Okay, get out your coupon books, because you have the opportunity for some great savings at grocery stores this week!!
Family Dollar:
I had to go to Family Dollar because we are taking disposable diapers to Georgia this weekend and we only have a handful at the house. But while I was there I got three packages of Snuggles dryer sheets. I don't use dryer sheets at home, but they are $3 at Family Dollar and I had three $3 coupons, making them free. So I don't care if you use them or not, if you have that $3 coupon for Snuggles, go get some! Give them away, sell them, or use them, I don't care, but don't throw away that coupon! It would be such a waste. So I paid only for the diapers.
Food Lion:
This trip wasn't as good as it should have been. I had to pay full price for rice cereal for Brianna and breastmilk storage bags for me - I just ran out. Otherwise:
Carolina Pride sausage:
Regular price $3.89. This week's sale - 2/$4. I had a $1.50/2 coupon, so ended up paying $1.25 each (16 oz). That is a great deal, especially because these freeze so well. I mean, just yesterday I made sausage gravy with some from several months ago. So it's worth it for me.
Ragu sauce:
Regular price $2.47 each. This week's sale - 3/$5. I had a $1.25/3 coupon, so ended up paying $1.25 each which is a better price than store brand. We use this all the time for lasagna and other pasta dishes, so it's definitely worth it.
Total spent:
Paid $11.85 for groceries which should have cost me $20.08. Didn't do as well because of buying those things that weren't on sale, but still a good run.
Harris Teeter:
Hefty Onezip bags:
Regular price $3.29. This week's sale - BOGO, making it $1.64 minus a $1.00 coupon, making it $0.64.
No Yolk dumplings:
Regular price $2.39. Not on sale but I have a mail-in rebate, so I will get back my purchase price, making it free. I use these all the time in homemade chicken noodle soup.
All detergent:
Regular price $6.19 (32 loads). This week's sale - BOGO, making it $3.09. Used a $2.00 and $1.00 coupon, making it $0.09. I didn't need any detergent, but I think I'll make an exception for 9 cents!
Hot Pockets:
Regular price $2.71. This week's sale - 5/$10. Each one was $2.00 and I had a $0.75 coupon which doubled. I bought two of these for $0.50 each.
Birds Eye Steamfresh vegetables:
Regular price $2.00. This week's sale - 5/$5, making each one $1.00. I had five $0.50 coupons which would double, meaning I got 5 packages for free.
Total spent:
Paid $4.64 for groceries which should have cost me $27.81. Nice! But don't forget, I'll also be getting a $2.39 rebate in the mail, so technically I'll have paid about $2.25 out of pocket.
Now go get 'em!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
P.S.
I forgot to say - lately Brianna has started sleeping with her butt sticking straight up in the air. It is TOTALLY cute and worth a picture, but oh my LORD do not wake up that sleeping child!! The wrath of God be on ye who wake her!
I want to take a picture sooooooo bad!! Resist! Resist!
I want to take a picture sooooooo bad!! Resist! Resist!
Six months - say what!?!?
I can't believe it, but today was Brianna's six-month appointment at the doctor. Technically she is four days shy of being six months, so she couldn't receive her flu shot and Hep B shot like she was supposed to. That means in two weeks we have to go back to the doctor for those shots. Yay. Everything else is great though. She is a whopping 13 lbs, 8 oz and 24 1/2 inches. She is still in the 5-10 percentile on a baby growth chart! What a wittle baby! Not too surprising if you look at her parents!
Dr. Sherrington diagnosed her with "lap colic". She screamed at him when he started poking around her ears, but as soon as I picked her up it was like someone hit the mute button. I told him she screams with practically anyone but me. He said it's likely because I'm staying at home with her, but it's the type of bond that he likes to see mothers and children have. He said for me not to change a thing. I don't plan on it! I know that she plays on her own enough throughout the day. Next week we will start solids! I will probably do it once or twice a day along with a round of nursing. How exciting!
In just a couple of days we are leaving for our first trip to Georgia with Brianna! We are very excited to make this journey with her, although getting ready is a struggle. Packing for yourself is very easy, but for a baby - not as easy. For example, I know how many clothes to pack for myself because I'm at the stage in life where I rarely poop or spit up on myself. But with Brianna, every day holds new possibilities! Obviously Leila will allow us to do laundry - even our cloth diapers!!! - but I still would like to make sure we can make this trip as easy as possible for them, so they won't refuse to host us again come Christmas. I am just one of those people that always forgets something and I'd rather forget something of mine than hers. Then I think - well, what does she really need? Food - I've got that part covered. Diapers - can be bought. Clothes - can be bought. Uhhh... that's it! Oh yeah, and TOYS! But I'm sure there are plenty of things and people to play with in Georgia.
Hopefully our trip will be FUN and maybe everyone will get lots of sleep! They are very brave to let us stay there!
Dr. Sherrington diagnosed her with "lap colic". She screamed at him when he started poking around her ears, but as soon as I picked her up it was like someone hit the mute button. I told him she screams with practically anyone but me. He said it's likely because I'm staying at home with her, but it's the type of bond that he likes to see mothers and children have. He said for me not to change a thing. I don't plan on it! I know that she plays on her own enough throughout the day. Next week we will start solids! I will probably do it once or twice a day along with a round of nursing. How exciting!
