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Archive for July, 2006

Additions to the guest list

July 29th, 2006 at 09:37 pm

My parents came over today and we talked about the guest list. Added 4 more people. I think I've actually decided to buy some cheap invitations and print them out at home. Still cheap, but less time intensive than doing them by hand. Realized our potluck reception idea had some flaws, so we decided to just opt for some meat trays, etc. and register at Target and Penney's for gifts. Oh well..maybe people will get us stuff for our house right? Still more than thrilled to be getting married!!!

First survey payment

July 29th, 2006 at 09:33 pm

I got another can of formula in the mail today, along with checks for more. Also, my first survey payout, a $5 gift card for gas. ya!!!! Also received a few coupons from Birds Eye, from an email I sent about one of their products. No free coupons, but any coupon is a good coupon to me!

I love Rite Aid!

July 27th, 2006 at 02:58 am

Rite aid has had this skin care rebate deal going on since last month. For each 2 of certain products you buy, you get a $5 rebate. Well, one thing I've stocked up on is Curel lotion. They have the 2.5 oz tubes for 2.59, I have a bunch of $2 coupons from their website. So $1.18 for 2, then a $5 rebate. Nice profit huh? Also, Softsoap body wash...$1.75 each after my coupons, $5 rebate for each 2. Again, decent profit. Right now I'm looking at $165 rebate check...can we say wedding cake??? lol I need to get a plan of attack ready for tomorrow. I need to buy printer ink, and groceries, although not much in that department. But tonight..I'm tired!!!

Another good mail day!

July 27th, 2006 at 02:55 am

I got 2 cans of Enfamil formula and a $7 check for formula from them as well. I had signed up on the site when i was pregnant back in March, but have since miscarried. No harm no foul, we are still trying to have another baby, so I will put the formula away for awhile. Doesn't expire until 10/07, so if we start getting close to expiration with no baby in sight, I will donate it somewhere. Also recieved coupons from one company I wrote to, our business card order from vistaprint, and the water bill. Seemed high this month, $55. So I'll check into that one.

Step #1-Guest List

July 27th, 2006 at 02:53 am

We finally sat down and made a guest list tonight. All in all, 28 people invited. I am making the invitations myself, and they are probably 1/2 done on the intial crafting, just need to finish designing them. We decided that instead of the potluck reception we were planning, we would get some meat and cheese trays, some sparkling cider (we don't really drink), and the cake. Should spend around $300 on that including the cake. I found shoes today in my own closet (gasp!) that I'll wear, they're cream and gorgeous, ones I had bought for my sisters wedding years ago. So that's out of the way! Making progress..step by step!

Points programs and Paid to clicks

July 25th, 2006 at 08:26 pm

Making the dollar scream is my mission in life. I've accepted that fact. I've been farting around doing points programs and paid to clicks for awhile, but today I've been getting those organized, checking balances, etc. and making my notebook so I can make sure and optimize all those programs. Lots of time in front of the computer, but worth it in the end I think!

Another decent mail day!

July 25th, 2006 at 08:24 pm

No BILLS!!! Wohoo!

I got 2 samples in the mail today, which go into a basket for my sister's Christmas present. She's a "big class lawyer" but LOVES getting a box of my freebies for Christmas. I'mm all for that! LOL! Also some decent fast food coupons I'll keep for our once weekly eat out night. All in all it's good!

Great mail day!

July 25th, 2006 at 02:05 am

I've always been a fan of mail. Don't know why, I just love opening up the box and seeing what comes out.

Today was good!

I got a Poise sample (ordered when my grandmother was still alive, now will probably hit the yard sale pile), my last Literary Guild order (can now cancel my membership with them!), and my Refund Cents magazine. Oh ya, got the electric bill too but blah its ok!

Good couponing day!

July 25th, 2006 at 02:03 am

I spent the day working on getting all my coupons and rebates organized. Good news, I'm halfway done lol. Serious couponing is almost a fulltime job in and of itself, but its my favorite hobby, and saves us money instead of costing it. Over the years of doing this, I've basically adopted an attitude of "anything free is better than nothing free". This way I don't overstress myself if I have a rough day and don't make it out to get whatever is free or so cheap. Today is one of those days, my goal was to go to Target and Rite Aid to get free stuff. Never made it to Rite Aid, but when DBF got home from work he wanted to go to Target anyway so off we went. We got more cereal cups, 40 more sticks of string cheese (will last maybe a week in this house of cheeseheads lol), and more oreos. Total out of pocket, $1.74. Cost before coupons was $30.XX. Not bad! I am so thankful to have a fiancee who is so very supportive of this hobby, despite the mountains of coupons that randomly appear throughout the house. I also got my Refund Cents magazine today, which I love. It always inspires me to head on to the next deal. So tonight I'm cuddling up with my honey and working on coupons some more. Maybe tomorrow I'll hit Rite Aid!

Back in the Savings Saddle!

July 23rd, 2006 at 07:28 pm

I read through flash's whole blog over the last few days, she is always so inspiring to me in the savings realm, and otherwise. I've started contacting companies in regards to their products, etc. and I'll see what happens.

Yesterday I printed out a bunch of Target coupons from their website and went shopping. First, we had to get my fiancee's nitro prescription ($7.49), and I had a coupon for a $10 Gift Certificate with a new prescription, so total there was $3.51 "profit". Then I got 5 bags of snack size Quaker granola bars, free after their $1 coupons, 20 of the single serve bowls of General Mills cereals for .22 each after their .75 coupons (the bowls will be recycled next spring when we start seeds for the garden), 40 single string cheeses, free after their .50 coupons (2 free for each coupon). We also picked up a few school things they had very cheap..total out of pocket was $15.

Today we went to Meijer becaues we needed twine for our tomato stakes, so we got that 1.49, plus they had mountain dew on sale for DBF, so we got 4 cases of that and a free case of Diet Pepsi Jazz (who knows..dad will drink it lol), so that was $10, and picked up a few things I had free item coupons for.

Went to Rite Aid to get the free things they had advertised in their flyer today, but they were out, and substituting anything of the same value in the school supply aisles. So I ended up getting things I actually needed, envelopes and garage sale stickers, for nothing. Plus some of the lotion I ordered came in, so I paid $9 for that, and will get back $20 in rebates on it. All in all, a good money weekend!!!

Starting the wedding list

July 23rd, 2006 at 06:24 pm

Ok, so I havent gotten married in a while (almost 10 years to be exact) lol. I never planned to get married a second time, but sometimes the man upstairs knows better for us than we do. So..enter my fiancee. He won my heart, and finally technically proposed to me on Friday night. He took me to this place call Clifty Falls, where there are TONS of beautiful waterfalls all through the park. It was raining a bit, but he had found one area where you could go down and you were beneath an overhang, but still looking out over one of these amazing waterfalls. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. It was beautiful, and so romantic, and well worth the wait!

We've already decided when our wedding will be, October 7th of this year. We've also decided to get married at my parents house, under their gazebo. So no costs associated there. We want to have a "potluck" reception where guests bring prepared dishes instead of gifts. Does anyone have any suggestions for wording on the invitations? We'll have to buy a cake of course, so that will be approximately $200. I'm not going to get a wedding dress per say, I've done that once, and we want this to be low key, personal, and quite casual. So I'm going to look at Penney's, etc. for something, hopefully spending under $100. Add shoes and accessories for maybe another $40 or $50.

We have my rings already, purchased at 75% off and they're BEAUTIFUL! A $2K set for just under $400, plus we received $30 in coupons for another purchase of anything in the store (bought at Kmart). So we still have to get him a band, but he just wants a plain silver band, so figure maybe $50 or so for that.

I need to call around about renting chairs and tables for the "reception", I have no idea how much those will run. Also, going to rent a large tent just in case it rains.

Anything else I'm missing? I am going to hand make all of our invitations, already have part of them done. They are being made with my scrapbooking supplies I have on hand, so no real out of pocket cost there.

Any input is always welcome!!!

Weekend musings

July 23rd, 2006 at 06:11 pm

I was laying in bed last night, berating myself for yet again forgetting to update my blog, and I was thinking that I need to make use of those nifty categories, and break my postings up into smaller areas. I'm going to add a category for wedding on the cheap, our goal of saving for a truck and a van, and add to the rest of them on a regular basis. promise!

Where the heck have I been?

July 19th, 2006 at 06:51 pm

Things have been CRAZY around here for awhile...so sit back, relax, grab some coffee or water, and I'll do a big ole update.


We "closed" on our house last night. we borrowed $3,000 from my fiancee's grandmother for the downpayment, which we will pay back $200 a month. Add that to the new house payment, and we're paying $11 a month more than we were in rent, but actually BUYING our house. It wont take us long to pay off the loan anyway, and at no interest being charged, seemed like a no brainer.

Also, we set a wedding date!!! October 7th of this year. This is my 2nd marriage and his THIRD, so it will be very low key and cozy. We are getting married at my parents house, so no rental fees there. I need to make phone calls to find out how much renting a large tent and tables and chairs will be. Also, a cake and clothing for the 5 of us. But all in all, not very expensive.

We put my wedding set in layaway last weekend, found a gorgeous set 75% off at Kmart. Its beautiful and I'm so excited!

Another change is..I'm not working anymore. We sat down last night and figured out my paycheck vs. daycare, parking, etc. and found I was only bringing home $100 a week. Not worth it. We decided I'll stay home during the day which will result in less eating out since I'll cook more, more things being done with the house since I'll have more time, happier kids cuz they'll be with mommy!, plus more time to spend doing coupons/rebates and internet paid to do stuff programs. Also, I will pick up a part time job in the evenings which I'm sure will make up the $100 a week!

Also, he's wanting to start up a lawn care business, so we ordered business cards for that. Doing that has placed buying a truck over buying a van on the priority list, but I'm ok with that since I wont be driving as much anymore.

I'm excited to be doing this stay at home mom thing again, but I'm going to try my hardest to not spend money unless necessary and make our money work for us as best as we can. Any cheap wedding ideas are more than welcome!!!