For those of you checking in on the blog... please spread the word! I have some great useful tips, advice, and deals to share with everyone and I'd love to have some more readers like you to share, comment, and give me some ideas of what they would like to see!
Thanks!
Ashley
Monday, June 25, 2012
For the money savvy Mommies
So I posted last week about this new Safeway coupon program that's all online. Here's my verdict after my first use...
MUST USE!
This is incredible. You register online with your Safeway shopping card, and you get special deals just for you that other people may or may not receive, on top of their normal store sales and online coupons.
You flip through each section and click on what you want to purchase, and it has your savings right there. Then it automatically saves it to your grocery list where you can add additional things and print it out to take in the store. You get deals on your most frequently purchased products that you purchase when you scan your Safeway card, and you still get to stack their online coupons on top of it right on to the card so no clipping.
But to save more, you can still clip and stack your paper/internet coupons on top of that to save even more. I came out with Oikos Greek Yogurt for $.30 a container, a FREE carton of eggs, milk for only $1.30, CPK frozen pizzas for $3.30 a piece, Pampers Cruisers for $5 off, and so much more. I wound up with over a weeks worth of food at about $140 and only spent $80 coming out of the store.
Now I'm sure those that REALLY coupon can do much better then me, but for spending 10 minutes on Safeway's site to build my list, and another 10 minutes checking Coupons.com and CouponNetwork, I feel like I really made out, and it's so easy.
If anyone shops at Safeway, I HIGHLY recommend using their new "Just For U" Program!
MUST USE!
This is incredible. You register online with your Safeway shopping card, and you get special deals just for you that other people may or may not receive, on top of their normal store sales and online coupons.
You flip through each section and click on what you want to purchase, and it has your savings right there. Then it automatically saves it to your grocery list where you can add additional things and print it out to take in the store. You get deals on your most frequently purchased products that you purchase when you scan your Safeway card, and you still get to stack their online coupons on top of it right on to the card so no clipping.
But to save more, you can still clip and stack your paper/internet coupons on top of that to save even more. I came out with Oikos Greek Yogurt for $.30 a container, a FREE carton of eggs, milk for only $1.30, CPK frozen pizzas for $3.30 a piece, Pampers Cruisers for $5 off, and so much more. I wound up with over a weeks worth of food at about $140 and only spent $80 coming out of the store.
Now I'm sure those that REALLY coupon can do much better then me, but for spending 10 minutes on Safeway's site to build my list, and another 10 minutes checking Coupons.com and CouponNetwork, I feel like I really made out, and it's so easy.
If anyone shops at Safeway, I HIGHLY recommend using their new "Just For U" Program!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Pregnancy and Morning Sickness...
Now, it's been almost a year since I've been pregnant, and, probably a year and a half since I've experienced morning sickness... However, I'm catching something now that left me ill today, and a time tested trick to helping nausea when I was pregnant came in use.
For those pregnant mommies or mommy-to-be's... Ginger drops and saltines are amazing! Today I pulled out some of my old ginger hard candies that I had from when I was pregnant and they still work, so it's not just for the pregnant woman!
If you suffer from true morning sickness in the early hours of the day, the best solution I found out, and many others confirmed, was to keep a box of saltines next to your bed and eat a few before you even take a step out of bed. It helps settle your stomach before you get moving and the nauseousness sets in.
When you start feeling sick later in the day, ginger hard candy drops, or chewy gummy candies are amazing. You can usually buy them in baby stores in the mommy care section or specialty stores with holistic vitamins / medicines. I believe I've also seen them in the form of lollipops too. They're great to pop in your purse and use when needed. And as I've tested today, they work for nauseousness in general, not just during pregnancy!
For those pregnant mommies or mommy-to-be's... Ginger drops and saltines are amazing! Today I pulled out some of my old ginger hard candies that I had from when I was pregnant and they still work, so it's not just for the pregnant woman!
If you suffer from true morning sickness in the early hours of the day, the best solution I found out, and many others confirmed, was to keep a box of saltines next to your bed and eat a few before you even take a step out of bed. It helps settle your stomach before you get moving and the nauseousness sets in.
When you start feeling sick later in the day, ginger hard candy drops, or chewy gummy candies are amazing. You can usually buy them in baby stores in the mommy care section or specialty stores with holistic vitamins / medicines. I believe I've also seen them in the form of lollipops too. They're great to pop in your purse and use when needed. And as I've tested today, they work for nauseousness in general, not just during pregnancy!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Safeway Deals!
