Free Cheerios

I've posted a lot about apps I use for budget shopping. There was a great deal on ibotta for a new Cheerios flavor: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios. 

The deal is to purchase a family size box of Pumpkin Spice or Honey Nut Cheerios and get a free box of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios on ibotta. Easy enough!

Once I was at Walmart, I noticed that some boxes had a coupon on the box for $1.05 off of 1 box. That was perfect since I was purchasing 2 boxes. Each box retailed for $3.64. 

In addition, SavingStar had a $1 rebate for 2 boxes of General Mills cereal. 

Here's the breakdown: 

    $7.28 for 2 boxes

-   $2.10 in manufacturer coupons

=  $5.18 out of pocket

-  $4 rebate from ibotta

= $1.18

-  $1 rebate from SavingStar

= 18¢ or 9¢ each

I learned to coupon a little over 2 years ago and I haven't looked back!

Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

Need I say more? 

I found this delicious recipe on Pinterest and have made it a few times in the last few months. 

It's a flavorful pasta dish without the carbs, gluten, and guilt of pasta. Spaghetti squash for the win. 

I added fresh basil and tomatoes to the mix at the end. I felt that it needed a kick of freshness. 

Christmas High Tea

Last year, I was invited to a Christmas Tea sponsored by a local church. At the tea, there was an opportunity to volunteer to host a table for the following year. Guess who signed up!

I've always loved entertaining and have been sad the last few years having a smaller abode without room to host parties. This was a great outlet for me.

There is one hitch! I do not have any China or elegant dishes anymore. I've moved so frequently from city to city and state to state that I've given a lot of it back to my mom for safe keeping.

I had to find a way to get a hold of dishes for this event without breaking the bank.

I went to work visiting thift shops and online postings on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

That did the trick and allowed me to acquire beautiful dishes at a low cost. 

I was able to host 8 ladies with whom I work. What a lovely evening of fellowship, worship songs, an encouraging speaker in a beautiful setting. Each gal felt like a precious jewel! I was so pleased to be part of this lovely event! Perhaps I'll host next year!

Thanksgiving 2017

I have to admit that it has been difficult to be back in the habit of blogging since the hurricane in September. Where does the time go? 

Here we are in the midst of the holidays spanning from Thanksgiving until New Years.

This was the first year in almost 6 years that I did not have to work on Thanksgiving. The previous years I worked in the Canadian division and observed Canadian holidays. 

We had a mini-banquet with my department this year. I brought a veggie tray decked out like a turkey. Thank you Pinterest!

On Thanksgiving Day, we had a small celebration with some friends from church. It was nice to stay local. I refreshed the veggie tray from the previous day and brought a pumpkin pie. Since my husband does not eat eggs, I found a recipe that is eggless. Amazingly delicious!!!

Now we're in a mad dash with Christmas around the corner. I love all the activities this time of year!

Texas Taters

Years ago I went to a Tex-Mex restaurant that served something called a Texas Tater. It was a hollowed out potato that had a cheesy chicken mix. 

Even though we don't eat chicken, I thought beans would be a good protein source for this dish. 

I got out baking potatoes and microwaved them for 10 minutes. Cut them and hollowed out the potato filling. I set the oven to 375°.

Next, I heated up a can of black beans and added chopped onion, garlic and the potato filling. 

Once the mixture was hot, I filled the potato skins with the filling. I added shredded cheese and baked them. 

I served the potato topped with sour cream, diced tomatoes, and chives. 

This was a hearty meal perfect for a Fall day!

Couponing: Cream Cheese

I had the great fortune recently to get Arla cream cheese FREE at Publix. 

This time SavingStar has a rebate for free Arla cream cheese at Winn Dixie. The way this 100% rebate works is simple.

1. Buy the product specified and pay out of pocket
2. Redeem the rebate offer on the SavingStar app (same as all other rebates)
3. Receive a confirmation within a couple days with the entire amount added to your account. 

New England Clam Chowder

I love this chowder! 

I order it out when possible and have made it in the past. After reflecting on when in the past, I realized it had been years. 

I looked up a few recipes and most of them called for bacon. While bacon is delicious, my husband is not a meat eater so it is a deal breaker. 

I finally found a recipe I could use and got to work.

Delicious was the result.

How I have missed you, New England Clam Chowder.