My Sunday Night Shopping Trip

I'm getting ready for the "cart buster" sale that Kroger will be having starting on Sunday. I have been clipping, organizing and purging expired coupons (q's). I thought I would run in tonight and grab a few of this weeks deals while they were on sale.

That is the key to saving the money....stock up on the items that are on sale and you have a Q for while it's cheap so you don't have to pay full price later. (I haven't bought toothpaste in about a year!! And with my Q's I've not paid much more than .50 for a tube)

So here are a few deals that I got tonight.....

Cake from bakery $5.99....was on the "oops we baked too much" rack (I would have never checked this rack before). Was marked down to $2.99 and I had a Q for $1 off. I PAID $1.99

Kroger brand poptarts on sale for $1....had a .45 Q....I PAID .55...kroger Q would not double

Dole pineapple small cans on sale for .89....had a Q .55 off 2 (.55/2)...Q doubled to $1.10 so I PAID .34 A CAN!!!! I had 2 Q's so I got 4. Regular price was $1 and some change so this was a huge deal.

Underwood deviled ham was on sale for .99 a can....had a Q for $1/2...so basically it was a Buy one Get one Free (B1G1)

Bumble Bee tuna pouches were on sale for $1....had a Q for $1/2....once again B1G1

Progresso Soups....these are expensive and I rarely buy unless they are on sale big time. They were on sale for $1.79.....had a Q for .25 off one.....it doubled to .50 off....I PAID $1.29. These are usually closer to $2 so it wasn't a bad deal. I have a few extra of these Q's that I'd be glad to share.

French's Worstechere on sale for $1.79...Q for .50 which doubled to $1 off....I PAID .79....and it's a good size bottle.

Sun Detergent on sale for $2....Q for .50 off which doubled to $1 off...I PAID $1...Now I must say this detergent is not bad and I like to put it up for those emergencies when we forget we are out with a mountain of laundry.

Rold Gold pretzels on sale for $1.99....Q for .55 off which doubled to a $1.10 off...I PAID .89

Green Giant Frozen boxed vegetables on sale for $1...Q for .60/3 which doubled to $1.20...I PAID .60 A BOX...I only had 2 Q's so I got 6

Pepperidge Frozen Bread on sale for $2.99. They had a B1G1 deal....I had a .55/1 Q which doubled to $1.10 so I PAID ABOUT .90 for 2

This week they are having a big sale snack sale offering a free gallon of milk as incentive. Select Keebler cookies and crackers that were normally $3.99 were marked 4/$10. If you bought 4 then you got a FREE gallon of milk (which was priced at $3.19) Now I had a Q for $1/2 keebler snacks so for 2 Bags of Choc Chip Cookies, Boxes of Keebler crackers and 1 Gallon of milk I PAID $9....Normal price for all of that would have been $19.19

A CLOSEOUT
I noticed that they put a few of the Suave Deoderants on closeout. They were marked either .78 or .87...can't remember. If you had some Q's you could rack up on this because it doesn't go bad.

If you get a chance check out that website
southernsavers.com

As soon as I have an idea about what will be on sale I will post what I know.

Hope all have a great night!!

God's Patience Class

God has decided to hold a patience class with me in the mornings.

It wasn't until just recently that I no longer had to battle with Brayden in the morning. He'd cry and stomp...and come up with every ailment under the sun. One time he literally stumbled through the house saying he was blind and stuck with his story until he got out of the car at school. We have had mornings where he couldn't walk on his feet so he walked on his knees all over the house. I even put his tail in the car to save the knees of his pants only to have him open the car door and skip to the front door of the school. He has faked stomach aches and throwing up. As he got older his antics became more sophisticated. When I quit falling for the "Mom, I threw up." and I started checking behind him he would chew food up and spit in the toilet. One day I talked to two of his teachers and got the shock of my life. One teacher mentioned how his haircut made him look like someone actually loved him and the other teacher mentioned that he said he did not have a belt and that I wouldn't buy him one. (For the record...he hid his belts...he had plenty) I informed them both that if I could get him to school clothed I was doing great. Brushed hair, belt and underwear were bonus points! By the time I finished dragging him, leading him, or carrying him to the car I just about had to start over on my hair and face. In the past year he has matured so much and it is such a blessing that he gets up with no arguing....no ailments....fully dressed WITH underwear and ready to go with time to spare. I thought "YAY!! I passed the class of patience....thank you God"

Then I realized that I celebrated WAY too soon.....

Kayla Grace had always gotten up just fine. She had always been excited about going to school and getting dressed. One night something happened and my sweet little angel woke up foul, demanding and absolutely off the chain. It has CONTINUED!!! It takes 10 min just to get her to respond. No matter what I lay out for her to wear it is wrong. She cries and talks about how she doesn't have any friends, people are going to laugh at her, she wants to wear something to match Michaela or Anna......and it goes on and on. The other morning she pitched a fit because I wouldn't let her do her nails before we left. SHE IS 5 YEARS oLD!! It is positively awful....If Brayden walks through the room she goes balistic because he looks at her. And it is nothing for him to retaliate by grabbing a nerf gun and shooting her with it. You can then imagine how the morning goes...

So now I know the reason for all of Brayden's antics....God was preparing me for Kayla.....

Ahhhhh the joys of Motherhood

CLEANING THE SCHOOL HOUSE IN RHODE ISLAND

Seventy-four teachers will face termination tomorrow if Frances Gallo, Superintendent of Education in Central Falls, and the teacher’s labor union can not reach an agreement. Ms. Gallo is cleaning house and she has the backing of the federal and state authorities to do so. In a high school that has a 48% graduation rate and 50% of students are failing all subjects right now, drastic measures need to be taken. The Superintendent came up with a plan asking for six things from the faculty. Those included:

*Extending the school day 25 minutes. Instead of attending from 7:50 - 2:25, they would attend from 8:00 - 3:00.

*Format a tutoring schedule for the kids who needed extra help. It would consist of an hour before school and after. Teachers would be scheduled to cover this on a rotating schedule.

*Agree to eat lunch with the kids once a week in hopes of building relationships with the students.

*Two weeks of Professional Development during the summer at a pay rate of $30 an hour.

*An hour and a half after school once a week to review test scores and work with other faculty members to find more effective ways to reach the students.

*Accept more rigorous evaluations by a third party evaluator.

From what I have read, I get the impression that most of the teachers are not totally against it and would be open to learning more about what would be expected. The labor union, however, says no. These teachers are presently being paid anywhere between $70,000 and $79,000 a year to educate and put the children's first.

I work in our local school district and although I’m not a teacher, I see everyday what our teachers do. Noone demands more money for after school faculty meetings or departmental meetings. Most times there are teachers who volunteer their time to stay after school to help those who want extra help….again with no thought of payment compensation. They do it because they are concerned for the future of our kids….they care. I’m sure that there are two sides to every story and then the truth, but right now the teachers in Rhode Island are looking as if they need a career change.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

The previews looked great. My best friend said it was awesome and I’m wondering if I rented the right movie. After checking the box I realized that I did indeed rent the right movie, I just found it very disappointing. It wasn’t so bad that I turned it off….I finished watching it as I worked on my pile of laundry, but it was more confusing to me than interesting. Maybe it was a bad day for me to be trying to follow something that was deep, I don’t know. I could never figure out the time frames and I stayed mostly confused about how the time travel worked. Maybe it shouldn’t have been my focus?? No idea, but it’s not one I’d want to watch again.

The Couple’s Retreat

If you are looking for a movie that you and your man would both enjoy try The Couple’s Retreat. It’s a great chick flick with enough comedy to keep him interested as well. You won’t be able to help comparing your relationship to one of the couples and it is pretty comical. I would definitely recommend this one!

CA$H

I like the “guns blazin, shoot ‘em up” movies….you know where someone is going to get some revenge over being framed or family being hurt. I got in the mood for one of those the other day and messed up by thinking CA$H would do it for me. There are no words to describe how bad this movie is.

First of all, I don’t know who the good looking guy was on the cover because the guy that was in the movie was ugly as sin. The language was HORID!! I can handle some bad language but I’m telling you every vile word thinkable flew out of everyone’s mouth every other second. The story line from the box talked about a guy who got out of prison and went to take care of the people who killed his family. I never saw that story line in this movie. I think my son could have filmed iwith a camcorder and it be better quality. The first killing in the show almost made me hurl all over my husband….it was so graphically real. I couldn’t take it and turned it off within 15 min.

Save your money, ears and eyes…I wouldn’t even pick the box up.

It's None of My Business

It’s None of My Business

If your neighbor was having an affair would you expect an apology, some details or explanations? Although some may find it interesting to get an earful of drama, it frankly would be no one’s business. So why is it different for Tiger and Elin Woods?

Last night I listened as a host on a mainstream media channel say that Tiger needed to come clean with everyone on Friday. She said that he needed to “tell us more” than what had already been told…we need something new. Personally, I think the only person he needs to worry about coming clean with is his wife. Yes, he is a great golfer and he is in the public eye, but he is not in MY home, paying MY bills, fathering MY children or sharing MY bed. Taking this into consideration, I do not see where he owes me or anyone else an apology or explanation.

On the same show they had the famed feminist attorney Gloria Allred. Gloria is representing Veronica Siwik-Daniels, who is also known as Joslyn James in the porn industry. Apparently, she is one of many who had an affair or relationship with Tiger. She claims that he impregnated her twice and that she left the porn industry because he did not like what she did for a living. Their relationship allegedly lasted for the past three years. Sadly, Ms. Siwik-Daniels, feels like she was victimized and wronged. Gloria Allred has stoked that fire and she has been very vocal about the fact that Tiger needs to use his press conference tomorrow to publicly apologize to Veronica and he also needs to call and apologize to her personally. HELLO???? What about what she has done? She knew that she was getting involved with a married man that had children…does she not owe HIS WIFE an apology? Ms. Allred explained that Veronica had been victimized by Tiger because she believed him only to be involved with his wife and herself. PLEASE!!! This is ludicrous and almost laughable that they would actually come on TV and say these things. How does she honestly think his wife feels? She’s the one with the wedding band and marriage certificate that stood before God and exchanged vows!! How do ya think she, Mrs. Woods, feels to find out that SHE was one of many. Both of these women, Gloria Allred and the porn star, need to get a clue.

So what is it that draws us to the drama of these public figures? Why is it that we all feel like they owe us an explanation or that we have the right to know about their private lives? I can understand a situation like a politician because my tax dollars are paying their salaries and they are supposed to be working on my behalf….but a golfer? Nope, none of my business.

I love REDBOX!!!

Just because you tighten your budget belt does not mean that you have to go without all forms of entertainment. I love renting and watching movies. Nothing helps pass time quicker while ironing two mountains of clothes than to get lost in a movie while performing that monotonous task. If you have laundry piles like I do, you could easily understand why it would take several movies finish the job. Movie rentals at Blockbuster run around $4.99 a movie, but I have found a very inexpensive alternative….REDBOX!!

Redbox is basically a DVD vending machine. I never knew they existed until this past week and I have to say they are just divine little inventions. They are mainly located at various convenience stores and grocery stores….some inside and some are outside. So they get their first “star” for convenience. Another huge convenience is that you can rent a movie from one Redbox and return it to any other Redbox that may be convenient to you. This is great if you are traveling because you can literally return them to a Redbox in a different town.

What really puts them high on my list is that movies rentals are only $1 plus tax. They must be returned by 9 p.m. the following night or you get charged $1 late fee for each late day. Even if you rented two movies and had a late fee it would still be cheaper than one movie rental from Blockbuster. You just can’t beat that price no matter what your budget situation may be.

Don’t misunderstand and think that these are older releases either. Each box is stocked with new releases and get more new releases each Tuesday. They are also stocked with a variety of genres including children’s movies, action, drama, comedy and horror. You are guaranteed to find something that would suit anyone in your family. If there is a movie that you want to make sure you get you can also reserve it online and choose the location to pick it up. How awesome is that??

Be sure to check out www.redbox.com. It will take you through step-by-step on setting up your free account so that you can begin to enjoy. You can locate the Redbox rental locations in your town and see what is available at each. You can also get free rentals.

Let me know what you think of this new phenomena….I’m loving it!!

Coupons....Ching! Ching!!

Our economy is in the crapper, and it is affecting everyday Americans in a huge way. Most of us have been living life flying by the seat of our pants, getting what we want and worrying about it later....now reality has set in and we are in trouble. Even if you have been living well, I'm sure that you are now having to tighten your belt and figure ways to cut corners.


I used to hear stories of how people used coupons, saved hundreds of dollars and sometimes even got money back. Of course I never truly believed it was possible. I cut coupons and they stayed in my purse until they expired. Then reality hit and our financial situation changed dramatically. As I desperatley searched the internet for frugal living ideas, I backed into a site that taught me how to work the coupon game.


Making coupons work for you is really easy, and it has cut about $400 off of my monthly grocery bill. Although I have not mastered the art of couponing, I am learning and can not imagine why I never did this before. Let me tell you how I managed on my very first trip to Kroger with coupons:


3 Tubs of Koolaide
2 Tubs of Country Time Lemonade
2 Bowls of Kraft microwaveable mac & cheese
1 Box of Velveeta and Cheese
1 Bottle of Kraft BBQ Sauce
1 Bottle of Kraft Ranch Dressing


My total was $5.83!!!!


Needless to say, after this trip I was hooked. It has become a way of life for me and I have become obsessed with seeing just how much I can save. Some easy tips to get started:


1) Ask friends and relatives for their Sunday circulars to get as many coupons as possible.


2) Cut all coupons....even if it's something you don't normally buy because of the price.


3) Organize your coupons by whatever method you choose.


4) Check your sales circular. Mine comes out on Wednesday. I mainly shop Kroger because they will take any coupon that I have, up to .60, and double it. I look for items that are on sale and I then look to see if I have coupons to match. If I do not have a coupon from the newspaper, I will see if I can find one online to print. (NOTE...most computer printed coupons will not double)


5) There are a couple of sites that you can go and load coupons onto your store card.
http://www.shortcuts.com/ and http://www.cellfire.com/
Go to these sites and sign up completely free. You can upload e-coupons to your store card and at most places you are able to use that e-coupon WITH your paper coupon. It all depends on the store, but it works for me at Kroger. You will only get the e-coupon once, but you can leave and come back and it works again.
EXAMPLE....PB Toaster Strudel on sale for 1.69. I have an e-coupon for .75 off 2. I have a paper coupon for .75 off 2. Total would be $3.38 with the sale price only. After using the paper coupon and the e-coupon kicks in automatically your total for 2 would be $1.88 or .94 ea.


6) When I find items for a really good price I stock up so that I don't have to pay full price later. This works great for items such as ketchup, mustard, toothpaste, deoderant...you get the idea.


One site that I have found extremely helpful has been http://southernsavers.com/. Even if you aren't real sure how everything works....check this site out. It is very easy to follow and they "spell out" the sales and deals for many of the chain grocery stores and pharmacies.


Organizing is a HUGE key to success. I first organized my coupons in a little accordian style folder and I was saving a lot of money, but it took a lot of time for me to get through the grocery store while trying to pinch every penny. I decided to try a different method and organized my coupons in a 3 ring binder using baseball card inserts. The savings from this method was unbelievable!!! I didn't miss any coupons or waste a lot of times flipping through stacks. Everything was there at my fingertips and all I had to do was flip the page.


I won't lie and say it doesn't take time and effort, but once your get a system in place it is soooo worth it.