~ Aug 2013~ Sew what... We've gotta find a way back! Part I!!

[DMGeurts]

Oh, glad you are ok. I was a little worried when you didn't post this morning but I figured you had more important stuff to do than entertain us!

Excited to see the new bag.

Thanks for your concern Ariana... I should have, at least, stopped in here to mention that I had to run out the door - I wasn't thinking. Next time - I will make sure I mention it.

Lovely bag and you really captured Jessie's expression in your hand applique

Thank you Lillian! I just love how that bag turned out.

Awesome bag as usual! I love the cow and bandanna print inside.

Thanks! I just love those prints too - and with the light aqua color of the bag - they are my favorites!

WOW! Amazing detail on the Jesse bag, Love it!
I was away a week and I was behind 10 pages, this is a popular thread
I teared up on the Friend Post Also love the Peace bag.
Glad you and Alli are feeling better and pray it stays that way!
Monica

THanks Monica... No worries about falling behind - it happens all the time, honest. I am very fortunate to have such good friends here on The Dis, and I was feeling sentimental that day - sometimes I just have to write what I feel.

Hi ~ I do not like tight shirts so I tend to buy them large 1x or 2x. I have bought the cotton ts in most all or their multicolored styles. I tend to go to a short sleeve v neck and they are always comfortable and not too tight around the middle and butt. Have also purchased a cotton blend that is nice as well but not as cool as the cotton for me.

Sorry for the delay I have not been online for a bit.

D~ Hope all is well in your world. The new bag is fabulous as usual!

Thanks for your review and compliment... I really prefer V necks as well, and in the summer, I do prefer tank tops too. I did purchase a few at Target the other day (sale + coupon - LOL) for our trip, but I hope to purchase a couple from LLBean, as well. I did not make it to their website yesterday, hopefully I make my way there today.

I am totally in love with your Jessie Bag and my girl loves it too. We are big fans of Jessie here.

Thanks Chiara! How are you feeling?

CRT-D :

I'm glad you're getting excited about going to CRT I have a LOT of great memories of my FL trips in the past 30 + years and if I had to narrow it down to the best it was CRT, Discovery Cove, and the hot air balloon I finally did & kick myself that I should have done it much sooner

You will all love it !


Love the Jessie bag too, perfect capture of expression

Well - I am very excited about it now... It will be a once in a lifetime thing for us - so I guess I am glad that I waited until the girls are old enough to remember it.

Hi Erin...glad you found the post. I want to say again that I have heard they have changed this year's BeanSport tee quite a bit. Last year's version (the one I have 7 of) were kind of scoop neck and not fitted, but not boxy...just perfect. I have heard the neck is more crew neck this year and the fit is way larger. I hear the sleeves are a little longer now too, not elbow length, but more than the cute cap sleeve of last year. I will make a trip in to Freeport to check them out in person here maybe this weekend. I looked in our closest outlet today, to see if they had any of last year's version marked down, but they didn't. I did get another of their fitness skorts that go with the shirts though That is my go to Disney outfit...the LLBean skort with a BeanSport tee or tank. So cool and comfy. Easy care and moisture wicking. Anyway...I will let you know when I try the new version.

Please keep me updated on this! I am thinking I would prefer last year's version - but I am anxious to hear your review, since you have lots of last year's. I may have to send you some $$ to pick up a few of them at the outlet for me... Hopefully they will eventually have even a small sale. What's the name of the skorts you like?

[It was closed last July and it is listed on the AllEars site. Just wanted you to plan around it. You can still get TomorrowLand and Fantasyland done during EMHs....totally worth it!

Shucks! Well, then we can get other stuff done until Frontierland opens, and we won't feel so guilty about spending our morning there.

[
I'm so glad Alli is alright. Boy, you are going to have that in the back of your mind all vacation down there in that heat! Lots of water

I know I am... I am soooo nervous about this. I still need to check in to Walmart's online service and how to deliver to the resort... I know I saw a thread about it on here about a month ago - I am going to have to go dig it up.

[And that Jesse bag is just perfect...you did an amazing job on her! Love!

Thanks Suzi! I love it too!

I love the Jessie bag! Awesome!

My go to outfit during the summer is tank tops and skorts - that's also what I wore in Hawaii most of the time. I'm going to check out the LLBean skorts!

Thanks T! I've always wanted a nice skort... While I am attempting to get on the LLBean site today, I will have to try to find the skorts.

Thank you so much for the advice Ruthie! I really appreciate it! I know that especially the other family we're eating with will want to take their time as they have two little girls who will be gaga for the princesses! I have been wanting to do this forever so you're very right that we should take our time. With two boys I may not get the opportunity again so I need to milk it for all it's worth!:

I'm going to look at our schedule and hopefully we have a second evening at Magic Kingdom because I need to see the MSEP! I haven't seen it since they stopped having at Disneyland and it's my childhood favorite! If we weren't dealing with trying to rent our house out of state I'd add an extra day on. I was hoping it would be rented by now so we could! But you never know what the situation will be in a month or two! Fingers crossed!

I sure hope that you are able to get your house rented soon so that you can add another day on to your trip, that would be so wonderful!

D - I spy with my little eye...a redhead! (Not the redhead I hinted at, but being one I love all redheads!) I'm excited to see your couponing deals. I went to the commissary and got tons of chicken (because they were sold out after a "payday weekend" last time and some steaks, but need to plan a menu and grocery list before I tackle the shopping.

LOL... Yah - I didn't think this was the red head you were referring to. What are you going to do when I actually make one? LOL

I think the menu planning is the key - speaking of which, I need to go find mine from this week, I am going off of memory right now. It shouldn't be too hard, I got smart after I lost my menu the first week - so I take pictures of it with my phone now, so I always have a copy with me.

Love the new Jesse bag!! You did catch her expression perfectly!!

Thanks Sandra!

Thanks Suzi, I looked and saw that they didn't come in a plus size, so I'm doubtful they will fit, but If I spot them when i'm in Michigan next month I will definitely try them on, thanks!

I wish I had somewhere that I could try them on... Oh well. LLBean has excellent customer service, so I guess maybe I will just order and pray. LOL

Thanks for posting your latest bit of fabulousness!! Didn't mean to rush you, but those hints were making me crazy to know what it was. You do not disappoint, that's for sure! Great job! Going to bed now and will check tomorrow to see about all your bargains.

LOL Lois - sorry to make you wait. Thanks for the nice compliments.

OK - I will be back in a few minutes with today's post.

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Well I guess this shows my true colors! I was silently rooting for you throughout your surgery & recovery, appliance woes, budget logistics, trip variables, offspring illness, and what brings me out of lurking to comment? FOOD! Please give details about this dish. I think this Georgia girl neeeeeeds it.

LOL - I recognize you, so we must know eachother from somewhere?

This isn't my recipe - I actually stumbled upon it when searching for something to make with the Pillsbury flakey biscuits I'd purchased... and we LOVE chicken alfredo in our house - so this was a no brainer. At first - the girls were very skeptical, but they were fighting over the leftovers the following day - so I consider that a hit.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Alfredo-Biscuit-Casserole/Detail.aspx

you're terrific Mrs Bradbury thanks for making me laugh this morning I soooo needed it

Ruthie

Yes - that definately gave me a chuckle, as well.

This coupon thing is a little fascinating since we don't have anything like that here. Here we only get deals where the store reduce the price and that's it. Almost all the stores have new deals every week

I did not think of that. I think it was Erin that said something about this too (she lives in Canada) - where they just don't have the coupons available to them, or they don't exist. I am not sure how it started in the US... I've couponed many times in my life, as recently as about 4 years ago, when Target first started their stacking policy, but I got away from it because it was so time consuming. Now that I am going a lot of my work from home, I am able to find a little time here and there to devote to it - and since I am not making as much as when I was working outside the home - I consider it my contribution to the budget.

