March ~ A Good Month!

March has proven to be a really good month! We started it out with a visit from Grandad & Grandma Duncan, which was super fun!! Elli loves attention from her grandparents...good thing she has a lot of them :) The 2nd & 3rd week was dedicated to packing up our home for our latest move; this time to North Carolina!! My mom (aka Nana), came to help us with the packing/movers/Elli entertaining, and got to come with us on a quick little vacay to Charleston, SC (our reward to ourselves for 6 moves in as many years!). I LOVE that place...definitely a "must visit" if you haven't already! After that wonderful trip, we dropped my mom off at the airport and started our 4 hr. drive to our new home in NC. We hit the ground running as soon as we got here, and were blessed to have GG & Grandaddy (Chris's mom & step-dad) come out to help us with the move-in. Oh, and we celebrated my 30th birthday in the middle of all of that too!! It's been a crazy, but wonderful month. A new house, meeting up with old friends, lots of family visits, & a birthday!! What could be better?!

Grandad, Grandma & Elli...in front of the dog fence. She's going to miss those little puppies!

"Whoa!! Did you guys see that?!" This is what she did after she bowled for the very first time!! She was so tickled with herself :)

Nana, Me & Elli at Ft. Sumter
Chris & E at the Magnolia Plantation...in the petting zoo!
In the park on the Battery in Charleston

At the Charleston Children's Museum...we couldn't get her out of the water!!

In the middle of moving, and while staying in a hotel, I thought that there was pretty much no way that I would be getting a birthday cake. I was so sure of it that I went out and bought myself a cupcake :) And what did I find when I got back to the hotel that night?? My sweet husband had surprised me with my favorite cake (red velvet!!) & candles...I felt terrible for doubting him!! He's the best :)

Elli playing in the fountain in front of the Charleston Aquarium.

PaPa's Visit

The older I get, the more I long to be with family. My dad came out for a visit 2 weekends ago, and I had such a great time being with him. Just being. We didn't plan anything special, just spent time catching up & soaking in the gorgeous weather. He taught Chris and I how to play 42, and Texas Hold 'Em, & we finally played Mexican Train by the rules...no small feat when you play in our family :) But the best part was just relaxing, talking, and watching him with Elli. That part truly warmed my heart. She loves her PaPa, and no matter how many miles may be between them, it's a bond that runs deep.

They tested out just about every park in our little town, attempted to feed the ducks (complete with duck calls & everything...to no avail!), walked up and down the hill on our street at least 10 times, and drove E's little barbie car until the batteries nearly quit! He was able to hug her good-night, and give her kisses every morning. And it was wonderful. Truly.

When he left, I cried. Might not be a shocker to those who know me, but I don't usually cry-cry when people leave...just mist up a bit. What can I say, I'm a softy! But this time, I cried. I don't know if it was because it will be the last time he visits us in this house, or that I'm nervous that it won't be as easy for our families to visit at our next base, or that I just hated to see such a great weekend end. But whatever it was, it pricked my heart.

The older I get, the more I long to be with family. To tell them how much I love them, how much they mean to me, and how thankful I am for them. To hug them as often as possible, and to spend quiet moments together. To experience Elli's life with them, and capture the memories that will buoy her until the next visit. To just be.

Coupons ~ Tips & Tricks

My husband calls it the "coupon conspiracy". Coupons are elusive, and sometimes the ones you find seem to be so good that they somehow suck you into buying things that you normally wouldn't! Ever happen to you?! When I first tried couponing, I was in England. Sweet people back in the States would clip out coupons and send them to the Airman Family Readiness Center where they would be put into huge bags that could be checked out at any time. I thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm going to save a TON of money!! Look at all these coupons!". I think the most I ever saved was $1.80. Seriously. So, the start to this quest was not successful...obviously!

Fast forward a few years, and I saw that silly show Extreme Couponing. After seeing those people save literally $100's of dollars, I decided that I would try again...and I was determined to be successful! Umm, not as easy as I thought. Now, I'm pretty organized (and crazy when it comes to having to be meticulous about things), but holy cow...they sell binders for couponing! Did you know that?! Craziness! But there are a few tricks out there that actually make couponing worth it. I'm happy to say that I successfully cut our grocery bill by 40% this month. Shocked?! Me too! Ha!

So anyway, here are a few of the first things I did when I decided to get serious about it. I hope that some of my tips inspire you guys to try it out, too! It can be done :) I'm going to try to do some installments b/c it can be overwhelming. Today is just what I did in the beginning.

1. ORGANIZE ~ Buy a small accordion style file folder at Walmart. Not the big paper-size ones, but the ones that actually say "coupon size" on the side. They cost about $3.00. Then, organize it the way you want using the tabs at the top. My tabs say: Food, Home, Bath, Baby, Sweets (yes, that has its own tab!!), Walgreens/CVS, Restaurants, Retail, About to Expire.

