The Beverage of Christmas

Last year I promised I would get around to my beverages of Christmas post and I never did so I thought I would start early this year.

Like any good couponer and  frugal shopper I'm constantly looking for things my family uses on a regular basis.

Any type of Champagne is always welcome in my home. I'm a big fan of Cook's.

I buy insane amounts of egg nog. At my mom's house during December and Jan. it's a food group. It freezes well.

Any and all kinds of hot chocolate is in my home all Winter. Don't forget the marshmallows and candy canes.

                                              

I love Cask and Cream. It's like Bailey's and Cream but richer. It's great over ice or mixed in with coffee.

                                                          

                                                              

Three generations of women in my family love Lambrusco. It's my favorite. A sweet red wine very smooth and  incredibly  light.

Brandy is a necessity. We use it for a wonderful dessert. I will make it for you this year.

                           

You might keep your eye out for some yummy Creme De Menthe and some Crown Royal.

When we buy a bottle of liquor it lasts for years.

Now keep watching all month to see how we incorporate these yummy beverages into  our  celebrations.    
 
Enjoy Your Shopping,

The Cute  Couponer                                     

Today is Thanksgiving for US

Better late than never but it's finally time for Thanksgiving in my house. This year our Thanksgiving is mobile and late but that's OK.

Once we get done with Thanksgiving it's on to shopping.

Hope your all doing great.

Check back this week for my killer shopping trips I've done lately.

Happy Thanksgiving,

The Cute Couponer

Black Friday or Bust

I left Grandma's at 8:00 p.m. Thursday with no real leftovers in hand. My soup was a success. I drove by Wal-Mart on the way home and saw the parking lot was full, so I decided to go on home. Then I let the doggies out fell asleep on the couch and woke up around 4 a.m., fooey!

I thought about going shopping then but I was so tired I decided to let it go. It's a good thing too because I ran by Wally World last night after work to get dog food and everything was sold out. The cashiers and everyone I talked to said people didn't buy just 1, 2, or 3 of everything they bought 20 Blu-Ray players and 20 Crock Pots each. That so wouldn't have flown with me. Shelf clearing on Black Friday is a no no. I was really disappointed Wal-Mart allowed it. Common sense is that no single person needs to buy 20 Blu-Ray players even if they have alot of family and friends. Come on people 20 Crock Pots, I don't think so.

Remember the saying, Wal-Mart fall apart. You get what you pay for there.

So I am confident there will be plenty more deals to be had. I was disappointed to miss the protesters in Midwest City in Target, I always love to see protesters whether I agree with them or not. It makes me feel like people really do care and want to  make a difference in the world. The only bad part is that they picked a bad location for their protest.  Gag!!! Better luck next time for them. Now they are all arrested in jail on a holiday weekend. How sad, what a waste of money. Just think for bail and the fines and their new records they could of sent the money overseas to the sweatshop workers and enjoyed a holiday with their family and friends.

So the new challenge is to see what's going to be on sale moving forward for Christmas. 

I can't wait to see.

Happy Shopping,

The Cute Couponer

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

We are celebrating Sunday since several family members are feeling under the weather.

I'm making homemade chicken noodle soup so they get feeling better.

I'm also looking forward to my 10:00 o'clock run to Wal-Mart.

Hope you have a safe Black Friday.

Remember, if you miss out on one deal there will be many more for the next two months. It's not worth getting upset over.

Hugs,

The Cute Couponer

A Frugal Food Storage Find

Sometimes you just hit gold. It's simple and practical. It's plastic, comes apart for cleaning, and on wheels and the best part is the neighbor gave it to me for free. I didn't even ask! They were moving and had no use for me and thought I might.

Now that's what I call a great weekend.

I still haven't been to the store for Thanksgiving shopping.

I'm waiting until the last minute.