70% saving is great Pluss the 44% at the other store. You did an amazing job getting so good deals on your shopping (I know you got some help from you BFF but I'm still very impressed)

Thanks! I was pretty elated myself!

I should clarify... BFF doesn't help out much anymore... OK, I need to clarify that statement. BFF helps out a TON, just not the same way she used to. Now that I have my own binder - I am quite organized - so she doesn't have to help me with my matching up for my stacking anymore. BFF goes with me - because she enjoys it, LOL... and she is always willing to share her coupons with me, because she gets so many more than I do. Which I love her for... So, I can have a certain item on my list - I don't have a coupon for it... So, BFF digs through her binder to look, and if she has one, she shares it with me. So, that's the extent of her helping now-a-days.

However, BFF does do some other actual shopping for me. My limit of coupon shopping is 2 stores... Otherwise I just get too frazzled. We have one grocery store that doubles certain coupons on Wednesdays and Saturdays... So, BFF does all of my shopping for me at that store. She saves me a ton of $$! There is just no way I'd find the time (or patience) to do a 3rd store. So, on Sunday, I go through that store's ad, then I match it up with my coupons, and I text her my list (usually it's quite small - about 10 items). Usually - she has the coupons that I can use, then I just give her mine when I see her on Friday, but this last week, she didn't- so she had to wait to do the shopping at this particular store yesterday, because I had to give her my coupons on Friday when I saw her. Make sense? I think I am confusing myself with this one. LOL She is an absolute doll - and I don't know what I would do with out her.

Living here in Green Acres (which I love don't get me wrong) I don't even have access to a newspaper that has coupons I'd have to head over to the WDW area for the BIG Sunday paper and I never seem to be in the area then


Your savings are GREAT job loved the picture of the back of the car (times like this I miss NY)

That is such a bummer Ruthie! Are you far from the bigger grocery stores too then?

LOL at the back of my car... When we were unloading the cart from the 2nd grocery store (the one with the fiasco)... I was thinking to myself that the person bagging must be new... Then I remembered that Alli did all of my bagging for me, because this particular store doesn't bag for you. Thank God I didn't say that out loud. LOL She would have been so mad at me. It all worked out in the end.

D, love the Jessie bag is adorable and I can see a little girl falling in love with it.

As for the couponing...my husband clips them every week, but then he forgets to bring them when we go grocery shopping. Thankfully, we basically get the same things week in and week out since it's just the two of us, so our grocery bill is usually pretty low to begin with (we do our big "meat" shopping every three months at a butcher in the city and freeze it)

Thank you Kathy!

LOL That used to happen to me all the time, until I got my binder and bag... Now I just throw it in the back seat when ever I go to town. I don't always bring it in with me though.

We do that with our meat as well. We just did our big order in January - so we don't even purchase meat at the grocery store. I made the mistake of doing that a few weeks ago - I had a good stacking coupon at Target for Lloyd's BBQ... I made it for dinner one night and no one would eat it (except Josh)... So, I decided that I won't try to purchase anything like that again - it's a waste if the girls won't eat it. I hate to say they are picky about their meat, but it comes from so many years of purchasing directly from the farmer (whose animals graze right out our back window) - so we know exactly where our meat comes from. And honestly - it's waaaay cheaper than purchasing from the grocery store. OK - I will stop talking about meat now. LOL I could go on for hours on this subject.

I was thinking about this the other day - and how our food budget will change in a few years and the girls move out. I was thinking... Will it really change - or will I continue to shop for them while they are in college? My guess is that I will continue to shop for them - at least for some things. Maybe not the first year or so while they are in a dorm, but once they move out on their own - I am sure I will do some of their shopping? So, maybe our food budget won't change all that much for the first few years? I am sure -Josh will love that. <------ sarcasm, LOL.

Awesome savings!!! I really need to start doing that!! I get the sunday paper but barely have time to even look at it some weeks. I know you said it before but how do you keep track of which coupons you have?

We just started getting the Sunday paper a few weeks ago. BFF ran into a deal (figures - LOL) where she signed us up to get the paper for $1 for the entire year (not $1/issue) - which is a fantastic deal! So, getting the paper delivered is something totally new to us.

BFF actually purchased me a binder and a few inserts as an early birthday gift a few weeks ago. She has searched high and low for the right inserts, and stumbled upon them at Staples (as far as she has been able to find - it's the only store that carries there particular ones)... Here's a photo of my binder:

And then here's the link to the inserts at Staples online, but you may be able to find them locally if you have a Staples store nearby. These are the 5"x 8" MINI version - I cannot seem to find the bigger 8.5" x 11" ones online that I have, but they look just like this - only bigger. http://www.staples.com/Staples-3-Po...5-inch-x-8/product_403487?externalize=certona

I hope that helps a little bit.

You did an amazing job with the coupon deals!!!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun! Kind of scary that I braved the winter storm just to do my coupon shopping, but I had worked on my list all week, and if I would have skipped it - all of that work would have been for nothing... So I had to go.

You also reminded me just now that I was in Target this afternoon and forgot to pick up razors. Darn! But now I will check online for a coupon before going back tomorrow.Well, I guess I mean later today.

I hope you found the coupons you needed. The ones I had were in an insert from a couple weeks ago, and then I had Target printable ones too, but they may have removed them from their site already? So, hopefully you found something.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing your booty with us. Now that just didn't sound right. Should I call it bounty? Okay, it's 4AM and I'm a bit loopy.

LOL Yes, it did sound a little funny... I think that "bounty" is the right word for this. LOL

Scary thing is, I'm getting ready to go down and do some sewing. Who knows what I'll end up doing?

I am curious about what you end up doing too.

Hence forth, you shall be known as: SHOPPING DIVA!!!

LOL - Nah - there are sooo many here that are much better than I am... I think there is a couponing thread on the budget board somewhere? I've never read it, but I thought I saw it?

**********************************************************

Yesterday... Well - I messed around online for way too long in the morning, which was quite wasteful of my time, but sometimes I just need to do that.

I went up to my sewing room and I finished quilting my auction bag, then I drew out my applique. Sometimes, when you have a visual of something in your head - nothing you find will work for it. So, a good portion of this applique is hand drawn by me... Not sure I like it yet... It's cut out and ready to go - just not sure that it's as awesome in real life as it was in my mind?

While I was doing that... Josh was working on clearing the snow from our patio down by our walk out basement and clearing a path to the road, then he was working on disconnecting our dryer.

FUNNY STORY:

Those of you that are my Facebook friends, heard about our little fiasco yesterday...

So, Josh loaded our old dryer into the pick-up... We drove 30 miles to the appliance store... We went in, picked out our new dryer (which was on sale for $50 cheaper than it was last week )... We paid for it... The guy with the dolly unloaded our old dryer... he loaded the new dryer.... We drove away.

Then we went to Home Depot. We decided, with the savings of our dryer, that we would purchase the 2 jacks we need to put in the basement to even out our floor. So, we wandered around Home Depot for a while...

And I got to thinking... I heard the washer going in the morning... I also heard Josh tell the girls that whomever was doing laundry needed to get it done, and removed from the dryer - because the dryer was leaving. I asked Josh if he checked the dryer... He said no. Crap! So, I called Victoria, asked her if she removed her load of clothes from the dryer this morning, like her dad told her to do? This is when she freaked out - this is when I freaked out - this is when Josh freaked out. Victoria said is was just a load of pinks - nothing important was in it. So, I tried calling the appliance store from Home Depot - twice - no answer. Crap again! So, Josh and I drove back... Found our sales person - explained our situation... she laughed... Then she brought us waaaaaay to the back of the store... through the doors.... waaaaay even further to the back of the store... into the loading docks... and on to a semi-truck trailed FULL of appliances that had been turned in that day. Now, it had only been about an hour since we'd left the store - you would think that our dryer wouldn't be that buried... But I guess the'd done some rearranging or something, because it was about 4 rows in. So, there we were... Moving appliances... Stoves/washers/dryers - they were all facing in (not like they could have faced them out or anything...) - so it was a little like searching in a crowd of people who are all dressed alike, looking for the one person who you know. LOL Finally - after what seemed like forever (which was probably only 15 minutes), we found our dryer... With a load of pinks/reds in it. Relief!

