Part II- “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

So in an attempt to get my mind off of things, I did two couponing trips this week and set up my stockpiling shelves (yes, I have a stockpiling shelf now!).

CVS is quickly becoming one of my favorite stores to do my couponing. Since I was sick and my husband was trying to take care of me (and probably wanted to keep an eye on my emotional stability too) he decided to join me. 

(CVS sales begin and end on Saturdays, so these deals are still available today if you are interested.)

Scott Paper Towels $5.49
     Use $1/1 Scott Paper Towel Rolls (SmartSource 11/13)
     Total: $4.49

Scott Toliet Paper $7.49
     Use $1/1 Scott Bath Tissues (SmartSource 11/13)
     Total: $6.49

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste $3.49
     Use $1/1 Colgate Optic White coupon (SmartSource 11/13)
     Total: $2.49 (and you will get $1.50 Extra Care Bucks)

Dawn Dish Soap $.99
      Use $.50/1 Dawn coupon (Proctor & Gamble 10/30)
      Total: $.49

Finish Gel Pac Dish Detergent $2.99
     Use $0.75/1 Finish Powerball or Gelpacs (SmartSource 10/23)
     Total: $2.24

Blistex $2.00
     Use $1/2 Blistex (11/13 don't remember which insert though)
     Total: $1.50 each (and you will get $1.00 Extra Care Buck, limit 1)

Kleenex Facial Tissue $.99
     Use $0.50/3 Kleenex Boxes coupon  (SmartSource 11/6)
     Total: $.82 each

Garnier Fructis Shampoo & Conditioner 3/$10
     Use 3/$1 off coupons (found online)
     Total: $2.33 each

Advil Congestion $4.99
     Use $1/1 coupon (found online)
     Total $3.99

After buying a few other things, my total was 80.31
   Then I scanned my Extra Care Card, my coupons, and my Extra Care Bucks from a previous shopping trip. 

Total: $19.25 (before sales tax for my Delaware readers)

Falling into November

I don't know where October went.  Halloween is tomorrow, which as a married adult with no children, isn't as much fun as I remember in years passed.  Not losing my love, is fall.  The holidays are right around the corner, the scenery is changing, and I tend to increase the baking.  Today I baked a Apple Walnut Pie... I hope it turned out, otherwise, I quit trying to make pie.

Also, today, the hubby assisted me in a shopping trip to Shoprite.  They had some pretty good deals this week, but nothing compared to my trip to Rite Aid.  I took a picture of what I bought, and planned on showing how I did it, but there were a lot of personal products purchased, so I will forgo the list.  I will tell you that I spent less than $30 and saved over $50.  I am getting the hang of this!

I decided to put up links for some awesome websites I found.  I think they are going to be an excellent resource with Christmas right around the corner.

Awesome websites for online shopping:
Shop at Home: Do your internet shopping through this site and get coupon codes and CASH BACK! (Totally worth signing up!)
No More Rack : has 8 deals a day, up to 100% off. (Yes, 100% off!)
One Sale A Day: has 5 deals a day, also up to 100% off!
One Kings Lane: Excellent clearance prices for household decorations, accessories, etc.

Most importantly, today my mommy had chest tubes put in to help with the fluid in her lungs.  She is in a lot of pain, and trying to rest, so I have been resisting the urge to text her and call her every five minutes.  Thank you for all your prayers.

I realize this all sounds frantic and sporadic, but this post pretty much reflects how my brain has been functioning lately.  I am scatter-brained, and for that, I am sorry.  Until next time, which is hopefully after a long night of deep sleep. :-)

Hello Again, Working World

The blog has been on the back burner, along with many things I had been doing on a daily basis since June.  Last week I started working in Philadelphia.  My new roles as both business professional and wife, are two very different roles for me, that I need to acclimate myself to simultaneously.  Both very positive changes in my life, might I add.  I had a few months to begin figuring out "wife", and as part of that role, I worked out different ways to live on a budget (couponing being one of them).  I think I got pretty good at it.

Just as I started to adjust to how my day is carried out, I got a job (finally)!  I find it so rewarding to know that I am financially contributing to our family again, along with how nice I find it to be taking the train into the city, dressing like a business woman (I never thought I dressed like I would've like to as a teacher), and being a part of the "hustle and bustle".  As odd as it sounds, I forgot how much I liked being at a desk.  I find it much less stressful when I get to do my job without the impressionable eyes of twenty-something middle schoolers watching every move you make.  Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, and hope to teach again, but I don't hate working in an office.  (I know, I have only been there a week.)

