10 months!

Bristol is 10 months old and on the move! She is crawling, starting to pull up and standing while holding on to something. She is full of energy and so much fun!

Couponing 101

Here's the method to my couponing madness...

• I started "seriously" couponing about 2 years ago when Sarah Wimer walked us through the basics at a MOPS meeting.
• I do like to watch "Extreme Couponing" on TLC. 
• Unlike most of the people on that show, I do not buy 123 of each item just because I can. 
• I buy items I use and need mostly, but if something is free or I'm making money by buying it, I'm going to take advantage of that! 
• I don't like to clear a shelf if I can avoid it
• My favorite stores are CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Martin's.
• I use coupons for everything: chain stores, local stores, gas, restaurants, etc.
• When my (small) stockpile gets too big, I donate.
• I usually buy one local paper ($.50) on Saturday to get the coupon inserts. If there are a lot of inserts, like the 4 there were last week, I may get 2 or 3. I also have some co-workers who bring me their coupons every week.
• If the store is out of an advertised sale item, I always get a Rain Check- these usually have no expiration date. I've been holding on to a CVS Rain Check for saline for about a month since it is never in stock when I'm there. Yesterday it was in stock and there was a $1 coupon on the front, which means that I got PAID $1 to buy saline which my husband and I use daily for our contacts. Score!
• I clip my coupons, which some people do not. I like to be able to carry them with me in case I see something on sale or clearance (cha-ching!) that I didn't have on my list. Every few weeks I clean out my coupon organizer and get rid of expired ones. I have a pretty good idea of what type of coupons I have in my stash most of the time.
• I started using websites like For the Mommas to help me match up deals, but now I can mostly do it on my own. 
• You have to check the specifics of each item. Make sure your coupons and the sales are on the correct size, brand, type, etc. Some coupons are $2/2, meaning you would need to purchase 2 of that item to use the coupon.
• My favorite sales are usually Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) and then you can use 2 coupons (one per item), giving you really good prices
• If there are coupons in a store (a blinkie, tear pad, etc) but that item isn't currently on sale, take one for later or match it with a deal at another store.
• If you like For the Mommas and your favorite stores on Facebook, you can get links for deals and extra coupons.
• Make sure you check your local store's policy on coupons. Some will only accept a certain number of coupons per item, etc.

Here's what I like about each store:

CVS

• The store is neat and organized, I know the whole layout, the staff are friendly and enjoy watching you rack up the Extra Bucks as much as you do
• You need a CVS card to get the Extra Bucks and other deals like quarterly Extra Bucks and other stuff. Each time you enter the store, scan your card at the little kiosk for additional coupons. If it's not a great deal now, save it as that may be on sale next week.
• Extra Bucks. These are basically coupons of CVS money that you can use on a future purchase of any amount. The first time you buy items with Extra Bucks, you'll spend a little more out of pocket. But then you can "roll them over" and use them to buy other things that come with Extra Bucks, making the fun and free last longer.
• The store ads (online or print) often show you the match ups exactly- like "X Item for X price, X EB and X coupons in most papers = X price.
• Purchase a Green Bag tag for $.99 and get $1 Extra Bucks every 4th time you bring your own reusable bags and they scan the tag. Sometimes they even scan the tag if I forgot my bags- shhh!

Rite Aid

• The store is right around the corner from my house, so I can usually go at night when it's not crowded and alone after my kids are in bed!
• You need a Wellness Rewards card to get the deals and +Up Rewards
• +Up Rewards are pretty much the same as CVS Extra Bucks
• You'll also get occasional other coupons like 10% off a shopping trip
• Rite Aid circulars sometimes include Rite Aid coupons that you can pair with a manufacturer's coupon on the same item

Target

• Love, love, love this store!
• You can pair Target coupons (sometimes come randomly by mail and many others can be printed from their website) and manufacturer's coupons on an item
• Often have good stuff on end cap clearance that I can match coupons with, mostly in Health & Beauty
• $.05 discount for every reusable bag you bring/use

Martin's

• Doubles coupons up to $1. So if the coupon is $.20 it will double to $.40, if it's $.50 it will double to $1 and if it's $.75 it will still only double to $1
• Only doubles the first coupon for each item. If you buy 10 of the same thing with 10 $.50 coupons, only the first will be $1, the rest will be $.50
• Often they have deals like buy a ham and get 2 free side dishes- get all of it and use a coupon on every item if you can, making the price even lower

Remember, coupons are like free money!

Rite Aid Steals

Here are my goodies from tonight's solo trip:

 My receipt is on the right and all of my +UP Rewards are on the left.

Here's the breakdown:
Nivea Lip Balm: Reg $4.29, sale 2/$5, coupon $3/2 = $1 each
Oral B Spin Brush: Reg $8.49, Sale $5.99, $2.99 Single Check Rebate (SCR), $3 coupon = FREE
Aqua Fresh: Reg $4.29, sale BOGO, $.75- $1 coupon each = $.89 each
Nyquil (my husband loves it- yuck!): Reg $9.29, Sale $5.99, $1.50 +Up Reward, $1 coupon = $3.49 each
Rite Aid Tugaboo baby wipes: Reg $3.49, sale 2/$5, $1 Up/2 = $2 each
Playtex tampons: Reg $5.79, sale $3.99, $1 Up, $1 coupon = $1.99 each
Carefree Pantiliners: Reg $1.69, sale $2/2, $1 Up/2 = $.50 ea
I also used my 10% shopping pass that was a Wellness Reward

CVS Steals

Palmolive:  sale $.99, $.50 coupon = $.49 each
Dawn: sale sale $.99, $.25 = $.74 each
Jergens lotion: sale $6.99, $2 EB, $3 coupon = $1.99
Nivea spend $10, get $5 EB 7.99 each = $5.49 each
Snack Pack pudding: sale $1.00, coupon $.40 off 3 = $.87/4pack ($.22/pudding cup)
Tampax Pearl sale $3.99, $2.00 coupon = $1.99 each
Complete Saline: Finally in stock! Been holding on to this rain check forever (sale $8.99, $8.99 EB) and was rewarded with a $1.00 off coupon stuck on the box making it a $1.00 money maker- score!
Gillette Proglide razor sale $10.99, $5 coupon, $5 EB = $.99
Oral-B Floss sale $2.99, $1.00 coupon, $1 EB = $.99 each
Bounce dryer bar sale $3.99, $.50 coupon = $3.49/2 pack
Colgate: sale $2.74, $1 coupon, $1 EB = $.74 each
Not pictured: Oral B electric toothbrush- sale $5.99, $2 EB, $3 coupon = $.99

Started at $82, got down to $39.11 with coupons and Extra Bucks and got $27 in Extra Bucks for next time.
I love CVS!

Happy New Year!

My face matches my hat- yum! I am 10 months old!

Thrive

Instead of a bunch of resolutions, I'm picking a new word for this year. Last year's word was CALM and it went so-so with much room for improvement. 2011 was a year of chaos: moving while super pregnant, new baby, adjusting to life with three kids, dealing with homework each night for the first time. Many times I felt like we were surviving things in the past year.

Now I'm ready to THRIVE!

Embracing my sweet life and flourishing.

Knowing that the dishes and laundry can wait one more day if that means we can play another round of Candyland or read another book before bed.

These sweet kids are growing so fast and I want to soak it all in and enjoy it before they are too old to want to hang out with me every day.

We have a routine after bath time where I'll scoop each of them into my lap individually and rock them back and forth while saying "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." This is from the sweet book Love You Forever and tonight Brayden asked for an extra rock. I gladly obliged.

2012 = Thrive!

Happy New Year!

2010 was quite a year of excitement for our little family. Here's a little recap:

In January we moved to our new house in a little neighborhood that we love! Just this weekend we finally finished painting the kids' rooms and the playrooms and I'm sure there are still a few boxes packed somewhere! While we were sad to leave a few sentimental things, like the growth chart (don't worry- I copied it on to paper and transferred it to the new place!), we are loving playing in our cul de sac, riding bikes on pavement, pizza delivery for the first time in 5 years and having a bank and grocery store around the corner.

February brought a lot of excitement to our house with the birth of Bristol Grace. She is the sweetest baby and is so loved by her older brother and sister! They constantly demonstrate this love by kissing her, getting in her face, showing her toys up close, and generally toughening her up- in a loving way. You can tell that she's the third child for sure- we are way more laid back with her.

This spring Grandpa was really sick for a while and gave us all a good scare. He is doing much better now and we are so thankful for him! As our part-time child care provider for the older two kids, the timing was amazing as I was on maternity leave and was able to keep all three kids without having to make other childcare arrangements.

 Brinley, as the middle child, is the most outgoing, daring and generally outrageous of the three. She had a blast at camp this summer and is really enjoying her new daycare/preschool. She follows along with Brayden for most of his homework and it's hard to believe she'll still have another year after this fall before she starts- she's ready now!

 Brayden graduated from preschool and started Kindergarten! We were worried about how riding the bus would go on the first day of school with our shy-at-first guy. He marched right onto the bus without looking back and is loving Kindergarten!

 These kids certainly keep life interesting. While I am exhausted at the end of most days, I love nothing more than tucking them into bed and hearing their prayers and favorite parts of the day, and then later watching them sweetly sleeping. Happy New Year!