Not So Extreme Couponing

   I'm sure everyone has heard of or watched that television show Extreme Couponers  on TLC or stood behind someone in line at the grocery store that made you wait an extra four minutes so that they could scan all fifty of their coupons. Yes, it's a little time consuming, but is it worth it? YES!

   My husband and I both graduated college in May, and since then our budget had to be cut in half. We had to make some serious decisions about where our money went. The biggest expense that needed downsizing was our grocery/household allotment, or put more simply...trips to Wal-mart. I currently work in a grocery store, so I became really aware of what are "great" produce/grocery/meat prices and what are not. Another thing that helped trim our budget was couponing. In December we saved $93.43 (that's when I started keeping track of our savings each month out of curiosity) and so far for this month the total is up to $86 saved. Also, the grocery stores aren't the only place to use coupons. We use them for eating out, on soap, pet products, clothing, and I've even seen them for cigarettes if you know where to look.

- The first thing you have to do is get your hands on some coupons. The most obvious source is the  Sunday newspaper. I usually buy two or three papers if the coupons are really good. I know the paper cost more than the average paper, but if you spend $2 on a paper and use $4 worth of coupons then it's worth it. Local supermarkets will also usually have coupon inserts that they're shipped from manufacturers. Also, the internet has become a booming source for free printable coupons. This website is one of my favorites because it's a conglomerate of many coupon websites that all offer free printable coupons http://www.printablegrocerycoupons.net/ 

- There are some tricks on how exactly to use them once you have them. First things first, check the coupon redemption policy with the grocery store you frequent. For example, Wal-Mart and Target only take coupons at face value (no doubling or tripling) whereas your local supermarket (like mine) doubles or even triples the value of a coupon up to a certain value. What I mean by doubling and tripling a coupon is....let's say you want to buy a bottle of mustard for $2. You have a coupon for $0.50 off, so at Wal-Mart you will buy the mustard for $1.50. If your local supermarket is selling the same mustard for $2 and they double the value of your coupon then you will only pay $1 for the mustard instead of $1.50. Hope that makes sense!

- Some supermarkets don't accept internet coupons, so that is another rule to check before you try to redeem the coupons.

- The biggest tip I have learned when it comes to couponing is that timing is everything. Ideally you want to wait for your item of choice to go on sale (which usually takes anywhere from $0.10-$2 off to begin with) and then receive a further discount with your coupon. If you're lucky you've shopped at a local supermarket where your coupon will double or triple, and then you will have bought the item for half the normal price. I have walked out of the store with items that I didn't have to pay a penny for, and no I didn't steal them. For example, I found last month that worcestershire sauce was on sale from $1.75 a bottle to $1.50. I had a $0.75 off coupon, which doubled...so you do the math! Free!

- Organization makes your life so much easier when it comes to couponing. I admit proudly that I'm one of  those people that shop with a thick black binder full of dividers and inserts. I group them by expiration date first, then categories such as Groceries, Non-edibles (like toilet tissue, cleaning supplies, razors, etc) and Restaurants. I work forty hours a week and have a small family that I can't get enough of, so I don't have an abundance of free time on my hands. I do have enough time to take one hour a week to clip and organize coupons, especially if four hours of my time saves us almost $100 a month.

Well I hope this helps and encourages you to start saving your family some serious dough!

2nd Anniversary

January 1 will probably always be one of our most favorite days of the year. We love reminiscing about the past year of adventures together and discussing how we have developed as a couple. This year we decided to try something a little different. We made a pact to hand craft anniversary gifts to each other instead of purchasing them. Challenge accepted. We loved it so much that I think this may be a tradition we keep going for our years to come. 

I made him a little book so that he'll never forget why. He slaved over the stove to make me homemade cheesecake from scratch. Cheesecake holds a special little place in our hearts. This dessert was the first one we ever shared together on our "second" first date, and we served it at our wedding.

Idea from Pinterest!

My gift to him.

Homemade Cheesecake from scratch!

As you can tell, I love photography. I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to try it. Since this was only our second anniversary it was the perfect time to start. Every year you hold a picture up from your last anniversary, so eventually all your anniversary pictures will be compounded into one frame. We loved the idea and will add it to the list of anniversary traditions to come!

New Year, New Chapter

As I look through a year of blogs and photos from 2011, I'm reminded how drastically life can change. This time last year my husband and I were closing in on our first year of marriage, living by ourselves in Stillwater, OK and starting our last undergraduate college semester at OSU. As of now we're closing in on our second year of marriage, living with his parents and working minimum wage jobs to survive. Oh how life can change. 2011 has had it's many challenges, but together we have met each one head on and became better for it.

