Winn-Dixie Deals

CVS currently has Pantene on clearance for $1.57 each but the stock is getting low (Our CVS had very few left earlier today). I was in Winn-Dixie today and they also have select Pantene on clearance. It is $2.00 each there. It's not as great of a deal as CVS but with the $3/2 coupon that expires tomorrow, they are still only .50 cents each! Not a bad deal for Pantene!!

MaMa Rosa's mini pizzas are also on sale this week at Winn-Dixie B1G1 for $3.99. Sale ends Tuesday. Look for the specially marked packages--Free Movie Cash $10 by mail when you buy 4 participating pizzas. This makes the pizza free with $2.00 profit. The movie cash is valid for 1 box office admission up to $10, to any theatrical showing of a Warner Bros. Pictures release at any participating theater. To find a theater near you, go to www.useyourcash.com. Requests must be postmarked by 12/31/11.

Hurry!! Coupons are expiring and so are the rebates!!

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

At first glance, this could be seen as a negative post. (No negativity allowed here!) But hang in there with me. Also, let me say that this post is clearly my opinion. I am not a doctor or a nurse. I am a teacher. I help people learn and hopefully, improve their life in some way.

With that being said, there are situations that pop up in life. Sometimes you have control over them--sometimes you don't. This leads to the topic at hand--pain medication therapy. Rumor has it-- there is a new law out there for 2012 requiring a patient on pain medication therapy to be seen by the doctor once a month (or a nurse practitioner), an RN nurse will no longer do. It's about time! I searched the information on the internet but really didn't find anything. I would guess the law is to cut down on the abusers of pain medication. Everyone needs to be well informed on this topic. Just because a pain medication is prescribed--doesn't mean the patient won't become addicted to it. A drug addiction is a drug addiction regardless of how someone got in the situation. I think folks believe that as long as the pain medication is prescribed, it is okay. Maybe....maybe not.

It still has the potential to ruin the patient's life. There still may be long-term complications more debilitating than the pain. Please ask the questions. A wise doctor once told me there are no stupid questions. That same doctor told me he was a doctor--not God. Those are two very good points. Doctors do not know everything. They are human just like everyone else. Please ask the questions.

Alcohol is legal. Anyone over 21 can purchase it. So, it's okay to drink it but it doesn't mean it can't cause harm. It doesn't mean someone can't become addicted to it. It happens.

Perhaps it comes down to Quality of life over Quantity of life. Pain is painful. That's why people don't want to feel it. I just think there are choices. Here goes one of my favorite sayings.... I tell it to my girls all the time. The choices may not be good choices but they're all you got! Weigh your options.

Please ask the questions. Make the best educated decision possible. Maybe it will avoid the Shoulda Woulda Coulda moment.

Gone but not Forgotten

Wow! It appears as I haven't posted in 3 months! Isn't that something....how funny that I pick today!
I should be baking cookies. (But I am sitting at the computer watching my favorite site--Hip2Save.  Collin is doing Christmas Giveaways all day!!!)  Cookies are my thing. It's what I do at this time of year! I usually deliver them to close friends on Christmas Eve but I won't be doing that this year. It's changed! It's all changed!

Don't worry guys! I am delivering cookies....just earlier.

But that's what brings me to this post! My daughter read a saying to me yesterday and I had her print it. It speaks volumes to my life right now. I actually told her to print it on the cards at my funeral! It sounds funny now but I recently had to carry out one of those last requests!  Anyhow....
There is someone out there talking trash--yes, I know who you are. It's cheer drama--STILL. I can stop coaching but I can't stop the drama. In the scheme of things, it doesn't matter. A dear friend of mine has passed. We weren't best friends. We didn't always agree and I loved her anyway--for who she was and for how she "believed" in me. No one can tarnish our relationship or take it away. She will be with us all--ALWAYS.

A dearly loved tradition has also passed. It is what it is. Something else that has changed in my world and I truly have no control over it. I guess nothing really does last forever. After 23 years, I just thought it would. No worries! It leaves room for new traditions! That's what every ending is--right--a new beginning.