So if anyone has signed up and used Safeway's new "Just For U" couponing program, please comment on this post and let me know what you think.
I'm registering today and I'm going to use it on my weekend shopping trip... but I'm trying to figure out if it's truly going to make couponing easier like they're leading on.
I'll do a follow-up post after figuring out this program and let everyone know what I think!
I'm registering today and I'm going to use it on my weekend shopping trip... but I'm trying to figure out if it's truly going to make couponing easier like they're leading on.
I'll do a follow-up post after figuring out this program and let everyone know what I think!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
For the Couture Mommy! The Honest Company
Now this is my big splurge on my baby girl... The Honest Company
This Company was co-founded with Jessica Alba and sells eco-friendly, baby-friendly, recycled products for baby, home, and mommy. Things like diapers, wipes, wash, lotions, detergents, cleaners, etc.
So far I love EVERYTHING that they have. If you go to their website www.honest.com you can order a trial to see how you like it. (If you call in to order the trial you don't have to be set up for their subscription service.) Their diapers are beyond adorable with tons of original prints for girls and boys. I got the trial and loved it so I'm about to order a set of diapers to keep for special occasions when baby girls wears dresses and mommy wants a cute little diaper hanging on her behind.
It's supposed to be a subscription service that can be pricey but is automatically sent to you every month. Although I was informed at their office when setting up my trial that you can call in to order as you want instead of having things sent every month.
Absolutely LOVE it! The diapers are adorable, work great, and all of their cleaners and soaps are so mild and gentle.
I know they sometimes advertise on my blog. If you see the pane you can get an idea of their product at a glance.
This Company was co-founded with Jessica Alba and sells eco-friendly, baby-friendly, recycled products for baby, home, and mommy. Things like diapers, wipes, wash, lotions, detergents, cleaners, etc.
So far I love EVERYTHING that they have. If you go to their website www.honest.com you can order a trial to see how you like it. (If you call in to order the trial you don't have to be set up for their subscription service.) Their diapers are beyond adorable with tons of original prints for girls and boys. I got the trial and loved it so I'm about to order a set of diapers to keep for special occasions when baby girls wears dresses and mommy wants a cute little diaper hanging on her behind.
It's supposed to be a subscription service that can be pricey but is automatically sent to you every month. Although I was informed at their office when setting up my trial that you can call in to order as you want instead of having things sent every month.
Absolutely LOVE it! The diapers are adorable, work great, and all of their cleaners and soaps are so mild and gentle.
I know they sometimes advertise on my blog. If you see the pane you can get an idea of their product at a glance.
Saving Money on Baby Necessities, Pregnancy, and Post Pregnancy!
So I spread through word of mouth any deals I find on Diapers, and Formula. These are going to be 2 of your biggest expenses in the first couple years of life with your little one. Here are some great places to shop and ways to find some deals on Diapers, Wipes, Formula, and many other baby necessities.
Babies R' Us / Toys R' Us
Babies R' Us / Toys R' Us
- Although they aren't really a 'deal' or 'steal' store, they most certainly can be every few months.
- Sign up for their free Rewards program and they will send you advertisements for in-store deals that you aren't going to find unless you walk in the store. They run deals like buy 2 boxes of diapers and get a $25 gift card, or buy 3 or 4 boxes of diapers and get one free. They also do this for wipes, formula, and starter foods. This is especially great if you have manufacturer coupons to stack. This is usually where I buy diapers and wipes and when they run a sale like this I'll stock up to get me through to their next sale.
- If you really want to bank on them, register for their credit card. Or just their store charge card if you don't want quite the credit hit. Either way you get a $10 coupon for every $100 you spend, AND you get special sales and deals that you wouldn't get otherwise. The coupons also last for a few months and can be used on anything. This comes in handy when you're first stocking up for baby, and at Christmas time. With the cost of baby supplies, you can easy save yourself $100 - $200 a year with these rewards, and that's not including the money you'll save with coupons.
Amazon Mom
- I've used Amazon Mom before but I prefer physically buying my supplies. I do have family and friends that are religious with Amazon Mom though. You get 10% off diapers all the time, free shipping, and you can use coupons on the site to get even better deals.
Target
- Target doesn't like to stock old products. And by old I mean they could get a shipment Tuesday, and the following week the manufacturer may change the print, number in a package, or packaging itself, and what Target has left over is considered 'old' and clearance. Look for these! They will usually sell them on end aisle caps and you can get the steal of a century. Just a month ago Pampers changed the number of diapers in one of their packages so they were selling the old boxes at over 50% off!
