So I started the money saving challenge with Precious at the beginning of the year.  Things have been going OK they could be much better and I’m going to start cracking down on that.  Since the beginning of the year we’ve had some big purchases that we’d planned on but now I’d like to regain that money we spent and get back to saving.  So here are some of the things I’ve been doing to try and save money and increase our bottom line.

• We have had some beautiful weather the past few weeks so I’ve had the windows open everyday.  That has helped keep the electric down since we aren’t using AC or heat and we haven’t had lights on.
• I’ve also been following Dave and Shawn around and making sure the lights are shut off behind them.
• I’ve been doing my best to keep my coupons organized so that I can save the most money on my grocery and health/beauty bills.
• Today when I went out I ran all my errands in a circle so I could save some gas (I also nearly cried at the gas station today LOL)  I’ll be reviewing my shopping later after I put it all away.
• We’ve also been staying home a bit more so that we don’t spend gas driving around and money when we get there

I’m going to keep working on my grocery shopping and try to keep my weekly spending to less than $60 a week.  What are you doing to keep your money in your wallet?  I’d love to hear your ideas.

Today’s photo deal is a free 8x10 collage print. Just go here and get yours today.  I’ve done these in store before so they should be really free with no shipping charges.

Have you checked out the printable coupons on Target.com this week??  If not get on over there and start printing!!  I headed to my target today and here’s what I got:

• Kodak Ink Cartridges $29.99   I was really hoping to hold out until my Staples rewards came but I ran out this morning and I need the ink to print out more coupons for Target so I can go later today or tomorrow morning.
• 3 prs of Jeans $4.98 each -$5 tq off the website.  I found 2 pairs of jeans for me and then I got another pair to use for my crafting, I will also be going back to pick up more jeans for crafting purposes
• Small Up & Up Ibuprofen $1.09 -$1 Pain Relief TQ  at this price I’ll be picking up more we go through lots of Ibuprofen around here
• 1 Finish 10ct $2.50  -$1.00mq and $1.50TQ  I didn’t really need these the last time they were on sale so I don’t need them now but for free I’m happy to keeping stocking up
• Up & Up Bleach $1.47  -$1TQ  this is a good price and we use it to clean sometimes
• Up & Up Floss .89 -$1TQ that auto adjusted making it free
• 16 bags of frozen veggies .99 each -$1/4 TQ
• This is the deal of the week but is regional so check your ads first.  When you buy 7 frozen items you receive a $5 gift card.  I used 4 coupons so my total was $11.84 and I received $10 in giftcards making each bag .12 I got corn, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and mixed veggies.  I plan on using those 2 giftcards and purchasing 16 more bags tomorrow once I find room in the freezer.  LOL

My total was $42.83 and considering $30 of this was on my ink and I had $10 in giftcards when I left I consider this a success.  So are you headed out to Target this week??  Make sure you print out your coupons ASAP as Target has been known to pull coupons randomly.

Today’s deal is this great 5x7 Easel Art for only $1.99.  Just click through the link and get yours today.  I’m sure you’re going to have to pay shipping on this one so be prepared.

is back again!!  Today’s deal is 2 5x7’s for only $2!!  Just visit Walgreens website and get yours today!!

I did a fantastic job at Publix today, and will be going back to get some more goodies later in the week.  I purchased all of this:

• 4 Marie Callender Meals $3.99 -$1.50PQ and $1 mq   For $1.49 each I will be glad to have these around for quick dinners
• 2 Macaroni/Wanchai Ferry BOGO $7.99  -2 $1.50mq  Making these $2 each again I will be happy to have these around for quick meals
• 3 Mott’s for Tots 3 for $5 no coupons but an alright price
• 6 Dentyne Ice BOGO $3.29 -$1mq  making each one about .65 not too bad but who pays over $3 for gum?!?!
• 4 Betty Crocker Brownie/Bar Mixes  $1.99 each  -$1PQ and .50mq makes them .49 each not too bad
• 4 Sargento Shredded Cheese $2 each  -$1.50PQ and .50/2 made them .25 each a great price
• 2 Buitonni  BOGO $2.19  -$1mq made them .10 each another fantastic price
• Italian Bread $1.35  -$1.50PQ  =FREE
• 2 Thomas Bagel Thins $3.49  -$1mq =.75 each these are great and only 110 calories
• 2 Muir Glen Tomato Sauce .89 each  -$1mq and $1PQ  =Better than FREE
• 6 Hunts Tomato Sauce  $2
• 4 Progresso Soups BOGO $2.29  -$1/4mq and $1/4PQ made these about .65 each
• 8 Green Giant Veggies BOGO $1.29  -$1/4 PQ  made these .40 each
• 2 Wishbone Dressings BOGO $2.89  -$1mq  not a great price but we needed some

In total I spent just about $30 for 50 items or .60 each for all of that.  I’ll be headed back out for later this week for spaghetti sauce and more veggies.  So how has your shopping been going this week?

