January 2013 Monthly Project~ Taco Seasoning

This year, we are going to attempt 12 projects- 1 each month and see how they go:)  Welcome to our very first project for this year.

For January, we decided to make our own taco seasoning.  I am tired of buying taco seasoning and looking on the back to see what is in it and not being able to pronounce the ingredients.  So, my goal for this month was to see if we could make taco seasoning from ingredients I had on hand and have it taste good also:)

I found a taco seasoning mix recipe from Laura over at Heavenlyhomemakers.com.  I love Laura's blog and so far, none of her recipes have failed me.  So, we decided to give it a whirl and this is how it went:

We got out our ingredients:

We adjusted the orginal recipes a little to adapt to what we had on hand.

Taco Seasoning Mix
4 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Chopped onions
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 Tbsp Garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt

Put all the ingredients in a ziplog bag and shake to mix.  3 Tbsp= 1 packet of taco seasoning

We  had so much fun putting that together, we decided to make up some Dry Onion Soup Mix for an upcoming recipe.

Onion Soup Mix2/3C Chopped onions
3 tsp Parsley
2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Celery flakes
1 tsp Sea salt
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

Put all ingredients in a ziplog bag and shake to mix.  4 Tbsp= 1 packet of onion soup mix.

For just a few minutes of our time, we had 2 bags of dry seasoning mixes.

We tried out our homemade taco seasoning on our taco beans and rice and I must say it is a keeper- we love it:)  They are so easy to make and I know exactly what is in them.

20 Mule Team Borax Review & Giveaway

I was super excited when Purex asked me to review 20 Mule Team Borax. 

What is 20 Mule Team Borax you may ask?

20 Mule Team Borax is a laundry additive used to naturally soften hard water and to boost your current laundry detergent.  With 4 very active, messy boys, I can use all the boosting power I can get:)  I have well water, so I am not sure if we have hard water or not.

20 Mule Team Borax is 100% natural mineral.  Absolutely nothing is added.  No phosphates, chlorine or other additive. 

I was excited to learn that Borax is not only a laundry additive but can be also be used for various bathroom and kitchen cleaning and deodorizing needs.  You can visit their website to learn all the extras that Borax can do.

Want to try 20 Mule Team Borax for yourself?  Purex has graciously given me 3 coupons good for a free box of 20 Mule Team Borax to give to my wonderful readers.  To enter, comment below and let me know if you have ever used Borax before.

This coupon giveaway will end on 02/17/2013 at 11:59 pm EST.  3 winners will be randomly selected using random.org  and will be contacted on 02/18/2013.

Also, head on over to the Borax facebook page to enter the Fresh Year, Fresher Laundry Facebook Sweepstakes where you can enter to win the $1500 Grand Prize or one of the 171 coupons for free Borax.  Why 171 coupons, you may ask?  The total prize value is $2013- which is very fitting for the new year:)

Good Luck:)

**Borax provided a free sample of their product for this post.  My participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always, are my own**

IHOP National Pancake Day 2013

Mark your calendars~ February 5, 2013 is IHOP's National Pancake Day.

Enjoy a free short stake of delicious buttermilk pancakes- Mmmmmm. In return for the free pancakes, guests are asked to consider leaving a donation for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other designated local charities.

We have gone for 3 years now for dinner and the wait times have been very reasonable. The pancakes are super yummy and you are supporting a great cause.

IHOP's goal for 2013 is to raise $3 Million. I really hope they can raise beyond that goal:)

My Declutter Goal for the week of 01/28/2013

As I sit here typing this out in my nice, clean living room, I am eager to get started on another room in my home.  Who is with me?  Don't make me clean by myself now- please~ LOL:)

If you are in need of a declutter challenge in your home- feel free to hop on in and join me in my journey to get our house uncluttered, cleaned and company ready.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that we are currently house hunting and I really don't feel like packing up all the stuff we have accumulated over the last 10 years we have lived here. 

This next room is very cluttered and with all of our current obligations, it will make me 2 weeks to get this room under control and clutter free.  Which room am I talking about you may ask?

My kitchen.

My poor kitchen is so abused and cluttered.  I am tired of walking and squeezing around things.  I am tired of hunting and looking for things I need.  I have a decent amount of cabinets in my kitchen, unfortunately most are filled with things we don't even use anymore and haven't touched in years.  My poor counters hold way more than they need to.  Well, no more:)

Here are my goals over the next 2 weeks for my kitchen in no particular order:

1)  Clean off my kitchen table

2)  Clean off my kitchen counters

3)  Go through lowers cabinets

4)  Go through upper cabinets

5)  Scrub stove

6)  Scrub oven

7)  Clear off table with phone and go through cookbooks

8)  Organize pantry

9)  Scrub refrigerator inside and out

10)  Scrub kitchen floor

11)  Paint under sink before counter install

If you have a room in your house you want to get under control~make a plan to get it done this week. Make a list of what you need to accomplish for that 1 room. Use what available times and days you have to get the list of your projects done. I will update later this week and show you the progress we have made in our kitchen:)

My Shopping Day~ 01/28/2013

So far so good for this week~ no drama- yea!!  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a nice drama free week.  Hope you guys are have a drama free week as well:)

Here are my shopping trips for this week:

Walmart
$8.37- (3) gallons skim milk
$2.32- Lunchmeat
$1.31- Bananas
$0.97- Dawn
$0.98- Vanilla
$0.92- Mustard
$2.42- Cocoa
$2.00- Lightbulbs
$19.84 Total with tax


Sam's Club
$4.39- Eggs
$3.17- Ketchup
$1.78- (2) drinks for Chris and I
$9.62 Total with tax

Kroger
$3.99- Boca veggie burgers
$2.99- Egg Beaters
$0.70- Fancy Feast canned cat food
$7.68
-1.00- Boca cpn loaded to Kroger card
-2.99- Free Egg Beaters cpn loaded to Kroger card
-0.70- Free Fancy Feast cpn loaded to Kroger card
$2.58 Total after tax

Martins
$1.86- (3) loaves markdown bread

This shopping trip has been added to our January Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of January.  Did we make it this month?  Were we able to stay under $300 for this month?  Hop on over and find out here:)

Last week's Declutter Goal

I wanted to update you with the progress of our living room decluttering project from last week but didn't get a chance to, that is until now.  Better late than never, right??

Let me give you a reminder as to the decluttering goals I set for myself last week:

1) Clear all clothes off couch

2) Clean off coffee table

3) Clear off table behind couch

4) Scrub living room walls

5) Clean living room windows

6) Scrub front door and clean glass door

7) Measure trim around glass window in living room

8) Clean off desk

9) Vacuum living room floor and sweep and mop living room tile

10) Move couches, clean underneath and vacuum

My living room looked like this before I got to it last week: (Brace yourself, it is not pretty and remember I said it was more messy than cluttered)

 I told you it wasn't pretty- yikes.  We put on some music and got to it and turned our living room into this:

Aside from the surprised kitty- ahhhh much better.  I even took all the books off the younger boys book shelf and made them go through and see which books they wanted to keep and which ones they wanted to give away.  I am so proud of them, they got rid of a decent amount of books.  When dusting the book shelf, I came upon an interesting read- LOL:)

He is such a big goof and such a cutie:)

As you can see we did an awesome job getting the living room under control.  We still have to do some minor work such as painting replacing some trim and what not, but I must say our living room looks and feels so much better:)

What room did you decide to tackle last week and how did you do?  I would love to hear all about it:)

Stay tuned tomorrow as reveal which room we are going to tackle next.

