Mail Call!

I thought it would be fun to show you all the freebies and coupons that I got in the mail today.  I was so excited to open the mailbox and see some free things I signed up for. 

We'll start from the top left.  We usually get an insert in our mailbox of all the local ads, I think it's called Smart Start Businesses.  Anyway, there were a couple inserts of restaurant coupons that I eagerly read over.  The one on the top left is from Arby's, and next to it is Steak n Shake coupons.  Which I love because my husband's family loves to go out to Steak n Shake after church on Sundays...and they also have a deal now where kids eat FREE on Sundays (with a purchase of an adult meal).  

If you don't already get a free subscription to Kraft Food and Family Magazine, I highly recommend it.  I LOVE it!  Go here to sign up, click 'Sign Up Now' to get started. In Step 2 at the bottom of the page be sure to check the box to receive your FREE magazine. I think they only send out 4 a year, but it's totally worth it.  Granted sometimes their recipes sound redundant after awhile, but there are some great ideas in there.  And it's free, so I'm not complaining!

Under that to the right is an ad for our County Market.  They have a little coupon booklet that they send out once a month for some sweet deals!  And combine their in store coupons with manufacturer coupons, you could come out with some pretty cheap foods!

Then there are some more local restaurant coupons I cut out...along with a free sample from Fiber One, with a cereal box and a granola bar AND some coupons!

Okay, so I hope I've encouraged you to not hesitate when there are free samples to sign up for on the internet.  You never know what you'll get when you open your mailbox!

Walgreens: FREE Collage through tomorrow only

Ready for some more free photos at Walgreens?  I feel like I can't find enough pictures to fulfill all these FREE deals!  Anyway, go to Walgreens website and use the code FUNDAY at your checkout and get a free Collage!  This offer is good through Wednesday. 

Grocery Shopping this week

Today I was brave.  I took my two little boys (ages 1 1/2 and almost 3 year olds) grocery shopping with me.  It was nearing the end of the week and I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet...not that we really needed anything besides butter...but it's always fun for me to shop for deals. 

Off we went with a list in hand, coupon book under the arm, and a bag full of snacks to keep us company!

Our first stop was Target.  There were so many deals to be had this week, that 

I just couldn't pass it up.  Check out Moneysavingmom's blog for more Target deals.

I had recently also gotten a Target Coupon Booklet in the mail with lots of baby coupons, so I combined Target coupons with Manufacturer coupons, making the most of our money.

Total spent before coupons: $54.86  

Total after coupons: $27.97

Our next trip was to Aldi's to pick up some basic supplies that we had run out of this past week.

(I always have to have a supply of chocolate chips in our house)

Total spent: $18.71

Our next trip was to County Market:

At County Market I had a $5 off coupon from the Kraft Deal they have going on.  

Total spent before coupons: $13.36

Total after coupons: $8.36

(I plan on making my own yogurt buy using that one jar of plain yogurt.  We'll see how it turns out later this week!)

Our next stop was IGA:

The snack packs and the Rice Roni were all $0.88/each.  The Chef Boyarde was $0.99/can, and I had a $0.35 off coupon when you buy 3.  I also had a coupon for the Chewy bars, $0.50 each, and I had a buy 3 get 1 free peelie.  

Therefore making my total before coupons: $20.21

Total after coupons: $14.36

Total this week for grocery shopping was: $67.78

I know, I know, I didn't stick to my $40 grocery budget...I will be better next week!

This Saturday, Lowe's Grow and Learn Activity

Sign up here to participate in Lowe's Grow and Learn activity this Saturday, Aug. 22.  They will be making a school bus this time.  The first 50 kids will get a free apron, kit, and goggles.  The activity is recommended for kids in grades 1st to 5th.  (But we took our almost 3 year old, and he loved it!)

20 Free Prints from Walgreens today only!!

Walgreens is rolling in the photo deals this week!  Today's (8/20) deal is 20 FREE photo prints!  Check out their website here to upload your pictures, and just check in store pickup and you won't have to pay a penny!  Also type in the coupon code at checkout 20FREE4ME.

If you aren't a member of Walgreens Photo, then sign up today and get an additional 25 free photo prints.  

Garage Sale Saturday

My family and I had nothing in particular that we wanted to do this past Saturday, so we headed out on our bikes to a couple of sales in our neighborhood.  I love these days, just because it's nice to be together and you never know what you'll find!

Here's what our family found this past Saturday:

My husband is still addicted to buying garage sale Scrabble games, because he loves the letters in them.  (total for 2 games = $0.75).  My husband also found an addition to my son's train set from Fisher Price for $5.  And the clothing for myself cost $5 for 5 pieces.  There are a couple other odds and ends that cost a total of $2.  

