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Target toy deals for the week of 9/20

September 22, 2009 by

Yesterday I highlighted some great toy and game deals at Toys ‘R Us. I did the weekly Target match-ups on Sunday, but thought I’d highlight a few of their toy and game deals today in case you’re starting your holiday shopping early!

Family Game Night Deal: Buy Hungry Hungry Hippos Game, Connect 4X4 game, Bop It! game, or Monopoly Championship Edition game – on sale for $15/each, get a 2 liter Pepsi drink and free Doritos item

There is a $4/1 printable coupon for Hungry Hungry Hippos and Connect 4X4 here – get the whole package for $11 using this coupon!

Get Pictureka Flipper, Giraffalaff Limbo, Clue Secrets & Spies, or Guesstures for $20. There are printable coupons for $5/1 Clue Secrets & Spies, $5/1 Pictureka Flipper, and $4/1 Giraffalaff Limbo here making these $15-16/each after coupon.

“Classic” games such as Othello, Rummikub, Yahtzee, Mastermind, and Rubik’s along with preschool games such as Cootie, Let’s Go Fishin’, Eric Carle From Head to Toe, and Yahtzee Jr are on sale for $7. In previous years, the cheapest I have seen these is during the Black Friday sales when they are usually about $5, so this is a great deal!

This is not in the ad, but the regular price on the Cranium preschool games is $9.99. This includes Puppy Pals Bingo, Polar Bear A-B-C, and Duck Duck 1-2-3. There is a $5 off printable Target coupon here making these $4.99/each. You can also get the regular version of Cranium for $14.99 using this coupon.

Right now, all Tag and Tag Jr. books are on sale for $9.99. There is a printable coupon for $4 off the Tag books and $3 off the Tag Junior books here. If you don’t have the Tag reading system yet, there is also a $10 off coupon making it $29.99.

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Start your Christmas shopping early: Toys ‘R Us deals

September 21, 2009 by


In looking through the ads yesterday, it looks like a lot of retailers are trying to jump start Christmas shopping. I usually try to have all of my shopping finished by Thanksgiving, so this works for me! There are some pretty good deals that you might want to take advantage of, especially if these things are on your list anyway. Don’t forget to take advantage of some of these good deals to give items away to local charity programs around the holidays.

At Toys ‘R Us, they’re celebrating Geoffrey’s birthday this week. The following “brands” are buy 2, get 1 free. All of the participating items are: LEGO, all books, all video games, all LeapFrog, all Barbie, all Star Wars Clone Wars, all PlaySkool, all Melissa & Doug puzzles, all GeoTrax, all Imaginext, all Thomas wooden engines, all K’Nex, all Mega Bloks, all Crayola Color Wonder/Explosion/Surge, all You & Me, all Disney Princess Dolls and playsets, all Just Like Home, all My Little Pony, all Littlest Pet Shop, and all Play-Dog.

The Sesame Street and Baby Einstein videos are buy one, get one free. Prices start at $5.99.

There are also some great manufacturer’s coupons and offers that will match up with these deals.

Right now, when you buy a Fisher Price TRIO building set, you get an instant $5 off. There are some sets that are priced at $5.99 that are part of this offer, so after the instant $5 off, you only pay $.99! This is one of the sets you can get for $.99:

There is also a printable manufacturer’s coupon here for $5 off with a minimum pre-tax purchase price of $10 (you can print 2 per computer). With the coupon and the instant discount, this police station would only be $4.99.

Check out all of the sets that are part of this offer here. ETA: It sounds like this deal may only be available online now 🙁 Check with your store for sure before going in.

The following Leap Frog printable coupons are available here:
$5 off any Tag Junior Book Pal
$3 off any Tag Junior Book
$10 off any Tag Reading System
$4 off any Tag Books
$10 off any Leapster Learning System
$5 off any Leapster games
$10 off any Didj Gaming system
$6 off any Didj games
$10 off any ClickStart My First Computer
$3 off any ClickStart games
$4 off any LeapFrog Learning Toys
$4 off any LeapFrog Fridge toys



For example, you can get a ClickStart My First Computer and two games for $42.98. The combined “list” price of these items is $101.97, so you’re saving over 50%! When doing the Buy 2, get one free offer, the least expensive item will always come off as the “free” item. It’s best to try to buy items that are similar in price to get the most bang for your buck. Also, if you are interested in the Tag books, they are a better deal at Target this week. You can see all of the participating Leap Frog items here.