My Menu Plan for the week of 01/28/2013

Sorry for dissapearing on you last week, we had a serious family issue we had to deal with.  Let's hope this week can be less eventful:)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Giant muffins- many thanks to my dad's girlfriend Lynn for those X3
Banana Bread muffins from the freezer from last week
Oatmeal with raisins and honey X2
Pancakes

Lunch
Sandwich, popcorn and banana

Dinner
Tomato taco beans served over cornbread with green beans
Spaghetti with homemade rolls and corn
Taco bean rice served with tortilla chips and peas
Pancakes with fruit
Lentil and turkey soup
White beans and sausage with green beans
Lentil patties in a cream mushroom sauce with green beans

What kind of yummy dishes do you have on your menu plan for this week?

Walgreens deals for the week of 01/27 P&G

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufactur's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufactur's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 Manufactur's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) Cannot use RR printed from item to pay for same item and get RR's again~
For example- If you were to purchase Colgate for $3 and get $3 RR, if you purchase the Colgate again and use the RR's earned from the 1st Colgate purchase you will not earn the RR's again

Walgreens has rolled out a new program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this new program.

Spend $10 on Robitussin, Dimetapp, Advil congestion or Allergy & Congestion- $5 and get 2000 points
$1 Dimetapp, Robitussin, Advil congestion or allergy and congestion cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Dimetapp childrens cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Dimetapp childrens cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy, congestion, cold & sinus or allergy sinus cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy, congestion, cold & sinus or allergy sinus cpn- 11/11 RP

Planters peanuts- $7/2
$1 Walgreens in store cpn
$1 Planters cpn- 01/27 SS
$1/2 Planters cpn- 12/02 SS
$1/2 Planters cpn- 11/11 SS

Blue Diamond almonds- $4/2
$1/2 Blue Diamond Almonds cpn- 01/27 SS

Pringles- $6/4 and get 1000 points
$1/4 Pringles cpn- 01/06 RP

Hunts tomato sauce or Butterball chicken broth- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Nice mushrooms or oranges- $2/3 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Stride or ID gum- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice honey- $5/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4- Buy 2 and get 250 points

Dawn- $0.99
$0.50 Dawn hand renewal, power clean, bleach alternative or Oxi cpn- 01/27 P&G

Puffs- $5/3
$0.25/3 Puffs singles cpn- 01/27 P&G

Valentine M&M's- $4/2
$1/2 Walgreens in store cpn
$1.50/2 M&M's cpn- 01/27 RP

Russell Stover Valentine candy- $1/3 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Pantene- $7/2
$3/2 Pantene cpn- 01/27 P&G

Axe deodorant, body spray, shower gel or shower tool- $3.99
Buy 2 Get 1 Free Axe shower gel or shower tool cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Axe deodorant or bodyspray cpn- 01/27 RP

KY Ultra gel- $5.99 and get $5.99 RR
$2 KY cpn- 12/09 SS

Olay bodywash- $4.99
$1 Olay bar, bodywash or in shower lotion cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Olay bar, bodywash or in shower lotion cpn- 12/30 P&G

Clairol Natural Instincts color- $12/2
$5/2 Clairol Natural Instincts cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Clairol color or herbal color cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Clairol color or herbal color cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Clairol Natural Instincts or Nice & Easy cpn- 12/30 P&G

Head & Shoulders- $4.49- Buy 2 and get 1000 points
$1 Head & Shoulders cpn- 01/27 P&G
$2/2 Head & Shoulders cpn- 12/30 P&G

Pepto Bismol- $3.49
$0.50 Pepto Bismol cpn- 01/27 P&G

Spend $10 on Suave hair or skin care and get 3000 points
$1 Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Oil cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.50/2 Suave Professionals cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.50 Suave Naturals bodywash cpn- 01/27 RP
$.50/2 Suave kids hair cpn- 01/27 RP

Colgate Optic White, Select 360 toothbrushes, Optic White mouthwash or toothpaste- $2.99- Buy 3 and get 2500 points
$0.50 Colgate Total, Optic White, Max Fresh or Sensitive toothpaste cpn- 01/20 SS
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 01/20 SS
$1 Optic White mouthwash cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate manaul toothbrush cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS

Qtips- $2.99 and get 1000 points

Loreal Excellence Creme or Healthy Look Sublime Mousse haircolor- $6.99- Buy 2 and get 2000 points
$2 Loreal Execellence cpn- 01/27 RP
$2 Loreal hair color cpn- 01/06 RP

Vaseline- $4.99- Buy 2 and get 2000 points
$1 Vaseline lotion cpn- 01/27 RP

ZZZQuil- $4.99 and get 1000 points
$1 ZZZQuil cpn- 01/27 P&G

MG217 Psoriasis Ointment- $6 and get $6 RR

DHEA- $7 and get $7 RR

Pur Absorb Iron- $10 and get $10 RR

Alka Seltzer- $4.99
$2 Alka Seltzer cpn- 01/27 SS
$2 Alka Seltzer cpn- 01/06 SS

Slimfast shakes- $4.99
$1 Slimfast shakes cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Slimfast shakes cpn- 01/06 RP

Bayer Aspirin- $5.99
$3/2 Bayer aspirin 120ct+ cpn- 01/27 SS
$1 Bayer aspirin 20ct cpn- 01/27 SS
$1 Bayer 20ct 81mg or 325 mg cpn- 01/06 SS
$1 Bayer 20ct 325mg or 500mg cpn- 01/06 SS

General Mills or Cascadian Farms cereal- $1.99- Buy 5 and get 1000 points
$1/2 General Mills Chex, Fiber One, Total, Wheaties, Oatmeal Crisp, Honey Nut Clusters, Raisin Nut Bran or Basic cpn- 01/27 SS
$0.50 General Mills Cheerios cpn- 01/27 SS
$1/3 General Mills Big G cereal cpn- 01/06 SS

Mars or Dove candy- $0.59

Scott Naturals paper towels or Cottonelle bathroom tissue- $5
$1 Walgreens in store cpn
$1 Scott Naturals paper towels 6pk cpn- 01/13 SS
$1 Cottonelle bathroom tissue cpn- 01/13 SS

**This is not the entire Walgreens Register Rewards (RR) or Balance Reward Points sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming Walgreens ad.**

CVS deals for the week of 01/27/2013

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

Pepsi 12pk cans- $20/6 and get $5 ECB

Hershey assorted- $9/3 and get $3 ECB
$1/2 Hershey assorted minis, kisses milk chocolate, kisses cookies & creme, Reese's minis or Peppermint patties cpn- 01/20 SS

