I love it! What do you think??
Friday, July 6, 2012
Clean/Dirty
Ever since we've had a dishwasher (since our last apartment sooo about 2 years..) I've been saying that I want one of those "clean/dirty" magnets to know if the dishwasher is clean or dirty. I'm too lazy to open and look every time, yet I am too lazy to go out to the store and buy the magnet so a catch 22! On my last weekday off before starting work next week (scary!) I decided to do a little crafting and what better to make than a clean/dirty magnet! With a few inspirations from online, I was on my way:
I love it! What do you think??
I love it! What do you think??
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Coupon Deals: July 5, 2012
Happy Fourth of July (belated)! This has been a crazy week.. With Dan having the day off in the middle of the week and me going to Six Flags twice made it very hectic. Yes, twice to 6 flags! Since we live a whole 15 minutes away, and with all the perks, it made sense to get a season pass. It pays for itself after visiting the park 2 times! Fun times (minus my lovely X marks the spot tan lines on my back to go with my pink shoulders) :o) Anywho, onto the deals!
CVS
Deals were lacking at CVS this week so I figured I'd save my ECB for a better time L
Walgreens
Also nothing too impressive with Walgreens this
week. Last week, Dan informed me that one of our loofahs decided to commit
suicide while he was taking a shower (supposedly it just randomly fell apart..)
so that was on the list of things we need.. no coupons specicially for that
sadly. Although, It’s that time of year to stock up on shaving supplies and all
those wonderful feminine products (which means a bunch of coupons for those)! So
for the next month or so my posts will likely consist of at least one of those
things
Body Benefits Loofah Sponge: $1.99
On sale for 5/$5 or $1.29 each
Final price: $1.29
Tampax Radiant tampons 16ct: $5.49
On sale for $3.99
-$1 off 1 tampax tampon product
-$2 Register Rewards from a previous
purchase
Final Price: $0.99
(Earned $1 Register Rewards for future
transaction)
Rite Aid
I love money makers! Rite Aid is probably my
favorite drug store to coupon at, mainly because I always feel like I save so
much money there! Even though we JUST got new toothbrushes last week, I couldn’t
pass up on another toothbrush deal this week and hey you never know when you’ll
need a toothbrush!
Cutter bug repellant: $5.99
$3.99 with Up Rewards card
-$1 off any Cutter product
-$2 Up Reward
Final Price: $0.99
(Earned $1 Up Reward toward a future
purchase!)
Oral B Complete Toothbrush: $3.99
$2.99 with Up Rewards card
-$1 off any Oral B Toothbrush
Final Price: $1.99
(Earned $2 Up Reward toward a future
purchase!)
Friday, June 29, 2012
Coupon Deals: June 27, 2012
Today is one of those days that I will avoid going outside
as much as possible. High today of 95 with 50% humidity… ah the joy
of central air! I digress, today’s post will be n the topic of coupons. As you
can probably tell from the majority of my posts to date, I really like
couponing. Not for showing off or anything but I love saving money and that
feeling of getting the total as close to zero. This past week/weekend
(6/19-6/25) Dan and I were visiting his brother out in Minnesota
I was also thinking of changing my format for figuring out
how much I’ve saved. I don’t currently include any money rewards I get into the
amount of savings, but I feel like I should because most times that is what
makes the deal so amazing (e.g. I buy something priced for $4, use a $3 coupon
but then get $4 rewards making it a profit on my end for $3) This happened a
lot this week so lets see how it goes:
CVS
Nothing fabulous about CVS this week. I am trying not to
stock up toooo much on all the summer items (razors, shaving cream) because I
already have a pretty good stockpile and Dan is constantly reminding me that
even though we have the space now, not to fill it. I agree, so this week I went
with some more practical items, like we are definitely due for new
toothbrushes.
Colgate Sensitive Pro
Relief Toothbrush: $5.49
$4.99 with CVS ExtraCare Card
-$3.00 off any Colgate toothbrush
-$0.75 off any Colgate toothbrush CVS printable coupon from
register
Final price: $1.24
(Got $4 ECB for future transaction)
Walgreens
With all my register rewards from the awesome Suave deal
last week, I continued with my toothbrush theme and also grabbed some crafting
essentials that I’m running low on J Of course, I had to
leave with some free stuff too.
Elmers glue stick 2
pack: $1.59
Found in clearance section for $0.79
-$2 Register Rewards
Final price: Free! ($0.42 money maker, which was applied to
the total)
Reach Total Care
toothbrush: $3.99
On sale for $2.99
-$2 Register Reward
Final Price: $0.99
(Got $2 Register Rewards for future transaction)
Bayer Asprin 32 ct:
$2.99 (x2)
-$3 off any Bayer Asprin 20ct or higher x 2
Final Price: Free!
Rite Aid
I couldn’t manage to earn any money at Rite aid this week
but I did have a lot of Up Rewards to spend so I was able to bring my total
spending way down.
