Nursery Update

I was hoping to do a "Nursery Reveal" post of the finished nursery, but I just can't wait anymore! :) So instead I am posting an 85% finished nursery update.

Once I had the basic color scheme and theme decided, my biggest inspiration for each element was the cheap factor. Even though we became DEBT FREE--except the house--earlier this month (this topic definitely deserves its own post), we still have some big financial goals to hit and so are working hard to live as frugally as possible. This means I didn't really have a budget for decorating the nursery, aside from a little bit of "fun" money I had saved up and what I could squeeze out of the household category in our regular monthly budget. It's a good thing I have a huge stash of fabric people have given me, Pinterest, and an obsession for awesome deals. :)

As you walk in the doorway you see the crib area. The first thing I made for the nursery was the crib bumper & skirt. I ordered the fabric from fabric.com (there went that "fun money" I mentioned) and just happened to hit Hancock Fabrics on a huge sale weekend when I went to buy the batting and a few other materials. (Yay!) The colors are so bright and cheerful. I love them!

Here is a close-up of the mobile. I made this using the idea posted here, but with some modifications. (For example I did NOT hand-sew each bird--no thanks!--and I hung it with skinny grosgrain ribbon instead of clear wire.) I think the mobile is my favorite element in the room so far. :)

I couldn't resist using the header from the blog as the inspiration for the wall art behind the crib. (Who knew I was this drawn to birds??) As I pondered what to put on all these blank walls, I was really trying to avoid spending $3-4 each on canvases, but it seemed all the DIY wall art I was finding started with a canvas as a base. Of course $4 is better than the hundreds you could spend on buying wall art, but I kept stubbornly searching for an alternative. Eventually I found this idea. I decoupaged scrapbook paper on as the base of my "canvases" to give it a softer more whimsical look than the paint used in the original tutorial.

I decided it was finally time to recover our yard sale rocking chair. The original English farmhouse upholstry didn't match the nursery at all and was wearing very thin. I thought this would be a pretty quick project, but it ended up being a 2-man, lengthy ordeal. Let's just say upholstry tacks aren't the easiest thing in the world to pound into a piece of hard wood. Thankfully Seth saved the day with his handy dandy drill and precision drilling skills. Thanks, Babe!

I still need to make a pillow for this chair. I'm thinking a taupe pillow with a bright yellow rick-rack flower in the center.

I saw an adorable bird painting for sale ($110--ack!) and immediately thought, "I could totally do that!" The way the birds were depicted reminded me of thumbprints and an idea was born. Here is our version featuring the thumbprints of baby girl's 3 older siblings. I didn't keep track of who's prints are who's, except that the dark pink, light pink, and medium pink birds at the bottom of the tree were stamped by Benj, Talia & Leila, respectively.

I made these little birdhouses just for fun (I found the pattern here) because who can have a bird nursery without birdhouses? I also saw some adorable tiny wooden birdhouses at Michael's that I was sorely tempted to purchase, but since I could make these for free I exercised all my willpower and went with this version. I'm thinking about hanging a branch on the wall above the changing table and hanging or propping these in it with some birds dangling from the branches.

Lastly, here is the shelving under the changing table. Never having had an actual changing table before (we have always used a long dresser with a changing pad on top), I was not sure what to do with all this shelf space. After perusing lots of nursery decor blogs I decided that baskets were really the only option. Of course, you know me...I was not interested in spending the money to buy 4 large baskets so I set about searching for an alternative. I orginally found an idea to cover diaper boxes with canvas, but I had a huge piece of taupe cotton fabric in my stash that I wanted to use instead of buying canvas. So I found a slip cover for plastic crates and modified it to fit diaper boxes instead of the crates. My friend Stephanie found those cute magazine boxes at the dollar spot at Target. I have no idea what to put in them yet, but I think they go perfectly! :)

I still need to paint and hang some shelves to go above the rocking chair, find a lamp & a clock, and figure out what to do with the window, but it's definitely coming together!

Thanks for looking/reading!

A New Season for Couponing

Not so very long ago I was full to the brim with couponing energy. I had a great system that was working well for me and was saving tons. Our grocery budget for our family of 5 was about $250 per month and things were ticking along like clockwork.

Then two little pink lines on a little stick from the Dollar Tree changed all that. Don't get me wrong, they weren't unwelcome lines. They were actually lines we were hoping to see, but these lines were very distruptive to my serene little clockwork routine. Even when morning sickness was finally over (if you are still lost on the "lines", yes, I'm talking about baby #4 on the way) there were projects to complete, preparations to be made, and transitions to be initiated. My coupon-devoted Sunday afternoons were a thing of the past.

