Desperately Seeking Sanity!

My diet and more ...

2011-02-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

In 19 days I've lost 14lbs ... most of my weight has come off my chest and my face, some off my belly ...

My workouts consist of weights (bands) and cardio. Each day is a different workout. P90X is what I follow, although, I can only do 20 to 30 minutes of each dvd. I'm still very happy with that, better than nothing! My favorite is the weights, I use resistant bands mostly. We work out our legs, back, shoulders, arms, and abs ...

Here are a list of the foods that I may eat during the day (several options are listed):

Breakfast:
Egg Beaters w/slice of wheat/grain toast
Egg Whites w/slice of wheat/grain toast
Wheat/Grain Toast w/hummus
Special K or other healthy cereal

Snack:
Banana
Yogurt (w/bit of granola)
Apple
Carrots/Celery (be careful on the carrot intake, they are loaded w/sugar!)
5 to 7 nacho chips w/salsa
Turkey Pepperoni

Lunch:
Turkey Sandwich (1 slice of cheese) w/mustard
Salad - lite dressing, but very little
Soup - very lite soup, no cream base soups

Snack: -- see above

Dinner:
93% hamburger patties on thin bun w/ketchup ... rice and veggie on side
Soup - minestrone is a great one! Use chicken for the meat
93% hamburger meat w/rice and canned tomatoes mixed together
Steak - trim fat! w/veggie and rice (or 1/2 a baked potato)
Grilled Chicken - w/veggie and rice (or 1/2 baked potato)

Snack: see above

We use the George Foreman Grill a lot!

The more protein the better!! Your body loves protein and burns it fast! Boneless chicken breast is one of the best sources of protein!

Good carbs include: Beans, corn, rice, sweet potato ...

Water, water and water!! I do have my pot of coffee in the A.M. but make up for my water intake throughout the day. I try to have 6 to 8 glasses each day.

Oh, Sunday is what we consider a 'free' day ... this doesn't mean to pig out, but it means to go ahead and eat something, like pizza, that you may not eat during the week!

Exercising and dieting ...

2011-02-25T22:17:00.003-05:00

It's about time I do this...My goal 50lbs! Day 20 is tomorrow ... lost 14lbs so far. Mostly in my chest and face. 36 more pounds to go! I can do this !! I will do this !!

Hot Damn ... it's about time!

2011-02-25T22:17:00.001-05:00

Why, hi there blog ... how you been?

The in(s) and the out(s) of shopping online ...

2010-11-24T00:20:00.003-05:00

As I’ve said before, I do 90% of my shopping online. The deals you get are just as good, if not better, than the deals in the stores on Black Friday or other Holidays. The best part is; you can sit on your loverly arse and shop!

Shopping for deals online requires patience. It’s kind of like coupon shopping … you save that coupon for a sale to get the best deal. You might have that coupon for a couple days or a couple weeks, but you are holding out for the best deal possible. I’m asked all the time to find certain deals and they are usually needed that same day. The thing is, it could take a month to get just that right deal. It’s not magic, its patience and days (or weeks) of watching for that deal to pop-up.

Did you know that two of the biggest, deal finding, online shopping, days are coming? Gear up for Black Friday, November 26, and CyberMonday, November 29, and shop online with no crowds!

Safety First
Many of the sites will have a security logo or a Secure Sockets Layer (AKA: SSL/Verisign) usually located at the bottom of their site, or at least at the bottom during their check-out process. If you don’t see such a ‘logo’ then you are not on a secured site and your information will not be protected.

Get a credit card just for shopping online. Use that one card only for shopping online, not others, this way, if there is a problem you will know immediately what card it was.

Get a Paypal account. Paypal is a FREE site that offers you a secure way of paying for your purchases online. The money is taken directly from your Paypal balance, your bank account, or your credit card. Not only is it secure, but it’s much quicker to check out AND your purchases are always protected. Here is what they offer you:

~$0 Liability for Eligible Unauthorized Purchases when you meet our requirements
~Refunds for incorrect orders or items that never arrive
~A convenient process for resolving problems

Shipping and Returns
Shipping on an order will make or break your deal. Around the Holidays, not just the big ones, you will see all kinds of free shipping and shipping discounts. These are the times you need to buy. Never pay too much for shipping, it is a huge rip-off. I tend to stay away from those sites when they want to charge me an arm and a leg.

Big Chain stores, such as Walmart or JCPenneys, will ship to the store for FREE! When checking out all you have to do is click ‘ship to store’ and they will send you an email to let you know when your purchases are ready for pick up.

Be sure to read the fine print. If you are purchasing an item that may need to be returned, make sure the return time period is sufficient (some online stores are only 2 weeks or no returns at all), also, be sure the site offers free return shipping or return to a local store (if one is near). Many stores have you pay the return shipping, which you can send the cheapest way, but you will still need to factor that into your ‘deal’ price which could turn your deal into a dud.

Is that price for real?
Drop dead prices (meaning, you will drop dead with how cheap it is!) do happen. If you keep in mind the 2 items above, you will be safe in trying for that ‘drop dead price’ … I’ve scored numerous free items by using a simple discount code a store has provided. If it’s too good to be true, the website will send you an email letting you know you failed, or in most cases, they failed.

Coupon Codes (Aka discount codes)
Always, always, aLwAyS search for a coupon code before checking out. How do you search for them? www.google.com is my best friend. An example of what I might search for: Old Navy Coupon Codes

Best Deal
It’s hard to say if you got the best deal or not, but there is something you can do to see if that is the best deal of the day. I like to look on Amazon, they have just about anything you can imagine, and price check that way. Or, again, www.google.com is willing to be your best friend, so why not search. Seriously, most of us savvy shoppers know what a good deal is, so I have confidence in saying, you know what the best deal is.

Sign up for cash back sites
There are a few sites out there that give you cash back to shop the stores online. The one that I use and am faithful to is www.ebates.com. On certain days they have double cash back opportunities or they have their own online store deals. Check them out, it doesn't hurt to earn back a few dollars.

The deals I post on Our Coupon Home are not all found by me. I sign up for everything just to get an email from them telling me when they have deals. I’m also signed up for a few deal finder sites that help me in my searches.

Happy 9th birthday, Kristopher William!

2010-11-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

Unbelievable how time flies.

Kris then (click here)

Kris now:

A blog post of random nothingness ...

2010-11-17T11:30:00.002-05:00

I have all kinds of thoughts running through my mind, so this very well could be a jumbled mess of nothingness.

It's been 15 months, that's 1 year and 3 months (sounds like I'm telling a kid's age,) since we've moved to Colorado and I have a few things to say about it.

Man, do I ever miss my mom and dad and extended family and friends. I miss them like I'd miss my right arm (you see, I'm right handed) and would give anything to have them out here with me. Yes, you heard me, out here, in Florence, Colorado, because I'm afraid to say, I'm never moving back to PA unless something drastic happens and I'm forced to. Wow, I said it. I'm not moving back. It think I realized this once we hit the 1 year point. I'm determined to raise my kids here in bum-fuck no where. But I'll be damned if they stay here, after school, it's too small of a town. They need to get out there in the big wide world.

So, on my mind is a bunch of places and things I miss from my PA life. Might as well get them out. It's a given that I miss my family and friends, I miss their hugs, their support. My mom/dad and extended family would always have a Happy Hour to go to or a party to go to ... at these parties I'd get to let my hair down and I'd see people that I'd only see 1 x a year and we'd catch up, we'd have a blast, I'd drink and knowing my mom/dad/extended family were there it was ok ... I miss it. I miss the talks, the music, the food, the beer bong, the smoking, the drinks.

OMG, NYC, I miss NYC and I've only been 3 x's ... love going into the basements to buy knock off name brand purses, watching a car being broken into (while hearing the dude say "Oh man, it smells so new"), the hustle and bustle of people, the closeness on Canal Street ... LOL That city gives you such a rush!

BB's -- this is too funny. I miss BB's, you know the bent and dent grocery store. Man could I ever get deals there! I miss following the Amish in their horse drawn carts and thinking about their 'simple' but 'hard' life.

STORES! The closeness of Target, Kohl's, Giant, Weis, CVS, Rite Aid ... oh how I wish I could get those stores, here, in bum-fuck no where!!!

Hi's. Yep, the Hi's from people I knew. I can go an entire day here and not see anyone I know.

Hopping in the car with someplace to go or someone to visit. To be there when family or a friend needs me.

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I miss RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Work. I miss my clients. They were/are great people. I miss their adventures and miss setting up their vacations.

So, enough of that ... I have way more, but I can't dwell on it. Well, might as well tell you what I love about here.

Without my neighbor, Roxie, and her 2 beautiful girls, I don't think I could have made it. This past summer Roxie and I would BS and talk every day (still do!) ... Now, there are 2 neighbors that keep me going ... and about every other week we go out just to dinner ... Ok, fine the $1.99 Margaritas are involved too.

The beauty is unbelievable out here. The mountains that surround us are breathtaking. How God created such a beautiful state, I don't know ... How I deserve to see it every day, I don't know.

Schools. They may be small, but that just makes it so much easier for me to get to know all the teachers ... and principals ... and assistant principals ... and counselor ... (Big 'ole THANKS to my 11 year old, he can try to run, but he isn't going to get far).

People. The people here in general are just nice and laid back ... I still remember the first time I met our landlord, he told me to slow down (talking) or I wasn't going to make it here. Ha!

Ok, so this is getting boring ... I love way many other things here, but I don't need to bore myself.

A few more randomness-es:

You know how you meet someone in your life that you are forever grateful for? They could have sold you a car, given you a big mac, or delivered your UPS package. Well, I've met 2 Stephanie's that I feel that way for. How did I meet them? Online, of course.......

Without my animals, I'd be no more. Or, I'd have none and it would look rather funny seeing all the food dishes laying around the house. I'd be bored...I wouldn't have to vacuum 20 x's a day.

Corn snakes. What amazing creatures.

Ugly curtains are a must. They provide hours of nausea.

Music lifts my mood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Blog Post of Random Nothingness~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a long time ...

2010-08-17T23:50:00.001-04:00

since I've blogged ... no time now, but I'll leave you with a picture showing you what I've been up to ....

House Party ~ Febreze Fresh Summer Entertaining

2010-06-18T14:47:00.005-04:00

First I have to say that this is only my 2nd House Party ~ My first was the Digiorno Pizza one and lets just say it was a flop. It was hard enough cooking all those pizza's in a normal sized oven, while trying to get all the others to remain hot. But enough about the flop...

House Party has outdone themselves on this party!!

Here is what was said was going to be inside the 'party' box.
•1 - Febreze Set & Refresh Branded apron
•2 - Home Collection Room Spray (Pomegranate Mango)
•5 - Home Collection Flameless Luminaire Starter Kit (Pomegranate Mango)
•8 - Febreze Set & Refresh Starter Kits (Hawaiian Aloha)
•8 - Febreze Set & Refresh Starter Kits (Linen & Sky)
•10 - Home Collection Scented Reed Diffusers (Pomegranate Mango)
•18 - Home Collection Flameless Luminaire Refills (Pomegranate Mango)
•20 - Sandra Lee and Entertaining Tip Cards
•20 - Febreze Set & Refresh Branded Cocktail Napkins
•180 – Febreze Set & Refresh Coupons

Here is what I found:

Ok, Ok, in all seriousness I found all of what they said they would send. I didn't unpack all of the boxes, but you'll get the gist of it by looking:

Let's get this party started!