Yes, I know I'm crazy but hey,  sometimes a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

Enjoy This Cozy Fall Weekend,

Valerie

Where I'm Headed for Black Friday

I've scanned all the Black Friday Preview Sites and every ad I can get my hands on and I must say it's a bit of bummer this upcoming Black Friday.

So far, I'm going to Wal-Mart, CVS, and Walgreens.

There wasn't much else to look at. Usually I cash in at Macy's and Penney's and make a quick stop at Gordmans' but I don't see anything worth it.

How about all of you?

I actually think I will be done by 2 or 3 am Black Friday and can go to bed until I have to go to work that day.


Happy Weekend Before Thanksgiving,

The Cute Couponer

One More Week on the Challenge

So I've been a good  girl for the most part!

A few Frappe's at McDonalds and a Coke to stay awake at work and other than that I've been eating at home!

I need to work on cold coffee drinks for my stockpile. I've also found that I need to buy some tv dinners to have on hand as well.

I would have had no need to cheat had I had these things in my stockpile but hey a girl's gotta have caffeine.


Ending the challenge on Thanksgiving Eve will be absolutely perfect.

I have so much shopping to do this week. I'm buried in coupons, coupons, and more coupons.

I'm getting excited!

I'm hosting Thanksgiving again this year  and we have some special guests. It warms my heart to open my home to family and friends.

How about all of you? Are you hosting this year or going somewhere? Whatcha cookin?

Looking Forward to Hearing From You,

The Cute Couponer

Blessed Beyond Imagination

Today I had an ah-hah moment. You know one of those times that God makes you realize what you've been asking for is right in front of you.

See part of my job entails talking to people who don't have alot of money. I talk to at least 75 people a day who are having soooo much trouble making ends meet. In fact, they never make ends meet they rob Peter to pay Paul every month. They don't seem to have much choice due to their older age and health conditions. It really tears at my heart because many times I go home and am frustrated that I can't do more to help. I say many silent prayers for the many people I talk to everyday hoping that God can find a way to help.

It seems everywhere I go lately I run into people I know who are suffering hard times. I have watched many people get fired or let go for no good reason. I can say for the first time in a few years I see most people around me suffering financially.

I worry about them alot. I worry about my own family as well. Bills go up but salaries don't.

Today when I was piddling getting ready for work thinking, and God must have been listening, I heard this voice in my head give me an answer to a question I had been asking. God said, "because you haven't asked me."  He's right! I hadn't asked I had been so worried about everyone else's problems that I had put mine on the back burner and God dealt with me.

See whatever your problems are it's important to remember nothing is bigger than God. So many times I charge ahead and just think I can do it myself and I forget that I forgot to ask him what he wanted me to do.

I really believe God intended for me to write this blog to be a blessing to teach people to keep food on their tables. Remember, "if we give a man a fish we feed him for a day but if we teach a man to fish we feed him for life."

The same is true with couponing. Not a week goes by where I don't hear a person say, "how about I pay you to go do the couponing thing for me." I always politely decline and say no but you are welcome to join me. Slowly each person comes around. As they get excited about it and say, "now I rarely buy anything if I don't have a coupon for it my heart gets warmer." It's exciting to see people save money.

I encourage you this holiday season to consider it a blessing that you know how to coupon. I have the peace of knowing that regardless of my family's circumstances they will always have food on the table and that is a huge blessing.

Remember there are coupons for just about everything now. From food, to household goods, toys, shoes, and clothing I encourage you, especially in a downturn economy, think and prepare before you shop. The money you save today will pay your bills tomorrow.

I look forward to encouraging you.

Blesssings to You,

The Cute Couponer

$200 worth of Groceries at Wal-Mart for $21.32

So I pulled out my manufacturer coupons I have been receiving in the mail the last few weeks along with a bunch of store coupons I had been collecting and pulled out my ads and voila..... this is the result.

I also got the toilet paper and 6 bags of Farm Rich appetizers in the freezer not pictured.

Totally worth it.

I have had alot of luck lately hitting manufacturer websites vs just the coupons I receive in the paper. The coupons are a higher dollar amount and it means  more free stuff.

