List of printable coupons:

$1.00 off Men's Fruit of the Loom Underwear 
$2.00 off Centrum Silver 100 ct. or larger 
$2.00 off Centrum ProNutrients Omega-3 cvs 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers UnderJams Night Wear 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Extra Protection Diapers 
$0.50 off ONE Pampers Sensitive Wipes 60 ct 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Splashers Swim Pant 
FREE Orbit Gum 14-piece pack with select snacks 
$1.00 off (2) Skittles, Starburst, or Life Savers 
$1.00 off any 1 LLOYD'S Barbeque product 
$1.00 off two VALLEY FRESH products 
$0.55 off HORMEL COUNTRY CROCK Side dish 
$1.00 off 1 HORMEL Refrigerated Entree 
$1.00 off any (1) o.b. brand product 
$2.00 off one Right Guard Xtreme™ Aerosol, 3 oz 
$2.00 off TWO (2) Right Guard Xtreme Products 
$1.00 off ONE COVERGIRL Flamed Out™ Mascara 
$2.00 off one box of Brew Over Ice K-Cup packs 
$0.75 off package of Campbell's Skillet Sauces 
$0.50 off ONE Tide Stain Eraser 
$1.50 off any two (2) Wonka Stand-Up Bags 
$1.50 off 2 Snausages or Snaw Somes! dog snacks 
$1.00 off any (2) BARILLA Whole Grain Pasta 
$2.00 off NEOSPORIN ECZEMA ESSENTIALS Product 
$5.00 off Stand Up Guys on DVD or Blu-ray 
$1.00 off one Land O Lakes Half and Half 
$0.50 off ONE Crest Toothpaste or liquid gel 
$1.10 off 1 Crest ProHealth Rinse 458mL or larger 
$0.75 off any single Goody's Headache Relief Shot 
$1.00 off any A+D Product 
$5.00 off Parental Guidance on DVD or Blu-ray 
$1.00 off any U.S.A. Kids Sippy Cup 2-pack 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Swaddlers Diapers 
$2.00 off Hero, Swingers or Hostage on Blu-ray 
$2.00 off ONE Pampers Easy Ups Trainers 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Cruisers Diapers 
$2.75 off 1 package of Energizer Ultimate Lithium 
$1.00 off any Rayovac Alkaline Batteries 
$0.50 off ONE Chex Mix 4.5 oz. or larger 
$0.50 off Green Giant™ Veggie Snack Chips 
$0.75 off Any ONE (1) DOLE Banana Dippers 
$0.75 off any two Cans of DOLE Pineapple 
$1.50 off TOMBSTONE Garlic Dipping Bites pizza 
$1.00 off (1) DOVE Milk Chocolate Bars 
$1.00 off TWO (2) packages of Hefty Slider Bags 
$1.00 off any one Reynolds Wrap Foil, 35 sq. ft 
$1.00 off Suave Professionals Moroccan Styling Oil 
$2.00 off ANY ONE (1) NUTRISSE Haircolor 
$5.00 off one tube of Dr. Paul's Piggy Paste 
$1.00 off ONE POISE Hourglass* Shape Pads 
$1.00 off any ONE package of POISE Absorbent 
$2.00 off ONE NUTRISSE NOURISHING FOAM Haircolor 
$2.00 off 2 Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion 
$2.00 off ONE Pantene Expert Collection products 
$1.50 off TWO Tide Detergent and/or Tide Boost 
$2.00 off June Issue of Instyle 
$1.00 off any one Wisk Power Blasts, 24 ct 
$5.00 off (1) BISSELL Machine Rental 
$1.00 off HORMEL SANDWICH MAKERS™ product 
$1.00 off the People Country Special issue 
$2.00 off any AVEENO Suncare product 
$1.00 off any Raid product 
$2.00 off World's Best Cat Litter 
30% OFF Paints & Stains 
$1.50 off one HUGGIES LITTLE SWIMMERS Swimpants 
$2.00 off any Ecotrin product 100ct or larger 
$1.00 off any BC powder 
$0.55 off ONE package of Hillshire Farm Lunchmeat 
$10.00 off (1) Philips Norelco StyleShaver 
$5.00 off Philips Norelco Razor, Replacement Head 
