Operation $40K

It's been a bit since I have been online!  Yesterday, miss Sarah and I picked forty pounds of sour cherries, before we had some friends over to swim and beat the heat. After they left, I started pitting them and putting them into one gallon baggies for the freezer. Gotta tell you -- that is a lot 'o cherries to pit, one by one. (sigh). My hand is taking a break for a while, but I made it through over 3/4 of them. :) It was also a good day to get the new canvas canopy on the "rack" -- so there is a15 x 15 screened in gazebo of sorts next to the pool. It's now time to just relax a bit and wait it out before swimming again...I've done enough "work" to tick off my Fibromyalgia and flare my arthritic shoulder, LOL! What's keeping me motivated? That was forty pounds or organic cherries - and will make some AWESOME jam and pie filling in a few months, when it is cool enough to play with them and can the results. That eight seven pounds of st...

This means that the printable coupon world has Re-Set! Zip over here to print out your NEW coupons, before they are gone. Don't forget to hit Target.com, Kelloggs.com, and Pillsbury.com too!

Wow - Month one of summer is over and we have two months left! WHAT happened to the time? So far our list: *swimming - done *make Popsicles (I shared my recipe list in the recipe section!) *library and bookstore reading programs (Just doing the Half Price Books one)   *Going to the Dells - done *A Jurassic Birthday Party for Miss Sarah - done *Going to Cousin Eric's Wedding in Colorado - done *Plant a container garden - done *Teach Sarah how to roller skate - in progress *Going to the Voss's cabin with my inlaws *crafting - currently making plaster door hanger *Church Drive In Movie Night *taking Miss Sarah to Florida to see Aunt Brenda and Uncle Sam *going to Disney! *make homemade ice cream (I got a machine free from TW a few years ago and we didn't use it ONCE last summer and found a pretty cool recipe for SnickerDoodle Ice Cream to try!!) *homemade bubbles with dish soap and white corn syrup - done *summer karate lessons for Sarah - done *Visit the loc...

So this weekend is similar to last year - extreme heat warnings! I plan some time for us in the pool - but we still have to be careful with liquids to drink and sunscreen.  Other than that, we will have a lot of fresh fruit and cold meals (like that tuna pasta salad). What do you do to keep cool?

Walmart Ice Cream Event   Date: 7/2/2011 5:30 - 8:30PM Stop by the Bright Ideas Station at your local participating Walmart for a cool treat. Get low prices everyday on everything, plus a free sample of NESTLÉ® DRUMSTICK® LIL’ DRUMS™ Sundae Cones while supplies last. Are you in the Madison Area? we have one Supercenter: 2151 Royal Ave , Monona, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 226-0913 There are a LOT of fun different sampling events, etc that they do - just check out their website here v

A new face book offer here - hurry, it won't last long! (Thanks Micki)

**Remember, Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and their ads occasionally don't match up as prices may vary per store. (YMMV) check your store ad for prices and to see it's coupon policy    Weekly Coupon Items (with $10 purchase, limit 1): Ice Mountain Water (12 pk) $2.99 Kingsford Charcoal $5.99 Pepsi Products (12 pk) 4/$8.88 (must buy 4) Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip $1.99 - $1/1 or $.75/1 (6/19/2011 SS) = $.99 Meat Deals Ground Beef (in 10 lb. tubes) $1.99 per lb. STOCK UP! **Like lower fat ground beef? Read this!** Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $1.89 per lb. PW Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns $.79 or FREE with 2,000 Pig Points Johnsonville Brats or Italian Sausage (3# box) $6.79 - $.55/1 (4/17/2011 SS) or $1/1 Italian sausage printable = as low as $5.79 Oscar Mayer Wieners (3# box) $2.88 (limit 2) - $1/2 (6/19/2011 SS) = $2.38 Produce Sweet Corn $.24 Whole Seedless Watermelon $2.99 (limit 2) Jalapeno Peppers $.99 per lb.  Dairy...

Why do we like free samples? They often come with high value coupons! Enjoy this one: Downey

You can now get State Fair tickets at your Sentry store for just $5 each. Get them now and save a few $$ per person, if you are planning to go! (thru 6/30) 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: They say it's the Summer Chicken Sale - but we have seen MUCH better deals on chicken lately! Just this week Roundy's stores had split breasts for $.99/# - and Sentry has boneless, skinless breasts for over $2/# (my magic price point). Remember, Not everything in the ad is a good bargain, it's not all ON sale but is all FOR sale :) Produce Deals Ripe Seedless Whole Watermelon $3.99 Bi Color Sweet Corn 6/$1.98 ($.33 each) California Strawberries $2.99 for a 2# pack (1.49/#0 Use the in ad coupon to get the sale price Mini Carrots $.9...

