What to do with old cookie sheets

Here is an idea for what to do with an old cookie sheet. Mine were rusty and it was time for them to die. But since I can't just let things go I had to find a new use for it.

I made this one into a Christmas countdown calendar. I just painted the old cookie sheet red and glued on paper to create the design I wanted. I used mod podge over the whole thing to seal it up. The scalloped square is just a piece of chipboard I had laying around in my scrapbook supply box, I painted and decorated it and glued magnets (I used advertisement magnets that I cut up) to the back. This part moves from day to day. The last two days are glass magnets that I made (using cut outs from magazines), one with Santa and one with Jesus.

You don't have to just make advent calendars. Since they are magnetic you can create a message board, a picture keeper, a place to display your child's art for the day, a weekly meal schedule, etc. The options are only limited to your imagination.

Frozen Pizza Bagels - Under $3 a dozen!

After last weeks post about coupons my mother said to me, "What are you going to do with all that food?" Well, here is one thing I did with it - made Frozen Pizza Bagels!

For less than $3 for the whole batch I made a dozen pizza bagles. Here is my reciepe and how to freeze them.

6 Plain Bagles
1/2 can spaghetti sauce
1 c. mozarella cheese
2 mushrooms diced
about 15 slices of pepperoni chopped

1. Lay bagel halves on cookie sheet with insides facing up.
2. Coat each one with a generous amount of sauce (some sauce will soak into bagel).
3. Top with cheese and toppings.
4. Lightly press down on the toppings so some sauce touches everything. (The sauce is like the glue of the frozen pizza. If your toppings touch even a little bit of the sauce they are more likely to stay on the pizza when it is frozen.)
5. Place cookie sheet in freezer for an hour or so. Once pizzas are frozen you can take them off the cookie sheet and wrap them however you choose for long term storage. You can place them individually in sandwich bags, wrap in Saran wrap, place in Tupperware etc. Whichever fits you, your budget and your freezer best is what you should do.
6. When ready to cook. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes (approx. time. Make sure you watch them carefully all ovens are different!). You can also place them in the microwave for 2 minutes.


This is a great way to stock up on foods you love and not spend a whole lot of money doing it. These pizzas took me less than 15 minutes to prepare and saved me lots of money! And besides... who doesn't love pizza?!?

Why Coupons Are Awesome!!!

So I have some great friends who are amazing and have inspired me to start using coupons. The picture above is from my first trip trying out the coupon technique the pros use. I have to admit is was a complete success and I couldn't be happier. The above items should have cost me $92.23 (before taxes) but instead I saved $64.02 and all of this food only cost me $28.21 (before taxes). I was grinning form ear to ear as I left the store revelling in my new triumph.

Now, let me tell you how I did it...

How to get coupons: You can get coupons from the paper, blinkies and stands in the aisles of the store, from ads at the front of the store, from signing up for free coupons and freebies from the manufacturers site, or there are a plethora of websites that will direct you to coupons you can print from your computer. Here is one that I like called Money Saving Mom. Collect as many as you can.

Use them with Buy One Get One Free deals: I shop at Publix which frequently has B1G1Free sales. When chips are normally $4 and you can B1G1Free you don't have to buy two to get the deal you can just buy one for just $2. If you also have a coupon for $1 off you end up paying only $1 for the chips that were normally $4 saving you $3! Many stores also double coupons that are 50 cents or less. So a 50 cent coupon is actually $1. Where you can really stock up is when you have more than one coupon. Check your stores B1G1Free deals for the week and plan ahead. If your coupon is for more that the price the remaining money is called overage and is deducted from another item.

Here's a breakdown of some of the stuff that I bought today and the savings.

A-1 Sauce Various Flavors

• Originally $3.79.
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.90
• Coupon $2.00 off
• Total for each $-.10

Oscar Mayer Beef Jumbo Franks

• Originally $3.99
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.99
• Coupon $1.00 off when you buy 2
• Total for each $.99

Kraft Dressings Various Flavors

• Originally $2.99
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.49
• Coupon $1.50 off
• Total for each $-.01

Betty Crocker Turtle Supreme Brownie Mix

• Originally $2.55
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.28
• Coupon $.50 off when you buy two but was doubled so it was actually $1 off when you buy two
• Total for each $.78 plus there is a coupon on the boxes for 2 free movie tickets with 10 UPC's all I need is 4 more from other participating brands and I get to see Harry Potter 6 for free too!

Lenders Bagels

• Originally $2.09
• B1G1F sale price $1.05
• Coupon $1.00 off when you buy 3
• Total for each $.71

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread Assorted Flavors

• Originally $1.99
• 4 or $5 sale $1.25 each
• Coupon save $1 when you buy 2
• Total for each $.75

Triscut Assorted Flavors

• Originally $3.19
• B1G1Free sale price $1.60
• Coupon save $1 when you buy 2
• Total for each $1.10

I also got a dollar off of the roast beef from a store coupon and the olives weren't on sale, I just wanted them. :) As you can see the savings are significant and I'm not even a pro yet. A friend of mine bought $180 dollars in groceries the other day and only ended up spending $60 a savings of $120!

Think of what this will mean to your budget as well as your food storage. You never know what is going to happen if you will loose your job, a grocery worker strike or a natural disaster with take out the food supply. Won't it feel good to know that your savvy shopping and the food you have stored up will be there when you need it? Doomsday's aside - I'm just happy that I now have brownies on hand for all those parties and Church activities that I will be asked to bring a treat to!

Free Hot Dogs

We all pretend that we are disgusted by them but let's face it... everyone loves hot dogs!

Go get yourself a coupon for a free pack! Oscar Mayer is giving out coupons for a free package. Click here to sign up.

Sign Up For Free Samples

Getting stuff for free is awesome. Free samples are the best because you can try something that you may think you want but just aren't sure enough to spend a lot of money to try. Getting free samples of things is also great because you can keep them as a "rainy day" item or keep it in a 72 hour emergency kit. For example a free sample of tampons comes in handy when you run out and it suddenly becomes an emergency. Or you use the last of the dish washing detergent but thank goodness you have that free sample to use before you can get to the store again.

On Walmart's site there is a section where you can sign up for free samples of items. There are also several places all over the Internet you can find free samples of things. Oh and if you're having a baby, sign up for every site there is, you will get free formula, baby products and checks for lots of money to go towards formula. Totally worth it.

If you are concerned about getting a ton on junk e-mail for signing up at these sites just simply open up an e-mail account that you can use for these things specifically. That way, special offers and coupons won't junk up your personal e-mail account.

Discount Days and Free Birthday Food at Moe's

Well, I just came back from a delicious dinner at Moe's. The best part about it? It was free!! If you go to their site you can sign up for their free birthday promotion. On your birthday they send you an e-mail with a coupon for a free entree. You have 7 days to use it. It's a simple as that! I saved almost $8 and had a lovely evening out with the family.

While I was there I was also informed that Monday's you get $1 off all burritos and on Tuesday's kids eat free! This is the Moe's in Vestavia, Alabama. I am not 100% sure if all Moe's have promotions on the same day so I would check with your Moe's ahead of time. The birthday dinner is applicable at all Moe's locations.

Free Movies From The Red Box

Many people love Redbox. Redbox is a DVD kiosk that is located in many grocery stores and McDonalds' around the country. You simply pay $1 to rent a movie for one day. If you keep it for longer than a day it is $1 for each additional day. The best part is you can return it to any Redbox in the country and is ideal for long car trips with the kids. If you go to their official site you can register and recieve a promotional code for a free movie.

At the site Inside Redbox you can register and you will be updated with promo codes for free rentals on a regular basis. I have never used Redbox but I have heard lots of others rave about it as well as the free promo code site.

I doesn't hurt to check it out, because what's better than a $1 movie rental? A FREE movie rental!

Baby Yourself with Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama has a great program for expectant moms called Baby Yourself. The Baby Yourself program is usually free with your insurance coverage plan. To enroll, just follow the link to their site or give them a call.

I participated in this program and was very pleased with what it offered. I had a nurse assigned to me who would call me periodically to see how I was doing. She would also remind me of little things to do that my doctor just didn't have time to tell me, like how much water to drink or foods to stay away from. If I ever had any questions I could call her directly. Not only did I feel special but I also had somewhere to turn to for questions to my answers, even the silly ones, when my doctors office was not available or the question was too trivial to make an appointment for.

They also shower you with free items and information. I received nice books, one was a dad's guide to pregnancy and the other was a book about health complete with charts on what to do in certain situations and when to take your baby to the doctor and when to treat it at home. I also received things such as large mugs for drinking water, items to help with breastfeeding, medicine droppers and more. When my baby was born the nurse called to congratulate me, followed up on how we were doing and sent a nice soft blanket.

It was a great program to participate in, I would encourage all with BCBS to join when you have a baby. If you don't have BCBS, check with your insurance provider. I'm sure that others have similar programs.

Free Gifts and Coupons from Publix

I love shopping at Publix and less than a year ago I signed up for a great program that they offer for babies, The Publix Baby Club

When you sign up for this club you get a free book "Caring for your Baby and Child" as well as several coupons for practical items in their store. Many of the coupons were for free items such as rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, cocoa butter lotion and more. They also send coupons for large discounts on items such as diapers, wipes and baby dishes. In addition, I received coupons for items that you just don't ever find coupons for like meat from their deli and other meats.

Before my daughter's 1st birthday I also received generous coupons for ice cream, cake and Mylar balloons. When I say generous I mean coupons that range anywhere from $1-$6. They also accept manufactures coupons and frequently have buy one get one free sales (where you don't have to get 2 things to get the discount).

Publix also has a program for preschoolers called the Preschool Pals Club. I have not yet participated in this program but if you visit the link you can view all of the things your preschooler can receive.

Another reason I love Publix - they have "car" shopping carts which keep my little one entertained (along with sanitizing wipes for the carts), free cookies for kids, free coffee for parents (though I've never tried it) and the service you get there is excellent.

Free Immunizations For Your Kids

Immunizations can get really expensive! Even if you have health insurance the co-pays can really add up. Did you know that you can get free immunizations for your kids?

Jefferson County here in Alabama has a program called Tot Shots. Each month at various places around town (mostly churches) nurses from area hospitals as well as nurses from the health department administer immunizations to children.

How it works: You call or go to the website and find the location and time of the Tot Shot Clinic near you. Clinics are held several places each month. Bring your child's prior immunization forms and they will give your child the immunizations that they need for their age. There is no financial hardship requirement or insurance necessary. Even if you have insurance you are welcome. Anyone is allowed to participate in this program. There is usually a short wait 15-30 minutes. They are very professional and take good care of the children. They also record and send the immunization information to your child's doctor. If you are not happy with the program you are not obligated to continue with it. But I would strongly recommend continuing to get immunizations through your family doctor.

If you don't live in Jefferson County, Alabama, call your local health department or ask your pediatrician for information about your areas' immunization program. Many health departments offer free or greatly discounted immunizations for children.

Don't allow your children to be unprotected from disease just to save cash. Check out programs like these and you will be glad you did.