Getting Creative on a budget: Coupon Sense

I am sure that many of you have heard stories about people who walk out of the store with hundreds of dollars in groceries and only paying a couple dollars for tax.  The stories are true.  I have done similar shopping trips myself. 

I have tried out many coupon helper sites out there. There are personal blogs,  and all kinds of sites online that can help you with couponing.  I've found that Coupon Sense has the most to offer.  I tried the free sites thinking I could do the work on my own.  My savings went down and spending went up.  I've recently joined

Coupon Sense again and in the first week saved over $50 in coupons. And I did things the lazy way that week.

The thing I like about Coupon Sense vs the other sites, is that they give you all of the best deals and you can compare which place you want to use. All you have to do is click on a item and it will immediately add it to your shopping list.  You then print off the list, it tells you the coupons to cut, the store it goes for, the item, it's price and the "deal" price when you use the coupon.  Seriously it's a HUGE time saver.  With Four kids and one on the way, I don't have the time or energy to do all of the steps it takes to do couponing. They do all the thinking for you.  They have an awesome system of filing the coupons so when it's time to clip, the numbers take you right to the exact coupon.  It's awesome... 

You really have to give it a try. You can try it for only $4 the first month too.  That is an amazing deal!
I also like that they send out an email every Wednesday with the new deals of the week. They even tell you which coupons are about to expire.  I tell you they have thought of everything.  Plus, they have professionals that post the deals. A huge difference from just any random person trying to pull it all together.  They also have a connection with the newspaper that will give you a great deal on multiple Sunday papers.

Give it a try and don't forget to mention my name as the person who referred you. Jennie Plastow. 

Here is one of my deals that I have gotten in the past
Total: $ 3.40 plus tax

Hefty foam plates... 3 of the 50 pack 0.10 each! (I had a manufactures coupon to make them .50 each and then there was coupons on the package for .40 off as well. When one is a manufactures coupon and the other is a product coupon, you can stack them! )

Hefty Foam bowls...same thing 0.10 each
Protein bars- 6 of them for FREE.
Hot dogs-8 pkgs 0.09 each
Candy bars: 6 at 0.25 each
Weber Grill seasonings 6 for FREE
Kraft BBQ sauce 2 the extra large size FREE
Kraft Dressing 4 at 0.17 each (got 2 free ones earlier last week)
Dial soap 3 for 0.25 each 6 for FREE
Should have gotten all 9 free, but didn't realize I had 3 coupons floating around. my disorganization messed me up! ha ha
Crab classics 2 for FREE
Cool Whip 2 for FREE

One-eyed Sandwiches

Do you remember as a kid, your parents getting really creative with your food to get you to eat it?  Like calling broccoli, trees.  I've got a few recipes like this one up my sleeve.  This is a really cute way to get your kids to eat their breakfast.  My husband had these when he was a boy and still loves to eat them to this day. He likes to make them for our kiddos as well.  This is a good one to let them help out with too. It's quick and easy.

Step one: tear or eat a hole out of the center of the bread.  Melt about a tablespoon of butter on an electric griddle or frying pan and lay the bread on it.

Step two: Crack and egg and pour into the hole in the bread. Top with salt and pepper.

Step three: fry each side for a few minutes until egg is done and bread is crispy. Enjoy!

Chocolate Layer Pie

This cake/pie has many names. Some call it Better than Robert Redford, Other names aren't so appropriate... I was joking that since Robert Redford is so not our generations "hunk" that we should rename it to Better than Justin Bieber or something. Ha ha.  Anyway, I just like the name, Chocolate Layer Pie.

My sweet mother-in-law found this recipe for me one Thanksgiving. Looking back, I don't know how she knew this is what I wanted, with the vague description I gave her.  She was asking what I wanted for my Thanksgiving pie, and I told her I tried this one pie one time that was delicious and gave her about 2 details about what I remembered.  She found the very one for me.  Oh it is so good!!!

The recipe says to use a 9 inch pie pan. This time, I doubled the recipe and did it in oblong pans for a funeral dessert.  Either, way, it still tastes the same! Plain ol' delicious!!!

Chocolate Layered Pie

1/2 cup chopped pecans                          

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant choc. pudding mix

1/2 cup butter, melted                               

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup all-purpose flour                              

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions

1.  Mix together pecans, melted butter, and flour.  Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until lightly browned.  Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.

 2.  In a mixing bowl, blend 1 cup whipped topping, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar until creamy.  Spread into cooled crust.

3.  Whisk together pudding mix and milk.  (You may want to add up to a half cup more milk if you like your pudding really creamy) Spread evenly over cheese layer, and then spread remaining whipped topping on top.  Chill 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Can crush oreos, crushed Heath bar, toffee pieces or shaved chocolate on top



Taco Soup

Here's is another favorite of mine that came from my Mother-in-law.  I love her cooking! Can you tell?  There are so many variations of this dish, but I really like her version. I like mine thick. I use my chips as my spoon.  The rest of my family likes it a little more soupy and they crush their chips into it. Either way it's a winner at this house!

Taco Soup

2 cans kidney beans (drained)

2 cans corn (drained)

1 lb hamburger (cooked)

1 can tomato paste

2 cans tomato sauce

2 pkgs taco seasoning

2 cans tomatoes (stewed)

Water to desired consistency

Cook hamburger, combine all ingredients in crock-pot or stock pot.  Heat and serve. Serve with chips, olives, avocado, cheese and sour cream. Can be served thicker as a dip or more as a soup.

Giveaway Picts

For our first giveaway, the winner recieved 5 custom made hair bows/flowers.  Our faithful viewer Lexi was the winner. Here is what her prize looked like.

Cafe Corn Chowder

This is my all time favorite soup!  I've searched online for Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder and found a few copy cat recipes. They just didn't seem to be the same.  Then one day I found it on the actual  Mimi's Cafe site. You can't get any closer than their own recipe right? I love that they share their recipes.  Seriously, I think it's so awesome!  I have found that some brands of frozen corn have huge kernels and they are really chewy.  It really made my soup far less enjoyable when I used that kind.  You will want to find a good quality frozen corn to make it the best it can be. My favorite so far was the brand from Costco.

Cafe Corn Chowder

¼-cup butter, (½-stick)
6 tablespoons chopped onion
¾-cup diced celery
2-½ cups water
2 cups cubed peeled red or russet potatoes, (½-inch)
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 can creamed corn (14 oz)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 dash of white pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups half and half cream

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk until smooth and a roux forms (2 minutes). Add onions and celery and saute 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Add water, potatoes, corn kernels, creamed corn, sugar, salt and pepper. Using a wire whisk, whisk until smooth. Cover and simmer until potatoes are barely tender, about 30 minutes. Add half and half and simmer uncovered until soup has thickened to a creamy consistency, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Diaper Cakes and Pacifiers

This week we had a baby shower for two of my sister-in-laws. One is having a boy and one is having a girl. We had a good time.  I enjoyed making the decorations for the showers.  Although these decorations aren't edible, I decided to post them anyway.  I made a really cute diaper cake.  We decided to make one diaper cake and use it for both showers. I made the base ribbon black and then just changed the bows.  It was super cute!

 I also made little pacifiers to put on the table. I made these out of life savers.  My mom showed me these and I love making them. They are so easy!  They are made with the mint lifesavers and good and plenty.

Diaper Cake

You will need about 125-150 diapers depending on the size.  I used about 150 of the size 1-2 diapers from Costco. Take a diaper and roll it up, starting at the open end, rolling towards the folded end. Tie it with about 5-6 inches of very thin ribbon.  Continue doing that to each diaper.  Some people use glue. I think this is a waste because if you are going to spend an arm and a leg on diapers, the least you can do it make it so the mommy can use them!

When you get enough for the bottom layer, (about 75-85 or so. Again, depending on how big you want it... ) Arrange them in a large circle. It helps to have a few extra hands on this step. Wrap with a fat ribbon I used 1  1/2 inch. ribbon. Tie it tight.  I like to save a couple extra diapers to add in after I tie off the layer. Then I add them in to the bunch, making them fit even more snug.

Continue doing that for each layer. I like to keep my layers separate so that I can arrange it on the table when I get to the shower.  Some people add something into the middle to connect each tier. Some use tall baby shampoo bottles or thick wooden dowels. There's really no right or wrong to it.

Add bows, toys or baby products to spruce up the cake.

Life Saver Pacifiers

Step one: Take two Life Savers and lay them next to each other like this.  Make sure that the one on the right, has the wording (Life Saver) facing to the right. This way it will not show as much.

Step two:  Fill the hole in the lifesaver to the right with hot glue glue.

Step three: Place a Good and Plenty candy inside the hole. Hold it firmly for a few seconds. I like to use the pink ones for the girls and white for the boys.

Step four: Tie a small bow with pink or blue ribbon and hot glue it to the pacifier.