Happy Fourth of July
Tidy up Friday
Free Chocolate Friday
Macaroni and Cheese
What You Need
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 cup KRAFT Sandwich Spread
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Dash of black pepper
Make It
PREPARE Dinner as directed on package.
ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Cover.
Click here for complete instructions.
Chicken Cacciatore Macaroni
What You Need
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped canned seasoned tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
Make It
PREPARE Dinner as directed on package.
ADD remaining ingredients; heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled.
Click here for complete instructions.
Chili Mac
What You Need!
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp. chili powder
Make It!
PREPARE Dinner as directed on package.
STIR in remaining ingredients; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Click here for complete instructions.
Creamy Chicken Divan
What You Need
1 pkg. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Dinner
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup milk
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen broccoli spears, thawed, drained
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/4 lb.), cooked, sliced
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan on low heat. Add dressing and flour; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add milk, beating until well blended. Reduce heat to medium-low heat; cook until thickened, stirring frequently.
SPOON Dinner mixture into 10x6-inch baking dish; top with broccoli and chicken. Drizzle with the dressing mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
BAKE 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.
Click here for complete instructions.
Cheesy Taco Mac & Cheese
What You Need
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained
2 Tbsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Make It
PREPARE Dinner in large saucepan as directed on pkg.
ADD remaining ingredients; mix well.
COOK until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Click here for complete instructions.
Old Navy Flag Tees $1
Weekly Show and Tell
Online Coupons Reset
The IPS
- Manufactures set limits on the amounts of coupons printed. When the limit is reached they pull their coupons off. That means occasionally you will go the print a coupon and it will be gone unless you printed it off at the beginning.
- This is even more important toward the end of a month. Coupons group A-C are reset at the first of the month, so today when the coupons reset, they started out at zero.
- Sometimes manufactures will reset their coupons after the limit is reached, but don't count on it. Just consider yourself lucky if they do.
- I know some people are having problems with IPS. I wish I could help out in that area, but I am not tech savvy enough. I have heard that switching browsers can help. Example: On Internet Explorer and they won't print try Fire Fox or vice virsa. Another great resource is pinching your pennies. They have an entire forum to troubleshooting your IPS.
Some questions to commonly asked IP questions answered:
- Where are online coupons located? All over! You can see over the the left hand side of this there are online coupons, group A-Singles . You can also find coupons on manufactures websites, you can receive them via-email and sometimes websites will give them to you after you join their mailing lists or take a survey for them. When the Grocery Smarts lists are up you will see links that take you to online coupons. The best part about those lists are that if there are coupons online, they are on the lists. You will never have to search for coupons for items on the list yourself! Grocery Smarts lists do all the work for you.
- "Are IP'S worth it? It seems like a lot of paper and ink to be wasting." My answer is it depends. I think after you have a couple months worth of newspaper coupons its hit and miss. I only print ones of that make things close to FREE or if it is something I really like or know I will need. You'll never catch me printing of cereal coupons or toothpaste coupons. That is because I have DOZENS of them from my newspaper.
- Now, if you are staring out and only have a few coupons from the paper on the list then I definitely recommend using IPS to maximize your savings. My sister in law started out and only had a weeks worth of coupons, but wanted to start saving right away, so she maximized her coupons by using IPS. She told me her husband was frustrated by all the paper in ink she was using, but after she shopped she had saved over $50. That paper and ink WAY over paid for itself. IP'S are a great way of subsidizing newspaper coupons, but not a great substitute! Newspaper coupons will benefit you way more in the the long end.
- "How long do IP'S last". IPS have expiration dates on them the same way other coupons do. Most times they expire WAY faster than the ones in the paper. That's why I only print the ones off from the list that week. Otherwise they tend to expire before I have a chance to use them.
- "Can we print them off in black and white?" It depends on your store. Some stores will take black and white, some will not. Be sure to ask if you are planning on trying black and white. There reason behind that is they are trying to protect themselves from illegal photocopied coupons.