Nothing important in it, Victoria said... Only 1 Hollister button up shirt (which she only bought a few weeks ago)... 2 Hollister tank tops... 2 Gilly Hicks sweat pants... Among other things. Glad we went back.

I always think there is a lesson to learn in everything - so when presented with an opportunity... When we got back home... V was unconcerned about her missing items (we didn't tell her we'd gone back)... So, I thought I would jog her memory a little bit... I asked her about some of her "pink" clothes - and if they happened to be in that load... So she started to go through her laundry basket, and she couldn't find the pink shirt she had just purchased... That's when the tears came... And she blamed us for not going back, rather than blaming herself for not listening to her dad yesterday morning. I let her stew for a good while... Then Josh finally took pity on her and told her to go out to the truck to get her stuff. LOL

She was VERY thanful to us for going back. And hopefully, it's lesson learned. When you know we are buying a new appliance, and your parents tell you to take care of your items... You should probably listen.

So... After that really LONG story (sorry)... I finally got a new dryer! It is exactly the same as my old one, but newer... Same model... It's a high end with in that model (all the deluxe knob options I had before) - but the knobs and back splash are a bit more updated. It is, by far, NOTHING fancy... We could have paid hundreds more easily. But, I am a creature of habit and I like what I like - so I am happy to have the same thing I had before. And - it was cheaper than it was last week - so even better! For that matter... It was only $100 more than it was when we bought it new in 2002 - LOL. I figured, I easily got 5500 loads out of my last one (10 loads a week - conservative estimate - for 11 years)... Not too bad for a dryer that costs less than $400. Let's hope that this one lasts just as long or longer than the other one.

**********************************************************
In other boring D~ news...

We have started something sort-of new in our house. I don't know how you all do chore assignments with your kids, but Josh and I feel it's important for our girls to contribute. They do not get paid for their chores in our household - as it is a privelage to be a part of our family and ever person is expected to do their part. Occasionally - we will add paid opportunities, but their regular chores are unpaid.

When the girls were little... Like Kindergarten/1st grade age... They cleared the table and fed the dog on alternating days. This got to be too confusing, and they would always fight over whose day it was to do the dog/dishes.

Then we got smart after a few months of fighting, and switched the change-over to be a weekly thing... So, it's been this way for YEARS.

One week, one girl does dishes... Cleaning off the table for dinner, setting the table, clearing it when we are done, loading and running the dishwasher. I still hand wash all the pots and pans, but the girls put them away. This person is also in charge of sweeping the floor after meals. This is their hard week - as those of you that have been following along, know that we eat dinner as a family every single night - this is very important to Josh and I.

The other person feeds MM morning and evening, and is also responsible for trash/recycling. This is their "easy" week.

The girls are also responsible for their bedrooms... They can choose to clean them or not - it's up to them. However - if it gets too out of control, we do step in and insist that they clean. Typically, Allison's room is very neat most of the time, and Victoria's is quite messy.

The living areas of the house... Everyone pretty much cleans up after themselves and we vaccuum as necessary.

Anyways... This brings me to...

The last year (maybe two)... Victoria just skates by when it's her week to do dishes... And usually I am in the kitchen cleaning up what she fails to do. It was really irritating me, because she will never learn how to do it properly, if she doesn't start doing it properly. And usually, it ends up that Allison has to clean up after her at the beginning of her week.

So, 2 weeks ago, I instituted a new rule... Dishes change-over has always happened on Sunday morning. Victoria would always leave Allison a full dishwasher to empty + dirty dishes to load into it afterwards. I finally got smart. Now, the changeover doesn't happen until everything is spotless, becuse it's not fair to leave a boat load of work for the other person. So, if the kitchen isn't spotless on Sunday morning - the changeover won't happen until it does... Potentially - you could stay on 'dish duty' forever.

Dishwasher must be empty. No dirty dishes on the counter. Counters/stove must be bleached (as necessary) - they need to be white/clean. The opposite sink (where I stack the clean pots and pans to dry before they get put away) must be empty. Table must be washed off and clean. Floors must be swept. Mail must be organized and piled nicely on the counter where it goes.

Only then, will the changeover happen.

Victoria was NOT a happy camper when I instituted this new rule 2 weeks ago. However, she just finished up her 2nd round of dishes with this new rule - and I am so proud of her. Last night, she loaded and ran the dishwasher after dinner (she still has to unload it this morning)... but she bleached my counters... cleaned everything... All of this with no reminders. I know her only incentive is so that she doesn't have to stay on dishes any longer, but I am so thrilled because it's only fair... Allison has almost always left the kitchen spotless after her round of dishes - it's only fair that she should be left with the same thing, and not have to do the extra work that her sister left behind.

Hopefully now, things will go a little bit smoother.

I don't feel like we expect too much from our girls. I know a lot of kids that have more responsibilites at home (and a lot of kids who have less)... But each family does their own thing that works for them.

**********************************************************

WOW!!! If I have any readers after all of my ramblings today - I will be impressed. Sorry about that.

So, this morning, I will be clipping my coupons for the week, perusing the Sunday ads and making my list. This Friday is the opposite week of payday, so I usually only shop for the best deals, and I am only allowed to spend what I have left in my grocery budget. Anything else gets saved for my big trip every other week.

Once that is finished, I will go upstairs to work on my applique for a little while... I hope to make a bit of good progress on it today.

After lunch, I will spend the rest of the day with the family.

I hope you all have an amazing day today!

D~

 

[cogero]

I love your chore change idea D.

C is having a hard time adjusting herself to have to clean a bathroom. When she moves down to the basement she gets her own bathroom and I told her we would get it spotless the first time but after that it was her job. She is not happy about it.

She is also going to have to bring her dirty clothes up to the laundry room and down when they are finished.

She isn't really responsible for much but does do everything I ask when I ask so I can't complain. She has even taken to giving J a bath for me on the nights G works since it is getting hard for me.

Have a great Sunday.

 

[tricia]

Joining in finally. I don't get on the Disboards as often as I like, so I had to catch up on your entire PTR over the last couple of days. As you know I will be in wdw the same time as you. I think I will be in Epcot at the same time, but I will check my schedule later.

 

[lovingeire]

BFF actually purchased me a binder and a few inserts as an early birthday gift a few weeks ago. She has searched high and low for the right inserts, and stumbled upon them at Staples (as far as she has been able to find - it's the only store that carries there particular ones)... Here's a photo of my binder:

And then here's the link to the inserts at Staples online, but you may be able to find them locally if you have a Staples store nearby. These are the 5"x 8" MINI version - I cannot seem to find the bigger 8.5" x 11" ones online that I have, but they look just like this - only bigger. http://www.staples.com/Staples-3-Po...5-inch-x-8/product_403487?externalize=certona

I hope that helps a little bit.

For the record, I have no clue what I'll do when you make the redhead I'm imagining! I imagine it will look a little like this or or or because I'll be so darn excited!

I have the same coupon inserts and ordered mine off Amazon. I searched for currency holders actually and what I have are the 8 1/2x11 ones that look like what you have.

I LOVE the lesson with the clothes in the dryer! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks there are lessons to be learned everywhere!

We don't pay our oldest for his chores either. We are taking Financial Peace University right now and have just started a commission system like they encourage. We require that oldest DS set and clear the table, load and unload the dishwasher. He's required to sort his laundry and get it ready for me to wash and of course pick up his room. I also require him to clean his bathroom. These things are just his responsibilities for being a member of our family. And they are things we want him to learn to do for when he moves out on his own. We are offering a small commission for picking up the dog poo (because we all detest it!), sweeping the porches and babysitting his brother. We've told him that he should save half of what he earns in commission and recommended that he save the rest of his commission for spending money at Disney. He'll need to feed his pin obsession somehow! But seriously, he is 13 so I know he needs way to earn money, but we also want him to know that some things just need done!

