One box of spaghetti noodles: $.99

One jar of spaghetti sauce: $1.99

Watching these two little miracles eat spaghetti = PRICELESS.

I am admittedly disorganized.

Sure, I am somewhat of a clean freak which is sometimes confused to also be an organization freak. Ha, ah, Ha, ha, ha, HA! Not so much.

For example, I sweep and mop most everyday. I pick up toys every hour on the hour, and I can’t stand clutter. But the drawers? The closets? The pantry? They need serious help.

And really? I need help too.

For one thing, my brain just doesn’t work in an organized way. It’s like I don’t even understand how to organize things in the first place, much less keep them organized.

So this is what happens…

Everyone meet Pantry. Pantry meet everyone.

This, friends is my mess.

Want more evidence? There is much, much more.

More? Well, sure, why not?

The other pantry? Here ya go.

And the bottom? It’s a wreck too, thanks for asking.

Is that enough for you to agree that I’m a mess?

Here’s the real truth friends. Most days I am thoroughly exhausted by 7pm after playing, loving, teaching, and mothering my precious ones. During naptime I normally do basic cleaning/laundry and organization just doesn’t fit into the equation. But, I also know that it must be done…sometime.

For an organization dummy like myself it seems so overwhelming! Not to mention that this pantry is a VERY small part of my organizational drama. The drawers/closets/unfinished basement that is loaded with C-R-A-P. If I think about it too long my head begins to explode.

Any tips on how to clean up this mess of the pantry? I figure that little by little I can get this house organized, right? Right people? I need help!

So, help me!

It’s about that time again.

Ya know? The time when I start hollering at everyone to save money.

To take the time to save, save, save. 

(Have you missed my other Save little stories? If so, check them out here).

I’ve become the crazy person at “The Wal-Mart” peeking into other shoppers carts and telling them the price matches for their items. Yup, you heard me. I’ve mostly been thanked, but I’ve also gotten some very, um…how you say? Unthankful peeps as well. Go figure.

Anyway, it appears that not everyone is as pumped to save money as I am. Which is CRAZY to me.

The other day someone said that couponing “just isn’t for me.”

What does that even mean? Saving money doesn’t interest you? I am dumbfounded by this. Doesn’t everyone need more flexibility in their budget?

I understand that everyone is busy. In fact, I understand the feeling of being totally overwhelmed with life in general.

And I also understand the feeling of being completely consumed with worry about money.

Is that you? Are you laying awake at night wondering how you’re going to pay for this or that? Worrying about the future for you and/or your children?

Not too long ago it was me.

Being a stay at home Mama is absolutely my dream come true and I wouldn’t trade it for a million trips to Disney World, but in all honesty, it’s hard on the wallet. Losing an entire salary is tough. But as I have found in my own life, it is entirely possible to spend less and stretch out a dollar longer than you ever thought possible.

Some of the ways that we’ve saved significant amounts of money over the past year probably seem like no-brainers to you, but to me? They were new and very challenging, but have paid off big time!

Here are some of the ways we’ve adjusted and learned to save more and live on less!

1. Always, always, always turn the lights off when you leave a room.

2. Always, always, always shut the door when you leave a room.

3. Get your HVAC system serviced twice a year to help with efficiency. In the long term this will significantly lower your heating/cooling bills over the course of the year.

4. If you have tiny babies, try as best as you can to breastfeed. Not buying formula is a major money saver. (Plus a zillion other amazing benefits).

5. Price Match. This to me, is a no-brainer. If you have a WalMart near you this will save you hundreds of dollars a month. Get you sales papers and price match. It’s easy peasy. Also, if you have an Aldi near you they have incredible prices on produce. You can price match at “The Wal-Mart” and save big.

6. Coupon. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it’s a lot of work. Yes, it’s totally worth it.

7. Stockpile. I have a stockpile of everything from frozen vegetables and meat to toothpaste and dishwashing tablets. It’s very freeing to not have to run to the store everyday because we’re out of an essential. If you watch the sales and coupons you can find incredible deals and stockpile those items to use at a later date. It’s also a wonderful resource that allows us to be generous to others. It’s amazing to walk into our basement and make a care package for someone that would retail for $100 and know that it cost us a fraction of that cost.

8. Planning. I only go to the store once a week. Period. This includes CVS, Walgreens, Target etc. I only go to one store: “The Wal-Mart,” once a week for our groceries. When I go, I make a very detailed list and stick to it. This means that I have no impulse purchases. I go in with a budget and I do not go over it. Before I began my saving money adventures I would spend nearly $100 a week on random trips to Target or Walgreens. Inevitably, I would buy items that we didn’t need. And I wondered why we always seemed to be broke!

9. Online Shopping. This is my weakness friends. I love Amazon.com with a love that will never die. So this has truly been a struggle for me. I REALLY have to limit myself to only (and I mean only) buying what we need. I spend time researching prices and never, ever impulse buy. Again, this is an ongoing struggle for me, but it’s paying off. If you use a click through service like Shop At Home you can get money back from your purchase. It’s normally anywhere between 2% and 20%. I normally get a check for around $30 per month just from clicking through their site. If you shop online a lot it’s a really great incentive. I also use retailmenot.com often for coupon codes. This is especially great for free shipping deals. I have gotten AMAZING deals online and rarely pay shipping for anything.

10. Gas. This one is hard to swallow. Since gas has jumped to $4.00 a gallon we really limit where we go. And really? It’s been great. There is no reason for me to cart 2 babies around the city 7 days a week and spending hundreds of dollars on gas. I understand that if you’re working and/or have kids to chaffour you may not have a lot of control over this, but I do (and many of you do too). I have found that simply being concious of where we’re going has made a huge difference.

11. Do your own hair. I know this one is a toughie. Here’s an example to hopefully inspire you. I paid $100 every 6 weeks (ish) for a cut and highlights. That comes out to $867 a year on my hair. Insanity people. Now, I price match and coupon a good ole box of color. It’s normally $9.99 a box, price matched to $6.99 and with a coupon, it comes out to be $3.50. That means I’m spending $30.34 on dying my hair per year. Granted, I’ve only gotten one haircut this year and really need one…but you get the picture. Paying for color is absolutely crazy.

12. Never, ever pay full price for clothes. Ever. I have never been a yard sale/Goodwill shopper. I just do not seem to have much luck as some of you do. Instead, I have found that scouring the clearance racks and coupling with coupons can save a ton (and can often be as inexpensive as Goodwill)! A great example of this is my Mama. Recently at JCPenny she found snowsuits, both jackets and pants for $2!!! They were very cute, seemingly well made and only $2 per set. Now, for the next several years my babies have great snowsuits! My family is a great example that you can wear cute clothes and get them for very little money. (Sidenote: it is VERY rare to get these kind of deals online. It’s almost always better to get the lightening clearance deals in the store).

