October 2010 | Frugal Follies

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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Menu Plan 11/1/10: Where's the beef?

The freezer is getting emptier and emptier... just in time for a Freezer Cooking weekend next weekend. So, we'll help the emptying along this week and try to use up stuff that's been in the freezer for a while, so as to make room for the new!

I'm out of beef, so none of that this week. But I do have lots of leftover sliced turkey, which I'll incorporate into a couple of meals this week, as well as some turkey salad for lunches. I have some beans cooked in the crockpot, so those will work their way into a veggie chili. And I still have a loaf of whole wheat French bread, which will be transformed into garlic bread one night.

So here's the plan for this week:

Monday - turkey and veggie stir-fry over brown rice

Tuesday - whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, garlic bread, Caesar salad

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on whole wheat pizza dough, cut-up veggies

Thursday - veggie chili over whole wheat pasta

Friday - sliced turkey, brown rice, salad, challah

Saturday - banana pancakes, fruit

Sunday - takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

atTENding to Our Finances in 2010 November update

Time once again to update our financial goals, which I posted at the beginning of the year.

Our first goal was to save up for our daughter's bat mitzvah, which occurred at the beginning of the month. We thought we had budgeted correctly for this; it turns out that there were several unplanned expenditures, which we had to pay for out of our other savings (which was our second goal). So this month was spent restoring our savings.

So, we did not work much on our third goal, which was to pay off our home equity line of credit. We did make a small principal payment as well as an interest payment. But we have only paid off approximately 9% of the loan amount from the beginning of the year.

I'll be doing a few things to help increase our income over the next several months, so that we can throw more money at the home equity line. These include:

Selling used books online
Selling other unneeded household goods on eBay and Craigslist
Holding a yard sale
Doing some freelance work
More blogging!

How are you doing on your 2010 financial goals? Post them (or a link to your blog) in the comments.

Check out more financial goals at Saving on a Shoestring @ Cha-Ching on a Shoestring, Coupon Teacher, and Money Saving Mom.

Free sample of Prilosec

Here's another great freebie - a free sample of Prilosec.

Click here for your free sample.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sign up for Upromise and save for college!

Who doesn't need to save more for their children's (or grandchildren's) college education? You can sign up for Upromise and help save for college while you shop for groceries, buy items online, or eat out. It's easy and it really helps!

Sign up for Upromise here.

Under a Buck at Rite Aid 10/31/10 - 11/6/10

Got a great Rite Aid deal? Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Rite Aid bill low, but don't have time to go through coupons? Or are you so focused on using coupons that you miss the best price deals on items without coupon matchups?

Here are some of the items that are at or under $1.00 this week. All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store. This list is based on an online ad scan; please check your own circular to be sure that the deals are available in your area. You'll also need your Wellness+ card for these deals.

44¢ - Clark, Hershey's, or Reese's single serve candy
67¢ -Hershey's, Reese's, Mars, or Nestle, 8 pack or king size or theater box (buy 3 for $3, get $1 +UP reward)
70¢ - Soy Joy nutritional bars, single serve
99¢ - Russell Stover sugar-free bagged candy
99¢ - St. Ives apricot skin rub, 10 oz, or collagen moisturizer, 10 oz, or Naturally Clear Clenser, 6.75 oz, or Naturally Clear Scrub, 4 oz (buy one at $3.99, get $3 single check rebate, limit one rebate)
99¢ - Dawn or Joy dish liquid, 9.5-12.6 oz
99¢ - Puffs facial tissue, 56 or 108 ct
$1.00 - Rite Aid trail mix, 6 oz, or cookies or crackers, 8-12 oz (buy 2 at $3, get $1 +UP reward)
$1.00 - Combos, Burger King, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardettos, or TGI Fridays snacks, 3-8.75 oz (buy 2 at $3, get $1 +UP reward)

Check out the following for more Rite Aid deals:

See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Friday, October 29, 2010

More ALDI in South Florida... and a giveaway!

More great news about ALDI coming to South Florida! Not only are there two stores opening this Thursday, November 11, but another store will open in Pembroke Pines in December. The address of the new store is 11330 Pines Blvd.

