Family On A Budget

Here are some high value printable coupons.

• Coupon for a Free Sample of Ensure Shakes
• Save up to $1.55 on Cuties. I love citrus season and these clementines are like candy for us.
• Save $2.00 on any VISINE product 1/2 FL. OZ or larger
• Save $2.00 off any 12oz bag of Godiva Coffee
• Save $0.55 on Mission Tortillas

For more see my Printable Coupons Page

Permanent link to this post

Amazon.com is featuring the MP3 album download of Unbroken Katharine McPhee for $3.99.

Price: $3.99
Album Savings: $8.88 compared to buying all songs
Original Release Date: January 5, 2010

1. It’s Not Right
2. Had It All
3. Keep Drivin’
4. Last Letter
5. Surrender
6. Terrified
7. How
8. Say Goodbye
9. Faultline
10. Anybody’s Heart
11. Lifetime
12. Unbroken
13. Brand New Key

There are new printable AVEENO coupons available at coupons.com.

• $2.50 off any AVEENO NOURISH Hair Care Product
• $2.00 off any AVEENO Body or Baby Lotion.
• $2.00 off any AVVENO Facial Care Product

I buy the big container of Hidden Valley Ranch Season mix at Sam’s Club. It lasts us a while, but I can always find something to spice up with this versatile seasoning mix. Obviously Ranch dressing is it’s main use, but here is a recipe I got off the container that we like.

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

2 pounds diced potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb Hidden Valley® Seasoning & Salad Dressing Mix

Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 35 min.

Place potatoes in a gallon size food storage bag or large bowl and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add seasoning & salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

I started Family On A Budget a few years ago while going through a tough time financially. In the past few years my life has changed considerably.

First off when I started this blog I was a work at home business owner of a web design and hosting company. I needed to learn the workings and potential of blogs for my customers. I loved my company, but was at a crossroads in my life. We needed extra income to dig ourselves out of debt due to bad planning and bad luck on our part. I needed to either expand my business and take on more clients and employees or go back to work for someone else. After much soul searching I decided to search for a job. I was very fortunate because I landed the second job I interviewed for. (In an odd coincidence the person I replaced actually received the first job I interviewed for at a different institution, thus clearing his job for me).

This new job brought a nice boost in income, great benefits and free college tuition for me and my daughters. I decided to keep a limited number of previous clients and have also kept my company some what intact.

Best Deal Magazines is offering a one year subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine for $4.69. As a Weight Watcher myself I love this magazine for its recipes and success stories.

Term: 1 Yr (6 Issues)
Cover Price: $23.70
Consumer Pays: $4.69
68% Savings Off Publisher’s Price

Additionally you can save another 15% by using Coupon Code: PXCJ110

$4.69 – 15% = $3.98

Currently the $.75 off of 1 No Yolks Pasta printable coupon has been reset for January.

Plus, right now there is a UPromise eCoupon for $.50 when you buy one package (reset for January). Since you can stack Upromise eCoupons with manufacturer’s coupons, this could be a money maker if you find a sale.

Is it any more cliche that I am recommitting to healthy eating for 2010? I was able to lose 42lbs in 2009 and I would like to get off my standstill and get rid of at least 35lbs this year.

While I much prefer homemade lunches, often I am too busy to have a mean ready each and every work day. I often rely on frozen healthy dinners to keep myself on track. During January there will be an ton of “healthy” food sales so I was glad to find printable coupons for $5.00 off of 5 Healthy Choice frozen meals. These should pair up with some good sales in the upcoming weeks.

$5.00 Coupon Link Here.

You should be able to print out two per computer.

Additionally if you browse around the site you can also score a few more coupons.

Source: Thanks to Common Sense with Money.

This year I am going to be targeting tips and recipes for my college aged daughter who is just learning how to manage her own household. Saving money on food has become critical to her and she is now ready and willing to use some of my advice if it saves her some money.

There are tons of ways to save money using the internet. I will be giving you tips as the year goes on. As a newbie to the savings world it can be daunting, but with time you will become a pro. Here are a few tips to get started.

