triples, fall decor

as you can see...i did another triples run. this one was really only meant for a few things - and, i didn't end up with nearly as good of a savings percentage as the first round, but i was happy with it nonetheless! i actually did a 3rd round - one quick trip to bloom, but i only bought 3 or 4 triples items, the rest of the trip was intended to be meat & produce for the week. so, it ended up being our usual $60 trip. here's the deals on the above....

Texas Toast Garlic Bread $2.99, $0.85 oop
Scott 4 pack Toilet Paper $4.15, $1.99 oop
Betty Crocker Warm Delights (2 of them) $1.95ea, $0.38 for both ($.19ea)
Ziploc Quart Zipper Bags $3.25, $1.00 oop
Renuzit Pearl Scents Air Freshener $3.79, $1.14 oop
Spray 'n Wash Max $2.95, $0.70 oop
Shout Liquid Stain Remover $3.15, $0.90 oop
Dawn Original Dish Soap $1.65, $0.90 oop
Jet Dry Liquid Rinse $4.75, $1.17 oop
Arnold 100% Natural Bread $2.79, $0.54 oop
Soft Scrub Deep Clean Foaming Spray $3.35, $1.49 oop
Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies $3.65, $2.15 oop
Comet Long Grain Rice $2.69, $1.04 oop

Total Retail: $41.11
Total oop: $14.25

so, during triples we bought $100 worth of groceries & cleaning products, and spent about $32. i'm happy with that! now i'm happy to relax for about a month til the next triples comes around. it gets really tiring!

this weekend was really nice. friday the sabres won their home opener (WHOO HOO!). we got a pizza from taste of buffalo to celebrate. i tried really really hard to stay awake through the whole thing, but crazy hyper-active baby was having none of that. i made it through the 1st period, and half of the second before i passed out. but, husband woke me up for the shootout and i watched us win. YAY sabres!!
saturday morning husband & i finished up the puzzle we've been working on all week. it was a hard one! 5 trees whose pieces all looked the same. water pieces that were virtually impossible to tell apart, about a million rocks. we've only had 1 puzzle in the past that's defeated us - it sat out on our kitchen table for 3 weeks before we were sick of looking at it and put it away. for a while i thought this one might be #2, but we pulled it off. yes, we are dorky...and this is the kind of thing we do together. puzzles, crosswords, sudoku.

husband said something cute during our puzzle-ing. he was like "last night when i was trying to hold you, i had my hand on your belly and the baby was kicking so much it kept waking me up every 2 minutes. how do you sleep through the night with that?!". so cute. i love that he can realize what some of the challenges are. honestly though, i'm always SO tired at night, and i'm just SO used to him moving 24/7 at this point - that i sleep right through it. unless....he's kicking my bladder, or right behind my belly button - because both hurt.

after the puzzle, we did some shopping. we went to birkdale for starters so i could get some wallflower refills. i ended up with a set of pumpkin, spiced cider, and creamy nutmeg. all fall-y and yummy. after that we went to kirklands, and i got the cute little sign you see above (that's found it's home ontop of the tv). it was only $7! or...$8? either way, you'd pay like $20 for something like that from target. anyway, we walked around a bit more, checked out a little baby boutique (and husband actually gets excited to look in those places now!), and then set out for home depot. we were in search of shelving for the garage to get it cleaned up in there, and we bumped into one of the owners from my work. he was getting shelving for his closets. we ended up finding two $25 shelves, plus a huge orange mum for $6 - and only paid $25 for all of it because of an old gift card we had. not bad.

finally we stopped at the ATM, and then a little corner produce stand down the street from our house. we were the only ones there, and we both love fall so much - we went a little overboard with what we got. 2 good sized pumpkins for us, a pie pumpkin for odin (we debated over getting another for goopy, but decided it would be more fun to get his first pumpkin once he was outside of the womb), and a handful of mini pumpkins. aand then we got 2 small yellow mums, a hay bale, a bunch of indian corn, and some homegrown tomatoes. we almost topped it all off with a corn stalk, but decided against it mostly because of room in the car. however...i think we may be going back to get one to put behind the display we created on the porch. i suggested getting a scarecrow (they have adorable ones right now at michael's for only $6!), but husband said they look too much like clowns and he hates clowns lol.

i love the way the porch looks now. with our little display, and my little scarecrow man wreath, and the welcome mat, and the orange lights. cuuuute. just out of frame to the left is our flag, which right now is a sabres flag (whoo go buffalo!), and on sundays is our bills flag. but...i'd really like to get a fall one to tie it all in. we'll see.