I also found out Wal-Mart matches the mexican grocery stores. Yippee!!!!!

Now who on earth says couponing doesn't pay off?

Happy Price-Matching,

The Cute Couponer

P.S. I cheated on the challenge but I got right back on . I'm still finishing my 30 day no eat out challenge.

Chicken Potato and Green Bean Bake/Sunday Suppers

This has got to be the easiest and quickest dish ever.

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes

1 Can Cream of Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Large Package of Chicken Legs

1 Can of Milk

1 Can of Green Beans

1 Medium Size White Onion

1/2 Cup of Bread Crumbs

1 Egg

Greek Seasoning to Taste

Olive Oil

1 Large Pyrex Dish

First, Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take your Olive Oil and spray it all over your 9x13 Pyrex dish.

Then open your chicken legs and season it with Cavender's Greek Seasoning and crack open an egg and then roll in the bread crumbs in the Pyrex dish.

Just leave it all in there.

Now open your can of green beans and drain off the juice. Dump it over the chicken. Next, open your can of Cream of Chicken soup and dump it on top of the green beans and chicken. Chop up your onion into bite size pieces and dump it all over the chicken and green bean mixture. Now peel and slice your 2 potatoes into bite size chunks and dump it on top off the soup. Now pour your 1 can of milk all over everything. Get back out your Greek seasoning and season to taste.

Now stick it in the oven for and 1 1/2 hours and serve.

Super yummy and super simple. My kind of Sunday dish.

Happy Cooking,

The Cute Couponer

Linking to Masterpiece Monday Made By You Monday Metapmorphosis Monday MM Monday Craft O Maniac A Bowl Full of Lemons

Eeeewww Gross at Buy For Less

I had a few errands to run on Tuesday when going to visit a friend I haven't seen in awhile on the other side of town. When I stopped for one of my errands a lady reminded me how close I was to one of my favorite BBQ places in town. Buy For Less grocery store has a fabulous BBQ lady who sells BBQ cheaper than I can buy it and cook it myself. Now, before you start saying I broke the rules I want you to know I didn't. The reason I didn't break the rules is because I bought the food at the grocery store and it was for less money than I could have bought the ribs and cooked them myself.

When I parked my car and started to walk inside there was a man in a pick-up with lots of different plastic containers stacked on top of each other. They looked like what grocery stores usually put bread in to stack and move around. Upon further inspection inside each plastic thing, totally open to the elements, were sheet cakes. I was STUNNED!!!

Buy For Less was accepting a delivery from a man who had a bunch of cakes not wrapped and not in boxes and not covered in plastic. Gross!!! He obviously drove down the road where dust, bird poop, oil, rain, and any other form of debris could have hit the cakes. They were trying to figure out how to unload them! I thought they should just trash them. Gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was tempted to talk to the manager and say that has got to be a Health Department violation but in the past I've never had any luck with Buy For Less. Their management and corporate office could care less about how their customers are treated and have said so many times.

The only reason I got my BBQ is because the lady who sells it operates her own independent business within the store. She is not an employee of Buy For Less.

Now am I the only person who thinks this is gross or what?

Don't think I'll ever order a cake from Buy For Less....


Happy Thursday,

The Cute Couponer

P.S. The challenge is going well I'm still being a good girl. I haven't forgotten all the new series I promised to add in October. You will start to see the changes over the next few weeks.

Days 3,4,5, & 6 of the Challenge

Howdy All,

I'm doing great on the challenge. One set of friends invited me over for dinner and another set took me out for dinner and they paid. Yay! Thanks to my dear friends.

Just a quick update, I am doing great on the challenge. The fact that I got alot of shopping done has helped tremendously. I have pictures to share and hope to have those loaded sooner vs later.

I've learned keeping a 12 pack of Coke in the back of the car has helped tremendously.

Be back soon. So many neat things going on this month.

Happy Fall,

The Cute Couponer