Save 40% off your online purchase at J. Crew!

January 25, 2011 by

If you’re a J. Crew fan, you know that discount codes for their stuff don’t come along very often. Right now, you can save an additional 40% off your entire online purchase when you enter the code MUSTSHOP at check-out (valid through 1/26/11). Plus, if you spend $100 or more, your shipping is free! Don’t forget to shop through Ebates – you’ll get 1% cash back (plus a $5 bonus if you are signing up for the first time here). If you are not familiar with Ebates, check out this post here!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Double Coke points from My Coke Rewards!

January 25, 2011 by

As you’re stocking up on Coke products this week and next week at CVS (the deal will be two weeks long!), make sure you hang on to those Coke codes! From today (1/25/11) through Monday (1/31/11), My Coke Rewards is offering DOUBLE points for any codes you enter!!

Double points will be given on product codes entered from 12:01 am ET on 1/25/11 through 11:50 pm ET on 1/31/11.  I recommend not waiting until the end because last time they ran a promotion like this, the site was VERY slow and a lot of people had trouble entering their codes!  Limit:  valid codes from participating brands and packaging totaling no more than 120 points may be entered per account, per week (so I guess that means you can only earn a total of 240 points with the bonus?).

NOTE:  Some people are reporting that they got e-mails saying they can only enter codes TODAY and others are reporting their e-mails include different dates, so this may not apply for everyone 🙁  People have also reported that they are not getting double points for all the codes they are entering.

If you’re not familiar with My Coke Rewards and you drink Coke products, save your bottle caps or the codes on your boxes and enter them here to earn points! The points can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise or more Coke products!  The program is completely free!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Menu Planning Monday: My menu for the week of 1/23 (WW pts included!)

January 24, 2011 by

Welcome!  One of my New Year’s “goals” was to eat healthier, and so I’m trying to incorporate healthier recipes all around into our menu plan. My husband was gung ho at first, but last night informed me that we’ve been eating a LOT of chicken and asked could we please add some beef to the menu this week!

The plan listed here just includes our dinner menu and recipes. I have calculated Weight Watchers points values using the e-tools Recipe Builder, and points values this week are based on the new Points Plus program! Both kids eat breakfast at home, but my son eats lunch at daycare, my daughter eats lunch at

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, then you know that for the past two years, I have done a $40 weekly budget.  With the changes to our eating habits, I’m going to increase our budget to $50 per week and I’m really going to try to stick to that, but I’m not even sure that will be enough.  This will be a trial and error experience, so stay tuned!

If you’re new to menu planning or would like tips for getting started, check out this post here.

SUNDAY:  Turkey meatballs with whole wheat pasta and marinara sauce – I was looking for a good turkey meatballs recipe and Brittany (Frugal in Fargo) suggested this one from Taste of Home.  I’ve never had a bad experience with a Taste of Home recipe, so I figured it was worth checking out!  I loved it, but my six year old daughter said she liked the “old, not so healthy meatballs” better 🙂

Ingredients
* 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup soft bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons grated onion
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1 pound ground turkey
* Tomato wedges, optional

Directions
* In a bowl, combine spinach, egg, bread crumbs, onion and seasoned salt. Add turkey and mix well. Shape into 2-in. balls. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Drain on paper towels. Garnish with tomato wedges if desired. Yield: 4 servings. (it lists the serving size as 3 each and this made 20 meatballs for us, so it would actually be almost 7 servings)

WW points = 4 points per serving (add 4 pts per cup of whole wheat pasta or 2 pts for 1/2 cup plus 3 points per cup of marinara sauce)
Sides = green beans and green salad

MONDAY:  French dip sandwiches (slow cooker) – This is a family favorite and I love it because it is SOOO easy to make!

Ingredients:
beef roast
2 cans beef broth
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 hoagie buns
(we also add some swiss or provolone cheese)

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour broth over the top of the roast. Add spices. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours (or high heat 5-7 hours). Remove roast and save extra juice. With a fork, break the meat apart and serve on hoagies. Use excess juice for dipping sandwiches.

WW points = 7 points per serving (this does not include the cheese or the buns, add 2 points for the cheese and 4 points for the whole wheat bun – I think I’m going to try mine without a bun or on pita bread)

TUESDAY:  Melt in your mouth meatloaf (slow cooker) – I’ve made this several times now for our family.  It’s easy to make and yummy!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk (we use skim)
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 tsp dried, minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (we always make this with ground turkey instead and it’s yummy!)
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

WW points = 5 per serving with the ground turkey, ground beef may be more (makes 6 servings)

Sides – Sour cream mashed potatoes (4 pts) and green beans (0 pts)

WEDNESDAY:   Country Ham and Macaroni Casserole – My entire family has been BEGGING for this!

