Living on Crock Pot Meals!

What's for dinner at your home tonight? It's a long day of football here in our home today which means it's coupon clipping day for me :) I decided to bust out the crock pot and make a new recipe. It's simple ingredients and almost no prep time...which means almost no CLEANING! It's a crock pot Dijon roast.

Crock Pot Dijon Roast
1 Beef Roast (well thawed)
3Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1/4 cup water
6 strips of bacon (uncooked)

Spray inside of crock pot with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle garlic powder over roast. Spread Dijon mustard over roast (I did both sides) and place in crock pot. Add water; place bacon slices on top of roast; cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Living on Coupons!

Coupons.com has TONS of new diaper coupons available for printing! Go get yours now they will definitely come in handy for Walgreens and Rite Aid upcoming sales.

Living on Free FOOD!!

IHOPS all around are giving away free pancakes today!!! Click on link below for all the details. Breakfast for dinner?? Why not :)

IHOP Free Pancakes

Living on Discounts!

Old Navy's Scream for Savings deal! You can get 20% any in-store purchase (excludes outerwear) Oct.29th & 30th! Check out the link below! It's actually the most interesting/creative way I've ever gotten a discount.

http://www.screamforsavings.com/

Living on Freebies!

New freebie alert! Click link below to sign up to get your John Frieda Root Awakening sample!

John Frieda Root Awakening

Living on Discounts! --Magazines

I found a fabulous deal I had to share. Eversave, the "share the save" website is currently offering $26 WORTH of magazine subscriptions from Blue Dolphin for only $12!!!! AND if this is your first time signing up with Eversave you will get an automatic $5 credit making your magazine purchase ONLY $7!!!

This would be a great way to get your All You subscription or that favorite magazine subscription back that you let slide because they have gotten so expensive! OR give a magazine as a gift! Blue Dolphin has over 1000 titles so there is sure to be one that you will love! AND best part FREE SHIPPING. Check out the deal, it's too good to pass up :)

Also, by signing up for the deal you will get emails for daily deals and sometimes there are awesome ones! You can also give the daily deal as a gift! SURPRISE someone so they can pick their own subscription. With this particular deal you can buy up to 5 certificates, that's 5 subscriptions! HURRY offer only available for TWO MORE DAYS before it expires! Click the link below:

Eversave Magazine Discount

Living on 6 ingredients or less casseroles!

Lately I have been posting a lot of crock pot recipes, I think it's the weather, but some of my families other favorite dishes are CASSEROLES. Casseroles just scream fall weather, and they usually don't take that much time to make and can be made with few ingredients. Also, being able to prepare the dish ahead of time and then pop it in the over when you are ready to eat it is a treat! Here are a couple really easy, super tasting casserole dishes!

Tater-tot Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cups frozen tater tots
1 can Cream of Celery soup (Cream of Mushroom works just as well, or sloppy joe mix)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)

Chop onion. Brown ground beef, mix in chopped onion and sprinkle on garlic powder; drain.
Transfer meat mixture into a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Cover meat with soup. Top with a single layer of tater tots.
(For a more complete meal, add a layer of veggies, corn or broccoli!)
Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes.
Then sprinkle on grated cheese and cook for another 10 mins.

There are so many variations to this recipe you can play with it to make it your own!

Cheesy Mac & Dogs Casserole (a fam FAVORITE)

2 bags big noodles (we like the Barilla Rigatoni kind)

1 beef smoked sausage (we like Hillshire farms)

2 cans Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup

1 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

3 tbsp butter

(salt & pepper to taste)

Cut up sausage. Slice into however small pieces you want cooked in casserole.

Boil noodles until almost cooked all the way. Drain, put aside. 

Melt butter in saucepan on low, pour in two cans of cheese soup, stir in sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Stir until melted, not allowing mixture to boil. Mix in salt/pepper. 

Pour a little sauce into a 9x13 pan.

Pour have noodles into pan over sauce, spread cut up sausage over noodles. Pour 1/3 of sauce over sausage. Pour rest of noodles over sausage. Cover with remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil and cook at 400 degrees for 35 mins. 

*You can obviously see that we don't eat this much while dieting... :) But sometimes we do indulge! You could make it healthier by using wheat noodles, low sodium soup, turkey sausage and fat free cheese but it's up to you!

Living on Free Samples!

Hurry over to the ALL YOU FREE SAMPLE today to get your free sample of Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets! They are going fast, only 9,000 left when I signed up for mine!!! FYI there are two steps when signing up make sure you submit and then check whether or not you want the two free issues of All You Magazine to complete the over, and you DON'T have to take the free issues, read carefully!

 

Living on Rite Aid!

I think a picture can tell a million words, so here is just simply a picture of my $17 purchase at Rite Aid yesterday!! I varied a little from my previous purchase plan as I had some good Oct. Video Value coupons, and my cashier was AWESOME, let me use the $5/$25 coupons and do three separate transactions...she is a mommy and believes in sales and coupon clipping :) So I got a TON of diapers, 6 packs and some formula and hair stuff, etc.. Just check it out below!

Total Product = $123 and cents

Total Cost: $17 and cents

Living on Rite Aid! My 10/24 "purchase plan"

I have tried very hard to get my 10/24 purchase plan for Rite Aid done ahead of time so that many of you out there could copy it or tweak it for yourself to help you make money this Sunday! I have put together my game plan and will try to create links to the coupons or tell you where to find them. It will require a little work on your part, you will need to sign up for the Rite Aid Wellness Reward Card, and head over to Rite Aid Video Values to watch some videos to get specific coupons. BUT, it will be worth it!

FIRST, print out this coupon: $5/$25 Rite Aid Purchase I recommend printing out a couple, as this coupon doesn't expire til Nov. 30th 2010 and if you are like me you could easily use 4 in one week.

If this is some of your first times shopping at Rite Aid you are going to get better deals than even me because there are Video Values coupons available to you that I have already used! So, enjoy the extra savings!

