Halloween- Thank Goodness It's Over

Halloween was fun and the kids had a blast trick or treating. This year my daughter was actually old enough to get the whole trick or treating thing and she just thought it was wonderful that people were giving her candy. My son and his friend were running to houses like madmen and loved every second of it.

I am tired from the walking and even though the kids had tons of fun I am glad Halloween is over. The next holiday on the plate is Thanksgiving which I am not hosting so I won't be stressed out again until it gets closer to Christmas.

Puppies vs. Babies- Who Do You Think is Cuter?

This post brought to you by Puppies vs. Babies. All opinions are 100% mine.

Two of the cutest things in the world are babies and puppies. Whenever I see a cute baby it makes me want to have another baby of my own (until I get home and hear my kids fighting with each other) and whenever I see a cute puppy it makes me want to get another dog (until I get home and have to hear my dog barking at the UPS man, my neighbors, squirrels, etc.)

Right now there is a Puppies vs. Babies online contest going on where you get to vote for who you think is cuter. You have until November 23rd to cast your vote and the winning baby or puppy will get $5000 plus you get to look at heart melting pictures of pure cuteness.

As for me, I voted for a puppy. I do think babies are just so cute and as a mom I think my kids are just the cutest things in the world (except when they are having screaming tantrums) but being in my last weeks of pregnancy I am completely babied out right now. Puppies are cuter to me at this moment because they are less work to take care of.

So go check out the Puppies vs. Babies website and vote for who you think is cuter, though I do want to warn you that you may feel the sudden urge to want to get pregnant immediately or to run to your nearest animal shelter and adopt a puppy.

Who did you vote for?

Patience- What's That?

photo credit

Patience is something that I have been completely lacking lately, especially in these last few weeks of my pregnancy.

Between not being able to sleep well at night and just a general lack of energy it seems as if things that would not have bothered me before really get on my nerves now. My kids are a large part of my lack of patience as they are at the ages now where they fight constantly about everything and most of the time about nothing at all. A lot of the time I find myself just letting them beat the crap out of each other because I just don't want to deal with their squabbles and I feel like they need to work things out by themselves. How many times can I intervene when they fight over a toy- it does no good and then they just start fighting over another toy five minutes later. But then there are the times where my head is already throbbing and I am tired beyond belief that the wrath of mommy comes out- I yell a lot and then banish everyone to their rooms.

I know that my patience and energy level will return once I have the baby so we all just need to make through he next week and a half of me being crazy.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

The sad thing is that I am the one who does all of the grocery shopping...

photo credit

Decorating Pumpkins...

The other day it was pouring rain out so I decided to let the kids decorate their pumpkins. My kids love paint and I hate carving pumpkins so we were all happy.

This is my daughter and her princess pumpkin- I don't really see how this looks like a princess in any way but she seems happy.

My son made a Star Wars monster pumpkin. He was happy because I let him use my craft paint. His sister used the Crayola paint because she still thinks eating non-food items is great.

We haven't put the pumpkins outside on display yet as the weather has been rainy and it even snowed a bunch last night. Tomorrow I will put them out on the front steps to show off the work of my two little artists.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Le Creuset Utensil Crock- Great Deal for a Great Christmas Present!

I love Le Creuset. Everything is made so well and it cleans up very easy.

Right now, Amazon is selling the Le Creuset Stoneware Large 2-3/4-Quart Utensil Crock in Black Onyx for $14.12. Shipping is free if you have Amazon Prime or you can get Free Super Saving Shipping if you spend over $25.

This would make an awesome Christmas present. Buy one for yourself, one for your mom and one for your mother in law (this is just what I may do- I have a hard time saying no to a great price). You could even use it to make a cute little gift "basket" and add in some kitchen stuff or baking mixes. My head is already swimming with ideas...

Thanks Slickdeals!

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate link.

Charlie's Soap is My Number One!

I am not one to push products on other people but I was reminded of how much I love my laundry detergent the other day when I had to reorder some.

I use Charlie's Soap and have been for awhile. I started using this way back when I was cloth diapering my son and had a ton left over when I ditched cloth for disposables. Fast forward to more recently and my son had a weird rash on his skin. I wasn't sure what exactly it was from but I had been detergent hopping and using whatever I could get for a good deal so I thought maybe he was having a reaction. I saw my Charlie's Soap sitting on the shelf in the laundry room and decided to rewash all of my son's clothing in it because it was all natural and didn't have any weird chemicals.

