Couponing you Can do!

Thrifty Thursday pt, 2

So you've heard about couponing and you're interested, but you're not sure you want to commit half your waking hours to clipping coupons, scouring grocery ads, comparing prices, driving store to store, etc. Well, I've found a system that works for our family and it only takes a little extra time and saves me at least 25% I would say.

Things to know about couponing before you start:

Coupons +sales = great deals! - the key to using coupons and really saving money is to use the coupons when items are already on sale
Stocking up is key - try for a 6-8 week supply if possible, consider a deep freeze (buy used from Craigslist, newspaper, yard sale or estate sale) however;
Don’t buy stuff if you won’t use it or it will go bad before you can use it, and
Don’t go overboard. However much money you save, it’s probably not worth having to buy a new house or putting all your kids in one room just to store all of your great bargains!
Understand sales - items tend to go on sale in cycles, ex. Frozen goods, paper goods, canned, etc. This is the reason to save coupons and stock up during a sale
Have target/goal prices for certain items - ex. $1 for cereal, 50cents toothpaste, $1 yogurt, etc. Stick to this as much as possible. Refuse to buy above a certain price and make do until a sale comes along again.

Take advantage of double coupons -
Get a rain check if necessary, also know when stores restock


My Personal Couponing Technique:

1.Start collecting coupons - can take a few weeks. Get Sunday paper & write date on front of coupon inserts. Keep in order.  Print off desired coupons.  Keep all coupons until they are expired! I keep all my coupons in a drawer at home. Here are some common coupon sources:

• Sunday paper - RedPlum, Smart Source & Proctor&Gamble are the most common distrubutors of coupons. On the front on the coupon insert it will say which company they are from and the date is on the outside spine. These are used to identify the coupons when you use a web site to match up
• Friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors can save extra coupons for you if they don't use them. Even those who do use coupons may not need the ones you do and you could exchange
• Blinkies, tear pads & peelies - these are found either on the product or on the shelf next to the product. Sometimes you may know about these ahead of time but sometimes not
• Home mailers - signing up on websites, using store card, etc.
• Catalinas - coupons that print off after receipt, comes from buying certain products, normally I know about these ahead of time but sometimes I'm surprised!
• Websites - Smartsource.com, coupons.com   - I don’t print my coupons until I’m ready to shop, unless I see a really good one that I know I will use. Some prefer to print any they may use at the beginning of the month. I don’t like to waste ink & paper on ones that will not be used…
• Ecoupons - P&G esaver, cellfire (these coups don’t double)
• Magazines - All You magazine

2.    Check store ads & match sales with coupons - coupon mom.com is a good one to start. I prefer to use Deal Seeking mom. On the blue navigation bar, far right is an option that says "store deals". I do 90% of my shopping at Kroger now and will use this to find the best deals currently at Kroger. All the work is done for me! I just select the deals I want and...     
3.    Make list then print off/clip any coupons needed.
4.    Shop & Save! Don’t forget to always use store card if applicable.   

Couponing can become a very practical way of life but it doesn’t need to be Extreme! Consider what your time is worth and do what works best for your family. If you take it too far, you will probably get burnt out eventually.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Mothering Monday

there was an old woman who lived in a shoe...

I'm not going to do all my post titles with alliteration from now on, but it does make it slightly easier somehow. I guess it's just part of the preacher's daughter coming out in me too.

We had a great day in church yesterday. I mean not that it's ever bad, but yesterday for me was just exceptional. Sunday School & Sunday morning were great lessons, we didn't have nursery duty, so that's always a plus. Sunday evening we had our parenting class then the sermon Sunday night was just excellent. I tried to take notes but I think I just ended up writing the entire sermon down!

But what I want to talk about is our parenting class. It's four weeks and being taught by a couple who are missionaries at home on furlough (?) right now. They have four kids and wrote the curriculum themselves. This week's lesson was on discipline. Seriously, how can you condense the topic of discipline into one hour long lesson? But they actually did a really good job of hitting the high points. I know we could have stayed all night and as my friend commented, we needed to do the exact same lesson all over again next week just to let it sink in well! But afterwards I was really inspired to do a better job of training and disciplining our girls.