Dawn- $0.99
$0.50 Dawn hand renewal, power clean, bleach alternative or Oxi cpn- 01/27 P&G

Charmin Basic 12pk- $5.49 and get $1 ECB
$0.25 Charmin cpn- 01/27 P&G

Bounty 6pk- $5.99 and get $1 ECB
$0.25 Bounty cpn- 01/27 P&G

Tide- $5.94 and get $1 ECB
$3/3 Tide or Downy cpn- 01/27 P&G
$0.40 Tide or Downy cpn- 01/27 P&G

Pantene- $7/2
$3/2 Pantene cpn- 01/27 P&G

Buy any of the following and get $1 ECB- Limit 10
Duracell- $10.99
$0.50 Duracell cpn- 01/27 P&G
Cascade- $4.99
$1 Cascade Action Pacs cpn- 01/27 P&G
Gain laundry- $5.94
$2/2 Gain, fabric enhancer or Era detergent cpn- 01/13 SS
Febreze Noticeables oil refill- $3.99
Buy Febreze Noticables refill and get FREE Warmer cpn- 01/27 P&G
Febreze Air Effects, Set & Refresh, Car vent or candle- $2.99
$0.50 Febreze Air Effects cpn- 01/27 P&G
$0.50 Febreze Set & Refresh or Stick & Refresh cpn- 01/27 P&G
Buy Fabric refresher and get FREE Febreze Car Vent Clip cpn- 01/27 P&G
$0.50 Febreze candle cpn- 01/27 P&G
Febreze- $4.99
Buy Fabric refresher and get FREE Febreze Car Vent Clip cpn- 01/27 P&G
Downy, Bounce or Unstopables -$5.99
$3/3 Tide or Downy cpn- 01/27 P&G
$0.40 Tide or Downy cpn- 01/27 P&G
$3/2 Downy AND Unstopables cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Downy Infusions or Unstopable cpn- 12/30 P&G

Puffs- $0.99
$0.25/3 Puffs singles cpn- 01/27 P&G

Spend $15 on Swiffer products and get $5 ECB
$1 Swiffer Sweeper starter or Duster Extender starter cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Swiffer Starter or refill cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Swiffers dusters, dry cloths, wet cloths or WetJet pads cpn- 01/27 P&G
$2 Swiffer WetJet Starter or SweeperVac starter cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Swiffer refill or Dust & Shine cpn- 12/30 P&G

Nicole nail color- $7.99 and get $2 ECB

Spend $15 on Loreal foundation, powder, blush, concealer, eye or nail and get $5 ECB
$2 Loreal face cosmetic cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Loreal True Match cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Loreal eye liner or shadow cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Loreal Paris eye cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Loreal Colour Riche nail cpn- 01/27 RP
$3 Loreal Paris face cosmetic cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Loreal eye liner or shadow cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Loreal Paris eye cpn- 12/09 RP

Spend $15 on Maybelline foundation, powder, blush, concealer or eye and get $5 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Maybelline New York mascara cpn- 01/06 RP

Spend $10 on Physicians Formula cosmetics or skin care and get $7 ECB

Cover Girl Outlast Nail- $10/2 and get $1 ECB
$3/2 Cover Girl cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Cover Girl cpn- 01/27 P&G
$3/2 Cover Girl cpn- 12/30 P&G
$1 Cover Girl cpn- 12/30 P&G
$1 Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail gloss cpn- 12/30 P&G

Clairol Natural Instincts, Nice & Easy or Root touch up- $5.99
$5/2 Clairol Natural Instincts cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Clairol color or herbal color cpn- 01/27 P&G
$1 Clairol color or herbal color cpn- 01/06 RP
$2 Clairol Nice & Easy foam cpn- 12/30 P&G
$1 Clairol Natural Instincts or Nice & Easy cpn- 12/30 P&G

Aussie or Herbal Essence- $10/3
$1 Aussie or Herbal Essence cpn- 12/30 P&G

Spend $12 and get $4 ECB on the following:
Suave Naturals lotion- $6/2
Suave Professionals, kids, stylers or bodywash- $4/2
$0.50/2 Suave Professionals cpn 01/27 RP
$0.50 Suave Naturals bodywash cpn- 01/27 RP
$.50/2 Suave kids hair cpn- 01/27 RP

Spend $15 and get $5 ECB on the following:
Dove Men Care bodywash- $5
$2 Dove Men Care face and bodywash or tool cpn- 01/27 RP
Dove or Caress bodywash- $2.99
$1 Dove bodywash cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.75 Caress bodywash or bar cpn- 01/27 RP
Dove hair care, Select Dove, Degree or Dove Men Care deodorant- $13/2
$1.50 Dove shampoo AND conditioner cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Dove Men Care deodorant cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.75 Dove, go sleeveless, clear tone, go fresh or Clinical cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.75 Degree Women Protection deodorant cpn- 01/27 RP
$0.75 Degree Adrenaline deodorant cpn- 01/27 RP

Buy Schick Hydro Silk, Hydro 5 razor or refill and get $5 ECB

Tresemme- $7/2
Buy 1 Get 1 Free Tresemme shampoo or conditioner cpn- 01/27 RP

Axe body spray, deodorant, shower gel, shampoo or conditioner- $13/3 and get $4 ECB
Buy 2 Get 1 Free Axe shower gel or shower tool cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Axe deodorant or bodyspray cpn- 01/27 RP

Colgate Total Advanced, Optic White, Total Whitening or Sensitive- $2.99 and get $1 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate Total, Optic White, Max Fresh or Sensitive toothpaste cpn- 01/20 SS
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS

Revlon Luxurious ColorSilk Buttercream color- $4.99
$1 Revlon hair color cpn- 01/27 SS
$1/2 Revlon hair color cpn- 01/20 SS

Loreal Excellence cream color- $6.99
$2 Loreal Execellence cpn- 01/27 RP
$2 Loreal hair color cpn- 01/06 RP

ZZZQuil- $4.99 and get $1 ECB
$1 ZZZQuil cpn- 01/27 P&G

Buy 2 of the following and get $4 ECB:
Robitussin or Dimetapp- $6.99
$1 Dimetapp, Robitussin, Advil congestion or allergy and congestion cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Dimetapp childrens cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Dimetapp childrens cpn- 12/09 RP
Advil or PM- $4.99
$1 Advil/Thermacare, Advil, Advil PM, kids, infants or Thermacare cpn- 01/27 RP
$1 Advil or Migrane cpn- 12/09 RP
Centrum Silver, adult, kids, flavor burst chews or Caltrate- $6.99
$1 Centrum, Flavorburst, specialist, silver or Caltrate cpn- 01/27 RP
$3 Centrum or Silver cpn- 01/06 RP
$2 Centrum Flavorburst cpn- 01/06 RP
$2 Caltrate cpn- 01/06 RP
Thermacare- $4.99
$1 Advil/Thermacare, Advil, Advil PM, kids, infants or Thermacare cpn- 01/27 RP
$2 Thermacare 2ct+ cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Thermacare 12ct+ cpn- 10/28/ RP
Childrens Advil- $4.99
$1 Advil/Thermacare, Advil, Advil PM, kids, infants or Thermacare cpn- 01/27 RP

