Cadyville Chopper Shopper

Thankful It's Thursday- Bulls Eye Special

2009-09-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Throw any self restraint you have out the window, get in the car, and head to TARGET (Plattsburgh NY). I would gladly do just that on just about anyday of the week, but if you have started your Christmas shopping or if you have been clipping all of the "Target" coupons out of the Sunday Paper inserts today Thursday 9/3/09 is a super day!

Target publishes weekly printable coupons on their web page every week, but The Folks at Organic Grocery Deals keeps a data base that will make printing multiples of each coupon a breeze! You can print as many of each as you want. For some reason Target registers prefer them when they are NOT printed in full color. Black and White is the way to go.

Here are the Highlights complete with price, coupon matchup, and physical location in the store (for Clearance Deals):

Leap Frog Tag Reading system- Less than $13.00 (I didn't write it down, but $12.58 rings a bell). This is down from $39.99. The sets include a book, and comes in green, pink, or blue. There were 12 left on and endcap in toys- right near the bikes. This would make a great gift for the preschooler in your life!!
Crest White Strips (Trial size, too many Sunday Paper insert coupons to count for $3-$10 off. Find one that does not limit trial size) $4.89 on an endcap near Pharmacy.
If you have coupons for any electronic toothbrush (Gun, Crest Spin Brush, Colgate 360) there are scads of them on the same pharmace endcap-prices at $2.36-$4 (great stocking stuffers).
SONY DVD movies marked $5 (many titles-click here for $2 coupon and list). You can print as many copies of the coupon as you want and they scan with no issue! The title list is helpful, since they are mixed in with all of the $5 DVDs. I think these are great gifts and stocking stuffers.
Last Sunday there was a $2.50 coupon in the Albany paper for Shout (Target only). This can be paired with anyone of the 35c-$1 coupons from the Sunday paper's in July and August to score a FREE FULL Size Shout Product (this makes any variety free with the right coupon combo).
Special K. There are great coupons on www.coupons.com and www.couponbug.com for special K crackers, cereal, and snack bars. Most are on sale for $2.36-$2.39 this week. Some are on sale for $1.99, but those will not work for the SUPER deal I am about to explain. This week if you buy 4 you will get a $5 Target Gift Card back at the register. I picked up 2 boxes of Special K Blueberry Cereal and 2 boxes of their new granola bars (marked $2.36 on sale). I used 4- $1 off printable coupons from the links above. I also used 2 Target Printables (under 9/12 exp.) for an additional $1/2-Target Printables. So here is how the deal breaks down: Product Total $9.44- $4 manufacturer coupons-$1 Target coupons= $4.44 out of pocket. The Cashier gave me my $5 gift card. I took home all 4 products and will realize a 66c profit after I use the gift card!
The Edy's Ice Cream Deal- from earlier in the week is still available. I was out of Sunday paper coupons, but printed 5 Target coupons for $1/each. The Ice Cream is on sale for $2.50-Target coupon=$1.50each. If you buy 5 you will get a $5 Target Gift Card back at the register. $7.50 OOP with $5 in return gift cards for 5 Yummy 1/2 gals of Ice Cream is a great deal in my book.
End Cap near Pharmacy- many clearance toothpaste deals, some makeup, and a handful of odd pet outfits. Most of the toothpaste is near free after coupons. Since I have over 60 tubes of free toothpaste I didn't pick any up. Do you live near Cadyville? Do you need free tooth paste? Drop me a line- I would be more than happy to share!

Price Chopper Best Chops 7/26-8/1/09

2009-07-25T15:45:00.001-07:00

The Deals are plentiful this week!

Here are my favorites!

Thomas English Muffins B1G2
Freihoffer's Bread B1G2
4/$6 Deal: Betty Crocker Fruit Rollups, fruit snacks, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix (There are still many $1/2 fruit snacks coupons for the betty crocker snacks, over the past month coupons.com has featured many tricks and lucky charms coupons). It will be very easy to bring 4 home for $2 or less.
Tropicana OJ- $2.48 on sale ($1 ISave on 2), combine with tropicana.com $1 printables
Claussen Pickles $2.69 (use $1/1 coupons from 5/10 Smart Source)
Big Pens and Pencils (Free with coupons.com coupons)
Keebler Fudge Shop BOGO (Add with $1/2 coupons.com to bring both home for 99cents)
12 pks of Snapple (usually 9.99-12.99) on sale for $6.99 (pair with $1 printable from coupons.com or coupon bug.com=$4.99)
Shredded Mini-Wheats, Rice Krispies, Special K $2- Free with coupons.com Special K coupon or with June's many Kellogg's coupons
Ritz Crackers $2.50- There are peelies by the large smores display in Hannaford, there may be some near the candy in Price Chopper- pair with one of those for 50 cents per box!
Wise Cheese Doodles- BOGO, wise has printables, use 2- 50cent coupons to get both for 99cents
Whole Fruit Bars $2.49- June and July saw about 15 sunday paper coupons 50cents-$1 off per box. Final Price $1.49-FREE!
$3 Catalina for spending $10 Deal- Softsoap, Colgate tooth brushes and paste, Irish Spring- all on sale, but most free with coupons from last month. Spend $1-2 after coupons and bring home a $3 catalina for your next trip

There are great peel away sheets of coupons with the Coke displays at Price Chopper- Take one, or two or ten home to share with friends! There are many great produce and meat deals this week. There ear even sales on artisan bread. Overall it should be a great week to add to your school supply and personal care stock pile. I cant wait to see the Sunday coupons! The deals sound good and will likely turn many other featured specials into great chops!

Price Chopper Best Chops 7/19-7/26/09

2009-07-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Price Chopper sales are not the greatest this week, but stay tuned for next week. This week's Press Republican and Troy Record are scheduled to be chuck full of coupons. Coupons.com has some good coupon matchups.

Now for a word on my new source www.afullcup.com I LOVE IT! This site is a coupon data base and can point you in many directions for specific product coupons. If you search source/type for printable coupons a wonderful list of links (for over 500 coupons) will pop up. It has been a great tool for making coupon matchups for the weekly sale items.

Best Deals this week:

Klondike Bars $2 per 6 pk. Use $1/2 from coupons.com- there is an Isave $1/2 coupon this week. Bring home 2 - 6pks for $1.00.

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix $1 each. Print .75 coupon from coupons.com= 50 cents for 2 boxes (the coupons will work for any Betty Crocker Brownie)

Over the past month there have been many $1 coupons in Sunday inserts for Noxzema, Dial Soap, Oscar Meyer deli meat, Bic Razors. These are all BOGO this week and will cost pennies-free for both when combined with coupons.

Coupons.com

2009-07-07T05:35:00.001-07:00

I Love Coupons.com!! Follow the link to print your favorite coupons today!! Click HERE or click on the picture.

Meal Plan Monday- A Day Late

2009-07-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

This week is already chuck full of meetings, activities, and more "to-dos" than I can count.
Monday: After many errands, I grabbed a coupon and headed to Dominoes.
Tuesday: Marlboro Man Sandwiches, oven french fries, fruit salad (www.pioneerwoman.com)
Wednesday: Zippy Dogs, Hash Brown Casserole, Peas
Thursday: Pioneer Woman Chicken Picatta and Lemon Baked Pasta, Greens from the Garden
Friday: Steaks, Potatoes, and Corn on the Grill.

Zippy Dogs- Love Them- With the 8 free packs of hotdogs that are in my freezer I was looking for something other than hotdogs, michigans, or franks and beans. This recipe was a hit last week, so we are having it again the week. In a pan whisk: 1c. ketchup, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. cider vinegar, splash Tabasco, splash worcheshire sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper, one large onion minced. Stir until sugar dissolves over med. heat, add hotdogs, simmer for 15-20 mins. Serve in yummy steamed buns!

Hash Brown Casserole: Defrost one bag of frozen hash browns in the refrigerator. Mix thawed hash brown potatoes with 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup sour cream, one large finely chopped onion and 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 45 mins in a 350 degree oven, sprinkle top with more cheddar cheese. Bake again until cheese is melted.

Right at Home Offer

2009-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

SC Johnson is running another promotion to sign up for great coupons and seasonal free items. From candles and coupons to bath room cleaners and scrubbing bubbles they have been very consistent with coupons and fun free items! Click Here to sign up.

