Old Navy Savings...

Saturday I posted our Saturday savings at Old Navy. I did not tell you what we paid for all of those clothes. I just told you how much they were before sales and coupons. You can scroll down and look at the pictures if you want to see. Anyway, the total before savings was $225.00 before sales tax. After sales and coupon saving I paid (hold on to you underwear) only $43.00 with sales tax.

So have I mentioned I love couponing.

Update...

Well, I've started pretty well for the year with the reduced grocery/household budget. As most of you know, I am trying to reduce my budget from $300.00 every two weeks to $200.00 every two weeks. As I previously posted, I am trying; however, if we are not eating the way we like to eat I will not hesitate to increase back up. So here is the first two week total for the year.

My Totals:
Shelf Cost $520.01
Coupons $163.48
Discounts $155.04
Rebates $14.98
Savings $333.50
Out of Pocket $202.05
Percentage saved 61.25%

Not too bad if I might say so myself. Sorry, no pictures this time. I will try to remember to take some this week of my spending.

Mini-Me being silly

The hubby installed a cat door in one of the doors in the house. The door going down to the scrapbook and laundry room area. The litter box is located down there and we were leaving the door cracked. However, that is not the best idea with the heating and cooling system.
So we decided the cat door was the best idea. Anyway, Mini-Me saw me taking pictures and thought he should be in them. So here you go, the clown of the family.

Super Saturday Savings

So today, the hubby, myself and the boys went to Old Navy to see what we could get. Well, here's what we walked out with.

The Hubby got these three items: a brown jacket, a T-shirt, and the orange fleece pull over. The total for this three was approximately $65.00
For myself I got these three items: a gray hoodie jacket, a black thermal shirt, and a blue pull over hoodie totally approximately $70.00.
Kid-O got this five items: Sweet t-shirt, Music makes me happy, Minny shirt, Love t-shirt, and the booby cover. Her total was approximately $55.00.
Little Man got these three items: two long sleeve pull overs and a pair of boxers. His total was approximately $35.00.

Mini-Me didn't get lucky. They had nothing in his size.

So today's total before sales and coupons was $225.00. Now here's the fun part. Guess how much you think I paid for all these clothes. I will post in a couple of days the total of all these clothes.

Just having fun....

Just Cool

All ice.

I always love the nativity scene.

Me... Proof I do belong to this family

So the hubby got a couple of pictures of me at that ice sculptures. We are trying to do better at taking pictures of me, and us together. There are very few pictures of me with or without the kids. Although, I do prefer being behind the camera.

Ice Sculptures

We went back to the ice sculptures this year at the Gas Light Theatre in Nashville. It is quite expensive ($24 for adults, $19 for kids), but well worth the money and the trip. The kids love to slide down the ice slide. It does look fun. I don't get too slide, I take pictures.

Coupon Update...

Well the year finished out great. Still staying in my budget every two weeks. So for this year, I am going to really challenge myself. I have decided to reduce my grocery budget from the current $300.00 every two weeks, to $200.00 every two weeks. I have been staying my by budget by around $100.oo per two weeks, give or take a little bit. We'll see how it goes. If it is too much work or we are not eating the way we like to eat, then I will increase it back up to maybe $250.00. I hoping that I can do it for $200.00. That extra every month to save would be nice. I will update as I can.

This week, I got spent a total of $103.00 which included, but not limited to 2 reams of copy paper, pens, 3 boxes of electrosal tabs, chicken, steak, pork loin, 4 gallons milk, 5 boxes au gratin potatoes, 3 6 packs yogurt, and lots of food and snack food to list a few. I forgot to take pictures. So I don't have any to show. I will try to remember to do that next week.

Remind me to update if it's been a while. Accountability will help the reduced budget work.

Gaint Stuffed Tiger

Kid-O, still trying to figure out if Santa is real or not, asked Santa for a LARGE stuffed tiger. To Santa's disbelief, she was finally able to find one at a price she was willing to pay, after one month of searching and who knows how many stores.

Santa Hat

Mini-Me sporting the UT Santa Hat. Mini-Me asked for a firetruck, ladder, and Santa Claus hat. Santa came through again this year.

