NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION - THE FRUGAL WAY

We subscribe to our local newspaper and currently receive it Thursday thru Sunday. Our subscription is due to expire very soon. The yearly rate to renew it is $118.50 for the year. I called the newspaper the other day and asked if there were any promotions that would lower my rate. The customer service representative was not very helpful and said that there was no promotion. My only option for lowering the cost was to only get the Sunday paper. The cost of that is $91 for the year. So, I decided that I would do that and wrote out a check for that amount. Luckily, I didn't mail it yet because today I received a sales call from the newspaper and this time I was talking to a very helpful woman. She apologized that I was not satisfied with my previous inquiry and said that if I let my subscription run out then she can offer me a rate of $51.81 for a one year subscription of Sunday's newspaper! What a deal! I just saved my family $40 with no effort whatsoever.

So, the moral is - dig, dig, dig for the deals and don't take no for an answer.

ECONOMIZING ONE CHICKEN AT A TIME

I like to keep a freezer full of frozen skinless boneless chicken because our family eats A LOT of chicken. It's economical and there's so much you can do with it. Well, our supply was getting a little low but it wasn't on sale this week at my supermarket. They did, however, have split chicken breasts on sale for $.99 a pound - a great deal in my area. The problem is that my family doesn't really like chicken with bones in it. So, I bought 10 pounds of the split chicken breasts. I cut four of the breasts off the bones and boiled off all the rest of the chicken. Once cooked, the chicken meat was cubed and separated by meal portion sizes perfect for my family. I then froze them in ziploc freezer bags. It makes meal preparation really quick when the chicken is already cooked and cubed.

I then prepared chicken parmesan with the four breasts I cut off of the bone and had a bunch of real economical meals for my family.

Some great chicken recipes to follow shortly - so go buy some chicken!!!

PANTYHOSE, ANYONE???

I really like No Nonsense pantyhose. They fit me well and seem to hold up to my not so graceful self. No Nonsense is B1G1 this week at RiteAid. So, I snagged six pair today worth $27.54 for $8.77, almost 70% off - not bad, especially when you have to wear pantyhose every day to work!

Would ya like a FREE Necklace?

Frugal & Fabulous is giving away a Peggy Li Infiniti Necklace! I entered, you should too! Go http://tinyurl.com/as4bcr"> here to enter! :)

Kmart deals!

I needed to get out of the house for a while after being cooped up with a sick child. What better distraction than a great sale, right? I couldn't wait to get to KMart and had my notes and coupons all ready. But, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the sale. The store was out of a lot of what I had planned to buy and some other things I had planned to buy was not a great deal.

Anyhow, here is what I ended up with:

Crest toothpaste, $3.00 (used $1.50 coupon = FREE)

Revlon matte eyeshadow x 2, $4.79 each (used 2 $2 coupons = $.79 each)

Revlon nail clipper, $1.25 each (used $1 coupon = FREE)

Gain, 50 oz, $7.69 (used $1 coupon = $5.69)

Cascade, $5.29 (used $1 coupon = $3.29)

those were my deals, but I also purchased:

Catepillar toy dump truck for bday party $13.99, on sale for $7.99

and

SpongeBob wii game for my kids $19.99

I also used the $5 off $50 coupon from KMart. My savings was $27.25 - certainly not as great as I'd hoped to do but not too bad either. Did you checkout KMart this week? How did you do? Leave a comment with your post.

CHIPS, CHIPS AND MORE CHIPS........

I had to go to Walgreens last night to pick up an antibiotic for my daughter who's still sick :( After I picked up the prescription I passed by the food aisle and noticed that Walgreens is closing out of Pringles - they were all on clearance for $.45!!!!! So, I stood there for a minute thinking, "How would it look if I bought every one of them off of the shelf?" I was a little embarrassed to do that so I only took 12 of them. Of course if I have a chance to get back there I'll probably by 12 more, but that's for a different day. The best part of all of this is that I had 3 coupons totalling $2.2o so in addition to getting each can for $.38 (with my husband's employee discount), I also used the coupons and bought 12 cans of Pringles for $2.36 - now that's a great deal!!!!!!!! First of all, Pringles have a very long shelf life and we usually have them around in the summer in case we go on a picnic or for vacation since they're easy to transport. If they last that long!

Oh, I was so excited -- that type of deal really reminds me why I do this! Now, what are you waiting for - run to Walgreens and look for Pringles!

AVON BARGAINS

Thanks to Hip2Save.blogspot.com for alerting me to some fabulous savings from avon.com.

Here is a sampling of what's available:

Refreshing Shower Gel
Was $6, now $1.99
There are varies other varieties too.
Naturals Tote Bag
Was $10, now $2.99
Naturals Tropical Tote
Was $10, now $2.99
Tote Bag
Was $10, now $2.99
Beach Glow Body Lotion
Was $7, now $2.99
Mini Body Lotion & Spring Hand Creams
Only .99
If you purchase 2 of these you can get an expandable Beauty bag for only $3.99 (retail $10). There are also various other qualifying items you can purchase as well.
Facial Hair Removal Cream
Was $6, now $1.99

I purchased some lip balm for .99 each (great for easter baskets) which then qualified me for the 3.99 beauty bag which I happen to need. I also order two of the 2.99 tote bags which I plan to use for a little Easter surprise for my children's godparents and two of the 1.99 laser cut totes which I will use in lieu of Easter baskets for my goddaughter and an extra for maybe a birthday gift for a little girl later in the year. Think ahead when you can get such great deals! And, don't forget to use the code "sorry" to get free shipping!

WAFFLES - FOR BREAKFAST OR DINNER....

My Grandma always made "Maryland Waffles". I have no idea why she called them that and she's not here anymore to ask. But, they are the BEST homemade waffles EVER !!!! My kids LOVE pancakes and waffles, especially with chocolate chips. I've been buying frozen waffles at the grocery store for the kids since it makes a good breakfast for them. But, in my efforts to be more frugal I have come to realize that Grandma's Maryland Waffles are a lot healthier and cheaper.

So, this morning I made a double batch of homemade waffles - half with chocolate chips and half plain. I put them on cookie sheets in the freezer until cold and then into zipper freezer bags for the freezer. Now I can just take them out one at a time and toast them when needed! The chocolate chip ones will either be for the kids' breakfasts or for a waffle and ice cream sandwich for a special treat! The plain waffles will be used for chicken and waffles one night - its a great use of leftover chicken. Simply toast the waffle, put chicken over top with gravy - YUM!!!

Here's the recipe for Maryland Waffles:

2 c. flour

3 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add melted butter. Add egg yolks and milk, beat and

then add egg whites last.

ENJOY!!!

Free Magazines!!

I had no idea that you could actually get free magazine subscriptions - that is until I started clipping coupons and following all of these great women and their frugal blogs. Since then I have signed up for whatever magazines interest me.

When I receive my magazines in the mail, I immediately look through them for any coupons (the real reason I request them), then when I have time I look through them and read what interests me. When I'm done I try to forward the magazine onto someone I think might enjoy it (my way of recycling).

The latest free magazine subscription thanks to www.freestufftimes.com:

Free Subscription to Women’s Health Magazine

http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/wom_health1/sg_wohealth_pg3w.htm

Busy week and lots of bargains

It has been a crazy week, complete with one sick child but despite that I have been able to get back on the frugal bandwagon and snag some serious bargains.

My husband and I had a date night for Valentine's Day and, believe it or not, I was able to convince him to stop at CVS. I never thought I'd see him coupon shopping with me, but I think he secretly loves that I'm doing it. We took advantage of the coke deal - spend $20 on coke and get $10 in ECBs. I also did a second transaction. At the end of the night, I spent $26 and got $22 back in ECBs. Not bad!!!

I stopped at Walgreens today after work and took advantage of more great deals. I spent $23 and according to my receipt saved $46.

I promise next week to give you specific details and can't wait to take advantage of the KMart deal. If you haven't heard KMart is doubling coupons up to $1 next week, Feb. 22 - 29. Check your local KMart to see if they are participating.