hello
today went grocery shopping with my coupons overall savings was about $55. Then dh and I went to McD's for supper and I had a b1g1 free coupon so we each had a value meal deal for $4.34 not bad plus we enjoyed ourselves....no kids this trip LOL.
take care and I'll talk to you all later.
I had three days of reading to catch up with you all. I have been just so busy.
My sweepstaking's group had our monthly meeting yesterday. Wins are down all over. I love this as a hobby, but am not seeing anything fruitful fom it in awhile.
Frugal yesterday, was buying enough at the market before coupons to get the free turkey (up to 21 lbs.). I only went over the amount for the turkey by $3.00 - that is great for me. I spent $32.00 but saved $34.00, so I was very happy. And I bought 34 items, including an $8.00 beef roast and 20 lbs. of rice for $4.99. The rice will go to the local food bank. It pays to belong to the Coupon-alcoholics group here at FC. If you are not an active part of the group (and there are approximately 190 members total), it would truly pay you join.
And I took my girlfriend to the local discount book store after the meeting. I was able to get my nephew 4 new books (3 were a "trilogy") and the other looked pretty good. It is very difficult to buy books for teens. But he likes the fantasy dragon slaying, dragon-anything ones, so hopefully he will be happy. I think that even if JK Rawlings comes out with more Harry Potter books, they will be too young for him. He will be 16 3 days after Thanksgiving this year.
Frugal at the book store was "not" buying any more crochet books. I have everythign from Work Baskets from the 30's and 40's to some of the real good books and magazines from today. I keep telling myself that I am not bringing another book into this house, and then I do.
I also finished another hat for the school last night and started another one.
Cleaning and doing the laundry are the things that I am trying to keep up with today. I will do the roast later in one of those Reynolds oven bags. I love them - they keep your pan pretty clean, you get great gravy and whatever you cook in them is just teriffic. I put a layer of carrots and onion under the roast, a packet of onion soup mix and a touch of nutmeg on top. (The nutmeg tip is from my mothers Amy Vanderbilt's Cookbook from 1955). I then puree the veggies right in the pan drippings and most times I don't even need to add a starch to thicken the gravy. Of course, I have had really orange gravy from putting too many carrots in the mix, but I am getting better at that. The gravy is really teriffic. I will also make mashed potatoes and I will pull a couple boxes of $.16 GG veggies from the freezer that I picked up a few weeks ago at the market. And since I am only working 2 1/2 days this week, there will be roast beef sandwiches in my lunchbag.
Well, I better go for now. I have to go buy the newspapers, and pick up that free turkey, and then find a spot in the fridge until Tuesday, when my boyfriend will come get it and the fixin's for a Thanksgiving feast for a family in need. And now that I can get that large of a turkey, I am thrilled.
And they told us to take home the Xmas cookies on the table, so that was frugal. We went to the Speedway and I only had $6 because I was told it was $5. Well, I got there and it was $7 Sunday thru Thursday and $10 Friday and Saturday and I told them, I'll have to get some more money and come back. Well, they had no way of me turning around so they just let me go for the $6. It is the Bristol Speedway where Nascar races and it was decorated with all kinds of lights and it was beautiful and they had us turn our car radio on to a certain radio station so we could listen to Xmas music while we drove around. It was nice. MY favorite is one in which a Nutcracker shoots a cannon and you see the cannon fly across the sky and then lands...all this done in lights. and so you drive thru a maze of different lighted scenes and then you go inside the covered track and they had a Santa town with rides, kettle corn, roasting of marshmellows, Santa's picture etc. but we didn't have any more money but we drove through the rest and came out and wouldn't ya know it, there was the ATM- But, it was frugal that I didn't have the money because it's not in my budget right now but I told my nieces and dd that when I got them again I would budget out the money and then bring them back.
Well, while at the mall yesterday I decided to do Angel Tree, which is a list of children who need help at the holidays, so you get their name and sizes etc. and buy them things and then return it so they can have a Xmas. This little boy is 1 yrs old and so he wants Learning Toys, according to his mom and of course you also buy them clothes/shoes. My next check I'll be purchasing this to give little Mason a wonderful Xmas.
Any ideals of how I can do this frugally as well???
Originally posted by leasmom
Well, while at the mall yesterday I decided to do Angel Tree, which is a list of children who need help at the holidays, so you get their name and sizes etc. and buy them things and then return it so they can have a Xmas.