Anyway, I think my point is that all of a sudden there aren't enough hours in a day.  I told the hubby the other day, teachers do have it made, I had no idea.  I used to hate that my long commute as a teacher meant I didn't get home until 4:30.  Now, I don't get home until about 6:30 and I think, "How in the world am I going to do anything other than eat dinner, shower, and get to bed".  Luckily, I married a great cook, and when he gets home first and decides to cook, I know I am in for a treat.

So, how does everyone do it?  Wife, Worker, and Independent Woman?  Is it possible to be all three?  Figuring my day out, the breakdown seems I have eleven hours as a worker, require eight hours of sleep, which leaves me five hours to do everything else (both as wife and woman).  I will give it another few weeks and hope I can tackle the day to day needs of the house.  Well, I hope I can get the laundry done at the very least.  If I can manage to extend the day to 26-28 hours, maybe I will be able to stay more on top of the couponing!

;-)

Today's Mini Couponing Adventure (and Yesterday)

Another short blog.  I have found that I am having most success with couponing in the personal needs department, which I think is great because a lot of that stuff is really expensive, and we all need that kind of stuff. 

Today I went to Walgreens and I bought:

Pantene Pro-V Shampoo (reg price $5.29)
Pantene Pro-V Conditioner (reg price $5.29)
Re-nu contact solution (reg price $7.99)
Two tubes of Colgate Optic White Toothpaste (reg price $4.99 each)
Two packs of Five gum (reg price $1.49 each)
A Reese's Fast Break Bar (I honestly don't know how much)

The Pantene was buy one get one half off, I had a $3 off coupon,
The Renu I had a $2 off coupon and receive a $5 register rewards,
Toothpaste was two for $7.98, I had $2.50 in coupons, and get $6 in register rewards,
The five gum was on sale for $.99 each and I had a coupon for $1 off two.

I split my purchases into two so I could use my RR and when all was said and done I paid $5.61 for $32.12 worth of stuff.  I consider that a successful trip! (I might start doing my couponing in Delaware because of that $5.61, more than $1 was sales tax. 

(I had to buy the Fast Break bar to use the RR on my second purchase)

Yesterday I went to Walmart.  I bought a lot of stuff I have been holding off on (face wash, eye drops, baby powder)  I still worked my magic and this is how it went:

Clearasil face wash (reg $5.87)
Visine (Reg $3.62) (needed during allergy season)
2-pack of Reach toothbrushes (reg $3.97)
Johnson's Baby Powder (Reg. $2.97)
Six 12-packs of Shick disposible razors ($1.97 each)
Total: $28.25

The big key to this trip was the $6 off 2 packs of shick razors.  Each coupon gave me and additional credit of $2.06 (times three was a $6.18 moneymaker).  On top of that I had:
$1 off baby powder
$2 off Reach toothbrushes
$2 off Clearasil
$1 off Visine

When all coupons were deducted my total was $5.77 ($4.25 before sales tax)

For those of you are trying this out, let me know what deals you find and how your couponing is going!

What a week!

First week back at my Weight Watchers meetings... didn't go so well.  Last Friday I went to weigh in and got the reality check I thought I needed.  After hearing the devastating news, I was all ready to get back into the grove.  However, what turned out to be a great week socially, turned out to be a rough week on the scale.  Ate out with friends Saturday, Monday and will be again tonight.  Add to that Sunday football games at my parents house and I realized I need another goal.  Nothing really beats the motivation of a wedding dress. I will still keep at it, go to my weigh in tomorrow morning, and try again next week. 

I find out on Monday when I start my new job, which I hope is the key to getting back in the grove.  I will be working in the city, which I'm so excited about!  Having a daily schedule again is exactly what I need.  I will be packing my lunch, reading on the train, and walking to the office.  Now, I just need to find some good deals on clothing, since I have to dress office professional (also very excited about).

The hubby asked me if this new job means the end of my couponing.  I told him "heck no!"  Knowing that I can spend so much less than sticker price is exciting.  Saving money means we can use if on more fun things, like going to Disney World together!  I still can't believe that he has never been, but also makes me realize how lucky I am that I have been so many times before.

Today, my couponing hints are: Be on the lookout for the P&G saver this Sunday.  This is a big one, full of coupons for products which don't have coupons available often. 

I went to Walmart the other day, bought three items, before coupons my total was $12.43.  After my coupons, my total was $1.63!  Other than that, I took it easy on the couponing this week.  Today I am going to try and get myself organized and ready for the week ahead.  Hopefully I can let you know about some great deals!

Pardon my absence...

I know I have been gone for a little longer than usual.  Things have been kinda crazy for this unemployed girl.  My number one priority is... ok, I guess I can't pick just one "top" priority.  I have been driving back and forth to Delaware quit a bit in the past two weeks to see my family and help out where I am needed.

When I am not driving, I have been couponing and working on the house.  I have done a few small projects since my last blog, emphasis on the small.  One project was that I finally hung the towel rack in the bathroom.  I know, wahoo, a towel rack.  But, our bathroom walls are tiled, so the thought of drilling into into the wall terrified me. However, I sucked it up and fortunately did not crack the tile.

Major successes I have had this week was with couponing.  I am not yet good enough to classify myself an extreme couponer, but I am excited by the possibilities.  I have been sharing my savings with the hubby and I told him that I was not going to be an "extreme" couponer to avoid stock piling.  Then he said the words "you can stock pile, as long as it can be kept in the basement".  Oh my, it was like getting a free ticket to an amusement park.  Wonder what he will do if I start finding out I can get things like diapers for pennies.  Do I stock pile them for sometime in the future?  Those freaking things are expensive!  Note to anyone who reading this:  if you ever find coupons that you are not using, please send them my way.  Many deals require multiple coupons and vendors put print limits on the computer versions.  I think this has been holding me back.

The hubby is working a double today and tomorrow, so I am going to try and get a lot of work done around the house, possibly attempt a free shopping trip (which would make me an extreme couponer!) and apply to as many jobs as I can find.  This whole job thing is so discouraging.  I have been applying to absolutely everything I can find that doesn't require a degree I don't have.  I am crossing my fingers something pans out before I lose my mind. 

Oh, new topic since my last post: running.  I hate it.  However, I am going to be running a 5k on Thanksgiving Day (I am a poet).  Now I have to run so I don't embarrase myself.  Only problem I can't seem to tackle is that, no matter what, I lose my breath halfway through the second mile.  I'm gonna have to figure that out pretty soon. 

Ok, well I have run out of topics for day.  I will try to post more later in the week.  Hopefully something more interesting, too.

Bedroom Reveal.. Finally!

So today's blog is more of a picture blog.  When we saw this house for the first time, the "master bedroom" looked like this:

Notice the room color, the 3x3 closet to the left of the bed, and if you look closely, you may see the wood paneling. 

When we moved in the empty room looked like this (different angle):

More wood paneling, old windows, beige carpet.

Now that the bedroom is done, this is what it looks like:

We got new windows installed about a year ago, but the rest just happened in the last month.  Wall color is dramatically different, which I think makes the room look larger.  It also is a good contrast to our darker furniture.  I used a storage bench that I bought in college for underneath our window. 

Mirror was purchased at Marshall's for twenty bucks, the vase in the corner was clearance at TJ Maxx for ten bucks, then got the branches 50% off at AC Moore.  The lamps were twenty-five dollars each at JC Pennys and the nightstands were part of a coffee table/ end table stand that my mom bought at a yard sale for ten bucks and I painted black.

Now, as my husband is trying to show you, my dad and I removed the old closet (it was where hubby is standing).  We then took the closet all the way back to the peak of the roof.  Instead of spending an arm and a leg on custom doors for the closet, I bought a sliding panel curtain system at Ikea for less than one hundred bucks:

I bought a freestanding Elfa closet system at the Container Store and put it on furniture sliders so it can be easily moved around... why do I want to move my closet you may be wondering... 

Behind the closet is our new storage area... it is much, much larger than the picture shows because it is actually L-shaped, so....

It is storage behind this wall too!

When we moved the walls, we had to replace the carpeting, so my new Berber carpet matches very well, not only the bedroom, but the carpet in the hallway:

After all the turmoil involved in the carpet resulting in dramatic money saving, the new carpet for the whole room was $422  (I saved nearly 50%!) and it was money that was left over from the wedding, so it technically didn't cost us anything... even better!

Total cost for the room renovation:  Dramatically cheaper than I expected! (The baseboard was the most expensive thing, I think.) 

Any questions, suggestions?

One of them days... ok, weeks.

I was so excited at the start of this week.  It was mission productivity, and I was Tom Cruise.  Monday was great.  I finished painting the bedroom, refinished the fireplace doors I bought on Craigslist, got laundry done, went to the bank, got the car inspection done, I was on a roll.  Then, I met Tuesday. 

Tuesday was not my friend.  I got absolutely nothing done.  Ok, well not nothing.  I was able to get some of my wedding scrapbook done (it is my plan for the millions of cards we got) while watching tv and being a cranky, uncomfortable girl all day.  So, I watched a shameful array of movies and television (Yogi Bear, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Fraggle Rock, Muppets Take Manhatten, and a Property Virgins marathon) and didn't even make it to the grocery store for dinner.  I did try to install the freshly refinished fireplace door, but of course couldn't figure out how to do the install.  Forget you Tuesday, I like Wednesday better anyway.

Today made me wish for Tuesday again.  I woke up early, like a little girl on Christmas morning.  I was so excited to see the new carpet installed in the bedroom.  I told myself last night that tomorrow the room would look completely different.  Boy was I right.  My bedroom floor now consists of tack strips and carpet padding, how lovely.  The installers came, pulled out the old carpet, put in the new padding, and called me outside to where they had rolled out the new carpet to measure and cut.  Oh my Lord, they put the wrong measurement tag on my beautiful remnant.  Of course, they did; Wednesday hates me.  My carpet was about four feet smaller than what I paid for and I was told via Rob the salesman on the phone that I had to drive down to the carpet mart in Delaware and pick out a new carpet and reschedule an installation.  I was so mad my drive down was a blur.  I picked out a nicer carpet (by nicer I mean more expensive), but I'm not a fan of the color as much.  In the end, I have a carpet being installed tomorrow morning that would have cost me more than I was willing to spend, but because of the extreme inconvience, I don't have to pay any additional fees. 

Tomorrow can't be as mean to me as Tuesday and Wednesday have been (I say as I type this with one eye swollen shut from allergies).  Ok, it can be, I am just hoping that it isn't.  I actually work tomorrow for a few hours, and then I am going to attempt to put some of the finishing touches on the bedroom.  Hopefully when this room is done I will like it so much that I decide to enjoy it for a while before starting another big project.  I'm sure my husband is thinking the same thing. 

Hope Wednesday likes you more than it likes me!

The drive back to reality

Well, the five or six of you out there who have been reading my blog may have noticed my absence this week.  Like I said in my previous posting, I was headed to Disney with my dad and my sisters, attempting to make something of the last week before eighth grade for my youngest sis.  Tonight we are in North Carolina, and tomorrow I will be home in New Jersey, just in time to start the new job on Wednesday.

Being more of an adult this trip than any of the other times I have been to Disney, I was very aware of the cost of everything involved. . . and I do mean everything. Reason number one I did not update the blog via our "resort" was that I would have had to pay per minute for the internet.  While I was in "the happiest place on Earth" I made a few observations: One, I will purchase plenty of water before stepping foot into an Disney labeled park, resort, store.  Two, I will not even consider taking my future children to Disney before the age of nine.  I know many people will disagree with that statement, but I saw way too many temper tantrums and miserable children to spend a couple thousand dollars on a trip they won't be able to recall when they are a teenager. 

Now wait, before you start to think I'm miserable and should just learn to enjoy myself, I want to let you know that I did.  Disney is a lot of fun, and though I have been there quite a few times, I look forward to going quite a few times more.  I am already planning my next trip down with my husband who has never been before.  I think it is always exciting to go with someone who has never been before.  It is like going for the first time yourself, all over again. 

This time, since I will be in charge of the planning, I am going to do some intense research, in an attempt to get the best bang for our buck.  I will be sure to keep you all informed of great websites and deals I encounter along my planning adventure.  Likewise, if you know of any ways to see Disney on a dime, please share!  As of now, I think we are looking at September 2012, and want to stay at Wilderness Lodge resort.  I am really trying to stick with finding frugal ways to enjoy life.  I have been using coupons as much as I can and have been avoiding purchasing anything at full price.  I think that regardless of how much money you do or don't have, you should be a smart shopper.  People pay so much more than they should for things, but there are too few who put the effort in to decrease what they pay at the register. 

Back to where I started this blog; I get back home tomorrow, and start the new job on Wednesday.  I know there isn't much to say about a job I haven't started yet, but I don't know that I am all that broken up about not teaching this year.  Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, and if I got a phone call tomorrow, I would most likely jump at the opportunity.  It is what I know, and what I went to school for.  However, that being said, I am really looking forward to trying something new.  Who knows, I may find out I love something even more, I won't know unless I try. 

Until next time