New Coupons Released

Yay, some new coupons have been released. Here are a few you might like....

$1.00 off Muir Glen products
$0.50 off Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters
$0.55 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
$1.00 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
$0.35 off Pillsbury Grands! Jr biscuits
$0.50 off Pillsbury Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crust
$0.40 off Pillsbury of Grands! Sweet Rolls
$0.55 off Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
$1.00 off Chex cereals
$1.00 off General Mills cereals
$0.30 off Refrigerated Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit
$0.75 off Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits
$0.50 off Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
$0.40 off Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
$0.50 off Bisquick Baking Mix
$0.40 off Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads
$1.00 off Pillsbury Sweet Moments
$1.00 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Holiday Cookie
$0.55 off Pillsbury Simply... cookie dough
50% off Olan Mills portraits
$0.40 off (1) FINISH JET-DRY Rinse Agent
$0.50 off on ONE FINISH Powerball Tabs or Gelpac
 
Thanks!
 
Cheryl

Cuties Coupon?

I don't know about you, but I love Cuties. Well, apparently, they announced on thier Facebook page that they will be emailing coupons soon to the people in their database. They may be one time use coupons that can't be shared. So, if you are interested, you should go sign up. It was really really short. It only took me a matter of a few seconds to sign up. Just go on over here to get all signed up.

Thanks Printable Coupons and Deals!

Cheryl

Monday Weigh-In on Tuesday

Well........I'm sad to say that I was NOT very successful last week in controlling what I put in my mouth. :( I knew what I was doing, but REALLY 12 pounds in one week! Yep, I fell off the wagon BIG TIME! Okay, soooooooo aside from my size and weight, I think I can officially call myself an "addict." I knew our WW plan was changing and it was kind of an excuse to just say to myself that I was REALLY going to start fresh this time.

Okay, so our plan changed BIG TIME!!! Weight Watchers is not what it used to be. I am not a really big supporter of change. I have a really hard time and I usually fight change all the way. Yes, even with WW. We have been through a few changes with them and I ALWAYS take my sweet time making the change because I am stubborn. I don't want ANYONE telling me what to do, especially when it comes to me and my food. Don't get between me and my food. :)

Okay, so REALLY, this time, I have wiped my slate clean and I have started all over AGAIN! One of the biggest perks to the "new" plan is all fruits and most veggies are FREE!!!! We used to have to count points for them, but now they are FREEEEEEEE!!! Well........I LOVE FREEEEEEEE!!!! So, I have been trying really hard this week to stay on plan and I feel that I am doing well so far. I know we are only three days into the new plan, BUT it's day three and I'm doing good. I EVEN dug my FREEEEE Dr. Oz blue bracelet out that says "Just 10." Now, it's now fashion statement (it's not very pretty), but it is something tangible that I can wear and see and feel, and it is there to remind me that I have a goal! No, my goal is not 10 pounds, my goal is actually 5 pounds, but I have something there to remind me.

I did take the day off from working out today, but I did workout yesterday and the day before. We were planning on having to take Faith for Tae Kwon Do testing tonight, so I knew I wouldn't have time for working out this evening, but as it turns out testing was cancelled. BUT, I still didn't workout.

Okay, so this is another not-so-good report. I hope you are having better luck than I am........

Thanks!

Cheryl

Walgreens Friends and Family Sale 12/1

Walgreens is offering up their Friends and Family discount on Wednesday 12/1 (tomorrow)! Print this coupon to save 15% on your purchase at Walgreens on 12/1. You’ll also get 20% off of any Walgreens brand products.

You will need to check out at the cosmetics or photo counter to redeem this coupon.

Gosh, I have not been to Walgreens in a very longtime. Looks like if the roads are okay, I might head on out to Walgreens to see what I can score.

Thanks Chi-Town Cheapskate!

Cheryl

ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas

ABC Family has posted their line up for their yearly 25 Days of Christmas, which starts 12/1 (tomorrow)…sooooooooo get those DVR’s ready. We usually have two or three shows recording at the same time this time of year.

I just love this time of year and sitting and watching these shows with my kiddos. It really brings back memories of getting so excited for Santa to come.

Just go on over here to get to that line up.
Thanks Chi-Town Cheapskate!

Cheryl

Sooooo.......

