Tag Archives: coupons

Busy Mama Weeknight Cooking

Posted on by
Reply

By: Elizabeth Webber Akre

Many of you know this about me, but I’ll say it again:  I am a coupon addict.  It pains me to go to the grocery store without a stack of them.  I love the rush of feeling like I just robbed the store.  I plan, I plot, I wait, I watch.  Then, I swoop in and buy, buy, buy!  Now, before you get concerned, let me clarify: I only buy stuff we actually use, unless I can get it for free and then I donate it. I have not built an addition onto my house to store 3 years’ worth of groceries, and I don’t clean out an entire department of my grocery store in one fell swoop.  But, I do sleep well knowing that I have my own little personal hoard of olive oil, soup, rice and beans  (and occasionally feta cheese, pie crust, spaghetti sauce and pickles).

Last week, I noticed that a new product was on sale at Publix: Progresso’s “Recipe Starters.”  At first, I thought this was similar to the new concentrated stocks that a lot of broth companies have introduced. I downloaded some coupons and decided to check this stuff out.  As it turns out, these are not all stocks.  They are bases to start recipes. In addition to the product, the box offers recipe ideas. I selected a variety to give it a try:  Creamy Parmesan Basil, Fire Roasted Tomato, Creamy Roasted Garlic and Creamy Three Cheese.

Just a few days later, I received an email from MyBlogSpark, introducing me to “Progresso Recipe Starters,” which included a link to a high value coupon for the product.  They have encouraged me to post this coupon link for you, my faithful reader, to download and give the product a try.  I decided to use one of them myself so I could give you my two-cents’ worth, in case you’re interested.  I used the “Easy Weeknight Bacon Mac n Cheese” recipe right on the label.  You can view the recipe right here. 

I served it with a grilled flatiron steak and green beans.  This dish was very tasty (BACON!) and very creamy.  I think the flavor could be boosted even more with a sharper cheese thrown in, like blue cheese maybe.  And, it was a snap to prepare.  It absolutely fits the bill for an easy weeknight dish.  If you are the type who prefers the old school, drier oven baked macaroni from your grandmother, this may not do it for you.  But, if you are one who digs hot, cheesy, creamy pasta…this is a winner.  If you’re interested in trying out this product, the nice people at Progresso have made this coupon available to us.

And, their generosity doesn’t end there.  They also included a coupon for Progresso Light Soups.  These are low calorie soups; some as low as 100 calories!  Please note that this information and the coupons were provided to me from MyBlogSpark and Progresso.  Download the coupons and try out the products.  Thank you Progresso!

Clip and Save

Posted on by
Reply

By: Katie Austin

Life can’t be all serious and I truly believe that laughter, a great attitude and finding something positive in everything we do will help you overcome any life hurdles that come your way.  So with that said, let’s talk coupons!

Not sure if this is a good segway, but we’ll just think of it that way :)

One of the things I learned through the process of fighting my breast cancer is the value of the dollar. With my medical bills coming in with statement balances that would rival that of our government budget, I needed to find a way to stretch every dollar as much as possible.  So, I went back to something I used to do more in my younger years — coupons!!  Yes, coupons!  You can find coupon flyers in your Sunday paper and can download these precious gems from various sources that test your scissor cutting skills.  I find that after all these years I can still cut pretty well and not stray too far from the dotted lines… haha

Like several of the Every Woman bloggers have mentioned, couponing can really help you save money.  So, how can coupons help you save money?  I took to the internet to find modern ways of couponing and how to make it work for me. There is a show on TLC “Extreme Couponing” that can give you some ideas as well.  For me, I will never purchase the quantities shown on the show, but I did learn how to maximize my coupons and develop a strategy that would work for my family. I use the good-ole coupons in the Sunday paper, maybe purchasing 2-3 extra papers if the coupons are good, printing out additional coupons from internet sites, using smart phone applications and picking up store coupons that are available at most customer service desks.  A combination of all or some of these has cut our food bills by at least 50% and there are times that I only spend a few dollars on a bill that would have cost over $50!  If I can save at least 50% every time I go to the grocery store and sometimes get FREE items along the way, then it is worth the change.

Another thing I learned is that my local grocery store offers e-coupons that I can add to my store card.  This is a great way to take advantage of additional savings.  These e-coupons come right off your card and you can still use your clipped coupons as well!

There are many different ways you can save with coupons and you just have to find what works best for you.  A couple of good websites that I have bookmarked and found very helpful are listed below:

Enjoy and happy savings!! :)