CVS Trip

I never realized how much money I could save by "playing the drug store game." Before I started couponing, I bought all of our toiletry and household products at Wal-mart because their prices are always cheaper than the drug store prices. Now, unless I just need an item right away, I will not pay full price for it.

Total before savings $74.31
Total spent $16.82
Total saved $57.49
Got back $4 ECB's

Here's what I got:
-1 (3ct.) box Thermacare neck wraps
-1 (3ct.) box Thermacare lower back wraps
-1 Gillette Pro Fusion razon
-1 bottle Olay Total Effects body wash
-2 (16ct.) pkgs. Always pads
-1 bottle Tone body wash
-1 bottle Pantene Pro-V shampoo
-1 bottle Pantene Pro-V conditioner
-2 bottles Aussie deep conditioner
-1 Green bag tag (they scan this each time I check out, in addition to my Extra Care card and every 4th visit I get $1 ECB)

Harris Teeter Trip

 If you need yeast and have some coupons for them, go to HT this week! I got eight strips for $1.33!

Total before savings $38.49
Total spent $11.89
Total saved $26.60

Here's what I got:
-1 Bounce dryer bar
-2 bottles Tobasco sauce
-2 cans Campbells Chunky soup
-3 bottles French's spicy brown mustard (free)
-8 strips Fleischmann's yeast (one was free)
-1 pkg. Crab Classic crab (we use this for sushi)
-2 bags Kruncher's chips (no coupons for these. Just a luxury buy)

Another snow day!!!

As I mentioned in my Christmas blog, it started snowing around 7pm Christmas day and didn't stop until about 1pm the next day. I think we ended up with about eight inches overall. We got some good pictures.

Kroger Trip

Kroger is having a P&G mega event this week. There are a lot of
coupons expiring at the end of the year so I took full advantage of this sale to get some great deals.

Total before savings $64.32
Total spent $16.92
Total saved $47.40

Here's what I got:
-3 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo
-2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner
-2 bottles Ivory body wash (free)
-1 (60 load) bottle Downy fabric softener
-1 bottle Olay Regenerist cream face cleanser
-1 (120 ct.) box Bounce dryer sheets
-1 bottle Olay lathering face cleanser (usually a $7 item, and I got it for $0.91)
-4 bottles Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap (one was free)
-2 bags Pop Chips

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas has once again come and gone. This was a really fun year for us! Connor loved all of his toys and it was just a great day for all three of us! Cary and I were both off on Christmas day for the first time since we moved here three years ago. Cary got up early and started a fire for us and let me sleep in a little. Once I got up, we got Connor and opened gifts.

Thanks to Bayleaf's Toy Chest, we were able to get Connor a kitchen set!! He loves it!! We are pleased that he likes it so much. We also got a big box of blocks and a fun little zoo set.




I got Cary a video game and a book and he got me Scrabble Flash and the Holiday Christmas Classics on DVD!
After gifts, I made us a big Christmas breakfast with biscuits, gravy, bacon, and eggs. Then, I started getting things ready for Christmas dinner and spent some time relaxing and enjoying the fire. We pretty much skipped lunch since we had such a big breakfast and had dinner around 5:30pm. It was so so good!! Here are a few pictures of our dinner.

a yummy spiral sliced glazed ham

yeast rolls

I have always called this "pink stuff", but it is better known as cranberry salad.

and of course deviled eggs. Cary loves deviled eggs and I always make them for special occassions!

I also made green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cheesecake but we forgot to take pics of them. Everything was so wonderful and turned out just right! Overall we had an awesome day together and really enjoyed it. To top it off, it started snowing around 7pm and didn't stop until about 1pm the next day!

CVS Trip

This is getting easier each time I do it. This is only my second time to go, but putting together my shopping trip was much easier this time than the first. I didn't get quite as much this time around, but still good deals and money back!

Total before savings $25.62
Total spent $6.41
Total saved $19.42
Got back $11 ECB's for the next trip!

Here's what I got:
-1 bottle Pantene shampoo
-1 bottle Pantene conditioner
-2 boxes Johnson and Johnson band-aid
-1 box Azo wipes

Moments that warm my heart

Connor-18 months

I am loving Connor at this age!! He is curious, constantly saying new words and copying what we say, which is good for accountability, and he loves to be around us!!! He loves to get up on the couch with Cary and I and snuggle between us. On the mornings that Cary is working, after breakfast I sit on the couch and watch the weather while I drink my coffee. Sometimes Connor will come over and say "up, please" and he will sit and my lap and lay back on my chest and watch tv with me. I love these moments and hold him as long as he will let me!!

New words and phrases:
up please
down please
sit
daddy
coffee
turkey
thank you
cold
bye bye

goose
close

There are a few more, but I can't think of them right now. He is eating so well with a fork and spoon and is getting so much better about communicating about what he wants. He is sleeping from about 8pm to 7-7:30am. We still put him down at 7:30pm but sometimes he will laugh and talk to himself for almost 30 minutes. He does the same thing in the morning when he wakes up in the morning.

As for discipline, he listens pretty well. Usually, we only have to tell him "no" a couple of times and he will obey, but there are a few things he likes to push his luck on. He has a chair that my mom got him and he absolutely loves it. One of the first things he did was stand up in it and try to climb over the back. We put a stop to that real quick. Most of the time he will just go sit in it, but every now and then he will stand up in it and look at us like "What are you going to do now?" We tell him to sit down and he will say "sit" and then laugh at us, while still standing in his chair! He is very smart and knows exactly how to test his limits. The chair in this picture is not the one I'm referring to, but we still have to watch and make sure he sits in it correctly.

My mom gave him this tape/CD player so we could play music while he plays in his room. I was in the living room and realized he had been quiet for a few minutes and this is what I found him doing. He loves to push the buttons and change the tracks. It was so cute.

A couple of weeks ago, when we dropped him off at the nursery, he didn't cry! I was so pleased that he has now realized that we will be back to get him. We still get good reports from the workers and they always tell us what a joy he is to be around and how well he plays with the other kids. Last week, we went to get him and he was on the floor by himself playing. The girl told me that they tried to put him in a chair with the other kids to have a snack he just wanted to play. The funniest part is that he turned down crackers, which are his new favorite thing! He asks for crackers at every meal! He LOVES them!!

We are not ready for another yet, but if our next child is as easygoing and happy as Connor, it will hard to not want one more.

Kroger and Harris Teeter Trip

Kroger Trip

I got a great diaper deal at Kroger this week! We didn't really "need" diapers right now, but I could not pass this deal. I got two packs of diapers for $5 and normally, just one of them is $9! They are also having a great sale on Steamfresh veggies!!

Total before savings $72.43
Total spent $25.64
Total saved $46.79

Here's what I got:
-1 (10lb.) bag Florida grapefruits
-1 bag Huggies Pure and Natural diapers
-1 bag Huggies Little Movers diapers
-4 (18 ct.) cartons Eggland's Best eggs
-1 dozen Kroger eggs (free)
-2 boxes San Giorgio jumbo shells pasta
-1 (12 ct.) pk. Command strips
-4 boxes Toblerone chocolate bars
-6 bags Steamfresh frozen veggies
-1 box Jimmy Dean sausage links (not pictured)
-1 bag Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles (not pictured)

I know I got a lot of eggs, but with Christmas coming up, I will be making several batches of deviled eggs. Cary loves them and they are also my potluck dish of choice. We will be spending Christmas Eve dinner with are dear friends Carey and Bobbi-sue and I will taking deviled eggs and making them on Christmas day for our family dinner as well. I'm also sharing a dozen with a friend of mine.


Harris Teeter Trip

There were a lot more deals that I wanted to get this week, but we did not need them. I always stock up on frozen veggies when they are on sale because we use them almost everyday. We don't eat a ton of bacon, but when it is on sale I like to stock up and freeze it. This trip was more about getting some things we needed, rather than getting "the best" deals. I had some good coupons for the bacon and I have been waiting for it to go on sale so I could use them.

Total before savings $104.61
Total spent $38.19
Total saved $66.42

Here's what I got:
-2 pks. Smart Balance butter sticks (1 was free)
-2 boxes Martha White Blueberry coffee cake
-2 boxes Uncle Ben's wild rice
-33 boxes Green Giant veggies (13 were free)
-4 pkgs. Smithfield bacon

Harris Teeter Trip

When I first glanced at the HT ad this week, there was nothing that really got my attention. It looked like kind of a blah week, but after checking my weekly HT email I realized they are having a great baking sale for E-VIC customers and McCormick spices are 50% off. I got some great deals!

Total before savings $74.23
Total spent $15.57
Total saved $58.66

Here's what I got:
-3 bags No Yolks egg noodles
-2 boxes Krusteaz muffin mix
-1 box College Inn chicken broth
-2 boxes Pillsbury Quick Bread
-2 bottles McCormick Vanilla extract
-1 bottle Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 bottle McCormick cinnamon sticks
-1 bottle McCormick whole cloves
-1 bottle McCormick whole allspice
-1 bottle Karo light corn syrup
-1 bottle International Delight coffee creamer
-1 bottle Softsoap hand soap
-1 cont. Daisy sour cream
-2 bags Planter's baking nuts

Family Christmas Pictures 2010

If you ever need pictures taken, call Ashley Bruner!! She started her own photography business, kabphotography, and she is really good!! I know of several people who have used her business and have been very pleased with their pictures. She will also brave 40 degree weather and cold, cold wind, to take family Christmas pictures for you! That is what she did for us this past Sunday and we are so grateful for her!! Here are a few of our favorites.

Kroger and Target Trips

Kroger Trip

Kroger has done the same Mega Event three weeks in a row now. Each week, they have changed a few items, but the basic list has stayed the same. This makes it easy to stock up on some favorites!

Total before savings $58.13
Total spent $15.96
Total saved $42.17

Here's what I got:
-5 boxes Orville Redenbacher popcorn
-2 bags Pillsbury Grands frozen biscuits
-1 bag Steamfresh frozen veggies
-1 pouch Bumblebee tuna
-1 (4 ct.) Colgate Wisp (free)
-1 (10 ct.) Crest 3D White whitening strips (these are normally $27 but I got them for $5)

This was not a great trip. I realized when I got home that the popcorn was $0.50 more a box that what I had originally added up, but still a pretty good deal.


Target Trip

I do not swear by Target by any means. They are cheaper than Kroger or Harris Teeter, but they do not double coupons. I can almost always find stuff cheaper at Wal-mart even if I don't have a coupon for something. I do love shopping there when it comes to clothes and checking out their clearance racks. I does take a little more work to find the best deals, but sometimes it's worth the time. One good thing about Target is that they will stack coupons, which means they will take one Target coupon, that you can print off of their site, and one Manufacturer coupon per item. With the exception of the mac and cheese, I had a Target and a Manufacturer coupon for each of these items.

Total before savings $19.86
Total spent $7.48
Total saved $12.38

Here's what I got:
-2 boxes Ritz crackers
-2 bags Kraft Homestyle mac and cheese
-1 bottle 7th Generation all-purpose cleaner
-2 pkgs. Philly cream cheese (free)
-1 cont. Fage greek yogurt
-2 bags Kraft Touch of Philly shredded cheese

First snow of "Winter"

I have lived in the south all of my life. I have seen my fair share of snow over the years, it's usually only about once each winter, sometimes not even that. We have lived here in NC for three years now and this is the first time it has snowed this early in the winter, and it's not even really winter yet. Here are a few pictures I took. They are at night, but it was still really pretty.

Sushi Night!!

I LOVE sushi!! Anyone who knows me knows that. Cary convinced me to eat it when were dating and he brought out the sushi monster in me! I would eat it everyday if we could afford it, which is great news because now we can!
A few months ago Bobbi-sue and her husband Carey said they would teach us how to make sushi. They brought over all of their supplies and we had a how-to sushi night! It's a lot easier than it looks and with minimal practice anyone can make basic sushi rolls. I even taught my friends Rachael and Jamie how to make it.
So now that I know how to make my own sushi, I can have it whenever I want!

my plate

Cary's plate

My first successful CVS trip!

I have been wanting to try out the drug store savings for some time now. Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid all offer reward programs and points for shopping at their stores. Finding the savings is a little bit trickier and their is a certain way to put it all together in order to get the most savings. My friend Bobbi-sue, whom I have mentioned several times, has been doing this for a while now and is really good at it. We finally got a chance to go last night and get some really good stuff. She taught me how to find the deals and what coupons to use and so forth.

CVS Trip

Total before savings $46.66
Total spent $16.89
Total saved $29.77
Got back $10.00 in ECB's
Extra Care Bucks are rewards that you get for buying certain items they have on sale and I can use them on my next trip to et $10 worth of stuff for free. In the beginning you have to spend a little to get started and accrue ECB's, but it's worth it in the end. Bobbie-sue once got nine boxes of Tampax Pearl tampons for $2! At retail price they are usually $7-10 a box, depending on the store.


Here's what I got:
-2 bottles Pantene shampoo
-2 bottles Pantene conditioner
-2 bottles Gain dish soap
-1 bottles Tide Stain Release spray
-1 Gillette Fusion Proglide razor
-1 bag Planters Flavor Grove almonds (free)