Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force for Nintendo DS Just $9.98

Update: The Price for this game has increased to $24.99.

Amazon.com has Club Penguin: Elite Force for Nintendo DS marked down from $34.99 to just $9.98. It comes with the game, Club Penguin Nintendo DS Skin, Club Penguin Stylus and Club Penguin Coin Card. My friend who sent this deal to me said that her 3rd grade twins have this game and play it a lot.

Qualifies for Free Shipping with purchase of $25 or more.

Do you have any Club Penguin fans on your Christmas list? If not, at this price, it may be something you want to add to a gift closet for all the kids' birthday parties that come up.

Thanks Christina!

25 Days of Free Christmas MP3 Downloads

Amazon is offering Amazon's 25 Days of Free Christmas Music Downloads everyday from now to Christmas. I'm excited that even though they're on day number 7 the previous day's downloads are still available. Go here to get the first 7 and then go back the next 18 as they become available.

Get 10% off at Crocs.com and Mary Janes for $14.99

I hear that this is only for today so go quick if you want to get Women's Mary Janes at Crocs.com down from $29.99 to $14.99. Plus get 10% off site wide. I just got a pair of Mary Janes a few months ago and I LOVE them!! In house full of boys I'll take any girly things I can get! Use code IXUX27KY3ISA at check out to get the 10% off. This deal is even better with Free Shipping on all orders placed in December!

Thanks Couponing to Disney!

$15 off Coupon for The Limited

Get $15 off any purchase at The Limited with this coupon. Or use it for $30 off a purchase of $100 or $50 off a purchase of $150. The coupon states that it can't be used on markdowns or accessories. Use it between now and December 13th. I bet you can get something cute to wear to a holiday party or a Christmas present for someone still on your list.

Thanks Mommy Snacks!

$10 off $10 or More at JCPenny Online

Did you print the Hallmark Coupon I posted about here a few days ago? I'm planning to use mine tomorrow. I'll let you know what I get.





Now you can get $10 off any purchase of $10 or more at JCPenny online using code NICE4U. Shipping for one item shipped to my house was $5.95 but it was only $4.50 if I had it shipped to the store instead. Start by looking through items already on clearance to the get the best savings. Buy something for yourself or save on a Christmas present! Sign up for JCPenny Rewards to get coupons mailed and emailed to you. I don't know when this coupon code will expire so use it soon!

Thanks My Penny Pile!

Menu Plan Monday

The daily question of "What's for Dinner?" drives me crazy! Afternoons at my house get hectic so easily. The time after my 2 older boys come home from school is filled with homework, playing with friends and getting back out the door to various activities. One way I try...I'll say try because I can't say that I've made this a routine just yet...is to make a weekly menu plan for our dinners. If I can have what's for dinner decided and any prep work done (even better is dinner in the crock pot) before homework time, our afternoons run so much smoother. Plus then we're less likely to decide to go out for dinner which of course saves money.

A weekly menu plan is just what it sounds like....planning out the meals for the coming week. I do it based on the items I have on hand in my stockpile and what is on sale in the coming week's sales ads. I also plan the easier meals for the night's we have activities planned.

So I decided a way to make a meal plan a routine for me is to post my weekly meal plan here and link that post up the Menu Plan Monday post at Organizing Junkie. Over 300 bloggers link their meal plans there. I've used them to find new recipes and ideas for our dinners.

• Monday- Chicken Tetrazinni (Doubling the recipe, splitting into 3 meals, one for dinner, 2 for the freezer) Thanks Money Saving Mom!
  
• Tuesday- Smoked Sausage, Green Beans and Potatoes
  
• Wednesday - Corn Sausage Chowder, Homemade bread
  
• Thursday - Saucy Pork Chops & broccoli
  
• Friday -Dinner out on our way to Star Wars in Concert
  
• Saturday - 2 Christmas parties to go to means a dinner of lots of yummy food!
  
• Sunday - Pumpkin Pancakes, sausage, fruit

What are you having for dinner this week?

My Favorite Way to Get Coupons

My favorite coupon source....especially for the best of the best stockpile worthy items....is Ebay. Yes there are actually people who sell their time (I guess you're not allowed to sell the coupons themselves) to find, cut, sort and mail coupons.

Remember yesterday when I said that I bought 22 jars of peanut butter? I ordered 20 peanut butter coupons on Ebay for $1.50 plus the $.47 stamp. They were for $.50 off one jar. Kroger and Meijer double coupons so I paid $1.97 and saved $20 on peanut butter!

Each week I look through the grocery ads that are delivered on Saturday (you know the one's that are left in the driveway or hanging on the mailbox) to see what's going to be on sale the next week. Then on Sunday I match up any coupons I have with the sale items, make a list of the items I want to add to my stockpile and search Ebay for the coupons I want to buy. I always order them on Sunday or Monday morning at the latest. All but one time, I've received them before the end of the week.

The listings on Ebay can be either an auction format or Buy It Now. I choose the Buy It Now so I know that the coupons will be on their way to me asap.

Save $5 at Hallmark

I love store coupons that don't require any minimum purchase! Go Here to print a coupon for $5 off your total purchase at Hallmark stores. There's no minimum purchase and the coupon is good through December, 2009. I was able to print it twice by hitting the back button after the first print. Print it now as the print limits could be reached any time!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Thank you!!!

I want to send out a giant THANK YOU to Carrie of Money Saving Methods! Her knowledge, encouragement, time and support means the world to me as I learn about the world of blogging. Check out her site for great ways to save and earn money.

Coupons!!