Santa Claus Came to Town

Self explanatory. Little Man got what he asked for. A yo-yo, red Cars cup, a little stuffed puppy, and a stuffed cat.

Look what the hubby got off my phone for me. Example: one of those times you wish you had a good purse camera. Still a picture full of amazing memories. This was at the Shoney's in Fayetteville, at about oh, 11:00 pm. Tiff, Missinator, Jacob and Nic were with us also. Fun, fun memories.

Playing with the new toy for Christmas. I wanted a small camera for my purse, for those times I don't have my Nikon with me. SLR, does not equal purse size. Anyway, the parents got me this great little (and I mean little) Nikon S570. It even does video. Wow, cool. Perfect purse size for those times you just really wish you had your camera.

Kid-O's Vision

Kid-O thought that the area under the TV needed to be a fireplace. So she proceed to make one of construction paper, with logs and flames. Then the stockings had to be hung. After that, she looked and decided that there was a need for a Christmas tree to finish out her vision. So, Saturday evening we ventured to Wally World to purchase her a 4 foot tree. Her and the brothers decorated it. Now she believes the vision is complete. What do you think?

Red Rooster

Red Rooster week is here and so much to do. Get my stuff together, print photos, buy supplies. Lots and lots to do, but I can't wait. I think I will have to not transcribe any after tomorrow.

Update of the fast...

Well, we are doing better kind of sort of, but we still don't like it. We know God is in control and He will continue to carry us through, even though it has gotten more difficult with each passing day, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and the Hubby.

So I've already called AT&T, Nintendo, and Knology this morning. Now off to transcribe two files and then clean house. Wooh, I'm already tired.

Results

The Boobs are just fine.

How do you like that for a whole post?

Mmmmm...

Headed for a Diagnostic Mammogram this morning. Sure that will be lots and lots of fun to have my boobs flatten in to pancakes for how ever long it takes. Can't wait. I'll let you all know how it comes out.

Silly Quiz...

Take the Quiz here!

Coupon Saving Update...

So I did not get around to posting my couponing update last month, up I have managed to get October's up plus my overall total since I started couponing back in April. Remember my budget is $300.00 per two weeks. So since April the amount I am allowed to spend is $4500.00.

So here are the totals:
Monthly Totals (October 09)
Total before savings $812.01
Coupon total $188.23
Advertised savings $225.42
Total out of pocket $398.36
Spent of total 49.10%


Totals (Since April)
Total before savings $7,245.90
Coupon total $1,753.13
Advertised savings $1,372.38
Total out of pocket $3,807.07
Spent of total 52.40%

So as you can tell I am inside my allowed budget by $692.93. So your next question, what have we done with that money. Well, we do what we want with it. Eat out, save it, buy Christmas gifts, pay for Red Rooster, etc. Just whatever we feel like doing with the money. As I said in another post, I am inside my budget which is fabulous, but the greatest part of us is that I used to actually spend the total before savings. We are even eating even better than we were. I love to try new recipes which usually requires none staples, therefore, increasing your cost. Well, before couponing we would eat two maybe three new meals in a two week period. This two weeks, twelve meals.

Pork chop with apples
Beef and sausage stew
Chicken and red bean tostadas
Slow cooker Ratatouille
Beef Fajita stir-fry
Chicken marsala
Shrimp scampi
Oven fried chili chicken
Mini penne zucchini and sausage pasta
Gaucho Chimichurri steak
Tenderloin with black bean salsa
Shrimp Po-boys

Yes, you see steak, shrimp, pork tenderloin (center cut), and pork chops, not just the standard ground beef and chicken. Couponing is so worth all the work and effort. By the way, I have 24 bottles of laundry soap, lots of toilet paper, more shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons,and shaving cream to last a year along with 20 + boxes of cereal. And I have given lots of stuff away.

My children love this couponing thing too, becuase they get more of the snacks that they love. Kid-O is even beginning to figure out you can get things for free. I gave her my coupon for a free bath and body item no purchase required. Couponing is trickling over into everything else. Example, I went to Children's Place, bought two pairs of blue jean (2/$28) and a bath robe for Kid-O for Christmas ($24.50). I used my 20% coupon on the total, then gave the cashier my $20 off $40 purchase and got all three items for $23.00. Can you say fabulous?