Layout:
Home > Archive: October, 2008

Archive for October, 2008

One Night Early

October 30th, 2008 at 08:05 pm

For some reason unknown to me, this crazy town of ours has Trick or Treating the day before Halloween! Can you imagine?

So, tonight I will walk the Emmy Award and the Devil around the neighborhood begging for treats while DH stays home and "man's" the door. It is also popular to have the kids tell a joke before they get the candy. Some of those kids have some funny ones!!

Anyone have any good Halloween jokes for my kids tonight? I hope you all enjoy your Halloween....tomorrow! Smile

It's Under $2

October 28th, 2008 at 02:51 am

Yep, tonight while driving the DD to dance class, we saw gasoline stations advertising gas for $1.99. It was $2.05 this afternoon.

I wonder what it will do tomorrow?

Oh, you want to know where I am?

Iowa. Fields of Opportunities.

Found a Gap and Closed It

October 27th, 2008 at 03:49 pm

It was very windy yesterday. I happened to be down in our unfinished basement near a window. It was just plain cold there.

So, I did a little investigating and found that there was pretty large gap between the top of the window and the wood framing. There was some insulation between, but it was actually slipping out to the outside of the house!! I could see it through the window.

I found some foam backing strips from a recent driveway project and stuffed it in the gap. There was still air coming through...so I found some window caulk we had used on windows in our last house. I caulked over the foam and around the the window. It is a whole lot better. I really need to caulk from the outside, too. I will do that in a day or two, when it warms up a little more.

That gap was like having a window open all year! I do wish I found it sooner, but at least I found it. I expect that it will help our energy bill.

FYI...when you buy a tube of caulk and don't use it all you can put a screw in the opening to keep it from drying out. When you need to use again, simply remove screw and the small dried amount at the top and the rest of the caulk is as good as new!

Airheads and more...

October 25th, 2008 at 01:32 am

I'm loving these Walgreen's bargains lately. In two transactions I scored the following...

Airheads candy
2 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
3 200ct Kleenex
2 3pks of Scotch Tape
3 Triaminic Strips (for kids)



My total out of pocket was $13.41. Tax was $1.67. I'm even eligible for a $2 rebate on the tape! I also received a coupon for $1 off my next purchase at Walgreens.

There is another coupon this week for $5 off a $20 purchase. You can get it

Text is here. and Link is http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn613_getcoupon
here. I didn't use one this week for my deals...it would have caused me to spend more than necessary. Can't have that!!

The Treats of the Season

October 23rd, 2008 at 05:39 pm

We got a little treat today in the form of a reimbursement for some of my DH's travels. A nice $83 and change to help with that car repair bill I mentioned in the last post.

On November 1st, we are attending a military ball. It will really be a treat for us to dress up and get out with out the kids. I think I'm going to wear a dress that I wore two years ago. Think anyone will remember? I so rarely see these people...I really don't care if they remember or not!! The trick of this treat is to find the bra that goes with this crazy halter dress I'm reusing.

I hope your day is filled more with treats than tricks!

Ughh!

October 22nd, 2008 at 02:03 am

Car repairs....ughh!

My DH is off work this week. We needed an oil change and thought the brakes were at the point of being replaced. Yep, they needed replacing including the rotars. Turns out we needed new ball joints, too.
Car repair bill totaled $750. That is after a free alignment and a 10% off coupon.

So this month there will be no extra payment to the home equity loan. I'm pretty disappointed in that, but extremely grateful that I have the money to pay cash for this repair.

I have about $500 in a checking account and the remainder will need to be pulled from the emergency fund OR some cash I have been saving for Christmas gifts. I think I need to dip into the gift fund rather than the emergentcy fund. We have four more paychecks before Christmas, so I think I can find money to cover holiday expenses.

I hope my ebay items sell big this week. I need to go found some more now! Wish me luck.

The Prices Keep Falling!

October 21st, 2008 at 02:52 am

The prices of gas fall everyday. Sometimes, more than once per day!!

Today, it was $2.37/gal this morning on our way to the gym. In the afternoon, we noticed it had dropped to $2.35/gal. Then this evening, it was $2.33/gal!!

Wow, a 4 cent drop in less than 12 hours! Now, I wait to fill up because I expect the price to go lower in a day or so. In the past, I would wait to fill up until the tank was near empty and I really needed the fuel...regardless of price. I would just try to make it last as long as possible.

Think the low fuel prices will help us get the economy out of this slump?

What I Scored @ Walgreen's

October 17th, 2008 at 09:02 pm

Today and tomorrow, Walgreen's has coupons for $5 off a $25 purchase. You do have to spend $25 after all discounts and coupons. You can get your coupon

Text is here. and Link is http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn608_getcoupon
here.

Today I purchased the following:
2 Glade Scents 2*3.29 = 6.58
2 Glade Gel Warmers 2*1.99 = 2.98
2 Glade Oil Refills 2*1.99 = 2.98
Crest Toothpast 3.00
Glide Flossers 3.00
2 Hershey bars 2*.39 = 0.78
4 Bars Dove Soap 4*1.19 = 4.76
2 Hefty Storage Bags B1G1 = 3.29
Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent 2.99
2 Conditioners 2*3.99 = 7.98
(Herbal Essences)

Total Before Coupons $40.34
B1G1 MQ Glade Scents -3.29
Glide Floss MQ -1.00
Crest MQ -1.00
Conditioner MQ -3.00
B1G1 MQ Glade Warmer -1.99
B1G1 MQ Glade Oil refill -1.99
50% off Conditioner -2.00
Laundry Detergent MQ -1.00
Walgreens coupon -5.00
Subtotal $20.07
Tax 2.00
Out of Pocket Total $22.07

I used $20.27 in coupons or discounts. I will get a $1 rebate for each glade item and $1 on the laundry detergent for a total of $7 back.

At the time of my transaction two Register Rewards printed, one for $3.00 because of the Dove purchase and one for $2.00 because of the Crest purchase. I can use these on my next purchase at Walgreen's.

So today I got all of this for $10.07:
Out of pocket $22.07
Less Rebates -7.00
Less Rewards -5.00
Total $10.07
Here's the picture:

If you are interested in these kinds of deals at Walgreen's or CVS you may want to check out this
Text is website. and Link is http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/index.php
website. If you register on the site, you can also search the coupon database for coupons you can print right from your home computer.

In case anyone is wondering, will I use all of this stuff? YES!! Everyday, I use soap, conditioner, laundry detergent, toothpaste and floss. I also use storage bags and was out here at home. The Hershey bars will be a treat for the girls. The glade items were technically all free after the rebates and coupons...and they will be used here at home (we do have cats!) or donated to my daughter's teacher who uses them at school.

I'd love to hear about your deals. I actually did better last week on lots of cleaning supplies.

Heat Went On Today!

October 15th, 2008 at 03:11 pm

I'm out of the heat challenge. I turned the heat on this morning. It was 65 degrees in here and my oldest daughter was complaining for the third day in a row.

I'm pretty sure I could have held out until it got to 60 degrees at least this time of year.

Today it is cold and rainy; turning on the heat did take the chill out of the air. I don't expect it to come on too often though. I may even turn it off for the rest of the day.

My News

October 13th, 2008 at 02:47 am

Spent Saturday cleaning for company, buying free cleaning supplies and candy at Walgreen's, baking bread (banana and pumpkin), and going to a pumpkin patch. Such beautiful warm weather...the a/c is actually on because it is also a tad too humid!

Today we took company to the local orchard...two blocks away. We bought a gallon of cider and a peck of apples which we split. It just smelled wonderful inside the building!!

Clipped more coupons, did laundry and cooked a homemade meal for dinner. Girls are ready for school and sending DH off on a travel trip. Always seem to save money when he's out of town. Weather will be getting cooler this week...he would want the heat on, but I can hold out and the girls will as well.

Here's to a good week...a rebound in the markets or at least a little saving on your own homefront.

Look What I Made

October 7th, 2008 at 12:09 am

I made this tote bag for my older daughter. I'm just excited to have made something with my own two hands.



I spent exactly $9.00 for 1/2 yard each of two cotton fabrics, 1 yard of cotton flannel for facing and a spool of thread. All the fabric was on sale and I had a 40% coupon off the thread. Of course, there is still some smaller pieces of fabric leftover and more flannel for another tote bag. Not to bad in the cost department.

It's Below $3 Per Gallon

October 6th, 2008 at 01:44 am

Gasoline that is! Haven't seen it with my own eyes yet...but just heard on tv and saw the pictures. Gas is $2.99/gallon here.

It would be nice if it keeps going lower for everyone. I'll be topping off the tank tomorrow!

Walgreen's $5 off $20 AGAIN!

October 3rd, 2008 at 01:43 am

If you missed it last week, the $5 off a $20 purchase at Walgreen's is back again. The link to the coupon is

Text is here. and Link is http://www.walgreens.com/hotbuys/default.jsp?ec=hn601_getcoupon
here.

The coupon is good for this Friday and Saturday only. So hurry!!

I will be purchasing the generic Zyrtec for my daughter. They have 150 pills (5 month supply) for $29.99. I will use my coupon to purchase this for $24.99. That's $5 per month!!

Budget Payment for Energy

October 2nd, 2008 at 03:09 pm

We have our gas and electricity billed together. I just checked our bill for this next month and received great news!

First, we have a $200 credit going into winter. Second, they are lowering our monthly budget payment by $39/mo! I'm thrilled.

I hope to put this money towards that pesky home equity loan starting in November.