It’s 7:00 pm and you just got home from picking your daughter up from dance and you just dropped your son off at basketball. The phone is ringing, the baby is crying and your husband wants to know what’s for dinner. You have nothing planned, the meat is frozen and you already had pancakes the night before. There is a fast food restaurant just around every corner so you decide that on the way back from basketball you will swing through the drive-thru and pick up some burgers, fries and drinks. For $26 you feed your family a meal full of nothing nutritious and you have spent ¼ of your grocery budget for the week.

With some simple planning this situation can easily be avoided. Meal planning is easily accomplished and can save you lots of money and feed your family healthy food.

There are several ways to plan your meals.

In my house I have a chart of the wall with each day listed and what I am planning for dinner each day. I make my plan based upon 2 things: what is on sale at the grocery store this week and what I have on hand.

Another idea is to make a rotating schedule based upon what your family likes. You can plan enough meals for a 2 week or 4 week rotation just by make a simple chart. Wouldn’t having a monthly plan help you at the grocery store? You would know exactly what you were eating and you would know exactly what to buy.

Have you ever thought of having “Taco Tuesdays?” Every Tuesday you can have tacos. I am sure you can come up with a few “theme nights” of your own.

By knowing (and having documented) what you are eating your spouse and children might be able to help you out AND one thing that really works in my house is that I can do some prep work earlier in the day, which really helps minimize the stress at what I call the “witching hour” when everyone is hungry and no one is in the mood to wait.

 Ever wonder what coupons are available at all the major coupon printing sites?  Follow this thread and you’ll know what’s out there without having to click around at all the sites on your own.  This thread is maintained by Deweyville, the resident PYP printable coupon expert.  Thanks Dewey!

Jan. 2010 printables ~ Coupons.com, Smartsource, RedPlum, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and more

Also see what else Dewey has found in the Printing Pennies printable coupon forum.

The JJ Cole Essentials blanket is the perfect go-anywhere blanket.  It stays in my car, so it’s always available for those muddy spring soccer games or trips to the park, beach, or zoo.  If you’ve ever had to put a wet sandy towel into your vehicle, (and then have to vacuum it later) you’ll LOVE this blanket. It’s no big deal to lay this on wet grass or sand – just shake it off before rolling it up and putting it away.  Even mud wipes off easily with baby wipes or whatever you have handy.  When it’s rolled up, you can throw it over your shoulder and still have your hands free to carry your chairs, your toddler, and your cooler.  The blanket is padded and soft, so it’s perfect for occasions where you have to sit on concrete for long periods of time.  It’s water and stain resistant, and heavy enough that it doesn’t blow away or get caught up in feet, elbows and knees. These are machine washable, in a large capacity washing machine. Karin and I both have one of these, and we love them so much we thought we’d share!

From the Manufacturer

The Essentials Blanket is a year-round, go-anywhere, travel blanket with a spacious 5 ft x 5 ft spread. Take it to the park, the beach, sporting events and other outdoor activities. Leave it in the car for emergencies and easy access. The durable outer fabric is ideal for any surface and the inner lining quickly wipes clean. When temperatures drop, the blanket becomes the perfect indoor play area, protecting your floor from messy playtime and your kids from harmful germs. With the sturdy sewn-in insert it quickly and easily folds into a messenger bag for convenient transport and storage. With such wide appeal and function the Essentials Blanket is the perfect gift for everyone!

• 5 ft x 5 ft when opened
• water-resistant material perfect for any outing
• stylish and compact when folded
• sturdy sewn-in insert makes folding easy
• detachable strap

Available at these retailers:

Diapers.com
JJ Cole Essentials blanket $29.95
Available in grey/green, blue bubble/cocoa, and khaki/pink.
Free 2 day shipping over $49.

Target.com
JJ Cole Essentials blanket $29.99
Available in grey/green, and khaki/pink.

BabiesRUs.com
JJ Cole Essentials blanket $25.49 ($22.94 when add to cart!  Applies to first item only.)
Available in blue bubble/cocoa, grey/green, and khaki/pink
Free shipping over $100

JJColeCollections.com
JJ Cole Essentials blanket $29.99
Available in blue bubble/cocoa, grey/green, and khaki/pink, and red/grey (New color!)

Amazon.com
JJ Cole Essentials blanket $29.99
Available in brown/blue and grey/green with FREE Super Saver Shipping.

