Consumer Opinion and Coupons

Watch your junk mail. Every now and again, I've been invited to join consumer groups to offer my opinions on products. A recent one I filled out paid me $5.00 for telling them "what I think!" Also, if there are any of you that have little ones that use "Pull-ups" , I have a few good coupons that I would be glad to pass along. Have a blessed day and happy saving! Kathy

Frugal Popcorn!

Emily sent a post for us:
We make microwave popcorn by putting about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of kernels into a brown paper bag (lunch bag size) and microwaving for about 2 minutes. Then just add whatever you usually do. It's convenient, less salty and tastes better than "real" microwave popcorn. What I also like between this and air popped, is it seems to be crispier... maybe my imagination. I'm sure you could reuse the paper bag.

Discount Dinner Out

Ready for an evening out? You CAN still eat out and be frugal! Click here to see the menu from Old Spaghetti Factory, where they are having their 40th anniversary sale, every Tuesday through May 26th. Kids meals are 2.99 and the other meals are between $4.79 - $6.59. Quite the deal!

Menu Ideas

Some ideas for this week are:

Spicy Rice
Tater Tot Casserole
Home made Pizza
Chicken Caesar Salad
French Toast and Bacon
Chicken Breast, baked Potato and green Beans

Breakfast:
We called it Norman Rockwell, the story is this is what he ate everyday.
1 boiled egg - mashed, add butter, salt and pepper.
1 slice bread, lightly toasted, buttered and cut into small squares.
mix together and enjoy.

Strawberry fruit shake and Bran Muffins ( made from some good deal raisin bran!)

What are some of your breakfasts that you have at your house?
comment below.

Recipes

Spciy Rice - a recipe I received from my sons friend - we all love it.

Cook 1 cup rice as directed.
3 slices bacon - fry and set aside.
Saute: 1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 habenaro peppers, seeds removed, chopped fine. ( 2 is for the brave of heart! its hot!)
Set aside
Brown 1 # ground beef.
Add 2 c. chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except rice.
Place Cooked rice in greased 9x13 pan, pour sauce over the top.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and heat till melted.
Serve with Tortilla chips, if desired. This freezes well.


Tater Tot Casserole

1# ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 c. bread crumbs or quick oats
1/2 c. milk or evap. milk
1/4. c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Mix well, form into meat balls. Place in greased 9x13 pan.
Top with:
1 can whole corn, drained
1 can cream soup - your choice-
1 bag tator tots
Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes
Top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Printable Coupons

The coupons from coupons.com have been updated!
Looks like there are new cereal coupons for both General Mills and Quaker. In case anyone is still in need of cereal! :)
See whats new for this month. Just click on the little 'see all coupons' on top of the blue bar to see what is new this month. These change every month but some have a expiration date of months from now. So, if it's something you use, it may be worth your while to print them now.

Fried Cheese snack

Ok... this one isn't really a frugal recipe, nor is it a healthy recipe. It IS one of the kid favorites at our house and I guess it is better than a bag of gummy worms for a snack, so I'll share it with you.

Using a microwave safe plate, put your favorite cheese slices on it to cover the plate. Microwave for about 50 seconds, until it becomes a little crisp on the edges. Remove from microwave, dab with a napkin to remove the excess grease (ah! it IS healthier than just eating the cheese!) and then using a knife, peel the cheese off the plate. Wait a minute or so for it to cool and get crispy. Eat and Enjoy. The kids call it 'Fried Cheese!'

Free Tacos

Enough free stuff yet? If not, here is where to go to get a free taco!
Thanks, Karla!

Ice Cream Special!

Baskin Robbins has their annual .31 scoop night on Wed. April 29th. Be sure to enjoy a treat. You can get all the details here.

Thanks, Karla!

More on Cereal!

Cilla sent in a tip from a friends blog on cereal. If you like Honey bunches of oats, but find them crumbling and too expensive, here's a way to make your own!






Post now makes a cereal called "Just Bunches". Mix one box of Just Bunches, with one box of Frosted Flakes
and one box of Corn Flakes and there you have it! Thanks, Cilla and friend!

Free Lotion

Bath and Body works is giving a free bottle of lotion with any purchase.
Go here to get the coupon.
You can buy something on clearance, or a $1.00 item and still get the lotion free. It's a neat little add in to a gift you'll be giving soon!

More Free Diapers

You can get a sample pack of Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers by signing up here:
Available in Newborn to size 2.

At the bottom of the cereal bag..