13. Accept hand-me-downs. It’s kind of a game with Bitzy. Some mornings when I put on her clothes and tell how how gorgeous she looks she’ll say, “WHO GAVE DIS TO ME MAMA?” because she knows how many of her clothes were either handed down from family members or bought for her by someone. This, to me is completely precious. She’s learning all about not only being generous but accepting the generosity of others.

14. Do not eat out. I know that’s very strong. But if money is tight, eating out is the #1 way to throw your money away. Let me give you an example. This week at the store I’m going to get 13 cans of chicken “nuggie” soup for my Bitzy. It’s one of the few foods that has meat that she’ll actually eat. I’m going to price match it at $.69 per can. Coupled with coupons I’m going to pay $5.97 for 13 cans. So basically for 2 solid weeks I can feed her lunch for $6. If we go through the drive thru at “The Nuggie House,” her happy meal will cost around $4. Do you see how insane eating out is? I’m not saying that we don’t do it, because we do. It pains me greatly, but we do occasionally. But the beauty is that when we do it’s an event. It’s not commonplace for us to go through the drive thru or eat at a restaurant, so when we do it makes it much more special. Zach and I used to spend hundreds of dollars a month on eating out. Now, we spend about $30 total per month on restaurants (and I still think that’s too much! Ha!).

15. Finally, some of the best advice I have ever been given is that not buying an item is the best way to save money. I find myself getting wrapped in sales and great deals and often overlook if we really need the item. The best way to save money is not to spend it in the first place!

So there you go friends! There’s a small list to help save money!!! These are very small and doable steps to help YOU spend less and save more!

And it wouldn’t be right for me to sign off before showing you a recent shopping trip now would it?!

Here are a few items that I got!

21 Bags of No Yolk Noodles: Retail: $1.98 per bag. After Match: $.98 per bag. After Coupon: $.58 per bag.

Dora Easter DVD (from the Easter Bunny): Retail: $9.97. After Match: $7.97. After Coupon: $4.97

Tyson Spilt Breast Chicken: Retail: $1.98lb. After Match: $.98lb.

Fugi Apples: Retail: $2.47lb. After Match: $.98lb.

Green Peppers: Retail: $.97 apiece. After Match: $.33 apiece.

Thomas English Muffins: Retail: $2.98. After Match: $1.49. After Coupon: $.99.

After all was said and done I saved 74% on this shopping trip. You can do this too!!!! If I can, so can you!

Now go save some money!!!!

I have always been a casual coffee drinker.

Never anything serious.

I could take it or leave it really.

Even through college, only getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night regularly, I still didn’t care all that much about it. It seemed like a lot work to me. The addiction part of it, ya know? Like, what if I got stranded on a desert island and didn’t have coffee? I would be OK, but what do addicts do about the island scenario? These are really serious matters people!

(This is how my crazy brain works).

Enter: Skinny Peppermint Mocha’s from Starbucks.

Turns out that I just didn’t care about crappy office coffee.

I really care a lot about expensive sugary drinks from Starbucks.

But sadly, at $4 a pop, Starbucks isn’t exactly in the budget. And let’s face it, driving through Starbucks every day takes a lot of time.

Then, along comes Coffeemate and it’s delicious peppermint mocha creamer. Ah, it is so dreamy.

So, I began making an effort to make coffee most mornings. But honestly, with all the morning chaos around here, coffee simply wasn’t at the top of my list.

Then something miraculous began happening.

My amazing husband began making my coffee and unloading the dishwasher every.single.morning.

Talk about a game changer.

Not only did he lessen my workload in the mornings, but he gave me the precious gift of coffee.

Forget Starbucks, Maxwell House is fine by me.

So now, I have my 2 cups a day. Everyday.

Granted my teeth are a little worse for wear, but hey, the caffeine is worth it.

Anyone else addicted to the glorious taste of coffee in the morning? What’s your favorite?

And as for the island problem, I guess I’ll have to just figure it out when I get there. Ha!

I have rediscovered Pop Tarts. It was circa 1984 the last time I had one of these amazing rectangles of awesome and boy are they delicious. This could be a very, very, very bad thing.

Thanks to a certain Hulu Plus, I am all caught up on One Tree Hill. There was a time that I wondered how it would survive without Lucas and Peyton, but now I wonder no more. It is freaking fantastic.

Two words that I couldn’t spell if my life depended on it (this how I would spell them without the help of spell check)- Nessisary and Nessisarily. I just can’t seem to get it right!

I am loving NBC’s The Voice right now. Although, I could really do without Cee Lo Green’sequined jumpsuit and creepy white cat. It’s just plain weird.

Also? Is Christina sort of a cartoon character? I want to see her once without make-up. Survey says that she would look at least a zillion times better. Plus, when a gal wears that much lipstick doesn’t it get all over her kids face when she kisses him all day everyday?

Anyway, back to how I can’t spell. What about disentary? I realize that this is a word that you would only see when playing Oregon Trail back in 1991, but still, I would love to know how to actually spell it.

I cannot express to you the joy it brings me to find tiny little princess shoes scattered throughout the house. There is something so beautifully heartwarming about finding Bitzy’s pink ballerina slippers in my closet. I’m so grateful to have a little girl.

Then, tonight as I was folding clothes (my least favorite chore), I matched two itty bitty baby boy socks and told Zach, “I can’t believe that there is a person so tiny that lives in this house who can wear these wee little socks.”

Another word? Fanactical.

I want another pop tart.

I confess that these two exhaust me in a way that I never thought possible…but I confess moreso that I have never been more in love with these tiny little humans than I am right now.

Have a fun Friday ya’ll!

I’m gonna get all Billy Mays on ya (may he rest in peace). Just imagine me talking in my most salesmaney, excited, youarenevergonnabelievethedealihaveforyou voice. Because friends of mine, the time is now.

It’s a brand spanking new year and it’s time to start saving some money.

While Zach and I are saving a ton of money these days with couponing, we are still not happy with our budget. We’re (actually, I am), spending way too much on random things that really should be accounted for. “But it’s on sale! It was almost free! We really need it! We might need it someday! I only paid $8 for a $60 item!!!” (that we have no use for- ahem).

One thing I’m learning with couponing is that even if it’s a great deal, it doesn’t necessarily mean we need it.

This whole couponing thing has really brought out my inner shopaholic.

So, starting today, we’re getting reacquainted with our old buddy, Dave Ramsey.

If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s a famous radio host and a money managing genius.

He believes in a cash only system and discourages debt at all costs. His story is truly inspiring.

We have been on the program before and saved a ton of money while paying off quite a bit of debt. Now, our only debts are student loans and our house payment.

While I’m thrilled to have no credit card debt, having a house/student loan payment are still costing us a fortune. So, Mr. Dave Ramsey himself is gonna help us.

Financial freedom, here we come!

The bad news? Since I’m a stay at home mama now (praise Jesus), and Zach is a hard working sole provider, we just do not have a ton of  ”wiggle” room in our budget. That is going to make achieving financial freedom all the more challenging.

