Good morning!
It’s Friday and I’m grateful for that – how about you? I’m out of coffee filters – gah! So much for paying attention to that minor detail. I almost panicked but my sweet husband dug out the ole french press and saved the day – don’t be fooled, behind every blogger there is probably someone even cooler behind the scenes who is really the one keeping things running. For me, that’s Mr. Queen Bee. 🙂 You can thank him if I seem even more caffeinated than normal today. Coffee filters are on the list!
Last night I made a chicken and wild rice soup in the crockpot. Well it was everything BUT wild. In fact it turned out bland and blah. The kind of recipe where you take a bite and you wonder whether you just ate something or not. So although it filled us up for dinner it WON’T make it into the soup and salad series. I’m bummed, but I’d feel awful sharing a recipe I don’t think I’ll bother making again. This happens – I try to make up my own version of a recipe and I fail, miserably. I stood over the clumpy goo saying to myself, “I wonder if I can make this into some kind of casserole?” Ha! I can’t bring myself to throw it away. So into the freezer it went and we’ll deal with it at a later date. 🙂 You can get some recipe inspiration here.
Yesterday we shared the second installation of our Saving Money on a Wedding Series – this week we talked about saving on your wedding flowers! This is part of a six-week series. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment!
Do you have plans for the weekend? On Monday, Jan. 21, the National Park Service is having is first of many fee-free days in 2013. You can get free entry to National Parks across the country. Learn more.
AARP has a new sweepstakes and you can win a 7-night Alaskan Cruise for 2, plus they are giving away $50 Visa Gift Cards via instant win everyday! Head over here to enter now. You must be 45 years old to enter. No purchase necessary. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.)
COUPONS
Yesterday was smoking for good printable coupons!
Buy one, get one FREE Tillamook yogurt
$1 off Smuckers jelly or jam
$1 off one Victoria tortillas
$0.55/1 Herdez salsa
Buy 2, get one 1 FREE DiGiorno pizzas (up to $7.01)
$3 off two Triaminic products
$2 off 2 Kotex Natural Balance products
$3 off Hormel Party Tray
$0.55/2 Hormel Chili porducts
$1 off 2 Hormel Pepperoni packages
Find more printable coupons on Coupons.com.
In Sunday’s paper we should see one Smart Source insert. It looks like it has some decent coupons! You can get a list of coupons in the January 20 insert here.
FAVORITE DEALS
I LOVED reading the reports on the Queen Bee Facebook page and getting emails from many of you who saved big at Target yesterday! Dana spent $127.50 (tax not included) for $426 worth of toys (see picture above)! Total savings of $298.51! And we have more photos and reader reports coming later this morning. You can send in your photos and descriptions of your Target toy trip to thehive@queenbeetoday.com – we love getting reader trips.
See our Target clearance report here – lots of photos!!
Great Wolf Lodge is having a 48 hour sale! This is the best time to book your rooms (if you don’t have a Groupon, of course)
Subscribe to Weight Watchers Magazine – 3-year subscription only for $13.50 when you use coupon code QUEEN BEE at checkout. This offer is only today. That’s only $4.50 a year.
See a round-up of the best baby deals here!
RECIPES & MEAL PLANNING
Since the chicken and wild rice soup was a flop, I don’t think I’ll have another soup recipe for a bit. I’ll put together a round-up of what we’ve done so far and feature them this weekend. I have plans to make this New Waldorf Tarragon salad and Winter Bok Choy Slaw this weekend!
Pizza for a football game this weekend? Check out this deal at Safeway that starts today:
DiGiorno or California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza – $5
B2G1 FREE Digiorno Pizza, up to $7.01 (it’s reset!)
Final Price = $3.33 each
*Great price*
Oh and if you live in the Northwest – TOP Foods and Haggen has a promotion where you can get Totino’s pizza for $0.05 cents each after rebate! That’s some cheap pizza.
Here are this week’s grocery match-ups and deals: Albertsons Fred Meyer QFC Safeway
FOR THE LOCAL NW FOLKS
Olympia – I mentioned Olympia Local Foods in yesterday’s Rise and Shine post – they are open today! I plan to swing by. I hope you’ll at least stop in and see what it’s all about. Tell them Queen Bee sent you! 2010-B Black Lake Blvd SW, Olympia, Washington and they open at 11 a.m.
Lacey – I shared yesterday that the Briggs YMCA (Lacey) is waiving the joining fee this month! Just go in and tell them Queen Bee sent you and you can save as much as $100! Learn more about the YMCA discount here.
Greater Victoria, BC – Resort with Ocean Views on Vancouver Island – Oceanfront Resort with Sea and Mountain Views, Fine Dining, and Spa Services – $259 (reg. $480)
Portland, OR – Hotel Fifty – One- or Two-Night Stay for Two in a Courtyard Room. Up to Two Kids Stay Free. Combine Up to Four Night – from $95
Seaside, OR – Rivertide Suites Hotel – 1– or 2-Night Stay in a Two-Bedroom Suite or Studio. Combine Up to 10 Nights. Breakfast included.
Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever! Kent Showare Center – Tickets start at $11
Washington – If you’re looking for a fun place to plan a vacation – either for Spring Break or for a little giveaway. Let me remind you about Seabrook! You can rent a house with a family or two and split the costs and it can be an affordable vacation! We stayed at the Bramble Berry houe this summer in Seabrook and I wrote about our trip here. In fact, we gave away a night stay when I posted about our trip and the reader who won is going to go soon, so it reminded me of it all – I want to go back! We cooked nearly every meal ourselves in the house, there are a ton of frugal activities to do and we had a great time! Have you been to Seabrook before?
ONLINE DISCOUNTS & PROMO CODES
Amazon has this LEGO Chima Cragger Command Ship 70006 on sale for $57.26 which is 28% off the regular price of $79.99.
Gold Box Deal of the Day: Up to 70% Off Select Patriot Memory Products
REI Deal of the Day – Marmot Sassy Rain Jacket – Women’s – $89.93 (reg. $200)
Today only, subscribe to Thomas & Friends Magazine for only $17.49 per year (45% off)! You can order up to 2 years at this price! Just enter coupon code QUEENBEE at checkout.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Debbie says
That’s funny that you just made a crock pot wild rice and chicken soup….I just printed one off my Kellogg’s email…
it sounds realllly good…..yours didn’t happen to be that same recipe was it?
Heather says
No, I used the recipe from the Land o Lakes website. You’ll have to let me know how the Kellogg’s one turns out!
Cindy says
Plain white paper towels work for coffee filters in a pinch. I just trim the extra off the top when it’s in the filter.
Heather says
Ahhh! I’ll have to try that next time!
Janice says
thanks for the magazine codes I was actually able to use this for more than just Thomas and saved quite a bit