Awesome Bi-Lo trip

On Friday morning, I went to Bi-Lo. It was a great trip. When I first went in, I bought $100 in gas gift cards, which gave me a $20 coupon for a future purchase. I then went shopping. I got:

2 boxes of cereal

4 boxes of Pop-Tarts (with 12 for the price of 8 in each box)

1 box of store-brand toaster pastries

4 boxes of Eggo waffles

1 box of store brand waffles

1 store-brand frozen lasagna (had to find a filler item!!)

I used coupons on the Eggos and the Pop-tarts, and I had buy (national brand), get (store brand) free coupons for the store brand waffles and toaster pastries. I used the $20 coupon from my gift card purchase, and owed $0.71 including tax. My subtotal before savings was $35.11, and after was $34.63, for a savings percentage of 99%. Oh, and I got a form for a $10 Bi-Lo mail-in rebate for buying 8 Kellogg's products. Not too bad!

Great week! and a contest

It's been a while since I've posted, and we've been doing well. Jamie got a new job at his current workplace - it's a promotion to a supervisory position, and it means we're staying here for a while! Hannah is doing so well, rolling this way and that, turning herself in circles, and so desperately interested in crawling. Nora is doing so well with her schooling, and she is becoming such a lovely little girl (from being a lovely preschooler). She is a joy to teach. I am growing and learning in the weekly Women's Bible Study I've been co-facilitating. You really do get a lot more out of studying when you have to be prepared to move the discussion along, and I'm really enjoying it.

I've been trucking along with the money saving. This week was excellent. I spent $34.61 at CVS, Kroger, and Publix. I saved $116.36. That's a savings of 77%! I got a bunch of produce, milk, 6 large boxes of Cheerios, 4 boxes of fruit snacks, pancake mix, sugar, granola bars, 5 boxes of Always Infinity pads (!!), and more.

I have just signed up for a contest All*You magazine is promoting (starting 7/13/09): Can you spend less than $25 on edible groceries per person, per week, for a month? They are interested to see if it can be done, and I think I can safely say YES! Even if I don't count Hannah (baby food just isn't a huge part of the budget), I am certain I can keep it below $75/week for edibles. I'm not sure how one wins (spend the least? drawing of one eligible participant?), but the prize is a $1000 grocery gift card, a years' worth of Knorr sides, and a feature in the magazine. It would be way cool to win!

Giveaway at Choyster Cash

Hey - there's a $100 giveaway at Choyster Cash - check it out!

Friday Finals March 14-20

This was a pretty good week.  J went to Kroger without my Plus card and no coupons!  I almost choked when I saw the total (half our budget!) and the savings ($0).  I realized I was going to have to step it up to stay on budget, as all he got was coffee and beer!!  I went to Publix twice, and took advantage of the amazing coupon Kingsford has going.  So here's the breakdown, and the pictures:

Kroger

Spent: 29.19

Saved: 0 :o(

Total: 29.19

% Saved: 0%

Publix #1

Spent: 20.53

Saved: 29.58

Total: 50.11

% Saved: 59%

Publix #2

Spent: 12.71

Saved: 36.55

Total: 49.26

% Saved: 74%

(not pictured: $3.37 worth of "incentive" jelly beans for Nora, to be doled out as good grocery store behavior merits)

Publix total

Spent: 33.24

Saved: 66.13

Total: 99.37

% Saved: 67%

Week's Total

Spent: 62.43

Saved: 66.13

Total: 128.56

% Saved: 51%

Check out Southern Savers for sale/coupon matchups, and for inspiration from other savers!

Friday Finals first week of March

As I went a bit over budget last week, I kept it moderate this week.

Kroger 

Spent: $21.24

Total value: $36.83

Saved: $15.59

% saved: 42.3%

Publix

Spent: $23.70

Total value: $46.03

Saved: $22.33

% saved: 48.5%

Target

Spent: $2.69

Total value: $5.38

Saved: $2.69

% saved: 50%

Totals:

Spent: $47.63

Total value: $88.24

Saved: $40.61

% saved: 46% 

I have a question - what is your opinion of Aldi?  A new one opened here yesterday, and while they boast 50% off of the grocery stores, I'm not entirely sure that I can't do better.  Do you shop at Aldi?  For everything or for specific items?

To see more savers (who are very good at this!), go to SouthernSavers.com.  Have a great weekend!

Friday Finals (a few days late)

Wow - it's been busy around here lately!  We started a bathroom remodel (yay!) and the girls have gotten colds (boo).  I have been learning much from a great couponing site, and I've tallied last week's spending and saving.

Walmart

Spent: $7.25

Total value: $7.97

Saved: $0.72

% saved: 9%

Kroger (2 trips)

Spent: $52.20

Total value: $11.25

Saved: $59.05

% saved: 53%

(I have a $4.99 MIR coming from All-Bran)

Publix

Spent: $28.04 

Total value: $80.30

Saved: $52.26

% saved: 65%

(I have a $10 gift card coming thanks to General Mills and Publix)

CVS

Spent: $7.54

Total value: $32.54

Saved: $25

% saved: 77%

(I have a $6.99 MIR coming from Organix Shampoo, and I got $6 ECBs)

Totals:

Spent: $95.03 ($67.05 after $ back)

Total value: $232.06

Saved: $137.03 ($165.01 after $ back)

% saved: 59% (71% after $ back)

I also got some chicken at Reid's big sale.  It worked out to about $0.35/lb for leg quarters, so I got 10 pounds.  A friend of mine got 80 pounds!  That seemed like a bit more than I could handle!

All in all, it was a good week.  I went a little over budget, but I stocked up big time on shampoo, toilet paper, chicken, and snack foods.  I think my list for next week will be a bit smaller.

$4.65

Not including cute girl.

This site helped me immensely! Thanks!

Held

When Nora was delivered, I found out that my uterus is unicornuate - essentially, I have half a uterus.  After doing some research, I realized how blessed I was to have her, and that I may have complications in any future pregnancy.  While my pregnancy with Hannah went well and turned out well, there was one little hiccup.  I had a repeat cesarean, and the doctor made a comment about a "window" while she was operating.  We asked her about it later, and she said that my prior cesarean scar was so thin in one place that she could see Hannah through it, and that she only needed her fingers to open my uterus for delivery - no instruments.  We asked her what that meant, and she told us that we should not have any more children, as this window was likely to recur, and could rupture easily.  At that moment, I mourned the fact that I would not ever bear another child.  Upon further reflection, we came to realize that again we were blessed that Hannah (and I) were even here.  I am so grateful that God kept us safe.  I am still struggling, some days more than others, but I feel like I'm starting to come to a place of acceptance.  This powerful song had me sobbing in the days just after Hannah was born, and it still makes me tear up.  Life was not promised to be easy, but I know God is holding me.

Held (Natalie Grant)

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held
This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our savior
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held
[Repeat Chorus]
This is what it means to be held