Belated!

I guess since it is now January 9th, I have to conced that the Christmas cards are just not going to happen this year! Every time I went to pay for postage for them, there was just one more present that we'd rather buy instead. So, I will post it here in hopes that you can imagine that instead of on a computer screen, you are opening it in your own home, on time, with all the excitement of receiving non-bill mail!

Merry Christmas & (we hope you are already having) a Happy New Year!
(A fun tip to moms of diaper-age kiddos: I usually get our photo Christmas cards for free by altering a favorite photo on Picnik.com and then using our Pampers points from diapers throughout the year- one of the 'rewards' is a Shutterfly.com package of like 200 free 4x6 prints! Then all you have to do is find some envelopes & pay postage!)

Free with Coupons

This was going to be a wordless Wednesday picture, but I did my shopping a little later in the week than originally planned. All of these items were free with coupons this week at Target! Normally I don't think of Target as all that great of a place price-wise for groceries. However, because you can stack coupons (use one Target one and one manufacturer one on the same item) and because they have a large travel/trial size section, I ended up getting some freebies!

The one-load Tide pouches are great for traveling when you're staying in a place where you can wash your own clothes (as opposed to a hotel). The little Johnson & Johnson mini first aid kits are great (I carry one in my diaper bag) and PERFECT for Operation Christmas Child boxes, when you're not sure of the type of medical services the recipient of the box might have access to. The Hello Kitty band-aids are a big favorite around here and probably will end up in somebody's stocking!

The marshmallows... well the marshmallows didn't even make it home before we were snacking on them! Praise God for his provision of the big and the little!

Adventures in Couponing.

Last week, I was so excited to take a coupon class with Su Soutter at Bayleaf. She feeds a family of six, including their toiletries/tylenol/TP/paper towels, etc. for $100 a week... and that also includes one child in diapers! She writes a blog with TONS of useful information about using coupons, building a stockpile, meal planning and freezing, and home decorating.

The Intentional Home

I have only been couponing since this past summer, and knew I could use some help to step up my game. The class was an intense, high-energy 2 hours full of how to stack coupons, how to use double/triple coupons to your advantage, and how to benefit from store rebate and register rewards programs. It was a lot of fun, and Su's very encouraging motto was, "you can so do this!"

When she told me she never pays more than $4.50 for a pack of diapers, I was sold. That equates to about 16 cents per diaper (she has gotten as low as 8 cents per diaper), and the best I've been able to find was about 21 cents at BJs or Sam's. I was excited and anxious to try out some of her ideas, so I used one of her exact examples to try it out on my own. My results proved that this would take a lot of practice to get it just right.
This was the plan:

Regular price of jumbo diapers at Rite Aid:
$11.99 each (approx. 52 cents per diaper)

Sale price at Rite Aid: $9.99 each
I bought 3 making it$29.97 (down to 43c/diaper)

Coupon printed from online: $5 off a $25 purchase
Print and use as many as you want!
$24.97 (down to 36c/diaper)

3 normal coupons from the Sunday paper, 1 per pack of diapers
$1, $1.75, and $2 off... $20.22 (down to 29c/diaper)

Rite Aid was offering a $10 gift card with any $30 PG purchase (Pampers qualified)
making the total $10.22
which is $3.30 per pack
and down to 14 cents per diaper!

Not too bad! So I went on Saturday and they were out of Kenna's size, so I remembered to get a rain check and was so proud of myself. I went back today and they were still out of size 4s, but I didn't want to have to come back a bunch of times, so I got size 5s instead. When I got to the check out, one of my coupons was only good for swim diapers. So that's $1 added back on. And, since the drug stores start their sales over on Sundays, I didn't realize the gift card option had expired.

So I ended up actually getting the diapers for 28 cents each... not the best deal. Live, learn, try again.

Here's another one I'm excited to try:

CVS has Raisin Bran on sale 4 for $10 ($2.50 per box) and you also earn $5 in Extra Care Bucks (ECBs)- store credit that prints out from the register after your transaction.

So that is like getting them for ($1.25 per box).

Then from the Sunday paper I have 2 coupons for $1 off two boxes
I can use both since I'm buying 4 boxes anyway (.75 cents per box!!!)

That's already a great deal, but I happen to have a $3 ECB from another purchase, so really I'm getting 4 boxes of cereal for free!

The $5 in ECB that prints out from the purchase I can use on anything else I want in the store- I'd probably get milk or paper towels, things we are using up daily. It really is like a game with CVS because each transation links to another- you earn ECBs on one purchase, then use them with coupons for the next and start getting things free.

If you're thinking as you read this, "yeah, but that's a lot of work," you're right it totally is. It's a lot to keep track of, getting rain checks, making sure things don't expire on you, etc. I feel like I'm doing a middle school math/economics project, to be honest. But when I think about it as Su put it... she reduced her family's monthly budget from $1000 to $400 by using coupons. That's a savings of $600 by doing 8 hours of work a month (about 2 hours a week). It's like having a $75 an hour part time job (that you can do in your pajamas at any time of day you prefer!).

And even though I'm still not convinced that "couponing" is an actual word, the thrill of a bargain probably transcends all languages! The big thing for me will be to not be a perfectionist about it, and remember that sometimes your time is worth more than driving all over town using up a whole tank of gas just to save 50 cents on some paper towels!

Here are some basic and really helpful tips from Su's blog:

List of restaurants' Kids Eat Free days

How to start a stockpile

List of target prices (how much is a "good price" for something)

What are your favorite coupon tips or the best bargain you ever found?

Sort-of First Words!

This week Kenna has said a few things that I guess could technically count as her first words? Every time we go get her out of her crib in the morning or after a nap, Pontouf (our dog) is close at my heels to come check on Kenna- and she is the first thing Kenna looks for when we pick her up. Many times Kenna has said "dah" when looking at or playing with Pontouf, but you never know if she's really trying to say dog or if it's just a babble of excitement. Well, our neighbors have this large beautiful weimaraner named Ash that we see all the time, and today when we walked by her, Kenna pointed right at her and said "dah!" very excitedly. So I think she is trying to say the word dog since she associated it with a dog other than Pontouf.

Also, she really surprised us the other day when she accidentally dropped her paci and said "oh no!" clear as day. It was so cute. Now I try to get her to say it all the time, not just when something has happened. She also has started shaking her head no when she doesn't want something, usually when she doesn't want to eat something we're handing her, or when she knows her diaper is about to get changed. I know the "no!" years can't be far behind!

Now she says or sings it at totally random times and it cracks us up. I was so excited that I was able to get a little video of her saying it after her nap today!


Another funny story... we found our little trickster in her crib like this after one of her bumper ties had gotten just the tiniest little tear in it that I didn't think would be a big deal (my mistake!):
She had torn three of the ties completely off, so she slept for a few days bumperless while I looked for an inexpensive bumper online (which are expensive even if you don't want the whole bedding set!). She's into wrapping things around her shoulders like a cape/scarf... I promise she's not suffocating, I check constantly! When her feet were actually sticking out between the rails I figured I needed to hurry things up (didn't get a picture of that one!).
That same week, God totally blessed us with the exact bumper I had bookmarked online thinking we would get a little bit later when we could afford a new one. I just happened to see it at the end of the aisle at Target, the only one they had, brand new in the package, on clearance for $8 instead of the regular $40 price! Apparently the only reason it was on clearance was because it had been purchased online and then returned, or they are not carrying just the bumpers anymore, only the full bedding sets. So now Kenna is sleeping in style in this cute brown bumper:
It might not seem like a big deal, but God has blessed us so much recently in those completely unexpected ways, big and small! He is such a generous Father! I had this verse on my heart today when thinking about the many ways he provides:

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" -Ephesians 4:20-21

Little Red Wagon

We have been able to find some really great deals this week! At Target, 8 count Juicy Juice juice boxes are on sale for $1.97 each... if you register on their website (juicyjuice.com) they will give you a $1 off coupon on two making them $2.94 or 18 cents per juice box! Yay!

Also, if you ask at the CVS pharmacy counter about their automatic refill program, they will give you a booklet of really good coupons, like $4 off a $20 purchase. If you combine these with the CVS "bucks" you get on your register receipt (if you have a CVS card) you can get $20 worth of products pretty cheap! (Especially if the items you're buying are also on sale!)

My genius husband, in the process of paying our credit card bill, realized that we had some credit card points that were about to expire. Now granted, the points are ridiculous compared to how much you're spending on your credit card to get them, but they still can be redeemed for fun and useful stuff basically for "free." We've used them in the past to get things such as a set of decent kitchen pots and pans. This time, since we finally have a baby on board, we are waiting for this to come in the mail:
a little red wagon! I'm not sure who is more excited, me or Kenna! I am having happy thoughts of pulling her around the fair or the flea market or a craft show in our little wagon. What a blessing!