- Do all stores take IP's and the answer is no. Not all stores do take IPS. I do know that Albertsons and Smiths DO! My suggestion with other stores is call ahead and ask if you are planning on using them on your shopping trip.
Also don't forget the two IP's per HOUSEHOLD rule! Have fun printing!
Wednesday Summer Deal at Arby's
Creating Your Own Meal Plan
When I started Grocery Smarts I learned a few things that made the whole process of meal planning and shopping much more enjoyable and do-able! By planning my menu on Tuesdays and cleaning things out that day, it made for what seemed, a less time consuming task and then I actually looked forward to shopping the next day. I also learned that my way of meal planning was super expensive. I would plan menu items based on what I wanted or liked to eat, instead of making meals from sale items. I remember countless times asking my husband, "what would you like to eat this week?” And he never had an answer, so I would pull out my recipe books and files and sift through them until I found enough meals for the week. It took what seemed like FOREVER. Then I would go through and make a list of all the ingredients I needed. Then I would look to see what I already had on hand, which was NOTHING and then head out to buy those ingredients. Wow, looking back on that I realize how much time and money I was wasting.
Everything I use to do I learned to throw out the window, accept the meal planning part. Planning a menu is an absolute must for the following three reasons:
Money Saver: When you plan a menu you have all the ingredients you need for your meals at home, so there will be no need to make those last minute or uh-oh I forgot this shopping trips. Those trips always seem to be the most expensive because you see things you think you might need or you see something that sounds good (your usually hungry because you haven’t had dinner that night yet) and they are never on sale. Menu planning eliminates impulse spending. It also allows you to stretch your menus further. There tends to be leftovers, leaving you lunch for the next day. One less meal you have to spend money on.
Time Saver: You know exactly what meals you have to make that week, so there is no need to frantically search for something to make 15 min before everyone is expected to be home. You aren’t going to be searching through your pantry, freezer or fridge for that one ingredient you need to make that meal you want to prepare.
Nutrition Saver: By looking ahead you can see what types of things you are eating, so you can plan and make sure you are eating well-balanced and healthy meals. The things that go on sale tend to be seasonal, so you are getting a wide variety of food and exposing your family to all types of foods.
When I meal plan I look at the upcoming weeks sale ads on my preview lists. I figure out what is on sale and plan enough meals for the week. By using 4-5 star deals in my menu plans I save TONS of money every week. If I see that chicken and tortillas are both on sale I would plan a few meals around those items; chicken enchiladas, southwestern egg rolls, and chicken caesar salad wrap ups. This wouldn’t be a good week to plan lasagna or beef stew, because neither one of those items are on sale.
The first thing you’ll do is scan through the list and figure out what meats or staples are 4 and 5 star deals that week. Figure out that if ham is on sale you can make a breakfast, lunch and dinner from a ham. For breakfast you could have ham and cheese omelets, for lunch ham sandwiches and for dinner glazed ham. I would never plan on eating all three of those meals in the same day, but if I plan them on different days of the week it won’t become tiresome. Plan out the main ingredients of your meals and then go through and figure out what types of sides you can add to your meals. This lets you plan nutritious and well balanced meals.
After you plan out enough meals for the week walk to your kitchen and see what you already have on hand to make those meals. If I was planning chicken caesar salad wraps I know that I already having the caesar dressing and croutons on hand. I would cross those ingredients off my list.
I finish figuring out what on the list I am stocking up on, clip out the coupons and make sure I am within my $50 budget.
The next day I head out the store. By breaking the process up I never get overwhelmed with menu planning, cleaning out last week’s expired food, shopping, bring the groceries home and then cooking that night’s dinner. It seemed to be a never ending cycle and dreaded task. When I divide it up it seems to be something I look forward to doing.
Make sure when you are at the grocery store you stay flexible. Occasionally you’ll find things that have been marked down in the produce aisles or butcher department. Grab those things and plan on using them that week. Every penny counts. You can also plan a meal and then get to the store and have them be out of it. By being flexible then you won’t get discouraged.
