Weighing it all out

In light of my new vow to write more about our lives and not just saving money, there is something I have been wanting to share for a while now. Not only for accountability, but also for me to see progress and results.

For a while now I have been struggling with my weight. I gained more than I should have when I was pregnant with Connor. A lot of it was just not being self-controlled and using the "Oh I'm pregnant" excuse when it came to food. There were a couple of times that my doctor mentioned my weight when we had checkups but I never really took it to heart. Now that it's over a year later, I am just tired of being this way and my clothes not fitting! Last fall, Cary and I got really serious about eating healthy and made some huge changes in how we ate and the things we bought at the grocery store. We have always been pretty healthy eaters, but there were some very unnecessary calories being consumed and they were not helping us at all! I also started walking with a friend about 4-5 times and week and I lost about 10lbs. of my baby weight over the course of about three months. She moved in December and I just kind of lost my motivation. I would still go to the park and walk a couple of days a week, if that, during the spring, but I was still not losing any weight. A very dear friend of mine got engaged in June and asked me to be in her wedding in April (2011). This was a huge motivator to get the weight off, since I would be standing in front of 200+ people in a very cute strapless dress, not to mention that the other three bride's maids are like sizes 4 and 6!! I know that comparing myself to others is not always best, but I have been a size 6-8 my whole life until now and I will get back to it!! So, I started running with a friend in July and kept it up for about two months. At the end of August, my running buddy hurt her foot and has not been able to run since then and again I lost motivation.
Finally in September, I got really motivated to get this weight off and keep it off. I just got tired of making excuses and again, not having very many clothes that fit. I have always been very self-conscious about my body, but now more than ever.
For the last month, end of sept. til now, I have been going to the park four, sometimes five days a week and walking for at least 30 minutes, while pushing Connor. The track I walk is two miles, so I getting in at least eight miles a week and sometimes ten. I noticed a difference just after two weeks! I had so much energy and I felt so much better about myself. I have already lost a few pounds and my out-look on this burden has improved. I plan to slowly increase my walking time and distance as well.

My goal is to lose 20lbs. by April 16, that's the day of my friend's wedding and my overall goal is 30lbs.
When I started walking last month (this is slightly embarrassing for me to admit) I was 168lbs.
I am now down to 162lbs.

My pre-pregnancy weight was 149lbs. and I was actually trying to lose about 10lbs. before we found out we were pregnant. So my goal is to get back to 140lbs., which is what I was when we moved here three years ago. Ideally, in a perfect world, I would love to get back to my college weight, which was between 130-135, but I know getting older can make that difficult, but not impossible!

I ask that you would pray for me as I am continuing this battle and help hold me accountable. I will update from time to time so I can be accountable and it will help keep me motivated to get the weight off since I will be blogging about it!

Pumpkin Carving!!

Last night, Cary (he did two, one for himself and one for Connor), Carey, and I carved pumpkins for Halloween. Our friend Carey and his wife Bobbi-sue are in our small group and we just love them! Bobbi-sue was doing a D-now at church this weekend and could not join us, but Carey came over for dinner and we shared a pumpkin with him so he could partake in some Halloween fun since he would not otherwise be able to do. For those of you, like us, who live or used to live in seminary housing, you know that this is not allowed. I didn't get any before shots, but here are the finished products. Can you guess what they are??

How selfish am I?

Sometimes I get so caught up in things, I don't even realize what is going on around me. Tonight I realized that my last six blog posts have been about me and my grocery trips! It was not until a dear friend made mention of it and me actually "viewing" my own blog to see it. I am very thankful for this realization and I know sometimes it takes someone else looking in to help me see my mistakes. I feel especially guilty of this since Connor turned 16 months almost two weeks ago and I have yet to blog about his progress. Boy do I feel like a terrible mom!
From now on I vow to be better about blogging about things other than grocery trips. How boring for you readers to have to read the same things over and over! My apologies!

Harris Teeter (#2) and Kroger trips

I was not going to Kroger until later this week, but one of the deals I was going to get was on frozen veggies and I realized that I needed them for tonight's dinner, so back out to the store I went! I also ran over to HT to get two items, which I used to never do, but since it's rights across the street from Kroger, I thought, why not?

Harris Teeter:

Total before savings $3.74
Total spent $1.27
Total saved $2.47

Here's what I got:
-1 (16oz.) bottle Bailey's coffee creamer
-1 (12oz.) Shamrock Farms milk

Kroger

Total before savings $69.86
Total spent $18.86
Total saved $51.00

Here's what I got:
-5 (17oz.) boxes Honey Nut Cheerios
-3 (14oz.) boxes Cheerios
-6 Yoplait smoothies
-2 (12oz.) bags Steamfresh broccoli
-2 (12oz.) bags Steamfresh lightly sauced veggies (both free)
-2 bags Pilsbury Grands frozen biscuits

Kroger is having two really good deals this week. One is on select frozen items; if you buy 10 participating items and get $5 off instantly. I also had a coupon for every item I purchased, which made them even cheaper. I just realized as I was writing this that I had two e-coupons come off that I had completely forgotten about!
The other deal is on GM cereals. Buy any 4 participating cereals (they are marked on the price tags) and get $6 off instantly. Since I bought 8 boxes of cereal, I received $12 off my order, plus I used more coupons for additional savings!!

Harris Teeter and Target trips

So many stores are having good sales this week! Some of them I just could not pass up. I will be going to Kroger later in the week to take advantage of their frozen food sale and their GM cereal deal!


Harris Teeter:

Total before savings $12.40
Total spent $4.94
Total saved $7.46

Here's what I got:
-1 (32oz.) container Dannon yogurt
-2 cans Blue Diamond almonds
-1 (16oz.) bottle Bailey's coffee creamer (this was $0.66!)

Target:

Total before savings $10.32
Total spent $4.55
Total saved $5. 77

Here's what I got:
-2 bottles Kikkoman soy sauce (1 was free)
-2 pks. Kraft shredded cheese

These two trips were not as good as some others I have made, but anytime my total saved is more than my total spent, I think that is pretty good, especially since the almonds are normally $3.59 each!

I couldn't help myself...

....I went back to Kroger tonight to get a few more things. I found some more coupons in the booklets that I have not had a chance to cut out yet so I just had to go back!

Total before savings $25
Total spent $1.85 (that is with tax!!)
Total saved $23.15

More Free Samples!

I think it was about two weeks ago when I posted about the free samples I started signing up for. I have gotten a ton more since then so I decided to go ahead and post about them. One day I opened up my mailbox and it was completely full with free stuff!

Here's what I have received:
-Aveno hair care
-Jergens lotion
-V8 VFusion with tea
-2 Wisk samples
-Quaker Life bar
-Kotex pads and tampons
-Playtex sport tampons
-Arm and Hammer toothpaste
-Garnier face cream
-TRUE lemon, lime and orange
-Lemon shine dishwasher cleaner
-Beyond Bodi heat pain reliever heat pad
-Cold-eeze
-Gooseberry patch recipe book
-Pampers potty training kit with a pair of pull-ups

I know these do not seem like much and obviously you don't get much since it's a sample, but since these items are small, they are great for traveling!

Harris Teeter and Kroger trips

There are some great sales going on this week at both stores! If you need chicken broth, or soup Harris Teeter is having a great sale on both. If you need tuna, toothpaste, hand soap, or hummus, head to Kroger. I had coupons for everything I bought, so I got a lot of things for free!

Harris Teeter trip:

Total before savings $53.18
Total spent $15.32
Total saved $37.86

Here's what I got:
-7 (15oz.) cans Swanson chicken broth
-3 (15oz.) cans Swanson beef broth
-3 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom
-4 cans Campbell's Chunky soups
-5 cans Tuttorosso tomatoes (3 were free)
-6 bags Betty Crocker instant potatoes (free)
-2 pks. GUM flossers
-1 (4ct.) Colgate Wisp (free)

Kroger trip:

Total before savings $37.87
Total spent $7.16
Total saved $30.71

Here's what I got:
-4 bottles Dial hand soap
-2 tubes Crest toothpaste (free)
-3 containers Athenos hummus (free)
-4 cans Bumblebee tuna (free)
-8 pouches Bumblebee tuna
-1 Private Selection veggie tray

Meal plan for week of 10/11-10/17

Monday-Wepod leftovers
Tuesday-Turkey chili leftovers
Wednesday-Homemade pizza
Thursday-PB&J
Friday-Shrimp chowder
Saturday- Lasagna, salad, and homemade bread
Sunday-Wepod-Chili

Samples, samples, and more samples

Over the last two months I have been signing up for and receiving free samples. It's amazing how many companies send out free samples for their products. Some of the products I received samples for are not ones that I normally use, but if they are free, why not? It is totally worth the time. If you decide to sign up for free samples, just be sure you set up an extra email account that is just for sampling.

Here are the samples I have received so far:
-Post it super sticky notes and tabs
-Oxy clinical face wash and acne therapy
-Wisk detergent
-Downy
-Breathe right strips
-Glad force flex trash bag
-Gain dish liquid
-Bisquick
-All Bran
-Cinnamon Toast Crunch
-Nature Valley oats and honey bar
-Dove shampoo and conditioner
-BIC pen
-Goodnites underwear
-Kashi snack crackers
-Degree deoderant
-Kotex U sample pack
-Fisher Price trio toy car
-Bounce t-shirt
-Emergen-C
-Cottonelle Fresh wipes (not pictured)
-Rephesh tampons (not pictured)
-Eucerin lotion
-Sunmaid recipe book


There are many more that I have not received yet. Most of them take between 4-6 weeks to arrive. I'll post again once I get another good collection going.

Harris Teeter and Kroger trips

Harris Teeter trip #2:

I made a second trip to Harris Teeter today. When I was making out my grocery list, I found a few more new deals and things we need this week and some free stuff!

Total before savings $60.59
Total spent $17.87
Total saved $42.72

Here's what I got:
-1 (8 roll) pack Scott Naturals tissue
-1 container Cottonelle Fresh wipes (free)
-1 (4 pk.) Breyers YoCrunch yogurt (free)
-1 box Minute brown rice
-1 box Tornadoes snack burritos
-1 jar Planters peanuts
-2 can Hunt's tomato sauce
-1 can Hunt's diced tomatoes (free)
-2 (14oz.) pkgs. Hillshire Farm smoked sausage (1 was free)
-1 (6.4oz.) tube Colgate toothpaste (free)
-2 GUM toothbrushes (free)
-5 (8oz.) bags Kraft shredded cheese (2 were free)


Kroger trip:

Total before savings $19.55
Total spent $2.50
Total saved $17.05

Here's what I got:
-4 (18ct.) boxes Playtex tampons
-1 dozen Kroger eggs

Four years ago.....

....I married an amazing man. We were young and in love and had no idea what amazing things God had in store for us. I can still remember that day and how beautiful the weather was, getting my hair done, and even what I had for breakfast. Now, four years later, our love continues to grow in new ways. We now have a son, Connor, who brings new adventures and new meaning to love and understanding. God has blessed us and continues to bless us everyday and in ways we never thought possible. I never knew love could go this deep or grow so much on a daily basis. What a wonderful journey this has been and I know it will continue to be in the upcoming years.
Here are a few pictures from our wedding day.

Target and Harris Teeter trips

Target trip:

We were out of the overnight diapers that we use for Connor and I always get them at Target because I can't find them anywhere else. I was in luck this time because I had some really good coupons and was able to get wipes for FREE!

Total before savings $30.98
Total spent $23.27
Total saved $7.71

Here's what I got:
-1 (64 ct.) Huggies Overnites diapers
-1 (184 ct.) Huggies wipes (free)
-1 travel size Up baby powder
-2 travel size Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo Smoothers

These were not huge savings, but the fact that I got the wipes for free by using coupons makes a huge difference, plus we only have to buy these diapers once every two months.



Harris Teeter trip:

Total before savings $49.35
Total spent $14.46
Total saved $34.89

Here's what I got:
-6 half gallons Smart Balance Milk (these were $0.50 each! I won't have to buy milk for me and Cary for almost 3 weeks since these are in cartons they last much longer!)
-2 (32oz.) cartons Swanson's chicken broth
-2 boxes Mrs. T's Pierogies
-2 (12oz.) pkgs. Hebrew National hot dogs
-1 (32oz.) container Dannon plain yogurt

Meal plan for week of 10/4-10/10

This week is going to be a little different. It's fall break for seminary students, which usually means no class, but apparently not for hybrid classes. Cary is taking a Greek hybrid class this semester so all of his classes are online, but on one weekend during the semester, they actually go to class. So this Friday, he has to go to class from 6pm-10pm and then on Saturday from 8am-5pm! So we will have our soup night on Saturday this week.

Monday-stir fry leftovers
Tuesday-wepod leftovers
Wednesday-homemade pizza
Thursday- PB&J
Friday- Pizzadillas and salad
Saturday- Chipotle chicken chili with avocado ranch
Sunday-Wepod dinner- Spaghetti

New perspective on meal planning

A couple of months ago I posted about meal planning and put up a meal plan schedule of what types of meals we made each week. We tried it out to see if we could save us more money by having specific meals on specific days (i.e. Mondays were pasta nights and Fridays were seafood nights). I tried to pick out meals that would make leftovers and that I only needed a few ingredients for since I stock up on staple items with coupons when they are on sale. Most of the time I was able to do this, but I was cooking almost every night and not getting as many leftovers out of the meals. Since school started back up, life has become a little busier these days. I have now figured out a way to get more out of our meals and spend less time in the kitchen. We are still using our meal plan schedule to a degree, but we are not sticking to it as strictly as before.
Now that Fall is FINALLY here, I will start making soup again. We will eat soup periodically throughout the year, but mostly during the fall and winter months, especially since I can make a big batch, freeze some, and have some for leftovers during the week. Here is a "newer" version of our meal plan schedule

Monday- soup leftovers
Tuesday-leftovers from Saturday
Wednesday- Homemade pizza
Thursday- PB&J for Cary and and any remaining leftovers for me
Friday- Soup night
Saturday- Pasta or casserole night
Sunday- Wepod dinner (this is our small group)

I have been doing this meal plan for two weeks now and both weeks I have come in under budget on my grocery shopping! Before that I was either using all of our grocery money or coming in a couple of dollars over budget, which I know doesn't sound like much, but if I did that every week, it would add up pretty quickly.

I feel much better about this meal plan and I know it will save us more in the long run. Once the spring hits I will probably revamp it again to correspond with Cary's class schedule and with spring and summer type meals and I will try to keep cooking only two or three nights a week.