My son's rash went away (who knows if it was the detergent or not- sometimes kids just get weird rashes) but I decided to stick with the Charlie's Soap for all of our laundry. It works so well and leaves the clothes so soft that I actually stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets. It also keeps the inside of my front loading washer extremely clean and keeps the awful front loading washer smell away. The clothing comes out of the dryer smelling like clothing- not flowers or morning rain, just clothing. It is amazing how much chemical crap and fragrance that traditional detergents have in them. What is also nice is that when I have the baby I can just wash her clothing in with all of ours instead of having to separate it and wash it in special detergent because this has no harsh ingredients.

I started out using the liquid detergent but when the price went up a bit on Amazon I decided to go with the powder. I am not sure how much everyone else pays for their detergent but on Amazon Charlie's Soap is $11.99 for 80 large loads and with Subscribe and Save it goes down to $10.19 for 80 large loads
(shipping is free with Subscribe and Save). This all equates to paying about .13 cents a load. Maybe not as good as buying the cheap stuff at the store on sale with a coupon but if you want detergent that has no weirdo chemicals or fragrances because someone in your family has sensitive skin or allergies this seems like a winner to me.

Plus, I am lazy and the thought of having to go to the store to buy laundry detergent makes me shudder.

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate link. Charlie's Soap has no idea who I am- I wrote this post because I simply love their product and use it every day.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

I am only 28 years old but I so remember using a pen to wind up my tapes...

photo credit

Target

Chef Boyardee Whole Grain $1.09 (for lunch at work)

Kraft Veggie Mac and Cheese $1.00

1 lb Strawberries $2.49

Market Pantry Milk $3.39

Organic Orange Juice .76 (reg. $3.14)

Yoplait Kids Yogurt $1.89

Pantene Gift Set $9.99

Up & Up Peroxide .57

Banana .24

2 Motts for Tots Juice @ $2.25 each

Motts Natural Applesauce $1.74 - $1.74 instant savings wyb 2 Motts Juice

Less $1.30 in Red Card Savings

Total: 25.25

The Pantene gift set is going to be used for two separate rebates. The first one came in the box- you can either get a free magazine subscription to Allure magazine or get a refund instead of the magazine for $12. The second rebate is for $10 when you buy $50 of select Procter & Gamble products. I already had about $40 towards the rebate so the Pantene will put me over the threshold (I paid less than a couple of dollars for the items I bought before today).

The orange juice was marked way down to .76 cents and expires on 10/31 so I will be using it to make homemade and healthy popsicles for the kids.

One of the main reasons I went to Target today, other than needing milk, was to return a bag of potatoes that I bought on Tuesday. When I went to make mashed potatoes on Wednesday for dinner I realized that many of the potatoes in the bag were moldy. Ew, yuck, disgusting, gross. I will never buy potatoes from Target again.

TuTu Trick or Treat Basket (and wand!)

My daughter is going to be a fairy for Halloween. I bought her a beautiful tutu dress with wings from Three Little Princesses and had to make her a basket for trick or treating to match.

Because my brain is melted from being pregnant the most creative idea I could come up with was to make her a tutu basket. It took me forever to make and because of that I am glad I bought her a tutu dress instead of attempting to make one myself (though I did buy the supplies to make her a tutu skirt for when I am feeling up to it).

So, my little girl will be tutu-ed out for Halloween and will be as happy as a pig in you-know-what.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

Doesn't everyone do this?

photo credit

Star Wars Trick or Treat Bag

My son is going to be Captain Rex from Star Wars for Halloween- he really loves Star Wars which is funny because he has never seen any of the movies and I only just recently let him watch the Clone Wars cartoon series.

When he said he wanted to be a Star Wars guy for Halloween I instantly started to think about what kind of trick or treat bag I could make him. Every year I make the kids a bag or basket that matches their costume- it is my little tradition that I will continue to do until the kids decide I am lame and just want to use a pillowcase to collect their candy.

