So, while it's no secret to some of you that we're on a competition BBQ team with my brother, Chad and his wife Nicole, there are some of you who wanted more information on this subject, so here ya go..........

This is where the magic happens

A few years ago, Chad started to develop an interest in smoking meats which turned into an interest in building smokers, which led to mass amounts of delicious food being cooked over at the Backerman house. Soon, it was decided that a team needed to be formed in order to begin to compete around our region. The name Caveman Cuisine was created after we all were sitting around after feasting on ribs, pulled pork and brisket- my husband said we had eaten like cavemen (all meat, no veggies!).... and the name Caveman Cuisine was born. It's kind of turned into a "family thing" and we all go to as many comps as our schedules allow. This year we're trying to go to at least 10 events over the spring and summer....and we've launched the 2009 season in a BIG way!


Our first competition of the year was in Pleasant Hill, Missouri (near KC) where there were 47 teams. We won the Grand Champion!! Individual category rankings were: 4th in chicken, 2nd in ribs, 7th in pork, and 15th in brisket.Here are some pics:

(Keep in mind we were all looking a little "rough" around the edges because we'd been cooking all day, it was cold and windy, and we were exhausted!)

The next competiton was in Rogers, Arkansas where we placed 2nd overall, snagging the title of Reserve Grand Champion! Our individual rankings in each category were: 1st place in chicken, 3rd place in ribs, 3rd place in pork, and 3rd place in brisket. (Note to Nicki: I need a pic of the trophy to post on here!!)

Our 3rd comp was this past weekend in Bixby, Oklahoma where we placed 5th out of 89 teams.....(for those of you who were told 5th out of 91, sorry....my mistake. There were a few teams that must not have showed up.) We placed 1st in pork and 3rd in chicken- and here are a few photos from Bixby...

(Nicki accepted the award for 1st place pork!)

Brett and Nicki on the trailer

As of last week (the results from this past weekend aren't included yet in overall rankings...) Caveman Cuisine was 54th in the State of Missouri out of close to 1300 teams! Not shabby for a team that's only 3 years old! Our next competition is the first weekend in June in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Anyone up for a road trip? If you would like to check out the Caveman website, go to www.cavemancuisinebbq.com .

Here's our tentative schedule for 2009:

1. Pleasant Hill, Missouri (Smokin' on Big Creek)
2. Rogers, Arkansas
3. May 8-9 Bixby, Oklahoma (Bixby BBQ & Music Festival)
4. June 5-6 Sallisaw, Oklahoma (Diamond Daze Festival)
5. June 12-13 Joplin, Missouri (2nd Annual Braggin' Rights)
6. July 18 Fort Smith, Arkansas (Bordertown Bash)
7. July 31-August 1 Iola, Kansas (Riverside BBQ Classic)
8. August 14-15 Springfield, Missouri (Cattleman's Ozark BBQ Challenge)
9. September 11-12 Butler, Missouri (Bates County BBQ)
10. October 1-4 Kansas City, Missouri (American Royal)
11. October 9-10 Golden City, Missouri (Rock n' BBQ)
12. October 23 Lynchburg, Tennessee (Jack Daniels Invitational)-- if we qualify

We'd LOVE to have you join us if you're looking for something fun to do and enjoy great BBQ!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

As cliche' as it may be to apologize for a blogging absence, I'm doing it. Emilee (my 17 year-old baby girl) is to receive the credit for pulling me out of the depths of "blog-neglect"! I guess I figured that I'd been away for so long that I couldn't possibly come up with any worthy excuse for not posting new material...so I'm not even going to try! I WILL tell you we've been busy...we've:

1. Entered the season of BBQ competitions (you'll be hearing a LOT about that)

2. Had quite a bit of company recently

3. Experienced some sadness/grief due to the loss of a family member on either side, as well as a family friend

4. Started planning the garden

And 5. Of course I've been doing my "Walgreen's Thing".

This week I plan on blogging about the Caveman Cuisine competition BBQ team that we're on with my brother, Chad and his wife, Nicki....as well as post a schedule of our upcoming competitions- so if any of you are in the area and would like to come chill and experience for yourself the wonders of the grillmaster, you can! You may think I'm biased, but the numbers speak for themselves- this is the BEST BBQ you'll ever taste!

I'll give an update on what I see as the best bargains around town to help your pantry grow...

And hopefully I'll have my garden planted, weather permitting, and post some pics of the great things happening in my yard. Flowers are blooming all over the place and the lilys are looking spectacular!

As always, if there is anything I can help you with while you're planning your shopping trips- leave your question as a comment and I'll do everything I can to address your request!

I promise to be back soon...

Stomach flu....and the disappearance of KFC.

Ever since I was a little girl
If I didn't feel well Mom would fix
Mashed potatoes and gravy.

Homemade, with lots of love
Until realizing how easy it was
To just visit the Colonel.

"I need a large potatoes and gravy, please."
She'd say through the speaker
Money paid, change returned, comfort on the way.

Colds and flu, aches and pains, wisdom teeth
From small girl to almost grown
That steaming red and white container held medicine.

Now thirty-eight years old, I have the flu.
First thoughts are of Mom and long ago
She'd come if I'd call.

But KFC is gone- no explanation except a sign
That states but one solitary word
"Closed"... only a memory remains.

Haven't left the house in days....(What's going on at Wags this week?)

Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather and the fact that my husband thought it best to take the car to work the past few mornings (rather than his usual "beast" affectionately known to all as Big Sexy), I've found myself stranded at home....unable to shop. I DID get out on Sunday afternoon to take advantage of a few of this week's bargains. Here are the things I was most interested in:



Colgate 2-N-1 toothpaste- $2.99
Use $1.50 Colgate coupon= $1.49 (out of pocket)
Receive $2 Register Reward, resulting in .51 cent overage!





Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color (clearance)- $3.19
Use $2.00 manufacturer's coupon= $1.19
Use $2.00 Easy Saver coupon= .81 cent overage!
(I bought several of these for the Valentine's gifts for Lafayette House)





Excedrin 20-24 count- $3.99 BOGOfree
Use 2 $2 manufacturer's coupons= .01 cent overage!





Dove deodorant- $1.99 (with ad coupon), buy 2, = $3.98
Use $1.50/2 manufacturer's coupon= $2.48/2
$1.24 each





Reynolds Foil- .89 cents (with ad coupon)
Use $1/1 manufacturer's coupon= .11 cent overage





And that's just about it for me! I plan on stopping by Walgreen's this evening, or maybe fit it into tomorrow's schedule, but all in all, I'm not just dying to get to the store for this week's sales. But! This is the last week for the January Easy Saver catalog, so I am thinking I should take advantage of the "Free After Rebate" items for the month. By purchasing them at the end of the month, I don't have to wait so long to get my money back! I dunno....it's just so hard for me to pass up free products.........

New coupon links

Here are some links to some pretty good coupons I've recently found online and wanted to share. As always, if you have any others you'd like to pass along, please do- and I'll add them to the next post.



I print using FireFox...if you use another browser and cannot get any of these links to work for you, let me know and I'll revise the link for you and send it via email.



Also, I have THE Colgate toothpaste coupon ($1.50 off/expires 2010) saved to my computer- if you want or need it, comment or send an email- and I'll get it to you. This week at Walgreen's is a perfect time to use it for FREE toothpaste!

1. $3 coupon for any Purina product- good for dog or cat food. Great savings if you have pets! Click here.
2. Bayer Heart Advantage- $2 off- when you click here.
   
3. $2/2 Johnson's Baby products- anyone need Buddy Bars? (The little soaps in the no-slip mesh for tiny hands.) They are .97 cents @ Wal-Mart. 2 FREE with this coupon!
4. Excedrin Migraine- $2 off- works on all varieties of Excedrin- print here. These are BOGO free this week at Walgreens- ($3.99) Use 2 coupons, take home 2 free bottles.
5. $3/3 Johnson & Johnson products- I've been using these to buy the tiny first aid kits available in the trial section at Target, which are .99 cents each- one coupon gets you 3 of these free. Of course, the coupon can be used on ANY 3 Johnson's products though. Get it by clicking here.
6. Kashi Vive cereal- $1 coupon here and Kashi Granola cereal- $1 coupon here.

Hope this helps some of you snag some great deals this week- and in weeks to come!

CONGRATS to our winner- Elizabeth!

The winner of the Valentine's Day Giveaway is comment #39- Elizabeth! Congratulations!


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39


Timestamp: 2009-01-24 18:38:44 UTC


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Be sure to "stay tuned" for future contests and giveaways- and send me an email if you'd like to be included in all blog updates!



I appreciate each and every one of those of you who submitted your ideas and opinions... in my opinion, our first giveaway was a roaring success! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.



- Jodie

We're home!

Finally! It was beginning to look like we were going to have another night of peaceful slumber and royal treatment (haha) in luxurious (another haha) room 223 at Freeman Hospital...but alas, BJ was dismissed, now we're back to "slumming it" at home! : ) And boy did it feel good to walk through our front door!



Is it wrong of me to be ITCHING to make a Walgreen's run?! I've got coupons burning a hole in my pocket! I've only told one other person (Nicki, my sister-in-law- my confidant) a little story that I will now go public with....just to let you know what a Wags addict I've become...



Not knowing what to fully expect, and basically having to fly by the seat of our pants when BJ was taken to the hospital 2 nights ago, I didn't do a very good job of throwing things together in a suitcase. Yesterday, when we were informed he was in need of an angiogram we thought it would be good if he'd jump in the shower at the hospital....since he didn't know when it would be that he'd have the opportunity to shower next. SO...I was helping to gather up all of the things he'd need before, during and after the shower and realized (bad wife!) that I'd forgotten to pack underwear!! Does anyone see where this is going yet?

BJ- getting ready for shower... had to keep IV site dry

Proud to be bio-hazardous!

To invoke a mood of calm, I quickly said, "Okay, don't worry about it...you just shave and get your shower, and while you're doing that, I'll go buy you some new undies. You'll be finished before I get back, but you can go 'commando' for a few minutes." BJ agreed that was a good plan, so off I went. My first thought was Wal-Mart, but I quickly realized Walgreen's was closer. Surely they had men's underwear, right?! Wrong.



But while I was there, I couldn't HELP but look at the clearance end-cap to see if there was anything I couldn't live without....besides, an unknown force was pulling me back there. When I rounded the corner, a golden light was eminating from the bottom shelf (mysteriously, this light was evident only to me- all other shoppers were oblivious to it) and behold! Clearanced Sunsilk styling products! Eight glorious bottles of Waves of Envy! I didn't have a SINGLE coupon with me. They were $1.19 a piece...



The little angel on my right shoulder was whispering in my ear, "Go, Jodie, Go! Run from the store! Your man is waiting for his boxer-briefs!" But the devil perched on my left shoulder was shouting, "GRAB 'EM, YOU IDIOT! IF YOU DON'T, SOMEBODY ELSE WILL! YOU HAVE TIME- JUST DO IT!" The devil won. I snatched up the Sunsilk and scurried off to the register. Total was $10.36. Got a register reward for $10. Yippee!



