Tuesday, July 31, 2012

CVS Shopping Trip


Made a quick run to CVS this evening to pick up some body wash before my high value coupon expired.  Surprise!  The coupon machine printed me a store coupon for Olay!

Olay Body Wash on sale for $5.99 ea.
Olay Face Cleansing cloth on sale for $3.74
Snickers & Milky Way Buy 1(at $1.19) and get one for $ .25

Coupons used:
2- $ .75/2 Milky Way MQ
$3/2 Olay Body Wash MQ
Buy 1 Olay Facial Cleanser, Get Olay Body Wash Free MQ
$3 off $15 Olay purchase CVS Coupon Center
$ .75/2 Snickers, Milky Way or Twix CVS Coupon Center
$3.00 ECB from earlier trip

Total out-of-pocket.....$1.21!  I had to add on the two Snickers to use up overage!

That is $29.99 worth or stuff for just $1.21 or 96% savings!

Challenge Day 1: Turtle Brownie Cheesecake


Its my first day back in the saddle as WAHM(work-at-home mom) and DH's second day at his new job, as well as, his birthday!  Wishing you a happy birthday, Love!

Hubby with his terribly decorated turtle brownie cheesecake(my piping skills need some work)
My biggest dilemma today was trying to figure out a great birthday treat for DH's birthday using what I had on hand.  A)I'm to stubborn to run the store B)too lazy to go the store and C)most importantly wasn't going to pay full price for something because I didn't plan well. I usually make him a cheesecake but we only had two thawed blocks of cream cheese, one frozen solid block, and one green fuzzy block(fridge clean-out tomorrow!).  Here's what I tossed together with what I had on hand with modifications based on its shortcomings:

Turtle Brownie Cheesecake:

1 box of  Turtle brownie mix(I have like 10 of these in my stockpile)
3 8oz packages of cream cheese
2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla(I substituted Bailey's Irish Cream with a Hint of Caramel)

Make brownie mix as directed on box and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until set in a greased springform pan.(The original called for baking it 35 min. I baked it 25 and it was over cooked.) Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth(to get a really great fluffy texture I let it cream in the stand mixer for 3-5 min.). Fold in one egg at a time until barely mixed. This is the key to a great cheesecake. Make sure not to over beat your eggs. (I only had 2 blocks of cream cheese so I scaled back the other ingredients as well-it lacked cheesecakness.)

Pour cheesecake mixture into springform pan over the baked brownie. Return to the 325 degree oven and bake for 35-40 min until center is nearly set. Let cool on a rack for 1 hr and then cool in fridge for 3 hrs before eating.


Meal Plan Monday

What? Its Tuesday?  Whatever.

Tuesday-Chicken Fajitas(veggies and meat prepped on Sunday and hanging out together in a Ziploc)
Wednesday-Chicken Gyros (also prepped and hanging out in the fridge)
Thursday-Stuffed Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, and Green Beans
Friday-Fish Tacos
Saturday and Sunday-TBD

On a side note, Festival's one day meat sale is on Thursday!  I can't wait to see what will be worth stocking up on.  I feel uninspired by the contents of our freezer.  Perhaps, because it still has 20 frozen pizzas in it(at $ .50 per pizza it was stockpile time!).

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Copps and Pick'n'Save Ad Highlights 7/29-8/4

Here's a list of what I felt were some of the better deals at Copps and Pick'n'Save this week. I tried to list coupon matchups when possible but there may be coupons out there at that I missed.

In-store coupons:

Roundy's Gallon Milk $2.29(limit 1)

Lay's, Wavy Lay's or Rold Gold Pretzels $1.98(limit 1)

Entenmann's Donuts, Popems, or Coffecake or Thomas' English Muffins $1.68(limit 1)

Tide Laundry Detergent 100oz.  $10.98(limit 1)
$ .75/1 Tide Detergent PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Patrick Cudahy Sliced Bacon $2.99(limit 1)

Gillette Fusion or Venus Razor System $7.98(limit 1)
$1/1 Gillette Fusion PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Clairol Nice'n'Easy Hair Color $4.98(limit 1)
$3/1 Clairol Nice'n'Easy PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12
$2/1 Clairol Hair Color PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Gillete Mach 3 or Venus Disposable Razors $6.98(limit 1)

Ivory Body Wash $2.48(limit 1)
$ .30/1 Ivory Soap or Body Wash PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Old Spice, Secret or Gillette Deodorant $3.48
$1/2 Secret Deodorant PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12
$1/2 Gillette Deodorant PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12
$1/2 Old Spice Products PG 7/29/21 exp 8/31/12

Old Spice Body Wash, Deodorant, or Body Spray $2.98(limit 1)
$1/2 Old Spice Products PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Always 14-60 Ct Pads or 34-50 Pantiliners or Tampax 20ct $2.98(limit 1)
$1.50/2 Always Pantliners PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12
$1.50/2 Tampax PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12
$1.50/2 Always Pads PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Head & Shoulders Shampoo or Conditioner $3.98
$1/1 Head and Shoulders Product PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Duracell Coppertop Batteries $5.98
$ .75/1  Duracell Coppertop PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Pampers Jumbo Diapers 20-50ct. $8.98
$1.50/1 Pampers Diapers PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Pampers Wipes 60-72ct. $1. 48
$ .50/1 Pampers Wipes PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Bounty Paper Towels 8ct $7.48
$ .25/1 Bounty PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12

Produce:

Red Grapes $1.49/lb.

