Coupon Booklet for Thomasville/Tallahassee

LIVING SOCIAL has a wonderful offer today! GO check it out HERE. For $10-you get a booklet FILLED with freebies and coupons good at Thomasville and Tallahassee restaurants, golf courses, Funstation, grocery stores and pizza places! There are even FOUR $5 off coupons for Winn Dixie on any $5 or more order! Most Publix will take these too..Want to score an even better deal? You can get THREE booklets for $20.  The total value is ...this is not a typo...$3,000!!! GO get yours!!

CAKES AND COUPONS WORKSHOP!

Cakes and Coupons!

Come sample homemade Key Lime Pound Cake while learning about coupons!

Not extreme hoarding-real life savings!

The Winner’s Church

4004 Coleman Road North

Valdosta, GA

Saturday July 16 at 2:00 pm

 A fun workshop facilitated by Amy Webb, founder of the Krazy Kool Koupon Klippers a 450+ member group and 3 year couponer.

$10 fee (paid at door) covers instruction; slice of homemade cake and beverage.take home folders full of helpful info, and membership into “Amy’s Savers” a private closed Facebook group where you will get ongoing help and support!

Call or text 379-6183 to reserve your spot!

Cakes and Coupons

Key Lime Sour Cream Poundcake

My first Cakes and Coupons Seminar last night went great!! In a  little over an hour, almost a dozen (including my supportive husband) coupon newbies and i discussed the hows, wheres and whys of coupons.  I am so thankful that the class will continue on-line as long as anyone needs help in a small private group on FB. The cake? It was a hit!! I love the taste of a homeade-not overly sweet, buttery sour cream pound. I also love the tart coolness of a creamy key lime pie. The two combine beautifully! I wrapped up lots of babycakes for people to take home!! We all shared a large cake and cold drinks. Call or message me if you have a some friends who would like me to bring Cakes and Coupons! to you! 8-12 people make for a good size class!

Spinach and Feta Pierogies with Beefy Alfredo

Anyone who really knows me knows I have been honing my couponing skills and also that I love to cook good meals for my family! This is a filling, healthy one "pot" meal that only cost about a buck a person.. Last week Mrs. T's Pierogies were on sale BOGO(buy one get one free) AND I had a couple of $1 off coupons..so I grabbed 2 boxes. I choose the Spinach and Feta thinking they would be yummy and more nutritious than the plain potato and cheese ones. Everyone in my family(well-except my 3 yr old-but he will come around) loves spinach! I also still had some Philly cooking cream on hand~ bought when it was on sale(used a coupon.~was very inexpensive). I have never cooked with pierogies-but they are cute half-circle shaped pastas(think ravioli) stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes and other good stuff. If you don't like ground beef, or can't eat it, try ground turkey or chicken...or even shrimp!
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 mild onion(slice thin)
1 clove garlic-minced
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce(opt)
a couple of slices -cut up(about 1/4 cup) any cheese you have on hand-I had Colby Jack
1 container Philly cooking cream(garlic or Italian cheese)
1 box Mrs. T's Pierogies (any flavor)-find in freezer section

Pour the pierogies into a large dish .Cook the onion and garlic a few minutes. Brown beef and drain. Add in the milk, cream, and cheese~ stir well. Season with black pepper, Tabasco and salt to taste. Add onions and garlic back to pan. Mix well to combine. Pour over pierogies.{at this point-you can refrigerate and bake later) Top pan w/ foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve w/ a cold salad.if desired!

Coffee!!

I really am excited about the latest Groupon ! It is for wonderful coffee shop, Grassroots, in downtown Thomasville.  They roast their coffee beans in the shop and make wonderful drinks using our local dairy's milk products! For $10~you get $20 worth of whatever you want in the store! I LOVE that you can take your Groupon to Grassroots and swap it for a $20 gift cared to use on multiple visits! YAY!!
If you have never tried Groupon-check it out-just click and start saving BIG! It is all legit and free.

Wanna save some Money Honey?

• Stacking…this is when you use a store coupon and a manufacture coupon on the same item. Publix will take 2 coupons on one item.

