Published: by Gretchen on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Leap Day 2024 is tomorrow! Celebrate with some great freebies and deals!!
Looking for more deals like this? Check out all the latest and greatest Restaurant Deals!
Leap Day is tomorrow, February 29th! Check out the fun freebies and deals you can score to celebrate:
Wendy’s Stop by during breakfast hours on February 29th to score a free Cinnabon Pull Apart! No purchase necessary.
Chipotle is offering fee guacamole with an entree purchase when you use the promo code EXTRA24 at checkout!
McDonald’s is offering $0.50 Double Cheeseburgers to celebrate Leap Day! Just open the app and look for the coupon.
Krispy Kreme is offeringa dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts for just $2.29 when you purchase a dozen on the 29th! OR, if your birthday is on February 29th, you can get a FREE Original Glazed Dozen with no purchase required.
Staples will be offering 29,000 free passport photos nationwide to celebrate the launch of their new Easy Rewards program on February 29th! This freebie is for rewards members (it’s free to join) and valid in-store only.
Duck Donuts will have Cinnamon Sugar Donut and a Medium Coffee (hot or cold) for just $2.29!
Hungry Howie’s is offering a $0.29 large one-topping pizza when you buy one large pizza at regular price.
Insomnia Cookies is giving customers who have leap day birthdays four free classic cookies (a cookie for every birthday year missed), birthday décor, and party hats. Customers must show their ID.
Krystal is offering FREE Krystals with any purchase when you use the promo code LEAPDAY on February 29.
Chuck E. Cheese is giving away free All-Day Jump Passes to children under 52 inches tall who visit fun centers featuring Chuck E. Cheese Trampoline Zones on February 29th. You will be able to find the one-day coupon only on ChuckECheese.com and present it anytime you visit on February 29th.
Know of any other fun Leap Day 2024 deals? Let us know in the comments!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This was my fourth and fifth week of using the Kroger Boost program (it was $39 for the entire year with the deal they ran in January + I’ll get double fuel points all year — which will totally pay for itself and then some!)
I didn’t get a chance to share our groceries two weeks ago, so here are the last two grocery deliveries:
This week’s grocery delivery
They ended up over-charging me for the strawberries and they didn’t look good, so I requested a refund for those as I wouldn’t have bought them if I had known they would end up looking like they did. It’s super easy to request a refund on the app and they issued it almost immediately!
So my total with tax after the refund was around $99 for all the groceries shown above!
I’ve been working on perfecting a non-sourdough Overnight No Knead Artisan Bread. Look for the recipe soon! It’s SO good!
I also made homemade tortillas this past week. They were AMAZING! I now understand why so many of you choose to make our tortillas homemade!
And I did a second ferment on my Kombucha and made four different flavors. I was so happy with how it turned out, but my family likes the water kefir much better and it’s so easy that I will probably just stick with that.
Last week’s grocery delivery
My total for all these groceries was $167 with tax. So I’m under budget this month. I’ll likely put in a small grocery order on Thursday to use up the remaining amount to carry us over until next week because Jesse, Silas, and Kaitlynn will all be out of town on school trips, so we will be consuming a lot less food here while they are gone! 🙂
FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!
Published: by Brigette on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Love drug store shopping each week? Don’t miss these GREAT deals Brigette grabbed this week at CVS and Walgreens!
CVS Shopping Trip
All of my coupons are from the CVS app. I highly recommend it if you don’t have it already! Just log in to your account and clip the coupons you want, and they automatically come off in the store. There are CVS store coupons and manufacturer coupons to clip on the app – and you can stack them on the same product.
Total: $18.47 plus tax Paid with $15.11 ECB’s from previous weeks Total Paid Out Of Pocket: $3.60 plus I received $14 in Rebates and $7 ECB’s!
Walgreens
All of my coupons are from the Walgreens app. I highly recommend downloading it if you haven’t already. You can clip both Manufacturer’s and Store coupons and stack them together on the same item.
3 Olay Body Wash – $21 Receive $5 Register Rewards when you buy 2 Receive $5 Register Rewards when you spend $15 Used $5/3 Olay Walgreens digital manufacturer’s coupon = $16 for 3 total out of pocket ($6 for 3 after Register Rewards!)
Published: by Brigette on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
My older sister, Brigette, shares her shopping trips and menu plans every week! You can go HERE to see all of her weekly menu plans and you can go HERE to read all about her family!
I used to be a professional coupon shopper — and by professional I mean… I did it a lot. It consumed a good chunk of my time because hunting deals was my daily goal.
Enter children.
