What’s an ice cream and pasta lover to do?
One of my longtime readers was flipping through the new 6/9 SmartSource coupon insert, and she saw something interesting. Did any of my other Chicagoland readers spot this too?
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My deck stain report: Four years later
The deck’s surface has continued to fade a little more over the previous year. When springtime began to roll around, I looked at the the deck and decided I wanted to re-stain it this year. While I do believe the stain…
New Super-Couponing Tips column: Readers share savings scores
“The detergent was $1.99, but if you bought five bottles, the price of each went down to 99 cents.. After all my coupons, I paid 95 cents for five bottles of laundry detergent. That’s just 19 cents per bottle!”
Shopping and Savingnext >< prev
Coupon Matchups: Walgreens Deals of the Week 6/16/19 – 6/22/19
FREE Crest toothpaste or mouthwash, FREE Palmolive dish detergent, $1.28 Kellogg's cereal, $1.62 Domino sugar, $1.62 Oreo cookies, $1.95 Tide Simply or Downy, $2 All laundry detergent
Coupon Matchups: CVS Deals of the Week 6/16/19 – 6/22/19
$1.49 Palmolive, $1.50 M&Ms, $1.75 Irish Spring body wash, $1.94 Tide Simply Clean, $2 Garnier Whole Blends, $2.49 Crest mouthwash, $4.50 Clairol haircolor, $5.99 Coppertone sunscreen
Coupon Matchups: Meijer Deals of the Week 6/16/19 – 6/22/19
.50 Betty Crocker fruit snacks, .66 Pillsbury rolls, .75 Chex Mix, .75 Renuzit, .80 Chobani yogurt, .80 Michelina's entrees, $1 Banquet pot pies, $1 Glade sprays , $1 Old Orchard juices, $3.99 Gain
Coupon Matchups: Mariano’s Deals of the Week 6/12/19 – 6/18/19
.99 Crystal Light, .99 Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, .99 Quaker Chewy bars, .99 Simple Truth tortilla chips, $1.12 Nabisco Snak Saks, $1.49 Sargento cheese, $1.99 Florida's Natural orange juice, $2.62 Oreos and FREE milk
Coupon Matchups: Jewel-Osco Deals of the Week 6/12/19 – 6/18/19
.74 Chex Mix, .80 Chobani yogurt and FREE eggs, $1.49 General Mills cereal, $1.50 Welch's fruit snacks, $2 Quaker breakfast squares, $2 Turkey Hill ice cream, $3.99 Schick razors, $3.99 Tide Simply Clean
Coupon Matchups: CVS Deals of the Week 6/9/19 – 6/15/19
.99 Speed Stick deodorant, $1.25 L'Oreal Elvive haircare, $1.32 Schick disposable razors, $1.49 General Mills cereals, $1.69 Tide Pods, $1.94 Tide Simply, $1.99 Schick razors, $2.50 Revlon Colorsilk haircolor
Coupon Matchups: Walgreens Deals of the Week 6/9/19 – 6/15/19
.99 Arm & Hammer laundry detergent, $1 Pringles, $1.99 Revlon lipstick or gloss, $1.99 Tide Simply laundry detergent, $2.50 Revlon Colorsilk, $2.99 Garnier Nutrisse haircolor, $2.99 Schwarzkopf haircare
Coupon Matchups: Meijer Deals of the Week 6/9/19 – 6/15/19
.89 Lysol spray , $1.20 Ragu pasta sauce, $1.26 Kellogg's cereal, $1.49 General Mills cereal, $1.49 Ken's salad dressing, $1.74 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, $2.49 Palmolive, $3.49-$3.50 Softsoap and Dial liquid soap refills
Coupon Matchups: Mariano’s Deals of the Week 6/5/19 – 6/11/19
.74 Betty Crocker fruit snacks, .74 Chex Mix, .99 All laundry detergent, .99 Ball Park hot dogs, .99 Kool Aid or Country Time canisters, .99 Palmolive, .99 Pampers wipes, $1.42 Chips Ahoy, $1.49 General Mills cereals,
Coupon Matchups: Jewel-Osco Deals of the Week 6/5/19 – 6/11/19
.35 Yoplait yogurt, .68 Chobani yogurt cups, .69 Jewel eggs, .74 Chex Mix, .90 Pringles, .99 General Mills cereal, $2 Dean's TruMoo milk, $2 Superpretzel, $2.79 Coke 12-packs, $3.99 Jack Links jerky
Expired coupon inserts to remove from your files: June 2019
Here's a list of all of the coupon inserts that have expired within the last two months. If you have any of the following inserts in your files, you can pull them out and recycle them...
