Goodwill ROCKS!

I am not ashamed of thrift stores or garage sales. It is one of the best ways to save money. Lil Man and I got to spend the day with my Dad last week and we hit up the local Goodwill. We had a great time! Well, lil man sure did. He made out like a bandit.

He got a Radio Flyer fold up tricycle in great condition for $5. I've seen these at the store for like $40. He is absolutely thrilled with his new wheels!

We also found this fully stocked Little Tikes workshop for $5! Now he has his own spot in the garage to work in with Daddy!

Last, I found him the most adorable Halloween costume. I was originally going to make his costume but, he really like the one we  found and so did I. I will post pics of it later.

So, hit up your local thrift shop and see what great things you can find!

Walking Away

I admit it; Couponing is ADDICTING! There is nothing quite like seeing your total and then watching it fall with each coupon swiped. It is a total rush and a very fun game. But, in order to not go crazy you have to give yourself limits. This week I had to limit myself : ( It was so hard to walk away from a fabulous deal! But, it can be done, I promise. I had scoured the ads. Meijer's looked pretty good. They were having a 10/$10 11th item free sale. So, I wrote down everything that I would buy. Then, I looked at the County Market ad. (I write my list by order of the stores I go to). I ended up crossing some things off of the Meijer list and putting them onto the County Market list. Grands Biscuits were $1 at Meijer and $0.88 at County Market. It was the same for; carrots, Knorrs Rice Sides, Hunt's Ketchup, and Tony's Pizza. Jackpot! I had coupons for the Grands and the Knorrs Rice making them $0.73 and $0.63 respectively. Here's the thing I already have 7 tubes of Grands and 5 or 6 pouches of the Knorrs Rice. While this is a GREAT deal I didn't need anymore. I needed to spend my grocery money on things that I really needed. This was fine in theory but when I got to the store it was very hard to rationalize with myself that I truly didn't need it and walk away! But, walk away I did. Now, someone else can enjoy this fabulous deal.

This doesn't just apply to groceries. Just because something is a "good deal" does not mean we have to get it. Ask yourself if you truly need it? Can you live without it? Do you have something that is already similar? Are you still going to love it in a year? If you can't answer an absolute "yes" to all of these questions it would be a good idea to walk away. If you do answer yes give yourself at least a 24 hour time limit before you purchase the item. The time limit gives the adrenaline time to wear off and you the time to make a sound decision.

Garden Bounty

One great way to save money is by having a garden. This year we doubled the size of our's. We planted 2 types of tomatoes, zucchini, green peppers, lettuce, onions, peas, green beans, and corn. We have had great success. I love sitting down to dinner and enjoying fresh snapped beans, peas, or corn, along with a fresh salad with tomatoes all from our backyard.

Fresh picked lettuce

Lil man thinks they are leaves and that he is eating something forbidden which makes it more fun for him! Hey, if he'll eat it I don't care what he calls it.

Fresh green beans. They have done great this year! Can't wait to enjoy them from the freezer in the dead of winter.

Sweet Corn. If my husband had his way his garden would consist of sweet corn and zucchini only. So, far we have gotten a dozen ears. The squirrels have declared war on our sweet corn and have been stripping the stalks and breaking them in half. I'm waiting for my husband to camp out there in a lawn chair with his BB gun. Hasn't happened yet.

Milk

We go through 2 gallons of milk per week! Did I mention that we are a family of THREE? I can't imagine how many gallons everyone else is going through. My husband keeps joking that with milk prices rivaling the price of gas (ridiculous) that we should invest in a cow. Too bad we live in town. It would be tempting. I have been researching other ways to save on milk. I found an article that shared a way of saving on milk that I had never even considered. The article can be found Here.

Another tip about saving on milk is buy it when it is the cheapest. Right now the cheapest I can find it is $2.19. If you are really super duper lucky you can once in a blue moon find it for $1.99. When you buy it at these prices STOCK UP! You can FREEZE Milk! The trick is to drink a glass before placing it in the freezer to allow for the liquid to expand as it freezes. If you don't you will have a serious mess.

If you have any tips on saving on milk I'd love to hear them!

Garden

Tonight my husband did the initial tilling of our garden. We are doubling its size this year. I am so excited about it! I love the smell of the freshly turned soil. It made me think of all the yummy goodness we are going to plant soon. This year we are planting; strawberries, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green onions, sweet onions, zuchini, green peppers, celery, peas, green beans, lettuce, and of course sweet corn. I can already taste it.

I have lots of plans for homemade spaghetti sauce, zuchini bread, and lots of freezing and canning.  My Grandpa has grapes, apples, and blackberries that I can't wait to get my hands on. I plan on making apple pie filling, applesauce, and apple butter. My husband requests blackberry jam and pie. I love cherry tomatoes! When I was a little girl my grama always had cherry tomatoes planted along side her house. I called them, "balls." I would pick them and pop them straight into my mouth. There is photo evidence of this too.

Nothing tastes better than fresh produce. There is an indescribable satisfaction of planting a seed, caring for it, and watching it grow. There's a lot of work before the harvest. Along with the garden comes weeds, sweating, and mosquitoes. All things that I am not a fan of! I am literally a mosquito magnet! But, it is totally worth it.

Money Saving Tip: Momma Style

You spend a fortune on the necessities for your infant/toddler so you want to use it to the last drop. You know what I mean. Even a "large" tube of store brand Desitin is over $2. Just like toothpaste diaper cream is a pain in the "butt" (Ha Ha) to use it up. You get to the end of the tube and almost break your fingers trying to get the last drop! I fight with the tube while wrestling my toddler. I swear I've become the fastest diaper changer in the world! So, I found an ingenius solution to this problem:

I'm sure everyone will recognize this simple, fabulous little contraption. It's the tube squeezer for toothpaste! Guess what? It fits on your diaper cream tube too!! I discovered it this week. The Story: Ok, I am like the last person on the planet who didn't have one of these toothpaste squeezer thing a ma bobs. I found one at the Dollar Tree while shopping and bought it for our toothpaste. My diaper cream is getting low and I had one of those light bulb moments, "Maybe the toothpaste thing will fit the diaper cream. They look about the same size." Low and behold it does. So, now my toothpaste will have to be naked until I make another trip to the Dollar Tree. I love the simple things! I hope this tip makes diaper wrestling a little easier on ya!

~Tabitha~