Saturday

Work Week

I've been very fortunate to have worked every day the last two weeks. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work because sometimes there are dry spells and breaks from school when I don't get to work as much. 

Price of Beef

The other day I thought I had the day off and happened to be in the grocery store (I was called into work right after I left the store) where I found one package of Angus beef patties on markdown. This was a four pound package for $12.59. Normally the patties cost more than plain ground beef in a package, but not this time. This package actually worked out to $3.15 a pound, which was a good deal. Even the packages of plain ground beef with yellow mark down stickers were $4.54  a pound.  

I wasn't in the mood for hamburgers and using it as hamburgers would not stretch it as far as using it in other ways, So I decided to break them up and brown them with plenty of onions, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Afterwards I ended up with over 8 cups of ground beef. I put half of this into my crockpot and made chili, and I put the other half into a freezer bag and placed it in the freezer for another meal later.  

Here is the chili in the crockpot all hot and ready for when people are ready to eat. 

After I made the chili, I got started on Sunday dinner. I chopped up some onions and celery and sauteed them in butter. I put them in the refrigerator for later. I'm going to be making some dressing for Sunday dinner, so it will be nice to have this step already completed. I also have a lot of potatoes on hand, so I will definitely be making some mashed potatoes to go with our Sunday dinner. 

Amazon Sales

I sold a book on Amazon this morning, so I packed it up and dropped it off at the post office on my way to drop my daughter off at the library for her volunteer duty. I have found that it is easier and cheaper to sell books on Amazon than Ebay, so from now on I will list all of my books on Amazon. I have sold four books on Amazon since I started just a couple of weeks ago. It's simple and easy to do and it is like getting a little bit of income without really having to do much to earn it. And like I say, every little bit helps. 

Paperback Swap Update

Paperback Swap will begin charging members to use their service this month, so I have decided to end my membership with them. I have used them for about six months now and I felt like the selection of books to choose from was poor and were untradable at McKays, so with the announcement that they will begin to charge a yearly fee or transaction fee, I have made the decision to end my membership with them. 

Errands

After I dropped my daughter off at the library today, I went to Cooke's for some buttermilk ($1.19), toilet paper ($3.00), crackers ($1.19), salmon pouches (44¢ after coupon), and a free 12 pack of Coke ($3.33). I checked the crash & burn section, but did not find anything. I need to make some cornbread for the dressing tomorrow, which is why I needed the buttermilk. 

Today's Funny...

At 6:15 this morning I heard someone knocking on the back door. I was a little freaked out until I realized it was Big Kitty laying up against the door scratching and thumping the door. So, it was actually a cat burglar. hehehe ;)

Big Kitty

That's all the news that's fit to print from here. I hope everything is good in your corner of the world.  :)

Belinda
Simply live by the rule of not spending money you don't have.
© Belinda & Frugal Workshop, 2011 - 2015.

Coke Rewards Revisited

Pictured above are three coupons I recently received from My Coke Rewards for three free 12 packs of any Coke product. I decided on two boxes of Spite, which are good to have on hand in case of an upset stomach. I also decided on one box of Minute Maid Lemonade.

Here are the boxes I "purchased" with my coupons:

If you are new to My Coke Rewards you can read my original post about the program here.  A coupon for a free 12 pack is 240 points and one cap is worth 3 points, while a 12 pack box is worth 10 points.

 I still have a shoebox full of caps that I need to enter into the computer. I work on them every now and then. These are the ones Mom used to get at work from her friends and in the hopper.   

Soda pop isn't something I purchase on a regular basis, but I will use these points to get the 12 pack boxes for free, but when they are gone they're gone. :) 
   
Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011-2013.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Bi-Lo ~ Free Minute Maide Coolers from My Coke Rewards

My trip to Bi-Lo yesterday also included picking up a box of Minute Maid Coolers. This was a coupon for a free box that I "purchased" from My Coke Rewards for 40 points. A nice freebie for us as we rarely ever buy juice boxes.

Also, they had the Southern Home Cheddar Cheese on sale. 24 ounces for $4.99, which works out to $1.66 for an 8 ounce block, which is definitely our new stock up price. I bought three blocks, which should last me a while. :)

Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Wednesday Deals

Head on over to My Coke Rewards today to  pick up a coupon for a free box of Ritz, Wheat Thins, or Triscuit crackers for only 50 My Coke Reward points. 

Also, head on over to Earth Fare where you can get a coupon for a free pound of chicken or beef with a $10 purchase just for signing up for their newsletter. There is an Earth Fare located in Chattanooga on Gun Barrel road.

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

My Coke Rewards

My Coke Rewards Wednesday deal this week is for a FREE 10 pack of Minute Maid Juice Boxes coupon for just 40 points (regularly 80 points). These retail for $2.98 at Walmart, so this is another good deal from My Coke Rewards.

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

My Coke Rewards

Back in June I mentioned the Coke Rewards Program in this post. Since that time my Mother has been collecting Coke, Sprite and Powerade caps from both her friends and the hopper where she works. Today she received her first reward in the mail: a coupon for a free 12 pack Coke product. Each cap on a bottled drink is worth 3 points while a 12 pack box of Coke products is worth 10 points. The points have added up quickly for her and she was able to earn the free coupon in less than one month.

To receive a coupon for a free 12 pack Coke product you will need a total of 240 points. Since my Mom has earned her first reward she has went on to earn an additional 380 points and is quickly on her way to two more free 12 pack Coke coupons. Wal-Mart sells the 12 packs of Coke here for $4.50, so this is definitely a program worth doing provided you can get others on board with you in collecting the bottle caps and boxes.

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

My Coke Rewards

Image Credit

We do not drink Coke or Pepsi on a regular basis in my house, so I never really paid attention to the My Coke Rewards program until recently. A friend of mine was in possession of several coupons for a free 12 pack of Coca Cola, and so I asked her about them. Turns out she earned these coupons through the My Coke Rewards program. Consumers enter the codes, via their website or by text message, found on specially marked packages of Coca-Cola products and redeem them for prizes. While looking through the rewards on the Coke website, I found several magazines that I would like to have a subscription for, and also coupons for free Coke products. 

My daughter likes to drink Powerade drinks, and since Powerade is a Coke product, they have codes on those as well. We've been buying them recently for as low as 46 cents for a 32 ounce drink and they are worth 3 points on the website, and with 30 points you can redeem your codes for a coupon for a free 32 ounce Powerade. 

My Mom drinks Diet Coke on a regular basis, so I took one of the codes off her 24 pack case and entered it and earned 20 points from that. You can redeem 240 points for a coupon for a free 12 pack of any Coca Cola product. I was surprised at how many products the codes can be found. Items such as Minute Maid lemonade, which I like to drink from time to time. Even some Minute Maid juices like Ruby Red Grapefruit have codes on them. 

Check out this lady's scenario:  How I used my Rewards

Like I said earlier, I didn't pay attention to this program because I don't drink Coke products on a regular basis, but there are some that we do drink. I just didn't realize the items we drink occasionally would be eligible for  things like free drink products. If used properly, this program can definitely be a useful tool in your saving money arsenal. Drinks made from home like Iced Tea and Koolaid are still cheaper than buying drinks like Coke and Pepsi, but every now and then you may find yourself in possession of a Coke Rewards code and why not use it to your advantage? You can also ask friends and family who do not utilize the program for their codes. I think the Coke Rewards Program is definitely a program worth investigating to see if it would be useful for your family or not. 

Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011-2013.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”