I have been having a hard time getting back into the groove of things. It is the end of the month and I need to make my budget work-wise, so I have been putting in a little "extra" time working too. So, it has been hard for me to get back in the groove of things.

Well, if you are from here (Spokane), then you know that it is snowing LIKE MAD! Well, I DON'T LIKE SNOW. I panic a bit. I don't like driving, so guess what? I have a really hard time dealing with all of this snow and trying to venture out and getting some deals. So? Guess what else? I haven't been out and I'M GOING CRAZY!!! I WANNA GO SHOPPING!!!! I have +UP Rewards that are expiring at the end of the week, so I HAVE to get out there sometime. I'm hoping that the snow will slow down towards the end of the week and Blakey and I can head out.

Okay, so on another note.....I have been feeling kind of down and sad today. I wasn't sure why. I thought that maybe it was 'cause it was snowing (really) or maybe it has to do with work, OR maybe it has to do with my kids. Yep, I was just thinking about it and my daughter and I got off on a bad foot this morning. I really really don't like that, because what happens in the morning can really really affect someone's day (mine and/or hers).

Well, many of you have met my daughter, Faith or Faithy as we like to call her.

Well, quite honestly (if you ask me), she is such a sweet sweet kiddo. No, really, I have gotten many many compliments on how well-mannered and sweet she is. I know, I know, we all think our kids are the best and I am not trying to brag. I'm just trying to paint you a picture of how I am feeling right now.  She is so very gentle, kind, caring, loving, and then some. Really, when she cries it just breaks my heart. She plays by the rules and is VERY VERY literal. You tell her to do something step-by-step and by golly she is going to do what you told her step-by-step, JUST like you told her. This girl follows rules!

Well, anyway, I'm feeling like a bad mommy right now. So, a few weeks ago her first tooth came loose and we pulled that. It was one of her bottom teeth. Okay, when I was pulling that one I noticed that the tooth next to it was loose as well as the two top ones. I told her that she was going to have to work on it and make it more loose. So, I have been on her lately to try to work on it, but she doesn't want to "get hurt." Okay, so this morning it was REALLY REALLY loose, but as she told me she "didn't want it out." I said to just let me look at it and see if I could get  it out, "but I don't want it out. It hurts." I told her that I knew that it hurt and was uncomfortable, but that I felt it was time for it to come out. I told her that if we didn't pull it then her other teeth would come in and they would not come in right. They would come in "lookin' funny." Well, she told me that she didn't care. So, she was crying like mad and NOT happy with me at all. Finally, after about 30 minutes of trying to pull this thing. It was ready, I was just too chicken because I didn't want to hurt her and she was crying that I was having a hard time getting that thing to come out (I was shaking). So, by the end she was crying and I was frustrated (not how I like to be with her). Now, she is happy because "the tooth fairy" is coming tonight and she lost another tooth, but I'm still sad and feel guilty about being frustrated this morning and making her cry.

I know they say this "job" of being a parent doesn't get any easier, but realy does it have to be this hard? My heart is REALLY broken right now......

Cheryl

$1/2 Sun Chips

Wow, there is a $1/2 Sun Chips coupon over here. This will go straight to your computer so make sure you are ready. It is a Smart Source coupon.

Thanks Coupon Geek!

Cheryl

Home Depot Newsletters

Have you signed up yet for the Home Depot Newsletters? These are great resources for both offers and promos, as well as advice. I have signed up and get lots of great information from these newsletters.

Just go on over here to get yourself signed up and ready to get some GREAT info.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Some New Printables

Here are some new printables available. Again, some of them may or may not be new to you. Most are new to me.

Anyway, here they are......

-I Can't Believe It's Not Butter $1 off of 1 (under zip 98837)
-Enfamil Premium Formula $5 off of 1 (under zip 98837)
-Bonkaid $2 off of 1 (under zip 98837)
-Enfagrow Formula $5 off of 1 (under zip 98837)
- Gas-X Prevention - $4.00 off 1
- Gas-X - $3.00 off 1
- Glade Scented Oil Candle Refills - $1.00 off 1
- Dry Idea - $1.00 off 1
- Coast Body Wash or Bars - $1.00 off 1
- Crisco Olive Oil - $1.00 off 1
- Pine-Sol - $1.00 off 1
- Crisco No-stick Cooking Spray - $0.75 off 1
- Lifesavers & Wrigley's Heritage Tins - $2.00 off 2
- Lifesavers & Starburst Storybooks - $2.50 off 3
- Hershey Kisses - $1.00 off 2
- L'Oreal Revitalift - $2.00 off 1
- Glade PlugIns® Scented Oil Lasting Impressions holder - $3.00 off 1
- VEET® Supreme Essence product - $3.00 off 1
 
Thanks!
 
