My Week's Worth of Freebies

So I got so interesting stuff in the mail this week. I got a neti pot from NeilMed. If you don't know what a neti pot it, well... it's a small pot that it used to rinse out you sinuses. My understanding is you put a saline mixture in the pot made with warm water, then you put the spout in one nostril and tilt you head so that the fluid come out the other one. Sounds gross, I know. But some people really like these things, and i figured, if nothing else, I could always give it to my daughter to play with in the tub. (After thoroughly washing it, of course.)

I also got a Seattle's Best coffee sample and $1 off coupon, coupons for a free package of Oscar Mayer deli combos and a free sandwich combo (courtesy of kraftfirsttaste.com), a coupon for a free container of Yoplait yogurt, a Pampers coupon for $1 off wipes (should make for a good deal on travel wipes). I got a sample of Gucci Guilty (which I'd feel too "guilty to spend that much money to smell good, but thanks for the free smells). Got a bunch of coupons from Dunkin' Donuts, including one for a free iced coffee. I received a sample of Purex with Zout and a sample of Gold Bond body wash (and $1 off coupon). I got a cool refrigerator magnet frame from Florida Citrus that I thought was pretty clever. It's got a "Meaningful Morning checklist" on it to help you start your morning out right. Love that, since I sometimes get up with a case of the grumps. It suggests sharing a joke with your kids, giving each family member a hug on their way out the door, eating a good breakfast, and crating a goodbye ritual (like a hand shake or funny saying). That was the order, too, which I found odd, since I would think the goodbyes would follow breakfast. But I'm kind of particular about lists. But hey, still a cool freebie. I can put my daughter's picture or artwork in it and put it on my fridge.

That's all I got today peeps. I'm tired and need my Z's. And since I'll be going to the beach for a week, and I probably will be too busy to post, I'll catch up with you on the 12th!

My Week of Freebies

This is what I got in the mail this week. Well, I also got lots of credit card apps and bills, too. But here's the good stuff that I was actually excited and happy to get. I got a planting kit from Annie's Homegrown foods that came with little gardening gloves (so stinkin' cute!) and a carrot seed packet, along with $5.50 worth of coupons. I got a free copy of Family circle magazine (1 of 2 I'll be receiving), free Tresseme shampoo and conditioner sample, free John Freida Root Awakening shampoo and conditioner sample, 2 free Breathe Right strips, Garneir Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue cream sample with $1.00 off coupon, and a Coupon for a free tub of Cottonelle wipes. All this from just a taking a little time to sign up for samples and free stuff. Eventually I'd like to get to where I'm posting the websites that you can find this stuff, but for now, I'll just tell you to search the internet for more put together blogs. :)

Being a List Enthusiast: Grocery Lists

My husband, and just about any other person who knows me well, will tell you that I LOVE a list. It's true. I've made many lists in my time, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've often written list and rewritten them to make them suit my needs better. This little habit has served me well. I'm always prepared wherever I go (shopping, vacation, day trips to my mom's house, etc.), thanks to my tedious list writing.

Why are list so important for saving money? Well, for one, a list before heading to the grocery store is one of the best ways to keep from buying things you don't need. Not to mention, it makes the whole shopping trip much easier and faster. So my advice is this: always make a list before going to the store. And bring a pen. Because if you don't cross off the items as you put them in the cart, you may not know if you forgot to grab something, until you get home and realize that you forgot the milk! Crap! Not the milk! How could you forget the milk?! I've done before people. Cross of your list!

Make your list fit your store. Once you get to know your favorite grocery store, you can write you list to fit the layout of your store. I write my list in such a way that I go through the middle aisles (where the non-perishables are), then around the outside (where all the fresh foods are), and then the freezer section. Trust me, you don't want to get your ice cream first and have a melted sticky mess by the time you get home. Hey, I've seen it happen. It's not pretty.

When it comes to my personal list, I separate it out into sections like so: breads/ cereals, beverages/snacks, household, canned/bottled/jarred, dry goods, health/beauty, deli/bakery, produce, dairy, meats, and frozen. This is almost exactly how I organize my coupons, too. You may want to put other sections in there (like baby care, ethnic foods, etc.).

Don't worry if your list isn't perfect the first time or the 15th time, because it takes time to make a list that works the best for you and your store. And if you shop at multiple stores, it'll take even more time. I know this probably sounds like too much work, but it's really just about paying attention. And even if you don't have you list follow the layout of the store (which is nice but not necessary) you'll have an easier time shopping if you have you list separated out by section. If you just write down what you need all willy-nilly and go from the top to the bottom of the list, you'll be running all over the place getting what you need. That's crazy! Why do that? I mean, I'll admit, I like taking my time on a lazy Saturday morning, when it's just me, but I don't always have time to meander around the store. I've got other things to do. And really, writing a grocery list not only saves you money, but also time! And you know what they say, time is money. I don't know who says that, but I know someone does.

Speaking of list, I have one I need to write myself. So, why don't you pick a pen, some paper, and try writing of your own!

New to the Couponing "Game"

I have always been conscious of the way I spend money, but it wasn't until recently that I really started to enjoy saving money. After reading blog posts from other money saving bloggers, I was really amazed at the savings I was missing out on. Freebies, printables, magazine coupons, in-store flyers... they never caught my eye before. I learned all the jargon. Peelies, blinkies, SCR's, etc. After about two days of reading blogs about saving money, combining coupons, and how to get great coupons, I decided that I could be like the thrifty girls I've seen all over the web.

Now, I find myself clipping coupons from newspapers, magazines, printing coupons, and browsing sales ads. I had to replace my flimsy paper coupon organizer with a study plastic desk file. I clip, and clip, and clip some more. I clip coupons i might not even use, just in case the deal is too good to pass up (or FREE!). And since my adventure in coupon began, I have saved so much money. IT has become a kind of game. The most exciting thing is that I've trimmed my grocery budget nearly in half! Woohoo!

It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. Being a stay-at-home mom means I have a little time to spend on the up keep and research involved in couponing. It also helps to know some reliable resources to go to to make it easier. There are so many people out there blogging about their savings that it's hard to keep up with all the names, but moneysavingmom.com was a true inspiration to me.

I plan to share with you the things I learn, the deals I find, and the ways I use my creativity to make the most of my money and resources. In this economy, it's important to shop smart.

I'm new to blogging as well, so I'm going to try to make posts 2-3 times a week and see how that goes.

How my childhood shaped me

I grew up in poverty. I had three sisters, and my father was the only working parent. We lived in a single wide trailer on his family's land. He didn't make enough money to support us, and we relied very much on the kindness and generosity of my father's family, who all lived in a very small part of the Alabama country side. We never had much, though I never realized how bad we had it until I was much older. I remember wearing a lot of my older sister's hand me downs, and shopping sales. My parents fought a lot about money. Food was never too scarce from what I remember, but our pantry was never as well stocked as the pantry at our friends houses. My mother confesses to buying stale bread at the local Piggly Wiggly for $0.25 a loaf and freezing it, so that we had bread. We never went hungry, thank goodness. However, my mother has confessed to me about how she got down to a ghostly 85 lbs. (she's 5' 7'') when our money was really low. She always made sure we ate first, and she deprived herself.

Despite living paycheck to paycheck, there were plenty of times when my parents had to borrow money to make ends meet. I'm not saying we had it as bad as some, but we were by no means a rich family. We didn't have cable TV, so we spent much more time playing pretend games, playing outside, and using our imaginations. We made things out of boxes and string and whatever we had. If we didn't have it, we pretended. I have many fond memories of my childhood, and playing games with my sisters. And even though we didn't have the latest toys or cable, I don't feel as if I was deprived something. We didn't go to ice cream shops or out to dinner, and I can count on one hand the number of times we went to an amusement park. My point is that I didn't feel as if I was missing out, because to me our life was the life of every other kid in the world.

When I turned ten, we moved to St. Louis for my father's new job. Things got much better after that. We had money for cable, and it was the first time in my early memory of living in a house without wheels. I remember being amazed by the fact that our new house had two floors. We might as well have lived in a mansion. And we had cable television for the first time I can remember. After six months, we moved to Georgia, and took another step up. We were living a middle class life and it wasn't long before those dark days of poverty were far behind us.

Those days we spent in our little trailer had a pretty lasting effect on me and my sisters. We were all much more grateful for the small things in life than many kids our age. I remember my rich doctor uncle buying us kids meals at a fast food restaurant, and how he marveled at the fact we all said thank you and were so happy for something so small. His children never bothered saying thank you, even after the big things, like going to Six Flags. I guess what I'm trying to say is growing up with not having much makes you appreciate things more, because you understand what life is like without them.

As I reflect back on my childhood and look at my daughter, I know that I want her to not go without, and I want to give her everything she needs and wants. I know how blessed I am to be able to provide for her in ways that my parents could not for me. But I also know how important it is to teach her not to take those small things in life for granted, the things many people in this country, in this world, do not have. I want her to learn to appreciate the small things, as I have learned to do. I also want her to have the opportunity to exercise a little bit of creativity and imagination. When you have everything, it seems that those things aren't needed. Not having everything you want all the time can have a really positive effect.

The take-away lesson here.... learn to be happy with what you have and you'll never feel like you missing out. Learn to be happy with less, and you'll find yourself wanting less. Remember that there are things more important than Ipods, Coach purses, and Gucci sunglasses. Be creative, be frugal, and spend money on the things that matter, not the things that don't.