Things here have been a little on the crazy side lately. Some changes that I can't really say much about have been taking place. Then added to that my husband now is a business owner and it is a small business. He is a trucker and runs exclusively for Dollar General and has a 3 year contract with them. Then addded to that I have a job, it is a demanding one but one that allows me to stay home with the kids and hopefully will let me get my feet wet and if all goes as planned get my feet under me to start my own business too. That would be 2 small businesses run out of the same house. It makes me wonder if we are nuts. I have managed to score several sweet deals here lately. Right now the only places I can do real well at are Piggly Wiggly, Target, CVS and Food Lion. That is my choice option right now. For Thanksgiving we ended up with 43 pounds of turkey for $9, and paid about half price for the rest of the meal.
This week at Target I am planning on printing out their store coupon for $1/1 of Suave shampoos and conditioners since they are on sale for $0.97. Also I am eyeballing their candle deals. Last time round I ended up with about $50 worth of candles and payed $15 not too bad.
It is late or should I say early, so I need to hop off so I can get up early and finish off the last of the work needed for my job tomorrow. I will try not to be such a stranger here.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Wed CVS and Walmart Exploits
I started out with CVS and was pleasently surprised at the good deals I managed to grab on round 2 this week. I picked up 2 John Freida products shampoo/conditioner that I had $3 coupons for. The ECB said get $10 in product and get $3 ECB back. Well it was on sale from $7 down to $5 and I picked them up for $2 each or .50 after ECB. Our store had Pantene half off with peelies so I grabbed 2 and used the peelies and $1/2 coupon and got 2 family sized Pantenes for a total of $5. I went ahead and grabbed 4 boxes of cereal using 75 cent off a box coupons and they were on sale for 3/10 with $4 ECB. I snagged even more poptarts on sale at 3/5 and used the $1/2 coupons. Now my pantry is overflowing with poptarts from a shopping spree at walmart a month ago and this was a better price. Also this week had V-8 and V-8 splash on sale for 2/6 with $1 ECB. I used coupons and got 6 bottles. We are on food stamps for about another month. So I ended up using about $40 off of that and out of pocket (oop) cost none. I used the $7 ECB I walked into the store with but came out with $10.
Walmart I managed to shop well too. The best deals came from two more Gillette Body Washes for free, used a buy one get one coupon and a $4 off coupon. They are $3.47 each there and now my husband has 6 bottles of it stocked and he is shaking his head at me over the phone while I laugh. Also the other really good deal was the Lysol no touch Hand Sanitizer was on Sale from $10 to $6. I used $3 off coupons and picked 3 up for $9 total. I won't bore you with the rest but I walked out of this store with $24 in sales savings $25 in coupon savings, $12 o.o.p. and $7 of that is coming back to me in rebates. It isn't easy pulling the kids through the store while doing it. In fact I have been known to grumble before hand and threaten to call it quits with couponing. But to me I have been blessed with the privalage of staying home while my husband works like crazy. I have to remind myself that this is God's job for me right now, helping him save money so that it goes farther and gets us out of debt sooner. So when I grumble and gripe before hand it always turn into a smile after the work is done when the results are seen. I just need to remember that a little bit more before.
Walmart I managed to shop well too. The best deals came from two more Gillette Body Washes for free, used a buy one get one coupon and a $4 off coupon. They are $3.47 each there and now my husband has 6 bottles of it stocked and he is shaking his head at me over the phone while I laugh. Also the other really good deal was the Lysol no touch Hand Sanitizer was on Sale from $10 to $6. I used $3 off coupons and picked 3 up for $9 total. I won't bore you with the rest but I walked out of this store with $24 in sales savings $25 in coupon savings, $12 o.o.p. and $7 of that is coming back to me in rebates. It isn't easy pulling the kids through the store while doing it. In fact I have been known to grumble before hand and threaten to call it quits with couponing. But to me I have been blessed with the privalage of staying home while my husband works like crazy. I have to remind myself that this is God's job for me right now, helping him save money so that it goes farther and gets us out of debt sooner. So when I grumble and gripe before hand it always turn into a smile after the work is done when the results are seen. I just need to remember that a little bit more before.
Couponing Start Up Basics
What you will need to get organized:
3 ring binder, reccomend the kind that zips up
baseball card sleeves to put the coupons in
dividers to organize the coupons by category; paper goods, frozen, meats etc
Types of coupons:
Manufacturer Coupon: These start with either the number 5 or the number 9. Most of the Sunday paper coupons are these.
Store Coupon: Starts with any number other than 5 or 9 and is often printed with the receipt, or in the store circular/weekly add.
Competitor Coupon: This is a coupon from a second store that is accepted at the store you are currently in.
Peelies: These are located on a single product. You can peel them off and use them immeadiatly.
Blinkies: Those little machines in the isle attatched to a shelf with a coupon sticking out of them.
Printable Coupon: There are coupons that you can print online and print up to two of on a single computer. These work just like a regular manufacturer coupon.