If you have piles and piles of coupon inserts waiting to be sorted through, here is a fantastic tool to help you.  The famous “Lazybear” (who really isn’t very good at being lazy!) maintains a list in the PYP forums of what coupon inserts still have unexpired coupons in them.  Once the last coupon in an insert expires, she removes it from the list.  Here is the link to Lazybears “when to toss” thread:

When to toss old coupon inserts

As a coupon’er/bargain shopper over 13 years, I’ve discovered (and you may have, too) that coupons and sales run in seasonal cycles. Here’s a comprehensive guide to cracking the what and when is on sale. It may be a repeat for some, but I believe it is worth repeating. Hope it helps!

Seasonal Sales Cycles

JANUARY – Historically, Quaker has hot deals on cereal/all items. We see Pepsi/Tostitos go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals.
• Post-Holiday Sales
• White Sales
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
· Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets

FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January
• Electronics
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares
• Furniture
• Candy and Chocolates

MARCH – Frozen food month. You’ll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items.
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Winter Sports Equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage

APRIL –
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Coats and Hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs

MAY –
get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!
• White Sale – Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups
* Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens

JUNE –
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets
• Building Materials and Hardware
• Dairy Products

JULY –
• Air Conditioners
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments

AUGUST –
• White Sale – Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables
• Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)
• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes

SEPTEMBER – back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbell’s soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
• Back to School Supplies and Apparel
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods

OCTOBER – Stock up on holiday foods – Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie – going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
· Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)

NOVEMBER –
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
• Quilts and Blankets
• Heating Devices
• Turkey, Sweet Potatoes
• Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)
• Baking goods

DECEMBER –
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Party ware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat
• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)

Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough and any food related to a holiday.

Continual sales are candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).
Frozen food sales seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales. So last month, Stouffers was on sale hard, now lean cuisine is. Save the entire frozen coupon and then keep checking back for the brand of the month.

Frozen pizzas go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don’t want to turn their ovens on in the summer.

By all means, this isn’t everything that you can get on sale, but if you follow the cycle and stock up (I never buy BBQ sauce in the winter), then you can get where you have enough on hand and only need to refill when the items are in season. The result is that you spend less and less with each successful cycle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sources: Various numerous sites on the internet over years of time from an obsessive compulsive cpn-er

See PYP’s forum of hints/helps for ideas and discussion.

Select Graphic Tees marked down to $3.99, like…

Link to $3.99 Girls Graphic Tees

Link to $3.99 Boys Graphic Tees

Kids software can be expensive. There is a cheaper option! Software from KidsSoftwareOutlet.com is shipped in just a cardboard sleeve. Other retailers sell the same software in large, bulky boxes that are costly to create, store, and ship. KidsSoftwareOutlet.com eliminates the waste and passes the savings on to you, the customer.

Find fantastic games for learning or entertainment – here are a few examples:

• Backyard Baseball $4.95
• Backyard Football $4.95
• Backyard Soccer $4.95
• Backyard Basketball $4.95
• I Love Phonics $4.95
• Playskool Puzzles $4.95
• Kids Spanish $5.95
• DK 3D Dinosaur Hunter 2 disk set $5.95
• Brain Buster Quiz Show Learning Game $4.95
• Dora the Explorer: Lost City Adventure – CD $4.95
• Reader Rabbit 1st Grade: Capers on Cloud Nine $4.95

KidsSoftwareOutlet.com LINK

Use code Kids2009 to save an additional 10%
Shipping is $1.99

Be sure to read the technical information to see what operating system each disk will work with.

Become a fan of Einstein Bros. on Facebook and print a coupon for a FREE Bagel + shmear.

Link to Einstein Bros. offer at Facebook.

Thank you to PYP member CandyGran for supplying one of our favorite freebies. Here’s a RedBox code that give a free one day rental:

REDBOX CODE – good today only Jan 11, 2010 RBXLUV10

See PYP forums for discussion.

Special Offer for First Time Customers
Buy 3 boxes of checks and get the 4th box FREE!
Plus FREE Shipping & Handling, FREE Designer Lettering, FREE upgrade to Designer’s Choice checks! Checks as low as $6.50 per box!
OFFER CODE: JL35

or

Special Offers for Returning Customers
FREE 4th box of checks when you buy 3 boxes!
Plus FREE Custom Lettering and FREE Upgrade to Special Edition checks
OFFER CODE: H6WG

ChecksUnlimited.com LINK

.

