Sunday, February 28, 2010

Menu Plan: What's old is new again


Time for another menu plan here at Frugal Follies.  This week, the freezer is prety full from purchases at the Albertsons closing sale and from cooking done for Freezer Cooking Day, and the fridge is full of various leftovers, so we'll be planning many of the meals around those items.  I started a crockpot of black beans on Sunday night, so those will be perfect for burritos on Monday.  We have some leftover spaghetti and sauce from a takeout meal of chicken Parmesan, so that'll be featured on Tuesday.  And I forgot to make kasha varnishkes last Friday, so I'll do that this Friday.

Monday - black bean burritos, brown rice with tomatoes and chilies topped with cheese

Tuesday - spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Wednesday - cheese pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - fish fillets with brown rice pilaf, cut-up veggies

Friday - chicken soup, challah, roast chicken, kasha varnishkes, salad

Saturday - breakfast for dinner - French toast made from the remnants of the challah

Sunday - eat out!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for other plans!

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Under Two Bucks at Target 2/28/10 - 3/6/10

Want to get a great deal at Target, but don't have the time to clip coupons? Here's a list of some of the items under $2.00 this week at Target, according to the weekly ad. Some items may only be available at SuperTarget stores.
  • 52¢ - Yoplait yogurt, 4 to 6 oz 
  • $1.99 - SweeTarts, 12 oz
  • $1.99 - Starburst jelly beans, 14 oz
  • $2.00 - GE Reveal light bulbs, 60 watt, 4 pk
  • $2.00 - Lean Pockets or Hot Pockets, 2 ct
  • $2.00 - Stouffer's frozen meals, selected varieties
  • $2.00 - Lean Cuisine One Dish Favorites, selected varieties
  • $2.07 - Kashi snacks (buy 4 at $2.59, get one free)  [okay, this one is slightly over $2.00, but I thought it was worth a mention]
Check out Cha Ching Queen and Coupon Geek for more Target deals!

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

It's the end of the month - print those coupons!

Today's the last day of the month, so you'll want to head on over to Coupons.com and RedPlum.com and print out any coupons that interest you, since they may be gone tomorrow! 

Here are a few that interest me:

Coupons.com:
$1.50 off 2 Kashi bars (on sale at Target this week!)
$4.00 off Sudafed Triple Action
$1.50 off Vaseline Sheer Infusion

RedPlum.com
$1.00 off 3 Kellogg's cereals
$1.00 off La Creme yogurt

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Under a Buck at Rite-Aid 2/28/10 - 3/6/10

Trying to keep your Rite-Aid bill low, but don't have time to go through coupons?

Here are some of the items that are under $1.00 this week. All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.

Note: deals are based on the ad scans.  Please double-check deals against the ad in your area. * indicates that an in-ad coupon is needed.