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No I didn’t buy these today do you know how much they charge at the grocery store for these $9.99/lb!!!  I made these yesterday with some of the strawberries I bought last week at the farmer’s market and some chopped up chocolate I got free last year.  But I have done some shopping, yesterday I went to Publix and today I went to Target and Publix.  It looks like I’m going to have to go back to Publix again tomorrow and see if I can find the dog treats I want otherwise I need more rainchecks.

Publix Trip #1

• Jello-O Mousse $2  -.60mq  These are really good and good for my diet, I have a horrible sweet tooth and each chocolaty good cup is only 60 calories
• 2 One A Day Jolly Ranchers  $5.99 each -$5/2PQ and $2mq made these .50 each  Dave and I both have trouble with vitamins they make us ill but we’ve found that kids vitamins are easier on us
• 4 Hartz Crunch Dog Treats BOGO $2.99 -$2mqeach made these a small moneymaker.  Most of these will go to the local dog shelter
• 4 Zatarrain Jambalaya Mixes BOGO $1.99 -$1/4mq these are nice and easy mixes and Shawn actually likes them so I like to have a few on hand
• 2 Barber Chicken Breast BOGO  $4.99 no coupon but we like these
• Steak $5.92 Valentine’s Dinner
• Broccoli $1.9 Valentine’s Dinner
• 6 Rachel Ray dog treats BOGO $2.50  -BOGO mq made these FREE
• Holiday Cookie $1.99 for Shawn

On this trip I spent $20.38.  This is alot less than we would have spent if we went out to eat for Valentine’s and we got some things we actually needed.

Target Trip  This trip was mainly to pick up clearance goodies

• Valentine’s Travel Mug $2.99  the insert comes out for kids to color (teacher gift).  I plan to use that and make a new insert for Shawn to color and then send it to one of the grandparents for a gift
• 2 Jell-O .67 each -$1/2 TQ  we go through a box of Jell-O a week since I make my own jell-o lunchbox snacks so it was a good enough price
• Shower Liner  $3.67 on clearance  Ours just ripped through a couple of the holes last week so this was perfect timing
• Sports Erasers 25ct .99
• Sports Pencils 25ct .99
• Lip Gloss giftset $1.49
• 5 Lego Minifigs $1.49 each
• 3 pairs of socks out of the $1 section (I have a weakness for these socks)
• Sunglasses $2.50 I just noticed my beloved sunglasses have a small crack in them (plastic frame) and I found a pair I liked in the $1 section so I picked them up to have on hand

This trip cost me $24.75 after my 5% discount.  I have several items to put into my gift closet now and at a pretty good price

Publix Trip #2  I didn’t get the rest of my dog treats but I did get rainchecks

• 2 Eggo Waffles BOGO $2.14
• Zatrn Jambalaya BOGO $1.99 -$1/2 printable I got emailed this morning
• Salad Mix $2.29
• 2 Bags of frozen Broccoli .89 each
• Zucchini $2.26
• Scooby Doo Vitamins $4.26 each  -$5/2 PQ and $2mq these worked out to be free
• 4 Keebler Cookies BOGO $3.49 -$1/2mq 

Total $13.96.  I will be probably get $2.29 back tomorrow since they overcharged me on the salad when I go in to get the difference back.  Otherwise I got a few things we needed and some cookies I wanted.  I’m all for supporting the girl scouts we have a yearly 2 box order with a friends daughter but I heard that Keebler made some very similar to the scouts and I really wanted the Samoas which Dave didn’t order so I picked up a few to try them out.  They certainly ended up being cheaper than the girl scouts LOL

So how has your shopping been going this week?  Other than milk and bread I am done shopping for the week other than planning for a day out.  Saturday we will be gone all day and I need to plan for food/drinks for the day.  I’ll post about that later this week.

Use Code MENU to receive 60% off your certificates.  These are a fantastic way to save extra money when you do go out to eat!

Click the links below to sign up for some great free samples.  This is a great way to help cut your budget and get some freebies.