Go to Video Values and watch the (2) $1 off any non-prescription purchase coupons and print those out. They will give you an extra $2 off your total purchase and you SHOULD be able to use both of them in the same transaction...it really depends on the checker.

Buy 3 Sunday papers. It will cost you a little up front but the savings are worth it, OR ask someone you know who gets the paper to save the ads for you! My mom does for me.

Now here is my shopping list. I have 3 separate transactions:

Transaction 1:

(3) Bayer Alka-Seltzer Plus Powder Pack ($5 each)
(1) Aleve ($4.99)
(1) Bayer Aspirin AM ($6.99)
(1) Alka-Seltzer Plus ($4.99)
Total: $31.97

Same scenario with coupons:
Ring up everything and hand the cashier your $5/$25 coupon
Total now: $26.97

(3) Bayer Alka-Seltzer Plus Powder Pack ($2 UP reward per package =made $6 in UP rewards)
--- Save $3.00/1 Alka-Seltzer Plus Fast Powder Packs product in Red Plum Sunday Ad (Clip 3 coupons)
Total now: $17.97

(1) Aleve ($4.99)
---clip $3 off Aleve in Rite Aid Flyer
---Save $2.00/1 Aleve product coupon.com get yours HERE (you will need to search by healthcare and it should be right there.)
Total now: $12.97

(1) Bayer Aspirin AM ($6.99)
---clip $3 off Bayer in Rite Aid flyer
---Print the Save $1.50/1 Bayer Aspirin product AM 24 ct or larger HERE
Total now: $8.47

(1) Alka-Seltzer Plus ($4.99)
---Save $1.00/1 Alka-Seltzer or Alka-Seltzer Plus product 10 ct or larger Red Plum Sunday Ad
---$1/1 Alka-Seltzer Plus Video Value Rite Aid Coupon
Total now: $6.47

Hand the cashier your (2) $1/1 Non Prescription product
Total now: $4.47 out of pocket

You made $6 in UP Rewards buying (3) Alka Seltzer Plus powder packs
AND you made $10 in UP Rewards for buying $30 in Bayer products

$16-$4.47 =  $11.53 

YOU JUST MADE $11.53

NOW to use your UP rewards, here is my transaction 2: (Some cashiers will let you just ring up a separate transaction, usually I go back the next day or go to another Rite Aid)

 Transaction 2:

(3) Packs of Huggies Diapers ($8.99 each)
Total: $26.97



Same scenario with coupons:
Ring up everything and hand the cashier your $5/$25 coupon
Total now: $21.97


(3) Packs of Huggies Diapers (made $6 in UP rewards)

The coupons you can use now will depend on the types of Huggies you buy, I always try to get the Pure & Natural ones because the coupons are better, but a lot of times they are out of them at my Rite Aid, so here are links to multiple Huggies coupons and you can match them to your diapers in store.
---Huggies Coupons $2.50/1 Little Snugglers of $3/1 Pure and Natural (you should be able to print each twice) use as many as the checker will let you!
---Print your $2/1 Pamper product at Rite Aid Video Values
---Coupons.com has $2/1 Little Snugglers Diapers or $2.50/1 Pure & Natural or $3/2 Snug and Dry Diapers
Between all these coupons you should come up with 3 that will at least give you $6 off if not more, plus your video value coupon is $8 off total.
Total now: $13.97

Hand the cashier your previous UP rewards for $10 from your 1st transaction. 

$13.97-$10 = $3.97 

PLUS, you made $6 in UP rewards on diaper purchase. Plus, remember you still have $6 left in UP rewards from transaction 1.

$6-$3.97=$2.03

You just made $2.03!

 Transaction 3:

(2) Nivea Happy Sensation Lotion ($5.99 each)
(1) Loreal Ever Pure Conditioner ($5.99 each)
(1) Aveeno Shampoo ($5.99 each)
(1) Resolve Triple Action ($3.99 each)
Total: $27.95

Same scenario with coupons:
Ring up everything and hand the cashier your $5/$25 coupon
Total Now: $22.95

(2) Nivea Happy Sensation Lotion ($5 UP reward each)
---$1/1 Nivea lotion HERE (Print 2, I believe they are under personal care)
Total now: $20.95


(1) Loreal Ever Pure Conditioner

---$1/1 Rite Aid Video Value coupon

---$1.00/1 L’Oreal EverPure Shampoo, Conditioner or TreatmentRed Plum Coupon Sunday

Total now: $18.95

(1) Aveeno Shampoo ($1 UP reward)

---$4/1 Aveeno Rite Aid Video Value Coupon

---$1/1 Aveeno Printable Coupon HERE

Total now: $13.95

(1) Resolve Triple Action ($1 UP reward)

---$1.50/1 printable coupon HERE

Total now: $12.45

Hand the cashier your $12 in UP rewards from previous 2 transactions.

$12.45-$12 = $0.45

PLUS you made $12 in UP rewards off this purchase!!!!

SO for all the product you bought you ended up still making $11.55. Even if that is in UP rewards you will definitely have a nice starter coupon for the next week. It's like living on $25 and just trying to recycle it week to week.


Remember these are just my transactions for the week. Products my family will use. You can always make your own. But I hope this helps you by giving a guideline of how easy it is to save simply by coupon clipping!

Rite Aids Coupon Policy states that it will accept Rite Aid coupons as well as manufacturer coupons on the same purchase. So, shop with confidence. Some checkers may give you grief others will ask how you did it! But if you want to feel more confident, print off the Rite Aid coupon policy and carry it with you in case you run into problems. You can find it HERE.

Living to "Pay it forward!"

KARMA. It's the golden rule by which I live by. It's so simple, put good vibes out and get positive ones in return. It's so easy to be nice to someone and the best part is that it doesn't cost anything. However, another great gift that we can give is donations. I especially like donations that I can give straight from my own home. I'm not talking about clothes or food, I'm talking about the NUMBER ONE product that all parents or child caregivers need, DIAPERS. Anyone who is raising a child needs them and by the time our children are 2 many of us have invested 20% of our monthly income into them. But some aren't so fortunate, many children are in need of this basic necessity and I have come to find that many States don't offer programs to assist with the cost of diapers. BUT, for those of you who use Huggies in your own home you can give NOW.

