A Busy Day

Thank you to whomever returned my normal 4 year old son overnight. It was nice to have my usual boy back today without a single tantrum. We went to the free movie this morning. We saw "Everyone's Hero." It was cute.

Then we came home for lunch. Then 2 of the kids' friends and their mom came over for a little more than an hour. The kids played and I helped my friend get started couponing. She emailed me tonight how much fun it was to go to the store and walk out with so much stuff for free. I must admit, couponing can be very addictive!

After our friends left, i had to make one more trip to the store so I could use up some coupons before the sale ended (Got 6 packs of gum, 12 kool aid, 8 Kleenex, 1 pack of cheese, 6 packs of hot dogs, 4 Windex, 2 bananas, 1 cucumber and paid $1.36 and got back $20 and $1.50 off my next order coupons). Then we went to swimming lessons (both kids did great). Afterwards we had a picnic in the car because it was raining outside. We went to the library and got some new books. And we attended the magic show at the library at 7pm. It was a very busy, tantrum-free day!

Last night I went out with some friends. One of those friends was at the swimming lesson with her son earlier and witnessed the worst tantrum my 4 year old has ever thrown. I felt much better after talking with the other moms about it and of course a few drinks helped me to forget about most of it. My 6 year old also has swimming lessons. The friend who was at the swimming lesson has a 6 year old in the same class as mine. She told me how upset she was the our kids got put in time out during the class. I was so focused on my 4 year old, that I had no idea my 6 year old was also misbehaving! I laughed and told her that I told my 6 year old what a great job he did in the swim class that day! Luckily that day is in the past!

81 cents

81 cents... That's how much I paid on one of my trips to the grocery store today. What can I buy for $0.81?!?!? Would you believe 5 containers of planters nuts, 2 boxes of ritz, 1 kraft cheese, 3 bags of marshmallows, 8 packs of kool aid and one package of oreos? Yup, all of that cost me 81 cents. But to make it better, I got two coupons from my transaction. One for $3 off my next order and another for $6.50 off my next order! That was fun.

I've said before that I'm a couponer and I get most of my "deal info" from www.hotcouponworld.com I love that site! But you probably shouldn't go there. It is addicting.

On another note, how did it become July so quickly??? Luckily we are back to "normal" Seattle weather. It was a beautiful day with a high in the low 80's. I mowed the lawn, ate popsicles on the deck, took the kids for swimming lessons at the pool, went to the park for a picnic and enjoyed a story telling show outside of the library. It was a good day.

Don't Believe Everything You See In the News

Lately there have been several news stories about saving money. With the cost of gas and groceries rising, the housing market going down, saving money is becoming important to a lot of people. I'm a couponer. I don't just use coupons when I do my weekly grocery shopping. Couponing is a hobby for me. I enjoy reading the sales and matching up the coupons with the sale items, rebates and catalina promotions. I go to http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ at least once a day. I do have times when I give up and I don't coupon for a while. I know lots of people think I'm crazy when I buy 40 packages of cat food treats when I don't even have a cat!

When I read the recent news stories about how to save money, they say to buy in bulk and buy generic. Generic? Really??? They suggest washing and re-using plastic sandiwch bags. I have to smile as I sit here wondering how I'm going to fit all 12 bags of Ghiradelli chocolates into my cabinet. I also have to find a hiding place for 6 packages of Nabisco cookies I got this week and don't forget the Pepperidge Farm Milanos! I got the plastic bags free (with slight overage) last week so no need to ration them in my house. My cabinets are overflowing as a result of my coupon hobby and none of it is generic! I'm not against buying generic, but there aren't many coupons or rebates or catalinas for generic items.

Today I went to Safeway and I got 12 Hallmark cards, 2 12-packs of Dasani water, 2 12-packs of coke, broccoli, 4 bags of Ghiradelli chocolates, 4 packages of Silk soymilk and 2 Power bars. My total after coupons was $5.50 and I got $5 off my next order. Afterwards I noticed that I was overcharged on my broccoli! It rang up $3.99/lb instead of $0.99/lb! Since I only bought enough for tonight's dinner, the difference is only $1.48. I will also send in my receipt and the UPC's from the Ghiradellis so that I can get a free movie ticket (up to $12). That was a good shopping trip.

I know my family cannot eat just those items. I went to Albertsons today and used my raincheck for ground beef and my $10 off your next order coupon and I got 10 pounds of beef, 1 steak and 2 ham steaks. I paid $6.68 there. I got free Nabisco and Pepperidge Farm cookies at Walgreens too. No, I didn't spend hours driving all over the place. These stores are less than a half mile apart! I don't wait to buy things when my family needs them, I buy them when the sale is right.

Couponing is really a hobby for me. Not everyone has the time for this and not everyone enjoys it. I enjoy finding the deals and making them work. I like having lots of items in my cupboards to choose from and not have to "save" money by buying generic. I never shop at Costco! I have no idea where all these news people come up with their "money saving" information, but if you ask me, they should find a new source!