Bye Bye PiPi!!!

(this is the latest picture I have of Alyssa with her pipi - it is 4 months old)

I have to tell you I have been COMPLETELY SHOCKED this week!  I have been dreading, I mean really dreading, the whole weaning Alyssa from her pipi delimna!  For a while now she has only been taking it at nap time and at nighttime but I just KNEW she would give such a fight if we tried to take it away!

Well, once again, my baby girl has shocked me!!  It all started Friday night.  I had a mom's night out and somehow ended up with the pipi in my purse...well I didn't make it home until way after the kiddo's bed time. Daniel said she went down without a fuss, not even asking for it!!  (of course she had played really hard up at her Granny's house that evening so we just figured she was too tired to care).

Well the next day I put her down for her nap and she cried pretty good so I finally gave in (I know bad mommy but oh well) and gave it to her.  But that night we put her down and I thought we would try again to not give it to her.  Well, she cried for me but then Daddy went in there after me and when he came out of the room she was quiet - and stayed quiet!  I assumed that he gave in but he didn't!  I asked him "what is your secret?"  He said "I just stroked her hair and her cheek until she stopped crying".

Well Sunday at nap time Daddy wasn't around so I thought I would give that a try - and guess what - it WORKED!!  And it worked again last night and again today at naptime!!  All we do is stroke her cheeks and her hair until she stops crying (which takes less than a minute) and she quiets down and we don't hear another peep!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!!  I could not have dreamed this to be any easier!!  OMG!!

:-( But wait...that just means she is growing up even more :-( ... oh my heart!  I don't know if I can take this :-(...

Anyways, until next time,

Kellie

Coupon Savings Today!

The kids and I took a quick shopping trip today and got some good savings!  Overall I had a 35% savings on the value of my purchases!  Not as good as some trips but still not bad at all!!

Here is what I got at Walgreens.

They had their Colgate toothpaste and toothbrushes on sale!  They were on sale for 2/$6 but you got $4 back in RR which made them really only $1 each.  I had $0.75/1 MF coupons to add to them so I got them for $0.25 each!!  I used the $8 I got back in RR to buy the kids some new firefly toothbrushes.  I only had to pay $1.05 for the 3 toothbrushes (Seth already ripped his out of the pkg before the pic so it's hard to see that there are 3 there) after applying the $8 RR. (they did not have any of the original item I initially wanted to buy...but the kids were happy with their toothbrushes).  So I only spent $10.17 for this $22.93 worth of items - a $12.76 savings!!  I'll take that!

Here is what I got at CVS:

I got all of this stuff for $10.03!!  They had their Hunt's Snack Pack puddings, chef boyardee, and Spaghetti o's on sale for 10/$10 and if you bought $10 worth you got $3 back in ECB.  I had a coupon for the puddings for buy 3 get one free!  I had a coupon for canned chef-boyardee but they were out of all of those...but the $1 sale was still good so I added more puddings and the chef boyardee micro cups and spaghetti o's so that I could get my 10 items and get my $3 ECB. (so after the coupon and the ECBs these ended up being $0.60 a piece!  Not bad!

The Xtra detergent was on sale for $1.49 (normally $2.99) for their 28 load botle.  I had two coupons that were $1/2 which made them $0.99 each.  I applied the $3 ECB and only payed $1.03 for them!

So I purchased $26.73 worth of items for $10.03 - which was a $16.70 savings!!  What a deal!

Here are some of the good deals I got at Wal-Mart -

I price match boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Wal-Mart had them for $1.88/lb but I found them in another grocer's sales ad for $1/lb!!!  So on the package I got, which was 4.61 lbs, that was a $4.05 savings!

Wal-Mart had their Taco Bell brand taco shells for $1.32 but I matched another grocer's ad for $0.99.  I then had a $1/2 MF coupon that I put on top of that so I got each package for $0.49!!

