Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 3/22/09


I posted a lot of information about my family and how we plan meals in this initial post. You’ll notice that my menu includes a lot of “freezer” recipes this week. In addition to participating in a freezer swap which I am loving more and more with weeks like this, I spent my spring break making and freezing a new recipe each day, so I’m starting out this week with SEVENTEEN freezer meals, which is super nice on busy weeks like this! I plan to post on my “freezerk cooking” experience soon.

SundayLasagne – I use this recipe from Barilla – I love their “oven ready” lasagne noodles. It makes the whole process so simple!

MondaySlow cooker creamy mushroom chicken – I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com several years ago.

Ingredients:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
paprika to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine (I use chicken broth as a substitute)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Sprinkle chicken breasts lightly with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Place in slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the wine (chicken broth), condensed soup, and mushrooms. In another bowl, mix together sour cream and flour. Stir sour cream mixture into the mushrooms and wine. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

TuesdayEat out or eat from freezer stash (too much going on tonight to cook!)

WednesdayChicken Tettrazini (freezer meal)

ThursdayMeatloaf (freezer meal)

FridayBaked Spaghetti (freezer meal)

SaturdayChicken enchiladas (freezer meal)

Scenario Sunday: Hot Deal on Water At Randalls/Safeway


I would have totally missed out on this deal if it weren’t for Fannie’s post on her blog.

Here’s the scoop: The Aquapod waters are 2/$4 and they are a part of the Buy 10, save $5 Mix and Match promotion (more details can be found here). There is also a catalina promotion to go along with this deal.

Here’s how it works:
Buy 10 waters at $2/each

Save an instant $5 (from the Mix & Match promotion)
Save $2 (if you have the 10% discount on your card)
Save $1 (if you have the $1/2 coupon from the 2/8 RP insert)

Spend $12 OOP, get FIVE $2 off your next purchase catalinas back (these do work like manufacturer’s coupons so if you are using them, you will have to have enough items to match up).

*You can “roll” these and do the deal over and over again…

Here’s my plan: (I’ll get $55+ worth of groceries for $22.50)

Transaction #1: Follow the “water” deal above

Transaction #2: do the “Chill out at Home” promotion
Buy 2 Safeway brand southern style hashbrown potatoes – $1.99/each
Buy 2 Eggo waffles – $1.77/each
Buy 1 Dreyer’s ice cream – $4.49/each
Buy 4 Tai Pei entrees – 2/$5 (use 2 $1/2 manufacturer’s coupons)
Buy 1 Tony’s pizza – $1.99
Buy 1 Hawaii’s Own juice – $1

Total before coupons = $25 – use 5 $2 off Ozarka catalinas, use 2 $1/2 Tai Pei coupons, $2.50 off for 10% discount

Spend $10.50 OOP, get a $10 OYNO catalina

Transaction #3: Buy other groceries I need (fruit, vegetables, milk, etc.) and use the $10 OYNO catalina

**Yes, I have done back to back transactions before when I am doing similar deals. My suggestion if you are going to do this is that you go at an “off” time (either really early in the morning or late at night). Also, if other people do come into the line, please be courteous and allow them to do their transaction before you complete your next one.

Target Deals and Scenarios for the week of 3/22/09


Don’t forget to enter my $10 Target gift card giveaway here.

WEEKLY AD GIFT CARD OFFER:

Buy 2 Schick Intuition Plus, Quattro for Women, or Quattro Titanium razors (priced at $6.99), get a $5 Target gift card

Here’s a scenario for you:
Buy 1 Schick Intuition Plus and 1 Schick Quattro razor – $6.99/each

Use $4 Schick Intuition Plus manufacturer’s coupon
Use $4 Schick Quattro manufacturer’s coupon
Use $5 Target gift card (if you have one….I always keep one on hand to “roll” into deals like this!)

Spend $.98 OOP, get another $5 Target gift card

**You can keep doing this deal over and over again if you have extra coupons. The Coupon Clippers still has Schick Quattro coupons available, but they are out of the Schick Intution coupons. They still have Schick Intution coupons available on eBay.

Here are the new coupons that are available on Target.com: (these expire 4/11/09)

*$1 off Archer Farms® artisan bread Bakery Dept.
There are small “artisan breads” priced at $.99 in the bakery area, so they are FREE with the coupon!

*$1 off 5-lb. bag Green Giant Russet Potatoes Excludes organic

*1.50 off 1-lb. or more Archer Farms® bulk deli meat Deli Dept.

*50¢ off Hostess snack cakes
.50/1 Hostess Snack Cakes, Any Family Size Package – 02-22-09 RP
.50/1 Hostess 100 Calorie Packs, Any – 01-11-09 RP
.50/1 Hostess 100 calorie packs printable here

*50¢ off Ming Tsai frozen meals

*$1 off 40-ct. Bagel Bites
$1/2 printable coupon here

*$1 off With purchase of two Eggo frozen waffles

*$1 off Cheetos snack
Buy the small bags by the registers. They are priced at $1.19 at my stores, so $.19 after coupon!

