You are here: Home / 2010 / Archives for January 2010

Weight Loss Wednesday: A rough week!

January 13, 2010 by
MamaNotes

When I wrote my Weight Loss Wednesday post last week, I was excited and encouraged and ready to begin.

This week has been a rough week for me. I started back to work last Tuesday, so at the point that I wrote my “Weight Loss Wednesday” post, I was only one day in to my “back to work” mode. This week, it’s starting to catch up to me. The stress of work. Staying up late to write reports for work. Then, the late nights catch up with me and I have a hard time functioning and meeting my work out goals in the morning. In the past, the stress has inevitably led me to turn to chocolate and eating other food. It has led me to make excuses. I have the mindset that I don’t want to do that, but it’s going to be hard to overcome.

To review, here are my current goals:

*Exercise a minimum of four times per week
*Lose 10 pounds by 2/14/10

Here were the things that I said I was going to do to “meet” those goals (along with a commentary on how I did this week):

*Commit myself to Weight Watchers ~ I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting in three months on Saturday. I haven’t been able to weigh myself since I started on this journey because we have a digital scale and it doesn’t have batteries right now. I had no idea where I was starting out and I was pretty happy to find out that I hadn’t gained anything in the last 3 months since I had been to Weight Watchers. Considering that I hadn’t been doing anything to maintain my weight during the holidays, I felt pretty good about that.

Last week, I said that tracking was the key and I know that it is, but I’ve become lax about that. This week, things have been so hectic that I’ve honestly had a hard time fitting in eating at all and at the end of the day I have a hard time even remembering what I ate. But, I know that tracking is a key and using the tracker (I usually track online) helps me to remember things like getting in all of my water, fruits, and veggies. I’m going to try to get back on track!

*Drink more water – I was SO good about drinking water last week and I’ve had such a hard time remembering to drink water this week. Last week, I took a huge water bottle to work and kept it filled and right by me throughout the day. This week, I’ve had a hard time even making it to the break room to fill it up in the mornings (did I mention it’s been a rough week?) I’m going to try to get back to drinking more water.

*Create an exercise plan for each week – My goal was to work out 4 times per week. I intended to do at least 30 minutes of cardio 4 times per week using the “Couch Potato to 5k” plan. Last week, I made it through the first week of the plan. This morning was my first morning on the treadmill this week. The best time for me to work out is in the mornings, but it’s been hard for me to get moving in the mornings because I’ve been going to bed so late. On a positive note, I have at least done a weight work-out EVERY day this week. If you’re not familiar with Spark People, it’s a free site and one of the features is that you can generate customized work out plans. It includes demo videos for the different exercises! The exercises are manageable, even for beginners/couch potatoes looking to reform themselves, and I could feel it the next day which tells me that it’s working! You can check it out and design your own plan here.

Even though this week hasn’t gone as well as I would have liked for it to have gone, I’m proud of myself for not giving up completely (and for not digging into the leftover Christmas candy that is sitting around).

I watched The Biggest Loser last night and was inspired by the “Pound for Pound Challenge.” I signed up and hope it will be one more thing to help motivate me in this journey!

How did your week go? Feel free to link up and share your weight loss successes and challenges below!

Filed Under: Weight Loss Wednesday

Hot coupons for popular movies!

January 13, 2010 by

There are some HOT new printable coupons that have been released for $2 off the following movies. Click here to print these awesome coupons!

These prices are based on online pricing. The prices may vary in your actual store.

27 Dresses
Target ~ $9 ($7 after coupon!)
Walmart ~ $12.73 ($10.73 after coupon)

A Good Year
Target ~ $5 ($3 after coupon!)
Walmart ~ $9.32 ($7.32 after coupon)

Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Target ~ prices not listed online
Walmart ~$8.32 ($6.32 after coupon)

Just Married
Target ~ $11.59 ($9.59 after coupon)
Walmart ~ $12.98 ($10.98 after coupon)

Just My Luck
Target ~ $11.59 ($9.59 after coupon)
Walmart ~ $9.32 ($7.32 after coupon)

Moonstruck
Target ~ $11.59 ($9.59 after coupon)
Walmart ~ not listed online

The Princess Bride
Target ~ $9 ($7 after coupon!)
Walmart ~ $5.86 ($3.86 after coupon!)

