Friday Freebies

Click Here for a coupon for a Free Pouch of Idahoan Potatoes. Go to Print Coupon, be sure to say you've never tried them before.

You can send a Free Letter from Santa to your favorite little ones. Go to Santa Claus Museum and send an email to the email address specified on the bottom of their webpage with your mailing information, kids names and what your kids like and they will receive their very own personalized letter from St. Nick himself in the mail this year.

FREE Scotch Brite Samples Click here

Sign up for Old Spice Shaving Crew and receive special offers and a razor.

Source of Life FREE Shaker cup. These are great for shaking up any powder mix such as salad dressings! Click here

And just in case you missed out on some of the older offers, here's what's still running:

Free Reach Access Flosser

Being Girl: Sign up now to get a free beinggirl Sample Kit. Just fill out the quick survey below to begin! Included in the kit are:2 Regular Tampax Pearl Tampons, 1 Lite Tampax Pearl Tampon, 1 Always Infinity Feminine Pad, 2 Always Pantiliners, and 1 Always Feminine Wipe.

Meijer Printable Coupon-Campbells Select Harvest

Here's for all you Meijer shoppers! Save $1 off any two Campbells Select Harvest (cans or bowls) Printable Coupon. Expires 10/31/08

Quick, Easy, Frugal Baked Ziti

I've been asked for this recipe so many times, I decided to drag it back up closer to the top of my archives. It's one of my families' favorites. For me, this recipe has it ALL. It's quick, easy and a frugal (less than $5) meal. What more could you ask for?

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 jar water
1 lb pasta (rotini, penne, ziti, elbows, shells)
8 oz shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, mexican, mont. jack)



Mix sauce, water, and uncooked pasta in 9x13 pan. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (depends upon type of pasta used). Remove cover, stir, top with cheese, and bake until cheese is melted.

Serve with garlic toast and a salad.

Variations: add mushrooms, eggplant, zuccini, or any other vegetable you need to sneak in on your kids. It doesnt take much. Meat can also be added. 1 lb of ground beef, italian sweet pork sausage, ground turkey or 2 cups cooked chicken.

LE2
LE4

TRY THESE PRINTABLE COUPONS AT KMART

There are some of you who have trouble getting your K-mart (and other) stores to accept IP (internet printed) coupons, even though they are supposed to according to corporate policy.

Save your cereal boxes, cut them apart, you can get 2 sheets of cardstock from them. Use the inside that is blank and print the coupons on those. Make sure that you set your printer for cardstock, not paper so that it won't get stuck. DO NOT USE IN A LASERJET PRINTER. DO NOT USE BOXES IF THERE IS A CLEAR COATING ON THE CARDBOARD! The heat will melt the plastic coating and gum up your printer.

Most cashiers are use to seeing coupons being printed on box tops and the inside of boxes and won't even think twice about accepting them. They also expect them to be in black ink only so you save there too.

Even if you don't have problems, it is a great way to recycle! I use the cardboard from my soda cartons too, just cut to size.


This sheet of coupons was printed on the back of a Honey Bunches Of Oats box. My printer settings does not list cardstock but has a greeting card option that I chose. I also changed the paper size to A4. Worked like a charm!

ALL YOU Magazine- November Coupons

The November issue of ALL YOU magazine is on sale at Wal-Mart. Some people are reporting that Wal-Mart has raised the price of the magazine. Doesn't that figure! This month is not a real good month for the mag's coupons either. To be able to read the pic, click on it!

Mom, What's For Dinner?

Snippets you would have heard if you were a fly on the wall at my house today...

After school:
Mom, What's for dinner?

Home-made vegetable soup and Asiago bread.

YUM! I love vegetable soup. It's one of my favorites.

During dinner:
So?

So what?

So, how's your soup?

I've had better.

(Eyes as big as saucers, mouth dropped open) What did you say?

I've had better, you've made better, this is definetly not your best, mom.

(shaking head at husband, husband has a look of disbelief on his face, waiting for me to get really upset)

Eat your dinner boy wonder.

I don't like these green beans.

Eat your dinner boy wonder.