In Cilla's post her friend mentions all those crumbs at the bottom of the cereal bag. I, personally, love them! I begin with one empty bag of cereal, crumbs and all. I have one little spot in my freezer where I store that bag all the time,( have been doing this for about 18 years now.. although I DO update the bag from time to time :) ) Whenever I empty a bag of cereal, I just dump all the crumbs in the bag in the freezer... crumbs from cereal, crackers, bread bags, or whatever crumbs you find. Once I get about an inch or two of crumbs in there... it's ready for action! I take the bag to the spice shelf and start in - I GENEROUSLY sprinkle cooking spices... whatever is there... ( I skip the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) I use most all of them.. plus a little sesame seeds and poppyseeds, a little salt and pepper and.. it's done! Homemade 'Shake and Bake'. Prepare your large pan by putting foil down and lightly spraying with cooking spray. ( this makes clean up easier.) Remove the skin from chicken legs or thighs, run them under a little water and pop a few in the bag. Shake well, put on pan and repeat until all are coated. Bake at 350 for about an hour, until done. Wonderful! This is our favorite chicken. Serve with some homemade fries and a salad and you've got a delicious, inexpensive meal. Throw the bag back in the freezer - and start adding again. Being that it is frozen all the time, you don't have to worry about having used the bag with meat. If I empty the bag on the chicken, it's time to start a new one.

Freezer Meals

The Freezer Meal challenge I started last week worked out pretty well. Some were wondering how to fit a bunch of meals in the freezer without using all of your pans. Had success by placing a ziploc-type Freezer (make sure they are the freezer type - much stronger) bag into a 13 X 9 pan, greasing the inside of the bag (I used PAM spray) and placing the ingredients into the bag. Remove the air (very important-helps avoid freezer burn), zip it shut and place the pan with the bag inside in the freezer. After it was solid, I took the pan out of the freezer, placed the whole block into another freezer bag (to help keep it fresh tasting). They stack up nicely. When you want to serve them; just take the solid block out of the freezer bag and place it into the pan. Put into the fridge to thaw before heating.
Don't forget to label the bag with cooking instructions etc unless you are the type that will not forget what is inside the bag :)

A tip: in order to avoid the "over done" consistancy that can happen with freezer meals. Don't completely cook them before placing in the freezer. Pasta is a good example. Cook it partially (3/4 of the way is good) before freezing. It will finish up cooking when you heat it later on.

Ziploc-type bags are the best way to make them all fit. Bags can be expensive if you do not buy them on sale. Frequently you will find coupons for them and on sale. Stock up then. Some stores, Target for example have Value Paks especially when they have their stock up sales - making them less per bag. Washing them out and reuse them when you can will also help save.
Have a blessed day and happy saving. Kathy

Easter Specials

This is a great week to be out shopping. There are all kinds of specials out there topped with a pile of coupons from the many inserts in yesterday's paper.

If your family eats ham... a great week to buy it and stock up. It freezes well and lasts for months. A friend tried the ham at Albertsons that is 4# for 5.97 and said it passes the test for a good ham. Probably not as choice as one of the spiral cuts, but if you use it for lunch meat, scrambled eggs, etc., it's a good one to buy and freeze.

A few coupons to note would be the Post Cereal coupon in the Smart Source Flyer ( the one with Sears on the front.. there are 2 this week) for $1.00 off Trial Mix Crunch in case you haven't gotten enough cereal to last awhile. I also see a Kelloggs coupon in Red Plum - and Albertsons has a pretty good deal on Kelloggs plus you get milk free when you buy the cereal.

To clarify - Albertsons is saying to buy 4 boxes of cereal and get a $3.00 catalina... but why not 5 boxes and get a $5.00 catalina? A better deal but they don't seem to know about that one.

If you are heading to Wal-mart, there are coupons in the SmartSource ( Binyons on front cover) for Benefiber - $2.00 off both stick pack and chewables, which they have for 1.97. A tiny moneymaker, but none the less free for you. If you don't use them, pass them on.

Also... the vitamin water coupons for $1.00 off make them free at many stores.

Be sure to check out moneysavingmom.com for many more great deals at Target, ( razors) Rite-Aid and Walgreens.

And one of the biggest moneysavers today... that great big, yellow orb in sky makes a wonderful option for drying clothes. Freshen up the house by washing blankets, rugs, etc.. Enjoy your day with some cheap 'hangin' out'!

This weeks paper

If the blogger news is true, this looks like a good week to buy a paper. Sounds like there will be 5 (yes, FIVE!) inserts in it and there are some great coupons in them Be sure you check for yourself, because I haven't been able to see a paper yet... but if it's true, you may want to buy a couple papers this week! If anyone finds a store that discounts the Sunday paper, let us know. Also, last week I compared coupons from the Columbian and the Oregonian - the Oregonian had 2 inserts just like the Columbian, but the Smart Source insert had many more coupons than the Columbian Smart Source. If you get both papers, will you compare them and let us know if this is a normal thing? Thanks!

Winco News!

