Progresso Prize Pack Winner

*EDIT: a new winner has been selected!

I know I said I'd announce the winner tomorrow, but it's past 9pm PST (the deadline for entries) so I'm announcing the winner now. The winner of my Progresso High Fiber Soup giveaway (provided by Progresso through My Blog Spark) is:

Entry #3: Mere Mortal, who said:

"I ended up adding oats to soups instead of barley. My baby doesn't know any better, and, since he and I eat the same thing, I get the extra bit of fiber too."

What a great way to add a bit of extra fiber to your diet! I don't have your email, so please send me an email with your information (maybefrugal(at)hotmail(dot)com) so that My Blog Spark can get your prize pack off in the mail to you. (If I don't hear from you by January 3rd, I will have to select a new winner!). Thanks to everyone who entered! (P.S. I've got another giveaway coming up soon so check back soon!)

Thanks again To Progresso and My Blog Spark for allowing me to host such a fun giveaway!

After Christmas Shopping?

There are a ton of great posts around the blogosphere today regarding after Christmas shopping! Here are a few especially handy posts you may want to read:

• For The Mommas has compiled a handy list of Return Policies for a few different stores (just in case you have anything you need to return).
• Christy over at The Bargain Jargon has an awesome post that gives you an idea of when prices will drop further in addition to her tips to make your after Christmas shopping a success.
• The Coupon Project has the scoop on Macy's After Christmas Sale and Gamestop's $20 in-store credit for qualified trade in's.
• If you're headed to Victoria's Secret, you may want to print this coupon good for a FREE Beatuy Rush Lipgloss with any purchase.

We went out this morning and found a few neat things including some Christmas books and stocking stuffers for the boys next year (at Target- the good stuff goes super quickly at my store- and Barnes and Noble). Target also had clear tree shaped glass jars for $2.50 that would be adorable stuffed with something (I just don't know what yet); there were a few but I bought one just in case they all sell at 50% off. We kind of lucked out and found where some lady (who must've been there when the store opened and grabbed all the good stuff was sorting through to decide what to buy) was dumping things. We also hit Michael's (50-60% off) and found a nice gingerbread cookie mold (tiny houses- so cute!) for only $4.99 plus some adorable clear ornaments filled with festive bath confetti for $0.40 each (I'll use these to dress up packages). I passed on ornaments, wrapping paper, and bows- but will likely go back once the stores hit 75% or 90% to buy these things. Did you fins anything great today? I'd love to hear about it!

Weekly Spending Review

This past week was mostly one for stocking up on things we had started to run low on and buying a few necessities. In addition to what you see pictured, I spent another $10 (and saved just as much) to buy: 10lbs. potatoes, package bacon, cheese sticks, a vegan frozen dinner (just to have on hand), 2 gallons of milk, and some large carrots. Other than that, everything is pictured below (you can click the photo for the original post if you want details):

Safeway: $7.92 spent, $25.00 saved

Safeway: $30.90 spent, $67.22 saved

It certainly wasn't my best week ever, but it wasn't terrible either. Next month I'll be trying to eat a lot from our pantry/stockpile, and should be doing less shopping. Besides milk/produce (and maybe an Albies trip for freebies) I am done grocery shopping for the year. My grand totals for the week were:

$48.82 spent

$102.22 saved

Menu Plan (Tuesday?) and a Giveaway!

Even though I've been prepared for Christmas for quite some time, I'm still a little bit surprised at how quickly it's creeping up on me this year (seriously, wasn't it just Thanksgiving??). Thanks goodness I have all those freezer meals stashed away, because if it weren't for those- I don't know what I'd be making! Here's my menu plan for the week, it's really pretty uneventful.

Monday: Progresso High Fiber Minestrone soup (sound good? keep reading!)

Tuesday: Beef Stew (from the freezer)

Wednesday: Christmas Eve's Eve Dinner at MIL's house

Thursday: Prime Rib Roast (having my mom over)

Friday: Christmas!

Saturday: Tacos and Crockpot Refried Beans

Sunday: Baked Potato soup

Progresso has recently rolled out 4 new soups (Chicken Tuscany, Creamy Tomato Basil, Hearty Vegetable & Noodles and Homestyle Minestrone), each of which contains 28% of your daily fiber intake per serving (7 grams) and have no added MSG or artificial flavors. Sounds pretty cool, right? Even better, Progresso (through MyBlogSpark) sent me a pack which included the High Fiber Minestrone, two HUGE soup mugs, and two spoons so I could try it out myself.*

The husband was a bit reluctant to try the high fiber variety because he doesn't like "healthy" canned soups (of course, I don't think he'd ever admit to that). Except that he did like this, and so did the toddler (he thinks anything with beans is good). As for me? I think it was a bit on the salty side (I usually only buy low sodium varieties of Progresso because they generally seem saltier to me, but I also don't cook with salt unless it's needed). I did enjoy trying such an easy way to incorporate fiber into our diets, but unless they introduce a high fiber/low sodium variety- I don't imagine I'll be buying it. I think that if you're looking for an easy way to get some extra fiber and already enjoy any of Progresso's 75 other flavors, you'll like this. I think my favorite part was just having a super easy dinner night as we enter this week of craziness.

Now, the fun part? I get to giveaway a prize pack thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark! You'll get two oversized soup mugs (these are great!), two spoons, and a can of Progresso High Fiber Homestyle Minestrone to try for yourself! To enter, just leave me a comment with your favorite way to incorporate a little bit of extra fiber into your (or your family's) diet before December 27th at 9 pm PST. I'll pick a winner using Random.org and announce it sometime on Monday the 28th. Good luck!

*Disclaimer: I was given the package mentioned above for free from Progresso through MyBlogSpark. I was also provided with information regarding the new line of soups and the chance to offer a second prize pack to one of my readers. I was not told what to say, and all opinions are my own.

FREE Pint International Delight

International Delight is giving away a coupon good for a FREE pint to the first 100,00 fans who sign up on Facebook! Just hop on over to their page (and fan them, if you haven't yet) and click Holiday Giveaway to register for yours. I imagine this will go pretty quickly. These will be coming in the mail. I LOVE freebies!

Tinkerbell And The Lost Treasure Blu-ray Combo- $4.99

Target has Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure on sale for $19.99 through December 24th. To get the scoop on how to find the right coupons (and even what rebates you can submit to save you even more money) check out A Thrifty Mom's post.

Safeway Trip: regular shopping

$30.90 spent, $67.22 saved (69%)

Yes I could have split some of up into separate and spaced out transaction to take advantage of more of the free items, but I'm hearing very credible rumors of doublers at Albies and don't want to spend all week at the grocery stores. This is everything I'll need for the next week or so, plus a few extras. Here's what I bought:

• 7UP: FREE
• BC Cookie Mix: -$0.60 (after paper and ecoupons)
• BC Frosting: -$1.31 (after paper and ecoupons)
• 2 boxes Apple Jacks: $0.98 (after two $1 coupons and the discount for buying 4)
• 2 boxes Fruit Loops: $0.98 (same as above)
• Progresso Broth: -$.50 (after paper and ecoupons)
• Reeser's Flour Tortillas: $1.54 (after $1 coupon)
• Mission Corn Tortillas: $1.79
• 2 Pillsbury Holiday Cookies: -$0.75 (after paper and ecoupons)
• 2 GG Frozen Veggies: $0.58 (after ecoupons)
• 2 gallons milk: $3.98
• Bread: $1.19
• Flank Steak: $3.14 (after $2 SFWY coupon)
• Rib Eye Roast: $13.33 (for Christmas Eve)
• Pork Chops: $1.14 (after $1 coupon)
• Broccoli: $1.47
• Bananas: $0.93
• Celery: $0.42
• Jalapeno: $0.10
• Potatoes: $2.99 (I saw a recipe I just had to try)

Not too bad, especially when you consider the roast was over 1/3 of my total!

World Market: $10 off $30

World Market has a new printable coupon out, good for $10 off your $30 purchase (alcohol and gift cards excluded). It's good through Sunday, December 20th and you can print yours here. They always have such cute things there!

Thanks Queen Bee Coupons!

Shutterfly: FREE $15 credit!

Shutterfly is offering a free $15 credit and it's super easy to add to your account. This is what you want to do (and hurry, I don't know how long this will last!)

1. Sign up or log into your Shutterfly account
2. Click on My Account
3. Scroll down to Special Offers
4. Click on Enter Special Offer Code
5. Enter Code FIFTEENOFF

That's it! You'll get a $15 credit good towards any purchase of $15 or more (must be used all at once and cannot be applied towards shipping). It doesn't expire until July of 2109, so you have plenty of time to use it. (Edit: the expiration date may be a typo. Some people are reporting that you only have 6 days to use this code so you may want to hurry. Sorry about any confusion this may have caused!) Of course, you could use it now and save some bucks on a holiday gift. Either way, this is one HOT freebie! Thanks The Thrifty Mama!

My Safeway Trip: 76% savings

$7.92 spent, $25.00 saved

After learning this morning that the $20 purchase requirement to get your FREE item at Safeway was pre-club card discount, I was super prepared to head out today. Especially since I needed some hash browns for the husband's lunchtime holiday potluck. Here's what I bought:

• 4 boxes Corn Flakes: $0.96 (details here)
• 4 boxes Apple Jacks: $1.96
• 2 Bags Safeway Hash Browns: $5.00
• Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokies: FREE

Works for me! We're really running low on cereal so I'll be headed back in later this week for more. How are you all doing with the 12 days of FREE items? I'd love to hear about any deals you've found!

Del Monte Veggies $0.25

Have you printed this coupon for $1 off 4 cans of Del Monte canned veggies yet? If not, do it now. This week, Del Monte veggies are on sale at both Target and Albertsons for $0.50 a can- or $0.25 a can after coupon! If we get the rumored doublers this weekend, they could even be free at Albertsons. Either way, that's a great price on some canned veggies!

Facebook: Lee Jeans giveaway

Are you on facebook? Well, you might want to enter Lee's Jean giveaway! Each day this month, they're giving away 120 pairs of jeans to fans. You can only enter once during the month and then hope you win for that day (my mom won yesterday!). So, pick which day you want to enter wisely, I suppose....and then come back and let me know when you win! Good luck!!

Safeway FREE items

Remember the list I posted earlier this week about all the FREE items you can get with each $20 purchase at Safeway this week? I mentioned that the $20 purchase requirement was before manufacturer coupons, but it looks like it's even better than that! According to Safeway's website "You will reach the minimum purchase amount based upon total purchases before your Club Card discount is applied. This total will include the coupon item's regular price, not the discounted price." To read more about that, you can pop on over to Safeway's website (I'd recommend printing a copy of that page just in case). A HUGE thank you to saishap on SD for pointing that out this morning!

P.S. While you're there, you might want to print the $2 off any Rancher's Reserve beef with $10 purchase from their printable coupons section.

Barnes&Noble Coupons

Barnes & Noble currently have 3 printable coupons valid through December 21st that you might want to print if you're planning to head out an buy any books. These coupons are good for:

• 30% off list price on one Gift Title Book
• 30% off list price on one Children's book
• Buy One, Get One 50% off on Children's Books

Thanks Savings with Shellie!

Safeway: Cheap Cereal!

Safeway has a few great deals on cereal this week, here's how to make the most of them (just remember that you must buy in groups of 4!):

Corn Flakes are $0.99/box when you buy 4. You can use the $1.50/2 coupons here and here to get them for $0.25 per box. (You should be able to print from each link twice and buy 8 boxes for $2 total). There were also blinkies in some stores for $1 off 1 box, those would make these free. *edit: looks like you can only print once from each link, sorry!

