Thursday, December 17, 2009

CVS Flier for Dec 20-26

These deals are with a CVS card and/or extra bucks rewards.

Revlon Super Lustrous or Moon Drops Lipstick $1.99
Crest or Oral-B Pro-Health toothpaste or rinse $0.88
ThermaCare Heat Wraps FREE!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

High Value Coupons at Vocalpoint

High Value Coupons at Vocalpoint

http://www.vocalpoint.com/index.htmls

Each month Vocalpoint sends me several high value coupons for new products. Recently I received coupons for FREE Junbo Rice Krispies, Kashi Waffles and Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal. In addition I received several coupons for discounts on these items. The coupons aren't always for food. I remember some coupons for a laundry product one time. You have to register an account at the website and be a somewhat active participant in the various polls or forums on the website. I log in once or twice a month, answer a couple poll questions and log off. It takes about 5 minutes.

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

You don't need to buy a new bottle each time you run out of foaming hand soap, just reuse the dispenser. Fill half of your foaming hand soap dispenser with your favorite soap. Fill the other half with water and shake well.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Snap & Win Giveaway

Maredy's Holiday Warehouse Sale - Greenville, IL

December 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19

Thursdays and Fridays 9am - 6pm
Saturdays 9am - 4 pm

Cash only

All items $1-$3. They have great prices on nice quality wrapping paper. Sometimes you can find stocking stuffers, teacher gifts or co-worker gifts.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Tricks of the Trade for Getting Out Stains: A List of How to Get Rid of Almost Any Stain

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/236006/tricks_of_the_trade_for_getting_out.html

As a mother of 4 small children and owner of a dog, I have had almost every stain you can think of on my walls, carpet, clothes, furniture-you name it. After frantic calls to my mother, sisters and friends, I have collected many great ways to get stains out of almost anything. Here are


the tricks of the trade that I have used and have received great results from.

Ashes and soot: Carefully brush off soot or remove using masking tape. Moisten, and apply detergent and rinse thoroughly.

Baby formula: Moisten the spot with cool water, apply digestant, and keep moist. After 15 minutes, rinse with plenty of water. If fabric is non washable, sponge with water/detergent mixture, allow to dry, then treat with an oil solvent.

Bacon grease: Use an absorbent to remove as much grease as possible. Apply a combination solvent followed by petroleum jelly.

Ballpoint pen: Apply glycerin, treat with detergent and rinse. For non washables, apply with glycerin, then treat with an oil solvent.

Barbecue sauce: Rinse with cool water, apply glycerin and a combination solvent and rinse again. For non washables, apply a mixture of half white vinegar, half water, and blot dry. Apply plain water and blot dry again.

Beer: Use cool water and vinegar and rinse.

Candle wax: Sandwich fabric between paper towels, and use a warm iron on it. Apply an oil solvent to any remaining stain.

Cheese sauce: Sponge with warm water, and use oil solvent.

Gum: Soften the bulk with peanut butter, then remove or freeze with ice. Break with hammer. To remove the remaining gum, rinse with cool water and use a combination solvent.

Chocolate: Apply absorbent, then oil solvent. Use digestant for any remaining stain. You can also dry-clean the garment.

Cooking oil or butter: Apply combination solvent, launder and dry. Use an oil solvent if needed.

Cranberry juice: You should sponge with plain water.

Crayon: Sandwich fabric between paper towels and use a warm iron over it.

Blood: Soak several hours in salt water, rinse, soak in ammonia/water, rinse and use digestant. Bleach if needed.

Glue: Soak in very warm water until the glue softens.

Grape juice: Sponge off with cool water, spread fabric over bowl, pour boiling water through fabric.

Grass: Sponge off with vinegar and then rinse with plain water.

Iron scorch: Brush or rub surface with fine sandpaper, wash, and bleach remaining stain with water and vinegar.

Ketchup: Use combination solvent, then vinegar and rinse with plain


water.

Lipstick: Use an oil solvent.

Ink: Sponge with alcohol, then hydrogen peroxide, and rinse.

Mascara: Use an oil solvent.

Motor oil: Use an absorbent to remove as much oil as possible and apply a combination solvent followed by petroleum jelly wash.

Nail Polish: Treat with acetone, bleach and vinegar and water.

Paint: Soak stained area with mineral spirits, and apply liquid soap.

Tea: Use glycerin, let stand 30 minutes and rinse with cool water.

Red wine: Use an oil solvent, and use vinegar/water combination and then rinse.

Urine: Use a vinegar/water mixture, and then rinse.

I hope you find this list useful. It has helped me get plenty of tough stains out. Obviously, not all stains will come out, but using these techniques will definitely help save many of your fabrics.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

50% Off Payless

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091016-tows-payless

Payless ShoeSource is excited to offer Oprah Show viewers 50 percent off their entire purchase at Payless stores in the United States, Canada, Guam and Saipan*. This in-store offer is good from now through close of business on Friday, October 30.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hungry Girl

I first saw Hungry Girl on Rachael Ray. She's all about helping us eat healthier by encouraging everyone to read nutrition labels and make healthier substitutions for high calorie and high fat ingredients. One tip she gave us today on RR is to substitute the eggs and oil for a can of pumpkin when you make a cake from a box mix. I wouldn't recommend doing this with white cake but chocolate, spice or carrot cake sound good.

