Cheerios!!

Hey - here's a link for a free box of Cheerios, six $1.00 off coupons, and information on how to lower your cholesterol!!

Now, if only we could get some milk!

DD IS BACK!!

Friday night my mom brought DD back. I am so happy. I worried about her constantly, part of the "worry-wart-mother" in me. I know, deep down, somewhere I can barely reach, that she would be safe and happy. But still, she wasn't within my grasp and NO ONE can care for her the way I do. Right?

She looks good, a little darker, a little taller, I hope she had a great time, because now it's back to our boring, monotonous life. Well, at least until school starts.

Rebates

So, I've been pretty busy with life in general these past few weeks. But I have also been trying to figure out how my rebates work.

I obviously figured out Walgreens. It takes a few weeks, but you eventually get your gift card in the mail and you can always put that back to good use. This past month, I submitted for an $18.00 rebate from Walgreens. I bought the Pledge, that came with a duster, plus I used my BOGO coupon and got free Pledge Multi-purpose wipes (a $4.99 value), and I purchased Windex (and used my $.75 coupon) so that is a $2.00 rebate right there. And of course I bought the AirWick Ultra and Mini, which were on sale at $9.99 each. I used my $4.00 printable coupons which brought the price down to $5.99 each. And then I claimed my $3.00 rebate, each, and so I ended up getting them both at $2.99. Not too bad. I also bought DH the Dr. Scholl's inserts (x2) and $14.99 each, and of course I claimed my $10.00 rebate. I know, still expensive. But he wanted them for his work boots and when are you going to find a deal like that? Oh, I also bought my last Zyrtec (45 count) at $26.99, so now I can mail off that $10.00 rebate. (Which reminds me, I'm still waiting for my Clear Eyes rebate...that was $9.99. I will let you know when I get it.)

This month I also tried out the Rite-Aid Rebates. I bought the Venus Embrace Razor (-$2.00 coupon - $5.00 rebate = $4.99), the refills at $13.99 (-$2.00 coupon = 11.99), Crest Premium white Strips at $27.99 (already on sale from $34.99 - $5.00 coupon - $10.00 rebate = $12.99), and two Oral B Cross Action Power toothbrushes on sale at $5.99 each (- BOGO coupon -$4.00 rebate = $1.99), for a total of a $19.00 rebate. I basically went in, picked up $73.55 (with tax) worth of stuff, used my coupons and paid $57.89, and will still get back $19.00. Not too bad. Oh, Rite Aid Rebates come as a check, they don't offer gift cards, and they don't deduct for mailing. Plus, their site says you will get a check within two to three weeks.

I don't think I did too bad. Still working out some of my flaws but I'm getting better! How are YOU doing?

More Freebies!!

Okay - just a note: If you want something, you need to sign up for it quickly. I find my freebies by searching in my "free time", which means it's probably way after someone else found it. So if you find one that's expired, try the next one. Check back often because I'm trying to keep you coming back!!

Here's for a free tub of Huggies Wipes with Shea Butter.

Here your child can do a chart and get a free tooth brush.

Ah, that's it for this evening. I need to go to sleep...

"I Now Pronounce You..."

Over the weekend DH and I attended the wedding of an old military friend.

I was initially hesitant to go, our own relationship has had some cloudy days and I wasn't sure how I felt about the friend and what might happen at the wedding or the reception.

Despite my doubts, I purchased a nice dress and an outfit for DS. I helped DH pick out a nice pair of slacks, shirt, and tie. We packed our stuff and headed out to the coast.

We were surprised to find out that the wedding truly was on the beach, we had kind of tossed around the idea that maybe it was at some sort of gazebo off of the beach, but no, it was there, in the sand, a few feet from the water with the tide creeping in every second.

We met with old acquaintances and friends, some handshakes reminding of the bond we share from our military days, some just simple "civilian" handshakes, a gesture of assimilation but lacking emotion or character. (If you have ever served, you know what I mean.)

The ceremony was nice - a statement was made, vows were said, a prayer for the new couple and their future, and the introduction. Lots of laughing, lots of cheers.

The reception was at a great spanish-style restaurant. Good food and good company. I enjoyed myself and my family, minus my DD unfortunately.

To Rocio and Jaime - may you learn to grow together as individuals that make a great team. May you fight through the darkest moments and slowly cherish each and every breath, no matter how heated. Time passes incredibly quickly and if you never stop to look back, you will never know where you came from. Congratulations.

My Mail Box is Positively Producing!

