More dollar days deal this week! Looks like a good week to stock up on ziploc bags.
International Delight creamers- .99
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled(goes straight to printing)- FREE
Butterball turkey bacon- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- FREE
Ban deodorant- 1.49
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
Hebrew National hot dogs- 1.69
use .75/1 coupon from 6/20RP doubled- .19
Earth's best baby food- 3 for 1.00(must buy 3)
buy 21 jars, use 3 1.00/7 printable coupons- 4.00 or .19 a jar
Libby's vegetables- .49
use 1.00/4 printable coupon- .24 each
Blue Bunny bomb pops- 1.74
use .75/1 coupon from June All You magazine doubled- .24
Colgate toothpaste- 1.49
use .50/1 coupon from 7/25SS doubled- .49
Bestlife margarine- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 7/11RP- .49
Sara Lee pound cake- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from July 11th Parade magazine doubled- .49
Eggland's best eggs- 1.69
use .35/1 coupon from 5/2SS doubled- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 5/2SS doubled- .69
Almond breeze milk- 2.50
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- 1.40
___________________
Buy 5 SC Johnson products, get 5.00 catalina
Ziploc sandwich bags- 2 for 3.00 (must buy 2, limit 4 offers)
Deal Idea:
Buy 6 boxes- 9.00
use 4 .55/1 coupons from 7/25SS doubled
use 1.00/2 coupon from 7/25SS
Total OOP: 5.80 and get back 5.00 catalina. That's .13 each after catalina!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
CSN stores giveaway winner!
Finally, I'm putting up the winner! According to Random.org, the winner is entry number 92....
I would get a Britax carseat for my sister who is pregnant with her first baby. I can't afford one normally so this would be a huge help to start the little one off with safety!
Congrats to Amber L! Amber has 24 hours to respond to the e-mail I sent her, or I will pick another winner. Thanks to all that entered.
I would get a Britax carseat for my sister who is pregnant with her first baby. I can't afford one normally so this would be a huge help to start the little one off with safety!
Congrats to Amber L! Amber has 24 hours to respond to the e-mail I sent her, or I will pick another winner. Thanks to all that entered.
Quotable Wednesday
-Michelle Duggar
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Going Frugal, Family Style (A guest post)
The biggest obstacle to saving money is often getting past the hurdle of feeling like it's a painful chore. That sense of "Ugh, not again" can be tough to shake if you don't approach saving with the right mindset. That's why I've put together a few tips to help you and your family cut corners and holds onto your cash without feeling like you're doing something unpleasant. With the right attitude, it can even be fun!
A great way to stay frugal is to eat at home, but the nightly routine of fixing a meal and cleaning up the mess afterward can become wearing, especially if you've got little ones running around. One solution is to make dinner prep into a kind of game, injecting fun into simple chores. Encourage your entire family, including kids, to come up with dinner ideas. Have "contests" where family members vote on their favorite meal, and parcel out awards to your kids when they "win." (Obviously, it's a good idea to split the victories and make sure your children wind up with similar numbers of victories. Rigging the contest is a small price to pay for domestic tranquility.) Turning dinnertime into an event that involves your entire family is a great way to turn evenings into a bonding time, and what starts out feeling like a chore will become something much more involving. Plus, it's cheaper than eating out!
On a similar note, you can get your family to eat cheaper -- and healthier -- by encouraging sack lunches. Instead of letting your kids buy a greasy lunch at school, plan a variety of low-cost but healthy alternatives for them to take. Be sure to change up the patterns, too, offering sandwiches one day but noodles the next. This goes back to the basic problem of making a fun practice out of something that's ultimately a cost-saving measure, but you can do it. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.
Here's another way to keep the family happy and pinch some pennies: Free media. Renting movies and buying books can be costly, and a trip to the movie theater for a family of four can run you $75 or more, which is practically criminal. The solution? Don't pay! Take your family on library trips to stock up on all the free media you can carry. From books to DVDs to CDs, the public library is a great way to keep your family entertained while maintaining a frugal lifestyle. There are tons of benefits to doing this. For starters, you can encourage your kids to explore the world of reading, while also finding great stories for you and your spouse. It's also a great way to get the whole family out of the house for a fun errand. Most of all, it's a way to teach your little ones to practice smart spending and to take advantage of great opportunities in their lives. Libraries are great resources, but only if you use them.
The goal of living frugally is to save money and live within your means, but that doesn't have to mean living a dour existence defined by restriction. Talk with your family about what they want to get out of life and then work to find ways to accomplish those goals at a reasonable cost. Most of all, have fun!
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Jena Ellis, who writes on the topics of Online Certificate Programs. She welcomes your questions and comments at her email Id: jena.ellis20@gmail.com.
A great way to stay frugal is to eat at home, but the nightly routine of fixing a meal and cleaning up the mess afterward can become wearing, especially if you've got little ones running around. One solution is to make dinner prep into a kind of game, injecting fun into simple chores. Encourage your entire family, including kids, to come up with dinner ideas. Have "contests" where family members vote on their favorite meal, and parcel out awards to your kids when they "win." (Obviously, it's a good idea to split the victories and make sure your children wind up with similar numbers of victories. Rigging the contest is a small price to pay for domestic tranquility.) Turning dinnertime into an event that involves your entire family is a great way to turn evenings into a bonding time, and what starts out feeling like a chore will become something much more involving. Plus, it's cheaper than eating out!
On a similar note, you can get your family to eat cheaper -- and healthier -- by encouraging sack lunches. Instead of letting your kids buy a greasy lunch at school, plan a variety of low-cost but healthy alternatives for them to take. Be sure to change up the patterns, too, offering sandwiches one day but noodles the next. This goes back to the basic problem of making a fun practice out of something that's ultimately a cost-saving measure, but you can do it. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.
Here's another way to keep the family happy and pinch some pennies: Free media. Renting movies and buying books can be costly, and a trip to the movie theater for a family of four can run you $75 or more, which is practically criminal. The solution? Don't pay! Take your family on library trips to stock up on all the free media you can carry. From books to DVDs to CDs, the public library is a great way to keep your family entertained while maintaining a frugal lifestyle. There are tons of benefits to doing this. For starters, you can encourage your kids to explore the world of reading, while also finding great stories for you and your spouse. It's also a great way to get the whole family out of the house for a fun errand. Most of all, it's a way to teach your little ones to practice smart spending and to take advantage of great opportunities in their lives. Libraries are great resources, but only if you use them.