Got this free in the mail today. You should still be able to get one if anyone wants one at the Juicy Juice website.
In just a couple of days we are leaving for our first trip to Georgia with Brianna! We are very excited to make this journey with her, although getting ready is a struggle. Packing for yourself is very easy, but for a baby - not as easy. For example, I know how many clothes to pack for myself because I'm at the stage in life where I rarely poop or spit up on myself. But with Brianna, every day holds new possibilities! Obviously Leila will allow us to do laundry - even our cloth diapers!!! - but I still would like to make sure we can make this trip as easy as possible for them, so they won't refuse to host us again come Christmas. I am just one of those people that always forgets something and I'd rather forget something of mine than hers. Then I think - well, what does she really need? Food - I've got that part covered. Diapers - can be bought. Clothes - can be bought. Uhhh... that's it! Oh yeah, and TOYS! But I'm sure there are plenty of things and people to play with in Georgia.
Hopefully our trip will be FUN and maybe everyone will get lots of sleep! They are very brave to let us stay there!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Video
This is kind of what I was talking about in the last post, about blowing raspberries. Yes, I am laughing at her while she's crying. Yes, she tries to eat the camera a couple of times. And the reason she's crying? I laid her down and walked away. Poor ignored, neglected child.
More Federal Holidays Needed
Seriously, could we get some more federal holidays around here? Having Stephen at home yesterday was incredible!! When Brianna woke up at 9:10 I didn't even hear her. He had already been tossing and turning and just went on upstairs to get her. I was able to sleep soundly until 9:30 when I woke up on my own. Ahhh, bliss! After feeding her, I took her in the bathroom with me to play while I took a shower. When I walked out after getting ready, I walked into the kitchen and Stephen was standing over the oven making pancakes for breakfast. Yum!! My plan was, after feeding Bri at 11:00, to go do my drugstore run for the week. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she passed out in the middle of eating at 11:30. It was one of those naps where she was asleep in my arms and I didn't dare budge. So while I sat on the couch watching a movie and holding my beautiful sleeping baby, Stephen cleaned the bathrooms. Nice! (Keep in mind Stephen's OCD kicks in when he cleans the bathroom and it's more like a bacterial scrub-down.) After an hour he had finished and Bri was still sleeping soundly. When she woke up I gave him a break by taking her to the store with me, since I knew it would take a couple of hours and felt like he deserved some alone time or gaming time, whichever he wanted. When I got home it was only a couple of hours until I had to leave for Ladies Group at church, so Stephen was going to be babysitting again. Of course that was nice, to get out of the house, and the lesson was really good, so I'm glad I was able to go. Got home and Bri was squeaky clean and ready for her bedtime feeding. She did wake up once around 2:30 this morning. But the upstairs seemed cool and she was kicking around her blanket, so that may have had something to do with it. We turned the gas logs on yesterday for the first time, so it's good to know those are available whenever there's a chill in the house now!
Today we are going to mom and dad's for lunch and I think when I get home from that I'll start getting ready for church. We always eat there on Wednesdays and going today is really going to throw me off! But tomorrow is Brianna's shots at her 6-month (what!?!?!?) doctor's appointment, so we moved lunch to today just in case she's a crankypants. Also, Joy is coming over tonight, so that will help me feel more Tuesday-ish than Wednesday-ish!!
We brought down some of Brianna's toys yesterday that we stored in the attic because they were too old for her. One of them is this ball that has lights and talks (her favorite kind of toy of course) but the other cool feature is it rolls around and says things like, "Follow me!" and "Over here!" I love it! Especially now that she is creepawling (creeping/crawling) and she will follow the ball. She'll do whatever possible to get to where I am or Stephen is if she spots one of us. Also, this is really funny. If she's laying down on her playmat playing, and I walk by and she spots me, she will start wailing! You would think someone just stabbed this child! After about 30 seconds she sees something to play with and forgets about me. But it is SO funny!!
She has been spitting (blowing raspberries) for a long time, but last night her and I got in a spitting war. I was cracking up! I would do it, placing my tongue between my lips and blowing, but she can't quite do that yet. So she'd stare at me, place her tongue between her lips and then scrounge up all this energy and blow between her lips. All this spit and drool comes out when she does it! I'm much cleaner and more controlled. Anyway, then I would start laughing loudly which would scare her and she'd do one whine and turn it into a spit at the end. Then I'd spit at her again and we'd start all over again. Now that I'm typing it it's confusing and not that funny. Trust me, it was hilarious.
Uh oh, she's just spotted me and she's trying to come from the safe haven of the rug to the hardwood to reach me. I'll go grab her.
Today we are going to mom and dad's for lunch and I think when I get home from that I'll start getting ready for church. We always eat there on Wednesdays and going today is really going to throw me off! But tomorrow is Brianna's shots at her 6-month (what!?!?!?) doctor's appointment, so we moved lunch to today just in case she's a crankypants. Also, Joy is coming over tonight, so that will help me feel more Tuesday-ish than Wednesday-ish!!
We brought down some of Brianna's toys yesterday that we stored in the attic because they were too old for her. One of them is this ball that has lights and talks (her favorite kind of toy of course) but the other cool feature is it rolls around and says things like, "Follow me!" and "Over here!" I love it! Especially now that she is creepawling (creeping/crawling) and she will follow the ball. She'll do whatever possible to get to where I am or Stephen is if she spots one of us. Also, this is really funny. If she's laying down on her playmat playing, and I walk by and she spots me, she will start wailing! You would think someone just stabbed this child! After about 30 seconds she sees something to play with and forgets about me. But it is SO funny!!
