It's Been A While

I know, I know. It's been a while. But I'm here. Posting for the year 2010.

It's been an eventful couple of years! Most recently, Elizabeth broke her femur this past summer. That made the summer very interesting. She was in a half body cast, which made her completely immobile for 4 weeks. While that sounds like it's not such a long time, believe me, it was. We had to completely potty train her again and re-teach her how to walk. But it didn't kill us, so it made us stronger, right? We like to think so.

Charlie is in 1st grade now and is doing fantastic! We couldn't be prouder of him. Elizabeth, on the other hand, regressed so much with the broken leg that we are considering keeping her out of Kindergarten next year. We'll decide closer to the time, but if we had to decide right now? She would not be going.

In the meantime, I ran my first and second 5k! I'm very stoked that I accomplished this goal and got great times (in my opinion) as well! This has always been a goal of mine and I finally did it. At 32!

My husband is kicking butt with his DJ business and it's only getting better. Things couldn't be better with us in this moment.

So that's the 411 on what's happened in this circus in the last year or so. I plan to redo this blog and post more often. Stay tuned!

Neela Bag Giveaway!

Lindsay at Frugal and Fabulous has another great giveaway! Click here to register to win a Neela Bag Denali pack. Hurry, this giveaway ends on July 24!

Carolina Pad Eye Candy Office Products Giveaway

Visit Lindsay over at Frugal and Fabulous to enter for your chance to win Carolina Pad Eye Candy Office Products! If you love office supplies, you'll love these stylish products! Check them out!

Restaurant.com - $25 Gift Certificates for $4!

Just go to Restaurant.com and enter Discount Code DAD to get a $25 restaurant gift certificate for only $4. That's a savings of 60%! But hurry, this offer expires Sunday, June 21, 2009.

New Printable Coupons

There are some great printable coupons out there right now. Get them before they're gone!

Eat Better America - General Mills, Yoplait, Nature Valley, and more

Right@Home - $1 off Edge Shave Gel

Pillsbury - General Mills, Chex Mix, Fiber One, Betty Crocker, and more

Kraft - Register to get summer savings

Coupons.com - General Mills, Keebler, DiGiorno, Gorton's, Kleenex, and more

Red Plum - Eggo, Kellogg's, Degree, and more

SmartSource - Snapple, Jose Ole, Kotex, Taco Bell, and more

Dove - $1 off Dove Go Fresh

Tide - $1.50 off new Tide Stain Release

Website Review: Mayo Clinic Health Manager

Have you ever switched doctors and filled out those long forms of medical history, only to forget half of it? Have you ever worried that you'd have an emergency and not be able to communicate a drug allergy or an important piece of medical history to the doctors treating you?

Well, now with the Mayo Clinic Health Manager you can keep all of your medical information in one central location, accessible only to those you give permission. This site was just launched Tuesday, April 21 and I had the opportunity to set up an account and check it out a bit. The site is fantastic! When you sign up, you get recommendations based on your gender and age. For example, one of my recommendations was that I calculate my BMI. Another recommendation was that I enter my vaccination history. The more information you enter, the better and more accurate the recommendations will be.

The other thing I like about this that you can be reminded of upcoming appointments or appointments you need to make, such as annual exams, etc. You can also track your entire family under 1 account, which is very nice. Other features include personalized tools like the weight tracker, a place to keep health-related contacts, allergy tracker, and a helpful tool to prepare for an appointment.

The site upholds strict privacy guidelines and only those people you specify can have access to your information. These individuals might be doctors or other family members.

Overall, the Mayo Clinic Health Manager is a very useful tool for the health conscious person. Check it out and leave a comment letting me know how you like it!

Website Review: SparkPeople.com

At the beginning of 2009, I decided I needed to start eating healthier and maybe even drop about 5 lbs. However, I found this to be very difficult. I tried to count calories throughout the day, but would lose track or wouldn't know how many calories were in a particular food, so I would guess. Was I guessing accurately? Probably not.

Also, I was so focused on avoiding the things I didn't want in the foods I ate that I wasn't paying attention to the nutrients I needed. Was I getting enough? Probably not.

The uncertainty of how much of what I needed and didn't need was daunting to say the least. Needless to say, my diet wasn't working very well for me. Then I stumbled upon SparkPeople. I first noticed that they offer a Free Online Diet Plan. That seemed pretty cool, so I decided to sign up and give it a try.

