Did I Mention I LOVE Yard Sales?

So, my family and I were at The Park Ave Arts Festival today.  It's famous for the food, the handcrafted items, and the house parties.  What was I super-excited about?


The yard sales, of course!


Dragging my husband and two tired and hungry kids to yard sales at the tail end of a hot and long afternoon was definitely a risk. Everyone survived, and it turned out to be so worth it!

 Here's a sample of what I found:

Adorable 24 month girl's outfit

Size 6 toddler shoes for fall

I also found 3 sweaters for me, a pink sweater and pant set from Rugged Bear for Emma, a pair of toddler pajamas, fall tights, and a toddler summer dress.


For all 11 items, I paid a whopping $6.75.  I think that might be a record, even for me. 

Natural & Organic Coupon Round-Up!

Have you printed out your coupons this week? I've seen lots of new deals to be had. 
In terms of fresh produce, all areas should be seeing lower prices on green peppers, green beans, zucchini, and possibly sweet corn, depending on where you are. Here in upstate New York the corn harvest is just getting started.

Wegmans

$1 off Cleaned and Cut Peppers and Onions

Newman’s Own Organics (can print 2 per computer):

$.50/1 Chocolate Bar

$.75/1 Pretzels

$.75/1 Organic Snack Sticks

$.75/1 Organic Licorice Twists

Earth's Best 

$1/1 Wipes

$1/7 Jars of Baby Food

$1/2 Sesame Street Products

$5/1 Canister of Infant Formula

$.55/1 Organic Infant Cereal

Various Printables

$1/1 Late July Snack Chips

$1/1 Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread

$1/1 Muir Glen Printable

$1/4 HappyMorning or HappySqueeze Products

$.50/2 Plum Organics Items

$1/1 Kashi Pita Crisps

$2/1 Kashi Product (Recyclebank Coupon, go HERE to learn more about Recyclebank.)

$.75 off Silk Soymilk

$.60/1 Ricola Throat Lozenges

$2/1 Florastor Product

$1/1 Barbara's Bakery Product

Stonyfield Farms

$.50 off 3 OSoy 6oz Yogurts

$.50 off 3 Organic Yogurt Cups

$.50 off 1 YoToddler 4 pack

$.50 off 1 YoKids 6-pack

$.50 off 1 OSoy 6 pack

$.50 off 1 half gallon organic milk

$.50 off 1 YoBaby Drinkable 4-pack

$.50 off 1 Oikos Greek Yogurt

$.50 off 1 4-pack Stonyfield Activia

Facebook Coupons

**RARE** $2/1 Weleda Facial Care coupon when you "Like" Weleda on Facebook

$1 off 1 Wholly Guacamole product when you "like" them on Facebook.

$1 off 1 Alexia Product when you "like" them on Facebook

Brown Cow

$.50 off 3 Brown Cow 6 oz yogurts

$.50 off Greek yogurt multipack

$.50 off 32-oz  NonFat Yogurt

$.50 off 32-oz Cream Top Yogurt

$.50 off 16 oz Greek Yogurt

Mambo Sprouts

$1 off 2 Helios Nutrition Organic Kefir

$1 off 2 Lifeway Kefir Products

$1 off 1 KeVita Probiotic Drink

$.55 off 1 San-J Gluten Free Asian Cooking Sauce

$.75 off Organic Valley Half and Half or Soy Creamer

$1.00 off 1 Olivia's Organics Salad

$2 off Bach’s Rescue Remedy Pet Product

$1 off Late July Crisps

Seventh Generation

$.50 off 1 Seventh Generation Baby Product

Amazon

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Diapers, Stage 4, 30 Count (Pack of 4) -- $26.60 ($6.60/pack) when you use Subscribe & Save

Head over here to find more good Amazon grocery deals.

Target

$1/2 Morningstar Farms Frozen Items

Wegmans’ Nature’s Marketplace July Magazine:

$2 off 1 Weleda Facial Care Product

$1 off 2 Kashi cereals or snacks

$1 off 3 Clif Products

$1 off any 1 Clif Crunch Box

$5 Fridays: Even MORE Zucchini!

This is for all you wonderful locavores who are getting zucchini in your CSA baskets Every.Single.Week!