When I got out to the car, I remembered there was a Dollar General just a few blocks away- ran in, grabbed the underwear, and rushed back to the hospital where BJ was waiting for me- watching TV in the adjust-o-matic bed. All was well. I didn't tell him of my latest quest....I didn't feel it was prudent at the time. In fact, I didn't think I was going to tell ANYBODY but Nicki... but what good is a blog about finding the bargains if I don't tell about ALL of the bargains I find- no matter the circumstances, right?!



Anyone ever heard of "SunsilkGuilt"? It's a side-effect of "WagsAddiction". It's a new sickness, a disease... treatment has yet to be discovered. BJ will surely be one of the first to be signing up his wife once test studies are underway.....

The Devil made me do it!

News

I just wanted to post a message- super quickly- to let everybody know that although I know I wrote that the Valentine's Day Contest would end today, I'm going to extend the deadline until tomorrow morning. Why?

Wednesday afternoon, BJ (my hubby) started having chest pains at work. After calling his cardiologist to find out what kind of pain/discomfort is worth worrying about and what's not, I was instructed to take him straight to our local hospital. After several hours of waiting, tests, labs, more waiting... they determined he really needed to be transported to Joplin to Freeman Heart Institute, where just 3 months ago he had a stent placement. I was not allowed to drive him to Freeman- he had to be taken by ambulance, which scared me to death. BJ was admitted to the hospital and monitored all night Wednesday. Thursday morning brought orders from the cardiologist for a new stress test.

The stress test was bothersome enough to BJ's doc that it was determined that there was a need for another angiogram....which was performed at 1pm yesterday. This time, the angiogram showed the need for yet another stent in BJ's right corornary artery, which Dr. Reinsvold revealed should PROBABLY have been "stented" when we were here the first time, but our insurance company said it didn't meet the blockage percentage requirements.... so now we're here for round two!

The good news is that the procedure went smoothly. As I sit here in the hospital room (thank goodness for laptops!) and glance over at my hubby, I am struck with the thought that I am a very blessed woman to have "dodged the bullet" once again. (If you recall from one of my early posts, the cardiologist told me back in September of last year that he placed the original stent in what is commonly known as The Widow Maker.) Even though I'd rather be home and preparing to announce the winner of our great little contest- I thank God instead that BJ is going to be okay.

We have been waiting all day for the doctor to make his rounds- and it's now 1:25pm. We've been told BJ should be released today, but it's getting later and later.....I'm sure it will happen, so we're trying to be patient.

So, if you still have any great ideas for the gifts to the Lafayette House, go ahead and submit your entries! The official cut-off for entries will be 10:00 am Saturday January 24, 2009. At that time, I will submit all entries into an online "random" selector which will determine our winner. As soon as that is completed, I will post the name of the winner here on the blog.

I want to thank everybody once again for participating in the contest. You've all made such a difference in what WOULD have been and what WILL be given to the ladies at Lafayette. I appreciate you all.

Jodie

Eye Drops & Chocolate-Covered Macadamia Nuts

I read lots of blogs and browse through several different couponing websites, and recently came across postings of a couple of excellent bargains that I wanted to bring your attention to.

If you're out and about picking up this week's best deals, check your shelves for these tasty little morsels.......




Mauna Loa Milk Chocolate Macadamias are regularly priced in my store at $3.69 per bag. This week, they're on sale for 2 bags for $4.....BUT- there is a coupon for these in the January Easy Saver booklet for $3 off 2 bags! Do the math.....they're .50 cents per bag this week- a steal! I bought 2 bags this evening. Now we're down to 1 bag. (BJ already found 'em!) I'll be looking for more, but I know I'll have to hide them as soon as I bring them in the house. BJ says they're delicious- I wouldn't know....the bag was devoured before I knew it!



I also found Soothe (by Bausch & Lomb) Lubricating Eye Drops on clearance today at my store for $2.79. The regular price was somewhere in the neighborhood of $12. We have $3 coupons for these and they work like a charm! FREE! I brought home 2 boxes and still have some coupons so I'll be looking for more of these at other stores. What I really like about them is that in each box there are 28 sterile single-use (disposable) tubes of drops. These will be so handy to have a few in my purse, make-up bag, etc., for use on-the-go. Seems my eyes are always dry and I've heard wonderful reviews about this product, so I'm glad to have found them. Here's a closer look at the box...

Sunday trip to Walgreen's

Funny how a sale on peanut butter and spaghetti sauce can work me up into a little "tizzy"! Normally I don't start shopping from the new Walgreen's ad until Monday, but I was afraid if I didn't get there today the shelves would be empty. Once I arrived and began pushing my little buggy around the store, I quickly realized my fears were real! I'm guessing some of my fellow Savvy Shoppers made it to the store before I did!

There are several other items I'll be working on over the next several days, but for now I'm perfectly content to have brought home what I did today.

What a great week for Register Rewards!

The breakdown of today's shopping is as follows:

$183.60- Value of all items, based on sale prices
$15.20- Amount of $$ I spent out of pocket
$36.00- Amount of Register Rewards I earned and have left to use on future purchases
92% savings

And here's what I brought home:

Only 7 of these 12-packs were purchased today

2 bags Mauna Loa Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
10 jars of Skippy peanut butter
7 12-packs of Pepsi products
4 jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce
2 bags of Doritos
2 bags of Tostitos
4 jars of Tostitos Queso
8 double-packs of low-dose Bayer aspirin
2 boxes of Soothe eye drops
4 boxes of Alka-Seltzer cold meds (various types)
2 Oral-B toothbrushes (rain check)
1 Vicks "plug-in" 8-hour vaporizer
1 Vicks box vaporizer refill pads
1 package Garnier make-up removal/cleansing face wipes
3 packages Walgreen's make-up removal/cleansing face wipes

A closer look...