All of the My Little Pony items are also buy 2, get 1 free. There is also a $5 off $20 My Little Pony printable coupon on Coupons.com. You can get all of this for $19.78 (after coupons and discounts):



Check out all of the participating My Little Pony items here.

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Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 9/20/09

September 21, 2009 by

This week, I’m just posting our dinner plans. Breakfast will be “fast” food on weekdays (things like cold cereal, oatmeal, waffles, and Pop Tarts). I actually cook on Saturday and Sunday. Weekday lunches will consist of leftovers and sandwiches.

If you need more recipe inspirations, download a free chicken casserole cookbook here and a free pork chops cookbook here.

If you have blogged a menu plan for the week (or even just a favorite recipe), please feel free to comment and share. I’m always looking for new ideas and inspiration and will be happy to share a link to your blog if we try your recipe!

If you need inspiration, check out the weekly meal plans from hundreds of other bloggers here at Organizing Junkie.

SUNDAY: Creamy chicken enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz-16 oz. tub of sour cream (depends how spicy you want the enchiladas)
2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (if I’m in a hurry, I use canned chicken)
1 lb. cheese, shredded
1 dozen flour tortillas (you could use corn also)

Add cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce to a pan. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When sauce is well mixed and starts to thin, add sour cream. Continue stirring occasionally until the sauce is well mixed and thinned out. Place a layer of the sauce along the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll and place in the baking dish. When you have filled all of the tortillas (this should make 1 dozen), pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and then cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is well melted.

MONDAY: Beef & broccoli (freezer meal)

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 lbs. round or sirloin steak, trimmed
– 1 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. dried onion flakes
– 1 1/2 t. onion powder
– 1 T. beef bouillon granules
– 1 1/2 t. dried parsley
– 1 T. packed brown sugar
– 2 T. soy sauce
– 16 oz. frozen broccoli

On Hand:
– 1/4 c. water
– 2 T. cornstarch
– 12 oz. linguine (we had ours over brown rice)

Assembly Directions:
-Slice beef into thin strips. Spray pan with cooking spray. Brown the steak in batches until all steak has been cooked. Remove from pan and cool. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Freezing Directions:
-Place steak in a freezer bag or rigid freezer container. Pour sauce over steak. Seal, label and freeze. (we put the broccoli in the bag too…it was originally an on hand item)

Serving Directions: (write on bag)
-Thaw in refrigerator. Make pasta (or rice) according to package directions. Drain sauce off steak into a frying pan. Heat on med-high until boiling. Mix water and cornstarch in a separate bowl or cup. Pour mixture into sauce. Return to boiling and reduce heat. Mixture will thicken. Add the meat and broccoli to the sauce and mix to coat. Heat until warm. Serve over pasta (or rice).

TUESDAY: Cream cheese chicken (slow cooker)

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper (to taste)
2 pkg. dry Ranch or Italian dressing mix (we usually only use one)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese – cut into cubes (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
½ c. chicken broth

Directions: Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot and sprinkle 1 pkg. dry mix over all. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, add soup, second packet of dry dressing mix, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Cook until smooth.
Serve over rice or pasta.

WEDNESDAY: Bubble pizza – When Carrie posted this on her blog a few weeks ago, it looked yummy and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since! I think the kids will love it (and it’s something they can help make, too, so it will be even more fun)

Ingredients:
Ground Chuck
Grands Bisquits
1 jar pizza sauce (I used Ragu’s pizza sauce)
8oz shredded pizza cheese(mozz or mozz/cheddar blend)
Toppings

Brown 1 lb. ground beef.

Cut Grands up into about 60 pieces(cut each biscuit into about 6-8 chunks) and put them in the bottom of a 9X13″ baking dish.