Great news! I've found a couple places that are saying that Winco is now accepting internet coupons, as long as they scan! ( Be sure your paper is properly lined up so the bar codes don't get smeared.) It sounds like it has not been announced, even to the employees, so you may have to ask for the clerk to check with the front end manager. ( one blog said the manager had a little smile and asked where this customer had heard about the change - like it is a big secret) Give it a try and let us know what happens. Hope it works for you!

Recipes for the Weekend

BAKED BLUEBERRY PANCAKE

2 c. pancake mix ( or 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, & 1/2 tsp salt)

1 ½ c. milk

1 egg, beaten slightly

1 T canola or vegetable oil

1 t cinnamon

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl. Combine first 5 ingredients until just blended. (Batter will be lumpy)

Fold in blueberries.

Spread into a greased 15 X 10 X 1 in baking pan (jelly roll)

Bake @ 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Cuts into pieces, a pizza cutter works well

Serve with maple or berry syrup. Butter, jam, sugar or whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings.

INDIAN CORN

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (16oz) can of whole corn, drained

½ onion, chopped

1 (12oz) jar of taco sauce

Brown ground beef and onions; add corn and taco sauce.

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Mini Cheesecakes

12oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat well. Fill paper cupcake cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven. Hit pans gently on counter so centers will fall. Fill with mixture of:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 1/2 T. sugar

Once cool, put a spoonful of pie filling in center. Keep refrigerated.

Berry Sauce

Stir together:

1 Cup Sugar

2 T. Cornstarch

Add 1 cup water.

Mix.

Add 1 Cup berries and cook over med-high heat until thickened.

Once thickened, add 2-3 cups berries, depending if you prefer more berries, or more sauce. You can then use this sauce for your cheesecakes above, and have the rest on pancakes, waffles or oven pan

cakes. (Pannukakku) below

Pannukakku- Finnish Oven Pancake

4 cups milk, warmed

6 eggs - beaten

1 cup + 2 T. flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 T. butter ( melt butter in 9x13 pan as oven preheats. Spread over pan and pour the rest into your batter)

Mix well and pour into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until set. Serve plain, with berries or syrup. Also delicious cold for a snack.

Redplum Insert

Cilla sent the following to all of you:
Since we dont get the paper, I don't ever get the redplum coupons or the others. I found a link to order Redplum to be mailed to your home. (It takes a few weeks before it will start coming to you.) So those who dont get the Columbian, here you go!

Links...
http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/2008/04/get-red-plum-insert-mailed-to-you.html

http://www.advo.com/consumersupport.html


Thanks Cilla!

Free Total Cereal Sample

Here is link for a free sample of Total cereal. A free breakfast for one person in your family.

http://freesample.totalcereal.com/TotalCranCrunch/Default.aspx

Costco

Happy Friday! ( Even though it is SNOWING in SW Washington, on April 3rd!!)
We had some questions about what are good deals at Costco. Obviously some things will be cheaper if you find great sales... but I'll put down what I have found to be usually less expensive there and if any of you have found other things consistently less expensive there, please leave your thoughts as a comment.

Milk is much cheaper ( last time I was in it was 2.99 for 2 gallons of skim)
Cheese
Butter
Tortillas
Bananas
Lunch Meat ( unless you find a great sale)
Turkey Bacon
Tortilla Chips
Brown /Powdered Sugar
Flour
Yeast
Laundry Soap ( especially with their coupon)
Hamburger ( sales elsewhere could be better... they do have good meat for reasonable price)
Mrs. Butterworths syrup ( ideas coming to make your own :) )
Nuts

Swagbucks

Any of you not heard of swagbucks? It's a search engine that pays you to search. You can still use Google to search but you go through your swagbucks account and win 'bucks' as you search. I've been doing it for about 2 months now and so far have about 135 points. You can choose what you want to buy with the points, for instance an Amazon $5.00 gift card is 45 points, Starbucks $10.00 card is 130 'bucks'. If you get others to sign up you get one 'buck' for each buck they win, up to 100 bucks. I've heard only good about swagbucks from other blogs... check it out yourself and use the link below to sign up if you choose to.
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=304091

A Thought for Today

I recently heard about a man who was telling his friend about the trials he was dealing with at the moment. The friends reply was really quite thought provoking... ponder it:
"There is no way you could EVER pay enough to receive the lessons you are getting right now." Remember, God has given us a choice... and we can go through trials and become one of two things... bitter, or better. Let's be pliable in His hands so our lives can glorify Him.

Stock Your Pantry

Here's a list of the BASIC things to have in your pantry. Obviously you'll need to add the extras you and your family like to have, and there are extras that are nice to have but not necessary for making healthy meals. Work on getting these things stocked up... usually a 12 week supply, as most items go on sale every 12 weeks. When you find a great sale, its the time to buy a years supply. You'll find that if you have something in the house, you'll be more likely to use that up... which of course will help you NOT to go out and buy things that aren't on sale. Bottom line: you found another way to save a few more cents. It's a new mindset for some of us to realize that if we save a few cents here and a few cents there, it ends up equaling a dollar, which added up over a year = many dollars! Saved!

