The Total Money Makeover

Thanks to Sue Despain for this money saving tip: A couple years ago I saw an article about a man named Dave Ramsey who has a program to help people learn how to budget, get out of debt and take control of the their finances. He has a website, www.daveramsey.com that is full of information. Currently, he has a special on his book, "The Total Money Makeover" selling it online for only $10.00 which is a great deal. I would encourage anyone who wants to have the peace of living debt free to check it out.

**Also you can subscribe to Dave's free ENewsletters on a variety of subjects HERE.

Grocery Ads for the week of March 31st

For the week of March 31st...

KING SOOPERS

Rib Roast Bone In. Commonly Known as Prime Rib 4.99 lb.

Cook's Spiral Sliced 1.49 lb.

Cook's Shank Portion Ham Bone In 99¢ lb.

Kroger Value Fish Fillets Salmon, Cod, Tilapia or Catfish. 2.5 lb. Bag 3.99 lb.

Broccoli Crowns or Cauliflower 99¢ lb.

Celery 69¢ lb

Yams 69¢ lb.

Kroger Cheese 8 oz. Bars or Shreds. 6 oz. Deli Slices 4 for $5

Tree Top Apple Juice or Cider BOGO and Receive One Dozen 12 ct. King Soopers Large Eggs. Save 3.99 With Card. Limit 4 Rewards per Transaction

Atlantic Salmon Fillets Farm Raised. Fresh 5.99 lb.

King Soopers or Kroger Sour Cream or Dips 16 oz 10 for $10

Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits 98¢

Kroger canned vegetables 11-15.25 oz. Selected. 2 for $1

Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup 10.75 oz. 10 for $10

Bird's Eye or Kroger Vegetables 10-16 oz. Selected 88¢

Kroger Spices or Extracts .125-8 oz. Selected 40% OFF

Betty Crocker Cake Mix 10 for $10

Blue Bunny 56 oz or Private Selection 48 oz. Ice Cream 2.77

Marie Callender's Pies 28-46 oz. 3.99

Cook's Rump Portion 1.29 lb.

Whole Fryer Chicken King Soopers 98¢ lb.

King Soopers Butter 1 lb. 2 for $4

Private Selection Cage Free Eggs Dozen. 1.99

King Soopers Large Eggs Dozen1.29

Naturally Preferred Cage Free Brown Eggs Dozen. 2 for $4

Kroger Cottage Cheese 16 oz. 10 for $10

Kroger Cream Cheese 8 oz Bars10 for $10

Reddi-Wip 7 oz. 2 for $4

Traditional Medicinals Tea 16-18 ct. 2 for $5

Emergen-C 30 ct. Selected. 7.99

Rice A Roni, Pasta Roni 10 for $10

Idahoan Pouch Potatoes 10 for $10

French's French Fried Onions 6 oz. 2.99

Post Cereal or Quaker Chewy Granola Bars 11-24 oz *1.50 ea. Final Price When you Buy 4. Save Up To 2.49 ea. With Card. Buy Four for $10, Get $4 Off! Limit one reward per transaction.

Dole Tropical Fruit Salad, Mandarin Oranges or Kroger Pineapple 15-20 oz 10 for $10

Keebler Club or Town House Crackers 9-16 oz. Selected. 1.88

Old Orchard Frozen Juice 12 oz. Selected. 10 for $10

Kroger Frozen Potatoes 22-32 oz. 1.69

Gerber 2nd Foods Dinners 4 oz. Glass Jars. 43¢

Fresh Tender Asparagus 1.99 lb.

ALBERTSONS

Beech Nut Stage 2 10 for $4 4 oz.

Kellogg’s Cereal 3 for $10 Select Varieties, Buy 3 Cereals Get 2 Albertsons Extra Large Dozen Eggs FREE!

ODWALLA Juice 2 for $5 15.2 oz.

Spice Island Spices 50% OFF Regular Retail

KRAFT Philadelphia Cream Cheese4 for $4 When you buy 4 8 oz.