She has been spitting (blowing raspberries) for a long time, but last night her and I got in a spitting war. I was cracking up! I would do it, placing my tongue between my lips and blowing, but she can't quite do that yet. So she'd stare at me, place her tongue between her lips and then scrounge up all this energy and blow between her lips. All this spit and drool comes out when she does it! I'm much cleaner and more controlled. Anyway, then I would start laughing loudly which would scare her and she'd do one whine and turn it into a spit at the end. Then I'd spit at her again and we'd start all over again. Now that I'm typing it it's confusing and not that funny. Trust me, it was hilarious.
Uh oh, she's just spotted me and she's trying to come from the safe haven of the rug to the hardwood to reach me. I'll go grab her.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Good Times
We have had just a really great weekend!! Saturday morning was our yard sale at Jenn and Matt's, so of course the closer we got the more worried I got about what time Brianna was actually going to wake me up. I advertised for 8:30am because I figured I'd need more sleep - she usually gets up for a feeding around 5 or so.
Then, Friday night after her bath, I was getting ready to feed her and noticed this awful rash on her neck. We started looking at her and these bumps were all over her neck, ears, chin, and upper part of her chest and back. I mean, it was grotesque! I almost took a picture of it - I should have. The first thing we did was think back to if she could be having an allergic reaction - but no change in clothes or detergent, and of course she's not eating yet so that wasn't it. Next we thought maybe bug bites? But the rash/bumps had come on so quickly we ruled that out after checking her pajamas and changing table thoroughly. We both Googled things like "red blotches baby" and other random phrases and in the end concluded she had either heat rash, a teething rash, or a combination. We gave her a half dose of Tylenol, slathered her in Cortisone for the itching, and laid her naked under a fan for a few minutes. Within about 15 minutes the rash and bumps had completely disappeared. So I guess we were right about one or the other! Of course when I put her down at 9:30, I told Stephen, "Well, if she itches, she'll be up all night. I'm not going to get any sleep!!" Imagine my surprise when my alarm went off at 7:00 the next morning and that little booger was still asleep! I was able to take a shower and get ready for the yard sale while she was still in bed! Then, bless her heart, I had to wake her up and run to Jenn's without even feeding her first. I naively thought I would get to Jenn's early enough to feed her before the rush started. Key word: naively.
I was almost at Jenn's at 8:10 (remember, the yard sale was supposed to start at 8:30) when she called me to say that there had been people there since 7:45 and they were all just parked outside. EVEN THOUGH she went out there to tell them it wasn't starting until later. I had to park at the top of her road because these crazy yard-salers parked where I was planning on parking! I ended up having to put Bri in Jenn's Bjorn and carrying her while crazy yard-salers helped us move things from the garage to the driveway.* Bri ended up not even eating until mom came, which was sometime between 8:30 and 8:45 I think. Thank God she was SO good even though I'm sure she was starving! Praise God mom was able to feed her for me! Dad was even there to help us put things out as well.
We ended up having a really good crowd and we were much more successful than we thought we would be! Mom and dad's leftovers have already made their way to Goodwill, and mine and Jenn's can be found either there, Fifi's, the Coalition, or THE DUMP!
You could tell Jenn became desperate at the end when I told a lady she could fill a bag for 50 cents and Jenn practically screeched, "25 cents!!" Okay, that's an exaggeration, but she was like, "I am NOT bringing this stuff back into my house!!" It was so funny. It was fun but it was definitely a lot of work - and HARD with two babies under six months. Mom got Bri to take a nap and Claire is so laidback she's no trouble, but it definitely could have been disastrous.
Today we had a special surprise service at church for our pastor since this is Pastor Appreciation Month. (Psst, tell your pastor how much you appreciate the work he does!) I was asked to do a special song of mine that he particularly loves, and people were encouraged to stand up and testify or thank him. After my song I said I wasn't going to say much but of course once I got started I ended up talking for like 3 minutes - which really isn't that bad. But about 10 seconds in I started crying, which made him cry, and then pretty much everyone else got emotional after that. But it was good crying. If it weren't for our pastor I wouldn't have gotten saved, and neither would Stephen, and I can't imagine how different my life would be without Christ. I may have hidden it well (I may not have) but before I got saved I lived in a very dark place. Since that day just a couple of years ago my life, my marriage, my thoughts have all been very different, and I'm so grateful.
After church we came home and watched a little bit of a movie and when Brianna fell asleep we took the opportunity to conk out on the couches with her too! She (and we) ended up sleeping for an hour, which in our household is unheard of! She never ever takes naps like that. Not sure what we did differently today from every other day. She also slept about 10 hours again last night - again, not sure why. She usually wakes up after about 8 hours refreshed and I'm still groggy! Then we had a great night at church. So this weekend was just really awesome! Lots of fun and stuff. Stephen is off tomorrow so he'll get to see what a typical day is like for me and Miss Bri. It'll be cool to have him at home, as long as he doesn't drag us down. :)
*Note - when I got home and told Stephen about this with huge hand gestures and a gaping mouth, he just grinned at me and said, "Honey... that's YOU!" Let the record show I do NOT show up at yard sales 45 minutes before the starting time!