So, I've been a little down, my DD is still with her grandparents and I'm having a horrible time adjusting. And, with new changes in the family life, I feel like all that I get in the mail is bills and more bills.

Saturday was a change. My Juicy Juice sippy cup came in, along with my sample of Tide with Dawn AND my rebate came in from Walgreens! Yay!

DH thinks I'm crazy. BUT, the other day he went shopping and actually used some of the coupons I had for a list of items I needed. He was pretty surprised at how much he saved and was excited to see how much more we could save.

No kidding. I'm surprised, too.

Freebies!!

Here are some more freebies that I have found.

This link is for a Beck's Wrench Bottle Opener - you have to be 21 to get the opener.

This is a link for a sample of Tide Total Care. It's from Wal-Mart so you literally have to jump on this one NOW!

Here's another free sample of Kotex Pads, Liners and Tampons. Hey, another purse stuffer! (No more scrounging for quarters for that machine in the ladies room - which, by the way, seems to be broken whenever I NEED it.)

Here is a free sample of Tampax Pearl Tampon with LeakGuard...another thing to throw in your purse for those just in case moments!

Do you have cable? On TNT there is a great show called Saving Grace. At first I thought it was a little iffy but I love a good show about women with cojones. If you know me, you're laughing and wondering what else I've added to my life. Anyway...TNT is giving away 85 t-shirts a day for Saving Grace! Click here to try and get a free one!! And if you don't get it the first time, keep coming back!

Here's one for a sample of Sani-Hands. Last weekend I went up north and met with my brother, his girlfriend and my mom. For every situation I had something in my purse to fix it: wipes, Lysol, Tide Stick, Oust Air Freshener, gum, Motrin, Tylenol, lollipops, anti-bacterial gel, even energy bars. By the time I left, my brother was calling me "Monk" for all of the wiping, geling and spraying I was doing. But, if you are a mom, you know that eventually everything makes it's way to the face, which leads to colds and other nasty things. So go ahead and laugh - but the kids are pretty healthy and I am no where near as neurotic/compulsive as Monk! (Miss you already!)

Here is an offer for a free sample of Pond's Facial Wipes. Throw that in your bag, too, especially for these hot days!

Here's for a free potty training DVD. With money as tight as it is, you want to try and get your baby into chonies as soon as possible!

Hope you find something you like!

Time Passed and A New Toy to Play With

I know it's been a couple of days. I took DD up north to a half-way mark to meet with my mom and brother - she is spending two weeks with her grandma and it was an emotion trap the week before she left.

I have never been a day without my kids. Sure, I work, and they have been in daycare since they were six weeks old, but still, never have I ever missed a night. And my daughter is my best friend. We talk about everything and share everything, and of course, I am always so proud of her.

So to have her gone, is horrible. I miss her terribly. I try to call her every couple of hours but I cannot wait to hold her in my arms again.

For compensation, my mother did buy me a new toy, to keep me busy while she enjoys my daughter. What is it? Something I found while searching one of my favorite blogs: The Couponizer!!!

It's such a great idea!! Basically, it's a coupon organizer. It's a great little binded pocket book that has pockets for my coupons, shopping lists, receipts, rebates, etc. It's so much fun! My coupons have been sitting in a shoe box and I was organizing them as I needed them, adding them into a little pocket organizer I bought in a $.99 bin - but it didn't hold much and I was constantly leaving coupons at home.

So, I got the Couponizer, the CoupStacker (a labeled mat for easy organization of my million coupons), 2 sets of coupon lists (to track my savings), 2 sets of shopping lists, a clear vinyl carrying case, a pair of scissors, a coupon instruction book, and a vinyl carrying bag with handles. I don't necessarily find it as comforting as my DD, it surely does not smell like her - strawberry with a hint of mint from her toothpaste. But, it did keep me busy for about two hours and DS had fun putting the coupons on the CouponStacker.

Check it out!! Hopefully you find it as enjoyable as I do.

Zyrtec Deal!!

My whole family suffers from allergies. DD not so much but she does have her days where she will sneeze and suffers from a runny nose. DH is the worst, then DS, who also suffers from asthma (although it has been completely controlled lately - fingers crossed!!).

Anyway, we should buy stock in allergy medication and tissues. We go through it a lot. So, during my evening touring of a few of my favorite sites, I found a link to a $2.00 coupon, which allowed me to print out two coupons ($4.00 in savings!!) plus this link for a $10.00 rebate when you buy two 45 count packages of Zyrtec. So now that's $14.00 in savings. I checked around a couple of different stores and have found that Target offers the 45 count bottle at $25.79. It's one of the better deals out there.

