Earn Coupons and Gift cards with Recyclebank

Helping the earth by recycling, reducing and reusing is great, but wouldn't it be better if you got something for your efforts?

Well, ladies and gents, let me introduce you to Recyclebank.

Recyclebank has games and quizzes that you can take to earn points. Other point earning activities include pledging to be greener, entering codes from Kashi cereal boxes, registering your Nook with their site, and learning about various green initiatives.

You can redeem points for high value coupons (many you can print at home), or save up those points and turn them in for gift cards or deep discounts at green retailers.

I especially love the $2.00 off an Kashi products!  At Target, that makes a box of Kashi cereal only .99!



Check out Recyclebank!  It's fun, easy, and you can earn coupons like whoah!  I've been a member since 2009 and I earn 1 $2.00 off Kashi Coupon PER MONTH, just by playing games and entering codes from my Kashi boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

*This Post may contain affiliate links. Check out our Affiliate Disclosure here.

More goals for 2012..

I've been working on my list of goals for 2012, especially in relation to this blog, my money saving/couponing lifestyle, and how it fits into our family life.

Major Goals

• Finish my book! (I've been working on it for over 2 years, I just need to finish it. Really.


• Stay within Budget (I'll be doing a new post on budgeting next)


• Save 10% of our income!


• Work on saving for Mr. CouponDiva's new(ish) car.


• Go back to college!


• Read 1-2 more books/month.

Family/Household  Goals

• Recommit to menu planning and eating at home 6 days/week.


• Get us back on the Zone or Mediterranean style Diet.


• Get Mr. Small Man out and playing with other kiddos at least once per week.


• Take Mr. Small Man to the park/playground at least once per week (it's good exercise for me too!)


• Have Date night with Mr. Caoupondiva once a week (even if it's just a movie and snacks after Mr. Small Man goes to bed).


• Take stock of HBA and cleaning supplies and re-stock items as needed.  After 2 years of buying no HBA, our stockpile has dwindled.


• Schedule house cleaning/laundry and stick to the schedule.  I'm going to check out FlyLady.com, I've heard great things!


• Participate in more coupon swaps and clip-ins to obtain more coupons.

Blog/Business Goals

• Buy Domain.


• Monetize blog to defray cost of domain and pay for more giveaways. ( I promise- the site won't be over-run with ads or spam posts!)


• Commit to writing at least 7 posts per week.


• Tweet more often (I'm bad about it right now).


• Teach 1-2 free coupon classes/week.

What goals do you have 2012?  Post at least one of your goals for 2012 and I'll send you a potluck of 25 coupons!

 

Coupons and great deals!

Here are some random, great deals, and freebies!

 

Like Coke Zero on Facebook and Print at .99 off any Coke Zero Product.  It is a Bricks Coupons, so you should be able to print two.

Use this Eco Tools coupon at Target and get a mesh bath poufy for .04!

SavingStar has new E-coupons! And remember that you can stack a paper coupon with a SavingStar coupon.  SavingStar coupons do not come off your total in store, the amount of the coupon is added to your SavingStar account, and once the account reaches $5.00 you can chose a gift card or a paypal payment!

• Agro Corn Starch's website has printable coupons that you can stack with the SavingStar E-Coupon!


• Check your recent inserts for Playtex tampon, Campbell Soup, Wacky Mac, and Pull Ups Coupons to pair with the E-Coupons available on SavingStar!

In not such happy news, Sears/KMart announced they are closing 100-120 stores.  Here is a list of the stores they will for sure be closing....

Free Sample of Meow Mix!! (Courtesy of Wal-Mart!)

If you have a Revolution Money Exchange Account, FYI, it's been purchased by American Express, and it now called Serve. Log on to your account (or sign up if you don't have one!) and earn $10.00.  To earn an additional $10.00, play this game. They will send you an ATM/Am Ex Credit card and you can use the card to spend t he funds.

I went shopping: Fresh and Easy!

WOO HOO!  Hubs received a $25.00 Fresh and Easy gift card in his office gift exchange, so today the Small Man and I went over to our local F&E and checked out the markdown section.

I printed a $6 off $30 coupon before we left home.

Before gift cards and coupons, the total was: $32.19

-$6.00 coupon

-$25.00 Gift Card

OOP was $1.19, which I had in my coin purse!

 

9 lunches for Hubs, two packages of veggie side dishes (one for tonight and one for tomorrow), focaccio (bread) for tonight's dinner, and soup (which I had half of for lunch today!).

 

And, because I am a Fresh & Easy Friends card holder, I earn points for every purchase!

 

If you have a Fresh & Easy near you, check it out- it's a great little market!!

We survived!

Wow!  Little Man had a great first X-mas, and Mr. Coupondiva and I did too.

Yesterday we braved the mall and picked up a few more sweater vests at JCP for Mr. Coupondiva.  They were 70% off!  There were a lot of great sales, but there were TONS of people at the mall.

I hope all of you who did day after Christmas shopping had a great time, and got tons of bargains!

2012 Goals: Making Money!

This is just the first post in a series of posts about my goals for 2012.

Today's Post: My money making goals for 2012.  Since I am a stay at home mama, my income can be limited. My plan is to take advantage of as many affiliate/pay per click/deal sites and programs as I can to earn extra income, either with cash or gift cards. Since I don't play the drugstore game, I am not planning on (or counting on) any Register Rewards or Extra Care Bucks in 2012.  Occasionally I will shop at drugstores, but not often enough to count on those rewards as income.

This includes:

Endorse (We've earned over $200 since October 2011!!)  I love Endorse because I can use coupons, store cards and gift cards and still earn money.

Mypoints- Click on links in emails, take surveys, and earn points when you do online shopping. Redeem points for gift cards!

SBKC- send in your junk mail and earn points which can be redeemed for Gift Cards

Pampers Gifts to Grow (We earn points when we buy diapers and wipes! And there are always free points available online)

Global Opinion Panels (take surveys and do product studies for points, redeem points for $$ or Gift cards!)

PineCone Research- Take surveys and do product surveys.  Get paid $3.00 per survey!

 

Also, I plan on doing TONS of rebates!  My fav spot on the web for finding tons of rebates is Coupons, Deals, and More!

 

In addition, we take all of Little Man's outgrown clothes and some of the equipment he has outgrown to the baby resale shop and trade them in for clothes in the next size up and new equipment or toys.That means no OOP for us!

 

How do you plan to earn extra cash in 2012?

 

 

 

I'm still here!

Sorry, we've been super busy with holiday plans, shopping, and general Festivities.

Here are some super rad things that have going on:

I just received a check in the mail from Endorse for $35 and some change! And I just POP'd two moreenvelopes into the mail yesterday!  All this holiday shopping is really paying off!

If you haven't "liked" us on Facebook, what are you waiting for?  I post great freebies and deals DAILY. Once we get to 50 followers on Facebook, there will be a MASSIVE giveaway!

East Acres is a new daily deal site for floral arrangements and decor.  Sign up, receive a free 410.00 credit.  Click PROMO on the bar across the top, select the set of peacock feathers and check out.  Choose "free credits" as the method of payment and It's FREEEEE!!!

Vons and Albertson's stores are popping out Catalinas for $3.00 or $4.00 WYB 12+ jars of Gerber baby foods!

MyPoints is rocking this time of year!  In the past 3 months, I've earned 3 $10.00 gift cards, just by clicking links in emails and taking 2-3 brief (10 minutes or less) surveys each day!

Over at Drugstore Divas, they are doing Redbox: 12 Days of Deals!- Check it out!

 

 

I went shopping: Causal Male XL

Mr. Coupondiva is on the Causal Male XL mailing list. They send coupons about once per quarter, and last week we got a $20/$20+ coupon.  I was super excited!  I scoured the clearance section for about 20 minutes until I came upon two great dress shirts.

[caption id="attachment_1504" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="What a sweet OOP!"][/caption]

 

I ended up paying $1.35 OOP for two dress shirts that were originally $42.50 each!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1505" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="A great shirt at a great price!"][/caption]

 

They are George Foreman brand Oxford Cloth dress shirts. I purchased one in white and one in blue (which he wore the next day!)

I didn't save them for Christmas, I gave them to Mr. Coupondiva right away. He can always use more dress shirts, especially since he wears one every day to work.