After much searching I found this picture of R2D2 to use as my inspiration. I went to the craft store (actually two craft stores because why would one store have everything I was looking for?) and bought lots of felt (on sale for .25 a sheet), tacky glue, fabric scissors (I finally splurged on real fabric scissors and I am wondering what the heck took me long) and a cheap $1 bag.

Basically, I cut out templates of all the shapes I needed using cardboard from cereal boxes (I cut the boxes so my kids have "paper" to use during arts and crafts time) and laid them out until I was happy with how everything looked. I used the templates to cut out the felt pieces and started gluing away.

I am very happy with how it turned out because believe me, when I sat down to make this bag tonight I really had no idea how I was going to pull it off. I am sure that when my son sees it tomorrow morning he will love it and that is what really matters in the end!

Old Navy- Saved 69% and Didn't Have to Leave the House

Boy's Tee $4.99 (reg. $12.94)

Boy's Pants $7.99 (reg. $16.94)

Infant One Piece $6.39 (reg. $12.94)

Less 30% off coupon

Total: $13.56 with free shipping

Saved 69%

Love the Rain...

photo credit

It is raining here today and I love it.

I love it because I don't have to go anywhere so I get to sit in my cozy, warm house and relax in my sweatpants.

If I did have to leave the house today I would be cursing up a storm in my head about having to drag my butt and my two kids out in the rain.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Halloween Candy is My BFF...

photo credit

I'm not too big on Halloween now that I am an adult. Sure, it is cute when my kids get all dressed up and I like seeing how excited they get when they go trick or treating but for me personally it is quite a bore.

That is until now. I am fat, pregnant and have a hunkering for chocolate.

I already busted open the bags of candy that I bought for trick or treaters and because I have no willpower I am not sure if said candy will still be around on Monday night. Luckily, I just bought two huge bags of candy from Amazon (gotta love Amazon Prime) that will be here by Monday so I'll just have to keep my grubby little hands off of them unless I want my house to get toilet papered due to a lack of candy on Halloween night.

The real best part of Halloween for a pregnant lady (once you get past the having to waddle from house to house with the kids while they trick or treat) is when I get to go through their candy when we get home to check for razor blades and hypodermic needles. At that time I confiscate what I don't think the kids should be eating- or should I say I confiscate what I think I should be eating.

I have been so good my whole pregnancy with not pigging out on junk so with two weeks to go until I have this baby, let the floodgates of sugary, fattening and high fructose corn syrup laden food open up!

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Earn Prizes From Horizen

Horizen is celebrating their 20th anniversary and wants you to spread the word about their heritage.

Every day you can earn one point by reading and sharing that day's story with your friends on Facebook.  You then can redeem your points for the following prizes:

5 points- reusable shopping bag

10 points- Horizen notebook

15 points- reusable lunch box set

Seems like a pretty cool deal to me!

Online Shopping Saves My Sanity

photo credit

I have been online shopping up a storm lately

No, not because I have some weird shopping addiction (though sometimes when flipping through the channels on TV I will get sucked into watching the home shopping network) but because I like my life to as simple as possible.

Simple to me means to limit taking my kids to the store with me as much as humanly possible, mostly so that I may retain a small sliver of my sanity. The things that I buy about 90% of the time from online are shoes and clothing. Taking kids clothing and shoe shopping is pure hell, especially when you are the type of mom who is super cheap and has to scour the clearance racks looking for deals. Kids don't wait for deals- kids want to get out of the store as quick as possible or they want to stay in the store and play hide and go seek in the racks. Either way, my kids do not enjoy bargain hunting.

This week I saved myself a ton of time (sanity) and money buy buying things that we needed online. Here is what I got:

-For my daughter: winter coat (Gap), shirt (Gap), dress shoes (Children's Place), winter hat (Old Navy), snow boots (Piperlime)

-For my son: shirt (Gap), sweatpants (Gap), sweatpants (Old Navy), snow pants (Children's Place), dress shoes (Children's Place), snow boots (Piperlime), pants (Old Navy)

-For the baby: winter hat (Old Navy), one-piece outfit (Old Navy)

-For my husband's friend's baby: a car seat seat from Babies R Us that his friend and his wife registered for; shipping was free so why the heck would I go buy it in the store?

My kids really needed the winter stuff so if I didn't get it online I would have had to truck my big 37 weeks pregnant butt to the store to buy all of it. Everything I bought involved some great online coupons, store rewards, cash back from Ebates and free shipping. There is absolutely no way I would have gotten these deals shopping in store and especially not if I had the kids with me.

