Freebies

  • Blockbuster Express: Coupon Codes for FREE DVD Rentals

    Are you looking for a fun way to relax with your family over the weekend?  Blockbuster Express has three free rental codes available right now:

    • 29BRAB6
    • 22JEAH4
    • 58PPLA7

    Coupon Codes are good through midnight Monday, August 22, 2011.

    More coupon codes:

    • 27TGAF6 – Expires August 19
    • 34BCRD4 – Expires August 19
    • 62BRAB4 – Expires August 19
    • 98ARDQ2 – Expires August 19
    • 92JEAH8 – Expires August 19
    • 29SGJC3 – Expires August 19
    • 65PPLA8 – Expires August 19
    • 68HLG3W – Expires August 20

    The coupon codes can be used to get DVDs from your nearest Blockbuster Express kiosk.  Some codes may only work online so make sure to reserve your rental before picking it up.  A credit card required to rent.  The codes are not valid on Blu-rays or new releases.

  • Save A Lot: Deals for the week of August 17 – 23, 2011

    The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.   You do not need any coupons to get the Save A Lot Today prices.    Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meats and Seafood

    Chicken & Thighs (5 lbs) – $3.95

    Sugardale Bratwurst (Smoked, Stadium, or Cheddar) 14 oz – $1.99

    Holten Extra Value Beef Patties (24 oz) – $1.99

    Schooner Salad Shrimp or Imitation Crab – $1.00

    Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).

    Fridge and Freezer

    Oscar Mayer Lunchables (9.7 to 10.8 oz) – $1.99
    Use $1.00/2 peelie coupon (Expires 9/30/11)
    $1.49 each after coupon

    Mr P’s Pepperoni or Supreme Pizza (6.5 oz) – $0.69

    Party Treat Vanilla Sandwiches (4 count) – $1.00

    Dannon NutriDay Yogurt (4 Count – 16 oz) – $1.00

    Coburn Farms Yogurt (6 oz) – $0.39

    Creamy Whip Whipped Topping – $0.95

    Coburn Farms Sour Cream (16 oz) – $1.49

    Save A Lot Today Pizza Rolls (15 count) – $0.99

    Produce

    Peaches, Plums or Nectarines – $0.79 per lb

    Bartlett Pears – $0.79 per lb

    Roma Tomatoes – $0.79 per lb

    Jumbo Sweet Onions – $0.79 per lb

    Mini Carrots (1 lb bag) – $1.00

    Household

    Save A Lot Today Bath Tissue (4 rolls) – $0.89

    Save A Lot Today Laundry Detergent (45.4 oz) – $1.99

    Grocery

    JJ’s Snack Pies (Apple / Cherry) 4 oz – $0.33

    Bugles (6 to 7.5 oz) – $1.00
    Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 7/10 Smart Source (Expires 9/3/11)
    Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 7/10 Smart Source (Expires 9/3/11)
    $0.50 each after coupon

    Mini Moon Pies (7.2 oz) – $1.00

    Betty Crocker Bon Appetite (2.3 to 2.8 oz) – $1.00

    Gatorade (Orange, Lemon Lime, or Fruit Punch) 32 oz – $1.00

    Reser’s Macaroni or Potato Salad – $1.00
    Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Coupon Web
    Free after each coupon

    Sundia Fruit Cups (8 oz) – $1.00

    Nesquik Chocolate or Strawberry Milk (16 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.50/1 coupon from insert 6/5 Red Plum (Expires 8/28/11)
    $0.50 each after coupon

    Duncan Hines Cupcakes, Brownies or Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix – $1.00
    Use B2G1 coupon from insert 6/5 Smart Source (Expires 9/5/11)
    $0.66 after each coupon

