She Hath Done What She Could in the Home

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Safeway Jennie-O buys!


Using those great coupons I found on the front of the freezer at Safeway, I picked these up:

Breakfast sausage links -$3.29 - $3.00 coupon =$.29
Breakfast Sausage patties $3.49-$3.00 coupon=$.49
Turkey Burgers $3.99 - $3.00 coupon= $.99 for 4 burgers (I noticed these are on sale at Lucky tomorrow for 2 for $6 - so after coupon they would be free)

These coupons say Jennie-O Turkey Store Oven Ready Turkey Breast or Turkey Breast of Any Variety! Wouldn't Bob on the Biggest Loser be proud! (hahaha- you know how much they talk about Jennie-O on the show!)

Monday, January 28, 2008

Safeway Updates -more savings found & promo!

Using some coupons from the 1-27-08 paper, I got a few more deals I wanted to share for those of you with a Safeway and there is an unadvertised promo that printed on a Catalina last night. I put my things away before I got a picture, but you will get the idea of what is possible.

Foster Farms items still on sale - or b1g1 free. There were coupons in the paper for $1 off Corn Dogs, $2 off Dino chicken nuggets and $1 off Orange Chicken. So.....
Corn Dogs on sale $3 - use $1 coupon - $2 (cheap lunch)
Orange Chicken and Nuggets qualify for b1g1 - $8.99 for 2 - less $2 coupon, less $1 coupon - $6 for 2 or $3 a bag!

Shredded Wheat is on sale for $.99 a box (reg. $4.89) use coupon $1/2 - $.50 each - then a $1 Catalina printed for $1 off next grocery trip - so like FREE

Using the $3 Jennie-O coupons I got as "blinkies" I got Jennie-O Breakfast Sausage for $.49 a pack - and Turkey Burgers for $1 a pack of 4! Cheap breakfast and dinner! I also found that my local Lucky store's regular prices on Jennie-O are cheaper than Safeway - Breakfast Links cost me $.29. I am holding out for that glorious day when Jennie-O goes 50% or b1g1 - then using the $3 coupons - I'll have FREE meat and overage!! Yipppee - I'm watching the flyers like a hawk!

UNADVERTISED PROMO: Buy any 5 Sara Lee, HIllshire Farms, Ball Park, or Jimmy Dean products, get a $10 off Catalina. I bought some things for my MIL that they use (I do their shopping as they are not able) and got the $10 coupon for next time. I am still trying to figure how to best do this deal to maximize savings. It's good until 2/11 or something like that -so hoping something will go on a good sale and I can stockpile and get lots of $10 off Catalinas. When 1 gallon of organic milk costs $6 on sale, those are welcome coupons!!!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Tonight's Dinner - cost $5.19 to feed 7 with leftovers!


Tonight's dinner was CHEAP with a capital "C"! Total cost $4.19 to feed seven people (I cook for my aging in-laws making the extra 2 people). That is $.74 a plate! Here is a picture of the dinner plated up for delivery to my in-laws!

Breakdown:
Jennie-O Turkey $1.69 (after coupon)
Green Giant Green Beans 2 cans $1.00 (on sale for $.50 each this week)
Stuffing from Trader Joe's $1.69 (regular price)
Natural Apple Sauce $1.00 on sale


Now, for my review! The stuffing was good for a box mix and the Trader Joe's kind has nothing artificial in it. The green beans were great - I rinse them to dimish sodium and season lightly. I'm not so sure what I think of the turkey - I have 3 more so I guess I will use them at some point - I imagined it as a turkey tenderloin type, but it tastes more like cafeteria type turkey. So, I won't be buying more of them - BUT it was so EASY and quick! I cooked the turkey roast for 2 hours, made the stuffing and green beans in 15 min - Easy with a capital "E" - so for something quick, it fit the bill.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Safeway Savings January 24, 2008!



I had to reeeeallly go searching for the deals this week! Wow! They were few - I found some though!

First off, the few "hidden" deals:

Chiquita Bites individual packs - on sale for $1.00 each (reg. $1.49) - there were "blinkie" coupons for $.75 off ANY size - so $.25 each pack. I bought apples and apples w/carmel - they also have apples & grapes. These aren't my standard organic sliced apples from Trader Joe's - but for the price and convenience, I got some. 21 packs for $5.25 - regular price would have been $31.29 - isn't that ridiculous?? I think they are even pricey at $.25 each! The only other time I buy these is when they do a b1g1 on the large packs and I use the $.75 coupon off 2 - making them around $1.50 a pack (not individually wrapped) but the big packs aren't on sale right now.

Jennie-O Turkey Roast -lean white or lean white/dark - these are in a box in the freezer section - they were $4.69 and had a "blinkie" for $3 off any Jennie-O Oven Ready Turkey Breast or Turkey Breast any variety (which makes me think you can use it on the ground turkey on sale this week too perhaps?) So $1.69 for a lean turkey roast - that you have to do NOTHING to prepare - no thawing -just pop it in the oven for 2-3 hours in the pan it came in and it serves 6!! Yipppeee - this is even better than cooking and freezing your food! Instant meal (if you think about it early enough to get it in the oven that is!) You can see it on their website here

Fresh Express Spinach is on sale for $1 and Fresh Express Coleslaw for $1 - they still have the "blinkies" that take $2/2. So FREE on your veggies.

