Lesson Learned

Ugh! I learned a lesson trying to shop at CVS and Walgreen's today. Do NOT try to go into the stores with an idea of what to get, but not properly planning out the costs of each item. I prepared a few coupons for CVS the other night when I was getting ready for my normal grocery shopping, but didn't really decide what all I was going to buy. So, today I decided I was going to go on to CVS and Walgreen's as fast as I could and then come home to relax for a while. "As fast as I could" = Mistake #2. I threw together a few more CVS coupons and some Walgreen's ones and headed out the door. I really didn't do too bad, but I could have done SO much better. I won't even go into specifics tonight because it's not something ya'll will want to do yourselves, but here's what I got.

For about $13 at CVS (if I had paid attention I could have spent closer to $10):
Complete Contact Solution
4 bottles of NYC Nail Polish
2 cans of Blue Diamond Almonds
Goggles
4 Easter M&M Eggs

For just under $10 from Walgreen's (plus $2 in RR to use next time):
2 bottles of Herbal Essences Shampoo
Gillette Fusion Razor
Small package of Soft Batch Cookies

Really, the prices are still much better than I could have done at Walmart or Target, but it's frustrating to go in and pay more than I should have. At Walgreen's I had gathered my coupons so quickly that I misread one and was unable to use it (a difference of $3.50).

So, take it from me, it's worth spending the time at home to prepare your shopping trips! I could have saved an extra $7 today. It doesn't sound like much, but over a year that's more than $350. I could do something with $350!!

Kroger Savings - 3/27/11

I know it has been FOREVER since I've blogged, but I did so good at Kroger today that I wanted to share it with you. Hopefully this will get me in the mood to start saving more often and blogging more often. If you have coupons from January then you should be able to do this at Kroger too. They are having a Mega Event where you buy 10 participating items and get $5 off instantly. The first price I show is the Mega Event price. Here's how I saved 91%:

Motrin PM $2.49 - Buy 2 and use $6 off 2 from 1/9 SS - $.51 overage each
Aquafresh Training Toothbrush $1 - Buy 2 and use 2 $.50/1 printable - free
Sunny D $.89 - Use $.25/1 from 1/16 SS - $.14
Dannon Activia Yogurt $1.49 - Use $1/1 from 3/6 SS - $.49
Kraft 2% Singles $1.49 - Buy 2 and use 2 $1/1 printable - $.49 each
BandAids $1.99 - Buy 2 and use $.50/1 from 1/9 SS and 2/13 RP - $.99 each

The regular price total was just over $30. I paid $2.47. If you add it all up it comes to $2.57. The extra $.10 is from the tax on the toothbrushes. I'm not sure how that works, but that's where it is from. My cashier said that she wants to start shopping with me!! Did you get any good deals this week?

Don't Be a Plump Turkey at Thanksgiving

One of the great traditions at Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving meal. If you're like me, you eat all day until you feel miserable. Why do we do this? How did this act of gluttony become part of a holiday of giving thanks? Now, I'm not saying "pigging-out" every once in a while is wrong, but why do we sabotage our healthy habits for a full week of indulgences? How can we enjoy family, food and fun at Thanksgiving and keep from feeling miserable the entire time? Here are some helpful hints:

1. Don't make it Thanksgiving WEEK! Thanksgiving is one day out of the year. One meal out of the day. Do your best to eat your calories up until Thursday lunch or dinner. Then eat the traditional leftover turkey meal on Friday, then STOP! Pick back up with your calorie counting on Saturday.

2. Don't be a cow! For the one meal, sure, be a cow or pig or whatever barnyard animal you want to be. But, other than that, stay out of the kitchen. Don't be a grazer. This is my weakness. I love to eat constantly on Thursday and Friday because it's there. Get away! Do something busy, get out of the house, go for a walk, play on the Wii, take a nap, anything to stay out of the kitchen.

3. Don't eat what you don't like. Why would you want to gain weight on food you don't even enjoy eating? Just because it is sitting there doesn't mean you have to put it on your plate. If you think you might offend somebody by not eating the green bean casserole they brought, put a little on your plate, THEN DON'T EAT IT!

4. Get full on the good stuff. Eat the healthy stuff first, then eat a few bites of the big calorie items. Turkey (white meat), most veggies, fruit, cranberries, etc. fill up on these items. Then, go lightly on breads, casseroles, mashed potatoes and desserts.

5. Get active. Instead of sitting around all holiday long, get up! Thursday morning before the parades go for a family walk or do a local turkey trot. Before the Cowboys lose have a family football game in the front yard. Ladies, on Friday go shopping. You don't have to buy anything, just get out of the house (away from the food) and go walking around the malls. Surely all that dodging and fighting for items can burn some calories.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for family, friends and health. Let's enjoy ourselves without being miserable the entire week.

