Monday, August 30, 2010

CVS & Walgreens

Today's trip took me to CVS and Walgreen's. Here's my purchases:

CVS6 - 4 ounce Wheat Thins ($1.00 each)
1 - Downy Dryer Sheets ($3.99)
1 - 2 ounce Bio True contact solution ($2.99)
1 - 2 ounce CVS Hand Sanitizer ($1.19)

Coupons:
6 - $1 off any one Wheat Thins
1 - $1 off any Downy Dryer Sheets
1 - Free 2 ounce Bio True contact solution (from scanning my CVS card)
1 - Free 2 ounce CVS Hand Sanitizer (from scanning my CVS card)

Saved $18.42

Total OOP: $3.61, got $1.00 ECB (and, I still have my ECBs from last week!)

Walgreens
Transaction 1:
2 - Softsoap Body Wash (2/$7)
1 - Colgate Toothpaste ($2.99)

Saved: $4.58
OOP: $5.57, $5 & $2 RR

Transaction 2:
6 - Kraft Easy Mac ($1.00 each)
4 - Tomato Soup ($0.99 each)
1 - Charmin ($3.79)

Used Walgreen's coupon for Easy Mac ($0.59 each), Tomato Soup (2/$1.00), and Charmin ($2.99).
2 - Buy 2, Get 1 Free Kraft Easy Mac
1 - $1.00 off Charmin
$5 RR

Saved: $14.04
OOP: $1.64

Total OOP: $7.21, RR: $2.00

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Happy Third Birthday, Carter!

This weekend, Drake and I made our way to Wisconsin for my friend's son's 3rd birthday party. Drake hasn't been eating very well the last week or so which I'm sure is due to the teething. He did pretty good on the ride, but I did have to make a stop to feed him since he wouldn't take his bottle at the sitter's. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a birthday party at the park!
The Flack family - Jon, Jackie, Carter & Lucy
(I'm so bummed that this picture turned out a little blurry!)

The birthday boy at his Thomas party!
Drake hanging out on the blanket at the park. He loved being outside all day! I took him back to Jackie's and he was out for a nap....until Lucy got home. He was all about her!
These two are going to be SO cute to watch as they get older. Now that Drake's moving, he was all about Lucy. I'm pretty sure he even got a kiss in there!

Drake and I headed home after his bath. He slept the whole way and transitioned to his crib wonderfully. Today has been a quiet day at home. He's taken two great naps (2.5 and 2 hours), and we even got out for a short walk.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Amazon Diaper Deal!

If we're friends on Facebook, you may have seen how I got a box of 76 Size 3 Pampers last week for $0.98! Yes, you read that correctly 98 CENTS!

Well, today, I got a box of 152 Size 2-3 Pampers diapers for $2.64 delivered to my house! That's less than $0.02 per diaper! I heard about this deal, but I couldn't believe it until I actually tried it. Here's how my receipt looked:

Order Summary:
Shipping Details : (order will arrive in 1 shipment)
Shipping Method: Two-Day Shipping
Shipping Preference: I want my items faster. Ship them as they become available.
Subtotal of Items: $41.49
Shipping & Handling: $18.90
Promotion Applied: -$12.45
Free Shipping: -$18.90
Promotion Applied: -$8.30
Promotion Applied: -$8.30
Promotion Applied: -$8.30
Your Coupon Savings: -$1.50
------
Total for this Order: $2.64


Delivery estimate: August 30, 2010

1 "Pampers Swaddlers Dry Max Diapers, Size 2-3 152-Count"
Health and Beauty; $41.49

Check out this link to see how you can do it, too!

http://www.deals4dummies.com/2010/08/crazy-amazon-diaper-deal-step-by-step-yes-cloth-diapers-too/

But, do it FAST because the extra 15% off is only good through the end of the month.

Coupon Trip to Meijer

Here's what I purchased on my trip to Meijer yesterday:
9 Helper meals (10/$10, get the 11th item free)
2 Suddenly Salad (10/$10, get the 11th item free)
10 Pizza Rolls (10/$10, get the 11th item free)
1 Ronzoni Spaghetti (10/$10, get the 11th item free)
4 Ziploc Containers (2/$4)
2 Degree Deoderant ($0.96)
2 Cinnabon cereal bars (on sale for $1.99)
1 Gallon of Milk ($2.39)
1 Case of Beer ($14.99)

Manufacturer Coupons:
3 - $0.75/3 Helpers
1 - $0.50/2 Suddenly Salad (doubles to $1.00)
5 - $0.40/2 Pizza Rolls (each doubles to $0.80)
1 - $0.55/1 Ronzoni Spaghetti
2 - $1.50/2 Ziploc Containers
2 - $1.00/1 Degree
2 - $1.00/1 Cinnabon

Meijer Coupons/deals:
2 - $1.50/2 Ziploc containers
2 - free items ($2.00)
1 - $5.00 mPerks coupon

Total before Coupons: $53.28 (plus tax)

Total OOP: $31.13

Not too bad. If I took off the beer and milk, I'd only be around $14.00.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Target & CVS Couponing

I forgot to take pictures, but here's what I've done this week.

