this is how we do it

okay, so this is just a really cool pic of will and his friend n. his mom was taking a picture right at the same moment i was, so her flash gave some awesome lighting.

and this is how we do it - shopping that is. well, most of the time. sales, gift cards in the mail, bogos, coupons, etc. i got will two pair of shorts for $2.10. and below is an example of publix bogos coupled with coupons including their $5 off $30 that they occasionally mail out. on one income, gotta do what you can.

lessons in shopping

it was nice to get out today but it was a bad shopping day. i decided to go to walmart. i kind of knew it was a mistake going in. i haven't been to the one near us in about a year. it is horrible. it's typically very loud and disorganized. i noticed some of the prices were a little cheaper, but then i'm so overstimulated that i forget to use one of my coupons and then i leave the 3 pears that i buy in the self checkout. so i definitely lost money with that trip. that's not the first time i've left merchandise that i've already paid for at Walmart's self checkout. ugh!
i then decided to check out kohls because i had a $10 gift card mailed to me. that was a mistake because everyone and their grandma was at kohls today. big sale and i'm sure most of them were just like me with their $10 gift card. it was a mistake because there were no stroller carts available. will and i even walked around for awhile - he does not do well with this and doesn't let me stop to look at things. can you believe that? :0) that's why i really needed a stroller. so they didn't get any business from me today. but they probably will later because i can't resist the gift cards. last time i got a carter's fleece sleeper for will for zero dollars and cents.

lessons learned today:

• always have a stroller in the car
• look at all items in cart before purchasing to remember to pull out any coupons or additional coupons needed
• check bagging area before leaving store
• don't go to nearby walmart again

so i wasted a little time and money this morning, but shopping does do something for the soul. even if i don't buy anything it's fun to see what's out there and do a little price comparison. and will was very patient for a 21 month old.

i did it!

i finally did it - i went shopping and saved more than i spent! i've always wanted to do this and post the picture of the receipt - inspired by whittaker woman (i think she does much better than me though). i needed some bathroom cleaner and noticed the deal at publix on southern savers. i took advantage of some other publix deals coupled with some coupons and ta-da! (i had a coupon for a free candle - so that really helped out the savings number, but look below at what i got!)

now if i could only get my grocery bill to a couple hundred dollars a month. haha.

southern savers

everyone that lives in the southeast and wants to save money on groceries - check out this website.

southern savers

i have been using this website for a few months now. i don't do as well as some, but it still has really helped me take advantage of some great deals. this girl does a lot of the research and work for you as far as what is on sale and what coupons are available for those items. just click on the store you shop at and look at all the deals. she even provides links for the internet coupons. you can use an ecoupon plus a paper coupon on the same item!