I thought we were in the clear when I looked through yesterday's basket, but nope! Nestled between a cucumber and some collard greens was that distinctive dark green vegetable that is slowly becoming the bane of my (cooking) existence.


So, because I haven't posted a zucchini recipe in, oh, a day and a half, here is some MORE zucchini!


Today's $5 recipe is for Zucchini Boats. I've seen these made a TON of different ways, and you can put almost anything in them, but I like this recipe because it is cheap, flavorful, and can be adapted to whatever vegetables you have on hand.


Zucchini Boats
4 medium- large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and hollowed out 
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced 
1-3 cloves garlic, diced 
1 tbs parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn into large pieces
1/4 cup bread crumbs (any kind, I used Wegmans' Italian Seasoned)
1 cup diced vegetables -- I used sweet peppers and tomatoes since that's what came in the CSA basket this week
1/2 cup cheese -- mozzarella or feta both work great
Salt & Pepper to taste


1. Mix up the onion, garlic, parsley, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and diced vegetables in a medium bowl.

2. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the hollowed out zucchini.

3. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil or grill until browned and bubbly. 


I would like to thank my friend Jan for inspiring this recipe; a short video demonstration can be seen here on my Facebook page. (And, as suggested by a 3 year old on the video,  you can add chopped up pork or bacon if you feel so inclined).


**Note** I haven't included specific prices for these ingredients, because produce prices vary so much by season and throughout the country. Everything except the cheese and the bread crumbs came from my CSA basket this week, so my total out of pocket was only about $1 (although I realize I paid for my CSA stuff, but that was back in May).

Yard Sale Finds: Under $20!

Even though I sort of consider myself a yard sale aficionado, I haven't had a lot of time this summer to make the rounds of yard sales.  Both of my kids are growing, though, and I always like to have clothes for the upcoming season in larger sizes so I don't have to go and -- gasp -- buy clothes at retail prices.  


So Mason and I ventured out this morning to three sales, and I was thrilled with the bargains we found!  I did make sure to stick to my Yard Sale Rules, however.   I did recon on Craigslist ahead of time, all three sales had children's clothes in my target sizes, and all the sales were within two miles of my house. 


Here's what I scored -- spending only $19 for the whole lot!

From Left to Right: 

• Top Row: two turtleneck sweaters for me -- $1 each
• Middle Row: Poetry for Children Book, Grandkids frame, 6 hardcover books on various topics (baking, herbs, etc)
• Bottom Row: 3 pairs toddler girls' jeans; 4 winter sleepers, 3 long sleeve shirt

All in all, I purchased 20 items and spent $19. 

As a reward for Mason's awesome behavior, I spent $.99 extra on a day-old pastry from our favorite bagel place on the way home -- which brought the day's total to $19.99. The pastry didn't make it into the picture. :)

FREE Amazon Gift Cards with Swagbucks!

Today is Mega Swagbucks Friday, and that means that you have a chance to win even more swagbucks when you search the internet!


Swagbucks is an online rewards program that awards swagbucks for doing what you would do anyway -- searching online. Swagbucks are redeemable for prizes and gift cards -- most popular are gift cards to Amazon.  


As a point of reference, I currently have 5,899 swagbucks accumulated through searches and other means. That is the equivalent to $65 in Amazon gift cards. I'm saving up for Christmas!


Head over here to sign up to start earning swagbucks!

More Kellogg's Printables!

Everyone knows by now how obsessed I am with cereal, so of course I wanted to share these new Kellogg's coupons!


All you have to do is head over here to get up to $10 worth in Kellogg's coupons!

NEW Printable Coupons= Rock Bottom Deals!

I'd highly suggest printing these Coupons.com coupons now because they'll probably go fast.
There are some rock-bottom deals to be had!


I've listed what the prices would be at Wegmans, but I'd bet that there will be deals (especially on the cereal!) before the month is up at stores nationwide, including the drug stores. Print them now and I'll let you know when the sales are!


Ricola Throat Lozenges -- $1.69
$.60/1 Ricola Throat Lozenges (Stock up now!)
Final Price= $.49


Cinnamon Toast Crunch -- $2.50
Use $.50/1 Printable
Final Price= $1.50


Cocoa Puffs Cereal -- $2.50
Use $.75/1 Printable
Final Price= $1.00


Philadelphia Cooking Creme -- $2.69
Use $.75/1 printable
Final Price= $1.19


Bisquick - $3.29
Use $.50/1 Printable
Final Price= $2.29


Chex Cereals - $3.49
Use $.75/1 Printable
Final Cost= $1.99

Almost-Free Refried Beans at Wegmans!

