Deal Alert- Walmart

Visit NWA deals for the best chance at Regional match-ups for Walmart. Just click on her "Walmart" tab up top.

Deal Alert

FREE Underwear! Boy was I excited when I heard about this one! Hanes is giving away "wedgie proof" underwear, bikini or brief style, to Arkansas and Oklahoma Residents. BUT it is only for certain areas of our great state and unfortunately if you live where I live our Zip Code doesn't work! What's that about?!?!?! But for the few DRSers I know that read from the NW section of our state go here to claim yours. What a freebie!!!

Deal Alert- Target

Go here to print the Target Printables I reference below:

Here are my favorite Target Deals this week:

Banana Boat Sunscreen Trial Size for $0.99
Use $1 off 1 from 5/3 RP
Final Price: FREE

Buy 4 Fiber One Cereal (16 oz), Bars (5 ct) and/or Muffin Mix (15oz) at $2.39 each, Get $5 Target Gift Card!
Use $1.35 off 1 here for Fiber One Mocha Bars, or $1 off 2 here or $0.50 off 1 from 5/3 SS
Final Price: FREE to $0.64 per box after coupons and gift card!



Kraft Salad Dressings on sale $1.59
Buy 2 and use 2 $1.50 off 1 from 3/29 SS AND $1 off 2 target printable (print from link above)
Final Price: FREE plus possible overages
Note: These were priced more on the shelf but did ring up for $1.59

Target Baby Bodywash on sale for $1.25
Use $0.75 off 1 Target Printable
Final Price: $0.50

Ritz Cheese or Peanut Butter Crackers on sale for $2
Use $1 off 1 Target Printable AND $1 off 2 from here
Final Price: $1 for 2 after coupons

Quaker Granola Bites (snack size found at register) for $1
Use $1 off 1 Quaker Snack Target Printable
Final Price: FREE



3 M Command Hooks at $2.75 (have not confirmed local price)
Use $2.50 off 1 here
Final Price: $0.25



Wheat Thins (Artisan Variety) for around $2.98
Buy 2 and use B1G1 from 3/15 SS AND 2, $1 off 1 Target Printables
Final Price: $0.98 for 2 boxes



Glade Fragrance Collection Candles for $5.79- buy 2 and get $5 Target Gift Card (I did not see this in our weekly ad so be sure to confirm before purchase)
Use 2 $4 off 1 from 5/3 SS
Final Price: FREE plus overages after Gift Card

Go here to see a complete list of Target Matchups.

Walgreen Deals

WEEKLY DEALS

v-8 Fusion Juice on sale 2 for $6
Use $2 off 1 here
Final Price: $1

DEAL: Buy any 3 Aveeno products and get a FREE travel essentials Kit
(Aveeno products are on sale 20% off)

Scenerio:
Buy 3, 2.5 oz tubes of Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotions at $2.62 each after 20% discount
Use 3 $2 off 1 from here (hint: will need to find 2 computers!)
Final Price: $1.89 oop after 3 coupons and get a FREE travel kit

REGISTER REWARD DEALS

Buy 1 Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste at $4.49, Get a $4.49 RR
Use $1 off 1 from here
Final Price: FREE plus $1 overages from coupon after RR

Buy 2 Pert Plus for Men at $2.50 each, Get $2 RR
Use 2 $1.50 off 1 from 5/3 SS
Final Price: FREE after 2 coupons and RR

Buy 2 Listerine Total Care mouthwash at $4.50 each, Get a $4.50 RR
Use 2 $2 off 1 from 4/26 RP
Final Price: $0.25 each after 2 coupons and RR

Spend $25 in select P&G cleaning product, Get $6 RR

Scenerio 1:
Buy 10 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers at $2.50 each
Use 5 B1G1 from 5/3 PG
Final Price: $0.65 each after coupons and RR

Scenerio 2:
Buy 3 Fabreeze Noticable starter kits at $6 each AND 4 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers at $2.50 each
Use 3 $4 off 1 from 5/3 PG AND 2 B1G1 from 5/3 PG
Final Price: $5 for all after coupons and RR

MONTHLY RR DEALS

Buy 1 Bayer Breeze or Contour Blood Glucose Meter at $14.99, Get $5 RR
Use $30 off 1 from 3/1 or 3/22 RP (coupon will adjust down)
Final Price: FREE plus $5 in overages after coupon and RR

Buy 1 Bayer Quick release Crystals at $2.49, Get a $2.49 RR
Final Price: FREE after RR

Thrifty Thursday

Hi DRS shoppers! Have you been getting some good deals lately? Anything you want to pass on to your friends?

