tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19521115206797893862024-03-05T03:17:02.435-08:00Starting to SaveLaugh with me when I make mistakes, and Cheer me on as I slowly but surely master the art of "this saving thing".Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-7395491173527632452009-04-25T06:32:00.000-07:002009-04-26T10:00:17.148-07:00It's moving day!I've decided to move to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wordpress</span>. It's been fun here and I will miss my pretty colors, but it's time for a change and what better way to begin than with a fresh new template with a new host. I finally took the plunge and bought my domain so here it is: <a href="http://www.startingtosave.com/">http://www.startingtosave.com</a><br /><br />Hope to see you there!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-69531439110432851562009-04-22T09:23:00.000-07:002009-04-22T10:22:06.416-07:00Earth Day Freebies!Well if you haven't gotten on the band wagon in terms of getting reusable grocery bags yet, here's your chance! The following are all different places where you can get yourself a reusable grocery or shopping tote, as well as a reusable lunch bag (I didn't even know those existed!). Most of these come from <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/">Money Saving Mom</a>, if it's from someone else I'll let you know.<br /><br />Whole Foods has a coupon for a <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/04/earth-day-freebie-free-reusable-lunch-bag-from-whole-foods.html">Free Reusable Lunch Bag</a> as an extra perk for Oprah viewers (and isn't everybody?)<br /><br />If you bring in 3 empty plastic bottles to the Disney Store on Wednesday, April 22, 2009, they will give you a free gift (a shopping tote). Go <a href="http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney/store/Category_10002_10051_59503_-1_59503_____Disney-Store">here</a> for details.<br /><br />Go <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/04/earth-day-freebies.html">here</a> to find out where you can print out a coupon for Walgreens to get yet <span style="font-style: italic;">another</span><span><span> free tote </span></span>. Not to mention an additional 15% to 20% off eligible items in the store. Not a bad deal. I think I'll be taking advantage of <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> one myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">This one is mine</span>:</span><span> Check out your Albertson's flyer this week and there might be a coupon for a free reusable tote in it. Plus <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> one is good from 4/13-5/31, so if you get tired of <del> or don't feel like</del> running all over town picking up free totes, you can get <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> one on another day!<br /><br />Here's another one you don't have to run right out for. Go <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/04/earth-day-freebie-freeafterrebate-reynolds-wrap-foil.html">here</a> to find out where you can print a coupon for a FAR (Free After Rebate) package of their new 100% recycled Reynolds Wrap foil. You can take advantage of this rebate if you purchase anytime from now until May 4th, but you need to print out the <span style="font-weight: bold;">form</span> today!!!<br /><br />That's all I see so far. If I see any more I will be sure to pass them along. Who knows maybe you will be able to take advantage of it if you see it in time :)<br /></span>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-34806875109060653332009-04-08T19:57:00.000-07:002009-04-13T10:02:38.744-07:00Random Blog SightingsI've recently decided that even though my blog is <span style="font-style: italic;">far</span> from well viewed, there are many among my few followers that don't take the time to scour the<em></em> blogosphere like I do and may miss some more important postings. In this spirit I'm going to take part in a practice that many other bloggers have and share some things I've come across in my searching.<br /><br />The first of what I'm sure will be many worthwhile shared posts comes to us today from <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/">Money Saving Mom</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/03/your-readers-seem-to-be-some-very-creative-frugal-and-inventive-people--and-i-am-really-hoping-they-might-be-able-to-help-me.html">Here</a> she asks her readers about still being frugal while attempting to address food allergies. I know some of my readers have this issue, so I thought I would pass it along.<br /><br />Enjoy!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-31320326801189567222009-04-02T19:18:00.000-07:002009-04-02T19:37:17.774-07:00Toys R' Us Easter Party!This Saturday from 12-2 pm Toys R' Us is hosting an Easter Party!<br /><br />Head on over to <a href="http://gooddealgal.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-adventure-at-toys-r-us-on.html">Good Deal Gal</a> to find out all about it! Or as much about it as anyone knows ;)Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-19152903150940776852009-04-02T13:17:00.000-07:002009-04-02T15:58:27.918-07:00Making up for lost timeWell I'm well enough to start shopping again, but it's taking a lot out of me, so no pictures yet.<br /><br />I went to King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Soopers</span> at the tail end of last week's sale (as I seem to do most often) to take advantage of the Quaker deal. Since Last week was spring break and I'm not crazy enough to try to take <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">my</span></span> 3 kids shopping (especially when sick), I had to wait for school to start up again.<br /><br />I was sitting on a <span style="font-style: italic;">ton</span> of Quaker coupons but you could only do 4 at a time so it took 4 transactions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#1.</span><br />4 boxes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cap'n</span> Crunch (2 berries, 1 without, 1 peanut butter) - used 4 $.50/1 coupons (doubled) 4/$10 less $4 if you buy 4<br />2 Kroger Cottage Cheese $1 each<br />3 Kraft Shredded Cheese (2 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mozzarella</span>, 1 cheddar) 3/$5<br />2 3 lb bags Red Delicious apples $2.99 each<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Spent: $15.77</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Saved: $16.65 or 52%!