That is all I am going to post right now. This is the 2nd time doing this post since the first got deleted. I believe we can honor the Lord by being better stewards of the money and caretakers of the family just by using things as simple as couponing. For me it also goes to other aspects of life and I am learning how to make and use things cheaper too. So even as I try to help teach you I am learning. Any questions from newbies or comments, and advice etc from pros are welcome.
3 ring binder, reccomend the kind that zips up
baseball card sleeves to put the coupons in
dividers to organize the coupons by category; paper goods, frozen, meats etc
Types of coupons:
Manufacturer Coupon: These start with either the number 5 or the number 9. Most of the Sunday paper coupons are these.
Store Coupon: Starts with any number other than 5 or 9 and is often printed with the receipt, or in the store circular/weekly add.
Competitor Coupon: This is a coupon from a second store that is accepted at the store you are currently in.
Peelies: These are located on a single product. You can peel them off and use them immeadiatly.
Blinkies: Those little machines in the isle attatched to a shelf with a coupon sticking out of them.
Printable Coupon: There are coupons that you can print online and print up to two of on a single computer. These work just like a regular manufacturer coupon.
That is all I am going to post right now. This is the 2nd time doing this post since the first got deleted. I believe we can honor the Lord by being better stewards of the money and caretakers of the family just by using things as simple as couponing. For me it also goes to other aspects of life and I am learning how to make and use things cheaper too. So even as I try to help teach you I am learning. Any questions from newbies or comments, and advice etc from pros are welcome.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
New Directions
Ok, so after being frustrated with the layout on my blog and it driving me nuts to the point of not blogging for a while....it's fixed! And in time for me to put a slightly new twist to my blog. You will still find the occassional random ramblings of a mom who is missing her husband and loving her kids while trying not to go insane. But a lot of posts on the blog will be going to teaching my friends how to coupon, the basic for beginners and posting freebies and sales. If you have questions or comments or suggestions let me know. I will have it up by the end of the week Lord willing.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Home Made Yogurt
Here is a treat I am planning on making for the family tomorrow, it takes some time but is good.
Yogurt:
Makes about 8 cups
Heat in a large saucepan: 2 quartsmilk
Use an instant thermometer. Bring milk slowly (med heat) to 180 degrees. You can heat it faster, but if you burn the fat, it will taste awful.
Remove from heat and cool to 112 degrees (takes a while for a gallon to cool, but a quart might cool in an hour or less. If it cools too long, I heat is up to 112 again. Stir in 4 to 6 tablespoons plain yogurt. Pour into hot, sterilized jars. Turn on oven light at this point. You can heat oven up to 200,then turn oven off. Place jars containing yogurt in warm oven. Leave oven light on and leave overnight. Yogurt will be ready in the morning.
Extra tidbits. A yellow liquid separates from yogurt. It is called whey. If you mix it in, it will make your yogurt creamy. I sometimes drain it all out by putting it in a towel and let it drip 24 hours, no refrigeration. Then you have cream cheese and whey. I use the whey in lots of recopies--for preserving. The cream cheese has a different taste than the stores. A sharper taste.
More: You can add sugar to the yogurt when you heat up the milk. I don't know how much. We usually cook fruit on the stove in a little water and add sugar to the cooking water. Then we pour it over the yogurt to sweeten.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Song...
I have had random songs pop in my head lately and this is the latest one. They have been an encouragement to me and I know God has been letting me remember them for the first time in years for a reason.
Updates on life
It has been insane lately and though I have managed to semi follow the blogs here I have not had much time to actually blog myself. Since Feb.2nd we have moved twice. The first time from AL to SC and the second time from SC to VA. The second move was by far the hardest. I had to pack and move on my own with the 3 boys while cleaning and getting stuff into storage for a few months. Since we plan on only staying in the current location till the end of summer most stuff is in storage and things like cable and internet are not on here. I borrow the internet when I need it and other than that I don't miss it much. It is making me be creative on how to relax though. I have been with out J here for 3 weeks and 2 days now. I won't get to see him again until sometime in June. It seems forever off. My sister in law Mindy and my friend Val are what is keeping me sane. M and I still talk coupons and Fly Lady just about every day. I am addicted to couponing and saving up to 90percent on my shopping bills and I got her addicted to it...but as my friend says it is a way to glorify God through our finances. Pray has been a major part of my lifeline here. I can't believe how lax Ihad gotten with it before now.
Other news...my puppy.well she is almost 2 now, had puppies on Sat. 9 in total 5 males and 4 females. They are all being watched by a wonderful Navy couple in SC till we can get back to pick them minus one up. They asked payment in puppy and we agreed. Nate is fully potty trained. It is a blessing I thank God for. We have been working at it for 18 months off and on. Once the potty chairs got packed in SC he went back to diapers like his 2 brothers. That gets expensive quickly. After 6 days to settle in and calm down I told him he would not be wearing another diaper from that point on. We are now at 4 and a half days in underwear and only one accident. He doesn't even get a pull up or diaper for naptime or bedtime. I am giving myself a short breather and either midweek of this week or Monday of next week I am starting full time potty training of Caleb too. It would be nice to have a short period with only one in diapers.