I felt like crap yesterday morning and didn't do what I had planned. I am finally through the elevation sickness and feel 100% myself today! (yippee!)  Seriously, if you ever see yourself over 8,000 feet elevation, be SUPER careful! That wedding in Colorado really did me in for a few days. OK -- today was shopping day! I hit Aldi and the bread outlet (I know, I missed the 25% off discount day but really needed bread!) Needless to say, I missed the strawberry picking so I got eight packs of strawberries at $.99 along with four packs of blueberries at $1.29, two cantaloupe at $.99, one watermelon @$3.99, bananas @$1.15, the asparagus looked amazing and was $2.39 - nice thin and tender stalks! Add a bag of rice snacks and a bag of veggie chips for a total of $26.27 . That is thirtyone pounds of fresh produce for abut $.73 a pound. I LOVE that store!!! Then came the Village Hearth bread outlet... Cottage Bread for the hubster, Cinnamon Raisin bagels and New England whole grain b...

Here is the list from Pocket Your Dollars, I have it updated with OUR pricing and flier - my changes are in RED. The Monopoly Bonus piece items are in BLUE. Happy planning! Produce Deals Sweet Corn – 10 ears for $2 (.20 each) Final price: $0.20 each Broccoli $.99/# Cauliflower $.99/# Vidalia sweet onions $.88/# Cherries $2.29/lb Sale price, no coupon needed Final price: $2.29** **Is this a decent price for cherries? Strawberries (2 lb) $2.99 Use $0.50/1 Driscoll’s printable available after registering, if your store carries this brand Final price: $1.99 ($0.99/lb) Whole Seedless Watermelon (15 lb) $3.99 Sale price, no coupon needed Final price: $3.99** **Cub has watermelon for $3.88 this week Meat Deals Oscar Mayer Meat or Turkey Franks $1.50 Buy 2 and use $1/2 from 6/19 or 5/15 Smart Source insert or $1/2 from this week’s Cub Foods sales flyer or $1/1 Oscar Mayer Peelie on some packages Final price: Up to FREE each after doubled coupon Osca...

Thank you for watching coming to the class tonight to check it out! I saved $40,000 in less than one year from just making a few simple changes in our family budget - you can too! Couponing is just the tip of the iceberg - but accounts for over 25% of my savings! You will find my class schedule, recipes and most importantly, printable coupon links all on their own pages, at the top of my blog...along with tabs for the different stores and the local coupon policies. I am on Twitter and Facebook too (under Operation 40K) if you want to schedule a class or have any questions, please just shoot me an email at op40K@aol.com . I hope you can put your new knowledge to good use quickly! Blessings, Dannelle

Master Price List and Tips Here: Aldi's prices are on the creep up, like everywhere else. The Master Price List has been updated! Some great deals on produce and fun BBQ items this week : Cantaloupe $.99 each - this is a GREAT price on them as most are 3 to 4#!! Blueberries $1.29 Sweet Corn $1.29/4 pack -- it's only $.25 an ear at Copps Strawberries $.99/# Other Items: Benner Iced Tea or Nectar Fruit Punch $.99 (64oz) Dakota's Price Baked Beans (28oz) $1.19 Sundae Shoppe Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fudge bars and Ice Cream Bars (all 12 ct)  $1.99 L'oven Fresh frosted sugar cookies $2.29 a pack

This is cool! It's going to be a holiday weekend and yet, we are going to see a coupon insert! This is SOOOOOO rare! PLEASE check your papers before you buy those extras - sadly, people have been taking the inserts out of the papers at the stores, without buying the papers. I would hate to see you bring home 4-5 papers and they are empty! Sunday coupon preview Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected! (x) before coupon = multiple of same coupon ETS = excludes trial sizes P and G Insert Coupons(All Coupons Expire 7/31) Always $.50/1 Pads, Clean or Feminie Cleansing Cloths Always $.50/1 Pantiliner 30ct+ Always $1/1 Infinity 14ct+ Bounce $.50/1 dryer bar Bounce/Downy $.35/1 sheets Bounty $.25/1 napkins Bounty $.25/1 towels or napkins Cascade $1/1 Cascade $1/1 rinse aid Charmin $.25/1 Clairol $1/1 hair color Clairol $3/1 Nice ‘n Easy color blend foam or Perfect 10 hair color Covergirl $1/1 Covergirl $2.50/2 Crest $.75/1 4oz+ toothpas...