  • 44¢ - Single serve Easter candy (buy one at $.88, get one free) 
  • 50¢ - M&M Mars or Nestle single serve candy
  • 88¢ - Selected Easter candy
  • 97¢ - Gatorade, 24-32 oz
  • 97¢ - Propel, 24 oz
  • 97¢ - Jolt energy drink, 16 oz
  • 99¢ - Listerine Pocket Packs 72 ct (buy one at $3.99, get $3 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Suave shampoo or conditioner, 22.5 oz (buy one at $1.99, get $1 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Efferdent denture cleaner tablets, 108-120 ct (buy one at $5.99, get $5 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Gillette Series or Satin Care shave gel, 7 oz (buy one at $1.99, get $1 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Acnomel, 1 oz (buy one at $6.99, get $6 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Anti Monkey Butt Powder, 6 oz (buy one at $3.99, get $3 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Albolene cleanser, 12 oz (buy one at $7.99, get $7 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Proantinox, 7.5 oz (buy one at $6.99, get $6 single check rebate)
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid cushion insoles
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid hydrogen peroxide, 16 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid isopropyl alcohol, 16 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid Epsom salt, 16 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid adhesive bandages, 30-60 ct
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid petroleum jelly, 2.5 or 3.75 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid cotton swabs, 300 ct
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid baby powder, 15 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid infant ear syringe
  • 99¢ - Kid's Fresh wipes, 15 ct
  • 99¢ - Nursery Water, 1 gallon
  • 99¢ - Gerber 9 oz bottle
  • 99¢ - Always 20 ct
  • 99¢ - Kotex Light
  • 99¢ - Pepsodent or Aim toothpaste, 6 oz
  • 99¢ - Colgate Total Clean Mint, .75 oz
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid dental floss
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid floss picks
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid toothbrush
  • 99¢ - Rite-Aid toothbrush covers
  • 99¢ - Yardley or Dove soap, 1 bar
  • 99¢ - Ivory soap, 3 bar pack
  • 99¢ - Pure Spring net sponge
  • 99¢ -Udderly Smooth Cream, 4 oz
  • 99¢ - Always, Carefree, Carefree Ultra, or Kotex Lightdays Pantiliners, 16-22 ct
  • 99¢ - Hall's, Ricola, or Luden's cough drop, 19-30 ct
  • 99¢ - Gel patch or heat therapy patch
  • 99¢ - ReNu eye drops, 2 oz
  • 99¢ - Ocean nasal spray, 3.5 oz
  • 99¢ - Carmex, Blistex, or Nivea lip balm, 0.15-0.35 oz
  • 99¢ - Softlips or LypSyl
  • 99¢ - Snapple tea, 16 oz
  • 99¢ - Poland Spring spring water, 1.5 liter or 3 liter bottle
  • $1.00 - Zone nutritional bars, single serve
  • $1.00 - Selected Easter candy
Check out Money Saving Mom for more Rite-Aid deals!

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Under a Buck at Walgreens 2/28/10 - 3/6/10

Trying to keep your Walgreens bill low, but don't have time to go through coupons or figure out complex Register Rewards deals?

Here are some of the items that are under $1.00 this week.  All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.  A * means that an in-ad coupon is required.
  • 34¢ - Bowl Fresh *
  • 34¢ - Walgreens bar soap, 4 oz *
  • 50¢ - Sweet Time Jelly Beans, 10 oz *
  • 50¢ - Ajax cleanser 14 oz *
  • 50¢ - Walgreens panty liners, 22 pack*
  • 59¢ - Altoids, 1.05 or 1.76 oz
  • 59¢ - Tuf paper towels, single roll *
  • 59¢ - Walgreens aluminum foil, 20 sq ft *
  • 67¢ - King size Easter candy *
  • 69¢ - Gum, Trident 12 or 18 piece or Dentyne 12 piece *
  • 79¢ - Walgreens select snacks, 2-4.75 oz *
  • 79¢ - Pringles Grab and Go, 2.6 oz *
  • 79¢ - Walgreens water, 1 gallon *
  • 79¢ - Campbell's cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, 10.75 oz *
  • 89¢ - Ajax dish liquid, 16 oz *
  • 99¢ - Nabisco cookies or crackers, 3-8 oz
  • 99¢ - Chicken of the Sea pink salmon or solid white tuna, 5 oz *
  • 99¢ - Walgreens bags, double zipper sandwich or storage 20-50 ct*
  • 99¢ - Walgreens bags, fold and close sandwich 150 ct *
  • 99¢ - Walgreens plates, paper, 6 or 9 in, 72 ct *
  • 99¢ - Walgreens plates, foam, 8-7/8 in, 40 ct *
  • 99¢ - Lindsay olives, 5 or 6 oz *
  • 99¢ - Air freshener, Renuzit adjustable 7.5 oz or Glade spray 9 oz
  • 99¢ - Nivea lip care *
  • 99¢ - Walgreens cotton balls, 70 or 100 pack *
  • 99¢ - Studio 35 nail polish remover, 8 oz *
  • 99¢ - Johnson & Johnson floss, 55 yds *
  • 99¢ - Reach Prevent toothbrush *
  • 99¢ - Listerine mouthwash, 3.2 oz *
  • 99¢ - Barbasol shaving cream, 11 oz *
  • 99¢ - Pure Silk shaving cream, 9.5 oz *
  • 99¢- Carmex lip balm, .15 to .35 oz *
  • 99¢ - Colgate Total Advanced or Enamel Strength toothpaste, 4 oz (buy one at $2.99, get $2 ECB)
  • $1.00 - Walgreens cough or throat drops, 21 to 30 ct *
  • $1.00 - Smart Water, 1 liter
  • $1.00 - Powerade, 32 oz
  • $1.00 - Vitaminwater, 20 oz
  • $1.00 - Theater Pack or King Size candy 
Of course, by using coupons and figuring out Register Rewards deals, you can get some of these items and many more for less or even for free!  Check out Money Saving MomFrugal Shopping with Julie, Coupon Geek, and Deal Seeking Mom for more Walgreens deals!

