Apartment Update and Light bulbs

Our closest Post Office is inside of an ACE Hardware store.  I decided to get a shipping box and also pick up the light bulbs I needed for my Salt Lamp.  I also needed a new nightlight for our personalized light bulb that has our picture on it.  I am happy that my salt lamp is working again!

Shannon works every day this week.  He is working 8 hours today and then the next two days, he is only working 4 hour shifts.

This afternoon, we finally heard back about the apartment!  She said "everything looks good."  They are waiting for verification from our current apartment complex.  However, our complex managers cannot release the information until we give notice.  This does not make sense to us.  What if we were to give our notice and then we end up not getting approved at the new apartment?  LOL So, I guess we'll be giving our notice this week.  They are also waiting on employment verification.

We are excited about moving because we will be saving at least $100 every month on rent.  I will also have my Walgreens across the street on the corner and a grocery store with other little shops across the street.  I do hate the fact that Kyle will have to change schools. 

I went to Walgreens earlier this week to stock up on things with my coupons.  We are more than fine on shampoo/conditioner (I have 10 bottles total) and 4 bottles of Head and Shoulders for Shannon.  I also have plenty of feminine napkins and liners!  LOL  Seriously, I am good for at least a year on feminine napkins and liners.  We have plenty of soap to last us a few months as well.

I need to go back to Walgreens this week to stock up on paper towels and toilet paper.  I also need a few other things! 

First week with just one job

This is the first week that Shannon has without Best Buy!  Which means, he is home more.  He has his guaranteed two shifts on Friday and Saturday night (graveyard) and that's it.  He is on the list to be called when someone calls in sick.  He was called to work this evening 3pm - 11pm.  Every shift helps.  They usually call him first because they know he says yes to just about every available shift there is! 

I don't want to start couponing/saving money at Walgreens until Shannon finds another part time job or gets hired on full time with his current employer. 

He said he emailed his resume in to the person who is responsible for hiring within the company.  The company is looking to hire new supervisors and managers.  Let's hope they will consider him for any full time supervisor or manager positions! 

Shannon is also looking for any free courses he can take to get "certified" in.  He said the state has a lot of free courses he can take in safety, OSHA, and management.  He is signed up to take a management course through the state in March.  It is a week long course in a nearby city.  He's looking to "beef" up his resume to certifications to add to his Bachelor's Degree that he already has. 

A long weekend and then some...

It's been a long four days with Kyle home from school.  I can't wait until he goes back to school tomorrow.  I have a few things I want to catch up on.  I am looking forward to my quiet time to be able to work on the things. 

Today, I decided that I needed to get a few things from Walgreens, so I took Kyle for a walk.  He loves going with me to the store.  He holds the reusable bags for me while we walk to and from the store.  He loves helping me overall.  I use reusable bags just so I don't have to carry 5 plastic bags (or however many) I would have if I didn't use a big reusable bag.  It just makes it easier to carry my purchase in one or two bags. 

It was nice to get out of the house, even though it was still cold!  Kyle loved it too. 

I bought a few things with coupons such as toothpaste, toothbrush and toilet paper.  I also bought the store brand of draino because our bathroom sink and tub have been slow draining!  It's been a nuisance!  The store brand worked pretty well considering.  I am always leery about using the store brand of a product, but I compared the ingredients and they were pretty much the same except one or two ingredients.  The drains work at least 85% better than they were before.  So, I am happy. 

Walgreens trip

I went to Walgreens today to pick up some things we needed and saved with coupons!  Everything I bought, I had a coupon for.  I bought paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrush, lotion, Aleve, Bounce, and 2 boxes of Ziploc: Gallon and Quart size.

Next week, Shannon is working a total of at least 60+ hours at both jobs!   Kyle seems to have adjusted to his Daddy not always being around.  He's been good at listening as well!

Sunday

I made another batch of homemade laundry soap this morning.

I am slowly trying to get back into couponing at Walgreens to help us save money on the non-food items we need.  I had Shannon pick up the Sunday paper on the way home from work.  I went through the Walgreens ad and matched my coupons with what was on sale.  I took Kyle for a walk to Walgreens and bought 2 bottles of conditioner, 2 boxes of Always pads, and 2 packages of Pampers.  I also picked up my free 8x10 photo that I ordered a few days ago while Walgreens was offering the special! 

