Inspiration For Moms: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31

Travelin' Around Town Tuesday--$1.50 Jennie-O Turkey!!

This week I went to 3 stores: Sprouts, Safeway, and Rite Aid.

Sprouts total spent was $15.97. I purchased 2 red bell peppers, 2 heads of broccoli, spinach, 2 onions, 2 sweet potatoes, 3 zucchinis, 2 lemons, colby/jack cheese, celery and a pkg of organic frozen waffles. (I totally forgot to pick up the cantaloupes that were on sale for 3 for $1.00!! Oh, well...there will be more sales to come.)

Safeway total spent was $11.95. I purchased 8 pkg of Jennie-O Ground Turkey. Jennie-O was on sale at Safeway for B1G1 FREE. The price for one was $4.99 but my husband had found some coupons at the gym for $.55 off Jennie-O products (which expired today!). After the store doubled my 8 coupons, I was left with a final price of $11.95 or less than $1.50 each!!! So that was a great time for me to stock up!

I haven't made it to Rite Aid yet, but I will update this later this evening for those of you who are interested.

Arguments Can Be Over The Dumbest Things...

A husband and wife were driving down the road one day. They saw a sign that said, "Naggadocios, 40 miles ahead".

They began to argue over how to correctly pronounce the name Naggadocios. The husband got so upset that he finally said, "When we get to the town I am going to stop and prove to you that I am right!"

They drove silently for the next 30 minutes.

When they got there he pulled into the first fast-food restaurant he could find. They both marched up to the counter and he said to the young lady working behind it, "My wife and I have been arguing for the last 30 minutes. Would you please tell us, very slowly and very clearly, how to pronounce the name of this place?"

The young ladies eyes got real big. She leaned over the counter and said, "B-u-r-g-e-r K-i-n-g!"

Photo Credit: faramarz

Great Advice on Protecting Your Identity Online!!

You can never be too safe when dealing with life on the internet. That's why I wanted to share this with all my readers! Money Saving Mom has a great article about 10 Ways to Protect Your Identity Online.

I thought the article had some great information and many people have also left some very useful comments as well! Go HERE to read the article and see what others had to share about protecting your identity!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!
Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

Monday, August 30

Simple Inspirations

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big,

not realizing that life is made up of little things.

M.A.D. Menu Plan Monday

After a week of vacation and eating mainly sandwiches and snacks, I am so ready to eat some real food! I hope everyone enjoyed all the extra recipes last week! If you happened to miss them, go HERE to see all the goodies! This week our menu is as follows:

Monday: Crispy Baked Fish with Roasted Zucchini and Oregano

Tuesday: Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Couscous

Wednesday: Turkey Meatloaf Muffins with Smashed New Potatoes

Thursday: Broiled Vegetable Pesto Salad with Cheesy Baguette

Friday: Artichoke and Black Olive Pizza with a Garden Salad

Saturday: Take Out!

Sunday: Dinner with the in-laws!

Dessert For The Week: Lemon Poppy-Seed Muffins

Sunday, August 29

Bath and Body Works Coupon: FREE Full Size Product!

Bath and Body works has released a brand new printable coupon. Get a FREE Bath and Body Works Signature Collection Body Care item (value of $12) with any $10.00 purchase!! This coupon expires 9/26/10 and you can be used in-store or online withe Coupon Code: SC4FREE at checkout! Go HERE to print your coupon!

Thanks, The Frugal Find!

Saturday, August 28

Sunday Coupon Preview

Sunday Coupon Preview has the new list of this Sunday's coupon inserts. There will be 3 inserts this week; one Smart source, one Red Plum insert and one P&G insert.

Here's a list of some of the coupons that I liked from each insert:

Smart source:
Pam Cooking Spray Save $.35/1 (10/31)

Sargento Natural Sliced Cheese products Save $1.00/2 (9/25)

To see the complete list of Smart source coupons, go HERE.

Red Plum:
Domino Organic or Demerara Sugar 24oz .30/1 (11/30)

Quaker Instant Oatmeal or Quaker quick or old fashioned oats 18oz or larger Save $1.00/1 (10/31)

To see the complete list of Red Plum coupons, go HERE.

P&G:
1.00/1 Bounty 6 roll towels or two towels or napkins
$1.00/2 Cascade

Buy one Olay Total Effects facial moisturizer Get one Olay Total Effects Body wash Free

$1.00/1 Crest Toothpaste 4.0oz or larger

$2.00/1 Tampax Pearl or Compact Pearl 18ct or higher
To see the complete list of P&G coupons, go HERE..

Whole Foods: Organic Grass-Fed Beef $3.99 lb!!!!