I don't like this corn.

Eat your dinner boy wonder.

I don't like this, it's not my favorite anymore!

I've received another award!

Thanks to Ginger over at Attention Target Shoppers for bestowing me the Kreativ Blogger Award! How cool is this? With this award, I have to share 6 things that makes me happy, and then pass it on to 6 other people to make them happy!

The 6 things that make me happy are:

Applebee's Perfect Margaritas ... I mean, these make me VERY happy! ;)

Coupons! I still get so excited to find great coupon deals!

The Internet. Reading my friends' blogs, forming new friendships, learning anything new in the world of being frugal, cherry picking, scrapbooking, I could do this all day. I just love learning new things on the internet.

Freebies! I love getting great freebies in my mailbox! Just this week I received a Venus Embrace Smooth5 razor and a Betty Crocker Pouch Potato in my mailbox.

Rebates! FREE money, who doesnt love free money? This week my rebates have started rolling in. I have received a $10 Coors Lite, $10 Kelloggs, and a $3.49 Listerine Smart rinse rebate checks. I still have more to roll in and have a few more to fill out and get in the mail. If you run across a rebate, please drop me a note and let me know so I dont miss out!

Scrapbooking! One of these days I will have more time to do more scrapbooking, but it makes me happy doing what little I do now.

I would like to pass on the award to these six bloggers:
Raspberry Road Designs A great digital scrapbooker that offers lots of freebies!
GingerScraps has all kinds of scrapbooking freebies.
Bits O' Scrap Tons of fun freebies!
Happy Scrap Girl Designs I can always find something to make me happy here!
Fishin Mom Designs Tons and tons of scrapbooking stuff can be found here.
Fresh Brewed Top Notch scrapbooking stuff can be found here.

What is making you happy? Leave your top 6 and share with the others.

CashCrate

Do any of you utilize cashcrate? If so, please let me know how well you like it.

I've been tagged again!

It seems in the last two weeks the tags have been flying faster than we can keep up. Some like to do these, some bloggers dont. I look at it this way, it's a chance for me to highlight some of my favorite blogs I read that you might be interested in and vice versa.

Seven random things about me:
1. I enjoy photography, and would like to purchase a better camera. I currently have a Kodak easyshare c330. Have any suggestions on what is good for your money?
2. I hate a repetitive noise (ie dripping faucet, clock ticking, husband drumming on anything but his drums).
3. I'm always trying to get MORE organized.
4. I am an animal lover, I have 5 cats, 4 dogs, 1 parakeet and 9 chickens.
5. I could live without a telephone.
6. I couldnt live without my computer.
7. I love watching tv.

Now I need to tag 7 other people. You are it:
1. Win Your Battle With Finances This blog is not boring! Follow her journey.
2. Coupon Girl Learns To Juggle A busy young woman who has learned to be frugal.
3. Little Frog's World Very informative blog and enjoyable reading
4. Living On The Coast- A newlyweds' great deals and day to day life.
5. Leta's Page Random thoughts from a Carolina girl on her life and life in general
6. Life is Hard-Just keep swimming. A womans heartbreaking story of her attempt to regain custody of her son after her divorce.
7. Life is Just Getting Started A woman who loves using coupons and sharing her life.

Please post 7 random things about yourselves, tag 7 other people and then go to their blog and let them know. I know not everyone likes being tagged, so if you don't want to play with us, no big dealio! But I like to read these short snipets about everyone! :)

Saturday Cake Mix Special- Easy Apple Crisp

I love making dressed up cake mix desserts. This is one of my favorites in the fall when apples are abundant. Our apples need to be picked. Hubby has never allowed us to pick them, he always says they arent ready. Well they are ready whether he is or not. Tomorow while he's gone, boy wonder and I are going to make a homemade soda bottle apple picker. I saved a closet bar from when he redid our sons closet just for this project. Yes this crime was premeditated for months! hehe And we are going to pick that tree clean! He wont be upset when he comes home to this apple crisp. And he will love my apple picker, I guarantee it.

6 cups thin sliced apples (about 4-6 apples)
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread apple slices over the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan.

