Friday, February 26, 2010

Sonny's Day in Court

On soaps, there are often intertwined story lines and things that make you say, What??? Take for example one line on General Hospital right now.

Local mob boss, Sonny, was married to the other mob boss's daughter, Claudia. Before they married, Claudia put a hit out on Sonny, which missed and shot Sonny's son Michael. Michael was in a coma for over a year and when he came out his personality had changed dramatically. Sonny, of course, did not know that it was his own wife who had ordered the hit--even though most of Port Charles knew. Eventually, Sonny was told and it came out at Claudia's big birthday party in front of all their family and friends. Claudia in gangster fashion, took Sonny's pregnant ex-wife (and Michael's mother) hostage. In true soap style, Carly went into labor in an abandoned cabin and Claudia helped deliver the baby. Claudia who had just lost a baby herself, slipped a groove and decided that she would steal Carly's baby and make a run for it. Just as she was making her escape, Michael entered the cabin, whacking Claudia on the noggin, killing her instantly.

The grand plan of the mobster, his ex-wife and henchmen? Cover up! Of course, no one would believe that Michael, a young boy of what 17 or 18, acted in self defense since he is Sonny's son, so the big cover up begins.

Enter Dominic/Dante, an undercover NYC cop, who has infiltrated Sonny's mob family in an effort to take the mob down. Unbeknownst to the cop, he is the son of said mob boss. He finds out only AFTER he goes to arrest Sonny and Sonny shoots him. *shaking head*

Now Sonny wracked with guilt over shooting his own son, and still trying to stay one step ahead of the police in the Claudia cover up is facing his day in court. Luckily for him, Dante has told the police that he accidentally shot himself in Sonny's house. And the police believe him, yea right! LOL

Sonny  is facing charges for Claudia's murder. One son, Michael, knows Sonny is taking the wrap to cover up for him. Michael even goes to the PCPD to confess to Claudia's murder, except no one believes him. Another son, Morgan, tries to get Dante to leave the police force and join the mob so that everyone will be happy. And then there is Dante, who although wants Sonny to go down for Claudia's murder, is kind of torn up about knowing that the mob boss he has hated his whole life, is his father.

Dante, of course, is called to testify. And Michael is tormented because his dad (well, we all know that AJ is really Michael's father, but whatever...) is taking the fall for him. It should be interesting to see what happens in the weeks ahead. Especially knowing that Jax has used his influence to get a high powered prosecutor to try the case.

I love General Hospital. I have always loved Sonny's tormented soul. And I really love his dimples. It is  good to see that Dante inherited that trait from his father!!

Tune in to GH weekdays on ABC or SoapNet every night. Here in the east, GH is on at 3pm!!

 I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.”






Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Seeing is Believing



I am very much a visual person so I like seeing pictures of other people's deal. I guess that is why I post mine. I like to see it all on the table. Just saying 11 boxes of cereal doesn't do anything for me but seeing those 11 boxes, I can really get a feel for what people save.

So here are my Publix deals for this week. Love the Viva Italia sale that they had! Progresso Soup!!! Pasta!! Great stuff for Lent!

Here is the run-down for today:
4 pizza crust
2 frozen garlic bread
9 boxes of frosted mini wheats
2 boxes of cheerios
4 boxes of muffin mix
12 boxes of pasta
12 boxes of Zataran's bean/rice varieties
12 cans of lenten soups
9 cans of tomatoes in various styles (whole, diced, crushed, sauce)
3 bottles of olive oil
4 bottles of salad dressing
4 jars of pasta sauce
8 boxes of broth
2 bags of cheese puffs



Total before sales/coupons: 216.06
Store specials: 103.90
Coupons: 40.60
Total out of pocket: 71.56

A total savings of 144.50 or 67% !!

This more than I usually spend at Publix but the Progresso soup is a must during lent. My husband takes his lunch to work and he really enjoys the soup! The Zataran's is good too for a quick lunch on Saturday or Sunday...and no meat in those either. And who doesn't eat a ton of pasta during Lent??? LOL I know we do!!

