Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter tomorrow!


We're having a small Easter egg hunt on Sunday. I managed to save lot of eggs from last year. One or two had remnants of LaffyTaffy but the rest were in great shape and ready to be filled.

The only sweets we had around the house were chocolates. To make up for the lack of sugar in the eggs, I followed this great tip from one of the blogs I read: add coins, stickers, tattoos, Legos, beads and buttons.

We also dyed eggs for the first time this year. CVS had FREE Paas Kits this week and I aslo had extras from previous years. After boiling a few of them and letting them cool slightly, we drew on the warm eggs with crayons. Then, when they were dyed, the crayon markings stayed- like color resist. Art class during co-op is paying off!

This morning the Easter Bunny came and hid the hardboiled eggs out in the front lawn. Instead of running after the eggs, our kids walked together and helped each other spot the eggs. Sometimes, I am amazed at how close they are! Since there are no trinkets in these eggs,each one found got them a minute of Nintendo DS playing time. After they were done collecting the eggs, they peeled the them for me. Each boiled egg they peeled earned more minutes. Egg salad and deviled eggs are calling my name!

Of course, the best time to buy empty eggs is after Easter. Don't forget that Target will have them on clearance at 50% off Monday. Candy will start at 30% off. But the best place to get them cheap without worry of them running out is at drugstores like CVS. People tend to forget they have clearance too. Well after Walmart and Target's shelves are cleared, CVS will still have a few. They might even put them on 90% off clearance. So, keep your eyes open!

See more Frugal Friday tips on LifeAsMom.

Target Deals: $1.48 Disney Silly Bandz!

Here's another short clip that's big on savings. Target will have many of these deals still available next week. I get my coupon match-ups from Totally Target.

Nivea Body Wash, around $3-$4 (use $3 off from 4/17 RP)
Disny Silly Bandz $1.48 (50% off)
Bertolli Sauce,around $2 (use $1/2 Target Q + $1.50/2 from 4/17 RP)
Revlon Tools $2 Target Q + $2 Man Q from 4/17 SS


Like the previous post, I am now just able to post this video after I've admitted defeat. (Laptop died- reason for death: printing too many coupons! Not really, it's just old.)

Make Money on Money!

I take some deals for granted. Then my husband got excited and told me it's cool to save money on money. I was like, huh? Never occured to me but, he's right. Credit cards take our money, and doing this deal is one up on them.

First Transaction
Buy $50 American Express card at Publix
Pay $4.95 for activation
Use $10 off coupon in the weekly ad
Use $5 off $25 off Apple Market coupon
--------------------------------------
= Pay only $39.95 for a $50 gift card!

Second Transaction
Buy $5 worth of Hallmark cards
Buy $50 Shell gas card
Use $5 off $5 Hallmark coupon in weekly ad*
(must buy $25 min gift card NOT Publix or AmEx)
Use $5 off $25 off Apple Market coupon
-----------------------------------------------
= Pay $45 BUT use the AmEx card to pay

I still have $5 left on the AmEx card. So instead of $50 for the Shell card, it's really only $35, with the leftover money into account.

Publix has coupons for $10 off $50 American Express cards all the time. So even though this deal ends today, you can get it again next time. My computer died after this video was taken, otherwise it would have been up sooner!

Publix Sales Ad Good Through Saturday

Just a reminder, there will not be a new sales ad for Publix this Wednesday. Since they are closed Sunday. (Click to view the Publix Ad.) That being said, here is a short video for you about clipless coupons to use with this week's ad:


Per usual, I found coupon match-ups at I Heart Publix's Super Deals.

Don't forget to use the $5 off $25 Apple Market coupon (local to Pensacola) as a competitor coupon.