later that night we decided to go out for dinner. it was really cool out, and i just felt like being out in the nice weather. i made a stop at michael's to check out their discounted fall fake foliage (ha) and got a few things. which, i decorated my mantel with.

while we were out during that trip, an employee asked me how far along i was. i told her 6 months, and she says, "and you're still wearing heels? damn, you go girl, do your thing!" (thing sounding more like thaaang). you know - that's the 3rd or 4th time i've heard that! i think it's a sweet compliment, don't get me wrong, but i'm not exactly stomping around in stilettos. i just happen to have a little heel on my fall/winter boots. and so far i haven't lost any balance, nor have i started to "waddle", so i haven't really seen the problem in wearing them. i guess that's one victory i have this pregnancy!

i cheese-ified my kitchen window. more mini pumpkins, and window stickies! remember me wondering where all the window stickies of the world went? my lovely friend shmoe sent some in her package. the funny thing is - they were made in charlotte. so they were shipped up there, where she purchased them, and shipped them back to me. yet....i can't find any here! also, it's kind of hard to see because of the reflection of my fridge in the window...but the trees in my backyard are starting to turn and it looks so pretty!


my halloween note pad made it to the fridge recently. i'm totally dorky and have one for every single season. that's last week's menu on it.....which reminds me, it's menu planning monday....iii should do that.

monday:
tuesday:
wednesday:
thursday:
friday:

yeah....i'll fill that in later as my mind catches up with me. it's still way-too-early on monday morning to be doing things like, thinking! and with that...i will shut up now, because i've given you far too much boringness for one day :)

ps - the high today is 87, and tomorrow is 89! what the heck!!! we've been steady in the 70s and i've been LOVING it! i don't want this heat crap. luckily, mother nature is making up for it this weekend with 60s and rain, whoo hoo!

yay for triples!

warning: i'm about to bore you with couponing babble :)

guess how much that lovely collection of yummies cost me. go on, guess. it's a pretty good load of stuff, right? i mean....i didn't even compare to some of the ladies i saw with absolute mountains of stuff in their carts. i have no idea how they work that out - especially with the 20 coupon limit rule. but i was pretty pleased with my collection. there are only 3 things from my list i didn't get. two of them were out of stock, and the third - i'd already reached my 20 coupon limit. so, i'm going back friday morning to pick those things up. and perhaps a few other things, depending on what other deals i uncover & have coupons for.

this is my first hard core triples experience. i did participate in harris teeter's recently, but that was my very first week of couponing ever - and....well, i wasn't very good. i still saved 40% off my bill, but i'd acquired zero skill at that point so i'm counting this as my first real triples.

i broke it down for you in quite a bit of detail. the starting price of each item, minus bonus card savings, minus store coupons, minus manufacturer coupons tripled, equals total. but you know...it was a lot of numbers, and a lot of senseless abbreviations so, here's just the original starting price (as stated on my receipt), and the price i paid out of pocket.

(OOP = out of pocket)

Cottonelle 4 Pack Toilet Paper $4.15, $1.00 oop
Thomas' Plain Bagels $3.99, $1.34 oop
Windex Antibacterial $3.65, $0.74 oop
Country Crock $2.19, $1.44 oop
Betty Crocker Frosting $1.85, FREE
Betty Crocker Cake Mix $1.85, $1.00 oop
Betty Crocker Cookie Mix $1.99, FREE
Knorr Sides (2 of them) $2.15 x 2 = $4.30, $2.05 oop for both ($1.02ish ea)
Lipton Tea 24ct Tea Bags $3.69, $1.00 oop
Betty Crocker Flavored Potatoes (2 of them) $1.75ea, $0.60 oop for both ($.30ea)
Total Cinnamon Crunch Cereal $3.99, $1.74 oop
Lucky Charms Cereal $3.55, $0.35 oop
Dial Foaming Hand Wash $2.45, $0.60 oop
Cascade Gel Dishwasher Detergent $5.65, $3.24 oop
Renuzit Adjustables (3 of them) $1.49ea, $2.10 oop for all 3 ($.70ea)
Softsoap Antibacterial $1.95, FREE
Progresso Soup (2 of them) $2.69ea, $1.50 oop for both ($.75ea)
Ronzoni Pasta $1.89, $0.25 oop

Total after everything was scanned = $61.63
Total paid OOP after coupons = $18.63 (!!!!)

70% savings! i'm no pro just yet, but i'm so excited about this! one thing that messed with my numbers was the cascade. it was still a deal, but had i left it out it would have made my percentage better. however, we needed it. we only have like 2 loads of dishes left on our current bottle....so better to get it during triples than not.

also, husband came with me. this is good, and bad. it was good because he helped me juggle the coupons, and he kept tabs on the store coupons we collected as we walked in (matching them up with my coupon list, tearing them out and such). however - a few of the things he wanted (though reasonable) also messed with my numbers. but, i'm not complaining - i'm totally happy with this.

you should have seen his face as we were walking out. he had this HUGE smile that would not fade. he couldn't believe how much he saw the numbers drop. when we got home he kept saying "baby, i'm SO glad you got into this". so him coming along was worth it, just to see how happy it made him.

oooh this is addicting :)

monday menu garbage

i keep seeing those menu planning monday banners all over the place. i cannot plan every single meal & snack husband and i will eat, because i'm way too lazy to think that far ahead. but, this whole grocery shopping pimpness that has become my hobby lately is saving us money. and planning dinners ahead of time will do the same, seeing as it cuts down on those pesky $20 trips.

this week i was able to make my menu post-shopping (well, shopping round 1, because triples is still to come) with things i have on hand. before this new style of shopping? i never had things "on hand". i always thought rachel ray and her "ya know, whatever kind i have on hand" comments were bull. but it's incredible, the things you stock up on when you get them for nearly-free.

yesterday, i got my first free item. granted...it was sort of "cheating", because it wasn't that i mixed a sale & a coupon....it was that i had a coupon that literally said "free". i decided to go ahead and get it now, because i figured with triples coming it would be cleared out of there. it was...a bottle of french's worcestershire sauce (did i spell that right?). there are so many recipes that call for a dash of that stuff, and i've always just skipped it because i never thought to buy it.

i have yet to enter the world of overages. and i hear lowe's doesn't honor them during triples. so, possibly during the november HT triples.

oh, oh! another deal. have you heard of those febreze candles? they were on the shelf at lowe's originally priced around $7.50 if i remember correctly, and it was closeout priced at $5.00. i had a $.75 coupon (that doubled, taking it to $1.50 off)...so i got it for $3.50 - not bad. i thought about waiting until wednesday or friday, because the coupon would triple instead and then cost me $2.75 - but i figured there will be a lot of couponing ladies in the area that hung onto that coupon & would scoop up the closeout priced candles. soo, i took a chance. if i could find that coupon again, though...i'd get another. i got the apple spicey whatever it's called candle, and we lit it last night - it smelled like an apple pie was baking. sooo yummy!

oh, right, the menu...

monday: steak, baked potato, green beans
tuesday: pork chops, homemade mac & cheese, broccoli, homemade applesauce
wednesday: ham steaks, mashed potatoes, corn
thursday: spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread
friday: pierogies, fries, corn (subject to change based on triples trips)

i'm not thrilled about the steak tonight, because you know...me and beef = enemies. but, it was freaking $3.50 for a huge one at the store yesterday (and i eat such a small portion, that i just hack a chunk off and it still sufficiently fills husband's belly). plus...ya know, the whole iron thing. boo.

3 cheers for slacking!

i declare this, slacker day.

usually my friday mornings go like this. sleep in (as in 7am...since my usual alarm goes off at 5am), take a ride to dunkin with hubby & get a decaf iced mocha latte. upon arriving back a la casa de licky's, husband gets to work (he works from home, usually) and i take in a little regis & kelly. (there was an episode a few weeks ago i still can't stop laughing about. david duchovny was guest-hosting [before his sex addiction rehab business] and they did the trivia crap they always do. the caller was from a place called effingham, illinios. david asked her if it was effinghot there. ha, yeah...i'm lame). once that's over, or when my ADD kicks in (whichever comes first) i relocate to my "scrapbooking area"* and scrap, scrap, scrap.

*right now, it's a pile of my supplies in our bedroom, arranged in a semi-circle behind where husband works, and i sit in front of said supplies. on the floor.

i totally get the award for most parenthetical side notes in one paragraph.

on this friday morning, however, i am at work. how dare my employers rain on my friday parade!!! it's not their fault, really. we switched to four 10 hour days not long ago, and forgot to tell our certification auditor. i work at a steel factory (i do a girly job, don't go picturing me in a jumpsuit tossing rebar around). there's some kind of certification (iso...something) that puts you at a "better" level. kind of like a college being accredited or not. he does these audits 2-4 times a year, where he tracks our processes and such. in the 2 years i've worked here, the man hasn't so much as acknowledged my presence - but since i'm in a different department this time around, he may. so i might get a little badgering...i might not. it's yet to be seen.

