Summit on the Summit and PUR Pitcher Giveaway

During the holiday season, many people spend some time thinking of the less fortunate around them, both near and far.  I know that my family donated some items to a food bank and our giving tree at church, and we sponsored a couple of Angel Tree children through the Salvation Army.  But one thing I would certainly take for granted is that even poorer people in my community have access to clean water.  However, for many people around the world, this is not necessarily the case.  Did you know that 4,000 children a day die from illnesses related to unsafe drinking water?

Last week, I was contacted by a representative of PUR water filtration systems about an important charity event that the company is sponsoring in conjuction with the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW): Summit on the Summit.  On January 7, a group including celebrities Jessica Biel, Isabella Lucas, and the musician Kenna, will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for the cause of clean drinking water.  You can read more about the climb and PUR's charity efforts here.

One way that everyone can be involved in this effort is by purchasing a PUR water filtration system.  Not only does the PUR system remove a variety of contaminants in your own water, but for every PUR system purchased PUR will donate a week of cleaning drinking water to a child in a developing country.

In my opinion, a water filtration system for your home is a very worthwhile investment and a much more frugal choice than commercial bottled water.  My family has one of the larger water filtration tanks that you can keep in your fridge, and we use stainless steel reusable water bottles.  Now I never buy bottled water, even for trips, and we always have good-tasting cold water to drink.

In honor of this special charity event, PUR has generously offered to give one Frugally Blonde reader a PUR water filtration pitcher.  This giveaway begins today and will run until January 7, the day of the climb.  To enter, please leave a comment below, including your email address if it is not in your profile.  To gain extra entries, you may do any or all of the following:

1) Become an email subscriber to this blog. (If you already are, it counts.)
2) Subscribe to my RSS feed. (Or confirm that you already do.)
3) Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway.  You can copy and paste the tweet below:

Frugally Blonde is giving away a PUR water filtration pitcher in honor of Summit on the Summit.  Enter here: http://tinyurl.com/ylelcqb.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  The winner will be selected by random number generator and notified by email.  He or she will have 72 hours to respond, after which a new winner will be picked. Good luck!

Disclaimer: The prize for this giveaway is provided by PUR.  I did not receive any compensation for this post or giveaway.

After Christmas Deals: Belk, Gymboree, Gap, B&B Works, Barnes and Noble!

My mom and I went shopping the whole afternoon today and found some really good bargains.  While a lot of stores weren't quite to the rock-bottom clearance level where I usually do my stocking up, many stores had at least some sections of holiday items up to 75% off.  Here's a quick rundown of the deals we found:

Belk (regional department store):
- pretty Christmas earrings, bracelets, and brooches 70% off (good stocking stuffers or teacher gifts for next year!)
- Christmas home decor from 50-70% off, including ornaments, stockings, accent rugs and throw pillows, and food gifts (including Godiva).  They also had Lenox Winter Greetings and Pfaltzgraff Winterberry china for 60% off.
- Children's holiday clothing was mostly 50% off, with some baby items as low as 70% off.

Gap:
- Our baby and kid Gap had few sale items and were pretty cleaned out.

- At regular Gap, however, we found huge sale racks, including a rack with some great deals on pajamas.  We got a set of cute flannel ladies pajamas for $13.99, originally $39.50!

Gymboree:
- Gymboree is having their semi-annual sale right now, and most of our store was made up of sale racks.  We found rock-bottom prices on some summer collections, although selection was very limited.  Holiday outfits were not at their lowest prices, but most were still over 50% off.

- Our best finds were gymmies (pajamas), both summer and winter, for $6.99, an adorable heart-printed baby dress for $6.99, and a different heart knit dress for $7.99.

- Also, you can earn Gymbucks right now with a $50 order.

Bath and Body Works:
 - The "Yellow Sale" is going on right now, with many items 50% and one rack of 75% off items.  In our experience, the items change quickly at B & B Work's big sales, so it's worth checking out several times over the next week or so.

- On the 75% off rack, we found a True Blue Spa "Naked" lotion, Christmas body lotion for kids, adorable lamb slippers, and travel-sized shower gels and lotions.

- We also found good stocking stuffers for next year at 50% off, including Christmas foaming handsoaps and shea-buter infused socks.

Barnes and Noble:
- I was a little disappointed that the holiday items were only 50% off, but the advantage is there was still a wide selection.

- The best items we found were a couple of large Christmas board books (one with a CD), that were pretty reasonable at 50% off, especially for a new book.  These would make good gifts for next year.

- I also saw a small table of really nice toys for 50%, including Haba, Plan toys, and Playmobil!  There were just a few of each, but these are excellent deals on these brands.

Hope these deals are of interest!  Anyone else find any great after-Christmas deals so far?

Best Wegmans Deals: 12/27-01/02

New Deals:

California Navel Oranges (sz. 72) - $.25 each

Cheez-it Cheese Crackers (11.5-13.7 oz.) - $1.99

Tostitos Tortilla Chips (9-13 oz.) - $2.50

Wegmans Sour Cream (16 oz.) - $.99

Wegmans 16 oz. poly bag or 12 oz. Just Picked Steamable Vegetables - $.79

The featured item in my ad this week was shellfish, which is reduced in price from this time last year.  Look for good prices on shrimp, lobster tails, and crab legs if you need such items for your New Year's celebration.


Look for any remaining Christmas clearance on decor and gift items, which should be as much as 75% off at this point.

Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.49

Baking items - prices all good through 01/02:
Wegmans All Purpose Flour (5 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Light Brown, Dark Brown, or Confectioners' Sugar (2 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Granulated Sugar (5 lb. bag) - $1.99 (Limit 2)
Nestle Toll House Morsels (10-12 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 2 and use $.50/2 printable coupon (doubled) or $1.00/2 coupons from recent inserts
Final Price: $1.19 each
Pillsbury Cake Mix (18.25-18.9 oz.) - $.88
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix - $1.49 (through 01/02)
Use $.40/1 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.69

Non-perishables -
Wegmans Cereal (13.5-20 oz.) (selected varieties) - $1.99
Wegmans Instant Oatmeal - $1.99
Specially marked packages of Wegmans instant oatmeal have a mail-in offer for free Rand McNally flashcards.
Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce - $.99 (through 01/02)
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Green Giant canned vegetables (selected varieties, 11 oz.) - $.89
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Green Giant specialty corn coupon from recent insert (doubled) (if included/available)
Final price: $.49/each
Tuttorossa Tomatoes (28-29 oz. Crushed, Sauce or Puree) - $.79
Campbell's Select Harvest Canned Soups - $1.25 (through 01/09)
Nabisco Snack Crackers (8-9.5 oz. Triscuits or 7.5-10 oz. Wheat Thins) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Nabisco crackers from recent insert
Final Price: $.99
Near East Rices and Coucous (4.7-10 oz. All Varieties) - $1.49
Nestle Hot Cocoa (10 pk.) - $.99
Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes - $1.29 (through 01/02)
Use $.25/1 coupon from recent insert, $.40/1 printable coupon, or $.50/1 coupon from free sample recently available (doubled)
Final Price: $.25-.79
Wegmans Ziti, Spaghetti, or Thin Spaghetti (16 oz.) – $.69
Wegmans Tomato Puree or Crushed Tomatoes (28-29 oz. can) – $.69
Wegmans Pasta Sauce (24 oz.) – $.99 (through 01/02)
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz. can Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans or Cut Green Beans) – $.39
Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup (10.75 oz.) - $.59
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Healthy Request condensed soups from recent insert (if that variety is included) or buy 4 and use $.40/4 from recent insert
Final Price: $.19-$.49 each

