Bringing home a haul

This is just a quick post... I went to upload some pics for the upcoming post on the Zelda Room, and I stumbled across this priceless picture I meant to blog and post.

This was my first big haul after about 2 months of couponing rest. I scored tons of stuff including:

Toilet paper

Paper towels

Club Crackers

Canned pineapple

Dog treats

Allergy Medicine

Vicks

Cool Whip

Frozen dinners

Refrigerated meat entrees (to be frozen at my house)

...and more I can't even remember right now

This was my view of the back seat (hubby was driving - since this was a HUGE outing, he came too!) and I couldn't stop laughing. I always try to NOT box my daughter in her carseat, but this time, it was unavoidable. There was literally no other place to put things at this point. We went to three stores, and on the way home (this drive is only 1 mile), this was her... just peeking over our TONS of groceries. 

It made me giggle. I can't help but still share!

Waiting

Today is a day to wait. I have to wait for the glue to dry, wait for the turkey to thaw, wait for a vehicle to finish making the necessary purchases for this weekend. Wait.

I have had plenty of time to wait. I am tired of waiting. I want to be able to put another coat of paper mache' on my 8ft Great Deku Tree. I want to be able to cook the turkey. I want this weekend to be here.

We will be having many friends over to help us paint our daughter's big girl 'Zelda Room'. I am so excited and ready to have tons of fun and make memories making a room our family can enjoy for years to come.

But all I can do now is wait on the glue to dry.

It's raining diapers!!!

Although I know the majority of my readers don't have kids in diapers, this is one deal I can't NOT squeal in happiness about scoring!! Please feel free to read if you are a diaper consumer, Babies R Us shopper, or generally interested. Otherwise - be warned... this one is long!

Babies R Us is pretty good when it comes to deals. They mail you their bi-weekly ad booklet with couple of pages at the back with gift card deals and store coupons. Additionally, they sell specialized products that will also sometimes include BRU store coupons too! Needless to say, they make stacking coupons easy and that helps all diaper-buyers.

So today, I had a little time between lunch and dinner dates, so I decided I'd go cash in a couple of high value coupons I've been sitting on for a while AND I would register for baby #2's things that we will need.

As far as I can tell, most moms don't register for a second baby because, unless it's a different gender than the first, there usually is no baby shower for another... hand-me-downs are usually the way to go. HOWEVER, in our case, this will give a quick answer for anyone who DOES want to toss gifts our way, AND it provides the grandmas with a designated list, thus avoiding unwanted items or overbuying. At least that is the hope. :/ Please comment below if you're a mom of more than one, and let me know how you handled gifts for #2 and so on - thanks!

At the table just inside the door, I found a stack of Huggies Manufacturer's Coupons for $2/1 Huggies Diapers (excl Trial Size) and $1/1 Huggies Baby Wipes (excl trial size) - both expire 6/30/12, so I grabbed a couple of those. Anyone in Douglasville, there's still more left after me, I promise!

While I was setting up my registry, I was introduced to a NEW program BRU is offering in addition to their current Rewards R Us program. After having the whole schpeel run by me, I was about to faint at the awesomeness of this new program. Here's the nitty gritty:

• VIB = Very Important Baby
• The VIB card is a gift card that can be used for the purchase of diapers, wipes, formula & food
• Anyone shopping off your registry can apply money to your VIB card
• You receive Rewards R Us points for the monetary amount that is applied to your VIB card
• You receive 10% extra credit within 24 hours of funds being added to your card (I applied $100 to my VIB card today, they will add $10 extra by tomorrow as a bonus)
• When you use your VIB card to pay at checkout, you STILL get Rewards R Us points for the purchase price of your transaction
• Because of the double Rewards R Us points (at application and at purchase) I will ALWAYS buy diapers, wipes, formula & food from BRU using my VIB card - I will never use debit/credit/cash at the register for these items EVER AGAIN.

Hope all that makes sense. If you have any questions on the VIB program, I can try and answer through the comments below, or you can call 1 800 TOYS R US. They were very helpful in clearing up my understanding of this program :)

So, I bet you're wondering how well I did and why I'm so excited about this trip, right?

