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Septembers is here...and my budget begins!

Ok so i went shopping today to walmart and walgreens....14.50 at walmartI used 11.50 in coupons so almost half off...i also add matched all my produce over all i was happy with the trip! I spent 33.19 at walgreens witch seems high but if you take in account that My total saving between coupons advertised savings and walgreens coupons was 23.00 and the I recieved 15.00 in catalinas...(they are coupons that print at the register for use at your next trip) so I really only spent 18.19 BOOYA that is awesome savings!! I used a coupon for every item at walgreen exsept one..and I only bought it because it was free after the catalina so now I have 15 walgreens money to buy the rest of my milk this month and any thing else we need that is small! YEEHAW!I took some pics so you can see the goods I bought! so I have 112.31 left in my budget of 160 for the months...eeek it sounds small but, I know I can do it!

Septembers almost here!

So septembers almost here...I am super excited to stay with in my goal and not over spend! So I have some money saving tips and ideas for you guys that may help if your thinking about couponing!

MOney saving tips-

1- make your own cleaners...they work just as well and are WAY cheaper! The recipe i like is 1/4 cup vinagar and a few drops of your favorite dishsoap! You can find other good recipes at http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/homemadehouseholdcleaners.htm

2- use half the recommened amount of laundry detergent in the wash...yes your clothes will still be clean and they will still smell great! I PROMISE!

3- cut you dryer sheets in half ...again i promise your clothes will still smell great and be static free. another good one is but liquid fabric softner pour it into a container that has a lid but 2 sponges throw them in the tub and sqeeze them out and throw them in your dryer this will last a long time!

4- turn your water heater down a few notches you'll see a difference

5- instead of running your ac all the time open some windows and turn some fans on occonially espically right now the weather hasn't been as hot.

6- use your towels more then once...just make sure to hang them up so they can dry

7- wear your pj's more then once...unless your swaeting like crazy you should be abl;e to wear them 2 nights and this really cuts down on your laundry load i also try to waer my pants 2 times before washing them as well

8- EAT AT HOME!!! make and plan your own meals this will save you a bundle and it is healthier for you too! so before you shop write down 10 meals you will make and check to what ingredients you have and need and keep them in the house that way your not running to the store every day to get on item i also am a huge fan of sub one ingredient for another so if you don't have one thing use something else...there are lots of websites that tell you good things to substiute with.
Ok so now onto couponing

So if your new to it start slow it can be confusing espcially because every store has there own rules about coupons so if you have qestions ask them and always remeber if you have store coupons as well as manufacter coupons have them scan the manfactuers on first them then the store ones other wise ther register will beep and it will be a big mess!

to start off with couponing just get one sunday paper then work from there also print some coupons online and most people get the red plum in your mail box on tues...ya you know that pile of adds that you toss away...well you throwing away money if you don't pull your coupons out before you toss it!

Ok there are a few methods to couponing the clipless..this when you get your coupons you write the date on the front and then only clip the coupons you know your going to use because maybe a certain item is on sale...this is an ok method but, you tend to miss out on deals and heres why...some deals and sales aren't always addvertised so you get to the store and see something on a good sale and realize you have a coupon for it but, it at home...it can be a total bummer! espically when it is an amazing deal like this one....i went to the store i didn't need dish saop but, i had all my coupons with me anyway and i saw there was some dawn dish soap on sale for 1.69 and i had a coupon for 1.50 off dish soap...and bam .19 cents for some dishsaop you can't beat it!