Huggies offers the "Enjoy the Ride" program. It's so simple. In Huggies products many of you may have noticed the Huggies codes taped to the inside of wipes and diapers packages, and many of you probably have simply throw them away...I'm asking you to stop, stop now. If you were to type those codes into an "Enjoy the Ride" program account you could donate your code points back to those in need and Huggies will donate diapers! It's an amazing program and it doesn't cost you a dime more than what you have already spent. Just some time. And really who doesn't have a few minutes to spare for someone else when it's for a good cause.

Please, click on "Enjoy the Ride," program now to set up your account to start entering your codes and turning them into points, thus turning those points into diapers for those in need. You can do lots of other fun things with your points if you choose, join sweepstakes, try to win instant games but nothing will give you that warm, fuzzy feeling like donating them to those in need. And honestly the real winners are the babies who will receive a diaper donation from you!

Living on "All You"

I recently had a question about where someone could sign up for "All You" magazine and since there is so much more online at their site that is useful and with how much I use their coupons I knew I needed a post about it!
First, here is the link to their site: All You Magazine.

You can get a 2 issue free trial of their magazine (make sure to cancel it if you don't want it after the trial or you will be charged) or you can purchase 15 issues for $15 at QSP and help to benefit your local school of choice! This is what I did. Either way I know you will love the magazine, last month they had $82.22 worth of usable manufacturer coupons!!

Next, the site offers a section where everyday they update a new link to a freebie! It's is awesome! You can sign up to have an email sent to your inbox telling you about the freebie offer and a link to get there. Though, I have found that by waiting for the email sometimes the samples are already gone. So by saving this DAILY FREE SAMPLE and going every morning you can be sure you will get in one the freebie for the day!

Also, All You has their own coupon directory with some great printable manufacturer coupons. Printable Coupons

Go check out their site! In addition to savings, they have Style, Food, Beauty and Health and Fitness sections! It's a great all in one magazine!!

 

Living on Rue LA LA!!!!

Here is a site that I recently discovered. It is a discount boutique. They do 2 day online sales on designer items. They are promoting a $20 credit for new sign ups! At first I was weary, but after signing up I recieved my $20 credit in two days, and the BEST part they have items that are $19, so you only pay shipping!!! They have tons of cute items too ranging from clothes to dishes. Do yourself a favor and at least check out the site! It doesn't hurt to have an extra present on hand for the holidays just in case someone you weren't expecting to give you a gift happens to present you with one! They had a really cute Dansk platter for only $19!!!

Rue La La

Living on Coupons!

New coupon ALERT! Here is a coupon ALERT for $2 off any Tylenol product! This is sure to come in handy during the upcoming cold & flu season. It could prove to make a product extremely inexpensive in the coming weeks at either Rite Aid or Walgreens, PRINT YOURS: Tylenol Coupons
I was able to print a couple different ones. I like to keep some on hand!

Living on Walgreens!

This is going to be a new section to my blog as I attempt to find the best deals at Walgreen's as I usually do at Rite Aid! I have been doing test runs the past couple of weeks seeing if the savings can add up and so far I have been quite impressed! Walgreen's offers in store coupon books, as well as "register rewards," and will let you stack them with manufacturer coupons which is how you make things FREE! Today, in my email box I received my first offer from Walgreen's worth blogging about. It is a FREE 8X10 Collage Print! I am a picture FREAK, and love to capture every moment and love giving photo gifts away even more, and with Christmas right around the corner what better time to get photo freebies???!!

Click HERE to get your 1 FREE 8x10 collage print (great gift for Grandparents!)  The code is (8x10TREAT)
ALSO, with the code (ALLPHOTO) you can get $10 off your $20 photo order, you can pick up items in store for free shipping! Offers are only good til this Sat, the 23rd! So hurry and get yours!!!

Living on BOGO offers for kids!

Here is a great offer for those who buy presents for children!! Carter's has BOGO pajamas today through Wednesday, and this includes clearance items! Some of there pajamas are as low as $6.99 meaning you could potentially walk away with 2 pairs for less than the price of one!


Also, if you spend at least $40 and use Promo Code: Chilly-- you get an additional 20% off!

Go and stalk up! If you can buy children clothes a season ahead then you are always sure to save :)

Carter's Childrens PJ's Sale

Living on TWO Ingredient Breakfast!

Here is one of my FAVORITE breakfast recipes. It is perfect for those times when you have house guests and still want to cook them a homemade breakfast of eggs and bacon but make sure everyone eats at the same time and it's hot! It's so incredibly simple.

My husband calls them "Eggs & Bacon Muffins."
*The amount of eggs & bacon is determined by you. However many people you want to feed!

-Muffin Tray
-Eggs
-Bacon


Cook bacon strips halfway. DO NOT cook bacon until crisp, you want to be able to twirl it without the bacon breaking. But, you want to cook it enough to get rid of some of the bacon grease. Drain onto paper towels. Lightly brush the muffin cup tray with butter. (I usually just use a paper towel and rub the inside of the tray) Coil the bacon slices around the wells of the muffin tin. Crack an egg into each muffin tin cup, so that the egg cooks inside of the bacon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake @ 375 for 10 mins, or until egg is cooked to your liking. Pair with toast! Ta Da. Bacon and eggs for everyone and an easy way to impress guests!


 

Living on Rite Aid!

So, because I was disappointed with my Rite Aid shopping trip yesterday I went back today! I tried out a different Rite Aid store, and came prepared with all my coupons(hoping that my diaper ones would match up) and while I only bought three items today I was not upset at all because I made a $$$$!!! That's right today was a money makin day! Here are my purchases:

1 box of Huggies Diapers: $19.99 ($4 UP)
1 Thermacare Heat Wrap: $2.99 (SCR $2.99)
1 BodiHeat Wrap: $2.99 (SCR $2.99)
Total: $25.97

Here's how I made $$$! (First, my husband and I both have Rite Aid Wellness Cards. This enables us to each get the same coupons monthly and provides more shopping benefits!)


