My Frugal Christmas 2010 Part 1

I thought I would share with my readers some of my Christmas.  Having lived poor all my life, all of my Christmas' as an adult have had to be frugal.  

I am one of those who buys all throughout the year with coupons, sales, clearance, at yard sales etc.  I also make things each year.

The one thing I don't do, that I should, is to keep track of what I am spending that will be used for gifts.  I started to a few years ago then fizzled out.

Below you will see an example of art sets that the grandchildren are getting this year.   Each year at the beginning of the school year, we all know that Walgreen's, Office Max, Wal-Mart etc all have supplies that you can buy cheaply.   Nothing in these boxes did I pay  more than 25 cents for, and the majority of it I paid from 1 cent to 10 cents for!  

Inside each box is a folder with 40 sheets of notebook paper, a spiral notebook, a ruler, a box of 24 count crayons, a protractor, ever sharp pencils, pencils,  pens, bottle of glue, a glue stick and a sharpie marker.   The oldest 4 grandchildren do get a box of colored pencils.  I didn't have enough markers, so each box I had was split in half and put among the boxes.   I made a total of 6 of these boxes.   What was left I split up between my neice and my 3 yr old grandson.

 Stay tuned for Part 2

Centrum's "America's Most Amazingly Energized Woman" Contest!

This holiday season, the makers of Centrum® multivitamins and Molly Shannon are in search of “America’s Most Amazingly Energized Woman” and they want your help!
In celebration of women who live life and love to the fullest by staying healthy and energized, even during the busiest time of the year, Centrum® is kicking off a new contest.
Visit LoveFeelingHealthy.com to nominate yourself or someone special in your life.  Tell them your secret to maintaining healthy energy levels so you can enjoy the great things the holiday season brings – including friends and family time, giving gifts, hosting parties, and so much more!




Participants are asked to submit 300 words or less that explains how you (or who you nominate) does it all. Nominations are being accepted until January 3, 2011 (12pm EST).  Contest open to US residents only.

Five finalists will be selected and then, from January 17-31, 2011, the public can cast their votes for who should be coined “America’s Most Amazingly Energized Woman.”

PRIZING

• Grand Prize: $3,000 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate.
• Four (4) Runner-Up Prizes: $400 XPERIENCE DAYS Gift Certificate
  

XPERIENCE DAYS offers thousands of unique gift experiences nationwide
Sweepstakes Rules & Regulations Here.
Achieve better health during the holiday season! Download a $3 coupon for Centrum® Women’s or Centrum® Men’s.

 Disclosure:  I am a member of One2One Network and this post is part of a member project where I am eligible to win prizing.  I make no claims about Centrum as a product or it's effectiveness.

WIP Wednesday 12/8/10

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to my WIP Wednesday post, in conjunction with Every Day Crochet.

Click the button at the bottom of my post to join the fun!

It's been busy busy busy for me away from home, but I have tried to get things done.
I spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday wrapping what Christmas gifts I could.  I'm pretty much down to just having the items I am trying to get made.  I also ran out of tape  LOL

I did get 2 of the potholders sewn.  I'm not real happy about the way they are turning out.  I think the different material I am using on the back is a bit of my problem.  I did get 2 more pinned to sew, as well as I did buy the rest of the Insulbrite that I need for the rest of the middles.
I also finished the other toothbrush rug (finally) and got it listed in my etsy store.  I have a small start on my next rug.

Here we have my sewing "mess".  I still have one more bag to pin, but have at least started sewing on these that I am making for Christmas gifts.  I hope to get more sewing on them done today.  I managed a whole 10 minutes of sewing time yesterday.  I'm starting to really wonder if I can get these projects done in time!

I'm also in the process of reading a book.  It's a new one I had, by an author that my brother likes.  I wanted to read it before giving it to him for Christmas....how chintzy is that??

I need to be in the process of getting the rest of my Christmas cards ready to mail.  Time to pull out the address book.  

Giveaways Linky Tuesday

Are you hosting a giveaway or giveaways?  Please visit each Tuesday and link them in the linky.

Please post the name of the giveaway and the end date.  Link directly to the giveaway post, not to your blog in general.

Linky is active until I post the next one each week.

Have fun....good luck....and Thank you!

Mailbox Monday Blog Hop

It's time for the mailbox Monday blog hop in conjunctions with myfrugalfriend.net.
Click on the button at the bottom of this post to hop on over and join the fun and/or check out what others got in the mail free this past week.