Here is a little warning about today's deals: I have yet to see the 5/3 coupon inserts. I usually try to confirm coupon amounts before I post about the deals but I am leading you blindly today on all of the 5/3 references. ALSO I have not completed the Kroger match-ups- so as of right know I am doubtful I will have that ready for you on this day of thriftiness. Maybe Friday but if life gets too crazy I might just wait to scan thegrocerygames match-ups late Saturday night before I pass on the best deals.

Donna Gone Wild cont..

Most days, my pool time was followed by lunch and then computer time until DH got out of his conference BUT one day DH and I had the afternoon to ourselves. Let me introduce DH to you. He is the figure on the left.

I really am a horrible photographer.

Anyways..... On DH's only day off we decided to rent a car and take a drive into the city. Mom and Dad had been out a couple of months ago and Mom had found a really good Outlet Mall that she insisted we visit. So we got directions and off we went. It was on this outing that I got to fulfill a lifelong (ok year long) dream of mine. While Rory was driving in bumper to bumper traffic I looked up and gasped.........THERE IT WAS!!!!!






I thought the event warranted 2 pictures. Anyways.... DH slammed on the breaks because he thought my gasp meant we were about to be hit or we were about to hit something. Needless to say DH did not share my enthusiasm for my CVS sighting And he REALLY didn't appreciate it when I let out a similar gasp about 2 miles down the road when I saw ANOTHER CVS. Now lucky for you, our outing happened to be on my birthday, so I was able to use the day to convince DH to pull over so I could get a picture and a walk through this Monument of Thriftyness. WHERE WAS MY COUPON BOX WHEN I NEEDED IT?! Why had I not thought ahead to do CVS coupon match-ups before leaving on my trip?! Did DH have to call me a Nerd while he snapped my photo? Although I was not able to fully appreciate the CVS experience without coupons I did buy some CVS brand aloe vera and sunscreen as a souvenir.

After shopping, DH and I enjoyed an incredible meal at one of the old historic casinos. It was one of those places that served sorbet between our salad and main course to cleanse our pallet. It was Yum Yum and perhaps the highlight our our trip. (It's always about the food for me.)

Speaking of Food! Guess What? I tried Sushi for the first time on our trip. Yep! Look at me all cultured! DH and I ordered California Rolls, LSD Rolls and some other type of Roll.


Sorry, I didn't think to snap a picture until the meal was almost done.

I think I really liked it but to be honest I was so intimidated by the chop stix I barely noticed the taste of the food. I mean I could not figure out the chop stix to save my life. As soon as I thought I had a good grip on the food the little roll would twist out and fly across the table. I ended up being the ONLY person in the WHOLE restaurant that was using a fork to transport the sushi from plate to mouth. I'm telling you I saw what looked like a four year old using the stix. Well the next night, I decided to get an order or California Rolls to go complete with chop stix so I could practice in the privacy of my own room. I carefully watched Rory's technique and execution of the Japanese eating utensil...... and then I figured it out!!!!! The second finger to the left of the pinky played a critical roll in the successful handling of the chop stix!!!! Guess what? I DON'T HAVE THAT FINGER!!!!! It's not that I am an uncultured hick of the south it is simply a result of the way our Omniscient Lord designed me! Woo was I relieved.

Before retiring to our room by 10 PM (yes, we are wild without our children) we attempted to try our luck in the casinos but quite frankly didn't understand how to play anything. I asked a casino worker for an instruction manual on how to play some of the games but she just kind of looked at me like I was weird or something. DH did understand how to play blackjack and taught me how to play. DH played with $30 and I with $20. I turned my $20 into $40 woo hoo and DH... well he had a good time. I also attempted to put money into a slot machine but I couldn't tell you if I won or lost. It wasn't as easy as lining the cherry's up like you see in the movies. Anyways I am happy to say I did not return a gambling addict. I did fear this about myself because I tend to have obsessive tendencies. That's why I stay away from "the drink" I am destined to end up in some X anonymous group it's just a mater of which one. Is there a Labeloholics Anonymous?

Finally I end my recap with one very disturbing picture. This item was found in our HOTEL ROOM!!!!

What in the world?!?! Who in there right mind would want to weigh themselves on a vacation? And after the chocolate chip muffins no less!!!! I passed.

All in all it was a great get away. DH and I got to spend some much needed quality one on one time with each other. And we came back feeling refreshed and READY to hug our babies.

Donna on Vacation

So what does a girl with DRS do when she is on vacation with no kids in "Sin City?" Well, let me take you on a play by play of my most action packed day:

First I woke up around 9am. This actually really bothered me because I really thought that my natural wake time, if given the ability to sleep until my body just naturally awoke, would be closer to the 11-12 o'clock range. Of course there is a 2 hour time difference between our time and Vegas time, so that makes more sense. Anyways.....

After taking my time getting ready, and by ready I simply mean putting my hair in a pony tail and putting my bathing suit on, I went down to the cafe to order breakfast. DH had already eaten breakfast (he got up at 6am most days!) so I was on my own for breakfast. Because I lack the confidence to eat in a restaurant all by myself, I decided to order something from the pastry counter to go, rather than the menu.
Warning: This next part of my day is going to change the way some of you think of me. For some, I fear I might lose a great deal of respect. For others your respect for me will jump to a whole new level (not to say that the level of respect started out that high to begin with.... but anyways....) But regardless.... It must be told! For 2 days in a row the most important meal of the day consisted of..........

A GINORMOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN!!!! That's right! I ate it! And not just once but twice! And then went back a third time- but this time just to take a picture (kinda felt like a dork holding up my camera to the glass case, snapping a photo, and walking off, but I'm kinda use to that feeling) Yep! I totally bypassed the Bran Muffin for the chocolate. I sacrificed the colon to satisfy the taste buds. Traded in the fiber for some good ol' simple sugar. And you know what? I felt JUST FINE about it. Maybe my bowels weren't so happy about my decision but I felt justified in my choice. After all I am the dietitian that preaches "ALL FOODS CAN FIT" in a healthy diet. Although one must be pretty creative in her food choices if she is going to make one of those muffins fit.......

After polishing off the last bite of my muffin, it was time to catch some rays. My only responsibility on this minivacation was to get some much needed color. Soooo off to the pool I went. I took the picture below to show you the pool, BUT the real reason I posted this picture was to show off my pretty toe nails.

If I may, let me stop right here for a sec and rewind our story back to the day before we left for the trip. REWIND (make a rewind noise please)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 9:15am: In honor of my upcoming minivacation I decide to get my once a year pedicure. Now normally I like to get my annual pedicure at the local beauty school (there's a thrifty tip for ya) BUT I hadn't made an appointment and I only had a 1.5 hour window of time to get it done, soooo I walked into one of those "Walk-Ins Welcome" nail salons. The sweet girl who performed my pedicure spoke very little English and the English she did speak was not the clearest so I just hoped we were on the same page about which service I wanted- the basic pedi and NOT the spa deluxe pedicure. Well about halfway through she asked me if I wanted my nails done too. And in that split second I thought to myself "Well Yes I would like my nails done" (throw the budget to the wind...) so I said to the nice lady "Yes, I would like my nails done..........How much does that cost?" She gave me the price for both the mani and pedi and I was $5 short, so I said "that's ok, I'll just stick with the pedicure." And then she said "I do it for fi less." Wasn't that sweet!!!! At first I felt guilty for letting her do my nails for $5 less because I knew I wouldn't even have money to tip her BUT then I remembered I AM missing a finger so that is ONE less nail she had to paint. So I felt better.

FASTFORWARD BACK TO VEGAS

Anyways.... after 2 hours baking in the sun I had successfully turned myself from ash white to lobster red. Ok lobster might be a little bit of an exaggeration...I'll go with Gala Apple red (that's the slightly pinkish red apple). Oh, and that apple red.... was just on the front side. The sides and back of my body were still ash. Yes... DH had a good laugh over that one.

Part of the reason I was so unevenly fryed was because I got involved in a really good book and forgot to turn over. I originally intended to finally read "The Shack" while away but can I just tell you that I am totally afraid to read it. I know just enough about it to know that I am going to be completely freaked out for a big chunk of the book and I just couldn't read it being a gazillion miles away from the boys. BUT I can't ever seem to find the time to read it when I am at home with the boys in near site. Sooo I have still yet to read that book. BUT I did read a great book by one of my favorite authors Karen Kingsbury called Every Now and Then. This book is part of her September 11 Series and boy was it good.

I think I'll stop right here and give you a chance to get on with your life for a while. Come back in a couple of hours to read more about my WILD Vegas Trip.

Deal Alert

Well KFC is doing it again. This time they are giving away a 2 piece grilled chicken meal! That's right, go here to print your coupon valid May 5-19th (excludes Mother's Day) for a FREE 2 piece grilled chicken, 2 individual sides, and a biscuit. Has anyone tried the grilled chicken?

