5 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese/Cream Cheese for $2.50

Awesome deal at Copp's through next Wednesday October 27!

Kraft shredded cheese and Cream Cheese is on sale for $1.50 each.  Buy 5 and use this coupon to get your cheese for $2.50!  That's $0.50 a bag.  (Press the back button and print the coupon a second time and you can buy 10 bags of cheese for $5.00.)  Cheese freezes great!  And what a great way to save money!

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/kraftcheese/index.html

Being Green with keeping your house warm!

I am excited to tell you it is October 17th and I have YET to turn on my heat--and yes we have crappy windows and such that let in ALL the outside air!  Here are a few tips and tricks I have learned to help keep the house warm without turning on the heat.

*Open window coverings on your southern facing windows. The sun will naturally heat your home during the day. 

*Look into insulating curtains for at night.  I actually made some of my own for around $10 a window.  They pull up like roman shades and I put additional molding on the sides of my window with hinges to "clamp" the curtains down on the side when the window is closed.  I attached the curtains with velcro to the top of the window which helps eliminate air leaks at the top. (If you want more info on these let me know otherwise here is additional info below.

Here is info on how to make sure the curtain is insulating: http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/21685.aspx

And here is info on how to make an insulated curtain.  (If you buy the insulating fabric at JoAnne's they have instructions included.)  http://www.ehow.com/how_4479972_make-insulated-curtains.html

*Close drapes at night--they insulate a little so they will help keep some of that cool air out. 

*If you have a sunporch area or room with many windows that heats up from the sun, make sure that hot air has access to the house.  You may want to use a box fan to blow the warm air into your home. 

*If it is warmer outside then inside--open those windows!  However, once the temp on the outside becomes cooler--CLOSE THEM.  We have been lucky with some upper 70's days here and there.  I have really taken advantage of these days to warm my house.

*Cook/Bake.  Yes I am serious.  I have been doing a fair amount of cooking and baking the last month to help keep the house warm.  I will often bake/cook double batches.  Then I can freeze for later or share with a friend now.  After I turn the oven off, I will open it up to let the heat warm the house  (of course I am careful to make sure that my little ones are in another room and don't come near the stove.

Of course there are the standard things you can do as well---buy insulation tape for around windows and doors.  I like waiting for a windy day and then I take a candle around any spots that may leak air from the outside.  If the flame dances, I know that I have a leak and then use insulation foam/tape/rubber to block the leak. 

If you have drafts coming from under your door, you may need to buy a new door sweep--these are relatively inexpensive and slide easily on the bottom of your door.  Definitely worth the investment.

So what do you do to help keep your house warm?

Being Green with your heating bill- installing a programmable thermostat and scheduling it to SAVE you money!

When Rob and I purchased both of our houses the first thing we did was to install a programmable thermostat.

It just made sense.  We could save money by turning the heat down when we were gone and when we were sleeping (and we didn't have to REMEMBER to turn down the heat!)  With winter coming this is one of the smartest way to reduce your heating bill.  Energy Star estimates people save $180 a year with a programmable thermostat.  I am pretty sure we save more than that at my home--and I am a stay-at-home mom.  Below I give you some info on purchasing and installing your thermostat and then scheduling it to SAVE you money!

Currently you can buy a programmable thermostat for as cheap as $17 at Menards.  If you want one that you can schedule weekends differently than weekdays it is as cheap as $24.  And don't forget that you can put this purchase down as a tax deduction under the Energy Star Credit Act (you will get 30% back.)

These thermostats are surprisingly easy to install.  I have personally installed 2 myself.  They come with easy instructions.  It is a matter of placing a battery in them, turning off the circuit breaker that leads to the thermostat and then connecting a few wires (and of course turning the circuit breaker back on.)  Don't let installation scare you from making this wise purchase.  It can be done in under an hour.  Last time I did it, it took me 20 minutes.

Here is how we program our thermostat to save us money.  At night we reduce the heat to 65 degrees.  I make sure to put my daughter in 2 layers since she is not old enough to keep blankets on her.  I then have the heat lower to 60 degrees around 7 AM. 

