Family On A Budget

If you order the free downloadable game Big Kahuna Reef [Game Download] you will get an email confirmation and a $5.00 MP3 credit added to your account. Promotional offer is valid from August 5, 2009 through August 31, 2009 and subject to change. You must redeem the credit by September 30, 2009.

The game is ok, but you don’t even have to download it if you don’t want to, you still get the credits.

So what are you ordering with your credits. I am not sure yet. Maybe some Pearl Jam or I noticed the entire Viva La Vida – Prospekt’s March Edition (Coldplay) for only 2.99
From Amazon.com

To Redeem (after you buy the game).

1. Browse for your favorite music.
2. Find the music you want, click the “Buy” button, and your credit will automatically be applied to your purchase.
3. If you have not used the full value of the promotional credit, we will automatically apply the remaining balance of your credit on each of your additional Amazon MP3 purchases until you have used its full value or until the credit expires, whichever occurs first. You can check your credit balance by clicking “Redeem Your Amazon.com Gift Card or Promotional Code and View Balance” button, visible on every MP3 detail page. You can check the expiration date of the credit in the confirmation email message we sent to you regarding your credit.
4. After your purchase, you can confirm that your credit was applied by checking your order confirmation, which will be sent to you by e-mail.

Amazon is featuring Southern Living as the Magazine Steal of the Week. Through Saturday 8/29/09 you can subscribe for $5.00. This is the lowest price I have seen so far. The recipes are so great (but not necessarily low calorie) – LOL.

Their Root Beer Baked Beans recipe is a favorite of ours.

I love this stuff on chicken and burgers….

1/3 cup diced red onions
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup Jack Daniel’s Bourbon
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

Blend all ingredients in order in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 35 – 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

Makes about 3 cups.

Source. This recipe is readily available on many recipe websites, but I first found it in America’s Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family’s Favorite Restaurants. This is a great book with many great knock off recipes.

I am so proud, I finally have some control back in my home after the summer chaos of classes, moving my daughter from place to place for college/internship and my ongoing quest for fitness. Here is our menu for this week.

My theme ingredient for the week is going to be Jack Daniels. I will make Lynchburgh Lemonade for a cool refreshing drink for Saturday’s or Sunday’s Dinner, TGIF’s Jack Daniels Knockoff Dipping Sauce for Thursday and Pork and Honey Tenderloins which all will feature Jack Daniels. Cheers….


Monday – Boston Market Knockoff recipe for Meatloaf, mashed red skinned potatoes (cook extra potatoes for tomorrow), garden tomatoes and light creamed spinach.

Tuesday – Pork and Honey Tenderloin Kabobs, potato salad.

Wednesday – Grilled Cod Packets with fresh dill, Wheat Berry Salad with Tomatoes and Olives

Thursday – Grilled chicken tenderloins with Knockoff TGIF Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce, baked beans and salad with garden veggies.

Friday – Dinner out with DH. I will probably order a salad or other vegetarian based meal and a few micro brews….

Saturday – Grilled Flank Steak with Corn, Black Bean and Avocado Salad, salad with garden veggies

Here is a quick and tasty summer meal to serve when peaches are ripe and cheap. I usually purchase the pork tenderloins at Sam’s Club in bulk and always have some on hand in the freezer. My daughters are not fans of most meats, but they love pork tenderloin. Bulk honey is also a great deal at Sam’s Club, but during the summer I like to buy local honey from the farmers markets along with the fresh peaches. I just love summer….

Honey Pork Tenderloin Kabobs

* 1/2 cup bourbon OR 2 tablespoons cider vinegar (lowers the calories)
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1/2 cup mustard
* 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
* 3-4 sweet potatoes cut into 24 one-inch cubes
* 1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 24 one-inch cubes
* 4 medium ripe unpeeled peaches, pitted and quartered
* 4 green peppers, each cut into 8 two-inch pieces
* 8 yellow onions, each cut into 4 two-inch pieces
* Olive oil for grilling

Cooking Directions

Here is a good deal at Target for Kellogg Snack Bars. My daughters eat tons of snack bars.

Kellogg’s Cinnabon Bars ($1.75), print multiple target coupons for $.50 off of 1 Kellogg’s Grain Snacks , then combine with a printable manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off of 1 Kelloggs Cinnabon Bars or $.75 off of 1 Special K Chocolaty Pretzel Bars

You can print multiples of the Target coupons and 2 per computer of the coupons.com coupons.

Here is a high value printable coupon for $5.00 off of $25.00
for Rite Aid. Combine this with their rebates for extra savings….

