Going To Extremes

Have you ever seen the reality show on TLC called Extreme Couponing? I'll admit, I have been compelled to watch this show from time to time. The last time I watched it, the woman that was on the show admitted that she spends approximately 4-5 hours a day either clipping, sorting, or organizing her coupons. She also spends 10-15 hours a week actually shopping. For those of you keeping track, that's an average of 44 hours a week that this woman spends on couponing. Now then, I love a good deal just as much as the next person, but I can't even find the time to condition my hair most days, let alone spend 4-5 hours clipping coupons.

Well, please don't worry about me because there is absolutely nothing about my couponing skills that I would label as extreme. I tried couponing in the past, but the amount of time it took to get it all organized didn't really seem to be worth it to me in terms of how much I was actually saving. Plus, I never knew which coupons to match up with which sales, and the coupons always seemed to expire before I could get around to using them.

It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized that there definitely is an easier way to save money using coupons. A few of my friends kept posting all their great deals on their Facebook walls. And so I finally asked them how they find the time, and how they know which coupons to match up with which sales. And well, they told me... And that's what I hope to do for all of you today too!

There are a few really easy things that you can start doing to start saving money now.

1) Start following a few couponing blogs like this one, and this one, and this one. The women who write these blogs basically do the research for you. They match up the coupons with the sales, and find all the great deals for their readers. How awesome is that?!?! There are tons of great couponing blogs out there, but those are the ones that I follow. I also made a point to "like" all of their Facebook pages as well. And speaking of Facebook... think about the products that you use on a regular basis. Go onto Facebook and "like" their pages. Most of them will give you a coupon or a free product simply for liking their page.

2) Go onto a few coupon sites like this one and this one on a regular basis. Here's what is so great about these coupon sites. You don't have to spend tons of money buying newspapers, only to waste the actual paper used to print the newspaper because when all you really wanted is the coupons. You don't end up with tons of coupons that you will never use. And, you only print out the coupons that you want. It's free (other than the paper and printer ink you use). Tip: Set your printer to print in black ink only, and set it to the lowest/poorest print quality.

3) Figure out which days/times that you want to devote to couponing. I check the blogs on Sunday afternoons and Wednesdays. I check them on Sundays because the sales fliers come out on Sundays, so that's when you'll usually find the bloggers telling you about the match-up deals. I also check them on Wednesdays because they tend to post a lot more deals throughout the week, and I usually go shopping on Thursdays.

4) Set up an account with Saving Star. Register your store rewards/savings cards with them, then select the deals from off their website that you plan on buying that week. When you actually go to the stores and buy those items, you earn money back into your Saving Star account. For every $5 you earn, you can get an Amazon.com gift card sent to you.

5) If you like trying new products and getting "freebies," then you should set up an account with Smiley 360. They will send you questionnaires from time to time in order to see if you qualify for their latest "Mission." If you qualify for the latest Mission, they will send you a free product to try. Once you're done using the product, all they ask is that you go back to their site and tell them, and the Smiley 360 community, what you think about the product. I've been signed up for a month now, and so far I've qualified for 3 Missions; I've received a bottle of Children's Advil, and I have a 4 pack of Knorr Homestyle Stock, and a bottle of Woolite coming my way.

6) When you find a really good deal, stock up! Most coupon websites will only allow you to print out a few of each coupon per computer. But, I have found that sometimes, there is no limit. That's when you need to stock up!

You might be asking yourself if the time you are going to devote to all of this is really worth it. So, let me break it all down for you...

Just by following the few steps I listed above, spending maybe 2 hours a week couponing, and another 2 hours actually shopping, these are the deals and savings I got for the month of February.

Week 1

CVS: 1st transaction... 2 bottles of Dimetapp, on sale for $6.99 each, combined with a $2.oo off coupon, made my total come out to $12.96. Yes, I still paid close to $13.00, but I earned $6.00 back in Extra Care Bucks.

