Website Wednesday: Endorse

Endorse is one of those websites that seems too good to be true. But, as far as I can tell, it's just as good as it claims to be.

Endorse is a new cash back program that runs on the Facebook interface. Here is how it works:
1. You sign-in using your Facebook account. Endorse will send you prepaid envelopes in the mail (like Netflix).
2. Use your account to "endorse" retailers that you visit often, like Safeway or Walmart, and products that you like, like Pampers Baby Dry or Diet Coke.
3. Shop at those retailers, and for those products, just like you normally do. When you get home, just toss the receipts in the prepaid mailer and put them in the mail.
4. Endorse will process the receipts and credit your account with 10% cash back on all the purchases you make at endorsed retailers or for endorsed products. Once your account reaches $25, they'll mail you a check.

It really is that easy! So, let's recap: you can earn money without clipping a single coupon, submitting a single rebate, or taking a single online survey. Just spend a few minutes endorsing the retailers and products you use most often, then shop like normal. When you get home, seal the receipts in the prepaid envelope, put it in the mail, and watch your savings add up!

A few notes:
-Endorse won't allow you to "double dip" on endorsements, i.e. buying an endorsed product at an endorsed retailer won't earn you 10% back on both.

-You must make the endorsement before making the purchase. So, unfortunately, that stack of Target receipts you've been saving since 1999 won't do you any good. That's why I suggest taking a few minutes immediately after signing up to endorse all the stores you visit frequently (online shopping counts, too) and all of the products that you regularly consume.

-Right now Endorse is working on a feature that allows to you email your receipts instead of mailing them. Since that feature isn't up and running yet, I'd suggest holding onto any receipts that you might need later.

I'm so excited about this new program, because I'll be making money just by doing something that I already do. I love it!

New Meal Monday: Homemade Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza? I'm sure there's someone, somewhere, who doesn't, but that person certainly doesn't live in our house. Around here, we could (and sometimes do) have pizza for supper a couple nights a week. I've tried a few different recipes for homemade crust, but none can compare to the one we use now.

Confession: I was afraid of yeast. The idea of having the water at the exact right temperature intimidated me, the concept of proofing seemed overwhelming, and I was always worried I would knead the dough too much or too little. But this recipe was touted as nearly foolproof, so I gave it a shot.

Best. Decision. Ever. This thing really is nearly impossible to mess up. I've made it numerous times, and every pizza is just as good as the last. If you're a fellow pizza lover (and really, why wouldn't you be?), I urge, nay, I beg you, to add this recipe to your arsenal.

One more thing before I give you the good stuff: let's not overlook how frugal pizza can be. The most expensive  ingredient in the crust is the yeast, which can be purchased rather inexpensively in bulk or with a coupon. I routinely purchase pasta sauce for less than $1 a jar. As for the toppings, you can use pizza night as a way to rid the fridge of leftovers. Taco pizza, kabob pizza, Italian chicken and artichoke pizza...the sky is the limit. Pizza is cheap, my friends.

Homemade Pizza

adapted slightly from Money Saving Mom

First, the line up. You'll need:

-1 tablespoon of active dry yeast

-1 cup of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees)

-1 teaspoon sugar

-1 teaspoon salt

-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

-2 1/2 cups of flour

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except water and yeast.

In a small bowl (I use a measuring cup) dissolve yeast in water.

Add water and yeast to other ingredients and mix until combined.

Knead dough on a floured surface until the dough is smooth (about five minutes). If you have a mixer with a dough hook, you can let that do the work.

Roll out dough and transfer it to a greased pizza pan.

Top it! Go crazy with whatever sauce, cheese, and toppings you can find.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly and crust is golden slightly crispy.

Enjoy!

Super Savings Saturday (on Sunday)

Obviously, I didn't get around to posting this yesterday. I don't really have a good excuse for this, other than that work, a family birthday dinner, and my recently developed addiction to the TV show Sister Wives took precedence.

Regardless, here it is now. This is my Rite Aid shopping trip from last Sunday:

Transaction #1:

-2 M&M's fun size candy, regularly $3.99, on sale $2 each. Used $1.50/2 coupon, paid $1.75 each.

