Bass Pro Shops: FREE Santa's Wonderland Event and Crafts

Bass Pro Shops will be hosting "Santa's Wonderland". They have a 3500-square-foot magical village for kids comprised of both animated and live elves, Lionel and Bachmann old-time model trains, The Strike Bass Fishing Game, Fisher Price remote control cars, slot car racing, a Red Ryder laser arcade, a Nerf soft gun range and activity tables where kids can write a letter to Santa, color and do fun holiday crafts every weekend, and it's absolutely FREE!

Get a FREE 4 x 6 photo with Santa and his reindeer during select timeframes (during the week and weekends).

FREE weekend activities where children can make crafts from 12-5pm on the following days:

December 5-6: Reindeer Hat
December 12-13: Candy Cane Reindeer
December 19-20: Cookie Decorating

Check here for a store near you!

The Knack @ Michaels - Santa's Workshop Free Event - Saturday, December 5, 2009

The Knack @ Michaels will be hosting a Santa’s Workshop FREE Make-It Take It event tomorrow (Saturday, December 5, 2009) from 10:00am – 1:00pm. Don’t miss this Free Family Event. Children get to make great gifts for loved ones and friends. Plus, a free demonstration on the American Girl Crafts Paper Chain Friendship Bracelet. While supplies last.

Lowe's Build & Grow Workshop - Saturday, December 5 & 12, 2009

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics will be a gingerbread house on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 10:00am-11:00pm. Be sure to register for the event. Many of the local Lowe's have made it mandatory because of the number of families taking advantage of this free event.

You may want to register for the Christmas tree ornament workshop scheduled for Saturday, December 12, 2009.

Home Depot Kids Workshop - Saturday, December 5, 2009

The Home Depot Kids Workshop for December will take place this weekend.

December 5th @ Home Depot – 9am-noon: Wagon

The Biggest Loser Workout DVDs

Amazon has the 2 new The Biggest Loser workout DVDs for just $9.99. If you are a fan of the show or know someone that is, these might be something that you could add to your collection of workout videos or purchase as a Christmas gift.

I placed my order this morning and am looking forward to receiving them.

The Biggest Loser: The Workout - 30-Day Jump Start

The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Last Chance Workout

Walmart: AWESOME Wii Deal - Starting December 5th

A couple days ago Amanzon had a deal on the Wii Gaming System where you got a $20 gift card, now it’s Walmart’s turn. They are going to have an awesome deal on the Wii Gaming system starting at 8:00am on December 5, 2009 until December 12, 2009 or until supplies run out. When you a Wii for $199, you will receive a $50 Walmart Gift Card! This offer will only be good in-stores. For more information, click here.

Meijer 2 Day Sale - December 2-3, 2009

Meijer is having a 2 Day Sale on December 2-3, 2009. You can view the full ad here.

There are several items that are Buy One, Get One for $1. They include:
Fall Creek Women’s Cold Weather Accessories
Fall Creek Men’s Cold Weather Accessories
Fall Creek Girls’ or Boys’ Turtlenecks
Fall Creek of CC Hughes Misses’ or Women’s Plus Size Turtleneck
Massini Misses’ Long Sleeve Knit Tops
Athletic Shoes for the Family (Excludes Skechers, Everyday Best Price and clearance items)
All Men’s Belts and Wallets
Fashion Handbags (Excludes Massini)

Pop Secret Popcorn 3ct - $1.29 ($1.00/2 11-8-09 SS)

Walgreens: 4 Day Sale - December 2-5, 2009

Walgreens has released a mid-week 4 Day Sale ad good December 2-5, 2009. You can see the full ad here. I wanted to pass along to you the free items.

Complete Multi-Purpose Solution 12oz - $7.99 ($1.00/1 10-25-09 RP)

Natrol Acai 60ct - $4

Goody Ouchless Hair Accessories - $2 Includes 27 or 50 pack Elastics and Flexible Tips Headband

Dentek Dental Care - $1.99 Includes 35 to 90 ct Floss Picks and Floss (55 yds)

Soft & Beautiful Botanicals Relaxer Kit or Texturizer - $5

Amazon: 5 Free Classical Christmas Songs

You can get five X5 Free Classical Sampler - Classical Christmas songs from Amazon.

PetCo: Free Pet Photo With Santa - December 5, 2009

It’s not naughty to want a FREE photo! PALS members get a Santa photo FREE with any purchase on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. While supplies last. Click here for more information.

Find a PETCO store near you.

Walmart: Free Photo With Santa - December 5th and 6th, 2009

Get your free photo with Santa at @WalMart on December 5th and 6th, 2009. The free photos will be taken from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. No appointments - just walk up and get in line!