I went to Target yesterday and bought:
3 Pampers Wipes (on sale for $1.99 each)
2 2.5 Gallon Nursery Water ($2.99 each)
1 Lysol All Purpose Cleaner (on sale for $1.99)
3 Gerber 1st Foods ($0.97 each)
2 Travel Size Right Guard ($0.97 each)
1 Schick Intuition Razor (on sale for $6.29)
3 Suave (on sale for $0.89 each)
1 Cesar Dog Treats ($3.04)
Total before tax - $29.32

Coupons:
2 - $1 off pampers wipes (I actually had a 3rd coupon for $1.50 off, but they were having trouble with my Schick coupon and accidentally deleted it. I didn't mention it.)
1 - $1 off nursery water
1 - $0.50 off Lysol
2 - $1 off Right Guard
1 - $4 off Schick Intuition Razor
3 - $0.75 off Suave (Target Coupon)
1 - $2.00 off Cesar Treats
Total coupons: $13.00

Total: $18.65 --- But, I had a gift card from my credit card points, so it was free!

Then, today, I went to CVS. I actually to the one by my house last night, but they were out of the good deals. So, I went to the new store closer to my work today. :-)

Transaction #1:
3 - John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo/Conditioners ($5 each)
1 - Glide Floss ($3.49)
1 - $0.75 coupon on floss
3 - $3 coupons on John Frieda Root Awakening
ECB from last week $7.99

OOP: $2.14; Got $7.50 in ECB

Transaction #2:
1 - Blink Tears ($7.99)
1 - $1.50 coupon
ECB from last week $2.00 and from Trans #1 $2.50

OOP: $2.07; Got $7.99 in ECB

TOTALS: OOP - $4.21; ECB - $12.99

We've got a mover!



I finally got this on video Sunday night. He's moving even more since then! Sorry for the crappy quality. :-)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Couponing!

My friend, Mel, and husband have convinced me to blog about my couponing. I'll start by saying that I have been using coupons for a while, but little did I know that I wasn't using them to their full effectiveness! After seeing a few posts on Facebook and blogs about people that were saving more on shopping trips than they were spending and scenarios where people were getting $80 worth of groceries for $5. I had to figure out what I was missing. So, I started searching for blogs that gave me the info I needed. I'm sure I still have a lot to learn and figure out, but here goes.

This was my Meijer purchase today:
1st Transaction:

Buy 2 Similac Advance Powder Formulas - $19.99 each
Use 2 $5 Similac Checks
Get $5 Meijer Gift Card
OOP - $30.38

2nd Transaction:

Buy 5 Pasta Roni (5/$5)
Buy 4 Barilla Pasta ($0.89 each)
Buy 4 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls (4/$6)
Buy 2 Suave Deodorant (3/$5)

Use $1/5 Rice or Pasta Roni Meijer Mealbox coupon
Use $1/3 Rice or Pasta Roni manufacturer coupon
Use $1/4 Barilla Pasta Meijer Mealbox coupon
Use 2 - $1/2 Barilla Whole Wheat Pasta manufacturer coupons
Use 2 - $1/2 Pillsbury Sweet Rolls manufacturer coupons
Got $1 off Pillsbury Sweet Rolls due to buy 4, get $1 off
Use 2 - save $.50 Suave Deodorant (coupons double to $1)
Use $5 Meijer Gift Card from previous transaction

OOP - $3.20

Total Out of Pocket (OOP): $33.58

Total Savings: $25.00

If you haven't used coupons before, most stores accept 1 Manufacturer's Coupon and 1 Store Coupon per item. Also, at Meijer, you don't have to buy the full number of the item to get the sale price (ex: Suave deodorant - I only bought 2, but the sale price was listed on 3.).

From what I have read, you typically spend more money in the first three months building your stockpile, but after that you can cut your grocery bill by half or more. I am finding that sometimes I will get all excited about something that I think is a deal, but then realize (usually after I have bought it), that I can wait for a better deal! ugh! I guess it will take a little time to figure out what those "rock bottom" prices really are on items.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Pool Party!

You might remember that we got together regularly with two of my work friends and their spouses/families. We haven't done this since about last October or November due to the holidays, Mel being on bedrest, and then having the babies (Drake & Ayla are 5 weeks apart). We finally got something scheduled for Saturday and enjoyed a little pool time and a cookout.Jean Ann with Ayla
Me with Drake and Melissa with Ayla
Emily was a great swimmer! She had so much fun -- I think she could have stayed in there all nice long!
Ayla LOVED the pool!
Playing after dinner and pool time!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Drake's First Cubs Game

Every year, Jason's employer gets group tickets for the Chicago Cubs. We decided this was the perfect time to take Drake to his first Cubs game! We took my little sister (Aireol) with us and this was her first game, too! It was sprinkling when we got to Chicago, but I just put Drake in the Ergo and got my umbrella out. It was so much better than trying to actually carry him in my arms and hold an umbrella. We grabbed some lunch and then headed into Wrigley Field. The rain let up, the sun came out and the game started just 10 minutes late.

He wasn't too interested in his toys that I brought, but he liked the cord to our camera case. lol!
The view from our seats.

Drake trying on daddy's hat! (I LOVE this picture.)
Me & Aireol
Aireol's first time holding Drake.

We left the game in the 8th inning. Unfortunately, the Cubbies weren't doing so well and lost 11-4. We got home a little later than we had planned, but Drake was a trooper. He got his bath, bottle and went right down to bed. Hopefully he'll sleep great!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

6 Month Dr. Appointment

Today was Drake's 6 month well baby visit! We saw the nurse practitioner again because we couldn't get in to his normal pediatrician.

Drake's stats:
Weight - 15lbs 5oz (15th percentile) --- gained 2lbs 11.5 ounces
Length - 26.5 inches (50th percentile) - grew 2.25 inches
Head Circumference - 17.1 inches (50th percentile)
The NP said he was meeting all the developmental milestones, and that he should definitely be on three meals a day by his 9-month appointment. (He's getting 2 meals a day right now.) She also told us what we should be seeing in the next couple months - crawling, scooting around furniture, eating some table foods, and teeth!

He had one oral vaccine and three shots again this time. It took us a while to calm him down afterwards since it wasn't time for a bottle, but now he's taking a nice long nap. :-)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Six Months!

Dear Drake,

Today is your half birthday! Six months ago, we were anxiously awaiting your arrival and today we get to see your fun smile every day!

You are such a good baby. You've been taking 2-2 hour naps pretty much every day. Sometimes, you sneak in a catnap in the late afternoon. And, the best part is that you're still sleeping 12 hours overnight (7am-7pm)!

You have moved to a 4-hour eating schedule (7am, 11am, 3pm, & 7pm) with 7 ounces of formula at each feeding. You've had all of the grains (barley started July 7th) and most of the veggies:
  • Squash (July 15th)
  • Sweet Potatoes (July 20th)
  • Carrots (July 24th)
  • Sweet Peas (July 29th)
We started two meals a day on July 17th (cereal at breakfast and veggie at dinner) and added cereal to your dinner on July 27th. You seem to love the orange vegetables (eating a whole container at a time), but you're not too sure about the peas!

You have also tried your sippy cup! I gave you diluted apple juice on July 13th. You knew what to do with the cup, but you didn't get much juice out. Now, you like to chew on the nipple and spill it all over you. :-)

There is no crawling yet. You can pull your knees underneath you and push all the way up on your arms, but not at the same time. When we put you down on your back, you roll over to your belly almost instantly. If you want to get to a toy, you'll turn in circles on your belly. lol!

You don't have any teeth yet, but you've been drooling for about 4 months now. :-)

You still LOVE bath time. If you are fussy, and we go upstairs to the bathroom, you immediately quiet down and get excited. We have had some trouble getting the pool ready this year, but you were able to go in it for the first time on July 15th. It was the temperature of bath water, and you loved it!
You LOVE to be outside! Momma got you a swing from a neighbor and Daddy hung it on the pergola. You tried it out for the first time on July 14th. You've had some tough evenings due to the teething, but the instant we take you outside, you calm down! Now I'm wondering what we're going to do in the winter. lol! You took your first ride as a big boy in the stroller on August 1st.I think you had your first experience with stranger anxiety. One of the neighbor's friends was holding you, and you started crying until momma came to the rescue.

You can sit up so good in the bumbo! You're even starting to sit up on the floor by yourself, but you still topple over after a short time so we have to be right beside you.
Since just a couple weeks old, you have always pushed your legs straight and now you love to stand! We still have to be right next to you, but I don't think it will be long for you to scoot around the furniture.Jumperoo - LOVING it! And, you must be growing because you can now touch the floor without a pillow under it! You are still using the bouncer, swing, and playmat, but not nearly as much.

Kahlua and you are becoming quite the buddies! Something about her just makes you smile and laugh. It's really cute, except when we're trying to feed you your dinner. :-)
It has been a crazy few months, but you finally met your grandpa Charlie on July 17th. And, I didn't get any pictures. :-(

You're wearing size 2 diapers and size 6 months clothes.

You had your 6-month pictures taken on Friday. Chanel does such a wonderful job so I can't wait to see how they turn out. Tomorrow is your 6-month well baby visit....more shots, but we get to see how much you have grown!Happy 1/2 Birthday, Drake!

Love,
Momma

Monday, August 2, 2010

Birthday Weekend

I've mentioned it before, but my family celebrates birthdays three times per year. Since we live in three different cities, this is what works for us. This weekend was the celebration of my dad, my niece, my mom, and Jason's birthdays!

Our first thing was pedicures on Saturday morning -- Nicole's first!
After pedicures we had lunch and pool time!
Reid tried out the new swing!
And my Ergo.
Drake had his dinner outside!
Then it was time for dinner, dessert and a group picture.