Example: Juicy juice-cost is $2 on sale-use a manufacture coupon for $50 off and a Target coupon $1 off-OOP (out of pocket) cost will be 50c.

·        Internet coupons-If you hit the back arrow or backspace-you can usually print 2 of the same coupon. Most sites allow a maximum of 2.

·        HARVEY’S is the place to save on meat! You can often buy ground beef for $1.59/lb! They also have GREAT wed specials and often good deals on produce.

·        all*you magazine. This magazine is wonderful y’all! It is full of great coupons, bargaining tips and recipes. It is available only at Walmart or even cheaper~get a monthly subscription!

 

·        Rain Checks-here is the deal-LOTS of people are trying to save money-when a really good deal is out there-the item you want may be sold out.

Go to customer service on the way out and ask for a rain check that you can use when that item is restocked-hold on to any coupons that go w/ the deal! Watch you coupon expiration date!

Most people make a list of the groceries they need and head to the store. What you have just done is make a list of everything that is not on sale. All groceries have a "rock bottom low price", Most areas they follow a cycle roughly 6 weeks long. That means if we see a rock bottom price this week then buy enough of that item to last 6 weeks.

http://amywebb.moolala.com/deals/valdosta

MOOLALA is a great way to save lots of money!! It is very much like Groupon. you save 50- 90% off services, restaurants, concerts....and so much more! Moolala was conceived as a way to combine the hottest space on the web (Daily Deals) with the most powerful marketing force ever (word of mouth). Rather than spending millions of dollars on traditional marketing and advertising, MOOLALA designed a system that rewards  users really well when they do the marketing!! Moolala offers an incredible deal from a local or online merchant every day. Each deal will save you 50-90% off retail. When you subscribe, these offers are delivered directly to your email inbox each morning. (If you prefer, you can subscribe to deals via Facebook or Twitter, and you can always see the latest deal at Moolala.com.)

If you receive an offer you like, you can purchase it easily online. The next day they send you a link to print your voucher. You then use the voucher to redeem your deal. It’s that simple!Go to~http://amywebb.moolala.com/deals/valdosta to get started!! Change location to see more deals.

Best of all, these deals are brought to you totally FREE. There’s absolutely no cost to subscribe.

A Tale of 6 Cereals

                                                A Tale of 6 Cereals

Once upon a time there was an unaware Mama who had three growing boys who she could not fill up. She tried to feed them oatmeal. They did not eat it. Next she pushed apples and bananas; they ate but were still “hongry”. Mama then bought cereal~ lots of cereal. They liked that, but the unaware Mama spent $27 bucks on 6 boxes in only a few weeks. At $4.50 a pop-the cost of just cereal was nuts!

The broke Mama took herself to a couponing class and learned to buy cereal the smart way!!  Only one trip to buy 6 boxes saved her a WHOPPING TWENTY-ONE DOLLARS!

HOW:

The cereal was on sale Buy One Get One (we are down to $2.25) and she used a Target (store) coupon for $1 off each box, (down to $1.25) and a 75cent off 3 boxes Manufacture coupon. (down to $1.00)-per box!!!

That is $6 for 6 boxes. The now AWARE and happy Mama spent the whopping $21 she saved on a new pair of shoes. Woo-Hoo!! J

Just keep swimmin', swimmin', swimmin'......(Dori the blue fish in NEMO)

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.  Persistence and determination are omnipotent."     Calvin Coolidge

  Develop good character, focus on the big picture and stop making excuses. 

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Live. Laugh. Love. 

Logan being silly

What a funny picture of my sweet Logan. Lately, he has been seeing how much he can get away with. Basically, just being plain naughty,  This picture is special to me. Only about an hour after taking it, Logan got nearly all that pretty wavy hair cut off. That is right....OFF.  He already looked just like his daddy-now he really looks like his daddy's childhood pics.  It is super short-a tiny bit longer on top that the side/back. When I get over the shock of it, I will take his picture. It is so odd-but he looks so different-that he almost seems like a little impostor. He is still a cutie-pie and we are all crazy about him.

Keep A Sense Of Humor

When everything else fails...LAUGH. While it is easy to laugh when everything is going good, it is important to keep laughing in times of adversity. Nothing can improves improves emotional health like laughter can.  It relieves stress and helps to put things in perspective.

