Ultimate Long Term Blog Plan- Phase One

Aaaaand I'm BACK! Sooo I was just about to tell you about phase one of my Master Plan to Make this Blog profitable:

In a word.... CUTE! That's right- I think it's my blog's lack of curb appeal that is holding me back from making the big bucks (even $1 per day would be nice). From my statcounter website I have been able to click over to other DRS readers' blogs, and let me tell ya- they have got it going on! No generic blogger templates there- nothing but genuine CUTENESS! I'm talking Pizazz! Being on their sites just make me want to smile and stay awhile. Then I come back over to DRS and if it wasn't for the picture of Donna Reed herself, I think I would fall asleep!

Therefore, in order to create a more enjoyable DRS experience for you dear readers, I am going to invest in a new Blog template that better reflects the DRS personality. In the redesign I also hope to accomplish a better layout for the blog that will enable easier navigation around DRS. However, my "Ultimate Long Term Blog Plan- Phase 1" plan does not allow me to go forth with the redesign until I have had 50 return visitors for 5 days (does not have to be consecutive). My goal is that this will happen by April 30th (my birthday) and I can relaunch the "New Face of DRS" that weekend! So tell your friends and tune in often! please

I do realize that this is extra dorky that I have guidelines for when I will allow myself to "cutify" my blog- But does it surprise anyone?! All you cool people out there with your cool blogs- cross over to the nerdy side- I dare ya!

Ultimate Long Term Blog Plan

Well you know I can't do anything without a plan, and here lately I can't make any plan without telling you about it, so here it is......... I'm going to let you in on my Ultimate Dream for this here Blog........... Now don't laugh.................

My Ultimate Goal for this blog is not only to educate the world about DRS, a disease that so often goes undiagnosed, but also to eventually make a little money off the process. Now I have been told by a number of professional bloggers that this is a far fetched dream BUT they don't understand the power of a DONNA wannabe with a PLAN!

You will notice on my sidebar I have a couple of different ads. As of right now, that is my only source of income from DRS. Every time someone clicks on one of those ads or purchases something from amazon from this site I get a tinsy portion. Let me give you an idea of how this is working for me: As of February 27th I have made a total of $5.95 for the Year! Woo Hoo!!! If you break that down to an average profit per day I am racking in a whole $0.10 per day! So you can see I'm a loooooong way off from being able to quit my day job. BUT my DRS makes me think that this whole dream could still work..... with the proper plan, of course.

I am not ready to present the full master plan of how I plan to launch this whole DRS business (partly because I haven't yet figured that out myself) but I do want to let you in on the first phase of my plan............................................. AFTER I COME BACK! Cue music. (Sorry I just got done watching the DVRd American Idol's Result Show- Go Kris Allen!!)

Super Saturday!!!

It's that time again! Time to roll out the master plan for the NEW month. Each new month brings hope and a fresh start to the DRS afflicted. Through our DRS tinted glasses we see the new month as our opportunity to get it right, to get it all together, to get reDONNAfied. For those of you that have practiced safe blogging and have avoided catching DRS- you know that in reality there is no way this side of Heaven any of us could achieve full Donna Reed Status but ain't it entertaining watching us try!

Stay tuned for a post packed day here at DRS central!

Deal Alert

This just in: $5 off 1 coupon for Huggies Gentle Care Diapers here !!!! WOW, this kind of deal doesn't come around very often! Hurry and print 2 off before the print limit has been reached!!! This deal will not last long.

While there, go ahead and print a couple of $3 off 1 coupons for Huggies Natural Fit Diapers.

Then go here to learn about an upcoming Walgreens deal that will score you some really cheap diapers!

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

Deal Alert

Don't forget to check out the coupons.com sidebar. There are some great new coupons including several organic food discounts and even a $10 off LeapFrog product!

Deal Alert

I have not personally tried "Naked" Fruit Juice but I have had several patients tell me about it. Go here to print 2 $1 off 1 coupons to possibly get some FREE Naked Fruit! Thanks Thrifty Mama!

Deal Alert

We don't have any pets in our family BUT for those that do, Money Saving Mom told me (and everyone else that looks at her blog) about a $3.50 off 1 coupon for Purina Brand Pet Food. Sounds like a good deal to me! Go here to fill out a brief questionnaire and print your coupon.

Deal Alert

ABC or A Bright Child Toys in Downtown Conway is having a 50% off sale this Friday and Saturday. The ENTIRE store is 50% off. This would be a great time to stock up on future birthday and even Christmas gifts for the kiddos.

PS Tell them Donna sent you. They won't have a clue what your talking about but tell em anyways- just for fun. (I'm so weird)

Familytime Friday

TGIF! Guess what I'm doing right now as this post hits the blog? SLEEEEEPING! Sorry to rub this in, BUT my Mom is down visiting and she insisted I sleep in today while she watched the boys. And who am I to disrespect my mother- right?! So I am going to do what normal people call "wing it" today and not plan out our day of activities. I know- what a rebel!
If we do anything extraordinary I'll let you know. Talk to you soon!

Deal Alert

Go here to print a Buy 1 Get 1 Free (B1G1) coupon for Glade Sense and Spray Automatic Spray OR Glade Plug-ins Scented Oil Lasting Impressions.
If you can catch a B1G1 store sale that could equal 2 FREE products!

Change in Plans

Ok folks, it was a hard decision but for my sanity and health I have decided NOT to provide a master grocery list for the month of meals. I do apologize to those that utilized this list in the past. To make it up to you, I will try to give you deal alerts for ingredients you will need for the month of meals to help you with your stockpile. I WILL still be providing the Master Menu on Super Saturday so you will have an idea of main ingredients (ex. chicken, beef, fish etc.) I'm just looking for ways to make this blog more manageable so I don't get burned out. Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying the blog world it is just that it is taking over my life (or so I've been told). I hope you understand. I'll go ahead and throw up a Mr. Linky for any of you that have a strong opinion on the matter- you know I always love comments! Thanks and Love!

Annual Budget Countdown

As I mentioned last week I shopped at 4 different stores last week. You can read about my Walmart, Target, and Walgreens run here. My total from the first 3 stores was $64.15 out of pocket (does not include rebates).

On Sunday I made my weekly Kroger run:
Total Spent: $61.57
Total Saved: $41.49

Total for week Spent: $125.72 (OUCH!!!!) (By the way this use to be my weekly budget B.C.(before coupons) and I ALWAYS went over)
Total Saved: $41.49 (this is not accurate because I saved a lot of money at Walmart, Walgreens, and Target I just did not figure those numbers in)

Total Spent for 2009: $828.85
Total Saved for 2009: $616.79 (Kroger only)
Total $ left for year: $4171.15

I am about $60 over budget BUT I should have around that amount coming back in rebates. Still I have got to do better. No more Walmart!!!

