Thrifty Thursday - May 17

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


TARGET

(2) Kellogg's Special K Cracker Chips, OP: $2.89, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (2) Kellogg's Crackers or Chips

Total Spent: $4.00 (used gift card!)
Total Saved: $1.78


PUBLIX

(3) Coca Cola, 8 pk 12 oz, OP: $4.49, SP: Buy 2 Get 1 Free

(5) Michelina's Beef and Peppers, OP: $1.25, SP: $1.00

-$1.00 off (5) Michelina's frozen entrees

(2) Emerald Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Breakfast on the Go, OP: $3.29, SP: $2.50

- $1.50 off (2) Emerald Products

(2) Blue Diamond Almonds, 6 oz, OP: $3.19, SP: $1.60

- $.60 off (2) Blue Diamond Almonds 6 oz cans

(1) Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Cheddar Cracker Chips, OP: $3.49, SP: $1.75

- $.75 off (1) Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals product

(4) Lipton Naturals Green Tea, 20 oz, OP: $1.49, SP: $1.00

(2) Fresh Express 50/50 Spinach Spring Mix, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.00

(1) Planter's Peanut Butter, OP: $3.69, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (1) Planter's Peanut Butter

(1) All 2X Laundry Detergent, OP: $5.99, SP: $3.50

- $1.00 off (1) All detergent

(1) Simply Orange Juice w/Calcium, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

(3) Tasti Lee Tomatoes, 1.47 lb, OP: $2.48, SP: $2.19

(1) Seattle's Best Level 1 Coffee, 12 oz, OP: $6.99, SP: $5.99

- $1.00 off (1) Seattle's Best Coffee

(1) One a Day Vitacraves, 50 ct, OP: $8.79, SP: $6.59

- $1.75 off (1) One a Day multivitamin product

- $5.00  off purchase of $30 or more (Publix coupon)

Total Spent: $42.44
Total Saved: $39.94


CVS

(1) Claritin Liquigel, 24 ct, OP: $25.99, SP: $19.99

- $5.00 off (1) Claritin 24+ ct

(1) Crest Pro Health,  4 oz, OP: $4.99, SP: $3.39

- $1.00 off (1) Crest toothpaste

Total Spent: $18.43
Total Saved: $13.60 (plus $5 ECB!)  

TOTAL SPENDING: $60.87
TOTAL SAVINGS: $53.54

Friday Four

What I Watched: I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the finale of The Voice. HOW IN THE WORLD DID JERMAINE PAUL WIN THAT?!! I have nothing against him, as he is a good singer, but how he beat Juliet and Tony, I will never know. Out of the top 4, I feel that he will have the least success from here. Speaking of Tony, the vendetta that Christina Aguilera has against him is insane. I used to looooooove Xtina, from day one, through her 'dirrty' days and beyond. However, over the course of this season, I have increasingly lost respect for her. She clearly had it out for Tony, as was unnecessarily brutal. This may be a reason why: I'm just sayin' (click it)  So, for your enjoyment, here is Tony's blind audition.

Oh, and I also watched the movie Gran Torino this week and was very disappointed. Don't understand the hype! Horrible ending.

What I Read: I finally finished Jane Eyre yesterday! Onto other books after three months :-)

What I Listened to: I know this CD is at least a year old, but I'm really digging Selena Gomez and the Scene's When the Sun Goes Down. It's a good pop record without all the trash/electronic/auto-tune mess that is so popular these days. I am also still more than slightly obsessed with Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe." I found out yesterday that she is opening for Hanson on tour, so she just shot way up in my book :-)  Also, she is only a few months younger than me, but has that (mis)fortune of looking way younger than that. Check her out:

What I Ate: Only ate at Moe's this week after church. Hopefully will eat out more this weekend, as we have lots to celebrate!

Thrifty Thursday - May 10

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


PUBLIX

(1) Tai Pei General Tso's Chicken Entree, OP: $2.79, SP: $2.50

- $.55 off (1) Tai Pei frozen entree

(1) Eggo Pancakes, OP: $2.99, SP: $1.32
(1) Eggo Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops, OP: $2.99, SP: $1.32

- $.75 off (2) Eggo frozen products

(1) Edward's Pie Slices, 2 ct, OP: $2.79, SP: $1.40

(1) Coffeemate Italian Sweet Creme Coffee Creamer, OP: $3.89, SP: $2.50

- $.50 off (1) Coffeemate liquid creamer (doubled to $1.00)

(1) Cheez-Its, OP: $4.09

- $2.00 off (1) large or family size Cheez Its (Publix coupon)

(1) Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, OP: $3.49, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (1) Tabasco Sauce

(1) Seattle's Best Level 1 Coffee, OP: $6.99, SP: $5.99

- $1.50 off (1) Seattle's Best coffee

(1) Emerald Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Breakfast to Go, OP: $3.29, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (1) Emerald Breakfast to Go

(2) Quaker Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars, OP: $2.79, SP: $1.40

(1) Gain Laundry Detergent, OP: $7.29, SP: $3.99

- $1.00 off (1) Gain Detergent

(1) Charmin Ultra Strong Mega Roll Tissue, OP: $9.49, SP: $7.49

Total Spent: $30.38
Total Saved: $26.07


WALMART

(1) Good Seasons Zesty Italian Mix, OP: $3.28

(1) Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar, 16 oz, OP: $2.82 


(1) Pam Cooking Spray, OP: $3.28

(1) Crisco Pure Olive Oil, OP: $4.88

Total Spent: $14.26


TARGET

(10) Sobe Water, OP: $1.77, SP: $1.00

*I also bought Mother's Day presents I can't list here :-)

Total Spent: $10.00
Total Saved: $7.70 (plus I got a $5.00 Target gift card for buying 10 Sobes!)   

TOTAL SPENDING: $54.64
TOTAL SAVINGS: $33.77     

Friday Four

What I Watched: Most of our shows are new right now because May sweeps is starting, so lots of good stuff to be had! I've continued with my Veronica Mars watching and it has had so many cameos by actors known for other things: the actor that plays Schmidt on New Girl, Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl), Alyson Hannigan, Kristen Ritter (Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23), and even Jonathan Taylor Thomas :-) Speaking of old favorites (JTT), a dog on Suburgatory this week was dubbed "Hanson."

I also made a poor choice this week and watched Stomp the Yard... pretty much the time waster I thought it would be!

What I Read: I have actually made a LOT of headway this week on Jane Eyre, so hopefully I will be done in the next couple of weeks so I can move on to something easier!

What I Listened to: Just have had Kelly Clarkson in my car all week :-)  Here's one of my favorites:

What I Ate: We ate out quite a bit last weekend and I had some deliciousness: a tostada tapatia at Monterrey's, Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen, California rolls from Inakaya, and a turkey sub from Beezers! Inakaya might have the best sushi, just fyi.

The Book Dispensary

Back in January, I bought a Living Social deal to The Book Dispensary. I didn't really know anything about the place (other than it was a used bookstore), but with a deal that only requires me to pay "$25 for $75 worth of books," I was sold! Anyway, as my deal expires tomorrow, I finally made the quick trip over to get my books!

The Book Dispensary is a nice little place. I was thankful that it was very clearly labeled and organized. Jamie and I spent a few minutes in the fiction section before we went straight to the children's section. After all, I was technically here to get books for (hopefully) my (future) classroom!

All paperbacks are 40% off the original price and hardbacks are as listed. My total, plus tax, came to $76.01. Therefore, I only paid $1.01 out of pocket. Plus the deal itself, I only paid $26.01 for over $120 worth of books!! Here's what I scored:

