Extreme Couponing, Girly Hair Styles & How We Grocery Shop
On Friday, one of my favorite bloggers (Kelly!) hosted a link-up for couponing tips. I was too busy out exercising my couponing abilities to blog that night! Look at the photo below. Can you guess how much I spent for ALL of that stuff? It is $249 retail value. I'll reveal the answer below!
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it--God knew he would make me the happiest mom on earth when he gave me daughters. I love all things girly!
Jaden and Sienna are REALLY into braids right now. They like braids of all kinds and on Friday I tried out this style on Jaden. She looked so cute!
If you're looking for styling ideas and tips for little girls, I recently came across this blog thanks to pinterest: http://www.girlydohairstyles.com/ Jenn has many styles to share and if you have a daughter, you'll want to try them out ASAP! I will recommend from 6 years of experience that you use small RUBBER bands because they stick the best in little girl hair. Just pull them out gently :)
To go along with today's random theme, I also wanted to share about how I grocery shop for my family. Recently grocery shopping has come up several times in conversation and on blogs, so I thought I would put in my 2 cents worth :) Plus I want to remember how I did this while my girls were young so that I can look back at my crazy ways when they're older!
When Jaden was born, I quickly realized what a pain in the butt it was to take a child to the grocery store. As an infant, I was always on pins and needles wondering if she would break out into a crying fit in the store and once she became a toddler it was hard to keep her occupied while choosing what we needed for the week. When Jaden turned one we opened a "grocery account" separate from our joint bank account and started budgeting for groceries on a monthly basis. So, I started meal planning a month at a time and altered how I grocery shopped so that I could go fewer times and still provide lots of fresh, yummy foods for my family to eat.
On the first of each month my new grocery budget begins. Within a few days before or right after the 1st of the month I create a menu for the entire month. I use our family calendar (I'll share that in another post soon!) to see which days are going to be busier than others (thus requiring a crock pot meal or something easy) and to see which days Scott is going to eat a Macrobiotic meal prepared by his mom. Then I create a list to hang on the side of our fridge like this:
On the days labeled "Macro" Jaden, Sienna and I eat leftovers or something easy to prepare (pasta with sauce, macaroni & cheese, salads, sandwiches, soups, etc). Scott has a macrobiotic meal those days.
Next, I prepare my "big" grocery shopping list. On this list I write every single thing I'm going to purchase and I stick to the list when I shop. Since I know the menu for the month at this point I buy everything I can that will not go bad for the month. I buy all of my frozen foods, dry goods and anything that can be pre-made at this time. I prepare and freeze meals often so I then incorporate these into the menu and buy the ingredients if I don't have meals already prepared and frozen. I'm able to buy all breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, waffles), juice boxes and chips / snacks for lunches and my pastas, rice, frozen veggies, etc. for dinners on this big trip. If I'm going to pre-make something with meat, I buy it at this time too. If I'm responsible for making a dessert during the month, say for Jaden or Sienna's classes at school, I would also incorporate that into my list. I buy all of our paper goods, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and baby needs (diapers, formula, items to use in making Bristol's baby food) during this trip too. Finally, I also add to this list any produce, bread and milk I'm going to need for the first week of the month.
My first grocery trip of the month is my largest and takes the longest. Jaden and Sienna go into the childcare facility at our grocery store and by the time I'm done gathering up our items my cart is overflowing and my arms are filled with additional items (usually a huge package of paper towels!). I average a full hour for shopping on this trip and by the time my items are bagged I always walk out of the store with two carts (as well as at least a hundred eyeballs starring and no fewer than 5 comments on the lines of "I'm glad I don't have YOUR grocery bill!). I chuckle to myself thinking, "I'm glad I don't have to go to the grocery store as much as YOU, and I know I'm not spending as much in a month as you are!"
Putting everything away at home is always a chore, so preparing meals and Bristol's baby food never happens on the day I shop. It happens in the 24-48 hours afterwards. At this point though, I'm set for the month and only have to go back to grocery shop for 3 small trips for the rest of the month!
My subsequent 3 trips (about once a week) consist of buying only produce (we are huge fresh fruit and veggie eaters), lunch meat if Scott is going to pack his lunch, milk and bread. Sometimes I add something to my menu or need an additional item or two, but these trips are usually 20 minutes long and SUPER DUPER EASY.
So there you have it--complicated grocery planning and shopping day once a month followed by easy breezy shopping trips until the next month. I've found that when I do this I can stay within budget better than when I tried out weekly shopping trips with a slew of coupons, and it is so much easier to shop big once a month than to shop "medium" every week.
If you have any questions about my crazy grocery habits, just ask :)
So back to my extreme couponing...
Everything laid out on my bed that day only cost me $31.21. That's right, 10 bottles of Bath and Body Works hand soap, 1 bottle of lotion, 3 pair of shorts, 5 shirts, 2 packs of fake nails (future stocking stuffers!), and a pack of friendship bracelets were only $31.21 out of pocket for this mama!
Okay, so I did have a $25 gift card for Bath & Body Works which helped, but the rest was all due to extreme couponing :)
At Bath & Body Works I had a 20% off coupon which I combined with their hand soap sale, and another coupon for a free $5 lotion.
I had a J-buck for Justice and shopped most items from the clearance rack. I got over $180 in items for only $27 and change. That store can be very overpriced so I highly recommend shopping the sales and combining a J-buck or 40% off coupon (they mail them to you often--get on the mailing list!).
So now our hands are smelling yummy and Jaden will be looking sassy next summer in her board shorts and layered tank shirts!
One more extreme couponing tip I can share--Don't pay full price for baby formula!! Get coupons and combine as much as possible. I average $10-$13 per LARGE can of Enfamil for Bristol. I combine formula checks with manufacturer coupons and store coupons for great deals. The last time I bought formula I got 2 large cans at $26 apiece, then subtracted $10 in formula checks, $13 in store coupons and $4 in manufacturer coupons which got me 14 days worth of formula for only $25! Trade formula coupons with others who have babies and are using a different brand. We've been so fortunate thanks to generous friends who have saved their checks for us :)
Okay friends, if your eyeballs aren't too tired yet, happy couponing, hair-braiding and grocery planning / shopping! Have a great Monday :)
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it--God knew he would make me the happiest mom on earth when he gave me daughters. I love all things girly!
Jaden and Sienna are REALLY into braids right now. They like braids of all kinds and on Friday I tried out this style on Jaden. She looked so cute!
If you're looking for styling ideas and tips for little girls, I recently came across this blog thanks to pinterest: http://www.girlydohairstyles.com/ Jenn has many styles to share and if you have a daughter, you'll want to try them out ASAP! I will recommend from 6 years of experience that you use small RUBBER bands because they stick the best in little girl hair. Just pull them out gently :)
To go along with today's random theme, I also wanted to share about how I grocery shop for my family. Recently grocery shopping has come up several times in conversation and on blogs, so I thought I would put in my 2 cents worth :) Plus I want to remember how I did this while my girls were young so that I can look back at my crazy ways when they're older!
When Jaden was born, I quickly realized what a pain in the butt it was to take a child to the grocery store. As an infant, I was always on pins and needles wondering if she would break out into a crying fit in the store and once she became a toddler it was hard to keep her occupied while choosing what we needed for the week. When Jaden turned one we opened a "grocery account" separate from our joint bank account and started budgeting for groceries on a monthly basis. So, I started meal planning a month at a time and altered how I grocery shopped so that I could go fewer times and still provide lots of fresh, yummy foods for my family to eat.