Kelloggs Fruit Loops & Apple Jacks are $1.49/box when you buy 4. There was a $1 off 2 coupon in last weeks paper, that would make these $0.99 each. Even better, if you grabbed some of the $1 off 1 blinkies that were out a few weeks ago, they'll be $0.49/box.

Weekly Spending Review

I spent more than usual this week, but a good chunk of it qualified me for rebates! (thank goodness I finished Christmas shopping early!). I did make two unphotographed trips for groceries, one to Rite Aid where I spent $1.49 out of pocket (savings $13) and another to Albertsons where I spent $8.95 and saved $9.50. I also purchased Prell at Rite Aid and spent another $5.38 there (saved $17.45), but will get back $10. This first photo is of my Safeway trip last night:

Safeway: $17.88 spent, $30.90 saved (63%)

I bought the Ritz to submit for the $10 rebate in my mom's name (she took some home too), the eggs were free (with $20 purchase- my total pre-coupons was over $20), and milk was just something we needed.

Safeway: $26.87 spent, $56.34 saved (68%)

You can click the photo above for details if you'd like. That brings my grand totals for the week up to:

Total Spent: $ 60.57 (yikes!)

Total Saved: $127.19

Even with $30 in rebates coming back, that's definitely more than I like to spend. I am planning a run again for tonight to grab some cereal (we're almost out) and a few things for the husband's work potluck tomorrow. I also still need a roast for Christmas Eve, but want to spend less this week than I did last week.

New Cellfire Coupons are up!

Head on over to Cellfire today and load the new ecoupons. I always load everything from Cellfire because you never know what you might need/want to buy and have never had a problem with their limit of 100 loadable coupons. I LOVE how easy ecoupons are to use, there's no reason not to load them on your card!

RiteAid: Prell MoneyMaker!

I was so excited about this deal yesterday I went out and did it and then forgot to post about it. This week at Rite Aid Prell is on sale for $0.99 a bottle AND it qualifies for a $2 SCR! Even better, you can buy up to 5 bottles per household- making this one super easy moneymaker!! With tax, each set of 5 bottles will cost $5.38 but you'll get back $10. This is my husbands favorite shampoo so I bought several bottles for him, it's going to be really nice not to have to think about buying him shampoo for a while!

Don't forget that RA also has the Gift of Savings deal going on through December 24th. Kim over at Puget Sound Prudence has a great post explaining about this deal! (Thanks for the reminder to post the Prell deal too!)

menu plan monday:

I haven't really sat down to plan my menu for this week, and I'm in the middle of a laundry disaster*, so I figured I'd do a quick plan while I let my hands warm up some.

monday: Tostadas with crockpot refried beans
tuesday: Turkey Ceaser Salad
wednesday: Turkey and Rice Casserole
thrusday: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots
friday:
saturday: Beef Stew
sunday: Roasted Chicken with veggies

*my laundry disaster isn't horrible horrible, but the washer didn't spin or something (it made crazy clicking sounds) so everything is really soaking wet. I'm attempting to ring it all out and then will toss it in the dryer and be done with laundry for the day unless the husband fixes it as soon as he gets home. The bad part is the washer & dryer are in an un-insulated back room so all of the water is SUPER cold.

Safeway: 12 days of FREE items

Did you notice the Safeway ad had a special page with FREE item coupons in yesterday's paper? Each coupon is valid for one day only with a $20 purchase (this is usually before manufacturer coupons). Some of these items are things you can usually get for cheap, so I really wouldn't recommend running out and trying to buy $20 worth of stuff everyday- but if there was something you were planning to buy on the list you might as well do your shopping that day and get it free. I need to buy a roast for Christmas Eve and a couple of other things so I'll probably go for either the potatoes or the lit'l smokies.

Sunday, December 13th Free Fresh Express Salad
Monday, December 14th Free Betty Crocker Cake Mix
Tuesday, December 15th Free Lucerne Large Dozen Eggs
Wednesday, December 16th Free Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies
Thursday, December 17th Free Safeway Brown or Powdered Sugar
Friday, December 18th Free 2-Liter 7-up
Saturday, December 19th Free 5 lb. bag Russet Potatoes
Sunday, December 20th Free Breakfast Sausage Links, 12 oz
Monday, December 21st Free Safeway Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Tuesday, December 22nd Free Mini-Muffins
Wednesday, December 23rd Free Brown ‘n Serve Dinner Rolls
Thursday, December 24th Free Safeway Mixer 2-Liter (club soda)

You can print the coupons here if you need to, but they should also have these flyers in store (by Customer Service) if you want to save your ink. Of course, remember to keep your eyes on the register as you check out. A lot of the Safeway store coupons for free items tend to ring up wrong (at -0.01 instead of the full price) so you'll want to be sure to have your checker adjust that if it happens to you!

Amazon: Select Scene It games only $7.99!

Amazon's deal of the day is select versions of Scene It. This is a really fun game (take it from someone who owns 4 versions and has played a few others)! To see what's available at this price, you can pop on over to Amazon. The price is good today only (or until they sell out) so you might need to hurry. They usually sell for $29.99 so $7.99 is quite a bargain (that's a 73% savings!).

As always with Amazon, shipping is free with $25 purchase or you can sign up for a free trial of Prime. For The Mommas has the scoop on that.