There are so many great new coupons on Coupons.com this month, but one of the best I've found is this one for $.50 off any Old El Paso product.  After the coupon doubles, you can get Fat-Free Refried Beans at Wegmans for only $.29.  You can print this coupon out twice per computer. 

Wegmans' Thursday Coupon!

Today's Wegmans' coupon is $1 off cleaned and cut peppers and onions.


These would be perfect with italian sausage or  grilled chicken. 

Easy Zucchini "Chips"

In my never-ending quest to come up with delicious ways to get my family to eat all the zucchini that winds up in our refrigerator, I decided to make Zucchini "Chips."  I got the idea from -- of course -- Pinterest.  In fact, head over here if you'd like to see all my Pinned zucchini recipes!


I used this recipe from Urban Veganista for inspiration, but as you'll see, I completely changed the recipe.  I think, however, that maybe I should have stuck to the original. Even though mine tasted savory and delicious -- my sick-of-zucchini husband had two helpings -- the texture was a little flabby.  Here's the recipe -- but it's still a work in progress:


Easy Zucchini Chips
1 large zucchini, sliced into super-thin rounds (I used my box grater, but a mandoline would be perfect)
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

1. First, assemble your ingredients. Then slice up the zucchini.

2. Next, mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and pour the milk in a separate bowl.

3. First dip the sliced zucchini in the milk, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture.

4. Lay in a thin layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, flip, and cook for 3-5 more minutes. I used the toaster oven because I hate using the real oven when it's over 80 degrees out!

While these taste absolutely heavenly, I wasn't able to get the texture quite right, and I can't decide if I should cook them longer on low heat or shorter on higher heat.  I'm fairly certain, though, that frying these in hot oil would be absolutely perfect. 

Zulily:Awesome Reusable Bags from BringIt!

I saw this deal on reusable bags when I was looking up the GlamourMom deal, and I couldn't resist sharing it.  I kind of have a thing (ok, a mild obsession) with reusable bags, and the ones offered today by BringIt! are adorable AND affordable.

I'm so getting this lunch kit -- besides being reusable and insulated, all the pieces are made from recycled bottles. And the whole kit is only $11.99! (For comparison, I just paid $6 for one reusable snack bag a couple of weeks ago).

I also love this set of 3 market bags for only $9.99. So cute.


This deal ends tomorrow at 9am EST so head over here now if you want to peruse these awesome bags!
I'm planning on buying a few for gifts, but they would also be great for kids' lunches, adult lunches, going to the beach, a day trip, really anything!  They even have a platinum lunch set (read: gray) that would be great for husbands or dads!


BONUS: if you order $50 or more from Zulily (across the site), use code GA3964 to get an extra $5 off your order!

Zulily: GlamourMom Tanks!!

Hurry because these won't last long! 
Zulily has a fabulous deal on Glamourmom Tanks today. These tanks are great for nursing moms -- my one Glamourmom tank was my favorite, and I wish I had bought more! The best part about them is that the tanks are long enough to cover some of that post-baby belly!  


You can wear them under anything to easily and discreetly nurse your baby anywhere!


Tanks start at $19.99, down 50% from the original price. I would honestly pay full price for these anyway, though, because GlamourMom has hands down the best nursing tanks I've ever tried. 


Go here to check them out!

New Nature's Marketplace Magazine at Wegmans!

During my quick trip to Wegmans Monday I popped over to see if there was a new Nature's Marketplace Magazine out since it was the first of August. There was!
Here are the coupons I found inside:


$2 off any Weleda Facial Care Product
$1 off any 3 Clif, Builder's, or Mojo bars
$1 off any 1 box of Clif Crunch products
$1 off any 2 Kashi Cereals or TLC Snacks (yay for Kashi coupons!!)


Oh, and as a bonus, when I was in the Nature's Marketplace I saw that Wegmans is still offering Barbara's Bakery cereals for 2/$5.00. If you combine that with 2 of these printable coupons for $1 off Barbara's  cereals, it could make for a great deal ($1.50/box!).

