Friday Freebie

It's a little late to still be called Friday, but to me it is Friday...remember, i keep crazy hours......

I was just swagbucking around the web tonight when I happened upon a site called The Free Site dot com. It has a wealth of freebie info! I chose to look at "family freebies." I found some pretty cool stuff....

• Garden of Praise - a site authored by a veteran teacher for all your homeschooling needs, FREE of course! While we don't homeschool, i'm always looking for ways to enrich the kids education and keep them occupied in educational ways. This site has everything from soup to nuts! A few examples....biography slideshows with an online test, Children's Bible lessons, music, games/puzzles, art appreciation slideshows....you get my drift? Looks awesome!
• Card-Making-World: Looks like it is actually a craft site but does have a page linking to FREE printable greeting cards resources - you can customize (the site calls this "ready to play" or not customize ("ready to print").
• 4 Krafty Kidz - FREE kids crafty printables
  

Denny's dinner deal!

Kids under 10 can eat free at Denny's on Tuesday nights from 4-10pm (up to 2 free kids meals with every adult entree purchased). In some locations, kids can eat free on Saturday nights as well. Pair this with the Denny's coupon offered HERE ( for free burgers) and it looks like dinner out!

So...for our family.....Our 2 little ones could eat free with the purchase of my hubby's burger, I would get a free burger. If we put our other daughter's meal on a separate check (they prefer to sit on their own anyway) , our 9 year old would eat free with our 16 year old's meal, and our 13 year old could get a free burger! (one coupon per check). Is this dishonest? or just getting a good deal?

3 Coupon Inserts this weekend

OK...i'm a geek. These things make me happy! See Thrifty Mom's post HERE for a great detail of all the coupons!

Free toys

I've already posted or linked to these deals, but here is a little more info....

1. To get a free bath tub frog toy - $10 value - send a receipt showing purchase a Johnson's bath product (I bought Johnson's bubble bath/baby soap at Target - on sale for $3, then used a $1 off coupon = a final price of $2). This wasn't a special purchase for me, I buy Johnson's bath products anyway, so might as well seize the freebie opportunity and add it to my little one's Christmas stash!

Once you have your receipt in hand, mail to:

Johnson & Johnson/Parents GWP
375 Lexington Ave.
10th floor
New York, NY 10017

The offer expires Dec. 1, or when supplies run out. Find the details HERE.

Special thanks to Little People Wealth Friday's Freebies post, where I first learned of this freebie.

2. Remember the Keebler deal I posted HERE? Well...here is some more info on a $10 toy voucher you can receive using specially marked Keebler products. I first read about this at Money Saving Mom's Target deals post for this week.

Here is the required form, mail it with the 5 Toy Cash tokens (cut from packaging) to:

Kellogg's $10 Toy Cash Voucher
P.O. Box 7017
Kalamazoo, MI 49003-7017

It also says to allow 45 days from receipt of your order to get your voucher.

Also, when I followed the link from Money Saving Mom to Stretching a Buck, I also noticed another Kellogg's steal of a deal! See her post HERE.

The details from Kellogg's are HERE. Basically, buy 3 specially marked packages of Kellogg's cereal - Fruit Loops, Frosted Mini-wheats, Raisin Bran, or Frosted Flakes - and submit the codes contained inside the box to the website and get a $10 bonus bucks certificate by mail, good on purchase of toys.......and a few other things.

Offer expires 9/30/2010. There is NO LIMIT to the amount of bonus bucks you can earn!
However, it takes 4-6 weeks to get your bucks...so, LET's FIND SOME DEALS PEOPLE!!

I happen to know that the Target coupon generator over at Hot Coupon World, has $1 off coupons for Kellogg's cereal, 11.2 oz or larger, expiring 11/17/2009. It's not on sale this week, but maybe next?

Crock Pot Wednesday

Today I've linked up with Dining with Debbie's Crockpot Wednesday. Here you see tomorrow night's dinner - a simple crockpot roast cooked with onion, garlic, pickle juice, and water (Made by Matt - his secret recipe). Set at Low and cooked all day! We'll have this with some brown rice i made tonight. I also added onion and cilantro to the rice (I LOVE cilantro!). We'll also have some frozen peas I picked up on a deal and some leftover salad.

In my Menu Plan Monday post, I had said Daddy would make breakfast for dinner on Thursday night......however, Daddy would prefer to have this! and...since i keep these crazy hours (it's now 1:23 a.m.), I decided to make everything and have it ready to reheat!

A Dollar Store Craft!+

I've been wanting to make a sock monkey...but not wanting to pay the price for the "correct" socks.....as per the instructions HERE. So....I grabbed a nice pair of socks at my local Dollar Store. They are Christmas socks, with penguins all over them, but they had the required different colored heel, so I picked them up. I think it turned out rather well, though i'm not the best hand sewer in the world..... I did embroider the eyes so it would be safe for my 2 year old. I'm thinking there are lots of ways to dress this up - could make a little skirt, add buttons at the joints....glitter glue, etc.

I may make some more of these to decorate gifts for my nieces and nephews for Christmas (instead of a bow).

While you are browsing the web and having a bloggy time, check out the great crafts at
Dollar Store Crafts.

Update: Fabric Fairy House

I had some time last night to work on our Handmade (at least partially) Christmas. This is not finished but I wanted to post an update on my work toward Natasha's fabric fairy house (talked about in my Target post HERE). Again, the instructions - thanks to UK Lass in US - are HERE.
I did not modify the pattern, but did modify the process a bit to reflect my sewing ability (which is in development..........chronically..... ha ha).

More later.......

Quick trip to Target

Made a quick trip to Target this afternoon with 3 of the kids. Our 9 year old really needed some underclothes, and I wanted to look at the clothes clearance as I have yet to purchase her any long pants/jeans. The weather is holding here at around 80 degrees daily so she is OK in shorts for awhile yet.....however, it is almost November. Time to start looking. Last year they were able to wear shorts to school through November. Sarah is hard to fit - at age 9 she is 5'2" tall and 120 pounds. She cannot fit into girls sizes anymore, but the "junior" styles are too mature. It is a real challenge at times. The girls plus sizes will sometimes work, but can only find those online around here. Anyway, we really weren't successful....but did find 2 pairs of bermuda shorts (come down to her knees) for $9 each and 2 pairs of sweatsuit-type fabric for $6 each. I also picked up a cute clearance shirt for our eldest for $5.

Other deals:

Game - Connect 4. On sale for $9, used the $4 off coupon posted about HERE at Chicks Dig Deals. I planned on adding this to my gift stash but hubby saw it when he came home and said "Connect 4! I love that game, I wanted it sooo bad when i was young but my mom wouldn't buy it!" so....maybe.....it'll be in HIS Christmas stash........

Chicks Dig Deals also has an awesome post on the Toys R Us Big Book deals HERE.

Speaking of Toys R Us, I asked hubby to make a run to there last night and pick up the 3 1/2" Disney Fairies they have on sale for $5.99, B1G1 free. He came home with 4 fairies for $12. I did briefly browse for a coupon beforehand, but couldn't find one. I plan on gifting these with the carry-along fabric fairy house I am making as Natasha's (age 4 by Christmas) main Christmas gift. I will also make a flower fairy carpet to go with it. Love the free patterns at Wee Folk Art!

OK...back to the deals.....

Keebler cookies - buy 2, get 1 free.
Used a $1 of 2 manufacturer coupon + $1 off 2 Target coupon. For coupon links and to see the deal, go HERE.
I wanted to do this transaction twice, but the little ones were not up for it.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - grilled pork roast (leftover), beans, coleslaw
Carrot Cake

Tuesday - (mom at work) - Layered nachos with corn chips

Wednesday - grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, Pillsbury Grands biscuits
Birthday cake for me! chocolate on chocolate please....or a peanut butter pie!

Thursday - (Mom at work) - Breakfast for dinner - bacon, eggs, toast, potatoes

Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, French bread, salad
Apple crisp

Saturday - HALLOWEEN......probably homemade deli sandwhiches, chips, fruit

Sunday - Homemade pizza, salad

SNACKS:

yogurt, apples, popcorn, treats purchased at Target, toast, cereal, leftovers, Muffins

I don't plan breakfast and lunch as Daddy is in charge of those.....and he doesn't like to plan. He does a great job with breakfast......for lunch, lets just say there are too many corndogs consumed in this house!

On a side note, i find myself itching to make food using pumpkin.... Check out these great looking pumpkin recipes!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Icing

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cookies - though i think i would add raisins or chocolate chips!

Pumpkin Cheesecake - ok, i'm totally dreaming here...i've never made a cheesecake!

The Pumpkin Patch

My hubby's cousins own a pumpkin patch not far from where we live so when I went to work yesterday, he took the kiddos to get punkins!

They had a very fun time, and our pumpkins were free - courtesy of Grandpa! He called ahead and told them he would pick up the tab for whatever the kids picked out - Yay! Looking forward to some pumpkin carving!

Saving money even when you don't have the coupons with you....

I was in need of some monthly supplies.....urgently.....this morning on my way home from work. I worked from 3pm yesterday to 4a.m. this morning and plan on sleeping until noon....so I had to go on my way home. A 24 hour Walgreens is not too out of the way, so stopped by. I did not have my coupons with me (gasp!) but I still managed to work a deal.....

Per Money Saving Mom's post here, I knew that the Infusion lotion gave Register Rewards (RR)of $7. So I did 2 transactions - the first was the lotion, then applied the $7 RR to my supply purchase! So, while I could've done better doing the same deal with coupons, I still did a deal!

It pays to ask the question!

As I have posted before about our recent money struggles, here is another "installment" if you will. Yesterday I called the phone company to review our plan and see if there was any way we could keep the service we need (free long distance - my family in Oregon, his in Southern Cal), and our DSL service (i am just a TAD attached to my internet) and still get the best possible deal to allow us to improve our financial situation. Well...I asked the question...... "Is there anyway you can help us with this bill? discounts, promotions.....ANYTHING...even if just for a few months?"
My customer service agent replied cheerfully that he would be happy to offer us 50% off of our internet for the next 6 months!! So, $35 becomes $17.50~

We pay $35 for phone + $17.50 internet = $52.50/month. Sounds a whole lot better than $70!

Glue Batik - a fun, simple project!

My 3 older girls (nearly 16, 13, and 9) all share the master bedroom/bath (our house is fairly small) and the room includes a sliding glass door. The door is the only window in the room, so while it needs to be covered, would be great to allow some natural light as well. Home dec fabric just isn't in the budget, so i've been wringing my hands trying to come up with an inexpensive curtain idea, that includes their creativity - since it is their room.

I happened upon this tutorial at That Artist Woman for kid-friendly batik. I love batik and this seemed an intriguing project. Before we launch into a curtain, i thought we should try it out. So i bought a yard of white muslin, cut some squares and handed a few to each kid along with a bottle of elmer's green gel glue. The pic is of my own example and I quite like it! the girls are at various stages of painting theirs, but so far they all agree that they like it (an amazing feat!). I'm picturing white curtains with small "glue" patterns, painted with blues and purples. Their walls are dark blue and medium blue.

What do you think? It's a great project, and while we don't homeschool, this gave an opportunity to talk to the girls about the true process of batik, as well as highlight Indonesia - home of the finest batik. See more about batik fabric HERE. It would be a great craft to accompany a homeschool unit study!

Super Savings Saturday

I'm a little inconsistent with posting these, but i did fairly well this week....thought i would share.

This trip is from SuperTarget in Tulare, CA. I use the Target website for coupons as well as the Target coupon generator at Hot Coupon World.

Sutton & Dodge Top Round Steak $1.99/lb - bought $6 worth and fed 8 people for dinner tonight.
Hormel black label bacon - on sale for $2.49, had a Q attached to get $0.40 off with purchase of Pillsbury Grands. We love Grands, so i bought a $1 tube.
Granny Smith apples - on sale for $0.99/lb + used Target Q for 1.00 off 2 pounds or more. I bought 2.41 pounds.
Yoplait yogurt - on sale 10/$5. Had 2 printable Q's for -1.00 on 8. so...got 16 for $6.
Classico past sauce - on sale for $1.84, had printable Q for -1.00/2 -> final price $1.34.
Degree deodorant + body mist -> deal per Money Saving Mom - HERE.
General Mills Cereal - varieties i bought on sale for $1.99. Used 2 $1 off/2 mfg Q's + 2 $1 off/2 Target Q's. Final price: $3.96 for 4 boxes.
Duncan Hines whole grain muffin mix - used $1 printable mfg Q + $0.50 target Q = $1.84. I prefer to make things from scratch, but i work full time and sometimes it just isn't feasible.....or i'm too tired.
Disney raisin and dried fruit snacks - clearance section for $1.60
4 skippy peanut butters to = 64 oz. Priced at $2.04 ea - 1.00 target Q = $4 + change for 64 oz
Johnson's baby bubble bath - on sale for $3 - $1 Q from Johnson's website = $2 + will submit the receipt to get a FREE $10 value bathtime frog toy from Johnson & Johnson. See the details here at Little People Wealth!

Grabbed a few other items as you can see, Grand Total = $58.56 before tax, receipt says I saved
$40.99! Still have a few more items to pick up at Winco, but am hoping to keep it right around $100 this week - wish me luck! I will post menus from my finds on Menu Planning Monday!

Thrifty Thursday

Here is my thrifty Thursday tip - utilize the Grocery Outlet if you have one in your area. They don't accept coupons, but so many of their prices are lower than you can get at Winco, even if you use coupons. Here are some examples of recent deals I have scored:

3 lb bag of Fuji apples - $1.50
Milk - $2/ gallon
Bacon (meat, not fat) $1.79
mini pumpkins $0.25 each
Pringles bold flavor potato chips - $0.77/ bag

Their snack isle often has many deals on granola bars, chips, candy, etc. I also frequently find deals on cheese, butter, hummus, and frozen items. I do watch dates carefully but it is only rarely that i find something that is past it's dates.

Free shipping Day - December 17, 2009

Free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas eve!

Check out the offer and see which merchant's are participating here!

Includes Target, Kmart, Kohls, Sears, American Eagle, and many others!

Need costumes?

Here is a link to the sale/clearance section for buycostumes.com. For added savings, join Mr. Rebates and earn 8% back on your purchase (for a limited time)! If you haven't joined Mr. Rebates yet - join through this link!

Don't know about Mr. Rebates? Membership is free. They offer rebates and coupons for online shopping. Sign up to receive their emails here (Click on "coupons" at the top) and get all the deals delivered to your inbox.

I see many cheap, cute costume accessories for as little as $1.75 at buycostumes.com!

Diabetes: It's nothing to ignore

Well, at work, on a daily basis, i am exposed to diabetics with health issues (hence their trip to the hospital). I am finding myself frustrated not only with the lack of knowledge/concern/self-management that i see from patients but also from the medical community. A lot of physicians in the community are treating Diabetes in their patients, but not really MANAGING it.

I have seen a 45 year old who is COMPLETELY BLIND due to his 20 years as a Type 2 diabetic.

I have seen a 14 year old, super skinny, diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic without any idea how to manage her diet, no knowledge of her blood sugar values, in fact - doesn't even check her blood sugar every day! I asked her mom if they had done antibody testing - she had no idea.

I have seen a 20-something man, diagnosed as a Type 2, who had not checked his blood sugar in over a month. Had no concern over it what-so-ever! when i checked it, it was 370. He was not at all surprised....

UGGGG!

Unplugged - Day #4

Well....we did it....no more Direct TV.....

Surprisingly, we have had very few complaints from the kids. Sarah (9) asks for ideas every now and then, but actually seems calmer and is DEFINITELY doing more reading....though it still isn't her favorite activity. She had a friend stay over the weekend, they played out side, played a board game, and did watch a movie. In fact, there has been a fair amount of movie watching going on but i'm ok with that - we are progressing from a TV dependent household to TV free....and at least they aren't seeing all the commercials!

Jenny, the eldest, briefly chastised me tonight for taking away the TV when I made her get off the computer.....but she got over it. I later asked her if she really felt "that deprived" and she admitted that she did not. It's just an adjustment, and this is the kid that doesn't like change.

Casey, 13, stated that she thinks it is good for all of us! She has been quite busy though....stayed with a friend over the weekend, had softball tonight....however, she is my optimistic child and takes just about everything in stride.

Daddy - my dear, football/baseball/basketball - addicted hubby - is being a good sport but i think he truly misses it. He did join MLB.com's "watch games on the pc" deal so he watched a baseball game the other night (just $9.95 for the post-season).

As for me, I've never been a TV watcher but do want to work on getting some local channels. Ever since i changed jobs, i've been working at getting the house simplified - cleaning out clutter, re-organizing, basically making the house easier to maintain. We had a garage sale last weekend which got rid of a lot, but there were rooms i hadn't touched yet. So, over the weekend, we completed the laundry room (what a mess)....cupboards are organized now, and it's cleaned up. Still has indoor/outdoor carpet that we want to replace with tile - will have to be a future project. We also each cleaned out our closet in our bedroom....much needed. progress! i'm impatient to finish, but do admit i'm still moving forward and have to be happy with that. Today i baked 4 loaves of banana bread and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies.

The little girls are adjusting well to the lack of TV....running, playing, coloring. Luckily, the weather has been so mild (good riddance 100 degree days) they have been able to play outside for a little while each day. Today i gave them each a paintbrush and cup of water and they "painted" the sidewalk. Kept them occupied for about an hour!

I also bought mini-pumpkins today at the Grocery Outlet. They were 2/$1. Next evening i'm not working, each kid will paint a pumpkin. I've been looking at lots of craft ideas to have "an arsenal" when kids need something to do, but my craft stash is seriously lacking of kid supplies and i don't have the money to replenish it. I guess i'll be forced to go garage-saling!

Check out this blog - Unplug our Kids.