Pepto Bismol- $11/2 and get $2 ECB- Limit 3
$0.50 Pepto Bismol cpn- 01/27 P&G

Buy Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor AND refill and get $5 ECB
$5 Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor when you buy refill or disposable cpn- 12/30 P&G
$10 Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor when you buy refill or disposable cpn- 12/02 RP

M&M's- $12/4 and get $4 ECB
$1.50/2 M&M's cpn- 01/27 RP


**This is not the entire CVS ECB or sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming CVS ad.**

My Shopping Day~ 01/21/2013

The boys were out of school for the holiday.  Chris was more than willing to come shopping with me.  Which is weird, he never wants to go shopping with me.  Got to love those cranky teenage years:)  I later found out that Chris loves going to Sam's Club with me- not for the shopping part or any mother son bonding time but for the free food samples:)  And the fact that he had a Subway gift card burning a hole in his wallet.

Here are our shopping trip details for this week:

CVS
$2.99- Speed Stick deodorant
$2.99- Speed Stick deodorant
$3.00- Irish Spring bodywash
$3.00- Irish Spring bar soap
$11.98
-1.00 Speed Stick cpn- 01/20 SS
-1.00 Speed Stick cpn- 01/20 SS
-1.00 Irish Spring bodywash cpn- 01/20 SS
-1.00 Irish Spring bar soap cpn- 01/20 SS
-6.00 ECB
$2.58 Total after tax and coupons and got back $6 ECB

Walgreens
$1.49- Cracker Jack'D
$2.99- NoGii bar
$4.48
-1.00 RR
-1.00 RR
$2.67 Total and got back $4.50 in RR's

Kroger
$2.49- Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal cookies
$2.49- Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal cookies
$1.59- Muellers hidden veggie spaghetti noodles
$0.88- Softsoap hand soap
$7.45
-2.49- Quaker cookie cpn loaded on my card
-0.75- Mueller hidden veggie pasta cpn loaded on my card
$4.41 Total after tax

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Magic Eraser
$1.00- Shampoo
$1.00- Tissue
$1.00- Steel wool
$4.20 Total after tax

Sam's Club
$7.92- Tortilla Chips
$5.32- Coffee creamer
$6.15- Apples
$19.87 Total after tax

Walmart
$0.98- Frozen green beans
$1.23- Bananas
$13.95- (5) gallons skim milk
$1.98- Grape jam
$2.98- Mouthwash
$3.58- Olive oil mayo
$1.00- Light bulbs
$1.24- Crackers
$3.00- Cat hair ball treats
$1.48- Butter
$32.23 Total after tax

Martins
$2.48- (4) loaves markdown bread
-1.24 Refund
$1.24 total for 4 loaves of bread:)
I paid for my bread and was picking up the bags when I noticed 2 loaves of the bread I had just purchased looked like some thing had taken a bite out of it. Nasty.  I went straight to customer service, the ladies there were so nice and told me to go and get 2 loaves of fresh bread to replace the 2 loaves of markdown bread that something had gotten into.  When I got the bread and went back up to customer service, the nice lady informed me that she was going to give me the 1 loaf of bread for the 2 markdown loaves and she was going to refund the other bread.  She then explained to me that Martins has a Double Money Back Guarantee on most of their items and then she gave me $1.24 cash back.  I was shocked and happy:)  4 loaves of bread for $1.24- not bad at all.


This shopping trip has been added to our January Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of January.

My Declutter Goal for the week of 01/21/2013

Most of you are anxiously awaiting the pictures of our brand spanking new counters.  Wellllll, so are we:) 

You could blame it on the snow storm we got but that is not the entire reason we don't have our fabulous counters put in.  The guy I have coming out to do the work got really sick with some nasty icky virus early last week.  I told him to please keep his virus in his neck of the woods and that we did not want anything to do with it:)

I am happy to report that as of yesterday, he called to let me know that he is feeling 110% better.  Unfortunately, he is booked for the rest of January.  No biggie.  I didn't exactly get everything on my declutter/cleaning goal from last week anyhow.

Many thanks to the lovely snow storm that knocked out our power on my birthday no less:)  We had no power and no heat.  We bundled up in layers of clothes to keep warm.  We buried some of our refrigerator contents in the snow until my hubby could get home and start up the generator to keep the refrigerator going. 

I was bound and determined to the make the best of the situation.  It was my birthday and I wasn't going to feel sorry we didn't have any power.  We had fun playing board and card games.  I am all played out of Monopoly.  I guess I never realized how many different Monopoly games Kevin owns.

So, this week, we are going to finish our living room declutter/clean project since this week is going to be a short one for us- we are taking a homeschool field trip to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach.  Here are my decluttering and cleaning goals for this week for our living room:

1)  Clear all clothes off couch

2)  Clean off coffee table

3) Clear off table behind couch

4)  Scrub living room walls

5)  Clean living room windows

6)  Scrub front door and clean glass door

7)  Measure trim around glass window in living room

8)  Clean off desk

9)  Vacuum living room floor and sweep and mop living room tile

10)  Move couches, clean underneath and vacuum

My hopes is that when the weather warms up, we will open the windows and paint the living room.  We need to replace the trim around the glass window in the living room and to hang our new family pictures.

If you have a room in your house you want to get under control~make a plan to get it done this week. Make a list of what you need to accomplish for 1 room.  Use what available times and days you have to get the list of your projects done.  I will update later this week and show you the progress we have made in our living room:)

Menu Plan for the week of 01/21/2013

I am curious what this week will bring:)  There are reports of more snow for our area later this week.  We shall wait and see.

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal with apples X2
Pancakes X2
Cinnamon Sugar Scones
Banana Bread muffins X2

Lunch
Sandwich, popcorn and banana

Dinner
Lentil sausage soup
Broccoli rice Parm Cheese dish
Spaghetti with green beans and homemade rolls
Taco bean rice with green beans
Pancakes with Fruit
Lentil burgers, potato wedges and Fruit
Chicken Pot Pie

Snacks
Apple with Homemade Peanut Butter
Carrot sticks
Popcorn
Banana Bread muffins
Kettle Corn

Desserts- we hope to make this week
Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge
Sugar Cookies

What kind of yummy treats do you have on your menu plan this week?

Our 1st Family Fun Day of the New Year:)

With 4 boys and a hubby that travels for work, I seem to be pulled in about 15 different directions most of the time.  Between school functions, homeschool events, story time, library events and everything else we have going on here, time together as a family never seems to happen.  Not to mention the gaming systems, I hardly see Chris anymore.  He comes home from school and goes straight to his room to chat with his friends on his PSP.

I felt like we really needed some time to connect as a family.  So, we decided to have a No Electronics Family Fun Saturday at least once per month.

