Saturday, July 30, 2011

Sunday Coupon Preview

There will be 4 coupon inserts this week - 1 Smartsource, 2 Redplums and 1 P&G insert.  Click here to view a list of coupons that will be included.

Ways and I Saved/Earned Money This Week

- I read all of my Inbox Dollars emails for my account and my husband's daily to add money to our accounts.

- I read all of my MyPoints emails daily for my account and my husband's to add points to receive FREE gift cards.

-  No grocery shopping except for milk, bread and a couple of drinks.

- Cleaned out my coupon binder and filed new coupons for future shopping trips.

- Compared gas prices online before filling up so I could get the lowest price.

- Used FREE dishwasher detergent samples this week when using the dishwasher.

- Continued to use my FREE samples this week - shampoo, conditioner, lotion, carmex, and sunscreen.

- Continuing to try to drink more water. Not only is this good for me but it will also be a great way to save money.

- Spent 2 afternoons in the pool with Payton and Bryson = FREE entertainment.

- Took a survey and earned $3.

- Did 2 sponsored posts and earned a $50 JCPenneys gift card and a $30 Amazon gift card.

- Shopping trip to CVS for a few items that were on sale.

- Shopping trip to Old Navy to use my groupon before it expired, a coupon and a FREE $10 gift card I earned.


- Made 3 photo books from Picaboo using my Groupon I purchased before it expired.  I try to make photo books for birthdays, Christmas and vacations. There books are extra nice.


- Received several samples in the mail this week that I will use - Always pads, Crest toothpaste with mouth wash and floss, Honey Nut Cheerios sample box, and a FREE SoyJoy bar.

- Went out to dinner at Carrabbas and used a coupon for a free calamari appetizer and paid with gifts cards I used from sponsored post = FREE Dinner

My Shopping Trip to Old Navy


1st Transaction: Clothes for Payton for next summer
2 - Shorts - $4 each = $8
2 - Tank Tops - $4 each = $8
2 - Skorts - $5 each = $10
Total - $26
Used $5 off $25 coupon
Used $10 gift card

Total OOP - $11 plus tax




2nd Transaction - for Bryson - Shirts for next summer
1 Pair of Jeans - $8
2 Golf Shirts - $5 each = $10
1 T-Shirt - $4
Total - $22
Used $20 Groupon
Total OOP - $2 plus tax

My Shopping Trip to CVS


Items Purchased:

1-Crest Toothpaste - $2.99, Used .75/1 coupon = 2.24 
 Received $2 ECB
2 - Schick Intuition Cartridges - $12.29 each = $24.58, Used (2) $4.50 coupons, =  $15.58
 Received $10 ECB
1-Palmolive - $ .99, Used .25 coupon = .74
1 - Pantene Shampoo - $ 4.19, Used FREE Product Coupon = FREE
1 - Bic Pens - $1.99
 Received $1.99 ECB

Total - 20.55
Used $14 in ECBS
Total OOP - 6.55
Received $14 in ECBS

Thought of the Day

"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." - Marian Anderson

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My Child's Individual Sense of Style

My daughter has a great sense of style to be so young.  She is almost 5 but loves clothes.  She probably gets that from me.  Every since she was born, she has been fortunate enough to have lots of clothes to choose from.  I am always looking for a great deal on clothes.  She has only had "girly" clothes.  Her outfit seems to always match from head to toe.  Her aunt loves to buy clothes for her and she gets any and every accessory for her outfit and Payton loves it.

Payton's favorite color is pink.  She loves to wear anything pink.  It doesn't matter whether it is socks, shoes, shirts, or pants.  If it is pink, she loves it. 

She also loves shoes.  Flip flops are her favorite.  I bet she has 12 pairs this summer.  She has all kinds and colors.  You will hardly ever catch her with a pair of flip flops on in the summer.  As soon as she wakes up in the morning, flip flops go on her feet.  During the winter, you will often find her in boots. She loves to wear boots with jeans and put the legs of jeans inside her boots.  Bedroom shoes is another favorite of hers. She loves to wear bedroom shoes in the winter months. She always has them on when at home. Last winter, we went through 3 pairs. 

Dresses is another favorite of hers.  I can remember as a child not wanting to wear a dress but not Payton.  She would wear one every day if she could.  She loves to dress up, so a dress works perfect for her.

Accessories are a must have for her too.  She will pick out her accessories herself.  She likes necklaces, rings, and bracelets. I admit, I do try to have a control on them if going somewhere.  Sometimes she just has way to many on so I will ask her to take some off.

Last year, she started taking dance classes.  She always loved to dance from the time she could walk.  One of her favorite things about dance is the leotards and skirts she gets to wear to dance class.  At the end of the year, she had a dance recital.  For the recital, she had a dance costume to wear but she also got to wear makeup and curl her hair.  She loved it.  She thought she looked like a princess.  Below is a couple of her dance pics. 



As you can tell, she isn't a bit shy when it comes to having her picture taking.  She loves to pose for a picture.

Overall, anything pink and girly works for Payton. 



Disclosure: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

About jcpenney
Discover the style you want, the quality you expect and the price you love at jcpenney. new look. new day. who knew! shop our stores or online at www.jcp.com. got a question? visit our Customer Service team online at www.jcp.com/csvc.

