My Frugal Year

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Check out some great deals this week!

See these and more on our COUPONS page! http://www.myfrugalyear.com/coupons.htm

Food & Beverage:

Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Fresh Gourmet Tuna Bites and Salmon Bites
$1.50 OFF 1 NESTLE BUTTERFINGER 9.2oz Fun Size Bag
$1.00 OFF 1 Smart Chicken Product. Redeem at The Fresh Grocer.
$1.00 OFF 1 OSCAR MAYER Selects Hot Dogs
$1.00 OFF 2 Boxes of Peace Cereal
$1.00 OFF 1 Newman’s Own Thin & Crispy Pizza
$1.00 OFF 1 McCann’s Irish Oatmeal product
$0.55 OFF 1 Jimmy D’s Frozen Breakfast Product
$0.75 OFF THREE (3) varieties of Birds Eye Steamfresh
$0.55 OFF 1 Ball Park Product
$0.50 OFF 1 Bob Evans Potato Wedges
$0.50 OFF 1 Newman’s Own Product
$0.50 OFF 1 can of Diamond Crystal Sea Salt
$0.30 OFF one 4 oz. or larger HARIBO product
$1.00 OFF 1 One Half Gallon of 8th Continent Soymilk
$1.00 OFF 1 SO DELICIOUS COCONUT MILK BEVERAGE (64oz. or 32oz. )

Personal Care:

$4.00 OFF 1 Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy
$3.00 OFF 1 Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation Product Redeemable ONLY at CVS/Pharmacy
$2.00 OFF 1 Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation Product. Redeemable ONLY at Walgreens
$2.00 OFF 1 AmLactin Moisturizing Body Lotion (7.9 oz/225 g bottle)
$2.00 OFF 1 PURPOSE Skin Care Product (excluding trial sizes)
$2.00 OFF any 1 Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector Kit
$2.00 OFF 1 Renu fresh or Renu sensitive multi-purpose solution (8 oz or larger)
$2.00 OFF 1 SYSTANE Product
$1.00 OFF 1 OPTI-FREE RepleniSH solution, 10 oz or larger
$1.00 OFF 1 New York Color Lip OR Nail Product ($1.72 or more)
$1.00 OFF 1 GARNIER MOISTURIZER OR CLEANSER $1.00 OFF 1 Kiss PREMIUM EYELASH Product
$1.00 OFF 1 Garnier The Brusher Clenser
$0.75 OFF 1 Clear eyes Product
$0.75 OFF 1 Efferdent Denture Cleanser or Effergrip Denture Adhesive product

Pet Care:

$2.00 OFF 12 cans or one (1) 12 ct Variety Pack of Purina Mighty Dog brand Dog Food, any variety
$1.50 OFF 1 bag of Purina Yesterday’s News brand Cat Litter, any size, any variety
$1.50 OFF 1 Nutramax Pet Cosequin Product for Your Pet’s Joints
$1.50 OFF 1 Nutramax Pet Dermaquin Product for Your Pet’s Skin and Coat
$1.40 OFF one (1) 54 oz. or larger carton of Purina Moist & Meaty brand Dog Food, any variety
$1.25 OFF 10 single cans of Purina Alpo brand Dog Food, any size, any variety
$1.10 OFF 1 package of Purina Tidy Cats brand Cat Litter, any size, any variety
$1.00 OFF Milk-Bone Healthy Favorites Dog Snacks
$0.99 OFF 1 package of Purina Busy brand Chew Treat, any size, any variety

Health Care:

$5.00 OFF 1 Non-Drowsy Claritin Allergy Product (24 count or larger)
$5.00 OFF 1 Florastor probiotic
$4.00 OFF 1 Cosamin ASU Joint Health Supplement
$3.00 OFF 1 Cosamin DS Joint Health Supplement
$3.00 OFF 1 Senokot Tablets or Senokot-S Tablets
$3.00 OFF 1 Colace Capsules or Peri-Colace Tablets
$3.00 OFF 1 Non-Drowsy Claritin-D Allergy Product
$3.00 OFF 1 Prevacid 24hr Product
$2.00 OFF 1 Bronkaid product
$2.00 OFF any 1 NASALCROM allergy product
$1.50 OFF 1 Bottle of Emetrol for Nausea
$1.00 OFF 1 Campho-Phenique Product
$1.00 OFF 1 NEO-SYNEPHRINE PRODUCT
$1.00 OFF 1 OmegaMint Heart Health Supplement
$0.50 OFF 1 RelaxZen Product

Household:

