Free Drink With Nugget Purchase At McDonald's

This one is Western Washington only, sorry. :( But if you live out here, you can print a coupon for a free large Dr. Pepper with any 10 or 20 piece Chicken Nuggets. Click on the Free Dr. Pepper graphic on the bottom left hand side. It looks like the coupons are good for two weeks from printing date by the ones I just printed, and I was able to print more than one. The 10 piece nuggets are currently just $1.99, so this is a great deal!

(Don't worry if you don't drink Dr. Pepper. 99.9% of McDonald's out here have self serve drink fountains, so you can always get another brand of soft drink if you prefer!)

SAY WHAT?

OK, I will start this off by admitting I am anti-vac. Some of you may already know that, but just in case you don't, there it is. It's a personal choice after I realized I kept getting incredibly ill years ago after receiving vaccinations. Behold, the power of the internet, and WOW, my eyes were opened up. I do not like to push my beliefs onto anyone. I believe it's just like I said up there, a personal choice.

But when I saw this H1N1 vaccination article tonight on KOMO news, I really wanted to share it with you.

I am not telling you not to get the vaccinations for yourself or your kids. But what I am asking is that please folks, do your research to make sure you know what they will be giving before getting this vaccination for your kids (or yourself!). It looks like there are several different kinds of vaccinations available for this virus - just make sure your doctor is giving them the one without the mercury! (It was illegal in vaccinations for a reason, why are they allowing it now?) Don't be afraid to ask questions - that is what you pay for when you are visiting your doctors and nurses! (My DH will tell you that he loves questions at work!)

It makes me sick to think they would allow this for our babies. :(

Brand Loyalty

When most people think about couponers and bargain shoppers, they think those folks will buy whatever brand available at the lowest price. Well, the coupon drives their purchasing habits, they think. Some people will only buy whatever is cheaper.

Now I don't know about you, but I have me some serious brand loyalty going on. Sure, every so often I'll pick up something new to try, or take advantage of a killer good deal, but generally these are the brands you'll have to pull out of my dead hands.

Charmin. I love me some Charmin. Yes, it costs more. But frankly, I use less. Way less. One double roll lasts way longer than any other brand in this house, and my fingers don't go through it. Just thinking about the cheaper brands? Ew.

Schick Intuition. I discovered this brand as my stomach got bigger and bigger. When you can't reach properly, but you don't want a forest on your legs, and it's a royal pain to try to get shaving cream on your legs? This stuff is gold.

Tidy Cats cat litter. Every time I try to branch out to another brand, the litter boxes turn to bio hazard land AND we scoop out twice a day. I'm sure the cats don't care so much, but if I need a gas mask to walk into my bathroom? Yeah, worth every extra penny.

Nutella. Chocolate Hazlenutty goodness. Need I say more? LOL

How about you? What brands are you loyal to?

Wordless Wednesday - Preparedness?

Kia Forte Koup Spotlight & Giveaway

Got you thinking I was giving away a car with that title post, didn't I? ;) (Hey, maybe if you visit my blog even more, I will get to! LOL) Don't worry, read until the end - I've got a couple of goodies to giveaway!

Longtime readers know our car saga and Murphy's law. Knock on wood, it's still starting... but we're back to another leak. I am so sick of pumping money into that car! So we've been discussing what to do next since we have two choices: keep fixing it, or replace it. Since both involve money, I'm not exactly a happy camper. Disney World sounds a lot better to me, since I'm not even a driver! LOL

One of the brands we've discussed between us is Kia, since they tend to have decent prices. I was more than happy when more information on the new Kia Forte Koup landed in my email box today. The new Kia Forte Koup is the only coupe in its class to offer MP3/USB port standard on all trim levels as well as Bluetooth connectivity standard on all trim levels.

Not having to pay extra to have our loaded Ipods work in the car? I don't know about you, but that is definitely bonus points! I'm not overly fond of most of the radio stations out here, so being able to listen to our music would rock! (Keep in mind our CD player in our car right now only works when *it* wants to. Mean car!)

Now while our needs have changed since we first bought our first car together, we still want something fun to drive! Take a look at the new "hip" Kia Forte Koup:


Nice, isn't it? Right now Kia Forte Koup is partnering with imeem running a co-branded banner on popular search channels. And you're going to love this next part:

Win it! In honor of the new Kia Forte Koup, Kia is wanting to help one of my readers get ready for their ride in a Koup by setting them up with a $25 iTunes AND $25 Best Buy gift card. How cool is that?

To enter I have a two part question: Have you ever owned a new car before? And what do you like best about the Koup that I didn't mention up above? (Visit Kia's website for more information on the Koup)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse me)
-Add my blog to your Technorati favs (leave your username)

That's five possible entries! Giveaway ends October 10th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

Giveaway: Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul

Over the years, I've had a lot of pets come into my life. I admit I'm the worst foster pet parent in the world - once they come into our family, it's pretty much til death do us part. Now we're currently owned by 8 pets - five cats, two corgis, and one crazy bunny. (and a partridge in a pear tree? LOL)


(Like I can resist an excuse to show off kitty cuteness. C'mon!)

Now, I'm pretty sure that you can imagine that the pet food bill pretty much rivals the human grocery food bill around here. One thing I've learned: the better quality the pet food, not only the less food is consumed, but the less health problems the pets will have. I know with the economy the way it is, it's harder to fork out the money for pet food, but in the long run, it will save you money. (if you have cats, you'll notice a difference in the litter box smells!)

One of the Corgis we had in the past, had pretty bad food allergies. On the quest to find a food he did not react to, we came across Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover's Soul. I got a kick out of the name! While it didn't solve his allergy problems (it turned out that his allergies were in layers, and we ended up homecooking for the poor guy), I liked the message behind Chicken Soup, and have recommended it over the years as a quality food.


Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover's Soul makes both dog and cat food, as well as kitten and puppy food, in dry kibble and canned form. It is made with natural ingredients, and while it does have a higher price tag than grocery store pet foods, it is made here in the USA, which after that horrible pet food recall several years ago, is very important to me.

Port Orchard folks, you can purchase this brand over at both Pet Town (across from Fred Meyer) and Del's Feed Store. Both are great places to stop by and support locally - they have The Grumpy Princess and Psycho Corgi's seal of approval! ;)

Win it! I'm so excited because the folks behind Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul is allowing me to host a great giveaway! One lucky winner will receive:

- Copy of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul (a great book which we have, be warned, you may cry)
- Sample of any Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul food (winner can choose which one they want for their pet)
- $30 gift certificate to PetFoodDirect.com

To enter, I'd like to know if you will be buying for a cat or dog (or both!) and please visit Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover's Soul and tell me a location near you that you can purchase their food. Do you shop at that store already?

As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse me)
-Add my blog to your Technorati favs (leave your username)

That's five possible entries! Giveaway ends October 10th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

Thrift Store Tuesday - Costumes Shopping

Welcome to another week of resale and thrift store shopping!

My question this week...

Will you be shopping secondhand for a costume or decorations for Halloween this year?

I always keep my eyes peeled for unique, quality decorations (of course!) but I've got a bunch of costumes new already for the munchkin, so no need to buy used. Both my husband and myself also have pretty extensive wardrobes that can switch over to costumes with a hat or different make up, so no need to shop there either. (Of course, when Halloween goes to 90% off after Halloween, that's when I pick up additions)

For those that don't celebrate Halloween, do you take advantage of the costumes going out to stock up dress up boxes and such?