But guess what? I know that we can do it! And I know that you can too!

Here are some ways that we are cutting back and easily reliving some tension off of our tight budget.

Couponing- I recommend price matching coupled with couponing to get the maximum effect. I have written 3 previous blogs about price matching and couponing. Read them Here, Here and Here.

Shop At Home- This is what I call a “click through” site. Let’s say that you are going to buy something on Target.com. Rather than going straight there you go to  Shopathome.com first. When you get there you type in “target” and it will give you a list of coupons/deals. Then you click on the target tab and it will activate a percentage off of your online order on Target. That’s right!  Just because you clicked through their site first, you save a percentage off your order. Right now, Target is offered 6% back. So basically, you are “earning” 6% back on your online order to Target just for going to Shopathome first. Amazing. I just got a check for $45 for basically doing nothing but clicking through. It’s like free money!

Swagbucks- Swagbucks is search engine basically. So rather than doing a google search you search through Swagbucks. When you do you “earn” swagbucks just for searching. So just for doing your normal everyday Internet searches you get paid! I’ve gotten several Amazon gift cards this way. Easy peasy!

Ebates- Ebates is exactly like Shopathome. I normally do a search on both to see who has the higher percentage back. I just got a check for $11 from Ebates. Again, free money!

Rebates- I’m a big fan of rebates. Sure, they are work, but you get a free product and often make money in the process. Take tonight’s haul below. See the box of Bissell Stomp and Go? It’s on the corner and it’s blue. It was $4.98 at The Wal-Mart. I used a $1 off coupon making it $3.98. I’ll fill out this form and get $4.98 back via a check in the next few weeks. It’s like delayed satisfaction. Last month I “made” $65 in rebate money. So not only do I get to try out a free product but I make money in the process.

In other news, here’s my haul from tonight. I want to show you beautiful people that it’s possible to coupon, save money and eat well. Check this out.

I know that this stuff isn’t organic…but it’s not Ramen Noodles either. This stuff to me, is normal, healthy(ish) food, mixed with some other amazing deals.

Here’s the list:

7 lbs. of Gala Apples

3lbs. Cuties

12 Weight Watcher Smart Ones

6 Boxes of Cheerios

4lbs. of Bananas

2 Green Peppers

4 Bottles of Suave Shampoo

1 Suave Deodorant

2 Reach Floss

2 Boxes of Visine

9lbs. of different varieties of Steak

2 500ml bottles of Listerine

2 Boxes of GE Lightbulbs

1 box of Bissell Stomp and Go (rebate form linked)

2 bottles of Purell Hand Sanitizer

7 cans of Chicken “Nuggie” Soup as Bitzy would say

6 packs of gum

2 Pictionary Card Games (For our gift closet)

1 Package of Dole Frozen Blueberries

6 Packages of Scotch Brite Antibacterial Wipes

The pre-tax retail for all of this was $189.76. Tonight after price matching and coupons it was $82.11. That’s a savings of 56.7%. I’m thrilled with this savings based on the produce and meat that I bought.

You can coupon and be healthy, it just takes some effort!!!

We can do this friends, I just know it!!!!

Here’s to saving money!

Love to all,

Disclaimer: If you click on the Shopathome link and you become a member I will receive a credit for $5. This, in no way, means that I’m telling you this information to receive compensation. Rather, I want you to earn more through this site as I have. It’s totally awesome and I want you to benefit from it too. Same goes for Swagbucks and Ebates. I get a referrel credit, but I totally believe it’s a quick and EASY way to earn money. I have not been paid a dime by Shopathome, Ebates or Swagbucks for this post. These words and opinions, are all my own.

Well friends, in the quest to spend little and save as much as possible, all while building a stockpile, I am learning a lot. I am no where near an expert (quite the contrary), but I am learning more and more every week. What took me 3 hours 2 months ago, now takes me 1. To me, that’s progress.

A few weeks ago I wrote a few other blogs about saving money. Check those out too Save {part 1} and Save {part 2}…some of this will be repetitive, but hopefully it will all be helpful.

*No pictures in this post, I’m rushing to finish before naptime is over!

So many of you have asked about my process of couponing, what I buy, how I get the coupons, etc. So this week as I went through the steps of a weekly grocery list I wrote down what I did in order to best explain what I do and how I do it.

Let me reiterate again, I am NOT an expert. This is just my mangled, disorganized way of saving a freaking ton of money.

1. I have the Sunday paper delivered to my house. I get out the coupon inserts and clip, clip, clip. I do NOT clip everything. There are some things I do not want even if they’re free. Ha! Also, my sweet Mama sends me two sets of coupons each week from her papers in North Carolina. And, I also frequent Coupons.com to get online coupons.

2. Then, I throw away the entire paper except for the sales ads. Because, well, I’m more of a People.com person than a newspaper gal. Does that make me a bad person? Probably.

*Side Note* I exclusively shop at Wal-Mart because of the price matching + coupon policy. Remember this. If you play “the drugstore game” and get all the Extra Care Bucks/Register Rewards and such then good for you! I do not have the time nor the patience to play. So…I only go to one store, once a week. Also, note that my particular Wal-Mart price matches the final price of the drugstore (I understand that some stores do not do this). For example, if a razor is normally $9.97 at Wal-Mart and it’s on sale at CVS for $7.99 and when purchased you earn $2.00 in Extra Care Bucks, that means at CVS and at Wal-Mart your final price is $5.99. With a $5.00 off coupon (which I had), my final cost on a $10 razor was $.99. Not bad at all. Does that make sense?

Also, note that our Kroger here only doubles coupons up to $.50. If they doubled up to $1, I would most likely go to Kroger too for their deals. They DO NOT price match though, remember that. Typically, I save anywhere from $100-$150 per week on price matching alone, then other $50-$100 with coupons. So, the major savings is with the price matching.

3. Then, I scan all the sales papers. In my region the main stores that have competitive prices are CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Mejier and Kroger.  Almost always, Wal-Mart has the cheapest price for regularly priced items in health/beauty and food (let’s face it, I’m not exactly shopping for electronics). So in the rare event that I cannot find something on sale or a coupon, Wal-Mart is the cheapest option. Now, as I’m scanning the sales papers I’m mostly interested in the killer deals. I am personally trying to not only buy groceries for weekly meals, but for our growing stockpile as well. So, I’ve got my eyes peeled for the cheapest food/products I can find. I only stockpile what I can get for free or very close to free (which is shockingly quite a bit).

As I said in an earlier post, I do not meal plan and then go shopping. I cook our meals based on the weekly deals and/or my stockpile.

4. That said, as I’m scanning I think of what we really need. Are there any essentials that have to be purchased this week? For us, it was dog food, so sale or no sale, coupon or no coupon, our doggies had to have food.

5. The more that I shop and save the more I crave spending as little as possible. So, one item that I would have liked to get, not an essential, but a want, would be Kraft Singles. I am a sucker for cheese and crackers and my Bitzy is too. So this week they’re on sale for $2.50 at Kroger. That’s quite a bit less than Wal-Marts $2.98 price. However, about a month ago I got them for $1 apiece in a 10 for 10 mega event that Kroger had. So, clearly I cannot pay more than $1 apiece. Again, you have to figure out what needs you have verses what you want. This will really help you plan your attack. I want the Kraft singles, however I’m not willing to pay $2.50 for them. They can wait. There isn’t a right or wrong way, you just have to figure out YOUR way.

6. As I scan the ads I write down all the items that are great deals, then I write down the sales price and what store the deal is from.

7. After my list is complete, I go through my coupons to match them with the sales items. If there are items that I do not have a coupon for (there always are) I go online and find one. Almost always I can find at least one. If you go to the company’s website they will often have a coupon tab or you can try Facebook. If you “like” their page a lot of companies will give you a coupon. Also, many of the awesome coupon blogs out there have a “Coupon Database” (iheartthemart, southernsavers, krazycouponlady) and you can type in what coupon you need and they’ll tell you if there is one. It’s pretty amazing.

*Side note* With online coupons you can only print 2 coupons per computer, FYI.

8. Now that you have your list and coupons in order make a final list. Organize by section in the store (Healthy/Beauty, Food, etc). Then, go back and match each coupon with your item to make sure that you’re all set. Make a column on your list giving you YOUR final price. This way, at checkout, you’ll know if a coupon didn’t go through based on the final number.

9. If you find a free and/or great deal on something that you will use and you want to stockpile it, consider buying extra coupons on Ebay or a coupon clipping service. I was able to get 50 boxes of Finish dishwashing tablets for $8.50 last week thanks to the $2.00 I spent on Ebay to get more Finish coupons. Now I have a 3 year supply of Finish tablets. They are normally $3.98 and I paid $.17 per box.

*Side note* Before we moved to this house I would never have been able to stockpile due to lack of storage. Now I have plenty of room to build a good stockpile, if you don’t, it’s fine, only buy what you need and enjoy the savings! If you do have the space consider building a stockpile for things that you regularly use, like say, dishwashing tablets (which I use every single day).

10. After I’ve gone through my list and matched with coupons, then I go back through my coupon binder to see if there are any coupons that are expiring soon that I would like to use. If so, pull those coupons and go back through the ads to see if those items are on sale. If so, add them to your list!

*Side Note* While there are generally not coupons for produce and meat you can get great deals on meat that is discounted because it’s expiring soon (I buy and stick in the freezer). Also, you can price match the meat prices per pound. A few weeks ago, a store in town (I can’t remember which one) had Butterball ground turkey on sale for $.99 per pound. Wal-Marts price was $3.98 per pound. When I went to get the turkey there was a coupon attached to the package for $1 off. Making it FREE. So I got 10 pounds of Ground Turkey for FREE. Then, last week KMart had Butterball Turkey Bacon on sale for $1.00 apiece (normally $2.98 at Wal-Mart), I had several $.55 off coupons making them $.45 each. Also, I have found that Mejier and Aldi almost always has the best prices on produce. A few weeks ago Aldi advertised their whole pineapples for $.99 and Wal-Marts price was $4.99 apiece (who in their right mind pays $5 for a pineapple?). So, the deals are out there, you just have to look for them!

11. Once you get to the store, DO NOT STRAY FROM YOUR LIST. If you see something you want, remember it and look for the coupon later.

12. Lastly, hand your coupons to the cashier individually. I know this is somewhat psychotic but I have found that it proves to be worth it. A few weeks ago a $3 coupon didn’t scan and I didn’t realize it ’til later, after I had already lost the receipt:(. So, from then on I vowed to hand each coupon to the cashier to make sure that it scans.

Now, to give you some REAL examples, here are some samples items from my shopping trip last night.

20 Smart Ones- Normally $2.98: Kroger had them on sale for $2.00 apiece with a “if you by 10 you get $4 off” deal. So, if you buy 20, you get $8 off. Right? So, that’s a total of $32. Then, I found 2 $4 off if you buy 10. So, now I have price matched 20 Smart Ones for $32, with $8 in coupons, making my total $24. Then, when I got to the store there was coupons on the product for $3 off when you buy 10 (so I was able to use 2 of them). So, I ended up getting 20 Smart Ones for $18. My price without coupons or price matching would have been $59.60.

2 Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Cleaner Refill- Normally $3.98: CVS had them on sale this week for $2.50 apiece. I had a Buy One Get One Free coupon make them $1.25 apiece.

2 Visine Dry Eye Drops- Normally $3.45 apiece: Walmart.com has a Visine coupon for $3 off (I printed off 2). I paid $.45 each.

5 pounds of Honeycrisp Apples- Normally $1.97 per pound: Mejier had them on sale this week for $.99 per pound. So, I saved 50% on apples.

6 Boxes of Uncle Bens Whole Wheat Rice- Normally $2.88 apiece: On sale this week for $.99 (I forget where), I had 3 buy 2 save $1 coupon making my final price: $.49 per box.

Is this helpful? Do you see that you can eat well and still save money?

I truly hope that you have found this to be helpful. I am having a blast saving money and I sure hope that you will give it a shot…it’s so worth it.

Love to all,

Well friends, it’s been 4 months since beginning my trek through the ditches of Weight Watchers. I’m not gonna lie, this past month has been really tough.

I know on my last update I was all, “Wow WW is easy peasy delicious! Everyone in the whole wide world should do it.” And then, October happened with all its candy glory.

For a candy addict like myself, October and WW do not mix well. So, I kind of fell off the wagon so to speak. In fact, I fell into a pool of Milky Way, Twix and Snickers bars. Honestly, it was kind of awesome.

But now, all good things must come to an end and I’m back together with WW.

So now, after 4 months I’ve lost 31.6 pounds. Hooray!

I’m only a few pounds from my pre-baby weight and I’m hoping that I’ll exceed my goal and lose at least 10 more pounds by Christmas. We shall see…I can already smell the Christmas fudge cooking (which is never a good thing for the ole waistline).

How are you guys doing? Any reports on your adventures with WW? Recipes???

As I shopped, I had my handy dandy calculator out figuring how much my haul would be at full retail value. As I put my final item in the cart the total was $405.13.

Holy smokes.

Being as how we’re a one income family now, we simply do not have $405.13 for a weeks worth of groceries. So, I immediately began sweating.

Because, friends, I’m a sweater.

Always have been.

As I pushed my cart up to the front of the store I scanned the cashiers. I have a few favorites, but I didn’t see them.  You see, choosing the right cashier is an important detail in the saving process. Choose the wrong one (like I did last week) and it’s rough.  I like middle aged women. They are my favorite.

Aha! Melissa just came up to a register to begin her shift. Praise the Lord. Melissa is one of my favorites.