Any ideals of how I can do this frugally as well??? [/B]
It has become a family tradition of ours to buy for two children from the Salvation Army Angel tree each year. We buy an outfit, PJ's, slippers, and a toy or two from their list and I put in some kids meal toys type things that I've saved plus a couple of books bought through school which helps the classroom get free books as well. I generally end up spending about $50 per child.
Some years I've found really great deals on clothes before the Angel Tree was up so I went ahead and got them then picked a name based on the clothing sizes and just pick up the toys when I know what to buy. Sometimes I've been able to find a shirt & pants set for $10-15, slippers seem to be $10 unless you get in on a sale.
I received a $10 off a $25 general merchandise coupon from Meijers that is good Sun-Wed so I'll stop on Tuesday when I'm in that town to start my shopping.
I used to work in a mall, and I was in charge of the angel tree. It was kind-of sad sometimes. Some people would bring in a whole new outfit and a couple of toys for one child. Then someone else would come in with just a coloring book or something. And sometimes the two kids would be siblings. So I had my staff do a bit of switching-around before all gifts went out to the families.
And there would be people stopping in after all the angels were all picked, wondering if they could help. I'd tell them to bring a gift anyway, something any child could use. Because there were always a few people who picked angels but never brought in the gift.
But, overall, people were so generous. It really blessed by heart to see so many people thinking of needy children.
DH and I went grocery shopping at Albertsons in a town 90 miles away as that is where our dentist is!! We had seen a flyer and DH was getting ready to go back to work!! Our savings were $30.28, plus, on the back of the register tape, there are coupons for next time!! WooHoo!! I do LOVE the coupons!!!
I almost forgot to tell you that I ordered online from "Burts' Bees", and when you order over $45.00, you don't pay for shipping, and on top of that, if you order $65.00, you also get the Harvest grab bag for free ( it's worth $80.00!!!!!!) I totally LOVE Burts' Bees, and was so happy with all of my savings!!
Originally posted by momto4 I almost forgot to tell you that I ordered online from "Burts' Bees", and when you order over $45.00, you don't pay for shipping, and on top of that, if you order $65.00, you also get the Harvest grab bag for free ( it's worth $80.00!!!!!!) I totally LOVE Burts' Bees, and was so happy with all of my savings!!
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high !
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Leasmom, perhaps you can find some things at the thrift store for the angel tree. I find new things here for a few dollars. I got Gabriel some toys, some were only $1 each, like a Tigger with two rubber teething toys, one one each hand of Tigger. I got a red apple that has a worm that pops out of the top of it, it plays music. Only paid $2.50 for it. It was shrink wrapped in clear plastic, so it must be new. I can always rub alcohol or something over the whole thing to sanitize it, just in case. Some of the clothes still have the tags on them from the stores.
Frugal is making split pea soup and using a smoked turkey leg in it that I had in the freezer, adding some celery, a few frozen carrots left in the bag, and some onion. My husband loves soups.
Yesterday I made chicken and rice soup , using some boney chicken pieces I froze for stock. Had a little meat on the bones, too, so added that to the soup.
I am making some cloth bags to put my bottles of flavored vinegars in to give as gifts.
At least I have things here to make as gifts, just need to take some time to get organized. Already got some really cute rubberized door mats w/ snowmen on them last year on clearance. My friend will love one of them. They were regular $25 each and I got for $6.
My husbands truck barely made it home the other night. He was able to get the parts and fix it himself for $170. Sure cheaper than a mechanic or to get a new truck. I was so thankful he could fix it.
Gotta go check my soup now.
Oh!! Burts' Bees has things like natural toothpaste, makeup, lip balm, foot creme, hand cream, Res-Q-Ointment(which is good for anything from bruises to cuts!!!!!!!) They have a baby, men, women, & childrens lines!! They carry shampoo, insect repellent,facial items and kits........ you name it as far as health & body things, and they probably have it!! They have a great clearance department for the items that they are making in new packaging that you can get for practically nothing!! you can find them at: www.burtsbees.com
Check them out!! You'll LOVE the products I am sure!! Even my sons girlfriend and her family use Burts' Bees now as does my mom!!!!!!!! I just happened to buy a tin of lip balm at the hospital when I was there with my ds once and have used it ever since!!
But, it was frugal that I didn't have the money because it's not in my budget right now but I told my nieces and dd that when I got them again I would budget out the money and then bring them back. 