The goal of living frugally is to save money and live within your means, but that doesn't have to mean living a dour existence defined by restriction. Talk with your family about what they want to get out of life and then work to find ways to accomplish those goals at a reasonable cost. Most of all, have fun!
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Jena Ellis, who writes on the topics of Online Certificate Programs. She welcomes your questions and comments at her email Id: jena.ellis20@gmail.com.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Frugal Magazine Tips
I decided that with all the wonderful, FREE, subscriptions I get to great magazines, I should share the best frugal tips and blurbs from them. Also, this will give me a place to reference back for my favorite tips without keeping loads of magazine pages on file somewhere. Every month I'll do this rundown, and hopefully you all can learn something too!
From Woman's Day:
how to wash pillows-
put pillows in the machine on the gentle cycle with a mild detergent(or cheap shampoo!)
put the pillows in the dryer with a clean tennis ball to help fluff them back up
make your own see-through labels-
write your label title on white paper
press pieces of packing tape over the words and cut out the labels
put the label in a bowl, and with you fingers, wipe off the paper. the ink will transfer to the tape.
alternate use for a leaf blower-
use it to sweep up your patio or deck with it; it does a great job of cleaning out corners that you can't reach with a broom.
From Parents magazine:
Keep insects at bay-
place some halved lemons in a jar and it will keep mosquitoes away
bugs are attracted to sweat and body heat, so try to bathe right before you leave for the day
during your picnics or dinners outside, place a fan near the eating area. Bugs won't be able to land on your food!
From All You magazine:
Donate those old bras-
go to support1000.blogspot.com to get details on an initiative that collects gently-used bras for low-income women.
Tackle these tasks to give yourself more time-
place all of your favorite blogs(like 4 hats and frugal!) on an RSS feed so you can view them all at once. Our RSS button is located at the top right of the blog(click posts and then whatever your preferred e-mail site is)
once a year, sit down and address birthday cards for family and close friends.
when making breakfast, turn it into a batch cooking day. Make 3 batches of pancakes and freeze two. This is perfect for quick mornings.
sharpen your kitchen knives whenever you remember. It makes food prep go so much quicker.
Weed control-
pour vinegar into a large gardening spray bottle and spray onto your weeds. After a few hours in the sun, they will die.
From Woman's Day:
how to wash pillows-
put pillows in the machine on the gentle cycle with a mild detergent(or cheap shampoo!)
put the pillows in the dryer with a clean tennis ball to help fluff them back up
make your own see-through labels-
write your label title on white paper
press pieces of packing tape over the words and cut out the labels
put the label in a bowl, and with you fingers, wipe off the paper. the ink will transfer to the tape.
alternate use for a leaf blower-
use it to sweep up your patio or deck with it; it does a great job of cleaning out corners that you can't reach with a broom.
From Parents magazine:
Keep insects at bay-
place some halved lemons in a jar and it will keep mosquitoes away
bugs are attracted to sweat and body heat, so try to bathe right before you leave for the day
during your picnics or dinners outside, place a fan near the eating area. Bugs won't be able to land on your food!
From All You magazine:
Donate those old bras-
go to support1000.blogspot.com to get details on an initiative that collects gently-used bras for low-income women.
Tackle these tasks to give yourself more time-
place all of your favorite blogs(like 4 hats and frugal!) on an RSS feed so you can view them all at once. Our RSS button is located at the top right of the blog(click posts and then whatever your preferred e-mail site is)
once a year, sit down and address birthday cards for family and close friends.
when making breakfast, turn it into a batch cooking day. Make 3 batches of pancakes and freeze two. This is perfect for quick mornings.
sharpen your kitchen knives whenever you remember. It makes food prep go so much quicker.
Weed control-
pour vinegar into a large gardening spray bottle and spray onto your weeds. After a few hours in the sun, they will die.
Adventures in baby-birthing...
Hey all! Just wanted to give you a quick update on everything.
Our little Duchess was born July 24th at 5:46am! She was 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and 20 inches long. A big thank you to everyone that wished and prayed for a quick delivery because it was super quick! I was given a medicine that was just meant to thin out my cervix a bit and it ended up kicking me into active labor. Within a 3 hour time span, I went from 2cm dilated to 10! No time for pain meds or anything! 4 pushes later, I had my baby girl in my arms. An induction that was supposed to take about 24 hours "til baby" took only 7 hours start to finish. This is my crazy life, ladies and gentlemen. Anyway, baby and I are doing great. I was actually ready to be discharged yesterday, but she needed to get a few more tests done, so we stayed another day in our "hotel suite" of a hospital room. I'll get some more pictures up this week of her, and even a few of her and Big Brother Sonny Boy (who's already doing great with his new role). In the meantime, there will be posts all week here on 4 hats, so stay tuned!
Our little Duchess was born July 24th at 5:46am! She was 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and 20 inches long. A big thank you to everyone that wished and prayed for a quick delivery because it was super quick! I was given a medicine that was just meant to thin out my cervix a bit and it ended up kicking me into active labor. Within a 3 hour time span, I went from 2cm dilated to 10! No time for pain meds or anything! 4 pushes later, I had my baby girl in my arms. An induction that was supposed to take about 24 hours "til baby" took only 7 hours start to finish. This is my crazy life, ladies and gentlemen. Anyway, baby and I are doing great. I was actually ready to be discharged yesterday, but she needed to get a few more tests done, so we stayed another day in our "hotel suite" of a hospital room. I'll get some more pictures up this week of her, and even a few of her and Big Brother Sonny Boy (who's already doing great with his new role). In the meantime, there will be posts all week here on 4 hats, so stay tuned!
Friday, July 23, 2010
ShopRite sneak peek- week of 7/25(it's dollar days!)
Freebies:
Whole fruit bars- .88(wednesday to saturday only)
use .50/1 coupon from 6/27 or 7/25RP doubled- FREE
Minute maid tubes- .88(wednesday to saturday only)
use .75/1 coupon from 7/25RP doubled- FREE
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
Rayovac batteries (AA and AAA)- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/20SS- FREE
________________
Dollar days deals:
________________
Buy 5 Pompeian products, get 5.00 back and a reusable bag
Pompeian olive oil- 2.50
Pompeian red wine vinegar- 4 for 5.00
Buy 1 olive oil
Buy 4 red wine vinegars
Use 1.00/1 printable coupon and .50/1 printable coupon doubled( i could only print one of each)-2.00 off total
Total OOP- 5.50 and get back 5.00 catalina. That's .10 each after catalina!
