Bread Deal

I just wanted to quickly post that I went to Harris Teeter on my way home from work today and got 2 loaves of 100% Whole Wheat Nature's Own bread that originally costs $3.19 each. It was on sale for $2.29/loaf and I had 2 coupons for $0.75 off one loaf. I found out they were doubling coupons this week, so that really means that I got $1.50 off each loaf!!

Total Spent: $1.82

Total Saved: $4.80

Percentage Saved: 73%

....now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!!! :)

Today's CVS Venture

Well I have to say that I think I did pretty well today at CVS. Before I mention my total spent and saved, I have to point out that I did buy 2 boxes of Brad's contact solution (it is rather pricey - accounted for $30 of my total bill - but it was $2 off this week and resulted in some Extra Care Bucks). Here is the final information from my shopping trip...

Total Spent: $48.50

Total Saved: $36.54

ECB for next time: $9.00

*also got an Aveeno lotion coupon to use

Today's Shopping: Two Down, Two To Go

I went ahead and did my Publix and Walgreens shopping this evening since today was Publix's end of the sale day. They had some things that we use very frequently on good sale, so I definitely wanted to take advantage! We are going to be busy this weekend with the Childbirth Education Class, so I wanted to knock out some of my shopping. Here is what I did! (sorry, I didn't take pictures - we were in a hurry when I got back and put things up quickly so we could go eat dinner at Moe's)

Walgreens:
(3) Neutrogena T-Gel shampoos - had 3 $2 off Walgreens coupons & 3 $2 off manufacturer's coupons, so they originally were $9.49 each - $4 each, so $5.49 each was the end price (Brad has to use this specific kind of shampoo, so I was happy to be able to stock up on that at a more reasonable price)
(2) Brawny 8-packs of paper towels - originally $9.49, on sale for $6.49 each, and I had a coupon for $1.50 off 2 packs, so the end price was $5.74 each
(1) One A Day Men's Health vitamins - originally $9.79, plus a $6 off Walgreens coupon & I had a $1 off coupon, so the final price was $2.79
(2) Dixie paper plates that were BOGO free - so they ended up being $1.90 each

Total Spent: $42.34
Total Saved: $27.79

Publix:
(5) Smart Ones frozen meals - originally $3.29 each, on sale 5 for $10, ends up $2 each (we take these for lunch a lot of times)
(6) Lender's Wheat Bagels - originally $2.07 each, on sale BOGO free, ends up being $1.04 each (Brad eats a bagel every weekday morning)
(2) Lay's Wavy BBQ chips - originally $3.99 each, on sale BOGO free, ends up $2 each
(2) Huggies bath products - originally $3.29 each, on sale BOGO free & I had a $1.50 off coupon, so they ended up being $0.90 each

Total Spent: $23.60
Total Saved: 16.83

Not too bad of a shopping trip (even though I need to figure out the paper plates situation from Walgreens)! Now, we are set for a while when it comes to shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, paper towels, toilet paper, pita chips, toothpaste, wheat bagels, shredded cheese, and Smart Ones!! I am really looking forward to CVS this week as that is usually where I do my best "work". If that is the case, I didn't do too shabby at the other places today, so the CVS venture should be great! And then I mainly need to get more Diet Green Tea (for Brad, of course) and more milk at Kroger's this week (so I can use competitor's coupons for the tea). Stay tuned for more good deals!

30 Week Belly & Update

Well I can hardly believe it - I am in a new set of numbers...THIRTY weeks!! I had a doctor's appointment this morning for my first 2 week checkup - blood pressure was 112/75 and I had actually lost 3 pounds. I have to say that while I am certainly ok with that, it was done in a not-so-fun way. I was sick all last week with the stomach flu and could barely eat anything on either Tuesday or Thursday. My belly was measuring right on track at 30 weeks and then we got to hear Katie's little heart just beating away. My next appointment is two weeks from today - March 9.

I also didn't think it was worthy of its own post, but I wanted to show a picture of our first load of baby laundry! We went ahead and washed the crib sheet with some blankets and newborn size outfits (don't worry - there aren't too many of them). I wonder how big Katie is going to be when she makes her debut?? Only time will tell!