My Safeway Trip

$26.87 spent, $56.34 saved (68%)

Even better, it qualifies for the $10 Nabisco/Planters rebate...so I'll be getting $10 back from this trip. We were out of Ritz and needed a few things so I figured a quick run was in order. The husband was with me for this one, he and the toddler had fun cracking jokes about how we were buying ALL of the crackers (don't worry, there are tons left). I did want to make a trip sometime this week to Albies as well, but here's what we got at Safeway:

• 2 boxes Premium Saltines ($1.49 each wyb 5 Nabisco) (used one $1 wyb chili and Premium tearpad coupon)
• 8 boxes Ritz ($1.99 each wyb 5 Nabisco) (used a variety of $1 off 1 and $1 off 2 coupons)
• 2 gallons of milk $3.98
• 2 cans Nalley Chili $2.00
• Rice Vinegar (used FREE item coupon)
• Barilla pasta $1.00
• 2 Pillsbury Cookies ($1.99 each with in-ad coupon) (used $1 off 1 printable coupons)
• Always (used FREE item coupon)
• Bread $1.19
• Bagels $2.39
• Avocados $1.96
• Baby carrots $2.00
• 1 dozen eggs (used FREE item coupon)
• Safeway Pasta and Sauce (used FREE item coupons)

I also spent $1.49 at RiteAid yesterday (after using a rebate check) for 1 gallon milk, 8 lbs of sugar, and 2 bags of M&M's. Nothing was a super hot deal, I just didn't want my rebate check to expire and I was out of sugar.

$1 General Mills Cereal coupon

This is a hot coupon you're going to want to print- $1 off 1 box Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms or Trix Cereals from General Mills. We go through a ton of these cereals (especially CTC if you haven't been paying attention to my shopping habits!) so I'm thrilled to see this coupon. You can print it twice by hitting your browsers back button (3 times)! This would be great with the promo this week at Albies.

It sounds as if this is in part to promote the announcement General Mills made sometime this week regarding their commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids to single digit grams of sugar per serving. That sounds pretty exciting, especially since the toddler LOVES when we let him snack on daddy's cereal.

This information was provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

A Summary Post

I've been slacking in the blogging department! There are so many things going on right now that I'd love to pass along to all of you, but I've been so busy in real life that I just haven't been able to find the time. Here are a few of the hot deals going on right now!

• FREE shipping from Victoria's Secret today (12/10/09) only with code SHIPFREE. combine it with the 25% off (it's still going, I guess) that I told you about before and any $10 SRC's you might have for a really hot deal!
• Puget Sound Prudence has the details on how to get a $10 coupon of $10 or more of anything VS PINK by playing a game (I won after 5 minutes, super easy!). Certificate is good until February 15th!
• Albertsons is running a catalina promo that results in Doublers? Read about it at Fistful of Coupons!
• Even better, HAPPY2BFRUGAL has the scoop on a super hot Progresso Soup deal at Albertsons that you just might have to take advantage of!
• Don't forget to see what other deals are going on at Albertsons, The Coupon Project has a great matchup this week.

Photo Flip Book $1.99

Still looking for affordable photo gift ideas? How about a 10 page flipbook for $1.99 shipped? Thanks to Good Morning America you can use code GMAFREE over at Snapfish to get one of these cute little flipbooks for FREE and shipping is only $1.99 (you may have to pay a small amount of tax). This is a nice deal considering the books are usually $4.99 each before shipping. You have until Sunday, December 13th to take advantage of this offer.

I'll be making one of these for the husband's grandparents using photos of all the babies we took at their place on Thanksgiving- it'll be a sweet little addition to their Christmas gift that I'm sure they'll love.

Weekly Spending Review 12/2-12/8

The deals were not amazing this week so besides the one trip I took a photo of and posted, I only went out 2 more times. Once for milk and another time to grab some produce, 2 dozen eggs, and take advantage of Safeway's weekend sale on Pepsi & Doritos. So there was this trip:

$15.16 spent, $24.37 saved

plus an additional $20 on everything else mentioned above. That brings my totals for the week up to:

$35.16 spent

$40.37 saved

That's not a bad week, it's still below the $50 a week budget I've been trying to stick with. I do think I'll be spending more this week as I've noticed we're running low on a few things. Plus, I'm kind of in-love with these candy penguin cupcake toppers so I might need a few extra things for them. Now, I just need a hot deal on some prime rib roast for Christmas Eve!

Check your mail!

I forgot to mention that I found a $10 off a $10 purchase or more coupon in my mail yesterday for JC Penny. I haven't been to the store yet, but this is always great for a freebie or else a hot deal on something cheap. The ad comes with 2 extra coupons (one for before and after Christmas). The $10 coupon is good through December 24th!

Disclosure Policy

With all the new rules about blogging (and I'm certainly no expert) I figure it's about time I post a disclosure policy. While I appreciate DisclosurePolicy.org and the ease with which you can whip up a very fancy policy of your own- I think it's easier to understand if I write it all out in plain English. Here you go:

I blog for myself. Everything written here is by me, and they are my own thoughts and opinions. I don't get paid to write anything (I don't even have ads or affiliate links!) and would never write anything I don't believe in myself. Besides the Safeway gift card I received (remember all the ones I got to give away) this blog has not been profitable in any way besides some new online friendships with other bargain shoppers.

I am more than happy to review items and services which may appeal to my readers (especially if it means something free for myself or my readers- we all love FREE) and will only post my honest thoughts about any product/service. While my posting content may be influenced by offers I accept, I will always let you know if I'm getting anything out of it.

I have turned down quite a few offers and will happily continue to do so. I blog because I enjoy it. It helps me keep track of my journey with coupons, my spending, and the deals I'm most interested in. It also simplifies my life because instead of calling everyone I know about the latest hot deal, I can simply post it here. It also keeps my husband happier because he doesn't always have to hear about how much I paid for this or that- he still hears it of course, but it's much less often. Plus, I like helping other people save money- sometimes that's even more exciting than the money I save.

Of course, if you're still looking for all the fancy lingo, here it is (as close to what I think I said above). Please keep in mind that I do have mommy brain, so it may be less accurate than the above statements- but I really did try.

This policy is valid from 07 December 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/

FREE Stacy's Pita Chips coupon

This time it's a real facebook freebie! Right now if you become a fan of Stacy's Pita Chips, you can sign up to have a coupon for a FREE bag sent to you (up to $3.99). I just signed myself up and you should too. I haven't had these before but I did recently get a yummy hummus recipe I've been looking forward to trying, and this will be perfect with it!

Thanks Thrifty & Chic Mom!