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#2.</span><br />3 Quaker True Delights bars - used 3 $1/1 coupons<br />1 Quaker Fiber + Omega 3 bar<br />total for these 4/$10 less $4 if you buy 4<br />1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Eggland</span> eggs $2 each<br />1 3 Musketeer Minis $3.39 (had a .50/1 coupon but forgot it)<br />1 10 lb potatoes $3.99<br />1 tub Country Crock Calcium Margarine $2.49<br />2.46 lb bananas .69 lb<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Spent: $17.45<br />Total Saved: $12.56 or 43%!<br /><br />#3.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>4 boxes Quaker Life (3 regular, 1 maple brown sugar) - used 2 $1/2 coupons<br />4/$10 less $4 if you buy 4<br /><br />The checker also let me use the missing .50/1 coupon from before (doubled)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Spent: $3.36<br />Total Saved: $ 8.76 or 74%!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#4.</span></span><br />4 boxes Quaker Life (3 regular, 1 maple brown sugar) - used 2 $1/2 coupons<br />4/$10 less $4 if you buy 4<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Spent: $4.38<br />Total Saved: $7.76 or 65%!<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Total Spent: $40.96<br />Grand Total Saved: $45.73</span><br /><br />It's always nice to come out ahead :)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span>Check out the latest deals and matches AND Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Linky</span> at <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/03/lets-go-krogering-week-of-march-30.html">Let's Go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Krogering</span></a> on <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/">The New Frugal Mom!</a>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-60601300508353908272009-04-01T15:30:00.000-07:002009-04-05T20:34:31.705-07:00Culinary Catastrophes - Bubble PizzaIt's time for another attempt to create something new <del> for me</del> in the kitchen and to see what I end up with.<br /><br />Today I'm making <a href="http://mealplanningmommies.blogspot.com/2009/01/tuesday-night-bubble-pizza.html">Bubble Pizza</a>. Of course, this wouldn't be <span style="font-style: italic;">my </span><span><span>blog if I had all the necessary ingredients, my kids were willing to <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">eat</span></span> the ingredients or some part of me didn't interfere with the step by step procedure. With that in mind, here we go...<br /><br />I started out with refrigerated grands biscuits (as opposed to the frozen package in the recipe). They also happened to be <span style="font-style: italic;">butter</span> flavored, so I'm not quite sure what that will do to the flavor. Has anyone ever ordered buttered pizza before?<br /><br />I also opted not to cut up the biscuits into quarters because, honestly I couldn't figure out why I should use an entire jar of pizza sauce when I had no toppings whatsoever (at least available to me right now). I placed the biscuits in rows of 2 and there was enough room in the baking dish for all 8 of them. I pushed down the center of each one to create a little grove for the sauce and ladled a spoonful or so of sauce into each one, smoothing it out.<br /><br /><br />I was going to try to take pictures , but I forgot so this is a few minutes into the oven.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/3405178271_1ba6e62bf3.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 281px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/3405178271_1ba6e62bf3.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I put them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes (the package says 13-17) and then removed them to add the mozzarella cheese (I had the right cheese this time) sprinkled on top and then put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/3405990468_3285f14aa7.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 281px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/3405990468_3285f14aa7.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So basically I have made fairly elaborate mini pizzas. Just sauce and cheese and nothing else. Beats <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">English</span> muffins in a toaster oven I guess. My prediction is that these will be a big hit as <del> with no toppings</del> my kids haven't met a pizza they didn't <del> like</del> <span style="font-weight: bold;">LOVE. </span><span>If something goes wrong I'll be sure to let you all know, otherwise tune in next week for another round of...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85730/darkrose/f6312e698361ecaa4074363e5da7cb9d.png" style="border: 0pt none ! important; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" border="0" /></a><br /></span></span></span><br /><br />edit:I was right, my kids LOVED these! And having the biscuits butter flavored added a nice contrast to the tang of the sauce. I will <span style="font-weight: bold;">definitely</span> be making these again soon!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-59886945701796030272009-03-30T19:07:00.000-07:002009-04-01T14:59:46.640-07:00Saving my sanity at the dinner table (fully made dinners)Well I'm coming off <del> at least I hope I am</del> an entire month of a flu-like-plague, or is it a plague-like-flu. As a result, even though I am well stocked with boxed meals and frozen meats, after this last week, which included a relapse of this bug, not to mention spring break, I don't have really anything <span style="font-style: italic;">complete</span> to cook for dinner.<br /><br />I'm working on making some more organized menus, but in the meantime, this is what I "made" tonight for dinner.<br /><br />Betty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Crocker</span> - Roasted Garlic Potatoes<br />Green giant Steamers - Cheesy Rice and Broccoli<br />Fast <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fixins</span> - Popcorn Chicken<br /><br />Believe it or not, it was a more <span style="font-style: italic;">complete</span> dinner than usual, and it was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">big</span> hit! Maybe I'll be able to put more <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> meals together more often, in time, but for now, it's nice to know that my stockpile allows for an entire meal that feeds all 5 of us.