Adventures in Couponing

Weekend #1

                I keep hearing about this Couponing Craze.  I’ve seen stories on talk shows about it.  My friends have made posts about it on Facebook.  I have even read blogs about Couponing.  The first time I saw something about Couponing was on a talk show.  I was so amazed with the ability that these ladies had to save money and use the coupons appropriately.  My first thought about all of this was, wow, that is very time consuming.  I’m not sure that I have the necessary time to put toward couponing.

                After reading through a couponing blog I thought, well I am home on my maternity leave now, so maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to give couponing a go.  Right now I’m kind of kicking myself for not trying it at the beginning of my leave, as I will be returning to work shortly.  I really like how the blog I read suggested starting out slowly.  So often people dive head first into something and quickly become overwhelmed.  I admit I’m guilty of doing something like this frequently.

                From what I understand the basic secret to couponing is to look at multiple stores for their weekly sales.  You should only purchase items that are on sale and use coupons to purchase these items.  If possible use both store coupons and a manufactures coupons to purchase these sale items.  This way you are receiving 3 different discounts on the items.  Keep a stock pile of the sale/coupon items you purchase so that you don’t run out of the items before they are on sale again.  Keeping a stock pile of the items alleviates the need to purchase items when they are not on sale because you have run out of them. 

                As suggested I looked through the sale ads.  We tend to shop at Meijer and Target most often.  I decided to stick with just the ads for these 2 stores for now.  I wrote down the sale items that we use, along with their prices from the ads.  Then, I visited some couponing websites in search of coupons.  Searching for the coupons was the most time consuming part of the process.  There are several sites out there, but I had to register for them.  After registering, I was able to look through them and choose which coupons to clip.  Next, I looked for coupons that I could use on the sale items I had written down on my list.  Finally, I wrote out our specific lists for each store.  On each list I wrote down the sale/coupon items we were going to purchase including their sale price and what the price would be after using the coupon.  I also paper clipped the coupons to the list.  We had a few items that we were out of.  They were not on sale and we did not have coupons for them.  There were also some items that I had coupons for and they were not on sale.  I noticed in the Meijer ad that it was double coupons week, which meant that coupons worth up to $0.50 would be doubled.  I added these items to my list.

                I was only able to find 1 coupon for items we use that were on sale at Target.  It was for $2.00 off of paper towel.  The paper towel was on sale for $14.99.  The non-sale price for the paper towel is $17.30.  I saved a total of $4.40 on the paper towel. 

                I found 3 coupons that matched up with sale items in the Meijer ad.  Pasta sauce was on sale for 2 for $4.00.  When not on sale the sauce costs $2.78 for 1 or $5.56 for 2.  I had a coupon for $1.00 of 4. I saved a total of $4.12.  Fruit cups were on sale for 2 for $4.00.  Non-Sale price for fruit cups is $2.39 for 1 or $4.78 for 2.  I had a coupon for $0.60 off when you buy 3.  I save a total of $1.77.  Pasta was on sale for $1.59 a box.  Non-Sale price is $2.39 a box.  My coupon was $1.00 off of 4 boxes.  My total savings was $4.23.  I had coupons for 3 other items that we use, but these items were not on sale.  Because Meijer had double coupons this week I choose to purchase these items.  I saved a total of $2.80 with these coupons. 

                At first I was a little disappointed in what we saved verses what we actually spent.  I thought we would have saved more, but I had to remind myself that this is the first time I have done this.  Also, I don’t have a stock pile of coupons yet, therefore I didn’t have many to select from.  We got the Meijer ad in the mail on Thursday.  I did look at the dates that the sales began and ended at the top of the ad.  I began making my list and gathering coupons when we got the ad.  I looked at the Target ad on line on Thursday as well.  I neglected to look at beginning and end of the sale items in this ad.  When we were shopping at Target on Sunday I realized that their new ad comes out on Sunday, which meant that the list of items I had created was useless!  This is why I was only able to purchase 1 that was on sale and that I had a coupon for from Target.

                 What I learned from this experience:

                1.  Check add flyers to see when sales end

                2.  Sales on store brand products may cost less than name brands even with coupons

                Total Savings this week:

                $17.32

Special Activity Choices

Special Activity Choices

So often I feel as if I never have enough time to spend with my family. Throughout the week we are busy with work and school. It’s like a never ending cycle. Then finally, the weekend arrives. Our weekends are typically spent grocery shopping, cleaning, and doing laundry. A new week begins and the cycle repeats it’s self again.

I usually create a list of items that must beaccomplished. Anymore, I find that my mind is racing one hundred miles a minute. Just when I think of one task that must be accomplished I come up with 10 more items to add to the list. If I don’t write it down I become overwhelmed, forget, nothing is completed, and I am left feeling frustrated.

As I was creating my ‘To Do List’ one day out of the blue I left a space for my kids to make a choice. After writing down what MUST be accomplished I encouraged them to think of 1 special activity that they would like to do. This is how the daily ‘Special Activity’ came to be!

My kids love that they get to be in charge and choose at least one thing a day to do. Sometimes they choose an activity that involves our whole family such as playing a game. While other times they pick something to do individually, such as make a model car. When it gets near the end of the day if an activity hasn’t been completed they remind us that we need to do their Special Activity. It also helps to motivate them to complete their homework and finish dinner on time. Bottom line, my kids feel empowered and we are carving out family and individual time rather than just rushing through what HAS to be done.

Noises of the Night

               
                 It’s 2:00Am, a time when most are fast asleep and dreaming.   If someone is up at this time it’s typically for one of two reasons; a delightful evening of experiencing the night life is beginning to come to a close, as last call is 3:00AM, or you’re up with a child.  It doesn’t seem like too long ago when I was taking part in the first option.  Tonight however, the only partying I am doing is ‘rocking’ with Baby M.  Oh and I don’t mean rocking as in dancing the night away.  I mean rocking as in I’m sitting in a chair, holding her, and moving the chair back and forth in hopes that the movement with quickly lull her to sleep.  It seems so much more glamorous to be out on the town enjoying the night life until 3:00AM, I wouldn’t change one single part of holding my sweet little girl for anything.   At this point I’m sure some of you are thinking I’m crazy, while others know exactly what I’m talking about.

              I find it interesting how the noises of my house seem to come alive when everyone except Baby M and I are asleep.  As I stare blankly at the lime green wall of my bedroom, I feel almost as if I am in some sort of a coma.  I am so tired and can barely keep my eyes open.  Yet this baby I’m holding in my arms seems to think I should be on her time schedule.  She has absolutely no understanding of day and night.  Not to mention her lack of understanding regarding the other 4 people she lives with.  She will quickly learn about these things.  I begin to hear the endless hum coming from the refrigerator (It’s from my college days we keep it in our room so I don’t have to go down stairs to store milk.) at my side.  It is accompanied by the squeak of the rocking chair and every so often a low snore can be heard from my husband, who is enjoying a nice night’s sleep.  And to top it all off, the most enjoyable noise of all (Yes, I just described noise as enjoyable.  Keep reading you’ll understand why in a moment.)  The sweet coo coming from my little girl.  You see she isn’t being fussy at this hour, she simply wants to be held and interact with her Mommy (Now do you understand why I called this my favorite noise?).  All of this could be irritating.  I choose not to view it in such a negative way.  Instead, I choose to find the positive in all of this ruckus!

                 I know the reality of this situation.  It is short lived.  Right now in this moment she needs everything from me.  The only communicating she is able to do is through her cries and coos.  I am left to decipher between them all to determine what specifically she is in need of.  There are times, however, when she looks directly into my eyes and it’s almost as if she is able to completely understand just what I am thinking at that moment.  All of these seemingly endless moments do eventually come to an end.  And in the grand scheme of a child’s life they are such a tiny part of it.  It seems like only yesterday I was partaking in these very same activities with my now 6 year old son.  He still hugs and kisses me, but far and few between are the days when he wants to sit and rock with me.  No longer does he depend solely on me for his needs.  So right now I’m going open my eyes, as much as possible, and simply enjoy this time with my daughter.  I know that as soon as I blink my eyes the moment will disappear and she will be 6 years old, in Kindergarten, and far too big to want to rock with her Mommy.

Work Display - Mommy Things

Work Display

My kids are always brining home BEAUTIFUL works of art. My kindergartener also brings home great samples of his writing along with other types of school work. Both B and G are proud of what they have created and accomplished, which they should be. They want to display their work. They used magnets to display it on the refrigerator. Hanging the work on the refrigerator was causing a few problems. A lot of the time work was too big for our side by side refrigerator so it would get caught in the doors. When it wasn’t getting caught in the doors it was getting knocked off of the refrigerator for one reason or another. I came up with a new way to display my kids’ work.

Using Command Hooks (I think they are actually marketed as cord clips) and removable letters (both were purchased at Menards) this is what I came up with:

The papers have to be folded a little at the top so that they don’t fall through and you slide them through from the side.

Both B and G are able to fold and slide their work that they choose to display. Now we can enjoy their beautiful work and the refrigerator is no longer a mess!

Please feel free to share any creative work displays you have come up with. I love to see new ideas!

On the Go Bags

Are your kids anything like mine? Do they need things to keep themselves busy or else . . . trouble is bound to occur? Frequently we find that our weekends are spent running around town getting groceries and what not. We also tend to eat at restaurants more often on the weekend as opposed to during the week. In an effort to try and keep my kids occupied and maintain a sense of sanity for my husband and myself I helped my kids to create On the Go Bags.

You may be asking “Just what is an On the Go Bag?” An On the Go Bag is a bag with items in it that can be taken on the go. These items consist of many different things. The bottom line is that the items are small enough to fit in the bag and provide my kids with something to do in the car, at a restaurant, in the grocery cart, or while waiting at the doctor’s office, etc.

We had old preschool bags that my kids were not using any more sitting around the house. They are the perfect size for my kids to be able to handle them. I did not purchase new items specifically for the bags. We looked around the house for items that we already owned. From time to time the items need to be refreshed so we put away the old items and get out new ones. The bags are kept in the closet on a hook with their coats. I do have a rule that they must be able to track of. I asked my kids for their input when adding items to the bag. Let’s face it, carry the bag; my husband and I are not carrying the bags!This rule eliminates 2 things, 1) There can’t be too much stuff in the bag or the child will not be able to carry it and 2) I don’t have one more thing to keep if they don’t like what’s in the bag, the bag won’t serve its purpose!

Items you could use to create a restaurant bag of your own:

Puzzles, books, games, coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, small action figures, magnetic sets, cards, the possibilities are endless . . .

These are items from G's bag. He is 3. He has a game (which came in a kid's meal), 2 activity books, 2 books, a toy car, a toy animal, a magnetic play set (I got from the dollar spot at Target), and a pencil pouch with crayons and pencils in it.

These are items from B's bag. He is 6. He has 3 different games, activity/coloring/sicker books, 2 books to read, an mp3 player that has books on cd loaded on it, small action figures, and a tin with pencils, crayon, and markers in it.

Does anyone else have On the go Bags? What do you include in your bags?

DIY Bouncy Ball

Again, the boys were home today because of Student Led Conferences. After going to their school and talking with both of their teachers we came home for the rest of the day. I am trying to make the most of our time together. I found another activity for us to do today. Yes, I did find this one on Pinterest as well. Today we made bouncy balls. I bought a box of Borax specifically to make the slime that we made yesterday so I was trying to find activities to use the Borax again. I don’t want it to go to waste.

To make a bouncy ball you will need:

Borax, glue, food coloring (I used the food coloring that is used to color icing. It’s what I had around and it makes richer colors than the liquid kind.), a spoon to stir with, 2 bowls, a bag, labels, a marker, measuring spoons

How to make a bouncy ball:

1. Label one of the 2 bowls mixture and the other bowl solution.

#2

#3

2. In the bowl labeled Solution mix 2 tablespoons of water with ½ teaspoon of

Borax. Add food coloring.

#3

3. In the bowl labeled Mixture pour 1 tablespoon of glue. Add ½ teaspoon of the Borax solution to the glue followed by 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. DO NOT STIR. Allow the items to react with one another for 10-15 seconds.

#4

4. After waiting for 10-15 seconds stir the mixture until it is impossible to stir.

#5

5. When you are no longer able to stir the mixture take it out of the bowl and begin kneading it with your hands. ~It will be a little sticky, but not too bad.

6. When it’s less sticky you should be able to bounce it.

#6

*Store your bouncy ball in an airtight baggie.

My Review of the process and outcome:

My 3 year old and 6 year old were able to help with creating this bouncy ball. I measured the items and they poured them into the proper bowls. They enjoyed helping each step of the way. As we were measuring, pouring, and mixing we made predictions about what would happen when the items got together. B and G really liked watching the cornstarch absorb the food coloring and Borax mixture (step #3). Both boys were able to easily stir the mixture and knead it (step #4). We were not able to get the mixture to bounce. It seems to me like it made more of textured (because of the cornstarch) dough.

I’m not sure where we goofed in the process. We made 3 different balls (there is plenty of Borax solution to make even more than 3 balls.) The first time we let the mixture sit for 10 seconds as directed in step #3 before stirring. The second time we let the mixture sit for 15 seconds before stirring and the third time we let it sit for 20 seconds. We had the same outcome each time – textured dough.

It is my guess that some people would have referred to this experiment as a flop. I do not feel that it was a flop. First of all, my kids and I spent time together. There is never wasted time when it comes to being with my family. My boys had to work together and share throughout the process. We had good conversation and made great predictions. I think it’s good for kids to see that things don’t always go as planned, this is real life. They need to see that everything isn’t perfect and there are times when you have to step back and re-evaluate the process, which we did 3 times, and still no luck! Oh well, there’s always next time. B and G did enjoy the process and playing with the dough. I would not call this a flop at all I would more accurately describe it as an experiment with a hidden agenda!

Has anyone tried to make a bouncy ball and gotten it to work? Are there any predictions as to where I made a mistake in the process?

DIY Soap Scum Remover

Last week I found this idea for soap scum remover on Pinterest (My husband claims that I am a Pinterest Junkie. I, however, do not agree!) We moved into our home almost 2 years ago. For the most part the house is everything that we were looking for. The down side is that it was 9 years old and ‘used’. We built our previous home. So I had the pleasure of picking out the tile, the cabinets, the countertops, etc. Also, we did not have to ‘scrape’ off 9 years worth of stuff from previous owners. I’m not trying to make the previous owners out to be gross or anything. Soap scum and dirt and dust happen. It’s just different when it’s not your own. I must also admit that germs and dirty stuff from others may gross me out a little more than the average person. So the idea of showering in a shower with strangers’ ‘gunk’ absolutely repulsed me!

Shortly before we moved, I came across an infomercial for a steam cleaner. Well the guy on the infomercial did his job. He had me completely SOLD! My husband on the other hand, well he was a bit more skeptical. The steam cleaner was marketed to clean and sanitize your home quickly and easily without using harsh chemicals. It was also supposed to save money because it uses water rather than chemicals. This eliminates the need to purchase cleaners. I did, in fact, purchase the steam cleaner. I had to use it right away. It worked like a charm and I LOVED it, still LOVE it as a matter of fact. Using it in our old home and seeing how it worked just as they claimed it would put my mind at ease. I was going to be able to move into our new home and get rid of the ‘yucky’ stuff! I have already shared that we built our old home. I also need to inform you that we lived there for 5 years. At the time we had a 4 year old and an 11 month old. 1 of the 3 bathrooms was rarely used. The master bathroom was used the most and while it did have some build up, there wasn’t much to speak of. The point I’m trying to make is that the buildup in the old home was NOTHING compared to 9 years worth of it that we were walking into at the new house.

Well we moved into our new home. I began cleaning and yes I had to scrub more than at the old house, but I did expect this. I managed to get the kitchen, the ½ bath, and the hall bath looking and smelling great using my steam cleaner. Finally, I took on the master bath. It did not come nearly as clean as the rest of the house. I was super disappointed. My disappointment leads me to the experiment for today, using the suggestion I found on Pinterest. I did try this idea last week; however, blue Dawn was suggested. I didn’t have any blue Dawn on hand. I had blue Meijer dish soap. I thought dish soap was dish soap. The solution (with the blue Meijer soap) did help, but it didn’t completely remove the soap scum from my bathroom like it did in the pictures I saw. In a desperate effort to get rid of this filth I decided to get some blue Dawn while at the store this weekend and give it another go.

You will need these items to make the soap scum remover:

Vinegar, Blue Dawn, a spray bottle, and a measuring cup

How to make soap scum remover:

1. Heat ½ cup of vinegar in the microwave for 1 minute.

2. Pour the vinegar into the bottle.

3. Pour ½ cup of blue Dawn into the bottle with the vinegar.

4. Slowly shake the mixture up. ~When the bottle was closed it began to collapse slightly, due to the heat. I opened the bottle to allow the steam to escape.

5. Spray the mixture on the desired area(s).

6. Let it sit for 2 hours. ~I don’t typically have 2 hours to sit, as I’m sure most of you don’t either. I’m home on my maternity leave. So I just happen to have a little extra time to let things sit.

7. Use a sponge and warm water to wipe the solution off of the walls. ~I had to scrub using quite a bit of elbow grease. In the directions I read apparently the solution was removed by simply wiping the walls with a sponge and warm water.

My Review of the Process and Outcome:

The faucet, the corners of the tub, and the bottom of the tub were cleaner. Basically, my bathtub was cleaner after using the solution; however, it didn’t remove all of the stains. I was bummed because the solution didn’t completely remove the stains (As it was proclaimed to do) and I had to scrub more than I anticipated (Again, this wasn’t supposed to occur either). I also need to share that cleaning the soap off of the walls was time consuming. As you can imagine spraying a vinegar and dish soap solution creates a large amount of soapsuds! Cleaning the soapsuds proved to take quite a bit of time.