Unfaithful
Target ~ $11.59 ($9.59 after coupon)
Walmart ~ $9.32 ($7.32 after coupon)

What Happens in Vegas
Target ~ $9 ($7 after coupon!)
Walmart ~ $14.86 ($12.86 after coupon)

When Harry Met Sally
Target ~ $5 ($3 after coupon!)
Walmart ~ price not listed online

Filed Under: printable coupons Tagged With:

Tip of the Day Tuesday: Want to get out of debt? Start with a budget!

January 12, 2010 by

I truly believe that one of the reasons people get into debt so easily is because they don’t have a budget. When you have no idea where your money is going, it’s easy to become “removed” from it and much easier to continue spending without really thinking about it.

If you’re new to budgeting, here are a few tips to get you started:

Find out where your money is going

Spend a few weeks or even a month tracking EVERY penny you spend (yes, that’s right EVERY penny…even that change you spend here and there at the vending machines at work should be included). This will help put you back in touch with your finances and will help you understand where your are spending your money. Many times, it is pretty shocking to realize how much you have been spending and what you have been spending it on.

Create a budget

I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when they are creating a budget is that they don’t account for all of the categories where they actually spend, which inevitably leads to breaking your budget.

People typically remember the “big” things when creating their budget like: mortgage/rent, car payments, utility bills, groceries, and eating out, but often forget the “little” things like gifts, hair cuts, clothing, entertainment money, and auto or home repairs. I have heard people say that they don’t “need” some of those things, but sooner or later, you will have to buy a birthday gift or a baby gift or a Christmas gift. Unless you cut your own hair, at some point, you will need a hair cut. Unless you sew your own clothing, you’ll probably want or need something new sometime. And…inevitably, something will go wrong with your home or car eventually. It’s better to be prepared for these things ahead of time than to be scrambling trying to find the money when the need actually arises because chances are at that point, you won’t have the money.

There are some great free tools online to help you create a budget. Here are a few:

*Basic Budgeting Worksheet from BetterBudgeting.com

*Quickie budget and Monthly Cash Flow Planning from DaveRamsey.com (I personally use his “Gazelle budget program” for planning our budget. You can access a “lite” version or sign up for a free trial here.)

Once you’ve created your budget, stick to it!

Creating a budget isn’t the “hard” part. The hard part comes in actually sticking to the budget you’ve created. For our family, one of the best moves we have made was going to a cash envelope system. Research shows that the average person spends 12-18% more when they are using “plastic” to pay for things. From personal experience, I can tell you that this is true. When you’re using plastic rather than cash you have a tendency again to remove yourself from what you’re actually spending.

When our family switched to a cash envelope system, it was surprising that we actually had money left at the end of the month most of the time. Suddenly expenses that had seemed “important” in the past really weren’t as important when we were spending real money to pay for them.

When people are first starting out using the envelope system, I often have them ask which categories we use. We actually have quite a few envelopes, and it took some trial and error to get to the point where we are at now, but I like to know exactly where our money is going and this is what worked out best for us. Here are the categories we use:

*Allowance (this is money my daughter can earn for completing weekly jobs)
*Auto repairs/maintenance (this is for things like oil changes and minor things that come up…if there is money left at the end of the month, it goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Blow money (this is money that my husband and I each get to spend on anything we want, no questions asked)
*Clothing (any money left goes into our “sinking fund’)
*Eating out/restaurants
*Entertainment
*Gifts (anything left goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Hair care
*Home repairs/maintenance (this is for things like replacing light bulbs, AC vents, etc…if there is money left at the end of the month, it goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Groceries
*Miscellaneous (this is for paper goods, diapers, etc. I look at this as my “CVS” and “Walgreens” filler money)
*Prescriptions and over the counter medications
*Toiletries (this is for those little “extras” that come up ~ toothpaste, toilet paper, contact solution, etc.)

