Why do you eat out? (Poll)

Eating out is a big budget buster. Just for fun, I put up a poll (to the left) asking what your top reasons are for eating out. Take a second to answer. When the poll ends I hope to get up a few posts to address the reasons people choose.

Freezing Foods

When you find a good deal on food, meat especially, lots of us stock up and throw the surplus in the freezer. I was asked a few questions about if this is safe, so I did a little research. The following information is directly from the USDA website.

Is this safe?
Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.

What can you freeze?
You can freeze almost any food. However, being able to freeze food and being pleased with the quality after defrosting are two different things. Some foods simply don't freeze well. Examples are mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce. Raw meat and poultry maintain their quality longer than their cooked counterparts because moisture is lost during cooking.

Can you refreeze? (This one's for you, Jill!)
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.

What if my freezer loses power?
If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It's not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing. Discard foods that have been warmer than 40 °F for more than 2 hours. Discard any foods that have been contaminated by raw meat juices.

How long will it last?
Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Stand Alone Freezers are better for long term storage:
Use a free-standing freezer set at 0° F or below for long-term storage of frozen foods [a refrigerator freeze may not be able to maintain a constant temp if the door is opened frequently]. Keep a thermometer in your freezing compartment or freezer to check the temperature. This is important if you experience power-out or mechanical problems. [There are freezer alarms available that beep to let you know your freezer has dropped below a certain temperature, like if the door is accidentally left open.]

Source: USDA Freezing and Food Safety Fact Sheet

Money Saving Recipe: Baking ("Bisquick") Mix

This baking mix can be using in any recipe that calls for Bisquick (pancakes, biscuits, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits, etc.) My family likes the Impossibly Easy Pies for quick and easy weeknight dinners.

Baking Mix

6 cups flour
3 T. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 cup shortening

Mix all ingredients together in a mixer (if you have one).
If not, sift the dry ingredients and then cut in shortening
until fine crumbs. Store in an air tight
container in the fridge or freezer for up to 6 months.

Do you have any make-it-yourself money saving recipes? Please share them!

Walgreens Deals 4/4 - 4/10

Garnier Fructis 3 for $10
-$1 printable here and $1 (RP 3/7)
-$10 RR
=$.67 each

Dawn $.99 (with weekly store coupon)
-$0.50 (P&G 4/4)
=$.49

Lindsay Olives $.99 (with weekly store coupon)
Buy 2 and use $1/2 printable
=$.49 each

Kotex U $3.49
-$2.50 RRs
- $1/1 printable or $1 April All You or $1 off any Kotex coupon
=FREE

Oral B Toothbrushes $3
-$3 RR when you buy 3
-$2 (P&G 4/4) x3
=FREE

Velveeta Sheels cups $1
-BOGO printable coupon x2
-$1.50 RR
=$.50 for 4

Pilot Erasable Frixion Pen $1.19
-$1 Walgreens coupon (April coupon booklet)
=$.19 but keep your eye out--possible rebate on package could mean a money maker!

For even more deals head over to MoneySavingMom.

CVS Deals

Stopped at CVS tonight. There are some good deals this week, especially if you have the right coupons! Here's what I picked up...

• Pantene is on sale $2.99, get $1 ECB (limit 3). If you got the full size sample of Pantene NatureFusion from Vocalpoint that came w/ three $2 off coupons, this is a great deal! I picked up a conditioner to go w/ my free shampoo sample, plus another bottle of shampoo and conditioner. All three FREE after ECB's. If you didn't get the Vocalpoint goodies, there was a $3 off any 2 MC from P&G, which would make it $0.98 for two bottles after ECB's.
• CVS Cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) is on sale for $12.99, get $5 ECB's. Great deal if you have allergies like me!
• Tampax Pearl is $7.99 for 36ct., get $2 ECB's. Use $2 MC from P&G plus the Buy one 36 ct. get 18 ct. free MC from P&G, you get 54 for $3.99 after ECB's.
  

All You Magazine for $20 for 24 issues

I just found this site that has the All You Magazine for $0.83 per issue. Normally in the stores, they sell for over $2 per issue. Sometimes you can subscribe for $1.67 an issue.

If you aren't familiar with this magazine, I would suggest you check it out. Every issues has at least $20 worth of coupons, most times over $30 in it for products you use. Also, many of them will have coupons for a free item.

This is also great magazine to read for its recipes, money saving tips, etc.

This is a fundraiser for a school, but here is the link.

Menard's Freebies

Here is a list of Menard's Freebies for this week via Minnesota Coupon Adventure. For more information on getting freebies and doing rebates for Menards visit Coupons in Our Hands.

Walgreens Trip

I did two small Walgreens transactions last week. There were a few things I didn't get; They were either out (Campbell's), I didn't have right coupon (Just for Men), or I didn't need it (Dentek).

Transaction #1
Dove Hairspray $4
Betty Crocker Frosting $1 x2
Walgreens Multi-vitamin 100 ct. $3

-$.50 BC frosting x2
-$1.50 Dove
- $5 RR from previous purchase
=$1.89 and got back $7 in RRs ($3RR vitamins and $4RR Dove)

Transaction #2
Walgreens Multi-vitamin 100 ct. $3
Walgreens foil $.59 (after store coupon) x3
Kotex U Pads $3.49
Reeses Dark PB Cups $.39 (after store coupon) x3
Ducolax $10
Betty Crocker Warm Delight Brownie Bowl $1

-$.55 Reeses x3
-$4 Ducolax
-$.75 BC Warm Delight
-$1 Kotex
-$4 RR from 1st transaction
=$10.09 plus $15.50 in RRs ($10RR Ducolax, $2.50RR Kotex, $3RR Vitamins)

I spent $11.98 out of pocket earned $22.50 in RRs (I have $18.50RRs left). The big "money makers" were the Ducolax ($4) and the Dove hairspray ($1.50).