Thanks 2011--for teaching me to persevere! For reminding me, when the going gets tough-- the tough get going.

So here it goes....here's the saying:

thanks to those who hated me;
     you made me a better person.
thanks to those who loved me;
     you made my heart grow fonder.
thanks to those who envied me;
     you made my self-esteem grow stronger.
thanks to those who cared;
     you made me feel important.
thanks to those who entered my life;
     you made me who I am today. (Perhaps on the card, it should say who I was...:))
thanks to those who left;
     you showed me that nothing lasts forever.
thanks to those who stayed;
     you showed me the true meaning of
          love and friendship!

It really is...All about Us!

If you haven't ordered a subscription to the "All You" magazine yet, it is time you do! It is plum full of coupons plus great articles. Do you ever draw a blank when it comes to cooking dinner?? Well, it's plum full of great recipes too! I will highlight a couple here that I have cooked for my family. The recipes are from the August 26th issue. They were quick and tasty! Can't ask for more than that! And you never have to choose between a coupon and the recipe because all recipes are online at www.allyou.com/food/recipes

Grilled Spiced Pork Patties with Greens
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Cost per Serving: $1.89
The pork patties are full of flavor and we all totally enjoyed the yogurt dressing!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Slow-cooker Meal!!!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 hour
Serves: 6
Cost per Serving: $1.89
This is the best pulled chicken recipe I have tried to date. Tasty-tasty dish and plenty for leftovers....dinner tonight!! :)

Mini Frittatas
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Cost per Serving: $1.74
Totally fun recipe for dinner. It made more than it said so leftovers were used for breakfast! Eggs should be part of weekly meals...give this recipe a try! It is super easy and great!

I am cooking dinner from the September issue this week. I will let you know how those recipes pan out. Our grocery week runs Thursday-Thursday. Check back to see what happens! :)

Hit the Target!

Let's not go to extremes here but this shopping with coupons stuff is so much fun!! And Target has turned out to be way more exciting than I originally thought. I must admit...this past weekend, I purchased a few coupons on ebay that weren't in our paper or I preferred to have more than three of the particular coupon. As we were leaving for Target, three sets of the coupons came in the mail. One set was for the St. Ives lotion....coupon is .75 cents off any size. Well, guess what??!! Target has that lotion on clearance right now for .67 cents each in the trial size section. Amazing!! There were only 19 but I had 20 coupons so I purchased them all for just the cost of tax. ($1.12) Of course, the 20 coupons did cost me .99 cents so I suppose that total is $2.11! What a great deal!! :)

September is month two of my serious bid to coupon. I have set my goal at shaving $200.00 off our monthly grocery bill. In the first month, I cut the bill by $100.00 and I am well on my way to saving between $150.00-200.00 this month. There is a lot of information to absorb and many tricks to the trade but I am learning every day and I will reach the goal! SOON! :)

Score!

Yesterday, I took my usual Sunday trip down to the BP to get another Sunday paper. You never know what you will learn just by talking to people. I managed to pick up the sloppiest paper in the stack-go figure! The cashier was trying to straighten it for me. I told her not to bother--I wasn't reading it anyway. I only wanted the coupons. She looked at me kinda funny....guess she isn't a fellow KCL but she asked me if I was serious. (I already had one paper at home on the counter anyway.) I said Yep! I only want the coupons. Well, she said she wanted the paper and offered to split the cost with me. I snagged my second set of coupons for .79 cents. Score!

Deal at Dollar General!!
If you have the Nivea coupons from the paper--$2.00 off any body wash 8.4 ounce or larger, it is on sale at Dollar General now for $2.00. It is an unadvertised sale. It isn't marked on the shelf but it sure does ring up $2.00. I did this deal on Friday. The cashier was so excited that I only owed the tax! She was so happy for me...asked me how I did it. It was truly a fun experience. I will shop there more often! Nivea is great body wash to get for free! Score! :)

Bullseye!

Took my first trip to Target since I started couponing. There isn't a Target close to us so it is a bit out of the way. I thought it just might be worth it--and it was! I spent $6.48 and saved $18.89! Oh, what fun!!

Here's how it breaks down. I bought 2 sure deodorants on sale for $1.50 each. I used 2 $1.00 coupons from the paper making them .50 cents each. I bought the Renu contact solution on sale for $5.99.  I used one coupon from renu.com and one coupon from Target.com. Both were $2.00 coupons making the contact solution $1.99. (I hear Walgreens has a deal coming up on the Renu contact solution next week.) I am still building my coupon binder and school supplies are now 75% off. I purchased a pair of scissors for .37 cents regularly $1.50, a binder for my daughter (Had to drag her into this with me...can't go it alone!) $2.50 regularly $10.00, and one more set of index dividers for her as well. Those were .25 cents regularly $1.00.

The little cashier man almost forgot my coupons. Luckily, he remembered because I would've forgotten. But he said he remembered because he did forget a ladies the other day and she picked them up and threw them at him. He said she was quite serious about her couponing! He took it in stride and had a good attitude about it. It was quite funny the way he told the story....but we all have to remember that everyone is doing the best that they can!

Side note: www.ValueMags.com has Popular Science--one year subscription--no strings attached for FREE. (Once on their site, click on free magazines.) Just make sure you uncheck the please email other specials etc. box. If you have a current subscription to the magazine, it will be added to end of it. It's our favorite word folks--FREE!! Keep Smiling! :)

Petroleum Jelly?

So over the weekend, I had this Ah-ha moment. I don't why all of the sudden things click together but they do. Let me give you a quick overview...a couple of months ago, I ran out of my usual Night-time PM eye ointment. It's for my dry eye. Wal-Mart was out as well and since it is an expensive medicine and there usually aren't any coupons for it....I choose to use my back-up eye gel in my eyes at night.

I used the eye gel for about a month until I remembered to check Wal-Mart again. In that month, I noticed the fine lines and wrinkles appearing to be worse around my eyes. Weird, right? I surely can't have that so I purchased an "Advanced Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Eye Day/Night Cream" for around my eyes. It may have improved some but it wasn't the results I was looking for at that point.

Then, I start using the Night-Time PM eye ointment again for my dry eyes. During the night, it always manages to leak out of the corner of my eye.  Do you see where I am going with this? The fine lines and wrinkles are improving again. My eyes look much better. Ah-ha...

The base of that ointment is similar to a Petroleum Jelly. I use Petroleum Jelly on my lips and around the outside of the lip every night. It certainly helps them. Why wouldn't it work around the eye?? I don't waste my money on the expensive lip treatments. Why waste it on the Advanced Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Eye Creams? Do you know how much Petroleum Jelly you can buy for the price of one of those? I bet with coupons you can get the trial size free.

Try it! Just a helpful tip to save money.

Vicks VapoDrops Deal

Walgreens was successful yesterday. Vicks VapoDrops 20 count are on sale 2 for $1.79. I used two $1.00 off coupons from 8/28 PG. .21 cent profit. I also purchased Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste on sale for $4.99 ($3.00 register rewards). I used a $1.00 off coupon from the All You Magazine. Total Bill: $4.08 with $3.00 for next time. If you try this deal, look near the register for the VapoDrops. I bought the last two at our store!

Creative Couponing at CVS!

Totally fun shopping trip last Friday at CVS. First transaction--remember I had the $7.00 CVS bucks from last week to use.....I purchased TG Lee Milk for $3.79 ($1.00 CVS bucks reward.) Revitalens 10 oz contact solution ($4.00 CVS bucks reward plus a $2.00 off coupon.) Oral-B Satin 55yards floss ($1.00 CVS bucks reward plus .75 cent off coupon.) Crest Pro Health 4.2 oz toothpaste ($1.00 CVS bucks reward plus $1.00 off coupon.) CVS Heavy Duty Fabric band-aids  24 count (usually 20 but 20% more free in this box and I had the free coupon from scanning my card weeks earlier. Coupon was expired but they honored it just like the little man said they would.) Total: $7.27 with $7.00 in CVS bucks to spend on the next transaction. Total savings: $19.04

Transaction 2: Pringles, 4 each $6.00 ( $1.00 off coupon with 4.) Dawn Dish washing Liquid with Olay 3 each @ .99 each ( Used three .75 cent off coupons) TG Lee TruMoo $3.59 (My daughter had to have it--full purchase price...no coupons--Ouch!!) I used the $7.00 CVS bucks from the last transaction....total bill $2.49. Savings:  $13.37

Both transactions combined, I spent $9.76 and I saved  $32.41...not bad. We walked out of there with 5 bags of goodies and we were smiling!

I did scan my card as we entered....I got a coupon for another freebie! Try it guys! :)

Fearless!

This "Thank You" goes out to someone who will never see this post. But I am writing it anyway. :)

If you want to know what it feels like to have your heart walk around outside of your body--have children!  You  feel their joy tenfold--you feel their pain tenfold! There are times a parent can do all things for their child and there are times a parent can do nothing but be there.

That being said, I have always felt that music provides a certain type of therapy. It can soothe the soul when nothing else seems to be good enough. Country music has always told stories. It is great for that "Somebody done somebody wrong song." More recently however, a new young lady has come on the scene of music. She writes about her life. She writes and sings about things that are happening to every young lady on the planet--from mean friends to bad break-ups. Whatever you are going through as a teenage girl--there is a "Taylor" song for that! Listen to her words--over and over--if you have to. It is so important for young ladies to remember they are not alone. It happens and it happens to everyone. You may not be AOK today but you will be AOK soon.

So, Thanks Taylor! Thanks for writing your songs. Thanks for telling your story. Thanks for helping my girls through the rough times. There may not be smiles today but there will be smiles sooner because someone besides me said things will get better. There are brighter days ahead. You truly are Fearless! And you empower every young lady to be Fearless too! :)

Flipping My Bucks!

This deal was so quick and so easy.
Transaction 1:  This week at CVS,  I bought Hydro 3 Blades 4 count refill and Head and Shoulders Smooth & Silky Shampoo. The Hydro blades were $8.49 with $5 CVS bucks attached. I had a $2.00 off coupon from the paper. The Head and Shoulders Shampoo was $4.99 with $2.00 CVS bucks attached. I had a $2.00 coupon from CVS that I mentioned in an earlier post  (It was from scanning my card at the coupon center.) and a .50 cent coupon from the paper. My total bill was $9.79 and I had $7 in CVS bucks for my next transaction. It's like merely spending $2.79....but it gets better. I call this "Flipping my Bucks."

Transaction 2: I bought the Revlon Lipstick on sale for $6.99 with $5.00 CVS bucks attached. I had a $1.00 coupon and I used $5 of the bucks from Transaction 1 thus just flipping my bucks. Total bill: $1.41 and I have $7.00 for my next visit. ($5 CVS bucks from this transaction and $2 CVS bucks leftover from Transaction 1.)

Can't wait to see next week's deals..... It's fun! Give it a try! It will make you smile! :)

Let Go with a Smile

It is important to remember it's okay to move on or to change your mind. It's like an "E" ticket ride at Walt Disney World....(so I am dating myself there)... but it was a heck of a ride-- smile once it's over because it was worth every minute!

It is extremely hard to let go. It's been a year of letting go. We let go of our puppy of thirteen years, we let go of a career after twenty-one years and recently, a home away from home.  The year is barely half over so there are probably more changes to come. But as I let go of that last one, a home away from home, I thought to myself that I might not have a conversation with these people again and I want to be remembered for the positive things that I did and the positive things that I said. The situation was handled with class and grace.

I let go with a smile. I can be proud of that.

Things I know for sure....the Good Lord don't like Ugly. (Thank you Miss Carla!) Never bump your head in the same place twice. (Thank you Aunt Jackie!) You really should treat others like you would like to be treated. (We all know where that one came from.) First time, shame on me--second time, shame on you. (Thanks Dad!) What doesn't kill you--Makes you stronger. (Thank you Lori!) In the end, it's all okay. If it's not okay, then it's not the end. (I have no idea where I got that one.)

So, there's my nickel--Keep it positive.  :)

Deals that make Smiles!

