FREE Aveeno products at CVS!

There's a great deal on Aveeno products at CVS this week:

Buy $25 of Aveeno Products – starting at $6.49 each
Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1)
Buy four Aveeno products – $6.49 each
Use four $1.50/1 printable coupons
Submit for $10 mail-in rebate
FREE after ECBs, coupons, and rebate

Check out The Thrifty Mama for more deals at CVS this week!

Swagbucks Update!

Don't miss out on the opportunity to get free gift cards; do your internet searches via Swagbucks! Right now, 450 Swag Bucks can get you a $5.00 Amazon.com gift card! Other gift card options include Target and Starbucks.

New to Swagbucks? Read more here, and then click here to sign up and start earning prizes!

I'm getting ready to place another order for FREE books!

Also keep in mind that Friday is Mega Swag Buck Day; you can earn extra Swag Bucks when you do your regular web searches via Swagbucks.

Here are other ideas for earning Swag Bucks:

• Download the Swagbucks toolbar! You can search more easily and be automatically rewarded with an extra Swag Buck here and there. You'll have opportunity to receive special codes as well.
• Click on the Surveys tab on the Swagbucks site and answer the survey questions.
• Click on the Special Offers tab; at the end of the offers you will receive bonus Swag Bucks just for viewing those offers.
• Click on the Polls tab to answer a quick question and earn a Swag Buck.
• Get 50 bonus Swag Bucks on your birthday! Go to Account Details and enter your birthdate. The 50 bonus Swag Bucks will post to your account on your special day!

Click here to sign up and start earning points for prizes! You can learn more about how you can earn free books and lunches (like I have done) by clicking here.

Huggies Diaper & Wipes Deal at Target!

So glad I didn't start getting rid of my stash of bargain-acquired diapers! I'm now back to stock-piling 'em – looking forward to October!

Here's a great diaper and wipes deal, currently going on at Target:
(Thanks, MoneySavingMom!)

Buy one Jumbo Pack of Huggies Diapers – $8.99 each
* Buy one (320-count) Box of Huggies Wipes – $8.99 each
Use $3.00/1 Huggies Diapers printable coupon
Use $2.00/1 Huggies Wipes printable coupon
Stack with $3.50/2 Huggies Diapers & Wipes Target coupon
Pay $4.74 each after coupons (before tax)

* Since the Target I went to did not have 320-count boxes of wipes, I was allowed to substitute the 216-count bag ($5.99 each) and get an even better deal!

Eating from the Pantry: Again!

Well, we’re back – and back to Eating from the Pantry, trying to stretch our bucks and see how long we can make the stock pile (and creativity!) last… Other than spending about $9.00 at Aldi for milk, eggs, and fresh fruits and vegetables when we returned, we’ve been eating from the cupboards and freezer. (The fridge was basically empty when we got home, and the cereal stash in this picture has basically been depleted.)

Here’s the menu for last weekend and this week:

June 12 thru 20

Breakfasts:
Oatmeal (with ground flax seed, honey, and milk)
Homemade Apple Cider
Cereal
Scrambled or Fried Eggs, Toasted Sweet Butter Bread or Honey Oatmeal Bread
(Check out the new and improved recipe for the Honey Oatmeal Bread!)

Lunches:
Sat & Sun: Lunch with extended family…
M: Whole Grain Spaghetti with Meatball Sauce, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Cantaloupe
T: Lunch with friends…
W: Whole Grain Spaghetti with Meatball Sauce, Tomatoes
Th: Egg Salad Sandwiches, Bananas
F: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Cantaloupe, Mandarin Oranges
Sat & Sun: Leftovers

Suppers:
Sat: Leftover Pizza (from our trip), Cantaloupe
Sun: Snacks
M: Late lunch doubled as supper…
T: Late lunch doubled as supper, with a Cantaloupe Snack before bed
W: Late lunch doubled as supper, with a Cantaloupe and Cookie Snack after church
Th: Whole Grain Spaghetti with Sausage Sauce, Chopped Spinach, Tomatoes, Fresh Berry Pie topped with FREE IceDream from Chick-fil-A!
(The pie included black raspberries, wild blackberries, and mulberries from our back yard, plus blueberries from Aldi.)
F: Tuna Noodle Casserole, Fruit
Sat & Sun: Leftovers

I'll most likely be getting more creative in the next two weeks...

Any ideas on how to maximize savings while on the road???

As missionary deputees, we've been traveling many, many miles since mid-April. The bargain-hunting has not ceased, however! If anything, we're more conscious than ever of the need to be wise stewards of the resources God is entrusting to us. But the scenario is different on the road – especially when internet and a printer are not always available to access those awesome high-value coupons!

Most of the time our housing needs are taken care of, but eating frugally – AND healthfully – can be far more challenging, and especially with a little one on the way! The "value menus" can certainly be a blessing to the "on the road" budget; our goal has been $5.00 or less per meal for our family of (almost!) four. And granola bars do make a great snack... But we would be glad to hear other (even better?) ideas for maximizing savings while traveling – and especially any ideas on how to eat more wholesomely!

I would definitely welcome helpful comments...

Birthday Season: Lots more FREE Loot!

It's "Birthday Season" again at our house, and we're planning to cash in on some very nice birthday coupons to help us celebrate!