Cheryl

Kohl's=Vera Wang Jewelry and Accessories starting at $2.50!

Wow, check this deal out. This is an AWESOME deal. Right now, Kohl's is offering up some very beautiful pieces of jewelry and accessories designed by Vera Wang. Get this, 100% of the net profit goes to support Breast Cancer Awareness. Head on over here to take a look at the jewelry and accessories that are on sale starting as low as $2.50 ea and up to $10.

Use coupon code: contactfr to get FREE shipping!

I'm thinkin' my daughter might like a couple of these things.

Thanks The Frugal Find!

Cheryl

Old Navy Sale

Old Navy has an AWESOME deal right now....They are offering up a deal on select boys jeans and toddler boys jeans! First, there are a few pairs of jeans discounted down to only $10. Plus, when you add two pairs of these $10 jeans to your cart, you’ll automatically save additional $5.50 off each pair. Your final cost will only be $4.50 per pair! Hurry, though, popular sizes are selling out quickly! Oh, make sure that when you are there to check out the Fleece items they have for the whole family starting at just $7! Just go on over here to get started.

All orders over $50 ship FREE! Or buy an item from Piperlime.com and you’ll score FREE shipping on your entire order.

**Make sure and go through Shop At Home, because you can get 4% cash back on your OldNavy.com purchase.


Thanks Hip2Save!
 
Cheryl

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend. Did you get some Black Friday shopping in? My husband and I were at Walmart on Thanksgiving night at 11 pm and it was so busy. It was crazy, but it was soooooo fun! I couldn't believe how many people were there already. There were even people there already waiting for the electronic sale at 5 am. Anyway, a few good deals were to be had.

I was actually making fun of my husband because he wanted to take a cat nap before going shopping. I had all of these grand plans (which I normally do) we were going to go to Walmart and then eventually hit up Kohl's after they opened at 3 and maybe Penny's and Target. Well, I actually didn't last too long as I was too busy making fun of my husband and being "cool" that I didn't take a cat nap and I WAS SOOOOO TIRED. I guess that'll teach me, huh? :)

Anyway, I had a really GREAT holiday with my family. I cannot believe how much snow we got!

Don't forget today is Cyber Monday, which means there are a lot of deals to be had online. I will go see what I can find for you.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I have spent most of the day with my husband and one of my little men, Blakey. We have been out shopping and trecking the wild roads. It is crazy out there. Anyway, I hope if you go out today that you be careful it is cold and crazy out there (at least it is over here). If your not local and you have no snow, I'm jealous!

Anyway, I did manage to do a shop today and saved $101 and only spent $1.03! Oh, and I got a $3 Catalina back from the Pillsbury promo. Yep, I did that at Albertson's, but we are in a mad rush to get things put away (well......my husband is, I'm sitting here blogging). :) So, anyway I am not able to get a picture. Anyway, if you are doing the promo on the back page of the ad and you are doing it with some Pillsbury "stuff," make sure that your $5 comes off. I have tried it at two different Albertsons and it does not want to come off. They can manually make it come off for you, so just keep an eye on that.

So, my dad is coming into town this afternoon and will be in town all weekend, so I will not have time to blog as I will be spending the next few days with my family, although all my family is not here. We have family in Oregon, Arizona, and Wyoming still. So, we will definitely miss of all them, but we will get to see most of at Christmas, which we are super excited for!

This is just a time for "me" to really think about what "I" am thankful for and really really make the most out of what "I" have and the awesome life that "I" have. "I" really really am very lucky!

So, please, yes, go get some good deals, but also take the time out for "yourself," before everything REALLY starts to get busy and "remind" yourself of what you have to be thankful for. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in "our" lives that we need to be reminded of how "great" we have it.