If you’re wondering what a “sinking fund” is, it’s basically money that you save for an expense that you know is going to come up. For us, we have sinking funds for things like auto registration/repairs, Christmas, clothing, escrow/property taxes/home owner’s association fees, and home repairs.

We do not pay for our gas using cash. We use our debit cards for this for convenience (it’s no fun to drag two small kids into the gas station and wait in line to pay cash and then drag them back out and get them strapped back into the car).

We do not carry our envelopes with us all of the time. We keep them locked up and only pull cash out when we know that we’re going somewhere and will need it. If we don’t have enough cash for something, we either go home and get more (it’s amazing, though, how you start to re-evaluate whether you really “need” something when you’re making that extra trip) or we don’t buy it.

If you’re looking to make some really trendy envelopes for yourself, there’s a really awesome template and tutorial here.

Revisit your budget

At the end of a budgeting period (we budget from the 15th to the 14th of each month rather than from the start of a month because that’s what worked out best with the way we get paid), make sure that you revisit your budget, especially in the beginning, so you can figure out what works and doesn’t work!

Have you blogged about your budgeting plan or do you have other tips to share? Be sure to link up below!

 

Filed Under: Tip of the Day Tuesday Tagged With:

It’s a great time to start "Swagging"

January 12, 2010 by
Search & Win

If you haven’t signed up for Swagbucks yet, now is a great time! Every day this week, they will be posting a Swag code on the Swagbucks toolbar. You will also get three bonus Swagbucks if you sign up using this link here.

If you’ve already signed up for Swagbucks, but haven’t really started using it, this week is a great time to start!

If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, you earn “Swagbucks” by searching online and your Swagbucks can then be redeemed for gift cards or other prizes and merchandise. I joined Swagbucks last January and spent the whole year cashing out for Amazon gift cards (you can cash out for a $5 gift card for every 45 bucks you earn). I was able to save these and used them to pay for a large chunk of our Christmas. If I had to pick a “favorite” site that I discovered in 2009, this site was definitely it!

Here are a few tricks that I have learned to help you make the most of your Swagbucks account:

*Do a few searches every day until you earn at least one Swagbuck. I search from things that I would normally be searching for online anyway and I have found that I can easily earn 1-3 Swagbucks each day by doing this. Your searches do need to be “natural” searches. If it does not seem like your searches are legitimate, they may freeze or even close your account.

*If you have a Facebook account, become a “fan” of Swagbucks on Facebook. Click here to do this. If you check out the wall, there are bonus codes posted from time to time that you can add to your account. (To add bonus codes, log into Swagbucks, and then click on the icon that says “You have X Swagbucks.” There will be a box that says this: Have a SwagCode? Just enter it here and receive your SwagBucks instantly! Enter your code and click GIMME!)

*Publish your Swagbucks winnings on Facebook – when you “win” a buck, you now have the option of posting your win on Facebook. It shows up on your profile and it’s another way to promote your Swagbucks account (and get more ‘friends’)

*Read the Swagbucks blog (you can access this here). Bonus codes are posted here, as well.

*Sign up for the Swagbucks newsletter. They send bonus codes embedded in the newsletter, so it’s an easy way to earn extra Swagbucks!

*Download the Swagbucks Toolbar onto your internet browser – Click on the “toolbars” option on the left hand side of the website after you log in and follow the instructions!

*Post the Swidget on your blog or your Facebook page. You can download it here.

*Tell all your friends – When your friends sign up under you, you win when they win for the first 100 Swagbucks (this does not include any Swagcodes that they enter)

I have found that I typically earn at least 3 Swagbucks per day just by doing the things listed above. That adds up to 90 Swagbucks in one month’s time (or 2 $5 Amazon gift cards!). I work full time and I only do searched from home (non working hours) and I’m able to do this, so it isn’t something that you have to spend a lot of time on, but you should easily be able to earn $120 in Amazon gift cards in a year’s time. If you’d rather have gift cards for somewhere else, that would give you enough to cash out for $100 in Target gift cards (these can only be used online) or for 8 $10 Starbucks gift cards. If your goal is to do a 100% Cash Christmas, this will help you get started!