Thump, Quack, Moo  Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin
Freight Train  Donald Crews
The Teeny Tiny Ghost  Kay Winters
The Night Before Kindergarten  Natasha Wing
Just Grandpa and Me  Mercer Mayer
The New Baby  Mercer Mayer
The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything  Linda Williams
Froggy Goes to School  Jonathan London
Froggy Learns to Swim  Jonathan London
Froggy's Halloween  Jonathan London
Froggy Plays in the Band  Jonathan London
Froggy Eats Out  Jonathan London
A Visit to the Aquarium  Aliki
How I Became a Pirate  Melinda Long
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  Laure Joffe Numeroff
The Little Rabbit  Judy Dunn
The Crayon Counting Book Pam Munoz Ryan & Jerry Pallotta
The Gingerbread Man Jim Aylesworth
Arthur's Eyes  Marc Brown
Tops and Bottoms  Janet Stevens
Animals A to z  David McPhail
Titch  Pat Hutchins
Can't You Sleep Little Bear?  Martin Waddell
Even More Parts  Tedd Arnold
Caps for Sale  Esphyr Slobodkina
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  JK Rowling

**If you're interested in learning more about this cool little place, here is their website: The Book Dispensary

Has anyone else been here? What did you think?

Thrifty Thursday - May 3

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


PUBLIX

(3) Bird's Eye Frozen Vegetables, OP: $2.45, SP: $1.22

(2) Dole Pears in 100% Juice, 4 ct, OP: $2.83, SP: $2.00

- $.50 off (2) Dole 100% Juice Fruit Cups (doubled to $1.00)

(2) Dole Peach Parfaits, 4 ct, OP: $2.83, SP: $2.00

- $.50 off (2) Dole Fruit Parfaits (doubled to $1.00)

(1) Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce, OP: $3.49, SP: $2.50

- $.50 off any (1) Tabasco Pepper Sauce (doubled to $1.00)

(1) Mentos Spearmint Gum, 15 pc, OP: $1.49, SP: $1.00

- $.55 off (1) Mentos Gum 15 pc

(1) Ragu Green Pepper & Mushroom Pasta Sauce, OP: $2.19, SP: $1.10

(2) Nabisco Triscuits, OP: $3.39, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (2) Nabisco crackers

(2) V8 Fusion Green Tea, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.00

- $1.00 off (2) V8 Fusion + Green Tea

(1) Mott's 100% Natural Apple Juice, OP: $2.99, SP: $2.00

(1) Emerald Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana, 5 pk, OP: $3.29, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (1) Emerald Breakfast to Go

(1) Seattle's Best Level 1 Coffee, 12 oz, OP: $6.99, SP: $5.99

- $1.50 off (1) Seattle's Best Coffee

Total Spent: $27.70
Total Saved: $26.16


WALMART

(1) Gladware Minis, 8 pk, OP: $2.28

(1) Great Value White Bread, OP: $1.18

(1) Mission Tortilla Chips, OP: $2.98

(1) Butterball Turkey Bacon, OP: $2.48

Total Spent: $9.08

  
Total Spending: $36.78
Total Savings: $26.16

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Welllll... still can't quite say whether or not this applies to the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games. Jamie and I finally went to go see it this weekend.

As you all know, I LOVED the books, so I had incredibly high expectations that this would match the adaptation level of my other favorites: Harry Potter. While I didn't hate the movie, I can't say I loved it either, and here are some reasons why:

-- Gale was downgraded to a very minor character
-- They changed the origin story of the mockingjay pin (which had Suzanne Collins' blessing, but still)
-- There wasn't enough character development and backstory for District 12 in the beginning
-- They didn't effectively convey the danger Katniss faced whenever she was outside District boundaries
-- The Games themselves were not nearly as intense as they were while reading about them, plus they seemed so short
-- Haymitch should be fat and lazy, not Woody Harrelson
-- They left out the rest of Katniss' style team
-- The CGI effects left a bit to be desired, in my opinion
-- We aren't able to see the motivation behind the characters

All that said, I thought most of the casting was excellent. And if I hadn't read the book, I probably would have enjoyed the movie more. It was still quite action packed, and is evident that they really tried to please fans as much as they were able. I heard the director of this one is not coming back, so hopefully Catching Fire will be an improvement, as it is my favorite book of the trilogy. 

This review from Entertainment Weekly echoes my sentiments, if you care to delve further:
 Movie Review - The Hunger Games

Anybody else seen it? What did you think?