Roma Tomatoes $ .98/lb.

Russet Potatoes 5lb. Bag $ .98

Baby Cut Carrots 1lb. Bag $ .98

Celery $ .98

Whole White Mushrooms 8oz. $ .98

Fresh Express Garden Salad 10/$10

Meat:

Chicken Leg Quarters $ .69/lb

33% off Steak Sale

Johnsonville Pork & Chicken Bratwurst or Italian Sausage $3.99
$1/1 Pork & Chicken Brat SS 7/22/2012 exp 10/21/12

Oscar Mayer Bologna or Cotto Salami 12oz. 10/$10

Frozen:

Eggo Pancakes, Waffles, or French Toast Sticks 5/$10
(I have a lot of $ .25 monopoly coupons for these!)

Palermo's Thin Crust Classics 5/$10
(I have seen a lot of $ .25 monopoly coupons for these as well!)

Totinos Pizza Rolls 40ct 3/$9
(Lots of $ .25 monopoly coupons out there for these too!)

Fat Boy Ice Cream Bars or Sandwiches $1.89
(Yet another monopoly coupon item!)

Dairy:

Roundy's Sour Cream or French Onion Dip $ .98

Yoplait Yogurt 6oz 10/$5
$ .40/6 printable

Dannon Yogurt 6oz 10/$5

Roundy's Greek Yogurt 10/$10

Roundy's String Cheese 6oz 10/$10

Grocery:

Knorr Pasta Sides 10/$10

Pop Tarts 2/$4

Household:

Cascade Gel, Powder, or Action Pacs $4.99
$1/1 Cascade Product PG 7/29/12 exp 8/31/12


Other notable promotions:

Save $5 instantly when you purchase $15 worth of Unilever products(includes Suave, Dove, Degree, and more)

Save $5 off your next purchase when you purchase $15 worth of Johnson & Johnson pruducts(includes Band-Aid, Listerine, Reach, Stayfree, Aveeno, Visine and More)

Get $10 off your next purchase when you purchase $30 worth of Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive(includes Huggies, Softsoap, Colgate, Kotex, and more)

Buy 8 Betty Crocker Helpers, Suddenly Salad, Specialty or Mashed Potatoes, Brownie or Cake Mix and save $4 instantly.


 There are a lot of coupon matchups out there for these products!








Wednesday, July 25, 2012

More Fez

Sometimes you just need a good hug....then Fez is your doxie.



Dr. P's diagnosis-a big heart! 


Possible FREE or Cheap Dove or Mars at CVS this week!



Head on in to CVS and scan your Extra Care Card at the coupon center....you may get be lucky enough to score a $1/2 Mars candy coupon.  Remember to scan your multiple times card until the coupon center says "no available coupons".

SALE PRICE 2 for $1.00
- in-store coupon
=FREE



I was also lucky enough to score a $ .75/2 Snickers, Twix or Milky Way store coupon so I was able to pick up two Twix bars for just $ .25!


 and don't forget about the current printable coupon for Milky Way!



SALE PRICE 2 for $1
-$. 75/2 printable
= 2 for $  .25











Monday, July 23, 2012

Pick'n'Save and Copps Highlights 7/22-7/28

Here are a few of what I thought were the more noteworthy deals in this weeks Pick'n'Save and Copps ad:


In Ad Store Coupons:


Gatorade 8pk.-20oz.  $3.88(Limit 1)

Nabisco Oreo Cookies $1.88(Limit 1, 2/$5 thereafter)
$1 off 2 Nabisco cookies or crackers printable

Klondike Bars $1.98(Limit 1)

Produce:

Green Beans $ .99/lb

Washington Cherries $1.98/lb

Green Onions 2/$1

Green Bell Peppers $ .99/lb

Zucchini $ .99/lb

Bunch Radishes $ .99/lb

Meat:

Boneless Chuck Roast or Steak $2.99/lb

80% Lean Ground Chuck $2.49/lb

Dairy:

Yoplait Original or Whips! 10/$5
$.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt Cups printable

Dannon Oikos Yogurt 10/$10
No mainstream coupon but I have a lot of $.25 off Monopoly store coupons for these

