Wonka Mix Ups Candy Winn Dixie Deal

Get Wonka Mix Ups Candy at Winn Dixie this week for $1.49 after coupon! (week of  10/27/10-11/2/10)

Wonka Mix Ups Candy (18.7 oz) $2.99
-$1.50/1 Wonka Mix Ups Printable HERE
Final Price=$1.49!

Halloween Candy Coupon Round Up!

October 17, 2010

by Taffi Poirot-"arasmom"

Owner & Administrator-www.TheBudgetQueen.com

Halloween candy prices can be downright SCARY!  It is a big job to have enough candy on Halloween night to satisfy all of those witches, monsters and goblins who come to your door!

The candy deals can be plentiful, if you have the right coupons!

Here is a list of coupons that are available right now…

Printable TARGET coupons:  

(scroll down and click on “Get coupons” under Grocery Spotlight)

$1/3 Mars Candy (8.67 oz or larger)

Other Printable Coupons:

$1/2 Bags Skittles, Lifesavers or Starburst Fun Size Bags

$2.50/2 Bags Nestle Variety Candy (20 oz or larger)

$2/1 Wonka Best on the Block Candy (20, 28 or 40 pack)

Insert Coupons: (SS=Smart Source, RP=Red Plum)

$1/2 Hershey's, Reese's or Kit Kat Snack Size Bags (9-22 oz)-(10/17 SS)

$1/2 Nestle Chocolate Halloween Candy, Fun Size, 11.5 Oz. +, Any -(10/17 RP)

$1/2 Nestle Butterfinger Snackerz, Crisp, Or Fun Size Bags, 11 Oz. +, Any - (10/03 RP)

$1/2 Wonka Halloween Candy, Fun Size, 9 Oz. +, Any -(10/17 RP)

Now, you should be all set to head out to the store and get some great deals on candy, without too much of your money making a ghostly disappearance!

A beautiful trip to CVS!

Beauty products and skincare can cost a pretty penny, and I am always searching for deals, but it seems that it is expensive to be beautiful...

Well, this week, CVS was the place to be for an awesome Olay deal! It was a beautiful trip!

Thanks to a great coupon in this week's paper, and a super CVS deal to match, my beauty supplies were wonderfully affordable. 

The Scoop? There was a coupon for a free Olay Regenerist Eye Roller when you buy (2) Olay Moisturizers in the Sunday paper- plus, CVS had a GREAT deal on Olay this week: Buy the Olay Regenerist Eye Roller and you receive $6 Extra Care Bucks.  See where I am going with this?

And...my trip to CVS was so beautiful, I ended up getting MUCH more than just Olay, AND I got ALL of it about the regular price of the eye roller!

Here is what happened on my beautiful trip to CVS this week:

I did three transactions this week and here is how I did it:

Transaction #1 (The receipt for this one walked away, so I will do my best to explain it)

The deal-(Buy $10 Airwick/Lysol, get $5 ECB) (Buy Skintimate, Get $3 ECB)

I bought:

(2) Airwick Aqua Mist Sprays @ 2.50 each=$5

(2) Airwick Scented Oil Refills @ 2.50 each=$5

(1) Skintimate Shave Gel @ 3.98

Coupons used:

(1) BOGO Airwick Aqua Mist Spray (-2.50)

(1) Airwick Scented Oil Refills (-2.50)

Total $13.98 minus $3.50 in coupons=$10.48 + tax OOP (out of pocket)

*Received $5 ECB

*Received $3 ECB

Transaction #2:

The deal: (Buy Olay Eye Roller Get $6 ECB)

I bought:

(2) Olay Moisturizers at $9.99 each = $19.98

(1) Olay Eye Roller @18.99=18.99

Coupons used:

(1) $1/1 Olay Moisturizer (-$1.00)

(1) Get Eye Roller Free with the purchase of (2) Olay Moisturizers (-$19.99)

Total $38.97 minus $20.99 in manufacturer coupons=$17.98

Total 17.98, paid with $5 ECB and $3 ECB from Transaction #1, total $9.98 + $3.12 tax=

$13.10 OOP!