$50.00 off Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D razor 
$20.00 off Philips Norelco SensoTouch 2D razor 
$5.00 off two Prevacid24HR 28ct or 42ct Products 
$1.00 off Valvoline's Motor Oil AND FRAM Filter 
$2.00 off Any Tim McGraw Fragrance Purchase 
$1.00 off any one Reynolds Bakeware Product 
$0.70 off any one VELVEETA Toppers 
$0.75 off 1 Colgate Total Toothpaste 
$0.75 off any (1) Georgia-Pacific Printer Paper 
$0.55 off ONE Always Xtra Protection Liner 
$0.55 off ONE Always Infinity 12ct or higher 
$4.97 value Crayola when you Buy $10 Crayola Color 
$1.00 off (1) Minute Maid 12-pk cans, any variety 
$1.00 off TWO Campbell's Slow Kettle Style soups 
$1.00 off ONE meat-free Gardein™ frozen entree 
$0.50 off TWO BOXES Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 
$0.50 off TWO BOXES Nature Valley Granola Bars 
$0.75 off ONE BAG Food Should Taste Good chips 
$1.00 off any ONE (1) 16 oz Right Guard Body Wash 
$0.50 off ONE BOX Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal 
$0.75 off Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch cereal 
$1.00 off TWO BOXES General Mills Big G cereals 
$0.50 off any ONE BOX Chex cereal 
$1.00 off TWO BOXES General Mills kid cereals 
$0.75 off ONE BOX Multi Grain Cheerios cereal 
$0.50 off ONE BOX Original Cheerios cereal 
$0.75 off ONE BOX Fiber One cereal 
$0.75 off any variety Oatmeal Crisp cereal 
$0.50 off ONE BOX Reese's Puffs cereal 
$0.75 off 2 Betty Crocker Frosting and cake mix 
$0.50 off select Bisquick products 
$0.50 off TWO Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad 
$0.75 off TWO any flavor Yoplait kid products 
$0.40 off SIX CUPS any variety Yoplait Yogurt 
$1.00 off FIVE Yoplait Greek 100 yogurt 
$0.75 off Cascadian Farm product 
$0.80 off FOUR BOXES any flavor Hamburger Helper 
$2.00 off 2 Pantene Truly Relaxed & Truly Natural 
$3.00 off The Lost Medallion DVD or Combo Pack 
$0.50 off one (1) 16oz 4pk of Amp Energy 
$1.00 off two (2) 9-12 oz Bertolli Entrees 
$5.00 off Culturelle Digestive Health Probiotic 
$1.00 off Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Baked Item 
B2G2 Free Purina Pro Plan cat food, 3oz cans 
$3.00 off one Purina Pro Plan dry Cat Food, 7 lb 
$1.00 off any two HORMEL Bacon Toppings 
$1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat 
$1.00 off 2 HORMEL NATURAL CHOICE products 
$1.50 off any Windex Touch-Up Cleaner products 
$1.00 off 2 HORMEL Pepperoni packages 
$1.00 off any (1) DOVEBAR Ice Cream Multi-Pack 
$3.00 off one HORMEL Party Tray product 
$1.00 off 2 HORMEL Chicken Breast products 
$1.00 off any One (1) Caress 6ct Bar 4oz or larger 
$1.00 off any Welch's Juice Cocktail 
$2.00 off one BIC FlameDisk 
$5.00 off Any Two (2) PetArmor products 
$2.00 off any Lotrimin product 
$2.00 off any Tinactin product 
$2.00 off (1) Excedrin 100 ct. product or larger 
$1.00 off ONE Excedrin 24 ct. product or larger 
$25.00 off a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System 
$1.50 off any Starbucks VIA Refreshers™ beverage 
$0.50 off any ONE (1) Newman's Own Salad Dressing 
$1.00 off Real Simple Magazine 
$3.00 off any Brita Bottle for Kids 
$1.00 off any two (2) Litehouse Products 
$2.00 off any TWO Kashi Cereals 
$1.00 off HORMEL COMPLEATS meal 
$1.00 off any ONE (1) Fruttare multi-pack 
$1.00 off any TWO Glade Automatic Spray refills 
$1.50 off TWO Glade Sense & Spray refills 
$1.00 off TWO Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator 
$1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil warmer 
$1.00 off Glade PlugIns Scented Oil twin refill 
$0.99 off 1 bag of Dog Chow or Puppy Chow 
$1.00 off any one Revlon ColorStay Lipstick 
$1.00 off any TWO (2) Packages of Dixie Napkins 
$1.00 off Any 1 Nature Made Adult Gummie 
Buy 3, Get 1 Free SHEBA can entrees 
$1.50 off any one (1) Starbucks K-Cup pack 
$1.00 off GARNIER FRUCTIS STYLING Product 
$0.50 off any 2 DOVE Chocolate Bars 
$1.00 off PERK Fresh Link air freshener 
$1.00 off one (1) Revlon Grow Luscious™ Mascara 
$0.55 off any two HORMEL Chili products 
$0.40 off ONE Tide Boost 
$2.00 off TWO Pantene products 
$0.40 off ONE Tide Detergent 
$1.00 off ONE COVERGIRL Outlast 3 in 1 Foundation 
$0.50 off two (2) 3 MUSKETEERS Bars 
$1.00 off ONE Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup packs 
$2.00 off ONE Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Hair Color 
$1.00 off any Breathe Right product 10ct or larger 
$1.50 off any Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cup 
$0.55 off any ONE (1) Hefty Zoo Pals Product 
$1.00 off ONE Vidal Sassoon Pro Series styling aid 
$1.00 off 1 Nature's Bounty Vitamin or Supplement 
$2.00 off Nature's Bounty Optimal Solutions 
$3.00 off one Schick Xtreme3 Disposable Razor 
$6.00 off two Schick Xtreme3 Disposable Razors 
$1.10 off any THREE (3) Temptations Treats 
$0.75 off Dr Pepper & ONE 3M or Milky Way Bars 
$2.00 off any Debrox Earwax Removal Product 
$5.00 off your $25 Vistaprint Order 
$2.00 off any (1) AVEENO Facial Care Product 
$1.00 off one (1) Bertolli Meal for Two 
$1.00 off any Dramamine Product 
$1.00 off purchase of 1 BISSELL Upright formula 
$0.55 off any Reser's Deli Salad 
$1.00 off Kiss Nail Dress 
$2.00 off any one Phillips' Colon Health Product 
$0.75 off ONE Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Shampoo 
$4.00 off Non-Drowsy Claritin-D 15ct or larger 
$1.50 off any 1 Jergens Crema Body Collection 
$1.00 off (1) package of Campbell's Go Soup 
$2.00 off L'Oreal Healthy Look Creme Hair Color 
$0.50 off one Woolite Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner 
$1.00 off any Folgers Gourmet Selections Coffee 
$2.00 off any L'Oreal Revitalift, Youth Product 
$3.00 off MiraLAX 30 dose 
$0.50 off ONE Pampers Wipes 60 ct. or larger 
$1.50 off ONE Pampers Baby Dry Diapers 
$1.00 off COMPLETE Multi-Purpose Solution 
$1.00 off Blink Tears or Blink Gel Tears 
$1.00 off RevitaLens OcuTec Solution 
$1.00 off ONE (1) bottle of Greased Lightning 
$2.00 off Prevacid24HR Product 
$0.55 off any TWO (2) Bagel-fuls 4ct 
$1.50 off any ex-lax item 24ct or larger 
$2.00 off one Campho-Phenique Product 
$0.30 off 4 oz. or larger HARIBO product 
$3.00 off any AmLactin product 
$2.00 off any Slo-Niacin 
$3.00 off any ONE TruBiotics™ product 
$1.00 off any one (1) Vanquish Product 
$1.00 off any One A Day Multivitamin product 
$1.00 off any Citracal Product 
$2.00 off any Aleve 80ct or larger 
$1.00 off 1 Flintstones™ Multivitamin Product 
$1.00 off any one (1) Advil Migraine product 
50% off any medication for one (1) year 
$1.50 off any Tagamet HB200 30 ct product 