Here's a link to her website: http://www.hungry-girl.com/index.php

Friday, October 16, 2009

Another Great Yard Sale this Weekend

1314 Chestnut St. in Greenville
Saturday Oct. 17 starting at 7 am with no listed end time.

If you're looking for clothes for women, infants or children this is the yard sale for you! I bought probably 20 pieces and paid just over $5. They clothes are high quality, cute and cheap! They have boys and girls clothes. I saw sizes from 3 months through 3T (only a few 3T).

Frozen Vegetables

Wal-Mart now sells 5 lb bags of Great Value peas and corn. I love using frozen vegetables along with box meals. If you're making a chicken alfredo box meal add a cup and a half of frozen peas or broccoli 5 minutes before it's done cooking.

Dr. Phil Episode: Stay at Home vs. Working Moms

http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1327/

Some of the guests make inflammatory remarks about the decisions of other moms. It makes them good guests on a talk show, but doesn't help solve any of the conflicts all moms have about whether they should work or not.

I work outside of the home part time. In some ways it's the perfect compromise. I get all of the benefits of both worlds. In other ways it's still not ideal as I also have all of the guilt feelings and second guessing that comes with both. Leave comments about what you think.

Yard Sale Review for the Weekend of Oct. 16

I went to a fabulous (indoor) yard sale today at 333 N. 3rd Street in Greenville. They have lots of clothes for adults and children. I saw children's clothes for boys, which I know are hard to find around here. There are wall art pieces,toys for children, home decor items, etc. They are open tomorrow, Saturday, October 17 from 8 am to noon.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Lesson Plans for Babies, Toddlers and Young Children

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/

A friend told me about a great website that contains lesson plans for children from infants to age 11. With the arrival of fall comes more cold rainy days when we're stuck inside. This website will give you ideas of fun and educational ways to spend time with your kids.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Product Review: Blox Stain Remover

The Early Show on CBS did their own test on Blox Stain Remover. They found it helped, but didn't completely prevent stains.

www.cbsnews.com

Sunday, September 20, 2009

End of Summer Deals

Here's your reminder to take advantage of the end of summer deals. Recently I've seen some great buys, 50% off or more, on things like paper lanterns, string trimmers, flower pots and especially kid's clothes. Buy the size you think your kids will wear next summer and get some great deals.

Wal-Mart in Highland has summer clothes for infants 0-9 months for $1.

High Value Coupons at Vocalpoint

http://www.vocalpoint.com/index.htmls

Each month Vocalpoint sends me several high value coupons for new products. Recently I received coupons for FREE Junbo Rice Krispies, Kashi Waffles and Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal. In addition I received several coupons for discounts on these items. The coupons aren't always for food. I remember some coupons for a laundry product one time. You have to register an account at the website and be a somewhat active participant in the various polls or forums on the website. I log in once or twice a month, answer a couple poll questions and log off. It takes about 5 minutes.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Make Money from home with eHow

My eHow Profile

Have you ever thought of becoming an paid author? Here's your chance! Sign up with eHow. Every time someone looks at your article you get paid. You'll need an email address and a PayPal account.

I've written 4 articles in the past 2 days. No one has read them yet. I'll keep you updated on how this works out for me.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Fast Frozen Meals

My husband and I recently bought a house so we're digging deep into our budget to find areas where we can cut back spending. We took on the task of charting our grocery purchases and found we spend A LOT of money on fast frozen meals. We were buying frozen lunches for every day of the week plus two or three frozen suppers. I decided to make the time in my schedule to cook more at home and freeze the leftovers. When it comes to meat, this is extremely easy and only adds a few minutes to my regular meal preparation. Say you're making 4 oven baked chicken breasts for supper. It's no harder to put 12 breasts in the oven than it is 4.

Freezing:
Once the extra chicken is cooked I let it cool off for about 15 minutes.

I line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Arrange the extra chicken so that none of the pieces touch each other (you don't want them to freeze together).

Freeze for 30 minutes then place in a zip-lock bag.

For extra protection against freezer burn you can wrap the meat before you put it in the bag. You can wrap it in butcher's paper, wax paper or I've heard that cling wrap is ok too.

Cooking
Some items, like frozen ravioli, can go right from freezing to cooking. Other items, like raw cookie dough, are best defrosted in the refrigerator for several hours before cooking. I often take frozen chicken right from the freezer to the microwave. Add a tortilla, cheese and a salad and you have a quick lunch.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Speed Stick Pit Your Luck Sweepstakes




I recently won a free one night stay at a hotel. Sweeping is worthwhile if you can make the time for it.

Friday, August 7, 2009

MainStays Brand Towels

Wal-Mart carries cheap MainStays brand towels. They're big, soft and cheap. Do NOT buy them. I bought a set of green and white bath towels, wash cloths and hand towels. I've had them less than a year. The wash cloths and hand towels ALL have large obvious discolorations on them. I don't use them as rags or use them with harsh cleaning products. We just use them to wash faces and dry hands. I will say the white bath towels are fine. White doesn't fade. The colored towels are not worth the price. I advise you to stay away from this brand.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Free School Supplies at CVS

Sunday August 2 through Tuesday August 4th

Pay with your CVS card, get reward bucks and your school supplies can be free. Items include erasers, glue sticks, notebooks, pens, pencils, protractors, scissors, rulers, book covers and folders.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Kid's Days at Bond Co. Fair

This Saturday from 1 - 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. the tickets for rides are $1.50 a piece.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

You don't need to buy a new bottle each time you run out of foaming hand soap, just reuse the dispenser. Fill half of your foaming hand soap dispenser with your favorite soap. Fill the other half with water and shake well.

Fabulous Deal on Chicken Breasts at IGA!

Thursday July 30th through Saturday August 1st at IGA:

Get a 3 lb bag of Green Peak Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for $4.89. This pricing is better than Wal-Mart!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Free Printable Coupons

www.couponsuzy.com
coupons.smartsource.com/
www.wow-coupons.com/
www.boxtops4education.com/coupons/

Some weeks I only save a couple dollars and some weeks I save $8 or more when I use coupons from the above websites. Smart Source has a coupon for $1 on Sylvania CFL bulbs. I also saw coupons for Yoplait and Cherrio's.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Back to School Sales

Effective Sunday July 26-Saturday August 1

Wal-Mart
Disregard the post about the plastic totes at Alco. Wal-mart has them cheaper and it's a brand I've heard of before. Sterilite 18-Gallon Tote $3.50 each. They're also advertising Elmer's glue and Crayola Crayons for $0.25 each

CVS (With card)
Colgate toothpaste $0.88 after extra bucks
100 sheet Caliber composition book FREE after extra buck.
Buy one get one free offers include:
Mechanical pencils, Backpacks, Sharpies, Index cards, Notebooks, Glue, Scissors, Wooden pencils, Invisible tape, Crayons

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Greenville Paper: Tuesday July 21, 2009

I found a suspicious looking advertisement for a work at home job in the Greenville Advocate today. It begins: ATTENTION MOMS. I looked up the phone number online and it led me to this website: http://www.mmacja.org/index.php?page=members/info.php&id=f4dcb230-95a8-4a53-bcc4-003831202ad4 . The ad and the website don't seem to match. If anyone decides to call and inquire about the job, let me know if it's bogus or not. In my experience, if an ad is too vague it's not something you want to get involved with. Trust me, I've tried it.

The Alco flier came in today's paper. They're extending their deal to buy two plastic totes for $10. I bought two last week. I have to say, they're fairly brittle. You can't be rough with them or they'll break. That being said, I still think it's a good deal and I'm glad I bought them. They come in cute colors too.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Recipe: Honey Butter

Ingredients
2 sticks of butter
1/4 cups honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Cut the butter into chunks using the dough scraper.
Place butter into the mixer and beat at low speed, using the whisk attachment to loosen the butter. Increase the speed to medium and add the honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for 2 hours.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/honey-butter-recipe/index.html

Thursday, July 16, 2009

$10,000 Sweepstakes

Register for free and enter once a day for your chance to win.

http://att.promo.eprize.com/walletpleaser/

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

8 chicken thighs, skinned (or whole cut up chicken)
1/2 c. flour1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (or crushed bullion cube)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt (opt.)
1/2 c. whole milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine flour and seasonings in wide bowl. Pour milk into second bowl. Dip chicken pieces into milk, then into seasoned flour, coating well. Place on baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Turn over; bake additional 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from one found on cooks.com

CVS Deals for July 19-25

Buy one get one free deals with CVS card:

Nature's Bounty vitamins or supplements
Beverages: Gatorade, Sobe or Izze
Various Kelloggs cereals
CVS batteries

Makeup:
Maybelline foundation, powder, blush, concealer or mascara
Revlon lip products (I love this stuff!)

School Supplies:
Pilot G2 pens
Bic markers and mechanical pencils
Paper Mate pens
CVS lose leaf paper
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only
CVS Memo notebooks
CVS No. 2 non-mechanical pencils
1" Vinyl binder

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Greenville Home Light - Inaugural Blog

Greenville Home Light - After a long day of work you come home, pull into your driveway and see a welcoming light inside your house. You know your family waits to greet you , love you and sometimes annoy you. You're glad to be home all the same.

I hope to use this small corner of the internet to create a place where we can share what works best and worst in our lives, including local deals, coupons, gardening tips, recipes, product reviews and advice about life, love, kids and work.

Sarah