If you've been following my adventures with couponing, today was a fun one... if you like cereal. This week, Target has General Mills cereals on sale $2.50/box. That's a pretty good price, right? Well, not good enough for me. I printed off three Target store coupons from Target.com. Each gave me $1 off the purchase of three General Mills cereals. But I wanted to buy five boxes (You'll understand in a moment) So, I picked up four boxes of Total Raisin Bran and one box of Whole Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios. The normal price for five boxes of these cereals at Target would be $14.95. On sale, they were $12.50. Subtract one of the $1 off 3 coupons, bringing the total to $11.50. But that still was not good enough for me. I added four coupons for $1 off one box of Total and $1 off one box of Cheerios, bringing the total to $6.50. Nope, still not done. See, the reason I wanted five boxes is because this week, Target is offering a $5 gift card with the purchase of five boxes of General Mills cereals. So, I paid a grand total, after subtracting the value of the gift card (to be used on my next transaction) of $1.50, or $0.30 per box. The totally disappointing thing was that I had coupons worth $1.25 off one box of a variety they didn't have on the shelf. Had I been able to use four of those (four is the maximum of "like coupons" allowed in one transaction at Target) , the per-box price would have been brought down to TEN CENTS!!!
So... we now have fifteen boxes of various types of General Mills cereals. Now, if only I could find affordable milk!
My middle daughter and her best friend just signed a lease for an apartment in Springfield. They won't be moving for a while, thank goodness... I'm not sure I am ready for her to live so far away. I told them to get a sofa with a hideaway bed because I plan on visiting a lot. In the meantime, I am going to take every opportunity I can to spend extra time with them. They are a couple of very cool young women.
This long weekend has been wonderful. Mattie was starting to really look tired, but after having multiple chances to sleep, or just totally relax, she is looking much better. Plus, I have been able to spend a lot of time with her. She, too, is well on her way to "Awesome Young Woman" status. It won't be long before I am bemoaning her moving out, as well. An empty nest has never appealed to me. I love having my home full of laughter and minor messes. I can't imagine how quiet it will be around here with just Mark and myself.
On the "GREAT NEWS" front, I saw my oncologist, Dr. Skelley, last week. He did his thorough check up, and said I was good to go for six months. Today, I saw Dr. Dandridge, my oncological surgeon. I have been seeing him every four months for quite some time. This time, he said I don't have to go back for six months! You have no idea how awesome this is. I was told, in the beginning, that I would be seeing my oncological team once a year by the end of five years post-treatment. But, of course, I have to be special. It has taken me eight years to get to every 6 months. Actually, my last chemo treatment was 8 years ago on Valentine's Day.
Enough randomness for one day. I've got to go switch the laundry and such... Have a great week!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
They're acting like kids!
I'm sitting on the sofa, watching my 13- and 19-year-old daughters wrestling on the floor. Some things never change. They were playing Wii, now they are torturing each other. I was afraid that the days of watching my children playing on the floor were long-gone. This has done my heart good.
So, what's up with the weather? This is the second year in a row with virtually no winter here in the middle of the country. I don't mean to complain, but I really love being snowed in with the family. Everyone focuses just a bit more on each other, and things slow down. As I am writing this, though, I am aware that a winter storm is hitting some of my friends. I hope you are all safe and worm.
I was in the "Big City" yesterday, shopping for deals. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of deals I found, but I did have one pretty sweet shopping experience. I got two bottles of NatureMade vitamins and two bags of Valentine's Day M&Ms for $2.10. When I got to the car, I realized I had forgotten to use a coupon that would have made the entire purchase totally free. Still, the pre-coupon total was more than $30. Not bad, if I do say so myself. I have also been using the price list I get from Weekly Saver. At Walmart, with the list, I am able to save a ton of money by price-matching. If you are in the Monett or Springfield area, look them up on Facebook: Weekly Saver or email a request a free trial list to weeklysaver@yahoo.com
A lot of work goes into the list, and Rhema only charges $3 per week for the lists. I saved that much last week on Avocados, alone. Tell her Kenna sent you!