 

[Terkina]

I like your chore change. I can't believe that Alli haven't asked for a change a long time ago. I know I would if my sisters didn't do their part of the work and left it for me to do. (We had a lot of fighting about chore at home when I grew up).


Wow it was quite a trip you guys had when buying a new dryer. I like the way you learned V a lesson from the whole thing.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Yesterday morning I had to run to SPCA with my 13 1/2 y/o cat Tazzie, he passed away I am not telling you all this for tears or anything, it happened very fast and he didn't suffer Having worked for vets in NY I strongly suspect he developed diabetes He is now with his buddy (one of my dogs) Dillon that passed in Nov I'm okay with all of this (or maybe I am in shock don't know, not the point)

I can always count on a laugh here First it was Mrs Bradbury coming out of lurking for the food and now this story about the laundry being left in the dryer
I'm thinking I may need to pick up Depends (got a coupon for that ? )

You all crack me up

To answer your question:
That is such a bummer Ruthie! Are you far from the bigger grocery stores too then?

Its about a 40 mile round trip to super Walmart for me They're very nice over there too carrying out the 50 # bags of dog food since I fractured the shoulder

In Green Acres here "in town" we have the feed store, a hardware store, a tiny little restaurant, a post office that they may be closing, 2 churches, a library, and 2 dollar stores

I'm still laughing about the clothes in the dryer you are like chicken soup for the soul around here

 

[disneychic2]

I very much enjoyed your "ramblings" as you call them. I thought, like Ruthie, that the clothes left in the dryer was a hoot. Not funny that you had to traipse back to get them, but I could so picture you and Josh rooting through the various appliances, making your way to the old dryer. Too bad no one left a turkey in one of the ovens for you to find!

As far as the chores, I think it is absolutely necessary to help them get ready for being on their own. And the changes you made sound perfect. Just what V needed to "motivate" her! I had lots of chores after my mom had to go to work when I was in 5th grade. My sister and I took turns every night making supper and we did all the cleaning. We could iron for 10cents/item if we chose to. My brother got of easy and only had to dry dishes and take out the trash. As for our family, having four kids, they had to pitch in. But I tried to make it all equal. They got a small allowance that had nothing to do with chores. Just a little something each week to give them an understanding about saving, spending and the experience of saving up for something special.

I actually went down and cleaned up my sewing area rather than sewing anything. (a safer choice I think!) I had to leave in a hurry after making a little change purse yesterday and I hate to leave it a mess. I always put everything away after each project, just to start fresh. I hope you had a productive time in your sewing room and are now enjoying your family. My hubby is watching Nascar and will be watching Ohio State basketball, so I plan to head down and work on something. He records everything and then watches it without commercials, so it doesn't take as long, but is still pretty boring for me. Now, give me a good baseball game, and I'm all over that!

 

[solana131]

Oh what a nightmare with the laundry! I can't even imagine... Glad you found it though.

I didn't make it to LLBean's this weekend, Bradey and I are both sick with some sort of cold bug, so we just laid low this W/E. I have my brother on the watch for those BeanSport tees....he actually works at the outlet part time, so he gets a discount. The skorts are just called "fitness skort". They are pretty short, but they work out well for me. I would never wear a skirt that short, but with the bike shorts underneath they are fine. I honestly don't care in Disney...I just want to be comfy and these allow me to look pulled together in "work out gear". Win win

 

[BabyRapunzel]

I am behind......

Glad Ali is ok. Kinda scary. I hope it was just a virus.

Loved the friendship post, that was very sweet. I also feel very lucky to have DIS friends and hope to meet someday.

Hope Disney releases a discount for your trip. My trip is somewhat in jeopardy due to the onslaught of bills in a short period of time. But I really need this trip, so still playing with numbers to see if its possible. One option is possibly driving, I would rather not, but if sw does not drop their prices, we may end up driving this year.

Your shoppping trip was great except for the mess up. I would've been frazzled.

And the dryer story was very funny, probably not so much while it was happening. This is soo something I would do.

And I LOVE the Jessie bag!!!!!!!!!! Just amazing as usual.

 

[ladylyons]

We just started getting the Sunday paper a few weeks ago. BFF ran into a deal (figures - LOL) where she signed us up to get the paper for $1 for the entire year (not $1/issue) - which is a fantastic deal! So, getting the paper delivered is something totally new to us.

BFF actually purchased me a binder and a few inserts as an early birthday gift a few weeks ago. She has searched high and low for the right inserts, and stumbled upon them at Staples (as far as she has been able to find - it's the only store that carries there particular ones)... Here's a photo of my binder:

And then here's the link to the inserts at Staples online, but you may be able to find them locally if you have a Staples store nearby. These are the 5"x 8" MINI version - I cannot seem to find the bigger 8.5" x 11" ones online that I have, but they look just like this - only bigger. http://www.staples.com/Staples-3-Po...5-inch-x-8/product_403487?externalize=certona

I hope that helps a little bit.

Yes that did help. Thank you!! I'm trying to get things more organized both with our budgets (we have none right now) and organized in general. I knew you had posted the binder before I just didn't try to go back to find it.

Glad you were able to get V's clothes back and that you have a new dryer!!

Hope the new rule continues to be good for both girls with the cleaning of the dishes.

 

[DMGeurts]

I love your chore change idea D.

Thanks! I really think it will help - I hope anyways.

C is having a hard time adjusting herself to have to clean a bathroom. When she moves down to the basement she gets her own bathroom and I told her we would get it spotless the first time but after that it was her job. She is not happy about it.

Yah - that's next on my list to tackle... The main bathroom - which is the girls' bathroom and also on the main floor - so it's the one that everyone uses when they visit. It's always a mess because the girls do their hair and make-up in there... Yikes, sometimes it's quite embarassing.

She is also going to have to bring her dirty clothes up to the laundry room and down when they are finished.

We are just the opposite - the girls have to carry their dirty clothes down 2 full flights of stairs, and up two when they are done. It is kind of sucky.

She isn't really responsible for much but does do everything I ask when I ask so I can't complain. She has even taken to giving J a bath for me on the nights G works since it is getting hard for me.

Have a great Sunday.

This is exactly what I meant... each famiily has their own different things they do that work for them. That is really awesome that she is helping so much with J while you can't. What a great big sister - I am so proud of her!

Joining in finally. I don't get on the Disboards as often as I like, so I had to catch up on your entire PTR over the last couple of days. As you know I will be in wdw the same time as you. I think I will be in Epcot at the same time, but I will check my schedule later.

Welcome Tricia! It's great to see you here!

I am super excited for our Dismeet... I will add it to my list... We'll have to trade #s when it gets closer!

For the record, I have no clue what I'll do when you make the redhead I'm imagining! I imagine it will look a little like this : because I'll be so darn excited!

LOL... I am tempted to make one, just to see all those faces.

I have the same coupon inserts and ordered mine off Amazon. I searched for currency holders actually and what I have are the 8 1/2x11 ones that look like what you have.

I never did think to look at Amazon - that should be the first place I look.

LOVE the lesson with the clothes in the dryer! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks there are lessons to be learned everywhere!

LOL Sometimes, I think I should get the "mean mommy" award, but grrrr... I was sooooo annoyed. Ever since she earned her Ipad back - she can barely get herself away from it, and she certainly is not paying much attention to what is going on around her. I am about to take it back again.

