Archive for August, 2010

It’s a Wonderful Wednesday indeed but too busy – I had so many things to get done today, along with a very productive trip to Target; I hope you’re making real good use of those $1 produce coupons from Target.  No need to go to Sun harvest or Greenfields this week.  There are some great deals in the kids’ area where you can use the $3 coupon on kids denim; not many Merona Men’s tops left tho.  I got a couple of pairs of Merona bottoms 75% off for Melody and I ($2 coupons).

I’ve got to lead the meeting tonight so sorry to say my blog is gonna be a bit short but promise to catch up tomorrow.  Hey, it’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m staying home so I’ll be in to get all my happy birthday calls from my family in England.  Then we’re off to Macaroni Grill with my family here (using coupons of course.)

Had a Marvellous Monday morning – that is, til I spilt coffee all over myself!!  I always ask for a sample of coffee of the day at Starbucks and the kind lady gave me a “short” so I didn’t swig it back like I normally do and I hopped in the van forgetting the coffee.  My pants are completely ruined I’ve soaked them and sprayed them, scrubbed them, soaked them some more – looked up was to get rid of coffee stains on the web all to no avail.  I sure am glad they were old and just my “Go to Target” pants.

Scored some great deals tho – I had 4 different FREE coupons from Kraft First Taste – if you haven’t signed up with them yet, you gotta; just go to www.Kraftfirsttaste.com and register.  I had all the FREE coupons on top of my stack and all the FREE items at the front to make it easy for her but she insisted on waiting til the end and then had a terrible time figuring out how much each item was.  I had a line a mile long behind me but she patiently waded thru all the coupons and never got flustered.   My fave deals today were Chef Boyardee using the $1 Target Q and there was also a 35c on 3 Q in yesterday’s Smartsource, Lunchables $1.25 – $1 Oscar Mayer Q and 50c Target Q, but my favorite coupon is the $1 off produce Target Q.  It’s unusual to get produce coupons so make the best of them before they expire at the end of the month.

There are a lot of clearance items in jewelry and I found 3 pairs of earings for Melody for just $1.98 per pair and I also found a couple of cute Mossimo halter tops for Melody for just $3.24 ea.

Melody and Li’l Cec came over for dinner – I got some flank steak rollups, stuffed with peppers, spinach and cheese and they were really good; Melody had her Boca Burgers as per usual.  While trying to clear out my freezer a bit (remember my Freezer Dilemma?) I found some Berry pastries – they look just like the apple pastry dumplings my mom used to bake when I was a kid; these went down a treat and everyone enjoyed them, except Greg who was feeling a little green around the gills after wolfing back a whole can of sardines at lunchtime!!

We heard stories of Li’l Cec’s misbehavin’ yesterday at the birthday party but we are keeping these behind closed doors but I will tell you that he “stole” a piece of chocolate cake from Melody’s friend’s grandma.  Apparently, that was very mild compared to some of his other antics.  He’s probably missing his daddy and acting out………

Well, I have to get this posted before while Li’l Cec is watching cartoons.

Fave Deals of the Day
Go here http://www.kotex.com/na/free-sample for free Kotex samples
Go here for a FREE sample of Burt’s Bees Toothpaste.
Snapfish is offering a free 8×10 collage print with free shipping – that’s amazing!! Use coupon code GRANDSHIP at checkout.

Greg and I went to church on our own this morning as Dave was meeting his friends at another one; apparently, he got lost and ended up at an International Church, but thoroughly enjoyed it and said he’s going back.  We heard another funny story about Pastor from Pastor Matt – he said he is unrecognisable as the man that raised he and his siblings. Pastor’s office was The Holy of Holies when they were small but when he took his kids over there the other day and tried to keep them from touching everything, Pastor said “Oh calm down Matt, they’re just babies!”   I told Greg that’s what I’m gonna say to him every time he fusses at Li’l Cec!

Speaking of Li’l Cec – apparently he gave Melody a really hard time today at a birthday party, acting up, yelling, crying, whining etc.  Poor girl was so frustrated, exhausted and couldn’t wait to leave.  When you’re a young mom, you always feel like you’re to blame but the truth is some days kids act just horrible!!  You just have to put the day behind you and say “God thank you that tomorrow is another day”.