Mix cake mix, oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over the top and mix with a fork until crumbly.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until apples are tender and top is golden brown.

note: Jenny- this is the recipe I was talking about. I'm sorry, but I didnt remember it having any oats in it. When done, the oats arent real noticeable since they are mixed with a whole cake mix.

CVS & WAG's

Monday I had the day off. The reason I had a day off is a whole subject in its self. So I decided to take advantage of time alone and went shopping.

I first hit my CVS, I wanted the juice, pumpkins, light sticks, and candy corn. I was flying through that store so happy to find them all! I screwed up on the Reeses. My coupon was for $1 off 3, so why did I buy 4? I didnt need 4 to get any ECB's. I'm still trying to figure out what I was thinking there. After $11 worth of coupons, and $19 in ECB's my OOP was $1.77 and I earned back $15.54 in ECB's. Not bad, and look at all the CHOCO-LATTE!



I then took a short drive to WAG's, I transferred my son's prescription and received a $25 gift card to get me started playing the WAG's game.

The toilet paper was on sale $4, they scanned my little coupon book and it took it down to $3, then I had manufacturer coupons for another $1 off, I was so excited to get my favorite tp for $2 a pack! lol

Those glade plug ins were for hubby. He loves them and wanted more. There's been no place in our hometown running a deal on them like everyone else seems to have gotten, so I picked them up there, using my IP buy one get one coupons. I applied for the rebate from Wag's on them. I hope I did all that right! I will also apply for the chapstick rebate. I had also bought a bday card that's not pictured for $3.59.

So my OOP on this was ZERO! I used the $25 gift card to pay the $16.72 total. I should receive $4.40 back from wags and $2.99 from chapstick. So that's a total of $7.39 I'm still going to get back off of the $16.72. I left happy.

Friday Freebies

Here's a pretty cool deal. Tear off the cover of the October 27 Newsweek, stuff it with 5 Target bags, drop in the mail and they will send you a coupon for a free Target tote. I love these kind of funky deals. If you dont have a Newsweek, you can send the bags in a large envelope. If you have more questions check out this Target Link.

Wal-Mart is offering a free sample of Folgers coffee.


CelebDish is giving away free book/tote bags if you leave a comment on one of their articles. Get over there in a flash because they dont last long!

I love scrapbooking. I love all the different supplies; paper, embellishments, etc. Digital scrapbooking is fun also. If you are into digital scrapbooking check out Scrap of Mind for the Five Freebies on Friday. If you have never done any scrapbooking but would like to start, this is the site to go to.

Easy One Bowl Apple Crisp

This is oh soooo easy and yummy served warm with vanilla ice cream! Did I mention how easy it is?

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter
3 cups peeled/sliced apples
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly butter an 8 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter. Mix until crumbly. Place half of crumb mixture in pan. Spread the apples evenly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and top with remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown.

Saturday Cake Mix Special-Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

This is the time of year to get your candy for your recipes very cheap! Grab some Bite Size Peanut Butter Cups, Caramels, or Bite Size Candy Bars. Any of these can be used in this recipe, but Peanut Butter Cups is my favorite.

1 chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 bag of the bite size Peanut Butter Cups (Reese's are the bomb!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil in a bowl until all the cake powder is absorbed. Using a spoon, roll into 1 1/2" balls. Place a peanut butter cup in the center of each ball. Make sure the cup is completely covered with dough.

Bake cookies 8-10 min, or until done. Remove from pan to cool.

Friday Freebies

With Christmas just around the corner, fragrance companies will be competing for your purchases. One way that they do that is by sending out samples.

Calvin Klein is offering a free sample of their Secret Obsession colgne. Click Here

Jennifer Lopez is offering a free sample of her mens cologne, Deseo.

If you missed the first time around on the Juicy Juice sippy cup, dont miss out this time! Hurry, they go fast.

Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters, and videocasters to post about the same issue on the same day.

Today thousands of bloggers will unite to discuss a single issue - poverty. The goal is to raise awareness, initiate action and to shake the web!