Hopefully this helps out with the runny noses and sneezing fits out there!!

Walgreens Deals

Okay, so I've mentioned Walgreens a few times, so now I'm going to try to break you into the deals you can get, just like I'm learning.

Today I headed to Walgreens and picked up a couple of their EasySaver catalogs and a few more weekly inserts. Also, thanks to MoneySavingMom and the people that contribute, I picked up the Walgreens Children's Activity Book for $0.99 (I actually picked up two).

The Activity Book is packed with coupons for the kids - $1.00 off Crayola Color Explosion or Color Wonder, $1.00 off character Band-Aids, $1.00 of Johnson & Johnson baby products, $1.00 off Flintstones Vitamins, and a ton more.

Now, for the deals that I'm going for! In the EasySaver Catalog they are offering a $3.00 rebate for the purchase of any Airwick Fresmatic Ultra Automatic Spray (regular or mini) or the Neutra Air FreshMatic Kit. You can buy up to four of these items for a total of a $12.00 rebate. I plan on buying the Airwick Freshmatic Ultra - both the regular sized and mini. The mini sells for $9.99 and the regular sells for $11.99. So right there, I'm going to be getting back $6.00. Now, the Bargain: remember that website I showed you where I printed a bunch of coupons for the home? Go Here for a refresher. There you can print off coupons for $4.00 off the Mini and the Regular sized Airwick Freshmatic Ultra. That right there is $8.00 in automatic savings, plus, don't forget the $6.00 in rebates (and the 10% added in if you request the gift card which totals $6.60!!). So now I will be getting the Mini for $2.99 and the Regular for $4.99. Smells great to me!! Plus, there is also a deal for a $2.00 rebate on the Veet Bladeless Razor System (only one available!!). So, I priced that at $8.49. And now you are getting $2.00 back, so really it's $6.49. Plus, that website you just checked out for the AirWick is offering a $2.00 coupon for any Veet product. So now you are paying $4.49! And, your rebates just grew. I have a couple more floating through my mind, just deciding if I want to go for it or not. Like the Spray'n Wash Laundry Stain Remover with Resolve. Right now it's normally $3.79 for one but they have a deal this week for two for $5.00. Plus, the Catalog is giving a $2.00 rebate for the purchase of one. So, even though you are buying two for $5.00, you still get the $2.00 rebate so it's now two for $3.00 (Rebate plus 10%) and I printed off a coupon for $0.75 from the Home Solutions website, so guess what?!?! That's two for $2.25!! And if I get lucky, the coupon will end up applying to both items and I will save more, but let's not forget Murphy and just move on with what I have.

Hopefully you find something useful for you, too. I love getting deals!!

Freebies!!

Here are a list of recent freebies that I've found. Various things, all can come in handy at one point or another. Enjoy them. I can't wait to get something besides a bill in the mail!!

This one is for free Ziplock sandwich bags and $5.00 worth of coupons. Clicke here. You do need to register for the website.

Here is a link for a free Reach Access Daily Flosser. Once you do that, click on the tab for Offers and you can get a coupon for the refills.

Post-It Flags!! Come on, for free??? Yup. These are great. I use them to flag my Total Money Makeover Book for references.

o.b. Tampons To Go. Plus, they come in a cute little case. Another thing to throw in your purse.

Clorox 2 for Colors. Here's a link for a free sample bottle of the detergent. Have to love that, right?

Tide with Dawn Stain Scrubbers. Another free sample for detergent. Hey, that's two loads of laundry now!!

Purex Laundry Detergent. Sample size - now that's three loads!!

Snuggle Fabric Softener. Now there is no excuse for your clothes to stink!! (just kidding, thought it was funny!!)

Gillette Body Wash - for Men. Nice. If he even uses soap.

Here's one for Eucerin Intensive Repair Foot Creme. Perfect now that it's sandal season.

Free Sippy Cup from Juicy Juice!!

Free sample of Greenies for Cats. Here's a free sample for our pooches, too.

Free sample of Airborne Power Pixies.

Oh, here is a free sample pack from Kotex...it's supposed to have a little bit of everything.

Okay, that's it for today. Hopefully you get something from this list. I will try to keep you updated on more. It's always great to get something for free, especially lately when gas is so close to $5.00 a gallon and it costs more to drive to work than what your check is.