We often get up at 7 and head out of the house for errands, storytime, workout, etc....  Your house will not instantly cool to 60 degrees so don't panic at this cold temp.  The 60 degree mark just tells your furnace when it needs to turn on. Your house will slowly cool down.  In fact, usually I am home by noon and the house (in the winter) may be around 63 degrees.  I will then override the thermostat and turn it up to 68.  When you come home and feel that your house is chilly--it will remind you to do this.  You can ALWAYS manually override your set temperature--and it will stay overridden until it is scheduled to change.  (So if you head out again, you will want to remember to turn it down again if you don't have that scheduled.) 

This is why I set my temperature so low.  If I am staying in the house for the morning, the house getting colder will remind me that I need to raise the temperature.   It takes seconds to override the thermostat and turn the temperature up.  I like to err on the side of saving money (if I leave) vs. simply overriding the temperature if I am staying in the house.

You can put more settings in your thermostat if you know that you will be in and out several times, but since my schedule tends to vary I just have the same two settings for night and day.  I love coming home after being gone all day and realizing that my heat was not on--I did not pay to heat an empty house.  Of course you will have the first 10 - 20 chilly moments of being in a 60 degree house, but most houses like ours have an efficient heating system that will heat the house back up pretty quickly.  Honestly, when we are coming from 10 degrees outside, I really don't notice a 60 degree house being THAT cold.  (After all it is much warmer than outside!)

If you are going to be gone several days, you can change your thermostat to manual vs. programmed.  This means you can set it for one temperatures while you are gone.  We will often set our house around 55 degrees if we are going to be gone several days.  Remember you don't want your house to get too cold--because your pipes could freeze--many kitchen sinks are located on an outside wall meaning the pipes there get colder than the rest of your house.

So buy your thermostat, install it, and figure out what temperatures and schedule works for you.  Start watching those heating bills FALL!  You will be amazed by the savings!

Salvation Army is BACK on the East side!

I am SO excited.  The Salvation Army has reopened its store.  It has a new location on East Washington near the mall.  It is located in the old "Tuesday Morning/Furniture Deals & Steals" building!  I visited the store yesterday to check it out.

I found much of their stuff VERY reasonably priced.  There were many toys for around $1 and clothing starts at $0.69 for shorts!  I also saw sheets starting around $0.99.  This store is much larger than the last store, and appears to be a bit better organized.  I spoke to the manager while I was there and he assured me that they would begin tag sales in the next several weeks (i.e. 50% off all red & yellow tags).

I bought Ky a lightning McQueen car with buttons and sounds for $1, but that was all.  I know I will be back soon!  (I gotta get Alaina some size 6 tennis shoes.)

In the old Salvation Army store I had many AWESOME scores such as snowpants for $0.50 and a $100 ice cream maker for $2.99.  (We broke a part to mine, so when I saw this ice cream maker I snatched it up!)

If there are some random things you need--definitely give this store a try!

Shopping Aldi's

If you haven't shopped Aldi's before, this post may make you panic.  You probably have heard the rumors that this is the "poor people" store and they have horrible food, but I am going to challenge you to give them a chance.  Did you know that the corporation that owns Aldi's also owns Trader Joe's?  In fact, you will find some of the same products at both stores (sometimes labeled differently though.) In this blog post, I am going to tell you "how to shop" Aldi's and what to expect as well as give you a rundown on prices of some of their food--items that I specifically stock up on at their store because I know I won't be able to find it for less elsewhere. (If you are familiar with Aldi's skip down to the list below to see what my "buys" at Aldi's are.)

When you arrive at Aldi's be sure to bring a quarter, cash (or a debit card) and bags for your groceries.  Aldi's uses a "quarter" system for your cart.  You deposit the quarter into the cart to unlock it, do your shopping, return the cart, and get your quarter back.  They escape the extra costs of cart corralers by doing this quarter system (and pass the savings to you).  Honestly, I wish other stores would do it.  You never see a random cart in the parking lot of Aldi's.  People always return them because they want their quarter back. 

They also do not have baggers.  Therefore, they will ring them up and return them to the cart.  You bag your own groceries on a counter provided.  (Another way to pass savings to you!)  If you do not bring your own bag, you can use boxes found throughout the store, or purchase a bag.  I think they cost $0.25 each.

Aldi's only accepts cash or debit cards.  This is another way they keep their prices down.  They don't have to pay fees to the credit card companies and they don't have to take the time to cash checks.  You cannot purchase your groceries without cash or a debit card.

