Walgreens and Tilted Kilt today!

Yesterday the hubby and I hung around the house relaxing. He did homework for his Masters course and I played with the baby. It was nice to unwind and enjoy being a family. And we didn't spend a penny. I love that we can do nothing with each other and it is still a fabulous day. I am very blessed.

Today though we ran errands and went out to our favorite wings place, the Tilted Kilt. It is like a Hooters, but less clothes and better wings. Total spent $36.07.

 Awful lighting and it is from my phone, but I think you can get an idea of the uniform. 

Great wings though.

Spent $11.65 at Walgreens. I was actually over charged $3 because the Manager didn't use the coupon. (Today I went to a different Walgreens than I normally do, which was a mistake. It took three tries and over 20 minutes for them to ring everything up. Yes, I called customer service. There is no reason to be rude to me because they kept making mistakes.)

Still, even though I was overcharged, $11.65 is pretty good for 4 boxes of bars, 2 things of juice, 2 boxes of tampons, 6 packs of gum, and 2 P.F. Chang's meal kits.

To get these deals and more, head over to MommySavers CVS Savings and Walgreens savings!

Left for the month $179.54. The month is almost half way over! Only two more weekends left!

A night on the town!

The hubby and I went to Chili's last night and ate off their 2 for $20 menu. They gave us a discount because my husband was in uniform, so with a 20% tip our bill was only $26.

Thanks Chili's!

$227.26 left for the month!

(I need to start carrying my camera with me so I can take more photos.)

$68.24 Spent today at Meijer

Today was a big grocery shopping trip. Had to buy dog food and meat (cringe!). Very rarely are there coupons for those items. But this is part of the challenge, to live off $400 for a month, and that includes our 120lb Rottweiler and his appetite. (We go through a 44lb bag a month with the SoBester.)

Left for the month: $253.26. Hopefully we won't need any more food for awhile!

I still managed to save over $40 though!

Swagbucks just got sweeter!

If haven't already, go HERE and sign up for Swagbucks. You earn Swagbucks simply by searching and can trade those Swagbucks in for Amazon Giftcards and other prizes.

What makes this even sweeter is Amazon just released a new program called Amazon Mom. It is a free 3-month trial with Amazon Prime. With this program you can save up to 30% with the subscribe and save, get FREE two-day shopping, and for every $25 in a single purchase you earn another free month up to a year.

For more information, Head over HERE. Thanks MommySavers for the heads up!

Free Portrait at JC Penny for Deployed Military Families

For more details go HERE.

JC Penny is offering Military Families with a Deployed Soldier a free traditional portrait and one shipped free to you Soldier's APO. AND the sitting fee is waived... Completely FREE! WOW!

Thanks MommySavers for the heads up! Always be sure to check out MommySavers for the latest deals and coupons.

A Magazine Holder made out of a Cereal Box?

Yes, a magazine holder made out of a cereal box. I got the idea from MommySavers founder Kim.




I simply followed the instructions and made one today. It turned out super cute, and I used things I already around the house.

1. Gather up your supplies. I picked out three sheets of scrapbook paper, two for the outside, one for the inside of the box, a ruler (not pictured), sharpie, glue, and scissors.

2. Draw lines on the box with the sharpie for a cutting guide.

3. Cut the box.

4. Using your scrapbooking paper, decorate the outside of the box. I put a lining on the top half of inside the box, your choice if you want to do that.

Once you are finished you have turned a messy pile of magazines into a neat, pretty, organized stack.

Ta da! Super easy and super cute!

To see what other MommySaver members are saying go HERE and simply by commenting you've entered to win "Instant Bargains" by Kim Danger. (I HIGHLY recommend this book. Without it, I wouldn't be the frugal couponista I am today.)

Tricare and College Students

Came across an interest article about Tricare and College students:

"Do you have a teen graduating high school and heading off to college soon? Don’t worry, their TRICARE benefits will travel with them. As a military dependant, your student will remain eligible for TRICARE benefits until they graduate college or turn 23 years of age, whichever comes first. Once they turn 21 years of age, you will need to update the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) so they may keep their benefits.

There are a few options available to college students including TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Prime Remote, and TRICARE Prime overseas.

TRICARE Prime is available in the North, South and West Regions and assigns a primary care manager (PCM). Students will receive medical care from their PCM at either a military facility or from a TRICARE network provider. As an active duty dependant they will not incur any out of pocket expenses as long as care is received from their PCM or care from another provider with a referral.

To qualify for TRICARE Prime Remote students must live at least 50 miles or an hour’s drive from the nearest military treatment facility. Use the TRICARE Prime Remote zip code look-up tool to determine if your student will quality for TRICARE Prime Remote while attending college.
TRICARE Prime Overseas is for active duty and their dependants living overseas in non-remote locations. Dependants will be assigned a primary care manager (PCM) and will receive care at a military treatment facility (MTF).