First, I handed the checker my Rite Aid Wellness Card. Then the following Rite Aid coupons, $5 off / $25 purchase, and two Video Value coupons for $1 off any non-prescription purchase.

That brought my total to: $18.97
Then product coupons:

Huggies: There was a manufacturer coupon attached to the box for $1 off! AND I had a $1.50 off any one box of Huggies printed offline from 2 weeks ago (another reason to SAVE every coupon) at Coupons.com Total now: $16.47


Thermacare: I had a $1 off any Thermacare prodcut from Video Values, and I printed of $1 off 1 from the Thermacare website. Total now: $14.47

I handed the cashier my $5 in UP rewards from yesterdays purchase. Total now: $9.47 (this is what I paid in store but watch below)


By purchasing the diapers I got a $4 off coupon for my next purchase. Bringing my total to $5.47.

By purchasing the Thermacare patch I made $2.99 in Single Check Rebate and by purchasing the BodiHeat I made $2.99 in SCR so that's $5.98 I will recieve in check form at the end of the month, once I enter my receipt at RiteAid.com. So subtract that from my total and you get: -0.51 cents!!! I made 0.51 cents on my purchases today!!!

There are always possibilities to make money at Rite Aid because of their great SCR items each week because essentially you put money up front and then at the end of the month you receive a check, sometimes making the item FREE. However, I don't like clutter and only buy items that I know my family will use. I don't need to add to the worlds waste :) BUT, by all means, take advantage of the great deals and save some money to spend on family time, or Christmas, which reminds me I have some shopping to do.....

Living on Rite Aid!

Ok. Here is how my Rite Aid trip went today. It didn't go as expected because I got there are they didn't have the right kind of diapers for my coupons and then the lady who rang me up was really picky with the coupons I had...BUT I still got $30.96 worth of merchandise for $3.47....YES! Here are my purchases below:

Here is how my purchase went (The prices below reflect price after using my Wellness Card:

1 Box of Huggies Snug & Dry: $19.99 ($4 UP)
1 ThermaCare Heat Wrap: $2.99 ($2.99 SCR "Single Check Rebate")
1 Listerine Zero: $3.99 ($1 up)
1 Mens Nivea Body Wash: $3.99

Total: $30.96

What I paid:

First I handed the checker a $5 off/$25 purchase, and my (2) $1 off any Rite Aid non pharmacy Video Value Coupons.


1 Box of Huggies Snug & Dry: I had a $2.50 off Huggies Coupon from this weeks Red Plum insert

1 ThermaCare Heat Wrap: I had a $1 off manufacturer coupon from Here and paired it with the Rite Aid Video Value coupon for $1 off.

1 Listerine Zero: I had a $1 off listerine coupon from Here

1 Mens Nivea Body Wash: I had a $3 off any men's Nivea body wash coupon from this weeks RP insert.

Then I cashed in $4 in UP rewards I had from previous purchase in the week. 

Total: $11.46

BUT the Thermacare has a 100% Single Check Rebate this week, so I get $2.99 back, and with my purchases I got an additional $5 in UP rewards for a future purchase! 

SO my GRAND TOTAL: $3.47

Oh, how I LUV Rite Aid. I will for sure be back one more time this week to cash in on some more deals!!! I can NEVER get enough diapers, especially for that price!

Living on Free Samples!

FABULOUS FREE SAMPLE ALERT!!!! Target has a new free Wisk sample available!! Get over there and get yours :)

Click on link below before they are gone!

Free Wisk Sample

Living on Crockpot Dinners!

Here is an awesome "Crock Pot Hawaiian Steak" Recipe I just tried! It has more than my usual 3-4 ingredient recipes, but the end result is worth it! AND the time that you save by throwing it all in a crock pot makes up for having to use a couple more ingredients.


"Crock Pot Hawaiian Steak"
1 1/2 pound chuck steak
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes1 can (15 ounces) pineapple pieces
1 onion
1/2 pound uncooked bacon
6 ounces tomato paste
2 cups mixed vegetables
Salt to taste
1/2 cup flour

Cut steak into piece, roll the steak in flour. Dice up onion and bacon. Throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. 

Serve with salad. Enjoy!

Living on Daily Use Samples!

Hi all! Here are some fabulous beauty samples that are currently available- get them now, before they are gone! Some of the sites have discount coupons too.

John Frieda Hair Care Products

Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion

U by Kotex

Advil

Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner

Shout Color Catcher

SC Johnson Gift Pack- HUGE!

Go now and get yours!

Living on Rite Aid!

TODAY was awesome! I spent all last night clipping coupons and matching them to ads, and this morning I went to Rite Aid and got $26 worth of merchandise and actually MADE $5.99, and didn't spend a dime! How???? First be sure to check out my previous Rite Aid post to learn about "Wellness Rewards" and "Video Values" coupons, 1 up rewards (you get money coupons for future purchases) and then read on to see how I made money at Rite Aid this morning!

My Purchases

Original Costs (Many items on sale already this week, price below reflects sale price, need a wellness card to get these prices, you can sign up for free at www.riteaid.com!):

Gain Dish Soap: 0.89 cents x4
Foldgers: $6.99 ($1 up reward)
Crest Pro Health: $2.49 x2 ($1 up reward per)
John Frieda Blonde Conditioner: $4.99 ($1 up reward)
Lysol Wipes: BOGO $3.49
Palmers Lip Butter: $1.99 (Single check rebate $1.99)
Total: 26.00


What did I pay??? NOTHING! I DIDN'T EVEN SWIPE MY DEBIT CARD. I made $5.99 here's how:

First I handed the check out lady a $5 off/$25 purchase coupon that I got in my email from Rite Aid for having a wellness card. Now my bill was only $21.....