<br /><br />My boys are back in school this week, so I hope to replenish the things that allow me to turn my meat into a meal. Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll have another Culinary Catastrophe soon enough!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-29702049712945980342009-03-27T20:33:00.000-07:002009-04-01T14:59:46.641-07:00Culinary Catastrophes - RevisitedWell tonight I finally served the Mini Meat Loaf and Glazed Baby Carrots from my <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2009/03/culinary-catastrophes.html">first escapade</a>. I'm sorry to say that my efforts to steam the carrots resulted in over/undercooked (if that's possible) and on my second 2 minutes of cooking I actually exploded one half of the bag! Good thing it was on its side or that would have been messy. The mini meat loaves, however defrosted quickly in hot water in their bags and 2 minutes later in the microwave I had a meal ready.<br /><br />Verdict: 4 out of 5 members of my family LOVED the meat loaf, 3 out of 5 loved the carrots, but I think that's my fault so I will definately be trying that again.<br /><br />Stay tuned for my next round of...<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85730/darkrose/f6312e698361ecaa4074363e5da7cb9d.png" border="0" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;" /></a>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-24104995806028476042009-03-19T13:17:00.000-07:002009-03-19T13:38:53.575-07:00One bad banana...Spoils the whole bunch...or so I hear.<br /><br />I promise this isn't becoming a food blog. I don't know nearly enough about it to make it my focus, but I have recently decided that I read <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> more blogs than any sane person would ever consider, and so I am going to start sharing info that my limited readership might be interested in that they wouldn't normally read elsewhere.<br /><br />With that in mind...I read today over at <a href="http://www.carriescooking.com/2009/03/preserving-your-bananas.html">Carrie's Cooking</a> a great tip for extending the life of your bananas. Check it out. I always seem to be walking the tightrope between running out of banana's too fast or rationing them into the point where they brown. I'll take any help I can get!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-56957687668438651432009-03-18T17:27:00.000-07:002009-03-18T17:36:45.553-07:00Culinary Catastrophes...the results showWell, as a result of <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> freezing but leaving the Lasagna Rolls in the fridge, I ended up with <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">very</span></span> tough edges BUT I beat my 4 out of 5 family members objective. EVERYONE LOVED IT! My picky 5 year old ate the entire thing and my husband informed me that I should be making this "more often, say once a week or more" ;) I guess we have one more item to add to the "my family will eat it" category. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Whoohoo</span>! Thanks <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/">New Frugal Mom!</a><br /><br />I'll be sure to let you know how the rest of the meals end up working out just as soon as we eat them!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-15244069326498744642009-03-17T12:09:00.000-07:002009-03-18T17:36:45.554-07:00Culinary CatastrophesI was thinking that in my ongoing efforts to try to find better ideas of what to cook, that I would chronicle my journey. Remember this is not the blog of an expert but rather a first timer who was never very good at saving, spending less, making real meals, etc. Might as well share it all. Who knows, maybe I'll manage to make a eatable if not somewhat tasty dish that 4 out of 5 members of my family (at least) will be willing to eat. Or, maybe I'll just add some "sure glad that's not me" stories that can make you feel better about <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> cooking. Here goes nothing...<br /><br />I have started this series by attempting to make <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/">New Frugal Mom's</a> Double Duty Dinner<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/03/double-duty-dinners-edition-1.html">Lasagna Rolls and Mini Meat Loaf</a>.<br /><br />First off I should tell you that I have <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> made Lasagna other than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Stouffer's</span> before and as such I didn't even know the correct size <span style="font-weight: bold;">pot</span> to use to cook the noodles! I started with a pot large enough for my standard "Not quite Spaghetti" dinner, (not quite, because my 5 year old son refuses to eat actual spaghetti noodles so we alternate whatever random shapes he picks and add spaghetti sauce). I started the water boiling, put 3 noodles in and waited somewhat impatiently for them to soften enough to sink into the pot. After a good 30 seconds, it became clear to me that this was going to be an exercise in futility. I moved the (by this time) 5 noodles to a large stock pot along with the already boiling water. Add some more water to make up the difference in volume and another 3 noodles and I was <span style="font-style: italic;">finally</span> ready to start the timer on the suggested 12 minutes for the lasagna noodles.<br /><br />By this time I had already mushed up the meat loaf mixture. I'm not sure what cheese is typically added to meat loaf (as I have never been much of a fan and thus never made that before either), and the ingredients listed simply stated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sargento</span> Cheese. Of course had I bothered to look at the detailed picture included on the <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/03/double-duty-dinners-edition-1.html">site</a> I might have noticed it was a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mozzarella</span> and provolone cheese mixture, but alas I did not and the result was the use of shredded cheddar cheese instead (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">because</span> when I finally got ready to make this, it was all I had).