Printable Coupon Roundup

In addition to the printable coupons in the Coupon Savings Center, I found a few additional ones that you may find useful.

Libby's pumpkin

General Mills cereal

Zero Frizz

Scott Bath Tissue

Wise variety pack
Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make money if you click them.

Need School Supplies? Get Them FREE in Seekonk, MA

Running low on funds? Still need school supplies for your child?

Check out the Stuff a Backpack event

When: Sun. August 23 from noon - 2pm
Where: Radio Remote in the Seekonk Square
Who: Students K-12 (students must be present)
What: Receive a free back and then follow clues to scavenge for free school supplies


The Southcoast Health Wellness van will be there from 10am - 4pm for free health screenings and you can stick around for some great entertainment from Coast 93.3, B101-FM and Seekonk's School of Rock.

Can't make the event? Sign up to win a $500 shopping spree!


Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make money if you click them.

Ocean State Job Lot Coupons & Sale

OSJL has some notable coupons in their inventory this week. Some are even for items that have manufacturer's coupons available. You CAN stack coupons at OSJL!

Colgate Sensitive toothpaste 4oz is $2 with the printable OSJL coupon
-use $.50/1 any Colgate toothpaste 3 oz+ (8/16/15 SS)
=$1.50

Charmin 4-pk Ultra Soft Bath Tissue is $2.80 with the printable OSJL coupon
-use $.35/1 any Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong
= $2.45

There's also some manufacturer's coupons floating around for Dawn that pair well with the OSJL coupon for $2.25 for Dawn Ultra 20 oz.

I highly encourage you to peruse their online flyer and head out to OSJL this week to get in on all these inexpensive goodies! And while you're at it, check out their printable coupons.



As I said before, don't forget you can use manufacturer's coupons at OSJL too! Here's their coupon policy.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make money if you click them.

What's Cookin' Wednesday: Birthday Shots

Oh. My. God.

My baby brother turned 21 last week?! He's all grown up.

Can you say "awww!" Look at how little he was!

His awkward long-hair, grungy, I'm angry at the world phase.

Not a baby anymore!

To celebrate, I had the family over for a small cookout. But since he turned the big, ol' 2-1, we celebrated with something extra special: pudding shots!

You may have heard of jello-shots before. But I'm not a huge fan of jello to begin with, so adding alcohol doesn't make me like it anymore. But pudding shots? You've got to be careful with those suckers because they taste like an indulgent mousse dessert.

There are so many different combinations of pudding and alcohol that can be used to make pudding shots. I'll leave you with the general recipe and then what I used to make my delicious Rum Chata pudding shots.

General Ingredients:

Small package of instant pudding
8 oz package of Cool whip or whipped topping
1 C milk
1 C alcohol

My Ingredients:

Small package of chocolate pudding
8 oz package of whipped topping
1 C 1% milk
1 C Rum Chata rum cream

Mix the milk, alcohol and pudding together until thoroughly mixed. Fold in whipped topping. Scoop or pour into dixie cups or plastic shot cups. If you want to be fancy, you can scoop the mixture into a piping bag and pipe it into the shot cups so you don't make a mess like me. But I don't mind mess - it makes it look "rustic."

Chill in the fridge for several hours before serving. These are meant to be eaten with a spoon, not swallowed like a shot. Although it was funny to watch my mom try. :-)

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make money if you click them.

Tuesday Travels: The Royal Ripoff of King Richard's Faire

Fall is fast approaching. And with fall comes all sorts of great family-friendly events. King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA is one "family-friendly" event my husband and I checked out a few years ago after years of begging on his part. I thought our experience was worth a Tuesday Travels share.

You'll soon see why I can't in good conscience call this event family-friendly.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts


This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make money if you click them.

Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse

Another win for Kevin Harvick means another free Bloomin' Onion for you at Outback Steakhouse on Monday 8/17. Just mention it to your server!

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Win $50,000 Scholarship and VIP Red Carpet Experience #StaplesforStudents

I know from experience that most teachers spend more than $400 of their own money each year to provide supplies and materials for their classrooms and many students do not have the access to the equipment or tools they need.

Staples is building on its decades-long support of teachers, students and education with a $10 million pledge to support Think It Up™. Think It Up, a program launched by The Entertainment Industry Foundation, is a new movement created to inspire students to pursue their passions through student-powered, teacher-led learning projects with support from Staples for Students.

As a lead donor, Staples has teamed up with multi-talented recording artist, actor and Think It Up Ambassador Nick Jonas to help raise awareness of the need to support learning projects in classrooms across the country. The public awareness campaign encourages students to collaborate with their teachers on projects that will help innovate their classroom experience.