Xtra Laundry
detergent: $3.49
$1.97 with Up Rewards card
-$1 Up Reward
Final Price: $0.97
Garnier Fructis Dry
Scalp Shampoo: $5.49
$2.99 with Up Rewards card
-$1 off any Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner (x2)
-$1 Up Reward
-$1 Up Reward
Final Price: $1.98 or $0.99 each
Great haul for the week… in total I made $1.23 off all these
deals which is just so exciting! Happy Couponing!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Father's Day 2012
I know I'm almost 2 weeks behind on the Father's Day post but I blame that on being in Minnesota most of the past week and a half..
Downloaded the lettering, which was perfect, I found "World's Best Papa"!! and cut with my Cameo:
 |
| Proof that I crossed the Mississippi River!! |
and also beginning training for my new job these past 2 days (so exciting!). With all my excuses aside, I have a few cards I made for my father and my grandfather for Father's Day. I also ended up making a card for my grandmother at the same time (What can I say, I was in a serious card-making mood!) since she recently fractured her ankle.
So my dad (or Papa as he is referred to in our house) is very much into camping. And by camping, I don't mean the no bathrooms, no electricity type camping, I'm talking the air-conditioned, wood floored, built in fireplace for your camper type camping. So essentially every weekend he leaves home to live in a smaller version of his home, either way we love him for it! It was a no brainer then that I would make some sort of camping themed card for Father's Day. I found a great inspiration in the May/June 2012 edition of Paper Crafts magazine:
I also found the inspiration for his gift too (except in the March/April 2012 edition)!
With ideas in mind, I went to work. The mug was very very simple, I have used vinyl in the past to make Christmas gifts for my Stepmom and Grandmother, so luckily I had that lying around and I purchased a mug at Michaels for ~$3.
Downloaded the lettering, which was perfect, I found "World's Best Papa"!! and cut with my Cameo:
To make the card, I searched for a grill design on Silhouette studio, the program I use with my cutting machine, the Silhouette Cameo. To my surprise, I found the exact same grill they used in Paper Crafts, which is a rare find for me!
When I make any cuts, I always like to make as many cuts as I can in one pass; That way I don't have to continuously feed the cutting mat into the machine and then I can assemble easily!
I made some minor changes but overall stayed pretty similar to the inspiration, I actually like mine a lot better :)
 |
| I didn't have any plain red ribbon, so I got creative with some Christmas ribbon I had laying around |
 |
| Finished project! |
With that card done, I moved onto my grandfather, who is a man who loves his workshop. For as long as I can remember, my grandfather has always been working in the "barn" attached to my grandparents house aka the 2 story garage that looks like a barn. I have always associated him with tools and crafty things (and by crafty I mean he made my parents dining room table and chairs.. not crafty in making dorky cards :P). SO naturally, I went with the tool approach:
 |
| I was a little nervous as I am slightly a perfectionist and this was one of my first cards using stamps but it was surprisingly simple albeit tedious (which I oddly don't mind...) |
 |
| Quick and simple! |
Phew. You've survived my ramblings long enough, onto the last card! My poor grandmother unluckily stepped off a curb and fractured her ankle a few weeks ago. My inner Physical Therapist is replaying the scene in my head and cracked my grandmother up when I was able to explain to her what happened and I wasn't even there :P So, with my card making frenzy, I knew I had to try out more stamps (and my embosser!) for my creative grandmother. Her card was also an inspiration from Paper Crafts (May/June 2012):
I was in a total stamping mood!
 |
| And also very excited to use my embosser! |
 |
| Matchy matching ribbons |
 |
| Glue dots = so easy! |
 |
| Tada! |
Well that was a long winded post, but very much overdo. I am all blogged out for tonight but stay tuned tomorrow for my weekly coupon deals! (And yes I did buy my papers while in Minnesota as to not miss out on them!)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Coupon Deals: June 18, 2012
CVS
Decent deals this week, I was more exciting
to use my extra care bucks than anything, I love getting the total as close to
$0 as possible, it’s such a thrill! J
I spent $3.74 for $15.96 worth of merchandise
for a savings of 77% and $3 toward a future purchase!
Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste: $3.99
$2.49 with CVS ExtraCare Card
-$1 off any 2 colgate toothpastes
Final price: $3.98 or $1.99 each
(Got $3 ECB for future transaction)
General Mills Honey Nut Cherrios: $3.99
$1.88 with CVS ExtraCare Card
No specific product coupon but used my $3
ECB from last week
Final price: $0.76 or $0.38 each
Walgreens
MUCH better week at Walgreens! I was so
exciting, Dan and I are going away for a week and I hate bringing those mini
shampoos and conditioners. How awesome that Walgreens essentially gave me my shampoo
and conditioner for free! We also desperately needed sponges as we destroyed a
fresh one the first week we moved in.. (apparently cutco knifes are really
sharp haha)
Also funny side note about this trip: I went
to the first Walgreens and they had no sponges so luckily we have to Walgreens
within 1 mile so got 2 times the shampoo!
I spent $7.54 for $12.93 worth of
merchandise for a savings of 42%..however factor $4 register rewards received and
its like paying $3.54 (savings of 72%)
Suave Shampoo/Conditioner: $1.00 (x4, 2 for each
transaction)
Final price: $4.00 or $1.00 each
Received $4 Register Rewards making them
free!