Then I talked to Nathan. He was so down. He was just overwhelmed. But I really feel that with a few changes on our part we can see big improvement in the girls' behavior.

So today I decided to work on two major areas on my part: being consistent and not yelling but remaining calm as I discipline. And to focus on a couple of specific behaviors with the kids - tantrums and fighting for the littles, and for Kaleigh back-talking and pestering. They were actually pretty good today but I did have some issues. I want to really stick with this and see some positive changes in our household. I think the problem I've had in the past is that I get on these "kicks" of really staying on them for a few days, their behavior does improve, then I slack off again. In no time things are back to wild.

And obviously one problem I have is that with housework I can't be quite as involved as I need to be. I also worked today on having the twins help pick up and clean up. It was a low-key day so I had some extra time which worked out well. If I can keep in my mind that this is all an investment in their future and ours, I think that will help a lot.

I'm also looking forward to really getting into some spiritual training with the kids. I'll keep you posted...

Thrifty Thursday

I've been wanting to start this weekly segment for a while. It may just be this week, ha! But hopefully I can keep up with it somewhat. Maybe every other week, anyway. Those of you who know me & my hubby know that we are into saving $ bigtime! We don't really have a choice. He has a slightly above average paying job, I'm a stay at home mom, and we have 4 kids. I'm almost positive that people would assume that Nathan makes a lot more than he does, based on how we live and the fact that we have almost no debt, other than our mortgage. So those are our "credentials", so to speak. And when I do this "segment" I will share some of the things we do regularly to save money.

The first tip I want to share is

"BUY USED"- Buying used will almost always save you anywhere from 50% - 95% off of regular price. When I look around our house I see so many things that we got used. Here is a list of the kinds of things you can get used -

• furniture
• appliances, large & small
• adult clothing
• kids clothing
• toys
• home decor
• recreational & exercise equipment
• hobby items
• collectables
• etc,etc,etc...

You can see that aside from food, there's not much that isn't on this list.
And I don't think it's ever been easier to find the used things that you are looking for. There are so many ways to get secondhand items these days:

• Garage & yard sales
• craigslist
• ebay
• newspaper classifieds (also online!)
• facebook online yard sales
• thrift stores
• consignment stores
• consignment sales
• flea markets
• antique stores
• Estate sales
• asking people
• etc, etc, etc...

 Some tips for buying bigger items 2ndhand:

• When possible, view item first, look over carefully and ask for a lower price if necessary
• If item was misrepresented, don't be afraid to ask for your $ back 
• don't wait till you're desperate to start looking for something - if your fridge is 27 years old, start shopping now! Don't wait till it goes out and you have to pay full price at Sears.
• be cautious with electronics - I probably wouldn't buy a used tv or camera unless I knew the person selling it & why which leads into my next point
• Ask why they are selling the item, if you need to. Are they just upgrading or is something wrong with it? Maybe it's an easy fix, they just didn't want to mess with it. Or they had white & wanted stainless, etc.
• Safety & quality - with fabrics & clothing I always look for non-smoking with children in the home. Also on toys & kids' items, if it's broken, damaged or old, it could be dangerous so be careful

When not to buy used:

I've heard it all on this, ranging from ridiculous "I just can't drive a used car". Oh really, is it not capable of taking you where you need to go? To reasonable "I can buy it new for just a little more and get exactly what I want." This is legit. And if you have the money and want to spend it, go for it. We've been married ten years and have yet to buy new living room furniture, but we will one day. We have the money now, but I prefer to let my 3 year olds and 2 year old ruin my $150 used sectional, not $2000 furniture! Once they're out of the spilled milk, potty accident, chocolate smearing stages, we will talk.  I've heard people say about appliances - I'd rather get a new one that will last than a used one that would go out sooner. Well, consider a washing machine - you can get on all day long for $150. You could replace that at least 4 times before paying what you would for a new one! Trust me, it's a no-brainer. Even if you do get burned a couple times. I try not to buy poor quality items either. If I'm in a hurry and get something home that is messed up, out it goes. It is a poor misconception that used=lower quality. If it makes you feel better, think of it as vintage or shabby chic!