Deal Alert

Looking for fiber? How about FREE fiber! Go here to print off a rebate form for a FREE All Bran product up to $4.99 value. Choose from:

• All Bran Strawberry Medley cereal
• All Bran Fiber Bar
• All Bran Fiber Drink Mix
• All Bran Rolled Fiber Wafers

Deal Alert

How about some free formula? Go here for a free sample of Parent's Choice Formula (not sure of sample size). My babies are past this stage of life but I am sure we have friends who would love a FREE sample of Formula so you betcha I signed up!

Walgreen's deals of the week

Here are my favorite deals of the week:

Reynolds Wrap on sale for $0.89 with Walgreens weekly flyer coupon (limit 2)
Use $1 off 1 from 2/8 SS
Final Price: FREE + $0.11 overage

Stayfree Maxi Pads 16-24 packs on sale $2
Buy 2 and use 1 B1G1 coupon from 1/4 RP and use this coupon for $1 off 1
Final Price: $0.50 each

Register Reward Deals (RR)

Buy 1 Excedrin 20 or 24 count at $1.99 get $1 RR
Use $1 for 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: FREE after coupons and RR

Gillette Fushion Razor on sale for $8.99 get $6 in RR
Use $4 off 1 from 2/8 PG
Final Price: FREE plus $1.01 after coupon and RR

Gillete Embrace Razor on sale for $8.99 get $6 in RR
Use $2 for 1 from 2/8 PG
Final Price: $0.99 after coupon and RR

This week Easy Saver Rebate Offers

Walgreens Brand Nutritional Drink 6 pack on sale for $4.00
Submit for $4 Rebate in EasySaver Catalog (Rebate #14)
Final Price: FREE

Theraflu on sale 2 for $10
Use 2 $2 for 1 here or 2 $1.50 off 1 from 1/4 SS and Submit for $6 Rebate when you buy 2 (Rebate #12)
Final Price: FREE or $0.50 each after rebate and 2 coupons

Oust Air Sanitizer or Surface Disinfectant on sale for $2.99
Buy 2 and Use B1G1 from 1/4 or 2/8 SS and submit for $2 back (Rebate #31)
Final Price: $0.50 each after coupon and rebate

Glade Scented Oil Refill pack on sale 2 for $5
Use $1 off 1 from 2/1 SS and submit for $1 back (Rebate #31)
Final Price: $0.50 after coupon and rebate

February Free after Rebate Items (last week to take advantage of ES savings)

Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler up to $4.29
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 RP
Final Price: Free plus $1 overage after coupon and rebate

Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer or Spa Foundation up to $10
Use $2 for 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate

Revlon Creme Lip Gloss up to $10
Use $2 for 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate

Thermacare Trial Size Neck, Shoulder and Wrist Heat Wrap up to $2.49
Final Price: Free after rebate

Walgreens Multi-Purpose No Rub Solution 4 oz up to $1.99
Final Price: Free after rebate

Zucol Cold Care Lozenges 18 pk up to $7.99
Use $2 for 1 from 2/1 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after

Deal Alert- Kroger

It's Dollar Days at Kroger!! Sounds like fun huh. Go here to see a copy of this weeks Kroger Flyer to see a complete list of $1 items. Following are the items I am most excited about:

Martha White muffin mix for $1
Supposedly (have not confirmed) there are $0.55 off 2 peelies on select Martha White Baking mixes
Final Price: $0.90 for 2

Cameo or Braeburn Apples on sale $1 per lb

Dorritos, Lay's, Funyuns, or Cheetos (2-5oz bags)on sale $1
I plan on getting some Cheetos for the boys (No there is not some hidden nutrition secret found in Cheetos- my boys will just think I'm really "cool")

Dole or Kroger canned Pineapple on sale $1
(Pineapple is an ingredient I will need for next months menu!)

Hunts Tomato Sauce or Paste on sale $1
Use $0.40 off 2 from 1/18 SS (expires 2/28)
Final Price: $1.20 for 2


Knorr Rice or Pasta Sides on sale $1
Use $0.50 off 2 from 1/18 RP
Final Price: $1 for 2

Kroger Frozen Vegetables on sale $1

Pillsbury Homestyle 10 ct. or Grands! 5 ct. Biscuits on sale $1
These coupons are found in almost all the SS most recently use $0.40 off 3 for the homestyle or $0.50 off 3 for the Grands in 2/8 SS or go here to print 2 $0.50 off 2 coupons for Grands! Biscuits.
Final Price: anywhere from $0.50 to $0.73 per can depending on coupon
PS There is a rumor that a $3 catalina will print when you buy 5 Pillsbury products but has not been confirmed in our area!

Colgate Toothbrush on sale $1
Use $0.75 off 1 from 2/22 SS
Final Price: $0.25

Dole Cole Slaw on sale $1
(If you decide to make that yummy Pork BBQ this would make a great side!)

Fresh Express Garden Salad on sale $1
Use $1 off from recent Kroger mailer
Final Price: FREE

Kroger mini Carrots on sale $1

Other Deals:

Pork Loin on sale $1.97/lb

Sanderson Farms Whole Fryer on sale $0.67/lb
(normally I would not be interested in a whole chicken but I have a rotisserie chicken on my March meals so I am going to stock up now!)

Healthy Choice Entrees or Steamers on sale 5 for $11 (you don't have to buy 5!)
There is a $0.50 off 1 cellfire coupon but it had to be loaded by 2/23 and use $1 off 2 Healthy Choice Steamers from January All You Magazine
Final Price: $1.45 each for 2 with both coupons

For those of you still using Baby Formula: Comforts Baby Formula on sale for $8.99
Use $3 off 1 Kroger Mailer coupon
Final Price: $5.99

And my favorite deal: Morning Star Farms Meat Free products on sale $2.50 (Awesome deal for Kroger!)

And there you have it. Not as much FREE stuff as I like but anyways.... I'll let you know if I find any other great deals when I actually shop Saturday night.

DRS couponing 101- organizing coupons

So last week we started our basic couponing class with learning where and how to collect a nice coupon stash. This week we are going to look at ORGANIZING your coupons. That word just makes me smile. I LOVE everything about organizing: brainstorming and development of the organizational plan; shopping for organizational products; using my label maker (double smile); implementing the plan; and seeing the final product. (I know- more conformation of my nerdyness- I accept it)

Anyways... I want to share with you my method of coupon organization and then give you some additional ideas that might work for you.

At first, when I was just a casual couponer, I would go through the weekly newspaper inserts and just clip coupons I thought I might need and file the clipped coupons in my handy dandy coupon organizer notebook that I bought at Walmart- see pictures.

As you can see it had little pockets for different coupon categories such as: baking, beverages, breakfast, canned goods, cleaning, dairy, frozen, meats, paper products, pasta, personal care, etc.

Pros: Very portable. I was able to slip the little organizer in my purse to take with me to the grocery store.

Cons: Clipping coupons is very time consuming. Because I only clipped coupons I thought I would need I often threw out coupons that I later wished I had. Plus there is no way this little organizer could have held all my coupons once I became a hard core coupon addict.