No matter where your student attends college, they will be able to find adequate medical care because TRICARE is available worldwide. Contact the appropriate TRICARE Region for more information based on the school’s location. Visit the TRICARE website to learn more about all plans and their costs."

http://www.todaysmilitaryspouse.com/2010/09/tricare-and-college-students/

Want free Nabisco cookies?

My husband and I love Nabisco cookies, Oreo, Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy... love them all. That is why this coupon is one of my favorites. Go to Nabisco's facebook page HERE and print off a coupon for a free pack of cookies when you buy one pack and a gallon of milk.

This coupon is only available on the first Monday of the month and only 75,000 prints are authorized; so print yours now!!

CVS trip, spent $22.36

CVS is having one of their fabulous diaper deals, where you buy a box and get $10 ECB. I LOVE these!! I always get a box when this sale is happening.

For these and other CVS deals check out MommySavers: CVS and Walgreens

Total left for the month: $321.50 (I know I said diapers were not included in our monthly challenge, but we discussed it before I went shopping and we're going to try!)

Fall Festival Tempations.

I was tempted today. Very, very tempted. All I wanted to do is blow through the $350 in my wallet and fill our house with absolutely adorable handmade crafts.

This weekend is a festival in the town we call home. It was full of booths and vendors selling their crafts. Handmade and handpainted beautiful things. We still have tons of bare space on our walls. I want pieces with character so it will take me a while before our house is finished. It is a work in progress. (Plus your next place could be incredibly small. You never know with the Army.)

And we, or I, didn't spend a DIME.We even walked the 1.5 miles (one way) there so we didn't even spend money on gas or parking (which was $10!!!). My dogs might be barking, but at least we got some good exercise in and got to see some pretty things.

FREE fun!

There is a playground park in our neighborhood here in Illinois. It is a really nice playground too! The hubby got off work at 1500 (3pm for you Civilians) and we decided to take little man.

Yes, it was chilly enough for a sweater.

Needless to say, we had fun. And it was FREE!!!

Today was an expensive day.

Well... Today was an expensive day. We had to get water softener for the house and other things.

Here is what we paid:
- $21.83 Menards (We will be getting a $6 rebate in 4-6 weeks)
- $9.89 Dominick's (6 Pepsi 12packs for $1.50 each and 4 Del Monte Smoothies)
- $.18 Wal-Mart (Two bottles of Gain Dish Soap)
- $2.92 CVS (Two Schick Intuition razors and a bottle of Dawn)
- $13.56 Pop-eyes (Dennis and I had a special treat at the office with Top, we bought him lunch too)

Total spent = $48.46 eek! That's a lot! It's alright because we are still in our frugal mindset and haven't given up.

$343.86 left for the rest of the month!

A Guide to Swag Bucks.

I blogged about Swag Bucks HERE, but I wanted to give you more information. We all know knowledge is power! If you haven't already, sign up HERE

The Swag Bucks Guy, or TSG, releases codes for free Swag Bucks almost daily. Some are for 5, some are for as much as 9 and I've had a few worth upwards to 20 Swag Bucks! How to find the codes is a challenge at times, but you can get the hang of it pretty quickly. Follow me, An Army Wife's Couponing Adventure, on facebook to keep up to date on the codes.

The three main locations for codes are:
- Swag Bucks Blog
- Swag Bucks Toolbar
- Swag Bucks Swidget.

Once you find the code, enter it in the bar labeled "Gimme" blow your account information on the right hand side of the swagbucks homepage. (see picture below)

The blog codes are pretty easy to find. Just search for Swag Bucks Code in the blog entry, copy and paste it in the bar.

Toolbar codes never pop up in time for me, so when I'm alerted there is one I click on the red box with the white envelope on the toolbar, the newest message. The message will open in the browser and directly above the right hand corner is a blue word "newer". Click it. The message should refresh with a code. (Expired codes are replaced with the word "Expired")

The Swidget is incredibly easy. See that black box at the bottom of this blog? It looks like this:

See that "SC" button? Click it > Click"Check for Code"> Copy and Paste!

There you have it. A guide to codes.  Questions?

Operation Iraqi Freedom becomes Operation New Dawn

Some of you might be worried if your Soldier is deployed to Iraq under Operation New Dawn, they won't receive combat pays. If you are worried, stop. This was released today:

"WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2010 – The change from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn does not affect combat and other hazardous-duty entitlements troops serving in Iraq receive, a Pentagon spokeswoman said today.
 
Servicemembers deployed to Iraq will still receive hostile fire/imminent danger pay, hardship-duty pay, and incidental expenses. Some troops will qualify for family separation allowances. Also, all pay for warrant officers and enlisted members is tax exempt, while officers are exempt from taxes for up to $7,611.30 each month they serve in an eligible area."
http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=60679

By the way... What do you think of the new name?

Day 1 $1.53 spent at Meijer and $6.23 at CVS ($7.76 total)

Yup. A $1.53 for 5 boxes if pasta, 6 cans of tomatoes, and 1 package of Kraft sliced cheese. My Cashier said, "Whoa! You did good!"

I'd say this a good start for our $400 challenge! $392.24 left.