Aldi's carries many regular items and then some seasonal items which often includes brand name foods (including some Trader Joe stuff!) as well as toys or gadgets (just like your local grocery store would.)  Often these seasonal items are pretty good buys.  If I see something I like, I usually wait a few weeks and they will start knocking down the price to get rid of whatever they have left to make room for the new stuff.  I have bought nice pajamas for Ky for $2, soccer balls for $2 and inflatable pools with built in sprinklers for $3.  Besides seasonal items, Aldi's will often clearance foods that are getting close to expiration.  I have bought ground turkey for $0.29/lb (I bought 10 lb and then just froze it all!) and whole wheat bread for $0.15 a loaf (bought 8 loaves and froze it all!).  Mondays & Tuesdays are usually the key days of the week to look for clearance items.  (At least that is my experience with the Aldi on E. Wash in Madison.) 

As far as pricing, Aldi's produce prices vary often just like other grocery stores. With that said, I almost ALWAYS buy my produce at Aldi's.

Here are some example produce prices at Aldi's and how I have seen them vary

1lb baby carrots $0.99---About every 6 weeks they go on sale for $0.49--this is when I stock up to last me 3 weeks.

Apples $1.99 to $2.99 for 3 lb

BIG seedless Watermelon $1.99 to $3.99

Cantaloupe $0.99 to $2.29 each

Onions $0.99 for 3 lb

Broccoli $0.99 - $1.49 lb

Bananas are ALWAYS $0.39 lb (this is the best price I ever see them!)

Avocados $0.49 - $0.99 each

Oranges 3lb for $1.49 - $2.99

Grapes $0.79 - $1.29

Anyway--usually some fruits and vegetables are at their rock bottom price and that is what I stock up on. 

Here are some other great deals at Aldi's.

You will always find Aldi's milk either the same price or lower than any other grocery store (and usually eggs too!)

Crackers--most boxes are around $1.  Graham crackers are $1.25--I have not been able to find Graham crackers under $2.50 anywhere else! (even with a coupon)

Flour is usually around $1.19 for 5 lb--this is a good price--it will bottom out at $0.99

Rice is $1.49 for a 3 lb bag

Salt for your water softener!  $3.49 for a 40 lb bag (I think it is 40...)

Chocolate chips $1.69

Margarine $0.59 for 1 lb

Yogurt--big containers are $1.59 for plain or vanilla

REAL vanilla  $1.99

Tortilla chips $0.99

Flour Tortillas $0.99

Other good deals include canned veggies or beans for around $0.40 a can, brown/powdered sugar around $0.99 for 2 lb and white sugar is usually around $2.50 for a 5 lb bag.

I shop at Aldi's about once every 2 weeks.  Prior to couponing--this was the main store I shopped at.  I honestly love this store and I don't think there will ever be a time that I don't shop at Aldi's.  I hope you found this blog helpful.  What are your favorite items at Aldi's?

Doubl 10 Coupons at Copp's this Wednesday! (Oct 13!)

I am excited!  This week will be one of my "BIG" stock up weeks.  I save many of my coupons for Copp's DOUBLE DOUBLE Daze! 

Get $25 of purchases and you can double 10 coupons!  (This means you could spend as little as $5 for $25 of groceries--or even better if you have bigger coupons!)

I usually make 2 transactions on these days and get about $50 of groceries for less than $10!

Have fun!

Free floss with coupon

Reach Floss at Walmart is $1.  I purposely wait for this coupon to get my floss for free.  You can print this coupon 2 times per computer, so stock up!

http://www.coupons.com/

(should be located on the second page).  After you print it the first time it will be on the last page--go there to get your seond print.

If you don't see the coupon, enter zip code 90210 and look again.

Free Collage 8 X 10 picture at Walgreen's valid TODAY!

Walgreens is offering a free 8x10 picture collage (as long as you pick up at the store) today!  Place your order by midnight tonight and then pick it up over the weekend.  I have done this offer several times creating nice pictures for relatives for holidays.  In fact the picture above is a Father's Day gift given to Rob created for free frow Walgreen's.  (You can pick up a nice frame for $1 at the Dollar Store!)  Here's what you need to do:

Click on this site http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=Special+Offer+Prints


Click on Gifts

Select Collage (on left side bar)

Click on Collage Prints

Create your 8X10 Collage

Use the code FBCOLL at checkout

And select pick-up at your nearest store!
This offer expires at the end of today!  Act fast!