Bzzzz, bzzzz, munch, crunch, bite!

Want to keep the bugs at bay this summer? 
Follow these tried and true tips from Redbook Magazine!

Bounce it away: Put a dryer sheet in each pocket.  Bounce contains a plant extract that is toxic to bugs.

Wear light neutral colors: Bright colors attract bugs and they mistake dark colors for animal hides.

Drink wine or iced tea:  Those nasty pests like beer, soda and anything that bubbles.  Stick with a non-carbonated beverage.

A $16 week

We headed out on vacation, so I only did a little shopping before we headed out for the week.  We did buy some things on vacation, but since we don't include that in our normal $40/wk budget it won't make its way here.

Total Spending this week = $16.60
Total Savings this week = $124.99 or 88% Savings

Total Spending this month = $143.74
Total Savings this month = $743.14 or 84% Savings

 

So, that's $16.26 under for the month!!!

June 27th---Zumba: Ellenville, NY

5-6 p.m. Monday, June 27th

Ellenville Public Library & Museum
40 Center St. Ellenville, NY 12428-1396

Zumba is a fun, high energy dance aerobics class done to Latin, hip-hop and reggae beats! This great cardio workout that tones and strengthens every major muscle group will be taught by Pilly Gonzalez. For ages 14 and up. Please sign up at 845-647-5530.

June 25th- Play Day and Peace Festival : Germantown and Warwick, NY

Children's Play Day
11 a.m. Saturday, June 25th (2011)
Clermont State Historic Site

One Clermont Avenue
Germantown, NY 12526
Phone - (518) 537-4240

Learn about the lives of children 200 years ago. Try out their clothes and games. Recommended for children 6-12. Program is free to all.

The Warwick Peace Festival 12-6p.m. Saturday, June 25th (2011)
The Amity Church
103 Newport Bridge Rd
Warwick, NY 10990

The Peace Festival will feature live music from local musicians and many other activities all done in the spirit of peace. Relax on a picnic blanket while listening to tunes from Elissa Jones, Marty Koppel, Loretta Hagen, Barry Adelman, Steve Vecchiotto and Jim Elwell. Enjoy fresh foods and beverages. Walk a labyrinth for peace. Plant a peace flag with your prayer for peace in our prayer garden. Participate in guided peace meditations. Have your child’s face painted or let them bounce for peace in an inflatable Moon Bounce. Come soak in the sun and the peace at the Warwick Peace Festival. Admission is free.

Wednesday Tip Day- Cash saves calories!

When it comes to shopping, most of us have heard that paper is best for keeping spending down.  The thought behind this being that you think more carefully about what you are spending when you pay in cold hard cash versus credit.  Well, apparently cash is good for more than your budget!  Recent studies have shown that shoppers spend less on junk food when paying in cash.  Spend our cash on cookies makes those cookies less appealing.  Who know we could conquer two birds with one stone cash envelope.

Thru August 14, 2011--BETSABEÉ ROMERO: LÁGRIMAS NEGRAS--Purchase, NY

Neuberger Museum of Art

Purchase College
State University of New York
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577-1400
914-251-6100 or 914-251-6117

Tuesday - Sunday, 12 - 5 pm

Black Tears is a ten-year survey of one of Mexico’s leading artists, Betsabeé Romero.

Self-described as a “mechanic artist,” Romero draws on Pre-Columbian iconography, colonial imagery, and popular culture to transform automobiles and their components into contemporary works of art.
The artist’s refashioned cars, carved tires, painted hoods, and incised mirrors explore tensions between local traditions and industrialized societies dominated by speed, mass production, and emigration.


ADMISSION
General Public  $5

Seniors 62+  and Students  $3
FREE to Children 12 and under

For more information visit their site!

June 12-Septmeber 4--West Point Band Music Under the Stars: West Point, NY

The West Point Band will present the Music Under the Stars concert series each Sunday from June 12th through September 4th.  Bring a picnic and enjoy the free music on the historic grounds of the United States Military Academy.

685 Hardee Place

West Point, NY 10996

845.938.2617

For more information visit the Band's site!

Happy Father's Day!

Breakfast in Bed!  DD5's special Father's Day creation consisted of waffles, strawberry ice cream and oreos!

Chicken! and the rest of the stuff I bought this week!

Well, there was finally a great sale on chicken, so I bought about 20lbs at $1.39/lb.  That was more than half of my spending this past week.  Here's the chicken along with everything else!

Strawberries, cantaloupe, yogurt (3c/cup) and more at Shoprite!

A few odds and ends from Aldi and CVS.  I needed coffee and wthout any sales Aldi was the best deal.

Chicken for $1.39/lb and other fresh foods from Adams.

More Shoprite shopping and a few things from Hannaford.

Another Shoprite trip to use the 50c/2 Milky Way Qs that made these candy bars free. 
Hubby was happy with this one!