What can I say- I am keeping UPS in business. Is it bad that when the truck drives by my house without stopping that I get a little sad?

CVS- Burning Up Some ECB

4 Progresso Soup @ $1.25 each - $1/4 MC

4 Bags Candy @ $2.50 each - (2) $1.00 MC and $1.50/2 MC

Less $10 in ECB

Total: .50

Saved 98%

Received $4 in ECB as follows:

$1 for purchasing Progresso Soup

$3 for purchasing assorted candy

I didn't do a super great job of rolling my ECB but I think that before I have the baby I want to just spend them all and not have any left over. I don't want to have to worry about running to the store to spend ECB before they expire.

Target

Up&Up Toddler Wipes $1.99

Up&Up Diaper Rash Cream $2.49 - $1 Target Coupon

2 Playtex Bottle Nipples @ $3.99 each

5 lb Market Pantry Potatoes $3.99

Arnold Whole Wheat Bread $2.39

1 lb Strawberries $2.49

1.5 lb Grapes $2.19

4 Michelina's Lean Gourmet @ $1.07 each - (2) $1/2 MC

4 Sierra Mist/Diet Pepsi $11.00 plus $2.40 bottle deposit

Minute Maid Orange Juice $2.89

2 Simply GoGurt @ $2.00 each - $1/2 MC

Less $2.22 in Red Card Savings

Total: $42.06

What a blah trip. I am done grocery shopping for the week and am glad because the thought of going to the grocery store is making my sinus headache hurt even more. We will be eating from the pantry/freezer.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

This seems like a wonderful idea to me!

photo credit

Sick? Moms Don't Get Sick...

Do you know what stinks about being a mom? It really stinks when you are sick.

-The kids don't care if you are sick because they still need to be taken care of.
-The laundry doesn't care if you are sick because it still needs to be washed and put away.
-The dishes don't care if you are sick because they still pile up in the sink waiting to be washed.
-The dust and crumbs don't care because they still accumulate all over the house waiting to be swept up.

So I guess we as moms should just jump on the bandwagon and not care when we are sick- why should we if no one else does? Onto the taking care of the kids, laundry, dishes and sweeping we go!

I Hate Sewing...

photo credit

Currently I am working on finishing the crib rail covers for the baby's crib. The front one is done and already tied onto the crib but I still have the two sides to finish.

I have already covered them with the new fabric (I am reusing the crib rail covers I made for my daughter's crib way back when) but now am on to the really sucky part- making the ties. I cut sixteen pieces of fabric tonight (eight ties on each rail cover) and of course my foggy brain contributed to me not cutting them the right width. I worked around my incompetence and the ties will just be skinnier than the ones I made for the front cover. I'm sure the baby won't mind. I started pinning the ties and hopefully will get that done tomorrow night. Then another night this week, probably after I make the kids' trick or treat baskets, I will sew (by hand because my sewing machine petrifies me) all sixteen ties. Then on yet another night I will attach said sixteen ties to the crib rail covers and will be done with this darned project I started.

Once I am done the crib will look adorable and I will only have a couple more things to finish up in the room before my baby makes her entrance into the world. Man, I hate sewing....

Trick or Treat (or drive myself crazy)...

photo credit

Every year I make my kids trick or treat baskets that match their costumes. I know that they could care less if they have something that I slaved over or just a pillowcase but I really enjoy doing it and it makes me feel  all mommy like.

The past years have been pretty easy to make baskets for but this year I am kind of stuck.

My daughter is going to be a fairy princess and I dropped a pretty penny on this costume (yes, I know I could have made something like it but it would not have been as cute). My daughter fell in love with it when she saw it and looked beyond adorable when she tried it on. I am going to make her a tutu basket with matching tulle but will iron out the details when I go to Jo-Ann Fabrics this week. Not the most creative basket but at least it will be cute.

My son is going to be a guy from Star Wars which is where my stuck-ness comes in. I am not someone who knows a ton about Star Wars so I did a lot of searching on the Internet for some ideas for a trick or treat basket. Right now I am leaning towards an R2D2 basket made with a bucket, paint and felt but I was also thinking of doing a Chewbacca basket. I guess I will just have to get my inspiration from aimlessly roaming the aisles of the fabric store.