 

The moral of this story is: If there are specialty shops that you shop at (big and tall, maternity, petite, plus size, kids clothes), sign up for their mailing list.  9 times out of 10, they'll send you high value coupons and offers.

Ralph's Private Selection Campaign (BzzAgent Review)

Recently I was selected to be a part of the Kroger's Private SelectionBzzAgent Campaign.  Around these parts, the Kroger brand store is Ralph's.

I was supplied with three product coupons: A Frozen Appetizer, A Frozen Pizza, and a Frozen Dessert (not Ice Cream)

The three product coupons arrived just in time for my husbands birthday party! I selected the Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets, Margherita pizza and Cream Puffs.

Margherita Pizza

Southwestern Trumpets

Cream Puffs and Magic Shell!

• The Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets didn't last 5 minutes.  The boys at the party scooped them up and dipped them in sour cream mixed with salsa. They were flaky and loaded with chicken, peppers and cheese!


• I added pepperonis to the top of the Margherita pizza (Boys love meat on their pizzas).  It was crispy, but the sliced little tomatoes made it a little soggy in the middle, but a few extra minutes in the oven and it was very crispy.  THe boys commented on the yummy balls of cheese on the pizza and how  it was a great appetizer!


• The Cream Puffs were so good we didn't get a chance to thaw them!  I dipped them in magic shell and it made them even more decadent!

Private Selection^® is made for the food enthusiast in us all, with its rich collection of artisan-inspired offerings and gourmet ingredients. Create your own masterpieces in the kitchen with Private Selection^® ingredients or choose from Private Selection^® appetizers, entrees and desserts to help you make each meal a delightful experience for both you and your guests. Either way you'll be bringing your best to the table.

Start with your passion for delicious meals, then let Private Selection^® help you deliver incredible results at your dinner table. There are fine chocolates, artisan meats and cheeses, gourmet pastas and sauces, and a wealth of prepared meals and side items — all carefully crafted so you can be the star in your kitchen. Is there really anything better?

• The entire Private Selection^® collection has been reimagined, with new ingredients and hundreds of new recipes


• Artisan-inspired products that have been carefully crafted with the finest attention to detail


• Exclusively available in the Kroger family of stores


• A complete range of food offerings, including Angus and deli meat, cheese, ice cream, breads, appetizers, desserts, spices, olive oil, chocolates, coffee, seafood, pasta and pasta sauce, cookies and frozen meals

I shared the $2.00 off Private Selection coupons with my party guests and told them all about Bzzagent! If you'd like to learn more about the great Word of Mouth advertising and social marketing company, check out their website!  To Learn about Private Selection, check here or your local Kroger Brand store.

Starbucks Coffee as low as $3.33/each with rebate and Gift Card at Target!

I've seen this deal all over the net and I am SUPER excited.

I opened the coffee canister this morning.. and OHS NOES I only have enough coffee for ONE MORE POT! Oh, the humanity!

 

Here is the scenario at Target:

Starbucks Coffee (10-12 oz) – $7.99/ea

• Get a $5 Target gift card when you buy 3 (remember you can't use this on the current purchase)


• Use $3/2 Starbucks Coffee, 11, 12 or 20 oz 12/04/2011 SS Insert (exp 01/14/2012) &


• Use $1/1 Starbucks Coffee, 11, 12, or 20 oz 12/04/2011 SS Insert (exp 01/14/2012)


• Then when you get home submit for a $5 Starbucks Gift Card Rebate here.  You can do it online and photograph the UPC's and receipt and save the .44 stamp.

Total:  3 for $3.33 each after gift card & rebate! Actual OOP will be $19.97 after coupons (plus tax if applicable for your area).

If you have a lot of shopping to do at Target, print off one of these coupons good for a $10 Target gift card when you spend $50+!

If you use Endorse.com, add Target to your list of Endorses, and submit your receipt to Endorse and earn 2% cashback!

 

 

And the winner is...

Rochelle is the winner of the Omaha Steaks Certificate!

 

It'll be emailed to you shortly!

$20.00 Omaha Steak Reward Certificate Giveaway!

I've got a $20.00 Omaha Steak Reward Certificate.  I don't need it (We have sooo much meat in the freezer!!).

I'll choose a winner tonight before I go to bed and announce it tomorrow AM and email it out ASAP.

To enter leave a comment on the blog or on our Facebook Page about why you want the Certificate.  Remember to leave your email address too!

Getting frugal in the Kitchen: making soup!

Last night I didn't want to cook. A few weeks ago I won a $25 Kroger gift card in a twitter contest, so I headed over to Food4Less (a Kroger store) and picked up a few items.

• Rotisserie Chicken


• Tortillas


• Cheese


• Onions (for another night)

We had Chicken quesadillas with steamed veggies and salad.  After dinner and the baby was down, Mr. Coupondiva cleaned up the carcass, and put the bones and a little meat into a zip lock bag and the remainder of the meat into a tupperware container for later meals.

 

This morning I started the killer chicken stock:

• 10 cups of water


• Chicken carcass


• 2 cups of each: chopped onions, carrots, and celery


• 2 bay leaves


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• Salt and pepper, to taste

It will cook for about 6 hours. Then I will strain the solids off, and add:

• 2 cups chicken meat, shredded (leftover from last night)


• 1 cup chopped celery


• 1 cup chopped carrots


• 1 package of egg noodles

and cook until the egg noodles are done, about 8-10 minutes.

 

It should make about 8 servings. And the total cost is about $6.00.

 

Whenever you make/buy a roast chicken, or have a bone in ham, don't throw away the bone!  Toss it in a bag and make soup the next day!  Carcasses/bones can be frozen too, that way you can make soup up to 2 weeks later.  Ham bone can be used in split pea soup. Making soup this way really stretches your budget!

 

 

Great Freebie for this weekend: FREE trial sized primer at Bare Escentuals

Thanks to Lisa over at DrugStore Divas!

Between December 1-4th Visit your local Bare Escentuals store and receive a FREE trial sized primer at Bare Escentuals with this coupon.

To find your local Bare Escentuals, click here. For San Diego Peeps, there is one at UTC and Fashion Valley.

Do you get a lot of junk mail? Get paid for it!

Do you get lots of junk mail?  Is your inbox full of spam? Insurance, credit card offers, banking, credit cards, investing, telecom, mortgage or other loan type junk mail and spam?

Then, I have a RAD offer for you!

The Small Business Knowledge Center (SBKC) studies marketing techniques and practices.  They securely dispose of your junk mail after they are done with it- no need to worry!

SBKC mails you postage paid envelopes, you stuff your junk mail into it and drop it into the mail.  You will receive points for your junk mail, and once you receive 2000 points, you will receive a $20 gift card to ICardGiftCard.com. You can also forward emails to them as well.  They occasionally have special projects where they are looking for special items like welcome packets for credit cards.  Special projects offer additional/bonus points.

I've done SBKC for about 2 years and I consistently earn one gift card per quarter.  That's free money that I did no work for.  Just forward some emails before I hit "delete" and toss my junk mail into an envelope as it comes into the house and mail an envelope once a week.

Unlike many other programs, you can sign everyone in your home who is over the age of 18!

If you are interested in signing up, here is the link. In the box next to: How did you here about the SBKC Consumer Panel? Please type my name: Abby Hewes.  I use the gift cards for giveaways on the blog.

 

 

Changes to Endorse.com

If you are unfamiliar with Endorse.com, check out our post here.

Most of you know if you read other savings/frugal living blogs, Endorse.com has made some changes to their program, including:

Reducing the percentage earned on the remaining retail shops to 2% down from 10%. Products and restaurants still remain at 10%! And grocery stores belonging to  Safeway, Kroger, and SuperValu companies!

Most retail shops have been removed, such as Home Depot, Lowe's, JC Penney, Yankee Candle, and Sears.  Cars, plane tickets, and gas stations have also been removed. :(

Here are just a few of the great stores and products you can earn cash back by purchasing!
Stores/Restaurants

7-Eleven
Applebee’s
Babies “R” Us
Bath & Body Works
Bed Bath & Beyond
CVS
Dollar Tree
Rite Aid
Starbucks
Target
Walgreens
Walmart
Albertsons
Denny's
Domino's Pizza
Fresh and Easy
Jack In the Box
Ralph's
Sally Beauty Supply
Subway
Vons

 

Products

Coffee-Mate
Stouffer's Mac and Cheese
Stouffer's Lasagna
Jell-o
FiberOne Bars
Green Giant Boxed Vegetables
Pillsbury
Muir Glenn Canned Tomatoes

 

If you haven't yet joined Endorse.com, I encourage you to do so!  It is based on a Facebook App, so you have to be a Facebook user to use Endorse.com.  I've received a check from them already.

They are swamped with envelopes, so they are a little slow updating accounts, however... The pay out is worth it!  It's like free money!!

It's a new month!!

A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons), Redplum (printable), Savingstar (e-coupons) Shortcuts.com (printable an e-coupons), Smartsource (printable), Cellfire (e-coupons), All You (printable) and Catalina's Coupon Network (printable).

Go get your savings on!

Discounted San Diego Union Tribune Subscriptons and upcoming Coupon Class Availability

I've got a really great special that I want to offer my readers.... Discount Subscriptions to the San Diego Union Tribune!

We all know that the number one way to save money is pair up store sales and coupons. The number one source for coupons is the Sunday Newspaper.

Check out this link for info and prices.  If you have any questions, please email me at CACouponDiva@gmail.com.

I'm also offering coupon classes again- For free. During my 75 minute presentation I’ll teach you, and your family and friends how to lower your grocery bill by at least 50% and build a food storage at the same time.  I’ll go over where to get coupons, how to organize them in less than 15 minutes a week, how to use the Free Grocery Smarts website, and I’ll even teach you how to shop!  I can come to your home, office, church or social group, from 10-1000!

In January, I'll be teaching a class at my home (date to be determined), and you are all invited! After the class, if you feel this is something that you want to share with your friends (and you WILL!!), you can book your own class.  Those folks who book a class will have the opportunity to earn a free coupon filing system, just like the one I use and gift cards to your favorite drug or grocery store!

I can't wait to share my love of savings with you and your friends!

 

 

RecycleBank- earn points and get great coupons!

Recyclebank is a great website for high value coupons.  I get $2.00 off any Kashi product coupons from Recyclebank, and with it I am able to get my fav. cereal at Target for less than $1.00!

Once you sign up, take quizzes and make pledges about recycling and making the earth a greener place. Pledges and quizzes include pledging to use a reusable coffee cup at coffee shops, composting, recycling plastic bags, and tons of other options.

You can also earn points by redeeming codes found in Kashi cereal boxes, buying a Nook at Barnes & Noble.com, and making purchases at various green retailers.

Once you accumulate points, you can redeem them for grocery coupons, gift cards, and discounts for online retailers (including Omaha Steaks!).

 

This post contains affiliate links.

 

 

Aprons and Jewelry for sale! Blog Fund Raiser!

I try not to sell stuff on my blog, but I'm selling aprons and jewelry to raise some money to fund a couple upcoming giveaways on the blog.

I've got aprons, and tons of jewelry.

The aprons are $20.00 each, shipping is free.  If you purchase more than one apron, subsequent aprons are $10.00 each.

Jewelry is $7.50-$10.00 each, shipping is free.  If you purchase more than one piece of jewelry, the first piece is regular price, and each additional piece is only $5.00.  The most expensive piece you purchase will be full price.

To see pics, click here! To see a closeup, click on each photo.

To purchase, email me at akeen02037@gmail.com.  Paypal only for shipped orders.  San Diego, CA area locals can pay cash and arrange for pick up. I do not deliver, but we can meet some place in the middle!

 

 

Holiday Budgeting

This may be a little late for this year, but I've noticed recently on other blogs and on Facebook, a lot of people are talking about how their holidays celebrations will be small, or they won't be celebrating this year because they can't afford it.

 

Here are some tips to help you save, not necessary for this holiday, but for any holiday or special occasion!

• Make a list of everyone that you need to buy for.  Include secret Santa gifts, White Elephant gifts, stocking stuffers.


• Make a budget and stick to it.


• Save all year! Set up a separate account, like an ING Direct savings account where money is automatically transferred from your check account to a savings account that is not readily accessible. I have $25.00 transferred from my checking account to my ING Direct savings account twice a month. That's $600/year I am saving for holidays or special occasions!


• If you have no outstanding debt, consider saving your tax refund to fund your holidays or special occasions.


• Take Advantage of Daily Deal site sign up bonuses.  They have great gift ideas for free or just the cost of shipping.


• If you really can't afford to save, pick up grocery items that are free with sales and coupons.  In the fall and winter, there are a lot of great deals on baking supplies.  Bake cookies, or make fudge, or make casseroles in disposable pans for gifts.  Food makes great gifts and $25-$30 can go really far!


• If/When you shop online, look for discount coupons codes. Couponcabin and Retailmenot are two great sites!


• Shop through Ebates for cash back or Mypoints for points that you can redeem for gift cards!

 

The holidays aren't all about the gifts. Christmas, Chanukah, Yule, Eid, hell... even Festivus are about being together with family and friends and celebrating faith.

 

This Post contains affiliate links.

Got an American Express Card? Win Prizes!

Thanks to MsBuildingupdaBenjamins for this deal!

If you have an American Express Card, head over to this site, register your card and start shopping online!

Join The Gift Chain by registering any eligible American Express® Card.

Then, use that Card to spend $25 or more at a participating online store between November 28 and December 21, 2011, and you could get a surprise gift. That’s it. It’s that easy. With gifts ranging from statement credits, to ShopRunner memberships to incredible gift cards, some of which you can share with 3 Facebook friends, you never know what you have a chance to get.

Here's the fine print: Must be a Cardmember prior to 11/27/11 to participate. See below to find out how to receive gifts without purchase. 1-yr ShopRunner membership is good for free 2-day shipping on purchases made at participating online retailers (terms apply). Limit 10 gifts per Cardmember while supplies last.*

To get started, shop at these participating online retailers:

American Eagle Outfitters
Bed Bath & Beyond
Blue Nile
Dell
GameStop
J.Crew
Lenovo
Neiman Marcus
Nike
Pottery Barn
REI
Rue La La
Toys"R"Us
vente-privee
Walmart
YoYo.com
Zappos

 

If you use Ebates or Mypoints, some of these websites are affiliates.  Go through either one of these, pay with your Am Ex and gets the cash back or points! Submit your packing slip/receipt through Endorse and receive even more cash back! (remember to "endorse" the store or products you will be buying prior to making your purchases!) AND.. Some American Express cards offer further rewards, such as cash back or points! So you can double, triple or quadruple dip!

Golden Share Foods

If you live in San Diego, There is a great resource for low cost, healthy groceries... Golden Share Foods!

I just got an email from them this morning with a great Christmas Dinner deal.
Our NEW December menu is up and we are accepting orders for the December 17th distribution. We have some great meat items offered in our packages along with  seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables! Order today and take advantadge of this coupon code gsf1112 good for 5% off your entire order, this code will expire on December 4th and the last day to order will be December 7th.  So place your order today online at www.goldensharefoods.com or call our office directly at 619-590-1692.

Here is a list of our December holiday package:  $39.00

(1) 7-9 lbs Spiral Ham	3 lbs. Fresh Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 lbs. Fresh Green Beans	3 lbs. Fresh Gala Apples
1 ea. Fresh Celery Stalk	1 bag Fresh Salad Mix
3 lbs. Fresh Yams	1 ea. Pumpkin Pie
	1 bag Fresh Tangerines

Here is a link directly to our menu page

 

That is such a great deal and would serve 6-8 people a yummy holiday meal!

A few great deals for awesome gifts!

While Mr. Coupondiva is getting ready to leave, I thought I'd post a few really great deals that would make awesome gifts!

Saveology.com has a great Deal on Magazines.com gift certificates.  $15.00 for a $30.00 gift certificate plus free shipping.  That means for $19.00 ($15.00 for the gift certificate plus $4.00 additional OOP) you can get a 2 year subscription to All You Magazine.  All You has coupons, recipes and money saving tips each month.  There are usually $60.00-$90.00 in coupon savings EACH MONTH!

