AN END TO '10

So much has happened this year.. except me keeping up with my blog. I'll summarize the year briefly. Around March of this year, I began working for the first time as a Physical Therapist. The company I was initially hired on with had me working in Georgia for about 6 weeks. Due to the unforseen future of when I would be back in Jacksonville, I opted to turn in my two weeks notice.

PUBLIX DEALS 3/11 - 3/17

Below is a list of the deals that I'm aware of. I haven't exhausted my resources searching for more, but here's what I have so far.

- Ken's Steak House Dressing is BOGO free and there is a $1 off 2 coupon in the SmartSource from 3/7/10. This makes it $2.79 for both.

- Emerald Nuts are BOGO free (select varieties) and there is a $1 off 1 coupon, making it $2.19 for both. Sorry, I don't remember where I clipped this one from but a google search should help you find it. It expires 3/14.

- Birdseye Steamfresh Meal for Two is on sale for $4.99. In the SmartSource from 3/7, there is a publix coupon for $1.50 off, making it $3.50.

- Special K Cereal is BOGO free and here (www.specialk.com/products/coupons) you can find $1 off coupons for their new granola and $1 off their new fruit crisp bars, which are 2/$5. The limit you can print off is usually 2 per computer. This is the only time it's okay to use your friends and family.

Keep on couponing!

SPEND A DOLLAR, SAVE A DOLLAR

What a successful shopping day! I apologize that I'm going to share all my savings without knowing the source of my coupons, but I promise to keep better track in the future - and hopefully to share them before the weekly savings at the stores come to an end. :)

My shopping list for Winn Dixie included toilet paper, laundry detergent, and paper towels. I don't have certain brands that I'm totally attached to, so I'm able to buy where the buying's good. One rule, however: no Charmin per Robbie's request - reason not to be shared via blog. :) So with Angel Soft TP, 2 things of Purex detergent, and a big thing of Brawny paper towels, I walked out with $16.13 out of pocket and $14.78 in savings. The majority of my savings came from the purchase of the Purex - Normal price is $7.49, but Winn Dixie had it on sale for $4.99, and I had a BOGO free coupon, making it $2.50 per bottle. I am almost positive this coupon was in the SmartSource from the Sunday paper on 2/21. If interested in using it, find it quick because it expires on 3/6.

As far as Publix goes, I'll just mention my better finds. This week's Publix ad is offering $1 off any Sure anti-perspirant deoderant, which can be combined with one of the following manufacturers' coupons: $1/1 anti-perspirant deoderant or $1.50/1 Men's anti-perspirant deoderant.. This makes the total cost either .39 or FREE (with .11 extra)! This too was in the SmartSource from either 2/21 or 2/28. I also had many other random coupons and applied those to the already marked BOGO items. My total trip resulted in the use of 11 coupons, totalling $9.45 in savings, and $23.62 in store savings. Out of pocket expense: $31.70; Total savings: $33.07.

When the new ads for the next week come out, I'll try to post the good deals, as well as any accompanying coupons.

CATCHING ONTO COUPONS

I've been on a huge coupon kick lately and have spent a lot of time trying to catch onto all the rules and "Do's and Don'ts". After much research, I've learned one thing - I haven't perfected the art of purchasing $285.24 worth of products and only spending $19.83 OOP (out of pocket). Although a rookie, I wanted to post some of the recent deals I've gotten, as well as a bit of information that I've learned.

** You get the most out of your coupons with BOGO (buy one get one free). For each item purchased, you can use one coupon. ie, Wishbone salad dressing is $2.89 at Publix. Before coupons, I paid $2.89 for two. However, I used a .75 off coupon on each one, making the total cost for both salad dressings $1.39. (I realize Wal-Mart probably has this priced for cheaper, but when the deal is a BOGO, you more than likely can't beat this by using the coupons alone off their regular priced items.)

** You can combine a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon on the same item.

** Most stores accept competitor's coupons. ie, Winn Dixie hands out coupons like $10 off $50 or more and Publix will honor these. Wal-Mart will not take competitor's coupons as they think their prices are already cheaper than everyone else, but they will price match. I believe you just take in the ad as proof.

** Most websites will limit the number of same coupons you can print off, but if you have multiple computers, print away!

** Read the fine print and don't just look at the picture. Many times, there are more qualifying items than what is shown.

** One coupon per purchase means one coupon per item. You can use 3 of the same coupons as long as you have 3 of those items. One coupon per transaction means you can only have one of those coupons applied to the item per receipt.