I found that the website has tons of features like a nutrition tracker, fitness tracker, message boards, articles, recipes, and blogs to name a few. The first thing I did was set up my goals. You can select from a plan to lose weight or to maintain your weight. I then took a look at the nutrition tracker, where you can track everything you eat throughout the day and your water consumption. I love this feature! I simply select the food from the dropdown menu (or add a food if it's not in the list) and enter how much I ate. It adds your food to the day and tracks the calories, carbs, and protein. You can also add numerous other nutrients to track. For example, I also track fiber, vitamin D, sodium, and calcium just to be sure I'm getting the correct amounts. The totals run at the bottom of your list along with the amounts you should be getting, depending on the goals you set.

The fitness tracker is great as well. You can easily track the exercises you do throughout the day and see how many calories you have burned. I have also joined a few of the message boards, which help me to stay motivated. Another fun feature is the points. By doing different things on the SparkPeople website, you can earn points, which earn you trophies. While these points and trophies don't mean anything, they are motivating to a competitive person like me who likes to see how many points she can rack up in a day.

The only downside to this website is all of the advertisements. However, the ads are what keep the site free, so I don't mind them at all.

Overall, SparkPeople is a fabulous website that has a lot to offer. Whether you're trying to lose weight or just maintain a healthy lifestyle, this website is the perfect tool.

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's 4/21

Ben & Jerry's shops are giving away a free cone of ice cream tomorrow, April 21. This promotion goes from noon - 8pm. Click here to find a shop near you.

Enjoy your ice cream!

Giant Deals Week of 4/19

Here are a few good deals at Giant this week.

Boneless Sirloin Steak
Price: B1G1FREE ($9.49/lb)
Total: $4.75/lb

Kellogg’s Cereal-Frosted Flakes-14 oz., Froot Loops, 12.2 oz. or Corn Flakes-18 oz. box
Price: $2
Coupon: $1/2 printable
Total: $1.50 each (not my stock-up price, but a good deal if you need cereal)

Totino’s Pizza Rolls-7.5 oz. box
Price: 10/$10
Coupon: $0.35/1 from insert
Total: $0.30 each

Gorton’s Crunchy Fish-Popcorn Shrimp, Fish Portions, Fish Sticks, Crispy Fish, Beer Battered Fish or Potato Crunch Fillets 14-24.5 oz.
Price: $3.99
Coupon: $1.25/2 from insert or $0.75/2 printable
Total: $3.25 each or $3.50 each

Kelloggs Fiber Plus bars 6.3oz box
Price: 2/$5
Coupon: $0.75/1 printable
Total: $1.50 each
Gas Deal: In group of buy 4, get $0.20/gallon

Weis Deals week of 4/16

Looks like it's a good week to shop at Weis Markets. Here are some of the highlights. To see all of the Weis Deals, click here.

Zatarain’s Rice Mixes-Chicken, Spanish, Yellow or Cheddar Broccoli 5.7-8 oz.
Price: 10/$10
Coupon: $0.75/2 from insert
Total: $0.50 each

Heluva Good Refrigerated Dips-12 oz.
Price: $1.50
Coupon: $0.50/1 printable
Total: $0.50 each

Doritos Tortilla Chips 11.75-14.125 oz.
Price: BOGO ($3.99)
Total: $1.98 each

Turkey Hill Teas or Drinks-64 oz.
Price: 3/$4
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $0.83 each

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pastas-selected 14.5 oz.
Price: 4/$5
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $0.75 each

Musselmann’s Apple Sauce-Totally Fruit or Healthy Picks-4 ct.
Price: 3/$5
Coupon: $.30/1 printable
Total: $1.16 each

Printable Coupon Websites

Are you new to the printable coupon world? If so, it can be very confusing to say the least. The last time I was involved in couponing, most stores wouldn't take printable coupons, so I didn't really know what was out there. When I came back to couponing last year, I was amazed at the number of printable coupon websites there are. Now that all my stores accept them again, I can save much more money at the grocery store.

I thought I'd share a few of the good ones with you to help in your money-saving adventure!

Coupons.com
This website has all kinds of manufacturer coupons with long expiration dates, which are updated very regularly. No registration needed, but if you do register, you will get emails when the coupons are updated.

Smartsource.com
This is website for Smart Source, which is one of the inserts that come in the Sunday paper. This website has different coupons than the inserts.

Mambo Sprouts
This is a website for Natural and Organic products. They update their coupons regularly.

