Wednesday, February 25, 2009


I have to say, I was very excited for tonight's Lost. I love most of the characters and their backstories, but I really do love Locke. He is so beleaguered, and you just want him (and faith in general), to prevail. Once I got past the super-nasty first ten minutes or so, the episode really picked up speed in awesomeness. I will try to put my happy points in some kind of logical re-cap.

1. I love the 'new' plane crash. Not only does it confirm that Christian Shephard is pretty much completely alive the way that Locke is, but I really get a kick out of seeing the new people be wary of him as an "other", try to explore the island, etc. It is just a little irony thrown in to remind us how far our 815 survivors have come. Big question for me tonight, the new marshall said that the pilot and "some woman" took the other boat. Who would the woman be? I sure hope Lapidus doesn't get shot by our Sawyer & Juliet, like we saw in episodes past.

2. Abbadon! I loved seeing him. Can't believe he was killed by Ben (well, I can, but I can't believe that he is dead) .

3. Walt!! I was so excited when I realized that Locke was visiting him. Walt has been having dreams? I wonder what that means for Walt, a comeback? He could have dreams about Locke, but not know anything about his own dad? And is it just me, or did the actor who plays Walt lose his acting ability in the last few years? lol...

4. This episode just really confirmed my own theory that Widmore is actually the good guy. Mel, for one, can you see it now? ;) There is so much symbolism between the "two sides" of Widmore and Ben (like that night scene last season in Widmore's bedroom, where only one side of their faces were showing). The scene with Widmore helping Locke in the hospital, pledging his support for him, having just had Locke's leg taken care of, etc. contrasted so obviously to me with the scene with Ben in the hotel room. Ben spewing lies to Locke, fooling him into coming down off of the table just to steal his information and kill him? I think my theory is really true. :)

5. A couple little nitpicky things still bother me about Widmore though. He has to know about Locke's life story. Was his joke about his parents having a sense of humor just a cruel little jab? Is Helen really dead? I just worry that she's not and they set that up to make Locke follow the plan. And if Widmore really cared for Locke and gave him tons of cash, why would he put him up in the Westerfield Hotel, complete with crime scene-ish stains? hehe

Please let me know what you think! I loved this one!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The first one million people to sign up here will receive a coupon for a free sub at Quizno's!  I particularly love Quizno's, but somehow never get around to going.  This will be some motivation, right? :)  You will be signing up for their email blasts, and that is how you will print the coupon, so be sure to put an email address that you will check!


Thanks Kelly for emailing this in!

For quite a long time, I have always loved clipping little things like upc's, box tops for education, Campbell's labels, etc.  Iit all started when as a kid I would clip the "Homeless Homer" labels off of the dog food cans.  I think that program is long gone, but at the time the dog food company would donate 5 cents for each label clipped and redeemed by your local shelter.  I loved saving up an envelope full of labels and mailing them off to my nearest participating shelter.  It was especially rewarding when the shelter wrote back to thank me for my continued support.  My little benevolent heart would swell with each clip.  

To this day I still get a strange little satisfaction taking something off of an empty container before I throw it away.  You all know I enter MyCokeRewards points and redeem them for printable coupons.  I also save soda can tabs for someone who collects them for charity.  But one way to actually save yourself some money from collecting little things like this is to mail your upc's in for coupons.

We tend to go through quite a few jars of Beech-Nut baby food in my house and Beech-Nut famously has a UPC's-for-coupons plan.  Save 48 proofs of purchase, print the form they have available on their site here, and mail it all in to get $10 in coupons (and be put on their mailing list).  I am in a constant cycle doing this and I now never find myself without a baby food coupon.

There are also different UPC offers being offered by Gerber and Earth's Best.  Go here and login to Gerber's Start Healthy, Stay Healthy program (or register if you aren't a member) and browse the promotions they have available.  Most of the items are things you pay a small fee for (which includes the 'free' shipping), but the price is lowered when you mail in some UPC's.  Also, when you do join the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy program you will receive a coupon book with coupons for Graduates products.  There is also a mail-in form in that booklet to get coupons in return for 10 Graduates UPC's.  When you mail this in and get the coupons you will get another form, turning this into another UPC for coupon deal you can do over and over.

Earth's Best is currently offering a 'free' Elmo Loves You dvd to celebrate Elmo's birthday.  Save 3 Earth's Best Sesame Street product UPC's, mail it in with a card for Elmo, the completed form (you'll print both of these) and $1.49 for s/h.  You will also be entered in their current sweepstakes to win some cool prizes.  Get all the information here.

So it may seem like a lot of work, but once you start doing it clipping random things becomes a habit that takes no time at all.  I just clip and throw everything into a little sundae cup in my cupboard and every so often I sort them and mail them away.

Sunday, February 22, 2009


In my last week's menu plan I have to say that the vegetable lasagna and the chili mac both turned out nicely. I never got a chance to make the chicken tortilla soup, so you will see that yet again this week!

Monday- I have a half block of random leftover Velveeta (from a cheese dip recipe) and I happened upon this recipe in an old issue of Kraft food and family magazine (and by the way, did they stop making that in print form?). It is great because it uses a random box of manicotti that I have had for a while and that half block of Velveeta. Yay! Here is the recipe for Shortcut Chicken Manicotti.

Tuesday- The good ol' Chicken Tortilla Soup again :)

Wednesday- Salmon filets are on sale at Acme this week and I'm really craving salmon for some reason. I'll make that with broccoli and rice.

Thursday- Leftovers! There will already be a'plenty.

Friday- I just got Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals cookbook and I can't wait to try some of the recipes, as they mostly use pantry items and I love that :) She has one called Drunken Tuscan pasta which uses greens, pancetta and spaghetti that was cooked in red wine. I will definitely not be cooking my spaghetti in a whole bottle of red wine, but I will still try the recipe as I love no-sauce pastas.

Saturday- Out!

Sunday- We really love chili in our house, and this is the recipe that I have made for years. It is so easy and it is also easy to freeze a batch. Here is the recipe for Spicy Freezer Chili (but it's really not that spicy!)

Check out the other menu plans over at Menu Plan Monday!

First, if you are new to working deals at Acme, please read the background info on one of my earlier deals posts. This will explain how the coupons double & how to print two copies of the printable coupons.

There's not a lot of coupon match-ups this week. If you have newspaper coupons you can make ten cents on free Mentos gum and score boxes of pizza rolls for $0.30. Here are the best deals I can see:

Non-coupon deals:

All Acme Chunk or Shredded cheeses are on sale 50%. 8 oz. packages of cheese are no more than $1.49 each.

All chicken breasts (over 10 varieties) on sale for 50% off.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones entrees are on sale for $2.25.

Tuesday & Wednesday (2/24-2/25) Acme is having a 2 day seafood sale. 6 oz. Salmon portions are $2.98 each, and premium crabcakes are $1.98 each.


Printable coupon deals:


Purex 2X liquid laundry detergent is on sale for $3.99. If the Natural Elements variety is included, use the $1 off printable coupon here to get it for only $2.99.

Hellmann's mayonnaise is on sale for $3.49. There is also a coupon on the last page of the circular for free StarKist tuna with the purchase of any one Hellmann's mayonnaise. Buy the light variety of Hellmann's mayo, use this $1 off printable coupon and the circular coupon to get the mayo and the tuna for only $2.49.

Scott Extra Soft 12 roll pack of toilet tissue is on sale for $9.99. Use the $1 off printable coupon available here to get it for $8.99.

Scott Long Lasting paper towels 4-pack is on sale for $6.99. Use the $1 off printable coupon available here to get them for $5.99.

Newspaper coupon deals:

Mentos gum is on sale for $1 this week. There are various newspaper coupons for $0.55 cents off any flavor that will double to $1.10 off, making these free plus $0.10 overage!

Totino's Pizza Rolls are on sale for $1 this week. There are a bunch of $0.35 cents off one coupons from recent inserts that will double to $0.70 off. Score a few boxes for only $0.30 each!

Kellogg's Cereals are $3 this week. There was a $0.70 off coupon in this week's paper which will double to $1.40 making a box of cereal $1.60.

Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer is on sale for $1.99. Use the $1 off coupon from this week's paper to get this for $0.99.

See anything else? Please leave it in a comment!

Friday, February 20, 2009


Hooray! I stopped taking entries for the Yoplait prize pack giveaway yesterday at 5 PM and used a random number generator this morning to pick the winners!

Congratulations to:

jtmkcm@---.com
Jayfr
Jackie

I guess the luck went to the 'J's! I have sent you all emails, please contact me if you did not receive them. Congratulations and thank you to all of the entrants!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009



I'm waffling back and forth on whether I liked or disliked this episode. It was a cool episode to see them get back to the island. But there was just too much that didn't gel for me.

What didn't gel:
-Sun deciding that she needs to get on the plane in case Jin is alive. She didn't seem to get any proof from Faraday's mom that Jin was alive and she's ready to leave her baby behind?

-And the even weirder one, Kate acting strangely calm that Aaron is suddenly gone. I'm sure it is something like Ben took Aaron back to the island and Kate will only see him again if she goes, too. But how would that happen?

-Ben's bloody face and injuries. He obviously got into it with someone, but who? Was it part of the Aaron kerfluffle? Or was he enacting his revenge on Penny? I sure hope that it is not the latter. It is ok that the island isn't done with Desmond yet, but please don't take Penny away to help make that happen!

What was cool:
-Hurley carrying the guitar case on the plane. Did he have to bring something of Charlie's on the plane the way Jack had to bring something of his dad's? Did Charlie convince Hurley that he had to go back (again)?

-Jack's grandfather being alive?! And doesn't he seem suspicious? LOL How convenient that he happened to have a bag packed. There seemed to be so much symbolism in this episode around those darn shoes.

Is it just me, or do you look forward to next week's episode like crazy after seeing the preview? ;) It was exciting to see Locke "alive" on the island talking to Sayid's female marshall. As usual, I'm stoked for next week!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Samples offered through Walmart always come!  Here are a few from them:







Non Walmart offers:


Shoptext is giving away a free sample of Clean & Clear makeup dissolving wipes.  Text CLEAR to 467467.


A couple free magazine subscriptions (totally free):

One year to Family Circle

Sunday, February 15, 2009

First, if you are new to working deals at Acme, please read the background info on one of my earlier deals posts. This will explain how the coupons double & how to print two copies of the printable coupons.

There are a *bunch* of Catalina deals going on this week- Catalinas are coupons that print at the register that you use on your next transaction. There is nothing stopping you from doing a transaction, getting your coupons and then coming back to finish the rest of your shopping and use those Catalinas. I do this sometimes if I really want to cut what I spend out of pocket, or if I think I might forget to use the Catalinas before they expire (which is usually within a few weeks). Otherwise just hold on to them and you get a sweet discount on your next visit.

Here are the different Catalina promos:

Get a $10 off coupon when you buy 10 participating General Mills products. You only have to buy 10 items, not a specific dollar amount. General Mills also has a bunch of printable and newspaper coupons so you should be able to get a really good deal on some things that you need. Of course, you should work this deal to get what you need, but this is the one of the cheapest scenarios using only printable coupons:
Buy:
2 Betty Crocker frosting tubs at $1.79 each. Use two of the $0.55 cents off coupons available here (they will double to $1.10 off each).
2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights bowls for $1.66 each. Use two of the $0.55 cents off coupons availabe here (they will also double to $1.10 off each).
2 Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits at 2 for $2.50. Use the $0.50 off 2 coupon available here (will double to $1 off).
2 bags of Chex Mix at $2 each. Use two of the $0.60 cents off coupons here (will double to $1.20 off).
2 bags of Cheerios snack mix at $2 each. Use two of the $0.60 cents off coupons here (will double to $1.20 off).

You will have purchased 10 participating items, will spend $7.20 out of pocket after the coupons, and get the $10 off your next order, working out to $2.80 overage! Hooray :)

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Get a $10 off coupon when you buy $25 in participating products. Check the circular for the whole list, but they include Hunts canned tomatoes, Ro*tel (which I love, lol), Wesson oil, Marie Callender's frozen dinners and pies, Pam spray and more. This one isn't as great as the General Mills deal, and there seem to be no coupon match-ups for it, but if you need some of these items, then it would be a good time to stock up.
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This one's not a Catalina, but $5 will come off your total instantly at checkout when you buy $25 of homelife (Acme's home goods brand) products.


Non-coupon deals:

The Acme circular has a few of its own coupons in it this week. There are Buy One Get Two Free coupons for Dynamo laundry detergent and Hatfield Canadian ham, there is a free bananas with Skippy peanut butter coupon, and more.

There is a Meal Deal running where you buy one each of these four items: Tyson ready-to-eat chicken or steak, one Uncle Ben's ready rice, one Mann's cut veggies (like Broccoli Wokly) and one Fresh Express baby salad blend and $4.50 will instantly come off your total at checkout.

Acme brand Cranberry juices are on sale for $1.88 each.

Printable coupon deals:

There is a $0.75 off one Dannon multipack coupon available here. Dannon yogurt multipacks are 50% off this week, with prices ranging from $1.24 to $2.99. The coupon will double to $1.50 off, so you could either get one for free or up to $1.49.

Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Coke Zero 12-pack cans are on sale 3 for $12. There is a coupon in the circular to get an 8-pack of 12oz. bottles free. If you use My Coke Rewards, you can print $1 off a 12-pack coupons, to get this down to $9 for three 12-packs of cans and the free 8-pack of bottles.

Stonyfield Farm Organic yogurt 6oz. cups are on sale 10 for $6. Use two of the $0.50 off 3 coupons available here (they will double to $1 off each) to get 10 cups for $4.

Cabot chunk or shredded cheese is $3 this week. Use the $0.30 off 1 coupon available here (it will double to $0.60 off) to get it for $2.40 each.

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That's all I see for the week. If you have any questions or see anything else I don't have, please feel free to put it in the comments!


Phew! Last week I was super-light on posts, and missed Menu Plan Monday AND Works for me Wednesday, both! But I'm happy to say that I am back on track this week. We have a couple of nights out this week, but here is what I have for the week:

Monday- I have had a zucchini lasagna in mind for a couple of weeks now and I still haven't made it. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and the reviews look great, and since it still has a meat sauce my husband shouldn't complain about veggies in lieu of noodles.

Tuesday- This weekend we had Valentine's Day dinner at home, and my husband was sent to pick up our take-out order. He somehow misunderstood me (really?) and picked up the cooked asparagus from the take-out store and also from the supermarket, a bunch of raw asparagus. There is a pasta dish I make that is one of his favorites, which was originally entitled "springtime pasta" so that is what we call it. It is a box of pasta boiled with cut, fresh asparagus then drained, add halved grape tomatoes and one container of Boursin or Alouette garlic and herb cheese. It's that easy and we like it (it also makes a ton of leftovers for us). You may want to save some pasta water to water down the cheese a bit.

Wednesday- A few weeks ago I made this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup that I found on someone's blog. It was a hit and very easy to make in the crockpot, so we are having that again.

Thursday- We have different things going on and will eat some leftovers.

Friday- Kraft foods has this really easy recipe for Chili Mac, which I'm going to make since my mom gave me a value size box of Velveeta shells and cheese and I'm at a loss with how to use it all!

Saturday- Going out for our wedding anniversary, yay!

Sunday- Polishing up all of our leftovers.

Be sure to check out the other menu plans over at Menu Plan Monday! And while you are here, throw a quick entry in my giveaway for three Yoplait price packs! Just click here to check it out.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009


I came home from a night out, and my husband was very excited about a "great" episode of Lost. Usually, he is complaining that he doesn't get the show, he doesn't know why he watches, etc. So to hear this really piqued my interest. I asked "do we see Richard Alpert?" because really, I love seeing him. Marc says "no, but better." To which I reply, "hmm...well it has to be either Jacob, Christian, or a dead Lostie" (which I had to explain, I meant a Boone, Shannon, Charlie, etc.) and he made a face that it was clearly one of the above.

For some reason I instantly knew it was Christian. I knew we'd be seeing more of him lately!

Well, anyway, the episode wasn't as through the roof as he made it sound, but in my own words, it was pretty darn satisfying.

The good parts?

  • Charlotte and all of her dying. Wait! Please! Don't think I'm a terrible person. I don't know if anyone really dies on this place, so I was happy that she spit out a bunch of answers before slipping away. Faraday telling her as a child not to come back?! How does that work?! Is Miles going to go soon?
  • Locke and his terrible leg injury. Can someone cut the poor man a break?
  • One of the best things ever was seeing more of Danielle Rousseau's backstory. I felt so sorry for the young Danielle when we met her, since we all know just how terrible her life will be very quickly. I said in passing to Marc while he was starting the tivo for me, "Well you know all of her people get sick and some guy's arm gets chopped off." He was very impressed that I knew that before it happened. How's that for my season one memory? ;) The sickness was so creepy! What was with her husband being so sweet and trying to shoot her within 10 seconds of each other? Very interesting.
  • Missing limbs...they really do pop in Lost frequently don't they?
  • The Frozen Donkey Wheel was off its axis, thus causing the time skipping? Whoa!
My favorite part of the night? Sweet little Desmond asking if Ben & Losties are looking for Faraday's mom. The look on Ben's face was fabulous! So glad that for once there is something that even he didn't know.

PS- Do you think Des recognized Ellie from the weird engagement ring purchase scene in "Flashes before your eyes"?? Can't wait for next week!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Have you heard of Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt? This isn't just any low-fat yogurt: Yo-Plus contains probiotics (which aid your digestive health), vitamins A&D and fiber. Well, Yoplait has just introduced a new flavor of their Yo-Plus yogurt--Blueberry Acai--and they let little 'ol me be one of the first to try it! We all know that blueberries are a super-food (one that I almost never eat, shame on me!) and recently I have been hearing so much about the antioxidant properties of Acai. This new flavor combines both of these healthy berries into one creamy yogurt.

So what'd I think? I was honestly surprised that I really liked this yogurt! Blueberry is not my favorite flavor and I didn't know what Acai would taste like. To me, this new Yo-Plus tasted like a mixed-berry flavor, was creamy and delicious. We've all tried both those runny yogurts and those thick, custard-y ones and I think the consistency of Yo-Plus Blueberry Acai was perfect. It was smooth, but also had little pieces of blueberry mixed in. And, it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners, which I really don't like in my yogurt!

Since I am on a never-ending quest to eat better and keep my weight on track, I especially like that each serving has only 110 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. This is way more nutritious (and filling) than a 100 calorie pack!

Ready to taste it for yourself? Yo-Plus has offered a $1.50 off one printable coupon available here so you can try Blueberry Acai right away. My Acme has these for $2.50 this week, use the coupon and that's only $0.25 a serving to try it out! If you want more information on Yo-Plus and your digestive health, you can visit their website here.

Now are you ready to win an awesome prize?! I am giving away a Yo-Plus gift bag to three lucky winners! The Yo-Plus gift bag includes a coupon for a free 4-pack of Yo-Plus yogurt, a Yoplait cooler tote bag, a BPA-free water bottle and a little nutrition journal – great for keeping with you and journaling what you eat! The cooler tote bag is huge and I can't wait to use mine to carry healthy lunches and snacks to the beach this summer! :)

To enter: Post a comment telling me one thing you are doing this year to maintain a healthy diet. Be sure to include your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win! If you are worried about spammers, type your email address something like this: queenmotherblog(at)gmail{dot}com and you're good! This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

**Want up to FOUR extra entries?**
1. Add my button to your site! Look over to my right sidebar where it says "Grab this button!" and copy and paste the code somewhere on your site. Then come back and leave me the link to your page in a comment.
2. You can post about my giveaway on your blog and then leave the link to your post in a comment. Though I would love a fancy write-up, a quick link on one of your posts will do!
3. Subscribe to my feed and post a comment letting me know.
4. Follow my blog and post a separate comment letting me know.

Just be sure to post separate comments for each additional entry, as I will be using a random number generator to choose the winners from all of the comments.

I will be accepting entries until 5 PM EST on February 19th, 2009. The winners will be notified by email and also a post here on the site. Enjoy, and good luck!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

TGIFriday's has generously put out a coupon for buy one get one free entrees, available anytime through March 1st! (Only exception is Valentine's Day)

Right on the coupon it tells you to pass this on to everyone, and print and use as often as you like! One coupon per party.

Click here for a pdf of the coupon.. If you have any problems just shoot me an email and I will attach the coupon for you.

Enjoy!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

First, if you are new to working deals at Acme, please read the background info on one of my earlier deals posts. This will explain how the coupons double & how to print two copies of the printable coupons.

I went back to Acme and saw more of the Cascadian Farms organic cereal/granola bars on sale for $1. There are a bunch of $1 off any Cascadian Farms coupons including printables out there (like the ones available here). That would make these totally free!

It's a little frustrating that deals are virtually non-existent this week. Here's all I could see:

Non-coupon deals:

Acme is still running their "Favorite 4" promotion, where you can choose 4 meat/seafood products from a list of over 30 options, and pay $19.99 for them, no matter what the individual package price may be. You must buy 4 and they must have the "Favorite 4" label on them. Each choice is supposed to be enough to feed a family of 4. Some of the items include 2 lbs. of 80% lean ground beef, 2 lbs. of Italian sausage, Whole frying chickens, Gorton's Frozen fish sticks or fillets, etc. See the front page of the circular for more details.

On the back cover of this week's circular is a buy one get one free sale. The purchased and free items have to be identical, but there look like there could be some decent deals if these are things you use. Also, an important factoid to remember about buy one get one free deals at Acme is that you can use two manufacturer coupons, since technically you are buying two items! For example, Nature Made vitamins are buy one get one free, let's say they are $9.99 each (not sure of the prices exactly, as they are all different!). If you have two $1 off coupons, you would use two coupons and pay only $7.99 total for both bottles.

Nestle morsels bags are on sale for $1.49 this week.

1 lb. bunch of fresh asparagus is on sale for $1.99.

Limit 12: Acme canned vegetables are on sale for $0.39 a can.

Printable coupon deals:

Yoplait yogurt cups are on sale buy 10 at $10, get 10 free. Use 2 of the $1 off 8 cups printable coupons available here to get 20 cups for $8.

Newspaper coupon deals:


Dayquil and Nyquil 20 ct. or 6-10oz. packages are on sale for $4.99 each. Use the $1.50 off coupon from this week's P&G Brandsaver insert to get it for $3.49 each.

Crest toothpaste (6.4 oz) is on sale for $1.50. Use the $1 off coupon from this week's P&G Brandsaver insert to get it for $0.50.

Freschetta Pizzas are on sale for $5.50 each. Use the $0.75 off one coupon from today's paper (it will double to $1.50 off) and they are $4 each.

That's all I can find. If you find anything, please post a comment. If I see anything else crop up, I'll edit the post.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009


Was tonight's Lost a disappointment to anyone other than me?  After last week's super-riveting young Charles Widmore scene, I was snoozing through this episode of filling us in on things we already know.  Jack & Kate's touching scene on the rescue boat?  Totally unnecessary.  Kate looking at the lawyer in his car 100 times?  Totally unnecessary.

The good parts?  
  • Well, you know what the best part was, right?  Sawyer watching past-Kate and Claire during Aaron's birth in the jungle.  I thought he was going to cry.  I thought I was going to cry.
  • When Ben glibly announces, "he's my lawyer."  As if we weren't already suspicious.
  • Second best part of the night?  Jin meeting the young and pregnant Danielle Rousseau and realizing on his own that something really fishy is going on.  Oh wait, knowing that Jin is alive...come on now, did we really think he was dead?  
  • Faraday asking Miles if he was sure that he hasn't been on the island before.  I kind of thought Marvin Candle's baby could be a little Miles.
  • The bombed future-beach and crazy canoe chase scene.  I don't think shooting at that other canoe was a good idea...it could have been yourselves!
Ok, so really I just had beef with the Oceanic 6 action.  All of that looks like it could have been worked into next week's ep.  Here's to next week!

BeechNut baby food is offering a free Parent Pack that contains some coupons and a free sample of baby cereal. You just have to call and request it: 1-800-523-6633.

Get free samples of Metamucil Pink Lemonade and Berry Burst

Benefiber is also offering a free sample

Cesar.com will send your dog a free sample of their pate dinner

For cats, get a free sample of Meow Mix Wholesome Goodness

Playtex Sport is giving away a free tampon sample pack

For basketball fans: Get a free 9-issue subscription to Dime magazine

Boomers can receive a free copy of the book Retirement for Dummies

CBS has a magazine called 'Watch' - get a free subscription here.

Prevent Blindness America is offering a free Battery Jump Start sticker for your car battery.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009


I've mentioned the SC Johnson Right@Home program before, but I just thought I'd remind you to sign up for their new giveaway: "Escape from Winter Gift Pack." The first 10,000 entries will win a gift pack that includes a Glade scented oil warmer, a Hawaiian Breeze refill & coupons. You can sign up and enter here.

I keep entering their giveaways and I keep receiving the gift packs! I just got one in the mail that was a Ziploc sampler with different samples of the bags, a little Ziploc storage container and some good value coupons. They do say that you are not able to win every month, but I try anyway and so far I have been receiving them! Maybe they don't have 10,000 responding to the offer each month? Ok, whatever, I'm grateful!

So if you haven't checked them out yet, you should. They are really fun surprises to get in the mail.

Monday, February 2, 2009


I've been selling random things on eBay for years. At one point when I was working my way through college, I had a pretty good side gig going buying items on clearance and selling them on eBay. Lately, I've been seeing things pile up around my house and since I could really use the money, I turned to eBay to transform those things into cash.

You probably have some eBay experience under your belt already, but I have two quick links I wanted to pass on to you.

1. Auctiva- One of my friends recently told me about Auctiva, and I am really enjoying it so far. Auctiva is a hosting service that lets you add additional pictures and pretty layouts to your listing, free of charge. Back when I was listing a bunch of things, I used to subscribe to Seller Sourcebook, which is the same thing but costs money.

2. If you are a stay-at-home mom, or just someone who would like to start your own ebay business, there is a great free e-book available here. Suzanne "the eBay coach" has some really great ideas about how to get started selling, even if you don't have anything to sell! I would really recommend it to anyone who would like to get started.

Take a moment to look through your stuff and do a search on eBay to see what your items are going for. You might be surprised what you have that is a hot ticket item on eBay. Ever have a bottle of perfume that you used but changed your mind about? More than likely someone would be willing to take it off your hands for a few bucks. The best is if it is discontinued. One time I bought a bunch of Bath & Body Works "Daffodil Fields" scented products when they were being discontinued and I was able to sell it all on eBay a little while later for quadruple my purchase price.

If you have any eBay questions, I would be happy to answer them. You could leave them in a comment here and I'll reply...I love eBay! (not just because of the name ;)

Sunday, February 1, 2009


Last week I missed Menu Plan Monday with all the Bloggy Giveaway madness, but I'm back! I did a huge grocery and produce run today, so we are stocked. There are some good recipes that I want to try, and I will post them as I make them. Here is my plan:

Monday- Beef stew in the crockpot

Tuesday- Green chicken enchiladas using homemade tomatillo sauce (I got a huge bag of tomatillos at Produce Junction for $2, enough to make this sauce and freeze a couple batches)

Wednesday- Portabella mushroom soup (I love mushrooms and I have big hopes for this one, lol)

Thursday- Zucchini "lasagna"

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- Out!

Sunday- Pizza or sandwiches...something fast

No fun links this week, but I'll post some pics and recipes of the good ones. Check out all of the other menu plans over at OrgJunkie!

First, if you are new to working deals at Acme, please read the background info on one of my earlier deals posts. This will explain how the coupons double & how to print two copies of the printable coupons.

I went to Acme tonight to pick up some things before the Super Bowl and I saw a bunch of good stuff in their 10 for $10 section (which just means $1, since you don't have to buy ten). I saw some Cascadian Farms organic cereal/granola bars on sale for $1! There are a bunch of $1 off any Cascadian Farms printables out there (like the ones available here). That would make these totally free! Of course I didn't have those Cascadian Farms coups with me...I might just have to go back!

The rest of the deals are still very light this week. Here's all I could see:

Non-coupon deals:

Acme is still running their "Favorite 4" promotion, where you can choose 4 meat/seafood products from a list of over 30 options, and pay $19.99 for them, no matter what the individual package price may be. You must buy 4 and they must have the "Favorite 4" label on them. Each choice is supposed to be enough to feed a family of 4. Some of the items include 2 lbs. of 80% lean ground beef, 2 lbs. of Italian sausage, Whole frying chickens, Gorton's Frozen fish sticks or fillets, etc. See the front page of the circular for more details.

Only through Monday, Acme All Natural Jumbo Packs of Split Chicken Breasts are on sale $1/a lb.

Printable coupon deals:

Green Giant boxed frozen vegetables are on sale for $1 each through Monday only! There are $0.60 off 2 printables here that would make these $0.40 each (the $0.60 will double to $1.20 off!) Or there are $0.65 off 3 printables here to make them $0.57 each.

Hunts canned tomatoes are on sale for $1 each. Use the $1 off 3 printable here to get them for $0.66 each.

12 pack cans of Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero or Sprite are on sale 4 for $11. If you you MyCokeRewards, you can print $1 off a 12-pack coupons to help lower this total. Also, use the coupon on the back page of the circular to get 2 2-liter bottles of Coke Zero free! (My store was completely emptied of the Coke Zero 2-liters, so I asked a manager, and he let me substitute Sprite Zero & Cherry Coke Zero...doesn't hurt to ask!)


Newspaper coupon deals:

Heluva Good Dips are on sale 2 for $3. Use the $1 off 2 coupon from the paper to get them for $1 each!

Green Giant boxed frozen vegetables are on sale for $1 each through Monday only! Use the $0.50 off two coupons from recent newspaper inserts to get them for $0.50 each. Also check the printable deals on these I mentioned above.

Hillshire Farms Kielbasa or Smoked Sausages are on sale buy one get one free with a max. price of $4.99 each. There is a $1 off any two coupon from a recent newspaper, that would make these buy one get one at $3.99, or $1.99 each! I ended up using my coupon instead on the Hillshire Farms 2 for $6 Lit'l Smokies, making those $2.50 each.

Tropicana Pure Premium orange juices are on sale 2 for $6. Use the $1 off any two newspaper coupon to make them $2.50 each.

That's all I see for now. If you find anything, please post a comment. If I see anything else crop up, I'll edit the post.