Stocking Up This Week: Yardley Soap

The bar soap I use for my homemade laundry detergent is on sale this week at Walgreens for $.69 a bar! There is a coupon in the circular that will allow you to get up to 3 bars at this great price. You can regularly get Yardley soap for $1 a bar at Dollar Tree, but at this price 3 bars will only cost you $2.07.

I'm planning to get 3 and then make a "triple batch" of laundry detergent. I put my detergent in an old mayo container and then I have enough to last me a good 2-3 months!

Cyber Monday Deals

Did you shop on Black Friday? I am not a Black Friday shopper, mostly because the Friday after Thanksgiving has always been a time for visiting with family, and with my sisters spread down the east coast, we took the time to hang out at home instead of at a store!

There are a ton of Cyber Monday deals out there, and I am most excited about the Lightning Deals on Amazon.

Amazon reveals new products at discount prices in limited quantities, and many of the great sales sell out in the first 5 minutes. I'm a huge believer that the best deal is not the most heavily discounted item, but the item that is on your list for the price that is in your budget! Amazon does give a hint about many of the upcoming lightning deals, and some of the bigger ticket items have more information (like a 3rd generation iPod touch for under $300).

Having a membership to Amazon Prime (free 2-day shipping with no minimum order) can be a big help in deciding to take advantage of lightning deals under $25 because shipping could make the sale price inconsequential. You can get a free membership to Amazon Prime by joining Amazon Mom!

Shutterfly Christmas Photo Cards

Just a few more days until Thanksgiving! I am excited to get to spend the time with lots of family. The end of November also means that Christmas is right around the corner.

Shutterfly is running a promotion where bloggers can get 50 free photo cards in exchange for a review. This past weekend we took some family pictures to put on our Christmas cards, and I am so excited to start picking out some special cards. Shutterfly has tons of great options, and I was able to pick a favorite quickly...I actually may end up with 2 or 3 favorite cards! You really should check out the options for square cards as well. They are a nice modern twist on the traditional Christmas card. I'm a big fan of this Merry Christmas square card.

I have used Shutterfly many times in the past to make photo cards, and I've always been impressed with how simple and easy the process is on their site. The quality of the photo cards is great too. Not only is the turnaround time quick before they come in the mail, but I think they always come out better than they looked online. Our families have enjoyed being the recipients of these special cards too.

If you are a blogger and interested in getting 50 free cards as well, just fill out this form!

Disclosure: Shutterfly provided me with 50 free photo cards in exchange for a review of their 2010 photo card products. All opinions are my own.

Food Waste Friday

I've been participating in Food Waste Friday with The Frugal Girl for a while now; I go through our fridge (and freezer) on Friday and toss anything that has gone bad. I also take a look at what needs to be used up so that it does not go bad and try to work that into our meals over the next few days. This has really helped us to throw out less food (and so we're actually buying less because we're using what we've already bought!).

It was a rough week for our food waste...I've got part of a cheese block, some sliced cheese, a bit of bagged lettuce, and a few grapes. My husband and daughter got hit by a nasty stomach bug this week, and though I escaped most of the effects, I did not do much cooking beyond noodle soup, rice, and breakfast foods. The good thing is that the fridge is pretty empty, so it should be easier to keep on top of the food waste this coming week!

Thrifty Dining Out

Last week my husband and I enjoyed dinner out at Olive Garden for $8! How did we manage this? With a gift card earned through online surveys and a coupon from the Sunday paper!

I recently cashed out points from My Survey for a $25 gift card to Olive Garden. My Survey is one of the three survey companies that I've been able to keep up with during this busy season of life. I like that I do not "screen out" of any surveys, and that most of them are less than 5 minutes long. I also like that my husband can be registered through my account, and will occasionally be sent surveys as well.  The only downside that I see to My Survey is that since most surveys are short, the compensation for them is usually small also. I qualify for a few larger surveys, and those are what help build my point total more quickly.

If you want to sign up through my referral for My Survey, just click here!

Sunday Paper Goodies

Do you subscribe to the Sunday paper? I love that my coupons are delivered to my house every week, which saves me a trip to the store to grab the paper. (If you don't want a subscription, most Dollar Tree stores sell the Sunday paper for just $1)

The Delaware News Journal is running a promotion through the end of January where you can get the Sunday paper delivered for $1 a week, plus a $10 gift card to Wawa! You must pay via "easy pay" which bills you all at once for the year, and the offer is only valid for households that have not subscribed in the past 30 days. Previously this offer has only run for a month, which meant there was not enough time to cancel a subscription at a more expensive rate and then re-subscribe, but this time you have over 2 months, so I think that would work. For more information go to the News Journal or call 1-800-801-3322 (promo code: X-FS).

Check the back page of the USA Weekly magazine that comes in the Sunday paper for a coupon for two free 5x7 HP photo greeting cards at the HP Kiosk (located at Walmart). I have not used the HP photo Kiosk yet, but I plan to now. There are also more coupons available on their website.

This week's edition of the News Journal also had the reader's choice awards for the best businesses in Delaware. Many of the businesses that were voted best offered coupons also, so it is worth a quick flip through that special section of the paper.

Did you see any other goodies in the Sunday paper this week? Feel free to share them with us!

Fiber One giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Maura, commenter number 3 (chosen via random.org) who said her family would like to try the Chocolate Mocha granola bars!

Thanks to everyone who entered!