Thanks to Sandy~Bettyinthekitchen (BabyCenter.com Cooking for Your Family Board)

Ingredients:
1 lb country ham slices or regular smoked ham in one piece (I just use whatever leftover ham we have on hand)
1 large onion, diced
1 lb elbow macaroni (whole wheat)
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz) – I use reduced fat
1 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, melted (I don’t use this when I make it)
1 cup dry plain bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 400º.
2. Bring 4 quarts water and ham to boiling in large pot. Once water begins to boil,
remove ham to a plate. Add onion and macaroni to pot. Return water to boiling; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Coarsely chop ham, discarding any fat and bones.
4. Drain macaroni and onion and return to pot. Add ham, cheese, sour cream and soup. Scrape into a 13x9x2 baking dish. Pour melted margarine over top. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake in heated 400º oven 30 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: Prepare in two 8×8 casserole dishes, bake one and freeze one (unbaked) for another day. If freezing, top with crumbs and margarine right before baking.

WW points = 9 points per serving (with modifications above), makes 6 servings
Sides:  sliced cantaloupe and green salad

THURSDAY:  Creamy chicken enchiladas – It’s my husband’s birthday and this was his pick!.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the 98% FF kind)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz-16 oz. tub of sour cream (depends how spicy you want the enchiladas)
2-3 chicken breasts, shredded (if I’m in a hurry, I use canned chicken)
8 oz cheese, shredded
1 dozen flour tortillas (you could use corn also) – we are using whole wheat!

Add cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce to a pan. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When sauce is will mixed and starts to thin, add sour cream. Continue stirring occasionally until the sauce is well mixed and thinned out. Place a layer of the sauce along the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll and place in the baking dish. When you have filled all of the tortillas (this should make 1 dozen), pour the remain sauce over the top of the enchiladas and then cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is well melted.

WW points = 6 points per enchilada
Sides:  green beans and green salad

FRIDAY:  Chili (slow cooker) – this was another request from my husband

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (brown in skillet and then place in crockpot)
1 can dark kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 packet chili spices

Mix all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Sprinkle cheese on top.

WW points = 7 points per serving (6-8 servings) – cheese and any additional toppings are “extra”

SATURDAY:  Beef tips (slow cooker) – I found this recipe in Taste of Home Magazine. We have eaten it a few times now and my whole family (even my picky eater kids) loves it!

Ingredients:
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 to 3 medium carrots, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 to 1 cup white wine or beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the beef, carrots, celery, onion, soup and wine or broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles. Yield: 4 servings.

WW points = 6 per serving (add 3 points for 1/2 cup pasta/rice or 5 points for 1 cup pasta/rice)

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Menu Planning Monday

Target deals for the week of 1/23

January 24, 2011 by

It’s been awhile since I did a “Target deals” post, mainly because the Target in my area has become very unfriendly toward coupon use and every time I break down and decide to go there, it seems like I have a problem. Having said that, there are some pretty good deals this week, so I might have to give them another chance.

Keep in mind that pricing may vary by area. Always check your local ad to confirm that they have the “weekly deals.”  Many of these deals were not listed in the weekly ad, which means YMMV in terms of pricing.  Thanks to Totally Target for the heads up on many of the price cuts!

Get Text Alerts from Target: receive coupons, deals, and weekly ad reminders on your mobile phone – use a barcode that can be scanned at check-out for multiple one time only coupon deals throughout the month.  The text alerts for mobile coupons appear to be released on Sundays and appear to be valid for one week only (when the new round is released on Sundays, the old round disappears).

Target now offers price matching. You can check out their policy here.

At Target, you can use one Target coupon and one manufacturer’s coupon per item. The printable Target coupons now state “one per transaction” meaning you can only use one “like” coupon per transaction. The Target coupons from the inserts do not have this wording and neither do the Target toy coupons. You can read/print their coupon policy here.

They are also offering a .05 credit when you bring in your own reusable shopping bag!