Local Readers: Free Personalized Call From Santa

Back again this year - a free personalized call from Santa. For the local readers, you may have done this last year but I wanted to post it for those that may not know about it or maybe forgot about it. We had so much fun with this in the past couple years.

Cincinnati Bell will be sending personalized phone calls from Santa to good boys and girls. These calls are free. However, the calls can only be made to the following area codes: 513, 812, 859, and 937. You even get to pick the date and the time frame the call is made. They have a list of boy and girl names to choose from. Hopefully, your child's name is in there so it can be personalized and they can think that Santa really called them. Click here to set up your call(s). You can set up more than one call to the same number; they just can't be at the same time frame.

Unfortunately, my name didn't make the list...but that's ok, my sister's didn't either. Oh, wait - it did say calls to good boys and girls. "Good" being the key word!

Kroger: Gift Card Mega Event - Save $10 Instantly

If you are planning on buying some gift cards for the holidays, you may want to think about getting them at Kroger. Right now you will get $10 off instantly at checkout when you buy $100 in gift cards. That makes it only $90 for $100 in gift cards! The participating cards are Bath & Body Works, Applebee's, Best Buy, Spa Finder, iTunes, Sears, Bass Pro Shop, and Pottery Barn. There is a limit of 5 $10 rewards per household. To learn more about this promotion, click here.

We knew that we were going to shop at Best Buy and Bath & Body Works for Christmas gift so we purchased some gift cards to do our shopping and have already saved $20!

Menu Plan Monday - 11/30/2009

I’m back. My schedule has been crazy lately. My fiancé has been doing much of the cooking. I make him a list of the “meats” we have and have him do that part. Once I get home, I match up a side item with the meal. It’s worked for us. However, this week he will be working further from home and will not make it home before me. It means back to menu planning to avoid dinner-time meltdown. I don’t want to leave my kids without dinner on their plates or let them find their own sugary less than healthy dinner.

1. Turkey Shepherds pie w/Thanksgiving Leftovers

2. Homemade Pizza

3. Open Face Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches (WW Comfort Classic Cookbook)

4. Ham & Bean Soup w/Thanksgiving Leftovers

5. Caribbean Chicken, Southwest Black Bean Salad (Kids – Homemade chicken strips and French fries)

6. Honey Pork Chops, sweet potato fries, salad

To see other menu plans, visit I'm an Organized Junkie.

Walgreens: December Coupon Booklet

Walgreens has a new coupon booklet out that you should look for in-store. It has over $160 in savings in it. For a detailed list of all the coupons in the booklet, you can check it out at I Heart Wags!

Free Holiday Music Downloads

Oprah is offering two free holiday music downloads: Andrea Bocelli & Mary J. Blige's duet "What Child Is This" and Sugarland's "Silent Night." The offer expires December 1, 2009 at 11 pm CT.

Walgreens: FREE 8x10 Photo Collage TODAY ONLY

Walgreens Photo is offering a free 8x10 photo collage for free TODAY ONLY (November 27, 2009) with a coupon code.

You'll need it, so get it here: FINDJOY. Pick it up at your local Walgreens and avoid having to pay shipping. W

Go here to get started.

COSI - Free Admission on Sunday, December 6, 2009

COSI's Community Open House is Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 10:00am - 7:00pm and it's FREE! Visit all of COSI and catch a movie on the 7-story Extreme Screen Theater. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors - for FREE! It's a great way to check out the museum.

Bob Evans - Free Slice of Pumpkin Pie 11/27/09 - 11/29/09

Are you headed to Bob Evan's this weekend? You can print a coupon here for a FREE slice of pumpkin pie. Take a break from shopping to enjoy a pie of pumpkin pie and caramel mocha.

Coupon good November 27 - 29, 2009.

Reminder: No Coupon Inserts - 11/29/09

Just a reminder that there will not be any coupons in the Sunday, November 29, 2009 newspaper due to the Thanksgiving holiday. However, you can purchase coupons that you need at The Coupon Clippers.

The Children's Place: Early Bird Sale - Extra 20% Off

The Children's Place is having an online Early Bird Sale. You can save big on select items - $10 denim and $5 tops. Shipping is a flat fee of $5. Use EARLYBIRD9 to save an additional 20%!

In addition, you can make your purchase through Ebates to earn 3% back on your purchase, 4% back if you shop through Upromise, or 3% through Mr. Rebate. Who doesn't like earning money back on their purchases?

Big Lots: Thanksgiving Day Deals

Big Lots will have select Playstation 2 games on sale Thanksgiving Day for just $5!

Another good buy that I saw was the Little Tikes Cook 'n Learn Interactive Kitchen for $39.00.

If you spend $50 or more, you will receive a coupon for $10 off your next purchase. Get there early for the best selection! Click here to check out there ad.

