FREE FIFTY THREE

People always ask me when they see my cart full of stuff...how much is that?  And I tell them,"Free Fifty Three"  so written it would look like this :  $FREE.53   hahaha.

Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't.

Today was the release of the March Proctor and Gamble book.
I found a few books but not a lot of books...but i found enough to get this!

LOL...my cashiers are so nice at Fry's (Krogers).  I made an initial purchase at the Fry's by my shop for 24 rolls and then later at the shop close to my house for 70 more.  For the smaller purchase I put it through my favorite cashier Sabrina.  The 2nd purchase I did was via self checkout but another cashier I like (Paulina) was there and she tried to let me do them all at once but I told her that it would reject the coupons if it was more than 4 of them.

I also stopped at Safeway for MORE free Kleenex.

Bammmmm...

Total cost of $2.44 .  Yes, Two Dollars and 44/100 cents.  All I paid was the tax.  How you like them apples?  I hope this finally shows the naysayers that it is possible to do stuff like this - this one lady told me,"No way you can't find that many free coupon books..."  Oh yeah maybe you can't...but I can - and I woke up late today.


Mr. Man was so impressed he asked $244.00???  I laughed and said,"Really, bebe?"  He laughed and said he didn't even know why he moved the decimal point to the wrong place.  On top of what we still have in the garage we should be set for "awhile" LOL.  I rarely even used to use paper towels except for certain dishes, table napkins were usually the ones I used.  I have to be careful not to be so wasteful with them.  I really had broken myself of the paper towel habit but couponing has made me bad. LOL.

The other day I got all this for $1.88

I had moneymaker coupons on the pantene and coupons for the rest of it.  Essentially all I paid for was one GoGurt. 6 kleenex, 9 pantene shampoo, 9 pantene conditioner, 1 nuk bottle, 10 progresso meal starters, 2 gogurt. 

It was just nuts.

Food Lately!

homemade chicken strips with whole grain mac and cheese plus biscuit and steamed green beans

grilled chicken breast with a white sauce - sauteed baby bok choy and steamed rice - side is fried gyoza and lumpias.

kielbasa chili dogs on wheat rolls and homemade fries.

I always just ask Mr Man what do you feel like having...one night he said Chicken and he made the eating with hands motion.  So I made wings and drums - rice pilaf and a THROWN caesar salad.

Truth be told he is not a picky man but he likes contrast.  Crispy with juicy.  Sweet with Peppery.  Salty with Fragrant.  He does not eat for volume but for variety.  Everyone says he's spoiled, I just think he's used to eating well because of his Momma and his Aunties and also his Pops cooks and cooks super well.

My bestie Katie came by and we did some shopping together and then while we were out I said let's just eat at home I'll make some super nachos.

I made everything right down to the chips and rice.

We ate so dang much we passed out on the sofa mid sentence after dinner.  That is THE funniest!

The next day I found some taco shells at the store with no cottonseed, no canola, no soybean, no BHT -- the ingredients were corn, coconut oil, water, salt.  On TOP of that it was only 1.69 for 12 pcs.

So of course I had to make Mr. Man 3 crunchy tacos with a side of mini super nachos.

well they look kind of mini. hee hee

Homemade bacon cheeseburgers with homemade fries on Orowheat Crostini buns.

I haven't been making much bread lately - these cooler temps test my patience so when I do buy bread - I get it from Fresh and Easy (their brand or iL fornaio) or Orowheat - these are the last 2 I have found without cottonseed nor high fructose.

I wish people really know the carcinogenic implications of consuming a lot of cottonseed and HiFruc...tsk tsk.  That's like cooking on aluminum foil - that's the wrong kind of old school.  Heavy metals in your system have many implications but a lot of Italian studies have been made that it actually contributes to Alzheimers and drops in IQ.  I've never cooked on foil much - because I grew up in my restaurant and most of my stuff is restaurant grade so when it gets dirty I scrub it - if it's a bit caked on I soak it then scrub it - if it's really burnt on - I soak it and then bake it wet then scrub it.  Basically I don't use aluminum foil to "preserve" my kitchenware.  I don't use aluminum foil to save me some "work."  Mr. Man has always had an adverse reaction to his food being wrapped in foil - he literally gets a crippling headache as if he has food poisoning.  I heavily use parchment, stainless steel, wax paper for separating and vinyl wrap (huge saran wrap).

It is what it is.  I just think it's funny when people think what's great is actually harmful.

The other week Mr. Man said he wanted oatmeal cookies.  He said he wanted the JUICY raisins in there not the scrawny dried up ones - HAHA. A friend had sent us a vat of 7 grain oatmeal with flax and stuff and I wanted to try it in some cookies.  I went to the store and why were the raisins like 4.50 for 12 oz???  I trolled the 99 cent only and found Mariani O R G A N I C raisins --- 8oz for 99 cents which is still better than 4.50 for 12 oz.

 I accidentally made them too big for my Italian cookie jar so I had to figure out a way to use them.

I took them to work...

I made  him some oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches.  One with Butter Pecan, One with Pralines and Cream and the last One with plain old vanilla.

These suckers were so good. HA!






And finally today:

Sprouts market had a deal on these Pretty Belle oranges - 10 cents a lb...yes 10 CENTS A POUND.

I went in there this morning and bought 2 cases.  1 case is 40 lbs.  $8 for 80lbs

Incredible.

So I made 100% orange juice for us to consume.  This is the only kind of juice that doesn't make my stomach hurt.

It takes 40 lbs of oranges to make 10 - 12oz bottles plus 1 liter of 100% juice.

Fantastic.

We even found time to go out of town...

City Momma came to visit from Chicago.  We get visits once a year which are a very very welcome visit.  I truly gained an extra Mom...but I'm the kid with lots of Moms and Aunties (blood aunties and otherwise) and cool GodMothers...

I went to pick up City Momma and get her squared away with her rental car.  City Momma is always on the move and likes her own transportation.

Right after we got back to our house Mr. Man arrived:

They are always so happy to see each other and it is such a genuine happiness.  I cannot even put into words what it looks like to see such a positive vibe between a Mother and Son.  It truly warms the heart.

Momma and I went to the Asian Market - and I made her a chicken wonton soup, a stirfry, steamed rice, lumpias and also some shrimp tempura to start.
We found a REAL 100% pineapple juice - product of the Philippines and no high fructose just a bit of lemon juice as a preservative.

I love going to market with Momma but this last trip even stumped me - I saw some produce I had no IDEA what it was - HA!  Momma told me she loves watching chopped coz she thinks I could really win that show in a blink - coz I can throw stuff together well!  What a compliment - coz market basket is a tough challenge.

After a few days we were off to San Diego to visit City Momma's oldest brother - Uncle RC - retired marine and former drill sergeant and his wife of 50 years Auntie Eiko.  I love them both.  I love their stories and their company.

Within a few days we were off on a road trip.

I offered to sit in the back so they could catch up with each other.  Plus I like being in the back seat occasionally coz it allows you to sleep and catch the view.

It was so nice and sunny when we left.

I can't believe we hit snow on the way over the pass.  People drive crazy in the snow - we even saw some girl with her car face down in the divider and she was running in the snow in shorts - that's crazy!

After brunch and tea with Uncle and Auntie we went to the Gas Lamp District - I grabbed a coffee at the Ghirardelli shop and Momma grabbed some salted chocolate caramel to take home.  It was so nice to walk around and my phone didn't ring once.

Momma and Mr. Man even had time for a drink at "Dicks" there are some characters over there HA!













Then we crossed the street past the Childrens Museum and went to SeaPort Village.  We even saw the new statue coming into harbor of the soldier kissing the  lady (wwII image)...

I spent many a summer in San Diego...I don't remember the water being that low and i also don't remember a lot of this stuff being this manicured.

The trees look so weird trimmed.  It was also unbelievably cold --- I remembered everything but my midweight jacket - haha.

Nonetheless...it was a great weekend.

The 2 figures in the middle of the pic are Momma and Mr. Man.  Everyone was in such a good mood.

We did a few other things down there that we didn't get photos of.  We also went back inland to have dinner with Auntie and Uncle and relax at the hotel...

The next morning we stopped at the outlets/casino on the way home to pick up a few things (including wild honey/bee pollen).  We got there a bit early so we hid in the Subway coz it was rainy and cold.

These weird Euro folks kept looking at us and smiling - they were looking at Momma like she was a Thanksgiving turkey - we were happy when the stores finally opened at 10am.

I got this for my new niece that's coming - LOL!

These jeggings make me laugh!  I forgot to take a pic of the little hoody that goes with it too coz my brother always wears grey hoodies.

My sister in law has already dubbed this the "going home from the hospital outfit"  Hilarious!

Rest Stop!

I think rest areas are creepy!

When we got home I had to make Momma some green bean shrimp - coz the night before she had such a negative experience with her stirfry at dinner.  I told her I couldn't send her home with a bad taste in her memory. LOL.

She loves my stirfry dishes.

I even made a chicken stirfry dish too.

Now I'm just showing off huh?

Momma always has such a buying experience here coz prices are so cheap...she scored a lot of cooking goodies and spices and such.  The best part is it all fit in her baggage and there was no extra charge - actually she could have still packed 15 lbs in there LOL.


I love that she can come here and relax and not even cook if she doesn't want to.

On her last day here I had to take her to BoSa donuts coz they are so yummy.  They've been in business since like 1987 and they make tasty ones.

The week went by so fast...I'm really slipping on my photo taking.

It was sad to see Momma leave...the house felt quiet.

Oops February has come and gone...

...and I'm so behind on my updates!

This is from last months deals.  I'm getting so frustrated --- I have now misplaced TWO digicams!  hahaha.  My disorganized organization - oh well.

 I found some coupons and truth be told they weren't that great.  I've just been stocking the books and keeping a loose inventory in my memory and pulling them to match deals.

I mean seriously...I find that most of the coupons are useless.  Mostly cosmetics --- and let's be honest - who can eat eyeshadow?

I went to see my butcher and he is still just charging me 1.99/lb for 90-93% lean ground fresh and this time I had him run it through twice.  We picked up 35lbs and I also picked up some additional coupon books - YAY.  I like Smart Source a LOT coz they tend to have more food/tp coupons!  Useful!

I had to work for a few hours and my friend called to ask if I could watch the baby for a bit while she went bed set shopping.  I told her sure and could she put the carseat in my car coz I had shopping.

Look! at this baby - she is so hilarious and has such a good time.  That's an apple in her hand and she's already excited.

I took her to the Asian grocer, 2 krogers and another grocery store and she was perfectly good.  She was asking about stuff and waving like Miss America!

 She is always happy to see me and hug me and follows me around the kitchen to see what I'm getting into (like she's in charge HA)...But when she sees Mr. Man she is all over him like he is her FAVORITE!

It cracks me up.

The only thing that draws her away is the sizzling of a pan or the beep of the oven.

Her Mom is always saying she's so bad...but I've never experienced that.  I mean let's be honest --- would I take her on a FOUR store couponing mission if she were a child that misbehaves?

She is always super good for us and follows instructions extraordinarily well and she is so FUNNY...just the stuff she gets into and how she talks to the dog...

Pretty cool for a 15 month old.

While we were out shopping - those dang girlscouts got me - haha.  Can you believe it is $4 per box now.

But I will always buy at least one because it takes a positive attitude for anyone to be any kind of salesperson - much less a little girl.

After the baby left I canned the ground beef - froze 7 lbs and set aside 10 lbs for Mr. Mans friend.

I really hate parting with my purchases even when people pay me for it --- because with SOME people I feel like it's laziness on their behalf where they won't go get their own deals.  But in respect to my husband I will help his friend.

This was a super good deal using an Advil Congestion coupon for $3 off ANY.  I used it on trial sizes to make money:
4 pasta + 4 pasta sauce + 4 advil = $3
swiffer pads: $1.29 ea
wipes: 99 cents
nuk nips: $1.07
led lights: 1.25
pyrex dishes: $1.48 ea

$3.27 for all of this with money maker coupons and regular coupons:
2 charmin
2 charmin wipes
8 - 2pack safeguard
2lbs strawberries
2 pyrex dishes
17 advil congestion trial packs







And that was just the beginning of the February - LOL

Isn't Gettin' Deals a Competitive Sport?

I tell you what...people are getting real hip to coupons.  I honestly did not want to get up early this morning to get them...because I looked at the coupon preview and none of them were particularly valuable.  Mr Man gets up a LOT earlier than I do because he works 6-3 so he ran to get them at the spot next to his gym.

It's been a crazy week and I got a crazy crook in my neck just stretching in the shower - I go for a 90 minute massage about every 10 days but I've been too busy to get one lately.  But Momma in Law comes in 2 days so we are going to both go get one - I already scheduled it.

So let's peek at some deals:

I found some $1 off 2 coupons for the soup - and my Mom asked me to pick her up 5 cases (50 cents ea) and I also found the 2lb rice with coupon for 99 cents.  Not a great price but a good price.  What cracks me up is she gave me the money to buy her 5 dozen then she only took 2 dozen home - and said they would like to "park" the 3 dozen here - how funny is that!

Is it me or has rice become super expensive lately - used to be I could get "ok" rice for 15cents a lb and "good" rice for 25cents a lb...it is what it is and all i can do is put it away.  Better to have something.  I am still appalled that people walk away from deals when they are right in your face.  It's really funny.  And WHYYYYY are they lookin' at my cart like I am a crazy person.  That's just crazy!

I went by 4 stores to grab a few things:

5lbs yellow potatoes - 99 cents
lemon juice, lime juice, spray, hawaiian bread, dressing, fish oil, mustard - 99 cents
cornbread stuffing - 62 cents
3lb bacon end pieces - 1.98/lb

This is the most tedious type of shopping to me - getting only 3-4 items per store.


Even before we started putting back things I rarely bought 3-4 things - we always had things put up because I didn't like running to the store for anything weekly but a sale protein item and the produce which I normally did on Saturdays at a mom and pop Produce stand.

This is some of the tastiest shrimp I've found in awhile (since Sunflower Market stopped carrying the Mexican 16-20 shrimp).  I saw that it was the $5 friday special.  It is normally 10/lb.  I also wanted to get some to make my Momma in Law some shrimp fried rice and shrimp stirfry.  The vinegar had coupons on the neck so they ended up being 89 cents.

I figured it couldn't hurt.  We've been eating a lot of brisket and lean ground beef.  We did have some salmon croquettes the other night which were much easier to mix in the ninja blender.  Mr. Man also loves shrimp Po' Boys...

So after I got home with the shrimp - I told Mr. Man I was going to test a batch for him...so I made 1 lb of tempura.  And made some bacon cheeseburgers as well because Mr. Man and his 2 friends had gone to help another friend set up a radio tower at his house.

I tell you what they KILLED the shrimp - I just set this one bowl aside for Mom because I knew she was coming by to pick up her soup that she had me get for her.

The shrimp got a thumbs up - by the men folk.

Even the baby liked it...I think it was her first experience eating shrimp.  Well I know it was her Mom's friends first time trying shrimp ever...which is kind of strange for a 27 yr old...but maybe my parents could just afford a more diverse range of foods and restaurants for us to try.  We actually were allowed to order whatever we wanted as long as we ate it!

My 8 yr old niece is in love with the baby and loves hanging out with her.  It's a good thing she is a good "big sister" type because my sister in law is 8 months pregnant now and it's exciting around here.  I even took my sister in law couponing.  She really has a thing for pringles and chocolate.

She was so amazed at the deals.  I told her she could do it too and she is welcome to all and any of my coupons that she wants.

Today was the last day of the shrimp deal and I didn't want to miss it.  Don't you know I got the last 4lbs in the store.  Thank Goodness.  As the weather warms up I already know we're going to want lighter meat for our salads.  I must say my nemesis is very motivated lately.  Too bad for her --- we scouted 3 more locations that could give us another 450 free coupon books.  LOOOOL.  Poor thing.  I seriously did not want to wake up this morning.  Since we moved to this house we switched to a king size low profile bed and that thing is the most comfortable bed ever.  It is WONDERFUL to have space to stretch out or read...sometimes I sort coupons and he can still read his gun magazines.  Ha.  I love it.

But despite my "laziness" this morning I still got it done!

Salsa - 70 cents
Mustard - 99 cents
Asian Seasoning - 30 cents
Coupon books - FREE

I barely got my coupons organized yesterday - and now it's time to break down books again.  Some guy at the store asked me how long does it really take.  I said to go find the coupons it takes like 1-2 hours a week - then the sorting and organizing doesn't take that long because I do it while I'm catching up on stuff that I've recorded.  Well my thing is if you are gonna be sitting there just watching tv it won't kill you to sort through coupons and check the websites for the deals.  The husband was sold on it.  The wife didn't look so enthusiastic.  I laughed - I said,"it's your house, do what you think is best-- good luck!"

Mr. Man and I were discussing how "hard headed" some people are.  It just cracks me up how people think they have 'all the time' in the world.  Really?  I wish I could live in such happy oblivion.  But I feel urgency like never before.  That's why I took this semester off - to get everything in order.  Honestly i could already flip some of this stuff I've got for more money, but that's not the purpose of it --- at least not right now. 

Only a few more days and then we will be sitting on the beach drinkin beer!