Weekly savings tip - Dunkin Donuts

Hey its me! Now I know a lot of my sale posts are store specific for the area I live in but..if you pay close attention, you very well could find deals  like these at your own local stores.

These tips refer to Dunkin Donuts.

1 - Get the app.This app allows you to have instant access to coupons for use at DD, just by having them scan your phone. And if you are lucky like we are, you get a free medium coffee every Monday after your local NFL team wins a game.

2 - You don't always have to buy a dozen of something, or a box of munchkins. Think about WHY you are buying a dozen donuts or a box of munchkins. For instance, my girls love munchkins, but I typically buy them for them, on the way to school. So they don't eat a whole lot. Instead of buying a box, then having left overs, (or even worse, eating them yourself), but one of the cups that sits by the registers. its more then half the price, no waste, and no extra sugar you don't need to be eating,  ;)

3 - Learn your hot vs cold cup sizes. Have you ever notice when You get a large hot coffee or latte, you drink it all.  But if you get a large iced drink, you never quit finish it? Wonder why?? Check this out next time you are in the store. It makes a big difference in how much you are spending as well.

HOT                                         COLD
medium               =                      small
large                   =                     medium
extra large           =                      large

(Also, for hot lattes, the cup is never completely full due to the foam at the top. So you should buy a size larger on these, then how much you want.Which is why I typically only buy these with coupons, as they are a higher priced drink item)

4 - There really isn't too much of a difference between iced latte and iced coffee, but there IS a price difference. If you really just want a flavored iced drink, opt for the coffee and not the latte. You might save about $1 or more.


Now I know if you are not in a penny pinching mode, some of these chose this or that options may not matter, but for those who HAVE to have that DD treat once in a while, think about WHAT you order more.

Felt the love this year on my BD

Hey all!
This weekend was my birthday.  And although I wasn't planning much, I still felt the love. Which in my world is sometimes rare, as most special dates seem to fall within the last few days of a pay period, or my husband is working. But things were pretty cool this year.
I didn't expect much. All I kinda wanted was to sit around a bon fire on a nice Fall night. And that is exactly how my day ended.

First, my sister stopped by on Friday night with a cute balloon and an awesome gift I saw on Facebook and HAD TO HAVE.
PUMPKIN KAHLUA!!!!!!

On Saturday, my actual birthday, I woke up to gifts from my husband and the girls. All things of which I wanted or loved. OMG someone has been paying attention ;)
My 2 doz cupcake holder/carrier from ACMoore that I have had my eye on for almost a year. Some fall scented candles, a cute polka dot phone case, and my fave jelly beans!

Next, the girls decided they wanted to make me breakfast. I wasn't really hungry but I let them go for it anyhow. They didn't do too bad either.
Toaster Strudels, yogurt, and juice. They used my cutting board as a tray to carry it out to me on. how cute!


Later that night, we headed to our cousins house for the bon fire I asked for. Well they decided to do a cook out on the grill for us all and even got me a cake. I was touched because they tried to make it all about me, even though it was their anniversary. 
Cupcake cake

bon fire

Me, by fire light

On Sunday, me and the girls headed to my parents for a little visit. She gave me a card full of scratch off  tickets and we had some pizza & wings with them.  It was a nice afternoon.

All in all it was a pretty good birthday. Turning 37 isn't a big deal, so I treated it as such, and ended up pleased in the end! 

 

Shoprite Weekly Highlights, 9/28 - 10/4

Hey all! I know its been a while, but there weren't any good enough deals for me to report, then I got off track checking the weekly circular, but its back! Weekly highlights, along with any coupon match ups that I have caught.
As always, this is not ALL of the deals, but a good guide for you to check out before you head to the store. Also, this is the circular received for the Brooklawn, NJ location, but I believe most deals are with most store locations.

