Operation $40K

You  might want to grab some extra papers tomorrow to get FREE  Frozen Strawberry Lemonade coupons for McDonald's ! Check both your 5/15 Parade Magazine (In your Sunday Paper) and the June/July issue of Latina Magazine to get a free McDonalds Frozen Strawberry Lemonade coupon. Expires 6/15. *In the Parade Magazine, you’ll also find a $1 Smoothie coupon. Bonus! (thanks Couponing For 4!)

I got the coupon for the FREE Marketfresh Sandwich WYB a small soda - from their facebook page offer that I had shared - and we tried it today. The plan was for Miss Sarah and I to share the sandwich and soda, along with a cup of soup at home. Our selection was the Grilled Chicken Pecan on bread and ran us $1.47 with the soda. Disappointed. There is NO WAY we would ever spend $4.99 on this sandwich -- and here is why: It was a lettuce sandwich with a little chicken salad. Seriously. I would have shared pictures had my camera's batteries been charged so you could see how little chicken salad was in it. There was HALF the amount that should be in the sandwich... and three of the pieces of chicken had to be spit out, as they were grisly. (that didn't leave much chicken...) The fruit was fresh and yummy, but there were three giant leaves of lettuce that buried it. I removed two of the lettuce leaves and will use them in sandwiches tomorrow - a plus, LOL We usually don't ge...

Log in to http://www.kelloggs.com/  and print off your cereal coupons - get them before they are gone!

We have a new giveaway coming! Just giving you a "head's up" =)

Colgate Pro-Clinical White Toothpaste 4 oz - 2/$6, get $4 RR Use two $1 Colgate ProClinical 4 oz or larger (exp 6/04/11) SS 5/15/11 This makes them FREE!! **If you are good on toothpaste, this is a great item to donate to your local pantry! Dove Men+Care Deodorant 2.7/3 oz $3.99 get $3 RR Use $1 Dove Men+Care Deodorant from here This makes it FREE!! **Again, a good item to donate Oscar Mayer Lunchables  2/$3 get $1 RR WYB (2) -$1/1 Lunchables With Fruit PRINTABLE   (facebook offer) OR the same coupon will be in the 5-15-11 SS Insert. This makes it FREE!! (if Lunchables with Fruit are included!) Nova Maxplus Blood Glucose Monitor $10 get $10 RR This Makes It FREE! ***This is a good item to donate too! Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor System $9.89 - Get a $5 RR Use $4/1 Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor 5/1/2011 P&G Insert (exp 5/31/2011)  OR Use $5/1 Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor P&G BrandSampler (exp 5/31/2011) This makes i...

****More dates have been added to the class page of the website! Ever wanted to learn the secrets on how to save 60-80% on your groceries every time you go the store? This class is for you! Learn WHERE to get coupons that you will use, HOW to organize them, and most importantly, the right way to USE them! This class is 2 hours long Confirmed dates and locations: - Thursday, May 5th, 6:30-8:30PM at the Madison Sequoya Public Library at 4340 Tokay Blvd. FREE (Library is sponsoring it) - Thursday, May 19th Oregon High School - Oregon Teachers Only. (4 to 5:45PM) - Thursday, May 19th, 6:15 to 8:00 PM at the Oregon Public Library. FREE (Library is sponsoring it) - Thursday, May 26th, 5:30PM at the Watertown Hospital Conference Room. ***This is a Fund-Raiser for the local food pantry, click here for more details! - Tuesday, June 7th, 6:30PM at the Olivet Congregational United Church of Christ of Columbus ****This is a fundraiser for them - more details coming soon! - Wednesda...