It was nice to get out of the house since Kyle and I have been indoors since last Tuesday.

Shannon worked last night at his security job from 11pm until 7am and has to work again today from 3pm until 9pm at Best Buy.  We plan on closing our Wells Fargo accounts and moving our money to our credit union!  Monday norning, I plan to deposit money into our credit union.  After I do that, I can get my haircut since there's a Supercuts in the same shopping center.  I haven't had my hair cut in over a year and half!

Shannon was called about working extra shifts for his security job.  He is now working tonight from 11pm until 7am and the same for Monday and Tuesday!  We need the money!

Coupon savings at Walgreens

Today I went to Walgreens for the first time this year and the first time in months!  I haven't had to go to Walgreens in months because we had plenty of paper towels and toilet paper!  This time around, I wanted to stock up on deodorant, shampoo, diapers, soap, Q-tips, and other things.  I am trying to only buy things we use and need and not buy things that I can get for cheap with a coupon but don't really use or need.  Right now, I want to use my coupons for necessity since we don't have any money coming in.  I do make a little money here and there with my blog, but that's not steady income. 

After ringing everything up and the automatic savings from this week's Walgreens sales and Buy One Get One 50% deals, my total came to $101 and some change.  After my coupons, my total was $82 and some change!  Wow!  Plus I received $4 in Register Rewards, which are "dollars" I can use for future Walgreens purchases.  But these rewards expire in about a week.  I will go through the ad again to see what else I can save on. 

While my total was pretty high, I won't have to buy deodorant for several months.  I also bought the shampoo since it was on sale and I had coupons.  I bought the conditioner because it was only 99 cents with the sale and my coupon, I just couldn't pass that up.  We now have plenty of soap as well! 

Back to Couponing

For awhile there, I stopped buying the Sunday paper for the coupon inserts since I had bought so much toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo and conditioner.  Now, I am trying to rebuild our little "stock" of things we use.  I am looking forward to trying to save with coupons again.  This week in the Walgreens ad, there are several things that I want to get! 

I subscribed to the newspaper

I just subscribed to our local Sunday paper delivery, which I never thought I would.  I ended up subscribing because I went to purchase the Sunday paper at the corner gas station [for the first time in almost 2 months] and found out that the price was raised from $1.50 to $2.00!  I only brought $1.50 with me! 

I decided to look on the newspaper website to see how much it would be to subscribe for the Sunday paper delivery and it's only $8.84 a month.  It's only 84 cents more to subscribe, so I decided to sign up!  It will save me from getting dressed and getting Kyle ready and taking him for a little walk to buy the paper.  

A refill

Earlier this month, I mentioned having to pay $3 for medication.  Well, I had to get a refill, so I called my doctor to see if I could get the "generic" form of the medication.  Anyway, I went to pick up my prescription and was told by the pharmacy that there isn't a generic form!  So, I had to pay another $3!  Oh well, $3 is much better than $188.99!!! 

While at Walgreens, I bought a few things.  They were either on sale or free.  I only used 2 coupons and still saved almost $19!!  Here's what I bought:

 

Huggies ~ on sale for $8.99

Total: $8.99

Arizona Green Tea ~ $0.99 each.  Used Walgreens coupon 2/$1
Total: $1

Pantene Conditioner ~ $4.99  Used a coupon from Pantene
Total: FREE

Finesse Shampoo and Conditioner (BOGO FREE) ~ $3.99 for both*
Total: $1.99 after $2 Finesse rebate

Scunci No Damage Hair Elastics ~ 2/$3
Total: FREE with $3 in Register Rewards towards next purchase

(Not pictured)

Walgreens brand Wet Cleaning Clothes (for the Swiffer) (BOGO FREE) ~ $3.99
Total Savings: $18.95

Pop Rocks and Boy Socks

Kyle had Pop Rocks for the first time yesterday.  Shannon bought them at the "corner store" and brought them out for Kyle to see.  Kyle was curious and he was even eager to eat them, even though he had no idea what they were.  We're never sure how he will react to new things.  He could either like it, hate it, and/or freak out.  When Kyle wanted more Pop Rocks, we gave him a little plate with more Pop Rocks to eat and he loved them. 