Once I became a hard core couponer my method of coupon organization changed:

As many of you know my true couponing addiction began with "The Grocery Game." This service matches weekly store savings (Kroger and Walgreens in our area) with manufacturer coupons to help gamers purchase products at "rock bottom prices." The game references coupons by type of insert (RedPlum, Smart Source, Proctor and Gamble, etc) and date (date the insert was in the newspaper) Therefore, I revamped my coupon organizational system to help me better locate the appropriate coupons when the game suggested I use them. I did this by implementing a coupon file box in which I would file coupons by date and insert type. Even though, these days, my weekly deal hunts extend way beyond "The Grocery Game," I still find that this method works great for me.

I knew I would be storing my coupon container on an open shelf in one of our main living areas so I chose to spend a little more money on my container to make it blend in with our decor. I started out with just one file box and then within 2 months of collecting coupons I went back to The Container Store to purchase my second box. I could easily go for a third, but I don't have room for another so I just try to do better about throwing out expired coupons and inserts. If your coupon container is not going to be "on display" you could use a cheaper filing box or plastic filing container. (The more it will hold the better, if you ask me)

Inside my coupon box I have hanging files that are labeled by date. Inside each hanging file I have folders labeled "SS," "RP," and "PG" for SmartSource, RedPlum, and Proctor and Gamble. Every week when I get my collection of newspapers all I have to do is pull out all the coupon inserts and place them in their appropriate file folder and I'm done. This takes seconds verses the hours it might take me to clip all of the coupons. Often I don't even take the time to look in the inserts until a coupon is referenced on one of the many couponing sites I watch. I keep all inserts filed for at least 4 months (by then most coupons are expired).

For my printable coupons I have file folders labeled: "Food," Self-Care," "Cleaning," and "Medicines." When I print off a coupon I file it in one of these folders. Because the printables are often not referenced on the couponing sites I make it a habit to go through each of these files once a week before I head out to the grocery store. I also store my Kroger Mailer coupons, Catalinas, and unused coupons (coupons I thought I would use at the grocery store and then didn't and now I have no idea what file they came from) in this section. I also have a hanging file for Restaurants, Clothing, Home Improvement, and Walgreens (this is where I store my EasySaver catalog)

Pros:

• Time Saver! Don't have to take all Sunday afternoon clipping and filing individual coupons
• I can easily find coupons when "The Grocery Game" or other couponing sites reference them by date.
• Saves all coupons. Who would have ever thought I would buy "Bald Head Cream" but last year when this was going to be a money maker at Walgreens I was sure glad I hadn't thrown out this coupon!

Cons:

• Sometimes hard to find coupons if it is not referenced by one of the coupon sites. For example, if we are out of soap and soap is not on sale this week the couponing sites are not going to reference soap so now I have to go digging though all my files until I find a soap coupon.
• Not very portable. Depends on the filing box you use, I guess, but there is no way I could take my coupon boxes with me when I shop. This means I might miss out on special deals that were not necessarily advertised on any of the couponing sites. For example, lets say "our" Kroger has placed Ragu Tomato Sauce on the clearance aisle (Did you know there was a clearance aisle? There is, it is over near the razors and self-checkout aisles), I know that I have a coupon for this tomatoe sauce but because this sale was just true at our Kroger I didn't know to bring this coupon. Soooo if I want to take advantage of this sale I will have to go home dig through all my coupons until I find the Ragu one. Does that make sense?

There are lots of other methods for coupon organization. Below I have provided links to other ideas for coupon organization. The best tip: Find the method that works best for YOU! And then come back to DRS and share it with me!!!

Money Saving Mom's Coupon Box

Out of the Overflow's binder method

If you have found this lesson helpful let me know. If you have additional questions let me know that too!

Thrifty Thursday

Yea! It's Thrifty Thursday. There is some pretty good deals out there this week ladies! After my Walmart debacle last week I have decided I am not going to take the time to write up a bunch on Walmart deals because there is a good chance they are not accurate for this area. So if you want to see "possible" Walmart deals go here courtesy of Deal Seeking Mom.

Coming up later this morning another exciting lesson in the DRS Couponing 101 series!

Let me know about the deals you have snagged this week!

PS

I have not written in about the condition of my house lately- total disaster. So there you go, your up to date. Good night.

BBQ Pork- Verdict

Well I think I told you that I was a little nervous about the BBQ because I used a pork loin instead of pork roast. Well fear no more- it was capital Deeeeelicious! I will never go back to a pork roast again. Cohen (America's pickiest eater) even liked it! Highly recommend it! And guess what- pork loin is on sale this week at Kroger! More on that tomorrow!

Deal Alert

Go here to print off 2 $5 off 1 coupons for Glucerna cereal. Glucerna is a brand that is marketed toward people with diabetes; but would be a healthy choice for anyone. At $5 off 1 this should make for some FREE cereal. I have seen this cereal at Walgreens near the diabetes testing supplies (not with the food).

Product of the Week

So I went to my fridge looking for inspiration for today's product of the week, and what did I see- Reddi Wip! It made me smile just looking at it. As a child I never liked the stuff- weird I know; but I tried it again after Bob kept squirting the stuff on everything from sugar free hot cocoa to fat free pudding on "Biggest Loser." Thank you Bob! That stuff is Yuuuuummmmy! And as Bob frequently tell us- only 15 Calories per serving. Those are calories well spent if you ask me. And guess what else? Reddi Wip, unlike cool whip, is made from real cream and NO hydrogenated oils.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 2 TBS

Meal Plan: FREE at recommended serving size!

Wellness Wednesday- Dental Health

The topic of this "blog" is not rocket science, it's quite simple in fact. But you must learn to crawl before you can walk. Flossing.

The one thing I preach about, more than anything, in practice is the importance of flossing. I have many patients that don't understand why they continue to get cavities when they brush 2-3 times a day. The fact is that when you brush only, there is about 20-30% of your tooth that is never being cleaned. This plaque that is left in between your teeth, given time and the right oral environment, can result in cavities.

Now, I will tell you that I used to simply preach "floss more," until a recent incident at home. One night my wife and I started flossing at the same time but she was done flossing before I had flossed like 5 teeth. (Disclaimer: it takes my longer than most to floss because I'm getting every nook of the tooth i can reach(about 15 min.), that's probably the Donna Reed Syndrome in me). I asked her to show me how she flossed (this was because i am very competitive, and there was no way she could have beat me at flossing doing it the right way). She popped that floss between each tooth, gave the string a little wiggle, and moved on to the next tooth as quickly as she could go. This was the moment I realized the importance of educating people on proper flossing technique, because I'm sure this is how most of my patients floss their teeth.

