Veterans Day and Bell Ringing

Today all four girls and I went to ring bells for the Salvation Army red kettle campaign. This has become an annual tradition for us, and I'm really glad we do it. We talk about serving others and raising money for the poor. This year our shift fell on Veterans Day, so we were also able to talk about what Veterans (not the same as veterinarians!) are and why we honor them on this day.

Last year our shift was in December, and the windchill happened to be below zero. The store I picked, although we were between the doors, was not heated. Needless to say, we were VERY cold, though we did complete our two hour shift!

I wasn't about to make the same mistake again this year, so when online signups began a couple of months ago, I jumped on a shift much earlier in the year (and at a different store!). It later occurred to me that our shift was on Veterans Day. Hmm, I'd been thinking about staying warm, not about the fact that November 11 was maybe a little early for some people to be hearing Christmas carols, besides it being Veterans Day. But we decided to make the most of it.

The girls and I made a sign that said, "Honor a Veteran, Donate Today" and put it by the kettle. We all dressed in red, white and blue and waved a small flag. We decided not to sing this year, but just to smile and wish people a good day while ringing our bells. These pictures were taken at the very end of our two hour shift, by which time F was asleep in the Ergo on my back, and G was asleep in a cart next to us (her medicine makes her sleepy).

Only one person asked why we weren't singing. I offered to sing her a song, but she turned me down. :-) A few people commented, "oh, is it that time of year already?" Most people can't pass up such a cute group of girls, so we got a lot of donations! (I know I wouldn't get nearly as many donations if I were ringing bells by myself!) It worked out great, and I think we did our part to kick off the red kettle campaign this year!

50 Photo Cards Absolutely FREE!

Thanks to Heather at Freebies4Mom, you can order 50 free 4x8 or 5x7 photo cards including free shipping using the coupon code freebies4mom-1109 at SeeHere by Fujifilm. There is NO catch, just a great offer from SeeHere and Freebies4Mom! I ordered 50 4x8 photo cards for Christmas, entered the promo code, and my total was $0--it didn't even ask for a credit card! This is a fabulous freebie that is good until November 30th. Thanks Heather!

If you are new to SeeHere you can also get 100 FREE PRINTS from SeeHere.com by FujiFilm when you sign-up for a new account (but you need to order those 100 free prints separately from the 50 free photo cards).

Now does anyone know of a deal on stamps
for sending out all these free Christmas cards? :-)

Coupon Matchups

Fire up your printers and get out your scissors--it's time to prepare for double coupon day! Remember, you can double 5 coupons per $25 order (before coupons), so I always do more than one transaction. My store takes a local competitor's coupons, so I am able to get my total even lower--ask about your store's policies. Always put your highest value coupons first to make sure they double, then any store coupons. I will only post deals with current printable coupons that are available to print. When printing your coupons, you are allowed to print two per computer, and you can adjust your printer's settings to print them in black and white. Any other questions about double coupon day? Email me or leave a comment and I will answer!

Kellogg's, Keebler, etc. Products 4/$10, buy 8/$20 and get 2 $3 off milk catalinas
Various Kellogg's and Keebler printables here
$0.55 off Pop-Tarts here
Final price will vary--my target is always $1 or less per box of cereal or crackers

Yoplait Yogurt $0.50
$0.50/6 here
$1/8 here
$2/6 or $2/8 ADC

Nestle Cookie Dough $2.50
$1/1 here or here
$0.50 ADC

Buitoni Pasta, Sauce, or Cheese $3
$1/1 here (I got this last time, so it wouldn't let me print more)
$1 ADC

Old Orchard Juice $2.29
$1/2 here
$1.29 ADC

Eight O-Clock Coffee 2/$7
$2/2 here or here (YMMV--some stores don't accept IPs over $1)
2/$5

Nestle Morsels 2/$5
$0.50/2 here and here
2/$4 ADC

Toaster Strudels $2.25
$1/1 here
$0.25 ADC

Florida Crystals Organic Sugar $3
$0.50/1 here and here
$2 ADC

Chex Cereal 3/$4.50 wyb 3
$1/2 here
3/$2.50 ADC

Buy 10 Participating General Mills and Roundy's products in one transaction, get $5 off turkey catalina
Various Green Giant, Betty Crocker, Progresso, Pilssbury coupons here
More coupons here

Coffee-Mate Creamer $1.66
$1/1 printable coupon or
$1.50/2 printable coupon (YMMV)
As low as free ADC

Country Crock $2.00
$0.50 here
$1.00 ADC

Organic Valley Milk $4.99
$1/1 here
$2.99 ADC

Mailbox Monday

Let's see what's available for free this week!

• Get a free nursing cover (pay $8.95 shipping) by going to www.uddercover.com and using promo code "onefree". A $32 value.
  

Thanks Krista!

• Click here to get a free sample of Triple Clean Dentek Floss Picks.
  

Thanks Common Sense with Money!

• If you are a veteran of the US Armed Forces or currently on Active Duty, Applebee’s will give you a free entree on Veteran’s Day. Bring in an acceptable proof of service and Applebee’s will give you one of these six entrees free. Find an Applebee’s near you.

Thanks Pocket Your Dollars!

• Get a free sample of Kashi TLC Chewy Trailmix Granola bar. (I don't think this is a new link, so this may not work if you've requested it before. But it never hurts to try again--they'll tell you if you've already requested one.)
• Get a free sample of Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun Damage Daily Eye Cream from Walmart.
• Get a free sample of Dunkin' Donuts coffee in Original Blend if you haven't already. If you've been subscribing for awhile, you may have requested this already, but I know I have some new readers.

Thanks Freebies4Mom!

• Sign up here for an opportunity to be a product tester for Nailene.
• Go here, then click on the "Buy Now" link on the amazon widget to get a free Classical Christmas sampler download.
• Go here to choose a free sample of either Dove Heat Defense Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner or Dove Intense Damage Shampoo and Conditioner. (It says this is a new link, but I wasn't able to request it again.)
• Take this coupon into any GNC store by December 31, 2009, to get a free Sun-Rype Fruitsource bar.
• Send an email at the link here to receive a free 17-oz. sample of Hartz No Odor cat litter spray.
• Sign up here and here for two free samples of Prilosec.
• Go here to sign up for a free sample of Dove Calming Night Body Wash and Body Lotion.
• If you have unlimited texting on your cell phone, you can text message BLOOM to 467467 to receive a free Bloom Liquid Lipstick sample.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

• Rick Warren has released a new book titled The Purpose of Christmas. Request your free copy by mail here.
• If you enjoy audio books, the free monthly download from ChristianAudio.com is Desiring God, by John Piper. Go here and add it to your cart. Then use coupon code Nov2009 at checkout to get it for free.

Thanks Kingdom First Mom!

• Get a variety pack of five different Nescafe Taster’s Choice single serve pack samples when you fill out the form.
• Get a free Breathe Right Extra Nose Strips Sample here.

Thanks Deal Seeking Mom!

Firstborns Have Higher I.Q.s?

Currently on the JuiceBoxJungle widget. . . Do you think your firstborn has a higher I.Q. than your other kids? The New York Times published a study finding that firstborns have a higher I.Q. than their siblings. Here's the article, or you can click on the appropriate frame in my JuiceBox on the right sidebar so you can read it if you are interested, and don't forget to answer the poll...do you have a sharper firstborn? Do you agree with what the Times claims...that this could be due to family dynamics; perhaps to the greater responsibility assigned to the firstborn?

Firstborns generally get more undivided time with mom and dad than subsequent children do, but I don't think this would cause them to have a lower I.Q. Since we have a larger (and growing!) family, it would be selling our kids short to say that they won't be as smart as another child, just because of when they were born. Having other siblings provides children with a wealth of experiences. It is probably true that their I.Q.s would differ in different areas, like one might be more book smart, one might be better with other people, etc. Whether this is affected by birth order might be interesting. In any case, we need to look at our children as individuals and look for the areas that God has gifted them in and develop their interests. It's fun to see your babies grow into little people with their own personalities! What do you think?

Be Sure to Search Today!

Today is Mega Swagbucks Day, so be sure to sign on and do a few searches to win some Swagbucks! I signed up for Swagbucks in July, and have already redeemed for $40 in Amazon gift cards. It's so easy to sign-up and use. Just click the banner above to get started, and you'll get 3 free Swagbucks! You'll be on your way to earning some gift cards--a $5 Amazon gift card is only 45 Swagbucks. Come back and let me know if you win some mega Swagbucks!

Weekly Groceries--over $190 worth for under $73

I got so many groceries this week, I had a hard time getting them all on the table for a picture. You can click on the picture to enlarge it. I did 5 transactions so I could double 25 coupons. I bought a total of 75 items with a savings of over $117, and ended up getting over $190 worth of groceries for $72.93, a savings of 62%. These items were free or better than free after doubled coupons and sales: Jennie-O 11 lb. turkey, eggs, Johnsonville sausages, Asian Sensations Wontons, 10 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta (overage on every box), a box of Minute Rice, 2 packages of Ready-to-Serve Minute Rice, and 2 boxes of Dreamfield's pasta.

These items were $1 or less after doubled coupons and sales: 2- 2 liters of Mtn Dew ($0.33 each!), ice cream, marshmallows, cooking spray, vegetable oil, apple pie filling, 2-pack of Magic Erasers, 2 cans spaghetti sauce, 2 boxes of Wheat Thins, 10 packages of string cheese, 4 Tony's Pizzas, chocolate chips, 4 loaves of bread, and 2 Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream (they were $0.50 each after coupons, and I unexpectedly got a $1 catalina to use next time making them free!)

I got a great deal on the Cascade, and it ended up being better than I thought! It was on sale for $4.19 and I had $1 coupons that doubled, making them $2.19 each. When I got into the car, I checked my receipts and noticed that they had rung up for $4.59 each, so I went back in to ask about it. Sure enough, they had rung up wrong, so she proceeded to give me back a refund. I expected a refund of $1.20 ($0.40 per bottle), but she gave me back $5.43! When I asked why, she said it was because I get the first bottle for free when the issue is "scanning accuracy", and then I get the $0.40 back for the other 2 bottles. I asked if this was a new policy, since this has never happened to me before, and she said that it had always been the policy, but she usually forgets and just gives the refund (and she has had to give me a refund before). So I said I'll have to remember to remind her next time! So check your receipts, and if there is a scanning accuracy problem, make sure to ask about the scanning accuracy policy! I ended up paying $0.78 per bottle of Cascade because of this! Woo hoo!

The cereal deal was good, as usual. I bought 5 boxes of cereal totaling $10.55 after the $5 came off. I used doubled coupons worth $6.70, making my total $3.85. Then I bought my milk (in the next transaction) which was on sale for $1.98, but the whole $3.25 came from the free milk catalina, making my total $2.58 for 5 boxes of cereal AND a gallon of milk! These deals come around regularly, which is why I never pay more than $1 for a box of cereal.

To see my weekly grocery shopping trips and totals, click here. To learn how to shave money off your grocery bills, check out my Coupon 101 posts. Then slowly get started--I know you can do it!