Apples and Target

I have not been posting regularly due to being sooo busy shopping for practically free at Target and putting up apples!
My oldest son brought me 3 bags of apples this past weekend and I just finished the last bag, (peeling, slicing, freezing). I froze 48 cups!
Next,  I need to can the few pumpkins I have gotten so far , a whole 3, had 4 but the squirrels ate on one for 2 weeks. There are 2 green ones still out there and I am hoping the squirrels will leave them to ripen.

I have become obsessed with Target! OMG! I am bringing bags and bags of stuff home for practically nothing!

Last Friday I got all this free!

Actually the Tide and Clean & Clear were priced 97¢ each , my coupons were $1.00 each so I made 24¢ there and the 2 GladePlug ins were $5.04 each and my coupons were $6.00 so I made $1.92 -- so I had $2.16 towards my other items in my cart.

 Total Value of this in the picture above is $29.48 - all for free!!

Also in my cart- I got more deals!

Suave 99¢ - I paid 24¢

Gillette Body Wash $3.54 each - I paid $1.54 each

Lysol $3.39 - I paid 89¢

Axe Body Sponge $3.49 - I paid $2.74 (plus got that bottle of Axe Body Wash free BOGO)

Yakisoba 99¢- I paid 47¢

Revlon Emery Boards $1.27 - I paid 27¢

Total Value $17.21 > I paid $5.53 (after the $2.16 overage from above)

Hyvee was having a sale that day too:

The Quaker Granola Bars (3pks) were $1.00 each - I paid $2.00 for all 5 boxes
Banquet Fruit Pies were 39¢ each I got 10 = $3.90 - I paid  15¢ for all 10! (not each ALL 10 FOR 15¢)
Kraft cheese on sale 2 for $4.00 - I paid $1.00 each on 5

Total Value (sale prices) $18.90  > I paid $7.15

Target again (last Sunday):

Suave Shampoo reg 99¢ - I paid 24¢
Tide Bottle reg $7.49 - I paid $3.49
Glade Spray reg $2.89 - I paid 89¢
Vaseline Lotion reg $2.69 - I paid 69¢
Alpo reg 89¢ each - I paid 38¢ each
Right Guard 2 pk reg $4.00 - I got for free
Glade motion Sensor reg $5.04 - I made 96¢ after $6.00 coupon
Land o Lakes on sale 83¢ each - I paid 38¢ each
Tide pkt, Pantene shampoo, conditioner and 2 Reach Floss 97¢ each after coupons I made 15¢

Total Value $36.73 - I paid $9.11

Then again on Tuesday ( I said I was obsessed) LOL!

Glade Carpet reg $1.99 each - I made 1¢ each after coupons

Suave $1.20 each - I paid 45¢ each

Gillette Body Wash reg $3.54 each - I paid $1.18 each

Vaseline Lotion reg $2.99 - I paid 49¢

Tide pkts 97¢ each - I made 3¢ each after coupons

Reveal 3 Way Bulb reg $2.51 - I paid $1.01

Reveal 4pk reg $3.44 - I paid 50¢

Hersheys reg $3.79 - I paid 50¢

Total Value $38.75 - I paid $9.30

The other day I got a package in the mail. I was really suprised when I opened it up and found a full size Hamburger Helper, along with a sample cereal  and coupon.

Thanks for stopping in. Have a good evening!

I'm back!

I went to the doctor last week. I have been waking in the night with unbearable pain in my hips and thighs for about a month. I assumed I had "restless leg syndrome" since the commercials described it the same. LOL.
No I do not have it. However it is worse. I will have to have both hips replaced! Of course we will be trying all the latest treatments to put this off as long as we can as I am so "young" (at least when it comes to hip replacement). I had my first full nights sleep last Sunday. It has been at least 3 months (maybe more) that I have slept through the night.
The new medication is not a pain pill as I have been taking Darvocet and was still in pain. It is what is called an NSAID. I am hoping it continues to work.
Though I am sleeping through the night I am still in a lot of pain. I took some time away from my computor because even sitting is painful. It's probably the chair. I am trying to figure a laptop into our finances. I can then sit in my recliner which I have less pain using. I don't have a fairy godmother to buy me one so I will continue here until the pain is too much.
Anyway - last week I did not shop. Today I did go out for the "weekly needs" and sale items. I did get some good deals. Also one day this week I stopped at Walgreens and got some deals too.