<br /><br />I mixed up the meatloaf and pushed it into my new <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">silicon</span> muffin tin. By this time, my poor lasagna noodles were ready (I hoped). Again having never used them, I made a <span style="font-style: italic;">beyond</span> foolish not even <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">rookie</span></span> mistake. I pulled out a pair of tongs and promptly tore the corner off one noodle. It was then that I remembered that the directions stated to rinse them in cold water "to prevent them sticking" Now please understand that I make pasta on a fairly regular basis (see above) but whenever I undertake a new recipe I tend to get flustered and fail to use common sense, and <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>this was <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> meals at once! At any rate I picked up the pot and strained the remaining noodles under cold water, leaving them in the sink.<br /><br />It should be noted that as I had prepackaged food saver bags of 1 lb of ground beef, that I opted to use only 1 lb of ground beef as opposed to the 1.71 lbs or I assume roughly 1 3/4 worth that was listed in the ingredients list. I had already opted out of the onions and peppers so I used the 1/4 lb of ground beef left over from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">the amount</span> needed for the meatloaf and fried it up in a pan. After frying it up I added the sauce and cheese (again <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cheddar</span>) and mixed it all together for the Lasagna Rolls.<br /><br />I took the meatloaf out of the oven and let it cool on the stove, pulled out a cutting board for the lasagna noodles and ladled it with <span style="font-style: italic;">no where NEAR 3 tablespoons</span> of the meat, sauce and cheese mixture. At this point the lack of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">mozzarella</span> cheese became impossible to ignore, but being a cheese <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">obsessed</span> household we have a steady supply of string cheese. I used two sticks to <span style="font-style: italic;">painstakingly</span> string <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">tiny </span>strands of cheese to cover my six (not 8) rolls, some of which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">definitely</span> have more meat in the meat sauce than others.<br /></span><br />I rolled up the lasagna noodles, made up some more sauce (sans meat) and ladled some of that onto the top of the rolls. Then I took the remaining half of a string cheese and used it to cover in strips the top of the rolls. I put the dish covered with foil in the oven, along with the meatloaf tin. I'm not sure just how much grease should have been associated with the meatloaf cups but in an effort to <span style="font-style: italic;">fully</span> cook the meat I stuck it in for 3 of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lasagna's</span> 20 minutes.<br /><br />I took the meatloaf tin out and let it cool, eventually placing the cups on a paper towel in an effort to soak up some more of the grease. After removing all the grease I could, I placed them all in a food saver bag, making sure to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">separate</span> them slightly. I sucked out most of the air and hit the force seal button when it became apparent that the grease was encroaching on the top of the bag, thereby preventing <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> sealing from taking place.<br /><br />Meanwhile I took out a 1 lb bag of baby carrots, poured half into a food saver bag and added the brown sugar, butter (in this case margarine) and cinnamon. I sealed that bag <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">without</span></span> sucking the air out (as I hope this is what you do in order to steam it in the bag), and took the lasagna rolls out to cool. It could be the minimal cheese and could be the missing two rolls but whatever the reason they look <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> like the picture on the <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/03/double-duty-dinners-edition-1.html">site</a>.<br /><br />I didn't have time to make the Twice Baked Potatoes.<br /><br />This entire process took <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/">New Frugal Mom</a> less than an hour. Me? I came in at just under <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">two<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span>hours! On top of that, since I am freezing this for dinner another time, I don't even know how good it's going to taste! But, I'm finally finished with the beginning process. <span style="font-style: italic;">Technically</span> all I have to do when I'm ready to eat it, is put them in the microwave, so I shouldn't be able to mess that up, but we'll see ;)<br /><br />I'll check back in to let you know how it ends up tasting!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-7995648099066916572009-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:002009-03-18T17:36:45.554-07:00Saving my sanity at the dinner table.As I have mentioned <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2008/10/brief-stop-in-kitchen.html">before</a> I have been following some cooking sites in the hopes that I can add some easy things to the dinner menu that my kids will actually <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2009/02/benefits-of-stockpile-revisited.html">eat!</a><br /><br />Recently I came upon a few other recipe and cooking sites that have led me to even more. I started out building up a stockpile, but the plan has grown to building up <span style="font-style: italic;">stores</span> as well. After checking out a guest post on <a href="http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/03/creating-inexpensive-mealsone-month-at.html">$5 Dinners</a> by <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/">Once a Month Mom</a> I was led to another site <a href="http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">FSME</span></a> or "Food Storage Made Easy".