Adding to the stockpile!

DAY 9:

Howdy!  Today was BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.  I had to work all day and shuffle kids to and fro in between!  Although hectic, it was a productive day and everyone seemed happy.  After cleaning my second house, I decided to make a quick stop at kings to pick up some "freebies".  These are items I DO NOT PAY ANY MONEY FOR.  If It is free I will buy it.  If it is an item we do not use, I donate it!  Below is a picture if all my freebies:

(8) 3 musketeers candy bars
(4) M&M candies
(4) Reach flossers
(4) Reach toothbrushes
(5) Colgate toothpastes (some not pictured, Luke was building a tower!)
(2) 4 regular rolls Angel Soft bath Tissue
(1) Nestle butterscoth morsels
(1) Men's speadstick deodorant
(1) Beach Nut Fruit snacks

All of this cost me nothing!  I had coupons that either matched or exceeded the price of the items.

Yesterday I mentioned I would teach you a little something about stockpiling.  I stockpile items that are either free or at the rock bottom price I will pay for an item.  Today I added more laundry detergent to my stockpile.  I prefer Tide, BUT, I will not pay $8.99 for a bottle of tide when I can get another brand for under $2.  Wisk detergent was featured this week on sale at King Soopers.  Three weeks ago when I price matched Wisk, it was being sold for around $6/bottle.  This week it was on sale for $3.49!!  even better, I had a handful of $2 off coupons.

That is (5) 32 load bottles of Wisk.  I have more coupons, but decided on 5 today.  All in all the detergent cost me $7.50...that is less than one bottle of tide costs! 

I also bought (2) smart waters sale priced at .49 to get to my 20 items for the mega event!

The cashier rang up an item twice, which messed up my WHOLE order.  Thankfully, customer service refunded me the amount with no questions asked!

TOTAL SPENT AT STORE (approx since my receipt was off): $9

We were kindly invited over to a friends house for supper.  It was a PLEASANT evening spent with friends in their air conditioned house :)  I brought a pasta salad that I whipped up using pasta from my stockpile! 

DINNER WITH FRIENDS: $0

TOTAL SPENT DAY 9: $9 (-$1 rollover,  Total rollover $22.98)

TIP: ALWAYS check your receipt when you leave the store for errors, it could save you some moola!!


DAY 10: 

I put $15 of gas in my van using our rollover.  I still had a half tank of gas, but wanted to stay ahead of the game since I hate when I get down to E!  I have been DILIGENT in making sure that if I drive anywhere, I am killing as many birds as I can with my one stone.  I cleaned a house on the opposite side of town from where we live and made sure that I brought the library books with me to return, and went to the bank near where I was.  USUALLY I would pay no attention and make 3 DIFFERENT trips.  I'll tell you, when you are living on $8/day, you think a LOT more about what the most economical way to do something is. 

My whole $8, was spent today on produce.  I weighed out everything and made sure to buy whatever was on sale.  All in all we were able to get some bananas, celery, apples, grapes, and a pepper. 

TOTAL SPENT: $7.93!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 10: $22.93( TOTAL rollover after deduction: $8.05)

I am so ready for Winter...Days 7&8

Anyone else feeling the HEAT????  Let me just say that having no AC in 100 degree heat is miserable....even more miserable is having no AC in 100 degree heat AND BEING PREGNANT!  My body hates mother nature right now.

DAY 7:
Sunday morning I woke up and realized we were out of milk and bread.  Thankfully, I had a loaf of bread in the freezer so only had to run out for the milk. 
TOTAL SPENT AT STORE: $3.01


It was Hot, I was grumpy (REALLY GRUMPY!) so lunch was a hodge podge of "things" I threw together.  We spent most of the afternoon at the pool to try and cool down.  I was planning on doing a big pot of spaghetti sauce for dinner, but the thought of a stove made me dry heave.  Instead, I drove my happy hinee to Little Ceasers and picked my men up a $5 pizza...I already had plans with the leftover wings I got for free :)
TOTAL FOR PIZZA: $5 (plus tax..??)

TOTAL SPENT DAY 7: $8.01 (-.01 deducted from rollover, TOTAL rollover $23.98)


DAY 8:
When I woke up and I was still hot, I figured I better stop complaining and make the most out of the day.  Jack started Vacation Bible school this week and it could not have come at a better time.  You see, I like to have my son V.B.S. hop...that is sign him up for every vacation bible school within a 10 mile radius.  He makes new friends, learns about Jesus, and is out of the house for three hours doing something constructive.  Oh, and did I mention they are all free?? 

After VBS, we decided to go to the free lunch at the school since Jack is INTRIGUED by it.  I am so pleased with the fresh fruit and wheat buns they include in the lunches.  My boys eat it up, and I do not have to prepare it!  I was thankful for the lunch today since my kitchen is pretty bare.  I am blessed with a father that gardens all summer and sends fresh vegetables my way on a weekly basis, but other than that, we are getting down to the nitty gritty!

I needed another activity to cool us down since it was 103 degrees at 3pm today.  We decided on the library.  Have I mentioned how much I love the library??  My boys got a summer reading prize, sat nicely and read books, played on the computer and rode up and down the elevator...10 times (hey, I didn't care, I was in AC!).  When we left the library, I was not yet ready to go back to the sauna-like conditions of our house so the boys decided to use their summer reading coupons.  They both received a FREE noodle bowl from Noodles and Company for reading 12 books.  They LOVE the mac and cheese at Noodles, and can split a normal size bowl.  I used the other coupon and we all drank water.
TOTAL FOR AFTERNOON FUN AND DINNER: $0

TOTAL SPENT DAY 8: $0 (rollover $8, TOTAL rollover $ 31.98)

It is still about 89 degrees in my house and I am still miserable.  If only I could get an AC unit for $8!!!

Tomorrow I will HAVE to use some of my rollover for Fresh produce and gas...I will also try to highlight the art of STOCKPILING! 

A totally awesome day 6!

DAY 6:

Money, I love money.  When I was a 13, I babysat every weekend and bussed tables at my dad's restaurant after school.  I would take all the money I made and hide it in a box on the top of a bookshelf I had in my room.  One day, my mom was dusting my bedroom and happened to stumble on my treasure, she found over $1000.  My mom wanted me to put it in the bank, but I loved to count my money.  To me it represented hard work.  Still to this day I  think that hard work is one of the most important characteristics one could possess.  I loathe the lazy man.

So, what does this have to do with living off of $8/day?!  Well, I am always looking for ways to make some extra money for my family.  My husband is the main provider, and he works very hard to give us all that we need ( I love him for this!), but I have something stamped deep in my soul that makes me want to stash away money in a box on a bookshelf.  If you know me at all, you know that I have at least 2 yard sales per year to clear out all the crap we have accumulated and make some extra dough.  I also sell items on craigslist that we no longer need/use.  TODAY though,. I drank milk.

Yep, milk.  A friend of mine on facebook had posted that she participated in a consumer testing panel and was compensated $80 total...just for tasting milk.  Sounded good to me, so I applied and was asked to come in on Saturday afternoon.  I arrived a bit skeptical of the whole situation, but heck, I was kid free and am always up for a new experience.  Sure enough, after exactly 18 minutes of tasting a few different samples of skim milk, I walked out with $35 cash in my hand.  I go back next Saturday for another 18 minutes and will be compensated $45...TOTAL $80.  Sound wierd?  I thought so too, but it was totally legit, quite fascinating, AND I MADE MONEY!

Now one of the reasons I like to stash money is because I know that unexpected "things" are always lurking around the corner.  Now, I have not always been it situations where I can stash money like I did when I was 13, but even hiding $20 for emergency pizza money makes me feel a bit more at ease.  A few weeks ago, our toilet "guts" decided to fail us and we have been without a main floor bath for quite sometime.  We have also been without one side of a kitchen sink thanks to a stubborn garbage disposal.  Now remember that hard working husband I was talking about earlier?  Well, he is VERY hardworking, but not the "handiest" of handy man's if you get my drift.  So, after realizing that just to get a plumber to my house will run me about $100, I decided to enlist the help of a friend (actually her amazing handy husband).  I asked what they wanted to eat when they came over and at their request, I ordered chicken wings.  I had a coupon for .35 wings at a wing joint down the street.  I knew I was going to go over my $8/day budget, but did not care one bit since hiring a plumber would have cost me 10 times that!  I ordered the wings, paid $15 and drove home.  When I arrived home I opened the bag and quickly noticed that it was NOT my order.  I called the place, and the kind gentleman said he was remaking my order and to KEEP the other order (30 wings, 2 orders of fries and a dessert!).  When I arrived to pick up the correct order, they GAVE ME BACK MY MONEY and sent me on my way with the 40 wings I had originally ordered.  All I could say is wow, that is customer service at its finest!
TOTAL FOR 70 WINGS: $0 (and a fixed sink/toilet)

All in all, day 6 was surprisingly awesome.  I was willing to shell out double our $8/day budget but instead did not spend a dime and MADE $35!!!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 6: $0  ($8 rollover, TOTAL ROLLOVER $23.99) 


 

Day 5. $8/day challenge

This morning I partook in one of my favorite pastimes; garage saling!  Thankfully for my $8, there were really no good buys to be found.  I did pick up a new dog leash for our pup and a gap kids sweater for Luke.  Almost ALL of my children's clothes come from garage sales because I just can't justify spending $300 on a wardrobe for a 3 year old!! 
TOTAL SPENT AT YARD SALE: $2

My mother was kind enough to gift us a Carrabba's $10 gift card that was expiring today.  If you have ever been to Carrabba's, you know that the you can't get much for $10.  Thankfully, their kid's menu was very reasonably priced.  I ordered a kid's spaghetti and meatballs and a kid's cheese pizza and ordered carryout  (the fear of getting kicked out of a restaurant thanks to two tired kids was a chance I was not willing to take).  This fed me and both boys and we still have 2 leftover pieces of pizza! 
TOTAL FOR DINNER: $10.00, but we had the $10 GC!!!  
TOTAL MINUS giftcard: $3 (for tip!)

Now, neither of these things were necessary, but it was so nice not to have to cook, and the boys LOVE our "date nights".  Also, a little retail therapy is good for the soul....even if it is at a yard sale!!!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 5: $5 (rollover $3, total rollover $15.99)

I want to let everyone know that there is a HUGE difference between being frugal and being cheap.  It is one thing to clip coupons and find the best deals around, it is a complete other thing to tip poorly or use your coupons unethically.  Please be generous and respectful to those around you.  If you do not have money to tip accordingly, do not go out to eat.  (CAN YOU TELL I WAS ONCE A SERVER?!?!?)

DAY 4: Mega event trip!

I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and it is still going strong even after about 10 Tylenol!  Thankfully, after work I mustered up enough energy to run to the store to pick up some items featured at the Mega event going on.  I only had $8 on me so I knew I had to stay under my budget.  Below is the picture of the items purchased:

(6) Boxes Pop Secret popcorn (we LOVE popcorn for movie night!)
(5) Colgate toothpastes
(3) Reach toothbrushes
(3) Sunny Delight Juices
(1) 32 load Wisk Laundry detergent
(1) Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes
(1) 2 tub Smart Balance Butter
(3) M&M candies
(3) Peanut M&M's candies
TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS AND SAVINGS CARD: $54.17 ( crazy that people DO pay that!)
***I kinda freaked since I knew I only had my $8***
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND CARD: $7.81

After my successful shopping trip, I decided to lay down with Luke for a nap.....THREE hours later, I woke up a bit more refreshed.  I still had a headache, but felt a bit more upbeat :)

Since I still had a super headache, I REALLY wanted to order a pizza for dinner but knew I had already spent my $8....damn.  So, I "classed it up" and made hot ham and cheese sandwiches with carrots and dip.....really fancy! 


TOTAL SPENT DAY 4: $7.81 (rollover .19, TOTAL rollover $12.99)

Spending EIGHT with Kate!

Today started out a little rocky since we were up all night thanks to these crazy Colorado storms.  Thank God my husband woke up with the boys so I could sleep an extra 15 minutes!  He TRIED to do a nice thing by feeding them breakfast....unfortunately, he assumed they eat "man size" bowls of cereal.  I came down stairs to one empty bowl of cereal (his) and two OVERLY full tupperware size bowls of soggy cereal still left on the table.  I was not so mad about the cereal, but when I looked and saw the last half gallon of milk was gone, my appreciation turned into pissiness (my own word!).  Needless to say, we had to head out to the store to get some milk, blah.

We arrived at King Soopers at 8:45am and the kids insisted we get the fancy carts with the T.V. in them (really people, a tv in a shopping cart...??).  After a brief argument over who got to sit on what side, I quickly grabbed the milk and a red onion I needed for a future meal.  The boys were rewarded with a free cookie from the bakery (yes, I am the mom that gives her kids sugar in the mornings, judge away!) and we got out of there with no injuries or major crises, Praise the Lord!
COST FOR MILK AND ONION: $3.41

Next we headed to Starbucks for my reward :)  I brought an empty bag of coffee to trade in for my FREE tall coffee!
COST FOR MORNING COFFEE: $0

We then headed across the street to meet some friends  for FREE chick-fil-a breakfast!  Today's free breakfast was chicken mini's which my boys adore.  I did buy them a chocolate milk to share since they agreed to share with no fights (and they DID!).
TOTAL FOR BREAKFAST: $1.25

Our kids were getting a bit unruly in the play place at chick-fil-a, so we decided to take the crew to a nearby park before we got kicked out!  The kids played nicely and we only had two minor injuries.  After playing, the kids were hungry again, so I decided to tag along with my friend to get some lunch.  My friend Maria has 3 of her own kids (ALL BOYS!) and watches 2 little girls and her nephews during the week!  She is a saint!  Feeding her brood is expensive, so she takes them to free lunch at a nearby elementary school during the week.  Since Jack has been asking so many questions about school, I decided I would use this as a learning tool, and get some free lunch while we were at it!  My kids have never been in a school cafeteria so they were stoked!  The lunch offered today was either chicken nuggets or a hot dog with a banana, pasta salad, and a chocolate milk.  Although skeptical of a "school lunch", the food was descent, somewhat healthy, and FREE... plus I did not have to cook or clean! 
COST OF LUNCH: $0

Since we played so hard all morning, the boys were both tired and ready for some down time.  We had a nice afternoon, dinner was cooking itself in the crockpot and my laundry was DONE.  Could a girl ask for anything else????

TOTAL SPENT DAY 3: $4.66 (rollover of $3.34.  TOTAL rollover $12.80)

For all my fellow King Soopers shoppers, there is a new mega event starting TODAY that has some pretty good deals.  A few of my favorites are listed below:  In order to get the deals, you have to use your SooperCard, buy 10 participating items in the same transaction and you will save $5 instantly at checkout. The starting prices below assume that you are buying 10 participating items to get the sale price!!!

Colgate Toothpaste 6.4oz  $ .99
-.50 coupon (7/10 SS)
FREE! 

Reach Toothbrush or Access Flosser .99
- $1 coupon (4/17 SS)
FREE! 

Band-Aid Bandages 10-80ct $1.99
-.50 coupon (6/12 RP)
=.99 


 Kettle Brand Potato Chips 9oz $2.29
-$1 coupon (6/19 SS)
=$1.29 

Krusteaz Pancake Mix 14-32oz $1.99 (ONLY mix I will use!)
-$1/2 Krusteaz Coupon
=$1.49

Aunt Jemima ancakes 5.2-14.8oz $1.29
-$1 Aunt Jemima Coupon 
=.29! 

SunnyD 64oz .99
-.25 coupon (5/15 SS)
=.49 

Kraft Salad Dressing 16oz $1.49
-$1/2 coupon (6/19 SS)
=.99

Wisk Laundry Detergent 50oz $3.49
-$2 coupon (6/26 RP)
=$1.49 


Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip 22-30oz $2.49
-.75 coupon (6/19 SS)
=$1.49 

Pepperidge Farm Bread, Bagels or Flat Bread 12-24oz $1.99
-.30 coupon (5/15 SS)
=$1.39 


Vitaminwater 20oz 
.49


Pop-Secret Popcorn 3ct .99 
-.50/2 coupon(6/19 RP)
=.49 (STOCK UP PRICE...we eat a lot of popcorn!)

