~Paper-Dirt-Strings-N-Things~

Great JC Penney Coupons!!

2011-06-29T01:43:00.000-04:00

There's a great printable $10 off of $25 purchase at JC Penney's.

Go Here! It's good 7/1-7/4/11 ONLY!

ALSO... While you're at JC Penney, you might as well stop in Sephora and pick up a free sample!

Go HERE to print a coupon for a

Free Deluxe Sample of Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer

Combination Skin.

Expires 7/25/11.

Not just a price scanner!

2011-06-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I make a run to CVS without my ExtraCare Card and that's okay because when I check out I simply give the cashier my phone number and they can automatically apply my purchase to my card.

However,

Then I miss out on something more....the CRT's or Coupons I can get from simply scanning my card at the Coupon Center! There's one at every CVS, it's a Price checker and it produces CVS coupons. You can scan your card twice a day and get some great deals. Recently I've received a $2 off any Huggies wipes, $.50 off of dove candy. And sometimes I get lucky and receive a cash off of cash coupon like a $5 off of a $20 purchase! Just a few months ago I recieved a coupon for $10 off any Physician's Formula product. I used some ECB's to purchase blush for $7 and profited $3 in ECB's!

So, Next trip to CVS don't forget your card! You won't regret it!

Carrot Wannabe!!

2011-06-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Without the knowlege on how to harvest sweet potatoes I decided to see how big mine are right now! However, when I pulled this one out of the ground I got a little confused!!!

Curvy Carrot Potato??

Hmmmm....I think it'll make for a decent side dish for one, along with the eggplant I harvested tonight!

CVS Planning

2011-06-23T20:02:00.004-04:00

So, it's a little late in the week to be planning for a CVS run! I'd prefer to go at the beginning of the week so I can be sure that all the items are in stock!

Regardless, I have $6 in ECB's to rotate so I have to get my shop on!! :)
Here are some deals I'm looking into taking advantage of and hoping to spend little to nothing out of pocket!

I also want to make sure I get the energy bars and sports drinks because they are a neccisity during my daughter's marching season!

FIRST:
Buy 2 Hawaiian Tropic Products get $10 ECB'S TOTAL (limit 1 deal per card)
Get 2 Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balms $2.99ea
Pay $5.98 oop
Get $10 in ECB's
=Free Plus $4.02 in overage
Use my $6 ECB's and pay tax only!
RECEIVE $10 ECB'S

NEXT:
1 Hershey's Bliss 8.6-9.6oz @ $5.99 get $5.99 ECB's (limit 1 deal per card)
-$1/1 from the 5/1SS

5 Powerade @ 5 for $5 (deal also includes SmartWAter, vitamin Water, Fuze and Honest Tea) Get $2ECB's(limit 1 deal per card)

-1 $1/5 coupon found Here

1 LA Looks 12-20oz Gels @ $2.99 get $2ECB's (limit 1 deal per card)

-1 $1/1 LA Looks coupon from the 5/15SS

=$10.98

Use $10ECB's and pay $.98 + tax!
RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING ECB'S: $5.99, $2, AND $2

NEXT:
1 PowerBar Energy or Protein Bites $2.49 get $2.49 ECB's (limit 1 deal per card)
4Lipton 100% Natural Teas @ 4 for $5($1.25ea) and get 1ECB (limit 1 deal per card)
-2 BOGO coupons you can print Here (remember to print one, wait for printing completion. Hit the blue back arrow <--- and print a second)
1 Colgate Total Gum Defense, Advanced or Enamel Strength 4oz, Max 6oz or 360 Surround toothbrush 1 Count @ $2.79 get $2ECB's (limit 2 deals per card)
-$1/1 Colgate Total Advanced coupon from the 6/12 SS
2 Scotch Tape @ BOGO $1.99ea
-2 $1/1 coupons Here
1 Revlon Nail Polish @ $4.99 get $3ECB's (Limit of 6 per card)
-1 $1/1 coupon from the 4/10SS
=$10.77Use $5.99, $2 & $2 ECB's and pay $.78 + tax!!
RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING ECB'S: $2.49, $1, $2, $3

That's a Total of $1.76 + tax for Everything listed above! :)

From Plant to Plate ~ A Yummy Eggplant Recipe

2011-06-22T21:06:00.000-04:00

When selecting which plants to grow in my garden I was limited due to the season. I prefer to eat broccoli and green beans, but it was too hot for them. I knew that I'd have to try things I don't usually buy. Yes, I eat squash and eggplant, but when it's prepared by someone else. With that said, I had never eaten an eggplant that wasn't fried and smothered in cheese and sauce. However, now that my garden was in plentiful supply off eggplant, I needed a good recipe!

I asked lots of people and looked online, but was regularly referred back to good 'ol Eggplant Parmesan. I didn't want to make a meal of it, I just wanted a good side dish. Then, my friend said to cut an eggplant in half, put olive oil on it and then bake it. So, I did. Sad to say, but.... I didn't like it. I couldn't throw the vegetable away so I decided to cover it and place what was left in the fridge.

A couple days went by and my vegetarian cousin came over. She reheated the cooked eggplant and tasted it. She liked it, but put a little seasoning on it. I tasted her recreation and liked it. :)

So, since then I've modified the basic recipe and created something very tasty and easy to make. I've enjoyed making and eating this dish multiple times over the past couple of days. Enjoy!

Baked Eggplant
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the Eggplant in half lengthwise.
Place in any oven safe container cut side up.

Completely cover the cut side of the eggplant with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The eggplant will start to soak up the oil, as seen by the bottom eggplant in the photo below.

Sprinkle the following seasonings onto the eggplant: Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Garlic Powder and Basil.

Begin baking for 30 minutes.

About every ten minutes add a good amount of olive oil to the cut side of the eggplant.

After 30 minutes or so, depending on your oven, check to see if the eggplant is soft. Then remove from the oven.

Once the eggplant is tender enough for you, plate it and enjoy!

I like to add a little bit of grated parmesan and ramano cheese.

For those of you who are new to eggplant like I was, you can eat the skin and all! :)

I Wave My White Flag!

2011-06-20T20:56:00.000-04:00

I have to consider my squash a loss!

Once again Dad was right!! Yup, he was!

Although my Crookneck Squash finally seemed to be thriving with at least ten fruits on the bush, they are duds! The fruit grows and then gets soggy and bumpy like it was overwatered. After much research on the internet and a phone call to my favorite Home Depot Garden Dept Employee, Betty, it's just too hot!

Squash thrives in the warmth when the nights drop anywhere from 72-60 degrees.

Just to note, I did plant them at the right time. However, with the probems like the White Powdery Mildew and all the aphids there was no way I'd succeed from the beginning.

Our hot Florida days and nights have cause me to Surrender!!

:( Better Luck Next Year

My Melaleuca!

2011-06-20T02:02:00.000-04:00

I just can't wait! :)

I placed my first Melaleuca order and I should be getting my Melaleuca products tomorrow!

What is Melaleuca?

It's the name of my new grocery store!

I am a preferred member. I paid for my membership much like you would to join Sam's Club or Cotsco, however, it's only a one time fee! I made a commitment to do my shopping with them once a month and I get some great deals too!!

I can't use coupons, but since I don't usually find deals on my vitamins or good cleaning products this isn't costing me any more out of pocket. Plus, I'm getting greener, safer products for my money.

I'm most excited about the bathroom product I will be getting! I have some mildew stains that even

Lime-A-Way won't remove. I'm told that using Melleuca's Tub & Tile 6X concentrate the mildew doesn't stand a chance!

I ordered one bottle at $5.69. Yes that sounds a little pricy for one bottle of shower cleaner, but it's concentrated 6X!! That means for $5.69 I'm going to be able to make SIX spray bottles of bathroom cleaner.

That's 95Cents a bottle. Coupons can't even make that price match!! Plus, I'm getting a safer and better product!

This is how it works, I purchase 35 points worth of products each months. In the 2nd-6th

month I get $20 in free products monthly.

And that's it! :)

Then, If I decide I love the product and just can't stand to keep my friends and family in the dark, I share my love for the products with them. Then when other's join and tell Melaleuca that I referred them I automatically get a check. Yes, that's a paycheck for doing nothing!! ;)

So, it's a win win situation! I get to purchase great products for a very low cost. My house gets sparkly clean and I can even make some money doing nothing! How can it get any better than that?

I'll be sharing my Melaleuca experiences with you as I go and featuring the products I like.

For more information about Melaleuca go here: http://www.melaleuca.info/?vid=7

PUBLIX SHOPPING DAY

2011-06-14T01:39:00.001-04:00

$87.37 Worth of Product for $6.42

Not Shown:
2 Ocean Spray Craisins $2.09 BOGO
(No Coupon)

Not Shown:
1 I-Tunes Gift Card $15.00

1 Country Time Lemonade Singles $2.59
(Found on clearance shelf)

4 Purell Hand Sanitizer with Purell Wipes $1.69ea
4 $1/1 Purell - I received from one of my sites
= $2.76 or $.69ea

6 Dial Body Wash $3.99 BOGO
6 $2/1 Dial Lotion of Body Wash 6/12 RP
=profit of $.03

10 John Freida Shampoo & Conditioners
These are $5.49ea, but I had a raincheck for 10items at $2 off making them $3.49ea
4 $5/1 John Frieda Full Repair Treatment, Styler or Finisher 6/5/11 SS
6 $2/1 John Frieda Product, any (excludes trial and travel sizes) - 06-05-11 SS
5 $3/2 John Frieda Full Repair Target Coupon Here
(These Target Coupons allow you to print two coupons per computer. I have 3 computers in home & sometimes my family will print some from thier home computers for me)
=Free + $12.10 profit to put towards other groceries