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Friday, February 26, 2010

10,000 visits! Thank you!

According to Sitemeter, I've had 10,000 visits since I started Frugal Follies in January.  Thank you all for visiting!  I'm shocked and humbled that so many people would take time out of their day to see my site.  I appreciate all of you for coming, and I hope to continue to give you good insight, good information, and most of all, good deals!
Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Under a Buck at CVS 2/28/10 - 3/6/10

Are you trying to keep your CVS bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons or figure out complex ECB deals this week?  Or are you so focused on using coupons that you've missed the best price deals?

Here are some of the items that are on sale for under $1.00 this week, without coupons.  The only thing you'll need is your CVS card.
  • FREE - Power Bar Energy Gel Blasts, 2.12 oz (buy one at $1.50, get $1.50 ECBs)
  • 49¢ - Campbell's chicken noodle soup, 10.75 oz
  • 49¢ - Swanson chicken broth, 14 oz
  • 50¢ - Gold Emblem spices (buy one at $.99, get one free)
  • 60¢ - Hershey's or Nestle singles (buy two at $.89, get one free)
  • 77¢ - VO5 shampoo or conditioner
  • 88¢ - Assorted Easter candy
  • 88¢ - Gold Emblem jelly beans
  • 88¢ - Gold Emblem candy, 1-9.5 oz bag
  • 89¢ - CVS brand facial tissues, 110 ct
  • 99 ¢- Softsoap body wash, 15-18 oz (buy one at $4.99, get $4 ECBs)
  • 99¢ - Irish Spring body wash, 15-18 oz (buy one at $4.99, get $4 ECBs)
  • 99¢ - RTH soft white light bulbs
  • $1.00 - Rice-a-Roni, 6.8-6.9 oz
  • $1.00 - Pepsi products, 2 liter bottle (buy 3 for $4, get $1 ECB)
  • $1.00 - Easter decorated cookie
  • $1.00 - Gold Emblem kettle corn 4 oz
  • $1.00 - Gold Emblem chicken broth, 14.5 oz
  • $1.00 - Select snack and grocery items
Of course, if you do use coupons and work ECB deals, you can purchase many other items for under a buck or even for free!  Check out Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom, "Deal"icious MomMid Atlantic Deals and Steals, Coupon Geek, and The Centsible Sawyer for more CVS deals.

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Welcome Friday Followers!

Friday Follow
I'm so glad you've come by today, and I hope you find some great blogs to follow!

This weekend I'll be participating in March Freezer Cooking Day.  Check out my initial post here and then my cooking list.  Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend. I'll post a final report here on Monday night.

I've also posted an article titled Where Amy Dacyczyn Went Wrong that contains a video clip to a November 2009 interview with her.  (I think she's great, don't get me wrong!)  Check it out!

Be sure to check out my linkup, Wednesday Weekly Shopping.  My other linkup, Friday Follies, is on hiatus this week.

And as usual, I have my Under a Buck series, where I highlight the cheapest items at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Publix, and Winn-Dixie.

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment so I know you've been here, and I'll return the favor!

Want to be part of Friday Follow? Add your blog to the list below and feel free to visit a few or many or even all of the blogs listed below. For a full list of rules for Friday Follow, visit One 2 Try.


MckLinky Blog Hop


Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Where Amy Dacyczyn Went Wrong

Looking for Amy Dacyczyn?  Check out the video below as well as this 2009 Amy Dacyczyn interview.

I was really happy when I went to link up the latest installment of my Selling Used Books Online series to Tightwad Tuesday at Canadagirl's blog, Raising 4 Godly Men, to see a recent video interview with Amy Dacyczyn.  It was great to see her speaking, and to see the farmhouse she talked so much about in The Complete Tightwad Gazette.  Check out the video here.