<br /><br />I sit here with my freezers and fridge bursting at the seams and yet I still struggle to figure out what to make for dinner that night. I'm still sitting on two frozen turkeys and boy do they take up space! I looked at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">OAMC</span> but what would be the point with no room to freeze anything? Thanks to the Once a Month Mom, I now have list of 10 tips for organizing your freezer. Then I can go to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">FSME</span> site and follow the baby steps training to organizing my food storage and <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">OAMM</span> and I can start setting up dinner to be ready whenever I need it.<br /><br />I'm sure that having a food storage is designed to be saved and not eaten until the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">SHTF</span> (**** hits the fan) but being able to organize it allows for me to be more organized with the food I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> plan to eat. The thing is, the world doesn't have to come to an end for a food storage to be useful. With everyone out there feeling the pinch financially or having lost their jobs entirely, not having to buy groceries for awhile, could be a big help. On the other hand making dinners to freeze for later is sure to make for an easier time when it comes to dinner as well.<br /><br />All that's left is for me to get the kids to eat it ;)<br /><br />If cooking a month all at once is too big a first step, check out this<a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/03/double-duty-dinners-edition-1.html"> Double Duty Dinners</a> post over at <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/">The New Frugal Mom</a>. Most often I can't get my kids to eat what most other creative dinners people come up with, but I <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> I may be able to have success with this one.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Wish me luck!</span>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-45193313214036014372009-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:53:44.306-07:00Super Savings SaturdayWell it's been awhile since I first got sick and I am just now coming out of it (I hope). I managed to get some good deals over the course of the week. No pictures this time but I do want to share the totals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Albertsons</span>: My store's deals are Wed-Tues. I went once on Tues and once on Fri<br />Tues-<br />Spent: $58.05<br />Saved: $58.47<br /><br />Fri-<br />Spent: $35.91<br />Saved: $44.43<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">King </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Soopers</span>: I went once for the old deals on Tues<br />Spent: $26.92<br />Saved: $12.81<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Walgreens</span>: Two and a half transactions for this one.<br /><br /><span>First</span>:<br />5 Huggies wipes at $6 each<br />5 $5 off coupons<br />Total spent $5.43<br />Saved: $31.95<br />plus $10 RR printed out<br /><br />Second total Spent: 32.73 after $10 RR used<br />Saved: $28.20<br /><br />This included 3 <span class="snippet"><span class="highlighted0">Sambucol </span></span>items for $13.99 with a $4 IP $10 Easy Saver coupon, but I forgot the $10 one so the above total should have been $1.95 spent. I later went back and they gave me the $32 difference back. I bought a set of gloves for $3.99 and received $28.25 back.<br /><br />Not the greatest amount in the spent categories but as I said, I've been sick and I had to make up for some of the things I needed and hadn't bought earlier.<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Want to see other great savings?? Visit </span><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/03/super-savings-saturday-my-dillons-shopping-trip.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">MoneySavingMom</span></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/03/super-savings-saturday-my-dillons-shopping-trip.html"> </a></div>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-43274023883169132552009-03-12T17:35:00.000-07:002009-04-23T20:54:38.318-07:00You learn something new every day.I live in a place populated with just about every major chain of stores I can think of. Safeway, Kroger (King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Soopers</span>), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Albertsons</span>, Super <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Walmart</span>, Super Target and Kmart (they removed all the Supers). But of the 3 major grocery stores, I was under the impression that only King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Soopers</span> doubled coupons and even then, only .50 or below. Then I discovered that Safeway not only doubled .50 and below coupons, but they also double anything else above .50 up to a total of $1 or .99 I never paid that much attention. I thought that was unique in my area, until I discovered by a fluke that King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Soopers</span> does the doubling up to $1 as well! This opens my options considerably, especially since King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Soopers</span> is <span style="font-style: italic;">much</span> closer to me than Safeway.<br /><br />I don't know if it's always been this way with my grocery stores, but according to<br /><a href="http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/double-coupon-policies-may-be-changing-soon/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">grocerycouponguide</span></a> coupon policies seem to be changing across many stores all over. What about you? Have you noticed any coupon policy changes?Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-59378167745314530792009-02-27T11:32:00.000-08:002009-04-01T15:00:28.265-07:00Get paid to buy Pillsbury rolls!Not a bad deal. This month I have tried not to go shopping unless the stores were paying me to and I have done fairly well. Looks like I'm going to have to go to King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Soopers</span> this week and get paid to buy some more Pillsbury rolls. My poor fridge is sagging from the weight of all of the ones I bought back when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Albertsons</span> was quadrupling .25 coupons. Of course having <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pillsbury</span> rolls already baked at all times isn't necessarily a <span style="font-style: italic;">bad<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span><span>thing</span></span>. I also found a recipe for <a href="http://mealplanningmommies.blogspot.com/2009/01/tuesday-night-bubble-pizza.html">Bubble Pizza</a> Thanks to <a href="http://shopsmartinvegas.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-to-do-with-biscuits.html">Shop Smart in Vegas</a> for the link.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Mmmm</span> Yummy! So if you are anxious to know how to get this deal to work for yourself so you can find cool things to do with your rolls, check out <a href="http://jamieisamoneymagnet.blogspot.com/2009/02/lets-go-krogering-pillsbury-deal.html">I am a Money Magnet</a> for a complete break down. Then look around as she shows you some great ways she made this deal work!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">edit:</span> <span style="font-size:78%;">I discovered when I went today that the 10/$10 deal is for the mini containers of cinnamon rolls. I didn't find any when I went out last time but I will look if I make it that way again.</span>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-10030799128084261742009-02-27T09:13:00.000-08:002009-02-27T09:13:00.344-08:00The beauty of a blogroll.So I was scanning through a few of my lesser read blogs in an effort to catch up and I found myself on a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">blogroll</span> chain. I bounced from one blogger to a blogger in their roll to one in <span style="font-style: italic;">their</span> roll and so on. I found myself at a very entertaining blog called <a href="http://takingwhatisleft.blogspot.com/">Taking what is left</a>. She had a link to the <a href="http://takingwhatisleft.blogspot.com/2009/02/you-gotta-be-kiddin-me.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Typealyzer</span></a>. This site will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">analyze</span> your blog and give it a version of the Meyers-Briggs test. How cool is that?<br /><br />Looks like mine is:<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ESTP</span> - The Doers<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.typealyzer.com/images/ESTP.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 312px;" src="http://www.typealyzer.com/images/ESTP.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.<br /><br />The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Well I guess if you take out the outdoorsy portion, that's pretty much my blog. I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">definitely</span> get more steam out of starting a project than finishing it, as evidenced by the ugly gaps in posting here, but I'm working on it :)<br /><br />What about you? How does your blog score?Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-39175714095107631612009-02-26T09:14:00.000-08:002009-02-26T09:25:54.448-08:00Kmart doubles $2 couponsFor those of you who haven't received this information somewhere else, Kmart is doubling coupons up to and <span style="font-weight: bold;">including</span> $2 coupons. I went yesterday bought $60 worth and spent $20. Go <a href="http://nicolesnickels.blogspot.com/2009/02/kmart-shopping-extravaganza.html">here</a> and <a href="http://hip2save.blogspot.com/2009/02/kmart-double-coupon-deals-222-228.html">here</a> to see detailed breakdowns of how other people did and coupon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">matchups</span>.<br /><br />Make sure you print out your <a href="http://kmart.promo.eprize.com/sharetheword/public/images/email_coupon.gif?aff=Y&sid=KAx20061023x272xTier3">$5 off $50</a> coupon first!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-28924386624155094082009-02-25T20:53:00.000-08:002009-02-25T21:19:20.712-08:00Lots of BOGO or FREE food!Ok lets start with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">FREE</span> stuff first.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/02/wendys-free-dollar-menu-item.html">Wendy's Free $1 menu item</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/02/texas-roadhouse-free-appetizer.html">Texas Roadhouse Free appetizer</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/02/chilis-free-chips-and-queso.html">Chilis Free chips and queso</a><br /><br />And now the BOGO deal<br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/02/dennys-b1g1-coupons.html">Denny's B1G1 coupons</a><br /><br />Finally <br /><br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/02/zone-perfect-buy-1-get-3-free-coupon.html">B1G3 Free Zone Perfect</a><br /><br />all of these brought to you by<br /><a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/">Money Saving Mom</a>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-65151390689815460442009-02-24T18:56:00.001-08:002009-02-25T08:21:55.136-08:00They like me they really like me!I got a blog award! How cool is that? Thanks so much <a href="http://www.thenewfrugalmom.com/2009/02/awards-thank-you-and-enjoy.html">Marianne</a> for letting me know you like what you've been reading!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMx3CCsP7ZwA8WRwjK-xaUWafTSMwp991kmy3z-bZkuRq7-7GqPg8uLwVg_yoC-gHfg5ETmsRtd0tK_M0rrDUQ6Q1KsUY0KS4LhjT4GEpcrmgD91waIhD8NU4mJAokm57yQGGbCWHL9pWs/s400/thHonest_Scrap_Award.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMx3CCsP7ZwA8WRwjK-xaUWafTSMwp991kmy3z-bZkuRq7-7GqPg8uLwVg_yoC-gHfg5ETmsRtd0tK_M0rrDUQ6Q1KsUY0KS4LhjT4GEpcrmgD91waIhD8NU4mJAokm57yQGGbCWHL9pWs/s400/thHonest_Scrap_Award.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here are the rules for the Honest Scrap Award:<br /><br /><blockquote>Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Show the winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Scrap.” There’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.<br /><br />List at least 10 honest things about yourself.</blockquote><br />1. I have 3 children, at least 2 of whom have special needs<br />2. In the 10 years I have been married I have only lived in one place longer than 2 years and no we are not in the military.<br />3. Most of my current friends have never seen my natural hair color.<br />4. My closest family member resides more than 900 miles away.<br />5. All of my female friends living near me are teachers.<br />6. I am not a techie but I surround myself with them.