1. Sign up for an email account to use specifically for your savings efforts. You will be directed to a lot of sites that will require you to sign up with your email address. I advise that you don’t use your regular email because eventually you will be flooded with tons of emails. Having all these emails go into a dedicated email account will make your life easier. I use a yahoo account, but there are tons of others out there.

Coupons.com has listed 7 new high value printable coupons.

• L’Oreal EverPure – Save $2.00 on any (1) EverPure Shampoo, Conditioner or Treatment
• L’Oreal Eye – Save $1.00 on any (1) L’Oreal Eye Product
• L’Oreal Face – Save $2.00 on any (1) L’Oreal Makeup, Powder, Blush or Concealer Product .
• L’Oreal Hair Color – Save $2.00 on any (1) L’Oreal Haircolor
• L’Oreal Lip – Save $1.00 on any (1) L’Oreal Lip Product
• L’Oreal Skincare – Save $1.00 on any (1) L’Oreal Skincare Product
• L’Oreal Vive Pro – Save $0.75 on any (1) L’Oreal Vive Pro Product

Source: Money Saving Mom

Many places offer discounted calendars after Christmas and Barnes & Noble is no exception. Currently calendars are 50% off along with other holiday items in their annual After Holiday Sale.

50% off calendars with our after holiday sale. Stock up now while supplies last!

What is your favorite? My husband always buys me the Thomas Kinkade calendar for Christmas, but I think I am going to order an additional one for work.

After Christmas is the best time to pick up your favorite calendar for the coming year. Currently Borders is featuring all their calendars at 50% off while supplies last.

All Calendars 50% Off. While Supplies Last.

Looking for a low calorie way to use ham leftovers? Inexpensive and easy to make, Ham, Cabbage and Potatoes is a favorite of mine. I don’t pay attention to the exact measurements.

1 to 2 cups of Ham (I normally make this with leftovers)
2 or 3 bay leaves
fresh ground pepper
1 head of cabbage
6-8 potatoes
chopped onions (1/2 cup) or dehydrated onions (1/4 cup)

Chop the ham into bite sized pieces. Add to a stock pot with about 4-6 cups of water. Add the bay leaves. Cook on medium heat for about an hour. I normally keep the pot covered at this point.

Chop up the cabbage (remove the hard inside core) into large chunks. Larger pieces take longer to cook so pick your own size depending on how much time or how large your like your cabbabge. Add to stockpot with the onions and cook till tender (about an hour). I usually uncover about half way through this process. You want enough water left over to cook the potatoes, but not too much to be soupy.

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to the stockpot along with the pepper. Cook about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.

I have never paid much attention to the Walgreens deals because until this month we didn’t have one nearby. Now we have one that opened this month and will have another only two miles away this Spring. Not sure why we need two within such a short distance. Hey who am I to complain about the new deals I can tap into.

So my first Walgreens trip will be to buy a John Frieda Luxurious Volume hair care products.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume product $5.99-$6.99
Use $2.50/1 manufacturer John Frieda Printable coupon
Use $3 off One Walgreen’s store coupon (now available to print online!)
Pay $0.49-$1.49 each after coupons!

Source: Common Sense with Money

If you are looking for a great deal on NFL Replica Jerseys,
Reebok has their entire stock NFL 40% off! Including their Jerseys. You might be cutting it close for Christmas time shipping, but this still a really great deal for the football player in your family.

Promo code NFLDEC
Good through 1/1/10!

Here we go Steelers, Here We Go. (we still love you)

All Toys are on Sale, get them before Christmas! Save up to 60%, prices start at $5.99!

Last chance for Christmas Delivery!
Use code: FREESHIP on $75+ orders

Guaranteed Christmas Delivery:
Ground cut-off: 12/20, 1pm EST
2-Day cut-off: 12/22, 1pm EST
Overnight cut-off: 12/20, 1pm EST

While both of my daughters finished up their soccer careers this fall we still go to college football games. GO PITT!! This season my lap blanket bit the dust so I was glad to see today’s Gold Box deal at Amazon.

Columbia Coral Fleece Throws are the ultimate blanket to cuddle in this winter. They are great for the car, camping, extra blanket for the bed, curl up on the sofa–you will want several to suit all of your needs. They also make great gift items.

