Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The MEGA Giveaway Winners Are....








The Grand Prize winner of my MEGA Giveaway is.......................... RYAN !
Ryan got his entry in just at the last minute, lucky you! All the names were put into a basket and my DS drew your name first. Better to enter late than never, eh?

Watch your mailbox and please do let me know when it arrives. =)

The second place winner which I will receive a smaller package of goodies is Miranda.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨)
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Oh man!!

I LOVE to write. So when I decided to work on some meal planning I snuggled up on the sofa with my pen and a notebook. I complied a list of about 40 different lunches and dinners that we eat on a regular basis.

Well, now I can NOT find the notebook I wrote them in! GRR
That will teach me to do it on the computer and SAVE it next time.
It will take me a long, long time to remember it all over again. Sigh...
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Don't forget!

I'll be drawing a name for the winner of my MEGA Giveaway on March 31st. You've still got the rest of today and tomorrow to get entered.

CVS trip 3/29/09

Today I got $124.33 for $3.08 OOP total. I paid with $20.98 in ECBs and got back $19.99 in ECBs.

6 trial size Head & Shoulders
5 Johnson's Buddies Bars
2 Johnson's first aid kits
2 Glade Lasting Impressions
2 Glade Sense & Spray
2 Scrubbing Bubbles action scrubber kits
2 Accu-Chek glucose monitors
2 Veet hair removal kits
2 SoftSoap Ensembles refills
1 Scrubbing Bubbles action scrubber refill pads

I also went to WalMart and grabbed 6 more bags of the Iams puppy food. Woohoo! I am happy to say I was able to use ALL of my coupons and now have 45 FREE bags!
I also picked up 20 packs of Kotex Lightdays pantyliners for .25 each after coupon and I still have 10 coupons left. I've been buying them all month and have probably 100 packs easily now! lol
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Kraft Salad Dressing for 8 CENTS!

Check your inserts tomorrow for 1.50/1 Kraft Salad Dressing 16 oz or larger.
Wal-Mart has these for 1.58! .08 for a bottle !

Good time to replenish your stockpile if you're running low, or if you are like me and were waiting for a time like this to start a little salad dressing stockpile in your cupboards. =)

Of course prices vary from region to region but $1.50 off each bottle should be a great deal even if they are a little higher at your location.

Since I no longer have access to a Sunday paper that carries the inserts I am considering picking some of these coupons up on ebay. There are still a couple of very reasonable BIN listings left.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Why rain, why now?

Tomorrow, or later today rather, I will be heading back home. I'm glad to be going home because my only other choice was to go to New York, NY with Chris. No thank you! Poor Chris, he doesn't want to go either as he hates it there, but he has to go where the job sends him.
As far as me driving home, the only snag is that they are calling for rain and lots of it. I'll have to drive in most of it after dark. Double yuck. No way around it though. Cross your fingers that i'll have safe travels. Thanks!
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Twitter

I signed up on Twitter last night. Still learning my way around. If you Twitter give a shout.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Monday, March 23, 2009

I've arrived.

The trip to DC was completely uneventful, thank goodness! We got in around 10:30pm and I did some web surfing at HCW and for the 50th time I came across the thread about free Gillette body wash at Target.
Well, I had ignored it all month because 1. The bottles were 8.4 oz. (smallish) size and I was getting plenty of full size bottles free at CVS. And 2. NO Target anywhere around me where I live.

So, I came across the thread again and re-read it. I realized that I had a bunch of the $2/1 bodywash coupons expiring on the 31st, plus I know CVS isn't doing any more deals on it this month so the coupons were going to go to waste. I pulled out my handy dandy GPS and found there was a Target only 3 miles from the hotel. SCORE!

The hubs and I ran in and came out with 14 free bottles! The cashier didn't speak english very well but I could understand her well enough to hear her amazement, "That makes these all free." As she smiled.

I also went in on a tip that the Dove Go Fresh trial size deodorants were free after coupon as well, but all they had were the regular Dove so that was a no go.

If I have enough time I want to try out the Walgreens up here. There's a deal where you can get a Fusion razor and pack of Northern TP for $1.38 OOP after coupons and RR. If it works I'll have Chris go in and do it too. I never turn down a chance to save money on TP!

Hope you all are doing good. Did everyone get in on my giveaway? Remember the drawing is on the 31st. Scroll down for the post about it if you have not entered yet.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Saturday, March 21, 2009

No CVS update today.