Most of her advice still works in 2010, and I still find her and her books inspirational.  But I did learn one thing from her book that kept me from saving the maximum on my groceries until recently: In the article "The Scoop on Coupons" on page 55-58 of The Tightwad Gazette Volume I, Dacyczyn seems to dismiss couponing as a way to save money on groceries.

She rightfully asks the reader to consider whether alternative forms of purchase, such as buying in bulk, making homemade, or buying a store brand, would save you more than using coupons.  And in some cases, she is right.  I have brought coupons to the store to by a name-brand items that I needed and wasn't on sale, and by comparing prices I have found that it would be cheaper to buy the store brand without the coupon.

However, I fail to see how using these strategies could save me more than purchasing a name-brand item on sale and with a manufacturer's coupon and/or a store coupon and/or a customer rewards program.  For instance, no amount of bulk buying would allow me to get 13 ounces of pasta for 3 cents.   Granted, today's couponer has a lot more information and available coupons than Dacyczyn did in the early '90's.  Today there are printable coupons, coupons sold on eBay or clipping websites, coupons databases, and, of course, blogs that detail great deals.  So it is a lot easier to get amazing deals today than it used to be.

But because of her advice, I never looked into using coupons as a way of saving money.  Instead I bought in bulk, made things from scratch, and bought store brands.  And certainly, I did save some money, more than if I had bought name-brand items not on sale.  But since I started using coupons, I've brought my monthly groceries bill from $500-$800 per month down to $200-$400, and I know I still have a lot of room for improvement!

So I guess the moral of the story is that not everyone has all the answers that are right for you, and that you need to check out different ideas and consider different options.  And yes, I still love Amy Dacyczyn and The Tightwad Gazette!
Bookmark and Share

Read more...

March Freezer Cooking Days: Cooking list

As I posted here, I'm looking forward to again participating in March Freezer Cooking Days!  Again, this will be hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

I'm looking forward to getting some yummy additions to my freezer.  I loved having beans already cooked and ready for burritos and stews, and they were so much better (and so much less expensive) than canned beans!  When a meal needed an extra addition, it was so easy to reach in the freezer and get some whole-wheat French bread and make a quick garlic bread out of it.  And when someone ate all the cookies before the end of the school week (gee, I wonder who could've done that?), it was a relief to just grab a roll of cookie dough, slice off a dozen cookies, and bake them.  Almost no mess at all!

So this is what I'll be making over the next few days for the freezer:

  • 1 package red kidney beans, cooked in the crockpot
  • 1 package black beans, cooked in the crockpot
  • Crystal's Crockpot Italian Chicken (I'll add onions, mushrooms, and peppers as well)
  • 4 loaves whole wheat French bread (and this time I'll be sure to have enough yeast on hand)
  • 4 rolls chocolate chip freezer cookie dough
In addition, I'll also be baking the following for eating right away:
Please follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to follow my progress throughout the weekend. I'll post a final report here on Monday night.

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

March Freezer Cooking Days

Coming up this Friday...  March Freezer Cooking Days!  Again, this will be hosted by FishMama at Life as MOM and Crystal at Money Saving Mom.

I'm looking forward to participating again.  Last month, I made and froze cooked dried beans, tomato sauce, chicken broth, whole-wheat French bread, and cookie dough, among other things.  It was so great to have these ingredients ready in my freezer to be made into delicious, quick meals.

This month, my freezer is still pretty full with purchases from the Albertsons closing sale, but I'm sure I'll have room for some of those items and a few new things.

Tomorrow I'll be posting my plans for the March Freezer Cooking Days.  And I'll be posting my progress on Twitter and Facebook throughout the weekend.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!  And then I'll post a final report here, with pictures of all my bounty.

If you'd like to participate as well, check this post at Life as MOM.

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Under a Buck at Publix 2/25/10 - 3/3/10

Want to get a great deal at Publix, but don't have the time to clip coupons? Here's a list of some of the items under $1.00 this week at Publix, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad.

