Publix Trip 4/28/11

I spent $6.92 for $64.21 worth of groceries, saving $57.29 or 89%!

Here's what I got:
(2)Couscous BOGO $2.19
(4)Bic Razors BOGO $5.49
  -(2)$3/1 Bella HERE
  -(1)$3/1 from 4/10/11 SS
  -(1)$2/1 from 3/27/11 SS
(4)Powerade Zero BOGO $1.25
  -(2) BOGO HERE
(4) Juicy Juice BOGO $3.99
   -(1) $2/4 HERE
   -(1) $1/1 Publix Baby Club Coupon
(2) Glade Candles BOGO $3.49
   -(1) Free Product Coupon
(4) Yoplait Yogurt 75¢
   -(4) Free Product Coupons
(1) Publix Ice Cream 2/$7
   -(1) $1/1 Publix Baby Club Coupon
(2) Corn 8/$2

-$5/$30 Winn-Dixie Coupon

Friday Favorites- Cake!

Ok, so really I just wanted to show you the cake I made for my daughter's birthday.

The writing isn't the best, but the cake was from scratch. This is really also a lesson in frugality. If I bought this cake it would have easily been over $20 (especially with Elmo on it!), but it cost about $10 to make the cake. But really less because a lot of it you probably already have on hand (I did!) and some you could even stock pile at cheap prices. This was a 13 x 9 cake, which would be similar to a quarter sheet cake.

Also by making it from scratch, I know what went in it, which is something I always like to know.

Just some food for thought. ;-)

Frugality: Thoughts on Extreme Couponing.

So TLC has this new show called "Extreme Couponing." It's good because it brings couponing to those who might not know about it's amazingness, but it also isn't realistic and sets many people up for failure. Here's some things to know:

• It's reality tv, so it is going to be sensationalized.
• The stores were informed ahead of time, and so therefore they weren't really clearing the shelves, it was all for the tv.
• Some of the stores purposely broke their own policies because this show gives them good PR.
• You aren't a failure because you don't come out of the store with less than 98% saved. That isn't typical.
• They never account for the fact that buying 100's of something means buying coupons, and those are never included in the totals. While they are still saving money as whole, it isn't necessarily as high as they say it is.
• Some of the people are portrayed as greedy hoarders, which gives couponers a bad reputation. Most of us just are trying to save money for our family and buy a little more to donate. Most of us don't have rooms full of food that we couldn't possibly eat in one year. Most of us don't run out to the store for every little deal, we just say oh well, it will be on sale again. And finally most of us don't neglect our family to save money.
• Sales cycle through, so usually there is no need to by 100's of anything. Sorry.
• On the show they were only buying what would make them save the most money(and therefor look better on tv), not what they use, need, or want. If you truly want to teach couponing you show them how to save on things like meat, produce, etc. Most of them have had none of this.

So jsut remember, while it may be fun to watch, it's not meant to be true-to-life. And I'm sure none of those people are as crazy as they appear on tv.

Emergency Prep: Are You Ready? Do you have a plan?

Earthquakes, tornados, blizzards, wild fires, and floods. Just a few of the things that have been happening in the last few months. Here in Florida, we aren't far from hurricane season. And of course there's always house fires that could happen. Are you ready for them? Do you have a plan?

There's a great guide put out by FEMA called "Are You Ready?" It lays out tons of hazards and what you should do before, during, and after these events. I encourage you to look it over, especially those sections that pertain to your specific area.

We've talked a lot about food, and emergency kits, but one thing I've neglected is that you need a plan. Do you know what the plan is if there is a fire in your house? Who gets the baby? Do older kids know what to look for? If you answered no, you really need a plan, and to rehearse the plan. The moment the smoke alarm goes off is not the time to be figuring out what to do. Same thing with tornadoes. When the siren goes, or the weather radio goes off, you need to know what your plan is. For larger events like hurricanes and wild fires, where are you going if you need to evacuate?

What about if you are at work when disaster strikes? Where will you meet up? There's a good chance during major disasters that you won't be able to contact your loved ones to tell them where to meet, so if you have a plan in place to meet at x,y,z place, then you'll know ahead of time.

FEMA also has a great page covering things you'll need to plan in advance, you can check that out here.

Remember, the time to plan is before you need it.

New Uses for Plastic Easter Eggs

With Easter just happening this past Sunday, you probably have a few plastic Easter eggs around. Bet you didn't guess they have tons of other uses. Here's a list of things you can do with those eggs, after eating the candy of course.