We don't pay our oldest for his chores either. We are taking Financial Peace University right now and have just started a commission system like they encourage. We require that oldest DS set and clear the table, load and unload the dishwasher. He's required to sort his laundry and get it ready for me to wash and of course pick up his room. I also require him to clean his bathroom. These things are just his responsibilities for being a member of our family. And they are things we want him to learn to do for when he moves out on his own. We are offering a small commission for picking up the dog poo (because we all detest it!), sweeping the porches and babysitting his brother. We've told him that he should save half of what he earns in commission and recommended that he save the rest of his commission for spending money at Disney. He'll need to feed his pin obsession somehow! But seriously, he is 13 so I know he needs way to earn money, but we also want him to know that some things just need done!

We did FPU 4 years ago... We still follow the Dave Ramsey budget plan, but we are definately not as strict as we used to be... However, it has taught us SOOOO much about budgeting and being responsible adults with our $$. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone that asks.

One of the best things we ever did for our budget, first off - was use our savings account... Brilliant idea. Also... Before FPU - we never had a budget slot for Gas/Groceries... any necessities at all - we just spent what we spent. Now we have really specific items in our budget for everything... Gas (for both of us), Groceries, household items (cleaners n' stuff), dog food, lunch $$ for the girls, vehicle maintenance, dining out, household gas (lawnmowers, snowblowers, propane for the grill), Christmas, meat, my Disney trip, Josh's fishing trips... It's really helped us to be very specific about our line items.

We don't necessarily do everything in cash anymore... I do all of my grocery shopping on Debit (mostly because it's just easier, and I get the extra 5% savings at Target) - I also do my vehicle gas on the debit too, because I hate going in to the gas stations - it's so much easier to pay at the pump. Josh does all of his on Debit.

When you first start FPU - I think it's very important to do it by the book to get the swing of things... Then, I think - it's better to tailor it to what works best for you... Some people would strongly disagree with me. But that's just what I think - as long as you have a budget, and you are paying things off - that's important. IMO.

I like your chore change. I can't believe that Alli haven't asked for a change a long time ago. I know I would if my sisters didn't do their part of the work and left it for me to do. (We had a lot of fighting about chore at home when I grew up).

Oh - she did complain... That's why I was usually in the kitchen on Sunday mornings, cleaning up after V's week, so Alli wouldn't have so much to do. Hopefully this change helps, like it seems to be.

Wow it was quite a trip you guys had when buying a new dryer. I like the way you learned V a lesson from the whole thing.

Yes, it was crazy - we were not happy, that's for sure. Well, I hope she learned a lesson anyways.

Yesterday morning I had to run to SPCA with my 13 1/2 y/o cat Tazzie, he passed away I am not telling you all this for tears or anything, it happened very fast and he didn't suffer Having worked for vets in NY I strongly suspect he developed diabetes He is now with his buddy (one of my dogs) Dillon that passed in Nov I'm okay with all of this (or maybe I am in shock don't know, not the point)

Oh RuthIE, I am soooo sorry. It is so hard when we lose our pets - I know you know that though. I hope you are hanging in there...

I can always count on a laugh here First it was Mrs Bradbury coming out of lurking for the food and now this story about the laundry being left in the dryer
I'm thinking I may need to pick up Depends (got a coupon for that ?)

Glad we could make you laugh... Actually - I can get you a couple of Poise coupons if you'd like?

You all crack me up

To answer your question:
That is such a bummer Ruthie! Are you far from the bigger grocery stores too then?

Its about a 40 mile round trip to super Walmart for me They're very nice over there too carrying out the 50 # bags of dog food since I fractured the shoulder

Yikes... Sounds like you are about as far from town as I am.

In Green Acres here "in town" we have the feed store, a hardware store, a tiny little restaurant, a post office that they may be closing, 2 churches, a library, and 2 dollar stores

Green Acres is much bigger than our town... We have 1 church and 2 bars. Which is the prerequisite for every MN town... You must have 2 bars for every church. LOL

I'm still laughing about the clothes in the dryer you are like chicken soup for the soul around here

I very much enjoyed your "ramblings" as you call them. I thought, like Ruthie, that the clothes left in the dryer was a hoot. Not funny that you had to traipse back to get them, but I could so picture you and Josh rooting through the various appliances, making your way to the old dryer.Too bad no one left a turkey in one of the ovens for you to find!

It was quite humorous... The part that really sucked, if you think about it - all of the appliances were facing away from us - so all we could see were the backs... When you are looking at the back of an appliance - they all look the same... The back of an oven (to the untrained eye) looks a lot like the back of a dryer - IMO. So, we had to turn every darned one of the things to look at the front... And wouldn't you know it - every single appliance in that trailer was white, it was almost as if they sorted them by color too.

far as the chores, I think it is absolutely necessary to help them get ready for being on their own. And the changes you made sound perfect. Just what V needed to "motivate" her! I had lots of chores after my mom had to go to work when I was in 5th grade. My sister and I took turns every night making supper and we did all the cleaning. We could iron for 10cents/item if we chose to. My brother got of easy and only had to dry dishes and take out the trash. As for our family, having four kids, they had to pitch in. But I tried to make it all equal. They got a small allowance that had nothing to do with chores. Just a little something each week to give them an understanding about saving, spending and the experience of saving up for something special.

I agree... My chores at her age were much harder and I had more of them - I like to remind her of that, but I am not sure that helps? I definately get an eye roll.... Which leads to the whole conversation about respect...

I also agree with the saving/spending... The girls earn extra $$ by babysitting - and that is usually their only source of income, like I said - there isn't much around the house that we pay them for.

I actually went down and cleaned up my sewing area rather than sewing anything. (a safer choice I think!) I had to leave in a hurry after making a little change purse yesterday and I hate to leave it a mess. I always put everything away after each project, just to start fresh. I hope you had a productive time in your sewing room and are now enjoying your family. My hubby is watching Nascar and will be watching Ohio State basketball, so I plan to head down and work on something. He records everything and then watches it without commercials, so it doesn't take as long, but is still pretty boring for me. Now, give me a good baseball game, and I'm all over that!

I need to take a bit of time to do that this morning - my sewing room is a pit... I really need to invest in a new/bigger fabric shelf - but I want to pay off this trip before I purchase that, so I will need to make due with what I have for now.

Oh what a nightmare with the laundry! I can't even imagine... Glad you found it though

Yes, I was not a happy girl, but it's kind of funny now.

I didn't make it to LLBean's this weekend, Bradey and I are both sick with some sort of cold bug, so we just laid low this W/E. I have my brother on the watch for those BeanSport tees....he actually works at the outlet part time, so he gets a discount. The skorts are just called "fitness skort". They are pretty short, but they work out well for me. I would never wear a skirt that short, but with the bike shorts underneath they are fine. I honestly don't care in Disney...I just want to be comfy and these allow me to look pulled together in "work out gear". Win win

That's awesome! I saw the fitness skort, but it looked a little too "fitnessy" for me? I did see another skort on there that I liked... I am not sure... I might just stick to my denim jean short - I am more of a denim person anyways.

I am behind......

Glad Ali is ok. Kinda scary. I hope it was just a virus.

No worries... Alli is OK - and none of us (again) got sick... So, it's gotta be something she ate or dehydration?

Loved the friendship post, that was very sweet. I also feel very lucky to have DIS friends and hope to meet someday.

Thank you... I was very sentimental that day.

Disney releases a discount for your trip. My trip is somewhat in jeopardy due to the onslaught of bills in a short period of time. But I really need this trip, so still playing with numbers to see if its possible. One option is possibly driving, I would rather not, but if sw does not drop their prices, we may end up driving this year.

I hope so too... I wish I could drive to aleviate some costs, but that's just too far for me... Maybe once the girls get their licenses and we can alternate, but...

I sure hope that you get a code too... Please keep me updated.

shoppping trip was great except for the mess up. I would've been frazzled.

Yah - I was so giddy with my Target total - that was awesome! But I was very frazzlesd at the grocery store.

And the dryer story was very funny, probably not so much while it was happening. This is soo something I would do.

LOL - I agree - it is very funny now.

And I LOVE the Jessie bag!!!!!!!!!! Just amazing as usual.

Thanks! I love that bag too!

Yes that did help. Thank you!! I'm trying to get things more organized both with our budgets (we have none right now) and organized in general. I knew you had posted the binder before I just didn't try to go back to find it.

I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's book: Total Money Makeover... http://www.amazon.com/The-Total-Mon...d=1363606009&sr=8-1&keywords=dave+ramsey+book

Josh and I started following Dave Ramsey's budget about 4 years ago, and it was very helpful... I wrote a little more about it above. We plan our budgets about a year out, and we try to budget for everything we can. Unfortunately, we were getting a little relaxed about it after Christmas, and that is why we struggled more than necessary during the whole oven/fridge/Dr./surgery fiasco... If we would have been more dilligent with our budget, those things never would have affected us the way they did. We rewrote our entire budget last week, and it was a good thing... There were several things on there that were outdated and didn't have the proper amount of $$ designated, and over the years, it just got to be really disorganized. Now it's really nice and neat and easy to read. We do ours in an Excel document.

able to get V's clothes back and that you have a new dryer!!

Thanks - me too!

Hope the new rule continues to be good for both girls with the cleaning of the dishes.

Me too - we'll see how it goes.

**********************************************************

So, yesterday... I spent a good portion of the morning working on my coupons and grocery list for the week. Since this week is opposite of payday week, I try to only get the best deals this week.

I only have a few items on my list at each store.

Target has the most items... I was able to stack more razor coupons... So, I think I might get a couple more of those. I have my 2 BOGO creamer coupons I want to use up (they were only printable on the Target website for about a day, and they expire before our next pay day - so I need to use them)... I have a couple of shampoo/conditioner coupons to use (since the girls have longer hair, we go through a lot of this)... and I think that's all on my list this week.

I've also started my main list for next week. I also plan to start making out my menu today or tomorrow.

This week, in my sewing room, I plan to (hopefully) finish my auction bag today... Most likely, it won't happen, because I have to run to town this afternoon... But I want to make a good dent in it anyways.

My schedule this week is for the girls' park bags... Since V's didn't get done last time - I think I will be starting her's, hopefully sometime tomorrow. I would also like to get started on my big auction bags... I keep meaning to - but I have yet to find the time. I may have to put off the girls' park bags, and try to carve time out of my schedule for them closer to our trip, because if I don't get this trip paid for - we won't be going, nor will we be needing the bags. So, I might be changing directions.

Allison starts Track today... As you know, my girls have never been in sports before, and it's something I feel a lot of guilt over. Not only are they expensive to be involved in - but it's hard for us to coordinate driving into town daily to pick them up. We decided that this is a good opportunity for her, and driving in to town in the spring is much easier than driving in the winter. So, hopefully she enjoys it. She has 2 weeks to decide in order for us to get a full refund. We've told her that, if after the 2 weeks is up and she decides that she doesn't like it - too bad. LOL Up until that point, we are happy with any decision she chooses to make. But I hope she likes it - it will be good for her.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today - I hope you had a nice weekend.

D~

 

[babynala]

I love your chore change idea D.

C is having a hard time adjusting herself to have to clean a bathroom. When she moves down to the basement she gets her own bathroom and I told her we would get it spotless the first time but after that it was her job. She is not happy about it.

She is also going to have to bring her dirty clothes up to the laundry room and down when they are finished.

She isn't really responsible for much but does do everything I ask when I ask so I can't complain. She has even taken to giving J a bath for me on the nights G works since it is getting hard for me.

Have a great Sunday.

How sweet of C to help out with J. It gets hard to move around and get into tight places when you are carrying a baby inside your body. C must be getting excited to have her own space but I don't blame her for not wanting to clean her bathroom!

D~ I LOVE the Jessie bag. Her expression is perfect and makes me a bit misty because it reminds me of the movie when she is thinking about the little girl that grew up and didn't play with her anymore. Casey loved the Toy Story movies when she was little and had a set of soft dolls from the Disney Store. She played with them forever. I think that movie really made an impression and is probably the reason she will not part with any of her old toys or stuffed animals.

I am still giggling over your dryer escapades. I love how you made V sweat it out about her missing clothes. Your grocery shopping score at Target is very impressive. I don't blame you for not wanting to go to too many stores. Sometimes you have to add the cost of gas plus your time into the equation. Plus if you get burned out running to a bunch of different stores you probably will stop using the coupons all together.

Good luck to Allison and the start of her track career. I hope she enjoys it. Now that the days are getting longer it should make it a little easier to coordinate the pickups. I know when it is dark and cold I don't want to leave the house.

Hope you get lots of sewing done today.

 

[cogero]

Good luck to Allison with Track. I totally understand with the refund policy. I tell C if I pay you have to follow thru for the allotted time.

Good luck with your sewing. I have been crazy busy sewing. I can't believe how much better I work when crunched for time

 

[tricia]

I just checked over my schedule and it looks like there will be 2 days that we could potentially meet up as we will be in the same park. The 26th at Epcot, or the 29th at AK. My family is very flexible, so we are good with either.

 

[disneychic2]

I also endorse the Dave Ramsey books and seminars. We took it a few years back and DH has even taught it. We follow pretty closely as far as budget, but I sometimes get creative with my cash envelopes. We have an emergency fund of $1000 as he directs and now we have saved I think it's 4 or 5 months living expenses. We have no car payments or credit card debt and just a very small mortgage. We were in pretty good shape when we took the course, but we learned a lot of great things and it's what put us on a real, honest to goodness budget. We only use the credit card for gas and, occasionally online purchases. The idea behind not using plastic is that Dave says we tend to spend more than we would if we were shelling out cash. I think, though, that some people are disciplined enough to know what their limits are and stick with them. I pay for our Disney trip with a credit card to get the rewards and then make sure I have the cash to pay it off. It really is so freeing to have everything worked out. And, like you said, each year you can evaluate the budget, determine what works and what doesn't and make the necessary adjustments. Wow! I can go on, can't I?

It's probably a good idea to work on the auction items since that's paying for your trip. Good call.Hope you get a lot done. I'm off to the grocery store to spend way more on organic items and gluten free items than I would like to. It really pains me!

 

[ladylyons]

I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's book: Total Money Makeover... http://www.amazon.com/The-Total-Mon...d=1363606009&sr=8-1&keywords=dave+ramsey+book

Josh and I started following Dave Ramsey's budget about 4 years ago, and it was very helpful... I wrote a little more about it above. We plan our budgets about a year out, and we try to budget for everything we can. Unfortunately, we were getting a little relaxed about it after Christmas, and that is why we struggled more than necessary during the whole oven/fridge/Dr./surgery fiasco... If we would have been more dilligent with our budget, those things never would have affected us the way they did. We rewrote our entire budget last week, and it was a good thing... There were several things on there that were outdated and didn't have the proper amount of $$ designated, and over the years, it just got to be really disorganized. Now it's really nice and neat and easy to read. We do ours in an Excel document.

I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the info.

 

[lovingeire]

LOL Sometimes, I think I should get the "mean mommy" award, but grrrr... I was sooooo annoyed. Ever since she earned her Ipad back - she can barely get herself away from it, and she certainly is not paying much attention to what is going on around her. I am about to take it back again.


We did FPU 4 years ago... We still follow the Dave Ramsey budget plan, but we are definately not as strict as we used to be... However, it has taught us SOOOO much about budgeting and being responsible adults with our $$. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone that asks.

If you did make the coveted redhead bag I would take a video for you if you wanted!

I am sure my kids will utter many times what a mean mommy I am, but I hope they'll look back on it and know that I had their best intents at heart and be thankful I taught them to be self-sufficient. I always tell my oldest about the guys who pulled pink laundry out of the wash in college. He won't be one of them!