Refrigerated -
Wegmans Shredded or Chunk Cheese (6-8 oz.) (Excludes 2% shredded cheese) - $1.50
Wegmans Premium Orange Juice (64 fl. oz.) - $1.99
Pillsbury "Simply" Refrigerated Dough - $2.49
Use $1.25/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.24
Wegmans Cream Cheese (8 oz. bar) - $.89
Tribe Hummus - $1.99 (through 01/02)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.49 each

Meat -
Wegmans Roasting Chicken - $.79/lb.
Wegmans 90% Lean Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. or more) - $1.99
Wegmans All Pork Italian Sausage (Club Pack - 2.5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Frozen - 
Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Entrees (8-11.5 oz, select varieties) - $1.99

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Paper Towels (8 pk./480 ct.) – $4.99 ($.62/roll)
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans Bathroom Tissue (12 pk.) - $3.99 (Limit 2) ($.33/roll)
Speed Stick (3-3.25 oz.) or Lady Speed Stick (2.3 oz. Deodorant or Antiperspirant) – $1.88
Use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price – $1.33
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Suave Body Wash (12 fl. oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.69
Crest Toothpaste (3.5 oz.) - $.97

Cheap Candied Fruit at Ingles!

During the next week, I'll try to post any great deals I find on after-Christmas sales, so that you can take advantage of them or of anything similar in your area.

This evening, at her local Ingles, my mom found candied fruits for holiday baking, including fruitcake mix, cherries, pineapple, orange peel, and crystallized ginger, for $.99 each.

Ingles also has their Christmas candy for 50% off; my mom picked up a bunch for $.98/bag, including red and green spice drops and Christmas Sweet Tart gummies.

CVS Deals: 12/27-01/02

Here are the best deals at CVS this week:

 

Pantene or Gillette Hair Care $7/2 (get $2 wyb 2) Limit 1
$1/2 Pantene P&G 11/29
$1 Gilette P&G 11/29
$1 Gillette P&G 12/27
$1 Pantene P&G 12/27
$1 Pantene Vocal Point Home Mailer – sign up Here
$2 Pantene Vocal Point Home Mailer – sign up Here 
= $.50 – $2 each

 

Old Spice High Endurance – 3 to 3.2 oz or Secret Solid – 2.6 to 2.7 oz or Spray – 4 oz $5/2 (get $1 ECBs wyb 2) Limit 1
$.25 Secret P&G 12/27
$1/2 Old Spice P&G 11/29
$1/2 Old Spice P&G 12/27
$1 Old Spice or Secret CVS Coupon $100 Flu Booklet
= $.50 – $.75 each after ECBs (combine SC and MFR)

 

Colgate Total Advanced – 4 oz $2.99 (get $2 ECBs) Limit 1
$1 SS 11/16
$1 December All You Magazine
$1 January All You Magazine
= FREE

 

South Beach Diet Cereal Bars $10/3 (get $5 wyb 3) Limit 1
$1 printable (IE)
$1 printable (FF)
= $.67 each

 

Coke – 2 Liters $3/3 (get $1 ECBs wyb 3) Limit 1
= $.67 each

 

Ashley has a complete list of deals here. 

I plan to make a trip to CVS today, as my ECBs are close to expiring.  I'll probably go for the free toothpaste, and maybe the Pantene deal.  With my Vocalpoint coupons, I can get the bottles for $1 each.  I like to get shampoo and conditioner as close to free as possible, but I think I'm running low and $1 is not too bad!

Also, I want to see how marked down my mom's CVS has their Christmas items.  I usually don't even look before 75% off, but Gina reports that some stores already have gone that low.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day and a relaxing weekend!  We're in North Carolina this week visiting my family and celebrating Christmas and New Year's.  I'll definitely be posting from here, but it will probably be lighter than usual, as of course I'll be spending lots of time with my family.

However, my mom and I love to shop for bargains together, so look for updates on after-Christmas deals that we spot!

Wegmans this Week

Readers, I apologize if you were looking for the Wegmans deals this week.  Due to a sick child, I didn't make my trip there until last night, and as I didn't leave until 11:00pm, I was too exhausted to even remember to look for new deals. 

However, I don't think there was much new to report; most all the holiday deals listed last week are still available.  Although, if you do have to make a trip to Wegmans today, do look into the great discounts on Christmas decor and even toys.  I saw discounts from about 25%-75% off already.  I was able to pick up some lovely last minute gifts from the home decor section for a fraction of their original price.

May Your Days be Merry and Bright, and May All Your Christmases . . .

 . . .be White!!!

I hope you all stayed safe and enjoyed the snow this weekend!  The snow canceled a number of Christmas activities we had planned for the weekend, but in the end, what's more festive than snow! ;-)  I was also very grateful for our warm house, as my parents in North Carolina lost power for two days!  Thankfully, they have it back now.

Here are a few shots from our weekend:

I love that last one - the "pyramid" on our deck is all you can see of the girls' Cozy Coupe play car!

I also wanted to let you all know that I'm starting my Christmas blogging break this week, so that I can focus on getting ready to celebrate this holy season with my family.  For the next three weeks, from today through January 9, I'll still be posting, but much less often.  I won't be worrying about my regular features; I'll just post whatever comes to mind when I have time. 

The one exception is that I DO plan to post the Wegmans deals tomorrow and the next two weeks.  I'll let you know if that changes.

And I'm sure I'll say it again before Friday, but I hope you all have a most Blessed Christmas!

Decorating Your House for Free

I love to make the house look special all though the year for the different seasons and holidays, but I am a complete Christmas romantic, so it's really important to me at Christmas.  However, home decorating items just don't find much of a place in our budget right now.

So last year I challenged myself to come up with some decorations using items I already had around the house.  (You can see the mantal display above and below.)  It was surprising how much I could find around the house - versatile glass vases and bowls, red silk napkins, candles, and even ribbon and bows that I had saved from packages.  I used free branches from a Christmas tree seller as the background. (We didn't even buy our tree from that nursery; we just drove up and asked for the extra branches.)

The display was certainly not Martha Stewart, but it looked festive.  And the only money I spent was a few dollars at the dollar store.  This year, I got a little more ambitious.  I don't consider myself to be that artistic in the decorating department, but I know what I like when I see it.  I was inspired by a spread in All You magazine and this and this to try a pink/Land of Sweets theme!

I figured that with two little girls I have plenty of pink items lying around, and that with all the deals right before Christmas it would be pretty frugal to use candy to decorate.  Sure enough, I got a great deal on a ton of candy at Rite Aid last week, and I actually paid for it with a Rite Aid gift card I had earned back in the summer for a diaper deal.  So that didn't cost me a dime.