List Price: $19.99
Gold Box Price: $10.99 (45% off)

Product Features:

* Plush, cozy fleece throw in solid Navy; measures 50 by 60 inches
* 240 grams (8.5 ounces) of warm fleece fabric per square meter
* Extra-warm for cold nights; perfect accent for any bedroom or reading chair
* Made of 100 percent polyester
* Machine washable for easy care

Who needs those boxes of Hamburger Helper when you can make a better casserole from scratch. Hamburger corn bake is a recipe that my mom used to make and I continued serving to my own family. The original recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook dated 1973. It was actually a “Casserole for a crowd recipe”, but we have adapted it for single family use. The original recipe called for the addition of pimiento and MSG but we eliminated that.

Hamburger Corn Bake

1 1/2 pound ground beef. (I like to use a 90/10 ground round instead)
1 cup onion
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (I use fat free)
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked egg noodles
Optional: 1 c soft bread crumbs and 3 Tablespoon of melted butter.

Lightly brown ground beef (I usually drain and rinse my cooked beef to remove any extra fat). Add onions and cook till tender. Add the corn (drained), the soups and sour cream to the meat. Stir in the cooked noodles.

Currently there is a $.75 off of 1 No Yolks Pasta printable coupon. If your store doubles, you can get free noodles for all those budget casseroles.

Plus, right now there is a UPromise eCoupon for $.75 when you buy one package. Since you can stack Upromise eCoupons with manufacturer’s coupons, this will easily become a moneymaker!

Source: cha ching on a shoestring

Beginning on Dec 20th buy a Nivea Body Wash for $5.99 with a $5 ECB.

Coupons.com currently has a $2 off of 1 Nivea Body Wash coupon so you can make money. Print this before it runs out.

Source: STL Mommy.

Here are a few of the deals I noticed coming up for this week.

Libby’s canned vegetables – 20 for $10. You can print a Libby’s coupon for .50 off of 2 making them free after doubling. You can print 2 per computer after loading the Coupon Activator.

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies or Frosted Mini Wheats 4 for 10.00 with an instant additional 2.00 savings on 4. There are printable coupons at coupons.com for

• Save $1 on TWO Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Cereals
• Save $1.50 on your Favorite Store Brand Coffee with you purchase any THREE Kellogg’s Cereals.
• Save $1.00 on Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats
• Save $1.00 Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites

You could buy 4 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats/Little Bites and use 4 – $1.00 coupons from above and get them for $1.00 a box total. Not sure if you can combine this with the $1.50 off of coffee but sometimes they will let you.

My oldest offspring is on her own in college. She is now broke towards the end of the semester and needs some food advice. While not the cheapest, I thought of Italian Roast Beef sandwiches as something she can cook. She doesn’t really know how to cook, has very little time between study breaks and doesn’t have a large supply of staples like spices and extra canned goods so I figured Roast Beef was a good place to start. I have included my comments to her to help any other new cooks or broke college students out there.

Italian Roast Beef

• 2lb to 3lb Chuck or Bottom Round Roast. Find whichever one is the cheapest per lb. Watch for pieces that don’t have a lot of fat. Chuck is more fatty and cooks faster, Bottom round will give you a firmer textured roast beef and takes a bit longer to cook. I like both.
• 1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing. It is a dry packet of spices and you will find this in the salad dressing isle.
• Hard Rolls. This probably makes 4-8 sandwiches depending on how large the buns are.

Update: It appears that Kelloggs Target coupon is printing as manufacturer coupons and you cannot combine it with other coupons like I had first reported. Darn.

Target is featuring a $5.00 off of 4 Kellogg’s cereals coupons.

There is also a manufacturer coupon for BOGO off of Special K here. (The BOGO can only be printed once per signed up account).

There are also a few more manufacturer coupons for Kelloggs here. I have heard of people combining the Target with the BOGO along with more manufacturer coupons

Today’s Amazon MP3 Daily Deal is: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Complete Ballet

Everyday low price: $6.99
Today’s price: $1.99

Finishline has NCAA Men’s Fleece 2 for $40 and NCAA Women’s Fleece 2 for $40

Additionally you can use the coupon code: HOLIDAY1060 to save $10 off a $60 purchase. (expires 12/31).