$3.00 OFF 1 package of HUGGIES Diapers (60 ct. or higher)
$2.00 OFF 1 any package of HUGGIES Diapers
$2.00 OFF 1 DEPEND Absorbent Product
$2.00 OFF 1 DEPEND Guards for Men
$1.50 OFF 2 Glade Fabric & Air Odor Eliminator
$1.50 OFF THREE Glade PlugIns Scented Gel products
$1.00 OFF 1 all free clear OXI-Active Laundry Detergent (28 loads or larger) $1.00 OFF 1 BISSELL Full Size Machine Formula
$1.00 OFF 2 Comet Bathroom Spray or Comet Cream products
$1.00 OFF 1 Seventh Generation Product
$0.50 OFF 1 any 1 Windex, Pledge, or Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaning Cloths & Sponges By Libman
$0.50 OFF 1 Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator

Home Entertainment:

$4.00 OFF Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s Masquerade DVD

Toys and Games:

$5.00 OFF Tag Junior book pal

The Couponizer has a new fan!

For a long time I’ve been trying different ways of keeping track of my coupons so that I could actually be organized for shopping trips. I needed a simple, “no brainer” way to to it and a way that was easy enough that my husband could grab coupons quickly when we goes to the store.

I tried my own three-ring binder with the baseball card type slots. I tried an index card filing box. I tried just piling up the coupon inserts and grabbing them to clip right before a shopping trip. All of these methods (that may work perfectly well for others!) just did not work for me and left me frustrated and too often going to the store empty-handed and spending more than I needed.

I was hesitant to pay for any type of solution. Of COURSE I was hesitant to spend money if I didn’t need to – that’s the whole point of being frugal. Why spend money you don’t have to spend so that you have more money for the things you DO need and want? So I gave up and gave in. I’d seen some ads for the Couponizer online and I was intrigued. It said Save MORE than Money with The Couponizer! So, I went to the website and ponied up the dough in a last ditch effort to get my coupon clutter under control.

My Couponizer in its pouch

Let me tell you, this is the easiest, most organized way I have ever come across to handle coupons. I am SO pleased with it. The Couponizer book came with a handy clear pouch, a small pair of scissors and the awesome organizing mat. I LOVE the pouch because it gives me a place to stick my inserts, mailers and random coupons I get until I decide to sit down and get to clipping and organizing.

See how full I can stuff the little pouch? Nice, eh?

SO…now it’s time to clip and organize (with the help of my lovely daughter).

Clipping Coupons with The Couponizer!

The labeled mat makes it SO simple. The way it works best for us is we grab all the inserts and coupons we’ve collected and just sit and clip for a few minutes, ONLY clipping ones we will actually use. Then when we have a nice pile of coupons we will use, we use the sorting mat to put them in logical categories which, of course, correspond to the pockets inside the Couponizer book. I LOVE the pockets because they are big enough for any size coupon unlike the little business card or baseball card plastic inserts for three ring binders. The categories are obviously well-chosen because I never stare at a coupon and wonder “where does this one go?” There’s a logical place for it, always. Amen.

Organizing Coupons

When it’s time to make a store run, I just grab my Couponizer and start making my list and pulling the coupons for that trip. Once I pull the coupons for the trip, they go in the handy pocket in the front reserved for “this trip.” I love it, too, because it makes me create my grocery list in order so that “like” items are in the same place on the list. It makes my time in the store more efficient. The Couponizer is also small enough that it’s easy for me to toss it in my bag and take it to the store with me. That way if I see an item not on the list that I think I want, I can scan quickly to see if I’ve got a coupon for it.

In the back of the book there are also pockets for coupons like restaurant, service and other stores that aren’t grocery items. Nice to have a separate place for those to live.

So…there you have it. As you can tell, I’m smitten with my Couponizer and would highly recommend it to those of you who need a good solution. Give it a shot – you won’t regret it!

I find it easier to save when I have a specific goal in mind. After last year’s memorable family vacation to
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Orlando,FL and experiencing all the magic that Walt Disney World has to offer, we decided as a family that our goal is to get back there as soon as we can to enjoy even more time exploring, doing our favorite things and getting to do all the things we didn’t have time for last summer. I can’t stop thinking about this incredible view:

Our hotel room view of the Beach Club from The Boardwalk Inn in the wee hours of the morning

So – how are we going to get back there? Here are some not-so-painful things I’m doing to get us closer to our next Disney World adventure:

1. Quit a bad habit. We all have them – or at least most of us do – a habit that costs us money that we would be better off without. Let’s not name names or talk about the pros and cons of said habits. I know what mine are, you know what yours are. So pick one and quit, then set that money aside for your goal.