Gain Dish Soap: There was $1 off gain dish soap coupon last weeks P&G Sunday paper Coupons, you could use up to 4 of these on a single day, I clipped 4 and used all of them today. The lady just scanned them so essentially it took $4 off my bill but I had only paid $3.56 for the items. MONEY MADE My bill is now $17......


Foldgers: ($1 up reward) I had a $1 off coupon from this months ALL YOU magazine- BEST coupon magazine ever, they always have great deals. I think they had over $80 worth of coupons this month, get a subscription to this magazine! My bill is now: $16 and I made $1 for the UP reward.


Crest Pro Health: x2 ($1 up reward per) I had (2) 0.75 cent coupons off any Crest toothpaste from the P&G clipper from last Sunday. PLUS I had a $1 off a Crest Pro Coupon from Rite Aid Pharmacy coupon book (just go to the Pharmacy and ask for this book. I have gotten two, it has additional coupons you can stack). Now my bill is $13.50 & I have $3 in UP rewards.


John Frieda Blonde Conditioner: ($1 up reward) I printed a $2 off coupon directly off their website: John Freida Coupons & Freebies (AND they had three freebies to sign up for!) My bill is now $11.50 & I have made $4 in UP rewards!


Lysol Wipes: BOGO I had a $1.00 off Lysol wipes coupon from Coupons.com I think is where I got it, another GREAT coupon site!They update daily, check it out. Always have diapers/wipes coupons LUV IT! Plus I had $1.50 off Lysol Wipes from the Rite Aid Pharmacy Coupon book. My bill is now $9 and I have $4 in UP rewards still.


Palmers Lip Butter: (Single check rebate $1.99) No Coupon BUT the product had a 1.99 SCR so when I get the check at the end of the month the product will have been FREE.... so I count that as money made. I'm up to $5.99 in money made = $4 in UP rewards and $1.99 SCR. My bill is $9, here is how I got it to $0.

I gave the cashier $9 in UP rewards from a previous purchase, the exact amount I had left on my bill! 
Total: $0........I made $5.99 ($4.00 in UP rewards and $1.99 in single check rebate.)

Single Check Rebates were new for me this week, first time I had done this. Basically Rite Aid has products where if you buy them now, you can enter your receipt info online or mail in, and you will get sent a money check back. SOME products you get full purchase price back making the product eventually FREE. It is CRAZY fabulous, they are giving away things!


I LUV RITE AID and I luv living on their products!  Yet another reason to "Be Hip, COUPON CLIP!!!"

Living on THREE ingredient recipes!

The concept that stay at home moms or SAHM's do not work is a MYTH. I have to admit that I thought this myself (before staying home with my daughter) that I would have tons of free time to scrapbook, get all those projects I had been putting off done and be able to keep an IMMACULATE house. Boy was I wrong! It seems like I have MORE chores, less money so I have to seek out the deals and do research and for some reason a MESSIER house. I'm still trying to find a balance and flow. I have GREAT respect for moms who work too.

One way I keep balance is by finding recipes that take the LEAST amount of ingredients (saves money) and the LEAST amount of cooking/preparing time. If they are healthy its a BONUS! Here are two 3-INGREDIENT recipes that are staples in my house! And of course in true "Living on Luv" fashion you can cook them in a CROCK POT! Be forewarned- in my house we are meat-eaters so very few vegetarian meals make my table, but all meals come with at least a veggie on the side :)
The recipes are for two, but you could easily double them.

Scalloped Ta-Toes with Pork

1 Pkg. Scalloped potatoes
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 to 6 pork chops

Follow directions on box to prepare potatoes. Add 3/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese to mixture. Spray crock pot with non-stick spray, transfer potato mixture into crock pot. Put pork chops on top of potatoes. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low. Season to taste.

Chicken-Cheesy Crock Pot
3 whole boneless chicken breasts (you can sprinkle these with garlic powder if you prefer)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can Cheddar cheese soup

Put all ingredients in crock pot. Mix. Cook on low for 8 hours, do not lift the lid. Serve over rice or noodles.

Living on FREE Food Samples!

Here are a few products I found today while browsing that you can sign up for free sample products. The common theme here, they are all FOOD products! Even Better :) Sign up now, they go fast! All of these offers are DIRECTLY from the manufacturer's website, I don't recommend that you ever do a third party freebie offer.

Free Kashi Snack

Natural Sweetner - Sun Crystals

True Citrus Water Flavors

Del Taco Freebie Coupons

Smart for Life Cookies

Special K Cereal

Taster's Choice Coffee

I would highly recommend setting up a coupon email so that your real email doesn't get overloaded. The best news with signing up for free samples is that they usually come with product coupons! Who doesn't love a coupon?!!

Living on STARBUCKS!

I LOVE Coffee. It is my true vice in life. When I was pregnant I gave it up cold turkey but all through the Holidays all i could think about was getting my hands on a "Pumpkin Spice Latte" or an "Egg Nog Flavored Americano." I had dreams about it. Smelling coffee brewing the morning just reminds me of Fall (my FAV season!) And now that I am not pregnant, I enjoy the occasional drink, but with the increasing prices at Starbucks it's not that frequent and I have become more of a home brewer than a dedicated Starbucks drinker. I have yet to try Starbucks Via Instant coffees but now I have a chance to try them for FREE! Starbucks currently has a promotion for free sample 4-pack of Starbucks VIA® Flavored Coffee.

Click on the link here: Free Via Samples

Play the memory game and your in! You will need a Starbucks account to play but signing up is free!
Live fab & Luv --S.R.

Living on Freshness!

Here is another chance for a freebie! AND you can send one to a friend at the same time!! Click link below to get a coupon for a free tub of Cottonelle Fresh Flushables & send one to a friend at the same time! I sent one to my mom :)

Cottonelle Fresh Flushables

Stay Fab, share freebies & the Luv! --S.R.

Living on FREEBIES!

