Monday, December 31, 2012

Coupons this week

So I am using The Krazy Coupon Lady as my teacher right now. This week I got 6 copies of the paper. In the paper this week there was only the Procter and Gamble, also known as the P&G. I have not had a chance to look at all the sales in accordance with the coupons yet. But to give you a run down of what there was in this paper here you are.


SUNDAY COUPON PREVIEW 12/30/12
P&G Insert
Align $3/1 product
Always $.50/1 30ct+ Pantiliners
Always $.50/1 Pads or Feminine Cleansing Cloth
Always $1/1 12ct+ Infinity including Radiant Infinity
Bounce $.50/1 product
Bounty $.25/1 towels or napkins
Cascade $.25/1
Charmin $.25/1 product
Clairol $1/1 Natural Instincts or Nice ‘n Easy hair color
Clairol $2/1 Nice ‘n Easy Color Blend foam
Covergirl $1/1 Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss excludes accessories
Covergirl $3/2 products excludes accessories
Crest $.50/1 4oz+ toothpaste or liquid gel
Crest $1.50/1 458mL+ Rinse
Crest $10 mail in rebate on 1 7ct 3D White Intensive Professional Effects, 20ct Professional Effects or 4ct 2 Hour Express Whitestrips Valid 12/30-6/30
Dawn $.25/1
Dawn $.50/1 Hand Renewal, Power Clean, Bleach Alternative or Oxi
Downy $1/1 Infusions or Unstopables
Duracell $.50/1 CopperTop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo, Lithium or Specialty batteries excludes 1ct
Duracell $1/1 rechargeable batteries, charger or 6pk+ hearing aid batteries excludes 1ct
Duracell/Hasbro $5/both 8pk+ CopperTop or 6pk+ Ultra Power batteries AND Monopoly Electronic Banking Game
Febreze $.50/1 car vent clip or Set & Refresh starter kit
Febreze $2/2 car vent clips or Set & Refresh starter kits
Fixodent $.75/1 cleanser
Fixodent $1/1 1.05oz+ adhesive
Gillette $1/1 Fusion ProGlide shave prep or Fusion ProSeries skin care
Gillette $1/2 deodorants or body washes
Gillette $5 off ProGlide razor when you buy 4ct+ cartridge or disposable
Hasbro $5/1 Scrabble Catch Phrase or Taboo game
Head & Shoulders $2/2 products
Herbal Essences/Aussie $1/1 product
Ivory/Safeguard $1/2 personal cleansing products excludes Ivory dish & laundry
Luvs $1.50/2 bags or 1 box diapers
Metamucil $1/1 product
Olay $1/2 bath bars, body washes or in-shower body lotions excludes Simply Olay
Olay $2/1 Total Effects facial moisturizers or Age Defying Series facial moisturizer
Olay $2/2 Daily Facials, facial moisturizers or facial cleansers excludes Pro-X, Regenerist, Total Effects and Age Defying Series
Olay $3/1 Regenerist facial moisturizer or facial hair removal duo
Old Spice $1/2 products
Oral-B $.50/1 35m+ Glide floss or 30ct+ Glide floss picks
Oral-B $.75/1 Pulsar, 3D White, Pro-Health or Complete or $.75/2 Indicator or Cavity Defense toothbrushes
Pampers $.50/1 60ct+ wipes
Pampers $2/2 bags or 1 box diapers or pants
Pantene $3/2 products
Pepto $.50/1 product
Prilosec OTC $1/1 product
Puffs $.25/3 singles or 1 3pk+
Scope $.50/1 750mL+ mouthwash
Secret $2/2 Outlast or Scent Expressions excludes .5oz
Swiffer $.50/1 refill or Dust & Shine
Swiffer $5/1 WetJet starter kit or SweeperVac starter kit
Tampax $.50/1 18ct+
Tampax $1/1 16ct+ Pearl or Radiant including Compak
Tide $1.50/1 detergent excludes PODS
Tide $1/1 Washing Machine Cleaner or Boost
Venus $5/both razor AND refill pack excludes disposables
Vicks $1.50/1 Nature Fusion excludes VapoDrops and ZzzQuil
Vicks $1/1 product excludes VapoDrops and ZzzQuil

