Mom Files: savings

How I maximize my coffee budget and still have the perfect cup each day

I love a really good, rich cup of coffee. I only require one cup a day and I get tired of the same old brand sometimes. I am a coffee snob and stay away from the low-end bargain brands. They lack the strength and flavor I require. The whole 'use a tablespoon per 6 ounces of water' is a joke. I am more of a use 1/2 cup per 6 ounces (no lie!) As much as I love the premium brands, I can't always justify the cost. I finally found a way to get around that and not sacrifice the quality or taste. Lately I have been shopping for premium, traditional ground coffee that is on sale and try to match it up with coupons. I also purchase an espresso ground coffee that I always find on sale at Publix. They tend to always have a brand for under $3. I usually buy Cafe Bustelo, Pilon or La Llave.

What I do is mix both varieties in my regular drip coffee maker. The fact that The espresso grind is more concentrated and rich, makes me have to use less of my more expensive premium coffee.

The result is a dark, strong and rich cup of coffee every time. I have been doing this for months and even my husband noticed how good our coffee is. We are so spoiled that we have to bring coffee from home when we travel. I totally recommend this method of coffee making for those who crave the richness of Starbucks but have Walmart pockets.

Attention Kroger Shoppers! Get ready for the Kroger Buy 5- Save $5 Event from October 14th-24th. Purchase 5 participating General Mills products, and receive a coupon for $5 off your next shopping order* (coupon printed at checkout)!

Look for some of your favorite participating General Mills products like Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel, Betty Crocker Cake and Brownie Mixes, Hamburger Helper, Totino’s Party Pizza, Yoplait** and many more! With the baking season in full swing, I plan on stocking up on some Betty Crocker cake and brownie mixes!

Promotion varies in different locations so please be sure to check your local Kroger Co. Family of Stores*** for specific deals and offers which include: Kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy

* Products must be purchased during one shopping visit. To view a list of participating products see your store for details. The $5 coupon offer off your next shopping trip offer expires 1 week from the print date, with the coupon prints ending October 24th. Any offers printed on October 24th will expire on October 31st. **Yoplait items vary by state ***Excludes Food 4 Less

One Momfiles reader will win a $25 Kroger gift card to help stock up and save during the Kroger Buy 5- Save $5 Event. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on October 11, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Disclosure: The gift card, information, and additional sample have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Wordless Wednesday

Half-price Tuesday's are back at Monkey Joe's! We are taking advantage of it :)

Do you feel like the cost of resealable bags have skyrocketed? I know I do. I don't buy them as often as I used to and if I can, I wash them to reuse them. I receive a neat gadget from Washy Wonder that is a bag saver system that you can use in the dishwasher.

The way it works is you put your bag over the Washy Wonder paddles and attach them to the prongs on your washing rack. It works on both straight and bent prongs. Once you have the paddles attached, you will find that your bag will fit more securely. Then you just let it run through your washing cycle along with your dirty dishes.

It did clean the bag well and I like the idea of the burst of steam to help sanitize the bag. The winning points for me is the fact that I can reuse my expensive bags, you can also wash reusable cloth bags and it is a smart choice to cut down on the use of plastic bags to help out the environment. I did find that I had to remove the Washy Wonder with the bag and transfer it to my dish drainer to let it finish drying off. Even through the full dry cycle, it remained wet.

Over all, Washy Wonder is a great item to have and I keep it stored in the dishwasher so I remember to use it. There is a special on their website where you can buy one set and get one free.

I received a product sample at no cost for review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Food Lion Ambassador Shopping Trip & $50 GC Giveaway

**CLOSED**

Hey guys! If you live in an area with a Food Lion grocery store, you might have noticed some changes in some of the stores. They have been updated, making the store look brighter, more inviting and very organized. The shelves are well stocked with a lot of the great name brands you use as well as the Food Lion brand of items including the "My Essentials" line. I received a very generous $150 gift card through Mom Central as a Food Lion Ambassador and got to see how far I could stretch it. I was totally up for the challenge! I made my list and headed to a brand new store that recently opened in my area.