Red Plum
Red Plum is the other coupon insert you get in the Sunday paper. Some of these tend to be the same as Smart Source, but there are also additional coupons, so worth checking out.

Bettycrocker.com
This is Betty Crocker's website, which has coupons for all sorts of General Mills products. Updated about once a month.

Pillsbury.com
If you purchase Pillsbury products, here is a way to save money on them. There are not tons of coupons on this site, but, hey, every little bit helps!

Target
If you shop at Target, this site has Target store coupons you can print for groceries. And don't forget, you can combine Target store coupons with manufacturer coupons for even more savings!

Other places to find printable coupons are on the websites for the manufacturers of the products you buy and the websites of the stores you shop.

Weis Deals week of 3/26

There are a lot of BOGOs this week. Using coupons with these sales is a great way to build your stockpile!

Chex Mix or Bugles Snacks-selected 7.5-8.75 oz.
Price: BOGO ($2.09)
Coupon: $1/2 from inserts
Total: $0.55 each

Light & Fluffy Egg Noodles12 oz.
Price: 4/$5
Coupon: $0.50/2 from insert
Total: $0.75 each

Wish-Bone Salad Dressings or Spritzers-7 or 16 oz.
Price: 3/$5
Coupon: $0.75/1 from insert
Total: $0.67 each

2000 Flushes Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner 1.25 or 3.5 oz.
Price: BOGO ($2.79)
Coupon: $1/1 from insert
Total: $0.90 each

Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover-14 or 22 oz.
Price: BOGO ($4.85)
Coupon: (2) $1/1 printable
Total: $1.43 each

General Mills Apple Cinnamon or Multi-Grain Cheerios-12.8 or 12.9 oz.
Price: BOGO ($3.29)
Coupon: $1/2 printable from a few weeks ago
Total: $1.15 each (I will only buy cereal when I can get it for $1, but if you are in need of it, this is pretty good, even if you don't have the coupon)

Lysol Products: Toilet Bowl Cleaner-24 oz.; Wipes-28 or 35 ct., Kitchen Spray-22 oz., All Purpose Cleaner-4 oz. identical item only
Price: BOGO ($2.07)
Coupon: Various Lysol coupons from inserts
Total: As low as $0.54 each

Sparkle Paper Towels - 3 rolls
Price: BOGO ($3.85)
Coupon: $1/1 from insert
Total:$ 1.43 each ($0.48 per roll)

Cheap Leapster Games at Target 3/29-4/4

Target has Leapster games on sale next week for $15. Use the printable $5/1 coupon to get them for $10 each. These are normally $25-$30 each, so this is a great bargain! Perfect for those Easter baskets!

Happy Shopping!

Giant Deals Week of 3/22

Here are some notable deals at Giant this week. Don't forget to cut out your Dollar Doublers from the ad this week!

Knorr-Lipton Sides
Price: 10/$10
Coupon: $1/3 from insert + dollar doubler
Total: $0.33 each

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - 12 oz.
Price: $5/4 (must buy 5)
Coupon: $1/1 printable (BettyCrocker.com from a few weeks ago)
Total: -$0.20 (money maker!)

Olivio - 15oz.
Price: $2.25
Coupon: $1/1 from insert + dollar doubler
Total: $0.25

Marcal Napkins
Price: 2/$4
Coupon: $1/1 from insert + dollar doubler
Total: FREE

Smart Ones
Price: 6/$10
Coupon: $1/5 printable + dollar doubler
Total: $1.05 each

Johnson Kids Band aids
Price: 10/$10
Coupon: $1/1 from inserts
Total: FREE

Coffee Mate
Price: $2
Coupon: $1.50/1 printable
Total: $0.50 each

Weis Deals week of 3/19

There are not many deals this week. Here are 2 that caught my eye.

Kellogg’s Special K Cereal-selected 5.2-14 oz. MUST BUY 4; all others $2.50
Price: 4/$8
Coupon: $1/1 from insert
Total: $1 each
*Buy 3 Kellogg's cereals, get a FREE gallon of milk, 2 FREE gallons wyb 5, and 3 FREE gallons wyb 7.

Ball Park Meat Franks-reg., Lites, Bun-Size, Singles, or Turkey Franks 12.8-16 oz.
Price: B1G1FREE ($3.99)
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $1.50 each

Don't forget, you can always order coupons on ebay very inexpensively. This is a good way to stock up on essentials like these!

