Coupon Adventure #2

My BFF & I were aware of some deals & possible freebies at Bi-Lo and Walmart this week so we decided to check it out yesterday. My coupons are almost completely sorted & in their dividers so I was able to take in my coupon binder. It was kinda weird getting so many stares and comments about it. We even encountered fellow couponers while at Walmart. One couple seemed to follow us around the soaps & razors. haha They had the same coupons we did.

Store #1 - Bi-Lo

My friend told me about Kemp's frozen yogurt being on sale & we had a $1 off coupon. Bi-Lo was also doing a 5 for $5 sale but they didn't seem to have as many items on that list like Kroger usually does. We looked over the ad and didn't see anything that we had coupons for. That was kind of a bummer. We were told Brawny paper towels would be $.50, but of course they were out. I then remembered I had a $.50 off Sparkle paper towel coupon that Bi-Lo would double, making the paper towels free. We then head over to the frozen section to find the yogurt. It was Buy One Get One Free and with Bi-Lo's policy, you don't have to buy 2 in order to get the deal. I didn't need 2 cartons of ice cream so I only bought one.

This is my smallest haul, but still very proud. :) Retails at $6.69, I paid $1.88. Almost 72% savings!

Sparkle - retail: $1.00 - paid: free
Kemps - retail: $5.69 - paid: $1.84

Store #2 - Walmart

We were mainly headed there in hopes of using our $6 off 3 Gillette items coupon to be able to get shaving cream for free. But of course, they were out. Neither my husband nor I use shaving cream so no major loss there. Luckily, since I had my newly finished binder with me, I started flipping through my Health & Beauty section to see if I had any other goodies I could get. Some of my coupons are expiring soon (8/17/13, 8/25/13 and 8/31/13) so I was hoping to use some if they were a good enough deal. The hubby needed more razors for personal use and some to keep at the motorpool for weekends when his reserve soldiers forget to shave. So we picked up female disposables for them. I figure if you're going to forget to shave, you deserve to shave with shame. haha I was also aware of a Bounty sale and luckily they had plenty in stock. We bought other items at Walmart that we needed but didn't necessarily have coupons for, like milk, yogurt, and cat litter. These are just my coupon items. (Although I did save $2 off of the cat litter & my yogurt is always $1/each. Nothing major.)

Retails at $42.61, I paid $19.21 before tax. That's 55% savings! Not the best but still proud. :)

Right Guard - retail: $2.97 - paid: $.97
Lady Speedstick - retail: $.98 - paid: $.48
Bic disposables - retail: $2.96 - paid: free
Venus disposables - retail: $3.97/each - paid: $3.97 (BOGO $1.98/each)
Gillette disposables - retail: $7.97/each - paid: $7.97 (BOGO $3.98/each)
Bounce dryer sheets - retail: $1.97/each - paid $.97/each (I bought 6 using 2 $3 off 3 coupons. These were on sale at Walmart, not sure of the actual retail value before sale.)

When My Happy Gets Bumped

I subscribed several months ago to receive the daily devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Today's was entitled "When My Happy Gets Bumped". (Click the title if you'd like to read the devotion.) I love when the devotion speaks straight to my heart. This one was perfect timing. Like most girls, I do have a habit of getting very upset over such small, stupid issues. I'm aware of the problem and have been working on it, even my husband has noticed. Yesterday we had one of our small fights that got out of hand rather quickly. One of the biggest issues in our marriage is communication. I'm very open about my thoughts & feelings; my husband not so much. In the past he's said he'll work on it, but nothing changes. Yesterday was one of those days. I was very upset about something and needed to talk it through with him but couldn't because 1) I was at work and don't like to discuss personal matters where others can hear and 2) he was also out to lunch with some fellow soldiers, but I didn't know this at the time. Because he was around people & knows I don't like either of us to discuss personal matters in public, he wasn't able to call me nor was he answering my texts. This went on for about an hour. With each passing minute I was getting more & more upset and hurt. I started thinking he was ignoring me and didn't care about how I was feeling. (I know now that wasn't true.) My happy was bumped for the remaining few hours I was at work.