Then, Friday night after her bath, I was getting ready to feed her and noticed this awful rash on her neck. We started looking at her and these bumps were all over her neck, ears, chin, and upper part of her chest and back. I mean, it was grotesque! I almost took a picture of it - I should have. The first thing we did was think back to if she could be having an allergic reaction - but no change in clothes or detergent, and of course she's not eating yet so that wasn't it. Next we thought maybe bug bites? But the rash/bumps had come on so quickly we ruled that out after checking her pajamas and changing table thoroughly. We both Googled things like "red blotches baby" and other random phrases and in the end concluded she had either heat rash, a teething rash, or a combination. We gave her a half dose of Tylenol, slathered her in Cortisone for the itching, and laid her naked under a fan for a few minutes. Within about 15 minutes the rash and bumps had completely disappeared. So I guess we were right about one or the other! Of course when I put her down at 9:30, I told Stephen, "Well, if she itches, she'll be up all night. I'm not going to get any sleep!!" Imagine my surprise when my alarm went off at 7:00 the next morning and that little booger was still asleep! I was able to take a shower and get ready for the yard sale while she was still in bed! Then, bless her heart, I had to wake her up and run to Jenn's without even feeding her first. I naively thought I would get to Jenn's early enough to feed her before the rush started. Key word: naively.
I was almost at Jenn's at 8:10 (remember, the yard sale was supposed to start at 8:30) when she called me to say that there had been people there since 7:45 and they were all just parked outside. EVEN THOUGH she went out there to tell them it wasn't starting until later. I had to park at the top of her road because these crazy yard-salers parked where I was planning on parking! I ended up having to put Bri in Jenn's Bjorn and carrying her while crazy yard-salers helped us move things from the garage to the driveway.* Bri ended up not even eating until mom came, which was sometime between 8:30 and 8:45 I think. Thank God she was SO good even though I'm sure she was starving! Praise God mom was able to feed her for me! Dad was even there to help us put things out as well.
We ended up having a really good crowd and we were much more successful than we thought we would be! Mom and dad's leftovers have already made their way to Goodwill, and mine and Jenn's can be found either there, Fifi's, the Coalition, or THE DUMP!
You could tell Jenn became desperate at the end when I told a lady she could fill a bag for 50 cents and Jenn practically screeched, "25 cents!!" Okay, that's an exaggeration, but she was like, "I am NOT bringing this stuff back into my house!!" It was so funny. It was fun but it was definitely a lot of work - and HARD with two babies under six months. Mom got Bri to take a nap and Claire is so laidback she's no trouble, but it definitely could have been disastrous.
Today we had a special surprise service at church for our pastor since this is Pastor Appreciation Month. (Psst, tell your pastor how much you appreciate the work he does!) I was asked to do a special song of mine that he particularly loves, and people were encouraged to stand up and testify or thank him. After my song I said I wasn't going to say much but of course once I got started I ended up talking for like 3 minutes - which really isn't that bad. But about 10 seconds in I started crying, which made him cry, and then pretty much everyone else got emotional after that. But it was good crying. If it weren't for our pastor I wouldn't have gotten saved, and neither would Stephen, and I can't imagine how different my life would be without Christ. I may have hidden it well (I may not have) but before I got saved I lived in a very dark place. Since that day just a couple of years ago my life, my marriage, my thoughts have all been very different, and I'm so grateful.
After church we came home and watched a little bit of a movie and when Brianna fell asleep we took the opportunity to conk out on the couches with her too! She (and we) ended up sleeping for an hour, which in our household is unheard of! She never ever takes naps like that. Not sure what we did differently today from every other day. She also slept about 10 hours again last night - again, not sure why. She usually wakes up after about 8 hours refreshed and I'm still groggy! Then we had a great night at church. So this weekend was just really awesome! Lots of fun and stuff. Stephen is off tomorrow so he'll get to see what a typical day is like for me and Miss Bri. It'll be cool to have him at home, as long as he doesn't drag us down. :)
*Note - when I got home and told Stephen about this with huge hand gestures and a gaping mouth, he just grinned at me and said, "Honey... that's YOU!" Let the record show I do NOT show up at yard sales 45 minutes before the starting time!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Pictures
Okay, this is my attempt to post pictures of Brianna. It's 10:30 and it's the only free time I have because both Bri and Stephen are asleep. I have 5,000 coupons to organize and 3,000 things to get together for our yard sale on Saturday (PLUG: being held at 3 Wilkes Ct in Pinehurst #6!!) but I did want to take the time to post some of these pictures. I think you will be amazed at the difference in this little cutie. I have some videos I'd like to post but I need the time to upload them as well. You'll see in these pictures Brianna is becoming more adventurous, sitting up on her own for several seconds, grabbing for everything, and even holding her own bottle for about 30 seconds!
Mom! I'm over here!
A girl just can't get enough attention.
It's exhausting entertaining all the time.
Daddy!!
Now, what were we talking about?
Okay mommy, this is how you clip coupons... and eat them.
A whole new world...!
Mommy, either you've shrunk or I'm REALLY going through a growth spurt!
Leave me alone. Can't a girl eat in peace?
Hey, I'm almost sitting up by myself!
Wait, I AM sitting up by myself!!
This is so cool, I'm just totally amaz... hey, what's this?
Grandpa and a chew toy - two of my favorite things!
Boo!
Mom! I'm over here!
A girl just can't get enough attention.
It's exhausting entertaining all the time.
Daddy!!
Now, what were we talking about?
Okay mommy, this is how you clip coupons... and eat them.
A whole new world...!
Mommy, either you've shrunk or I'm REALLY going through a growth spurt!
Leave me alone. Can't a girl eat in peace?
Hey, I'm almost sitting up by myself!
Wait, I AM sitting up by myself!!
This is so cool, I'm just totally amaz... hey, what's this?
Grandpa and a chew toy - two of my favorite things!
Groceries
I can't believe the amount of people that have recently asked or suggested to me about starting a couponing blog. So let me just announce to everyone that reads this - unless someone offers me any type of salary for doing that, I won't. There are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there about coupons, thriftiness, and saving money. Mine would totally get lost in the crowd. But, it does seem like enough people are interested that I will continue to blog about triple coupons and the like.
Tuesday I was fortunate enough to do a "coupon seminar" at Jenn's house. I think "seminar" is a bit too formal of a word to use, but oh well. It was actually a lot of fun, and nice to get out of the house for the night, although I do get out once a month for Ladies Group at church as well. It was nice to be around some different girls and just hang out for a few hours. The big question (besides, "How do you save money??") was about meal planning and such. Now, I don't meal plan like I should. When we have others in the household eating solids with us I will want to start doing that, but for now I meal plan only for the meals I'm going to make for mom and dad on Wednesdays, and then I have about 12-15 other meals I make throughout the month. Then every so often I will try a new recipe for dinner, maybe once a week or so. Anyway, this is getting way off topic. My point is that at the beginning of the month I have a grocery list for the whole month's meals with mom and dad. I asterisk the ones that I need right away, but unless the other items are on sale I don't buy them. For example, this is my list for October:
Last week the two things I needed for last week I bought - but nothing else, because nothing else was on sale. Okay, so now for this week.
Lowe's Food
I only go to Lowe's Food on weeks that something is great on sale and I'm at mom and dad's house because otherwise it's not worth the drive.
Pillsbury crescent rolls:
Regular price $2.09. This week's sale - 3 for $4.98. I had a coupon for two, so I purchased two instead of three. That means I paid $3.32 for two, then my $0.40 coupon was doubled, which meant I paid $2.52 for two. I paid $1.26 per crescent roll pack, essentially.
Starkist tuna pouches:
Regular price $1.79. This week's sale - 4 for $5.00. That makes each individual pouch $1.25 and I had a $0.75 coupon which doubled to $1.50. I had two coupons so I bought two pouches and paid nothing for either one.
Total spent:
Paid $1.93 for groceries which should have cost me $7.87.
Note:
My crescent rolls coupon doubled (they're supposed to automatically) but my Starkist one did not. When I asked the girl why it didn't double, she just shrugged. She acted like it didn't really matter, so I told her that the Lowe's coupon policy is to double all manufacturer's coupons up to $0.99 - so mine should have as well. She called a manager over (not because she wanted to, I'm sure) and he overrode the system to double both coupons. Needless to say this saved me almost $2. The lesson here is - don't be afraid to speak up!! Your cashier may not care if your coupons go through correctly but every dollar counts! If you're wrong, oh well, they won't remember you the next time anyway.
Okay, so I bought stuff that was not on my list, but we eat crescent rolls ALL THE TIME and the tuna was free. I love tuna, plus it's a great stock item for food drives. If it's free, why not get it?
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Food Lion
When I looked at the Food Lion circular online I saw only one thing I needed: cream cheese. If you look at my list, cream cheese is something I need for one of my recipes this month. Philadelphia was having their cream cheese on sale 4/$5. That makes one box $1.25. Good price!
Since there was just one thing I needed, when I walked in I didn't even get a basket. I walked straight to the cream cheese, but when I got there - yes! Food Lion was having a sale on their brand of cream cheese - 5/$5! This was not advertised online, maybe it was in the actual circular. After getting one box, I walked straight to the cashier. No looking around!
Food Lion cream cheese:
Regular price $1.59. Sale price - $1.00.
Total spent:
$1.02 for groceries which should have cost me $1.61.
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Harris Teeter
Great deals at Harris Teeter this week! I don't normally like HT but since they have started doubling coupons every day they're growing on me.
Mountain Dew (or other Pepsi 12-pack products):
Regular price $5.99. Sale price - $2.75. I bought 4 packs to feed Stephen's addiction.
Yakisoba prepared dinner:
Regular price $1.29. Sale price - $0.64. I had a $0.50 coupon which doubled, so I got this for free. I like to have these on hand for quick microwaveable dinners when Brianna is fussy!
Campbell's soups:
Regular price - $0.85 per soup. Sale price - $0.75 per soup. I used a coupon for $0.40 off two soups, which doubled. The price for two soups was $1.50, minus the $0.80 from the coupon, which came out to $0.35 per soup.
Jif peanut butter:
I had a raincheck for this, so the normal price is $2.65 but my raincheck made it $0.99.
McCormick almond extract:
Regular price $5.39. Sale price - $2.69. I had a $1.00 coupon which brought it down to $1.69.
Strawberries:
HT was running a sale, buy 1 get 2 free. I bought 3 lbs of strawberries for $3.99 ($1.33 each pound) and I plan on freezing two pounds. Can't wait to have fresh strawberries in December!
New York texas toast:
Regular price $4.19. Sale price $2.09. Minus a $0.50 coupon which doubled making the toast $1.09.
Tony's pizza:
Regular price $1.17. On sale 5/$5. I had a coupon for $1.00 off two, so I bought two at $1.00 per pizza, then minus the $1.00 coupon I got two pizzas for $1.00.
Harris Teeter eggs (1 dozen):
This is when it comes in handy to have a list. Eggs were on my list (above) last week but I didn't really need them. I waited, and luckily! Harris Teeter had eggs on sale this week for $0.39 if you are an e-VIC member. So, regular price $1.39, sale price $0.39.
Harris Teeter milk:
I buy 1/2 gallon of milk at a time because it takes us a while to go through it. So while it may be cheaper to buy a whole gallon of milk (based on unit price and such) it's silly to do that if you're going to throw out half the milk in clumps. (i.e. it's gone bad.) So, regular price $1.99. Sale price - $1.59.
Total spent:
I paid $23.56 for groceries which should have cost me $56.36.
The best part is, I've already crossed everything but two things off my list for the whole month!
Total for the whole week:
I won't go back to any stores this week, so for all my grocery shopping this week I spent $26.51.
You can do it too!!
Tuesday I was fortunate enough to do a "coupon seminar" at Jenn's house. I think "seminar" is a bit too formal of a word to use, but oh well. It was actually a lot of fun, and nice to get out of the house for the night, although I do get out once a month for Ladies Group at church as well. It was nice to be around some different girls and just hang out for a few hours. The big question (besides, "How do you save money??") was about meal planning and such. Now, I don't meal plan like I should. When we have others in the household eating solids with us I will want to start doing that, but for now I meal plan only for the meals I'm going to make for mom and dad on Wednesdays, and then I have about 12-15 other meals I make throughout the month. Then every so often I will try a new recipe for dinner, maybe once a week or so. Anyway, this is getting way off topic. My point is that at the beginning of the month I have a grocery list for the whole month's meals with mom and dad. I asterisk the ones that I need right away, but unless the other items are on sale I don't buy them. For example, this is my list for October:
Last week the two things I needed for last week I bought - but nothing else, because nothing else was on sale. Okay, so now for this week.
Lowe's Food
I only go to Lowe's Food on weeks that something is great on sale and I'm at mom and dad's house because otherwise it's not worth the drive.
Pillsbury crescent rolls:
Regular price $2.09. This week's sale - 3 for $4.98. I had a coupon for two, so I purchased two instead of three. That means I paid $3.32 for two, then my $0.40 coupon was doubled, which meant I paid $2.52 for two. I paid $1.26 per crescent roll pack, essentially.
Starkist tuna pouches:
Regular price $1.79. This week's sale - 4 for $5.00. That makes each individual pouch $1.25 and I had a $0.75 coupon which doubled to $1.50. I had two coupons so I bought two pouches and paid nothing for either one.
Total spent:
Paid $1.93 for groceries which should have cost me $7.87.
Note:
My crescent rolls coupon doubled (they're supposed to automatically) but my Starkist one did not. When I asked the girl why it didn't double, she just shrugged. She acted like it didn't really matter, so I told her that the Lowe's coupon policy is to double all manufacturer's coupons up to $0.99 - so mine should have as well. She called a manager over (not because she wanted to, I'm sure) and he overrode the system to double both coupons. Needless to say this saved me almost $2. The lesson here is - don't be afraid to speak up!! Your cashier may not care if your coupons go through correctly but every dollar counts! If you're wrong, oh well, they won't remember you the next time anyway.
Okay, so I bought stuff that was not on my list, but we eat crescent rolls ALL THE TIME and the tuna was free. I love tuna, plus it's a great stock item for food drives. If it's free, why not get it?
--------------------------------------------------------
Food Lion
When I looked at the Food Lion circular online I saw only one thing I needed: cream cheese. If you look at my list, cream cheese is something I need for one of my recipes this month. Philadelphia was having their cream cheese on sale 4/$5. That makes one box $1.25. Good price!
Since there was just one thing I needed, when I walked in I didn't even get a basket. I walked straight to the cream cheese, but when I got there - yes! Food Lion was having a sale on their brand of cream cheese - 5/$5! This was not advertised online, maybe it was in the actual circular. After getting one box, I walked straight to the cashier. No looking around!
Food Lion cream cheese:
Regular price $1.59. Sale price - $1.00.
Total spent:
$1.02 for groceries which should have cost me $1.61.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Harris Teeter
Great deals at Harris Teeter this week! I don't normally like HT but since they have started doubling coupons every day they're growing on me.
Mountain Dew (or other Pepsi 12-pack products):
Regular price $5.99. Sale price - $2.75. I bought 4 packs to feed Stephen's addiction.
Yakisoba prepared dinner:
Regular price $1.29. Sale price - $0.64. I had a $0.50 coupon which doubled, so I got this for free. I like to have these on hand for quick microwaveable dinners when Brianna is fussy!
