Today Swagbucks is celebrating their second birthday!

Have you signed up with Swagbucks yet? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? This is the easiest way to earn free gift cards and other awesome prizes. Plus, if you sign up right now through my link and use the code LORASCODE1 (case sensitive), you will start out with 60 FREE swagbucks (30 for signing up and 30 for using the code)! For more instructions on how to sign up, keep reading.

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a search engine that rewards you for using it. Every few searches, you’ll be rewarded with swagbucks. The swagbucks build up and you can trade them in for gift cards (to places like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Victoria’s Secret to name a few) or other prizes.

How Do I Earn Swagbucks?

It’s easy! Just use it to do your normal searches that you normally use Google, Yahoo or another search engine for. It’s that simple!

You can also make extra swagbucks by referring friends. Whenever your friends earn swagbucks, you earn the same number they do, up to 100. So if you sign up, please go through the links in this post!

Plus, they’re introducing some new ways to win (detailed below).

Until 3/4, Swagbucks is offering my readers a swag bucks code to earn 60 swagbucks right off the bat, just for signing up! The code is: LORASCODE1 (case sensitive). Just click here to go to the registration form. All you have to do is enter that code in the blue box that says SwagCode and you’re ready to start earning!!

To celebrate their birthday, Swagbucks is making a bunch of great changes. Here is what they told me:

1) More ways to earn Swag Bucks every day: With Swabucks.com 3.0 users will be able to earn by having their toolbar visible on their browser (must be logged in) and also by simply viewing our ‘No Obligation’ special offers. This means that in addition to all the regular ways to earn, the more you are engaged with Swagbucks.com, the more you will earn!

2) New look home page and Swag Store & rewards store: Swagbucks.com 3.0 will include a revamped, cleaner interface that will provide a better user experience.

3) Launch of the Swagstakes Portal: As you may know we currently run about a dozen on-going sweepstakes (called Swagstakes) at any given time. With the launch of 3.0 we are going to have a brand new, fully stocked Swagstakes portal in which there will be dozens of Swagstakes running at all times! Some contests will be limited entry (meaning a set number of entries will be offered) so the odds for a user to win are greater. The tentative list of items that will be offered during initial launch should include: $100 Amazon Gift Cards, Sony Bravia 32? TV, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod Touch, Flip Ultra HD Camera, Panasonic Blu Ray with Remote, Apple iPad, Sopranos Complete Series Box Set, Rachel Ray 10 piece cookware set, Playstation 3 system + games bundle, Canon Powershot Camera, Seinfeld Complete Series DVD box Set, Viziio 22? LCD TV and plenty more!

4) Starting today, you will notice that your Swag Bucks in your account will be multiplied by 10 (as will the prices in the store. So for example, if you had 45 bucks in your account you will now have 450 SB; The Amazon which was 45 SB will now be 450 SB). NO prices are being raised on prizes (it will all be proportional – so have no fear about that), but what this split of the SB will allow us to do is to award bucks to users in ways that were not before imaginable (such as being logged into the toolbar, and viewing our special offers).

Don’t hesitate! With all the free codes they’re giving away right now, this is the best time to sign up!

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I’m getting excited for Money Saving Mom’s and FishMama’s Baking/Freezer Cooking Day tomorrow!  My new chest freezer is being delivered at the end of the week, so I’m looking forward to filling it up (but my current freezers will be stuffed until it gets here!  LOL).

Here’s the list of what I want to make (as of right now).  I’ll be taking at least two days to do all of this, and the majority will be done during nap time and after the kids are in bed.

Breakfasts
Pancakes x 3
Yogurt Fruit Bars (my first time trying these, so I’m only making one batch this time)

Main Dishes
Chicken Tetrazzini x 2
Baked Beef Sausage Stew x 2
Italian Stuffed Shells (the recipe already makes enough for the freezer, so I’m only making the one batch)
Meatballs

Snacks/Desserts
Chocolate chip cookies (I’ll bake some and freeze some of the dough in balls)
Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins
Pumpkin pie (probably won’t freeze this)
Zucchini bread

Side Dishes
Freezer Mashed Potatoes
Crockpot Applesauce

Other Food Prep
Cut up pineapples (I got two for $0.99 each at Aldi today!)
Wash grapes and take off of stems
Wash and cut up broccoli
Cut up and freeze chicken breasts

Yes, looking at it now, this may take me the entire week to get done!  We’ll see.  Stay tuned…I’ll be posting updates!

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I rarely do personal posts on this blog, but I wanted my readers to know why my posts will be a little more sporadic for the next couple of weeks…

Life is overwhelming right now.  So much stuff I need and want to do, so little time that isn’t occupied with diaper changes, feedings, playing with the kids, and housework.

We’re leaving for an 8-day trip to Colorado in a little over a week.  I need this trip so much right now, but my to-do list to get us ready is a mile long.  I keep wondering how I’m going to do it all.  The answer I finally came to:  I’m not.

I’m going to have to let some things slide a little (i.e. my blogging and all related projects) so that I can do the most pressing things.  It’s not a permanent thing, just a “for right now” thing.

And it’s not like I won’t be posting.  You can’t get rid of me that easily!  I’ll still be participating in Frugal Friday, posting my Super Savings Saturday and sharing my Walgreens and CVS scenarios.  It’s just the more “random” deals that will have to wait for a few weeks.   You can be notified of any new posts by subscribing via the form on the sidebar!

And when we get home, things can get back to normal and I’ll be sharing all kinds of great deals with you!!

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During KMart’s last round of Super Doubles, they said it would be the last one for the year.  Luckily, they changed their minds and Super Doubles will be back next week!

I’m very excited…I always stock up disposable diapers so that I never have to pay full-price for them (we cloth-diaper 99% of the time)!!

Check back soon…I’ll post more details as soon as I have them!

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All you have to do is take this quiz on flu facts here and you’ll receive a $5/$25 coupon!  You could easily rework my CVS scenario here to take advantage of this offer and save even more!

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• Monday: Classic Beef-Barley Soup, Buttery Bread Machine Rolls
• Tuesday: Quiche, Coffee Cake, Fruit
• Wednesday: Cowboy Pie, Steamed Green Beans
• Thursday: Tacos, Spanish Rice
• Friday: Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
• Saturday: Leftovers, Bring cookies to church
• Sunday: Homemade Pizza

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit I’m An Organizing Junkie !

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There will be 2 inserts in tomorrow’s paper: a Smart Source and a Red Plum.  There will be some good coupons, so make sure you get a paper!

Wondering how many newspapers you should get each week?  It’s recommended that you buy one paper for each member of your family.  With that number, you can usually buy enough of the products you need to get you through until the coupon is released again.

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Here’s what I plan to do at Walgreens this week (see Deal Seeking Mom for the full list).  There are just three simple transactions, for under $5!  And if you have any RR’s from previous weeks, you’ll pay even less!  The coupons that you’ll need are printed in blue.

Transaction #1:
Buy 1 Thermacare Heat Wrap, $2.49
Use (1) $1/1 Thermacare printable here

Total After Coupons: $1.49
RR’s Earned: $2.49

Transaction #2:
Buy 2 Oral-B Indicator Toothbrushes, 2/$4
Buy 2 Formula 409, 2/$5
**Filler item
Use (1) BOGO Oral-B Indicator Manual Toothbrush from the 8/23 Red Plum insert
Use (2) $1/1 Formula 409 product from the 8/30 Red Plum insert
Use $2.49 RR from Transaction #1

Total After Coupons & RR’s: $2.51
RR’s Earned: $4.00

Transaction #3:
Buy 1 Roots of Nature Hair Care, $6.00
**Filler item
Use (1) Roots of Nature printable here
Use $4.00 RR from Transaction #2

Total After Coupons & RR’s: $1.00
RR’s Earned: $6.00

Grand Total OOP: $5.00
RR’s Remaining for Next Week: 6.00

**In Transaction #2, you will need a small filler item.  Walgreens requires you to have an item for each coupon you use and they count RR’s as coupons.  Aim for a cheap filler item, such as a pencil (I think they’re around $0.10).  In my scenarios, I don’t count the cost of a filler item.

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Here’s what I plan to do at CVS this week (see Deal Seeking Mom for the full list).  There are just two simple transactions, for under $5!  And if you have any ECB’s from previous weeks, you’ll pay even less!  The coupons that you’ll need are printed in blue.

Transaction #1:
Buy 1 Crest Pro Health Toothpaste or Rinse, $2.99
Use (1) 0.75/1 Crest Premium Paste or Rinse coupons in the 8/30/09 P&G insert

Total After Coupons: $2.24
ECB’s Earned: $2.00

Transaction #2:
Buy 1 Aquafresh Iso-Active Whitening Toothpaste, $3.99
Buy 2 Cheerios Individual Serving Cups, $1.00
Buy 2 Honey Bunches of Oats, $4.98 BOGO
Use (1) $1/1 Aquafresh iso-active Whitening Toothpaste here or in the 9/20 Red Plum insert
Use (2) $1/1 Cheerios printables here
Use (2) $2/1 Honey Bunches of Oats printables here
Use $2 ECB from Transaction #1

Total After Coupons & ECB’s: $1.97
ECB’s Earned: $2.00

Grand Total OOP: $4.22
ECB’s Remaining for Next Week: $2.00

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This week was an easy shopping week for us.  I didn’t go to Walgreens or CVS because I wasn’t that excited by their deals.  I also didn’t go to HyVee even though I was planning on it…the kids napped late and we just ran out of time.  I was looking forward to stocking up on some cheap lunch meat, but it was already almost 4.

And before I start showing you my pictures, please excuse the painting supplies in the background.  We’re in the middle of painting our living room and I knew if I moved the supplies for my pictures, the kids would get into them.  And that would not be good!

On Sunday, I got my newspapers at Dillon’s as usual.

• 4 newspapers
  1.86 x 4 = 7.99 with tax

Also at Dillon’s on Sunday, I cashed some WIC checks and got the following items for free (not pictured and not counted in any totals):

• 4 cans of juice concentrate
• 4 gallons of milk
• 1 can of tuna
• 1 jar peanut butter
• 2 dozen eggs
• 2 boxes of Frosted Mini-Wheats
• 3- 8 oz boxes of baby cereal

I was very excited about my Dillon’s trip on Tuesday.  See those 6 bags of veggies and salad mix?  All only $0.49 each and most of them are organic!  I don’t know why they were on Manager’s Special either…none of them were going to expire until 9 days after I bought them.  I’m not complaining, though!

• 6 bags of salad mix/ veggies
  0.49 x 6 = 2.94
• 2 loaves bread (only one is pictured)
  0.78  x 2 = 1.56
• 4 rolls Bounty paper towels
  1.00 x 4 = 4.00 – three 0.25 coupons (I had 4, but the cashier must have skipped one) doubled to 0.50 = 2.50 or 0.63 each!
• 5 Vanilla Diet Pespi
  1.00 x 5 = 5.00
• Kashi Cereal
  3.99 – FREE coupon from Vocalpoint mailer = FREE!
• Sun Chips
  2.48 – 1.00 coupon = 1.48
• Green grapes
  0.99/lb x 2.18 lbs = 2.16
• Kroger Deluxe Ice Cream
  1.00 (I had a $0.75 Shortcuts coupon on my card, but it didn’t come off and I need to follow up on that)
• Dial soap
  1.00 – 0.55 coupon doubled to 1.00 = FREE!
• Kroger Strawberry Syrup
  1.40
• 2 Beef arm roasts, Buy One, Get One FREE
  13.61 or 6.80 each!

Total w/ tax: $34.34; Total savings: $29.41 (and that doesn’t include what I saved on the veggies!)

At Aldi, I spent $35.79.

Now please don’t laugh too hard when I tell you why there isn’t a picture for my Walmart stuff.  I set it all out on the table, got distracted getting something for the kids and then came back and put it all away, totally forgetting to take the picture!!  Mommy brain…it gets you every time!

The only things I got a good deal on were 3 Clean & Clear trial size face washes.  They were $0.97 and I had $1.00 coupons!

Walmart Total w/ tax: $23.53; Total Savings: $3.00

For the whole shopping trip, we spent $93.75 and saved $32.41.  Not my most inspiring shopping trip ever, but you need weeks like this to make the other weeks look good!  LOL

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