Jergen's Naturals Hydrate Moisturizer

I received new Jergen's Naturals Hydrate moisturizer from Jergen's to try out and let people know how I liked it. So, without further ado, here is my review.

The day I received it in the mail was the first time I had ever seen this product. I hadn't noticed it at my grocery or drug store. Even if I had, I am not sure I would have purchased it as it costs about $8. Without a great sale and a high-value coupon, I never would have bought this product. I would have missed out...

The first thing I noticed, and liked, was that it is made with 92% natural ingredients. This prompted me to think about all of the chemicals I was routinely putting into my body with the products I already had. Something I rarely thought about was that chemicals can be absorbed into the body from things like lotions. I have more recently begun to try to use natural products both in and on my body. So the fact that this particular moisturizer was mostly natural appealed to me.

So, I put the full sized bottle in my bathroom right on the vanity so I would be sure to use it whenever I was there. I first used the moisturizer right out of the shower and my first reaction was, "Wow, this stuff smells great!" As I smoothed it on, I noticed how soft it was making my skin. I just wanted to keep putting more and more on! As I went about my business, I realized that my skin felt great all day. By the end of the day, my skin still felt moisturized, not dry and scaly as it usually does.

I would highly recommend Jergen's Naturals Hydrate moisturizer. With over 90% natural ingredients, it fits the bill for anyone trying to reduce chemical use. Also, it has the power to moisturize even the driest skin. Finally, it smells great!

Don't let the price stop you from purchasing this moisturizer. The bottle is huge. I've had it for about a month and it's still more than half full after daily usage. It really is a great value.

Definitely try this product for yourself!!

Weis Deals week of 3/5

A few good deals at Weis Markets this week.

4-Day Sale Thurs., March 5-March 8
$1.69/lb Boneless Pork Loins-LIMIT 2 w/ a $25 purchase
$3.95/lb California Navel Oranges-8 lb bag-LIMIT 2 w/ a $25 purchase
$2.99/lb Farmland Cooked Ham & Weis American Cheese-LIMIT 2 lbs w/ a $25 purchase
$0.99 Tastykake Family Packs 8-12.75 oz. LIMIT 2 w/ a $25 purchase
$0.99 Weis Ice Cream-56 oz. LIMIT 2 w/ a $25 purchase

Totino’s Pizza Rolls-7.5 oz.
Price: $1
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $0.50 each

Gorton's Seafood
Price: $2 off at checkout (instant savings) wyb 2 (on sale for 40% off)
Coupon: $1/2 from insert

Hillshire Farm Sausage-14 or 16 oz. ($3.99)
Price: B1G1FREE
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $1.50 each

Betty Crocker Brownie Mixes-Dark Chocolate or Family Fudge-18.3 or 19.9 oz.
Price: $1
Coupon: $0.55/1 from insert
Total: FREE

Giant Deals Week of 2/15

There are some pretty good deals this week at Giant!

Kunzler Sliced Bacon ($4.99)
Price: BOGO
Total: $2.50 each

General Mills Cereals (Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios, & Apple Cinnamon Cheerios)
Price: 4/$6 (must buy 4)
Coupon: There are many printable coupons for $1/1 for these specific cereals
Total: $0.50 each with the coupons (this is the cheapest I've EVER seen cereal!)
Hint: If are going to purchase 8 or 12 (or more), do them in separate transactions, with 4 boxes in each transaction, in order to get the sale price.

Kunzler Meat Franks
Price: BOGO

Colgate Toothpaste
Price: $0.99
Coupon: $1/1 (expires 2/19) from insert
Total: -$0.01

