4 Lotions for $6.41

Right now you can get these 4 Johnson's Soft Lotions shipped to your house for just paying shipping costs. I ordered all 4 varieties, entered JLOTION as my promotion code, *added a $.50 nail clipper, and checked out. Total was $6.41. The normal price of one is $5.99. I love this lotion! It is great for my dry, itchy winter skin.

Go here and put all four varieties into your cart. Checkout using code JLOTION. You can even use paypal. I used my paypal account with money I had earned from Ebates. So really it was all free.

**It wouldn't work with just the 4 lotions for me. So I searched for Nail clippers and found a pair for $.50. Then it all worked. Those will go in someone's stocking.**

The Season for Giving

Throughout the year and especially during the Christmas season I search out ways to give. Many of my local organizations have combined efforts to provide coats, toys and food for needy families.

My family has been abundantly blessed this year and have shared those blessings with others. Giving is a biblical principle that opens up the door for blessing to come our way.

One company that knows alot about giving is Sears. You've heard about all of the donations they make to Ty Pennigton for his show, yet their giving stretches even beyond that. Sears has teamed up with Rebuilding Together, the nation’s largest volunteer-based provider of home repair services and started a non-profit organization called Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry. What they are doing through charitable donations is helping military personnel and veterans by providing them with the resources necessary to make repairs to their homes.

These modifications include adding wheelchair ramps and accessibility options for disabled military veterans.

Not only can you give your money, but you can also volunteer you time. To donate or volunteer this Christmas season visit Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry.

Freezer Meals

I love being able to pull a pre-cooked meal from the freezer for dinner. Tonight it was baked Spinach Ziti. Once thawed, this casserole pan will go directly into the oven on 400 degrees. I baked two batches of this ziti last week. One in a 9x13 baking pan and one in this 9 inch round baking dish. This dish tasted even better reheated. Just add a salad and homemade breadsticks.

These Cheese, Egg & Sausage Omlettes wil be going into the freezer. These were baked in a muffin tin. They will be flash frozen and then wrapped individually. They can be reheated in the oven or microwave. These are especilley simple and easy to reheat for a quick breakfast. They can also be made in a casserole or pie dish.

ENJOY!

$250 Gift Card from Charter

There are a ton of ways to ave during this black friday weekend. Even the cable and telephone companies are trying to get in on the action. Charter is offering a deal on telephone, cable and internet packages. One of the biggest ways to save money on your budget is to begin by cutting cost on these three items. I am one of those people that can live without cable, but for those of you who are not....such as my husband, bundling your package may be a great advantage to lowering your expenses.

The ultimate frugal option is to just do without all of these services. However, if your finances are in order than why not get these services for the lowest price possible? If you buy Charter’s Ultimate Bundle you will get $250 gift card! After making your purchase, you will be sent a gift card and also be entered to win 1 of 45 X-Box 360 Game consoles.

Charter Communications Ultimate Service Bundle cost $165.97 and you get High Speed cable, Digital television along with stations such as Charter High Definition, Sports View, Digital View, HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Encore, Showtime and the Movie Channel. Your phone service wil include
unlimited calling anywhere in the U.S.

The biggest benefit that sets Charter apart form the rest is the $250 Gift card with purchase and a chance to win an X-Box 360 game console. Check out the site on black friday or Cyber Monday, just keep in mind that this deal only lasts until December 5th.

Double Cashback Deal at Ebates Friday Only

Ebates is having a huge event On Black Friday (11/28) from midnight to midnight. They are offering double cash back on all purchases made through Ebates at any of their over 1,000 stores.

It's so easy to shop online with Ebates. You find the store that you'd like to purchase from, select any coupon codes available and make your purchase. Your Ebates account will be credit with 2-3 days after your purchase. A small bonus when you sign-up is that they will credit $10 into your account. It's usually $5 but there's a special promotion going on right now until Dec. 31.

As soon as you make a $10 purchase through Ebates (from any store that offers cash back) then that $10 is yours. So, it's like a $10 rebate on any item you purchase. You will get that $10 cash back as a check in your mailbox even if you don't earn any other rebates from Ebates!

I made my first purchase of $299 - 15% off coupon code= $272 w/tax. I recieved a 4% rebate totaling a little over $10 back on my purchase. I also recieved and additional $5 just for signing up. In all I paid about $255 for an Xbox pro system after the coupon, rebate and sign up bonus.

What are you waiting for sign up now. I will get a $5 refferal bonus if you sign up here at A Day in the Life of... Sign up is super easy, don't miss out of this Double Cash Back Deal.

