come sit awhile

Your Dekalb Farmers Market, Trader Joe's and ....

on Saturday, we decided on a whim to make our way 'downtown' to Your Dekalb Farmers Market

i loved every minute of it...except for that moment when we pulled in the parking lot and drove around for what seemed like 10 minutes for a parking spot while wondering for a split second if this really was a good idea or not?

ok, so i've heard of this place and heard it was wonderful but did not believe it's awesomeness until we arrived!  actually, right after the 'fresh fish smell' as we first walked in the door

there were so many people in this building along with fresh EVERYTHING, you could hardly move!  i thought to myself New York at rush hour, or something like that? 

"world market" to say the least!  almost difficult to take it ALL in...

i wanted to take photos so bad, but on this day it was impossible!  but give me a couple of weeks, ok?

their produce was unbelievable...the biggest blackberries and red bell peppers i had ever seen!  i can't wait to go again...grocery shopping, do you hear what i'm saying? 

if you're local, have you visited this wonderful place? 

tell me your favorite things! 

and if you haven't, then go

we also made a quick stop at Trader Joe's for some granola bars, cookies and anything that jackson might eat 

and oddly, this was our last stop!

oh, come on people...the HOT sign was on!

 

thou shalt not covet

unless when necessary...

this past weekend, jeff and i ended up in Knoxville, TN...our good friend Julie landed herself in the hospital, very unexpectedly...thank the Lord she is doing well

another friend we stayed with showed me her Ralph Lauren Denim and Supply scarf she received at Christmas

oh my gosh...i wanted it.  bad.

it was like wearing MacKenzie Childs on your body

once we returned home i was on a mission around the internet

this always happens

well, low and behold i found it AND it gets better...regular $60, on sale for $17.99 with an extra 30% off AND found a promo code for free shipping

can you say SCORE!

can't wait to wear it!  i know, i know it's black and cream but i'll pair that baby with some color and see what you think

 

microwave popcorn in a brown paper bag

photo via pinterest

for jackson, popcorn is considered a food group...he would eat this stuff all the time if i would let him!  and i would rather him not eat all that microwaved, chemical-y stuff, if i can help it

i believe this happened when we ran out of the 'normal' popcorn and we just so happened to have a bag of plain kernals just waiting to be popped

i put about a 1/4 cup in a paper bag, folded the top over and hit the popcorn button on the microwave...yes, the microwave...but its not the chemicals

it burned of course, and the house stunk...i quickly threw the tainted corn on the back porch and i attempted another bag

you must listen for the "pop" to slow down...that was the ticket!  just a small piece of advice

we opened the bag and there it was...nice WHITE not yellow, popcorn!  we added some real melted butter and salt to taste...it DID taste real good and really cheap too $$

jackson was in love with the good stuff...in fact, he said it was better than the 'original'

 

Black Friday hoopla!

this one makes me laugh!

oddly enough...i am at walmart this morning?  ...shudder

and it's only been since 7am

definitely not in the category of 'crazy target lady'

and for the record...you KNOW i oppose the place!!

 

Happy Shopping!

 

coupon(ing) for March

march ended this past week and i'm sure you all are dying to know my total spent for the month! 

here you go...

Kroger    3-01    total  $17.89    savings  $31.27

             3-07    total   $19.25    savings  $20.40

             3-16    total   $123.17    savings  $85.55

             3-26    total  $10.73      savings  $2.74

 

Publix    3-15    total  $56.69    savings  $71.47

             3-23    total  $11.86    savings  $11.82

   Total $249.59            Saved $223.25

 

this was about $20 more than what i spent in february...but still not too shabby if you ask me, i'm aiming for the $200-250 mark for each month (and i didn't even make it to the grocery store the last week of this month)

 

how did you do?  

   

saving at CVS

i attended a 'coupon class' on friday night and it was a lot of fun and quite possibly entirely too much information for any person's brain to process at one time

but...we're scheduling another one

and soon.