Wal-Mart had their Pilsbury Cinnamon Rolls for $1.28 (for the small can) I price matched that with another grocer's ad for $0.79 and then added a $0.40/2 MF coupon so I got each tube for $0.39!!  They also had their Pilsbury crescent rolls for $1.27 for the small can that I price matched also with that ad for $0.79.  I then added a $0.50/2 MF coupon so I got those for $0.29 a tube!

Wal-Mart had their Hamburger Helper for $1.50 each.  I price matched them with another grocer's ad for $1.25 and then added $0.75/3 MF coupons so I got them for $1 a box!

So not a bad trip at all!  I really like this saving money thing!

I saved $71.83 today!!

WHOO HOO!!  I went shopping today using my sales ads and my coupons and saved $71.83!!  I am so happy!!  I thought I would share some of the deals that I got :-)!!

I went to four different stores - Target, Walgreens, CVS and Wal-Mart.

Here is a picture of what I got from Target!  I paid $4.98 for all of this!!!

The Suave shampoo was $0.84.  I had a MF coupon for $0.75/1 so I got it for $0.09!!
Target had web coupons if you buy an Airwick Freshmatic refill ($4.99 value) you got the gadget ($4.99 value) free.  I had two of these coupons.  So I picked up two gadgets and two refills.  I also had a MF coupon that was buy one refill and get one free.  So I got all 4 of these items ($19.96 value) for $4.99!!!
The degree deodorant was $0.97 and I had a $1.00/1 MF coupon for ANY degree deoderant. So I actually made $0.03 on this deodorant!  They applied the full coupon amount!! WHOO HOO! (love it when stores pay me to take items off of their shelf for them :-) )
The scissors were $1.49 each and I had a $1.00/1 MF coupon for each so I paid $0.49 for each of them!
I also had a $0.05 deduction applied to my total because I used my own bag to carry my items out in.  I also had $0.22 left on a gift card from the last time I was in the store!
So in the end I got $27.49 worth of items and paid only $4.98!!  That is a $22.51 savings!!

Next stop was Walgreens!!  Here are items that I got for $10.82!!

The Cottonelle 12 Big Rolls were on sale for $5 each and they had a deal going if you bought two then you got $3 RR.  Also the May Walgreens Coupon book had a $1/1 and that was applied to each and then I had two $0.50/1 MF Coupons!  (and I had a SUPER SWEET cashier that knew her stuff and when the register would not take the MF coupons she manually entered them (because you are able to stack a Walgreens coupon with a MF coupon!)  So that came to be $2.00 for each package!!  (that is $0.16 a roll!!)

The U by Kotex pads and liners were on sale for 2/$7 and you got back $2 RR when you bought 2.  I also had two $1/1 MF coupons to put on them so I ended up getting them for $1.50 a package!!!

I used the $5 RR I got on these on a second transaction to put towards Mother's Day gifts for the grandmas that the kids picked out for them :-)  (I can't share them on here because the grandma's might read this before they get their gifts!)

After this stop we went to McDonald's for lunch!  I let the kids play for a while on the playground!  It was a BEAUTIFUL day and perfect for being outside.  They really seemed to enjoy the break too!  While they were playing I got to go through sales ads that I had picked up from my good friend Wendy this morning to figure out my match ups for our Wal-Mart trip!

We then went to CVS.  Here is a picture of what I got for $12.35!!

 I did this in two transactions (so that I could use my ECBs and get my full savings today!)

On the first transaction I got the Colgate toothpaste. The sale was you got it for $2.77 and then you got $2.77 back in ECBs!  (this means this was FREE!!!!)
I also got the Herbal Essence styling products.  CVS had them on sale for 2/$5.97 and you got back $2 in ECB bucks! I had a $1/1 MF coupon to put on top of that so I got each for $1.48!

On the second transaction I got three Listerine mouthwashes!  CVS had them on sale for $3.99 and I had three $1/1 MF coupons so I got each of them for $2.99 (good price for Listerine...not free but we were out). I used my $4.77 ECB from the first transaction to help pay for this one so that I got my full savings on the first transaction!