Saturday, December 29, 2012

What I got myself



So several months ago I could not find my camera and I was missing timeless pictures of my children's lives that I knew I would never get back. I spoke with my husband and we agreed that I could get me a better camera than the one I had lost. I wanted something that was not to big to take around as I do have four children and yet took good quality pictures so I did not have to take them to the portrait studio every 3 months. So after lots of research I found this, and got a wonderful deal. If you are looking for a new camera I would most definitely suggest this one.

Let's start with policies



So there are several options for places for me to shop at around here so let's learn what all their policies are.
Ok first I'm going to name all the major stores in the area: Walmart, Target, Kmart, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, The Fresh Market, Gordon's Food and Butcher Shop, Whole Foods, and Dollar Tree.
in a small section on the side it says their policy
"We double manufactures couponsup to and including $0.60. If like items are purchased with multiple coupons, we will double the first coupon and give face vaule for the remaining coupons. If doubling a coupon should exceed the retail value of an item, we will deduct the retail value of the item only. We give no money back on coupon purchases. All manufacturers coupons are taxable."

The Fresh Market
When I contacted them last this is what I received though its been a while so I sent an email seeing if there was any change.
"In answer to your question about our coupon policy, we accept all manufacturer coupons with bar codes and we rarely offer any store coupons since we have regular specials.  We do not double coupon values, price match, or accept competitor coupons.  There is no limit to the amount of coupons you may use per visit, but our registers will give the cashier a message that the coupon limit has been reached after two coupons.  The cashiers can override this message and you can continue checking out as normal.  Additionally, I would highly recommend viewing our Inspirations publication, signing up to receive our weekly Fresh Ideas newsletter, and becoming our Facebook friend to be aware of all current specials (see links below).  One of our great deals for June is Ground Beef and Ground Chicken for 2.99/lb on Tuesdays.  

Thank you for your email and thanks for supporting our Memphis store.

Sincerely,

Andrea Smith
Customer Loyalty Specialist
The Fresh Market, Inc.
1-866-532-5989
myexperience@thefreshmarket.com
-------------------------------------------------------
www.thefreshmarket.com
www.facebook.com/TheFreshMarket
http://www.thefreshmarket.com/inspirations/monthly_inspirations.html"

Gordon's Food and Butcher Shop
I'm going to have to contact them to find out what their's is.

Whole Foods
this is what I got when I contacted them

"Thanks for your interest in shopping our store. In reference to our coupon policy, we accept all manufacturers and all store coupons. You are allowed to use both manufacturers and store coupon at the same time for the same item. In addition you can use one manufacturers coupon and one store coupon (together) for each item in a case, in addition to the case discount. For example, if you buy a case of 12 you can give us 12 manufacturers coupon and 12 store coupon, and get the 10% discount on top of that. Isn't that marvelous, now why would you not want to shop with us :). 
I hope I have answered your question satisfactorily and I look forward to you shopping with us.
Thanks,
Grace Lewis
Customer Service Team Leader
Whole Foods Market Poplar"





Next step, tomorrow get coupons.

Well now I have a new goal

So we went on a vacation, had some birthdays, holidays, and everything else. It was wonderful. But now it's back to real life. Yes there are two more birthdays coming, but other than that it drs visits, budgeting, cooking, and everything else just like I always have.
Well now quite like I always have. First off my budget has been slashed majorly which is not ideal for anyone, but ESP not a family our size with the diet requirements we have. Second off T is back to school which is more travel, and gas is on the rise again. Then last but not least my computer was recently destroyed on my birthday by G. So there are a couple of things that are going to have to change.
My new task I'm going to try my hand at (again) is to coupon. When we live in NC it was fairly easy. Harris Teeter down the road that always doubled, would triple, and sometimes super double. Then there was also the fact that at the time there was no allergies, and as they started getting added I started slacking off. Now here in MS the rules are different and I'm not sure what I'm going to come across. So I'm going to try and learn and share what neat things I find out along the way with you guys.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

New Hair Do

So I was playing with S's hair to see if I come up with a new fun, cute hair do and I think I have something. She seems to really like it. 




