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 :)