Campbell's soups:
Regular price - $0.85 per soup. Sale price - $0.75 per soup. I used a coupon for $0.40 off two soups, which doubled. The price for two soups was $1.50, minus the $0.80 from the coupon, which came out to $0.35 per soup.
Jif peanut butter:
I had a raincheck for this, so the normal price is $2.65 but my raincheck made it $0.99.
McCormick almond extract:
Regular price $5.39. Sale price - $2.69. I had a $1.00 coupon which brought it down to $1.69.
Strawberries:
HT was running a sale, buy 1 get 2 free. I bought 3 lbs of strawberries for $3.99 ($1.33 each pound) and I plan on freezing two pounds. Can't wait to have fresh strawberries in December!
New York texas toast:
Regular price $4.19. Sale price $2.09. Minus a $0.50 coupon which doubled making the toast $1.09.
Tony's pizza:
Regular price $1.17. On sale 5/$5. I had a coupon for $1.00 off two, so I bought two at $1.00 per pizza, then minus the $1.00 coupon I got two pizzas for $1.00.
Harris Teeter eggs (1 dozen):
This is when it comes in handy to have a list. Eggs were on my list (above) last week but I didn't really need them. I waited, and luckily! Harris Teeter had eggs on sale this week for $0.39 if you are an e-VIC member. So, regular price $1.39, sale price $0.39.
Harris Teeter milk:
I buy 1/2 gallon of milk at a time because it takes us a while to go through it. So while it may be cheaper to buy a whole gallon of milk (based on unit price and such) it's silly to do that if you're going to throw out half the milk in clumps. (i.e. it's gone bad.) So, regular price $1.99. Sale price - $1.59.
Total spent:
I paid $23.56 for groceries which should have cost me $56.36.
The best part is, I've already crossed everything but two things off my list for the whole month!
Total for the whole week:
I won't go back to any stores this week, so for all my grocery shopping this week I spent $26.51.
You can do it too!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Too Much
At night, as I drift off to sleep, I compose lengthy, world-changing blog posts in my head. I never remember them in the morning. This is why I never post anymore.
My excuse used to be that every day is the same around here, and people would absolutely not be interested in the mundane on-goings of my life. That's not actually the case anymore. Now the issue is finding time to sit down and write a blog post when I am thinking of all the other things I could be doing (playing with Bri, writing an article, washing dishes, etc.)
Brianna is changing so much every day. It's amazing that even though I see her 24/7 she is always doing something new and hilarious. She has just turned 5 months and is already a genius. Well, maybe not a genius, but she's so much fun to be around and that's more important anyway. She chews on absolutely everything, I think in an effort to soothe her gums as well as just discovering new things. I gave her a lick of a lollipop the other day and she liked it so much she grabbed the whole thing with her hand and then wiped her face with her hand. Sticky!! Last night at Golden Corral Stephen gave her a yeast roll to gnaw on. It was a disgusting blob of goo after she was done with it. Totally unappetizing. She enjoys the Johnny Jump-up even more now than ever, probably because her neck is more stable so she isn't face-planting quite as often. She can sit up on her own for about 20 seconds - Superwoman!! She did that for the first time on Sunday and it was so exciting for us to see! She tips over eventually which is also really funny. She is laughing so much more at the most random things. The other day when we were in Belk, we hit the men's store for Stephen so I was trying to find things to entertain her. I picked up a leg of a windbreaker outfit and she started cracking up!! I was able to do it for at least ten minutes before she got tired of it. Then one day at work, I was talking to her as I was holding her, putting out some pricing, and I said something about going to look at rugs and she cracked up about that! I just kept saying "rugs!" and she kept laughing. Not sure why that was so funny. Last night at Golden Corral Stephen was holding her and she would reach for his plate, knock it, and he'd say "Uh-oh!" and she would just laugh and laugh. She also laughs and squeals anytime you bounce her or pretend to drop her. And no matter how much you do it, she never throws up! Best part! Now, she might drool into your mouth if you're not careful, so watch for that. She is just getting more and more fun every day. I'm so blessed to have the opportunity ever day to stay home with her and see these changes and be a part of these changes!
Two Sundays ago we went to Jenn and Matt's church to see Claire's baptism. I actually missed the entire sermon because I was nursing Brianna but I got to see the baptism which is why we went. Claire was a star, being so good during the vows and prayers, and giving this sweet little cry as the water was drizzled on her head. What a sweetie!
This weekend Grandpa and Buddy came into town to see the babies for the first time!! Both of them were very well behaved! After dinner last night at Golden Corral, we all went back to mom and dad's to chat for a while before heading home. I got to play with Claire for quite a while - although I didn't want to give her up when I had to - and she is really changing too! It's becoming easier to get a smile from her, probably thanks to her vision improving as she gets older and also maybe realizing she's indulging us when she does it. I got some major smiles out of her and it totally made my day.
October seems to be the beginning of the holiday rush. We have something every weekend in October. This weekend I'm having a yard sale at Jenn's (so thankful for her hosting me!!), next weekend we are taking Brianna to Georgia for the first time, the weekend after that I'm going to the beach with some ladies from church, and the next weekend is Halloween! Then it's only a short while until Thanksgiving and Christmas. The last time Stephen babysat Brianna while I was out, I came home and they were dancing around the dining room to Christmas carols. I can only assume that's going to get worse around the house. Stephen loves Christmas music.
