This week, I repeated some of my deals from last week, since the Mega Event usually goes on for two weeks. I got 4 boxes of free Ronzoni again this week (we are now stocked up on pasta!), free ice cream, free eggs, plus more butter and cheese. Now that I'm making bread at home a lot, I use way more butter than I used to, so thankfully I was able to stock up with the Mega Event this week.
I forgot to take pictures this week, but I used the $4 in Register Rewards from last week on these items: Almay eyeliner, Always pads, two toothbrushes, and two packs of gum. With coupons and the $4 in RR, I spent $1.08. I got back $7 in Register Rewards for next time!
Ellie and I went to Target last night (where we saw the lovely Jen Jensen!) and bought a bottle of Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner, a pack of pads, and a pair of baby socks...all for 21 cents! I am convinced that God provides deals when I need them...it seems like every time I'm about to run out of something, God has provided a way for me to get the item for much cheaper than usual (either with sales, coupons, or both). We are running low on bathroom cleaner and I was in need of some more, and just happened to check a couple of the blogs and found the deal on Soft Scrub. Looking back, I don't think one of my coupons technically covered the bathroom cleaner (it said all purpose cleaner), but Target was out of that so I tried the bathroom cleaner...I think my cashier didn't really care very much, so she just entered the coupon in and gave me the deal.
I've found that coupons can be hit or miss at Target. Sometimes, a person can use a coupon and get a great deal, and then you try the same coupon and item, and a cashier won't take it. I've read about many people having different experiences with the same coupon, and you would think that every store would accept the same coupons, but it just doesn't work out that way. For example, a while back there was a Target coupon for $1 off ibuprofen; they had a 24 count package priced at 97 cents, making it free with the coupon. I had no trouble with this deal, but I read about a lot of people who had issues because their cashier said that the 24 pack was travel sized, even though it wasn't at the time. It sounds awful, but I have a strategy for this: when checking out, pick either 1) a man or 2) a teenager. I'm not trying to swindle or hoodwink them, but it saves a lot of hassle. Half the time, I end up explaining to the cashier why the coupon works for that item, but they get caught up in "coupon vocabulary." If the coupon says one coupon per purchase, that means per item, not transaction. But I still get cashiers who don't differentiate between the two, and then we both end up frustrated. I've had much more success with getting through the checkout line quickly when I use my cashier strategy. Makes my life easier, and I don't hold up other people, as well.
In other news, Ellie has been a huge grump for about a week now. She had a cold all last week, and this week she's been very fussy and agitated. The mornings are the worst; she cries no matter what I do. I'll try holding her and comforting her, but it doesn't help at all; sometimes it just makes it worse. I lay her down....still crying. I got to the point yesterday where I just broke down because I was so overwhelmed. I know that as she gets older, she'll be harder to please (food and snuggles just won't do it every time anymore), but this was beyond her being annoyed; I felt like she was in pain. I decided to call the doctor and made an appointment for this afternoon.
This will be our last sick visit with a co-pay; after this, we'll have to start paying for the sick visits in full...which means at least $100 every time she goes. That's how it was on our old insurance...we paid every time she went to the doctor, even for the regular checkups. I'm thankful for the new insurance, but we've blown through her 3 sick visits with a co-pay, and it's only March. Billy and I still have our 3 co-pay visits, but we probably won't use them. We avoid going to the doctor if at all possible. Especially after last year, I want to stay away from every doctor's office and hospital. We drove past Virginia Baptist the other day, and I actually started to feel nauseous thinking about being there last year. I'm glad that by the time we have our next child, we won't be living in Lynchburg anymore. I don't know if I could handle the feeling of being in that hospital again.
On a different subject, I tried buying bone-in split chicken breasts last week. I have NEVER bought anything with bones in it, other than a whole chicken, which we put in the rotisserie oven. I've always bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts because it's convenient...and honestly, I never knew what to do with a bone-in chicken breast. I read a tutorial about how to get the most from bone-in chicken breasts, titled Prepping Five Meals from Five Chicken Breasts. The author includes some helpful pictures and recipes to make the chicken stretch. I tried one recipe so far (Mexican Chicken Frittata)....it was okay, but not my favorite. I think if I put potatoes on the bottom of the casserole instead of bread, I would like it better. I don't like anything mushy or soggy, and the bread was very mushy after pouring 6 eggs and salsa over it.
Anyway, so I followed her instructions on how to prep bone in chicken breasts. I bought 7 lbs. of chicken breasts from Kroger last week that were 99 cents per pound (definitely cheaper than boneless, skinless chicken!). I trimmed the skin off, cut the meat off the bone (looks like a perfect chicken breast), boiled the bones and meat left over, and ended up with 7 whole chicken breasts, plus 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (from the bones).
So that's what I've been up to recently...thanks for reading! Now I'm going to go and read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...yes, I'm still working on finishing the series. It's slow going when you can only read when both babies are sleeping, which is right now!
~Kristen
No comments:
Post a Comment