TotallyTarget.com

It has occurred to me that not everyone is aware of the site TotallyTarget.com, because not long ago I had no idea it existed. I love checking it for good deals, clearance items, and coupon help.

Don’t have a Target in your area? I still use it for coupon ideas, and I have actually found better deals at Cashwise, EconoFoods, or Walmart with the same coupons/product saving ideas.

Just today I got tons of free and nearly free items, including all the Rolaids our family could possibly use in a long time, lotion, shampoo, and deodorant. I was bummed that the clearance Jello that would have cost about 11 cents were gone when we got there, but we still got some great deals.

Do you have a site you absolutely love that helps you save money and find good deals? Please share it with us.

 

photo credit: dno1967

Couponing 101: Local is Key

I promised to blog about a recent couponing class I took in my own town, Hutchinson, MN. I have been very interested in learning more about how those “crazy” women do it that I see on the news. You know the stories; $200 of groceries for $1.57 or some amazingly small amount.

I have also been watching other moms who blog about coupons and savings, but it all seemed overwhelming and quite frankly, incoherent for me.

I am happy to say that the couponing class was amazing, and I learned a ton. This is MY version of what I learned and what I feel is key to saving massive amounts on groceries.

1. It’s not about shopping sales or using coupons. It’s about finding as many “match-ups” as possible. This means that you look for sales or price cuts of items, find store coupons, and manufacturing coupons for the same product. Then buy as many products as possible.

• For Example, this week Cashwise had cereal on sale 4 boxes for $10. They then offered an “in store” coupon for 4 boxes for $6. Then I found manufacturers coupons for each of the four boxes I had to buy to meet the requirements, and I paid less than $3 for 4 boxes.

2. It is really important to get to know your local options rather than focus on what you don’t have in town. In my town, my options are Cashwise, Econo Foods, Target, Walmart, and Shopko. I have found very good deals at each one. I use the weekly ad/sale, as well as websites that announce sales. I then work to find manufacturer coupons for those deals, and again stock up on as many as I can.

• For Example, this week Target had a temporary price cut on band-aids. They also offered Target Coupons, and I found manufacturer coupons, so that when I left the store with $14 worth of stuff, I paid $1.98. If you factor in that I used a gift card that I earned on a previous shopping match-up, I paid nothing.

3. Buy more than one Sunday newspaper on Saturday. The inserts are in there, the newspaper is cheaper when it’s an early edition, and the more coupons you have the better the deals later.

4. Find some other people willing to do this with you and share their “finds”. We started a local couponing group and now I get an email or Facebook post about a local find.

• For Example, a friend told me about a recently clearance cart of salad dressing at Cashwise and pointed out that we all have multiple $1 coupons that make it free, after purchase.

5. Use Facebook and follow blogs for immediate notice of offers. This week I was online when two great offers came through. Many have a time limit or a print limit, so you have to use the tools available to you to get in on the deals.

6. Organizing is key. I have chosen to organize my coupons by subject. I have been able to do very fast match-ups this way, but most couponing sites like TotallyTarget.com will reference publish dates (i.e. Sunday paper they came out in)

Do you have some additional tips you can share? Maybe something doesn’t make sense. Please share your thoughts. I’ll help if I can. I am new at this and have plenty to learn.

photo credit: MissMessie

Minnesota Lynx Player Lindsay Whalen Coming Back to Hutchinson

Minnesota’s Hometown Hero, Lindsay Whalen is back in Minnesota and playing for the Lynx. This has Hutchinson natives and residents very excited, since Lindsay is originally from Hutchinson, MN where I live.

Lindsay Whalen Day!

What’s more exciting is that Lindsay is coming back for a whole day on Friday, May 7th and bringing with her every conceivable television news station and sports commentator. A caravan of  news trucks, hopefully including ESPN, will be arriving in town to cover the event, as hundreds, if not thousands of people turn out to welcome and cheer for Lindsay! It will be an exciting day for Hutchinson.

Win Tickets: Let’s celebrate! Join Lindsay’s Hutchinson Facebook group, called “Show Your Support-Lindsay Whalen Day -Back in Hutch May 7th. Leave a comment here (or a comment on the related Vivid Image Inc post) that you “Liked” her fan page, along with a valid email address. If you have a fun memory of seeing Lindsay play in Hutch or for the Gophers, leave it in the comments section. One lucky person who has done these steps will be selected at random from the comments section (either here on Confessions of a Mom or Vivid Image Inc ), awarded a pair of FREE Tickets to the Lynx Opener which is on May 16th, and notified via email on May 4th! Winner will have 24 hours to reply to email, or another winner will be chosen.