1, 2 and 3

2010-04-26T10:36:00.002-04:00

I wrote this about 3 years ago ... I remember writing it and sharing it, but never blogged it. My mom found it in an email, so blogging it now, that way I won't ever lose it again!

My 3 kids......

Jakob, my oldest. My child that I can't wait to see what is next. What is that next step. I couldn't wait for him to roll over, then sit up, crawl (he never did, I'm still waiting for this), talk, walk, eat with a spoon, kick a ball, say I love you, go to pre-school etc.................and here, 8 years later I am still anxious to see what is next. I can't wait for that first home run, that first goal, that first kiss on the playground. I am constantly thinking, what is next, when will this happen?! I wrote all his firsts down, I remember a lot, but so much has happened, I've had to write them down....when will the time come to pass this on to his kids? I'm waiting for that daughter-in-law.

Kristopher, my BooBoo. This is my child I want to freeze. The first 2 years he was mine, I did it all for him. I wanted another child, and DH reminded me this, by me doing the majority of the work for the first 2 years. It really is a blurr. With BooBoo my memory starts (of him) at age 2. I was too busy to remember to remember things...you know, you say to yourself, hey I got to remember this, well, I forgot to. My little boy. This is the one I wanted to stay age 2, binky and all... But then age 3 came, and the binky went bye-bye and the diaper went bye-bye and, well, his talking started. What a funny, little, lovable, shy boy. At age 4 shy little Kristopher wasn't so shy anymore...the funny things he would say, I wish I would have written them down...and he actually loved pre-school, age 3 he cried everyday he went! Last year, 2006, in November, he turned 5. That was it, that was all I could take, so I froze him. My BooBoo is frozen in my memory at age 5, not age 5 and 1 day, just age 5. I want him to stay that age, I don't want to know what is next. I want to know what was first.

Juliana - MY GIRL! She'll be 2 in less than a month and I remember just about every milestone she has accomplished! I learned with Jakob, not to rush it and learned with Kristopher, not to forget it. I have taken so many pictures of Juliana I would have a whole room of albums if they were all printed. Regret? Yes. Remorse? Yes. Forgetting? No. I don't want her to grow up, but I don't want her to slow down. I'm not rushing her or freezing her. I'm remembering.

Each of them have taught me something...If I only knew then, what I know now.

Toy Story 1 and 2 on Blu-Ray/DVD for only $3.98!

2010-03-23T13:40:00.006-04:00

If you have a printer and a Toys-R-Us ad, you can do this too!!

First, print off these 2 coupons:
Toy Story 1 ~ $10 off any Blu-Ray/DVD Combo coupon

Toy Story 2 ~ $10 off any Blu-Ray/DVD Combo coupon

Next take those 2 coupons and your Toys-R-Us ad to Target ... grab the 2 movies:

Take the movies and the Toys-R-Us ad to the customer service desk to have them price match the ad. I think it's on page 2 of the TRU ad...make sure they price match it to the $16.99 price (It's $22.99 wyb 1 or $16.99 if you buy both ... I caught her and had to show her) ...

They will ring up $23.98 ... use the 2 $10 off IP's from above, and pay $3.98 plus tax!

My total was $5.75 after tax ... I used a $5 gift card and paid only .75cents for both movies!!!!!!!!

I forgot, one more thing...each movie has a FREE movie ticket to see Toy Story 3 AND a CD-Rom with games and other activities. In the end, this is a money maker!

"Are Coupons Worth It"

2010-02-12T10:31:00.001-05:00

a friend of mine posted this article and I thought it great. Especially after reading the hourly rate of using coupons is $86.40!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055392244583592.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF2

Clipping coupons hardly sounds like the subject of high finance–or even medium finance.

Save a dollar on cat food, some detergent or a couple of boxes of cereal. Who can be bothered? Who has the time?

A growing number of people, it turns out. And they're shrewder than it may at first appear.

The Great American Coupon is making a big comeback–thanks to the Great American Recession.

We redeemed some 3.3 billion coupons last year–a remarkable 27 percent leap from 2008, and the first year-on-year increase in 17 years, according to a report issued at the end of January by Inmar, a coupon-processing agent. (Online coupon use skyrocketed–companies issued twice as many as in 2008, but redemptions rose 360 percent.) The big upturn took off in October 2008, just after Lehman went belly up.

At first blush you can see why coupons fell out of fashion for so long–and why so many consumers still ignore them.

You have to make time to visit a coupon Web site or collect the flyers from your mailbox, the supermarket or newspaper inserts. You need to sort through to find the ones you want, cut them out, stick them in your purse or wallet–and remember to use them when you are at the cash register and you are trying to remember whether you bought everything on your shopping list and where you parked the car.

Average saving per coupon: Just $1.44, according to the Inmar report.

But let's treat this low finance topic for a moment the way we treat high finance. Let's subject it to the same math.

How long does it actually take to clip and use a coupon? Certainly the more you use, the less overall time you will spend per coupon, because so many of the costs–getting flyers, sorting coupons and so on–are generalized. Let's assume you spend a minute per coupon.

Saving $1.44 for a minute's effort is the equivalent of saving $14.40 for 10 minutes'.

Hourly rate: $86.40.

Maybe this would be as good a time as any to point out that the typical American working stiff–those lucky enough to have jobs right now–climbs out of bed each morning, goes through the miseries of commuting and endures the daily grind at the workplace for about $20 an hour.

Furthermore, money saved comes with an additional benefit. Unlike the money you earn at work, it is tax free. No payroll taxes. No federal or state income tax.

If your marginal tax rate were, say, 20 percent, you would have to earn $108 before tax to take home $86.40. If your marginal tax rate were 30 percent, you'd have to earn $123.

Very few of us ever do this kind of math, because we tend to treat low finance differently from high finance, and small sums differently from big ones. No wonder, even today, 99 percent of coupons are thrown away unused.

Yet finance isn't a separate topic from the rest of our personal lives. For all of us, our scarcest resource is time. Putting the right value on it, and putting it to the most productive use, is a financial challenge, as well as a personal one.

And the individual amounts of money may seem small, but they prove the old adage about tiny acorns and mighty oaks. Someone who saves $25 a week will save $100 a month, and $1,200 a year. Over a lifetime that can easily grow to $100,000 or more–even after accounting for inflation.

If motivation is an issue, the next time you find yourself facing a stack of coupon booklets and flyers don't ask yourself if you can be bothered. Try asking yourself if you'd like to earn more than $100 an hour for a job you can do, at home, while sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Write to Brett Arends at brett.arends@wsj.com

Buying 'off' season...

2010-02-02T10:14:00.004-05:00

I took me awhile to get into the habit of buying my kids winter/summer clothes for the next year at the end of winter/summer that year. Sure, I'd pick up a clearance item here or there but never would buy a size bigger. Now that I've started, I look forward to swapping out clothes each new season. It buts a big smile on my face and I feel accomplished! I don't have to take my boys school shopping just before school, except for a pair of sneakers. I no longer have that anxious/dreading feeling of dropping $200 at once on each kid at school time...

All stores clearance ... you just have to look for it. You have to WAIT for it. So many things my boys have wanted that I told them to just wait ... and then I was able to surprise them with it a few weeks later, because it went on clearance.

I have some favorite stores I buy clothing at each year, Target (when it hits 75% or 90% off) and Old Navy (50% off clearance prices)being my top choices. But, you can also find some awesome clearance sales at Kohl's, JcPenney's, and Walmart. A lot of times, JcPenney's and Kohl's will have a coupon to get even more money off!

Just yesterday, I went to Walmart and scored some great clothes for Juliana for next winter. You can read about it here. And when I was home visiting, I scored at Old Navy & Target!
Here are some of the items I bought at Old Navy:
The t's for boys (Spiderman, Iron Man) were only $1.25 and long sleeve were $2.25.
Little girls sweaters $3.25
Long sleeve t's $2.25
Skirts $3.25
T's for woman $2.25 and $1.50
PJ Bottoms for me $4.99

and at Target:
Fleece nightgowns were $2.50
Long sleeve t's were 1.74
Jogging Pants were 1.74

If you join www.ourcouponhome.com you can watch for when these sales happen. We report them as soon as we can ... and would love for you to give us a head's up as well. We can't be everywhere at once :)

Happy clearance shopping!

Buy One Get One Free = 2 free!

2010-02-01T11:03:00.003-05:00

So, you got a coupon for a BOGOFree (BOGO=Buy one get one) item...while this is a great deal in itself, if you wait a bit, you might be able to make this an excellent deal!

Using a BOGOFree coupon when that item is on sale for BOGOFree = 2 items for FREE!

Search those ads to find the best way to use your coupon! Or search Our Coupon Home ... we may have a deal posted for that coupon!

Does anyone know what day it is?

2010-01-31T10:45:00.000-05:00

IT'S SUNDAY and it's coupon day!! Buy your newspapers and start clipping out those coupons!

There will be 2 inserts in the paper. Smartsource and Redplum.If you want to see what coupons are in the paper before buying you can check them out here and here. (coupons may vary by area)

Don't forget to get the ads out of the paper, as well. Make a list of items, for each store, that you think you may want to buy. You may find that another store has the same item, but for a cheaper price.

A lot of times the stores coincide their sales w/that weeks coupons, so be sure to match up the coupons. Check here to see if there any internet printable coupons that you might be able to use this week.

Got your lists, so go shopping! I advise to not shop on Sunday morning, you'll be hit with a mad rush of couponers wanting to get the deals immediately. This will be you in a few months, but not now ;).

Comment what deals you see ... I'd love to read them!

Buy a lot!

2010-01-30T20:38:00.002-05:00

Did you see the ad for City Market? Probably not, but I did and I will be buying $10 worth of 73% (lean) hamburger meat. Why? Because it is only 99cents a lb! This is not my favorite percentage of Hamburger meat, but this will tide us over while I wait until 90% goes on sale again. And, whatever is leftover, I can mix w/the 90% and make some great meatloaf out of it!

What I'm getting at is when you see something on sale, that you know you use, stock up on it. Meat especially. Don't buy just 1 pack, get 4 or 5 or more of them. This is a big cost up-front, but in the long run, you will notice a savings.

Sign up and get a coupon neighbor...

2010-01-29T09:43:00.005-05:00

my tip for today ;) ...

When you sign up at www.ourcouponhome.com you can go here to request a coupon neighbor. This neighbor will answer your questions and send you a FREE envelope of coupons to get you started. If you make a wishlist (coupons you would like to have), the neighbor will try and get you some of what you need.

Come on. Don't be shy. Get in there and post :)

xoxo

Kerri's Kouponing 101

2010-01-28T21:46:00.010-05:00

My friend, Marti, had great idea. She wants me to post a tip a day about how I save money by using coupons. Problem is, it's not that easy. I can, however, tell you my story, give a few starting tips and send you on your way to learn more.

Here's some background:
3 years ago, my friend Laura, kept telling me what great deals she was getting by using coupons. Much like I do to you all on Facebook. I just envied her and went on my way, not clipping coupons, not stockpiling, not getting those Sunday papers ... I mean, who has time for that? I was working full-time, had 3 kids, a husband, cats, laundry, dishes, supper ... ... I didn't have time to cut and file coupons.