Free Sample: Post-It Super Sticky Notes

There is a free sample of Post-It Super Sticky Notes available. I am excited to try this because, first, I'm an absolute office supply hoarder, and second, I hate having non-sticky post-its floating around.


Go here to try new Post-It Super Sticky Notes.

This Week's Wegmans' Trip: Short and Sweet

 

Monday's trip to BJ's Warehouse pretty much exhausted my fortitude for shopping as well as my budget, so I was annoyed when I realized around 4 pm that we were out of pull-ups (or "special underwear" as we call it so my son doesn't think they're diapers!). We use cloth trainers during naptime but need the heavy-duty absorption at night.

After dinner all four of us trekked out to Wegmans for a few things. I figured, since we are going anyway, I might as well bring my coupons! The only thing that really bummed me out was that I didn't get my free CoverGirl Mascara -- they were all out of the clearance ones (at $1.92) so I didn't use my coupons for that at all. I had a $1/1 Cover Girl Product from the Wegmans Summer Savings Booklet and a $1/1 Cover Girl product from this week's P&G insert.

Here's what I did get:

Luigi's Italian Ice -- $2.49 w/ Shopper's Club

Used $.50/1 printable (there's also a $1 off 2 from 7/24 RP)

Final Price=$1.49

Wegmans Training Pants -- $12.49

Valley Fresh 100% Natural Canned Chicken -- $2.79

Wegmans Tuna -- 2 @ $.79/each

Wegmans Jumbo Pack Diapers -- $12.99 w/ Shopper's Club (we've been using disposables for trips)

Used $8/1 from Wegmans Summer Savings Booklet

Final Price= $4.99

Rimmel Mascara -- $3.39

Used $1/1 from 7/31 RP

Used $1/1 from Wegmans Summer Savings Booklet

Final Price= $1.39

Degree Deodorant -- $2.39

Used $1/1 from 7/31 RP

Final Price= $1.39

Total Before Coupons and Savings= $39.62

Coupon & Shopper's Club Savings= $14.00

Total Out of Pocket= $26.12

Savings=33%

$2 off Fresh Pork Coupon

I just found this coupon for $2 off any fresh or previously frozen pork ribs (2 lbs or more).  I just printed it out, and it looks like it's good anywhere in the US!


Wegmans has center cut pork ribs in the club pack for $3.49/lb. Using this coupon, you could get 2 lbs for $4.98.  That's a great deal, especially if you are planning an end of summer barbecue!


This probably won't be around long, so make sure you print ASAP!  If you hit back after the print is complete, it will print again!


I wonder if you can make ribs in a crock pot? I don't cook a lot of pork, but my family loves it so I better take advantage of this deal!


(Thanks, I am That Lady!)

Staples Trip: Lots of Great Deals and Under $25!

It's a good thing I went to Staples before I went to BJ's Warehouse yesterday! I needed a few things and I was absolutely exhaused after the BJ's trip!


I'm absolutely loving all the back to school sales. I took advantage of some of the deals at Staples to get some art supplies for the kids and to re-stock my gift closet.

2 Composition Books @ $.99 each

1 4-pk Glue Sticks @ $1.50

1 Heavy Duty Construction Paper @ $3

1 Mini Crayon & Sketch Pad Set -- $3

2 Washable Markers @ $3

1 Large Washable Crayon 8 -pk @ $2

3 24-pack Washable Crayons @$2

100 index cards @ $.01

I've already given both my kids a composition book and a couple of crayons -- which they are aboslutely loving. They have both recently been more interested in drawing and it is one of the only activities that will occupy my 3 year old for more than 20 seconds. The composition book is great because he has so many pages to color on, and when he is done we will have a nice, compact record of his artwork!

Amazon: Frosted Mini-Wheats for under $2/box

We eat a lot of frosted mini-wheats around here. I just bought a bunch at BJ's Warehouse club, but I wish I waited another day because they're on sale at Amazon for $1.92/box!
Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite-Size Cereal, 18-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 4) are $10.32, only $8.77 when you choose subscribe & save, but you save an additionall 10% when you used code KELBTSII at check out.


Remember, you can cancel subscribe & save at any time after your order ships.