Coupon Train

2009-07-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Click the image or here to sign up for another great book of coupons.

Guaranteed to offer deals on Cascade, Dawn, Febreeze, Mr Clean.

Thank you Money Saving Mom!!

Price Chopper Best Chops 7/5/09

2009-07-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Price Chopper continues to roll out week after week of great deals this summer! Here are some of this weeks best and brightest!

Price Chopper Eggs $1/dz

Hormel Catalina Deal (Buy $20 of participating products to get a $5 Register Reward)

Buy $20 worth of these Hormel products to earn your Register reward.Pepperoni $3.99 (Use $1/2 coupon from last weeks Smartsource or go to http://www.hormel.com/ to print many coupons that will allow you to spend far less than $20 to redeem your reward.

Hormel Chilli 4/$5

Chichi's salsa 4/$5

Spam$2.99

Canned Corned Beef Hash 2/$4

Hormel Completes 2/$5

If you use the hormel printables or price chopper printables you will easily pay only $10 out of pocket for $20 worth of products, Plus a $5 Register Reward

Classico Pasta Sauce 2/$5- use the $1 Catalinas that popped out with the last unilever promotion ans you will get both for $1

Nabisco Chips Ahoy $2.69 (Use June coupon $1)=$.69

Green Giant 11-15.5oz canned veggies 5/$4, use BUY 5 get one FREE to bring home 6 Cans for $4- Coupon was in Last weeks Parade Magazine.

Pop Secret Microwave popcorn Buy 1 get 2 Free. Buy 6 and use 3 $1/2 coupons from last weeks Sunday Troy record to pay only $0.38 for all 6 boxes~Great Deal!!

Pringles Super packs 2/$3- use $1/2 coupon (several in may and june)= 2/$1

Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies BOGO = Use www.coupons.com printable to pay about $1 per package.

If you still have Last month's P&G Insert you can score the following by using their coupons:

Glide Floss $1
Gillette Shampoo $1
Pantene Pro-V Shampoo and Conditioner $3- use $1/1 or $1/2 for an even better deal
Old Spice Body Wash- $1

This week's add is also featuring 4 boxes of Kellogg's Cereal for $6- use www.redplum.com to get $1.50 off 2 or $1/1 Raisin Brand. June 3rd Smart source featured a whole sheet of 4 Kellogg's Cereal coupons. Either way you will bring home 4 boxes for $1.50 to free! Great Deals to fill hungry bellies on Summer Vacation.

Price Chopper Best Chops until 7/5/09

2009-07-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

I finally had time to run into Price Chopper today. I have to say that they have been on a roll with great BOGO and B1G2 deals!!

My Grand total in 2 orders was $45.59 and I now have $17.00 in Register rewards. I had split into 2 orders and had planned on rolling one of the register rewards to the 2nd order, but the catalina went nuts so I had to get a rain check. They fixed it and cats printed out just fine with the next order. My Grand totals before coupons and advantage savings came to $155.48. I saved 71% and earned $17.00 towards anything I want next time.

Some of My favorite deals revolve around 2 fairly profitable Register Reward/Catalina coupon deals:

Buy $20 worth of Kraft products, get $7 RRs.
**Remember totals are from original price, not the price after coupons and advantage savings**

Velveta Cheese $3.49 (from $4.79 reg.) use $1 Kraft Printable from May or June to get each for $1.49.
Kraft Cheese Slices $1.99 (use $1/2 Kraft Printable) = 99cents each (reg. 3.29)
A1 Marinades are BOGO (reg. $3.79 each) combine with any one of many June coupons online or in sunday inserts to walk out with both for $1.69.
Kraft Mac and Cheese- I used a B3G1 coupon, 4/3.29
Miracle Whip (reg 4.29) on sale $3.29 use $1 Kraft printable= $1.69
Philly Cream Cheese 99cents (use $1/2 Kraft Printable)= Free

It was very easy to get $20 of products for cheap, then with the register reward they were pretty much free. You can do this deal once per transaction. Come up with 2 transactions, use the $7 to pay for the 2nd order and get another $7RR! Lots of free and cheap great Summer foods!!

Buy $10 Unilever, get $3 RRs.

I Cant Believe Its Not Butter (reg $3.29) on sale for $1.69, use $1.25 coupon= 44 cents
Lipton HUGE cans of tea (flavored, sugared powder) BOGO (reg 4.99)- use 2 60cent coupons to get both for $2.59- This alone almost earns the reward!

Other Great Deals

Sunny D Drinks $1 on sale, use 55cent coupon from one of several June Sunday inserts= Free
Suddenly Salad $1.29 on sale. Use $1/2 Printable to get 2/60 cents
Luigi's Italian Ice BOGO (reg $3.69) use 2- 75cent coupons to get both for 69 cents total.
Ballpark Hotdogs B1G2, - I loaded 6 packs into the cart and used 3- $1/2 coupons from last sunday's smart source. The coupons say do not double, but they did double at price chopper! (Reg. 3.69/pack). By buying 6 and using the 3 coupons this brought the price down to 23 cents per pack- for 8 hotdogs!!
Hebrew National Hot Dogs BOGO- expensive at $5.79, but I had $1/1 coupons, so I got 2 packs for $1.79. This is still much more expensive- only 4 in a pack, but a great sale.

What will I do with 8 more packages of hot dogs? Hand them out to friends and family. We are stocked with more hotdogs than I know what to do with- so we will share.

Free For All Friday

2009-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

There are so many great free things to score today.

Fisher Price is offering a free Precious Places DVD for the little princess in your life. Click HERE to request yours.

Mattel is offering a free Geo Trax DVD- HERE.

Enjoy!!!

Frugal Friday

2009-06-26T12:32:00.001-07:00

Ahhh.. SUMMER!!! I never imagined how much I would truly love the school calendar! Last night I had a summer vacation theme trip to Target- The summer fun headquarters in my humble opinion. Thank you Lifeasmom.com for hosting Frugal Friday- check out her great site for more $$ saving tips and tricks!

Today's post will be dedicated to one of my best friends; The Target Coupon Generator.

Click here to visit this new friend of mine HERE!

I visit this link frequently- I simply plug in how many of each I want and print. You can cash in as many coupons as you want- ONE per Item. This week print a scad of the Edy's ice cream coupons. The single serve ice cream treats are only $0.19 each! Head over to coupons.com for an additional $1/3- that will make 5 of them FREE when paired with 5 Target coupons.

Target has many great deals in their Trial Sized lane- Nexcare bandages, vasaline, 10 varieties of deodorant, hefty garbage bags (3 bag trial pack), and a variety of sunblocks are all FREE. Target is great- if the coupon does not say NO TRIAL size, then they take it no problem.

If the register does not recognize a match, tell them to over ride and ask for a manager. Every target has a "white phone" near customer service on the wall. Target has a chain wide coupon policy, 1 coupon or combination of coupons (1 Target Coupon and One Manufacturer Coupon per item). Individual stores cannot vary from corporate policy. The white phone is a direct connect to Target Corporate- during all operating hours. If you find a coupon scrooge- threaten the phone and demand a manager. The ladies at Plattsburgh Target are super- they know the drill and nearly jump out of their skin for you!!

Some of the Best finds this week:

Buy 4 Lipton tea ($2.50 each for a total of $10) pair with 2 $1 off coupons from Lipton web site and 2 $.60 coupons from 5/11 or 6/3 Insert- pay about $6.80 out of pocket, get a $5 target gift card.

Buy a Gillette Razor ($7.99 on sale from $13) and a deodorant or body wash ($3.49) use a $4 coupon from June inserts for the razor, $1 off body wash, or $2/2 deodorant, so pay about $7 out of pocket, Get a $5 gift card

Use the Target coupon generator for $2/1 soft soap coupons. The double packs are priced at $6- buy 2 for a total of $8 out of pocket (there are some great $2 off manufacturer coupons from late May to drop the cost to $4/2 double packs) get a $5 gift card

Pace Salsa (gourmet) is on sale for $2.09- pair with a $.50 Target and $1 manufacturer (6/11) coupon and pay only $.59.

Tide to Go Pens are on clearance near the Pharmacy on an end cap in Plattsburgh. Two pen packs ($5.49 REG) clearanced to $2.47- pair with $1 off Late May coupons to pay only $1.47 for 2!