After work I called him to explain how I was feeling & he actually opened up and shared his own thoughts & feelings. I was so happy and thankful! I still am just thinking about it. That was a HUGE step for my husband. He's used to keeping everything in because that's how he was raised & the type of environment he was in. So this was huge for him. I thanked him for opening up and told him how much I appreciated it. It made me so happy. I love when we have productive arguments and conversations. It gives me so much hope for our future. I woke up this morning still thankful for that conversation, so of course I called him. haha. His primary love language is Words of Affirmation and I try to tell him positive things as much as possible. I literally feel like my "cup runneth over". I know it sounds silly, but I'm so content and thankful right now for the people God has placed in my life. I have such amazing, uplifting, & encouraging friends and a loving, caring husband. I'm very blessed. ♥

First Couponing Adventure

A week or 2 ago I learned about a couponing class that was being held in my area. I've watched Extreme Couponing and personally know a few couponers. I've always been interested in trying so I told my best friend and we both went. The class was short but very informative. They gave us our Couponing Starter packet, at least that's what I call it. haha We each received several coupon booklets from that Sunday's papers, store's coupon policies, and their tips & tricks they typed out. The best part is that the leaders email us throughout the week about deals going on at the stores & will mention if we have a coupon for it. From what I've noticed, couponing takes a lot of work and can almost be a full-time job so I'm glad that my group has leaders that hunt out the deals for us since I work full-time. It definitely makes it easier.

We learned in our group that Kroger & the BiLo near me are probably the top best stores to coupon at. Kroger doubles coupons up to $.60 and you can stack store coupons on top of manufacturer coupons. They also do a mega sale every week called 5 for $5. If you buy 5 of any of the items they've listed that week, you get $5 back, so it's like $1 off each item. I don't plan to be an extreme couponer. I only want to buy items we'll actually use and not buy a ton at a time. For now, 2-3 duplicate items is enough for me I think. I may eventually do 5 but that may be further down the road. I grabbed my coupons & we went to Kroger.

This is my first haul. :) I'm pretty proud of it. Retails at $36.40, I paid $11.14. That's almost 70% savings!

Cheetos - retail: $3.19 - paid: free
Crest - retail: $3.19/each - paid $.49/each
Gillette - retail: $3.99/each - paid: $1.99/each
HE shampoo & conditioner - retail: $3.17/each - paid: $1.25/each (shampoo - $2.50/each, conditioner - free)

Beach Blast, Graduations, 80's Conference

Once again I have sucked at updating. Since my last post we've had Easter, lots of family time, busy weekends, etc. First I'd like to state that I also suck at keeping up with exercising. I started Week 4 and did 2 days before my husband came home for a long weekend so I got off course. Then he left after Monday so I started up again the following week and did a day or 2. I technically completed Week 4 but it wasn't consistent. lol. I kept saying I'd start back up the next week and then I acquired Insanity and thought I'd start that for May but May just got busy and that didn't work out. And now, due to some recent happenings, I've decided I'll just do the elliptical for an hour or so every day. That way I'm still exercising & getting my cardio in every day. :)

Speaking of busy May it seemed to fly by. I had plans every weekend, even on the days I had planned to relax. lol We did a lot of pawn store hopping & antique shopping the first 2 weeks. I was even able to go visit the university I went to. It's crazy to think it's been 3 years since I graduated! The campus is still as beautiful as ever and it was good to see the changes that were made since then.

May 17th we spent the weekend at Myrtle Beach. Beach Blast (huge Christian concert) was the 18th and so much fun. We did a lot of shopping & unfortunately it rained our last day.

Last weekend was Memorial Day Weekend. We had a half-day that Friday because it was the company's 30th anniversary. They treated us to dinner at Ruth's Chris. It was my first time and so delicious! We also received a bonus which is the reason I got to see my hubby that weekend. :) My cousin's graduation party was Saturday and then Sunday we spent the night at the lake house. My family joined us on Monday and we hung out on the dock, played games, had hotdogs. It was a great day! I was so exhausted that it was hard to get back up for work Tuesday. It also helped knowing that I had a short work week.

This past weekend I went to my first ever business conference with one of the companies we bind accounts with and issue policies through. It was in a gorgeous hotel/conference center near Richmond, VA. The conference was 80s themed so we were in 80s attire. They gave out lots of free stuff. My room was gorgeous! I had a king-sized bed all to myself! lol We had a delicious dinner the first night followed by our 80s party. The 2nd day we had a meeting & then class until noon. Then it was lunch and off to whatever activity we had selected. We could do golf, go-carts, free-time, wine tasting, or Segway tour. I chose the Segway tour of historic Richmond. I have never been on a Segway before and was kind of nervous at first. They instructed us on how to use it & had us practice before taking us around downtown. Within a few minutes I felt very comfortable and by the end of our 2 hour tour I felt like a pro. I didn't want to get off! lol I fell in love with the beauty of Richmond. I wouldn't mind living there someday. (Hubby says no. lol) We got back with enough time to shower & head back downtown to The Tobacco Co for dinner followed by a trolley tour around Richmond. It was my first time on a trolley, too. It was so fun!

Girl's Night!

This past Friday my mom decided to have a Girl's Night. I lent her my Pride & Prejudice DVD about a year ago and she has yet to watch it. I told her a few months back to let me know whenever she had a free night, since she's usually bringing schoolwork home to work on, and we'd watch the movie together. During our weekly Sunday family dinner she mentioned to me that we might be able to do something Friday since my dad had tickets to the baseball game that same night. We also invited my sister-in-law. It was such a great night! My mom had a coupon for the restaurant located inside the farmer's market. I split a burger with my mom and it was really good. I've been trying to order new items and try different things when I eat at restaurants. This particular burger was one of their specialties. It was Angus beef, ham, bacon, egg, lettuce, & tomato (if I remember correctly lol). It was definitely not something I would usually order. I tend to gravitate toward chicken sandwiches or wraps. This particular burger was delicious though! I am so glad I tried it. Eating half was more than plenty for my small stomach. We had such a great time talking and enjoying each other's company. My mom felt more like a friend than a mom, in a good way of course. I loved that feeling! It was like I was getting to know her instead of the mom I grew up with. After talking for over an hour we went to her house to watch the movie. My mom had never seen it, but my SIL and I had. We both absolutely love Pride & Prejudice! I had actually forgotten just how much I loved it. That is one of the few books I was forced to read in high school that I actually enjoyed. lol. We would've had cheesecake for dessert but we were all still stuffed from dinner. I had so much fun spending time with them. I hope we have more Girl's Nights!

Week 3 Complete

Week 3 was definitely the toughest week for me. Unlike in Week 1 where it got easier as the week went on, Week 3 kicked my butt every single day. Even Jillian was breathing heavily, so that should tell you something. This week I think she was focusing more on the quads and thighs. It seemed like there was much more movement and jumping around. i.e.: squad jacks, jumping lunges, etc. After Day 3 I had to take some time off because I did something to my right knee. I noticed it first during the running jacks. I wasn't able to get as deep into it like I usually do. During the following cardio circuit, which required hopping on one leg, I was not able to put much pressure on my right knee. I took it easy during the rest of the work-out. I figured it was some sort of cramp that I could sleep off. Apparently not. I woke up the following morning and it slightly hurt to bend my knee whether I was kneeling on the ground or pushing myself up out of my office chair. Luckily my mom had a brace that I wore the rest of the evening. I'm not sure if the brace helped since my knee seemed to hurt more right before bedtime when I took the brace off. But that could've been because of how tight the brace was. I woke up the next morning feeling perfectly fine, but I chose not to do my 4th workout for the week. A) It was the weekend and B) I was worried I'd mess my knee back up. I really hate I didn't get my 5 workouts in for the week, but this week I'm determined!

Sweet Moments

This is going to be a completely random post, but I wanted to write about it. I did a 365 Photo Challenge 3 years ago and I was going through those photos and reminiscing about how life was then. Thanks to the photos I can recall the majority of what happened each day I took a photo. Anyways, obviously there were several photos of Scott & I. We were doing the long-distance marriage thing since I was finishing my senior year of college. I saw a photo of him and that butterfly, new relationship, OMG-he's-so-cute type of feeling came over me. :) We've been living in the same state for over 2 years now (we did long-distance for a while) so that newness has worn off, the "newlywed" phase is gone, and we're comfortable and have settled into our daily life routines. After some events last December we started 2013 with a fresh slate and we're doing some things differently to improve our marriage. I have seen such a difference and I have felt the butterflies a few times this year. I just love that feeling! It's so great to know I can still feel that. It's a small reminder that I did choose the right guy. That even when we're old & gray I'll still get these moments of butterflies & look at my husband with so much love and adoration. :) The fact that we're doing the long-distance thing again may have some part in bringing back that butterfly feeling, but who knows! I just know that I love this feeling and I want to do whatever I can to keep it!

Like this one. I had just finished my senior year & missed graduating in May 2010 by 1.5 credits because my jerk of a professor flunked me (he is a legit horrible professor who NEVER taught) and I didn't even NEED that class for my major, it was just for the credit hours. Anyway, Scott came down that weekend & kept my mind off of it by taking me to Riverfront Park.

That summer we spent most of the weekends in Indiana visiting his family since we knew we were moving to SC soon. Those were awesome, laid-back weekends! I think his tan just adds to the sexiness. ;) lol

This was the end of August. He had come up that weekend to start packing the house since we were moving early/mid-September. I had to head to work and he was about to head back to SC. I don't remember why but we had gotten into a huge fight and I told him to smile because we needed a "happy" photo since we were gonna be apart for the next few weeks. Now that I think about it, it was his lack of packing that had irritated me. I had explained to him how overwhelming it felt to have the entire packing-up of the house on MY shoulders and that I really needed him to get a lot of packing done before we both had to leave and every time I'd walk into our back bedroom it didn't seem like he was doing anything. Very little got packed that day so I think the stress of knowing it was my responsibility to pack the entire house in a week or 2 played a big part in that. It's crazy to look back & think of the stupid things you overreacted to. I'm glad he still loves me. lol

He's even cute sweaty! Me, not so much. lol. We decided to start running after work. Needless to say that was the first and last time. lol. I learned I was really out of shape and was impressed just how in-shape Scott was. :) Thanks Army.

Week 2 Complete

I finished Week 2 on Saturday since I was out of the house all day Wednesday. I got back rather late and was exhausted so I went to bed. I was afraid working out would wake me up. Week 2 seemed much easier for me. I was actually able to follow along with the "advanced" version for 85-90% of the time rather than following the modifier the whole time like I did during Week 1. lol I'm halfway done with the DVD! I am definitely feeling stronger. My biceps are even larger. :) My legs feel stronger and, even though I can see/feel them tightening, they aren't where I'd like them to be just yet. If I'm not completely satisfied once I finish the DVD, then I'll do her Killer Buns & Thighs. Depending on the results from that, I'll either do another video or start back up exercising with the elliptical.

Week 1 Complete

Per Jillian's request, I only did the workout for Week 1 for five days. I started Monday after work and finished it up Friday. I've done one of her DVDs before so I knew the first day would kick my butt and of course this DVD was no different. I think the biggest part of why Day 1 was so hard was my breathing because on Day 2 I focused more on my breathing and it's amazing the difference it made. It was also awesome to already see a difference in exercising daily, my stamina. That also could have been due to breathing correctly. I was also sore after Day 1, mainly in my upper arms and shoulder blades, but I powered through the soreness and kept up my daily workouts. By the end of Day 3 the soreness was gone. :) By the end of the week I could already see an increase in the strength in my arms & legs. My biggest problem area is the hip/butt/thigh area so it was great to see some improvement in that department. I can't wait to see the difference 4 weeks make! I will post again after I finish Week 2.

Exercise

I have been slacking on the exercise front once again. I was really good about going to the gym on post back in August and September but it helped having the hubby as a gym buddy. I kept telling myself I'd start next week, then the start of the next month, and then the start of the new year. It was even one of my resolutions and here it is already March and I have yet to exercise at all. lol. We did buy an elliptical I found on sale for a great price but never started. My current excuse has been that my house is too cold and I don't want to change into shorts & a sports bra. lol. The other week I ordered a new Jillian Michaels DVD, Ripped in 30 days, that has a 4 week program. I also bought her kickboxing one so I now have about 4 of her DVDs. Starting tomorrow I am beginning to exercise again. I am going to start with her Ripped in 30 Days one for the whole month of March. Depending on the kind of results I get and how I'm feeling, I may do another DVD. Since I now have an elliptical in the house I figure I should at least use it, right?! If for some reason I can't do a DVD I plan to at least use the elliptical and I can use my iPad to watch Netflix shows. Hopefully watching the shows will make the time go by faster. I am determined to tone up before bikini season starts. Summertime is just around the corner.