Staples, Office Depot & Office Max all have AA & AAA batteries that are 100% back in rewards. You can get in the rewards programs free online. You get the money back to spend at their store.
Office Max has a limit of 1 & it's $16.99 for a pack of 20.
Staples is $12.99 for a pack of 20, & has a limit of 2.
Office Depot is $12.99 for a pack of 20, & you can buy 2 of each per day.
These prices should be good through next Saturday.
This is a great way to stock up for prep (not to mention your kids Christmas toys!)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
How to do sub for santa on a budget
I've been getting asked by a lot of people how I do sub for santa's on our low income. So here goes!
I keep an eye out all year for amazing deals. I start in the 75% off sales after Christmas. I get $5 gift sets for $1.25. One dollar items for $.25. The rest of the year I use my coupons, & keep an eye out for great deals. Shirts on clearance for $1? I buy 5 of them. Games with coupons for $1? I buy some of those. I buy yarn on sale for $1 & knit scarves all year. I also keep an eye out at garage sales. This year I got a box full of brand new, with tags scarves, hats & gloves for $4. I bought prelit Christmas trees for $2. I have 1 closet I keep all this stuff in during the year. If there's something really great at the Dollar Store I grab a few. Walgreens just had wooden Christmas puzzles for $.33 so I grabbed 10 of those.
Then right after halloween I find families who need help for Christmas. I get out all this stuff & their wish lists & ages, & start matching up. It's amazing how well things match! This year I had 3 busy ball poppers I'd bought for $1 (clearance plus coupon). And there were 3 kids that age on my lists. I had 3 trees & 3 families that needed a tree. It's just awesome! I gave the boys hats & gloves & the girls scarves I'd knitted. With the pile this year, I was able to do around 5 presents each child, for 6 families! I also donated gifts to someone else doing sub for santa for 2 more families. And I had 3 boxes of stuff leftover! One pile I had a Christmas porcelain doll, Candyland, busy ball popper, & a playset for a boy, all brand new, & the whole pile only cost me $10!
Note: this is not to brag. This is again, what one woman can do, another can do! I hear all season, from people with significantly more money than me, how they wish they could help people at Christmas too, but can't afford it. Most people have this idea that you have to have several hundred dollars to help even 1 family. So I'm sharing how I do it for anyone who'd like to! Imagine if we were all able to give Christmas to 6 families!
Ok, now the question of what do I do with the 3 leftover boxes. I found a local charity called PJ's. They provide Christmas for 1800 local children. With that large volume of children, they can use anything I have leftover; it's sure to be the right size for someone! And they are a tax deductable charity! So I take them all my leftovers & save some money on my taxes, & help even more children!
Last year I had over $2000 full retail price of things to donate & use for my sub for santa's. With what I actually paid, & the tax savings I got, I figure I spent around $100 out of my pocket...less than $10 a month. How cool is that?!
I keep an eye out all year for amazing deals. I start in the 75% off sales after Christmas. I get $5 gift sets for $1.25. One dollar items for $.25. The rest of the year I use my coupons, & keep an eye out for great deals. Shirts on clearance for $1? I buy 5 of them. Games with coupons for $1? I buy some of those. I buy yarn on sale for $1 & knit scarves all year. I also keep an eye out at garage sales. This year I got a box full of brand new, with tags scarves, hats & gloves for $4. I bought prelit Christmas trees for $2. I have 1 closet I keep all this stuff in during the year. If there's something really great at the Dollar Store I grab a few. Walgreens just had wooden Christmas puzzles for $.33 so I grabbed 10 of those.
Then right after halloween I find families who need help for Christmas. I get out all this stuff & their wish lists & ages, & start matching up. It's amazing how well things match! This year I had 3 busy ball poppers I'd bought for $1 (clearance plus coupon). And there were 3 kids that age on my lists. I had 3 trees & 3 families that needed a tree. It's just awesome! I gave the boys hats & gloves & the girls scarves I'd knitted. With the pile this year, I was able to do around 5 presents each child, for 6 families! I also donated gifts to someone else doing sub for santa for 2 more families. And I had 3 boxes of stuff leftover! One pile I had a Christmas porcelain doll, Candyland, busy ball popper, & a playset for a boy, all brand new, & the whole pile only cost me $10!
Note: this is not to brag. This is again, what one woman can do, another can do! I hear all season, from people with significantly more money than me, how they wish they could help people at Christmas too, but can't afford it. Most people have this idea that you have to have several hundred dollars to help even 1 family. So I'm sharing how I do it for anyone who'd like to! Imagine if we were all able to give Christmas to 6 families!
Ok, now the question of what do I do with the 3 leftover boxes. I found a local charity called PJ's. They provide Christmas for 1800 local children. With that large volume of children, they can use anything I have leftover; it's sure to be the right size for someone! And they are a tax deductable charity! So I take them all my leftovers & save some money on my taxes, & help even more children!
Last year I had over $2000 full retail price of things to donate & use for my sub for santa's. With what I actually paid, & the tax savings I got, I figure I spent around $100 out of my pocket...less than $10 a month. How cool is that?!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Great deal on ground beef!
https://www.zayconfoods.com/events
This is a good deal on ground beef for canning! $2.89 a lb, for 93% lean.