*FREE Shoprite jelly or jam coupon.
* Progresso classic soups are 8/$8.32   (use 2 coupons for $1 off 4, and you can get 8 for $ .79 ea)
*Aunt Jemima waffles and pancakes $1.49
*Bananas $.49/lb.
*General Mills Cereal aka Big G cereal $1.99 (there are coupons out there for some that are $1.00 off one box which makes then $1.00 ea.)
*Purex laundry detergent $1.88
*Birdeye Steamfresh veggies $.99
*Peter Pan peanut butter $1.99
*Ronzoni pasta $.99
*Lysol cleaners $1.99 (I am not sure, but there very well might be coupons out there for this too, that are usually $1.00 off 2 which could make then $1.50 ea)
*Simply Big Roll Quilted paper towels $.88
*paper Mate pens $.77
*2 ct. black Sharpie markers $.99
*Lady Speedstick $.99
*Suave deodorant $.99
*Blistex lip balm $.88
*Oral B toothbrush $.88
*Gum toothbrush $.88
*Colgate Optic white toothpaste $1.49
*Purdue split chicken breast $1.99/lb.
*Shoprite Chunk Cheese $1.24
*Go Gurt 2/$4.00 (use 2 of the $.35 off one box coupons and they can be $1.30ea.)
*Totinos pizza rolls $1.49 ea. (use coupon for $.75 off and they could be $1.15 ea.)
*Toaster Strudels 2/$5.00 (use the $.50 off coupons, which should double and they can be 2/$4.00)

Birthday Freebies and coupons

Hey all! Tomorrow is my Birthday!!!!  As a mom of 3 kids, in a family that lives paycheck to paycheck, i typically don't do much on my birthday. However, I always look forward to all the freebies and good deals I can get, just to honor the fact that I was born. 
Below are just a few to mention, but there are many many more.


Payless -- 25% off with NO restrictions -- seems to only be valid the month of your BD.

Dunkin Donuts - Free Medium beverage -- received the first few days of your BD month and good for 2 months.

CVS - as long as you are registered for Extra Care card, you receive $3 Extra Care bucks on your birthday.

Applebee's -- Sign up for the email updates and get a free dessert on your BD.

Baskin Robbins --  Join their email club and get a free ice cream on your BD.

Krispy Kreme - sign up for their emails and get a free coffee & donut on your BD.

Arby's -- free coupons on your BD.


So don't forget, sign up for emails and store cards for the places you shop at the most, they like to celebrate us as well.

Marsala Chicken ala crockpot

Hey all!

I admit it, I can't cook meats very well. They are usually dry and over cooked, or so undercooked and juicy (which most people like, but I don't) that I won't eat it. However, I can't mess up meats, when I use the crockpot.
There are also so many sauces out there now, that help me make my food taste pretty darn good.
One of my all time fave dishes to order, when I am out at a real restaurant, is Chicken Marsala. I know there are kits out there with all the ingredients, but it means saute and cooked until brown -- things I cannot do well. But, they now have tons of skillet sauces out there. And I like to use them in the crockpot. Why not? (They also have crock pot sauces out there, but sometimes the flavors in the skillet sauces are better)

Below are all the ingredient for my chicken Marsala dinner. Just put the sauce, chicken, and drained mushrooms all into the crockpot. Let it cook all day and DONE!
I typically don't do fake mashed potatoes, but its a dance night tonight and I can't risk taking forever to peel the real things. And I find that once there is a sauce to put on the fake potatoes, it makes them much better tasting.

So next time you want a semi-fancy meal, but don't have the time, check out the sauce packets that are out there now. Quick, easy and yummy!

A random tag from a YouTube vlog

This is a tag I saw on YouTube by Sam Schuerman (link below).  I still have not started doing "real" vlogs on my youtube channel yet, but thought I would do this one. Hope it helps me readers learn a little more about me.
Feel free to Share this post, so others can do it as well, and tag me because I would love to read yours.


1 - Do you keep up with the Kardashians?
*Yes I do. I watch all of the TV shows.I try NOT to follow them outside of the show, but as we all know, they are all everywhere. Its my guilty pleasure. 

2 - Which old muscle car would you choose?
* I'm not really into cars for how they look, i go for more practical, but if i had to choose, I would say Mustang - because everyone know what that car is and everyone loves them.

3 - Do you have a sailor potty mouth?
*Yes I do. I live in NJ right across the river from Philly, and everyone curses.I do try to chill with it around kids, but if I get really mad, I throw that F-bomb out there A LOT. It's either the F word or throwing things....I choose to not break stuff so...
 
