Friday on the homestead

Posted on Friday, March 9, 2007 at 10:03

Wow did I run into luck at Acme last night.  I went there to see if I would get 3 different free coupons for the products listed on the www.refundscents.com board that I haunt everyday for great deals.  Well anyway, I had read on there that if you buy 2 Listerine mists you get coupons for 2 free fresh express salad mixes, 1 free bottle of Newmans salad dressing and 2 free Hillshire farm lunch meats free value $20!  When I went in, I walked directly over to the toothpaste aisle.  I found a box of "mists" 2 in the box marked 2 for $4.  Well I went to the register and the guy says $10 something.  I said oh that can't be right, he said well where did you get them, I said let me show you.  So off we went to the mists.  Here whoever stacked the things on the shelves put the 2 pack in the one pack spot and the one pack in the two pack spot.  So I said, "Oh no problem I will just switch them and take these"  so off we went, he proceeded to take off the 2 packs and add on the 2-1 packs.  He said $3.24 (I had one 50c coupon on one of them doubled to $1)you have tax I said "that's fine" and I paid him.  He had a long strip of catalina's he handed me.  When we got out to the car I ended up with 2 sets of each of the coupons.  I went in and told them, they said keep them we'll just throw them away.  Well I got $40 in free coupons for $3.24!  I didn't go in an use any, I picked up there add and found a few more things I want and will head there tonight.  Then I pulled out a Phizer form I had for 3 free movie tickets, guess what these are on there!!!!  WOO HOO, so when I send in these 3 proofs with receipts I will get 3-$12 movie tickets!  So for an investment of $5.24 I will have $60 in free stuff and 3 free movie tickets.  It really doesn't get much better then that does it?  I am so happy I read RC board everyday.  It is well worth the $1 a month you have to pay for the internet version of this.  If you have any questions feel free to ask, and if you decide to join, if you could use my name I would appreciate it.  I think I get a percentage off my next renewal.

Today I have picked up the house, drank about 4 cups of tea with a piece of 12 grain toast, did a load of laundry, wiped down my bathroom, washed a few windows that dirty fingers have gotten to, I  want to start pricing things for my yard sale again hopefully can do it the third week of april and that will be here before I know it.  Tomorrow we are planning to clean out some "Stuff" in Amanda's bathroom and mark atleast 1/2 for a yard sale.  I had gotten 16 camping chairs at CVS for free after ECB's and I think I may mark a few of those too.  If I don't sell them that's fine, we can just use them for company when we have picnics etc, but I do think I have about 14 in my camper already from free chairs I got from some pain medication one time and 7 UP beach chairs.. LOL and just a few we outright bought.  But as you know when you have picnics etc you can always use more chairs! 

It's funny as I type this I am watching Logan dance to "steve" on "blues clues".  He is sooo cute sometimes, I just want to squeeze him! 

Well I want to pull coupons and do some dusting still, so I better get off of here.  I hope you have a good day, I plan to!!

Lisa

Tuesday on the Homefront

Posted on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 11:21

It has been the coldest March in 10 years as of today, It's 15 degrees here in PA with a windchill of -2.  And I stepped out to let Jaydon out to his bus, and WOW is it COLD!  I really can't believe how cold it felt.  Tomorrow we are looking for 2-4 inches of snow.  Most of the snow we got a few weeks ago is all melted. It was in the high 50's on Saturday and has steadily gone down hill since.  I really am ready for spring NOW.  Hopefully this is the last of our cold cold weather until next winter.  We were so lucky with a warm winter until about mid january. 

  I have gotten soooo many packs of Betty Crocker cookie mix, I mixed up 4 of the oatmeal cookies and baked them after dinner last night and they are very good.  I don't bother with the chocolate chip, all my kids love "my" chocolate chip cookies and can tell when it is a "mix".  So I gave up buying those.  I bought a bunch of the oatmeal, peanut butter and sugar cookie packets.  So will be busy into the fall making these I am sure, but these are good and for FREE it makes them even better

  I have a busy weekend coming up, we are going to go through Amanda's bathroom (I have shelves with my stockpiles in them) and deciding what is to keep and what is to ebay and what is to sell at my yard sales.  I think I may be planning 2-3 of them. The first I may try the weekend before we go to Knoebels camping at the end of April, hopefully it warms up so I can have one, if not then early May will have to do.  John said to me over the weekend, why don't we go through "EVERYTHING" and ebay the stuff we don't want or tag it for the yard sale. You know that's ok by me.  For some reason our whole thought process on "stuff" has changed in the last 1-2 years. We are almost done raising our kids although I do think we will keep doing foster care atleast for the next 5 years or so, maybe longer we don't feel it's time to stop yet.  We are busy trying to fix up the house the way we want it. It is really a job though as many of you know, and a big expense will be our kitchen but that is our last remodeling. After everything is out of Amanda's bathroom we are going to rip out everything.  We are going to go to Lowe's in the next week or so and buy the sink, toilet and shower and John and his friend Harry will install them probably in April.  OH I hope this goes as smooth as it can, we all know the "Surprises" that pop up when you do renovations.  Hopefully this one runs as smooth as it can.

  Next weekend we have our dinner theater which we are looking forward to.  We always have a good time when we go, my sister Lori and her husband Jim are going and so is Harry. This is the first time we will go without Joan so that will be strange for us.  But life goes on as they say.

   Last night I tossed leftover meat loaf in gravy, made mashed potato's, corn and Pillsbury italian bread in the oven, it was very good. I got about 15 tubes of bread, cinnamon rolls and pizza crusts for 50c a tube and the bread is very good, that's actually the first time I got them and really only did because that was all that was left on the shelves, but I am glad because we do like them.

Tonight we are having spaghetti and meat sauce, breadsticks, salad. A fast dinner since I think I will do some shopping errands tonight. Although it is COLD and I might rethink this until later in the week, we'll see if I want to battle the cold or not.

  Well I guess I should run and fold the laundry, I long for the days I can hang it out in the fresh air. Have a great day everyone.

Lisa

Wednesday on the homestead

Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 10:27

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Well last night I did very well at the grocery store.  I went to Weis.  Many reading this probably never heard of it.  I think it's a PA mostly store, but I think they are in other area's.  They have an offer right now if you guy 8 keebler products you get a $10 grocery coupon out of the catalina at the checkout.  Well I bought 8 packs of Vienna fingers and had 8 coupons doubled to $1 each.  They were $2 a pack, so I paid $8 for the 8 packs of cookies and out came the $10 coupon.  Later today, I plan on getting 8 more (I have 20 coupons) this time they will be free since I am putting the $10 back into the cookies, and I have $2 to spare.  Then I will get another one for next time.  I will end up with 20 packs of cookies for an initial investment of $8 and $6 overage to use on other stuff. I also spotted Pledge starter duster kit for $2.99, I have a bunch and I mean a bunch of $3 coupons!.  Well of course I just picked out coupons to use and didn't have my box with me.  A couponer should always know, never leave home without your coupon box!  SO I am running up there this afternoon to get these buys.  Aren't coupons and sales wonderful and extra's like the catalina coupon?  Then I will had to Landis and get free lipton rice/noodles and sauce and free ragu again.  Really stockpiling these things.  I am like a wolf on the hunt when it comes to bargains and shopping! 

I finished 2 loads of laundry today and had them folded.  By the time Logan and Jaydon came this morning, I had my shower, dusted, beds made, stew in my nesco, 2 cups of tea drank and my toast eaten and they were here about 7:30.  Some morning I am so lazy and sit around until Jaydon gets the bus at 7:55.  But today I was on top of things. 

I plan on making a few loaves of bread later today.  I must confess I have a bread bakery I got years ago, to some of you I know that is cheating, but that's ok.  I am making just a plain white loaf today.  I want to get that in before I leave.  I was lucky to get powdered milk at my favorite grocery store "Clemens" before it closed for 25c a box.  I scarfed up every box I could, I think I ended up with 7 that were left.  This is about all I use it for, so it will last awhile.  I haven't tried it in baking can you taste the difference?  Some recipes I have call for that, or can you taste it if you make a white sauce??? Just wondering.

That about sums up my day so far.  Everyone have a great day.

lisa

Wednesday on the homestead

Posted on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 10:21

As I type this I have brownies baking in the oven for dinner's desert.  I don't do desert every night usually a few times a week.  Everyone loves brownies.  And I have about 30 boxes I got free from double couponing.  I love when I can stockpile things like that.  Dinner will be Spaghetti and meat sauce, salad and breadsticks and brownie for dessert.  Spaghetti everyone here loves.  I usually do this once a week. 

John and I had a TB test and have to go tonight for the results.  I can't even see anything on my arm.  But they have to check it in 48 hours.  So we'll see what the Dr has to say.

My daughter was over at her friends house on Monday night, she has 3 children 3, 3 and 4 (she had a baby in February then had twins 11 months later in January! CAN YOU IMAGINE?) anyway, Logan and Jaydon and her 3 were playing.. then it was time to leave and she grabbed Logan's arm to put his coat on and he said OWWW and  pulled his arm back. Well last night she took him to the doctor and they took an x-ray and he has a fractured wrist.  He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning for maybe a cast to be put on it. That should be ineresting...UGH!  Hopefully it doesn't bother him to much.

Well I will go, I put our 2 year old foster daughter on her bed in time and and she screams and screams and screams, they had absolutely no direction at all, and it's culture shock moving here with me! 

Have a great day on your homestead I will try!!

Lisa