With Halloween about a week away I really need to get going on these baskets and will most likely run to Jo-Ann Fabrics after my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I swear I am going to drive myself crazy between getting these Halloween baskets done and getting my daughter's/the baby's room done. And like I said before- no one else even cares about any of the stuff I am doing but as long as I care it is all worth it.

Land's End Canvas Extra 20% Off Clearance

Now through Tuesday Land's End Canvas is offering and extra 20% off of their clearance items and free shipping with the code BESTCUSTOMER and pin 4186.

I saw a lot of great deals but unfortunately for me and my pregnant belly I can't buy any normal person clothing at this time.

Go through Ebates to get 2% cash back.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Man Up...

photo credit

Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely detest getting help. I am a very stubborn person by nature- the kind of stubborn that even when I figure out the way I am doing something is wrong I will still continue doing it that way until I get the desired result. One I get an idea in my head I am going to do it and I am going to do it myself.

I apply my stubbornness and unwillingness for help to pretty much all aspects of my life- especially when it comes to my kids. The only time I ever don't take them places with me is when I can't, such as when I have to go to the doctor (I don't want my kids seeing me spread eagle while my doctor checks to see if I'm dilated) and dentists appointments (impossible to keep an eye on the kids while plaque is getting scraped off of my teeth). Any other situation and I just soldier on and take the kids with me. Yes, it would be way easier to ask my in-laws (who live in an in-law apartment at our house) to take the kids for a bit while I run to the store but I never (ever, ever) do that. If having kids were supposed to be easy everyone would have ten of them.

Is my way the right way? It is for me because if I got lots of help I would feel like I were incompetent at my job of being a mom. For everyone else- you just have to do what is right for you and your family. But think of this- if you think raising babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers is hard then just wait until they are all teenagers. I'm not sure that dropping them off at grandma and grandpa's house would be a viable option then so you might as well man up now.

I'm (almost) Ready for You Winter...

photo credit

The weather here in Massachusetts has finally turned into fall which is great because I (and my swollen feet) was getting really sick of the unseasonably warm weather we were having.

Last week I got to put away all of the summer clothing and take out all of the fall/winter clothing and coats. I was very happy to discover that my son's snowsuit from last year still fits him (thank goodness for buying things big). He also has a winter coat that my mom bought him awhile ago at The Children's Place on clearance and he has mittens and hats that still fit from last year- the only things he will be needing are some extra mittens (just in case he loses the ones he has) and snow boots. My daughter has snow pants that I bought from Land's End on clearance a couple of months ago but she needs everything else- winter coat, boots, hats and mittens. I am planning on getting her a winter coat from the Gap because I got a coupon in the mail for next week for 40% off coats and I also have a $20 reward certificate that they gave me for upgrading from a regular Gap credit card to a Gap Visa card. The baby won't need a coat (we have one of those bundle me car seat things) but I do need to buy her a winter hat. As far as clothing goes the kids and baby are set, though I love buying them clothing so being set does not mean that they won't be getting more stuff.

So come on cold weather- I am ready for you (actually, can you just hold off on the snow for a bit until I find a great deal on snow boots?).

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

I must be crazy because that really bothers me...

photo credit

Thank You- No Thank You...

photo credit

Has the art of writing thank you notes died?

I may be old fashioned, but I always thought that whenever you received a gift from someone you were supposed to write them a thank you note?

Last year at my son's fourth birthday party we chose not to have him open all of his presents from his friends during the party because little kids would rather be playing in the jump house and eating cake than watching my son tearing open wrapping paper. After the guests from school left we let him open the gifts from our immediate family that were still there. My son and I wrote thank you notes to all of his friends and any family/friends of ours who left earlier in the day to thank them for the gifts and for coming to his party. Anytime a family member mails a gift we also always send a thank you note.

My son has gone to two birthday parties this year and has not received one thank you note. The gifts at each party were not opened during the parties so it seems to me that a thank you note would definitely be in order. After my son's party we handed out our thank you notes the following week. Being too busy is not an excuse either- I mean I had two kids and was pregnant and still managed to make really nice thank you notes for everyone (I printed out a picture that my husband took of all of the kids in the jump house and we wrote the note on the back).