So those are my thoughts. I'm interested in hearing what you think. Is any of this new to you? Any arguments? Our lifestyle may seem extreme to some, but I don't feel deprived in the least. We try to enjoy the process of saving money. It really can be fun! Sure, there are things that I would love to have and don't but I can't imagine anyone would say otherwise. Not anyone reading this blog anyway, ha!

For me it all comes back to being content & what the bible has to say about it.

Phillipians 4: ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Destined for Greatness...

Doesn't every parent immediately wonder what their kids will be like/do when they grow up? Come on, admit it! I read my kids a Little Golden book "The Bunny Book".

The people in the book all dream of what baby bunny will be when he grows up. I used to read this when I was a kid!

So anyway, after it was over I asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up...

Avery said "a clown!" I'm thinking she could definitely pull this one off...

Alexis said "a princess, a pretty princess". (not an ugly one,ha!)  I think she's already got this one down!

Kaleigh said "a cheerleader when I'm a teenager, then a teacher". Very doable...

And Baby Emory. What does she want to be? Well, she answered the question the way she answers all serious questions - with the answer that is almost always right.

"Jesus!"

Okay, Emory. If you said you wanted to be like Jesus, we could get on board. But the title of Savior of the World is already taken :)

Identical Twin Girls - the story of Avery & Alexis

(Welcome guests of Kelly's Korner)

Our twin "journey" or more appropriately "adventure" began when our oldest, Kaleigh, was 2. We started talking about having another one after she was about 27 months. After about 4 months of trying, a test confirmed that I was preggo. And at that point I was already feeling symptoms. Nausea, soreness, constipation. What?! I couldn't have been more than 2 weeks along. I made the comment to my husband that "something just felt wrong". Twins never crossed my mind! Within another week or two I'd tried every anti-nausea drug on the market, along with every home remedy. I ended up in the ER not able to eat, sleep, or hold anything down. I will never forget that first ultrasound as I laid in a semi-comatose state, my husband holding my hand. The tech got on the phone with someone who could see what she was seeing.

"Is that? ... Uh, huh... Yeah, I thought so".

Back to us she pointed to the monitor and said "Here's your baby.... And here's your other baby". I literally gasped and sat straight up, now fully awake. Nathan just started laughing. Then crying, then laughing again.

After spending a day or two in the hospital getting fluids and eating some, I went home. Somehow through the grace of God I pushed through that trying first trimester. Also zofran, herbal teas. We had fun sharing our news with friends and family. I was told at some point that the babies were in the same sac, which is pretty rare and dangerous. I tried not to worry too much over that and just prayed about it. My mom especially was praying also. At about 12 weeks or so, we found out that there was a membrane there, it just couldn't be seen early on.

At 19 weeks I went in for my gender ultrasound. I had gotten pretty big by then and was feeling a lot of pressure down below. "Just twins and your 2nd pregnancy is what friends and my doctor said". They did the ultrasound and said "Two girls!" We were fine either way, just waiting for that "they both look great and healthy". That didn't come...

The doctor came in and basically told us we needed to see a high risk specialist right away. I was bawling and wanting to know what was wrong. He didn't say much to help. We couldn't get an appointment that day so we made one for the next day. I don't think I slept much that night. The next day we found out the diagnosis. Twin to twin transfusion. I didn't get a stage, but I think it was pretty advanced. He told us we needed to do something or we would likely lose them both. The best & only real option was laser surgery. We didn't think about it long, we had them call down to Houston and make the appointment. It was for the next day. We went home, packed our bags and started driving after alerting our prayer warriors.

I should add here two significant things - first, this ultrasound was at 19 weeks, not the standard 20. Another week might well have been too late. Also, this laser surgery is only done at 4 places in the U.S. One happened to be within driving distance for us... God was definitely watching over us!
 
When we got to this huge medical complex and found the doctors, they walked us through the procedure and explained the risks and possible outcomes. It was all scary but didn't change anything for us. We also found out a further complication. My cervix was much more open than it should have been, basically I was close to going into labor. They put in a cerclage for that and also prescribed bedrest.

