There Goes My Life...

A generous spirit.

A few weeks ago on Sunday night at church the upcoming events for the summer were discussed.  The youth minister talked about the upcoming VBS, camp and mission trip the youth group would be going on, and our elder who is in charge of the Honduras mission trip talked about our upcoming trip.  He told of the service projects (building houses, medical clinics, giving out food bags, etc.) we would be doing on our trip.  He told the members of our congregation the items we would be taking along with us (OTC medications, toothpaste, soap, school supplies, etc.) and that there were boxes throughout the church building where they could deposit any items they wanted to donate.  He also said that this year we would be taking along baby clothes to distribute.  This was something that they saw a need for last summer.  That night when we got home, Elizabeth went to her room and gathered all of the baby clothes that she had bought at our consignment sale for her baby doll.

 

(FYI – Moms consignment sales are a great place to buy baby doll clothes.  Most full size baby dolls can wear preemie outfits.)

She said she didn’t really play with Baby Anna Belle any more and she wanted to donate the clothes.  I was so touched.  We washed them and added them to our bag of items to donate. This was one of those mommy moments when you think maybe you are doing something right.   So proud to be her mom.  She teaches me so much with her very generous spirit.

Some things in life are free.

Who ever said nothing in life is free hasn’t shopped with me.  Instead of posting a grand total for this week, I thought I would just share the things that I actually got for free. 

I picked up two more body washes for Chris to add to his already big stash.  It’s not that he needed any more, but it was FREE at Walgreens.  The fact that I had a Buy 1 Get 1 coupon meant that I got two for free.

ReNu solution was also free this week, but I just happend to have a $4.00 coupon that came with a  free sample (travel size) I received in the mail.   SO Walgreens actually paid me $4.00 to take that bottle of solution home. :-)

And last but not least, two tubes of Colgate Total to add to my Honduras donation pile. We are going to be putting together food bags when we get there and will be including personal items like toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap.  So with my smart shopping at CVS this week I was able to add to more tubes to my donation box. I even made a penny on each of them. :-)

Tadpole Tuesday.

It’s Tuesday again! You know what that means! It’s Tadpole Tuesday.  I bought these this week for just $1.00!

You know how much I like to save money! These are so stinking cute and will be great for scrapbooking, cards and invitations. I can think of so many uses for them!

And since it’s Tadpole Tuesday, how appropriate is it that my little Tadpole swam by himself today for the very first time!

Yea Stewart!

Feeding 5 for less than $25 a week!

I cannot believe it! My grocery bill this week is $24.24 (pre-tax). To say the least, my husband is impressed. That unspent grocery money will be going into the vacation fund! Woohoo! Thursday was the girls’ last day of school, so last week I stocked up with the goal of not going to the grocery this week.  Kids and couponing do not mix.  I need my shopping time to myself. Last week at Publix I think I spent $107 and saved like $92.  Not too bad considering I don’t plan on going this week.

Today we met Chris for lunch and then Molly went off with him while Elizabeth, Stewart and I made our Walgreens and CVS stops. I can handle those a lot better than the grocery with the kids in tow. Elizabeth is old enough that she gets it and is excited to see how much we can save at the register.  She likes to watch the total go down.  Me, too!

So Walgreens was our first stop.

I spent $20.40 (pre-tax) and saved $51.90.

What I got:

3 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch ($1.99 per box plus $1.50 off 3 coupon)

4 boxes Fiber One Bars ($1.99 per box plus 3 $0.50 coupons)

4 packages Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Turkey Breast (on sale 2 for $5.00 plus 2 $1/on2 coupons

4 can Blue Diamond Almonds (BOGO plus 2 $1/on 2 coupons)

4 Dial Foaming Hand Soaps ($1.50 each with in-ad coupon)

1 Goody Barrett Pack ($2.99 but received $3.00 Register Reward)

Then we headed to CVS.  Always make sure and scan your CVS card when you enter the store for coupons!

I spent $3.84 (pre-tax) and saved $37.73!!!