Finally, I found PUL fabric in Springfield last week. I got so excited when I saw it, I bought two yards. Then I went back for another half yard. Now.... I have 2 1/2 yards of specialty fabric and don't know what I am going to do with it. I made my grumdaughter a crayon roll-up with a place for paper. I am working on several ideas, but haven't gotten to the "cut it out" stage yet. I hope to have something major done by the end of the weekend.
Well, not much randomness here. My 13-year-old has my 19-year-old on her back, and someone is going to get hurt. I guess it is time for Mom to step in. Have a great one!
So, what's up with the weather? This is the second year in a row with virtually no winter here in the middle of the country. I don't mean to complain, but I really love being snowed in with the family. Everyone focuses just a bit more on each other, and things slow down. As I am writing this, though, I am aware that a winter storm is hitting some of my friends. I hope you are all safe and worm.
I was in the "Big City" yesterday, shopping for deals. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of deals I found, but I did have one pretty sweet shopping experience. I got two bottles of NatureMade vitamins and two bags of Valentine's Day M&Ms for $2.10. When I got to the car, I realized I had forgotten to use a coupon that would have made the entire purchase totally free. Still, the pre-coupon total was more than $30. Not bad, if I do say so myself. I have also been using the price list I get from Weekly Saver. At Walmart, with the list, I am able to save a ton of money by price-matching. If you are in the Monett or Springfield area, look them up on Facebook: Weekly Saver or email a request a free trial list to weeklysaver@yahoo.com
A lot of work goes into the list, and Rhema only charges $3 per week for the lists. I saved that much last week on Avocados, alone. Tell her Kenna sent you!
Finally, I found PUL fabric in Springfield last week. I got so excited when I saw it, I bought two yards. Then I went back for another half yard. Now.... I have 2 1/2 yards of specialty fabric and don't know what I am going to do with it. I made my grumdaughter a crayon roll-up with a place for paper. I am working on several ideas, but haven't gotten to the "cut it out" stage yet. I hope to have something major done by the end of the weekend.
Well, not much randomness here. My 13-year-old has my 19-year-old on her back, and someone is going to get hurt. I guess it is time for Mom to step in. Have a great one!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Welcome to January?
This is the last week of January, I swear it. We had the doors open all day and enjoyed temps in the 70s. We are about halfway between Joplin and Springfield, and both of those cities set records at 74 degrees. I spent the day inside, however, due to my stupid fear of the wind. Ok, fear might not be the right word. It isn't like I am actually "afraid" of the wind. It is more that, when I am in the wind, I become anxious, nervous, and very, very irritable. I get a headache and try to hide. No, maybe not a fear. I mean, come on... wind is not caterpillars. Now THERE is something I can seriously fear.
I didn't actually spend ALL day inside. Little Bit and I went out and sat on the porch for a while. At 6 months old, she loves to go outside and experience things up-close. She loves going out and just touching the trees, feeling the breeze (!) and watching the birds at the bird feeder. But after a while, we went back in and had some "Belly time." She is getting ready to think about crawling, and actually was up on all fours for a while today. I love this stage, because you would think a baby that isn't crawling yet would pretty much stay where you put her, but they don't. Little Bit can roll all the way across the living room in the time it takes me to go to the kitchen and back. It is really important, when you are around children of all ages, to provide a safe environment in which they can explore. And encourage that exploration. That is how your child learns.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on educational toys for a baby. Giving him or her any safe item to explore will occupy them. Little Bit played with a bowl, a weighted ball, a spoon, and a sock today. We talked about round, smooth, light, heavy, blue, gray, yellow, soft, warm, upside down, and lots more. She banged on the bowl, rolled the ball, squeezed the sock, dropped the spoon (again, and again) and tasted everything. And the whole time, she was learning.
Have you heard about "Meatless Monday?" I decided we would try that tonight. We had four-cheese ravioli in spaghetti sauce and a salad. Everyone liked the menu, no complaints. But then after dinner, I realized I was still starving. So I ate leftover BBQ chicken from last night's dinner. I have never had any desire to be a vegetarian. I don't have anything against those that don't eat meat, I just DO eat meat. And I LIKE eating meat. A lot. So we may continue trying the whole "Meatless Monday" thing, but don't be surprised to learn that I eat leftovers, too. Meatless be damned.
Superbowl Sunday is coming fast. We usually just watch the game alone. Not this year! First of all, Sunday is our oldest daughter's birthday. McKelvie is going to be 21. TWENTY -ONE!!! How did that even happen? It doesn't seem like that long ago that she was curled up on the couch, reading an upside-down book about a bunny. Or chasing Grandpa's chickens around. I'm not sure what she was going to do once she caught one. Anyway, she has done the unthinkable and grown up. We now only see her a few times a year, since she lives so far away. (Sarcasm, folks... she lives about 15-20 minutes away) But, she is coming on Sunday for strawberry cupcakes with chocolate frosting-- her favorite.
Another thing happening on Sunday, which I may or may not have remembered to tell her, is that I am hosting a SodaStream Fizz & Football House Party! The way HouseParty.com works is simple: Manufacturers send their product to House Party. House Party, in turn, sets up a party plan, if you will. House Party participants (like me) apply to host a party on a specific date. When a participant is chosen, he or she has a limited amount of time to respond to the offer to host and invite people. Then, about a week before the party date, the host receives a Party Pack of items to share with their guests. In return, the host agrees to take and post a photo of the party guests enjoying the party and to share what the party guests thought of the products.
I had only applied for three or four parties when I got the email telling me I had been selected for the SodaStream party. Being so new to House Party, I was still a bit skeptical, but invited away, anyway. Last Friday, FedEx delivered my SodaStream House Party Pack. Very, very cool. I received, FREE OF CHARGE, a brand-new SodaStream Source starter kit, including the SodaStream machine, one CO2 canister and one Carbonating Bottle (to make the soda in.) I also, as part of my party pack, received a second bottle (the brand-new Stainless Steel bottle I was going to buy myself), two full-sized bottles of concentrate, and 18 trial-sized concentrates. I also received a T-shirt to wear at the party, a whistle, beads and lots of cups. A few select family members will be joining us for our SodaStream/Birthday/Superbowl party Sunday. We have the cupcakes and beverages covered, now to come up with a few ideas as to how to feed everyone, and our party is set!
Be aware, everyone, of the weather tomorrow as Old Man Winter comes back. The potential for severe weather will be there, starting tonight, so just be safe, okay? And that, my friends, is is enough randomness for one night. Enjoy!
I didn't actually spend ALL day inside. Little Bit and I went out and sat on the porch for a while. At 6 months old, she loves to go outside and experience things up-close. She loves going out and just touching the trees, feeling the breeze (!) and watching the birds at the bird feeder. But after a while, we went back in and had some "Belly time." She is getting ready to think about crawling, and actually was up on all fours for a while today. I love this stage, because you would think a baby that isn't crawling yet would pretty much stay where you put her, but they don't. Little Bit can roll all the way across the living room in the time it takes me to go to the kitchen and back. It is really important, when you are around children of all ages, to provide a safe environment in which they can explore. And encourage that exploration. That is how your child learns.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on educational toys for a baby. Giving him or her any safe item to explore will occupy them. Little Bit played with a bowl, a weighted ball, a spoon, and a sock today. We talked about round, smooth, light, heavy, blue, gray, yellow, soft, warm, upside down, and lots more. She banged on the bowl, rolled the ball, squeezed the sock, dropped the spoon (again, and again) and tasted everything. And the whole time, she was learning.
Have you heard about "Meatless Monday?" I decided we would try that tonight. We had four-cheese ravioli in spaghetti sauce and a salad. Everyone liked the menu, no complaints. But then after dinner, I realized I was still starving. So I ate leftover BBQ chicken from last night's dinner. I have never had any desire to be a vegetarian. I don't have anything against those that don't eat meat, I just DO eat meat. And I LIKE eating meat. A lot. So we may continue trying the whole "Meatless Monday" thing, but don't be surprised to learn that I eat leftovers, too. Meatless be damned.