Stockpiling only makes sense when you can get things for rock bottom prices. Grocery store sales alone help. Coupons alone help. But pair up a great sale along with coupons and that is when you'll truly reach the best price! So where do can you get coupons?

The first and most known place is the Sunday paper. There can be anywhere from one coupon insert all the way up to 4 inserts in the Sunday paper. (Tip: Except Holiday weekends when there are none) You can go out each Sunday morning to buy a paper, have it delivered to your house or ask neighbors who may not use coupons for theirs.

I'll let you in on something I found out. If you live in my area...Greater Cincinnati...there is a great way to save on the delivery of the Sunday paper. Follow me for a second before I get to the good part. First go here to subscribe to the Bethel Journal. Bethel is on the East side of Cincinnati and you can get their community paper mailed to you weekly on Thursday's for $18 a year if you live in Clermont County or $20 a year if not. Now here's the good part .... an annual subscription to the Bethel Journal includes the delivery of the Sunday Enquirer at no extra charge! I know several people who have several subscriptions to get several sets of coupons.

Another great source for coupons that is being used more and more frequently is the internet. Did you know that you can print coupons right from your own computer? Some of my favorite sites are:
www.coupons.com
www.SmartSource.com
www.RedPlum.com
I know there are others. I'll add more as I think of them.

Store displays are another place to find coupons. Some may be in booklets, maybe with recipes, while others are in "blinkie" machines attached to the front of store shelves. (Some have a red light that blinks hence the name "blinkie") Watch for them as you grocery shop.

Watch for and request free samples of the things you use. The samples usually come with coupons for that same item!

I think I'll save my favorite coupons source for my next post.....I think it's worth a post all of it's own!

SwagBucks

What is Swagbucks? Swagbucks is a search engine powered by Google that rewards you for searching the internet....and I bet you do multiple internet searches each day so why not get rewarded for it?

Swagbucks are awarded randomly as you search the web using the search field in the Swagbucks toolbar. Swagbucks can then be redeemed for a whole Swag Store full of things like Gift Cards, Gifts and even cash (through Paypal.)

I just redeemed my Swagbucks for $45 worth of Amazon Gift cards...sure helped with my Christmas shopping! Just an FYI...you can only redeem your Swagbucks for 2 prizes per day and only 5 identical prizes per month. If you want to accumulate Amazon Gift Cards, Paypal cash or lots of any one thing, don't wait until your ready to use your gifts to redeem your Swagbucks. Refer friends too because as they win Swagbucks, so will you!

• Sign up here. Oh I just remembered.. you get 3 Swagbucks just for setting up your account!
  
• Download the toolbar
• Use the Search window each time you do an internet search
• Watch your Swagbucks add up and choose your gift!
  

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Click Here to do it for FREE! Thanks Carrie!!

Stockpiling

Stockpiling. What is it? How do you do it?

First let me ask you a question… When you run out of grocery item, will that same item be on sale at the grocery store? Maybe…but probably not. So if you run out of several things around the same time will they all be on sale when you need them? Definitely not!

A great way to save lots of money is by knowing what you use regularly and what their rock bottom prices are. Stock up when a sale and coupons get you to that price. That way when you run out of something in your kitchen you head to your stockpile instead of the store. I’ve learned that most stores run their sale items in 12 week cycles. So a good rule of thumb to start with would know how much of an item you will use in 12 weeks.

Peanut butter is a major staple in our house. Not too long ago Meijer had a great sale AND there were coupons out for the same brand that was on sale. I bought several jars… actually I bought 22 jars.I paid less than a quarter a jar. That’s my stock up price! (Okay I know you’re probably wondering where I came up with 22 coupons? Stay Tuned…the answer is part of my next post)

After many months of stockpiling, my grocery lists consist mostly of things that I don’t need now but will sometime soon. It would be easy to go all out and go way over your grocery budget. Maybe add two next week or the week after that. Before you know it you will have accumulated such a stockpile that you’ll mostly be buying things only at their rock bottom prices.

So the next question is where are you going to put it all? It takes space to store the things you stock up on. Where can you add some shelves? Laundry room, basement or garage maybe? I know someone who uses shallow tubs with lids and keeps her stockpile under her bed. I have shelves in my laundry room. When we first put them in I was sure they created plenty of room. Well as you can see now they’re full!



Things to do...

• Make a list of the things you buy regularly
• Add the best price for those items to the list
• Designate/Create a space to store your stockpile
• Watch sales and coupons to stock up at the price on your list

Welcome!!

Thanks for joining me on my new journey! I’m sure most of you reading this first post already know me and my passion for saving money through couponing, stockpiling, sale shopping etc. For those of you who don’t….my name is Becky. I have been fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom to my boys ages 10, 9, & 5 for 6 years now. (Wow I can’t believe it’s been that long since I went to work in suits and pantyhose everyday!!)

About two years ago I began learning a lot about how to contribute to our household income by spending less on the things we already were buying. It’s become a way of life for me that is not only practical financially but very much of a fun game for me. I was introduced to the world of blogs by a friend (Thanks Tiffany!) of a friend (Thanks Julie!). There are so many out there that do great things to highlight grocery/coupon deals as well as money making and saving ideas. I read many blogs daily. I often have discussions with friends, family and even sometimes strangers in the grocery store about how to decrease what we’re spending on groceries and household items. I decided that the next natural step is to take the things I’ve learned (and continue to learn everyday) and put them out there in one place for others to see.

Some of the ideas I want to share are how to use coupons, where to find them, weekly grocery deals, great recipes and lots of other things to come. I think the one thing that saves me the most is stockpiling so that I don’t have to pay full price for anything. So I guess that’s where I’ll start…...

Thanks Everyone!!