Hannah's Hope in Guatemala

Hannah's Hope in Guatemala

My cousin Emily and her husband Phil are currently waiting (for God is good!) to try to adopt a little girl from Guatemala. They have been waiting a long, long, long time and could really use your prayers.
The orphanage where "N" is, needs help. Emily has put out a plea for help so, here is a copy of her blog page...(this way you don't have to click to go somewhere else!)

From Emily's blog...

In the past, our adoption agency, All God’s Children, used adoption fees to cover the cost of running Hannah’s Hope Orphan Care Homes in Guatemala. Now, with adoptions in Guatemala completely stopped, their ability to financially sustain the homes has also stopped.

Given the critical situation, God inspired them with a new vision: to build a self-sustaining orphan care ministry in Guatemala. Without it, Hannah’s Hope will need to be closed and every remaining orphan will have to go to other orphanages. Through the UNITE campaign, friends and families are called to join together to financially support Hannah’s Hope.

To accomplish this goal, AGCI needs to raise $50,000/month. Currently, AGCI has 286 sponsors but have reached only part of the goal. To make this happen we need more people involved.

Phil and I have been sponsors since the summer of 2006. It has changed and blessed our lives. Of course, with N still living at Hannah’s Hope, we want to help make it possible for her to continue to live there as long as she can, as well as the other precious children in their care. Phil and I have been there, witnessed the conditions and the care these children receive. It is drastically different than other orphanages in Guatemala.

We are asking that our friends and family step up and make a difference in a child’s life. Please help us to spread the word and support Hannah’s Hope Guatemala.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”James 1:27

Kroger Run!

Last night I did a Kroger run! I love going to Kroger when I have a coupon for absolutely everything that I am going to buy and those things are on sale. It was alot of fun!


















Here's what I got:
25 boxes of Granola bars (Nature's Own & Fiber One)
11 bags of Chex-mix
26 cans of soup
1 deodorant for my hubby
4 packages of chicken (not shown)

Total before card and coupons: $180.52
Total after card and coupons: $49.11
That's a savings of: $131.41

Shocked!

Several days ago, I followed a link off of one of my favorite blogs (I would give them credit but now I can't remember which blog it was). Anyway, I hopped over to enter a giveaway and left my entry.

Guess what? I won! I won! I won! I am so shocked and amazed and utterly thrilled! I won a $25 gift card to CVS!

So, go over and visit Sweet Pea and share the love. She is the mom of twins (oh so cute!) and has just started her blog.

If I have to drive a wagon (from hubby)

We have been owners of Volvo wagons for almost three years now. My dear, sweet hubby could not be convinced to drive a mini-van but fell in love with the wagons. Last summer, he even traded his beloved Toyota Tacoma for a 2004 XC70 wagon and now drives the 1999 V70 wagon.

A sample of our first wagon...(not for bragging purposes...stick with me you will see!)

A sample of our second wagon... (again stick with me here...)

My hubby showed me the following picture tonight and told me that if he had to drive a wagon, it might as well be tricked out to the max! Let him dream, sweetly dream!

Now that's a ball of fun - or is it yarn?

I just posted about having all of these newspapers left over each week and wondering what to do with them. I would like to give a huge shout out to my cyber-friend (is there a better etiquette word?) Richelle for giving me this awesome suggestion...

Turn the newspaper into yarn! Yep-you read it right, yarn.



Now, I don't think that I will get the chance to do this until my baby Kate is much older but it would be a neat trick to try. You will have to let me know if you try it! You can go here to see how it is done!

Thanks again Richelle and congrats on your 100th post!

Newspapers, newspapers

I must first admit that I stole this blog post idea from my friend Kim, so thanks Kim!

Kim and I, along with our friend Sherri have been seriously couponing for about eight months now. We had made several connections with people at our church who did not use their coupons and had ended up being able to snag four or fives sets of coupons each week in addition to any that we purchased for ourselves.

Kim is quite resourceful (I envy her-really) and was able to go to a local gas station late on Sunday nights to be given any and all newspapers that were left over for the day. This meant that we would have about 10-15 sets of coupons between us.

We came up with this elaborate and labor intensive coupon box. The coupons were cut and organized in this old diaper box into folders. The box was kept at our church so that we each had access to it. It quickly became overbearing!

Well. La, la, la and several months later, the coupons that we had been receiving ceased and the store where Kim got so many extra papers had to quit giving them away free. So what did Kim do (I won't even dare try to take credit for it)? She got her resourceful self on the phone to the newspaper and set a bulk delivery to her house everyweek. It turns out that for $7.50 a week, 25 papers will magically appear on her front door step each Sunday morning. This price is a savings of $30 a week off of the news stand price!

So, if you do the math, in a four week month, we are getting 100 papers for a grand sum of $30.00. The actual retail price is $150.00 so we are saving $120.00 a month in papers! There are four of us that each contribute $7.50 to the price and we each get 6 papers weekly. We each cut out the coupons that we ourselves will use and organize them our own way. We cut out the remaining coupons and store them in ziplock bags by date so that when a good sale comes along, we can put our hands on them quickly and easily. And we share them. This sharing has come in so handy on CVS purchases and double couponing at Kroger.

So, my hat is tipped to you Kim for figuring out a way to keep those coupons coming and savings in our pockets. Oh, and by the way...my friend Kim-you are amazing in many ways and God is definitely growing you girl! Go with the flow baby-He won't let you down or give you more than you can handle (*wink*). Love ya!

Now if only I knew what to do with the part of the papers that I don't use each week....any thoughts?

Good CVS, Kroger, Kmart week!

***This is from last week...a little late posting but worth sharing!
First Kroger-

I got some awesome coupons from Kroger this week and used them to their fullest potential. I also used a Target Pharmacy coupon at Kroger (Kroger matches any competitors coupons) and received a $10 gift card to Kroger for a new RX that I had filled.

Also at Kroger, I received two free pork loins due to pricing errors. It is always worth checking your receipt-even pennies off count!

As for CVS....

I started out with $0 ECB's

1st Transaction:
2 Children's Advil $5.99 each
-$1 Advil coupon
-$2/$10 CVS coupon
Total: $8.98
Earned $11.98 ECB's

2nd Transaction
I got two packs of Huggies diapers for $2.19
How...
Huggies $8.99 x2
- $2/$10 cvs coupon
- $1 off Huggies coupons x2
- $11.98 ECB's

Total OOP: $2.19!

Then at another CVS...
I walked in and there was clearance basket with items marked 75% off. Inside there were 3 Tide with Bounty marked $1.99! I grabbed them as fast as I could. I was so excited I didn't even think about trying to work them into a deal but $1.99 for tide is huge!

Then to Kmart for free pens...

I bought 16 packs of bic pens for 40 cents!
I had 8 coupons for $1/off two and the pens were 50 cents a pack

Blogs Can Change Lives

There is a blog that I look at called "5 Minutes for Mom" that has helped change the life of a family who has a child that is seriously ill by giving them a HP laptop. HP, after hearing the story, donated a laptop and printer to this family as well as another laptop to be donated to another family in need.

