Groceries...again!

Ok I really do other things besides grocery shop. REALLY I DO! But this last week at Albertsons was a fun sale. The boys were so excited to set up the groceries and take a picture and now they INSIST we put it on the blog. So sorry everyone..here is another grocery extravaganza.



In this grocery trip we purchased the following...
5 taco sauce
5 taco shells
10 frozen peas
5 cookie mixes
4 canisters of kool-aid
11 biscuits in a can
4 boxes of popcorn
6 cans of spaghetti sauce
8 boxes of muffin mixes
10 zone bars
5 warm delights
6 boxes of pasta salad
4 cans of PAM

Spent: $75
Saved: $175

I have been asked if doing the coupon thing is "worth it." I have to say that it is. I don't purchase every item that is a "five star deal." I only purchase items that we use in our menu. We have spaghetti almost weekly so investing in a lot of pasta and sauce saves me a lot. I'm not going to purchase Pop tarts or Hamburger Helper if nobody will eat them! --who would anyway! I am now trying to focus on ingredients versus boxes of meals. Its a different mindset then purchasing just what I use for the week. It took about 3 months before I was set in my pantry/fridge/freezer to support my main menus. It was then that it was most difficult to adjust and I really doubted that the whole game was worth it. But now when I run out of ketchup, mayo, salt, pepper, pasta, salad dressing etc, I just go to my pantry and grab another bottle of .18 salad dressing instead of running to the store and paying 3.50 for the same bottle.
Anyway, just my two bits.

I just finished a book called the Tightwad Gazette (there is also a website) that talks alot about using items to the best of its ability. To cut back on items where you can..such as only using enough dishwasher soap that is needed etc. It gave a lot of good ideas. It did go a little overboard in areas...areas I'm not yet ready to be frugal at (dumpster diving etc.) but overall I recommend it. It said that it costs about .45 an hour to run the dryer...so for the next month or two we are going to put that to the test by hanging clothes outside and running the dryer for as little as possible.

Anyway..funny quote I heard today. "Why is it that the woman is given the urge, desire and creativeness to rearrange the furniture but gave man the strength to move it?" Men and women have different roles, both equal, both important. Happy day.

My sweetie

My sweetie has been working so hard these past few years. He has been going to school full time and working full time. We have been so blessed that I have been able to stay home with the boys and homeschool them. Cory going back to school has been very inspirational to the boys. He has taught them so many things as he does his homework. Whether it is math, history, geology, he has always shared his knowledge with our boys. Last knight he was honored at the Dixie Awards night as an Associate Graduate Summa Cum Laude. --Those are graduates with a 3.9 to a 4.0. He will "march" on May 1st with the rest of the associate graduates. He plans to stay with Dixie college until he receives his Bachelors.

WAY TO GO CORY! You are my guide, my light and inspiration. You have come SO FAR with your education. We knew it wouldn't be easy, having you start school over at 31. And to think that you use to worry about those silly math classes!!

The journey has been worth it! Not for this medal that you were awarded, but because you have grown SO MUCH and it has brought us closer together as a couple.

Only 30 credits till your bachelors!! WOO HOO!

The New and Improved Pirates of the Carribean

Ok so its not Johnny Dep...but I still love it!

Cutie Pie

Isn't he cute!!! :-)

You guessed it.....the grocery store diary

Once again I ventured into the insane kingdom of Albertsons. Insane it putting it mildly. I remember now why I prefer to shop at 6am. Way to many people, to much stuff out of stock and cashiers that do not know me.

Today here is some that we purchased:
22 Lipton rice side dishes
6 boxes of family size cereal
4 large boxes of jello
4 packages of marshmallows
4 cream cheese
3 packages of frozen peas
12 boxes of Lipton onion soup mix
2 canisters of kool aid
4 packages of bacon
2 boxes of granola bars
3 32 oz. containers of butter spread
2 large hams
1 large roast

Total spent: 73.28
Total saved: 187.17


This past weekend during conference I took the time to clean out my coupons and to do some organizing. In the past, I would place my coupons in the file and then gather what I needed when I needed it. I have quite a few occasions of "wait ! I have a coupon for that at home!"...so now I am making the jump to binder. . I have my coupons stored in filing boxes, and I have rarely tossed any ads. You can imagine how many needed to be thrown out. My red recycle box was SPILLING over.
So, then I began by laying out the ad pages on top of each other and cutting out the stacks coupons. This took FOREVER. I only did this for the last month of coupons. I then placed them in little baseball card holder pages (about $6 at walmart for 32 pages) and I tried to organize them by store isle..aka all the baking in one section, chips and cookies in another section etc. I'll be refining this soon I'm sure. However, it was so nice to go to the store and to flip through the binder while I was looking at the clearance isle. To celebrate I went to the new Walmart and was able to purchase 16 packages of Mentos gum, 10 vitamin waters, 12 packages of Halls throat drops, 8 air wisps, 7 bottles of salad dressing, ..all for $16. That was fun.




I feel like such a GEEK!!!

May the force be with you

Luke and I had fun today taking pictures with his Star Wars gear. He wanted a picture for his blog.--be sure to check it out. ;-) Since I have four boys I'm sure I'll have four of these pages for my scrapbook.

New blog

I have recently opened a new chapter to my life. I have decided to become more active in the healing process of women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. To do this, I have started another blog called Rape should not be a four letter word.

There is a stigma that comes with the word "rape" and healing would be much easier if this stigma was removed. It reminds me of breast cancer. Twenty years ago, when someone said the words "breast cancer" they would say it in a whisper, in hopes that nobody would hear. It was frowned upon to say it. However, nowadays this is not the case. There are pink ribbons, t-shirts, charities, awareness programs, and a SLEW of other paraphernalia that promotes breast cancer awareness Not to mention the survivor rate, donations for research and awareness or symptoms have all improved. The shame the word once carried have changed to a feeling concern or reverence when you say the words "breast cancer." -instead of the shame. There is nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to breast cancer. Just as there is nothing to be ashamed about being raped/ sexually assaulted. They both need healed from, they both will scar you, and they both need a support system to help you overcome the effects of it. On my blog I will be posting my story to help other assault victims on their journey of healing. I will be writing articles about my healing process and what I have learned. --writing is very therapeutic to me. I also hope to help those who are trying to assist loved ones with their healing. Please feel free to pass the blog around. Chances are you know someone who has experienced either rape or sexual assault. Statistics alone support that. --its one in four in case you were wondering.

This blog isn't going anywhere. I have to much fun with it.
Thank you everyone for your love and support with this.