  • 50¢ - Fancy Feast gourmet cat food, 3 oz can
  • 69¢ - Green Giant canned vegetables, 11-15.25 oz can (buy one at $1.37, get one free)
  • 82¢ - Del Monte tomatoes 14.5 oz can (buy one at $1.63, get one free)
  • 85¢ - Knorr Sides, 4-6.4 oz pouch (buy one at $1.69, get one free)
  • 89¢ - Alberto VO5 shampoo or conditioner, 15 oz bottle
  • 99¢ - Red Delicious apples, large, per lb
  • 99¢ - California navel oranges, per lb
  • $1.00 - Glaceau Smartwater, 1 liter bottle

Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well!

Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Lotsa pasta

I invite you to link to your best grocery deals below!

So this week was the start of the Italian Days sale at Publix, and I went a little crazy there. I was down to my last box of whole wheat pasta, which we eat a lot of in this family, so I was really happy to see Mueller's penne BOGO at $1.39. So I bought a lot. Twelve boxes, to be exact.

This week I was able to keep my spending down to $45.43! Of course, we ate a lot of things I had bought at the Albertsons closing sale. And I still had a lot of fresh veggies and fruit from previous weeks.



I made a stop at Walmart to get some plastics and some other food. I neglected to take a picture at the time, but I bought all this, some apple juice concentrate, and tortillas, for $17.08.

I made a trip to Target to get a birthday present (not included in this list), but I checked their prices for bananas, milk, and bread.  They were cheaper than Publix!  So I got those items.  I used the remainder of a gift card to pay, so I only paid $1.64 out of pocket.

I went to CVS and got free Aussie shampoo, as well as some aspirin and shampoo for my husband.  I used up the rest of my ECBs to pay for that stuff, so it was $1.40 out of pocket.


And lastly, I took four trips to Publix.  One trip I just bought 2 Fiber One yogurts which cost $1.50 after BOGO and coupons.  A second trip, I bought six boxes of pasta for 17 cents!  A third, I bought some milk and apples and more pasta, and the fourth I bought all the stuff above, along with some Charmin and pudding I bought at Walgreens with expiring Register Rewards and only paid $1.40.  The total from the Publix trips was $23.92.

See all of my shopping details here.

Check out the following to see how others shopped this week!
How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. Please link directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



Bookmark and Share

Read more...

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Shopping details 2/23/10


In my Wednesday Weekly Shopping posts, I post pictures of my great finds as well as a spreadsheet of everything (and I mean everything) I bought this week. But I imagine that some people aren't all that interested in seeing the gory details. So I've decided to post the spreadsheet separately and post a link to this post in my Wednesday Weekly Shopping post for that week. Sound good?

Okay, here's what I got for $45.43 this week:


Product Quantity Price Total - Coupon TOTAL Details
CVS





Aussie shampoo 1 $2.99 $2.99 $2.99 $0.00
Prell shampoo 1 $3.99 $3.99
$3.99
CVS aspirin 1 $1.99 $1.99
$1.99
$5 ECB


$5.00 -$5.00
tax

$0.42
$0.42







Walmart





groceries 1 $19.26 $19.26 $2.18 $17.08







Publix





Fiber One yogurt 4-pack 2 $1.25 $2.50 $1.00 $1.50
milk 1 $3.19 $3.19
$3.19
bananas 1.72 $0.69 $1.19
$1.19
apples 1 $2.49 $2.49
$2.49
bread 2 $1.99 $3.98
$3.98
Mueller's ww pasta 12 $0.70 $8.34 $6.00 $2.34
$1 off grocery item 3
$0.00 $3.00 -$3.00
juice boxes 1 $2.50 $2.50
$2.50
Parmesan cheese 1 $3.00 $3.00 $1.00 $2.00
Knox gelatin 2 $1.39 $2.78 $8.00 -$5.22
Goodnites 1 $15.99 $15.99 $4.00 $11.99
tax

$0.96
$0.96







Target





bread 1 $1.99 $1.99
$1.99
bananas 2.7 $0.44 $1.19
$1.19
milk 1 $2.99 $2.99
$2.99
gift card


$4.53 -$4.53







Walgreens





Charmin 2 $3.49 $6.98 $0.50 $6.48
Royal pudding 2 $0.25 $0.50
$0.50
$6 RR

$0.00 $6.00 -$6.00
tax

$0.42
$0.42







Total Out-of-Pocket



$45.43





Bookmark and Share

Read more...
Next Post Previous Post Home
Content © 2010-2014 by Frugal Follies.   © Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008