I started with Miss Sarah at HyVee today. We were after that detergent! BIG bottles of it for just $3.99 - less that $3/1 coupon to bring them to just $.99 each. We got 8. I had 10 coupons but shared them with two other people in the area. Have no fear, I didn't clear a shelf, there were a LOT left! 2 are for my mom...2 are for the another friend and we are keeping the white ones. Granted, Purex is kind of the bottom of the charts for quality detergent (according to Consumer Reports magazine) but I am not too concerned about the value of the cost per ounce, LOL. We also got a 2# box of strawberries for $2.28 - it was actually a 2.75# (I weighed a few) box so I am OK with the price - it came out to about $.85/# for the berries...so I did NOT use my rain check from the 4# for $3.99 deal that was sold out a month ago...I will wait until the berries are more expensive for that =) I had the register fiasco with cashier #4 when I tried to use my $8 Wags RR...but that w...

I went to HyVee today and, for the first time, they rejected my Walgreen's Register Rewards!! Cashier #4 was less than pleasant to me - and looked shocked when I went over to the Customer Service desk as soon as I was done. ( Yes, I was VERY polite and tried to point out that it was a Manu Q, then thanked her for her time ). I did NOT tell them how rude she was to me (probably should have) but wanted to get the skinny on their policy since it obviously has changed. The store manager was more than helpful - and explained that ANY coupon that states "redeemable at......" will not be accepted, even if it is a manufacturer's coupon. This goes for Wags RR, Cub Food in-ad manufacturer's coupons, etc. I had planned on 8 FREE bottles of detergent, but had to pay $1.04 each for them (I know, STILL a great bargain) but that is a totally different post. If you have ANY questions on their policy, Josh Alonzo is the guy to ask at the Madison store. This certainly is...

I think know I need to stop at Walgreen's and get some of the Carefree Pantyliners that are on sale for $.99 ans use those $1/1 coupons to get them for FREE. I will get a rain check if they are out, as these are not a RR item. These will be a donation item! I know I am going to HyVee today and get some of that detergent from their Friday the 13th Sale. It's $3.99 and, with a $3 off coupon, just $.99 a bottle. This is certainly a stock up price! I am also getting some of that Peter Pan Peanut Butter today -- $2.99, less a $1 coupon makes it $1.99 for 3 jars! I have $8 in RR to use up - most of this will be FREE! I am NOT going to Copp's tomorrow, I have three Tupperware parties to do...so I am working on a plan for Wednesday. That's really all that I am looking for, that and another FREE Grilled Chicken & Pecan Salad Sandwich  from Arby's to share with Miss Sarah - did you "like" them on Facebook yet and get your coupon? Hurry, they expire 5/1...

Here is a list of fun, frugal things to do with the kiddos this weekend =)                                 Saturday                      Madison Farmer's Market Capitol Square, 6AM - 2PM, rain or shine, no pets, The largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country. All items are produced locally by the vendor behind the table. No resale allowed! Henry Vilas Zoo IF YOU GO: To protect animals, the zoo does not provide straws (or lids) when purchasing beverages. You may want to bring your own cup that fits in the stroller cup holders, and transfer a beverage you might purchase while there (and sippy cups for the kids, of course.)  Bring a blanket or beach towel for diaper changing or snack time. The McKay Center. This is the...

An updated local list of which stores double and which don't is coming soon! Sentry Coupon Policy is here *** **The products that are on sale with the in-ad MANUFACTURER coupon as listed about can NOT be stacked with any other coupon.    Other than that, here are the deals: Produce Deals: Iceberg Lettuce $.99 - weigh them and get one that is at least 1# Ripe Athena Cantaloupe $1.99 - IF you can find one that is over 2# Whole Seedless Watermelon $3.99 - IF you can find one that is over 4# - with in ad coupon Cucumbers $.49 each - 2 should = 1# or more Mangoes $.79 EACH - weigh them to get the heavier ones. Dairy Deals: Large Eggs $.99/ Dozen limit of one, with in ad coupon Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter 8oz 2/$2.98 or $1.49 each Use $.50 off 2 coupon from the 4/3 SS Final cost: 2/$1.98 or $.99 each after doubled coupon Meat Deals - Pork week! Oscar Mayer Bologna or Cotto Salami $1 - limit of 3 with in ad coupon **This is a GREAT price! Sentry Lean ...

