Month in Review

My goal (unrealistic) for June was to spend $40 per week for groceries, not including diapers. Well I definitely went over, but I still did awesome. I spent $231.33 for the month of June! That is amazing! I used to spend more than that in 2 weeks AND not have any food storage to speak of. One thing that I did to help with the cost of diapers this month was to use my Register Rewards from Walgreens to get them cheap. I spent $24.23 in diapers for the month of June! That is so awesome. Although I do need another pack of diapers tomorrow so add about $10 to that total. I can't wait to be done with diapers. Brody went on the potty today!! I think this was the first time! So awesome!! I am not going to be quite so cheap during the month of July, but it is realistic to plan on $60 per week for groceries and household items. My budget includes toiletries and cleaning supplies. It's almost a new month so I am challenging everyone to set a grocery goal. Pick a number try to stick to it. $40 a week didn't go so great for me, but it was awesome to try to save every last penny. I can't complain, that's for sure!

Free Pasta Salad

Look at all that Kraft Pasta Salad! Everything pictured was $36.18 if you can believe that. I am calling this weeks shopping list: Hubby Stock Up Week. Darrell was home this past weekend and there were no snacks here for him. I usually like to keep frozen appetizers and things like that around so that we can curb the fast food urges. So I got frozen pizzas, both large and personal size, pretzels, tortilla chips (since I am up to my ears in salsa), and steak sauce. Also I treated myself to some Limeade. Doesn't that sound like the best summer drink?
Now getting to all that pasta! It was free. I only paid tax for it!! It was part of a deal where if you buy 10 certain products (about a hundred to choose from) you get $5 off automatically at the register. The salads were $1 each and if you buy 10 you get the $5 off. Plus on the box there was a coupon for $1/2. So 5 of those makes it FREE! I got 20 of them. They are not my favorite thing so I gave them all to my parents. I think that I am going to go back and get some more and donate them to the food bank. What a great deal!

Mommy Advice Column

I have always wanted to write a book about kids. Not necessarily child raising, but specifically traveling with kids, considering I have done so much of it. But I do have a few other ideas or little sayings for day to day mommyhood as well. One of them is "Only give a child as much to drink as you are willing to clean up." Also my motivation for getting kids to clean up is so simple and obvious, but I totally missed it as a first time parent. I heard it on a morning show back when I had time to watch TV during the day. If you want your child to clean up, then clean along side him as well. If your child knows you are working together or even if you are doing your mommy jobs in the other room while they clean up their toys, it makes it easier for them to stay motivated. It's a family affair. I always do a load of dishes while the boys make the front room vacuum ready. They know I am working and that they are not being punished, but rather doing a family activity even if it's just cleaning up together. By the time I am done with the dishes the front room is clean and I am ready to vacuum. Sometimes we race each other too. Boys love a good race. Anyway, that is my parenting advice for the day. I really need to write that travel book though. Someday.

I am SO in trouble!

This is week 2 of babysitting my sisters kids full time. Arien, her 3 year old, is used to being the boss, but it's kind of hard when you have my kids around too. I told her she had to share her Cheerios with Brody and her sister Kymberly. This is a picture of her being mad/me being in trouble. She sat silently with arms folded for about 10 minutes. Hmm.....punish me some more! I wish MY kids threw tantrums like that.

Collin Chatter

The boys and I went shopping for some Father's Day gifts yesterday afternoon. After shopping I figured I was just too exhausted to cook. (It's a rough life.) I asked Collin what he wanted for dinner, thinking he would suggest some type of take out food. He said he wanted Macaroni and Cheese. (We always make homemade and it's the best!) I said, "Don't you want to take Dad out to eat?" He said, "Oh yeah! Sure! Let's go somewhere that has macaroni and cheese." Needless to say I got some tacos and he came home and ate some leftover mac 'n cheese. Everybody wins!

Stock Up Sale

I had a great time at Albertson's today. I took Darrell and the two boys and we tried out a different Albertson's. What a miracle! They had everything that was on sale IN STOCK! Can you believe it? I have been having the worst shopping experiences at my store so I drove about 5 minutes farther to a different Albertson's. A complete 180! Everyone was so nice. Everything was in stock! I couldn't believe it. Worth the drive. Darrell likes to go with me too, just to see how much I am saving. Kinda funny. Total out of pocket on the trip - $44.80! Wowsa! Total savings was over $100!! Can't beat that. Yum! Another fresh pineapple. I am obsessed. :)

Diapers at Walgreens

I got a steal this week at Walgreen's!! I will tell you my two transactions
#1
3- John Freida Conditioners at 3/$15
1 - St. Ives body wash for $2.99
1 - Pack of Oreos as filler, plus there are no treats in the whole house!!

- 3 $3/1 of Root Awakening Line of John Frieda
- $10 Register Reward (RR) from last weeks Dove deal

Total Out of Pocket (OOP)with tax = $1.51
Received $5 RR from John Frieda and $3 RR from St. Ives
Would have been better, but I couldn't find my stinking $1.50 off St.Ives coupon!!

#2
Pampers $10.99
3 pencils at $.09 each
- $1 off pampers coupon
-2 $1 RR from 2 weeks ago (can't remember from what)
-$5 RR from Transaction #1

Total OOP with tax = $4.03
Not bad for a pack of diapers!!

So everything pictured was $5.54!! How sweet is that! Plus I have that $3 RR from #1 to use next week!! What deals can you make at Walgreen's this week??