The time I had to dedicate to using coupons was dwindling, but I still wanted to save big time on my groceries. And that’s when I fell in love with Aldi! (I mean, who wouldn’t!?)
When I first started shopping at Aldi, it was almost an hour drive there and back. It was still worth it for our family. I would go once a month and buy what we needed for that month and supplement with more local items as needed.
Aldi Savings That Are Hard to Beat!
These days we have an Aldi very close, so I go there weekly to get our groceries. Yay!
I want to share with you 10 Aldi deals that are really hard to beat. Can you beat them at another store? Probably, on a rare occasion — if you shop different stores and combine coupons with sales.
But if, like me, you just want to shop and know you’re getting a good deal without running to different stores or strategizing with coupons, then check out this great list!
1. Saltine Crackers — $1.49
I buy these 3-4 boxes at a time. My children LOVE them. I’ve not found a better saltine cracker. In the words of my mom, “Now THAT is a cracker.”
2. Organic Frozen Vegetables — $1.59 (ish)
I love keeping frozen veggies on hand because I don’t have to worry they’ll grow fur before I can use them. The price on organic veggies at Aldi is really hard to beat!
3. Ready-to-Bake Pizza Dough — $1.25
This is our FAVORITE pizza dough — my kids even prefer this over homemade! The price is fantastic and the flavor is great!
Little tip for working with this dough: let it stand about 5-10 minutes before you roll it out. It’ll be easier to work with.
4. Outdoor Rugs — $6.99
You might go to Aldi for produce and leave with a backhoe. But seriously, their outdoor rugs are my favorite — very high quality and amazing prices!!
5. Organic Juices — $2.89
We don’t use a ton of juice, but I do use some for water kefir. And when we’re under the weather we enjoy juice. I always know I can get great juice for good prices at Aldi.
6. Applesauce — $3.09
When you can make your own applesauce with free (or cheap) apples, that’s great! But for those times when you can’t, Aldi’s applesauce is fantastic!
7. Organic Marinara — $1.99
“Mom, this marinara is better than yours. No offense.” Well then. I guess that speaks for itself. Also, no sugar added.
8. Rolled Oats — $3.95
Always a good price. Always filling our bellies. We eat a LOT of oats.
9. Sourdough Bread — $3.59
If you’re not riding the sourdough train (I didn’t get a ticket), but you still want some, this bread is FANTASTIC. And I’m a bread snob. Minimal ingredients but EXTRA taste!
10. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar — $4.99
Good for what ails ya, literally. I’m pretty sure the health gurus out there all like ACV. You could probably take a bath in it and be invincible.
How to Shop Aldi’s Deals
The biggest secret to successfully getting great prices at Aldi is to buy the Aldi Brand products (not National Brand products).
Aldi has many different brands for different types of products (dairy, grains, meat, frozen, etc) but they are all very high quality and just as tasty as their National brand competition (for a fraction of the price).
Also, shop earlier in the day to avoid empty shelves as Aldi does not get multiple shipments throughout the day like larger grocery stores do.
They also have a growing selection of specialty foods (especially fancier meats, cheeses, dips, and drinks) that are only available at Aldi. These items are significantly less expensive than specialty items at other grocery stores and they taste great.
I’d love to hear what deals you like best at Aldi! I try to post weekly Aldi finds on my Instagram page if you’d like to follow along @myersfamilydiaries.
Stacy is a Christian wife of 20 years and homeschool mom to 4 kiddos. Her family lives a debt-free life in Tennessee. She has been blogging since 2009 and loves to share real life happenings that are relatable and encouraging. If you follow alongwith her, you’re sure to get a laugh and a recipe on a daily basis!
FREE One Week Menu Plan!
Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
These Sourdough Discard Waffles are fluffy with just a hint of sourdough taste to them. They are a little heartier than regular waffles and are the perfect recipe to use if you have extra sourdough discard.
Sourdough Discard Waffles Recipe (+ my love for sourdough!)
Feeding my starter, mixing the dough, shaping the dough, baking the dough, and eating the bread… it’s all been so fun and cathartic. Best of all, it’s a really useful and inexpensive hobby to have. It costs pennies per loaf of bread (because it just takes flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter!) and you get to eat the delicious bread after you make it.
I have been so scared off by sourdough bread for years. It felt so time intensive and scientific and I just was sure I would fail at it miserably. But I found this account called Acts of Sourdough in December and I watched her step-by-step videos (I’m very much a visual learner!) and I was like, “I really think I can do this!”
So I ordered the starter from her and followed the directions. And, get this, my starter started bubbling and then it doubled in size and then it tripled in size! I was so excited that it was actually working and it wasn’t at all as hard as I’d envisioned!
I had set the goal to learn how to make sourdough bread as a yearly goal since I figured it would take me lots of tries to get a good loaf of bread. To my shock, my very first loaf turned out quite beautifully and tasted delicious!
What is Sourdough Discard?
One of the parts of sourdough that is also fun is that every time you feed your starter, you discard some of the starter. (You could choose not to discard it, but it will keep doubling in size and pretty soon you’ll have more starter than you know what to do with!)
I usually take out 25 grams of starter and feed it 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water, and then I put the rest of the starter into a container in the fridge to use as discard in recipes. (You can also do a 1:2:2 ratio. It will usually rise faster this way.) This discard can serve as a leavening agent in recipes and can also help your batter or dough ferment, making it healthier for you and easier for your body to digest.
Why I love Sourdough Waffles
One of the very first discard recipes I made was Sourdough Discard Waffles. I took a pancake recipe from Tastes of Lizzy T that had come highly recommended to me by a follower and I remade it into a waffle recipe.
I made the recipe multiple times to get it just right and the end results were so delicious! Here’s what I love this recipe:
They are light and fluffy, yet crispy on the outside.
They have a great sourdough taste without being over the top tangy.
They are super hearty and really fill you up.
They are a fantastic way to use up a whole bunch of sourdough discard.
And they are so quick and easy to whip up!
Ingredients for Sour Dough Waffles
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups sourdough discard
3 cups milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted
NOTE: you could easily make a much smaller batch if you have less discard.
Best Waffle Maker for Sourdough Discard Waffles
I prefer Belgian waffle makers as they produce the fluffiest, crispiest waffles, but you only get one waffle at a time. (This is the Belgian waffle maker we have. It’s inexpensive and has held up well, though I actually like a thicker Belgian waffle maker and it makes waffles that are a little on the thinner side. This Belgian waffle maker looks like it makes waffles that are a little thicker.)
Alternatively, you can use a 4-slice waffle maker, which goes faster, but the waffles aren’t always as crisp.
For a fun twist on waffles, you can use the Dash mini waffle makers. We have two of these and our kids love making their own waffles in them.
If you don’t have a waffle maker and don’t want to buy one just yet, you can easily use this same recipe to make pancakes!
How to Make Sourdough Waffles
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add the sourdough discard, milk, eggs, honey, and melted butter to the dry ingredients.
3. Stir together until mixed (batter will still be lumpy — that’s okay!)
4. Ladle batter onto a buttered waffle iron (or onto a griddle if you want to make pancakes).
5. Repeat step 4 until all the batter is used up (you should get between 10-12 waffles from this).
Topping Suggestions for Sour Dough Waffles
These waffles taste great with just a little butter and syrup, but feel free to add extra toppings for special occasions (or just because!)
How to Get Started Making Sourdough (& what products you’ll need)
If you are wanting to get started with sourdough, I highly recommend Acts of Sourdough. She has great sourdough recipes on her site and lots and lots of videos showing you exactly how to do all things sourdough on Instagram. Also, like I mentioned above, she sells sourdough starter and it worked incredibly well for me so it’s a great option if you don’t have a friend or acquaintance who can share some of their starter with you!
To make sourdough starter, you’ll need:
Starter — ask a friend who makes sourdough bread if you could have some of her starter! She’d probably be happy to share! (As mentioned above, I used the Acts of Sourdough starter)
Jar with a cloth covering (or cheesecloth). This came in the sourdough-making kit I ordered.
By the way, the only other thing I ordered besides sourdough starter was this sourdough making kit from Amazon. It’s not 100% necessary, but it was helpful and I think it’s why my loaves have turned out so well. I also already had a food scale and a Dutch oven (this is the one I have), which are the other two really helpful products to have when making sourdough!
Easy Sourdough Waffles Discard Recipe Tips and Tricks
Sourdough waffles are a great way to use up any amount of sourdough discard you have on hand — but don’t feel like you need to make a full batch of this waffle batter. You can easily make a half-batch or less if that’s all the discard you have on hand.
For a more “sour” taste and more fermentation benefits, mix up the flour, milk, and starter the night before and let rest on the counter. In the morning, add the rest of the ingredients and make the waffles.
How to Store Sourdough Waffles
If you don’t want to make all the batter into waffles, you can refrigerate the batter in a covered container and use it up the next day.
Or, you can make up all the waffles and reheat them for future mornings. Simply let the cooked waffles cool to room temperature, then refrigerate them in a zip-top bag or food storage container. Reheat them in a toaster or toaster oven for best results.
Can Sourdough Discard Waffles be Frozen?