In case you are wondering why I didn't use the $3RR from the first transaction on the second one, I wanted to get more vitamins and if I would have used that RR then the new one would not print. With a couple exceptions you cannot roll RRs on the same deal.

Festival Deals 4/4 - 4/10

Not many deals at Festival this week.

These deals are NOT coupon items:

• Shoppers Value canned vegetables 3/$.99
• Cantaloupe $1.88
• Hot Pockets $1.48
  

Festival store coupon (newspaper):

• Shoppers Value Frozen Pops $.88 (limit 1)
• Homelife Napkins $.88 (limit 1)
• Village Hearth Bread $.98 (limit 1)
  

Week One... Special 4 Weeks of Saving Coupons (from newspaper):

• Milk, gallon $.98 (limit 1)
• Xtra Laundry detergent $1.68 (limit 1)
• Herbal Essence Shampoo or Conditioner $1.98 (limit 2) -$1 MC from P&G=$.98 each
• 4 lb. bag oranges $1.98
  

Be sure to check the red interactive coupon box at the front of the store. Sometimes there are coupons available that match up with the weekly store coupons. (Even on the Flavorite brand!) Festival's blog said that this is one way to "double" your coupon savings.

And... did you know you no longer have to cut out the Festival newspaper coupons? Just stop by the service desk and pick up one of the fliers that have the store coupons (not the green sheet, that's separate) on them or hand them the whole newspaper ad. The cashier just has to enter one code for all the coupons and you don't have to cut them out. It's a win-win time saver for you and the cashier!

No More Rebates in Wisconsin?

Time to contact your State Senators everyone!! A bill (# 560) has been introduced into the state legislature that could affect our ability to get some rebates. Act now!! This bill was supposed to be voted on yesterday but the voting was delayed.

While the bill does not prohibit rebates directly, it may cause problems. The bill says:

It is deceptive advertising to advertise the price of retail merchandise as reduced by an available rebate of a portion of the purchase price of the merchandise unless the rebate is provided to the purchaser of the merchandise at the time of purchase.

State Senator John Lehman's site says the following:

... the FAIR Act does not prohibit rebates. The bill instead would require that if the advertised price includes a rebate, that rebate would have to be provided on the spot at the time of purchase. In addition, the bill would have no impact on coupons as the savings are provided at the point of sale.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops or wait months for rebates to get the advertised price for goods and services. People should be able to get the products they want or need for the price they are advertised at the point of purchase,” concluded Lehman.

While this sounds like a good idea it would basically amount to the residents of Wisconsin not being offered these money saving rebates. Rather than offering a lower "on the spot" price we would end up paying more.

We cannot expect stores to give us the money that companies want to refund us for purchasing their products. Wisconsin would just be listed as an exclusion in the fine print at the bottom of the rebate forms.

Thankfully, most of the products we buy are NOT advertised at a lower (after rebate) price and are therefore excluded. One exception would be products at CVS and Walgreens that are listed in the ads at a lower price once you factor in RRs or ECBs. However, since RRs and ECBs are issued on the spot they should not be affected.

Rebates that ARE affected would include deals like those on electronics (in store or from catalogs), office supplies (Max Perks), Menards (FIR items) and deals like those nearly free after rebate games at Toys R Us last year.

I understand our state senators are trying to "help" people buy saving them the step of filling out the rebate form and waiting for their money but no one is forcing anyone to participate in these rebate programs. Consumers who don't want to go through the trouble and waiting process shouldn't buy items that have rebates.

Take a minute and contact your state senator. Don't know who your state senator is? Click here and put in your address!

You can also call the Committee Members:

Senator Robert Wirch, D-Kenosha, chairman (608) 267-8979
Senator Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee (608) 266-7505
Senator Jim Holperin, D-Conover (608) 266-2509
Senator Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac (608) 266-5300
Senator Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin (608) 266-5400
Senator John Lehman, D-Racine, lead author (608) 266-1832 (author of this bill)

If you would like to read more here are a few links for you:
Are we to dumb to read in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin Radio Network
Wisconsin Business Voice
Common Sense with Money

Home Depot Kids Workshop 4/3

The Home Depot Kids Workshop for April is the 3rd. So head over to make a butterfly house. No registration required, just show up between 9am and noon.

NEW Zoo Free on Wednesday evenings!

NEW Zoo Spring & Summer Hours

Beginning Thursday, April 1st operational hours extend to 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The NEW Zoo is excited to announce extended Spring & Summer operational hours! Beginning Thursday, April 1st zoo visitors will be able to enjoy their stay a bit longer as we embark upon our Spring and Summer daily hours: 9AM to 6PM.

Incoming visitors should note that the main gates and entrance to the Zoo do close at 5:30PM to allow those who arrive later in the day enough time to tour the facility. And remember...the NEW Zoo is open seven days per week, 365 days per year (including holidays!)

Stop on out and see what we have in store for you! Additional information regarding the zoo can also be found on our website.