NO more shopping!!!

Haha! So, I go from the shopping madness to none at all! Well, part of that is brought on by necessity since I now have a newborn and cannot drive for another week since I've had a C-Section! So, I have decided to challenge myself and Andy by not stepping into a grocery store for as long as possible. We really have so much food in this house from my OCD stockpiling and obsession with sales. So, other than milk/formula, juice, and some fresh produce, I am not buying ANYTHING in the grocery stores...my goal is 2 weeks. It may require some creativity, but I'm willing and (almost) able! I'll keep my blog updated with my successes/downfalls, as well as how much money we are able to save by doing this!

Welcome Jacob!!

So, my second born is here! He arrived safe and sound on March 19th and we have been home now for a little over a week!! He is just precious and I cannot wait to get to know his little personality! Luke has adapted wonderfully!! He's had the occassional meltdown, but he is really sweet with Jake and just eating up his big brother role! Actually, Luke's main issue is that I cannot do the things I normally do with him due to my C-Section recovery. During my surgery it was discovered that I had A LOT of scar tissue from my FIRST section, so I'm supposed to take it extra easy this time around...easier said than done. It breaks my heart to not be able to lift up my Luke into my arms or into his crib, etc. It's hard for him too, but we'll get there.

While I was pregnant, I struggled with the idea of being able to love TWO children and while I still wonder at it all, there is no doubt how very much I love my 2 sons. Still, it feels differnt in the house now...schedules and roles have changed as we are all adjusting to having a newborn in the house again. And while a part of me still misses the alone time Luke and I shared, I am thrilled to be able to share Jake with him and watch as he grows more and more responsible, caring, and helpful towards me and his little bro! My favorite part of the day is when Jake is alert and just watches Luke play...it is very precious to me. And ah, I cannot wait for the day when they play together...of course, I'm sure there will be fights and I'll have to intervene--but I'm really looking forward to that day! Bring it on!

Andy and I feel very blessed to have two wonderful baby boys (Luke will always be my "baby") and we really feel now that our family is complete...which leaves me as the only girl in the house...which is just PERFECT for me! ;-)

The Walgreens Olympics

Let me start by saying that we just recently got a Walgreens in my area, and even then, it is still a good 15-20 minute drive. I would never go there any time other than a Sunday morning, however, due to insane traffic enroute. However, this week they have a Huggies Diapers/Wipes sale I just couldn't pass up. So, four transactions later, here's how I did:

7 Packs of Huggies Diapers
2 Big Refill packs of Wipes
2 Packs of Napkins
1 Bottle of Coffee Mate
2 Boxes of Instant Coffee
2 Lysol Wipes
1 Sambucol
1 Garnier Styling Gel
1 Orajel Toothpaste
2 Bottles of Diet Coke
1 Candy Bar
2 Small Hand Sanitizers
1 Small jar of vaseline
2 Small boxes of Fig Newtons
2 Cans of Butterball Chick Broth
1 Bag of Gerber Yogurt Bites

GRAND TOTAL: Approx $52.00

I am very proud of myself and my wonderful hubby...he helped me do all this craziness! :-)

We also swung by Giant and finished up our grocery shopping...I came in about $9 over budget, but that is okay--THIS TIME! LOL! Once I have Jake, I should be able to shave a few dollars off the budget b/c we are soooo well stocked now! AND, the very best part is, that I don't have to step into a grocery store for AT LEAST 7 more days! Who-hoo!!!

March 1 2008 Shopping Trips

Ok, so to start off, since I'm giving birth in just under 2 weeks, I've been trying to stock up on stuff around the house to prevent the knee-jerk reaction to shopping on virtually no sleep. I mean, who will have time for coupons and reading internet boards just to keep up with the good deals?? Plus, as we all know about me, I'm a germaphobe and not brining my new baby out anywhere for a good few weeks! ;-) That being said, the grocery stores in my area have just started experimenting with high value doubling and even tripling of coupons. You can really get good deals this way for stockpiling if you do your research. As such, lately, I have been spending over $50/week. When this happens, I simply deduct from the next week. For example, I've already spent about $90 this week. So, I'm only going to spend approximately $10 more until March 15. Some might think this is crazy but we don't really NEED anything. Of course, I would never let my son go without, but if I run out of milk, well, there's always oatmeal (which of course, I have a huge stock of!!!).

Target: Total-$14.36

Bloom: $6.16

Giant: $68.77

GRAND TOTAL: $89.29

This includes A LOT of stock up items for Luke in particular, for the week I'll be in the hospital with Jake. Now, as stated, I have only $10 left to spend for next week. I know already that I will be spending a maximum of $15, however, in order to get 4 FREE items at Giant (my total needs to be at least $15 to qualify for the free items!) I don't stress if I go a few dollars above my budget each week, I know I need to be somewhat flexible. Plus, after this final trip for the week, I will have plenty of groceries, to include meat, bread, milk, and OJ for awhile!

I also made 2 trips to CVS this week and I got:

4 packs of diapers (3 pampers and 1 Playskool)
2 boxes of Carnation Instant breakfast
2 large cans of Arizona Iced Tea
1 bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper
4 Reece's Whips (for Andy!)
1 Makeup bag w/ eyeshadow

All for $18--which went on a G/C I got for transferring a Rx! I also earned $20 in ECB's, so a money maker overall. At this point, I am often using ECB's to buy groceries when the budget gets tight. I will typically buy snack foods and milk at CVS using my ECB's.

Shopping Madness!

On any given morning between 0930 and 1100 hours, you can find me out and about, as I like to say! This is the best time of day that Luke and I have worked into our schedule to run errands. Luke has been up for (at least) 3 hours already. We've had breakfast, played, showered and changed and usually about to dive into our morning snack (on the go, of course) and head out the door; or as Luke prefers to call it, "car ride-y". Every day he now requests to go "car ride-y". He does not exactly like to shop, per say, but he enjoys the car trip to various places. He's obsessed with stop signs, buses, trucks, tractors, railroad tracks, and anything loud that moves on the road...a typical little boy. Lucky for me, this breaks up our day and I am able to partake in a pasttime I have grown to love.

I say grown to love, because the shopping we do consists primarily for groceries, diapers, etc. Nothing fun like a new wardrobe type of shopping! So, I drag Luke in and out of CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Giant, Bloom, and Shoppers Food on any given day to score on the bargains. Since staying at home full time, we've really had to watch our budget (and who doesn't these days??) so I've tried to commit to spending only $50 a week on groceries and virtually nothing for diapers, OTC meds, paper products, cleaning products, and various health/beauty items. Each week I'm going to attempt to maintain a log here of what I get and how I do it. I'm a visual person and hate spreadsheets, so I'm just going to wing it here. Besides, I suspect not too many outsiders are lurking here! :-) Of course any and all questions and comments are welcome. And perhaps someday, I'll be brave enough to spread my blog around the internet, but until then, I'll hunker in safety.

Oh and let's hope baby #2 enjoys "Car ride-y" just as much as my Luke!