I better go. I'm sitting here stuffing my face with muscadine grapes (thanks mom!) and my hands are getting really sticky from the juice. It's getting harder to type. I'll try to post some pictures soon.
My excuse used to be that every day is the same around here, and people would absolutely not be interested in the mundane on-goings of my life. That's not actually the case anymore. Now the issue is finding time to sit down and write a blog post when I am thinking of all the other things I could be doing (playing with Bri, writing an article, washing dishes, etc.)
Brianna is changing so much every day. It's amazing that even though I see her 24/7 she is always doing something new and hilarious. She has just turned 5 months and is already a genius. Well, maybe not a genius, but she's so much fun to be around and that's more important anyway. She chews on absolutely everything, I think in an effort to soothe her gums as well as just discovering new things. I gave her a lick of a lollipop the other day and she liked it so much she grabbed the whole thing with her hand and then wiped her face with her hand. Sticky!! Last night at Golden Corral Stephen gave her a yeast roll to gnaw on. It was a disgusting blob of goo after she was done with it. Totally unappetizing. She enjoys the Johnny Jump-up even more now than ever, probably because her neck is more stable so she isn't face-planting quite as often. She can sit up on her own for about 20 seconds - Superwoman!! She did that for the first time on Sunday and it was so exciting for us to see! She tips over eventually which is also really funny. She is laughing so much more at the most random things. The other day when we were in Belk, we hit the men's store for Stephen so I was trying to find things to entertain her. I picked up a leg of a windbreaker outfit and she started cracking up!! I was able to do it for at least ten minutes before she got tired of it. Then one day at work, I was talking to her as I was holding her, putting out some pricing, and I said something about going to look at rugs and she cracked up about that! I just kept saying "rugs!" and she kept laughing. Not sure why that was so funny. Last night at Golden Corral Stephen was holding her and she would reach for his plate, knock it, and he'd say "Uh-oh!" and she would just laugh and laugh. She also laughs and squeals anytime you bounce her or pretend to drop her. And no matter how much you do it, she never throws up! Best part! Now, she might drool into your mouth if you're not careful, so watch for that. She is just getting more and more fun every day. I'm so blessed to have the opportunity ever day to stay home with her and see these changes and be a part of these changes!
Two Sundays ago we went to Jenn and Matt's church to see Claire's baptism. I actually missed the entire sermon because I was nursing Brianna but I got to see the baptism which is why we went. Claire was a star, being so good during the vows and prayers, and giving this sweet little cry as the water was drizzled on her head. What a sweetie!
This weekend Grandpa and Buddy came into town to see the babies for the first time!! Both of them were very well behaved! After dinner last night at Golden Corral, we all went back to mom and dad's to chat for a while before heading home. I got to play with Claire for quite a while - although I didn't want to give her up when I had to - and she is really changing too! It's becoming easier to get a smile from her, probably thanks to her vision improving as she gets older and also maybe realizing she's indulging us when she does it. I got some major smiles out of her and it totally made my day.
October seems to be the beginning of the holiday rush. We have something every weekend in October. This weekend I'm having a yard sale at Jenn's (so thankful for her hosting me!!), next weekend we are taking Brianna to Georgia for the first time, the weekend after that I'm going to the beach with some ladies from church, and the next weekend is Halloween! Then it's only a short while until Thanksgiving and Christmas. The last time Stephen babysat Brianna while I was out, I came home and they were dancing around the dining room to Christmas carols. I can only assume that's going to get worse around the house. Stephen loves Christmas music.
I better go. I'm sitting here stuffing my face with muscadine grapes (thanks mom!) and my hands are getting really sticky from the juice. It's getting harder to type. I'll try to post some pictures soon.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Drugstore Deals
It's already that time again for weekly drugstore shopping trips! So get out your Rite Aid and Walgreens rollover money and see what you can get... (well, this is what I got anyway!)
Walgreens:
Campbell's soups:
Rite Aid:
Scalpicin:
P.S. I realize I still haven't blogged about anything happening in our lives. Will get there.
Walgreens:
Campbell's soups:
- Regular price - $1.39
- Minus Walgreens coupon - 2/$1
- Minus coupon - $0.40/2
- Final price - $0.30 per soup
- Regular price - $10.99
- Sale price - $8.99
- Minus $4.00 coupon
- Minus RR - $6.00
- Final price - free
- Sale price - $2/2
- Minus RR - $1.00
- Final price - $0.50 per pack
- Note - mine rang up at $0.37 per pack so maybe yours will too!!
- Regular price - $3.99
- Sale price - $2.99
- Minus RR - $2.00
- Final price - $0.99
Rite Aid:
Scalpicin:
- Regular price - $5.99
- Sale price - $4.49
- Minus $4.49 rebate
- Final price - free
- Regular price - $0.99
- Sale/final price - $0.69
- Sale price - $0.99
- Minus $1.00 coupon
- Final price - free
- Regular price - $4.49
- Sale price - $2.99
- Minus $2.99 rebate
- Final price - free
- Regular price - $7.99
- Minus $3.00 coupon
- Minus $2.00 coupon
- Final price - $2.99
- Regular price - $3.39
- Final price - free with purchase of Mach 3 razors
P.S. I realize I still haven't blogged about anything happening in our lives. Will get there.
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