<br />7. I have only been actively saving money and using coupons for a little over 8 months<br />8. My favorite color is purple<br />9. I am not a terrible cook but not a terribly inventive one either<br />10. 3 out of the 5 members of my family all have birthdays in July<br /><br />Not the best list but it's my first time filling one of these out.<br /><br />And now it's my turn to share the love!<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.moneysavingmom.com/">Money Saving Mom</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/">Moms Need To Know</a><br />3. <a href="http://www.chieffamilyofficer.com/">Chief Family Officer</a><br />4. <a href="http://playgroupsarenoplaceforchildren.com/">Playgroups are no place for children</a><br />5. <a href="http://ifonlyihadsuperpowers.blogspot.com/">If only I had Super Powers</a><br />6. <a href="http://www.listmamablog.com/">List Mama</a><br />7. <a href="http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/">Common Sense with Money</a><br /><br />For those of you who have never heard of me before, I've been watching you and I really enjoy reading your blog! Hopefully I'll be able to comment more often (or at all) from now on.Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-77639281076121938232009-02-23T09:16:00.000-08:002009-04-01T14:59:46.641-07:00Even easier than "Easy"Contrary to my <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2009/02/benefits-of-stockpile-revisited.html">recent</a> posts about baked goods, I am <span style="font-style: italic;">far</span> from a consummate chef. My all time favorite book is one called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Help-Apartment-Has-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/1881527638">Help my apartment has a kitchen!</a>. Recipes are listed in order of <span style="font-style: italic;">very easy, easy </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> not so easy</span>. Their Teriyaki Chicken is a favorite in our house, even loved by my <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">beyond</span></span> picky 5 year old! Problem is, for someone one like me it's still a bit of work, you have to use up a big bowl large enough to hold the chicken and mix all the ingredients together and <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> find room in your fridge for such a bowl for 2 hours or more!<br /><br />I just stumbled onto this site <a href="http://dinnersonme.blogspot.com/">Dinnersonme</a> on my never ending search for ideas to cook for my family. I haven't looked through it very long, because on the first page I saw there was a link for <a href="http://dinnersonme.blogspot.com/2008/08/teriyaki-chicken.html">teriyaki chicken</a>. Unbelievable! 4 ingredients, put them all in a bag with the chicken and let it sit. NO DISHES! I can't wait to try it.<br /><br />What about you? Do you have any <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span><span><span>simple recipes you swear by? I'm always looking for other ideas.<br /></span></span>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-85125021485359721682009-02-23T08:14:00.000-08:002009-02-23T08:49:49.869-08:00Kashi Secret ContestI don't know how many of you have already signed up for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kashi</span> through one of their promotions, but if you go log in you get entered in a contest for a <span style="font-weight: bold;">years supply</span> of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Kashi</span> products! I went to go get this <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/02/22/free-kashi-frozen-entree/">Free <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kashi</span> frozen entree</a> that I found on <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MNTK</span></a>. Sadly most of the time if you are already a member these promotions do not apply though. I decided to try anyway (as I always do) and <span style="font-weight: bold;">this</span> time the free entree is for <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone</span>! On top of that if you register with them <span style="font-weight: bold;">or</span> log in as a member you are entered in the contest I mentioned. What a great deal!<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">When I say this is a secret contest, it's <span style="font-style: italic;">possible </span>that they mentioned it in my email but since I get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">sooo</span> much email in my folder I may have missed it.</span>Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-17206240058483802622009-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:002009-02-21T15:02:12.723-08:00Pampers usersI'm a Huggies girl myself, I don't have any little ones in actual diapers and I'm not a fan of Easy Ups, but for those of you who <span style="font-weight: bold;">do<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span><span>use Pampers <a href="http://partners.mysavings.com/z/2130/CD10/">here's</a> a great way to get an extra $1.50 coupon</span></span>.Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-64880940377525070392009-02-20T19:36:00.000-08:002009-02-23T09:40:28.272-08:00When good couponers go bad!My stockpile is overflowing! I should be able to go without buying even milk, eggs or bread for some time. I still need to build up my chicken and beef stores but if I <span style="font-weight: bold;">HAD</span> to go without buying anything I could do it...I think.<br /><br />Unfortunately during my newbie days I went coupon crazy! I bought everything that was 75% or less with the benefit of a coupon, and if I could <span style="font-style: italic;">buy</span> it for <span style="font-weight: bold;">free</span>, you'd better BELIEVE I bought that too! When I looked on the bags of free things, it was easy to forget about little details like <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-i-have-learnedawareness.html">expiration</a> dates and to worry that these oppertunities might never present themselves again. As a result I hoarded most of my items and now they are useless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Below is just a few of the items I have had to throw away.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3318/3293841107_eb72ca4d84.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3318/3293841107_eb72ca4d84.