Babies R Us 10/03-10/16

There are a lot of deals to be had over at Babies R Us right now. They sent out a mailer with lots of coupons, but I'm having trouble finding those coupons online. If anyone has a link to them, let me know!

Even though I was only picking up some formula, I had to check out the clothes for my baby girls. I love this little "Love" top from Amy Coe. They didn't have it in my store, but I'm hoping they will get it in soon!

Also, Carter's items are buy one item, get 50% off the second item. My store had a pretty limited selection of Carter's, but they did have some great little outfits for great prices.

Post-Party Plans

The party's over...and it was a great one! The theme was "Fairytales Can Come True" and I served food that related to a fairytale:
Candy Apples = poisoned apple from Snow White
Hershey's Kisses = True Love's Kiss from Sleeping Beauty
Spinach Dip with bread chunks for dipping = Hansel & Gretel (bread crumbs)
Little bags of M&M's = Jack and the Beanstalk (magic beans)

...you get the idea!

Because I had to spend extra on the party, it's time to pull in those reins these next couple weeks to make up for it. Here is my menu for this week:

Monday: BLT's (with tomatoes from our garden)
Tuesday: Crab Rangoon, salad
Wednesday: Soup from the freezer
Thursday: "On your own"
Friday: Teriyaki salmon (Trader Joe's) with rice
Saturday: Pizza Night
Sunday: maybe pot roast?

I'm headed to Babies R Us today to pick up what I hope to be the last cans of formula for a very long time!

Decor for your door

I just spruced up my front porch for Fall (and because it's the girls' birthday party tomorrow). Although it's been in the high 70's in the Bay Area this past week, it is officially Fall. I headed over to Michael's to pick up some supplies...and was delighted to find that so many items were on sale...

all Fall garland 50% off...
all Fall floral stems and bushes 50% off...
all faux fruit and vegetables 40% off (lots of pumpkins!)...
hay bales for $5.99...
cute little scarecrows for $5.99...

And if there's something you love that's not on sale, here is a coupon for 40% off one regular priced item. Hurry in, because the coupon expires today.

Michael's already has lots of Christmas decorations up too. I had to force myself to look straight ahead and walk away. That's for another trip!

Savings this weekend

Walgreen's has another $5 off $20 purchase coupon this weekend. (I wish I hadn't gone earlier this week!) Here's my scenario for this coupon:

Oral B toothbrush $4.49
Loreal Cleanser $7.99
2 packs Huggies diapers (size 3) $9.99 each
1 pack Huggies wipes $5.99

subtotal $38.45

minus the following coupons:
$0.75 off Oral B toothbrush (09/28 p&g)
$1 off Loreal Cleanser (I think there was one a week or two ago)
$1 off Huggies diapers x 2 (09/28 ss)
$1 off Huggies wipes (got in the mail)
$5 off $20

total $28.70
receive $7.99 in rebates
receive $9.50 in RR's
total oop: $11.21 (If I were to pay that much for only the 80 diapers, it would work out to 14 cents per diaper!)

Working for the weekend

I have family coming in this weekend for my daughters' birthday, so I'm trying to compile a menu that is easy on our budget (and easy for me to cook!).

Friday dinner: (still to be determined)
Saturday lunch: Apple Pecan Salad (We're serving more food at the party in the afternoon, so a light lunch works well.)
Saturday dinner: Take out!
Sunday breakfast: Cinnamon rolls, fruit, hot chocolate
Sunday lunch: Tortilla soup w/chicken (see recipe below)
Sunday dinner: Poppy seed chicken with noodles and peas (This has become one of my favorites!)

***I found a lower cost alternative to the bags of pre-frozen chicken breasts: If you buy the packages of fresh split breasts, a lot of the time it's much less expensive per pound. For example, this week at Safeway, a 4.5lb. package of split breasts is on sale for $1.64/pound. A 4lb. bag of frozen breasts is $2.50/lb. You can almost buy twice the fresh chicken for the price of one frozen bag!***

Speedy Tortilla Soup
1 can (15oz.) black beans
1 can (4oz.) diced green chiles
1 pkg. (14oz.) frozen southwest blend vegetables (or use your own mix of corn and peppers)
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded chicken
1 can (28oz.) red enchilada sauce

In large pot, combine ingredients and cook over medium high heat until getting ready to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle some grated cheddar or monterey jack cheese over the top, and serve with tortilla chips.

*Don't forget to enter Wedgie Free Wednesday over at Hanes for your chance to win a free pair of Hanes panties!

In my mailbox

It's only Tuesday and this is what I've gotten in my mailbox this week:

*several P&G coupons (sign up to get yours here)
*Huggies coupon booklet
*Babies R Us coupon/ad
*Free cookie from Kashi (you can still get yours by going here)

I'm looking into some of the great deals that Babies R Us has in their ad, starting this Friday (my girls' 1st birthday!). If you have any, please let me know.

Back in business

I've been so busy this past month honing my couponing skills, and now I'm hoping to use those skills to help you!

Yesterday I went to Walgreen's:
3 softoap body wash $3.49 each - 3 $1.00 Oct. easy saver coupons - 2 $1.00 mfr. coupons = $1.82 each
Nivea Men's Body Wash $5.49 - $1 mfr. coupon = $4.49
SmartWater $1.29
ColorSilk Hair Color $1.99
Oral B toothbrush $4.49 - $0.75 mfr. coupon = $3.74
Used $4.50 rr's

Total spent = $14.33
Received $6 in rr's (should have received $10.50, but rr didn't print because I used the rr from the Crest promo last week. I'm going to call Catalina company and see if they'll send it out to me.)
Will receive $4.99 in rebates.
Total out of pocket = $3.34 (If I get my $4.50 rr's, I'll have a $1.16 profit!)

Christmas Countdown: One of the Softsoap body washes and the Nivea Men's Body Wash will be used as stocking stuffers.

I also hit Target yesterday to get in on their diapers on sale:
Luvs Jumbo Pack $7 - $1 Target coupon - $1 mfr. coupon = $5 or $0.125/diaper
Huggies Wipes refill $5 - $1 Target coupon - $1 mfr. coupon = $3 for 232 wipes

I also got Simply Orange orange juice. Target has it for the cheapest price I've seen, even when it's on sale at Safeway. They have it for $3.29.

*Both of my mfr. coupons expired 09/30, so check yours and hurry in to Target!

Also at Target this week:

*some super cute baby girl shoes (like these and these) are on sale for only $7. Make sure to check the price at your store, as not all stores are participating in the shoe sale. (Why? I don't know.)

*Arm & Hammer and Purex liquid laundry detergents are on sale 2/$6. There is a $1 off Purex coupon in 09/28 paper. Print a $1 off coupon for Arm & Hammer here.