I also found a variety of Kraft products on clearance near Frozen Pizzas- ($.10-$.50) after last month's Kraft coupons.

Coupons.com has a variety of Hasbro game coupons- one happens to be $5.00 off for Pictureka. At Target these coupons are accepted for travel size games as well. I printed 2 coupons and purchased 2 @ $1.64 each- Perfect for age 6 and up. A great summer treat for the favorite school aged kiddo in your life.

Today I enjoyed my first outing with my neighbor- I fully intend to have her hooked on coupon shopping before she turns 12! I thought her eyes were going to pop out when the cashier took her coupons and she watched her total shrink from $25 to $2.02- She felt a little guilty until I explained the concept to her. Thank you for joining me Mikayla- I look forward to many girls outings this summer!

free finds

2009-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Glidden kicks of National Glidden Pain Giveaway tomorrow 6/25 (Thursday). Visit their site by clicking on the paint can, select a color, and they will send you a free quart of paint.

Value Mags is offering a free 24 month subscription to Parent's Magazine over the next 48 hours. They also have a few other mags to pick from. I have hit a few good ones over the last year- and they are really free!

Click on the Magazine to sign up.

I am on summer vacation mode as of tonight- Watch this space for new improved and timely coupon match ups and $$ saving offers/promotions. 2009 is my summer of savings!

2009-06-15T02:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you OrgJunkie for helping me start my week off right. I am trying to buy only what I need, but have managed to stockpile quite a bit. This week my menu features some beautiful farmer's market finds, and many of my Price Chopper deals.

Monday: Chicken Parm with angel hair pasta, dole bagged Veggie Blend Salad, Garlic Bread using Farmer's Market Herb bread
Tuesday: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Watermelon
Wednesday: Ranch Burgers, Oven Roasted baby Potatoes, Broccoli
Thursday: Broccoli Cheese Soup, Panini Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Friday: Seafood Boil- Lobsters are $6.99 this week, I have frozen Shrimp, corn, and sausage in the freezer.
Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes (maybe banana or McMama's Spinach and Sour Cream, Johnsonville Sausage, fruit, Bagels and Cream Cheese
Sunday: BBQ- Hotdogs, Drunken Chicken, Salads, Watermelon

Recipes of the Week:

Cheese Tortellini Salad

In Large Salad Bowl Combine the following

1/2 c. mayo
1/4 c. buttermilk (1/4c milk with 1 tsp vinegar will work too)
1/4 c. sour cream
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing mix (powder)
2 tsp fresh minced chives
1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon
1 bag cooked and cooled frozen Cheese Tortellini (Cook according to package, dump into ice water to stop cooking and cool).

Mix all together, cover and refrigerate. Guaranteed to be the hit at your next picnic.

Pregnancy Pickle Poppers

I love pickles- Dill pickles! When I say pickle I mean Dill pickle- to me they are the only variety! No you will not have to be pregnant to enjoy them, but they are sure to please the pregnant or non-pregnant pickle lover in all of us.

You will need:

1/2 lb Deli Sliced Ham (Cut on #2)- I love Saleen Ham
1 Brick Cream Cheese (Good time to cash in the Kraft Philladelphia Cream Cheese Coupons)
1 Jar Dill pickles- whole (spears or slices are not ideal)

Place 1 slice of ham flat, spread lightly with cream cheese. Roll a pickle into the ham slice. Cut log into rounds. Chill and serve.

Not Me Monday 6/15/09

2009-06-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you McMama for hosting another great edition of Not Me Monday- a fabulous blog carnival where you can clear your mind and soul from all of the things you would never do!

Wow- There were so many things that I would never consider doing.

After my mother evicted her useless boyfriend- I certainly did not spend the better part of a week collecting dog and cat hair to package in with his belongings. Shed? Not my animals! Annoy the heck out of Dickie by making him face something he really hates when he unpacks his things..Not ME!! Never!

And while we are on the topic I certainly didn't share the tale of his disloyalty, thievery, and nastiness with his ex-in-laws, the mail man (mine and my mothers), or any of his co-workers- NOT ME!!

For the past 8 years I have had to cook with his allergies in mind- no salt or pepper in anything- Pass the Peppers and Hot sauce- I am certainly not wearing a large grin!

My mom is free- her spirit and face certainly show it!!

Wags 6/14-6/21/09

2009-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been full of butterflies this week- The construction of our new Plattsburgh Walgreens is in full swing- I can't wait until it opens, but until then I will continue to trek to Malone when the deals make it worth my while. This week the deals may require several trips in.

All Axe shower Gel and Shampoo are Buy 1 get 1 50% off- there are many $2 coupons (coupons.com) Use 2 on 2 and get two for about $1
St Ives Body Wash $2.99- Use $1.50 6/7 coupon to pay $1.49 out of pocket, Bring home a $2.99 Catalina= Free, with $1.50 overage
Reusable Grocery Bags 3/$1 with in ad coupon, Hefty Food Storage BOGO with in ad coupon, use 2 $1 coupons from 5/11 insert= $1.39/2
Gillette Fusion $9.49- $4 (5/11 or 6/7 coupon)= $5.49 out of pocket, Bring home $2.50 Register Reward= overall $3 out of pocket
Buy 8 for $8 register reward or buy 6 for $4 Register Reward (Skippy PB or Ragu $2/4, Hellmann's Mayo 2/$7, Lipton Tea 2/$5) There are many Skippy, Ragu, Hellmann's and Lipton coupons out there from inserts and online) It will be easy to pay little or none out of pocket to get this great RR deal!!
Off Mosquito Coil/Clip- On sale $9.99, print out a coupon for a free refill ($4.99 value), add a $3 coupon from 6/7 Smart Source= $6.99 oop, free refill, take home a $3 Register Reward= like spending $3.99 for both.
Right Guard or Dry Idea Deodorant- $.99 each with in ad coupon, use online coupons or one of many from last 6-8 weeks to get 3 for free.
Kleenex $.89 limit 3 in ad coupon, pair with $.50 off/3
M&Ms candy 2/$5, use $1/2 6/7 coupon= 2/$4, Bring home a $1 register reward

happy shopping!!

Price Chopper Best Chops 6/14

2009-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Oh the deals are plentiful this week at Price Chopper! Earlier today I brought home almost $160 of groceries for less than $40.00. At just about 75% in savings it was a great day!

Printable coupons via www.coupons.com, www.pricechopper.com, www.redplum.com, www.couponbug.com, and www.kraftfoods.com will help you chop your bill nicely with little fuss. There were a few good coupons in the Press Republican and Troy record, but not the greatest.

The other coupons I will mention were from 6/7 smartsource, P&G insert and Supersaver.

Great deals

Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs BOGO again (2 pkgs for $1.60 after kraft coupon)
Ballpark Hotdogs BOGO (Use 2 coupons from 6/7 to score 2 for $0.79)
Bryers Ice Cream $2.48 (use $1/2 or $1/1 to get each carton for $0.48-$1.48 each)
Price Chopper Large White Eggs $0.99
Dole Salad BOGO (Use 2 $1 coupons from Dole online= 2/$0.49)
Edge Shave Gel $2- free with any of many recent $1 coupons
Too many deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo free deals to mention
Wheat Thins & Triscuits- $1.99 (free with any of many $1.00 coupons)
Keebler Chip Deluxe Cookies BOGO (use 2 $1/1 coupons= both free)
Ragu $1.78 (many $1/2 or $.60/1 coupons= $.68-78 each)
Kraft BBQ Sauce $.99 (free with coupon- Kraft)
Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad $1.19 (.40 coupons online= $.39 each)
Hood Simply Smart Milk- Price Chopper Catalinas over past month= $.99-$1.99 per half gal.
Reynolds Recycled Alum. Foil= on sale $2.29 (use one of many $1/1)= $.29
Arm & Hammer Laundry Soap BOGO (use $1 printable on their site x2)= 2/$.99

Our local Flyer has 3- double paper products coupons up to $3 to be paired with manufacturer coupons- Huggies has had many $3 coupons- cases are on sale. This makes each case of huggies $11.99. That is by far the cheapest I have ever seen. I will be going back several times for this deal alone.

