Shopping to save

I'm not sure where the excitement comes from saving money...but it's what fuels me to scour sales and cut and now print coupons. I'm definitely not an extreme couponer, but I do stock up if something is on sale that we will use and won't go bad. My most recent save was on Cottonelle flushable wipes at Giant. These are a luxury I don't think we need, except they come in handy now that Ayla is potty trained. 

The small refill packs were $2, the large $5.99. If you bought two packs of Cottonelle bath tissue on sale for $5.99, you got $3 off the large wipes. So, I bought:

Cottonelle 12 pack: $5.99

Cottonelle 12 pack: $5.99

Cottonelle large wipe refill: $5.99

Cottonelle small wipe refill: $2

Total: $20

Less $1 coupon off two wipes

Less $1 off coupon two packs off toilet paper

Less $3 in-store instant savings

Less $4 in-store coupons off any purchase 

Total: $11

Not too shabby for 24 rolls of toilet paper and two packs of refills. 

Saving on salad

It seems that my grocery bill keeps climbing. Last week, before coupons it was nearly $200. I got it closer to $150, but I'm still looking for ways to cut back with my upcoming maternity leave. I decided to try to make my own salads. Not only does it save money, but I think it's much more fresh and healthier, too. I can sub sugar substitute, light mayo, less mayo and more vinegar, lower fat cheese, etc. Today, I made broccoli salad, thanks to my mom's recipe. 

Here it is: 

Dressing:

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup sugar 

2 Tablespoons vinegar

-----------

8 oz shredded cheddar

2 head broccoli

1 red onion

1/2 lb bacon

Just a guesstimate for non-dressing items, you can put in as much as looks good.

Ayla's big girl room

 For the longest time, I have been plotting Ayla's big girl room. I scoured Pinterest, came up with some ideas, visited tons of thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets and slowly started assembling the pieces. My goal was to come up with a shabby chic, vintage-looking pretty room for my little lady. It's really a room that I would love to sleep in, but I am sure she will, too. It still has a little work to make it complete, but I think it's ready for her, when I am ready to move her out of her nursery. The plus of this room is that it has a huge closet where we can put all of her toys and clothes and keep the room looking clean and girly. And this room was seriously very, very inexpensive. Really. You know me!

In the first photo, is the reading corner.
1. The tree is a hand-me-down from grandmother.
2. The rocking chair was a gift.
3. My dad is an avid auction goer and gets me the best deals, so I do have an insider. The little wicker shelf beside the rocking chair was probably only a dollar or two at an auction.
4. The window came from Re-Stor in Lancaster for $10. I added the bird decal (Stampin' UP) and the Dream word (A.C. Moore) for only a few dollars. It's hung with a rustic looking chain and hook I found at the Re-Stor in York for less than $1 for both.
5. The dresser was $2. Not kidding. It needed a little TLC and after fixing a few problems, I painted it white and distressed it with sand paper. The new knobs were less than $20 at Home Depot.
6. The shutter was 25 cents at a yard sale, and I added a light coat of acrylic paint.
7. The pictures on the wall were made by my crafty mother.
8. The jars and glasses came from yard sales.

 This photo shows the gallery wall...my new obsession. I love the look of these and they can be done so inexpensively. I eventually may add more, and of course replace the old advertisement in one. I can with all honesty say that this wall cost me less than $10, with most of the cost coming from the Command Strips I had to use to hang some of the frames. Most of the frames were from the York Rescue Mission Thrift Store. They were having a 50% off frame sale (as if they weren't cheap enough), so they came out to be about 25 to 50 cents each. I looked for the old gold and silver metal frames. After I got a stock-pile, I laid them all out and spray painted them in the yard. The silver tray was 50 cents at the same thrift store as well as the two small mirrors. You really can't look at something for its color or material. A coat of spray paint does wonders. I painted the silver tray with chalk board paint. I found the old sheet music at the coolest little store in York New Salem on the square. The little place is full of old books and quirky little things. He is open Fridays and Sundays. The quote and the bird on the sheet music were cut out with my beloved Cricut. The A, is really just a wooden A from the craft store and covered it with decorative paper.  Her bed is under the gallery wall, but for now it's just a mattress on the floor for safety...so I kept it out of the photo.

