Ok so remember how I said I was going to work hard on cutting down our grocery bill...well I feel like today was a great example, Derek and I are very proud. So Smith's is having a deal on their kellogs/keebler products, if you buy four mix and match products you would get 2 gallons of milk for free. So I looked on pinching your pennies and it said if you buy select kellogs cereals it would print out a coupon for money that you could use towards your next purchase. Ok so here is what we got with all of this (some of this is from WIC too, but still)-
(7) boxes of Kellogs Cereals
(2) boxes of nutri-grain bars
(3) gallons of milk
(1) bunch of bananas
(1) carton of strawberries
(1) bag of wheat tortillas
(1) jar of peanut butter
(1) sweet onion
The grand total: $18.00!!!! I did this in a few transactions. I used a two dollar coupon on Kellogs cereal that I had combined with the $4.00 catalina coupon that printed out after I bought 5 boxes of select cereals. It was a very fun shopping trip needless to say. Also, I have been doing the bountiful baskets co-op...if you guys don't know about this I highly recommend it, it was a little tough this morning because I had to be there for pick up at 7:00 am, but it was worth it. I did the organic baskets this time (you get two baskets by the way) and for $25, I got:
(1) carton of strawberries
(8) avacodos
(10) kiwi
(1) bag of apples
(1) bunch of romaine lettuce
(2) bags of celery
(8) anjou pears
(1) bunch of leeks
(3) beets
(1) head of cauliflower
(1) bunch of broccoli
(1) carton of blueberries
Amazing...it really was worth it I feel like. You can purchase as many baskets as you'd like if your family is bigger, they also have extra things you can purchase, like seasonings, bread, extra produce, cookies etc. It's all over Utah, Washington, Arizona, and Idaho. Go to bountifulbaskets.org. Anyways I had to share, that slowly but surely we are truly saving and building our food storage. Our pantry is getting full and so is our freezer it is such a good feeling. I am so grateful we still have found ways to keep good food, like produce and grains. I always figured couponing meant buying boxed, processed food, but my goodness find some experts to show you how it's done and you can get great food. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Savings Update....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2 Years!!!!
I love you!!!!
First Anniversary
Derek and I have been blissfully married now for two years...man it goes fast...throw a baby in the mix and it goes even faster. We had a strange anniversary, we went on our date the saturday before, and then on the actually 8th we were just going to make dinner and have a nice evening at home since we both had school...well of course Linnea decided to change our plans. When I got home from school I got out of the car to go and get our mail and when I came back to get Linnea out I noticed she had a very blue mouth...hmmm what was she eating. Then I saw the bottle of my Tylenol PM in her hand!!! I pulled out four pills and rushed in the house and called poison control....counting the four pills I pulled out of her mouth there were 8 pills unaccounted for. I couldn't give an exact number as to how many I had actually taken in the past so sine htat was such a toxic level I rushed her down to the ER. Ok so maybe rushed is not the right word. Our hospital is in American Fork right...I don't know the area that great. I called the hospital to get directions...they gave me the wrong directions twice!!!! So you can imagine how sick I am feeling at this point now that is has been about 30 minutes since I found the pills. So finally after going up and down the same street and balling my eyes out I called 911 to get help. They had the hardest time finding out where I was. Come to find out the lady at the hospital kept telling me I was in American Fork when really I was in Lehi the whole time. Well I found it finally got her in and they tell me to have a seat. Forget it I go to the nurse and tell her whats happened and she tells me to fill out an information sheet and she'll be with me in just a minute...I break down...I am in an ER right. Well this nice lady helps me and takes Linnea so I can fill out the sheet. Then they take her back to get her Temp. then tell me I need to wait four hours to get her blood drawn, but if she acts weird let them know...ok. Well my mom showed up, and Derek showed up. I felt like she would be fine because it was so fast I didn't think she had time to swallow anything so I told Derek to go to class and my mom and I sat for hours trying to entertain Linnea. Well long story short...they drew her blood and nothing was in it so we got to go home. I felt enormously grateful but guilty that I could be foolish enough to leave pills around my new curious toddler!!! Lesson deeply learned. Anyways that was our anniversary, I love you Derek and am so grateful for the blessing you are in my life and for how hard you work for our family!!! You are my best friend and I am glad that you are my forever!!!!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Get ready...get set...GO
Ok...so I know everyone is in a similar boat as Derek and I in this economy, as students, young families...etc. So I finally have decided to get off my bum and help out our financial situation instead of just complain about it! We both have listened to Dave Ramsey...he is a guru on getting out of debt....sometimes it seems unreachable on our income, so I have decided to start small. My sister-in-law is a professional coupon, bargain shopper. One month she bought groceries for her family of 5 for $58.00!!! Amazing...I spent nearly $300.00 last month on our family of three, well 2 1/2 since Linnea eats like a bird. hmmmm there's something wrong with that. So she's begining to help me with her techniques. There are so many great coupon sites out there from other people who are masters at saving. Some are pinchingyourpennies.com, coupns.com, moneysavingmom.com and others. Pinching your pennies tracks deals for you at different stores and teaches you how to use your coupons and buy great food for nothing basically. Now I love my produce and as everyone knows there isn't that many coupons on produce, well I found this program that began in Arizona but has now moved to UT, ID, and Washington State (sorry katie it's not back east yet). It's called Bountiful Baskets. They are a non-profit organization that compiles about $50 worth of fresh produce in a basket for you for about $15 every other saturday! Amazing, I've heard some great reviews on this program, the only problem is you have to purchase your basket the tuesday or wednesday before pick-up and you have to go to the pick-up site pretty early on a saturday to collect your basket, but it's only every other saturday and its produce for a great price. The website for them is bountifulbaskets.org!!!! Anyways I know it'll take a few weeks or months to develop habits, but I really am motivated to get going. Any other money saving ideas anyone has please let me know!!!!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Splish Splash...I was takin' a bath
Well I guess I like the water?