These are some of my favorites!
Dole Pineapple in 100% Juice, 20 oz can, BOGO $1.59
Duncan Hines Cake Mix, BOGO $2.05 (use 2 $0.55 from Spring Savings)
Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatioes 28 to 29 oz can, BOGO $1.87 (use $1/2 blinkie)
Breyer’s Ice Cream 48 oz carton, BOGO $5.99 (use $1.50/2 TARGET Q)
Jones Dairy Farm Golden Brown Sausage, Links or Patties 7 oz pkg or Turkey Links 5 oz pkg, BOGO $2.69 (check for $1/2 peelies)
Bertolli Pasta Sauce 15 to 24 oz, 2/$4 (use $1.50 from 4/17 SS & $1/2 Target)
Kraft Shredded Cheese w/touch of Philly, 3/$5 (Use $1/1 blinkie)
Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables, 50% off (64¢ to $1.84) (Use $1/2 Publix Q from Spring Savings booklet)

Coupons found in the booklet are listed at IHP.

Two FREE Redbox Rentals wyb 2 Dozen Eggs

photo credit

Last year, Target had eggs for $0.51 per dozen. This year, as with gas prices, egg prices haven't been less than $1 a dozen. The best deal I've seen is at Walgreens:

Buy 2 dozen eggs at $1.29 each
Get 2 FREE Redbox codes at checkout

Some of our area Walgreens now have a Redbox koisk. Use promocode DVDATWAG for one FREE DVD rental!

Also, purchase Stacy's Pita, Lay's Chips, or Tostitos for $2.50 and get another Redbox code at checkout. If you are getting these for this weekend's Easter dinner, might as well get some free DVD rentals too.

If you haven't used these, promocodes BREAKROOM and DVDONME are still good. You can use them once per credit card used.

Coupons Spotted at Publix= FREE Royal Gelatin at Walgreens

Walgreens has Royal Gelatin 5 for $1 with in-ad coupon. Publix has a blinkie for $1 off 5 on Royal products. This means FREE gelatin at Walgreens.

Other blinkie coupons:
$1 off Kraft Shreds w/ Touch of Philly
$1 off Polly-O products
$1.50 off Philly Cooking Creme
$0.75 Hormel Compleats Kids Meal
$0.75 off 3 Pillsbury Refrigerated Baked Goods
$1/2 Tuttorosso Tomatoes blinkie

A few peelies:
$1 off OSCAR MAYER Selects Hot Dogs (good for Turkey)
$0.75 off Hillshire Kielbasa

Winn-Dixie Clearance- Spices & Frosting & Cake Mix

Growing up in Manila, it's often faster to walk to the store than sit in traffic all day on the bus. People didn't walk to exercise, we walked to go places. People didn't workout and lift weights, we carried our groceries instead. Running was not for the endorphins, but to catch a taxi (or a purse-snatcher).

When I watch my new neighbors going for their brisk morning walk, I can't help but feel guilty while I stress eat some Doritos. Then my AHa! moment came. Since we live near a couple of stores, why don't I walk there to grab a couple of things and walk back?This was a great idea if I didn't find lots of great deals at Winn-Dixie. I think my shoulders will be sore tomorrow from carrying a couple heavy bags!

Here are some clearance items I found:

75% off Krusteaz Gingerbread Cake &
Cookie Mix, $0.69 Krusteaz Pumpkin Pie Bar Mix, $0.74
Krusteaz Sugar Cookie Mix, $0.44
(These will last through the holidays, if you have room to stock-up.)
Betty Crocker Cupcake Creations, $0.60 (raspberry, mocha, mint)
Betty Crocker Muffin Glaze, $0.85 (vanilla, cinamon)
Betty Crocker Brownie Topper, $0.85 (cream cheese, chocolate)
Cake Mate Pastel Icing, $1.12 perfect for Easter!
Mc Cormick Recipe Inspiration, $0.49 (use $0.50 from Redplum)
Mc Cormick Worcesteshire Pepper, $0.62 (use $0.50 from Redplum)

50% off Fleishman's Yeast 3-strip for pizza, $0.59
Hunts Snack Pack, $0.63 (sugar free caramel, blueberry muffin, cinnamon roll)

Great Sales through Tuesday:
Kraft Shreds w/ Touch of Philly, BOGO $3.99 ($1 blinke from Publix)
Philly Cooking Creme, $2 ($1.50 blinkie from Publix)
Chicken Drumsticks, BOGO? (I bought 2 for $3.50, used $1.50 off chicken when you buy cooking creme)
Dole Salad BOGO $3.49 or $3.99 for kits ($1 coupon printed at checkout)
Marzetti Pomegranate dressing $2.50 ($1.50 coupon printed when I checked out)

