Angie Needs Your Input

I think I'm going to ask for your help.  My house is organized and clean.  It's decluttered as well- with one exception.  My paperwork.  I have a file, but it's not enough.  I have all sorts of 'containers', but they don't help.  I just can't get the hang of it.  No amount of teaching or available products can help me in this area.  I often say my paper is in the right church, but can't find the right pew.

What tricks do you have for containing all of the paper?  I sure would like to hear about them.

Reducing The Carbon Footprint

Through the years I have made it a priority to be green.  When I started in the early 80's, there was no name for it.  My first endeavor was using the back of envelopes for notes and wrote  " This is a recycled product".  Some people quietly accepted the practice, others laughed at me.  Despite the laughter, I kept on with the practice.

Since then I have researched ways to decrease my 'carbon footprint'.  Carbon Footprint is a buzz word that simply means be smart and frugal without being laughed at.  I use vinegar to kill weeds in cracks in the concrete and driveway and a baking soda mixture to clean my drains.  I have 2 supplies of cloths, one for dishes and one for cleaning.  The list goes on.  I've been doing these things so long that I can't even think of all of the things that have been incorporated into my lifestyle that are green.

All You magazine has done the work for me.  This article has information that will not only reduce a carbon footprint, your costs will be heavily reduced at the register.

Enjoy and see how many work for you and your family on a regular basis.  A word of advise:  Choose one or two things to begin with and make them a part of your daily lives.  Then move on to something else.  Like anything else, too much too soon can become discouraging. 

NOTE:  I wouldn't use a banana peel to clean plants.  My house would smell and who knows what bugs would be attracked to the plants.  Use what works for you.

http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/organizing-cleaning/cleaning-with-household-products-00411000072116/page10.html

Blogger Down Yesterday

Angie's House was down yesterday.  You could access it, but I was unable to access it to post.  Blogger had no explanation for me other than a server error.

Day Off

I spent today visiting family.  More posts in the morning will come your way.

Missing Coke Points

Someone has been removing the MYCOKE reward codes off the bottom of Coke cases at my local warehouse store.

I contacted the store manager and the Coke Rewards customer service.  The manager did give me a free year membership and is checking to see if the situation is isolated, but he sees what may be happening.  I explained to him how this can become a trust issue for me and other shoppers.  I haven't heard back from Coke yet.

I guess now we have to check to make sure the codes are really there.  Watching my back is getting very tiresome. 

All You and Wal Mart, A good Match

A friend told me about the 5.00 coupon in May issue of All You magazine for JMS clothes at Wal Mart. (Just My Size)

Wal Mart will accept the face value of a coupon even if your item costs less than the coupon's worth.  JMS clothing is currently on clearance.  I paid 1.00 for a blouse then bought another May issue of AY ( it's 1.88 this month) a candy bar for a filler  and a Danskin jacket and paid tax only.

I used the 5.00 coupon I got from the 2nd issue and bought another blouse and used the overage on the dog food in my cart.

This trip I got:
2 free blouses
1 free magazine
1 free jacket
2.00 off my dog food

Has anyone else done this at Wal Mart?

Sharing This Saturday

Part of being a frugalista is sharing our blessings.

The National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive is this Saturday, May 14. 

Please consider sharing a can or two of food.  Thank you.

Making Soap

Interested in learning how to make your own soaps and lotions?  Check this article out for a head start.

http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbal-living/diy-make-herbal-eco-friendly-soap-bars.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.09.11+HE&utm_campaign=HE&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

Eye Health

 

Mother Earth News has an article about natural herbs to treat eyes.

 http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/herbs-for-eyes-ze0z11zhir.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=05.09.11+HE&utm_campaign=HE&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

New Video Program

 Parade magazine has a new video values program.  It looks like you can earn points to trade in for prizes and get coupons for each video you watch.

You can go here to check it out.

 http://www.parade.com/perks/video-rewards.html

221 Free Items

Since November 1, 2010 there have been 221 posts for free items on angieshouse.  Many of them come with high value coupons that are good for a few months.  I like the coupons best!