(Also check your 5/23RP insert! There are coupons for pompeian in there which will help with the deal)
_____________
Buy 6 clorox products, get 5.00 bach and a reusable bag
Clorox liquid bleach- 1.48(wednesday to saturday only)
Buy 6 bottles(limit 4 per variety, so buy 2 different varieties)
Total OOP- 8.88 and get back 5.00 catalina. That's .65 each after catalina!
____________
Other deals:
Buy 5 Kraft cheese products, get 5.00 catalina back
Kraft shredded cheese- 1.79
Buy 5 bags of cheese
Total OOP- 8.95 and get back 5.00 catalina. That's .79 each after catalina!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Did you enter to win your $60 yet?
You didn't? But...but....why not?! Get on over to this post and enter to win a 60 dollar certificate for CSN stores. Last day to enter is tomorrow, so get it out of the way now before you forget again, OK?
Also, do you want to try for another chance to win? Lisa over at Easy Frugal Living is also giving away a 40 dollar CSN stores certificate. Why not try for both? Heck, I wish I could!
Good Luck to you all....
OK, maybe she's right....
I have to admit, I was becoming really annoyed with my little duchess in my belly. Unlike her brother, she's decided to stay put inside literally until she's ready to come out. Sonny Boy was over 2 weeks early and I was ecstatic to let him out. At 7 pounds and 10 ounces, he was a chore to carry around during the last month. This is quite different from duchess.
So far, the docs see her as a petite bebe, weighing around 5 or 6 pounds. With out earlier scare, this made me even more nervous to hear, since her brother was larger. But, my own Mother reminded me that I was only 5 pounds 6 ounces and my sister was only 5 pounds 9 ounces, so she's just following suit. Once I got past that worry, I started to anticipate her arrival around 3 weeks ago. I just KNEW she was gonna get here early since all the signs were here and I was feeling like utter poop. Well, Nope! She wasn't ready and she was making sure I understood that. She did try to make an arrival a few weeks back, but since everyone but her agreed that it was too early, she was bullied into staying in. Now, she's bullying back. Well, I'm now seeing that maybe she was right to stay in.
Since the "diagnosis" was that I wasn't dialated and she was coming down but definitely not ready, it's caused me to ease up a bit. My anticipation of having to deal with a newborn around the time of my first born's birthday had gone and the nervousness of realizing that maybe we still don't have all the items we'll need subsided. It was what it was and I knew that I just might actually make it to my due date this time around and I could plan accordingly.
We have an induction planned(tomorrow night!), babysitter and bags packed and even a great back up plan if it turns out that I may end up getting a C-section. All of these things were still up in the air when I so-called wanted her to come. It's also helped with our extended family. My Mother in Law was able to check flights now, since she has a date to go by, and she can even hold off until Friday or Saturday to see if a C-Section is in order and she'll have a few more days to pad since I'll have to be in the hospital longer. Also, my whole, and I mean WHOLE family will be on their way to our yearly family reunion by the 29th. It's going to be held in North Carolina this year, so some are leaving a day or two earlier to drive down. We were very worried that we would be stranded without help when she decided to show up, but now she's "allowing" my body to dilate, hence the scheduled induction on Friday. This means that Sonny Boy can hang with his grand parents for a few days while I'm in the hospital, and my parents get to see their new granddaughter before the jet off to the south. This makes me happy to no end. It will also mean that we won't have any family members trying to "surprise visit" the week after I get out of the hospital. They'll all be gone and we can start living like a family of 4 on our own for a little bit without interruption.
So, as much as I hate to say this, my daughter was right. She needed to "cook" longer and allow me to stop being so crazy about things. Thanks for the lesson duchess....but don't get used to "teaching" Mommy. I'm supposed to teach you, right?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Quotable Wednesday
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought."
-Johnathan Swift
ShopRite: Heluva Good cheese .27 after catalina!
Thanks so much to Hot Coupon World for posting this yesterday!
Heluva Good cheese- 1.77
buy one and get back a 1.50 catalina towards another Heluva Good product!
So, this is a great time to roll that catalina and stock up on cheese. There is also a .50/1 printable coupon, so you can use that on the first transaction to make this a .73 money maker.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
cheap fabric softener(make it yourself!)
Although there are some great deals that pop up for fabric softener, sometimes they can be few and far between. I do love to use fabric softener in our clothes, but for the most part, I either don't bother or I throw in some vinegar and call it a day. I do love when a good alternative comes into my hands and I can use super cheap ingredients to make them. These are the 2 I have been using in the last 6 months:
3 cups vinegar
2 cups cheap hair conditioner
6 cups water
mix together in an old fabric softener jug and it's ready-to-use.
You can turn this into dryer sheets by cutting up an old t-shirt, dropping a piece of it in the liquid and putting in the dryer with your wet clothes.
Don't have any conditioner but can easily get a cheap jug of vinegar? Try my absolute favorite "fabric softener" recipe:
Peels of 3 citrus fruits (I like lemons but oranges are my second fave)
1 large jug of vinegar
Place the peels in the jug and shake.
Let the vinegar and peels settle together for at least 5 days.
After 5 days, use just like regular fabric softener, using about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load.
I love to use the second "recipe" because I can peel 4 lemons, use the peels from 3 for the vinegar solution and the peel from one, along with the juice from 4, to make lemon merique pie, lemon curd or some other goody. Nothing goes to waste!
3 cups vinegar
2 cups cheap hair conditioner
6 cups water
mix together in an old fabric softener jug and it's ready-to-use.
You can turn this into dryer sheets by cutting up an old t-shirt, dropping a piece of it in the liquid and putting in the dryer with your wet clothes.
Don't have any conditioner but can easily get a cheap jug of vinegar? Try my absolute favorite "fabric softener" recipe:
Peels of 3 citrus fruits (I like lemons but oranges are my second fave)
1 large jug of vinegar
Place the peels in the jug and shake.
Let the vinegar and peels settle together for at least 5 days.
After 5 days, use just like regular fabric softener, using about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load.