HAPPY SWAGGING! 🙂
Filed Under: 100% cash Christmas Tagged With:

Walgreens deals for the week of 1-10

January 11, 2010 by

This is another great week at Walgreens!

FREEBIES: (these items are free after coupons or RRs) remember if you are using a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon to give the manufacturer’s coupon FIRST and then the store coupon!

*Bayer Contour meter – $14.99 (UPC 3 0193 715101 9) or Bayer Breeze meter – $14.99 (UPC 3 0193 144001 0) (this is a monthly deal)
Up to $30/1 Bayer Breeze/Contour meter – 10-25 RP
(some people have also reported getting a $2 RR for buying 2 Bayer products in one transaction)

SCENARIO:

Buy both meters, spend $0 OOP, get 2 $5 RRs (one from each meter)!

*Buy 2 Neosporin antibiotic ointment (5 oz) or Lip Health products – 2/$8, get a $3 RR (this is a monthly deal)
$1/1 Neosporin printable here
$1/1 Neosporin – 1-3 inserts
$3/1 Neosporin lip health printable here
$2/1 Walgreens coupon in the Children’s Activity book

SCENARIO #1:
Buy 1 Neosporin antibiotic ointment – $4
Buy 1 Neosporin Lip Health product – $4

Use $1 Neosporin printable
Use $3 Neosporin printable
Use $2 Walgreens coupon

Spend $2 OOP, get a $3 RR

SCENARIO #2:
Buy 2 Neosporin antibiotic ointment – $4/each

Use 2 $1 Neosporin coupons
Use $2 Walgreens coupon (will deduct $4)

Spend $2 OOP, get a $3 RR

SCENARIO #3:
Buy 2 Neosporin lip products – $4/each

Use 2 $3 printables

Spend $2 OOP, get a $3 RR

*Thermacare Pain relief – $2.49, get a $2.49 RR
$1/1 Thermacare printable here
Final price = $1 moneymaker after coupon and RR!

RR DEALS:

*Alli weight loss system – $59.99, get a $10 RR
$10/1 Alli supplement – 1-3 RP
Final Price = $39.99 after coupon and RR

*Buy 2 or more Centrum or Caltrate products (priced at $9.99), get a $3 RR
$3/1 Centrum Cardio or Performance printable here
$3/1 Centrum Silver, Any – 1-3 RP
$3/1 Centrum, any – 1-3 RP
$3/1 Caltrate supplements – 12-6 RP
Final Price = $10.98 for 2 after coupons and RR

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Centrum or Caltrate products – $9.99/each

Use 2 $3 coupons

Spend $13.98 OOP, get a $3 RR

*Spend $20 or more on these Claritin products, get a $5 RR: Claritin eye, Claritin Reditabs, or Claritin Allergy relief (10 ct) – priced at $7.99 and $14.99
Printable coupons here (these are “Bricks” coupons, it doesn’t list the $ amount)

*Colgate Dental Care (MaxFresh or MaxWhite toothbrush or toothpaste – 6 oz) – $2.99, get a $2 RR
.75/1 Colgate MaxWhite toothpaste printable here
.75/1 Colgate Total, Max White, Max Fresh, Sensitive, or kids toothpaste – 1-3 SS2
Final Price = $.24 after coupons and RR

*Buy Dr. Pepper, 7 Up, A&W, Sunkist, Canada Dry, or Hawaiian Punch – 3/$12, get a $3 RR

*Dryel At-Home Dry Cleaning – $7.99, get a $3 RR
$2/1 Dryel printable here
Final price = $2.99 after coupons and RR

*Duracell Coppertop batteries – $5.99, get a $1 RR
$1/1 Duracell CopperTop batteries – 12-13 RP
Final Price = $3.99 after coupons and RR