I will say that the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous produce department filled with such beautiful, fresh fruit and vegetables. I pleased with the prices and quality. I did grab some essentials as well as a few extras for some special meals. The prices on the organic items were very fair. I went up and down each and every aisle and compared prices on both name brands and the store brand. I found that some staple items I buy were a lot cheaper such as sugar, iced tea bags, flour and a lot of the non-grocery, household items. Now the make it or break it part of any store for me is the meat, poultry and seafood department. I was really happy with the prices, especially on beef. I don't buy beef often because it is usually way too expensive. I was so happy to be able to buy enough protein items for almost 2 weeks without feeling like I was going to have to take out a loan to pay for my groceries.

Something that really got me excited is the selection of ethnic food products that they carried. I use certain types of seasonings are very hard to find in my city and I found them there! Not only did they have more than I would ever want, the prices were SO LOW! *happy dance* My overall shopping experience at Food Lion was a wonderful one. I was treated well and felt like everything was very easy to find and I did not feel like the store was cluttered. I also was able to walk out with a very full cart load of groceries and household items and still have a small balance left in my gift card!

Here are some of the great items I received in my Food Lion Ambassador Kit.

I love the wooden recipe card box that came with a nice set of recipe cards. I asked my teenage daughters to pick something they wanted me to make and surprise, surprise... they picked something sweet. They chose the "World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe. I did ask after all!

I purchased almost all of the ingredients in the store brand with the exception of maybe 3 things I already had at home.

I have made many chocolate chip cookies in my lifetime and I have my usual go-to recipe that I have used for years. I decided to try out the Food Lion recipe. I won't lie, I was a bit nervous because I have never made any baked goods with store brand items. Oh my gosh, they came out AMAZING! They were a bit flatter looking than what I am used to but the taste... I can compare it to a local bakery that sells their chocolate chip cookies for $1.29 each! They had a great chew and crispiness at the same time and were not too sweet. I separated the dough and added pecans to one half since the girls like them with just chocolate chips. I absolutely must share this recipe!

What you will need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 11.5 ounce bag of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used 1/2)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or according to how your oven bakes.
2. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together; set aside
3. Beat butter for 1 minute or until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.
4. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients in three portions, mixing until each addition is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
5. I then chilled the dough for it to firm up and formed them into balls. I baked them on a cookie sheet for about 11 minutes and transferred them to cooling racks.

Apparently my family thought the cookies were an appetizer for dinner! Speaking of dinner....

I made this for dinner the same day I baked the cookies. I bought some fresh rib-eye steaks that I pan seared in my cast iron pan, sauteed mushrooms & onions, homemade garlic mashed red potatoes and some sauteed zuchinni & squash topped with Parmesan cheese. This meal fed my family for only $24. Not bad and you won't be able to get that price at any restaurant!

Giveaway: One lucky Momfiles reader will win a $50 Food Lion gift card. Believe me, you will get a lot with that amount! a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and winner is only eligible to win one gift card per campaign. Giveaway will end on August 8, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email. You must complete mandatory entry in order to qualify for extra entries. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central for Food Lion. I received a gift card and product kit to facilitate my review.

The Poor Man's Keurig

For 3 years now I have ~~bugged~~ nicely asked my husband for a Keurig coffee brewer. Being the frugal man he is, he reminds me of my old school Black & Decker Cup-at-a-Time coffee maker. He's like why spend $80-$100 when you already have the original version? You know what? He is so right. I bought this gadget about 12 years ago for about $15 at Walmart. I have even purchased additional ones as gifts.

Strangely enough it has hung in there after numerous uses, and even traveling on road trips, being used in the office at work and of course at home. It still makes a steaming hot cup of strong coffee. I can use any ground coffee I want and don't have to purchase the little pods and I can brew to my desired strength. I don't think one little K-cup would work for a gal like me. I am used to drinking coffee as strong as motor oil! I guess it really makes sense after all to stick with my old school machine. I haven't seen these brewers around in some time but if I do, I might need to purchase it as back-up!

As a Purex Insider, I get to test out the newest laundry products Purex has to offer. The latest is the new and improved Purex Triple Action detergent. I put it to the test today on some bed linens. They are very light colors and this formula of Purex is supposed to give a "Bright White Clean". I washed in cold water so I could really see if this product would come through on the whitening and brightening. Sure enough it did! This is a good thing since I have not been using bleach.

I noticed that there was no suds but that is because this product can be used in all types of machines. I don't own a High Efficiency (HE) machine (yet) so I always have to look on the bottle. Good thing it still does its job! I tried the Mountain Breeze scent and it was nice. It comes in 6 scents and I would not mind trying the Free & Clear version. All in all this is a really good product for the price. I find it on sale frequently and keep a little stock in my laundry room.