So what to do. I don't like spending money I know I could be NOT spending, but I was having trouble finding a new couponing routine. One afternoon I sat down and wrote to my coupon mentor (I don't even know her, but she's taught me tons), Crystal, author of my favorite coupon blog (moneysavingmom.com.) My basic question to her was: how do you effectively use coupons without it taking over your life? Today I found out from a friend that my question (and Crystal's answer) had actually been posted on MoneySavingMom! If you have the same question (or are just curious about how mine was answered), take a look.

I share this for two reasons:

1. Friends have often shared that they wish they could coupon, but they just don't have time. If this is you, maybe the tips and ideas shared both in the original post and in the reader comments will give you some fresh ideas. I definitely got some fresh inspiration!

2. In the interest of keeping it real! While it's much more enjoyable to write about successes and the clockwork seasons, reality is, folks, that life is kinda rough around the edges right now. It's not pretty, but it's true. You may remember I hate the supermom myth (and I hate it some more here), so here it is, folks: I can't keep up with everything right now! In so confessing I found some inspiration to regroup, restructure, and keep right on doing the best I can.

Deals!

I'm normally not a huge Target fanatic when it comes to shopping for deals. I love their stuff and always find way more cute things than I can afford, I just don't think they have spectacular deals often enough for me to consider it a "must shop" kind of store. BUT today was the exception. I would highly recommend visiting your local Target (arm yourself with some Target.com printable coupons first) sometime in the near future.

Here's what I got today for a total of $9.53:

Mossimo Women's Jeans, $4.98 (75% off) x2
Used 2 $3/1 denim Target.com coupons
$1.98 ea.

Women's Graphic Tee, $3.74 (75% off)
Used $2/1 graphic tee Target.com coupon
$1.74

Girl's Seahorse Tee, $2.25 (50% off)
Used $2/1 graphic tee Target.com coupon
$.25


Girl's Denim Pants (so cute!), $2.50 (75% off) x2
Used 2 $2/1 baby/kids denim Target.com coupon
$.50 ea.

Sharpie Markers, $1 x2
Used 2 $1/1 Sharpie markers Target.com coupons
Free!

Paper Mate Pens (10 pk.) $1 x2
Used 2 $1/1 Paper Mate Target.com coupons
Free!

I also bought: Sparkle Pom-Poms, Foam Number Stickers, and "Reward" Stickers (500-600 stickers ea. package) for school at the Dollar Spot.

Now go print some coupons & head to Target!

BEST diaper deal EVER!

It's been awhile since I posted an awesome deal here. I know most of you aren't here to hear all the ins & outs of my shopping schemes, but this is a deal post I couldn't pass up. Ready?

I recently got a case of 204 diapers for $.38! As if that isn't incredible enough, I did it twice! And you can do it too! You will need a total of three Amazon diaper/baby store codes, found in many parenting magazines: two 20% off codes, expiring in different months, and one $10 off code.

A word about the codes: The codes are found on bright green cards inside the magazines. You can subscribe to two of the magazines that have been including the codes for FREE. Subscribe to Baby Talk and American Baby here. Additionally, Parents has offered a $1 subscription several times lately. The most recent one is here (Use the code: K4M8W9D. I'm not sure if it's still working.) Beyond the magazines you receive at home, you can find codes anywhere you are out & about. I find them almost every time I go to a doctor's office. Our pediatrician's waiting room has big stacks of free magazines such as Pregnancy & Newborn that have the codes in them. I have found it is pretty easy to get these codes. You can also ask others to keep an eye out for you. I have a friend who gets them from her mom who works in a doctor's office.

Once you have your codes, here's how to score your deal:

1. Join Amazon Mom. This is not only for moms-- Amazon says, "Despite the name, Amazon Mom is open to anyone who is responsible for caring for a baby or young child." This program entitles you to free 2-day shipping (no minimum) and 15% off select products, including diapers & wipes.
2. Click here to see a search page for disposable diapers, narrowed by the "Prime eligible" and "Subscribe & Save" options. "Prime Eligible" means products eligible for free 2-day shipping. "Subscribe & Save" will save you an additional 15% (off the original price). You are "subscribing" to have the item shipped to you at regular intervals, but if you don't want to continue receiving shipments you can cancel your subscription anytime after your original order ships, per Amazon. You can also narrow your search by size or brand in the left-hand column. (If you want to do my $.38 deal specifically, I ordered Luvs brand, size 3, 204 ct.)
3. Click on the diapers you want to order. On the product page choose "Subscribe & Save" in the blue box in the upper-right of the screen. Click "Subscribe Now."
4. Sign in when prompted and enter delivery & payment information, as prompted.
5. When you reach the screen that says "Review and Submit Your Order" you will see a box on the right-hand side that says, "Do you have any gift cards or promotional claim codes?" Type the code from your green card in the box and click "Apply." You should see a line appear in the box above ("First Delivery Summary") that says "Promotion Applied" with an amount, reducing the total. Enter your other codes the same way. When you have entered all your codes you should see three separate lines with "Promotion Applied" amounts.
6. When you have reviewed all the information on this page, click the "Sign me up" button and your diapers will be on their way!
7. If you don't want to continue to receive shipments you will need to cancel your "Subscribe & Save." In my experience you need to wait several hours for your current order to ship. You can check the status of your order here. To cancel your "Subscribe & Save" click here.

Goals for 2011

I know most people usually post a New Year-related post around, oh, say, the 1st of January. So, I'm a little behind. Meh {shrug}. Oh well. (On a related note, be looking for our Christmas New Years Family Update letter in your email inbox soon.)

Here are a few of my personal goals for 2011. I'm excited about everything God is teaching me already this year!

• God - to adopt prayer as a theme for direction and focus this year ...
• Seth - not sharing, but I have some :)
• Benjamin - to foster independence and eagerness to take on responsibility, to be more consistent about his allergy regimen (meds) and more creative with his food options
• Talia - to help her control her tongue and become more thoughtful of others through careful listening, to provide muscle-strengthening activities and experiences to challenge and strengthen her (she is diagnosed with low muscle tone)
• Leila - to read outloud to her more often, to implement physical therapy strategies consistently (No, she's still not walking; yes, she is 20 months old.), to monitor weight gain and healthy intake, to teach basic first-time obedience (another round of the "terrific two's" coming right up!)
• All Children - to teach them to work and serve others cheerfully through implementation of age-appropriate duties ...
• Taking Care of Myself (physically, mentally) - to run a 5K, to get up earlier than the children consistently, to get 7 hrs. of sleep every night, to read 12 challenging books on subjects such as parenting, educating children, biblical counseling, biblical topics, wisdom/life topics and to take notes/journal as I go ...
• Homemaking - to keep my plan simple enough that I will stick with it, to provide easy, fast, healthful, economic meals for my family that fastidiously accommodate Benj's allergies
• Teaching/Mentoring, Ministry & Relationships - I have several goals in this area, mostly involving specific relationships and ministry opportunities, which I'm not going to share publicly. The main focus of my goals in this area is to focus on my strengths (like one-on-one relationships) and not spend a lot of time and effort in areas where I am simply not gifted (like leading small groups).
• Finances - to continue to shop wisely and hunt for excellent bargains, but to let it occupy a much smaller chunk of my time and attention, to actively work to reduce our budget, not just get great bargains ...

Do you set goals for the New Year? What is your favorite goal for this year?

Black (Saturday) Rite Aid Deals

Here is my stash from Rite Aid this week!

(That's: 4 rolls of Bounty Basic paper towels, 4 bottles Pert Plus, 8 double rolls of Cottonelle, 3 boxes Kleenex, Phillips ear buds, a netipot, Dial hand soap, 2 tubs Cottonelle fresh wipes, 2 boxes Sinex, 1 box NyQuil, Motrin PM, 4 boxes of cereal, and a HAIRDRYER!)

Guess how much?

$2.00. Oh yeah!

Other deals today: 2 free tall brewed coffees at Starbucks, $10 off my birthday breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, 50% off picture frames, Christmas party goods, and a couple of gifts at Hobby Lobby. :)

I love deals. :)

SwagBucks

I read recently about a rewards program called Swagbucks, which rewards you simply for searching online. I could write a compelling post elucidating the myriad benefits of this program, but instead I will simply refer you to the post which enticed me to sign up. You can read it here. If you are convinced as I was and want to start earning free money for something you do anyway, you can sign up here. (This is my referral link, which will help me earn more points as well as get you started earning points of your own.) You can also click on the button in my sidebar.

Happy searching!

Deals!

I've been hard at work, stocking up our cupboards with great deals the past few weeks. I have been AMAZED by two things since I have started couponing:
1) How "worth it" it really can be to take the time to clip coupons and do the match-ups with sale items. I am saving TONS of money! I am way under budget this month, while not only feeding and caring for my family's needs for this month, but doing some major stocking up.
2) How much time it takes to care about how much you spend! I won't pretend it has been easy to get the savings I have listed below. I am truly "earning" my savings. Even though it takes time, however, I have estimated that I'm "making" about $6-7 for every hour I spend, and my hourly rate is improving as I increase my knowledge of my environment and tools. I'm refining my process every week as I learn what works for me and what doesn't. For example, last week I learned I'm not willing to do a huge "stock up" trip every single week because of the huge time investment in preparing my list.