*Oscar Mayer Bacon -2/$6, get a $1 RR

*Kotex (48 or 64 pack pantiliners), 18 pack tampons, 14-24 pack maxi pads – 3/$9, get a $4 RR
$1/1 Kotex Feminine Hygiene product – 1-3 SS
$1.50/2 Kotex liners or security tampons – 1-10 SS
$2/2 Kotex pads – 1-10 SS
Final price = $2 after coupons and RR

SCENARIO:
Buy 3 Kotex products

Use 3 $1/1 coupons

Spend $6 OOP, get a $4 RR

*Mars Minis or M&Ms bonus bags – 2/$5, get a $1 RR

*Nivea Hydrating Shower Gel – $4.99, get a $2 RR

*Omeprazole acid reducer – $18.99, get a $6 RR

*Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush – 2/$6, get a $2 RR
.75/1 Oral B Cross Action toothbrush – 12-27 PG
Final Price = $2.50 after coupons and RR

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Oral B Cross Action toothbrushes – 2/$6

Use 2 $.75/1 coupons

Spend $4.50 OOP,g et a $2 RR

*Planters Trail Mix – 2/$3, get a $1 RR

*Rembrandt dental care – $4.99, get a $1 RR
$3/1 Printable coupons here
Final Price = $.99 after coupons and RR

*Triaminic Cold or Allergy Relief (14 pack Thin Strips, syrup – 4 oz, or decongestant spray) – 2/$10, get a $5 RR
$1.50/1 printable here
$2/1 Triaminic product, any – 12-6 SS
$3/1 Triaminic Thin Strips – 12-6 SS
Final price = $1 moneymaker after coupons and RR (when you buy Thin Strips)

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Triaminic thin strips – 2/$10

Use 2 $3 Triaminic Thin Strips coupons

Spend $4 OOP, get a $5 RR

*Zyrtec (45 ct) – $24.99, get a $2 RR
$2/1 Zyrtec – 12-6 RP
Final Price = $20.99 after coupons and RR

BOGO FREE DEALS: (YMMV, but you can usually use two coupons on BOGO free items!)

*Carpet Cleaner – Spot Shot or Resolve or Woolite (If you bought Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, you can do the rebate offer for buying Spot Shot also here)
$1/1 Spot Shot printable here
$1/1 Spot Shot – 1-3 SS2
$1.50/1 Resolve printable here
$1/1 Resolve, any – 1-3 SS2
$1/1 Woolite – 1-10 SS

*Lysol or Renuzit: Lysol basin, tub, or tile cleanser, 35 pack disinfecting wipes, or toilet bowl cleaner or Renuzit odor neutralizer
$.55/1 Lysol bathroom cleaner printable here
.50/1 Lysol bathroom cleaner – 1-3 SS
.50/1 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner printable here
.75/1 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner – 1-3 SS

*Nature’s Bounty Heart Health Supplements (CoQ10, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Red Yeast Rice, and more!)
$2 printable (must register here)

*Nature Made vitamins
$1/1 Nature Made – 1-3 SS

*Osteo Bi-Flex
$5/1 Osteo Bi-Flex printable here

*Purex 2X laundry detergent (PSA $5.99)
.35/1 Purex – 1-10 SS
.50/1 printable here

*Scrubbing Bubbles, Fantastik, and Windex
$.75/1 Scrubbing Bubbles bathrom cleaner – 1-10 SS
.75/1 Fantastik – 1-10 SS
$1/1 Windex Multi-surface – 1-10 SS

*Walgreens One Daily Multivitamins

*Werthers originals, Riesen, Toffifay, or Lifesavers candy (PSA $2.29)

CHEAP FILLERS:
*Geisha mushrooms or Madam mandarin oranges – 2/$1 w/ in ad coupon
*Household gloves – $.39 w/ in ad coupon
*Nestle or Mentos candy – $.49 w/ in ad coupon
*Russell Stover Valentine candy – $.39 w/ in ad coupon

OTHER DEALS:
*Breakfast favorites – 10 pack Banquet Brown ‘N Serve sausage, 4 pack Bays English muffins, or one dozen Grade A large eggs – $.99/each (limit 3)