When you get home put those finishing touches on your menu. Incorporate that container of mixed vegetables you found on a manager special and make chicken fajitas. I like to post my menu in my kitchen so I can see it. I think my husband and children appreciate knowing what meals I making that week. I also try to organize the meals to meet my family’s schedule. If I know we are having a night out after dinner I would never plan my Sunday meal that night, because I know we will be rushed to get out of the house. I would choose one of my meals that were fast and would allow for easy clean-up. I also don’t put a day to my meals because who knows what my day will be like. Sometimes my daily routine can change and then so does my menu plan.
The other thing I learned is that not every night as to be a grand masterpiece. My family truly enjoys making their own tacos, pizza, quesadillas and even eating the traditional spaghetti and garlic bread. It’s become a relief that I don’t have to “try” new recipes all the time to make my family happy.
All you have to do is commit to making a menu plan. Make it a habit. I also love to save my menus and file them away. Next time I see that chicken goes on sale I will pull out the week chicken went on sales menu and see if I can use those same ideas. Most of all have fun with it!
Tuesday's Meal Planning
Breakfast
Ham and cheese omelets with apple juice
Bagels and Cream Cheese
Donuts and chocolate milk (I am only justifying this because it's a holiday)
Yogurt, granola bars and apple
Cold cereal and orange juice
Pop tarts and smoothies
Lunch
Meat and Cheese sandwiches with grapes
Mini Pizzas with graham crackers
Bagel bites orange slices and Capri sun
Tuna sandwiches with pickles and chips
Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches with chex mix and cookie
Lunchable with Capri Sun
Dinner
Beef round, corn on the cob and bread sticks
Hot dogs, chips and pasta salad
Cheese burgers, onion rings and watermelon
Chinese Chicken salads
Teryaki Stir Fry with rice
Southwestern Egg rolls and steamed vegetables
Snacks
Popcorn
Crackers and cheese
Peanut bars
Carrots with ranch
Desserts
Rootbeer Floats
Apple Pie and Ice Cream
Walgreens 6/28-7/4
Here are this weeks Walgreens Deals:
Item: Dawn Dish Liquid, 10.3 oz, Limit 2
Sale: .99
Use: Dawn, any size .25/1 (7-31-09) P&G-6/7
Final Price: .74
Item: OB Tampons, 40 ct
Sale: 3.99
Use:O.B. product, any except trial size $1/1 (6-30-09) RP-4/26
Final Price: 2.99
Item: Stayfree Pads, 28 to 48 ct
Sael: 3.99
Use: Stayfree products, any $2/2 (6-30-09) RP-4/26
Final Price: WYB2 2.99
Here are there Month Long Registry Rewards Deals:
Item:Ban Deodorant
Sale: $1.50 each
Get: $1 Register Rewards WYB2
Use: $0.40/1 6/7 SS
Final Price: $0.60 each after coupons and Register Rewards
Item: Carmex
Sale: $2.99
Get: $2 Register Rewards
Final Price: $0.99 each after Register Rewards
Item: Johnson’s and Johnson’s Baby Powder (1.5 oz)S
ale: $1 each
Get: $1 Register Rewards WYB2
Use: $1/1 3/8 RP or 4/26 RP
Final Price: Free plus $1 in overage after coupons and Register Rewards
Item: Oreo Cakesters
Sale: $2.50 each
Get: $3 Register Rewards WYB2
Use: $1/1 6/14 SS
Final Price: Free after coupons and Register Rewards
Item: Purex 3-in-1S
ale: $5.99
Get: $2 Register Rewards
Use: $2/1 6/14 SS
Final Price: $1.99 after coupon and Register Rewards
Old Navy Weekly Details
To get to Old Navy weekly go to Old Navy's website and there is a link near the top in yellow and blue that says Old Navy's Weekly Deals. If you click on that it will take to you a page where it says start hunting click on it, or you can get there by going to OldNavyWeekly.com.
You need to click around and figure out where the coupons are hidden.
