Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday Window
The Wednesday Window is an awesome way to check out other blogs and get a feel for whether or not you'll enjoy them off of just one post. Click the window below to be taken to the list, on the list you will find what each blogger feels to be one of their best posts.
Santa Savings on Cellfire Tomorrow (Thursday)
Tomorrow (Thursday) from 1pm to 5pm EST Cellfire is giving away Santa Savings! Just log into your account (or create one if you don't have one already) and you will automatically get a coupon good for $.50, $1, $2 or even $5 off your next grocery purchase.
Not familiar with Cellfire? What?! Does your grocery store have a shoppers card? Cellfire allows you to load coupon savings directly to your shoppers card so that they instantly deducted at checkout. No need to carry coupons with you to the store (of course you can carry them and stack printed coupons on top of the cellfire savings for even more savings). Even if your grocery store of choice doesn't offer a store loyalty card you can use still Cellfire, as they have printable coupons available too!
*EDIT* - Just thought I'd update with what I got... I'll feel totally jipped at getting just a .50 coupon in my cellfire account, but I'm hoping you guys did much better. Eh, .50 is still .50 more than I had, so I'll take it!
Not familiar with Cellfire? What?! Does your grocery store have a shoppers card? Cellfire allows you to load coupon savings directly to your shoppers card so that they instantly deducted at checkout. No need to carry coupons with you to the store (of course you can carry them and stack printed coupons on top of the cellfire savings for even more savings). Even if your grocery store of choice doesn't offer a store loyalty card you can use still Cellfire, as they have printable coupons available too!
*EDIT* - Just thought I'd update with what I got... I'll feel totally jipped at getting just a .50 coupon in my cellfire account, but I'm hoping you guys did much better. Eh, .50 is still .50 more than I had, so I'll take it!
Have you printed your .50/2 Milky Way coupon yet?
I love Milky Way Dark so when I saw this coupon I had to print it off. Combine it with the Walgreens In-Ad coupon (for .39 Mars candy bars) and get 2 Milky Way bars for just .28 cents.
Find the Coupon on Coupons.com
Find the Coupon on Coupons.com
Easy Pizza Pasta Recipe (with coupon links)
So, Coupons.com has a new coupon posted for Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta. If you are lucky, Publix will include this when they put Ronzoni on BOGO next time... if not, hopefully you'll catch it on sale somewhere soon. If you can catch it on a good sale or BOGO, you should be able to get 2 boxes for close to free with this coupon (they usually run around $1.50/box).
This is a recipe that I created years ago after trying the pizza pasta at American Cafe (no longer around). I decided I could recreate it. This is so easy and you can really make it your own.
Pizza Pasta
1lb chicken (chopped and cooked)
1 green pepper (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 box penne pasta
---Ronzoni Smart Taste
---Muellers pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
--- Muir Glen
1 package pepperoni
---Armour pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
---Kraft shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta according to box. While pasta is cooking, cook chicken. Add onion & green pepper and saute. Once pasta is cooked and drained, mix in chicken/veggie mixture, spaghetti sauce and half the package of pepperoni. Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining pepperoni and cheese and bake for 20 minutes (until cheese is just starting to brown). Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.
You can also do this recipe with Italian sausage instead of chicken, if you prefer, or omit the veggies, add mushrooms or any thing else you like on your pizza.
This is a recipe that I created years ago after trying the pizza pasta at American Cafe (no longer around). I decided I could recreate it. This is so easy and you can really make it your own.
Pizza Pasta
1lb chicken (chopped and cooked)
1 green pepper (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 box penne pasta
---Ronzoni Smart Taste
---Muellers pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
--- Muir Glen
1 package pepperoni
---Armour pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
---Kraft shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta according to box. While pasta is cooking, cook chicken. Add onion & green pepper and saute. Once pasta is cooked and drained, mix in chicken/veggie mixture, spaghetti sauce and half the package of pepperoni. Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining pepperoni and cheese and bake for 20 minutes (until cheese is just starting to brown). Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.
