9/25/2010

As promised, here is my first money saving post. I have no idea how many posts this will end up being but I'll start with this. There are literally hundreds of blogs that list deals, give tips on using coupons and share tons of money saving help. I had several sites on my Google reader but easily became overwhelmed. I've found that I can look at what works for someone and figure out which pieces work for me.

Here is what I know DOES NOT work for me.

1. I'm not a several store shopper. I do most of my shopping at Target and do a little shopping at Whole Foods.
2. I don't do the drug store game. If you read many money saving blogs they often talk drug store deals. At this point, it's not something that I have time to figure out and we are using more and more natural toiletries. There are rarely deals on these products and I have no desire to add another store to my route.
3. I don't use coupons to purchase products I wouldn't normally buy. I found that I spent a lot of money to save $0.25-$0.75 on products.
   

9/24/2010

Although I've missed a couple of weeks, I got it together this week for a Favorite things Friday. There's no theme this week, just absolute randomness!!! It's just how my brain is working these days.

I'm currently obsessed! Well, we've been in love for quit some time but there is one right by work so it's a Friday morning treat. I love Asiago with garlic herb cream cheese. SO YUMMY!!!


Peanut LOVES her pacifier. Her Munchkin pacifier clip is priceless. We've been through several as the velcro wears out but they are worth every penny.


Gift cards. Oh how we love them. There is something so great enjoying a night out together especially when we can use gift cards for it. We've been enjoying lots of fun treats thanks to the blessing of others.


Iced coffee. It's been my favorite all summer but I'm trying to enjoy it to the fullest as cool weather is quickly approaching.

So there are my random favorites. I promise grocery posts are coming. Happy Weekend!

9/10/2010

So here's the second installment of Favorite things Friday! And as I'm about to start working in a cloth diapering store, I thought I'd share my current favorite diapering products!

My Itzy Ritzy Wet Bag


This is what I carry with me in the diaper bag to use for dirty diapers when we are on the go. I simply add them to the diaper pail when we get home. I'll admit that cloth diapering on the go intimidated me for awhile but now it's hard to believe I was ever scared by the challenge!

Hemp Products


My newest finds are Baby Kicks hemp and I'm OBSESSED!!! Hemp is much more trim in a prefold and I use hemp inserts in my pocket diapers for extra absorbancy. They are amazing and I'm sad I didn't discover the wonder of hemp sooner.

I also love the Baby Kicks Hemp Organic fitted diaper. It's on the very pricey side but it makes diapering an ease. I have one and hope to add a couple more as they are an amazing overnight diapering option. Another plus is that it's organic!

Thirsties covers


I use these covers with the hemp and it's a fantastic combo. We used these when she was a newborn and have fallen in love with them again after fixing a sizing issue we were having. I love the bright colors and the cute patterns. I also love that they come with snaps. We have snaps and velcro diapers and we've decided that we are a snap family!

and Of Course, the Cutest Cloth Diaper Wearer!


So there you have it! Enjoy your weekend!

9/9/2010

Thanks for all the feedback on the last post. It got me really excited so I think I'm going to do a short series on grocery/budget/coupon stuff. But Blogger has hated me this week! I couldn't sign in, I've gotten a million error messages and it just hasn't been cooperative. This does not help my motivation to blog but EXCITING announcements do make me want to blog!

So before you can ponder any of the possible exciting scenarios that just went through your head, I'll share my news. I'm returning to work. Yep, it's true and I could not be more excited! Starting next week I will begin work at our cloth diaper shop. They posted on facebook that they were looking for help. I excitedly told Currey thinking he might tell me I'm crazy but as always he shared my enthusiasm and encouraged me to apply. I went in the next morning and then went back today to work on scheduling stuff. It will be part time and around Currey's work schedule so Peanut will still get to spend her days with me or her Daddy. I LOVE the store where we buy diapers and I honestly can't believe that I get to work there. It's one of those amazing God things were I was handed an opportunity that I never even thought about but is absolutely perfect. I'm excited to be able to share my love of cloth diapers with others and get paid for it. It really doesn't get much better than that!