2nd transaction... 3 Greeting Cards, priced at 99 cents each, combined with a $2.00 off coupon, which made the cards come out to 97 cents for 3 cards. I also got Krazy Glue, priced at $3.99, combined with a $1.00 off coupon, which made it come out to $2.99. And I also got an InStyle magazine, priced at $3.00, combined with a $2.00 off coupon, which made it come out to $1.00. My total was $4.96. I had $6.00 in Extra Care Bucks that I'd just earned buying the Dimetapp. So, I also got a pack of gum (not pictured), and I winded up paying for everything with my ExtraCare Bucks, which meant I got everything else in this picture for free. And, on top of all of that, I also earned $1.50 in my new Saving Star account.

Walmart: I had $1.00 off coupons for Band Aids and $1.00 off coupons for Scotch-Rite kitchen sponges. The Band Aids cost 97 cents per box, and the sponges cost 96 cents each, so not only did I get $26 worth of items for free, I actually earned 97 cents back on this deal.

Albertsons: I went to Albertsons for my weekly groceries. I transferred a prescription to Albertsons, and earned a $25 store gift card. I combined store sales with coupons, and winded up paying $73.24 for $153.30 worth of groceries, for a savings of $80.06... just by following those blogs and printing out some coupons. By the way, did you know that Albertsons, Krogers and Tom Thumb will all give you a $25 gift card to their store if you transfer an existing prescription to their pharmacy? Well, now you do!

Week 2
CVS: Combined Maybeline make up coupons with items that were on clearance (because they were changing the packaging), and winded up paying $10.16 for $102.86 worth of make up products, for a savings of $92.70.

Target: In the picture above, you'll see a small tube of lip gloss with a pink lid. That was on clearance for $2.17 marked down from $4.99. I had a $2.00 off coupon, so I paid 17 cents for that. I also had a Target coupon for $1.00 off mayonnaise (not pictured), which I combined with a manufacturer's coupon for 50 cents off. Mayonnaise was on sale for $2.99. I got 2 jars, so I winded up getting 2 jars of mayonnaise for $3.00, for a savings of $3.00. By the way, did you know that you can print Target store coupons off their website, and Target stores will allow you to use both a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon at the same time?

Walmart: In the picture above, I got the tube of toothpaste for free using a coupon, and I got the floss for 25 cents each using coupons, for a total savings of $4.00.

Albertsons: I did my weekly grocery shopping, and for some reason my computer won't load the picture on here of my receipt. So, I will simply tell you and you will have to believe me :-) that I saved $36.00 by using coupons this week. I'd bought so many things the week before, that I winded up needing hardly anything from the store. My total bill for groceries for the entire week was $87.11.

Week 3

Target: I had been holding onto a coupon for $5.00 off any Star Wars toy at Target. I found this $20.00 helmet on the clearance rack for $5.98. I paid 98 cents for it!

Walgreens: The store had marked down Chapstick from $1.99 to 99 cents each. In their store's monthly coupon book (this coupon book sits in a stand by the cash registers), there was a coupon for $1.00 off Chapstick, no limit. I asked the store's manager how many tubes of Chapstick he would actually let me get. He told me that as long as I didn't clear the shelf (which is a couponing "no-no" that is frowned upon not only by stores, but by most couponers as well), that I could take as many as I wanted. And so I left 1 full box of each flavor, and I grabbed 160 tubes. That's $340 worth of Chapstick, for free. The only thing that makes me sad about this entry is that I can not get my picture of my 160 tubes of Chapstick to load on here... :-( Not sure what is going on... Oh well! Moving on...

CVS: The Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup was on sale for $6.00. I think it was regularly $8.99. Buying it earned me $6.00 back in Extra Care Bucks. So it was like I got it for free.

Albertsons: I had 2 coupons for 25 cents off Ivory Soap. Albertsons triples coupons that are 39 cents or less. So I got 75 cents off each 3-pack, making my total $1.00 for the 2 packages of soap (or 50 cents a package). I also found frozen vegetables that were regularly $2.39 a package on sale for 88 cents a package. I had coupons to get 55 cents off per package, so I got each package of vegetables for 33 cents each. I spent a little over $100 on my weekly groceries, and saved close to $40 by using coupons.

Walgreens

1st transaction: They had an in-store special where if you bought the pony-tail holders for $2.99, you got $2.00 back in Register Rewards (which is similar to CVS Extra Care Bucks). I used $3.00 in Register Rewards that I had earned from a previous purchase, so I got them for free and I earned $2.00 back in Register Rewards.

2nd transaction: I had 2 - $5.00 off coupons for the Tylenol Precise products. This week at Walgreens they are on sale for $5.00, so I got both of those items for free. Walgreens also had an in-store coupon on Softsoap for 99 cents each, limit 3. I used the $2.00 in Register Rewards from the pony-tails, combined with another $1.00 in Register Rewards I already had, making this entire purchase free.

So, those are my deals for the month of February so far. In and of themselves, the savings may not seem like much... $2.00 here... $4.00 there... But when I combined them all together, last month I saved my family close to $700.

There are lots of great blogs out there, that are specifically devoted to couponing. I hope that I haven't overwhelmed anyone. I've just had several people ask me what I'm doing to get all these great deals, and I wanted to make a point to share the wealth! Happy Couponing!

To My Son

Dear Samuel,

Fourth grade... it's been a difficult year for you. You've noticed certain things about yourself that make you feel different from your classmates. I want you to know that it is these differences within you that make you so special to me. But believe me when I tell you that I understand, when you are 10, feeling like you are different isn't always seen as a good thing. I want you to know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to help make things in your life a little less difficult for you. Life at 10 shouldn't be this hard. I want you to build a strong character. And I don't want you to think that everything in life is going to be easy. But something tells me that you already know this. I want you to know that there are so many people in your life who want to help you too. They pray for you, and they ask me about you all the time. I want you to know how deeply loved you are. I want you to know that there are other moms out there who teach their children to love and to be kind to kids who seem different... kids who are struggling. I want you to know that even though there are kids who are stronger than you, that you are not weak. You are one of the strongest kids I know. I want you to know that no matter what your grades in school are, that I don't care what your report card says, because you are brilliant. And I want you to know that even though there are other kids who are more out-going and social than you, that you are the kindest, sweetest, and most loving child I know. Everyone who has the pleasure of getting to know you, loves you. That's how special you are.

The other day, you were asked to talk about something that makes you feel anxious or nervous while you're at school. You had no trouble coming up with something, and my heart ached for you. Then you were asked to talk about something that makes you feel anxious or nervous when you are in public places. Again, you came up with something almost immediately. And again, my heart ached for you. You even came up with something quickly that makes you nervous while you're on the playground. But when you were asked to talk about something that makes you feel anxious or nervous while you're at home, you didn't answer right away. After a little while, you were asked the same question again; what makes you nervous or anxious or sad while you're at home? When you responded, you said that there isn't anything at home that makes you feel that way, and that you feel happy and safe when you are at home. I want you to know that my heart rejoiced for you. There are some children out there who have no place where they feel safe and happy and loved. I always want you to feel that way about home. You will always have a place where you will feel safe. You will always have a place where you can feel relaxed and loved and accepted. And for as long as you will allow me to, you will always have my loving arms, ready and open to embrace you and make you feel safe, no matter what.

I want you to know that we will get through this. And I hope that one day, we can look back on this time in our lives and smile, and realize how much stronger it made both of us. I love you and thank God each and every day that He brought YOU into my life.

Mom

I've changed some of the words around in this piece by Erma Bombeck to make it more personal, but I wanted to share this with everyone. It was sent to me from my sister, Nina, and I felt it was worth passing along.

God Chooses A Mom for A Special Needs Child by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. But did you ever wonder how mothers of children with special needs are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

Armstrong, Beth; son; Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; Cecelia.
Rudledge, Carrie; twins; Gerard and Jerry.

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her this child." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy." "Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give such a special child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel." "But has she patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and disbelief wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence. She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy." "But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?" God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with this special child. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! I will permit her to see clearly the things I see --- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice --- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"So, what should I write? asks the angel, his pen poised in midair. God smiles. "I have heard her prayers. I will give her a son; Samuel."

Christmas, Lid'l Lee, and the New Year

Every year at Christmas, I remind myself how important it is to slow down and take the time to do things with my family that are truly the most important things in life, especially at the holidays. Over the past couple of years, our Christmas seasons have seemed extremely rushed. It felt like I would blink and before I knew it, Christmas was over. So this year, I promised myself that I would do better. And so, for the first time in 3 years, I purposefully left a weekend open to ensure that we would be able to attend our good friend's Angel Tree Party. We went. We had so much fun! We were able to catch up with dear, old friends. We shopped for 2 precious angels through Interfaith Housing Coalition. It felt really good to shop for 2 angels with our 3 children... to show our children firsthand that it is truly better to give than to receive, and that we have so much to be thankful for.

We also made time to drive through the living nativity scene, not just once, but twice. We love doing this, and I'm so glad this has become an annual tradition for our family.

And we also made a point to drive out to the Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree. This is also a family tradition that we've been doing for the past 7 years. The kids always enjoy driving out there. And we love all of the wonderful memories and traditions that we get to help create as a family.

But just as soon as I thought that I was doing such a great job of slowing down and not getting stressed out by the holidays...

On December 21, I'd been running errands all morning long in order to get us prepared for our trip down to south Texas for Christmas. I came home around 2:00 that afternoon. And that's when I found my sweet kitty, not doing well. Around 9 months ago, Lid'l Lee developed a mass on her back. Our vet was going to remove it. But Lid'l Lee's pre-surgery blood work came back that she had an advanced kidney disease... her kidneys were failing. Putting her through surgery would almost assuredly kill her. The vet recommended I take her home and enjoy the remaining time we had left with her. I guess even though I saw the tumor growing and getting larger, somehow I didn't think Lid'l Lee was all that ill. I guess I felt that way because she was still eating and drinking just fine. So I guess that's why, even though the tumor had grown considerably larger over the 9 months since I'd first detected it, I was so shocked when I came home that day and saw her the way she was. I called the vet and she told me to bring her in immediately. They were waiting for me when I arrived. The vet told me that she would try to surgically remove the tumor... she would try to help Lid'l Lee under the circumstances. I hugged her and kissed her goodbye as the vet took her into the operating room. About 30 minutes later, the vet came into the room where I was waiting, and told me that Lid'l Lee was not going to make it. She told me that she could wake her up so that I could say my final goodbyes to her, or she could let her go peacefully without waking her up. I was allowed into the operating room, where I saw my sweet kitty. Gut wrenching sobs... I decided to not have the vet wake her up. Couldn't do it... She'd been through enough already. And so, just 21 months after having to say goodbye to Maisy, and just 7 months after saying goodbye to Molly, I said goodbye to my sweet Lid'l Lee as she drifted off into eternal sleep in my arms.

I miss her.

We all miss her.

Coming home with an empty pet carrier... you'd think I'd be able to handle it better by now. Telling the kids... draining.

The next morning, we all loaded into the car and drove down to south Texas for Christmas. The time we spent with our families was wonderful. I was reminded over and over again throughout our time down there that I am so blessed. I have this great big, wonderfully crazy family, whom I love so much. And I was reminded so many times of just how important it is to savor and enjoy every single moment that I get to spend with them.

I don't make it a habit to make New Year's Resolutions. But this year, well... after our time in south Texas for Christmas, we arrived home to an empty home. For the first time in 7 years, there was no soft, cuddly, meowing cat here to welcome us home. Three family pets, gone in less than 2 years. And so, with this new year, I'd like to resolve to make a concerted effort to just be with the people and things I love most in this life. To make my priorities just simply that... my priorities. To stop making excuses and just live my life doing what I love most, being with my friends, my family and my sweet dog, Maggie, just as much as I possibly can.

No, thank you. I'm not Pinterested.

I did not want or need another website to consume my free time. That's what Facebook is for... But a few months ago, a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook, and when I asked her where she found it, she told me she found it on Pinterest. I'd heard of Pinterest and knew if I went onto the site, I'd probably be in trouble. So, I avoided it. No, thank you. I'm not Pinterested.

A few weeks after that, one of my family members posted a picture on her Facebook page, and I thought it was so wonderful. When I asked her where she'd seen it, she told me... Pinterest.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a friend, saying that she'd found something on Pinterest that she thought would be of interest to me. I was... very interested. So, I finally broke down and went onto Pinterest.

What is Pinterest? It's an online pin board (bulletin board). Might not seem like much of a big deal at first, until you go onto the site and realize how awesome it is. For me, when I see something in a magazine or on a website or in a commercial that I like, I'll usually tear out the page from the magazine or write it down somewhere... usually on a Post It. All those little Post-Its and magazine pages and notes start to add up, and make messy piles of disorganization all over my desk and in my kitchen. Well, now thanks to Pinterest, those messy piles of disorganized papers and notes are no longer needed because I can "pin" all of those things onto my online Pinterest boards. All of it's there, on my organized, online bulletin boards. Needless to say, I have become very Pinterested in Pinterest.

My most favorite pin board seems to be my home remodeling/redecorating project board. I have found so many ideas that I love. I was so excited to get started on my first project. I decided to start with an easy one.

Here is my first Pinterest project... redecorating my key box! This is what I found on Pinterest:

This is what my old key box looked like... I got this as a wedding gift... 17 years ago! And I haven't had sunflowers in my kitchen in around 10 years...

This is my newly redecorated key box! Thank you, Pinterest!

This was my second project. I found this picture of these dining room chairs on a friend's pin board. I loved it! So, I decided to do this with my own dining room set. This is the picture from Pinterest:

This is what my dining room set looked like before:

And this is my newly redecorated dining room set:

And this is my final project. I found this Thankful Tree on Pinterest:

And this is our family's Thankful Tree:

I've had the tree up for a couple of weeks, and there are a lot more leaves on it now. But I think this leaf is my favorite.

Every time I walk by and read it, I smile.

I am thankful.

I am a member of a wonderful Mothers of Preschoolers group. This group has been blessed with 3 Mentor Moms who offer encouragement and guidance, and at every meeting they speak on a subject matter that is relevant to the women in our group. I've been a member of this group for several years now, and there is one Mentor Mom in particular who's been with this group the entire time that I've been a member. I've been able to hear her talk about many different subjects over the years. Many of her talks have changed over the years. But there's one subject in particular, one speech that she gives each and every year, that has always stayed the same, year after year. You see, this Mentor Mom has always made a point to mention just how quickly the preschool years roll right by. She's always said that as moms, we only get 4 years at home with our precious children, and then, they're gone.... off to school where we quickly learn that we are no longer the most important person in their lives. She always tells us to cherish every single moment we are given with our babies and preschoolers, because before we know it, they will be gone. When she gave this speech 4 years ago, as my oldest son was entering Kindergarten, I heard what she said and it really hit home. Yes, she was SO right! Those first few precious years that we have with our children at home before they start Kindergarten really do go by quickly. When she gave this speech again a year later as my daughter, my middle child, was starting Kindergarten, I heard what she said and it hit me all over again. Yes, those first few years we are given at home with our children really do go by faster than we ever could imagine they will. But today, as I heard our Mentor Mom give her speech about just how quickly the preschool years go by, and before we know it, our youngest will be starting Kindergarten and we will go home to an empty house and wonder where on Earth all that time went because it sure did go by fast... well, I'll admit, I got weepy. Okay, more than just weepy... I was crying. This will be my last year with my Mothers of Preschoolers group because this is my last year with a preschooler. My youngest son will start Kindergarten next year, and trust me, I GET IT! I don't want this time in my life as a mom to end. Sometimes, it hurts too much for me to think about. I've been a stay-at-home mom for the past 10 1/2 years. It's all I ever wanted to do. And for several years in my life, I truly thought that I would never get the chance to even be a mom. And so when God did grant me a child, I tried to be the best mommy I could be. I tried to do it all to the best of my ability. I devoted the past 10 years to being the best wife and mother that I could possibly be. It's what I do best. But now, this time in my life is coming to an end. I know that I am not the only mom who has felt this way. I realize I am not the first mother to go through this, nor will I be the last. It still hurts. This truly truly wonderful part of my life that I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to grant to me - Lord, PLEASE make me a mommy - for almost 6 long years I prayed for a child, and now, well... I guess it's time for me to start setting the wheels in motion for Plan B for my life. I've cherished these years at home that I have been so graciously given, thanks to a loving God and an outstandingly understanding and supportive husband.

And so, as I reflect upon the past 10 1/2 years, and as I look forward to this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, from the depths of my soul I can honestly say that for the gift of motherhood, for the gift of family, for the gift of my husband, and for the gift of being able to call myself a stay-at-home mom... yes, for all of these things, and for so much more, I am truly truly thankful. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gifts!