On the first of each month my new grocery budget begins. Within a few days before or right after the 1st of the month I create a menu for the entire month. I use our family calendar (I'll share that in another post soon!) to see which days are going to be busier than others (thus requiring a crock pot meal or something easy) and to see which days Scott is going to eat a Macrobiotic meal prepared by his mom. Then I create a list to hang on the side of our fridge like this:
{Click on photo to enlarge and see our menu in detail!}
Next, I prepare my "big" grocery shopping list. On this list I write every single thing I'm going to purchase and I stick to the list when I shop. Since I know the menu for the month at this point I buy everything I can that will not go bad for the month. I buy all of my frozen foods, dry goods and anything that can be pre-made at this time. I prepare and freeze meals often so I then incorporate these into the menu and buy the ingredients if I don't have meals already prepared and frozen. I'm able to buy all breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal, waffles), juice boxes and chips / snacks for lunches and my pastas, rice, frozen veggies, etc. for dinners on this big trip. If I'm going to pre-make something with meat, I buy it at this time too. If I'm responsible for making a dessert during the month, say for Jaden or Sienna's classes at school, I would also incorporate that into my list. I buy all of our paper goods, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and baby needs (diapers, formula, items to use in making Bristol's baby food) during this trip too. Finally, I also add to this list any produce, bread and milk I'm going to need for the first week of the month.
My first grocery trip of the month is my largest and takes the longest. Jaden and Sienna go into the childcare facility at our grocery store and by the time I'm done gathering up our items my cart is overflowing and my arms are filled with additional items (usually a huge package of paper towels!). I average a full hour for shopping on this trip and by the time my items are bagged I always walk out of the store with two carts (as well as at least a hundred eyeballs starring and no fewer than 5 comments on the lines of "I'm glad I don't have YOUR grocery bill!). I chuckle to myself thinking, "I'm glad I don't have to go to the grocery store as much as YOU, and I know I'm not spending as much in a month as you are!"
Putting everything away at home is always a chore, so preparing meals and Bristol's baby food never happens on the day I shop. It happens in the 24-48 hours afterwards. At this point though, I'm set for the month and only have to go back to grocery shop for 3 small trips for the rest of the month!
My subsequent 3 trips (about once a week) consist of buying only produce (we are huge fresh fruit and veggie eaters), lunch meat if Scott is going to pack his lunch, milk and bread. Sometimes I add something to my menu or need an additional item or two, but these trips are usually 20 minutes long and SUPER DUPER EASY.
So there you have it--complicated grocery planning and shopping day once a month followed by easy breezy shopping trips until the next month. I've found that when I do this I can stay within budget better than when I tried out weekly shopping trips with a slew of coupons, and it is so much easier to shop big once a month than to shop "medium" every week.
If you have any questions about my crazy grocery habits, just ask :)
So back to my extreme couponing...
Everything laid out on my bed that day only cost me $31.21. That's right, 10 bottles of Bath and Body Works hand soap, 1 bottle of lotion, 3 pair of shorts, 5 shirts, 2 packs of fake nails (future stocking stuffers!), and a pack of friendship bracelets were only $31.21 out of pocket for this mama!
Okay, so I did have a $25 gift card for Bath & Body Works which helped, but the rest was all due to extreme couponing :)
At Bath & Body Works I had a 20% off coupon which I combined with their hand soap sale, and another coupon for a free $5 lotion.
I had a J-buck for Justice and shopped most items from the clearance rack. I got over $180 in items for only $27 and change. That store can be very overpriced so I highly recommend shopping the sales and combining a J-buck or 40% off coupon (they mail them to you often--get on the mailing list!).
So now our hands are smelling yummy and Jaden will be looking sassy next summer in her board shorts and layered tank shirts!
One more extreme couponing tip I can share--Don't pay full price for baby formula!! Get coupons and combine as much as possible. I average $10-$13 per LARGE can of Enfamil for Bristol. I combine formula checks with manufacturer coupons and store coupons for great deals. The last time I bought formula I got 2 large cans at $26 apiece, then subtracted $10 in formula checks, $13 in store coupons and $4 in manufacturer coupons which got me 14 days worth of formula for only $25! Trade formula coupons with others who have babies and are using a different brand. We've been so fortunate thanks to generous friends who have saved their checks for us :)
Okay friends, if your eyeballs aren't too tired yet, happy couponing, hair-braiding and grocery planning / shopping! Have a great Monday :)
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