On Friday, September 3, all U.S. Whole Foods stores will have organic grass-fed beef on sale for only $3.99 lb!! This is a great time to try grass-fed beef if you haven't already or if you have, a great time to stock up! Which is exactly what I am going to do!!

Just be sure to mark your calendars because this is for one day only, Friday, September 3! And if you would like to read more about the benefits of grass-fed beef, go HERE.

Friday, August 27

Want Some FREE Cookies From Mrs. Fields?

Mrs. Fields has just started a new referral program. The way the program works is you simply refer your friends to Mrs. Fields email list and win FREE cookies! The prizes range from 10% discount on a order to a gourmet cookie and browine basket worth over $100!! To get a FREE 24-nibbler bite sized cookie tin, you only need 3 referrals!!

If you would like to be one of my 3 referrals (The family would love to get some FREE cookies), just send an email to me at inspirationformoms@gmail.com or you can simply leave a comment below and I will be more than happy to send you an email referral. And after you sign up, you can start referring and earning your FREE cookies too! YUMMY!!

If you would like to sign up without being referred by me, you can always go directly to the Mrs. Fields's site HERE.

Our 3.5 Mile Hike To Emerald Lake!

This morning our family got adventurous and decided to go for a big morning hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We love the area around Bear Lake, so we thought we would take a trail from there and head up to Emerald Lake. It was a mostly up hill climb so that was fun, well maybe fun is not the right word, more like do-able.

You can see from this picture that my husband is in great shape because he not only carried a big backpack (that contained our water, lunch and snacks), but he also was carrying Sebastian on his back!! And he did this for like 90% of the hike!!

We finally made it to Emerald Lake!! B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!! Don't you just love my hat?! LOL!! I forgot mine so I had to wear Chris's! What a fashion statement! It turned out to be a great day and we saw some beautiful sights! I just love Colorado!! We all had a great time, even Sebastian!

Just one last picture for proof that I did actually climb over 3.5 miles this morning!! Awesome!!

Sprouts Weekly Sales 8/25-9/1

Weekly Sales for Sprouts valid from 8/25/10 until 9/1/10

Wednesdays are 'Double Ad Days' at Sprouts.

This means if you shop on Wednesdays while this week's ad and last week's ad are in effect, you get Double Savings!

To see last week's sales, go HERE.

PRODUCE:

Hass Avocados $.88 ea.

Cantaloupe 3 for $1.00!!

Mangos 3 for $1.00

RomaTomatoes $.88 lb.

Red, Green or Black Seedless Grapes $.99 lb.

Yellow or White Peaches or Nectarines or $.88 lb.

DAIRY:

Hot Pepper Cheese $3.99 lb.

GROCERIES:

Honest Tea 5 For $5.00

BULK ITEMS:

Raw Almonds 1 lbs. for $3.99

FROZEN:

Vans Waffles, Pancakes, or French Toast 2 for $4.00

MEAT:

Mahi Mahi Filets $3.99 lb.

Friday Is Here! Time To Win Big!!

Every Friday Swagbucks gives you the chance to win as much as 2000 Swagbucks for doing one simple search!! And remember, a $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 Swagbucks!! So if you win 2000 and we do the math, that's $20 in Amazon gift cards!! Can you see it now? Christmas paid for with Amazon gift cards!! That would be a Christmas miracle!!

Still confused about Swagbucks? Go HERE to get more information and HERE to sign up!

Thursday, August 26

Home Depot: Coupon For B1G1 FREE Spring Bulbs!

If you are a member of the Home Depot Garden Club, you should be receiving an email with a coupon for buy one package of Spring Bulbs, get another FREE!

If you are not a member already, sign up HERE!!

Vera Bradley Saddle Bag--Only $29!

Today only, August 26, you can get a Vera Bradley Saddle Bag for only $29! The sale is on select colors only and is available while supplies last! Go HERE to saddle up!!

Wednesday, August 25

Qdoba Mexican Grill: Very HOT Coupon!! FREE Entree with Drink Purchase!

There's a great new coupon from Qdoba's Mexican Grill. Just go HERE to build an entree that will "Beat Burrito Boredom", then you'll be able to print a coupon for a FREE entree with a drink purchase!

I also used a different email address and I got another coupon for 50% off any entree. The coupons expire within 3 days, so don't wait to use them!!

So, guess where we are going to eat tonight?!

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!

Wordless Wednesday!

(Sebastian decided to sit in the drawers for a little cozier seat!

I think he forgot that we have a couch!)

Moms Win on Wednesdays!