I didn't get all my mail collected from my mom's house, so sorry to say, no photo this week.  But, here is all I got:

2 boxes of Chex cereal and $25 Kroger card from my blogspark (same package that I am currently giving away on my blog)
Pack of Extra Key Lime Pie gum
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment Weekly
People
Time
Business Week
2011 Oriental Trading calendar
4 other pieces of hausernet mail
Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner samples plus $5 in coupons for other products
$25 gift certificate for Del Monte Fresh fruits and veggies--won from Frugality is Free

In my email:  $30 total paypal from gather



src="http://www.afrugalfriend.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/frugalfriendnetbutton.png"
/>
p.s.....can someone please help me figure out about these "stand alone pages" please?  I would like for my readers to be able to just click and see my giveaway posts, or my winner posts, or my blog roll etc.
The blogroll can all go into one post.....however I do need help with the html and what I would put in between each one so that I could have 3 buttons per line.   Otherwise, I can't make that like an index up there for others to find certain posts that I do?  Thanks!

Chex and Kroger Giveaway (including $25 gift card!)

Kroger^® and Chex^® Cereal have joined forces to help you whip up recipes for your holiday entertaining that are easy on your time as well as your budget!

There are so many great tasting Chex Party Mix recipes that you can make in the microwave in only 15 minutes! Try The Original Chex® Party Mix or Chex® Ginger-Honey Crunch for sure crowd pleasers.

Looking for an easy gift idea for friends, family or co-workers? Try wrapping your favorite Chex Party Mix in a colorful tin or bag and personalize it with your own recipe card.

To make things even sweeter, Kroger Family of Stores will have Chex cereal on sale so you can impress your guests without stressing your wallet. For 3 weeks, from December 2nd – December 25th, Kroger will offer Chex cereal at their lowest prices of the year! (Be sure to scroll down my blog and click to print your savings coupon!  Chex cereal is part of the current Mega Event at Kroger right now.)

Don’t forget to visit Kroger and Chex on Facebook to“Like” their pages and keep up with recipes, news and their latest and greatest products.

Upon receiving my prize pack, shown below, I couldn't wait to open it.  My 14 yr. old daughter, Jasmine couldn't wait to get herself a bowl of Chex cereal and opened a box right away. (please note the gift card taped to the front of one of the boxes.)

For the last 3 years I have made the Muddy Buddies as part of my holiday goodies presents for friends and family.  It's been a hit.  I had already planned on buying the ingredients to make it this year as well.  I was thrilled to receive the package from Kroger and Chex to help with my holiday baking. (Muddy Buddy Recipe to follow the photo of my ingredients)
I have bought the ingredients as you will see pictured below, but won't make them until closer to Christmas.  I went ahead and bought additional boxes of Chex cereal to use for the holidays....have to let the rest of us enjoy the cereal for breakfast.

Recipe courtesy of the chex.com website where you will find lots of great recipes!

Chex® Muddy Buddies®

Another popular name for this favorite mix is "puppy food". Chow down; it's doggone good! Prep Time:15 min Start to Finish:15 min Makes:18 servings (1/2 cup each)  687 ratings

Cooking Gluten Free?

Always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is gluten free. Products and ingredient sources can change.

Substitution

Peanut butter and chocolate are a favorite flavor combo, but peanut butter lovers can substitute peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips to intensify that flavor.

9	cups Rice Chex®, Corn Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2	cups powdered sugar

1.	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2.	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3.	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

1 Serving: Calories 210 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 170mg; Total Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 16g); Protein 3g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

On to the fun!  Chex and Kroger via myblogspark have graciously offered to allow me to giveaway the same prize package that I rec'd.  One of  my lucky blog readers will win 2 boxes of Chex cereal as well as the $25 Kroger gift card to help with your holiday recipes!

Contest rules:  Open to United States residents 18 yrs of age or older.   Entry deadline is Sunday December 12 at 9 PM CST.  I will use random.org to choose the winner.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me.

How to enter:

Mandatory entry:  Comment and tell me which of your favorite Chex cereals you plan to stock up on during the event.  Make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win.

Additional entries:  (Please leave a separate comment for each entry) 

1.  Share this giveaway on twitter, including the link to the giveaway post as well as the hashtag #myblogspark --comment with the link to your tweet.

2.  Follow me on twitter (marsha32) --if you already do, just comment letting me know.

3.  Follow my blog publicly with google friend connect.--if you already follow, comment to let me know.

4.  Friend me on facebook (Marsha Seiberling)--if you already are, comment to let me know.

5.  Follow me with networked blogs.--if you already do, comment to let me know.

6.  Post this giveaway on your own blog or to other websites that allow such posting.  Post must include the link back to this giveaway to be eligible.  Comment with the link to your post.

7.  Add my button to your blog or website.  (2 entries, please leave 2 comments)

Disclosure:  I was not paid for this review.  Any opinions within are my own.  I was provided with a prize pack from Kroger and Chex through myblogspot for the purpose of this review and giveaway.

