This week, I made out like a bandit at Target (or Tar-jay, as my sisters and I would say)!!! I was able to make good on two deals:

1. Kellogg's cereal is on sale right now - buy 3, get 1 free. Some boxes are even priced as low as $2.66. I paired (3) $1/1 Kellogg's cereal Target coupons (I tried to use 4, but they wouldn't let me use a Target coupon on the free item) with (2) $1/1 Kellogg's Special K cereal coupons, (1) $1/1 Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Little Bites cereal coupon, and (1) $0.75/1 Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal coupon. I spent a total of $2.49 on 4 boxes of cereal!!!

2. Target has a deal going on right now through 10.26.09 where if you purchase 5 Glade holiday candles, oil candle holders, or refills, you get a $5 Target giftcard. I had (5) B1G1 coupons where if you purchased an oil candle glass holder or tin, you got a pack of refill oil candles for free. I also had (5) $1.50/1 oil candle glass holder or tin coupons. Lastly, I had a $1/1 Glade item Target coupon from this month's Real Simple magazine. When I went through the checkout, I gave the cashier the B1G1 coupons first, and he wasn't sure how to enter those in, so he called his supervisor who was able to take care of those coupons. Then I gave the supervisor the $1.50/1 coupons, and he said that he couldn't take them because he could only take one manufacturer's coupon per item. I calmly explained that the B1G1 coupons applied to the refills, and the $1.50/1 coupons applied to the holders. He called a manager over, and I explained the same thing to her. She told me that Target's policy with B1G1 coupons is that they apply both to the item you're getting for free as well as to the item you're purchasing to get that item for free...which, in my humble opinion, makes zero sense. I stated that I was still buying the holders and tins in order to get the refills for free - just at a lower rate of $1.50 off a piece. She told me she didn't want to be the "coupon police" and would allow me to use those coupons "this one time". My cheeks were a little rosy when I left, but I ended up saving $21, spending only $4.91, and I got $10 in Target giftcards!!! I plan on doing the SC Johnson rebate 3 times over as well to get a $15 rebate and make the most of this deal!!!

The Target Trip

So, overall I spent $7.40 out-of-pocket, I received $10 in Target giftcards, and I'm going to receive a rebate of $15 from SC Johnson...so I actually MADE MONEY off of these deals!!! $17.60 to be exact!!!

A Quick (and Delicious) Interruption

I know I still have one (or maybe two) more installments regarding "Things I Love About Fall", but I had to interrupt to post another recipe. This Shepherd's Pie recipe was given to me by the Palmers (love you guys!). The preparation was very minimal, and the result was amazing - and healthy too! It contains quite a bit of veggies, ground turkey (instead of red meat), and the majority of the flavor comes from rosemary and low sodium/low fat chicken broth. Delicious! Just make sure you indeed use a 10" pie pan! I only had a 9" pie pan on hand, and some of the juices spilled over into the oven...and I was too full after dinner to clean it up!

Shepherd's Pie

Things I Love About Fall - Installment #2

THE FESTIVITIES.

There are ALWAYS really fun things to do outdoors in the Fall, i.e. going to pumpkin patches, going apple picking, etc. Seth and I were really excited to be back in Ohio for Fall this year because we got to experience the one-and-only Circleville Pumpkin Show. The small town of Circleville, OH devotes 4 days to this pumpkin extravaganza, and they pull out all the stops. I had gone to the CPS when I was younger, and Seth had been once before in college, but we were excited to finally be able to go together.

The crowd

The pumpkin tree

The BIGGEST pumpkin of all

The two of us, elated upon purchasing a bag of the infamous mini pumpkin donuts

Also, who doesn't love a good old-fashioned night in, carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, and drinking apple cider (some prefer it spiced and hot; I prefer it non-spiced and cold)??? Here are this year's creations from the Williams household:

Seth's jack-o-lantern

My jack-o-lantern (yes, I used a stencil)

We had such a blast this Halloween, as it was our first Halloween where we lived in an area that trick-or-treaters came through. My sister Shelby came over, and she, Seth, and I had a great time greeting the kids and seeing all the fun costumes, while staying warm with the help of blankets and hot chocolate!

Seth excitedly awaiting the arrival of our first trick-or-treater

Me and Shelb staying warm

Last (but not least), we participated in the "BOO-rito" give-away that Chipotle was doing on Halloween. Basically, if you came dressed up as a burrito, Chipotle gives you a burrito, burrito bowl, or taco for FREE!!! We had fun with this...

Introducing the tinfoil hat, scarf...

...and diaper???

My parents also hosted a squaredance on their property this year, but we were visiting friends in San Diego when it took place. Hopefully, it will be an annual event, and we'll be able to post photos next year!