 

even though i felt like i knew the basics before i went...i learned so much more! 

rachel with saving centsably was super sweet and basically explained to us what works for her and her family of six...and believe me she is definitely saving her pennies! 

i ventured out to CVS last week...my second visit (the drugstore coupon process is still a bit confusing for me) and purchased the items in the above photo

my total was $3.84

confused or not, i'll figure it out for that kind of savings

 

enjoy your thursday!

 

 

 

 

 

a coupon(ing) update

tonight i will be attending a coupon class...sounds pretty nerdy but hey, i'm hooked on this saving money thing and there just might be a piece of info out there that i need to know...like how to get your husband to NOT go to the grocery store and pay full price for something that you have at home and bought for mere pennies and just because he didn't pack his lunch?

i'm just sayin'

when i last posted an update of my recent coupon(ing) adventures, i had a goal in mind for february of around $200...it was hit or miss and honestly, i just threw that number out there...why not?  it sounded do-able.

as of today, februrary 25 and with only a few days left to go this month, i am extremely happy to report that my total spent for the month of february is...$230.15

*here's a breakdown of my receipts...because it's fun to see the savings part too!

    Kroger      2-4     total  $20.98        savings  $16.52

                     2-16   total  $50.34        savings  $28.59    

                     2-23   total  $72.49       savings $77.98

    Publix       2-9     total  $11.75    savings $22.16

                     2-15   total  $19.78       savings  $26.32

                     2-22   total  $54.81        savings  $71.00        

                                *Total Saved  $242.57         plus $6.00 towards my next purchase at Kroger                      

i saved more than i spent and you have to admit that's pretty nice, huh?

i couldn't believe it when i began adding up my receipts...i knew it wasn't near as much as i had spent in january but i was pretty dang close to my goal after all

i find this process exciting, and who wouldn't want to save money on stuff you have-to-buy?  and it's teaching jackson the importance of a dollar (not just his dollars, our dollars).  not only does he say to the cashier "my mom is turning into one of those coupon ladies" but now he follows with "how much did we save this time, mom?"

 

happy friday!

  

more on saving money

ok, you may not want to hear any more about coupons and saving money...and if that's the case then sorry you can skip this post but i'm pretty excited about it and it's my blog

i wish i had taken a photo...

Friday, after work i headed to kroger, i hated to go then but needed to get there before they ran out of everything and totally messed with my process

here's what i got: 

Kettle Chips, 4 bags (FREE)

Birds Eye Steamers, 6 bags

Franks Red Hot Sauce, 1 bottle

Rotel, 1 can (rounded off a Mega Event) (FREE)

Chex Mix, 10 bags

Ritz Crackers, 2 boxes

Cheez Its, 8 boxes

Wheat Thins, 6 boxes

Colgate Toothpaste, 4 boxes

Crest Toothpaste, 4 boxes (FREE)

Advil PM, 2 boxes

Reynolds Aluminum Foil, 2 large rolls

Ice Cream

Total Sale $72.49        

Total Saved $77.98,  which was a 52% savings

 

i was stoked!  i'm not sure if i'll come close to my $200 goal for the month of february, i still feel as if i'm adding staple items to my pantry.  regardless, i'm saving and it's working for me! 

 

happy shopping wherever you go!  and let me know what you're saving...

 

 

january and coupons and what i've learned so far...

january seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye...not sure if what seemed like settling in for winter or the hurry of 'can we please get back to school, it has been enough with this snow stuff' is what made this month super quick but regardless, tomorrow is february 1

the end of my frist month of couponing

first let me say that after adding up each of my receipts for the month, i almost had a heart attack!  i have NEVER spent more than approximately $350-$400 at the grocery store. 

yes we eat out...and at times, much more than needed...it's not my fault that Pedro's Taco Shack is right around the corner, but food around here has never gone to waste

now before i tell you the exact totals, please know that i have enough cereal (16 boxes), toaster struedels (10 boxes), goldfish (embaressing amount) and pizza rolls (10/40 count bags) for the next FEW MONTHS...

not to mention 5 bottles of Wisk detergent and 5 of Snuggle fabric softener

  

my total bill for the month $836.44  (Kroger and Publix and before coupons or any special store savings) 

my total savings  $337.50

my total spent  $498.94

this includes but is not limited to:  fresh chicken, ground beef, filet mignon, strip steak, detergent, fabric softener, vitamins, olive oil, steak sauce, bags of coffee, q-tips, rotel tomatoes (staple at our house), canned tomotoes, bread, cereal, goldfish, 8 jars of peanut butter, capri sun water (pouches), yoplait yogurt (ALOT), Fiber One Bars, pasta, cream of chicken soup, 5 tubes of toothpaste, pasta sauce, poptarts, 6 bottles of salad dressing, waffles, 4 bottles of shampoo...

for example, today at Publix:

A1 Steak Sauce $4.24 each, buy one get one Free and coupon for each made it $1.12 each

8 o'clock Coffee $5.89 each, buy one get one Free and a coupon for each made it $1.95 each

for my first month...i'm thinking 'not too bad' but i'm ready to cut it in half for february!  not sure if i can do it but i'm gonna sure try 

 

what i've learned so far...

1. get more than one Sunday paper and if possible, get the one with double coupons...or get your neighbors

2.  it doesn't take 'too much time' to do this.  for me, it's approximately an hour or usually less of my time which can always be wasted elsewhere, like the internet...but why not try to save some moolah instead? 

3.  get organized.  this is a must!  if you know me, then you know that i love me some organization and the very thought of a list makes me pretty darn happy!  if you don't get organized, then you will just have a mess on your hands and very likely this coupon thing will wind up a thing of the past...

4.  learn your grocery store and it's coupon policies.  i'm still doing this but it's getting easier each time. 

5.  don't stick to one store.  i've always been a kroger girl however Publix may claim to be the place 'where shopping is a pleasure' regardless if it's a "buy one get one" at Publix or a Mega Event at Kroger, i'm there!  if i plan correctly, i can hit both stores once a week in under an hour each.  that's not bad at all.    

6.  do what works best for you!  for me, i make a grocery list throughout the week.  i clip my coupons, scan the store sale papers and make my lists accordingly, one for Kroger and one for Publix (i use envelopes for each store and insert the coupons in the appropriate envelopes)

7.  take your remaining coupons with you!  you never know what you may find...

8. don't buy it if you won't use it.  unless it's free and you want to donate it, don't do it.  i haven't purchased one single thing that we don't already use on a regular basis. 

8.5  your first month will be the 'big one' where you may freak out like me!  from everything i've read, you will most likely spend the most in the beginning by stocking up on staple items etc.  each month should be less and for me, i'm at a point where i'm saving more than i spend. 

9. make your way to Southern Savers this is the best site i've found!  make sure you follow her on twitter for the latest updates! 

10.  it's been nice not having to run to the grocery store on a sunday night for breakfast the next morning (this seemed to be a usual occurrence for us)  

 

so, are you couponing?  i would love to know about your savings...especially at a drug store, that's on my "list" for the week!  i'm going to try CVS?

thanks for listening and happy monday!

 

sunday ramblings

today was rather uneventful in an eventful sort of way...we managed to get a lot of nothing done 

wierd, i know.

we made it to church this morning for the third part in a series of "the seven deadly sins"...which i might add is clearly better than the movie jeff and i watched on saturday night se7ven...so creepy.

after my two-part 9.5 mile run on saturday, my legs could not and would not bring me to do it once again this afternoon, so alicia and i decided to skip the sunshine and rest our lower half...we will pick up on tuesday!  

stopped at dicks sporting goods to use $20 in rewards...grabbed some running shorts, a new pink compression bra and this

 

for some crazy reason, i NOW need this in places that i've NEVER needed it before? 

cross your fingers that it works. 

being the multi-tasker that i believe i am...i finished the day clipping coupons, laundry and picking up around the house...i have trips planned for publix, kroger and this week cvs and so far, so good the coupon-ing is paying off big time!  more on that later...for i know you're on the edge of your seat

 

until next time and hopefully, a more exciting post!