Michael's deals

My wonderful sister in law bought me an American express gift card to use for a cake decorating class. Exactly what I wanted! :) I'm very excited I think cake decorating will be a useful skill to have. I signed up today, and after some searching and phone calls they figured out what I needed to buy for the class. I wanted to know today because I had a 50% off coupon that expired today, and usually their coupons are for 40% off. Plus I was there and I can always use the coupon from tomorrow's paper on something else. Anyways, I bought the Wilton beginner's box. Normally $20 but i used my coupon. So far its $15 for the first class and $10 for the supplies. The next kit is even more expensive so if its something I enjoy I will watch for another coupon.

Michael's has their Christmas items 50% off. Not the best! I like to wait for bargains till the items are further discounted. Many items are on sale for 50% off right before Christmas anyway. However their pre-made Christmas floral decor was 70% off. I had two years of flower shop in high school so I usually prefer to make my own arrangements. However the wreath I bought was so discounted I could not have made the same wreath for that price. Normally $39.99 I paid $11. I wanted one that had a winter look as opposed to a Christmas wreath because I plan to leave it up in till Its time for the spring wreath.



My class, supplies, and wreath would have cost a whopping $75!
My total was $36 but only $21 of that came out of my pocket because of sister in law's gift. I have $35 left on my gift card and I want to save it for the next course.

We now continue our regularly scheduled ramblings

Sorry for the unplanned blogging break! we has some un-expected guests an ended up being insanely busy the last week. It was fun but I like a more mellow, less stressful Christmas. I don't feel like I had time to really soak in the holiday.

My very favorite Christmas present this year was a beautiful black and white bowl made by women in Africa. My mom gave it to me, along with some literature on what bowl making means to them. The steady source of income has really changed these women's lives. It allows them to buy mosquito netting that would otherwise be too expensive, send their children to school, buy fresh water, best of all instills a sense of pride in themselves and their children. I love how beautiful the bowl is, but i really love that it helped someone at the same time. Right now it smells faintly of grass. Every time I see it (or smell it) I smile and think about the woman who made the bowl.

ugh

Have you ever had one of those days when you know you shouldn't get out of bed? But you have to because if you stay in bed nothing will get done all day. The house will literally come apart at the seams. So you get up. Later in the day you end up stripping off every article of clothing in front of your washer the very second you walk into the door. Because it was just that kind of day.

Btw if your not sure your gas stopped pumping when you clicked the nozzle. Click it again. Trust me, you will not regret it.

Rite Aid again

I wanted to get another bottle of soft soap hand soap so we stopped into rite aid for another 2 bottles. Should have cost about $1.20 however I was not alone dh was with me. So we bought a few extra things :)

Before sales and coupons $21.48

2 vanilla mochas $3.98 (after deals $2)
2 mochas $3.58 (after deals $2)
1 chocolate covered cherries $1.99 (after deals .99)
5 cadberry bars $7.95 (after deals $5)
2 liquid soap $3.98 (after deals $1)

After deals $11.28

Not horrible but still more expensive then $1.20! :)

Picture

Here is the picture I intended to upload with my last post. Does it look like it came from the dollar store to you? It doesn't look like that to me.

Ouch!!

Last night as I was typing my drug store purchases it occurred to me how very expensive everything is. If I had spent full price on those items it would have cost $150.09.

The only items I would consider 'frivolous' would be the candles. However I live in a house with 8 animals, that purchase is justified. What about the water filter? I don't consider that frivolous because my husband and I have had upset stomachs off and on since moving to our town a few years ago. When I researched the subject I found that it could be caused by a parasite in the water. So we're going to try it to see if it helps. I could have bought a cheaper model but DH requested the flavor style. He even told me I'm only to buy the packets for him when I find them on sale :) My hubby is becoming more frugal everyday. I could have passed on the make-up but everything was a good price. The lip gloss will go in my mom's stocking. The rechargeable batteries are for my dad's stocking. The dog bones are for my sanity (priceless, let me tell you) and all the cold stuff is for my husband. He has a touch of a cold.