Drain beef and spread it out across the biscuits.

Pour in 1-2 cans/jars of pizza sauce.

Add any pizza toppings you enjoy such as black olives, onions, green pepper, pineapple, etc. Stir all of this together in the pan until everything is coated in the the sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes(biscuits will bubble up and be slightly brown on top).

Remove from oven and add 8oz shredded pizza cheese(mozz or mozz/cheddar blend). Put back in oven until cheese is melted(about 3-5 minutes), removed from oven and cut into squares.

THURSDAY: Sweet & sour pork

Ingredients:
1 t. soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
dash of salt
1/2 c. pineapple juice or water
3 T cider vinegar
2 T ketchup
Pineapple, onions, green peppers
Chopped ham

Mix ingredients in a pan. Stir constantly over low heat until thickened and translucent. Add pineapple, onion, green peppers, and ham. Serve over rice.

FRIDAY: Chicken parmigiana (slow cooker) (this is from the Year of Slow Cooking Blog)

Ingredients:
–2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
–1/2 cup bread crumbs
–1/4 cup parmesan cheese
–1/2 t Italian Seasoning
–1/4 t black pepper
–1/4 t kosher salt
–1 T olive oil
–1 beaten egg
–sliced mozzarella cheese
–favorite jarred marinara sauce

The Directions:
–spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert
–whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl
–mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish
–dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings
–place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock
–layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top
–cover with entire jar of marinara sauce
–close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

SATURDAY: Beef and noodle bake – I am not sure where this recipe came from – thanks if it’s yours!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Brown beef, garlic and onion. Drain. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Simmer 15 minutes. Mix sour cream, cream cheese and green onion. Layer cooked pasta, tomato sauce. Spread cheese mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheddar. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes or until top starts to brown.

Recipe Lion

Filed Under: Menu Planning Monday

Target deals for the week of 9-20

September 20, 2009 by


Clothing:
*Infant and toddler basic denim – $6
*Infant and toddler mix and match shirts – $5

Food and Grocery:

Healthy Choice meals – 4/$10 – use the $2/1 printable coupon here and get them for .50/each!

Market Pantry Cheese (8 oz) – $1.79/each – use the $1/2 Market Pantry cheese products coupon and get it for $1.29/each!

Market Pantry 5 lb bag of russet or red potatoes – $1.99/each

Pop Tarts and Nutrigrain bars – $2/each – get them for $1-$1.50/each (when you buy 2 boxes) using the coupons!

**Get the Pop Tarts for $1/each. Here’s the breakdown:
Buy 2 boxes Pop Tarts – $2/each

Use $1/2 Pop Tarts manufacturer’s coupon
use $1/2 Pop Tarts Target IP

Spend $2 OOP!

Here’s the breakdown for the NutriGrain bars:
Buy 2 boxes NutriGrain bars – $2/each

Use the $1/2 manufacturer’s coupon from the 8-2 inserts or the IP here

Spend $3 OOP!

**If you haven’t done the Kellogg’s Fuel for School Rebate yet, this is a great time to stock up – you will break even or it will be a moneymaker depending on which deal you are doing! (all items have to be purchased in one transaction and it has to be completed by 9/30)

Miscellaneous:

Bounty Basic single roll paper towels – $.89 – use the .25/1 Bounty coupon from the 8-30 PG insert and get it for $.64!

Health and Beauty:

Band Aid (20 ct Hello Kitty) – $1.89 – $.89 after coupon!
.50/1 Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Product, Any Excludes Trial Size – 08-02-09 SS
$1/1 Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Product, Any Excluding Trial Size – 06-28-09 SS

Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo – $3.29 – look for Target hang tags for $1/2 and get them for $1.79 after coupons (when you buy 2)
$1/1 Pantene Expressions Or Restoratives Product, Any Excludes Trial Size – 08-09-09 RP
$1/1 Pantene Expressions Or Restoratives Product, Any (excludes trial size) – 09-13-09 RP

Renu Multi-Plus contact solution – $6.50 – get it for $4.50 with the printable coupon here!

Toys and Games:

Family Game Night Deal: Buy Hungry Hungry Hippos Game, Connect 4X4 game, Bop It! game, or Monopoly Championship Edition game – on sale for $15/each, get a 2 liter Pepsi drink and free Doritos item

There is a $4/1 printable coupon for Hungry Hungry Hippos and Connect 4X4 here – get the whole package for $11 using this coupon!

All Tag and Tag Junior Reading system books – $9.99 – get them for $5.99 using the printable coupon here! (you have to register first)

**Target allows you to use one printable coupon and one manufacturer’s coupon per item. If you’re having troubles at your store, print out a copy of their official coupon policy here and keep it with you!

The following printable coupons are available for print on HCW and AFC and expire on 9/26/09: (free or close to free items are in red)

*$1.50/1 Bertolli frozen pasta meal
$1/1 printable here

*$.75/1 Breyers ice cream

*$1.50/1 Chef Michaels dry dog food – get it for .26-.49 with both coupons!
$2.50/1 Chef Michaels printable coupon here

*BOGO Chef Michael’s wet dog food – get 3 for free!
Use the printable coupon here and get 3 for free (4 if your Target store will let you use multiple store coupons)

*$.75/1 Frozen popsicle product

*$1/2 General Mills cereals (10 oz or larger)
$1/2 printable on coupons.com
$1/2 General Mills Cereal: Original Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Multigrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios, Cheerios Crunch, Banana Nut Cheerios, Any – 08-30-09 SS

*$.50/2 Hamburger Helper boxed dinners
$1/3 Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper or Chicken Helper Home Cooked Skillet Meals – 08-09-09 SS
.75/3 printable on coupons.com and smartsource.com

*$.50/1 Hellman’s mustard

*$.50/1 I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
$1/1 I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! sticks – 08-09-09 Parade

*$1/2 Market Pantry cheese products – buy 2 cheese sticks (priced at $.40 at my stores – YMMV)) for FREE!

*$.75/2 Ragu sauces – get them for $.56/each when you use both coupons!
$1/2 Ragu Pasta Sauces, Any – 08-02-09 RP or 9-13 RP

*$1/1 Slim Fast weight loss shakes
$1.40/1 Slim-Fast Ready-To-Drink or Bar Multi-Pack or Powder Canister, Any – 08-30-09 RP

*$.75/2 Wishbone salad dressings
.75/1 Wishbone Bountifuls (9.5 Oz.), Wishbone Or Wishbone Western Dressings (16 Oz.) + Or Salad Spritzers (7 Oz.), Any – 08-02-09 RP
$1/2 Wishbone Bountifuls (9.5 Oz.), Wishbone Or Wishbone Western Dressings (16 Oz.) + Or Salad Spritzers (7 Oz.), Any – 08-02-09 RP

The following coupons are available for print on Target.com and expire on 10/3/09:

$2/1 Purina One dry dog or cat food – get dog food for $4.49 after both coupons
$3/1 Purina One dog food

The following Target coupons are available for print hereand expire on 9/30/09:

*75¢ off 12-pk. 12-oz. Dasani water

*$1 off 6-pk. Fuze beverage

*75¢ off 8-ct. Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts
$1/2 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts – 8-2 Kellogg’s Fuel for School insert
$1/2 Pop Tarts – 9-13 inserts

*$1.50 off 12-pk. Nestea beverage
$1/1 Nestea, Any 12-Pack, 500 mL Bottles – 05-03-09 SS

*75¢ off Energy Drinks (NOS or Full Throttle)

*$1 off With purchase of two BIC stationery products – get them for .50/package!
**At my store, the pens are priced at $1/each. Buy 2 and get them for .50/each!**

*$5 off Philips Bliss Bikini Perfect trimmer

*50¢ off 4-ct. Colgate Wisp mini-brushes
.50/1 printable here

*50¢ off Energizer Advanced batteries
$1/1 printable here

*$5 off Hasbro game (Cranium, Things, Funglis, Taboo, or Electronic Catch Phrase) – look for Cranium “kids” games priced at $9.99 (they are for ages 3 and up) and get them for $4.99! (Puppy Pals Bingo, Cranium Duck Duck 1-2-3, and Cranium Polar Bear A-B-C) (thanks AFC!)