Eversave.com has Pajamagram.com Gift Certificates $50.00 for only $25.00.  They have Family PJ sets, and tons of cute kiddo PJ's.  Also... Gentlemen, they have great PJ's for your special lady! All PJ's come with:

• Keepsake Fabric Hatbox


• Do Not Disturb Sign


• Personalized Gift Card


• Lavender Sachet

All for Free!!

 

 

Holiday Week!

Since it's a holiday week, I am super busy.  As a result, I may not be around to blog a lot.

I'll try to keep up on my tweets, so check out my Twitter feed!

Have a great Thanksgiving, and if you are doing Black Friday shopping, be NICE!!!

Mail Call Monday!

[caption id="attachment_1457" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="Wow! Check out all these great Freebies!"][/caption]

Last week was a pretty good week for freebies.

Barista Prima K Cups (Facebook offer)

Invisible Glass- 4 wipes

Foundation Sampler- Revlon

Kettle Chips, Free product coupons (Facebook offer)

Chobani and C&W product coupons (I contacted the companies for coupons)

Purina Cat food free product coupon (Walmart, I think)

$10 Starbucks Card from Shopittome.com referrals!

 

What did you get in your mailbox last week?

Meal Plan Monday!

Here is this weeks Menu Plan:

Monday:

• B:Egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches (homemade!) and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D: Steak with caramelized onions, broccoli with cheese sauce, tossed salad

Tuesday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D: Soup, cornbread

Weds:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D: Teriyaki Tri-tip with stir-fried veggies

Thursday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• The rest of the day we'll be at my parents house for Thanksgiving!

Friday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Leftovers from Thanksgiving


• D: Cheeseburger salad

Saturday:

• B:Omelets and fruit


• L: Soup (I'll be at my parent's house for a craft show- Mom's making soup!)


• D: Southwest Chicken Salad (Kraft Kit)

Sunday:

• B: muffins and eggs


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D:French Onion Soup and salad

All lunches include a piece of fruit, cut up veggies, bottle of water, granola bar and dessert.

RECIPE: Cream of... Soup Mix

This is such a great recipe and so frugal.  I can't wait to mix up a batch!

Cream of... Soup Mix.

Yogurt: A Rant

This is probably going to seem weird, but allow me to rant about Yogurt.

Yes, yogurt. Defined as: A dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as "yogurt cultures". Fermentation of lactose by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and its characteristic tang.

At the grocery store the other day, I was looking for yogurt to feed the baby.  He loves it! I wanted something yummy, nutritious and not terribly expensive.  Note the definition above doesn't say anything about High Frutose Corn Syrup, Pectin, or Gelatin.  I don't want to feed those things to the baby.

I JUST WANT YOGURT!!!! I don't want to spend $20 on a weeks' worth of yogurt to feed Little Man!  Oh, use some coupons you say?

Yoplait Greek Yogurt: Gelatin and Locust bean gum. UGH!! If they strained the yogurt, they wouldn't have to add thickeners!!

Dannon Greek Yogurt: Guar Gum and Corn Starch. Also HFCS. Yum?

YoBaby: Pectin and Sugar. No Thanks!  I understand it's Dr. Sears approved, but... SUGAR is the second ingredient. To be fair, I did buy some of this, as it was on sale and I had a coupon, making it .25.  Little Man wouldn't eat it.  I tasted it, and I'm not surprised. It's HORRIBLE!! Sickly sweet and a nasty fake "tart" aftertaste. Blegh.

Chobani and Fage are both just yogurt, but at over $1.00/cup (that's the price after coupons), I can't afford to buy this weekly to feed to the Little Man.

So, I've decided to make my own yogurt. I found a great site here that tells you how to make yogurt in a crock pot.  This will end up being cheaper than buying, and I'll know exactly what's in it.  And it will be made with love!  Here is a fun website that tells you how to make plain yogurt yummy!

Now that I'm home, I think I'll be spending a lot more time making stuff from scratch!

I went shopping: Albertsons

I just stopped in for cheese, I swear.

[caption id="attachment_1443" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="Hooray meat!"][/caption]

But once I wandered over to the meat section and saw the butcher putting out mark down meat, I had to buy some.

4 packages of 80/20 ground beef (each package gets split into 2 pieces)

2 steaks (these will be cut in half and DH and I will each get a half a steak)

Teriyaki Tri Tip (only $4.00. Org. Price $10!)

Total $19.46

That is enough for at least 12 meals!

I usually don't buy ground beef that fatty, but it was $2.00 or less per package.  What I do when I cook it is I rinse and drain the ground beef in a colander, the return it to frying pan.  In the case of hamburgers, I blot them between paper towels (like bacon or sausage). Most of the beef will be used in casseroles or skillets meals.

The Tri-tip is going to be cooked and sliced.  I'll package up half of it to make into sit fry and serve with veggies and rice.

The steaks will be cut in half as previously mentioned, then seasoned with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, and fried in a hot pan with melted butter. 2 minutes on each side, then tossed into the oven at 500 for 5 minutes. Then they are plated to rest.  I then de-glaze the pan with red wine, add some previously caramelized onion and sauteed mushrooms and make a nice reduction.  I serve the steaks with salad, steamed veggies and mashed potatoes.

 

One of my big tips for saving money is: BUY MARKED DOWN MEAT. Get it home, package it up into portions and freeze it!  This meat will probably last us a month or so.

Recipe- South West Chicken Soup with Quinoa

This is a great crock pot recipe.  It takes 5 minutes to toss everything into the crock pot and abotut 10 more minutes to shred the cooked chicken and toss in the quinoa. It makes a great thick soup.  Yummy with cheese on top!

 

South West Chicken Soup with Quinoa

Serves 4-6

 

• 1.5 lbs chicken breast pieces (boneless/skinless)


• 2 cups your favorite salsa (I like the south western varieties with beans and corn!)


• 2 cans chicken broth


• 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning


• 1 tablespoon dehydrated onions


• 1 cup quinoa uncooked


• 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided (optional)

1. Place the first five ingredients into a crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.


2. Remove the chicken and shred with a fork, add back to crockpot.


3. Add Quinoa and cook on high for 20 minutes.


4. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese (optional, but recommended)

I like to serve this soup with quesadillas or with a crisp green salad topped with El Torito's Lime Cesear dressions and pepitos (pumpkin seeds).  YUM!

Brand Loyalty

Most frugal living and couponing books and blogs tell you in order to save money you can't be brand loyal.

In some cases, you may need to brand loyal. For Example, I have a friend with waist length curly hair that is very thick.  She can't use just any shampoo and conditioner or her hair will be a tangly, oily mess. EWW.

So she heads to Ulta twice a year when they have a stock up gallon sale and buys enough shampoo and conditioner to last until the next sale. Ulta has two great Rewards programs to choose from.  So not only will she save money buy buying her preferred shampoo and conditioner when it's on sale, but she earns rewards with each purchase.

If there is a product or products that you just can't live without for whatever reason, do some research and see if you can get it on sale a few times a year and stock up.  If you can get rewards too, that's even better!!

If the store you shop at doesn't offer a rewards card, and you can't find coupons online or in inserts or packaging, contact the manufacturer and ask them to send you coupons.

 

Meal Plan Monday!

Today I hit up Fresh and Easy and Albertsons (separate posts on each one of those to follow), so that makes this weeks' meal planning a lot easier.

Here is this weeks Menu Plan:

Monday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, Stromboli (Stouffers) DH,Leftovers


• D: Salsa chicken soup with quinoa, tossed salad

Tuesday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D: Chili (re-purposing the leftover vegan chili we had last week, adding ground beef and more beans)

Weds:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L: Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D: Chef Salad with hummus

Thursday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L:  Me, mac n' cheese, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D:Crockpot soup

Friday:

• B:Cliff bars with PB and coffee with creamer


• L:  Me, leftovers, DH Fresh and easy meal


• D:Something with hamburger- probably a casserole (I'll brown and season the taco meat for Saturday's lunch at this time)

Saturday:

• B:Omelets and fruit


• L: Tacos or taco salad


• D: Stir fry with Rice

Sunday:

• B: Pancakes and eggs


• L: leftovers


• D:Quesadilla cheeseburgers

All lunches include a piece of fruit, cut up veggies, bottle of water, granola bar and lollipop.

A lot of you ask about why and how we eat leftovers for lunch each day.  I make extra portions of dinner each night and I put them into reusable containers before I serve dinner each night.  Sometimes I make big salads and portion them into our reusable salad containers when what we are having for dinner either won’t make good leftovers or when we have guests for dinner.

 

Our Pledge:  This month, we will not be eating out.  We’ll be eating at home each night and taking lunches from home. With menu planning, this should be a lot easier.   Update: Last week we had Subway twice. We had coupons and honestly, sometimes, even with a menu plan, I have an exhausting day chasing the baby and I don't want to cook. So, we are re-committing and pressing forward!

Rebates!

I love rebates.

A lot of people that I talk to think that rebate shopping can be a waste of time.  For me, rebates are a quick, easy way to obtain a free or cheap product that I might need or want to try.  Granted, you do have to pay for the cost of a stamp, currently .44 and wait 6-12 weeks for your money to come back, but, I have no problem waiting for money to come in the mail.

Most (99%) of all rebates tell you to submit the original receipt.  If you are doing multiples rebates, you must do multiple transactions during your shopping trip.

Check for a sale on your rebate items and use a coupon if one if available. Most rebates will give you the price before the coupon as the rebate- that is a true moneymaker!  If you shop at Walgreens or CVS, check to see if there is a RR or ECB offer for your item, it will be like getting paid twice!

Example of a rebate I did earlier this year:

• $15.00 rebate when you buy $40.00 or more in Enfamil Formula.


• 3 cans of Enfamil Newborn formula $23.55/each Regular Price


• -3 $5.00 Formula Checks


• -In store Walgreens coupon for $19.99 each (limit 3)


• Total $44.97 with formula checks and in store coupon


• After Rebate total out of pocket: $29.97 or just $9.99 each!

 

After your purchase the product(s) listed on the rebate form, complete each form per the directions, print neatly.  Include ALL of the needed items: UPC (bar code), receipt with the item and price circled, completed forms, and sometimes a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) is required.

For a website with a comprehensive list of current rebates, check out Coupons, Deals, and More (my fav. blog for rebate links!) .

I keep track of my rebates.  I have an Excel Spreadsheet where I track my rebates, an example follows. Others track their rebates on a calendar.  They write on the calendar the date the rebate was mailed and 10-12 weeks later they mark on the calendar: “XX rebate $YY.00??” Once it is received it is marked off the calendar.

Right now I have 4 rebates I am waiting for, with a total of $25.00 coming back to me!

 

Wooty Woot- Mail round up!

Sorry, no pics, my camera battery died and is now charging.  Yesterday was a pretty great mail day.

• $25 American Express Pre-paid gift card from Am. Ex. and Fed Ex for small business Saturday (Facebook offer).


• Free sample of Olay Professional rX.


• Cottonelle Roll Cover (facebook offer).


• Coupon for a free bag of Kettle potato chips.


• Coupon for a free carton of Kefir ice cream.


• Issues of Entertainment Weekly, All You, and Maxim (all free!).


• A flier from My Publisher, offering 10 free holiday cards free (and free shipping!).

What kind of freebies have you gotten this week?

I went shopping: Wal*Mart

After cruising some internet forums, looking for some free stuff (after coupons) at Wal*mart, I scooped up some coupons and packed up the Little Man.

We went a local Wal*Mart I had not been to in years.  It has a full service grocery store in it.

[caption id="attachment_1419" align="alignleft" width="398" caption="All this for only $6.30!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="alignleft" width="273" caption="Check out all of those coupons!All this for only $6.30!"][/caption]

Quite a few items were free!

All of the Potatoes were free.

• Hash browns courtesy of a Free item coupon in All You Magazine.


• Mashed Potatoes were $.98, I paired them with a $1.00 off coupon that is available online. I received .02 overage which was applied to my balance.

The rolls were free.  I contacted Sister Schubert with a question, and they sent me a free product coupon.

The Torani syrup coupon ($1.00/1) is still available to print at Coupons.com. I use about a teaspoon in my coffee along with creamer.

I'm now hooked on La Creme coffee creamer. It's a good thing I found a $1.00/1 coupon in last months' All You Magazine.  After the coupon, it was only .88!

And finally, the Hormel Snack tray.  There is all sorts of hubbub all over frugal blogs and twitter that it's only .98 after a coupon.  NOT TRUE. Prices at Wal*mart differ by region (lame), so in my area (and a lot of others from what I've been seeing in the backlash from this widely posted deal).  I printed the coupon, because I needed cheese and butter crackers for a recipe, and buying this tray would be cheaper than buying either ingredient separately. At my Wal*mart, the Hormel Snack trays are $5.48 before coupons.

Further Adventures in Frugal Living...

In addition to all of the fun frugal things we do in our house (coupons, rebates, comparison shopping, Endorse.com, mypoints, daily deal sites), I've started looking into a few more ways to save money.

I already color my own hair and I have for almost 20 years.  I used to use professional colors from the beauty supply store, but these days I am getting such really great color from the free hair color I can get with coupons, that I am using what's free these days.  I also give myself facials each month, use depilitories/wax myself, and tweeze my own brows. (You can learn about a fun, frugal girls beauty night-in here) After getting fed up with paying almost $60 for a hair cut and blow dry, I decided to do it myself.

YUP, I CUT MY OWN HAIR.  And I lived to tell. I tend to keep my hair short (between chin and shoulder length) now because the baby likes to grab Mama's hair and it hurts.  I Googled "How to Cut your own hair" and looked at some videos on YouTube, but honestly, nothing I read or saw was terribly helpful. I figured I'd just go for it.  I washed my hair, sectioned it, and started cutting.

I cut off about 3 1/2 inches.  I made my bangs about an inch shorter than the rest of my hair.  My hair is incredibly fine, but there is a lot of it.  When it's dry, it tends to flip up a lot at the ends, so the second picture looks like there are some uneven spots, it's just the way my hair acts when it is very clean.

Sorry, no before photos.  It didn't occur to me until after I lopped a hunk off!

[caption id="attachment_1413" align="alignleft" width="306" caption="Ta Da! Cut and colored!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1414" align="alignleft" width="358" caption="And Sooo soft too!"][/caption]

So there it is. Will I do it again? Probably. Let's break down my savings:

Deep Condition, hair cut, blow dry $75 in a salon. Add $50-$100 for a single process color (that means no high or low lights). WOWZA!

My OOP was ZERO. The color was free from a Garnier Facebook promo, and the deep conditioner came in the box of color.

I save about $20/month by taking care of my own eyebrows,  about $100/month doing my own chemical/wax hair removal, and about $75/month giving myself a facial.

Just because you live frugally doesn't mean that your appearance has to suffer.  HBA is always on sale and with coupons and overage, you can pick up hair color, depilatories, and great skin care products (including masks!) for very little OOP.

The color is demi-permanent, so I'll have to re-do it a little sooner than I usually do, but by then, I'm sure I'll have a great deal on hair color!

The only service I don't do at home is a pedicure.  It's my one splurge.   I get a $20 pedicure once every 6 weeks at a local pedicure shop. It's a great, clean shop, and $20 includes callus remover (very important, since I wear sandals all the time!)

 

Does anyone else cut or color their hair at home or indulge in beauty treatments at home?

New at Fresh & Easy: The Friends Card!

I like Fresh and Easy. They don't accept manufacturer's coupons, but they do have $5/20 coupons frequently and they mark down section is tops! I generally shop there is my $5/20 coupon and only in the mark down section.

Now, they have a points card, similar to what Ralph's is doing. It's pretty simple:  All you have to do is what you normally do and you can earn cash rewards. You get a point for every dollar you spend (some exclusions apply) and 500 points earns you 5 dollars in cash rewards.

To earn points faster,  there are bonus point coupons that you can load onto your card online.

You will also receive emails from Fresh and Easy about upcoming sales and new coupons.

Lots of great freebies!

I usually save the freebie post for Friday, but after surfing the web, I found a bunch of great freebies that I had to share today!!

Free Coffee Today at Bruegger's bagels!

Free Sample of Amlactin Lotion from All You.  Other Great Samples are available from All You.  There is also an article about 26 things you can do/get for free.

Free Bayer Contour Glucose monitor (for diabetics).

Free Tresemme hair care samples on Facebook.

Free Emergen-C Vitamin Drink Beverage Powder (love this stuff during cold season!)

Free Customizable Christmas Card from Tiny prints.