Here's my find of the week - it's a lid holder that I snagged for 99 cents at Goodwill. They are usually around $10, so I'm pretty happy! Granted, it didn't come with the hardware to hang it, but I have no need for it as you'll see in my second photo. It fits perfectly on that smaller shelf in my appliance cabinet!



So did you find anything good lately?

It's Random News & Contests Time!

Instead of overwhelming us all with a million and one posts, I'm going to include some of the cool things that have landed in my email box over the last few days!

Purchase $30 worth of Tide, Dreft, Always,Bounty, or Charmin at Toys 'R Us or Babies 'R Us, and you'll receive a $10 gift card to the store you are purchasing them in at checkout. It's valid from September 30th - October 14th. (Check with the store before buying it all, just to make sure they are participating)

You can enter the Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking contest. To enter, just complete any of the sustainable cooking conservation tips and tell them about your experience completing the tip. The best write-up in each category wins an Amazon Kindle DX plus a $100 gift card to load it up with your favorite cook books! For more information and to enter, click here.

Remember when I told you about the Crazy Cleaning Confessions? Well, there's just a few more days left to get your vote in - it ends October 1st. Remember, each video you view donates money to charity!

There's a new company out that sells low priced, high quality cables with a lifetime guarantee, called www.optimization-world.com. They're trying to get the word out about their company, so they are running a photo contest for a $100 gift card. Check out their website for more information and to enter.

This one has a short date: ShopAtHome.com is having a Grocery Savings Giveaway! To enter, simply share with them your best tip on how you reduce your grocery bill. They will review the submissions and pick two winners who will each receive a $100 VISA gift card. This giveaway ends TOMORROW, September 30th, so hurry on over and get your entry in! You can enter via Facebook, or signing up on the ShopAtHome website. It's pretty easy to enter, so worth a shot for the $100, right? Good luck if you enter!

As you may know, October is breast cancer awareness month. Break out the pink! My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, so it's a cause near and dear to my heart! In honor of breast cancer awareness month, Zappos is putting together a great selection of jewelry, beauty, accessories, clothing, and of course, shoes! to help support Breast Cancer Awareness. (I will not spend my husband's entire paycheck on shoes... I will not spend my husband's entire paycheck on shoes... must... resist... must! lol) Head on over on October 1st to check it out!

For local folks, Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act and Michelangelo Public and Private: Drawings for the Sistine Chapel and Other Treasures from the Casa Buonarroti will be arriving at the Seattle Art Museum on October 15th. The Andrew Wyeth exhibit closes October 18. When was the last time you visited? For more information on directions, admissions, etc, check out the Seattle Art Museum's website.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - Ka-BOOM!

We woke up to an explosion! Yea-huh! The electric trans-whatever it's called blew. And this being Puget Sound Energy, they took their jolly good time in fixing it. These guys are paid how much to drive up and down the street? Because that's what they were doing. We had three trucks parading. DH went out there and asked them what was taking so long, they said they had to wait for others to arrive? Apparently, the answer to how many men does it take to fix the electric is 4, and it takes them 5 hours to do it. Talk about a waste of resources!

Do you know how boring it is without the electricity, and most of your books still packed away? Ugh!

I have a snoring corgi on the sofa next to me. The other one stole a cat bed. LOL

I almost forgot to pay the garbage bill. I hate paying that! If they'd recycle what they could recycle, we'd have so little trash! It's so silly that recycling is only about making a profit, and not saving our resources.

I've bought our pumpkins and gourds! (Grocery Outlet has nice pumpkins for $2.99, if you are local)

The sun is out, and it makes everything more cheery in here, but it's still cool. I need to track down someone selling wood so I can get some in.

I know, it would have been cheaper to have ordered it back in the summer, but remember how my August went.

My favorite Albertsons has now banned folks from checking out with coupons by themselves - the clerk has to do it. Boooo! My first go round with it today, and the clerk already messed up one of the coupons. Yes, I spoke up and made her fix it. I'll be the Wicked Witch so it doesn't happen to someone else.

We tried to spy on a neighbor the other night after dark, because we saw something blinking on their porch and wanted to see what it was... but we couldn't tell. Darn it! LOL

CD Review & Giveaway: Harry Connick Jr. Your Songs

I recently received the chance to review the new Harry Connick Jr. CD, Your Songs, via One2One Network.


Your Songs, which came out September 22nd, is a cover album, full of remakes of some great songs. Let me share with you the track listing (parenthesis is the original artist):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

Now I know I'm not exactly the poster child for this kind of music (quit laughing) but I can truly appreciate Harry's voice. I was surprised at how good some of the covers came out - even "Can't Help Falling In Love With You", which happens to be one of my favorite Elvis songs EVER. I adore Elvis! So my verdict: even if you aren't a HCJ fan, but you're looking for a nice CD to relax to, this is a good one to pick up. It has familiar songs with Harry's twist on them.

Well, you've heard my opinion, how about a HCJ fan's opinion too? My mother happens to be a big Harry fan, so here's her verdict:

Your Songs is definitively an enjoyable CD! It's perfect for relaxation, and has great background music for a good dinner or receiving friends! Once again Harry Connick Jr delivers: all time favourites with personal arrangements. Harry is definitely one of the last crooners and a favourite in this household! Choosing a favourite song from this CD is very hard, but for the romantic in each of us: "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Who Can I Turn To?" rates tops with this listener! Thank you Harry, for reminding us that life is not just rush rush and should be enjoyed!

Harry Connick Jr will be on The Today Show on October 1st, and during the week of October 5th, he'll also be on The Rachael Ray Show if you'd like to check him out!

Win it! Thanks to One2One Network, I get to give away a copy of Harry's new CD Your Songs to one lucky reader! To enter, pop on over to Harry's website, then come back here and let me know which song off the new album you're most looking forward to hear. Have you seen him live before? You can also follow Harry on MySpace or Facebook for updates! (the links are on the first page of his site)

Please help support this artist by actually taking the time to visit his webpage before entering - thank you! :)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse me)
-Add my blog to your Technorati favs (leave your username)

That's five possible entries! Giveaway ends October 10th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

Review: Halls Refresh

I recently was asked if I wanted to review new Halls Refresh.


I consider cough drops an important part of my medicine chest. As I've stated before in several of my preparedness posts, I like to keep a 2 to 3 day supply of cold, cough, and flu medications in our home. With my not driving, and my DH at work a lot, it just makes sense. Plus, with my allergies and asthma, I probably go through a little more cough drops than the average person.

I've always preferred the fruity flavored versions over menthol and honey flavored ones. I know some folks feel that the better tasting a cough drop is, the more likely they could be abused as candy, but I don't have that problem with me (chocolate is my sweet vice! lol) So when I heard about new Halls Refresh and the sweet tasting flavors they were coming out in, I was actually excited to try them out. Imagine that - excited about a medication! LOL

Halls Refresh is specially formulated to help moisten your mouth, making it good for people suffering from dry mouth, not just for a sore or itchy throat. They are sugar free, and only 6 calories per drop, so if you are on a restricted diet, you may still use these. Halls Refresh is available in three new flavors: Tropical Wave, Refreshing Mint, and Juicy Strawberry.

My favorite flavor was the Tropical Wave. I did find my mouth watering a little, and it was perfect for helping me out when I woke up from a short nap with an icky dry mouth from my allergy meds. I will definitely continue to keep a bag of these on hand throughout the winter months!

Now because this is a medication, I need to show this disclaimer: "HALLS® products may be used by adults and children 5 years and over. For children under 5 years, ask a doctor.”