And, there will be more ALDI stores in 2011! Here are some of the future locations, according to the Miami Herald:

Westchester, 8621 Coral Way
Tamarac, 7100 N. University Dr.
Miami Gardens, Northwest 27th Ave. and Northwest 191st St.
Cutler Bay, 19650 S. Dixie Highway
North Miami Beach, 35 Northeast 167th St.
Coral Springs, Sample Road
Delray Beach, Linton Blvd. and Military Trail

To celebrate the opening of the two new stores on Thursday, the folks over at Frugality Is Free are having a great giveaway - 5 $25 ALDI gift certificates. What a great way to celebrate the new openings! And what a great way to try out the new stores for South Floridians, or to visit the stores in your area! Check out the giveaway here.

Expiring coupons - print now!

There are lots of coupons expiring on Coupons.com this weekend - better print now before they're gone!

Here's a list of them:

Under a Buck at Walgreens 10/31/10 - 11/6/10

Got a great Walgreens deal? Leave a comment below!

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. This list is based on an ad scan; please double-check your local ad to see if these bargains are applicable in your area.

FREE - Zarbee's cough syrup, 4 oz (buy one at $5.99, get $5.99 RR)
34¢ - Hunt's tomato sauce, 8 oz *
49¢ - Mars candy, 1.10-2.17 oz *
50¢ - Campbell's chicken noodle or tomato soup, 10.75 oz
59¢ - Dominos brown or confectioner's sugar, 16 oz *
69¢ - Trident gum, 18 pieces *
69¢ - Stride gum, 14 pieces *
79¢ - Old Dominion brittle candy, 4-8 oz
79¢ - Nips, 4 oz
89¢ - General Mills, Post, or Kellogg's cereal cups, 1.3-2.5 oz
89¢ - Kraft Easy Mac cups, 2.05 oz
89¢ - Ajax dish liquid, 16 oz *
99¢ - Alkaline batteries, AA or AAA, 4 pack
99¢ - Alkaline batteries, C or D, 2 pack
99¢ - Alkaline batters, 9 volt, single
99¢ - Chicken of the Sea pink salmon, 5 oz *
99¢ - Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz *
99¢ - Walgreens plastic bags, double zipper, 20 to 50 pack *
99¢ - Walgreens plastic bags, fold & close, 150 pack *
99¢ - Carefree pantiliners, 22 ct *
99¢ - Walgreens cotton balls, 70-100 pack *
99¢ - Studio 35 nail polish remover, 8 oz *
$1.00 - Evian, 1 liter
$1.00 - Smartwater, 1 liter
$1.00 - Powerade, 32 oz
$1.00 - Nestle, Hershey's, or Mars candy, 8 pack
$1.00 - Walgreens isopropyl alcohol, 16 oz *
$1.00 - Salonpas patch, single *
$1.00 - Walgreens petroleum jelly, 3.75 oz *

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 these sites for more Walgreens deals.

See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Under a Buck at CVS 10/31/10 - 11/6/10

Got a great CVS deal? Leave a comment below!

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 at or under $1.00 this week, without coupons. The only thing you'll need is your CVS card. The information below is based on my local (South Florida) ad; please check your local ad to be sure that the deals are available in your area.

40¢ - Friskies cat food, 5.5 oz
67¢ - Gold Emblem baking soda, 16 oz
77¢ - Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, 14 oz
77¢ - VO5 shampoo or conditioner, 15 oz
97¢ - Dawn dish liquid, 9.5-10.3 oz
97¢ - Puffs facial tissue, 60-108 ct
99¢ - Nips, 4 oz
$1.00 - Select grocery and snack items

Of course, if you do use coupons and figure out ECB deals, you can purchase many other items for under a buck or even for free! Check out these sites for great CVS deals:

See what I bought this week at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

Join Right@Home and get great coupons!

Join the Right@Home mailing list and great great tips, recipes, and most importantly, coupons from S.C. Johnson & Son, the maker of brands such as Windex, Glade, Ziploc, Oust, Raid, and other products.

Click here to join the list.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Aldi opens November 11 in South Florida!

