in the pantry- my buy price is .50/box. If I lived in a double coupon area I know the pasta would all be free. This is the last chicken breast and the Classico pasta sauce was pennies after coupon and catalina last week at Safeway (Living Well promo)

I would LOVE any yummy baked goods recipe suggestions too. I am too lazy to sort through my cookbooks for ideas these days :)

Do you have great blogs you visit for recipe inspiration? I’d love to know about them!!

Check out Menu Planning Monday at OrgJunkie for tons more ideas! Come back Wednesday to see what recipes I have for Bargain Meal of the Week at $5 Dinners– featuring Safeway specials.

{ 0 comments }

©2008-2012 MyFrugalAdventures.com — All rights reserved. My Frugal Adventures

This site runs on Starbucks, Chocolate and WordPress using the Thesis Theme

Site Design and Theme Tweaking by Moritz Fine Designs and Joy @ Five J's Design