The events on May 7th are all FREE to attend, so I want to encourage people who are fans of Lindsay’s, fans of the Lynx, love basketball, and/or who are within driving distance of Hutchinson to come join us! There will be a HUGE pep rally with bands, food and fun at the Hutchinson Events Center. The event center parking lot will be roped off for some fun basketball related activities. There’s also an event at Zella’s that evening too.  Lindsay will be attending events and signing autographs. Lynx tickets and memorabilia will be available for purchase, along with Lindsay’s newly available #13 Lynx jersey. This event is sponsored by the Lynx, as well as Zella’s, Hutchinson Leader, KDUZ Radio, and MidCountry Bank of Hutchinson, MN.

Earn Free Fuel for a Year, Plus a Special Tax Credit

A few months ago, I wrote about our family considering switching to an alternative heat source for our Minnesota home. We are convinced that a flex fuel, corn stove is what we want, and our decision to move forward is prompted by three key factors: our current fuel bill,  the projected rise in fuel costs next year, and the money saving opportunties available to families like yours and mine.

Our Current Fuel Bill

I’m sad to say that we currently pay over $800 to fill our gas tank (we live in a rural home), which lasts us two months during the winter season, if we’re lucky. I estimate we spend about $3,000 /year filling our fuel tank.

Breaking News

I welcome all ways to save on heating costs; a relief with the recent news about gas prices. Oil is projected to go up to $100 a barrel, and the tax bill that passed its first hurdle this week, the Cap & Trade Bill-HR 2454, is threatening to raise everyone’s home heating bills by up to 60% this next year! This worries me. A lot.

Earn Free Fuel for a Year

According to American Energy Systems offering this opportunity, your entire fuel bill could be free in 2010 just by referring your friends and family to their website. If they purchase one of their products, you will get a reward check in the mail. Refer 50 friends (and if they buy) that is $2500.00 in YOUR pocket. To get started, fill out the referral section here.

 

Bonus Tax Credit

Some alternative energy appliances, like flex-fuel stoves qualify for a major tax refund (up to $1,500) making this option very affordable for us. We will be selecting a stove or fireplace that qualifies for this tax credit.

Extra Bonus Heat Savings

Flex-fuel stoves, like the ones that burn corn, often save owners up to 60% on their heating bill. I’ve taken the time to talk to several corn stove owners, who all love their stoves and verify the savings. Any way that I do the math on this one, I calculate that the savings from these three facts (referral reward, tax credit, lower fuel cost) will help us pay for the cost of our stove in a year. The cost of the Magnum Baby Countryside stove we are considering is about $1,800. I would like to have the Magnum Fireplace Insert, but I’m not sure if it will work in our existing gas fireplace spot yet or if it will be enough to heat our entire home like the Baby Countryside. I’m excited for next week, when the owner of American Energy Systems is coming to our house for a visit. I’m even more excited to embark on our journey to use corn to heat our home!

You can follow along on our jouney, as I plan to blog our way into a greener way of heating our home and saving money. Like you, I have more questions than anything about how this will all work. I do know this, we can NOT use popcorn in a corn stove.

Kids Eat For Free

This is a great resource for checking where and when kids eat for free at your favorite restaurants. If you are open to any restaurant, as long as it has free kids meals, simply search by zip code for what’s closest to you. The name of the site is Kids Eat For, and I’m planning to use it soon. I’ve actually already done a little searching and planning. Enjoy!

Low Cost Halloween Party for Kids

My 10 year old daughter decided she wanted to host a HalloTween party this year. We decided the garage would be the best place, since it’s big and we wouldn’t have to worry about spills, make-up smears, etc. To make it more fun, we decided to decorate the garage to make it creepy (not gross). We dug through the Halloween tote and took out all the saved decorations, lights, and masks that we could use. Then we got creative.

First, we took some black garbage bags and cut them into strips width-wise to create long black streamers which we taped up. We also put blankets up on a clothes wire to separate the “excess garage stuff” in the third stall.

We also used fake spider webbing all over the garage walls. It sticks great to rough plywood, and there’s plenty of nails and other stuff to wrap it around. I also replaced the ceiling light bulbs with red colored bulbs for a creepier look ($4 spent thus far).

We also used white sidewalk chalk to draw spiral patterns all over the garage floor for a really funky-fun look on the dance floor. We borrowed a disco ball from friends so that there will be colored lights twirling by the dance floor. We strung streamers and decorations across the ceiling, right above the dance floor for a festive look.

Next, we brought in all the patio furniture and created a seating area. I found an old white plastic patio table that the kids can all sign and write on during the night.