The surgery went well. Those people are miracle workers and I thank God for them and the way they are using their gifts to save lives. But at this point was the most difficult time of my life so far. I was on bedrest for 13 weeks. My friends and family stepped in and came to help take care of me and Kaleigh while Nathan was working. I didn't realize it at the time but I was major depressed and constantly anxious about the babies. I went in for bi-weekly ultrasounds and got to be reassured that the babies were growing properly now. At 33 weeks I went in and Avery hadn't grown since the visit before so my doctor decided it was time for them to be born. I had a c-section. They were 3 lbs, 10 oz and 3 lbs, 13 oz. They were very healthly though, and spent 17 days in NICU putting on a little weight. We brought them home around 5 lbs!

Those first few months were a blur. We survived is about it. Constant feedings, changing, doctor visits, etc. But overall they did very well. They had some developmental delay and got therapy for a little while but are now completely caught up. For some reason potty training was awful. They were well into their 3rd year before that was done. I've heard this from other parents of multiples.

Now my thoughts on the ups & downs of twins. I'll start with the negative first.

The difficult part of having young twins (from my point of view)

1. the pregnancy - filled with potential complications, a twin pregnancy can be very stressful, although some thrive and do perfectly
2. the first year - lets face it, the first year with one baby is hard, two is just rough. And more than that - downright scary! less sleep, more laundry, more dishes, just more work...
3. extra expense - twice as many diapers, aahh! Or you can do like me and have another baby 16 months later = 3 in diapers! Plus two cribs, more clothes, etc. I don't think you need two of everything, they can rotate between swings, bouncers, etc. And think used!
4.  fighting in the older years - a constant companion is also a constant rival
5. it's hard to go places - all the stuff times two, then two babies, more if you have other kids. sometimes it's just not worth it. For the past three years I've done most of my grocery shopping at 9:00 at night, even though I'm a stay-at-home mom.  

The benefits of twins:

1. two at once! - pregnancy is hard, if you can get two out of the way at one time, all the better...
2. they're doing the same thing at the same time - it's not always twice as much work to do the same thing twice. at times it's a lot easier than having two kids different ages, keep them on the same schedule and you will help yourself out a lot
3. the like the same things - same toys, same tv shows, etc.
4. they play together and entertain each other - it's a special bond that twins share
5. lots of attention - it can be annoying if you're in a hurry, but mostly it's fun to see the reactions. people are just fascinated by twins. And they automatically think you're an awesome parent. I'm not sure I understand this...
6. constant playmates - now that they are 3, my twins play together so wonderfully. There is much less fighting than even a year ago. they love to be together even just looking at books. It's fun to watch their unique personalities develop as they grow
7.  Kids are a blessing so twins are double the blessing. Twice as much love! 

Ski Trip Highlights

We got back today from our ski trip - it was sooo much fun! Nathan and I talked on the way home about how 5 years ago we went on a ski trip with these same friends and had such a great time then too. It was kinda in the back of our minds that maybe that was a once in a lifetime never to be repeated experience but this was just as good, better in some ways. It was slightly different taking the oldest kids (all 6 year olds) but really good.  Kaleigh was so wonderful to have along. She was sweet and enjoyed being with her friends and I enjoyed my time with her too.

 As I said, Highlights (details to come later):

• Skiing together - we split up some but for the most part skiied together. I was able to keep up and even did a little racing and some "off roading". I could be better at skiing but I normally do NOT like feeling out of control. When I got that way I just slowed myself down.
• the kids skiing - they all went in ski school for 3 days and it was so awesome to see their progress at the end of each day! I was really amazed at how well they did. On the third day we all went down a long blue together. When it was over Kaleigh said "that was fun but a little boring!) She is not my child, ha! It was just so neat to see her and have this experience with her, and know that she will remember this her whole life.
• The weather - this goes along with skiing but the weather was perfect! We were hot the first two days and just a little cold the third. It was windy that day.
• the Evenings - we came back to the very spacious condos and cooked meals & ate together then played, laughed until bedtime (which was VERY early for some, ha!) Oh, and soaked in our private hot tub, could not forget that. I think the hot tub was responsible for lack on any soreness for me. As I said earlier, I'm not at all in shape and I skiied pretty hard. 
• Days off - we worked it so we had two days off. The first we shopped and went to these amazing hot spring pools. They ranged in temp from the 89 degree swimming pool to the 111 degree hot tub Ben stayed in and our fave - the hot waterfall tub! I really felt luxurious. 

