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Extreme Couponing – can it really be done May 31, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:33 pm

I had my first opportunity to watch Extreme Couponing this weekend.  It was very intriguing and we watched several episdoes.  My hat is tipped to those who are able to save this much on their groceries.    Since I am an avid couponer myself, I am left wondering if I too could get the deals these families do.  My answer – yes.  I think these types of deals are available to most people if they want to dedicate the time to it.  I, however, do not want to spend 35-60 hours a week just couponing.  That is just not what will best serve my family.

I am, however, still able to get some remarkable deals each week thanks to SavingsAngel.  I use this service because it allows me to save a ton on my groceries without dedicating my entire life to coupons.  In an hour or 2, I can make my shopping list, cut my coupons, and head out to the store.  The time I spend in the store is even much shorter using SavingsAngel since my shopping list is well organized and I know exactly what I am buying.

So with much, much less time spent, I am still able to get many free and extremely cheap products just like those on the show.  And yes, I can even do this in an area where double and triple coupons are non-existent.  I will happily continue to use SavingsAngel even though it costs a little each week.  My time is valuable too!

 
 

Try SavingsAngel for free November 7, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 3:24 pm

What a great opportunity!  In the month of November, SavingsAngel is offering a free 3 day trial.  If you time this just right you can get two weeks worth of deals.  This will give you a great opportunity to see a difference in your grocery bill.

Get 3 day free trial!

 
 

Lovin’ the Farmer’s Market June 19, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 10:51 am

Made my second trip today to a local farmer’s market ~ Fulton Street Farmers Market.  I have got to say that I am beginning to love this place.  I went a few weeks ago during the week and there were a few vendors but not a ton.  That trip I picked up some veggies and a few vegetable plants.  My goal today was to get a few more veggie plants and some fresh veggies.  Mission accomplished!  Today (Saturday) the market was full of both vendors and buyers.  The atmosphere was fun and friendly.  Hard to be in a bad mood in a place that smelled wonderful.  The sounds were awesome too ~ street musicians and friendly chatter among farmers and buyers.  I love shopping here for a few reasons ~ fresh food, knowledgeable people, and supporting local sellers.   I think Farmer’s Markets are going to become a part of my regular routine the next few months!

 
 

United in Prayer April 26, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:46 pm

My hubby and I went to a non-denominational community wide prayer event last night.  Gathering Grand Rapids was fantastic.  We got to partner with so many people crying out to God for our city.  It was wonderful to worship Jesus with those who may not share the same preferences as us but who love the same Jesus!  This event spanned across many nationalities, skin colors, ages, denominations, generations, etc.  It was a true mixture of our society.  How wonderful to see so many people who want to see God move in mighty ways in our city.

 
 

Quick trip saves lots of money! April 23, 2010

Filed under: Good deals — admin @ 4:37 pm

Great shopping trip to Meijer tonight.

All this for only $11.99!!!

25 boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese

2 gallons of milk

2 bags of Kraft shredded cheese

8 packs of Oscar Meyer deli meat

plus coupons for 3 free boxes of Capri Suns and 2 boxes of Nabisco snack packs

Gotta love Savings Angel!

taylors first soccer game 092

 
 

God knits ugly washcloths April 21, 2010

Filed under: Spiritual nuggets — admin @ 5:23 am

So I have taken up a few new things lately; one being knitting.  I recently learned to knit at a women’s retreat through church.  While there I think I knitted 3 or 4 rows.  At home I continued knitting, not really knowing what I was doing but determined to finish up the yarn I was given.  I was supposed to be making a washcloth.  Not sure what I ended up with.  As I was knitting I noticed large holes (not sure how those got there).   I also seemed to have more stitches than I started with (again no clue on how that happened).  But one cool thing is that as the rows went on the stitching started to look more normal.  So as I was running out of yarn I realized I had no idea how to get this hideous thing off the needles.  Mom to the rescue!  After examining the finished product I did realize how ugly it was but there was still a sense of pride since I was the one who finished it.

