Time to Shop

Image by cafemama via Flickr

Milk-got it.
Bread-yep, spare in the freezer.
Eggs-ut oh, nope all out.

Ok, so what else do I need since I have to "run" to the store.
I do not need to spend much but I do not wish to do trips over and over.
Hey, I have those coupons for free cereal.
And also for free dip.

I have to say thanks to General Mills and My Blog Spark for the cereal coupons.
General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.
I can get 4 boxes free (up to $6.00 each). And I am wanting to make my own homemade cereal bars. I have a working idea in my head. Tell me what do you think.
First oil a cookie sheet.
Then mix my fav "kiddie" cereal up like you do rice krispy treats.
Spread a thin layer in the cookie sheet.
Next spread a creamy peanut butter on top.
And then drizzle (lightly melted) Nutella on that.
Let cool in the fidge for just a lil while.
Then slice with sharp knife into breakfast bars.
Wrap in wax paper then store in fridge.
???? Well ????
Think it will work?

Oh and you remember Dean's Dip review and giveaway?
Well, I have two of the free coupons for dip there too.
So will pick up some of that to go as a snack around here.
So guess I need to add to my shopping list.

Need to get:
Eggs
Chips
Marshmallows
Nutella
and what ever else I see on sale or realize I need.

Ok, that will work.
So off to the store.

UPDATE****
Just arrived from the store and am happy to say that I walked away with a bill of $58.00 total. But that I saved $39.45 which is 68% of the bill! Whoot! I am happy that I only spent $58.00 instead of $97.45. That is a decent enough savings for me. I bought my cereal (instead of $15.10 they were free of course) and used the coupons on the cereal boxes to save another $3.00 off of the produce I purchased. Also then received a coupon at check out for $2.00 off of any 5 boxes of General Mills cereal. Well they had a sale going on that special boxes were 5 for $10.00. With the coupon that made the 5 boxes only $8.00 or $1.60 a box. Decent! Long story short on the cereal, I would have spent $25.10 for all 9 boxes but only spent $8.00. And we are stocked up for awhile now.

Cheap & Easy Costumes

“50 Cheap & Easy Halloween Costumes for Adults & Children.”

The feature, which is posted on the Ask Coupon Sherpa blog, offers a wide array of recommendations. Among them are:

Progressive Insurance's Flo: All you need is a white shirt, white apron, name tag and a headband and you're set to cut insurance deals for fellow party goers.

Job Seeker: Whether you're unemployed or gainfully employed, this costume is a cinch. Dress in your favorite suit, grab a suitcase and resume and you're set to go. Those truly unemployed might want to stock the briefcase with real resumes, just in case that perfect job prospect shows up at the party.
Backwards Man: This simple concept was popular in the 1980s and is due for a revival. Simply put your clothes on backwards, pad your front to give yourself some "back" and voila, you're ready.

Gangster: Some may prefer the under-dressed Sopranos look, but for a traditional gangster you'll need dress pants, a vest, fedora and toy machine gun. Considering the zero-tolerance policies at most American schools, children may prefer to nix the gun for an empty violin case.

Pile of Laundry: (My fav) The perfect costume for college students! Simply pin clothes onto an old outfit or, for a more complex costume, cut the bottom out of an old laundry basket, fill it with clothes and wear it around your waist. A hat made from a washed-out Clorox bottle adds a jaunty touch. Don't forget to toss in a few used fabric-softener sheets.

Work of Art: This couldn't be easier: Hang a large picture frame around your neck. If you want to make it complicated, consider dressing up as a specific work of art, such as the Mona Lisa or a Van Gogh self-portrait.

Web site: Glasses wearers can turn themselves into a Web site by draping fake spider webs all over those eyepieces.

The Nerd: Some can go from work to Halloween parties without a change of clothes, but for non-nerds, pair high-water pants, a short-sleeved dress shirt buttoned to the top with pens in the pocket and appropriate ink stains. Take the nose and mustache off a set of Groucho glasses and you've completed the look.

The article even includes a recipe for fake blood (which includes Karo syrup and red food coloring among other ingredients) and instructions to create fake wounds.

Giveaways and Savings--What a Combination

Tomorrow is your last day to enter in the Art Giveaway! Pop over to win your very own work of art that you can create. I know how much I love mine. Blog Winner Poster Printing will be awarded by a coupon code on Friday August 7, 2009. You can enter the giveaway by leaving a comment telling me what photo you would have a Custom Poster Printing done.

Piggy Paint made its Hollywood debut on Saturday, June 6, 2009, at Stella McDermott’s (daughter of Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott) first birthday party. They now have FREE domestic shipping on orders over $25. Top that with Piggy Paint Fight Breast Cancer gift set is full of pink power with our Forever Fancy and Angel Kisses polishes in an adorable pail. Normally @ $19.99, on sale for $16.99 (15% off retail - limited time). A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Susan G. Koman for the Cure®. This set is in honor of our Piggy Paint's Laurie and all of the other brave Breast Cancer fighters!! Also don't forget to use your coupon code at Piggy Paint that is special from Crazed Mind. It is coupon code of CRAZEDMIND15L for 15% off any sale and the expiration date is September 15, 2009.

ClickInks.com knows how many are heading back to school and are offering you the chance to save some money. With all the printing you'll be doing this year why not cut costs with ClickInks.com?
To start things off right for school they are offering you $5 off any order of $50 or more, when you checkout online enter in Coupon Code: SCHOOL.
Additionally, their Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion is still running and it makes filling up your printer quite economical and as always shipping is FREE on all orders over $50. So click to ClickInks.com and don't wait until you need to print to find out that you are out of ink!

I know that College Girl just received her flip flops that she won recently. If your ever in the need of giveways then pop over to Live, Love, Laugh with Leslie. She always has some great deals to share. Currently there are Romano's Macaroni Grill "What's for Dinner" Gift Basket-8/8 Suzies Confections-8/15 PUR Flavor Options Pitcher-8/15 Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil-8/17 Eden Fantasy's-8/26 all going on over there.

There is another fantastic giveway going on over at Domestic Dork. She is pleased to announce the opening of Coffee Graphic Design! Here’s WHAT you can win:
1 of 5 “Iced Coffees” (buttons)
1 of 3 “Cappuccinos” (headers)
1 Ultimate Prize Pack (header, button, and signature, with 2 extra seasonal versions)

More Bluelight Savings

"This post was sponsored by Kmart. All the opinions are mine."

Kmart Bluelight specials are making a big comeback. I told you before that there was a special day for the Bluelight specials. Well you can do it all over again on August 8th. This is great with time for school here. And you know we all need those special deals to get everything on that Back To School list. Filler paper 2 for $1 is just one of the 40 specials going on that day.

College Girl is looking into Women's Joe Boxer Flip Flops at $4.00 a pair. She says they are the coolest flips around. You know that going back on campus she wants to look just right. You high school athlete may be looking at Men's Athletic basketball shorts for only $3.00. Now that is a good deal.

Of course we do not want to be left out at all. So ladies take an extra 10% off of diamonds that are already marked down 70% off. What a fantastic deal. And your Dear Hubby can do that last minute summer sprucing up by replacing that patio furniture since it is 70% off regular prices.

Top it off now you can get the Bluelight Specials online too! Yeah pop over at Kmart.com and shop while sitting at home. You know that is my favorite way to shop. When your saving all of this money then make sure you tell others they can also follow Kmart on Twitter.

Between Me & You

Between Me And You™ Keepsake Journals

These are great lil journals for people to share and learn from each other.
I have never seen this style before.
These can be between many different kinds of relationships.
Like from a mother to a daughter, father/son, grandparents/grand kids....and on and on.
I like the reunion one! Where you can have all the family members do separate pages to share history for the future family members.

I also wanted to tell you that you can get a special discount from me!
Yeah really. Give these keepsake journals to the people you care about most. Each hardcover, spiral-bound book measures 6 ½ " x 7 ¼ " and contains 35 - 45 fun-to-ask and fun-to-answer questions. You get them back with handwritten responses you'll cherish forever. Just $14.95 each. If you use the coupon code CRAZED MIND you will receive an extra $1.00 off.

Thanks to Sand Dune Publishing for all the images.

I like the different questions in each book. They ask the questions, have places with photos and where you can share history. You can send this journal to your kids, grand kids, future spouse......and let them put in their answers. Mail it back to you and wow....the history you have recorded is invaluable.

Go check Between Me and You out and see for yourself. Don't forget the coupon code CRAZED MIND for your extra saving.

Looking to Invest for My IRA

"Online Trading", "Online Broker", and "Stock Trading"

These are all words that strike fear inside of me.
Why?
Well, I just do not understand what stock trading is really about.

I understand I am buying an investment.
And that I am "betting" on it to be a productive stock.

But how do I know what stock to purchase?
Is the person I am dealing with reliable?
Can I afford to invest?

There is a knowledge center that can help you learn more about stock trading. It will provide you with the information to start your online stock trades. If you are a seasoned investing veteran, or someone trying for the very first time, you can be sure to find something that will expand your understanding of the stock trades.