Buy $15 worth of Clorox, Clorox Cleaner, Glad food storage, KC Masterpiece Marinades, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (Mix and match recent coupons to pay less that $5 out of pocket for $15 worth of goodies. Bring home a $5 catalina towards your next Price Chopper Adventure.
Buy any 4 on sale Ice cream products (all on sale $2.99 with coupons rampant for $1/1 on all sale products)= pay $.99 out of pocket on each, $4.96 for 4- bring home a $4 catalina towards your next trip in. In the end you get 4 boxes of Yum for $.99- I am stocking the freezer- Emma loves ice cream (Who doesn't??)

Blogging Vacation

2009-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

This week has been very hectic! Tomorrow I will post my weekly Price Chopper coupon matchup. There are MANY wonderful deals! Lots of Catalina and rebate offers, and if you were lucky enough to grab a Troy Record on 6/7 (or two or three of them) you will be rewarded richly!!! Life has gotten a bit hectic here and we have been running back and forth all over the North Country this week. I feel like a ping pong ball.

New Ads

2009-06-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Love the concept of the new Blog Ads now featured here. Blog Frog now offers ads and offers targeted to the viewer, not the publisher. Ads are simple- register, fill out a profile and we both earn a little $$ every friday based on traffic and offers viewed. It works via paypal and so far I have had two Friday deposits. Happy frogging!

Loving the Legos!

2009-06-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Lego is giving away a FREE 2 year subscription today. No Strings attached, no $$ at all out of pocket. Thank you Money Saving Mom for sharing! (Click on the Magazine to get yours today!)

Great Chops- How My Plan Worked Out

2009-06-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was really disappointed when the Price Chopper Flier came out this week. It looked dismal again. Last week I felt the same way, but ended up having two great shopping experiences. Today was another fantastic trip! Well worth the planning and I was glad I had an extra hour to browse and find unadvertised specials.

Drum Roll Please.....Grand Total was 258.98 and my total out of pocket was $71.35- a 73% savings!!!

I was able to stock up on Summer favorites (Crystal Light, Ice Cream Toppings, Salad Dressing, Jello, Snapple Ice Tea). I was also able to pickup many personal care items for free (Suave Shampoo, Right Guard Deodorant, St. Ives Body wash, ACT Mouthwash). There are so many great BOGO and B1G2 deals that give you 2-3 free items instead of just one!

Some Unexpected Finds
Soda Pop Ice Cream Toppers ($1.00 coupons I found on ebay) 99 cents after coupon
Johnson&Johnson Baby Wash 2/$5 (used 2 $1 coupons from last weekends smart source)= $1/2
Betty Crocker Brownies $.99/ used 75 cent coupons to get them for $.19- what a great deal, down from regular price of $1.79.

I felt so good about my price Chopper Run that I headed over to Target. I was able to score double packs of Pantene Shampoo for $1.12 each. I took advantage their trial size department and brought home 2 free Purell and 2 free Banana Boat Sun Screens. I walked out with $53 worth of great finds for just over $21. A great day!

Price Chopper best chops 5/31-6/6/09

2009-06-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

At first glance the flyer is filled with a bunch of junk this week, but with a little creativity there are indeed some good deals.

This afternoon www.coupons.com , www.couponbug.com , and Price Chopper online coupons re-set and re-stocked. There are lots of great Kraft and useful grocery coupons to satisfy the coupon addict in all of us!

Some of the best deals:

Chef Boyardee- 10 pk case $9.99 (use 2/$1 off 5 coupons from yesterdays saverpack)=$5.99

Butter $1.69/lb- Limit 3. There is a $1.00 off coupon via ISave

Jello 6pk pre-made snacks in dairy section- $2.69- $1/2 printable kraft coupon = $1.69 each

Dole Salad- 40% off this week. Use printable from coupons.com or 5/31 insert for a bag or 2 of free salad greens

Marzetti Dressings $2.99- $1 www.redplum.com coupon= 99cents

Suave Shampoo is on sale for 88cents (use 75cent coupons from 5/17) and they cost 13 cents each

This week there are great BOGO deals on personal care items
ACT 18oz Mouthwash
St. Ives Body wash
BIC Comfort 3 Razors
Soft Soap

Right Guard Deodorant is B1 G 2

All of these have been featured in multiple Sunday paper inserts over the last 2 weeks. Put two in your cart- turn in 2 coupons (or 3 right guard with 2 coupons). Get them all for about 50 cents total out of pocket. Thank you Price Chopper for doubling up the free things this way!!

Raisin Brand 2/$5 (use $1 Kelloggs coupons that were featured several weeks ago online) to kick the price down to 50cents per box.

Wise Cheese Doodles- There was a 5/17 coupon for 50cents off in smartsource. Use 2 coupons on this BOGO promotion and pay about $1.79 for 2 big bags.

Kraft Salad Dressing on sale for $1.99. Visit any of the coupon centers above to print free $1 off coupons. FREE AGAIN THIS WEEK!

Hefty Garbage bags $3.99- use $1 from 5/17 or 5/10 inserts to pay only $1.99

Sorrento Cheese has offered many coupons in most Sunday papers over the last month. I have been holding my multiples waiting for a sale. Jackpot this week!!! Most Sargento cheese (Mozzerella, String, Ricotta) on sale for $2.99- use $1 off coupons to pay just 99cents each. I am stocking the freezer full of 8oz Mozerella. I will also plan on Lasagna next week to use up some Ricotta.

Did you find any other good Price Chopper Deals this week? Happy Chopping!

Not Me Monday

2009-06-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you McMama for hosting such a fun, spirit lifting, and free Weekly Therapy Session. We continue to pray for baby Stellan!

While talking to my mother's annoying significant other I certainly was not thinking; How can I make him shut up? (Duct tape) How can I make his disappear into the bathroom for hours? (Visine) How can I send him to the hospital for an extended summer vacation? (import a little Ebola).. Not me! No Way!

I didn't roll my eyes at a volunteer this morning when she told me I shouldn't answer questions about fire safety posed to me by my new graduate intern...Not me! That would be so rude..To react in such a snot nosed way to a nosey volunteer...

I didn't eat a bag of nestle dibs for dinner. I certainly would not rationalize it by claiming it was dairy.

Frugal Friday

2009-05-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you Lifeasmom.com for hosting this fun, money saving event every week. The ideas are great.

First a very cheap way to spend a rainy afternoon. My daughter loves to play with play doe- here is our favorite scented recipe:

Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1/2 cup of salt.

Add 2 envelopes of kool-aid (any flavor except lemonade).

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to the boil.

Add the boiling water and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the dry ingredients.

Mix together.

Be careful, it will be hot for a little while.

Let the kids play with the scented dough.

Dough can be stored in plastic bags for a few days.

Now here is our favorite recipe that is safe to eat (and tastes great)

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup Peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

I help her measure and pour everything into a large bowl- she mixes with her hands. This recipe takes care of snack time too. Enjoy!

Recipe Swap

2009-05-28T10:24:00.001-07:00

Visit Life As Mom for great grilling recipes this week.

I really do not like boiled dinner or the traditional St. Patrick's day feast, but I love Corned Beef on the Grill.

Rinse and Dry one 4-5 lb. Corned Beef. I usually buy 4-5 clearanced every March and Freeze them for Summer BBQs. Wrap The Beef in 2 layers of Aluminum foil and grill over medium heat for about 1hr 45 mins. Remove the Beef to a Baking Dish. Carefully take the cooked beef out of the foil and throw it back on the grill. Baste with home made sauce (recipe below) and serve with your favorite potato side dish.

Corned beef BBQ Sauce
1- 4oz tomato paste
1/4 c minced onion
2 tsp Worcheshire Sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
One clove minced Garlic
2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar

Mix all together and bring to boil over med. heat. Turn off and allow to rest for about an hour to let the flavors mingle and develop.

Garden Supply Testers

2009-05-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that National Gardening Club is hard pressed for product testers. They are sending out great goodie packages and magazine on free trial, $12.00 annual membership if you choose to be a member. The link to cancel comes in the reply/confirmation email so it is easy to cancel a day or two after you join. Click on the magazine to become a product tester.

2009-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

Visit Napa, fill out the form, print your coupon for FREE Windshield Washer fluid! What a great, useful, summer must have. The bugs are thick in the air here- This couldn't come at a better time.