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10 Tips and Tricks to Get Your Kid to Eat More Vegetables

I have used several things in the past to get my kids to eat more vegetables.  I always try to get at least 3 servings of vegetables in their tummy each day.  I like to try new things and I have worked on sharing this with my children.  Most of the time they do better than my husband.  He is the picky eater in our home. Below is a list of the tips and tricks I have used.

1) Garden - Every summer we grow a small garden.  My daughter and I pick out which vegetables that we want to plant.  She enjoys watching them grow and loves it when vegetables are ready to pick.  She is very excited when its time to eat them.

2) Hide Them - I have cooked dishes before and hidden vegetables in them.  For example, I often hid zucchini in my spaghetti sauce.

3) Serve them with their favorite meal - Pizza is a favorite in my home.  We always have a salad with it.  My kids love lettuce, tomato and cucumbers.

4) Vegetable Tray - For some reason when I serve raw vegetables with dip, I never have a problem with my children eating them.  Dip always does the trick.

5) Plate Rule - I include things on my children's plate that I know they are not fond of.  I don't make them eat anything that they don't like but I do require them.  It amazes me the things that say they don't like but once they try it, they love it.

6) Introduce Early - As soon as my kids were able to eat, I always included vegetables in their meals.  I can remember my kids loving sweet potatoes as babies and until this day it is still one of their favorite things to eat.

7) New Shapes - I often cut up the vegetables in different shapes.  This seems to help them clean their plate.  Sometimes they may have square carrots or circle carrots.

8) Helping in the Kitchen - My daughter is at the age where she likes to help in the kitchen.  Sometimes I let her help with the vegetables.  She likes to wash fresh vegetables.

9) Make Salads - Salads is a hit in my house.  I'm not sure if its the dressing or what. My kids love to salad. Their only requirement besides dressing is a little cheese.

10) Grocery Shopping - I often let my daughter pick out the produce when shopping.  She can pick out a couple of items for me to serve.  She likes this idea and looks forward to getting to eat her choices.

Hopefully, these tips will help you in getting your kids to eat more vegetables.  If have any tips to share with me, please leave me a comment.

Disclosure:  “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Peas and Thank You blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

About Peas and Thank YouPeas and Thank You is a collection of recipes and stories from a mainstream family eating a not-so-mainstream diet. It's filled with healthy and delicious versions of foods we’ve all grown up enjoying, but with a Mama Pea twist—no meat, lots of fresh ingredients and plenty of nutrition for growing Peas. From wholesome breakfasts to mouth-watering desserts, there’s plenty here to satisfy the pickiest Peas in your life. It’s easier than ever to whip up crowd-pleasing meals that will have the whole family asking for, “more, Peas.” Sarah Matheny's delicious recipes and entertaining stories draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to her blog, peasandthankyou.com each month, where she makes raising a vegetarian family easy and fun. She is the author of “Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love.”

More info: http://peasandthankyou.com

Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love [VIDEO]

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Thought of the Day

Always plan ahead of time for scheduled events.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

FREE Sample of Nestle Nido1 Powered Milk

Click here to request your FREE sample of Nestle Nido1 powdered milk sample.

Thanks Julie!

Pier 1 Imports - $10 off $10 Purchase

"Like Pier 1 Imports on Facebook", click on the Daily Deal tab and print a coupon for $10 off $10 purchase.  Coupon expires 7/27.

Dollar General Coupn - $5 off $25 Purchase






Click here to print your coupon $5 off $25 purchase. Valid for Friday, July 29 ONLY!

My Favorite Deals at Rite Aid - 7/24-7/30

Here is a list of my favorite deals at Rite Aid this week:






Herbal Essences or Aussie Styler when you buy Herbal or Aussie Product - $2.50
Buy 2 and use $3/2 coupon 7/3 P&G
Final Price - $1 each after coupon

My Favorite Deals at Walgreens - 7/24-7/30

Here is a list of my favorite deals at Walgreens this week:
W Brand Perfection Tampons - $1.50
Receive $1.50 Register Rewards
Final Price - FREE

Buy 2 Scunci No Damage Hair Elastic - $1.50
Receive $1.50 Register Rewards
Final Price - FREE

Yardley of London Soap - .99 with in-ad coupon
Use .30/1 coupon from May All You magazine
Final Price - .69



My Favorite Deals at CVS This Week - 7/24-7/30

Here is a list of my favorite deals at CVS this week:



Buy 1 Crest or Oral B Select Products - $2.99
Receive $2 ECB
Use .75/1 coupon 7/31 P&G insert
Final Price - .24

Renu Sensitive - $7.69
Receive $6 ECB
Use $2 coupon 6/12 SS
Final Price - FREE plus overage

Palmolive - .99
Use .25/1 coupon 7/24 SS
Final Price - .74
Limit 5

Buy 3 Select Irish Spring, Softsoap or Mennon Products - Get $3 ECB
Deal Idea
Buy 3 Softsoap Liquid or Foaming Liquid Soap - $2
Use (3) .35/1 coupon 7/24 SS
Final Price - .65 each after coupons and ECBs
Limit 1

Spend $20 on any Playtex and Schick Products, Get $10 ECBs
Deal Idea
Buy 2 Schick Intuition Refil Cartridges - $10.49
Use (2) $4.50 coupons 6/26 SS
Final Price - .99 each after coupons and ECBs

Thought of the Day

"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us."

John Dryden