Coupon Finds: Spotted these coupons there-
$1 Bailey's Creamer
Buy 4 (Fuze or Gold Peak)Get 1L Dasani
$1 Lloyd's Woodfire BBQ

CVS Free Candy, Bubbles & Tea

I'm still waiting for the nice Easter freebies at CVS. But free candy is always nice.
Russell Stover single egg or chocolate bunny $0.74
Get $0.74 ECB (limit 1) = FREE (Sunday Monday and Tuesday only!)

There's also FREE bubbles:
Super Miracle Bubbles 16 oz $1.99
Get $1.99 ECBs (limit 1) =FREE

Honest Tea 16.9 oz 3/$4 = $1 ECB (limit 4)
Deal Scenario:
Buy 3 Honest Tea Total = $4
Use $1/1 Honest Tea Q from Recyclebank
Pay as low as $1 Get back a $1 ECB =3 FREE!

Spend $20 on Participating Lysol Get $10 ECB (limit 1)
Deal Scenario:
Buy 4 Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra starter kits $6 each = $24
Use $4/1 coupon found in the 3/20 SS or coupons.com*
Pay $8 Get back a $10 Ecb Final cost FREE + a $2 Moneymaker!
*Print coupons through Swagbucks to get 10 swagbucks per coupon used!

Some helpful tips: I shop CVS on Sundays before all other couponers snatch the freebies. Swipe the CVS card at the coupon machine first. Use the Green Tag card at checkout! If you have plenty of ECBs to rollover, you can use these to print photos, buy the Sunday paper, get passport photos and buy grocery staples like milk, bread and eggs. Treat ECBs like cash- don't let them go to waste!

Happy CVSing this week!

Credits: Visit iheartcvs.com for ad scans and see pix of what the freebies look like (as pictured above). Visit hip2save.com- best deals in red; visit moneysavingmom.com to link-up your deals!

FREE Toiletries at CVS

All except for the Doritos ($6 for 3 after ECBs) were FREE this week at CVS. I went Sunday afternoon and most of the Gum flossers were already gone! So if you still plan to go tomorrow (last day) and they've run out on any deals, grab a raincheck. Everything here plus the contact lens solution and two newspapers would have cost $38 BUT with coupons from last Sunday's paper (I clipped them right at the store), $3 Quarterly Bucks, and ECBs from last week that I rolled over this week, of course I didn't pay that much. Instead my total was $5 after all the ECBs I got back. My wallet and teeth are very happy! For a listing of deals, visit MoneySavingMom.com and Hip2Save.com (freebies and best deals are written in red).

Publis Deals Through April 12

Here are my favorite deals this week:

Banquet frozen chicken, BOGO $5.49
Use two $1 off Publix Q from Slam Dunk booklet Buy 6 + $15 more groceries and submit for $10 Rebate =>
6 bags = $16.50, use six $1 off => $10.50 =>submit for $10 rebate =$0.50 for 6 bags!

Cascadian Farms frozen veg, $2
Use $0.75 Q + $1 Publix Q = $0.25 each

Silk Almondmilk, $2.50 (unsweetened is only 35 calories!)
Take the 10-day Challenge to print $2 off Q = $0.50

Mueller's Pasta, BOGO $1.39
Register w/ new email, get $1 off 1 (when prompted, print more than 1 copy- I did 6)
Buy 2 use two $1 Q =$0.60 overage

Publix Brown Rice, $0.99 (not on sale but new item!)

Jell-O Temptations, $2
Got my FREE coupon from Kraft First Taste

Snicker's Creme Eggs Single Pack, $0.50 Get 2 FREE with $1 off 2 from coupons.com There was a $2/2 Q = $1 overage

Voskos Yogurt, $1 (blinkie machine is gone!) Buy 3, use two $0.75 Qs & Buy2G1 Free = $0.50 for 3

Sunkist Almond Accents, BOGO $2.99
Use two $1 off Qs = $0.49 each

Oscar Mayer Turkey Franks, $2.29
Use $1 peelie on Turkey Selects = $1.29

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats, BOGO $4.51
Use two $1 for Touch of Fruit only = $1.25 each

Tofouyan Pita Bread, BOGO $1.29
Will be great with Sabras Hummus that was BOGO last week!