Gas Deals
Buy any 8, save .20 per gallon
10/$10~s
Powerade Sports Drink-Lemon Lime, or Fruit Punch, 32 oz.
Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce 26-26.5 oz.
Banquet Value Meals 6.75-12 oz. box
Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta w/ Meat or Mac & Cheese, 14.5-15 oz.
2/$6 Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice or Grapefruit Juice-64 oz.
$1.79 Kid Cuisine
2/$6 Campbell’s V8 Fusion-Strawberry Banana, Tropical Orange, or Peach Mango-46 oz.
$2.09 Healthy Choice Simple Selections 6-9.1 oz., EXCLUDES Complete Selections and Deli Steamers
4/$5 Banquet Brown ‘n Serve Sausage Links or Patties-7 oz.
$5.99 Caribou Coffee-Blend, Columbian or Daybreak Morning, 12 oz.
3/$4 Banquet Select Dinners 9-11.25 oz. pkg
$4.49 Banquet Boneless Chicken Bags-Nuggets, Strips, & Breast Nuggets, 26-28.8 oz.
$4.99 Our Famous Store Made Traditional Dutch Fastnachts-
2/$3 Kleenex Facial Tissues-White or Assorted 85-200 ct., Expressions 90-184 ct., Lotion, 80 ct., or Anti-Virus, 75-112 ct. box, EXCLUDES Kleenex Ultra Family Tissues
.99 Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding-14 oz.
$2.79 Blue Bonnet Spread-45 oz.
2/$6 Little Debbie Big Pack Favorites 16.8-31.78 oz.

Buy any 6, save .20 per gallon
2/$11 Scott 8 Roll Paper Towels
$6.99 Viva 6 Roll Paper Towels, Cottonelle 12 Double Rolls, or Triple 8 Rolls
2/$6 Scott 4 Roll Bath Tissue
$5.59 Cottonelle Fresh Moist Wipes-refill, 140 ct.
$2.99 Kotex Maxi Pads or Tampons-pads, 14-24 ct., or Tampons, 18 ct.
$1 off Bausch & Lomb ReNu MultiPlus Multi-Purpose Solution 4-24 oz.
$10.47 Huggies Baby Wipes -Soft Skin or Natural Care 320-360 ct.
$15.59 Huggies Training Pants-Pull-Ups, 33-44 ct., or Goodnites 21-27 oz.
$15.59 Huggies Mega Pack Diapers 2-6, 40-72 oz.
2/$5 Huggies Baby Products
$1 off Poise Pads 30-72 c

There is also another gas deal - buy 3 participating meat products and get $0.40 off gas

Weis Deals week of 2/5

Lots of great deals at Weis Markets this week! Time to build your stockpile!

Betty Crocker Hamburger, Chicken, & Tuna Helpers
Price: $1
Coupon: $1/3 printable from last month (bettycrocker.com)
Total: $0.67 each

Betty Crocker Specialty Potatoes
Price: $1
Coupon: $1/2 from insert
Total: $0.50 each

Suave Shampoo or Conditioner-15 oz.
Price: $1
Coup0n: $2/3 from insert
Total: $0.33 each

Pillsbury Cookies-Ready-to-Bake or Create ‘n Bake-16 or 16.5 oz.
Price: $2.50 ( + $4 off wyb 4 Pillsbury products)
Coupon: (2) $0.75/2 printable
Total: -$1.00 each (Money Maker!)

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers-12 oz.
Price: 3/$5
Coupon: $1/1 from insert
Total: $0.67 each

Lucky Charms Cereal
Price: 3/$6
Coupon: $0.55/1 printable
Total: $1 each

Nature Made Supplements ($3.99)
Price: B1G1F
Coupon: Lots of Nature Made coupons from inserts (most $1/1)
Total: $1.50 each

Giant Deals week of 2/1

Not too much going on at Giant this week as far as good deals go. The (4) $1 coupon doublers could come in handy.

10/$10
San Giorgio Pasta-Elbows, Rotini, Rigatoni, or Spaghetti 12-16 oz.
Pepsi, Diet, & Mt. Dew 2-Liters
Campbell’s Spaghettios-no meat, 26 oz. can
Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes-28 oz. or Sauce, 29 oz. can
Celeste Pizza for One
Giant Hot Dog 12 ct., 19 oz. pkg
2-Liters-Canada Dry, 7-Up, A&W Root Beer or Sunkist Orange

Other deals
Wege Pretzels 16-17 oz.
Price: 2/$5
Coupon: $1/1 from insert (with doubler coupon $2)
Total: $0.50 each

Baked! Lay’s Potato Chips, Sun Chips, Baked! Doritos, Baked! Tostitos or Baked! Cheetos 9-11.5 oz.
Price: 3/$10
Coupon: $1/1 printable (with doubler coupon $2)
Total: $1.33 each

Land O’ Lakes Buttery Taste Spread or Soft Margarine-15 oz.
Price: $1.99
Coupon: $1/2 from insert (with doubler coupon $2)
Total: $1 each

Olivio Spread-$2.25
Price: $2.25
Coupon: $1/1 from insert (with doubler coupon $2)
Total: $0.25 each