I had to a bit of rearranging in the pantry to get everything in but I think that is a good thing. Funny thing though---we still are out of ketchup! LOL

Happy Savings!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Back to CVS

Poor picture quality, sorry. I was trying to get things cleaned up before hubby got home and did not succeed. LOL

I went to CVS today because I had some ECBs that was going to expire this week. My goal at CVS is to build my stockpile back up and just get out with SOME ECBs. I used to get so upset if I got back less bucks than I spent but realize that that doesn't really matter. As long as I have ECBs to roll, I am good.

So today I got:
1 tub of gum (needed a filler LOL)
1 Colgate toothpaste
1 Crest toothpaste
1 4-pk of disposable razors
4 Glade Sense and Spray starter kits
4 Sobe Life Water

Total before coupons: 41.96
Minus coupons used: 21.34
Total: 20.62+tax
Used 22.00 in ECBs and ended up paying 1.34 out of pocket

I got back 15.50 in ECBs to use next time and I still have 5 or 6 from last time.

The best deal was the Glade. They are $6 each. I had $4 off coupons for each one making them $2 each. If you buy $12 worth (2 Sense and Spray so $4 after coupons) you get back $4 in ECBs which makes them free!

And I added 2 tubes of toothpaste to my stash!

Another High Five at Publix...

I was thinking that I would not go to Publix this week but then I saw our cereal supply dwindling (and by dwindling I mean, we were down to 3 boxes) so I decided to get my stuff together and head out. It looks like a bunch of junk but most of  it will keep for a while. I also was telling my daughters that for 30 cents for 3 dozen cookies--fresh made...You can't beat that!

So here is what I got today:
5 Yoplait Fiber One yogurt
10 Pillsbury ready to bake cookies
3 Steamfresh Meal for 2 (Shrimp Alfredo yum)
4 boxes of Frosted Flakes
3 boxes of Fruit Loops
6 cans of almonds
12 boxes of fruit snacks
6 pouches of cookie mix (each pk makes 3 dozen cookies)


Total before sales/coupons: 152.04
Advertised specials: 76.73
Coupons: 33.40
Total out of pocket: 41.91

A savings of 110.13 or 72%

This coming week looks to be good at Publix as well. They will have Progresso soup BOGO!! That is my husband's favorite to take for lunch during Lent so hopefully I can score some of that. It seems that Publix has a much better variety of soup than my local (and by local, I mean across the street LOL) Food Lion.

I searched for the the older male cashier that I was told gets very excited if you save a lot but he was working the express lane so I couldn't go to him. But I did find my fave, Tammie!! She got so excited ringing my coupons. I love it when a cashier gets excited too. As we were leaving I told my girls that I just don't understand people who say they can't save with coupons. Even if you only save 25 cents, it is still worth it.

Today I was sitting at the dining room table getting my "deals" together, my oldest came out of his room, saw me and started chuckling. He said, "Some people bring their work home with them. Papers, graphs, all that stuff. And then there's you and your coupons. Look at the table, it is covered!" LOL I said, "Well, you haven't complained about the 11 boxes of Toaster Strudel or all the goodies I get with my coupons." He replied that he wasn't complaining, he just thought it was funny that couponing is my *job*. LOL

Brand Ambassador!!!!

It is no secret among those who know me well that I am a big fan of ABC Daytime! I started watching ABC Soaps with my Grandmother when I was a little girl. I can remember watching Ryan's Hope while she did crochet or quilted in her living room. My love for them continued through my teen years as my brother and I skipped after school activities to watch Luke and Laura get married. We talked about characters like they were part of our family. When playing "house" in the basement, our neighbors or spouses were named Scotty, Robert, Anna, Frisco or Felicia.

As I grew older, I would go through spurts as I am sure all soap fans do. You watch every day then you come to a point when you still watch but not as much as you once did. Then a story line shows up that makes you WANT to watch! You can't wait for 3pm to come so you can see what trouble Sonny and Jason will get into next!! Or why James Franco decided to do a guest stint! LOL

Right now on GH, I am loving Lulu and Dante/Dominic. They are such a cute couple! And who doesn't love that Helena is back to strike fear in the hearts of all she comes in contact with!! Makes you wish that Stavros and Stefan would pop back in!!