ok ok so your probably saying so how should I carry my coupons well there are several techniques one is just throw them in an envoplope again the problem with this one is you can only carry so many and envoples tend to tear easily 2) carry themin one of those ( can't thinkof the name) things that have the differnt files in them....expanding file??? they come in all different sizes i would suggest the smaller ones this is a goood technique because you can seperate your coupons in catagories so if your at the store you see an item on sale and you know you have a coupon for it you can go right to that catagorie and find it...I did this method for a long time i did like it but, i found as became more serious and was getting more coupons it was buldging and i felt like I was always going threw a pile of coupons soI switched to the binder method...I feeel it is the best method for serious couponers. Basically the binder method is just that you have a binder( you can get them for about 10...but, with all the back to school stuff going on right now you could wait a few weeks and they are going to clearance out and you could snag one for CHEAP!) so you have your binder then you purchase a few packs of base ball card holders the clear one in the base ball sxection(usually by the registers) these will hold your coupons so basically you divide your binder in to sections like...beauty, health, condiments ect and then you put coupons in those sections that match your catagory so then when your ready to go shoppong you can make a list and then just flip threw your pages and clearly see your coupons...pull out the ones you know you want to use and put them in a different section of your binder and then as you shop and you grab the items you going to buy throw the coupons in and envoplpe or your pocket so you can have them ready at the register... I personallly pick a line that has a person or 2 in front of me so i have time to get my stuff up there before they start scanning so you can watch them scan to make sure every thing is scanning at the correct price and so when they scan my coupon i can watch this key because sometimes they miss one or it doesn't scan correctly don't let them bully you just ask for a manager to come and help they can usually fix the problem....and rember that you are actually helping the store by using coupons...yep thats what i said when you use a coupon they sent them in to the manufacter and the manufacters pays them the face v aule pluse around 13 cents so they are banking off of you using coupons...so if you get a snotty cashier remind them of that!


ok now of to the next thing in couponing...prices before you buy decide what your willing to pay for a certain item like tooth paste i personally will only pay .25 to .75 cents for it and i stock up on it when it's on sale and I have multiple coupns for it. this is wear multiple coupon subscrptions come into play example.. if you are a family of 3 2 subs will do a family of 4 3 will do and so on I personally only get 3 but, it is what ever you feel works for you! so you have 3 to 5 coupons for crest for let's say .75 cents off and it is on sale this week for lets say 1.50 take away .75 and wa la .75 cents a tube and stock up that way when you run out you don't have to pay full price ok so Cereal the most i will pay is 1.25 for the good kinds not the crap again stock up ok so maybe you don't need 15 boxes but it stays good for a year i am sure you will use it up before then and again if you have 5 extra boxes on hand you will never pay full price for it when it's not on sale and you don't have coupons! ok so if your worried about cost on the subcriptions I promise you savings from your first trip will more then pay for your subscrptions and there are bloggers out there that have worked very hard to get reduced prices a good one is utah deal diva check her out http://www.utahdealdiva.com/ . so you get it you decide a price that you are willing to pay for certain items and stick to your guns on it also don't be...umm how do i say this don't be a brand brat try new thing differnt brands don't only buy one brand if you have a coupon for a good deal on one brand of toilet paper but, maybe it's not your favorite kind try the other you might be suprised and like it!

DON'T MINDLESSLY SHOP.... if it's not on your list and you don't really need resist the need to throw it in your cart and buy it put it back...you'll live I promise!


ok so thats all I can think of for now!!! have a good one!

Couponing

So recently I became a couponer well i have been using them for quite a while but, not seriously just when I would see a coupon for something i knew i was going to buy I would use it...but, recently i have gotten really serious about it and saving money so i decided for the month of sept i am only going to spend 160...yep for the whole month...thats 40 bucks a week for everything I WILL post pics of my recipts and write a weekly post on how I am doing i really want to do this and not go over so i am going to be being very careful on what we buy and decide before I put it in the cart I will ask my self...Is this a want or a need? wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes!!!

WAY TOO LONG..........

Yikes it's been awhile...what have we been up to??? Well we have had a very eventful summer we went to lake powell for the 4th of july witch was really fun the kids had a blast and loved the water, we have been going to our local swimming pool a TON we have had one play date after the next, we have been to parades carnivals and the salt lake county fair, the drive inns, and bowling...it has been lots of fun but, also exhasting!!! I am really ready for school to be back in session... Kendrick starts on the 24th and Caleb start kindegarten on the 30th my babies are growing up on me to fast! I will post pics soon!!! or you can look at my facebook page all my pics are there!

Memorial day weekend!!!

So we had a really great weekend on saturday Josh had to work so I just hung out with kids at home and then we made some yummy nachos and watched the ufc fights! On sunday we had a b day party in slc for some of really good friends Steve and Kaylene's son Hunter I used to watch him as baby and now he is 3 wow how times flys! he is so cute and it was awesome to hang out with old friends! then monday we decided to go to the Zoo it was a blast the kids so enjoyed it it was a bit busy for my tatse but, fuin over all we got to meet baby Zuri my kids thought she was sooo cute! she is darling and so playful! Keira really enjoyed the monleys...but, would get mad if she couldn't see them right away!!! Kendrick is so smart he knew basically every aniamals name before we got to them he would say that is blank blank kind of monkey...he is really funny! Then after we stopped by Josh's grandma's so he could mow her lawn it was way over due and he wanted to do something nice for her!!

shakeology vs.....

So as some of you know I am an independent beach body coach...witch so far I am loving it I get to share my passion for fittness with others and make some money in the process! i also get really great discounts and get to buy new workout programs before they are available to the public like turbo fire!!! so excited for that! one of things I am able to sale as a coach is Shakeology "the healtiest meal of the day" it is truely amazing product..I wouldn't tell you unless I beleived in it my self! it seems expensive but, when you counter in your get a huge precent of your daily veggies and fruits all your viatamins and probiotics just to name a few it is actually qiute cheap.. don't beleive me see what the doctors have to say please visit my site and see if it's worth it to you! www.myshakeology.com/jesshas3 and click on the doctors link...actually read all about it! very amazing product!

concotions....

So whenever i get bored of something but, i know it's good for me I try to throw in a twist so I will like it again like I love a basic green salad but, sometimes lettus tomatoe cucmber and green onion gets...wel boring so the other day I threw in some apple and strawberries...YUM! I also like to put in crasins and almonds or walnuts! tell me what you do when you get borded of something??

Way to go Kendrick!!!

So last week at schhol they did there annual b ike give away basically every 100 minutes you read you get a ticket put into the drawing to possibly win a bike they have one boy and girl for k thur 2nd and guess what Kendrivk won!!! whaahoo! we were so happy for him and proud of him because, he really read so much this year! way to go kendrick! we also took him out to dinner that night for all his hard work this year! he choose wingers his all time favorite next to anything pizza!!!

So excited...

I am so excited for my new adventure as a beachbody independent Coach...please feel free to check out my webpage at www.beachbodycoach.com/jesshas3

coupon maddness

So check this awesome deal out...this week at walgreen they have htere new shick hydro razors on sale for 7.99...sound pretty normal maybe even a touch expesive for a razor but if you clipped this sunday's coupons you know you have a $5 off coupon for this razor...2.99 sound even better but, it doesn't stop there if you purcahse this at wlgreens you get a $5 register rewards good on you next purchase so it like geting paid to shop also if you buy the cartraiges you get and additional $3 register reward...awesomeness!!!

check it out...

http://bakedwithloove.blogspot.com/ this is my cooking blog...have fun!

Student of the month....

So Kendrick was the march student of the month and this momma couldn't be any prouder he is such a good kid he is so kind and thougful and a really hard worker. His grades are very important to him and he always srives to be better I love Kendrick so much and am truely blessed to be his mother!!!! Also are a few pics from valintines....the box Kendrick made and some treats we made super easy and cute!!!

Silly heads

We went out to eat a month or so ago and the waitress gave them all a an ice cream cone and Keira...well she got a little WILD with it! I took one of Caleb and can't find it...oh well=(

warm weather fun left as fast as it came....=(

We have had such a weird spring a few warm days and alot of cold wet ones but, we have soaked up the sun as much as it comes out! I just hope it gets alot warmer soon I hate the cold!

easter pics...finally=)

So ya I am not good at the blog thing but, oh well here is some of our easter pics. First off for anythat don't know Keira cut most of her hair off a few days before easter I was really upset she had such long beautiful hair so I was pretty disapointed that she wouldn't be able to do something fun with her hair for easter...her hair still looks pretty bad but, we are more used to it now...as used to it as you can be I guess! Anywho we had a really nice easter we went to church, had an indoor eater hunt and I made yummy beef stew for dinner. The kids had a fun day enjoying there easter gifts and other then that we relaxed and took it easy!

quaker products for .40 can't beat it!

