My Son is a drummer...

This time last year, Kade couldn't speak in full sentences.  Thanks to dozens of horribly severe ear infections, he was unable to hear.  He understood his name, knew who his family was & knew what he wanted.  However, his lack of hearing lead to a lack of communication.  This time last summer, he had his first speech eval.  With speech therapy weekly beginning in October.  AMAZING things have happened.  My baby can talk...ALOT.  He's able to speak clearly, sing, pray & communicate in general.  

Last December, Kade sat at his cousin's drum set at Christmas.  It was over.  He insisted he wanted to play.  

Months went by, still he continued to say he wanted to play the drums.  I messaged my cousin's drum teacher.  He starts kids as young as 4.  He ended up getting an opening in April to get us started.  We got our practice pad and got to practicing immediately.

May rolls around. Once he began playing on the drum set, it was love.  He loved it that much more.  That afternoon, I met a lady on Craigslist who had a cheap set, and bought him a set for his birthday.

This past week, we've reached another milestone.  He's learning to cross his right hand over his left to play both the high hat & snare at the same time.  He also learned that he likes AC/DC because it's on Iron Man ;)  I have faith that between his love for learning & his love for the drums, I will be raising a full-fledged rocker!

We LOVE Free!!

Okay, If you haven't joined Kellogg's Family Rewards, do it NOW!!  

As a mommy of 2 (with a husband who craves sweets as much as the kids do), we have to keep sweet, sugary cereal in the house.  Pops, Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, etc.  Well about a month and a half ago I saw on certain boxes of the above listed cereals a promotion for Monsters University.  You enter your Kellogg's Family Rewards codes in and after 4 codes (4 boxes) get a free Mike pillowcase.  You could also enter codes for downloads & movie tickets.  

Today, my son's pillowcase came in and was FAR beyond what I expected.  I figured it would be a regular fabric pillowcase.  Nope.

SUPER soft, SUPER comfy & Plush.  AMAZING deal and I was buying these cereals weekly regardless of any promotions that came with the boxes.  

Again, if you haven't joined, this is just one of the few perks! We get all sorts of freebies from our rewards programs.  And chances are, if you're a mommy, you'll want to snatch up every freebie you can!  

Back To Couponing!!

Okay so i'm a tad behind.  Crazy busy with moving, church, etc and i've procrastinated a tad on blogging.  So now that I've been able to print & clip coupons again rather than clipping alone, I've started saving a ton as well.  Not to mention, Publix sent out their booklets for the month of August!  So here's what I snagged this past week at Bi-Lo.

2 Boxes of Size 4 Luvs
 Reg. Price per box: $16.97; Sale Price per box: $14.97
1 Publix Coupon: $10 off 2 boxes of Luvs or Pampers
Final Price for both boxes: $19.94

2 Boxes of Poptarts 
Reg. Price for per box: $2.48; Sale Price per box: $1.66
2 Target Coupons for $.50 off each box
Final Price for both boxes: $2.32

1 Bottle of Vegetable Oil
Reg. Price: $4.49; Sale Price: $2.50
No Coupons =( Final Price: $2.50

2 Boxes Kellogg's Fruit Gummies
Reg. Price per box: $2.99; Sale Price: $1.99
1 Target Coupon for $.50 off one box
Final Price for both boxes: $3.48

1 Jumbo Pack Dora Pampers Easyups (Since my 20 month old insists on potty training 
already)
Full Price: $10.88
1 MFR Coupon for $1.50 off one pack
Final Price: $9.38

& I donated $1.00 to Operation Care

The fact that I got a buggy of groceries that SHOULD have costed $61.25 for $32.62 with tax makes me a FIRM believer that couponing is an art, not a waste of time.  Which i'm told quite often when i'm walking through a store with my huge binder.  But I know the truth ;)

Thanks again for reading!

I HAVE INK CARTRIDGES!!!

So I FINALLY got ink cartridges!! However, thanks to Bi-Lo's AMAZING deals on meat this week, I didn't get the super low totals I had hoped for but I have enough meat for two weeks.

I broke my buggy down into two transactions again since I had the high-dollar coupons my aunt had given me for $10 off a $50 purchase.  I still left the store with over $70 in savings and NO items that weren't necessary.