*Received $6 ECB

Transaction #3:

I bought:

(1) Goldfish Crackers @ $1

(1) Gallon Green Tea @ 2.22

(1) Gallon Milk @ 3.79

=Total $7.01 + .14 tax =$7.15

Paid with $6 ECB from transaction #2,

$7.15 minus $6 ECB=$1.15 OOP!

Total ~ $24.73 OOP for all three transactions!! How about that?

My beautiful trip to CVS!

You, Too Can Live Without a Microwave-and Other Little Known Facts of Life.

By Taffi -The Budget Queen

Owner & Administrator-www.TheBudgetQueen.com

We get so used to the convenience of modern technology that sometimes we feel that if we ever lost any of those conveniences we would cease to function. Well, of course, that is certainly not true-but you never know till you have to try. Occasionally, circumstances will rob us of what we deem pertinent in our lives-the cell phone tower goes out for an hour and we can’t deal, when in actuality all we missed out on was someone texting back “yeah”.

We will survive.

Then, there are the times when you want to watch a movie on your television and you put a movie into the Netflix cue and it doesn’t update instantly, then you have to go back and redo it and it takes 60 whole seconds. I mean, why can’t it work right the first time, especially when you’ve got a two hour movie to watch. Time’s-a-wastin’! Geez!

What about when your receipt doesn’t print at the gas tank…and you have to actually walk inside the store to get it? Wow, that really puts a dent in my day. After all, I need that receipt to adorn my console and be there for that time next week when I'll proceed to throw it away.

So I thought that I would never be able to live without a microwave…well, it’s been three months and I’m still kickin’. Good thing I’ve been taking my vitamins.

Once upon a time, I sold my house, and all of the appliances were included in the deal. But that was perfectly fine because we were going to be in a hotel for awhile waiting on our other house to be ready, and the hotel had a microwave. Never fear, I had a microwave replacement plan in place. I would be buying a microwave when we got into the new house because we were going to redo the kitchen anyway. Well, now we are in the new house and we are renovating, but very conservatively because we want to fund everything with cash, so we are holding off on the kitchen for awhile so that we can get exactly what we want without settling for a “this will do for now” situation.

There is a microwave in this house, but it does not work in the way that microwaves normally do. In fact, it is so ancient that I truly believe deep down in my heart that it was a concept microwave-you know, the ones they had before there were real microwaves that actually microwaved food.

Yes, I’m sure....I just know by looking.

Which brings us to another point…why won’t I just buy a cheap microwave? I can always buy a nicer microwave once we know what will work in the new kitchen. Right? Ha! I refuse to do it, because it’s a waste of money. I could easily afford one, but it’s the principle of the matter. Waste not, want not.

In actuality, it has served greater purposes in my daily life. Since it is positioned below the wall oven, and because the microwave door opens like an oven door, it is quite novel indeed. My preschooler has noted this fact and used the microwave in glorious ways: a platform for stuffed animals that were apparently in great need of jumping lessons, a snack service and drink service, a vending machine simulator, a toy and shoe storage facility…and that’s just a glimpse into its versatility.

I have a feeling its entire power has yet to be harnessed.

So, I’d like to introduce to you to my new microwave-less self. I cook on the stove a little more, I keep my coffee pot on warm, and I plan ahead a little more…but I do not mourn the loss of my convenient friend. Sometimes you just get used to things and become conditioned, like the way we’ve become conditioned with all of our modern conveniences which lead to instant gratification.

Back in the day when fire was the only way to get a hot meal-no one was the wiser. So challenge yourself next time you are faced with a situation such as mine. You just might find that things you couldn’t live without become things you’ll never miss at all.

Buckwheat wasn't that neat.

By Taffi Poirot
June 29, 2010

The Buckwheat wasn’t that neat.

So here we are on the flip-side of the buckwheat cooking and consumption. First, let me say that I am wondering whether the choice to get the toasted buckwheat over the “plain” was the wisest choice for a first time taste-test. But, let me say-it wasn’t all that bad either. I expected the taste to be different and I expected earthy, so that went well…but I did have to imagine myself back in time as a hunter-gatherer for a moment to get beyond the first bite.

Once I got through the first couple of bites, the taste started to grow on me. Would I eat it plain? Probably not, but I think if I added in a few vegetables and spices it could turn into a nice little side dish worth revisiting. I am not giving up, I am simply saying I need to tweak my approach a little. I must admit that I did put in a bit of my own mad science at the end…though the beginning was pretty straightforward.