You can check out all the latest Purex products via the web as well as get updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Be sure to be on the lookout for a future giveaway coming soon right here!

I received a product sample for review purposes and all opinions are 100% mine as always.

Save BIG at Kroger | $25 gift card giveaway

**Contest Closed** Winner is #129 Mari~ Congratulations!!

I have been a loyal Kroger shopper for at least 10 years. I think I go in there at least 3-4 times a week! Kroger offers really great prices and help you stretch your family budget. I buy almost all of my groceries, cleaning and household items from Kroger. I love that I can double my coupons up to 50 cents as well as the coupons that sometimes print at the end of my transaction. Right now Kroger has their buy 10 participating items and get $5 off. This helped me to get a jump on buying my holiday staples.

My son loves getting his Kroger sticker at the check-out line!

From November 13th through November 26th, with the purchase of any four participating General Mills products, you will either receive free milk (up to $3; limit of 2) or to receive $3 off your shopping order** Look for some of your favorite participating General Mills products like Cheerios, Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies, Nature Valley Bars and Fiber One Bars.

Promotion varies in different locations. Please be sure to check your local Kroger Co. Family of Stores for specific deals and offers which include Kroger, Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith’s, Fry’s, QFC, Baker’s, Owen’s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott’s Food & Pharmacy *Excludes General Mills meal and baking products including; Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, Progresso, Hamburger Helper, Macaroni Grill, Wanchai Ferry, Yoplait **Promotion varies based on store location; check your local Kroger store for details (Cash Offer: Mid South, Delta, Mid Atlantic, SW Louisiana stores, Central Missouri stores and Dillons Missouri stores)

I know I will be taking advantage of this great deal especially since I use all of these brands and have coupons for most of them. Having a family of 5 means I have be extra mindful when shopping. We received $25 Kroger gift card and are giving away the same prize to one lucky Momfiles reader (good at any of the Kroger. Co Family of Stores)

To Enter: *Mandatory- Let us know what items you plan to purchase with the gift card if you win.
For additional entries:
~ "like" Kroger and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Write on the Momfiles wall and let us know you entered
~ Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect
~ Follow Kroger and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily) and leave a link to your Tweet:

Enter the $25 @KrogerCo gift card #giveaway http://tinyurl.com/7xvvdrj from @momfiles and #myblogspark

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at 9:00 pm EST on November 24, 2011. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes.

Disclosure: The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Shelly, Mom Files

WTH? Wednesday | Coffee

Today's gripe is about coffee prices. Let me start out by saying that I am a coffee snob. I only like a couple brands and although I try others for the sake of saving a couple bucks, I end up regretting it. So I stick to my fancy coffee brands. My main coffee that I love comes in bigger bags at Walmart so I go there twice a month for it. It used to be $9.98 then $10.98, $11.98 (last week) and it is now a whopping $13.98!! WTH??!! There is no way I am spending that much. I know that everything has gone up price-wise but this seemed to be a bit too much. I looked around at other brands and I was floored to see even the cheaper ones were very expensive. What to do? Stop drinking it? We tried that before and failed miserably. I spotted an old school favorite that we used to drink exclusively in our Miami days.

Good old fashioned Cafe Bustelo. It was $3.88 a can. Hmm...$13.98 or $3.88? Yeah, Cafe Bustelo won the price battle. I told Dwayne he better get used to a couple espresso shots each morning. When I told him the cost difference he was completely with me. I even broke out my old stove-top espresso pot. Nothing like jet fuel to start your day! Y'all know Dwayne is going to get me for the product advertising!! Shh, don't tell on me! :D

If you have any WTH moments please share them in the comments!

A lower food bill in the summer?

One of the first things that was on my mind with the end of the school year was feeding the kids and not wanting to spend a fortune. I was really afraid of what I might encounter. Strangely, it has been costing me LESS with the kids being out of school. I didn't think it was possible but I figured out why... When school is in session I always have to be sure that the kids have a variety of quick options for breakfast since we leave the house at 7. This means no time for home-cooked big breakfasts. I buy things like bagels, cinnamon toast, granola bars etc... Both girls took lunch from home as well as extra snacks. I am one of those moms who goes above and beyond to make sure they have quality things to eat. This is where it costs me a whole lot. Yes, school lunch would be cheaper but my kids don't eat it plus I don't want them to. There would also be the numerous times that they stayed after school for sports, activities and projects so I always made sure they had extra snacks and drinks.

