Dove Deodorant- $2/1 Printable

Go HERE for a $2/1 coupon to Dove Visibly Smooth Antiperspirant/Deodorant.  This will give you a great deal on deodorant, if not free during a drug store sale.

Thanks Sally!

Conagra Foods- $17 Coupon Booklet

Go HERE to sign up for a coupon booklet for Conagra Foods worth $17!

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Cheerios- 4 $1 off Coupons and a Possible Free Box

Cheerios is giving away over 50,000 boxes- go here for your chance to win one!  At the very least you'll end up with 4 $1 off coupons in your email (which will bring your Cheerios down to about $1 with a good sale!)  Good luck!

Thanks Ambra!

Seed to Sow- Vision for 2010

Hi Everyone!!  How I have missed blogging- this is the longest I've been away since I began.  A few things have changed in my life and I wanted to share briefly why you haven't seen me.  First, its the holidays.  From school programs, parties, making homemade gifts and shopping (frugally of course ;), my husbands 30th birthday, our anniversary and now Christmas- I have been slammed.  I have also fully taken on the administrative side of my husbands job.  December has been an overwhelming month for me, but it has helped me take a step back and really decide what I want Seed to Sow to be.

I initially didn't start this blog hoping to bring you all the latest grocery deals, but it evolved into some of that because I was finding them for myself, so why not share.  It ends up taking a LOT of time to coupon match for all the stores.  Blogs that provide store matchups are everywhere- Here are a few of my fav's:

Southern Savers
Money Saving Mom
The Thrifty Mama
Frugal Dr. Mom (local)
Faithful Provisions (local)

So here's the bottom line.  :) I am going to finish taking December off of blogging.  I am working hard on finishing to develop a 4 week workshop I can take to churches, etc, but also one that I can tailor for women who are needing to get on their feet again or who have experienced hardship and feel like they have no options.  I want to teach them how to gain control of their kitchen and know that they play a huge role in the families budget.  We'll of course cover how the choices they make directly affect their family's health and finances.  Empowering, isn't it?!  The kicker to all of this is teaching women who have been affected by poverty how to GIVE.  I understand being in a position where you feel like you have nothing to give.  Oh what healing comes when we just give a little!  I'm excited for the next season and can't wait to share with you all what shape Seed to Sow takes on.

I will resume Meal Planning Monday, etc after the first of the year minus the grocery deals (unless its just too good not to share :)

Many blessings to you all- Have a wonderful Christmas!!

20 Free Holiday Songs from iTunes

Go HERE to download a free 20 song holiday sampler from iTunes from Artists like Barry Manilow, Amy Grant, Weezer and David Archuleta.

Fantastic New Recipe (frugal too!)

Yes, its true.  Sometimes I deviate from my menu plan... SHAME! ;)  Just kidding- don't we all sometimes?  Yesterday I was in Kroger and found a great deal on ground turkey- 3 lbs for $1.99!  Yesterday was also our 7th anniversary and even though our "date" for the day was lunch out sans kids, I thought it would be fun to make something I hadn't made before to make it kind of special (its amazing how those "special" dinners end up being cleaning up spilled water or saying "sit down and eat please" 400 times with children present... at least I had a nice glass of wine :).

I made Florentine Meatballs- it is a Rachel Ray recipe.  I typed the entire thing out for you and then had the sense to look it up online.  HERE is the recipe.  It was delicious and ended up being a VERY inexpensive meal!  I had a friend tell me about these a few years ago- why didn't I listen??  

One thing I'll add is that I turned this meal into two meals- here's how.  Not only did we eat the leftovers for lunch today, but for some reason there was a ton of the cheese sauce that goes along with the meatballs.  I decided to cook up some pasta, pour that over it and bake with crushed crackers on top for a yummy homemade mac and cheese dinner.  Talk about stretching the dollars!  I don't have an exact amount, but by guessing, both meals probably cost me about $3 total- that includes the veggies we ate with each meal as well.  Couponing/deal finding WORKS!

...Oops.. that would be 2 nights of deviating from the plan :)

Free Sample with 'All You'- Stacy's Pita Chips

Go HERE for a free sample of Stacy's Pita Chips!

Old Navy- Sixty Gifts at $6 and Under

***UPDATE*** Get an additional 20% off your entire online purchase when you use the code ONSAVE20!  Thats a total of 30% saved (when you go through ebates to shop Old Navy!)

Right now at Old Navy, there are 60 gifts for $6 and under!  To make it even sweeter, you can get 10% cash back when you shop through e-bates.