The key with flossing is the same as to most things in life....know why you are doing what you are doing. You are flossing to clean in between your teeth where no tooth bristles, or toothpicks can go...only a thin piece of string. You are using that string to scrape away all the food and plaque the day has brought. Now here is the second key, when that floss is between the teeth, there is not just a space to clean, there are TWO teeth to clean. So this is the technique I would use to properly floss:

1. Brush your teeth for two minutes (all the new latest and greatest power tooth brushes will have a timer for you). Do this to clean off the majority of plaque from your teeth.
2. Get the floss out.
3. When you pop that floss in between your teeth, pull that floss tightly against one tooth (like you are hugging the tooth with the floss), and move the floss up and down from the top off the contact of the teeth, to under the gums as far as comfortable. Do this motion several times and then remove the floss.
4. Pop the floss between the same teeth and floss the other tooth. Remember there are two teeth to floss between each contact.
5. Now, observe your floss. You will notice that when you first begin flossing, plaque will be present on the floss. You will know you are done flossing between each tooth when the floss comes out clean (plaque-free).
6. Continue on throughout your mouth.
7. Finally, when you are done flossing, rinse with some water or mouthwash to wash away any loose plaque or food that you might have dislodged.

Man, just typing this all out makes by teeth feel clean! I hope this simple topic has helped at least one person out there. If I am so privileged as to be asked to write again, I will try for a more exciting dental topic. Thanks for your read.

Guest Post Introduction

I am so excited to tell you that my brother- Dr. Randy Lenderman DDS, has agreed to help me out by writing a brief Wellness Wednesday post on Dental Health for today. Randy is the perfect Dentist to write for this blog because #1) he is an excellent Dentist and #2 (and most importantly) he too is a victim of DRS.

All those nights I sat in front of the TV watching Nick at Nite reruns of "The Donna Reed Show"- Guess who was sitting on the couch right next to me? That's right- the future Dr. Lenderman. Now the male version of the disease presents different symptoms then the female. Instead of "becoming" Donnaesk they simply have a deep longing for the Donna Reed lifestyle and believe that the "mother figure" in the home is the Sole party responsible for making that happen. Now please don't get me wrong- A male with DRS is NOT chauvinistic- NO! not at all they have a deep respect for women and are extremely appreciative of all the roles a woman plays; they simply have a warped view of how the world really works. Let me illustrate.


It was DRS that made my brother think the secret to becoming rich was for Mom to quit her job and stay home with us kids. Because you see through Donna Reed tinted glasses Randy saw that all the "rich kids" at school had stay at home moms- therefore to become rich one needed to have Mom at home. Poor kid.


It was also the disease that made my kid brother question my Mother's love and care for him because she did not have milk and cookies waiting for him the second he walked in from school. Poor Mom.


While the male version of Donna Reed Syndrome can be quite disabling during adolescence there is good news! Unlike the female version that often goes into full blown DRS activity the day she says "I do" The male version, more often then not, will go into remission once the marriage vows are exchanged. So I am happy to report Randy has been symptom free since 2007.



PS The nerdy gene skipped Randy. He is way cooler then his older sis. For all your dental needs I highly recommend Dr. Lenderman.

Wellness Wednesday- Accountability

Let us know what steps to wellness you are taking this week!

Deal Alert

Did you enjoy your FREE pancakes today! Would you like more FREE food! How about a roastburger from Arbys. Don't ask me what a roastburger is- I don't know. But I do know that if you go here you can print off a coupon for 1 free roastburger with the purchase of a drink valid till March 9th.

Please note: I pass this deal on NOT as your nutritionist but simply as the barer of good deals!

Tidy Tuesday- accountability

Big thanks to Carri for reminding me to put out a Mr. Linky for Tidy Tuesday. Here he is ladies- sound off about your Tidy Projects here!

PS Be sure to check out Carri's comment under today's Tidy Tuesday post. You go girl!!! Inspiring!

Deal Alert

One of my favorite coupons in all of America (right up there with the cottonelle TP) is available again! Go here to print 2 $1 off Laura Lean Beef. Use code 08LLB03 (the 0's are zero not the letter O) This rarely goes on sale at Kroger. Big thanks to Money Saving Mom for passing the code along!

Zone 3- bathrooms, living room, entryway

Day 1- Tuesday

• Clean Tub and Showers
• Wash Rugs
• Wash Shower Curtains

Day 2- Wednesday

• Clean Mirrors
• Clean Toilets
• Clean Sinks and Counters

Day 3- Thursday

• Organize and Clean Bathroom Cabinets and Drawers (inside and out)
• Dust Living Room Furniture
• Dust Entryway Furniture

Day 4- Friday

• Dust Bathroom, Living Room and Entryway Baseboards
• Vacuum/Swiffer Bathroom, Living Room and Entryway Floors
• Clean all Windows and Fans in this Zone
• Vacuum under coach seat cushions

Day 5- Saturday

• Organize Bookshelf
• Update Pictures in Frames
• Clean leather furniture

Tidy Tuesday

It's Tidy Tuesday Time!!! Time to reenter the bathroom zone- always fun. Plus, I added to the living room portion of this zone. Just the other day DH stated that "we really need to clean under the couch seat cushions" meaning "I, Niki, really need to clean under the couch seat cushions." Evidently he had gone digging in the couch looking for the lost remote and found more then he bargained for- I don't even want to know! Soooo I added "vacuum under couch cushions" to the zone. My vacuum hose sucked up a banana a couple of months ago and hasn't worked as well since; therefore I will be looking to borrow a vacuum for this zone event.

Super Saturday is Coming!

Well it is already that time again.... Super Saturday! The day I role out the next months "Master Plan." As always, this takes a HUGE amount of preparation so I am spending every spare second trying to get everything ready for Saturday. The most time consuming, by far, is the month of meals and the master grocery list. I could sure use some encouragement- Does anyone out there on the www find the month of meals and/or the master grocery list helpful?!!!
Anyways.... I want to apologize in advance that I might not have as many posts as usual second to the preparations. Thanks for stopping by DRS- come again soon!

Have you heard the news? Tomorrow, February 24th, you can get a FREE short stack of pancakes at IHOP from 7am to 10pm. IHOP will be taking donations to benefit Children's Miracle Network. Sounds like a good night to take the family out for breakfast!

Deal Alert- redbox code

Sorry so late getting this out to you. The Free Monday rental redbox code is: S39XKT

Remember this code is good until midnight tonight. And you must return your rental in one day or you will be charged $1/each additional night.

Mealtime Monday- Accountability

Ok ladies let me know what's on your menu this week.

Eggplant Parmesan

This will be a first for me. First time to make Eggplant Parmesan AND first time to eat Eggplant Parmesan. Can I just tell you that I found the eggplant to be a most peculiar vegetable. I can not believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that there is no eggplant vegytale character- it could have been a dandy! I am very anxious to try this recipe. I'll be sure to let you know!

Go here for the recipe.

Eggplant Parmesan

Take my advice- I would seriously just buy 2 eggplants instead of the three. And instead of the 16 oz of cheese, I barely used 8 oz. I also used egg substitute for the eggs.

Nutrition Information (based on unmodified recipe)
Serving Size: 1/9th of recipe
Meal Plan: 424 Calories; 2 meat; 2 vegetables, 3 starches, 1 fat

Calories, Protein, and Fat would be less with modifications.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Normally I make these with a lean pork roast but I was not able to find a lean cut at Kroger this week so I am going to attempt this with a pork loin. I am doubtful it will shred like the roast but it should still be tasty. I'll let you know.