Greg and Dave have gone to the movies to see the new Will Ferrell movie The Other Guys.  Hopefully Greg’ll be back in time to watch Miss Marple with me.  We watched Old Dogs with John Travolta and Robin Williams last night and it was hilarious; I think that although Rita Wilson only had a small role, she stole the show – I love the cross-eyed look!

Sunday is always a quiet day for online deals but I do have a couple of Fave’s – here they are:

Fave Deals of the Day
Free World Map: http://www.worldvisionsummerfest.com/free-world.html
Free 8 x 10 at Walgreens HERE   This deal is today only unfortunately.
GO HERE to receive a FREE Atkins Diet Kit.

I had a Super Saturday sleep in – til 7:30am!!  That’s unheard of for me – I’ve only slept in til 8am once in over a year and who knows why.  Li’l Cec slept til 9am so I was able to have a nice long conversation with my sister Jenny in England. 

Last night I went to the mall, armed with coupons I’ve told you about this week.  First stop was at Dillards to Try on a pair of Jessica Simpson jeans and get a Layer Me T shirt.  I was skeptical about this, but picked up a couple of pairs and tried them on – they were great and I’d have looked like a million bucks in them 10 years ago, but my butt’s just not where it was so I passed (especially as they weren’t on sale).  I returned them to the saleslady, told her my dilemma and asked about the free T shirt.  Sure enough it was the real thing and I could choose between a white or grey V neck in a cute little package.  Now that’s a terrific deal!

I checked out Aeropostale as I had a 30% coupon and I did see some cute polos, but decided to give it a miss; didn’t find anything in the Bath and Body Shop but struck it rich at Victoria’s Secret.  When you sign up for Pink Nation, you can print a coupon for a free Pink Lotion (2 fragrances to choose from) with any Pink purchase, so I bought a $3 Pink Body Spray and got a free Pink Sweet and Flirty Body Lotion.  I love how they package purchases at Victoria’s Secret.

Took Melody grocery shopping in Target – we tried to find a 2 piece bathing suit for her in the sale as she didn’t like the pattern on the one I got her earlier in the week.  It’s ridiculous, they have tons of lovely tops and bottoms, but none of them match!!  Every time we found a top we liked, there was no matching bottom and vice versa, all very frustrating especially when she finally found a match up and it was only 50% off instead of the 75% off one I found on Wednesday.  Oh well……. Li’l Cec got very bored with the whole process so I took him over to the Deli and got him a sandwich and a free kid’s cookie from the bakery.

We had a sweet but annoying checkout gal who said we could only use one Target produce coupon per transaction; I asked her to call a manager which she did and she said the same thing.  So Melody had to do 2 transactions and so did I – oh well, if they want to hold up the line that’s their prerogative.  I shall look for another checker next time I go.  We were sad to see there were no more of the incredible frozen meal deals I got on Wednesday too.

Greg got Melody a great little computer table yesterday, assembled it this morning and met us over at her apartment when we came home from Target; he was there for ever trying to get her computer set up so now her business one is fine but her “own” is trashed with some kind of virus.

Souper Salads for dinner tonight, then to Sams for walnuts and for Greg to get a new card, his is almost split in two, the Party Store for anniversary cards/birthday cards and a quick stop at Target.  Yep, I have to go back again cos I couldn’t concentrate when I was there with Melody and Li’l Cec – I just lost all presence of mind, so have to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Fave Deals of the Day
There is going to be a $10 Back to School coupon in the Walgreens Ad tomorrow – don’t miss it.
Go here https://www.salonpas.us/try-now for a free sample of Salonpas – I love these.
You can get free samples of Ola Loa Energy here.

Hey, Fabulous Friday’s here again; I don’t work outside the home but Fridays still give me a thrill.  I have been trying to sort out clothes for our trip to England; normally I’m packed by now but there’s bin so much going on and time has just flown by so I have to get going on this.  Greg packs at the last minute but I like to be done a week in advance so I can concentrate on getting all the last minute stuff done – I need to make some freezer meals for Dave who’s staying behind to attend his first semester at UTSA. 

Matt’s letter arrived yesterday and he’s been shooting all week and he reckons he’s quite the sharpshooter – he said they’ve been training all week for qualification today and if a does good, he’ll get a ribbon and a medal.  Good luck Matt!!  Greg and I spent 2 hours at the TMobile store last night trying to get them to take the charges they’ve racked up since he cancelled before he left for bootcamp.  Greg was a little testy to say the least and the assistant manager was so patient, stayed on the phone for ever with “whoever”; first of all, they wanted to give him a credit – I don’t think so….. then after 90 mins, they were still giving us and her the runaround saying they’d put so much back on his debit card and give us a credit.  Anyway, long story short, they eventually agreed to send him a check!!  I’m so glad I opened his bank statement – which of course I don’t normally do – but I just felt I should yesterday.  We missed our Thursday meeting, came home totally exhausted, crashed on the sofa and watched The Great Buck Howard with John Malkovich and Colin Hanks and that beautiful actress Emily Blunt who looks like my darling niece Sarah who was killed in a car wreck 5 years ago.

I received my sample package from Mario Badescu a few days ago and I was so impressed – 7 separate sample pots and vials.  Mojosavings.com is one of my favorite blogs and Lisa posted this today:

Free Samples of Mario Badescu Skin Care

You can get Free Samples of Mario Badescu Skin Care!  Fill out the skin care questionnaire which takes all of the information you provide to form specialized skin care product recommendations customized just for you.  In a couple of days you’ll receive an email stating that they are so confident in their products that they will send you samples before you purchase. You just need to confirm your samples and they are on their way!  GO HERE to get your free samples. Yay, it worked for me!!  Thanks Lisa.

Whenever you purchase something online, always go thru ShopAtHome or Ebates as you can get cash back; I only started in June and got my first check from Ebates last week as they mail out a rebate check each month.  ShopAtHome mails their checks every 90 days.  How great is getting money back for spending – hmm I was about to say something about our Government but thought better of it.

I am skipping my Friday night meeting and sending Greg on his own as I want to zip over to the Mall as I have quite a few coupons in my purse so tomorrow I will let you know what I score.  There are a lot of good deals this weekend:

Fave Deals of the Day
Go here for 10% off at Old Navy
Go here for 30% off at The Gap
You can get $5 off at The Body Shop if you are a student – have to show ID.  I you shop online, you can use coupon code SCHOLAR – be sure to go thru Ebates to get 5% backFreebies in my Mailbox
Samples from Mario Badescu
Samples of Trimswim Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash & Lotion – great if you’re in the water a lot.
Samples of Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner�
Sample of eb5 Facial Cream
Sample Head & Shoulders 2 in 1 Hair Endurance for Men
Sample Origins Mega Mushroom Skin Relief
Coupons $3 Tide, $2 Pantene, $1 Cheer
Free Subscription to Gardening How to
Coupons $3 Flexamin, $3 Your Life Multi Vits, $1 Nature’s Bounty
$10 iTunes Gift Card from Sobe Lifewater Heads or Tails Promotion

Wow had a busy day with Li’l Cec – he woke up really early and had a bit of a hissy fit at breakfast and threw his bowl of cereal on the floor – NOT COOL at Nanny’s house!!!  I had a stern talking to him and I could tell he wasn’t about to change his attitude so left him sitting in his booster seat with nothing in reach; he tried so hard to get outa there, to no avail which only made him crabbier.  So a little time up in his crib brought a smile across his face and he was ready to go again.

I took him out for a while, brought him home for lunch – he got the biggest kick out of me holding my nose when I changed his diaper and talking strangely.  So….. maybe I can use that as a tactic when he’s in a bad mood.  He played outside for a while and had to whisk him into the van quickly with a choccy chip cookie as I had to all of a sudden meet Greg at the bank; when Melody opened the van door, she gasped at the state of Li’l Cec.  His face was covered with chocolate and his legs were filthy from playing outside – he always seems to go home messy – don’t know how that happens………….  But he was happy, that’s the main thing.

My earings from Swirl arrived today, http://www.swirl.com/sale.ep  I am thrilled with them – they’re big wooden hoops, perfect for fall; I had $20 coupon off (they were $19.00 so were free) but shipping is rather hefty at $9.99.  I hate to sound like a tightwad but I like FREE shipping!!

Are you playing the game at http://headsortails.sobe.com/?  I received a $10 ITunes card from them ysterday and I was a tad disappointed as I actually won a back pack which would’ve come in very handy.  I don’t download music and neither does Dave but Matt always did so I’ll give it to him when he comes home on leave.  Even if you don’t win anything, you can always download a BOGO coupon.

Fave Deals of the Day

 Grab a Free Sample of Miracle Skin Transformer here.

The Body Shop is offering $5 off any purchase with the coupon code SCHOLAR at checkout!  If you spend more than $15, you can get FREE shipping.   If you go thru Shop at Home here you’ll get 10% back.

Now, you will see below that I went on quite a shopping spree.  The first transaction is mostly groceries but the second one is clothes, toiletries, shoes etc. and I paid for this one with all my gift cards I’ve bin hanging on to for months.

Transaction #1
Glade Candle $2.54; $2 mfg Q
2 Airwick Sprays $2.54 ea; BOGO mfg Q, $1 mfg Q
Frebreze Candle $4.28; $3 mfg Q
Clorox $2.99; $3 mfg Q
Ghiradelli Chocolate $2.29; 50c mfg Q, 75c Target Q
Wonka Chocolate $2.29; $1.50 mfg Q, $1 Target Q
2 Slim Jims $1.02; 2 x 75c mfg Q
Planters Cashews $4; $1.50 mfg Q, $1 Target Q
Gardettos $1.50; 50c mfg Q
Dole Salad 99c; $1 Target Produce Q
Lettuce $1.59; $1 Target Produce Q
Green Giant Carrots $2.99; $1 Target Produce Q
Green Giant Mix Veg $1.99; $1 Target Produce Q
Lemonade $1.29; $1 Target Deli Q
Cantaloupe $1.59; $1 Target Q
2 Bear Naked Granola $3.79 ea; BOGO mfg Q, 2 x 50c Target Q’s
Bananas 63c
Apples 46c
Gold n Plump Chicken $3.74; $2 mfg Q
4 Weight Watchers meals 64c ea; 2 x 50c mfg Q’s
6 Healthy Choice meals 64c ea
4 Lean Cuisine meals $1.24 ea; 2 x $1 mfg Q’s
Market Pantry Breakfast Bowl 44c
Tombstone Pizzas $4.54; $2 mfg Q
Deli Salad $1.19; 50c Target Q
Deli Sandwich $1.09; 50c Target Q
Oxy pads 25c; 25c mfg Q
Softsoap 99c; 50c mfg Q
Dove Soap 97c; 75c mfg Q
Colgate Dora Toothpaste $2.19; $1 mfg Q, 75c Target Q
Cover Girl Lipstick $1.48; $1 mfg Q
Chapstick $1.34; $1 mfg Q
Friskies $3.99; $1 mfg Q, 75c Target Q
Bic Pens 99c; Target 99c Q
Kraft Cheese $2.25; $1 mfg Q
Oscar Mayer $2.79; $1 mfg Q
Oroweat Bread; FREE with Kraft and Oscar Mayer
TOTAL  $39.19   SAVED  $67.65

2nd Transaction
Boys Denim Shorts $3.50; $3 Target Q
Merona Shirt $3.75; $3 Target Q
Mossimo Pants $5.48
Merona Jeans $6.24; $2 Target Q
Merona Skirt $3.75; $2 Target Q
2 Merona Crops $6.74 ea;  2 x $2 Target Q
Merona Shorts $5; $2 Target Q
Merona Hoodie $4; $2 Target Q
Mossimo Tank $3
2 Merona Mens Polos $3.74 ea;  2 x $3 Target Q’s
Tee $3.24
Mossimo Tee $5.58
C9 shoes $4.48; $5 Target Q
3 boys T shirts $1.24 ea
Xhilaration 2 piece bathing suit $2.50 ea piece
2 Hanes underwear $3.01, $1.26; 2 x $1 Target Q’s
Fruit of Loom underwear $1.21, $3.51, $2.71; $1 mfg Q
TOTAL $57.92    SAVED  $30  �
My remaining gift cards are now at a low total of $9.84!!

Greg’s Wonderful Wednesday began at Dr. S’s office and he was in great shape and needed no treatment – gee how blessed is he??? I had such a Wonderful time at Target as I was able to use all those lovely new Merona apparel coupons; got tops for Greg and I, jeans for me, denim shorts for Li’l Cec but didn’t find any shoes for me unfortunately. Full Details in Shopping Post. I loved using the $1 produce coupons too – I don’t think I’ll be visiting Sun Harvest or Greenfields this week as I can get all my fruits ‘n’ veggies at Target even cheaper.

There were lots of markdowns on Healthy Choice, Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine meals; I don’t eat these but Melody likes the veggie ones and I thought it’d be a good idea to stock up the freezer with ready meals for Dave. Matt likes to cook and so I just left him to it when we went out of town but it’s not Dave’s cup of tea so this will help him out and I won’t have to worry about him leaving something boiling away on the stove top or burning it.

There’s a Target deli coupon of 50c and I’m always finding deals there – Greg got a salad and half a sandwich for $1.19 after coupons when we met there for lunch. He scoured the racks for more Merona shirts but there were none he liked in his size.

One other great deal you should take advantage of before the weekend’s out is the free Oroweat bread with purchase of 2 Oscar Mayer/Kraft Cheese products. When you pair this with $1 coupons on both the Oscar Mayer and Kraft, you end up spending less than $3 for all three items.

I left my phone in TGIFridays last night – I know (hangs head in shame), you are probably thinking “didn’t she just leave her phone somewhere around 2 weeks ago?” You’re right I did – it was Greg’s fault cos he insisted I bring my phone into the restaurant and not leave it in the van where “thieves could break in and steal”. The liklihood of that happening is pretty slim seeing my phone is ancient….. However, good news, they did indeed find my phone on the table (how on earth did I not see it there – how on earth did Dave and Greg not see it there?) and so after Greg and I had lunch, I zoomed over there to retrieve it.

On the way home stopped at the Post Office to get stamps as I’d already run out due to all the letters we’re all sending to Matt and then I popped into Walgreens – I love their weekly bargains but I do not love the hassle I ALWAYS get at checkout with my coupons – “we can’t take that because it’s more than the product, we can’t stack that coupon with our Walgreens coupon, you can’t use your Register Rewards cos you have too many coupons”. The list is endless and I just stand my ground, reciting the Walgreens policy til they make it right. I bought 4 cans of soup, 2 toilet bowl cleaners, Visine, 4 Planters Trail Mixes, All Detergent, Packs of Papermate and Pilot Pens, Binaca, Joy Dish Liquid for $2.10 after they applied my $10 register rewards.

Time to get ready for our meeting and then I’m have Li’l Cec tonight – yea!!! Apparently he’s been a bit of a toad today but he gets a bit better when Melody reminds him he’s going to Nanny’s house – I’m sure he’ll be an angel.

Fave Deals of the Day
Go Here https://www.gloadventurer.com/free_issue.aspx for a free issue of Glo Adventurer Journey to India magazine!
Go here http://doesyourskineatright.com/ for free sample of  Sun Chlorella Cream.  This is my alltime fave today!!
Go here http://www.tomorrowsharvest.com/h-nav/request-sample for a Smart Food Storage sample from Tomorrow’s Harvest

My Terrific Tuesday morning was spent in the dentist’s chair having my root canal finished and two crowns – my gums are a little sore but I feel pretty good.  I looked like I’d been run over by a truck tho’ – scaryyyy.  Their “operating” rooms have big picture windows facing a park area outside, so pretty and so much more comforting than plain white walls and Dr. S is so kind and considerate.  Quite a hefty bill – I am very grateful for Ameriplan at times like these; AmeriPlan® is the largest discounted fee-for-services program of its type in the country, you get immediate savings, no filing of insurance forms.  David went this afternoon and had 2 very small cavities filled on the spot and Greg goes tomorrow morning.  I hope they take care of Matt’s teeth in the Marines!