It took Laura just about a year to finally get me into using the coupons. She was a great mentor and for her, I am thankful!

She got me hooked on my first 'coupon' board. I read and read and read some more. I asked question after question. I was up way past my bedtime, it was the only peaceful time I had. When it finally clicked, I was saving money. I was finally ahead on shampoo and body wash and paper towels. I finally realized what Laura was doing. SHE WAS SAVING MONEY AND LOTS OF IT!

As I'm sitting here, 2 years later, typing this, I'm looking back at how many boo boo's and blubbers I had when I first started. I was most definitely saving money, but I had those mistakes that would now make me cringe, maybe even cry. I'm not going to lie, using coupons isn't something that's fast, it does take time. But, the time is worth it.

Time for some tips now, eh? I'll start with baby steps, then you can grow on your own.

~Start with getting 2 Sunday newspapers every week. Clip the coupons for the items that you use. As time goes on, you'll 'learn' to use other brands and therefore will have more coupons. You may even find yourself buying Crest mouthwash, even though you don't use it, but it was only 25cents! (Helpful hint: put the like pages of coupons together, clip them both at the same time)

~Use small envelopes and label them and file the coupons accordingly:
Hair
Lotion
Deodorant
Shaving Needs
Dental
Baby
Food
Miscellaneous

~If you don't already have them, get saving cards for ALL of the grocery stores and drug stores around you. (Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart & Target do NOT have cards) Be prepared to shop at more than one store. I don't care if you don't like the color of Food Lion's floor, you WILL shop there if you can get toothpaste for free, right?

~Read the ads to every single store in your area. I'm sure you know what you 'normally' pay for lunch meat? Dog food? Here's the thing. You see 'it' on sale and it is $3 less, but wait, you have a coupon for $3 off, that is a savings of $6! Not only do you have 1 coupon, but because Kerri said to buy 2 papers, you have 2 of those coupons. You have now saved $12. You didn't just buy 2 of those items, you also bought time between buying that item again. And so begins the 'stockpiling'. If you were to buy 5 papers, you will have gotten 5 of those items, saved $30 (between sale price and coupon), and bought more time between purchasing that item again. Go ahead and figure in the cost of the newspapers, you still saved at least $20!

The paragraph above is very important. It is telling you in a nutshell how you end up saving money. You buy 2 or 3 or 4 of that item that is on sale with a coupon. At first, it will seem like you are spending a lot of money out of pocket, but after about 3 to 4 months, you will notice that you are buying less in one shopping trip because you bought certain items 2 weeks prior. You WILL start to realize that a particular item only goes on sale at a certain time of year, like ketchup (Memorial Day & Labor Day), and you will stock up then to have it on hand until the next sale. You'll realize that boneless chicken breast goes on sale every 4 weeks, so you'll stock up 4 weeks worth until the next sale.

~If you can't get away to shop by yourself, take your kids with you!! They will learn from a young age that momma won't buy that without a coupon! Seriously, they do learn from this and they can be helpful. They have tearpads (coupons located on a cardboard display case in the middle or end of the aisles) and blinkies (machines that have a blinking light and hang on the shelves by the products it is offering coupons for) and kids go NUTS finding and gathering the coupons.

~Sign up for a 'coupon/savings' board and ask questions, we LOVE questions! We love sharing our successes, the deals we find, the hell (or joy) of finding them. I'm not going to lie, I'm on my 3rd board. I have no doubt in my mind that this is my final stop. I will be there until they take me away and place me in a CA (coupons anonymous)home. These women/men are the most outstanding, reliable, understandable, most helpful, couponers, that I know! (My friend, Laura & my mom included!). I can't say enough about the women/men that are there. We are constantly seeking deals, posting about them, deciphering them, talking about them all the while we are still learning more. So, without further adieu, we are at:
www.ourcouponhome.com ... ... When you get there, introduce yourself and don't be shy!

2 years into this adventure:
~I am spending only $300 a month in groceries on a family of 5. I'm trying hard to get that even less, but compared to the $600 I WAS spending, I'm happy.

~I have a basket full of free band-aids, a bathroom cupboard full of FREE deodorant, a shelf full of dishwasher detergent that I spent no more that $1.50 on each, and a laundry room with at least 10 ALL detergents that I got for 50cents each.

~I've conquered 3 cities with using coupons. Chambersburg (PA), Hagerstown (MD) (since that is where I worked), and now where I live in Colorado. My toughest stores yet are here in Colorado.

~I have started a 'gift' closet. What is this? I've been buying toys that have gone on clearance to use as birthday gifts (my kids or others) and/or Christmas gifts. This is easy to do for younger kids, it's Jake's age that is hard to buy cheaply for!

~I spend a ton of time on the computer, searching and reading deals ... I've found a hobby of sorts and I enjoy it thoroughly.

~I still have a lot to learn.

I think I've rattled enough for tonight, but I do have one more thing that I want you to keep in mind. Coupons are LEGAL, you will not go to jail for saving money!

Why did we move here...

2010-01-21T22:38:00.002-05:00

I'm still trying to figure out the reason.
~Is it so I could be a stay-at-home-mom? If so, that isn't going so well, I think I'm going a bit insane, no wait, I KNOW I'm going insane.

~To get a dog? Yeah, right, we moved to Colorado to get a dog because there are no dogs in PA.

~To be with Frank? This would be my first answer, but then I wonder what the reason was for him to be promoted and transferred.

Anyone?

Have you gone yet?

2010-01-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

to the most glorious couponing/deal website yet? Well, hurry up and get your butt there...I know you want to save money this year :)

During diet I need to work on...

2010-01-04T18:59:00.003-05:00

~Drink MORE water!
~Smaller portion sizes!
~Vigorous (LOL) activity for at least 20 minutes a day!
~Smoke less!

Day 1 --- I'm at it again ...

2010-01-04T18:56:00.002-05:00

weight loss. Just like everyone else, right? LOL I did so well last year for the 4 weeks (or was it 6 weeks?) that I was on the diet that I could kick myself for falling off the wagon! Here is my day today:
Breakfast:
2 pieces wheat toast w/very little butter
10 pots of black coffee (4 cups really...needed 10 pots though!)
1 Glass Water
Wii Fit - 20 mins

Mid Morning:
1 clementine

Lunch:
Subway 6inch on wheat - Ham w/tons of veggies, vinegar only
unsweet tea

Ana and I walked to lunch

Mid-afternoon snack:
7 nacho chips w/picco de gallo

After typing this out, I noticed I need to work on my water intact even if it is just unsweet tea.

Dinner:
Cooking chicken stir-fry w/veggies and rice.

We made it...

2010-01-03T00:55:00.003-05:00

through Christmas w/out to many emotions ...

What saved me from a break down was my brother-in-law and sister-in-law inviting us up to Denver for Christmas dinner! I did, however, have a little breakdown on the drive there ... you see, I was supposed to be going to my parents house.

We had fun ... even had a lot of snow there.

The kids made out w/their gifts, like the spoiled kids they are. My parents did well w/sending gifts, for me too. My favorite, like any other year, is stocking gifts, which my mom sent to me in a purse. I had everything I needed (except for my mom/dad/sister) on Christmas.

2010? But I forgot some blogging ...

2010-01-03T00:37:00.004-05:00

like Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day!

Let's start with Thanksgiving ... We had a pretty quiet day. First one in the 16 years that Frank and I have been together. It was just us. I cooked an awesome meal (if I do say so myself) ...

After lunch we lazed around all day. This holiday wasn't to bad to get through w/out the family, although I'd rather of been with them.

I was thankful that my parents were in Florida w/my sister and my in-laws had a lot of their kids/kids-in-laws there with them.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree ...

2009-12-12T20:22:00.026-05:00

you brought with you a lot of memories! Go ahead and laugh ... I'll wait.

This is the first EVER Christmas away from my Mom and Dad and Sister. Wow. Unimaginable to me. 29 (+ a few years, I'm 29 forever!) years of Christmas' together ...

I'm Desperately Seeking Holiday Spirit. And what better way to get in the 'spirit' than to get a Christmas tree and decorate it w/the kids?

So, we go over the Arkansas river and up through the mountain valley out of our little town of Florence ... into the next town over to find a tree.

And a tree we found at a grocery store LOL ...

I do have to admit, it is a beautiful tree and smells very nice. It's actually one of the best trees we've had (since we've been married) and only $29.95! On the roof it goes w/some tie downs and we are set!

Frank had to drag Koda over to the tree...all he wanted to do was hide behind me (yeh, I protect him instead of he protecting me) and bark at it.

Frank did a great job at trimming the tree at the bottom, in fact, some of you will recognize the saw he used. Memory #1 ... ... growing up our family went with another family to the Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our own tree. I can't tell you how many years, but it was over 20 years that we did this. Even when I was married and had kids we did this. In fact, Frank somehow came home one year w/the Christmas Tree Farm's saw.

We tried to make Koda into a wreath, but he didn't want to take part in it.

In comes the tree and up goes the lights. No problem finding the lights what-so-ever. They were in the Christmas tote. Huge problem finding the stockings, tree skirt, and the 2 shoe boxes of ornaments. While moving, the packers packed them up for us, in about 4 or 5 different boxes all labeled "attic / toys" ... ... After searching about a dozen different boxes, we found them, thankfully.

Of course, the cat, Hayden, had to check it all out. The same cat that knocked our tree down last year. I have to watch him closely!

On with the decorating ... My favorite part of decorating is looking through the ornaments. (enter memories 2 to whatever) All of them have a meaning or story to them. They might be handmade by the kids or bought by my family or friends. Some are 25+ years old.

Pulling some of these ornaments out made me smile ... all those family and extended family members that bought me ornaments (and decorations) helped me get through this tough day.

From my Aunt, this ornament is 18 years old:

From my extended family, the ones that we went w/to the Christmas Tree Farm:

From my sister, she brought this back from Hawaii:

and from my mom and dad, one of my favorite ornaments, a black Santa

Our tree is loaded with memories for me. I pulled out ornaments and decorations from my in-laws, my grandmother, my Aunts and Uncles...my parents and my sister and my extended family.

When all is said and done...this was a good day. I brought with me my family, in-laws, extended family, and friends. They are here with us, they just live on my tree.

Trecking out in the cold ...

2009-12-07T16:21:00.010-05:00

to do what I do best ... SPEND MONEY! However, I would never spend money with out a deal involved.

Today we woke up to more snow, not much, but enough. To think that Saturday was in the 50's and today is in the teen's!

I grab my partner in crime:
and bundle her up...

13 degrees isn't too bad, right? WRONG! It's freakin COLD! But nothing will stop me from shopping deals.

My van was slip sliding away, I'm from PA, I can dive in this mess! As we were heading out of my ack bassward town, I had to take a picture just to show how beautiful it is here:

We only had 2 stores to go to. Walgreen's being the first. I was armed and ready w/my list. First stop, pharmacy. I transferred a prescription to them and got a $25 check from them to use on a future purchase (not to be used on prescriptions)...heck, I'll transfer to them for FREE money!