Jamba Juice- Oatmeal for a Buck

Go here for a coupon for $1 steel-cut oatmeal with a topping of your choice at Jamba Juice.  (I wish we had one here!)  The offer ends December 11th.

Free Stacy's Pita Chips

Become a fan of Stacy's Pita Chips on Facebook and get a coupon for a free bag!  This is limited to the first 65,000 entries.

Thanks Susan!

Monday's Meal Plan

My friend Mary over at Just-a-Spoonful reminded me that its meal planning time!  Where did this last week and weekend go?!  I think somewhere in my mind I feel like its Christmas and that means I shouldn't have to cook normal dinners- just spend all my time making wreaths and shopping, LOL.  Well back to reality- here's my list for the week:

Monday: Cheddar Stuffed Hamburgers, Homemade Buns and Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday: Chicken Stir fry and Brown Rice

Wednesday: Shepherd's Pie (I love those one-dish meals!  Also I'll top it with cheese)

Thursday: Taco Salad with homemade French/Catalina Dressing

Friday: Spaghetti (hubby will be out of town- making things easy!)

Breakfasts- My 3 year old has been asking for "circle waffles" (pancakes) everyday, so I'll be making up enough batter to last a few days in the fridge :).  Also bagels w/ cream cheese, cereal and cut up fruit.

Lunches- Chicken Salad, Bagel pizzas, PB&J... my lunches sound about the same every week- I should probably do something about that!  Anyone have any fun lunch ideas??

What are you cooking up this week?

Free Christmas Cookie e-Cookbook

Go HERE to get a free e-cookbook- "50 Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes"  Tis the season!

Aldi Produce Deals- Onions for CHEAP

Here are some great Aldi produce deals for the week.  Remember the post I did on Freezing Onions?  This is the week to do it!

• Onions- $.49 for a 3-lb. bag
• Navel Oranges- $1.49 for a 4-lb. bag
• Grapefruit- $.25 ea
• Russet Potatoes- $1.49 for a 10-lb. bag

Game Coupons in your USA Weekend

Check your USA Weekend for some great coupons!  (these are regional and can vary) I had 2 coupons in mine:

• $10/1 Diamond Scrabble game
• $5/1 Boggle game

Boggle is on sale this week at Target for $12- Use the $5/1 Boggle coupon to get it for $7!

Kroger Deals- 12/6

Below are my favorite Kroger deals for this week!  Here are a few things to remember while you are shopping:

• Kroger doubles up to a $.50 face value coupons everyday
• You can buy 1 item in a B1G1 deal and get it for half the regular price
• You can use 2 coupons on a B1G1
• Kroger does not generally accept competitors coupons- but check with your customer service.
• Watch the items as they ring up- if it rings up wrong, you get it for free!

Meat
Choice Chuck Roast- $1.99/lb
Shrimp Rings- B1G1 Free
Tyson Bacon- $2.50 ea
Private Selection Spiral Sliced Ham- $2.79


Produce
Sweet Bell Peppers- $1
Organic Cameo Apples- $.99/lb
Organic Fresh herbs- $1.66 ea
Northwestern Pears- $.88/lb
Jumbo Cantaloupe- $1.50 (good price for this time of year)


Dairy
Horizon Single Serve Milk- $1 ea or $10.99 for a case (not sure the amount in the case- probably 12)
Kroger 16 oz Cheese- $2.99 (not the lowest price)
Kroger Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream or Dips- $1
Kroger Cream Cheese- $1


Grocery
Keebler Sandies Cookies, Cheez-its or Club Crackers $2.69 ea (buy 3, get $3 off)
$.75/1 Cheez-Its printable
$1 off Keebler Sandies printable
$1/3 Keebler Cookies printable
$1/2 Keebler Crackers in the 11/1 RP
Final Price: As low as $.69 ea after discount for buying 3


Knudsen Just Cranberry, Blueberry or Pomegranate Juice B1G1 at $3.89
$1 off Knudsen Family Just Juice Product printable
$1 off Knudsen Just Juice Mambo Sprouts Waves of Summer Savings Booklet


Go here or here for more Kroger matchups.

Publix Penny Item- 12/6-12/7

The Publix Penny Item for Sunday and Monday is:

Publix Bleach

You are eligible to receive the penny item when your total hits $10 before you hand over your coupons. Many of our local stores do not require that you have the penny item coupon (found in the weekly ad), but I have heard change is happening in a few places, so take the coupon just in case.

Keep in mind that Florida and some Georgia stores do not participate in this promotion.

Frugal and FUN Christmas Crafts!