$100 applied to VIB card

     $100 credit applied to my Rewards R Us card

     10% bonus, or $10, will be added to my VIB card by tomorrow

(1)     Huggies Tote, Sz3: 124 Little Movers diapers + 26 Little Movers Slip-Ons

            = $39.99

               $20+ coupon booklet inside:

               $3/1 Huggies Little Movers Slip-On STORE coupon

               $3/1 Huggies Value Box (100ct or more) STORE coupon

               $3/1 Huggies Wipes (320ct or more) STORE coupon

               $1/1 Huggies Wipes (64ct or more) STORE coupon

               $1/1 Huggies Changing Pads STORE coupon
               $3/1 Huggies Newborn Diapers STORE coupon

               $2/1 Huggies OverNites Diapers STORE coupon

               $3/1 Pull-Ups Training Pants STORE coupon

               $2/1 Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes STORE coupon

               $1/1 Kotex Pads STORE coupon

               $1/1 Kotex Lightdays Pantiliners STORE coupon

               ** Not only are these STORE coupons and can be stacked, ALL expire 12/31/12

(1)     Pampers Cruisers Sz3 Super Box 174ct

            = $45.99

            - $10/1 Pampers Diapers package of $15 or more (Consumer email response)

            = $35.99

(3)    Pampers Cruisers Sz3 Mega Pack 52ct

            = $18.99 each

            - $10/1 Pampers Diapers package of $15 or more (Consumer email response)

            = $8.99 each

(2)    Pampers Soft Care Wipes 72ct

            = $2.99 each

            - $1/1 Pampers Wipes 60ct or more (from specially marked pkg of P&G products)

+ Babies R Us is running a deal through 4/12/12, get $10 off your P&G purchase of $50, $20/$100, or $30/$150 or more.

  $157.96   Subtotal

-  $20.00   Store coupons/deal/discount

-  $42.00   Coupons

+ $  9.03   Tax

= $95.96 Total Out of Pocket (45% savings)

Upcoming credits from this purchase:

$10 bonus on VIB card

$195.96 purchase credit applied to Rewards R Us account

$5 from Rewards R Us for every $150 spent

= $15 bonus/Rewards (additional 10% savings!!)

IF you're still reading, these are the samples & coupons I got when I setup my Baby Registry... some were found in the magazine, others in the sample packages, etc.

SAMPLE Pampers Wipes

SAMPLE Boogie Wipes

SAMPLE J&J Baby Lotion

SAMPLE Boudreaux's Butt Paste

& for the COUPONS:

   $5/$25 or more on Baby Items STORE coupon (exp 5/31/12)

   $8/2 Pampers Value Box Diapers AND Value Box Wipes STORE coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $1/1 Boudreaux's Butt Paste Mfr coupon (exp 12/31/15)

   50¢/1 Boogie Wipes 30ct Mfr coupon (exp 12/31/11)

   $3/1 Dreft detergent excl trial MFR coupon (exp 6/30/13)

   $1/1 Johnson's Baby or Natural bath or lotion product MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $1/1 Johnson's Baby or Natural shampoo or sun product MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $1/1 Desitin Diaper Rash product excl trial MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $2/1 Johnson's Baby Gift Set MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $1/1 Johnson's Natural product MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $5/1 Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy MFR coupon (exp 12/31/12)

   $3/1 Philips Avent bottles MFR coupon (exp 6/30/12)

   $2/1 Philips Avent Breast Storage Set MFR coupon (exp 6/30/12)

   10% off Philips Avent Breast Pump MFR coupon (exp 6/30/12)

Thanks for reading - I was just too excited NOT to share!

OH! And I get all the Pampers & Huggies points from the packages I bounght. Can we say FREE gifts??? :)

I don't know where I found the energy

The last few weeks have been nothing shy of crazy, and I feel like a zombie right now. I have no clue how I am still going, because I should be zonked, but somehow I'm still burning the midnight oil.

Last weekend we had our HVAC system completely replaced. Our house was FREEZING because we had no heat, so our munchkin stayed with my parents for the weekend. Friday night was warmer and okay, Saturday we slept at my parents house, and Sunday night it was so cold that we let all three of the dogs sleep in the bed with us. I already take up most of the bed, so... it was a bit crowded, but we managed. Our new system was installed Monday and I am so grateful for heating and air now, it's not even funny.

After that, we cleaned the house. Quite a bit of stuff was displaced by the water leak that caused the HVAC to be replaced, not to mention the dust and creepy-crawlers that came up through the vents. PLUS we had to get the house ready for a party for one special fairy girl.

Micah's first birthday party was a blast Sunday! We had so much fun with so many family and friends. She got all the things she 'asked' for and TONS of books. I think she might just take to them like her Mommy and Daddy did. I managed to finish her Abby Cadabby fairy costume just 30 minutes before the party started, and she smashed her cake like a champ!