Total: $13.20 (w/tax)
-Gift Card $6.42
TOTAL OUT OF POCKET $6.78

TARGET PHOTO SHARE

2011-06-14T01:03:00.001-04:00

$128.58 Worth of Products for Only $32.65

Maybe not the best deal on the Charmin and Tide, but they were items we needed and I did get a discount. Otherwise, I'm happy with this shop!

7 Degree Deoderant   $3.49
7 Body Mists  $3.49
Target Promotion: Buy Select Degree Deoderant get a Free Degree Body Mist
7 BOGO Free Degree deodorant/body mist coupon found in the 5/22 RP
=FREE, one from the store and one from the manufacturer.

1 UP & UP Detangler   $1.34
$.50 UP & UP Hair Care Product Here
=.84

Tide Laundry Detergent $10.24
$.75 Tide Laundry Detergent, Any 5/22/11 RP
AND $3/1 Tide Powder 26-50 oz, Duo Pac 15-34 ct or Liquid Stain Release 36-68 oz
=$6.49

Wonder Bread $1.89
(No Deal :( Just a last minute grab on the way out the door with an overtired two yr old)

3 Nivea Men Body Wash $3.04
1 Buy2Get1free All You June 2011
2 - $1/1 Target Here
=$4.08 or $1.36ea (not the greatest deal, but my stockpile was actually OUT & hubby needed more)

Sonia Kashuk Spoolie Eyebrow and Eyelash Brush $1.99
$1/1 Sonia Kashuk Cosmetic Item Target Here
=$.99

1 - 6 Pack Plastic Bowls on sale $.98

1 UP & UP Foil $1.24
$.50 off UP & UP Foil Target Here
=$.74

1 Charmin 36 Roll $17.99 (Choke!!)
No Coupon (Choke More!!!) You can find a Chamin $.25/1 in the 6/5 P&G
+$5 Gift Card when you buy this and the Tide
This was posted, but didn't ring up for the gift card. After a price check they discovered the deal is on until 6/18. The mgr offered me a gift card or just a $5 reduction in my bill. I took the reduction.
=$12.99

2 Band-Aid Hello Kitty 10 Count Travel Size $.97ea
2 $.50/1 Neosporin Prod or Band-Aid Adhesive Bandages 6/12 RP
=$1.00 of $.50ea

2 UP & UP Bendable Straws $.99 ea
1 $.50/2 Disposable Tabletop item Target coupon Here
=$1.48 or .74ea

1 Clutch $7.48 on sale
Not something I normally purchase, but a treat for me! I plan to use this for my "planned" coupon runs, it's perfect! :)

1 Cosmetic Case $4.98 on sale
Also, not something I normally purchase, but a treat for me!

Product Total: $128.58
Total: $49.69
-$17.04 in Gift Cards
Total Paid $32.65

Free Seattle's Best Coffee and CVS

2011-06-08T17:32:00.002-04:00

In the 6/5 SS there was a coupon for a FREE Single 9.5 fl oz. Can of Seattle's (expires 8/7/2011) Best Coffee Up to $1.79.

Who doesn't love FREE stuff? Well, we can run out and use these coupons or save them for a "rainy" day.

We all get those $4 off of $20 coupons from CVS. Sometimes, if the weekly sales aren't great I have a difficult time hitting that $20 subtotal and earning the $4 off. This coupon will come in handy when I need to get my total up to $20. I'm sure I will get one of these coupons in the next 8 weeks! And, if you're like me and buy multiple papers every week, you'll have multiple coupons! Yay!!

Cuc-Yum-ber

2011-06-08T17:06:00.001-04:00

Enjoying the fruits of our labor! Boy was it yummy :)

HAPPY PUBLIX SHOPPING DAY!!!