• Quaker Life Bar  Only available to residents of AL, FL, GA, SC, and TN
• Maybelline FitMe Foundation
• Jergen’s Overnight Repair
• Head & Shoulders Sample

And make sure you head over to Coupons.com to print out a whole bunch of great new coupons

Get both Barbie and Ken for only $5!!  Act fast since this probably wont last too long.  This is a perfect gift for Easter baskets, birthdays and even to put away for Christmas.  I'd pick up a couple of extras for the potential birthday party what little girl wouldn't love a Barbie and Ken doll for her birthday.

In an effort to save money this week I’ve been staying home.  I have twelve million projects that need to be worked on so it’s not like there is nothing to do around here LOL.  I updated my coupon box and tossed the old inserts that were all expired and filed the new inserts away and while I was at it I pulled coupons to run to Publix and Target.

My Publix trip wasn’t nearly what I had hoped it would be since they didn’t have any of the Hartz dog biscuits I wanted.  The upside is I got a raincheck and since I haven’t received the extra coupons I ordered yet the raincheck will probably come in handy.  I’ll be checking back since I’m getting 20 coupons and already had 4 so I need lots of boxes of treats, I will not be keeping all these treats for my dog most of them will be going to the local shelter.  Here’s what I did get

• Publix Apple Juice $1.99 no coupon but we are in desperate need here
• 2 Reddi-Whip Topping  BOGO $4.29 -$1/2 mq from All You  This was actually something I wanted to pick up since we will be having Valentine’s dinner at home and this will be great for dessert plus Shawn loves it on his strawberries.
• 2 Barilla Spaghetti Sauce BOGO $2.49  we are out of sauce and have lots of meatballs thanks to Aldi’s and Shawn has been bugging me for spaghetti so I picked up a couple of cheap jars
• 2lbs of Bananas $1.37  I hope the price starts to go back down as it warms up
• 2 Coffee-Mate Creamers FREE with coupons received from having a Game Night party with them
• 2 cans of veggies
• So I spent just about $10 for some things we needed, not the best but when you need things well you end up paying for them.

My Target trip was much more successful:

• 4 boxes of Finish dishwasher detergent  $2.50 each -$2.25mq  I don’t need this at all right now but for a quarter a piece I’ll gladly add them to my stockpile
• M&M’s minis valentines pack  $3.29 these are to make little goodie bags for all of Shawn’s friends at school.  They are also the most expensive part of those bags.
• Those bags are made up of Cello Bags ($1 store), Lollipops ($2 target), Smarties ($1 target), Heart Mazes ($1 $1store), Heart Erasers ($1 Michaels), Pencils ($1 $1store) and those M&M’s so they cost me $10 for 30 goodie bags for all of his friends I suppose they are worth it once a year LOL
• 8 Reese’s Peanut Butter cup packs  FREE  used BOGO TQ from their website and BOGO MQ that expires tomorrow.
• Crescent Rolls $2.99 for 2 tubes these will also be used for Valentine’s dessert
• 2 Philly Cooking Creme’s  they are on sale for $2.21 at my store and there is a $1.50 mq on Coupons.com  I’m curious to try these out and I have plenty of chicken to test them on
• I spent about $15 on everything plus I got .10 in bag credits.  I put this all on my Target card and received an additional 5% off and immediately went and paid it off at Customer Service

Continuing on the savings DS and I are both wrapped in blankets to stay warmer tonight so we don’t need the heat on.  Entertainment tonight will be a hockey game for the boys and one of those millions of craft projects for me.  How are you doing saving??

Don’t forget tomorrow is Build and Grow day at Lowes.  At 10am they will be building a heart shaped music box and from 10 to Noon at Michaels the kids can decorate a heart frame for only $1

Michaels is also hosting a fun event for the kids on Saturday from 10-Noon.  They are decorating wooden heart frames, you do have to purchase the frame for your little one to decorate but they are only $1.

Does your little valentine want to get you something for Valentine’s Day?  What could be better than a heart music box how about a handmade heart music box?  Head on over to Lowes Build and Grow and sign up for their free workshop tomorrow.  You must be signed up for most locations and the clinic starts at 10am.