The other great buys were on meat in the frozen section! I found these Mickey Burgers - 85% lean - 8 burgers in a box for $5.99 - b1g1. So $3.00 for 8 burgers - I can't ever beat that price! Of course on the other hand, I went out of the store with $12 in Grass Fed Organic Beef for my Sloppy Joes this week! Go figure! I try to do organic, but at prices this good, I'm hoping a little other non-organic meat won't hurt! You can view them here

They also had Foster Farms items at b1g1- I was very excited to find my favorite turkey meatballs that they quit carrying at Costco - they are sooo much lower in fat than the meat ones and they are tasty! Many I've tried are NOT! Ended up $4 a bag- that will do several meals. Also got frozen Foster Farms chicken strips - these are awesome for my homemade chicken strips and no extra prep in cutting. So $5.50 a bag -I can't remember the pounds.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Safeway Savings January 17, 2008!


Ohhh-eeee! I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! I did sooo well on my weekly Safeway shopping thanks to the return of my beloved $10 off 10 breakfast promo. Check out the middle of the new flyer for what qualifies. We can eat cheap breakfast for the rest of our life if these deals keep up!

1st order:
3 boxes Quaker Instant Oatmeal on sale $2 each (use 3 $1 coupons)
7 boxes Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage on sale for $2.50 each
Total before sales and coupons-$45
Total after sales, coupons and promo- $10.50
That's a savings of 77%

2nd order:
2 boxes Fiber One Cereal on sale for $2.50 each (use 1 $1/2 coupon)
2 boxes Life Cereal on sale for $2.50 each (use 1 $1/2 coupon)
1 box Cinnamon life on sale for $2.50 (use 1 $1 coupon)
3 Tree Top apple juice on sale for $2 each (use 1 $1/2 coupon)
2 Quaker Simple Harvest on sale for b1g1@ $5.29 (use 2 $1 coupons)
Total before sales & coupons- $48.20
Total after sales, coupons & promo- $6.29
That's a savings of 87% or average of $.63 an item!!!

So bottom line - I got $93.20 of groceries for $16.79! My dream of becoming like my hero Money Saving Mom is coming closer to fruition! Love and thanks to Crystal!

Going back this morning for one more round broken down like this:

2 Quaker Simple Harvest on sale b1g1 $5.29 (use 2 coupons $1 and $.75)
2 Eggland's Best eggs $7.18 for 2 (use coupons $1 and $.75)
2 Cinnamon life on sale for $2.50 each (use printable coupon $1, $1)
2 Toaster Strudel on sale $2.50 each (use printable coupon for $1/2)
2 Fiber One Cereal on sale $2.50 each (use coupon $1/2)
Total before coupons and promo-$27.47
Total after sales, coupons and promo-$9.97
(I don't have the retail prices on this one since I still have to go to the store today and don't have the receipt!)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Free Jamba Juice!

If you get the You 24 Magazine from 24 Hour Fitness, there is a coupon for a FREE Jamba Juice in the latest issue!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Tower of Buddies Soap - Total Cost $3.03!


I really wanted more Johnson's Buddies Soap since reading about it at Crystal's Blog - I had 1 coupon and got 1 bar and I love it! It lasts soooo much longer than the liquid soaps I've been using at $1 a bottle (cheapest I could find it) and the liquid has sodium laurel sulfate which I don't want my kids (or myself) using - and the Buddies soap doesn't have it! It smells great and it doesn't slip off the sink. The kids love the cloth covering and suds and they wash for a long time - so I know their hands are clean! These little soaps will save me quite a bit of money as I estimate we used about 5 bottles a month of the liquid and this 1 bar has lasted 2 weeks so far and has plenty left!

I went to The Coupon Clippers and bought all the coupons she had for $.15 a piece - each soap cost $1.04 - I had 11 coupons for $1 off - making it $.44 for 11 bars, $.94 tax and the price I paid for the coupons $1.65 = total $3.03 for 11 bars or $.28 each!! Buying coupons was a new thing for me, but in this case, it proved profitable!

Safeway Savings January 11, 2008!


I had to run some post office and library errands and popped into Safeway for my 4 for $6 cereals and found a few other goodies that worked with my current coupons!

I got $70 worth of groceries for $20! The cashier was so excited! He said "I bet you saved $20!" Then when he read the receipt it said "You saved $47 or 71%" - he was floored! It is so fun to see the cashier's reaction!
Safeway has Ragu Pasta Sauce on sale for $1 (reg. $3.21)
Barilla Plus Spaghetti was an unadvertised sale for $.99 a box! (I had one coupon $1/2) the cheapest I ever get this is $1.84 a box at Target so I bought 6
2 Cheerios and 2 Nature Valley (used $.75 off 2 and 2 $1.10 coupons - making it $.57 a box!)
Rice-a-Roni on sale for $1 a box - used a $.50/2 - making it $.75 a box (normally $1.99) - I use these in soups quite often

Frugal Fridays!