When I get like this, for some reason (maybe it has to do with one of my little brothers), I tend to think about all of the men and women over in Iraq and all of those crazy places "fighting" for us and the way that they have to live their everyday lives. I tend to think about how I get to sleep in my own bed, get to be annoyed with my own kiddos, get to drive in this crapy weather, get take a nap when I want, work in the comfort of  my own home with my kids around me, get to drink coffee when I want, heck I can even work in my PJs if I want which I often do, and celebrate Thanksgiving with most of my family. I think about how they would give to do all of the things and then some of what I just listed.

Well, many many thanks to those men and women who are "fighting for us," and many many thanks to their families for sharing them with us, so we could go on about "our" lives like we do. THANK YOU!

I just want to take this time and tell you all (all of my supporters) and your friends and family HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, and safe Thanksgiving! Try not to eat too much. Can I just share that I'm not doing so well in the eating department? Can I just say that I LOVE FOOD?!

Thank you all for supporting my blog and taking the time to read what I have to share with you!! THANK YOU!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheryl

My Husband's Recent Shopping Trip and mine too.....

Remember yesterday, when I had said that my husband had done a shop for me. Well, let me explain a little first, before I show you what he did.

I went to Albertsons the night before (didn't have time to take a picture because as soon as I walked in the door hubby started putting EVERTHING away). I had saved $97 and WAS SUPPOSED to spend around $5 or so. Well, I ended up spending $10-something. Something did not seem right, but I was in a hurry and thought that I would just figure it out when I got home. IT WAS WAY TOO COLD outside and roads were slick. I just wanted to get home.

Okay, so I bought (all on one transaction and no picture)
20-Green Giant Frozen Veggies (I LOVE these and I can have a whole box of Cauliflower with cheese sauce for ONLY 3 points!) 5 for $5, but when you buy 10 you save an EXTRA $0.50 off of each one (Thanks Tammy!)
-10 various coupons from the "older" $70 in savings Safeway book and from the "newer" $60 in savings Safeway book
=FREE!

16-Cans of Green Giant Veggies $0.47
-$1/4 from Safeway book
=$3.52

2-Pillsbury Sweet Rolls $1.49 (part of the save $5 when you buy 10)
-$1/2 from Safeway booklet
=$1.98, making them $0.99 each!

4-Pillsbury Cresents $1.49 (part of the save $5 when you buy 10)
-$1/2 from Safeway booklet X2
=$3.96, making them $0.99 each

4-Blue Bonnet margarine $0.49 (part of the save $5 when you buy 10)
=$1.96

3-Theraflu $4.49 each (Part of when you buy $15 worth of certain cold medicine products you get a $5 Cat back)
-$2/1 Any Theraflu product X3 (you will need more than one computer)
= $7.47

-3 doublers
-$5 Catalina from previous purchase
-$5 Reward
-$5 instant savings X2 (should have been three). Two for the frozen Green Giant Veggies and one for the Pillsbury and Bue Bonnet. Apparently the one for the Pillsbury and Blue Bonnet did not come off.  (Thanks again Tammy)

Any my total should have been $5-somethin', instead it was $10-something. Plus, I got back a $3 Cat for the Pillsbury and a $5 Cat for the Theraflu. So, after getting my money back I actually made money on this transaction. So, now, after getting my money back, I actually saved $102 and spent $5-somethin'!

Okay, so, since my husband has been off, he has been taking little Faithy to school, which works great for me 'cause then I can just keep workin'. So, I knew I had a big day ahead of me yesterday with trying to catch up on my work before being "off" today (still not off, still trying to catch up). So, I asked my husband if he would do a run for me before coming home AND HE DID!

So, I sent my receipt with him and explained to him about what had happened with the $5 not coming off of my order. Well, after deal with the rude customer service. You know she sat and argued with him that he was wrong and that it happened because he used coupons so the total was not up to $30. WHAT?! $30?! WHERE IN THE WORLD DID SHE GET HER INFORMATION?! She's not even spouting out the right information! He tried showing her the ad, but she instead asked 10 other people or "told" 10 other Albie workers why they cannot give him his $5 back. Really?! I am so amazed that these people even have jobs. Really?! This is how you treat people coming into give your store business so you can make a paycheck?! My husband is much like me and is very patient and respectful (I think he is more so than me, shhh), so I KNOW he didn't give a 'tude. Well, actually, when you go into this Albertsons you don't have to give tude at all, because they have enough for you and your neighbor. Anyway, after one of the managers walks by (the 10th person she is asking/informing), they tell her "no, it doesn't matter how much money he spends, it's the items." Which is what my husband was trying to tell/show her before she ran off. She totally acted like he was not there. Anyway, long story short, he got my $5 back! Yay!