Anyways, here goes::

Transaction #1::

1 Pack Chips Ahoy

12 pack Coca-Cola

40 Count trashbags

2-1 lb packs of ground turkey

2 packs of boneless skinless chicken breast (BOGO)

2 lbs ground chuck

1.5 lbs sirloin tip steak

2 packs Carolina Pride cubed ham (BOGO)

1 lb collards

2.5 lbs bananas

1 lb russet potatoes

1 lb sweet potatoes

Subtotal before savings:: $75.37

My Savings:: $29.85

Subtotal before savings:: $45.52

Tax:: $0.41

Final Total:: $45.93

Transaction #2::

1 Gallon Hawaiian Punch

Trix Cereal

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

6 Hershey's With Almond Bars (BOGO)

Pack Hot Dog Buns

2 Canisters of Kool-Aid drink mix

Pack of Arnold sandwich thins bread

1 Bellywasher (Kade's prize for being quiet in the store)
Angel Soft 24 pack toilet paper
Mr Clean Antibac Cleaner
3 packs Ensure

Subtotal before savings:: $83.62
My Savings:: $37.39
Subtotal after savings:: $46.23
Tax:: $0.75
Final Total:: $46.98

Again, NOT where I want to be.  Things have gotten tight.  Wanting to sell your home, save for your next, and prepare to build your DREAM home are stressful.  And costly.  I would like to knock my grocery & takeout budget down to around $200-$250 a month.  So this is a little glimpse at my attempts to do so.  And hopefully go far with my couponing to save my family a ton.  I have faith that I can do it.  I just have to find the patience to do this.  Thanks for reading again.  Until next time....

Will Work For Ink Cartridges!

And another trip without ink cartridges to print my own coupons.  This is slightly sickening.  I'm not much a fan of spending $80 a week in groceries.  Picking my own coupons according to sales and what we actually need had my bill around $40-$50.  I'd eventually like to get my monthly grocery/take-out bill down to $100-$150 a month TOPS!  The fact that one lady on Extreme Couponing spent a whopping $6 for a month's worth of groceries to feed her family of 6 baffles me.  I'm not on that level, but I want to be.   

Anyhow, I did my grocery trip this past week with the coupons that I had clipped, received from Bi-Lo, and still had left in my binder after printing.  I broke my buggy down into two transactions of $50 or more to save an extra $10.  Also this week (at Bi-Lo), if you spent $25 or more in P & G products, you got an extra $0.25 in FuelPerks.  I filled my 19.2 gallon tank in my SUV up for $39.01 after this trip!

Transaction #1::
Mueller's Lasagna & Jumbo Shell Pasta 
2-6 packs Hershey's w/ Almonds candy bars 
HMB Buns
5 Packets of Kool-Aid 
Mr. Clean
2 Bottles of Liquid Tide (P & G Products)
2-3 Pack Packages of Pampers Wipes ( P & G Products)
4 Count Ivory Soap Bars (P & G Product)
Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Kraft Cheddar Shredded Cheese
Digiorno Pizza
3.88 Lb Pack of Ground Chuck
Head of Lettuce
Vidalia Onion

Subtotal Before Savings:: $88.17
My Savings (Including Coupons):: $33.29
Subtotal After Savings:: $54.88
Tax:: $1.81
Final Total:: $56.69


Transaction #2::

2 cans Manwich
1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce
1 can Dinty Moore Beef Stew
1 box Apple Jacks
1 box Corn Pops
3 cans Bush's Baked Beans (Ibotta**: $0.50 back)
1 canister of Kool-Aid
1 can Chicken Broth
Mentos Gum (Kids can't resist it at checkout)
Mane & Tail Shampoo
Playtex Sport 18 ct Tampons (FREE**In Mail Coupon)
Kraft Italian Shredded Cheese
Bird's Eye Asian Veggies Steamfresh

Subtotal Before Savings:: $49.19
My Savings:: $19.72
Subtotal After Savings:: $29.47
Tax:: $0.67
Final Total:: $30.14


**Ibotta Coupon App available on Apple devices.  Certain offers & bonuses are available at certain times.  To redeem the offer, you simply scan barcodes & take a picture of your receipt & this money goes can be transferred to your PayPal account (and is NOT taxed!).  HIGHLY recommended for anyone who is looking to save the most money possible.

Ink Cartridges are being bought TODAY, Thank Goodness! Again, not my best trip, and hopefully soon i'll have a good enough trip to include a breakdown of how cheap I got things, or more free things!

Thanks again for reading!

No Ink Cartridges Still...BUT Awesome Luvs Diaper Deal!!

So it's finally starting to get under my skin that I don't have any ink left in my printer to print off coupons.  And the fact that I can save coupons to my loyalty cards keeps slipping my mind.  However, I did score some awesome deals this week.  

I will tell any parent who is tired of paying out ridiculous amounts on Luvs & Pampers diapers, sign up for Publix coupons, Publix Baby Club, and P & G coupons.  ALSO for stockingspree.com.  I get their seasonal booklets with up to $40 in coupons and in about every other booklet, they have a coupon for $10 off any 2 boxes of Luvs or Pampers diapers.  AWESOME Deal!  And for anybody who doesn't have a Publix nearby, Bi-Lo (my regular store) accepts competitor's coupons.