Ways We Try to Save!

Having a baby has been one of the most fulfilling and joyful experiences of our lives and marriage. But as most parents know, a child can put a strain on almost any budget! Matt and I would be the first to tell you that we are not always the best with money- we are both pretty big impulse buyers, and for me, shopping can be not only a fun/social hobby but also a stress reliever at times! Since I'm a nerd and get excited over things like coupons, I wanted to share some of the fun and easy ways that I try to save money in our everyday lives. As a mom who does not work outside the home, I look at trying to save money on our everyday basics as a way to help provide for our family.

1. Big-store shopping

We've been blessed since day one of our marriage in having a Sam's Club membership! It can be a bit of a pain sometimes since it is hard to make quick in-and-out trips, but we try to use this to our full advantage by stocking up on anything that we use very frequently (diapers!) or that won't go bad if we stock up on a huge amount of (cleaning supplies, tp, paper towels, etc). We have found that diapers and wipes are a great deal here. Pampers here average 25 cents per diaper, and Huggies wipes are a steal at 2 cents each when you buy these ginormous packs. Sam's has the best deal on baby formula we've ever seen (19 cents per ounce) and has almost exactly the same ingredients when compared side-by-side to Enfamil which averages more like 78 cents per ounce, even on sale! I had hoped to breastfeed exclusively and never need to buy formula, but had lots of difficulties and am so thankful that we could find an affordable way to buy formula! Sam's also now offers multi-packs of Gerber's fruits and veggies which average 50 cents per container. For a little over $100 we bought the following, which will last us about 2-3 months (longer for the wipes!).
2. Online Free Samples

There are LOTS of companies online that will send you coupons/free samples just for signing up or requesting them. The good ones here are all the baby websites- Gerber, Enfamil, Nestle Good Start, Pampers, Huggies, and Beechnut all have online memberships where you can sign up and receive freebies or earn points based on the products you buy. Wal-Mart.com has freebies that change monthly on their website. I went crazy one night googling "free sample" and requested them from probably 50 different sites. These are all the freebies I've received in the past 3 months or so:
This idea is great for mostly toiletries and houseware items. Two suggestions are to be careful to keep your computer's spyware up to date in case you run across a "bad" website in your searching, and also to set up an individual email account (or use an old one that you never use for real stuff anymore) to keep from cluttering up your inbox. That gives you the freedom to let them send whatever they will, but you don't have to deal with it on a daily basis unless you want to. Then enjoy finding surprises in your mailbox! (By far, my favorite part!)

3. Coupons!

There are LOTS and LOTS of websites out there that have done a much better job and much more research than I on the subject of coupons. Some of my favorites are: Mommysavers.com, babycheapskate.com, and smartsource.com

I had given up on coupons in the past because a lot of times they are for expensive items that I would not normally buy, but would just because I had a coupon for it. Then I would come home with an expensive grocery trip, and no "real food." Now I save them only if I know for a fact that we buy the item on a regular basis. I try to "stack" the savings by using a coupon for an item that is already on sale, and shopping at places that will double or triple coupons (Harris Teeter!). I've also found good deals at CVS and Walgreens.

I think the true trick to not getting frustrated with coupons is to have an organizer, use them on items that you always buy and that are on sale anyways, and make your list and THEN search online for a coupon for a specific item you want to buy... I ended up wasting money if I made my shopping list based just on items I had coupons for. For example, the other day I knew we needed dog food, so I googled "Purina" and ended up finding a $5 off coupon that I printed and took to the store, which ended up making it cheaper than the store brand!

I also have an organizer so I can see what I'm working with. I took a little $1 plastic photo album (and of course, stamped it up a little pretty downstairs in my craft room just for fun!):
This way, if I have multiple coupons for the same brand or same item, I can put them all in the same pocket. I put the ones that will expire soonest on top so that I remember to use them first. To save room, I also pair things that go together in the same pocket (ie: men's deodorant and razors or ziplock bags and trash bags).
Two other pluses: I can flip through it easily to see what I have coupons for, and Kenna sits and plays with it in the cart while I grocery shop and the coupons don't fall out easily! I also tuck store coupons inside the front and back covers (such as Michael's 40% coupons).

