Have You Tried Swagbucks?

If not, you definantly should. I've been using Swagbucks.com for all of my internet searches (instead of Google) for a while now. I've earned multiple giftcards to Amazon.com and Alice.com already!

I only use Swagbucks.com a few times per day and usually earn between 1 and 5 points each day. Jenny at Southern Savers has really figured out how to make the most of the program, though! Check out her post here on how to get points fast!

February 25th (tomorrow) is Swagbucks.com's birthday, so be on the look out for a lot of extra points going around that day!

Great Deals on Diapers and Wipes!!

Wow! Just as we were getting low on diapers and wipes these two deals come along! I've been doing a happy dance all morning over this!

If you need wipes, you need to run (seriously, RUN) to CVS right now. This BIG refill packs of Huggies wipes are ringing up 2 for $5.00 (same price as the little tubs) right now. If you got any of the home-mailer coupons (I haven't since we moved) start stocking up on super cheap wipes. These deals are hard to come by.

If you need diapers, check out diapers.com. If it's your first time to order with them, they're offering a great deal right now. Put at least $49 worth of products in your cart (I did an extra large case of Pampers and a jumbo size of Pampers Easy-Ups). Use code FUNATHOME to get $10 off your order. Then print off this form to receive a refund for $14.97 (unless you really want the magazine subscription). I've also been saving my Pampers Gifts to Grow points for a while and cashed them in for a $10 gift certificate to diapers.com (=1000 points).

So, I paid just under $35 for all of those diapers and I'm getting $14.97 back! That makes it right around .11 per diaper! Just did anothe happy dance!

P.S.
If you go through Ebates you can get 1-4% cash back. I've never used the two sites together, so I'm not sure how they determine how much you get back. But it's still a fantastic deal without that little extra!

Deals of the Week - Publix 2/3-2/9

Wow! Publix is really pulling out the stops this week! I haven't seen this many fantastic deals in a while!

My favorites of the week are:

Smithfield Bacon for 1.65 per package after .55 SS 1/31 or printable

Heluva Good! Dip - free to .05 after printable

Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese or Velveeta Shells and Cheese for .50 each after printable

Edy's Ice Cream for 1.65 after 1.00 SS 1/31

To see a complete list of deals and coupon matchups for this week check out Southern Savers.

Tuesday Totals and Weekly Menu

I'm super excited about the deals I got this week! Publix was so great this week that I went 3 times! I couldn't stay away! And, not only did I get some great deals on groceries, but I got $159 worth of spring/summer clothes at Osh Kosh for only $19! One adorable tank top I got for Claire was marked for only .01 (yes, a penny)!

Here is a picture of most of what I purchased (Target and Publix):

The major stock up items for the week was Rotel and Electrasol/Finish. We ended up with 20 cans of Rotel! And I paid about $1 for all of them!

Publix Total Before Sales and Coupons: 111.84

Total After Sales and Coupons: $56.95

Target Total Before Sales and Coupons: 31.11 + tax
Total After Sales and Coupons (and a rather messy price adjustment on items that rang up wrong and a missed coupon) : 1.04

On the menu for this week is:

Breakfast: cereal
oatmeal
eggs
homemade cinnamon rolls
fruit plate with toast

Lunch: egg salad sandwich
"Variety Plates"
leftovers (we have alot leftover from this past weekend)

Dinner: Chicken Madiera with Asparagus and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Jambalaya Bake
Chicken Pot Pie with Macaroni and Cheese
Chicken Spaghetti - click to see recipe. This is a family favorite!

This is a short week for us because my sweet honey is taking me on a little trip this weekend (part of my Christmas present) to see Wicked. So I won't be making quite as many meals as usual. This makes enough, though, that we should have a few leftovers when we get home still.

Got The Camera Working!

Tuesday Totals and Weekly Menu

Still no pictures due to losing my USB cord during our move. I'm hoping to have that problem fixed by the end of the week.

We have upped our 2010 grocery budget to $300 per month (from $200) so that I can experiment with my cooking a bit more. I've been attempting to get fancy in the kitchen lately and found that it was a little harder to stay on such a low grocery budget especially after incidents like last night's "omelet disaster." Omelet 1 ended up on the floor. Omelet 2 ended up half all over the stove and half just a mess in the pan. Then we were out of eggs.

The new 10% sales tax is also taking some getting used to. After having 0% sales tax in South Carolina, I realize what a large chunk 10% really is.

So, I shopped at Publix, Winn Dixie and CVS this week.

Publix Total Before Sales and Coupons = a little over $190
After Sales and Coupons = 98.53
Receiving $15 in rebates and 4 free packs of Dole fruit cups

Winn Dixie - just bought shrimp = 5.49

CVS Total Before Sales and Coupons = 32.15
After Sales and Coupons = 2.20 (just sales tax)

Weekly Grand Total = 106.22

Monthly Grand Total Saved = 415.48 (58 % savings)
Grand Total Spent = 299.69 (Whew! That was close!)

On the menu for this week is:
Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Yogurt Parfait (yogurt, fresh fruit and rice krispies)
Cereal
Eggs (Boiled or Scrambled)
Sourdough French Toast

Lunch: Variety Plate (fresh fruits and veggies, cheese, crackers, etc.)*
Cheese Quesadillas
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Macaroni and Peas

Dinner: "Olive Garden" Fettucine Alfredo with Broccoli
Omelets with Bacon and Cheese
Brats with Potato Fries
Lemon Pepper Shrimp with Fried Rice
Jambalaya Bake

*A "Variety Place" is just a plate of whatever sounds good - carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes with dressing and bologna and cheese on the side are typical favorites

P.S.
Tried the Blockbuster Kiosk at Publix finally. Very cool and much cheaper than a video store! The only catch is the movie is due the next day. It was no problem since hubby was driving by there on his way home from work, though. We'll definantly be doing that again!

Play to Your Strengths

When my husband and I got married I was a complete neat freak. I would stay up until midnight cleaning and making lists (and then re-making the same list because the first one wasn't neat enough). Many homes and two kids later, you would never know that neat freak ever existed. You can hardly walk through 2 1/2 rooms of our house because they are stacked to the ceiling with boxes (two months after moving in) or covered from wall to wall with Christmas ornaments (a month after Christmas). There is always at least one large section of counter top in the kitchen covered and stacked a mile high with paper. The laundry is VERY rarely ever all put away.

I've struggled and struggled with the guilt of not being able to keep up with the housework. After all - I'm here all day. What else do I have to do? A stay-at-home mom's house should be spotless at all times, her kids in crisp clean clothes, and scrumptious hot meal on the table every meal - right?

This week I had an epiphany. I am the only one ever complaining about the mess and I am the only one that it appears to bother. And nobody is great at everything. I started thinking about the things that I DO get done and that I do well.

The list of positive things doesn't necesarily outweigh the list of things that I don't get done every day/week, but they are all of the things that are most important and mean the most to our family. We would rather spend evenings together as a family having fun (since that is the main time my husband gets with us during the day) than scrubbing the kitchen down and washing every dish in the sink. I don't mind the HUGE mess that my girls make when I let them help me in the kitchen. We laugh and sing and dance in the mess and make memories that they will smile about 30 years from now.

I mentioned my thoughts to my former-football player husband to get some feedback. He said, "Play to your strengths."

So, when I make an amazing dinner that we're all sitting around the table enjoying, I'm not going to look around at the cluttered kitchen and feel guilty. I'm going to take pride in the dinner that I spent alot of time working on. And when we're eating grilled-cheese sandwiches, I'm going to be happy knowing that we got all the laundry washed and folded (and some of it put away) that day. Have fun with what part of being a mom/wife that you're good at and enjoy.