4 - If your significant other gave you a"Hall Pass" who would you use it on?
 *Will Smith

5 - One thing you do that you hate to admit?
* I squeeze blackheads/pimples, and not just on me. And my children have become like me in this way. I'm not proud of it.

6 - Do you really brush your teeth in the AM and the PM?
No. I typically DO either or, but rarely both. We have one bathroom and a 5 person household, 4 of which are girls, so...I feel lucky to be able to do it at least once.

7 - What is your Go To drink at Starbucks?
*I don't do Starbucks - they are way to expensive, you have to wait too long & no drive thru's, and they are not as convenient. However, I am a Dunkin Donuts girl and my go to there is just some type of flavored coffee. My "go to drink" changes as the seasons/flavors change (right now its pumpkin coffee), but its always typically hot or iced coffee.

8 - Is your current color, your real hair color?
Well, I'm not sure. My hair from birth was blonde, then it went brown about 10 yrs, but in light I looked red. And now as adult I dye my hair whatever color I want. But I can't let it grow out, to answer this, as it grows out grey. Generally though, I would say its a light-medium brown with red highlights.

9 - If you could swap bodies with someone, who would it be and why?
I don't know. I don't really admire "bodies", I admire weight b/c I have always had issues with that. I always say how I wish I could go back to when I was 20 -- looking back I think I looked good then, but didn't think I did then.

10 - Have you read 50 Shades of Grey and what did you think?
I did complete the first book and was pissed by the ending. I started the 2nd books but then I seemed to never have enough time to read again.So now I'm just waiting for the movie.

11 - Do you crack your knuckles?
Yes. When I was younger I loved to type, and my hands would get sore, and I would just do it. Now I do it all the time. And NO, my knuckles are not huge.

12 - Have you accidentally text someone something that was meant for your significant other?
No. Texting became popular after I met my hubby and he never got into the texting thing too much, so we rarely text anyway.  I have done that with friends, but nothing bad.

13 - Have you ever created a fake profile to sneak on someone?
 I think I may have once when the social media thing first started, but they knew it was me right away and we laughed about it.

14 - cookies or pastries?
Probably cookies - they tend to be less messy and you don't need utensils.

15 - What do you love about yourself?
Honestly, nothing much right now because I am at a weight i don't like at all. But I used to really like my hands and wrists.  Sometimes I like my eyes - people have told me they are seductive without even trying.

16 - Do you have to match your nail and toe polish?
No. I change my nail polish color every 4-7 days, and I try to keep with what is seasonally in right now. but my toes get painted every 1-2 months, and I like to use a seasonally in color, but one that will match my nails. I kind of make my toes the neutral for my nails for that month. (if that makes sense?) Like right now, my toes are deep burgundy, and on my nails I have been doing mauves, and deep reds and darker purples.

17 - Tell us a few things about yourself that people would be surprised to know.
Not sure, I am pretty much an open book.I secretly did not want red headed children, and now I have 3. Although their red hair is not what I was afraid of and I had all girls, so it looks cute on them.

18 - Heels or flats?
Flats. I used to hate flats, but now that I am older and have aches and pains, give me flats over heels any day.  I only really do heels in a boot version and its a chunky heel at that.
 
19 - If you could do anything for one day and money was no option, what would you do?
 I would shut down Disney World so just my family could enjoy it, with no lines or crowds. I hope I can get my girls there someday, while they are still young and I can watch them enjoy it.

20 -  What was the last youtube video you watched?
See below link. The one that inspired this blog post. 

21 - Do you have road rage?
Yes and no. I hate when people are going the exact speed limit. I will yell and complain out loud and pass them as soon as i can. But i don't chase people down at all. I fear of getting into an accident or the person being a crazy loon who ends up chasing me.

22 - What is your fave rock and roll song?
Pour Some Sugar on Me


23 - Who was your first kiss, do you still talk to them?
This guy I date in high school for about 4 yrs. we do email about once a year for a quick life update - how is the family, what have you been up to, who got marries, who died type things.   And it seems about every 2-4 yrs we run into each other somewhere odd like a store.

24 - If you could have one YouTubers closet, whose would it be?
 Well, most youtubers have way more clothes then i do with much bigger closets, so anyone really.


25 - Do you have a nickname?
I don't really like it, but its been around for so long it doesn't bother me and I answer to it.
My name is Heather. Well in high school, friend called me Heath. Which sounds like Head. My friends found that funny and Ironic because i did not...........ya know.......so it stuck. only HS friends call me that, but its still around - if you call out HEAD, i will turn to see who is calling me.

26 - If you could have one youTubers make up collection, whose would it be?
Tati - its a mix of high end and low end and nothing too out there.

27 - What do you think is the best thing about your youtube channel?
 I haven't really started it up yet, but what is on there, are little clips of my cute kids.

28 - How many cars have you had and what were they?
 84 Renault Encore was my first car - it was always in the shop. When that died on me I got a 2000 Hyundai Accent, my first brand new car with a car payment. Then I had my first baby and the car seat wouldn't fit right, so I traded in the Accent in 2003 for a 20003 Hyundai Elantra. I STILL have that car and it runs great, but hubby drives it mostly now for work only because...last month, we traded in hubby's car for a 2014 Chevy Cruze, and right now we are sharing both cars.

29 - What's your favorite pizza?
 Pizza if my fave meal. I prefer small shop pizza to chain store pizza. As for toppings, I like pepperoni or mushrooms, or BBQ chicken pizza, but best of all is just plain pizza from a privately owned local shop.

30 - If you could only have 1 lipstick for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Rimmel in Heather Shimmer. This has nothing to do with my name. Its a "neutral" color I bought a little over a year ago and I keep buying. It's a neutral color with a small bit of shimmer, and a hint of purple, but it goes with everything and add the perfect amount of color to your lips without the color screaming "look at me". LOVE it! (my fave color of all time is no longer being made but it was when Revlon first came out with the ColorStay line of lipsticks - Sienna. OMG loved it and would love it again if they brought it back)






Sam Schuerman video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frwPC8o9i88

5 Things I do Everyday to keep tidy spaces

Hey all!

As moms, we are always busy! As a working mom, with a husband who works most hours that I am not working, I seem to run out of time a lot. And I know that I am not alone in this.

So I have compiled a list of 5 things I do, each day, to try to keep the house as tidy as possible. When it comes to fully cleaning the house every day... "ain't nobody got time for that".
However, if you simply find 5 things that are simple and quick to do, and try to do them each day, then you should notice that the house will not get out of control messy and turn into a huge clean up job.

1 - Keep shoes in a centralized hidden place and pick them up.
We tend to keep all of our shoes downstairs, by the front door, so at least when they are lost, we KNOW they are in the LR somewhere. We have a decorative bin we keep all the seasonal shoes in, and it hides under a table, almost like a drawer.

2 - Do at least ONE load of dishes in the morning.
I should do 2 a day, but if I don't do any, then its BAD, so I always at least do ONE load. I have about a half hour after I drop the kids off at school, before I need to log in for work.

3 -  Put all clothes that are laying around in the bathroom, in a laundry basket, located in a centralized location.
In my opinion, the ideal thing would be to have this basket hidden in a closet. But our closets are old an small, so I opted for a zip top basket that matches the bathroom.

4 - Clear the kitchen table and/or counter of dishes every night.
Growing up my mom always made me do the dishes right after dinner, so I admit, as an adult with her own house now, I purposely DO NOT rush to get dishes done right after dinner.   But i do at least try to get them all scarped of food and in the sink to soak, so they are ready for me in the morning.


5 -  Put all things on bathroom counter away.
I know you might be thinking "Why not just do this at the same time you clean up the clothes?". Well, you can do that. But i find that if you break up the tasks of any cleaning job, it makes the next one easier. So if the clothes are already picked from earlier in the day, then while I am brushing my teeth before bed, I can just quickly put the stuff on the counter back into the drawer and cabinet, and I didn't' take any extra effort or time to get it done.

Just an extra tip on these tips. These "little jobs" are all small enough, that kids can do them too. Just sayin'....  ;)

FALL BUCKET LIST

FALL BUCKET LIST 

_____ MAKE YOU SURE DRINK A PUMPKIN FLAVORED COFFEE DRINK  

_____ PICK APPLES/PUMPKINS (OR BOTH)

_____ HAVE OR ATTEND A BON FIRE  

_____ CARVE A PUMPKIN

_____PLAY IN THE LEAVES   

_____ DO A FALL PHOTO SHOOT IN THE WOODS, PILE OF LEAVES, OR ANYWHERE AMONGST  THE FALL FOLIAGE 

_____ DO SOME TYPE OF PUMPKIN FLAVORED BAKING

_____ DRINK HOT CHOCOLATE ON A CHILLY NIGHT 

_____ MAKE DIY CENTERPIECES FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING GATHERING

_____ GO TRICK OR TREATING OR ENJOY HANDING OUT CANDY TO ALL THE CUTE TRICK OR TREATERS  

Halloween Series #4 - front windows

Hey all!
Halloween is getting closer, so the decorating has begun. I have done a small decorating spree this weekend, and really just want to keep going, I'm so excited. But financially, I need to slow it down a bit.
however, I did do the front window yesterday, another Pinterest idea find.

So easy. You just get some Halloween cut outs in plain black, or you can cut out your own. Lay them out on the floor first to see how it looks. This skeleton was hard to do because, as you can see, he was taller then the window. So we had to try to figure out a pose to make him fit.  Once we had everything taped onto the window, we then took sheets of orange tissue paper, and taped that to the window as well.
Now, as you can see, I only did the lower portion of the window. That's because we have an awning over the windows, so if you are at street level, you can't see the upper portion. And these windows do sit 6+ feet up, so if you are just walking by, you might not even notice the windows at all.

Behind those window is our front porch. We will be putting an orange light out there, and there will be more orange and black decor inside as well, for the entrance way effect.  But for now, we just leave our light on inside the porch at night, to help enhance how it looks in the dark.

Hope this helps inspire you for some spooky windows this season!


*Halloween cutouts -- $3.99 for 11pc set -- www.partycity.com

Coupons that are ALWAYS out there

Hey all!
I was just going through my Shoprite e-coupons and came across a few that I always have. And I thought, there are certain coupons that are either always out or circulate A LOT. Are you all aware of what type of products you really should be using coupons for, and never pay full price? Well here is a little list for you.

1 - Cereal -  EX: $1.00 off 2 General Mills. Or $1.00 of 3 Kellogg's. I just printed one because its a favorite in our house $.75 off Honey Nut Cheerios. The trick with these, is to try to get the coupons that are for just ONE box. If your store doubles, you are looking at about $1.00 off and if the cereal is on sale, that's a good deal.

2 - Betty Crocker Fruit snacks -- at all times, I always have an ecoupon for $.50 off 2 as well as a printable for $.50 off 2, which at my store comes to $1.00 off 2 -- and these tend to be on sale a lot. i typically always pay less then $2 for my kids fruit snacks.

3 - Yoplait Go-Gurt -- There are ALWAYS printable coupons for these. But be careful...they switch it up sometimes between $1.00 off the 16 ct or $1.00 off 2 of the 8ct. If your store has them on sale, you really need to do the math to know which deal is better. I often find myself buying 2 of the 8ct boxes with no coupons, because its cheaper then using the coupon on the 16 ct box. And sometimes its the other way around. But either way, never buy these without a coupon.

4 - Diapers --I wish I was into couponing and understood it all when my kids were babies, especially the twins. But I didn't. however, now, I see there are printable coupons all the time for the different brands. Sorry I can't give too much detail since I don't need diapers anymore, but wanted to let you all know, there are always coupons for them.

5 - Dish soap -- we go through this stuff like water because we hand wash all of our dishes. There always coupons out there for dawn or Palmolive. Typically I hoard those coupons, then when the small bottles go on sale my CVS for $.99, I will buy about 6 bottles at once for around $4.00. And if you have Extra Care bucks to use as well, that will drop the price even more.

6 - Pillsbury rolls - these can vary from the croissants, to the cinnamon rolls, but there are always the coupons out there. Especially in the fall with Thanksgiving and Christmas  - you can always find coupons for those.


This is not all of them, this is just a taste, there are many more. Go explore! I listed my 2 most go to site below. 
Have a great weekend!


www.coupons.com
www.coupondivas.com
Don't forget to check those grocery store ecoupons!

Walking Apps

As moms, we don't always have time to hit the gym. Heck sometimes we don't even have time to work out at home. But we need to realize that our everyday lives, can be a workout in themselves. Myself in the last 2 days, with laundry and errands, my legs were killing me.  But there are ways for us to see what exercise we already get with our normal lives, and how we can maybe push ourselves more.

When I got my new phone a few months ago, it had an app preloaded onto it, that I am now in love with.  it tracks how many steps a day i take. And this is great for me, because I am not a purse person, so my phone is always in my pocket, therefore it tracks all the time.

I like to see how many steps I have taken each day. It automatically pre-programs the goal to 10,000 steps a day, which I never hit. But the fact that it does this, makes me want to check it all the time.

I know 10,000 might not seem like a lot, but...I work 9 hours a day at a computer, at home. So I am not walking around an office all day. I also, tend to have my phone charging for about an hour a day, so those steps aren't tracked.  But on weekends, with running errands all day, I kind of look at the step tracker of a way to tell myself how busy I was that day.

It tells me how many calories I burned with all these steps. It has a food tracker as well, so you can see how many calories you are eating, compared to how many you are burning off. It's pretty cool!

If you track a walk you take, on purpose to exercise, tracking it helps you push yourself to walk more next time. And if you are not a walker, it tracks your normal daily steps so you can see how active you really are, or arent.

But even if you phone doesn't come with the app preloaded, there are many out there. I listed a few below. Check them out, try them out. You might just get more motivated to get moving more. (or tell yourself to slow down more, if that's the case)

Noom Walk
Walk with Map My Walk
Walk Step Counter-Pedometer
S Health - Walking Mate
Every Body Walk!

Candles vs Wax melts

Hey all!  I recently found myself doing some try & compare with my home fragrances, and thought I would share the results with you.

First a little back story....I have this weird fire paranoia. Not sure where it came from. Only started once we moved into our house. But I am constantly worried and making sure things don't and can't catch on fire.
That being said, I got rid of all candles. (I do still have some in case of power outage)  I was introduced to Scentsy in 2012. I heard about it and decided to have a home party/demo on it.  Its this warmer that uses a light bulb to heat and melt wax cubes, which is turn smell up the house.

 (Above is my living room wax warmer. I also have a plug in for the kitchen and bathrooms) 

 OMG I fell in love with this. Its so easy, no worries about where I put it or if the kids are running around. Also, Walmart sells the Better Homes & Gardens (BHG) version of this for a lower price as well.  I am addicted! My kids do all they can when in Walmart with me, to steer clear of that section of the store. I will be there for 15 minutes picking out ONE new wax melt. When I discovered they had out fall scents....I went crazy trying to pick out just a few scents.

Now that fall is here and that is my FAVORITE time of year, I saw all these candles that smelled really good. I thought, let me try one. I will keep it on the stove in the kitchen.Well....the smell is not as strong as I hoped it would be...at all. Now I know, this is only a $4 candle, if I want it to smell good I should hit Bath & Body works or some place like that. Guess what? Not all of us can afford to spend $20 on ONE candle. I eventually just put the candle on my desk, and you could get a wiff of it, once in a while. I was not happy. I LOVE this scent, and I can't smell it. WTH????

(This is the candle I got because it smelled so good and I thought it would be great.)

So, I the next time I was in the store, I bought the wax warmers in the same exact scent and brand.

I honestly thought that maybe the smell just wasn't that strong of a scent, and it wouldn't make a difference. But for $2 I might as well try it, right? Guess what? I'm done with candles again!
I put 2 of those wax cubes in and it smells up most of my downstairs and up the stairwell. The candle did NOT do that.
If you get these wax melts from Scentsy, they run about $5 a package with 8 cubes per package. If you get the ones from Walmart, they are $2 a package for 6 cubes per package. Either way, depending on what your budget can handle, they both work just as well.  I did choose to invest in the warmers through Scentsy (they seem s bit sturdier and long lasting), and about 2 times a year will treat myself to an order from there, but other then that, I just hit Walmart for my new season house smells. 

So in conclusion...when it comes the choosing a candle over wax melts, I think wax melts is the better option, to get the smell throughout your house. And best thing is...no yucky after smell when you shut it off either, compared to when you blow out a candle. You can get these wax melts EVERYWHERE now. They even sell them at craft stores & Dollar Stores.

Hoping this finds those of you who may be looking for a cleaner way to make your house smell nice!