When it was my turn, I looked and her shyly and said, “Hey! It’s me again, your favorite!” She didn’t roll her eyes on the outside, but I’m pretty sure that I’m her least favorite customer of all time, as it takes me FOREVER to check out. I told her that even though she didn’t love me the way that I love her, I will still always choose her if given the choice. Somehow I’m pretty sure that she didn’t appreciate my sentiments.

Anyway, I had my list ready and as she picked up the first item I said, “You know that every single item is going to be a price match. We may be here for awhile.”

You see, as I said before, Wal-Mart price matches. This is a wonderful gift.

When you price match and use coupons, it can be a serious home run if you play your cards right.

For example, here are some of my items from my haul…

20 Tubes of Aquafresh Whitening Toothpaste- They paid me $.04 per tube!

20 Oral B Toothbrushes-FREE

12 Colgate 360 Toothbrushes- FREE

10 Smart Ones- $.95 each

3 Packs of Scott Paper Towels (6 pack)- $3.00 each

20 Boxes of Whole Wheat Pasta- FREE

66 Packs of gum- FREE

3 bottles of Masterpiece BBQ Sauce- $.89 Each

2 jars of pasta sauce- FREE

5 boxes of Finish tablets for dishwashers- $1.99 EACH

2 bottles of Finish Rinse Agent- $2.49 EACH

9 bags of Halloween Candy- $1 EACH

With price matching and coupons I paid $71.25 (which included over $9 in tax) for over $400 worth of stuff! That’s a savings of over 80%!

Let me say, for the record, that I am a novice. There are tons of people who are much better, and much more organized than me. I use several sites to help me. Here are a few…Coupon Katie, Couponing to Be Debt Free, The Krazy Koupon Lady, and Money Saving Mom.

Even though I’m very new to this couponing game, I will share my strategy and hopefully you’ll be inspired to give it a whirl. Why not? Don’t we all like to save money?

First things first: Buy a Sunday Paper. Pull out the inserts and start clipping those coupons! Also, look online for coupons! About 25% of my coupons come from online sources like Coupons.com, Smartsource, Red Plum, and others promotions (like Facebook offers).

Second: Buy some kind of 3 ring binder. I have one with lots of pockets. Some may call it a trapperkeeper, like we did in 7th grade.

Third: Buy baseball card clear organizers. I ordered mine on Amazon.

Fourth: Find a way to organize that works for you. I am not the most organized gal. I’m totally OCD about things being clean: but organized? Not so much. There are tons of resources online for how to organize your binder, I simply organize by month. It’s the easiest way for me. I’m sure that my binder would give Type A personalities a heart attack (as would my closet).

Fifth: Look at the sales ads. If Rite Aid has Herbal Essence Shampoo on sale this week for $1.99 (they do), then look for a coupon to match (in the 10/31 Sunday paper there was a $1 off coupon). You can go to Rite Aid and get it for $.99 or go to Wal-Mart and price match.

Sixth: Strategize. Are you looking to save a little and plan your meals out? Or bulid a stock pile? Or only coupon for free stuff?  To be honest with you, when I started couponing I jumped in head first with no real strategy (shocking, I know), which for me, worked great. I’m not so much of a planner, so pulling from the pantry/stockpile every day for meals works for me. But again, if you’re a planner, you can simply plan your meals based on the sales ads and coupons. For example, my family loves “NuNu Nights” for supper. Translation: Pasta with tomato sauce and meat (sometimes I do chicken breast and sometimes I do ground turkey).  It’s a simple  and easy meal. So, I know that I will use them. When I saw the  whole wheat noodles on sale for $.99 a box (normally $1.64) I ordered 20 coupons for $1 off from ebay for $1.50. So basically, I paid $1.50 for 20 boxes of pasta and I will use them for a healthy meal for my family. So, technically, I don’t meal plan, but I only buy and stockpile what I will use. I am not going to get 100 boxes of processed food just because I can get it free, because we won’t eat it. Another example, soup is on sale this week for $.49 a can at Kroger (normally $1.29). I have accumulated several coupons over the past few weeks for soup, so I’m going to get 20 cans for $6.10. I know that I’ll use them, so why not take advantage of such a great deal?

Seventh: Make a list. Again, make a list that works for you. I just write it all out on a piece of paper (because I’m old school). I put my list into categories: Health/Beauty, Food and Cleaning Products. This helps when navigating the store. I write down the quantity, the product name, where the price match comes from, the matched price and then my final cost (after match and coupon). Side Note: Wal-Mart does not require you to bring ads to prove your match, however, if you’re getting something for more than 50% off the Wal-Mart price they will ask to see the ad.

Eighth: Be confident. Couponing requires concentration and attention to detail (which is a real struggle for me), but you CAN do it. Start small and build up. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Ninth: Be kind. Your cashier may not be familiar with all the policies and that’s OK. I have found that having the coupon policies handy, helps everyone.

Tenth: Celebrate! Whether you save 10% or 90% you’re saving something!!!

So there you go! As I’ve said, I’m new at this and would love to share stories and lean on each other for help and pointers!  Now, go SAVE!

PS: One more pointer: GO ALONE. Taking kiddos would be a terrible idea.

Love to all,

And the Winner is….Melani Moore!!! Congrats Melani!!!! I hope you LOVE you babylegs from Tater ‘N Sass. I just got my Bitzy a pair and they are precious:).

Thanks again to Amy at Tater ‘N Sass for the giveaway!

Do you ever see baby stuff that you want to wear? I know I sure do.

I mean, why doesn’t Target make the little baby owl hats for mommies? Why only the babies?

Do you think it would be weird if I started wearing baby legs, even though I have Mama legs? Probably. I think they called ‘em leg warmers back in the 80′s.

I did have a Barbie who sported some pretty smokin’ hot leg warmers.

Well since I’m weird enough sans baby legs, I think I’ll leave it to my littles and my old and faithful Barbie to sport the sweetest little leggings ever.

Amy, a precious gal that I went to college with has generously offered to give away a pair of her homemade babylegs to one lucky reader!  Below you’ll see 2 different examples, but if you go to her Etsy Store you’ll see more samples! If you’re the lucky winner you can let Amy know what color/style and size you need for your little Barbie!

They’re great for little kiddos who are learning to crawl to protect their little knees, they’re great for potty training and diaper changes so you don’t have to remove tights, and quite honestly, just look super cute.  Amy’s Etsy store is called Tater ‘n Sass. Sweet huh?

Leaving a comment on this post is all you have to do to enter! Of course, for those over achievers, you can gain one extra entry by “liking” Tater ‘n Sass on Facebook! Please just remember to leave me an extra comment telling me that you “liked” it.

This giveaway closes at 10:00pm EST Tuesday, November 1st. The winner will be announced the next day.

Good luck!

Disclosure: Tater n’ Sass has provided this giveaway today.

Love to all,

For as long as I can remember I have been a deal hunter. I am physically incapable of paying shipping for anything and heaven forbid I pay full retail for a piece of clothing. I just can’t do it. I am forever using coupon codes, getting cash back, and searching online for deals.