This site also has regular deals on chicken. I haven't used them for that because my local store usually has around the same prices, but I've heard it's very tasty chicken. Meat prices will most likely be going up, so it would be a great time to do some canning!
This is a good deal on ground beef for canning! $2.89 a lb, for 93% lean.
This site also has regular deals on chicken. I haven't used them for that because my local store usually has around the same prices, but I've heard it's very tasty chicken. Meat prices will most likely be going up, so it would be a great time to do some canning!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Great deal on heat packs!
If you have a Recreation Outlet near you, on Friday, Saturday & Monday, they have a great deal on heat packs.
10 packs (2 in each pack) for $5.99.
Now these are really great if there's no heat. Taping these under your arms (better with a thin layer of clothing between the pack & your skin) will stimulate the blood vessels there & help you generate body heat. I use these all the time ice climbing & camping to keep me warm. And they're cheap, small & not dangerous to store!
10 packs (2 in each pack) for $5.99.
Now these are really great if there's no heat. Taping these under your arms (better with a thin layer of clothing between the pack & your skin) will stimulate the blood vessels there & help you generate body heat. I use these all the time ice climbing & camping to keep me warm. And they're cheap, small & not dangerous to store!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Great prep item at Dollar Tree
Friday, November 18, 2011
Eggnog or Pumpkin hot chocolate mix
I wanted some holiday themed hot chocolate mixes. Neighbor gifts maybe? I used the hot chocolate mix recipe from my last post & tried some holiday flavors. I made 1/3 a batch in case we didn't like it.
First I tried the nestle powdered creamer that was peppermint mocha. We couldn't really tell there was peppermint in there. You get a lot more from a drop of peppermint oil or a candy cane.
Next I tried this powdered eggnog mix.
I used it in place of regular creamer in the recipe. The carton was almost exactly the right size for 1/3 of the recipe. The verdict? I didn't LOVE it. It was good. I've had eggnog hot chocolate made with very rich eggnog, & expensive chocolate. You know the kind of drink you almost have to chew? So I think that's more what I was hoping for. It's pretty sweet. Don't get me wrong, it's good & I think if I weren't expecting something else I would have liked it more. But I was a bit disappointed. On the other hand, my son loved it!
We also had this Stephens Pumpkin Spice mix.
(this is much cheaper at the grocery store, I just put it here so you could see it). While we liked this drink, we usually picked hot chocolate. Then I noticed on the back that it said it could be used as a creamer. Ah ha! It was yummy & we really liked it! I think I might add a bit more next time; but I like my flavors strong. I was expecting my son to like this one a lot, he loves pumpkin muffins. But he thought it was just "ok".
First I tried the nestle powdered creamer that was peppermint mocha. We couldn't really tell there was peppermint in there. You get a lot more from a drop of peppermint oil or a candy cane.
Next I tried this powdered eggnog mix.
I used it in place of regular creamer in the recipe. The carton was almost exactly the right size for 1/3 of the recipe. The verdict? I didn't LOVE it. It was good. I've had eggnog hot chocolate made with very rich eggnog, & expensive chocolate. You know the kind of drink you almost have to chew? So I think that's more what I was hoping for. It's pretty sweet. Don't get me wrong, it's good & I think if I weren't expecting something else I would have liked it more. But I was a bit disappointed. On the other hand, my son loved it!
We also had this Stephens Pumpkin Spice mix.
(this is much cheaper at the grocery store, I just put it here so you could see it). While we liked this drink, we usually picked hot chocolate. Then I noticed on the back that it said it could be used as a creamer. Ah ha! It was yummy & we really liked it! I think I might add a bit more next time; but I like my flavors strong. I was expecting my son to like this one a lot, he loves pumpkin muffins. But he thought it was just "ok".
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Hot chocolate mix
I got this recipe from my grandfather. Everyone likes it so much the grandkids make it at his house in the summer!
I especially like using flavored coffee creamers instead of plain. I used peppermint for neighbors. I'm a big fan of the french vanilla. We've also used caramel, irish creme & cinnamon creme. They were all really good! This makes great gifts. I also made a big batch & canned it in a #10 can in my food storage.
6 quarts powdered milk (around 8 cups)
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups chocolate powder (such as Nestle)
2 heaping cups powdered creamer (plain or flavored)
Mix all together. Fill cup 2/3 full of mix (yes you read that right, 2/3 full). Add hot water. Yum!
This recipe will fill a gallon ice cream bucket. This is an easy recipe to get exactly how you want. Add more cocoa to get it a bit more chocolately. More flavored creamer for flavor, more milk for creamy, more sugar (or less)!
I especially like using flavored coffee creamers instead of plain. I used peppermint for neighbors. I'm a big fan of the french vanilla. We've also used caramel, irish creme & cinnamon creme. They were all really good! This makes great gifts. I also made a big batch & canned it in a #10 can in my food storage.
6 quarts powdered milk (around 8 cups)
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups chocolate powder (such as Nestle)
2 heaping cups powdered creamer (plain or flavored)
Mix all together. Fill cup 2/3 full of mix (yes you read that right, 2/3 full). Add hot water. Yum!
This recipe will fill a gallon ice cream bucket. This is an easy recipe to get exactly how you want. Add more cocoa to get it a bit more chocolately. More flavored creamer for flavor, more milk for creamy, more sugar (or less)!
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