Superbowl Sunday is coming fast. We usually just watch the game alone. Not this year! First of all, Sunday is our oldest daughter's birthday. McKelvie is going to be 21. TWENTY -ONE!!! How did that even happen? It doesn't seem like that long ago that she was curled up on the couch, reading an upside-down book about a bunny. Or chasing Grandpa's chickens around. I'm not sure what she was going to do once she caught one. Anyway, she has done the unthinkable and grown up. We now only see her a few times a year, since she lives so far away. (Sarcasm, folks... she lives about 15-20 minutes away) But, she is coming on Sunday for strawberry cupcakes with chocolate frosting-- her favorite.
Another thing happening on Sunday, which I may or may not have remembered to tell her, is that I am hosting a SodaStream Fizz & Football House Party! The way HouseParty.com works is simple: Manufacturers send their product to House Party. House Party, in turn, sets up a party plan, if you will. House Party participants (like me) apply to host a party on a specific date. When a participant is chosen, he or she has a limited amount of time to respond to the offer to host and invite people. Then, about a week before the party date, the host receives a Party Pack of items to share with their guests. In return, the host agrees to take and post a photo of the party guests enjoying the party and to share what the party guests thought of the products.
I had only applied for three or four parties when I got the email telling me I had been selected for the SodaStream party. Being so new to House Party, I was still a bit skeptical, but invited away, anyway. Last Friday, FedEx delivered my SodaStream House Party Pack. Very, very cool. I received, FREE OF CHARGE, a brand-new SodaStream Source starter kit, including the SodaStream machine, one CO2 canister and one Carbonating Bottle (to make the soda in.) I also, as part of my party pack, received a second bottle (the brand-new Stainless Steel bottle I was going to buy myself), two full-sized bottles of concentrate, and 18 trial-sized concentrates. I also received a T-shirt to wear at the party, a whistle, beads and lots of cups. A few select family members will be joining us for our SodaStream/Birthday/Superbowl party Sunday. We have the cupcakes and beverages covered, now to come up with a few ideas as to how to feed everyone, and our party is set!
Be aware, everyone, of the weather tomorrow as Old Man Winter comes back. The potential for severe weather will be there, starting tonight, so just be safe, okay? And that, my friends, is is enough randomness for one night. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Itchiness, Yummy Brownies, and Price Matching!
I have heard, all my life, about hives. Never had them. Didn't even know exactly what they were. But they just sound horrible, don't they?
Saturday night, I took the last dose of my 10-day regimen of antibiotics for that nasty sinus infection I had. Ahhh.... Finally done with those! I woke up about 3 a.m., kinda itchy. When I got up Sunday morning and took my shower to get ready for church, I noticed a few odd red splotches here and there, and my scalp itched like crazy. Very, very itchy. You have no idea how itchy. I went ahead and got ready for church, and Mattie and I headed out. By the time we got to church, my hands were a bit puffy. By the time I got out of church, my right eye and my bottom lip were both swelling. Luckily, Mercy has an Express Care in Monett. It opened at noon, just as we got there. By the time I got in to see the Nurse Practitioner (Luckily, the one I usually see, and the one that prescribed the antibiotics) everything was swollen and itchy. She gave me a lovely shot in the hip, and sent me home with steroids and antihistamines. By the way, a shout-out goes to the fine folks at Old Town Pharmacy in Monett. They are open on Sundays, and I never have to wait long. I love those people!
So, anyway, I now know that you can have an allergic reaction to antibiotics at any time during the course of treatment, and if you notice that everything is swelling, you should probably go to the doctor.
I think I have mentioned "Swag bucks" before, but if you haven't already checked them out, you really should. Just by searching using the Swagbuck toolbar, answering short surveys, and watching videos, you earn points that you can then redeem for "prizes" or gift cards. I have already received a $50 Paypal gift card (which I then was able to deposit in my bank account) and have almost enough points to do that again. They offer gift cards to a lot of different stores, but I like the fact that with the Paypal card, I can actually turn that into real money. I have put the Swagbucks Widget at the bottom of my Blog page. Check it out.
Looking for a fun way to jazz up brownies? Bake them as cupcakes. As soon as you take them out of the oven, push a piece of candy into the center. My favorites are Reese's miniatures and Rolos.