If you came looking for my regular weekly CVS update, there isn't one. Two reasons; for one the ad this week was less than desirable and two, I've had a migraine headache ALL day. It is 3 Excedrin Migraine pills later and still throbbing. I'm about to go lay down and see if I can get lucky enough to fall asleep. Generally laying down makes my head ache worse, but I've tried every other option.

Also, Chris and I are heading to DC in the morning. He has an account up there and is also hoping to spend some time with his dad. A co-worker is also bringing his wife and it just so happens that she is a coupon fanatic too. We are both bringing our coupon satchels. LOL I've never met her before but I am hoping we hit it off. We already know we at least one thing in common.

One last thing...
If you have the IAMs Smart Puppy Or Kitten Food coupon- $5.00/1 - 3/31/09 from the 3/01 P&G RUN to Walmart and get your FREE 4lb. bag(s). They are on roll back this week. Even if the shelf tag shows the regular price, scan the bag. Some WM aren't openly advertising the roll back but once scanned they come up as $5 making them free with the coupon. I only wish they had done this sooner so that I could have gotten more, or had time to get more of the coupons before they expire. At least I was able to get a few bags this time. I usually miss out on the completely free dog/cat food.

Night all. See you in DC.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Free, free, free, free, free!

EDIT: Ok, I called Walmart corp. and let them know exactly what happened last night. The lady I spoke with said that they would contact the manager of that location, yada, yada, someone may get back in touch with me.
I don't know if anything will come of my call but I am hoping more than anything else it will save some frustrations for the next guy, or gal trying to use coupons. And at best that CSM needs to get a heavy warning.
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WHEW! I had my first BAD, no make that really bad experience using coupons tonight and it was at a WM of all places.

The CSM threw the biggest hissy fit and made accusations like I was trying to be shady with my coupons!

But beyond all that mess I did end up getting:
7 free bags of IAMS puppy food.
6 more free bags of 10ct. Schick razors (used the LAST of those coupons)
6 more Suave lotions free -(last of those too!)
5 J&J Softlotions free.
1 free Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara.
3 free J&J Reach dental floss.

Not free:
Pepto
Quaker snacks
and a pack of tweezers


I would have taken a picture to share with you, but I was so beyond livid from the nasty CSMs attitude that when I got home I just needed to put it away and try to calm down. Some people just don't understand that YES, you CAN end up getting stuff for free with coupons! She'd have really been pissed if I put back the stuff that wasn't free just to spite her. LOL

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bored?

Wanna play? I've added Pac-Man and Hangman to the bottom of my blog. Play all you want. =)

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Did you see my giveaway?

Mega Giveaway!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Where do I keep it all?

You asked. lol
Remember, my house is tiny so I do the best I can. Actually, taking these pictures was good for me because it helped me to see how I could better arrange and store some of the stuff that has had me stumped.
The TP is currently stacked floor to ceiling in the boys bathroom. But now I am thinking I will put as much of as I can on the shelving in their hallway. That'll look much better.

This toothpaste collection is kept in a cardboard box in my craft/office/catch-all room. That way I never forget to push, um, I mean GIVE a box or three to anyone that comes in the house. You visit me, it's mandatory to take at least one. ;)


Gees. Bend down to get a picture of the dish washing liquid and realize that someone has knocked some over. Must straighten that up! Anywho, I keep it in the kitchen cabinet under my sink. At last count there were over 80 bottles of it. It's hard to show it all though, because the shelving is dark and goes back pretty deep.


A few cleaning supplies also kept in an upper kitchen cabinet. Need to straighten that up too!


This is in the boys yet unfinished hallway and this is the shelf I want to put the TP on. There is a completely empty rack on the bottom. There's really no rhyme or reason to what's on this rack at this point. I only just started using it and am still in the process of straightening it out.



Now we're in my bedroom. I have two storage tubs that slide under my bed that have mostly shampoo/conditioners, first aid kits, razors, razors, and more razors. In fact, the tub at the top is all razors and some deodorants.


Guess I have a razor addiction! Well not really, they are my guys favorite. I asked the manager if I could have the Fusion Gamer display since it was sitting empty in the store. He said sure, so I brought it home and filled it up the Gamer razors I had collected and put it on top of my TV armoire in my bedroom. Seems an odd place to put it but right behind it is our master bathroom. I may move it to the boys shelf in the hallway- some day.


Now we're in my bathroom. lol This is where I keep the meds that we use on a regular basis, and wouldn't fit in the medicine cabinet because it's comletely FULL!