The 11 Moms are participating in this today. Be sure to check out their sites and see how they are participating. Deal Seeking Mom has more details about what the 11 moms will be doing and Wal-Mart has agreed to match all funds raised by them.

Check in often throughout the day to see what's going on and how you can participate and help.

In Loving Memory

As some of you are aware, I have an elderly aunt that lives in the same small town I live in that gives me her coupons every week. Her and my uncle are the only family that lives in my town.

My Aunt Pinky is the one I have spoke about before that stockpiled ever since I could remember. As a little girl I never understood why, my mother never stockpiled anything, nor did she ever utilize coupons that I can remember. My aunt was not an avid coupon user, but when things were on sale she stockpiled.

My aunt came from a family of ministry. Her father was a minister, her brother was a minister of his own church and she was a minister also, although the only time that I know she ever preached was a few times after her brother was murdered, until their church secured another minister. She taught many Sunday school classes through out her years, and if I ever needed to know where something was in my Bible, that my parents couldnt help me with, I just had to pick up the phone and call her.

I lost my aunt yesterday morning. I know she is in a better place, but I feel so sorry for my uncle. They had been married somewhere around 50 years. They never had any children, my sisters and I was the closest thing to children for them.

Please say a prayer for my uncle as he goes through this difficult time of his life.

Saturday Cake Mix Special-Autumn's Pumpkin Delight

Autumn’s Pumpkin Delight Desert

Crust:
1 yellow cake mix (reserve 1 c. for topping)
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
Mix together above ingredients and press into 9"x13" greased pan.

Filling:
2 eggs, beaten
Libby's pumpkin pie mix (lg. can)
2/3 c. evaporated milk
Mix beaten eggs with pie mix and milk. Pour over cake mixture in pan.

Topping:
1 c. reserved cake mix
1/8 c. sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ stick butter
Mix reserved cake mix with sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pumpkin filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean from pumpkin. Do not overbake!

Can be served naked, or try it warm with vanilla ice cream, cool whip or real cream.


Filling variation:
1 29 oz can plain pumpkin (or you could use fresh pumpkin if you are that brave!)
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
1 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp salt

Friday Freebies

I'm really excited about the freebies this week! I hope you all are signing up and receiving some good stucking stuffers by now.

I recvd a full size freebie of Clinical Strength Secret deodorant this week. Did anyone receive anything from the freebies I posted previously?

I dont have time to put any pictures up with all these today, but here are the freebies I signed up for just today:

FREE bottle of Snuggle fabric softener AND a box of Snuggle dryer sheets for answering 4 quick questions and giving them your home address. Click here

KAMO's GREEN says "By clicking the submit button below, you will receive one of KAMO’s "GREEN" cleaning products (A $15 value). We will send it to you free of charge, just for signing up with us here at KAMO."

More Schick Razors Freebies!! They have another offer, here's what it said, "Thank You for requesting a Schick© Quattro© Titanium Sample! Please allow 4-6 weeks for shipping."

Through Wal-Mart, Jergens is offering a free sample of their Naturals Daily Moisturizer.

Wal-Mart has several other samples too. Such as Kotex, Playtex, Carefree, Nicorette, Goodnites, and Benefiber.

If you still have not signed up for the Ziplock Freezer System kit, what are you waiting for? They say the first 20,000 will receive this kit.

Everyone have a nice weekend, it's going to be one of the last nice ones here in Missouri for me.

My Quirks MeMe

I've been tagged by Anissa @ Broke Not Broken to do a Quirkiness MeMe.

The rules are: 1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on your blog. 3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have. 4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. 5. Leave a comment on each taggee's blog to let them know they've been tagged.

My Unspectacular Quirks:
1. I'm always late. No matter how hard I try, I'm always late.
2. I have to be the last one out of our home when we leave to go anywhere. I go through the house checking each room making sure everything is ok.
3. I keep the box things come in. It used to be EVERY box, I have gotten better and have really done good about letting them be trashed. This drove my hubby nuts! lol
4. There are only two forks in my house that I will use to eat with. They are just alike. I have no other silverware that matches them. I dont even know where they came from. More than likely the trash on a dumpster diving escapade. They are the right weight, fit my hand nicely and I get pissed if anyone else uses them.
5. I cannot brush my teeth until I have been up and had something to drink. Toothpaste makes me gag first thing in the morning.
6. I have to sleep on the right side of the bed. No matter how the room is arranged!