Here's hoping your shopping this week is wonderful! Be sure to post your great "finds"!

Walgreen's Ad- January 18 - 24th (My thoughts)

Here's a list of the items I have my eye on for this upcoming week's sales at Walgreen's! It's hard to tell how everything will play out to the penny until I get to the store and actually "get my hands dirty", but at least you'll know the highlights and can start formulating YOUR plan for next week! Here goes...

Bayer Aspirin- $2.50 ea (and these are double (or twin) packs)
Buy 8- $20.00. Use 8 $1.00 coupons (found in 1/4 newspaper inserts)- $12.00
Receive $10.00 Register Reward at the end of the transaction.
So, it'll be like spending $2.00 for 8 double boxes of aspirin when it's all said & done!


Tylenol Allergy, Cold or Sinus- 2/$10.00
(This scenario is only valid if I'm correct in my thinking that the Children's variety is included in the sale....if it's not, then we'll scrap this idea....)
Use the coupon from the Children's Activity Booklet which will take off $2.00, bringing the total to 2/$8
Use 2 $2 manufacturer's coupons- subtracting $4- new total is 2/$6.
Receive a $3 Register Reward, making the total 2/$3


Maybelline cosmetics will be BOGOFree (be sure to use your coupons- I think there may be new ones in Sunday's papers...and look at the clearance section! I'm seeing some more free make-up in my future!)


Kleenex- .99 cents (with ad coupon) I know we have coupons for Kleenex- but I gave all of mine to my sister-in-law, so I don't remember the value!


Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars- 2/$5...but I believe we'll be getting some $1/2 coupons this Sunday, which will make these $2 per box. I still prefer FREE, but if you need 'em....


This one's exciting to me....
Skippy Peanut Butter and/or Ragu Spaghetti Sauce- $1.99 each BUT! if you buy 8, you receive a $10 Register Reward, so....


Skippy x 8 - $15.92
Use 8 .40 cent Skippy coupons, subtracting $3.20
New total- $12.72
Receive $10 RR
Pay $2.72 for 8 jars of peanut butter! I've NEVER seen peanut butter THAT cheap! Stock up! That's .34 cents each!


Ragu x 9 - $17.91
Use 3 $1/3 coupons, subtracting $3.00
New total - $14.91
Receive $10 Register Reward
Pay $4.91 for 9 jars of Ragu!
.54 cents each for Ragu?


Biore' Skin Care products- BOGO 50% off


Kotex products- 2/$6
Use 2 $1 coupons- 2/$4
Receive $1 Register Reward, new total 2/$3


Downey- $3.99
There WERE some coupons for $1 off Downey, but I used all mine (sniffle, sob)
Which would make Downey $2.99 this week.
To me, this is a great price as I've tried being thrifty on fabric softener and found it's just not worth it to buy the cheap stuff. This is one thing I'll spend the money on with or without a coupon...and a bold statement like that is RARE for me these days!!


Dixie Paper Plates/Bowls- $1.99
I KNOW I have coupons for these, but for the life of me I can't find them. Unless Ralph (bad kitty!) ate them, they'll turn up, but until then I can't tell you how cheap these will be...


Folger's coffee- $2.99 Use .50 cent coupons- $2.49 for 11.3 oz.


Ziploc bags- 2/$5...I have coupons for $1 off, use 2- final price- 2/$3


Campbell's Chunky Soup- 2/$3 (in-ad coupon)
Healthy Choice Soup- 3/$5
(I'd be interested to know what scenarios you come up with for these soup sales... there are so many soup coupons out right now, I'm having a hard time figuring out which to use!!)


Dawn dish liquid- .99 cents (with ad-coupon). If you still have any of the .50 cent coupons that came out a few weeks ago, these will be .49 cents each.


Doritos/Tostitos/Tostitos Queso Dip- 2/$5 (No coupons as far as I know... keeping my fingers crossed for some this weekend....)


Robitussin- $3.99 I think there will still be overlapping register reward deals on the Robi this week. Earn a $5 RR when you spend $10; Earn a $10 RR when you spend $20...so the potential for $15 RR exists if you buy 6 Robitussin and THEN use your coupons. Lucky you if you still have the $3 coupon that hasn't expired.


Huggie's diapers: $9.99 for jumbo package
Use $1 coupon in activity booklet
Use $1.50 manufacturer's coupon
New total- $7.49
Receive $1 Register Reward
$6.49- jumbo pack
(Note: I emailed the Kimberly-Clark corporation and requested some coupons, and they emailed me some $3.00 printables. If you can do this, the packages should come to $4.99 per package.)


Let me know if you have any great deals planned that I've overlooked! I'd love to know what you're scenarios are for this week!

Update on contest

You guys are so awesome! I just wanted to thank you all so much for the great suggestions you've made for the gifts for the ladies at Lafayette House for Valentine's Day. I have already received so many outstanding ideas- over 50 entries are in for the drawing so far!


If we reach 100 entries, I'll add more to the give-away to make the prize a little bit sweeter! So, in addition to the 7 Yes To Carrots items you're already playing for, I'll throw in a Yes To Carrots Facial Cleanser! So let's see if we can reach 100- keep up the great work, my friends!

Sparkling bathrooms galore!

If there's one thing I can say about learning how to "hardcore coupon", it's that there should never be any reason or excuse to have a dirty bathroom for as long as I live! The SC Johnson company has been oh-so-generous with their coupons as of late, and yesterday I decided to take advantage of said coupons and match them with the coordinating sales at Walgreen's. Here's what I brought home:


I separated this out into 4 transactions at the register and the totals look like this:

Total spent out of pocket: $7.50 (pd. w/ gift card from December Easy Saver Rebate)
Total Register Rewards Earned: $20.00
Total earned toward January Easy Saver Rebate: $10.00
Total Savings: $114.01
Total applied to "W" Card: $2.40

So when all is said and done, I still have a $10 Register Reward (from Pepsi) in my wallet, have the $2.40 to use on future transactions, and will have $10 coming back to me at the end of the month in rebates! The $7.50 out-of-pocket was taken from my gift card- so NO CASH was used! I like shopping trips like this! Here's the merchandise list:

7 12-packs of Pepsi Products
2 4-packs Walgreen's light bulbs
4 Revlon Shiny Shimmer Lip Gloss (for V-Day bags)
2 Revlon Cuticle Trimmers (for V-Day bags)
4 Colgate Toothpaste (for V-Day bags)
2 Wal-Born
2 Walgreen's version of Mucinex
1 bottle of Walgreen's Nighttime Cough/Cold
2 Dark & Lovely Hair Color (for V-Day bags)
2 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaners w/bleach
2 Tubs of Lysol Wipes
2 cans of Scrubbing Bubbles
4 bottles of Fantastik
2 Glade Freshening Sprays

The Pepsi products are $3 per 12-pack this week. The advertised sale is: buy 5 @ $3 ($15), get a $5 register reward, so final result is 5/$10. If you buy 7 instead of 5 to bump your total up to at least $20, you get a $10 register reward. Throw in 7 $1 off coupons, you end up with 94 cans of pop for around $4! I plan on doing this again (at least a couple of times!) before the sale ends- IF there is enough stock in which to choose from. The bad thing is, I don't even drink any of the varieties I brought home...but they'll be great for BJ's lunchbox or for when we have company.

Today's plan: Another Walgreen's trip- even though I have sworn I'd never step foot in the Webb City, Mo store again....today I must. I'm returning some make-up that didn't ring up correctly last week. So I might as well grab a bargain or two while I'm in there, right? After that, I'm off to Dillon's grocery to see what kind of damage I can do with their 10/$10 sale!

I would love to hear what you're shopping for this week! Please share your great bargains by leaving a comment on this post.

Valentine's Day Contest/Giveaway!

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, as long as ever you can." - John Wesley

VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST
(Rules posted below)

THE PRIZE
Who would like to get their hands on this?! If you haven't yet had the opportunity to try the Yes To Carrots line, here's your chance! The products are wonderful- and so good for your skin, too! The winner will receive: Yes To Carrots Shampoo, Shower Gel, Body Butter, Body Mist, Body Lotion, 3-pack Lip Balm, and a travel pack in a zippered pouch. Approximate retail value- $60.00! You'll LOVE it!



THE DETAILS

Two weeks ago, I had a nice long chat with the person in charge of donations (Amy) for The Lafayette House in Joplin. For those of you unfamiliar, the Lafayette House is a shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence. Often the residents arrive with only the clothes on their back, having no time to even pack a suitcase.


BJ and I had an idea: since I was accumulating a LOT of really nice (and free!) make-up and nail polish, maybe it would be good to make some little "goodie bags" for the ladies at Lafayette for Valentine's Day. Amy agreed and gave us the thumbs-up- so it's a go!


This is where I need your help.....I could use some suggestions from my readers on what items you think would be nice in these goodie bags. As of now, they each will contain a nail polish, a lipstick or lip gloss, a tube of mascara, a small hand lotion, a box of Russell Stover chocolates (Christmas clearance, but they are wrapped in red paper, so still great for V-day!) and some Garnier shampoo and conditioner.


According to Amy, the shelter averages around 23 women at any given time, but the actual number varies daily...so I'm planning on making 30 bags just to be sure to have enough. I will also need to have something put together for the children who may be there with their mothers- so I'm planning on 15-20 bags suitable for kids. (I have not yet purchased bags, as I'm not sure of the size we'll need. One thought I have is to simply cut cardboard for a "base" to put the items on and use clear cellophane to wrap around and gather at the top with ribbon. If we do this, I'm very flexible on the size of items used.)


I am needing ideas for either free or very low-cost items...something you've seen while out shopping, something we have a great coupon for that would be appropriate, etc. Remember, I need ideas for the ladies as well as their children!


Anyone interested in participating? Here's how it's going to work:

THE RULES

1. Contest is open to everyone!

2. Submission dates are 1/13/09 through 1/23/09

3. For every new and unique idea you submit, your name will be placed in a drawing- the more fresh ideas you have, the better chance you have of winning! Be sure to read all comments so submissions aren't duplicated. Enter as often as you wish!

4. Submissions/ideas MUST be made by commenting to this post via the blog, that way all entries will be viewable by all participants. (Please note: If you use Vista and find you are unable to submit your entry, you may email me at: polyesterprincess@suddenlink.net and I will post it for you.)

5. The winner will be announced on 1/24/09. If the winner is local, we will make arrangements for you to receive your prize. If the winner is one of my out-of-town/state readers, I'll mail your prize to you on 1/26/09!

6. Remember! If I don't know you, and you don't put a name and email address with your entries, there will be no way I can award the prize to you! Now is not the time to be anonymous!

Let's make this fun and play nice! It's for a good cause, and many people will thank you for your help!

Excuses, excuses.....

Trying to come up with the best excuse for my long blogging-absence is more difficult than I thought it would be! I think it happens to most everyone at some point in time... things are coasting along just fine and then a few busy days hit you square in the face, and then the guilt sets in..."I haven't blogged...must write a blog...find the time to blog...don't want to blog..." and before you know it more days go by and more events from "life" slam you against the proverbial brick wall. When enough time passes, you begin to think it's too late to go back and start again- that you've now become the "fickle blogger" that doesn't post regularly and drops off the face of the blogosphere for long periods of time.


