Walgreens - Glade candles and Sense and Spray

September 7, 2009

This week Walgreens has a couple RR deals going on that I wanted to do, and I think I made out ok :)

2 Glade Sense and Spray @ $5.99 each = $11.98

Tax = $1.01

Subtotal = $12.99

Minus:

$4.00 off MFR coupon x 2 = $8.00(in one of the Sunday paper inserts, dont recall which one) You can also print this coupon HERE

Total = $4.99

And got 2 $2.00 RR = $4.00

So, thats like spending .99 cents for both of them.

I also got:

2 Glade "The Fragrance Collection" 2 oz candles, 2 for $4.00

Tax = .35 cents

Subtotal = $4.35

Minus:

Free coupon for the 2 oz x 2 = $4.00 (also in one of the Sunday Inserts, we all have been holding onto these coupons just hopin and prayin we would find the candles)

Total = .35 cents

And got back a $1.00 RR for purchasing 2, so its like I made .65 cents. Subtract that from the .99 cents I paid for the Sense and Spray I paid .34 cents for 2 Sense and Sprays and 2 candles.

FYI, I went to the Walgreens at Ash and NW BLVD, they are keeping the 2 oz. Glade candles by the registers. IMHO, this is the best Walgreens in town, I never get any static from the cashiers about my coupons and on more then one occasion, including today, the cashier(s) have helped me figure out how to break up my transactions so that I could use all the coupons and still get the RRs.

Happy Labor Day Everyone :)

First Squash

September 5, 2009

Its been a while since I did a garden update.

Im thinking that Fall must be here as I picked the first of my Acorn and Turban Squashes today. I just hope Winter doesn't show up too soon, I still have alot of squashes that are still growing. The squash did not do as well as I had hoped for this year. I dont know if it was the lack of Bees - though it seemed like every time I was checking the squash there were plenty around- or if it was the weather or location or what. I know we will have enough for the winter, but Im not so sure that I will have as many to give away and I had thought I would.

The Green Beans are still producing like crazy! I thought that the Bush Beans were done a couple weeks ago, but then we had a cool streak and they started blooming again. The Pole Beans are coming on really heavy now too. Ive been getting some GIGANTIC beans off of them, the sneaky vines like to hide them so I dont find them until they are huge.

I also have a few Raspberries :) I didn't think I would get any this year since we just planted the bushes this spring, so Im impressed.

Fred Meyer Freebies and some more coupon policy information

September 4, 2009

First, the good stuff :)

Fred Meyer at Wandermere is having a Grand Re-Opening this weekend. They have pretty much finished their remodel and now they also have an in-store daycare that is FREE! Gotta love that! And, they are giving everyone a Free re-usable grocery bag too!

So, when you walk into the store there are stands with special store sales flyers on them - Im just guessing that they are for that store only but I don't know, they might be in all of them. Anyway, there are coupons on these flyers. One is for one gallon milk, .99 cents each, limit 2. Another one is for Hershey's candy bars, 4 for $1.00.

I had 2 .55 cents off any one Reeses Peanut Butter candy and 2 B1G1 Free coupons. I got 6 candy bars and made .10 cents :)

6 candy bars @ .50 cents each = $3.00

- $1.00 from the FM store coupon = $2.00

- .50 cents x 2 for the B1G1 Free coupons = $1.00

-.55 cents x 2 MFR = $1.10 taken off = .10 cents overage !

The FM coupon has a limit of 4 candy bars, but you can use the .55 cents off for each one, effectively making up to $1.20 for every 4 that you purchase.

And here is a deal that can be done at Any Fred Meyer. Yo-Plus yogurt is $1.99. Download the $1.00 e-coupon from Shortcuts onto your Fred Meyer card and use a $1.00 PRINTABLE. The e-coupon will only work once at Fred Meyer (I am learning) but once you use it you can go back to shortcuts and re-load it for the next trip.

