The Great Grocery Challenge - Week 6

This week went pretty good even though I spent quite a bit over my goal. I hosted one Thanksgiving at my house and my Target trip included a couple small Christmas gifts. I also have quite a bit in RR & ECB for my shopping in the next few weeks.

CVS - spent $26.60, saved $77.20
Target - spent $28.55, saved $77.89
Walgreens - spent $19.58, saved $66.68

Meijer - spent $29.61, saved $36.41

Totals: spent $104.34, saved $258.18 (71% savings!)

Thanksgiving

This year we went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. We left Thursday morning and got there just in time to hang with family for a little while before lunch. Drake did really well in the car. The whole day was just spent lounging around and deciding our shopping plan for Friday. I'm not a major Black Friday shopper, but if there are deals on things I want/need to buy, I'm all in. My sister and I were out by 5am (no way was I going to be out at midnight!) and back home by 8am. It was perfect. I picked up a Cricket for myself, 2 coats for donation to our church, and 4 gifts! We didn't do much the rest of the day and ended the night at my sister's having appetizers before leaving to come back home. (I forgot the SD card to my camera so I have no pictures right now. :-()

There are so many things to be thankful for...Drake, family, friends, health, jobs, our home, etc, but today I am most thankful for God's protection.

You see, on our way home, we needed it! We were about 3 miles from our exit and a deer ran out in front of us on the interstate. I didn't see the deer so when I heard us hit something I didn't know what it was until Jason said it (a buck, too!). Thankfully, Drake slept right through it! The airbags didn't deploy and I don't even remember the seatbelt locking. I got on the phone right away - called our insurance for the tow and to get the claim going and our friends to come pick us up. I am SO glad we decided to take the truck. We usually take my car, but we had a table to take to my parent's. Here's what the truck looks like now:
We love this truck! It's about 9 years old, but it has low miles, is in great condition and is very comfortable to ride in. We'll find out more on Monday about the damages...not sure if we're hoping for repairs or for it to be totaled. The outside doesn't actually look that bad, it will just depend on what happened to the frame.

I was kind of worried about putting Drake back to bed. He was acting normal - he was awake once I moved him to our friend's car all the way home - but you just never know. He did wake up about 3:30am with a scared kind of cry but eventually went back to sleep. He's been acting normal today, so I think we're in the clear. We're also waiting to hear if we need to get rid of the carseat. From what I have seen, we might have to since the truck wasn't driveable after the accident. It's not too big of deal since we have his next seat anyway, but it would have been nice to keep this one if we're blessed with another baby someday.

So, hope your Thanksgiving wasn't quite as eventful! :-)

Thanks Kasey!

rule #1: people who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

rule #2: tag 4 people to do this quiz and they cannot refuse. these people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. continue this game by sending it to other people.

1. if you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?
Honestly...merely an animal.

2. if you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
to be able to travel more

3. what is the one thing most hated by you?
gossip

4. what would you do with a billion dollars?
Lots!! Travel, complete some upgrades in the house, donate more to our church, St. Jude, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, save more, build a beach house

5. what helps to pull you out of a bad mood?
talking to positive people

6. which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
being loved

7. what is your bedtime routine?
check on drake, take out my contacts, take off eye makeup, bed

8. if you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
at work

9. if you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?
not sure

10. what kinds of books do you buy?
usually inspirational/bible study books

11. how would you see yourself in ten years time?
hopefully with 1-2 more children (oh my goodness...drake will be 10!), still in our same house/job, and probably busy with kids/family activities

12. what’s your fear?
Losing a loved one

13. would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?
No way! Going to outer space is way too scary.

14. would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?
married but poor...so much more fun to be with someone else

15. what’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go to the bathroom

16. if you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?
that he would be more romantic :-)

17. if you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
I have no idea...I kind of like my name.

18. would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
This is v.e.r.y. hard, but I believe that it can be done. I've learned that it turns into bitterness if you don't.

19. if you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?
mexican food...tacos, burritos, nachos...but, then I would need that billion dollars to buy a new wardrobe. :-)

and now i tag ... Tori, Lindsey, Dana, and Elaine.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!

The Great Grocery Challenge - Week 5

This week started off GREAT! I just a few dollars over my $50/week goal and then the dog needed food. :-) It's still better than I was doing before couponing, but not where I want to be. I'm sure that this week is going to go over, too, since we have Thanksgiving and all the Black Friday deals.

On a positive note, I have managed to get our local paper delivered for 13 weeks...for FREE!! We used to subscribe a couple years ago but quit getting it because we weren't really reading it except the ads on Sunday. Not too long ago, we got something to start getting it once a week and then we got the option to get 13 weeks for free! Who would pass that up?

CVS: spent - $1.42, saved $42.45!!

Sam's Club: spent $31.44

Walgreens: spent $2.76, saved $33.56!!

Target: spent $5.71, saved $14.93!

Meijer: spent $13.05, saved $36.89! 2nd trip - spent $31.63, saved $0.67. :-(

My totals were: $86.01, saved $128.50!

I also thought it would be kind of fun to see what the past 4weeks (I didn't document our savings on Week 1.) have done to our household expenses:

Spent:
Week 2 - $86.24
Week 3 - $87.22
Week 4 - $59.26
Week 5 - $86.01

Saved:
Week 2 - $63.26
Week 3 - $131.63
Week 4 - $82.72
Week 5 - $128.50

Totals:
Spent - $318.73, Saved - $406.11!

Not too bad! Not only am I saving my family a TON of money (remember, I was spending about $100 each week), but we have more food in our house than we have EVER had. And, I'm donating more to our church's food pantry. All this work is worth it!

Do you think he'll be a gamer like his daddy?

When did he get so big?!

Over the past couple weeks, Drake has been so adventurous. He wants to stand all.the.time. and is constantly on the move. We actually just bought a baby gate yesterday to use at the bottom of the stairs because he wants to climb up them. When I was putting dishes away the other night, he crawled onto the lid of the dishwasher!We were at a birthday party last night and Drake stood for about three seconds unassisted! He's getting so brave. I'm sure it won't be long until he is doing that consistently. Hopefully next time I can get a picture!

Jason and Drake have also been having fun "building forts" in the house. When I got home from running a couple errands today, here's what I found:He is so much fun!! I can't wait to see what he's doing next.

The Great Grocery Challenge - Week 4

No one was feeling very good at our house on Sunday, so I wasn't able to get out to pick up a couple more papers. Bummer! I also didn't get pictures of my purchases this week. Anyway, here's my recap:

Target: spent - $12.03, saved $25.88

Meijer: spent - $42.93, saved $55.84!!

Walgreens*: spent - $4.30, saved $1.00

*This wasn't a very good week at Walgreens for me. I didn't find much on their sales except for a contact solution that was free after RR. Actually, I didn't even spend enough to use the RR I already have. Hopefully next week is better!

Spent $59.26, saved $82.72!!!

That's a savings of 68%. This week turned out pretty good overall. Hopefully next week will be just as good or better!!

The Great Grocery Challenge - Week 3

I'm pretty happy with my shopping for this week, but I'm starting to wonder if my goal of $50/week is unrealistic until we are done with formula and baby food. And, I'm not buying any red meat. We bought a 1/4 beef earlier this year so our freezer is pretty well stocked. The good news is that I'm still under what I was spending (around $100/week). What is your budget?

Walgreen's: spent $17.41, saved $51.86!!!Target: spent $10.07, saved $22.33 ($4 was towards a Christmas gift). I also got 10 Smart Ones meals/desserts that are at work. CVS: spent $2.68, saved $13.08Dollar General: spent $1.37, saved $7.20

Meijer: spent $55.69, saved $37.16

Total spent: $87.22, saved $131.63!

The Sweetest Sound!

I just wish I knew how to turn it...sorry. I also apologize for the movement. I was shaking my head "no", and he was just cracking up!

