Two more tips to couponing 1. When you start to collect coupons keep then organized in your purse (google "coupon organizer" -Mine is just from the dollar store) This way they are always right there with you if you happen to come upon a good price. 2. Keep your eyes open. This doesn't mean searching every single shelf in the store, just, keep you eyes open.
It must just be a good night for shopping. After I posted about my ShopKo trip Matthew came home from work and was looking for NyQuil - which we were out of. So I ran down to Fresh Market and picked some up. I had just paid when I noticed 7 or 8 carts off to the side labled "discount - All sales final". Prior to couponing I wouldnt have bothered looking, I would just assume all the good stuff was already gone - plus I had already paid. But I wandered over to take a look. lol.. Here are a few things I bought:
3 full size bottles of Skintimate Shave Gel (which is the kind I always use - yay!) Normally $2.75-$3.50 or more. They were discounted to $1.00 each. I was holding two of them looking through my coupons when the lady next to me (who was also looking through her coupons) :) handed me a coupon for $1.50 off two bottles of any Skintimate product! How nice! She said she had 4 more of the same coupons so she thought I should use one! So, they came out to be $.50 each - food storage!
Also, there were bags of Frosted Mini Wheats (yum!) normally $1.50 each discounted to $0.75. I grabbed two and used a coupon for $1.50 off two bags of that brands cereal! = Free wheaties! lol... I'm such a dork. Anyway, I just wanted to show that couponing works and that its worth your time.
Something else I want to point out is that couponing and other ways of saving money (includng paying tithing and getting out of debt), helps us, like I said to stretch our budget and live more fully within our means. We don't have to worry as much because we have enough for ourselves. When that happens - when we don't have to worry as much because we have enough for ourselves -it puts us in a situation where we can then "worry" about other people and by "worry" I mean show more compassion. We can share, because its not a threat to us if someone else gets something great too! Like the lady tonight that gave me her coupon - she knew that she would have "sufficient for her needs" (think about it) so she could help someone else get what they needed. What a nice mind set.
Archive for March 2010
You know my life must be pretty boring if I’m getting excited about couponing – but oh well.
So I just back form a great trip to Shopko. – a great trip. I just bought all of this (oh, plus a giant rice krispy treat which I ate on the way home.) A total of $45.11 worth of things we NEEDED.
Meh.. boring Tiff! You say, but with a little help from the coupon fairy I bought it all for $0.90. Um, yeah! $0.90! Now its not a great as the time Rite Aid PAID me $5.00 to walk out of their store with $30.00 worth of merchandise, but still – I’m pretty darn happy with myself.
I guess I should really thank my dentist. A week or two ago he told me that I needed to start using a special prescription toothpaste (what the?) and wrote me out a script for it. “It’ll only be about $15.00 for it” he said. Um…no! Thought I, I’m not paying $15 for toothpaste! So the prescription has been sitting on our bathroom counter being ignored. Then last night I was sorting through the pile of papers that mysteriously grew on our kitchen counter when I came across an ad from ShopKo – I had also been ignoring this because I never go to Shoko, but on the back of an add was a coupon “Get a $25 gift card when you fill a new or transferred prescription to ShopKo” Hm! Perfect! Suddenly I didn’t think my dentist was so dumb – I wouldn’t mind spending $15 on something I “need” (the toothpaste) only to get $25 free dollars! So today after work I went over.
If you have not tried your hand a couponing – you really should. Its worth it. Once you get the hang of it you can really save money – tip #1 – Always pair you coupons with great sales! So that’s what I did! and so, a break down if you will. :)
- Kotex 1 (big box) (I should be embarrassed for posting a picture of Kotex panty liners online, but I’m not. You’re a women too… you get it.) Regularly $6.99 – On sale for $4.99
- Kotex 2 (little box) Regularly $3.49 – paired with a coupon “$1.50 off two Kotex Packages” So - each little liner ended up costing only $0.03 each. I think I can handle that.