You can also do this recipe with Italian sausage instead of chicken, if you prefer, or omit the veggies, add mushrooms or any thing else you like on your pizza.
Near Nashville? See Dave Cheap (and help someone less fortunate)
Right now Dave Ramsey is offering up tickets to his Nashville show on Feb. 5 for just $19.95 each. I just snagged 2 tickets. If you aren't familiar with Dave Ramsey, you should be. He hosts the best (imo) talk radio show in the country. Instead of politics or sports, he talks about money and YOU. Actually, he lets us do the talking, as he takes calls throughout his show and answers your personal finance questions.
Dave has also put together Financial Peace University, a 13 week class teaching you how to handle your money. We are just finishing this class up (tonight if it doesn't get snowed out) and I am happy to say that is some of the best money we've ever spent. We were already on board the Dave Ramsey bandwagon and had already resolved to start doing a real budget and saving more money, but taking the class has really given us some good motivation and we've learned a lot. There have been plenty of weeks where one or both of us wished we didn't have class that night, but every time we've come away glad we went and feeling like we learned something new.
So back to the point, if you are near Nashville get tickets and go see him. And while you are there getting your own tickets, buy one (at half price) for someone less fortunate. Dave is running a special where you can buy a ticket for just $10 to send a lady from Mercy Ministries to see Dave, and possibly change her life and yours all in one.
Dave has also put together Financial Peace University, a 13 week class teaching you how to handle your money. We are just finishing this class up (tonight if it doesn't get snowed out) and I am happy to say that is some of the best money we've ever spent. We were already on board the Dave Ramsey bandwagon and had already resolved to start doing a real budget and saving more money, but taking the class has really given us some good motivation and we've learned a lot. There have been plenty of weeks where one or both of us wished we didn't have class that night, but every time we've come away glad we went and feeling like we learned something new.
So back to the point, if you are near Nashville get tickets and go see him. And while you are there getting your own tickets, buy one (at half price) for someone less fortunate. Dave is running a special where you can buy a ticket for just $10 to send a lady from Mercy Ministries to see Dave, and possibly change her life and yours all in one.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Order Your Free Annual Credit Report
We all know we can get a free copy of our credit report annually. The commercials make sure of that. What we may not realize is that not all free credit report sites are the same. MOST of them aren't actually giving you your credit report for free; at a minimum they are signing up for some other offer(s) in the process. However, you can get 1 copy of your credit report from each of the 3 major reporting agencies each year, and you should. The official website for doing this is AnnualCreditReport.com (note it doesn't say free at the beginning). To keep the best eye on your credit, you may want to space your orders out and order one report from each agency every 4 months. By doing this, you're more likely to catch a problem (like identity theft) early.
Swagbucks Code in the Toolbar
Check your toolbar messages for a code worth 4 swagbucks. Code is only good till 4:30 EST (so like for another half hour).
Give your Hot Water Heater a Coat for Christmas
This is a "Sanity Saving Mode" report.
If you are like us, you may live in an older house where the water heater is in the garage. If your garage is like ours, it may not be very well insulated. We knew it was cold out there but didn't realize how cold till one year when some water in the inlet pipe on our washing machine froze, causing the pipe to burst and flooding the floor to our garage. The worst part was that this happened about 4 minutes after my husband left for work and I was home sick and couldn't talk. I heard a strange noise (luckily, in this case, our bedroom is next to the garage), and finally found myself opening the door to the garage and discovering the flood. All I could do was text my hubby to come home quick the garage was flooding. Needless to say, since that happened not only has hubby put some major insulation around those pipes, when it's really cold outside he's been known to pour boiling water down them before starting a load of laundry (yes, my husband does the laundry - and yes I know how lucky I am).
But, laundry pipes aren't the issue this year. This year it's my sanity and the hot bath I attempt to enjoy nightly before going to bed. However, for the last couple of weeks that hot bath has been but a dream. It's been more like a lukewarm bath as the hot water has run out about 4 inches before the tub got full. I told hubby about this, but it wasn't until he saw it for himself (when he tried to warm up from a hot bath that he really "got" it). So, Sunday morning in my frustration over not being able to enjoy a hot bath after my birthday festivities, I got online and started searching. I think I searched for something simple (because I'm not really good at complex searches), like "hot water heater insulation". Whatever I typed in, the first thing that came up with a government website that described the proper settings for a hot water heater and how to insulate said hot water heater. Turns out there's an insulated coat you can buy at Lowe's or Home Depot to help keep your hot water heater warm. After showing the link to hubby, he promptly took action and went online looking to see which store in our area sold the coats. He found it at Home Depot and ran out to get it (yes, I realize how lucky I am), then he came home and installed it.
Sunday night I took a warm bath. It still wasn't hot but it seemed better than it had been. I wasn't sure if that was just wishful thinking on my part or what, so I figured I'd give it another day to see if it really helped. My bath last night was wonderful. The water was actually hot when I got in and stayed hot for a good hour. That was the longest bath I've taken in weeks! And the best bath I've taken in weeks!
Of course, they tell you that you should use one of these coats on your water heater for energy savings. Around our house we've learned that those suggestions may or may not be true. It's hard to say, what we can go on is results. When we put new windows in the house was more comfortable (both in temperature and in sound-proofing); when we put a new front door in we couldn't see the light creeping in anymore and our foyers is now actually staying warm this winter. We put a coat on our hot water heater and now my bath water is actually getting hot and staying hot. Results!
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the coat (er, blanket) only runs about $20 at Home Depot.
If you are like us, you may live in an older house where the water heater is in the garage. If your garage is like ours, it may not be very well insulated. We knew it was cold out there but didn't realize how cold till one year when some water in the inlet pipe on our washing machine froze, causing the pipe to burst and flooding the floor to our garage. The worst part was that this happened about 4 minutes after my husband left for work and I was home sick and couldn't talk. I heard a strange noise (luckily, in this case, our bedroom is next to the garage), and finally found myself opening the door to the garage and discovering the flood. All I could do was text my hubby to come home quick the garage was flooding. Needless to say, since that happened not only has hubby put some major insulation around those pipes, when it's really cold outside he's been known to pour boiling water down them before starting a load of laundry (yes, my husband does the laundry - and yes I know how lucky I am).
But, laundry pipes aren't the issue this year. This year it's my sanity and the hot bath I attempt to enjoy nightly before going to bed. However, for the last couple of weeks that hot bath has been but a dream. It's been more like a lukewarm bath as the hot water has run out about 4 inches before the tub got full. I told hubby about this, but it wasn't until he saw it for himself (when he tried to warm up from a hot bath that he really "got" it). So, Sunday morning in my frustration over not being able to enjoy a hot bath after my birthday festivities, I got online and started searching. I think I searched for something simple (because I'm not really good at complex searches), like "hot water heater insulation". Whatever I typed in, the first thing that came up with a government website that described the proper settings for a hot water heater and how to insulate said hot water heater. Turns out there's an insulated coat you can buy at Lowe's or Home Depot to help keep your hot water heater warm. After showing the link to hubby, he promptly took action and went online looking to see which store in our area sold the coats. He found it at Home Depot and ran out to get it (yes, I realize how lucky I am), then he came home and installed it.
Sunday night I took a warm bath. It still wasn't hot but it seemed better than it had been. I wasn't sure if that was just wishful thinking on my part or what, so I figured I'd give it another day to see if it really helped. My bath last night was wonderful. The water was actually hot when I got in and stayed hot for a good hour. That was the longest bath I've taken in weeks! And the best bath I've taken in weeks!
Of course, they tell you that you should use one of these coats on your water heater for energy savings. Around our house we've learned that those suggestions may or may not be true. It's hard to say, what we can go on is results. When we put new windows in the house was more comfortable (both in temperature and in sound-proofing); when we put a new front door in we couldn't see the light creeping in anymore and our foyers is now actually staying warm this winter. We put a coat on our hot water heater and now my bath water is actually getting hot and staying hot. Results!
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the coat (er, blanket) only runs about $20 at Home Depot.
