A Note on Freebies

My name is Laura and I am addicted to freebies. There, I said it. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Ever since I lost my job and discovered this new world of couponing and deal hunting, I have become obsessed with the idea of getting as much stuff as possible for free. I'm trying not to let it rule my life, and I am trying even harder to resist getting something for free if I do not need it. Sometimes, I fail.
To this end, on Saturday I knew that there would be free lip gloss at Estee Lauder counters around the country. Did I need free lip gloss? No. But did I want some? Yes. Plus I was in the area of a store that was participating in the freebie, so I decided to stop in.
The store I went to is called Von Maur. I've never shopped there before and most likely won't again. I was expecting them to be upscale and snooty about it, and they lived up to my expectations!
When I arrived there was no one manning the Estee Lauder counter, so someone from another counter offered to help. When I told her I was there for the free lip gloss, the look of disdain was clear on her face. She had to ask another person about the offer, who first confirmed that they were near the register. Then, to her horror, when she asked what I'd be buying to get the lip gloss, I told her it was just supposed to be free. She looked incredulously at the other woman, who nodded her head with pursed lips. Begrudgingly she went behind the counter and got me my lip gloss, which I took and left with a smile.
It helps that I have no desire to ever shop at this store, otherwise I might have been embarrassed to be such a freebie junkie. Also, if an Estee Lauder representative had been at the counter, I would have been more apt to at least pretend to be interested in their product, but as that wasn't the case I didn't feel the need. I have a feeling I would have never done this in my old life (just about 2 months ago), but apparently living leaner can drive me to do formerly unspeakable things - like getting free samples without a purchase!

Weekend Shopping - Walgreens

I am still getting used to shopping at Walgreen's, so I didn't do as well as I could have this weekend.

Goody hair elastics, paid $2, got $2 in RR
Christmas pencil - paid $.39 (apparently there was a coupon I could have used for this but I missed it)

Total OOP: $.57 (used $2 RR from previous purchase)

So, to round up my first week of Walgreen's shopping, I got:

1 Gillette Fusion Razor
2 Dove deodorants
1 nail clipper
1 Goody hair elastics
1 pencil

Total Spent (including tax) - $9.35

Total RR Remaining - $2.00

I think this is pretty decent for my first try! We'll see how next week goes...

Weekend Shopping - Hen House

I got some incredible deals at Hen House on Saturday! It was their holiday open house so I got to try quite a few samples and they were having a one-day sale.

• Rotel Tomatoes: 3 cans on sale for $.79, saved $1.53
• Wonder Bread: On sale for $1.28, saved $1.61 (this was even cheaper @ Hy-Vee but we needed it for lunch that day and I didn't want to make an extra stop)
• Fritos: On sale for $1.48, saved $1.51
• Grande tortilla chips: On sale for $1.88, saved $1.61
• Kraft singles: On sale for 2/$3, saved $2.30
• Florida's Natural orange juice: On sale for $1.98, less $1 coupon, saved $2.37
• Blue Bunny ice cream: On sale for $1.49, used 2 $1 coupons, saved $6.72
• Onions: 3lb bag on sale for $.99, saved $2.01
• Russet potatoes: On sale for 3lbs/$.99, savings unknown as they didn't ring up on my receipt!
• Got $.20 off for using reusable bags!

Total Spent: $12.73

Total Saved: $19.86!!!

Weekend Shopping - Target Deals

Here are the deals I got at Target this weekend:

• Cottonelle toilet paper, 24 double rolls: $11.99 less $1 off coupon - Target didn't have their regular price posted but Wal-Mart's price was $14.42, so I saved $3.43!
• Purina dog treats: $2.84, used B1G1 free coupon, saved $2.84
• 2 12-packs of Dr. Pepper: On sale for $2.50 each less 2 $1 coupons, saved $5.98
• Barilla pasta: Not on sale (didn't plan that very well) but used $.75/2 coupon, saved $.75
• Iams Dog Food: Was not on sale but we had to have it...Went on sale the next day so I took my receipt back and got a refund, saved $2.80
• Also got $.05 for bringing a reusable bag!

Total Spent: $36.20
Total Saved: $15.85

Dinner Tonight: Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo

We tried something new tonight! I've made fettucine alfredo before but usually try to stay away from it because it is so loaded with butter, cream and cheese - all things good for the taste buds but not the arteries! However, I bought some shrimp on sale last week and when trying to decide what to do with it, this was hubby's suggestion. I found this recipe online and followed it somewhat, though since I made two separate batches it needed quite a bit more milk and corn starch to get to our desired thickness.

The meal was a surprising success. When asked if it reminded him of Olive Garden, hubby said it was even better! Pretty decent praise even considering Olive Garden isn't our favorite Italian restaurant.
I added some ingredients to mine to make it more like Shrimp Czarina, my favorite dish at Jazz. It definitely wasn't as good as Jazz but it was tasty!

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Estimated Cost of Meal

Shrimp: $3.75
Pasta: $1
Milk: $.50
Cheese: $1.25
Butter: $.05
Veggies: $.75
Lemon: $.30

Total: $7.60

Former Life Total: Cost of dinner @ Olive Garden: $41.00 (this is the actual amount spent on our last visit there in our former life)
Leaner Life Savings: $33.40 or 81%

Dinner Tonight: Kokopelli Mexican Cantina

Ok, so we cheated on our meal plan two nights in a row. Tonight we were exhausted from a long day of deal finding, basketball and our nephew's first birthday party, so we decided to go out to eat. We had $20 in rewards from our KC Originals card and we decided to use them at Kokopelli Mexican Cantina.
I had the Saturday night special, sour cream enchiladas. These were made with a sour cream and green chili sauce, stuffed with chicken and cheddar cheese and topped with green onions. They were so good! They reminded me of a dish my mom used to make that hubby doesn't like so I never get to eat it anymore! The sauce was creamy but not too rich and had just a hint of a kick from the green chilis. It came with black beans and rice. The beans were a bit soupy for my taste but had a good flavor.
Hubby had a beef chimichanga. It comes with a side of guacamole which he enjoyed. He liked the chimichanga but said that he needed to take an entire box of Lactaid before eating it since it contained about a pound of cheese!
We used $17.50 of our rewards and only spent cash of $5.35 for tax/tip so really that's cheaper than I could have cooked at home!

Dinner Tonight: Westport Flea Market

Oops - we didn't end up eating the grilled cheese & soup tonight as planned. Instead, I met up with a friend at Westport Flea Market. For those who haven't been there, it's one of the strangest places to eat - it really is inside a flea market - but they make a really good burger!
I had a "mini" burger with cheddar cheese. Mini means 5.5 oz instead of 10 oz. I can't even imagine eating the 10 oz one! The burgers are greasy, but in a yummy bar food kind of way. They come with choice of side, but I always go with the standard curly fries. There is a condiment bar to add your own toppings. I love the 1000 island dressing!
They also offer a $5 off coupon that comes in some of my coupon mailers, which makes this a pretty reasonable dinner. Their drinks are really expensive ($2.50 for an iced tea) but bottomless - we were there for about 3 hours and they kept trying to give us refills!

Overall I spent about $8 which wasn't too bad for a great burger and good times!