My Show and Tell
At Target I spent: $13.50 and saved: $55.10 and I walked away with a $5 Target g.c. If you factor in the g.c I only spent $8.50 0n:
4 Gillette Fusion Razors
4 Gillette Body Washes
3 Bounty Paper Towels
ABC List of Coupons 6/28
Benadryl Allergy $1 (9/30/09)
Benadryl Cream, Spray, or Gel $1 (9/30/09)
Bengay $2 (8/31/09)
Betty Crocker Box Supreme Brownie Mixes .75/2 (8/22/09)
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Mixes .50/2 (8/22/09)
Betty Crocker Warm Delights Bowl or Mini Bowl .50 (8/22/09)
Bic Soleil Refillable Razor Handle or Cartridge Refills, 4pk or 8k $3 (8/2/09)
Butterball Deep Fried Turkey Lunch meat .75 (8/1/09)
Carefree Products, 34ct+ $1 on 2 (8/31/09)
Chex Mix Bars .75 (8/22/09)
Chinet Classic White or Casuals Plates $1 (9/14/09)
Chinet Comfort Cups $1 (9/14/09)
Chinet Cut Crystal Plates and Cups $1 (9/14/09)
Chinet Salad and Side Dish Plates $1 (9/14/09)
Colgate Total, Sensitive, Max Fresh, Max White, or Colgate Kid's Toothpaste .75 (7/18/09) Cortaid .50 (9/30/09)
Dole Canned Pineapple, 20 oz cans $1 on 3 (9/30/09)
Eckrich Franks or Smoked Sausage $1 on 2 (8/1/09)
Egg-lands Best Cage Free or Organic Dozen Eggs .50 (9/30/09)
Egg-lands Best Eggs .35 (9/30/09)
Egg-lands Best Hard-Cooked & Peeled Eggs .35 (9/30/09)
Ester-C $5 (8/12/09)
Frito Lay Snacks, any variety 9oz+ bag AND Frito Lay Dip, any variety 9.5oz+ jar $1 (8/8/09)
General Mills Cereals $1 on 3 (8/8/09)
Glass Plus .50 (9/22/09)
Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips or Cheese $1 on 2 (8/31/09)
Hershey' Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate w/ Almonds, or Special Dark Chocolate, 6-packs $1 on 2 (9/30/09)
K-Y, Tucks, or Soothing Care $1.50 (9/30/09)
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce, 10oz+ .55 (9/30/09)
Lloyd's Ribs or Tub .75 (8/31/09)
Monistat Soothe & Relieve Pack $5 (9/30/09)
Monistat Yeast Infection Treatment or E.P.T. $3 (6/30/10)
Neosporin .50 (9/30/09)
O.B. $1.50 (8/31/09)
Off Clip-On Repellent Refill $1 (8/22/09)
Off Clip-On Repellent Starter $2 (8/22/09)
Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats Thin Rolls .55 (9/27/09)
Pert Plus, 12oz+ $1 (8/31/09)
Pert Plus for Men $1.50 (8/31/09)
Planters Products, 9oz - 21.25oz $1 on 2 (9/13/09)
Playtex Disposable Gloves $1 (11/30/09)
Playtex Living or HandSaver Gloves $1 ( 11/30/09)
Purina Friskies Canned Cat Food, 5.5oz cans $1 on 15 or (2) 12ct or (1) 24ct+ Multi pack (9/30/09)
Purina Friskies Dry Cat Food 3.15lb+ bag, any variety $1 (9/30/09)
Resolve High Traffic Foam $1 (8/9/09)
Resolve $1 (8/9/09)
Reynolds Wrap Foil (excludes 20, 25, and 30 sq. ft.) $1 (7/26/09)
Sabra Hummus $1 (8/1/09)
Smithfield Boneless Ham $1 (8/31/09)
Smithfield Smoked Pork Chops $1 (8/31/09)
Stayfree Product (excludes Jumbo pack) B1G1 Free up to $6.99 (8/31/09)
Sure Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant 2oz+ .75 (8/31/09)