    Save A Lot Brand Soda (2 liter) – $0.75

    Lecour’s Cream Between Sandwich Cookies – $1.69

    Shelby Grove Fruit Cups (4 count) – $1.79

    J Higgs Corn or BBQ Corn Chips (10 to 12 oz) – $1.35

    Mantia’s Pasta Sauce (24 oz) – $1.23

     Mantia’s Spaghetti Noodles (16 oz) – $0.99

    Del Pino’s Canned Pasta with Meat – $0.73

    Senora Verde Taco Shells – $0.99

    Senora Verde Mild Taco Sauce (16 oz) – $1.99

    Marcum’s Taco Seasoning – $0.39

    Senora Verde Refried Beans – $0.79

    Kool Aid Bursts (6 pack) – $0.99

    Island Orchard 100% Juice Mini Drink Boxes – $0.99

    Arizona Iced Tea with Lemon Flavor – $0.79

    Mrs. Freshley’s Swiss Rolls or Honey Buns – $1.00

    Austin Crackers – $1.19

    Crispeez Rice Cakes – $1.25

    Gourmet Select Onion Rings (5 oz) – $0.95

    Bumble Bee Tuna Salad Kits – $1.29

    Ravello Microwave Mac & Cheese Cups – $0.75

    Save A Lot Today Toaster Pastries – $0.99

    Save A Lot Today Assorted Sandwich Creme Cookies – $1.19

    Save A Lot Today Apple Juice Cocktail – $1.29

    Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.

    For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

  • Recipe: Creamy Cucumbers

    The fresh Green & Yellow cucumbers from our garden are now Creamy Cucumbers.

    Growing up my Mom and Grandma made this delicious creamy cucumber recipe from the fresh garden cucumbers.  I always looked forward to eating it every summer.  Now that we have a garden of our own we enjoy making this for our family and sharing it with others. If you need to use up some of those garden cucumbers and are looking to try a sweet, creamy and refreshing recipe try this one!

    Creamy Cucumbers:

    • 1 cup Mayonnaise
    • 1/4 cup Sugar
    • 1/4 cup Vinegar (white or apple)
    • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
    • 4 cups sliced Cucumbers

    In a bowl combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt.  Add cucumbers and stir to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

    I will often make a half of recipe and it is still plenty for our family.  It is a great cool side dish for summer meals!

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    A whole week at home, yay!  It has literally been weeks since we have had an entire week at home together.  I enjoyed having the opportunity return to a somewhat “normal” schedule although the traveling has been a lot of fun!  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Walgreens, Rite Aid | Save A Lot, and Aldi's

    Walgreens Groceries:

    • $2.95 at Walgreens for 1 bottle Coffee Mate French Vanilla, 1 bottle Coffee Mate Hazelnut, and  3 cans Mandarin Oranges.

    Rite Aid | Save A Lot Groceries:

    • $2.38 at Rite Aid | Save A Lot for 1 package Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (on clearance) and 3 packages English Muffins (on clearance).

    Aldi’s Groceries:

    • $29.65 at Aldi’s for 1 can Cooking Spray, 1 package fresh Spinach, 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup, 3 cans sliced Mushrooms, 2 packages Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 4 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, 2 cans sliced Olives, 1 bottle Ranch Dressing, 4 cans Refried Beans, 1 box Raisins, 2 cans Black Beans, and 1 bag All Purpose Flour.
    Groceries from Ingles

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $4.95 at Ingle’s for 1 container Blackberries, 1 container Strawberries, 1 container diced Yellow Onions, 1 container Carrots and Celery, and 1 container Baby Romaine.  (all the items were marked down on clearance to $0.99)

    This week I spent $39.93 on groceries.  Even though I barely squeaked under my budgeted amount for the week I was able to do it and stock up on several items on clearance.  I hope to have an even better week for my next update since it has been hard going under budget.  Several of our local stores have raised their prices A LOT over the last several weeks making it even more of a challenge to purchase groceries within the budget.  I am happy to stock up again and look forward to a fresh start next week.  Part of our groceries went towards making a meal for a friend who was in the hospital this week as well as hosting, thankful for the ability to share what we have been given with others.

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points

    Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  BABYISDUEANYDAY

    The code didn’t have an expiration date but they usually expire in a few days so be sure to add it to your account soon!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Cabbage, Okra, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Purple Beans,Tomatoes, Peppers and More!