Penney's Shipping Charge

I just noticed Penney's has added a 2.99 shipping to store charge.  This isn't a great way to keep business.  The trucks go there anyway from the warehouses, so this charge doesn't make any sense to me.  I guess my Penny posts will become rather limited.

Mother's Day Arrangement



photo by jay.tong











It's easy to make your own edible arrangements.  Things you'll need are:

1. Container
2. foam to shape inside the container
3. a flower shaped cookie cutter
4. wooden skewers
5. melon baller
6. fruit of your choice (this is fresh pineapple and strawberries)




Arrange and shape to your liking.

Big Batch Cooking

There's a great post about batch cooking on http://www.coastalcookingonline.com/ that was helpful to me.  If you have a family and you work, this would be the way to go.

Free Soil PH Check

You can check your soil’s PH with these simple tests.

To find out if the soil is alkaline:

Scoop some dirt into a disposable container.  Pour ½ Cup of vinegar in it.  If it fizzes, the soil is too alkaline.  To amend alkaline soil you can incorporate pine needles in it.

To find out if the soil is too acidic:

Scoop some dirt in a disposable container.  Pour ½ cup of water in it, then ½ cup of baking soda.  If it fizzes the soil is too acidic.  To amend acidic soil you can incorporate some lime (at garden stores) or wood ash in it.  Wood ash can be gathered after a charcoal barbecue or a fireplace.

My soil tested neutral.  All of the compost I have been adding this winter has worked well.

Staples Trip

Some things have changed at Staples.  The current policy had me a bit confused.  I went to Staples with 2 empty ink cartridges.  In the past I received a voucher to use on my purchase that day.  Now I got a receipt that said 0.00 and will get a coupon to spend at Staples when they do a monthly email mailing.  I'm not sure I like this new policy.  It is blatantly for the corporation, not the customer.  To combat this I'm going to check into other ways to recycle my ink cartridges.  Also, Staples use to give 3.00 / cartridge.  They now give 2.00.  The other thing is the manager didn't know what day of the month Staples sends the vouchers.  This really made me uneasy.  And I use my ink to print out the coupons.  I'm thinking....


The Easy Rebate was just that.  I went online to the site that was on the receipt and followed the directions.  The rebate money can go into your PayPal account.  That was convenient.


I also have a rebate coming for 2 battery packs I bought.  20.00 worth.  But again this won't come as cash.  It will be in an email whenever the company emails a batch of  vouchers to use in the store.  But, a separate one from the ink cartridge email.

I don't use Staples that often.  This won't work for me as well as a rebate from another store would.
I just will be careful and not go for these deals any more.  I'll make sure a deal is the Easy Rebate program first.

Today's Shopping Trip

Today's Shopping trip will include many free items.  It may not be "Extreme", but my trips add lots of value for the money.  Keep in mind that I have a stock of food and H and B items at home.  This is how I add to it.



Staples
Free ream of paper

2 free 20 count battery packs

Turn in 2 cartridges for 6.00 store credit

RA
4 American Greetings cards, 4.00Qs, final price .76 before the 20% Wellness discount.  The discount will be on the full price of the cards.

2 Mitchum women's deodorants, 8.00, less 7.00 in Qs

4 Airwick sprays, free, BOGO store sale and 2 BOGO Qs

6 single serve candy, free, 2/1.00, I have 3 Qs for 2/1.00

Tell Me What Grocery You Shop At

Angie' House is growing quickly with hits from across the country.  Up until now I have been posting what I think may be of interest to my readers. I choose coupons, Internet deals, the national drug chains, and of course, local grocery stores.  But I'd like to include weekly posts on grocery stores that are in your area too.  So leave a comment under this post in the 'comment' area, and let me know what region you live in and the name of your grocery stores.  I will begin to post the highlights of the ads weekly and provide the link to the grocery chain.

New Blog Feature

I have added a list at the bottom of each page of common abbreviations.  I'll amend it as new ones come up.  I hope this helps some of the newbies to the frugal lifestyle.

No Inserts This Week

This weekend is Easter weekend.  There are no coupon inserts in the Sunday paper this week.