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have reorganized my stores and placed them in expiration date order. I am <a href="http://startingtosave.blogspot.com/2009/02/benefits-of-stockpile-revisited.html">using</a> up the items whenever and wherever I can, and I am going to have faith that the deals <span style="font-weight: bold;">will<span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span>be around again.Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-72887453012381663832009-02-20T08:14:00.000-08:002009-02-20T09:46:02.835-08:00Cool stuff to find out about!Forgive this Shameless plug for one of my favorite blogger sites *blush*<br /><br />You've <span style="font-weight: bold;">got</span> to check out <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/">MNTK</a> (otherwise known as Moms Need To Know).<br /><br />Over the last few weeks I have gone stockpile <span style="font-weight: bold;">CRAZY</span><span>!</span> I bought and froze a <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ton</span> of grapes, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries! I found an article on MNTK talking about how she <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/01/22/feeding-a-family-on-50-per-week-part-1/">feeds her family on only $50 a week</a> (be sure to check out all of this series). Part of this article links to a post on how to freeze just about anything and I <span style="font-style: italic;">kinda </span>went overboard. The most important thing I froze was the blueberries. I have a child with food dye allergies and you'd be surprised how hard it can be to find blueberry muffin mix that doesn't have red dye added to make the blueberries look more purple! Nothing like that <span style="font-style: italic;">natural</span> look to require <span style="font-weight: bold;">un</span>natural dye. So I looked up some blueberry muffin <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Muffins-I/Detail.aspx">recipes</a> and when blueberries were .88 cents at Safeway a few weeks back I bought like 5 packages! I froze them using <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4413687_freeze-blueberries.html">eHow.com</a>.<br /><br />The problem with baking <span style="font-weight: bold;">any</span> muffins, packaged mixes or homemade, in my house at least, is a case of hardware not working very well. My "nonstick" muffin tins quite frankly <span style="font-style: italic;">aren't</span> and I have yet to produce anything in them that doesn't stick to the bottom or even worse burn! MNTK to the rescue again! Yesterday she shared with us how you can get <span style="font-weight: bold;">FREE</span> <a href="http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/2009/02/19/free-easy-bakeware/">easybakeware</a> products. I don't know if these are the infomercial style or not but they are <span style="font-style: italic;">guaranteed</span> to work with a 60 day money back guarantee. PLUS since they are free all you really risk is shipping cost which is $7.95 standard or $1 if you sign up for a free trial of a service. You can get more than one item off the site too. Standard orders above $25 are free shipping, <span style="font-weight: bold;">and </span>they will take the most <span style="font-style: italic;">expensive</span> item in your cart and make that one <span style="font-weight: bold;">FREE</span>.<br /><br />I started off with 3 products, the muffin tins, some spoonulas (which I love) and some cool looking collapsible measuring cups. My total was 27 something aka free shipping, but I realized that I was trying <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> to buy things I don't need and after a quick web search, I found that spoonulas can go for as little as $14.95 <span style="font-style: italic;">considerably</span> cheaper than easybakeware's price of $29.95 (which BTW was my most expensive item). In the end I restrained myself, bought my 1 item, my muffin tins, and signed up to get the $1 shipping. A word of caution, write down the number for the trial company (as MNTK urges) because at least for me, the email went into my spam and I almost didn't find it. Calling and cancelling is simple (I LOVE these kinds of companies). They <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> most of us don't <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> want the service so their first prompt is a cancellation option. You push the button a couple times and you are done. It takes 24 hours though so don't wait until the 6th day to cancel or you may find yourself with a bill!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1952111520679789386.post-62664875338314559392009-02-19T20:10:00.000-08:002009-02-19T21:52:23.549-08:00The benefits of a stockpile (revisited)In an effort to prevent the wastefulness of my earlier <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">couponing</span> days, I am actually <span style="font-style: italic;">using</span> the items I buy. Imagine that, actually taking the things out of their neat little pile and putting them to good use!<br /><br />To make sure that my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pillsbury</span> crescent and grands rolls don't go bad I am baking them and using them as an addition to snacks and part of dinner. To appease my generous husband who gave me a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas, I am having cookies or brownies in the house most, if not all of the time. And to make sure that the countless boxes and pouches of Betty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Crocker</span> Potato mix doesn't go to waste I am having a side more often than not in my nightly dinners.<br /><br />Perhaps this is nothing unusual to most of you, but for me it has produced enormous benefits! As a result of always having treats ready and that I am willing to give out, my 5 year old, who would rather starve than eat anything new, has been trying more of my dinners! You would be amazed just how much of a motivator a home made (or even store bought specialty) cookie can inspire a finicky eater. On top of that, my ability to make dinners that are eaten by my <span style="font-style: italic;">entire</span> family has removed a level of stress that has been in our house since I can't remember when.<br /><br />I can't wait to see what other benefits I can discover!Sarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06714082087067624986noreply@blogger.com0