Current National Catalina Offers: June 2019
Here is a list of Catalina offers for the current month, including brands like Barilla, Cerave, Cottonelle, Gerber, Keebler, Purina and more...
Current National Catalina Offers: May 2019
Here is a list of Catalina offers for the current month, including American Greetings, Bolthouse Farms, Morningstar, Ortega, and more...
Expired coupon inserts to remove from your files: May 2019
If you have any of the following inserts in your files, you can pull them out and recycle them, as all of the coupons inside each insert have expired...
Expired coupon inserts to remove from your files: April 2019
Here's a list of all of the coupon inserts that have expired within the last two months. If you have any of the following inserts in your files, you can pull them out and recycle them...
Current National Catalina offers: April 2019
New Catalina offers for February include brands like Breyers, Band Aid, Dole, Enjoy Life, Keebler, and more...
$5.50 Men’s winter boot clearance at Meijer
It's the right time of year for a winter boots clearance! Right now, the Algonquin, Illinois Mejier has many pairs and styles of men's winter snow boots on clearance for 90% off...
Great bedsheets bargains spotted in-store at Target – just $5.98!
These lower clearance prices haven't hit online yet, but if you're headed to Target, you may find even better deals on sheets in store. Over the past week, we've found sheet sets up to 70% off!
Expired coupon inserts to remove from your files: March 2019
Here's a list of all of the coupon inserts that have expired within the last two months. If you have any of the following inserts in your files, you can pull them out and recycle them...
Current National Catalina offers: March 2019
New Catalina offers for February include brands like Gerber, L'Oreal, Purina, Stouffer's, Windex, and more...
Expired coupon inserts to remove from your files: February 2019
Here's a list of all of the coupon inserts that have expired within the last two months. If you have any of the following inserts in your files, you can pull them out and recycle them...
Current National Catalina offers: February 2019
New Catalina offers for February include brands like Classico, Contadina, Dole, Gerber, Hellmann's, Lean Cuisine, and more...
Many cosmetic and beauty clearances at Walgreens
Have you been to Walgreens lately? If you like deals on makeup, cosmetics, and beauty items, it may be worth your time to hit a local store or two (or few!)
Current National Catalina offers: January 2019
New Catalina offers for January include brands like Bolthouse Farms, Carnation, DiGiorno, Kimberly-Clark, and more...
Home and Stylenext >< prev
Why don’t they make bed sheets like this any more?
I found this delightful vintage package of two cotton fitted twin-size bed sheets for $1.99 that were made sometime in the 1950s! These sheets have no elastic -- they're truly a "fitted sheet" with a mitered corner...
We couldn’t throw our old couch away
Something strange happened when we tried to get rid of our old couch. Our family room couch has seen better days. I bought this sectional when I was in college -- one of my first "grown-up" purchases...
Free Wi-Fi in the woods
We have a three-trunked weeping willow tree on our property, and over the years, one of the trunks has split from its siblings and progressively leaned over to rest on the ground. It was time to cut this tree trunk away...
We put a glass top on our wooden kitchen table
Whenever you have something new that you've invested some money in, aren't you inclined to try to keep it as nice and new-looking for as long as possible? We discussed getting a piece of glass cut for the tabletop...
A fun trick for dusting high places of your home
Of course, when company's due to come over, you start looking around your house to see if any infrequently-cleaned spots need to be dusted before guests arrive...
10 items to pack in your diaper bag for summertime
Summer weather is right around the corner! If you're headed out for a warm-weather adventure with your little one, it's important to bring everything you'll need for a fun day in the sun...
Our experience with Ikea’s home delivery service
This was our first experience with Ikea's appliance home delivery, and unfortunately, it did not go well. Ikea contracts with a logistics company to handle the actual deliveries. They, in turn, assign delivery to contractors...
My deck stain report: Three years later
Back in 2015, I heavily researched which product to use on our backyard deck, which is made of pressure-treated pine. I selected One Time wood stain, a penetrating outdoor deck stain that is supposed to last seven years...
My love for old Corning Ware dishes
If I ever wrote a second blog, it would be an ode to my favorite cookware, Corning Ware, and all the things I do with it. My mom got me hooked on Corning Ware when I was a 20-something setting up my first house...
Is your weather center discontinuing itself?
Each day, we look at our Bushnell weather center to see the time, temperature, and weather forecast. Today, on New Year's Day, our Bushnell weather center presented us with this ominous message...
A wasp-free climber and swingset makeover
For whatever reason, wasps have decided to make our children's backyard swingset their home. The number of wasps living in every concealed crack and crevice in this thing was astounding...
Snow sleds in the living room
I spotted "Cafeteria Tray" snow sleds on clearance at Target. The entire idea of this cracked me up, as many years ago my friends and I used actual cafeteria trays as snow sleds. We thought we were so creative...
Foodnext >< prev
Recipe: Honey Citrus O Organics Chicken Shish Kebabs
Summer grilling season is in full swing at our house! These long summer nights are perfect for cooking and eating outdoors together as a family. I love grilling out whenever possible...
Bacon-Wrapped Ranch Chicken Strips
Litehouse invited me to try their salad dressings at home and share with you what I made: Bacon-wrapped ranch chicken strips. They were definitely family-pleasers here in the Cataldo house...
My favorite low-carb recipes for things you’d think are “off limits”
While my first few weeks of low-carbing consisted of a lot of meat, meat, and more meat, I quickly started exploring Keto and Atkins versions of things we regularly enjoyed eating...
Soothing a cold with Creamy Garlic Chicken Soup
I recently came down with a cold that seems to be taking longer than normal to shake. My days and nights have been filled with decongestants, cough drops and syrups. As we head into cold season...
Recipe: O Organics Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
It's that time when many people resolve to live healthier: Eating better, exercising more, and cooking healthier meals and snacks for our families. While we don't eat 100% organic all of the time in our household...
Recipe: Sweet & Savory Signature Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
These shrimp are the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors, and they get a little extra kick from Signature Kitchens' Stone Ground Horseradish Mustard...
Sweet Island Ham & Pineapple Snackers
I partnered with Buddig as a Deli Mom and create snacks with deli meats that aren't sandwiches! This time, I took a reader's suggestion to incorporate the sweet flavor of Hawaiian rolls with another Buddig lunchmeat treat...
Bargain-priced low-carb/keto flours at Farm & Fleet
If you're following a low-carb or keto diet (as half our household is,) here's a discovery I made recently that you'll be interested in. Farm and Fleet sells both coconut flour and almond flour, and the prices are much lower...
Create the ultimate holiday gift basket with Signature RESERVE
If you've browsed the aisles of your local Jewel-Osco store recently, you may have noticed a new brand on the shelves: Signature RESERVE™. Signature RESERVE is Jewel-Osco's exclusive, ultra-premium brand...
Seasons’ Eatings! Holiday table ideas and a Maple Walnut Apple Salad
The holiday season is almost here! I love the changing colors and the way the warm days turn to crisp evenings with vibrant sunsets. I love that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year celebrations bring us closer...
My must-have products for low-carb eating
There's definitely an initial learning curve in figuring out what you're going to eat. Anything with high amounts of sugar is out, and for this former high carb eater, that meant saying goodbye to cereal, fruit juices...
My low-carb life: 25 pounds down (and counting…)
We quickly set a start date, agreeing to start our weight loss journey on August 1st and compare results in three months on November 1st. Further sealing the deal, I got the smaller-sized jeans for myself as an incentive to do this...
Travelnext >< prev
Universal Orlando VIP Experience and more resort fun!
During our Universal Orlando Resort vacation, we enjoyed taking part in Universal's VIP Experience. The VIP Experience is a guided tour through Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure...
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando has added a second land to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley. Guests enter Diagon Alley is via a very nondescript-looking alley in the London area of Universal Studios Orlando theme park...
Our Walt Disney World trip: More Disney days, more fun!
We had such a wonderful time on this trip, and I still can't believe we went to Disney again, nearly one year to the day from our previous trip. Would it surprise you to learn that I am already thinking about our next trip?
Our Walt Disney World Vacation – Part 1: MagicBands, Memory Maker, park days and downtown days
My family and I were privileged to head back to Walt Disney World for the Flower and Garden Festival. So much has changed since our previous stay at Walt Disney World five years ago...