Customers can help support Think It Up by donating at their local Staples store.

Win a $50,000 Scholarship and VIP Red Carpet Experience

For a chance to win a $50,000 scholarship and a VIP Red Carpet Experience, fans can enter the #StaplesforStudents Sweepstakes. Fifty lucky winners will fly to Los Angeles with a friend to attend a star-studded Think It Up event. Winners will receive a VIP package which includes walking the red carpet, front row view of celebrities as they arrive, VIP tickets to the event and VIP after-party passes. One lucky grand prize winner will win the VIP Red Carpet Experience and a $50,000 scholarship.

Visit staplesforstudents.org to learn about different ways to earn entries and increase chances of winning, including making an in-store purchase, sending a tweet, signing up for e-mail and more. Entries must be submitted before 11:59PM ET on Aug. 22 and participants must be 13 years or older.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

40% Off Shoes at Savers on 8/17

If you're a Savers Club Member card holder, you can get 40% off all shoes on Monday, 8/17! If you're not a card holder, hurry up and sign up now, it's free!

The "40% OFF Shoes For The Family" offer is only valid in US Savers stores on Monday, August 17. Super Savers Club Card required. Includes Sandals, Shoes & Boots. Excludes new merchandise (red tags). Not valid with any other coupon or discount.


Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Ocean State Job Lot Coupons & Sale on Sun Care, Spices, Batteries & More!

From 8/13 - 8/19, Ocean State Job Lot is having an incredible 30% off sale on all sun care items. Considering stocking up for next year!

OSJL is my one-stop shop for all of my spices. I love cooking and baking but the cost of spices in the grocery store is sheer highway robbery. This week, over 60 varieties of spices are 30% off their already-low prices. My husband is going to have to monitor me or I'm going to end up a spice hoarder. I guess it could be worse, right?

And I wish they had their 30% off batteries sale BEFORE I went camping! This includes generic AND name brand batteries. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

I highly encourage you to peruse their online flyer and head out to OSJL this week to get in on all these inexpensive goodies! And while you're at it, check out their printable coupons. Save a whopping $2 on walnuts! I'm in! Want to learn to paddleboard? Save $50 off a 10'4" paddleboard!

Don't forget you can use manufacturer's coupons at OSJL too! Here's their coupon policy.


If you're an educator, this is a reminder that you can also score 30% off classroom-related, educational supplies (there are exclusions). 

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Thrifty Thursday: Shopping Using Unit Price

You're out of milk. Again! You head out quick to the store, run towards the dairy aisle and grab the cheapest bottle - a half gallon of Hood for $2.49. You'll probably be back by the end of the week when you run out again. Did you realize you're probably spending more money by buying the "cheaper" milk, especially if you'll end up buying more in the longer run?

That gallon of milk on the shelf is only a dollar more. Yes, out of pocket, it's more money, but if you consider the unit price, then you're actually paying less per ounce for the bigger bottle than for the smaller one.

$2.49 divided by 64 oz (half gallon) = $.038 per ounce
$3.49 divided by 128 oz (gallon) = $.027 per ounce

If you end up buying two half gallons of milk in a week, that's $4.99. You could have saved $1.50 by buying one gallon!!

I carry a calculator in my coupon binder and if I'm not carrying my binder, I use my phone's calculator to figure out the unit price when buying items that don't have the unit price listed on the price tag. Seems silly, but over the course of several weeks, you could save yourself a bunch!


Quiz Time!!

Put what you learned to the test... Which is a better deal? Comment with your answer!

40 oz jar - $5.29

16 oz - $3.49 - buy 1 get 1 free sale

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Save 15% Off Boston's Classic Harbor Line Cruises

See Boston like you never have before on this 2-hour sail aboard the Adirondack III, a wooden 8-foot pilot schooner. Within five minutes of departing the dock, you'll forget the mayhem and noise of the City and you'll feel the relaxing breeze of the Boston Harbor!

Give your child an experience that is safe, fun and unique! Join Harbor Line Cruises for a Day Sail! My readers save 15% off Classic Harbor Line Cruises. Just use the promo code Mom2015



Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

What's Cookin' Wednesday: Healthy Eggplant Lasagna

Another gorgeous summer week means another bagful of fresh, garden-harvested veggies and herbs. My neighbor stopped by with the biggest bag of basil I've ever seen in my life and I stopped by a local gardener's roadside stand and picked up a huge eggplant for only $1. I had no idea what I was going to do with this harvest, but after some online research, I found a fantastic recipe for Eggplant Lasagna.