Great news for my South Florida readers... Aldi, the discount chain known for rock-bottom prices, is opening two stores in South Florida on Thursday, November 11! The locations are:

3825 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach
3301 N. State Rd. 7, Lauderdale Lakes

I will be definitely checking out these stores, and I'll report back on whether I think the Aldi prices are good deals or not. So stay tuned!

For my readers who shop at Aldi - what do you find to be good deals there? What don't you buy there? Any other Aldi advice? Please leave a comment below!

Under a Buck at Publix 10/28/10 - 11/3/10

Want to get a great deal at Publix, but don't have the time to clip coupons or figure out deals? Here's a list of some of the items at or under $1.00 this week at Publix, according to the weekly (South Florida) ad. Please check your local ad to be sure that these deals are available in your area. The price listed for the buy one, get one free (BOGO) items is per item; in most areas you will be required to buy two of the item to get that price.

50¢ - Corn, each
59¢ - Alberto VO5 shampoo or conditioner, 15 oz bottle
75¢ - Uncle Ben's Country Inn Rice, 6 oz box (BOGO)
90¢ - Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Garden Delight pasta, 12 or 13.25 oz package (BOGO)
95¢ - Hunt's tomatoes, 28 oz can (BOGO)
95¢ - Hunt's tomato sauce or puree, 29 oz can (BOGO)
99¢ - Pears, per pound
99¢ - Royal Gala apples, per pound
99¢ - Lipton Recipe Secrets onion soup, 2 ct package
$1.00 - Oscar Mayer Basic Lunchables, 3.3-4.5 oz package
$1.00 - Pedigree Complete Nutrition dog food, 22 oz can

Check out Wednesday Weekly Shopping to see what bargains I snagged this week, and link up your bargains as well! And check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

This post is part of BeCentsAble's Grocery Gathering.

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

Last week, I waxed poetically about my Mom's brunch casseroles with a recipe for blintz souffle. This week, another cheapie, yummy casserole - Hash Brown Potato Casserole. It's not the most healthy of dishes, but it is super delicious. And, you can assemble it the night before and keep in the refrigerator until the next morning, then bake it. And who doesn't like a simple breakfast preparation?

Hash Brown Potato Casserole.

2 lbs. frozen hash browns, slightly thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup sour cream (low-fat is okay)
1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix the ingredients. Spread into a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven, covered, for 1 hour. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal Follies. Click here for the list!

Check out more recipes at:

What's on the Menu Wednesday
Ultimate Recipe Swap Thursday
Food on Fridays
Friday Feasts
Recipe Trader Sunday
Mouthwatering Monday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Tuesdays at the Table
Foodie Friday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Homemaker Monday
Finer Things Friday
Cooking Thursday
Weekly Recipe Swap
Real Food Wednesday
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Meatless Monday Recipes
Meals with My Deals
Tuesday Tastes
Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits at Grocery Shop for Free and Permanent Posies
Friday Potluck
Food Trip Friday
Vegetarian Foodie Fridays
Friday Favorites at The Big Red Pot
Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home

Axe Dry Phoenix free sample

Get a free sample of Axe Dry Phoenix through Freeflys.

I love getting free samples in the mail - if I can't use them, I'll donate them for someone in need. What could be better than that?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Loads of ECBs and RRs

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

I went shopping and came back with over $21! It's in CVS's Extra Care Bucks and Walgreens's Register Rewards. Can't wait to spend them this week and get lots of stuff for free!

This week, I limited my shopping to those two stores and to Winn-Dixie. Because I hadn't totaled my expenditures from the drug stores, I went slightly over budget this week, by about three dollars. No big deal, since I had been well below budget for the past few weeks.

At CVS, I got some Nutri-Grain bars (which my husband brings to work) for less than $1 after ECBs. And at Walgreens, I got Mucinex and Blistex free after RRs, and Bufferin free after store and manufacturer's coupons. And I will put in for the refund as well, making it a great money-maker.

Other than that, I loaded up on candy for Halloween, juice boxes, and canned food for my daughter to contribute to the Junior Honor Society's Thanksgiving baskets for the less fortunate. It's nice to be able to give so generously.

Overall, I spent $83.43 for items worth $163.83, or a 49% savings.

See all my shopping 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 up 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!

