Fiber One Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to ...

Comment #12 from Anna B. for being the winner of our Fiber One Giveaway.

Anna Said

I really enjoy the fiber one yogurt. I am a strawberry girl for sure!!

Thanks to everyone who entered and keep checking back for more giveaways in the future.

Anna - Make sure to check your email - I've sent you a confirmation email and need your reply within 48 hours. Thanks!

FREE $10 Mall gift card

Hey Mom Saves Money has a great post on how to get a FREE (no strings attached) $10 gift card to quite a few different malls. Check out her post on how you can find a participating mall near you.

Good Reads 8/28

Reading the blogs so you don't have to...

The Simple Dollar has a great guest post on Having enough for life.

Recyled Crafts has a tutorial on turning a pop top can into a gift tin.

Money Saving Mom has the scoop on how you can get free museum tickets this weekend.

Coupon Savings has the link to where you can get a FREE sample of Fancy Feast Appetizers

Makes and Takes has a post up on how to make Fuzzy bath bombs I LOVE these. I'm thinking Mothers day next year.

Frugal Dad shares how to Make a dream budget for extra motivation

Have a great post on your blog this week? Feel free to leave a link in the comments section for a great post you've written or read this week.

Fiber One Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter the Fiber One gift basket giveaway.

The offer ends Sunday at midnight - I'll be posting a winner Monday afternoon.

Remember your odds of winning a giveaway hosted at a blog are the best out there so get your entry in asap!

Our New House

Right before we left for Veags I left a post stating we closed on our new home. I mentioned a few times on the blog that we were looking but hadn’t talked much about it. Basically I didn’t want to jinx anything but since it’s 100% ours now I feel safe showing pictures.

So here it is …



This is also the reason I’ve been really busy, Matt and I are dividing our time between both working full time, fixing up our current home so we can put it on the market and get our new home finished so we can move in at some point.

We’ve been trying to take a few before, during, and after pictures as we work – so I’ll try and post some for you when I can.

We really need to try and get a decent price for our current home, even in this market. Our new home is just a little smaller than our current one but is in a much better neighborhood which will provide us with a better long term living option. I’m so ready live in a home where I don’t have to wonder if that loud noise was fireworks or gun shots.

One exciting week...

Remember last week when I said was having an “exciting” week?

This is part of the reason why.



Last Thursday while driving home from work Matt and I were rear ended. We were stopped waiting for a car to turn when a driver behind us decided she couldn’t wait and while changing lanes took out us and the car in the other lane. From the looks of it she was going about 25 to 30 and never put on her brakes. Thankfully she only side swiped us otherwise I’m sure the damage would have been much worse.

Since Matt and I only have PLPD cover we are only entitled to $500 from the other driver's insurance which won’t cover the damage. At first I wanted to pay the money to have it fixed but now that I’m calmer I think we’ll just realize we own a 12 year old car – now complete with a dent.

I do need to at least get a new light cover. Anyone know a place where I can find a cheap one?

Right at home $2 coupon

Right at Home is offering a $2 off coupon for the Glade Fragrance collection. You can select from a reed diffuser, 3 wick soy based candle, 4.9 oz soy candle, or two 2oz soy based candles. I LOVE their soy candles so this coupon will be used quickly especially since these products go on sale often which makes the candles really cheap or even FREE.

I was able to print the coupon twice and they expire 9/24.

Get your coupon HERE

What's He Really Thinking? - Book Review

I haven’t been reading much at all lately which always makes me feel a little out of place. On the way home from Vegas I did finish ”What’s He Really Thinking?” By Paula Rinehart thanks to the Thomas Nelson book reviewing program. (and yes I promise I have a review of Vegas in the works).

I signed up to read ”What’s He Really Thinking?” because I enjoyed “The X and Y of Buy” so much I thought I could gain even more valuable insight with this read.

The book is written by a woman for a woman’s perspective but honestly I think even men could learn about the women in their lives by reading this book as well. While there is something to be learned in ”What’s He Really Thinking?” I just didn’t connect with it like I thought I would.

If you or a loved one is going through a hard time this might be the book for you, I can definitely see how it could help a couple get through a rough patch as well.

I’ll be listing my copy on PBS for a quick credit where there are three people wishing for it right now.

Books Read in 2009: 24
Books to Read in 2009: 26

$30 Kroger gift card winner

Thanks to everyone who entered the $30 Kroger gift card giveaway.

The winner is commenter #35 – Laura - as selected by Random.org

Laura twitted about the giveaway for her winning entry – you can find her at Laura’s Life

Laura I’ve sent you an email announcing your win – please get back to me within 48 hours so I get your prize shipped out.

And remember if you didn’t win this giveaway there is a Fiber One giveaway going on right now – You can find it HERE

Fiber One Giveaway –

Thanks to myblogspark.com and Yoplait I received a Fiber One gift pack.


The pack includes:
- Lunch Sack
- Cup with top
- Two spoon/fork utensils
- Divided dish with top
- Coupon for free fiber one

I’m really hoping this will help me start packing a lunch to save money and calories while at work.

The best news is you can get a $1 off coupon for your own Fiber One yogurt to try out HERE

And even better thanks to myblogspark.com you also have a great opportunity to win a pack for yourself right here at On Our Way.

This giveaway will run until Sunday, August 30th at midnight so get yourself entered asap.

You can enter up to four times by completing each of the following:

1. Leave a comment with which Yoplait yogurt is your favorite to eat.

2. Follow Onourway on Twitter and tweet the following message (or something similar)
(I entered a great giveaway for a Fiber One gift pack at onourwayonline.com - http://bit.ly/owH64 )

3. Follow my RSS or email feeds.

4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog or other social outlet. Make sure to include a link back to Onourwayonline.com and leave me your perma link in the comment form.

Just make sure to leave a new comment with your contact information for each entry.
GOOD LUCK!

Kroger Mega Savings Event Shopping trip

So after an exciting week I was finally able to make it to Kroger this afternoon to participate in the Mega Savings event. Remember you can still enter to win your own $30 gift card to use during this event - HERE


I shopped at the Kroger located on Holmes Rd in Lansing, Michigan because they always double coupons (some local stores only double when the ads states it). The whole thing was going great, the store was well stocked and I was able to grab everything we wanted. When we were finished our cashier (Christy) was really friendly; at least until she asked me if I had any coupons, the conversation went south from there.

She immediately took out all my internet printed coupons and said they didn’t accept them. After I objected to whether or not the store would take these legitimate coupons, she called a manager who took the coupons to “inspect them”. Once the manager returned she approved all the coupons except my Sobe buy one get one free which was printed from the same site as all the other coupons (coupons.com) so I’m not sure why that one was forbidden but I let it go. All was well afterward and I was able to save a ton.

Items included in the buy 10 get $5
Item prices DO NOT reflect the $5 discount – I took it off at the end

Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes $1.69
- Used $ .40 off one – shortcuts.com
2 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes (2.49) $4.98
- Used (2) $ .40 off one (doubled)
- Used $ .40 off one – shortcuts.com
2 Sobe Life Water (.99) $1.98
- Coupon not accepted
Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entrée $6.49
- Coupon not scanned
Pillsbury Simply Cookie dough $3.49
- Used Free coupon $3.49
2 Nature Valley Nut Clusters (2.99) $5.98
- Used (2) $1 off one
- Used $1 off one – shortcuts.com
- Used $.40 off one – shortcuts.com
Grands Biscuit $1.49
- Used $ .35 off one (doubled)
3 Warm Delights (2.39) $7.17
- Used (3) $.50 off one coupons (doubled)
- Used $ .50 off one – shortcuts.com
3 Hamburger Helper (1.49) $4.47
- Used $ .75 off 3
- Used $.75 off 3 – shortcuts.com
2 Trix Cereals (1.99) $3.98
- Used (2) $.55 off one
- Used $ .55 off one – shortcuts.com
2 Cheerios (1.99) $3.98
- Used $1 off 2

Other Purchases

Rice Krispies $3.39
- Used Free Coupon $3.39
2 Speed Stick deodorants (2.38) $4.76
- Used (2) $1.50 off one
Mighty Dog food $. 89
- Used Free coupon $.89
Starbucks ice Cream $3.59
- Used Free coupon (facebook) $3.59
Yoplait Yogurt $.60
- Used Free Coupon $ .60
4 M &M packets (.79) $3.16
- Used (2) Free coupons $1.58


Total before coupons: $62.09
Kroger Mega Event discounts: $10
Shortcut coupons: $4
Paper coupons and doubles: $26.69

Total after coupons: $21.40

So I ended up saving 65% for a total of $40.69

After I returned home and started doing my work up I realized she charged me for FOUR packs of M&M’s and did not scan my $2 off for the stir fry. Had these things been done correctly and my Sobe coupon taken I would have saved an additional $4.57. This is what I get for not paying enough attention at the check out.

Great Reads and giveaway reminder!

Don’t forget we have a great $30 Kroger gift card giveaway going on right now. Click HERE to find out how you can sign up.

I’m still trying to get a grip on things around here so I’m going to “borrow” some great post from my RSS reader to keep you entertained.

Frugal Dad has a great post up; “Keep your cash, I want my clunker”. He’s used some great spreadsheets to explain why this government rebate program might not be the best option for you.

The new author at Blogging away Debt has a list of her reasons for optimism in finances. I really need to sit down and make a similar list myself.

Check out Jamie at I’m a money magnet to see her first Kroger shopping trip. She was able to pick up a ton of items and spent a total $.73 out of pocket!! Find out more about the Kroger mega event and learn how you can win a $30 gift card from onourwayonline.com HERE

Kroger coupon match up

Late last night I posted about the current giveaway going on for a $30 Kroger gift card to celebrate their Mega Savings Event.

If you head on over to MoneySavingMom.com she has posted a great coupon match up for some General Mills cereal and Nature Valley Granola Bars which will allow you to walk out with them for practically free.


It's a great match up to get you started if you're slacking a little like me.

Anyone else have a coupon match up posted or found a helpful one in blogland? Feel free to leave it in the comments (just make sure to link where you found it if the info was on another blog).

Kroger Mega Savings Event & $30 giveaway

Starting this week until September 2nd Kroger is running their Mega Savings Event again.

The event allows customers to buy 10 participating brands and receive $5 off your total when you use your shopper card at the checkout. My favorite part is this time around there is no limit on the number of times you can run the deal in a single transaction. (In the past my stores have limited it to three).

You can figure out which products qualify by their double yellow tags or your local paper. My paper didn’t have a huge amount of products listed so I need to get to a store before I can give you a total run down.

Check out Kroger.com for a complete listing of participating stores, dates and local flyers for your sale.

The best part for you the reader; thanks to myblogspark.com, General Mills and PepsiCo I’ve been given a $30 gift card to give away so you can hit the stores up and receive some good deals made great when they’re FREE!

Since the sale ends September 2nd I want to give you plenty of time to get out there and spend your gift card so this giveaway will end this Sunday, August 23rd at midnight. I’ll pick a winner Monday morning.

You can enter up to four times by completing each of the following:


1. Leave a comment stating if you win the card how much do you think you’ll be able to save with just coupon matches and the instant $5 savings? (not including the $30 of FREE groceries)

2. Follow Onourway on Twitter and tweet the following message (or something similar)
Just entered a great giveaway for $30 Kroger GC from @Onourway visit: http://blog.onourwayonline.com/

3. Follow my RSS or email feeds.

4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog or other social outlet. Make sure to include a link back to Onourwayonline.com and leave me your perma link in the comment form.


Just make sure to leave a new comment with your contact information for each entry.

Good Luck!

Side Note: I haven’t been able to sit down and do my coupon matches yet but will post a picture of my great buy once I make it to the store – hopefully Thursday night.

Home in body only

We have physically returned from our vacation but I’m not mentally back in the swing of things quite yet.

I had really big plans for things I wanted to get completed while in Vegas including reading two books, a dozen or so articles, and a site re-design layout… unfortunately, I was only able to finish one book. Who knew there would be so much to do in Vegas??

So please bear with me while I get back in the groove of things.

Using your freebies

I’ve had a few people tell me it’s silly to send away for free samples or purchased trial sizes of products even if they’re free because you’ll never use them. I hope this post proves those naysayers wrong.



While in Vegas Matt and I will be exclusively using products found in my sample storage basket. Every product pictured is either a sample or a trial size purchased for cheap from earlier this year.

Our stash includes:

Dove Deodorant – Free sample
Dove body Spray – Free Sample
Ponds & Biore face wash – Free Sample
Gillette Body wash – Free from Wal-mart
Kleenex – Cheap Wal-mart purchase
Disposable razors – Free from CVS
First Aid Kit – Free from Wal-Mart
Crest Pro-health – Free sample
Clean & Clear face wash – Free sample
Caress body wash – Free sample
Head & Shoulders Shampoo – Free from Wal mart
Bath & Body Works lotion – Cheap semi annual sale purchase
Chap Stick - Cheap

Thirteen different items in a convenient carrying size all for free.
The old Meg would have gone out and purchased all of these items for full price the night before a trip.

Each item is the perfect size for traveling. Since Matt and I don’t check luggage when traveling each of these items meets FAA standards. They are the ideal size (3oz or less) and fit perfectly in our allowed clear sandwich bag; trust me it makes security so much easier.

So there – the next time you purchase a trial size or send away for a free sample don’t let anyone tell you the items will never be used. (We frugal shoppers know better)

I also always keep a trial size deodorant in the glove box of my car, just in case.
What do you use your freebies for?

More decorating on the cheap...

Look what a $1 can of spray paint can do...



Do you recognize this corbel I picked up a few weeks ago for $1?

It’s amazing what a simple spray job can do for a piece.

I'm still not sure where in the house I'm going to use it but I love the way it looks in black. Have you transformed anything lately? I'd love to see some links to other projects, feel free to leave a comment with links to your projects.

Total for project $2

Lucky Winner

No not you (sorry), this time I’m the lucky winner.


Towards the end of July Lisa at Lil Fish Studios offered a giveaway to one of her readers and I was her selected winner! (see entering blog giveaways really does pay off).

I am in love with Lisa’s felted wool acorns and slightly stalk her blog for craft updates (shhh, don’t tell her). She’s an amazing artist who makes her products from recycled materials – a woman after my heart I swear.

Anyway, I received this adorable mushroom nature scene that will be one of the first items in our new home. I can’t decide if I want to put it in the living room so everyone can marvel over it or by my computer so I can keep it all to myself.

And while I love – I mean really love – my new mushroom piece I was also giddy about how it was mailed so I thought I’d share the pictures with you as well.

The outside box….


But look inside it’s made from a recycled cracker box – I told you she upcycled –



If you love this piece as much as I do, you too can stalk Lisa at Lil Fish Studios

You can also find items for sale on her Etsy Shop
During 2009 Lisa is donating $1 from each Etsy sale to the Arbor Day Foundation

Stop by and tell her Meg sent you.

On Our Way …. To Vegas

So it is official we signed our final paperwork on our new house today! It’s an exciting and scary time, exciting because we finally have our long term home and scary because we now own two houses. Thankfully we don’t really have time to worry too much about it since we’re headed to Las Vegas today.

I do have a few updates ready to post next week but for the most part there won’t be too much going on around here. I'm hoping I'll be able to check my email a few times but don't plan on keeping up with anything else. I do plan to return next weekend and will hopefully be able to get a few good finds on vacation that I’ll be able to share.

Until then I hope everyone has a great weekend and next week.

Great finds around the web

Right at home is giving away Glade gift packs to the first 10,000 to respond HERE. You can sign up for a pack if you haven't received one in 180... just sign up anyway, there is no way to figure out when the last pack you qualified for. Sign up for their newsletter and be one of the first to find out about these offers

and you can get a free Yoplait Whips when you sign up for the Betty Crocker newsletter HERE

Get a free subsciption to EBONYHERE

Money Saving Mom has the scoop on Free dog food at Target - you can read more HERE

Check out the small notebook for her update on what she learned from this years no spend month HERE

July 2009 Budget Update

It’s August which means it’s time for a budget update. July wasn’t our best month and August isn’t going to be either.

Our Accounts currently stand at :
Car Fund: $4717.55
Emergency Fund: $5109.56
Dream (Early Retirement): $2198.75


The emergency and car accounts are fully funded (and still slowly growing) but we’ve spent a lot of money on our house this month. In August we’ll be closing on our new home and putting down a small down payment. Once we’re in we have to buy lots of paint and maybe some carpet – depending on what shape the hardwood floors are in. This also means we need to finish this place which translates to more paint, much more paint and at least $200 for last minutes kitchen repairs.

Basically I expect our Retirement/Dream account to be lower in August than it was in June since so much money will be coming out for these endeavors, but it’s all worth it in the end.

And as soon as we close on our new property I’ll post lots of “before” pictures.

How did your month of July go?

Weekend Sales

Matt and I spent the weekend painting so I only made it to one neighborhood sale on Saturday.

I was on the lookout for some more Pyrex dishes but wasn’t able to find any. I did however snatch up this great bowl of wooden fruit for only $3.



I was going to spray paint them white and black but Matt put the kibosh on that since he said he liked the wood look for the pieces.

Head on over to Southern Hospitality to see what everyone else was able to find. She has a great set of weekly posters going on over there.