I picked up the Sunday paper and found 2 coupon inserts (I normally only receive one insert), so I was very happy about that!  Unfortunately my Sunday paper didn't have the Walgreens ad, but luckily I can access it online.  We stopped at Walgreens and picked up the ad (I like to have a copy in my possession so I can scour the ad and compare them with the coupons that I have) and a few things we needed.  After Walgreens, we went to Walmart for a few groceries.  Shannon also needed computer ink and printer paper.  I also picked up some boy socks for Kyle.  His "toddler" socks were getting old and he needed a bigger size.  Luckily I found the "smallest" size I could find in the boys section.  I also looked at pants for him but the smallest size (4/5) looked too big for him.  He will eventually need more clothes for school. 

Just a few things

I am always looking forward to Sunday -- to get the Sunday paper for the coupons.  I found a few in the Walgreens ad that I wanted to get.  I took Kyle with me and thankfully it was cool outside!   I used coupons for every item I bought and ended up saving over $19! 

We went to Walmart today for a few groceries. 

I applied for food stamps last week and we received a letter asking us to come in to "interview" so that they can determine our eligibility.  I guess they require all applicants to come in (unlike the former county we lived in where we did everything via mail).  The letter also stated that we may qualify for "expedited services" so hopefully we can get our food stamps as soon as possible!

July 3rd

Tomorrow is 4th of July!  We don't have any plans but I have been thinking about making Pineapple Angel Food Cake or Brownies!  I can't decide.  Yesterday, I bought the stuff to make both. 

A few weeks ago I started getting the Sunday newspaper for the coupons.  Two weeks ago, I was able to save at Walgreens just from using coupons.  Last week was a little dull on the sales and coupons.  This week, I bought some things that were on sale, as well as use coupons with them.  I was able to get a bottle of Herbal Essences conditioner for free since it was on sale and I had a coupon for it!  I also bought two toothbrushes for free!  As I was putting away all the things I bought, I felt like I am becoming a hoarder!  I think it's more "stocking up" on the things we use. 

Last week, I bought a bottle of liquid castile soap with the idea of using it to make homemade hand soap, homemade dish soap, and other things.  However, I realized, I am saving more money using coupons.  I ended up returning the bottle of liquid castile soap, which was about $15!  I think I will continue to make our laundry soap just because it's all natural and it cleans our clothes so well and I don't need to use fabric softener. 

There are a few other things I need from Walgreens, and I plan to go again later this week.  As I am collecting more and more coupons, I am realizing that I may need to get a binder just to organize them.  More experienced couponers use a binder filled with plastic baseball card holders to organize their coupons. 

I am so glad that we live so close to a Walgreens (about 1 1/2 blocks away), so I can walk there! 

Fungus Gnats!

Ever since we moved here, my houseplants have had fungus gnats!  They are crawling around in the soil too.  I tried letting my plants dry out between waterings and it seems they are still there.  I finally got tired of sitting there trying to catch the flying gnats with the vacuum hose and bought some organic insecticidal spray soap stuff.  It kills many other bugs but I think it will help with the gnats!  When I was looking for a solution, I wanted something safe to use around Kyle as well as us.  I don't want to pollute the air we breathe and it's safe enough to use on vegetable gardens.  Earlier this week, I tried having small containers of water with a little bit of dish soap mixed in and that caught at least 20 gnats!  Hopefully the organic insecticidal spray soap will work. 

Kyle had preschool today.  He went from 8:30am until 12pm today, so he stayed through lunch.  It sounds like he did better today!  He acts like he doesn't want me to leave but once he's preoccupied, I can leave and he's fine!  He has school for the rest of this week as well. 

We went grocery shopping at Walmart this afternoon.   I am going to try to use coupons to help us save money.  We have a Walgreens about 2 blocks from us so I am slowly building up my coupons and printing them out online.  I am focusing on non-food items for now such as paper towels, toilet paper, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.  I am going to try to follow the Walgreens ad and match my coupons with their sales to help us save more.  I did have to buy paper towels and spray n wash today since we are almost out of paper towels and I really needed spray n wash! 

I finally received another book to read and review!  I've been bored for the last week so now I'll have something to do! 

Doctor Visit and Groceries

Today was Kyle's doctor appointment. This time around it was less stressful for me because Shannon went in with us to see the doctor. The last time we were there, Shannon didn't go in with me. When Kyle saw that his dad didn't come in the back, he started getting nervous. Kyle didn't like when the nurses wanted to take his temperature and all the other things they do so that made him start to cry. So I was left there to talk to the doctor myself and have to calm Kyle down. It was just stressful, overwhelming, and unfair to me. This time around, I asked Shannon to help out. We wanted to see the doctor to discuss Kyle's developmental delays. I told the doctor that we're going to get him back into speech therapy at home. He does have speech therapy at school but it's only one day a week and it's in a group setting. He may be in speech therapy at school, but we have NO IDEA what they are working on or what he's learning. Since summer is coming up, it will be nice to have him in speech therapy while school is out as well. The doctor set us up for a hearing test in a few weeks with another doctor.

Another thing I brought up with Shannon was how he is in the waiting room. When we went to sign up for WIC last year, Shannon held Kyle on his lap while in the waiting room. He wouldn't let Kyle walk or play around. Also, the last time we were at the doctor's office, Shannon did the same thing in the waiting room. There was another family next to us and the mother let her two daughters play on the ground and another little girl came over to play with them. I think the other mom thought it was odd, because she asked us if Kyle wanted to read one of their books they had. So this time, Shannon had Kyle sit down at the table with the child-size chairs. Kyle got up a few times to look around the waiting area and to see where the other little voices were coming from. I was glad to see that Shannon was able to let go!

That's another annoying thing about Kyle being in preschool. They don't send home any type of progress reports or let us know what they are learning, etc. We feel like we're in the dark. Kyle doesn't talk so we can't ask him. Although he is sent home with his art projects, which is cute to see!

After Kyle's appointment, we went to Walmart for groceries! I brought my coupons and ended up using about half of them. Kyle had fun! Shannon was starving so he had to keep himself out of the aisles as much as he could.

I received my rug & carpet shampoo yesterday and was disappointed to see that they knowingly and purposely sent me a leaking product. How do I know this? The container was wrapped in two plastic bags, indicating to me that they KNEW it was leaking! I was disappointed because I have ordered from this site several times in the past. I contacted them with a sarcastic message. I pretty much "thanked" them for sending me a leaking product and that I just love not getting my moneys worth! LOL I was so upset! They have already responded with an apology and I am unsure of how to respond. I am not sure if I want a refund or a replacement product, I think I just wanted them to KNOW what happened. If I have time, I hope to clean the carpets tomorrow while Kyle is in school! I did have a chance to use it yesterday. I cleaned our bedroom and it had a nice fresh smell.

Vitamins, Picture Frame, Movie, and More!

A few days ago we re-applied for Food Stamps. They called us yesterday wanting additional information and she said we probably won't qualify for the month of February but we could be "pre-approved" for March. We are really hoping we get back on food stamps!

We went to Walmart today since we were almost completely out of food! We bought our usual groceries. I also bought lotion, vitamins for myself, and a picture frame. I bought the picture frame for Kyle's class picture. It's his first class picture and I thought it deserved a frame! Shannon also bought a movie that he's been wanting to see. I ended up using a little over $6 in coupons too! So proud, since I am not that good at couponing.

I had a choice between buying the name brand of vitamins but decided on the store brand. This bottle of vitamins cost me about half the cost of the name brand! I wanted to start taking vitamins again since I am working out and trying to stay healthy.

Back to the Past

Shannon and I had the appointment with the bankruptcy attorney this afternoon. We were able to leave him with my in-laws. I don't think Kyle even noticed we were gone. They stayed outside most of the time, but did come in to have lunch. It was really weird to not have Kyle with us, we kept feeling like we were forgetting something. We stopped at the bank to make a deposit and the attorney's office was a few doors down.

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store. I ended up signing up for their "club card" because they are part of the upromise network. We can earn money towards Kyle's college with each purchase, plus upromise allows me to add "e-coupons" to my club card.

Shannon had a phone appointment with the college this afternoon as well. The phone call took about 5 minutes, but then he has an orientation later this week. Shannon is thinking about what he needs to be prepared for college. He's going to buy some ink for our printer (finally!). Now I'll be able to print out coupons, when I want!