My final random rambling for the day is in regards to Price Matching at Walmart. I found a lovely site, "Weekly Saver," out of Monett. For $3 a week, you can receive a price list of all the deals that can be price matched in this immediate area. I just got my first list last week, and saved more than the cost of the list on just two purchases. And price matching was totally hassle free. The only hard part, for me, was not letting myself get distracted and miss telling the checker about the price match. It is rumored that avocados will be on sale at Aldi, starting tomorrow, for only .19 each. Visit Weekly Saver on Facebook
Saturday night, I took the last dose of my 10-day regimen of antibiotics for that nasty sinus infection I had. Ahhh.... Finally done with those! I woke up about 3 a.m., kinda itchy. When I got up Sunday morning and took my shower to get ready for church, I noticed a few odd red splotches here and there, and my scalp itched like crazy. Very, very itchy. You have no idea how itchy. I went ahead and got ready for church, and Mattie and I headed out. By the time we got to church, my hands were a bit puffy. By the time I got out of church, my right eye and my bottom lip were both swelling. Luckily, Mercy has an Express Care in Monett. It opened at noon, just as we got there. By the time I got in to see the Nurse Practitioner (Luckily, the one I usually see, and the one that prescribed the antibiotics) everything was swollen and itchy. She gave me a lovely shot in the hip, and sent me home with steroids and antihistamines. By the way, a shout-out goes to the fine folks at Old Town Pharmacy in Monett. They are open on Sundays, and I never have to wait long. I love those people!
So, anyway, I now know that you can have an allergic reaction to antibiotics at any time during the course of treatment, and if you notice that everything is swelling, you should probably go to the doctor.
I think I have mentioned "Swag bucks" before, but if you haven't already checked them out, you really should. Just by searching using the Swagbuck toolbar, answering short surveys, and watching videos, you earn points that you can then redeem for "prizes" or gift cards. I have already received a $50 Paypal gift card (which I then was able to deposit in my bank account) and have almost enough points to do that again. They offer gift cards to a lot of different stores, but I like the fact that with the Paypal card, I can actually turn that into real money. I have put the Swagbucks Widget at the bottom of my Blog page. Check it out.
Looking for a fun way to jazz up brownies? Bake them as cupcakes. As soon as you take them out of the oven, push a piece of candy into the center. My favorites are Reese's miniatures and Rolos.
My final random rambling for the day is in regards to Price Matching at Walmart. I found a lovely site, "Weekly Saver," out of Monett. For $3 a week, you can receive a price list of all the deals that can be price matched in this immediate area. I just got my first list last week, and saved more than the cost of the list on just two purchases. And price matching was totally hassle free. The only hard part, for me, was not letting myself get distracted and miss telling the checker about the price match. It is rumored that avocados will be on sale at Aldi, starting tomorrow, for only .19 each. Visit Weekly Saver on Facebook
Saturday, January 19, 2013
It's an open-door kinda day!
I love living in Southwest Missouri. I really do. This morning, the bird bath was still completely frozen. By 10 a.m., there was just a little chunk of ice still floating around.
We decided this was a good day to take down the tree. A couple years ago, we tossed the box the tree came in (finally) and replaced it with large Rubbermaid containers. Best decision ever. We have three containers: Two hold the tree and the third holds the ornaments. It works out very nicely.
Mattie and I took advantage of the day and took the dogs for a nice, long run along the abandoned railroad tracks. This is my favorite place to take the dogs for a run, because there, they never seem to get into trouble. One of these days, I am going to have to take my GPS and see how far I am actually walking. I wonder if you get bonus miles for having to climb over fallen trees? As far as Mattie and I walked, they traveled three times as far. They like to run ahead, then run back to us, then run back ahead, again. When we got home, the dogs crashed pretty completely. I think Mattie wanted to crash, too... but I didn't let her.
We have had the doors open all day. The shadows finally got long and the temp outside started dropping, so we finally had to shut the doors, but isn't it wonderful to air the house out in January?
You know those sticky things that you throw against the wall and watch "walk" back down? Yeah? Don't ever, EVER (!) throw one at the ceiling. Mark had somehow never seen one before, so when Nicole gave me one at Easter, he had to play with it. However, having no experience with them, he kind of... well... threw it straight up. And it stuck. Several times since then, he has made various attempts to remove this big yellow blob from our ceiling, but to no avail. Today, however, he was really making progress. The blob was only hanging by a little bit, and he made one more attempt to hook it and pull it down, but instead of coming down, it "bounced" back up and stuck, better than ever, and in a new spot, which means the "grease stain" on the ceiling will soon be much bigger.
For those of you still suffering from the flu or respiratory infections, I learned yesterday, from one of my Physical Therapy friends, that when you blow your nose, you should blow one nostril at a time. Apparently, when you blow both sides at once, you can actually blow germs and bacteria from one side to the other? Or maybe to other places in your respiratory system? Anyway, just blow one side at a time. Seems like an easy enough thing to do. And wash your hands... frequently. I saw a piece on TV in which a school nurse put glitter on the table, set her hands in it, then went about touching various things. Guess what? Pretty soon, everything was glittery. It is easy to forget how vulnerable we all are to disease. So eat well, drink lots and lots of water, and take care of yourself. As far as I can tell, just about everyone has had this crud or are sick right now, which seems to indicate it won't be long until it has burned through new victims and we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Today's blog seems a bit like my mood has been; slightly disjointed and unsettled. I guess it must just be the weather, or something, but nothing has seemed to "flow" for me today. Mid-January blues? Maybe, but I would have thought being out in the sunshine and fresh air would have helped. Maybe it is an early case of Spring Fever. In that case, God help me in March. Talk about random ramblings!
Have a great night, and enjoy your family tomorrow. I shall do much better next time!
You know those sticky things that you throw against the wall and watch "walk" back down? Yeah? Don't ever, EVER (!) throw one at the ceiling. Mark had somehow never seen one before, so when Nicole gave me one at Easter, he had to play with it. However, having no experience with them, he kind of... well... threw it straight up. And it stuck. Several times since then, he has made various attempts to remove this big yellow blob from our ceiling, but to no avail. Today, however, he was really making progress. The blob was only hanging by a little bit, and he made one more attempt to hook it and pull it down, but instead of coming down, it "bounced" back up and stuck, better than ever, and in a new spot, which means the "grease stain" on the ceiling will soon be much bigger.
For those of you still suffering from the flu or respiratory infections, I learned yesterday, from one of my Physical Therapy friends, that when you blow your nose, you should blow one nostril at a time. Apparently, when you blow both sides at once, you can actually blow germs and bacteria from one side to the other? Or maybe to other places in your respiratory system? Anyway, just blow one side at a time. Seems like an easy enough thing to do. And wash your hands... frequently. I saw a piece on TV in which a school nurse put glitter on the table, set her hands in it, then went about touching various things. Guess what? Pretty soon, everything was glittery. It is easy to forget how vulnerable we all are to disease. So eat well, drink lots and lots of water, and take care of yourself. As far as I can tell, just about everyone has had this crud or are sick right now, which seems to indicate it won't be long until it has burned through new victims and we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Today's blog seems a bit like my mood has been; slightly disjointed and unsettled. I guess it must just be the weather, or something, but nothing has seemed to "flow" for me today. Mid-January blues? Maybe, but I would have thought being out in the sunshine and fresh air would have helped. Maybe it is an early case of Spring Fever. In that case, God help me in March. Talk about random ramblings!
Have a great night, and enjoy your family tomorrow. I shall do much better next time!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thursday Randomness
This was a very busy day full of randomness. Once Mattie was off to school, we headed out to the "Big City" for a round of errands and such. Being in a small town, in rural Missouri, we only have a few choices as far as shopping goes. And I like to coupon, so that means heading to somewhere... larger.
I didn't spend a lot of money today (Uhh... that is kinda the point, though, isn't it?) Here are a few of my favorite deals from today:
Walgreens has Neutrogena Make-up Remover cleansing towlettes, regularly $3.29, on sale $1.19 ea, or 5/$5. I bought five, and used two manufacturers coupons, each worth $2 off the purchase of one item. So, I actually paid TWENTY CENTS!!! for each package of towelettes.
At Harps, which I had not visited before, I found Dawn Hand Renewal dish detergent, 9 oz. bottle for $1.12. I bought two, and used two .50/1 coupons. Harps doubles coupons, up to 50 cents, which brought the price per bottle to a whopping TWELVE CENTS!!!
And Target, oh, yes... I love Target... I got some really interesting deals today. Somehow... somewhere... I came up with two $10 coupons toward the purchase of a Litter Genie. Ok, I don't know about you, but I didn't even know what the heck a Litter Genie was. I had never seen one. But, sure enough, right there on the shelf at Target, sat one Litter Genie and a stack of refills. (Think Diaper Genie for cats) I expected the price to be much higher than it was, considering the high value of the coupons I had. Target had them priced at $14.99, making them $4.99 each, after coupon. And here's the "I love Target" part: When you purchase two Litter Genie items at Target this week, you get a free $5 Target gift card. I didn't know what one was, and probably didn't need it, but the cat litter IS stinky, and I got the Litter Genie and a double package of refills, a $29.98 value, for $4.98.
The last awesome deal I am going to share with you is one you can easily take advantage of yourself. Target has the large Hormel Party Tray, which includes ham and turkey, or salami and pepperoni, cheese, and crackers, priced at $10.99. Use one $3/1 Target coupon and one $3/1 manufacturers coupon (this is called "stacking"), bringing the price down to $4.99. The expiration date on the Party Trays I purchased were in April and May. With SuperBowl Sunday coming up, this seems like a fantastic deal!
Go to Target.com, find the coupons *look at the bottom, where the "contact us," etc. buttons are* Locate the $3 Target coupon. On Target.com, the manufacturers coupons use the language, "When you buy," You are looking for the store coupons that may say "with purchase of" or simply says, $3 off . Again, if it says When You Buy it is a manufacturers coupon. We are looking for the Target Coupon for this. (Random ramblings?) Once you locate the $3/1 Hormel Party Tray Target coupon, print that bad boy off... then back up and do it all again. You should actually be able to print two of these coupons. Duh... here's the link to the Target Coupon page: Target Coupons
Then, go to Coupons.com and locate and print the coupon that says:
I didn't spend a lot of money today (Uhh... that is kinda the point, though, isn't it?) Here are a few of my favorite deals from today:
Walgreens has Neutrogena Make-up Remover cleansing towlettes, regularly $3.29, on sale $1.19 ea, or 5/$5. I bought five, and used two manufacturers coupons, each worth $2 off the purchase of one item. So, I actually paid TWENTY CENTS!!! for each package of towelettes.
At Harps, which I had not visited before, I found Dawn Hand Renewal dish detergent, 9 oz. bottle for $1.12. I bought two, and used two .50/1 coupons. Harps doubles coupons, up to 50 cents, which brought the price per bottle to a whopping TWELVE CENTS!!!
And Target, oh, yes... I love Target... I got some really interesting deals today. Somehow... somewhere... I came up with two $10 coupons toward the purchase of a Litter Genie. Ok, I don't know about you, but I didn't even know what the heck a Litter Genie was. I had never seen one. But, sure enough, right there on the shelf at Target, sat one Litter Genie and a stack of refills. (Think Diaper Genie for cats) I expected the price to be much higher than it was, considering the high value of the coupons I had. Target had them priced at $14.99, making them $4.99 each, after coupon. And here's the "I love Target" part: When you purchase two Litter Genie items at Target this week, you get a free $5 Target gift card. I didn't know what one was, and probably didn't need it, but the cat litter IS stinky, and I got the Litter Genie and a double package of refills, a $29.98 value, for $4.98.
The last awesome deal I am going to share with you is one you can easily take advantage of yourself. Target has the large Hormel Party Tray, which includes ham and turkey, or salami and pepperoni, cheese, and crackers, priced at $10.99. Use one $3/1 Target coupon and one $3/1 manufacturers coupon (this is called "stacking"), bringing the price down to $4.99. The expiration date on the Party Trays I purchased were in April and May. With SuperBowl Sunday coming up, this seems like a fantastic deal!
Go to Target.com, find the coupons *look at the bottom, where the "contact us," etc. buttons are* Locate the $3 Target coupon. On Target.com, the manufacturers coupons use the language, "When you buy," You are looking for the store coupons that may say "with purchase of" or simply says, $3 off . Again, if it says When You Buy it is a manufacturers coupon. We are looking for the Target Coupon for this. (Random ramblings?) Once you locate the $3/1 Hormel Party Tray Target coupon, print that bad boy off... then back up and do it all again. You should actually be able to print two of these coupons. Duh... here's the link to the Target Coupon page: Target Coupons
Then, go to Coupons.com and locate and print the coupon that says:
SAVE $3.00
HORMEL®
on the purchase of any one (1) HORMEL® Party Tray 28oz. or larger
Go through the steps again, and print the second manufacturers coupon. Two seems to be the print limit on these coupons.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Holy Carbs! (Kenna's Bread Recipe)
Things have been a bit hectic around here lately, mostly due to my having forgotten how much fun it is to have a baby in the house. I am keeping a friend's 6-month old a couple days a week. Today went well, considering she was a bit grumpy and I still managed to bake bread.
I have had multiple requests for my bread recipe. I found several recipes on Pinterest, and messed around with them a bit, finally coming up with this recipe. I have a KitchenAid stand mixer, but not the dough hook. You can, of course, make this by hand instead of using a mixer. I have never used a bread machine, but I suppose you can halve the recipe and try it.
I have had multiple requests for my bread recipe. I found several recipes on Pinterest, and messed around with them a bit, finally coming up with this recipe. I have a KitchenAid stand mixer, but not the dough hook. You can, of course, make this by hand instead of using a mixer. I have never used a bread machine, but I suppose you can halve the recipe and try it.
This recipe makes two standard size loaves. I bake my bread in a Pampered Chef Mini Loaf Pan, which makes four loaves the perfect size for the toaster and sandwiches, not really mini at all.
Be sure to read the entire recipe a couple times, as I am not a pro at recipe writing and may not have everything in the logical order. :) Let me know how it turns out!
Kenna's Bread
Makes two loaves
7+ c. bread flour
4 tsp salt
2 c. milk
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. butter (salted or unsalted)
5-6 Tbsp honey
4 tsp yeast
4 tsp salt
2 c. milk
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. butter (salted or unsalted)
5-6 Tbsp honey
4 tsp yeast
1. Put one oven rack in the lowest position and the other in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. After ten minutes, turn the oven off but leave the door closed.
2. Mix 3 cups of the flour, the salt and the yeast. Drizzle the honey over the flour mixture. In a saucepan on low, melt the butter, watching carefully to prevent burning. Add the milk and water and heat to about 110 degrees (*should feel warm when you stick your CLEAN finger in it, not hot.)
Gradually add liquid to the flour mixture, mixing on low until well combined, scraping bowl frequently. Add flour, 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and springy. Add additional flour, 1 spoonful at a time, as necessary if the dough is sticky after about five minutes. Stop machine as frequently as necessary to scrape dough off the beater/dough hook.
Gradually add liquid to the flour mixture, mixing on low until well combined, scraping bowl frequently. Add flour, 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and springy. Add additional flour, 1 spoonful at a time, as necessary if the dough is sticky after about five minutes. Stop machine as frequently as necessary to scrape dough off the beater/dough hook.
Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball, about one minute.
3. Lightly oil a large glass or metal bowl. Roll the dough around the bowl to coat it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Pour the boiling water into a metal pan placed on the lower oven rack, then put the bowl containing the dough on the upper rack and close the door. Let the dough raise until doubled, between 30 and 40 minutes.
4. Punch the dough down, divide and form loaves, and place in greased or buttered bread pans. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes. You can re-heat the water, if necessary to maintain the warm oven while it rises. Remove the bread pans and the pan of water from the oven, preheat the oven to 350. Meanwhile, again bring 2 cups water to a boil.
Once the oven is preheated, return the pan to the bottom rack and pour the boiling water into it. Bake the bread until a thermometer inserted at an angle from the short end, just above the pan rim, into the center of the loaf reads 195 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and transfer to a wire rack.
If you wait until the bread is cool, it slices very nicely. This also freezes very nicely.
I'm off to watch a random TV show.
I'm off to watch a random TV show.
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