First things first! I received an email from another forever friend yesterday. Wow! It was so great to hear from her. She mentioned the smile that I passed on was a "wonderful surprise."  :) I wonder if she will pass on the smile.

Before time runs out, I want to pass on a couple of great deals.
Walgreens has Revlon Nail Enamel on sale for $3.99 with $3.00 register rewards. There was a $1.00 off coupon in the paper plus our Walgreens has a store coupon at the beauty counter worth $2.00. You do have to check out at the beauty counter. I made $2.01 on that deal!

Sure Antiperspirant/Deodorant is also on sale this week. Use the coupon from the ad, 2/$3.00 plus two $1.00 coupons that came in the paper. Bottom line: the Sure costs .50 cents each. However it is important to remember at Walgreens, you can only use as many coupons as you have items. (Snickers candy bars are on sale for .49 cents this week if you need an item.)

Pert Plus 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner is another great buy but our Walgreens was sold out. It is on sale for $3.99 with $3.00 in register rewards. Use the $1.00 off coupon from the paper. Bottom Line: .01 cent profit on that deal.

Publix also has a couple great deals this week. Degree Antiperspirant and Deodorant is BOGO for $2.99. Use two $1.00 coupons from the paper. The Degree is .50 each.

Resolve Spray 'n Wash Laundry Stain Remover is BOGO for $2.99. There were two .50 cent coupons in the paper and I was prepared to use them. However, there was a .65 cent off coupon on the bottle. Price after coupons is $1.69./.85 cents each. This product also works really well. It's all I use for stain removal on clothes. What an awesome deal! :)

The "deal shopping" is starting to be more fun than it is work! Who doesn't smile at a great deal?

FREE stuff at CVS!

Scan your card at CVS this week, the coupon machine gives you great coupons! It will certainly make you smile! I scanned my card yesterday and received a coupon for a FREE Hershey's candy bar, a FREE 20 ct. box of CVS Fabric bandages and a coupon for $2 off any shampoo, conditioner or styling aid (It does exclude salon brand.). There are a couple scenarios where the shampoo or conditioner would be free with the $2 coupon.

Our CVS was out of the 20 ct. box of fabric bandages but the man at the checkout desk said to use the coupon the next time CVS has them in stock. He said it would be honored even if it is expired. What's not to smile about!!

And remember, CVS will issue a raincheck on any sale item that is out of stock (as long as they normally stock it). The raincheck even has the CVS bucks!

CVS is also more than happy to do two transactions for you. Get the most for all of your bucks! It's a coupon friendly store with great deals! Great deals make me smile! :)

Getting the Word Out!

This blog was created as an after thought to the Just Passing on a Smile campaign of mine. So, yesterday I sent out an email (use of technology and the technoworld) to alert my friends that have already received a smile to stop by here and tell us if they too passed on a smile! I hope they did and I hope they do. Time will tell!

As a side note, my forever friend stopped by yesterday. It may have been business but it was certainly a pleasure to see her! It was a good reminder of yesteryear and simpler times. Great for a smile.

The Power of Positive!

Just Passing on a Smile is all about being positive. This is a negative free zone. As we all adjust to our new "normals," we need things to smile about. Please Pass on what makes you smile! If it makes you smile, it will make someone else smile too!

Just Passing on a Smile!

What makes you smile? I received a birthday card in the mail a few weeks ago and it made me smile. I don't know about you but all I ever get in the mail is bills and junk! The card made me smile because the sender was thoughtful enough to pick it out, address and stamp the envelope and stick it in their mailbox. Two days later, it winds up in my mailbox! It's a great system. Snail Mail is all it's cracked up to be!

I am not knocking emails or text messaging but it's not the same.

Now, I have started an adventure to pass on the smile. The following week after receiving that card, I bought two cards. I mailed them to two of my friends. I don't know what they did--the smile may have stopped there. The week after that, I mailed two more cards and I have done that every week for 4 weeks. But I want to know if anyone is actually passing on the smile. That's why I have created this blog. I will add the web address to the card--mix the best of both worlds(yesteryear and technoworld). Hopefully, folks will add their thoughts and tell us if they passed on the smile!