Free napkins at Hannaford (reg price for 50ct is $1 - $1/1 from 6/5/11PG).

The Creme-O's are a special treat. DD 5 asked if we could surprise Daddy with Oreos for breakfast on Father's Day.  Knowing that DH is not crazy about sweet breakfast foods I tried to suggest we make something else, but she had her little heart set on Oreos.  I used a Hannaford brand Q to bring the price down a little and she chose the double stuffed ones!  We'll be serving waffles with ice cream topped with Creme-O's for Daddy!!!

Total Spending this week = $48.45
Total Savings this week = $193.67 or 80% Savings

Total Spending this month = $127.14
Total Savings this month = $618.15 or 83% Savings

I only have $32.86 left in my June budget.  This week could be a little tricky, but I'll manage :)

Vocal Point and Mott's For Tots!

Vocal Point and Mott's for Tots have teamed up to offer limited (40,000) sample of their products.

Head on over here to sign up!

June 17-21---Library Book Sale: Poughkeepsie, NY

 The Friends 2011 Giant Book Sale kicks off on Friday, June 17, and runs through Tuesday, June 21. We have a new location this year: Poughkeepsie Business Park at 900 Dutchess Turnpike/Route 44, which is 0.9 miles east of Adams Fairacre Farms (many long-time residents know PBP as the former Alfa-Laval site). As always, this sale features a wide range of gently used books and media.

10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. on June 17, 18 and 20
10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 19, and Tuesday, June 21.
Admission is FREE, except for the Early Bird Special on Friday, June 17, from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M., which costs $10 per person (free to Friends holding a valid membership card).

Over 170,000 items for all ages including books, Videos, CDs, Audio Books, cassettes, vintage sheet music and over 10,000 phonograph records, all reasonably priced at $2.00 or less per item. Half price on Sunday; on Monday fill a grocery shopping bag for $5; on Tuesday everything is free while supply lasts. Specially priced items include rare books, first editions, signed books, books of local interest and coffee table books, and are available on June 17, 18, and 19 only.

For more information visit the library's website!

Wednesday Tip Day-- Trying out a deal.

Many times the deals that come along require a little math and a little planning and often they could go various ways.  Sometimes we think we have the registers all figured out and sometimes there are random things that are just beyond our regular "rules" or even our best estimations.  It's important to pay attention to your register receipts for that reason.  It's also important to keep your cool if the surprise at the register is not in your favor.
This all brings me to brown rice.  Yes, brown rice.

Do you notice something different about this picture?  Most of the time our multiples are of the same size product, but I've got a 2lb bag in the mix.  You see, I noticed (by pure accident) that the last time I used Carolina rice coupons they all full doubled.  Now, this didn't make sense based on the regular "rules," so I deduced that for whatever reason the coding in these coupons allows for overage as long as the total value of the products works out.  A regular product coupon will only double to the value of a single product, but with the Carolina coupons they doubled to cover the total value of Carolina products.

With this past transaction I was willing to try that math and see if it would work again.

So, I had four 75c coupons that would double up to $1.50 or a total coupon value of $6.00.  The small bags were on sale for 99c and the large bag regular price at $2.99 for a total value of $5.97 or free after all coupons doubled.  Well, my plan worked and I got 5 lbs of brown rice for free!

Just another reminder to pay attention to the receipts and reap the benefits! 

A Berry good week!

What a week!  We purchased a lot of fruit (mostly strawberries) this week and have eaten almost all of it up already.  Here's an overview of the week:

The picture of my second trip to both Shoprite and Stop & Shop didn't make it, but they included another gallon of milk, 7 packages of yogurt, goldfish, dole coleslaw, 4 packages of Solo cups, 4 luna bars, bananas, tomatoes, 2 bricks of cheese, a package of cheese slices, and a frozen pizza.

Total Spending this week = $47.65
Total Savings this week = $240.55 or 83% Savings

Total Spending this month = $78.69

Total Savings this month = $424.48 or 84% Savings

On the slate for next week...chicken breast, more strawberries, cantaloupe and more cheap yogurt!

Lost mittens? (Wednesday Tip Day)

It's hardly the time of year when most of us think of mittens, but it is the best time of year for yard sales.  And planning ahead is key when it comes to saving.  Think ahead a few months to the cold NY winter and you'll quickly remember cold hands and lost mittens.  So, how do you avoid an emergency run to the store to pay full price for some mittens when your little darling has lost theirs at school or the playground?  You stock up during yard sale season!  Like many frugal choices, planning is KING!

Strawberries and paper goods!

There was a great deal at Shoprite on Solo paper goods. For every 4 purchased it was a $1.41 Money-maker (after taxes). I had enough coupons to do the deal 4 times! There were also decent deals on Chinet and since we don't often use paper goods, they will last us until next year!

Total Spending this week = $31.04
Total Savings this week = $183.93 or 86% Savings

How were your trips the first week of June?