List your giveaway here!! I am hosting a giveaway list every Wednesday on Inspiration For Moms! So if you or someone you know has a giveaway you think my readers would love to know about, please link up!!

Tuesday, August 24

My Target Trip...

Here is the break down of my latest trip to Target! I bought everything pictured below for $6.62!!

Quaker Life Cereal, on sale for $2.50

-minus $1.00 off Target coupon, printable HERE

Final price was $1.50 a box. (little higher than I like to pay, but coupon was going to expire)

Lipton Ice Tea, bought 2 boxes at $1.99 each, total $3.98

-minus $.75 off 2 Target coupon, printable HERE

-minus (2) $ .50 Lipton tea coupons, from 8/1 RP

Final price was $ 2.23 or $1.16 a box.

Q-tips, bought 2 boxes on sale for $2.15 each, total $4.30

-minus (2) $1.00 off Target coupons. printable HERE
-minus (2) $.30 off manufacturer coupon, from 8/1 RP

Final price was $1.70 or $.85 a box.

Bananas, bought 2.09 lb at $.46/lb, total $.96

-minus $.50 off Target coupon, printable HERE

Final price was $.46.

Cottonelle Wipes, bought 2 on sale for $2.24 each, total $4.48

-minus (2) $1.00 off Target coupon, printable HERE

-minus $.75 off 2 manufacturer coupon

Final price was $1.73 or $.87 each.

Chobani Greek Yogurt, bought 6 on sale for $1.00 each, total $6.00
(the deal I told you about HERE)

-minus (2) B2 Chobani Greek Yogurt G1 FREE coupon, printable HERE

Final price was $4.00 or $.66 each.

Final total was $11.62 and I used a $5.00 Target gift card. I paid a total of $6.62!! Yippie!!

Travelin' Around Town Tuesday

This week I went to two stores, Rite Aid and Target.

Rite Aid total spent was $5.23, but my final price will be $1.23!! I purchased one package of Pull-ups and one package of Crest 3-D Toothpaste. You can see the break down of my final price HERE.

Target total spent was $6.62! I purchased bananas, Life cereal, 6 Chobani Greek yogurts, 2 pkg of Q-tips, 2 Cottonelle wipes, and 2 pkg of Lipton tea. To see the break down of this purchase, go HERE.

Total spent this week was $11.85! Not bad for a week on vacation!!

My Baby's First Day at Preschool!

Today was my baby's first day at preschool. I guess he is not a baby any more. He still looks so young to me even with his 'big boy' backpack!

It was kinda hard to get a smile out of him today because there was so much going on with the brand new classroom, kids and all the parents!! Let's just say, he was a little bit distracted! He seemed fine with being left in a room full of strangers. I found that I was the one fighting back the tears and trying to be strong. *sigh*

Many of you moms are probably going through the same thing or will be in the weeks to come. I wish and hope that everyone has a great first day and a great year at school!

Be strong moms and don't forget to pack the tissues...you might need one!

Great Deals This Week At Rite Aid!!

I found a couple of great deals this week at Rite Aid that I wanted to share with you.

Huggies Jumbo Packs, Pull-ups and GoodNites are on sale at $8.99
-minus $2.00 Pull-up coupon, printable HERE or
-minus $2.00 Huggies coupon, printable HERE and
-minus $2.00 Pull-ups Rite Aid Video Values coupon, printable HERE
Pay just $4.99 a package!
Then get a $2.00 Up Reward coupon!
Final price after coupons and sale is $2.99!!!

Crest 3-D White Vivid Toothpaste is on sale for $2.99
-minus $1.00 coupon from 8/1 SS or
-minus $.75 coupon from 8.1 SS and
Pay as low as $1.99 then
-minus $2.00 SCR # 44 (this week only) you will get back
Final price after sale, coupons, and SCR is FREE!!!!

Did you see any other great deals at Rite Aid this week? Please share in the comments!!

30% Off at Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic

It's time to go shopping ladies!! Gap, Gap Oulet, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory stores and Old Navy are offereing up a new coupon for 30% off in-stores with this coupon, printable HERE.

This coupon is valid for four-days only, August 26-August 29. Plus 5% of the amount you spend goes to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And if you took advantage of the Gap Groupon deal I told you about HERE, this may be a good time to use that certificate. I don't if you can use both, but it never hurts to ask!!

Thanks, Hip 2 Save!

Monday, August 23

$25.00 Visa Gift Card Winner!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The winner of the Visa $25.00 gift card is.....

Stephanie!! (thecartoonlovinmama@)

Please email me at inspirationformoms@gmail.com within the next 48 hours to claim your prize!