The jacket below was a great find.  I saw it at a sale and suggested my husband try it on.  The tag said $5 and it was from the Gap.  He tried it on and then took it off, saying he wasn't sure.  The owner saw this and bargained with him and said you can have it for $2.50!!  Can you believe it!  A Gap, winter lined jacket for $2.50!!  That's awesome!

 

So we'll have to see if he wears it in the end! :)

Check out my new Goodwill shoes!

I've been on the lookout for awhile now for a pair of gym shoes.  They didn't need to be brand new, but lately I've been on the verge of buying new ones, because I hadn't found any yet.  The ones I had were the ones I bought from Goodwill when I was pregnant...the slip-on kind.  Anyway, lately I've been needing real shoes for walking and workout.  So my husband and I decided to check out GW one more time before heading to the real stores to check out prices.  And low and behold, there were a pair of New Balance (pictured above), a pair of Nike's, and a pair of Asics...ALL in my shoe size!!

I'm partial to New Balance, just because they're more comfortable on my feet than the others.  So guess how much they cost me?  (drum-roll...)  $3.00!!  Yes!  So happy with my new shoes from Goodwill!!

Have you found anything from Goodwill recently??

Get 25 photos from Walgreens for only $0.25!!

Walgreens has a super good deal today (August 17) only on photo prints!  You can get 25 prints for only $0.25!!  That is a great steal, so get your photos uploaded today!  Just enter the word PENNY at your checkout.  You have to order only 25 prints to get the deal. Here's the link to upload your photos.

Walgreens Run

I ran to walgreens after Silas and I went to the Health Department for a checkup and here's what we came out with:

Jergens Lotion = $5.99 (got back $5 Register Rewards) =$0.99

Colgate Toothpaste = $2.99 (had $1 off coupon) (got back $3 RR) = Free with $1 overage

2 bags of Mars candy = on clearance for $1.64 ea. (got $1 RR) = $2.28

The toothpaste will go towards our local pantry and the lotion will be on my new office desk, while the candy I'm sure will get eaten up or we'll save for Halloween. :)

Thanks for looking!

Our New Adventure

Thanks to Beth, my friend from church, who told me about a local Berry Farm in White Heath, which is only 10 miles out of Champaign.  The farm is called Pontius Farm.  It was a cute farm with lots of berries, veggies, and even a huge sand box with toys for the kids to play with.

Below is a picture of our findings at our local berry farm.  My husband picked the tomatoes and blackberries, and I picked the 2 pounds of blueberries.  Total we spent $6.50.  What a great deal!  

Here is my littlest one chugging his juice box (he gave up on the straw), and he was so excited to see a bucket full of blueberries!

Here is my eldest son enjoying his Snap Peas which he gobbled up faster than I could peel them.  I think these cost us about $.50 for about 15 Pea Pods.

Then surprisingly we came home and had 4 ears of corn on our kitchen counter!!  The corn fairy (grandpa) had stopped by while we were gone and stocked us up on corn for the week!  

So total, it was a fun adventure that we went on, and I'm sure that we will visit that farm again once the raspberries are in season.  

Grocery shopping this week

Here are some photos of my shopping for this week.  

County Market had their own coupon booklet, so I combined them with some manufacturer coupons and got some sweet deals.  The Kotex boxes were on sale for $0.94 each, and I had 5 $1 off coupons, making them free!  

I also had a coupon if you buy 2 Eggo waffles, then you get $2 off fresh produce.  Eggo's were 2 for $6 this week, so I got some free fruit!

The below picture I spent $19.80.

The below picture are items that I bought from IGA here in town.  They were having their 10 for $10 sale, so I combined those sale items with manufacturer coupons and got the below items for $8.72.

The below items are from Schnucks.  Funny story, I had my list made out for the deals on last week, I had forgotten that their Ads get replaced every Wednesday.  So I just headed to their clearance carts to see what they had.  And lucky me found some of the deals that I was looking for!  But cheaper!!  The boxes were smashed, but that didn't stop me! I got the below items for $5.79 total.  The meat was 25% off, so I got that and then just divided it up and them put it in our freezer. 

Last week's Ad had Hamburger Helper $1/box, these were in the clearance bin for $0.83/box.  I had a coupon for $0.75/3 boxes.  So this was a better deal than I expected.

And last but not least, my run to Aldi's.  There were just a few things in our pantry that needed to be replaced, so I got the below items for $9.84.

