Look & you shall find

I have been bargain shopping a few times since my last post. I will hit on a couple of different topics in this post.

Bookfind
My oldest son loves the Magic Tree House series. He has a couple of books in the collection that he owns, but otherwise we check them out from the library (free!). My mom took him with her to a thrift store the other week & they found several of the MTH books for 50 cents each! The next day I had him "earn" money, one quarter at time, for his 'book fund'. That afternoon we were back at the thrift store & bought 5 more MTH books for $2.50. That was a steal of deal!

Why not just stick with the free stuff at the library? Good question, he is a child that will read the books several times & then of course we have 2 more children right behind him. I thought this was a good deal.

Diapers
There have been some incredible diaper deals lately. Yes, I am still buying diapers even though my youngest turned 3 last month. I keep reminding myself that I have potty-trained 2 other boys. Surely this one will not enter Kindergarten in diapers. I digress. Just a week or so ago I purchased Huggies diapers for $3.99/jumbo pack! The store was a having a GREAT sale & I had coupons.

Be sure to link up your coupons to a website that tells you where the best deal is when combining store sales + coupons. If you are in the NC you can probably use the same site I use: http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/smartshopper/ The site is updated a few times each week to give you the best drug store deals from the Sunday paper inserts; then on Wednesday for the new grocery deals & coupons.

Razors
I racked up at Target last week. They had mens razors on clearance (50% off) & I had a $3 coupon. Chris will not need razors again this year & they were about 30 cents each for quality razors.

Personally speaking, I follow Clark Howard's advice on razors & I get a few months out of each one--honestly I do! After each use I dry it with my towel, or you can use your hair dryer. This keeps the razor free from buildup & rust & you can get a longer life from your razor.

Fundraiser
I told my children I would post about their fundraiser for Haiti. Our soon-to-be 7 yr old & our 5 yr old are doing a kids triathlon in July to raise money for a specific family in Haiti that lost their home. If you are saving as much money as we are these days & you want to spend a little of it here the link to donate: (click or copy & paste)
http://www.familyhm.org/FamilyHealthMinistriesEarthquakeReliefEvents.html#kids Donations are tax deductible & all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Stay tuned for my next post coming soon..it's all about sugar & elementary school lunches....

Happy saving!
Early

Where to begin...

It was a busy March! First of all Happy Easter everyone. I was in Haiti for a week March 21-27 on a medical mission trip, I was one of the non-medical volunteers. What a great trip. I am honored to have been a part of such a great group of people & to have served such a gracious, hopeful community. I could write a lot more, but I will get to the money saving opportunites.

I must admit, I never knew saving money could be so much fun! Not to mention all the money we are "finding" at the end of the month to pay more on our house. Where to begin?

Free Fun on Spring Break
This week I did some very fun things with the boys. We went to the Museum of Natural Science and took in all they had to offer for free! We arrived shortly after they opened, which meant I got a free parking space on the street :) and it was not crowded. We have been going to this museum for years & I did not realize there is a Living Conservatory w/butterflies, a turtle & even a sloth on the 4th floor. I think it is because by the time we make it to the 3rd floor the kids are driving me crazy & we see the Acrocanthosaurus & leave.

The kids had so much fun! The next time we go, we will plan it around story time & hit up the discovery room. You can literally spend an hour or 2 exploring, learning, & having fun--all for free!

Next we had a snack from home in the car on our way to Pullen Aquatic Center. I purchased a toddler punch pass last year & had not used it much, therefore I had the kids covered & myself too since this is where I typically swim for exercise. We were there a little more than an hour & the children had an awesome time. When we left we headed home to have a nice picnic outdoors under the shade tree.

The best part about the day is we all had so much fun together & they took great naps in the afternoon.

Christmas Shopping
Yes, I am serious--this is how I complete my shopping early & pay cash for everything. This week Toys-R-Us had a pretty good sale. I also had 2-$3 coupons from where I had signed the children up for the birthday club. The coupons coupled with a good sale & mail in rebates meant big savings for me. I saved $50 & spent $53--not bad.

I look for great deals throughout the year & stock pile everything in the very top of my closet.

CVS, Walgreens, & Riteaid
Finally, I must admit I very rarely visited these stores prior to January 1 of this year. This is when my couponing kicked into overdrive. I scan the sales papers, sign up for all the customer cards (like HT's VIC program) and match it to my coupons.

I only purchase things I would normally use, for example, toothpaste. I have not spent more than 50 cents, usually it is 25 cents on a tube of name brand toothpaste since January. I checked my stock under the bathroom cabinet--we have 6 unopened tubes of Crest & Colgate!

Today I purchased Easter candy for all 3 children & only paid 58 cents total because I used the cash back coupons from previous purchases.

Bottom line
Become very intentional with your shopping. Always use coupons, when shopping online always check for coupon codes & shop the circulars to maximize your savings.
Check out all the things you can do for free, then go do them! Become a tourist in your own town--you might just learn something you didn't know :)