Shopping details 10/27/10

Here's what I got this week for $83.43:

Product	Quantity	Shelf Price	Total	- Coupon	- Savings	TOTAL	Details
CVS
milk	1	$3.19	$3.19	$3.00		$0.19	$1 ECB
Nestle candy	2	$4.49	$8.98	$2.00	$2.98	$4.00
NutriGrain bars	6	$4.19	$25.14	$3.00	$7.14	$15.00	$10 ECB
tax			$0.30			$0.30

Walgreens
mandarin oranges	4	$1.29	$5.16	$3.16		$2.00
Angel Soft toilet paper	1	$5.49	$5.49	$0.50		$4.99
Mucinex	1	$7.99	$7.99			$7.99	$8 RR
Capri Sun	4	$2.00	$8.00	$2.00		$6.00
Ricola cough drops	2	$1.00	$2.00	$1.00		$1.00
Coffeemate	2	$2.49	$4.98	$1.50	$2.29	$1.19
Blistex	1	$2.59	$2.59			$2.59	$2.60 RR
Bufferin	1	$5.99	$5.99	$6.00		-$0.01
$3 off $10				$3.00		-$3.00
tax			$0.63			$0.63

Winn-Dixie
Juicy Juice boxes	4	$3.49	$13.96	$2.00	$6.98	$4.98
apple juice	1	$1.50	$1.50			$1.50
Ragu alfredo sauce	2	$2.69	$5.38		$2.38	$3.00
Wheat Thins	2	$3.39	$6.78	$2.00	$1.78	$3.00
WD canned corn	5	$0.80	$4.00		$1.50	$2.50
WD canned green beans	5	$0.80	$4.00		$1.50	$2.50
Pompeian olive oil	2	$5.99	$11.98		$5.99	$5.99
WD whole wheat bread	2	$2.69	$5.38		$2.69	$2.69
Nestle candy	4	$3.49	$13.96	$2.00	$6.98	$4.98
bananas	1.91	$0.69	$1.32			$1.32
3 lb apples	2	$4.99	$9.98		$6.00	$3.98
red grapes	2.07	$2.49	$5.15		$1.03	$4.12
			$0.00			$0.00
Total Out-of-Pocket			$163.83	$31.16	$49.24	$83.43

Crest Pro Health free sample

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Things I still buy, and maybe should

I admit it - I'm frugal, and yet I buy juice boxes.

Back a few months ago, I wrote a post called Things I Buy, But Shouldn't. In it, I listed several items that I purchased, but felt like I should find a more frugal substitute. Included were juice boxes, applesauce cups, fresh herbs, instant oatmeal, tortillas, and sandwich bread.

Since then, I've made progress on none of them. Why?

Juice boxes - This one I tried, I really tried. I purchased small plastic juice bottles from Walmart, and filled them daily with cheaper juice. But...the kids never drank all the juice in the bottles, and the bottles leaked. I tried asking them to put their juice bottles in a zippered plastic bag, but they still forgot. And the juice spilled all over their lunch bags, and sometimes out the lunch bags and onto their homework. Not good.

So we're back to juice boxes. Although perhaps I could try a thermos, which might not leak as much. Hmmm...

Applesauce cups - I did use some reusable cups to spoon applesauce in. But then, I found a great deal at Target on applesauce cups, which made them cheaper than buying a jar of applesauce. So we are back to cups now, but when they run out, I might go back to making them myself.

Fresh herbs - Another one I tried. I purchased a window herb garden from Home Depot and put it on the sunniest, south-facing window ledge. And of the four herbs, two grew okay, but spindly, and the other two failed to sprout. Yes, I could plant outside, but then I'd have to battle the bugs. So we are still on dried herbs, with occasional purchases of parsley, basil, and cilantro (like for my Cilantro Pesto).

I'll touch on oatmeal, tortillas, and bread in my next post on this subject.

Free Fall Photo Calendar

Right on the heels of the free Halloween tote bag, here's another great freebie: Create your own free fall photo calendar! You can choose either a wall calendar or desk calendar, and you customize it with photos and text. All you'll pay is shipping and handling. Go here to get your free fall calendar.

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