Always taught that "Honesty is the Best Policy", I've decided to come clean! Several factors contributed to my disappearance...


1. After "The Great Diaper Week", shopping was somewhat bleak for a few weeks- not much to report!


2. I made a new friend- her name is Sciatic Nerve. I'm not sure how she found me, but she's the type of friend that just showed up one fateful day and has attached herself to my hip. She's rather annoying and has now overstayed her welcome. I can't even sit down at the computer without her nagging me! I've politely asked her to just go away and leave me alone, but she has thus-far refused my requests. I guess the time has come for me to be rude and lay down the law. (Official notice to Ms. Nerve: "You're such a pain in the ass- go away and give me my life back!" hahaha- get it? Pain in the...okay, okay.)


3. BJ's hours were drastically cut at work WITH NO NOTICE just a few weeks before Christmas, and of course that hit us hard. I found myself really depressed and feeling somewhat hopeless. Blogging became the last thing on my mind. Things now seem to be resuming to a state of normalcy, so I'm hoping the financial gloominess continues to dissipate.


4. We had a steady stream of visiting guests for what seemed like weeks over Christmas! Just as one wave went home, another wave came knocking at the door! Don't take that the wrong way... I LOVE having family and friends here, but it does get chaotic at times.


5. Pure laziness. Yep, it happens to the best of us- I cannot lie!


So, here I am- on my knees- trying to redeem myself to you, my loyal and faithful reader. I shall make no promises indicating there will never be a future unexplained hiatus, as I have no crystal ball- BUT, I'll do my best to post regularly again! Let's see how much money we can save in 2009!

One last time- diapers.

Leave a comment- we ALL want to know how many packages of diapers you took home from Walgreen's during last week's sale. How many did your friends and family add to their stockpile? It'll be fun to know how everyone saved!

I'll go first, so don't be shy! Let us see how you did!

Coupon links- some good ones!

If you've already printed off coupons from these sites, odds are you won't be able to print off more for a while- companies tend to "reset" their coupons monthly. Most will require a very short registration in order to get to the coupon, but that's not bad, because next month when you go in to get more, you'll just have to log in. I use the same log in and password information for ALL of them, that way I won't forget!

Are any of you able to print off coupons from SmartSource? For some reason, no matter what I try, I can't do it.

Here you go!

Get $30 in coupons from Right@Home. These are great-wish I could get more! Ex. of products: scrubbing bubbles, shout, windex, pledge....

Here's one for $1 off V-8 Fusion

Save $2 on 2 boxes of Kellogg's cereal (selected varieties) here.

Carnation Instant Breakfast is offering a $2 coupon- limit 2

Save $1.50 on any Spice Islands spice

Are you gellin'? Save $2.00 On Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles

I was quick to print this one off! Midol- Save $2- ya never know!

Save $1.00 on Pert Plus Shampoo here.

Click on this link for a booklet of coupons from Proctor & Gamble cleaning products- for over $27 in savings. (Booklet will be mailed)

Ziploc BOGO coupon- found here.

Save $2 on Excedrin Express Gels by going here.

If you're going to be near Target....

Do you have a bunch of GLADE coupons that you wondered how to use? Now through 12/15 Target is running a special on the Glade Holiday Collection- from what I understand, if you buy 4 of the following items, you receive a $5 Target Gift Card. With the right coupons, this is a money maker for you! Let's hope Target keeps their shelves stocked so we can all run out and use those coupons! We should have plenty of time between now and 12/15...and our houses should smell so good! :)

Glade Scented Oil Candles
Glade Scented Oil Refills
Glade Jar Candles
Glade Plug-in Oil Refills
Glade Wisp Flameless Candles

Just a few notes/observations to help you figure this one out:

If you have purchased any of the scented oil candles/refills/wisp in the recent past during the Walgreen's sales, check your packages...I'm hearing there are coupons inside.

You can find coupons for some of these products on coupons.com and the Glade website.

The November issue of All You (found at check-out stands at WalMart with lots of coupons inside) has $2 off Scented Oil Holder

The free $5 Gift Card only applies to the Holiday Collection scents.

Although Febreze Holiday scents may be right next to the Glade, they don't work to get the gift card.

There are no signs advertising this.

If you're unsure if the item you're interested in buying qualifies for the gift card, scan it using one of the self-scanners. If it qualifies, it should say "gift card eligible". Or if in doubt, ask an associate.

Only 1 gift card per transaction. If you are trying to buy several sets of these, have them rung up in multiple transactions.

Look for items priced $2.50 and in these scents: Apple Cinnamon, Glistening Snow, Evergreen. Other scents may not work- let us know if they work for you!

You can roll one Target gift card into the next purchase. Not like Walgreen's where you have to bounce between deals due to manufacturer.

Here's how it worked out for me:

I bought 4 jar candles (glistening snow) @ 2.50 ea.- $10.00
I used 4 $2.00 coupons- $8.00 off
Paid $2.00
Received a $5.00 gift card.

I also had BOGO free coupons printed from glade.com. When I have more time, I'll go back and use those along with my $5.00 gift card to pay my out-of-pocket.

Not too shabby...I have nice-smellin' stuff for the house that Target PAID me $3.00 to take off their hands.

Just think! Do this enough times at $3 profit- buy a Christmas present with the extra cash you've made!

Fillers- like it or lump it! That's just the way it is.

Good morning! I received lots of email yesterday about the use of "fillers" by those of you who are anxious to hit the stores and need to know just why in the world I needed to throw purse packs of kleenex in with my purchases! Let me explain.

Coupon usage, although we consider it a beautiful thing, is actually quite complex! All stores in all chains (Walgreen's, Target, CVS, K-Mart, WalMart, etc.)have their registers set up to accept ONE manufacturer's coupon for EACH item purchased. If you exceed one coupon per item, the register goes completely haywire and begins to spit, sputter and in most cases, start beeping at you like a rabid beast.

If the one coupon per item rule was as simple as it seems, life for all would be far-less complicated.....albeit not nearly as fun (for those of us who are seeking super-cheap or free products!). The exceptions to this rule are Walgreen's and Target....especially Walgreen's.

As you know, Walgreen's puts out all sorts of their own STORE coupons (Target does too, just not as many as Wags) that seem to be hidden throughout the store. It's almost like a treasure hunt sometimes- finding coupons hidden in the pharmacy area, at the cosmetics counter, tear-off pads, etc. Sometimes Walgreen's issues coupons found in the Sunday newspaper inserts that are marked "to be used exclusively at Walgreen's"- which is considered a STORE coupon- one of their own. Of course, they also have coupons in the weekly circular and Easy Saver booklet, too.

Walgreen's rule about using manufacturer's coupons along with their own store-issued coupons is: you can use ONE manufacturer's coupon per item, and as many of their different store coupons as apply to the item being purchased as long as the store coupons have differing bar codes. For example: you might find Tylenol cough and cold on sale in their weekly ad for $4.99. Say you have a manufacturer's coupon for Tylenol cough and cold for $1.00 off. Of course, that can be used. But then you notice there's an Easy Saver coupon for $1.00 off Tylenol cough and cold. That can be used in conjunction with your manufacturer-issued coupon. So now you have 2 coupons to use on the one product. Additionally, you discover ANOTHER coupon for $1.50 off any Tylenol product back at the pharmacy department in one of Walgreen's fliers. You can use that one, too! Yes, you can use all three (1 manufacturer's coupon and BOTH store coupons) for a total coupon discount of $3.50 off of the price of $4.99. By knowing about all of the secret coupon sources, you can save big!

But what does this do to the cash register that's programmed to accept one coupon per item purchased? In Walgreen's case, (Target, too) nothing. The cash registers recognize their own coupons, take off the discount and don't freak out when multiples are used. That's why you're able to use coupons out of their booklets and keep them to use again and again- the registers recognize them as their own store discount.

At this point, just to summarize, we know that an unlimited amount of store coupons can be used along with 1 manufacturer's coupon, right? Read on.

Using the Tylenol example above, let's say you have a sick child at home, you're in a hurry, you left supper in the oven and you're husband is cranky about having to watch the kids for 10 minutes while you run to grab some medicine for the night. You're not there to browse around the store sniffing out the bargains. You need Tylenol, you needed it an hour ago, so you grab it and head to the register. Now we all know that once this couponing business gets in your blood, it's hard to ignore the fact that you've got that $1 coupon in your purse! No matter how rushed you are, you still want to get the product as cheaply as possible, right? Being the savvy shopper you are, you also know you can save extra cash by pointing out the coupon in the ES booklet, which you do- and you've saved even more. So, after all of your store coupons and your 1 manufacturer's coupon have been used- you remember you have that $2.00 Register Reward left over from buying Kellogg's cereal the day before. You think, "Hey, well, now's just as good as any other time to use it!" So you hand it over to the cashier. Guess what?! The register is going to beep.

How do I know the register is going to beep? You're buying 1 item. You're using 1 manufacturer's coupon. You're using 1 or 2 store coupons. The store coupons don't count toward your item/coupon ratio- you could use 50 store coupons (if they had 50 different barcodes!) and it wouldn't count against the item/coupon ratio. But your register reward DOES count.

Any time you use a register reward to pay toward your purchase, you must keep in mind that it is counted by the cash register as a manufacturer's coupon!!! Just look at one- it will say something like, "Compliment's of Dr. Pepper" or something like that- and along the top, it will read, "manufacturer's coupon". So, you'll have to throw something tiny on the counter to add to your item count. I don't care if that item costs a penny! The cash register will now recognize that you are purchasing 2 items and using 2 manufacturer's coupons. All will be right. The register won't start to blow steam, hiss, or eventually blow up.

So, the key point to remember is you can't have more manufacturer's coupons than the number of items you're buying. If you're like me (remember yesterday's post and the sample shopping scenario with rolling the register rewards?) this situation will happen often- using a RR to pay for another purchase, but the items ALL have a manufacturer's coupon applied....just make sure you add a super cheap "filler" to tell the register that everything is okay.

One more thing...Walgreen's doesn't give cash back if you're using a RR worth more than your total purchase. Be sure to pay with the lowest value RR possible to keep your out-of-pocket expense as close to $0 as you can.

I hope this helps clear up the "filler" mystery! Feel free to ask any questions that you come up with!

This week at Wags

Anyone but me finding Walgreen's shopping a bit dreary recently? Where are all of the great register rewards finds? If Walgreen's is changing their marketing strategy, let me be the first to say, "Boo! Hiss! Bad idea!" It was recently reported that Walgreen's third quarter earnings were up- and company execs credited coupon-ers and bargain shoppers for the higher-than-expected numbers. Note to Walgreen's: Don't start gettin' stingy with us....we'll find our deals somewhere else! Even if I have to make a weekly trip to Springfield to "play around" in CVS stores all day!

(Okay, I just slapped myself! Time to shake this funky attitude I seem to have today. Now I'm trying to be optimistic and thankful for the specials they DO have this week, although there aren't a lot of "gotta run out this second and grab it before they're gone" offerings. Darn it. **another slap/other cheek!** I'm better now.)

Here's my list for this week:

Jif Peanut Butter- sale 3 for $5.00
Buy 6 for $10.00
Use 3 $1.00 off 2 jars (-$3.00)
New price- $7.00 for 6 jars of Jif.

