I haven't blogged much this month, although we've had a lot going on. It's been a busy month to say the least and March will be just as busy. And nothing is better than planning to avoid choas and slip ups!
We started off the month saying goodbye to a family member. Kenny's step-grandfather passed away at the end of January and we buried him on February 1st. We had a major snowstorm that crippled most of Long Island. We only had about a foot by us and the city didn't get much at all. Further east had upwards of 3 feet. It wasn't Abby's first snow storm (her first was the N'oreaster that hit 10 days after Hurricane Sandy) but it was her first time I put her in the snow. Abby also had her first cold the same weekend as her first swim lesson and baptism. She did so well at swimming and seems to love it!
I got a bit lazy with my preplanning cooking this month. I didn't plan the week before so I didn't know what to cook come Sunday and when I figured things out, I wasn't able to cook much because everything needed to defrost. With this I also saw a gain on the scale this past week. Granted it was a .2, but still a gain when I want to go in the other direction. Hopefully this Friday I'll see it go back down again.
I've done well in terms of saving too. I've followed the 52 week savings plan to a T and will be depositing the money into Abby's account soon. I wanted to make sure I had a decent amount before making the deposit. As the weeks progress I'll be making deposits more frequently.
My monthly goal of not spending anything on extras went to the wayside. Since I didn't plan well, I ended up buying lunch 2x last week and need to buy lunch for today. I will have leftovers from dinner tonight to eat tomorrow for lunch. I also bought a Groupon deal for music classes for Abby and we got her a LOL Elmo. I did say she wouldn't get it until she rolled over though HA! All in all, I didn't spend a lot, but I wanted to spend nothing and I failed.
My 7 week goal of no meat crockpot hasn't turned out too well either. I've had no ambition to find recipes to make that are meatless. What I should have done is change it to a different day during the week or had the crockpot going Sunday so we at least had a meal done. I still have another month to make meatless meals on Fridays and I've already adjusted my next week's meal plan to include a crockpot meal that we will eat on a different night.
I've started thinking of some goals I'd like to do for March and will get those in order before I post them!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Happy Tuesday!
I have to say I can't believe that this month is almost over. We have only 8 days left!
This weekend was a whirlwind for sure. My little lovebug had her first cold. She just seemed more uncomfortable than anything. I called the pediatrician to see what we could do to help make her more comfortable and they said the basics - humidier, nasal aspirator, prop up her mattress so it's on an include, saline drops - all because she can't take any medication yet. I had a humidifier in the attic that I had used several times. I pulled it out and set it up in her room. Well it decided to make our fire alarm go off! Aparently our house fire alarm is super sensitive and warm mist makes it go off. (That was so fun at 3:30am!) Needless to say I went and bought a cool mist one the next morning.
After my running around that morning, we took her to her first swim lesson. She did really well and I'm excited for this weekend's class since she won't have her headcold. Following that we went to get our taxes done and all because of the energy credit forms, our taxes could not be submitted yet. Thank you Congress for waiting until the last minute to change things. So we have no clue when we will get our refund. We did learn that Ken was paying too much in federal taxes because he never changed his deductions to married 0. He was still claiming as single 0. This will lessen our tax return next year, but he will also be getting a big chunk of money in his paychecks. We much rather have the money now than wait.
Sunday morning was a big day for us since it was Abby's baptism. We got to the church around 10am and already a lot of our family was there. Following the service we went to the restaurant for a tasty lunch. It was a nice day. I'm so glad I planned her baptism for this weekend. We were both off on Monday which we needed!
Yesterday I was able to sit and relax in the afternoon for a bit. We did some grocery shopping in the morning and did well with coupons again. The total before they swiped my store card and scanned the coupons was $191. After it came to $136. I still never figure out how our bills are so high. We've been good about not buying stuff we don't need. I do know that coldcuts, produce (we get a lot), and meat are the bulk costs, but I don't always buy meat. We also did have a case of beer, but that would have only brought the total to $115. I did buy Allegra so $24 would be alloted for that as well. Some of my coupons included:
$1/2 Diet Pepsi
B1G1 Diet Pepsi
$1/2 Brisk
$.55/1 Sargento Shredded Cheese
$.60/3 Old El Paso items
$.60/3 Old El Paso items ecoupon
$.60/3 Old El Paso items Savings Star
$2/1 70 count or higher Aleve
$2/1 70 count or higher Aleve ecoupon
$2.50 fresh meat department
$.55/1 Friendship Cottage Cheese
$.35/1 Colgate toothpaste
I had others but don't remember them off the top of my head. I got toothpaste for $.31; Aleve for $4.99, 2-liter bottles of soda for $.40 each, Old El Paso items for $.20 each, shredded cheese for $1.40 each, cottage cheese for $1.40, etc. I didn't have any ibotta deals either. I know this stuff will never be free for me, but I definitely want to see an even smaller grocery bill. We'll see what happens next week.