Back in my bedroom. This is my personal stash of shampoo/conditioners, bodywashes, lotions, hair colors, etc. that I use on a regular basis. I'm thinking of moving those shorter bottles of Suave lotions to the hallway shelf with the rest of them. That would free up more of my shelf space.


This is a pegboard in my craft room where a mix of everything has come to collide for no real reason. Partly laziness, partly space issues, I suppose.


This picture was hard to get because it is between my washing machine and a my bedroom wall. It's a narrow space about 3.5ft. high and goes back the width of the washing machine. To make the shelves we just put down one row of detergents and laid a board on top of them. Did that two times over. If memory serves me there are at least 30-35 bottles.

So there you have it. :)

Don't forget to enter my Mega Giveaway guys. The original post has gotten buried and I didn't want anyone to miss out.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

CVS and Walmart 3/16/09

I didn't take a picture of everything that I got for basically nothing but taxes today, because there was just SO MUCH of it! lol Not pictured are 24 bags of Beggin' Strips, 6 packs of Veet Bladeless razor kits, tons more cans of chicken, two 2 liters of Diet Dr. Pepper, 10 packs Band-Aids, and just lots, lots more.

I wanted so much to come home with 50 free rolls of Marcal toilet paper but I could not find it. I only checked a couple of places but I've heard that some Family Dollar stores *may* sell it, or at least the Marcal paper towels. Will have to call about that tomorrow. If anyone knows of any other store(s) that sell it please let me know.


36 Suave lotions and twenty-12 count packs of Schick razors.
The lotions are .97 @ Walmart and the coupons were for $1 off each one.
The Schick razor packs are $1.97 and the coupons were for $2 off each pack. So, all were free except for the taxes.


I didn't do so well taking this picture. For one thing there are 6 boxes of Wheat Thins, 4 boxes of Ritz, 33 packs of gum, and two boxes of Colgate, etc, etc. You really can't tell by looking.
I grabbed a few clearance goodies today. Just couldn't resist those lavendar stress thingies and the eyeshadow applicators.
Unfortunatly I have misplaced my receipt and do not know what my total was. :( But I can tell you that I paid with $20 in ECBs and got back $17.98 in ECBs. I had to pay $5.68 cash out of pocket which was majority taxes and because of my clearance splurge that was not on my original plan. lol

I also hit Kmart today and got one of their bed in a bag sets in king size that was on sale for $34.00
I also picked up a matching accent pillow for my bed and a new video game for DS birthday today.
Brought my total to $50 intentionally because Kmart and Glamour have teamed up and are giving away $25 Kmart gift cards for every $50 purchase made from now until 4/30/09. A fantastic deal since I really wanted a new bed set and was going to be spending the money on the video game even before I knew about the deal.

And on a side note: I have come to realize that there is always, always something free to be had-somewhere. It can be really overwhelming and you have to be ok with not doing every deal that comes along. Two years into this couponing madness that has taken over my life and I still get a little sad when I have to miss out on cool freebies. Just have to keep reminding myself that there's another good deal coming right behind it, and move on. =)


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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Monday, March 16, 2009

A MEGA Giveaway!

If you are a regular follower then you are familiar with all the goodies I carry home from CVS and other places during my coupon adventures.

Soo many wonderful online friends have helped me out with coupons that I want to express my thanks by having a giveaway. A pay it forward sort of thing.

This giveaway will be for one flat rate priority box full of all kinds of goodies to the first place winner. I will also draw a name for a smaller second place prize.

Some of the items will be HBA type items, i.e. lotions, razors, shampoo, conditioner, oral hygiene type items, etc.
Some of it will be girly pamper yourself items like candles, or other scented things. And yes, there will also be items for men in it as well. ;)

Read carefully.
*To be entered just post a comment here.
*Following will get you a second entry in the drawing.
*Those that reply and are already followers will automatically get a second entry.
*Those that already follow but do NOT reply will NOT be entered.

Make sense?

I will randomly draw the names of the grand prize winner and second place winner on March 31st, 2009.

Ready,

Set...

GO!!!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Friday, March 13, 2009

Zoom

Where did my week go?
We will likely be heading home in the morning.

The week here in Nashville has flown by so fast.
I expected to to be quite bored since I am all alone during the day. I also expected I'd spend a lot of time out shopping and checking out new places just to pass the time. Mostly I've stayed here at the motel just enjoying not being needed for anything, and not having to remind the guys to tend to their responsibilities. Change the trash, reload the dishwasher. Why am I the only one that can see when the animals are out of water?

