27. May 2008 by Lisa.

Here is the June 1st ad scan. You can look at this and get a jump start in planning your CVS run. You might want to wait until Thursday and compare it to the coupon inserts for this Sunday’s paper (check TaylorTownPreview.com to get an itemized list of coupons that will be coming out this Sunday).

Link View in Photobucket - (Click on the page you want to view, then click on the ad to read the fine print.)

With only a little research and not comparing to the coupons coming out THIS Sunday, here are some deals I found:

Cover Girl make-up
BOGO sale (Buy one at $2.99-10.99)
Use the $1 and $2 coupons

Loreal make-up
BOGO sale (Buy one at $3.89-12.99)
$1 coupons

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Pay $2 for 2 bottles and get $1 ECB
Use 2 25c coupons
Pay 25c each

Buy $20 of any Duracell Batteries, Bounty 8-pack or Charmin 9-pack
Get $10 ECB (makes everything half price)
Duracell AAA and AA 4 packs are $2.99
Buy 7 packs of batteries (variety of both packages) totaling $20.93
Use a $5 of $15 purchase coupon
Use 7 75c coupons
Essentially pay only 10c for each pack (when you figure in $10 ECB)

Chex Mix (small bags)
5 for $5
Use 50c coupons to knock price down to 50c/bag
or use $1 off coupons at CouponSurfer.com (only 2 print) for freebies

Remember, with a BOGO sale (Buy One, Get One) you get to use 2 coupons which brings the price down even more.

Posted in CVS DEALS | 1 Comment »

27. May 2008 by Lisa.

Use Ore-Ida tater tots and D’Artagnan wild boar bacon . The wild boar bacon actually turned out to be the perfect bacon for this, because the strips are smaller and don’t overwhelm the tots.

Cut each piece of wild boar bacon in half and wrap a piece around each tot. place them on a cookie sheet and bake them at 430 degrees for about 18 minutes.

The result is absolutely delicious and completely sinful. They wouldn’t be bad with a pickle slice on top.  These would make a fantastic snack for an afternoon of watching sports or entertaining friends.

Posted in RECIPES | 1 Comment »

26. May 2008 by Lisa.

Today only you can get a free DVD rental at your local Redbox. Simply use code: JG552P.

Posted in HOT DEALS | No Comments »

26. May 2008 by Lisa.

Someone told me about My Points and in just over a week I’ve earned 100 pts. Once you get above 1,000 you can start ’shopping’ at My Points for free meals at local restaurants, gas cards etc. in the form of gift certificates (sent to your home free of charge). I haven’t cashed any in yet, but I anticipate a free date night with my husband at least every 4 months.

It’s so easy. They send you emails every day (usually 1-3). All you have to do is click on them to earn points. If you qualify to complete a short survey they will give you 500-1,000 points (points vary with surveys).

It takes less than a minute for me to open an email, earn 5 points and delete it. Just go to MyPoints.com (no I’m not getting any points or money for this). Wish I could though. I’m just passing along the freebie info.

Posted in MAKING MONEY | No Comments »

26. May 2008 by Lisa.

FYI…I created a page about e-coupons.  That’s everything I know.  You’re welcome to the info.

I did all the other e-coupon deals I posted and it all worked smoothly (even at self-check out). Here are more deals I’ve found on other sites.

Pantene hair care
3 for $10 or $3.33 ea.
Load the BOGO (Buy One, Get One) e-coupon
Use $1.00 of 2 man. (manufacturer) coupon
Pay $1.16 ea.

Fresh Express Salad
Load the $1.00 coupon
Use the 50c man. coupon that doubles
Free

Dole Salad
Load the $1 coupon
Use the 55c man. coupon
Pay 45c

2 Zest Bar Soap 8ct. for $1.75 ea.
Load BOGO
Use 2 35c man coupon (one triples)
Pay 18c each

2 Cover Girl Mascara at $4.21 ea.
Load BOGO
Use 2 $1.00 off coupons
Pay $1.11 each

2 Cover Girl Eye Shadow at $2.24 ea.
Load BOGO
Use 2 $1.00 off man. coupons
Pay 12c each

Posted in HOT DEALS | No Comments »

25. May 2008 by Lisa.

Even if you’re not new to the frugal mindset, you can still get caught up in catching all the deals, the rush of getting an amazing deal, and the thrill of watching your stockpile grow (not in a hoarding way mind you).

So you clip coupons, organize them, make your lists, and head out the door, seemingly every day, to find and take advantage of all those wonderful deals.

You eventually start to realize you’re making deal catching way too high of a priority, yet when you cut back you get bummed that you’re not catching all the deals you see posted by all those zealous bloggers. You end up chalking up frugality to an all or nothing activity (not a mindset), and you pitch it for the sake of more time with your family and other, more noble, interests. After all, it’s not worth penny pinching just to get a few freebies every week! You then figure you’re spending too much time and money just to save a few bucks.