If you know of a family that this type of blessing would benefit, please go to the 5 minutes for Mom site and nominate them.

Sharing the happiness...

Sharing the happiness!

Ok, because I know that you love me and want to share my happiness, let me share my great grocery deal...



In the picture...
**(reg price) other is sale price

(5) Twelve Packs of Pepsi ($4.79 each) $3.00 each
(4) Small Cans Cinnamon Rolls ($1.79 each) $1.00 each
(4) Cans Breadsticks ($2.49 each) $1.00 each
(1) Can Cresent Rolls ($1.88)
(1) Bag Cat Food ($6.99)
(1) Coffee Creamer ($2.19) $1.89
(2) Pert Plus ($3.31 each)
(1) Bleach ($1.48)
(15) Electrasol Tabs ($4.89 each) $2.69 each

Total Price before Sale Price $136.61
Total Due after Sale Prices given $77.02

Total after Coupons: $27.85!
Let me get a shout out in happiness!

Here is how I did it:

CVS
Pepsi were buy 4/$12 get one free at CVS
Total $12.00
- 2/$10 CVS
- $5 ECB's
Paid: $5.00 out of pocket for 5 twelve packs!

Kroger:
Coupons Used:
I had coupons for the canned rolls which made them either 50 cents a can or 30 cents a can
(2) $2.00 off Pert Coupons
(1) $1.00 off Creamer coupon
(1) Coupon for free bag of cat food ($6.99 value)
(15) $2.25 off Electrasol coupons thanks to Kim!

Thanks for sharing the happiness

***After looking at the receipt, I realized that the pert rang up at full price $3.31, not $2.50. So I took my receipt back to the store and was refunded $4.22 (full price for one, the difference on the other)

I took that money and bought 6 bags of Keebler Cookies and two more bottles of Pert for $5.52
What a sweeter deal!

It's beginning to smell like Christmas giveaway!

Thanks to everyone that entered! The winner will be announced tomorrow morning!

OK! I lied! I can't stand the wait!








The winner is...






Thanks again for all who entered, I hope that you had fun! I have contacted the winner and hope to hear back from them soon. However, if I have not been contacted by Monday morning 9:00 a.m. est, I will choose a different winner.

Oh I have waited, waited, waited to have the Bloggy giveaways carnival come back around. And this time I wanted to give away something instead of just hoping to win!

So, because I am longing for cooler weather and when I think of cooler weather I get excited about Christmas, I thought I would give away the smells of Christmas.

So I am giving away 5 Yankee Candle Christmas Votives to one lucky winner!

To have a chance to win, please leave a comment telling what you love about Christmas. I will close the giveaway on Friday evening and announce a winner on Saturday morning. You do not need to have a blog to enter, just leave an email address where I can reach you if you are the winner. This is only open to those in the continental United States.

Thanks for playing and be sure to go to the official Bloggy Giveaways Carnival site for a complete listing of all giveaways! Good Luck!

Saving on shoes...

How could you cover these up?

If you are a coffee fan...

If you are a coffee fan, like me, this is a good time to go out and buy yourself a Starbucks giftcard...in any amount.

Here is why.

1. A gift card is great even if you are treating yourself.
2. You should register your card online. Once this is done, extras like flavorings are free (I like peppermint mochas so the peppermint flavoring would be free)
3. Once registered, as a thank you, Starbucks will send you a postcard good for a FREE beverage of your choice. This alone is worth buying a giftcard for.
4. On July 25 & 26 you will get a complimentary (means FREE) new smoothie. You have to have a registered card though...I had the chocolate banana one today and it wasn't too bad. Thanks to "cent"sible Sawyer for letting us know about this one!

Having an affair...

I love my neighborhood Kroger. I love the kind people. I love that I know where things are and that I can go in and out quickly. I love that it usually very neat and clean.

But, I am having an affair.

There is another Kroger a short hop, skip, and jump away from me. I went there because I have been told that the manager's specials are so much better. So, I snuck past my favorite Kroger last night and headed to the "other" Kroger.

The difference was amazing. There were manager specials in almost every department. Bags of salad are usually marked down to $1.49 at my Kroger-at this new kroger, they were 25 cents! As well as many, many other good-no amazing deals.

I still love my Kroger but I will be sneaking to the other one on a regular basis.

Another Kroger Mega Ten Event!

It is back! Buy 10 of any of the following products and get $5 off your total bill:

Buy the following and get the item for $1

Kroger Apple Juice
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
Betty Crocker Frosting
Brawny Paper Towels
Cattleman's BBQ Sauce
Clorox Bleach
Daisy Sour Cream
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Kroger Instant Oatmeal
Lender's Refrigerated Bagels

Get the following items for $1.50

Assorted Kelloggs Cereal
Aunt Jemima Breakfasts
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
"" Warm Delights
Capri Sun or Koolaid Jammers
Chef Boyardee Microwave Pasta
Clorox Wipes
DelMonte Fruit bowls
Dove Ice Cream
Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel
Edwards or Mrs Smith Pie Slices
Eggo Healthy Waffles
Cheetos
Frito Lay Single Snacks
Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
Heinz Ketchup
Keebler Rice Krispie Treats
Kid Cuisine Entrees
Kraft Bagel-fuls
Krusteaz Muffin or bar mix
Lysol All purpose cleaner
Palmolive Dish Detergent
Sargento Cheese
StarKist Chunk light tuna
Stouffers or Lean Cuisine Meals
Sunshine Cheez-its
Tony's Pizza
Weight Watchers Ice Cream cups
Welch's Cocktail Juice
Ball Park Franks
Ken's Salad Dressing

The following Items will be $2

Advil Pain Relief
Chef Boyardee Canned pasta
Doritos XXL
Hunts Snack Pack Pudding
Kelloggs Nutrigrain Bars
Kelloggs Special K bars or bites
Dole Fruit Juice
Mott's Applesauce
Oreida Potatoes
PictSweet Veggies
Soft Scrub Cleanser
Tyson Chicken (looks like the frozen breaded kinds)
Tyson Chunk chicken breast
Welchs Grape Juice
Windex
Act II Microwave Popcorn
Huggies Wipes

These items will be $2.50

Arizona Tea
Chungs Egg rolls
Edy's Grand Ice Cream
Egg Beaters
El Monterey Appetizers
Gatorade Power Sticks
Keebler Club Crackers
Pledge Furniture Polish
Propel Fitness Water and Powder Packs
Sargento String Cheese
Friday's Appetizers
Hebrew National Beef Franks
Tyson Sliced Bacon
Kelloggs Special K Snack Bars

Now, just like last time, you have to buy 10 total items from any of these catagories to get the prices shown. Any smaller quantities (8 or 9 instead of 10) will cause all items to be higher. You can do three transactions in a single order.

The prices also do not reflect any coupons that you might have! Whoo-hoo!