Coffee Mate Creamer (liquid) - sale $2.49 (BOGOfree)
Use 2 .55 cent coupons (-$1.10)
New price- $1.39 for 2 bottles of creamer.

Quaker Oats (cooking oats, not instant)- sale $2.79 (BOGOfree)
Use 2 $1.00 coupons (-$2.00)
Use IVC (coupon from ad to get sale price)
New price- .79 cents for 2.

Progresso Soup- sale 4 cans for $5.00
Buy 2 @ $2.50
Use IVC (coupon from ad to get sale price)
Use 2 $1.10 coupons (printed) (-$2.20)
New price- .30 for 2 cans of soup
*if you don't have the link to this printable, email me or leave a comment- I'll get it to you. You are allowed to print 2 per computer.*

Clabber Girl Corn Starch and/or Baking Powder- sale 2/$1.00
Use IVC (coupon from ad to get sale price)
Use .50 cent coupon for each (-$1.00)
New price- Free!

Kellogg's Cereal (Raisin Bran, Special K, Smart Start, Frosted Mini Wheats)
Sale- 4 boxes for $10.00...gives a $2.00 Register Reward
Buy 4 boxes @ $10.00
Use 4 $1.00 coupons for various qualifying cereals (-$4.00)
New price- 4 boxes for $6.00
Receive RR- $2.00
In the end, 4 boxes of cereal for $4.00 or $1.00 each!

Kleenex Tissues- sale $2.19 (BOGOfree)
Buy 2 @ $2.19
Use 2 .40 cent coupons (-.80 cents)
New price- $1.39/2 boxes

Glade Freshening Spray- sale .99 cents
Buy 2 @ $1.98
Use IVC (ad coupon to get sale price)
Use BOGOfree coupon (-.99cents off)
New price- .99 cents/2 bottles

SoftSoap Bodywash- sale $3.99 ea. receive $4.00 RR when you buy 2
Buy 2 @ $7.98
Use 2 $1.00 internet coupons (-$2.00)
New price $5.98
Receive $4.00 Register Reward
In the end, pay $1.98 for 2 bottles

Colgate Toothpaste- sale $2.49
Use Easy Saver coupon- $1.00 off
Use manufacturer's coupon for $1.50 off
New price- +. 01 overage/free!

Venus Intuition Razors (Only if you got in on the VocalPoint survey a while back)
Sale- $6.99
Use Easy Saver coupon ($-3.00)
Use $4.00 off coupon from VocalPoint (-$4.00)
New price- +.01 overage/free!
*If you would like information on VocalPoint, let me know! They keep sending me all kinds of free stuff- (really good stuff!) and lots of high value coupons!)*

Kotex products- sale 2/$6.00
Use $1.00 Easy Saver coupon
Use 2 $1.00 manufacturer coupons
New price- 2/$3.00

Sudafed PE 10-24 count or Sudacare 3 pack shower soothers- sale $3.99 ea.
Buy 3, get $5 RR
Buy 3 at $3.99- $11.97
Use 3 $1.50 coupons (-$4.50)
New price- $7.47
Receive $5 register reward
End up paying $2.47/3 products

To roll the register rewards from one product to another, I will probably do this:
(Remember, you can't use your RR from say, SoftSoap to buy more SoftSoap or else the register won't print off another RR. You need to alternate between products with differing manufacturer's for this to work right!)

Upon arriving at Walgreen's, I'll grab my buggy and locate the following: (by the way, I have lots of other items listed above that I will be purchasing during this week. If you're just starting this, don't confuse yourself and try to buy it all at once! Break it down in small transactions like I'm about to illustrate.)

Locate in the store: 2 bottles of SoftSoap, 3 boxes of Sudafed, and 4 boxes of Kellogg's cereal. I'm going to be doing 3 different transactions. Before going to the register, find a cheap "filler" item, such as a purse-size pack of kleenex, a single pencil- something super cheap that you're not using a coupon for! You will need one for a couple of the transactions below. I will be doing a "lesson" on fillers in an upcoming blog very soon. Until then, just trust me. This item can range from a value of a penny to whatever, but obviously, the cheaper the better. It can be a .15 cent pack of kleenex or a box of jello- something you will put to use later- just make sure it's cheap! Again, you need 2. I'll get the kleenex.

First place the SoftSoap on the counter
After using coupons my total will be $5.98 plus tax. I will have to pay this out of pocket. But I will receive a $4 RR at the end of the transaction. I will then use the $4 RR on......

In my basket, I will have 3 boxes of Sudafed ready for my next transaction. I'll place these on the counter along with a "filler"....my little pack of kleenex for .15 cents. I'll use my coupons and the total will be somewhere around $7.62 for the 3 boxes. Then I'll hand over the $4 RR I received from the SoftSoap. The register will deduct that $4 and my new total out of pocket will be $3.62 for the 3 boxes of sudafed and my kleenex. I will receive a new register reward of $5.00 at the end of this transaction.

Then, I'll put the cereal on the counter and my "filler" (kleenex) for the 3rd transaction. I'll use my coupons and my total will be $6.15. I will then hand over the $5 RR from the Sudafed, and my balance will be $1.15 for 4 boxes of cereal and a package of kleenex. I'll pay the $1.15 out of pocket, but then receive another register reward for $2 to use next time.

So, all in all: I'm leaving the store with 2 softsoap, 3 sudafed, 4 boxes of cereal and 2 packs of kleenex for my purse. My total out of pocket will be around $10.75, but don't forget about the $2.00 RR I still have from the cereal.....so it makes it a new total of $8.75 for all.

Email me with questions! Gotta go start cooking a roast in my crockpot!