*10% off Men’s Authentics Signature by Levi Strauss & Co (Jeans or Shorts)

*$5 off Philips Norelco 180° hair clipper

The following coupons are available for print on Target.com and expire on 10/10/09:

$1/2 Eggo pancakes, any box – these are on price cut for $1.50 – use the $1/2 Eggos coupon from the 8-2 inserts and get two boxes for $1!

$1/1 Kashi frozen pizza

$1/1 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts, whole grain brown sugar cinnamon (8 ct)
$1/2 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts (9-13 inserts)

$1/2 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts (12 ct)
$1/2 Kellogg’s Pop Tarts – 9-13 RP

$1/2 Kellogg’s Special K bars (6 ct)
$1/2 Special K bars printable here (must register)

$1/2 Kellogg’s Special K cereals (10 oz or larger)

$1/2 Special K crackers

$1/2 Special K nutritional products
R
$1/2 Pepperidge Farm cookies

OTHER ONGOING DEALS:

Reach Toothbrush – .97 – use the $1/1 coupon from the 3-5 or 6-14 SS insert and get it for free (the coupon will probably beep because it is for more than the amount of the toothbrush)

ReNu Contact Solution – There is a $2/1 ReNu contact solution printable here. There are travel-sized contact solutions priced at $2.29 in the travel section at my Target stores. Use the coupon to get it for $.29 (some stores reportedly have travel sizes for $.99 and there are also $1/1 printables on coupons.com…if your area has those, they are free!)

Rimmel Mascara – select varieties are reportedly priced at $2.24. Use the $2 coupon from the 8-23 RP and get it for .24! (thanks Hip2Save!)

Shout wipes – There are 4 ct packages of Shout wipes in the trial section priced at $1.02. Use the $1/1 Shout laundry product coupons and they are almost free.

Wet Ones wet wipes – there are small packages in the trial section and by the registers for $.99. Use the $1/1 printable here and you will get them for free!

SAVE BIG ON “Staycation” movies! – Target has several “Staycation” DVDs priced at $4.50-$5/each. There are coupons for $2 off DVDs and $3 off Blu-Ray here. You can get titles such as Matilda and Little Women for $2.50-$3/each!

Here are some links to the clearance deals online: (don’t forget to shop through Ebates to get 4% cash back)
*Toddler girls
*Girls (4-14)
*Toddler boys
*Boys (4-14)
*General clearance

Want to get on the Target mailing lists? This isn’t a sure thing, but it’s worth signing up here. (Thanks A Full Cup!)

Check out more Target deals here on Attention Target Shoppers!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

My weekly big stock-up trip

September 19, 2009 by

Here’s a summer of my Saturday morning shopping trips. I spent a total of $49.17 for 70 items, which is about .70/item.

Here’s the breakdown:

Randalls: Randalls has a GM promotion right now where select cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cheerios, Trix, Honey Grahams, and Chex), Nature Valley Granola bars, and Betty Crocker fruit snacks are 4/$6 (after the instant $4 savings when you buy 4). There are a lot of great printable, loadable (Cellfire/Shortcuts), and insert coupons that match up nicely with this. If you need cereal, granola bars, or fruit snacks, it’s a great time to stock up! You also get a catalina for a free box of Capri Sun on your next purchase for every 4 items you buy. (There is a limit of 20 items per household)

5 boxes Nature Valley granola bars
(used 4 $1/1 coupons – thanks Martha! and 1 .50/1 coupon that doubled along with a .40/1 Shortcuts coupon and a .40/1 Cellfire coupon)
3 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
(used 3 .55/1 IP coupons)
1 box Trix
(used 1 .55/1 IP coupon and one .55 Shortcuts coupon)
2 boxes Cheerios
(used one .75/1 coupon from a Pampers mailer and one $1/1 IP coupon from e-mail)
2 boxes Chex cereal
(used one $1/2 coupon)
3 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks
(used on .50/2 coupon which doubled and one .40/1 coupon that doubled along with 2 .40/1 loadable coupons and three .50/1 loadable coupons from Shortcuts and Cellfire)
2 cans Safeway green beans
(used free coupon from hurricane flier in store)
4 boxes Capri Sun
(used 4 “free” catalinas from the cereal/fruit snacks/granola bars and a .55/1 loadable coupon which almost covered the tax)

Total OOP = $8.85, total savings = $50.52

Kroger: Kroger is having a Mega sale right now that mainly applies to Nabisco and Kraft products. You get an instant $5 off for every 10 participating items you buy. There are some great manufacturers and insert coupons that match up well with this promotion! (There does not appear to be a limit to the # of times you can do the promotion in one visit)

3 DiGiorno pizzas
(used 3 $1/1 coupons)
2 Velveeta Shells & Cheese
(used .75/1 catalina coupon)
2 Ritz Crackers
2 Nabisco Crackerfuls
(used 2 FREE when you buy Ritz crackers coupons)
1 Capri Sun
(used .50/1 coupon from Kraft Magazine which doubled)
2 Oscar Mayer wieners
(used $1/2 coupon)
3 Wheat Thins
(used 3 $1/1 IPs)
4 Kraft cheese slices
(used $1/2 coupon from Kroger mailer, .75/2 coupon from Kraft magazine, and $1/2 Shortcuts coupon)
2 Oreo cookies
(used $1/2 coupon)
1 Nabisco Teddy Grahams
(used .50/1 coupon from Kraft magazine which doubled)
1 Dreyer’s fruit bars
(used $1/1 coupon)
2 Hot Pockets pizzeria
(used .75/1 coupon)
5 Philadelphia cream cheese
(used $1/2 coupon from home mailer)
3 Buitoni pasta
(used 3 $1/1 IPs)
10 Kraft Easy Mac
(used 5 .55/2 tear pad coupons)
2 Campbell’s 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
(used $1/2 IP)
3 Old El Paso taco seasoning
(used .60/2 IP, .60/2 loadable, and FREE WYB 2 peelie) – earned a $1 OYNO catalina

*Received an instant $20 off as a part of the Mega Sale promotion

Total spent = $40.32, Total savings = $73.56 (and I earned a .10/gallon fuel reward)

I went over budget by $9.17, but I only spent $25 of my $40 last week and I will get back $20 from a Nabisco mail in rebate I qualify for based on my purchases today.

I also thought I’d answer a few “frequently asked questions” that often come up when I post this type of a post:

*Do you really need that many boxes of cereal, granola bars, crackers, and fruit snacks? What are you going to do with all of that stuff?

I don’t need that many boxes of any of that stuff right now, but stockpiling changes your way of thinking. You don’t shop based on what you need right away (unless it’s the basics). You shop based on what is on sale so that you don’t have to buy those items until they go on sale again. For example, I last stockpiled Capri Suns almost a year ago. We have gone through two seasons of soccer (fall and spring), several school parties where I volunteered to bring drinks, and my daughter’s birthday party and we are just now finishing off our last box. Since I had a stockpile of Capri Suns that I got for super cheap, I didn’t have to bust my budget when it was my turn to supply them for soccer games or school parties.

*Are you really going to use that much stuff? Doesn’t some of it go to waste?

I make sure that none of my stockpile goes to waste. If I have more than we will use, it means I can trade items with other people for things I need or that I can donate generously to our local food bank or other agencies. We have a local youth group that does a scavenger hunt for donations about twice a year and I always love the look on their faces when I am able to fill a couple of bags with donations for them.

*I don’t see any meat, fruit, or veggies. What about that stuff?

I stockpile meat when it goes on sale, too, so I have a freezer full to get me through on weeks when I want to spend money on other things. Last week, Randalls had a great deal on chicken breasts, so I chose to stock up then. I also have a bunch of canned and frozen fruit and veggies to help get us through on weeks when I can’t do a major stock up on fresh items.

What about milk?

I got my milk for free at CVS this week using ECBs and earned ECBs in return.

Filed Under: Savings Saturday Tagged With: