My own ads

How ironic.  A few weeks back I had been searching online for a good deal on class rings.  Apparently my daughter's school makes a big deal out of these things, even setting aside a special event, Ring Day, for the girls to receive their momentos (and a flower, apparently).

Now, after scrolling down to check my total pageviews (just curious... thanks for reading my blog!), I see an ad for a site I did not come across when I was searching.  Ad to this a promo code!

Of course, I already ordered a ridiculously overpriced ring for her (oh, the peer pressure).  If only I knew about the other options.

CVS Free candy again

You must try to shop at CVS this week.  My favorite Hershey's Bliss candy is free after a $5.99 rewards bucks.  I tried the white chocolate "with creamy meltaway center," something I wouldn't have otherwise tried.  I must say, it was blissful to taste such a sweet, free treat.  I actually used a coupon towards this purchase, so not only was the candy free, but an extra dollar was deducted from my bill.

Power Bar Protein Plus Bites is also free after rewards bucks.  The chocolate peanut butter has 20 grams of "TriSource Protein." 

They also had a nice deal on Huggies wipes (buy $25 worth of wipes or diapers and receive $10 in rewards bucks).  Hope you get a chance to check the deals out!

Free Band-Aids

Price Chopper's 99 cents sale on Curad band-aids this week made these necessities (my daughter always needs band-aids) free.  Just find a 50 cents coupon from one of the Sunday paper inserts during the past couple weeks.

Fancy Restaurant Report

Walking distance from our hotel in Ohio, this grill restaurant turned out to be a relaxing, but over-priced meal.  Situated inside a Holiday Inn, it had a sophisticated ambience, with marble floors and an imposing lobby.  I refused to order the salmon, which was around twenty dollars, opting for a tilapia sandwich for ten.  My husband ordered the grilled chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes.  His dish was literally huge, a deep plate, but the food on it was minimal, definitely not eighteen dollars worth.  My boys enjoyed the kid's meal, particularly the french fries.

All in all, the service was wonderful, especially since we were the only family in the dining section.  (I saw another vacationing family by the hostess station looking over the menu.  The little boy motioned closer inside, yelling, "food!" but the parents held him back, and I am assuming they dined at a more cost friendly restaurant.)  The bill, after the restaurant.com gift certificate of $25 came out to $21, which included the $7 gratuity.  Not too bad; it came out to about how much we would have spent at Burger King or some other fast food place.  I would definitely recommend families using such certificates to go during lunchtime (apparently they offered $10 buffets during lunch) and to check ahead and see if it was the kind of restaurant environment their children could behave properly in (my toddler was a bit too noisy for this place, not that anyone could hear). 

I still plan on checking out the restaurant.com website in the future, especially with their occasional 70% off specials!

Fancy Restaurant

I haven't been to a fancy restaurant in a long, long time.  Wendy's, Subway, and pizza take out, and the local mall food court is about as fancy as we get these days, if we ever eat out.  I am anticipating my first time use of a restaurant.com certificate.  The value of this certificate is $25, good on a purchase of a meal for over $35, not including tip.  I am wondering if my purchase of this certificate was a good one (I spent a little over $3 for it, if I remember correctly). 

Tonight we are going to go to a restaurant grill which allegedly offers "fine dining."  I am looking forward to the salmon dish, but am a bit worried about how my youngest will behave.  I'll be blogging about my fine dining experience soon, hoping that the dinner will be nutritious and a frugal one at that!

Free Pastry Reward

I just signed up to become an official member of MyPanera at http://www.mypanera.com/.  After doing so, I already earned a free pastry for my next visit.  I just love their chocolate pastries.  I can't wait to go (once I receive a free Panera giftcard in the mail after using rewards points from my credit card).

What I love about Panera is that they post mini signs which tell you how many calories each pastry item is.  My favorite breakfast item there is the Spinach Artichoke Egg Souffle. Going on their website and using their Nutrition calculator, I have just learned that the serving provides 19 grams of protein, 35% DVof Vitamin A and Calcium, as well as 8% Vitamin C and 15% Iron.  What a wonderful tool.

Summer Savings Coupon Book

Look out for Stop and Shop's Free Summer savings coupon book, which allows you to "save over $26 on all your favorite brands," according to their recent sales flyer.  I haven't taken one yet, but am excited to apply what looks like a possible coupon for Sorrento Ricotta cheese to this week's "Save $5 off your order instantly" sale by purchasing 7 participating items in one transaction (see back of flyer for specific items).  Dannon Danimal Drinkables are 2/$4, Activia Yogurt 2/$4, and Sorrento and Sargento cheeses are on sale, among other diary products (apparently June is "Dairy Month").  I already planned on purchasing some of these items for my kids.  Now they are on sale, with possible coupons to match them, and I'll be saving $5 instantly off my order if I buy 7 items.  Great deals as usual at this store.  (Not free, but fair and nutritious).

Free Meat Coupons

Keep an eye out at the grocery store for these Kraft Foods coupons -- "Save $2 on Fresh Meat with the purchase of Kraft BBQ sauce and two other products" (mayo, Country time drink mix, dressing, Miracle Whip, or A1 Steak Sauce).   I haven't tried using mine yet, but it should be interesting to see how much one can save with a sale.  I found my coupon at Price Chopper in Shrewsbury, MA.

CVS Candy

Not a nutritious deal, thereby not warranting a photo.  But at CVS this week, Mars candy bars - my favorite peanut M&Ms, are on sale 2 for $1.  If you purchase 2, you receive a $1 extrabuck, essentially making the candy, a night-time energy food for my final-exam studying all-nighter teenagers, free. (I had to justify the purchase somehow)