Meal Plan Monday

Happy Memorial Day - remember freedom is never free, so find a soldier/verteran and thank him/her today!

Monday: Cookout with family (I have to take baked beans and a snack food)

Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie + Dinner Rolls

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken + Mac and Cheese + Frozen Veggies

Thursday: Tball game; eat fast (Leftovers?)

Friday: Roast Beef/Gravy + Potatoes + Carrots

Saturday: Grad party in afternoon; Pizza + Dessert (Brownies with Ice Cream?)

Sunday: Steaks on Grill + Grilled Zucchini and other Veggies

Breakfasts: Cereal, Breakfast Bars, Eggs, Bagels, Waffles

Lunches: Leftovers, Tuna Sandwiches, PB&J

Mail

My free Neti Pot came in the mail today. I received this offer by becoming a fan on Facebook. Now, to try it out!

Always be on the lookout for freebies and coupons from your favorite companies via Facebook and Twitter. You just never know what will come in your mailbox!

A few good WalMart deals

Here are a few good WalMart deals that I found today that I thought were worthy of passing along:

Carefree pantiliners 1.00 (1 MQ) = FREE

Reach Floss .97 (1 MQ) = .03 overage

Johnson's Buddies Shampoo - Clearanced to 1.50 (1 MQ) = .50

Johnson's Buddies Soap .97 (1 MQ) = .03 overage

Elmo Bubble Bath - Clearanced to 1.00 (no coupon for this one)



You really can find a good deal in WalMart, if you just take the time to look! :)

2 Littlest Pet Shop for FREE

Go HERE to see how you can get 2 Littlest Pet Shop toys for FREE at Toys R Us this week!

Thanks, Savings and Stewardship and Couponing to Disney for this deal!

Carnival Foods 3 Day Sale

Local readers: Carnival Foods is having a 3 day sale. It goes from Friday-Sunday. Here are some of the good buys that I see:

• 12 pk Dr Pepper - .99 (limit 2)

• Little Debbies .99 (limit 3)

• Kraft BBQ Sauce .68

• Breyer's Yogurt .29

• Powerade .49

• XL Eggs .78/dozen

• Shearer's Potato Chips .99

Thanks to my friend, Melissa, for the heads up on this sale - I would have missed it!!!

My Garden

In my garden, I already have coming up:

Strawberries
Lettuce
Spinach
Cilantro

I have planted:

Chives
Parsley
Basil
Yellow Squash (which are looking quite hearty)

Hopefully this weekend I will plant:

12 Tomato Plants
4 Hungarian Wax pepper Plants
1 Extra Strawberry Plant
Green Beans

It will be a bountiful harvest this year!

Saturday Only Flip Flops $1

If you haven't seen the commercials yet, here is a deal for you! This Saturday, Old Navy is having a sale on flip-flops for $1/pair. I would suggest to get there early as there are usually long lines for events like these. And, also, be prepared that they will likely have a limit on how many you can buy (like 5). Have fun flipping and flopping!

No Meijer Ad

This week I didn't get a Meijer ad in my bag...so most of my shopping will be done at Kroger this week. They have fantastic prices on milk, blackberries, pepsi, and bologna.

I may head to Meijer though to participate in a Catalina promotion that I read about here. I {heart} finding new blogs. Cincinati Cents may be my new favorite!

FREE Neti Pot throughFacebook

NeilMed Neti Pot on Facebook is offering a FREE NetiPot today (one per household.) You have to answer a short quiz (super easy) and then fill in your contact info. They will send you a netipot + 2 saline packets. I've been wanting to try one of these forever!

FREE Suave Shampoo - first 100,000 on FB

Go to Facebook and become a fan of Suave Beauty and receive a coupon for a free bottle of shampoo or conditioner today only!

Free Book: Anxious for Nothing

Go HERE to request a FREE copy of the book Anxious for Nothing, by John MacArthur. Thanks, Savings & Stewardship, for the heads up on this one!

GET MOTIVATED MONDAY

My goal this week is to just plain old get motvated!

Still have vacation laundry to catch up on...

Want to start sorting for a garage sale...

Need to clean some paperwork and other junk off of my kitchen cabinets...

My challenge for you, find something to do, and just DO IT! (We are supposed to have a few nice rainy days this week to get some stuff accomplished.)