8/24/2010

Blythe's 6th month birthday was extra special as she will always celebrate her half birthday on my mom's birthday. It's hard to believe that in just 6 more months Peanut will be 1 year old. I can't even wrap my mind around that! Here's what we've been up to this month:

• My dearest college friend, Celeste came to visit. The fact that Blythe got to spend time with my dear friend is so special to me. Great memories!
  
• Blythe also got to meet Auntie J. We loved spending time with J in Dallas. It was a week of being spoiled and loved on. Blythe loved meeting J and I think she really enjoyed her first trip to Texas!
  
• Getting to Texas was an event! Blythe took her first flight. She did outstanding. I think I was much more stressed than she was. The other passengers were very gracious and we all survived.
  
• The flight was interesting because Blythe began teething this month. All I can say is WOW!!! Our sweet, calm baby has been really fussy. It's the worst feeling in the world to not be able to comfort her when she's in pain. Thankfully for now she is back to her usual happy self.
  
• We all got to experience our first flood at our house! Blythe slept through a lot of it but it was an adventure for sure! Hopefully it will soon get it's own post.
  
• We went to the doctor on her half birthday and Blythe weighs 15 lbs 2 oz and she is 25 inches long. We also got the go ahead to start rice cereal.
  
• Roger and Terri also came for a visit. Blythe enjoyed the extra love and attention! We enjoyed some great food and just quality hang out time together. Blythe got to go shopping for new fall clothes which she always enjoys. She is one blessed baby!

9/3/2010

Several of the blogs I read do Favorite Things Friday. It's basically a weekly post talking about current favorites. I've been toying with the idea of doing this for some time and I've decided to take the plunge! My hope is that a consistent weekly post might inspire me to be a better blogger. I guess we'll all see how that works out! :)

This week my favorites are cooking related. I've been in the kitchen lots lately. (And I promise that some outstanding recipes are coming!) So with out further adieu...

I've ALWAYS been a fan but I'm currently obsessed. I love that there is a recipe box where I can store recipes in categories that I've created. I can go back for reference and I love reading suggestions of people that have tried the recipes before. The pictures of food entice me and inspire me to try new dishes. I love the ease of the site!



Our new favorite ingredient is orzo. If you've never used it while cooking you are seriously missing out! Our current favorite use is this salad recipe. You should make it. Tomorrow. We've served it half a dozen times this summer and it's a huge hit. Seriously...make it this weekend! But promise me that if you make it you'll use good olives. The olives make it. Nothing that comes out of a can.


Coupons! I've always been a fan but now that I'm staying home we've had to tighten our budget in lots of areas but the easiest place to do that is the grocery budget. I'm proud to report that we spend $60 a week on groceries and we are able to do this by shopping sales and using coupons. And don't feel bad for us! We eat VERY well! We are eating more produce and organic than ever. It takes a little more planning but it's become a game to see how much I can save. And $60 covers ALL our meals for the entire week. We eat out together 3 times every 2 weeks (Both Sundays with friends after church and a meal together out) so this basically covers all breakfasts, lunches and dinners for a week. I'm thinking I should do a separate post about this. Is that interesting to anyone? I've loved spending time in the kitchen and making lots from scratch.


If money were no object, I would shop here exclusively. (See, don't feel bad for our meager grocery budget! I shop at Whole Foods!) If you don't live where there is a Whole Foods, I'm sorry! I've been absolutely amazed at how inexpensively I can get a few organic things here. (Although there are things here that are way over priced and just ridiculous!) Again, combining sales with coupons can make some products very affordable. And there are a few things we sacrifice for, like their granola. It's unbelievable! They offer nuts and cereals in bulk and I use these regularly. So there you have it! Some of my favorite cooking things. Hope to be back with more favorites next Friday!