New Recipe Posted

I just posted a new recipe for Jicama Slaw (vegan and gluten free)!

A Beautiful Day at the Dallas Farmer's Market!

On Sunday, we took a little trip over to Dallas to enjoy the Farmer's Market.  While there, we sampled and purchased lots of FRESH, locally grown produce. Although it wasn't a frugal trip, it was well worth the money spent knowing that we are supporting local farmers.

You have many choices at the Dallas Farmers Market. You can support local farmers, who bring their in-season, super-fresh vegetables and fruit to Shed 1 for sale every day, or you can opt for fresh produce brought in from all over the country. You can buy prepared foods or the ingredients to cook them. You can take classes to learn more about nutritional, healthy food, or you can schedule a special event for your organization or company. dallasfarmersmarket.org

Gorgeous peppers!

The mangoes and tomatoes were delicious!

Fresh Black-eyed peas remind me of my husband's grandmother "BawBaw" - she would buy them fresh in the summer and them freeze them to use all year.

This is our "haul" - fresh beets, mangoes, tomatoes, jicama, black-eyed peas, raspberries, peppers, pears, cabbage, cilantro, limes, garlic, onions, peaches, and corn.  We're gonna have fun cooking this week!

So proud of Our Yearbook!

I have been the yearbook rep at my school for 4 years and have thoroughly enjoyed working with *School Annual Publishing.

• The book is produced completely online - no picture developing, cutting, or pasting.  
• All of the school portraits are uploaded and can be flowed into the class pages with one easy click.  
• The candid photos can be uploaded into categorized folders and then placed on the pages by simply clicking and dragging. 
• A special photo upload link is also available for parents and students.
• School Annual offers a huge selection of designs and clip art to make your book unique and special.
• Products and prices vary based on your needs.  Our school made a 56 page, full color, soft-cover book with the "Flashbax" insert for under $15 per book!
• Customer service and tech support is excellent
• Production time is less than 6 weeks

If you are involved in producing your school's yearbook please check out School Annual Publishing before signing next year's contract!

A wide variety of covers are available to choose from or you can  use your own customized cover.

After you create your template for the class pages, "flowing" in the pictures is a breeze.

Creating "events" pages is fun and easy with the huge selection of clip art and background designs.

The "Flashbax" section recaps the year's events and trends - the kids love it!

*This is not a paid advertisement. I truly believe in this product and want to share it with others.

Look at the Good Deals I Found at Albertson's!

KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce .88

-$1/1 KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce or Marinade 5/15/2011 SS Insert (exp 7/17/2011)

=FREE!

Heinz Ketchup $1.88

-$0.50/1 Heinz Tomato Ketchup 5/22/2011 SS Insert (exp 6/19/2011)

= .88!

Knorr Rice Sides $1.00 each

-$0.50/2 Knorr Pasta and Rice Sides 5/22/2011 RP Insert (exp 7/30/2011)

= .50 each!

Smuckers Strawberry Preserves $2.89

-$0.55/1 Smucker's Jam, Jelly, Preserves or Fruit Spread Product, exp. 7-30-11 (RP 05/22/11)

-$0.50 Monopoly coupon

=$1.84 each!

Del Monte Green Beans .88 

-$0.50 Monopoly coupon

=.38 each!

Lance Cracker Creations $1.49

$1/1 Lance Cracker Creations Sandwich Crackers (printable)

= .49 each!

SoyJoy Bars $1.49 each

-B2G1 SoyJoy Single Bars 4/17/2011 SS Insert (exp 5/31/2011)

=$1.00 each!

Fuze or Fuze Slenderize $1.00 

-$1/2 Fuze or Fuze Slenderize 4/10/2011 SS Insert (exp 7/10/2011)

= .50 each!

Hefty Plates and Cups .99

-$0.55/2 Hefty Plates or Cups 5/22/2011 RP Insert (exp 9/30/2011)

= .72 each!

Cutter Bug Repellent  $2.74

-$1.50/1 Cutter Any Product 5/22/2011 RP Insert (exp 8/31/2011)

=$1.24 each!

No Coupons on Sunday

There will be no coupons in Sunday's newspaper due to Memorial Day.  This is a great time to check out PRINTABLE COUPONS:  Coupons.com, SmartSource.com, RedPlum.com, CouponMountain.com, or check out my Coupon Database if you are looking for something specific!  

Have a great weekend!

Do You Groupon?

To Sign up click HERE!

I love Groupon! Every day I get an email informing me of the daily deal. Some of my latest deals include:

• $10 for $20 worth of spices and teas at the Spice and Tea Exchange located in the Ft. Worth Stockyards
• $10 for $20 at Nothing Bundt Cakes located on Camp Bowie Blvd
• $5 for $10 at Frogberry located in the TCU area
• $10 for $20 at Hot Tubs Grotto on Trail Lake Dr.

Attention Texas Teachers: Free Teacher Passes to SeaWorld San Antonio!