Daddy has noticed the increase in their vocabulary since he has been gone. Nate enjoys counting and is finally getting the numbers in the correct order and both boys are fascinated with their colors. Yellow being the favorite one to say. Nate has been carrying on full conversations here lately and other than being small most people assume he is older than 3. Boo is trying to mimick him. Jojo now has two teeth and is crawling. His newest accomplishment is to crawl to me and go from laying on the floor to sitting up on his knees to standing with no help in the process from me. He will walk across the floor if he has hands or a walking toy to hold on to. Not bad for a 8 and a half month old huh. He may not be the baby much longer....I took a pregnancy test and it came out with the shadow of a second line...so we will see. :) We are cautiously optomistic. A lot of changes and a lot of growing and hopefully it won't be so long before I post on here again. Thank God for what he has been doing in our lives and keep on praying for us please.
Other news...my puppy.well she is almost 2 now, had puppies on Sat. 9 in total 5 males and 4 females. They are all being watched by a wonderful Navy couple in SC till we can get back to pick them minus one up. They asked payment in puppy and we agreed. Nate is fully potty trained. It is a blessing I thank God for. We have been working at it for 18 months off and on. Once the potty chairs got packed in SC he went back to diapers like his 2 brothers. That gets expensive quickly. After 6 days to settle in and calm down I told him he would not be wearing another diaper from that point on. We are now at 4 and a half days in underwear and only one accident. He doesn't even get a pull up or diaper for naptime or bedtime. I am giving myself a short breather and either midweek of this week or Monday of next week I am starting full time potty training of Caleb too. It would be nice to have a short period with only one in diapers.
Daddy has noticed the increase in their vocabulary since he has been gone. Nate enjoys counting and is finally getting the numbers in the correct order and both boys are fascinated with their colors. Yellow being the favorite one to say. Nate has been carrying on full conversations here lately and other than being small most people assume he is older than 3. Boo is trying to mimick him. Jojo now has two teeth and is crawling. His newest accomplishment is to crawl to me and go from laying on the floor to sitting up on his knees to standing with no help in the process from me. He will walk across the floor if he has hands or a walking toy to hold on to. Not bad for a 8 and a half month old huh. He may not be the baby much longer....I took a pregnancy test and it came out with the shadow of a second line...so we will see. :) We are cautiously optomistic. A lot of changes and a lot of growing and hopefully it won't be so long before I post on here again. Thank God for what he has been doing in our lives and keep on praying for us please.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I can't stay on here long as I must still get all 3 boys dressed and head off to an appointment here shortly. But for any and all cloth diapering mammas out there like me Passionate Homemakers and Envibum are doing a free giveaway. You can find them through this link.
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/envibum-giveaway.html/comment-page-1#comment-20904. If that doesn't work just find Passionate Homemakers on my list that I follow and go to it. Hope ya'll enjoy them.
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/envibum-giveaway.html/comment-page-1#comment-20904. If that doesn't work just find Passionate Homemakers on my list that I follow and go to it. Hope ya'll enjoy them.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
It's been too long
It has been to long since I have taken the time to write on here. We were without the internet for about a month around the time we moved. And yes move we did...all the way from Alabama to sunny South Carolina. I am back home and oh so happy to be here. We have upgraded in the size of house, so it is taking a bit longer to get things settled in.
The boys are adjusting well and we are trying to get them into somewhat of a routine here. Soon that routine will include multiple doctors visits for Caleb to get everything sorted out. Right now his allergies are only known to be milk and soy but there is a possability of more. We are encouraging him to talk more, as he has a very limited vocabulary and the words he says are hard to understand. Nathan we work with for about 30 minutes a day on abc's and numbers and learning books. Joey is Joey...he is now rolling all over the place and scooting around on his back. We are cloth diapering and baby wearing him as it is more frugal and makes things a lot easier on us. For now all of our stuff is hand washed and hung out to dry.Jer picked up a temp job until one of the DOD jobs picks him up.
I have to go and get things set for tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be long before I can hop back on here.
The boys are adjusting well and we are trying to get them into somewhat of a routine here. Soon that routine will include multiple doctors visits for Caleb to get everything sorted out. Right now his allergies are only known to be milk and soy but there is a possability of more. We are encouraging him to talk more, as he has a very limited vocabulary and the words he says are hard to understand. Nathan we work with for about 30 minutes a day on abc's and numbers and learning books. Joey is Joey...he is now rolling all over the place and scooting around on his back. We are cloth diapering and baby wearing him as it is more frugal and makes things a lot easier on us. For now all of our stuff is hand washed and hung out to dry.Jer picked up a temp job until one of the DOD jobs picks him up.
I have to go and get things set for tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be long before I can hop back on here.
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