Getting ready to get in!!!!
Hmmm...I don't know about that water?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
My number one stress...at the moment.
Ok...I need to vent out something...Linnea doesn't eat. It hasn't bothered me so much until the last couple of days...she won't eat anyting. She throws the food no matter what I seem to do. She used to eat bananas and peanut butter sandwhiches...now just like everything else they are on the floor too. Mandarin organges seemed to be a hit, but today she didn't want them. I'm trying to find a pattern, I have obviously found that fruit is her favorite, but today it seemed like she just had no interest in eating. She drinks whole milk just fine, but talk about not getting a variety of nutrients. I ignore her when she eats and pretend like I'm doing something else. At times she will throw her food then get bored with that then start eating again, but tonight was the worst she would throw it then bang her hands on her tray and just not have any interest in eating at all. So we took a break I put her in the tub we had fun then we went out and tried again, but I ended up putting her broccoli and rice on a cheese tortilla to see if she would be more interested and she was...for about 3 bites then it was just sitting with a bored look on her face wondering why she had to sit in her little seat. I have tried feeding her myself, she lets me sometimes, but then other times she locks her jaw and tries to move away. She also, to make matters even better, learned how to spit out her food, so when I actually get a piece in her mouth she sticks out her tongue and lets it fall. At her last doctors appointment she had gone down in weight a little bit, this is when this all happened, so they told me to add fat to her diet, butter and ice cream...what all the things i never want to get my kids hooked on. but I listened to the doctor and tried and it just has gone down hill. I've decided even if she is small I don't want to sacrifice her health by feeding her processed junk food, so I decided to be happy that she wanted fruit and yogurt more than anything else, but now that that is ending up on the floor I'm lost. I called the nurse today and told them she acts healthy, happy, and just fine and I told them she drinks milk and water just fine, just doesn't seem interested in food. They told me by the time she's 14 months old and if she's still doing it they need to see her, then she said that at least the whole milk will give her fat...I'm sorry but 14 months old is a month away I know that having Linnea on a whole milk diet for a month is totally lacking in nutrients she needs. I've been told that this is a stage, but it doesn't make it better. How do you sit and watch your child eat maybe 50 calories in 14 hours make you feel good, cause it's a "Stage". I've been debating on pureeing food and having her drink it I read that sometimes people do that. Sorry to go on, but it's frustrating and scary. She has a stuffy nose and cold right now, I don't know if maybe she has a sore throat or just doesn't feel like eating today if that is why today has been the worst eating day or what. I'm just praying it gets better, she's already a skinny girl, thats just fine, but I don't want her to lose the nutrients she needs. Stress stress...
Monday, January 4, 2010
2009!
Well it is now 2010 in case you all didn't know...We had a fantastic year in 2009. So much happened and changed...here are some things that happened for our family
School...fun fun
First Birthday
Cute Gemma...wish we still had her, but wish we had a yard along with her
Loving being a new mom...0k so technically I was a mom in 2008, but just for a sec....
We hope everyone had a great new year and has an even better 2010...great things will happen this year....they always do.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2nd Christmas!
I am soooo done with presents!!!!
Christmas was great for us this year...it was Linnea's second Christmas and mine and Derek's second Christmas together...kind of crazy. We had a great time
at my parent's house. We went up on Christmas Eve and had Enchiladas? What? Ok so since it's Dane's last Christmas before his mission he got to choose dinner on Christmas eve and he picked to have a south of the border Christmas...ok whatever works. Anyways we had fun we played games then Katie and Eric arrived and we watched A Christmas Story... Linnea took her first steps on her own, well like she took her own steps without me having to urge her she just got up and started walking...she still for some reason prefers to walk on her knees, but we're working on it. On Christmas morning I was awakened by my over excited sister who was wandering around at 6 in the morning asking if she could wake up Linnea...I told her it is never a good idea to wake up a sleeping baby :) anyways I got up and talked with katie until like 7 then we decided it was time for everyone else to get up...I'm pretty sure my parents were hoping their kids had grown up and wanted to sleep in, but I'm afraid we've all gotten worse as we got older. Anyways we had fun and opened presents.. Linnea was
Auntie Katie!
Playing with her new barn, it has shapes animals and letters