Sales circular: Target has a new sales circular that starts every Sunday morning. Coupon Policy: You can print the Target coupon policy here. Key points: Target will accept one manufacturer’s coupon and one Target Store Coupon for each item unless either coupon prohibits this use. A Super Target coupon may be used at ANY Target store as long as the store carries that item. Valid Internet Printable coupons are accepted. If the item value is less than the coupon value, Target will not give cash back. In this situation the coupon amount may be reduced to meet the price of the product. Target does not accept competitor coupons. Target Store Coupons : You can go here to print the current Target printable coupons. Sometimes they disappear before their expiration date, so make sure you print the ones you think you will use. You can also sign up for the Target mobile coupons. These are texted to your phone about twice a month. Target Price Matching Policy Target has a...

Here are the Whole Foods deals for the week of May 11-17, 2011. Remember…. Some stores allow you to stack manufacturer coupons with store coupons. Buy a case and get a 10% discount. Bring your bags for .10 cents off your order per bag. Prices and deals will sometimes vary by store. Check out the current Whole Foods Printable Coupons . Sales, coupon policies and available items will vary by store. Please call your store to confirm and/or check your local ad.   Meat Deals   Boneless Rib Eye Steak $13.99/lb (Save $2)   Breakfast Sausage $4.99/lb (Save $2)   Plainville Honey Roasted Turkey $8.99/lb (Save $1)   Seared Bay Scallop and Shrimp Sushi $6.99 each (Save $1)   Southern Spicy Chicken Breast $8.99/lb (Save $3)   Wild Royal Red Shrimp 26-35 ct $11.99/lb (Save $2)   Grocery Deals   Bell and Evans Chicken Nuggets 12 oz $5.99 (Save $1)   Blackberries 1/2 pint 2/$6 (Save $1.98)   Broccoli, organic $2.49/lb (S...

Next time you are at Walgreens, keep your eyes peeled for travel size bottles of Wisk. These bottles contain 12 loads of laundry detergent and a coupon for $1.50 off a 75 oz bottle of Wisk. These would be perfect to donate to your local food bank or shelter. (Thanks Totally Target and Couponing to Disney)

Become in “Like” with Zone Perfect on Facebook and you can sign up for a FREE Zone Perfect Sweet & Salty Bar. (thanks Kansas City Mammas)

Sign up today to receive Kraft Foods Good Eating , Good Living weekly e-newsletters. (thanks Kansas City Mamma)

As I had stated, I contacted every Sentry in Wisconsin and asked about their coupon policy and will put them together in one place for you. Today, I heard back from the Elkhorn store... What kinds of coupons do you accept Manufacturer's? Printables? eCoupons? WE ACCEPT ALL COUPONS EXCEPT COUNTERFIT COUPONS, and they can be printed in black and white. Do you offer store coupons? Where would I find them? YOU CAN FIND STORE COUPONS ON OUR WEBSITE: www.danielsfoods.com or www.sentryfoods.com May I use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same item? YES, AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT EXCEED THE RETAIL OF THE ITEM. Do you match competitor prices or take their coupons? NO . What is your policy on overage (when the value of the coupon exceeds the value of the product)? WE CAN'T DOUBLE A COUPON IF IT WILL EXCEED THE RETAIL OF THE ITEM. If the coupon exceeds the value of the product, do you adjust the price of the coupon down? Ex: $1 off coupon on a $.97 product. THE...

I hit two different Walgreen's today to get in on that TP deal - one in Monona and one in Sun Prairie. Buy three packs of TP and get $4 in Register Rewards. Not bad, $11 for 36 rolls, right? It' gets better! Use the May coupon book to take $1 off each of them - bringing it down to $8! Better yet, if you had the $.50/1 coupons, you are now paying $6.50 (plus tax). I happened to have five $2/1 coupons that I got when I wrote them (Do you Coupon 101 Class people remember my "suck up" letters?)  ...and then used a $.50/1. ~~~~~~~~~~~ In Monona: 3 packs TP, less $6 in coupons, less $3 from May book - I spent $6.89 and got back $4 in RR (this makes the TP $.96 per pack, or $.08 per double roll!) In Sun Prairie:  3 packs TP, less $4.50 in coupons, less $3 from May book - 2 cans Pringles at $.57 (on clearance), less $1/2 coupon I spent $8.53 and got back $4 in RR I would have gotten more Pringles for the radio can rebate offer, but they only had 2 left) Total Spent at...