Then, he went and did these two transactions.......

Here is transaction #1:

20-Green Giant Frozen Veggies (I LOVE these and I can have a whole box of Cauliflower with cheese sauce for ONLY 3 points!) 5 for $5, but when you buy 10 you save an EXTRA $0.50 off of each one (Thanks Tammy!)

-$1/2 10 various coupons from different sources

=FREE!

18-Cans of Green Giant Veggies (corn) $0.47

-$0.50/2 ordered from Ebay a while back X9

=$3.96

2-Hefty foam plates at $2 each

-$1/1 Hefty plates from Safeway booklet X2

-2 doublers

=FREE

After looking at the receipt, it looks like they doubled $1 instead of $0.50, so we got $0.50 overage on this order.

Also, I still had $1 left on my gift card that I won from their Facebook promo. So, TOOP was $2.02! He saved $71.64!

Transaction #2

10-Ragu $.99 each when you buy 10 (part of the buy 10 save $5)

-5 $1/2

-3 doublers

Total out of pocket on this one was $1.90. He saved $14! So, between the both he saved $85.64 and spent a total of $3.92 OOP! Wow, he did AWESOME! PLUS, he got my 5 bucks back!

Wow, I think I have enough frozen veggies! These come in real handy for my lunches during the day. I think I amset for a while now.

You know, I'm thinking you could combine the frozen veggies with the promotion on the back page of the buy 10 save 5. Maybe get some frozen veggies, Ragu, and some Pillsbury. Get two Ragu, two Pillsbury, and 6 frozen veggies. Use the $1/2 from the booklets or from other sources for the Ragu, Pillsbury, and frozen veggies. Maybe even try to throw in the "free pasta" coupon when you buy two Ragu from recent insert and score some free pasta too! Use three doublers and it should be FREE with maybe $0.04 overage! That might work! I really don't see why it wouldn't work. :)

Thanks!

Cheryl

FYI-I will be in and out all day

Actually, I will be in most of the day, but I am trying to get caught up on my work, so I can take tomorrow off. As it is, I still see myself getting up around 3 or so and doing a couple hours worth of work before the kiddos and hubby get up (he took the week off from work and DIDN'T even tell me until the very last minute). Yeah, I had quite a few things to say about that, but he had a good reason. He "says" he didn't tell me so he could get things organized/cleaned up around here. He knows that if I knew, well......then I would "have" to take time off too, and then NOTHING would get done. So, here's the good in all that.....I DON'T HAVE TO ORGANIZE/CLEAN!:) He's an accountant so he does VERY well getting things organized. Me, I'm the opposite. So, anyway, HE'S DOING IT!! :) Blakey likes it because then he gets his daddy all to himself. :)

Well, okay, enough of that.

He did actually do a shop for me this morning, so I plan on taking a picture of that later and showing you what he came up with. He had to resort going to the not-so-friendly Albertsons (Trent and Argonne), but he still did really good. The roads were just way to bad to try to venture on out to Liberty Lake, where they are much friendlier.

Okay, I'll talk to you later.

Happy shopping and be safe and warm out there.

Thanks!

Cheryl

We Have a Winner!!!

Yay, we picked out a winner this morning for the General Mills promo/movie tickets and cereal. And, the winner is.........

Karie said...
I follow you with GFC
kariejp@gmail.com
November 18, 2010 3:17 PM

Congrats Karie! Okay, Karie, I am going to e-mail you here, in a sec, then you will have 24 hours to get back to me or I will have to pick a different winner. :(

Many thanks to those of you who entered this giveaway! Thanks EVERYONE for supporting my blog and entering these giveaways!

Cheryl

Holiday Tips

Here are those holiday tips that I said I was going to post. These are from the contest a few weeks ago. Thanks EVERYONE for your AWESOME tips on how to get through the holidays and stay on your "calorie budget," and frugal and fun tips too. There were sooo many suggestions and they were all GREAT suggestions.