Here's what I've put together:

Thanks to Crystal for this idea!

I did buy the styrofoam base and the marshmallows for the wreath, but it cost under $10 total.

We're attending a performance of the Nutcracker on Sunday, and now we're in the mood!

See more Frugal Fridays here.

Place Your Orders Today!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day for free Super Saver shipping on Amazon if you want delivery by Christmas!  Also, today is supposedly "free shipping day," so look around for free shipping promotions at other online stores.  So far, the best one I've come across is Sears' "Better than free shipping promotion."  Check out the details here. 

And here's a link to list of other stores participating in the promotion.  Get your shopping done today!

Best Deals Roundup: The Week Before Christmas Edition!!!

The deals are coming thick and fast, but hopefully we all are winding down our Christmas shopping! Here's what I see for this week:

Grocery Deals:

In honor of General Mills' new reductions of sugar in some of their popular kids cereals, they've released this $1.00/1 coupon for four selected cereals.

There's a new printable coupon for BOGO Special K cereal here.

You can get a free item every day until Christmas with a $20 order at Safeway.

Other Deals:

Amazon's great magazine subscription deals continue, with O Magazine and Good Housekeeping being two of the best deals this week.

Gymboree is really rolling out the discounts this season! Right now everything online and in stores is 30% off, and you can get free shipping with no minimum!  You can also get an extra 15% off!

Mrs. Moneysaver has a link to a great deal on All You magazine, which is a magazine that I really enjoy, not to even mention the great coupons!

Mrs. Moneysaver also mentioned to keep looking for great toy deals on Amazon in the next few days.  From what I've seen, the toy lightning deals have included more desirable toys the past few days; I missed out a couple that I might have gone for.  So keep watching!

Check out Dayspring for good deals on Christian gifts; all their Christmas items are on sale 50%-75% off. 

If you haven't done this Books A Million deal, as I did earlier in the month, it's worth checking out.  You can potentially stock up on children's books to give as gifts for a fraction of their original cost.

Local readers: 
If you still haven't gotten your Christmas tree, a friend today told me about Badlands Christmas Tree Farm in Waterford, VA.  All their trees are just $30, including huge ones!  She said that it's no frills, so be prepared to tie down  your tree the old fashioned way.  Let me know if you go, but just leave us a nice tree for Saturday morning, when we plan to cut our tree!

What other great holiday deals do you see?  I'll try to add any other great deals I find to the comments section as well.

Wegmans Deals: 12/13-12/19

New Deals:

Wegmans US #1 White Potatoes (5 lb. bag) - $1.49

Whole Golden Pineapples - $2.99

California Navel Oranges (4 lb. bag) - $3.99

Clementines (5 lb. gift box) - $4.99

Blueberries or Blackberries (6 oz.) - $2.50

Wegmans Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Club Pack - 5 lbs. or more) - $1.97/lb.

Wegmans 90% Lean Fresh Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. more more) - $1.99/lb.

Wegmans Center Cut Boneless Pork Chops (Club Pack) (In Keeps Fresh packaging, 8 chops per package) - $2.29/lb.

Wegmans Brown Sugar Cured Bone-In Half Hams (Fully Cooked) - $1.79/lb.

Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (8.5-8.8 oz. All Varieties) - $1.50

Tuttorossa Tomatoes (28-29 oz. Crushed, Sauce or Puree) - $.79

Coca-Cola (6 pk./16.9 fl. oz. bottles) - $2.75

Frito-Lay Snacks (10.5-11 oz.) Lay's Potato Chips or 11.75-13.875 oz. Doritos - $2.00

Wegmans Shredded or Chunk Cheese (6-8 oz.) (Excluddes 2% shredded cheese) - $1.50

Stouffer's Red Box Entrees (8.375-12.7 oz.) - $1.99

Ongoing Deals:

Produce -
Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.49

Baking items - prices all good through 01/02:
Wegmans All Purpose Flour (5 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Light Brown, Dark Brown, or Confectioners' Sugar (2 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Granulated Sugar (5 lb. bag) - $1.99 (Limit 2)
Nestle Toll House Morsels (10-12 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 2 and use $.50/2 printable coupon (doubled) or $1.00/2 coupons from recent inserts
Final Price: $1.19 each
Pillsbury Cake Mix (18.25-18.9 oz.) - $.88
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix - $1.49 (through 01/02)
Use $.40/1 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.69

Non-perishables -
Wegmans Cereal (13.5-20 oz.) (selected varieties) - $1.99
Wegmans Instant Oatmeal - $1.99
Specially marked packages of Wegmans instant oatmeal have a mail-in offer for free Rand McNally flashcards.
Kashi Go Lean Cereals - $2.49 (through 12/26)
Use $1.50/1 coupon from Vocalpoint or $1.50/2 coupons recently available to print
Final Price: $.99-$1.74
Diamond Walnuts (16 oz.) - $3.99 (through 12/26)
Buy 2 and use $3.00/2 or $1.00/1 coupons from recent insert
Final Price: $2.49-$2.99 each
Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce - $.99 (through 01/02)
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Green Giant canned vegetables (selected varieties, 11 oz.) - $.89
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Green Giant specialty corn coupon from recent insert (doubled) (if included/available)
Final price: $.49/each
Campbell's Select Harvest Canned Soups - $1.25 (through 01/09)
Nabisco Snack Crackers (8-9.5 oz. Triscuits or 7.5-10 oz. Wheat Thins) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Nabisco crackers from recent insert
Final Price: $.99
Near East Rices and Coucous (4.7-10 oz. All Varieties) - $1.49
Nestle Hot Cocoa (10 pk.) - $.99
Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes - $1.29 (through 01/02)
Use $.25/1 coupon from recent insert, $.40/1 printable coupon, or $.50/1 coupon from free sample recently available (doubled)
Final Price: $.25-.79
Wegmans Ziti, Spaghetti, or Thin Spaghetti (16 oz.) – $.69
Wegmans Tomato Puree or Crushed Tomatoes (28-29 oz. can) – $.69
Wegmans Pasta Sauce (24 oz.) – $.99 (through 01/02)
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz. can Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans or Cut Green Beans) – $.39
Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup (10.75 oz.) - $.59
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Healthy Request condensed soups from recent insert (if that variety is included) or buy 4 and use $.40/4 from recent insert
Final Price: $.19-$.49 each
Dole Canned Fruit (select varieties, 15-20oz.) - $.99 (through 12/19)
Use $.50/1 Dole canned fruit printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: FREE

Refrigerated -
Wegmans Premium Orange Juice (64 fl. oz.) - $1.99
Pillsbury "Simply" Refrigerated Dough - $2.49
Use $1.25/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.24
Wegmans Cream Cheese (8 oz. bar) - $.89
Tribe Hummus - $1.99 (through 01/02)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.49 each

Meat -
Wegmans Roasting Chicken - $.79/lb.
Wegmans 90% Lean Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. or more) - $1.99
Wegmans All Pork Italian Sausage (Club Pack - 2.5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Frozen -
Stouffers Frozen Meals - $1.99-$2.49 (through 12/21)

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Paper Towels (8 pk./480 ct.) – $4.99 ($.62/roll)
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans Bathroom Tissue (12 pk.) - $3.99 (Limit 2) ($.33/roll)
Speed Stick (3-3.25 oz.) or Lady Speed Stick (2.3 oz. Deodorant or Antiperspirant) – $1.88
Use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price – $1.33
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Suave Body Wash (12 fl. oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.69
Crest Toothpaste (3.5 oz.) - $.97

Simple Mini Gingerbread Houses

A few friends and I have been doing a little preschool co-op this semester with our three year olds, and I wanted to create a special project for our final lesson and Christmas party today.  I have long loved gingerbread houses, so I created these mini houses for the kids to decorate.  Since they use graham cracker instead of homemade gingerbread and because of their small size, these houses are very quick and easy.

Since these are perfect for those who have never tried gingerbread constructions before, I thought I'd put together a little tutorial.

For the bases, I covered the lids of kids' shoe boxes with foil and lined them with a piece of parchment paper.  These little trays turned out to be perfect light but sturdy bases for the houses.

The base of each house is made with four squares of graham cracker stuck together with royal icing.  That is one thing that you can't compromise on; royal icing must be used, because it includes egg whites (or powdered eggs), which make the icing dry like cement.  Ordinary icing will not dry hard enough to secure the gingerbread house.

To make each house, pipe two perpendicular lines of icing on the parchment.  Stick square of graham cracker into one line and then pipe a line of icing down the side on the corner.  Then stick a second square on the second line of icing, pressing it into the icing on the corner.  Depending on the consistency of your icing, you may have to hold the two side for a couple of minutes until they stand on your own, but more likely they should immediately stand up together.

Continue the same way to make the rest of the base, then let it dry for maybe 30 minutes before drying to add the roof.  The roof is of course two more squares of graham crackers, with two shaved down rectangular halves of the squares as triangular supports to fill in the gaps on each side. 

 

 

I let the houses dry overnight, and they were very sturdy for the kids to decorate.  They had a blast, both decorating and eating the candy!

For these six houses I used almost an entire box of graham crackers and almost a full recipe of royal icing.  I bought some special candies from the bulk section at Wegmans for decoration, but I also found a number of little food items around my kitchen that could also be used, such as pretzels and cereal.

Here's GiGi's house.  Nothing like a gingerbread house decorated by a candy-loving kid!

See more great DIY projects here.

CVS Deals: 12/13-12/19

There are several useful Christmas freebies that are only good through Tuesday, if you can get there before they run out.  That's probably all I'll go after this week, but if you want to look through the full list of deals, go here.


3-Day Sale (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday ONLY):

Merry Brite Holiday Bows, 12-ct *Limit 2
$2.99 (Get $2.99 ECB)
Final Price FREE

Merry Brite Peel ‘n Stick Gift Tags, 35-50 ct *Limit 2
$1.99 (Get $1.99 ECB)
Final Price FREE

Merry Brite Red & Green Gift Tissue, 20-ct *Limit 2
$1.99 (Get $1.99 ECB)
Final Price FREE

FREEBIES:
Advil PM, 4-ct *Limit 1
$.99 (Get $.99 ECB)
Final Price FREE

Complete MultiPurpose Solution, 12 oz *Limit 1 (Monthly Deal)
$9.99 (Get $9.99 ECB)
-$1/1 from 10/25 RP
$1 Money Maker!

Menu Planning Monday

I've got another busy week of preparing for Christmas ahead of me - and it's the week before the week of Christmas!  (Not to throw any of you into a panic!)  I've got simple casseroles and other easy dishes planned for the week, and really, really easy stuff for the two nights that my hubby won't be there for dinner.

Dinners -
Mon - Sodality Chicken and Rice casserole, green beans
Tues - Wayne's Beef Macaroni and Cheese, salad, bread
Wed - Leftover beef macaroni and cheese
Thurs - tba
Fri - Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit (Michael out)
Sat - Homemade pizza
Sun - Leftover pizza (gone seeing the Nutcracker all afternoon!)

To bake this week:
- french bread (bread machine)
- muffins
- Christmas cookies

Super Savings Saturday

Sorry about my blogging hiatus the past couple of days.  I needed to take a break to get some stuff done around the house.  Christmas is coming so quickly!

After this weekend, Money Saving Mom is taking a break from hosting Super Savings Saturday until January 10, so I think I'll probably do the same.  However, I'll probably still share any really great deals that I score, especially after-Christmas clearance!

My best deals this week were probably at Target.  I forgot to take pictures, but I'll just mention the best deals

3 Keebler crackers - $6.00 ($2.00 each)
2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies - $4.00 ($2.00 each)
Used $1.00/2 Keebler crackers and $1.00/2 Keebler cookies coupons
Used $.75/1 Cheez-its printable coupon
Used $5.00 gift card
Final price: $2.25 total ($.45 each) and received $5.00 gift card

I also got a box of Wheatables crackers and a box of All Bran crackers for $.49 each, using the $1.50/1 coupons that were recently (still?) available to print.  I also got 3 boxes of Swiss Miss hot chocolate for $.97 total, using a manufacturer's and a Target coupon.

Here's my total grocery shopping for this week:

Wegmans - $62.02
Target - $9.69 & $8.48
CVS - $1.49 & $1.44
Total this week - $83.12
Total this month - $184.61
Left for the month - $165.39

This month I'm allowing myself our full allotted grocery budget of $350, considering the possible extra holiday food expenses.  However, we have a lot of food in the house for the next two weeks, and I'm still not sure whether or not I'm hosting Christmas dinner.  So we might come in closer to $300 anyway!  I'm sure the extra money will come in handy for any little extra holiday expenses.


I'm excited about continuing to lower my grocery budget in the new year, but for now I'm just focusing on trying to get some Christmas treats while staying within budget!

My Thanksgiving Blessing

It took me a week and a half to write this post, but at last I wanted to explain this photo I shared the day before Thanksgiving.  If you didn't get it . . .  yes, I now have a car of my own.  And not only a car, a minivan!!!

For those who may not know the whole story, my husband and I have lived on one car for the entire 4-1/2 years of our marriage, over three of which I have been a stay at home mom.  (I wrote about how we managed this and the effect it had on our lifestyle here.)  As I wrote in that post, having only one car was a great challenge and sacrifice but also in some ways a great blessing.  Nevertheless, I have been dreaming about the day when I would have my own transportation literally since high school!

There were many days in my years of driving Michael to work or being stuck at home that I felt like I could not keep it up and we had to get another car right away.  I think it is fitting that the Lord did not bless me with the car during one of those discouraged times, but in a time when I was doing my best to accept our situation.  Then he just hit me out of the blue with His bounty!

I've always loved this quotation from Isaiah, "Even youths will faint and grow weary and young men will fall exhausted, but they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength."  I think it shows such an understanding God, who knows that even young men (and women) get tired and discouraged.  It's such a great reminder to me that it is worth it to wait upon the Lord.

Briefly, our previous financial plan had been to save our three-month emergency fund and then begin saving for a car.  We had estimated that it would take two more years to save what seemed like a moderate amount for a used minivan.  However, for various reasons we had recently been talking about using part of our emergency fund to buy a fairly old used car to "tide us over" for the next few years.

Then, unexpectedly, Michael's parents told us about a minivan from Craigslist that they had gone to see and were going to have checked out by their mechanic.  In short, they let us buy it instead of them and were there to help walk us through the process, which was invaluable, as we are not too knowledgeable about cars.

It is a fairly old van, but it is in good condition and has had some major parts replaced.  And to me, it is as my Cinderella's chariot. ;-) We certainly plan to make it last as long as possible, while continuing to save for the time when one or both of our old cars will need to be replaced.  I feel blessed that we were able to save the money to pay for it in cash and not be saddled with a car payment, although we did reduce our emergency fund..  Now we are committed to rebuilding our savings as quickly as we can.

It's been kind of emotional for me to finally have a car of my own, and I know it's going to be a huge lifestyle shift.  It's a little overwhelming!  I know that I want to continue to maintain the positive habits that I've established out of necessity, like combining errands and limiting myself in the deals that I pursue.  However, I've decided that I'll worry about all of that in the new year, after the busyness of the Christmas season.  For the next few weeks, I'm just going to enjoy my new ride!

Wegmans Deals: 12/06-12/12

A word about the timing of my weekly list of deals:
    I usually try to shop at Wegmans on Monday or Tuesday morning, so that I can find the unadvertised deals to share with you.  (Wegmans does not share many of their sales in their ad.)  However, life being what it is, sometimes it doesn't work out that way.  In those cases, I will publish the list no later than Wednesday, whether I've shopped or not.  However, remember that the majority of Wegmans' sales run for more than one week, so if you're shopping before my list has come out for the week, just check last week's list.  You should be able to find plenty of ongoing deals.



New Deals:

California Navel Oranges (size 72) - $.33

Wegmans Fresh Garden Salad (1 lb. bag) - $1.29

Wegmans 90% Lean Fresh Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. more more) - $1.99

Wegmans Brown Sugar Cured Bone-In Half Hams (Fully Cooked) - $1.79/lb.

Wegmans Premium Orange Juice (64 fl. oz.) - $1.99

Coca-Cola (6 pk./16.9 fl. oz. bottles) - $2.50


Ongoing Deals:

Produce -

Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.49

Baking items - prices all good through 01/02:
Wegmans All Purpose Flour (5 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Light Brown, Dark Brown, or Confectioners' Sugar (2 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Granulated Sugar (5 lb. bag) - $1.99 (Limit 2)
Nestle Toll House Morsels (10-12 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 2 and use $.50/2 printable coupon (doubled) or $1.00/2 coupons from recent inserts
Final Price: $1.19 each
Pillsbury Cake Mix (18.25-18.9 oz.) - $.88
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix - $1.49 (through 01/02)
Use $.40/1 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.69

Non-perishables -
Wegmans Cereal (13.5-20 oz.) (selected varieties) - $1.99
Wegmans Instant Oatmeal - $1.99
Specially marked packages of Wegmans instant oatmeal have a mail-in offer for free Rand McNally flashcards.
Kashi Go Lean Cereals - $2.49 (through 12/26)
Use $1.50/1 coupon from Vocalpoint or $1.50/2 coupons recently available to print
Final Price: $.99-$1.74
Diamond Walnuts (16 oz.) - $3.99 (through 12/26)
Buy 2 and use $3.00/2 or $1.00/1 coupons from recent insert
Final Price: $2.49-$2.99 each
Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce - $.99 (through 01/02)
Goya Canned Beans (15.5 oz.) - $.50 (through 12/05)
Buy 6 and use $1.25/6 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $.30 each
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39
Green Giant canned vegetables (selected varieties, 11 oz.) - $.89
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Green Giant specialty corn coupon from recent insert (doubled) (if included/available)
Final price: $.49/each
Campbell's Select Harvest Canned Soups - $1.25 (through 01/09)
Swanson Broth - $.60 (through 12/12)
Buy 3 and use $.40/3 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.33 each
Nabisco Snack Crackers (8-9.5 oz. Triscuits or 7.5-10 oz. Wheat Thins) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Nabisco crackers from recent insert
Final Price: $.99
Near East Rices and Coucous (4.7-10 oz. All Varieties) - $1.49
Nestle Hot Cocoa (10 pk.) - $.99
Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes - $1.29 (through 01/02)
Use $.25/1 coupon from recent insert, $.40/1 printable coupon, or $.50/1 coupon from free sample recently available (doubled)
Final Price: $.25-.79
Wegmans Ziti, Spaghetti, or Thin Spaghetti (16 oz.) – $.69
Wegmans Tomato Puree or Crushed Tomatoes (28-29 oz. can) – $.69
Wegmans Pasta Sauce (24 oz.) – $.99 (through 01/02)
Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz. can Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans or Cut Green Beans) – $.39
Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup (10.75 oz.) - $.59
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Healthy Request condensed soups from recent insert (if that variety is included) or buy 4 and use $.40/4 from recent insert
Final Price: $.19-$.49 each
Dole Canned Fruit (select varieties, 15-20oz.) - $.99 (through 12/19)
Use $.50/1 Dole canned fruit printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: FREE

Refrigerated -
Wegmans Premium Orange Juice (64 fl. oz.) - $1.99
Pillsbury "Simply" Refrigerated Dough - $2.49
Use $1.25/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.24
Wegmans Cream Cheese (8 oz. bar) - $.89
Tribe Hummus - $1.99 (through 01/02)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.49 each

Meat -
Wegmans Roasting Chicken - $.79/lb.
Wegmans 90% Lean Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. or more) - $1.99
Wegmans All Pork Italian Sausage (Club Pack - 2.5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Frozen -
Stouffers Frozen Meals - $1.99-$2.49 (through 12/21)

Paper/Toiletries/Cleaning -
Wegmans Paper Towels (8 pk./480 ct.) – $4.99 ($.62/roll)
Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79
Wegmans Bathroom Tissue (12 pk.) - $3.99 (Limit 2) ($.33/roll)
Speed Stick (3-3.25 oz.) or Lady Speed Stick (2.3 oz. Deodorant or Antiperspirant) – $1.88
Use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price – $1.33
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88
Suave Body Wash (12 fl. oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.00 each
V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.69
Crest Toothpaste (3.5 oz.) - $.97

Tuesday Tip

A quick, painless money-saving tip every Tuesday . . . 

Today's Tuesday Tip is thanks to Colleen.

Find creative ways to reuse used and scrap paper.  

"I use the return envelopes that come with bills as my coupon separators, I even use one on shopping day, write my list on the out side and put the coupons I am going to use inside."

"I use the back of the kids school papers to print coupons on, I have even used colored paper, the stores take them no problem." 

"What to do with the 2/3 of a piece of paper that is left after printing that one coupon . . . we are making snowflake cut outs as winter decorations for our windows!"

Have a fast and easy frugal tip to share?  Email me, and I'll credit you if I use your tip.

Best Deals Roundup

The very best deals for your week, from the blogosphere and beyond . . .  


The deals should be coming thick and fast this week, as retailers vie for your Christmas dollars!

Grocery Deals:

Today only you can get a coupon on Facebook for a free box of clementines with a $25 order at Safeway.  Crystal has the scoop.


Coupons.com has added a number of new coupons over the last week, so make sure you've printed the latest and greatest.  (You can print these on my sidebar.)  My favorite: $.75 off Goldfish crackers!  This is a favorite snack in our house, and I hardly ever seem coupons for them!

Laura posted about some new Campbells coupons here.  These should be great for all the sales on canned soups this time of year.

Local readers: Laura also posted about the opening of the new Aldi in Manassas here.  Man, I wish it were closer!  I've heard so many good things about that store.


Other Deals:

I was excited about this deal: right now Gymboree has free shipping on all orders with no minimum purchase.  I've never seen them do that before!  They also have an extra 25% off everything right now.

Get an extra 20% off your online order at JC Penny with code 20FRIEND (only through today).


Kohls online has select Fisher Price toys 50% off today.  The selection includes several Little People sets, which I always think are a great toy for the 1-4 year old set.

Here's a printable coupon for a free item (up to $13 value) at Bath and Body Works with a $10 purchase.

There's a printable coupon here for $5 off an order of $5 or more at Hallmark stores.  I also received three other copies of this coupon in November and December issues of magazines that I received (such as Real Simple and Woman's Day).  I already used one to pay just $2 for a game for a kid on my list.  I'm sure there are lots of cute items to pick for around $5 at Hallmark.

There are more great $5 magazines subscriptions this week on Amazon.  Money Saving Mom also mentioned a great offer for a very cheap subscription to Family Fun (a great magazine for families with kids).

What other great deals do you see this week?

Best CVS Deals: 12/6-12/12

Month Long Deals
Complete Multi-Purpose Contact Solution $9.99 (get $9.99) Limit 1
$1 RP 10/26
$2 printable 
= $1 MONEYMAKER – $2 MONEYMAKER after ECBs

Neosoporin Lip Product $4.99 and up
$2.50 Clipless Coupon (taken off with your card)
$3 printable 
= FREE

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Only Deals
Essence of Beauty Bath & Body $4.99 (get $4 ECBs) Limit 2
= $.99

Merry Brite Santa Hat $3.99 (get $3.99 in ECBs) Limit 2
= FREE

Merry Brite Mini Ornaments – 12ct $1.99 (get $1.99 in ECBs) Limit 2
=FREE

This seems to be a pretty good week at CVS, as there are some some fun and useful freebies this week.  I'm hoping when I make a trip to CVS today that they'll still have the Christmas items!   Be sure to check Ashley full list here for a couple of other potential freebies not listed in the top deals.

I have $7.99 and $1.00 in ECB's to work with; here are the three scenarios I came up with to do, with under $1.00 out of pocket for each.  Now I wonder if I'll have the courage to ask the cashier if I can divide my purchases into 3 orders!

1 Essence of Beauty Bath and Body - $4.99
1 Santa hat - $3.99
1 Hormel Compleats - $2.00
= $10.98
- $2.00 All You coupon (Hormel Compleats)
- $7.99 ECB
= $.98 OOP (Receive $3.99 and $4 ECBs)

1 Santa hat - $3.99
1 Ornament set - $1.99
= $5.98
- $4.00 & $1.00 ECB
= $.98 OOP (Receive $3.99 & $1.99 ECBs)

1 Emergen-C - $3.99
1 Ornament set - $1.99
= $5.98
- $3.99 & $1.99 ECBs
= $.99 OOP (Receive $3.99 & $1.99 ECBs)

Menu Planning Monday

It feels good to get back on track with menu planning!  My new plan is to shop at the beginning of every week, so I am just planning one week of meals at a time.  I think I like this better, as it's less overwhelming for me to just look at one week at a time.

I bought a lot of food on my Wegmans trip last week, so we won't need too much this week.  Here's what I have planned:

Breakfasts: bagels, cereal, yogurt, scrambled eggs

Lunches: leftovers, cheese and crackers, pbj, quesadillas

Snacks: fruit, raw veggies (last root veggies from our garden), graham crackers, pretzels

Dinners:
Mon - Chili, tortilla chips
Tues - Turkey soup, homemade bread
Wed - Burritos with leftover chili, corn
Thurs - Leftover turkey soup
Fri - Italian fritatta, fruit salad
Sat - Possible dinner out
Sun - Pasta or freezer meal

See more great menu plans at Menu Planning Monday!

Stockings from your "Stockpile"

Life as Mom has an awesome Frugal Friday post today on frugal stocking stuffers.  I think this is a really good idea because stockings tend to be one of those overlooked expenses that can really add up!  As I discovered last year, even all the "cheap" Dollar store and Target dollar spot items can get expensive.  After all, you could probably fit $25 worth of little $1 items into some stockings, if not more!

After going a little overboard last year, I tried to plan ahead this year.  Actually, I already have pretty close to everything I need for the girls' stockings already, without buying anything yet this holiday season.  I don't have everything for Michael's stocking, but I have a good start.

One of the best ways I found to get items to save for stockings is through one of my favorite ways to shop - seasonal clearance!  Last year, I stumbled upon a treasure-trove of 90% off Christmas items at Target.  Among a number of other items, I picked up Christmas coloring books and stickers for this year's stockings.  I also got a few clearance Christmas items at CVS. 

Stocking stuffers are not just limited to Christmas clearance.  Even other holidays clearance sections might have some little doo-dads that could be good stocking (or Easter basket) stuffers, such as stickers, pencils, and candy.  I have noticed that occasionally even items at the Target dollar spot go on clearance for half price, so I try to stock up on items then.  Also, I found several items in toy clearance sections after Christmas and at the end of the summer.

Jessica's idea about using free samples as stocking stuffers also got me thinking about using items from my household stockpile as stocking stuffers.  I have a number of scented candles, lotions, and body washes that would be good if I were stuffing an teen or adult female stocking. 

Including practical items is another good way to save on stocking stuffers, especially if you needed to purchase the item anyway.  When I was a child we got plenty of fun items in our stockings, but we often also received socks, underwear, and toothbrushes.  We didn't mind, and "Santa" often made these items more special by getting Christmas socks or a toothbrush with a favorite character.

The rest of the items I have for the stockings I just picked up when I saw them or when I found a good deal throughout the year.  I got my girls some simple dress up items from the Target dollar spot months ago.  I'm not organized enough to do the majority of my Christmas shopping ahead of time, as some people do, but any time I do find something I can pick up for Christmas, I do.  Even if I spend the same amount of money on it that I would have at Christmas, it's easier on the budget because it doesn't come at the same time as all those other holiday expenses!

It might be late to "stock"pile for your stockings this year, but I hope you find some inspiration from the ideas.  And in a few weeks it will be time to start saving for next year!

Photo by Juliaf.

E-book Review: Visions of Sugarplums

Presented by: Lizzie at A Dusty Frame
Price: $7
Available at: A Dusty Frame
Description:

Visions of Sugarplums: A Collection of Christmas Cookery is a delightful ebook published by Lizzie of A Dusty Frame, filled with those exceptional recipes of holidays past. My mouth waters as I examine the contents:

Gingerbread Waffles
Warm Cranberry Punch
Sweet Potato Casserole
Moravian Cookies
Toffee Squares
Epiphany Cake
Julgrot (Swedish Rice Pudding)
Triple Layer Brownies
Vintage Molasses Cake

The book is sprinkled with holiday traditions from around the world and their corresponding recipes, like finding the lucky single almond in the Julgrot. You’ll find inspirational quotes, a section on making homemade ornaments from kitchen ingredients, suggested family traditions, snow day ideas, and a list of favorite Christmas books. And, of course, lots of love.

Visions of Sugarplums is available for just $7 and is thoughtfully arranged with vintage illustrations—a lovely keepsake for yourself or a special gift for a friend.


I'm always excited to check out a new cookbook, especially one with a Christmas theme!  However, it was definitely different for me to use an e-book.  Although I print many recipes from online sources; I am old fashioned about enjoying curling up on the couch with a cookbook for inspiration.  However, it would be easy to print out the e-book if you prefer to go through it offline.  You can also of course print individual pages, as I did when I tried several recipes.

Visions of Sugarplums has all the look and features of a traditional cookbook.  It has lovely vintage illustrations and an attractive layout.  As the above PR paragraph mentions, in addition to recipes it includes seasonal thoughts, quotations, and ideas, which I greatly enjoyed.  The recipes are divided into four sections for Appetizers/Beverages/Breads, Meat/Side Dishes, Cookies/Desserts/Candies, and Miscellaneous.

So far I have tried three recipes from this cookbook, one from each of the first three sections.  The first was Creamy Pumpkin Pie, which was perfect.  It was simple to throw together and smooth and delicious!

Yesterday for breakfast I made Grandma Bea's Gingerbread Waffles.  This recipe was also successful; the waffles turned out thick and crispy.  However, the recipe tasted a little too strongly of molasses for my personal preference; I would have preferred more of a ginger flavor.

I also made the Mediterranean Meatballs during my baking day yesterday.  This was another easy recipe, and the meatballs held together well while I was cooking them.  I actually haven't eaten any of them yet, but I will update the post when I try them!

One downside I noticed to preparing recipes from this book was that it was hard to tell how exactly they were supposed to turn out.  Part of this is because there were no photos, but also because there were no introductions to most of the recipes.  I would have appreciated a little blub about each recipe, especially for the foreign ones, as it wasn't entirely clear to me at first glance what they all were!

Overall, I would recommend Visions of Sugarplums as nice holiday cookbook.  At $7, the cheapskate in mean wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer, but it still costs less than a typical cookbook.  It could be a frugal purchase for some new holiday ideas for yourself, or it would be an inexpensive and thoughtful gift for a friend that won't clutter her countertop.

This is a Mama Buzz review.  This product was provided by Lizzie of A Dusty Frame for this review.

Baking Day Results

Here's what I accomplished on my baking/cooking day yesterday:

6 large Gingerbread Waffles
16 Puffins muffins
9 bagels
a huge pot of ground beef vegetable soup
18 Mediterranean meatballs
1-1/2 pounds cooked and frozen Italian sausage for pizza and other dishes
several dozen chocolate chip cookies
chocolate sandwich cookie dough

I actually think I could have accomplished more in the day if I had worked all day, but I was running out of room in my freezer!  (We only have the small fridge-top freezer).  Today I might whip up a couple other dishes.  I have a turkey carcass in my fridge that I need to make into soup, and I think I might have enough meat to also make a casserole or something.  (Anyone have any good turkey leftovers recipe ideas?)


I really enjoyed joining everyone participating in this freezer cooking day and seeing updates on Twitter and various blogs.  Thanks to Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom for hosting.  I have lots of ideas for next month!

Wordless Wednesday

I just had to share a pic of the birthday cake Michael brought home for me with his "frugal" candle.  He figured that we can reuse it every year!  Lol!

I'll share the results of my baking day tomorrow morning.  Have a great night!

Baking Day Update

Well, I had a very productive morning.  I completed the Gingerbread waffles, Puffins muffins, bagels, and Mediterranean meatballs.  And my vegetable beef soup is simmering on the stove.

After a break having lunch with a friend and getting on the computer for a while, I'm having trouble motivating myself to get back into baking.  However, I really want to get some more dishes made today; they get eaten up faster than I think!

So after a little glance around the internet, these cookies are motivating me.  These look like a really versatile cookie for Christmas and a little different.  I think I'll make the dough and freeze it.  I'm also going to cook up some of the Italian sausage I bought yesterday to add to red beans and rice or whatever.  Now I'm off to start!

Big Baking Day

Before we left on Thanksgiving vacation, I started planning a big baking/freezer cooking day for our return.  With December already in full swing, I really want to focus on getting ready for Christmas, so I'd like to have plenty of lunches, dinners, and baked goods all ready to pull out when needed.  Then yesterday I saw that Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom teamed up yesterday and today to host another freezer cooking day extravaganza, so I determined that I would do mine today. 

Here are the recipes that I'm looking at making:

Gingerbread Waffles
Puffins Muffins (Funny story - we didn't like this cereal, so I searched for ways to use it up.  The muffins are delicious!)
"Donkey" snack mix
Cookie dough to freeze (Gingerbread and/or sugar)

Red beans and rice with Italian Sausage
Vegetable beef soup (I think I'll make up this recipe)
Homemade chicken nuggets
Mediterranean meatballs

*Some of these recipes are from an e-book that I'll be reviewing tomorrow.  Stay tuned for that.

I'm not being super scheduled about this, so I'm not sure of the order I'll do everything in.  Also, today is my birthday, so I might take a little time off to relax. ;-)  However, it's not a big deal if I don't accomplish everything; we'll see what I can do.  If you're interested, you can check back here, the hosting blogs, and Twitter (hashtag #oamc), to see how everyone's doing on their cooking!

Best Deals Roundup

The very best deals for your week, from the blogosphere and beyond . . .


Since I'm trying to get caught up from the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm just doing a really quick roundup of the best deals I see at first glance.  However, I know there are tons of holiday deals out there right now, so please post any additional ones in the comments section!

It's time to print the new month's coupons from coupons.com!  You can print these from the widget on my sidebar.  Just click "see all coupons."  You can print each twice per computer.  Here are the best ones I see so far:

$1.50/1 Keebler Wheatables crackers (Wow - high value coupon!)
$1.50/1 Kellogg's All Bran crackers (Makes these just $.14 at Target)
$1.00/1 Muir Glen product (Use to get the small cans of tomato paste and sauce for a few cents each.)
$.40/1 Betty Crocker cookie mix
$.50/1 Chex Mix
$5/$25 your total order at Rite Aid

Also, don't forget to check Smart Source, Red Plum, and All You for new coupons!

If you have a Lane Bryant Outlet store near you, check out this great deal.

Through today you can download some free holiday music.

Also only through today you can get $5 subscriptions to some great magazines on Amazon!

Gina has the scoop on the Staples free Duracell batteries deal.

Laura has an interesting post about toy and book deals from a Christian company called Vision Forum.  Check it out.

Best Wegmans Deals: 11/29-12/05

Blackberries, Blueberries, or Raspberries (6 oz. pkg.) - $2.50

Wegmans US #1 3 lb. Bagged Apples - $2.49

Nabisco Snack Crackers (8-9.5 oz. Triscuits or 7.5-10 oz. Wheat Thins) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 Nabisco crackers from recent insert
Final Price: $.99

Coca-Cola (6 pk./6.9 fl. oz. bottles) - $2.00

Wegmans Shredded Cheese (6-8 oz., excludes 2%) - $1.50


Wegmans Roasting Chicken - $.79/lb.

Wegmans 90% Lean Ground Beef (Club Pack - 6 lbs. or more) - $1.99

Wegmans All Pork Italian Sausage (Club Pack - 2.5 lbs. or more) - $1.99/lb.

Save $.50 this week on Wegmans breakfast sandwiches with your Shoppers Club Card.

Get $1.00 off 3 greetings cards with your Shoppers Club Card.

Ongoing Deals:

Wegmans Cereal (13.5-20 oz.) (selected varieties) - $1.99

Wegmans Instant Oatmeal - $1.99
Specially marked packages of Wegmans instant oatmeal have a mail-in offer for free Rand McNally flashcards.

Kashi Go Lean Cereals - $2.49 (through 12/26)
Use $1.50/1 coupon from Vocalpoint or $1.50/2 coupons recently available to print
Final Price: $.99-$1.74

Baking items - prices all good through 01/02:
Wegmans All Purpose Flour (5 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Light Brown, Dark Brown, or Confectioners' Sugar (2 lb.) - $.99 (Limit 2)
Wegmans Granulated Sugar (5 lb. bag) - $1.99 (Limit 2)
Nestle Toll House Morsels (10-12 oz.) - $1.69
Buy 2 and use $.50/2 printable coupon (doubled) or $1.00/2 coupons from recent inserts
Final Price: $1.19 each
Pillsbury Cake Mix (18.25-18.9 oz.) - $.88
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix - $1.49 (through 01/02)
Use $.40/1 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.69

Diamond Walnuts (16 oz.) - $3.99 (through 12/26)
Buy 2 and use $3.00/2 or $1.00/1 coupons from recent insert
Final Price: $2.49-$2.99 each

Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce - $.99 (through 01/02)

Goya Canned Beans (15.5 oz.) - $.50 (through 12/05)
Buy 6 and use $1.25/6 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $.30 each

Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz can) Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans, or Cut Green Beans - $.39

Green Giant canned vegetables (selected varieties, 11 oz.) - $.89
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Green Giant specialty corn coupon from recent insert (doubled) (if included/available)
Final price: $.49/each

Campbell's Select Harvest Canned Soups - $1.25 (through 01/09)

Swanson Broth - $.60 (through 12/12)
Buy 3 and use $.40/3 coupon from recent insert (doubled)
Final Price: $.33 each

Near East Rices and Coucous (4.7-10 oz. All Varieties) - $1.49

Nestle Hot Cocoa (10 pk.) - $.99

Betty Crocker Boxed Potatoes - $1.29 (through 01/02)
Use $.25/1 coupon from recent insert, $.40/1 printable coupn, or $.50/1 coupon from free sample recently available (doubled)
Final Price: $.25-.79

Wegmans Ziti, Spaghetti, or Thin Spaghetti (16 oz.) – $.69

Wegmans Tomato Puree or Crushed Tomatoes (28-29 oz. can) – $.69

Wegmans Pasta Sauce (24 oz.) – $.99 (through 01/02)

Wegmans Canned Vegetables (14.5-15.25 oz. can Cream Style Corn, Whole Kernel Corn, French Style Green Beans or Cut Green Beans) – $.39

Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup (10.75 oz.) - $.59
Buy 2 and use $.40/2 Healthy Request condensed soups from recent insert (if that variety is included) or buy 4 and use $.40/4 from recent insert
Final Price: $.19-$.49 each

Dole Canned Fruit (select varieties, 15-20oz.) - $.99 (through 12/19)
Use $.50/1 Dole canned fruit printable coupon (doubled)
Final Price: FREE

Wegmans Premium Orange Juice (64 fl. oz.) - $1.99

Danimals Drinkable Yogurt or Crush Cups Yogurt (4 pk/4 oz. cups or 6 pk./3.1 fl. oz. bottles) - $1.99
Use $1.00/1 coupons from recent inserts
Final Price: $.99

Pillsbury "Simply" Refrigerated Dough - $2.49
Use $1.25/1 printable coupon
Final Price: $1.24

Wegmans Cream Cheese (8 oz. bar) - $.89

Tribe Hummus - $1.99 (through 01/02)
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.49 each

Stouffers Frozen Meals - $1.99-$2.49 (through 12/21)

Wegmans Paper Towels (8 pk./480 ct.) – $4.99 ($.62/roll)

Wegmans Facial Tissue (65-160 ct. cube or flat) – $.79

Wegmans Bathroom Tissue (12 pk.) - $3.99 (Limit 2) ($.33/roll)

Speed Stick (3-3.25 oz.) or Lady Speed Stick (2.3 oz. Deodorant or Antiperspirant) – $1.88
Use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price – $1.33

Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel (7 oz.) – $1.88

Suave Body Wash (12 fl. oz.) - $1.50
Buy 2 and use $1.00/2 coupon from recent insert
Final Price: $1.00 each

V05 Shampoo or Conditioner - $.69

Crest Toothpaste (3.5 oz.) - $.97

CVS Deals: 11/29-12/05

Oral-B Single Manual Toothbrush, Indicator, Advantage, Cross Action or Zooth Toothbrush $2.99 (get $2 ECBs) Limit 1
$.75 P&G 10/11 (expires Monday, 11/30)
$.75 P&G 11/1 (expires Monday, 11/30)
= $.24 each after ECBs

Accu-Check Aviva $14.99 (get $5 ECBs) Limit 2
$10 SS 8/23
$10 SS 11/08
= FREE after ECBs

NyQuil or DayQuil $4.99 (get $4 ECBs wyb 2) Limit 1
$.50 CVS Coupon $100 Flu Booklet
$1 P&G 10/11 (expires Monday, 11/30)
$1.50 P&G 11/1
$1.50 P&G 11/29
= $.99 – $1.49 after ECBs (combine SC and MFR)

Picture Frame or Albums $6.99 and up (get $7 ECBs wyb 2)
= $3.50 and up after ECBs

For a complete list of this week's CVS deals go here. There's a link to a $5/$30 coupon there as well.

Not an amazing week this week, but the picture frames or albums deal could be helpful for Christmas shopping!