Life with Kate

I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while...our Mac is on the fritz and I have had limited access to another computer. I am thankful though, I hadn't realized how often or how much time I spent on the web.

Life has changed, but for the better since bringing Kate home. She sleeps alot (maybe all but 5 hours out of the day) and the time that she is not asleep she is either nursing or sitting contently. Such a change from my other babies-they had colic and weren't content like Kate.

My sanity, though, is coming from my hubby being home. We are so thankful that God has blessed him with a job where he gets to be home for almost the entire summer.

Specifics on my baby Kate for those interested in that kinda thing...

First we kinda, sorta, maybe just a little, fell in love with her name due to "Baby Kate" on our favorite cartoon-Arthur.
She weighed 7 lbs 8 0z, the biggest of all three.
She was 18 3/4 inches long
God was so gracious to let her be born completely healthy. There was a slight chance that she would have Down Syndrome but there is no evidence of her having it.
She has a smattering of dark brown hair, which if she is like her siblings, it will fall out and be blonde.
Gracie cannot hold her enough and has trouble understanding personal space (especially mine while I am holding Kate)
Wyatt could care less that she is home. He runs by her and says "hi" about once a day and only tries to hurt her a little (mostly pinching and eye poking)

Introducing....

We welcomed baby Kate on 08/22/08

Works for Me Wednesday

Over at Rocks In My Dryer, she hosts a "Works for Me Wednesday" where people share their tips on what works for them.

What works for me? I have been using ordinary craft pipe cleaners as curtain ties. Every morning I pull the curtains back and twist a pipe cleaner around it. It is cheap, inexpensive, and works!

Woo-hoo!

Go to Rocks in My Dryer to share your ideas and read some other great ones!

Mmm...yummy recipe!

I found a yummy chicken recipe on a blog that I check regularly...Rocks In My Dryer. I wanted to share it with those of you who might not check out her blog but also so that I, in two weeks, would not be looking for the recipe and not know where to find it!

My mind is going these days ya know!

So, for a yummy sounding chicken dish, check out this link to Rocks in My Dryer!

A re-posting of a previous blog entry

My Granny, Marjorie Snodgrass, passed away on August 7, 2007, just about a month shy of turning 89. She was a brave, strong, and courageous woman who just would not stand for any non-sense. She lived and loved life but also loved the Lord. God was very merciful in that she became ill and passed away in two short days. She had lived by herself for almost 20 years in the farm house where she was born and lived until she passed away.

My granny loved us, loved us all, but it was very hard for her to say those words. Our response to telling her that we loved her was simply “Well….” It is one of those quirky things that made her so special.

On the night before she passed away, she was alert and quirky-fussing at the hospital staff because they would not let her have peanut butter crackers. (She at this point, did not have functioning kidneys, had ruptured diverticulitis, a heart that was slowing, slowing, slowing, and infection spreading far and wide. For all of these reasons and more, she was on a liquid diet). Only two people at a time were allowed in her room and she had us all in stitches in the waiting room with her antics. My poor Aunt Linda bore the brunt of Granny’s fussing but Aunt Linda took it all in stride. I kinda felt sorry for the other family in the CCU waiting room but the laughter really was a blessing from God.

The first time I went into Granny’s room, I told her that I loved her and she simply told me that there was no need to go get all mushy on her. That was the perfect response from her. But then, before I left her side for the last time, I made sure to be the only one in the room. I leaned over her face and got as close as I dared. I looked into her beautiful blue eyes, which she opened wide and looked back at me as hard as I was looking at her. I told her that I loved her, that I had ALWAYS loved her. Not blinking or looking away, she said “I love you too.” This is the best gift that she could have ever given to me.

This was the last time that I saw my granny. I couldn’t stand to see her the next morning when we arrived at the hospital and was told that she was much, much worse. However, after she passed, I did go in the room with the rest of the family. It is amazing how life ends. How the breath no longer comes even though it had been there just moments ago. It is amazing that God decides to make all of those involuntary things that happen in our bodies every second to just cease. My granny died very peacefully and for that I am very thankful.

Reason for reposting:
One of my favorite memories of being at my Granny's house was the fact that she always had icecream for us to eat. If you go to "After a Cup of Coffee Or Two" you can enter one of your favorite posts to win free icecream!

A great reminder...

I ran across this link on The Extraordinary Mommy website. It is a reminder of how much we have and how little others have. McDonald toys were collected and mailed to some troops in Iraq. There is a small video of the toys being handed out to the children.
Beautiful.

CVS gone seriously wrong!

Last night those silly coupons for $5/$30 and $3/$15 were calling my name. They both expired this weekend and I just had, no HAD, to use them. I spent hours pouring over scenarios, ideas, thoughts, plans, adjustments, etc to get the best deal.

I even contacted my guru's Sherri and Kim,who continually blow my mind, to help me come up with the best deals.

So I went.


I went to CVS too late and this caused several things to work against me.

1st - Store closes at 9:00 and I arrived at 8:35. This did not give me enough time to adjust thoughts and scenarios if something was not there.
2nd - My coupons were not in order
3rd - When the announcement came that the store was closing, I got nervous.
4th - A line of people who were ready to leave lined up behind me and I started (literally) sweating.

The cashiers working were extremely patient and kind.

Ok, so I bought:

(2) Renu Salines ($8.79 each)
(1) Schick Quatro Razor ($9.49)
get back $5 ECB
(1) CVS Band-aid ($1.99)
get back $1.99 ECB
(1) CVS Cottonswabs ($3.19)
get back $2 ECB
Total: $32.25
ECB's Earned: $8.99

I had the following coupons
$5/30 CVS coupon
$3/15 CVS coupon
$2 off any CVS Beauty Coupon
$5 ECB's
2 $1 off Saline coupons
$2 off Razor coupon

This is where things go seriously wrong.
First, I couldn't find my $5/30 coupon. I started getting hot and sweating. I could feel the red creeping into my face.

Then, I found some other coupons that I wanted to use and laid them on the counter. The sweet cashier scanned the first two coupons which reduced my total below $30 just as I found that $5/30 coupon. I had blown it. I wasn't prepared to make another transaction. I couldn't get my total back up.

I then realized that I forgot my $5 ECB's from a previous purchase at home. This amount was, of course, part of my deal. I did remember to use my $3/15 coupon but forgot all about the $2 off any CVS beauty product.

Buckets...sweating buckets! People lined up behind me. The pharmacist was standing at the front door, arms hanging over the security entrance thingy, head resting on arm obviously pooped!

So, my total was $26.71 OPP. This is huge for a CVS trip! HUGE! If I had done everything correctly my total would have been: $13.25 a difference of $13.46.