I secetioned her hair in three sections. The first is just enough to make bangs, then put it in a ponytail. Then I did about a 2" section and ponied the bottom section. I then french braided the 2" section. after that I took out the bottom pony. I then removed the top pony, brushed it out started a french braid and gathered a little on the middle of the loose section to keep it secure and then just braided. S loves it. I know her face doesn't show it in the pic but she is getting tired of all the pics I have been taking. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Food challenge

This morning I woke up to the sounds of my eldest daughter getting sick and it continued most of the day. So I hurried and went to the store to make sure she had some ginger ale and saltines. After she was all taken care of I made breakfast (which was late so has thrown us off today) pancakes, strawberry topping, bacon, and coffee.Tonight I am making tacos.

Homeschool Challenge

Today S has been sick and so we did not do school work with her. I took D with me to vote (we walked) and on the way we discussed what was going to happen and why I was going to do it. He then helped me vote and turn it in. Tonight he is going to watch the news with me to see who wins.

Monday, November 5, 2012

This Weeks Meal Plan

Our days of the week this week are going to be 

Meatless Monday

Taco Tuesday

On the Go Wednesday

We go to church Wednesday nights so dinner has to be travelable or take out

Try It Thursday

a chance to try a new recipe

Fish Friday

Soupy Saturday

Savory Sunday

We go to church on Sunday so something savory that can cook while I'm gone. Our main meal will probably be at lunch time.


Well its that time again

Time to get ready to go to the grocery store. It is not fun to shop when you have so many things you avoid and are allergic to. So I am trying my best to make a meal plan this month. I will set out in the morning vote and shop (if I don't wake before the kids and go with out them and then vote).
So lets get a run down of what we have going on here.

Allergies

Gluten
Casein
Soy
Oats
Chocolate
shell fish

Sensitivities

eggs

Things we avoid

artificial dyes
aspartame

Things people wont eat

cabbage
onions
eggplant
squash
zucchini
brussel sprouts
celery
liver
gizzards
okra
bell pepper
black olives
cooked spinach
bell peppers
lima beans


Now from what I recall that is all of it but that is still a long list and does not make it easy at all. I have had several people ask me so what do you eat? Sometimes I wonder the same thing. We use so much money on allergy free items and pre-made mixes its not funny. I know I need to start making my own or something like that so that it is not so expensive but it seems so hard to me. So I am going to go work on a list and see what I can come up with for the week and come back and share what I have.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Homeschool Challenge


So yesterday we did something new. I had gotten a news paper from Sunday for coupons, and D had been messing with it and looking at it for a while. So yesterday I decided to use it for a tool. I got out the colored pencils and he marked the proper nouns with yellow pencil, acronyms with green, contractions (there was only one) with brown, and words he knew with blue. He then wrote down the words he knew on a different paper.
We also went on a nature walk in the woods (didn't even think to bring the camera for that). We listened to the sounds and named the animals we heard, names the types of trees, named the rocks (pebbles, stones, rocks), watched how squirrels jumped tree to tree, held nuts in their mouth, and saw a beaver dam. The kids loved it. 

Food Challenge from 10/8


So yesterday  I forgot to post but we got a lot done. I made some pumpkin soup (that was great before I over cooked it), roasted some pumpkin seeds, and made a WONDERFUL apple dessert.

If you would like any recipes let me know and I would be glad to share. 







Food Follow Up

Sorry it took me so long to post the finished product, but after dinner, clean up, walking to the store, and the kids it just did not happen the other day. So here is the finished product. 