After everyone was gone, I looked around at all the stuff to clean up and toys to be put away. How are you supposed to make room for new stuff with each Christmas, Easter, and Birthday. I'm sure there are some age-old tricks that I need to become wise to very very soon...

Today, I started and (mostly) finished hubby's Captain Hook coat for the convention this upcoming weekend. My Wendy dress is done, and our little Tinkerbell has hers put together as well - I cheated and bought the pieces for her look... I am no superwoman, after all.

The rest of this week should fly by and help me forget about my wonderful pregnancy ailments. Tomorrow is Billy Elliott at the Fox Theatre, Wednesday is the Munchkin's actual birthday so probably dinner out, Thursday is rest and pack, and Friday, Saturday & Sunday are Momocon - the convention hubby and I help run each year. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!

I know I have the strength to get through it, but I will have to muster up some courage to find it... After all, I did take a 4 hour nap on the couch today while Micah napped in her room. She was still tired from her party yesterday and teething, of course!

I'm hoping to get another post in this week, but if not, I hope to see many of you readers at the convention!
<3 Jessica

I love Hooters and I hate jerks

So evening home with hubby has been productive, in a sense. I haven't yet started on his jacket, and I probably won't begin tonight, as it's already 8. He got some things 'moved around' outside, mainly in preparation for our HVAC replacement that is scheduled to begin Friday. We spent a few minutes discussing theoretical house alterations that may or may not happen in the future. But the best part of the evening, and most productive in my eyes, is that I figured out what I wanted for dinner - my crazy pregnancy appetite leaves me lacking in the decision making lately. I am always hungry, but I don't want anything I have and I don't know what I really want to go get.

My body wanted Hooters.

Yes, those that have known me for a while know this is a pun to the bones. I have always wanted hooters, and NO I didn't even get them while pregnant the first time. Since I was unable to breastfeed before, they didn't really fill out when my milk came in. I guess my milk ducts didn't get the message. Maybe I'll get them this time, but we'll see. I'm not getting my hopes up.


So we grabbed the diaper bag and went to dinner. This killed multiple birds with one stone. I didn't have to decide what was appetizing in my house. We didn't have to cook this semi-appetizing food. We didn't have to wash dishes. AND we got food for dinner.

While we were there, our waitress, although new, was great! She was super nice, got our order right on the first try, kept our glasses full, acknowledged our daughter when she stopped by, and even offered to get us a balloon for our little one. It was, all the way around, a good outing.

Micah had a grilled cheese cheese cheese sandwich. I emphasize because the first couple of bites we gave her that were her normal size, she just couldn't chew. Her Daddy remedied that by miniaturing the bites, and she did great. She even liked the slightly over-peppered curly fries. This surprised me because we usually don't offer her things with pepper. She even resisted her normal habit of 'feeding the dogs' with her leftovers beyond her being full.

Now, this whole time, I was mindful of picking up the menu and wipes and napkins and kid coloring paper and every little thing that she dropped. Once our food arrived, I slowed my picking up, and just enjoyed our meal. Like I said before, she didn't 'feed the dogs' intentionally, so I didn't think there was that much food that had made it to the floor. When we got up, I glanced underneath the table to see maybe 10-15 tiny pieces of grilled cheese and french fries. Mind you, we don't let her have unsupervised access to ketchup or other dips, so these pieces aren't sauced and aren't stuck to the floor. I asked hubby if we should apologize about the mess to our waitress, and he replied, "It's not that bad, and besides I tipped her pretty well." I let it go, gathered our things and followed him and our munchkin out the door.

This had been a great night... until I heard the guy at the table right in front of the door. Not only did he say it too loud to be considered a mutter, but it was heard over the music and general restaurant noise.

"Did you drop enough??!?"


Dude! ONE I am pregnant, and you don't piss of a pregnant woman. TWO I am exhausted, which makes me more easily piss-offable. And THREE you just ruined my night by that one comment, so you had better be glad I decided against public confrontation. I didn't bother you at all the whole night. We even made sure our daughter didn't make a peep that could be heard very far. We made our waitress smile, didn't give her a hard time though we could tell she was new, tipped her well, and stacked all our dishes and cleaned the table top as much as possible, not to mention all the previous getting under the table to clean up what fell BEFORE the food arrived.

I know that not everyone has children, and HOPEFULLY some day you will either humble down or get snipped so you don't procreate, but SERIOUSLY? I deserve the same service that you get, and just because we are not their normal clientele doesn't mean that they didn't profit from our table. In my opinion, we stayed long enough to enjoy our meal, but we got in and out fast enough to open the table up for more customers there to enjoy the upcoming trivia. Plus hubby got a beer, so that added to their profit and her tip!

I have worked in the restaurant industry. (Definitely not at Hooters because, well, I wouldn't make the cut because of my lack thereof). You know that there is some probability that you will have a table with kids. Kids make messes. But parents of kids not only buy food for them, they are usually apologetic. Our server didn't seem to mind, and she was probably relieved that she could relax a little more around our table than the other tables where she almost has to 'fish for tips' - hubby's term pre-incident.

So, guy that has nothing better to do on a random Wednesday night than to hang out at Hooters for hours, taking up their profitable table for much longer than anyone should, and talking to a girl that you probably would never have a chance with, all I have to say to you is, I'm sorry you're a jerk. I hope that washes off in the shower like your stinky cologne and hair gel. Peace!

There. I feel much better. Thanks for listening!

I don't have a green thumb, but I can sew!

In an effort to save money on produce this year, we have decided to grow our own fruits and vegetables, as much as possible.

While this sounds like a wonderful idea, all winter the weather has either been too rainy or cold to break ground or too warm not to enjoy doing something other than prepping a garden. Not to mention I'm now pregnant and decline doing any type of extremely physical labor (not that I would do it anyway. My husband likes doing back breaking work for some strange reason). Needless to say, my garden bed is, well, half finished.

Babe, if you're reading this, I'm not mad, dissappointed, or anything of the sort. It is what it is and I've loved spending every minute with you that you would have otherwise been digging holes for me... 


So I found this website that tells me, based on the climate of my zip code, what plants I should be planting each week. I found it this week, and proceeded to announce, "OMG I'm supposed to be planting cantaloupe, carrots, eggplant, kale, peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, turnips, cabbage and arugula this week!! Honey, what is arugula?" After I calmed down from the shock of underaccomplishing my requirements, we had a little talk and decided that I could be a little late planting some items - it would just reduce my yield by that many weeks.

I was all ready to be lazy and wait to plant until I opened the Big Lots ad from the junkmail Monday night, and LOW AND BEHOLD they have the Topsy Turvy planters on sale for $2.50. Last year, they were $9.99 at Walgreens. This I KNOW because I had a coupon for $3/2 and I decided it was a ripoff. But $2.50 each is a great deal, comparatively, and we planned to go pick some up and start growing last night.

Right inside the door, they had the Topsy Turvy Hot Pepper Planters for ONE DOLLAR! I couldn't resist, though we don't really eat peppers or spicy foods, so I just got one. Then we scouted the store for the tomato and strawberry planters which were on the complete opposite corner of the store. (WHY? IDK.) Because I am totally OCD, one of each wasn't quite right, so I got 2 of each. And then we saw some fruit plants that *bonus* say "Easy to grow", so we picked up one each of blueberry and raspberry fruit plant for $4.50 each.  We figured those two fruit plants would need a little more soil so we got one bag and checked out. I spent $25 out the door last night.

Since the munchkin was at Camp Grands for the night, we went out to dinner and had some great BBQ and enjoyed each other's company. We got home and I finished my Wendy dress to cosplay at Momocon. I'm still a little nervous about making his Hook jacket, but we'll see how that goes starting tomorrow. It turned out pretty well, and it will give, in case I am showing a little more in 3 weeks than I am now. The best part? I finished well before midnight. I think that might be a first for me!

I woke up this morning to put my planters out. I was all excited, even though it's more overcast, making for a less beautiful day.

First revelation - these boxes aren't heavy enough to include dirt. No big deal. I go buy dirt.
Second revelation - these boxes don't have plants. No biggie, maybe there's seeds. I don't have the best luck with seeds, but I'll try.
Third revelation - THESE BOXES DON'T HAVE CRAP IN THEM! All they have is the cylindrical planter and a dang hook. THAT IS IT! What??? Somebody want to explain this to me? I just don't get it.

After reading all the instructions,  I now need to purchase 30-60 healthy young strawberry plants, 2-4 vibrant tomato seedlings, 7-14 young pepper plants, time release water soluble fertilizer, and 90 quarts of good quality potting soil. Sheesh!

Can't a girl just grow some plants??

Weekly Totals 2/24 52% and NUTELLA!

Apparently, I took last week off because I didn't post totals, and I don't remember going shopping. I'm not quite sure what happened there, but here's this week's totals!

Not pictured: 24oz Cottage cheese and Krispy Kreme doughnut holes.