$5 Photo Mug (12/7 only)

Are you still looking for good photo deals? Today only you can order a photo mug for $5 shipped from Photoworks! This is a great deal if you were looking to make a photo mug for someone (or yourself). Just select your mug, add your photos, and checkout using code 5DOLLARMUG. That's a pretty great deal considering the mugs are usually priced at $14.95 before shipping.

You can order more than one mug at this price but you'll need to order each one separately. Thanks MoneySavingMom!

Update on the FREE Clementines at Safeway

I posted about them originally on Saturday and shared what little information I had. Then there was an update that it was free with a $25 purchase at Safeway. Now, there's even more details and they're making this freebie less and less exciting. Here's all the fine print:

Get a FREE 5 LB. Box of Clementine Tangerines in your store on 12/08/09. Offer is valid for one day only 12/08/09, to the 1st 25,000 customers. $25 minimum purchase required, Club Card required, Card loaded offer, for a value of $4.99 or more.

I do think it's great that they're making an effort to appreciate their customers. I am disappointed that all of the rules and restrictions were not shared when the first bit of information was released. I was thinking I'd buy some things I needed anyways and maybe get to $25 so I could claim some free clementines, but tomorrow only? I do think this was badly announced and I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed or confused. If you're still interested, be sure to visit Safeway's facebook page and click the "Events" tab. There will be a link to where you need to go to load this coupon to your card. good luck!

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday and that means time for the menu plan. Here's what we'll be eating this week:

Monday: Pot Roast with potatoes and (tons of) carrots (because the toddler is currently in-love with carrots)
Tuesday: Pizza (from Papa Johns- they're recommending ordering in advance) and a salad
Wednesday: Beef Stew (using leftover roast from Monday)
Thursday: Turkey Pot Pie Soup with biscuits
Friday: TBD*
Saturday: Meatloaf, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes
Sunday: Albondigas

As for Friday, we don't eat meat and I've never really been into seafood but I have recently discovered that Safeway marks down their seafood by 50% so I've been watching that and experimenting. Last week I did tilapia in a lemony browned butter sauce with pistachios- and it was pretty good (tilapia- bought a few weeks ago and frozen, butter was free not butter, lemon from mil's tree, and pistachios from the summer). This week I'm just going to wait and see what I find and then look for another recipe online. Wish me luck!

Safeway: FREE box of Clementines

That's right! Safeway is going to be giving out coupons for a FREE box of Clementines. All you need to do is become a fan of their Facebook page and check back on Monday December 7th to claim your coupon. I think this is an AWESOME freebie!!

Edit: Thanks to Beth for the detailed info that wasn't available when I initially posted this! You'll have to register your Safeway card and load the coupon onto it. The box of Clementines will be free with a $25 purchase. That seems less awesome, but maybe we'll find some other great deals at Safeway that'll get us up to a $25 purchase? I'll do my best to keep you posted!

Petco: 20% off through Sunday

Petco has released a printable coupon good for 20% off any one regularly priced item in store. This coupon is valid through December 6th. That's an awesome coupon if you were looking for a treat for your special furry friend. Thanks Happy2BFrugal!

Hallmark Gold Crown Stores: $5 off anything

Here's a $5 Hallmark coupon good on any purchase (it would make any $5 purchase FREE). It's valid through December 4th, so you have plenty of time to use it! Click here to print your coupon. Thanks MoneySavingMom!

Redbox: Free Monthly Movie Changes!

Redbox is changing how they offer their FREE movie code on the first Monday of each month. Instead of sending out one code we can all share with anyone, they'll be sending out individual codes good for a one time use only. To sign up to receive text alerts from Redbox, click here. While you're there, take an extra second to sign up for emails if you haven't already, they give out a personalized one time use code for that too.

I have signed up for this and they rarely send me messages (except for the free movie codes on Monday). Still, I would be hesitant to sign up if I didn't have a great texting plan on my phone already in case that changes.

Will you be shopping this weekend?

If your anwser is yes, then I've got a few coupon links you might want to take advantage of before heading out!

• 25% off at World Market (through December 6th)


• 25% off at Macy's (through December 7th)


• 20% off at Bath & Body Works (through December 6th)


• FREE Beauy Rush Lipgloss with any Victoria's Secret Purchase (through Decmber 16th)


• 20% off at JC Penny (December 6th and 7th only)
• 20% off at Gap (grab this over at Thrifty NW Mom!)

Know of anything I might've missed! Please let me know so we can all get the best deals possible!

25% off at World Market

World Market is running a Friends & Family sale today through December 6th! That means 25% off all Home Furnishings, Decor, Gifts, and more with this printable coupon. The coupon will also get you 10% off gourmet food and non-alcoholic beverages.

I was actually just in there yesterday and picked up a few things. *sigh* I guess this is what happens when I sign my husband up for things and then don't check his email! They did have lots of cute ornaments.

Order Pizza for a good cause

Next Tuesday and Wednesday (that's December 8th and 9th) the Papa John's stores in Western Washington will be 100% of their profits to the families of the slain Lakewood Police Officers. They will also be accepting donations. I think is wonderful! They have not put out an official press release, but you can read about what's going on here and here. I cannot think of a better reason to order pizza!

To find a location near you, visit the website. I'm sure it'll be a busy couple of days for everyone at Papa Johns! Thanks to Angela over at The Coupon Poject for posting about this!

Got $10 VS SSC's?

I know a few people who bought a lot of Victoria's Secret items (or even just a few) who now have tons of $10 SSC's. If you're one of them (or know someone who is) then this is the post for you! Victoria's Secret put out a new code (25VS) today worth 25% off any item in their Winter Collection through Decmbers 6th. A few of the sweaters can even be combined with a free scarf! Here are a few decent deals you can find (costs are after shipping and taxes):

Get this pretty Silk/Cashmere off the shoulder sweater and a scarf for only $20.13 after using codes: SCARF09 & 25VS plus a $10 SSC. This would be so pretty for a holiday party!

This cotton rib square neck sweater and a free scarf are only $4.64 when you use your $10 SSC along with codes: SCARF09 & 25VS (This is a much better deal than 3/$30 sweaters!).

How about crew neck instead? Using the same 25VS and SCARF09 codes with your $10 SSC, this works out to be a mere $6.27!

If you're planning to order more items, here are a few codes to keep in mind: FA919801 will get you FREE standard shipping on orders of $50 or more (expires 12/17) and SHIPQUICK will get you FREE 2nd day express delivery on orders of $100 or more (expires 12/6).

Safeway Trip: more hamburger

$15.16 spent, $24.37 saved

I used up a lot of my hamburger meat during freezer cooking day, so I figured I'd better buy more while the price was good. This is about 12lbs, so we'll be set for a while. I also grabbed some bags of chocolate chips using this $1 printable coupon, making them $1 each (They're a better deal at Albertsons this week, only $0.69 after in-ad coupon and IP- but I didn't know that). I used my last $5 catalina from the HFTH promo. I still have quite a bit of produce and don't imagine I'll need to spend too much more this week.

edit (12/7): I've since spent another $20 on milk, produce, 2 dozen eggs, a bag of doritos, and a few 2liters of pepsi. I did not post these trips so I'm adding it here so I won't forget to add it to my weekly total!

Weekly Spending Review

I'm a day late with this, but here it is anyways. I spent an additional $6 that's not pictured, on milk and something else (I can't remember what, the husband probably bought himself a snack) mid week. I didn't do much shopping and a good chunk of it was actually for my freezer cooking day. You can click each photo for the details (if you're curious), this is what I bought:

Fred Meyers: $12.59 spent

Safeway: $12.77 spent, $32.51 saved

That brings my weekly totals for the last week (Thursday the 26th to Wednesday the 2nd) to:

$31.36 spent and $32.51 saved

All in all, that's pretty great considering I needed so many things and I was able to assemble 8 meals for later use this month (along with a variety of other time savers).

Hot Mid-Week Deals @ Walgreens

I'm still new-ish to this whole couponing thing, so I certainly don't remember mid-week deals at Walgreens last year but some of these are pretty great! Here are a few of the freebies you can find in-store between today and December 5th (Saturday):

Soft & Beautiful Botanicals on sale $5, with $5 RR

Natrol Acai on sale $4, with $4 RR
Use $3 coupon to make this a $3 MM!

Dentek Dental Care on sale $1.99, with $1.99 RR
Use $1 coupon from 10/11 and you've got another MM!

-and not free, but a great deal!-

M&Ms on sale $2.50, with $1 RR when you buy 2
Use $1 off 2 printable coupon
Use $1 off 2 Walgreens coupon from December Coupon Booklet (by the ads in-store)
Pay $3 for 2 bags and get back $1- that's $1 a bag!

A huge thanks to Frugal Living NW for the deals this (mid)week! You can see more of her matchups here.

Macy's: Friends & Family

Macy's is currently having a Friends and Family sale going on through 12/7/2009. You can use this printable coupon to save an extra 25% (or 10% off small electronics, personal care electronics, technology, furniture, mattresses and area rugs) on your purchase!

If you're planning to do your shopping online rather than in-store, you can use the code MACYSFF. Shipping is free on purchases over $99 but you only have until the 7th to take advantage of this deal.

A few good posts

There have been a ton of great deals posted around the blogosphere lately, so I think it's time for another summary post. Here are a few links to some great deals I think you should check out!

• Want a Wii and a $50 gift card to Walmart for $199+tax? Christy over at The Bargain Jargon has the scoop.
• Quaker Oatmeal pancake mix for $.50 a box at Walgreens? For The Mommas has your details. (I don't like pancakes so this just sounds gross to me)
• Old Navy Weekly has changed! Jen at Thrifty Northwest Mom has everything you need to know!
• Puget Sound Prudence has the scoop on some great toy deals at Fred Meyers (through Saturday) with links to the coupons you need!

While you're clicking around the internet, don't forget to load new Cellfire and Shortcuts ecoupons to your shoppers card!!!

FREE Redbox rental (12/2)

Today only, you can get a free rental at Redbox using the code: SPNSV9

To find a location near you or see what movies are currently available, visit Redbox.com. This code is good today only (side note: new releases are hard to find at night) and you'll have until 9pm tomorrow to return it. I LOVE free rentals from Redbox!

Freezer Cooking = Success!

Freezer cooking day was a success! I was done with nearly everything by one in the afternoon, and even though the muffin recipe I tried was not my favorite, I still made out pretty well. This is what I have done:

• 3 batches of meatloaf
• Turkey Pot Pie soup x3
• Albondigas x2
• Refried beans (we ate most of them, so I only froze 1 batch!)
• 4 loaves pumpkin bread
• 2 dozen Almond Poppyseed Muffins (minus the ones we ate)
• 2 dozen (already cooked) meatballs

Today, I mailed out the rest of my Christmas cards and will be wrapping presents. Hopefully all this early prep will make the rest of this month a bit easier. I still have some gift shopping to do, but am done for the most part!

FREE panty from VS

It's another free panty from Victorias Secret, this time with any pink purchase! Log into (or join) VSPink.com to print your coupon. I've heard most stores still have Pink brand lollipops at the counter for only $1.50 each- it's probably the cheapest way to get your free panty! If you don't see them, don't be afraid to ask, some stores have them tucked away since they're running a FREE mini dog with Pink purchase promo as well- if they have them they will let you buy them. (note: I don't think you can get undies and a dog unless you buy 2 items or make 2 separate purchases, but if you're feeling gutsy you can ask).

edit: The underwear is kind of ugly and not worth a trip itself. Unless you're looking for your crotch/behind to be covered in some weird VS slogan, like "give me everything I want". I ended up skipping the free undies entirely!

While you're there, remember that you can redeem your SRC's as of today. I checked mine already online (by pretending to make an order) and they're each only worth $10 but you might have a lucky $500 card!