Our own little tropical paradise in the snowy mountains!

Lowlights
  Very few - I think almost all our cheeks were crazy chapped, no matter how much lotion we put on! No big deal, though. The saddest thing was missing our friend Nitzia. She had already decided not to come but sadly her mom passed away on Thursday. I missed her liveliness and her sweet spirit. And my heart aches for what she is going through right now.

So that's our trip in condensed form. I'm going to try my best to come back and break it down, just so I'll remember. Even the drive was fun, with the great company.  I'm glad to be back and see the littles, and so thankful for our parents keeping them for so long. I think they enjoyed it, on both parts.

Vacation!!

Well, just in case you were wondering, my crazy week that I wrote about in my last post continued on into the next week. Nathan got sick, Emory got antibiotics, and the kids kept coughing. But at some point they finally stopped and amazingly all was calm again. For, like, an hour :)

On Thursday Nathan called me and said I might have to come pick him up - he was driving and couldn't keep his eyes open b/c of the brightness. He had slept in his contacts the night before but we weren't sure what was happening. I did have to go & pick him up, and the eye Dr called in some antibiotic drops for him. When we got home he just stayed in the dark as much as possible. I felt like I needed to get one of those shirts that say "I Love Vampires"! Then I left him and went to bunko :) Hey, don't judge. I was gonna stay home & he insisted that I go. The next morning was his birthday and I took him to the eye doctor. Mr. Tommy Moseley was so great. He said Nathan's eye was a little roughed up but should be fine.

In the meantime my brother and sis in law came to visit at the last minute b/c Kristin had a possibility of a job and they wanted to come while they could. Kelly came too :) Nathan got to stay home from work that day but was feeling a lot better so it ended up being a pretty good birthday for him. We went to Carino's that night and all 9 of us ate for almost nothing on his Pasta Points.

Saturday night we celebrated Nathan's birthday with his family. Sunday our whole family got to go to church for the first time in at least 3 weeks. Of course we had nursery duty :) We also had to get there really early for a Deacon/Widow breakfast. Nathan has 3 widows that we are supposed to keep in touch with. we haven't done a very good job but I want to visit them a little more. They are the sweetest ladies. I had fun at the breakfast. One lady just kept me laughing, she has the best sense of humor.

And on Friday we are leaving for our ski trip! We are going with the same friends we went with 5 years ago. If you want to see pics or more details, my friend Amber just blogged about it. This time we are bringing our "big kids". They are all 6. They will all be in ski school so we will be pretty free. Me and Nathan need this vacation. We didn't take one at all last year. Even though we still have K, she's easy so I think it'll be a wonderful break. I'm not even dreading the drive. I saved up some Christmas $$ and got a new laptop so I'll be playing games, watching movies, reading, talking to friends, etc... I'm excited about my laptop. I know I'm a little behind in technology. I wanted an iPad but I had $200, not $700. We got a deal on this laptop. Also it will do so much more, as far as connectivity. We've never even had a new laptop before. Some friends were so sweet to give us their old ones, back when I was on bedrest, but it's amazing how fast a new one goes! I guess in about 5 years, I'll probably get an iPad :)

We did get some sad news yesterday. My friend Nitzia's mom is very sick. She lives in Mexico and Nitzia is going to be with her and will not be going on the trip. Please keep the family in your prayers. Her mom went from very healthy to very, very sick in such a short amount of time. The Dr's still aren't sure what is causing all her problems. My heart is very heavy for all of them right now. I believe God is in control but it's hard to understand His ways sometimes, for sure.

I'll try to update during our trip if I'm not too exhausted! I tried to exercise a few times but it didn't go too well. I may end up in ski school with Kaleigh, ha! This is probably the worst shape I've ever been in for something like this.