Please keep that in mind while using Halls Refresh, that with the sweet flavoring, it really could be mistaken for candy by kids. I recommend keeping all medications in a small latch top plastic tote that you can keep on top of a shelf, out of kids reach. (The bright side of this system: your medication will not be harmed by the moisture and temperature changes in the bathroom, and it is also easily taken with you in case of an emergency evacuation!)

Fall Is Definitely Here!

See those beauties? Straight out of my yard and ready to be turned into applesauce and apple butter! It's super windy today, so my attention is on picking as many as I can with my little helpers, so they don't go to waste! I can't wait to try fresh apple butter on fresh oven baked bread! (Can you see my drool already?)

Fall is the best time of the year! :)

Menu Planning Monday - It's Cooler Outside!

And cooler means that the woodstove will be on, and it will be easier to rise some breads and rolls! Maybe eventually I will get the hang of it? I ended up not making the orange chicken last night, so I'm switching it to tonight. I made pizza instead!

Monday: orange chicken, rice, egg rolls

Tuesday: recipe of the week

Wednesday: herb crusted pork chops, mashed potatoes & gravy, salad

Thursday: taco night

Friday: Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs but with sweet teriayki instead

Saturday: BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pizza

Sunday: roast, potatoes & salad


Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Simple Beef Stew

This is a very simple, basic recipe for your slow cooker - which also makes it very cheap! Remember, when you are using meat in your slow cooker, any cut will do. Don't spend the money on pre-cut beef cubes unless it's already on sale for a good price. A quick and easy way to cut the beef into cubes is to use scissors!

1 - 2 lbs beef, cubed
3-4 large baking potatoes
5-6 carrots
1 cup beef broth (or bullion cubes & hot water)
1 can peas or 1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon oregano or Italian seasoning

First, cube the potatoes into bite size chunks, and place those at the bottom of the slow cooker. Slice the carrots and place them on top - these two are the items that take the longest to cook, so you want them on the bottom. Pour the beef broth (or cubes and hot water mixture) over the carrots.


Follow with the cubes of beef, and sprinkle evenly with the seasoning.


Cook on high 6 hours, or low 8 to 10 hours. In the last hour, add the peas and mix everything together. Don't add the peas any earlier, or they will turn to complete mush!


Serve in bread bowls for a fun touch. My total cost to make this was under $4 - plus the bread bowls.

Beef - marked down to $1.79 a lb/package just over that
potatoes - $0.35
carrots - $0.40
beef broth - $0.50
seasoning - $0.05
peas - $0.40
Total = $3.69

Blog Tour & DVD Review: Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure

Mom Central recently asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure DVD Blog Tour. We have a bunch of Baby Einstein DVDs for the munchkin, so of course I joined in!

If you're unfamiliar with the Baby Einstein series of products, they are developmentally appropriate products for babies and toddlers. Unlike some series that can come off as silly and pointless, the Baby Einstein series combine poetry, classical music, art, etc with real world objects. I admit I am not fond of infants and toddlers watching much television - however, the Baby Einstein DVDs are one of the few that I don't mind having on in the background here and there. If you're interested, Baby Einstein now has their own YouTube channel, where you can check out some clips from other Baby Einstein titles.


Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure features live animals from around the world, including kangaroos and pandas, with beautiful music inspired by the region the animals are from, as well as silly puppet shows. It also comes with Spanish and French language tracks, as well as allowing you to select a segment of the DVD - so you don't have to watch the 35 minute DVD in it's entirety. This is also one of the new DVDs that comes with Grow With Me, a second viewing mode with added words for your little one to learn.

Of course our family is going to enjoy anything with animals in it, and the music is calming. Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure is out on DVD September 29, 2009. Suggested retail price is $19.99, but I've already seen it available at Amazon for $12.99, so shop around for a deal!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Baby Einstein and received a World Animal Adventure DVD to facilitate my candid review.”

New Wave Enviro Winner!

And the winner of the New Wave Enviro environmentally friendly lunch goodies is....

tutugirl said...
The stainless steel food containers would be great. I hate using plastic bags. What a waste. This would be great.

Congratulations!

Printable Purex 3-in-1 Sheets Coupon

If you're interested, you can print a coupon to save $1.00 off your next purchase of any Purex Complete 3 in 1 Sheets. Click on Get A Coupon on the bottom left of the page. (I've previously reviewed them here)

If you've previously printed the coupon, it may not let you print it again - but it's always worth a try, right?

While you are here, don't forget to check out my other printable coupons to see if there are other coupons available to help you save on your grocery bill!

Please note: I take the time out of my busy schedule to share coupons that have landed in my email, I am not affiliated with the companies. Some coupons may be only available for a limited amount of time or for a limited amount of prints. If you come across a coupon that is now dead, please let me know, either by leaving a comment or sending me an email so I can fix the post. Thanks!

Fred Meyers 9/27 - 10/3 2009

This isn't exactly grocery related, but: if you're starting to holiay shop, and you're in the market for a Nintendo Wii, be aware that there has been a price drop on it to $199 at most places, including Freddy's. While the price purchase doesn't count towards gas rewards, it does count towards the cash back rewards, making it a better deal buying it at Freddy's vs Toys R Us, etc at the moment. We have one and love it! You may want to call your store ahead to verify that they have one in stock - the Bethel Road one here in port Orchard did have some in as of this morning.

See the entire circular online here or here's the food & home highlights with coupon matches if available:

Carving Pumpkins
$0.18 lb

Beef Loin New York Steak
$4.79 lb (family pack)

Gatorade
$0.88

Bertolli Dinners
$5.99

Skippy Peanut Butter
2 for $7

FM Honey
2 for $7

Jell-O Gelatin or Pudding
4 for $5 ($0.50 off 2 printable here, $0.50 off 2 MC)

V8 Splash Juice
2 for $5 ($1.00 off 2 MC)

Precious Strong Cheese
2 for $5 ($1.00 off peelie coupon on some packages)

Coke 12 pks or DaSani 24pks
2 for $10

Cesar Bistro Dog Food
10 for $10 (BOGOF MC)

Imagine Rice or Soy Dream
3 for $5 (printable coupons available here)

Halls Cough Drops
10 for $10

Trident, Stride or Dentyne Gum
BOGOF

Hormel Black Label Bacon
2 for $6

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits
2 for $3 ($0.35 off MC, $0.75 off 1 or $1.00 off 2 printable MC at coupons.com )

Alouette Brie
$4.99

Northwest Shrimp Meat
$3.99 lb

Organic Fuji Apples
$1.38 lb

50 pack Bakery Cookies
$5.00

Cluf, Clif Builder's, Luna or Mojo Bars
10 for $10

Broccoli Crowns or Cauliflower
$0.68 lb

Potatoes 10 lb Bag
$1.38 lb

Organic Raspberries
2 for $4 (6 oz)

Organic Grape Tomatoes
2 for $5

Radishes
$0.38

Green Onions
$0.38

New Crop Anjou or Bartlett Pears
$0.79 lb

Odwalla Bars
10 for $10

Honest Tea
10 for $10

Annie's Natural Macaroni & Cheese
10 for $10

Quorn Products
2 for $7

Knudsen Spritzers
2 for $7

Knudsen Recharge
3 for $4

Santa Cruz Organic Soda
3 for $4

Spectrum Culinary oil
Save 25%

Nature's Gate
Save 30%

Fusion or Fusion Power MVP Razors
$7.99 ($2.00 off MC)

Herbal Essences Hair Care
$2.79 ($1.00 off MC)

Prilosec
BOGO 14 ct free w/ in store MC

Miralax
$19.99 ($2.00 off MC)

Jillian Michaels Fat Burner
$19.99

L'Oreal Feria Hair Color
$5.99 after in store MC

Olay Total Effects or Regenerist Facial Moisturizer
$16.99 ($1.00 off MC)

Olay Body Wash, Ribbons, or Bar Soap
$4.99

Act Mouth Rinse
$2.99

Aquafresh or Sensodyne Iso-Active Toothpaste
Save $1.00

Neutrogena Cosmetics
BOGO Half Off

Yoplait Yogurt
20 for $10 ($0.40 off 6 MC)

Ocean Spray 100% Juice
2 for $5

Kroger Cheese
$3.99 (2 lb brick)

FM Large Eggs 18 ct
2 for $3

Tostitos Chisp
2 for $5

Prego Pasta Sauve
2 for $4

Starbucks Coffee
$6.99

Iams Dry Dog or Cat Food
$13.99 (when you buy one, a catalina coupon for $3 of $4 will print up, use it to buy a second bag!)

