Tag: coupons

Chronicles of a SAHM, Lupus, Saving Money

Lupus said “Chill”

Sonja Hollis

So, I had every intention on blogging Saturday but I had a lupus flare and it completely zapped my energy.  After grocery shopping and hanging out with my sisters,  I was supposed to come home and brag about how much I saved at the store, but I crashed and burned.  I think I was asleep before my head touched the pillow.  I had that “I’m so angry that if I don’t go to bed NOW, somebody is going to get hurt” type of sleepiness.

Then, at 2:30am, I woke up in pain in my side, in my back and I had a migraine. I didn’t even get sleepy until a half hour before I had to take my daughter to swim class – ten hours later. I couldn’t take any meds because they just make me sleepy or woozy and I never like feeling like that.  Sure, my body would’ve felt better, but it’s like walking in a fog. I decided to just drink some coffee.  LOL Yes, I have tea and I know that would’ve been a better choice, but I have a serious coffee addiction.  Thankfully, it doesn’t keep me awake. It totally relaxes me.

Having said all of that, I didn’t save a lot of money. I did okay, but I recognize that I needed more help with couponing.  I’ve signed up to a few of the Facebook couponing groups to get tips and tricks.  I’ll go tomorrow to see how well I do on buying school supplies at Target using their ideas.  Either I need more coupons or I need to make a list and travel to different stores instead of getting everything at one.  I did end up going to Kroger to get my free eggs and free Ragu pasta sauce using the coupons they sent me though.  Love those!   Here are my savings: IMG-6003.JPG

I’ll post my savings from Target tomorrow – God willing. Good night!

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Chronicles of a SAHM, organization, Saving Money

Saving Money…by any means necessary!

Sonja Hollis

Today, I woke up on a mission to save more money.  I’ve already been clipping coupons, using my store rewards and shopping apps. So, I decided to go to the website of some of my favorite brands, such as Snuggle, Ziploc, Proctor & Gamble and Kelloggs to see if they have any additional savings.  I recognized that I spend more money on these brands than anything else.

What I found were pretty good coupons on Kelloggs (plus points),  P&G and Ziploc – very nice!! I didn’t find any coupons on Snuggle, but I did join the Snuggle Bear Den, so hopefully they will send some soon! It’s also really convenient to be able to link my store cards so that the savings go right onto the rewards.  I don’t have to fumble through so many coupons when I’m shopping when I’m able to do that.

I’ll post my total savings tomorrow!! Here are the links:  www.ziploc.com www.pgeveryday.com, www.snuggle.com, and www.kelloggsfamilyreward.com

Chronicles of a SAHM, Journaling, organization, Saving Money

Stay-at-Home-Mom (SAHM) Stuff

Sonja Hollis

So… my husband purchased a “Life & Apples” growth planner and I’ve decided that today would be the day to start logging in my affirmations, tasks and goals for my life.   I actually started brainstorming and writing small notes a week prior so that when I opened my planner, I would be ready…hopefully.

What I soon realized however, is that what I thought were just small, attainable goals actually required many steps to achieve.  For example, under the “Career and Finances” category – I wrote that I wanted to stop using my credit cards as much as I have been in the last three months.  To do that, requires me to cut down on spending.  Therefore, I checked my bank and credit card accounts to see where the bulk of my spending was and it was *insert drum roll* grocery shopping.  Ridiculous!  I used to coupon and check the weekly ads for sales, but I’d stopped that and just started shopping every week all willy nilly. (It doesn’t help that I live within five miles of Target, two Meijer stores, Walmart and Kroger) – so my spending has definitely increased.  I realized that I would have to become more organized with my shopping lists and spending habits.

I started by writing down and numbering every meal that I like to make for the family complete with sides. I wrote down the corresponding numbers to days of the week.

Monday – #1 – Meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Tuesday – #5 – Tacos, etc…

Then, I wrote down all the necessary ingredients that I would need for each meal.

On a separate sheet of paper, I began writing down the items that I didn’t have available in my fridge or pantry and I started clipping coupons.  I then went to my Ibotta app and my Checkout 51 app to see what would be eligible for rebates later and wrote that down.    My next step was to go to each store’s website to see what was on sale, clip my rewards and go shopping.  I decided on Meijer for this shopping trip. (I also use the Shopkick app while in the store which is why I can’t shop with my kids – I need to concentrate). It seems like a lot of work but gets easier over time.   I ended up saving over $50 – with an additional $7.50 in eligible rebates!

IMG-5958

At least now I can start the week off with savings!  I knocked off a couple of tasks in pursuit of the goal of cutting down on my spending and that felt great.  I’m also going to look around to find out other ways to save today.

I think this planner is the way to go!  I can look at my goals at the beginning of the week and see much I’ve achieved at the end.  I just have to be consistent…in everything.  Wish me luck!