Win A $25.00 Sam's Club Gift Card!

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! I used random.org to choose the winner:

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 7 Result: 3

Comment #3 was: Kari said...
I'm hoping it's on the Fiber One bars :) I don't want to post my e-mail in the comment so spiders don't grab it, but it's on my FB. ;)


It seems like just yesterday when the kids came home from school, threw their back-packs on the floor and chanted, “It’s summer!” But as the hustle and bustle of back-to-school quickly approaches, Sam’s Club wants to remind you that it’s never too early to start collecting Box Tops. This year, Sam’s Club and Box Tops for Education can help you prepare for the fall when you shop their back-to-school event.

Earn more cash for your local school at Sam’s Club this August with the 6 Box Tops on a Pack promotion.

When you purchase participating Box Top items, you can collect even more Box Tops on some of your favorite General Mills brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios, Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars, Totino’s Pizza Rolls, and more!

Sam’s Club has your favorite back to school items from computers to clothing, and at the best values. Plan ahead and take advantage of the savings made simple at Sam’s Club. Your wallet - and your local school - will be thanking you! To learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit http://bit.ly/samsclubboxtops.

Sam's Club provided me a $25.00 gift card through MyBlogSpark to use for my own back to school shopping, and they've also provided one for me to give away to one of my readers! To enter for your chance to win a $25.00 Sam's Club gift card, please leave a comment answering the following question:

"Which General Mills’ products are you most excited to see featured in the “6 Tops on a Pack” offer at Sam’s Club?"

Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I have contact information if you win! Contest starts today, and ends Saturday August 6 at 12:00 Noon EST. One winner will be randomly selected at that time, and contacted via email. Winner has 24 hours to respond otherwise another winner will be selected.

"Disclosure: The Sam’s Club gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Sam’s Club Website http://bit.ly/samsclubbtfe
Sam’s Club Facebook http://on.fb.me/samsclubfacebook
Sam’s Club Twitter http://bit.ly/samsclubtwitter
Box Tops for Education Website http://bit.ly/samsclubboxtops

Welcome NBCC Coupon Class!

Thanks again for all those that attended tonight! I hope I was helpful, and if you have ANY questions please stop me at church, ask me on Facebook, or email me at mrspennypincher@gmail.com.

I have updated a few pages on my blog that include some of my notes, and resources that I use. I'd still love to have a follow-up class if anyone is interested to talk about some other coupon things/frugal living, and possibly doing a coupon swap. If this is something you'd be interested in doing, please let me know. I might be interested in doing a monthly get together at church if I have enough interest.

Thanks again, and happy shopping!

Homemade Microwave Caramel Popcorn

Easy sweet treat!

4 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I use honey instead)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda


Place the popped popcorn into a large brown paper bag. Set aside.

In a 2 quart casserole dish, or other heat-proof glass dish, combine the brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir until well blended. Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave, and stir in the baking soda.

Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bag. Roll down the top once or twice to close the bag, and shake to coat the corn. Place bag into the microwave, and cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Remove, shake, flip the bag over, and return it to the microwave. Cook for another 1 minute and 10 seconds. Dump the popcorn out onto waxed paper, and let cool until coating is set. Store in an airtight container.

**When I make this, I usually scale it down to a smaller serving. All you do is cut your ingredients down based on how much popcorn you want to make. Also, I usually pour my popcorn in a big bowl, then just drizzle the caramel over it. I don't worry about shaking it up, cooking it again, or dumping it out on wax paper. Totally not needed.**

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I no longer buy microwave popcorn. I make my own! It's cheaper AND healthier!

What you need:

(1) Brown Paper Lunch Bag

1/3 cup of unpopped popcorn kernels (this will make about 2-3 cups of popcorn)

Put kernels in the bag, and fold over the top of the bag. Don't make too big of a fold because your popcorn needs room to pop!

Place bag in the microwave and cook for 1 minute 45 seconds (this is what works for my microwave; you might have to adjust the time for what works best for you).

Now my kids will eat this plain, but I prefer a little flavor myself. You can add a dash of salt, a little bit of melted butter, cinnamon-sugar, chili powder, the flavors are endless!

I have successfully popped 1/2 cup of kernels in one bag before. It took about 3 minutes to cook. Enjoy!

Homemade Waffle Mix

Don't buy Eggos again! Make these and freeze them. Then just pop them in the microwave or toaster to heat and eat.

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together, and you've got waffle batter!

Of course, just like pancakes, you can add fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, buttermilk or wheat flour to the mix.

Homemade Pancake Mix

Make your own pancake mix from scratch! Super easy, and frugal!

1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
2 Tbsp. oil

Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, and you've got pancake batter!

For variations you can add fruit (blueberries, mashed bananas), chocolate chips, buttermilk instead of plain milk (which by the way you can make your own buttermilk with a cup of plain milk and a teaspoon of lemon juice), and wheat flour instead of white.

Instead of buying frozen pancakes from the store, make your own pancakes, and freeze them. Then just pop them in the microwave to heat. Or, you can freeze batter in ice cube trays and pop them out on a hot griddle to cook.

You could also mix all the dry ingredients, put them in a labeled container, and have your own premade mix, just add liquid ingredients.

Church Food Pantry Donations

Donation #1:

(18) Cereal Bars
(4) Bounty Paper Towels
(8) Ragu Pasta Sauce
(4) Campbell's Chunky Soup
(8) Gillette Men's Body Wash

Total OOP = $21.34 for 42 items (that's about $0.50 per item!)


Donation #2:

(4) Chex Cereal
(4) Tuna Helpers
(6) Cereal Bars
(2) Ketchup
(5) Chef Boyardee
(4) Canned Chicken
(2) Brownie Mixes (FREE!)
(2) Dove Deodorant
(1) Ivory Bar Soap
(4) Muffin Mixes
(16) Knorr Sides
(2) Facial Tissues

Total OOP = $32.91 for 52 items (that's about $0.63 per item!)