Are you over 21? Visit Blue Moon to request your free bottle opener.

Click on The Very Chubby baby to request your free Children's DVD that will promote healthy lifestyles and exercise. Apparently you can also request them in bulk. They might be fun to hand out at your next Mommy & Me, MOPS, or Play group gathering.

2009-05-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Thank You Orgjunkie! Planning a week of meals based on what I found at the Farmer's Market, Price Chopper, and Prays was a breeze. Now I wont have to think about it at all- or at least not as much!

Monday- Hidden Valley Ranch Burgers on the Grill, Buns, Boiled New Potatoes, Garlic Bread, Apple Pie

Hidden Valley Ranch Burgers- mix 1 and 1/2 lbs of ground beef with 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and one envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Powder. Squish together to mix well- Yummo on the Grill!

Tuesday- Turkey- What am I doing with a turkey that I bought in November?? Tossing it on the grill. Any ideas or suggestions?I am thinking marinade, rub, and split like a chicken...May end up getting take out if it flops! Mashed potatoes, cranberry bbq sauce

Wednesday- Breakfast for dinner. Frozen waffles, sausage, fruit, cereal

Thursday- Pasta and Pizza ( from scratch)

Friday- Steaks, portabello mushroom bake, red skin mashed potato

Mushroom Bake- Remove Stems and black "gills" (gunk) from underside. Saute whole in melted butter and olive oil.
Remove to individual ceramic baking dishes. Add a good Glop of Goats cheese in the middle.
In saute pan, add 2 tbsp butter (to what ever if left), 2 tbsp liquid/paste beef bouillon, 3/4 c REAL maple syrup, 1/4 c water. Simmer together and reduce bu 1/4.
Spoon sauce over mushrooms and cheese.
Bake in oven at 400 or under broiler if you are brave until cheese sets and melts a bit.

Saturday- Lemon Spaghetti, Zucinni cakes, garlic bread

Sunday- Potluck (Theme to be determined)

Best Chops of the Week 5/24-5/30/09

2009-05-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

At First Glance The Price Chopper Flyer looked bleak. With no huge Unilever perk I went into planning a bit "half-hearted", but quickly perked up when I realized I could print several more sets of Kraft coupons directly from the Price Chopper Web Site

Today my grand total was $255.78. After Advantage Card and coupon savings I pushed 2 over flowing carts out for the small sum of $94.18 and $6.50 in register rewards for my next trip.
63% savings is pretty good.

I was able to continue stockpiling summer time condiments, snack, bottled water, and treats. A lot of what I bought will get passed out to family and friends, the freezer is officially full.

Great Advantage plus Kraft Printables from the Price Chopper Web page:

Oscar Meyer Bologna (BOGO again) use 2 -$1 coupons = free
Oscar Meyer Hot dogs (BOGO) use 2-$1/1 or use 1- $1/2= free-$1.69/2
Snapple 12 pk $4.99 - $1 coupon=$2.99
Cool Aid Canisters $1.99ea- $1/2 coupon= $1.98/2
Mitchum Deodorant BOGO- Use 2- $.75 coupons to get 2/$1.89 (5/17 smartsource)
Free Wheat Thins, Triscuts with PC coupon
$.99 Honey Made Crackers, Ritz Crackers with PC coupon
Cool Whip 4/$5, use 2-$1/2 coupons to get 4 for $1
Smartfoods and Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs, $.29-$.89 after coupon
French's Brown Mustard 2/$3 (use $.50-$.75 coupons)= free (coupons from most inserts since 4/1)
Jello $.79 each- buy 3, use $1 coupon=$.20/3
Over The Moon Milk- use $1 coupon from 5/10 Smartsource= $1.69/ half-gallon
Bags of Edy's Ice Cream Bite snack packs (10 per bag)- buy 2 at $2.21 each- use $1 coupon from 5/17 smartsource= $1.21 each
Lawry's Marinade, BBQ Sauce, and Salad Dressing deals for free are widely available.

The Kraft coupons really made tonight a great trip. When I consider that $10 of my order was fried take out food, the deal is even sweater!!

How much did you chop this week?

Online Price Chopper Coupons

2009-05-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Price Chopper has refreshed all of their online coupons. To find them click on
www.pricechopper.com

Click on the Weekly Specials Link on the Left
Click on Online Coupons

Even if you already printed a set, print another they will not expire until 8/31/09.
These coupons can be doubled.

Check back tonight for weekly coupon match-ups and best chops of the week!

2009-05-22T01:42:00.000-07:00

Walgreen's is Great!!!

For not going in with a solid plan I did very well! Here is what I got:

Day Planner for summer activities reg. $5.99, clearanced to 50c
Sidewalk Chalk for Emma $1
2 Boxes of Popsicles ($2 total)
Marshmallows
Honey Made Grams
6 pk of Hershey Chocolate Bars
2 Crystal Light on the Go boxes of 14 mix ins
Eye Liner Reg. $549, clearanced to $1.37
Bic Razors $4.99, used $2 coupon. Got $4.oo Register Reward
Aveeno- 20% off sale, purchased 3 small lotions 2.69 each, used 3- $2 coupons Paid just 69c for each of them, THEN got free Aveeno Travel kit $9.99 value
Two Jumbo boxes of Cat Litter Box Liners Reg. $3.99, on sale for $1.49 each)
Skintamate and Edge shaving creams. On sale, used $2 in coupons, got register rewards for each. $2 total register rewards
Dry Idea, used $2 coupon and got a new RR for full purchase price (Money Maker)
Neutrogena Make up reg. 10.99, sale for $5.49
Mineral Make Up $6.99 reg, clearanced to $2.39
Bottle of Walgreen's Tylenol- usually $8.99, clearanced to $2.49
Asprin 3.79 reg clearanced to 44cents
Excedrin reg. 3.99, clearanced to 99cents
Aleve reg 3.99, clearanced to 50 cents

Grand Total: After my coupons and their in store coupons= 29.42-19.00 RRs from last trip= $10.42 out of pocket, and I got back $9.00 more in register rewards for next time

Frugal Friday Emma Land

2009-05-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

This week I am participating in Frugal Friday- Life As Mom hosts this wonderful weekly event to provide an avenue to discuss ways to cut costs.

It all started with this. A simple little playhouse that looked like fun, but had a price tag that I just couldn't justify. One Sunny Fall day, When Emma was just two months old my husband came home with this house and a smile. "I Got a Great Deal" he said proudly. My stomach was in a knot. His good deals are not always what I consider good deals. "How Much?" I asked. "5 bucks" he replied. THAT IS MY KIND OF DEAL!

Why do I love Little Tikes toys? They last forever and when we are done building memories and imagination through endless hours of exploration, role playing and fun. Some one else will get some great deals from me when I pass these virtually indestructible toys on to other boys and girls. Friday morning I get up and have my tea with the classified section of our paper. There I scout out the weekend sales that advertise toys and Little Tikes, Little Tykes, and Step 2. Then we have 10 tons of fun adding desirable playground equipment for tiny fractions of original costs. I have rarely spent over $20 for large items.

Some of my best deals:

8 in 1 Climber- Retails for $499.99
I Paid $75.00
The price made me gulp, but was so worth it. We Spend hours climbing and sliding.

PicNic Table Retails for $79.99
$5 at Garage Sale

Triangle Climber $250 Retail

$5 Garage Sale

Castle Playhouse

FREE on the side of a road

I head out early and offer lower than most people ask, sometimes you don't even have to ask- they have no idea how wonderful their things are and price low to sell. We have had endless hours of play and so many sweet memories of Emma! The gift on an imagination is priceless, but I am glad I have the good Sense to not buy at retail, we have just as much fun on our gently used Little Tikes Wonderland.

Last year we went to a day care closing sale and were able to buy 2 kitchen sets, fish ride on, turtle covered sandbox, easel, rocket ride, Winnie the Pooh stroller, and a trike (all Little tikes for $24 total). So head out early and make an adventure out of it!

Turn it into an adventure- Set price guidelines and help them budget. Have a master "plan" list for the things you really want to find.

Ultimate Recipe Swap

2009-05-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

Today's Recipe Theme is Favorite Birthday Meal. Check out the link to see a great list of birthday favorites from across the country.