I told the cashier all about my emotional state and how I loved CVS but sometimes I just wasn't good at it. I told her how I had really wanted to try to buy one more transaction worth of stuff and apologized for taking so long that now the store needed to close, not to mention the line behind me.
She told me to run and get my things for the second transaction.
(4) dove Deodorants 2/$5
(1) Schick Quattro razor refill ($9.49)
Total: $19.49

Coupons used:
(2) 75 cents off Dove
$2 off razor refill
$8.99 in ECB's from previous purchase
Then out of the goodness of her heart, the cashier (who happened to be a manager) gave me credit for the $5/30 coupon for the previous transaction.
Total OOP: $2.27
ECB's Earned: $8.00

A hobby of sorts...

As a side hobby, of sorts, I make cakes for special occasions. I got to make a cake for a friend who due one week after me. God is so gracious in how he lets thing transpire.

First, I walked back to the craft department to get some cake supplies and ran across the little wooden figures used on the cake. Adorable!

Second, I couldn't find the pan that I was originally going to use so I couldn't do my original idea. If I had not found those little wooden things, tears would have been inevitable.

Third, my children slept late today. I was able to make the icing and get most of it finished before they cracked an eyelid-somewhere around 7:00 a.m. Yesterday my son woke up at 5:50 a.m.!




I am also only slightly embarrassed to add that my son ate graham cracker sticks and icing for breakfast. He needed to be contained (love him-hard to keep up with him) and this did the trick!

Spent $17.40 at CVS-Saved $64.50

My CVS trip went as my CVS trips always do. I always spend way too much time working out my deals, checking out everyone else's deals on Money Saving Mom and then head to the store. As usual, deals such as the new $3/$15 deal show up online while I am shopping in the store. Oh well. I did pretty well today, spent a little more than I thought I would but that's ok!

1st Transaction:
(2) Bags M&M's $1.77 each
(2) Boxes Band Aides $1.99 each
(1) thing of bubble yum bubble gum on clearance 50 cents
(1) CVS cotton swabs
(1) Pack of CVS brand smarties candies to help while I did my other transactions
(2) Back Pack wipes $1.59 each

Total Price: $15.38

Coupons Used:
(2) 75 cents off M&M's
(1) Free Back Pack wipes. I realized that the coupon expired yesterday before I handed it to the woman checking me out and put it back in my purse. She was a shift manager and insisted that I give it to her anyway. So, I did.
(1) $2.50/$10 CVS brand purchase
ECB's used: $8.00

Total out of pocket: $1.92

ECB's earned: $3.98 for band aides
$2.00 for cotton swabs


2nd Transaction
(2) Duracell Batteries $2.99 each
(3) Charmin Ultra $4.99 each
(4) Nuby Sippy Cups 37 cents each on clearance

Total: $22.43

Coupons Used:
(2) $1 off Charmin coupons from a friend
(1) 25 cents off Charmin
(1) 75 cents off Duracell
ECB's used: $12.98 (all I had)

Total OOP: $6.92
ECB's Earned: $10.00

Third Transaction

(2) Pampers Baby Dry $7.99 each
(2) Pampers Wipes $2.99 each
Total: $21.96

Coupons:
(2) $2 off Pampers Diapers
ECB's Used: $10.00 (again, all I had)

Total OOP: $8.56
ECB's Earned $5


Daily Shopping Totals:
Shelf Price: $81.90
Total Sale Price: $59.77
Total OOP: $17.40

A savings of $64.50

Razor Deal at Target (better than CVS)

This week, there is a deal on the Gillette Phenom Razors that is better than CVS (at least I think).
CVS Deal:
$9.99 Cost of Razor
-4.00 Coupon from June 1st paper
Pay $5.99 OOP
(Earn $4 ECB's)
Limit One Per Person

Target Deal
$9.44 Cost of Razor
-4.00 Coupon from June 1st Paper
Pay $5.44 OOP
However, if you buy two of the razors (use two coupons) Target will give you a $10 gift card! So, you spend $10.88 and get a $10.00 gift card back. Now, here is the cool thing-there is does not appear to be a limit to how many times you can do this deal.

How my Hubby helps us save money...

We are all the time posting about how we, as wives, save money by shopping with frugality. So I thought, since Father's Day is around the corner, it might be fun to show ways that my hubby helps us save money. Everyone has a special talent and Wes' happens to be making things.

Here are some examples of how he has made things to save us money...

He made this awesome set of shelves that is usually kept in our daughter's room. She has decorated it with stickers at the bottom...but the coolest thing is that the back of it is made up of pieces of fabric. They can be changed at any time!


He made this sweet little box for me the weekend after we met. It was such a sweet gift! And the lid had this sweet inscription...
This is my bed. This was a birthday present to me several years ago. Oh, I love my bed!

I wanted a kitchen island after seeing one that my friend had. He decided that he could make one for half of the cost. It started out like this...

And now has progressed to this:



This is the bottom piece without the top or doors. It is made from scrap wood that he had in the workshop.

This is the top...beautiful walnut...
Here are two of our tables that he has made. Our house is a little upside down right now since we are putting in hardwood floors in my daughter's room. Things had to be rearranged a little...and speaking of flooring...
Here is what it looked like after the first night. Not only do we save money by buying it at a local home improvement place, we also save on labor of having it installed!

What's that weird noise...(Part 2)

We have been working, working, working on our daughter's room laying hardwood floors. My hubby and I have a great system. I lay the wood down, several rows in advance at a time, and he comes behind me and does all of the nailing. Works great for him, works great for me. We are almost all done.
God threw a little excitement into our day when the manual nailer that he was using broke. Yeah. Really happy thoughts ran through our minds. I called the local rental place and found not only a nailer that we could rent for (what I consider) cheap but it was air-assisted! Much easier on my hubby's back!
We headed across town to get the nailer and low and behold-it used the same nails that we already have! God is sooooo good.

We headed for Sonic for a quick lunch and ate in the car while enjoying the wonderful breeze that has been blowing all day. We slurped down our Cherry Limeade's and sat wishing that we had more.
"Can't hurt to ask," I said as I retrieved the cherry out of the ice, "all they can say is no."
So, the button was pushed and the worker said "Be right out."
He came out, took our cups and refilled them with the wonderful drink!
For Free!
Who would-a thunk it?

Oh, we got home, became busy bees again and suddenly noticed that our house was not cool. Ah, the A/C finally decided to stop. Well, I guess after living in a place for nine years without ever once having it serviced can do that to a machine....thank heavens it is breezy outside!

What's that weird noise...

Nothing. Silence. Quiet. How weird! Wes' wonderful parents have taken my children home with them for the weekend. Two nights. TWO NIGHTS! (yes, I know that all caps signifies screaming but it is just to quiet in here!)

I don't know what to do with the silence, the absence of "Mommy...." or "no sir/yes ma'am". The absence of Manny wanting to snuggle on the couch or Gracie girl wanting to paint or color with me...wait! This is the wrong path.

I have two days without my little ones, one afternoon to myself before my sweetie comes home from work. What to do? What to do? If only there were some bon-bons in the fridge. Maybe I need to alleviate that problem...