6 Pack Publix Spring Water, $2.11
They gave out FREE coupons at the Perdido Spring Fest Fair

Zyrtec 5 count, $6.49
Use $4 Target Q plus $2 blinkie = $0.49


Everything pictured plus Almondmilk & Jello Temptations would have cost $77.15, with the help of a few coupons, we paid $10.19, for a savings of 87%. Yep. What's really impressive is that other people save that much too- check out I Heart Publix's weekly totals.

The cool thing is that the 2 value size Purex alone cost that much. So it's like I bought 2 bottles of detergent and got $66 of food for FREE.

Apple Market Q Gone- But Get FREE Coffee!

Sometimes I wish I had more foresight than coupon etiquette. There was a $5 off $25 Apple Market coupon that Publix willingly took as a competitor coupon. I printed 12 thinking I'll go back and print more later (since 12 was already a lot). We'll, I'm sad to say that RelyLocal pulled the coupon (why- it wasn't expiring until 12/31/2011?) and I have only 1 coupon left. Don't they know I rely on that local coupon? Instead of this coupon (sob, I actually thought of going to Apple Market to use the coupon at some point), now we have this:

FREE 12 oz. Cup of KONA Coffee! And we mean it! No purchase necessary! Come in and try a cup today. ( One per customer per day. ) Expires 12/31/11

Thanks, anyway.

But in case you'd like to try it- print it now before it disappears! They have a location next to the used bookstore and across the Pensacola State career center past Cordova Mall.

$0.50 Philadelphia Cooking Creme at Winn-Dixie

Although we have enough cooking creme to last forever, I might just buy some more. For only $0.50 each, I'm willing to surf the web for new recipes. If you are interested in buying these along with chicken, lookout for the $1.50 peelies on different chicken items. Might as well get another $1.50 off, right. Last time these were on sale, they had a $1 Winn-Dixie retailer coupon. Our store took this as a store coupon. Stacked with the $1.50 manufacturer's, this became a lil' money maker.

Besides this, Kraft cheese is on sale for $2. There is a new blinkie found at Publix (& Winn-Dixie too, maybe) for $1 off the Touch of Philly variety. This makes the cheese only $1 each. We can never have too much cheese! Freeze extras.

Here's a Spinach Dip recipe I've concocted to use up the cooking creme:
1 box frozen spinach ($0.15 from last Publix sale)
1 bag Kraft shredded cheddar cheese ($1 after $1 blinkie)
1 tub Philly cooking creme- savory garlic ($0.50 after $1.50 blinkie) Salt and pepper to taste
=$1.65 for all ingredients

Cook spinach per directions. Drain as much liquid as possible. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add cooking creme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. Serve hot or cold with some pita chips or crackers.

I love that this dip requires no stove or oven cooking. For an extra spicy kick, use Santa Fe cooking creme and/or Pepperjack shredded cheese.

FREE OTCs and Toiletries at Publix!

These are some items I got for free at Publix recently. Only one coupon was from the newspaper, the rest in-store and printables. If you still have some of the printables, you can also score these deals. Right Guard BOGO coupon from 3-13 RP One
pair with Right Guard Buy One Bodywash Get FREE Deodorant Q (Green Ad flyer found in-store)
$2 Visine, any product (I think this has a size restriction)
FREE Soothing Wipes with other Visine purchase (no longer available)
$4 Zyrtec Q- Target coupon
$2 Zyrtec manufacturer's Q- blinkie found in-store
$5 off $25 Apple Market Q (no longer available- makes me cry!)

The Visine Soothing Wipes were clearance $4.99 but rang up $6.99. I pointed that out to customer service. Did you know that their Publix Promise is to give you the product FREE if it rings up differently at the register? So I got $6.99 back and made a little money on this shopping trip.

What did I do with the leftover dough? We enjoyed some Publix fried chicken- it was even on sale for $5.99! Food is not the only freebies to be had at Publix- OTCs and toiletries, too. Now you know.

Of course, most of my coupon links come from I Heart Publix. See what great deals you can snatch!

Lowe's Build & Grow 2nd & 4th Saturdays

You know how Boy Scouts build things and get patches on their vest? I really wanted that for our son. But I wasn't keen on the fees and weekly meetings. So, the Kids' Build and Grow at Lowe's (and Home Depot's version) was a nice and FREE alternative. Check it out this Saturday. They're building this soccer goal. Mobile Hwy's store starts the program by 9am- they get about 100 kids so come early. Otherwise, it's 10-11am for most stores. On April 23, they will build this birdhouse. Just show up with your children (as young as 3 is ok but you will end up doing most of the work). They provide a FREE apron, FREE project, and Certificate of Completion. There are kiddie hammers and goggles for use. It's been great seeing our little ones improve their hammering skills over the years. Plus they have so much fun! One downside is that all these crafts do add up quickly. So this year, we are planning on making a few and giving them away as presents. The actual building time takes less than half an hour. When we get home, we sand and paint and beautify them.

I consider these building projects as part of our homeschooling experience. The fact that it's free is a nice bonus! What are your favorite local events for children? Share a few and visit Frugal Fridays for more frugal tips. Visit Lowe's to sign-up online or just show up Saturday.

Rapunzel Birthday Cake

Spring is here and with weather to match. Usually it is tremendously hot in Pensacola by now. So we are thankful for the mostly cool few days, despite high pollen counts. Since we moved in the winter, I had no idea what kind of trees and bushes we have around the house. Now that flowers bloom overnight it seems, I've been pleasantly surprised to find out we have azaleas and wisteria. Our sweet girl had her birthday this week. Since it was on Monday, we had a couple families join us at Perdido Kids' Park. We had the park almost to ourselves. It gave us moms a chance to visit without worrying too much about where the children are running off too. The park is fenced throughout and only has one entrance/exit. We love this park! A themed-birthday is nice, too. But who knew that kids still love to just play in the playground and just eat cake and ice cream. Simple and almost free birthday parties are still in!

Parties over the weekend get overcrowded at the park, however. It doesn't matter what time you have yours. There will be 8 other parties going on at the same time. As you can tell, this was taken during the Easter Egg Hunt- it should be the Saturday before Easter again this year. Plan to come if you can. Last year, the Optimist Club hosted it and some of the eggs had $1 bills inside! This birthday cake was inspired by LifeAsMom's Tangled Cake . Last year, I feared our little girl was getting over the Princess craze- she kept asking to wear blue jeans! But alas, she is a girly-girl through and through. More pink the better for her 8th birthday and this pink-frosted strawberry cake fit the ticket. I am afraid of making birthday cakes... because I need frosting lessons! That's why my cakes don't leave the baking pan and have marshmallows for a border. If you are wondering, there is no birthday salutation because I forgot to get gel icing. Sprinkles made the best last-minute substitution.

Do you buy birthday cakes or make your own? I do like that homemade cakes are much more inexpensive and my children adore them, even if they are simple with uneven frosting. I'm mentally preparing for October's cake- my son wants a dinosaur cake for his 7th birthday! I have no clue how to make that. Looking for cake ideas- there's tons here. Frugal ideas to swap? Check out Frugal Fridays. Want to share stories? Tell yours at Company Girl's Coffee at Home Sanctuary. Ok, I had to link-up with Amy's Finer Fridays too, because babies and birthdays turn me all sappy.

Disney Crafts Clearance at Wal-Mart

Isn't Easter Sunday a bit late this year? If you are hunting for gifts to fill Easter baskets, you might check out this Tinker Bell bracelet kit for $3 at Wal-Mart. I found it near the greeting card aisle along with Disney Princess, Cars, and other craft kits for $3 a piece. Our newly-turned 8 yr old daughter still thought this was a cool present. Since I don't have a stockpile of paper products, I was suckered into getting this Birthday Party kit for $5. It was also in the clearance aisle. Good enough for a last minute rush, but I know I could have done better with planning!