Couponing, for me, has been VERY worth it so far. I have more to say on that subject, but I think it will have to wait for a separate post. In the mean time, part of the fun is getting to share some of my super deals, so here goes...

Rite Aid Deals

Last Week:
1 - Claratin (24 ct.) = $5.99 (orig. $22.99)
2 - Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush, Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers (96 ct.), Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant x2, Kendall Antimicrobial Non-Stick pads = $11.75 total (saved 67%) This was a great deal, considering my box of diapers, alone, was valued at $19.99!

This Week:
1- Mabelline Great Lash Mascara, Playtex Gentle Glide (18 ct.), GE Soft White Long Life Light Bulbs x4, Trident Gum (18 ct.) x3, Nivea Lip Care x2, Suave Lotion x2, Edge Shave Gel, Dryel Refill (6ct.), Febreeze Luminary Starter Kit, Bounce Dryer Sheets (102 ct.) = $10.56, used $5 UP reward from last week = $5.56 out of pocket + earned $9 in UP rewards and a $3 rebate (Original prices add up to approx. $55.)
2- Johnson's Baby Products (shampoo, wash, lotion) x5, Reach Toothbrush x3, Listerine Pocket Pals (72 ct.) = $13.92, used $9 UP reward from prev. transaction = $4.92 out of pocket + earned $26 in UP rewards. (Original prices add up to approx. $40.)
3- Pampers Big Pack (96 ct.), Oral B Toothbrushes x4, Butterfinger (a treat for Seth to boost my total up a few cents so I could use my UP rewards) = $20.85, used $20 UP reward from prev. transaction = $.85 out of pocket + earned $19.50 UP rewards and a $2 rebate. (Original prices add up to approx. $33.)

 Bottom line: For all pictured I spent $11.33 out of pocket, and walked away with $30.50 in UP rewards (not counting the UP rewards I spent in transactions #2 & #3). In other words, I MADE $19.17 shopping at Rite Aid this week, stocking up on over $100 in merchandise. (Anyone need a toothbrush?)

Meijer Deals

Last Week:
Condiments
French's Mustard x2 (.$09 ea.)
Canned Goods
Spaghettios x7 ($.10 ea.), Chef Boyardee Pasta x7 ($.61 ea.), Campbell's Condensed Soups x8 ($.38 ea.), Campbell's Select Harvest Soups x4 ($.25 ea.), Campbell's Soup at Hand (FREE)
Household
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner x4, Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner x3, Lysol All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach x3 (total of 10 Lysol products, $.36 ea.), Glade Relaxing Moments Candle x2 ($.17 ea.)
Laundry
Shout Stain Pre-Treatment x2 ($.99 ea.)
Lunch Items for Seth
Thai Kitchen Rice Noodle Bowls x2 ($1 ea., I thought they would be $.29 ea., but still a good deal), Lunchables x2 ($1.87 ea. - ouch! This was supposed to be $.87 ea., but my $2 checkout coupon didn't print)
Refrigerated
Dannon Light N Fit yogurt, 4 pack x 2 ($.89 ea., or $.22 per serving), Stonyfield Soy Yogurt ($.36 ea), Silk Soymilk 1/2 gal. x3 ($2.32 ea.), Olivio Spread ($.79)
Frozen
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast ($1.63/lb, bought 2 4 lb. bags)
Bags, Foil, Storage
Ziploc Slider Bags x8 ($.14 ea.)
Snacks
Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn x4 ($.58 ea.)

Bottom Line: For all pictured I spent $59, saving 66%!

This Week:
Green Giant Boxed Frozen Vegetables x21, yes 21! ($.13 ea.)
Smart Balance Milk 1/2 gal. ($.99)
Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls x2, Grands Biscuits x4 (all FREE)
Bestlife Buttery Spread [Benjamin safe!], 16oz. (FREE)
Johnsonville Smoked Brats, pkg. of 5, x2 ($.95 ea.)
Frank's Redhot Sauce, 8oz. ($.25)
Filippo Berio Olive Oil, 21 oz. ($5.29)
Ziploc Sandwich Bags, 50 ct. x7 ($.24 ea.)

I also bought 2 gallons of milk and 2 cartons of soy milk that were not on sale. No picture this week, but the bottom line was approx. $30 for all of the above ($40 out of pocket, with $10 checkout coupons good toward next purchase), saving approx. 50%.

Many thanks to Crystal at Money Saving Mom, Shannon at For the Mommas (Rite Aid Deals), Briana at Bargain Briana (Meijer Deals), and Bargains to Bounty (Meijer Deals). I would never ever, ever have time to figure out all these match-ups on my own!

 

I Love Organization!

 Here’s a little project that I forgot to share a couple of weeks ago when I completed it. I’m super excited about my new coupon binder :). By the way, just as a little added bonus I purchased all the supplies on sale with an additional 20% off coupon. That made me super-happy. :)

I remembered having seen a couple of my coupon-queen friends post about their own coupon binders several months ago, but I didn’t pay very close attention then because we were in the middle of dissertation craziness and there was NO WAY I was going to start couponing in the middle of that madness. It’s a good thing I remembered those posts because one thing I found out very quickly when I started couponing was what a pain it was (to me—I’m not trying to offend anyone by insulting her system!) to sift through piles and stacks of coupons in those little accordion dividers. Bleh! It drove me crazy to have to get out each pile and sort through all that mess every time I was looking for a particular brand. I decided I needed to set up a binder system I had heard so many rave about, so I went searching for the details.

After reading and adapting I purchased the following materials:
-1” binder with a clear sleeve on the front
-2 packages of baseball card holders (10 sheets each package), I should have gotten at least 1 more package.
-4 sets of 8-tab dividers

I set up a divider for each category of items. The 24 dividers I decided to include are:

Baby
Bags, Foil & Storage
Baking
Batteries & Lightbulbs
Beverages
Boxed Mixes
Breads
Breakfast
Canned & Jars
Cleaning Products
Condiments, Sauces & Seasonings
Dairy
Frozen
Laundry
Meat & Fish
Medicine & Vitamins
Office
Paper
Pasta & Rice
Produce & Salad
Refrigerated
Restaurants
Snacks
Toilettries & Cosmetics

I’m considering adding a category for clothing (or personal items, including clothing?) and also possibly sub-dividing the toiletries & cosmetics since I have so many of these types of coupons. I’m also thinking maybe a “expiring in the next 2 weeks” category might be helpful, along with a separate tab for store coupons. I haven’t decided what will be most helpful to me yet. (Feel free to comment & share what works for you!)

After my dividers were all set up I went to work filling a baseball card holder sheet with coupons from a single category. I couldn’t find any specific advice on how other couponers divide their coupons among the pockets, but I have tried to do one brand name per pocket. Once I buy some more sheets I will be able to do this more thoroughly.

Lastly, I went to work designing a fun cover for my binder. It makes me smile.

As I have collected more and more coupons over the past few weeks it has been so helpful to be able to flip through my book and find the coupons I need (or wonder if I have) quickly. The only thing that is slightly annoying about the system is that I usually have to make sure I clip all the edges off the coupons so they will fit in the pocket. It takes a little more time on the front end, but I figure I’m saving time considering what I would have spent sifting through piles later on.

What works for you? What coupon filing system do you use?

Check out THIS deal!

For those who don't know, I have been venturing into the world of couponing lately. Not just using coupons, but trying to get some serious discounts by matching coupons up with sale items, etc. To this end I've been following some couponing blogs (did you know there were such things?), which tell me about all sorts of wonderful deals that are available at a variety of establishments.

Yesterday I noticed a post announcing "high value" coupons were available on the website for one of our family's favorite restaurants, Qdoba. For various reasons tonight turned out to be a perfect night to take advantage of this great offer so both Seth and I logged on and printed our coupons. Seth got a 50% off one entree coupon and I got a free entree with the purchase of a drink. Entrees are so huge that Seth & I always split a meal. The kids split a second meal and, if we get a side of chips it is a perfect amount of food for us. This arrangement usually costs us about $15. Not bad for a family of 5.

The coupons specified "one coupon per visitor," but just to make sure we could use both coupons we ordered separately. As we stood in line I calculated: if I took the free entree coupon to order our meal (the more expensive of the two) and Seth used the 50% off, with the purchase of a side of chips & salsa and a drink (to get the free entree), we would be spending about $5.50!

Seth stepped up to pay for the kids' meal, handing the cashier his Qdoba card, which allows us to earn points toward a free meal. When she swiped the card it turned out we qualified for a free meal tonight. One entree, plus chips & salsa = $0.00. Next I purchased our meal, which was indeed free (including the guacamole I added, which normally costs extra), for the price of one small drink. The entire cost for our family of 5 to eat a delicious meal at our favorite Mexican grill this evening was $1.58. I am officially hooked on coupons!