Freezer Cooking Day Plan

I know I mention this before, twice already (once when I posted my menu plan and again when I told you all about my head start) but I'm excited! I did participate last month, but it was my first real attempt at massive freezer cooking in one day kind and I was slightly disorganized. This is what I hope to have done by the end of the day:

• Meatloaf x2 : I freeze mine uncooked and then pop directly in the oven
• Crockpot Refried Beans x2 : enough for dinner and 2 batches for freezing
• Pumpkin Bread x 2 : should make 4 loaves- one for now, 3 for the freezer
• Meatballs: 2 dozen, to be cooked, then frozen
• Almond Poppyseed muffins : I'm testing out a new recipe so will only be making a single batch today
• Turkey Pot Pie soup x2 : All to be frozen, this will be enough for 4 meals

...and this is what my plan of action looks like:

• Chop veggies (everything except the potatoes for the soup). will set aside onions for dinner and meatloaf. Carrots and celery for pot pie soup.
• Get Crockpot Refried Beans assembled and cooking in the crockpot
• Assemble Meatloaf and Meatballs
• Pop the meatballs into the oven and the meatloaf into the freezer
• Clean up break
• Flash freeze cooked meatballs
• Start Pumpkin Bread (and measure dry ingredients for poppyseed muffins while I have everything out)
• Put pumpkin bread in the oven
• Chop potatoes
• Start Turkey Pot Pie soup
• Strain and mash beans (while soup boils)- freeze some, leave the rest in the crockpot to serve with dinner
• Divide Meatballs into 2 freezer bags
• Cool & Freeze Turkey Pot Pie Soup
• Another cleaning break- may need to start dishwasher!
• Start poppyseed muffins, while those are baking I'll do the rest of my dinner prep (taco night: shred lettuce & cheese, drain olives, get everything together in the fridge so it can all come out quickly)
• Freeze Poppyseed muffins

The toddler is a HUGE help in the kitchen (he's great at stirring, sorting, distracting baby, and taste testing) but I'll probably need quite a few breaks. I am feeling kind of ambitious but I think my plan for tomorrow is also realistic- it'll be nice to have 8 full meals and a variety of baked goods/odds&ends at the end of the day. With the 2 batches of Albondigas already done and the spare batch of stew I'll be making later this week, it'll be at least 11 meals I won't have to cook in December!

BOGO eggs coupon: 12/2/09 *gone*

These were all gone within 2 minutes this morning, sorry!

Were you able to get in on the BOGO dozen eggs coupon I posted about in October? Well, I just got an email saying they'll be offering them again Wednesday December 2, at 9 a.m. CST (or 7 am PST!). This time the coupons will be available for the first 10,000 people pledging to “Eat good. Do good everyday”. I LOVE this, especially since it's just in time for all of your holiday baking! To pledge, simply visit GoodEggProject.com on December 2nd- the earlier, the better!

Albondigas: a recipe

We are having a bit of a crazy day over here (my 9 month old is really on the move today, and I'm pretty sure the end result will be a heart attack and a half for me!) but I have managed to get a head start on baking day. We're making Albondigas (a Mexican meatball soup- my mom's recipe) for dinner tonight but will also be freezing some (this makes a huge batch- enough to split into at least 3 meals for my family of 3.5). Here's the toddler with some of our prep work, keep on reading for the recipe:

(He's happy because I let him sneak some cabbage!)

Albondigas:

• Meatballs (I use 1 lb of hamburger, 1 egg, 1 small onion, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 3/4 cup cooked rice, and then eyeball: garlic salt, oregano, and basil)*
• Head of Cabbage, chopped
• 1 Turnip, chopped
• 3 Large Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 Large Carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup barley, washed & cooked
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped

You'll need to start a large pot of water boiling (fill 1/2 the pot with water) and then add the ingredients listed above (except for the meatballs). After boiling for 30 minutes or so you can add Broccoli or Cauliflower if you want (I skipped this part today but it is yummy!). Next, you'll need to add the meatballs and the following:

• Beef Stock or Beef Bouillon cubes (3-4)
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Oregano
• Basil.

At which point you'll put the lid on your pot and let everything simmer for another 30 minutes or until all veggies are soft. Serve it hot. You can freeze this easily, but the cabbage will break down so you may need to add water or broth when reheating (the cabbage will make the soup a little bit thicker, I really like it this way).

*To make this healthier (or to accommodate veggie friends/family) the meatballs can be cooked separately and then added to the soup. Another option for helping to make this healthier is to make it a day in advance, store in the fridge, and then skim the fat off the top before reheating. I like the flavor meatballs add so I usually cook them in the soup.

Free Frappe @ Western WA McDonalds

McDonald's is currently offering a coupon good for a FREE small Mocha or Caramel Frappe at any Western Washington location. You can get yours right here. There's a limit of one per person per visit and it does state valid only at participating locations (I probably wouldn't try the McDonald's in Walmart for this). I think this might be a nice treat for yourself while you're out running around (starting or finishing your holiday shopping).

Thank you Christy over at The Bargain Jargon for reminding me about this deal!

Sephora: $5 Philosophy stocking stuffer

Update: This was a hot one, looks like it's out of stock already!!

Sephora has this cute little Philosophy gift set for only $5 and you can get free shipping with code SHIP4FREE. You can order as many of these sets as you'd like- I imagine they'd make great stocking stuffers! The set includes:

• 0.5 oz Kiss Me Lip Balm
• 2 oz Amazing Grace Buffing Wash
• 2 oz Inner Grace Shampoo, Bath, & Shower Gel

From what I'm hearing you also get to pick 3 free samples with any order, what fun! Thanks SD!

bebe.com: $10 off and free shipping

bebe.com is currently offering $10 off your purchase of $10.01 (or more) plus free shipping with code: SURPRISE. The code is actually good through December 11th but they're offering FREE shipping today (for Cyber Monday) only, so I wouldn't wait on this one!