Deals this Week 11/7

It has been a LLOONNGG week! I'm not going to give you all of my excuses; I'm just going to make this quick and easy for you. If you want to see some of the best deals this week at CVS and Walgreen's then check out Money Saving Mom's website. I didn't find anything exciting enough to work out a plan for unless you need some stuff to bake with (Walgreen's) or some Garnier goodies (also Walgreen's).

Have a great week and hopefully we'll be back Tuesday evening with a fitness-related post.

Roller Coaster Halloween with CVS & Walgreen's

Wow! What a roller coaster day! Please be praying for the Brashear family as they lost their 8-year old daughter, Anna, to complications of leukemia today. She was diagnosed less than two weeks ago. Her mom told me today that her passing was God's way of keeping her from suffering. She also said to give your kids extra hugs every day.

We've also had a lot of fun today. It was Rangers Day at church so we all wore our Rangers t-shirts. Then the kids put their costumes on for their cousin's birthday party, our church's carnival and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this I stopped by CVS and Walgreen's. I had an $8 Register Reward to Walgreen's that expired today so I had to use it. Here's what I did there:

Transaction #1
Zarbee's Cough Syrup - $5.99
Cotton Balls - $1.59
     Wags Cpn - $.60 off
Nail Polish Remover - $1.79
     Wags Cpn - $.80 off
M&Ms - $.59
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.46
     Register Reward - $8
     Total OOP - $.46
     Register Rewards Earned - $6

Transaction #2
Febreeze Flameless Candle - $11.99 (25% off)
     Febreeze Cpn - PG mailer - $4.00
Febreeze Flameless Refills - $5.49
     Febreeze Cpn - Buy Candle, Get Refills Free - PG 10/31 - $5.49
M&Ms - .59 (needed one more item to use my RR)
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.68
     Register Reward - $6
     Total OOP - $2.68

It was a little more than I expected, but still great. Online the candle was only $11.25 and I didn't think about needing a third item so I spent $1.23 more than I planned. Oh well!! Here's what I did at CVS:

Transaction #1
Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush - $4.99
     Oral B Cpn - PG 10/31 - $3 off
Total: $1.99
     ECBs - $2 (changed down to $1.99)
     Total OOP - $0.00
     ECBs earned - $2

Transaction #2
Bounce Dryer Bar 2 pack - $3.99
     Bounce Cpn - Vocalpoint mailer - $2.50 off
Rice Krispies Treat - $.99 (the shelf said $.69, but I didn't check it and was charged $.99)
Total: $2.50
     ECBs - $2
     Total OOP - $.50

I hope you all have a great week!

Top Ten Halloween Candies

Here's a list of ten of the most popular Halloween candies. We've added the amount of candy that will equal 100 calories. How much will you eat??

10. Tootsie Rolls - 2 small rolls

9.  Dum Dums - 4 suckers

8.  Popcorn Balls - 1 ball

7.  Smarties - 4 rolls

6.  Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins - 1/2 pumpkin

5.  Dots - 9 dots

4.  Fun Dip - 2 sugar packs and 1-1/3 sticks

3.  Nerds - 1/2 box

2.  Candy Corn - 15 pieces

1.  Mini Snickers - 2 pieces

Diet Myths Revealed

In this world of gimmick exercise equipment and fad dieting, it's very difficult to know what is "the best" way to lose weight and keep it off. It is also hard to know who to listen to and believe. Here are a few examples of some dieting myths that are out there.

1.  Skip Meals to Lose Weight. Fact: Skipping any meal can cause your metabolism to slow down. You want the "fire" to be continuously stoked. Skipping meals is like letting that campfire die down. Never skip meals, especially breakfast; it is the most important meal.

2.  Fad Diets Work. Fact: Fad diets rarely work and are usually too hard to stick to. Most people will lose weight initially, probably because they are simply doing something different. But, because most fad diets cut something (whether fat, protein or carbs) once it is reintroduced you crave more of what you have been missing.

3.  Eating All Day Boosts Metabolism. Fact: Eating small meals throughout the day can keep your metabolism at a higher level. But the danger here is eating too many calories all day. If you are going to eat six meals throughout the day they must be small. For example, if you need to eat 1800 calories to lose weight, breakfast, lunch and dinner should be around 400 calories each and the three snacks need to be around 200.

4.  Never Eat After 8PM. Fact: It isn't when you eat, but what and how much. Fat won't collect overnight. Your metabolism will take care of you, even at rest.

5.  Certain Foods Can Burn Fat. Fact: No food can burn fat. Some, like caffeine, can speed up metabolism for a short time. The only way to burn fat is to put on lean muscle and increase your activity level.

As always, the best way to lose weight is to cut your calories and be more physically active.