This past Saturday, our day started off at Lowes attending their Build and Grow event.  We then came home to pack our picnic lunches and head off to High Bridge Trail State Park~we had never been to this park before.  It was an adventure trying to find the parking lot we wanted to park at as the website didn't have a specific addresses to their lots.  Luckily, Michael has worked that area and recognized the road we needed to be on.

We got to High Bridge State Park safely, ate our lunch and ventured out to explore.  Here are some pictures of our family fun:

Nathan making sure to turn this into a learning trip:)

Original wagon bridge

Chris looking over the side

Kevin not sure he is liking how high up he is

Michael checking everything out

View of the Appomattox River below the bridge

The High Bridge:)

All in all, I must say that our first family fun day of the year was a big hit.  We walked a lot, talked, learned all kinds of neat things and had fun.  The boys didn't even miss their electronics while they were there:)

We are going to definitely make this a regular event.

My Declutter Goal for this week

It has finally stopped raining and now they are calling for snow.  Chris is hoping for a nice snowfall and school closing.  Nathan loves school so he is hoping for snow to play in but not school closing.  Poor Kevin wants snow but for him school never closes- got to love homeschool:) 

And to make matters more interesting, I finally lined up a date to get my kitchen counter replaced- WOOHOO:)  With the holidays and our original counter not cut correctly, the installation got pushed further and further.  The guy coming out to install the counter finally has an opening in his schedule- this Saturday.  While I am excited about finally getting my new counter out of my bedroom and actually on my counter, I don't have much notice to get my house in order.  My living room is not cluttered so much as it is messy.

Why is it that every time we travel, it looks like a clothing factory exploded in our living room?  I wash all the clothes in all the clothes hampers and then they get placed on the couch so that we can pack what we need.  Unfortunately, the clean clothes we are not packing never make it to their original destination before we leave.  I can only imagine what my mother in law is saying when she comes over to feed our cat and sees the chaos in our living room:)

So, lets see what we can get done before Saturday morning.  Here is our decluttering goal for this week:

1)  Put away all clothes on couch~ got this done

2)  Clean off table behind couch and go through the boxes from my dad~ got this done and have box ready to go to Goodwill

3)  Clear off coffee table

4)  Get toys under control~ got this done

5)  Clean off my computer desk

6)  Get everything out of kitchen

7)  Move kitchen table

I was able to get some of my list completed today~ yea:)  If you have a room in your house you want to get under control~ go for it.  Make a list of what you need to accomplish for 1 room.  Use tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday or whatever days you have available to get your list completed.

I will let you all know next week how our kitchen counter project goes and hopefully will have pictures of our nice new kitchen counter:)

My Shopping Day~ 01/14/2013

How is the weather were you live?  It has been raining here since yesterday and will continue through tomorrow.  We desperately need the rain though.  My poor front yard looks like a small lake:)  I love the sound of raining pitter pattering on the roof- it is so peaceful and calming. 

We got our rain coats on, loaded up the van and went grocery shopping.

Here is what we got from the stores:

Martins
$3.76- (2) bags of potatoes
$0.62- Reduced bread
$0.62- Reduced bread
$5.09- Total after tax

Dollar Tree
$4.00- (4) boxes Heft sandwich zip bags
$4.20
-1/2 Hefty slider bags cpn- 01/06 RP
-1/2 Hefty slider bags cpn- 01/06 RP
$2.20- Total after tax and coupons

Walgreens
$1.00- Lipton tea
$0.69- Walgreens gummy worms
$0.69- Walgreens sour gummy worms
$2.00- Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper
$4.38
-1.50 RR
-0.67- Walgreens rebate card
$2.37- Total after tax and got $1 RR and 100 bonus points

Kroger
$0.88- Suave shampoo
$0.88- Sauve shampoo
$1.76
-0.50- Suave cpn- Jan All You magazine
-0.50- Double cpn
$0.82- Total after tax

Sam's Club
$3.67- Vinegar

CVS #1
$5.99- Almay eye liner- only had 1 eye liner left
$5.99
-2 ECB
$4.29 Total after tax and got $3 ECB

CVS #2
$5.99- Almay eye liner
$5.99- Almay eye liner
$1.00- Austin PB crackers
$12.98
-6 ECB
-6 ECB
$1.31 Total and got $6 ECB

Walmart
$13.95- (5) gallons skim milk
$1.41- Bananas
$0.97- Paper towels
$1.28- Hot chocolate mix
$7.98- Millstone coffee
$25.59
-5 Millstone coffee cpn
$21.26- Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our January Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of January.

Menu plan for the week of 01/14/2013

How was your weekend?  We had a great weekend~ we spent Saturday with no electronics- will let you all know how that went later this week:)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Yogurt with oats and raisins X2
Baked Oatmeal X2
Banana muffins X2
Cheerios (special thanks to my dad's girlfriend)

Lunch
Sandwich, popcorn and banana

Dinner
Brocolli and rice dish
Chicken Alfredo with green beans
Spaghetti with homemade rolls and corn
Taco beans and rice served with tortilla chips and corn
Sausage gravy served over biscuits and scrambled eggs and fruit
Lentil burgers, potato wedges and fruit
Grilled cheese and fruit

Snacks
Apple slices with PB
Carrot slices
Popcorn

What kind of yummy things do you have on menu for this week?

Walgreens deals for the week of 01/13/2013

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufactur's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufactur's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 Manufactur's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) Cannot use RR printed from item to pay for same item and get RR's again~
For example- If you were to purchase Colgate for $3 and get $3 RR, if you purchase the Colgate again and use the RR's earned from the 1st Colgate purchase you will not earn the RR's again

Walgreens has rolled out a new program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this new program.

Nice hard, gummy or chewy candy- $0.69 or Nice chocolate- $0.99~ Buy 2 and get 100 points

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh shaved meats or Kraft Singles- $6/2- Buy 2 and get 1000 points
$1/2 Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh lunchmeat cpn- 01/06 SS

Wrigleys 15pc or 14pc Mentos Up 2 U- $2/3- Buy 3 and get 100 points

Lindsay Olives- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Russell Stover Valentine candy- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Mentos- $2/63- Buy 3 and get 250 points

Puffs or Kleenex- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.25/3 Puffs single cpn- 12/30 P&G
.
Nice dishwashing liquid- $4/1 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Sunny Smile plates- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Nice trash bags- $4.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 2

Spend $10 and get 1500 points on the following:
Nie bleach- $1
Nice laundry detergent- $4
Nice glass cleaner- $2
Nice toilet cleaner- $1

Nice freezer or storage bags- $1.99

Tresemme- Buy 1 and get 1 for 50% off- Buy 2 and get 1000 points

Vidal Sassoon- $4.99- Buy 2 and get 1000 points

Garnier Nutrisse oir Easy Foam- $5.99- Spend $15 and get 4000 points
$2 Garnier Nutrisse Color Foam cpn- 01/13 RP
$2 Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme cpn- 12/09 RP

Dove or Degree- $1.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Colgate Total, Advanced toothpaste, Max White, Fresh or Clean toothpaste, Max White or Fresh toothpaste- $2.99 and get 1500 points
$0.75 Colgate manual toothbrush cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS

Colgate Optic White or Total Advanced toothpaste, Pro Relief mouthwash , 360 Optic or surrround toothbrush- $7/2- Buy 2 and get 2500 points
$0.75 Colgate manual toothbrush cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS

Crest 3D White, ProHealth toothpaste, ProHealth mouthwash, Oral B ProHealth toothbrush or Glide 3D White floss picks- $2.99- Buy 3 and get 4000 points
$1.50 Crest rinse cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Oral B Glide floss or floss picks cpn- 12/30 P&G

Walgreens sleep pants, premium diapers, training pants or wipes- $10/2

High T Testosterone- $10 and get $10 RR

Carmex or Halls- $3/2
$0.75 Carmex Plus cpn- 12/02 SS
$0.55 Carmex cpn- 12/02 SS

Estroven- $10 and get $10 RR

Mangodrin Extreme Weight Loss supplement- $10 and get $10 RR

Lipton tea- $1 and get $1 RR

**This is not the entire Walgreens Register Rewards (RR) or Balance Reward Points sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming Walgreens ad.**

CVS deals for the week of 01/13/2013

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

Dawn- $0.99~ Part of the spend $30 and get $10 CVSCash card promotion
$0.25 Dawn cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Dawn hand renewal, power clean, bleach alternative or Oxi cpn- 12/30 P&G

Valentine M&M's, Dove chocolate minis or hearts, Snickers fun size or Mars chocolate minis- $12/4 and get $4 ECB

Buy 3 Hallmark cards $1.99+ and get $3 ECB

Renuzit adjustable- $0.88

Almay Intense i-Color shadow, liner or mascara- $5.99 and get $3 ECB- Limit 6

Spend $10 on the following and get $3 ECB:
Dial, Tone bar or Dial complete- $2
$1/3 Dial hand soap, liquid or foaming or bar 3pk+ cpn- 01/13 RP
Right Guard, Dry Idea deodorant or Total 5 bodywash- $3
Dial, Tone bar or Dial bodywash- $4
$1/3 Dial hand soap, liquid or foaming or bar 3pk+ cpn- 01/13 RP
$1/2 Dial bodywash cpn- 01/13RP
Dial Nutriskin- $5
$1 Dial lotion cpn- 01/13 RP

Buy 2 Curel or Jergens and get $6 ECB
$1 Jergens 4oz+ cpn- 01/13 SS

Spend $12 and get $4 ECB on the following:
Suave Keritin, Maroccan, mask. almond/shea butter or Men's shampoo or conditioner- $6/2
Suave Professionals, Natural, kids, Men's or Stylers- $5/3
Suave bodywash- $4/2

Buy Gillette Fusion ProGlide or Venus razor and get $5 ECB
$3/2 Venus razor AND refill cpn- 01/06 RP
$5/2 Venus razor AND refill cpn- 12/30 P&G

U by Kotex- $3.99~ Part of the spend $30 and get $10 CVSCash card promotion
$1 U by Kotex tampons cpn- 01/13 SS
$1 U by Kotex liners cpn- 01/13 SS
$1 U by Kotex pads cpn- 01/13 SS

Spend $10 on Crest 3D White paste, rinse or brush and get $5 ECB- Limit 2
$1.50 Crest rinse cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/30 P&G

**This is not the entire CVS ECB or sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming CVS ad.**

Our 2013 Monthly Projects

Here are the list of projects we hope to accomplish in 2013:

January- Make homemade taco seasoning

February- Make kettle corn

March- Make homemade bread

April- Make salad dressing

May- Make Apple Dump Cake

June- Make marshmallows

July- Make body wash

August- Make cake balls

September- Make cake in a jar

October- Make yogurt and pudding popsicles

November- Make dry laundry detergent

December- Make pita bread

Let's see how many of these we can get done this year:)  What kind of projects do you hope to accomplish this year?

Our 2013 Goals

We have decided as a family that our 2013 goals are much the same as our 2012 goals.  The reason being~ we spent a lot of time making goals and promises but never living up to them.  We have decided- no more excuses~ 2013 is going to be a year of doing not just promising:)  Come along and see how much we accomplish this year.

Here are our 2013 Goals: (in no particular order)

1) To not eat out or at least to not pay out of pocket, with the exception of tips. If we want to treat the family to a meal out, we will make sure we have a gift card to cover all of us.

2) Pay off 2 credit cards

3) Not to use any of our credit cards for 2013. To pay cash for everything.

4) To lower our grocery budget. Our current grocery budget is $300 month for our family of 6. Our goal is to lower that amount and to save the remainder.

5) To create a monthly meal plan for our family, to use leftovers more efficiently and to make use of everything in our pantry and freezer.

6) Unclutter the house and become more organized:)

7) Lose weight- I need to get motivated to lose this baby weight- my goal is to lose 20 lbs this year.

8) Morning devotions, prayer time and more bible reading

9) Monthly date night with hubby- whether we go out or stay at home, pop popcorn and rent a movie

10) To spend quality family time together. With everyones schedule and us running all over creation, I would love to spend more quality time together- no tv- us playing games, talking, enjoying each others company.  I think we are going to claim Saturday's as family fun day:)

11) Not to use our dryer to save on electricity and lower our electricity bill

12) To make a better effort to blog more regularly and to make a blogging schedule

13) To make much needed house repairs

14) To get rid of the car just sitting in our driveway (hopefully we can sell it and make a little something) and being used as storage.

15) To do 1 project a month and blog about it

What goals do you have for 2013? I would love to hear them:)

Lowes Build & Grow Clinic~ 01/12/2013

Lowes will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on January 12, 2013 at 10am.

If you are looking for a great free activity that you can do with your kids- you should check out the Lowes Build & Grow Clinics. Little Michael and Nathan love them. They love being able to do hands on projects with our help.

This Saturday, Lowes Build and Grow Clinic will be building ???? 

No one knows what we will be building on Saturday- it is a Mystery Kit.  The boys are excited not knowing what exciting project they will be building:)

 

To sign up for this Build & Grow Clinic, simply go to the Lowes Build & Grow Clinic website, which they have redone to make it more user friendly. I am loving this new website. You register all your information. Then when you visit the website to sign up for an upcoming clinic, all you have to do is sign in and check which kids you are signing up. Don't forget to print and sign the waiver. And you and your child(ren) are ready for a really cool FREE hands on project.

Once you and your child(ren) complete the project they will receive a neat patch to put on their Lowes Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowes Build & Grow apron and goggles:) The more clinics you do, the more patches you get to put on your kids apron and they can show them off with pride:)

**Hot CVS freebies**

I was looking for something on the CVS website and noticed the following freebies:

You can request 4 samples of Airborne- my mother in law loves Airborne and was taking it religiously during our visit:)  Go here to fill out the super easy form and request your free Airborne samples.

CVS Freebies in the store:

You can print out a coupon for a FREE trial size bottle of Clear Scalp and Hair Beauty Therapy Total Care Nourishing Shampoo.  Go here to print our your coupon to take to CVS and get your free trial size bottle of this shampoo.