There are other items included in the Buy 10, Save $5  Mega Event that are not listed here.  Be sure to check your store ad for all the items included!

  

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!  I plan on hitting up the mega event tomorrow.  I will be sure to post pics!  

 

Day 2!

This morning I met a few friends and their kiddos for brunch at a nearby park.  I was planning on making an egg bake to share, but realized I didn't have the correct cheese for the recipe.  As much as I wanted to go run to the store and grab something already prepared, I knew that was not in my $8 budget.  I calmly (ok, maybe not so calmly) racked my brain for something to bring.  With a little creativity and 30 minutes preparation, I came up with "Pigs In A Blanket",  breakfast style!  I cooked up some sausage I had frozen in my freezer and wrapped them in some pancakes I whipped up!  VOILA, easy meal that kids and adults will enjoy!  I also was able to freeze 6 extra pancakes for breakfast later this week!!!
COST FOR BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS: $0

I DID have to go to the grocery store for a few things for tomorrow.  I was not thrilled with my measly 48% store savings, even if I did only purchase 4 items. 

I needed Apricot preserves for dinner tomorrow night.  I wish they had a little jar, but this was the smallest I could find!  I snatched up a few banana's, 4 ears of corn and some Mango Lemonade that I am obsessed with ;) 
TOTAL SPENT AT GROCERY STORE: $4.26

Dusty and I were supposed to attend a baby shower on Sunday, but there was no way in hell I was taking my two little monsters.  Since Dusty will see the expectant couple tonight at his basketball game, I figured I would go ahead and send the gift with him.  Now, you may be thinking to yourself "how did you buy a gift with your remaining $3"?   Well, I did not have to buy a gift today because of my Stockpile of gifts.  I LOVE to buy things for people....I love even more to buy things for people months and months ahead of the time.  You see, as a frugal shopper I VERY RARELY buy anything that is not on sale.  When i find a smokin' deal I usually snatch it up.  I buy most of my Christmas and Birthday gifts off clearance racks throughout the year.  I also buy ALL kinds of children's clothes in all different sizes/genders/seasons.  Most of the outfits are purchased for less than $2 after clearance and coupons.  I also stock up on baby items like lotions, wipes, diapers, bibs, etc... when they are super cheap combined with a coupon.  Thanks to my stockpile of "stuff" I was able to put together an adorable gift bag for the newest addition to the Fox family!!

Included was a Plush baby blanket, tub of wipes, a baby towel and wash rag, Baby Magic baby wash, and of course a sweet little dress and bloomers (I will go broke if I ever have a girl :)  )


TOTAL FOR BABY SHOWER GIFT: $0 ( To give you an estimate of what I did pay for the items when I purchased them:  I paid $1.49 for the dress at a Children's Place end of summer clearance sale, .49 for the tub of wipes after coupon, the baby wash was free after coupon, towel free after coupon savings and the blanket was $2.99 after coupon and sale.  Total: around $5.....



TOTAL SPENT DAY 2: $4.26  (rollover of $3.74 ...TOTAL rollover $9.46)


Just to show you all what kind of crazy things I will do to save money, I thought I would share with you a picture from last Friday night.  It was customer appreciation day at Chick-fil-a and if you dressed up as a cow, you got a FREE MEAL, not just a sandwich :)  Not only did we get 3 free meals (YES, I too dressed myself up as a cow) but my boys thought it was SO FUN to get dressed up not on Halloween! 

That there is two little calves all ready for some free chicken!  There is no proof of me in my costume, so don't bother looking!!

Back to the $8/day Challenge!

Wasteful.  That is how I have been feeling lately.  I feel as though we have been wasting food, money, gas, and time.   I am grumpy, my little angels are acting like demons, and nothing seems to be changing.  After much thought and consideration I have decided we need to do one thing and one thing only, SIMPLIFY.  People have a real nifty way of making the uncomplicated complicated.....unfortunately, I am one of those people.  A few months ago when we were living off of $8 a day, life seemed easier.  I know that may seem bizarre to some, but getting rid of all the "fluff" helped us see what was really important in life.  So let the challenge begin,  wish us luck :)

DAY 1:
I spent most of the morning getting stuff in order.  I paid bills, organized my mountain of mail, and returned some phone calls.  One of my calls to make was to Comcast.  Let me preface this with letting you all know how much I despise dealing with customer service people.  I rarely have great experiences and usually end the call upset.  Our 2 year contract was up and the folks at comcast thought that raising our bill $25/month was ok.  Since we are on a strict budget, I kindly asked to cancel my service.  After 5 minutes speaking with Judy, we now have the same package for $5 less.  VICTORY!
SAVED $5/month by placing a call!

After my success with comcast I thought it would be a good idea to clean out my fridge and pantry to see what exactly I will be working with this next week.  Part of the reason my family is able to live off of $8/day is because we USE WHAT WE HAVE.  I am a firm believer in planning our meals around what we have in the kitchen and what is on sale at the store.  I do have a substantial stock pile of food items thanks to couponing, and also freeze meals ahead of time.  After taking inventory, I planned my family's meals for the week.

BREAKFAST
Waffles and Fruit X 2
Brunch at the park with friends
Egg in the bread
Sausage and pancakes with applesauce
Raisin toast with apples and peanut butter X 2


LUNCH
Grilled Ham and cheese sandwiches w/melon
Dino nuggets with carrots and dip
Veggie soup (my kids love soup even when its 90 degrees out!)
leftovers X 2
PB&J and fruit
Chicken and pepper Quesadillas w/ green beans

DINNER
Annies mac and cheese with carrots (daddy's at work :) )
Stir fry (veggies from my dads garden!)
Mostoccoli with green salad
Hamburgers/hot dogs with red potatoes and esparagus
Dinner out with my little men (dad's at work)
Angel hair with Italian sausage, veggies
Pizza night

Most of the menu items revolve around what I have in my house.  I will need to get some fruit and other little items!

After my day of planning and organizing, I was feeling ready to take this challenge on full force.  I told the boys if they ate all their dinner we would go to 7-11 for a FREE slurpee in honor of  7-11 day.  They were SO excited!!!  Unfortunately, when we pulled up, there was a huge sign on the door that read "ALL FREE SLURPEES GONE".  I was upset (total understatement!).  Since I promised my boys and we hadn't touched our $8, I thought it only fair to get them their treat.
TOTAL FOR 2 SMALL SLURPEES:  $2.28 and a brief argument with the ignorant cashier.....


TOTAL SPENT DAY 1: $2.28 (total rollover $5.72)

On a side note, we did start our challenge out with FULL tanks of gas in our vehicles. Also, just like last challenge, our monthly bills are NOT factored into the $8/day ;)

Late night King Soopers trip with Katie the coupon lady.....

What were you all doing at 9pm on this wonderful Tuesday night???  I was out taking advantage of King Soopers Mega Event!  There were some coupons I had to use before this sale ended, and I was running low on laundry detergent :)  I spent about 30 minutes making my list and clipping/printing my coupons earlier this afternoon.....On a side note, IF you watch that ridiculous show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, you will repeatedly hear the couponers claim that EVERY one that "extreme coupons" spends at least 30 hours a week in preparation for shopping trips.....LET ME TELL YOU, this is so not true.  I have NEVER spent even close to that much time!  Although, if you are just beginning your coupon clipping journey, you will spend more time getting the hang of things...BUT, it is not ALL time consuming!  Okay,, back to my night.  I grabbed my coupon satchel and headed out.  I was in the store for 25 minutes and this is what I came out with:

(5) Purex Laundry Detergents
(3) Crystal Light "on the go" Single Beverage pouches
(3) 5 quart Crystal light Tea and Lemonade Mixes
(1) Kraft Singles
(1) Secret Deodorant
(3) Carefree Panty Liners
(1) Eggo Waffles
(1) Sunny Delight
(2) Boulder Valley BBQ Potato Chips
(6) Assorted Pasta's ***Although I have a LARGE stockpile of pasta, it is always nice to give some to friends/family/local foodbank!
(3) Kraft BBQ Sauces (not my fave, but good for freezer cooking!)
and last but NOT least
(2) Butterfinger candy bars....(I am planning on making homemade blizzards once this crazy weather warms up :)  ) 

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS AND LOYALTY CARD:  $76.47
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND CARD: $6.89 plus $2.18 in tax!!!!!! 

Not the best I have ever done, but any savings over 90% is FABULOUS!  Plus, I NEEDED laundry stuff, and I was thrilled to find a $3 off Secret Deodorant coupon which made it FREE!


Now, I want to share a quick coupon tip with you.  If you are thinking of starting couponing, one of the biggest things you must consider is: ARE YOU BRAND LOYAL?  As much as I would love to always wash my clothes in TIDE, I just paid a whopping $0.60 for (5) 32 load Purex's.  That is right....60 pennies!  6 dimes!  I realize that some families have allergies, or other factors that may contribute to brand loyalty, but if YOU CAN, and if you are SERIOUS about saving money, I would encourage you to break out of your comfort zone!  

LONG overdue...DAY 21 and challenge wrap up!

LONG AWAITED DAY 21! 
I am sad and a bit dissapointed to tell you that ALL of my $8 plus my rollover was spent on gas....blah.  I must say, the whole $4/gallon of gas thing REALLY threw a wrench in my exciting challenge.  Had I known that prices were going to climb daily, I probably would have increased my daily allowance.  So with that said:

TOTAL SPENT ON GAS: $9.56 (used $1.56 rollover)

After living off $8/day for the past 3 weeks, I was somewhat sad to end the challenge.  I knew for my marriages sake that we needed to break from the frugalness, and with all the birthdays and company in town I knew that it would not be possible to live the same way we had during the challenge.  I must say though, I have seen a MAJOR difference in the way I spend money. 

Living off of $8/day was not easy and at times I wanted to stop the challenge and run out to the nearest store and pay FULL PRICE for something (gasp!).  Looking back, I am really proud of us for sticking it out, and working TOGETHER as a family.  I look forward to share more of my frugal ways with you all and hope that you will continue to check back with me on a regular basis!

 END OF THE CHALLENGE

 

~When you are living off $8/day, you have a hard time clothing your children....You also put them to work in the kitchen :)

Do you have any crazy ideas you would like to "challenge" me with?  Leave a comment and let me know!  

Who wants a FREE Pizza from Papa Johns?!?!? How about a FREE Bagel with Cream cheese from Brueggers?!?!?

Today only you can get a FREE medium cheese pizza from Papa Johns.  Just enter promo code mkcqov under promo codes located HERE.  If you don't want it today, just order it now and schedule it for a future delivery or pickup (up to 21 days out).  THIS PROMO CODE WILL NOT LAST LONG SO ORDER FAST!!!!    yikes, that was quick!!!  I hate it when deals expire so quick...  :(

I ordered my FREE pizza for tomorrow at noon so the boys can have an easy, FREE lunch!

NOT in the mood for pizza?!?!?  While, through May 16, just print this LITTLE PUPPY off and use it to score a FREE bagel with cream cheese at BRUEGGERS BAGELS! 

~~I apologize for not updating the blog....now that I am back on track, look forward to some awesomeness coming your way :)

Free Coffee for earth day!

Head on over to Starbucks AND Caribou coffee with your reusable mugs and get some free coffee!!! This offer is valid today only.  Whoo hoo....I will be hitting up both establishments! 

Days 19 &20: $8/day challenge!

DAY 19:
Yesterday we had a lovely morning together as a family and I decided we would "splurge" and ORDER a pizza for dinner!  USUALLY the only pizza we get in this house is $5 Little Ceazers Pizza's, but tonight Dusty begged requested Papa Johns.  Although I was hesitant to spend our moola on the pizza, I did locate a FREE medium cheese pizza with any pizza order!  

My husband was happy, I was pleasantly surprised by the high value coupon ( even if we did go over our $8!), and the boys were THRILLED with a pizza night with Mom and DAD!
TOTAL FOR TWO PIZZA's: $12.45 (we did use some of our rollover! TOTAL rollover remaining: $7.06)

Since I knew that we are nearing the end of our challenge, I figured I still have rollover to spend, so why not spend it?!?!?!  Jack was in need of cleats for baseball and after looking at the Sports Store catalog that came in the Sunday paper (cleats priced at $29.99!!!!) I knew I had to make a trip to the local thrift store!  Wouldn't you know it, there were a pair of size 13 Adidas cleats perfect for a certain little boy!  Even more perfect, the $3.50 price tag!  WHOO HOO!  
TOTAL FOR JACK'S CLEATS: $3.50 

TOTAL SPENT DAY 19: $15.95 ((Total rollover remaining: $3.56))

DAY 20 
Day 20.....the day before our last day of this challenge!  I WANTED to do some really great coupon shopping today for the WOW effect, but, Gas was needed...BLAH!  Maybe tomorrow! 
TOTAL SPENT ON GAS: $10


TOTAL SPENT DAY 20: $10 (Total rollover $1.56)

DAYS 18: $8/day challenge

Before I give a break down of the past two days I wanted to share with you all something that really spoke to me this morning.   Through this challenge, I have taken a deep look into the way I view my material possessions.  Although it is fun to have "stuff", it is SO not what is important in my life.  It is my children, husband, family, friends, and the choices I make that are important. 

1 John 3:17 says "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person"

I really believe that now-a-days people forget how important GIVING is.  Now don't get me wrong, I know a lot of givers, but in general society today is very selfish.  I am not trying to tell you to go and give away your fortune, but would it kill ya to SMILE at someone in the supermarket?  HUG someone that needs a hug? Give of YOUR time to help a friend (or a stranger?).  GIVE anonymously to someone who has fallen on hard times?  I challenge each of you this week to GIVE something that is precious to you...just give it to someone!    Whether it is your money, time, an ear to listen, or a material possession, I am sure that the recipient will be SO very thankful!  

 DAY 18: $8/day challenge 

I started the day off at a spin class which I can only compare to child labor.  You sweat from places you didn't know prespired, you have a hard time "breathing through" the hard times and your butt and crotch hurt.  At least a got a baby out of labor!  I must admit, I did feel pretty amazing after I finished the class! (A BIG thanks to Jen S. for dragging my butt there!)  Now, some of you may be asking yourselves "How do you afford a gym membership?"......Let me tell you......I REALLY wanted a membership at this fancy shmancy health club that opened a few years back, but knew that $100 was not exactly in the budget (Dusty was unemployed and we were barely scraping by).  So, I looked online and saw that they were hiring for a weekend position.  The pay was AWFUL, but they included a free membership for you AND your kids!  2 Hours of free child care a day....sign me up!  I applied, interviewed and was hired a few weeks later.  I now work a few Sunday afternoons per month.  I make a few extra frogskins for myself AND get a free membership!

COST OF MEMBERSHIP AT FANCY HEALTH CLUB: $0 

 After the amazing workout, Jack and I headed out to the first of two parties we had for the day.  We were honored to celebrate Jack's friends' birthdays (twin girls).  This was our 4th kids birthday party this MONTH and if I wasn't so fantastically frugal, all these parties would have been VERY costly.  You see, I not only stockpile groceries, I also stockpile presents!  This may seem crazy, but I would bet money that you would be somewhat envious of my "gift closet".  It is a WHOLE closet devoted to gifts for people.  I have gifts appropriate for newborns-grandparents.  I have a multitude of different size clothing in BOTH genders!   Most of this stuff i found on a clearance rack after a holiday, or purchased with a coupon that made it free or almost free.  My "gift closet" not only saves me a TON of money, but even more importantly, TIME.  I am the worlds biggest procrastinator, so if I didn't have the closet to "shop" in, I would be running around like  a chicken with my head cut off 10 minutes before a party started!  

After the first party, we headed out to celebrate my friends birthday!  I know she loves starbucks and had just received a $10 giftcard for renewing my Denver Post subscription.  I knew she would appreciate it more than I would so I kindly re-gifted the card (she called me this morning asking me how I purchased the GC with an $8/day budget...I let her in on my secret!).  I also added a little something from my "gift closet" to finish the gift off.   

TOTAL COST FOR BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR 3 PEOPLE: $0!!!