Go here to get this deal!

Make it Yourself Monday: Garlic Herb Butter

I'm running a little late for my Make it Yourself Monday post.  We had a family reunion in the Adirondacks this weekend and I was doing the whole shopping/laundry thing today.  But it's still Monday for a few more hours!  Today for dinner I had some amazing fresh green beans from the CSA that I wanted to use. I sauteed them in the most amazing homemade garlic herb butter, and they were near perfection.


Wegmans sells Garlic "Finishing Butter" for $2.49 for 3.5 oz.  After buying it a few times -- it really is pretty yummy -- it dawned on me that it's not that hard to combine butter, garlic, and some herbs.

Garlic Herb Butter
3 tbsp salted butter 
2 fresh garlic cloves
a handful of fresh herbs (I used chives from my garden)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and voila! Beautiful, flavorful butter to complement any fresh vegetable.  

Amazon: Barbara's Bakery Products 20% off

I'm completely obsessed with Barbara's Bakery Peanut Butter Puffins. My kids love it too. We just snack on it right out of the box. 

This month at Amazon you can getBarbara's Bakery Peanut Butter Puffins Cereal, 11-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 4) 4 for only $11.12, which is $2.78 per box. That's pretty good for organic cereal.


Make sure to use code BARBBTSI and choose subscribe & save, which you can always cancel after your order ships.

New Printable Coupons!

It's the beginning of the month, and that means lots of new printable coupons from Coupons.com.
Here are my favorites:


Food & Beverage:

$1.50 OFF ONE (1) 11 oz package of Starbucks Natural Fusions  
$1.00 OFF any TWO BOXES General Mills cereals listed: Basic 4, Cheerios (any), Chex  $1.00 OFF any ONE (1) package of ATHENOS Feta Cheese  
$0.75 OFF TWO any flavor Yoplait Go-GURT Yogurt, Yoplait Kid
 $0.75 OFF any ONE BOX Chex cereal  $0.75 OFF ONE BOX Cocoa Puffs cereal  
$0.75 OFF any ONE (1) package of PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme  


$0.75 OFF TWO any Nature Valley Granola Bars (6 count or larger)  
$0.75 OFF any ONE (1) Breyers Blasts! (48 oz.)  


$0.75 OFF any ONE (1) Kashi Frozen Entrée or Pizza Product  
$0.55 OFF on any Bagel-fuls (4ct)  
$0.50 OFF ONE 28 OZ. OR LARGER Bisquick Baking Mix OR Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix  
$0.50 OFF ONE BOX any flavor/variety Nature Valley Granola Thins  
$0.50 OFF TWO CUPS any flavor Yoplait Greek yogurt 
 $0.50 OFF TWO any flavor/variety Pillsbury Toaster Strudel OR Toaster Scrambles Pastries   
$0.50 OFF ONE BOX any flavor Lucky Charms Treats, Golden Grahams Treats, Chex Mix Treats  
$0.50 OFF ONE BOX Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal 
 $0.50 OFF ONE BOX any flavor Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies  
$0.50 OFF any TWO Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls 
 $0.40 OFF any TWO Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls 



Personal Care:
$2.00 OFF any AVEENO POSITIVELY AGELESS product (Excludes trial sizes) 
$2.00 OFF any AVEENO SMART ESSENTIALS product (Excludes trial sizes) 
$1.00 OFF any Revlon Beauty Tools 
$1.00 OFF any one (1) Nivea Sun-Kissed Radiant Product 
$1.00 OFF 1 NIVEA Express Hydration Lotion or Gel  
$1.00 OFF any one (1) NIVEA Good-bye Cellulite Product (2.5oz.-6.7oz.) 
$1.00 OFF any L'Oreal Studio Line Styling Product 
$1.00 OFF 1 Box of 14 count Instead Softcups  
$0.75 OFF any Clear eyes Product 
$2.00 OFF Any Benefiber Product $2.00 OFF any ONE (1) Florastor probiotic $1.00 OFF any Flintstones Multivitamin Product $1.00 OFF any one (1) Phillips' Laxative Product

Home Entertainment:
$3.00 OFF Bridget Jones's Diary, Chocolat, or Amelie on Blu-ray!

Books & Magazines:
$2.00 OFF August issue of ESSENCE