- Target is also great at basic coupons and stacking their coupons with manufacturers for some great deals.
Some other ways to save on Formula and Diapers...
- Register on the manufacturer website for the brands you use. I use Pampers Diapers, Pampers Wipes, and Similac Formula. After registering on their sites you get $5 off Similac coupons as well as FULL SIZE container samples of formula, and $1 and $2 coupons from Pampers. The Similac is especially great because you get these coupons every month and you get a lot of them! I know when I first registered I was getting $20 off every month, and as the baby ages and uses less formula, it slowly dwindles down to 1 $5 off a month of 2. Still... AMAZING savings in the long run. (I also know Gerber does this with their foods and Formula, I'm not sure about Enfamil.)
- Also... ALWAYS snoop around the waiting rooms and offices of your Pediatrician. Almost all of them will have samples of rash cream, baby soap, lotions, and coupons for just about everything.
- AND... Always register with your local baby stores, be it Buy Buy Baby, Babies R' Us, or any other superstores out there. They have introduction packs that give insane coupons for pregnancy, post pregnancy, and newborns.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Pinterest Love!
Anyone looking for cute ideas, cooking ideas, and money savers that I like... follow me on Pinterest! I'm listed as MommyCanDo under people. I have a lot of great pins to share with everyone!
That's where this wooden toy came from that my baby girl is chewing on! Saw it as a suggestion and it is one amazing toy for kids. Each petal flips and turns, bells in the middle of each petal rattle, and its great on her gums!
That's where this wooden toy came from that my baby girl is chewing on! Saw it as a suggestion and it is one amazing toy for kids. Each petal flips and turns, bells in the middle of each petal rattle, and its great on her gums!
I've been MIA! - One Sick Little One with HFM
Sorry for no posts lately kids! I've had one sick little monster and a very hectic few weeks with work... but time to get back on this blog... there is so much to catch up on!
First... Hand Foot Mouth Disease... Really?? My poor little thing isn't even in daycare and hasn't been around any children. Luckily she has a very mild case and is still recuperating now. She finally got that little smile back today which makes mommy feel much better about it!
My advice on this post is regarding her being sick. A VERY good tip that I just picked up on...
As most of us know, any baby around 6 months to 1 year and a half is fascinated with everything you eat and drink. Well mommy's baby girl was not drinking anything! I tried bottles, sippy cups, juice, water, formula, Pedialyte, even putting anything in a glass to drink. I wasn't getting anywhere!
The advice I received was to put whatever it is you want them to drink in a glass with some ice and a straw. Pretend like it's your drink that you're drinking. Then... use the straw by sitting it in the glass and putting your finger on the top to hold in the drink and give it to them. Most babies LOVE sharing Mommy and Daddy's drinks, especially from a straw. This did the trick!! I finally got some fluids in her and she was happy to take them.
Another suggestion that I haven't tried yet is to freeze whatever you want them to drink into a popsicle shape for them to suck on. I feel like they could lose a lot of the fluid that way though so I may try that in another day or so when I'm not so worried about her intake. I'll let everyone know how it goes!!
First... Hand Foot Mouth Disease... Really?? My poor little thing isn't even in daycare and hasn't been around any children. Luckily she has a very mild case and is still recuperating now. She finally got that little smile back today which makes mommy feel much better about it!
My advice on this post is regarding her being sick. A VERY good tip that I just picked up on...
As most of us know, any baby around 6 months to 1 year and a half is fascinated with everything you eat and drink. Well mommy's baby girl was not drinking anything! I tried bottles, sippy cups, juice, water, formula, Pedialyte, even putting anything in a glass to drink. I wasn't getting anywhere!
The advice I received was to put whatever it is you want them to drink in a glass with some ice and a straw. Pretend like it's your drink that you're drinking. Then... use the straw by sitting it in the glass and putting your finger on the top to hold in the drink and give it to them. Most babies LOVE sharing Mommy and Daddy's drinks, especially from a straw. This did the trick!! I finally got some fluids in her and she was happy to take them.
Another suggestion that I haven't tried yet is to freeze whatever you want them to drink into a popsicle shape for them to suck on. I feel like they could lose a lot of the fluid that way though so I may try that in another day or so when I'm not so worried about her intake. I'll let everyone know how it goes!!
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