I love to use the second "recipe" because I can peel 4 lemons, use the peels from 3 for the vinegar solution and the peel from one, along with the juice from 4, to make lemon merique pie, lemon curd or some other goody. Nothing goes to waste!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
ShopRite Deals 7/18 to 7/24
Wishbone salad dressing- 2 for 3.00 (must buy 2)
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27RP doubled- FREE
Carefree feminine shields- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from February Better Homes and Gardens or Woman's Day magazine- FREE
Nesquik milk- 1.00
use .50/1 coupon from 5/2SS doubled- FREE
Dove deodorant- .98
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27RP doubled- FREE
Land O'Lakes spreadable butter- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 7/18SS doubled- FREE
Beech-Nut stage 2 jar foods- 12 for 3.99
buy 24, use 2.00/16 coupon from 6/25SS- .16 each
Breyers yo crunch yogurt- .50
use .50/4 coupon from 5/23SS doubled- .25 each
Turkey Hill Iced tea(half gallon)- .99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/13RP- .49 each
Betty crocker brownie mix- 3 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .75/2 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .50 each
Dole pineapple- 1.00
use .50/2 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .50 each
Chi Chi's salsa- 1.49
use 1.00/2 coupon from 5/23SS- .99 each
Maxwell House coffee- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/16SS- .99
Whole fruit sorbet- 2.50
use .50/1 coupon from 6/27RP doubled- 1.50
Breyer's Ice Cream- 2 for 5.00
use .75/2 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- 1.75 each
________________
NEW!
Blue bunny fudge bar- 1.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .49
(there's also a mail in rebate available if you buy 3!)
also, check your 7/11RP for another MIR worth 15.00 when you buy 3 Blue Bunny items! So, buy 3 fudge bars, pay 4.47 and get back 15.00 from the rebate....a 10.53 money maker!
Didn't get the rebate in your insert? Call 877-986-6843 and they will mail you a copy.
Thanks Slick Deals for the heads up!
________________
Fantastik cleaner- 1.99
Buy 2 cleaners
use 2 .55/1 coupons from 6/13SS doubled
Pay 1.78 and get back a 2.00 catalina! .22 money maker!
Friday, July 16, 2010
A 60.00 giveaway from CSN stores!
I am so excited to give this opportunity to my readers, especially during Christmas In July week! How wonderful will it be to get a head start with your shopping for the Holiday season and have 60 dollars under your belt? Sounds great to me! Another plus is that even if you aren't looking to shop for the Holidays now, you can use the gift certificate towards a new item for home, a big boy/girl bed for your kiddo, or just a wonderful summer gift for yourself.
Would you like to win? Well, there will be a few ways to enter and rack up entries:
- Leave a comment here letting me know what you would love to purchase from CSN stores. They have so many items, it will be hard to choose!(you must do this first task to have all of your entries count)
-Become a fan of 4 Hats and Frugal on facebook (one extra entry)
-Create a facebook update on your account with a link to this giveaway (one extra entry)
-Follow 4 Hats and Frugal on Twitter (one extra entry)
-Tweet about this giveaway and make sure to @4hatsandfrugal so I see that you tweeted! (one extra entry)
Make sure to leave a comment for EACH entry you make and LEAVE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS in each comment. The prize will be e-mailed to the winner in a gift certificate, so if you don't leave an e-mail address with each entry, you will hurt your chance of winning.
This giveaway will be open until Thursday, July 22nd at 10pm. Good luck!
Please note that some items on CSN have free shipping and some do not. You may be responsible for shipping on certain things so keep that in mind when using your gift certificate.
ShopRite sneak peek- week of 7/18
Carefree feminine shields- .99
use 1.00/1 coupon from February Better Homes and Gardens or Woman's Day magazine- FREE
Beech-Nut stage 2 jar foods- 12 for 3.99
buy 24, use 2.00/16 coupon from 6/25SS- .16 each
Turkey Hill Iced tea(half gallon)- .99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/13RP- .49 each
Breyer's Ice Cream- 2 for 5.00
use .75/2 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- 1.75 each
________________
Possible good deal alert (good only until Monday, 7/19!):
Smart balance milk- 2.99
use 4 2.00/1 printable coupons(use zip 30015, 10028 and 06070)
Total: 3.96 and get back 5.00! 1.04 money maker!
This is a possible good deal because some NJ circulars are not showing smart balance on sale for 2.99 next week, so make sure to check your circular!
Don't know where to buy coupons? Ebay is always a good place to find them or you can try these coupon clipping services:
the coupon clippers
coupons and things by dede
the coupon clipping crew
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Christmas in July- tips to get you started
These are a few ideas that I have discovered to help us when it comes to getting ready for the Holiday season....even if it is 5 months away!
1. Budget now! Even though we'll be looking for great gifts and sales now, it is essential to put aside a budget for the holidays now. If you are a baker and love to provide goodies to friends and family, set aside a small amount of money now to cover the expenses you'll have around November. This is similar to the "Christmas club" accounts that banks have. We just use a sub-account in our ING direct account and a small amount of money is taken out of our checking every week.
2. Pay attention to conversations! This is the perfect time to actually listen to what friends and family are saying during your talks with each other. If a family member mentions a great show that they are now addicted to, you can put that show on the list of gifts and start looking out for a deal on the box set. Dad, Uncle or Grandpa love to barbecue? Now is definitely the time to look for discounts on those items. Plus, how cool will it be for them to open a grilling gift in December? They'll know right away that you put lots of time and effort into it since grilling season was months before. Have a friend who loves the craft but hasn't had the time(or extra funds) to continue it? Start using those Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics coupons that show up in the Sunday paper. This will be a great time to find discount and clearance items as well, since most stores want to get rid of inventory to make room for back to school items.
3. Kids can be easier than you think. One thing we used to get hung up on was getting the "perfect" gift for any kids or teens on our list. I finally realized that they are much easier to get items for than we could ever imagine. All we had to do was look at their hobbies, or better yet, what they ask for for their birthdays during that year. Activities and events seem to go over better than the "newest cool toy." Teens love going to the movies or the local hang outs, so find out what type of gifts you can create from that idea. Gift certificates for the movies, or sign them up for a membership to the skating rink or bowling alley where they can play for free. By figuring this out early, you can reap major discounts on these types of items. Most of these places have back to school discounts or deals on memberships, so you can keep a lookout for those.
4. If you're going to do gift cards, try a theme. I'm not a big fan of just giving anyone a gift card as a gift. Don't get me wrong, gift cards or certificates are great, but if I'm going to go that route, I have to make a one item in a theme-filled gift. If I'm putting together a gift for a music lover, I'll find some clearance ear buds at Target, a cool shirt or hat with music notes or a turntable on it and an Itunes gift card. You're able to stretch the gift a bit and they will be thrilled by how much effort you put into the theme, even if it's only a few items.
5. Summer gift wrapping items can work for Christmas! Gift bags and birthday wrapping paper can easily work for the Holidays. These items will be on clearance soon at the stores, so keep an eye out. Brown wrapping paper, solid color gift bags and cool gift ribbons will all be up for grabs, so don't forget to look for those. Plus, you know that your gift wrapping will be easy to spot under the tree since everyone else's will have snowflakes or Santa on them.
6. If you're a veteran Christmas in July planner, check the house first! This has been one of my favorite things to do around October and November. Because I collect gifts pretty much all year, I sit down, open my gift Tupperware, and see what cool things I can put together right there in my house. Last year, I found 4 gifts right off the bat. The best part is that these weren't gifts that I had actually put aside as Christmas gifts. They were just items that I thought were great and were on deep discount. That caused us to have leftover gift money at the end of the year to role into this year.
1. Budget now! Even though we'll be looking for great gifts and sales now, it is essential to put aside a budget for the holidays now. If you are a baker and love to provide goodies to friends and family, set aside a small amount of money now to cover the expenses you'll have around November. This is similar to the "Christmas club" accounts that banks have. We just use a sub-account in our ING direct account and a small amount of money is taken out of our checking every week.
2. Pay attention to conversations! This is the perfect time to actually listen to what friends and family are saying during your talks with each other. If a family member mentions a great show that they are now addicted to, you can put that show on the list of gifts and start looking out for a deal on the box set. Dad, Uncle or Grandpa love to barbecue? Now is definitely the time to look for discounts on those items. Plus, how cool will it be for them to open a grilling gift in December? They'll know right away that you put lots of time and effort into it since grilling season was months before. Have a friend who loves the craft but hasn't had the time(or extra funds) to continue it? Start using those Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics coupons that show up in the Sunday paper. This will be a great time to find discount and clearance items as well, since most stores want to get rid of inventory to make room for back to school items.
3. Kids can be easier than you think. One thing we used to get hung up on was getting the "perfect" gift for any kids or teens on our list. I finally realized that they are much easier to get items for than we could ever imagine. All we had to do was look at their hobbies, or better yet, what they ask for for their birthdays during that year. Activities and events seem to go over better than the "newest cool toy." Teens love going to the movies or the local hang outs, so find out what type of gifts you can create from that idea. Gift certificates for the movies, or sign them up for a membership to the skating rink or bowling alley where they can play for free. By figuring this out early, you can reap major discounts on these types of items. Most of these places have back to school discounts or deals on memberships, so you can keep a lookout for those.
4. If you're going to do gift cards, try a theme. I'm not a big fan of just giving anyone a gift card as a gift. Don't get me wrong, gift cards or certificates are great, but if I'm going to go that route, I have to make a one item in a theme-filled gift. If I'm putting together a gift for a music lover, I'll find some clearance ear buds at Target, a cool shirt or hat with music notes or a turntable on it and an Itunes gift card. You're able to stretch the gift a bit and they will be thrilled by how much effort you put into the theme, even if it's only a few items.
5. Summer gift wrapping items can work for Christmas! Gift bags and birthday wrapping paper can easily work for the Holidays. These items will be on clearance soon at the stores, so keep an eye out. Brown wrapping paper, solid color gift bags and cool gift ribbons will all be up for grabs, so don't forget to look for those. Plus, you know that your gift wrapping will be easy to spot under the tree since everyone else's will have snowflakes or Santa on them.
6. If you're a veteran Christmas in July planner, check the house first! This has been one of my favorite things to do around October and November. Because I collect gifts pretty much all year, I sit down, open my gift Tupperware, and see what cool things I can put together right there in my house. Last year, I found 4 gifts right off the bat. The best part is that these weren't gifts that I had actually put aside as Christmas gifts. They were just items that I thought were great and were on deep discount. That caused us to have leftover gift money at the end of the year to role into this year.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Quotable Wednesday
-Maya Angelou
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Christmas in July- A review
Well, it's that time again! This is when we frugal folks can get our bums moving and start looking for the best deals to stockpile for the holidays. Luckily for us, some companies see the importance of having uber-deals this month that we can take advantage of. How great!
I have a wonderful post about how we can take advantage of Christmas in July this year, but just to recap, here is a link to last year's round up of Christmas in July: C in J series.
Also, there is going to be a BIG giveaway on Friday to help one of you lucky readers get a head start on buying your gifts, so get ready for that.
I hope those of you that didn't get to enjoy the series last year, enjoy it this year, and stay tuned for the follow-up!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
ShopRite Deals 7/11 to 7/17
Crystal Light pure fitness- 1.99
use 2.00/1 home mailer coupon from Vocalpoint- FREE
(if you haven't signed up for Vocalpoint, you should! They mail great coupons)
Bailey's coffee creamer- .99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- FREE
Blue Bunny bomb pops- 1.74
use .75/1 coupon from June All You magazine doubled- .24
Hunt's ketchup- .88
use .20/1 coupon from 6/20SS doubled- .48
Butterball lunch meat- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .49
Hebrew national franks- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/20SS doubled- .49
Airwick oil motion starter kit- 4.49
use 4.00/1 coupon from 6/20SS- .49
Pop secret popcorn- 1.00
use .50/2 coupon from 6/27RP doubled- .50 each
Hunt's manwich cans- .88
use 1.00/3 coupon from June All You Magazine- .55 each
Hunt's snack pack- .88
use 1.00/3 coupon from June All You Magazine- .55 each
Hefty OneZip bags- 1.24
use .55/2 coupon from 5/23RP doubled- .69
Valio real goodness milk- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/16SS- .99
Hormel compleats- 1.99
use .55/2 printable coupon doubled- 1.44 each
V8 splash- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/6SS- 1.49 each
_____________
Good deals:
Buy 4 smart balance products, get back 5.00 catalina
Smart balance eggs- 1.49
Buy 4 dozen- 5.96
Pay 5.96 and get back 5.00, so .24 a dozen after catalina!
---------------
Buy 2 scrubbing bubbles wipes, get a 2.00 catalina back
Scrubbing bubbles wipes- 1.99
Buy 2 SB wipes- 3.98
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 6/13SS
Pay 1.98 and get back 2.00! .02 money maker! (Thanks Christina!)