Meal Plan Monday

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Casserole + Chips and Pico de Gallo/Queso

Tuesday: OUT to eat for hubby's birthday

Wednesday: Scrambled eggs + Cheese, Sausage, Toast, Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Leftovers or Mac and Cheese (preschool gradution tonight)

Friday: Grilled chicken, Rice, Veggies

Saturday: Sloppy Joes + Chips + Applesauce

Sunday: Steaks on grill, Pasta salad, Veggies

Breakfasts: cereal, muffins, waffles

Lunches: sandwiches, hot dogs, tuna, buttery noodles

Happy Mother's Day

for some reason, I have Celine Dion's song "Because You Loved Me" in my head right now :)

seriously, for all of you who freely and lovingly:

• wipe noses and bottoms
• kiss and bandage boo-boos
• rock babies (and preschoolers) at all hours of the night and morning
• clip, sort, and use coupons to save money
• drive all over creation to get to the next "enrichment class"
• eat veggies that you don't even like to set a good example
• set rules and consequences
• pay allowance
• help with homework
• pretend that you are (fill in blank here) because they want you to for the day
• push people on swings who can pump their own legs
• watch endless Dinsey DVDs
• know which Barbie came with which outfit and reclothe them regularly
• make homemade bubbles/playdoh just for fun
• let your jewelry and shoes be borrowed for dress up
• teach your son how to dance
• dance around the house like a crazy person
• give raspberry kisses on bellies
• pretend you are (scared/suprised/unaware) even when you aren't
• go hoarse from reading 15 books in a row
• sacrifice your time, wardrobe, leg shaving, etc...
• pray for your babies until you can't think of anything else to pray about
• clean up once, twice, everyday... for the rest of your parenting life

you all get my drift - for everything that you do - and all the other hats that you wear...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! we have the best jobs in the world, don't we? :)

Adios Amigos - No More Clinging Here!

Go HERE and never buy anotherr dryer sheet again! Thanks, GGC, for finding this!

Top 5 Frugal Disney Trips

So, since we just came back from Disney...I thought I'd share the top 5 tips that I learned about how to save money on your magical vacation.

1. Pack lunch. Take PB&J, Pringles (so they don't get crushed), a piece of fruit, and a dessert for all. Don't forget water bottles and juice boxes! By doing this you will save app. $40 for a family of 4 (at a counter service restaurant).

2. Go to Downtown Disney. Its completely free to get in and to park. Nice aatmosphere - great photo opportunities - fun fountains. Also, there is a gift shop there where you can pick 4 items for $10. This is a great way to find fun souvenirs or stocking stuffers (we bought Disney Christmas ornaments there for 2.50 to remember our trip!)

3. If you are renting a stroller, rent as many days as you can in advance (aka the first day that you are there.) Disney gives you a discount for renting multiple days at once (ours was $13/day instead of $20/day) and then you get to wait in much shorter lines the next days...

4. Make your own autograph book at home before you leave. Attach a pen to a notebook (we used a mini spiral scrapbook) and save major money at the parks. If you have to buy one there, expect to pay at least $10.

5. Purchase souvenirs either before or after your trip...try to avoid the park stores as much as possible. We went to a local Disney store 3 weeks before our trip and stocked up on t-shirts for our family during a sale ($6/kids, $8/adults). We also went to a FL themed gift shop as we were leaving town to buy fun things like: Disney puzzles, necklaces, a Buzz wallet, books, magnets, and all sorts of fun little things. We spent less than $40 at this store and got a very large bag-full of fun momentos!

Just a taste from this trip - much, much more to come that I've learned in future posts :)

Meal Plan Monday

Well we are home from vacation and I am back from 2 grocery trips. We don't have a full fridge yet, but we will make it for the week (and I only spent about $60).

Monday: Frozen Pizzas/Hot Choc Chip Cookies (welcome home)

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meatballs/Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Mac and Cheese/Leftovers (church night)

Thursday: Burgers and Dogs on the Grill/Pasta Salad/Fresh Fruit

Friday: Out for a birthday party

Saturday: Bean Dip with Meat/Cheese + Homemade Salsa/Chips

Sunday: Steaks on Grill/Grilled Potatoes/Broccoli Medley

Breakfasts: pop tarts, cereal, toaster struedel, oatmeal

Lunches: Ham/Turkey sandwiches, corn dogs, ravoli, leftovers, tuna sandwiches

RECALLS

If you haven't already seen this, there has been recalls on Inant/Childrens Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl. You can call this number 1-888-222-6036 from 8 am-10 pm for more info. Keep your kiddies safe!