Our last stop was Wal-Mart!  Now I won't share everything that I got at Wal-Mart because a lot of it was our normal things that we needed and some didn't even have coupons (BOO! but what can you do!).  But I did find some really good savings and in the end I paid $58.47 for $78.71 worth of items - a savings of $20.24!!  That $20 is big to me!  :-)

But here are a few of the deals that I got:

Pictured:
The Scott Naturals toilet paper were on sale for $2.68 each (they were 4 mega roll pkg) I had two $1.50/1 MF coupons which made these $1.18 a package (which was $0.29 for each MEGA roll!!)  Man!  I scored big on toilet paper today!  LOL!!  We are stocked for a little while now :-)

The Skinner pasta was on sale at Krogers this week - they were running a deal that if you bought 10 of any of the participating items then you got an extra $5 off.  Thankfully the ad put the $0.50 off savings for each product so that you could price match!.  So the Krogers ad showed these pasta packages to be $0.38 each if you bought 10.  The price of these at Wal-Mart was $1.04 each!!  That was as savings of $0.66 on EACH - or $6.60 total!!

I also got the Reach Floss - Wal-Mart had it for $0.88 and I had $1/1 MF coupons!!  So Wal-Mart paid me  $0.12 per package of floss to take them out of their store!!  I only had 3 of these coupons left - so the total that Wal-Mart paid me today to take these was $0.36!!  (once again I LOVE it when stores pay me to take merchandise out of the store for them!!)

Not Pictured:
I also matched a deal at David's for pork butt roast (my favorite kind of roast - SO TENDER!).  They had it on sale for $1.99/lb.  Wal-Mart's price was $2.28/lb.  With the 7.24 lb roast that I got I saved $2.09!!  (and a roast that size will make two meals for my family!!)

I also matched David's ad for their Totino Party Pizzas!  My kids LOVE these pizzas and they make such easy lunches!  David's had them 10/$10.  Wal-Mart's price was $1.12 each!!  I also had two $1/5 MF coupons to put on top of them so I got each pizza for $0.80.  This provided a total savings of $3.20!!

So it was a successful day!!  I think I am really starting to figure out this whole couponing thing and am starting to see the savings for our family!  I find it to be a fun challenge to do for my family!

Alyssa Turns Two!!

It's hard to believe that Sunday my baby girl turned two years old!!  OMG! Where does the time go??  She is growing up way too fast!!

She is ALL GIRL!!  The frillier, shiner, blingier - the better!!  She LOVES her baby dolls!  She spends all day hugging them, putting them in the cradle with a blanket, walking them in their stroller, feeding them (she tries to feed them her cereal) and she even sings to them!  She was so excited to get baby bottles for her birthday so that she can now give them a bottle!

She loves her doll house and will spend countless time playing with it!

She also loves shoes!  In fact she got 4 pair for her birthday!!

She is my precious princess and I can't imagine life without her!

Of course I love these two little guys as well!  Even though they love to torture their sister and remove all of her baby doll's clothes!!  That's what brothers are for!!

But look at how much life she brings to the group!!  (this picture just cracks me up!  Not only the decked out princess but the typical "why me?" look on Aaron and Seth in his own little world!  A true picture of how our life is!! LOL!)

Have a great day!

My Successful Coupon Shopping Trip

Ok I have spent all week obtaining coupons and scoping out sales ads and planning a couponing trip!  I went on this shopping trip yesterday and I believe it paid off!!!  :-)  You really can save a lot of money if you learn how to work your coupons with your ads and take advantage of your store "perks".  Here is a little summary of my adventure :-)

CVS TRIP
My biggest savings trip was CVS!  I ended up getting $75.32 worth of items and only spending $15.36!!!  Here are some of the savings I took advantage of!

I did this trip in two transactions so that I could use my earned ECBs for savings yesterday!