We have done a few fun Christmas crafts over the last couple days and I wanted to share!  The girls and I had a lot of fun on the wreath- it was a quick 5 minute project that cost us $4 today (I had the ribbon and decorations left from last year that I bought at the Dollar Tree).  

Also, every year I have wanted to do an Advent (meaning "coming") calendar to recognize the true meaning of Christmas in our home.  We finally made one!  In total, this one cost us about $4 to make using little wedding treat bags from the dollar store.  I hot glued the numbered glitter paper on over the silver wedding cake.  Its not the coolest thing ever- definitely cuter in person, but it will serve its purpose :)  I am hoping to score a deal on an advent calendar that will last us through the years to come- when everything is marked down a day or two after Christmas.

Are you working on any holiday crafts?  I'd love to hear about them!

I Need Your Help!

Whew, this has been a very intense week!  I am so sorry for not blogging over the last few days.   For those of you that don't know, my husband does music for a living, both at our church and independently.  After the release of his first album (which you can hear on the right side bar, by the way :), he needed some help with emails and mailings, etc.   I have always sort of helped him with whatever he has needed, but recently there has been a lot more to do (that is a good thing!)

To get ready for a conference at church that started tonight, I needed to really be "all in" this week- working against the clock to do whatever it took to make sure we got cd's in on time, since our manufacturer made a mistake and couldn't deliver by this weekend.  Talk about a learning curve for me!

My point is a couple things: 

1. I am sorry if I left you guys hanging on some deals!  Deal finders don't like to be left hanging... I know! :)  I hope you found some good deals over at Faithful Provisions, Frugal Dr Mom, and Southern Savers to name a few.
2. I want to make sure that when you read this blog you are getting what you want!  Since I am stepping in to help my husband more, I want to make sure I'm not taking time to post things you don't care a thing about!  I would love to hear from you- What are things you like to see?  Is it Monday's Meal Plan?  Free Samples?  Tuesday's Timesaver Tip? Saturday's Seed to Sow?  CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Publix Favorites?  Is there something you would like to see that I don't post about yet?  

I love hearing the testimonies of people stepping into action and making a difference in their budget and the way they give to others as a result of what we ALL bring to this blog.  I couldn't do it without your awesome tips, recipes and amazing deal finding skills!  I don't know yet what God has for Seed to Sow in 2010, but I just want to be where he wants me.  I am looking into some options to teach a series class- We'll see!  I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts at     seed to sow blog @ gmail . com (take spaces out).

Thank you to all my faithful readers!

Monday's Meal Plan- Post-Holiday Cooking Blues

Wow it is SO hard to meal plan after a holiday!!  Anyone else in the same boat?  It was also my husbands birthday so I literally have been cooking nonstop!  We did, however, have an amazing night out last night for his birthday- was so nice to relax!  I have had some other things come up that have caused me to spend all day yesterday and today on my phone/computer... so do I feel like cooking?  Um. that would be a resounding NO! :)

As I was writing this earlier today, my 3 year old asked to go to Costco tonight to get a hotdog.  Our family can eat there for $6...  Didn't take a lot to convince me it was a good idea :)

Tuesdsay: Coscto for hotdogs, oh yeah baby!
Wednesday: Hamburger Pitas (hubby's fav), steamed veggies
Thursday: Asian Chicken Salad
Friday: Roast w/ Potatoes and Carrots (onion soup mix and cream of mushroom makes the BEST roast!)

Lunch- pb&j, chicken salad wraps, pizza from Whole Foods (have a free coupon), Annies Mac and Cheese (free at Kroger this week- look under "organics")
Breakfast- Pancakes, Smoothies, Strawberry Muffins, Buttered Cheerios- a childhood favorite!

Tuesday's Timesaver- Herbs and Ice Cube Trays

I had 2 ladies at my last coupon class that were brilliant when it came to the freezer.  The freezer truly is a beautiful thing when you are trying to save time and money (as you know, I talk about that wonderful appliance a LOT!)

I had never heard this idea and it really is fabulous!  If you are a family that uses a lot of fresh herbs (we use cilantro and basil like its going out of style), wash your herbs as soon as you get home.  Break or chop them up and put some in each compartment of an ice cube tray.  Fill the tray with water and put in your freezer.  This keeps the herbs looking decent and its easy to just throw an ice cube or two into a soup or sauce!

Thanks for the tip Dawn and Lianne!   

If you have a Timesaver Tip, be sure to email me at seedtosow blog @ gmail . com (take spaces out)  Thanks!