Kroger Shopping---Just $7.48 Out of Pocket For ALL of This!!!!!

..

You read that right.....I bought all of this (plus the margarine I forgot to take back out of the fridge) for just $7.48 out of pocket!!!!  Of the $7.48, $5.07 of that was sales tax)   The actual total after coupons was $32.48, but I had a $25 Kroger card to spend as part of my current blogspark.

It's one of the Mega Event weeks, where if you buy 10 of the items on the list you get an additional $5 off your total.  I bought 40 of the items.
Please note I am subtracting the additional .50 off for buying the 10 items off each item.  My store doubles coupon up to $1 off total.
Mega event items:
12-Temptations Cat Treats--.91 each, used 11-.55 coupons doubled to $1 (I had 12 coupons, but once home realized one of them didn't scan) FREE with 8 cents overage.
2-Birdseye vegetables-$1.49 each, used 1-.50 coupon doubled to $1, so $1.49 and .99 each.  (I had in my mind that I printed 2 coupons, but one home remembered the 2nd coupon hadn't printed)
2-Hot Pockets, $1.49 each, used 2-.50 coupons doubled to $1, .49 each.
1-Wolf Chili--.75--used .50 coupon doubled to $1  FREE plus .25 overage.
4-Carnation Evaporated milk--.49 each, used 2-.50/2 coupons--FREE plus 4 cents overage
1-Armour meatballs--$1.99--used .55 coupon doubled to $1--.99
5-Krusteaz Cookie Mix--.99 each--used 5-$1 coupons--FREE pus 5 cents overage.
2-Barilla Pasta--$1.49--used buy 1 get 1 free coupon--register took off full price of $2.19 so I paid .79 for both.
3-Gillette deoderant--$3.50 each--used 2 $2 coupons and a buy 2 get 1 free coupon--register took off $4.95 for the coupon so I paid just 5 cents for each one!
2-Chex Cereal--$1.79--used $1/2 coupon--$1.29 each
2-Ziploc Freezer bags--$1.99 each--used $1/2 coupon--$1.49 each
1 Wesson Oil--$1.99--used .40 coupon doubled to .80--$1.19
1-Best Life Spread--$1.49--used $1 coupon--.49
2-Tidy Cat litter--$1.89--used 2-$1 coupons--.89 each

Other purchases:
Kroger peanut butter--$1.65
Kroger chocolate chips--$1.99
Kroger 12 pack soda--$2--used .50 coupon--$1.50
2-Duracell battery 4 packs, on sale for $1.98--used 2-$1.50 coupons--.48 each.
Kroger Powdered Sugar $1.43
Idahoan potatoes--$1--used .40 coupon doubles to .80--.20
Carnation Instant Breakfast--on sale for $4.29--used $1 coupon--$3.29
2 dozen eggs-on sale for $1.50 each, used .55 coupon doubled to $1--$1 per dozen.

My receipt says that I saved 75%, which includes sale prices plus coupons used.  ($94.12 savings)
I used $44.74 in coupons plus the extra $20 off for a total savings of $64.74 not including the sale prices.

Want to know more about the $25 Kroger gift card that I had to use?  It's part of my next blogspark prize pack with Chex cereal that will be offered for giveaway on my blog!  Watch for the giveaway in the next couple of days.

Even if I hadn't had the Kroger gift card, spending $32.48 for all of it would have still been great.  Some things I would not have bought though as they are ingredients to go with my blog post coming up.

Old El Paso Family Taco Night Winner Announcement!

Time to announce the winner of the Old El Paso Family taco night gift pack.....

Winner will receive what is pictured below:

Without further ado, the winner is....

 and comment 32 came from....


.....



......



......

carriemariep said... 32

I 'friended you' on FB! :)

November 12, 2010 9:50 PM

 

 

Don't forget to enter my other current giveaway of "Wow! You Saved How Much?"  3 winners!  Ends Dec. 10.  Click HERE to enter.

 

Also be on the lookout for my Chex Cereal and $25 Kroger Gift card giveaway coming soon!

 

 

Walgreen's Shopping 11/29/10--Big Savings!

Well....I scoured blogs most of Sunday looking for what might be good deals at Walgreen's.  I got some ideas.  Remember, I had $41.23 total in 12 Jingle Cash (register rewards) to play with.
I put together a list....it would have cost me too much in the long run.  I took off a couple of things that I really wanted and replaced them with cheap fillers.
I headed to Walgreen's this morning, in hopes that everything on my list was in the store.  It was, but I had the Motions Hair Care on my list.  No coupons, but buying 3 for $10 would have given me  back $5 in Jingle Cash.  Once there I realized it was in the ethnic section, so decided against getting it.  Of course, that messed up my list, but I decided to just head on to the register with coupons in hand, and just use as many of the Jingle Cash that the register would allow me to use.  (you can't use them to cover any part of the sales tax.)

In the end I spent $5.22, of which  $4.28 of that was sales tax.   I still have $6.99 total in Jingle Cash to use, and I got $16 total in Jingle Cash from this transaction.

I know that many do several transactions, but for me that is too confusing so I try to just done one. (Unless I am sending Jasmine and/or Steve through the line for a really great deal)

I'm kicking myself as I scanned everything for homescan and put it all away without taking a photo!!  ugh!!

Here is what I came home with:
Life Cereal and Cap'n Crunch Cereal--on sale 2 for $5, with $2 back in Jingle Cash
2-Walgreen's Pantyliners, on sale for 2 for $1 with Walgreen's coupon
2-Vick's Sinex, on sale 2 for $10.  I used 2-$4 off coupons and got back $5 in Jingle Cash.  I also combined a buy 2 Vick's products get Free Puffs coupon with the purchase so got a box of Puffs free.
3-Disney Mini Puzzles--on sale for .39 each with Walgreen's coupon
2-Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice, on sale 2 for $6, used $2/2 coupon and $1/2 Walgreen's coupon
Salonpas Pain Patches, $5.99 with $6 back in Jingle Cash
40 ct security envelopes, on sale for .59 with Walgreen's coupon
1 Reese's snack size 19.75 oz and 1 Kisses Candy Cane 17.80 oz, on sale 2 for $8, used $1 coupon and got back $2 in Jingle Cash
3 Eclipse Gum, on sale 3 for $2 and got back $1 in Jingle Cash
Carmex lip balm, on sale for $1 with Walgreen's coupon, used .30 coupon
Gillette Fusion Power Glide razor, on sale for $9.99, used $4 coupon and got back $4 in Jingle Cash  (OMG!  I just realized I didn't get the $4 Jingle Cash for buying the razor...will have to stop in and ask about it)
Dawn Dish soap, on sale for .99 with Walgreen's coupon and used .25 coupon.

Receipt shows that I saved $3.51 with WAG coupons
$19.80 on sale items and
$52.28 in manufacturer's coupons!!!   Total savings of $75.59.
Let me figure, not including taking off for the advertised prices, just the savings in Walgreen's and Manufacturers coupons, I saved a whopping $55.79!!

Help me out here please.  My brain is not in a math mood and for the life of me I can't remember how to figure what my percentage savings is.  I would like to know both including the savings with sale prices as well as not including the savings with sale prices please. (and when the receipt shows the savings, does that take into consideration the $4.28 in sales tax or not?  If not, I would have only spent .94 without sales tax.) Thanks!!!

WIP Wednesday 12/1/10

Whew!  Today's WIP has been finding time to be on the computer!  after 1:30 pm and I am finally finding time.

WIP Wednesday, where in conjunction with Every Day Crochet we share our works in progress.  I hope you will click the button at the end of my post to join in on the fun and list your own post....or check out what others are up to.

Remember, your WIP don't have to be crafts, they can be virtually anything.

I tried to get busy this last week on things.  I didn't get done all I wanted, but I did do a lot!

I am on my quest to fill this jar with dish scrubbies to be ready for the monster garage sale in March.  Selling some along the way, as I have been doing is a major plus!

 I worked on the hot pads that I am making for Christmas gifts.  I found that I don't have enough of the insulbrite material for the insides to finish what I need....and I will have to also take the covers off the other cushions on the old futon as I didn't have enough from one set for my backings.

 I got busy and thought I would get that strip quilt top completed before sewing club at church next week.  What I found is that I shorted myself 2 of the 12 inch squares....and even if I hadn't I didn't bring home enough of the longer strips to make them anyway.  So, the first thing I will work on next week is making the other 2 squares and completing the top.

 Other things that I did was to complete the order that included the 5 fabric bags.  I then took photos of the bags and went ahead and put them into my etsy store.  My etsy store is and will always be a work in progress as I hope to continue to build it up.  I got my first order!!  It's for one of the fabric bags.  I got the  material cut and ironed for the bag.  Heading in next to get it sewn.  I like to get my orders out ASAP.

The holiday is quickly approaching.  I did get our tree put up, and decorated.  I got out some of my stash of gifts to start wrapping....that's as far as that got time wise.  I am being pulled away from home most all day each day (yes, causing me extreme anxiety too! )  Here is a photo of our little tree.  I bought most all the decorations from our Christmas sale at church.  We bought the tree for $19.99 on sale at Walgreens.  Please excuse all the junk around it.  We have a very small living room and I had to squeeze the tree in a corner in front of the movie shelf.