Our first canning experience...

So the hubby and I decided to take a new challenge and try canning out.... My mom gave us a few canning magazines, we watched some videos, gathered our supplies and decided we were ready for SALSA...

The garden had a plethora of tomatoes, peppers and onions.  We gathered all of the garden items.

And then made a trip to Walmart to purchase the lids/supplies we needed.

Got our recipe and started boiling, cooking, boiling cutting, pealing, crying, stirring

and heating for the next hour.

We did everything and let the jars sit over night hoping that the seals would

seal like the video said they would, or we'd have a lot of salsa to start eating... 

Then, I found these cute labels and printed them out on full

sheet sticker paper and put them on the jars.

Wah lah....It really wasn't all that bad, just time consuming and a lot of cutting. 
It is a great use of food that we had growing in our yard and needed to use.

P.S.  For all my Weight Watcher friends - SALSA is 0 points...

Our next adventure is Pears.  Anyone have a great Pear canning recipe?

Martins Deals 7/25...

While my daughter was not a great shopper at the grocery store (she was escorted to the truck by her father near the end of our trip), I managed to find some deals and some not deals.  Here are some of the deals with really bad pictures, but you get the idea:

Milky Way Bars - On sale for $.75, use $.75 off 2 coupon here and get them for FREE
These are amazing by the way!

Cotton Balls - On Sale for $.79 - Used $.50 off coupon from the coupon machine - $.29
Covergirl Eyeshadow - On sale for $2.19 and Buy 3, Save $4.00
Use $3 off 2 coupon and $1.00 from 7/1 PG - $1.43 MONEYMAKER

Martins has a cereal deal going on right now with General Mills Cereal, but I just couldn't put together a deal on the spot today.  Anyone figure out a good one?

Martins shopping trip

I was able to run out and grab a few deals last night at Martins.  I got everything in this pic including a 20 pound bag of dog food for $31.00 plus a coupon for a free gallon of milk.  Here are a few awesome deals worth taking advantage of:

Buy 5 Hershey's King Size Bars $1.25 each
-$4 Instant Savings
Pay $2.25 for 5 King Size Bars
Buy 7 Mini Snack Packs $1.00 each
-$4 Instant Savings
Pay $3.00 for 7 Snack Packs

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish B1G1F
Pay $2.39 for 2
Only $1.19 each
General Mills/Fiber One $2.50 each
Buy 4 - Get a $4.50 coupon good for a gallon of milk.
I used some online coupons for the cereal and bars here.
Paid $6.55 and then got my free milk coupon.
Kraft BBQ Sauce $1.00
Used $.50 off coupon - doubles to $1.00 (internet coupon no longer available - SORRY)
FREE
Milky Way Bars - $.75
Used $.75 off 2 coupon - doubles to $1.50 (another internet coupoon no longer available)
FREE
Cherries - $1.99/lb
Comet Bathroom Cleaner - $1.99
Used $.75 off coupon here - doubles to $1.50
Paid $.50

Lady G - free with $30 purchase!!!

Rite Aid's Awesome Diaper Deal!!!!

This week you can get Huggies Jumbo Packs for as low as $3.00 a pack.... In case you don't know - that's a great price.  Here is how to do it:

Buy any 2 Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers, Pullups or Goodnights on sale for 2/$20Use 2 $2/1 coupons from the 7/8 SS
Pay $16
Get 2 $5 +Up Rewards (limit 2 offers)
Final Cost $3 each!

I used my $10 +UP reward from last weeks awesome Coppertone Deal and only paid $6.00 out of pocket and have $10.00 left for next week.

Holy. Hot. Mess....

If you need me this is where I'll be. 

And then ... Kilbys is celebrating their 7 year anniversary today... fun stuff from 4-8.  Check them out on facebook.

Todays shopping trip...

I did some shopping today after some very important meetings and here's my catch:



Staples
I spent $28.35 and am expecting $21.46 in rebates.
Here is a coupon for $5.00 off a $30.00 purchase and yes there is printer ink in that purchase!



Walgreens
 I spent $2.74
Here is the deal to get each package of TP for $3.00

Rite Aid
I spent $8.54 and got a $10.00 +UP Reward
Here is a great deal for the suntan lotion. 

Have I told you about SavingStar?

I can't remember if I've mentioned SavingStar before... but I think you all should know about it and just how easy it really is....

SavingStar is a site that lets you load e-coupons to your account.  You in turn enter in all of your store loyalty card account numbers and if you buy one of the items in your account at one of your favorite stores, then they add that money into an account for you.  Once you hit $5.00, you can cash out.  You can choose from several different options including a deposit into your bank account, Paypal account or an Amazon gift card.

Honestly, I forget which coupons I have loaded so when I get anything deposited into my account it is a wonderful surprise AND NOW I HAVE OVER $10.00....

The stores participating around Cecil County are:  Food Lion, ACME, Martins, CVS, Rite Aid, PathMark and ShopRite.

Click here for SavingStar's version of how it works.