Saving for those Expecting

Hey I found a way to save some money for those who are expecting their lil bambino. You know how expensive clothes are. And to purchase maternity clothes for just 9 months is hard for many of us. But now you can get an exclusive 20% Off! Just by using coupon code "blogfriends". Add that too up to 75% off many items. You can save, save, save. I am also excited that they have Plus sizes too.

There is also a section of maternity clothes that are $10 and under too. Wow the savings keep adding up. Maybe you can pass this information on to the ones who are expecting. I know I am always looking for a good bargain. Pop over to Kiki Fashions and see the great deals for yourself.

Found a bit of My Grandmother

Thanks to thewatchery.com for this photo.

I remember this watch from when I was a child. It was the style my grandmother use to wear. I loved the simple elegance of the time piece. I still love it. As a matter of fact I did not know that you could still purchase this watch. It had been put in my head as a piece from a by gone era. When a watch was a tool to keep time with.

But now there are so many different things people look for. Most of all seems to be the name. Weather it be Movado, Tag-Heuer or Cartier it seems to be the name people recognize first. And second seems to be luxury. So we are looking for luxury watches too.

Well it is nice that some can find these items and still get a relatively good deal. I was happy to see this Lady Hamilton Watch for a great savings of 74% off at $84.00. That is a savings of $241.00. Not bad! I wonder if my CG would love this as much as I do? She has simple taste too. And knowing that it was the style my grandmother wore would mean something to her. It is an idea for an end of year gift for her. A finals are finally over gift. What do you think??

Curves Special

Well since y'all know I am going to Curves and for FREE. I am part of the Silver Sneakers program of my insurance company. If you are on Medicare then you may also get to go for FREE.

I thought I would add another way to save money, help out and get you exercising too.



Nationwide for the month of March Curves is waiving their start up fee if you bring in a bag of groceries. It will be donated to a local food bank. That is like a $75 savings. Also if you have your monthly fee taken from you bank account automatically then you save another $10 a month. (That is $195 savings for the first year.) Break it down and it is less than the cost of a soda a day to go and exercise with a bunch of really crazy ladies.


Benefits I enjoy are:

No Mirrors
No Men
All Positive Praise for being there
Totally Accepted as I AM

So if your ready for a change, itching to get out and move as Spring sets in and want to help a local food bank the head on over to Curves.

Code One-Code All

Here are a few coupon codes I found for those that are interested.

With Valentine's Day coming up you may want to send flowers.

teleflora.com has $5.00 off with promotion code KISSME and also DESIRE. These are good til 2/21/09.

FTD Has $5.00 off with promotion code V9P. This will expire on 2/14/09.

If you want to print a card for your sweetie you may need more ink. Clickinks.com has 5% off using discount code ClickinksFriends. They also offer free shipping of orders over $50.00. And they have several buy 2 get 1 free on compatible and manufactured products. There is not a expiration date for this offer.

And there is always sweets for our sweetheart. Visit mymms.com/photo24 and enter promo code PHOTO24 for a buy 3 get 1 free on personalized M & M's. You are actually able to put a photo on the M & M's. You have til 3/15/09 for this offer.

100 lucky winners can get $4,000 of either maid service, personal chef service or handyman service. Wouldn't that be lovely. Just enter at gethalls.com

And last but not least do not forget to enter in my 50 toy give away. Drawing on 2-25-09

Well I hope this is something you may be interested in. Good luck to all.

Savings for Electronics

I have found some more good deals for y'all and me too! I have been looking at electronics. Thinking of things to get my DH for Valentine's day. Plan ahead I always say. Instead I found myself some goodies.

When I have to purchase ink for my printer it is always so expensive. But I found a good deal for $10.00 off of $40.00 or more plus free shipping!

And I am getting 250 FREE business cards too! They are going to be my Bloggy Card.
I just paid for shipping for under $6.00. That is just two cents a card. Not bad I thought. How do you like them? They should be in the mail soon.


At Office Max you can use the coupon code and receive $15 off of $150 purchase and free shipping too!

And you can have $30.00 taken off of your bill if it is $150.00 at Office Depot.

With Valentine's coming up I found some online promotion codes for electronic Holiday gifts if your sweetie is the "geek" mine is. Give him any electronics and he is in heaven!

And Nessa you could knock the socks off of your DH with this First Act electric guitar. Take $30.00 the price and have it for him for just under $100.00.