I guess I'm a little taken aback by parents not teaching their kids manners. Thank you notes are a great way to show your appreciation to someone and the younger a child learns how to write them the more instilled in them this token of appreciation will be. It really makes your child sit back and have to think about each gift they received and it also shows them how to be thankful for a gift even if it may not be something they like all that much. Someone took the time to pick out a thoughtful gift and took the time to attend your party so they should at least get a thoughtful thank you note.

Like I said, maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Target- Didn't Even Bother With Coupons

Fresh Express Salad $1.49

Skippy Natural Peanut Butter $2.39

Polander All Fruit Jelly $2.14

3 Motts Natural Applesauce @ $1.74 each

Del Monte Fruit Chillers $2.49

Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat Bread $2.50

3 lb Bag Clementines $3.59

1 lb Strawberries $2.29

Market Pantry Milk $3.39

Kraft Singles $3.19

Olivia Dress Up Trunk $5.48 (reg. $21.99)

3 Splash Bombs @ .98 each (reg. $3.99 each)

2 Kick Boards @ $1.24 each (reg. $4.99 each)

Goggles $1.24 (reg. $4.99)

Swim Vest $4.98 (reg. $19.99)

Less $1.79 Red Card Savings

Less $10 in gift cards earned earlier in the week

Total: $34.98

Saved 65%

I bought my daughter the Olivia Dress Up Trunk when it was on clearance for about $11 so I picked up another one today for $5.50 and will return it with my $11 receipt. I love when that happens!

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

I hate seeing people that I don't feel like talking to...

photo credit

Just Call Me Crazy...

photo credit

Today marks three weeks until I have the baby and I feel like every time I cross something off of my to-do I add another thing onto it. All day I am doing, doing, doing to get everything done that I feel needs to be done instead of actually doing what really needs to be done- resting.

So, will I rest? Nope. I will continue to go crazy getting random stuff done around the house. I can rest in the hospital after my c-section. And then after that I suppose I can rest when the kids are all adults and have moved out on their own.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Shaws- General Mills Catalina Deal Third Run

2 Total @ $2.50 each - .75 MC (doubled)

2 Cheerios @ $2.00 each - $1.10/2 MC

10 Totinos Pizza Rolls @ $1.00 each - (5) $1/2 MC

Shaws Fruit Snacks $1.59 (treat for daughter)

Celery $2.49

1 lb Carrots $1.29

Less $10 Catalina

Total: $5.27

Saved 88%

Received $10 Catalina for purchasing General Mills products

After sale prices, coupons and the $10 Catalina I got paid .10 cents to buy two boxes of Total, two boxes of Cheerios and ten boxes of Totinos. I know the Totinos are total crap food but they will come in handy for me to have quick lunches for myself after the baby is born- there is no way I would ever feed them to my kids so more for me!

I want to go back again this week to stock up on more food- I might as well take advantage of this great sale while I can!

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

photo credit

Shaws- General Mills Catalina Deal Second Run

4 Total Cereal @ $2.50 each - (4) .75 MC (doubled)

2 Cheerios @ $2.00 each - $1.10/2 MC

2 Simply GoGurt @ $2.50 each - .75/2 MC (doubled)

2.12 lb Pork Chops $6.34 - $3.00 Meat Markdown Coupon

2.16 lb Pork Chops $6.46 - $3.00 Meat Markdown Coupon

1.45 lb Pears $2.31

Best Life Spread $2.29 - $1.00 MC

Shaws Hamburger Buns $1.99

Less $10 Catalina

Total: $12.79

Saved 80%

Received $10 Catalina for purchasing General Mills products

I tried out the General Mills deal on shelf prices, though I added some extra things to make sure that I would get the Catalina. For four boxes of Total, two boxes of Cheerios and two GoGurts I spent .40 after my manufacturer coupons and $10 Catalina I earned from my first run. Not too shabby! I would love to go back and get more stuff but we'll see if I'm up to it.

The pork chops were a great deal- after the meat markdown coupons I ended up paying about $1.59 a pound. I will package them up using my Foodsaver and will freeze them  for future meals. Always, always check the meat section for markdowns- it is well worth it!