*Benefiber – $4.99 after instant store coupon
$2/1 Benefiber printable here
Final price = $2.99 after coupons

*Gillette Mach 3 Disposable Razors – $5.99
$3/1 Gillette Mach 3 disposable – 1-10 RP
Final price = $2.99 after coupons

*Ozarka water (24 pk) – $3.99

*Ultra Tuf trash bags – $2.99

The following scenarios are for those are just starting to shop at Walgreens and who have few, if any, RR to spend: $12.99 in merchandise for $4.63 OOP, $5 RR left to spend

TRANSACTION #1:
Buy Colgate MaxWhite toothpaste – $2.99

Use $.75/1 coupon

Spend $2.24, get a $2 RR

TRANSACTION #2:
Buy 2 Triaminic Thin Strips – 2/$10
Buy Household gloves – $.39 with in ad coupon (this is a “filler” item)

Use 2 $3 coupons
Use $2 Colgate RR

Spend $2.39 OOP, get a $5 RR

There is a new store in my area, so we got a $3/10 coupon in our ads! Here’s what I’m going to do:
Buy 2 Neosporin Lip Health – $4/each
Buy 2 Triaminic (1 Thin Strips, 1 Regular) – 2/$10
Buy Thermacare – $2.49
Buy Colgate – $2.99
Buy Duracell batteries – $5.99
Buy 2 Hand gloves – $.39 (this is a “filler”)

Use $3/10 Walgreens coupon (in this case, I’m going to use the Walgreens coupon FIRST because I want it to be off the total BEFORE coupons)
Use 2 $3 Neosporin coupons
Use $2 Triaminic coupon
Use $3 Triaminic coupon
Use $1 Thermacare coupon
Use $.75 Colgate coupon
Use $1 Duracell coupon
Use $10 RR (from Pepsi deal last week)
Use $3 RR (from Tylenol last week)

Spend $.50, get a $3 RR (Neosporin), $5 RR (Triaminic), $2.49 RR (Thermacare), $2 RR (Colgate)

Some helpful tips:
*At Walgreens, you cannot do a promotion more than once in a transaction and earn Register Rewards.

*You also typically cannot use the Register Rewards earned from a promotion on the same promotion and earn Register Rewards again. For example, if you buy Electrasol and use the RR you earned from buying Electrasol to buy more Electrasol, another RR will not print.

*Typically, you cannot use the Register Rewards earned from a promotion with the same manufacturer and earn Register Rewards again. (all of the manufacturers are listed next to the deal in the coupon match-ups)

*Register Rewards are considered to be “manufacturer’s coupons” and you can only use one manufacturer’s coupon per item. You will have to add “filler” items. The in ad coupons often have good, inexpensive filler items. (there are LOTS of great filler items this week – check out the weekly match-ups for ideas)

*If you are using more than one RR in a transaction, always give the RR with the highest value FIRST. Sometimes strange things happen with coupons and taxes and even if you think you have planned out your scenario very well, you will end up with more overage than you planned for.

*If you are buying items that would result in a “free” item or “overage” when combining a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon, give the manufacturer’s coupon FIRST, and the store coupons LAST to avoid beeping/issues at the register! Make sure that you are purchasing enough items in your total transaction to “cover” the overage. You will not get cash back and you will have to add items to cover the overage or they will not take the coupon.

*If your Register Reward doesn’t print for some reason and you have fulfilled all of the obligations for the “deal” (including not using RR from the same parent company to pay) DO NOT let them tell you it is because you used coupons! Chances are they didn’t print because the catalina machine is not working. You have two choices: you can return your items and try again or you can contact the catalina company by doing the following:
*The store will give you a form to fill out and mail in to catalina
*Call 1-888-8coupon, option 3
*Use the online form to contact them: Contact Catalina Marketing (when I have tried contacting them this way, my results have not been very good….your best bet is to call)

This post is part of Becentsable’s Grocery Gathering.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: