Since I became a stay-at-home mom after Averie's birth, we have been living on a tighter budget. Thankfully, having made stretching a dollar as far as I can my new "job", we've been able to almost maintain our previous standard of living even though our income decreased a good bit.
One of my friends asked how I find all my deals and I figured this could be useful information for others so here goes :).
Warning - this is going to be long :).
First of all, the coupon sites for printable coupons:
Coupons.com
RedPlum.com
SmartSource.com
The only thing I pay for to get my deals is I get two copies of the Sunday paper (and thus, two copies of each coupon insert). I find that that's usually plenty for our little family of three. Occasionally, if there is a really high value coupon (like a recent $4 Nivea body wash coupon) or a coupon for a favorite product (like a recent California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza coupon), I'm bummed and like "man! I wish I had 10 of these coupons!" but that's pretty rare.
Next off, I really can take very little credit for the deals I get. I am not near organized or creative enough to come up with all these deals on my own. I am a loyal follower of a few coupon blogs but my top two are This Beautiful Frugal Life and Freebies 2 Deals. This Beautiful Frugal Life is great at coupon match-ups with national stores and has links on the sidebars to sort if you only want to look at one store - Albertson's, for example, which we no longer have in my area. Boooo :(.
Freebies 2 Deals is good for everything else - little random coupons here and there (like her most recent post has one for Scotch tape) or deals at other stores (this paper deal came from F2D) and she always provides links to the coupons when she can so she does a lot of the legwork for you.
I've also recently found a new favorite - Totally Target. Confession time - I am a Target addict. We live right across the street from a Super Target and I think we go there AT LEAST twice a week. Anyways, I love Totally Target - she is great at coupon match-ups also, and lays out the details in black and white of how to get the best deals and make the most money.
Last but not least, for baby items, I love Baby Cheapskate. She posts deals throughout the week about coupons for clothes, baby gear (strollers and the like), toys, etc. There are occasional articles too about, say, the best reviewed car seats. My favorite post of hers is on Sunday and it is the Top Diaper and Formula Deals of the Week. She posts which stores are having which diapers or formula on sale and which coupons to use (with occasional links to coupons) to get the best deals.
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OK, now a store-by-store rundown for my most frequent haunts.
TARGET
I'm really surprised they don't know me by name here. I go to Target for groceries, toiletries, cleaning, you name it (see aforementioned Target addiction :D). Totally Target is like my handbook for shopping there. They run gift card deals occasionally where you buy X and Y and you get a $5 Target gift card. Combine with coupons and think of the gift card like cash back and you can usually get stuff for close to free, completely free or you might even make money!
Target also has their own coupons - here - you can use a Target coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on an item.
Example from the other day:
Dove deodorant - $3.49
$2 manufacturer's coupon
$1 Target coupon on a Dove personal care item
Paid $0.49!
Sometimes the coupons that are on Target's website are actually manufacturer's coupons (I seriously don't know why) so you won't be able to combine those with another manufacturer coupon (like from the newspaper or Coupons.com). An actual Target coupon says "Target Coupon" on it so there's no confusion :).
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RITE AID (Beautiful Frugal Life is best for match-ups)
I love Rite Aid for diapers. Once upon a time, we were loyal Pampers customers but since the release of their new Dry Max product and all the complaints, we've switched to Huggies. Which is not a bad thing - Huggies is way more generous with the coupons and sales. I wait for them to go on sale and combine with a good coupon (like the $3 off Huggies that have been out recently) and then I go and stock up.
Rite Aid also comes out with $5 off a $25 purchase coupons (found online at Red Plum or Rite Aid's site) and they have a Video Values program where you can watch short videos - you earn credits and when you've got 20 credits, you earn a $5 off $20 coupon. You also get a coupon for whatever video you watched (so if you watched, say, an Icy Hot video, you get a coupon for Icy Hot) but I'm usually only in it for the $5 off $20. You can print more than one so I usually print a couple and then do multiple transactions so I can use multiples of those coupons.
Example: Buy 3 packages of Huggies at $8.99 each = $26.97
Hand over the $5 off $20 (or $25) first
Then (3) $3 off coupons
= $12.97 or $4.32 per package
Rite Aid also has a great Single Check Rebate program, which is just what it sounds like. You buy something (and you can use coupons on it, too) and then submit your receipts online and they send you back a rebate. These are listed in the weekly ad.
I Heart Rite Aid is also a great resource. I don't know how but she gets the weekly ad scans awhile before the actual ad is released so you can start planning it out. Careful though - in my particular area, our ad is usually just the "short ad" that she mentions so sometimes there's a deal in the "national" ad that I don't get. More than once, I've gone to the store to buy what I thought was also a sale in my area only to find out it ISN'T in my area, so just make sure you check the weekly ad for your area in your newspaper or online at the actual Rite Aid site.
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WALGREEN'S
Not a fan of Walgreen's honestly. I've been given grief there more than once about coupons (even though I was doing it the right way) so I just avoid them in general.
Plus, their "reward" system - Register Rewards - is coupons that spit out of the machine at the end of the transaction that you can use on a future transaction. Those don't really feel like cash to me, because when I'm there, it's usually for just a couple specific things that are a super awesome deal (because I don't like going there) and I don't foresee using the RR. I prefer the cash back with Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program.
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BABIES R US
On a rare occasion, I like BRU for diapers. Their diaper prices normally are NOT good, but combine with manufacturer coupons and a store sale/coupon and you can get a good deal. The big boxes of Huggies in the picture in my last post were from there.
As an example, here's how that purchase went. Usually when we're in there, at the end of our transaction, they'll give us coupons to use on our next purchase. On one such occasion, we got a coupon for $7 off when you bought the big box of Huggies diapers and the big box of Huggies wipes (also in the picture). One thing I like about BRU also is they will take an unlimited number of coupons per item, as long as all the coupons are different. Well, at the time, I had a $3 coupon, a $2.50 one, a $2 one and a $1.50 one and I was able to use all of them on one box of diapers. I had a couple different denominations for the wipes too (a $0.75 one and a $0.50 one) and then combined with the $7 BRU coupon I had received earlier made for a good deal.
BRU is also good for baby food. I'd gone into this with hopes of making my own baby food, but alas, laziness won out, LOL. I've only given Averie organic baby food though - which is of course more expensive than non-organic - but I paid less than 50 cents a jar by combining sales (Earth's Best brand in particular has been on sale on and off lately - 10 jars for $5) with coupons. Again, it's all about stocking up when there's a good sale so that your stash lasts until the next sale time.
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Alright, that's it! If you made it through this entire post, you deserve an award. I hope that helps some and that it wasn't too confusing. Feel free to comment with questions or whatever you want :).
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
First word!
Averie has been babbling a lot lately but so far, no defined words. Until today, that is.
Averie said "mama" this morning! Made my day!
Averie said "mama" this morning! Made my day!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Shopping deals
Between all the Huggies coupons out there (coupon roundup here) the last few days, we have seriously stocked up on wipes (diapers, too - we shouldn't need to buy more diapers until Averie's 1st birthday!). Here's the result of a Target run:
I don't have my receipt in front of me but it was all less than $25! I used the $2 off Huggies coupons (I had 4 coupons left since I had used a couple of them at Babies R Us but it was enough to get 2 refills and 6 tubs). I used B1G1 coupons and a B3G1 Target coupon on the Nabisco 100 calorie packs so I got 4 boxes for the price of one! Also used a B3G1 Target coupon and 2 $1 manufacturer's coupons on the crackers to score a great deal on those. And then a lone stick of deodorant for $0.49 after coupons :).
SMITH'S
Smith's is having double coupon days through tomorrow where every coupon is a $1 (coupons over $1 are taken at face value). It was a great way for me to use up those pesky 30-40 cent coupons that hardly seem worth it. The best deals I got were mustard for 25 cents and ketchup for 50 cents, a boatload of free candy and snacks, and almost free Sunny D (I don't think we've bought this since we got married but for nearly free, I'll take it!).
I also took advantage of a deal they were doing on Huggies and got a pack of diapers and a pack of swim diapers (which are not cheap!) for less than $9! If you are going to do that one, make sure you bring the Smith's page from the coupon insert - it wasn't ringing up correctly and they had to manually correct it.
All in all, my total would have been almost $100 - and I only spent $34 (including diapers)!
And now I better stop buying diapers and wipes - I don't think Averie's closet will hold any more!
Just in case you're wondering - that's over 900 diapers and over 2,000 wipes in one whole side of a walk-in closet.
...
Oh, just found 2 more refill bags - make that 2,500 wipes!
I don't have my receipt in front of me but it was all less than $25! I used the $2 off Huggies coupons (I had 4 coupons left since I had used a couple of them at Babies R Us but it was enough to get 2 refills and 6 tubs). I used B1G1 coupons and a B3G1 Target coupon on the Nabisco 100 calorie packs so I got 4 boxes for the price of one! Also used a B3G1 Target coupon and 2 $1 manufacturer's coupons on the crackers to score a great deal on those. And then a lone stick of deodorant for $0.49 after coupons :).SMITH'S
Smith's is having double coupon days through tomorrow where every coupon is a $1 (coupons over $1 are taken at face value). It was a great way for me to use up those pesky 30-40 cent coupons that hardly seem worth it. The best deals I got were mustard for 25 cents and ketchup for 50 cents, a boatload of free candy and snacks, and almost free Sunny D (I don't think we've bought this since we got married but for nearly free, I'll take it!).