Book Review: Tandem by Tracey Bateman
tan·dem [tan-duh
m]
–adverb
1.one following or behind the other: to drive horses tandem.
–adjective
2.having animals, seats, parts, etc., arranged tandem or one behind another.
–noun—Idiom
3.a vehicle, as a truck, tractor, or trailer, in which a pair or pairs of axles are arranged in tandem.6.a team of horses harnessed one behind the other.7.a two-wheeled carriage with a high driver's seat, drawn by two or more horses so harnessed.8.any of various mechanisms having a tandem arrangement.
9.in tandem,
a.in single file: They swam in tandem.
b.in association or partnership.
After pulling up the definition of the word tandem and realizing that it didn't mean exactly what I thought it meant, I have no clue what the title has to do with the book. That said, the book was an easy, fun, read. It's got vampires, romance and even a little religion. The last bit I found to be a bit disconcerting.
Lauryn runs a Real Estate and Antiques appraisal and auction business that she took over from her father. While researching items in house that she is auctioning she came across some old letters and forwarded them to Amede, who she believed to be a descendant of the the author of the letters, which were written around the Civil War and into the 1800s.
Amede is a vampire and the author of the letters. Having the letters returned to her, Amede believes that her sister (to whom she wrote the letters) may still be alive in the small town of Abbey Hill.
The book alternates between telling the stories of these two women, at the same time telling the story of Amede's sister, Eden. In addition to dealing with the appraisal of the Chisom house and it's contents, without the aid of her father, Lauryn is now the care-taker for her father, who is suffering from Alzheimers. In the midst of all of this, her first love returns to her life. Billy has returned to take over the town church from his father, after having spent the last several years away on Mission work. Lauryn is also dealing with the seeming interest of her friend (and town Deputy) Charley, who has recently broken off with his long-time girlfriend.
Amede, upon the receipt of the letters, decides to make a trip to Abbey Hills. She hopes she will find her sister there, or at least some clue to where she may have moved on to. When she arrives, however, she discovers that her sister is believed to have died in a house fire the year before. A house fire that followed several strange deaths in Abbey Hills. The house fire that also killed Markus Chisom (the man whose estate Lauryn is now working with). As Amede remains in town through Thanksgiving, the town sees a recurrence of strange murders, mimicking the murders they saw the year before. Amede quickly becomes a suspect.
As the author shares with you the back stories of Lauryn, Amede & Eden, you gain some clues as to what may really be going on. Through these clues you should be able to figure out what is truely going on (I did), however there were some mysteries that even I didn't figure out before they were shown to me. For that I was thankful.
As I said, the somewhat religious overtones of the book felt a bit strange and to some degree off-putting to me on several different levels. Had the book not been about vampires it might not have felt so strange. The religious/ Christianity aspects were not so strong that I felt I was being beat over the head, they just felt out of place a bit in a book about vampires; as if these two things did not belong together. The book even ended on a religious note, as if the author was trying to make sure you knew that this was a Christian book. It just felt contrived, as if trying to fit something in that just didn't belong.
I have posted my copy of this book on PaperBackSwap - join now to swap books for free.
---I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review
Monday, December 13, 2010
Attention Publix Shoppers
Be sure to check out Passionate Penny Pincher for Laurie's preview of this week's sale at Publix, complete with coupon match-ups/ links.
A few of the deals, I'm most interested in include:
A few of the deals, I'm most interested in include:
- Betty Crocker boxed Potatos BOGO $1.59 (or .89e)
-- .50/2 or $1/2 printables available, either way 2/.59 - Cool Whip tubs BOGO $1.49 (.75e)
-- stack .50/2 Target printable with $1/2 manufacturer printable and get 2/FREE - Mueller's pasta BOGO $1.29 (.65e)
-- use (2) .55/1 coupons = 2/.19 - Ore-Ida hash browns BOGO $2.95 ($1.47e)
-- use $2/2 Ore-Ida Target coupon (from 12/12 paper) AND $1/1 from blinkie machine = 2/FREE - Wesson Vegetable Oil BOGO $3.79 ($1.90e)
--.40/1 coupon = 1/$1.10
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