*$1 off Pop Secret popcorn
$1/2 Pop Secret microwave popcorn, any boxes – 03-08-09 SS
$1/2 Pop-Secret Microwave Popcorn, Any Boxes – 02-08-09 GM
$1/2 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn, Any – Eat Better America booklet (click on the link to get your free coupon book in the mail – mine came really fast!)

*$1 off 5.5-oz. Febreeze candle
Febreze Candle (1) And Get (1) Febreze Air Effects Free – 03-01-09 PG

*$1 off Pledge furniture care product
$3/2 Pledge products, $2 off Pledge multi-surface cleaner, $2 off Pledge Fabric sweeper for pets printable coupons here

These printables expire on 3/28/09: (These coupons are no longer available for print on Target.com, but you can print them from the Target coupon generators on A Full Cup or Hot Coupon World)

.50/1 Archer Farms All Natural lunch meat

.50/1 Archer Farms cookies from the bakery department (6 ct)

.50/1 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-ups OR Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Stickerz Fruit Flavored Snacks, Any – 03-08-09 SS

.50/2 Market Pantry soups

$1/1 Motts single serve applesauce (4 or 6 pk)
These are $1.67 for all varieties at my stores. There is a $1/1 Target printable coupon and a .55/1 printable coupon here. This makes them .12 each!

.75/1 Pepperidge Farm 100 calorie packs

$1/1 Planters NUTrition

.50/1 Rice Krispies treats
$1/2 Kelloggs Rice Krispies Treats, 2 – 03-15-09 RP

$1/1 Shout stain remover, excludes trial size

.50/1 Silk soymilk

$1/1 Soft Scrub cleanser (24, 26, or 36 oz)
.50/1 Soft Scrub Product, Any – 01-04-09 SS

$2/1 Sutton & Dodge steakhouse quality choice Angus beef steak or roastLook for smaller packages of meat ($4-5) and get some very cheap beef!

Other deals:

Gillette Men’s Body Wash/Shampoo – Target carries a smaller size (8 oz) that is $2. use the $2/1 coupons from the 3/1 PG insert and get them for free! (my husband LOVES this stuff)

Huggies Gentle Care wipes – If you have the “original” Huggies Gentle Care coupon, it says good on “ANY” Gentle Care item. The bags of wipes are priced at $5.99 at Target making them $.99/bag with the $5 off coupon. I was almost out of my stash from the Target December 2007 wipes deal, so I am loving all these new great deals! Also, the Coupons.com Huggies $5 and $3 coupons have been reset, but now they specific on “diapers” only.

Scenario Sunday: CVS deals for the week of 3/22

If you are just learning how to shop at CVS, start here for some helpful tips.

The coupon match-ups for the weekly deals are here.

Overall, this looks like a pretty slow week at CVS, so it’s probably not the best time to get started or to use your ECBs unless you have some that are expiring that you need to “roll.”

The following are scenarios for people who are “new” to shopping at CVS or who have very few ECBs to start with: (these are just ideas….you do not have to follow this exact order and you can skip some items if you do not need them or don’t have the coupons that match up with them) – get $12.48 in merchandise for $3.99 OOP

Transaction #1:
Buy Crest Pro-Health Enamel Care – $3.49

Use $1 manufacturer’s coupon

Spend $2.49 OOP, get $3.49 ECB

Transaction #2:
Buy Schick Quattro for women or Intuition Plus razor – $8.99

Use $4 manufacturer’s coupon
Use $3.49 ECB from Crest

Spend $1.50, get $3 ECB

My Transactions for the week: $20.47 in merchandise for $0 OOP
Buy Crest Pro-Health Enamel Care – $3.49
Buy Schick Quattro for women or Intuition Plus razor – $8.99
Buy Excedrin Migraine – $7.99

Use $1 Crest coupon
Use $4 Schick coupon
Use $2 Excedrin coupon

Total before coupons = $20.47
Total after coupons = $13.47

Spend $13.47 (pay w/ ECBs), earn $8.49 (I will be losing some ECBs, but these are all things I need)

More printable coupons!

*Click here to print a coupon for $1/1 Del Monte Fruit Chillers tubes. Summer is just around the corner and kids will love these, but you can only print the coupon through 3/31.

*On Coupons.com (see the blue link on the sidebar), there are coupons for several Hasbro children’s games:
$5/1 Elefun
$5/1 Gator Golf
$5/1 Guess Who? Extra
$5/1 Sorry Sliders
$5/1 Twister Hopscotch

In previous years, stores like Target and Toys ‘R Us have had great deals on kid games right before Easter. If this holds true again this year, these coupons will come in handy! Even if you already have these games, you can stock up on gifts.

*Click here for a $1/1 Colgate Total Care toothpaste printable coupon