Also don't forget to use your Buy 1 Get 1 Free Stayfree coupon found in 01/06 Smart Source insert to get 2 Stayfree products free:)  Stayfree products are already on sale for Buy 1 Get 1 Free- pair it with the Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon from this 01/06/2013 coupon insert and you get 2 Stayfree products for FREE:)  You pay tax.  You can find CVS's coupon policy here.  I printed it out and take it with me when I go to CVS just in case I run into any problems.  I have yet to even need to take it out.

Good 'n Natural bars currently on sale for $0.99.  If you were lucky enough to get the FREE Good 'n Natural coupon in the 01/06 RP coupon insert, then you can use that coupon to score a FREE Good 'n Natural bar.  Even if your CVS is out of them, this coupon doesn't expire until 02/17/2013- hold onto it and use it when your CVS restocks:)

Neosporin Essentials Trial Pack- $12 and get $12 back when you submit the mail in rebate.

Bayer A1C Now, Contour, Contour USB or Contour Next EZ Blood Glucose system- $9.99 and get 9.99 ECB

Culturelle Probiotic 30ct- $10 and get $10 ECB

My Shopping Day~ 01/07/2013

Going grocery shopping is always an adventure but pair it with being super exhausted and it becomes so much more interesting:)  Here are the details of our shopping adventures from yesterday:

CVS
$6.99- Stayfree- oops got the wrong size
$0.00- Stayfree- B1G1Free
$1.99- Mitchum
$8.89
-4.49- BOGO Stayfree cpn
-1.00- Mitchum cpn
$3.94 total after tax but I was very suprised with a $6 Fall Spending ECB:)

CVS #2
$4.19- Stayfree
$0.00- Stayfree B1G1Free
$2.49- Clear shampoo
$6.68
-2.49- Clear shampoo printable cpn
-4.49- BOGO Stayfree cpn
$0.03 Total after tax- my total was -0.30

Walgreens
$1.49- Cracker Jack D
$0.00 out of pocket- paid with Walgreens rebate card and got back $1.50 RR

Walmart
8.67- (3) gallons skim milk
$3.96- Brocolli
$1.28- Bologna
$2.00- Shred cheese
$2.82- Spaghetti sauce
$3.00- (3) boxes whole wheat spaghetti
$0.62- Bananas
$1.76- Lentils
$2.32- Lunchmeat
$1.00- Calculator for my coupon binder
$2.36- Bread
$31.84- Total after tax

Sam's Club
$3.22- Tomatoes
$9.67- PB
$4.49- Sugar
$1.78- Drinks for Kevin and I- needed some sugar:)
$19.68 Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our January Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of January.

Menu Plan for the week of 01/07/2013

Well this was supposed to be posted last night- but things didn't quite go as planned yesterday.  Little munchkin Michael decided that at 4:30am Monday morning, it was time to rise and shine and start the day.  Let's just say that between grocery shopping, homeschooling and taking the Christmas tree down etc, I was super exhausted.  So, here you go a day late- our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Oatmeal with raisins X2
Pumpkin muffins X2
Pancakes
Homemade Yogurt with oats and honey
Scrambled eggs, sausage and toast

Lunch
Sandwich, banana and popcorn

Dinner
Chicken & rice with corn
3 Cheese Chicken Garlic pasta with green beans
Taco bean rice with corn
Pancakes with homemade syrup
Chicken Noodle soup
Spaghetti with green beans and rolls
Broccoli cheesy rice

Snacks
Apple slices with PB
Carrots
Popcorn

What kind of yummy things do you have on your menu plan for this week?  Post below and let me know~ I would love to read all about it:)

Walgreens deals for the week of 01/06/2013

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufactur's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufactur's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 Manufactur's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) Cannot use RR printed from item to pay for same item and get RR's again~
For example- If you were to purchase Colgate for $3 and get $3 RR, if you purchase the Colgate again and use the RR's earned from the 1st Colgate purchase you will not earn the RR's again

Walgreens has rolled out a new program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this new program.

Purex laundry detergent- $2.99
$1 Purex cpn- 01/06 RP

Nice food storage- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Nice honey- $1.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice Sugar or Flour- $2.19 with in ad cpn- Limit 4- Buy 2 and get 500 points

Trident- $3/3
$1/3 Trident cpn- 01/06 SS

Cracker Jack D- $1.49 and get $1.49 RR

Nestle candy- $1/2- Buy 4 and get 500 points

Hefty trashbags- $5.99
$1 Hefty waste bag cpn- 01/06 RP

One a Day- $6.99
$2 One a Day cpn- 01/06 SS
$5/2 Aleve, One a Day, Flintstones, Citracal, Vanquish or Bayer cpn- 01/06 SS

Boiglan kids smart- $7 and get $7 RR

Bausch & Lomb Ocuvite vitamins and supplements- $9.99
$5 Bausch & Lomb Ocuvite cpn- 01/06 SS
$3 Bausch & Lomb Ocuvite cpn- 11/11 SS

Alka Seltzer Plus- $4.99- Buy 2 and get 3000 points
$2 Alka Seltzer cpn- 01/06 SS
$2 Alka Seltzer Plus Cold cpn- 12/02 RP
$1 Alka Seltzer cpn- 12/02 RP

Aleve- $7.99- Buy 2 and get 3000 points
$2 Aleve cpn- 01/06 SS
$5/2 Aleve 40ct+ cpn- 12/02 RP
$2 Aleve 40ct+ cpn- 12/02 RP

Blistex- $1.59 each or $3/3

Neosporin Essentials trial pack- $12.99 - $12.99 Mail in Rebate
$2 Neosporin Essentials cpn- 01/06 SS

Listerine- $3.99
$1 Listerine Regular, Ultra Clean, Zero, Total Care or Flouride Defense cpn- 01/06 SS

Visine- $3.99
B1G1Free Visine cpn- 01/06 SS

Stayfree- $3.99
B1GFree Stayfree cpn- 01/06 SS

Colgate Optic White toothpaste, mouthwash or 360 clean toothbrush- $2.99- Buy 2 and get 2000 points or Buy 1 and get 750 points
$1 Colgate Optic White mouthwash cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate manual toothbrush cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS

Aquafresh Advanced or Extreme Clean toothpaste- $1.99
$1 Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste cpn- 01/06 RP

Speed Stick- $5/2 - Buy 2 and get 2000 points

Mitchum- $1.99
$1 Mitchum cpn- 01/06 SS

Nivea lip- $5/2
$3/2 Nivea lip cpn- 01/06 RP

Zest bodywash or bar- $1.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Lubriderm- $5.99
$2 Lubriderm cpn- 01/06 SS

Goody Ouchless Elastic- $2.99 and get $2 RR
$0.50 Goody Ouchless Elastic cpn- 01/06 SS

Special K cereal, bar, Cracker crisp or General Mills cereal- $7/3
$1/2 Kellogg's cereal cpn- 12/09 RP
$1/3 General Mills Big G cereals cpn- 01/06 SS
$1/2 General Mills cereal cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cpn- 12/09 SS