Weekend of Friends

*I have to preface the text of this post with an apology for wearing the same shirt in all the pictures - I did have different pants on...jeans on Saturday night and khakis on Sunday at Amy's shower! On the weekends, this tends to be a common situation as I am running out of clothes that actually fit nicely.

This weekend we got to see some friends that we have not seen in a while. Last night we went to dinner at Valentino's to celebrate Katherine's 25th birthday. I had never been to that restaurant before - but it was delicious!! Here is a picture of Blondie (also Ashley - in college we had to go by our haircolor), me, and Katherine, the birthday girl! Today was Amy's baby shower - and it was so much fun! I thought it was cute that she is having a boy and had a blue shirt on, and I am having a girl and had a pink shirt on. Before we know it, Amy will be having that baby! She is currently almost 36 weeks and I am just about 30 weeks...time is flying by! Amy made a haul at her shower - she got some really cute baby things for her Baby Owen! Of course I had to get a picture involving both our bellies :) We laughed because we both have noticeable hineys, and of course standing back to back, you can see the space between our lower backs because of our butts!! ... I also have to comment on how amazing it is that I didn't get a picture of me and Brad last night - he is lucky I didn't even think of it!!

Shopping Savings Update

Well I did my shopping venture to all four stores this morning - CVS, Kroger, Publix, and Walgreens. I have to say that I am still figuring out the Publix situation (their beginning and end of weeks are different than most stores - am I right in saying that their sales start Wednesday morning and end the next Tuesday? I clearly need some assistance with that one!). What I do know is that I won't have to buy any shampoo, conditioner, or shower gel anytime soon! I am stocked for quite some time. It was definitely worth that though - I think I payed anywhere from $1 to $2.50 for those items that are typically much more than that. Anyway, here are my totals at each store. This week, CVS was my best one. I took a picture of my goods, but I will upload it later!
Kroger
spent: $20.80
saved: $4.78
*bought Diet Green Tea, which was only $1 off
Publix
spent: $19.29
saved: $8.90
Walgreens
spent: $27.72
saved: $9.71
CVS

(see picture below)
spent: $44.57
saved: $39.68
*have $13.98 in ECB for next time!
Grant Total
spent: $112.38
saved: $63.07
36% savings!

Crib Construction

Well, Saturday was the day of construction. All of the baby furniture was delivered last week, so we waited until the weekend to be able to put the crib together and organize the room like we wanted it. Below are some pictures from the grand construction. I was pretty impressed because I don't think Brad said one bad word - he is getting much better thanks to the swear jar! I also wanted to provide picture evidence that Brad really did read the instructions! As the room begins to take on more of a "nursery feel", I will be sure to get some more pictures. We did wash the crib sheet and some blankets and put some things up on the bookcase. I also think we are going to hang the quilt over the dresser/changing table and hang the letters over the crib. I think when everything is said and done, it will look just adorable. Hard to believe that in anywhere from 7 to 11ish weeks from now we will have a baby to reside in that room! Yay!

Getting started on the crib

Proof! He did read the instructions!

I think Sadie was making a suggestion on what the next move should be...

"It's just my size!"...I wonder if she thought all this new furniture was for her?

Attaching the front piece - the final touch!!

Let the Savings Begin!!!

Well, I finally did it. I shopped with great strategy - thanks to everything I have learned in the Faithful & Frugal class that Kara and I are participating in, I have learned how to shop sales and use coupons to save tons! I had to wait a few weeks to be able to stockpile about a month's worth of coupons, but I decided yesterday that I just need to do it. Thanks to The Grocery Game, I was able to know what coupons to use and combine with various sales at the different stores in my area and get great deals! I was not able to take a picture of all the groceries I got at Kroger, but I do know that I spent $110.67 and saved $65.16 - not too shabby for my first attempt! It also included a huge box of diapers and a big thing of detergent (I had some coupons for each item, but they add up pretty quickly). Below are pictures of the rest of the goods I got at the other stores - Publix, CVS, and Walgreens.

This is a picture of everything from Publix, CVS, and Walgreens. I think I am getting the hang of this!

Publix

Spent: $9.21

Saved: $6.70

CVS
Spent: $9.21
Saved: $6.70

*Also have $1 ECB for next time!