I didn't see anything that works out to be FREE since the code does not work on $10 items, but you can find $12 perfume ($2 after code) and $16 bras (they'd be only $6). The site is a bit slow at the moment (I imagine it's getting slammed) but a little bit of patience may pay off for you! Thanks SD!

Overstock.com: cute waffle maker!

Overstock.com currently has this Kalorik Heart-shaped Waffle Maker priced at only $17.99 (usually over $50) and because it's Cyber Monday- it ships for free! This would be one super cute gift that won't break the bank.

For more of Overstock's Cyber Monday deals, click here!

Victoria's Secret

With everyone else excited about Victoria's Secret 3 for $30 sweater deal, I thought I'd better share the scoop with my readers too! This deal is good through Wednesday, but if you order today you should also get a Secret Rewards Card worth at least $10 (but also maybe up to $500) to use in December! Not only do you get a good deal on sweaters, you can also snag a free scarf (it's soft and super long) and an additional 20% off (that'll help cut down the shipping costs). Click here to see which sweaters qualify then add your FREE scarf. Just be sure to click the box that says "Special Offer Code" while checking out. Here's the codes you'll need to enter (there's only one box, so you enter codes one at a time and in this order):

• scarf09
• 3for30
• vssave20

That will bring your total for 3 sweaters and a scarf for right around $33! Are you planning to buy something besides sweaters? Here are a few other codes that might help cut your costs (Just remember you can only use 3 codes per order!):

• LOTION5 - $5 lotion when you purchase select perfumes (x 12/21)
• BEAUTY09 - $10 off $35 beauty purchase (x 12/24)
• PJGIFT- free slippers with select sleepwear purchase (x 12/8)*
• FA919837 - free fragrance gift set with select sleepwear purchase (x 12/21)*
• PDOG09 - Free PINK Dog with any non-clearance PINK purchase
• ITEM30 - 30% off any single item (x 12/2)
• FA919801 - Free Standard Shipping on Orders $50+ (exp 12/17)

You may need to play around with the order of codes to get the best deal, but hopefully this will help you get the best deal possible! Also, if you've recently received a catalog from VS you may want to check it to see if you were lucky enough to get a $10 gift certificate with it. Happy Shopping! Thanks SD!

*you can only select one gift with purchase of sleepwear, so you'll need to choose between slippers and a perfume sampler. I'm unsure about whether either code can be used with PINK loungewear/sleepwear, it might just be PJ's from the main part of the site.

A ton of Cyber Monday deals

Here are a few of the Cyber Monday deals I'm seeing so far (I will be updating my blog with more throughout the day). These deals are only good through today, so get ready to start your shopping!

• 20% off and FREE shipping at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Piper Lime, and Athleta using code: MONDAY
• Amazon has a ton of limited time only Cyber Monday deals, see what's available now with this link. The hot items go fast!
• New York & Co has 50% off everything store wide and you can get FREE shipping with code: 2845
• American Eagle has FREE shipping and a game you can play to get 20% off everything.
• Gymboree has 20% off and FREE shipping, no code needed and online prices already show the disount.
• Crazy8 (Gymboree partner store) has 20% off and free shipping (no code needed), plus an extra $10 off $50 purchase with code: C8THANKS
• Reebok has 40% off almost everything and FREE shipping when you use code: CYBER40
• Perry Ellis has 50% off, FREE Shipping, and a FREE Eco-bag on everything except fragrances with code: CYBER50
• 40% off everything and FREE shipping at The Limited, no code needed. Everything is marked 40% off on the site already, they also have a FREE ruffle scarf with $50 pre-tax purchase. (code 132 saves you $15 off a $50 purchase)
• Philosophy has FREE shipping on everything, no code required, and a free gift with purchases over $75.
• Origins has FREE shipping as well as $10 off a $25 purchase with code: TenOff09

As always with online shopping, don't forget to go through your favorite cash back/rewards site. For some great online shopping safety tips, visit PugetSoundPrudence!

Menu Planning & Baking Day

It's not Monday yet, but I finished my menu plan for the week, this is what we'll be eating:

Sunday: Stuffed Manicotti (from the freezer, we made 2 batches the last time I made this) and Cesar salad
Monday: Albondigas (my recipe for this is huge so I'll be freezing quite a bit for later)
Tuesday: Tacos and crockpot refried beans (it's also BAKING DAY!)
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Pot Roast
Friday: something with Tilapia, I haven't settled on a recipe yet
Saturday: Beef Stew (using leftover Pot Roast, will freeze half)

Then, I had to run to the store for supplies. Fred Meyer was close to where we went for lunch today so I stopped by there and spent $12.59 on these items:

Right Now, I'm trying to finalize my plans for Baking Day (hosted on twitter and facebook by Crystal Paine of MoneySavingMom and FishMama of Life As Mom). I played along last time and it was lots of fun sharing recipes and tips with everyone on twitter- even better was the ability to just pull things out of the freezer as we needed them! I'm going to try to post along with the day on my blog here as well, so be sure to stop by on Tuesday December 1st and see what I'm up to! FishMama has a couple of good posts up on how to shop for freezer cooking and what you can and can't freeze. My current plan for #OAMC (the twitter hashtag this time, it stands for Once A Month Cooking) includes:

• Crockpot Refried Beans (will have some for dinner and freeze the rest)
• Pumpkin Bread (6 loaves)
• Turkey Pot Pie Soup (a double batch, will make 4 meals- it's a modified version of this)
• Meatloaf (2 loaves)
• Meat balls
• Poppy Seed Muffins

Photo Card Reminder!

Just wanted to remind you all that the 50 free photocards deal at SeeHere.com ends tomorrow so you still have a little bit of time to order your cards. I was impressed with how quickly they came (they shipped the same day I placed my order) and the quality was good.

Due to the large amount of orders they received, they are charging a shipping fee now of $3.19 but that's still quite a deal compared to the cost of greeting cards. For more information on this deal visit Freebies4Mom.