We are attacking my daughter's room this weekend while the babies are gone. My sweetie is laying hardwood floors and we will start painting it as soon as the floor is laid. We will be busy and are thankful that Fred and Frances were willing to help us out. They should have a blast with the babies! Just pray that the kids will go to sleep!

(I hate to use the word "in-laws" when it comes to my dear Fred and Frances. There can be a negative stigma with the term and none of the negatives have been nor can I ever see being associated with them. They love God, they love their son, they love me, they love their grandchildren...and they show it in more ways than one could ever imagine. I love them too!)

Walgreen's Deal for 05/30

There is a deal going on tomorrow for $10/$30 at Walgreens. I am not a big fan of Walgreens and don't usually shop there, so I won't even try to work up a deal.
However, if you go to Money Saving Mom's site, there is a link to be able to print the coupon for Walgreen's.
Also, if you go this site, there is a link to print another Huggies rebate for purchasing three bags of diapers in one purchase. I wasn't aware that this rebate was available and was very happy that the love was shared!

Memorial Day CVS Trip

I went to CVS today with my daughter and my wonderful stash of ECBS ($43.36). I knew that I was just going to spend those ECB's without worrying about how much I got back. So, that is exactly what I did.

First Transaction:

(1) Tide $5.99
(5) 12 packs of Pepsi $2.40 each
**They were buy 4 get 1 Free
(1) Very purply-fun girly flip flops for some sweet little feet $1.99

Total: $19.98
Coupon: $5/15 CVS
ECB's Used: $15.00
Total OOP: $3.38

Earned: $2 ECB's for Tide
$2.5o off $10 CVS Brand Purchase
$3 off any Excedrin

Second Transaction:

(1) Tide $5.99
(2) Playskool Diapers $10.99 each
(1) Bag of Bubble Gum for the owner of those sweet little feet

Total: $$28.96
Coupon: 35 cents off Tide
ECB's Used: $25.36
Total OOP: $3.40

Earned: $2 ECB's for Tide
$5 ECB's for Diapers

(Partial Picture: Too tired to lug all of the soda upstairs)

So, for next week, I have $15 ECB's!
Total Spent Today: $6.78 on $73.39 worth of stuff!
Total Saved: $66.61

(p.s. I have since learned that the $5/15 coupon that I found online should not have been used. I will go back to CVS and see if I can make it right. No need to have a guilty conscience over $5! Go to Money Saving Mom for more info on this coupon)

Does you mind ever take you down rabbit trails?

The other day I went and had my haircut. I loved it! It was good for me to have a few minutes away from my little boy who had been a tough nut to crack all morning!

Two days later, I was styling my new fandangled haircut (ok, so it's not really fandangled but how often do you get to use that word in a day?). My mind started running. Here we go...enter rabbit trail...



First...
I was thinking about a conversation with my stylist about girls having their hair done for prom
then...
I thought about my own prom. Why didn't I get my hair done for my prom?
then...
I remembered how sweet my now hubby looked in his suit. We had been dating for about 5 months and although it was my senior prom, he was a senior in college and I didn't care what he wore, just that he was there...sorry, another rabbit trail is trying to emerge
then...
I thought about my junior prom. No date. Didn't go. No hard feelings.
then...
I thought about the after prom party at my school. It was loads of fun! I remember being there with my close group of friends and just being. We weren't the "popular" crowd so we didn't gather much attention, but we were "cool" together.
then...
I remembered the gifts that they gave away if you stayed until the end of the party-somewhere around 3 a.m.
then...
I remembered all of the "popular" kids sitting up front so that they could jump up to gather their prize. The announcer had stopped drawing names because so many people had already left and would just give the prize to the first name that he heard called out.
then...
The prize was a portable CD player. Not to age myself but it was 1993 and those things were really just starting to make their way onto the scene-in a big way.
then...
I remember wishing I could get it.
then...
I heard my name called out by a guy. It was the only name called and I was floored! I got up and collected my prize.

Now this may be silly, but to this day, I never knew who called out my name. Sometimes, when I allow a rabbit trail to enter into my thoughts, I try to place that voice. Sometimes, I don't.

God is perfect in all that he does and I am so thankful that my first and final boyfriend is now my hubby of 12 years!

Wendy's Complaint

Last week, on my way home from a bible study, I stopped to get some lunch at a local Wendy's. It was just past the "lunch rush" so I thought my chances of getting hot, good food were pretty good.
I was handed my receipt which showed that cheese had been added to my burger. I destest cheese. I loathe it. So, I politely told the man working that I had not asked for cheese. He looked at me and then asked for the receipt again. He looked at me and then at the receipt. Did my head spin around? You would have thought!
He then yelled to the back that he needed a burger without the cheese. Ok. This was fixed. No big deal (except I was charged for the cheese). I got the rest of my order and pulled away.
I handed my daughter her chicken and then the fries. They were ice cold. So were mine. I sighed a heavy sigh and went back through the drive thru. I explained the problem. The man at the counter, the same one, looked at me as if my head was spinning around.
However, he did correct the problem.

Now. I don't mind giving my honest opinion to a company when I am either greatly not satisfied or greatly pleased. I am completely honest and make sure that I share all of the details, not just ones that would make my case sound better. I went online to the Wendy's site and shared exactly what happened. I even requested that they contact me if they needed to.

Several days later, I realized that I had never heard from Wendy's. First, I was a little aggravated. Then I reasoned with myself and decided that it didn't matter. I got home and opened my mailbox.

Wouldn't you know it? In my mailbox was an envelope from Wendy's with two gift certificates inside-to exactly replace the meal that I had purchased.

Kraft Food & Family Magazine (Summer 2008)

I just got my new Kraft Food and Family magazine (Summer 2008 edition) and it had some really nice coupons inside.

When the magazine originally came out, I was able to sign up for free. I receive it in the mail without having to pay for it.

The mag. sales for $3.95 and could be a filler for a CVS deal-if you could find it there.




Here are the coupons found inside...
75 cents off Maxwell House coffee
$1 off a LiveActive aproduct (Cereal/Crystal Light/Breakstone Cottage Cheese/Knudsen Cottage Cheese)
$1 off a South Beach Living Hot Sandwich Melt or Refrigerated Wrap Kit
55 cents off sugar free Rice pudding snacks (6 pack)
75 cents off Ritz Toasted chips
55 cents off Kraft Mayo

And one very nice coupon for a FREE bottle of Kraft Salad Dressing (up to $3.09) Thanks to Kim and Sherri for pointing it out! I would have missed it!

CVS Fun and a Good Kroger Trip

Tonight I went to CVS intent on spending $50 to be able to use a $10 off $50 coupon that expired today. I made a list of all of the items that I wanted to purchase and then substitutes because my CVS is famous for being out of stuff.

