COUPONING!! :)

So I have been asked and asked and asked by family and friends about my new couponing and price matching addiction and how I do it....So, here is my lesson on how to do it :)

First of all if you want to get a lot of coupons for super cheap...Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune Sunday edition. There is a special right now for $0.50 a week for 26 weeks you can get the Sunday edition with all the coupons in it. Great Deal!! Call 1-800-311-8500 (offer code X974) after the 6 months it goes to full price.

While you are waiting for your subscription go to www.icouponlp.com and read everything on their website. They have coupon books for sale too, which are great to have. Also, this is run by a couple of local women so if you can make a donation to their page to keep them happy and to help us by continuing to receive all their couponing knowledge it would be appreciated! This website will answer a lot of questions!

Next, you can become friends with the ladies that started the icouponlp website on their facebook page La Porte iCoupon Group. This is a fantastic group of ladies who will swap coupons with you, exchange area sales and give great advice on how to coupon and price match.

This is where I have learned everything.
Well, that and at www.krazycouponlady.com That website has all the web printable coupons I use too. Just click on the printable tab and all the coupons that are good right now come up in alphabetical order. I always check for a coupon when I know I am going to the store for something...that and now I look for local ads to price match at Walmart.

Which brings me to my next subject: Price Matching...this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I wasn't around before bread was sliced..but I can just imagine how genius it was.
Our local Walmart will price match with any stores sales ad within 50 miles. That means Chicago area stores are included. It is amazing. Here is a list of the stores I price match with:
CVS
Dominicks
Family Dollar
KMart
Martins
Menards
Pay Low
Rite-Aid
Strack & Van Til
Target
Town and Country
Walgreens
Walmart
Wiseway
Walts
Hardings
Als
Central Market
Fresh Country Market

Now, I am not an expert whatsoever. Leave that to the icouponlp girls. They also give classes too once you get into it a little you will have questions and these classes will help answer your questions.

But, this is how I do it....
I visit each website and click on the weekly ad section. I go through (or print) each page and click on the items I am shopping for that week. Most sites have a "shopping cart" that will save your items and you can just print out your shopping cart.
I then use the spreadsheet the icoupon ladies have on their website to right down my shopping list and at which stores had the sale. It makes it much easier to look at one sheet instead of a bunch of ads.
Then I shop! I always look at Walmart's price..a couple of times the stores ad is more or the same cost as Walmart's everyday price..so make sure you pay attention. My first few trips I wrote down all the prices so I could really compare at home how much I saved. I used to save about $30 on a $100 trip. Now, I am up to $45-$50 on a $100 bill. But that is using my coupons too.
Here is what I do when I get to the checkout lane... I tell the cashier that I have some price matching but I am going to do the non-price matching stuff first. I pick out everything that I am not price matching and put that on the conveyor first. Then when the cashier is ready, I will tell her/him each items price. Have your ads in your hand so that you can be ready if they ask you to see the ad.
That's it...then I had them my coupons. :) They take any manufacturer's coupon. So as long as it says "manufacturers coupon" they will take it at Walmart. I get a lot of Kroger coupons in the mail that I use at Walmart because most of them say Manufacturers coupon on it..some do say Store Coupon, which won't work...

I am in no way an expert, I probably can't even answer any of your questions..I am just here to show you to the people that I believe can help and that is the ladies on the icoupon website and facebook page. But, I do know that it has saved me a ton of money and I am grateful for that! :)

Work with your child...tear free!

Thanks to my babysitter for showing me this GREAT workbook. It is a company called Handwriting without tears and it has a ton of different workbooks and teaching tools to help you jump start your child's learning. All without tears!

I had been trying to get my son to write his name for weeks. Owen. Who knew that O was not one of the letters you teach your child to write first?!? He got upset EVERY TIME and I figured he was just taking after his father and being way too much of a perfectionist. :) He would cry and say it wasn't perfect every time we sat down to work on it.

My babysitter happened to tell me about this company and all their workbooks and teaching aids and how much she loved it. She made some copies and worked with Owen one day and he loved showing the pages off to me. I went and ordered the book that night. We have been working on it ever since we got the book and he LOVES doing it.

Basically it is a slowed down version of making lines and curves and showing your child how "easy" it is to write. It starts out with simple line work:

And then it works with actual letters:

I don't know who is more excited to get this workbook out, but I do know that it works and works very well. I am excited to continue buying products as Owen continues to grow up! :)
They have a ton of products, but here is the book that I chose to start with:

Get your child familiar with the alphabet, ready for reading, writing AND math!

