Let the couponing begin! (Again)

When our two and a half year old daughter was born I became a stay at home mom and I discovered couponing as a way to supplement the loss of a second income. I knew where to get a good deal and was planning strategic trips to the store. Then when we put our house on the market and ultimately moved the couponing went on the back burner. Now that the holidays are over and I am becoming familiar with our new town I am getting the urge to start saving with coupons again. So I went to a free couponing class at our library last night to find out where the best stores are to shop and I am getting organized, and I am excited to start having a well stocked house at bargain prices again.

So, this morning I got up early and began clipping. Immediately my eyes gravitated towards a nabisco coupon for any size product. The key word is any. So I sent my husband off to work with a handful of coupons and a few dollars and instructions to stop by Wal-Mart on his way home. (He gets excited by the good deals as much as I do.) I am sure our kids will be happy when they see the new stock pile of snacks!


Nabisco Teddy Grahams Go-Paks $1.00 Regular Price


Use $2.00/3 Nabisco Honey Maid, newton Ritz Crakerfuls, Teddy Grahams Snackwell's, Wheat Thins, 100 call and Triscuit from SS1/8 (exp 1/27)

Final Price: $0.33 each when you buy 3

The First weekend of the Year!

This weekend, we scored some great FREE items on Craigslist! First, we got a captains bed with four built in drawers and we got a desk. Currently, both items are in the garage until we get a mattress for the bed and until we get some flooring upstairs. Hopefully, within the month both items will be in full use in our home.

The Highlight of the weekend was Saturday night, when Alan was a lector for the first time at our new church. At our previous parish the kids would be in the nursery when he lectored, so this was the first time they saw him get up and do the readings at mass. My heart was overwhelmed with happiness when I saw that our son was cheering on his dad and giving him a thumbs up.

After mass I decided to surprise the kids and treat myself to a night off from cooking. I used a free pizza coupon that I had and treated the family to some pizza. And to make it even better we had enough left over to use it for lunch on Sunday. So of course I used that extra time to bake some bread and make lasagna for dinner on Sunday.

Hello 2012!!!

With a new year comes the feeling of a fresh start. The first big change for us this year was finally getting internet service to our house. It has taken months of negotiation with the utility company to get them to run the cables to our home. Now we are able to do internet research, work on budgets, I can organize coupons and I can resume my mystery shopping for a little extra cash.

I have a few projects going on around our home.  First, our "launch pad" project is ongoing, I've gotten the coat hooks done, but the message center is still a work in progress. I hope that I can find some inspiration to make something frugal, beautiful and functional. We are also moving forward on our upstairs bonus room and picking out colors and design options for the second floor. Finally, we have begun looking for curriculum for our little mans homeschooling next year.

So far, on the homeschooling front, I have been reading, researching and planning. As a former math and science teacher I feel comfortable with picking curriculum for my children in most areas. However, I have anxiety about the reading curriculum. He loves books and loves writing his letters, but the next step towards becoming a reader seems overwhelming to me. There are so many methods, and curriculum and research about this that I am overwhelmed. Any curriculum suggestions and or advice are appreciated in regards to a reading program or homeschooling in general.

Currently I am leaning towards, Math U See, for our math curriculum. And for Reading/Phonics, I want something that helps him develop a love of reading.

All in all, I am excited about this year and the new adventures that we will be embarking on this year.