Yes! Let the waffles cool to room temperature and then freeze in gallon-size zip-top bags (you could put a piece of wax paper between waffles if you’re concerned about them sticking together).
When you’re ready to reheat, simply pull out however many waffles you want and heat them in a toaster or toaster oven to get them nice and crispy again.
Published: by Crystal Paine on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This was my third week of using the Kroger Boost program (it was $39 for the entire year with the deal they ran in January + I’ll get double fuel points all year — which will totally pay for itself and then some!)
One thing I’m noticing is how quickly our gas points are accumulating now that we switched to Kroger Boost. And here’s the cool thing: You get double fuel points for all Kroger purchases as a Boost member (in-store purchases count, too!). Plus, if you order/make purchases on Fridays, you can clip the 4X digital coupon and you’ll actually get 5X the amount of fuel points. So instead of the usual 1 point for every $1 spent (without Boost) or the 2 points for every $1 spent (with Boost), if you order/shop on Fridays and have the digital coupon clipped, you’ll get 4 points for every $1 spent (without Boost) and 5 points for every $1 spent with Boost).
We went to fill up our gas tank a few days ago and got $0.90/gallon off — which ended up saving around $23! I had guessed that the Boost membership was going to pay for itself with the gas savings, but I didn’t know it was going to pay for itself so quickly!! At this rate, I think it will save us at least a few hundred dollars over the course of the year. PLUS, we get groceries delivered to our door for FREE! You can’t really beat that!
I know that this system doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worked pretty well for this season. I also make sure to have back-up emergency dinner options in the freezer (chicken nuggets/strips + frozen pizza) so that if I just don’t feel like cooking at all or run out of time, we still have options that are much less expensive than takeout.
Sunday: Community Group — we had Taco Bowls and everyone brought items. We brought La Croix and waters in a cooler (purchased in last week’s grocery post) and avocados and tomatoes (also purchased in last week’s grocery post)
Monday: Green Chef Meal + Sourdough Bread (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)
Tuesday: Second Green Chef Meal + Sourdough Bread (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)
Wednesday: Three-Bean Chili Chowder + Sourdough Bread
Thursday: Spaghetti, Veggies, Sourdough Bread
Friday: GreenChef Meal (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)
Saturday: Sourdough Waffles (recipe coming soon!) and Scrambled Eggs
I’ve been having so much fun making homemade water kefir. It’s like a refreshing fizzy drink that is really, really good for you and is super inexpensive to make! I made orange, blueberry, and mandarin flavors this past week.
What We Bought at Kroger
I was excited for some great deals on tortillas! I stocked up so we’d have plenty in the freezer for quesadillas and burritos in the coming weeks! Also, Pace salsa and apples were on a good sale!
This Tyson Grilled & Ready chicken has become a favorite of Jesse and me! We often have it in the morning with scrambled eggs for a quick breakfast or I’ll have it with some cheese melted on top and some avocado on the side for a pick-me-up snack, lunch, or dinner!
Our kids were VERY thrilled that there was a deal on the Nestle Drumsticks! I got them the last time they were on sale and they loved them so much! I recommend the mini cones as it’s the perfect small dessert snack (or you can have two or three if you’re hungrier than just a small snack!) The mini cones go a lot further than a box of the large cones, too!
Our total for all of these groceries, including tax, was $148!
FREE DOWNLOAD: 60 Meals To Help You Avoid Takeout!
Published: by crystal on | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This is SUCH an amazing sale on brand-name shoes!!
Nordstrom Rack is running a HUGE clearance shoe sale right now! There are SO MANY popular brands to choose between. Filter by size to find the best deals for you!
After tonight, you won’t ever be able to get these on sale in our store again. So this really is your last chance, and I don’t want you to miss out on this!
All the Products Included In This Sale
And in case it helps, here’s a list of exactly what’s included and how much you’ll save when you buy before midnight tonight!
You may be wondering why we’d be discontinuing selling these products if we’ve sold thousands and thousands of them over the years and they are best-selling products!
Well, some of them are just really old. The information is still just as valuable, but I recorded them years and years ago and it’s time to let them go so we can make room for the new products coming your way in 2024 (like the 10-Weeks of Money Saving Menus that so many of you snatched up last month).
I can’t wait to tell you what all we’ve got planned for 2024 and the new products that are going to hopefully serve and help you so much!
(By the way, you’ll have lifetime access to all of these products after you purchase. We just won’t be selling them anymore. So you won’t need to rush though them or worry about losing access! You can take your time and go through them slowly!)
I am so grateful!
I’ve been so blessed by the outpouring of support for this sale. I’ve invested so much into these products over the years and it makes me so thrilled that a bunch of you are excited about getting them for such a great price!
