Things Happen

That's my daughter's go-to phrase:  Things Happen.  Life is a series of happy accidents. . . or blessings in disguise.  After 2 1/2 years here at home with her, I still often struggle with my place in this world.  My jobs, for lack of a better term, were crap; it's not like I was on the fast track to running a Fortune 500 company when I became a SAHM in 2011.  Having said that, I'm not exactly motherly either.  I'm not much of a cook.  My house is usually a complete mess.  I only recently found out what a "busy bag" is.  And . . . my overly independent child wants little to do with any projects or activities I try to present to her.  I still ask myself every day "What the fuck am I doing here?"  Is there something that I do right?

First of all, I put my highly independent child into preschool just after she turned 2, and it has given her the freedom that most kids her age aren't even looking for.  Also, I dispense A LOT of hugs - I'd like to think I have a PhD in what we call "buggying."  I sing the ABCs with her, and she knows the whole song, which surprises me (should it?).  We sing and dance to the movie Xanadu (don't judge).  Singing is popular in our house; my kiddo will look right into my eyes and sing the entire chorus of "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker.  Even though she isn't great with her colors yet, she can count to twelve - and we're working up to twenty.

When I feel inadequate - which really isn't as frequently as some might think - I hear that little voice in my head singing "You Are So Beautiful."  Or I think of the joy she has when I pick her up after school, as she yells goodbye to everyone all the way down the hall.  Then I remember the little dance she does along with Gene Kelly in Xanadu.  That's when I appreciate the wondrous child that I have - and know that even though I'm not perfect, my kid is blossoming.  So I must be doing something right.

Buying Coupons: Worth the Cost?

Now that I’m actively learning to coupon, I met with a fellow mom yesterday to discuss her methods, which includes purchasing high-value coupons.  She made a case for this, as per her example, that she can buy a coupon for a free DiGiorno pizza for $2, and thus making the pizza cost $2.  What happens, though, when it’s not a coupon for a free item, just 'x' number of dollars or cents off?  Is it still worth purchasing the coupon?  I chose to investigate. 

I'm just not a fan of drugstore shopping.  The CVS isn't all that convenient, and our nearest Walgreens only opened up about three months ago.  I also think their prices are significantly higher.  This week Walgreens has a deal for B1G1 Kleenex.  Typically we buy Meijer brand tissues when they’re part of the 10 for 10 (making them $1 each).  My fellow couponing mom had coupons for 60 cents off a single box of Kleenex (brand name), and offered 10 to me at no cost, even though she paid 10 cents apiece for them.  She suggested that I do this deal – her math said that each box would be 40 cents apiece using the coupon with the B1G1.  The problem wasn't in her math.  The problem was that the boxes are $2.49 apiece, not $1.99!  Since it was still cheaper than my usual $1 threshold, I bought four boxes using four 60-cent off coupons for a total of $2.93 with tax. 

This got me to roughly 74 cents per box.  That’s not shabby, but more than I expected.  Furthermore, if I had bought the coupons, they would have technically been 84 cents per box.  At this point, with the cost of stamps ballooning, is the 16-cent savings worth it?  As a SAHM, I’m not sure it really is.  Fortunately I ran into Walgreens while the kiddo was at school, so it’s not like I dragged her in and out of a store I only spent five minutes in.  Likewise, it was on my way home from the chiropractor, so I didn't waste any gas with the stop.  My final point in this scenario:  My fellow mom picks up the coupons from a lady that lives nearby, so she isn't using postage, but she’s still using gas.  And the difference between buying a Meijer brand box on sale at $1 versus this sale is only 16 cents per box. 

Personally, I've never considered buying coupons.  To me, it defeats the purpose.  My husband is even skeptical of trading, due to the now-high cost of stamps.  While I will keep an open mind, I don’t think I’d ever purchase coupons for items that aren't already free.  The effort seems to outweigh the savings in this case.  In fact, she gave me ten coupons, and I only used four, so I’d like to return the rest to her.  I think she wants them more than I do.

My Sweet Dec. 26th Haul

What a lousy picture of a fantastic haul.  I'm a big proponent of after-Christmas clearances, and this year did not disappoint.  I love buying gifts in advance, especially for the older folks in my family.  Likewise, I have an Aunt that is insistent on exchanging token gifts.  Therefore the after-Christmas sales are almost better than Black Friday for me.  December 26th is about the hidden gems that you find; Black Friday always involves a plan.  So, below are a few hints about what to buy:

-My daughter is in preschool, and needs to bring a snack to share with the class again in a few weeks.  At Target I bought the Market Pantry Christmas snacks, reindeer grahams and packages of fruit snacks.  It's nice to have some variety from the typical Goldfish and pretzels.

-Not only did I buy the wrapping paper for Bebe's gifts for next year, but the Sofia the First wrapping paper was not remotely Christmas-y.  There are some snowflakes in the background, so I'm using it for her birthday!

-Since we're starting on the potty training soon, I picked up some "rewards" for Bebe.  Target and Meijer had great stocking stuffer items like bubbles and stickers.  Anything else we don't use is going with us on our Disney trip in the spring to use as "souvenirs."  It's cheaper to bring our own Disney-branded souvenirs, and since she's 2, she'll never know the difference.

-Reynolds Wrap.  I haven't bought any at regular price in years.  Stupid snowflakes on the box immediately signal clearance at Target.

-Plastic food storage.  I threw out a bunch of old Glad and Ziploc storage containers.  Plus, since my sister has celiac disease,  I need to have unused containers on hand for when she comes to visit and we have leftovers.

-Baking supplies.  It's cookies galore at our house!  We have cookie mixes, refrigerated cookies, cake mixes, frosting, and even Wilton candy melts so that we can eat our way through the winter.

And, of course . . . next year's gifts.  As much as I would have liked to hit the 70% clearance, not only has my kid been sick (again), but the past few days have been the stuff of my snow nightmares, so I'm just going to be thankful that I got out to get the deals when I did.  Savings is savings.  I bought holiday throw pillows for the teachers for $7.49 apiece; I am content with that price.  I also got a cookie jar at that same price.  In the end, I wasn't wowed by the boxed gifts, and didn't buy much, but as long as the teachers are taken care of, I'm happy.

Having said all of this, bear in mind that I DID use coupons.  For example, I bought five packages of Bounty, and had a coupon for each one.  Some things I doubled my coupons on, like the Press-n-Seal (mPerk and Target coupon).  I also bought two bags of Starbucks holiday blend for $5.84 after the discount and coupons.  My lousy picture doesn't do my haul justice; combined with my Dominick's purchases, it's quite the beautiful stockpile, and there are things I won't have to buy again until next year!