Walgreens Spent: $34.58
Saved: $15.95
*Would have been better, but the Metamucil was $9.99 (and not on sale), and I had a coupon for only $1.00 off.

TOTAL SPENT: $176.51

TOTAL SAVED: $106.77

PERCENTAGE SAVED: 38%

28 Week Belly Picture

Even though I am closer to 29 weeks today, I figured it was better late then never when it comes to posting pictures :) This was on Monday after the 4D ultrasound - it just took me a while to be able to do a quick post! I think my belly is changing from week to week...I know Baby Katie's activity level is changing all the time. I can feel her under my right ribcage rather frequently these days. And when she moves, it looks like there is an earthquake in my belly! Let's hope she's got a bit more grace than both her mom and dad.... :)

She's Still A Girl!!

What a busy day Katie has had!! We went this afternoon for a 4D ultrasound session. Now I know some of you may be wondering what the heck that is - it is different from 3D because it shows all the movement of the baby. While this may be true, Baby Katie was providing quite the challenge because all she wanted to do was sleep! She also kept her hands close to her face, making it look like she was sucking her thumb at times! The sonographer also looked at the gender, and we do still have a sweet baby girl in there. Whew! :) Also, Katie is able to snuggle under ribs and my sternum now which we figured out in the session - she is breech still!

Yep, we definitely have a girl!!

Aren't those footprints adorable?


In this one, she is snoozing with her left hand up next to her cheek. Looks like she has some chubby cheeks!

Side shot of her sleeping with her hand up next to her face, as usual. We have 50 pictures from the session and she is sleeping in probably 97% of them!

Still sleeping with her hands set under her cheek/chin area...adorable!!

Getting Closer

I just wanted to do a quick post stating that I am now going to the doctor every 2 weeks - hard to believe that we are already at that point! I went to the doctor this morning and Katie's heartbeat was just so loud and strong and she is measuring right where she should.

On a sidenote, this is my 100th post - how fun!! :)

Coming Home Outfit

I had been wondering what we would bring Baby Katie home from the hospital in. I didn't know what people typically bring babies home in, but I did know I wanted it to be cute for all the "photo ops". I also knew that I did not want something really frilly. Well this past week, I was wasting time before meeting Brad to eat at Moe's and wandered into a store called Ragamuffin. I was just looking around at all the cute little kiddo clothes and came across an adorable baby girl cap - and it had dots!! I continued looking around and the lady working there asked if I had a going home outfit and I said no. She showed me what they had to offer and I just knew that it would be perfect for our little bundle of joy. And to make it match the little cap, I had them monogram her name on the little outfit. I got the 0 - 3 month size so that she can wear it throughout the summer (as opposed to a newborn size. Hard to imagine that less than three months from now, we will have a little baby that this outfit will be on.

27 Week Belly Picture

New Elements

I just want to comment on how frustrating it was to add the new elements. I like things to look just right, so there are still some items that are bothering me, but all in all, I think it looks good. I didn't want a boring title listed at the top, and I wanted a cute header. I was able to check both of the items off my to do list with a lot of patience (and a little help from Brad).

For those wondering how to do a header, it is quite easy. I know several of you have asked me to let you know once I figured it out. Thanks to Lisa, I made one! You can too if you visit www.scrapblog.com. Good luck....and hope you enjoy the new title and header at the top!

Friday Night Fun

This past Friday night we went out with friends to celebrate our friend Anna's birthday. We ate some delicious food at Wild Ginger and then went bowling. I wasn't sure if I could bowl since my back has been hurting, but I used an 8 lb ball and managed just fine (though I only broke 100 one out of the three games). We played boys vs girls for three games, and since there were 4 girls and 3 boys, we dropped the lowest girl score (which, of course, was me every single game). I was still proud that I bowled a 112 one of th games! We celebrated with Gigi's Cupcakes (amazing) and had a great time! Happy Birthday, Anna!!

The birthday girl, Anna

The girls at the bowling alley

The boys at the bowling alley

The whole group -so much fun!

I took a picture at the end of the 2nd game to have proof of my 112 - too bad we still had to drop it! The other ladies were on fire!!