Easy French Onion Soup; Target sale and HT doubles

For many of my readers, I'm sure you would agree that it almost seems as if we went from fall to winter overnight. Here in High Point it was 80 on Thursday and 38 on Friday evening--quite the drop. Many of you in the northeast are getting snow today, and as much as I now dislike the cold, there is a part of me that twinges with a sad nostalgia. I can remember as a kid, there was nothing more exciting than snow on Halloween! So, with the advent of cold weather, I thought I'd share this recipe that I found. I love French Onion Soup, but no one else in my family is crazy about it. Consequently, I generally save this for the few times a year that we eat out in nicer restaurants. This recipe is so easy though...mmmm. You can half the recipe if you don't want a family size batch.

Easy Onion Soup

(makes about 6-7 cups)
1or 2  medium onions
4 tablespoons real butter
2 tablespoon flour
4 cups broth - beef is best but chicken or vegetable will do
2 cups white wine - or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
Good French Bread sliced in 1" thick slabs

Cut the onion in quarters and finely slice into half moons. Heat the butter over medium heat, then add the onions. Stir and cook over medium heat until they are slightly caramelized and soft - about 6 or 7 minutes. Don't let them get too dark or the soup will be bitter. Add the flour and stir until the onions are coated. Add the broth and wine, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the soup. Let it simmer for a minimum of 10 minutes or so, lifting the lid at the end to let it reduce a little. Taste and season. Serve with fresh grated cheese and good bread. If you want to spend just a bit more time and get the real "French" feel, place the bread on top of an oven proof bowl full of soup, smother with cheese, and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slighty crusty. To die for.

Top five: Davis, Will (17:34), Aaron(18:30), Connor, David

Lee (20:20)

Yesterday was the last Cross Country meet of the season. I'm so proud of my boys (and the whole team) for all setting personal records and finishing strong.

Today my husband ground the coffee and made eggs my favorite way--his Saturday morning tradition when I'm not yardsaling. We Skyped my daughter and later we are taking the boys to see Real Steel, compliments of a friend who actually sent me cash to buy the tickets. She said it was so good that I shouldn't wait until it was in Redbox, but she also knew I wouldn't pay for it. Funny thing is, she's a frugal type also, so it must be worth the money. Looking forward to a good afternoon. Tonight is the fall festival at our church...Friendly Hills in Jamestown. It starts at 5:30 pm. If you have little ones, bring them out for a good FREE time!

And a heads up for you triad readers. Next week is super double coupons at Harris Teeter (doubling to $1.50) Be sure to check http://www.southernsavers.com/ now as Jenny is already posting links to printable coupons. These will be the items that are still on the shelves. Anything with a recent coupon in the Sunday inserts will be sold out in the first 2 hours.

Also, for any Target shoppers, it has been reported that SOME Target stores are having a 70% off sale in parts of their "dollar spot" section, located at the front of the store. May not be worth a separate trip, but if you are going anyway, check it out. Great stocking stuffers or items for Operation Christmas Child.

Thanks for your continued votes in the cheap sally contest. http://www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/

Sell your old Corelle for a nice profit! New freebies, including Pantene gift set.



I'm sure many of you have seen advertisements for Replacements, Ltd., a company in Greensboro, NC that buys and sells china and other tableware. They advertise in many magazines, and I have seen the massive warehouse (the size of 7 football fields, they say) myself. I wrongly assumed that they only deal with high end china patterns, but such is not the case. Did you know that also purchase Corelle made by Corning? How many of us have that in our cabinets?? If you have an older (or even current) pattern that you are thinking about selling at a yardsale, go ahead and check out their site at http://www.replacements.com/. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at their offer. If you live in the triad area, I would recommend going directly to the store. They do, however, pay for shipping or you can ship yourself. They do not buy anything that has chips or cracks. Of course, they also purchase china, silver, crystal and glassware, but the Corelle surprised me the most. For most patterns, they will beat any price you could get at a yardsale. Just another way to make a buck in this economy!

Here are a few freebies for you today:

If you happen to be in Target, you might want to pick up the holiday Pantene gift set they are selling for $9.99 which comes with a FREE subscription to Allure magazine. The best part? If you don't want the magazine, you can opt for a $12.00 refund, which make this a money maker. Free Christmas present! Check it out here (info about the refund is at the very bottom of the form) : http://condenastdirect.com/corp/pantene/



Free sample of Hugo Boss Men's cologne: http://www.boss-fragrances.co.uk/free-sample/?lc=gb

Free sample of Chinese tea: http://www.rosechinesetea.com/free-tea-samples.html

12 free issues of Ski Magazine: https://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/freeoffer.asp?offer=Ski-RDC.aspbe

It's almost time for another giveaway! All you have to do to be in the running is to either subscribe to or follow my blog. Next drawing will be November first. The prize? This incredibly cute Le Creuset teapot:

Thanks for your daily votes in the cheap sally contest!

http://www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/



Great new freebies and a van report



I love autumn, even though it means the end of lower energy bills. The leaves, the hearty soups, pumpkins everywhere...it's such a beautiful season and I rejoice in God's creativity. Aren't you glad that any one season doesn't last forever?

I finally have my computer back and it seems to be in working order now. However, our van is out of commission and I really liked that van! We hit a deer while we were in PA visiting our daughter (see picture...think her brothers were glad to see her?) and still aren't sure of the prognosis. The insurance company is trying to decide whether it should be totaled or fixed--a waiting game right now. So thankful that no one was hurt, even if we were 7 hours from home. Also thankful to have a great insurance company.

(funny, it's not as bad in the picture as I remember it that night)

I really like getting unexpected freebies in the mail. Yesterday I got a mailer from the new Sheetz store that opened in High Point. It has 7 coupons for free items, plus a card to get free coffee or fountain drinks for 30 days. Wow. Thanks Sheetz. I'll be visiting. I also received my totally free digital camera today, a Kodak Z5010 that I "purchased" using Max Rewards points from Office Max. It's regularly $229.00. I'll be giving reviews after I play with it for awhile:)

Here's a link for a free-after-rebate neti pot from Arm and Hammer:
http://www.simplysaline.com/NetiPotKit_RebateInfo.pdf

One of the things that we do in our family to save money is home haircuts; I cut Mike's hair and he does the boys. I conservatively estimate that we have saved well over $3000.00 in our married years. I even offered to let Mike cut my hair, but so far he has refused and I have relied on coupons. Anywho...we purchased a Wahl home haircut kit with clippers and scissors for $20 at Walmart nearly 20 years ago and it's still going strong. Get the very same kit now for under 10 bucks...here's how: http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/10/wahl-hair-cutting-set-20-pc-kit-for-9-77/ Go on youtube and find tons of how-to-cut-hair tutorials.

Get a free (facebook) sample of Nescafe Peppermint Mocha. MMMMMMM.:
https://www.facebook.com/nescafeusa?sk=app_112925635457264

Free sample of Dove leave in conditioner: http://www.dove.us/Products/Hair/Make-Friends-with-Your-Hair/Sample.aspx

Free sample of Garnier Color Shield Shampoo and Conditioner ( and you may have to cut & paste the link):

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/shieldcolor102000/main.iphtml?item=102000&source=&key=7562f8e4d1c7d26bff5c67affbc2038a

If you live on at least an acre of land, you can get the magazine "Living the Country Life" completely free! Click here: https://secure.livingthecountrylife.com/bhg/store/checkout/partner/index.jsp?promoCode=I0025LD33&_requestid=376294



The Bring Home the Bacon contest it almost half over, and thanks too many of you, I have remained #1 in NC and about 15th in the nation. Starting on November 1rst, the competition will increase exponentially.The top five in each state will be vying for the #1 position, so don't stop the votes! I really appreciate it.

http://www.cheapsally.com/profile/tricia-cliff/

(New River Gorge. Longest Arch bridge in the Western Hemishere, and a great park in which to picnic:)

puffy doves and free stuff

Thankful:

This morning, sitting on my sofa drinking coffee, watching two gray mourning doves, feathers puffed fat, sitting on gray straight stick against rain gray and sky gray and I wondered why? Why don't they take shelter under the "wings" of the tree? Why do they sit in the silver gray wet rain, puffing to make big and keep warm? And I was reminded of me. Why do I not take shelter from One who longs to gather His children under his wings? Instead I sit, puffed, trying to stand against the cold rain. I am thankful. For mercy and grace and hope and promise of peace. He has never failed. Not once. I fail daily. Thankful. That's what He wants. And when we are thankful, joy comes. No other way. It must be in that order to be most beneficial. Not joy and then thanks, but thanks and then joy. The harder the day, the harder thankful is, but the bigger the joy when we choose to say YES and be thankful for the hard.

Thrifty:

Free sample of Find Your Bliss body wash: http://www.find-your-bliss.com/

Free sample pack of Cream of Wheat here: http://www.creamofwheat.com/sample/

Join the AuBonPain email club and get a free travel mug! Look for the link: http://www.aubonpain.com/

I don't post a lot of sweepstakes, but this one is for free groceries for a year...you never know:
http://www.itpaystoeatpasta.com/sweeps/index.cfm?u=02BF8790-397C-435F-871E-B2A1553CD5DF

Paul at http://www.iheartthemart.com/ (a great site dedicated to finding deals at Walmart), has been working diligently with the Mart to try to get a day a week of double coupons. When I was in college in Marion, IN in the 90s, the Walmart there doubled one day a week and it was wonderful!  Would love to see them bring it back. You can sign a petition here. It will link you to a site where you can give a donation to "ipetitions", but that is not necessary...just skip that screen. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/we_want_doubles/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

And thanks for your daily votes in the contest...half way there!!
www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/

Food wants vs food needs....free keurig coffee...and the giveaway WINNER!

My computer is still in an off again/on again mood, and being hunkered down in my frugal state right now, I really have no desire to take it to the shop, consequently, my time spent on here has been less, which isn't a bad thing after all.  I'm continuing on in my quest to cull out the clutter in my home, a bag here, a box there and my things are finding better places to live. It's really a great feeling. Much like going on a diet! I'm also making a conscious effort to be more grateful. It's harder than you think. At least for me. I find myself falling into the trap of grumbling and complaining far too easily....so today...I'm...

Thankful:

Ahhhhh, fall: cool days and pretty leaves. We did finally have to turn on the heat for a few hours yesterday...but I'm thankful that I can do that so easily. I'm thankful that God is in control and I'm not, I'd surely make a mess of things. I mean, I already do in my own little world, I can't imagine having the whole universe to deal with!

Thrifty:

A big part of being thrifty is just learning to get by with less and really figuring out wants vs. needs. I looked in my grocery cart at Aldi this week and thought about how many items were wants: juice boxes, chips, pretzels, coffee, soda, hot sauce, hazelnut spread, cold cereal...you get the idea. Everything becomes so blurred in our land of plenty. Yes, I have to eat, but I don't need name brand cold cereal. Come to think of it, I don't need cold cereal at all...oatmeal or corn meal muffins are so much cheaper. Think your kids won't eat basic, bland foods? Try this. The next time they want a pop tart because they are "starving," tell them to eat a bowl of oatmeal, an apple or a bunch of carrot sticks instead. If they refuse, they really aren't THAT hungry, they just want to eat.  Ask yourself the same question. I eat for many reasons, seldom is it for true hunger. It may seem nit-picky, but if frugality becomes a harsh reality in your life, you need to examine every area, even the tough ones.

There are some great deals at Office Depot again this week. Many, many items that are free after rewards, but perhaps the best deal this week for coffee lovers is free 18 pack keurig cups!  You can pick up 2 boxes every day all week. Very nice! Look for the banner on the top of the page for details: http://www.officedepot.com/

And as promised, I have a winner in this month's giveaway! I have several items for the next 2 months, the item and the winner are chosen randomly:  Drum roll....

Winner is: pescel11@. I don't know who you are, so I'll be emailing you directly and you'll have 72 hours to respond before I pick another winner! This month's prize is a brand new stainless steel crock pot, the ultimate frugal appliance! Congratulations!! Make sure you become a subscriber or follower to be in on next month's giveaway!



Bippity Boppity Blog Part 1--Saving money at Disney and beyond...



I have been pondering how to write a post about saving money in the Orlando area for quite some time now, and have decided that it is going to warrant more than one post! Our family has been to the Orlando area two times. The first time we went in 2008, and we went again this year. Our first trip was our biggest, and at the time, I thought it would be our only trip there. I planned for nearly nine months; the six of us spent 9 days, but we did EVERYTHING, and that's not too much of an exaggeration! So, here are a few tips from someone who's been there, done that...I would LOVE to get your input on this one so that we can all help each other.

Next to theme park tickets, crazily enough, one of your biggest expenses will be food. This is often something that we don't plan well for enough, if at all, and the theme parks count on this. Once you are inside the parks, there will be a great temptation to pull out the credit card and spend $50-$75 or more per meal. I know for many folks, eating out is a big part of the vacation, and they'll go in extra debt to do it. It's very hard to say "NO" when you are at the happiest place on earth! Resist! Personally, I would rather spend my money seeing/doing something new and save in the food department...and then enjoy myself the day the credit card bill arrives. While I may be a minority on this, I can give you some great tips on how to save. Many of these are from experience, a few from others:

1. Stay off site in one of the bazillion hotels close by and get one that has free breakfast included! Eat a lot for breakfast!!
2. Be sure to fill up your refillable coffee mug that you brought with you while you are at breakfast!
2. Get a hotel/rent a home that at minimum has a mini-fridge and a microwave, if not a full kitchen and take advantage of them! The second time we went, I had a voucher for a free hotel stay, and it didn't have either. The first thing we did was make a Wal-Mart run and I bought a cheap styrofoam cooler, milk and a few other frig items. We used ice from the ice machines in the hotel. Saved a BUNCH of money.
4. If you are flying, consider ordering a case or two of water or juice from Sam's, Cosco, Walmart or Amazon and having it shipped to your hotel...no baggage fees! Drinks are incredibly overpriced everywhere you go.
5. If I understand correctly, you are now allowed to bring food into the Disney theme parks (woot!). This will be a great help to us frugal types who think that paying 4 bucks for Coke is highway robbery. Eat your big breakfast at the hotel, bring lunch into the park, and eat supper after you leave the park.
6. Before you go, purchase an attractions book for the Orlando area. http://www.attractionsbook.com/ This will give you lots of dining options.
7. Also check at http://www.restaurant.com/ for some great deals in Orlando.
8. If you don't want to carry around a water bottle, you can ask for a cup of water at a restaurant. They should give you a cup for free even if you aren't buying a meal.
9. If you do carry a water bottle, consider packing some individual flavor packs in your purse to add a little flavor to your day.
10. If you are driving, (or even flying), consider bringing your crock-pot to the hotel. Another option is buying one at a thrift store when you get there. At your first Wal-Mart run, buy canned soups, pastas or other easy crock-pot heat-ables from the deli section of the grocer and a loaf of fresh bread. Voila! A nice, inexpensive warm meal waiting for you when you get back at night! (I've never had a problem with the hotel staff on this one.)
11. The greater Orlando area has some lovely free parks and gardens (another post). Consider packing a picnic lunch and heading out for a day of reprise in the midst of the chaos.
12. If you are driving, stop at one of the many visitor centers when you cross into Florida and pick up lots of free visitor guides that are filled with coupons. Don't forget your free cup of OJ!
13. Go to http://www.plasticjungle.com/ and look for restaurant gift cards at a discount. Combine these with coupons you picked up and you have an even better deal.
14. Water fountains are a requirement. Enjoy.

If you do choose to stay on site:

15. On-site hotels often offer a deal where you buy a souvenir beverage mug the first day of your trip and get free refills (at your resort only) during the length of your stay. This little perk can save significant bucks if you prefer to get soda or coffee. However, bringing your own is still cheaper, and it's a long walk back to your resort!
16. Make lunch your big meal of the day. If you'd like to try some of the nicer Disney World or Universal restaurants, especially those in Epcot's World Showcase (the best place to eat at the parks, IMHO), book them midday, when prices are considerably lower than for evening hours.
17. Consider sharing entrees, which are typically huge. Kids can eat off mom and dad's plate.
18. Obviously be on the lookout for restaurants offering deals where kids eat free.
19. Want to try a classy, atmospheric restaurant? Book a 3 P.M. seating time and just have dessert. You'll experience the ambiance, get a pleasant sugar high and spend far less than the cost of a full meal.
20. Check out http://www.mousesavers.com/ and http://www.affordingthemouse.com/ for other ideas!

As I mentioned, I'd really love your input on this! Any other ideas on ways to save on food??

Thanks for continuing to vote for me! Much appreciated:)
www.cheapsally.com/contest/tricia-cliff/

Free Hat and Free Brita Water Pitcher...because you are awesome!

My computer has been acting possessed lately, hence the lack of blogging....but I needed a break anyway. Have you been getting freebies in your box? In the last week I've received Poise samples (these can be used as regular pads, by the way), Dove body spray, Bobbi Brown lip gloss, a coupon for free Zyrtec, John Frieda hair samples and several magazines! I just love getting free stuff, somehow it makes the bills a little more tolerable.

I have been diligently working at cleaning out some clutter from my home.  Last week I donated several bags of goods to the National Kidney Foundation; they do regular pick ups in the area. I also sold a sweater to Plato's closet, took 10 used ink cartridges in to Staples (will get a $20 rewards credit for that), andwent through all the closets looking for shoes for my shoe drive next month (more later.) This week my goal is to list 20 items on ebay and/or Craig's list. One little step at a time.

Here are a few great deals for you:

You are awesome...here's a hat to prove it! http://you.yovia.com/free-awesome.html

Allure is having free giveaways to the first 10,000 every day at 12 noon this week. Check out all the details here: http://www.allure.com/cs/promo/popupshop/giveaway.html

If you live near Walgreens and have been wanting to make the switch to filtered water without much cost, here is a chance to get a free Brita water pitcher! I've been using mine for 10 years now. Read the details at a another wonderful site:  http://embracingbeauty.com/2011/09/26/walgreens-free-brita-slim-pitcher/

Thanks to those of you who have been voting for me daily. I truly hope that I can return the favor one day!

http://www.cheapsally.com/profile/tricia-cliff/