Send your expired coupons to the military!

Did you know military families stationed overseas can use your expired coupons in their commissary’s (military grocery stores) for up to 6 months after their expiration date? YES they do!  You see, unfortunately they don’t have access to a Sunday newspaper all nicely filled with coupons like we do.
So this is where you come in. Happymoneysaver readers can all come together and help help out the military while at the same time making use of our expired coupons. You can adopt a military base yourself or drop off your coupons at one of the locations of our specialists in the Pacific Northwest.
Acceptable Coupons:
You can only send MANUFACTURER’S COUPONS, no store coupons
Do not send coupons that are over 30 days expired
Sorting the Coupons:
The coupons that you are sending need to be separated into FOOD and NON-FOOD in plastic zipcloc style bags. Label them with a pen or marker as well.
If you or your family want to adopt a military base you can do so directly. Package up your coupons into Food and Non-Food and mail them to the military base of your choice. My favorite website with bases you can adopt is Grocery Saving Tips. They seem to keep updated lists going of military bases accepting coupons.  Please try not to send coupons expired past 30 days because of shipping time, sorting time and other time factors.
If you would prefer to drop off the coupons locally you can do so at one of “happymoneysavers specialist” drop off locations. These will typically be at specialists homes where outside they will have a bin or box to collect the coupons. Once a month they will  package them all up and mail them out.
Please make sure and add .50-$1.00 with your coupon donation to help with shipping costs.
Washington Drop Off Locations or send your coupons to:
936 McPherson Ave
Richland, WA
6628 193rd St SW
Lynnwood, WA
9221 N Coursier Ln
Spokane, WA 99208
Directions: Selkirk Lodge Apartments off Indian Trail Rd. Second level and there will be a box right outside the door with a small American flag on it.
511 91st Ave SE
Lake Stevens, WA 98258

Hopefully I will be able to add more locations in the near future. Thank you so much for supporting the military overseas members!
I have added this page to my toolbar for easy reference. Just go to Coupons<Expired Coupons and you will find this info at any time.

Have you mailed off your expired coupons to the military overseas program? Any helpful tips or tricks?

Bargain Easter Ham Recipe!

Around the holidays you see big canned hams on sale and you think- "Yuk! Who would eat that?" OK- I was one of those people- UNTIL this recipe! You will not believe how good this is! Start by purchasing a large canned ham- Dubuque brand or something like it. You can get it on sale at Easter, Christmas, etc- they are good to store for quite awhile in your fridge. The night befoe you serve it, open the can, and cut some large slits on the top. Put the ham in a container taller than the ham- pour a 2 liter of gingerale (Canada Dry, etc.) over the ham, covering it. Put a lid or plastic wrap over it and refrigerate overnight. Next day drain the ham, discarding gingerale. Cut some cheddar cheese to fit into your slits that you made in the top of your ham. Next, wrap several slices of bacon around the outside edges of the ham, securing with toothpicks. Bake 350 degrees until the bacon is crisp and cheese is melted. Slice,serve warm, Enjoy!

Homemade Soap Bars!!! Yes, you can make your own soap!!

 Soaps should be made with fresh natural oils in small batches. These are made with lye (Sodium Hydroxide). Oil and water don't mix, but with the use of lye they will. The only job that the lye serves in the soap making process is to combine oil and water. This is called saponification. Once the soap is fully saponified, the lye is no longer active.

You may have noticed that in retail stores it's hard to find any body cleanser that is labeled 'soap'. You will find a lot of beauty bars. There's a very good reason for this. When you combine lye, liquid and oils to make soap, glycerin is produced naturally. Glycerin is a humectant which means it will draw moisture from the atmosphere and hold it on your skin. Beauty bars have been stripped of their glycerin to sell for a much larger profit than you can get from selling merely soap. Many people have reported complete relief from Exzema and Psoriasis by using homemade soaps. Below is a link to the recipe and instructions for making your own soap bars-
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapmakingbasics/a/How-To- Make-Soap.htm

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BANANA NUT MUFFINS TO HELP YOU SLEEP!!!

This recipe will help you sleep! Banana Bran Muffins

by Sandi Hall on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 6:05am

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

 2 large eggs

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts





2. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in bananas, buttermilk, wheat bran, oil and vanilla.

3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups (they’ll be quite full). Sprinkle with walnuts, if using.

4. Bake muffins until tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. 

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
196 calories
6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono)
36 mg cholesterol
32 g carbohydrates  5 g protein
4 g fiber
182 mg sodium
167 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: fiber (17% Daily Value)
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.


Serves: 12

Easy Frugal Kitchen Substitutions!

Keep your grocery bill down with smart substitutions. Find the ingredient you need on this list, then switch it out for the cheaper (but just as tasty) alternative.

Red Wine: Pure cranberry juice
White wine: White grape juice or apple juice
 Mascarpone: Cream cheese mixed with a bit of heavy cream
 Buttermilk (1 cup): 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar (let stand for 10 minutes)
 Crème fraîche (1 cup): ½ cup sour cream mixed with ½ cup heavy cream
Edamame: Green peas or black-eyed peas
Maple syrup: Brown sugar with a little water
 Molasses:Honey
Cake flour (1 cup): 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Macadamia nuts: Walnuts, almonds or cashews
Fresh herbs (1 Tbsp.): 1 tsp. dried herbs Allspice (1 Tbsp.): 1 tsp. cinnamon plus 1 tsp. nutmeg plus 1 tsp. ground cloves Unsweetened chocolate (1 oz.): 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
 Vanilla bean (1 inch long): 1 tsp. vanilla extract
 Chives: Scallion greens
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

SUPER EASY CURRY CHICKEN!

I LOVE my crockpot! With four kids and a hubby, plus working part time, my crockpot was a lifesaver! Here is an easy meal that will make yourfamily feel they are eating in a restaurant!

What You Need

10 chicken thighs (2-3/4 lb.), skins removed

1 jar  (16 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp.  curry powder

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S FREE or KNUDSEN Fat Free Sour Cream

Make It

PLACE chicken in slow cooker.
Put curry in dish and microwave 30 seconds.
Add and combine to next 2 ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).
REMOVE chicken to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Add sour cream to slow cooker; stir until well blended. Serve over chicken. You can spoon this over steamed vegetables, or cooked rice- why not over both? Happy eating!

Homemade Dryer Sheets

Tired of buying dryer sheets to soften your clothes? Make your own! It's so easy AND economical! I go to my local DollarTree store and buy liquid fabric softener for $1. Pour this into a container with a lid. Fill your original fabric softener package with water 3 times, add to your solution, stir. Cut a cellulose sponge in two pieces, add to container of watered down fabric softener. Put your wet clothes in the dryer, add your softener soaked sponge to the load and dry. When your clothes are dry, take out dry sponge and put back into your softener solution for the next load! This will last months! If you have sensitive skin, be sure to buy unscented fabric softener. Give it a try and SAVE! - Frugal Frau

I have always looked for ways to save money- My first husband had me on a SUPER tight budget, and with four kids and a hubby who loved to eat, I was challenged! However, I LOVE a good challenge! These blogs will be small helpful hints, recipes, and coupon tips to S T R E T C H your money just a bit further! Feel free to share your tips, reviews and opinions!