Being home makes it so much easier. I can cook a good breakfast and even make ahead items like pancakes, waffles and bacon. Lucky for me my kids can eat just about anything so they tend to have whatever was leftover from last night's dinner for lunch. They drink water ALL day long (not that they don't ever drink anything else).

I think I am spending about $30-$50 less per week in food. Not bad huh? I really did not think it was possible! Perhaps since they are so busy they are not thinking about eating as much.

Has you food budget changed with school being out?

Why I love Swagbucks

Are you familiar with Swagbucks? I joined over a year ago and quite honestly I did not use it much the first few months. It took me seeing everyone talking about it to make me motivated to see what all the hype was about. I made Swagbucks my default search engine and downloaded the toolbar. I think the toolbar is what sold me. I have the kids and husband using it for searches and I am so proud of how much I have accumulated so far in Swagbucks.

I have this thing with how I cash them in. A lot of people let them accumulate in the thousands and even the tens of thousands. Not me, I'm so paranoid that the site could crash and disappear so as soon as I reach 450 SB's I cash them in for a $5 Amazon gift certificate. I have been accumulating about 500 SB's a week recently. I have made it to $60 (Amazon) so far and I was able to pay for all the girls' summer reading books at no cost to me. If you are not a part of the Swagbuck Nation I recommend you jump on it! You can apply here. It costs you nothing and you can accumulate FREE things just for doing a search!

6 Ways To Save Like An Extreme Couponer

With the start of TLC's latest "Extreme Couponing" season, it's a good time to review some basic tricks that these coupon pros use. Read on for six ways you can save like an extreme couponer.

1. Start Small
Don't try to go extreme all at once. Take it step by step, rather than show up at a checkout with 50 coupons and little idea what you're doing.

2. Never Pay For Coupons
There are some things in this life you just shouldn't pay for, and a coupon is one of them. Paying someone to clip or organize your coupons defeats the purpose of living frugally. Instead, surf Sunday newspaper ad supplements for coupon savings; ask your neighbors for their unwanted papers; or dive inside a recycled dumpster or two. Also, free online coupon sites like CouponSherpa.com give consumers access to a multitude of coupon codes and printable coupons for thousands of merchants.

3. Get Organized
A little organization can go a long way. Always create a shopping list and have your coupons and shopping strategy organized before you even enter the store. Use an expandable coupon binder to sort coupon inserts by date, categories and expiration dates. Transfer to a small couponizer only those you'll need for a specific shopping trip.

4. Location, Location, Location
Where you shop is a key factor in making the best use of your time and coupons. Only shop at locations that allow coupon stacking and combining coupons with in-store offers. Don't be afraid to call and ask about policies before you show up. You don't want to wind up embarrassed at the checkout line with a handful of useless coupons.

5. Loyalty Rewards
Always take advantage of club membership rewards. These programs are usually free and have many savings perks, like rewards points, cash back programs, and double points for every certain amount you spend.

6. Don't Be Greedy
This is often where extreme couponers cross over into the world of hoarding. Only shop for items you actually need, products you can stock up on that aren't perishable, and those you can donate. Remember, a bargain is only a bargain if you can actually use the purchase. If your pantry has expanded into your living room and the kids are sleeping on rolls of toilet paper, you've probably reached hoarder status.

This information came from: Consumer savings expert, Andrea Woroch. For more information, visit AndreaWoroch.com or you can also follow @AndreaWoroch on Twitter to receive daily savings tips.

I'm a simple gal

I am very different from most of the women I know. I don't care for fancy things and get more out of little things (even free things) any day. My sweet husband reached into an envelope he received at his Post Office box and handed me this:

I was trying to remember if I signed up for this freebie. He then reveals that he signed up for it! I was so impressed by this~I told you I was simple! This really brightened my day. I know he is going to get me for this post and also the free advertising!!
HE'S SO SWEET!! <--and still quite the manly man :)