I wonder if that is how God looks at our lives.  He doesn’t care about the holes, added stitches, uneven-ness.  He is after a finished product that is usable.  He has put those “ugly” spots in our lives to teach us.  Even when we think we have a handle on life and the stitching is starting to look much better, an occasional hole is thrown our way.  Unlike my knitting, God purposely places the “ugly” spots .  We may be able to recover from them more quickly, but they are still part of our overall shape.   God still takes pride in us, His handiwork.  We look beautiful to Him no matter how ugly we may think our lives are.  He sees us as an end-product that is beautifully designed to be used by Him.

I am currently working on another washcloth, after watching a video on how to cast on.  So far this one is looking much better.

 
 

Birthday party on a quarter! April 13, 2010

Filed under: Good deals — admin @ 10:45 am

So my kids (ages 5 and 7) have been asking to invite friends to their birthday parties this year. Up until now it has just been a family celebration. After talking with my hubby we thought, sure. Their birthdays are in July but I thought if I start planning now it can be fun, cheap, and less stressful.

While at Target the other day I noticed some of the dollar spot items were on clearance. I found Spiderman placemats and cups for 25 cents each. Picked up 8 of each! Also found some candy eggs imprinted with sports balls for 9 cents each – grabbed what they had.
My daughter went back and forth on what type of party she wanted. I was not a fan of fairies or princess so was excited when she decided on arts and crafts ~ totally fits her personality.

Looking at the ads this week, I saw Michaels’ had paint and brushes on sale so I headed that way today. Once there we found some other great clearance deals. Matching tablecloths, invitations, candles, napkins and goodie bags for a quarter a package!!! They were just simple birthday cake designs. Found fun straws in the Easter clearance too. I also scored some simple change purse sewing kits for 30 cents. After looking around for more ideas, I decided to wait for some more sales.

I am excited to plan the craft party. My head is spinning with ideas ~ tie dye shirts (shirts are only $2 this week), painting a picture frame ($1 each), color your own placemat, paint a flower pot. Guess I need to talk over ideas with the birthday girl first! I know she wants to have a pinata with smarties and crayons inside. Not sure why she thinks all parties need a pinata – must be cartoons!

Now to brainstorm some ideas for the boy. We do have a pool so pool party always works but we’ll see what he has to say.

Arts and Craftsbirthday paper goods

Spiderman finds

 
 

Try SavingsAngel for free!!!!! October 6, 2009

Filed under: Good deals — admin @ 5:27 am

Yes, you read that right.  You can try SavingsAngel for free!   SavingsAngel is currently hosting a 3 day open house where you have access to the site for free.  You can make a shopping list, print coupons, and then shop!!!  They even have Live Chat available from 9-9 each day so you can ask questions and get immediate assistance.  The Open House dates are October 6,7, and 8.  Stop by and find out how you can cut your grocery bill in half!

 
 

A typical Savings Angel shopping trip September 1, 2009

Filed under: Good deals — admin @ 6:27 pm

So here is a link to a typical shopping week for me using Savings Angel.  You will notice that I buy larger quantities of some items.  This is partly because I have a large-ish family (7) but mostly its because if it is a good deal I will buy as many as I have coupons for.  You may look at my list and think where is __________.  There are a few things that are not on my list that I usually have to pick up every week; milk, eggs, produce.  Other things like meat are not on there since I have a stocked up freezer and I didn’t see any great deals.

The key is to buy lots when its on sale so you don’t have to buy it when its not!

 
 

I love free things! August 21, 2009

Filed under: Good deals — admin @ 4:27 pm

So what’s your favorite word?  One of mine is FREE!  I love to get things for free.  I have found that there are many companies that offer free samples of their products, you just have to request them.  I have a couple of sites that I like to go to to find out what free samples are available.  One is slickdeals.net and the other is heyitsfree.com. Its great to open the mailbox and find freebies inside!!!

Though I do love the freebies offered by manufacturers, they are often very tiny samples.  The better freebies are the ones I get almost weekly while grocery shopping.  Using Savings Angel I have gotten so many great things for free.  In recent months I have gotten Starbucks Double Shots, Electrasol Dishwasher Tablets, Dannon Crush Cups yogurt, Smart Start pasta, and many other grocery items for free!!! And I’m talking full size products here.  These items were all free combining sales with coupons.  Its pretty incredible what you can get for free!