Have A Happy Thanksgiving

To-Do List

* Thaw Ham for Thanksgiving (IN PROGRESS)
* Make a freezer & pantry inventory list (DONE)
* Mend hubby's dress pants (DONE)
* Take out ground meat for dinner (DONE)
* Begin a MP3 play list for my Mother in Love (DONE)

(We purchased this MP3 player at Toys R US for my MIL's birthday. Toy R Us had one style on sale for $14.99, however they were sold out. We asked if they had any others in the store room but they didn't. The cashier told us that he'd give us another version priced at $19.99 for $10.00. This was such a blessing)

* Sweep all floors (DONE)
* Mop all floors
* Wash 2 loads of laundry (DONE)
* Dry 2 loads of laundry (DONE)
* Pick out the children's clothes for 2 night trip to grandma's (DONE)

Cruiser Car Customizing

Cruiser Customizing is have a sale on select memphis shades and accessories for motorcycles. They offer a great selection of customized parts and accessories for bikes such as Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki.

They also have great deals under the clearance link. Some of their most popular products include the motorcycle shades, saddle bags and helmets. Be sure to visit Cruiser Customizing for your holiday needs.

Planning My Week

I have really gotten away from planning menus lately. Clipping coupons and finding deals has really become a time consuming task. I plan to taper off during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday's. Our pantry's are filling up pretty well and soon we will have stockpiled the majority of the items on my lists.

Here is a stab at planning a menu for this week.

Monday~ Cereal, Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches, Slow Cooker Ziti and garlic bread

Tuesday~ Banana Bread, Lentil over steamed rice, no cooking the children are going to my in-loves until Thanksgiving

Wednesday~ Cereal, PB&J, Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Thursday~ Cereal, Thanksgiving decadence the rest of the day

Friday~ Cereal, Ham Fried Rice, Leftovers from yesterday

Saturday~ Pancakes and Sausages, Mac & Cheese, Meatball Subs w/ Salad

Have a great week and remember to be thankful. Be sure to visit my other blog for more tips on Proverbs31 living and for the week of Novemeber 23rd Rite-Aid deals.

Shopping 101: Buddy Bonding

Hi,

I read your post on how to slash your grocery budget and another way of conquering budgets that might not have thought about is with bulk shopping and “buddy bonding”…

It’s all about the “power of two” for cost-effective and strategic warehouse club shopping for the Holidays. We work with BJ’s Wholesale Club and more members are shopping together to save together while taking advantage of the benefits of bulk and multi-pack savings. In addition to their own coupons, BJ’s accepts manufacturer’s coupons – the only warehouse club that does – that allows for multiple coupons to be redeemed on multi-packs of “individual for sale” packaged items. An example would be: BJ’s sells a 2 pack of mouth wash that is normally sold and packaged as individual items in other major retail stores; you could use up to two coupons on this type of packaging in addition to many other items – and then spli t the cost and items in half between shopping partners – for even more savings.

Items great for divvying up include paper goods, toiletries, produce, meats, candy, cookie and muffin variety packs, juices, soda, bottled water, soap and cleaners…just to name a few. By splitting big packages, Holiday shoppers are also spending less per item than if purchased at a local grocery store (more than 30 percent over supermarket prices).

Besides savings on money, time and gas, shopping partners can finish off the “savings experience” with their own kitchen-side “packaging party,” to divvy up the purchases and then settle back knowing they’ve checked off their lists with the best savings possible.

For a free shopping pass, you can go to http://www.bjs.com/join/one_day_pass.shtml

Kmart Sale

A great place to begin Christmas shopping is at Kmart. There stores have always been budget friendly and you can get a variety of gifts all in one place. Now through December kmart.com will be taking an additional 10% off of your online purchases on the following key categories:

- womens plus sleepwear
- womens attention brand
- girls tops
- ALL juniors
- boys tops
- mens shirts and bottoms
- big mens shirts and bottoms
- infant and toddler bedding

This is a great time to purchase pajamas and clothes for family and friends. Not only does Kmart offer alrady low sale prices they are including the 10% discount if you shop from home. These items will have the online only discount from now through December 26th.

One of Kmart's most popular items is the Attention Women's Kimono Wrap Sweater. With this purchase you'll get an extra 10% off if you purchase it online. There's also the Abbey Hill bedding Medallion Dream bedding collection where, if purchased online you'll get an extra 30% off. The sale price will be shown in the cart after you make you item and quantity selection.

Also, Look for the Hidden ornaments throughout kmart.com every week through to Christmas. These ornaments provide us with extra savings on already great prices with a secret coupon code! I will definitely be looking for these. I am still holding out on purchasing my children's X-Box. If I can use a coupon code to save a little bit on that purchase it would be great.

LOST & FOUND

I have implemented a new way to teach my children to keep up with their belongings. One day while cleaning up the living room I saw a sturdy box sitting around. All of a sudden a light bulb came on. As I continued to clean, instead of calling each child to come and retrieve their belongings, I began throwing them into this box.

I thought “Wow, this is so much easier than calling each child to come and get their toys.” I was certainly easier than me carrying their belongings to its proper place”. Thus became the invention of the “Lost & Found” box.

These are the rules for the “LOST & FOUND” box.

1. Everything can go into the box except clothes and school equipment.
2. The box is emptied every Friday after school.
3. Anything left in the box after Friday is donated.

So far the children have been lining up promptly after school on Friday’s seeking to retrieve Gameboys, toys and any other materials that they have left around the house during the week. So far, the children have been more conscience of cleaning up after themselves. I even overhear the children reminding one another to put away their toys.

This Weeks Menu

Monday~ Honey Eyed Chicken, Steamed rice and sweet peas
Tuesday~ Meatloaf, Steamed rice, sweet corn and gravy
Wednesday~ Chicken Quesedillas with Spanish rice
Thursday~ Italian Meatball subs with Corn on the Cob
Friday~ Roasted Chicken breast, steamed rice and gravy
Saturday~ Nachos and Salad (Dinner with my mom)

Super Savings

I was able to visit my local stores this weekend. My best deals from my trip were...

Publix
*******
Dove Minis 8 oz. bag~ 2/$3.79 - 2/ $1 off coupons....Total .90 ea

Publix Holiday print Paper towels...value $1.34.....I paid a penny with the purchase of the Sunday paper

Walgreens
***********

General Mills Cereal, $1.99
$1/1 Honey Nut Cheerios printable
$1/1 after coupon!

Clorox bleach BOGO at $1.49 (I will probably do this one again later this week)
BUY 2 Clorox products, GET FREE Clorox Wipes
2 bleach + 1 wipes for $1.49!

Puffs Tissues, $0.99 (with Walgreens in-ad coupon)
$0.25/1 Puffs, exp. 11-30-08 (P&G 11/2/08)
$0.74 after coupons!

Deerfield Cheddar or Mexican Shredded Cheese (8 oz.)--on sale 2 for $3.00
(This was $0.49 less per 8 oz. bag than the Aldi price and is definitely a pretty good deal on cheese. I have plenty of room in my budget and freezer to stock up. My store had a limit of 2)

Chex Mix--$0.99 (I purchased 2 since I had two coupons)
Use $0.50/1 coupon from 11/09 SmartSource insert
$0.49 after coupon

Ajax Powder 2/$1.00

*****************************************************

The box of cereal will be donated to my church food pantry along with a can of corn. I already donate clothes and household items to many ministries, however, I have challenged myself to donate some of the extra food that I have been able to purchase within my budget by using coupons.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 King James Version

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

This is a verse that brings me so much comfort when I am going through situations which I don't understand. I find a great deal of comfort knowing that God knows my struglles and my pains. It is my great pleasure to serve the Lord in my infirmities.

His Grace is Sufficient for Me

My husband and I set out to be debt free two years ago and we are well on our way. We have been able to contribute more to our 401k and also pay of our car loan as planned. However, with only one car, we have run into a few bumps in the road. Our vehicle although debt free has been giving us some major problems. We have been to an auto body shop for repairs at least three times this year since the car has been paid off.

This has caused us to seriously consider taking out a loan to get a more reliable car. Each time we consider it we both hear a small voice telling us to trust God. He has a plan. Our van has 430k miles on it and oil leaks that have blackened 1/2 of my driveway. Nevertheless, God vowed that help us become debt free and he has kept his promise. We have done everything possible to get out of debt because we truly understand that God never intended for us to live that way. We have only the mortgage to go. We are working diligently on saving up for a used car since the one we bought a few months ago was a lemon.

So although our car is not in the best shape, we are going to trust God and take it day by day.

My Child Sings

My children sing while they are in bed waiting to fall asleep.
My children sing while they shower. They sing while they get dressed and while they wash the dishes. They sing as they do their chores. They even try to sing while they a brushing their teeth.

I don't know where they've cultivated a love of singing. However, I get so much joy from hearing their little voices sing.

I'd love for you to share something your children do that brings you joy?

LapBand Surgery

I posted earlier regarding a friend of mine who weighs over 300 pounds. He is well aware of the strain that his weight is putting on his heart and body. He has considered lap band surgery and has recently talked about how it being a miracle that he is even alive.

He lives a full life, is very funny and smart. He has just been accepted to Columbia University in New York and loves to hike. However, if he doesn't do anything about his weight his heart may not be able to take much more. He has already endured numerous heart surgeries and as a result other health issues have begun to arise.

He is not lazy. He was born with a bad heart. His medical issues have attributed to his weight and he is now at risk for heart failure. Keep my friend in your thoughts and prayers.

Once a Month Shopping: Home Care Goods

Thank you all for stopping by and sharing how you store seasonal clothes. Now that the clothes are all packed away I need to get back to stocking our pantry's for the winter. Our food pantry is well on it's way. I now need to turn my attention to the household and hygiene pantry.

We have been purchasing personal hygiene items such as soap and tissue weekly up until this point. However I'd like to build up a storage closet with about three months worth of these items in order to eliminate weekly trips to the store.

I have gotten a lot better with impulse spending only because I spend less time shopping, watching television and looking through fliers and ads.

I really enjoy the freedom that comes with being able to hold on to a buck until I can get items that I need and want at the lowest price possible.

This month I will begin the process of stocking my attic and linen closet with personal hygiene items. My strategy is to get the items free, on sale or in bulk. I will be utilizing the Rite Aid "free after rebate" deals, sales and Sam's club.

I have allocated $40.00 a month to this task. This is in addition to the $300.00 a month we already spend on groceries.

Here is a short list of items that I will be focusing on.

Personal hygeine
Bathroom Tissue
Maxi pads/Tampons/Panty liners
Body Soap/Shower Gel
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Shampoo/Conditioner
Body Moisturizers
Shaving Gel/Cream

Laundry and dishwasher detergent
Fels Naptha
Borax
Washing Powder
Baking Soda

Household
Bleach
Vinegar
Liquid disinfectant
Dish Soap


As I make progress I will share pictures and updates. I will also post any deals that I find that we provide an opportunity for you to stock up at a low price. Consider subscribing to this or my other blog "A Day in the Life" where I share deals each week.
Subscribe to A Day In The Life Of... or subscribe to "The Wife at Home" through the link on my right sidebar.

Seasonal Clothes Storage Part II

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

All of the summer clothes removed

All of the summer clothes packed into a storage bin.

Visit my homemaking blog A Day in the Life Of...for part I of "Seasonal Clothing Storage"

Free Tea

If you want to taste one of our available premium teas before purchasing, simply add a maximum of two different sample blends to your cart. Then, use the coupon code and we will deliver it to you FREE of cost. We will deliver the free tea samples anywhere in the U.S. Expected delivery time would be 7 to 14 business days, sometimes earlier. This offer is for a limited time only, while supplies last! Limit one (1) per household.

Teasta Tea 2 Free Sample Bags (a $6.30 value) This site is very slow so be patient. Click here. (US only)

Homemaking 101: Create a Cleaning Station

I did some rearranging in an attempt to make clean up easier for every one. I was previously using the lower kitchen cabinet to store household cleaning supplies, however I have decided to use a small narrow shelf less closet instead.

The quick oats can in the pictures contain grocery store bags. We often bring our own when grocery shopping. Anyhow, in this closet I hung screws for our brooms, aprons and lunch bag.There is also a space for my aprons.....and mop bucket. and toddler broom. These items are kept low for my little ones. On the floor of the closet is the bowl brush and disinfectant spray...Along with the steam cleaner solution.What I did next was grab a basket to fill with all of the household cleaning products likeComet...Floor cleaner for the steam machine...Pledge multi surface cleaner. This is my 2nd best recommended product.CLR that I received free for participating in the CLR challenge. This is a product that cuts right through grease. Cleaning the kitchen is so much easier with this product.Lemon-y disinfctantX-tra large scrubby pads that can be cut to size (Thanks Mother In Love)Cleaning clothes in a ziplocAnd in the brown plastic bag is the toilet plunger.

Clean-up has been so much easier for the children now that we have an oranized clean-up station rather than some things in one location and some in another.

A WIN...WIN SITUATION

If you are looking to cut back expenses this year, than start by looking for opportunities to lower you cable bill. When is the last time you researched a better deal on your services? Well, now is as good a time as any. Head over to the Charter website to compare what you have to what they can offer. You can find the link right here on my page. While you are there enter for a chance to win an Xbox360 Pro.

Start by clicking on the following link to enter the Charter Communications Xbox Sweepstakes. Charter is giving away a one Xbox everyday until December 15th for anyone who signs up for their service online. However the sweet part of the offer is that there is no purchase necessary to win. If you visit the site you can enter to win as well.

I have considered using charter services earlier this year. Their prices were lower than what I was paying then and the service was comparable. However, charter was not offered in my area. Therefore, check to see if charter is offered in your area because potential winners must live in an area that offers Charter services to qualify for the XBox.

If you are already in the market to switch cable or internet providers visit the site and see what they have to offer. With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, now is definitely a great time to reduce expenses. You could walk away saving on your services and winning and Xbox360.

Here is the run down on the prize: If you win you will receive the XBox 360® Pro Console. This is the one we have chosen to purchase for our family Christmas gift this year. It comes with an XBox LIVE Headset, Wireless Controller, Component HD AV Cable and a 20Gb Detachable Hard Drive. If you are in the market for an Xbox, than this is the one you want. If you win this prize package, all that you would need to purchase in order to get started would be the Wireless controller charger and a game or two.

Christmas is on it's way and I am looking for every legitimate opportunity to save money and score some free gifts.