I know I crack jokes and give Dwayne a hard time most days so I decided to dedicate a post to say some nice things about him.
*I really hope he does not read this and let it go to his head*
My husband is a simple man. He does not require very much to be happy. I love that he does not care about sports (except fishing). I would take being married to a nerd any day over a sports fanatic. He takes the time to listen to me even when it comes across as nagging. Of course he makes sure he points it out to me when he does what I nagged about. Dwayne mentioned to me the other day that I should be really proud of myself. Of course I am wondering what on earth he is talking about. He tells me how he has been seeing the commercials and reading articles about the "Extreme Couponing" lifestyle. He said I should have been featured in a publication since I have been into couponing and signing up for freebies since before I was even married. He says that all the people who talked crap about me and thought I was wasting my time can eat their words. He thinks that this show came way late in the game. Then he tells me how proud he is of me for being so smart with my purchases and the fact that I am passing that wisdom on to our kids and it shows. That really made me feel good knowing that he notices all the little things I do. I think I will keep him for a little while longer :)

Thrive Time for Teens Review (family style)

A couple weeks ago we received a board game called Thrive Time for Teens to review. This was perfect since we have 2 teen daughters. Thrive Time for Teens is a game geared toward teaching teens about financial responsibility in a fun way. This game involves real-life scenarios such as going to college, buying a car, giving to charity, paying monthly expenses and even starting a business.We sat down together at the dining table (snacks and all) to play the game for ourselves. Everyone had a financial tracking sheet to document everything along the way.

I will admit that it was a bit confusing at first so we suggest you read the instructions fully to understand the game better. The girls were amazed when they had to use their credit card to pay for things that they did not always have to cash for. I think they were not crazy about having so much debt! You really had to make some tough decisions about things that can impact your finances. My husband and I really enjoyed playing this game with our children. The game truly allowed our girls to learn financial concepts in a fun way instead of the typical parent lecture...believe me, the girls are happy to get out of any of daddy's lectures any way they can!!

Here's what the girls had to say:

Briahnna (age 13): "I really enjoyed this game and how it is so much like real life. I'll definitely play this game again!"

Chardonnay (age 15): "I like the game a lot. It's a great way to teach one to manage money. It's something they don't teach in school so this is a great way to learn and I love it."

Thrive Time for Teens can be purchased online for $29.99. It makes a great gift for birthdays and holidays. You can also donate a game to your favorite organization as a way of giving back to your community. We plan to play again over the long weekend. Our family would recommend this game for sure and we hope you will check it out.

Disclosure: We received a free game for review purposes and no other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% our own.

I'm on a hunt!

I am working hard at saving as much money as I can for our family. I am taking my couponing very seriously and intend on stocking up as much as I can for back-to-school. I have scored so many free items like Cereal, granola bars, air fresheners, body wash, shampoo & conditioner and more! It's become a part-time job and a source of income in a way for me. The best part is that I enjoy doing it :)

Tax "free" weekend at Chipotle

DON’T PAY TAXES
AND GET A REFUND.

Purchase a burrito, bowl, tacos or salad on
Tuesday August 3rd & Wednesday August 4th-
Then bring your receipt from that day
to any North or South Carolina Chipotle,
during tax free weekend, August 6th – 8th,
and they’ll give you a
FREE BURRITO, BOWL,
SALAD or ORDER OF TACOS.
No charge. No tax. No strings attached.

FIND YOURS @ CHIPOTLE.COM

Whoo hoo! FREE sounds good to me!

Do you think I am obsessed?

Look at all the freebies I have been collecting over the past 3 weeks. This does not include what items have been used already. I have gotten everything from shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, lotion, feminine products, coupons for FREE food items and more! My husband gets annoyed when he is checking his PO Box. Yes, I double dip ;-)

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products.
All opinions are 100% mine.

It is no secret that I am a formula feeding mom. Not all of us are cut out to breastfeed so we have to do our research to find the right formula to feed our baby. I used the Formula Finder and compared what we used for William and found that he would have taken the Premium, Milk-based or Organic type of formula. Out of curiosity I even checked out the Savings Calculator and here is what I found out when I compared what we used and spent to what we could have saved using the Parent's Choice brand.

Savings / Year** : $634.91
Savings / Month** : $52.18
Savings / Day** : $1.74
Savings / Bottle : $0.43

This was really surprising and made me think of all the things I would have done with the savings. I could have purchased diapers and also could have added some money in William's savings fund.
You can sign up for a free sample here and you can choose from 3 types (the Parent's Choice Premium, Advantage or Gentle Formulas). Believe me, if I had to do it all over again Parent's Choice would be what I would go with. It would be nice to be able to purchase formula that would not break the bank!

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