Transaction 1:
Gain Dishwashing Liquid -they had it on sale for $0.97 and I had two coupons of get $1/1.  So I got two bottles FREE!!!
They were also doing a sale where if you spent $20 in purchases of selected items you get $10 ECB.  I bought a Airwick Automatic starter - it was priced at $6 (normal price $12) and I had a $4/1 coupon. I bought a Airwick Compact starter - it was priced at $5 (normal price $10) and I had a $2/1 coupon.  I bought a double refill for the warmer (that I bought elsewhere) for $5 and had a $1/1 coupon.  I ended that $20 purchase with a $4 lysol disinfectant.  So $20 worth of items - $7 in coupons which means I was out of pocket on this transaction $13 BUT I got $10 ECB!!!  (Which is the same as paying $3 for all of these items!!!)

They had a special on their Special K bars - by 3 pkg and get $4 ECB.  The say was 3/$10 and I had a $2/3 coupon.  So I paid $8 and got $4 in ECB, so I really spent $4 for 3 boxes of Special K Bars!

I also had a coupon to get a full size Essence of Beauty item ($3.99 value) FREE!!  (which by the way I got the Pomegranate Apple hand soap and it smells wonderful!!!)

I also had a $4 off a $20 purchase coupon (and it applies to the gross total, before coupons!)

So this first transaction I spent $15.36 and got $14 back in ECB!!!

Here is what I did on the 2nd transaction:

I got a 36 count bag of eggs for $2.99 (had to have them for our Easter party this morning)

They had Dove eggs candy 2/$6 and I had a $1/2 coupon so I got them 2/$5.

I bought a bag of Wonka sweetarts - on sale for $2.50 and I had a $0.55/1 coupon so got them for $1.95

I bought 2 Xtra Detergents.  They had them on sale for  $1.49 each.  I had a $1/2 coupon so I paid $1.98 ($0.99 each)

The total for this transaction was $11.92 - I gave both my ECB to them, which was $14.  So I was nothing out of pocket.  (Hind sight though - I should have kept the $4 ECB for a later shopping trip because I only needed $1.92 from it and they applied that but I did not get the other $2.08 back...oh well, I'm learning!)

So in total I spent $15.36 for $75.32 (retail value) of items!!  WHOO HOO!!

Target Trip!
Probably the 2nd biggest savings trip of the day was Target where I got $105.63 worth of items and only paid $48.86!!

The key to Target is to find the deals where you can stack Target coupons on top of MF coupons!  And find the deals where you get back the gift cards!

I won't tell you every item I bought because I bought a lot of stuff!!  But here are some of the best deals that I got!

They had Glade's new Spring Collection on sale.  I got a room spray that was priced at $2.99.  I had a $1/1 target coupon and a $1/1 MF coupon - which means I got the spray for $0.99

I had a Target coupon if you buy a Airwick warmer refill double pack ($4.89) you got the warmer free ($2.49).  I had  MF for $1 off warmer and MF coupon for $1 refill.  So I got the warmer free and paid $2.89 for the refill!!

They were running a good sale on Green Works cleaning products. If you bought 3 cleaning items you got the dishwashing liquid (2.59) free.  I bouth the glass cleaner (2.49), all purpose cleaner (2.49) and toilet bowl cleaner (2.39) and I had $2 in MF coupons towards this.  So I paid $5.37 for $9.96 worth of cleaners.

I got me a couple of free candies :-) They had single serve bags of Skittle Blenders for $0.69 and I had a MF coupon $1.50/2 of ANY Skittles blenders - so they were FREE!

They had another deal if you bought 3 of selected Always and Tampax items you got a $5 gift card.  I bought a box of Always pantyliners $5.49 (had $1 MF coupon), and two boxes of Tampax tampons ($5 each) and had 2 MF coupons - each were $1/1.  So I paid $12.49 and got back $5 (which I used in a second transaction) so I really got all this for $7.49!

I did have some other items that I matched MF coupons with Target coupons for good savings but these were the big highlights!

Walgreens
I also found some good savings at Walgreens!  They had a sale going - they had their small pkg of Carefree pantyliners on sale for $0.99 (reg $1.49) and you got back $0.99 in RR!!  (so do the math - you get them free!!) They only allowed one per transaction - but I had two transactions so I made sure I had one in each!

