Steak and Lobster for Two $14.69 plus Tips!!

My husband and I just had an awesome Steak and Lobster meal for 2 for only $14.69 plus tips! It wasn't even a special occasion and at this price, it makes any date a special occasion!

Main Street Cafe in Bloomer WI has Steak and Lobster Dinners for Two for only $23.99 on Saturday nights. http://www.mainstreetcafe.com/ This is an excellent deal in and of itself!

However, I had a half off deal that I got and paid $28.75 for $50.00 worth of coupons for Main Street Cafe off the radio. We used one $25.00 coupon tonight. So, half of $28.75 is $14.38 (the extra $3.75 is shipping and handling for the coupon radio deal. We used the other coupon at another time.) It was $1.32 for tax. So altogether, this fantastic meal was $14.69 plus tips!

Sometimes people write to me and tell me they just can't find deals like this where they live. Truthfully, you can't find this exact deal where you live, likely, because the coupons and offers are not exactly the same. However, you can definitely find great deals right where you live if you train your eyes to look for them. They will not jump at you by themselves, but if you train your eyes to look and simply believe that you can find deals like this, you will find them because they are out there. Radio programs often have great offers and cities sometimes also offer 1/2 off restaurant deals. You may want to do an online search for your area. Larger areas usually have better deals so you may have to drive a ways to get some.

Also, if you do go to Main Street Cafe, they have some world famous pies there.

Happy savings!

Fun, Free and Eco-Friendly Wrapping Paper!

If you are looking for some fun, free and eco-friendly wrapping paper, look no further than the Sunday Comics! They are colorful and kids love them!

Another free and eco-friendly idea for wrapping paper is the inside of potato chip bags. Simply turn the bags inside out, wash with soapy water and let dry. Voila! Shiny, eco-friendly wrapping paper! This wrapping paper is great for kids or adults who are environmentally conscience or simply frugal.

Happy Savings!

An Inexpensive, Yet Nice Side Dish for About $1.50: Deviled Eggs

Are you looking for an inexpensive dish to take to potluck or Easter Dinner? Deviled Eggs are very inexpensive. They do take a little time to make. They are very pleasant looking when done though and taste great!

Here is a recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/classic-deviled-eggs-recipe.html

I saw a great idea online for peeling boiled eggs so I tried it and it worked great! Just put the eggs in a jar with a little water, shake and these peel right off!

After the eggs are peeled, cut them in half.

Take out yolks and put them in a bowl.

When they are done, you should have a lot of halves, like this.

After the other ingredients are mixed into the yolks, the mixture can be spooned into the eggs.

These eggs were on sale for .98 and the few extra ingredients were maybe .50. So I have a really nice looking, tasty side dish to take for about $1.50!!

Plus, there is almost always a little bit to snack on. :)

Happy Savings!

Keeping an Eye on Those Credit Cards (and Other Bills)!

We have a couple of credit cards that we use and pay off every month. All our credit cards are at 0% interest. However, we keep a close eye on them. Here is something that just happened this week:

I got an email about next month's balance for a certain credit card. This card is one I use primarily for business purchases. The balance was quite a lot higher than I expected, so I looked at it right away.

This card is paid off every month. It is used for convenience and to get airline miles for freebie trips. When I checked it, the balance had not been paid off even though the money was waiting in the bank account and the transaction was supposed to be complete. Because the transaction was not complete and was 4 days late, there was a whopping fee and interest charge of $61.21! Woah! This was not sitting well with me.

I called the credit card company and told them the issue. They looked at my account and saw that, indeed, the card is paid off in full every month. They took the money out of the bank account and took off the $61.21 with no problem at all.

It pays to have good credit and good standing. I am not sure if the error was theirs or ours, but regardless, one phone call took care of the problem.

This can also happen with bills for various reasons. If it does, we do not hesitate to make a phone call! This can save a lot of cash if you get socked like this! If you do not think it is your fault, do not hesitate to say so, nicely. Mistakes happen and companies want to keep good customers and treat them well.

Happy savings!

Saving Money on Ham/Lunch Meat. Make $34.82/Hour! Also See How I Made a Hearty Meal for .36 / Serving.

 I generally don't buy lunch meat. However, I will sometimes buy a fully cooked ham like this and cut it up. This was a half-ham on sale for $1.58/lb (I could have gotten a full ham for $1.48 lb.) This is 8.925 lbs of ham for $14.10. I did a comparison with some Great Value ham lunch meat and it is $3.42 lb. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Cooked-Ham-28-oz/41112622 This is the generic brand and yet it is still $1.84 lb more than the cooked ham! Also, I think the cooked ham is a higher quality food.

It does take a little time to process but for me, it is worth the time. I got out some freezer bags that I stocked up on when they were marked down to .99 a box. I will use 8 of these for packaging up the ham out of a box of 20, so the bags will cost less than .50 plus I will reuse some of them.

I take the ham out of the packaging and cut it up into the sized that I want. These will be used for cutting up with fried potatoes, scalloped potatoes, split pea soup and slices for sandwiches.

I saved the ham bone to make split pea soup. 

If I would have bought all this ham in lunch meat form, it would have cost $30.52 vs the $14.10 I paid, plus a few cents for bags and freezer storage. It took about 1/2 hour to cut this up and put it into freezer bags for a payment of $16.42 or about $34.82 an hour. You can see if you do things like this on a regular basis, that, even though you are not doing it every hour, it can add up to some real savings!

You may remember the potatoes we gleaned last fall out of the potato fields. I made these scalloped potatoes with those and the ham I cut up. I used about a pound of ham $1.58. And a part of a stick of butter I got on sale .40 plus a can of cream of mushroom soup (on sale) .48. Add some milk (on sale) .40. and some salt and pepper. So this meal, which we will have leftovers of tonight cost $2.86 total. Cut that in half for two meals of $1.43 for four people. This means I paid about .36 a serving for a very hearty meal!

 Happy Savings!

Free Ice Cream Cones at DQ March 16th!

Take advantage of this free offer! You might want to call first to make sure they are participating!


Monday, March 16^th is Free Cone Day at participating DQ^® locations. In celebration of our 75^th Fanniversary, we're giving out a free small vanilla cone to all our Fans. It's just one of the ways we're thanking you for 75 great years. So head to DQ^® and get a delicious vanilla soft serve cone on us! Limit one small vanilla cone per customer. Donations accepted for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals^®.

All day, limit one per person.

Don't Throw Out That Last Bit of Honey!

There is a little bit of honey in the bottom of this container that has been crystallized. In the picture below, I have heated some water in a cup.

Now, I am pouring the hot water into the jar.

I am letting it sit a bit.

Now it has dissolved into the water and easily pours out into the cup for a cup of tea. The bottle is also clean for recycling.

Happy savings!