My bit on couponing

Clipping coupons in the straight sense doesn't seem like it would save much money. Well, here's how I do it:
*Clip coupons, organize them in a small organizer and keep it in my purse
*Look at the sales for my area stores, match coupons on the sales, save more significantly :)

Consider also you can get rebates back sometimes. Right now Seventh Gen is running a $5 rebate w/purchase of 3 products. I'm going to Target, using one target coupon w/one manufacturer's coupon on some dish soaps, and possible money back after rebate. SC Johnson will also give a $5 rebate off three products right now, up to 3 rebates per house, offer includes purchase of travel size wipes. Probably found these offers on one of those sites, so you can go to a sites and put in some key words, you'll have to find it yourself :). Combine w/$.55 off shout products coupons, purchase travel shout wipes, you have a valid moneymaker!

Print coupons from online: Target.com: coupons (link on the bottom of the page in small text) and Coupons.com are great places to check weekly. You can print two of the same coupon off before it's blocked.

Sometimes you can get money back, too. If you purchase a $.99 drink and have a $1.00 off coupon, $1.00 will be deducted and you have the item free w/$.01 deducted from the rest of your order.

Rite Aid is a current favorite, it's just down the street from me. These past couple months I've gotten 5 travel size Renu contact solution, a 12 oz contact solution, pkg of kotex pads, cereal, and toothbrush free (more too, I think). Also, $1.25 Kashi ceral. Shopping CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid get score you freebies almost weekly. Check out the websites for more on this.

I like artscow: another site for photos, become a fan on facebook and follow offers, plus monthly freebies like various prints or photobooks.

For many deals or just plain internet shopping, two accounts are good to have: ebates and swagbucks. Ebates is a % back on your online purchases through various retailers, and swagbucks is get $ for searches, as well as % back on online purchases (like walmart, even). After two months I bought a carpet sweeper from amazon.com :) Seriously, if you type something in your google search engine you may as well get paid for it ;) I bought my carpet sweeper from Amazon.com using swagbucks credit, right now I'm stockpiling for a future purchase, like a raining day fund

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=r4Lrn2Ky3LitVjVjNMzoTg%3D%3D (+$5 sign up bonus)

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/amaroq45
(+30sbs signup bonus)

Shop at Home: http://www.shopathome.com/?IAFCG=iRRYMMmBfmXSlU+rvZ6CHA==
(Hey, I got 10 swagbucks just for using the search engine to grab this link!)

a couple other blogs I follow (facebook): couponconnectionsnw, thriftynorthwestmom, freebies4mom, the frugal girls, and Totally Target. there are kazillions of these sites. The time some people have to blog, wow, I am singing praises when I clean my kitchen!

this week couponconnections is a great one for local deals, and she'll give you links to print off coupons. Many coupons are also from the Sunday paper. Good ones are hit and miss, considering much of those items are drugs, unhealthy food, chemicals, wasteful paper products, etc. (not so much healthy/organic/useful, but they appear).

I REALLY like moneysavingmom.com, I think you'll like her too. recently made: brown bag burritos (freezer burritos, awesome).

Couponclippers can be a good place to get selected coupons, if you can wait a few days for the mail (from FL). Recently I ordered from Manufacturers Coupons, she's in Marysville, WA, so it's "only a day away" :) I've been ordering dozens of Almond Breeze coupons $1 any box and saving mucho on our milk!

You can also "preview" the sunday coupons on someone's site (the coupon preview?) on Saturday to decide how many sunday papers to buy (yes, people buy multiples, I get two).

I carry a coupon organizer in my purse stuffed full :) always ready.

Why not?

I'm in the mood to blog, even though I know I'm cutting into my morning. Liam has a fever, bless his heart, and he's sleeping on my side of the bed....

thought I'd post a few more photos. Really, I should be posting to Facebook. Do you know you can order photobooks online from certain sites and they'll take from your FB photos? great idea. I follow moneysavingmom's blog and coming up I'm getting numerous photo books form various sites: hotprints, artscow, pic-something? (no really, I can't remember the name), and pixable are what I can remember. Oh, and hopefully Shutterfly tomorrow, 3 free cards w/$1 shipping! My time on the computer is limited, but I'm determined to get these in :)

Organization, Savings, More Pics!