This weekend was a whirlwind for sure. My little lovebug had her first cold. She just seemed more uncomfortable than anything. I called the pediatrician to see what we could do to help make her more comfortable and they said the basics - humidier, nasal aspirator, prop up her mattress so it's on an include, saline drops - all because she can't take any medication yet. I had a humidifier in the attic that I had used several times. I pulled it out and set it up in her room. Well it decided to make our fire alarm go off! Aparently our house fire alarm is super sensitive and warm mist makes it go off. (That was so fun at 3:30am!) Needless to say I went and bought a cool mist one the next morning.
After my running around that morning, we took her to her first swim lesson. She did really well and I'm excited for this weekend's class since she won't have her headcold. Following that we went to get our taxes done and all because of the energy credit forms, our taxes could not be submitted yet. Thank you Congress for waiting until the last minute to change things. So we have no clue when we will get our refund. We did learn that Ken was paying too much in federal taxes because he never changed his deductions to married 0. He was still claiming as single 0. This will lessen our tax return next year, but he will also be getting a big chunk of money in his paychecks. We much rather have the money now than wait.
Sunday morning was a big day for us since it was Abby's baptism. We got to the church around 10am and already a lot of our family was there. Following the service we went to the restaurant for a tasty lunch. It was a nice day. I'm so glad I planned her baptism for this weekend. We were both off on Monday which we needed!
Yesterday I was able to sit and relax in the afternoon for a bit. We did some grocery shopping in the morning and did well with coupons again. The total before they swiped my store card and scanned the coupons was $191. After it came to $136. I still never figure out how our bills are so high. We've been good about not buying stuff we don't need. I do know that coldcuts, produce (we get a lot), and meat are the bulk costs, but I don't always buy meat. We also did have a case of beer, but that would have only brought the total to $115. I did buy Allegra so $24 would be alloted for that as well. Some of my coupons included:
$1/2 Diet Pepsi
B1G1 Diet Pepsi
$1/2 Brisk
$.55/1 Sargento Shredded Cheese
$.60/3 Old El Paso items
$.60/3 Old El Paso items ecoupon
$.60/3 Old El Paso items Savings Star
$2/1 70 count or higher Aleve
$2/1 70 count or higher Aleve ecoupon
$2.50 fresh meat department
$.55/1 Friendship Cottage Cheese
$.35/1 Colgate toothpaste
I had others but don't remember them off the top of my head. I got toothpaste for $.31; Aleve for $4.99, 2-liter bottles of soda for $.40 each, Old El Paso items for $.20 each, shredded cheese for $1.40 each, cottage cheese for $1.40, etc. I didn't have any ibotta deals either. I know this stuff will never be free for me, but I definitely want to see an even smaller grocery bill. We'll see what happens next week.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Lots to learn with couponing
Knowing that CVS was offering a lot of ExtraCare Bucks on certain purchases, I decided to give it a whirl to see how good I would do. My goal was to spend the least amount of money possible. I screwed up and could have saved more, but lesson learned. This stuff takes time. This is what I went in for:
Spend $30 on specific P&G products get $10 ECB
Buy Colgate Optic Whitening get $2.50 ECB
I had coupons for:
$3 off one Gillette cartridge (included in deal) and one razor
$2/2 Pantene products
$1/1 Robitussin
$5 off $25 purchase
I scanned my ExtraCare card when I got into the store and got coupons for:
$1.50 off $5 shampoo, conditioner, styling products (not salon)
$2.50 off Colgate Optic Whitening Toothpaste
I put the following items in my basket:
Gillette cartridge (P&G deal)
Gillette razor
Pepto Bismol (P&G deal)
Robitussin
3 Pantene conditioners (P&G deal)
2 Cadbury eggs
I really should have read the info on the ECB a bit more carefully. I thought I would be able to do this no problem, but it didn't happen that way. I ended up spending about $32 out of pocket. I did end up with some free stuff, but I could have done better. I think my issue was that in my first transaction I only had about $28 toward the P&G ECB deal and the one Gillette razor was not included in that but I had to put it with that to use my coupon. My total came to over $30 and I used the coupons (Gillette, Pantene, $5/$25, $1.50/$5) which brought me to $26 with tax. I had to ring up the Pepto separately so I could get the $10 ECB. I then had them ring up the Robitussin and Cadbury eggs, gave my coupon and had over a $5 credit. I had to get something else so I wouldn't lose the credit so I grabbed the Colgate Optic White toothpaste and then owed about $.67 at the end. I used a colgate coupon but I completely forgot about the $2.50 off coupon I got when I scanned my card! So I could have gotten something else too. I also realize I could have gotten 6 Pantene items and would have hit the $30 and would have been able to use my other Pantene coupons. I didn't need the Gillette things, but got them because of the coupon. I need to strategically plan this out better for next time.
When I got home I had 2 ibotta deals and submitted those too for an additional $2 back. I plan to go back and pick up another Colgate toothpaste and get it for free. I got another ibotta deal for it as well for $1.50.
In the end I still have that $2.50 coupon and also received an additional $5.50 in ECB to use towards my next purchase. I'll see what I can get this week. I already plan to get the Barilla microwaveable meals since I have several $1/1 coupons.
Saving money like this is fun. I enjoy figuring this stuff out! We'll see what happens next time!
Spend $30 on specific P&G products get $10 ECB
Buy Colgate Optic Whitening get $2.50 ECB
I had coupons for:
$3 off one Gillette cartridge (included in deal) and one razor
$2/2 Pantene products
$1/1 Robitussin
$5 off $25 purchase
I scanned my ExtraCare card when I got into the store and got coupons for:
$1.50 off $5 shampoo, conditioner, styling products (not salon)
$2.50 off Colgate Optic Whitening Toothpaste
I put the following items in my basket:
Gillette cartridge (P&G deal)
Gillette razor
Pepto Bismol (P&G deal)
Robitussin
3 Pantene conditioners (P&G deal)
2 Cadbury eggs
I really should have read the info on the ECB a bit more carefully. I thought I would be able to do this no problem, but it didn't happen that way. I ended up spending about $32 out of pocket. I did end up with some free stuff, but I could have done better. I think my issue was that in my first transaction I only had about $28 toward the P&G ECB deal and the one Gillette razor was not included in that but I had to put it with that to use my coupon. My total came to over $30 and I used the coupons (Gillette, Pantene, $5/$25, $1.50/$5) which brought me to $26 with tax. I had to ring up the Pepto separately so I could get the $10 ECB. I then had them ring up the Robitussin and Cadbury eggs, gave my coupon and had over a $5 credit. I had to get something else so I wouldn't lose the credit so I grabbed the Colgate Optic White toothpaste and then owed about $.67 at the end. I used a colgate coupon but I completely forgot about the $2.50 off coupon I got when I scanned my card! So I could have gotten something else too. I also realize I could have gotten 6 Pantene items and would have hit the $30 and would have been able to use my other Pantene coupons. I didn't need the Gillette things, but got them because of the coupon. I need to strategically plan this out better for next time.
When I got home I had 2 ibotta deals and submitted those too for an additional $2 back. I plan to go back and pick up another Colgate toothpaste and get it for free. I got another ibotta deal for it as well for $1.50.
In the end I still have that $2.50 coupon and also received an additional $5.50 in ECB to use towards my next purchase. I'll see what I can get this week. I already plan to get the Barilla microwaveable meals since I have several $1/1 coupons.
Saving money like this is fun. I enjoy figuring this stuff out! We'll see what happens next time!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
New Challenge for the Next 7 Weeks
Well this kind of through me for a loop. It's not one that I even thought of when making my New Year's resolutions, but well, here we are, Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow begins Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Starting tomorrow, my husband observes the no eating meat on Friday's during Lent. Friday is my crockpot day. What on Earth am I making in the crockpot for the next 7 weeks? All of the meals have to be meatless and the majority of my crockpot meals (I'd say 98%) are meat. So this is my challenge. I have 3 more days to figure out what I'm making this Friday, then it's on to scour my slow cooker cookbooks to see what meatless meals I can make. I really have no interest in making the Weight Watchers lasagna and given I work from home on Fridays, I do not want anything fishy because the odor will be unbearable.
Anyone have any ideas what I can make this week? I can't get to the supermarket either so I'm limited with what I have in the house already, which is surprisingly a good amount. I have plenty of canned beans, some frozen veggies and some fresh veggies. Thoughts? Help!
Anyone have any ideas what I can make this week? I can't get to the supermarket either so I'm limited with what I have in the house already, which is surprisingly a good amount. I have plenty of canned beans, some frozen veggies and some fresh veggies. Thoughts? Help!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Dropping one goal
It's been 10 days into the month and I have to say I thought I was going to do well when I created my goals for the month. When I selected the workout, it was actually a calendar from a previous year, so it was off in terms of rest days and such. I should have looked for one more closely for this calendar year, because there was one that I found a few days into the month.
I did the workout the first day, which was a Friday, then completely forgot over the weekend. I never printed it out, was just going by memory. Bad move right there. There are rest days so I would have caught up no problem. I noticed the error late Sunday night and immediately printed out the schedule so I would see it. I began crossing off the days as I continue to do them. I would have had to miss 2 rest days. After I completed the workout Friday, I realized this was complete garbage. Why was I even doing this? To prove I could follow something? It sure wasn't doing anything to make me stronger or slimmer. I mean let's be realistic. I wasn't doing any other exercise than this. And who would consider this true exercise? I don't need a calendar to tell me I can do 100 sit ups or a 2 minute plank. And chances are since I'm not regularly exercising, once I got towards the end of the month, the planks would have gotten much harder and I wouldn't have been able to complete the longer ones.
I could easily continue with this plan, but decided it really wasn't going to benefit me in anyway and I want to do something that will. I want to do an exercise goal and will find something else to complete for next month. Something that will be considered exercise. Something that will take me longer to do than 3 minutes. I will also plan it according to my schedule knowing Mondays are a bit hectic for me and that I will also be travelling for a few days.
I think my newest/revised goal for this month will be to better organize myself. I pretty much know my schedule for the rest of the month so I will do this. I'm not so much dropping a goal, just changing it to better suit my needs.
I did the workout the first day, which was a Friday, then completely forgot over the weekend. I never printed it out, was just going by memory. Bad move right there. There are rest days so I would have caught up no problem. I noticed the error late Sunday night and immediately printed out the schedule so I would see it. I began crossing off the days as I continue to do them. I would have had to miss 2 rest days. After I completed the workout Friday, I realized this was complete garbage. Why was I even doing this? To prove I could follow something? It sure wasn't doing anything to make me stronger or slimmer. I mean let's be realistic. I wasn't doing any other exercise than this. And who would consider this true exercise? I don't need a calendar to tell me I can do 100 sit ups or a 2 minute plank. And chances are since I'm not regularly exercising, once I got towards the end of the month, the planks would have gotten much harder and I wouldn't have been able to complete the longer ones.
I could easily continue with this plan, but decided it really wasn't going to benefit me in anyway and I want to do something that will. I want to do an exercise goal and will find something else to complete for next month. Something that will be considered exercise. Something that will take me longer to do than 3 minutes. I will also plan it according to my schedule knowing Mondays are a bit hectic for me and that I will also be travelling for a few days.
I think my newest/revised goal for this month will be to better organize myself. I pretty much know my schedule for the rest of the month so I will do this. I'm not so much dropping a goal, just changing it to better suit my needs.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Friend Makin' Mondays
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
Five Things
1. Share five things you hope to do before you die.
My bucket list is pretty much to travel. I've done a lot of other things I've wanted to do already like buy a home, get married, have a baby, etc.
- Travel to many locations!
2. List five things you love about yourself.
- my eyes
- my ability to understand situations and help people see different sides of things
- my ability to think fast in emergent situations
- my personality
- my smile
3. Share the five coolest things that you’ve done in 2013.
- started working from home on Fridays
- donated a lot of clothing and home goods
- organized my home
- taught my daughter how to smile when I say cheese
- made some tasty new recipes
4. List five things that you always have in your kitchen.
- toaster oven
- utensil holder
- coffeemaker
- dish soap
- dish drain
5. Share five places you would like to go on vacation.
- Great Barrier Reef
- Great Wall of China
- Amsterdam
- Morocco
- Scotland
6. List five celebrities/public figures you’d like to meet.
- The Rock
- Julia Roberts
- Reese Witherspoon
- Seth Macfarlane
- POTUS
7. List five bands or artists you’d like to see perform live.
- Jay-Z
- Eminem
- Alicia Keys
- Lady Gaga
- Adele
8. List five TV shows that you don’t want to miss.
- RHOBH
- RHONJ
- RHOC
- CSI
- Law & Order: SVU
9. Share five things you wanted to do as a child.
- Go to public school so I didn't have to wear uniform
- Live in a house
- That's all I can think of...
10. Share five things you hope to do in 2013.
- Save a lot of money
- Pay off a lot of debt
- Cook, a lot!
- Lose more weight
- Go on a nice vacation
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