We are having a small gathering tomorrow for the Super Bowl so of course I have to have some extra food.  But you can host a party and not break the bank and here’s how:

• We picked up a pizza at Aldi’s today.  We got a 16” sausage and pepperoni pizza for $6.49, to order that same pizza would have cost us more like $10+
• A few months ago Target had a frozen chicken coupon out so I stocked up on chicken wings.  I’m still trying to decide exactly how I’m going to cook them tomorrow but they will be delicious and with sauce will cost me no more than $5 for 3 pounds.  I also noticed that Aldi had 3 or 4lb bags of wings for $6.99 which would still be alot less expensive then ordering wings from somewhere
• I picked up 2 containers of French Onion dip at Publix this week for 60 cents each and told one of our guests to bring some plain chips for dipping.
• I have tons of Chex Mix from that fantastic deal at Walgreen’s a few weeks ago
• As for drinks we have a good amount of beer left that I bought at Sam’s we also have water, milk, juice, margarita mix, mudslide mix, and daiquiri mix.  All of the guest have been told what we have and have also been told to bring anything that they would like to drink.  Usually everyone brings drinks and we all share when the party is over we generally end up with just about the same amounts of drinks as we started just different types.

So there you go we are hosting a party and spent less than $15 on food and didn’t buy anything special for drinks.  If you are considering hosting a get together don’t be afraid to invite people to bring their favorite drinks or snacks.  This goes for soda as well, we don’t drink much soda so I don’t buy it unleses we are having a birthday party.  But a casual get together doesn’t require me spending all my hard saved money on everyone’s drink whims.

Are you hosting a Superbowl party??  I’d love to hear how you’ve been saving on all the party fixins.  I hope you all get a chance to enjoy the commercials errr I mean the game tomorrow!  Be on the look out as the Superbowl is usually host to some great freebie/coupon commercials.

Here’s my update on what we’ve been doing to save some money. 

• In order to keep our electric bill lower:
• We have refused to turn the heat on, the coldest it’s gotten inside this past month was about 66.  It was really close to turning the heat on temps but we piled on the blankets and made cookies.
• If there is daylight the lights in the house have been off, when we’ve needed light I’ve been sure to only use the lights with the energy saving bulbs.
• I’ve been keeping all appliances on a power strip and shutting them off when possible, we’ve also kept the TV more this month.
• Keeping my grocery bills low by
• Clipping my coupons and matching coupons to sales to save.
• Stockpiling items that are rock bottom prices – we all know that prices are going up and will continue to climb so I’m stocking up when I can
• We are using all of our food.  I make lunches with leftovers or freeze items so that they can get used later.  Throwing away any food is unacceptable since it’s the same as directly throwing your money into the trashcan.
• Keeping my gas usage to the bare minimums by
• Staying home as much as I can.  You can save lots of money if you don’t leave the house both on possible impulse purchases and gas.
• When we do go out I plan all my trips so that I’m best utilizing my gas

There are also a list of other little things that we do to save money.  I pack lunch for Shawn everyday (saves me $1.50 at least a day), Dave also takes his lunches, I make coffee at home whenever I get a Mocha craving (saves me $4).  That’s just a few things we do to save a bit everyday.

What have you been doing to save money this month.  I’m going to be keeping my receipts this month to see how much I’m spending and how much I’m saving.  We’ve also sworn off eating out this month I’ll be adding that money to my grocery budget and buying more meats when I see a good price.  I can’t stock my freezer too full this month since Shawn has a frozen cookie dough fundraiser and I have to store it until we can deliver all his sales.  So far he’s sold 9 boxes 1 more and he gets 2 pulls from the giftcard tree!!

If you haven’t already signed up for Groupon click and head over to sign up today!!!!

Then come back here and click here for the best deal of the day, they are currently offering a $20 Barnes and Noble voucher for only $10 but you must follow that link.  You can’t find this deal on any of their city pages.  Act fast I don’t know how long this will be around and remember if you don’t have a B&N nearby you can still order online and have it shipped to you.  This is a great way to pick up a few gifts or books for the kids.

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Since it’s the start of a new month I wanted to remind you all to make sure you head over to Upromise and load the new set of E-Coupons onto your cards. This month they have coupons totaling almost $20 available. I’ve loaded all of them on to my shopping cards just in case I use them, I recommend that you do the same unless there is something that you would never ever buy the ecoupons are free so you might as well load them all just in case you happen to buy a corresponding product.

Upromise is the smart way to save for college!

If you haven’t signed up for Upromise yet what are you waiting for?? In addition to receiving their ecoupons (which don’t come off your total but get added to your Upromise account online) they offer cashback when you shop through several stores online, and cashback when you purchase participating products in store.