I am tagging:

1. Melissa @ I robbed that store legally
2. Queen @ My Brain Is Inside Out
3. FlipFlop Mom @ Just A Flip Flop Mom
4. Shelly @ The Life I Live
5. Frugalsuz @ Hounding with Frugalsuz
6. Annie @ Real Life Living

What Do You Think It Means?

I was pleasantly surprised to see gas had dropped to $2.79 per gallon when I went to get gas on my lunch break today. It has steadily been dropping around here for the last month. My husband reminded me that it always drops alot a couple of months before an election. I hope it doesnt go back up to the $3.99 it was a few months ago.

What's the price of gas in your area? Has it been dropping?

More Changes to Come

I thought this layout was so fun and cute. I needed a change to lift my spirits going into fall.

There will still be more changes to come in the next couple days.

What do you think so far? Is it easy on the eyes? Does it load properly and at a good rate of time?

Leave me your opinions.

Fall Clean Up

You will see a few changes going on around here. I'm doing some fall clean up on my blog, so please be patient if something isnt working when you stop by.

I have received so many emails asking me about the Saturday Cake Mix Special. I will be back on regular schedule this weekend. I appreciate all of your emails and I'm happy to know you enjoy those posts so much!

Does this ever happen to you?

This past week was the end of the month and I havnt felt well. I was scrambling trying to find products to use my coupons on before they expired. It seems there are more and more people using coupons and cherry picking in my part of the world, leaving shelves short on products, or totally bare.



I had the opportunity to ride with my husband into the Kansas City Metro area last weekend and today, to widen my choice of stores. I went to Kmart to take advantage of the double coupons and wound up letting them take advantage of me. lol My head was stuffy, I took some cold medicine, and wasnt able to think clearly.



All in all though I was able to get most of everything I was wanting to use coupons on, but have had no energy to update my pantry inventory list and then put it away. By the time I went to work everyday, ran my hounding errands every day after work, came home and cooked supper, helped boy wonder with most of his homework, cleaned up kitchen and did laundry, I was done.



I've gotten behind on clipping, sorting and filing my coupons; updating my inventory list, and putting it all away. Take a look at what I will be doing tomorow!




Have you ever been too tired to put it all away once you got it home?

Friday Freebies

Eucerin is offering a free sample of their foot cream. Eucerin Foot Cream


Rebates are a really good way to try new products for free. Arm & Hammer is offering a rebate on their new line of cleaners. Download Rebate Form Here

Skintimate sign up for special offers and free stuff.

Isla Earth is offering a FREE Organic Coffee Sample. Sign up for the e-digest on the left, after you hit send, you will get a form to put in your address.

edit: The foot cream and coffee offers are no longer available. They went quickly!

I recvd the cat and dog greenies samples and the wholesome goodness cat food sample this week. I also recvd the free Neutrogena Grapefruit acne wash. Did you receive anything in your mail this week from the Friday Freebies?

Wal-Mart Price List Matched Up to Printable Coupons

Tent Cities

As the days go by, homelessness increases. According to Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the coalition, "The economy is in chaos, we're in an unofficial recession and Americans are worried, from the homeless to the middle class, about their future."

Nearly 61 percent of local and state homeless coalitions say they've experienced a rise in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007, according to a report by the National Coalition for the Homeless.




Tent cities are popping up across the nation. The city of Fresno, Calif., is trying to manage several proliferating tent cities, including an encampment where people have made shelters out of scrap wood. In Portland, Ore., and Seattle, homeless advocacy groups have paired with nonprofits or faith-based groups to manage tent cities as outdoor shelters. Other cities where tent cities have either appeared or expanded include include Chattanooga, Tenn., San Diego, and Columbus, Ohio.

With the choice of canidates in the upcoming election, I worry it's only going to get worse before it gets better.