I love a backyard BBQ- since my birthday is in May that usually works out well. Chicken basted with "Secret Sauce" and Chuckwagon beans are my favorite. I also love potato salad, but I don't have a clue how to do that.

Secret Sauce: Combine the following in the blender then whiz on high for about 30 seconds.

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tbsp each of ; Salt, Black Pepper, Poultry Seasoning

3 eggs

Grill your chicken and start basting it after 20 mins of cook time. This recipe is enough for 6 chicken halves.

Chuckwagon Beans:

Brown 1 lb Hamburger, Add one large chopped yellow onion. Cook together until onions are soft. Dump into CrockPot set on High

Cook 1 lb. cut up Bacon. Dump Bacon (and some of the grease if you are not afraid) into the CrockPot.

Drain and Rinse 3 Cans of Kidney Beans and 3 Cans Butter Beans- Add to CrockPot.

Add 3 Cans of your Campbell's Pork n Beans.

Mix together 1 and 1/2 c. Kethcup, 3/4 c. Brown Sugar, 2 tbsp Worcheshire Sauce, 2 tbsp Molasses. Dump into CrockPot and Mix all together Well.

Cook on High for One hour, turn heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.

A Cold Slice of Watermelon with this cute little face is the perfect ending to my perfect birthday meal!

Thrifty Thursday

2009-05-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's trip to Walgreen's was well worth the drive out of town! I will post more on that later tonight. First there are a few great contests and freebies to pass along.

Click on the Edy's Photo to nominate your group or neighborhood for one of 1,500 Ice Cream Social Packages. Edy's will deliver 10 half gallons and 36 snack cups right to your door. They will also send all of the supplies for you to host an ice cream social for 100 of your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. The prize packs are amazing!!!

Alouette Baby Brie will refund your purchase price if you purchase on Brie before 12/31 (up to $6.49) when you fill out this mail-in rebate form. Thank you CouponCravings!

Organic Valley has a great new set of printable grocery coupons. Check them out and print them out before they disappear!

Join the Quizno's email club here You Inbox will soon see coupons for a FREE Flatbread Sammie, plus a free cookie on your birthday. They will also send out promotions and other coupons on a regular basis.

Don't for get to visit Mars Candy to get your free chocolate coupons tomorrow at 9am EST. Remember they are allowing 250,000 households every Friday morning to sign up until September.

Don't miss my Frugal Friday post! It will be up later tonight and will feature a few great recipes, tips on how I find great Little Tikes toys (How to get a $5000 playground for a few hundred), and my best Walgreen's trip ever (over $125 worth of stuff for $10.92 out of pocket, with a $9.00 Register Reward for next time).

Whatever Wednesday

2009-05-20T06:29:00.001-07:00

Run..don't walk on over to the Kraft link (click the hotdogs). Kraft is giving away coupons for FREE hotdogs. The offer will stop just before noon today! Thank you Money Saving Mom!!!

There are a few new Tyson coupons on Coupons.com today.

Whine and Win on Wednesday

2009-05-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Our Wednesday got off to a very early start today. So I figured what better time to start a new Wednesday tradition. Next week I will try to get fancy and figure out Mr. Linkey, but for this week Add Your Whiny Wednesday story in the comments section. At the stroke of midnight Wednesday 5/20/09 I will close comments and randomly select a prize winner! And free, fun swag is always sure to bring a smile to my face!

So What are we Playing for this week:

A Brand New Brita Slim Water Filtration system

One 16 Count Box of My Current Favorite Beverage- 4C "To Go" size (20oz) Vitamin Stix.

And One Yummy Box of Turtle Candy

A Prize Pack Guaranteed to Take your Whine out of Wednesday!

My Whine:

Why Do I Hate Charter Cable- Let me count the ways!!! They must be running some sort of system maintenance because at about 335am the DVR/Cable Box in our bedroom started clicking off and on and running an annoying click/pop/reset program. After the third cycle I was wide awake. Now Emma is too- Drat!!! It is doing the same thing in the living room. Hopefully it will be back to bed soon!

Terrific Tuesday

2009-05-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a terrific Tuesday! The sun was shining and we have a mating pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeak visiting our feeders. Price Chopper is still Rolling the Unilever deal over and over! My piles of laundry have now disappeared and tomorrow I am planning on a trip to Walgreen's in Malone. I smiled today as I drove by where our new Plattsburgh Walgreen's will soon be. It is so worth the drive to Malone every few weeks. It will be great to have one right here! Today's Tuesday deals are plentiful.

Blue Bunny is offering a "Try me Free" Promotion on several of their new summer products. Click on the icon to print your mail in rebate form. Purchase, Enjoy, Mail in the Form then enjoy the Refund!

Purina is Offering a lovely FREE gift for your dog. Head over to Mighty Dog Nation request your puppy pack. Some people report getting bonus items including great dog toys in their packages.

It's free to sign up. When you sign up you will receive:

*an official Mighty Dog national citizenship kit
*updates on national news and events
*a unique Mighty Dog Nation dog tag

One Per House Hold While Supplies Last. Purina is doing a lot of great community service projects. They have offered great coupons lately on both dog and cat food. In some cases they are donating $1 to customer's choice of animal charities when the customer redeems their printable coupon.

Walgreen's Has a Great Printable Coupon for $5 off of a $25 purchase. Click on the icon above to print one (or more) for in-store or online use. They have some great coupon matchups and register rewards this week.

right at home is offering a great coupon for their new Clip On Mosquito Repellent system- sure to help keep the Mosquitoes away on these Spring evenings in the North Country. I am going to try it- I'll let you know how it works.

Huggies Diapers: Head over to Money Saving Mom if your little one is still in diapers. If you join their new rewards club you can print up to 12 $2 off each pack coupons. Scroll down Money Saving Mom's page for a list of codes to enter on the Huggies Reward page- over 100 points! Thank you Money Saving Mom Crystal!

2009-05-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Lana and Lisa at blessedwithgrace (Click on Image) for hosting this wonderful recipe swap blog carnival! There are lots of yummy recipes over there today.

Today I am going to focus on two local/regional recipes that are very unique to the northern NY and Quebec areas. Michigan Hotdogs (These are NOT Chili Dogs) and Poutine.

A Little History:

Michigan hot dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A Michigan hot dog or, "Michigan", is a steamed hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a meaty sauce, generally referred to as "Michigan Sauce". The chili may or may not be tomato-based, depending on where the Michigan is purchased. Michigans can be served with or without chopped onions. If served with onions, the onions can either be buried under the sauce, under the hotdog itself, or sprinkled on top of the chili.
Michigans are a particular favorite in the North Country of New York State, and have been so for many decades. In fact, one of the earliest known advertisements for Michigans appeared in the Friday, May 27, 1927, Plattsburgh Republican [1].
Michigans are also very popular in Montréal and other parts of Québec, where the sauce that is put on them is invariably tomato-based and is often simply referred to as "spaghetti sauce". Lafleur Restaurants, a Québec fast food chain, is known for its Michigans and poutine.
Oddly enough, "Michigan hot dogs" are never referred to by that name in Michigan itself, nor anywhere else in the Midwest. A similar food item, the "Coney Dog" or "Coney Island dog", is a hot dog topped with onions and either chili or a meatless chili called coney sauce. Conversely, the "Coney Island" is not called as such on Coney Island, or anywhere else in New York State; it's called either a "Michigan" or a "Red Hot." Finally, in southeast Michigan, a "Coney Island" is also the local slang term for a greasy spoon.

Locally we have many wonderful michigan stands- our personal favorite is Ronnie's Michigan Stand on Rt 3 in Cadyville. I would describe their sauce as pasty and not too spicy. The following recipe is the closest I have been able to come to their beloved sauce.

You will need

2 Large Onions

1 Large Green Pepper

1 lb hamburger

4 small cans of tomato paste

5 drops of Tabasco

1/4 c. french's mustard

1 cup ketchup

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

Now this is Super EASY! I slice the onion and pepper into chunks and throw them in the food processor to achieve the smallest possible "puree/chop". Toss everything raw into a pot and cook it over medium heat for about an hour. Stir frequently. The "cooking in the sauce" method will cause the hamburger to break apart all on its own. Frequent stirring- maybe once every 10-15 mins will ensure perfection.