I also took advantage of a deal they were doing on Huggies and got a pack of diapers and a pack of swim diapers (which are not cheap!) for less than $9! If you are going to do that one, make sure you bring the Smith's page from the coupon insert - it wasn't ringing up correctly and they had to manually correct it.
All in all, my total would have been almost $100 - and I only spent $34 (including diapers)!
And now I better stop buying diapers and wipes - I don't think Averie's closet will hold any more!
Just in case you're wondering - that's over 900 diapers and over 2,000 wipes in one whole side of a walk-in closet....
Oh, just found 2 more refill bags - make that 2,500 wipes!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A "real" Mother's Day post
I'd been holding onto this post while I waited for a picture I wanted to put up with it. So here goes :).
Sunday was my first "real" Mother's Day. I was pregnant last year on the holiday and Chris did give me a card and a gift but this was the first year that I was an "official" mother. I woke up to Chris cooking French toast and bacon for breakfast! Mmm, it was good. He also gave me some flowers and a small box of chocolate (as if I need more chocolate, haha). But my best present came on Monday:
A beautiful new jogging stroller! I'd been wanting one for a little while so I could start exercising with Averie once I realized that our travel system stroller wasn't cutting it on the apparently rather uneven sidewalks around the neighborhood. Chris, Averie and I are planning on enjoying some long walks in the very near future :).
Later that day, we visited my parents' house and were able to talk to my sister, Susan, on the phone who is on her mission in New York. We're able to e-mail with her but it was still nice to talk to her again. Dad made homemade chicken cordon bleu with strawberry shortcake for dessert - he is such a great cook!
Grams (my mom's mom) is 93 and I had been wanting to get a picture of the four of us while I still could, and what better day for such a picture than Mother's Day!
Four generations of women
Sunday was my first "real" Mother's Day. I was pregnant last year on the holiday and Chris did give me a card and a gift but this was the first year that I was an "official" mother. I woke up to Chris cooking French toast and bacon for breakfast! Mmm, it was good. He also gave me some flowers and a small box of chocolate (as if I need more chocolate, haha). But my best present came on Monday:
A beautiful new jogging stroller! I'd been wanting one for a little while so I could start exercising with Averie once I realized that our travel system stroller wasn't cutting it on the apparently rather uneven sidewalks around the neighborhood. Chris, Averie and I are planning on enjoying some long walks in the very near future :).Later that day, we visited my parents' house and were able to talk to my sister, Susan, on the phone who is on her mission in New York. We're able to e-mail with her but it was still nice to talk to her again. Dad made homemade chicken cordon bleu with strawberry shortcake for dessert - he is such a great cook!
Grams (my mom's mom) is 93 and I had been wanting to get a picture of the four of us while I still could, and what better day for such a picture than Mother's Day!
Four generations of womenOverall, it was a wonderful day and I'm looking forward to celebrating many more Mother's Days with my husband and children (present and future)!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Averie's Birth Story
In honor of Mother's Day and because I started our blog after Averie was born, I decided to post Averie's birth story! It's not gross or gory (in my opinion) but feel free to skip this if you don't want to read!
When I hit 40 weeks without any signs of going into labor, I started getting desperate and trying everything to get labor going (including castor oil, which I would not recommend!). None of it worked. I had a doctor's appointment at 40 weeks 5 days and when I arrived, my blood pressure was 150/90. They gave me a few minutes to see if it would go down after relaxing with some deep breaths but it was still 140/90, so they ordered me straight to the hospital for induction. We rushed home to do some last-minute packing and got to the hospital around 5 PM. They took my blood pressure when I got there and it was back to normal - 110/70. I was so upset, I thought they were going to send me home because my doctor's policy was to induce at 41 weeks and I was a couple days "early." Luckily, they decided to keep me and induce me!
I was 2 cm, 80% effaced to start. At 7 PM, they gave me prostin gel. At 1 AM, I still hadn't made a lot of progress even though I'd been having some regular contractions. At 4 AM, they broke my water and I got an epidural. At 7 AM, I hadn't dilated any further so they give me Pitocin. At 9 AM, I had dilated up to 4 cm and was convinced I was going to be in labor FOREVER since I had only progressed 2 cm in about 14 hours. I worried I would end up with a C-section, which I'm not opposed to, but I was concerned about the longer recovery time and wanted to avoid that. I fell asleep a little bit after that - at that point, I'd been awake for over 24 hours.
I woke up a little before noon with an urgent need to push. Chris got the nurse and I was finally 10 cm! I started pushing and about 1 PM, Dr. Broberg came in. I was having trouble getting her head out so they asked if they could use the vacuum, which I was fine with. Immediately after that, I remember dreading the pushing even more because that meant shoulders were next. However, after he got her head out with the vacuum, I pushed one more time and her shoulders were out, then one more push and I was done! It all happened very quickly. I remember I was rather hysterical - probably a combination of relief, excitement and temporary insanity :D - and screaming that it was over and my baby girl was here!
In total, I was in labor for 17 hours and pushed for almost 1 1/2 hours. Averie was born at 1:23 PM on November 3, 2009. She was 8 lbs 3 oz and they said 19 inches long at first, but we thought she looked longer and re-measured her later that day at 22 inches.
Averie, 1 day old
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When I hit 40 weeks without any signs of going into labor, I started getting desperate and trying everything to get labor going (including castor oil, which I would not recommend!). None of it worked. I had a doctor's appointment at 40 weeks 5 days and when I arrived, my blood pressure was 150/90. They gave me a few minutes to see if it would go down after relaxing with some deep breaths but it was still 140/90, so they ordered me straight to the hospital for induction. We rushed home to do some last-minute packing and got to the hospital around 5 PM. They took my blood pressure when I got there and it was back to normal - 110/70. I was so upset, I thought they were going to send me home because my doctor's policy was to induce at 41 weeks and I was a couple days "early." Luckily, they decided to keep me and induce me!
I was 2 cm, 80% effaced to start. At 7 PM, they gave me prostin gel. At 1 AM, I still hadn't made a lot of progress even though I'd been having some regular contractions. At 4 AM, they broke my water and I got an epidural. At 7 AM, I hadn't dilated any further so they give me Pitocin. At 9 AM, I had dilated up to 4 cm and was convinced I was going to be in labor FOREVER since I had only progressed 2 cm in about 14 hours. I worried I would end up with a C-section, which I'm not opposed to, but I was concerned about the longer recovery time and wanted to avoid that. I fell asleep a little bit after that - at that point, I'd been awake for over 24 hours.
I woke up a little before noon with an urgent need to push. Chris got the nurse and I was finally 10 cm! I started pushing and about 1 PM, Dr. Broberg came in. I was having trouble getting her head out so they asked if they could use the vacuum, which I was fine with. Immediately after that, I remember dreading the pushing even more because that meant shoulders were next. However, after he got her head out with the vacuum, I pushed one more time and her shoulders were out, then one more push and I was done! It all happened very quickly. I remember I was rather hysterical - probably a combination of relief, excitement and temporary insanity :D - and screaming that it was over and my baby girl was here!
In total, I was in labor for 17 hours and pushed for almost 1 1/2 hours. Averie was born at 1:23 PM on November 3, 2009. She was 8 lbs 3 oz and they said 19 inches long at first, but we thought she looked longer and re-measured her later that day at 22 inches.
Averie, 1 day oldMonday, May 3, 2010
6 Months!
Time has really flown - Averie is 6 months old today!
At 6 months old, Averie rolls back to front (that's a recent development) and front to back and sits up on her own. She's finished all the flavors of her Stage 1 baby foods and liked some more than others (she loves carrots, sweet potatoes and all fruits; the green beans, not so much).
Averie wears size 2 diapers and, despite being in an upper percentile for weight, is still wearing her 3-6 month clothes. We even had to buy a few summery things for her in 3-6 month sizes because the 6-12 month summer clothes I bought ahead of time are still too wide on her (perfect length though)!
We tried moving her to her convertible car seat over the weekend but we moved her back to her infant carrier today. She still fits fine in it (though she's rapidly approaching the 30 inch height limit!) - we were just a little overly excited to move her to the new seat. She likes to sleep in her car seat still and neither she nor I enjoyed waking her up and taking her in and out of the seat so many times when running errands. We will try again in a month or two.
At 6 months old, Averie rolls back to front (that's a recent development) and front to back and sits up on her own. She's finished all the flavors of her Stage 1 baby foods and liked some more than others (she loves carrots, sweet potatoes and all fruits; the green beans, not so much).
Averie wears size 2 diapers and, despite being in an upper percentile for weight, is still wearing her 3-6 month clothes. We even had to buy a few summery things for her in 3-6 month sizes because the 6-12 month summer clothes I bought ahead of time are still too wide on her (perfect length though)!
We tried moving her to her convertible car seat over the weekend but we moved her back to her infant carrier today. She still fits fine in it (though she's rapidly approaching the 30 inch height limit!) - we were just a little overly excited to move her to the new seat. She likes to sleep in her car seat still and neither she nor I enjoyed waking her up and taking her in and out of the seat so many times when running errands. We will try again in a month or two.
Stats:
Weight: 17 lbs 5 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 17 lbs 5 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)
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