O-cello
Sponges: $4.29
Walgreens deal B1G1 free: 2 for $4.29
-$0.75 off 2 O-Cello Sponges coupon
Final price: $3.54 or $1.77 each
Rite Aid
Lots of cereal this week! I went to Rite Aid
with a few ideas and had so many Up Rewards from last week that I felt like
using them!
I spent $5.93 for $23.15 worth of
merchandise for a savings of 74% and $4 toward a future purchase!
Kelloggs Raisin Bran 13.7oz: $4.79
$1.97 with Up Rewards card
-$1.00 off 2 Kelloggs cereal
Final price: $2.94
or $1.27 each
Arrid XX Deodorant: $3.59
$2.99 with Up Rewards card
-$2 Up Rewards
Final price: $0.99
(Received $2 Up Reward)
Wonderful Pistachios: $4.99
$2.50 with Up Rewards card
-$1.00 off 2 Wonderful Pistachios
Final price: $2.00
(Received $2 Up Reward)
Happy Saving! :)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
30 Books..
For those of you who know me, you probably know that I am a
member of the “Ladies Literary Guild,” a book club made up of most of the women
on my mom’s side of the family and a few family friends. We meet every 6-8
weeks to discuss books and chat about life and eat yummy food. It’s a way for
us to keep our minds strong but to also take time away from real life to just
discuss a common topic and enjoy ourselves. I usually wait until the week
before we are going to meet to purchase and read the book frantically in order
to finish. This is something I really want to change.
I have set some goals for myself this summer, one being to
finish 30 books by Labor day.. This is quite the feat seeing as I’ve probably
read 10 books in the past year but I wanted to set some goals for myself that
way I will be motivated to achieve them. I also really enjoy reading but lose
interest when I don’t know what books to read, hence why being told which books
to read for book club is great because it’s like an assignment (ok so I miss
the structure of school….) So, I’m in need of some good books to keep my
attention, I am open to any suggestions!
Next book on the book club list: "Objects of My Affections: A Novel" by Jill Smolinski
Monday, June 11, 2012
Coupon Deals: June 11, 2012
Now that we are all settled in and my desk area is finally
clean and organized, I’m ready to organize my coupon deals. I’ve been slowly
accumulating and restocking coupons over the past couple weeks and now have a
good supply to choose from. Below are some deals I got today:
CVS
Lots of great deals this week, I was planning on building up
my Extra Care Bucks this trip but it didn’t quite work out. One deal I was
trying to get was with a $7 purchase of misc bandaid and Neosporin products,
gets $3 ECB; it was perfect because the Neosporin spray was priced online for
7.29.. however at the register it rang up at 6.99 so I didn’t get the ECB and
there was like 7 people behind me so I wasn’t about to make them wait. Even so,
I still managed to save a bunch!
I spent $10.87 for
$27.76 worth of merchandise for a savings of 61% and $3 toward a future
purchase!
Schick Hydro 5 razor:
$12.99
$8.99 with CVS ExtraCare Card
-$4.00 off any 1 Schick Hydro Power Select or Schick Hydro 3
or 5 blade razor
Final price: $4.99
(Got $3 ECB for future transaction)
Softsoap: $3.89
CVS deal B1G1 free = 2/$3.89
-$1.00 off any 1 softsoap pump (x2)
Final price: $1.89 for 2 or ~$0.95 each
Neosporin Neo To Go
spray: $6.99
-$3.00 off any 1 Neosporin antibiotic product
Final price: $3.99
Walgreens
The deals this week at Walgreens were kind of lacking, so I
only got something that was on sale and still a great deal, no register rewards
this trip
I spent $1.98 for
$7.98 worth of merchandise for a savings of 75%!
Schick Hydro Shave
Gel: $3.99
$1.99 with CVS ExtraCare Card
-$1.00 off any 1 Schick shaving prep (x2)
Final price: $1.98 for 2 or $0.99 each
Rite Aid
When living in my last apartment, we didn’t live very close
to a Rite Aid, though I had one close to work. Therefore I didn’t shop much
there, but I’ve heard they have really great deals. My first experience here
was great and I’m exciting to use my Up Rewards.
I spent $7.46 for $15.46
worth of merchandise for a savings of 52% and $5 toward a future purchase!
Sour Patch Kids:
$3.99
$1.99 with Up Rewards card
-$0.50 off 1 bag sour patch kids (Ride Aid video coupon)
Final price: $0.99
(Received $1 Up Reward)
Twizzlers: $2.99
$1.99 with Up Rewards card
-$1.00 off 2 bags twizzlers (Rite Aid video coupon)
Final price: $2.98
(Received $1 Up Reward x2)
Always Radiant Infinity
Pads 16ct: $5.49
$3.99 with Up Rewards card
-$1.00 off 1 Always Infinity products (manufacturers)
Final price: $2.99
(Received $2 Up Reward)
Yay coupons!
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