We’re still working on cleaning up Dave and Matt’s room – or at least I should say Dave is.  Dave has boxes and boxes of stuff to go up in the attic and has labelled everything very meticulously; I caught him trying to push a lot of stuff back under his bed and told him that’s a no-no.  So as soon as he’s finished with this long job, I can go in there and vaccuum rigorously.  I cleaned up Matt’s area as best I could yesterday but there’s a lot of stuff he’ll have to go thru but it looks so much better than it di – I’m hoping he’ll come back from Basic Trg armed with a vigorous desire to make it look like a Marine lives there.  

There are loads of new Target coupons on the Target website, including Merona shoes, women’s and men’s tops, jeans and many more.  .com

We’re off to TGI Fridays for dinner tonight – they have a deal going on right now where you get a $10 giftcard when you order 2 of their Caribbean entrees and there are some around $8.95 so that’s one good deal.   I don’t think you need a coupon but you can print this page just in case:
http://www.tgifridays.com/promos/summermenu.aspx  Maybe we can have a spin around the mall – I’ve only got one walk in today as it is so hot outside.

Fave Deals of the Day
Go here http://www.moatampa.com/fb/?error=user_denied for sample of Miracle Repair Foot Cream.
http://www.facebook.com/ilovemybabybump#!/ilovemybabybump?v=app_11007063052 Press Like to get a free I Love My Babybump T shirt.  I kinda wish I was pregnant!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbaras-Bakery/51894908332?v=app_6009294086 Go here for BOGO Barbaras Bakery Cereal – I love their Shredded Spoonfuls Multigrain, kinda cross between Life and Wheat Chex cereals.

Had a marvellous Monday trip to Target – there are some great in-store deals this week, i.e. Get a $5 Target giftcard when you buy 4 Crystal Light Canisters – this is a terrific buy if you got the $2 coupons from Viewpoints.  My favorite deal is free Oroweat bread when you buy 2 packages of Oscar Mayer deli cuts and Kraft Cheese;  I had a coupon from Kraft First Taste for free Oscar Mayer Deli Meat and $1 mfg Q for the cheese so I only spent $1.29 for all three items. 

If you’re playing the Sobe Heads or Tails game http://headsortails.sobe.com/ you’ve probably got a few BOGO coupons; paired with the 50c Target Q makes for 2 free Sobes!!  Be sure to look at the sale racks of underwear to find some really good deals when you use the $1 Hanes Target Q.  I got two pairs today for 26c ea after the coupons.  Chef Boyardee is free with the $1 Target Q from their website.

We booked our flights to San Diego on Southwest and got a terrific price by using the Wanna Get Away prices – $540 for both of us and just $140 for Matt’s one way ticket.  So glad that’s out of the way – our hotel’s all booked too!

I got this deal in my inbox today and I would love to get Preen for garden.

 Melody and Li’l Cec came over for dinner – roast chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and cauliflower cheese and apple pie a la mode for dessert – what could be more American than that.  Li’l Cec had an accident, fell off his booster seat face first on the floor and cut his lip; we were worried about his teeth but all seems OK.  When David was just 10 months old, we were having work done in the kitchen and I had a gate between that and the family room; David was happily watching the workmen and pulled the gate over on himself and knocked one of the 2 bottom teeth he had almost completely out.  I cried when the dentist told me on the phone there was nothing he could do – I had to pull it out.  David had been screaming and crying and just moments later was pulling on the gate again – at that point, he went into the playpen!

Fave Deals of the day
Free Sample of Vitafusion Heart One Gummy Vitamins.
Free Jiffy Mix Recipe Book: http://www.jiffymix.com/bookorder.php
Go here:http://www.rightathome.com/Offers/Pages/PledgeSummerGiftPack.aspx for Free Pledge Summer Gift Pack