All in all, we had a wonderful day and only spent $.99 on some Sour Cream I needed for the potatoes I was bringing to the party!
TOTAL SPENT DAY 18: $1 (rollover $7, Total Rollover: $11.51)

 

**Day 19 will be up later tonight**

A new dress=happy kate! $8/day challenge DAYS 16 & 17

Howdy all!  Sorry i did not post yesterday....the whole $8 went to gas...again.  So dumb.  With that said,
TOTAL DAY 16: $8 (total rollover $2.20)

DAY 17
Today I cleaned all morning and decided to take the boys on an adventure since it was so nice outside.  We went to a friends for a bit to play in THEIR backyard (it is amazing how just a change of scenery can stimulate little minds!).  I also made a quick stop in at Kohls (shhhh, don't tell Dusty!).  You see, I know I am on an $8/day budget, but by God a woman has to shop!  My birthday is fast approaching and I would *like* to have something spectacular to wear on my special day!  After browsing the sale racks and only finding bulky sweaters and "grandma" pants (no offense gram) my eyes lit up with excitement when i noticed a certain dress dangling from the 80% rack.  Could it be?  Could the dress I have been eyeing since DECEMBER possibly STILL be there, AND on sale.  Ladies, (since I know any men that were reading this have stopped) I desperately wanted this green asymetrical dress...and actually DID buy it.  It cost me $60.00 and the guilt of paying that much on something for me RIGHT before Christmas was just too much to handle (I know this may not seem like a ton of money for some, but to us it is).  I returned it a few days later, regrettably so.  I have thought of this dress many a day and daydreamed about wearing it to my cousins wedding, a night out with the girls, a date night, etc....But, all the fantasizing in the world could not make the dress magically reappear.  I knew it was forever gone.  UNTIL TODAY.  You should have seen my face when I spotted the dress, the ONE and only dress on the sale rack.  There was NO way that this dress could possibly be my size, or could it???  Hesitantly I picked up the dress took a deep breath and looked at the tag.  There, staring back at me was my exact size, I could not believe my eyes.  Even better than the size 0 (lol!!) was the price tag.  $12....YES, $12.  To make that sweet, sensuous $12 even better was the $5 off and 15% off coupons I was holding in my hands.  The dress is shown below:

I realize you all may not like this dress, but it really is adorable on ( or so I think).  I will be celebrating my birthday with this frock on and will post pics after the event!

TOTAL FOR MY MAGICAL DRESS: Regularly $60, on sale for $12

TOTAL AFTER MY COUPONS AND GIFT CARD: $3.43...that is correct, out of pocket I paid $3.43.  I WON'T be returning this one!

I threatened told the boys that if they were good all afternoon that I would take them to the dollar store to pick out a prize (YES, I bribe my kids).  After MUCH debate, they both decided to get guns that shoot balls out of them....go figure!
TOTAL FOR 2 BALL GUNS: $2.16

TOTAL DAY 17: $5.59  ( rollover $2.31 Total Rollover: $4.51)

On a very random side note, I would just like you all to know that I am doing something RIGHT now that I never do.  Are you ready....I ....am .....baking!  I just took out my first pan of cupcakes and they look AWFUL.  How can someone mess up cupcakes you ask......let me explain.  I LOVE to cook, but for some reason ANYTIME I bake, I ruin it.  if anyone ever asks me to bring a dessert, I bring my "famous" Rice-Krispy treats...because there is NO oven involved!  I thought it was my oven, but I just got a new range so that can no longer be my excuse.  Damn.  My friend who's birthday I am baking these for better REALLY love me!  I will post pics once I try and salvage these God-for-saken messes!  Wish me luck!

Awesome deals at the King soopers by my house....also DAY 15

I love Wednesdays, why you may ask??  Well, on Wednesdays the ads for this weeks sales get released.  Pathetic, aren't I?!?!?!?!?  Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the King Soopers a block from my house is having a GRAND RE-OPENING sale and let me tell you, the sale looks pretty awesome!  I would HIGHLY recommend you come and check it out if you are in the North Denver area. The location is 104th and Federal.  Some of the best deals I saw were:

Colorado Proud Milk: $1.69 (this is an AWESOME price considering I haven't seen it below 2.15 in some time!)
5lb box of CUTIES: $3.88...also there is a $1 off coupon in last weeks paper making this $2.88!!!!!
93% lean Ground Beef: $1.79/lb!!!! This is a STOCK up price!!!!
Post cereal (select varieties): 2 for $3  Captain Crunch/Raisin bran and others.
Red Seedless Grapes: $.88/lb great price :)

For my Organic peeps:
Organic Braeburn Apples: $1/lb
Horizon Organic Yogurt (32oz.): 2 for $5

There are many more great deals going on so head on over!  The prices are valid until Tuesday, April 12th!


DAY 15
After noticing the deals at my local king soopers, it was hard to not go and stockpile some of the items featured.  I did know I wanted to make my Homemade spaghetti sauce so decided to just pick up (1) pound of the 93% lean ground beef and after scanning my pantry knew I needed (2) more tomato pastes.  Since I do stockpile, I had everything else I needed to make the sauce. 
TOTAL FOR MEAT AND PASTE: $3.60  If I didn't have such a crazy day, I would have taken a picture of HOW much sauce I made!  It is amazing how inexpensive it was to make and it will last us a month!  I was also able to make dinner for a friend on bedrest, and jar some for another friend!

I also put $8 of gas in my tank.  Once again this made me irate!  Seriously, $3.49/gallon??  I was sick to my stomach for the whole 10 seconds it took me to pump my $8 of gas!!!!
TOTAL FOR OVERPRICED GAS: $8

TOTAL DAY 15: $11.60 (NO rollover today, and we used $3.60 of rollover.  Total rollover remaining: $2.20)

I also want to address one more thing tonight.  For anyone who watched the show "Extreme Couponing" tonight on TLC, I wanted to let you know my thoughts.  First of all PLEASE remember this is REALITY TV....most of these woman do not go on shopping trips like that all the time.  Second, although I do maintain a stockpile of things my family uses on a regular basis, the woman on this show are HOARDERS!  Please, please, please do not associate me with this.  I Donate items that we will not use and always pass my extras on to friends and family.   Lastly, if you are new to couponing, please realize that YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND 6 hours a day clipping/organizing coupons!  For anyone that knows me, you all know I am a busy woman.  I have two wild kids, am active in my church, I work a part-time job, and By God, I AM A BLOGGER...LOL! (I had to throw that in there!).  I do NOT have even an HOUR a day to mess with coupons.  So please, understand that this IS extreme! 

Day 14: $8/day budget

First of all, I would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone for taking the time each day to read my blog.  I am baffled still as to how people have been reacting to this.   I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement and hope to have more reader involvement in the near future!

I also wanted to let you all know that I am currently in a situation to pay some kindness forward.  You see, I clean houses....this may not sound very glamorous, but I love to clean and I make my own hours...for me, it is the perfect job...for right now.  I recently read about a non-profit that provides maid service to women who are battling cancer.  Being a healthy mother, I can only imagine the daily struggle it must be to try and maintain your health/family/finances, and of course a clean house when you are sick with such an awful disease.  With all this said, I am currently searching for one deserving Mother who is either battling cancer herself, or who has a child who is sick with cancer to provide my service to.  If you know of anyone who may be a good candidate, PLEASE email me at katethecouponmom(at)yahoo(dot)com. 

Okay moving on....

DAY 14
After my terrible day yesterday, I am happy to report that I am back on track!  Today I was quite productive and there were no major meltdowns...praise God!  After dropping Jack at school, I stopped in at my parents for a cup of coffee....the folgers at my house is just not doing it for me and I know my mother only brews starbucks!  After a nice visit, Luke and I headed over to a friends to try and help her with her meal planning/budget for the next few weeks.  This wonderful friend of mine has 4 children 4 years of age and younger (bless her heart!) and struggles with her grocery budget each month.  I feel like we have been making a LOT of progress and she is finally getting the idea that you CAN'T just throw things in your grocery cart...you need to plan out your trip!  So, after a tutorial we stopped in at Sprouts (a "farmers market" style grocer) and practiced what I preached.  I showed her how I weigh out all my produce and try not to exceed what i have budgeted.  She did wonderfully, and I did better than wonderfully!  I budgeted $3 and spent exactly $2.99!!!  How's that for accuracy?!?!?  I purchased (1) Zucchini (1) yellow squash (1) onion (1) bag of pears and (1) bag of carrots!!

TOTAL SPENT OF FRESH PRODUCE: $2.99

After the shopping excursion, I picked up jack from school and for a brief second wondered if I could just drive through somewhere and pick up lunch..would anyone know???  Well I didn't and I am SO happy that I resisted the urge.  My kids don't ask for it, nor do they even enjoy fast food....I enjoy the convenience of it, ME, not them (although two weeks ago I would have said otherwise)!!!  I am slowly but surely breaking that habit.  We are healthier now both physically and financially because of it!  So awesome! 

We came home, and I decided that my pit of a car needed some TLC.  It was so discusting and I just couldn't take it anymore.  Usually I go down to the local "wash your own car" place, but when you are working with $8/day, you wash your own car!  I got out the ol' shop-vac and went to work.  I now have a nice and tidy automobile and didn't spend a penny :)
TOTAL FOR A CAR WASH: $0

TOTAL SPENT DAY 14: $2.99 (rollover $5.01, Total rollover $5.80)


Tip of the day: Now that the weather is warming up, get out the cleaning supplies and do a little scrub-a-dub-dub.  You will feel so much better once your house/car/office is in tip-top shape!  If you don't feel like cleaning, give me a call, I know a great cleaning lady :)  !!!!!

Day 13: A major bust!

My big boy Jack will turn 5 in a couple weeks and I can hardly believe it!  He is not-so patiently awaiting his "Super Mario Brothers" birthday party and asks me every day..."how many more days till my party?".  With that said, today I realized I better get my show on the road if I am going to be ready for a "Super" birthday party! 

This week one of Safeway's in store coupons featured Kelloggs fruit snacks for $.99.  Since these are usually priced at over $2/box, AND they have mario themed fruit snacks, I knew this was a deal I could not pass up.  Jack picked up 2 boxes of the mario fruit snacks, and one box of princess snacks for all his lady friends (my boys IS a looker)!  The cashier was awesome and even did some mario voices for jack!
TOTAL FOR 3 BOXES FRUIT SNACKS (will be for the goody bags): $3 (it rang up strange and charged me no tax?!?!?) 

Next, I had promised the boys a movie rental and they were STOKED that "Tangled" was released today!  Thankfully, I had a free code to Blockbuster for a free rental...would you expect anything less?!?!
TOTAL FOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: $0

Somewhere between here and there, our day went from TOTAL awesomeness to a TOTAL disaster.  Luke would not nap, Jack was over emotional, and I had HAD it with their fighting.  I knew I had to go to King Soopers to buy things for at least a few nights of dinner.  The thought of taking my possessed children out in public was terrifying....even worse than the thought was the actual outing itself.  Allow me to explain....

You see, the kind people at King Soopers know me.  They know me as two separate entities.  First, I am the jovial coupon shopper who always stops to ask you how you are, talk about your kids, let you know whats going on with me...overall this shopper is GREAT....Then there is the crazy lady who drags her two screaming children in the store.  It is inevitable that Luke will climb out of the cart and run away from me.  This lady is a mess....she is usually yelling at her kids, and is near tears.  Today I was the latter.  It was a DISASTER.....at one point a sweet old lady stopped me, grabbed my arm and said "oh honey, we've all been there, hang in there".  I wanted to cry.  So with that said, I did what any other super mom would do, I grabbed a donut out of the bakery and shoved them in their faces...BAD move.  It actually made the situation worse.  So after not paying attention to what the heck was in the cart, I proceeded to the self check-out....two screaming children in tow.  All together this is what I purchased:

We needed ketchup, grapes were on sale for $.88/lb, dusty requested Bratwurts so we needed buns, Chicken legs were on sale for $.99/lb AND they were marked down on managers special :) (this will be our protein for about 3 meals) AND if you notice, there are some powdered donuts snuck in there....mama was stressed!
TOTAL SPENT ON GROCERIES....$8.31!! AHHH, my first day of going over our $8!  Thankfully we did have $4.10 rollover. 

TOTAL SPENT DAY 13: $11.31  (we used all $8 and $3.31 of our rollover..ugh oh....Total Rollover: $.79)

Tip of the day:  If you see me in the grocery store with my two monsters, slowly turn around, walk away and pretend you do not know me.  Really all joking aside, please extend grace to those you see struggling out in public. 

3 major things I am noticing :)

Since starting this challenge, I have been noticing some major differences in our lives.

For example, we have not thrown out ANY food over the past 2 weeks.  Everything I have made, we have eaten till it is gone.  My husband is not a fan of leftovers, but living off of $8/day you quickly realize that you either eat what is here, or you don't eat at all! 

Second, I have lost 5 pounds since the start of this.  As my aunt Mary likes to say "I like my poor people skinny".  Instead of cruising through the drive-through, we come home and make something to eat.  It has been a HUGE eye opener to me on just how much of the "stuff" I eat is not necessary! 

Third and most importantly, my husband and I have been communicating much better and this month we were able to pay ALL our monthly bills with his first pay check.  This in itself is a huge accomplishment.  Instead of stressing about money and bills, we are actually LAUGHING about how much money we have to pay off debt ( we are currently doing Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover"). 

I realize that living off of $8/day is a bit unrealistic for some, but I would encourage you to look deep inside your soul and think about what is TRULY important in your life.  

Day 13 will be up later tonight!!

Days 11 and 12: $8/day challenge.

Sorry for the delay on posts, but we had a very busy weekend!  Our $8/day challenge was completely put to the test this weekend and I am happy to say that we stuck to the plan....for the most part :)

DAY 11
Saturday was Dusty's "basketball day" so he headed out with his friends to watch the games. I knew this could be a HUGE buster of the $8/day challenge, but he assured me he would find a way to only spend the $8.  He bought lunch with most of the $8 and also had drinks and put them on his running tab (his friend owns the bar).  HE TOTALLY CHEATED...but hey, i give him props for getting creative.

TOTAL FOR BOYS GAME DAY:$8

I put the boys to bed at my parents house so I could head downtown to pick up Dusty and go to an engagement party for Dusty's college roommate.  The event was held at some swanky club downtown.  They had V.I.P bottle service so the drinks were free ;).  I walked into the club and was instantly greeted by LOUD (understatement) music,  half naked girls (when and why did the 80's fashion come back??!!), and an abundance of drunken men.  At that moment I realized two things:  A) I am an old lady who prefers sitting on my couch watching netflix to "clubbing" and  B) if I have a daughter, I will NEVER let her out of the house...ever...  It was wonderful to see some old friends and celebrate the future wedding of a dear friend, BUT after about 45 minutes of trying to have a conversation (the music was SOOOO loud) I pulled my husband out and we headed home!

TOTAL FOR NIGHT OUT WITH THE MAN: $0  (I did enjoy a nice glass of champagne from the table service, it was DELICIOUS!

TOTAL FOR DAY 11: $8 PLUS whatever the heck may be on my husbands tab...punk!

(total rollover $3.60)

DAY 12

We had a wonderful Sunday as a family and enjoyed just hanging out together.  This afternoon we were honored to attend the wedding reception of one of Dusty's old b-ball players.  The reception was held at Cinzetti's Italian Restaurant and let me tell you, it was AMAZING!  The boys, Dusty and I had such an amazing time celebrating with Fox and his wife Mariah.  I did stop at walgreens on the way to the reception to pick up a card...we did give a monetary gift that I am NOT including in this challenge.  I will stick to the challenge for birthdays and other "gifting" but NOT for our tithing and for this in particular wedding gift!

TOTAL FOR RECEPTION/DINNER/CELEBRATION: $2.50 (hallmark card) 

As i was blogging i heard my husbands car pull away.  I was about to wrap day 12 up with a $6.50 rollover, until he walked back in with a bag from Burger King.....he is in BIG trouble!  I have no idea how in the world he could be hungry after eating just a few short hours ago at an ALL YOU CAN EAT ITALIAN BUFFET!!!  I am literally sick because i ate so much.  SO, i will add in his trip to the BK...

TOTAL SPENT ON A POINTLESS TRIP TO BK: $5 ($.50 rollover, total rollover, $4.10)

TOTAL SPENT DAY 12: $7.50 (rollover $.50 total rollover $4.10)

Tip of the day:  Accept and embrace your age.  If your 7 year old daughter can fit into your neon mini dress, PLEASE, for the love of God, do not wear it out in public :) 

DAY 10: $8/day challenge, a little yummy in my tummy...

Today I caved and stopped to pick up lunch.   I was TRYING to only eat at home for the duration of the challenge, BUT today Chipolte sounded amazing (and fast...I was on a time crunch).  So, I did what any other crazy person living on eight dollars a day would do...I searched for a coupon and headed to get some burritos!  I found a buy1 get1 coupon which made my very hungry husband happy and purchased our lunch. 
Total for my burrito bowl and his burrito with coupon: $6.40 (rollover: $3.60 )
This ended up feeding me, dusty and the boys for lunch AND I still had leftovers for dinner!

Also today, I used ALL $24.35 rollover on gas.  It KILLED me to use ALL our rollover on gas, especially since it only provided me with a little under a half a tank....

Easter Baskets on a budget! DAY 9!

Ever since I can remember, I have always loved Easter.  It may be because my birthday is around Easter, or the adorable dresses and suits the kids wear.  It could possibly be the fond memories of my Aunt Eileens special "bunny cake", or Easter dinner at my Grandmas.  Whatever the reasons, I STILL look forward to Church on Easter Sunday and the anticipation of the Easter egg hunt.  Although I am fantastically frugal, I love to have Easter baskets sitting by the fireplace when my kids wake up on Easter morning.  Now, if I am not careful, this could get very expensive!

I have been asking people all week how they do Easter for their kiddos.  Out of the 10 woman I asked, 9 said they go to the dollar store or the $1 bin at Target to stuff their kids baskets, the 1 other woman said she did not do baskets at all.  Personally I try NOT to take the dollar store route (for easter baskets...I DO go there for other items).  I have found that I spend WAY more buying "stuff" for my two kids then I would on just one more useable item.  Also, most of the things from the dollar store  end up in the garbage a week later.  So with that said, below is what my two boys will be surprised with on Easter morning.

  What little boy wouldn't want a supersoaker water gun and a baseball bat from the easter bunny???  Also pictured are snickers chocolate egg candies.  I bought all this today for.........you guessed it, right around $8!!!  (Really I only spent $.17 of my $8/day since i purchased the toys with a Kohls giftcard :)

This is how I did it:  Last Friday I was pleasantly surprised to find a Kohls $10 off a $20 purchase coupon stuck to the paper delivered to my house (I get 2 papers delivered so I was able to snag 2!!).  Next if you sign up for Kohls email alerts HERE they will email you a coupon for $5 off a $5 purchase.  I was able to stack these two coupons AND a 20% off coupon they mailed to me.  I also had money still on a gift card from Christmas.

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $38.13

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $6.73, PLUS I used a gift card that STILL has money on it!!
I also went to walgreens and bought 7 snickers eggs.  The total before coupons was $2.26, after coupons.....$.17

TOTAL SPENT ON BOYS' EASTER BASKETS: $.17 (that does not include the gift card purchase)

I also had to run out and grab a gallon of milk...priced at a sickening $2.55!!! 

TOTAL SPENT DAY 9:  $2.72 (rollover for today: $5.28   TOTAL rollover: $24.35...)

I want  to hear from you...Please leave a comment and tell me about the ways you celebrate Easter on a budget!!! 

Day Eight: $8/day challenge!

Well Friends, we have completed the first week of the $8/day challenge.  I must say, I am pleasantly surprised at how "on board" my husband has been.  I am also surprised how many temptations there have been to overspend.  Even though I am a "bargain hunter" and always use coupons, I do tend to impulse buy and try to get EVERY good deal that comes along.  This is not only time consuming, but through this challenge I have realized it is also costly.  We don't need all the "stuff" we think we do, we will be JUST FINE without it (probably even better without it!). 


This next week, we are going to continue to live on $8/day and as an added bonus, I am adding my own personal challenge: ACCOMPLISH ONE TASK A DAY TO TRY AND GET ORGANIZED!  A few weeks ago, someone (who must NOT know me that well :) ) asked me how I stay so organized...I burst out in laughter and wondered who in the world this woman could possibly be speaking to.  You see, I am one of the MOST unorganized people on this planet.  When people walk into my house and comment on how clean it is, I tell them to open a closet or drawer..then they see the "real" me.  Basically I am a mess.  So this week I am going to attempt to do one small thing a day to get me to where i want to be.  I challenge you all to take a few minutes each day and join with me on my challenge within a challenge!  Who's in?!?!?!?!


DAY 8 
Today started a little rocky for me...I didn't sleep well, and the first thing I heard as I woke up was screaming fighting children.....awesome...  I headed out the door to work (no coffee consumed, BIG MISTAKE!) late of course.  I was going to try and make it to free Chick-fil-a, but time wasn't on my side.  I did however have a lovely morning cleaning and then picked up the boys for lunch at a friends.  We were greeted at our friends house with an AMAZING spread of food and COFFEE (Thank the Lord!).  The boys played outside and got a lot of their energy out.
TOTAL COST FOR LUNCH AT A PALS: $0

I was still exhausted from my lack of sleep from last night so I decided to lay down with Luke for his nap.  (Useless information about Kate for the day.....I do NOT nap well.  My crazy little wheels start turning and before you know it I have the worlds issues solved and my unborn children named) Luckily, I DID in fact fall asleep and slept for TWO hours...whoo hoo!
COST OF LAZY AFTERNOON: PRICELESS!

After my wonderful nap, I decided to clean up a bit and bathe the kids before heading out to Church.  Wednesday nights are "church night".  Our home church has an amazing children's ministry that the boys LOVE.  Tonight was there spring break celebration which included pizza, fun activity and an 8 foot SUNDAE (which i was lucky enough to scoop out!).  The kids had a blast, i didn't have to make then dinner or clean it up, I was able to visit with some friends, and my husband got 2 hours of a quiet house!
TOTAL COST FOR DINNER/DESSERT AND FUN: $0

All in all we had an AMAZING day with lots of activities that cost us NOTHING! 
TOTAL SPENT TODAY: $0  ($8 rollover, total rollover: $19.07!!!! Someone's getting gas tomorrow!!)

Tip of the day: Even if you are not a churchgoer, your kids are MORE then welcome to attend the children's programs at your local church.  They offer some amazing FREE (or very low cost) things for kids to participate in.  I sent Jack to Vacation Bible schools all last summer at 6 different churches!!  He had a BLAST, it was FREE and I had my mornings with only 1 kiddo!

Spending eight with Kate: Day 7

When I woke up this morning, I noticed an email from Groupon featuring the Daily deal.  It was a $15 EBAY credit for $7.  I knew I couldn't pass this up since Jack's 5th birthday is in a few weeks and I will be ordering some party supplies/gifts from EBAY.  I was going  to get gas....but this was WAY more exciting then stopping at the pump! 
TOTAL SPENT ON $15 EBAY CREDIT: $7 ($1 rollover..total Rollover $11.07)

That is all for today ladies and gentlemen,  I will post some pics of the items I am able to purchase with my $15 credit!! 

60 minute massage for $25!!

I wanted to highlight one of my Favorite Daily Deal Websites weeklyplus.com.  Unlike many other websites, WeeklyPlus offers deals that last 7 days!  I have purchased oil changes, pizza gift certificates, and even that haircut I was talking about yesterday all from WeeklyPlus.com! 

They are currently offering a 60 minute hot stone, deep tissue, or swedish massage for $25 (along with 12 other HOT deals!)!!!  Sign up for e-mail alerts so you don't miss out on something great!!

A doozy of a DAY 6....$8/day challenge.

While most of you were sleeping last night at around midnight, I (along with a "coupon Partner-in-crime") was out at King Soopers doing a little coupon shopping.  If you read day 5, you know that I was out of many household essentials.  Although I purchased the produce and milk, I still was in need of pasta and COFFEE!!  I knew waking up without coffee was NOT an option, so I headed out to the 24 hour Kings, coupons in hand of course.

I spent about 30 minutes clipping and printing coupons and had a strategic plan of attack for my late night bargain hunting.  I had a coupon for EVERY single item I placed in my cart.  There was no room for error in my plan.  I WILL need gas this week and we NEED some rollover cash!  Below is what I purchased:

That right there friends is: 1-package oscar meyer Bologna
                                           1-package oscar meyer Hot dogs
                                           1- loaf Natures Own Multigrain Bread
                                           3-Yakisoba noodle dinners
                                           2-Brawny Paper Towel Rolls
                                           3- Vitamin Waters
                                           2- Fuze drinks
                                           3-boxes Rice-a-roni
                                           1-Annies Mac and Cheese
                                           1-Pasta-roni
                                           3- Franks Red Hot Sauce (2 wing sauce)
                                           9- boxes Healthy Harvest angel hair pasta
                                           2- bags Healthy Harvest egg noodles
                                           4- boxes Healthy Harvest Penne pasta
   and last BUT NOT least 1- Can of Folgers coffee (this is a sore subject since i usually only get starbucks whole bean!!)

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS: $82.51
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS and SUPERCARD: ..........$3.10 !!!!  (which provided us with a positive rollover of $4.90...Total Rollover $10.07!)

  I must say, even though I had a plan and my list was all coupon/sale items, I was SHOCKED at my total.  I made some overage with the hot sauce and got ALL the noodles free, along with some other free items!  For a list of items on sale, check This out.

After stocking up on most everything we need to get us through the week (minus meat) I knew what else we REALLY NEEDED....haircuts.  You see, I get a haircut once a year.  I know that sounds extreme, but much like Sampson I have some crazy hair-cutting complex (blame my mother, she would never let me cut my hair as a little girl).  It has actually been 15 months since my last haircut...don't fret though, I have a voucher purchased through a daily deal website that I have to use by June :) !!  Unlike me, the three men in my life get haircuts monthly!!!!!  It drives me crazy and even with coupons, it gets VERY expensive.  Yesterday at church I looked at my little Lukey and could hardly see his eyes over his shaggy mop top.  Today, in a DIRE attempt to adhere to our strict $8/day...I, Kate Wadlington, who can't cut a straight line, CUT my child's hair.  And guess what.....It doesn't look horrible (just don't look closely!).  Personally I think it looks just as good as his last choppity-chop from Sports Clips.  Now, If I could only convince my husband to let me near his precious golden locks.....
TOTAL FOR HAIRCUT: $0


Tip of The day: Break out of your comfort zone and give something you never thought you could do a try!  Who knows, you might even be good at it! 

Day 5: $8/day challenge:

I want to be completely honest with you all, this challenge has been MUCH more difficult then I had thought.  All weekend I had the urge to go out and spend money (which is RARE for me!).  I truly believe that living without all the "stuff" I "think" I need has been eye opening...AND very challenging!

Sunday morning the boys and I headed out to church.  We had a lovely morning of worship and spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting some tasks crossed off our to-do list.  One of the things on my to-do list was to go through the fridge and cabinets to see what essentials we would need for the week.  Low and behold guess what I discovered?  We, the Wadlington's were COMPLETELY out of milk, most produce, PASTA, and COFFEE (and if you know me, you know that Katie without coffee is not such a pleasant thing).  It was pretty obvious that all of our money (even rollover) would be spent on essentials.....or so I thought.....

I knew Safeway was having a sale on grapes, and I also had a $2 off a $6 or more purchase in the produce section coupon.  I headed out the door after about 10 minutes of coupon prep.  I quickly picked up some grapes, banana's  and apples in the produce isle then headed to pick up the milk.  My eyes started wandering and I noticed they were running a "frozen food extraordinaire".....this is no bueno for a coupon mom with an $8 budget and a cart full of produce!  I figured out that with all my coupons and savings card, I could still manage some frozen food items.  My husband does not cook, so frozen pizzas are a staple in this house!!  Below is a picture of what was purchased:

That right there is : 3-frozen pizzas, 1-12 count cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches, 1-gallon milk, 5-braeburn apples ($.99/lb.) bundle of banana's ($.49/lb) and some delicious green grapes ($.99/lb.)

TOTAL SPENT AFTER COUPONS AND SAFEWAY CLUB CARD: $10.40!!!! (even though I had to dip into our rollover, I was pleasantly surprised with how low my total was considering all that I bought!  Total rollover used: $ 2.40...Total rollover remaining $5.17)

I would encourage anyone who needs frozen food items to head over to their local Safeway store.  In the flyer at the front of the store, there is a coupon for $5 off your frozen food purchase of $15 or more. 

Free Rental Code at Blockbuster express...Today ONLY!

Hi friends!  With the weather here in Colorado all gloomy, it feels like a perfect day to snuggle on the couch and watch some movies!  Lucky for me (and YOU) there is a rental code out for a FREE movie rental today ONLY at any Blockbuster Express.  Just enter code FREEMONDAY to get your free movie!!!

This code is can be used one time PER credit/debit card, so if you have multiple cards, you can get multilpe movies...(think one for you, one for the kids!

To locate a Blockbuster Express near you, go HERE

***Also, be on the look out for days 5 and 6 of the $8/day challenge....it will be GOOD!***

Day 4.....

As you will see by the picture below, today's purchases were quite random!

I woke up this morning already knowing what I WANTED to spend our $8 on.  You see, my wonderful husband was just promoted at work and this was his FIRST Saturday having weekends OFF!  It has been a LONG two years of "husbandless" weekends and I am praising God that all his hard work has paid off and he was recognized for his dedication to his job. I wanted to make a nice dinner and buy a few bottles of wine to celebrate having him home on a SATURDAY night.  As I was heading out the door, $8 in hand I remembered that little Luke was OUT OF DIAPERS!!!  You see, my little guy was almost completely potty trained, even through the night (or so I thought) but lately has been peeing through everything MULTIPLE times a night!!!! ARGHHHH!  I had been using pull-ups, which are much less absorbent then regular diapers.  I knew I was going to have to dip into our "rollover" money just for my own personal sanity! (washing sheets twice a day is stressful!)

I scrolled through the weekly ads and noticed huggies were on sale at Walgreens for $7.99.  There is also a new $3 off ANY size package of Huggies coupon HERE and i knew I had $4 in Walgreens Register Rewards that I had to use by tomorrow!  So, with my coupons in hand, Luke and I headed out on our shopping trip!  We walked into walgreens and on a very nice display table was a can of raisins which Luke quickly grabbed (more like a death grip) and screamed "ME HAVE, ME HAVE" over and over again.  Most mothers would be happy that their two year old wanted a healthy snack and didn't run for the candy bars...I on the other hand was concerned with the price of said healthy snack.  Thank goodness they were on sale for $2, I could work with that!  We walked up to the register with the diapers and raisins....Total before coupons $10.69
TOTAL SPENT (after coupon and register rewards): $3.28

Since I had saved so much at Walgreens on my "must buy items" I thought it was appropriate to fulfill my original plan and head to Total Beverage and buy some wine!  I must tell you,  I try to be frugal in every aspect of my life...that includes liquor store purchases!  I located the "bargain cart" full of discounted wine and quickly found some AWESOME deals.  I picked up two bottles of wine, one was originally priced at $10.98 marked down to $2.98!!!  The next bottle was a Syrah marked down to $3.98.
TOTAL SPENT FOR 2 BOTTLES OF WINE: $6.96
****We are not brand specific on anything and trying new wines is always exciting...even if they are from the bargain cart!!!*****

TOTAL SPENT DAY 4: $10.24  (we used $2.24 of our rollover...New Rollover amount $7.57)

~~~I was feeling a little guilty about ALREADY using our rollover money (especially seeing as though I WILL need gasoline sometime this week and recently passed by a station and saw a $3.44/gallon sign..yikes!) but quickly remembered that we deserve little indulgences now and again!~~~


Tip of the day:  Don't deprive yourself of life's little pleasures, just find some creative ways to do so frugally! 
****If anyone needs me, I will be on my couch enjoying a glass of wine :)  ****