Okay, so onto my deals for this week::

2 Boxes of Luvs Size 4 Diapers 
    *Regular Price per box: $19.99
    *Sale Price per box: $17.99
    *Publix Coupon $10 off any 2 boxes of Luvs or Pampers diapers
    *Final Price for both boxes: $25.98
Febreeze Air Effects
    *Regular Price: $3.29
    *Sale Price: $1.97
    *MFR Coupon: $1.50 off any one
    *Final Price: $0.47
2 Bottles Palmolive Soft Touch Hand Soap
    *Regular Price per bottle: $3.99
    *Sale Price per bottle: $2.50
    *MFR coupon for $1/2 bottles
    *Final price per bottle: $2.00

Okay so i got a TON of stuff i had to pay full price or sale price for this week.  But my total before savings was $117.83 and I still have my $10 off any $50 purchase so I still managed to save $46.64 between sales and the 4 coupons I had.  Still getting the hang & will hopefully have a better list and total next time =)

This Week's Couponing Trip

So I'm a tad bit behind this week.  I made a trip to do my couponing on Monday but I've just now got around to doing this.  I got a few freebies this week.  I'm trying to apply a few more of the tips I've learned about Bi-Lo's couponing policies to my shopping there.  Anyways, here goes::

Transaction #1
*Hawaiian Punch Aloha Morning Berry 1 gallon 
       *Reg Price: $2.50
        *Sale Price: $2.00
          *Target Coupon For $1.00 
            MFR Coupon: $1.10
           *Final Price: FREE
*3 Boxes Poptarts 
        *Reg Price For All Boxes: $7.44
         *Sale Price For All Boxes: $6.00
          *2 Bilo Catalinas For $1.00 off
           *Final Price: $4.00 for 3 Boxes, One Box FREE
*4 Boxes Kellogg's Fruit Gummies
        *Reg Price For All Boxes: $11.96
          *Sale Price For All Boxes: $10.00
            *Target Coupon For $1.00 off 3 boxes
              *Final Price: $9.00 for 4 boxes
*2 12 Packs of Cottonelle Toilet Paper & 1 Tub Cottonelle Flushable Wipes
          *Reg Price For Both Packs TP: $19.96
            *Sale Price For Both Packs TP: $12.00
              *Reg Price For Tub of Wipes: $2.77 (Not on Sale)
                *Price for 2 Packs TP & Tub of Wipes: $14.77
                *Coupons: $1.50 MFR for 12 pack & tub of wipes 
                                   $0.50 MFR TP
                                   $0.50 MFR Wipes
                                   $1.00 Ingles Catalina off TP
                                   $1.00 Bilo Catalina off TP 
                 *Final Price on TP & Wipes: $10.27
*Pampers 212 Count Wipes
            *Reg Price: $7.58
              *Sale Price: $6.38
               *MFR Coupon: $2.00
                 *Final Price: $4.38
*4 Boxes 12 Count Go-Gurt          
             *Reg Price For All: $11.96 (Not on Sale)
              *2 MFR Coupons For $0.75
               *Final Price: $10.46
*DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza
             *Reg Price: $7.38
              *Sale Price: $5.00
                *MFR Coupon $1.50
                  Target Coupon $0.50
                 *Final Price: $3.50
*1 lb Ground Turkey
              *Reg Price: $4.79
                *Sale & Final Price: $3.99
*2 packs Oscar Meyer Turkey Weenies
              *Reg Price for both: $10.78
                *Sale Price for both: $7.98
                  *2 Target Coupons for $0.75
*Bi-Lo Coupon For $10.00 off $50.00 purchase

*Subtotal Before Savings: $87.12
*My Savings: $48.89
*Subtotal After Savings:  $38.23
*Tax: $1.18
*Paid: $39.41

Transaction #2
*3  8 oz bottles Kraft Salad Dressing
             *Reg Price per bottle: $2.09
              *Sale & Final Price per bottle: $1.00
*Ruffles Potato Chips
             *Reg Price: $4.29 
               *Sale & Final Price: $2.50
*Hot Dog Buns
             *Reg & Final Price: $0.99
*3 Cans Dinty Moore Beef Stew
             *Reg Price per can: $2.99
              *Sale & Final Price per can: $2.50
*1 box Corn Pops & Froot Loops Cereal BOGO
             *Reg Price per box: $4.44
                *Sale & Final Price per box: $2.22]
*2 Packs Mentos Gum
             *Reg Price for both: $3.16
               *Sale & Final  Price for both: $1.00
*Febreeze Air Effects
              *Reg Price: $3.29
               *Sale Price: $3.00
                *MFR Coupon $1.50
                 *Final Price: $1.50
*8 Cups Chobani Yogurt
              *Reg Price per cup: $2.78 
               *Sale Price per cup: $1.00 
*Broccoli Crowns
              *Reg Price: $2.34
              *Sale & Final Price: 0.93
*2 Zucchini
               *Reg Price: $1.73
                 *Sale & Final Price: $1.12
*2 Squash
               *Reg Price: $1.81
                *Sale Price: $1.17
*Bi-Lo Coupon for $5.00 off $35.00 purchase

*Subtotal Before Savings: $52.70
*My Savings: $24.21
*Subtotal After Savings: $28.49
*Tax: $.18
*Paid: $28.67

     

$139.82 of Groceries for $68.08