So why am I talking about General Hospital when previously I just bragged about my shopping? I have been chosen to be part of the General Hospital Brand Ambassador Program through MomCentral. What a neat opportunity!! I admit I get jealous of those "BigDealMoms" on twitter. And while I might not be a Big Deal, my love of ABC Daytime has paid off!

Do you love GH? You might want to head over to MomCentral to enter the contest they currently have running. You could win a trip to LA, a tour of the General Hospital set and a walk-on role!! The contest is open until February 28th so jump over there and enter!!

Disclaimer:

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.”

Monday, February 8, 2010

Another Successful Publix Trip


I am finally getting excited about deal shopping again. It is my job as a wife to use my husband's money wisely! Just as I need to make time for my daily prayers, I need to take time to get my household in order and that includes being frugal.

Today I made another trip to Publix. I got all that you see in the picture (minus one bag of Pita chips that my store helper and I munched on while going home. LOL) for 37.38.

10 pks of yogurt
2 Ranch veggie dip
2 Sour cream
2 jars of pickles
6 mustard
4 boxes of Special K
5 boxes of crackers
2 Velveeta cheese
4 jars of peanuts
4 boxes of mac/cheese
3 bags of pita chips

Before sales and coupons: 121.88
Store sales: 53.70
Coupons: 30.80
Total out of pocket: 37.38

Two weeks ago the cashier gave me a high-five. This week, Shauna and her bagger, cheered and clapped after having me read how much I saved. LOL They told me that one of the other cashiers practically throw a parade if you save a lot! I told them that maybe next week I will go to him. LOL

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Another week...another trip to Publix

I didn't get too much since there wasn't much on the BOGO that we would really use. But this next week looks to be a GREAT Publix shopping week.

This trip I got:
2 bags of mozzerella bites (will be great for our Super Bowl party)
10 bags of Chex Mix (again, for party or evening snack attacks)
2 boxes of popcorne
2 bottles salad dressing
5 4-pks of yogurt
6 boxes of graham crackers in different "flavors"
11 boxes of Toaster Strudels

Total before sales and coupons: 120.03
Advertised specials: 59.08
Coupons: 25.00

Total out of pocket: 35.95

Total Savings----70% !!!

It was a great trip but sadly I had to explain to the cashier that I bought 11 toaster strudels and that the coupons were for 11. I don't know why she was so confused. I guess because 5 of the coupons said "when you buy 2" so she was thinking I needed an even number? I don't know (I had one coupon that was for just one). At any rate, I finally showed her, here are 11 boxes, this coupon goes with these two; this one goes with these two...etc.... *shaking head* Oh well, another cashier to avoid at Publix. I looked for my fave Tammie but she was not there.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

This is our last "normal" fasting week and then comes Meatfare Sunday the last day we can eat meat until Pascha in April. Fasting is supposed to be a time of drawing closer to God. We aren't supposed to think so much about the food and more about God. Not so for me, preparing and thinking about Lenten meals is so hard for me. I get stressed out and feel discouraged by the whole thing. I know it isn't supposed to be that way but for me it is. I need to try harder this Lenten season to plan our meals in advance and make sure that we have a lot of options.

I prepared my menu plan for the next two weeks (and already shopped--except for a few things):

Monday, 1st: corn dog muffins; chicken
Tuesday, 2nd: sandwiches; shepherd's pie (requested by girls to have "before Lent starts")
Wednesday, 3rd: fish stick; spaghetti
Thursday, 4th: chicken patties; turkey dinner
Friday, 5th: pizza rolls; tuna casserole
Saturday, 6th: leftovers; McDonald's--our last hamburgers before Lent LOL
Sunday, the 7th--Meatfare Sunday: Super Bowl Party---finger food type things
Monday, 8th: PB&J; potato soup
Tuesday, 9th: fish sticks; cabbage & pasta
Wednesday, 10th: mac/cheese; grilled cheese
Thursday, 11th: spaghetti o's; makaronapita (or phyllo-roni as my daughter calls it)
Friday, 12th: lunch ??; spaghetti
Saturday, 13th: leftovers