_____________
Friday, July 9, 2010
ShopRite sneak peek- week of 7/11
use .20/1 coupon from 6/20SS doubled- .48
Chock full O' Nuts coffee- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .49
Hebrew National beef franks- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/20SS doubled- .49
Butterball lunchmeat- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .49
hefty OneZip bags- 1.24
use .55/2 coupon from 5/23RP doubled- .69 each
Valio Real Goodness lactose free milk- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/16SS- .99
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Lazy days of summer: Cooking frugally when you don't wanna cook at all
With the arrival of 100 degree weather here in NJ, I'm so glad that I developed a way to make parts of dinners without warming up the house every night. I've also been continuing with my master meal plan list so we're ready when our new addition comes(and won't need to eat out as much). Here are a few things I've been doing:
1. Burritos are my best friends. Not only have I made a few beef and rice burritos before the holidays, but after the holidays, we had an abundant amount of grilled beef and chicken, so more burritos were created. I keep it simple with just meat, rice, chopped yellow pepper, seasonings and fresh cilantro inside. We can easily turn them into enchiladas for hubby who loves cheese on everything. I wrap them in wax paper, then foil, and place them in the freezer.
2. Don't forget about breakfast! I even made breakfast burritos for hubby and the kiddo. I'm not a big fan of them, but they absolutely love them. Since they can just be microwaved, I figured it's perfect for mornings when I need to take care of the baby, and Hubby can take care of Sonny. Or, on days when I'm home alone with both kids and I need to feed the older one fast. It's also helped that eggs have been on sale all over the place. If you need a good breakfast burrito recipe, check this one out from the pioneer woman. I have a different one, but she at least has pictures. I've also taken advantage of the pancake mix stockpile I had and have have been making and freezing pancakes almost every week. Once they cool a bit, I separate them on a cookie sheet and freeze them until they are hard. I can place about 6 to 8 in a freezer bag(the amount we usually have when I make pancakes for breakfast) and they stack nicely in the freezer. It just takes a minute to reheat them in the microwave and I can always top them with whatever fresh fruit that's on sale during the week.
3. Prep (and cook if needed) those veggies right away. We are lucky to have most of our stores put a lot of veggies and fruit on clearance almost every morning here, so when I can get my hands on lots of them for cheap, I go crazy. For example, when I can get clearance bags of carrots, I not only chop one or two in the food processor(can be added to sauces or sprinkled over salad), but I also cut them into coins and place them in a tupperware container. When we need a veggie side, I add some water to the container, throw it in the microwave, and let the orange coins of deliciousness "steam" to perfection. Another great thing I do with carrots is to let Sonny use the shredder and turn them into "carrot spaghetti." When we have spaghetti for dinner, I add the strips to the pasta once it's done, and the heat from the pasta cooks the strips. This also works for zucchini. I also use my mandolin to slice up cheap onions and freeze them. If I need the onions to be chopped, I take the slices and chop them up.
4. Take advantage of your starches. This has been one of my favorite parts of the "lazy" cooking this summer. Let's start with potatoes. I always grab a 5lb or 10lb bag of potatoes when they are on a great sale. One thing I've been doing lately is washing all of the potatoes when I get them home, cubing them, and using my cast iron skillet to brown them up. I don't cook them all the way because I know that 3 or 4 minutes in the microwave will complete the cooking process when I need a quick starch. I've also used some of these in the breakfast burritos. I separate them in meal-size servings and once I need a side starch I can just warm them up.
I've also been taking advantage of my rice cooker. It lets off so little heat that I knew I had to make sure to use it whenever possible. I use it for white and brown rice, and also for the free rice mix packages I've been getting at the grocery store. If it says on the package that it's going to take more than 20 minutes to cook a particular rice mix, then it will be perfect in your rice cooker. And yes, this is the rice that I use in the above mentioned burritos.
We've even gone the lazy way with pasta. I have to thank Precious so much for this tip she gave me a while ago about making the perfect pasta without exerting too much heat and energy in the house. I bring the water to a boil, salt it, add in the pasta, cover with a lid and turn the heat off. About 15 minutes later(depending on what type of pasta you are making), you have perfect, al dente pasta! It's like a miracle! I always make a whole box of pasta when I do this, and just place the leftover pasta in the fridge for another meal. It's been working out so well, that we are still able to have a pasta dish every week without me having to put as much effort into it like I used to. Plus, with the heat, pasta salad just seems so appropriate and it's nice to have the pasta ready to go whenever we want it.
5. Use all of those "no-bake" desserts recipes until you are sick of them! We do love to have a dessert available here, so I'm more than happy to provide one for my family each week. If you follow my meal plans, you know I always have a "dessert of the week" available for the boys and me. Choco-nana pie, no bake cheesecake and even just macerated fruit have been our staples lately. I do think that having something sweet in the fridge helps us stretch the meal even further, even though we don't eat as much during dinner in the summer than we do in the fall or winter.
6. Stating the obvious: use the slow cooker. We are still taking full advantage of our slow cooker and will continue to do so. I have a good amount of freezer meatloaves stacked in the freezer, so we've been using those. Paired that with the make ahead potatoes and the corn on the cob that has been on sale everywhere, and we have a totally easy meal. I've also been taking advantage of tomato season and making slow cooker marinara sauce. We have about 6 bottles in the freezer now. If we run out of the jar sauce, we will be set with freezer sauce, and vice versa. Chicken leg quarters and even chuck steak have entered my lovely slow cooker. Heck, I've made our dessert in there a few weeks (mostly peach cobbler).
Well, those are most of the things I've been doing to keep cooking lazy but frugally functional.
How are you all coping with cooking in the heat, besides grilling?
1. Burritos are my best friends. Not only have I made a few beef and rice burritos before the holidays, but after the holidays, we had an abundant amount of grilled beef and chicken, so more burritos were created. I keep it simple with just meat, rice, chopped yellow pepper, seasonings and fresh cilantro inside. We can easily turn them into enchiladas for hubby who loves cheese on everything. I wrap them in wax paper, then foil, and place them in the freezer.
2. Don't forget about breakfast! I even made breakfast burritos for hubby and the kiddo. I'm not a big fan of them, but they absolutely love them. Since they can just be microwaved, I figured it's perfect for mornings when I need to take care of the baby, and Hubby can take care of Sonny. Or, on days when I'm home alone with both kids and I need to feed the older one fast. It's also helped that eggs have been on sale all over the place. If you need a good breakfast burrito recipe, check this one out from the pioneer woman. I have a different one, but she at least has pictures. I've also taken advantage of the pancake mix stockpile I had and have have been making and freezing pancakes almost every week. Once they cool a bit, I separate them on a cookie sheet and freeze them until they are hard. I can place about 6 to 8 in a freezer bag(the amount we usually have when I make pancakes for breakfast) and they stack nicely in the freezer. It just takes a minute to reheat them in the microwave and I can always top them with whatever fresh fruit that's on sale during the week.