Anyway. Quiet time coming quickly to an end. Guys, my house better be spotless when I get home. Consider this your one and only warning. Party over. ;)

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Ahhh, going crazy and a funny little story for you.

I'm starting to think that bringing the laptop with me was a mistake.

See, I follow (subscribe to) several forums on Hot Coupon World, such as the CVS forum, Kmart, Dollar General, Ingles, Kroger, and others, so that I won't miss ANY deals that are posted about free stuff, other great deals/finds, and such.

Well, ever since I got to the motel I've been getting over 40 emails a day about one fantastic deal or another, and it's about to drive me insane. I'm not home, I don't have my coupons with me, and by the time I get back home the weekly deals will be over. :( I am such a mess. LOL

I think I'd be better off not knowing. Ignorance they say, is bliss. I think there is a lot of truth in that.

And I want to share something with my fellow couponers as you will appreciate this little story...

The other day someone came to my house and made fun of my grocery stockpile. They said that having that much food was "just silly!"
My son Alex made me very proud as he replied, "Well, it's like this. For the same amount of money that your mom spends for two or three cans or boxes of food, MY mom can get a whole case."

He left that person speechless with eyebrows raised as if to say, WOW!

Now who's silly?! =)

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I have arrived.

Chris and I made it in one piece. Or is that Me and Chris? Chris and me? Ahh WHATEVER!

I am here about to hop in the shower and try to sleep tonight so I can make some cards and tags or whatnot tomorrow. I did end up bringing a bunch of embellishments with me too. The room is nice. I have a room all to myself to just be as messy as I want without disturbing the lovely room where the beds are, but I can still see the TV.

ZZZ


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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Nashville

Unless (God forbid) something bad happens between now and morning, I will be going to Nashville, TN with Chris for a week while he makes a glossy new floor for the Nike outlet there.

Alex and Caleb are staying home so hopefully no one will mess with the place in my absence!!!

As always I will have the laptop with me so please stay in touch. I'll have the room all to myself during the day and I plan to relax, pamper myself, and do some enjoyable crafting of some sort.

I need to hurry and decide what that's going to be! I'm thinking about taking my scrap patterned papers and cardstock, and just challenging myself to see how many cards and tags I can come up with. Of course I would feel lost without all my yummy embellishments to choose from, but I really don't want to drag all those out and have to put them all away again when I get home. lol

Anyone in or near Nashville wanna take me out for coffee? =)
I thought a couple of my coupon-ing "sisters" lived in that area somewhere, but I'm not positive. I don't think I'll be actually IN Nashville, but just on the outskirts of it, from what I understand. Oh! I'll find out when I get there. lol


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CVS trip 3/07/09

Total of everything pictured before coupons and ECBs = $58.39 with a savings of $70.20 according to my reciept.
Total I paid in cash after coupons and ECBs was $2.20.
I took another ECB hit, about $3, but I really wanted the cereal and the Herbal Essences shampoo. It's my favorite.

Same as Wednesday, the Perfect 10 hair dye had been $14.99 but was on clearance for $3.50 and I used a $5 off coupon. The three smaller boxes of Clairol Nice'n Easy were originally $7.99 and were on clearance for $2, and I had 3- $2 off coupons.

Breakdown:
4 bottles Vaseline lotion
4 boxes Clairol hair dye
4 bottles Herbal Essences
3 boxes cereal
2 Renuzit Tri Scents starter kits
1 Crest toothpaste

On another related note, I made up care packages for Chris's coworkers tonight. I included: Gillette shampoo, Right Guard Professional Strength deodorant, Visine Pure Tears, Earinse (they work in concrete dust so this comes in very handy for them), Colgate toothpaste, a Colgate toothbrush, Listerine mouthwash, Bandaids, Excedrin, Tylenol, bag of Life Savers, Gillette body wash, Fusion razors, Gillette shave gel, Jergens lotion (the concrete dust literally burns their skin so lotion is a must for them also), Tums, and a few other goodies- I forget what else.

All were full size bottles. To satisfy my curiosity I added up what it would have cost to purchase the items in the care packages at retail value, no coupons, and it came to over $80 EACH!
And these guys would have HAD to pay it, too. Out on the road they don't have time to clip coupons and look for sales. When they need toiletries, HBA, OTC meds, etc. They go to the closest store and pay full price. They always are very appreciative of the items and I feel so blessed to be able to give them to them.