Who doesn't LOVE to receive free items in the mail?? I know I do. Since I was little, opening the mailbox to see something addressed to you was one of the greatest thrills! I think that's why many of us (children of the 80's and 90's) were all members of some sort of chain letter (snail mail) club :) Do you remember what I'm talking about? You send a letter to 10 friends who in turn will send one back to you and an additional 10 friends, who all send one to you, etc. For some reason these never worked out as good as they seemed to promise they would BUT now as adults we have something else we can look forward to.....FREEBIES in the mail! Most of which are products that we can and do use on an everyday basis. I have learned that many companies now send their coupons with free samples to one up their competition and I am happy to be a recipient. Here are some of my favorite freebie sites that I feel comfortable providing my information to. And always do research before posting your information on the web. There are many scams out there and the results of signing up for sites could lead to more things than you intended to be signed up for, but for me, so far the sites below I have been happy with.

P&G Everyday Solutions will send you freebies quarterly. And time is almost up to make this quarter! 
P&G Brand Sampler 

Wal-Mart, they always have useful freebies! 
Wal-Mart Freebies

Target, Sample site at Target is new. Most likely to compete with all the other freebie sites!
Target Sample Spot 

Signing up for samples is a great way to test products and to receive coupons! Also, you can take delight in the little things again, like receiving a letter or MAYBE even a package with your name on it! Stay fabulous & luv. --S.R.

Living on FREE Personalized Gifts!

One of my favorite sites EVER to create personalized gifts and stationary is VistaPrint.com They continue to amaze me by how inexpensive they offer products and that they can keep doing it! I stumbled upon them by accident when I was planning a Bridal Shower for a cousin and wanted to make some unique invitations. Boy was I surprised when I ended up getting 20 invitations for the cost of shipping only! From then on I have used the site many MANY times for a plethora of items and will continue to use them. I.E. Address Labels, Announcements, Postcards, even AWESOME garage sale posters!

I have been Christmas shopping since the day after Christmas last year (if this tells you anything about me it's that I am a planner), and I recently just ordered some personalized Coffee Mugs for the first time off the site. Well, I got them in the mail and LUV them! 4 STARS review from me****

If you click on the link above you can make many FREE products (only paying the cost of shipping). CHECK IT OUT! Especially those of you with children, or grandchildren they have awesome deals on personalized gifts (like photo books) and for those of you with home businesses they have great promotional items too (business cards)! I promise you wont be disappointed the quality is A+!

There are two options for ordering from this site. If you are only ordering 1-2 items, it is sometimes less expensive to do each order separate. Silly. Maybe but it's cheaper. For example, after I placed the first mug order a pop-up came up and offered my the chance to make an identical item order but with free shippping for 5.99....well I had just paid $5.64 for my shipping on my FREE product. So you see it was cheaper for me to just go back and do a separate order and get the product free but pay for shipping. But, if you wanted large quantities of items imagine the free shipping offer would be more cost effective. So, it's really up to you! Either way the deals are incredible! Hope everyone gets a chance to try out the site! Stay FAB & Luv--S.R.

Living on Soda Recipes!

Made these recipes tonight and had to share! They were sooo incredibly simple AND I got to use my favorite kitchen appliance for the first one- my crock pot!

I have seen similar recipes but this one I got directly from the coca-cola recipe web site. It is called, "Coca-cola Roast." I will be calling is "Crock Pot Cola Roast," because the original recipe was to cook the pot roast in the over but I am a true believer in my crock pot and made mine there. Here is the Ubber Simple Recipe:

"Crock Pot Cola Roast"

1 Beef Roast
1 Can of Coke
2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Package of Dry Onion Soup Mix

Simply place roast in your crock pot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over the Roast. Cook on High for 6-8 hours. The meat will literally be falling off the bone!

And for an even quicker dessert and sticking with the theme of cooking with soda, make a diet soda box cake.


"Diet Soda Box Cake"

1 Box of Cake Mix (just add water,eggs kinds- I prefer Yellow for this recipe)
1 Can of Diet Soda (I used Diet Lemon-Lime)

Pour cake mix in bowl. Pour diet soda into bowl. Mix. Dump mixed ingredients into cake pan. Follow baking instructions for pan and cooking times on back of box.

WA LAH! Add a side of veggies and you are set! The best thing- the cake recipe is one recommended by Weight watchers! Enjoy! Stay FABULOUS & Luv---S.R.

Living on Blog HOP! Check out some other great pages*

Living on LUV freebie annoucement!

Make sure you sign up to subscribe to posts and/or like the blog on Facebook! If we can get to 100 subscribers or Facebook friends I will put together a "Trial Size Product Basket Prize" and will randomly pick a winner!!! So get the word out :)

Living on PIZZA!!!!

One of my favorite things to eat in the whole world is PIZZA. I love it. I crave it. I live for it! I love making my own homemade pizzas. First, I can control the amount of CHEESE and I can make all different kinds and since I'm making it at home I tell myself it will be slightly healthier :) But who are we kidding, you don't eat pizza because it's healthy! Before I started Weight Watchers last week we had friends down and I decided to make Pizza. I tried a new recipe which was a HIT and I would like to share. It was Cali Chicken Pizza (a knockoff of California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza). It was DELISH

Cali Chicken Pizza
1 pre-made pizza crust
2 Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce (or more to taste)
1 cup shredded mozerella
1 cup shredded Gouda (this is what gives it the smoky flavor)
1 small, chopped red onion

You can definitely make your own dough for this but I didn't want to spend all day cooking so I went with the pre-made crust and it was still amazingly awesome!

I let the defrosted chicken breasts marinate in 2/3 cup of BBQ sauce for a couple of hours. Then you cook them and cut into thin strips. Let cool. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread 2/3 cup BBQ sauce on the pre-made pizza crust. Sprinkle the Gouda and half the mozzarella cheese on crust. Sprinkle chopped onion and spread chicken slices on crust. Then cover with remaining mozzarella.

Cook for 8-10 minutes or until crust gets as crispy as you like. Watch it though so you don't burn the edges. I like to cook the pizza with no pan directly on the rack for a crispy crust! DONE!!! Serve with a Caesar Salad and you have a tasty meal for four! Stay FAB & Luv -- S.R.

Living on Rite Aid Deals!

Many people are already aware of the AMAZING deals that Rite Aid seems to come up with each week. However, the purpose of this blog is to share, and so I would like to share with you my $10.08 day that I had, and how I got so much for that small price! First, take a look above at the pic, I got all that product for just over TEN DOLLARS! Let me break it down......


3 Packs of Huggies diapers (originally $11.99/pack) On sale this week for ($7.99)
1 Schick triple blade razor ($8.99) On sale this week for ($5.99)
1 listerine ($3.99)
1 pack of wisp toothbrushes ($1.29)
1 bottle of baby aveno shampoo ($5.69)
1 trial size sensodyne toothpaste ($1.59)

My original cost should have been : $54.52
I paid: $11.08 BUT got a rite aid 1 up coupon for $1 off my next purchase so I paid $10.08 essentially
HOW? Let me explain!!!!

FIRST, go to RiteAid.com and sign up for their wellness program, this will give you an in store savings card, similar to Safeway. Just for signing up you get a $5/$25 purchase.
Then head straight to Ad Perk: http://my.adperk.com/offer/d30b50da#ly

Use your new Wellness login to sign up here and search for the $2/off huggies coupon, watch the video and print the coupon. It's that simple! There are tons of other great offers too, and if you watch 20 of them you get an additional $4/$20 purchase coupon.

First, I punched in my wellness phone number to activate my coupons. Then she rang up all my purchases and I handed her my $5/$25 purchase coupon.

Then, Huggies were on sale this week for $7.99 (this is actually my third time back to stock up on diapers this week!)
In addition I printed off huggies online coupons directly off their site:
http://www.huggies.com/en-US/promotions/coupons      -----$2.50/pack (used 2 of them)
Also coupon here:  http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14505&zid=py13&nid=10&varb=cd476&bid=alk100816103419642140024911
Search the site, they have ---$3.00/2 packs of Huggies.
AND directly from Rite Aid Ad Perk Site I used $2/any huggies purchase
RiteAid allowed me to stack all these coupons! I paid $8.97 for three packs of diapers.

Next, I used a $4/1 schick razor coupon that I got from last Sundays paper, and I stacked it with a $2/1 schick razor coupon from Rite Aid Video Ad Perks AND that means I made .01 cent on purchasing the razor, it was absolutely FREE!.

Then I handed her a $4/1 baby aveno purchase that I printed offline from print.coupons.com AND used a $2/1 aveno hair product from Rite Aid Video Ad Perks making the baby shampoo FREE and I made .31 cents.

Then I used a coupon for $1.00 off Wisp that I got from the All You Magazine this month (GREAT magazine for coupons) making that product .29 cents.

Next I used a manufacturer coupon for $.75 cents/1 sensodyne toothpaste on the trial size making it .84 cents!

And finally I used $1/1 Listerine product off the big Listerine mainly because this product is an UP product this week and gave me a $1 credit towards my next purchase at Rite Aid! My Listerine cost me 2.99 today. But if you read below I had an UP credit from last week equaling 2.69 so I like to think I paid .30 cents!

And because I had been to Rite Aid so much this week I had previously purchased a tube of Crest toothpaste, it cost me $2.69 at the time, but it was an UP reward product so on my receipt they had credited me $2.69! However you look at it I eventually got the product free because I used this credit towards my purchase today. AND the way I worded it may make it seem like you have to use UP credits towards UP products but you DON'T at all.You can use them on whatever you like.

OK doing the math now I come out at $10.40, but MATH is not my strong subject lol I have no idea how I got what I got but I know what I paid and I know I SAVED! Hopefully this will inspire some of you to invest in Coupon Clipping and SEE the money it can SAVE! I will try to keep you posted with other ways to save at Rite Aid and do it ahead of the sales so that you can take advantage of them too! Be hip, coupon clip!!!! Stay Fabulous and LUV - S.R.

Living on Crock Pot Meals

One of the greatest gifts I ever received was my crock pot. It is the one kitchen item that I can always count on to make my family a great meal and doesn't require a lot from me. I LOVE IT. All of my friends receive them as wedding presents from me. One of my favorite crock pot meals is - "Crock Pot Chicken Chili." It may sound odd to use Chicken as the ingredient instead of beef, but my husband loves it and it's quite a bit healthier AND best part, it falls within Weight Watcher points as an ok meal to eat! Here is my quick, easy recipe:

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

1.3 pounds (20 oz) ground Chicken
1 small Onion (chopped)
1 container Chunky Salsa
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans
1 can (15 oz) light red kidney beans
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped chilies
2 tbsp Chili Powder (or more to taste)

Brown chicken and onion in medium skillet over medium heat until cooked through. Drain fat and pour chicken and onions into crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients to crock pot, mix well. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Add favorite toppings: cheese, onions or cilantro.

This recipe makes a ton of chili for our fam and my husband will eat on it for days! He loves leftovers and thank goodness because I haven't mastered cooking for just 2 yet :) I love cooking in the crock pot so stay tuned for future crock pot recipes! As always, Stay Fabulous & luv! --S.R.

Living on Trial Products!

One of my newest obsessions is not something that may be new to some of you, but I would like share for those who are unaware. It is the world of saving through samples! I was coupon clipping/searching last week and I came upon an interesting concept....using coupons on trial size products. It seems ingenious and you would think that the manufacturers would make stricter regulations on coupons to prevent this but some of them don't! My theory behind this is that it is basically like a consumer going to the store to pick up their free sample than actually filling out a form and waiting 6-8 weeks for it to arrive in the mail. How does it work? Well let me enlighten you...

First go through all of your weekend coupon books, Smart Source, Red Plum, P&G, etc.. Clip EVERYTHING. Just do it (as the old Nike slogan says). You may not think you need that coupon for .75cents off of the lip care product but some day in the near future Rite Aid may have an additional $1.00 off that same product with a $4 off a $20 purchase and then before you know it you are paying .25 cents for a $6.99 product! I will explain this later, but clip everything! File your coupons in whatever method works for you (I'm working on this as mine are currently cut up into many random shapes stuck in my wallet...this is my weekend project). Also, search the net, retailers will gladly give you coupons if you sign up for their email group. How do you avoid the junk? Set up a free email address that you use specifically for SPAM! It's that simple. Then print off coupons for toothpaste, arm deodorants, hairsprays, face washes and medicine cabinet items. Most of these coupons, you will find, do NOT exclude trial sizes. It's AMAZING. If it does it will say it directly on the coupon.

Take your coupons to your neighborhood Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, wherever you go to normally get these items. Walk through the doors and head to the TRIAL SIZE SECTION. Now, this is the fun part. Match up those coupons to the trial size products. Use that .75cent off a Crest toothpaste on the product that costs .99 cents. Do multiple coupons if you can, bring in 5, as long as you buy 5 items the cashier shouldn't complain. Your end result= you get 5 mini toothpastes for max $1.20. Everyone in the family can have their own! This works great for my husband and I since he is fan of Crest and I refuse to use anything but Colgate! If your still not hooked check out my loot above.

What was my grand total for this purchase??? Any guesses? I paid .49 cents!!!! The only reason because my Wal-mart didn't have trial size of NexCare band-aids, so I had to get the $1.49 box and my coupon was only for $1.00 off. YES EVERYTHING ELSE WAS FREE! And, these are items that I could potentially use everyday. I hope you see the benefit of taking a little time each week to coupon clip. IT PAYS, trust me people I'm now a BELIEVER :) I will only be buying things with coupons now, well as much as I can! Here is a link to coupons to get you started.

Trial Size Coupons

Some coupons on this site I used for products you see. Remember be hip & COUPON CLIP!!! Stay fabulous & Luv  ---S.R.

Living on Campbell's soup!

Here is a new little tidbit about my fam to yours! My husband works as a police officer, therefore he is always working crazy shifts and gets hungry at odd times of the day depending on his schedule. Because of this, if I were to be a FAB wife and home cook all of our meals I would be cooking all day, cooking for myself and then cooking separate meals for him. BUT, luckily I'm currently doing Weight Watchers trying to loose the last 13 pounds of pregnancy weight (I gained FIFTY SEVEN POUNDS...insert GASP here- on my 5'3'' body it was a LOT). Breastfeeding helped a lot! I promised myself that I would wait til 4 months to attempt to diet (in that 4 months I almost lost it all by just breastfeeding, SERIOUS), well my daughter will be 4 months tomorrow and I actually started weight watchers last Sunday, it's going awesome, already lost 3 pounds and I feel GREAT! So, 13 to go but I'd like to loose 15 after, to return to my very comfy college weight. ANYWHO, back to the topic! Living on Campbell's Soup. 

Since I am dieting I'm eating a lot of frozen meals and POPCORN, it's just easier to count points and they have sooo many great frozen meals now it doesn't really matter to me, but my husband likes to have at least one home cooked meal a day. Because of his weird schedule, meaning he basically wakes up at different times each day I have to have ingredients on hand to be able to cook him a meal quickly. Yesterday I came across a great new addition to my recipe file and I want to share! It's so simple and CHEAP. It was a hit for my husband and I know it will be in your family. I would like to name it, "Bowl of Soupy Rice..." if someone else comes up with a better name please comment! Here is the recipe I used:

"Bowl of Soupy Rice"

1 cup cooked instant rice

1 Campbells Sirloin Steak with Hearty Vegetable Soup

Cook the instant rice as directed on box. Scoop rice in bowl. Pour can of soup in container used to cook rice. Warm in microwave or on stove. Scoop as much meat and soup onto top of rice as preferred.

THAT'S IT!!! It was so quick, easy and DELISH. And the great thing was that you could sub out the soup for any flavor you like AND...wait for it......a FULL SERVING OF VEGGIES!!! Holla! Stay fabulous & Luv --S.R.

WELCOME!!!

Hi! Welcome to my blog! I don't really know what else to call it or how else to introduce my life to the world wide web, except with a good, ol'fashioned "hello." I have mixed feelings opening up my life to the web and to tell my inner most thoughts to complete strangers, but the good side of blogging won out. My husband, whom I am madly in love with, is always so intrigued by some of the ways that I stretch a buck, come up with a recipe or pick up a hobby and make it my own. He first suggested I start a blog, then my mother suggested it, then my cousin and finally after all the support I am going to try it out! In my opinion a blog will be a safe place to chronologically diary my thoughts, add humor to my day and hopefully others, while still "secretly" hiding my identity from strangers. I feel as though I'm less embarrassed to share my life with strangers than with my own family. Weird how that sounds. I guess that means I am a dishonest person as far as my thoughts go, but the ironic twist (as there is always irony in the truly fabulous lives- i.e. a light red head currently avoiding prison time by hiding out in rehab for the umpteenth time) is that I am a huge proponent of honesty. 

So, to all of my soon-to-be readers, or maybe just to that one person who will wake up with me each morning I PROMISE to always be honest. I vow to only recommend things that I have first tried, sampled or done. And I will make it my personal goal to try new things and keep up with my new obsession, my blog! I feel as though I have possibly already made this first post too long so I will wrap it up! But, I will leave you with a small description of why I choose the title "Living on Luv." The purpose of this blog is to help others SAVE MONEY!!!! As with life, my blog will more than likely transform or have mild changes but the general purpose will stay the same! I want to share how I make it day to day, week to week on a tight income while still keeping family priorities #1. Therefore, in my family we "live on luv," day to day. Money pays the bills but luv keeps it (the family) together. OK to everyone go live you life, be hip and coupon clip! Stay Fabulous & Luv---S.R.