3. Prep (and cook if needed) those veggies right away. We are lucky to have most of our stores put a lot of veggies and fruit on clearance almost every morning here, so when I can get my hands on lots of them for cheap, I go crazy. For example, when I can get clearance bags of carrots, I not only chop one or two in the food processor(can be added to sauces or sprinkled over salad), but I also cut them into coins and place them in a tupperware container. When we need a veggie side, I add some water to the container, throw it in the microwave, and let the orange coins of deliciousness "steam" to perfection. Another great thing I do with carrots is to let Sonny use the shredder and turn them into "carrot spaghetti." When we have spaghetti for dinner, I add the strips to the pasta once it's done, and the heat from the pasta cooks the strips. This also works for zucchini. I also use my mandolin to slice up cheap onions and freeze them. If I need the onions to be chopped, I take the slices and chop them up.
4. Take advantage of your starches. This has been one of my favorite parts of the "lazy" cooking this summer. Let's start with potatoes. I always grab a 5lb or 10lb bag of potatoes when they are on a great sale. One thing I've been doing lately is washing all of the potatoes when I get them home, cubing them, and using my cast iron skillet to brown them up. I don't cook them all the way because I know that 3 or 4 minutes in the microwave will complete the cooking process when I need a quick starch. I've also used some of these in the breakfast burritos. I separate them in meal-size servings and once I need a side starch I can just warm them up.
I've also been taking advantage of my rice cooker. It lets off so little heat that I knew I had to make sure to use it whenever possible. I use it for white and brown rice, and also for the free rice mix packages I've been getting at the grocery store. If it says on the package that it's going to take more than 20 minutes to cook a particular rice mix, then it will be perfect in your rice cooker. And yes, this is the rice that I use in the above mentioned burritos.
We've even gone the lazy way with pasta. I have to thank Precious so much for this tip she gave me a while ago about making the perfect pasta without exerting too much heat and energy in the house. I bring the water to a boil, salt it, add in the pasta, cover with a lid and turn the heat off. About 15 minutes later(depending on what type of pasta you are making), you have perfect, al dente pasta! It's like a miracle! I always make a whole box of pasta when I do this, and just place the leftover pasta in the fridge for another meal. It's been working out so well, that we are still able to have a pasta dish every week without me having to put as much effort into it like I used to. Plus, with the heat, pasta salad just seems so appropriate and it's nice to have the pasta ready to go whenever we want it.
5. Use all of those "no-bake" desserts recipes until you are sick of them! We do love to have a dessert available here, so I'm more than happy to provide one for my family each week. If you follow my meal plans, you know I always have a "dessert of the week" available for the boys and me. Choco-nana pie, no bake cheesecake and even just macerated fruit have been our staples lately. I do think that having something sweet in the fridge helps us stretch the meal even further, even though we don't eat as much during dinner in the summer than we do in the fall or winter.
6. Stating the obvious: use the slow cooker. We are still taking full advantage of our slow cooker and will continue to do so. I have a good amount of freezer meatloaves stacked in the freezer, so we've been using those. Paired that with the make ahead potatoes and the corn on the cob that has been on sale everywhere, and we have a totally easy meal. I've also been taking advantage of tomato season and making slow cooker marinara sauce. We have about 6 bottles in the freezer now. If we run out of the jar sauce, we will be set with freezer sauce, and vice versa. Chicken leg quarters and even chuck steak have entered my lovely slow cooker. Heck, I've made our dessert in there a few weeks (mostly peach cobbler).
Well, those are most of the things I've been doing to keep cooking lazy but frugally functional.
How are you all coping with cooking in the heat, besides grilling?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Quotable Wednesday-Sonny's Bday!
-Thomas C. Haliburton
Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy, my first born baby! 5 years behind us and you still have that special place in mama's heart carved out just for you. I love you, Papa!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Good Earth Prize pack winner!
After reviewing the entries, there were 38 QUALIFYING entries(with a "junk" e-mail included), random.org picked this entry:
"My favorite healthy meal is the turkey chili I make. Got the recipe from Taste of Homes healthy recipe magazine(can't remember what its called but I LOVE the magazine!) I've learned to cook from the recipes in that magazine so now most of my meals are healthy and delicious."
Congratulations Egregg! I have you e-mail address(thanks for following the rules!) so I'll contact you momentarily.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy Independence Day! A video for you....
Happy 4th to you all! Today and tomorrow we will not only be celebrating the holiday, but continuing the celebration of Sonny's 5th birthday, so I won't be posting again until Monday night or Tuesday. Please remember that today is the LAST DAY to enter the Good Earth Prize pack giveaway. Just click the picture to the right of this post to enter. But before you do that, take a peek at part of the fireworks show we got to see in Red Bank, NJ last night! Wonderful show....and it was free! We just needed our own folding chairs to take in the sites :o).
I hope you all enjoy your holiday and have a great time with family and friends!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
ShopRite Deals 7/4 to 7/10
Butterball turkey bacon- 1.24
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/27SS- .74 each
use .75/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- FREE
Spray N wash resolve power- 1.67
use .50/1 coupon from 6/27SS doubled- .67
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .17
Airwick aerosol air freshener- .69
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- .19 each
Wishbone salad dressing- .99
use 1.25/2 coupon from 6/27RP- .36 each
Bar-S franks- .88
use 1.00/2 coupon from 5/16RP- .38 each
Hellman's mayo- 2.99
use 1.00/1 super coupon in circular- 1.99
then use .75/1 coupon from 6/27RP doubled- .49
Reynolds wrap recycled foil- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 6/20SS doubled- .49
Shedd's country crock- 1.49(with super coupon in circular)
use .40/1 printable coupon doubled- .69 after both coupons
Coffee-mate flavored creamers- 1.88
use .50/1 coupon from 5/2SS doubled- .88
Xtra laundry detergent- 1.88
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/6SS- .88
Marcal small steps napkins- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 6/13SS- .99
Edy's Grand ice cream- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from May Parade magazine- 1.49 each
Nabisco snack crackers- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 5/16SS- 1.49 each
Herbal Essences shampoo or conditioner- 2.49
use .50/1 coupon from 7/4PG doubled- 1.49
Whiskas Dry cat food- 3.79
use 2.00/1 coupon from 5/23RP- 1.79
Purina ONE cat food- 2 for 7.99
use 2 2.00/1 coupons from 6/27SS- 2 for 3.99 or 1.99 each
Other Deals
ShopRite dozen eggs- .77
ShopRite apple juice- .99(Wednesday to Saturday only)
Blueberries- 6 pints for 6.99( great deal! easy to freeze)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Growth Spurts
In the midst of dealing with the ins and outs of life lately, including Sonny's upcoming birthday on Wednesday, I forgot that not only is my kiddo still a KID, but he's still prone to a few growth spurts every now and again. Today was a big reminder of that.
Last night we had a horrible time trying to keep him asleep. He woke up at least 5 times with the last time being around 4am, about 2 hours before Hubby needed to be on his way to work. Besides this peeving me to no end, I didn't realize that he was just doing his routine growth spurt ritual, and I was in for a long day of sleeping and eating on his part the coming day. Well, lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. Once Hubby was off to work, I got him to lay back down and off he went to the land of snoring. 6 hours later, we awakened asking for "breakfast" and extra pancakes and anything else I could scrounge up. Now, he's laying next to Mama on the couch slowly drifting back off to sleep. I know that tomorrow he'll be up bright and early, back to threatening the cat with bear hugs and running around with the neighborhood kids, on his way to growing another inch or two.
I tell this story because I think that those of us that are somewhat new to being frugal(at least 10 years or less) forget that although we start to become experts in the ways of frugality, we are still KIDS in this game. Every once in a while, we'll stop in order to "spurt" ourselves with more information, or just to take a break from this new part of our lives. The best part is, we shouldn't feel guilty about it because it's something that is natural to do and it helps us re-group.
Lately, I haven't been chasing the deals like I want to and have been spending so much on getting ready for the duchess. I started to feel like maybe I was losing my way frugally, but what I was doing needed to be done since I needed to rest and I needed to make sure certain items were here for when the little kiddo shows up. Then, the week after Father's Day, I just stopped. I took a break from everything and ended up re-grouping and reflecting. I'm so glad I did.
I realized that not only had I grown so much since we started our frugal lifestyle 3 years ago, but as a family we are much more better off than we would have been if we were expecting another child right now and still living the way we were. We had a few "spurts" since then, mostly realizing that a few things we thought we were doing frugally(shopping at bulk stores, getting new clothes during "sale" days every few weeks, etc.) were not the way things needed to be. For example, I was getting super-down on myself for not being as ready for duchess as I had planned. I finally wiped away the tears and realized that not only was I doing very well when it came to planning, but that last time we had a baby in the house, we paid full price for diapers, formula AND childcare. We don't have to worry about doing any of those things this time around, which will save us thousands of dollars just within the first few months of her life.
Same goes for our grocery situation. I used to use BJ's wholesale club as our "regular" store, thinking that a big box of granola bars and an expensive box of store brand diapers would save us so much money. But when the bills came around and it was a giant struggle for us to pay them, even when I was working 60 hours a week, I knew something wasn't adding up. Yet another "spurt" happened and even a growing pain or two when we weren't able to get the foods we "liked and wanted" anymore, but now we are much better off. Within the few years, I've developed a new love of cooking and creating my own recipes, we are able to eat dinner together almost every night, and if we feel the need to eat out one day, we don't have to search the car for extra change to do so.
Although growth spurts are more or less spontaneous, I know that we're gonna have another one pretty soon when kid number 2 shows up. We're also in the works of starting a new business, which is a growth in itself. This time around though, I can't wait to see what the outcomes will be.
Last night we had a horrible time trying to keep him asleep. He woke up at least 5 times with the last time being around 4am, about 2 hours before Hubby needed to be on his way to work. Besides this peeving me to no end, I didn't realize that he was just doing his routine growth spurt ritual, and I was in for a long day of sleeping and eating on his part the coming day. Well, lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. Once Hubby was off to work, I got him to lay back down and off he went to the land of snoring. 6 hours later, we awakened asking for "breakfast" and extra pancakes and anything else I could scrounge up. Now, he's laying next to Mama on the couch slowly drifting back off to sleep. I know that tomorrow he'll be up bright and early, back to threatening the cat with bear hugs and running around with the neighborhood kids, on his way to growing another inch or two.
I tell this story because I think that those of us that are somewhat new to being frugal(at least 10 years or less) forget that although we start to become experts in the ways of frugality, we are still KIDS in this game. Every once in a while, we'll stop in order to "spurt" ourselves with more information, or just to take a break from this new part of our lives. The best part is, we shouldn't feel guilty about it because it's something that is natural to do and it helps us re-group.
Lately, I haven't been chasing the deals like I want to and have been spending so much on getting ready for the duchess. I started to feel like maybe I was losing my way frugally, but what I was doing needed to be done since I needed to rest and I needed to make sure certain items were here for when the little kiddo shows up. Then, the week after Father's Day, I just stopped. I took a break from everything and ended up re-grouping and reflecting. I'm so glad I did.
I realized that not only had I grown so much since we started our frugal lifestyle 3 years ago, but as a family we are much more better off than we would have been if we were expecting another child right now and still living the way we were. We had a few "spurts" since then, mostly realizing that a few things we thought we were doing frugally(shopping at bulk stores, getting new clothes during "sale" days every few weeks, etc.) were not the way things needed to be. For example, I was getting super-down on myself for not being as ready for duchess as I had planned. I finally wiped away the tears and realized that not only was I doing very well when it came to planning, but that last time we had a baby in the house, we paid full price for diapers, formula AND childcare. We don't have to worry about doing any of those things this time around, which will save us thousands of dollars just within the first few months of her life.
Same goes for our grocery situation. I used to use BJ's wholesale club as our "regular" store, thinking that a big box of granola bars and an expensive box of store brand diapers would save us so much money. But when the bills came around and it was a giant struggle for us to pay them, even when I was working 60 hours a week, I knew something wasn't adding up. Yet another "spurt" happened and even a growing pain or two when we weren't able to get the foods we "liked and wanted" anymore, but now we are much better off. Within the few years, I've developed a new love of cooking and creating my own recipes, we are able to eat dinner together almost every night, and if we feel the need to eat out one day, we don't have to search the car for extra change to do so.
Although growth spurts are more or less spontaneous, I know that we're gonna have another one pretty soon when kid number 2 shows up. We're also in the works of starting a new business, which is a growth in itself. This time around though, I can't wait to see what the outcomes will be.
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