Take a deep breath and relax. Step back and take another look. You may just need to assess a little. If you have 10 children all under the age of 4, God bless you! Quit washing out the baggies - throw them away! Invest in Rubbermaid and leave it at that. Just because you’re only saving $15/week doing GroceryGame, and not cutting your grocery bill in half, you’re still saving and doing better than before, right? How much time and effort you spend on being frugal is completely up to you. You don’t need to stress about catching all the awesome deals out there. After all, NOT spending money is the most frugal you can be.

Frugality is a mindset, not an activity. It’s fine if you save $15 this week on groceries and splurge $4 on a cup of Starbucks on the way home. You’re still saving.

Frugality is wise management of your resources. Not only is money a resource, but consider your time, your energy and your sanity resources as well. Adjust to your fun and comfort levels. There are days I just love doin’ the deals! There are days I hate leaving the house to shop and I shut frugality down. I certainly can’t and don’t even try to do every deal I post - not even half! GroceryGame, CVS shopping, coupon clipping are always there for you. Frugality is meant to free you up, not to enslave you. The deals will always be there to work for you. Now you can breathe.

Posted in FRUGALITY | 2 Comments »

24. May 2008 by Lisa.

I just finished my first stockpile garage sale. I made $241.00 - woo hoo! I sold all those freebie CVS items I’ve stocked since February for the following prices and they sold like hot cakes. I held my ground, didn’t go down on price for anyone and they flew off the table!

$1 - Toothpastes, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash, liquid hand soap, Johnson’s Buddy bath bars, unopened make-up

50c - Revlon emery board packs

Not only were those items freebies, sometimes I was paid to take them off the shelves (if I used coupons). Not only a great deal for me, but a great deal for those who came to the garage sale.

Not to mislead you - I made over $100 on the freebies. We had other junk I got to get rid of as well. Let’s hear it for decluttering!

It’s over and we’re ordering pizza for dinner. I may be frugal, but I’m no fool. Going to bed early tonight!

Posted in FRUGALITY | 1 Comment »

23. May 2008 by Lisa.

Kroger is rolling out more and more e-coupons. These can usually only be used once, but you load them on your card and they can be used in conjunction with manufacturer’s coupons to score some great deals!

Remember you can only keep up to 25 coupons loaded on you card. After the coupon is used (for a single item) it is removed from your card. Then you may load more onto your card (hmmmm looks like my husband will be getting a card as well). Print off what you load to keep track.

Go here, here, and here to load all of the current e-coupons to your Kroger card and then go get yourself some super deals! Here are a few of the highlights:

Wisk detergent is on sale for $3.49
Use the $1.50/1 coupon from the paper
Use your Kroger plus card and get $1.50/1 from the e-coupon
$0.49 after the coupons! (Thanks, Donna!)

General Mills Cereal (select varieties) are on sale for $1.99
Use the $0.50/1 coupons here (if these varieties are included)
Plus the $0.55 e-Coupon
Get 1 box for $0.44 (if your store doubles) or $0.94 (if it doesn’t double coupons)

Crest Premium Toothpaste is on sale for $1.94
Buy two and use two $0.50/1 coupon from the P&G insert
Plus the B1G1 e-coupon
Free after coupons (if your store doubles) or $0.47 each (if your store doesn’t double)

Oral-B Advantage Toothbrushes are on sale for $1.94
Buy 2 and use two $0.75/1 coupons from the P&B insert
Plus the B1G1 e-coupon
$0.22 each after coupons

Herbal Essence Hair Spray is on sale for $3.19
Buy 2 and use $1/2 P&G coupon
Plus the B1G1 e-coupon
$0.60 each after coupons

2 Tampax Tampons 20 ct are on sale for $2.99 each
Buy 2 and use 2 $1/1 coupons
Plus the B1G1 e-coupon
$0.50 each after coupons

Always Pads 20 ct. are on sale for $2.99
Buy 2 and use 2 $1/1 coupons
Plus the B1G1 e-coupon
$0.50 each after coupons

See more deals Marcy posted here and more deals Lisa posted here.

Posted in HOT DEALS | No Comments »

23. May 2008 by Lisa.

It was in 1995 that Starbucks stores started selling this frozen drink, one of the company’s most successful new products. The Frappuccino is blended with strong coffee, sugar; a dairy base, and ice. Each one is made to order and each one is guaranteed to give you a throbbing brain freeze if you sip too hard. The drinks come in several different varieties, the most popular of which I’ve cloned here for your frontal lobe-pounding; caffeine-buzzing pleasure.

Make double-strength coffee by measuring 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup (serving) in your coffee maker: The drink will be even more authentic if you use Starbucks beans and grind them yourself just before brewing.

Makes 2 “Grande” Drinks

COFFEE

• 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 cups ice

1. Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.
2. To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.

CARAMEL

For this version, add 3 tablespoons of caramel topping to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle additional caramel over the whipped cream.

MOCHA

For this version, add 3 tablespoons Hershey’s chocolate syrup to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired.

Posted in RECIPES | No Comments »

22. May 2008 by Lisa.

Here is the link if you’re interested in printing your own $5 off $20 coupon to use only on Friday, May 23 at Walgreens.

Posted in HOT DEALS | No Comments »