Well, I Caved...

Well, I swore I was done shopping for a WHOLE month...but I found some bargains just too good to pass up!
Chipper had to make a trip to Lowe's, so I loaded up my file of bargains and headed out with him. I've come to the conclusion that the Walgreen's staff hate me. I'm sure they know my face a start running when they see me step through those sliding glass doors. If I had to guess, I'd say they draw straw to see who has to check me out.  Then the person who doesn't have to check me out, has to open the alternate check-out line to keep all the other customers from having to wait the 74 minutes for me to finish my purchasing.

Anywho...so proud of my bargains tonight!

A few highlights...

- Nice'n Easy Haircolor = FREE + $1 back

- 4 GIllette Fusion Power Razors = $1.99 each

- 2 DayQuil  and 2 NyQuil = Free + $4.04 back

- 4 Puffs tissues = 1 free with each DayQuil/NyQuil purchase

Total spent out of pocket...$37.81
Total saved with coupons...wait for it...over $116!!!!

I love knowing that I can be productive and economical in my shopping...all while thoroughly enjoying it!
It's my new favortite hobby!

My husband doesn't necessarily like getting out and doing the shopping, but he sure does love its benefits!

I'm saving him tons o' moolah...and he thinks I'm super cool!

On another note...We had a greatly needed (and deserved) girls night Saturday!
What a great night it was!!!
We ate (as always) and laughed (again, as always)...and I got to spend some time with some awesome ladies I haven't ever been able to spend enough time with. I am blessed with such Godly women to call friends. I am much enjoying learning from their examples as Godly wives and mothers.
I'm so thankful for each and every one of them!

Grocery Shopping 101...

Today was payday, i.e. grocery shopping day. :)
I spent some of yesterday clipping and printing my coupons, organizing my menu and shopping lists, etc.
Today, I left the house on my mission...Chipper decided to go with me. I think he was expecting about an hour trip through Aldi and Wal-Mart and we would be done. Well, he got a reality check.

Started at Aldi to grab everything I could get in my buggy there. Then, it was off to Sam's to buy our meat items for the month (at least). Walgreen's, Target, and Wal-Mart followed. Now, I don't usually trek to all of these stores...usually just two or three (max). BUT, each store had some AMAZING deals that I just couldn't pass up. It took me a couple hours to gather all of my goodies, but I'm a bit of a lollygagger when it comes to shopping. I like to browse around, even with no intention of buying. I tend to like to see everything that's available on the shelves. :)

Target - Saved $28.78 off of a $56.07 purchase. That's over 50%!
Walgreen's - Saved $49.29 off of an $85.94 purchase. That's almost 60%!

I am so proud of myself! I am still rather new at this, so it probably takes me a little longer than the more seasoned bargain-sniffers, but I am still very proud.

Here are the items I purchased today...

Totaled $230...Groceries, household items, and personal care items for more than ONE WHOLE MONTH!
This includes $80 of meat products that we divide up into portions for the two of us and freeze individually. Also includes personal care, several healthcare items, and a few specialty items.

Tip to remember: I purchase all of our meat in bulk. Hamburger meat, steak, pork, etc...all of it in bulk.
I then divide it up into servings for the two of us and freeze it.
We divide hamburger meat into 8 oz. portions and put in freezer bags and the flatten it out. It stores easily and because it is in smaller portions, it thaws VERY quickly! All you have to do is pull one bag of meat out of the freezer and it is thawed in less than thirty minutes. We do this with pork chops, pork roast, pork loin, etc. Large pieces of meat get cut and divided out into one-meal portions and frozen. Makes life SO much easier!!!

The best part about this day...the realization that grocery, household, and personal shopping for me is D-O-N-E for the month of March! WAHOO!!!!

Cruisin' with "The Flock"

The first week of January, we went on a cruise with Chip's entire family...and by entire, I mean there were 20 of us. We had a blast!!!! If you have never been on a cruise before, it is definitely the way to vacation! There is so much to do that you won't even remember you're on a boat. We cannot wait to go back! These pictures were taking in Roatan, Honduras... a small island north of the mainland. I would never have known how gorgeous it was until I had seen it myself.