This is better as it sits, so I usually make it in the morning, store in the refrigerator and heat up at meal time. Serve with steamed hotdogs, steamed hot dog buns, chopped onions and mustard. This is really very economical and will be a hit at your next BBQ or family gathering.

Now on to the perfect side dish: Poutine

Some Facts and Histoy:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poutine (Quebec French pronunciation ˈputsɪn (help·info)) is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds, covered with brown gravy and sometimes additional ingredients. [1]
Poutine is a fast food staple sold mostly in Quebec and in areas of Ontario that border Quebec, such as Ottawa. It is sold by both fast food chains (such as New York Fries, Harvey's, Ed's Subs [2]), in small "greasy spoon" type diners ( commonly known as "casse-croûtes" in Quebec) and pubs, as well as by roadside chip wagons. International chains like McDonald's,[3] A&W,[4] KFC and Burger King [5] also sell mass-produced poutine. Popular Quebec restaurants that serve poutine include Chez Ashton (Quebec City), La Banquise (Montreal), Louis (Sherbrooke), Lafleur Restaurants, Franx Supreme [6], La Belle Province, Le Petit Québec and Dic Ann's Hamburgers. Along with fries and pizza, poutine is a very common dish sold and eaten in high school cafeterias in various parts of Canada

This is 100% not the most nutrient packed form of potato dish out there. It is a heart attack on a plate, but so so good!!!! And so easy!

Prepare French Fries (Baked or Fried), Sprinkle with Cheese Curds, Top with your favorite Gravy (Pre-Packaged is great in my opinion). This needs to be eaten with a fork. Sprinkle on a little fresh parsley to allude to the fact that this is tonight's veggie course...Enjoy!

2009-05-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love this new Kraft Program. Not only will you be one of the first to hear about new products, you will often get coupons for Free products and many coupons to share with friends and family. Click on the link to sign up. They have some great extra coupons to print. It makes trying new foods cheap and fun. Right now free product "try me" coupons are arriving every 3-5 weeks. Just in time for hot summer nights when simple meals with no fuss are even more appealing.

Mars is celebrating summer by offering free chocolate coupons by mail to the first 250,000 households that sign up EVERY Friday until Fall. I think they are only sending out 4 coupons per household, but free chocolate is always good, even in small amounts! Click the Photo to head on over to sign up, or count the minutes until sign ups open.

Price Chopper's best Chops of the Week 5/17-5/23/09

2009-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

I hope you were all able to get your hands on The Press Republican and Troy Record yesterday! The coupons were fantastic. Kraft has outdone themselves again. Click on the purple craft to head over to their site again. They have recharged most of last weeks coupons to allow for another printing round! These pair up great with so many of this weeks Price Chopper specials!

Super Buys This Week:

Friendly's Ice Cream ($1/2 coupon from last week) is on sale for $2.48 a half gallon. This drops the price to $1.48, but the original total of $2.48 is part of the Unilever promotion.

Heluva Good Dip $1.79 combine 2 with the 5/10 $1.00 off coupon from smartsource and they will make a great addition to any gathering at 79 cents each.

Claussen Pickles have been featured in both of the 5/10 and 5/17 coupon inserts and several parenting magazines ($1/1) coupons. This week they are on sale for $2.50 per jar. With a doubled coupon final price is 50 cents.

Marzetti Products are BOGO this week (Buy One Get One FREE). Click here to print off a $1/1 coupon from Redplumb. If you print 2 and put two in your cart, swipe your advantage card and present both coupons you will walk away with 2 for free. I love Free!

Dannon yogurt 2/$1- There have been many $1/6 coupons in the past 6 weeks= 6 for $1.00

In Yesterday's P&G Brand Saver there were coupons that make the following Free:
Crest Toothpaste (2/$4).

How to Roll The Unilever Deal: "Unilever Insert was in Troy Record 5/17" That was the sole source for all of my Unilever deals so far.
Transaction 1

4 Bryer's Ice Cream (1.48 each with $1/2 coupons)= $10.00 towards Deal
2 Caress Shower Gel: BOGO this week, use 2 $1 coupons from 5/17 Unilever insert and get both for about $1.40= $11 towards Unilever Deal

At the end you will have spent about $7.50 out of pocket, the register will give you a $7.00 catalina coupon towards your next purchase.

Transaction 2

2 Wisk Laundry Detergent- They are BOGO and priced at $6.99 each. Use 2 $1 coupons from the Unilever insert to save $4= $2.99 out of pocket (OOP)= $12.98 towards Unilever Deal
Suave Shampoo/Conditioner $2 each (50 cent coupon from insert)= $1 OOP, $2 towards deal, toss into charity bin by the door- Collect Free warm fuzzy for your donation
Snuggle Fabric Softener $2.99 (use $1/1 coupon) buy 2 and use 2 coupons= $2 OOP= $6 towards the deal
Wishbone Salad Dressing= It is BOGO, there is a $1.00 off coupon from the insert. You will pay about 50 cents for 2, but all $6.00 will count towards the deal

Your out of pocket total will now be $7.00-$7.50 BUT STOP- Pay with your register reward earned in transaction #1 and pay tax- 50 cents depending on dressing choice. Guess What- Last night and today the catalina machine printed another $7 catalina.

The unilever deal is a money maker!! Essentially with coupons they are paying you to take $40.00 worth of products and saying thank you with another Register Reward. Even if you will not use the products consider donating to your food shelf charity of choice (JCEO or Interfaith Food Shelf).

Other Unilever Products for next to nothing:

Hellman's Mayo $2.48 ($1/2 coupons)
Country Crock Butter $1.69 (60 cent coupons)
Knorr Lipton Pasta Sides 99cents (40 cent coupons)

Remember- Most free or cheap things assume your price chopper will double any coupon $1 and under.

Check back later tonight for more fun coupon links and Free Stuff.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-05-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to My First Meal Plan Monday. Check back every Monday. This week I want to Thank Kraftfoods for all of their lovely coupons from the past few weeks.

This Weeks Menu features lots of my Price Chopper and Kraft deals.

Monday- BBQ Ribs (On Sale at Price Chopper) with McCormick Rib Rub (50cents per jar on sale and after $1 coupon), roasted baby red potatoes, grilled corn, and apple slices

Tuesday- Hot Dogs (Thank you Oscar Meyer), buns, fries, homemade JR Watkins Chocolate pudding

Wednesday- Chicken Nuggets (Large bags of Tyson on sale for $6.49, $1 coupons in 5/10 sunday smart source= $4.49 per bag at Price Chopper. Bags large enough for 3 meals), mashed potatoes with Sargento Salad finisher Au Gratin Kit ($2.50 at my Price Chopper, $1 coupon doubled brought down to 50 cents), almond cake with berries

Thursday- Long day- Take out from Pizza Hut

Friday- Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon (thank you Oscar Meyer), fruit bowl

Saturday- Hidden Valley Ranch Cheddar Burgers on the Grill, Roasted Asparagus, Rhubarb Crisp

Sunday- Steaks on the grill, Mushroom/Leek sauce, spinach and strawberry salad

Kelloggs Community Project

2009-05-18T05:28:00.001-07:00

I love community service projects. I love Kellogg's Frosted Flakes ( I am not getting paid to say that- well atleast not yet). Please consider visiting the frosted flakes website (http://www.frostedflakes.com/). Please cast your vote for a small town to win a new community park. There is one upstate NY park in the finals. Maybe you will vote for a park in your home town or find a compelling story and cast your vote accordingly. Either way some small town if going to get a new park- Thank you Kellogg's!

Not Me Monday 5/18/09

2009-05-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Time for a weekly dose of free therapy.

I most certainly did not eat cheese cake bites at 6am Friday morning. And I would never let Emma have some too- for breakfast. If I did I would make sure to spread a little smuckers jelly on top to atleast "add some fruit".

Cats..I have three and love my three..but what is it about stray cats coming to OUR house?? I most certainly did not send my husband outside last night at nearly 10pm with instructions to run new Orange Screaching Cat off of our property. AndI would never tell him that it would be ok to zing him with the paint ball or beebee gun. Not that his attempts would work, small moving targets are not in his skill set. And I certainly didn't think twice about the fact that said orange cat might be rabid- considering the screaming, meowing, and pandamonium outside our living room window. I would never volunteer my husband to get rid of the rabid creature- not me!

What did you not do last week?