Note: Coupon only available to print May 5th and 6th.

FREE Food for Mom!

This week a couple close-to-home restaurants are providing FREE food for Mom.

May 4th - 8th at Carinos Italian Restaurant, Mom gets a FREE 3 course meal with the purchase of another Entree. This 3 course meal includes: unlimited soup or salad, choice of chef-select entrees, mini dessert, AND a beverage! Limit one free Mom’s meal per table, dine in only.
Carinos use to be DH and I's FAVORITE Date Night Restaurant. I'm not kidding when we were dating we use to go AT LEAST once a week. I recommend the chicken skillitini (I hope it is part of the entree selections)

Not sure our T.G.I. Fridays will be open by this weekend but if it is FREE desert with the purchase of an entree.

And Mom's get a FREE cup or cone of Yogurt at TCBY on Mother's Day!

I'll be sure to let you know if I get word of any other Mother's Day Freebies!

Zone 3- Bathroom, 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

Day 5- Saturday

• Organize Bookshelf
• Update Pictures in Frames

Tidy Tuesday

Ok DRSers I am getting really burned out on cleaning. Anyone out there with me? I am looking for ideas on how to spice up the ol' cleaning routine. Any ideas?!?! In the meantime, I'm posting Zone 3 in just a few minutes. Maybe something miraculous will happen sometime today and I'll feel the need to get back "in the zone." We'll see.............

Mealtime Monday- accountability

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Deal Alert- Red Box Code

The Free Monday rental redbox code is: BT73H9 Remember this code is good until midnight tonight. And you must return your rental by 9pm on Tuesday or you will be charged $1 each additional night.

Tacos

Colby loves him some Mexican Food. He will be soooo excited to see that tacos made the menu this week. Nothing special about the tacos. I just follow the directions on the back of the taco seasoning packet.

Tacos

Ground Sirloin
Low Sodium Taco Seasoning
Taco Shells
Tomato (diced)
Shredded Lettuce
Shredded 2% cheese
Salsa

Brown Ground Sirloin and then rinse and drain. Add seasoning to beef. Bake Taco Shells according to package. Place meat inside taco shell and garnish as desired.

Nutrition Information will vary
Just know that every 2 taco shells will be about 125 Calories, 1 starch and 1 fat
Every ounce of Ground Sirloin is about 45 Calories and 1 meat

I am going to serve these with a can of fat free refried beans

Chicken Pot Pie

This is another childhood favorite. That seems to be the theme today. I have made this recipe once before and it was yummy!!

Chicken Pot Pie
Go here for recipe.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/8th of pie
Meal Plan: 416 Calories, 2 meats, 2 starches, 1 vegetable, 3 fats

Frogmore Stew

This is a great summer time meal. It's fun to put some wax paper or foil out in the center of your table and then just toss the contents of the stew out for your family and/or friends to just grab with there hands and eat. If the weather will cooperate I think we might even spread out a blanket in the backyard and make it a picnic.

Go here for the recipe.

The recipe makes 12 servings but you could easily cut that in half.

Nutrition Information: (based on allrecipes.com nutritional analysis)
Serving Size: 1/12th of recipe
Meal Plan: 499 Calories, 7 meats, 2 starches, 1 fat

Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Chicken and Rice use to be one of my FAVORITE dishes growing up. I can remember many a birthday requesting this dish from my Mom. Soooo I thought I'd give the crockpot lady's chicken and rice recipe a try. Love the idea of NOT using a "cream of" soup to make this dish.


Go here for the recipe.

Haven't figured out the nutrition on this one yet- but I can tell you it is going to be a GREAT choice!

I'm going to serve this with green beans.

Jennifer's Macaroni and Cheese

I was so excited when I ran across this recipe for Macaroni and Cheese on my blog friend Jennifer's blog-"Right in Front of Me." I have never been a fan of the blue box Mac N Cheese BUT I do remember many, many, many years ago loving me some school cafeteria macaroni. Even in my grade school days my sensitive pallet new the difference between the orange, artificially flavored cheese noodles and the real deal.
It has been many years since I have tasted "real" macaroni and cheese and I think it is about time for me to take a stab at making it myself. PLUS I am anxious to introduce this kid favorite cuisine to the boys. So far they have not been a fan of ANY pasta- CRAZY, I know!!!!, BUT I'm thinking this might be the dish that turns them onto noodles- we'll see.

Go here to see the recipe and to visit Jennifer's blog.

I am betting you could lighten this recipe up a bit by using 2% cheddar cheese and light butter. I think what I'm gonna do is use the light butter but REAL cheddar cheese. Because this recipe is very dependant on the cheese I'm just nervous to use anything but the real deal. Let us know if you try it.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1/6th if main dish (I would do 1/8th if used as a side)
Meal Plan: ~330 Calories, 1.5 meat, 2 starches, 2.5 fats (best estimate)

I am going to serve this with a side salad.

Mealtime Monday

If everything went as planned our flight was not scheduled to arrive until 10 PM last night, soooo needless to say I did not get to the grocery store last night. Therefore instead of cooking all our meals today I am going to load up the boys and go grocery shopping. This week I will just prepare one meal per day and then next week I'll get back to my marathon cooking day. Another thing different about this week is that the other family I cook for is on vacation. The other family has several health concerns that I am always mindful of when preparing my menu. This week I have allowed more fat and calories to creep in the menu then usual. Although I believe all of these recipes can fit into a healthy lifestyle, I wouldn't usually allow them all to be served in the same week. So just keep that in mind when planning your menu.

Sonday Sunday- Guest Post

What’s your “Backstory?”

My grandmother died last year at the age of 95. She lived almost 100 years of loving, serving, and giving to others. Even the hospice minister who spoke at her funeral said that he had received encouragement as he cared for her in the last few weeks. During her funeral service, much was said about her life and all of the things she did; but one thing stood out to me most because it was something I never knew about my grandmother. A friend mentioned that every Sunday morning, Grandma brought a friend with her to Sunday School and Church. It was a woman she had become acquainted with somehow, and they struck up a friendship. Grandma invited her to church one Sunday….and quite literally, the rest is history. My grandmother picked this woman up for church every Sunday, without fail, for years and years. No one knew quite how long, but our guess is that she did it at least 15-20 years. That is A LOT of Sundays! What a commitment. What a selfless act for her and a tremendous blessing to this woman.
Because I am a Christian, I believe that my grandmother is now is heaven. I believe she stood before God and saw Him face to face and heard Jesus Christ Himself say “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) Hers was a life of love and commitment to others.
None of us here on earth really know what it will be like when we get to heaven. We just know that if we are in Christ, that is where we will get to spend eternity. I heard a challenging speaker talk about heaven recently. What he had to say has really impacted the way I look at my life…and how I live each day. His view of heaven is that all of us who know the Lord will arrive there and stand before the throne of God…individually…and take a look back at our lives. Kind of like a slide show or video, except that this time, this “look back” will include details we might have never noticed or been able to see. (Kind of like when television programs show you the “behind the scenes” footage or the “rest of the story…” The techinical term in television for this unseen footage is often called the “Backstory.”) We will stand with God and watch our life story…”backstory” included. We will be able to see if/how what we did impacted others and ourselves.
For example, if, during your life, you heard someone tell you “I am praying for you,” then as you watch your “backstory” with Jesus…you would see whether or not that person actually went home and said a prayer for you . You would see decisions your children made when you weren’t around, that were based on what you had taught them. You would see the disappointment in your wife’s face when you forgot about her birthday…even though at the time she acted like it was fine. You would see the family that you “adopted” for Christmas opening the presents together…so thankful for your gift. My grandmother would see how her friend’s life was impacted by those Sunday mornings. In the “backstory,” you get a real sense of how you impacted the world around you.
When you think about it, the idea of the “backstory” is extremely humbling. We never know what kind of impact our words or actions will have on others. Think about how many people we cross paths with each day for even just a few seconds. Do we have a positive or negative effect on them? When I stand before the throne of God in heaven, I want to see all kinds of blessings in my “backstory,” not missed opportunities to bless others. I want to stand there and see person after person in my life to whom I brought happiness and encouragement…whether it’s my family and friends, or the drive-thru worker at McDonald’s. I want to see how my teaching made a difference to my students and bible study girls. I want to see how missionaries specifically used our support to spead the gospel. I want to see what happened to the man wandering around in the grocery store parking lot who I wondered about helping, but decided against it. I want to see my husband at work each day…empowered by the prayers and support I give him at home. I want to feel proud to see that I took advantage of opportunities to serve others, even when it wasn’t the easiest or most convenient thing to do.
All of us have a “backstory.” In this small town where we live, many of us are part of each other’s “backstory.” I know so many amazing people who really give of themselves to others, making this a wonderful community to be a part of. It inspires me to make sacrifices and get out of my comfort zone, knowing that I could be the difference in someone’s day…or week…or life. So could you. It’s not necessarily the big things that make the biggest difference. It’s taking the time and making the effort to notice the “things” that would mean the most to someone.