Okay, here you go........

Here are the "keeping your weight in check" tips:

*Wii is my best friend during holidays, exercise/eat/have fun.
* We make an extra effort to have washed and cut vegetables and fruits available for snacking so that it's easy to eat well during the holidays, when all the treats and candy is around!

* I take the kids out a lot to play outside during the winter, so we all still get lots of exercise!
* I have a few favorite Christmas treats, but I allow myself to eat them, because if I don't then I know it would be only a matter of time before I gorged out on them. So, to combat this, we try to get out and exercise in a winter way. Take the kids ice skating (I learned when I was 2 and a half), sledding, if there is enough snow, skiing/snowboarding, tubing or even somewhere indoors like jump and bounce (yes, I am one of those parents who loves to go on the toys when I am there!)

* Weight loss tip: I eat a healthy meal until I feel content before going to parties. That way I don't fill up on a lot of fattening appetizers and drinks.
* for me its always been about trying to stay away from the fast food and soda...i guess its a year round tip not just a holiday thing.
* I tip for not packing on the pounds during the hoildays is to do a lot of the cooking/baking. I find that when Im finished, I am to tired to eat any of it.
* Holiday weight loss/baking tip -- use applesauce instead of oil in your baking. It doesn't taste much different if you use the same other ingredients, and it is much, much better for you!
* my tip for losing weight this season is to stick with drinking water instead of egg nog or other holiday drinks- be sure to indulge once in a while, but not every time. You'll really cut out a lot of calories doing it.
* weight loss tip--drink plenty of water BEFORE the dinner is being servedand skip the dessert :)
* It's so hard to watch my weight during the holidays - i think it's most important to not "diet" but have willpower when it comes to portion control! Have your favorites but just a small amount!
* Start your day with a workout of some kind. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and gives you energy!

Frugal gift/craft/holiday ideas:
* For Thanksgiving, when someone arrives, we have them write down on a sliver of paper what they are thankful for. At the dinner table, before eating, everyone reaches for a piece of paper to read aloud!

* I like to make salt dough ornaments with my kids.
* We make homemade hot chocolate to give as gifts!
* I taught art for 11 years and found kids could make super cute (super cheap) gifts that parents adored and kept forever! One grade made frames from 4 X 4 white tiles (about $1 or less at Lowe's). We used Modge podge to attach a wallet-sized school photo to the middle of the tile. Then we used permanent markers to create a frame around the picture. Next we covered the pic and artwork with a 4 X 4" piece of clear laminate to protect it. Finally, we hot glued a 1 1/2" dowel to the back so it could stand upright on a shelf or bookcase.
* my frugal craft tip- trace kids hands onto colored construction paper, cut out, and then decorate as turkeys. Makes cute table decorations.
* You said you wanted some tips (crafts included) well here is a site that I found through a newsletter the other day and they have some of the cutest holiday crafts! Me and my son are going to do this penguin one that I am going to link you to now, we picked up some little plastic cups this morning so we could do this after dinner! http://www.parents.com/holiday/christmas/crafts/christmas-kid-crafts/?page=13

* my fun and frugal holiday tip would be the use of swagbucks (redeeming them for amazon gift cards) and how useful it is during the Christmas season. thanks to swagbucks i can get all of my christmas shopping done and not have to spend a whole lot of money out of pocket
* I start shopping early (like the free notebook we got this summer from snapfish, free lip gloss, nail polish, candles, etc.) and put it away and then build gift baskets for people using this kind of stuff. I also make a list and strict price limit for each person. If I have already shopped for someone and find something else that would be "perfect" I call my dad or brother (or someone else who would be shopping for that person) and give them the idea. We have also gone away from buying our kids a bunch of plastic junk and instead buy things for them to experience (ski lessons, a family trip somewhere) to make it less about materialistic items and more about spending quality time together.

* I try to wrap christmas presents as I purchase them so that I am not up all night before Christmas day doing it :)
* My holiday frugal tip is to shop with family and friends.
* I buy items on sale throughout the year with coupons .Most of the health and beauty items are free and I make a pretty gift bag and put them in them.


* my holiday tip -- hold on to all of the celestial seasonings tea coupons and other good "basket-y" item coupons you see. You can make a really, really nice Christmas gift basket for super cheap by getting the items one by one as they go on sale. I keep all candy, tea, and other good snack coupons and use them for that!

* For a frugal family gathering......instead of bringing gifts, bring an ornament from your own tree to exchange for someone elses. It costs you nothing extra, and you can part with an ornament that's not your favorite, and get a new one without costing a penny!

* frugal tip--save the leftovers--don't toss them out--the mashed potatoes can be used as potato pancakes and the turkey can make a great noodle soup :)


* Hmmm well one of my favorite things to make at Christmas time is naniamo bars, like this recipe here: http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe239.the-original-nanaimo-bar.html

Thanks again everyone. I can't wait to try some of these "new" frugal tips!

Cheryl

Another Giveaway--FREE Movie Tickets

Yay! We are ready for another giveaway. Are you? 

Again, this giveaway is sponsored by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. They provided me with all of this information and giveaway items too (e.g. movie cash certificates, cereal, etc.).

Okay, so how would you like to win some Movie cash and some FREE cereal too with codes inside the box to redeem a FREE movie?!

Okay, so starting in November (this month) you can receive a FREE movie ticket when you purchase TWO specially marked packages of Big G Cereals including:  Honey Nut Cheerios (17 oz), Cinnamon Toast Crunch (17 oz), Lucky Charms (16 oz), Trix (14.8 oz), and Reese's Puffs Cereal (18 oz).

After purchasing TWO participating cereals, all you have to do is visit here to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and then you can print your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at a participating theater). How AWESOME is that, you don't even have to wait for it to com in the mail?! To find a participating theater in your area, just log onto here.

Okay, so here is what I have to give away....FOUR Movie Cash Certificates and TWO boxes of the participating cereal with the codes inside of the box!

All you have to do, is (it is super simple and some of the same ones that I have you do):
(These are all separate entries)

1.  Become a follower or let me know you are already a follower.
2.  Subscribe to my blog or let me know if you already subscribe.
3.  Tell me which cereals you are looking forward to purchasing to ear the E-movie cash.
4.  Refer someone to my blog. For every person that you refer to my blog and they let me know that YOU referred them, that is another entry for YOU, and one entry for them. (So, two for you or more and one for them). They need to leave me your info (e-mail).

This giveaway starts now and will end next Monday, 11/22/2010, at 11:59 pm. I will post the winner on Tuesday and they will have 24 hours to get back to me or I will have to pick another winner.

Okay, good luck and have fun!

Thank you EVERYONE!

Cheryl

The Blind Side DVD ONLY $3.99

Wow, Amazon has another AMAZING deal. You can currently score The Blind Side for only $3.99 through Amazon, that is down from $19.98!! Plus, with Amazon Prime you can get this to ship for FREE. Also, it is reported that this DVD qualifies for a FREE $4 Amazon Video on Demand Credit. After shipment of your purchase, you will receive an email with a promotional code worth $4 towards the purchase of eligible movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand and instructions on how to redeem the code.

Thanks Hip2Save!

Cheryl

Some New Printables This Morning

Check out all of these "new" printables. Some of them are not new, but maybe reminders just in case you have not printed them yet.

- Dove Chocolate - Buy 2 Get 1 Free
- Gold Peak Tea - Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Glade Jar Candles - $1.00 off 2
- Pillsbury Refrigerated Holiday Cookies - $1.00 off 2
- Pillsbury Easy Frost No Fuss Frosting - $1.00 off 1
- Pillsbury Pie Crust - $0.50 off 2
- Dannon 32oz Yogurt - $0.75 off 1
- Hershey's Milk or Milkshake - $0.35 off 1
- Eco-Foil items - $1.00 off 3
- Listerine Zero - $1.00 off 1
- Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush 2-in-1 Starter Kit - $3.00 off
- FOCUSfactor - $10.00 off 2
- Glade Fabric and Air Odor Eliminator - $1.00 off 1
- Theraflu - $1.50 off 1
- Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream Cakes - $3.00 off 1
- ProPlan Dog or Cat Food - $5.00 off 1 bag
- Neutrogena Men - $2.00 off 1
- Bayer Aspirin AM - $1.50 off 1

Thanks!

Cheryl