And the final photo is her vanity/desk/bookshelf. Who knows what she will use this for.
1. The vanity/desk was the most expensive buy ($75) and it's probably the one piece she will take the longest to use. However, I fell in love with it at Restoration Warehouse in York. It is also clear that whomever painted it knows much more about it than I do..because it's gorgeously distressed with silvers and grays.
2. The chair was the perfect color and already distressed, and again, my dad got it at an auction for a steal, I am sure.
3. The magnetic board behind the desk/vanity is my masterpiece. I used an old frame I found in my basement. I think it was part of a box lot at an auction for $1. I covered a piece of sheet metal (aluminum so it's magnetic) with fabric (a few dollars at Joann Fabric). I can't remember what I bought, but a nice gentleman at Home Depot was very helpful in finding me what I needed. It was $10. I cut it with tin snips to fit the frame.Take a magnet with you to make sure. The magnets are actually vintage buttons and old clip-on earrings I found at yard sales. I used metal cutters and glue to assemble them.
4. The bookshelf was $1 at an auction (again my dad). I cleaned it up, removed the ugly legs and distressed it.
5. The mirror above the bookshelf was $1 at a church yard sale. It was gold, and I spray painted it gray. Going with the distressed look is lovely because you don't have to worry about chipping paint or colors showing through because that adds to its charm.
5. The silver frames on the book shelf were 50 cents each at same church yard sale. I added some acrylic white paint. I have to find something cool to put in them.
6. The top shelf has old children's books I've collected over the years.
7. The middle shelf has a large food can I covered with decorative paper, as well as a frame I painted with chalk board paint.
8. The plastic storage bin are from the Dollar Tree. $1 of course.

Overall, I am pleased with the room. Of course, I don't think it looks much like the lovely ideas I had in my head or the dazzling photos on Pinterst, but it's unique and there is no other room like it. I put a lot of love into it and used many items from family that mean a lot.

Online shopping

These last few weeks leading up to Christmas have been very busy for me...and I haven't been preparing for the holiday itself. I have been studying for grad finals, writing and grading papers, attending meetings, volunteering at the library, taking cycling classes, taking the dog to the park and doing everything but shopping for Christmas. So, when I did have a moment, I signed online. And did everything I could to save money. Before I viewed my cart, I googled coupon code and the store I was shopping at for some savings. Even a very obscure police officer site I ordered some items for Nate for, had a great coupon code. I usually end up at www.retailmenot.com, but a co-workers swears by www.gottadeal.com. Even if it saves you shipping, or covers tax, it's better than nothing, right? So, don't' forget to take a few extra seconds to save that holiday dough!

Black Friday Bonanza

Never have I ever woken up before daylight to fight the crowds until Black Friday. Up until Friday, that would have been me. But alas, I gave in. I don't know if it was the joy and elation of having off work for several days in the a row without having to take a vacation day, or if it was the fact that my dog was up at 4:30 a.m. with a sick belly, but something made me go. I applied no makeup and left the house in a pajama-like outfit. I headed to the East York Wal-mart. There were a few I had in mind that I wanted to buy, but nothing that I was going to camp out for. I arrived at about 5:20 a.m to a parking lot that was overflowing. I parked all the way back behind Panera in the lost cart graveyard. I was smiling. It was a nice day. That is until I walked into Wal-mart and saw that lines a plenty. I was confused. Apparently the digital camera I had in the ad was one of those items that were highly sought after. I had to get a number. After I received number 110 out of 120, I had to wait in line for the camera. That seemed silly, since I already had the number, so I did a little shopping. I didn't find much, so I went back to the line. It had gotten a lot smaller. Yet, it still took me at least 45 minutes to get through. At least I had picked up a magazine before I entered the line again. I left with a $69 camera, an $8 memory card and a new pair of slippers to sooth my aching feet.
Then I went to Target, but more on that tomorrow!

Five second rule

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I hate to waste...ANYTHING. I dream about using every last ingredient in my overflowing pantry in some dish or dinner. As I use it, I get excited that it's dwindling down. I hate to throw things away. I recycle incessantly. Can, bottles, cardboard and paper. Even the food scraps go in the compost bin. I reuse EVERYTHING.
I also apply the five second rule to everything. I am clumsy. I can easily drop stuff on the floor and think it's a big waste (and a no-no) to throw it away. However, I drew the line the other day. I was packing my husband's lunch when a few potato chips fell on the floor. NO, I didn't pick them up and put them in his lunch. I know not everyone subscribes to my no-waste rule and shouldn't have to suffer. But, I did eat one. As I popped it in my mouth, I cringed. We have a big dog now (60 pounds), that sheds big black coarse hairs all over my house. And that hair really, really sticks to everything, including potato chips that have been on the floor for less than five seconds. I immediately ran to the trash can and spit out the chip, along with at least a half dozen dog hairs. YUCK! I don't vacuum daily, like I should, but I do vacuum as often as I can. Apparently, it doesn't matter. So, I guess the five second rule is null and void in my house from here on out.

Ask and you will recieve

I needed books for my classroom. SSR is a great way to get my readers to read independently. If I had planned ahead, I could have spent the summer hitting yard sales and thrift stores for 10- and 15-cent books. But, I didn't even think about it.
So, I sent out an e-mail, thinking that people like me like to purge their books and maybe they were getting rid of some I could use. And, my request was answered. My wonderful neighbor scoured the book sale her employer has and pulled out some great titles for me. And, a wonderful person donated $30 for me to go shopping for books that I would like for the classroom library. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to shop. I plan on hitting up a few fall yard sales and thrift stores. I also plan to head to some of the used book stores. It saved me a ton of money by asking for help. Imagine if I had gone to Barnes and Noble to stock my classroom library. That would have costs a fortune!

Just when I thought I could save money

I am a huge saver. I stress when I don't save every month. And every time Nate spends, I sigh. Did you have to spend that money? We could have saved it. It's silly really. But I never want to be in debt. I never want to put something on a credit card that I can't pay for that month. I think is has come from doing without time and time again.
I should have known when I left the newspaper that we wouldn't save. In fact, we would be taking money out of the savings. But it would eventually pay off in the end. Summers off!
Finally at the start of the 09-10 school year I am making nearly what I did when I left. And with the additional money I make freelancing for the newspaper and waitressing, I well surpass my newspaper salary.
Yet, we still won't save any money. We got rid of two cars that were in need of many repairs, but we added a new car payment since then. And I just bought a much needed laptop. Since I will be doing a lot of paperwork for school in the comfort of my own home, I didn't want to be confined to the PC. Unfortunately, I came one year too late to get a laptop. All the funds for classrooms for the future ran out and I am stuck laptopless.
Oh, and we have a dog. Last month, we spent nearly $300 on cat food, dog food, vet bills and other pet supplies. Wow. That is a lot.
I try to remember that I am in my late 20s and saving isn't really all that expected from someone my age. I mean, doesn't everyone think that my age group spends and spends and spends?
So, here is to hoping that maybe, just maybe, we will save some money in October!

Weird ways to save water

As homeowners and some renters know, water bills can be expensive. Ours went up $20 last quarter and I am not sure why. So, here are a few off the wall ways that I try to save water.

• I empty the dehumidifier water into a bucket and water my plants with it. On these humid summer days, I dump it a lot. It's free water and it saves me from running the faucet to get fresh water for the plants.
• I shower at the gym whenever I can. Come on! It makes sense. We pay $70 for a gym membership, I can at least use their water as often as possible!

Ok, those are only two weird ways I save water! Any other more practical ideas?

Proud of my dinners

I apologize ahead of time for my lack of photos. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really mean to take photos. But, in the heat of the moment, dinner is done and we're hungry, and we eat. I've been trying to make new and different meals since I am home and have a little time to do my homework and dig through recipe books. One day this week, I made Parmesan-crusted chicken. I mixed bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and a mix of spices such as oregano, parsley and the like. I dipped the chicken in egg beaters and rolled it around in the mixture. I baked it for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, I cut up three potatoes into wedges. I sprinkled them with a mixture of salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and baked them for about 30 minutes at the same temperature. What a quick and easy dinner.

The next night, I made Cuban sandwiches. YUM! I had made some pork in the slow cooker earlier in the week, so I sliced the leftovers as thin as I could. I laid a hamburger bun open on the counter and spread one side with mayo and the other with mustard. I layered provolone (the recipe called for Swiss, but we don't really like that), cooked ham slices and the pork on the bun and a layer of dill pickle slices. I smashed it all together (recipe said 1-inch thick) and buttered both sides of the bun. I grilled each side about 3 minutes and voila, dinner was done. Nate asked for seconds and I thoroughly enjoyed my first.

And on another note, I found the problem with my flat cookies. I've been puzzled as to why my chocolate chip cookies have been thin, flat and crispy. Through advice from many sources (namely my mom, stepdad and mother-in-law) I added a little more flower and used shortening instead of butter. And, wouldn't you know it? It worked. I must have eaten 2 dozen cookies in the last two days. They remind me of my mom's!

And the zucchini is still cranking. I peeled and shredded up the ones I have and will freeze them in 2-3 cup bags so I have them to make zucchini bread and cake and muffins and all that this winter! Man I love not wasting and saving money!

$1 coupon doubler at Giant

Did you happen to see the Sunday circular?
Maybe I am super psyched because I haven't gotten the Sunday paper in some time and I miss my circulars and coupons (typical York County resident).
There are 4 coupon doublers for $1 and plenty of $1 coupons in the circular to use them with. I always use them on shampoos and soaps since those items are not likely to expire before I can use them. Saving $2 on four items ends up saving you $8. And, if you need to stock up on sodas for summer picnics, now is the time to do it. It's $10 for four 12 packs of Pepsi products at Giant. That's $2.50 a 12-pack. And I don't know if you've seen regular prices lately, but they are $5 or more for a 12-pack. CRAZY!
Cutting and matching coupons and sales is a great activity to do while watching TV.

Lovely weekend

I am so proud of Nate! When he booked our room at the Yorktowne, he asked if they offered AAA discounts! I am rubbing off on him. It saved us at least $10.
There are so many little ways you can save a few bucks that can add up to a lot.
Although our weekend wasn't cheap overall, we did save a little bit by taking advantage of coupons and deals.
Our weekend started at Cobblestones, where we used a 15 percent off coupon that was on our baseball game tickets for the next day. That saved us several dollars. We had a lovely dinner complete with Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer (YUM!). Then we headed back to the room to take a nap. The Louis C.K. show at the Strand was pretty good. He is very crude at times, but has a great message to give. We ended the night at the bar in the Yorktowne and ordered a pizza. The kind bartender hooked us up with the phone number for some pizza place I never heard of, but it was probably one of the only ones that delivered past 10:30 p.m.
Sunday we enjoyed brunch at Mezzogiorno in Central Market (which yes, is open and very busy on Sunday mornings.) I ordered the French toast special with berries and marscapone sauce. It came with a side of meat, which I didn't want, so Nate saved $2 by ordering his eggs and toast without meat and ate mine! That's team work.
We ended up at the Revs stadium to watch them play poorly and lose 6 to 1.
All totaled, I figure we saved at least $25 bucks with a few smart decisions. Hey, it's not much, but it's a tank of gas, right?

My piggy bank is emptying

No matter how hard I try lately, saving money seems to be impossible. If it's not one thing, it's another. Our cars have been giving us little problems here and there. Nothing major, just oil changes, a/c charging and air compressor. The refrigerator needed to be repaired and then the lawn mower broke and we needed another one. There went another $300-plus. We started a garden and as happy and excited as I am to see it bloom, the treatment, wheel barrow and other instruments Nate said we needed added up to more than $100. Somehow I spent $179 at BJs a few weeks ago on only a few items. That is why those memberships are BAD. I don't want to complain, because we are so much better off than so many people. We are leaving on a cruise to Bermuda here in a few weeks and when we return, we will be getting a puppy. I have the summer off, which can't be beat. Sometimes I just wish saving were a little easier.

Saving on movies

It's like $10 to go to the movies. And that is just the price for an admission ticket.
I know some people can't wait to see the movies, but I can. If there is a preview of a movie I want to see, I usually forget. So, I type it in Netflix and save it for later. Netflix is $18 a month. Nate and I get a good mixture of movies and can never say there is nothing on TV.
I also love to use DVR. I look through to find more recent movies and record them for later watching. I did this with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "Bridge to Terebithia" and "The Notebook." Weekends on ABC Family are great for movies. Especially the cheesy girl movies staring Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff...my favorite lazy day movie.