Kraft 5.8oz Shredded, Chunk Crumbles or Big Slice or 12oz. Singles $ .99(when you buy 5, limit of 5)

Grocery:

General Mills Cereal or Granola Bars $1.98(when you buy 4, limit of 4)

Quaker Cereal, Granola Bars, or Soft Baked Cookies 2/$4
Also have a lot of Monopoly store coupons for these

Roundy's 16oz Long Grain Rice $ .59

Powerade 32oz $ .79

Open Pit Barbecue Sauce 18oz $ .79

Roundy's Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns 8ct $.79

La Banderita Flour Tortillas 10 pk $ .99

Hershey's or Mars King Size Candy Bars $ .99
$ .75/2 Milky Way Bars printable

My thoughts, overall, not the greatest sales this week.  Please share if I missed a great coupon matchup.  This is my first week doing this.  One of the reasons I started the blog is because there were no blogs covering the Copps and Pick'n'Save matchups in our area before Thursday of each week.  The ad for the Milwaukee and Madison area is four days behind us here in Northeast Wisconsin.  I could not take the extra four days of waiting!


Great deals at Walgreens 7/22-7/28


Here's a highlight of some of the better deals at Walgreens this week, including free deodorant and maxi pads!
Gillette Venus & Olay System $8.99

$4/1 Gillette Venus & Olay Razor, exp. 7/31/12 (SS 6/17/12)

Total = $4.99 (Get Back $4 RR Gillette Venus)

= $0.99 EACH!!!


Stayfree 14 Ct Maxi Pads $1.99(same deal at CVS this week too!)
$2/1 Stayfree Product, exp. 8/31/2012 (SS 7/22/12)
=FREE!!!


Right Guard Total Defense 5 Antiperspirant/Deodorant $2.99 
$1/1 Right Guard Antiperspirant (no longer printable)

Total = $1.99 (Get back $2 RR)
=FREE!!!

POST CEREAL $2/5
$1/1 Shredded Wheat or Grape Nuts Cereals printable

$1/1 Post Shredded Wheat Cereal, exp. 7/29/12 (SS 06/17/12)
$0.55/1, $0.50/1 Pebbles Cereals, exp. 7/22/12 (RP 06/10/12)
$1/2 Post Honey Bunches of Oats, exp. 8/19/12 (SS 07/08/12)
$1/1 Post Grape-Nuts or Grape-Nuts Flakes (SS 06/17/12)
GET $1 RR back on 2, as low as $1/box!


There are lots more great deals at Walgreens this week but they were just a few of my favorites!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Fez



Meet Fez,  a 3-yr. old piebald dachsund.  He has a rather odd mix of smooth-hair with just a touch of wire hair...a kind of funny looking fellow.  Kind of like Snoopy's brother, Spike.




When he turns his baby blues(yes, he has blue eyes) on you, you want to snuggle up with him.  He came into rescue as an owner surrender.   His owner worked long hours and was unable to devote much time to him.  By no means though is he high maintenance.  He is very laid-back and spends as much time as he can napping.  I'm sure he would love to go to a home where he wasn't abruptly woken from his naps by an overeager 3-yr old human.   But he sure does love playing fetch, snuggling, and taking walks with his little human.

He is completely potty-trained. Up to date on vaccinations.  And just a lovable little guy looking for his forever family.  Please head on over to Midwest Dachsund Rescue's website, mwdr.org, to fill out an application to adopt him!  Or check out MWDR's facebook page to see some more available doxies looking for their forever homes.


CVS Shopping Trip

CVS is one of my favorite places to shop. For nearly a year, I was completely oblivious to potential savings that were right in my backyard. The CVS in my neighborhood was just built last summer, though not technically in my backyard, it is less than a mile away. When we aren't experiencing a heat wave (or in a few short months-snowdrifts) it would probably be a nice walk or bike ride. So, today's shopping trip:
2 Deodorants for DH and 6 Milky Way bars for trick-or-treaters
Precoupon Total                   $    8.76
 minus                                  $      2 /2 Right Guard
 minus                               2-$      1/2 Milky Way
 minus                                  $      .75/2 Milk Way
 minus                                   $   3.75 ECB(Extra Care Bucks-Yay!)

 Total...drumroll.................   $ .26!

And I received a back the $1 Green bag ECB...stay tuned for a post on the wonderful green bag program at CVS.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Challenge Accepted

Breaking news: I am returning to my life as a work-at-home mom! Just 10 more days until I can hang up the my bread-winner slacks and get back to my beloved yoga pants. My DH commented, "I think its going to take you awhile to get back in your groove.". Hmmm? Sounds like a challenge. Or maybe that is his sneaky attempt at reverse psychology. Well, whatever his intentions, I have accepted that challenge and am raring, to-do list and schedule in hand, to embrace my new life at home. Bring on the yoga pants!