SeaWorld in San Antonio is offering a complimentary Fun Card to all active and certified K-12 grade school instructors. The 2011 Fun Card, allows unlimited admission to SeaWorld San Antonio now through the end of the year.

Meet Super Shoppers Marie and Cheri!

Check out the Super Shoppers page and meet two awesome ladies with mad couponing skills!

Stack Albertson's Monopoly Coupons with Manufacturers Coupons and SAVE!

If you have been playing the Monopoly game at Albertson's, then you probably have a bunch of the coupons that are inside the game piece cards you receive every time you shop there.

Did you know that these are considered in-store coupons and can be stacked with manufacturers coupons?  Here are a few sample matchups I had in my own collection (In some cases the mfg coupon will double or triple):

 $1.05 off Smuckers!

 $1.50 off Heinz Ketchup!

 Use 1 Monopoly coupon and get $1.50 off 2 boxes Fiber Plus Bars or

use 2 Monopoly coupons and get $2.00 off 2 boxes!

 $1.25 off Hershey's candy!

 $1.20 off Fiber Plus Cereal!

 $2.00 off Energizer batteries!

Use 1 Monopoly coupon and get $2.50 off 2 pkg Special K Bars or

Use 2 Monopoly coupons and get $3.00 off 2!

Quick Trip to Walgreen's

I haven't been to Walgreen's for a few weeks so I decided to do a quick trip to add to my stockpile. I only spent $4!

Cottonelle 12 pk Bathroom tissue $5.00
-$1/1 Walgreen's May Savings Book
Final Cost: $4.00
Carefree Pantiliners .99
$1/1 Carefree Product 5/8/2011 SS Insert (exp 6/30/2011)
Final Cost: Free!

Total spent: $4.00
Total saved: $6.00

Check out some great Walgreen's scenarios for the week of 5/22 at Passion For Savings or Keeping the Kingdom First.

Not Your Mother's Bundt Cake

Remember in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when the groom's parents brought a bundt cake to the party and the Greek mom put a flower in the hole? Well, I have found some bundt cakes that aren't anything like your mother's bundt cakes! Nothing Bundt Cakes is a unique bakery with locations in TX, CA, AZ, CO, NE, UT, NE & NV. I found out about it through Groupon. I got a $20 Groupon for $10! This store is really amazing. When you walk in, you are hit with the sweet aroma of cake and the comfortable vibe. Mmmmm....even better, there are samples! Today we tasted cinnamon swirl - fluffy, moist, and homey! The cakes are frosted with thick ribbons of frosting and can be decorated elaborately to fit any occasion. We decided on 5 "bundtlets" so we could try some different flavors: Red Velvet, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Raspberry, Pecan Praline, and Almond Poppyseed. In Fort Worth they are located at 4603 Camp Bowie Blvd. I cannot wait to dig into these!

Got $1 flip flops and some other good deals at Old Navy!

My daughter and I got out early this morning to take advantage of the $1 flip flop deal at Old Navy. They were also handing out water bottles and cereal bars PLUS this coupon:

She picked up 2 ribbed tanks for $5 each and 2 cute cotton dresses for $10 each!

Dollar Deals - One Week Left!

Great downloadable books for only $1! Click HERE!

Coupon Sleeve Pages for Binders

Looking for coupon sleeves?  This is where I got mine!:

I like these because they hold large coupons and printable coupons.  I also have the pages with 9 pockets for the smaller coupons.  Need more info on organizing your coupons?  Click on my "Get Organized!" page.

My friend, Cheri the Super Shopper, has an awesome binder.  She gave me a few different kinds of pages:  Some hold 3 long coupons (like store Catalinas and those really long, obnoxious coupons).  Some hold 4 big square coupons (like the big pull out ones from magazines or the kind you get in the mail). She found hers on E-Bay.  She is so organized!

This binder of Cheri's is just for her Health and Beauty products! She has a separate binder for  food!
She is my epic hero!

*I am an Amazon Affiliate and receive a small commission for items sold.  No compensation was received for this post and all opinions are my own.

Simply beautiful!

I love all of the items from Gamiworks. They are so simple yet beautiful. These pocket mirrors are a great value and would make great end of year gifts for your teacher friends and helpers. Pocket Mirrors Preppy Collection Set of 5 Japanese by gamiworks

WooHoo Field Day Tomorrow!

My students are so excited for field day. Our PE teacher really makes it a wonderful day.  She has stations set up around the playground for the students rotate through.  I am so excited about spending the whole day outside relaxing and spending time with my kids.  I love to teach, but we all need a play day every once in a while!  What kinds of fun things are you doing to celebrate a wonderful year of hard work and learning?

New Page Added: Super Shopper

I have added a new page called "Super Shoppers".  Here I will profile real people getting real deals.  If you would like to be profiled and show off a great shopping trip, hit my "Like" button and send me a message on Facebook.  I would love to hear from you!