KRAFT Velveeta $3.99 with coupon

Albertsons Butter 2 for $3 1 lb. Quarters Select Varieties Limit 2

Meadow Gold or Viva Gallon Milk $1.99

Pictsweet frozen Vegetables 77¢ 14-16 oz. Limit 4

Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix or 80 Calorie Potatoes 79¢

COOK’S Shank Portions 97¢ lb. Bone-in

HONEYSUCKLE WHITE OR NORBEST 69¢ lb Frozen Turkey

HORMEL Little Sizzlers 10 FOR $10 12 oz. Select Varieties

Ground Beef $1.88 lb. Fresh, 93% Lean, 5 lbs. or more

HORMEL Spiral Sliced Ham $1.47 lb. Bone-in.

Ribeye Steak or Prime Rib Roast $4.97 lb Bone-in

HORMEL Black Label Bacon Buy 1, Get 2 FREE With Coupon 12-16 oz.

RUSSET Potatoes $1.99 ea. 15 lb.

Tropicana Pure Orange Juice 64 oz. 2/$4 Limit 2

Lay’s Potato Chips or Nabisco Snack Crackers $1.88

ROJO’S Salsa 2 for $3 16 oz. Select Varieties

Kuner’s canned vegetables 2 for $1

SAFEWAY

Rancher's Reserve® Beef Ribeye Roast Bone-in. Extreme Value Pack. 4.99 lb Lucerne®

Shredded or Chunk Cheese 32-oz. Selected varieties. 4.99

Safeway Spiral Sliced Half Ham Bone-in. 1.49 lb

Sweet Golden Pineapple Sold whole. 1.97 ea

Wish-Bone Salad Dressing 16-oz. Selected varieties. 1.29

Boneless Beef Cross Rib Roast Or Boneless Beef Chuck Pot Roast. 2.99 lb

Simply Potatoes 20-oz. Selected varieties. 2 for $3

Campbell's Condensed Cream Soup 10.75-oz. Chicken or Mushroom. 99¢

Idahoan Mashed Potatoes Selected varieties. 10 for $10

Large Hass Avocados Imported. 10 for $10

Cucumbers 69¢ ea

Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna 5-oz. 2 for $1

SUNFLOWER

4.4oz Blueberries 97 cents each

Sunflower broths 32 oz. 2/$3

Red delicious apples or D’anjou pears 88 cents lb.

Whole turkey breast, bone in frozen 97 cents lb.

5 lb. bag Idaho baking potatoes 10/$10

Jewel or Garnet yams 10lbs/$10

Dreyers Ice cream 48 oz. $2.99

Dairy gold butter 1 lb. 1.99

SPROUTS

10 lb. bag russet potatoes 49 cents

Strawberries 4/lbs/$5

Texas red grapefruit 3/$1

Bunches of cilantro, radishes or green onions 3/$1

Pinova apples 88 cents lb.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs $1.67 lb.

Boneless pork loin roast $1.67 lb.

Mild cheddar cheese $1.99 lb.

Cherry vanilla granola in bulk $2.49 lb.

National Park Passes - Great Deals

http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

Spring is a great time to start visiting your National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands. Entrance to parks are free with pass, and offers discounts to Federal Recreation areas up to 50%. This offer is limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Annual Pass, $80.00 a year. Good for one year for you and 3 other adults in your vehicle.

Senior Pass (62 and older) for $10.00. A lifetime pass for you and 3 other adults in your vehicle.

Access Pass (with a permanent disability). This is a lifetime pass and is free for you and 3 other adults riding in the same vehicle. Requires a note from your doctor.

Volunteer Pass (after 500 service hours). Free entrance for you and 3 other adults in your vehicle.

Great Tax Guy!

Only 2 weeks to tax time. The crunch is on. If you need some help this year, call my tax guy. Please tell him Sue Kittel sent you. He is happy to give you a free quote:

Todd Allmendinger
Accura Tax LLC
970-482-3154
Email: todd@accurataxllc.com
Website: http://www.accurataxllc.com

Know someone undergoing Chemo?