We used to have one worker that regularly needed Zantac and allergy meds. I was more than happy to pass along my extras to him. This guy was promoted to a supervisor position so we don't get to see him anymore. I miss that little guy.
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Friday, March 06, 2009

Help me get these?


I just want to put the word out that I am looking for this coupon. Desperately!
They are (usually) located in or around the pharmacy area of CVS.
They are free for the taking but my store doesn't have them.

If anyone looks, finds them, and wants to send me some please let me know. I will happily pay for the shipping of them and throw in a trade from my etsy shop as well for your trouble.

I also have those highly sought after $5 and $3 printable Huggies coupons I'd be willing to trade for them. I have 4 of each of them.
NOTICE: I do not need the pamphlet. I only need the coupon that is inside of it. So that should cut down on mailing them too.
I'm up for hearing any offers so please leave a message here and I will get in touch with you.
Anyone want in on this?

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Thursday, March 05, 2009

A mid-week CVS run!

Everything here cost me only $3.25
Actually, the Suave lotions came from Walmart. It was .50 for all 20 bottles.
The Clairol Perfect 10 was on clearance from $14.99 to $3.50 but I had coupons that were save $5/1, so FREE!
My other Clairol coupons said $2 off any one so I grabbed 3 of the Hydrience that were marked from $8.99 to $2.12.

Retail value of the whole loot is about $85 at clearance prices. I figure it would have been around $147 before clearance. WOWZA.

And, I'm almost ashamed to tell you that me and Chris went and got 116 more cans of the chunk can chicken tonight. (blushing)

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Wednesday, March 04, 2009

The hubs, that stinker.

I am a happy girl today because my hubs is back home from New Orleans.
Most of you know that I don't sleep much. (See blog title). Well, I was sitting on the sofa watching a show on TLC and my phone rings. I look up at the clock and It's 3AM. I didn't think much of it because sometimes Chris works nights and calls me at all hours. He knows I'll probably be up too.
So I answer and Chris says, "Make sure the door is unlocked."
Me: Why?
Chris: "Because I'll be home in about 15 minutes."
Me:
That stinker didn't tell me ahead of time that he would be coming home! But, I was a nice surprise.
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Monday, March 02, 2009

Lunch and Dinner Ideas

Since I've got a good stockpile of food now I am looking for good lunch and dinner ideas.

Will you tell me some things that you make for lunches and dinners at your house?
What are some of the staples you make on a regular basis?

I'm looking for things that aren't incredibly labor intensive on prep time.
Nothing too fru-fru or fancy. Just down home type dinners.
I will not fix anything that calls for such an extravagant ingredient that I have to run all over my podunk town looking for it.

Cook time doesn't matter though.

Some staple things I make are:
Salmon patties with mashed potatoes (with or w/out gravy), corn and peas.
BBQ pork sandwiches with hand cut steak fries.
Crock pot beef stew.
Fish sandwiches with side salad.
Fried chicken, Stove Top, and green beans.
Chili cheese hotdogs and fries.
Chicken fajitas and steamed veggies.
Steaks with baked potato and a veggie.
Baked chicken, rice and beets.
Spaghetti & meatballs, side salad, garlic bread.
stir-fries (various types)

In the summer I incorporate more fresh veggies like turnip/kale greens, squash, etc.

Beyond that I am feeling limited and don't want to search all over the internet for ideas. So, help me out please. Help me expand my menu.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Linnecards Card Challenge

There's a card challenge going on over at Linnecards
This is the sketch:
And this is my take on it:
Now get over there and enter YOUR own version. You know you want to. ;)

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Anyone?

Creative Challenge


RE-Posting this. Does anyone wanna play???


And a PRIZE to boot! Read on for instructions.

I challenge you to create something beautiful this coming week. Something different than your usual craft, or your known craft with a different twist.
For example: If you normally sew you can still sew, just not fabric. OR, use your fabric in creating something, not sewn.
If you scrap, you can use paper in your creation, but not a layout or a card, etc. If you crochet or knit use the yarn in a different way other than knitting or crocheting. Does that makes sense? It's really not that hard.

Some of you may ask what is beautiful and who is to judge? That's easy. It is what ever you, the creator think is beautiful. And I will get the tough job of judging. ;)

Maybe you have an awesome collection of gizmos and gadgets, buttons and ribbons, rusted doohickeys, old magazines, old lace, old...anything. Maybe you have brand spanking new do-dads that you could throw together and just see what happens. It's about having fun. Once you've made your new beauty I want to hear all the details. What is was like being creative outside of the box. What you think of the finished creation. Anything you want to tell me about it!

It doesn't matter what you make.

If you're taking my challenge post here to let me know. When you've finished your beautiful piece post back here with a link to a picture of it. I'll pick my favorite item and that person will get to pick something from my etsy shop valued up to $20.

You have until Sunday, March 8th to get your entry in. I will announce the winner on Monday, March 9th.


Obviously I can not enter my own challenge. But here is something to get your creative juices flowing...

It's made with a skeleton key that was given a crackle finish, sanded and inked a bit. I tied on a piece of a real clothing pattern, a strip of tea stained muslin fabric, and ribbon made of threads that I coiled. It's topped off with a crocheted flower and small sprig of pink pepperberries that I got from Ryan. I love it and plan to hang it on my TV armoire by my bed.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

80 cans!

Remember I was going after 80 more cans of the Sweet Sue white chunk chicken today?

Well, I just got back and the transaction could not have gone smoother! I paid $21.12 (after taxes) for $88.00 (after taxes) worth of product. And talk about SMART! The guy scanned ONE can and ONE coupon, hit a couple buttons on the register and BAM, all 80 coupons automatically deducted. Took less than 30 seconds to checkout. I'm a happy girl.
Forgive that I didn't take a picture. If you really want to see a pic. let me know and I will take one.

One thing I guess I need to learn to get used to is all the attention I generate when I shop this way. I let the cashier guy know right off the bat what I was doing. To which he smiled and said, "Oh go you. You are one of those smart money saving shoppers."

At least it was positive attention. I was asked if I was one of "those women" he's seen on Oprah being praised as a savings queen? I laughed and said, No, that was not me. lol

I got asked where I get the coupons by another cashier to which she wrote down what I told her and was saying she is going to "Get in to this and start saving money too, because, that is SO COOL!"
I got asked what all can be made with it. I was telling them and the one other guy said, "Hmm, that is so cool. I would've just eaten it straight out of the can. LOL" And I replied, You're single aren't you? He laughs and says, "Yep." -As he blushed. It was so cute!

They told me that was the first time anything like that had happened in their store and hope I come back again. I told them I was glad to hear that because I had several more coupons on the way and I'd be back next weekend or early next week. They said they can't wait to do it again!

Isn't that wonderful? I wish ALL cashiers and managers could be that excited. This was one time I know for a fact they were talking about me after I left the store, but in a good way.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

Free Burger From Arby's!

Buy a small drink (or any other size) and get the Roast Burger FREE. Click on the picture, print as many times as you want from now until March 9th!
This will be my lunch tomorrow while I'm out doing more coupon deals. lol
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆

CVS and WM 2/28/09

Tonight's CVS trip was small but successful overall.
I got $55.93 in product for $3.65 out of pocket. And the only reason I had to pay anything OOP was because I picked up that cream colored Essence of Beauty robe that was on 75% clearance for $3.75, and I didn't have a coupon. lol I paid with a $20 Extra Buck and got back only around $15 in EBs. That would not have happened if they would have had the free mouthwash they advertised in the ad! It's ok though. I'll make it back in no time! =)


Walmart.
Not pictured (for obvious reasons) are: 1 bag onions, 5 green bell peppers, 2 gallons of milk, one pack Oscar Mayer hotdogs, one tub of butter.)

Cost before coupons was $125.58.
Total after coupons was $59.15 (and almost $10 of that was tax!)
I saved $66.43 on this trip.

I know there are pros out there that would cringe at even paying that much, but remember I am still new at the couponing thing outside of CVS. I'll get there.

The Purina One Wholesome Entree cans of dog food were FREE.
The Jergens lotions were FREE.
The Schick disposeable razors were FREE- thanks to a lady- I don't know your name but found this deal on your blog. =)
The little travel H&S were FREE.
3 of the 6 bags of Beggin' Strips were FREE.
The Cascade was FREE. Can you believe they charge $3.47 for that tiny bottle of cleanser?!
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So that was my Saturday night.
Tomorrow I'm going after 80 more cans of the Sweet Sue chunk chicken. I went back to the DG where there were at least 100 cans left after I took 40 off the shelf and it was ALL GONE. One day later! I must've clued some one in one this deal that lives close to me. Gonna have to start being a little tight lipped on these deals until I get all I want. LMBO
Just kidding of course. But anyway, I now have to go to a different store that I was hoping to avoid in order to get my chicken. I just hope they aren't cleared out.

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone and happy couponing.

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´★*¨¨*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆Kristie★*¨☆¨★*☆★*¨¨*☆