Joining in on Frugal Friday's for the first time! Five things we did last year to save $100 effortlessly:

1. Cancelled our Dish service (save $50 a month) - worth it in more ways than money!!
2. Bought a Keurig coffee maker - the coffee is far superior to Starbucks and much less expensive, yet it tastes so much better than regular drip coffee! I got a great deal on it at Costco around Christmastime.
3. Started coupons and shopping Walgreens (thanks to Money Saving Mom!)
4. Began buying as many of our groceries as possible at Target, thanks to their new expanded grocery section. Still not a "Super Target" yet, but the savings on regular items many times are as much as 50%!
5. Burning our wood stove more to save on the PG&E bill! It works and keeps the house warm and cozy!

I just want to say to the other women who have posted on this thread at Biblicalwomanhood, it has been a blessing reading through your blogs. I wish I had unlimited time to read and gain from them all more!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Super Savings!!!







I am sooo excited! I think today's Target run is the best I've ever done! My overall savings is around 85% - most of my items were 90% off!! I found things I had given up hope on!!

These pictures represent $210 worth of merchandise - I paid around $30! Yippppee!! And these are all items we needed, not just things I bought because they were on sale! I was on the lookout for PJ's since the Target markdowns began - I had gotten the boys some PJ's at 50% off, but found 2 more PJ pants today at 90%. I was most pleased with the Hello Kitty PJ's - for $1.69 each!! The only 3 they had were all my daughter's size!

I got 13 packs of Nick & Nora socks -they are adorable! There are 2 pair of socks in each pack and I paid $.39 (so $.20 a pair!)

I got more Huggies products and Kashi bars for $.50 after coupon. A cookie press I've always wanted to try for holiday baking at $1.49 and some Christmas cards with a really nice verse for $.29 a box.

I have been stalking the Burt's Bee's and was so happy today to find the two packs I scanned yesterday at $11.99 - rang up today at $3.79!!! There are $21 worth of product in them plus a cute basket and loofah.

I can't wait to post this one to Super Savings Saturday over at Crystal's blog this week.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Money Making Monday!


This is part of Money Saving Mom's Monday posts - I thought I would join in this week!

The way I make extra $$ is to work one day a week outside the home and it is actually less time consuming than working from home!

I work as a contract worker for a company branch off from the company I used to work for years ago before I had children. I am in charge of the office filing system and I fill in for administrative assistant's vacations. I make a great hourly wage because working contract you have no benefits, thus the salary is higher than that of a company employee. It's a great return on my time invested.

The one day I work, my children are with my husband learning things from him and they also attend a nature class together which is part of our Charlotte Mason curriculum.

This is entrepreneurial! I considered what skills I had, and found a niche that I could fill in a company. I am self-employed, make my own hours, have tax deductions, continue to accumulate social security credits and only put in 8 hours a week. I have very little overhead, because I wear the same clothes I already own for church, I take my lunch with me and my husband keeps the children - so my only real expense is gas. I could pick up more hours whenever I want, but at this stage in our lives, the one day a week works out really well for us.

If you have administrative skills, you may consider doing something like this - companies are always looking for such talent.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Senseo coffee machine - $15!

I filled out the following Senseo Survey a few weeks back and finally received an invite via email to order a Senseo at the cost of shipping only - $15! I used some $$ I had in Paypal and it's on the way!

I picked up some Archer Farms pods to use it with it - there were $1 off coupons and they were on sale, making them $2.75 for 16 pods!

We already have a Keurig we love, but I thought this would make a great gift!

Super Savings Saturday!




I am on a bargain high tonight! I hit Target to take some Christmas things back and hit the Glade Jackpot! With markdowns on the Christmas scent Apple Cinnamon (my fav anyway!) I got some real steals using coupons! The Wisp candles as low as $2.39 (retail $10.99) Scented Oil for $1.50 (retail $6.99). Happy with that and hopping along, I about jumped up and down in the aisle when I came across Burt's Bees Kits marked WAY down! This picture only shows part of what I got - but one kit was $3.99 (has shampoo, pore scrub, peppermint soap and loofah (I usually buy just the shampoo at $8 and scrub $8, soap $5). The other kit was $4.99 and had body lotion, hand creme, cuticle cream,coconut oil for feet and pumice stone. (I buy this hand lotion and it is $10 a tube alone! Whoo-hoo! Happy dance!

Then, just going through Safeway last night on a particularly quiet night, my eyes caught this new product called Attune. It's near the yogurt in the refrigerated section. They are granola bars with probiotics in them- 5X more than yogurt - 7 in a package. They were listed at intro. price for $1.25 a box! The chocolate ones taste just like a dark chocolate crunch bar - so delicious! I was so excited! I bought several.

It was a great Super Saving Saturday! I'm becoming a bit obsessed with the Target markdown, I'm going to have to call it quits soon! I never did find the Bounty paper towels or the girls PJ's I was looking for.......can't get 'em all!