Before deals I would have spent $150 yesterday. If you remove the candles and make-up at their full retail price the other less frivolous items would have cost $113.69. OUCH! My goodness things are so expensive. When I look back I don't understand how I afforded these things. Especially before I met my husband, i was a broke college student. I remember being very cautious about how much i used (even more so then today) and feeling frustrated that I was always buying these expensive items! I'm so glad I found rebate programs and coupons. Now not only do necessities cost us much less but I can afford to indulge myself and Dh for almost half of what the necessities would cost full price! After rebates and deals I spent $64.70, my frivolous items were $17.70 of that. Get on the coupon bandwagon people! :) Choo Choo!

Christmas gift for sister in law

Sister in law's main present will be a bottle of wine. But I wanted to make her a pamper basket because she works a bunch. I'm going to add homemade soap and bath salts. The whole basket cost me $8. Everything came from the dollar store except the Vaseline lotion. Do you feel bad giving things from the dollar store as presents? I don't because these are all items I would like to receive, therefore I have no problem giving the items to others. In fact I bought the note pad, lotion, and gloves for myself as well.

Rite Aid

Total before everything $26.90

After sales
2 glade candles $5.98 on sale for $5. ($4 after coupon)
1 glade trio $9.99 on sale for $7.99 ($3.99 after coupon)
1 soft soap $2.19 on sale for $1.49 ($.49 after coupon from coupon book)
1 sunsilk conditioner $3.99 on sale for $3 ($1.5 after coupon)
1 sunsilk shampoo $3.99 on sale for $3 ($1.50 after coupon)
1 buckleys cough syrup on $5.99 on sale for $4.29

Total after sales $24.77
Total after coupons $13.90
After rebate $5.63 (for $4.29 buckleys, $2 for glade candles, $2 for glade trio candles)

Walgreens

Total before coupons $125.32

Pur flavor $29.99 ($17.59 after $5 rebate and $7.50 coupon)
2 dog bones $5.00 ($5 after sale)
1 Jane mini powder brush $5.99 (free after rebate)
3 halls cough drops $7.77 ($4.17 in store coupons)
2 vaseline lotions $3.98 ($1.98 after 2 $1 coupons)
3 glade refills $8.97 ($3.97 after $3 coupon and $2 rebate)
1 eye shadow $2.59
2 sudafed cold $7.98 ($5.98 after coupons)
1 lip gloss $2.79
1 duracell charger $10.97 ($7.97 after $3 coupon)

Total after sales $93.14
Total after coupons $72.0
total after rebate $59.04

Total savings $66.28

I wonder

What does it say about you as a person when taking your corgi across the ferry you bring his coat? A coat that was purchased for a now huge dog but still fits your small one. And because you have to ride outside (in a partially enclosed, unheated very cold) dog area on the upper deck you bring a blanket. Then you spend a minute or two figuring out the best way to cover your lap while covering the dog. (folded in half so that he can lay on the blanket and be covered on top as well)Or that in the morning when its cold you have 3 cats on your bed, all covered in blankets. And when you go to take off the fleece you were wearing you be sure and place it body heat side down on a grateful cat. Because you know she will love the warmth but even more she wants it because it smells like you. Lets say you even went so far as to make blankets for these heat loving cats. Maybe even a rice hot pad. What would it say about you?

Late night grocery stop

Last night my husband and I needed to run to the store for dish soap. I took the opportunity to pick up a few more things

we bought

egg nog $3 (hubby took the opportunity too! Yuck)
half gallon of milk $1.99
parmesan $3.69 (2.69 after coupon)
2 cookie chubs $4 (3 after coupon)
2 joy dish washing soaps $3 (2.70 after coupon)
3 pounds of clementines $2.99 (2.49 after coupon)

Total before sales and coupons $29.99
Total after sales $18.93
Total after coupons $16.08

Christmas tree 'O christmas tree!