At Walgreen's I got:
3 ALL Laundry Detergent HE
2 Snuggle Laundry Fabric Softener
2 boxes Kleenex brand tissues
2 Skippy Peanut Butter
1 LARGE container French Roast Maxwell House
5 boxes Triscuits
1 Walgreens brand startch
Total: $73.xx
After sale prices and coupons and the $25 gift card, I spent: $2.xx

As we were leaving Walgreen's, the bell ringer said "HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ladies" ... I know, they are supposed to do this, but it's rare I hear Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays IMO is what I should hear, as not everyone celebrates Christmas. So, we gave him some money. And really, at 13 degrees, he deserved something for ringing that bell!

Next stop was City Market (AKA King Soopers ... AKA Kroger):
I got:
4 cans Dole Pineapple Rings
8 cans Dole Mandarin Oranges
2 lbs Ground Turkey
5 I Can't Believe it's not butter Butter
4 4pks Hunt's Pudding
5 lbs Clementines
1 candy bar, for my partner in crime
Total: $50.xx

After sale prices and coupons, I spent: $28.xx

I got all of this for $30!! Now tell me that coupons don't save money? Tell me that coupons are for JUNK only. HA!

My partner in crime was absolutely wonderful today ...
even in the cold!

Here is a picture driving back to our ack bassward town ... it might be backward and slow w/the times, but it sure is gorgeous.

I can't bring the family out here w/me, but I can bring my favorite foods they make!

2009-11-23T23:59:00.008-05:00

I didn't want to miss out Dad's pickled eggs, he makes them every Thanksgiving, so I pulled out the recipe he gave me and got to work!

3 Cans Red Beats 1 1/2 Cups white vinegar 3 tbsp Salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tbsp Pickling Spices 1 Large onion (Sliced into rings) 18 eggs (Hardboiled and peeled) In medium size sauce pan mix red beat juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pickling spices. Heat to a boil. In large jar put in onions, then beats, then eggs. When sauce boils, pour over top of onions, beats, eggs...let sit for 2 hours, then refrigerate. Best to let sit/soak in fridge for 1 to 2 days ...

I can NOT wait to taste them! I hope they taste like Dad's! Here were my steps today ...

Step 1: Pull out badly written recipe - from my newly made recipe binder. Use Morse code to figure out and wonder to self who Karen Shumate is ~ my dad's name is William. Snip. Pull. Tug. Begin.

Step 2: Remove rather large dog from kitchen so I can walk back and forth from counter to counter. Open w/can opener. Pour. Measure. Stir.

Step 3: Scream at kids AND dog to get out of the kitchen. Use sauce pan big enough so you do not have to wipe off pink splatter marks for the next 4 weeks. Mix. Boil.

Step 4: Screw it and mix all together - I'm sure it will turn out in the end. Throw pans in sink. Wash hands. Wipe pink splatter from face. Pick up hair balls that pulled out of dog when stepped on. Call in kids to apologize for the wicked witch that yelled at them over something they won't even eat. Sit and wait.

8 years ago ...

2009-11-23T08:57:00.008-05:00

on November 23rd, Black Friday to be exact, my little BooBoo was born! Happy Birthday, Kristopher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Approximately 8 months old...

1 1/2 years old

First day of Kindergarten, age 5

First year of soccer, age 5 Kris now ...

Cheap diapers, if you can stand going out on Black Friday!

2009-11-17T23:50:00.002-05:00

I know many of my readers have babies and/or are going to have a baby ...well, here is a deal that even if you aren't a 'couponer' you can do :)

Please note, limit is 3 per customer (have a friend? Take them!) ... valid on Black Friday only from 12am to 1pm!

Buy 2 Fisher Price Happy Days Diapers at $5 per 23 to 50-count package
(limit 3, must buy at least 2 to get this price--available from 12 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Black Friday)
Use 2 $2/1 coupons here
$3 per package after coupons

That is a great deal on diapers!

Good thing these were cheap...

2009-11-15T22:09:00.002-05:00

My pride and joy shoes are Sketchers flip flops. I have a 'collection' of 5 (now 4) pairs and wear them all the time. I found these latest ones for under $8 shipped ...

I was taking pictures of the kids today in the snow, while wearing my flip flops, and had to take my shoes off before coming in...I left them on the porch.

I take the dog out to pee and find this:

He's lucky these were cheap ... not to mention lucky he is cute.

So, my puppy now has a name brand chew toy.

FREEEEEE I said FREEEEEEEEE

2009-11-15T11:27:00.002-05:00

Here are 2 wonderful freebies! I had to share :) Thanks goes to moneysavingmom!

Free photo ornament:
Here's how to get a free custom photo Christmas ornament:
::Go here and login in or sign up. Then click on "Photo Gifts" and then on "Ornaments".

::Choose between the two ornaments which are $12.99 and create your custom photo ornament. Only the $12.99 ornaments work for this promo code so be sure that is the price of what you add to your cart otherwise it won't work.

::Go to checkout and use promo code mallornament and it should take your total down to $0.00.

::Checkout paying nothing for your free ornament!

If you place a separate order you can get 50 FREE photo cards:
Order 50 4x8 photo cards. Once you put them in the cart, use the code newbaby at checkout and you should get the cards for free--including free shipping! You must create an account to use the code.

Have fun!

Walmart and the savings to be had!

2009-11-14T23:55:00.002-05:00

I really do not like Walmart...never have, but here in Colorado, I have very little choice of where I can shop. At least the cashiers are friendly, unlike in my 'old' hometown!

I decided to make a list of the deals at Walmart that I found by reading a mass of blogs. I pulled out all the coupons I needed for the trip and set out w/4 kids (1 extra) in tow. Oh, now, give me a break, it was a rainy day, I knew the kids needed something to do! ;)

I purchased a total of 54 items ... the total before coupons was: $73.00 ... after all my coupons were deducted, I paid: $41.00. That averages to about .76 cents per item. I'll list the items, if you want to know what coupons I used, let me know and I'll tell Or, come visit at www.ourcouponhome.com for the Walmart forum, and find them.

The price is pre-coupon price...

Milk - $2.27 (no coupon)
Bread - $1.38 (no coupon)
Lunch Meat (Hillshire Farm) - $3.00 (No coupon)
2 Spaghetti O's - .88 (no coupon)
4 pks - Great Value Noodles - $1.00 (no coupon)
4 pks McCormick Brown Gravy - .50
2 Welch's Sparkling Juice - $2.97
1 Honey Bunch's of Oats - $2.50
2 Reach Floss - $1.12
2 Frozen Healthy Choice Dinners - $1.88 & 2.00
3 Danimals Crush cups - $2.12
6 pouches Starkist tuna - $1.00
2 Starkist tuna to go kits - $1.67
10 pks Kotex Lightday pads (20 ct) - $1.00
1 Axe Trial body wash - $.97 (no coupon)
1 Bod Spray - $.97 (no coupon)
1 Hot wheels car - $.97 (no coupon)
2 McCormick Taco Seasoning - .50 (no coupon)
1 Boys T-shirt - $1.00 (no coupon)
1 Boys Shorts - $1.00 (no coupon)
2 Halloween Chip's Ahoy - $1.50 (no coupon)
1 Great Value Chips - $1.75 (no coupon)
1 Great Value Cheetos - $1.38 (no coupon)
2 Frozen Mac/Cheese Meals - $1.08 (no coupon)

For the record, the kids were rewarded for their time ... we went to the duck pond to feed the ducks...on this cold rainy day :)

The 1st Visitors!

2009-11-10T13:12:00.007-05:00

Our first house guests, my sister and nieces, came to visit over Halloween weekend ... I was overly due for seeing some people I knew, but anxious about my first ever house guests! I found things to clean that I don't think I've ever cleaned before ...

Much to our surprise Denver, where they were flying into, had a major snowstorm. In OCTOBER who would have thought this would happen? Kristi and I searched the web about the storm and roads and finally she made a decision to just go ahead with it and come. I had a 2 hour drive to the airport and I was going to get there no matter what! Thankfully, I took Frank's car for the 4wd ... which I had to use on a major highway in Denver! My van would never have made it ( I would have walked to get there if I had to). After 4 hours (3 driving and 1 sitting in traffic due to an accident) I made it to the airport and received the hugs I so desperately needed!

Being they are from Florida, I think they were a bit cold when we got outside...but my nieces loved seeing the snow! We only got about 2 inches in my town, so they were a bit dissappointed, but they did find some to build a leafy snowman:
(Sasha and Kristopher, cousins)

As the weekend went on, the weather warmed up, not near what they are used to, but enough to enjoy being outside ...

Halloween was a mess of costumes and candy ... and a load of fun for the kids. The girls all dressed as Cowgirls and looked just gorgeous!

My boys, well, they are boys ~ I think I can call them gorgeous as well!?

I have to admit, Colorado is just gorgeous! I was so excited to show my sister all the mountains! We even went to visit Royal Gorge and flew on a Skycoaster 1300ft up over it...yes, Jakob, my sister and I flew over the Gorge!

What a thrill!! I calmly FORCED myself to do it! After having a near freak out on the bridge that goes over the Gorge, I can't believe I did it ... but glad I did!

The visit was awesome ... Koda, the dog, barked at my sister for 3 days and my niece for 4 days, but other than that, I had a blast and can't wait for them to come again!!

Join me...

2009-10-27T19:22:00.002-04:00

at www.ourcouponhome.com ............... check out all the freebies, internet deals, internet printable coupons, store deals w/and w/out coupons etc.

All kinds of talks going on...couponing, what's for dinner, your household cleaning list, your kids, or just plain ole' chit chat about nothing at all, we got it!!!

They are currently running a new members contest! Come check it out ... see what it's about!

www.ourcouponhome.com Please use me, Kerri as the referral!!

HI HO HI HO ...

2009-10-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

it's off to a new coupon site I go!!

www.ourcouponhome.com just opened their internet doors today!! I'm so excited about this that I wanted to share with everyone!!

We've been behind the scenes getting it all ready to debut. Kurt, Steph and Steph are the 'owners' of the site and are just wonderful! They are very outgoing and CARING!!

There are deals posted, regular chat forums, or just news to read. Learn how to coupon, get a heads up on deals at your local stores, or just come to see me!!

I'm there as IRREK (that is Kerri backwards in case you didn't notice) ... hope to see you there!!

www.ourcouponhome.com

Happy 4th birthday to my baby!

2009-09-20T22:12:00.008-04:00

Official Birthday 9/20/05

1st Birthday 9/20/06

2nd Birthday 9/20/07

3rd Birthday 9/20/08

4th Birthday 9/20/09

My little Princess is growing so fast...soon she'll not want me around...but I know, later, she'll be my best friend.

9/11 ~~ 8 years ...

2009-09-11T09:53:00.003-04:00

Amazing how fast time passes! 8 years ... just amazing.

I'm just going to link you to what I blogged about last year ... click here

Do you have a story? Memories? Link me....or share here.

Introducing ...

2009-09-03T23:51:00.003-04:00

Kodiak (AKA Koda) ...
5 mths old
40 lbs

So, yeah, we got a dog. Honestly we just went to LOOK at the puppies. Never intended on bringing one home even though we called the landlord just to ask, just in case.

I'm such a sucker for animals!! Koda is so far a wonderful dog! He is outside during the days and in the garage sleeping at night. He loves the kids, especially Jake, and hasn't growled or snapped at them...in fact, I can't even say he has jumped on them. He seems content on laying outside chewing a chew bone or running up and down the yard w/Juliana or Kris, or going for walks with Jake. I hope he keeps it up! What a beautiful BIG dog!

A total new beginning for the boys ...

2009-09-03T23:25:00.007-04:00

So, here we are, just about 4 weeks into our new lives and we are adjusting quite well. The kids are keeping me really busy, physically and mentally, that I have no time to worry or think of things that bring me down. I just wish I could say the same for my mom & dad and my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

(hanging in our new home)

The boys started school 2 weeks ago. In our little town, there is only 1 elementary school, 3 teachers per grade, so even though the school is larger than where they went before (Falling Spring), we didn't have a choice. We did attend the Open House and all 4 of us were a bit lost, not only in the school, but in the 'faces' as well. Really sad that I didn't see my friends I grew up w/their kids, or the neighbors of my in-laws that my kids grew up with. So, we sat alone, but together, that works just fine for now.

The first day of school was only 3 hours. The entire morning I paced and worried about them. I worried about them making friends or hating their teachers or not being able to find their bus (They don't number the buses here! You go by the driver!). Well, good news, they found their bus, they LOVE their teachers, and have made numerous friends. Kids are resilient aren't they!? Of course I have some first day of school pictures!

A total new beginning ... my boys did GREAT!

GREEN!

2009-08-28T19:38:00.002-04:00

When we came out to visit in April, it was so brown! I remember living in Wyoming and missing the East Coast and all the green ... I didn't want that again, it was so ugly, so depressing!

Driving into our new (little!) town I was pleasantly surprised that it was GREEN!

Ahhh man, Jake, you stink!

2009-08-28T19:04:00.007-04:00

The drive went better than I thought. At the last minute my brother-in-law, Joe, decided to come see the area (possible job opportunity for him, which, by the way, he is moving here! Yeah!) and drove out Frank's car for us. The car would have gone freight, but this saved the company some money AND added extra room for us, thankfully!

The drive was really uneventful...the first day was tough, I was so worried about the cats (Petey meowed for hours and wouldn't relax even though he was sedated), upset about leaving, and well, just worried in general. We made it through that day and the cats did awesome in the hotel room, so I was able to finally relax.

(Just had to share this picture ... never would I own WHITE sheets and comforter w/a black cat. LOL)

Every day was about the same, we drove for hours, stopped and peed, drove for hours, stopped at a hotel ... ate. The 10 year old kept his daddy awake, by stinking up the van and Ana slept 1 x the entire 4 days! Kris was with his Uncle in the other car and from what I understand, slept a lot!

(Only time Ana slept ... only time Kris was in our van w/us)

The 3rd day, we decided to stop at my sister-in-laws, Maria, to see her and the family. We only had to drive 3 hours that day, which was a nice break. Maria was a great hostess! I love her Mexican cooking!!! The cousins got along great and the cats liked hiding in strange places ...

The last day of driving was filled with excitement! We were finally going to see our new home! The drive started out like all the rest of the days ... including Jake passing gas. It got so bad that I finally had to step in ... "Ahhh man, Jake, you stink! Knock it off right now or you're grounded!" Jake swore up and down it wasn't him! We kept blaming him ...... then it hit me. CATS.

Ever try cleaning out a dog crate with a wad of poop in the blanket while 2 cats try to climb out along side a highway?

"See you later..."

2009-08-25T10:37:00.003-04:00

suck. Plain and simple, they just suck. So, mom and dad decided to throw us a "See you later" party. The parties that my parents 'throw' I like to call "drunk fest" only because I get to drink and my kids get to run wild while mommy is drinking ... of course they are safe, how dare you suggest otherwise ;) ... when I drink, I'm actually more aware. LOL Ok, so, Didi and Pap are there along w/numerous other mom/dad's and grandparents.

Anyway ... the party was wonderful, even with having to say 'see you later' to my family, 2nd family, and friends. However, reassurances from them all made it easier.

Saying "see you later" to mom and dad was much harder. For fear of a 'breakdown' I'm just going to say a few things. My heart hurts because their hearts hurt. (That's all I can say right now)

The in-laws were just as tough to say 'see you later' to. I helps knowing that Frank has other siblings still in town to be there for them. No, nobody can replace my kids, so I'm certain that it was/is hard for both Nanny and Papa...as well as, my kids and myself.

So many things I want to say I will miss. But, I must say "see you later" ... I ran out of tissues. ;)

"Move that truck ... "

2009-08-25T10:24:00.003-04:00

What can I say? Well, I can say that it has been one hell of a month. Last month this time we were in PA celebrating Jake's 10th birthday, trying to avoid the inevitable. This month we are jumping feet first into a new life of living ...

The first week in August was mentally exhausting. On Tuesday the packers came and packed my (our) life into boxes, lots and lots of boxes. The next day, they loaded up our life into a United Van Lines truck, leaving the first house that Frank and I bought, empty. Completely, empty. When they pulled the truck away it marked the beginning of our new life. "Move that truck, move that truck" so the Aguirre's can start their new life adventure...

Movie "Staycation" deal! Use at Target for $3 DVD's!

2009-07-31T19:11:00.002-04:00

You can read about it here...

and print from here:

There are MANY DVD's for $5 at Target ... some great choices!

(You can also print right from the site, I just linked the PDF for easier access)

Back to school supplies...NOW is the time to buy!!

2009-07-28T21:40:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks I've been getting free or cheap school supplies ... I even got 12 rolls of scotch tape for 9 cents each! I know a lot of what I do involves coupons, so, I wanted to bring you some school supply deals w/out the coupons. NOW is the time to buy, even if you don't know what your kids will need.

Walmart ... this has got to be my least favorite place to shop, but deals are deals!

Notebooks (70-sheet), $0.15
2 Pocket Folders, $0.15
Elmer’s Washable Glue Sticks (2-pk.), $0.25
Crayola Crayons (24-pk.), $0.25
Elmer’s Washable Glue (4-oz.), $0.25
Trapper Notebook (70-sheet), $0.50
Trapper Folder, $0.50
Dixon Pencils (24-ct.), $1
Crayola Colored Pencils (12-ct.), $1
Crayola Markers (10-ct.), $1
BIC Cristal Pens (10-pk.), $1
Expo Dry Erase Markers (2-pk.), $1.50
BIC Mechanical Pencils (10-pk.), $1.50

They also have 18 gallon plastic totes on sale for $3.50 --- wonderful way to store your school supplies!!

When I find more, I'll post!

"Darth, I am your father..."

2009-07-20T21:26:00.000-04:00

I heard Kris yelling at Hayden (the cat) and turned around to see Hayden playing with Kristopher's Darth Vader ... this is the best picture I could get, Hayden was having so much fun!

6 Days ...

2009-07-19T09:24:00.003-04:00

and I shall be married once again. It's been a long 7 months.

Now, how many months will it take us to get used to living together again ... LOL

Just. About. There.

2009-07-16T09:43:00.001-04:00

We are so close that I can see it.

Dishwashing Gel Tabs only 99cents at Target!

2009-07-11T22:37:00.001-04:00

Target has Electrasol/Finish 20+5ct. Quantum or 32 ct. tablets or gel packs, on sale for $3.49 starting tomorrow (7/12)

In this week's paper, the SmartSource pack of coupons has aa $2.50 off manufacturer coupon (exp. 8/9)

After coupon, this makes each pack $.99!

Buy your papers and stock up!!

FREE Slurpee at 7 Eleven on 7/11!

2009-07-10T22:19:00.000-04:00

FREE small Slurpee Day at 7 Eleven on 7/11/09

http://ocdeals.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/12/free-slurpees-july-11-at-7-eleven/

More FREE items at Food Lion!

2009-07-10T21:03:00.003-04:00

There are 2 FLIP's (Food Lion internet printable coupons) that are out right now.

The first one is $1 off your next 360 purchase and the second one is $1 off your next Home 360 purchase. Both can be printed from HERE. Be sure to select the amount you want to print off, you can NOT got back and reprint!

You can use 1 of each of the coupons in a transaction. I usually do 2 transactions in a row, unless there is a really great deal that I just have to stockpile on, then I do 5 or 6 transactions, but not in a row. I take my 2 transactions out to my car and go back in, or go to another Food Lion.

Here are a few items that you can purchase with these coupons. Some are free and some are only a few quarters! (Of course, prices may vary!)

Price List for Home 360:
Envelopes 1.49
Scrubber pads (similar to Brillo) 1.39
Sponges 1.78
Plastic forks, spoons, or knives 1.49
7lb cat litter for $1.50
Kid scissors $.99
Red plastic disposable cups $1.42
Packages of rubber bands, erasers, pencil sharpeners 3 for $.99
Adult scissors $1.49
Packing tape $1.49
Drinking straws 40ct $1.36
250 toothpicks for $1.12
Transparent tape $.99
Scotch type tape $1.22
Duct tape $1.99
Wood kebob sticks $2.00
Baby bibs $.97
Kleenex 230 ct $1.55
Food Lion brand baby wipes 40ct. $1.50
25 sq ft Aluminum foil $.99
2-pack dish sponges $1.77
Single wet one packs $.89
40ct fabric softener sheets $1.69
Paper Towels $1.50

Price List for Healthy Accents:
Rubbing alcohol $.99
Peroxide $.69
Handsoap $1.49
Epsom salts $.99
hand sanitizer $1.49
Qtips $1.99
HA bandaids $1.79
Petroleum gel in a tub like vaseline $1.39
Nail polish remover $0.97
Dental floss is $1.29
Honey lemon cough drops are $1.50
Toothbrushes $1.00
Cotton balls $.99
FL Water $3.29
Calamine lotion $1.49
Kids and adult bandages $1.79
Acetominophen $2.99
Jumbo cotton balls (100) for $1.26

Sample Purchase:
1 Home 360 Paper Towel Roll - $1.50
1 Healthy Accent Peroxide - $.69
Total: $2.19

Use:
$1.00 Home 360 FLIP
$1.00 Healthy Accent FLIP

OOP: $.19

STOCK UP!

FREE Razors if you have a Food Lion!!

2009-07-10T20:47:00.003-04:00

Food Lion has the Healthy Accent M5 Magnum Razor w/Trimmer on sale for $2.99 (Exp. 7/14).

Print off the $2 IP (internet printable coupon) for the M5 Magnum Razor w/trimmer HERE.
You can print 2 of these coupons!

Food Lion has out a $1 off any Healthy Accent FLIP (Food Lion Internet Printable) ... you can print the FLIP from here http://foodlion.com/web-coupons/privatebrand/default.asp?title=coupons_0617 BE SURE TO PRINT AT LEAST 2, ONCE YOU PRINT, YOU CAN NOT GO BACK!

You can only use 1 Healthy Accent FLIP per transaction...so, if you want both razors free, do 2 transactions!! Make sure to get something else in that transaction, though...(match number of items to number of coupons)
Example Transation:
Razor - $2.99 Gum - .50cents
Total: $3.49

Use:
$2 Magnum Razor Coupon $1 Healthy Accent Coupon

PAY only 49cents!

OR just get a razor and pay 99cents after the manufacturer internet printable coupon, if you aren't a penny pincher like me :)

Here are EACH of the boys snakes....

2009-07-07T09:39:00.003-04:00

yes...each. We are getting 2! Oh MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake's is an albino corn snake...(red/white). He is thinking of naming it Rossi (motorcycle racer).

Kristopher's is black/gray/white. He is thinking of naming it Rocky.

We were visiting a friend's house (Laura) last night. She has them and 8 others! I can't believe how good the boys did w/them...the snakes were a bit scared at first but the more the boys held them the snakes became calmer, quickly.

Laura has to get the snakes to eat their first 'pinky' (day old mice) and then we can have them.

See, Didi, they eat mice, so they are good snakes!!

I'm going to be a snake mommy?

2009-07-04T12:23:00.003-04:00

OI! What am I thinking??

One of these newly hatched snakes will be ours. They are so easy to care for ... and J loved my friends snake ... oh my, what am I thinking?!

This is Juliana holding my friends corn snake. She loved it!

Jake is sooooooo excited!

2009-06-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

He has armpit hair.

(I'm trying so hard not to laugh at him)

Mustard and Hot Sauce at CVS!

2009-06-21T11:20:00.005-04:00

Here is a deal you can do at CVS by using internet printables...

FRANK'S® REDHOT® - Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Right hand side says get coupon for 50cents off Frank's Hot Sauce ... when you sign up, it will give you about 6 different coupons ... 1 Print

FRENCH’S® Foods Promotions, Sign Up For Special Promotion Coupons
1 Print

and 2 more from here:
CLICK HERE

CVS has their French's Mustard and Frank's Hot Sauce on sale for only $1.00 ... after the coupons above, they are only 50cents each.

When I find things like this on sale, I stock up ... in this case I could only get 4 of each, but we don't use much of it. This saves me from having to buy mustard or hot sauce for at least a year. Which helps save on money...
How?

I got it on sale and used q's with it, got the best price possible.
I won't have to buy it for a year.
I won't be forced to buy it not on sale because I ran out.

I want this!!

2009-06-19T07:33:00.001-04:00

BUT I'll share with you anyway...

http://www.consumerqueen.com/ck-review-on-hoover-cordless-vacuum-and-you-could-win-one/comment-page-11#comment-19594

Win a Hoover Platinum Collection Cordless Stick Vac ... Go on, you know you wanna!

Say wha?

2009-06-18T21:30:00.002-04:00

You think I shave my legs because I have a bajillion free razor's? HAHAHAHAHAHAhehehehehehehehehehehe

They paid me to buy all of this!

2009-06-15T13:03:00.002-04:00

Total before coupons: $148.48
Total after coupons ( and RR's, ECB's, OYNO's): $18.81
Total after CATS (that weren't expected): $17.81

GRAND Total after rebates are received from Gillette Products: -2.19

Trip 1 Walgreens:
3 "Go Green" Shopping Bags - $1.00
2 St. Ives Body Wash - $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
1 Right Guard Deo - $2.99

Total: $9.97

Coupons Used:
$4.00 RR's
$.75 Right Guard Man. q (Kmart beauty book)
$1.50 St. Ives
$1.50 St. Ives
Wags Q $2.00 off Right Guard

OOP: .70 cents / .48 cents being tax!!
Earned: $3.00 RR's back

Trip 2 Walgreens:
2 Clip-On OFF Starter Kits - $9.99 x 2 = $19.98
2 Quattro Razor (BOGOFree Sale) - $9.49
1 Mead 100ct Envelopes - $1.29

Total: $30.76

Coupons Used:
$4.00 RR's
$2.00 off OFF Clip-on Starter Kit
$9.99 BOGO Free IP OFF Clip-on Starter Kit
$4.00 Quattro Razor
$4.00 Quattro Razor
Wags Coupon .62 off Envelopes

OOP: $3.2o / $1.54 Tax
Earned: $3.00 RR's back

CVS Trip:
1 Hefty One-Zip baggies - $1.00
1 Kellogg's Raisin Brand - $1.88
1 Kellogg's Fruit Loops - $1.88
2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies - $3.76
1 RIB Magazine - .99
1 Schick Quattro - $7.99

Total: 17.50

Used:
$1.50 Fruit Loops
$1.00 Rice Krispies
$1 Rice Krispies
$1.00 Raisin Brand
$1.00 Hefty One-Zip
$4.00 Schick Quattro
$7.99 ECB's

OOP: 1 Cent! (Let me look on the floor for that...LOL)
Earned $3.00 ECB's

Weis Trip 1:
2 Gillette Fusion Razor's $8.99 x 2 = $17.98
2 Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
2 Gillette Body Wash $3.49 x 2 = $6.98
2 Gillette Shampoo $3.49 x 2 = 6.98

Total: $37.92

Use:
2 $4.00 Gillette Fusion Razor = $8.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Body Wash = $2.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Shampoo = $2.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Shaving Cream = $2.00

For every 2 (select) items you get $5 off - $20.00

OOP: $3.94 / Tax: $1.02

Weis Trip 2:
2 Gillette Fusion Razor's $8.99 x 2 = $17.98
2 Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
2 Gillette Body Wash $3.49 x 2 = $6.98
2 Gillette Shampoo $3.49 x 2 = 6.98
1 Weis "Go Green" bag = .99 (had to buy something different (Bag) because Debit doesn't allow you to have 2 like orders in a row)

Total: $38.91

Use:
2 $4.00 Gillette Fusion = $8.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Body Wash = $2.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Shampoo = $2.00
2 $1.00 Gillette Shaving Cream = $2.00

For every 2 items you get $5 off - $20.00

OOP: $4.99 / Tax: $1.08

Food Lion Trip:
1 FL Curly Fries - $1.97
2 FL Black Beans - .59 x 2 = $1.18
1 FL Tomato Sauce - .44
1 FL Stewed Tomato - .44
1 FL Elbow Noodles - .69
1 Digiorno Flatbread Pizza - $5.50
1 FL Whole Fryer Chicken - $3.20
Total: 13.42

Used:
$1.50 OYNO CAT
$2.00 FL Chicken FLIP
$1.50 Digiorno man. q
$2.00 Digiorno FLIP
$1.00 FL Pasta FLIP

OOP: $5.97
Earned back $1.00 OYNO (from Digiorno) and $1.50 OYNO (from FL)

I'm a grandma!?

2009-06-09T08:26:00.006-04:00

Jake got a butterfly kit from his Aunt Kristi last summer for his birthday. We finally ordered the gross a** caterpillars ... they spun their cocoon's (my sister is going to get me because I'm not using the correct terminology!) and 1 hatched last night while we were at a ball game. Now, we have 4 total. My cats are going nuts! I have them hanging in the middle of a door (form the top) so the cats can't get them....Here is the first one that hatched:

He/she is on the right ...SO PRETTY!

We are having problems feeding them. Jake is too chicken to stick his hand in and I, well, hate bugs, so I'm certainly not going to do it! LOL I've been DROPPING in grapes for them...

Here are the bad kitties...

Correction! We have 5 of them now! Within mins I missed the last one hatch!

$150 in products for only $20?! WOOT!!

2009-06-07T14:31:00.003-04:00

What coupons can do for you!

All bought at Kmart. This week at participating Kmart's they double $2 and under coupons...so that $2 coupon becomes $4!

I'm listing them as price then the actual q used ... then the actual OOP:

Softsoap Ensambles refill $2.99 - $1.00 man. q = .99
St. Ives Scrub $3.69 - $1.50 man. q = .69
Clearasil Face Pads $5.49 - $2.00 man. q = $1.49
Listerine $4.29 - $2.00 man. q = .29
Listerine Strips - $1.79 - $1.00 man. q = Free
Rolaids $1.79 - $1.00 man. q = Free
J&J Baby Q-tips $1.69 - $1.00 man. q = Free
Pert Men Shampoo $3.49 - $1.50 man. q = .49
Lysol Neutra Air $3.29 - $1.50 man. q = .29
Renuzit Spray $2.19 -$1.00 man. q = .19
Oust $3.79 - $2.00 man. q = Free
Del Monte Fruit Chillers $1.99 - $1.00 IP = Free
Premium Saltines $2.69 - $1.00 IP = .69
A1 Steak Sauce $4.49 - $2.00 IP = .49
Kitten Chow - $1.99 - FREE man. q = Free
Wheat Thins Clearance .88 - $1.00 IP = Free
Visine Tears Clearance $4.24 - $2.00 man. q = Free
Visine A+C $3.99 - $2.00 man. q = Free
Edge Shaving Gel/Cream - $1.99 - .75 (or $1 man. q) = .49 or Free
Dentak Floss Picks $2.29 - $1.00 = .29
J&J Baby Wash $3.79 - $2.00 man q = Free
Ritz Crackers $3.00 - $1.00 = $1.00
Wheat Thins $3.00 - FREE Q when you buy Ritz Crackers = Free
Triscuits $3.00 - $1.00 IP = $1.00
Snyder's Pretzels (buy 2) $2.29 x 2 = $4.58 - $1.00 man. q (on 2) = $2.58 for 2 packs or $1.29 each

Locals! Read me!! Yard Sale!

2009-05-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

NOT JUST YOUR TYPICAL YARD SALE!
Bargain Shopping Queens have wonderful deals for you!!!
Brand new items deeply discounted, by at LEAST 50%! Health & Beauty, Medicine, Cleaners, Detergents, Razors, and more! Come do your shopping here, not Walmart!

PLUS yard sale items here and the neighbors house...at least 5 families!!!

Don't miss!!
Saturday, May 23
8am to 12noon
527 E Washington St, Chambersburg

Pass on the word!

A LOAD of printable coupons!!

2009-05-11T10:06:00.001-04:00

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/kraftcoupons.aspx
You can print 2 from there ...

Then another 2 from here:
www.couponbug.com or www.coupons.com

Some good ones:
Grey Poupon $1/1
Kraft BBQ $1/1 (cause I need more LMAO)
Velveeta Shells & Cheese $1/1
Crystal Light $2/2
Wheat Thins $1/1
Lunchables $1/2
CoolWhip $1/2
Premium Crackers $1/1
Wheat Thins Toasted Chips $1/1
Kraft Singles $1/2
Kraft Shredded/chunk cheese $1/2
Kraft Easy Mac cups $1/2
Oscar Mayer Bacon $1/2
Triscuits $1/1
Ritz Bits Sandwiches $1/1
Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups $1/2
Crystal Light $1/1
Honey Maid Grahams $1/1
Velveeta Cheese $1/1

Kraft BBQ is on sale at a lot of stores right now for only 99cents, that is FREE after the coupon!!

Proud of both my boys today! Bragging rights, please!

2009-05-09T22:52:00.003-04:00

Kristopher plays soccer and last week his daddy told him that when he kicks the ball he needs to follow through and go with it. Meaning, stay with the ball! I told Kris that for each goal he'd earn $1 ... last week he got 3 goals. Today, he got 5. Thank God there are only 2 games left! LOL

and now to Jake~
He was given the game ball, for the most effort in his baseball game today!! This is the boy that cried and cried when he didn't want to practice and when he wanted to quit!

2 years ago Jake had the coach he has this year and that coach taught Jake how to be a catcher ... last year Jake was the catcher for another coach. This year, Jake refused to catch, made all kinds of excuses (laziness!!)...The coach knew that is where Jake belonged. In fact, the coach and I have talked about it...

Well, tonight, the coach said to Jake "If you want to play you have to catch" ... Jake said fine.

OMG OMG OMG did he ever do outstanding!! That IS his position! The coaches were all so proud of him...that is where my boy belongs, behind the plate!

Tonight Jake was on cloud 9...I'm on cloud 9! Even though they lost.

So, I treated Jake to a brand new.........(well, he never had one) ..........

CUP. Yep, I had to take Jake to get a penile protector. LOL Boy was that a hoot! He also earned new cleats, I wasn't buying him a new pair until he showed me he wanted to be there. Not that I was letting him ever quit, but I wasn't buying him a pair to do half-ass playing.

Thanks to both my boys for making your mom very very proud of you today!

Another way to earn a few bucks ...

2009-05-07T10:25:00.000-04:00

while sittin' at the 'puter!

Only thing is that you have to earn $30 before you can request your money. They have a $5 signing bonus ... and so far, I've had many many surveys to fill out. BUT am only at $6.02. LOL I'll play with it a bit more...

IT'S ALL LEGIT!

Happy Mother's Day to me...Happy Mother's Day to me...

2009-05-06T19:54:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to meeeeeeeee...............Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Just a little equation, first:
What I wanted for Mom's Day...one of those KitchenAid mixers, but so damn expensive!! Plus, I don't bake, so it would have been used maybe 2 x's a year on mashed potatoes. LOL

What I needed...clothes. I have work clothes...I REFUSE to wear them now!

What I got...TATTOO!!!

What I would have gotten ... N O T H I N G

Frank, Juliana, and I went to lunch w/one of Frank's friends and I had to go to the bathroom. So, I'm sitting there, peeing, looking at my beloved Skechers flip flops (I have 4 pairs of them in different colors/designs and since becoming a SAHM LIVE in them) and thought, how nice a tattoo would look right at the top of the strap ... and just like that I thought of 3 hearts (for each of my babes), something easy, inexpensive, and with meaning. All of this while peeing and looking at feet (ew) ... 30 mins later I was at the Tattoo Parlor w/my new BFF, the same that did my other 2 tats.

Oh, and my NBFF would not let me leave until she touched up my rose on the underside of my wrist, I didn't know it was so faded, it looks wonderful!

By the way, I do understand that I need a pedicure ... and I know I have ugly toes. ;)

I totally forgot!

2009-05-05T10:28:00.004-04:00

I adopted my black 3 - legged cat from the Humane Society (yes, 3 legs!) and with him came an index card. His previous owner was an elderly man, that lost his wife, who left him with 4 grown cats. He couldn't care for them, so took them into the Humane Society. With each one of the cats he had an index card ... written on the card was what each cat liked. A few odd things were on Petey's card.
~Petey loves to eat honeydew melon & cantaloupe.

I didn't remember this until the other night, the kids were eating cantaloupe and Jake left his plate of rhines (how is that spelled?) on the floor...

Petey was in heaven! It's been at least 4 years since he has had any ...

After a bit, Hayden arrived to see what all the fuss was about... Frank and I were watching him and it was like Hayden was thinking: "I don't get it, man" LOL

J and the 3 bears, I mean boys...

2009-05-01T19:28:00.005-04:00

Juliana was outside playing with her 'friends' (as she calls them) ... there were 3 of them, all boys, all age 7, one of them being her brother Kris. This is how she returned to me:

Chalk, mud, grass, water, stones, dirt, and Lord knows what else!

Dude...

2009-05-01T19:28:00.001-04:00

I have a blog! Hi there!!

Support our Troops ~ Iced Coffee Day 4/21 at Dunkin Donuts!

2009-04-20T20:35:00.001-04:00

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/IcedCoffeeDay/?cid=6442692&jid=15179536&mc=XX&eid=1708104&cmpid=email_ext_000017

Tuesday, April 21 buy an iced coffee for 50cents at Dunkin Donuts and show your support for our troops!

I promised and now I really have to deliver!

2009-04-16T17:30:00.002-04:00

I found a writing assignment in Kristopher's backpack a few weeks ago and I've had it on the fridge because on the back it says "I love my mom" and I thought that was just great...Today, I really tried to figure out what the entire thing said, and I did.

I'm going to type it just as he wrote it.

My Mom Mit bi me a liza. I im hape! I like lizas! I am rele hapy! I love my mom.

(My mom might buy me a lizard. I am happy! I like lizards! I am really happy! I love my mom.)

And yes, I promised him a tiny lizard (Geico) when we moved to Colorado.

Not only is he an artist, but he can sing too!

2009-04-06T20:10:00.004-04:00

Kristopher, singing in the shower...Enjoy!

Look a-likes...

2009-04-02T18:32:00.003-04:00

This is Frank's sister, Aunt Maria, in 1984 ... she was on a cover of the "Ladycom" Magazine, in Germany.

I just can't believe how much Juliana looks like her!

Where did I find that deal?

2009-03-31T22:05:00.002-04:00

~~~ I read and read and read as much as I can on the deals that I 'do' and about 90% of them I find on the internet. Within the last week another 'coupon board' that I was on went sour. It's still there, but it was sold and turned into a bunch of corporate bull...SO now, I have a new home w/a ton of the same wonderful deal seeking woman~~~

If I can get free toothpaste and free body wash and dirt cheap frozen pizza, so can you :)

www.weusecoupons.com

If there is a referral, use me, kerri12377

Leap Frog Didj @ Walmart only $9.97!

2009-03-27T15:25:00.003-04:00

The Didj is on clearance at Walmart for $29.97 ...

Here is a link for a $20.00 off coupon:
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qb1edch96423668&bt=vi&o=55653&c=LF&p=Bj5mwqbn

Some Walmart's have a toy clearance aisle, if yours does not, then look near all the Leapster's in the toy aisle. The tag on the shelf says $29.97.

GOOD LUCK!!

http://www.leapfrog.com/en/shop/didj_library.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=digi+leap+frog&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_content=Didj_Broad

Disney's Bolt Movie, only $10.99 at Target

2009-03-25T21:22:00.001-04:00

Bolt, the Dinsey movie, is on sale at Target for only $15.99 (until this Saturday, March 28)

You can print off a $5 coupon here:
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qculdwy1047440&bt=wg&o=55813&c=DS&p=UavRemYG

Only $10.99 for a Disney movie...great price IMO!

Kmart Double Coupons ROCK!

2009-03-22T13:55:00.002-04:00

4 Goodlife Cat Food - $3.99 - $2.00IPq's = FREE
2 Ban Deo - $1.34 - .75q = FREE
2 Secret Flawless - $4.49 - $2.00q = .49each
1 Old Spice Deo - $3.99 - $2.00q = FREE
2 2pk Oral B indicator - $2.05 - $1.00q = .50each
1 Band Aid - $2.79 - $1.00q = .79each
4 J&J Baby Swabs - $1.69 - $1.00q = FREE
2 Children's Tylenol cold - $5.79 - $2.00IPq's = $1.79 each
1 Pepto - $3.99 - $1.00 = $1.99
1 Nutrisse Hair Highlights clearance - $3.49 - $2.00q = FREE
1 Herbal Hair color clearance - $4.49 - $2.00q = .49
1 Halls - $1.49 - $.75q = FREE
2 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $2.00 - $1.00/2q = $1.00 each
3 Lysol Spray - $4.50 - $2.00q = .50each
1 Bounce 40ct - $2.79 - $1.00q = .79
2 409 Cleaner - $2.79 - $1.00q = .79
1 Glade Candle - $2.50 - $1.50q = FREE
2 Airwick Sprays - $2.29 - $1.00q = .29each
3 Fuze Drinks - $1.00 - .25q = .50each
1 Cookie Crisp - $2.00 - $1.00q = FREE

Total = $132.xx

OOP = $15.xx

Make some money...

2009-03-21T09:27:00.004-04:00

I found a site on a coupon board of mine, A Full Cup, where you click on ads and earn money. And yes, it's that easy!! Here, this will help, I totally snagged this description below from my sister's blog :) She's good! (I did not use the 'form' letter, just her description)

The form letter they gave to me to send out is below but I think it’s confusing and sounds fake so I’m going to explain it the best I can. It’s a site where companies pay you to view their websites. All you do is fill out a few surveys about your likes/dislikes/hobbies/interests, etc. and then they send you links. The links are actually fun companies and I've almost made a few purchases as I'm clicking away. When you click on the links, you get paid. One click=$. It’s usually about .20 per link but I’m already up to $5 and I’ve only been on today. My sister has been doing it for a few days and got paid today through Paypal and a few of her online friends have also gotten paid several times so it’s legit. I actually Googled the company and it’s gotten good write-ups on eHow and this blog and this blog and here. I could go on but you get my drift; I wouldn’t steer you wrong. It’s SUPER easy. I made my first $3 while checking my email. It’s all legit, trust me I read EVERY SINGLE word in the Terms of Agreement . Did I mention how easy it is??? You won't get rich but you'll get some change for your pocket---oh no--that reminds me, I have to go play Tooth Fairy!

Goodness, I hope my niece got some money from the Tooth Fairy!!

I received $4.02 yesterday in my Paypal account. Do you know how much a couponer can get for $4.02? I'll prove it to you tomorrow after I shop the Kmart Double Days :o)

Anyway, go here and sign up, you really don't have anything to loose.

http://www.youdata.com/join/kerri12377

I need to attend CA ...

2009-03-19T16:50:00.003-04:00

...Coupons Anonymous. They do have that right?

I can't imagine what my stockpile would be like if I didn't give stuff away...Missing from the photo's is my boxes of Electrasol (dish washing detergent), my Palmolive/Dawn, and my Lysol or Clorox wipes...

ENJOY and feel free to poke fun!

Conditioner ... Kids Body Wash ... LotionShampoo

Body WashRazors

Toothpaste & ToothbrushesFace washes, hand soap, Spray Conditioner, Hair stuff...Mouthwash & Shaving Cream

Qtips & "Nice" lotion/body sprays/body washTrial size shampoo's, lotions & shaving creams

Mouthwash, lotion, soap, Baby/kids body wash

It reminds me of Pap...

2009-03-14T18:26:00.002-04:00

Jake made this in school and gave it to me for a 'last day of work' gift....As he was handing it to me he said "It reminds me of Pap" ... Any guess of why?

That's a cigar hanging out of the Frog's mouth. *hehehehehehe*

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

2009-03-13T18:38:00.003-04:00

Growing up I can remember playing 'make believe' with my cat, Mosey. I used to put him in a stroller and push him around. I used to 'make' him play board games or Uno with me (oh, cats ARE so smart!) ... I would even play school with him.

I know my dad, mom and sister can attest to all of that.

Here is my apple and HER cat (playing 'kitchen'):
Check it out, he even has a cup of wine!

Food Lion ~~ .33cents for a 10pack of HiC juice boxes!!

2009-03-06T09:13:00.002-05:00

Buy:
1 SMALL Doritos bag (this is the size for lunches, they are on sale for 3/$1) - .33
1 HiC 10 pack - $2.00

= $2.33

Use the $1 off Food Lion IP for HiC and the $1 off any Doritos Food Lion IP

=================== .33cents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only 1 coupon per transaction ... so you'll need to do several transactions...or have the kids do a transaction!

(Remember you can only print them 1 time, but select the number of prints you want!)

HiC
http://www.foodlion.com/web-coupons/coupon0910/coupons.asp?title=fl-2009-0304-08h321&j=8119791&e=jennerica@comcast.net&l=1788810_HTML&u=63095668&mid=31032&jb=0&utm_source=SC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email+3.04.09

Doritos
http://www.foodlion.com/web-coupons/coupon0910/coupons.asp?title=fl-2009-0304-05e814&j=8119791&e=mtnmamamj@embarqmail.com&l=1788810_HTML&u=63095665&mid=31032&jb=0&utm_source=SC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email+3.04.09

"I'm not moving until I graduate Elementary School!"

2009-03-05T22:27:00.003-05:00

That is what I was told BEFORE I was able to get out of my van...I JUST pulled into the driveway and Jake is at my door telling me how he isn't moving, it's not fair, he can stay with Nanny & Papa, or Didi & Pap ... I let him ramble for a bit, but I knew totally why he was saying this:

I asked "Why, did Ashley say yes?"

"Yes, she said she wrote about me in her journal on the first day of school and we played basketball together and I think she really really likes me...I know she likes me."

Jake's got his first REAL girlfriend.

WATCH OUT for flying hairbands!!

2009-03-04T09:24:00.003-05:00

Hayden, the cat, LOVES hairbands...he pulls them out of my basket (that is up on a shelf in the bathroom), he pulls them off my & Juliana's dressers ... it is so funny. I've even been hit in the head w/them while sleeping...seriously, ask Frank!

It is nothing to walk through our house and find them on the floor...

Another chapter comes to an end....

2009-02-25T13:00:00.003-05:00

BUT a new chapter begins!

After 7 years and 2 months at my current job, it has come time to let go. I gave my 2 weeks notice today, not only for my current position, but my career as well. I've been a travel agent for 15 years. I am burnt out. I can not continue the ups and the downs in this job anymore.

Another leading factor of my resignation is ... I can be a stay-at-home mom for a few months, if not longer. Why? Well, Frank has accepted a position in Colorado, in fact, I've been husbandless for just about 2 months (with short visits from the husband). I can only say "It's been hell."

So, in 2 weeks, I will enter my new job as being a stay-at-home mom. I will get our house ready to sell and get us ready for our new chapter.

Colorado, WATCH OUT, cause we are coming!

The Princess..

2009-02-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

by Juliana (Age 3)

I LOVE when their drawings finally start to take 'shape' ... she actually drew 2 eyes!

Food Lion - CHEAP Laundry Detergent & Cheap Body Wash!!

2009-02-18T22:35:00.004-05:00

Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent is on sale (starting today) for Buy One Get One Free, so for 2 it is $4.49 ... BUT if you print out 2 coupons from here:
http://www.armandhammer.com/coupon.html
...you can use them for an even better deal. You can use both coupons for, 1 for each item purchased. You will get 2 bottles for $2.49 ... Just $1.25 per bottle!!