Baking powder
Baking soda
Beans, canned
(black, garbanzo, Kidney, white, refried)
Bread
Bread crumbs (dry)
Broth or bouillon
(beef, chicken, vegetable)
Catsup

Cereal - scottish oats, malt-o-meal, granola, sale cereal!

Canned Chicken, Salmon, Tuna

Chocolate (semi-sweet pieces, bars,
white baking bar, white pieces)
Cocoa, unsweetened
Coffee
Corn, canned (baby, cream-style,
whole kernel )
Cornmeal, yellow
Cornstarch
Cream of tartar
Dressings (honey-mustard, Italian,
vinaigrette)
Dried fruit (apricots, blueberries, cherries,
cranberries, figs, mixed fruit bits, raisins)
Flour - whole wheat, spelt, white, rye
Garlic- bulb
Green chilies (canned, diced)
Honey
Hot pepper sauce
Maple syrup
Milk (evaporated skim, sweetened condensed, powdered)
Mustard (Dijon-style, honey, spicy brown, or yellow)
Nonstick spray coating

Nuts (almonds, cashews, dry roasted peanuts,
pecans, walnuts)
Popcorn
Oats (quick-cooking, rolled,)
Oils (olive, roasted garlic, vegetable, peanut)
Olives (green, kalamata, ripe)
Onions (green, red, yellow)
Pasta (angel hair, fettuccine, macaroni, spaghetti)
Peanut butter
Potatoes (red, russet, yellow)
Rice (brown, basamati, wild)
Salsa
Soy sauce
Spaghetti sauce
Sugar (brown, granulated, powdered)
Tomatoes, canned (Italian-style stewed,
stewed, tomato sauce)
Tomatoes, fresh (common, roma)
Tortilla chips
Tortillas (flour & corn)
Vinegar (balsamic, cider, distilled white, red wine,
rice wine, white balsamic, white wine)
Vanilla extract
Worcestershire sauce
Yeast, active dry

Load your coupons to your club card

Cilla sent this link to me. I've seen things written about it, but have not ever used it. Go to the following links and load your coupons on your safeway card. No more using ( or losing :) ) coupons. Just use your club card and there they are. If you try it, come back and leave a comment on how it is working!


http://www.pgesaver.com/Sites/PG_eSAVER/Page/HomePage/Retailer/Safeway/Source/Safeway/

http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Coupons

Thanks, Cilla!

Albertson's Cereal

In case you haven't heard about this cereal deal..
Albertson's has post cereal on sale for $2.07 per box. If you buy 2, it's $1.57 per box. Wait... :) there is more!
If you buy 5, a catalina will print out for $5.00 off your next purchase. (I think if you buy 3, you'll get a $3.00 catalina)
You can 'roll' these catalina's.. which means, you can ( and this time Albertson's is encouraging you to do it) buy 5 cereals, pay for them, get the catalina and have 5 more lined up right behind you, for which you can use the first catalina to help pay for the 2nd group... and on, and on, and on. Until you have enough Honey Bunches of Oats to last your family awhile. (Cereal freezes well, and remember, it's good for 1 year past the 'good by' date!)
Plus, in last Sunday's paper was a coupon for $1.00 off of 2 boxes of Post cereal. The coupon is limited in variety but it all helps in the long run. Raisin Bran makes excellent muffins!

Okay.. How did you do?

Ok, it's been almost a week now since we were together at the first class. I have had so many of you call, text, email, or tell me of your deals that you've gotten. How about if you share them with others... remember, this is NOT a competition, but an encouragement. Right underneath this post is a 'comments' button. Click it and lets hear how you did. All I have to tell about is the deli turkey meat and cereal at Albertsons. If you buy 5# of Deli meat this week, it is BOGO ( buy one, get one free). It's $6.49 # which is NOT a good deal. Remember... BOGO so now it is $3.25/# On the deli counter in Battle Ground is a board with coupons on it... buy 1# of Carolina turkey, get ..... .55 off. That brings it down to $2.70/#... (2.70 x 6= 16.20 ) plus if you buy 5# ( get 6# in this deal since it is BOGO) there is also a coupon for a mail in rebate (MIR) for a $10.00 refund. So... with the rebate, you get 6# of deli turkey for 6.20! Just over $1.00 per pound. Thats a good enough deal for me... plus this freezes well. You can have them slice it anyway you like: shaved, thin or thick that can then be cut into chunks for pasta salads, etc. You may want to get there, no telling how long those coupons will last once word gets out. Lets hear from you now!