Safeway Run- 9/10/2010

                       I'll give you my totals first, then explain my transaction.

                                          Total before coupons: $58.06
                                          Total after coupons: $11.00
                                          Total Savings: 77%!!!
                                          Plus, I have a $5 CAT!!

Safeway has a catalina deal through 9/28/2010 where if you purchase $15 worth of selected cleaning products a $5 catalina. Most of the products are priced at $2.50 each. If you have the right coupons, this is a very sweet deal.

Also the Finish starter sets were priced at $4.99 at my store and I had some $3/1 coupons so $1.99 each!! I love this stuff!!!

 

Safeway Run - 9/8/2010

                                I bought all the above for less than $6.
                                        I saved around 80%!!!

I'm Alive!! I'm Alive!!

Life sure has taken hold of me. School has started and family is visiting, so I am still trying to balance it all!! Thanks to my readers that still check my blog!!

Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals

SALT! I have a love/hate relatonship with salt. I love the taste of it, but it hates me!! I know this because of the way it makes me bloat and the terrible occasional tummy pangs. Have you ever tried to amp up the sexiness when you are bloated?!?! Yeah, that's what I thought!!

Then this miracle in a bottle came my way! Mrs. Dash!! Seriously, this miracle worker has saved so many "tasteless" dishes and turned them into gourmet MASTERPIECE!!! I love them all, but my absolute favorite!! Fiesta Lime!!! HELLO, TASTY MEXICAN DISHES!! OLE!!

Here is my favorite recipe that uses Mrs. Dash Fiesa Lime....south of the border style!!

Rice and Bean Burritos

2 cups cooked brown rice
15 oz black beans, no salt added
1/2 cup salsa
1 small onion, diced
15 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, no salt added
1 TB Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime

Saute onions until golden brown. Add black beans, salsa, diced tomatoes and Mrs. Dash.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce Heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add cooked brown rice and heat through!

Serve with your favorite tortillas and toppings. Fresh avocado goes great with this as well with as pico de gallo. Use some Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime in some guacomole instead of some salt for an extra kick.

Here are some more suggestions for ways to incorporate Mrs. Dash into your favorite meals, side dishes and snacks.

* Slice up some fresh tomatoes and skip the salt. Instead, use Mrs. Dash. Of course use my favorite flavor: Fiesta Lime!!!

*Spinach!! My kids hate eating their greens, but when we melt just a pat of butter and heat up the spinach in a wok: FANTASTIC!! We add Mrs. Dash right before serving....they gobble it up!

*I use the orginal blend of Mrs. Dash in my Alfredo Sauce. It really makes it pop and I don't nearly bloat as much. Now if only I could quit eating so much of that pasta, is there a Mrs. Dash for that?

*Another tip on substituting something for salt, but not on the flavor. Using fresh herbs is a great way!! They don't have to be expensive either! I have bought basil plants at my local farmer's market for under three dollars. I get a lot of basil from the plant as well. I use the basil in all my homemade pasta sauces as well as sandwiches! YUMMY!!

*One last tip is to take a nice, crusty loaf of bread. I like to use Italian or Sourdough bread. I lightly drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes! The end product tastes like HEAVEN!!!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

99% Savings at Safeway!!

Everything in the picture cost me a grand total of $1.25!!!

RIDICULOUS!!!!

Safeway has a great Buy 4 Save $4 Promo. In itself this is a great promotion, but there are also 2 Catalinas that coincide with it.

Nature Valley

Buy 5 Earn $3.50 OYNO

Fruit Roll-ups

Buy 5 Earn $3.00 ONYO

To maximize savings I suggest buying 5 and then rolling the CAT's and so on. I did 2 more transactions today similar to the one pictured above. Total OOP less than $5!!

Great time to stock up on sweet extras for after school, practices and donations.

Safeway Run 8/9/10

Andrew just HAD to be in the picture ;)

Total OOP $15.59

Total Saved: $40.00

Plus, I still have a $5 CAT for a future purchase

Here is what I got:

Transaction 1:

(2) Apple Jacks

(2) Frosted Flakes

(4) Poptarts

(2) Eggo Waffles

(1) Mission Tortilla

I used:

(2) .55/1 Poptart (doubled)

(1) 1/2 Apple Jacks

(1) 1/2 Frosted Flakes

(1) 1/2 Eggo Waffles

Paid $15.00

Received $10 Catalina

Transaction 2:

(5) Kraft Cheese

(1) Wheat Bread

Used:

(1) IP 1/1 Kraft Cheese (I lost my other ones :( )

$10 Catalina

Paid $.59

Received $5 Catalina

It's Not Just About Coupons....

Yeah, that's ME!!! This is my signature hand gesture when I rock out!!

ANYWHO, my point of this post is coupons AREN'T always needed to get a good deal.

Case in point: Warped Tour 2010. I took my husband yesterday and I didn't even purchase the tickets. We both got in free and the best part is we both were able to go ONSTAGE to see Reel Big Fish (his favorite band)

My point is that it pays to enter in those REDUNKULOUS radio contests! They actually pay off, my experience yesterday is a testament of that. Coupons are not a necessity when finding a great deal!  Winning contests, attending free day events, thrift stores, clearance racks...all these are AWESOME ways to score killer deals without using coupons.

What is your best deal scored without the use of a coupon?