CLEANING FOR A REASON

If you know any woman currently undergoing Chemo, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - 1 time per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. Check the website for detailed instructions.
http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

Check out this Blog

I have been following a great blog that my daughter told me about. It's called: Frugal Wife = Wealthy Life. Here is the link: http://frugalwifewealthylife.blogspot.com/

It's a blog by a mother and two daughters and they have lots of great ideas and suggestions. They started their blog in January, you might want to go back and read all of their previous posts.

Carino’s Half-price Family Platters

We like to eat out occasionally, but it is usually very expensive to go to a nice restaurant. We have found a great deal at Carino’s. On Monday and Tuesday nights, they offer their family platters for half price. We usually take my Mom and Dad with us, we each order unlimited soup or salad for $1.29 each and one family platter for the four of us. There are several family platter choices priced from $20.99 - $27.99. So, with the main dish and soup or salad, we can eat for $15.66 - $19.16 for four of us! With the soup or salad, one platter is plenty of food for all of us, we never leave hungry. If just the two of us go, we have food left over to bring home for dinner the next night.

Swap Continued...

Is anyone collecting things for the SWAP I'm planning in the spring? I have been diligently cleaning out my house and have collected clothes, kitchen items, fabric, craft supplies, games, toys and books. I have them boxed up in my basement and can’t wait until the weather is nicer so that we can all exchange our items! I hope you have stuff to get rid of, too!

Expiration Dates

I've never worried too much about expiration dates on food. When I was growing up, my dad owned a grocery store and we always used all of the food that we couldn’t sell anymore because of the dates. We never had a problem with spoiled food. If it looks and smells good, I will use it. Of course if the product doesn't look quite right, smells a bit "off" or the can is swollen, I immediately throw it out. I recently read an interesting article about expiration dates. Here is the link: http://www.slate.com/id/2244249?yahoo=y

We shop at the Oroweat Thriftstore too! One change is that you must spend $7 now before you get an item from the free table. It used to be $5.

Oroweat Bread and Entenmann's Outlet Stores

Find the Outlet Store nearest you HERE.

We are lucky to have an outlet store in Loveland, CO. It is just South of the Wal-mart on East Eisenhower Blvd. I buy all my bread here. We love the Oroweat 100% whole wheat bread, the wheat or multigrain sandwich thins, Thomas bagels, and for a treat something from the Entenmann's product line. Bring your own bags and you get a free item from the free table. You also get a free item for every $5.00 you spend.

You can buy fresh bread here or what is called day old (returned from store shelves). I almost always buy the day old. Prices are $1.00 and up for day old. These items freeze very well!

970-593-0302

373 Denver Ave Loveland, CO 80537

Buy in Bulk & Freeze

Buy your cooking vegetables (carrots, celery and onions) in large quantities from Sams or Costco, and then grate or dice them and freeze them in sandwich bags. The veggies are much cheaper when you buy them in bulk packages rather than in smaller amounts at the grocery store. Whenever you need them for a recipe, you always have them cut up and ready to use for soups or sauces. It takes a bit of time to get them cut and in the freezer, but in the long run, you end up saving time as well as money.

Pennies per Serving

Here is an article titled "60 Healthy Foods for Pennies per Serving" that I enjoyed reading.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/apheadlines/outdoors/v-lite/story/1042835.html