Simple Inspirations

Persistence and dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you expect of yourself.

~Jodi L. (friend of mine)

Photo Credit: Leonard John Matthews

Sale at Target on Chobani Greek Yogurt!

My husband is going to be one happy camper because he loves Chobani Greek yogurt! And I have heard that now through 8/28, Target has marked them down to $1.00 each! To sweeten the deal even more, there are coupons to match with this sale!!

Go HERE to print a coupon for buy 2 Chobani Greek yogurts get one FREE! You should be able to print this coupon 3 times per computer.

So after sale and coupons your final price will be $.66 each when you buy 3!

Thanks, Totally Target!

Fresh Cherry Pie!

Serves 12
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 65 minutes

2 tablespoons uncooked quick-cooking tapioca
6 cups pitted sweet cherries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough
cooking spray
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1) Place tapioca in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Combine tapioca, cherries, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well. Let cherry mixture stand 30 minutes; stir to combine.

2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3) Roll 1 (9-inch) dough portion into an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, allowing dough to extend over the edge of plate. Spoon cherry mixture and any remaining liquid into dough. Roll remaining (9-inch) dough portion into a 12-inch circle. Cut dough into 12 (1-inch wide) strips; arrange in a lattice pattern over cherry mixture. Fold edges under; crimp. (Or you can use a cookie cutter to cut out pie dough and place on top of pie mixture as I did with the hearts, pictured above)

4.) Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg white into a small bowl. Brush the egg white mixture over dough on top of pie, and sprinkle dough evenly with 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Shield edges of pie crust with foil, and bake an additional 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is thick and bubbly. Cool pie in pan for 45 minutes on a wire rack.

M.A.D. Menu Plan Monday

This week is a vacation week at our house. Our family is squeezing in one last trip to the cabin in Estes before summer is officially over. So I am not really planning any meals, just easy sandwiches and snack foods. The only thing I am planning is rest and relaxation!

But I still wanted to give all of you a great menu plan Monday, so I thought I would give you my 5 favorite meals and one of my all-time favorite desserts with recipes included!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Tomatoes, Artichokes and Goat Cheese

New Mexico Chicken Posole

Broiled Mushroom Skewers over Couscous

Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

And....

Fresh Cherry Pie!! (I have received my compliments with this pie!!! So easy and so yummy!!)

To see any of the recipes to the meals listed above, simply just click on the meal you want! Enjoy!!

Sunday, August 22

New P&G Everyday SavingsCoupon Booklet!

Beginning on September 1, there will be a new P&G rebate for a new P&G Everyday Savings coupon booklet with over $110 in savings when you buy $50 worth of P&G products. And remember that the $50 is before coupons! Qualifying purchases must be made between 9/1 and 12/31 which gives you plenty of time to take advantage of this great offer.

Go HERE to print the rebate form and go HERE to see what coupons are included in the booklet!

Thanks, Totally Target!

Saturday, August 21

Coupon for $1.50 Off Santa Cruz Organic Products

When you purchase any Santa Cruz peanut butter and any Santa Cruz applesauce product you will receive $1.50 off your purchase. Go HERE to print your coupon.

Friday, August 20

Sunday Coupon Preview

Sunday Coupon Preview has the new list of this Sunday's coupon inserts. There will be 1 insert this week; Smart source. No Red Plum insert this week.

Here's a list of some of the coupons that I liked from this insert:

Smart source:

General mills cereal Save $1/2 (10/2)
Glade automatic spray refill b1g1 free bogo (9/11)

Huggies pull-ups training pants Save $1.50/1 (9/19)

To see the complete list of Smart source coupons, go HERE.

FREE Glade Tough Odor Solutions at Target!!

Through this Saturday, you should be able to snag FREE Glade Tough Odor Solutions Carpet and Room! Want to know how? Check this out:

Buy 1 Glade Tough Odor Solutions Carpet and Room for $1.99
-minus $1.00 Glade Tough Solutions Target coupon, printable HERE
-minus $1.00 any Glade Tough Solutions product from SS (8/1)
Final price you pay is FREE!!!!!!

Thanks, Totally Target!

Oh Happy Day!! It's Friday!!

Every Friday, Swag Bucks gives you the chance to win as much as 2000 Swag Bucks for doing one simple search!! And remember, a $5 Amazon gift card is only 450 Swag Bucks!!

My goal this year is to get as many Amazon gift cards as I can, that way I can use them to pay for my Christmas gifts. And hopefully I will be able to buy all of my Christmas presents for FREE! Wouldn't that be awesome! And it's not too late for you to join me...there are still about 4 months left until Christmas. Plenty of time, if you sign up now!! Go HERE to sign up and start earning your cash for Christmas!