Here is a list of this weekend's city wide garage sales for Wisconsin-- Keep in mind the gas prices: It may or may not be worth it to you to drive too far to hit a sale where you drive around that town. Make your list, pack your snacks, get their map and GO FOR IT! DeForest/ Windsor Area Garage Sales 5/12/2011 5/12/2011 Hingham Community Rummage Sale 5/12/2011 5/13/2011 Deerfield Community Garage Sale 5/12/2011 5/14/2011 Buffalo City Wide Garage Sale 5/13/2011 5/13/2011 Monona City Wide Garage Sale 5/13/2011 5/13/2011 Reedsburg Community Wide Garage Sales 5/13/2011 5/14/2011 Edgerton City Wide Rummage Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Iola City Wide Rummage Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Jackson Village Wide Rummage Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Kaukuana City Wide Rummage Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Pittsville Spring Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Richland City Wide Garage Sales 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Seymour City Wide Rummage Sale 5/14/2011 5/14/2011 Watertown City Wide Rummage Sa...

There is a new coupon book out - for 2 weeks, called: Heavy Cut Back Values! Over $51 in savings - good for 14 days. If you didn' t get one, or want another one, ask your customer service desk. Here is the list from Pocket Your Dollars, I have it updated with OUR pricing and flier - my changes are in RED . Happy planning! Produce Deals Fresh Express Garden Salad, 12 oz., $.88 (limit 1) + use cut back coupon book coupon to get sale price  (surprise: Aldi is cheaper for their version)  Vidalia Sweet Onions, $.69/# Green Onions, 2/$1 - weigh them Cut Watermelon $.79/# Meat Deals Value Pack Chicken Leg Quarters $.88/# Ball Park Franks $2.00 Buy 1 and use $1/1 Ball Park Franks printable (Facebook offer) or Buy 2 and use $0.75/2 from 3/27 or 5/1 Red Plum Final price: As low as free after doubled coupon Jimmy Deans Full Cooked Sausage Link, Patties or Rolls $3.50 Use $0.75/1 from 3/6 Red Plum insert Final price: $2.00 after doubled coupon Horme...

This is a nice alternative to packaged, dry, Instant Onion Soup mixes as there is no added salt and you can use a low sodium bouillon.  3/4 cup of dried minced onion 1/3 cup of granules of beef bouillon 1/4 cup of onion powder, celery seed, and sugar 1/4 tsp of crushed celery seed 1/4 tsp of sugar Combine all ingredients and store in Tupperware. That's it. Super easy! ** About 5 tablespoons of mix are equal to a standard 1 1¼-ounce package. To make onion dip: Mix 5 tablespoons with one pint of sour cream.

Sunday coupon preview Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected! (x) before coupon = multiple of same coupon ETS = excludes trial sizes RedPlum Coupon Insert Aquafresh iso-active Foaming gel Save $1.00/1 (6/26) Aveeno sun protection product Save $1.50/1 (7/31) Aveeno sun protection products Save $3.00/2 (7/31) Benadryl topical product Save $1.00/1 (7/31) Black Box rebate offer Save $5.00 (7/31) Brawny Paper Towels 6- roll or larger Save $1.00/2 ((8/11) Caltrate Save $2.00/1 (8/22) Caltrate larger size 155ct or larger Save $3.00/1 (8/22) Carbona color & dirt grabber Save $1.00/1 (8/13) Carbona stain devils Save $1.00/1 (8/13) Centrum Silver Women’s, Centrum Silver Men’s, Centrum Women’s or Centrum Men’s 100 ct Save $2.00/1 (8/7) Centrum Silver Women’s, Centrum Silver Men’s, Centrum Women’s or Men’s 100ct Save $5.00/2 (8/7) Centrum Silver women’s , Centrum Silver Men’s, Centrum Women’s or Men’s 200 ct Save $10.00/2 (8/7) Cesar entrees Buy...