BBQ Pork Sandwich

Lean Pork Roast (something with less then 12g of fat per 4 oz serving)
Favorite BBQ sauce
Whole Wheat Bun

Place pork roast in crock-pot. Coat roast with BBQ sauce. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Pork should shred when done. Place cooked meat on bun. That's it folks.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 4 oz meat on bun
Meal Plan: 420 Calories; 4 meats, 3 starches

I am going to serve this with baked beans and coleslaw. I was sad that I was not able to find a light coleslaw dressing- next time I'll make my own.

Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This will be the second time I have made this recipe. It was a big hit last time. The cherries are a nice addition. It makes a huge serving so last time we turned the leftovers into a salad the next day.

Go here for recipe.

Instead of cooking the chicken on the stove top, I chose to marinate in a sauce made of soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and ginger and then bake.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
Meal Plan: 283 Calories; 3 meats, 1 fruit, 1/2 starch, 1.5 vegetables, 1/2 fat

I will serve this with rice

Hashbrown Casserole

Even though this is not "the original" recipe- I have to thank Jamie R for introducing hashbrown casserole to my family many moons ago at a recipe exchange party. I have misplaced the original recipe but this one looks pretty close. This makes a huge serving so feel free to half the recipe! I made one recipe for two families.

To lighten it up a bit I use 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, reduced fat sour cream, 2% cheese, and light butter. (I have left the butter out all together before and it was... ok, but at the request of both families I cook for- I added it back in this time.)

Hashbrown Casserole

Nutrition Information (as printed on unmodified recipe)
Serving Size: 1/10th of recipe
Meal Plan: 274 Calories; 1 meat; 1.5 starches, 2 fats

The recipe modifications I used would significantly cut back on the Calories and Fat but unfortunately I did not look at all my labels before tossing in the trash so I am unable to give you the exact nutrient breakdown.

Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia

I have made oven fried fish before but this is a new recipe to me. It looks yummy.
Go here for the recipe.

Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 4 oz fish
Meal Plan: 209 Calories; 3.5 very lean meat, 1 starch

I will serve this with the hashbrown casserole (recipe to follow) and green beans. Good down home cooking. Yee Haw!

Mealtime Mondays

Well if you saw my previous post you know I busted my time budget. I did, however, prep for all 5 meals and 1 side dish (x2). The following describes the prep steps I took and how I plan to store each meal until final preparations:

Monday Night: Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia and Hashbrown Casserole with green beans. I completed both the Tilapia and Hashbrown recipe steps up until the actual baking. I placed foil on both and will store in fridge until tonight. The two dishes call for two different baking temperatures, however, I will just meet in the middle at 400 degrees and let the hashbrowns get about a 30 minute head start on the fish.

Tuesday Night: Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I baked the chicken and placed the whole chicken breasts into a ziplock to let it cool in the fridge. I could have went ahead and chopped the chicken but I personally like chopping a cold chicken instead of a warm chicken. I find the chicken tends to "shred" instead of "chop" when I cut it up warm. I placed the shredded carrots, green onion, and almonds in a storage container, and mixed the liquid sauce together in another container (both stored in fridge). Tuesday night I will simply chop the chicken (using my handy dandy Pampered Chef food chopper) and toss the carrot mixture, chicken, and sauce mixture together.

Wednesday Night: BBQ Pork. All I did to prep for this meal was dump the pork into a freezer ziplock and pour the BBQ sauce in to marinate. I then stored in fridge. Wednesday morning I will transfer pork and sauce into crockpot and cook on low all day.

Thursday Night: Eggplant Parmesan. I prepared this meal up until the final baking step. I then stored in Freezer. I would have not stored this dish in the freezer (second to raw egg substitute) had not the recipe called for baking the eggplant chips prior to casserole assembly. I will do my best to remember to transfer this dish from freezer to fridge on Thursday morning so it will be partly thawed before baking Thursday night.

Friday and Saturday Night: Out or Left-overs

Sunday: Mexican Chicken Pizza. I fully prepared this recipe up until the final baking. I then placed foil around pizza and stored in the freezer. I have baked this pizza straight from freezer to oven before and it worked out fine so I am not worried about forgetting to transfer from freezer to fridge before baking.

Mexican Chicken Pizza

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I always include this recipe when I do cooking demonstrations and it is a regular at recipe exchange parties. Hope you enjoy!

Mexican Chicken Pizza

4 oz Skinless Chicken Breast
2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Garlic Pepper

Thin Pizza Crust
15 oz black beans (drained)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Jalapeno Peppers (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400◦. Marinate chicken with Worcestershire sauce, cumin and garlic pepper. Bake until done.
While chicken is baking, spread beans evenly on pizza crust. Next, top with cheese, followed by peppers. Once chicken is fully cooked, cut chicken into thin slices. Place chicken slices evenly on pizza crust. Bake until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1/4 of pizza
Meal Plan: 395 Calories; 3 starches, 2 meats, 1 fat

This is great alone, or you can top with salsa and/or light sour cream!

Mealtime Monday Preview

Boy am I pooped! It's Sunday night and I just finished my marathon meal prep for the week. I am sad to say that I did not meet my 1.5 hour time budget tonight. It took me 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete meal prep for 5 meals and 1 side (x2 for 2 families). Now I will say that part of the reason it took me so long to complete meal prep tonight was.... well really it was three-fold....

First- I attempted to keep a neater kitchen while cleaning. I tried my best to put up ingredients as I went; and to sort garbage from recyclable between meals; I even had a sink of hot soapy water ready to soak dirty dishes. I really thought I was doing a good job until at one point I looked up and just laughed...... this was my "neater kitchen"? Scary to think what it would have looked like if I hadn't been cleaning as I worked!

Regardless, I'm claiming at least 6 minutes of my overtime was due to extra clean-up.

Secondly- Drama! Around the 1 hour 22 minute mark I was on the home stretch with only 1.5 dishes to complete. That's when my family got home from Awanas. While DH served the Chicken Tortilla Soup to Colby and himself I got Cohen's dinner ready and served up on his high chair. No biggy- just another 5 or so minutes used up. But then.... While I am hard at work dipping the eggplant slices into the egg substitute, then into the breadcrumbs, then onto the cookie sheet, repeat (over and over and over again) Colby is sitting at the bar talking a mile a minute. Well, I guess he forgot that he was sitting on the counter height bar stool instead of his chair because the next thing I know I hear a splat and Colby is laying flat on our concrete floor. After his initial shock the wailing begins. Colby is crying too. I'm a little freaked out about the fact that he has hit head first onto concrete floors but I try to stay calm for his sake.

I was instantly transported back 20+ years to the time I was dropped on my head and hysterical because I just knew my brains would fall out. Two lessons learned from that traumatic event in my childhood 1) I did not appreciate that my parents got such a kick out of the fact that I thought my brains would fall out during my moment of crisis; therefore I did not laugh when Colby said that the only way he would "feel better" was if he stayed up all night and watched TV. 2) My brains did NOT fall out; therefore I felt pretty confident Colby's brain would stay intact too. Drama over!

Of course I did NOT get a picture of the event. I mean what kind of Mom would I be, if I had asked Colby to just "hang tight" until I was able to get a picture of him laying on the floor. But..lucky for you, Cohen decided to recreate the scene later that evening. He did not actually fall and hurt himself he just decided to lay on the kitchen floor to see if Mommy would jump around and act crazy if he was on the ground too (anyways that's my best guess why he was striking such a dramatic pose).

Drama accounted for at least 20 minutes of my overtime.

And last, the third reason I feel I went over my time budget was because of those darn eggplants. I prepared double the recipe so that was a whole bunch of eggplant chips to make. I will say although the recipe calls for 3 eggplants you could easily get by with just two or even one in my opinion. I normally don't feel like my cooking for two families slows me down BUT this meal really did take double the time. We'll see if it was worth it!

My guess is that the double Eggplant Parmesan dishes cost me around 14 minutes.

So there you have it... I can easily explain away my overtime bringing me back to my 1 hour 30 minute deadline. TA DA! I know... excuses! excuses!

Sonday Sunday

By now anyone who has spent any amount of time on this DRS blog knows that I am a little bit of a control freak. I have to have a plan for EVERY aspect of my life and "my plan" goes best when I am the developer and implementer of the plan. I have issues with delegation because deep down I believe no one will do it as good as me- there, I wrote it out loud for the world to see. I am not proud of this fact. But I believe that every woman who suffers from DRS has some issues with control and remember I am in the late stages of the disease. Anyways.....

God is sooo good in that he sprinkled lessons about "control" throughout the Bible just for us DRSers. I ran across one such verse this morning....

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps! (exclamation point mine) Proverbs 16:9

Now I know ultimately I should be letting God make the plans (and we're working on that) but I LOVE knowing even when I do try to take the wheel,* God is right there ultimately "IN CONTROL" determining my steps. I pray that those steps lead me far away from "my plan" IF my plan does not match "His Will." Thank you Jesus!


*If I knew how to play music on this here blog I would so be playing Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel."

The return of the Dust Bunnies!

I'm sorry to do this to you again BUT I felt I must show you the dust that collected on my bedroom floor in the one month since the last time I cleaned in the bedroom zone!

Note: I do vacuum/swiffer the main walking paths once a week so the dust you see is primarily from under the bed and under the other furniture. GROSS!!!!

Back to the 80s

Sorry so few posts today- I was traveling back to the 80s. Our Sunday School class had a "Pour Some Sugar on Me" Social tonight and everyone was asked to come in 80s attire. It was sooo much fun but I spent all day today getting ready. First, DH and I went to Goodwill to pick up appropriate 80s attire- I had lots to choose from but the men's side was very limited. I then went to Walgreens to pick up some bright pink lipstick and blue/purple eye shadow. Fun times! And can I just say I was feeling pretty good about my outfit until I saw everyone else- everyone went all out! I am posting a picture of our group.

I hope I don't lose any friends for posting this pic on the www BUT I figured we were all incognito so what was the harm! I only wish I had got a group picture with the boys too! They were hilarious with their tight-rolled acid wash jeans and mullets!

Scrapbook Saturday

Let me remind you- one purpose of Scrapbook Saturday is to record some of the funny/cute/sweet or just plan memorable moments with the kids. The following is one such moment:


Background information for story: Remember we have been reading the Dave Ramsey Financial Series for Kids with Colby. Well one day last week we made Colby's 3 envelopes- Save, Spend, and Give, and then divided up his chore money accordingly. We discussed how Colby was going to use each envelope. When I asked him what he wanted to use his "give" money for he said "he wanted to give it to his School so they could buy new playground equipment." How sweet- I didn't argue. Here comes the treasure chest moment......


Well the next day I had to go to Mail Boxes Etc. to send my Metabolism Machine back to the manufacturer for some necessary repairs. After shipping, insurance, packing, and 2 day air delivery the grand total for simply getting the machine to it's destination (doesn't include the repair cost or the cost to ship the machine back to me by next Friday for my upcoming Metabolism party) was..... are you sitting down...... $129.22!
I nearly croaked. So when I got back in the car I asked Colby "Do you know how many years of chores you would have to do to get to $129.22?" Well Colby was just real quiet for a few seconds, and then he said (here comes the adorable part) "Mommy, I changed my mind about who I want to give my "Give" money to. I want to give it to you!" I just melted! Talk about the widow's mite.... His willingness to give me his 64 cents meant more to me then if someone handed me $1000.00.

Devotional Time Confessions

Ok, I have to confess the reason I had no Devotional Time post today is because we did not have an "official" Devotional Time today! I know, I know I shouldn't have done so much shopping! But I do promise that we WILL have a devotional time very soon that will focus on God's Words regarding giving and helping those in need. I'll let you know the specifics at a later date!

DRS- more updates.

Well today I hit Walmart, Target and Walgreens. Guess which one I was most disappointed with? Walmart! Can you believe it. I use to shop at Walmart ONLY because I thought they had the lowest prices. But not only did I find that not to be true I also found that our Walmart prices are higher then others across the nation. Plus I now realize why I could never stick to my grocery budget when I was a Walmart shopper- IMPULSE BUYS! Yep, I walked by the toy section and noticed a neato toy that was 50% off so I got it for a future gift (not included in grocery budget nor reported below). No biggie, but I think I was sooo much more prone to those impulse buys when I use to be a Walmart shopper. On to Walgreens....

At Walgreens I was pumped to pick up my 2 free Yes to Carrots lip balm and I went ahead and got the rest of my FREE after rebate items. The big disappointment was the Nature Valley Bars I had wrote about. Across the Internet people wrote about the $1.19 granola bars, well folks I don't know what's up but our Walgreens had them marked at $4.19! $4.19 who in their right mind would pay $4.19 for a box of granola bars. I even had them do a price check because I was just sure it had to be wrong. So needless to say I did not buy the granola bars. But at Target.....

I was most excited about my Target purchases. I do need to warn you that the Kashi granola bars were marked at $3.29 instead of the $3 I had been told and reported to you. Regardless I got 5 boxes for $0.29 each and 1 box for free (Vocalpoint coupon). I also got 3 boxes of goldfish for $0.79 each. But what I was most excited about was that they had my Morningstar Black Bean burgers for... are you ready for this...........$2.99! That is a whole $1.40 cheaper then Kroger and $0.73 cheaper then Walmart. Who would have thought Target would have the cheapest food?! Oh and I also picked up 6 Johnson Buddies soap for FREEEEE!

Altogether my 3 trips cost me $64.15 out of pocket but only $47.69 after rebates. I saved $66.56 with coupons and rebates. Not bad But I am going to be WAY over my weekly budget once I tackle Kroger!

3 boxes of BeachNut Toddler Crackers

1 2lb bag of Frozen Tilapia

1 bag of Frozen Salmon

Quaker Rice Cakes

2 boxes of Pantyliners

6 boxes of MorningStar Blackbean burgers (1 at Walmart, 5 at Target)

2 bags Wheat Thins

Walgreens Multi Purpose Contact Solution

Thermacare Heatwrap

Garnier Fructis Moose

2 Yes to Carrot Lip Balms

3 bags of Goldfish

6 boxes Kashi Bars

1 Morningstar Chicken Nugget

Target Baby Wipes

6 Johnson Buddies soaps

TOTAL: $47.69

DRS Updates

Just wanted to update you on a few things:

First- We found Uganda. Sure enough there was a globe at the Library.

Secondly- Went to Walmart to try to cash in on some of those deals I posted on yesterday- big disappointment! Our sale prices (if on sale at all) were quite a bit higher then those I used for the deal match ups plus I couldn't find half the items for which I was shopping. I did pick up a bag of Tilapia that should cover 2-3 meals for $7.53 (quite a bit cheaper then Kroger) and 1 bag of Salmon ($4.48) and a package of the Morningstar Black Bean Burgers ($3.72).

Third- My Mom went to Walgreens to get her FREE 20 prints and was told the code was only to be used online. So order your prints online to get them FREE!

Oh and Uganda is in Africa!

Craft Time

For craft time- We are going to write Coline a letter. (The picture to the left is Coline's recent letter to us.) I am going to ask both boys to draw a picture to include with the letter.

That is all I have planned for craft time today BUT as always, I am sure Colby will have some additional ideas for us!

Learning Time

Last night Colby wanted me to show him where Coline lives on his map. Unfortunately, the map in Colby's room is only of the United States. Sooo, I told Colby we would need to look at a "globe" to find where Coline lives. I then proceeded to try to explain to my 4 year old what a globe was. I now have a better understanding of how Columbus must have felt when he was trying to convince people that the world was round. Colby just laughed at me!

Soooo for learning time we are going to try to hunt down a globe so I can show Colby that indeed the world is round AND to show him where Uganda is in relation to where he lives. I'm thinking the library is a good place to look. Plus we can go ahead and pick up some books since we didn't get to go on Monday.

PS Can anyone tell me where Uganda is?!

Familytime Friday- Meet our 3rd little boy!

His name is Coline (like all our boys his name starts with a "C"). Now before any rumors get started or my Mom falls out of her seat- you should know that Coline is our adopted child through the ministry Compassion International. We have never, and probably will never, meet Coline face to face, this side of heaven, but as his adoptive family our role is to love Him through prayer and a small monthly contribution.

When DH and I first learned about Compassion International I was excited because I had watched countless infomercials about children living in poverty stricken countries and had wanted to "do something" but didn't know enough about the infomercial sponsorship organization to feel fully comfortable with sending money. Well, we learned all about Compassion International at a Christian concert from Rebecca St. James herself- so I felt I could trust the source! Plus I thought "what an awesome opportunity to model God's commands to give to the poor and pray for those in need to our boys- by letting them pray and help give to another child" Not to mention the opportunity to eventually learn about another culture/country.

Well that was a couple of years ago, and while the bank is faithful to draft $32 a month from our checking account, I am very ashamed to say we often forget to include our dear Coline in our bedtime prayers. You know what is sooo sad about this- In every letter Coline writes us he tells us that he prays for our family. And you know what- I feel confident HE DOES! And yet in my busyness, I forget. Even more shameful- more often then not, it is my 4 year old child that will remind ME, the MOM, that we haven't prayed for Coline in a while. In fact, that was exactly what happened last night that prompted this post.

So once again I have used DRS for confession and now hope you will hold me accountable to pray for this sweet child. And in honor of Coline, Familytime Friday's devotional, learning, and even craft time will focus around lessons learned from Compassion International. To learn more about this ministry visit here.

Familytime Friday- Sound Off

TGIF! I'd love to hear about the fun things you did or are planning to do with your family this week.

Deal Alert

Walgreens is offering 20 FREE 4x6 prints tomorrow only! Just enter the code ONEDAY when you checkout! What a deal!

deal alert- Walmart

For a complete list of walmart deals and coupon match-ups I recommend checking out Deal Seeking Mom here (she is one of 11 Moms who blog for Walmart!)


Below are my favorite deals of the week:


Beech-Nut Baby Cereal for $1.44
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: $0.44


Beech-Nut Let's Grow Microwaveable Meals on sale for $1.06
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: $0.06


Huggies Baby Wipes (40 count) on sale for $1.46
Use $1 off 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: $0.46


Johnson's Buddies Soaps at $0.99
Buy 3 and use $3 for 3 printable here
Final Price: FREE


Sani- Hands for Kids wipes (18 ct) for $1
Use $1 for 1 printable here
Final Price: FREE


Activia Yogurt for $2
Use $1 for 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: $1


Baked Ritz or Wheat Thins (bags) on sale for $2
Use $2 for 2 from 1/25 SS
Final Price: $1 each


Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers on sale $1
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: FREE

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Bars on sale for $1.88
Use $0.75 off 1 from 1/18 RP
Final Price: $1.13

Ortega Taco Seasoning for $0.54
Use $1 off 2 from February ALL YOU Magazine
Final Price: $0.04 each

Quaker Rice Cakes for $1.36
Use $1 off 1 from 1/18 RP
Final Price: $0.36

Softsoap Ensembles for $1
Use $1 off 1 from February ALL YOU Magazine
Final Price: FREE

Disclaimer: Walmart Prices vary by region and I have not been to our Walmart yet to confirm prices!

Annual Budget Countdown

Last week I shopped at both Kroger and Walgreens. I used the remainder of my Walgreen Gift Card balance and my recent $15 Mastercard rebate from Olay to help pay for some of my Walgreens purchases.


Out of Pocket Money Spent at Walgreens: $17.70

After manufacturer and EasySaver Rebates I will get back $45.47! (This money will be applied to future purchases therefore will not be included in my annual budget status at this time)


I went to Kroger 3x this week. Once to take advantage of the 12 hour sale on Friday and to pick up ingredients for our Valentines Dinner, and then my normal weekly shopping trip on Saturday night and then once again because I forgot 3 ingredients I needed for prep day!


Total Spent: $70.66
Total Saved: $28.77



Total Spent for week: $88.36
Total Saved (just Kroger): $28.77
Total Spent for year: $703.13
Total Saved for year: $575.30
Annual Budget countdown: $4296.87

Good News/Bad News- Depends on how you look at it!

The Facts: Red Plums Vice President released the following statement regarding the Red Plum coupon booklets:

“Starting in February, the RedPlum coupon booklet will now be delivered in [select areas] through consumers’ mailboxes along with their weekly grocery circulars and other savings and deals. By using direct mail, the RedPlum insert will now be able to reach almost twice as many households as in the past. In these challenging economic times, it has never been more important to make these essential savings available to as many [people] as possible so they can stretch the dollars in their wallets.” -Thomas Murray, Vice President of the Valassis Corporation

The Bad News: In some major cities Red Plum will no longer be available via the local newspaper. It will be available through home mailer only. I am not sure "The Gazette" will be effected (or is it affected? anyways..) but if it is- this is bad. Many of us like to get multiple copies of the coupons but the home mailer system will only mail one per family. I plan on asking my noncouponing friends and family members to kindly save me theirs!

The Good News: Our local newspaper never carried this coupon booklet, so many of you have never had the "Red Plum" experience anyway. Now you can have these coupons delivered to your mailbox by signing up here.

In other news...

My friend Jennifer passed this rather disturbing news on to me last week. I have not personally confirmed the validity of the rumor BUT I feel it is my duty as your Head DRSer to pass on the information:

Rumor: April will be the last month for the EasySaver Rebate Program at Walgreens. GASP- I know!!! You can read more here.

Bad News: No more Free After Rebate products that often turn out to be quite profitable!

Good News: Good News? What could possibly be good about no more FREE after rebate products. Welllll supposedly they are going to really beef up their Register Reward Program- so I guess that's good. AND as far as I can tell this is just a rumor. I searched on Walgreens.com and could not find any mention of it. So we will see. In the meantime I am going to try to get all the rebate products I can so I can rev up the total on my Walgreens Gift Card (remember you get an additional 10% added when you choose to get your rebate back on a Walgreens Gift Card).

Deal Alert- Target

Welcome to my first edition of Target deal highlights!


Ok, here is the deal- Target has online printable "Target Only" coupons that you can print and stack with manufacturer coupons (just like Walgreens) BUT a while back (I'm talking 2008) there was a big stink about people using counterfeit "Target" coupons and therefore many Target stores (including ours) stopped accepting Target printable coupons. Welllll, I don't know if they have changed their policy or just relaxed but the Internet is a buzz about target printable coupons again AND I had a friend that used them this week at our Target with no problem. So with that being said......



You can go here or here to print your Target Coupons. Both links require registration before you can print coupons but it is FREE to register.

Here is a list of available coupons:

$1 off Archer Farms® cereal
$1 off Renuzit air care product
50¢ off 8-oz. or larger Chex Mix snack mix
$1 off Kashi Cookies or Crackers or Granola bars
$1 off With purchase of two 8-oz. Market Pantry® cheeses
$1 off 6-oz. or larger Pepperidge Farm crackers
$1 off 64-oz. Tropicana orange juice
$1 off Vlasic pickles
75¢ off Archer Farms® Naan bread
$1 off Fresh vegetable Broccoli or Cauliflower or 16-oz. Green Giant Hearts of Romaine
$3 off Gillette Venus razor Divine or Embrace or Breeze
$1 off Hillshire Farms Deli Select lunch meat

Following are my favorite target scenarios of the week:

Kashi Bars for $2.89
Use $1 off 1 target printable and $2 off 1 from the Kashi website (I was not able to find the coupon but supposedly it is there)
Final Price: FREE with both coupons

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish for $1.66
Use $1 off 1 target printable
Final Price: $0.66

Flat Earth Chips for $2.69
Use $1 for 1 target printable and $1 for 1 manufacturer coupon here.
Final Price: $0.69

Deal Alert- Kroger

Not much to report this week for Kroger. The following are the deals I am most excited about. If I find additional deals when I shop Saturday night I'll be sure to let you know.

Smart Balance on sale 25% off
Use $1 off 1 Catalina (this recently printed off with my receipt)

Select varieties of Kellogg's cereal on sale for $2.69
Use $4.50 off 3 Catalina (this recently printed off with my receipt)
Final Price: $1.19 each

Select varieties of General Mills cereals still on sale for 3 for $5
If you didn't already take advantage of this sale in the last 2 weeks you can still use your $.75 off 1 Multigrain cheerio coupon from recent coupons.com printout and $0.75 from Cellfire
Final Price: $0.16 after both coupons.

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers on sale $2
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: $1

Kroger Brand Cheese on sale 3 for $6
use $0.35 off 1 from recent Kroger mailer
Final Price: $1.30

Several Varieties of Active Lifestyle products are on sale:
Active Lifestyle Oatmeal on sale for 3 for $5
Active Lifestyle Granola Bars $1.77 (similar nutrition and taste to Fiber One bar)

Mission Tortillas (select varieties) on sale 33% off
IF the life balance is on sale I am going to use my $0.55 off 1 from 1/4SS (coupon says do not double)

Kroger Brand salsa, refried beans, chilies, jalapenos, tortillas, taco shells, and seasonings are on sale 40% off

Kroger Comfort Diapers on sale for $5.99
Use $3 for 1 printable here
Final Price: $2.99

Red Seedless Grapes on sale $1.29 lb

Roma Tomatoes on sale $0.99 lb

Blueberries on sale 2 for $5

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast on sale $1.88 lb

Kroger Milk 1/2 gallon on sale for $1.49

Deal Alert- Walgreens

Here are my favorite deals of the week:

Yes to Carrot Products are on sale 25% off

The Yes to Carrots lip balm will be priced at $2.76 with discount
Go here for a $2 off 1 manufacturer coupon and stack with $1 off 1 Walgreen coupon here

Final Price: FREE plus overages

Colgate Toothpaste 4.6oz on sale $0.99
Use $0.75 off 1 from 2/1 SS
Final Price: $0.24

Garnier Vibrant 100% Hair Color on sale BOGO or 2 for $7.49
Use 2 $3 off 1 from 11/9 RP
Final Price: $1.49 for 2

Bic Soleil or Comfort 3 Disposable razor 4 packs on sale for $4.99
Use $2 off 1 from 1/18 SS and $1 off 1 found in EasySaver Catalog (pg 17)
Final Price: $1.99 after both coupons

Register Reward Deals RR

Select Kellogg's cereals are on sale 4 for $10. Earn $3 RR when you buy 4

Use 2 $1 off 2 printables found on the DRS coupons.com sidebar
Final Price: $1.25 per box after RR and coupons

Nature Valley Granola Bars are on sale for $1.19. Earn $3.50 when you buy 5
Use 5 $0.50 off 1 from 1/4 SS
Final Price: Free after coupons and RR
(I did not see that this was an advertised deal, so I can not confirm this will work BUT DH was just requesting this particular granola bar yesterday so I will checking it out)

February Free after Rebate Items

Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler up to $4.29
Use $1 off 1 from 1/4 RP
Final Price: Free plus $1 overage after coupon and rebate

Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer or Spa Foundation up to $10
Use $2 for 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate

Revlon Creme Lip Gloss up to $10
Use $2 for 1 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate

Thermacare Trial Size Neck, Shoulder and Wrist Heat Wrap up to $2.49
Final Price: Free after rebate

Walgreens Multi-Purpose No Rub Solution 4 oz up to $1.99
Final Price: Free after rebate

Zucol Cold Care Lozenges 18 pk up to $7.99
Use $2 for 1 from 2/1 SS
Final Price: Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate