These cute Valentine’s print 4 per page, and are good for 5 free tokens at Chuck E. Cheeses through March 2, 2010.

Print them at THIS LINK. Opens as a .pdf.

See THIS LINK to find a location near you.

There are quite a few families around the country that are making their own laundry soap. I have to say that this is something that I have seriously been considering doing myself. My favorite laundry detergent is All Small & Mighty, but there haven’t been any super good sales on it in my area for awhile.

Here are a couple of recipes to try:
Liquid Laundry Detergent

4 Cups – hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

– Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

You could add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, citrus, eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, etc…

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*You NEED to use Arm & Hammer “Super Washing Soda” -. Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate!!

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*You NEED to use Arm & Hammer “Super Washing Soda” -. Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate!!

Can’t Find Fels-Naptha? Most recipes call for Fels-Naptha bar soap, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.
Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

Sherri’s Notes:

I have read several things online saying that the powdered laundry detergent is harsh on clothes, so if you decide to try that one you may want to add the detergent and allow the water to start filling (maybe hot) to dissolve the detergent before you add your clothes.

A few members of PYP have said that they don’t always feel that all of the odors come out of their clothes with the basic recipes. Some other suggestions have been to add a cup of Dawn dish soap to the recipes; you could add vinegar to your rinse cycle also. Another member suggested buying a bottle of stain fighter like “Shout” when it’s on sale and adding about a cup of that to the detergent when you are making it.

It might be a good idea to have the ingredients on hand in your non-food storage for an emergency situation.

Amazon has lots of other laundry soap options and also sells the ingredients needed to make laundry soap.

So there you have it. Think about it. Give it a try. Tell me what you think.

There is lots of information on Pinching Your Pennies. Log-in and search for “Homemade Laundry Soap”.

KOA’s special Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend is May 14 and 15, 2010. Pay for Friday, May 14 and kamp Saturday May 15 at the same kampground for FREE! KOA’s Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend has become a favorite way for many families to kick off their summer camping season.
For the seventh year, kampgrounds will be collecting donations and holding fundraising events to benefit KOA Care Camps for children with cancer, the official charity of the KOA Owners Association. This network of 43 specialized summer camps gives children with cancer, and their siblings, a chance to experience the joys of camping while continuing their treatments.

View the full list of participating KOA Kampgrounds.

Get more info at this link.

Become a fan of Incredible Edible Egg and get a coupon for a Dozen Eggs FREE when you purchase a dozen.

Check back on Friday for the “Free Eggs” tab and follow the instructions to download your coupon. Get cracking early on Friday because the coupon is only available to the first 30,000 fans who download it!

Link to offer   (Valid FRIDAY ONLY!)

Practicing frugality is becoming more and more necessary for consumers as income remains stagnant or decreases and prices continue to rise. If the thought of stockpiling your groceries and other household needs seems to be a step in the wrong direction, consider the following……

At first glance, the concept of stocking up appears to be at odds with the concept of frugality. After all, by definition frugality means that one should practice economical strategies in the purchase and use of resources, natural and man made. Doesn’t the idea of stocking up seem to be contrary to this concept? Perhaps it does, but nonetheless, if practiced carefully, stocking up can be quite an economical strategy that leads to exceptional frugality. Using the strategy of stocking up on various products can lead to quite a savings on resources and finances.
Stocking up on certain types of household, car, garden, personal needs, and other types of supplies or needs is something that should be thought out carefully. It begins with a knowledge of what you need on a regular basis, where you can store these items, and what price range makes it worthwhile to purchase in bulk. Following certain guidelines when making your purchases will circumvent potential problems while maximizing your savings.

Know the Amount of Storage Space You Have
Before stocking up on any type of product whatsoever, it is essential that you know how much space you have available for storing it. Where you keep your items is almost as important as whether or not you have a true need for it. After all, if you store your stockpile items in some out-of-the-way location, you might forget that you have them. If this happens, then the item can go to waste if it has a specific shelf life and you can end up spending even more money than you would have if you hadn’t done any stocking up.
The best place to store your extra items is in a place that is easily accessible. A spare shelf in a closet, a built in or stand alone pantry, or even a back room can be used to store your stockpiled items. Plus, you should always store your items in the same location so that you remember where they are. The easier these items are to get to, the more likely it is that you will remember to use them.

Categorize Your Stockpile
One of the easiest strategies that you can use to stay aware of what you have in your stockpile is to categorize your purchases. Place similar items in the same area. Not only does this allow you to find them easily, but also, it decreases the amount of time needed to search through your stockpile when updating your needs. For example, if you are stocking up on personal hygiene needs such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant, they should all be stored in the same general area. Perhaps you can clear a shelf in the linen closet to make room for your stockpile. For food items, a stand alone pantry or a few shelves in the kitchen should be sufficient to hold your stockpile. Again, place similar items together.

Create a List of Needed Items
Whether you store the list in your head or you write it down, you need to maintain a list of items that you are running low on. If you maintain a list of items that need to be replenished, then you don’t miss out on an opportunity to stock up on something that you are running low on. It is too easy to bypass a good sale simply because you think that you don’t need an item. After all, buying too much of a good thing can easily turn into a bad thing if the shelf life of the item isn’t sufficient enough for your use of the product. Take this strategy a bit further and take into consideration the possibility of family gatherings or parties that might necessitate purchases on a slightly larger scale.

Stockpile When the Price is Unbeatable
If you want the best return for your money, paying attention to the price variations on any type of product is essential. If you monitor store sales for several weeks or months, you will be able to get a handle on the price fluctuations so that you know just how low a price might go. Manufacturers like to vary their prices according to their marketing schemes and therefore, different times of the month or year will bring about lower prices. Therefore, if you pay attention to these fluctuations on the market, you can plan your stockpiling strategies more efficiently.
Resist the urge to purchase large quantities of items when the price is lower than usual but not a great deal lower. The best time to stockpile is when the price is as low as it is likely to get. The shopping lists provided at PinchingYourPennies.com are a key element in knowing when to stock up an item. Using our shopping lists, you can quickly spot 4 and 5 star deals. 5 star deals on the shopping lists are rock-bottom, stock-up prices. Our deal finders and listmakers have years of experience tracking sales and item prices.
If you can avoid becoming brand conscious, then you can take advantage of clearance sales on discontinued brands and products. The savings on clearance items is often as much as 50% to 75% of the original purchase price. For example, after most holiday seasons end, most stores place their holiday items on sale. Even though you might not want any more Christmas candy, the stores often reduce the prices of products that they have overstocked including baking items, canned and candied fruits or nuts, spices, baking pans, and more. This fact makes after holiday sales a perfect time to stockpile a few items.

Don’t Worry about Stockpiling Everything All at Once
It is important to remember that you don’t need to do all of your stockpiling all at once either. If you need something and it isn’t on sale for a good price, then simply purchase one of the item or the quantity that you need. Otherwise, don’t purchase anything that you don’t need until you can obtain it for a good price.
After a few months of shopping with a stockpiling strategy, you will discover that you rarely run out of any of the items that you typically stockpile. Your purchasing habits will become cyclical as they begin to follow the cycles of sales that occur on a consistent basis. Additionally, you will begin to see a savings in your monthly expenditure as you reap the benefits of not ever having to purchase any of these items at full price.

Avoid Stockpiling Items That You Won’t Use
As you begin to look for bargains to stockpile, you will come across great deals on items that you have no real use for or need of. It is so easy to get caught up in the terrific savings that someone would get if they purchased these items. However, there’s no bargain if you purchase something that you aren’t ever going to need simply because it is on sale for 90% off of the original price. For example, quite often seasonal items will go on sale at drastically reduced prices. However, if these items are products that you will never use, then you would waste money with a purchase of them. Buying something because it is ten cents is pointless if you are never going to use the item. However, if you are looking for a charitable donation, you can always purchase such items and donate them to a local shelter or food pantry that can use them.

Avoid Stockpiling Perishable Items
Perishable items such as produce, bakery items, and other items with a short shelf life are not good items to stockpile. Chances are that these items will go bad before you ever get to use all of them should you decide to stockpile them. For items with an expiration date, you can calculate how many you would be able to use before the expiration date arrives and purchase that quantity. In fact, check the expiration dates on a number of the product as this will probably vary by as much as several months. Purchase the ones that have the expiration date that offers the longest shelf life.

Maintain Your Stockpile
Once you set up a place to store your stockpile, you need to remember to maintain it. Since many of the items will have expiration dates on them, you need to rotate your purchase so that the earliest expiration dates remain in the front of the stockpile. This strategy pertains to both perishable and nonperishable items. One of the strategies that you can use is to take a black marker and label the items in large numbers with their expiration dates on them.

Have Realistic Expectations
One of the most important facets about stocking up that one needs to understand is that the financial benefits are not seen immediately. After all, it is quite possible that initially you will be spending slightly more money than usual. However, after several weeks, you will begin to see savings as you spend less because you already have the item at home. At the very least, you will be able to keep up with the rise in cost as you continue stocking up when the items are on sale.

$10 off purchases of $60 or more with coupon code SPRINGRG Exp. 4/30

Finishline.com LINK

Men’s and Women’s Under Armour Big Logo Fleece Hoodies *Many styles and colors to choose fom
Was $49.99
Now $29.99

Men’s Under Armour jackets
Was $69.99
Now $34.99

Men’s Under Armour Frost Stopper jacket
Was $99.99
Now $50.00

Women’s Revenant running shoes
Was $119.99
Now $49.99

Men’s Under Armour basketball shorts
Was $34.99
Now $19.99

Women’s Under Armour Full Zip Hoodie
Was $54.99
Now $27.50

$10 off purchases of $60 or more with coupon code SPRINGRG Exp. 4/30

Finishline.com LINK

Every Thursday at 8:45 am, Rebecca Pickett appears on Fox13’s Good Day Utah morning show with a roundup of some of the best deals of the week!! This week Rebecca featured the following:

1. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs DVD on sale at Amazon for $9.99 with FREE shipping over $25 or FREE shipping with PRIME

Link to DVD

Princess Bride is also on sale for $4.99!!

Link to DVD

If you are a new Amazon member, you can also receive a FREE trial of Prime, which allows you to get free shipping on ANY size order. Make sure after you sign up for Prime you go into your account and change your settings from auto renew.

Link to free Prime Trial (look for free 2-day shipping icon on right side of page)

2. Buy Madden NFL 10 for Xbox 360, Get NCAA Football 10 for free at MicrosoftStore.com!!

Link to Discussion

3. Utah and BYU Snuggies on sale at Kohls.com!

Link to Kohl’s discussion and deals

Check out the entire Kohl’s thread for additional codes and deals!

Kohls.com LINK

4. KOA’s Come Camp & Care With Us Weekend, May 14 and 15, 2010. Pay for Friday, May 14 and camp Saturday May 15 for FREE (at the same campground)!!

KOA Link

5. Second BIG week of Game Day Promo at Smith’s Grocery Store!

Link to Smith’s Grocery List

6. Bountiful Baskets Produce Co-op.

Receive about $50 of grocery store quality produce for $17.50!

Link to Discussion

Link to Bountiful Baskets Website

7. Don’t forget to enter to win a Harvest from Shelf Reliance!!

Deadline to enter is February 7th

Link to enter contest

Final winter clearance has begun at JCPenney stores. Prices are 80% off the original prices, and are marked as such.

Use one or both of these PRINTABLE COUPONS to save even more! You can’t stack them, but you can use both if you spend $125.

When I first started couponing, I would read about people being able to find all kinds of great deals and they would end up spending hardly anything on their shopping trip. And while I would look over the lists and coupons, sometimes it was hard for me to figure out just how they did it!

One of the most helpful things for me, to help me figure it all out, was seeing lists of exactly what people bought and what coupons they used – knowing the exact details of how they got such good deals and seeing the math in action. It helped me really understand how everything went together and how the different deals worked.

I am by no means an expert at this, but I thought I would post the details about my recent trip to Smith’s (Kroger) last week in case it would help others get some ideas on some of the many great deals that are available.