Walgreens: $5/$25 Coupon - Valid Sunday, November 22 - Monday, November 23

Walgreens has released a $5/$25 coupon that's valid Sunday, November 22 - Monday, November 23. In addition to the $5/$25 coupon, there are also extra Walgreens coupons that you can print from their website here.

Meijer "Why Wait" Sale - Saturday, November 21, 2009

Meijer is having a "Why Wait" Sale on November 21, 2009. Here are the deals that I saw. You can view the full ad here.

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars $1.69 ($1.00/2 10-11-09 RP or $1.00/2 printable)
Quaker Cap 'N Crunch or Life Cereal $1.69
Sargento Shredded Cheese $2.69 ($1.00/2 11-15-09 SS)
Pepperidge Farm Layer Cakes $1.88
Fritos or Cheetos $1.50
Frito Canned Dip $1.50
Meijer Microwave Popcorn $0.94
Plumrose Sliced Bacon $1.67
Bob Evans Fresh Pork Rolled Sausage $1.79 ($1.00/2 11-8-09 SS or $0.25/1 11-8-09 SS)
Purex Liquid Laundry Detergent (limit 2) $2.29 ($1.00/2 10-4-09 SS or $0.35/1 10-4-09 SS)

Event: Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic - Saturday, November 21, 2009

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics will be a snowman on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 10:00am-11:00pm. Be sure to register for the event. Many of the local Lowe's have made it mandatory because of the number of families taking advantage of this free event.

Toys R Us - 2 Day Sale - $1.99 Mr. Potato Head

Toys R Us is having another 2 day sale today and tomorrow. Mr. Potato Head is on sale for just $3.99. There is a coupon at coupons.com link on my left-hand sidebar for $2.00/1. Print it before you head out and get Mr. Potato Head for just $1.99!

Click here to see the other items that are on sale.

Coupon Inserts for 11/22/09

There will be 1 Smart Source insert in your paper this Sunday - November 22, 2009. What a dull week for coupons!

Remember that when you purchase your paper from the store, you are not guaranteed coupon inserts. I would check each paper before purchasing multiples. Or save money and trees, purchase only the coupons you need at The Coupon Clippers.

Weigh In - 11/14/09

Today was another good weigh in. I weighed in down 1.4 pounds! As the receptionist put it, "You're back and on a roll!" I think she's right.

This week I ran on the treadmill and did strength training everyday. It felt good each time. It also helped me since I had an extremely busy and stressful week at work. Instead of eating, I exercised and cleared my mind in the process. After exercising, I had enough energy to get household chores done before going to bed. In the past few months, I would be so tired from work all I wanted to do is eat then go to bed.

This week I'll be adding in more veggies. Over the past couple weeks, I have really lacked in the veggie eating. I have been eating healthy and haven't been snacking as much as usual. Hopefully as things slow down again at work, I don't pick up on the snacking again.

That's all I have for now since I'll be back this weekend to report another weigh in...

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #5	40
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-32.8

Keebler: $10.00 Toy Voucher

Here is a really great offer from Keebler! You can get a $10.00 toy voucher (in the form of a check) when you purchase 5 specially marked Keebler products. You can read the entire list of included products on the form right here. This offer is good through December 31, 2010.

Hershey's 2010 Baking Calendar

You can go here to print a rebate form for a free 2010 calendar from Hershey’s. It has 12 dThe great part about the offer is the $4 in coupons that's in it.

To get the calendar you’ll need to mail the rebate form with 4 UPC Symbols from Hershey’s, Reese’s, or Heath Baking Chips, Hershey’s Baking Bars or Cocoa.

Yankee Candle - Buy 2, Get 2 Coupon

Yankee Candle has released this coupon good for two free large jar candels when you buy two regular priced large jar candles!

Toys R Us - 2 Day Sale & Other Great Deals

2 Day Sale: Friday 11/13/09 and Saturday 11/14/09. You can check out the ad here. Some of the sale items are only available “late” Friday (3:00 pm – midnight) and early Saturday (7:00 am – 1:00 pm).

• Here's quite a deal. If you are going to Target and have the Toys R Us ad, purchase a Leapfrog Alphabet Pal for just $0.49. Don't have kids? Donate it to Toys For Tots. Take that entire sales flier and go to Target using the Alphabet Leapfrog $10 off coupon for the same item HERE. Target prices matches the $10.49 Toys R Us price and will accept coupons on price matched items. You will score this deal for only $0.49!! Thanks for sharing Mojo Savings!
  

Heading to Toys R Us? In this week's regular ad, they had some great deals on games. If you purchase $25.00 in eligible games, you get a $10 gift card FREE! PLUS qualifying games are eligible for this rebate.