 When things go wrong..often life is teaching us a lesson we need to learn. Be grateful for times that you wish had not happened, for these times can help you grow into a better person.Ask yourself, "Did I actually fail. or did I have unrealistic expectations?" Try to not fall into the trap of blaming others and at the same time, try to not beat yourself up all the time.  It's okay if you fall~we all do~as long as you learn something as you get back up. Get back on your feet. Keep trying. Keep laughing. Keep living. 

more baby boy

It is amazing how much Logan has gown in the past 2 years.

Amazing, heart-breaking, exciting and wonderful.

Thank you Lord, for the blessing of this sweet child.

our baby boy

Logan Clyde

Ain't he sweet?

Don't let him fool you, though. Just ask Eli.

Blueberry Scones

Isn't that scone pretty?  My sweet baby gave me the yellow daffodil in the background.  He said he was givin' it to me "buzz i love you So much" Little boys are the best.:)  Shhhh-it came out of my next door neighbor's yard. Sorry Miss Pat! 
I love these scones-not too sweet-but sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth! Perfect hot out of the oven with coffee for breakfast. Perfect as a mid day snack or try one topped with ice cream for a decadent dessert! Ready to get baking? Here we go!


2 cups self rising flour
1 Tb sugar
1/2 stick margarine or butter-cold
1/3 cup cream (I used equal parts buttermilk and Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer-cause it is what I had-you could also use half/half)
2 eggs -lightly beaten (one egg if you want a less dense scone)


Preheat oven to 400.Combine flour and sugar. Using 2 butter knifes or a pastry cutter-cut the margarine/butter into the flour mixture.In small bowl-mix eggs and cream.Make a well in the center and pour liquid into the dry. Gently mix until combined-just until it comes together. Turn out until floured counter and form a rectangle. Using a sharp knife-cut into triangles.Place on baking sheet that you sprayed with just a little cooking spray.  Bake 15 -17 minutes.  If you like-dust the tops with powdered sugar. Enjoy! 

Maggie

Meet Maggie~the sweetest beagle pup ever!

Logan says several times a day "Mommy, I love my new puppy!" I tell him "She loves you right back!"

Tony's Mexican Pie

This recipe is dedicated to my wonderful husband who I love to cook for.  He always seems to enjoy my cooking and always tells me how much he appreciates my efforts. I think he and the boys will enjoy this recipe I created-mixing a couple I found after looking at recipes for Mexican dishes tonight. I love you Cornbread!!

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

1 pound ground beef

1 can black beans (drained)

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 small can Rotel tomatoes w/chilies(drain most liquid)

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
8 ounces shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1/2 (14 ounce) bag tortilla chips, crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Lay crescent dough flat on the bottom of a square cake pan and bake according to package

directions.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bean, Rotel and taco seasoning and stir together well. When dough is done, remove from oven and place meat mixture on top, then layer with sour cream and cheese, and then top off with the crushed nacho chips.Return to oven and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Swagbucks

This is good news for you because if you sign up for Swag Bucks today, you can get 80 Swag Bucks just for signing up!  You get 30 Swag Bucks when signing up normally but until Monday February 28th at 11:59 PM EST, you can get an additional 50 Swag Bucks with the code 3rdBirthday31.
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/amyywebb

On Monday the 28th, Swag Bucks will be doing all sorts of celebrating with new features to its site, including:

• A New & Improved Redesigned Swag Bucks Blog
• A SwagCode Extravaganza! with 5 Different Swag Codes Throughout the Day
• Enhancement of the Friend Feature on Swag Bucks
• A New Product that Will Redefine the Way Search is Use

hey everyone! I just got back from 

a REALLY good Publix trip!

As you see above-couponing is worth the time.

I spent $50.35 and saved $106.60! Yay!!

This was the most I have ever saved and it felt great. 

I had $27.27 worth of vender coupons and $30.25 Store coupons 

Combined with this weeks BOGO'S and other sales of $49.08-this was a great week.

Stretch that Nickel baby!