They also had a deal if you bought two Got2B styling products you got $5 in RR.  They had them on sale for $5 each and I had a coupon for $2/1 so I paid $8 and got $5 RR (which I used on the next transaction...so I really only paid $3)

On my second transaction they were out of all the products I was going to buy to take advantage of using my RR...but I found that they had Disney Princess balls (big balls) so I grabbed one for Alyssa's birthday and used my RR to pay for it!!  :-)

That was my biggest savings!  I did have a little bit of price matching and coupon use at Wal-Mart!  But I need to figure out how to get hold of more grocery ads for price matching so I can do better there!  I also took advantage of a few savings at HEB!

And I figured out I still need to work on my organization of my coupons and shopping lists and stuff!  But I think I am going to like saving all this money!!

And it is a good thing I saved money!  I came home to find out our toilet broke and flooded the bathroom hall and boys room!  I came home to the carpet pulled up and carpet padding drying on the porch.  We had to go last night and buy new toilet and vanity and I have got company coming TODAY for Alyssa's birthday party that is TOMORROW!!  Crazy!

Another Couponing Adventure

Well I tried out coupons again yesterday. This time I went to Wal-Mart. My original total was $57.12, then after coupons applied it was $48.82. At first I was a bit bummed that I only saved $8.30 but the more I thought about it I realized that was about a 15% savings, which is better than nothing, right???

But I did get a few good deals though.

First off I had a coupon for $2/2 Mars Easter products. The coupon said it included the mini candy eggs, which are $1 each at Wal-Mart. So do the math - that means I got some free candy! That will always make a girl happy!! :-)

I also had a $0.40/1 off any Frigo cheese products. This was an online print off coupon that I was able to get my computer to print 2 before it stopped me. Well Wal-Mart had individual servings of Frigo string cheese for $0.33!! Do the math! $0.40 off of $0.33 means I got paid for buying string cheese! :-) (and I was surprised - there was no problem with the full amount of the coupon being applied!)

I also had a $0.50/1 coupon for any Dawn product! I was needing some dishwashing liquid for the camper and used the coupon on a $0.97 bottle! So I only paid $0.47 for dishwashing soap!

I also had a $1/2 any Peter Pan peanut butter. I got two small reduced fat containers (perfect size for the camper) for $1.88 each (which was $1.38 each after coupons).

I was happy with the fun deals that I got! I want to keep learning and figuring out how I can save even more.

I asked the hubby if I could have the money I am saving for me (for sewing stuff). I told him we would be still saving money because I would just be using what we saved on groceries. I told him it would give me incentive to really see how much we can save. Sounds like a wonderful plan to me...I don't know if he is buying it though. I will just have to keep working on him!

Well I need to get back to my family - we are out camping!!!

Coupons!

Ok - so I have decided to get back into couponing!  I have hooked up with some good online resources (such as www.monesavingmom.com)!!

Tonight I went to Target - I got $45.68 and only paid $20.88!!  WHOO!  HOO!  $16.80 was from coupons and $8 was from cash that the boys had (that they bought toys with)!

Here are some of the deals that I got!

I bought a pair of Circo toddler socks - they were $1 and I had a Target web coupon for $1/1 Circo item - meaning they were FREE after the coupon!

I bought a bottle of SoftScrub Total cleaner- the price was $3.99 - I had a Target web coupon for $1 and a manufacturer's coupon for $1.50 - so I paid $1.49.

I bought Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese - the price was $2.04 - I had a Target web coupon for $0.75 and a manufacturer's coupon for $0.50 - so I paid $0.79.

I bought Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste - the price was $3.24 - I had a Target web coupon for $1 off and a manufacturer's coupon for $1.00- so I paid $1.24

I bought Flinstone's vitamins - the price was $6.49 - I had a Target web coupon for $2 off and a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off so I paid $3.49.

I also had some other items that just had one coupon attached to give some savings as well!!

Doing coupons is hard work and can be time consuming - but if you play it right you really can get some savings!  I am hoping to "learn the system" and really find some savings!  Wish me luck!  :-)