What I got:

3 boxes Kellogg’s Cereal ($1.66 plus $1.50/on 3 coupon)

4 boxes Arm & Hammer Dryer Sheets (BOGO plus 2 $1.00 coupons)

4 SOBE LifeWaters (BOGO plus 2 BOGO coupons making them FREE!)

1 CVS Styling Gel ($0.99 plus $1.00 CVS hair care coupon printed from card scanner = FREE) I usually wouldn’t buy styling gel, but since Stewart has started liking a faux-hawk and it was FREE

1 Package Sara Lee Hot Dog Buns ($1.99)

I have lots of chicken breast in the freezer from when it was on sale a Publix.  I stocked up on hotdogs last week since we are starting to use the fire pit again. So we’re good.  We had fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast yesterday morning. Yum!  I think we may go pick strawberries one day this week, so that I can freeze a bunch!  :-)

Earth Fare.

Local friends, we just had a new Earth Fare open in Huntsville.  It is in the old Circuit City building on University Drive.  My friend/trainer April and I went there yesterday after our morning session.  Let me just say it is AWESOME!  WE are both obviously health conscious plus we are both into extreme couponing.  They are having a great promotion right now! You can trade in your groceries for their brands.  April and I both did this yesterday.  First go to their website and click on My Health Journey.  You will have the option to print a coupon for a Pantry Makeover.  You can trade in your partial/almost empty containers for a full-size of their brand. These are the items you can get for free! Yes, all these were free.  We were almost out of jelly.  I mean the jar I traded in barely had enough left in it for one more PB&J.

Everything in the store is organic.  So your first thought is of course that it is expensive, right?  Well, the produce department is a dream, and their pineapples were on sale for $1.97 each! That’s $1.00 less than the one I got at Publix earlier this week that was on what I thought a great sale price.  I checked the price of their organic milk, and their store brand gallon milk was almost $1.00 less than the Publix brand organic milk.  And this kettle corn – YUMMY! They were giving out free samples and April and I both had to buy a bag.  Only 140 calories per 2 1/2 cups.  Good low calorie snack.

For all you extreme couponers, they were giving out coupon books when you entered the store.  I think I ended up with two before I left.  Plus they have lots of printable coupons on their website. So feel good about what you are giving your family to eat and save some money at the same time.  Love that!

Oh! and I almost forgot! Their cafe is awesome! We ate lunch there.  Very yummy! I recommend the Turkey BLT Wrap!  Thursday nights kids eat free! Stewart recommends the PB&J!

What I have learned.

I have been dreading this post. It is a subject that I am so excited about, I have just been trying to organize my thoughts.  There is just so much to cover that I have struggled with where to start!  I’ve been sharing here and on Facebook how much I have been saving on our grocery purchases.  Not to mention all the people who have asked me in person, I have received so many emails, chats and text messages asking how I am doing it and how to get started.  Well, here goes me trying to explain it best I can.  I am new to this myself, so bare with me!

This was last week’s trip to the grocery store.

I spent $97.32 (pretax) and saved $87.62.  Some of the best deals?  I got the 4 packs of Yoplait YoPlus yogurt for $0.25 (regular price $2.50).  Two packs of dental floss for FREE.  Six boxes of Del-Monte Fruit Chillers for $0.67 per box. Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes for $0.34 each. Two boxes of Scotties tissues for FREE. Shout for $0.95. Windex Antibacterial Multi-purpose cleaner for  $0.69 each.

Two months ago I would have come home with less than this for probably $200.  That’s what I was averaging a week on groceries plus we were eating out A LOT more often.  So how did I get from there to here?

My friend Marsha was the first to put the bug in my ear.  We were talking over a meal one Sunday night at church and she pointed me to Southern Savers.  It changed my whole outlook on grocery shopping.  From there it just snowballed.  This past weekend I went to a workshop with Kelly at Faithful Provisions.  She just re-enforced what I have started doing.

1.  Wal-mart is not the saving place.   Anyone who knows me knows my dis-like for Wal-mart.  I am so happy that I now have all most no reason to ever go in there.  Regardless of what you have been told, you can save much more money at a “real” grocery store than you can at Wal-mart.  For those in my area that would be Publix or Kroger.  Both grocery stores double coupons EVERY day!

2.  I love Publix.  Before I would shop at Publix whenever I could just because of their awesome customer service.  Now that I am saving LOTS of money I love it even more. Publix has weekly Buy One Get One specials.  You get the sale price no matter how many you purchase.  So you can buy one and get it for half price. If you do purchase 2 use 2 coupons.  That is how I got the yogurt for $0.25. 

Example: Regular price $2.50. Buy one Get one Sale Price $1.25

Purchase 2 @ $1.25 each. Use 2 $1.00 coupons. Final Price $0.25 each

Another great thing about Publix is that on Wednesdays they have a $0.01 item!  Luckily for me my schedule allows Wednesday to be my shopping day.  In the past month I have gotten bleach, bread and paper towels for just $0.01!