Walmart: $100 Gift Card with Purchase of Blackberry

Walmart is having some very sweet deal in-store only on Blackberry phones starting Saturday, November 14, 2009 (8:00am) thru Friday, November 20, 2009. Get a $100 Walmart Gift Card with every BlackBerry Phone purchase plus 2 year service contract. You can choose from 4 different carriers - Verizon, At&t, Sprint or T-Mobile.

I've been wanting a Blackberry for months...maybe I can talk my fiance' into an early Christmas present...

Weigh In Update

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted my weigh in. Here's how the last couple of weigh in's break down:

10/24: +0.6
10/31: +0.8
11/7: -1.6

I'm 3.4 pounds away from lowest I was on Weight Watchers which was back in August (the week of the county fair). I'm thinking this week will be another loss (wish me luck, please).

I had a little bit of an issue on Halloween. I was so busy getting ready for trick-or-treat that I had forgotten to eat dinner...only had a sandwich that day. This is how I felt at the end of the evening... I drank a few drinks on an empty stomach. Two days after all my puking, my youngest son got sick. I was off from work for 2 days. During those 2 days, I was able to clear my head. I decided it was time to make a few changes. I did just that... I've exercised nearly everyday day since, made better choices in my beverages have only been drinking water) and watching portion sizes as well as healthy meals. I have been weighing in at Weight Watchers but haven't actually started attending the meetings again. I'm working on that and hope to be back to them in the next week or so.

The holidays are just around the corner and I am working on making my family's holiday favorites a little healthier. I still plan on doing all my normal holiday baking. One thing that will be different with my baking this year is that I won't be enjoying as much of it. Last year and past years, I have enjoyed a little more than I should because of my sweet tooth. I loved sweets - not so much these days. I have made a rule that if I resort back to my sweet tooth, with the peanut butter fudge weakness that I have, I have to get up before work each day for a week and run 2 miles. These two miles would be addition to my daily workout. I have a hard time getting up at 4:30 as it is. I don't want to have to get up at 3:45 or 4:00 for a week so I'll be sure to keep my sweet tooth in check even if it means a lot of brushing my teeth.

What are you doing to stay on track during the holidays? Do you have a plan for holiday parties?


Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #5	40
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-31.2

Inbox Dollars - $5 Sign-up Bonus

Have you signed up for Inbox Dollars yet? It's an easy way to earn money. It's not a huge moneymaker, but you may pocket a little extra spending money. There's a $5 incentive just for signing up. I do recommend creating an email account dedicated to these emails. You are paid for reading emails, taking surveys, playing games or shopping.

Coinstar Holiday '09 Bonus - Free $10 Gift Card Offer

It's that time again...

Have you tried Coinstar? It's a coin counting machine. The service is free when you turn your coins into gift cards and/or eCerts. Now through December 6th when you try the Free Coin Counting option and cash in $40 or more, they’ll send you a $10 holiday bonus. All you have to do is send in the official claim form from bottom portion of your receipt. Complete the claim form in its entirety and mail it to: Coinstar Holiday 09 Bonus Offer, PO Box 6112, Douglas, AZ 85655-6112. You will receive a $10 gift card. There is a limit of one per name, address or household. Click here to find a location near you.

Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic - 30% off Coupon

From Thursday November 12th through Sunday November 15th you can get 30% off your purchase at GAP, Old Navy or Banana Republic with this coupon.

Remember, Old Navy has outerwear for 50% off this week!

Event: Santa's Workshop @ The Knack - Saturday, December 5, 2009

On Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 10:00am - 1:00pm The Knack at Michaels will be hosting a FREE Family Event - Santa's Workshop. Your child will get to make great gifts plus there is a FREE demo on the American Girl Crafts Paper Chain Friendship Bracelet. While supplies last

Event: Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic - Saturday, November 14, 2009

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics will be making a #48 garage on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 10:00am-11:00pm. Be sure to register for the event. Many of the local Lowe's have made it mandatory because of the number of families taking advantage of this free event.If you attended the event last year around this time, your child might still have the #48 race car and semi-truck that would go great with this garage.

Coupon Inserts for 11/15/2009

There will be 3 inserts being in your paper this Sunday - November 15, 2009. They are 2 Red Plum and 1 Smart Source inserts which means LOTS of coupons! There will be Huggies, Fiber One, Green Giant, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and many more.

Remember that when you purchase your paper from the store, you are not guaranteed coupon inserts. I would check each paper before purchasing multiples. Or save money and trees, purchase only the coupons you need at The Coupon Clippers.

Veteran's Day Freebies

Outback Steakhouse - a free bloomin' onion and a drink for vets and active-duty military members on Wednesday, November 11th.

Applebee's - a free entree for vets and active-duty military members from 11 a.m. 'til midnight on Wednesday, November 11th.

Krispy Kreme- free donuts to vets and current military all day on Wednesday, November 11th.

Golden Corral - free meal for Veterans on Monday, November 16th from 5pm to 9pm