Folgers Coffee Coupons

Writing directly to companies is a great way to get high value coupons!!  Last week I wrote to a bunch of companies, and yesterday my mailbox was full of high value coupons!  It takes only a couple of minutes, and I am happy to share what companies have responded to me with coupons!!

One of the companies I wrote to was Folgers.  As always, I complemented their product, explained that I'm a stay-at-home mom on a tight budget, and asked for any available coupons or samples they can send me.

I received a letter about 1 week later thanking me for contacting them, along with two $1 off any Folgers product coupons.  It's great when there's no size restriction on a coupon.  Now I'll be able to look for small sizes of Folgers product and spend less money out of pocket!  Woohoo!

Here is the contact information for Folgers.  Remember, that just because one person receives coupons, doesn't mean that everyone will have the same experience.  Good Luck and Happy Savings!

*To learn about other companies that have sent me coupons, click on the "Grocery Store Coupon Deals" link to the right.

http://www.folgerscoffee.com/contact-us/product

Valentine's Day Breakfast

With two little ones, cooking is probably the most stressful part of my day (along with eating, bathing, diaper changing, and everything else)!  So I wanted to come up with something cute and easy for Valentine's Day breakfast, and this is what I came up with:

Strawberry Heart Pancakes with a Mandarin Orange Heart

Choose your favorite pancake recipe, or you're favorite boxed mix.  Before you start putting together the pancake batter, take about 6 strawberries and mash them in a bowl.  I used a potato masher, but anything would work.

Then add the ingredients from your favorite pancake recipe. Try and leave out some of the liquid in your recipe, since the strawberries add so much.  The pancakes end up being more then crepes then pancakes, but you really need at least 6 strawberries to get that pink color.

Then I put the pancake batter into one of these cool "pancake pens" I have, but if you don't have this, you can use an empty ketchup bottle or even a plastic bag with the corner cut off.  

Make a heart in a hot, buttered pan.  (The one pictured was my 3rd try, so don't get discouraged!)

Then I took some mandarin orange segments and made a heart out of them, which made a perfect spot for the syrup!

There you have it, an easy, healthy and yummy breakfast, lunch or dinner!!  Good luck! :)

Tips to Save Money on Laundry

As a stay-at-home mom, I try and save money any way I can.  In my house, laundry pretty much consumes my day (or at least it feels that way)!  We are a family of 4, and I do at least 2 loads of laundry a day.  This is a huge expense, with laundry detergent, fabric softener, and electricity.

Laundry detergent is something that with the right sale, and coupons I am usually able to purchase pretty inexpensively.  My favorite coupon site, livingrichwithcoupons.com, breaks down deals at grocery stores and pharmacies, and locates the matching coupons.  I highly recommend this site!  I usually pay about $1-$2 for a 50oz. container.

However, for whatever reason, I'm not able to purchase fabric softener and cheaply as I can purchase laundry detergent, so I decided to make it myself.  And honestly, it works!!  It works better then some of the cheaper brands I have purchased!!

Here's what you need:

5 Cups Water
3 Cups White Vinegar
1 Cup Hair Conditioner (Any brand or sent you choose)

Simply put all of the ingredients into a container and mix well.  If you shake too hard, it can foam so be careful.  Use the amount that you typically would in the wash.  I put it in my Downy ball.  And it works!! 
*A quick tip - Put the ingredient list on the side of the container you used, so you can remember for next time.

As far as saving money on electricity, what I try to do is hang up at least one load of laundry a day.  In the summer I put the clothes on the clothes line outside, but in the winter, it's a little tricky.  In the winter I put at least one load a day on my drying rack downstairs.  It takes about 12 hours to dry, and cuts the electricity I would have used with my dryer in half.  It's really not that time consuming, and saves money!

A special thanks to CaliKim29 on YouTube for the fabric softener recipe!!

I hope I have helped inspire you to save money on laundry!!  Happy savings!

Kate

Top Mommy Blog

I am so excited to announce that I am now a part of Top Mommy Blogs!!  Top Mommy Blogs is a directory of mommy blogs that are ranked by popularity (popularity = incoming unique hits that are averaged over 30 days).

Please help me increase my rank by clinking on the Top Mommy.  If you are on your desktop, click on the icon to the right.  If you are on your mobile device, click here: Click here to Vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs!

By simply clicking, you are giving me a vote!  You can vote for me once a day, so please vote as much as you can!

If you are looking for my blog,  you can find me under the Frugal category, as SAHM with Money Saving Tips.

Thank you to all of my fabulous followers!!  I hope I have inspired at least someone to coupon and save money!!

Think Spring!!

Fun way to encourage your kids to eat fruit!! :)

DIY Cereal Bird Feeder

Anyone that has been following my blog knows we love to use Froot Loops for fun art projects.  About a month ago I scored Froot Loops at Stop and Shop for $.50 a box and the kids love doing art projects with them!

Since we have been stuck inside for the past couple of weeks with all of this snow and freezing cold weather, my 3 year-old was concerned about what the birds and squirrels were eating.  So we decided to make Cereal Bird Feeders!

What you will need:

4 Cups Cereal
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup water
3 T. Corn Syrup
Cookie Cutters

Put the cereal, flour, water and corn syrup in a mixing bowl, and mix with an electric mixer until everything is combined and cereal is broken down into small pieces.

Grease a plate and place the cookie cutters on the plate. Then stuff the cereal mixture into cookie cutters.  (My 3 year-old chose our Easter cookie cutters, so that's what we used.)  Then take a pencil or pen and make a hole at the top, so that a string can go through. 

We were able to make 6 bird feeders.  Let the bird feeders dry over night, so they can become hardened and more stable.

Then place a string through the hole, and hang outside!

This was a fun, inexpensive project that my kids enjoyed!!  It took a couple of days for the birds and squirrels to realize what was hanging from our trees in the backyard, but we woke up this morning to a bunch of empty string hanging from our tree, so I guess they figured it out!!  I love using up what we already have in our house and turning it into a fun, family activity!  ENJOY!!

FREE Alka-Seltzer Coupon

Contacting companies directly is a great way to score high end coupons!!

Recently I e-mailed Bayer Healthcare and asked for coupons for Alka-Seltzer products.  It took a couple weeks to get a response, but I just received some great coupons in the mail!!

They sent me a coupon for a FREE Alka-Seltzer product (up to $13) plus a coupon pack with $20 worth of coupons for other Bayer Healthcare products!!  Woohoo!

I don't have the original e-mail that I sent, but all I did was explained that I'm a stay-at-home mom on a tight budget, complimented their product, and asked for coupons.  It takes just a few minutes, and is totally worth it!!

Remember, that just because one person receives coupons, doesn't mean that everyone will have the same experience.

Here is the contact information to request your coupons for Alka-Seltzer:

http://www.alkaseltzerplus.com/contact-us/