I made a few modifications, using what I had on hand at my house and what needed to be used up.
-I used tomato sauce/pasta sauce in lieu of the tomatoes
-I only had 1 eggplant but it was a pretty big guy
-I added ground chicken Italian sausage for protein
-I used fresh grated paremesan and now my right arm hurts
-I only had fat free ricotta on hand

Layering

Yum!

And of course I had to make it in one of my beloved vintage Pyrex dishware - my beautiful yellow desert dawn cake pan I just received in a trade via a Facebook Pyrex collectors group.


Head on over and check out the original Eggplant Lasagna recipe from Real Simple.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Menu Plan Monday: 8/10 - 8/16

Not much exciting going on in CMM's household this week. Although I didn't attend, I have photographic evidence that my husband is a true party animal -- he nodded off, on numerous occasions, during the Deftones/Incubus concert at the Xfinity Center last Friday. I know we just came back from vacation, but I think he needs another one!

This week, my dearest sleepy husband and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. As a result, there are a few extra nights of eating out that we don't typically have. I can't believe it's been four years already! I feel like I walked down the aisle yesterday!

Monday - Eggplant & chicken sausage lasagne

Tuesday - Shrimp tacos

Wednesday - Pork chops, apple sauce, couscous, zucchini

Thursday - Anniversary Dinner out to eat

Friday - My in-laws are taking us out to eat to celebrate our anniversary

Saturday - Cook out party at our friends' house - I'll be searching for a gluten free recipe to bring along -- any ideas? comment with the recipe!

Sunday -  My brother's 21st birthday is 8/15, so we're celebrating!! Burgers, chips, tomato salad

My baby brother, Nick, is on the right. He's 8 1/2 years younger than me... he's all grown up now!

Want to start menu planning to help save time, money and stress at supper time? Use my menu plan template.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Savers Summer Clearance Pre-Sale Today 8/10, Clearance Sale 8/11-12

Club Card Members SAVE 50% OFF Summer Clothing on Monday, August 10. SUMMER CLEARANCE PRESALE (AUG 10) requires Super Savers Club Card. 2-DAY CLEARANCE EVENT (AUG 11-12) is available to all customers. US Savers locations excluding HI, CA, NV, AZ, NM, TX, & AR only. Excludes new merchandise (red tags). Not valid with any other coupon or discount. Offers Include: WOMEN'S - Sleeveless Tops, Short Sleeve Knits, Short Sleeve Blouses, Casual Shorts, Capris, Swimsuits, Summerwear, Tanks & Tee Shirts, Summer Dresses. KID'S - Girls Sleeveless, Girls Short Sleeve Tops, Girls Shorts & Swims, Boys Short Sleeve Tops, Boys Shorts & Swims, Inf/Tod Shorts & Skirts, Inf/Tod Short Sleeve Tops, Girls Tee Shirts, Boys Tee Shirts. MEN'S - Tanks & Tee Shirts, Short Sleeve Knits, Short Sleeve Casual Shirts, Casual Shorts, Active Shorts & Swimwear.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Free Jiffy Corn Mix through SavingStar

Are you hooked up with SavingStar yet?! It's a fabulous online rebate center that can save you even more money in addition to coupons! Link your rewards cards (for some stores) and scan receipts (for other stores) to get rebate money back. Cash out when you reach $5!

This week's FREEBIE is Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, valid until 8/11.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback 8/10

It's Bloomin' Monday again! Get a free Bloomin' Onion at Outback today, 8/10/15. Valid with any purchase, one per table. Be sure to mention the offer to your server.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Free Subscription to The Red Bulletin

Get The Red Bulletin... for free!

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Back to School: Summer Reading on a Budget

Does your child have summer reading to do before they head back to school in September? I know my high schoolers do. And often times, I find that they've purchased the book, read it once and then it collects dust bunnies underneath their beds. What a waste of money!

Here are some tried and true ways to have your child complete their summer reading assignment inexpensively.

1. Borrow from the library - this is 100% free, unless of course you owe fines and you tend to lose books... it also can be tough if a million others are waiting to borrow the same book

2. Search for the full text on Google - as a teacher, I do this all of the time... I don't have enough copies of books to send home for homework so I find an online version that is free so students can access it when not in school. Here are some full text books I know are on some high school summer reading lists.

Into the Wild
Lord of the Flies
The Hunger Games Book 1
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Speak

3. If you prefer ebook version, Overdrive is an amazing free app for the Smartphone or tablet. You link your account to your library card and "borrow" the ebook from the library. Once your rental period is over, the book vanishes from your online bookshelf.

4. If you insist on buying the book, my favorite website for purchasing good-condition, inexpensive books is Thriftbooks. Book prices start around $2.99. If your order is $10, shipping is free. If you comment with your email address, I can send you an email with a 15% off your first order coupon (for first time users only). Best yet, once you make an account, it tracks your purchases. Once you hit $50, they send you a $5 credit to use!

5. Project Gutenberg is a great database of 49,000 books that have been converted into ebooks. They are all available for free. These include mostly classics like Kafka's Metamorphosis and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

6. Savers - many people forget about thrift stores when it comes to buying books. Savers's book prices are hard to beat. If the retail price is less than $7.94, the book is $1.99. If it's higher, it's $2.99. Children's books are priced differently but I can't recall the prices. If you buy 4 books, the 5th is free. I just walked out the other day with 5 books for my classroom for $11 including tax. It is hit or miss, though, but many of the more common, best sellers can be found on the shelves there.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Free Subscription to Field & Stream

Field & Stream is one of my mom's favorite magazines. And now she can get a year-long subscription for free!

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts

Tuesday Travels: Vacation the Cape on a Budget

As you may know, my husband and I have taken on an enormously expensive home renovation over the last few months. One stipulation of buying our home nearly six years ago was that we'd someday build a garage. The detached garage we had originally planned has blossomed into an attached garage with a great deal of living space above. Along with these lovely blossoming changes comes a whole pile of bigger bills. Which means we had to scale down our typical vacation plans this year.

One of our favorite vacations each year is a trip to Cape Cod, just a scenic hour and half drive away. Cape Cod is typically a fairly expensive tourist trap if you're not careful. But my husband and I have been inexpensively vacationing there every year since we started dating.

We spent a gorgeous, but hot and humid week camping at Nickerson State Park, which is located on 1900 acres in Brewster, the center of the Cape. Over 400 camp sites are available to reserve - tent and RV/camper sites are available in addition to yurts - cabin-like buildings if you're not into sleeping on the ground and you don't own a camper. Reservation fees for MA residents are less expensive than non-MA residents and vary based on the type of site you're reserving ($22/night for tent/camper site versus $55/night for large yurt site).

The camp sites at Nickerson do not have running water or electricity, but fear not! There are bathrooms available throughout the camp that have cold running water, running lights and even an outlet or two if you'd like to charge your phone while you pee. Bathrooms are cleaned once a day by park staff, although I assure you that you'll still find an abundance of bugs.

In addition to water access in the bathrooms, there are water spigots located every 4-5 camp sites, which are available for you to fill up on cooking and cleaning water. You could probably drink this water too, but my husband and I usually bring our own bottled water. The campground is also equipped with several shower houses if you'd like to wash off all the dirt and grime. These are offered free of charge, unlike some private campgrounds which charge to use the showers. The showers are also cleaned once a day so try to avoid attempting to shower during the cleaning schedule or you may have a very long wait. While the showers do offer hot water, there isn't always hot water available if many people have been showering when you arrive.

Flax Pond

Nickerson State Park features several large freshwater ponds available for swimming and boating. None of the water areas are life guarded, so you swim at your own risk. There's also a huge stretch of beautiful paved bike trails throughout the campground that lead to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a bike path that runs throughout the Cape. The bike trails inside the campground are tough, with steep slopes and sharp drops, but once on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the path is fairly flat with only minor thigh-burning gradual hills.

If you forgot to pack your sunscreen or goggles or nearly anything else, there's a Camp Store within the park open each day from 8 - 8. Prices are steep but it's convenient. Maybe you ran out of marshmallows or you're craving an ice cream bar - you can get both at the Camp Store. Most importantly, the Camp Store sells firewood at $5.50 a bundle. It is prohibited to bring in outside firewood into any MA State Park because of past issues with invasive bugs destroying forest populations. Trying to sneak in your own firewood can cause you to get kicked out of the campground.

If you're not willing to fork over the high prices for items at the Camp Store or they don't have what you need, there are a million shops and box stores within a few miles of the campground. We often make runs to Shaws to pick up stuff we didn't have room to pack like cases of water.

Perhaps camp stove cooking is not your thing or you'd rather pluck your own eyelashes out than lose them attempting to light your own camping grill. There are so many delicious local restaurants that serve a variety of foods within just a 5-10 minute drive. Obviously being on the Cape, lobster shacks and other seafood restaurants are most popular, however, you can find yourself an equally great pub or family-style restaurant too.

On the advice of Jon's Uncle Matt, he and I stopped in A Hole in One in Orleans for a sit-down breakfast one morning and grabbed some donuts to go on our last morning of the trip. Warning: If you're looking for a quick bite to eat, don't go here! I promise you there will be a wait. There will be a wait whether you're a party of 1, of 2 or of 10. There will be a wait whether you want to sit down and eat or grab it to go. The food is so amazing, there are always lines in the morning. You MUST try the donuts - they are worth every calorie, especially the honey dipped!

We also make it a point to complete a multi-mile bicycle ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail so that we can later treat ourselves to delicious burritos at Guapo's Tortilla Shack in Brewster. If you don't mind walking, this gem is located about 2 miles outside of the campground entrance and right on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Jon and I usually get the Chicken Fajita Burro and wash it down with a delicious cerveza. Beer and margaritas must be purchased at the outdoor bar window, while food can be purchased inside. There are a few indoor seats, but be prepared to sit outside at the picnic tables under the cabanas. If you're not into straight-up Tex-Mex food, Guapo's also offers regular ol' burgers and fish 'n chips. They do offer a gluten free menu as well, however, there are only a handful of options on it.

Some other notably delicious restaurants include Orleans's Jailhouse Tavern, which we did not visit this year, but have visited several times in the past. It's actually in an old jailhouse. The building inside is sooo cool! And they have the absolute best French dip sandwiches I've ever had in my life. Ever. I hope it's still on the menu. If it's not, there will be a one-woman riot next year when I stop in. Land Ho!, also in Orleans, features some great pub-style food. Ever heard of a Cape Cod Reuben? Fried cod, coleslaw and thousand island dressing = a tiny slice of Heaven on a plate. If you're looking for a dog-friendly spot, like us, check out Cobie's. Found right off the bike trail, Cobie's in Brewster offers a wide selection of clam-shack type food as well as a gazillion different types of ice cream. I wanted ice cream for dinner, but my husband made me adult that day, so I had to wait for ice cream until after dinner.

As I said, my husband made me adult and wait for ice cream until after dinner. Our pup, Riley, was getting antsy so we headed out for a quick drive and ended up at Emack & Bolio's in Orleans for our dessert. This is another place that you will never get in and out of very quickly. There is always a line. But that's because it's amazing. So amazing, we splurged and let Bubby have his first people-food experience in the form of vanilla ice cream.

If you think you'd get bored relaxing at your camp site, taking serene nature walks through the wooded forests or lazily floating across a freshwater lake, there are plenty of fun things to do outside of the campground. Our favorite is the Wellfleet Drive-In which has double-features every night. There is also a Wellfleet Cinema on the same grounds if you'd rather not get eaten alive by buggies. Last year we caught Despicable Me 2 and RIP Department - both excellent movies. This year, we ended up watching two fairly childish movies - Minions, which was really funny, and Inside Out which my husband dubbed "cheesy." If you're a preteen girl, this is a great movie for you... for all others, proceed with caution!

My husband drives a Tacoma so we bring our camping chairs and park our butts in the bed of his truck. While the Drive-In does have some still-working vintage speakers, it's important you bring a working radio or have your car battery fully charged. They do not guarantee that the speaker you park near will work and you cannot have your vehicle running during the shows. The Drive-In charges per person rather than per carload and is totally pet-friendly. There's a playground in the center with swings for the kids before the show and in between the double features. Snacks and drinks can be purchased at the concession stand but they are pricey. You can bring in outside food and drinks, but no alcoholic beverages!

On Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday on the same grounds as the Drive-In is a flea market. Open from 8-3 weather permitting, the flea market features vintage vendors as well as artists' and craftsmen's wares. Admission is $1 per carload and you can purchase food and drinks from the Snack Stand. If you're looking for libations, there is also a Beer Garden where my husband always drags me. It's no fun thrifting without drinking, right?

We love finding balance between relaxing and finding our zen in the forest and sight seeing and hanging out in the chaos of Cape Cod's tourism. We're always sad to go home. This year was our first trip with a pet and even Riley was sad to go  home.

Why we love Nickerson State Park:
-an inexpensive way to experience the Cape (you can't beat $22/night)
-pet-friendly
-near many restaurants, shops and attractions
-requires a paid parking pass for day-visitors, which prevents overcrowding
-electricity in bathrooms
-hot water in shower houses!

Annoying things about Nickerson State Park
-books up quickly... if you want a site during the summer, you must book 6 months out
-some sites aren't so private (near bathrooms, really close together, etc.)
-TRAFFIC! trying to enter or leave, there's always endless traffic
-you are limited to a max. of 14 consecutive camping days so you can't spend the entire summer there

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts