I did it!

I stayed under my budget of $225! I don't know the exact number, but it was under ($224.99 lol). All of us had such a fun time today. There was a nice turnout and all of the kids had a ball. Everyone liked the dips and appetizers that I served. I tried a few new recipes and they were a hit. J went to pick up pizza, I put the kids to bed. We are going to settle in for the night and watch Big Brother. I am exhausted.

The kids got a lot of really nice gifts. They have a lot more coming. We are going to wait until their birthday to give them to them. Also, next weekend we are going to celebrate with my parents and R, J, and P. They will open their gifts then. When Julie feels better, we will have a little party for the kids again.

I went to CVS this morning at 8 am since the kids were up at 7. I bought a glade soy candle, glade diffuser, 2 body washes, 2 shampoos, 2 electric razors, and some Phillips ear buds all for $3.xx. I got back over $20 in ECB's. The nice thing is, they are good for a month. I will wait for more sales.

Par-tee

Just 2 more days until the party! The kids don't realize the party is for them, they keep thinking I am talking about the neighbor's party. I went shopping tonight for a few more things. I am still under my goal amount, even with the cake. I have decided to make finger sandwiches with the free bread from Target. I am going in the morning with more coupons to pick up a few more loaves. A few people have cancelled due to sickness. I understand and appreciate that they do not want to expose everyone else. I had such great shopping experiences tonight. I picked up some McCormick grinders and a York peppermint patty at Publix and only spent .75. Then at Target, I picked up 11 cups of cereal, bakery bread, 3 packs of skittles, 1 travel hungry hippo game, 1 Johnson and Johnson bubble bath, 2 bananas and only paid $1.63. At Kohl's I bought M's birthday outfit, a picture frame, and 3 pairs of socks all for $8.36.

Partay time

I am back from my vacation. We had a wonderful time visiting family. The kids were great for their first long road trip. I am busy getting ready for their Birthday party. I have not ordered the cake yet. I am going to pick up a half sheet cake from one of our local bakeries. I bought some more goodies for the "family" bags. I have to put together the menu. I also have to buy the table covers from the dollar store. I have all of the chips, cheese, crackers, and drinks. I am going to make a double order of my famous spinach dip.

I was able to make it over to Kmart before the double coupons ended. I bought $92 worth of items for $3.18. Some of the items were softsoap, suave, crest, raid, off, listerine, etc...
I have also stopped into Publix a few times to take advantage of the bogo Shout deal. I have a bogo coupon for Shout and it is on sale for bogo. I also used the McCormick coupons for the seasonings. I didn't see anything so great in their ad this week. I still managed to spend $29.11 on groceries. My original bill was around $100. About $10 was for their party. I already received my $10 rebate from Conagra foods. One of the quickest turnarounds I have seen.

Double Coupons and a Daycare.

I could not believe my eyes yesterday! We are in Cleveland visiting relatives and we stopped by their local grocery store. In the front windows there were signs that said "double coupons up to .99" I pulled out my camera to take a picture. My Husband could not believe I was actually taking a picture of the signs. When we were inside J saw a sign for what he thought was a kids' club. He jokingly said "and there is the grocery daycare." We laughed and moved on. After a few minutes he walked up there to check it out, well, it was a daycare!! A FREE 2 hour daycare. The only catch was, you have to stay in the store. So, I ask, do you think I can stay in the store during double coupons, with a free daycare, for 2 hours? There were computers for the kids, a play kitchen, arts and crafts, and other toys. It was better than the Y. I also found this Organic Chinese ginger that I have been looking all over Tampa for. It was on sale for bogo plus I had a $1 coupon with me. I didn't need 2, so I asked the cashier if she would charge me half price, and she did! I paid $1.64 for the ginger since the machine doubled my $1 coupon for some reason? Some of the items were much more expensive, but most items were around the same price. I also found farfel. I did not have a coupon for that, but we don't have it in FL. My total before coupons was $25.xx and after coupons it was $16.xx. My Husband said if he signed up for their frequent shopper program, than we are moving to Cleveland. I need to pick up some things for the ride home, so I will take the kids shopping and give J a few hours to himself.

Yesterday we also went to Memphis Kiddie Park with the kids. We bought a book of tickets and the kids got to ride every ride except the farris wheel. They did not want to. My Aunt said this place has been around for 50 years. It is for children under 5. The best part was when J rode the roller coaster with the kids. He is such a good sport. You should have seen their faces. M did not like it at all. As soon as she got off, she said "I did not like that roller coaster." C liked it but didn't want to go again. Their favorite ride were the boats. They rode them twice. I was so proud of M for riding the rides. I was telling my Aunt that I did not thing she would. They were both beyond excited. The ticket book even had coupons in it. It was a nice day out for $25. My Aunt said there is a petting zoo for the kids. We are going to some Island on Friday. J is taking C to a baseball game on Thursday while the girls go get our nails done. Saturday my Aunt has a wedding, so we are going to see my great Aunt and then we are planning a family day with the kids.

Find a penny, pick it up...

Who would have known that a lucky penny would pay for my whole order at CVS? I went to CVS last night and purchased 1 Softsoap body wash and one Ibuprofen 50 count for a penny. I also had $5 in extra care bucks print out at the end of my receipt. My second order was .06 and that one included 1 Softsoap and 2 packages of circus peanuts. At the end of that receipt I received $4 ECB and a coupon for free aspirin up to $3.59. The reason I only paid a penny and .06 this time was because I paid $15 for a huge order on Sunday and I got around $20 in ECB back. Those items included 2 power razors, 2 body washes, 2 shampoos, 4 pairs of safety scissors, 4 book covers, and 4 notebooks. I did not even spend all of the ECB's from Sunday. I have a month to use them. I am sure there will be some great sales in the meantime. After shopping I went to my Moms meeting at California Pizza Kitchen. I hooked the whole table up with free appetizers.