-2 John Freida Root Awakening shampoo, regularly $7.29, on sale $5 each. Used two $2/1 coupons, paid $3 each.

-1 Cepacol sore throat lozenges, regularly $5.29, on sale $2.50. Paid $2.50.

On this transaction, I used a $10 +UP Reward (from my CoverGirl shopping trip), paid $1 out of pocket, and received $8.50 in +UP Rewards.

Transaction #2:

-1 Infant Advil, regularly $7.49, on sale $5. Used $1/1 coupon, paid $4.

-1 Burt's Bees cough drops, regularly $1.99, on sale $1.49. Paid $1.49.

-1 Thermacare heat wraps, regularly $7.49, on sale $5. Used $3/1 coupon, paid $2.

On this transaction, I used $3.50 in +UP Rewards and paid $3.99 out of pocket. Note: This would have been free if the cashier had scanned the largest +UP Reward first, but she didn't. She scanned the two smaller ones, leaving a $4 total and a $5 +UP Reward, so I just paid it.

Transaction #3:

-2 Colgate Optic White toothpaste, regularly $4.79, on sale $3.99 each. Used $1/1 coupon (could have used two, but I only had one), paid $3.49 each.

On this transaction, I used $6.49 in +UP Rewards, paid $.49 out of pocket, and received $6 in +UP Rewards.

Transaction #4:

-1 Airwick candle, regularly $3.29, on sale $2. Used $1/1 coupon, paid $1.

-2 Carefree liners, regularly $1.69, on sale $1 each. Used $1/2 coupon, paid $.50 each.

On this transaction, I used $2 in +UP Rewards and paid $0 out of pocket (this was my first ever $0 transaction!)

In total, I got $61.07 in product and paid only $5.48 out of pocket, for a savings of 91%. I also left with a $5 +UP Reward, which I rolled into more savings during today's shopping trip.

If you'd like to get started saving lots of money at Rite Aid, here are a few links to walk you through it:

Rite Aid 101

Rite Aid Store Guide

Online Rite Aid Couponing Class

Rite Aid Wellness Card & UP Rewards Program Decoded

Website Wednesday: Super Cook

When I really decided to crack down on our budget, one of the first things I eliminated was all of those extra visits to the grocery store. While that decision certainly cut down on the amount of money I was spending each week on impromptu shopping trips, it sometimes presented a new problem.

I spent many evenings randomly opening the fridge, the freezer, and the cabinets, wracking my brain for supper ideas. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not the best when it comes to surveying a bunch of random ingredients and forming a meal idea in my mind. I'm also not very good at winging it. If I'm making something, I like to have a recipe to follow, or at least a recipe to use as a jumping-off point.

Enter: Super Cook. Super Cook is a recipe search engine that allows you to enter the ingredients you have on hand and, in turn, it produces a list of matching recipes. Super Cook pulls from many of my favorite recipe websites, like Epicurious, Food, and All Recipes. They also allow you to choose food exclusions, so you can search only recipes based on dietary restrictions, like nut allergies or vegetarianism.

You can access Super Cook and search for recipes without signing up for an account. If you do choose to sign up, you can save your favorite recipes and the list of ingredients you have on hand. I haven't signed up, because I think it's easier to find a recipe I like, and then either pin that recipe on Pinterest, or copy it to a note card and put it in my recipe box.

If you're working on reducing the amount of money you spend on groceries each week, a recipe search engine is a helpful tool. Next time you're tempted to make a five o' clock grocery store run, do yourself (and your budget) a favor, and check out Super Cook.

New Meal Monday: Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce

I love chilies and and I love chicken. That's why, when I came across this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago, I quickly pinned it, knowing I wanted to make it. Just a few weeks later I found Monterrey Jack cheese half off at Safeway, so I knew it was fate. This recipe and I were meant to find each other.

I made these enchiladas last week and took some fun pictures with my camera. Since I can't find the USB cord (oh, the joys of having a mobile child), and we had leftover chicken and cheese, and they're just plain delicious, I decided to make them again.

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce

adapted slightly from Let's Dish

(note: I reduced all ingredients by half, except the green chilies; the original recipe calls for one whole can)

4 soft taco size flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1.5 tablespoons butter
1.5 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Combine the chicken, half the cheese, and half the can of chilies in a small bowl. Divide the mixture between the tortillas. Roll the tortillas and place, seam down, in a greased glass baking dish.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add flour and stir until completely incorporated. Next, add chicken broth and cook for about a minute, or until the mixture has thickened and begins to bubble. Add the sour cream, chilies, and remaining cheese. Stir until sour cream and cheese are completely melted. If you want an extra cheesy sauce (and who doesn't?) add more cheese. Pour sauce over enchiladas,

Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the tortillas are golden and the sauce is bubbly. And, if you have an oven that cooks as well as mine, you might want to rotate the baking dish halfway through the cooking time.

Even my husband, who has an eagle eye for anything "green" in his food, loved these. I always make half a batch anytime I try a new recipe, since we don't want to be stuck with leftovers if the meal is a dud, but this is one that I'll definitely be making a whole batch of next time.

Super Savings Saturday

Last Sunday, G and I went to Rite Aid and Walgreens. That little guy is such a trooper during our Sunday afternoon drug store shopping trips. He doesn't fuss at all as I drag him in and out of the car seat. I'm glad he was so good on Sunday, because it was certainly a worthwhile trip.

From Rite Aid we got:
-2 Halls cough drops, on clearance for $.62 each; I got $1 +Up Reward
-5 Dove shampoos, I paid $8.50 total after coupons and sales; I got $5 +Up Reward
-Scope mouthwash, I paid $2 and got $2 +Up Reward
-2 Rite Aid brand seasonings, $.90 each
-Pert Plus shampoo, I paid $2 and got $2 +Up Reward
-2 Gillette Body Wash, I paid $4 and got $2 +Up Reward

From Walgreens:
-Cepacol sore throat lozenges, I paid $2.99 and got $2.99 Register Reward
-2 Nivea lip balm, I paid $1 for both
-Kleenex cool touch tissues, I paid $1 and got $.50 Register Reward
-Cottonelle toilet paper (not pictured), I paid $3.50
-Sparkly hair clips (not pictured), $1- these are for our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
(I had a $5 Register Reward from the week before, so my entire Walgreens shopping trip cost me $1.27)

There are some great freebies this week at both Rite Aid and Walgreens, so I'm hoping to head out tomorrow and replenish some of the areas of our stockpile that are getting low. It's funny how supplying toiletries for two parents, two metrosexual college-age boys, and a 13 year old girl, can deplete your reserves.

$5.61 CoverGirl Moneymaker

Technically this deal should be posted tomorrow, on Super Savings Saturday. But that's how good this deal is. I'm so excited to share it, and I wanted anyone who will be out and about tomorrow to have the chance to try it, too. Read on to see how I made $5.61 on a purchase of CoverGirl makeup at Rite Aid.

Right now at Rite Aid, CoverGirl products are buy one get one 50% off. In addition, if you buy $30 worth of CoverGirl products, you get a $10 +Up Reward (remember, this is the coupon that prints with your receipt, giving you a certain dollar amount off your next purchase).

I bought:
1 trublend minerals powder- $9.99
1 cheekers blush- $2.19 (50% off of $4.39)
1 blush brush- $5.29
2 smoothers concealer sticks- $6.99 and $3.49 (50% off of $6.99)
1 trublend liquid foundation- $4.94 (50% off of $9.89)
Total: $32.89


I used 3 $8/2 CoverGirl face products coupons from the October P & G insert. I also had $4.50 in =Up Rewards from my last Rite Aid shopping trip.
I paid: $4.39


I also received a $10 +Up Reward, which I didn't use. When I use it (probably on Sunday) this trip will be a   $5.61 moneymaker.

Note: While I was in Rite Aid on Thursday, they were restocking their entire makeup section. If you're thinking about trying this deal tomorrow, you might be in luck. Even if you don't want to attempt to get the $10 +Up Reward, the $8/2 coupons can still be combined with the buy one get one 50% sale to get you makeup for free or nearly free.