9 Month Dr. Appointment

We've got a nasty cold around our house. Jason hasn't been feeling well since yesterday and Drake's been stuffy and coughing since earlier this week. This made for perfect timing for Drake's 9 month well baby visit which was today. I wanted her to recheck his ears since he was on an antibiotic last month for the start of an ear infection. She confirmed that it was just a cold, and I believe it could also be contributed to teething.

Drake's stats:

Weight - 18lbs 5oz (15th percentile) --- gained 3lbs

Length - 27.5 inches (50th percentile) - grew 1 inch
Head Circumference - 45.8 centimeters (65th percentile)

Dr. Rosa was pretty impressed that he is crawling, pulling up, and cruising. His chest sounded good and his ears looked good. :-) She also showed us that his two top teeth are coming in! I've been trying to get a look or feel for his top teeth for a few weeks now, but he just won't let me. No wonder....it's pretty painful, I imagine. He is constantly putting things in his mouth.I asked her about the sippy cup since he still doesn't really take to it. She wasn't concerned since she doesn't recommend weaning from the bottle until age 1. She did say no egg whites or milk until after 1, and no peanut butter until after age 2.

The only shot for today was supposed to be the flu vaccine, but she Drake wasn't feeling well they didn't want to do it. He did get his finger pricked to check his iron level which was perfect. And, he didn't shed one tear!

Checking out the bandaid! :-)

9 months!

Dear Drake,

You are nine months old!! I cannot believe how much you keep changing every day. You are growing into quite the active little boy right before our eyes. We love to watch you contemplate and try new things.

This month you had your first real cold and ear infection. You were such a trooper though and didn't let it affect you too much. We sure hope we don't see too many more of these! At that doctor's appointment you weighed 17lbs 7 ounces.

You're still sleeping and eating good! You are extremely interested in anything you can feed yourself. The baby foods are hit and miss now. Purees that include meat need to have sweet potatoes or a fruit otherwise you aren't interested. You have also tried a few more table foods - cheese, banana, roast, pears, pancakes, and fruit & cereal bars. We also tried the biter biscuit again...you did a great job this time! You aren't taking too much interest in the sippy cup right now, but we'll keep trying.

Daddy put the gummi guard on your crib because you've started to get your two precious teeth into the side of it. :-( Thankfully it was mostly on the parts that you won't use once you go to a regular bed, but there are a few on what will be your footboard. No more teeth yet, but I think they are starting because you've been drooling again.

You are crawling everywhere! We have to keep our eyes on you now so you don't get into anything dangerous for you. When we tell you "no touch" sometimes you will look at us with that bottom lip out...so cute! You like to chase your ball all around the house including under the table. You're cruisin' and will sometimes let go. One of these days, I know you'll be standing all by yourself. You have also figured out how to walk behind your push toy! We got you your first pair of shoes this month - size 3.5 Stride Rite's.
You still like the activity table and "dentist's toy", but I think your favorite is the toy with the plunger type top. You have figured out how to use it all by yourself! The other thing you seem to like is the stairs! We don't let you go by yourself because you stop and turn around, and we don't want you to fall.

You got your first boo boo this month. You got a blister on your hand at Miss Alicia's from touching the front of the gas fireplace. She didn't have it on, but it was still warm from the pilot light. It didn't seem to bother you though which is good and you are completely healed.

You had your first trip to a pumpkin patch (Rader's Family Farms) and your first Halloween -- as a lion -- this month! I look forward to many more traditions like these.
You are wearing mostly size 9 month clothes although some 6 months clothes still fit, especially pants. You're still wearing size 2-3 diapers.

Drake, your personality is truly showing now!! You are so cute and do some of the most adorable things. One thing you have started is putting on a big cheesy grin while scrunching and breathing through your nose! You laugh and think it's SO cute!

{It's hard to get you to sit still these days. :-)}

Happy 9 month birthday!!

Love,
Momma