Kmart doubles on P&G

Double the value on proctor and gamble coupons at Kmart from 2/27 to 3/5. Plus get a $10 coupon when you buy $35 worth of products. Requires using the shopper rewards card. Participating stores only, so I would call to verify they are doing it.

Freezer cooking

I have been experimenting with freezer cooking. The first time I did it, I did it with a friend and we each did five double recipes. I thought it turned out pretty well with the exception that some of the recipes had not been tested ahead of time and were not very good. Note to self, always test the recipe first! My friend felt it was too chaotic to do it together but I think it's the only way to do it and share the expense if you are going to do it with a partner. I spent the last two days doing it alone. First I decided on what I wanted to do. Then I went shopping. I only did a couple of recipes after that because half the day was gone. In the future I will do the planning ahead of time. I think you kind of have to do the shopping the day you do it, otherwise you risk your family eating the ingredients or just plain not having enough room in the fridge till you can assemble and freeze it. I decided to do a lot of breakfast stuff because honestly it's one of the hardest meals for me to deal with. I'm terrible at getting up early enough to eat or even feeling like I want to which leaves me super hungry later where I end up buying something. I decided to focus on breakfast so I chose oatmeal bread, breakfast burritos, breakfast bisquits, and pb&j breakfast cookies. I also decided to make baked potato cheddar soup, black bean burritos, and black bean vegetable chili. That lead me into making potato skins because I didn't want to waste them. I also made 3 gallons of spaghetti sauce, and 2 pots of beans to use in the recipes. I have two cookbooks I used to make the recipes. The 30 day gourmet and fix, freeze, fast. The first one is great for organizational purposes. They have awesome downloadable planning worksheets and do a lot of teaching on making large quantities to save money. The second book focused on using warehouse products which I also really appreciate because I do a lot of shopping there. I was able to make 3 gallons of sauce for under $10 which I thought was amazing! I do think I got a little too ambitious so I think in the future I will limit it to 5 recipes at a time. Here is how it went.
Day one: Planning and shopping
2 pots of beans to soak, cheddar bisquits, oatmeal bread, spaghetti sauce
Day two: Black bean burritos, breakfast bisquits, breakfast burritos, Baked potato cheddar soup, black bean and vegetable chili.
Day three: Potato skins, pb&j breakfast cookies. Then the cleanup because the kitchen is currently demolished!

Free Pancakes

March 1, 2011, is National Pancake Day at IHOP. From 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., you can stop by any IHOP location and receive one complimentary short stack!

All they ask is that you consider making a small donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other designated local charities.

still think coupons are only for junk food?

Lots of people say the can't use coupons for the food they buy. I say it isn't true. Coupons are not just for junk food or processed food. Even the organic food makers are jumping in with money saving coupons. Here are the coupons I currently have now.

tangerines, watermelon
Milk, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, string cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese, cream cheese, eggs, yogurt
lunchmeat, hummus
fresh chicken, italian sausage
/salad
coffee, tea
cereal, peanut butter
mustard, mayonaise
maple syrup
olive oil
organic tomatoes
tuna
dried fruit, nuts
cleaning products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, dental floss, kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, shampoo and conditioner, feminie hygiene products, deodorant, soap, shower gel, razors, pet food, pens, light bulbs, batteries, sponges, propane, and any number of beauty products and health aids.

Still think you can't use coupons?