If you are not worried about your Christmas shopping, they also have other awesome gift cards like Starbucks, Barnes and Nobel, i Tunes and Target. Just to name a few!! Go HERE to see all the other great rewards and gift cards Swag Bucks offers!!

Thursday, August 19

$25.00 For $50.00 Worth of GAP Apparel!!!!!!!!!!

Groupon has a great deal today only!! Buy a certificate for $25.00 and get a certificate for $50.00 worth of GAP apparel. This certificate is also good at GapKids, babyGap, and Gapbody! And you can use this on sale items!!! Yippie!! Only one coupon per customer, good for in-store only and only available today! GO HERE to grab yours!!

Sprouts Weekly Sales 8/18 - 8/25

Weekly Sales for Sprouts valid from 8/18/10 until 8/25/10

Wednesdays are 'Double Ad Days' at Sprouts.

This means if you shop on Wednesdays while this week's ad and last week's ad are in effect, you get Double Savings!

To see last week's sales, go HERE.

New Promotion: Buy a $100.00 Sprouts gift card for only $89.99!

PRODUCE:

Hass Avocados $.88 ea.

Cantaloupe $.49 ea.

Vine RipeTomatoes $.88 lb.

White or Yellow Peaches $1.00 for 3 lb.

Red Bell Pepper $.88 ea.

Black or Red Plums or Pluots $.88 ea.
(by the way....what the heck is a pluots????)

DAIRY:

Pecorino Romano and Mozzarella Cheese 40% Off!!

GROCERIES:

Tropical Yogurt Pretzels $2.99 for 16 0z. bag
(these have quickly become on of my favorite snacks in our home!!!!)

BULK ITEMS:

Hemp Granola 1 lbs. for $2.99

FROZEN:

No Great Deals

MEAT:

No Great Deals

Vera Bradley Sale- 20% Off Sale-Priced Special Collections

Vera Bradley has a new sale. Now through Sunday, August 22 receive an extra 20% already sale-priced special collections. Discount will be taken at checkout.

Go HERE to see the collections!

Only Two Days Left To Get Your $25 Visa Gift Card!!!

If you haven't already entered my giveaway for a $25.00 Visa gift card, hurry over HERE and enter!! There are only 2 days left, as the giveaway ends August 20!! Good luck, everybody!!

Wednesday, August 18

HOT New Schick Coupons!

There are two new coupons from Schick Xtreme3! Both are available to print from Smartsource and I suggest pritning them now, because I am sure they will go fast!

Save $3.00 on any Schick Extreme3 4-count Disposable Razors

Save $5.00 on any Schick Extreme3 8-count Disposable Razor

Thanks, For the Mommas!

New Rite Aid Coupon Booklet!

Be sure to keep your peepers open for a new Rite Aid coupon booklet found in stores now! The booklet has up to $128 in coupon savings and all coupons are good through 12/31/10!! If you would like to see the complete list of the coupons in the booklet, go HERE.

Thanks, Money Saving Madness!!

Moms Win on Wednesdays! List Your Giveaway!!!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 Visa gift card!! Go HERE for your chance to win!

Tuesday, August 17

New Coupon For $1.00 Off Wholly Guacamole! Get Wholly Guacamole For Only $1.99!

Go HERE to print this great coupon for $1.00 off one Wholly Guacamole, Salsa or Queso product!! This coupon has no expiration date and is a PDF, so hopefully you will not have any problems redeeming it!

Today, I purchased Wholly Guacamole at King Soopers which was on sale from $4.99 to $2.99. But if you stack on this coupon you can snag it for only $1.99!! YUM!!

Thanks, Organic Deals!

Travelin' Around Town Tuesday

This last week, I did lots of shopping, just not grocery/household shopping! So I only have one store grocery trip to share with you; King Soopers.

King Soopers total spent was $38.55. I purchased 2 pkg of organic blackberries, organic strawberries, apples, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, avocados, wholly guacamole, turkey bacon, organic milk, yogurt, eggs, OJ, and some organic waffles.

I am under my budget by $22.00! I plan on setting that money aside for some future stock piling sales!!

I Miss My Sis!

As most of you know, my sister came to visit me this past week. She was here a total of 9 days, but it only felt like a few minutes. Time sure does fly when your having fun...

(Pictures from our visit to the Denver Zoo with my sis)

I didn't post much last week as I didn't spend very much time on the computer. I thank all of my readers for your understanding in allowing me to take the time to enjoy and relish in my sisters visit! I know I have the best readers out there!!!!!