Here is a list of the current e-coupons ready to load onto your cards:

	Bisquick®  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy ONE 20 oz or larger Original Bisquick® OR Bisquick Heart Smart® Baking Mix, OR 10.6 oz Bisquick® Shake 'n Pour® Pancake Mix. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Cascadian Farm®  Save 75¢ Save 75¢ when you buy any (1) flavor/variety Cascadian Farm® product. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Dean's® Dip  Save $1.00 Buy any (2) Dean's® Dips 12 oz or larger, Save $1.00 Expires 7/11/2012, one time use only
	Dial Complete® Foaming Hand Wash  Save 65¢ Buy any (1) Dial Complete® Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash, Save 65¢ Expires 7/11/2012, one time use only
	Dial® Liquid Hand Soap  Save 35¢ Buy any (1) Dial® Liquid Hand Soap, Save 35¢ Expires 7/11/2012, one time use only
	Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt  Save 40¢ Buy 1 Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, Save 40¢ Expires 8/1/2012, one time use only
	Diamond Crystal Salt Sense  Save 35¢ Buy 1 Diamond Crystal Salt Sense, Save 35¢ Expires 8/1/2012, one time use only
	Diamond Crystal Sea Salt  Save 40¢ Buy 1 Diamond Crystal Sea Salt, Save 40¢ Expires 8/1/2012, one time use only
	Fiber One® Bars  Save 40¢ Save 40¢ when you buy ONE BOX any flavor Fiber One® Chewy Bars, Fiber One® 90 Calorie Chewy Bars or Fiber One® 90 Calorie Brownies. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	GUM® Canker-X®  Save $1.00 Buy 1 GUM® Canker-X®, Save $1.00 Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only Only at: CVS, Rite Aid
	GUM® Crayola Kids® or Star Wars Kids Toothbrush  Save 75¢ Buy 1 GUM® Crayola Kids® or Star Wars Kids Toothbrush, Save 75¢ Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only
	GUM® Eez-Thru Flosser®  Save 75¢ Buy 1 GUM® Eez-Thru Flosser®, Save 75¢ Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only
	GUM® Go-Betweens®  Save 75¢ Buy 1 GUM® Go-Betweens®, Save 75¢ Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only
	GUM® PerioBalance®  Save $5.00 Buy 1 GUM® PerioBalance®, Save $5.00 Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only Only at: CVS, Rite Aid
	GUM® PerioShield®  Save $3.00 Buy 1 GUM® PerioShield®, Save $3.00 Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only Only at: CVS
	GUM® Toothbrushes  Save $1.00 Buy 2 GUM® Toothbrushes (does not include Crayola Kids or Starwars), Save $1.00 Expires 7/25/2012, one time use only
	General Mills Fruit Flavored Snacks  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy TWO BOXES (2) any flavor/variety Ocean Spray®, Mott's® OR Sunkist® Fruit Flavored Snacks. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Gold 'n Soft®  Save 75¢ Buy 1 Gold 'n Soft®, Save 75¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only
	Honey Nut Cheerios®  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy ONE BOX (1) Honey Nut Cheerios® cereal. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Kingsford® Charcoal and KC Masterpiece®  Save $5.00 One or Many Save $5.00 when you spend $20.00 on any Kingsford® Charcoal, KC Masterpiece Barbeque Sauces, and KC Masterpiece Marinades. Purchases can be made across multiple shopping trips and in multiple stores. Expires 8/2/2012, one time use only
	Krazy Glue  Save 50¢ Buy 1 Krazy Glue, Save 50¢ Expires 7/18/2012, one time use only
	LÄRABAR®  Save 75¢ Save 75¢ when you buy THREE (3) any flavor/variety LÄRABAR®, ÜBER® OR JOCALAT® bars. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Marie's® Yogurt Dressing  Save 75¢ Buy 1 Marie's® Yogurt Dressing, Save 75¢ Expires 7/11/2012, one time use only
	My Essentials Bread or Buns  Save 25¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Bread or Buns, Save 25¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Cereal  Save 75¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Cereal, Save 75¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Cookies  Save 50¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Cookies, Save 50¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Eggs  Save 35¢ Buy 1 carton of My Essentials Eggs, Save 35¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Frozen Fries  Save 50¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Frozen Fries, Save 50¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Jelly  Save 40¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Jelly, Save 40¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Ketchup  Save 40¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Ketchup, Save 40¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Pancake Mix  Save 40¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Pancake Mix, Save 40¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Pancake Syrup  Save 50¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Pancake Syrup, Save 50¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	My Essentials Potato Chips  Save 50¢ Buy 1 My Essentials Potato Chips, Save 50¢ Expires 8/15/2012, one time use only Only at: Food Lion
	Nature Valley®  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy TWO BOXES (2) any Nature Valley® Granola Bars (5 count or larger) OR Nature Valley® Granola Thins. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	POM Wonderful  Save $2.00 Buy 1 POM Wonderful 48 oz. Juice, Save $2.00 Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Peet's Coffee  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy one (1) 12 oz. bag of Peet's Baridi Iced Coffee Expires 7/11/2012, one time use only
	People en Español  Save 75¢ Ahorra 75¢ en el ejemplar de julio de People en Español / Save 75¢ on 1 July issue of People en Español Expires 7/9/2012, one time use only
	Reese's® Puffs®  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy ONE BOX (1) Reese's® Puffs® cereal Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Total® Cereal  Save 75¢ Save 75¢ when you buy any ONE BOX (1) Total® Cereal: Whole Grain Total®, Total® Raisin Bran. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Truvia® Natural Sweetener  Save 75¢ Buy 1 Truvia® Natural Sweetener (40 ct or larger), Save 75¢ Expires 8/1/2012, one time use only
	Wisk®  Save $5.00 One or Many Save $5.00 when you spend $15.00 on any Wisk® products by August 8, 2012. Expires 8/8/2012, one time use only
	Yoplait® Cups  Save 40¢ Save 40¢ when you buy SIX CUPS (6) any variety Yoplait® Yogurt (Includes Original, Light, Thick & Creamy, Whips!® , OR Lactose Free). Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only
	Yoplait® Greek yogurt  Save 50¢ Save 50¢ when you buy TWO CUPS (2) any flavor Yoplait® Greek yogurt. Expires 7/31/2012, one time use only

The stores participating around Cecil County are:  Food Lion, ACME, Martins, CVS, Rite Aid, PathMark and ShopRite.

Click here for SavingStar's version of how it works.