Tonight is Freezer Dinner, an occasion for celebration in my house. I celebrate because I don’t have to cook anything, and my family celebrates because they can enjoy my company instead of watching me run around like a crazy woman trying to pull together a healthy, cheap meal (relaxed mommy = relaxed dinner). My frugal self celebrates, too, because Freezer Dinner knocks a chunk off my weekly grocery bill.

So what exactly is Freezer Dinner? I essentially throw open the doors of my freezer and defrost all the leftovers within. Doing so on a regular basis

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My family loooooves granola. My husband eats it morning, noon and night; my daughters nosh on it for breakfast and after school. (I know, not the most nutritious practice, but at least they’re getting lots of fiber.) As you can imagine our granola habit was putting quite a dent in my food bill. Why? The cheapest box at my supermarket (the store brand!) is $4.19. When I pick up five boxes (the minimum my granola munchers go through in a week), it adds up to a whopping $20.95. Throw in a brand-name box or two and—ouch. No really, ouch.

Then one day I walked past the self-service bulk bin aisle and a light bulb went off.  How much would I save if I scooped my own granola? Well, as it turns out, a lot, and it opened a whole new money-saving pathway for me (and showed me how to save on other grocery items as well). Take a look at last week’s shopping trip:

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I love making breakfast treats for dinner — pancakes, omelets, crepes, and especially waffles. One of my favorite recipes is for these Ham & Cheddar Supper Waffles — they’re quick and easy to make and so delicious! My husband likes them with salsa, but I just drizzle on a little maple syrup. I love to make them and freeze the leftovers so we can toast them for another meal or a snack later on. They’re already pretty inexpensive to make — but now you can save even more with this $1 off coupon for two packages of Kraft cheese on AllYou.com! With the leftover cheese, you could make this Five-Layer Mexican Dip for Super Bowl Sunday, or these Grilled Turkey, Cheddar and Apple Sandwiches for another easy dinner. Enjoy!

Posted by Beth Lipton, Food Editor

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*  Snag a free delicious snack from Kashi.com; choose from one of the following: GoLean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble cereal, TLC Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit & Grain bar and GoLean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax cereal.

*  What are your dinner plans tonight? Sign up for Chili’s email club and receive a free welcome gift of chips and queso within 48 hours of registration!

* Free Sample Momma’s got the scoop on a “two treats for the price of one” deal at Dairy Queen stores. Click for more information!

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Check out Quaker Oats’ new online application called “Create Your Day.” Visit quakeroats.com/createyourday and fill in the blanks (think Mad Libs) to make a story about your day ahead. For every story created, Quaker will donate $1 to Share Our Strength (up to $25,000), a nonprofit working to end childhood hunger in the U.S. After you’ve completed your story, you’ll be able to share it with friends (or just e-mail it to yourself) and then print a $1 off coupon for any Quaker oatmeal product.

SEE ALSO:
Save money while dining out
Save on a tasty breakfast treat
Enjoy breakfasts under $1

Posted by Emily Hendricks Turnier, associate editor

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I’ve picked up a lot of money-savings tips since I started working at All You. I’ve become an avid couponer and I’m pretty adept at ferreting out online coupons and deals. (My 12-year-old daughter used to scoff at my efforts, but last night I caught her checking Ebates, my all-time-favorite rebate site, before she made an online purchase—don’t you love those rare moments when something rubs off?)

Without question the biggest shift in my spending philosophy has been at the supermarket. It’s quite simple, really: Instead of planning meals around recipes, I now plan meals around sales. I still go to the supermarket with a list of groceries in hand, but I shop the sales for the following week at the same time. The sale chicken  legs make their way into my freezer; when it comes time to meal-plan for the following week, I check my freezer, pull out a recipe (like this yummy one), and  add the  ingredients I don’t have on hand to my weekly shopping list.

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Now that it’s Friday, I’m starting to think about lazy weekend breakfasts. I love to make a treat for my family on Saturday or Sunday morning, especially when it’s cold out — and this weekend, I’m thinking about muffins. We have a great coupon up on AllYou.com right now that’s $1 off 6 Dannon Light & Fit yogurts — I’m going to download it, buy the yogurt and make these yummy Yogurt-Streusel Muffins.

My husband will love them! I’ll have to freeze a few of them for later. (The recipe calls for plain yogurt but Light & Fit doesn’t come in plain, so I’m going to swap in vanilla yogurt and cut the sugar to 1/2 cup.)

The rest of the yogurts will be great to bring to work for snacks next week. Weekend breakfast idea? Check. Healthy snacks for the week? Check. And all with a coupon — now that’s a great deal!

–Beth Lipton, Food Editor

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Love T.G.I. Friday’s? Go to tgifridays.com and sign up for their Give Me More Stripes rewards program. It’s free to register, and when you sign up, they’ll send you a coupon for a free appetizer or dessert and a “jump the line” pass that lets you go to the front of the line instead of waiting for a table. Then, for every $100 you spend, you’ll receive a coupon for $8 off an entrée, dessert or appetizer. You’ll also receive a complimentary dessert during your birthday month. Just give your card to your server every time you dine. Learn more at tgifridays.com/gmms/givememorestripes.aspx.

Thanks to Rachel at survivingthestores.com for the tip!

Posted by Emily Hendricks Turnier, associate editor

SEE ALSO:
Get 50% off shoes, plus free shipping
Help Haiti and donate your shoes
Save on a trip to Florida, plus more deals

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*  A free sample everyone could use these days: Gold Bond Ultimate Hand Sanitizer —a moisturizing lotion that zaps 99.99  percent of germs and bacteria in under 15 seconds.

*  Got a Blockbuster Express kiosk near you? Enjoy a free flick on the house with code G211A2 by Jan. 28. Get your movie freebie!

*  Bargain Briana’s got the scoop on receiving a free sample pack from Aveda, including  shampoo, conditioner and strengthening treatment. Plus, sign up for a free Caribbean Therapy Body Crème sample while there.

*  The new and improved YoPlus yogurt from Yoplait serves up even more antioxidants, fiber, calcium and Vitamin D. Give it a taste test with a free sample from BettyCrocker.com.

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We all know we’re supposed to eat a healthy breakfast every day — but what about those days when you literally have just 30 seconds to yourself in the morning? That’s why I always have VitaTops in my freezer. They’re delicious, 100-calorie muffin tops that are full of wholesome ingredients, packed with vitamins and fiber — and ready to go after 20 seconds in the microwave. Sometimes I put a smear of peanut butter on top and then I’m out the door.

And now they’ve added a great new flavor to the roster — raisin bran — so you can have the taste of the beloved cereal in a portable, satisfying muffin top. The best part? Vitalicious is offering All You readers an exclusive 10 % off coupon, so stock up! Click on vitalicious.com, and

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