    We are enjoying the fresh vegetables from our garden!  We didn’t have to travel this week so we had the opportunity to enjoy the veggies even more.  Our garden is slowing down a little with all the heat.  I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of all the vegetables because a couple neighbors came over to get some produce.

    Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:

    Green Cabbage and Purple Cabbage from our garden

    We made green and red coleslaw out of our two cabbages.

    Red and green cabbage heads ready to be sliced for coleslaw!

    The cabbage made great coleslaw!

    Fresh Garden Produce

    Fresh vegetables and fruit from the garden – Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Purple Beans, Okra, Banana Peppers, and Strawberries.

    We have had a lot of great tomatoes the last couple of weeks.   We had a friend made some delicious salsa from our tomatoes and peppers.  It has been neat seeing and hearing what others have been able to make with our vegetables.

    What are you eating out of your garden this week?

  • Family Outings: Picnic at Legacy Park

    Karlie and Brina finishing their picnic lunch!

    Every once in awhile we have the opportunity to meet Daddy for a quick picnic over his lunch hour.

    Karlie about ready to blow her bubbles on Mommy!

    The girls like to blow bubbles when we go to the park and luckily for them I usually have some  in the van.  Bubbles have  come in handy quite often in our adventures.

    Now it's Brina's turn to blow bubbles my direction!

    Somehow I get plenty of fun bubbles blown in my direction!

    Karlie having fun on the play ground.

    It’s the little things in life that can entertain for hours!

    Brina flying away on a jet plane, always plenty of entertainment on the play ground.

    The girls enjoy exploring and playing at the variety of parks in our area.  Thankful for some time to spend with Jake and allow the girls some play time as well.

  • Free Audio Book: “Hannah Coulter” by Wendell Berry

    FREE Audio Book Download

    For the month of August Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book .  This month the audio book is “Hannah Coulter“ by Wendell Berry.  If you have been wanting to read the book then this is a great opportunity to listen to the book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in August.   Make sure to submit your order by August 31, 2011  to get your free audio book.  Thanks Christian Audio!

  • CVS: Spent $0.85 and Got $9 ECB’s Back!

    CVS Weekly Deals

    CVS has a few good deals this week, several of the deals I went in for were already gone so I stocked up on other items that were available.   I was happy to stock up on some items including lipstick and deodorant this week while utilizing a few of my coupons.  Today I was able to get the items for $0.85 including tax and received $9.00ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Here is what I purchased this week.

    • 4 – Suave Deodorant “Powder” Scent for $4.00 ($1.00 each)
    • 3 – Suave Deodorant “Tropical” Scent for $3.00 ($1.00 each)
    • 3 – Suave Deodorant “Vanilla” Scent for $3.00 ($1.00 each)
    • 1 – Revlon ColorBurst Raspberry Lipstick for $5.79
    • 1 – Revlon Moon Drop Lipstick for $5.79
    • 1 – Softlips Mint Vanilla for $1.07
    • 1 – Softlips Very Berry for $1.07
    • 1 – Dawn Ultra Dish Soap for$0.99
    • 1 – Dawn Jasmine / Lavender Dish Soap for $0.99
    • 3 – Puffs Plus with Vicks Tissues for $2.64 ($0.88 each)
    • 1 – Potting Soil for $1.00
    • 1 – CVS Lotion for $0.97

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $1.00 Revlon Manufacturer Coupon (PG 7/17)
    • Used $1.00 Revlon Manufacturer Coupon (PG 7/17)
    • Used $0.25 Puffs Manufacturer Coupon (PG 7/31)
    • Used $0.50 Dawn Manufacturer Coupon (PG 7/31)
    • Used $0.50 Dawn Manufacturer Coupon (PG 7/31)
    • Used $3.00 CVS Kiosk Coupon (Revlon)
    • Used $3.00 CVS Kiosk Coupon
    • Used $2.00 CVS Kiosk Coupon
    • Used $17.00 CVS ECB’s

    I received $9.00 ECB’s back today:

    • $6.00 ECB’s for Revlon Products
    • $3.00 ECB’s for Suave Products

    Today I was able to save $70.91 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.