does your pet have an itch?

I woke up this morning to my dog, Addie scratching her belly like crazy.  She could not get any relief.  The vet recommended bio spot it is a flea and tick control for dogs and each applicator kills and repels fleas and mosquitoes for up to 30 days.  I went to Olson's Grain and was happy to see it for $15.99 and they had $5 off coupons.  This will last me all summer, picked up two (one for each dog) and it was just over $20. 

I thought it was worth the money but I do have a very frugal recipe for a home made flea bath

What You Need:

• One lemon
• A pot
• Water
• A spray bottle, sponge or pet brush

What You Do:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, remove from heat.

2. Add a sliced lemon to the pot, and allow it to steep overnight.
3. Apply the resulting liquid to your pet with a spray bottle, sponge or brush.
4. Repeat daily or as needed.

Why This Works

Lemons contain limonene, a chemical that kills and repels fleas.

I also want to share a good recipe that unfortunately I have used MANY MANY TIMES.  It is for removing skunk odor from your pet.

1 liter of peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1t dawn dish soap

Mix all together and wash pet with solution, rinse and repeat if needed.

Just this morning I used this mixture on my brothers dog who was sprayed last night.  A lot of people think tomato juice is good but it just masks the smell of the skunk, it does not eliminate it. 

Taylor's Chicken Tacos

My kids love to help in the kitchen.  I started with them doing easy stuff like rolling dough and tossing salad etc.. now they can peel potatoes, mix sauces and mixtures.  Taylor even has her own dinner that she likes to make.  She is making this for dinner tonight so I thought I would share the recipe.
This is easy and a great way to use up leftover chicken.
2 cups chicken
1 cup mexican cheese
dash of garlic and cumin
1/2 c salsa
stir all above ingredients together
stuff in taco shells bake @350 for 15 min

Then Mommy puts them in oven and she can tell her brother to set the table because "she did everything else"
The best part about teaching kids to cook is that as they grow up they will know how to prepare healthy meals and will not rely on junk food

How to shop at Walgreens

I feel like I have to dedicate an entire entry today just on shopping at Walgreen's.  It can be one of the best places to shop but also very frustrating.  I have gone in and bought my items thinking I was going to save so much money and get so much back and then leave the store wondering what I did wrong, sit in my car and figure it all out.  What I know now is that you can print the store coupon policy before even leaving your house.  Now when I go to Walgreen's I know exactly what I am going to buy and for how much.  I also know how much I am getting back in roll back rewards to use for my next shopping trip.. Here is some need to know information.
Walgreen's will accept a coupon up to it's value.  If you are purchasing an item for 3.50 and your coupon is $5 off you do not receive the difference. 
If an item is B1G1 (Buy one get one free) you can use two coupons. 
Roll back (RR) are one per offer.  If they have $5 RR for a package of razors and you buy 4 razors you will only receive one RR for that transaction.
Roll back rewards are scanned as a coupon so you can not pay for an item using a RR if you used a coupon for that item, you will need a filler to use that coupon.  I like to add a pack of gum to my order so that my RR can be scanned and I can still use my coupons. 
Most important lesson I learned the hard way, label your RR you receive.  If the store gives you a $2 RR for a great deodorant deal, you can not use that RR to buy that same deodorant.  I label each RR with what item I got it for.  I know my Walgreen's will scan my RR for anything but I have been to a Walgreen's that would not accept my RR for the same item.

Colgate toothpaste and brushes buy 2 get $4 back I used 2 coupons making the toothpaste 25 cents each.  Same for the toothbrushes I had 2 coupons $1 off so they are FREE

Panteen shampoo and conditioner 2/6 I had 2 $3 off coupons FREE
Dove candy I had two $1/1 coupons and I printed a $1/2 coupon from Walgreen's website making my price $2/2 and I received $1 back in RR
Gillette fusion proglide are on sale for $9.89 I had a $4 off coupon and they gave me a $5 RR for buying this.  My total cost was $0.89
I bought some Easter clearance items for $0.25 for my fillers that way I could pay for them with my RR and I received $9 RR for my next purchase

shopping a mega event and food storage

Kroger is having a great mega event sale this week.  If you are a regular coupon clipper you will be able to get a lot of stuff free this week. Free pasta, chips, water etc.... Our Fry's also has great deals on toilet paper, paper towels, bbq sauce, pasta sauce and fabric softener.  This combined with coupons makes a great sale.  Now.... Where do I keep it all? I am blessed with a big kitchen with a lot of cupboards and a nice pantry but it is hard to keep track of what I have and rotate my items to make sure I use oldest first.  My wonderful husband bought a storage shelving rack (discounted $40 at home depot) and I keep a lot of my duplicates on this. 
With our business we make more money over the summer months so I try to stock up on everything.  That way when our business is slow in the winter months I do not have to spend any money on grocery, this gets us through the year.

cashing in on rain checks

I think Safeway is one of the best stores for honoring rain checks.  They will do the best they can to get the product to you and if that is not possible they will make it up.
About a month ago I tried to get their 3 pound Jenny O ground turkey 80/20 that was on a 4 day sale for $5 with no limit.  The only day I could get to Safeway was the last day of their sale and they sold out.  I received a rain check and asked for 3, 3lb packages of ground turkey.  I made several attempts to collect on this offer and thought I would forever be known as the crazy turkey lady being how they knew exactly why I was there when I rang the bell at the meat department.  They tried to special order this item but it was no longer available.  They made it up to me by giving me 10 pounds of 93/7 a much leaner meat and an extra pound for the same price I would pay for 9 pounds of 80% lean.  This is an even better deal.  Thank you to Safeway for making the crazy turkey lady happy.
I used my $5 catalina coupons from the week before and ended up paying only $10 for all of this turkey. 

Stuffed bell peppers

This is my recipe for stuffed peppers.  It is one of my Dad's favorite recipes and I made it for him a lot when they came to visit.  We spent a lot of time cooking and sitting around my table.  I love cooking for my family and when every chair is full of happy eaters, it makes my day.
I like to use red bell peppers but green peppers have been on sale so that is what I bought.  I used 1 pound of ground sirloin I had the meat department grind it for me when they had a good sale on sirloin steaks. 
Brown the sirloin and add 1/2 onion and 2 garlic cloves, season with salt pepper and cumin . 
I like short grain brown rice and I buy it in bulk at the health food store and store it in Tupperware.  Boil 2 cups of water seasoned with beef bullion and then add 1 cup of rice, cook for 25 min on low.  When the rice and sirloin is done mix them together and add 1/2 cup Velveeta cheese and 1/4 C salsa.  Stir in 1T of soy sauce and 28oz can diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup sour cream.  While the cheese is melting cut the tops off of your peppers and get them ready to fill with meat mixture. 
Preheat oven to 350 and then stuff the peppers.  Mix 2C hot water and 3t beef bullion together and poor in dish you are cooking the peppers in, this will help them get soft while in oven.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 min.
If you do not have picky eaters these are a meal on its own but my kids do not like them very much so I put a few taquitos in the oven and heat up a can of refried beans to complete the meal so I know they are getting enough food that they will eat.
I use 4 bell peppers and cut the tops off of two of them and then make the other two half peppers so the kids can eat the stuffing in a pepper bowl (more fun for them).  I also freeze the remaining stuffing mixture so that the next time I want to make this dinner I just have to stuff the peppers and that saves a lot of time.

It is May.... 31 days of BEAUTY

I love the month of May, it should be savored and enjoyed..  We have 31 days of perfect weather before it gets too hot to play outside.  The flowers are showing their blooms, the birds are chirping and wildlife starts to come out.  The sun and the warm air feels so good we spend most of our time outside.  We like to watch the kids ride bikes and have scooter races.  We catch each others shadows, fly kites and find caterpillars.  We like to BBQ and enjoy our meal on the porch, it is amazing how much better the same dinner tastes outside.
There are also a lot of ways to save money in May.  Many stores discount picnic supplies just before Memorial day.  Great time to stock up on paper plates and plastic utensils.  Pick up enough supplies now to get you through picnics and birthdays the rest of the year.   Stores are also putting winter items on clearance racks.  I buy long sleeve shirts, jackets, pants, boots, gloves and hats  for my kids in the next size up so that next winter they are fully stocked.
May is also skin cancer awareness month so you can find a lot of facilities that are doing free screenings.  This could save you a co-pay for your insurance and can save your life.
Mothers day is in May, I like to stock up on gift's for girls this month.  You can find huge discounts on lotions, aprons, pamper products, purses, candles, flowers and vases. 
Last but not least, my kids celebrate their birthday in May so we know there is a party to be had.