Super Savings Sunday Tip

Do you like breakfast cereal? What about Post breakfast cereals? Do you live near a Jewel (or another grocery store in the Albertson's chain, possibly)? Here's a good deal that's going on from now through Wednesday, April 1st:

Select varieties of Post cereal are on sale 2 for $3, but you must buy two to get the deal (or else they're $2.50). And you must use your preferred card. $1.50 a box sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But wait...there's more.

Currently there is a promotion going on where if you buy Post cereal, you can get a coupon for money off your next transaction:

Buy 3, get $2 off your next order
Buy 4, get $3 off
Buy 5 or more, get $5 off.

So...if you buy 6 (at 2/$3) it will cost you $9, but at the end of your transaction it will print you a coupon for $5 off. Which is like paying $4 for 6 boxes.

Sounds pretty good, huh? But wait... you can make it even better if you get the Sunday paper. This week's Smart Source coupon insert has a coupon for $1.00 off 2 boxes of select Post cereals (Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, or Grape Nuts Nuggets or Flakes - 10 oz. or larger)

If you get more than one paper, like I do (Chicago Tribune and the Naperville Sun), or if a friend or relative who doesn't use theirs will give them to you (thanks, Mom!), you can use three of those coupons on your six boxes. Your total cost for those 6 boxes would come to $1 (plus tax). Even one or two coupons makes it a super deal.

(Btw - if you don't like one of the 2/$3 varieties, you can substitute in another Post cereal - like Honeycombs and you'll still get the coupon at the end. I did that today and ended up paying $2 for my six boxes with two of them being the really big boxes of Honeycombs).

Six boxes may sound like a lot. But at that price, I'd say stock up! Make space in your pantry and fatten up your wallet at the same time.

Note: I've confirmed that this same deal is going on at the Albertson's stores too!

A Little Crafting Fun

I haven't posted any pampering ideas for a while, but had so much fun putting together a sample craft for my daughter's birthday party that I had to share. Isn't it cute?

It's a 5 7/8" x 5 1/2" canvas bag that we found in groups of 5 for $6 at Jo-Ann Fabrics (get them for less with a coupon). I stamped it with the musical notes image and glued on the ribbon. All told, it took less than 10 minutes to complete. I'm thinking I could fill it with matching notecards or maybe small lotions and soaps as a gift.

The kids each decorated their own with stamped pictures, ribbons and drawings they made with fabric markers. It was the perfect craft for a group of 8-year-olds. They had a blast doing it and then had a place to stash their goodies from the party (although we did have to wait for the markers to dry a little first so not everyone's goodies actually got in their canvas bag).

Because they are so quick & inexpensive, I'm thinking they would make cute party favors or special event gifts (like a women's ministry luncheon). Just switch up the colors on the ribbon and the kind of stamp to match your theme.

Any other ideas for how to fill this fun bag?

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! (Blessings of St. Patrick's Day Upon You!)

Every year at this time, I find myself proud to be able to trace some of my ancestry to Ireland. And it's nice to see that I'm not the only one. Even our president has some Irish in him. If you don't believe me, watch the video - he explains it himself. Actually, watch the video anyway. YouTube wouldn't allow me to post it here. Trust me, your St. Patrick's Day isn't complete until you've seen this.

Announcing: Frugal Friday or Something Like That

I came up with a new idea for blog content (which the few faithful followers I have know has been lacking as of late): Frugal Friday. These would be posts sharing a money saving idea or tip or deal alert. The only thing is, I don't expect to post them only on Friday, nor will I post something every Friday. In fact, this first frugal post isn't coming to you on a Friday. So maybe it will be a Savings Sunday or Money Matters Monday post. But I hope you get the gist. I just want to pass along things I've learned or heard that make it easier for all of us trying to weather this financial ickiness (recession, crisis, whatever you want to call it).

Here's today's tip. It's a deal alert and if you have a kid in diapers and live near a Walgreen's, you'll want to listen up (this is from Jill Cataldo's web site):

Spend $25 or more on Huggies diapers or wipes and get a $10 coupon for your next shopping trip (called a Register Reward at Walgreens). This week diapers are on sale for $10 a pack.

Print out coupons from the following sites: Coupons.com and Red Plum for $5 and $3 (I think they'll allow you to print two of each and they may only have them available for so long, so check it out soon). You can also find ones for Huggies in the 2/8 Smart Source insert or 3/1 Smart Source for $1.50 - not as good a deal, but still...

Here's an additional help that Jill points out:

Then, if you can find one, pick up the 99-cent coloring book from Walgreens. It contains a bunch of Walgreens store coupons, including one for $1 off Huggies. You will only need one, as Walgreens coupons apply to all your like items in one order. (Additionally, most Wags will let you keep the coupon, as they just discard the store coupons at the end of the day.)

This is how she does the math:

3 packs of Huggies @ $10 = $30
Minus $1 x 3 for coloring book coupon = $27
Minus two $5 coupons and one $3 coupon = $14
Pay $15 and get at $10 RR = $4 for 3 packs of Huggies!

That's my deal alert for today. More frugal tips to come!

Let's Sing a Shanty

"Let's sing a shanty," LMH said to her sisters this morning. Because that's what all kids sit around and sing, right?

And so they did. Little Miss History, Timid Daughter and the Uber-Princess belted out The Drinking Gourd as solemnly, deeply, and loudly as three little white girls can.

"Follooooow...the dri inkin' goooourddd. Follooooooww...the dri inkin' gooourddd. The old man is a waitin' gonna carry you ta freedom..."

I laughed a moment to hear them sing such an unconventional song. But then I sobered up. I remembered the other night as we walked home from an evening program at school and the Uber-Princess looked up at the stars and asked me, "where is the Drinking Gourd, Mommy?".

She knows what it is, if not the significance of the song they sang today. We listen to this kind of music and we talk about it. They like to know. They like to learn. And so their daddy has been urging them to bring home the book from the school library about The Drinking Gourd so we can read it again.

I wanted to post a video of this song so you can get a feel for it, but none of the ones on YouTube match the version we know best. I was excited, however, to see one there with images of Graue Mill in Hinsdale - a local stop on the underground railroad near my childhood home. We need to go there sometime to flesh out that part of our country's history and underscore the meaning of this shanty my kids sing.

How about in your home? What kind of songs does your family sing?