My knowledge is limited, but these are the concepts I'm catching onto so far. And.. so far, so good! Here was my unplanned trip that I made to Publix tonight because of the store's deals that matched up with my coupons:

- Betty Crocker BOGO (.50 off)
- Wishbone Salad Dressing BOGO (2 x .75 off)
- Classico Sauce BOGO (1.00 off)
- Daisy Sour Cream (.50 off)
- Bag of Frozen Veggies
- Bag of Grapes

Total Cost Before Any Savings: $22.12
Store Special Savings: $9.90
Vendor Coupons: $3.50
Total Savings: $13.40
Total Cost OOP: $10.55

My next stop: Target. The delicious Special K Fruit Crisps are on sale for $2.50.. Buy 5 (various Kellog's items) and get a Target $5 gift card. I have 5 $1 off coupons which will make it look like this:

$2.50 x 5 = $12.50
$12.50 - $5 in coupons = $7.50 (plus FREE $5 Target GC) = $2.50 for 5 boxes
(Plus all applicable taxes, of course)

Perhaps you will be encouraged and begin searching for your own or maybe just use the ones I post here. Either way, I love a good buy and I love it even more when I can help others save money!

A MUST TRY RESAPY

Okay, so I'm sure you're wondering what a "resapy" is.. and so were me and Robbie when we received a text message from one of the guys he works with asking for the "Resapy for Cowboy Beans". But ever since we shared a hard laugh over this spelling error, it's something we've adopted. You say potato, I say pototo, you say tomato, I say tomoto, you say recipe, I say resapy.

Anywho, to get to the real point of this blog, I'd like to share a resapy of a dish that I absolutely love! It's no surprise that it was taken from the Pioneer Woman and probably likely that each of you have either a) run across it or b) run across it and made it yourself. But, I'm here to tell you that if you haven't yet tried it, you should really consider doing so.

Chicken Scallopine

Ingredients

1 lb linguine

6 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper, to taste

Flour

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp butter

12 oz white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup dry white wine (can substitute with chicken broth, but it's just not as good)

1 whole lemon (I use 1/2)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (can use half and half)

1 heaping tsp capers (I use more)

Chopped fresh italian parsley (I don't always use fresh)

Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

Cook pasta according to the directions.

Flatten the chicken breasts to uniform thickness, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then cover with flour.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Fry the chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Throw mushrooms into the pan and stir. Immediately pour in the wine (or chicken broth) and then squeeze in the lemon juice. Stir to deglaze the pan and then cook vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce reduces.

Pour in cream and stir, then add capers and parsley and stir. Turn off heat. Stir and add and salt and pepper to taste.

Place pasta and chicken on a platter and top with every last drop of sauce. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.

BON APPETIT!

PENNYLESS PLAY

We can all relate to having a tight budget these days.. and we all have those nights of boredom (unless you have kids).. and indecisiveness of what to do. Well last night was one of those nights. To set this up a little better, I'm going to rewind a week or so ago. My sister Leanne's office will be shutting down soon and the employees will be working from home. So, the current furniture and odds and ins in their building must go. Robbie and I went up there and scoped out 2 bookshelves, a plant, and the awesome kneeling chair. My family had one of these when I was younger, and ironically, I was just asking my mom where it was a few months ago. I was made fun of for wanting it and was discouraged from bringing any more "crap" into our house. I didn't listen. Perhaps I was motivated because this chair is supposed to promote an ergonomically correct posture.. or maybe my childhood memories is what drove me to this strong desire.. either way, it was enough justification in my head. To give you a visual of what I'm talking about, the concept of this chair is set up somewhat like this:

Fastforwarding back to the present brings us to this. Robbie and I were in the midst of unpacking the rest of our stuff and putting things in their place when I was struck with this awesome idea: Let's put this chair to use and have a race! So we proceeded with setting up the raceway.

Start Line: Front wheels at the leg of our table that we don't know what to do with yet.

Track: Race toward the sliding glass door, loop around the lap desk, and head back.

Finish Line: Front wheels crossing the leg of our table that we still don't know what to do with yet.

So here it is, folks.. Video documentation of the crazy things Robbie and I do when we don't know what to do with ourselves!

Round 2 of 3 (Skipping round 1)


Round 2 of 3


Round 3 of 3


Round 3 of 3


And there you have it.. I didn't win, but I'm finally over it.