And Because Friday is Veteran's Day, there are TONS of Freebies for those who currently serve as well as Vets. Here is a list of 35 businesses who thank vets for their service by offering complimentary services or products.

 

Great Night Out!

A big thanks to Mrs. Boyd at Fulton Elementary School in Skyline.  I had a great time, met a lot of people and introduced, briefly Grocery Smarts!

I hope that everyone had a great take away, and remember, if you'd like me to come out and teach a coupon class to your group, just shoot me an email at cacoupondiva@gmail.com!

 

 

I went Shopping: Ralph's (and BzzAgent Report!)

I'm a part of the Ralph's Truly Awesome Homestyle Cookie Campaign with BzzAgent.  I received 2 boxes free as part of the campaign.  I picked them up this morning along with a gallon of milk (we were out, plus what goes better with cookies than milk!).

[caption id="attachment_1394" align="alignleft" width="428" caption="Cookies and Milk, what a combo!"][/caption]

 

I dug right into the cookies as soon as Little Man and I got back to the car.  They are large and chock full of chocolate chips.  Every bite was yummy, chocolate-y, and satisfying!

If you don't have a Ralph's near you, the Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Cookies can be found in your stores - but just under a different name. Replace the "Kroger" in Kroger's The Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies with your store's name (Fred Meyer's The Truly Awesome™ Homestyle Chocolate Chip cookies, for instance). It's the same mouth-watering cookies, just for your store.

In addition to these great cookies, the Truly Awesome name is on other Ralph's/Kroger items, including low fat yogurt cups and tubes.

 

I used a coupon for "$1.00 of your next purchase", which I received in my recent Ralph's card quarterly rewards packet.

So my total OOP for this trip was just $1.99!

[caption id="attachment_1395" align="alignleft" width="437" caption="WOO HOO!"][/caption]

 

And of course, I brought my own bag too! 5 bonus points brings me that much closer to my next Ralph's reward!

 

I received a survey invitation and code, so I entered to win 1 of 40 $100 Ralph's Gift Cards!  $100- Man, that would go pretty far!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a BzzAgent, I received these two boxes of cookies for free.  I am not monetarily compensated for my opinions or time.  If you are interested in learning more about Bzzagent, visit their website!

 

 

 

 

Small Business Saturday: November 26, 2011

There is Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now: Small Business Saturday.

Help support local businesses (and in my mind, this includes artists and artisans and crafts' people) this year.  American Express and Vocal Point have teamed up to spread the word about Small Business Saturday. Visit their site and you can enter to win 1 of 1oo $25 American Express gift cards to help you support a local business!

I'll be doing my part by participating in a local craft show.  I'll be shopping as well as sellling!

 

 

I received no compensation for posting this blog entry.  I am just sharing the love and spreading the word!

Freebie roundup- Mail call!

Man, the last 2-3 weeks have been kind of "Meh" when it comes to mail.  Just junk mail, and bills (yeck!).  But this past week- WOW. Lots of great samples.

A lot of feminine hygiene supplies- I know!

I recently participated in a sample swap on Hot Coupon World, and I received the feminine hygiene supplies and a few sunblock samples from my swap buddy, as well as a huge stack of coupons (not pictured).

 

 

 

 

There are a couple samples that didn't make it into the photo:

5-Hour energy shot sample (packed it in DH's briefcase).

Mary Kay Mascara, Target Beauty Bag, Aquafresh toothpaste (All were incorporated into a birthday gift basket for a friend).

Opera News, Entertainment Weekly, All You, Maxim, and Red Book Magazines.  Yup- those were all free too. Check out Free Biz Mag to see what kind of free magazines you qualify for!

And I went to the dentist last week and scored some sweet stuff: two new tooth brushes, a bunch of sensitive tooth paste, coupons for sensitive tooth paste, and floss.  And, probably the most important- a clean bill of toofer health!

Savings: Beyond the coupon

I've discussed this before, on this blog and during presentations. There is more to saving than just couponing.  Couponing is a HUGE part of how to save.  Not just for groceries, but also coupons on dining out, movies, activities, museum visits and so many other things! Here are some other ways to save money that you can use in addition to coupons!

Loyalty cards, sometimes called "Store Cards" are also a great way to save money.  Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Fresh and Easy, CVS, Rite Aid all offer a card.  CVS gives you cash back in the form of an ECB at the end of each quarter.  Ralphs and Albertsons mail you coupons at the end of each quarter based on the amount that you have spent the past quarter.  Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons allow you to load coupons to your reward card from their website!

If you have a kid and shop at Babies r' us or Toys r' us, check out their loyalty program.  You earn points on each purchase, and reward gift certificates are mailed quarterly!

If you eat out frequently, check to see if your favorite restaurants have frequent buyer or loyalty cards.  Panera does!  With each purchase, you can earn free food and more! Other restaurants have punch cards, or e-clubs that offer birthday rewards.  Here is a small list.

Other stores, such as Sears have loyalty card. Sears' and their Shop your Way rewards earns you points for each purchase and you can redeem them on line or in the store on future purchases!

If you have babies who wear disposable diapers, don't just throw out the packaging! Pampers and Huggies both have points programs.  There are codes in each diaper and wipe package.  Enter the points on their websites, and bank points for toys, gift cards, and coupons for free diapers and products.

Daily Deal Sites are also a great way to save money on purchases.  A lot of daily deal sites offer a "sign up bonus" to new members.  Sign up and they will put a credit in your account. Here is a recent post with more info, including links to my favorite daily deal sites!

And my New Favorite: Endorse.com.  It's a Facebook Application interface, so you have to have a Facebook account to save. I posted about it recently- here are all the deets.

 

What other ways do you save money?

WOO HOO! Coupons in the mail!

Ralphs mails out rewards coupons the first week of November- WOO HOO!  We received ours on Friday. In addition to a coupon for $6.00 off our next purchase, I received lots of other great store coupons for dollars off meat, fruit, veggies, cereal.

I can stack these coupons with manufacturers coupons for even more savings.

I am plotting my next big grocery shopping trip for the 15th!

 

Winner Winner!!

The Winner of the 3rd Anniversary giveaway is: iluvcouponz.

 

Shoot me an email at cacoupondiva@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll head over to the Post office this week!

Congrats!

Celebrate Our 3rd Anniversary!

Technically, yesterday was the 3rd Anniversary of my blog, but I was busy plotting and scheming a great giveaway.

Here is our first entry, three long years ago!

So to celebrate three years of sharing savings and frugal living, it's time for a giveaway!

The giveaway is comprised of two parts, but there will be only one winner!

1. 75+ non-insert coupon insert.  Coupons from mailers, All You, blinkies, peelies, and inside packages. Lots of BOGO and High Value Coupons!


2.  20+ samples.  All kinds of samples.  Coffee,  HBA, food, all kinds of stuff that I have received as a free sample.

It's going to be a pretty great package.  And there are just two ways to enter.

1. Leave a comment with a link to your favorite post from our past three years of money saving good times.


2. Friend CACouponDiva on Facebook. and post a comment with your Facebook name.

Each way gets you 1 entry.  I'll pick a winner on Friday, 11/4/11.

 

 

Great Organic Coupons!

It's time for some organic and healthy food coupons!

Mambo Sprouts coupons (these are Man. q's and can be used anywhere).

Save $1.25 on 1 Silk beverage when you like them on FB.

$1/1 Pacific products when you register with Pacific Foods.

Gluten Free Bisquick Coupon available at Smartsource.

.75/1 Muir Glen Product (might yield a free can of tomatoes if your store doubles!) at Coupons.com.  They also have a Cascadian Farms Coupon too!

Organic Girl offers a $1/1 coupon (exp. 11/30/11) when you friend them on FB.

Earn points and redeem them at Recyclebank for Kashi and other organic and healthy products.

Recipe: Chicken Chili in the crockpot

This recipe is for Steff, who loved the chicken chili I sent home with her last week.

Chicken Chili (serves 8-10)

Ingredients

• 1 1lb bite sized chicken pieces (white or dark meat, your choice!)


• 2 Tablespoons dehydrated onions


• 1 small tin tomato sauce


• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (If you like your chili spicier, sub one can Ro*tel tomatoes)


• 1 can chili beans in sauce


• 1 can kidney beans


• 1 bag frozen corn or 2 cans of corn drained


• 1 packet taco seasoning (It tastes exactly the same as chili seasoning and it’s cheaper!)

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in the crock pot.


2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.


3. Serve top with cheese.

 

If you have a smaller crock pot, halve the recipe.  This chili freezes well, and is great as a "re-purposed meal" with the addition of cooked macaroni for chili mac, or served over tortilla chips with cheese for zesty nachos.

Crock Pot Spaghetti recipe!

This is a recipe that almost qualifies for $5.00 meal.  If you left out the meat balls, it would be under $5.00

 

Crock Pot Spaghetti (serves 8-10)

 

• 1 large can tomato Puree (.89)


• 2  cans tomatoes with sweet onion (.59 each)


• 1 bag frozen "fajita blend" (three colored peppers and onions) (.99)


• 2 bags frozen meatballs (.99 each)


• dehydrated onions, granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste


• 1/2 c. water


• 1 package whole wheat spaghetti ($1.00)

Directions

1. Dump the first 4 ingredients into a large crock pot, season to taste.


2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


3. Add water.


4. Break spaghetti in half and add to crock pot.


5. Turn crock pot up to high and cook for 45 minutes or until spaghetti is cooked.

 

Serve with shredded cheese (if desired), mixed green salad, and rolls or bread.

 

If you have a smaller crock pot, cut the recipe in half. This freezes really well, if you want to make a large batch and divide it up for lunches or to make on a cook ahead day.

 

 

 

Menu Plan for the week and a pledge...

Here is this weeks Menu Plan:

Monday:

• B:Home Made cinnamon rolls and coffee with creamer


• L: Leftovers


• D: Halloween Pot Luck.  We brought Crock Pot Spaghetti.  I'll post the recipe a little letter.

Tuesday:

• B:Pigs in a blanket and coffee with creamer


• L: leftovers


• D: Salsa Chicken and quinoa soup

Weds:

• B:Fiber One Bars and coffee with creamer


• L:  Leftovers


• D: Breakfast (omelets and melon)

Thursday:

• B:Fiber One Bars and coffee with creamer


• L:  Leftovers


• D: Lentil soup with veggies and hummus

Friday:

• B:Fiber One Bars and coffee with creamer


• L:  Leftovers


• D:Something with hamburger- probably a casserole

Saturday:

• B:Eggs and bacon


• L: Leftovers


• D: Stir fry with Rice

Sunday:

• B: Pancakes and eggs


• L: leftovers


• D:Fritatta

All lunches include a piece of fruit,  cut up veggies, bottle of water, granola bar and lollipop.

A lot of you ask about why and how we eat leftovers for lunch each day.  I make extra portions of dinner each night and I put them into reusable containers before I serve dinner each night.  Sometimes I make big salads and portion them into our reusable salad containers when what we are having for dinner either won't make good leftovers or when we have guests for dinner.

 

Our Pledge:  This month, we will not be eating out.  We'll be eating at home each night and taking lunches from home. With menu planning, this should be a lot easier.   I will try to do a cook ahead afternoon this week too.

 

New month=Refreshed Printable Coupons!

It's a new month... That means new coupons at RedPlum, Coupons.com, Shortcuts.com, Cellfire.com, Smartsource, and AllYou Coupons.

 

With Halloween yesterday we were pretty busy, but I've got a bunch of posts coming up!!

Free Coupon Classes now Available! (San Diego, CA rea)

I've teamed up with Grocery Smarts to offer free coupon classes to San Diego County area groups of 8 or more.  Great for Church groups, friends, family, women's clubs, HOAs, any kind of social group.

In just over an hour, you'll learn how to save hundreds of dollars on your groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies. You'll save money and bring home more!

If you are interested, please email me at cacoupondiva@gmail.com to arrange a class.  These classes are free and hosts can earn free gift cards and other prizes!

I travel all over San Diego County to teach these classes!

 

Great Deal on Omaha Steaks!

Have you ever wanted to try Omaha Steaks?  Have the really high prices on their website turned you off?

 

There is a great deal through Plum District today.

 

$165 worth of Omaha Steaks for just $59.00 and use Coupon code SPOOKY30 at checkout and receive an extra 30% off!!

 

This deal includes:

• two (5 oz.) world-famous filet mignons,


• two (4 oz.) boneless pork chops,


• four (4 oz. approximately) boneless chicken breasts,


• six (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks burgers,


• eight (3 oz.) gourmet franks,


• and six stuffed baked potatoes.

Plus, it’s shipped free.

 

I have had all of these before and they are all GREAT.  Omaha Steaks makes the *best* hot dogs I have ever had. You can order more than one to stock your freezer.

 

I went shopping-JCP.com

My sale shopping skills are strong.  Mr. Coupondiva needs new pants for work. 4 pairs of dress pants isn't enough. And a few of the pairs are ink stained or just otherwise not up to par.

I checked a few local discount stores but none of them had dress pants, so I turned to JCP.com.  Turns out they are having a kick-ass sale on men's dress pants.

I selected 5 pairs.  2 on sale for $15.97 each and 3 pairs on sale for $19.99 each.

I checked Retail Me Not for a JCP.com coupon code.  I found a code for $10.00 off a $90.00 purchase (RMNAFF90).

I used a $10.00 JCP reward I earned using my JCP card buying pillows last month (all on sale!!)

I used a $10.00 JCP Gift Card I earned through mypoints.com.

And I used my JCP card to pay the balance.  This helps me earn points so that I can earn more $10.00 JCP reward certificates.

I started at Mypoints.com, and went through their website to get to JCP.com, so I'll earn 2 points per dollar spend, and I can submit my receipt to Endorse.com to earn 10% of my purchase. So I will learn 172 points through Mypoints and $8.69 in cash back!

[caption id="attachment_1359" align="alignleft" width="313" caption="Witness my Mad Shopping Skillz!!"][/caption]

Remember... Using coupons isn't limited to shopping for groceries or HBA.  You can use coupon codes for online purchases and use online rebate programs like mypoints and Endorse to save even more.

 

 

Making do....

It's the end of the month, and at our house that means there's weird stuff left in the fridge.  This morning for breakfast, instead of my usual zone bar and coffee, I wanted something a little more substantial.

 

I scavenged and found the ingredients for a breakfast pastie.

• 1 pie crust


• 2 eggs


• 1/2 c. salsa


• 1/4 c. bacon bits (the real stuff!!)


• 1/4 c. cheese

1. I scrambled and cooked the eggs with salsa and bacon bits poured it into the pie crust.


2. I topped the hot, cooked egg mixture with cheese.


3. Then I folded the crust in half and crimped the edges shut with a fork.


4. Baked it at 350 for 20 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet, until the pie crust was cooked.

I doctored up my coffee with frothed fat free milk that I had melted two Tablespoons of chocolate chips in and topped it with a few marshmallows.

It was really good, and I used stuff in the cupboard and fridge, so we are staying within budget for the month.

Speaking of budgets, Mr. CouponDiva and I are going to not eat out next month.  We're taking it one week at a time, but to combat the cost of eating out, we'll be relying more heavily days where I can cook a few extra meals, so we will always have good, fresh food at our fingertips.  We've also planned a couple dinner parties/get togethers at our house with friends in addition to Thanksgiving Dinner with my parents.  I'll be using my Outback free steak coupon tomorrow night!  Little Man and I are having a date!

Freebie Friday... Twitter Edition

So many great Freebies today! Check out Our Twitter feed for awesome freebies and deals!

Endorse- My First Pay Out!!

[caption id="attachment_1351" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="WOO HOO!!!"][/caption]

Yup that's right! In my mailbox today, a check from Endorse.com for $137.36!  I'll be off to cash it soon, but in the mean time, I've danced around the living room for about 15 minutes.

If you haven't checked out Endorse.com, DO IT!!

Making Baby Food!

I never thought I'd be one of those moms who made baby food.  It just seemed like a lot of work and more expensive than buying it.

I had purchased 5 lbs of bananas at Food4Less for $2.57, and I decided to process a bunch (hahaha!!).

[caption id="attachment_1336" align="alignleft" width="308" caption="My Little Helper!"][/caption]

I only used half of the bananas, so we had 6 remaining for eating.  I peeled them, chopped them and pureed them with the hand mixer (our blender died a few months ago). I poured the banana into three containers.  I added rice cereal to two of them for the baby, and left one plain for later use in banana bread.  I froze two of the containers. It made about 6-8 servings for Little Man and enough to make a loaf of banana bread.

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1337" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Before..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1338" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="And....After!"][/caption]

 

My little helper ate one of  the cartons yesterday. He seemed to like it!

 

 

 

 

 

I also processed a butternut squash. I cut it up into pieces, removed the seeds and membrane, and put it in a 9x13 pan with a little water in the bottom.   I cooked it at 350 for about 90 minutes. afterward, I cooled it, scooped the meat from the skin and pureed it.

I made a 2 cup portion for the Little Man (that's 3-4 servings), and 1 cup  I added brown sugar and cinnamon to for dinner later this week.

[caption id="attachment_1339" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Squash... Yummy! Before the oven "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1340" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Afterward, soft and yummy!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1342" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The yummy part of the squash!"][/caption]

 

 

Making baby food was pretty easy, and with the price on the bananas and the squash (which was free- Thanks Mom!), I made about 11 servings of baby food for $1.28!

 

If you are looking for baby food recipes, visit this website.  There are a lot of really great recipes and ideas.

 

 

Endorse.com- The pay out!

Monday afternoon I received the following email,

"Thanks for using Endorse!

We wanted to let you know that we have processed your recent POP. You have earned $137.36 in new rewards, bringing your total balance on Endorse to $137.36."

Sweet!  That seems like a lot of shopping to be done, but we did buy a new TV and a PS3.  The rest is our monthly large shopping trip and weekly trips to 99 cents only to buy fruits and veggies.

Here are just a few of the stores that I endorse!
7-Eleven
Applebee's
Babies "R" Us
Bath & Body Works
Bed Bath & Beyond
Best Buy
CVS
Dollar Tree
JCPenney
Rite Aid
Sears
Starbucks
Target
Walgreens
Walmart

 

I just sent another envelope out the other day too.  It was bursting!

 

How many of you have signed up for Endorse?

 

This cash back is really going to help with holiday shopping!!

Weekly Meal Plan

Yesterday was a busy day- I had to go to the dentist.

Here's the weekly Meal Plan:

Tuesday:

* B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer
* L: leftovers
* D: Enchiladas, beans, salad

Weds:

* B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer
* L: Leftovers
* D: Salsa Chicken soup

Thursday:

* B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer
* L: leftovers
* D:Salad with chicken breast and hard boiled eggs, veggies and hummus

Friday:

* B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer
* L: leftovers
* D: Quesadillas and salad

Saturday:

* B:Pigs in a blanket, fruit salad
* L: lunch out (probably Mexican!)
* D: leftovers

Sunday:

* B:Eat Out
* L: leftovers
* D: Chili

All lunches include a piece of fruit, cut up veggies, bottle of water, granola bar and lollipop.

A couple more daily Deal sites that offer credit!

Most of you know that I am always on the hunt for daily deal sites that offer a shopping credit for new sign ups. I use these credits (as well as the credits I receive when people sign up through my links) to purchase holiday gifts and to purchase prizes for giveaways on this blog.

Here are just a few sites:

Plum District- They offer a $5.00 shopping credit when you sign up!

The Foundary- They offer a $10 credit when you sign up (there are some great deals that are free now- you just pay shipping!)

One Kings Lane- $15.00 shopping credit for new members.

Savemore Offers a $10.00shopping credit to new members.  This is great because right now they have a great deal of a $25 Boston Market Gift card for $15.00.  Use your new member shopping credit and you only pay $5.00 OOP!!

 

"Like" us on Facebook for an upcoming contest!

I just started the CACoupondiva Facebook page a few weeks ago. I'm hosting a giveaway for a family binder (pics to be posted later today) once we receive 50 fans on the Facebook page.

So... If you are interested in this giveaway, "like" the CaCoupondiva Facebook page.  Right now we've got 17 fans, so on 33 to go!

Freebie Round up!

I usually do a Freebie Round Up on Friday, but yesterday was hectic. No naps for the Little Man (despite my best effort), so I'm catching up today!

All You Magazine offers a new freebie each day, so you don't have to wait for Friday!

Heartburn got you down? Check out this awesome sample of Zantac OTC.

Snapfish has a new photo offer available.  You can get 100 4x6 prints for free PRINTSFREE at checkout (but you gotta pay for the shippin'). Exp. 11/30/11

Free samples of BioFreeze available!

Wal*mart is giving away boxes of John Freida Hair Color!  (Wal*mart has some other samples here too)

"Like" Nescafe on Facebook and request free samples!

Help Pete Win!!

Hey Savvy Shoppers.

Lisa from Drugstore Divas here. Abby has awesomely allowed me to chat on CA Coupon Diva, so super thanks from this Diva to that one.

If you haven't been to Drugstore Divas, it's a deals and savings blog, similar to CA Coupon Diva. We also have a weekly recipe column, <a href="">Tasty Thursday, which my boyfriend Pete writes each week. We basically take the weekly grocery store fliers, figure out what's on sale, and he creates a meal around it.

Yup, a man who can cook. Sorry ladies, he's taken. But, honestly, he can cook like no one I've ever met, so I encouraged him to enter the Healthy Food Fight recipe contest. He entered a Slow-Cooked Smoky Southwestern Chicken Stew, which is my favorite meal he's ever made.

If he makes it into the top 48 of his region, he'll head to Round 2, a cookoff in Philly. If he makes it into the top three of his region, he will get his accomadations paid for [[that's the goal]].

You can vote once a day per email address between now and October 24 [[so you can vote, your boyfriend, your mom, anyone with email]]. We've got four days left to get him into first! You do have to register to vote, but everyone who does will be entered to win a set of Circulon gourmet cookware. Each day you vote will get you an entry into that giveaway. Hopefully one of Pete's supporters will win the set!

Head over to this link and #VoteForPete.

Any questions, leave them on this post and I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks so much to the support. It means the world to me!

CVS trip: I went shopping!

I was in NEED of laundry soap.  We were down to a half bottle, which for a strategic shopper is crazy!

I hit up the trash can next to our apartment complex mail kiosk and picked out 5 Red Plum inserts and clipped the $2.00/1 Wisk Ultra Detergent Coupons.

 

[caption id="attachment_1318" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Sample of the coupon we used. This is not a VALID coupon."][/caption]

I loaded up the Small Man and we headed to CVS. Our local CVS had a shopping trolley next to the Extra Care kiosk loaded with Day old bread marked down to .99/loaf, so I snagged a loaf of Sarah Lee bread to make Mr. Coupondiva toast.  He was just coming down with the nasty stomach virus that everyone around here is getting.

I loaded my cart with 6 bottles of Wisk.

At checkout:

6 Wisk's $4.99 each

1 Loaf of Bread .99

-(6) $2.00 Wisk coupons

Total after tax $21.25

And I received  $10.00 ECB

After coupons and the ECB, the Wisk was just $1.71/bottle!


Most CVS stores have all three varieties of Wisk available, and they are all included in the sale.  So if you have a HE washer, t you can enjoy this sale too!

 

Menu Plan Monday...

More like Tuesday!  I have the nasty vomit-y virus that's going around, so I didn't meal plan yesterday. DH is starting to come down with it too now. I've still got icky body aches.  This menu plan is contingent of neither of us being ill.

Monday:

We didn't eat much yesterday.  I spent the whole day in bed.


Tuesday:

• B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer


• L: DH has a business lunch.  I may just have broth


• D: Chicken soup

Weds:

• B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer


• L:  broth/soup


• D: toast, eggs, and melon

Thursday:

• B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer


• L: broth/soup


• D:veggies, hummus, dip, soup.

Friday:

• B:Zone bars and coffee with creamer


• L: broth/soup


• D: Chef salad with chicken breast

Saturday:

• B:Eggs and bacon


• L: lunch out (probably Mexican!)


• D: leftovers

Sunday:

• B:Eat Out


• L: leftovers


• D: baked squash, ham and bean soup

All lunches include a piece of fruit,  cut up veggies, bottle of water, granola bar and lollipop.

We're eating a lot of soup this week, because I think that DH is going to get sick and my tummy is still a little urpy.