2011-06-07T16:11:00.004-04:00

Total Cost: $0.00

Item's purchased

1 Cut-Up Chicken $7.77

Italian Sausage $2.11

Ground Beef $4.58

8 Dannon/Danonino Yogurt packs @ $2.00ea

2 Crab Classic @ 2.99 BOGO

2 Huggies Swimpants @ 8.79 ea

2 Juicy Juicy 8pcks @ $2.35ea

Frito Corn Chips $1.34

2 Gallon's of Milk @ 3.79ea

2 Bayer Advanced @ 2.99ea

3 Combat Quick Kill @ $4.69ea

6 John Freida Shampoo/Conditioner @ $3.49ea

1 Sunday Paper(a leftover from this past weekend)

RETAIL VALUE: $127.28

Coupons

$5 off $50 Store

$1 off Chicken Competitor

$1 off Pork Competitor

$2 off Beef Competitor

2 - Buy 4 Dannon Yogurts get a free gallon of milk Competitor

8 - $1 off 1 Dannon

2 - $1 off 1 Crab Classic

2 - $3 off 1 Huggies Diapers

1 - $3 off any Diaper Competitor

2 - Buy Huggies Diaper get free Juicy Juice 8pk

$.75 off any popcorn/peanut or salty snack Competitor

2 - $1.75 off 1 Bayer

2 - $2 off 1 Bayer Store

3 - $3 off one Combat Store

3 - $2 off one Manufacturer

6 - $5 off one John Freida product Manufacturer

3 - $3 off 2 John Freida product Manufacturer

TOTAL: $3.47

TAX: $3.69

TOTAL: $7.16

PAID WITH FREE GIFT CARD FROM PRIOR TRANSACTION

TOTAL OUT OF POCKET: $0.00

BUT.....

I noticed I was overcharged for the Frito's. They rang up $1.34 and should have only been a dollar.

I went into another Publix on my way home and they were going to refund the total. Instead I used that money for a $1 Newspaper from this past Sunday.

So, I left that store with a Newspaper and $.27! :)

AND... BONUS... The paper had double the coupons in it.. 2SS, 1RP and 2P&G's!!

WooHoo :) Happy Happy Shopping Day!!! ;P

SO MUCH SQUASH!!!!

2011-06-01T00:37:00.002-04:00

So, Chris comes to me tonight and asks if I've seen how many squash I have growing. I just took pictures this morning and posted them, and I don't see what I saw just a couple of hours ago in those pictures! I have 8 little yellow squash growing! Even though I have all the bugs, it's still producing like crazy. I just can't believe how fast it's happening.

Gardening Struggles

2011-05-31T12:42:00.005-04:00

I researched online and it seems like my squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, and watermelon are all coated with Two Spotted Spider Mites! I started to use Red Pepper Flakes two days ago on my squash, but now it’s spread to the other plants I’ve just mentioned. I don’t know if it’s been long enough for the red pepper to be absorbed in the leaves, but with the massive infestation, I think that it might be time to try Thuricide. Any other suggestions?

Back of Squash Leaves

Cantaloupe Leaves
see how they are wilting?

Garden Success

2011-05-31T12:33:00.002-04:00

Bell Peppers

Cucumber plant

My Beautiful Egg Plant

1st Tomatoes

Squash

Overview of the two gardens. Please ignore all the “weeds”… grass growing through! We pull them and they grow back almost immediately!

Next to the marigold plant there is a small mound. We thought we’d wing it and see if some pumpkin seeds will sprout. We just planted them,wish us luck!

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T05:02:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971).
http://www.examiner.com/

My Newest Gardening Adventure

2011-05-30T04:32:00.002-04:00

Growing up my father always had a garden! It was the size of my bedroom and the plants were always blooming. With this said, it was simply natural that one day I’d have a garden too.
I started one back in 2007. It was relatively small, two long skinny beds about 32 square feet. The garden was a success, we were enjoying broccoli, beans and tons of tomatoes. But then one day I went to check on my garden and found the neighbor’s sprinklers were spraying them with reclaimed water. Now, many people I talk to insist that it’s not harmful to eat a veggie that’s been watered with this treated water. But, I’d rather not take a chance with all the chemicals it took to clean what was in the water originally. So, needless to say, my husband and I demolished that garden.
It wasn’t until the spring of this year that my friend got me motivated again!!! :) I started my garden in a small area under my kitchen window in the back yard. Here I knew the reclaimed water wasn’t near my vegetables. I planted green beans, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes and green peppers. For a little while they all looked beautiful. I had plants growing, but a few weeks went by and it seemed like the plants weren’t getting any bigger. They weren’t getting enough sun!
At first my husband wasn’t sure about creating a new large garden, but he gave me the benefit of the doubt and jumped into the gardening game with me!! First he disconnected the sprinkler system from my garden area, put up a fence to keep the dogs out, built two gardens, picked up free dirt from the city, and helped me with the soil, peat and manure mixture. Without him… well, let’s not even imagine!!! :)
Here are garden photo’s from May 10th! It’s the start of a beautiful thing! :)
Eggplant, 2 Cucumber plants, 3 Tomatoes, 2 Bell Peppers, 5 Sweet Potatoes
Crookneck Squash, Zucchini, Watermelon, Cantaloupe

TEST POST

2011-05-30T03:49:00.002-04:00

This is a test post!! It’s called Blogging for Beginners :)