- Neutrogena Foot Cream 1 (Best lotion EVER-seriously!) Regularly $4.59 – Store Sale “Buy 1 get one 50% off”
- Neutrogena Foot Cream 2 (Best lotion EVER-seriously!) Regularly $4.59 (now $2.30) Paired with a coupon “$1.00 off any Neutrogena product” Meaning - only $2.69 each.
- Re-Nu Contact Solution Regularly $8.79 – On sale for $7.72. (When the clerk rang it up she looked at it and said ”Ooo that’s a great price!!” I just smiled and I handed her a Re-Nu coupon for another $1.00 off. Total : $6.72
- Palmolive Dish Soap 1, 2 & 3 which I happen to love! Regularly $3.49 each so $10.47 - On sale of $.87 each. Tomorrow I’ll go back for more armed with a Palmolive coupon for $1.00 off any product and clean them out. (food storage, ya know) Unless of course you get there first. :)
- Finally Windex Multi-Surface cleaner Regularly $3.49 also on sale, for $1.89 – paired with a Windex coupon for a $1.00 off. Totaling: $0.89 - Nice.
- Oh yes, the rice krispy treat – it was also on sale. :) Regularly $1.50 now $1.00.
Really ladies, if you have not tried couponing, I really recommend it, I had always thought that it was cheesy "hobby" and that my day was to precious to run around like mad trying to save $0.30. But I finally took some time to really learn how to do it - and its actually saving us tons! Not all of my shopping trips are as good as this one, but it really adds up. Don't think of it as being a cheap-skate -think provident living and stretching your budget so you can live within your means.
Look around your house for items you already buy, then check online for free printable coupons (my Kotex, Palmolive and Windex coupons came from Coupons.com), or in the magazines you buy or in the paper (The Neutrogena coup came from a free sunday paper). Also check the packages of things you already buy, many manufacturers will include coupons (like the Re-Nu coup) and sign up for emails from the brands you like - they will send you great deals! (Cambells just sent one for a $1.00 off two cans of soup - which are normally only $0.50 each = free soup!) Give it a try! Its worth it!
Yummy! I've had these on my list of desserts to try making for a while and this was a perfect weekend! They were a lot easier to make then I thought!
1 package oreo cookies (original not double stuffed)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
white chocolate bark
1. Finely crush the whole package of cookies (use the whole cookie including the cream center) in a food processor or put them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Put a 1/4 cup of the crushed cookies a side for later if you want to sprinkle it on top of the truffles for decoration.
2. Stir in the softened cream cheese (Using the back of a big spoon made this a lot easier!)
3. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate. Putting the balls in the refrigerator so that they are cool will dipping them easier. Tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
Before the chocolate has set you can sprinkle the tops with the crushed cookies or after they dry drizzle the tops with more chocolate!
These were so fun to make! You should definitely give them a try!
I LOVE visiting teaching! I just got back from a wonderful visit with a sister in our ward named Julie Ann. My VT Comp (Visiting Teaching Companion) Ali is also adorable. To be absolutely honest I wasn't very excited to get a VT list of ladies to see. Our ward is mixture older ladies and women with children and we are one of very few couples who don't have a family yet. I felt like I was going to have a hard time fitting in. Like I really didn't have anything to offer them or ways to relate. Motherhood seems like a far away fog that I can't get a good focus on but I know its wonderful and it out there... for someday. I have a hard time connecting the idea of me now and the me when I am a mother. So I had a hard time motivating myself to get involved - to be even more honest the first couple of months here I purposely laid low trying to avoid getting a calling. I told myself it wasn't on purpose but the inner me knows me better.) Shameful I know. One I was terrified of being lost in the nursery and two... I was just so tiiired...I felt like the last four or five calling I was asked (privileged) to do were very demanding and it had been really hard trying to fit in time with Matthew while doing everything else. Really I am ashamed. What true believer is going to shirk a chance to serve? Like I said, shameful. But after visiting teaching in February, being invited to dinner with some GREAT ladies who happen to be in our ward, having the chance to teach Sunday school (Sunday school is the second class we go to on Sundays at church. Where the men and women are all together for a lesson.) and our visit today I feel SO lucky to be here! I am really excited to be more involved and meet different sisters. I had forgotten how much I love associating with new people and how much I LOVE to teach. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Thank you visiting teaching, Julie Ann and Ali for being there when I needed push out of my very selfish rut! :)
Haha! Well would you look what I found online today - its us! If you've never googled yourself you definitely should... you might be surprised at what you find. This is a portion of our wedding video posted online by our videographer (sp?). Kinda weird to find it posted online.. but it is fun to watch it again.
Matthew & Tiffany Yack from Christopher Fryer on Vimeo.
Brrr.. it was a cold super windy day! I've never been so cold in my life! Its hard to believe it was over a year ago! (Sorry for all the kissing - apparently that was our videographers favorite part!)
hm.. i wonder what else google has to reveal about us...
Forgive me for posting about our co-op again but I can't help it - I LOVE it! Here is what we picked up Saturday. For $16.50! I just cant get over it...does the fact that I love saving money and eating health make me a nerd?
1lb strawberries
2 - 6 oz containers of blueberries
10 bananas
7 cucumbers
8 zucchini
8 braeburn apples
6 concord pears
1 bundle of asparagus
1 huge head of cabbage
3 bundles of spinach
a head of dark green lettuce
14 oranges
Yum!
By the time I got around to taking a picture we had given away half the lettuce head, a bundle of spinach, some zucchini and cucumbers and we are still over loaded with food. I'm so grateful we found this Bountiful Baskets! If you think this would help your family, their website is www.bountifulbaskets.org.
By the time I got around to taking a picture we had given away half the lettuce head, a bundle of spinach, some zucchini and cucumbers and we are still over loaded with food. I'm so grateful we found this Bountiful Baskets! If you think this would help your family, their website is www.bountifulbaskets.org.
Anyone who knows us well knows we looove a good treat now and then -these have become one of our favorites! They are SO quick to make and yummy delicious!
Cookie Recipe
1 package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 - cup oil
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. Roll dough into balls I like to use measuring spoons to scoop the mix out of the bowl, then roll it in my hands so that my cookies are a uniform size. A level tablespoonful of dough will give you palm size cookies like the ones in this picture, or about 15 whole oreos a batch. Use a leveled ½ tablespoon for store bought oreo size. Place on greased cookie sheet. Do not flatten the dough balls, this will make your cookies dry. Bake for 7 minutes, open the oven and gently pat the top of each cookie with a fork, not to flatten the cookie just to force a little of the "puff" out of the top. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet (until warm). Remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack.
For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature (not melted), butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, I fill a zip-lock bag with filling and cut one corner off and squeeze the filling onto the center of one cookie. (We're not fancy enough to have pastry bags. :) ) Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, twisting a little to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Mmm!
As a side note, if I feel like the cookies might not all be eaten within a couple of days, I prefer to make the bigger ones, they tend to stay soft longer. If I think they will be eaten all in one night I like to make the small ones as they get a little crumbly after a day or so - I'm not sure why.. maybe you can perfect that! :) These are especially good warmed in the microwave or right out of the oven!
Scooter rides with Paul and Karen.
Paul looks scared in this picture, but we literally had to peel him off - he had so much fun! I LOVE MY SCOOTER! But, it wont be much use to us now that we are in Spanish Fork, so its up for sale if anyone is interested!
Cooking Thanksgiving for the fam in our old apartment.
Moving Day! The first few weeks the place was a disaster house. :) but we LOVED it!
A shot of our new kitchen AND dun-dun-dun our rockin refrigerator! Getting the refrigerator I wanted seriously made me giddy.
(I really will put up more pictures of the house eventually.. its just not much to look at right now.. but when we decorate and paint you'll see the whole thing!)
Exploring Spanish Fork: Everyone needs to try Two Jacks Pizza and Glade's Drive in! Um!
Hooking up our new washer and dryer!
Going with Karsen to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in preparation for his mission! These two make me SO proud!
Spending the weekend with Dad. This was his first visit to our house! We were able to go to the temple then out for a nice dinner!
What handsome men I've got!
Happy Anniversay! :) Trying our very frozen wedding cake topper!
Feb 3rd, Karsen went into the MCT! He is now in Portland Oregon serving the Lord!