This is what I got:

2 Kelloggs Smart Start $2.50 each
1 Colgate Total Advanced $2.99
1 Schick Intuition Razor $9.99
1 Freestyle Glucose Monitor $10.00
1 Aquafresh Advanced $2.99
1 Aquafresh Xtreme $2.99
2 Tums quickpak $4.69 each
2 Hawaiian Tropic lipbalm $1.99 each
1 Zantac 8 Count $5.29

Total: $52.61

Coupons Used:
$10/50 CVS coupon
$5 ECB's
$3/15 CVS coupon
$3/2 Kelloggs Smart Start
$5 off Zantac
$4 off Razor Coupon
$1 Aquafresh Advanced
$1 Aquafresh Xtreme
$1 Colgate Toothpaste

Total $19.61 out of pocket
Total ECB's earned...can I get a drumroll please?....

$43.36!

This is how it broke down:
$9.38 ECB's for Tums (4.69x2)
$2.00 ECB's for Colgate
$5.98 ECB's for Aquafresh (2.99x2)
$10 ECB's for Freestyle Meter
$10 ECB's for Hawaiian Tropic
This was probably the best moneymaker. I was able to walk the aisle and find the lip balm that is made by HT. I spent $3.98 and got $10 back!
$6.00 ECB's for Schick Razor

I have never been so successful at accumulating ECB's before! I felt like I was on cloud nine for the rest of the night!

I get most of my coupons from the Money Saving Mom site and the links that are provided there. It is worth the effort to print the coupons and to read the CVS deals that other people post there.

I also did a Kroger trip this week. Ok, it was more like three, but I really only got a good deal once.

















Here is what I got:

Three packs of Huggies $9.49 each
Two Colgate Toothpastes $2.00 each
Three boxes Eggos $1.24 each
Five packs of Chicken $1.88 a pound
One bottle Pert Plus $2.50
Nine rolls of Paper Towels $1.00 each

Total Before Coupons and Card Savings: $99.95
Total AFTER Coupons and Card Savings: $41.03
Savings of $58.92

Coupons Used:
(9)25 cents off Bounty
2.00 off Pert Plus
(2)1.50 off Colgate
(2)1.00 off Huggies
1.50 off Huggies
2.50 off from Shortcuts
1.50 off any $7 frozen food purchase
2.50 off any $10 Poultry purchase
4.00 off purchase with Huggies promotion

Getting those veggies?

Tonight for dinner we had meatloaf. It is not a favorite in our house but every once in awhile, it is rather tasty. It also goes fabulous with my favorite dish of all time-green bean casserole!

My hubby likes there to be lots of veggies in it so I usually try to add sauted onions, green peppers and and celery. Well tonight, we were out of celery. I grabbed a yellow squash instead and cooked it up! Man! It was good. And my kids didn't even know that they were eating it.

Any tricks that you have?

How do you pronounce it?

A new bloggy friend of mine is hosting a game. It is so neat to have found someone who lives in "my neck of the woods" and so I wanted to join the fun!




The point of this game is as follows:

How do you pronounce the following words?

POINSETTIA: poin-set-ee-uh or poin-set-uh
EITHER: ee-ther or aye-ther
PAPRIKA: pap-ri-kuh or puh-pree-kuh
ROUTE: root or rout
GALA: gey-luh or gal-uh
CONSORTIUM: consor-shee-um or consor-tee-um
VASE: vayse or vahz
MISCHIEVOUS: mis-che-vus or mis-chee-vee-ous
KILOMETER: kil-uh-meter or ki-lom-i-ter
PATRONIZE: pay-tronize or pah-tronize
COMFORTABLE: comf-terble or com-fer-ta-ble
ASSOCIATE: ass-o-see-ate or ass-o-shee-ate
ORANGE: awr-nj or ornj
CARAMEL: care-a-mel or car-mel or kahr-uh-mel or kahr-mul
BONUS SPELLING QUESTION: CATSUP or KETCHUP

My answers:

POINSETTIA: poin-set-ee-uh
EITHER: ee-ther
PAPRIKA: pap-ri-kuh
ROUTE: rout
GALA: gey-luh
CONSORTIUM:consor-tee-um
VASE: vayse
MISCHIEVOUS: mis-chee-vee-ous
KILOMETER: kil-uh-meter
PATRONIZE: pay-tronize
COMFORTABLE: comf-terble
ASSOCIATE: ass-o-shee-ate
ORANGE: awr-nj
CARAMEL: care-a-mel
BONUS SPELLING QUESTION: KETCHUP
BONUS Word : HERB or 'ERB

You can copy the original set of words and paste them into your blog. Paste them again and give your answers. Add a new word to keep things interesting!
Then, link back to the original posting and/or leave a comment so we know to go and look!

Pity Party Update

I love my mom-in-law! She drove two hours today to watch my two little ones to give a chance to rest. And rest I did! It was the most wonderful gift that she could have ever given me.

Join my pity party!?!

Ok, so, I just wanted to take a moment and see if anyone wanted to join my pity party. I shouldn’t complain, God is SOOO good, but there comes a point where you just want some sympathy so here it goes…

I have a virus.
Can’t breathe through my nose.
Drainage makes me cough.
Coughing makes me gag.
Gagging makes me vomit.
Vomiting makes my sides and chest hurt.
Coughing keeps me awake.

Not to mention what effects the coughing is having on my bladder with me being 32 weeks pregnant!

A mixed blessing?...one of the coupons that I received from Kroger the other day was to save $20 off my groceries with any new RX filled. I went to the Dr. yesterday and he gave me an RX. So, I saved $20 bucks on my weekly grocery shop yesterday!

Every cloud has a silver lining-or in this case, an Andrew Jackson lining!

Coupon Joy

Today I received a bunch of coupons from Kroger and the thoughts of my future savings warmed my heart. Not to mention the fact that my two year old son was contently playing basketball and my daughter was content digging for worms.

Yeah.

So anyway, my friend Kim posted on her blog yesterday that she received coupons from Kroger and I was envious. Covetous. Over coupons! I felt left out. Confused. Have I not spent about the same amount of time in the store? Have I not walked aisle after aisle trying to find a way to walk out spending as little as possible? Was I not worthy of special coupons?

Here is what my lovely store sent to me...

1 Free box of special K cereal
$2.50 off a $10 fresh meat dept purchase
$1.50 off a $7 frozen dept purchase
$60.00 free in groceries with three RX transfers
$1 off two boxes of Kellogg's cereal
$1 off two Ragu pouches
50 cents off two Jet Puffed Marshmallows
$1 off any colgate toothpast
$1 off Kelloggs Nutri-grain bars
$1 off ALL laundry detergent
$1 off two Betty Crocker cookie mixes
50 cents of Palmolive
$1.25 off two Tostitos chips or salsa
$1 off two A1 steak sauces
$1 off $3 household cleaners purchase

Whew! And the best part-most of them are just "manu coupons" and can be used anywhere!

Have you ever complained...

Today I am pondering over a decision that I made yesterday regarding complaining about an employee at a local grocery store.

Here's the scenario: I purchased something that was suppose to be on sale. After looking at my receipt, I noticed that the item did not ring up correctly. I wheeled my full buggy back into the store and asked the person behind the desk if I could go and check the price. This person waved me away with a "sure".