Regular Markdown Schedule in other Departments
Monday – Electronics, Kids Clothing and Stationary (Cards, GiftWrap, etc.)
Tuesday – Domestics, Women’s Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
Wednesday – Men’s Clothing, Toys, Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden items
Thursday – House Wares, Lingerie, Shoes, Sporting Goods, Movies, Music, Books, Decor and Luggage
Friday – Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

Here are the top 20 deals I see this week:

Buy 3 Huggies or Pampers jumbo packs (includes diapers or training pants) – $8.99/each, get a $5 Target gift card
$1.50/1 Huggies Snug & Dry diapers printable
$1.50/1 Huggies diapers – 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Little Movers – 1-23 SS
$1.50/1 Pampers diapers or pants – 12-26 PG
$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups – 1-23 SS
$2/1 Huggies Pull-Ups printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 3 Huggies jumbo packs – $8.99/each

Use 3 $2 coupons

Spend $20.97 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card
Final Price = $15.97 after coupons/gift card ($5.32/each!)

OR

Buy 3 Pampers jumbo packs – $8.99/each

Use 3 $1.50/1 coupons

Spend $22.47 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card
Final Price = $17.47 after coupons/gift card ($5.82/each!)

NOTE:  I always keep a $5 Target gift card “on hand” to “roll” into deals like this!  This is a pretty good price if you use Pampers since they don’t go on sale as often as Huggies.  You should be able to mix and match the Pampers and Huggies, too!

FREEBIES:

French’s Spicy Brown Mustard (12 oz) – $1
$1/1 French’s Spicy Brown mustard – 1-23 SS
$.50/1 French’s printable
Final Price = FREE after coupon!
(Thanks Totally Target!)

Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara – $2.24-$2.99
$2/1 Rimmel cosmetics Target printable
$2/1 Rimmel products printable (for “liking” them on Facebook)
$1/1 Rimmel printable
BOGO Free Rimmel – February 2011 All You Magazine
Final Price = $1.01 overage if you have the BOGO free coupon! (make sure you give the store coupons last!)

Rimmel Mono eye shadow – $3.49
$2/1 Rimmel cosmetics Target printable
$2/1 Rimmel products printable (for “liking” them on Facebook)
$1/1 Rimmel printable
BOGO Free Rimmel – February 2011 All You Magazine
Final Price = $.51 overage if you have the BOGO free coupon! (make sure you give the store coupons last!)
(Thanks Totally Target!)

GROCERY DEALS:

Chef Boyardee – $.80
$1/5 Chef Boyardee cans – 1-2 SS
Final Price = $.60/each after coupons

Jell-O Gelatin – $.52
$.50/2 Jell-O Gelatin Target printable
$.55/3 Jell-O Gelatin printable
Final Price = $.17 each!

Kraft Fat Free or Light Salad Dressing (16 oz) – $2.04
$1/2 Kraft products Target printable
$1/2 Kraft dressing – 1-23 SS
Final Price = $1.04/each after coupons

Kraft shredded cheese – $2.04
$1.25/2 Kraft shredded cheese Target printable
$1/2 Kraft shredded cheese – 1-23 SS
$1/2 Kraft with a Touch of Philadelphia printable
Final Price = as low as $.92 each after coupons (when you buy 2)
**Also look for $1/1 Kraft with a Touch of Philadelphia peelies on the tubs of Philadelphia cream cheese

Marie Callendar’s or Healthy Choice frozen entrees – Buy 4, get 1 free (includes Marie Callendar’s Fresh Flavor steaming Entrees – $2 and Healthy Choice All Natural Steaming Entrees – $1.69)
Buy 3 Healthy Choice meals, get 1 free Target printable
$1/1 Marie Callendar’s Fresh Flavor Steamers printable
$1/1 Marie Callendar’s Fresh Flavor Steamers printable
$1/2 Healthy Choice Steaming Entrees – January 2011 All You Magazine
Buy 5, Get 1 Free Healthy Choice frozen meals – 1-2 SS

SCENARIOS:
Buy 5 Marie Callendar’s Fresh Flavor Steaming Entrees – $2/each

Use 5 $1/1 Marie Callendar’s coupons
-$2 (“free” through Target deal)

Spend $3 OOP ($.60/each)

OR

Buy 6 Healthy Choice Steaming Entrees – $1.69/each

Use Target Buy 3, Get 1 Free printable
Use Buy 5, get 1 free coupon
-$2 (“free” through Target deal)

Spend $4.14 OOP ($.69/each)

Hormel chili – $.99/can
$1.50/3 Hormel chili – February 2011 All You Magazine
$.55/2 Hormel printable
Final Price = $.49 after coupon
 
Kraft Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese – $2.69
$1/1 Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese – 1-16 SS
$.75/1 Kraft Target printable
Final Price = $.94/bag after coupons
(Thanks My Frugal Adventures!)