Currently Amazon is offering a $5.00 Promotional Certificate Offer when you purchase participating magazines with an automatic renewal subscription. It is very easy to cancel the automatic renewal should you decide to do so. I have picked up a few for me and the girls… They love Glamour mag and I am a long time Good Housekeeping subscriber…

These were some of the Magazine Deals I noticed:

• Redbook (1-year auto-renewal), $5.99 for one year. Just .99 after the promotional certificate.




• Seventeen (1-year auto-renewal), $7.97 for one year. Just $2.97 after the promotional certificate.




• Good Housekeeping (1-year auto-renewal), $7.97 for one year. Just $2.97 after the promotional certificate.




• Marie Claire (1-year auto-renewal), $8.00 for one year. Just $3.00 after the promotional certificate.
• Harper’s BAZAAR, $8.00
• Esquire, $8.00
• Details, $8.00
• Inc, $9.97
• Parents, $9.97
• Working Mother, $9.97
• Running Times, $10.00
• Runner’s World, $12.00
• Golf Digest, $12.00
• Glamour, $12.00

Click here for a complete list.

Here is the information for canceling automatic subscriptions…

Printable coupons for Giant Eagle, Week 8/13 to 8/19.

• Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups 5/$10.00 – $0.50/2 Printable $3.50 for 2 – $1.75 each
• Breyers Ice Cream B3G1 $2.50 (buy 4) – Breyers products $1.00/2 – $2.00 each or Breyer’s Ice Cream Products, Any $1.00/2 – $2.00 each
• Cheez-It 7.5oz -10oz, select varieties – $2.00 plus
  5 for $10 and FREE milk ONYO – Cheez-it baked snack $0.75/1 – $1.25 each or
  – Cheez-It Whole Grain Crackers $0.75/1 – $1.25 each
• Chex mix bars or milk and cereal bars 4/$10 – $0.60/1 Chex Mix Bars printable $1.30 each
• Nature Valley Granola Bars 5/$10, $0.40/1 Nature Valley Granola Bar – $1.20 each
• Special K shakes or meal bars 2/$10 – Special K $1/1 – $4.00 each

More Printables

• Bagel Bites 5/$10.00
  – Bagel Bites $1.00/1 – $1.00
• Bagel Bites snacks – $2.00/2 – $2.00 for 2 – $1.00
• Juicy Juice 64oz or 8 packs 2/$5.00 – Nestle Juicy Juice, any $1.00/2 – $2.00 each.
• Keebler fudge shoppe or cracker sandwiches $5/$10 – Keebler $1/2 – $1.00 each
• Kelloggs PopTarts 12ct $2.50 – Kellogg’s Pop Tarts Blueberry Muffin Flavor $0.55/1 – $1.95

Here is a high value printable coupon for $2.00 off of 1 Coke 12 pack.

I just wanted to voice something that is bothering me. I think the Cash for Clunkers program that is rewarding people up to $4500 to turn in their older, running cars for a new model is a bad idea.

Currently we have two cars and one of them is definitely approaching clunker proportions. It is a 10 year old Saturn with a billion miles on it. It rattles and much of the plastic parts are dying a slow death. I will be so glad to replace it. Our other vehicle is a 7 year old minivan with a lot of miles, but still in relatively good shape. We have no car payments on either car and only have to deal with repairs (which are starting to add up).

I have been saving money each month so that when one of the above bites the bullet, I will be prepared to pay cash for another car or truck. The longer these vehicles last the more car I will be able to replace it with. We are following a modified idea of Dave Ramsey’s Drive Free plan. Having purchased new cars in the past and being broke while trying to maintain two car payments, I have learned our lesson big time. No new cars for us.

Giant Eagle has a list of the “extra rewards” that you can save at the checkout this week through August 5, 2009 located on the Giant Eagle Website.

On the list are a few things I am going to buy.

• Buy 29 or more Yoplait® Yogurt, 4-6oz. and get $2.00 off at the register. Currently these are one sale for 20 for $10.00. There are printable coupons for $.50 off of six and one for $.60 off 3 at coupons.com. If you have access to multiple computers (you can print 2 per computer), this could be a good deal. The Thick and Cream yogurts are the only ones my mom eats so I try and buy these for her when they are on sale. For myself, I just make my own homemade yogurt, I find it much better. The fam, though won’t touch it…..
• Buy 2 Nestlé® Drumstick®, 10ct. boxes and get a coupon for $1.00 off your next shopping trip. I did not see them in the sales ad, and I am not how much they are yet. Here is an additional $1.00 off of 1 printable coupon. Again you should be able to print 2 per computer.
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