3. Stockpiling. Plan your meals from your pantry shelves not the grocery store shelves. Stock up on items when they are on sale (and you have a coupon).  Then you will have enough to hopefully get you to the next sale cycle. It takes a while to get to that point, and I am still working on it.  Kelly covered a lot of this in her workshop and she has some great free downloads on her website.

Kelly mentioned this verse in her presentation, and it was also a verse of reference in our class this past Sunday morning at church.  I really like it.

                 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer… Proverbs 30:25

4. Drug stores are not just for medicine. I had no idea that on a weekly basis I could get items for FREE at CVS and Walgreens.  Toothpaste for FREE.  Shampoo for FREE.  Shaving cream for FREE.  But you can! Different items are free or close to it every week.  A lot of it is just knowing how and watching the weekly sale ads.  Just read how.  I have a nice little stockpile going and even a stash started for our Honduras mission trip this summer.

5. What it all means for us personally.  We have a family of 5.  We have 2 kids in private school and the 3rd will start this fall.  We are blessed, but we have to be wise with our money.  With a little work, our grocery budget is the one area we have found we can save some money.  We eat healthy.  We don’t eat a lot of cheap processed food, but we can still save money by shopping smart. Kelly has some great downloads for pricing points.  She even has an iPhone app. I will admit that I had no idea what a “good” price was for a lot of items like meat and produce.  I just bought it because we like to eat it. We have long term financial goals, and we want to help others along the way. This helps us do both. I’ve talked about this in some of my other posts, but by saving more on purchases we are able to give more to those in need.

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20

I could keep going, but I think I will stop here and just share some of my favorite sites for saving/couponing.  Many have tutorials for getting started at the different stores so read those first!

www.southernsavers.com (I LOVE the printable shopping list.  Just check off the sale items you plan to purchase and print.  LOVE IT!)

www.faithfulprovisions.com   (Lots of good info not just on couponing, but on food storage and recipes.)

www.hip2save.com (Fun, fun site! Thanks to my friend, Diane, for pointing me to this one!  Love Collin’s video series!)

www.5dollardinners.com (Funny that I stumbled across her book at the library just days after talking to Marsha. Think God has a plan?)

www.smartsource.com (Printable online coupons)

www.coupons.com  (Printable coupons)

www.redplum.com (more printable coupons)

www.ebates.com (I always shop through ebates. Just go there first before you place your online order at your favorite online store.

Happy clipping and saving!

Things that make me happy.

Here are a few of the things that make me happy right now.

1. Saving Money. I was almost skipping as I left Walgreens this morning after getting all of this for only $3.42.

2. Going for a run with Elizabeth.  We went for another run after school yesterday.  I love sharing my love of running with her. :-)

3. My irises on the verge of blooming.  I just noticed them yesterday.  I have never had iris to bloom and in a few days this hill will be covered in blooms. Makes me smile every time I go past them.

(If you notice the front door looks a little strange that is because Chris is in the process of painting it.  Spring at our house means home projects.  That’s another thing that makes me happy.

4. Leaves on the trees.  It seemed like once they started getting buds it didn’t take a week for them to be covered in leaves. Makes me soooo happy.

5. Sunshine. We are getting more and more of it.  It seemed like such a dreary winter and spring.  We had more rain than normal.  I love seeing that big bright ball of light in the sky day after day.

6. My little turkey hunters.  I love that Chris is sharing his passion with our girls. He is teaching them so much about life and conservation. See their hunt video here.  God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and them with a wonderful daddy. (The eating is pretty good, too!)

I’m a simple girl.  It really doesn’t take a lot to make me happy.  (Chris might not agree with that.) For me it’s all about the little things. I am so blessed.

Savings for your scrapbook.

OK, so if you’ve been here recently you know my most recent obsession is saving money. LOL! It’s mostly about our grocery bill, but I’m always on the lookout for a deal. Today, I have a deal for all my scrapbooking friends.  Gina posted a gorgeous freebie quick page yesterday. I put together this layout with it yesterday afternoon.

Friends are always asking me about digital scrapbooking, and this is a great way to get your feet wet if you have been wanting to try it.  She makes it so easy to put together a gorgeous page. This would be beautiful for an Easter, Mother’s Day or dance recital page. Once you discover how much you like it make sure and pick up Gina’s new April Idea Book. It’s a steal for the amount of product and it includes her Serendipity Kit she used to create this quick page as well as my page from a few days ago.  Happy saving and scrapping!

Oops, I did it again!

Saved lots of money that is! Walgreens has lots of good buys this week.  Here’s the stats for the first Walgreens trip this week.

Spent 26.40  (pre-tax) Saved $38.76.  Received $2.50 in Register Rewards to use on my next trip.  Want the break down?

3 boxes Kellogg’s cereal (on sale for $1.99 plus used coupon for $1.00 off 3 boxes)

4 boxes snack bars (coupon in this week’s Walgreen’s ad making them $1.99 plus used 4 manufacturer coupons totaling $2.00 more off – like getting 1 box for free!)

4 Super Stacks Pringles (on sale for 2/$3 plus used a coupon for $1 off 4)

2 boxes Special K Protein Bars ($5 each when you buy 2)

1 box Pop Tarts (on sale for $1.99 – no coupon, but we were out and this is good price)

1 Bic Comfort Razor Pack (on sale for $4.99 plus $1.00 instant coupon plus used $3.00 manufacturer coupon making them $0.99)

1 Box Kotex U tampons (on sale for $3.49 plus $2.50 in Register rewards plus used $1.00 manufacturer coupon making them FREE!)

So there you have it. I don’t think CVS is that great this week, but I did buy some toothpaste for $0.77 each to add to my Honduras supply stash. 

Looks like I started something.

Well, it looks like I have started something.  Thankfully, it seems to be a good something.  When I walked into the fellowship hall at church Sunday for coffee time between worship service and Sunday school I was quickly surrounded.  Many of my local friends have been seeing me post my savings on Facebook and wanted to know how I was doing it.  Wow.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  I think pretty much everyone would like to save more on their grocery bill. It’s so neat to see people’s eyes opened like mine recently have been.

I keep telling everyone that I am new to this myself.  I have been doing it for about a month now, but I am just amazed about how much I have saved in that short length of time.  Last week’s grocery trip to Publix I spent $89 and I saved $71!  Our grocery bill was less than $100!  I don’t think that has happened since before we had kids! Remember just a couple months ago, I was spending $200 each week on my grocery trip to Wal-mart. (BTW – the first lesson in saving on your grocery bill is to stay out of Wal-mart!) Less than $100, and we did not eat out a single night last week other than the Wednesday night meal at church which is $2.00 per person!  What did we eat?  Baked turkey with rice, vegetables and fresh cantaloupe for dessert.  Tacos with all the fixings.  Whole wheat French toast, blueberry muffins and eggs. Lemon pepper baked chicken with roasted potatoes and brownies for dessert.  Sound good? It was and so much better for us than fast food or pizza!

What else?  We were able to shop for and donate from our bulging pantry items for the food drive this week. We were able to donate more than we would have been able to if I was still buying everything at regular retail price. That’s what it is all about for us.  Saving money so that we can make not only our lives better but also those around us who need a little extra help. I’ve started a stash of items that are needed for our Honduras trip this summer. Whenever I find a bargain price for something on the supply list, I buy it.  Hopefully, this way I will have a lot more to donate than if I waited until a week before our trip and bought just what we could afford that week.

So this morning I made my first Walgreens trip of the week.  I don’t think this week is a great week, but I did get a few good buys.

So the total for everything in the photo was $31.44 (pre-tax).  Total savings were $26.90 plus I received $6.00 in Register Rewards for my next trip.

3 12-packs of Diet Sun-drop (3 for  $12.00 plus $3.00 in Register Rewards)

2 1-liter Smart Waters (on sale for $1.00 each)

3 Vitamin waters (on sale for $1.00 each plus $1.00/2 coupon from Sunday paper)

1 Case Aquafina water (make sure you get the $2.00 store coupon in this week’s sale flyer)

2 Benadryl (Honduras supply list) ($5.00/2 coupon from Sunday paper)

1 Schick Shave Gel (FREE after Register Rewards)

2 Blue Diamond Bold Almonds (Buy 1 Get 1 free plus $1.00 Coupon)

Easter candy 75% off (M&M’s taste the same regardless of the color!)

Not to bad, but CVS looks a little better this week.  I plan to go by there later today.

For all you local friends that are wanting to learn more about how it all works, there is a workshop coming up later this month in Fayetteville.  I hope to be able to attend. Like I said, I still have a lot to learn myself!