Grandma and Trisha

Hi, I am Sues little sister in SLC. No big info on my post, just wanted to check in, be a part of it. Since my daughter Lily came home for the holidays, I have been washing things to recycle them, (her presence always ups the recycling game in our house she is big into sustainability) you know Jam jars and such, so they are pretty and useful so I have been saving and using them, it reminds me of my grandmas house and I like doing something just like her:) I have been eating vegan for 28 days, following the Engine 2 diet by Rip Esselstyn-It is vegan-no oil-no sugar. I feel quite well and was amazingly strong at the gym today. Anyway I have been buying a lot of beans and grains in bulk and have been using my recycled jars for them. I am working on making my own Chai Tea mix and have alot of those ingredients and they are great in the jam jars, I hate having a bunch of bags in my cupboard from buying in bulk. So if anyone has a Chai Tea recipie they like please share! The next thing I would like to make myself at home is an oatmeal based body scrub, anyone out there ever done anything like that? My current claim to fame-I have for the most part not taken a plastic bag at a store since Jan 1 2009-today at Walmart I forgot to take in my reusable bag and told the cashier "I would just carry my stuff out and she said "Are you sure" and I told her I was saving the planet one bag at a time:) She did not really get it but it was fun for me-Have a great Saturday-Trisha

Walmart's 90 day Rx Deal

Walmart's $10 generic prescriptions for 90 days beats my after insurance price on two of the medication I take. I am now saving $32.00 a month since switching. I love to save money! They also have 30 day prices for $4.00. Check out their list of covered drugs at Walmart.com

Oh, and they offer free home delivery via mail, too.

Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d’Arabian

This is a new cooking show that we have found that makes a great promise with every show:
four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities. The meals she prepares are really good and very easy to make. She’s a mom so the meals are kid-friendly. She has some great tips to go along with her recipes.

The show is on at 12:30pm Sunday on the Food Network but I check out the website for the recipes & demonstrations.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/ten-dollar-dinners-with-melissa-darabian/index.html

Banana Bags $1.00

Albertson's sometimes has a bag or two of ripe bananas for sale for $1.00 a bag (check the floor near the banana display). These are great for immediate eating, baking, or freezing for smoothies. The other day when I was in buying those apples I told you about yesterday, I saw that there was a big pile of single loose bananas on the display table. They looked like good candidates for banana bags, so I hunted down the produce lady on duty and asked her if she was wanting to sell some of her loose bananas. She seemed pleased I would ask and went to get me two banana bags and said fill them up! I can't stress enough to ASK for what you want and need. 75% of the time I get a YES! I just feel so good helping Albertson's get rid of those bananas before they spoiled...

More about Bananas HERE

Albertson's policy

Today I bought a bag of apples at Albertsons, and they rang up $1.49 a pound. I knew the sign said $1.00 a pound so I spoke up to the checker. She checked and I was indeed correct. They have a policy that if something rings up wrong you get it free (one item). I wasn't sure what she would do with a whole bag of apples, but was pleased when she rang the entire bag for 50 cents a pound! Thank you Albertsons! Does anyone know if this is policy at other grocery stores?

Moral of the story: Don't be shy to say when something doesn't ring up right. It pays off!

PS. It is our duty to speak up when we are undercharged as well. Be a good citizen friends.

Show Love 2 Loveland by Recycling

The more you recycle the less garbage you have to pay to be picked up. It is the Fru-Gal thing to do!

During February the city of Loveland is converting over to an All-in-one recycling cart. I have been on the pilot program for the past 6 months and really find it so convenient to mix all of the following in one large, covered bin.

• Aluminum and steel cans…rinse
• Metal paint and aerosol cans…ensure they are empty
• Plastic containers #1-7…remove caps/lids and rinse; no bags, food trays or Styrofoam
• Newspaper
• Magazines and catalogs
• Office paper and direct mail…no shredded paper
• Paperboard…remove box liners and flatten
• Phone books and softbound books
• Corrugated cardboard…remove packing materials and flatten; cut down large pieces so they fit in cart

Do not put the following in your recycle bin, but you may drop them off at the recycling center:
Shredded paper, hardbound books and paper milk/juice cartons. To find out what other materials are accepted at the recycling center, click here.

Glass Recycling: We are encouraged to take our glass bottles and jars to one of six glass recycling drop-off centers in Loveland, rather than putting them in your blue cart. Click on Glass Recycling to learn more. I find the one at the West Eisenhower Wal-mart parking lot to be very convenient.