Smith’s (in Utah) is running their Mega Event sale again, as are many Kroger stores around the country, and there are some great bargains! Buy 10 participating items and save $5 instantly – that’s a .50 discount per item. Combine that store discount with some good manufacturer coupons and you’ve got some great deals.

Here’s what I picked up during the first week of the sale (most items still valid):

(3) Huggies diapers jumbo pack, on sale 8.99 (6.99 after coupon)
(1) bag misc rolls, clearanced to 1.24 (I used these to make the herbed garlic bread that Laura posted about HERE – delicious!)
(1) gallon Mountain Dairy whole milk, clearanced to .99 (sell by Jan 31)
(12) Emerald Nuts dry roasted peanuts, on sale 1.50 (.50 after $1 off peelie coupon on lid)
(8) CapriSun, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .99 after coupon)
(5) Electrasol 20ct dishwasher tabs, on sale 3.49 (2.99 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(8) Hormel chili, rang up at .88* (.38 after promo, .13 after coupon)
(6) Kleenex tissue, on sale 1.49 (.99 after promo, .82 after coupon)
(6) Kraft Naturals shredded cheese, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .99 after coupon)
(22) Kraft Easy Mac cups, on sale .99 (.49 after promo)
(5) Krusteaz cookie mix, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(10) Pepperidge Farms goldfish crackers, on sale 1.38 (.88 after promo)
(2) Post Raisin Bran cereal, on sale 2.49 (1.99 after promo, free after coupon)
(2) Solo plastic cups, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(1) Solo plastic bowls, on sale 1.99 (1.49 after promo, .49 after coupon)
(2) Velveeta 2lb loaf, on sale 4.29 (3.79 after promo, 2.79 after coupon)
(3) Keebler Zesta saltines, on sale 1.69 (1.19 after promo, .69 after coupon)

I used a lot of coupons on this trip [coupons taken from Utah inserts, may vary by region]:

(3) 2.00/1 printable coupons for the diapers [see Coupons.com]
(12) 1.00/1 peelie coupons for the nuts, attached to lids at store
(4) 1.00/2 printable coupons for the CapriSun [coupon from Kraft site – no longer available]
(5) 2.50/1 coupons for the dishwasher tabs [see SS-1/3)
(4) .55/2 coupons for the chili [see SS-1/24]
(2) .50/3 coupons for the Kleenex [see SS-1/3]
(3) 1.00/2 printable coupons for the cheese [see Coupons.com]
(5) 1.00/1 coupons for the cookie mix [see SS-12/6]
(2) 2.00/1 coupons for the Post cereal [sign up for newsletter HERE and they’ll email you a $2 off coupon]
(3) 1.00/1 coupons for the cups and bowls [see SS-12/6]
(2) 1.00/1 coupons for the Velveeta [no longer available]
(1) 1.00/2 coupon for the Zesta crackers [see RP-12/13]

Total: $85.87 for 97 items

There are a few variations on the coupons for several items, so if you don’t have the specific inserts listed above, or don’t have enough for what you want to get, be sure to check the shopping list for additional coupon options.

*The Hormel chili is listed in the ad at 1.29, making it .79 after the promo and about .52 after coupon. But there are a few select locations in the Salt Lake valley area that have the chili for .88 and it’s still part of the promo(check THIS POST for more details).

Just one of the awesome tools here at PYP…ready-made shopping lists.  We scour grocery ads to find the best deals at many of your favorite stores, and match them with available coupons.   Check the list below and see if you find your favorite store!

Walgreens has lots of good Register Rewards deals out this week. If you have any questions about how these work go here for the answers.

Heres a few transaction scenarios for you, you can also check out the walgreens thread for more great ideas.

Transaction #1
Sale: Vitamin Schtick lip care $1.99
and Blink tears .34 or .5oz $7.99
Use: Blink Tears or Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, any $2/1 (4-2-10) RP-1/31
Pay: $7.98 +tax
Get: $2rr for schtick, and $8rr for blink

Transaction #2
Sale: Joint juice 30pk, .25oz ea $10 (you will also need to grab 1 cheap filler since you can’t have more coupons then items)
Use: $2rr, and $8rr from transaction #1
Pay: Price of filler + tax
Get: $10 rr for joint juice

You can just roll between the first 2 transactions and keep your out of pocket expense to a miniumum or you can roll into the following transactions, there not free but still a good deal!

Transaction #3
Sale: Vicks, 20ct Nyquil or dayQuil or liquid, 10oz. 5 or 6 pack vapopads. Formula 44, 6oz. VapoSyrup, 10oz. $5
Use: 4x Vicks NyQuil or Dayquil, any $2/1 (2-28-10) PG-1/17 (if your not getting nyQuil/ DayQuil use Vicks Product, any except NyQuil or DayQuil $1/1 (2-28-10) PG-1/17 )
ALSO use: $10rr from transaction #2
Pay: $2 +tax
Get: $10 rr from Vicks

Transaction #4
Check out the Pepsi deal, spend $20, get $10 rr. Some states also have a rebate. Check it out.

Good luck, and remember to check the red tags by the items for the end date on the register rewards, some last all month.

Preparing your own income tax returns doesn’t have to be a nightmare anymore. Online income tax preparation services like H&R Block and TurboTax.com can make the process quite painless. Don’t believe it? Follow these simple steps and see for yourself!

Open an account at either H&R Block or TurboTax.com (if you don’t already have one).  Each service offers editions that are priced according to the complexity of your return, so examine them carefully to find the one that will do what you need for the lowest price. Even though you have to choose one of the editions to open your online account, you won’t have to pay anything until you’re ready to either file your return electronically or prepare the final print-out.

Log into your account and make sure that all of your personal information is entered and ready to go. If you filed a return through that service last year, simply follow the instructions to import the required information into this year’s return. If this is the first time you’ve used an online tax preparation service, just follow the prompts to manually enter the necessary information from your hard copies of last year’s income tax forms. Give yourself a pat on the back when you’re done because you’ve already started preparing your income tax return!

Your income statements will trickle in during the months of January and February, but you can start entering your deductible expenses at any time. Entering your expenses into your online tax return is fast and easy. Just select the category of expense you want to enter, tally the numbers, and move on to the next category. If you use money management software like Quicken or Microsoft Money, you can make the process even easier by simply uploading your expense data once you’ve made the final entries for the year.

You should have the expense side of your income tax return nearly finished when the income statements start to roll in. Do yourself a favor and enter them into your online return immediately, then file them away for good. By the time you enter your last income statement, your tax return will be nearly complete and you can start thinking about how you’re going to spend that tax refund!

Once all of your income and expense statements have been entered, the online tax preparation services will conduct a free automated review. This review will check for errors and for any possible deductions you may have missed. If all goes well, your online federal tax return will be ready to file.

For an additional fee, the services will import your federal tax data into a state tax return and guide you through a short process to complete it. The state tax return will then be automatically reviewed and verified.

At this point, you have the option of printing out drafts of your returns and taking them to a human income tax consultant. The consultant can either mark up your forms for you to change online, or you can give him or her your online account information to have it done for you.

When you’re ready to file your income tax returns, you can choose to file them electronically (e-file) or print them out and mail them through the post office. You’ll have to pay the online tax preparation service fee at this time.

If you file electronically, you’ll be asked to check back in a few days to verify that your returns were accepted by their respective agencies.

That’s it! You’re done for another year. Your tax returns will remain available in your account so that you can print additional copies if you need them. You’ll also be able to import the data into next year’s return.

The key to improving your tax preparation experience is to work on your returns gradually as information becomes available. Online income tax preparation services like H&R Block and TurboTax.com help you to do that by allowing you to make entries that are days and weeks apart without losing any continuity. Your information will always be exactly how you left it the last time you logged in. Furthermore, you’ll be able to work with your tax documents in easy-to-manage bundles instead of having to wade through an intimidating pile.

 Do yourself a favor and take your income tax preparation online. The nightmare is over!


26 high value printable coupons for various toys and games.  Print them before they disappear!  Be sure to come back and let us know the deals you find on them.
Print them at THIS LINK.  Click on the ‘Toys and Games’ category on the left to just the toys and games.