Publix Haul:

(1) Pampers Jumbo Newborn = $9.49
   - $2/1 Publix coupon
   - $1.50/1 Mfr coupon
   = $5.99
   + it included $10 worth of coupons inside the packaging!
   + it counts as 1 of 4 P&G items to get the free Rotisserie Chicken
(3) Cascade Complete 26ct = $6.99
   - $1/1 Publix coupon
   - 50¢*/1 Mfr coupon (doubles)
   = $4.99

   + it counts as 1 of 4 P&G items to get the free Rotisserie Chicken, and I got 3!

(1) Rotisserie Chicken from the Deli = $7.39
   - FREE Rotisserie Chicken at checkout when you buy 4 participating P&G products, Publix deal
   = FREE
(4) Degree Deodorant/Antiperspirant = $2.37
   - $1/1 Publix Coupon
   - $1.50/2 Mfr Coupon
   = 62¢ each

(3) Solo Party Plates 48ct = 2 @ $4.00

   - 75¢/1 Mfr coupon
   = $1.25 each

(2) Precut Deli Bagels = BOGO @ $1.69

   = 85¢ each

(2) Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese = 2 @ $7
   - $1/1 Mfr Coupon

   = $2.50 each

(1) Uncle Ben's Ready Rice = BOGO $1.77

   - 50¢*/1 Mfr coupon (from the Kroger MyMagazine, doubles)

   = FREE + 11¢ overage

(1) Mueller's Lasagna Pasta = BOGO $2.19

   = $1.10 each
   + I had to get a rain check because there was only ONE box on the shelf!

(1) Nutella Hazelnut Spread 26.5oz = $5.99

   = $5.99
   + YUM! This is one of my pregnancy favorites. Nutella makes anything taste better!

(2) Classico Pasta Sauce = BOGO $2.99
   = $1.50 each
   + I keep the mason jars and lids for use as glasses, paint containers, to mix baby formula, etc.
(4) Kettle Brand Baked Potato Chips = 2 @ $5

   - $1/1 Mfr coupon
   = $1.50 each

Subtotal $100.63

Store Coupon - $11.00

Mfr Coupon - $10.50

Special Price Savings - $25.03

Total Savings $46.53

Subtotal After Savings $54.10 (46% Savings)

Tax $3.11

Out of Pocket $58.08

_____

Kroger Haul:

(6) Tylenol Precise 3ct Heat Pain Patches = 6.09
   - $5/1 Mfr coupon
   = $1.09 each
(1) Krispy Kreme Doughnut Hole = $1.79
   = MINE!
(1) Milk Gallon = $2.99

(1) Wholesome at Home Mac & Cheese = 2 @ $5

   - 40¢/1 Kroger coupon

   = $2.10

(1) Kroger Cottage Cheese 24oz = $1.99

   - 40¢/1 Kroger coupon

   = $1.59

(6) Colgate Toothpaste = 10@$10

   - 50¢/1 Mfr coupon

   = FREE

Subtotal $68.42

Mfr Coupon - $33.00

Bonus Coupon (the amt Kroger doubled) - $3.00

Store Coupon and Kroger Plus Savings - $17.41

Total Savings $53.41

Subtotal After Savings $15.01 (78% Savings)

Tax $3.09

Out of Pocket $18.10

SAMs Club

(1) 5lb 90/10 Ground Beef = $13.20
(1) Bunch of 8 Bananas (3lbs) = $1.40
(1) Box of Baby Quiche = $9.98

Subtotal $24.58

Total Savings UNKNOWN

Subtotal After Savings $24.58

Tax 74¢

Out of Pocket $25.32

** Although our normal grocery stores have good sales and sometimes coupons for these items, usually Sams prices can't be beaten. My go-to example is Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage, Kroger's usual sale is 2@$6 for 1lb, even minus 55¢/1 coupon, it doesn't beat Sam's price of $3.98 for 2lbs. They almost always have either a larger quantity or a better quality for the same price on meat, produce & baby formula.

_____

WEEKLY TOTALS:

Subtotal $193.63

Store Coupon  - $11.00

Mfr Coupon - $43.50

Special Price Savings & Doubled Coupons - $45.44

Total Savings $99.94

Subtotal After Savings $93.69 (52% Savings)

Tax $6.94

Out of Pocket $101.50 (48% Savings)

All in all, I'm pleased with this week's totals. I stocked up on things we were running low on, picked up an easy Friday dinner, and even got some KK doughnut holes to boot! Oh, and not to mention the NUTELLA! I'm one happy girl!