While I was there, I stopped to talk to the CSR I am getting to know to ask about the coupon policy again. She told me she was trying to get one for me but as of right now Fred Meyer does not have a coupon policy available for the public. I also spoke to a CSR manager from a different store who was there to help with the re-opening, and another fellow he pulled into the conversation who was a Corporate guy. The Corporate guy also said that they dont have a coupon policy available for the public - in fact - there are actually 4 different policies regarding coupons, none of which are available to the public. I told him that was not right, if there are policies that dictate how Fred Meyers handles the shoppers who use coupons, then the shoppers were entitled to see those policies, how are we suppose to play by the rules if we don't know what they are? I also asked why there were 4 different policies but I didn't get an answer for that. So, I will keep working on them to make the policy (s) available.

Northtown Mall Gift Card Update

September 4, 2009

Last Weekend my daughter and I signed up for the Free $10.00 Mall Gift Card I spoke about in this post but neither one of us received the confirmation email. So, on Tuesday I called the Mall office to find out what was up. They referred me to their Parent Corporation, so I emailed them and today they responded and provided me with a LINK to reprint my voucher for the free gift card. So, if you registered for the gift card but didn't receive your confirmation email, click HERE, enter the email address that you registered with, and it should allow you to print out your voucher.

How to Freeze Corn on the cob

September 2, 2009

Click HERE if you want to win some yummy treats and cool stuff!

Who doesn't love fresh corn on the cob? We sure do, and every summer we can't wait for it to go on sale so we can put some away for later in the year, when it isn't available. Right now, Yokes has Yakima Valley sweet corn on sale 4 for $1.00 so I bought 20 ears, a few to eat now, and some for later. I would have purchased more, but I was chatting with one of the produce guys and he said that the Spokane Valley corn will be coming in real soon and that it will probably be a little cheaper so I decided to wait for it before buying more.

Freezing corn is so easy, just like freezing Green Beans. I start by schucking the corn. Then I wash it in the sink under cool water with a clean wash cloth to get the little silks off.

I have read that some people freeze corn whole in the husk, but Im not so sure about that. I like to make sure the corn is as fresh as possible and you have to look at it to do that. Once they are clean, trim off the tips and any spots that are bruised or look iffy. I cut the cobs in half as well.


At this point, they are ready to be blanched. Again, from what I have read this is "optional". I still do it, blanching deactivates enzimes that would otherwise break down the nutritional value and flavor, it sets the sugars and the color. Get out your biggest pot and fill it with water, once it gets to a rolling boil, add a bit of salt. I have used Kosher Salt in the past, but this year I used the purified salt that I had purchased for canning the beets. I was really impressed with it when I was freezing green beans, it seems to really brighten up the veggies and it doesn't leave such a big salty crust in the pan.




In blanching corn, you are essencially cooking it twice, which can - if over done- make the skins tough and the corn mushy. Depending on the size of the ears, the time it spends in boiling water will vary from 5 to 10 minutes. My rule of thumb is once I smell it cooking, I take it out. Periodically, like every 3 or 4 batches, you will need to add more water and salt or even change the water out if your doing alot of corn. Once you take it out of the boiling water, drop it immediately into an ice water bath.


Look at how bright the corn is! Now, it takes alot of ice to cool the corn down. For some reason, it seems to heat up faster then it cools off, so if you don't have an ice maker you might consider buying a couple bags of ice as you will need to add more during the ice bath process. Leave the corn in the ice water for atleast twice as long as you blanched it for, insuring that it is completely cool through the cob.

Once the corn has been completely chilled in the ice bath, let it sit on some paper towels, or a clean bath towel, to dry just a bit. Then your ready to bag it up. I have a food sealer, but you can also wrap the ears separately in cling wrap and bag them up in a gallon size Freezer bag.

And there you have it! Home frozen corn on the cob is sooo much better then what you can buy at the store. The stuff in the freezer at the store has been injected with sugar and salt and its extremely over-priced (IMHO). So, if you got a bit of space in your freezer, a big pot and some freezer bags then you have everything you need.

There are alot of good websites out there that provide excellent information on freezing and canning your own produce, my favorite one is http://www.pickyourown.org/