~~~

Also,

St. Ives Body Soap is $2.49

Print out 2 coupons from here:
http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qahkdtz21514893&bt=wi&o=54813&c=SI&p=Uxn9eFbs

and pay only 49cents per bottle!

My little art boy...

2009-02-12T20:16:00.003-05:00

Kristopher, can make anything out of anything...This is made from a flower (800-flowers) box.

... this is our cat Hayden.

I am loved...

2009-02-12T19:35:00.003-05:00

...and no, they aren't related to me...

Card message: "You are loved xoxoxo"

Card message: "Does a woman ever need a reason to receive flowers? Of course not - but just in case, this is because you're you."

Thank you for brightening my days!

Shop at Food Lion? Have a baby? FREE Gerber Baby food!!

2009-02-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

http://www.foodlion.com/babysteps/coupons/coupons.asp?title=fl-baby-010109-AFpqs

you can print out coupons for $1.00 off ANY Gerber Baby Food...
Stage 2 - 2 pack of baby food is $1.09 --- so that is 4.5 cents per jar (not jar, but plastic)

You can only use 1 coupon per person, per day ... so, if you have kids, send them through the line w/the 2 pack, the coupon, and 10 cents to pay!!

When you click the link, it will allow you to print several at once, but once you print, you can NOT go back...this coupon doesn't expire until the end of March!

Go...load up on the baby food!!

(note; there are 5 other coupons that will print out for other 'baby' items)

A continuation of the February 4 post...

2009-02-08T19:39:00.001-05:00

a 9 year old is NOT helpful with strep throat. 2 boys, 2 days apart, 2 strep throats...

My 1st Goal Met!

2009-02-08T11:07:00.004-05:00

Around Christmas time, Old Navy put their jeans on sale for $12.00 each....I ordered myself 2 pairs, I know I know, what was I thinking? Ordering jeans online.

Well, they came and guess what? No, see, you thought that both pair didn't fit me, but 1 pair did fit me...the other pair, well, didn't.

So, my first goal in my weightloss was to fit in the other pair...I did NOT take them back. I loved the way the buckle shut...Anyway, guess what???????????

THEY FIT THEY FIT THEY FIT!!! Not only do they fit, they fit GOOD!

Wanna see my fat ass? LOOK...

Where has the time gone?

2009-02-04T12:38:00.002-05:00

My time has gone to being a husbandless mom for just about 2 weeks ... ugh doesn't even describe it! Saturday Frank will be home for a week, and let me tell you, he is IN CHARGE for that full week! I certainly hope that I get sent to my room and that the kids at least shower 1 time in that week! ;)

Let's see...I've accomplished and have learned a few things that has only made me more of a mom, yes, you can be more of a mom...
1. All fingers have remained attached to the hands! Big step here!
2. Teeth pulling isn't really that bad! I pulled a tooth for the first time this past Sunday and I didn't even gag! Go me!
3. Movies with 3 kids isn't really that bad ... popcorn can keep a 3 year old entertained for about 10 minutes at a time...But what really worked, was the 'movable' seats...you know, bouncy bouncy!
4. When you lose all sanity, go to Facebook or a 'mommy board' ... you might be able to find some sane people there! If no sane people exist, at least you can feel better by reading about their insane days.
5. Strep throat hurts! I know this, as I had it a lot growing up. So, don't wait if your 7 year old tells you his throat hurts and he has a fever...take him in!
6. Houses stay cleaner w/out another adult in them. You average about 2 loads of laundry less a week! Less is good!
7. If you can only use 1 coupon per person, per day, you can let your 7, 9 and 3 year old go through the line too!
8. Cats are great companions ... even when they smell up the house.
9. One MUST shovel the snow BEFORE the freezing rain hits. If not, you continue to slid down your porch steps & slide in the driveway each morning. This is a tough task with a 3 year old hanging onto you (for fear of falling) and if you are late for the bus.
10. Mom's never get to shower or use the bathroom by themselves when dad isn't around to hold them hostage.

I'll let you ponder on these 10 for a bit.

Upcoming post: How useful a 9 year old is...

"When I grow up...

2009-01-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be big."

Brought to you by: Juliana

Happy Birthday to mmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeee....

2009-01-23T19:41:00.007-05:00

This has to be the best birthday ever! I took the day off, got to spend it with my loving husband, and got to spend a lot of money :) ... WOOT! *snicker*

So, a bit of history, LOL ... February 14, 2008, our 10 year anniversary, Frank and I promised each other tattoo's ... well, just about a year later, we finally get them!

In high school, Frank used to draw a rose on his love notes to me. 15 years later he draws it up for me and I get it as a tattoo...The 3 dew drops represent each of the kids...

Located on my wrist...

Then, since Frank wasn't done yet, I got another one. LOL I told Frank that this was my birthday present, cause the other one was for our Anniversary LAST year ...This one hurt sooooo much more than the one on my wrist.

Located on my shin (the side):

My wittle bitty kitty witty ...

Then, the Frankster...his is not finished yet...it is the Star of Life with the angel St. Michael on top. He needs to add NREMTP (National Registry EMT Paramedic) to it and coloring...he is adding my 'garnet' color (my birthstone) somewhere and something for the kids...They asked him to come back cause 2 hours was long enough ...

The reddish tint color is Frank's skin bruising, this will turn to gray shading...

So, there we are. Tell me what you think...

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-01-14T17:24:00.002-05:00

Can this be right?

2009-01-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

I've lost 15.52 lbs. in 19 days?!? Well, if it is, it has to be coming off from inside, cause my pants don't fit any looser than they did when I lost 7 lbs!

I was tagged...are you next?

2009-01-11T09:08:00.005-05:00

1.Go to your documents

2. Go to your 6th file.

3.Go to your 6th picture.

4. Blog about it.

5. Tag 6 friends to do the same.

So, here is my picture:

Well...interesting choice...I haven't told this story on here, so this is good...anyway, this is Hayden (Full Name: Nikki Hayden after the motorcycle racer ~ what is that correct term, Frank?) getting his first bath w/in hours of bringing him home. In December, 2007, I lost a cat we had for just about 10 years, he died in his sleep...(poor Cookie, I still miss him!) after numerous attempts at finding a kitten, Christmas time is not a good time to find a kitten!, we decided to go to a farm and ask if they had any.

We couldn't find that farm, LOL, but when we turned down the road we thought the farm was on, we saw about 20 (or more) tailless cats and they were running after our car!

It was a site to see, I've never had cats attack my car or had seen so many tailless cats at a time! Frank stopped the van and talked me into knocking on the door and asking them if we can have one of their kittens (there were so many!) ... Frank said "Make sure it's that fluffy one with a tail! I don't want a cat w/out a tail!"

So, I go a knocking...LOL...as I'm walking to the door, all the tailless cats, and the kitten w/a tail, are following me, rubbing against my legs, tripping me, anything to get some lovving...the fluffy kitten is purring soooooooo loud that he was shaking the ground (ok not really, but you get what I mean), so I knock and a very elderly man comes to the door with another 20+ tailless cats...(and the smell, OMG, the smell!)

I explained to him what had happened to my cat and explained to him about no kittens to be found and explained to him how we couldn't find the farm...I asked him if we could buy a kitten off of him.

He looked at me, and then at the cats, and then said "You can have that there kitten w/the tail. He made himself at home here and I only collect the cats w/out tails."

So, that is how we got Hayden ... w/a tail ...

Now...I tag, Kristi, Aunt Cheri, Shelle, Kyla & Gail!

Day 15! --- WOW That went fast!

2009-01-09T17:16:00.001-05:00

I'm at 9 lbs of weight loss! Yeah me!!

Portion control, less snacking and the Wii Fit is working!

I want to loose another 10 lbs by next Friday...I'll be happy with 5!

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

Day 10 ...

2009-01-04T11:27:00.003-05:00

Well, as the days go on, the dieting gets easier. Finding the time to use the Wii Fit gets tougher, though. Day 3 was my hardest day!

I've gotten my portion size under control, although, it is hard to walk away when I'm full. I'm so used to eating everything in sight ... and eating off the kids plates.

At 6 days I recalculated my weight on the Wii ... I lost 4 lbs. Not much, but it's something. I can tell a diff in buttoning my pants, and my baby stomach wiggles once again. HA!

Still going..............