Buy 2 gallons of white milk, any brand, and get a FREE half gallon of Chocolate Milk, up to $3.00 with printable coupon.

Enter the contest to win free milk for a year and you’ll see a link to the printable coupon.

Link to offer

Here are the best deals at Rite Aid this week. If you found some others, let us know! Also, check out the Rite Aid thread on PYP for more Rite Aid deals this week and discussion.

Theraflu $4.99
Use this $2/1 printable coupon
Get a $3 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: FREE after coupon and rebate!

Contact Cold+Flu $4.99
Use Contac Cold and Flu Product, any $2/1 (3-31-10) RP-1/10
Get a $4.99 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: FREE after coupon and rebate!

GE Soft White Longlife Light Bulbs $2
Get a $2 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: FREE after rebate!

Zest,Ivory, or Safeguard Soap 3-4pk $1.99
Use Zest, Ivory or Safeguard Body Wash or Bar Pack, any $1/1 (1-31-10) PG-12/27
Final Price: $ .99 cents after coupon!

Now for the Johnson & Johnson rebate scenario! Last week it was posted about the $10 rebate form available on Coupons.com. Print that form! There are lots of items that qualify for the rebate this week at Rite Aid, plus lots of coupons to match up with it. You have to purchase $30 worth of certain products. It’s all on the form. Here is one scenario for you to consider:

(please note that these prices may vary according to your area. take your calculator to the store!)

Purchase:
(2) Aveeno shampoo/conditioner $6.99 each
(1) Lubriderm lotion $6.49 each
(2) Clean & Clear face wash $5.49
Total: $31.45

Use:
$5/$20 printable when you have 20 video credits
(2) in-ad coupon for Aveeno hair care–$2 off total
(1) in-ad coupon for Lubriderm lotion–$1 off total
(2) in-ad coupon for Clean & Clear–$2 off total

Then use the following manufacturer coupons:
(2) $2.50/1 Aveeno — $5 off total (Aveeno Nourish only. Other Aveeno printable is $2/1)
(1) $2/1 Lubriderm –$2 off total
(2) $2/1 Clean & Clear –$4 off total

Total out-of-pocket: $11.45 (plus tax)

Then submit for the $10 Johnson & Johnson rebate.

Grand total paid after rebate: $.45 cents for everything!

**I failed to mention that the high value coupons mentioned above, as well as others that qualify for this rebate, are also available in today’s SS insert. The rebate form in also in today’s SS insert.**

Remember, prices of these items vary, so check your store! If you find a great scenario for the Johnson & Johnson rebate, let us know!

Yoga tops and bottoms for infants and toddlers
Was $9.50
Now $2.99

Our favorite cords for infants, toddlers, and kids
Was $14.50-$19.50
Now $4.99

ChildrensPlace.com LINK

Buy any of these office supplies, get 100% back in Staples Rewards…

• M by Staples perforated writing pads 6/pack $7.99
• Bankers Box letter/legal size boxes 6/pack $9.99
• Staples heavyweight file folders, manila, 50/box $8.00
• Staples #10 Envelopes, pull & seal 100/pack $7.99
• Zebra Sarasa retractable gel pens, medium, 5/pack $3.99
• Staples small binder clips, 40/box $3.39

*Limit 1 of each item per household. Purchase price paid for item(s) will be credited to customer’s Staples Rewards account. Must be a member of Staples Rewards. While supplies last. Staples Rewards will be mailed in February. Not valid on prior purchases. Purchaser is responsible for paying applicable sales tax. No cash/credit back.

More info about Staples Rewards at THIS LINK. 

There are also some $1.00 deals with in-ad coupon – limit 2 per customer

• Pentel RSVP ballpoint pens, assorted 5/pack, reg $3.49
• Staples 4-3/4×6-1/2 envelopes, 50/pack, reg $6.99
• Pentel e-sharp mechanical pencils, assorted 3/pack, reg $5.99
• Quartet magnetic dry-erase board, 8-1/2×11, reg $6.99
• Staples black full-strip stapler value pack, reg $6.99
• BIC Great Erase dry-erase markers, fine tip, assorted, 4/pack, reg $3.99
• Staples Accel 1-subject notebook, college or wide ruled, 100 sheets, reg $4.49
• Staples glue sticks, clear or colored 4/pack, reg $1.99