How to get things for FREE and Betty's Black Friday shopping

The ads have been perused and just about all the deals have been deemed not essential by Betty.  There was just one place deemed worthy of a venture out in the cold-my beloved CVS!  I LOVE CVS! I can usually save about 80-90% during a trip to CVS.

How do I save so much and score free stuff? Shop the weekly ad and use your store loyalty card!  Yep, you don't need to spend hours clipping coupons. I do often use coupons and even stack them with CVS store coupons(check out their coupon center right in the store). But today I did my Black Friday shopping early and didn't even need to clip a single coupon.

Check out all the stuff I got!!!!

(not pictured Peanut Butter M&Ms...mmmm)

CVS featured their Black Friday sales in two parts- Sunday-Wednesday and Thursday-Saturday.  We spent $16.63 out of pocket on Sunday and received $18.83 Extra Card Bucks, referred to as ECBs.  These are essentially store credit at the bottom of your receipt and can be redeemed on a future purchase.

Free with ECBs!

I stopped in this morning while the turkey was roasting(returned to a smoky kitchen...oops!).  I picked up all the sale items I needed, paid with my ECBs(just paid $1.27 in sales tax), and was out the door in just minutes(woot! woot! no lines!).  And I went home with $13.76 in ECBs that I will use on sale items next week(EVEN MORE FREE STUFF)!

Gobblin' Good Thursday: Gluten Free Stuffing

Gobblin' Good Thursday???  That is what Mr. Cheaper has coined our Thanksgiving. I would say it is definitely good even after filling the kitchen with smoke already this morning.  We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Welcoming Jr. into the family has brought us all such joy,  espcially for Lil' Miss.  Watching siblings bond just melts my heart. I am thankful that I get to be home with my children to soak in these beautiful moments.

The turkey is in the oven(hence the smoky kitchen) and the larger Cheaper family will be gathering here with us at Casa de Cheaper for lunch.  Traditionally, I make the turkey and stuffing recipe shared with me years ago by a lovely lady from church.  This year, we are switching it up a bit due to Mr. Cheaper's recent Celiac disease diagnosis.  It can be difficult to find gluten free substitutes that still have the taste and texture of the original.  Especially, bread products which tend to be dry and crumbly(and way to expensive to suck that much!)


Gluten Free Stuffing

1 pan gluten free cornbread, crumbled
1 pkg of gluten free stuffing mix
3 stalks of celery celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 T sage
1/2 C butter
1/2 C orange juice

Melt Butter in pan. Saute onion and celery in butter until translucent. Add sage, orange juice, and water according to package directions. Combine stuffing and cornbread crumbs.

No Waste Wednesday:Philly Cheesesteak Soup

Welcome to the first No Waste Wednesday!  It is estimated that Americans waste on average 20 lbs. of food per month.  That amounts to $28-43 each month!!!  A big contributing factor to food waste is uneaten leftovers...but not here in the Casa de Cheaper!  I've been busy reinventing our leftovers and I am here to help you clean out your refrigerator.



So what was in the Cheaper refrigerator this week???


Leftover beef roast and a green bell pepper nearing the end of its shelf life. Hmmm...




And Philly Cheesesteak Soup was born!!! As Lil' Miss Cheaper observed, "It tastes like a philly cheesesteak AND its just like Applebee's soup(french onion)!"

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

2 C of leftover beef roast, cubed(or whatever portion is in your refrigerator)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
4 C beef broth
Olive Oil
Croutons
Sliced Provolone

Saute onion & pepper until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and diced beef. Saute for 1-2 more minutes. Add Montreal steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.


Place a layer of croutons in ramekin or oven-safe crock.  Ladle soup over croutons and top with a slice of cheese.  Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.

Soup's on!


I hope you enjoy!  I will be here cooking up lots more No Waste Wednesdays for you!

Yours Truly,
Betty

$$$...Ting,Ting,Ting...$$$

Yes, you read that correctly. Ting, Ting, Ting...not cha-ching!  Ting saved us lots of cha-ching!

 What is Ting you ask?  Our incredibly low-priced cell phone service.

How low?  Switching to Ting dropped our phone bill 67% for the same exact services we were paying for with one of those popular national carriers that drops a LOT of money on advertising.  Our big box service was even considered an incredible deal after Mr. Cheaper's employer discount of 22%! But paying just a third of that is indisputably more INCREDIBLE!

How much can you save? Check out their website!  It has an easy-to-use calculator that will use the information from your last three months of cell phone usage to give you an estimate of what your bill could be and how much you could save over two years. Ting estimated that we would save $1680 over two years(Our bills have been less than the calculator estimated!).  Sign me up!!!!

http://www.ting.com

Seriously, I cannot praise Ting enough!  It is one of the best changes we made this past year.

Bonus: You can pay with Amazon.  I pay our bill with Amazon gift cards that we earn. ALERT: Future post teaser! You will have to come back next time.

Lesson: Sometimes, there is a much better deal out there than the one you are getting.  Research is key to living cheaper.

The Cheaper Bunch

Here's a story, 
of a thrifty lady, 
who was bring home savings like no other,
all of them great deals.
Like many,
she was a stay-at-home mother.

Here's a story,
of a man name Cheaper.
who was busy with his family 
They were four,
living all together,
yet they were lacking money.

Till one day when the lady had an idea
and they knew it was more than just a hunch
that this family might somehow form a blog
That's how we became thee Cheaper Bunch!

The Cheaper Bunch...
The Cheaper Bunch...
That's the way we became the Cheaper Bunch!

haha....I know you sang that in your head.

Betty-Vice President and COO of Cheaper family, Mom

Mr. Cheaper-President and CEO of Cheaper family, Dad

Lil' Miss Cheaper-Kindergartner, Big Sister

Cheaper Jr.-Baby on a budget, Little Brother

Welcome to our story!  We are here to share our journey. Come along with us as we figure out how to live cheaper on one income and assorted miscellaneous income. Miscellaneous income? Piqued your interest, didn't I? Stay tuned and I'll share(my experience, not my income!). Come on in, have some laughs, and save some money with us!

Yours truly,
Betty Cheaper