This last week at smith's they had most of there quaker products on sale for 1.00 and in the albertson's and macey's add they had 3.00 of 5 quaker product manufacter coupons so I ran to walmart add match my stuuff to one dollar used my coupons and cha ching .40 a box....this is a killer deal especially becuase my family goes through cereal and granola bars way fast!

Dinner super cheap!!!

So this weekend was Josh and I's 5th wedding anniversery and we wanted to go to one of our favorite place for a special dinner so I got on to resturants.com and wha la I got a us a 25 gift card for 3.00...yep thats what I said 3 dollars! The are a few stipulation to the gift card you have to spend at 35 dollars and it's not good on promo items and achohol. so we each ordered and got drinks and to put the tab to 35 we ordered desert to go after our gift card it came to 13 and some change we lft a 20 for a tip...AWESOME we went out to a super nice dinner fo 23.00 dollars gottta love saving money!!!!

Keira "new" do....

So yesterday Keira was being so quiet and well I thought good....not a chance that would just not be her! anywho I went to check on her and as I was walking twoards her room i saw a chunck of her hair on the floor....yep she cut her own hair and alot of it...there was hair every were and so we took her in and now she has a really short little bob...so sad i loved her long beautiful hair!!! I shoud have took some before pics but, I was so upset and heart broken I didn't but I posted a before pic of when she had her long hair and an after...I have to keep it curled now it hide the all different lengths a bit better and her bangs start all the in the back due to the fact in the front she cut all the way to the scalp=( I am so dissapointed she had such long gourgous thick hair and now she has a little boyish cut! at least it grows back huh...I am praying for her hair to look naormal by kindergarten that give her just over a year!!!

Fun with my beautiful baby girl...

So lately our sweet Keira well she has not been so sweet she has actually been quite a handful and very naughty so I was talking to Josh the other night and I said maybe we need to do more one on one things with her and let her know she is very special to us...so with that said I told her we were going to do something fun together so we made sugar cookie together and she loved it and had a blast helping and eating they turned out great and really yummy and for those of you who are trying to stick to a diet( I AM ) you can make them low calorie too so I will post the recipe and maybe you can enjoy some fun with your kiddos too!


Best sugar cookies EVER!!!

3 cups flour...whole wheat for low cal.
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1 cup sugar (splenda for baking)
1 cup butter ( I can't beleive it's not butter cooking sticks) Softened
1 egg
3 tbsp milk (skim)
1 tsp vanilla

mix flour, baking powder salt and sugar
cut butter into little peices and add. add milk vanilla and egg mix. ( start with hand mixer then use your nice clean HANDS roll out and cut.

bake @ 400 for 5 mins...yes only 5 mins and they turn out delisious and perfect!!!

New years "GOALS"

I HATE making new years resoltions you never keep them and then it just makes you feel crappy in the end so I think I will stick with goals....I am a firm believer that if you have goals and you never share them or write them down you probably won't achive them because until you do share them they are jusdt dreams!


so here we go with goal making!

1) I want to continue down my weight loss and fittness journey since about 4 months ago I have been doing a really awsome workout system and have lost 10 pounds I have about 5 more I would really like to lose....Also when I stared this I was eating really good and since the hoildays arrived I just got really off track with the eating part of things so I really want to get back on track with that!!

2) I want to spend more quality time with my kids doing things with them that they actually like doing not what I want to do with them....My kids are so amazing and I think sometime we forget how special they are!!!

3) I want to read more I have discovered a love for reading but with my tight schdule and kids sometime i just don't have time so I want to make more time for this!!

4) Spend more quality time with my best friend and husband Josh he is reallly the best person I know and I can't think of eny one I would rather spend my time with we always have a blast togeher and make each other laugh so hard...we painted our house of the chirtmas break and it was so fun he is HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!

5) Not dwell on things I can't change sometimes you have to accept that "it is what it is"

6)Be more creative...I am always saying I want to try and make that or do this i really want to follow through on those things

7) last but not least...smile more and take more time to enjoy the small thingsI forget to do this alot so i want to get better at it!