Sure for Men Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant $1.25 (8/31/09)
Swanson White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast can .50/2 (8/23/09)
Swiss Premium Tea $1/1 Gallon or (2) Half Gallons (8/31/09)
Pampers Baby Wipes, 180ct+ AND Pampers Diapers or Training Pants $3 (10/31/09) Tums, 24ct+ $1 on 2 (7/31/09)
Tums Dual Action, 25ct+ $1 (7/31/09)
Tums Value Size (excludes 150ct Peppermint or Assorted Fruit) $1.25 (7/31/09)
Twizzlers or Yough & Smylie packages, 8oz+ $1 on 3 (9/30/09)
Viva Towels Big Roll Package .85 (8/23/09)
Wholly Guacamola or Salsa $1 (8/31/09)
Wholly Guacamola or Salsa $1 (9/30/09)
Ball Park Franks $1 on 2 (7/25/09)
Ben & Jerry's Flipped Out .75 (8/9/09)
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt or Sorbet Pints $1 on 2 (8/9/09)
Degree Body Mist $1 (9/20/09)
Degree Men Absolute Protection Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant $1.25 (8/23/09)
Degree Men or Women Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant .75 (8/23/09)
Duracell CopperTop, Powerpix, Ultra Digital, or Ultra Photo Lithium Batteries .75 (7/31/09)Duracell Hearing Aid Batteries with Easy Tab, 8pk, 16pk or 20pk $2 (7/31/09)
Hellmanns, 18oz+ .60 (9/20/09)
Ideal, 100ct Packets $1 (11/30/09)
Ideal, 50ct Packets FREE up to $2.59 ( 11/30/09)
Knorr Recipe Mix .50 (9/13/09)
LOreal Kids Ice Age Shampoo or any other LOreal Kids .75 (9/20/09)
Lipton Recipe Secrets .60/2 (9/13/09)
Lipton Tea Bags, Lipton To Go, or any Iced Tea Mix .50 (9/20/09)
Luigis Real Italian Ice .50 (8/31/09)
Meow Mix Dry Cat Food, 3.5lbs+ or Wholesome Goodness Dry Cat Food, 3.15lb+ $1 (8/23/09)
Meow Mix Market Select single cups or Wholesome Goodness single cups 2.75oz $1 (8/23/09)
Minute Maid Frozen Novelty .50 (8/31/09)
Nestle Coffee-Mate Liquid Creamer .50 (9/28/09)
Pantene Expressions or Restoratives $1 (7/31/09)
Pedigree Good Bites Treats for Dogs $1 (8/23/09)
Pedigree Jumbone Treats for Dogs $1 (8/23/09)
Pringles, 180g+ cans $1 on 2 (7/31/09)
Pringles Fat Free, 165g cans $1 on 2 (7/31/09)
Pringles Snack Stacks, Stix, Minis, or Select .50 (7/31/09)
Pur or Pur Flavor Options System, pitcher or faucet $7.50 (7/31/09)
Purina Fit & Trim Adult Dog Food, 3.5lb+ bag $2 (7/12/09)
Quaker True Delights Granola Bars $1 ( 8/22/09)
Real Simple Magazine $1 (7/26/09)
Rubbermaid Beverage Pitcher or Bottle $1 (9/27/09)
Slim-Fast Bars multi-pack $1.25 (9/20/09)
Slim-Fast Ready-to-Drink Multi-Pack or Powder Canister $1.40 (9/20/09)
Treasure Cave Cheese, 4oz+ .50 (9/30/09)
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice pouches $1 on 3 (8/23/09)
Whole Fruit Fruit Bar .50 (8/31/09)
Whole Fruit Sorbet .50 (8/31/09)
Wish-Bone Bountifuls Dressing, 9.5oz+ $1 (9/19/09)
Wish-Bone Bountifuls Dressings 9.5oz, Wish-Bone Dressings 16oz+ or Salad Spritzers 7oz $1.25/2 (9/19/09)