Happy shopping!

Frugal Confessions: Walgreens & Kroger

In life, you have to spend some to earn some. Today that is exactly what I did. 

Here is my breakdown:
$38.18 total out-of-pocket spent
$25 in Catalinas and Register Rewards to spend next time
$44.60 saved with cps, Balance Rewards and Kroger Plus Card
$82.78 what I would have spent without the coupons, Balance Rewards card and Kroger card.

Not to bad for about an hours worth of couponing. :)

Teacher Appreciation gifts.

 "Thank you for quenching my child's thirst for knowledge!"

This year was my daughter's final year in Pre-K. I knew I wanted to something special for her teachers but I just did not know what. That is when I saw these adorable Lemonade Glass jars at Walmart. You have to admit, they are cute! But what to do with them? 

Thankfully, I ran across a blog with a ton of cute teacher appreciation gift idea quotes. You can check it out here. On my search for the perfect saying I came across these adorable printable tags.  All I had to do was print them, cut them out, glue the tags to a larger more sturdy tag, attach to the bottles and BAM perfect gift. 

Not too bad for about 10 minutes of work! : )

Do you do anything special for teacher appreciation? If so let me know what or post a link to your blog. I would love to know what everyone else is doing! 

Frugal Confessions: Walgreens & Dollar General

This is NOT the best I have done, today I saved about 47.5% before taxes but I was able to get everything pictured above plus an Almond Joy and a Milky Way candy bar and I paid....

$18.54!

That is $18.54 for: 
Almond Joy
Milky Way
(3) boxes of Puffs
(2) 4 pack Gillette Sensitive disposible razors
(2) boxes of Tampax 16 count & 18 count
Crest 3D white
Colgate Sensitive

I also received a coupon to save $5 off $25 or more on June 8th (Dollar General), as well as, $4 in Register Rewards that I can use at Walgreens before 6/16. Not too shabby if you ask me. 

(Sidenote: I spent about 15 minutes preparing for this entire shopping trip.)

Do you coupon? If so feel free to share you experiences in the comments below. 

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy!

A clean home is a happy home. Seriously, it’s true. But honestly if you’re the one doing the cleaning, it sucks. Who really has the time to clean? Let’s be real for a moment, the LAST thing I want to do when I come home from work is to start cleaning up the mess that my children managed to make while I was away busting my butt.  There are a MILLION things that prevent me from scouring the tub and polishing the furniture ; like cooking, taming the laundry, playing with my kiddos and Facebook, for instance.  Who wants to spend their precious time cleaning? Sure as hell not me…well, unless I’m getting paid for it.

So many people have an all or nothing about cleaning that when it gets to be too much, you give up. When it comes to cleaning my first thought has always been that  Saturday had to be an all day clean-a-thon. I don’t really have a concept of how to balance the work load during the week so weekends could be reserved for  fun! Everyone in my family are perfect when it comes to cleaning.  I am far from it! Truth be told, I think something in my genes is allergic to it!   That being said, I know that if I am to care for my family, I need to create for them a clean, peaceful home environment.

Okay, so you know how much I have cleaning but did you know that I love organization? I am never happier than when everything looks tidy.  This creates a bit of a problem.  My choices are to live disorganized or to spend a lot of time doing things I hate.  Then it hit me. There IS another choice.  I can accomplish  needs to be done with a different attitude. Everything in moderation! If you spend too much time stressing about what is clean or not, you’re more likely to throw in the towel. If you try to do a little bit a time, you’ll probably be more successful. Adjust this list as your family's needs require (those with more or less children might require doing certain activities more or less). If it's easier, make a cleaning calender! Personally, I did not have time to make one for myself but that is okay because I stumbled across Frugal Novice. Below is my cleaning calendar for June. She posts a new one each month! This helps me make sure I am getting everything accomplished and it does not kill my weekend plans! 

A few last tips to keeping your home, and mine, tidy: 

1) Dealing With What Comes Through The Door! Set up a small area by the front door for incoming items into your home. 

2) Do Your Dishes After Every Meal! This will help you stay on top of your kitchen.

3) Laundry? Do a little bit each day. Spread things out so you don't feel bogged down.

4) Get into it! Singing or turning up the stereo are all great to keep the beat in your feet and have fun while working. 

5) Set a Timer! If you find yourself off task it's easy to get back on track.

Have you found the perfect cleaning routine? Do you have anything to add to the list above?  Let me know in the comments below!

Free 2013 Summer Reading Programs

What’s the most important trait you’d like to develop in your child? Intelligence at the top of your list? Mine too! as parents, I would like to hope, we all want bright children. As a parent, we have the power to boost our children's learning potential simply by making books an integral part of their lives.

When was the last time you read a book with your child? According to a recent report in the Daily Mail, reading provides many benefits, with mental and physical rewards. Here’s why:

1) Reading can boost concentration, lengthen attention spans and improve a child’s ability to think clearly. This is because stories ‘have a beginning, a middle and an end – a structure that encourages our brain to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance,” says British neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield.

2) Reading fosters empathy. The sharpest decrease in empathy has been seen in studies conducted amongst college students in the past ten years, a decade that’s also seen the dramatic increase of technology use. “In a computer game, you might have to rescue a princess, but you don’t care about her, you just want to win,” says Baroness Greenfield. “But a princess in a book has a past, present and future, she has connections and motivations. We can relate to her.”

3)”Reading exercises the whole brain,” says John Stein, professor of neuroscience at Oxford University. Using our imaginations to follow a story when we’re reading activates our brains and this in turn can build new neural pathways.

4) In today's day and age, even children feel the stress factors of every day life. Reading can help us feel less lonely while also helping us relax. A study found that reading for just six minutes can help reduce stress levels more than listening to music or stepping out for a walk. Researchers think that reading distracts the mind, eases muscle tension and slows down our heart rate too. 

5) Reading may also help keep us in good physical health by preventing our brains from ageing and disease. Apparently, reading daily can inhibit the formation of amyloid or protein plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients

Here is a list of Free Summer Reading Programs for 2013! There are some great rewards that should definitely encourage your kiddos to keep reading this summer!

Barnes & Noble

At  Barnes & Noble, help your children read eight books this summer and track them on the Barnes & Noble reading log. They can then turn their reading log in at any Barnes & Noble store between May 21 and September 3, 2013 to get a free book.

Junie B Jones Reading Club

You can download a Reading Log, Activity Brochure and Sticker Sheet.

Scholastic Summer Challenge

Sign your kids up here and you can  download the free Family Participation Guide for children ages 0-6 or for children ages 7-12 for fun reading activities to do at home and watch the “HOW TO” video. You can also download the Free Scholastic Reading Timer App . Kids can log minutes, time themselves reading and you can track their progress and get daily reading tips. The more minutes kids read, the more rewards and recognition they earn for themselves and their school! Kids can keep track of their reading minutes by logging in.  In return, they can enter to win various sweepstakes including the following:

• 39 Clues prize pack: all the books from both series one, The Clue Hunt, and series two, Cahills vs. Vespers, in a The 39 Clues Backpack.

• Dear Dumb Diary prize pack: one DVD of the original Dear Dumb Diary movie, piece of original art by Dear Dumb Diary author Jim Benton, complete set of Dear Dumb Diary (12 books) and complete set of Dear Dumb Diary Year Two (4 books).

• The False Prince prize pack: One autographed copy of The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen and one autographed copy of The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen

• Harry Potter box set: One Harry Potter Hard Cover Boxed Set #1-7A 39 Clues Prize Pack

Pizza Hut Book It! 

Pizza Hut offers various reading challenges throughout the year.  The challengers are for kids in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade who read an identified number of books during the allotted time.  They haven’t announced their Summer Reading Challenge yet, but you can bet it will be a good one.  NOTE:  I’ll update with details as soon as it is announced. You can sign up to receive and email if you visit the site. 

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge

 Through August 26 PBK invites children to ‘take the challenge’ by reading 14 hand-selected books. Children who complete the book list and bring it to a Pottery Barn Kids location will receive a free book, or parents can enter their child into an online drawing for a backpack full of books.

American Girl Read-a-palooza

American Girl stores will have special reading events throughout the summer where you can listen to a story, create a special bookmark, and more. In addition, there are FREE American Girl eBooks on the site.

Applebee’s Book Worm Reading Club

This reading-focused reward program encourages students ages 12 or younger at school or the library to read at least 10 books that they record on their “Bookworm Club” record card. Once a student completes all 10 books they will earn a free kid’s meal at Applebee’s (when accompanied by an adult making a purchase).

You can also check out your local library to see if they are offering a Summer Reading Club. 

The Joy. *Sigh*

Walk into the Little's room? Me? Not without a hard hat and hazmat "bunny suit!" Their room is the definition of a pigsty. First, if you can get the door open, you are greeted by a mound of shoes...I am talking medium size hill here! If you can make it across without injury, you will find yourself in a swamp of books and papers. Haven't drowned? Then you have made your way to the broken toy/missing pieces playground or cemetery if you will. There is more crap in their room than should actually fit. Seriously, if a fire marshall got wind we would probably have to evacuate the premises due to weight constrictions. 

To this I am torn. I have read that children benefit from living in a messy home. Not only is it great because the kiddos are exposed to germs but messy homes bring out random stimulation. Okay, I get that. But there is no stimulation going on it that room. It is Martha Stewart's version of HELL! 

Is it seriously hard to comprehend putting away one toy before playing with another? Can’t find your shoes again? Did you put them away when you took them off? Of course not.

Then there is the side of me that feels allowing them to be messy is condoning their being lazy and unorganized. I have tried to no avail to teach them responsibility for belongings and to respect gifts others have given by not leaving them on the floor. If a toy is broken or missing pieces it needs to be thrown away. Too many toys? Looks like we need to donate some! This does not seem to sink in to my little pack rat hording children who can't bring friend inside without being embarrassed. (I am embarrassed, they see no problem with their room being a disaster!) 

Ultimately, I guess I fall in the middle of my two very different opinions. There still needs to be some order. I am not expecting their room to sparkle and smell like sunshine 24/7/365. Yet I hate the constant chaos! I am not a perfectly tidy person by any means. I organize as suits my style; we live in a home that is too small for our family. That being said, NEVER in my life have I seen such a landfill for a child's room. Numerous times, I have helped them really clean their room. At best it would stay tidy for 3 days tops. I am about to just go in with trash bags and clean house once more but it takes hours....time I don't want to devote on a day off. 

I just don't know what to do. They know the rules and that nightly, they are to tidy up...but they don't. At this point, I feel I am going to have to stand over them and instruct them on what to do. Again, not looking forward to that. I have taken away their favorite possessions. Not even a flinch! Then I promised a total room makeover, they chose the bedding, color scheme, wall decor, everything. Even, that did not work. Which was shocking because I went onto pinterest and showed them pictures of ideas they could use. Though it excited them...it failed to light that fire under their butts!

Ah, the joys of parenting!

DIY: Revamping my kiddos furniture

A few months ago we moved into our new home. Okay, okay it was December...and we have finally found the time to move all the furniture here. I am a huge fan of colors, this is proven by the colors found in my previous home. Orange/Yellow living room, Green/Gray/Wine kitchen, Neon Green/Neon Pink Girls room, Purple and Blue bathrooms...you get my point. 

A few years ago I found this old dresser at a thrift store at a great price. On a whim I purchased it and for years I have loathed it. Mainly, the color is what bothers me. While green is my favorite color I just don't like this particular shade. So last night I decided enough time has been wasted staring at this hideous dresser. 

Out came my scrapbook pages, paint, brushes and Mod Podge. Within a few hours the dresser is completely transformed. (Now I just need to find inexpensive knobs.) It may not be a perfect paint job but it is the imperfections that will remind my kiddos of the hard work their Mama put into creating this masterpiece and that is why I love it now!