I love these books by Jane Moncure. Each book is based on each letter of the alphabet. My son had a difficult time, (or he was very stubborn) when starting to talk. I found that these really helped him learn how to pronounce each letter. I am sure they will continue to help him as he gets older.





They were given to me by my Sister-in-law. My son really got into them when he was about 2 1/2 or so. They really helped teach him how to identify his alphabet. Now, it helps him recognize words to start reading and writing them. I did find them on amazon.com so I have pasted the link picture to them. This is a product that is probably about 10 or more years old, so I have added a more current version of the books as well. I have never seen the newer version, but I assume they are just as good.
Here is the link to the newer version:




She also does a book set for first steps to math. I WILL be buying this for sure!

Sticky Pull-Apart Cinnamon Rolls

Thanks again to Pinterest for showing me this fabulous recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls!

Here is what you will need:

1 large package of Grands Homestyle buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter melted
1/2 Cup pancake syrup
1/3 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
pecans or sliced almonds are optional toppings.

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a round fluted pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl mix together syrup and melted butter set aside. In a separate bowl mix together brown sugar and cinnamon (and nuts if you want them).  Pour half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the round pan and then pour half of the brown sugar mixture on top. No need to mix. Next, top the biscuits in an overlapping pattern on top of the syrup to form a ring. Again, pour the rest of the syrup mixture and the rest of the cinnamon mixture on top and put in the oven for 20 minutes. When done, let it cool a minute and then flip it over on a plate and serve. Enjoy!

This is what it looked like before I flipped it onto the plate:

Chicken Parmesan

This is hands down the BEST chicken Parmesan recipe I have ever tasted. Thanks to my SIL for finding it and thanks for foodwishes.blogspot.com for posting it!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups “Panko” Japanese style bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated provolone or slices chopped up.
4 oz fresh mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
olive oil for frying
1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce (high-quality!)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 450. Pound chicken to 1/2 - 3/4" pieces and put on a plate. Season with Salt and Pepper. In 1 bowl whip up 2 eggs. In a separate bowl add Panko and 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Spray a plate with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Put flour in a handheld strainer and tap flour over chicken. It saves on wasted flour. Transfer those chicken pieces to egg bowl and coat well. Then transfer them to the Panko bowl. Press Panko to chicken to cover well. Put on the plate with non stick spray on it and set aside for 15 minutes to rest before frying.
In the meantime, Cut your fresh mozzarella into small cubes. You will use about an ounce per chicken breast. Cut provolone into small cubes, unless you could find it shredded. If you found fresh basil, chop that up as well. Heat about 1/2" of olive oil in your skillet until nice and hot. Put chicken in and cook for 2 minutes on each side. You are not cooking the chicken through, you are just lightly browning the breadcrumbs. 2 minutes is a fine amount of time on each side. Transfer to a baking dish. Spoon a Tablespoon or so of tomato sauce to top of chicken, make sure not to over coat and make chicken soggy. Next sprinkle with pepper flakes. This will make it spicy, so use to your likeness. Next add mozzarella, about an ounce per chicken piece. Then, add the basil. Next, add provolone and sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Finally, you will drizzle the top with a little olive oil and put them in the oven at 450 for 15-20 minutes. 
Enjoy!!!
MMMM now I want to make this again.....

Tuna Casserole

This is a very easy casserole that I make in my smaller square dish. It is halved to fit in there. You can double this if you want to make a 9x13 pan full.

Ingredient List:

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup Milk
1 can of peas
2 cans tuna; drained
2 cups of hot cooked medium egg noodles
1 package of shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400. After cooking your egg noodles, mix all ingredients (except cheese) in a small casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted to your liking.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of my most favorite soups. It is perfect for a rainy day :)

Here is what you will need:
1 lb. of chicken. Uncooked cut into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
1-2 Tbs of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 or so chopped green pepper
1 Tbs minced garlic
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbs ground cumin
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbs cilantro
1/2 - 1 cup of salsa
1 can of corn
1/4 - 1/2 tsp of chili powder
sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips to top after soup is finished

Drizzle oil in pan and saute onion and green pepper. Season it with salt and pepper. Add minced garlic and cumin. Add chicken pieces and chicken broth. Bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. Turn down the heat to Medium-High with a lid on the pan for 7-8 minutes. Make sure it slightly boils so that the chicken gets cooked. Turn down to Med-Low heat. Add corn, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder and cook for 30 minutes. When it is done, put in bowls and add cheese on top. Crush tortillas on top of cheese and put a dollop of sour cream on top.
Enjoy!