My family's Christmas tree has quite a story. You see when I was a very small girl we were moving from one state to another. Along the way a box fell off the trailer. My parents went back to try and find it, but they could not find it. When they arrived and unpacked nothing was found to be missing so they figured it must have been a figment of their imagination. That is in till Christmas time. When they went to set up their artificial tree they found the top of the tree, and the bottom of the tree but no middle. The middle of the tree was lost on some freeway. What did they do? Go buy a new tree? Use a real tree? Nope! I don't know how new trees work but my parents is a sturdy pole with holes for very sturdy branches. Every year the branches are completely removed, which means there are ways to improvise. They taped the poles for the bottom and top of the tree together. Then with some creative shaping of the branches (bending to fill holes) it comes out to a decent tree. I'm not saying Martha Stewart would want it in her house but its a respectable tree. Once everything is on it, its very beautiful. My parents have used this tree every since I was little, perhaps for sometime before then. And I love this tree,i really do. For a short period when I was in middle school I was a bit 'embarrassed' by our crazy tree (even though you cant tell with everything on it, no ones knows in less we tell them!) but as I got older I realized how wonderful and unique it is. Every year my mom threatens to buy a new one, but secretly I think she loves it as much as I do. Besides there would be a riot. OK so maybe just one angry grown daughter but who wants that?

As for the ornaments themselves they have been carefully collected over the years. Every year at Christmas time my mom would buy me an ornament. Its fun to look back on them and see what ugly things I liked as a child lol. We started buying one on each vacation as well. The tree is full of memories! We have tree decorating traditions as well. There is the pink bell that we have to argue over as to who's ornament it is. (MINE by the way!) The ornaments I don't like that I hang in the back, and she moves to the front. The ugly but oh so beloved (by me) mushroom ornament house ornament with two little mice tenants (not real ones) that I look for the whole time we're hanging ornaments. The bronco tree ornament that will make us cry, my grandmother had a whole tree full of them and it makes us miss her. The random ornaments I've never seen that she picks up, and has to answer 'whats this???' The not so cute ornaments I made us a child that my mom smiles at to this day. The tinsel fight. But most of all its a day mom and I cherish as we remember old memories and create new ones.

To anyone else it might be an ugly old tree. But to me its more beautiful then any designer tree. That misshapen, duct taped, middle less tree holds so much more then a few Christmas baubles. It holds a lifetime of love.

Merry Christmas

How is everyone doing on projects and presents? I don't think we're doing too badly I at least have an idea for everyone if not the gift. I am however far beyond the projects! I hate stressing out at Christmas but its beyond our control this year. My husband's command decided this was a great time to make the guys work 92 hour weeks. That's 6am-8pm every day for three weeks. And by everyday i mean weekends too my husband has had just 1 day off in three weeks. So on top of my usually responsibilities I have all of his. See? Stress! Then add Christmas activities (decorating, shopping, cooking, wrapping) and we have a ripe case of stress!

What can I change?

Next year set up an automatic Christmas savings account.
$25 every check will be deposited. That's not much at the time but by Christmas it will be close to $600.

Continue to by Christmas presents year round as I find them.
I did shop year round this year and it helped but I want to do so more aggressively.

Start projects earlier!
I would really love to bake some cookies in summer to freeze for Christmas time.

What can I fix right now?

Take things one step at a time.
A counter of dishes tends to over whelm me. But If i squeeze in a sink full here and there it doesn't seem like such a huge problem. The dishes get done and my stress stays down. Wrapping a present here and there is not as mentally draining as wrapping a spare room loaded with presents.

Play with the dogs frequently.
That seems counter productive doesn't it? But my puppies need exercise. If they get one big playing session they don't work as much, they play far harder when they get to rest between play sessions. Which means they are more tired, less likely to get into trouble, and less likely to be in my face all day. Besides I've found that playing with them is good for me too. I relax and the fresh air tends to erase headaches.

Realize that I am not super woman.
If I push myself till I am stressed, exhausted, and cranky what good am I to anyone? I'm human just like everyone else and some times I have to let things slide. I could spend all evening cleaning, or I could sit and spend time with the husband I haven't seen all day.

Make time for things that are important.
Wednesday instead of whipping through things that need to be done I'm taking the day off to go decorate the Christmas tree with my mom. We do it together every year and the thought of doing it without me made both of us cry. This year we did not manage our annual Christmas craft fair but that did not break our hearts. Decorating the tree apart does, so it is a priority. To me Christmas is about memories, traditions and family. It is not about how clean my floors are. Every year my husband and I drive to a U-Cut Christmas tree farm. We hike all over the huge fields looking for the perfect tree, freezing our bums off the whole time. Last year the patch was far away from the office, my husband hauled the tree over his shoulder. We LOVE it. As soon as he gets some time off during the day you can bet we will be strapping a Christmas tree to the roof of our 4 door car! Incidentally its much cheaper then 'fresh' tree lots and you can see the whole tree you don't find a big bald spot when you unwrap it.

One of the things I love about frugality is it encourages you to let go of everyone else's expectations for your life and focus on things that are important to you. Why shouldn't I use that focus in my life as well as my finances?

Walgreens deals

I went to walgreens today and I completely forgot to pick up a rebate book! Bad Cupcake!
Before sales and coupons our total was $28.20.
After sales it was $17.70

We bought a gillette fusion gift box $9.99 after sales ($5.99 after coupon)
a dog bone (lol yes we needed more)$3
3 rubber maid index card boxes $1.50 on clearance
4 cans swanson chicken broth $2 ($1.6 after coupon)

After coupons the total was $13.30

On a side note

The cats love the feline greenie treats. The orange menace followed me around the house while I gave them to his sisters because he wanted more! And yes, he got what he wanted. :) I'm excited they like them because the greenies should do the best job teeth cleaning. I fully intend to brush their teeth we even have the animal supplies but with dh working so many hours it is not possible right now. Not to mention being a horribly unpleasant experience. Our vet even said she could understand not doing it, she recommends it but does not do it either. :) Our oldest cat has to be wrapped in two towels with just a paw showing to get her nails clipped because she hates it so much. The though of brushing her teeth makes me shudder. But like I said their health is very important so we will attempt it. Eventually. With full body armor on.

Pets mart

I love petsmart. I find them to be almost always cheaper then petco. They have great sales. Last year after Christmas they had tons of toys and bones clearanced. We bought a lot of things to donate to the animal shelter and will be doing so again this year, as well as stocking up for my beasts. We were almost out of dry dog food so we headed over to them yesterday. We make the choice to feed our animals quality food and it definitely comes with a more expensive price tag. I used to feed the kitties (when it was just me, and 3 cats) friskies it was $17 for a huge bag at Costco. But when I switched to Nutro i noticed a change in their coats, they were much silkier, and they eat less. Usually we find a big bag on sale for $26 it feeds 5 cats for a month. That works out to $26/ 28 days in a month (for purposes of comparison) = 93 cents a day. About 17 cents per cat per day for dry food. I can live with that! Their health is very important to us. We feed them indoor weight management and out vet wants us to continue, but she also recommended feeding them tooth cleaning treats. The dog food is usually around $30 for 44 pounds and I think it last a little over a month but I'm not sure. $30/ 28 days = $1.07 a day. $1.07 a day / 2 dogs = .54 cents per dog per day for dry food. I marked the date we bought the food on the calender so I can figure out how long their food lasts.

PetsMart total

Total before coupons and sales $71.25
Total after sales $65.89
Total after coupons $52.23

We bought (prices include sales)
44 pounds of nutro sensitive stomach for dogs $33.99 (#30.99 after $3 coupon)
4 bowls of meow mix $1.96 (.98 after buy 4 get 2 free coupon)
2 cans 22oz purina dog food $1.68 (.68 after $1 off two coupon)
1 big box nutro bog biscuits for sensitive tummies $3.49 ($2.49 after $1 coupon) 1 whiskers lickin treats $1.59 (used coupon to get friskies treats free w purchase)
1 pouch friskies tarter control treats .99 (free after coupon)
3 bags chew eez dog rolls $9 ($6 after buy 2 get 1 free coupon)
1 bag meow mix treats $1.49 (.10 should have been free after coupon but I did not catch the cashier's error till now)
1 box busy bones $2.50 ($1.50 after $1 coupon)
1 pouch feline greenie dental treats $2.99 ($1.99 after $1 coupon)
a plastic silencer for dog tags $1
For some reason the cashier rang my $3 off coupon twice so I saved an additional $3 off everything. Strange! When I walked up to her and plucked my stack of coupons on the counter she sighed and said 'oh man! You want to use all of these??' duh. Why else would i hand them to you? To show off? To be fair this is my first cashier who gave me a little bit of a hassle since I started using coupons. I don't really care if it irritates her its completely legal and I won't pay extra because she sighs at me. Her coupon phobia is her loss! :)

Walgreens spa rewards-update

I received my walgreens spa certificates a few days ago. I'm beyond thrilled! $100 in spa certificates for spending $4 on 4 cough syrups? That's wonderful! $4 for 4 cough syrups is a great deal by it self but spa rewards on top of that? I'm quite happy! Thanks crystal for the information!

Sorry!

Sorry for the break everyone my internet has been down for 3 days!

Dollar Tree

I braved the slushy winter mess today, in search of a rain coat for little dog. He has 2 but they are full coats that do not work well for male dogs. Need I say more? Since I was out in the gunk anyway I headed over to the Dollar Tree. Man I love that store! I can go hog wild buy anything i want and it never breaks the budget. I can't do that anywhere else! It seems like their holiday decorations are better then last year. I love the small welcome mats, mine is a bright green that says 'joy' it helps keep the mud down somewhat because I put one inside and out. I found a beautiful green table runner that fits my table. I moved the one I bought from the dollar store to my bookcase. I bought a whole lot more then that but a list is not much fun to read. Today they were having a 10% off sale which tickled me, a dollar store sale!

I did buy little dog a rain coat for $10. It works better but its still not right. Little dog is a Pembroke corgi and because of that the coat is too long in front. I did buy the corgi recommended size, and it fits length wise but not height wise. It bulges in front so he looks like a bright yellow daisy. Highly offense to his male pride! Big dog's coat is excellent it is bright red with velcro around the belly and chest. Very easy to put on him. I bought it on ebay and its exactly what little dog needs so perhaps I'll look for another one. My wonderful mom made them very cute coats but when I tried to fit them to the dogs myself I messed it all up. I need my mama! :) I like them to have coats when its pouring down rain all day long. They are still potty training puppies and need to go out frequently. I dont like them to be soaking wet because they don't enjoy it and I dont either. Wet dog is not an exsuisite perfume to me! :)

Its begining to look a lot like Christmas!

My very favortite time of the year! My area does not get much snow, usually 1-4 light snows a year that melt by the next day or so. Last year we have 3 pretty good snowfalls. My husband called be before I was awake to inform me it was snowing. Uh no its not dear I'm looking out the window. About 3 minutes later we had snow! This is the first snow for our dogs, both are under a year and they did not seem too thrilled!

So what does a homemaker with minimal heat sources do on a snowy day? She fires up the oven and gets baking!

These cookies are from a recipe in the Tightwad Gazette that uses boxed cake mix. They turn out delicious and oh so easy.

This is a chocolate chip cookie cake that I'm making as a thank you for a friend. I like to use applesauce for half the fat in chocolate chip cookies. They turn out very moist and you can't taste the applesauce. I'm going to try my hand at frosting it but Its not one of my skills so there probably wont be a picture of that. Hope everyone has a good day!