Total spent on groceries this week was $44.15.  I'm still trying to keep up with our $40/week grocery budget, as you can see, some weeks I got a little over, and some a little under.  Oh well, it's fun to see what we can get with the deals out there and coupons!

Actually, now that I think about it - I did only spend $40.15 on groceries, because if you look at the first picture I got 2 detergents, totaled $4....and we have detergent in our budget under household items and not groceries.  So I'm in the clear!!!

Office Space updated

Okay, so I got inspired after writing my last post on my "office" space.  Here is an updated picture of what it all looks like.  It's coming together quite nicely!

Most of the plants are from my brother-in-law...I'm supposed to take care of them while he's in transition to a new home.  So they look very nice in this photo!

And the photos on the bookshelf I just threw up there for now, to see what it would all look like.  I'm eventually going to put some books up there and some magazines and stuff.  So what do you think?

Free Findings for the Fishers

Sometimes it's fun to show off the things that you get for free, and lately we've been having some luck in that area.  Over the weekend my husband scored two free items.  One was this pink little cushiony couch that our neighbors wanted to give away.  He figured that it would be fun for the boys to have a couch to sit on to watch tv or movies....or better yet...to jump all over and wrestle on!  So here they are lounging in the pjs, having a snack before bed.

Another awesome find that my husband brought home for me was a nice black bookcase.  It's made out of plywood, but it looks like the owner hardly ever used it.  So we're planning on placing it behind my new "office desk" to match all the black frames on our "office wall".  

I'll have to post more pictures later with the bookcase full and in it's rightful place.  Until then, happy hunting!  Have you gotten anything for free lately?  If so, I'd love to hear it!

Lowe's - Free Kids Session Saturday

Head on over to Lowe's this Saturday (8-8-09) from 10-11am, to enjoy a free kids workshop where they make a powerboat out of wood.  You can sign up here, and fill out a registration form.  The first 50 kids to register and be present at the store at 10am will receive a kit, apron and goggles.

Made at Home Depot

I had heard through the blogging world that Home Depot (the first and second Saturday's of the month) they have a little craft that kids came come and work on for free.  Here are a couple pictures of our first experience at Home Depot's .

Kids got to make this awesome Memo Board with a peg board and dry erase board in it.  It also has 3 little hooks on the bottom where you can hang things. 

Doesn't he look thrilled to be in this picture?  I think sometimes he gets tired of me saying "say cheese!".  But he was so excited when dad and him came out of Home Depot, when he really wanted me to see what he made.  He was so proud of himself!  So now it's hanging in his room right by his bed where he can see the pictures that we put up on his peg board.  Now to find some cheap dry erase markers...

IGA - $0.56 Chex Mix

I was just scooping out the IGA Weekly AD and I saw an IGA Coupon for $3 off your total when you buy 5 items from General Mills.  The new flavor of Chex Mix bags are 3 for $5.  If you use the $0.50 off one bag coupon found in 7/19/09 Smart Source inserts or here, you could get some cheap Chex Mix.  Here's what we'll be purchasing today:

(5) BBQ or Sour Cream and Onion Chex Mix = $6.82

minus (5) $0.50 coupons for new Chex mix flavor = $2.50

minus IGA $3 off coupon

Total $2.82 OOP (out of pocket)

Making each bag = $0.56!!

Go here to request a free sample of Scope Outlast sample kit which includes Scope Outlast Rinse, Crest plus Scope Outlast Paste, and an Oral-B Floss Pick with Scope Outlast.

Library Storytime

I've been trying to find lots of free things to do with my boys this week while daddy is gone at camp, so today we went to the library (not out of the ordinary for us), but anyway, here's a video of the boys at storytime.  I think this lady does a really good job with the kids and isn't afraid to do new things with them.  :) 

So if you're looking for new things to do that are free, I suggest checking out your local library!

IGA

The boys and I also stopped at IGA to pick up some super cheap Rice Krispies with our coupons, each box was $0.88!  We picked up 6 boxes and one was free, with our coupon.  I decided to pick up a couple pounds of ground beef as well, cause it was on sale for $1.69/lb.

I also had 2 coupons to get a free bottle of Cascade rinse.  (They were $3.95 each without coupon.)  So let me know if you need one of these bottles, otherwise I will send them over to our church, because we don't really need them now.  

CVS Trip

Here's what we got at CVS this week:

Softsoap - $4.99 - got $4 Extra Care Bucks back = $0.99

Portracto - $1.50 - got $1.50 ECB = FREE

Ruler - $0.99 - got $0.99 ECB = FREE

2 Glue Sticks - $0.99 each = got $1.98 ECB = FREE

Eraser - $0.99 - got $0.99 ECB = FREE 

Toothpaste - $1.49 each - had $1.25 off coupon = $0.24 each

I also had $9.81 ECB from last weeks purchases, so total I spent $2.13 oop (out of pocket), and got $8.47 ECB.  I also got a coupon for a FREE CVS brand paper towel roll.  :)

Free Walgreens Items

The boys and I went to Walgreens after the library today to pick up a few free items.  It's always fun taking them in with me because they are short shopping adventures and secretly it wears them out a little bit before naptime. :)

I got the vitamin shampoo for $3.99, and I got a $4 Register Reward coupon to use next time I'm in Walgreens.  The GUM toothbrushes I got for $3.49, and got a $3.50 RR coupon to use next time.  So I paid $8.06 out of pocket, and got $7.50 in RR (Walgreens money is what I like to call it). So in reality I only paid $0.56 for these two items.  

So if you're in need of shampoo or conditioner or toothbrushes, head out to your local Walgreens and get yourself some today! :)

FREE Glade Fall Pack

Here's another freebie for you all.  Glade has promised one free Glade PlugIns Scented Gel Warmer plus Refill.  Be one of the first 10,000 to sign up here.

FREE Schwan's Food

Schwan's is giving away one item of food that is under $10.  Go here to register and pick an item of food for $10 or less.  I just ordered my item and I chose the 8-2 oz. steaks. ($9.99) for free!  I heard that lots of people have ordered a gallon of ice cream, and cookie doughs.  So check those out too!

What did you order???

My New Desk From Craigslist

Every once in awhile I'll get lucky on Craigslist on the "Free" category.  So, here is my latest finding on Craigslist.  I got this huge desk for free from someone who was getting a new desk in their home.  It's kinda heavy too, and I got it while my husband was gone one week, so I somehow managed to bring it in the house by myself.  Yes, when I'm determined, it happens. :)

And the nice thing is that I was kinda looking for a school desk for when the boys get older and are in school, and will need someplace to do homework.  There are just a few scratches on the top, but other than that, it's in great condition.  

I'll have to post more pictures later this week to show you the up-to-date photos of how we decorated it and where we ended up putting it in our home. 

Have you gotten lucky on Craigslist recently?  If so, please share, I'd love to hear about it!

Family Outing - Local Ice Cream Shop

Tonight I was daring and adventurous in taking my two boys out for ice cream/custard at our local Custard Cup.  I say daring, because my husband is away at camp this week, so I knew that I needed to just be patient with my boys, especially when it comes to getting messy.

We ended up having a good time overall.  I got the boys each an ice cream cone, and myself a snowstorm (which I ended up regretting, because I was mostly licking the boys cones because they were melting faster than I could catch up).  The ice cream cones ended up melting really fast, so I had to think quick, and ran inside and got them each a cup and spoon.  I can see my husband shaking his head if he knew I ordered them both a cone, instead of having them in a

 bowl...but what more fun is having an ice cream cone on a hot summer day?  :)

Here are some fun photos that I caught of the boys while we were out.

Free Movie Monday - Redbox

Don't forget to go out and get your free movie rental from any Redbox Kiosk.  The code is 27HZ4KT.  My suggestion is to check out online what movie you want to rent and then go and get it, otherwise there might be a line and you could be waiting awhile to get your video...just a suggestion! :)  

Happy free movie night!

Free Sample Honey Nut Cheerios

Check out the free sample and $1.00 off coupon for Honey Nut Cheerios here!

Mail Call!

Some days I really enjoy checking the mail, because there can be some fun goodies in there!  It's kinda like Valentines day when you're little, getting all those valentines in your mailbox!

The other day I was so excited to see a piece of mail from VocalPoint.  They're a company that has you test out items and share the information with friends.  So I was excited to see that they sent coupons for Rice Krispies Cereal!  My husband loves that cereal and we can make Rice Krispies Treat too!  They sent me one coupon for a Free Box, and then 5 $1/off a box of cereal.  Let me know if you want one!

Anyway, just thought I'd share my excitement with you about my freebie!

New Swim Shorts - Target

Both my boys have come to love Thomas the Tank Engine (what boy doesn't?), and so whenever I see a Thomas item on sale, I can not talk myself out of buying it.  I guess that makes me a little boy. :)

Anyway, these swim shorts were at Target at 50% off, which made them $3.50!  I was excited to find a size 3T for my little boy who will be that size next summer.  And the ones he wears now, his little brother can wear next summer!  (Yea! for hand-me-downs!)