Everyone loved it. I made some baked beans (from the can) to go with it as well, and there were no left overs :)

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Food Challenge Part 2

So the chicken cooked till about 2pm. It came out beautifully. I removed the crispy skin and shredded the chicken for dinner. I got out my large pot and added 7 celery stalks, a bag of large carrots, 2 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, the skin, the bones, and the renderings to make a stalk. I am going to use some of the stalk to make chicken and rice tonight the rest I will use to make pumpkin soup tomorrow. Then I will make the next chicken and figure out what to do with it. But here is how everything stands right now.












Food Challenge

Yesterday I went shopping and found a alb bag of onions on sale for $0.79, a bag of carrots for $0.79, and two organic free range whole chicken for $10 each. So I got them all and a bag of celery and I'm going to mass cook some. First I'm roasting the chicken and then shredding one and seperating the other. I am then going to make stock with the bones, onions, carrots, and celery.
For roasting I put some aluminum foil to cover a 9x13 baking pan. Then put in the chicken and took out the gizzards, and added about an inch of water. I seasoned it with cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, white pepper (since discovering this product I have fallen in love), and paprika. I put it in the oven at 250 and will cook and till a pretty golden brown.




Thursday, October 4, 2012

Cleaning Challenge

I finally finished the kitchen, though it is already in need of basic clean up but what kitchen is not when there are so many people in the home. I will take pictures of the other side in a bit and post them. I am going to work on the living room and the girls room today. The living room is mainly pickup kids things and fold clothes (my least favorite thing ever). The girls room is another story. I have things (boxes and such) still in there and I have to get them out and put of the girls dresser and such.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Shopping challenge

Yes that's right shopping. Oh the joys of shopping esp when you have four kids and you know at least one of them is going to go with you. So how do you plan shopping? Well what I have been doing doesn't seem to be working so I have to change it again. So here I am doing it all out in the open.
So how is that going to work you ask? I'm honestly not completely sure. I have recently purchased a membership to Sam's Club hoping to aid in my shopping. We are starting to follow actual serving suggestions instead of just what we want to eat. I have been buying the paper again, clipping coupons, and taking my reusable bags where it will help (Target and Whole Foods). Yet still with the allergies we have to avoid it makes it very hard to make the budget last the whole month.
So what do I do now? Our foods to avoid are dairy, soy, oats, gluten, chocolate, and eggs. We are waiting to see if there our other allergies as well.
I know that I can go to Whole Foods use one of their coupons and a manufactures coupon on the same product. I can also get a case and get a discount for it. I can also apply both coupons to every item in the case and that help. But I do not have many items I have found that are going to get used in case sizes or that I can get coupons on. So even with this knowledge what do I do?
I am going to be working on it and brain storming. If you have any ideas please comment with them below.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday's Food Challenge

Things have been changing around here again in the means of food. I have become aware of the fact that I am not tolerant of eggs as well, and we are waiting to see if G has more allergies. So it adds more questions of what is going to be for dinner tonight?
So tonight I opened up a bag of sweet potatoes I had purchased and started peeling and cutting. I sliced them into large steak fries and put some sea salt on them. I then got some burgers and put some onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper on them and started cooking. I have the fries on 425 and it take about 20 mins. The burgers I have learned to keep from breaking them up and smashing the mess out of them adding a lid to them works wonders. We add the appropriate cheese to each patty and ketchup and mustard as wanted. Though I regret that we do not have lettuce and tomato right now.







Half way done

Yes just half way. I moved the stove out and had a huge job in front me. I have not moved the stove since well I don't think its ever been moved. I am so thankful that while I was away from my blog that we purchased a Shark Steamer. I have one that will be a floor mop or hand held. All I did was load up my Shark put a drop or two of a special formula I found and get to steaming. The floor looks like the rest of the kitchen now (well a bit more sparkly) and the stove its self is shiny. Now to take a break and move to the other side.

BEFORE



AFTER






Ok time for Cleaning Challenge

So my kitchen has once again become unruly. I started on it last night but it is not at all expectable yet. So I'm going to to turn on my music and see what we can do about it. Here are some before shots.