Market Pantry Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (2.5 lbs) – $6
$3/2 Market Pantry frozen chicken items Target printable
Final Price = $4.50/each (when you buy 2 – $1.80 per lb!)

Ortega Taco seasoning packet – $.89
$.50/2 Ortega products – 1-23 SS
$1/2 Ortega printable (this is a Smartsource coupon)
Final Price = $.19/each after coupon

Red Baron single serve pizza – $2.50
$1/1 Red Baron singles – 11-14 SS
$.75/1 Red Baron singles – 1-23 SS
Final Price = $1.50/each after coupon

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta – $1.19
$1/1 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain pasta – 10-10 SS
$1/2 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest – 1-23 SS
$1/2 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest printable
Final Price = as low as $.19/each after coupons

Totino’s Pizza – 5/$6 (you don’t need to buy 5 to get this deal)
$.50/2 Totino’s printable
Final Price = $.95/each after coupon

HOUSEHOLD:

All Small & Mighty (32 loads + 8) – $3.99
$1/1 All laundry detergent – 1-16 SS
Final Price = $2.99/each after coupon

Finish Jet Dry (4.22 oz) – $2.59
$1.50/1 Finish Jet Dry Target printable
$.75/1 Finish Jet Dry printable
Final Price – $.34 after coupons

GE Reveal Long Life Lightbulbs (4 pk) – $4
$1.50/1 GE Light bulbs, Target printable
$1/1 GE Reveal, Energy Smart, or Halogen product – 1-9 SS
Final Price = $1.50 after coupons
  
MOVIE DEALS:


Secretariat Blu Ray/DVD combo pack – $24.99
$8/1 Secretariat Blu Ray/DVD combo pack printable
Final Price = $17.99 after coupon

PETS:

Purina Beggin’ Strips (7 oz) – $2.59
$1/1 Purina Beggin’ strips – 12-12 SS
Free Purina Busy Bone WYB Purina Beggin’ Strips – 1-23 SS
Final Price = $1.59 for both the Beggin’ Strips and the bone!

This post is part of Becentsable’s Grocery Gathering.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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Possible free Papa Murphy’s pizza! (Plum District Deal)

January 24, 2011 by

Plum District (another “daily deals” site like Groupon) will be offering a $10 Papa Murphy’s gift card for just $5 starting Monday, January 24th (I’m not sure if it will go live at midnight or later in the morning).  Papa Murphy’s has confirmed this on their Facebook page!Rumor has it that there will only by 10,000 gift cards available, so these will go quickly!

Here’s how you can take advantage of this deal when it goes live:

1.  Make sure you are registered for Plum District (if you’re not, you’ll get $5 in “”Plum Dollars” when you sign up here)

2.  Log into your Plum District account and click on ‘Today’s Plum Deal’ (the current deal ends at midnight central time, so that may be when the new deal goes “live”)

3.  Click on the purple “Buy” button to buy the deal!

To find a Papa Murphy’s location near you, click here.

Don’t forget to tell your friends!  Your friends get $5 in “Plum Dollars” when you refer them and you get $10!  If we can use the $5 referral bonus on this deal, it will mean a $10 gift card for free!

ETA:  It looks like you can’t get the $5 Plum Dollars for this deal because it’s considered a “Plum Steal” rather than a “Plum Deal.”

Here’s some more info on this from their site:

What is the difference between a Plum Deal and a Plum Steal?
Plum Deals are the amazing offers we feature every day from local merchants. Plum Steals are our occasional “Oh no they didn’t!” discounts on your favorite major brands and well-established companies. Also, unlike Plum Deals, you cannot use or earn Plum Dollars on a Plum Steal.

Why can’t I use Plum Dollars when purchasing a Plum Steal?
We promise you won’t find savings like these anywhere else, and because Plum Steals are already such exclusive offers we are not able to provide them at a further discount.

Why can’t I earn Plum Dollars for referring a Plum Steal?
We feel that our Plum Steals are such amazing offers that we want to give our pre-existing subscribers first dibs. It’s our way of saying “Thank you for already being a subscriber.” We still want to thank you for spreading the word, so when you do refer a Plum Steal to a friend – regardless if they purchase it or not – their first Plum Deal purchase will earn you $10 Plum Dollars.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

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