Go here to get a coupon for $1 off McD's Lemonade drinks - they are $1 at my local store right now, so they would be FREE with coupon! They run thru 6/15 -- and you can print off more than one! When your printer icon pops up, select how many you want to print (I did 4). Thanks McDonald's!

When ground beef is averaging $2.49/#, for just $0.50 more, to get a beef roast is a decent deal. In my Meal Planning 101 class I teach the concept of cook once, eat twice. Pot roast is a GREAT example of that! You have the roast for dinner and use the left overs for something like Beef Stew. I like to make it in the crock pot - easy for clean up and easy to do! It does take some planning as it takes about 10 hours on low to be Roast worthy for dinner. Start with the hard veggies and some onions for flavor:   Add your roast on top of the veggies -- you CAN trim off this fat, but it adds a lot of flavor while cooking and helps keep it tender. Some people like to sear their meat in a hot skillet first, I like to keep it fast and easy. Just flip the roast so the fatty side is face down.  Season it. We prefer Onion Soup Mix -- easy to make instead of buying the little packets!  The secret ingredient: 12 oz of beer. You COULD use ginger ale or Sprite instead, th...

There are several things you need to keep in mind to have a successful garage sale; Adverting, Organization, Pricing. Let's start with advertising : You can spend a lot of money on this -- and that kind of defeats the purpose of having a sale! Skip the newspaper ads and use FREE services like Craigslist, you local Mom's Yahoogroup and Facebook. List the bigger items specifically - make sure your address is included along with the hours of your sale. Tell them about a special landmark or to "look for the bright pink signs" - and have your signs out there in abundance. We had them looking for the yellow flashing light (a creation of my husbands). Most of the big things that I specifically listed were gone the first day. (crib, stroller, wagon, dog crate...) If you are going along with the local City Wide event - make sure you are on the map! Now, time to get Organized ! Do you have enough tables? What are you selling? Is your stuff clean? Is it priced? Did you hit ...

Carrie has a nice list posted with coupon match ups here

It is the beginning of a new week - but a busy week it is. It's the middle of Tupperware's Birthday Month and there are tons of bonus specials for hosts, I have five Shows to do. Simple menus for the week -- Any time you see ** it means it was something pulled out of the freezer. Here is the list: Breakfast will include: -toaster waffles (still working on that last box!) -Yogurt (I still have 6 packs left) -hard boiled eggs (yes, I am slowly thawing them out) -boxed cereal (might as well, we have 24 boxes in stock!) -fruit crepes Lunches as normal (sandwiches, soup, left overs, tappas plates) and for dinner... Monday - Meeting Night - grilled cheese sandwiches, veggies and dip Tuesday - Fridge Clean Out! Wednesday - (Breakfast night): pancakes Thursday - Frozen Pizza (sitter) Friday - Italian night: Polenta Lasagna Bake (recipe coming) Saturday - Beef Enchiladas (from my recipe page - using leftover Beef Tostada meat - again, from the recipe page) Sunday - ...

It’s amazing to me to think that I started my mission to save $40,000 a little over a year ago and accomplished it in LESS than that one year time frame! I look back at the previous twelve months and am amazed and how, with simple changes, we were able to control where we wanted to invest our money. First things first: we had to audit where our money was going. If you don’t know where you are spending it, you can’t figure out where to cut back. For us, it was easy –we were spending WAAAAAAAY too much money on food. Seriously. We spent over $600 a month to eat out, which translates to about $7,500 a year. That was $7,500 a year with nothing to show for it and it floored me! My husband thinks we are entitled to go out to eat. I gently reminded him that we are entitled to EAT, but eating out was not a necessity. I also figured that we could be doing better at the stores we shopped at. We were spending an average of $875 a month on things like food, personal care items, pet supplies, ...