A Midwest Spring Break Staycation
Our children are on Spring Break, and we're staying in the Midwest "staycationing." In the past two days, we've visited a museum, gone bowling and played at an amazing arcade...
What you’ll love about Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay water theme park
We spent a day at Universal's new water theme park, Volcano Bay. When you hear "water park," you likely envision tube rides, a wave pool -- and Volcano Bay has all of those things. However, they've upped the traditional...
Visiting the Mall of America
The Mall of America is home to the largest indoor theme park in the United States, Nickelodeon Universe. There are 30 rides inside the mall, as well as a high ropes course and a mini golf course...
Jill’s Bucket List: 24 hours in the Riot House
During a trip to Los Angeles, I stayed at the Riot House, the most famous rock and roll hotel in the world...
A Walt Disney World shopping perk you may not know about
Did you know that you can get a special shopping pass at the Disney parks solely for the purpose of going in and shopping? It's true! To get a shopping pass, you'll need to head to the Guest Relations office...
Rushmore Cave and Ziplining in the Black Hills
Rushmore Cave is located in Keystone, South Dakota and has been entertaining visitors since the 1920s. Unlike the national park caves, Rushmore Cave is more of an adventure destination with multiple activities...
Devil’s Tower and a drive to Utah
Our campground host let us know we'd likely see both wild turkeys and deer outside our cabin windows in the morning. My husband woke up and stepped outside onto the deck, where he took this photo...
Go west, Disney dreamers! Disneyland on a budget
We were due for a Disney trip again, but several elements came together to lead us to consider Disneyland in Anaheim, California over heading in the Orlando direction...
Make Thisnext >< prev
Fixing a suitcase wheel with… duct tape?
It irked me that everything else about the suitcase was fine and functional aside from the bad wheel. I looked at replacing the wheel, but I could not find a suitable wheel that was the right size...
Improving a great beach bag (with a not-so-great logo)
I attended a blog conference and brought home an oversized canvas beach bag featuring the logo of one of the conference sponsors. However, last year, that company became embroiled in a bit of a scandal...
Building a kitchen countertop extension
Our daughter's new apartment really only has one issue -- limited counter space and no place to put a microwave or other small appliances. I got the idea to build a countertop extension for her kitchen...
Our ultimate one-minute theme park tailgating setup
Our family has had a fun summer of enjoying days at the zoo, water parks, and theme parks. My kids actually look forward to our lunchtime tailgating, as we can completely set it up in under one minute...
Pooh to Pikachu
This year, when I asked my son what kind of cake he wanted, he said "Pikachu." The popular Pokemon character is certainly cute, but how to best capture him in cake form? Many of my cakes take shape...
Easy kids’ craft: Make a can candle
I believe I was around 7 or 8 years old when we made tin can candles, and so I did a quick web search to see if my juvenile memories of it were correct. Incredibly, I couldn't find anything online about how to make these...
Mending my family’s clothes: How to fix worn jeans “invisibly”
While I could put patches over these ripped knees, I also don't want my kids to be self-conscious of an obvious repair job. I want to share how I've been able to extend the life of my sons' jeans by patching them invisibly...
How to make a large utility tote for less than $20
If you've been wanting a large utility tote without spending too much, and you have minimal sewing skills (like me!) read on and learn how you can make your own large utility tote from one yard of fabric for less than $20...
The eighteen-year-old quilt
I came up with the idea to make a quilt for her eighteenth birthday. And for the past thirteen years, I've been saving our daughter's favorite shirts as she outgrew them. Everything from T-shirts and sports jerseys to pajamas...
Here’s an idea for leftover wax from your wax melter
The wax melt packaging recommends that you pour the melted wax back into the clamshell packaging to dispose of it. Being frugal, I couldn't simply throw the wax away. So, we're reusing it in a creative way...
Making a jar of cake-mix “upsizer”
It's getting difficult to find a cake mix that hasn't been reduced from 18.25 ounces to 15.25 ounces. This week, two things came up that made me want to work on a solution of sorts to this issue...
Make your own “Slushy Magic” at home!
To recreate the Slushy Magic effect, it's important to understand how it works. Each cup comes with three plastic ice cubes filled with salt water. Salt water freezes at a lower temperature than plain water does...