Frugal Hacks FORUM

Don't forget to enter the 100 items give away.
The drawing is tomorrow!
1st I would like to ask you to visit my
100 item give away blog!
Thank you.

Yes I confess! I am a Frugal Hacker. We all have to be these days. Need ways to save money, time and this lovely green earth. I think part of being frugal is also being green. And here is a web site that not only has post on ways to save money. But now has a Forum too! Yes a way for you to share with others your own tips and ideas.



Better yet! (You know by now I am going to let you in on a great program) You have a chance to win $125.00 CASH. Yes! Honest you do. I already have a good chance of winning $100.00 myself. So does Nessa. So we have to let you know how to get yours also.

So straight from Fugal Hacks site is this:

The new Frugal Forum is up and running, and ready for you to jump in. You can get to it by clicking on the Forum tab at the top of the (their) page. I would love to hear from you over there, and to make it more fun, I'm going to have a drawing for a fabulous prize of $100 cash!

I will draw among the first 50 people who post at least 25 entries on the forum. There are just a few commonsense rules.

ENTER TO WIN $100 CASH:

1. You must register to post or start a new topic. Anyone can read, but you must be logged in to post. It's easy. This prevents spam, and it allows me to see how many times you've entered.
2. Your entries must have some substance. They don't all have to be brilliant and innovative, but they must have some meaning and be related to frugal living. You can't just say, "Me too," or "Good point" twenty-five times.
3. You must have 25 published entries. I reserve the right to delete any post or topic at any time. If you know me, I use this right very sparingly. I'm really just covering the bases here.
4. The final decision is mine. If several people cross the 25-entries line at the same time, I might end up with 53 people in the drawing instead of just the first 50. If less than 50 people qualify, the drawing will be cancelled. You have to promise not to complain, mkay?

So get hoppin'! Go register (it's easy) and start gabbing. Share your wisdom, or pose your question. Let's help each other learn how to live on less!

BONUS GIVEAWAY: $25

Just post on your blog about the Frugal Forum and the $100 giveaway. Link to this post and the forum, and leave a comment here to let me know. I'll draw for the winner of this giveaway when I draw for the $100 winner.

You see 50 people can win $100.00
Continuing on from Frugal Hacks page:

The new forum seems to be a big hit! I can't believe the response so far. Between 2:30 and midnight, there were over 3,000 page views! Are you all really excited about sharing ideas, or is it just the promise of cold hard cash? Either way, I'm excited!

Just one quick request: If you are starting a new topic, please search to be sure your subject is new to the forum. Commenting on an existing thread is much more fun for everyone!

These users have already qualified for the $100 drawing by posting at least 25 times to the new Frugal Forum:

1. lynette355
2. DeputyHeadmistress
3. frugaltxmama

There are still 47 spots left to qualify for the $100 drawing, not to mention the $25 drawing for blogging about the forum. See this post for details on both.

So...how are you doing? Stats are now at the bottom of the forum.

Yes 47 more people can win $100.
So you have an awesome chance to win too.

Please come join us over at Frugal Hacks Forum and share your ideas and tips! Oh and don't forget the CASH

Discovering Coupon Codes

1st I would like to ask you to visit my
100 item give away blog!
Thank you.

I have been looking at different blogs on ways to save.

Being the frugal kinda gal I am I need to know where to look for specials, discounts and coupons. Some sites have coupon codes you can use for things like movie rentals and more. My lil town does not have big stores so I have to see more about shopping online to use these benefits.



So I have been surfing the web and have happened upon some savings that I thought you might be interested in. This site that has a promotion code for patio furniture helped me a lot. I found that I could get this Leather trench coat that is already marked down from $299.50 to $119.99. Add the 15% off coupon code and it is now only $102.00. That is a total saving of $197.50. Woo-Hoo!




When we moved CG into the dorm room Saturday the floors were freezing cold. Just concrete with tiles over them sure do make for some frozen toes. She asked me to get her a rug for the room. I found just what I think her and her room mate will love. Angle Farie Woven Rug that is 332" X 56" for $139.99. And it has free shipping!
But the coupon for 15% off will make it only $119.00! Another good deal that saves me $32.54 and keeps CG's toes warm!



And I still need to get out thank you cards for Christmas presents. Here I can save 20% on any $10.00 or more purchase of thank you cards. And they will even mail them for me. They have cards at .69 per card. If you buy 15 cards at $10.35 you will take off $2.07 making it only $8.28 or .55 per card. Plus they will even address, stamp and mail them for me. How easy is that.

This coupon codes, discounts and specials could become quite addicting. Where do you find your specials? What is your favorite" tricks of the trade"?