Check my original "Birthday Season" post to see the goodies listed by category (i.e. main dish, dessert, etc.) Then register your birthday on the sites, so you can print coupons when "Birthday Season" arrives for you! Some sites will send a "welcome" coupon, and most sites will send an email reminder about the birthday coupon a week or two before the date.

Add to that list a couple others you might not want to miss:

Main Dishes:

Denny's – FREE Grand Slam Breakfast
Reportedly, just show up on your birthday with a valid ID!

Fuddruckers – FREE 1/3 LB Burger

Mimi's Cafe – Coupon for $10 off $20 purchase

Desserts:

Keva Juice – FREE Regular Blend Smoothie (24 oz)
Plus you get a coupon for a FREE Regular Blend Smoothie (24 oz) just for signing up!

Bruster's – B1G1 FREE Waffle Cone

Rita's – B1G1 FREE Ice-Custard Treat (of your choice)

Arby's – FREE Swirl Shake with any RoastBurger purchase

Don't forget to check the original list for lots more free loot!

Just for the Joy of It!

"Happy Birthday to You!" – from the frugal blogosphere!

Recipe for Honey Oatmeal Bread

This bread has a very pleasing texture!

Ingredients:

1½ cups (warm) water
½ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
¼ cup oat bran (or Grape Nuts or bran flakes cereal, crushed)
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
½ tsp salt
¼ cup honey (or molasses or maple syrup)
1½ Tbsp vegetable oil
1½ tsp (active dry) yeast

Place ingredients in the bread case and insert the bread case into the bread machine. Select the Basic (Medium) Bread Mode and press Start.

Enjoy!

Publix Deals – 03/24 thru 04/03

I’m actually going to make it to Publix since this is a holiday week and the deals are good through Saturday!

Here's my list:

Classico Pasta Sauce (8.1 to 24 oz) – B1G1 for $2.49
Use $1.00/2 printable coupon
Stack with “Save $1.50 on Beef with purchase of two Classico Pasta Sauces (SmartSource 03/14)
FREE after coupon
(Pay $3.49 per pound for Ground Round.)

Ronzoni Pasta (12 or 16 oz) – B1G1 for $1.39
Use $0.75/1 printable coupon
Or use $1.00/2 printable coupon
$0.20 or FREE (plus $0.05 overage)

Hunts Diced Tomatoes (15 oz) – B1G1 for $1.39
Use $1.00/4 coupon (Rediscover Your Balance Booklet)
$0.45 each

Chocolate Cheerios – B1G1 for $3.99
Use $1.00/1 printable Publix coupons
$0.99 each

Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Butter (16 oz) – $2.00 each
Use $0.50/2 printable coupon
$1.50 each after doubled coupon

Strawberries – $1.25 per pound

Sweet Potatoes – $0.39 per pound

And don’t forget the FREE Yoplait Greek Yogurt Deal! (Good through 04/04/10)

You can see more deals with coupon match-ups at FiddledeedeeMom.

CVS Deals – 03/28 thru 04/03

These are the deals I'm hoping for this week. I'll probably make several trips so I can use ECBs on grocery items; I love it when drugstore deals help the grocery budget!

Buy two Huggies or Pull-Ups – $8.99 each
Get $5.00 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use two $3.00/1 coupons (from various free samples)
Or use two $3.00/1 printable coupons
$3.49 each after coupons and ECBs

Crest Toothpaste – $2.99 each
Get $2.00 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $0.75/1 coupon (P&G 03/07)
$0.24 after coupon and ECBs

Lindsay Olives – $0.88 each (Limit 6)
Buy two and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
$0.38 each after coupon

Kellogg’s Cereals – $2.00 each (Limit 4)
Use $1.00/1 coupon (from various cereal boxes)
Or buy two and use $1.50/2 printable coupon
$1.00 or $1.25 each after coupons

You can see more deals with coupon match-ups at MoneySavingMom.

Walgreens Deals – 03/28 thru 04/03

These are the deals I'm hoping for this week. I'll probably make several trips so I can use RRs on grocery items; I love it when drugstore deals help the grocery budget!

Dove Shampoo, Conditioner, or Styling Product – $4.00 each
Get $4.00 Register Rewards
Use $2.00/1 printable coupon
FREE plus $2.00 overage after coupon and RRs

Dentek Floss – $2.00 each
Get $2.00 Register Rewards
Use $1.00/1 coupon (SmartSource 01/17) (regional)
FREE plus $1.00 overage after coupon and RR

Walgreens One Daily Multivitamin (100 count) – $3.00 each
Get $3.00 Register Rewards
FREE after RRs

Reese’s Cups – $0.39 each with in-ad coupon
Use $0.55/1 coupon (SmartSource 03/14) (regional)
FREE after coupons

Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna (5 oz) – $0.69 each with in-ad coupon (Limit 4)
Bumble Bee Chunk White Albacore Tuna (5 oz) – $0.99 each with Easter-ad coupon (Limit 3)
Buy four Chunk Light (Limit 4) and one Albacore
Use $1.00/5 printable coupon
$0.55 each after coupons

Campbells Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup – $0.79 with Easter-ad coupon
Buy two and use $1.00/2 printable coupon
$0.29 after coupons

Walgreens Pure Honey (32 oz) – $3.99 with in-ad coupon

Milk – $2.69
Currently the best price in town!

You can see more deals with coupon match-ups at Common Sense with Money.