• Store pantyhose.
• Store necklaces to keep them from tangling together, would be great for travel as well.
• Make a duck. Or really there are tons of crafts out there to use them. Or you can just decorate them to make fancy eggs for next year.
• Use them to store homemade play-doh
• Fill with potpourri  and poke holes in it to use as an air freshener.
• Use it to make garland, that you can use to decorate next year.
• Store beads in them for crafting, for extra organization match the color on the outside to the beads on the inside.
• Use them for kids to learn counting, colors, etc.
• Instead of messy eggs during an egg race (where you hold the egg on the spoon) or egg toss, use plastic eggs. If they drop it they are out.
• Use half an egg to scoop sand at the beach.
• Store spare buttons in them.
• Pack some thread, needle, and a button in there for a travel sewing kit.
• Make rice krispie eggs
• Store snacks in them for the lunch box or diaper bag.
• Make egg shakers. Just fill them with rice, beans, or beads and use them as a musical instrument. (You can hot glue gun the pieces together, to make it more permanent).
• Donate them. Many churches and community groups put on Easter egg hunts, and would gladly accept donations of your eggs.
• Save them for next year. Don't waste money buying eggs year after year, just save them.

If you have any ideas for Easter Eggs, share below and I will add it to the list.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Pierogies, Green Beans
Tuesday-  Burgers, Tater Tots, Veggie
Wednesday- Italian Chicken, Pasta, Veggie
Thursday- Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie
Friday-  Hot dogs, Baked Beans, Veggie
Saturday- Pork Chops, Rice, Veggie
Sunday- Breakfast
What's your menu for the week?
Don't forget to link up below!

Sorry!

Sorry guys, I took an extra week off because I haven't been feeling too great, but as we speak I'm working on posts for next week.
Have a Happy Easter!

CDDM4P3N9YWB

Publix Trip and News

I spent $14.49 for $45.26 worth of groceries, saving $30.77 or 68%!


Here's what I got:
(2)Crest Toothpaste BOGO $2.93
   -(2)$1/1 from 4/3/11 PG
   -(1)$1/1 from Stocking Spree Homemailer

(2)Toufayan Pita BOGO $1.29

(2)Sun Chips 2/$6
   -(2)$1/1 from Yellow Advantage Buy Flyer

(2)Oral-B Toothbrush 2/$3
   -(1)$2/2 from 4/3/11 PG
   -(1)$1/1 from Stocking Spree Homemailer

(1)Sue Bee Honey
   -(1)55¢/1 HERE


(1)Egg Beater 3/$5
   -(1)Free Product Coupon

(1)Asparagus $2.96

(1) Red Potatoes 2/$5

(1)Cascadian Farm Cereal 2/$5
   -(1)75¢/1 HERE
   -(1) $1/1 Gentle-on-Earth Booklet

(1)Cascadian Farm $2 (although looking at it, they charge me wrong at 2/$5 but these ones were on the clearance table... Guess I'll have to go and get it free next time I go in!)
   -(1)75¢/1 HERE
   -(1) $1/1 Gentle-on-Earth Booklet

There were some other things I wanted, but as per usual they were all gone because they were easy free (anyone had access to the coupons that made them so). *sigh*

In other news, there's been a lack of posts this week, and that's been because I have been a bit sick this week. Next week will probably be similar, but only because it is my daughter's second birthday and I have a bunch of things to do with family coming into town and such. So don't be surprised if it's just meal plans and shopping trips. But I'll definitely be back at it April 18th!

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Pizza, Salad
Tuesday-  Beef and Broccoli
Wednesday- Salad with Chicken Strips
Thursday- Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie
Friday-  Oven Ranch Chicken, Pasta, Veggie
Saturday-  Beef Stroganoff, Veggie
Sunday- Applesauce and Brown Sugar porkchops, couscous, veggie
What's your menu for the week?
Don't forget to link up below!

Publix Ad

Michelle over at iheartpublix has the new ad up, you can find it HERE.

A few good things, but I haven't had a chance to give it a big once over.

Friday Favorites- Bzz Agent

A couple months ago I came upon a site called BzzAgent. They have campaigns where you get to try free stuff and the only catch is you have to share your thoughts with others.

This past month I got a fun pack from SC Johnson for Spring Cleaning. It came with Pledge, a Glade Candle, Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Spray, Scrubbing Bubbles toilet gel and a refill for a plugin oil warmer. It also came with tons of coupons. I was excited. I really love the smell of the Sparkle of Spring candle. I've been a fan of the toilet gel in the past, and was excited to see it in there too. I like how it extends the time between deep cleanings.
I encourage you to check out the Spring collection by Glade because they smell really great, and also check-out (and sign-up for) BzzAgent for your own opportunities for free stuff.