While I have mastered the art of online shopping, I hadn’t delved into the game of couponing…until along came a little show I like to call, Crazy Couponers. Sure, it’s really called, “Extreme Couponers,” but let’s face it, they’re all nutjobs.

While they are crazycakes to be sure, they are smart and savvy and I wanna be just like them.

So, I began slowly clipping coupons here and there, nothing serious. I wasn’t fully committed.

Then, along came the notebook.

You know the one. Like the one you had for senior English class.

That one.

When I opened up that notebook and gazed into the beautiful zippers and rings, I was smitten.

Then, I bought a new pair of scissors.

And then, I happened upon a document that would forever change my life forever.

The Wal-Mart coupon policy.

As we know, I am small town girl who now who frequents “The Wal-Mart.” So, this policy was very interesting to the likes of me.

The policy states that they will take competitors ads in addition to coupons.

What does this mean, you ask?

It means that if Walgreens has eyeshadow on sale for $2.99 and at Wal-Mart it’s $3.99, you simply tell your cashier at Wal-Mart that Walgreens beat their price and you get it for $2.99.

Then, if you couple that $2.99 with a coupon for $1.00 off, guess what? You’ll pay $1.99 rather than $3.99.

Easy peasy.

I’m still just a novice. I’ve only been at this for a few weeks and I am no where, and I mean NO WHERE near an expert, but I am thrilled to report that tonight I bought $129.88 worth of groceries and only paid $49.11!!!!

The best part? It’s stuff we actually use!!!

Here’s the haul-

Several of these items were free or more than half off!!!

Things like Gala Apples, Grapes, Diapers, toothpaste, paper towels, pasta, dishwasher tablets, salad dressing, dish soap, ketchup, the list goes on and on.

Last week I caught amazing deals on clearance meat (you have to use or freeze it within two days of buying it) and saved $50 on meat alone.

That said, I’m totally addicted. I am pretty sure that the days of running into the store to “pick up a few things” that resulted in a $75 trip are way over.

Happily over.

I figure that if companies want to give me their deeply discounted or free items I can spend the 2 hours it takes to plan my attack. Right?

But no worries, I have no plans to be on the TLC show…YET.

Love to all,

As you know, I’m a die hard fan of Milky Way.

The marriage of carmel and chocolate is one of miracles.

I do not particularly care for carmel by itself, but layered between chocolate, I’m smitten.

Side note: since I’m now a small town gal and frequent “The Wal-Mart” I simply must get my chocolate fix every single time I go through the check out. But not just the regular one…the king size (because apparently the normal size just doesn’t cut it). That’s right. A king size. I’m woman enough to admit it.

I have no regrets.

But today, as I looked at the brown and green packaging of my kind lover Milky Way, a shiny gold package began calling my name. “Molly, Molly. Remember me from 7th grade? We had a brief, but significant love affair. Try me again. I will not disappoint.”

Twix.

Ah, Twix. It’s true. In 7th grade I gave up eating all together except for Twix.

You see, my affair with sugar goes way back.

But I digress.

So, as I’m being taunted by the pristine gold packaging I look back at my old pal in the brown and boring wrapper. “Can I really cheat on you like that little buddy? You are my faithful friend.” Then, evitabilty the justification begins. “But it’s just this once. It doesn’t mean anything. No one ever has to know.”

And then, I did the unthinkable.

I bought the Twix.

My hands tremble as I admit it.

As I was pulling out of my parking spot and trying not to hit the meth addict that was entering “The Wal-Mart” I ripped open the package with the reckless abandon of a 7th grader.

Suddenly my heart began singing like it was 1992. And right then and there I knew that it was time to break up with Milky Way.

My heart belonged to Twix all along.

So, I sang “The End of the Road” to Milky Way and then married Twix. “I’ll never leave you again love. Never.”

Is this making you hungry friends?  How about a musical snack?

You’re welcome.

Do you have any candy love affairs that you’d like to speak of. Don’t be shy. I mean, I just admitted to the interwebs that I eat a King Size candy bar at least once a week. Who does that??? Oh wait, me! I’m so lame.

Bitzy LOVES apples!

Well friends, it’s been a whole month since I got back together with my old beau, WW.

Our affairs have been intense in the past and the reunion tour I’m currently on is no exception.

You see, Weight Watchers is the perfect match for the likes of me.

What other diet program gives you the option of eating sugar all the live long day?  I love having that option, it keeps my sugar addiction intact.

Here’s the skinny.

In 4 weeks I’ve lost 11 pounds.

However, I feel like a cheater.

I get 20,490 points a day because I’m breastfeeding exclusively. I mean, that’s a lot of points. And since I value all things sugar over anything else, I’ve been eating a lot (like a lot, a lot) of sugar.

The secret to eating tons of junk food and still losing weight is simply staying within your points. It’s not brain surgery.

You see, WW tried to get all sneaky and change the points system so that you were forced to eat healthier.

Pu-lease WW. I ain’t no dummy.

Sugar always wins.

Always.

A life without Milky Way is no life at all.

So there you have it. WW is working yet again.

I am a life long believer in the powers of WW.

Today I tried on my “fat” jeans and they fit! Obviously, my goal is to fit into my “normal” size jeans and hopefully my “skinny” jeans (not to be confused with actual skinny jeans. Not my style folks, nope not at all) will eventually fit again soon enough.

So progress is certainly being made! More updates to come sooner than later.

Anyone else out there in cyberspace losing weight/wants to lose/loves sugar?

Anyone? Am I all alone in the world of WW?

Do tell!

1. If this little dude inside of my belly will hold on I will deliver him in 16 days (not that I’m counting or anything).

2. 16 days, as in, 2 weeks. Holy Smokes.

3. This is good news and bad news, because of course, life ain’t always a bowl of cherries. Good news? I’ll have a swishy new bundle of love in my arms. Bad news? No more Banana Pudding Milkshakes from Chick-Fila. I’m told that all good things must come to an end. Such a bummer. I love them with a love that will never die.

4. It seems that April showers haven’t brought May flowers because it continues to rain every second of every day. I’m OVER IT. Ya hear me Lord? Please, pretty please with sugar on top no more rain until at least June.

5. Bitzy gets funnier every day. It’s true. As her speech improves her “funny factor” triples. The kid is funny…but then again, I’m a pretty easy laugh. So maybe it’s all in my head.

6. I hate when people say, “Trust Me.” Like at the end of the last sentence if I said, “she’s really funny, trust me.” I just find it insulting for some reason. Or if they say, “You wouldn’t understand.” That annoys me too. Maybe I would, how could you know?

7. It is possible that I’m a little moody in this large pregnant body.

8. Back to the milkshakes. How in the world do they combine nilla wafers, bananas and ice cream without making it all mushy and gross? Surely they don’t use fresh wafers and bananas? Or do they? I need answers people. Any experts on Banana Pudding Milkshakes out there in the blogosphere?

9. I will admit that this child in my belly has taken it easy on me and didn’t make me vomit for months (as his sister did) and hasn’t made me swell up like a balloon (ahem, as his sister did), and hasn’t made me totally and completely miserable for last 9 months (ahem, ahem, as his SISTER did), however, he is not totally innocent. Oh no. I am convinced that he is huge. And even if he’s not huge he is stronger than an ox. How do I know this? Well, because he has me in constant pain, that’s why. For those of you who are not currently preggers (and for those who are I’m sure that you can relate), it isn’t exactly comfortable to have a tiny person’s feet in your ribcage and then his head pounding your privates simultaneously. In fact, it’s quite painful.

10. Just one more question about the milkshakes…could I make them at home? Perhaps a low(er) fat version? I’m sure that my feeble attempts could never compare to the real deal, but a girl can hope, right?

Me to Zach: “I really need to write a blog, but I’m just so tired. I can’t do it.”

Zach: “You should write a blog about how you’re too tired to write a blog.”

So there you have it. Here I am, whining about how tired I am. Original isn’t?

It’s true folks, I’m a pooped puppy.

I know that the whole wide world is tired and there are starving children, so really, what do I have to complain about?

I like to consider it whining more than complaining though. There is a difference ya know.

Me and my dear friend Julie. We’re due only a week apart! Crazy isn’t?

So anyway…I’m now 34 weeks preggers and feeling every bit of it. Up until this point I have honestly felt great, like surprisingly great. I have had the energy to chase after my Bitzy, clean house during nap times, work 2 days a week, cook every night and not be a total zombie in the evenings. I have been shocked at my energy levels…but friends, times they are a’changing.

Almost overnight I have been slapped silly with exhaustion.

Not to mention that I’m bigger than Mount Olympus. It’s true, I’m a large lady.

At my 32 week ultrasound they estimated that our new little Buddy was already 5 pounds. That’s scary folks.

Bitzy was 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches long at birth and she was 10 days late…it’s looking like little buddy may blow that outta the water.

I know that some of you probably had 10 pounders, (God bless you every one)…but I’m telling you, pushing an 8.5 pounder out of my body for 3 hours wasn’t my favorite experience ever.

All that to say, in addition to the Banana Pudding Milkshakes that I’m wearing on both of my thighs I have a huge baby that is encompassing my belly.

So excuse me for being a blogging slacker…right now my main priority is taking care of my little family without totally passing out.

Love to all,

1. The other day I ate 12 miniature peppermint patties in 1 minute. That’s right. There was no timer or contest, it was just me eating them ravenously. I don’t regret it. In fact, I’m kind of impressed with myself.

2. Also? I love Samoas guts. Like, really love ‘em. There is no limit to how many I could eat. While I have no record (yet), I love them with my whole heart. Thank you Girl Scouts, thank you.

3. Oh, and I love this too. That’s right. It’s my new bath tub! Every time I look at it, “Hello Lover” pops out of my mouth. Historically I’m not really into taking baths, I’m much more of a shower kind of girl…but with this beauty, times, they are a’changin’.

4. Also, I’m bigger than a barn. It’s true. I stood beside a barn today and practically swallowed it. It’s a real situation. My doctor assures me that I’m measuring “right on”…but I know he’s lying. If I’m having twins and he’s not telling me I’m gonna be real upset.

5. Speaking of twins, praise the Lord that no one has asked me (yet) if I’m growing two tiny humans in my womb. I think I may just burst into tears if they did. But we should get the tissues ready, because it’s inevitable. Some idiot will ask me and I’ll have to blush and say, “no, just the one” and then I will verbally abuse them in my head for the next 50 years of my life.

6. The other day I had a thought about what I was really good at. Ya know, like really good at…and NO LIE, three things popped into my head. 1.) Being a wife. 2.) Being a mommy and 3.) Being the best dang chubby bunny competitor on the planet. The fact that I am positive that I could beat anyone, anywhere, in a chubby bunny competition is a bit disturbing to even me. Do I need counseling?

7. I love my new house. LOVE IT.

8. Do all mamas think that their child is the cutest kid in the whole wide world? If not, I’m in trouble…my Bitzy just keeps getting cuter every day (even if she hates having her picture taken!).

9. I’m 31 weeks pregnant in case you’re counting. Not that I am or anything.

10. And finally, in an effort to covet things that I cannot afford I want to share this beautiful patio table with you, click here. Also, I want these chairs too (while we’re daydreaming of course).  I dare say that even if I were a bazillionaire I would feel weird about spending $900 on an outdoor table and $399 PER CHAIR, that my puppies could/would destroy. So since I’m NOT a bazillionaire I think I’m going with this patio furniture instead. Good and inexpensive, just the way I like it.

Love to all! Have a happy day!~

PS: Like my little stories? I would really appreciate it if you’d vote for me here and here.

We have well established that I love food.

Particularly food of the sugary sort to be sure, but I am, forever and always, a food lover.

Sure, I’m frequently a weirdo about various food items, but overall, I love food and food loves me (and my ever expanding 6 months pregnant hips).

However, I am a bit of a weirdo about red meat. I L-O-V-E steak, but hamburger meat totally weirds me out. Remember the spaghetti little story? Read about it here.

I simply cannot bear it when red meat is in tacos. Homemade, store bought, fast food, you name it, it grosses me out to no end. It’s just so….wet. And greasy. And mysterious.

Just Saturday during our moving shenanigans (yes, you will get pictures, just let me find that pesky camera cord), Zach was eating a taco from Taco Bell. He asked if I wanted a bite and THANK THE LORD I checked to make sure it was chicken. When I realized it was mystery beef, I strongly declined.

Then, today I read this article…

Hold the phone Batman. I just threw up in my freaking mouth.

Here are the ingredients in Taco Bell’s “Meat”:

Water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

Ummm…I am no health nut. In fact, I’m pretty sure that my body is made of 45% chocolate.  But I’ll take it any day over “isolated oat product“.

What in the heck is that anyway?

Needless to say, I’m holding steady to my refusal to eat ground beef of any variety.

I mean, it that not disguisting????

I have not forsaken you my dear readers. Promise.

I’ve got a healthy mix of exhaustion, writers block and being a busy bee.

I’ve got 11, yes 11, half written drafts sitting in my blog queue. So, you’ve got lots-o-fun coming your way.

But for now, I have a few tidbits for you…

Some of you will receive one of this priceless works of art in your mailbox!!! Yay!

Get ready for my sweethearts.

In other news, my Bitzy slept for an hour and forty-five minutes today in her crib for her first nap!!!! I couldn’t believe it!!! So, then during the time of her second nap she walked around, whined, played and hung over the side of the crib for a solid hour. It’s like her body doesn’t know how to deal with a really good nap. So after her skipping her second nap she’ll be ready for bed at 5:00pm. It should be interesting around here this afternoon trying to stretch it out to at least 6:00pm.

