Don't Get Burned Out Freeze It Instead!

Last week I listed homemade freezer meals as one of my 100 Favorite Ways To Save Money. Today I am sharing some ways that it can help save you money.

I prepare my make ahead meals differently than most once a month cookbooks suggest. I will prepare and cook a large recipe then freeze the leftovers into individual serving containers. Other people freeze the uncooked meals then thaw and cook it the day they plan to serve it. Also, instead of doing all of my cooking for the month in one day I will cook when the ingredients are on sale.

Freezing the meals in individual servings allows Tim to get a meal to take to work for lunch out of the freezer and heat it in the microwave there. When I have a variety of different meals prepared he has a choice in what he wants to take that day which cuts down on the potential boredom of leftovers from the night before. The "kits" that I make are very convenient for him to pick up out of the freezer in the garage when he leaves for work in the morning.

A Few Advantages to Preparing Meals in Advance:

• Ability to choose recipes that have ingredients that are on sale or have on hand.
• Being able to fully take advantage of sales by stocking up on the great deals.
• Homemade meals are usually more nutritious than going out which will probably save on medical bills in the future.
• Less expensive than eating out.
• More efficient use of our time preparing meals allowing us to do other things.
• Saves gas by not going out to eat or having to run to the store at the last minute.
• Store bought frozen dinners often have less food and cost more than a similar homemade meal.
• The opportunity to have a cooking day with friends. I was surprised at how much more fun it is to cook with other people!
• Especially for a smaller family or lunches, preparing individual meals saves on electricity by not having to use the oven every day. This not only saves money from the electricity used on the stove, but also when trying to cool the house on a warm day.

If you want to try your hand at making meals in advance this is a good time to try some chicken dishes since the chicken is on sale at Ingles through next week. The Unsinkable Molly has a few examples of what she, Emily from Random Ramblings, and I made with some of the chicken on Thursday afternoon.

For more frugal ideas and tips be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

Ingles Highlights November 16-29

Please note that this ad will be running for two weeks due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. However, it is a great ad to have for such a duration! I'm sure some of you who are not regular Ingles shoppers will want to make a special trip during this sale. Unfortunately, the rumors of triple coupons that had been going about on various forums are not advertised in this ad.

These prices and coupons are based in the Metro Atlanta area. You can see the entire ad for your area by clicking here. If you only want to purchase one item that is on sale BOGO you will receive it for 1/2 price.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Sweet Potatoes .48/lb

Jennie-O Grade A Frozen Hen Turkey 10-14 pounds .68/lb - Limit 1

Celery .85

Bartlett, Bosc, or Red Pears .98/lb

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Family Packs - $1.68/lb - I do not recall seeing an advertised price this low in the past five years. Now would be a good time to make some extra room in the freezer and prepare a few make ahead meals.

Whole Boneless Pork Loin $1.98/lb

Gwaltney Spiral 1/2 Ham $1.98/lb

Navel Oranges 4 pound bag $2.50

Orange Juice $2.98/gallon

Red Delicious or Rome Apples 5 pound bag $3.98

The Best of the Deals with Coupons:

Ingles Double Coupon Policy is different than most stores in the Metro Atlanta Area. You can only have up to two of the same product in one transaction. In order to have your coupons double (up to .50 face value) you must spend $10 before coupons for every three coupons you want doubled. Coupons above a .50 face value will not double; therefore, the limits do not apply.

Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate $1.00
FREE Sensible Sweets Varieties after .50/1 doubled (Deccember All You Magazine) if included in the sale.

Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.00
FREE Carrot Cake Mix after $1.00/1 (11/9 S) if included in the sale.

Chex Mix $2.38 BOGO
.19/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/9 S)

Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz $1.50
.50/1 after .50/1 (11/16 S) -
If you are wanting to buy this check the price for the 8 oz size. They regularly have that size as an unadvertised special for $1.00 making it FREE after the coupon!

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables up to $2.50 BOGO
.55/1 or less after .35/1 doubled (10/12 S)

Borden Cheese $2.50
$1.50/1 after $1/1 (Publix Winter Family Savings Book)

Sister Shuberts Rolls $2.50 - I'm listing these because I know they are a favorite with some of my readers!
$1.50/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/9 RP)

Smart Balance Select Products 50% off no price given
There are several coupons for various products available. However, the ad does not indicate which products will be included in the sale. Check the Coupon Mom database for the insert coupons available for the Smart Balance products.

Next week I hope to post my recipe for Chicken Terragon Salad because most of the ingredients are on sale!

Kroger Loss Leaders and Highlights Week of November 16

Prices based on the Metro Atlanta sales circular. Our sales week runs from Sunday-Saturday. To find the ad for your store click here. Manufacturer's coupons .50 and under will double. You can purchase one item that is on sale BOGO for half price. Items that are priced 10/$10 can be purchased for $1 each/pound.

I feel like I am repeating myself this week. Many of this week's sale items are also on sale at Publix or have been on sale recently.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Tangerines 3 pound bag $1.50 WOW!

Gala, Red Delicious, or Rome Apples 3 pound bag $2.99

Kroger Sliced Bacon BOGO - no price given

The Best of the Loss Leaders With Coupons:

These items would be a good deal even without coupons, but the coupons make the prices even better.

Kroger Frozen Vegetables: $1.00
.65/1 after .35/1 (Kroger Best Customer Savings - Printed at Register) This coupon will not double because it is a store coupon, not a manufacturer's coupon.

Kroger Cheese $1.66
$1.21 after .45/1 (Kroger Best Customer Savings) This coupon is also a store coupon so it will not double OR .45/1 Shortcuts Coupon OR
.76/1 after Best Customer Savings AND Shortcuts Coupon

Ground Chuck 5 lb package $1.99/lb
$9.20/5 lbs after .75/1 Shortcuts Coupon ($1.84/lb)

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Duncan Hines Cake Mix $1.00
FREE Carrot Cake after $1/1 (10/9 S) IF Carrot Cake is included in the sale

Green Giant Frozen Boxed Vegetables $1.00
.25/1 after .50/2 doubled (10/5 GM) AND .50/2 Shortcuts coupon
FREE Health Varieties after .25/1 doubled AND .50/1 Shortcuts coupon IF included in sale.

Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables $1.00
.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (10/12 S)

McCormick Grinder $1.99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/1 doubled (11/2 RP)

Campbell's Cream Soups .75/1
.59/1 after .25/3 doubled (10/12 S)

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls $1.66
.56/1 after .35/1 printable coupon AND .50/1 Shortcuts

Pillsbury Frozen Dinner Rolls $1.99
.69/1 after .40/1 doubled (9/7 GM, 10/5 GM)

Edy's Ice Cream $2.50
$1.50/1 after $1/1 (November All You)

Holiday Meats:

Unfortunately, the meat prices did not drop this week. I would advise doing some comparison shopping before you buy. I happened to see that Aldi has the spiral sliced ham advertised for $1.49/lb as compared to $1.99/lb at Kroger.

Private Selection Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ .79/lb

Honeysuckle Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ .99/lb

Butterball Frozen Turkey 14 lbs+ $1.09/lb

Private Selection Bone-In Turkey Breasts $1.79

Smithfield Shank Portion Ham $1.49/lb

Smithfield Butt Portion Ham $1.59/lb

Kroger Spiral Sliced Ham $1.99/lb

Shortcuts has a coupon for $3.00 off a Private Selection Turkey Roast; however, this does not appear to be on sale this week.

Catalina Update:

Fleischmann's Yeast strips are on sale for $1.49 per package through the end of the year. This sale means that each package will profit you .41 after the coupon and catalina! You can find the details of the catalina in my original post here.

Be sure to check back early next week for new Kroger ecoupon deals! Have a great day!

100 of My Favorite Ways to Save Money!

Earlier this week I wrote my 100th post for this blog. In celebration, I thought that I would share 100 of my favorite ways to save money. Some of these are directly related to couponing while others are based on living frugally.

Some of these things I have discussed in my previous posts while the other items have inspired me to start a new series of posts. I had originally planned to have a brief description by each item until I realized that even a brief description would be overwhelming for a single post. I will leave you with my list for now. I hope that you will find it helpful and an encouragement to discover new ways to save money.

1. $/$ Coupons
2. A Full Cup
3. All You Magazine Coupons
4. Bag Sales
5. Being Creative with What I Have
6. Best Web Buys
7. Black Friday Sales
8. Blinkies
9. BOGO Coupons
10. Buying Items in a Lot Instead of Individually
11. Buying Online to Avoid Sales Tax
12. Buying Produce in Season
13. Buying Seasonal Items at the End of Season
14. Catalina Offers
15. Clark Howard
16. Clearance Sales
17. Comparison Shopping
18. Competitor Coupons
19. Consignment Sales
20. Consignment Store Trade
21. Coupon Mom
22. Coupons
23. Craigslist
24. CVS ECBs
25. Discount Cards/Books (Fundraisers)
26. Dollar Stores and the Dollar Spot at Target
27. Double Coupons
28. Ebay
29. Ecoupons
30. E-Mail Offers
31. Finding a Coupon Someone Left on the Shelf
32. Finding Rebate After You Purchased Product
33. Free Prescriptions
34. Free Shipping
35. Fuel Discounts
36. Getting Extra Coupon Inserts
37. Gift Card Promotions
38. Going Out of Business/ Liquidation Sales
39. Google
40. Grand Opening Sales
41. Having the Butcher Repackage Meat
42. Hidden Deals
43. Homemade Baby Food
44. Homemade Frozen Lunches
45. Hot Coupon World
46. In Store Demos
47. Involving Family and Friends in Saving Money
48. Kmart Super Doubles
49. Local Auctions
50. Loyalty Cards
51. Mailing Lists
52. Making Gifts
53. Manager's Specials
54. Matching Coupons with Sales
55. Menu Planning From Sales/Stockpile
56. Minimizing Trips to the Grocery Store
57. Money Saving Mom
58. Monthly Rebate Programs
59. Negotiating Price
60. Not Spending Money
61. Online Coupon Codes
62. Participating in Surveys/ Advisory Panel
63. Paying Bills on Time
64. Pick Your Own Farms
    
65. Planning for Events in Advance
66. Price Book - Mental
67. Price Matching
68. Printable Coupons
69. Reading About Deals
70. Reading Blogs
71. Rebates
72. Relying on God for my Needs
73. Requesting Good Freebies In the Mail
74. Restaurant Coupons
75. Reusing Items
76. Reward Cards
77. Reward Programs
78. Rolling Our Change
79. Scenario Planning
80. Sharing or Trading with Friends
81. Simplifying Meals/Recipes/Menu Plans
82. Spending Time with My Family
83. Staying Healthy
84. Staying Out of Debt
85. Stockpiling
86. Store Coupons
87. Sweepstakes/Giveaways with Good Prizes and Odds of Winning
88. Taking Advantage of Loss Leaders
89. Tearpads
90. The Coupon Clippers
91. Thinking Outside of the Box
92. Trading Coupons
93. Triple Coupons
94. Upromise
95. Used Bookstores
96. Using Coupons with Rebates
97. Veggie Car
98. Vocalpoint
99. Writing This Blog
100. Yard Sales

I would love to hear some of your favorite ways to save money so please take a moment to share them. If you are interested in learning more about these topics please remember to check back starting next week for my new series, and of course, the best deals of the week!

For even more frugal ideas join the Frugal Friday fun here.

New coupons and Inspiration

I wanted to update my readers by providing a few matchups for those who get the early edition of the Sunday paper. I used The Coupon Clipper's preview to do put together the early matchups. There are some great coupons in the paper this week so you will want to make sure that you get extra copies! It appears that some areas may be getting the Publix Winter Family Savings Books as an insert in the Sunday paper as well. There are several manufacturer's coupons in that book that can be used at Publix or other stores!

Publix:

There is a new $5/$20 Walgreens coupon available here. Most Publix locations will accept these as competitor's coupons. The coupon is only valid November 14 and November 15. The $20 is after ALL other coupons and before taxes and other exclusions.

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.79 BOGO
FREE after .50/1 doubled (11/16)

KMart:

Revlon Beauty Tool
FREE for items under $2.00 after $1/1 doubled (11/16)

Tums Smoothies $1.89 - Shelf price
FREE after $1/1 doubled (11/16)

Betty Croker Cookie Mix $1.00 - Through Dember 8
.20/1 after .40/1 doubled (11/16)

Other:

To my knowledge this isn't on sale in Metro Atlanta this week, but this is still a very good coupon to print in preparation for a sale.

Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil $1/1 printable coupon can be found here. On my second pass through the coupon preview I noticed that it will be in this week's paper (11/16) as well!

I also wanted to share that I'm enjoying Amy's series this week on becoming debt free. I thought that some of my readers may enjoy following along as well.

Stop by tomorrow for Frugal Friday where I plan to share 100 of my favorite ways to save money!

Publix Highlights for the Week of November 12

These sales and prices are in the Metro Atlanta area. In Atlanta manufacturer coupons with a face value of .50 or less are doubled and you may purchase one item for 50% off it is on sale Buy One Get One Free(BOGO). However, some areas including Florida have different policies so be sure to check with your store. Remember to take full advantage of the sales by pairing them with competitor's coupons including $/$ purchase. I try to post the best deals for the week, but for a complete match up of this week's sale items with coupons from the newspaper inserts visit Coupon Mom starting on Thursday.

The Best of the Loss Leaders:

Bartlett Pears .99/lb

White Potatoes 5 lb bag $1.99

Tangerines 3 lb bag $1.99

Granny Smith Apples 3 lb bag $2.99

The Best of the Sales with Coupons:

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.79 BOGO
FREE after .50/1 doubled (10/19 S)

Honey Bunches of Oats $4.09 BOGO - Price increase from $3.89
.05/1 after $2/1 printable coupon for Just Bunches variety. This coupon has been reset and allowed one print! This is one of Tim's favorites.

Lysol Trigger Cleaners $2.69 BOGO
.35/1 after .50/1 doubled (11/2 S)

McCormick Gravy .99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/2 doubled (11/2 RP)

McCormick Grinder $1.99 BOGO
.50/1 after .25/1 doubled (11/2 RP)

Gerber Cereal $1.50/1
.50/1 after $1/1 FLIP

Campbell's Cream Soups .75/1
.59/1 after .25/3 doubled (10/12 S) - I usually buy generic cream soups, but for those who are brand loyal this is a good deal.

Juicy Juice 64 oz. $3.49 BOGO
.75/1 after $1/1 printable coupon for 46 or 64 oz bottles (This coupon has also been reset!)
.75/1 after $1/1 (9/14 RP) Harvest Surprise variety only

Frosted Flakes $1.99
.99/1 after $1/1 printable coupon here or here or 11/9 RP

Domino Sugar $1.99
$1.30/1 after .35/1 doubled (10/12 RP)

Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil 16.9 oz bottle $6.49 BOGO
$2.35/1 after .45/1 doubled (11/9 RP)

Fresh Express Salad Blend BOGO (Previously these have been $3.99 BOGO)
$1/1 (Kroger home mailer)

Don't forget to pick up your copy of the Winter Family Savings book while you are at Publix. There are some great coupons in this FREE book. Hopefully, we will have some good sales to to use them!

Super KMart Super Doubles up to $2 Face Value! November 12-16

The next round of Super Doubles at KMart is November12-16. Reportedly, this time all Super KMarts (locations with a grocery store) will be participating. To find out if your store is participating look for the Wednesday November 12 ad here. In the past some other locations have participated upon request, so you may wish to inquire at your store starting Wednesday.

Here are the updated basic rules for KMart Super Doubles:
I appreciate others sharing more deals, but please follow these rules when commenting.

Coupons with Face Value of $2/1 and Under Will Be Doubled.
Coupons that are for more than one item will only double up to the cost of one item.
Example: Item X is $1.75. You have a coupon for $1.50/2. This coupon will only double to $1.75 not $3.00.
Up to 75 coupons per person per day can be used.
No more than 4 of any item may be purchased.
No overage will be given.
Internet coupons will NOT be accepted.
Coupons that say Do Not Double will not be doubled.

The Best of the Weekly Sales November 9 -15

Almay Cosmetics BOGO Prices Vary
2 FREE (regular price of $4.00 or less) after $2/1 (Beauty Book)

Sundown Vitamins BOGO Prices Vary
2 FREE (regular price of $4.00 or less) after $2/1 (10/12 RP OR Publix Winter Family Savings)

Colgate Toothpaste $2.50
FREE after $1.50/1 (August and September Issues of All You Magazine)

Revlon Cosmetics 40% off prices vary
FREE (regular price of $6.65 or less) after $2/1 (9/14 S, 8/24 S, 7/20 S, Beauty Book)

Hershey's Kisses - $2.33
.33/1 after $1/1 (11/9 S) Dark Chocolate Variety

Crest Toothpaste $2.50
.50/1 after $1/1 (10/12 P&G)

The Best of the Monthly Deals November 11 - December 8

I was hopeful that many of these items would still be valid for the next round of Super Doubles; however, it appears that most of the coupons are expiring soon. I have tried to list the expiration date if the coupon expires before December 8.

Dove Chocolate Bar $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/7 RP - expires 11/28)

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner $3.79
FREE after $2/1 /(8/17 RP - expires 11/17)

Duracell Batteries 2 pack AA or AAA $1
FREE after .75/1 (10/26 RP - expires 11/30)

Gerber Graduates $2.00
FREE after $1/1 Home Mailer

Hershey's Extra Dark Bar $1.89
FREE after $1/1 (9/28 S - expires 11/30)

Taster's Choice Coffee 7 ct On the Go Packets $1.00
FREE after .50/1 (9/14 RP) - IF coupon is valid on this type

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $1.00
.20/1 after .40/1 (10/19 S)

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50
.50/1 after .50/1 (10/19 S)

Glade Fabric and Air Odor Eliminator $3.50
.50/1 after $1.50/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/15)

Oust Surface Disinfectant and Air Sanitizer $3.50
.50/1 after $1.50/1 (10/5 S1)

Pledge $2.50 - $3.50
.50/1 - $1.50/1 after $1/1 (9/21 S - expires 11/16)

Resolve 22 oz $4.50
.50/1 after $2/1 (10/5 S - expires 11/16)

Renuzit 2 pack $1.89
.79/1 after .55/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/30)

Pine Sol $1.99
.99/1 after .50/1 (9/7 RP - expires 11/15)

Tidy Cats $3.79
$1.79 after $1/1 (9/14 RP)

Purex $2.79
2.09/1 after .35/1 (10/5 S1 - expires 11/30)

Deals on Regular Price Items - Based on Shelf Prices as of October 30.

Calgon Bath Beads $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (Beauty Book)

Endust Free $3.29
FREE after $2/1 (9/7 RP, 11/9 RP)

Greased Lightning - Shelf Price $2.89
FREE after $1.50/1 (All You Magazine October Issue)

Healthful Life Cat Food $1.99
FREE after $1/1 (8/3 RP - expires 11/30)

Johnson & Johnson First Aid Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 after $1/1 (8/10 S1)

Kotex Lightdays $1.29
FREE after .75/1 (10/12 S OR 11/9 S)

Pert Shampoo $3.49
FREE after $2/1 (10/19 S)

Revlon Beauty Tools - Shelf Prices Vary
FREE for items under $2 (emery boards, nail clippers, tweezers) after $1/1 (9/14 S, 10/12 S, 10/19 S, Beauty Book)

Visine $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (5/11 RP - expires 11/15)

Whisker Lickins Cat Treats $1.39
FREE after $1/1 (9/14 RP)

Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit $3.99
FREE after $2/1 (October All You Magazine)

Zest 3 bar bundle $2.19
.19 after $1/1 (10/12 P&G - expires 11/30)

Hunts Tomato Paste $1.00
.33/1 after $1/3 (Publix Yellow Advantage Buys - expires 11/30)

Tylenol Rapid Release $4.49
.49/1 after $2/2 (9/14 RP, 11/9 RP)

Vaseline Lotion $3.29
.79/1 after $1.25/1 (10/26 RP)

Ziploc Vacuum Bags $2.79
.79/1 after $1/1 (October All You Magazine)

American Greetings Cards Prices Vary
$1/2 excludes .99 cards (Tearpad found in store - expires 11/30)

Be sure to check back for Super Double updates and other deals! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!