After a few of my Coupon Clipping 101 Classes, people asked me about Diapers. I will try to share weekly deals for y'all that are using them! Here you go: This Week's Diaper Deals CVS Huggies Jumbo Packs – $9 -Use $2/1 PullUps printable coupon OR -Use $2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Movers coupon (SS 6/12) -Get $4 ECBs WYB 2 Final Price = $10 for 2 ($5 each) Walgreens Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers – $9.49 -Use $2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Movers Diapers coupon (SS 6/12) Final Price = $7.49 Pampers Big Pack Cruisiers Diapers – $19.99 -Use $1.50/1 Pampers Diapers or Pants coupon (PG 6/5) AND -Use $2/1 Pampers Cruisers coupon (Walgreens Infant Care Book) -Get $3 in Register Rewards Final Price = $13.49 Target Huggies Little Swimmers – $9.99 -Use $1.50/1 Huggies coupon (SS 6/12) Final Price = $8.49 Luvs Big Pack Diapers – $16.99 -Use $1/1 Luvs coupon (PG 5/1) AND -Use $2/1 Luvs Target coupon (RP 6/26 – Regional) Final Price = $13.99 Amazon Hu...

It's the end of the month - make sure you print them now, in case they are not there in a few days! Some Internet Printables (IPs) reduce in value for the new month...or vanish all together! Go here to start printing!

Get a Coupon for $1/4 cans of Red Gold Tomatoes here   ***With a sale, doubled, that means 4 cans FREE!

I am skipping Copps (close your dropped jaw...) this week as the sales don't really excite me and we have a VERY full fridge/freezer/pantry. Saturday, however, might be different. The new ad would let me get FREE Hot Dogs, butter for under $2 a pound and cheap hot dog buns (a BOGO offer). (Ad match ups coming soon!) What am I going to do this week? I am going to the bread outlet! I am craving bagels, and we need multi grain bread. Wednesday at the Village Hearth outlet in Sun Prairie = a bonus 25% discount! I will be spending about $3 I am gardening. (kind of). My cherry tree is almost ready to harvest! Those babies will be pitted and frozen until I am ready to make jam with them. Last year, I got 18 pounds of cherries, after pitting! Not bad for a one hour - fight the mosquito's - annual effort. Seriously, the tree takes care of itself! I will be spending nothing. I am picking organic Strawberries! We will hit JenEhr farms and eat as many as we pick (no charge for what...

I have talked before about Birthday parties and how they can be fun, without costing a mint. These places that charge $13.95 or more per child are really raking in the dough, sadly at the expense of the parent! There are a few things that are important for every party: Invites Activity (games only let 1-2 little people win, an activity covers everyone) Cake Thank You notes A theme is helpful, but not really necessary. (Unless you are like me and then it's imperative!) This year's theme? A Jurassic Party for my little Paleontologist. Here were the invites: I used Dinosaur Tracks from my Cricut Cartridge Collection and white card stock. Using my Glimmer Mists, I colored them, layered them and used embroidery floss for contrast and a red self adhesive gem for the eye. I did ask everyone to RSVP so I would have enough Jr Paleontologist kits ready, but had to contact half the people we invited, as they never replied. Maybe I am wrong? RSVP used to mean either way - accept...

***Keep in mind my guidelines: $1/# for fresh produce and $2/# or less for meat They have a 2 day Stock Up Savings Sale this week. (Thursday and Friday) If you go and something is out... , GET A RAIN CHECK - HyVee in Madison: rain checks have NO expiration date! Produce Deals Red Ripe Whoe Seedless Watermelon $3.98 -  (a 2-Day Sale Item) Tender Sweet Corn $.25 each HyVee Coleslaw $.99 for 16oz bag Arkansas Tomatoes $.99/# Heart of the Valley Fresh Radishes $.99/# Meat Deals 2 Day sale items: 80% Lean FRESH Gound Bef 3# roll for $5.97 - limit 2 This is a STOCK UP PRICE!!! It is under $2 A POUND!!! Oscar Mayer Meat or Turkey Hotdogs or Bologna $.99 each - limit 4 (a 2-Day Sale Item) Use the $1/1 peelie that is out there to make them FREE OR Use the $1/2 from here to make them $.49 each HyVee 100% Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast $1.69/# All Week: Blue Ribbon Beef Boneless Sirloin Steak $2.88/# - one of the best prices we have seen on stea...

Why do we like samples? Because they often come with high value coupons! Get yours here

WHY do we like to ask for samples? Because they often come with high value coupons! They are nice for travel...being smaller sizes. They are also nice to test for allergies, if you have kids or people in your family with sensitive skin! Here is another one for Shout Wipes

You will see a few sites sharing this link:  here I think it is a fraudulant coupon: It doesn't say Taco Johns on it anywhere, isn't "clean" with a solid border and fuzzy print AND it has the same UPC as the offer they put out in March. (you can see that here ) You CAN get Free Potatoe Oles by going here on their site. (Thanks Laura)

Hasn't it been fun getting TONS of great products almost FREE this spring at our Copps and Pick N Save stores? Here is the bad news: They are done. Their big promotion right now is the Monopoly game that runs through the end of August (8/31). We won't see Double Double days again before then -- according to my sources. Sorry! Until then....we will keep working the REGULAR Double coupon days along with the produce and meat sales specials. Blessings ~ Dannelle