Bake me a cake

It was a busy week last week. So when I realized that I promised one of my students a cake for his birthday Wednesday, I paniced. It was Tuesday after work and I was tired. I didn't have energy to run to the store for a boxed mix. Little did I know that I would find that the recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook (of all places) for yellow cake was easier than driving to the store to buy the cake.

I mixed the cake (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter...items any self-respecting baker has) in a bowl and plopped it into a pan. While it cooked, I ate dinner and showered. I went to bible study while it cooled and when I returned, I mixed powdered sugar, butter and milk for the icing. Easy as....cake? Of course. And you should have seen the look on people's faces when I told them it was completely homemade....not even from a box. Priceless.

Actually...cheaper. I can't imagine those ingredients took any more time or money than a box of Betty Crocker and a tub of icing.

Who says you can't have hot breakfast in a hurry?

I always struggle with what to eat in the morning.

It's usually a granola bar, some jelly toast or the occasional bowl of oatmeal. In just a few more minutes, I can have a hot and healthy breakfast pita like the one you see to the right. I cook my breakfast while I pack my lunch so I am not standing around idle, wasting time. So, I turn on the stove and while the pan heats up, I make a sandwich. Then, I pour in the egg beaters. While they warm up, I grab a few snacks and a drink and throw it into my lunch box. For this pita, I sprinkled real bacon bits and a bit of mozzarella cheese into the cooking eggs for added flavor. And of course, I added some ketchup. On a busy morning, I bet making this is quicker than waiting in the drive-thru at your favorite fast-food restaurant.

DIY harwood

I have to say, I have been a bit overwhelmed with home projects lately. It feels like once we finish one, there are three more in it's place. We finally made some progress on the dining room floor. After I stripped it a few months back, it sat untouched through the holiday season. You can see in the before picture we had some trouble spots where the black felt pad and adhesive refused to come off. I can't see why anyone would want to cover this beautiful floor.
Anyway, Nate's dad came over on Friday while I was at work and he and Nate sanded it down. They rented a sander from Tru Value. I think it was $40 for four hours or $50 for a day. I think
I've seen or heard estimates of $1,000 to refinish a hardwood floor. I think by the time all is said and done, we may have spent less than $200. Of course, that doesn't include time, strength and
the annoyance of having a coating of wood dust covering my entire house. I am not complaining (well, maybe just a tad) but I was so happy to see it done.
All the yucky stuff was gone and this is what was in it's place. Nate still has to stain and varnish it. We also have to place a decorative border around the trim to fill in the gap, but hopefully we can finish that in a timely manner. After we finally pick out a light and paint the built-in buffet (surely a blog-worthy event) our dining room should be done. Which is great, because then we can concentrate on the office, or kitchen or garage roof or the bathroom door.....oh heck. I know the list will never end!

Look at your receipts

Sometimes we are all in a hurry and don't have time to look at bills, review bank and credit card statements and take inventory of receipts. But I tell you, computers make mistakes. So do businesses and people. And, if you don't draw their attention to it, you lose money.

Here is an example. Nate and I went out to dinner. The waitress overcharged us nearly $4. He didn't want me to say anything. But to me, $4 is $4. That was the tip. There are times I will not go through the hassle -- like the time the price on the Wal-Mart shelf didn't match up with what rang up. It wasn't worth arguing, I just wanted to get the heck out of there.

Anyway, I persisted. I explained to him that if someone nice like me didn't point it out to her, she would probably continue to make the mistake and someone less kind would make a scene, scarring her for life.


He got up from the table and walked away because he was embarrassed.

I am still trying to figure that one out. It's not like I was asking for free food because mine didn't taste right or something. I was asking for the fair price that I was supposed to be charged.

I didn't make a scene. I nicely pointed the mistake out to the waitress, she went to the back and came out with a new check. "You are absolutely right," she said. "It saved you a few bucks." She wasn't mad at all and she probably learned something. As for Nate, well, he can go on being embarrassed because I don't think their is anything wrong with paying the right price. It's only fair.