Rite Aid- Made Me Some Money

Crest Complete Toothpaste $2.99 - $2.00 MC (not sure where I clipped this from)

Sinus Buster $8.00 - $2.00 MC (no longer available)

Revlon Emery Boards .75

Zarbees $6.99

Less $14 in +Up Rewards

Total: $1.65

Saved 95%

(I paid .73 for the merchandise and .92 in tax- my tax should have been way lower but my $10 rewards wouldn't scan and the cashier entering it in some weird way therefore getting me charged way, way more tax than I should have been. I was in no mood to go back into the store and try to explain the tax rules in Massachusetts to the cashier so it is what it is).

Received $11.50 in +Up Rewards as follows:

$1.50 for purchasing Crest

$8 for purchasing Sinus Buster

$2 for purchasing Revlon

I will also submit for a $6.99 Single Check Rebate for purchasing Zarbees.

Target Shopping is Fun With No Kids

Shout $2.49 - .25

Market Pantry Raisins $2.54

Market Pantry Dried Apricots $2.44

4 Market Pantry Frozen Veggies @ $1.09 each - $1/4 Target Coupon

5 Sobe @ $1.07 each - $1/5 MC and (5) .50 Target Hang Tags

Market Pantry Eggs $1.39 - .50 Target Catalina Coupon

Market Pantry 24 Pack String Cheese $5.19

2 Market Pantry Bagels @ $1.24 each - $1/2 MC

2 Olay Facial Cleansers @ $5.24 each - (2) $2 MC and $5/2 Target Coupon (home mailer)

2 Gillette Deodorant @ $4.39 each - (2) $2 MC and $2/2 Target Coupon (home mailer)

2 Vaseline Lotion Bonus Pack @ $5.04 each

2 Vaseline Lotion @ $2.99 each - (2) BOGO MC wyb large Vaseline lotion

2 Dove Hair Care @ $3.69 each - BOGO MC

Less $1.40 Red Card Savings

Total: $37.15

Saved 55%

Received $10 in gift cards as follows:

$5 for purchasing 2 large Vaseline Lotions

$5 for purchasing 2 Dove and 2 smaller Vaseline lotions

Notable deals from this trip:

-The Olay Facial Cleansers ended up being .74 each after coupons, not free but pretty cheap considering this is the only kind that I buy my husband.

- I paid a total of $13.77 for two bonus packs of Vaseline lotion, two smaller bottles of Vaseline lotion and two Dove products and received $10 in Target gift cards back. If you take into account the gift cards I only paid $3.77 which is really good because the Vaseline lotion is the only kind we like to use in my household.

- The Sobe drinks all had .50 Target hang tags on them so after those and my $1 off 5 manufacturer coupon I ended up paying .37 each for five bottles.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

I totally believe this...

photo credit

BJ's- Sort of Over Budget but Oh Well...

Dole Fruit Cups in Juice $7.49 - .50 MC (16 pack of cups)

Land O' Lakes Milk $2.89

Carnation Instant Breakfast $7.99 - $1.00 MC (30 packets)

Berkley & Jensen Apple Juice $4.99 (2 pack 96 oz.)

Honey Buns $3.19 (for husband for work)

Eggo Nutri Grain Waffles $6.99 (equal to four regular boxes)

Wonka Mix Ups $9.99 - $3.00 BJ's Coupon and $1.40 MC (treat for husband)

Joy Dish Liquid $6.49 (90 oz.)

Starbucks Frappuccino $12.99 (12 bottles)

90% Ground Beef $16.89 ($2.99/lb)

Arnold Bread $2.99

Less $11.26 on a gift card I received as a gift

Total: $66.05

If I didn't have my daughter with me I would have most likely not gotten the apple juice (I don't

like my kids drinking too much juice) and the fruit cups but she really wanted them. I got the mixed fruit version of the cups so maybe they will get my kids to like different kinds of fruit other than strawberries, apples, pears and peaches.

I bought white bread, white I never buy, because for dinner tonight we are having shredded chicken and homemade gravy sandwiches and my husband does not like whole wheat bread.

We totally ran out of dish liquid yesterday due to my total lack of planning so I bit the bullet and bought a huge bottle today. I don;t think it was the best deal in the world but at least I have time now to stock on on better deals before it runs out.

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

I really do this...

photo credit

Un-Inspirational Sayings...

Welcome to marriage...

photo credit