4. Have a "rock bottom price" list

This is something I just did recently that I am really happy with! A lot of times I see something on sale but have no idea if it is a truly a good price or not (example: I bought a huge pack of coffee filters at the dollar store and got really excited. Then I found a pack twice as big at Wal-Mart for 96 cents. Then I got home and realized our coffee maker uses a resuable, washable filter). I read online that you should try to pay 20% less that the least expensive, non-sale price you can find. So I made a list of things we use on a daily basis, and researched the best prices I could find for them, and wrote the price to beat next to each item- I try to find the item for that price or less. I typed them up in an Excel spreadsheet (only because it is a quick way to have all the info in nice, pretty columns!) and now have a quick and easy list that I can add to easily, or print off and keep in the back cover of my coupon booklet. Yay!

We also love consignment sales for baby clothes, toys, bottles, and other items that can be bought and sold gently used. If you are local to Raleigh/Wake Forest, the Kidaround Kidsale is a really good one (coming up soon!) that is great if you get stressed out by the ginormity of the Kids' Exchange out at the fairgrounds.

I hope these little quick tips are of help to you! I'd love to hear your tips or questions too.

Consignment Loot

Now that we have a little one to clothe and feed, I've been trying to be better about searching out good deals and bargains, and have discovered the wonderful world of consignment sales! For awhile, the only big one I knew about was Kids Exchange, which anyone who has gone to it before knows it is huge and terrifying and will eat up an entire day (usually in the checkout line alone!). So when I found out about Kidaround kidsale right here in Wake Forest, I got really excited about it! It turned out to be even better than I thought, with lots of great stuff to choose from but none of the scary moms with trashcans bungee-corded to their strollers running everyone over. I went looking just for some 9oz sized Avent bottles, and instead of the panic, I was able to enjoy browsing and got this great load of stuff for just $36!
Two Gymboree onesie outfits ($1 each) and a beautiful Strasburg smocked dress for $5, a wooded tree toy with little orbiting bees and butterflies for $3, two brand new unopened cans of formula ($4 each) and four travel-sized formula packets, all in their original packaging... a pair of Janie and Jack white eyelet shoes ($4) that won't fit Kenna for awhile, but I just loved them! A bright pink washable, resuable swim diaper ($3) that will hopefully save money on those Huggies swim diapers at the pool and beach all summer, four Little Critter books about colors, ABCs, etc. for $2, and three 9oz Avent bottles for $5.

Consigning is also a great way to "recycle" clothes that are out of season or that don't fit anymore, especially in these early days where it seems like they only wear their clothes once or twice before they don't fit anymore! It's so exciting to find things that cost a tiny percentage of what they would be brand-new just because they have a little use. I can't wait for the next sale!

36 Weeks and a Bargain

Here is my current look at 36 weeks, with one pair of pants that fits and lots of anticipation:
What the OB is saying about our progress:
-We are dilated 2 centimeters and starting to efface!
-She's not premature at this point, so she safely can and might come at any time now!
-They gave us all the warning signs that require an immediate call to the hospital (I'll spare the details of those) and that we should call when the contractions are 5-7 minutes apart... or when they "have me cursing" as the OB said!
-If we keep up this progress, it looks like little K will be making her appearance sooner rather than later...

Some of the things I've been doing to get ready:
-Eating whatever I want, whenever I want! The intensive baby-weight-be-gone diet must start sooner than I want to think about!
-Finishing up little things here and there for the baby room... hanging things on the wall, labeling dresser drawers, and putting away clean laundry.
-Packing my hospital bag, just in case!
-Becoming close friends with Matt's sweatpants.

I also thought I'd mention to anybody that's interested that Old Navy is having a $10 and under deal sale right now, and also some 75% off clearance from the summer. Matt and I just happened to stop by the store because I had a $6 gift card from a return that I wanted to use up, and we got some great deals! Matt got a really nice brown and blue dress shirt for about $12, and I got a nice little haul of tank tops, one long sleeve maternity shirt, a 'tshirt skirt' as I call them, and a navy blue summery top, 8 items all together for just under $30!
I get super excited when clothes are on sale for $1.99, even if they are just little tank tops! I'm also noticing that CVS is a really good place for bargains... they offer grocery staples like milk for much cheaper than stores, have some buy one get one free things, and also have a store card that earns you free "bucks" which are like store credit based on your spending. I started using them for prescription filling, and now we can use the bucks on things like photo processing and the occasional shampoo, etc.