Freebie Friday!

It's Friday- That's means it's time for FREEBIES!!!!

The ladies over at Drugstore Divas did most of the work for me this week (Thanks!!).  Here is their freebie Friday post.

If you've got a guy who is gray, here is a $3.00 off Q for Just for Men hair color.  Combine the coupon with the Try me Free rebate offer here, and it's a freebie (or a possible money maker)

Over at Giveaway Bandit, there was a great post about getting some sweet free hoisery from Silkies.  To get FREE Items from Silkies – $10 off $10 Coupon Code + FREE Shipping enter coupon code: FEB12 at checkout to take $10 off $10. You must enter a credit card at checkout.  Personally, I'll be hitting up the SALE section!

 

We have a busy day today, getting ready for Little Man's First Birthday party tomorrow!  Have a great Friday!

 

 

 

 

I went Shopping: Kohl's

I'm late in posting this... My camera was MIA for a few weeks.  The kid was playing with it and he "put it away" in a safe spot.

 

I received a $10 Kohl's Coupon good off a purchase of $10 or more from a friend.  So I packed up the Small Man and we hit the road.

 

For those who have never shopped at Kohl's, you have to.  Their sale prices are crazy good, and there are always deals, clearance racks, and coupons emailed and in the Sunday paper.  When you sign up to receive their emails, they'll also email you a $5.00 off your next purchase coupon.

 

Oh, yeah!!  The kid's clothes were on clearance, but it turns out that there was sale on top of that, so the prices were lower and I needed a filler to get to $10.00, so I grabbed a piece of jewelry on super mega clearance!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama's little Man loves a deal!!

The much anticipated... Big ol' Giveaway!!!

I promised that when we reached our next milestone for Facebook followers, there would be a big ol' giveaway.

And there shall be... Starting today!



I know it doesn't look big right now, but...

One lucky winner will receive all the stuff seen below:

• A coupon wallet, stuffed full of coupons


• $5.00 CVS gift card


• Real pearl stud earrings


• 2 Vitamin Stchicks (lip balm)


• A key chain that attaches to the outside of your purse.

Additionally, I'll include:

• $10 Starbucks card (not shown)

And each day, from now until the giveaway ends on 3/31/12, I'll add something to the pot.  Giftcards, coupons for free items, high value coupons, samples and products.

Here's the important info- How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this blog post. What is your favorite feature of this blog? Do you like the recipes, match ups, freebie Fridays, meal plan Mondays?

For additional entries, you can do the following:

• Tweet the Following:  I'm Celebrating w/ @cacoupondiva  A Big Ol' Giveaway. $10 @starbucks card, $5 @Cvs Card, coupon wallet stuffed & more! http://cacoupondiva.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/giveaway/ (daily) Pls. make sure to post a comment here with a link to your tweet.


• Post to your Facebook: I'm Celebrating w/ @cacoupondiva  A Big Ol' Giveaway. $10 @starbucks card, $5 @Cvs Card, coupon wallet stuffed & more! http://cacoupondiva.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/giveaway/ (daily) Pls. make sure to post a comment here with a link to your post.


• Link to our giveaway on your blog or website! (daily)


• Like us on Facebook.  Pls. leave a comment here and let us know the name associated with your FB account.

There are 16 days until I choose a winner at random via random.org.  That means 16 more items will be added to the giveaway!

March 15- A Savemore.com certificate for One Set of Nail Shields from Fabulous Nails ($12 Value)

March 16- A Free Kozy Shack Pudding Product coupon

March 17- A sampler of teas

March 18- Two large samples of Purina Beneful Doggie Treats

March 19-

March 20-

March 21-

March 22-

March 23-

March 24-

March 25-

March 26-

March 27-

March 28-

March 29-

March 30-

March 31-

This is the most exciting giveaway yet!!

Freebie Friday!

It's Friday and that means Freebies!!

 



 

Our peeps over at Drugstore Divas has done some of the work for us with their Freebie Friday post.  Thanks ladies!

Here are some other rocking freebies:

• New Kodak.com customers can get 50 FREE prints - just pay shipping, which varies between $2.95-$5. Follow this link for the offer: KODAK


• Free Cards from Cardstore.com with coupon code  CCE2246. Maximum value of $6. Limit one free card per household.  Valid from March 8 through March 14, 2012 for the first 25k customers.


• If you have a kitty, this is for you! There's a BOGO Friskies coupon on their page - like them to print yours.


• Vitacost.com- New members who sign up through this link receive $10 shopping credit. There are many items that qualify for free shipping.  And you can select two free samples per order too!


• OneKingsLane- $15.00 shopping credit for new members.  Great, affordable home goods.
  Sneakpeeq is currently offering a $10.00 credit for new sign ups here.


• Free samples from Walmart!

This page contains affiliate links.  Please see my Affiliate Disclosure here.

Free groceries?

Ok, if you've watched THAT SHOW, you may be so excited by the idea of FREE GROCERIES, OMG!!!

 

I'll tell you how I get free groceries, and it's not super crazy shopping at 5 different stores and stacking coupons and eating weird processed foods... The secret is...

REBATES!!  We rebate around these parts.

Right now, these are some of the food rebates I'm working on:

• Dannon Activia Love Your New Normal Promotion expires 3/15/12


• Act II Popcorn Home Classic Taste Guarantee expires 3/31/12


• Barilla Taste and Share Whole Grain Challenge valid 1/1/12 – 4/30/12


• Pam Cooking Spray TMF ( valid 10/1/2011–4/27/2012)


• Marie Callendar Love It or Its Free Rebate expires 4/30/12


• President Brie Log TMFRefund request must be postmarked by 05/31/2012

Rebates require you to pay upfront, but in 8-12 weeks, you'll get a nice check for your OOP!

 

I complete the rebate forms and address my envelopes before my shopping trip, and as soon as I get home, I cut off any needed UPC's and circle the receipt (or highlight, whichever is required) and pop it into the mail.  I track my rebates in an Excel spreadsheet.

 

Do you rebate?

Great Deals for this week!

At Rite Aid I'm looking at the P&G Deal!

Get $10 +up WYB $30 of P&G items (limit 1)

Pampers jumbo pack diapers or easy ups $9.99
- $1/2 from 3/4 PG OR
- $1.50/1 IP
Pampers wipes 180-216ct $5.99
- $0.75/1 IP

You can never have too many diapers!

 

Over at Walgreens- there is a great freebie (after RR) this week:

Colgate Advanced Care Toothpast 4oz. $3.00

You receive a $3.00 RR!

 

What are your favorite deals for this week?

I went shopping: Target

Can it really be called shopping if my OOP was $0.00?

 

Thanks to some blog I read (and I can't remember which one), I was able to score free Activia yogurt.

 

This week it's 2/$4.  There is a $2/2 target coupon available on Target.com, and in the 2/15/12 SS there is a $1/1 Q.

We bought 2 Activia Light in strawberry.  I even brought my handy reusable bag, but because my OOP was zero, I didn't receive the 5 cent bag credit. Oh well.  Free is rad too.

 

If you didn't get the 2/15/11 SS insert for whatever reason, Coupons.com has a $1/1 Activia 4-pack (use Zip code 84121)

REMEMBER: At Target you can stack a Target store coupon and a manufacturer coupon!

 

 

It went shopping (twice!!) at Rite-Aid

Since having Small Man appear on the scene, certain times during the month, I experience awful back pain (almost like back labor, good gods, it HURTS!!), so when I saw that Rite-Aid was having a sale this week on ThermaCare I got really excited.

Here is what I did:

• Buy (4) Thermacare Wraps $24.00


• use (3) $3/1 ThermaCare Product printable (I couldn't print a 4th!)


• use $1/1 Advil, Advil PM, Children’s Advil or Thermacare, exp. 3/31/12 (RP 01/29/12 #2)


• Total after coupons $ 14.00


• Get (2) $4.00 Plus Up Rewards for Thermacare


• Get $10.00 for Monthly UPR ( $10 wyb $25 worth of Thermacare,Advil,Colgate)


• Submit for $10.00 Rebate (Pfizer rebate found in RP 01/29/12 #2)


• Total after rebate $4.00 PROFIT!

 

I filled out my rebate paperwork yesterday and popped it into the mail today!  I put it all away before I could snap a photo.

 

I looked in the cabinet this morning and GASP- We were out of Advil. I had one $1/1 Advil, Advil PM, Children’s Advil or Thermacare, exp. 3/31/12 (RP 01/29/12 #2) left, so I headed over to Rite-Aid and picked up a bottle.  It was $5.99, and there was a $1.00 Plus Up Reward.
Here was my scenario:

• Buy (1) 40 count Advil Gel Caps $5.99


• Use $1/1 Advil, Advil PM, Children’s Advil or Thermacare, exp. 3/31/12 (RP 01/29/12 #2)


• Use $4.00 Plus Up Reward (from yesterday)


• Total after coupons $.99 ($1.08 after taxes)


• Receive 2 Plus Up Rewards: $1.00 for Advil, and $10.00 for buying $25.00 in ThermaCare and Advil


• Total after Plus Up Rewards: $10.01 PROFIT!!

And we'll be free of headaches for a while now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I had $15.00 in Plus Up Rewards left ($4.00 from yesterday and $11.00 from today), it was time to spend these bad boys!  I don't like leaving the store with rewards.  I can forget about them, and once they expire, it's like throwing money away!

 

My Scenario:

• Buy (3) SoftSoap Body Washes $4.99/each


• Buy (2) Say Yes To... Lip Balms $2.99/each


• Buy (1) Paper Towel (not pictured, already in use!) $1.00


• Use (3) $1/1 SoftSoap Coupon (from a recent newspaper insert)


• use (2) $2/1 Say Yes To... Coupons (printable coupon- no longer available)


• Use $15.00 in Plus Up Rewards


• Total after Coupons -.05!

After taxes, I paid $1.65 OOP.



Now my stockpile is a little beefed up and I'll be getting $10.00 in the mail for my troubles!!

Sometimes, you gotta shop without a coupon...

GASP!  I know, did I just type *that*?

Well, Little Man and I had to go to 99 Cents Only.  I needed a new broom to sweep the porch with. While we were there, the grocery load was being unpacked.

[caption id="attachment_1597" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="Inexpensive noms!"][/caption]

 

So, as you can see... we scored.

 

I didn't take a photo of the broom, because most of you know what a broom looks like.

 

So for $12.59, I got:

2 package of Jello Pudding Liv Active .99/ each 6 pack.  At Walmart- $2.50/each 6 pack

Betty Crocker Gluten free Yellow Cake Mix .99/box.  At Vons- $5.49

Dole Classic Romaine Salads .99/each bag. At Ralphs $4.49/bag

2 Sargento Cheeses .99/bag. At Vons $2.49/bag

1 bag broccoli slaw .99/bag. At Vons $3.29/bag

3 bags of frozen veggies .99/bag  Similar brands sell for about $2.00-$3.00/bag at most grocers.

Cucumber .59.  At most grocers $1.50-$2.00

Target Trip re-cap

I love Target.  5% savings with my Redcard (debit) plus .05 for each reusable shopping bag I bring in and use.. Uh, Heck yes!

All of the match-ups available at Totally Target.

Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes 14.5 oz Can Assorted Varieties .99 (Regular Price)
-$1/3 Hunt’s canned tomato items 14.5-oz. Target Web Coupon x2/25
-$1/4; .45/3 Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes 11 oz+ 1-22-12 SS x3/4
- $1/3; .60/3; .40/2 Hunt’s coupons when you print, share, or review a recipe HERE
= as low as .33 cents each depending on your stack

 

Market Pantry Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup 10.5 oz Can .64 (Regular Price)
*-$1/3 Market Pantry® Soups Target Web Coupon x2/25
= .92 cents for 3 or .31 cents each after coupon

Bear Naked Soft Baked Cookies 8 ct Box, Assorted Varieties $2.99 (Regular Price)
Bear Naked Peak Energy Trail Mix 4.5 oz Pouch, Assorted Varieties $2.99
-$2/1 Bear Naked Product Coupon (sent by e-Mail)- Toward way bottom of Page
= .99 cents each after coupon

Tazo Tea Bags 20 ct $3.49 (Regular Price) My Target had several varieties on sale for $2.99/each.  I bought those!!
*-$2/2 Tazo Tea Concentrate or Bags Target Web Coupon x2/25
-$1/1 Tazo Filterbag Tea or Latte Concentrate 1-22-12 SS x3/19
= $.99 each after stacking a Target coupon with 2 MQs

Skinny Cow Candy Heavenly Crisp or Dream Clusters 6 ct $3.99 (Regular Price)
*-$3/2 Skinny Cow 4.4 oz Heavenly Crisp, 6 oz Dreamy Clusters Target Web Coupon x2/25
-B1G1 Skinny Cow Chocolate CandyBox up to $3.48 (click on Get Nestle Coupons)

=$.99 for 2 after after stacking a Target coupon with 1 MQs

Up & Up Baby Food 3.5 oz Pouch 2nd Foods .89, 1st Foods .79
-.25/1 Up & Up Baby Food Pouch 3.5 oz Target Web Coupon x2/25
= as low as .54 cents after coupon

Market Pantry Boxed Macaroni & Cheese PSA 5.4 oz 2-serving Box for .42 (Regular Price)*
-$1/1 Market Pantry Boxed Macaroni & Cheese ESS Target Web Coupon x2/7/12
= FREE after coupon  (This is going to the food bank!)


And I saved .15 by bringing and using reusable grocery bags, and I saved 5% off my order by using my Target RedCard Debit card!

My OOP was $19.50 and I saved $24.75!!

 

 

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

 

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!!

Waiting on large purchases to save money

Mr. CouponDiva has wanted a LCD/Flat screen TV since they have first come onto the market. However, $2000.00 for a TV is too rich for my blood. Our tube TV worked just fine, so I saw no reason to replace it. Oh yeah, and we couldn't afford it!

Fast forward 5 years, and we now have the little man.  Little man likes to watch Yo Gabba Gabba each morning, as well as his Baby Einstein video.  Our tube TV still works great, but it's very heavy, and I didn't want it to fall on Little Man if there was an earthquake (we do live in California!).

Mr. CouponDiva has also wanted a PS3 since they arrived on the scene.   He wanted it mostly for the fact that it can be used as a blue ray player, and it can stream Hulu Plus and Netflix. I didn't see the need for yet another gaming system. Oh yeah, and we couldn't afford it!

Fast forward to last week. We received the deposit back on our previous apartment. After considering what to do with it (save it, buy the TV, spend it on something else) we decided to look at a new TV.  Mr. CouponDiva took Little Man and away they went to look at TV's and compare options. I got the day off! After about 8 hours of comparing TV's in stores (after weeks of doing it online!), he selected a 46 inch Toshiba LCD TV that was on sale at Sears for $599.00 (non-sale price is $1200.00). I paid with our UPromise credit card, so we'll get 1% cash back for Little Man's college education.

We then scooted over to Target and picked up a PS3 Move bundle, which included the Kinnect, a game, and 2 controllers for $350.00, which was cheaper than when the PS3 originally came out.  The PS3 was originally $500 (and that was just the gaming system, that doesn't include the Kinnect, or controllers or a game!) We used my Target red card debit card to save 5% and the pharmacy rewards 5% discount to save a total of 10%.

In addition to saving because we waited and the prices of the items we wanted had dropped, we shopped sales, and used rewards available to us to save even more!

And we'll be saving even more! Using Endorse, when I submit the receipt for Sears and Target, we'll receive 10% back in the form of a check.  Mr. Coupondiva and I will put that money into our ING Direct savings account and use the money for holiday gifts.

The best part... We still have money left from our deposit after buying these two items! That money will go into savings.

 

 

 

I went shopping: Great savings at Sears!

Check out your local Sears store!  Our local Sears is having a great end of summer sale, and clearance is 50-70% off of the original prices. Each clothing department  I stopped in had racks and racks of clearance stuff.

I scored two shirts at $2.99 each!  After taxes, it was $6.24 for two shirts that were originally $19.99 each. (sorry no pics, camera is still packed!)

If your local Sears has as many great deals as my Sears does, you may be able to get all of your holiday shopping done!

And don't forget to earn rewards by signing up for the Shop Your Way Rewards.

Earn 10 Points for every $1 spent on almost everything from circular saws to sun dresses -- in-store or online* (*Members earn Points on Qualifying Purchases, excluding sales taxes and other fees. Subject to full program terms available at shopyourwayrewards.com. Must maintain a valid email address and remain opted-­in to receiving promotional emails from Shop Your Way Rewards to earn Bonus Points.)

 

Guest Post: Getting the Most Out of Fresh and Easy

This is a guest post written by my friend Brooke, who is a fellow couponer and frugal living lady!

Getting the Most Out of Fresh and Easy

 

I ran into Fresh and Easy this evening to redeem two $5 off $25 coupons I was holding that were set to expire that day.  I hate to let those coupons go to waste.  I’ll start by saying Fresh and Easy (“F&E”) is not my favorite store, since I’m a heavy couponer and the only coupons they’ll accept are their own.  It’s tough walking by manufacturer items, knowing you have a coupon and not being able to use them….but, if I have a reasonable F&E coupon then I’ll still shop but there is a method.

 

Around grilling seasons (summer, Superbowl, Labor day, Fourth of July) F&E heavily advertises their “grill packs” – they are an assortment of fresh meats regularly priced at $9.99 but during the holiday weekends are discounted.  This trip (in honor of Labor day) they were $6.99.  The packs vary but my favorite contains 4 mild Italian sausages, 4 hamburger patties and 8-10 pieces of seasoned chicken (drumsticks and thighs).  The limit was 2 so I purchased the limit ($6.99 X 2) as well as some discounted slider burger buns (2 packs both marked down to 0.52), some margarine, tomatoes (4 pack $1.99), strawberries and apple pie and a few other pantry staples I needed like sugar.  My total was a little over $25.00 then I redeemed my coupon and paid a few cents over $20.00.

 

I brought home the meat packs and immediately began to break them up for freezing.  I put the sausages in Tupperware containers suitable for freezing.  I bagged up the hamburger patties (2 to a baggie) and froze 4 patties (left 4 raw patties in the fridge).  I put 1 package of the chicken into a freezer safe container and put the other chicken pieces in the fridge.  For lunch the following day I pan fried the burger patties into mini-slider burgers (also using the discounted buns) and we had those for lunch.  I plan to grill the chicken for dinner.  This is an excellent way to affordably stockpile meat to use for several different purposes and storing meat correctly will ensure good meals down the road or towards the end of the month when the budget is tighter.  Below are a few ideas on how to use the meat from the packs.

 

Hamburger patties – fry for taco meat, add to pasta sauce to thicken it up, ground beef for hamburger helper or velveeta skillet boxed meals

 

Italian Sausages – boil and grill like brats or hot dogs, remove from casing and fry to incorporate into pasta sauce with leftover veggies, cook and slice to use as a pizza topping

 

Chicken – grill or bake chicken, debone and use as fajita meat, slow cook in crock pot and shread meat to use for a Mexican style tortilla casserole

 

Brooke is a wife and mother of two great kids.  In addition to being a frugalista, she is also a Thirty-One consultant.

 

If you are interested in writing a post for my blog, drop me an email at cacoupondiva@gmail.com.  Any topic related to money saving or frugal living is welcomed!

 

 

2 free $10 credits at Med Co. Health store online!

I've seen this several places online, so I'm not sure who to thank!

Visit Medco Health store online, sign up for an account and start shopping. Save $10 by entering code MHS10.

Then- Come back to the website and do more shopping, there is a second $10 off code: TENOFF.

Shipping is a standard $0.99 per order.

These are good off any purchase- it can be less than $10.00, however, you will have to pay .99 shipping for each order.  I ordered some Burt's bees lips balms, and some cotton rounds to remove my makeup.  I got $20.00 in merchandise for $1.98!  Now that's Savings!!

You might want to hurry- I don't know how long this is going to last!