Also, in case you were wondering, all maternity clothes are terrible and it’s starting to make me really annoyed. Just because I’m preggers doesn’t mean that I’m blind! I can see the terrible clothes on the racks! So the other night I was having a melt down about ugly maternity clothes and Zach says, “You should be a clothes designer!  Maybe that’s your calling!” To this I had visions of being the next Calvin Kline and then I remembered that I can’t sew or draw, so I suppose being a designer is out of the question.

Also? If you’re obsessed with spinal cord injuries and pregnancy, search no further, there’s a show on TLC called “Paralyzed and Pregnant with Twins.” It’s a Christmas miracle.

And finally, if you’re wondering if it’s possible to eat an entire pan of Rice Krispy Treats in one sitting, let me clear it up for you, YES! It’s quite easy actually.

Did you know that you can get a 1/4 caffeinated beverage? You totally can at your local Starbucks. So, since being preggers if I’m extra tired in the morning I do a little drive- by and get a (tighten your seat belts, it’s intense), a “Tall, Quarter Caff, Non-fat, No whip Peppermint Mocha with no chocolate shaving. Please.”  Isn’t that fabulous?!  The rub? This morning I’m innocently drinking it and I begin to feel nauseated and dizzy, very much like a felt with my Bitzy for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.  If we could all say a little prayer together that this weird sicky feeling was a fluke that would be wonderful. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and peppermint mocha’s are very much a part of that!

I suppose this isn’t a confession, but still, it’s news. My laptop bag of many years tragically ripped last week and I had to get a new one. Check this beauty out…I love it! The brand is Kailo Chic if you’re in the market for a new bag.

You’re never gonna believe this in a billion years. The past few weeks I have truly outdone myself with the candy consumption. I have truly been impressed with my resilience and fortitude in putting some serious candy away. Not to mention all the other junk. Cheeseburgers, pizza, ya know, crap. It’s like I was in a prison with Weight Watchers and now I am wild animal out of my cage searching for all the Partially Hydrogenated Oil I can find. And boy have I found it. But then on Saturday something happened, all I wanted was salad and fruit. It was like my little baby said, “OK Mama, you’ve had your hay day, now feed some something green.”  So I have. I have eaten better than ever the past few days and I’m feeling much better. Sometimes you’ve just gotta have a junk food binge. Right? Can I get a witness?

I murdered 4 crawdads (or crickets, whatever) yesterday and I feel absolutely no remorse. I do not understand why they continue coming into our house. I mean, it’s winter. Don’t animals die or hibernate or something in the winter? Ah, so freaking annoying. As long as they come, I will continue to murder. Be warned crawdads, be warned.

The other night, around 10:00 or so, Zach and I were watching something lame on TV and I got struck by Magical Christmas Lightening. It’s true. In a flash, Christmas spirit flooded my body and I just HAD to decorate right then. You know the feeling? When you just cannot live another minute without the twinkle of white lights sparkling in your home?  So, of course I sit up and say “We’ve gotta decorate for Christmas! It’s almost Thanksgiving!” Here’s the rest of our “chat.”

Zach: “Forget it, it’s too late. Can you relax for once?”

Me: “Never. We’ve gotta decorate. I will totally explode if we don’t decorate right now.”

Zach: “We don’t have a tree and won’t for weeks, let’s just wait.”

Me: “If you don’t help me, I’ll get up in the middle of the night and do it myself.”

Zach: “You wouldn’t.”

Me. “I would buddy. I so would.”

Zach: “Fine, I’ll get it all out for you, but then, you’re on your own.”

Me: “Except for hanging the garlands, right? You’re so good at hanging garlands (are you picking up my game here ladies?).

Zach: “Fine. Garlands and that’s it. Sometimes you drive me crazy.”

Me: “You mean, in charming, fabulous way?”

Zach: “Um, yeah, something like that.”

And then, we began the Christmas decorating of 2010. And it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself.

In other news, my sweet Bitzy has really stepped her “pretend play” lately. Love doesn’t describe how much I love playing pretend. We play tea party, nap-time (we put all of our babies and stuffed animals under a blanket and kiss them all) and then we play kitchen. I had no idea that the awesomeness of pretend would come so early. At only 13 months (today!) she’s a regular imagination station. Best.Time.Ever.

Daisy and Lily have been on “vacation” at their grandparents house. They’ve been home for 2 days straight and haven’t driven me crazy (yet). It’s a record. Maybe we’re all on the road to recovery.

Do you have any confessions for me? Do tell my peeps.

I’ve never given you precious people a recipe in one of my little stories. Why? Well, mainly because I abhor following directions. It makes me itchy. I normally just “throw a little of this and a little of that” into my domestic creations.

And ya know what? It works.

I don’t think I’ve ever made anything that wasn’t at least edible:).

Zach loves my cooking and I sorta do too, if we’re being honest. So, who needs recipes?

Well, apparently there are some of you who do actually follow directions and perhaps would enjoy some new ideas this year for Thanksgiving!

That said, in honor of Thanksgiving, here are the recipes that I am semi-following on Thanksgiving.

I’m in charge of dressing and desserts. Both very, very, very important menu items.

So, here ya go:

This recipe is from my step-mom, Melissa. It is divine and totally different than most boring versions of an old time favorite. It’s easy too…Easy and delicious: one of my favorite combos.

Melissa’s Best Dressing

1-14 oz Pepperidge Farm Dressing Mix

2 cups of chicken or turkey broth

1 stick Butter melted

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 small can chicken chunks

1 can chopped water chestnuts

Salt and pepper

Mix together and spread into a pan. 8×10 pan or 2 qt dish – Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes – until brown around edges. (If you like nuts, add some pecans)

Now for desserts. As we all know, I take my sugar very seriously. I refuse to skimp on yumminess due to level of difficulty. However, this particular desserts is heavenly and SO EASY. I even prefer this dessert to pumpkin pie. It’s true. I cannot lie.

Molly’s Pumpkin Yummy

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice. Mix well, and pour into a 9×13 inch pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top, then drizzle with melted butter. Top with walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Martha Stewarts Super-Fudgy Brownies

I made these this past Easter when my mother in law had had tons of dental work done and needed very soft foods to munch on. She loved them so much that she put the leftovers in the freezer and cut off a small piece every day. You know a dessert is good when you have to ration it.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add sugar; mix to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

And Now. The Crowing Glory of Thanksgiving Feasts Everywhere…

Paula Deen’s Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding

I’m not sure if I have adequately expressed my deep and passionate love for banana pudding. I could eat an entire pan/bowl of it. No really. I LOVE it. But this banana pudding…ah, it’s heavenly. It’s basically a heart attack in a bowl, but so what, who cares!

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies

6-8 Bananas

2 Cups of Milk

1 (5 oz.) box of instant French Vanilla Pudding

1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese, soft

1 (14 oz.) package of sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

So there you have it!!!  Let me know if you try any of these and we’ll compare notes!!!

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