I moved our electric fireplace out for heat, as it is expected to be very chilly this week. Plus, the flames add extra “creepiness” and the top of the fireplace is a great place to set up the music and speakers. Our friends have another fireplace, which we are going to borrow for a second source of heat and place on the other side of the garage.

I brought in our wood sculpted bear, gave him a cape and a mask, and we have an instant monster by the fire place.

You can’t escape having a large garbage can for plates and candy wrappers, but who wants a plain one? I found an old pair of green tights, stuffed them with plastic bags, and then tied them to the garbage can so it looks like a pair of legs are sticking out. I know the kids are going to get a kick out of this one.

I contemplated putting ruby red slippers on and crushing the legs under our giant bird house with a “wicked witch of the west” sign. I opted for practical, since we needed the garbage can in there and I was running out of room.

Then we raided the adult winter snowsuits, stuffed them with stuffed animals, duct taped some gloves on and we had some more creepy monsters for the garage. Oh, need something to fill out the masks? Use your soccer and volleyballs. They work great!

 

Next I built a mummy. My daughter and I visited one of those fun, but very expensive Halloween stores for ideas. We loved the mummy, so I decided to make one. I used two giant stuffed dolls my girls had and wrapped them in a white table cloth. I used a rubber band to define the neck/head. Then I wrapped it in toilet paper and used some medical gauze to wrap the head. I used some white spider webbing and added a black spider to the body. I bought a  styrofoam headstone at the dollar store ($1 dollar spent). Then we laid it by the entrance to the garage, which we decorated in a wall of glittery streamers.

Next, we moved the patio table inside, gave it a new table cloth that my friend picked up at a second hand store and donated to the cause! We replaced batteries in the “monster hand” bowl and strobe light which will add extra fun to the dark space. The batteries are definately an expense!

I moved my card table and chairs out, along with a light for a game table area. We put a black lightbulb in the lamp so the cards will glow. (another $4 spent)

We are going to serve decorated cupcakes we made and froze ahead of time, pizza, nachos/dip, and of course, candy. I am going to make a green sherbet and ginger ale punch in my large punch bowl, which we will call chilled slime.

I know these pictures don’t do the space justice. It is much scarier without the light that I needed to take these pictures. So without further adu, here’s the rest of the pictures.

  

 

FREE McDonald’s Latte August 3rd

My friend at Grocery Price Blog sent me an email this past Monday reminding me to stop by McDonald’s for my free latte. I thought to myself, yeah, but in rural Hutchinson, MN will they know what I’m even talking about? I decided to put my social networking to the test and drive through McDonald’s on my way to an appointment. According to the email from Grocery Price Blog, there was no purchase necessary. When I pulled up, I asked if I could get a “free Monday latte” and the lady answered “sure, just pull up to the last window and we’ll have it ready”. I happily sipped on my 7 oz free latte as I drove away. Since the offer is done on August 3rd, I thought I’d send this out with a link to the details on my friend’s Grocery Price Blog.

Free Book to Parents of Children with Special Needs

SpecialNeedsParentCoach.com has a great giveaway right now. Parents of children with special needs can receive a free copy of the 200 page E-Book, “Overwhelmed No More”.This is the start of their initiative to offer more free and low-cost products and services for parents of children with special needs.

To enter this contest, simply submit your favorite quotes. Hurry! Offer ends July 15th!

Follow this link:  Quote Contest Here

Kids Eat for Free: Find All the Places

Here’s a great website that is actually a search engine of sorts where you can search for your favorite restaurants or places where your kids can eat for free. Special kids meal deals are included as well. Check out KidsMealDeals.com

The Chronicles of Mac and Cheese: Recipe 1

We’ve started to use our year’s supply of Kraft Mac and Cheese that I won last month. So far, we’ve simply made a couple boxes. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to make a complete meal that I’m calling MexiMac. I found several recipes for ideas, but will tweak the recipe to make it my own and tailor it to my family’s needs. I also want to use what we have in the house, specifically my mom’s homemade salsa.

Recipe: MexiMac

1 Box Kraft Mac and Cheese

1 pound hamburger

1 onion, diced

1 can of corn

1 sweet red pepper, diced

1 jar salsa

1 jar southwest or chili flavored beans

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Fresh cilantro

1 packet of taco seasoning

Top with: crushed corn chips, sour cream, jalapenos, and lettuce.

Crumble and cook hamburger and brown with the onions. Cook noodles partially and drain. Mix with meat/onions and remaining ingredients. Bake until hot, noodles soft, and well-flavored. About 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

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