Frugal Friday

Man, I love saving money. I absolutely love raiding the clearance rack at Kroger to find cheap markdowns. And then I love having coupons for those products and getting them for dirt-cheap or free! How do I get them free, you may ask? Like this:


You check the dairy section of your local Kroger for their "Manager's Special" markdowns on yogurt that's only a couple of days from expiring. (For me, this means checking before I clock in, on my lunch break, and before I leave for the day. But I'm obsessed, so...) Then you combine these cheap yogurt specials with your handy-dandy coupons you cut from your Sunday paper, and if you shop at Kroger, they double up to 55 cents, so...your total is $0 + tax! :)


Here's another fabulous Manager special I snagged a couple of weeks ago:

(4) Softsoap refills at $1.49 each

(2) Softsoap Hand Soaps at $0.49 each

-minus-

(2) $0.75/2 Refill Coupons

(2) $0.30/1 Hand Soap Coupons (doubled, which made these FREE)

=equals=

$4.50 +tax for LOTS of handsoap!

And the last deal for today.Who likes cheap laundry detergent?! Better yet, who likes cheap TIDE?!...
48-load bottles of Tide Clean Breeze marked down to $3.99 each! Add (4) $1 coupons, and that's some fabulously-priced detergent!

I've decided that our money is, well, hard-earned, so it's worth my time and effort to cut coupons and bargain-shop. I also LOVE sharing my coupons! It's so much fun to dig through my mom's shopping cart when I see her at the store, and say "Hey, I have a coupon for that! Here!" I may not have an extra $2 in my pocket to just hand her, but when I give her my coupons, it's kind of like I'm doing just that. :)

Wordless Wednesday

SLEEP.

I remember my Speech class my 2nd semester of college. This guy did a speech on sleep. And the proper amount of sleep. And he gave all the reasons why the adult body needs 8 hours of sleep per day. He also went on to say why our sleep requirements change as we age, yada yada. But for some reason, I always think about that speech. And I wonder where he got his information. And who has time to sleep 8 hours EVERY. DAY.

Don't get me wrong. Boy, I love some good sleep. I long for Saturday mornings, because it's the only day of the week that I get to sleep past 6:30, which is Savanna's normal time to wake up. Lee always gets up with her on Saturdays, and I. LOVE. IT.

Here's my normal day, starting with the alarm going off at 5:45:

Wake up. Drink Coffee. Shower. Get myself ready. Wake child. Dress child. Fight with child's (super curly)hair. Load up and leave by 7. Drop child off at daycare at 7:30. Clock in work at 8. Clock out of work at 5. Pick child up by 5:30. Fix dinner. Eat about 6:30. Mother daughter play time. Bath at 7:30. Child is in bed by 8:00. Clean kitchen. Laundry. Quick run to the store (sometimes). Pack husband's dinner. Check email while listening to news in the background. Wake husband up at 10. Make sure he's out the door by 10:40. Lock up. Blog if I can. Be in bed by 12:00.

So, where do you get to sleep for 8 hours on weeknights? I must be doing something wrong.

Motherly Monday

This was a very candid picture, as you can imagine. I don't normally pose so lady-like when I know my picture is being taken ;) but I like this picture because it is a constant reminder of the little set of eyes that are watching and seeing my every move. I remember the first time I ever saw Savanna make the very face I'm making in this picture. I actually said (outloud):

"Where does she learn this stuff?"

I am constantly getting after her for saying "Huh?" ALL the time! (It drives me crazy!) But I wonder how many times I say "Huh?" to her on a daily basis.

Duh. Duh. Duh. Shame on me. She is my little mirror. She does and says what she sees and hears!

Here's a little song that goes perfectly with the point I'm trying to make. Sorry, if it's stuck in your head the rest of the day! ;)

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say

(You know, this is classified as a "Childrens Bible Song". How ironic is that? They should play this song on the radio for us all to listen to on a daily basis!)

Thankful Thursday

Time for a few things I'm thankful for. Today's list is a reflection of our very fast-paced lives, and the things that make the day to day a little easier.

1. Coffee. Enough said.
2. Is there anything better than laundry detergent sheets? I think not.
3. Anything SWIFFER. I'm slightly addicted. I love it all.
4. The radio. Music. The Bob & Sheri show every morning.

5. My current favorite bathtime scent :)

I hope these thankful-fors don't make me seem shallow ;) I'm truly thankful for these little things...

Wordless Wednesday

Right Foot Left Foot

Ever seen one of these before? I don't know the exact name of it...I call it a foot splint. These are what I sleep in at nighttime. No, not all the time. Not like I'm supposed to. But, yes, I sleep wearing these monstrosities. Remember my post on the old bliggity-blog about my heel spurs, and my tightened achilles, physical therapy, yada yada? Well, I opted for the less-expensive and less time-consuming Dorsiwedge braces.

These bad boys are designed to keep my foot and leg at a 90 degree angle, so when I first wake up in the morning I'm not in excruciating pain. They work. They're as uncomfortable as all get-out, but they do their job.

Waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or to comfort a crying baby is a pain, as these jokers aren't designed to be stood or walked on. Needless to say, I've become quite the pro at ripping them off in a moment's notice.

Why am I telling you all this? Good question. I'm not sure myself. I'm pretty stoked about hitting the sack, and well, bedtime gear is on the brain, I reckon.

Happy sleeping, my friends! (splint-free)