Now, I do not know this person, but after shopping at this same store for a long time, I have come to cringe when I know that they are the person that I would need to get help from.

Back to the story...the sale sign on the aisle for the item had expired but had not been removed. I carefully looked at the price and the sale date and headed back up to the front desk. The person was happily chit-chatting with some other opposite sex employees. Their conversation did not stop. The person came to help me but was still more interested in the "who likes who" conversation.

I tried to explain to this person that the tag had not been removed from the shelf (thinking that I would get the difference since they should have removed the tag but not going to argue if I just needed to get my money back) and all this person said was "yeah, yeah, what do I owe you".
This person didn't want to see the receipt. This person didn't try to apologize or offer to make it any better in any way. But, the conversation of silliness continued even as they were handing me my money back.

Ok. So, I walk out of the store. I walk back in to get the name of the person. Of course, the silliness conversation was still going on so instead I asked a cashier that I recognized. The person behind the counter was not a manager, just someone who is able to work there. A manager was called and I explained the situation.

I walked out feeling good that I had stood up for myself and the lack service received. But then I started having second thoughts. Have you ever complained?

In Just A Minute...

As I was looking through the bloggy giveaways I came across the Extraordinary Mommy blog that had a post on it that has really stuck with me. It is about your child's imagination. I highly recommend that every Mommy go and check it out!

But, in finding this post, I thought that I would share with you something that I wrote several years ago for our MOPS group.

IN JUST A MINUTE

“In just a minute…” I have found myself saying this way to much lately. Mostly it has been to my daughter who is anxiously wanting my attention to show me an ant who is scurrying across our floor. It might be to feel that her watercolor painting is drying but if you touch the red paint it will still come off on your finger. It might be to watch a maple tree seed fly in the wind like a helicopter. “In just a minute…” has been my reply due to so many reasons both necessary and unnecessary. Maybe I am washing dishes or drying my hair. Maybe I am emailing a friend or watching the news. But I have learned that in just a minute, the moment is gone.

I find myself thinking that I have all the time in the world to watch my children grow-I am home with them all day. I find myself thinking that I will never forget the sweet, seemingly insignificant things that my children do everyday. Then, in just a minute, I suddenly realize that my child has moved on and I can’t remember exactly how or when they stopped doing those sweet things.

Life moves so fast, take time to cherish the MOPS years before they vanish in “just a minute”. Play in the wind, touch the red paint before it dries, lay on the floor and conspire about where that ant is really going. God has given us such special gifts in our children. In just a minute, they will be teenagers, adults, parents, and grandparents. Take time to enjoy them everyday and give them the blessing of your time. –Lori Lester

How about 'em apples?

I pack my hubby's lunch, not only to try to save money but to try to get him to eat healthy and keep from getting a headache (migraines can be induced from hunger for him...). One thing that he appreciates is a good, juicy, crunchy apple. The best that I have found are Fuji apples.

Last night, on a Kroger trip, I picked him up four apples-one for the rest of the week. The whopping total-$6.09! WHAT?!!! For that amount I could have gotten at least 18 candy bars, or two bags of really good cookies, or one star bucks coffee-but I am rambling.

It is hard to try to save alot when there are certain staples that just have to be had. Kinda like a good haircut!

Do you have any expensive staples?

Cereal Deals!

I needed, well maybe not needed, some cereal this week-especially since there was a pretty good deal going on at Kroger and I had some nice coupons.

I got 8 boxes of General Mills Cereal for $10.27 or $1.28 a box.

Here's what I got:

4 Boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch ($3.19 each)
2 Boxes of Cheerios ($3.79 & $2.79)
1 Box Kix ($2.59)
1 Box Trix ($2.79)

Total $24.72 before coupons/card/deal
Deal: $4 off total purchase when you buy 4 General Mills Cereal
(I used this deal twice-in two seperate transactions)
Card: $1.58 in savings
Coupons: (1) printable Cheerios coupon for 50 cents-doubled to $1
(2) $1.00 off any general mills cereal (from this post)
(1) $1.50 off any 3 general mills cereal-manuf. coupon
(1) $1.00 off any two cereals

Total Savings: $14.46!

Totally, glued to my computer, thanks to the bloggy giveaway carnival

Today started the annual Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. I have been totally glued to my computer since about 5:30 this morning looking at all of the incredible things that people are simply giving away! We are talking gift certificates to Starbucks, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc. There are also people giving away books and games and other items that they have made at home!

When I last checked, there were 383 sites to check out for giveaways. Can I just say that my mind is spinning? If you would like to check out what all of the fuss is about, go to this link. Good luck my dear friends and be prepared for your eyes to hurt!

We're going to get arrested!

Yesterday I had the enjoyment of taking my mother-in-law into Kroger with me. I was armed with coupons, including one for the Brita water filter. I really enjoy my mother-in-law's visit, particularly because she loves a good deal as much as I do!

What I purchased (sorry no picture)

1 Brita water filter $10.49
2 Bags Twizzlers (one for her, one for my sick daughter) $1.00 a piece
3 Jars Masterpiece BBQ sauce $2.09 a piece

Total before Kroger savings and coupons: $18.67
Total after Kroger savings: $11.37
Coupons Used:
$5 off any Brita product
(3) 50 cents off any Masterpiece BBQ sauce

Total out of pocket: $3.37

My mother-in-law giggled as we walked out the door and said "Hurry, let's get out of here! We are going to get arrested for "stealing" this stuff! She is so much fun!

Be sure to check out Money Saving Mom's website to see how others in this awesome bloggy saving world has done this week!

Free Brita Water Pitcher

There is a link on the Money Saving Mom site to get a coupon for $5 off any Brita water pitcher purchase. At our Kroger (in Va) the pitchers, located in the bottled water section, are marked for $10.49. I decided to buy one for my father-in-law and get it for $5.00.

When I got up to the register and scanned my Kroger card, the price on the pitcher dropped to $4.99. So I got it for free!

Click here for a link to the Money Saving Mom site to get the link for the coupon!

Like a crying baby....

Have you ever heard of a telephone ringing being related to a baby crying?...you can't help but pick it up? We don't have caller ID so every time the phone rings my heart races and I can't wait to get to it to see who it could be! Kinda like the little noise that my computer makes when I get an email. I have to go see it who has taken the time to write to me!

So, I have been trying very hard to not answer the telephone during the day when I am otherwise detained...like homeschooling, when I have finally found that moment to start playing with my ever patient daughter, when I have finally gotten my son down for a nap and my daughter in quiet time, and when we sit down to eat dinner.

What do you do?

My friend is holding a survey on her blog about this very matter. If you would like to participate, click here.

CVS success

Today I was bound and determined to walk into CVS and walk out feeling good about it. I was armed and dangerous-having coupons for almost everything and knowing exactly what I was going to buy and what to do if an item was not there.

I did pretty well...

