Another Great Deal

Even though we go to evening church we are normally still up on Sunday mornings to get some great deals at the drug stores. Today we went to Rite-Aid. It's one of my favorites- probably because it doesn't open until 10am!

I took Carson with me today for help. While he admits that he would never have the patience to put all of the deals together and collect the coupons, he enjoys shopping for them. It's like a game for him. There were actually people waiting at the door before they opened today. With some of the really good money maker deals they don't stock them very well so you have to be quick and decide what is most important. So it's something that Carson and I have fun doing together.

Anyway, on to the deal I got today. This is a combination of two purchases to maximize our coupons. It doesn't look like a lot but you know how drug store prices go.


Total before coupons: $61.18
Total after coupons: $31.14 (Whoever says coupons don't add up should notice that I just used $30 in coupons to save me almost 50%)
Total after rebates: $4.77 (the tax was $4 on this purchase... so we pretty much just paid tax for these items

But the deal gets better: If I spend over $50 before coupons (check) then they will send me a $10 Rite Aid gift certificate! Meaning that I really made $5.23 today. Now that's worth getting out of bed for!

Baking Day

I spent the majority of my Monday in the kitchen baking. I had read about baking days on other blogs and as I began collecting recipes I forgot to stop. I ended up making 9 different items! Next time I won't take on as much but it was a really fun project. Our freezer is now very well stocked and I have some great new recipes to add to my collection. One of my favorites is this Honey Granola Crunch. Carson was working from home so he was able to help me by keeping up with the dishes.
Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
Whole Wheat French Bread Rolls
Homemade Hamburger & Hot dog Buns (The hamburger buns are missing because we had them for dinner that night)
Honey Granola Crunch
Homemade Wheat Bread
Super Power Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles (I just balled up the dough to freeze and have fresh baked cookies whenever we want)

When all this was done I figured I wasn't tired quiet yet so I made homemade hot pockets. Carson and I have very different taste when it comes to filling for these to I made two different varieties: ham, egg, cheese and broccoli for me and bacon, egg and green peppers for Carson. I modified the recipe and did half and half with regular and wheat flour which I think made them better than last time I made them. It's perfect for a quick breakfast or lunch. I just pop them in the microwave for 2 minute like a store bought hot pocket!

And now that I've told you all about it.. I'm ready to go enjoy some of the yummy treats!

Crazy Awesome Weekend

We had such a busy and great weekend that I'm just getting caught up and having the time to update you all!

Saturday I had my first regional Aloette meeting! It was a very early morning but totally worth it. It was very encouraging to see people who had recently started already doing so well. A lot of the ladies (including the regional president) talked about their faith while they had the mike. It's so amazing to see God working in this company and to be a part of a company that does not make me hide my faith! That night I had my first training show which was also great!

Carson also had an exciting Saturday with his first independent photography gig! He did awesome and got three leads for other gigs. If you want to check out his website click here.

And now for the mystery adventure for Carson's birthday we went up to Highlands, NC. One of our favorite little towns to escape to. We went hiking and enjoyed the sweet little town. We were able to find some amazing end of season deals and use some travel money to stay at a lodge. It was fun to get away and Carson realized it's the first time we've been away just the two of us since our honeymoon. They had a lake with a swing next to it and also a pavilion where we were able to build a fire (and yes- it was cool enough to build a fire!)

Our Holiday Weekend

Nothing too much exciting to report from this weekend. Carson was off Friday and Monday so it was a nice long one! Saturday we went tailgating for a little while with some friends but graduate students don't get free tickets like undergrads do so we were stuck watching the game at home. Luckily ESPN.com was playing the game live so we didn't have to miss a thing!
Last night we took advantage of a couple of freebies for Labor Day and got free Chick-fil-a Chicken Sandwiches and a free Redbox movie rental. Dinner and a movie... for free! I'm thankful that we can manage some frugal dates.

We're saving most of our celebrating for next weekend because Carson's birthday is less than a week away! We're planning a fun little adventure so hopefully I'll have some pictures for you come next week.

Big Changes

Sorry about my lack of posts recently. Our family has been going through changes the past two weeks. I started my new job and found that it was the worst possible job experience that I have ever had. After Carson and I prayed and talked about it, we decided that it was not the place for me to be working. So we stepped out in faith and I quit.

The night before I quit, my friend presented me with an opportunity for another job. She has been a consultant for a company called Aloette for a while now and recommended them to me. It's a pharmaceutical grade skin care that is pretty much amazing. I have been to numerous skin care shows for other companies and tried different products and never really seen results. I used a mask at one of the Aloette shows I went to and felt a difference in my skin for 3 days after it (while I was using my old skin care.) I made the switch to using Aloette and Carson has even noticed a difference in my skin. Not only is it a great product, but also a great company, which is more than I can say for my last job.

I've never thought something like this would interest me but I've also never found a product that I believe in like this. Carson is beyond excited for me in this new opportunity. I would be able to travel and to see my family in Florida much more as an added benefit! I have some great supportive friends up here that have helped me get started and the future is looking good. I am putting this all in God's control so I know that whatever happens is in His plan.

I had my first show last night that I hosted and will begin training and booking my own shows as early as next week. Please pray for me as I pursue this new career opportunity.

An exciting season

Besides Christmas, Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I know it's not technically fall yet but I still think by college semesters and fall semester just started. It is so exciting. This summer was very quiet in this college town and it is nice to have school back in session. I was on campus for Freshman move in day and I was actually sad that I wasn't a Resident Assistant. It's a crazy time but really fun to be apart of the atmosphere! Since most of my friends in the area are students they all left for the summer and it's wonderful to have them back!

Although I didn't get to be part of the school excitement this year, I made another big change this week and started a new job. Working retail is one of the hardest things that I have ever done and I have come home exhausted every single night. I've still managed to function a little in the evenings, but my wonderful husband has been kind enough to take charge of things this past week during my transition time. I have never been so excited for it to be the weekend! I could sure use a break to let my body recuperate. We have a count down going at work until the first football game and I have heard mixed stories about how fun it can be but also what a horrible day it is. I'm trying to absorb as much information as possible before this big day comes.

I did muster up enough energy to go shopping today before AND after church. I was at Rite Aid when they opened their doors this morning, and then went to Publix later. I combined the two transactions for the following picture and totals. The couple behind me at Publix was amazed at my savings and we had a nice conversation about it. It was a relief because I have had some people make rude comments when they get "stuck" behind a couponer. I think they are just jealous that they are paying full price for their groceries :-) I had a comment that we must eat Ramen on our tiny grocery budget, but in actuality, we eat pretty good!!

Total before coupons and sales: $109.28
Total after coupons and sales: $24.56
That's a savings of 78%!!

More Savings and New Additions

I hope you all aren't tired of me sharing my great finds with you! I just never get tired of saving money! I am thankful to have the time and resources to find these great deals. I am also thankful for a patient husband who lets me take the time to put my list together and shop (and sometimes happily tags along). But when he see's the figures he is thankful for what I do. Since the beginning of July I have begun to track my savings. The savings are a combination of shopping store sales, using coupons, and applying for rebates. Just since the beginning of July, I have saved just short of $500 (62%) on our grocery and toiletry items!

I went to Bi-lo last week and actually made money when I get my rebates back! I had to purchase 10 items to qualify for the rebate and then managed to buy 3 additional items that we needed. I spent just over $15 and will get $20 back in rebates! Since we were in the negative, I went across the street to another grocery store to get some meat and poultry that was on sale. I've combined these purchases for the picture.

Total from both stores: $71.93
Total paid after rebates:$10.55
Savings: 85%!

If you'll notice that this picture was taken in a different location. On our new freezer. We were able to get this with the help of my Mom and Grammy (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!). It is already filling up and has allowed me to increase my stockpile when things are on sale. I also want to begin freezing dinners ahead of time so that we can eat better during the week when I get home from my new job. So if you have any awesome recipes that freeze well I would love to give them a try.

The other new thing at our home is that I have begun growing herbs. We currently have basil, lemon thyme, and rosemary. I have already enjoyed cooking with these and hope to get a lot of use out of them while the weather is still warm.