in the mean time, slacking, whoooo!

on my way into work this morning, i saw husband's dream car. he has this thing for corvettes...and there's actually a certain year he's obsessed with but you know, it's man speak. i don't remember these things. anyway, his father had one when husband was a kid. it was this ugly, pukey, beige color. apparently "ugly" was the thing to be in the 70's. this was a rare color, and from what i hear it's pretty well hunted. husband has a strange obsession with it, and can be caught googling for one at any given moment. he even used a picture of one for sale on ebay as our desktop background on the lap top. boooys. anyway, i saw that car....and i knew that he would be highly jealous if i just said "hey hubs, i saw your car on my way to work this morning" - so graceful me stumbled through my bottomless pit of a purse, pulled out my camera, and snapped a picture. going 70mph. that's talent. safe? no. probably the dumbest thing i've done in a long time. and as you can see, my photography skills at such a speed are not exactly "good".

i did get a slightly "better" picture - aka, not crooked. but my flash refused to go off this time and you can't see crap. but, whatev. his license plate says "peewee08". hmm. interesting. there are so many things that could mean.


this picture....is my smile of the day. there has been one way in which this pregnancy has been nice to my body (instead of ravaging it like it has to the rest of me). my nails grow! anyone who knows me in real life will know....i have the worst nails in history. ever! for serious - horrible, horrible. but look at those puppies! husband asked me to scratch his back the other day and he exclaimed, "omg! you have girl nails!". yes, yes i do :)

oh! OOOOH! oh-oh-oh. my fellow charlotteans, have you heard the good news? lowes foods, triples next week? oh my gooosh. i thought i was going to have to wait months before i could try out my new found couponing obsession on a full-effort triples experience, but here it is!! and the best part, lowes is the very grocery store i have around the corner from my house. i just hope that all the domestic goddesses from charlotte mommies that are living in highland creek don't clear the place out! considering, they are far more skilled than i am. i figure i will take a trip wednesday night, and then probably another 1 or 2 on friday when people are working. ooh yay, i'm so excited to get the sunday paper and plot out my purchases.

seriously, i'm getting lamer by the day.

martha "mrsLicky" stewart.

i'm not ready for it to be 6pm on sunday. i'm just....not.

i want to start my SAHM gig and be done with the next 3 months of 40 hour work weeks, gir!

i feel very domestic. let's see. friday i scrapbooked & organized my scrapbooking, in true martha stewart fashion. saturday i detail-scrubbed my kitchen. i love my husband (i do i do i do) and he has picked up all of my "pregnancy-makes-me-lethargic" slack, but it's incredible how good this house can look when i do the cleaning instead. for reeeeal. this morning i clipped coupons, researched deals at every grocery & drug store in the area, made a spreadsheet of all my coupons, and went shopping. we stocked up on tons of supplies at BJ's, and they'll probably last us well through goop's birth. when we came home...i had a quick snack, updated my spreadsheet, and went to lowe's to get the rest of what we needed. and when i got home? i read the paper. and then...i updated my coupon spreadsheet, again, as well as made a new spreadsheet to track my savings every week.

am i, a nerd, or what.

you know what i'm most excited about? i got a bottle of franks hot sauce (aka, the best stuff everrrr) for $.16! can you believe that crap? i have yet to experience the wonderful world of overages when it comes to couponing (i'm such a newbie)...so this $.16 excites me. last weekend i got taco seasonings for $.15 each. small accomplishments! BUT, they are the motivations that make me do things like...spend 2 hours researching the best deals. it's freakin' addicting!

i'm about to sound even lamer. i'm going to spend the next 2-3 hours doing laundry, cleaning up the bedroom, making sure the kitchen is still in order...and scrapbooking until bed time.

i so have this SAHM thing in the bag :)

accomplishments of the day:
1. i bought husband a 6 pack of sam adams octoberfest (he's totally in love) because i knew he only had 2 bottles left...and being football day i thought he might need more. he was SO excited when i got home (you would have thought it was christmas or something), and he wouldn't stop saying, "now THAT is a good wife" and giving me kisses :)
2. i didn't get ID'ed for the beer, for the first time in....hmm, ever? i look young for my age as it is, and it's just a given. i always have my license out & at the ready. what i find hilarious, is that it's probably my preggo belly that pushes me over the "she looks too young" threshold...aaand i can't even drink the stuff.
3. $.16 for franks, whoo hoo!