2. Look for savings. And I mean savings on stuff you are going to buy anyway! If you don’t clip coupons, give it a whirl. Find awesome printable coupons right here on my site: http://www.myfrugalyear.com/coupons.htm. Check out your local Groupon savings to find deals on stuff you would buy or do. And remember – it isn’t savings if you spend money on something you wouldn’t normally in order to get “savings”!


3. Stash the cash! Once you have saved some money, what do you do with it? That’s totally up to you. For me, if it’s sitting around in cash or in my checking account, it will dwindle away without me even noticing and next thing I know my savings is gone, so I do a combination of putting it in a savings account and purchasing Disney Gift Cards. The gift cards from Disney don’t expire and don’t lose their value or have any fees attached. Money that I am willing to make unavailable for anything BUT our Disney trip, I get the gift cards. They can be used not only at Disney Stores, but you can use them to pay for your Disney resort hotel, Disney Cruise Line, your park tickets, food and souvenirs at the parks, so they are VERY flexible! If you’re saving for a Disney vacation I recommend this, but again: only put money in gift cards that you can afford not to be available to you in case of emergency!

Those are the main things I’m doing right now. I check sites like Couponing To Disney to find deals and for inspiration. I try to cut out unnecessary expenses to a certain extent, but still want to live a fun life while saving. It’s all about balance. Set your goal then find ways that work for YOU to achieve them.

So – what’s your next vacation plan?? Got any good saving tips to share? Leave a comment!
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Just spend $10 and get a $20 gift card for Barnes & Noble. Can’t beat that! Use online or in store:

One of my goals this year is to stop just dumping all of our digital photos into random folders on my computer! It’s time to get prints of the good ones and do some scrap-booking! Snapfish has a great deal right now – you can get 50 free prints! Gotta love free stuff!

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I also love their photo books. Maybe you don’t have time to crop photos and make scrap books, but it’s sure easy to use their online system to make gorgeous, affordable photo books. They’re so versatile! Make books for special occasions, vacations, school years, individual family members – the possibilities are endless!

Here’s a great article from Woman’s Day magazine on using coupons effectively. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Coupns. While you’re there, check out the great giveaways at Woman’s Day too! There are three pages of all sorts of giveaway contests from household products, appliances to family and romantic trips!

TODAY ONLY – print a coupon for a FREE* package of Nabisco cookies when you buy one package of Nabisco cookies and one gallon of milk. Visit the “Cookies & Milk” tab to print the coupon and redeem by September 24th! Coupon offer ends 9/6/10 at 11:59 PM ET. (*Restrictions apply.) http://www.facebook.com/nabiscocookies?v=app_344901331467

Oh folks, deliciousness awaits!! MyBlogSpark and Betty Crocker teamed up for this fabulous promotion highlighting a fun new dessert. Fun and full of yummyness! Betty Crocker provided me a terrific prize pack through MyBlogSpark so that I could try the new Mississippi Mud Supreme Bars and tell y’all about them. The pack included a box of the mix and a great 8 x 8 metal pan to bake them in.

You have GOT to try these!

Well, let me tell you…you have GOT to try them. Now I am a fan of your basic brownie so I was a little hesitant on this one. I am so glad I tried them and we will absolutely be making them again! They were quick and easy to make and our whole family just loved them – especially my soon-to-be teenage son. He helped me make them. It starts out with a crumbled cookie crust on the bottom, then the chocolate center with mini-marshmallows and sprinkled cookie crumbs on top. When they came out of the oven they smelled SO good, it was hard to wait for them to cool. FINALLY it was time to try them. I cut into it and the crust stayed together nicely and didn’t crumble. The taste was fabulous and the the bars didn’t last 24 hours in our house. Not even close!

So – the great news is that Betty Crocker through MyBlog Spark is allowing me to give away a special prize pack to one of you lucky folks! If you want to try these bits of chocolate heaven, here’s what you have to do:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite quick and easy dessert is. How easy is THAT??

The winner will be selected by random drawing from all entries on July 28

You can also get up to four additional entries by doing any or all of the the following:

Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this blog post, then leave a comment on this post that you’ve done so.

Follow me on Twitter @EclecticWAHM, then leave a comment on this post that you’ve done so.

Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and leave a link to your blog on a comment on this post that you’ve done so.

“Like” my new Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/EclecticWAHM/101535743232800 and leave a comment on this post that you’ve done so.

Thanks for reading and enjoy those Mississippi Mud Bars!!