**This is not the entire Walgreens Register Rewards (RR) or Balance Reward Points sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming Walgreens ad.**

CVS deals for the week of 01/06/2013

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

Good 'n Natural energy bar- $0.99
FREE Good 'n Natural bar cpn- 01/06 RP

Pure Protein single bars- $4/3
$1/2 Pure Protein bars cpn- 01/06 RP

Met Rx single bars- $5/3
$2/2 Met Rx bars cpn- 01/06 RP

Buy 2 Robitussin or Dimetapp and get $3 ECB- Limit 5
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Dimetapp kids cpn- 01/06 RP
$1 Dimetapp kids cpn- 12/09 RP

Buy 2 Coricidin HBP or Afrin and get $3 ECB- Limit 5
$2 Corcidin HBp cpn- 12/02 RP
$2 Afrin nasal spray cpn- 01/06 SS

Ricola- $3/2
$1/2 Ricola cpn- 01/06 SS

Boost- $6.99 and get $1 ECB

Culterelle Probiotic- $10 and get $10 ECB

Bayer A1C Now, Contour, Contour USB or Contour Next EZ- $9.99 and get $9.99 ECB

Buy Pampers diapers- $9.49 AND Pampers Wipes- $5.99 and get $3 ECB
$2/2 Pampers diapers cpn- 12/30 P&G
$0.50 Pampers wipes cpn- 12/30 P&G

Mitchum- $1.99
$1 Mitchum cpn- 01/06 SS

Polident or Poligrip- $4.79 and get $1 ECB - Limit 2

Toms of Maine deodorant or toothpaste- $6/2 and get $3 ECB- Limit 2

Stayfree- B1G1Free
Stayfree B1G1Free cpn- 01/06 SS

Lubriderm- $6.99- Part of the spend $30 and get $10 ECB deal
$2 Lubriderm cpn- 01/06 SS

Carefree liners- $2.49- Part of the spend $30 and get $10 ECB deal
$0.50 Carefree liner cpn- 01/06 SS

Clean and Clear facial or wipes- $4.99- Part of the spend $30 and get $10 ECB deal
$1 Clean and Clear cpn- 01/06 SS

Bengay- $5.49 and get $2 ECB
$2 Bengay cpn- 01/06 SS

Softsoap hand soap, bodywash, Irish Spring bodywash or bar- $3

Nivea bodywash or scrub- $4

Nivea lip- $5/2
$3/2 Nivea lip cpn- 01/06 RP

Revlon Nearly Naked makeup, Color Stay lip or Photo Ready BB Cream- $6.99 and get $2 ECB- Limit 6

Revlon nail- $5.49 and get $2 ECB- Limit 5

Trident gum- $3/3
$1/3 Trident cpn- 01/06 SS

Kellogg's Special K cereal or bars- $5/2 and get $1 ECB- Limit 5
$1/2 Kellogg's cereal cpn- 12/09 RP

Orbit gum- $3/3

Listerine Ultra Clean, Total Care or Advanced mouthwash- $3.99
$1 Listerine Regular, Ultra Clean, Zero, Total Care or Flouride Defense cpn- 01/06 SS
$2 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Kleenex- $0.99
$0.30/3 Kleenex cpn- 12/02 SS

Colgate Total, MaxFresh, MaxClean, 2in1 or single manual toothbrush- $5.98/2 and get 3 ECB- Limit 5
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 01/06 SS
$0.75 Colgate manual toothbrush cpn- 01/06 SS

General Mills cereal- $10/3 and get 3 ECB
$1/3 General Mills Big G cereals cpn- 01/06 SS
$1/2 General Mills cereal cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cpn- 12/09 SS

**This is not the entire CVS ECB or sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming CVS ad.**

January 2013 Monthly Spending

Here is where I will keep a list of our spending for the month of January.  We are going to attempt to have a $300 grocery budget. This is for everything for our family of 6 and 2 pets. We did well last month and spent around $287:)  Let's see how we do this month:

01/02/2013
$28.38- Sam's Club
$20.67- Walmart
$9.38- Dollar Tree

01/07/2013
$3.94- CVS and got back $6 ECB
$0.03- CVS #2
$0.00- Walgreens and got back $1.50 RR
$31.84- Walmart
$19.68- Sam's Club

01/14/2013
$0.82- Kroger
$2.20- Dollar Tree
$2.37- Walgreens and got $1 RR and 100 Bonus Points
$3.67- Sam's Club
$5.09- Martins
$5.60- CVS and got back $9 ECB's
$21.26- Walmart

01/21/2013
$2.58- CVS and back $6 ECB
$2.67- Walgreens and got back $4.50 RR's
$4.41- Kroger
$4.20- Dollar Tree
$19.87- Sam's Club
$32.23- Walmart
$1.24- Martins

01/28/2013
$19.84- Walmart
$9.62- Sam's Club
$2.58- Kroger
$1.86- Martins

$256.03- Total for January 2013

I think we did really well this month for staying below $300:)  I can't wait to see how we do next month.

My Shopping Day~ 01/02/2012

Yesterday seemed like a Monday for the entire day.  Probably because I was out doing our weekly grocery shopping since we had been gone from Christmas until New Years Day. 

Here are our shopping trip details:

Sam's Club
$6.92- Capri Sun
$2.98- Carrots
$4.59- Eggs
$5.22- Coffee Creamer
$7.98- Oatmeal
$28.38- Total after tax

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Gallon zip bags
$4.00- (4) pkgs toilet paper
$1.00- 2013 wall calendar- oops just realized I didn't have a 2013 calendar
$1.00- 9V batteries
$1.00- Cotton balls
$1.00- Sunbeam bread
$9.38- Total after tax

Walmart
$11.56- (4) gallons skim milk
$2.32- Lunchmeat
$0.94- Spaghetti sauce
$1.38- Kidney beans
$1.03- Bananas
$1.00- Glitter
$1.87- Super Glue
$20.67- Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our January Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of January.

Menu Plan for the week of 12/31/2012

We hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and a safe and happy New Year:)  We had a blast visiting family in both Virginia and North Carolina.  We ate, enjoyed each other's company, ate some more......  We had fun and stayed up way too late.  As much as we enjoyed seeing and visiting with everyone, we are glad to be back home. Now, we need to get back into the swing of things.

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Breakfast with the inlaws Monday and Tuesday
Banana Bread
Pumpkin muffins X2
Baked Oatmeal X2

Lunch
Lunch with the inlaws Monday and Tuesday
Sandwich, chips and banana

Dinner
Dinner with the inlaws Monday
Chicken Noodle Soup with grilled cheese
Chocolate Chip pancakes and fruit
Chili over cornbread
Chicken Alfredo with green beans and rolls
Chicken Potpie
3 Cheese Chicken Garlic Pasta with green beans

Snacks and desserts
Marshmallows and other sweets sent home with us from NC
Carrot sticks
Apple Slices
Popcorn

How was your Christmas and New Year festivities?  I would love to hear about them:)