(1) Box of wipes
(3) 24count excedrin
(1) Sunsilk Shampoo
(1) Bag of Gummy worms (for my children and well, I like them the most)

Total: $20.95
Coupons Used:
(3) $2 off Excedrin
(1) $2 off Sunsilk
(1) $1 off Huggies
(1) $4 off $20 CVS coupon

Total OOP: $9.51
ECB's earned: $8.00!

I was so excited to actually walk out of the store with ECB's in hand!

Who Doesn't Love Free Toys?!

I found this awesome site, 5 mintues for mom, early this morning (12:30ish to be exact) and they are giving away some very awesome toys! Either use the link above or click on the Two Weeks Of Toys button to the left of my blog.
Good Luck!

Coupon Nightmares

Last night I was plagued with coupon nightmares. Did I have the right ones, was I at the right place with the right list at the right time? See, saving money can be bad for your health!

I saw this cartoon and I laughed my head off! If you see me like this in CVS or Kroger, please offer to get me serious mental help!

Kroger and CVS

I am not very good at this CVS thing. I did ok, but I always feel like I end up spending way too much-and I never walk away with ECB's.

So, CVS first...

1st transaction:

2 Softsoap (it really pained me to buy these but the build up of ECB's is what I was going for...)
2 24 count Excedrin

Total: $13.96
Coupons:
(2) $2 off any excedrin
(2) $1 off soft soap
Total Due: $8.46
ECB's earned: $11.98

2nd Transaction:

1 box CVS wipes
2 Huggies Ultra diapers
2 bottles Johnson & Johnson baby wash
Total Due: $26.46

Coupons:
(2) $1.50 off Huggies
(1) $2.00/2 off any Johnson and Johnson products
(1) $4 off $20 CVS coupon
ECB's used: $11.98
Total Due: $6.38
ECB's Earned: $10.00

3rd Transaction:

1 Dove Shampoo
1 Dove Conditioner
1 Huggies ultra diapers
1 Sunsilk Shampoo
1 Sunsilk Conditioner
Total Due: $23.95

Coupons Used:
(1) $1 off Huggies
(1) $3 off 2 Dove products
(1) Buy one get one free Sunsilk
ECB's Used: $10.00
Total Due: $7.16

So, I spent $22.00 and saved $64.26. I do NOT have any ECB's left though.
If anyone has any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong or how to at least feel like I am coming out ahead in the CVS game, I would appreciate it!

Then to Kroger...

2 boxes KIX cereal (free after coupons)
1 Bag Friskies (free after coupon)
1 Bag Cat Chow (free after coupon)
1 Bag cat treats (free after coupon)
2 Pillsbury breadsticks
1 box Betty Crocker potatoes
1 Cookie mix
1 Dozen Eggs
1 4 pack Cottonelle
3 Bottles windex
2 bottles Shout
1 mustard
1 gallon Milk

I had coupons for almost everything (not the eggs or milk) and I got $5 off my transaction for buying 10 participating items.

Total Due: $48.85
Total Saved: $37.86
Amount Paid: $10.99

Lesson Learned-Part Two

Today in the mail there was an envelope from General Mills, the maker of the cereal that I ruined. Wow! Are they generous! This is what was in the envelope:

2 Coupons for a free box of cereal (up to $6.00)
2 Coupons for $1 off any of the following products:
Any Big G products (cereal)
Betty Crocker Products, Bugles, Chex Mix, Gold Medal Flour, Nature Valley Granola, Pop Secret

Lesson Learned

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a ton of cereal and stashed it in my "Stash Tote" I also had in my tote a couple boxes of laundry sheets. When I opened the cereal, not only had the wonderful smell of the laundry sheets permeated the cardboard box but also the plastic outer-wrap and the cereal itself.


Lavender flavored Honey-Nut Cheerios and Kix just don't go down well.

I emailed General Mills, fully admitted that the error was mine, not theirs, but asked for help anyway. They emailed me back that since they appreciated me as a customer, they would send me coupons to replace the cereal.

The lesson to be learned-always contact the company if there is a problem. Companies are always more than willing to help to keep your business, even when the fault is your own.

Kroger, Round 2

Today I went shopping for my Kroger Round 2. I did pretty well but had to change my list often and the items that I was buying because Kroger was out of several things.

Here's what I purchased in my first transaction. I had coupons for everything that I purchased except the Goldfish crackers.

12 Pillsbury Pizza Crusts
5 Bottles of Windex
1 Shout
2 Cans hormel chili beans
1 Ziploc storage bag
5 Goldfish
4 Tidy Cat Liter

Total Due: $78.57
Amount Paid: $18.98

2nd Transaction

3 Cottonelle 4 pack toilet paper
1 pack Tyson Chicken breast
1 2-pack strip steaks (splurged a little but they were on sale)
1 single strip steak (splurged a little more)
4 packs Kraft shredded Mozz. cheese
2 packs Kraft singles
1 pack tater tots
1 New York Texas toast
2 6-pack yoplait yogurt for kids
2 Pillsbury pizza crusts
1 KC masterpiece BBQ sauce
1 (desperately needed!) tub of Tums
1 Jar Peanut butter

Total Due: $71.62
Amount Paid: $39.19

So the total due for both transactions together
was $150.19
and I paid $58.17
a savings of $92.02!

Saving on car repair

My husband can fix just about anything. I wanted to share how he saved us some money this evening on car repair. We have had our share of this lately...

This dreary, drizzly morning we sadly had to say goodbye to my husband as he headed off to work once again. It is funny how routines change so easily and we get used to having him home everyday. And what a blessing that he has a job where he gets a spring break!

My two year old son, who wakes up before the roosters even dare crack an eyelid, and I were standing at the dining room window watching my husband pull away. It is our custom for who ever is available to stand at a window and wave and yell “goodbyes” and “love you” until the car has disappeared from sight and the car horn being blown in farewell just becomes an annoyance to our neighbors. We opened the window and bid him farewell. He responded back through the car window that he rolled down.

I stood at the window discussing the weather with my son waiting for my husband to pull out of the driveway. He didn’t. Instead he pulled back in. I asked him what was wrong and he said that the window would not go back up. Now this, is a problem. We quickly got him on his way in the gold car and left the poor old green car in the garage.

After bedtime, he went to work. He is a jack of all trades, you know. My husband constantly amazes me with the abilities that he has. He can figure out how to fix the inner workings of almost any machine-our washing machine, which just died was 35 years old. It washed my husband's diapers when he was a baby. How did it survive so long? My sweetie tinkering with it.

I went to check on him several times and had to giggle. He would leave the “surgical” area of the car, walking around with his grease covered hands held up in the air, just like a surgeon who is afraid of getting his scrubbed hands dirty. He pulled and poked. I was his trusty assistant, there to hand over his “surgical equipment”…flashlight, pliers, thingy-mabob (yes that is a technical term).

At the end of the surgery, the window was up. It might not be completely fixed but the surgery was a success! And he saved us a ton of money!