At first, I prepared it according to directions with one part buckwheat to three parts water, put it on to boil and I went with that for a while. Then I tasted it and quickly decided that it needed “something”, so I added some beef stock, a bit of pepper, and a little olive oil. This helped redeem it a little, but it never quite reached the delicious stage.

Though my first acquaintance with buckwheat was not a smashing success, I think that if I change a few things next time, it will become more welcome on the menu. First, I will choose the untoasted buckwheat, then I will cook it in some sort of flavored broth, and I will add yellow onion or green onion and experiment with different spices.

In the end, I hope to develop a recipe that will be more palatable and I will pretend to be a hunter-gatherer no more.

Groovy Grains: Braving Buckwheat

By Taffi Chandler-Poirot
Owner & Administrator-www.TheBudgetQueen.com

I’ve been so bored with rice, potatoes and pasta…I decided it was due time to think outside of the box. There are so many grains out there, but since they don’t fit the mold of the commonplace side dish, people shy away from including them at the dinner table. It may seem a little daunting to try something new, especially when you’ve got picky eaters in the house, but you just might find a new favorite!
I thought it was worth a try to liven up the “starch” portion of our dinner plate, so I went on a little grain gathering adventure. I bought toasted buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, barley and spelt.



Pictured from the left: Toasted Buckwheat, Red Quinoa, Amaranth, Barley and Spelt

I know you’ve heard of barley…and no, I did not make up the rest of the names, and yes, they do exist. Promise.

So now that you know what I’ve bought, you may wonder if I am brave enough to try these grains or if they will be layered for aesthetic effect into a glass bottle time capsule forever a centerpiece. Well, though I am guilty of the pasta-in-a-glass-bottle time capsule, I have since forgiven myself and moved on. However, I assure you that amaranth-and-friends are in no danger of meeting that fate.
So, which shall I try first? I think I will try the buckwheat first, because it has a short cooking time and seems like a relatively adventurous choice. By the way, buckwheat is not a wheat, but a seed-therefore it is gluten-free! The basic cooking instructions call for one part grain to three parts liquid with the cooking time about 15-20 minutes. I got the toasted buckwheat as opposed to the plain because it is supposed to be more flavorful. I will try it in the place of rice tonight, and we’ll see how it goes…

Edible Flowers: Planting Day...The Adventure Begins!

By Taffi Chandler "arasmom"
Administrator-www.TheBudgetQueen.com



Today is planting day!

Did you know that Nasturtium blossoms are edible? In fact,every part of the Nasturtium plant is edible except for the root! So, that is my flower of choice for my culinary flower adventure.

I have a book on edible flowers in my personal library entitled, "A Handbook of Edible Flowers: Their Cultivation and Use" by authors Dale and Ziga. I've owned the book for quite a while now, and originally I'd bought it because I was intrigued with the idea of trying flowers in recipes. But I hadn't actually tried it myself until now...

I thought, if I'm going to try this out, I'm going to start from square one. I want to make sure that the flowers I am going to use for food are pure and free of pesticides and chemicals. There is no better way to guarantee that than to grow them yourself.

Which leads us to today-planting day!

(This planting day was made extra special because my three year old daughter was my sweet little helper!)

We took out some Naturtium seed packets as well as some Mesclun lettuce mix seeds and some Zinnia seeds.

Each have a special purpose...you'll see!

We used one of those ready made peat pellet seed starting trays...and added water until the pellets expanded in size...



Then we laid out the seed packets...

*Nasturtiums*



By the way, despite their sweet smell, the taste is described as "hot" and "slightly peppery". I'll let you know for sure on tasting day.


*Mesclun Lettuce Mix*



We are growing the lettuces for the base of our edible flower salad...


*Zinnias*



We are growing white Zinnias...



And purple Zinnias...

Which will adorn our table in a little vase when we are ready to sample our salad...


We artfully arranged our seeds next to our planting station...




And with the help of sweet little hands...



Our seeds were placed into their snug homes.



Ready to soak up the sun.



Live long and prosper, little seedlings. Live long and prosper.