  I  have at least a dozen good friends who love to save money and have learned how to use coupons on a regular basis. About a year ago, my 
'very good best friend' drug me to one of these classes.  I left early and was aggravated at myself for wasting the $10 for the class. Thinking' " I will never do this! There has to be some sort of trick to really making this work...besides, I shop wisely already!". Well...in a few months I gave it a go-now I almost ALWAYS go to www.southernsavers.com before heading out.There are soooo many great couponing web-sites out there. You can find tons on Facebook, or leave a message for more sites. My favorite is SS. Before shopping, I head to Southern Savers, go to the Publix link-then the weekly ad.  She shows what is on sale and links each item to either a  Sunday insert coupon and/or a printable internet coupon. here are more of my favorite tips.

• Grocery shop a few times a week if you can-break your lists up so that you spend around $25-$30 (AFTER COUPONS)-so that you can use a $5 off (Rite Aid/ Dollar General/Target or Publix) each trip. You can usually find these on-line. The Dollar General prints on their receipts.

• Stacking…this is when you use a store coupon and a manufacture coupon on the same item. Publix will take 2 coupons on one item.

Example: Juicy juice-cost is $2 on sale-use a manufacture coupon for $50 off and a Target coupon $1 off-OOP (out of pocket) cost will be 50c.

·        Internet coupons-If you hit the back arrow or backspace-you can usually print 2 of the same coupon. Most sites allow a maximum of 2. here is where being a facebook aholic pays off...be-friend manufactors/frugal websites and other couponers. They daily post freebies, coupons and giveaways. Jump on these-sometimes they go fast! 

·        HARVEY’S is the place to save on meat! You can often buy ground beef for $1.49-1.59/lb! Chicken for 89c/lb! They also have GREAT wed specials and often good deals on produce.

note:I know it is not very lean-but if you brown and drain the fat-it really is pretty good. I buy at least 5 pounds and break up into 1 ½ size packs and freeze. This amt. works well in most recipes. It is good meat and makes great juicy burgers!

·        all*you magazine. This magazine is wonderful y’all! It is full of great coupons, bargaining tips and recipes. It is available only at Walmart or

       get a monthly subscription.

 

·        Rain Checks-here is the deal-LOTS of people are trying to save money-when a really good deal is out there-the item you want may be sold out.

Go to customer service on the way out and ask for a rain check that you can use when that item is restocked-hold on to any coupons that go w/ the deal! Watch your coupon expirations!


Lastly, get together with other couponers to swap/trade coupons you don't use. Thankfully, I don't need any more diaper coupons so I am hoping to trade them in soon!

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Valentine's Day is a perfect time to whip up these delicious cupcakes for your sweetie! My 4 boys love cupcakes.. The pretty red and white of these are a great way to say "I love you". Red Velvet is full of chocolaty goodness and a little tang from the buttermilk...topped with sweet cream cheese. Yummmm...


3 C. self rising flour
¾ C. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
6 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ C. buttermilk
1 ½ tsp. vinegar

½ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place muffin liners in muffin tins and spray them with cooking spray.

In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs until well-combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla.   Add to the batter and beat well.  Next, add the buttermilk.  Stir again.  Next, add the flour little by little.  Beat until all ingredients are fluffy and well-combined without over mixing.

.  Add the baking soda to vinegar-add to mixture and stir

Pour the batter into cupcake cups and fill them 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool.

Frosting: 
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
5 C. confectioners’ sugar

Cream the frosting ingredients together until smooth.  Use to frost your yummy red velvet cupcakes after they’ve cooled completely.

A Chilly Picnic and Dentist Day

Logan at the park

We had a big day yesterday. Logan's 1st dentist visit. To hopefully keep dentist visits a positive experience, I decided to make the boys a picnic lunch and squeeze in a park trip before the teeth cleaning.  It went great. The train even came by (the track is really close) the picnic table as we ate our bologna sandwiches. Logan loves to play at the park and when it warms up, we will go weekly. By the way, he did great and had no tooth decay! YAY!  

Chicken and Veggie Stew with Dumplings

I just love my crock pot. Today, my sweet 3 yr old is still snoozing, it is damp and chilly out...just a perfect day for this recipe. While Logan sleeps-it took me 10 minutes tops to cut a few veggies and throw the rest of this stuff into the crock pot. Want good dumplings? Do not over-mix the batter and to drop the batter onto very hot, bubbling liquid. That way the dumplings begin cooking immediately and don't get soggy. You can be creative and add 1-2 TB basil, dill,parsley, thyme or tarragon to the dumplings. Just pick one please-you don't want too much green in these or they will be weird. Trust me. Fresh is much better-but dried is ok in a pinch. Just use about 1/2 the amount. I like this one pot meal-it has protein, lots of vegetables and some starches to fill up your family. 
Cook Time: 8 hours

Ingredients:
1-2 potato, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1/4 onion, chopped (NOTE:there is only a little onion because the crockpot really intensifies onion flavor!-a little goes a long way)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped celery (if you have a celery hater aka a 12 yr old-chop REALLY (*wink*) small.
14 oz. can ready to serve chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 fresh bay leaf(Optional-but be sure to remove later) 1 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 2" pieces
1/4-1/2 pkg. frozen baby peas(optional) 
1-1/2 cups Homemade Biscuit Mix
1 Tbsp. snipped chives or dill or one of the other herbs mentioned above
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preparation:
In a 4 quart crockpot, mix potato, carrots, onion, garlic, and other veggies. In medium bowl, combine chicken broth, flour and seasoning and mix until smooth. Pour over vegetables in crockpot. Add chicken. 

Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center. Add peas and cover again. Cook on HIGH for 20 minutes until peas are hot. I forgot to add peas later-I added with other veggies and am not gonna go fish them out. They will be just fine.:)

In small bowl, combine baking mix with herb, milk, and melted butter and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.

IMPORTANT!!If you don't have any baking mix, combine 1-1/2 cups self rising flour and 1 tablespoon snipped chives(OR dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme..) in a small bowl. Melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix with 1/2 cup milk; add to flour mixture and stir just until combined. See? Crisis averted!

Drop dumplings by tablespoons onto hot, bubbling chicken mixture in crockpot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20-25 minutes until dumplings are cooked through, fluffy, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot and enjoy!

Groupon

Have you heard about Groupon ? I have heard of it but just jumped on board today. Think of it as a group deal for a bunch of people.  Daily (most deals look like they run about a week) a new deal will be available. The cool part is you look at deals in your area. They may be in your town or nearby city.  I was very excited to see my local fresh cheese shop for todays deal $20 of Sweet Grass Dairy for $10!! Woo-Hoo! Also available is another 50% deal for Strings and Beans-a popular music/coffee shop in nearby Moultrie. Live in Tallahassee? How bout $5 for $10 worth of Cold Stone Creamery? Check it out. No yearly fees or anything like that-just great deals every day. Are you in? I am!!! Click on the word Groupon  or the link below to check out deals in your area.

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu21052329

I AM NOT LISTENIN MOMMY!!!

Chicken Nachos and an Apology

I have been a bad blogger. I think my last post was in July. I am ashamed.So very sorry and ashamed. No excuses~I have been neglectful and to make it up to all of you, I am sharing a awesome recipe. :)
Are you excited? I hope so! I am!!! 
Great for a snack or even a meal. The past month or so, I have been trying to eat a little healthier and think most of us can make little changes to take a little better care of ourselves.


ChIcKeN NaChOs!!
About a half bag of baked tortilla chips (I like Baked Tostitos)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (poached works well)
1 can rinsed and drained (reduces sodium 40%) black beans
1 cup salsa 
1 1/2 cup Mexican Cheese blend or Pepper-jack cheese-shredded
Sliced jalapeños (optional-but soooo good!)
Guacamole-1/4 cup (optional-but sooo-ok you get the idea)
sliced scallions(again..sooo....)




Heat oven to 350 -Line bottom and sides of large baking dish or cookie sheet w/ chips. Scatter chicken and beans over chips.Spoon salsa over beans(spoon guac if you like it over the salsa) and top w/ cheese. Sprinkle scallions and jalapeños over top.
bake at 350 for 15 minutes and serve hot! You can also dollop a little sour cream on top after removing from oven. YUM!!!