DiGiorno: Recession Rescue

2009-05-17T19:41:00.001-07:00

DiGiorno wants everyone to hurry over to their site at the strike of midnight tonight (12am EST 5/18/09) Pay them a visit. They will mail a coupon for a FREE Flatbread melt to the first 100,000 visitors.
http://flatbreadmelts.digiorno.movies.msn.com/default.aspx

Karl hates Coupons

2009-05-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

If you plan a trip into our friendly neighborhood Plattsburgh Price Chopper avoid Karl. He really was a pain in the butt and made the trip a little bit less than stellar. Now the savings made up for it, but Karl seems to think that coupons are criminal. Karl is from Sweden and his name tag identifies him as being from the meat department- run to another line (any one of the many Jennifers and Jessicas will do fine). My grand total on transaction #1 was $412.74. When all was said and done I paid $ 178.38 out of pocket and the catalina coupon machine printed out $12.00 in register rewards. Transaction #2 added up to $173.68, after coupons and advantage savings I paid $64.59 total. I used my $12.00 register reward from transaction #1 and the computer didn't recognize or over ride the Unilever promo and I was handed back $9.00 in register rewards at the end of the transaction.

Grand Total For Both: $591.12
Total After Advantage Savings and Coupons: $242.97
Register Rewards for next time: $9.00
Today I Saved: 59%

I also have $1.20 savings per gallon of gas up to 20 gals at Sunoco with my advantage card points.

Today's Press Republican and Troy Record proved to be well worth the $5.00 combined purchase prices. Check back tomorrow afternoon for coupon links and more matchups.

I have plans to try rolling the Unilever deal again tomorrow. I will let you know if it works again!

Todays Highlights

Poland Spring Water $3.99 per case, use $1/2 coupons from online or last weeks smart source to knock the price to $2.99/case. Buy 4 and get a $5 catalina register reward
Unilever products- buy $20.00 before coupons, get $7.00 register rewards.
Hefty Baggies BOGO, add 2 $1.00 coupons to get them for free
100 calorie snack packs of smart foods popcorn or nabisco products are 22 cents after widely circulated $1 coupons
Juicy Juice $2.29- only 29 cents after doubled $1 coupon from their web site or last weeks Sunday Paper coupons

Moneys Short, Times Are Hard, I'm In Love With My Advantage Card

2009-05-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well This week does not look like it will be as good as last, but I am sure I will make atleast a trip or two to Price Chopper. Here are this weeks great deals and coupon match ups (5/17-5/23/09)

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs, Bacon, Balogna.... If you like these "meats" you will love the deals this week. Hot Dogs and Balogna are BOGO this week. Pair two with 2 $1 coupons from last week's Smart Source insert and you get 2 for Free.
Bacon is on sale 2/$6, use 2 $1.00 coupons from the smart source and you can walk out with 2 packs of bacon for $2.

Friendly's Ice Cream (5/3 Smart Source $1.00 off or $1.00 off 2) on sale for $1.99- you can walk out with a yummy 1/2 gallon for 99cents-free. I like the FREE option.

Nabisco Wheat Thins/Triscuits- score a sheet of iSave PC coupons with advantage card on the way into the store. Use the $1.00 off 2 boxes coupon to bring the sale price down to 2/$3, add 2 $1/1 coupons from http://www.kraftfoods.com/ or http://www.coupons.com/ and you can walk away with 2/$1.

Unilever Promotion. The combinations are endless, but this week buy $20.00 of Unilever products (price BEFORE coupons) and the catalina coupon printer will spit out a $7 coupon on anything- for your next visit.
There are many deodorant, shampoo, and cleaning/smelly products coupons floating around from http://www.coupons.com/, smartsource, redplum that will give you free or near free purchases to qualify for this promotion.

While you are at the kraft or coupons sites make sure to print out coupons for A1, Hidden Valley Ranch, Kraft Cheese Singles, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Bacardi Fruit Mixers, Kraft Bagel-fuls, Cheerios, Special K, and Crystal light. With these coupons you can:

Get free A1 Marinade ($1.84 on sale- $1 coupon doubled)= FREE
Ranch Dressing $2.99, buy 2 for $5.98 and use $1 coupon doubled)=$3.98/2
Kraft Cheese Singles $2.99 ($1 coupon doubled)= 99 cents!
Philadelphia Cream Cheese 99cents (use $1/2 coupon doubled)=FREE
Bacardi Frozen Drink Mixers $2.39 ($1/2 doubled) $2.70/2
Kraft Bagel-fuls $1.99 (use $1 coupon doubled)=FREE
Crystal Light- really good deals with a variety of printables- all result in free product.

Tricks:

You can pair a BOGO coupon with a BOGO Price Chopper sale item and end up with both free.
You can use a BOGO coupon to purchase 2 items and add another coupon for one of them to get additional savings. Last week Ziplock bags were $1.99. There was a BOGO coupon and a $1/1 coupon. Add the 2 together to get 2 free boxes of Ziplock bags.
Price Chopper doubles coupons until you reduce your grocery total to half of the original total, then the coupons are singled. Lets say the total is $150.00, The computers do not recognize the advantage savings as a reduction, so you can really get away for a much higher rate of doubled coupons. Your coupons will double until the doubled total reaches $75.00 (1/2 of original total). The computer will single everything else, then subtract the advantage savings. Last week I could have added 2 cases of coke at $6.99, my coupons would have doubled and I would have paid no more out of pocket. When in doubt add a few Just in Case items to the cart and if the totals are close keep adding until the scales balance out- more free product!

Isn't This Shoplifting?

2009-05-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first blog post. I love to coupon shop and have saved tons of $$ following advice of Coupon Mom (www.couponmom.com) and Money Saving Mom (www.moneysavingmom.com). I have had 10 tons of fun playing the coupon game and Price Chopper is the best locally to save more than a few bucks.
This week I made three trips to our Plattsburgh Price Chopper.

Today was my best trip to date! I was able to walk out with $148.74 in groceries for the tiny amount of $38.36 out of pocket. And the machine spit out a $3 catalina towards my next visit. Saving 74.21% is good any day of the week. From here forward I will work on coupon matchups. I will start with a run down on Sundays of what the best deals are complete with coupon match-ups and links to online coupons.

For now here are my favorite deals from this week- you still have over 24 hours to cash in on the savings. First off Kraft has exceptional coupons out right now via their web site and www.coupons.com. It is worth the time and ink to print many copies and cash in.

Kellogg's Cereal: With in ad coupon 4 boxes 17oz for $8.00. With online coupons you will get 4 free boxes. The combinations are endless (hopefully you will be able to print them still). I cashed in on this three times this week. Yes 12 FREE boxes- I have been giving free cereal away right and left!

Zip Lock Bags $1.99 per box. Last weeks press insert has a BOGO coupon and a $1.00 off coupon. Yes you can use both. One coupon per item! So you will get 2 free boxes of Ziplock bags for every set of BOGO and $1.00 coupons you have.

Scotties Tissue. Anyone who knows me knows that I should have stock in Kleenex. This week Scotties Tissue was 5 boxes for $5.00. Typically these are $1.59 a box. So I picked up 10 boxes for $10.00, but used 2 $1 off coupons (they doubled). $8 for 10 boxes of Tissue is a great deal anyday!

If you have Kraft coupons from online you can get free Kraft BBQ Sauce, Nabisco 100 cal. pack snacks, and salad dressing all for free with doubled coupons.

Crystal light was a steal at 50 cents a box or tube. I used a BOGO coupon combined with a $2.00 off of 2 coupon from Kraft. They were on sale for 2/$5.

Johnsonville had several coupons in the last few sunday papers- This week 4 packs of sausage were on sale for $10. I had 4- $1 coupons that doubled to give me $8.00 off. Can you imagine huge packs of breakfast sausage for 50 cents each? I used all of my coupons up and have ample supplies to last me a year!

This morning I also had the chance to run to a few garage sales. If you are looking for great toys there are a few great sales on the Flat Rock Rd in Morrisonville and on Barcomb Ave in Plattsburgh (near Pyramids). I scored a Little Tikes Rollercoaster complete with the car for $20. Emma has already made about 60 trips down. I also found a Little Tikes Mailbox for $5. A few great additions to our managerie outside. Thank you Price Chopper!!