We have always had a budget, however we don't always stick to it. So it's a little pointless to have. And we don't have a zeroed out budget like Dave recommends so we are going to try that and be more specific like you said with our money. I am bad and convinced DH that we should still keep saving for Disney while paying off debt. That I would give up entertainment or pocket money for Disney! He said as long as we're paying off debt and leave the option on the table he is fine with that. My goal is to go back to the envelope system and use it for groceries again. It really did help me curb my spending. With a two year old I just cannot go in to pay as it's a huge pain so I'll keep using the debit card for that, but I will name the money and budget it. Anything I don't use I will roll over into the Disney fund. I think my husband is finally starting to get on board with the whole plan. He scheduled a budget committee meeting and went through all of his receipts to tally up what he spends! This is unheard of so I'm hoping we'll see a lot of growth and maturity in our financial peace!

 

[miprender]

OK - this is the 3rd time I have had to redo this post this morning... And I just don't have the time to do individual responses for the third time... I am so sorry... If I have the time to do individual responses after I update at the bottom - I will - but I've been working on this for almost 2 hours! Otherwise - I will stop back this afternoon to do them.

I do want to apologize, in advance, for the extremely long lenth of this post... If you have no interest in couponing or deals - you may not want to read this post at all today - because that's pretty much what it's all about.


**********************************************************

So, yesterday started off with me waking to rain. The temp was hovering rigth around 32 degrees (my alt symbol is not working this morning - and that is why my page keeps rebooting... Grr... So you all will have to deal with the word "degrees" and no symbol. LOL - Hopefully Cheryl doesn't see). Rather than work on updating my thread - I opted to watch the morning weather, I was worried about frozen roads, and the weather man was too.

The girls and I were on the road by 7:30... I wanted to be to Target when they opened at 8. I dislike shopping in crowds - especially when I am couponing, because it takes so much concentration (for me, anyways) - I just feel like I am under less pressure if I can get there early.

Allison went with BFF and I, V stayed at BFF's house. We warned Alli that we would be there for HOURS, and sometimes in the same aisle for a loooong time - but she still wanted to see what it was all about. So, I made her promise no complaining.

Target...

We always start off by the make-up, and move towards H&B, then Chemicals, then grocery and finally Refrigerator/freezer.

We were there for 2 hours before we even lined up to check out...

When I started unloading my cart - I was very careful to warn the people lining up behind me that not only was my belt FULL - but I had a TON of coupons - so if they chose to line up behind me - it could be a LONG wait. I always hate to inconvenience people with my annoying coupons. Most people left, and finally a woman chose to stay... I think that secretly - she wanted to watch. LOL

OK - are you all ready?????

When the cashier first started my coupons, there were a few people watching... BFF, Alli and the lady in line behind me... As we were progressing through the coupons, there were 2 more cashiers, the GSTL (head cashier) and some random guy there watching. It was kind of weird.

Here's my Target rundown...

Beginning Total was $205.74 (yikes - that is waaay over my budget)... My ending balance, after all of my coupons, discount and Target Red Card discount was.... $62.34!!!! OMG!!! I couldn't believe it! For a total savings of exactly $143.40 or 70%!

For me to say that I was on cloud 9 is a total understatement... It was the coolest thing EVER!

Some of my best deals were...

Thursday night, the Target website posted a manufacturer coupon for BOGO on our coffee creamer... Josh goes through about 4 little bottles every pay period, and I go through about one, so this is something we definately have to budget for and we use a lot of. I also had a Target coupon for $1 off of 2 creamers. I had 4 of each of those coupons... So, I purchased 8-32oz creamers (medium sized bottle), for a total of $9.16 (not including my discount) or $1.15/bottle.

My other great deal was on razors... With 3 girls in the house - we go through TONS of razors... You could not even believe it! I chose the mens razors (let's face it, there is not much difference between men's and women's razors other than the color, and I honestly think the men's razors work better)... The men's razors were $1 cheaper than the same women's razor I could have used the coupon on. So, the razors were $8.49 per package... I had a Target coupon for -$3 and a manufacturer coupon for -$4. Which made each package $1.49 (not including my discounts). I purchased 8 packages.

I was able to get a TON of deals on female products - which I won't go into detail about here, since it's a public forum... But usually - Target runs their free Gift Card promotion as buy 3, get a $5 Target GC. This week, their promotion was buy 2, get a $5 GC... Which is a good deal. I ended up with $15 in GCs + I had manufacturer coupons to boot.

I have a rule... And I am pretty good about sticking to it. Sometimes it's hard, because you run across these "deals" once you are in the store for items that aren't on your list. So, my rule is... If the final price is under $1 - I can put it in my cart. That keeps me from putting more in my cart than I can afford to purchase... Yet, I can still take part in some really great deals.

A few of the items I purchased yesterday fell under this rule... I had a -$1 coupon for any manual Colgate toothbrush... They were priced at $.94 - so I got a free toothbrush. Garnier Fruictis shampoo and conditioner was priced at $2.99/bottle... I had a -$1 Target coupon and a -$1 manufacturer coupon - so I stacked them for $.99/bottle.

Cub (our grocery store)...

Cub was a bit more deflating... My list was very short - but I just can't get the deals at Cub that I can get at Target. According to my short list - my total should have been just under ~$70.

I will admit - I did not stick to my rule totally - there were a few things I purchased that were not on my list. I am a bit disappointed in myself for that. But it is what it is.

My total here before coupons was $171.46. After coupons was $96.84. For a total savings of $74.42 or 44%.

D~

Wow that is some great savings.

Does that money saved go into the family fund or a special Disney °O° fund?

 

[DMGeurts]

How sweet of C to help out with J. It gets hard to move around and get into tight places when you are carrying a baby inside your body. C must be getting excited to have her own space but I don't blame her for not wanting to clean her bathroom!

Yes, I agree - I think Miss C is just a wonderful girl... You must be so proud Chiara... Clearly she has great compassion for her mom and her brother.

D~ I LOVE the Jessie bag. Her expression is perfect and makes me a bit misty because it reminds me of the movie when she is thinking about the little girl that grew up and didn't play with her anymore. Casey loved the Toy Story movies when she was little and had a set of soft dolls from the Disney Store. She played with them forever. I think that movie really made an impression and is probably the reason she will not part with any of her old toys or stuffed animals.

I totally agree Liz... Her expression does look a bit thoughtful. I am the same way with the girls' toys, it makes me so sad to think they may have feelings too... Thanks a lot Toy Story... Most of them, we have given away, but quite a few of them we have kept... Just their favorites though - and their entire AG collection - much to Josh's dismay.

I am still giggling over your dryer escapades. I love how you made V sweat it out about her missing clothes.

I really had to... I was kind of annoyed when we'd returned home and she didn't care that her stuff was missing - after we'd just gone back and dug through all these old appliances to find her stuff. Josh let her off easy - I would have gone at least another hour before I told her.

grocery shopping score at Target is very impressive. I don't blame you for not wanting to go to too many stores. Sometimes you have to add the cost of gas plus your time into the equation. Plus if you get burned out running to a bunch of different stores you probably will stop using the coupons all together.

Yah - doing too many stores, even with out couponing (my bff would attest) makes me a bit crazy. She is kind of the one who started the "store limit" for me - LOL - she can't stand me either.

Good luck to Allison and the start of her track career. I hope she enjoys it. Now that the days are getting longer it should make it a little easier to coordinate the pickups. I know when it is dark and cold I don't want to leave the house.

I hope so too! She is actually going to do the Shot Put and Discus... She does not enjoy running much (she is like her mom that way)... I wish she could love it, because I've always wanted to, but whatever she likes to do.

I am a bit nervous about her time management though... I know that other kids struggle with this all the time when they are in sports, but by the time Alli gets off of Track... then the half hour drive home - it's dinner time... Then only 2 hours to do home work before bed - there are many times she easily has more then 2 hours of homework. But since we live so far out of town - they have to be up for school every morning at 5:30 at the latest, because the bus comes at 6:30 (rediculous - IMO)... So, it is going to be a very fine balancing act for her, and I hope she is able to adjust, because I'd like to see her enjoy a sport.

you get lots of sewing done today.

Thanks - I did!

Good luck to Allison with Track. I totally understand with the refund policy. I tell C if I pay you have to follow thru for the allotted time.

Exactly!

Good luck with your sewing. I have been crazy busy sewing. I can't believe how much better I work when crunched for time

I wondered about that - LOL - I work better under pressure too... Unfortunatly, my pressure is always a result of my procrastination.

I just checked over my schedule and it looks like there will be 2 days that we could potentially meet up as we will be in the same park. The 26th at Epcot, or the 29th at AK. My family is very flexible, so we are good with either.

Awesome! I've added our potential dismeet to our AK day, as well.

I also endorse the Dave Ramsey books and seminars. We took it a few years back and DH has even taught it. We follow pretty closely as far as budget, but I sometimes get creative with my cash envelopes. We have an emergency fund of $1000 as he directs and now we have saved I think it's 4 or 5 months living expenses. We have no car payments or credit card debt and just a very small mortgage. We were in pretty good shape when we took the course, but we learned a lot of great things and it's what put us on a real, honest to goodness budget. We only use the credit card for gas and, occasionally online purchases. The idea behind not using plastic is that Dave says we tend to spend more than we would if we were shelling out cash. I think, though, that some people are disciplined enough to know what their limits are and stick with them. I pay for our Disney trip with a credit card to get the rewards and then make sure I have the cash to pay it off. It really is so freeing to have everything worked out. And, like you said, each year you can evaluate the budget, determine what works and what doesn't and make the necessary adjustments. Wow! I can go on, can't I?

Good budgeting is very important, IMO. I also read another book - that I thought was helpful as a parent... OK - gotta remember the name of it... I think it's called "The Millionaire Next Door"... An excellent read and very eye opening. Basically, it talks about how and where you live affecting how you are able to save money - vs. "keeping up with the Joneses" next door... And by living in a "richer" neighborhood makes your poorer. It's a cool read. But along with that - there's a chapter about teaching your children to be self reliant and not making them financially dependant on you. Very cool book - definately recommend.

It's probably a good idea to work on the auction items since that's paying for your trip. Good call. Hope you get a lot done. I'm off to the grocery store to spend way more on organic items and gluten free items than I would like to. It really pains me!

Yes, thank you for putting it into perspective for me... Auction items it is, this week.

I hope your shopping trip was slightly less painless than you feared.

I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the info.

Yes, it's a very good book - and if you decide not to follow the budget... Hopefully it will give you some good ideas for developing your own.

If you did make the coveted redhead bag I would take a video for you if you wanted!

LOL

I am sure my kids will utter many times what a mean mommy I am, but I hope they'll look back on it and know that I had their best intents at heart and be thankful I taught them to be self-sufficient. I always tell my oldest about the guys who pulled pink laundry out of the wash in college. He won't be one of them!

Exactly... I know my girls will tell stories about some of my most awful mommy moments... but I also know they respect me a great deal for always being a person of my word... I am the mom who counts to 3 and means it... There are no pauses or 2.5s... And I always state the consequences before I begin.

For us, one of the best punishments I ever used (and I used it A LOT) was writing sentances... I have notebooks FULL of "I will love and respect my sister... Mom... whatever" I loved using that form of punishment because it accomplished so many things with out being confrontational. First off, it gave everyone involved time to calm down - that was very important. Then it gave the person being punished time to reflect on their behavior. It was non abusive and depending on the the crime committed - their punishment could be 30 sentences or hundreds.

We have always had a budget, however we don't always stick to it. So it's a little pointless to have. And we don't have a zeroed out budget like Dave recommends so we are going to try that and be more specific like you said with our money. I am bad and convinced DH that we should still keep saving for Disney while paying off debt. That I would give up entertainment or pocket money for Disney! He said as long as we're paying off debt and leave the option on the table he is fine with that. My goal is to go back to the envelope system and use it for groceries again. It really did help me curb my spending. With a two year old I just cannot go in to pay as it's a huge pain so I'll keep using the debit card for that, but I will name the money and budget it. Anything I don't use I will roll over into the Disney fund. I think my husband is finally starting to get on board with the whole plan. He scheduled a budget committee meeting and went through all of his receipts to tally up what he spends! This is unheard of so I'm hoping we'll see a lot of growth and maturity in our financial peace!

Sticking to a budget is the hardest part. I think part of why FPU is so successful is a: because of the savings account... YOu are less likely so spend $$ if it's actual $$... And there isn't a need to use a credit card if you have the cash to pay for items.

So, like I said yesterday - before DR and FPU, we never budgeted for groceries or gas, we just bought. But they are definite expenses, and spendy ones too... Now that we budget for them... THe $$ is there to spend, and there is no need to put it on a cc.

We did a zeroed out budget for 4 years until we redid our budget a couple weeks ago... Having a zeroed out budget really made Josh nervous, so we've left a little bit of a cushion there for him. Not huge - but something. There is no reason to be nervous about your budget, or you won't stick to it. IMO.

Here is my thought on Disney trips, as related to DR and FPU. Yes... That is $$ that could go towards debt - very true. But, as my girls are getting older, I am losing time with them - so it's important to us that we do these trips... As long as a: I am not increasing our debt because of them and b: I am still paying off debt and c: We are still able to live comfortably with in our set budget. Now, if something BIG happens, and it eats through our savings - yes, our Disney fund is the next to go - it's only fair. It shouldn't be a back-up savings plan, but to some extent, it is, it always will be. It's a frivilous thing... We can't give up groceries or gas, so, Disney will be the first to go. Do I like it - no - but it's the responsible thing to do. And I can always start saving again. I will never ever take any trip on credit - will I have a card with me in case of an emergency? Yes. Will I use it for anything but that? No. Will I have cash to pay for it when I get home (or before)? Yes.

Sorry - I can go on and on about this subject too... For many years Josh and I struggled when we were first married and the girls were younger... It took a lot of "growing up" on our part to become financially responsible - and we still have a lot of growing and learning to do - we are not perfect. But we live with in our means, which takes a lot of planning and diligence to do it. But we go to bed every night knowing our bills are paid for with cash and we are not incurring any more debt... we sleep much better knowing that.

Wow that is some great savings.

Does that money saved go into the family fund or a special Disney °O° fund?

Thanks! It was fun to see that total go down. Actually, the $$ saved brings us back into our budgeted amount, so the savings isn't really a savings, and there is no $$ to put anywhere else. LOL It just means that we get to eat better and more fun things for our $$.

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I spent the entire day in my sewing room yesterday.

I finished my applique for the auction bag - I am super happy with it. It turned out very nice. I also started my preassembly. I hope to finish the entire bag today. I also hope to start and finish the wallet this afternoon - it's going to be close.

Allison enjoyed her first day of track yesterday... She is planning to do Shot Put and Discus (maybe)... But trying to find girly shoes for that portion of the sport - well, they don't make them. And that is rough for my girly-girl. Her coach said that kids show up all the time with regular tennis shoes - so that may be what she ends up doing too, as I don't think that I will be able to get her into the proper shoes... besides, it isn't super necessary at this stage anyways. Although, Josh would tend to disagree, as he feels the proper shoes are necessary for each task - so we will see who wins this one.

We had some rough weather yesterday... Blizzard warnings... It was crazy trying to restructure our day, since my Edge wouldn't go through the drifts on the roads (which should have closed school - sigh)... So, Josh had to take off of work early, because he had the pick-up... Take V to her appt. and grab Alli from track, then bring them both home. Which, when they got home, they all agreed that the truck barely made it through the drifts - so my Edge never would have. I hate it when that happens. But everyone was home safe in time for dinner (stroganoff).

Today, I guess I already told you all above... So< I guess I have nothing more to add.

For those of you that follow my Fanpage... I'll be posting more sneak peeks in a bit, so keep your eyes open for that.

D~