Really Good Product Giveaway: May 15-21, 2011

This is a great product from **ReallyGoodStuff. Enter to win, but even if you don't win, consider purchasing this as an end of year gift for your students. 32 autograph frames are only $12.99 (plus shipping). That's less than .50 a piece!

Really Good Product Giveaway: May 15-21, 2011 | The Teachers' Lounge: Entering to win is as easy as leaving a relevant comment on any blog article on the ReallyGoodStuff site between Sunday, May 15th and Saturday, May 21st at 3pm EST. One random winner will be selected and announced on Sunday, May 22nd. Enter as often as you like by commenting on as many blog articles as you would like to. Good luck !
**I do not receive compensation for blogging about ReallyGoodStuff.  As a teacher, I just appreciate the quality products and great values and want to share them!

Awesome Find! S. Fritz Studio, Inc.

Stephanie Fritz is a busy mom of 3 boys but manages to find time to make incredible creations! Her colorful and whimsical jewelry, accessories, and prints are one of a kind and would make the perfect end-of- year gifts for fellow teachers and friends.  She sells locally at the Historic Camp Bowie Mercantile or visit her Etsy store at S Fritz Studio Inc by sfritzstudio on Etsy.

Half Price Books - Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program

My family LOVES Half-Price Books. Teachers can get a 10% discount which has been very useful for building my classroom library. Here's some information about their summer reading program: Half Price Books - Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program

HAPPY READING!

See what Coupon Cat has to Say

Coupon Cat Says.....

Cran-Raspberry-Lime Punch Recipe

Due to budget cuts in education, there are are a record number of teacher retirements this year.  Therefore there are a record number of teacher retirement parties.  After 19 years, one of the best Special Ed teachers in Texas is retiring to spend more time with her family and traveling...good for her!  I was in charge of the punch.  Here is my recipe for a delicious cran-raspberry-lime punch.  It can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled to meet your crowd requirements. Look on my Recipes Page for this awesome recipe!

There are just weeks like these....

Does it seem like some weeks all you do is shop and get awesome deals, and other weeks you barely go into a store?  The latter is one of those weeks for me.  It has been so crazy around here lately that sitting down and planning out a good shopping trip has been out of the question. I'm getting the "itch" to get out there though...I think I'm going through Walgreen's withdrawal - I haven't been there for TWO WEEKS and I know there are some good deals waiting for me there. I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, be watching my recipes page for a great punch recipe and my Countdown page to see how I'm doing in my classroom this week! Have a wonderful day!

Look what I got!

I have had a CVS extracare card for years.  I have also used the online photo services. I just joined extracare email and received $4 off a $20 purchase!!!!

Countdown to...

This isn't me, but it's how I feel as the end of year approaches. 

So much to do!!!

Countown to....the Last Day of School - Week 1
There are 4 weeks before school ends.  If you are like me, you have a lot of stuff in your room and have probably accumulated  more stuff over the school year.  My goal is to work over the next 4 weeks, in an organized fashion, on weeding out, throwing/giving away extras, packing up, and being ready so I'm not the last one out of the building on the last day of school.  Follow along as I make a plan for the upcoming week and then report on it at the end of the week.  Hopefully, by laying out my plan for the world to see, I will be more likely to stick to it!

Check out my new page...Coupon Cat Says....

My feline friend Abbey is never too far away when I work on couponing.  She loves to be right where the action is.  See what kind of advice she has to offer on my new page:  Coupon Cat Says...

Check out my mom's potato salad recipe!

When I think of comfort food, the first thing that pops into my head is my MOM'S POTATO SALAD.  It's so simple, but oh so delicious.  It's slightly sweet and a little tangy. As a tribute to my mom for Mother's Day, I am sharing her recipe:Check it out on my "Recipes"page!

2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 6 | The Teachers' Lounge at ReallyGoodStuff

Set of 3 Cute School Bus boxes only $8.99! 2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 6 | The Teachers' Lounge

2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 5 | The Teachers' Lounge

Be sure and check out the 2011 Deal of the Day Preview: Day 5 | The Teachers' Lounge.  Can't afford these?  Check out my frugal solution on My Classroom page using stretchy bookcovers!

New Recipes for Mexican Casserole and Mango Salsa

Be sure to head over to my Recipes page for MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE, VEGETARIAN MEXICAN CASSEROLE, AND MANGO SALSA recipes!!!

FortWorthChild - A Day in the Life of Sarah Brockway

So proud of my teacher friend Sarah. She is a gifted teacher AND photographer. Check it out: FortWorthChild - A Day in the Life of Sarah Brockway

Business 2 Blogger. Find a Blogger. Product Reviews.

Hey Bloggers: check out this great opportunity: Aren’t you sick of the huge Blogs getting all the glory? Business2Blogger finally levels the playing field by giving you firsthand notification of PAID review and posting opportunities in your inbox. Business 2 Blogger. Find a Blogger. Product Reviews.

From Scholastic: End of Year Ideas, Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Summer Reading (Gr. 1-2)

Teacher Update: End of Year Ideas, Mother's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Summer Reading (Gr. 1-2)