Today is Yo Yo Day

I didn't know that until this morning. In one of my online charity crafting groups that I just rejoined every 11th of the month is set aside for making Yo Yos, small crocheted circles. These are then joined together to make blankets to be sent to New York charities in honor of Sept. 11. So I made 11 of them this morning. If you want to learn more about charity crafting (and free crochet patterns) check out Deb's Crafts: Handicrafts for Charity for more information and to see some of the projects I've worked on.

I've been entering and blogging about lots of contests for groceries and craft items. Check out my contest blogs for all the listings.

The Sunday paper didn't have very many coupons I could use this morning so I only bought the one. When it has a lot I sometimes buy up to 6 papers. Our Krogers only accepts 3 like coupons so I try to keep it in multiples of three. I did go shopping yesterday and saved 48% off my order. Wasn't much on sale that I needed but it's still good to save what you can.

I'm a great believer in stocking up when things are on sale so I often stock up when a sale and a coupon makes something really cheap. I now have 5 loaves of Healthy Life 100% Whole Grain Bread in my daughters freezer ($1.39 on sale - 35¢ coupon doubled for an end price of 69¢ a loaf. This is of course not the only thing but it's just an example. How often do you find 100% whole grain bread for 69¢? I usually use a loaf of bread a week so this is 6 (counting the one I'm using now) weeks worth of bread. If you do this often enough you will eventually find that except for perishables you won't "need" anything.

Yard sales are starting around here so my Saturdays will be busier again. I've already seen a couple signs but wasn't able to stop. Next week I'll set aside some time for it.

Signs of Spring at Last

Aren't they pretty? I've been watching this little patch of daffodils since it first poked it's little green leaves out. It's right behind my office. I got off a bit early today so I stopped at the fruit and veggie stand to get some green grapes. They were more expensive than the ones I saw at Wally World so I passed on them but they had some red leaf lettuce plants so I bought them and planted them in one of my patio planters. I tried to start lettuce from seed last year and it didn't work too well so we'll see how it goes.

Wow, it's been a busy week or so, I've been in St Louis a lot. Which means I haven't had a lot of computer time. My son is on his PC most of the time I'm there and I hate using his laptop.

Finally went shopping last night and Kroger's has Kraft cheese on sale. Woohoo, I use a lot of cheese and I stocked up. Final price between sale and coupon was $1.17 for the 8 oz bag of shredded cheese. I think I'm going back tomorrow, they limit the amount of coupons you can use so sometimes when the sales really a good one I'll make a couple trips. Our Kroger is not that far from where I live so it's really not a big deal. They had some other good bargains but I didn't really have the time or money (today's payday) to do much shopping last night.

I've finished a couple of blankets for Project Linus. They give handmade blankets to children in our local hospitals. I love making these and you can see them and find out more by going to my Deb's Crafts blog.

I've also been posting a bunch of contests on my two contest blogs, one lists crafty contests and the other one lists food giveaways. Check them out if you like to enter contests!

So Glad it's Friday

Wow, it seemed like the work week was going to last forever! I would have titled this TGIF except that has become so cliche. How about Thank God It's Payday? I had the horrible experience of having to replace my brakes this week so there went a large chunk of that paycheck.

That's why I stock up on sale items when I have the money. If I buy extra.. well, let's say soup, at say 60¢ a can. (on sale for $1, 40¢ off 2 coupon doubled). Then I don't have to buy it this week at $2.49 a can when my funds are low.

I did stop at the local veggie place for some fresh veggies for a salad. I love this place, it's called Sugar Grove Growers and it's fruit and veggies are often a lot cheaper than the grocery stores. I walked out with a plastic shopping bag full for a little over $6. Salad for dinner!

Did you ever try raw zucchini in a salad? I've been doing it for about a year now. Saw a recipe for a salad somewhere that included it and found out it's pretty good. Another way I like zucchini is my Sauteed Zucchini. I actually make it for pot lucks and get lots of compliments, quite a change from the old green bean casserole standby.

Don't forget to enter one or both of my contests, they both end on the 28th of this month so hurry. If you crochet you can still enter to win some yarn at Deb's Crafts. And don't forget to enter the contest for a free Nancy's Appetizer coupon.