Ground Buffalo
$4.99 lb

Buffalo Top Round Steak
$6.98 lb

Buffalo Rib Steak
$11.98 lb

Buffalo New York Steak
$12.98 lb

Durham Ranch Ground Buffalo Patties
$10.49 2 lb bag

Fresh Fryer Drumsticks or Thighs
$0.99 lb (jumbo packs)

Beef Chuck 7-Bone Roast
$2.28 lb

Pork Loin Top Sirloin Chops Boneless
$1.99 lb

Country Style Pork Ribs
$1.88 lb (family pack)

Fresh Extra Lean Ground Beef
$3.18 lb

Foster Farms Boneless Skinless Fryer Breasts
$3.97 lb

Wild Alaskan Whole Sockeye Salmon
$3.99 lb

Jumbo E-Z Peel White Shrimp
$4.99 lb

Wild Alaskan Troll-Caught Silver Salmon Fillet
$6.99 lb

FM 1/2 Gallon Milk or Orange Juice
10 for $10 w/ in ad coupon (limit 10)

7-Up, A&W, RC, Squirt or Sunkist 2 ltrs
5 for $4 w/ in ad coupon (limit 5)

Campbell's Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup
2 for $1 w/ in ad coupon (limit 10) ($0.40 off 4 MC)

Pillsbury Cake Mix
$0.69 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Dreyer's Ice Cream
2 for $6 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

FM Butter or English Muffins
4 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 8)

FM Deli Meats
2 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Hormel Fully Cooked Dinner Entrees
$3.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Altoids Gum or Mints
$0.88 w/ in ad coupon (limit 6)

All Liquid Laundry Detergent
$2.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

MD Bath Tissue
$4.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)

Kraft Singles Cheese
4 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Malt-O-Meal Cereal
2 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Colgate Toothpaste
$0.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)


All Home clearance is 40% the lowest marked price!

Don't forget to use your reward coupons - you should have already received them! If you have not received them yet, be sure to contact Fred Meyer!

Unfamiliar with Fred Meyer's coupon policy? They allow you stack a Fred Meyer store coupon (FM coupons as I call them) with a manufacturer's coupon. They do not price match to any other store's sale prices, and they won't take other store's sale coupons. You can however use a manufacturer's coupons on any sale or clearance items, but they usually won't allow any overage if the coupon is more than the sale price (sometimes it slips through the cracks, but don't expect it every time). Our local Washington stores do not double any coupons. They do accept the printed internet coupons if they have a barcode (like bricks coupons or from Smart Source or coupons.com if you are unfamiliar with them) so if you are having problems with a clerk not wanting to accept your coupon and you are sure it's legit coupon, please ask to have a manager come on over to verify it.

For more sites listing other stores sales ads and coupon match ups, please visit BeCentsAble - home of the original Grocery Gathering!

Pardon The Dust Around Here The Last Few Days

Between my cleaning, and DH having the last few days off, it's been crazy around here! I will get the Freddy's ad up later, I've got a slow cooker recipe to post, and a couple of reviews and some awesome giveaways, including a corgi-approved one! ;)

I'm so tired, I'm this > < tempted to order pizza for dinner tonight!

The Cheesecake Factory & The Drive Out Hunger Tour

When I saw this end up in my email box, I knew a lot of you would be excited! The Cheesecake Factory has partnered with Feeding America for The 'Drive Out Hunger' Tour throughout the month of September. The first 500 guests who bring in two cans of soup will receive a complimentary slice of Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, plus every person who donates will also receive a little gift to redeem on their next visit to The Cheesecake Factory. All food items will be donated to a local food bank!

Now the month is almost over (sorry, I just found out about it), but there are still a few cities left - check out the special website to see if Drive Out Hunger is coming to your area, and to learn more about it. You can also visit The Cheesecake Factory on Facebook! (I am going to be the last person to use FB, aren't I? Even my mother is on it! LOL)

What Kind Of A Cook Are You?

I consider myself more of a semi-homemade kind of cook. I use some packaged foods, but I almost always add things to it. I love the convenience of popping open a can and having veggies ready to go. I don't mind cooking from scratch though - it's baking that drives me crazy. For some reason, my baking doesn't always come out exactly the way I want it.

One of my favorite cheats is to take Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - pop open the tube, split the package in half, roll, and use it to make two big homemade hot pockets. Super easy, but definitely not completely homemade. Every time I try to make a crust for homemade hot pockets from scratch, it leaves much to be desired.

Nothing in the kitchen frightens me though (well, maybe cooking live lobsters... but the Earth has a better chance of exploding than I do of cooking that) and I do have to give myself a pat on the back: I've pretty much taught myself everything by myself. Granted, it was with a little help from the Food Network, and assorted cookbooks and magazines... but when my DH and I got married, the extent of my cooking was incredibly minimal. My mother is a great cook, an awesome baker - but I was never really in the kitchen to learn with her. (That probably has something to do with my hatred of anything domestic up until about that time DH finally TOLD me we were getting married, then I did a complete 180 lol)

So how about you? What kind of a cook are you? Do you cook and bake from scratch, are you a frozen and boxed kind of gal, or are you like me, and in between?

Cleaning Is Therapy

I've said it before, and I'll always continue to say it: scrubbing away and throwing things out just makes the world a better place. Clutter is evil!

I spent most of the day attacking my living room after a furry tumbleweed went past my feet earlier (how on earth is there any fur left on these pets? I Swiffer twice a day - finally I need to take out stock on the sheets, I use so many! LOL) and it just felt GOOD! I gave up on waiting for DH to help with a few things and just did the best I could - even putting back together one of the shelves myself. Granted, there is now a tower of totes in one corner of the room, but it just made such a HUGE difference! I took down the curtain on one window and started hanging up some of the Halloween window decorations too. (I couldn't resist - we're close to October 1st, right? lol)

I wanted to put the fan away too, but since it was 93 degrees a few days ago, I'll wait a while longer.

So I apologize for the lack of posting today - usually I have several ready to go the night before, but it's just been one of those blah blah weeks, and I've been brain dead.

Thrifty Thursday - One Little Change

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm encouraging you to make one little change over the next week.

If you usually go out to eat on Fridays, eat somewhere you can use a coupon. If you order out pizza, make your own at home (I have several crust recipes to choose from in my recipes section!)

Maybe turning off the lights when you leave the room would work for you. Or, purchase a Pur or Brita filter, and cut down on the bottled water you drink at home, and just save those bottles for when you are out and about.

Maybe it's buying an extra can or two of veggies on sale, and putting it away so you don't have to pay full price next week.

Or how about menu planning if you don't already? You'd be surprised at the difference in your grocery bill once you do this!

Just pick something, and watch those savings add up!

OK, My Pantry System?

Is absolute CHAOS. I still haven't been able to fix it back to the semi-organized way it was before my in-laws descended on here. I thought it was needing help before, that was nothing! I can't find anything, cans and boxes fall from the shelves when I try to, and I know I am having stuff zoom past the expiration date that has no need to be.

It irritates me because I have sturdy shelves (alright, even if half of them haven't been put back together yet) and so it should at least be organized back to what it was by now... I should not be so frustrated!

I know, just order the silly Harvest already, but I keep hesitating because of the cost. My inner frugal being keeps jumping out every time I click add to cart. Bah!

Baking Tips To Make Your Life Easier

Fall is squeaking in, and you know what that means: baking season! Here's a few tips to help with your baking:

To keep little hands and pets out of the dough, rise the dough on top of the fridge. It's usually warmer from the fridge itself on top, and heat also rises (plus, it gives you a reason to keep the top of the fridge clear, and clean)

Or if kids are older, and you have an older TV, or a gaming system that's being used - rise it on top of those. Both give off a little heat, and will help the dough rise faster.

If you never seem to grease the bottom of your baking pans enough, and the breads or muffins always stick: consider tracing the outline of the bottom of your pans onto wax paper, then cutting it out, and placing it on the bottom of the pan before pouring out the batter. When it's done baking, and you've loosened the sides, it should slide right out. Peel the wax paper off the bottom slowly while it's still warm!

Waiting until the last minute to decorate your cake? Freeze the cake for a half an hour, then decorate and cut. It will help stop the cake from crumbling.

Still have leftover chocolate from Easter? (probably not, if you are anything like me. LOL) Here's an excuse to purchase a little extra chocolate on clearance, or use the last of that leftover chocolate before it goes completely stale. Pull out your cheese grater, and grate the chocolate! It's just like adding baking chips to your cakes and muffins, and a whole lot cheaper, especially when bought at 90% off!

Grease your spatula before lifting cookies from your cookie sheet. It will cut down on crumbly cookies.

Get the top of bread or rolls a little crusty by brushing it with egg whites.

Aluminum foil hidden underneath a cloth napkin in a serving basket on the table will help keep bread and rolls a little warmer during dinner.

If you have a slightly older oven, wait five minutes past when the oven says it is ready to put your food in. Often, parts of your oven are that temperature, but not the whole oven. Doing this makes your goodies bake more evenly.

Don't waste that leftover bread that no one wants to eat! Let it dry out in the oven, then grate with that cheese grater, in a food processor, or in the blender on chop. Use the bread crumbs instead of store bought ones in meatloaf recipes, etc. Store in the fridge for use that week, or freeze for use later! You can mix a little dried parsley or oregano in with it. (Do the same with the leftover tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag - just stick them in a ziploc, squeeze out all the air, and take your rolling pin to them, or even just crush them with your hands. They make great toppings onto casseroles!)

It's easy to make spice butter: Let the stick of butter come to room temperature by placing it on a cookie sheet on top of a bowl of warm water, then mix in a teaspoon of oregano, basil, or whatever spice you have on hand. Mix well, and put back into the fridge until serving time.

Take advantage of the sales on baked goods. Both flour and brown sugar can be easily stored in the freezer, and brown sugar won't get hard if stored this way! It also keeps bugs out of your pantry. (bonus: if you loose the power, your freezer is more full and will stay frozen longer than if it is half or less full)

It's Time For Random News Posts!

Instead of overwhelming us all with a million and one posts, I'm going to include some of the cool things that have landed in my email box over the last few days!

Saturday, September 26th, visit your local Toys 'R Us store for Geoffrey's birthday party! From noon until 3 PM, there will be free activities and giveaways. Also, if you haven't signed your child(ren) up for the birthday club, what are you waiting for? They will receive a free gift on their birthday. You can sign up online or visit the store on Saturday and sign up there.

Blurb (who I reviewed back in June) is hosting the Best Blurb Books Contest. Photo Books can be entered through October 22, 2009 in one of three categories - family, pets, or travel - for a shot at winning one of three $3,000 grand prizes or one of three $1,000 runner-up prizes. On October 23rd, folks can cast their votes for their favorite books submitted. One vote per person per category will be accepted through November 9. Once public voting is closed, one judge in each category will select a grand prize winner and a runner-up from among the Blurb books that received the most votes. For more information, and to enter, visit Blurb's website.

Gather.com, the leading social network to make new friends and form new social circles, recently conducted a survey of Gather Moms to determine the most popular back to school lunches. I thought it was interesting that it's a nearly even split between those that pack lunches (52%) or buy school lunch (48%) . I would have thought more kids packed lunches than took to school - I wonder if it's the economy? If you're interested, you can join Gather and check out the survey.

And for my Zombie fighting friends, you'll love this one: UGO has a section dedicated as the Zombie HQ. (not really little kid friendly, beware if you click the link!) Maybe you'll get some ideas to fend off Zombie attacks? ;) (You can also view the trailer for the new movie, Zombieland, which I suppose my DH will want to go see)

Wordless Wednesday - You're Disturbing My Slumber!

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Wendy's High School Heisman Program

Mom Central recently asked me to be a part of the Wendy's High School Heisman Program Blog Tour, and help get the word out!


High school seniors with a 3.0 average or higher, who also participate in a school-sponsored sport(s) and contribute to their community can apply at www.WendysHeisman.com. If you're a high school educator, guidance counselor, or coach, you can also can nominate worthy students. The first 41,100 applicants will receive a free Wendy's gift card in amounts ranging from $5 to $50, while one male and one female from each high school will win the award and continue on in competition for state and national awards. Twelve national finalists will participate in Heisman Weekend festivities during an all-expenses-paid trip December 11-13 to New York City. Folks back home, and all over the country, will be able to see the 12 national finalists during the Wendy's High School Heisman Awards Ceremony, which airs December 13th, 2009, on ESPN2.

The deadline to enter is October 1st, 2009, so hurry to get entries in!

I think this is such a great opportunity! I was lucky enough to be able to come up with enough scholarship and grant money to come out of college with less than $5,000 in debt - even without a great GPA. A lot of students won't be that lucky, and if you're the parent of a high school student, I really encourage you to help your kids track down as many scholarships as they can to help get them through college! The internet makes me it SO much easier to find them and apply! (and a bonus for applying for this one: they can even maybe get a free lunch or two with the Wendy's gift card!)

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Wendy’s and received a gift certificate to giveaway and to thank me for taking the time to participate."

Win it! Wendy's and Mom Central sent me a $20 gift card to Wendy's that is going to one lucky reader! To enter, I'd like to know your alma matter, or if you didn't go to college, are your kids going to? (If they are not old enough yet, have you started a college fund?)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse me)
-Add my blog to your Technorati favs (leave your username)

That's five possible entries! Giveaway ends October 3rd at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

Recipe: Creamy Chicken & Rice Casserole

This is pretty simple, and very frugal if everything is bought on sale! I buy my rice in bigger bags, so it might be cheaper for me than if you decide to substitute instant or brown rice in your dish. (Have you noticed that I like recipes where items are easily changed around depending on what I have in the pantry? lol)

1 pound chicken, cubed (boneless, skinless)
1 can chicken broth
3 cups rice
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed vegetables
1 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 375.

Make the rice with the chicken broth - I used a rice cooker, but if you don't have one, feel free to make the rice however you normally would.

Cut the chicken into cubes if you haven't already done so, and lightly brown.


Whisk the cream of... soup and milk in a mixing bowl, add in the can of mixed veggies, followed by the chicken.



Place the rice on the bottom of a glass baking dish, evenly spreading it.


Follow with the cream of... mixture, and wrap with aluminum foil so as not to dry out the rice while baking. Bake for 15 minutes.


I made this with the Garlic Cheese biscuits and we were stuffed, with lots of leftovers in our case.

Total cost:
Rice $0.50
Chicken Broth $0.50
can of soup (FM brand) $0.50
mixed veggies $0.50
cup of milk $0.25
chicken $1.88
Total: $4.13 for 6-7 servings

Thrift Store Tuesday Is Here!

Welcome to another week of resale and thrift store shopping!

My question this week...

Does your favorite thrift/resale shop carry all seasons of clothing, or just the current?

Most of the ones out here just carry whatever the current season is. They're pulling all the summer-y stuff now. (Which is funny, since it's currently 90 degrees outside!)

I didn't have much luck on our thrifting trip this week. I found a few things at a resale shop, but they were all priced out of my hands ($20 for a single Pyrex bowl!) I did find DH a brand new polo shirt for possible job interviews down the road for just $2.50 - all men's clothing was 50% off that day at Goodwill.

So have you found anything good lately?

I Confess...

all I want to do is crawl into bed and hide all day. I have no motivation.

Blah!

Random Thoughts Tuesday - The Spying Edition

Good grief, I need eyes in the back of my head and super human powers with these food thieves. This time, the victim was the butter dish! That corgi is going to be licking his lips for days! (Even the rabbit's gotten into the act: he has a stolen empty toilet paper roll that he likes to run around with)

Speaking of corgis, they seem to be developing an allergy to something :( I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, look how bad I've been since we moved here. Just in case it's food (I doubt it) we're changing their food up.

I received an email this weekend that my daughter has joined Barbie world. She WHAT? I know kids are way smarter at computer these days, but I don't think so! lol It's rather amusing to me because I always swore if I had a daughter she'd never have anything Barbie (Or pink and girly for that matter lol) and look at this now! It looks like someone barfed pepto bismal in here! LOL! (and she has two barbies in her collection already for when she's a older) But no, someone made a typo, because it was not mine!

I now own a pair of binoculars thanks to an upcoming review this week. You know what that means?

....I can spy on the neigbours! BWAHAHAAAA!

Hey, they do it to me! Remember the neighbor a few weeks asking about my mail?

I'm waiting a few more days to process my apples. The first two I tried just seemed off a little. So on the tree they wait... while I hope no one climbs my fence to steal them. You think I'm kidding? I had an email from someone who had it happen to them. When they came back from church, her tree was picked clean. They had climbed the fence into their yard! What is wrong with people??? Fine, you're hungry, you're desperate for fruit for the week for your kids, so you pick a dozen... (still not right!) but the WHOLE TREE?

I'm starting to stock up on Halloween candy... just not the chocolate bars yet. Those wouldn't even make it a week in our house, LOL I'm counting down the days until October 1st so we can decorate outside!

DVD Reviews & Giveaway: The Zula Patrol

My family recently received several DVDs to review from The Zula Patrol series - Moons Mayhem and Animal Adventures in Space.


The Zula Patrol is an animated kids show. It's aimed at kids ages 4-5 to 9, though younger will probably enjoy it as well (some of the science may go over their heads) It teaches about space, the galaxy and our solar system, as well as a bit about earth. It features the characters Bula, Zeeter, Multo, Gorga, Wizzy, and Wigg, as well as others.


The Zula Patrol: Moons Mayhem DVD runs 70 minutes long, and features six different episodes, including "Moon Struck", where kids are taught exactly how unique each moon is, and "Three Ring Gorga", "Moons Mayhem", "Going Through A Phase", "Blue Moon", and "Me, Myself and Io". My personal favorite on the DVD was "Moon Struck".

The Zula Patrol: Animal Adventures in Space! DVD runs 68 minutes long, and features five episodes, including "Larvae or Leave Me", "Egg Hunt", "There Goes the Neighborhood", "Choosing Sides" and "Camp Worm". It also has five sing along Zula songs for your kids to enjoy as a bonus feature.

As a Mom, I loved the learning aspect of this show, and I think most kids love hearing about space, so it's a win-win situation. I will admit that the show grated on my nerves a little - I took the opportunity after a few episodes while it was on to do some cleaning in the kitchen. ;) It is cute though, and they will definitely be a repeat in our family!

If you're interested, your kids can also visit ZulaWorld.com (geared for ages 6-10), where they can learn all sorts of new things, and play fun games and activities. They can build their own alien with their alien maker. (this is fun!)

Win it! One lucky reader is going to win their own copy of The Zula Patrol: Moons Mayhem and The Zula Patrol: Animal Adventures in Space! To enter, I'd like to know your child(ren)'s favorite Zula patrol character, or if they've never seen this show before, their favorite learning show.

As always, you can receive extra entries for:
-Subscribing to my feed or following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway (leave the link or @psychotichouse me)
-Add my blog to your Technorati favs (leave your username)

That's five possible entries! Giveaway ends October 3rd at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

YoBaby & Fiber One Winners!

Please, PLEASE make sure you leave your email in your comment or have it in your profile. I can't tell you that you won if I have no way to contact you! (I'd love to try smoke signals, but somehow I don't think that would work too well if you are on the other side of the country, lol)

The winners of the Fiber One Gift Pack are:

MomUnion said...

The Keevy Family said...

2kidsblogger said...

And the winner of the YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals Prize Pack is:

Molly C. said...
The apple & sweet potato would be great for my little one.

Congratulations! I need to hear back from you in the next 48 hours, so check your emails! :)

'Gotta Catch Santa Claus' Trailer!

Alright, I semi question my sanity for posting a holiday video in September (may I take the excuse that I am, after all, psychotic? lol) but this trailer landed in my email today, and I think it's going to be fun!

Gotta Catch Santa Claus, a contemporary special featuring the voice of William Shatner, will be broadcast nationally on ABC Family during their annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming block. Trevor, a 12 year old boy, sets out to catch Santa Claus to prove he really exists. Apparently, there are also bad guys trying to catch Santa too:



Gotta Catch Santa Claus will also be available on DVD October 13th, so if you're like us, and don't do the whole cable & TV thing, your family can still enjoy the show by buying or renting it.

Menu Planning Monday - The Lazy Edition ;)

I'm taking advantage of some of the sales this week - Albertsons had chicken on sale for $1.88 a pound, so I stocked up, and Freddy's has the whole chickens on sale for $0.67 a pound, plus the nice bag salad kits for $1. It's a good week to claim a little laziness. ;)


Monday: chicken alfredo

Tuesday: recipe of the week

Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, salad

Thursday: slow cooker roasted chicken & veggies

Friday: caesar chicken salad, rolls

Saturday: Easy Pasta Bake

Sunday: orange chicken, rice, egg rolls


Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Fred Meyer Deals 9/20 - 9/26

There's a few good stock ups again this week, including the Dove or Degree deodorant, the FM instant Oatmeal, and the Hunt's Pasta Sauce.

See the entire circular online here or here's the food & home highlights with coupon matches if available:

Foster Farms Whole Fryers
$0.67 lb (first 3)

Italian Bread
$0.99 (bakery)

Tomatoes on the Vine or Hothouse Tomatoes
$0.78 lb

Fried Chicken 8 pc
$4.99 (deli)

Mountain dairy Gallon Milk
$1.99

Florida's Natural Orange Juice
2 for $5

Budget Gourmet Frozen Entrees
2 for $1 (limit 10)

Powerade
$0.59 (limit 10)

Potatoes 10 lb
$1.38

Kashi Products
Save 40% ($2.00 off coupons out there)

Garnier Fructis Hair Care
$1.99 after in store MC

Dove Antiperspirant or Deodorant
$0.99 after in store MC

Degree Ultimate Premium Antiperspirant or Deodorant
$0.99 after in store MC

Farmhouse Rice or Pasta Sides
10 for $10

Nabisco Ritz Crackers
2 for $5 (coupon for buy ritz crackers, get Crackerfuls free out there)

Kraft Cheese Singles
3 for $5

Fred Meyer Deluxe Ice Cream
5 for $10

Tillamook Meat Sticks
10 for $10

Ghiradelli Brownie Mix
2 for $4

Krusteaz Muffin or Cookie Mix
2 for $4

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Smart Taste Pasta
10 for $10 ($1.00 off 2 printable here)

Kivu Bulk Coffee
$5.99 lb

Kraft Pourable Salad Dressing
3 for $5 ($1.00 off 2 MC, $1.00 off MC)

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
$1.79 ($0.40 off 2 MC)

Tillamook Shredded Cheese
3 for $6

Pepsi 6 pk bottles or 12 pk
2 for $8

Arrowhead Water 24 pk
$3.99

Charmin Bath Tissue
$7.99 ($0.50 off MC, $1.00 off MC)

Downy Liquid Fabric Softener
$4.88 ($1.00 off MC)

Lysol Cleaning Products
Save 50% (assorted MCs, printable coupons available here (click on printable coupons banner)

Wether's Original, Toffifay, or Reisen
4 for $5

Mentos Gum
$0.99 ($0.55 off MC)

M&M/Mars King Size Candy Bars
10 for $10

Ghiradelli Chocolate
2 for $6

Lindt Bag of Chocolate
2 for $6

Doritos Chips
$2.29

Alpo Canned Dog Food
10 for $10 ($1.00 of 3 MC, Printable coupon for free can here)

Nutra Nuggets 40 lb
$21.99

Pet Pride Dog Biscuits
$4.99

Friskies Canned Cat Food
10 for $4.00 ($1.00 off 15 MC)

Atta Cat Dry Cat Food
$7.99 (16 lbs)

Pet Pride Cat Litter Pail
$6.99 (28 lbs)

Kettle chips
2 for $3 ($1.00 off 2 MC)

White Wave Silk
2 for $5

Seventh Generation Products
Save 40% (printable coupons here)

Annie Chun's Soup or Noodle Bowls
Save 25% (first 4)(printable coupon available here)

Nature's Way Vitamins
Save 30%

Oregon Chair Tea
2 for $6

Alba, Avalon, Jason, or Zia Skin Care
Save 40%

L'Oreal Dermo Expertise
Save 40%

Dove Body Wash
$3.99 after in store MC

Mach 3, Venus, Good News, Custom Plus or Daisy Disposable Razors
$4.99 ($3.00 MC off Mach 3, Custom Plus, or Venus)

Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color
2 for $6.98 after in store

Nature Made Vitamins
BOGOF (first 4) ($1.00 off MC)

Playtex Tampons
$5.99 after in store MC

Nicorette, NicoDerm, or Commit
$39.99

Kroger Mouthwash
$0.99

Rimmel Cosmetics
BOGO Half Off

Mucinex
Save $1

Ricola Cough Drops
10 for $10

Airborne
$4.99 ($1.00 off MC)

Nature's Way Cold & Flu Supplements
Save 30%

Rainbow Light
Save 30%

Source Naturals
Save 30%

Traditional Yogi or Medicinal Tea
2 for $6

Carrots or Celery
$0.38 lb

Cabbage
$0.38 lb

Personal Watermelon
2 for $6

Tuscan Cantaloupe
2 for $6

Gold Pineapple
$2.48

Strawberries
3 for $5 (1 lb)

Minneola Tangelos
$1.49 lb

New Crop Washington Honeycrisp Apples
$1.88 lb

Peaches or Nectarines
$1.28 lb

Peeled Mini Carrots 2lb
2 for $3

Riverhouse Dressing
$3.49

Organic Red or Grapes
$1.79 lb

Organic Avocados
3 for $5

Fresh Lean Ground Beef
$1.59 lb (flavor seal packs)

Beef Loin T-Bone Steaks
$4.97 lb (family pack)

Bar S Bacon
2 for $4

FM Ground Pork Sausage
2 for $4 (1 lb)

Beef Bottom Round Roast
$2.49 lb

Tyson Boneless Chicken
$5.99 (2.5 lb bag)

Pork Loin Assorted Chops
$1.97 lb

Jumbo E-Z Peel White Shrimp
$4.99 lb

Cooked Medium Shrimp
$5.99

Wild Troll Caught Silver Salmon Fillet
$6.99 lb

Ahi Tuna
$7.99 lb

Barramundi Fillet
$7.99 lb

Big K 2 ltr Soda
2 for $1 w/ in ad coupon (limit 6)

DiGiorno or California Pizza Kitchen Pizza
$3.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

FM Instant Oatmeal
10 for $10 w/ in ad coupon (limit 10)

Hunt's Pasta Sauce
$0.69 w/ in ad coupon (limit 10)

FM Canned Tomatoes or Beans
2 for $1 w/ in ad coupon (limit 10)

Stouffer's or Lean Cuisine Entrees
5 for $10 w/ in ad coupon (limit 5)

Tree Top Apple Juice or Blends
3 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 6)

GM Cereal
2 for $3 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4) (assorted MCs out there)

Hershey's Theater Box Candy, Junior Mints, etc
$0.88 w/ in ad coupon (limit 6)

Tide Laundry Detergent
$10.88 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)

Crest Specialty
$1.99 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)

VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner
$0.79 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Tillamook Cheese Bricks
2 for $5 w/ in ad coupon

Country Oven or Vita*Bee Bread
4 for $5 w/ in ad coupon

Corned Beef Brisket
$1.99 lb w/ in ad coupon (first 5 lbs)

Land O' Frost Deli Meat
2 for $5 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Fresh Express Salad Kits or Blends
$1 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)

Hothouse Bell Peppers
$0.68 w/ in ad coupon (limit 3)

Parfait Cups
2 for $3 w/ in ad coupon (limit 4)

Naturally Preferred Brown or White Dz Eggs
2 for $3 w/ in ad coupon (limit 2)


All Home clearance is 40% the lowest marked price!

Don't forget to use your reward coupons - you should have already received them! If you have not received them yet, be sure to contact Fred Meyer!

Unfamiliar with Fred Meyer's coupon policy? They allow you stack a Fred Meyer store coupon (FM coupons as I call them) with a manufacturer's coupon. They do not price match to any other store's sale prices, and they won't take other store's sale coupons. You can however use a manufacturer's coupons on any sale or clearance items, but they usually won't allow any overage if the coupon is more than the sale price (sometimes it slips through the cracks, but don't expect it every time). Our local Washington stores do not double any coupons. They do accept the printed internet coupons if they have a barcode (like bricks coupons or from Smart Source or coupons.com if you are unfamiliar with them) so if you are having problems with a clerk not wanting to accept your coupon and you are sure it's legit coupon, please ask to have a manager come on over to verify it.

For more sites listing other stores sales ads and coupon match ups, please visit BeCentsAble - home of the original Grocery Gathering!

Book Review & Giveaway: Catwalk by Kathie Freeman

I recently had the pleasure of receiving a copy of the book Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey by Kathie Freeman to review.


Catwalk is the story of a grey tabby cat who once lived with a nice family, told from her point of view. When the family had a baby, Tiger as she was called, was kicked outside, and eventually abandoned in an industrial area when she was pregnant with kittens! (Unfortunately, this happens all the time :( Some people are really cruel) She ends up finding a safe warehouse to stay in, and eventually is fed and loved by folks working there, even being renamed Tuffy, but one day ends up stuck in the back of a truck and taken across country! The story continues with her journey back to this warehouse.

Being a cat lover, I enjoyed this book immensely! (OK, I did sniffle a little when Tiger was abandoned, and at another sad part in the story) I actually finished it overnight, something I haven't done in a long time (I even sat up at night with a flashlight, just like when I was a kid LOL) So if you're owned by cats like me, or know someone who is: this book is for you (or them! It would make a great holiday gift!) A young novel reader can enjoy this book as well.

Win it! Kathie has graciously offered for one of my lucky readers to win their own copy of Catwalk too! (Thank you Kathie!) To enter, I'd like to know about the cat(s) who have been in your life! How did they come to be with you, a special story about them, etc.

I'll give you an extra entry if you blog about this giveaway with a link back, and yes, you can include your story about your cat in the post and leave that link as your first entry as well as leave it for your second.

And as always, my subscribers or followers get an extra entry.

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM, October 3rd 2009. US only, and please remember to leave your email address or have it available in your profile so I can contact you!

Recipe: Garlic Cheese Biscuits

These are super quick to make, and very budget friendly, especially if you cut out the cheese. (I'd use regular salt then, instead of the garlic salt) You can also add herbs like rosemary, basil, oregano instead - fresh if you have it, or dried. Some folks don't like shortening, but I've found it valuable for recipes like this. I found the original over at Hillbilly Housewife years ago, and modified it. (because you know me, I can't follow an original recipe to save my life! lol)

2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1/2 cup - 1 cup cheese

Mix the floor, garlic salt, and sugar together in the bowl and drop in the shortening. Mix it with your hands (messy, I know - food service gloves come in handy here!), but don't over mix it - you just don't want large clumps of shortening in it.



Next, add in the cheese and milk. (pardon the mountain of extra cheese in the photo, but mine was at the use it or dump it date) Stir well. You may need just a little extra milk depending on the weather that day (weird, isn't it?) but again, don't over do it.



These are drop biscuits, and you need the mix to end up looking like this:


Grease a cookie sheet well and preheat the oven to 425. Make drop biscuits about the size of what you'd like to serve (smaller for the kids, bigger for adults) and bake for 15 minutes. (ignore the ugly baking sheet as I still haven't fond my new ones)


And you'll have this:


Cheap and quick! These can be ready on the baking sheet in less than 5 minutes - easy peasy!

Friday's Featured Etsy: Gypsy Mare Studios

Welcome to my Friday's Featured post, in which I showcase Etsy stores and small businesses from folks like you and me. Recession, smession! ;)

Fall is creeping up on us, and as you may know, it's my favorite time of year! I love the cooler air, the smell of falling leaves, and of course, Halloween! The Etsy shop I'm featuring this week combines so many of my favorite things: bunnies, cats, horses, and even Halloween! I have to tell you I've been stalking her blog and store for ages now, and I am so excited to send you Gypsy Mare Studio's way!

Check out this whimsical Jack O' Lantern Gourd Halloween Pendant Necklace Art! The gourd used was even grown in her own garden last year!


Fellow cat lovers, you will love this Black Cat Moon Original Hand Painted Pendant Necklace Art! It comes with a 21" black satin cord and is painted on a black bamboo tile.


For the horse lover in your live, this Dark Beauty - Arabian Horse Original Oil Painting on Canvas would make a beautiful gift!


And of course, I have to share with you this lovely White Rabbit Unicorn Tapestry Inspired Hand Painted Pendant Necklace. It reminds me of one of the bunnies in Watership Down.


Stop by GypsyMareStudio's today and have a look around.

Kibble Krusader Kontest for Kids

Maybe you've hung around my blog long enough to see the button over and down there there ----> for Free Kibble. If you click on over there via the button and answer a little trivia question each day, they'll donate kibble to shelters for dogs and cats. Well, they are running a contest that you can encourage your child to enter!

If you're between the ages of 7-18, tell them what makes your local Animal Shelter special. On Monday, September 28, they will choose 5 winning entries and $1,000 of Halo Dinner Party Salmon or Beef Sprinkle Treats will be shipped right to the door of each of the winners' local shelters! It's an easy email entry!

Check it out: www.freekibble.com/kontest.asp

Do You Ever Feel...

...like you are just completely surrounded by brainwashed people?

*pound head* *pound head* *pound head*

How did some people get to be so stupid? Think, folks, THINK! It's not that hard, I promise!

Killer Entertainment Deal Via Live Nation

If you live in certain areas, and like to attend a lot of concerts, this is a KILLER deal! You can purchase a passport pass for the rest of 2009 for just $49.99 (each person), and you'll be able to attend any show at the venue that is not sold out! All you have to do is once you have bought the passport, submit a request to get on the list for the shows you want to see, and then you're in! (provided it's not sold out, of course) Considering most shows run about $25-30, if you attend just 2 shows, you've already broken even.

For a list of participating Live Nation venues, and to purchase just check it out here.

Sorry, local peeps, apparently we're not cool enough as there are no Seattle area venues. *sniff sniff* Ah... to live in these participating areas and rewind the clock a few years... LOL

Blog Tour & Review: Atkins

Mom Central recently asked me to be a part of the Atkins blog tour, and to review several new products from the Atkins food products line.

If you're unfamiliar with Atkins and the line of namesake products, it's a food program that cuts the carbs down in your diet. There are four different phases of the Atkins program, which starts at Induction and ends up at Lifetime Maintenance. I'm not here to review a diet plan (please remember, before starting any weight loss and exercise regime, to always visit your doctor and discuss your plans first!) but rather to tell you my thoughts on the taste, etc of the following products from the Atkins line. If you'd like to learn more about Atkins, I suggest you start off by looking around their website! They even have a recipe contest running right now that you can enter, and the grand prize is $1,500! Now, on to the reviews...

I was sent the Atkins Penne Pasta and Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix to try out.


As anyone looking at my menu plans can tell, we like to eat a lot of pasta around here. I liked seeing the lower calorie content in Atkins (just 140 calories) but I was a little worried that because of this, maybe the taste would be off, and my DH would be on to my sneaking it into the Pasta Bake without him knowing. I didn't have to worry: in the dish, it didn't taste any different than using whole wheat pasta (he had no idea!) The taste is definitely just a little different than most regular pastas, but with sauce, I don't think most folks would notice.

I was excited to try the Baking Mix out, knowing I could use it in several different recipes. Like the penne pasta, this is loaded with extra fiber, something we could use around here *innocently whistles a little* I decided to test it out on my waffles recipe. It ended up just fine! I think I am going to try it out making homemade pizza next. I'm sure if you've been on the Atkins program for awhile, you're probably missing bread and baked goodies - definitely give this a try. It's not exactly the same, of course, but it sure beats staring down anyone else eating a biscuit in front of you. ;)

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Atkins and received samples to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.” And I'm sorry I was late joining in on the tour - I was a bad girl! :(