This was Walgreens: Cookies reg $1.99 each on sale 99¢ each less coupons 49¢ each

The Vaseline they paid me a penny each after my coupons!

Our Family Pasta reg $1.28 each on sale 99¢ after coupons I paid 74¢ each

Our Family Fruit Cocktail reg $1.28 each on sale 68¢ each after coupons I paid 38¢ each

B.C Potatoes reg 1.79 each on sale 98¢ each after coupons I paid 49¢ each

Crescent Rolls reg $1.89 each on sale $1.48 each after coupons I paid 68¢ each

Pizza Rolls 40 ct (not shown) reg $3.98 on sale $2.88 after coupons I paid $2.08 each

Total Value $32.18 > I paid $14.26

Plus: I got a coupon at checkout for $1.00 off my next grocery purchase.

Junkyard Finds

Dave had a "find" at work last week also.

Another Wilton cake pan just needs a good washing!

Thanks for stopping in. Have a good evening.

Grocery Savings

I did some major "ad matching" today at No Frills Supermarket. I got some great deals, too!

They had Our Family Brand cereal on sale with an in-store coupon, 3 for $3.00 reg $3.39 each,( I went back in 3 times LOL).

Rotella's Honey Nugget Wheat bread reg $2.55 each , ad matched from Fareway for $1.29 each ( I actually bought 5 loaves not just the 2 shown)

Pizza Crust Mix reg 74¢ each, ad matched from Fareway 3 for $1.00

V.C. Pork & Beans reg 79¢ each, ad matched from Hy-vee $2 for 88¢ - 30¢ coupon , I paid 37¢ each

Ball Park Franks reg 2.99 each, ad matched Hy-Vee 99¢ each - 75¢ coupons , I paid 24¢ each

Charmin reg $5.98 each, ad matched Hy-Vee $3.97 - 25¢ coupons , I paid  $3.72 each

Sunny D reg $1.79 each, in-store surprise sale 99¢ each - 25¢ coupons I paid 74¢ each
Dole Lettuce reg $3.29 each,, ad matched Hy-Vee 3 for $5.00 ($1.67 each)
Our Family Brand cheese reg $2.29 each, ad matched Hy-Vee store brand 3 for $4.00 - $1.00 coupons> I paid $1.00 each

                                                     Total Value $93.77 > I paid $38.33

If your store carries the Our Family Brand they have their own website and you can print off coupons for their products. Here is a link:  Our Family Brands


Organizing:

I organized my pantry today and printed out some inventory sheets so I can keep better track of our food. Several things I found will need to be used up in the next month as they are about to expire. I will be working our menu around them this next week. LOL.
This is a great place to get free inventory sheets for your pantry and freezer. It's called Organized Home.

Have a good evening!

36 Coupons Used At Target

I handed the cashier 36 coupons at Target today! LOL. Most of them she had to enter manually since they would not scan. The people behind me seemed disgusted and moved to another register! LOL. So what I saved $47.38!

Most of this was free and some I got paid to buy LOL.

9 First Aid Travel Kits  97¢ each - coupon $1.00 each,  made me 27¢

6 Hello Kitty Band Aids 97¢ each - coupon $1.00 each,  made me 18¢ 

5 Clean $ Clear Face Wash 97¢ each - coupon $1.00 each, made me 15¢

Reach Floss 97¢ each - coupon $1.00 each, made me 6¢

4 Right Guard Deodorants 97¢ - coupon $1.00 each, made me 12¢

Chef Boy Ar Dee reg $1.02 each, on sale 78¢ each - coupon $1.00 each , made me 44¢

Campbells Soup reg $1.79 each , on sale $1.50 each - $1.50 coupons = free

Wishbone Dressing reg $1.89 each, on sale $1.50 - $1.50 coupons = free

Suave reg $1.09 each, on sale 89¢ each - coupon 75¢ =  14¢ each

Snack Packs reg $1.02 each, on sale 84¢ each - coupons $1.30  = 41¢ each

Vaseline lotion $2.99 each, - $2.50 coupons = 49¢ each

Gillette Mens Body Wash $2.99 - $2.00 coupon = 99¢

Ragu Pasta Sauce reg $1.87 each, on sale $1.50 each - $1.10 coupons = 95¢ each

Bic pens one pack was free.

Total Value $51.67 > I paid $5.38

A BIG THANK YOU to Totally Target for the match ups!

A trip to the grocery store today to buy only "sale items" and "weekly needs" was a pretty good deal too!

Del Monte Ketchup reg $1.98 each  - ad matched 68¢ each (Fareway)

Golden Delicious Apples reg $1.79 lb - ad matched  79¢ lb  (Fareway)

Skinner Spaghetti reg 99¢ each - ad matched 50¢ each (Super Saver)

Tostito's reg $3.29 each - ad matched for $1.98 each (Super Saver)

Rotella's Wheat Bread reg $2.69 each - ad matched 88¢ each (Super Saver)

CH Brown Sugar reg $2.38 - ad matched $1.58 (HyVee) - coupon 50¢ = $1.08

Spin Blend reg $2.69 - on sale $1.88 - $1.00 coupons = 88¢ each

Total Value $31.38 > I paid $13.14

My son and his girlfriend stopped in and I sent them home with a First Aid Kit for the car and some Band- Aids! LOL

Have a good evening!

Sunday deals and recipe

I made a trip to the store today to pick up the "sale items" and the weekly regulars (milk, fresh veg's,etc).
No Frill's had a store coupon for $5.00 off 10 participating products.  I combined it with some coupons I had for the products and got some great deals! Plus I ad matched some things too.

Grands reg. $1.98 each on sale for 98¢ > I paid 33¢ each

Cereal reg. $3.68 each on sale for $1.98 each > I paid  93¢ each

Cake mix reg. $1.48 on sale for 98¢ > I paid 48¢

Frosting reg. $1.99 on sale for $1.48 > I paid 98¢

Smuckers Jam reg. $1.78 each  > I paid 97¢ each (ad match - Fareway)

Pizza Rolls reg. $3.68 each on sale $2.88 > I paid $2.10 each

I also got :

Cat litter 25lb bags reg. $4.98 each > I paid $1.99 each (ad match - Fareway)

Charmin toilet paper reg. $10.63 on sale $5.98 > I paid $4.98

Vidalia onions reg. $1.69 lb > I paid 69¢ lb (ad match - Fareway)

Carrots 2lbs reg. $1.79> I paid 69¢ (ad match - Super Saver)

Total worth $55.58 > I paid $26.14

I had a few other items in the cart too.

My coupon total was $9.25

Today I made granola and granola bars. They are awesome!

A big "Thank you"  to Megan at Daily Essentials and Deals  (she has great step by step pictures).

Recipe

Mix in a bowl:

4 cups quick rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/3 cup flax seed (ground)

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1-2 cups mini chocolate chips (opt.)

other options (I did not use these)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup almonds

In another bowl mix:

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup water

Then put wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.

Preheat oven to 300* and spray pans with cooking spray.

For this batch I spread 1/2 onto a cookie sheet loosely for cereal

and pressed the other 1/2 of the batch into a 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish (press firmly to make granola bars).

Bake the loose batch until lightly brown on the bottom about 25 minutes. Lightly stir one time halfway through baking.

For the bars in the baking dish leave in a little longer about 35 minutes. Until lightly brown around edges.

Once the bars cool, just cut and store sealed!

Ovens vary so you will want to keep an eye on them to make sure they are not overcooked.

Next time I believe I will add some pecans. This is so yummy I can't wait til breakfast!

Gasp! We picked more tomatoes today (2 plants are now officially dead though). I have enough to put up 3 more quarts of Spaghetti Sauce which I will do after work tomorrow ( at least that is the plan, lol). I am feeling better that my garden has not been a total bust!
I did find that I have 1 pumpkin growing ( out of 12 plants) and 1 acorn squash (out of 6 plants). Ho-hum! LOL. I don't foresee me canning lots of pumpkin this fall as I had hoped.

Back to work tomorrow - Ugh! I actually have to work the whole week. I was enjoying having a day off a week (sometimes 2). (I have next Monday off though he-he ,)  School starts Tuesday Aug. 17.

I timed this just right to finish up before my show -
"The Gates" is about to come on. LOL.
Good Evening!

Another Busy Saturday

I was driving out to where Dave works on friday, ( a gravel road along the river where people seem to think it is the garbage dump).  Along the road someone had dumped off a few of these concrete scalloped edgers.

Of course I knew I could put them to some use, LOL. There were only a few (2 are not pictured). I stopped and loaded them into my SUV.

Today I put them to use to help keep the soil from continually washing down, pushing water into a storage room under my steps.

 I will do this on the other side as well. I will also be putting a flower bed on this side next year.

Here is a couple before pics of the new front flower bed

I laid it out then scraped off the top

planted some flowers and seeds.

Here is what it looks like now that I added some mulch today and "children" (lol)

( I didn't realize til now how the pic seems out of focus. I took this at dusk, I  will add a clearer pic tomorrow) You get the idea how it's coming along though.

I have discovered  that going to Menards on Saturday mornings gets me some great deals.

I was there to get more mulch and they were marking things down. I got a real tall "Shephards Hook" for $5.88  (reg $16.98) and as I was leaving I found these cute little "Scented Windowsill Garden" kits.  for $1.00 (reg $6.98)

They are copper colored tin pots with a tray, growing medium and seeds. I bought 2 and both are different seedwise. One has Silver Thyme, Lemon Balm and Mint, the other has Spearmint, Peppermint and Mint.

They will look great on my windowsills! Can't beat them for a buck!

Got a great deal on corn-on-the-cob at No Frills today 12 ears for $2.99!! WOW!

  (It is usually $3.99 for 6 ears).

It will go over well at the picnic tomorrow.

I got all the rest of my perennials planted today, except one. Still trying to decide where I want to put the other "Butterfly Bush", sis bought me.

We put up "another" trellis for the climbing green beans and some fencing around the pumpkins to get try and keep them off the ground.

I picked a handful of green beans off the row today! 

I happened to have my camera by me at just the right time today and got 3 of my "family" in the pic.

Here are top L-R "Blacken", " Boot-Z" and "Damon" (aka "itty-bit") bottom.

Enjoy your evening. Thanks for stopping in to read my blog!

Sunday- and a Fathers Day!

I hope all the good fathers are having a wonderful Fathers Day!
I have a wonderful father and I am truly blessed to have him. He has taught me so very much.


No yard sale finds yesterday. Really there were very few sales to find. 
I worked on the gardens early and then relaxed with some needlework and a movie in the late afternoon.

Deals today: Not many of them either. I did my weekly shopping but bought very little.
I ad matched Oscar Mayer lunchmeats for $1.98 (reg $3.23 each) and used a coupon for $1.00 off two making them $1.48 each, I found that No Frills had Cheetos Zingers on sale for $1.48 (reg $2.99 each). I had a coupon for $1.00 off the new flavored kind so they ended up costing me 48¢. Sara Lee bread was on sale for 88¢ a loaf (reg $2.23 each). Then I ad matched 18 ct eggs for 98¢ ( No Frills sale price was $1.75).
I also got a box of of Jello pudding for free (reg 96¢).

I had to come up with an extension to the trellis I had up for the vining green beans. I had no idea they would grow so high up. LOL
I hope they bear as much as they grow! You can just barely see the fencing at the top we added.

The Roma tomotoes already have fruit on them . The plants themselves seem to have been stunted do to the moles that dug tunnels under them. When I first watered them a few weeks ago several fell over and sunk. I added more dirt and tried flushing the varmit out.  Havn't seen any new tunnels lately.

 The cucumbers are starting to climb the trellis but some are not so I put some fencing down to keep them off the ground. I also have a row of green beans, a row of carrots and a row of radishes here as well .

The pumpkins, squash and more cucumbers are now up in the new box Dave built me this year. I planted another row of green beans yesterday and will plant another row in about 2 weeks.

Well it's back to work tomorrow. I can't believe how fast these 3 days off went by. I feel like I missed one of them.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good evening!

A Day Late

I didn't do my weekly shopping yesterday. I didn't have to much to get so I went today! It worked out well too, it was not busy at all.
I think my big savings was on French's 20 oz mustards. Walmart had the brown & spicy and the regulars for $1.37 each and I had six 50¢ coupons ( making them 87¢ each,  reg $2.36 each). We are well stocked on mustard now. LOL. We do use mustard a lot so this is not overkill. LOL. They also had Hunts Ketchup for $1.00 each, last week there were some 20¢ coupons in paper. I bought a couple, this too we use a lot of.
I "ad matched" the Hy-Vee ad at No Frills and got 4 packs of Oscar Meyer Weiners for 99¢ each and then used my $1.00 off 2 packs making them 49¢ each (their regular price is $3.26 each). I also "ad matched" the Fareway ad for Gracias Nacho Cheese 2 -$3.00 (reg is $2.99 each) I got myself 4 at that unbelievable price!

Dave had another "find" for me. Just what I was in need of too.

I didn't measure it but it is 7 or 8 feet tall (it only clears the basement ceiling by an inch or 2) and has deep shelves perfect for storing . It is all metal and has adjustable shelves. There is nothing wrong with it and no rust. I can just imagine how much this would have cost new!

I am almost done with two of my "makeover projects" and can't wait to get them on here for you to see. Both appear to be turning out really good.

My peonies bloomed early this year and I had to really search for some blooms fitting for the graves.

Here are some pictures of them when they were at their peak last week. They smell so fabulous!

They line both sides of my drive and are a magnificent view when in bloom.

Here is a previous planter "redo". When we moved here there were 3 of these very large planters. This was my first ever re-creation (I only did the one).

before

after

Thanks for stopping by. Please stop again. Have a good evening!

                                     

                                                                            

Sunday Deals & etc

I really did not need much at the grocer today and the ads this week really did not have any really "great" deals. I only ad matched one item - Crystal Farms cheese for $1.28 and I had a 55¢ off coupon. They had family packs of roasts for $1.99 a lb. I picked one up for $10.54 and there are 3 roasts in it. That is just over $3.00 per roast ( and 3 meals). I divided them up as soon as I got home and put them in the freezer.

 I did receive a nice "bonus" from the store. I did not know that my grocer, No Frills, had register rewards until today.  I received a coupon for $3.50 on my next grocery purchase. It came in handy this evening when I had forgotten to buy ice cream. So I used it and only paid 8¢ for the ice cream!

Thanks to Target "match ups" by Marcy over at Stretching a Buck I had BIG savings at Target today!

All this totaled $33.10 before coupons! I paid $4.85

 ( they actually paid me on some of it - the coupons were more than the item price) such as-

  5 Carefree mini pads paid me 3¢ each to take them , 3 Tide paid me 3¢ each , 1 Herbal Essence shampoo paid me 3¢, 2 Jergans lotions paid me 1¢ each.

The rest went like this:

 Lea & Perrins Worcestershire price $2.54,  I paid 54¢

Bic pens 10 pks  price $1.02 each,  I paid 2¢ each

Bliss bag price $3.39,  I paid $1.39

Bliss bars  price 99¢ each,  I paid 44¢ each

Dove Ultimates Deoderant price $3.49,  I paid 49¢

Nexcare bandages price $1.87,  I paid 37¢

Band-Aid bandages price $1.82, I paid 57¢

Wow!

A few "finds" in the mailbox this week

Baby Formula, Cascade tablets, Dove Men's Body Wash, Head & Shoulders Shampoo, and John Frieda shampoo/condtioner and smoothing lotion.

I worked on the new flower bed again today.

When we moved here 3 years ago, there was a  rose bush by the house, almost under the pine tree that has not grown and has basically just "existed" . It is in the area where the new bed is going. I dug it up today and moved it out into the sunlight. I am hoping it will finally begin to grow and bloom as it was meant to.

I put it here by the bird bath. (That is my doggie laying back there, she seems to make her way into my yard pics LOL)

Once again I am "beat". Another day of "manual labor". LOL.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a nice evening!