2. CLIP ~ Sunday, for me, is clipping day. I buy 2 papers on Sundays b/c we live in a small town...you might only need to buy 1, depending on where you live. BUT, I also like the benefit of getting 2 of the same coupons, so it might be worth it to get 2.

Also, get on Coupons.com and print out the ones that you like. It's a great website, but you sometimes have to wait a few minutes for all the coupons to load. When they print, stack them all up so that you make a few cuts as possible. It doesn't take near as long when you do that, and you won't get so bored. Can you tell I'm impatient?!

**Once you've clipped, go back and organize. Put all your coupons under the right tab, and if you've been doing this awhile, weed out your expired & almost expired ones (and file those). All the stuff I've read has said to think of your coupons as free money, you don't want to waste them if you don't have to!**

3. WAIT ~ This step is the hardest for me! I've learned that if you keep your coupons for 3-4 weeks, you'll actually find the same stuff on sale at your local stores. So, instead of using them the Monday after you clip them, try to wait at least 3 weeks (unless there is something too good to pass up!).

4. MAKE YOUR MENU & LIST (& STOCK PILE) ~ There are two ways that you can do this. You can do what I do and make your weekly menu and then look at your coupons & local store ads to coordinate your list. Or, you can look at your local stores ads to see what is on sale, and then use that info to make your weekly menu. I think you save money either way, but the way I do it ensures that I won't be buying anything that I really don't need (and takes a little less time & thought, if we're being honest here!).

The key is to stockpile. For a military spouse, it took me awhile to wrap my head around that. I don't like clutter, and I'm always thinking about the next move (no matter how far away it is), so I wasn't really on-board with the whole stockpiling thing. BUT, you save money in the long run, you really do. For example, I don't need toothpaste because I have plenty, BUT, it has been on sale at Walgreens for the past 2 weeks and I always find lots of coupons for it as well. So, though I don't really need it, I've actually gotten 3 tubes for free (by using coupons & following the sales). Same way with toilet paper & paper towels...they go on sale often, and coupons are plentiful. So stock up, you won't be disappointed.

5. BE INFORMED ~ I'm going to do another post about this b/c it is so important, but you really just need to know what is on sale, when, and how many coupons you can use in conjunction with it. For example, the Kroger in my city doubles coupons up to 50 cents every day. So, if I have a 50 cent coupon or higher, I know I will save $1.00 on whatever I purchase with it. Make sense? Some stores have triple coupon days, none around here do, but it would definitely be worth it to check into it in your town! Also, my Kroger does a lot of 10 for $10 deals. This is where it would be worth it to have multiple coupons for the same item. If I have 5 coupons for $1.00 off something, I can use them to get those 10 items for only $5! Or, you might have 5 coupons that are $2.00 off of 2 items. Uhhh, bonus!! In that case, you'd get all 10 items for FREE!! See what I'm saying here? And even if you might not really "need" all 10 items, you just got them for free, so is it really a bad deal? You can always donate the extras if you want :)

If you shop at Target, you can get grocery coupons online. When you use those, you can also use manufacturers coupons on top of them. It's called "stacking" (yes, I'm a dork for knowing that!). So, you might have a $1.00 off coupon from Target online, and a $1.00 off coupon that you found in the paper...so you really get $2.00 off! And, if you wait that 3 weeks that I mentioned before, chances are that the item will be on sale as well!!

Store cards might be worth the time it takes to fill out the application. My Kroger card has been awesome! Not only do you get discounts on just about everything (produce included), you can also "load" your card up with coupons if you visit the Kroger website. And again, if you have a "Kroger Coupon", you can also use a manufacturers coupon as well, so you're really saving double :)

**Also, for those commissary shoppers out there...the commissary has their own coupons! Be sure to look on them (usually at the bottom in small print) to see if you can "stack" other coupons on top of them. I think it's about 50/50.**

6. DON'T DISCRIMINATE ~ I've learned that sometimes you have to switch brands to get the best deals. Toothpaste, for example, I don't really care if it's Colgate or Crest! Same with paper towels, toilet paper, pasta noodles, tortillas, bread, & cheese. If one is cheaper than the other, or if I have a great coupon for one, I'm going to go with price...every time. HOWEVER, I cannot switch diapers, wipes, or pasta sauce. Can't do it. Tried, and failed. So, do what works for you! But try not to get sucked into buying things you don't need/want b/c you feel like the bargain is too good to pass up. I tried that with frozen meals, knowing full well that no one in my family is a fan of frozen...and we didn't eat them. Waste! So, try to learn from that little mistake of mine :)

Happy Couponing, friends!! I'll fill you all in on some more fun tips later this week :)

So much to say, so little time!

So much has been going on these last few weeks, I feel like I'm running around in circles trying to get it all done! We're moving soon, so we're in the midst of wrapping up our lives here in Mississippi. The good-bye's are coming, which is always sad, but we're really looking forward to the next chapter in our life! We've loved our time here, the friends that we've made, the things we've been able to do, and the time that we've been able to spend together as a family. We haven't taken it for granted, and I'm glad to say that I can look back on the last 1.5 years with great joy!

We found a house to rent at our next base, which makes me very happy! We're super excited to see it in person b/c at this point we've only seen pictures. But, we did the same thing with the house that we're in now and we've been thrilled with the outcome. So, I'm not too worried! It looks like it has plenty of room, even if we expand (fingers-crossed & double-crossed!!), and it even has a play room for E!! I can't wait to start decorating!

The coupon-ing thing is going GREAT!! I can't wait to share with y'all some great tips and tricks!! I think you'll be shocked by how much you can save by just keeping a few key things in mind. I hope to get a post up about it this week.

Today is C & I's 5th Anniversary! I've been planning lots of fun surprises for it, and I'm so excited for him to open all of his gifts. I'm terrible at surprises, and I usually spoil them all at least a week early. I think this will be the first year he won't know what he's getting until he opens it! We're not celebrating until tomorrow b/c my dad is coming into town and we're going to take advantage of the free babysitter :) I know, we're cheap!! And in addition to celebrating, I'm so excited to see my dad. It's been far too long, and I've missed him tremendously!

The other super fun news that I have is that I started my own business as a Thirty-One Gifts Consultant. I can not tell you how pumped I am to get started...it's been a long time since I've been so motivated & excited about working! There is MUCH to tell you about, but I'll save it for its own post. I just wanted to fill y'all in...I wanted to wait until I'd really gotten it off the ground, but I already spilled that I'm terrible at surprises!!

To hold y'all over until I can get the other posts written, I thought I'd share some Elli pictures!! The weather has been awesome, so I'm trying to let her spend as much time outside as possible...I think she was going stir-crazy with all those cold, snowy days!

Love Is...

I think about my Nana quite often. Like last night, when I pulled out her recipe for her "Good Morning Casserole" so that I could make it for my MOPS group today, and ran my fingers over her pretty handwriting. And a few days ago when I saw the most gorgeous cardinal in our backyard, and then another one flying next to our car. And last week when I remembered that it really wasn't that long ago that she was voted Valentine's Queen at the Assisted Living Home where she lived. She got to wear a crown, a sash & everything!! My brother & his friend *might* have stuffed the ballot box for that one :) She is on my mind frequently, and I miss her so very much.

One of the things that I kept of hers when she passed away was a photo album filled with old "Love Is" funnies (she called them "funnies" instead of comics and it stuck!). Have you ever seen them? I was looking at the dates on some of them, and they are from the 1970's! I can just see her, in my minds eye, flipping through the paper, reading them to my Granddad & smiling, and clipping them out to save & reread.

Some of my favorites read:

Love is....when you're so happy you could cry.

Love is...a smile instead of a frown.

Love is...taking the responsibility for your mistakes.

Love is...that lonely feeling when he's away.

Love is...just one more kiss.

Love is...facing the future together.

Love is...an adventure into the unknown.

Love is...biting back that unkind word.

Love is...something you learn more about as you grow together.

Love is...living every minute of every day.

Don't those just bring a smile to your face?! This Valentine's Day marks that 15th anniversary of my husband and I's first date! Whoa! And as I look back over the last 15 years, I see a lot of truth in those "Love Is" funnies. I'm still that starry-eyed girl from all those years ago; still head-over-heels in love :)

Show Us Your Life ~ Toddler Food

It's been awhile since I've participated in Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" blog linkup...but what better way to start back up than with food!!

Miss E is a little bit picky. By that I mean she usually eats pretty well, there are just days when she's not "feelin'" something in particular. Like chicken...sometimes she'll eat it, sometimes she won't. We usually have pretty good luck when we give her some ketchup to dip it in...she's just like her daddy, she thinks everything is better with ketchup!!

Breakfast...this is pretty standard (though she'd already eaten half of her fruit and toast). We go with fruit (usually strawberries, blueberries, or bananas), a 1/2 piece of toast (dry, most of the time), and some type of cereal (she loves oatmeal). On the weekends, or whenever I feel like cooking in the morning, we'll give her a plain waffle and let her dip it in syrup, or a biscuit with a little bit of jelly. She eats A LOT in the mornings...more than any other time of the day.

Lunch varies from day to day. Sometimes she'll have 1/2 of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, sometimes just lunch meat & some cheese. She loves quesadillas, & ham/cheese/tortilla roll-ups. We do applesauce, ritz crackers, grapes, goldfish, or pretzels for her "side"...just depends on what we have and what she's in the mood for.

Snacks vary as well. Jello is a big hit, as are Nilla Wafers (mmm, yummy!). Goldfish and Multi-Grain Cheerios are easiest, and I like to put those in little containers that have the plastic "vent" type things on the top. You know the ones...they keep stuff from spilling out, but make it easy for toddler hands to reach in and grab a handful. We've done graham crackers, and I just got a box of Annie's Organic Bunny Grahams. Those suckers are tasty! Fruit always goes over well, and so does cheese. Basically, she likes what I like...makes it pretty easy!

This is a E's typical dinner. We like for her to try whatever it is that we're eating, and provide her with enough sides to keep her from being hungry if she doesn't like it. She's a big fan of tomatoes, and will eat just about any fruit that we put in front of her. Peas, broccoli and green beans are okay if they are mixed with something (like spaghetti sauce...or ketchup!). Asparagus is iffy, and zucchini & squash are no-go's. Basically, she's not a big fan of veggies. Sadly, I think she gets that from me! But I keep trying, and that's what counts right? Right?!

Hope you got some good ideas...and I'd love to hear some of y'alls! I'm not very good at branching out, so I'm totally open to suggestions! Oh, and be on the look-out for the recipe for the pasta dish above. It's one of my favorites, and is oh-so-easy! I'll be sharing that soon :)

My New "Thing" ~ Coupons!!

Girls clothes are cute. REALLY cute. I say this because it's my excuse/reasoning behind my slight shopping problem :) If they weren't so stinkin' cute, it wouldn't be an issue! Ha! So in an effort to ease my guilty conscience, I decided to look for ways to save a little money in other areas. First way that I found....COUPONS!!

Some of you may watch Extreme Couponing on TLC and think that those people are crazy. I watch it and think that they're all geniuses! Well...kinda. I mean, I guess they might be a little crazy, but HELLO...they pay like $2.00 for over $100 worth of groceries! Ummm, yes please! So a few weeks ago I set out to start saving, & though I didn't save anywhere near what those people did, I wasn't too disappointed. My goal is to whittle my grocery bill down 40%. Lofty, yes. Doable...the jury is still out, but I'll let y'all know!

The first thing I did was scope out some good websites for info. I tried The Grocery Game about a year ago, but I really didn't want to pay for anything. After a little research, I found that Kitty over at Coupon Divas does almost exactly the same thing for free! Just from her website, there are: links to online coupons, deals of the week, store match-ups (a detailed list of what coupons to use at which stores for the most savings!), tutorials on how to stock up and save & all kinds of freebies. She's great! There is also a list of all the restaurants in your area that do "kids eat free", and the days that they're available. I'm telling you, if you're new to couponing like I was, this is your resource!

The most valuable thing that I learned in my research is that if you want to truly save some money, it's going to take some time & organization. I don't live in a very urban area, so there aren't very many coupons in my Sunday paper. Because of that, I have to buy both the local paper & the bigger city paper to find the best deals. I wasn't too excited about that, but last week I spent $2.50 on the papers and clipped $75+ worth of coupons!! Seriously! It took me about an hour to cut them all out, and then I ended up buying one of those small accordion files at Walmart so that I could organize them all. Just FYI, my immediate thought was to use some of the coupons that day; however, I've found that if you hold onto them for about 3 weeks, your local stores will put most of those same items on sale...so you can use your coupons then and save even more!

A few pointers if you're thinking of starting:

Don't get discouraged. First time I tried it, I saved $3.00. I didn't think it was even worth it! But the last time I bought groceries, I saved about $30...which was 20% of my bill! MUCH better!

If you use a website match-up, make sure it applies to your city. Can you tell where this is going?! I didn't check to make sure that my local store had the same sales as what I found online and I ended wasting about 5 coupons & bought stuff I really didn't need. Oops!!

Use your discount card. I don't really like Kroger, but when they have 10 for $10 sales you can use your discount card + your coupons to get things for free! Yes, FREE!! Also, they double coupons up to 50 cents every day :)

Speak Up! If you know me at all, you know that I really dislike confrontation. But, sometimes you need to let people know that there has been an error. Walmart honors competitors prices...even on sale items. If they don't give you the right price, tell them.

And lastly, if you're wondering about the random picture of Elli at the top of my post, well...it's from a little photo shoot I did today :) Deal Wise Mommy (another GREAT deals website) posted that SeeHere is offering 24 photo cards for just $2.49 (which is the shipping). I made some super cute ones for Valentines Day, and if you head over there right now you can too!!

Happy Couponing!!