Well, here's some photos! I've been busy going through thousands (and thousands) of archived photos and editing, whew. There's several photobook offers out there now that I'm motivated to get, and I'm on a time crunch!

So I've spent this past month organizing! Love it! My friend lent me a book about scheduling your days, esp as a homeschooling family, but for anyone. The benefits, how to figure out how much time you need for what and charting it for each member of the house. I didn't think it was my cup of tea, I'm more of a random person, I'm independent and can get it done myself :) Well, not anymore.

Plus, our kids have been demonstrating unthankfulness. So I'm scheduling chores and school and time w/me and time alone for all of us, things we've been doing better in, but now they ask for a movie, and, "It's not on the schedule" or "Why do I have to the the garbage AGAIN?" "It's on the schedule" :) Today Liam got bored, and he's been trying the testing and disrespect button (that is harder to push now, thank you Love and Logic!), so not only did he get spankings (he earned those well, I hope you know, I hate to issue spankings on a 5 yr old), he got to take all my clothes upstairs, too. I told him next time he's bored I'll be sure to motivate him (w/more work). I worked that boy today, he should sleep well. Thank you, Pam, for the chore list for reference for the other days! Next year these kids should be cleaning my house independently of me, they'll be so experienced :)

I've also did some once a month cooking! So thankful! Meal planning in general. This week I'm not feeling too hot so it's hard to cook, I just want veggies and fruits, no dairy or richness. Beans and rice are a plus!

Getting better at deal hunting: found this one on my own: Target, Frosted mini wheats, 4 for $10, $5 gift card back ($1.25/box), then $2 off that w/two coupons. I had 4 coupons, and since I don't use the gift cards for anything special (they just go back into the budget), I got 8 boxes for $10. I also bought Liam Transformer BandAids for $.37 and got money back on rice. The other day at WalMart I bought 4 games for free after coupons! And since Walmart has my almond milk for 2.87/1/2 gal, I got 15- $1 off coupons from couponclippers, so I have a great savings on our milk through June.


We have flowering plum trees all over, and for about 2 weeks a year they're gorgeous (the rest they're a pain)


Liam & Adelle, they're almost like twins sometimes :)


My Eva girl. She's 1 1/2 (almost)!




Adelle Linn, my sweet girl. Well, sweet isn't always the right word, but she's definitely got personality :)


Christmastime :) Kids loved their frosting supply.


Our Space Needle night out w/Mitch & Liz!


So adorable. I think I'll keep them.


So if Eva would let me she'd wear that most every day :)
And this was Liam's last wearing, I think, he's too big. So no more shopping trips, Spiderman, until the next outfit. I even got used to seeing him w/muscles!

I've been trying to plan and organize, but life moves at a snail's pace, and I knew this would happen, but it eventually [makes me very aggrevated] :) I am more logical, I realize this is life, it's my life, it's good. Yes, I'm a get it done at once person, but I have to deal w/the brokenness, I've got a family now. But I feel like my time can be so broken it's almost worthless sometimes.

One worth-it moment happened last night, Liam asked, "Mom, will we live forever?" He's been searching answers about this topic, and while has gotten death, hadn't caught on to the "more" yet. So I said yes, and tried to simply expound about dying and then living again in heaven. Liam, who is normally even keel about things, practically jumped out of his carseat, "Wow, Mom, that's such good news! I used to be afraid of dying, but now I'm not!" We referenced a recent family friend who died, and how he's currently in heaven, and Liam took that and understood how we'll see him again, and how someday we'll be together in heaven with God. I cried. What a blessing. We aren't worried about our kids' salvations, we don't offer them this info or try to talk them into saying prayers, and he's only five and is seeking the info, and it's clicking! I'm glad the hard days are worth it.

zoo