We are looking forward to 2012 for many reasons. First, this will be the year we start our active duty military journey together! Secondly, the first reason will let us begin our financial plans that we have longed to put into motion since taking our money handling seminar back in 2009. Thirdly, the AF is moving us to Texas, where we can become completely independent as a couple and start really feeling like our own little family. This upcoming year may hold some fierce challenges (if the military has it's way), but I know we'll conquer and come out stronger because of them.

Of course, I must end with my personal expectations for the upcoming 365 days. In 2012 I will run my first full marathon (26.2 miles), tackle my final weight loss goal (only 8 lbs to go), become more involved with my dad and take the GRE for graduate school. Ready. Set. GO!!

New York City

My parents approached us this year around August with their usual question, "What would you like for Christmas?" Yes, my parents think about these things in August. We responded with the normal I don't knows, and that was that....until my cabin fever skyrocketed. 

My cousin recently moved to NYC to work for Apple, and I vowed that I would visit him before he began his next adventure elsewhere. I decided that I wanted an experience rather than a tangible gift, and asked for a plane ticket to NYC. My husband couldn't go due to his managerial duties at work, so I had a tough decision to make. We decided that this was an opportunity that I'd be crazy not to take, so off I went!

My cousin was the perfect tour guide and host. He weaseled his way into having the entire four days off while I was there. We took advantage of the time and hit every touristy site a visitor could imagine. Throughout our childhood we lived three blocks away from each other and together our first two years of college. We are very close. Even though I missed my husband greatly, I feel so grateful for the one-on-one time I got in with my cousin in the city that never sleeps! We toured the 9/11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue, Statue of Liberty, Public Library, Grand Central Station, Central Park and even found time to eat at Serendipity 3 (best dessert I've ever had). I can honestly say the best thing about visiting NYC was just to see and chat with him in person rather than using the phone or computer. I'm really looking forward to returning with my husband and play tour guide myself!

DIY Vanilla Extract

With the holidays quickly approaching comes the annual brainstorming of ideas for homemade Christmas gifts! We have done homemade gifts every year since we've been together. We enjoy baking and crafting gifts more than shopping at malls and departments stores, and it's always much more kind on our budget. One idea we loved was do-it-yourself vanilla extract. The recipe is so simple that we couldn't resist, especially with all the holiday chefs in our families that could put it to great use!

To get started all you need is a kind of seal-able jar or container, cheap vodka and whole vanilla beans

We ordered ours from this website http://www.myspicesage.com/

For a pint sized jar we placed 8 whole beans in each jar, then fill with vodka

 This needs to sit for at least 2 months for the beans and vodka to do their magic. When you're ready to use the extract you can leave the beans in the jar, no need to remove them. The longer you wait the better and more potent it gets! Enjoy!

Sick as a Dog

3am

10 pm

We knew that living in the country we should expect to run into snakes, spiders and scorpions. We soon found out it's hard to brief our dog on the rules of not sticking your nose into big, dark holes or getting within stinging reach of scorpions. We're not 100% sure on what exactly stung him in the face, but we're thinking a scorpion. There has been a severe drought here this summer, so the scorpions are continuously on a hunt for water sources which brings them into our house on a daily basis. On this night, I came home from work about 9:15pm and Zeus was fine, greeted me as usual. Around 10pm I noticed his muzzle had these hard bumps beneath the skin, and they were popping up at a scary rate. We gave him some children's benadryl then tried to call the vet. Of course it was a Saturday night and the vet didn't have an emergency phone line. I woke up about 3am to check on him and his poor little face had swelled to the size of a cantelope! As you can tell, he was miserable. We pumped him full of more children's benadryl and other drugs to help him with the pain and swelling. Luckily around noon the following day his face began to go back to normal, and then we got that return call from the vet. He said there was really nothing they could have done except give him more expensive versions of the medicine that we gave him. Thankfully Kit's mother is a nurse and knew what drugs a dog can have and what drugs can be taken with others. Funny thing is, when Zeus comes across scorpions now he veers far away from them and no longer has an uncontrollable urge to shove his nose at them. Old dogs can learn new tricks!

E.M.T.

My husband and I knew our marriage would face some unique challenges and situations. We knew at some point my military career would dictate where we would live, when we could do things, and quite possibly limit or hinder my husband's career choices. Thankfully, I have one amazingly understanding partner in life, and he knew better than I did what all of this would mean. He has gracefully accepted that he will have to put his dreams of becoming a firefighter/police officer on hold (for how long we don't know), but it doesn't mean he has to take it laying down.

For our first assignment we will be at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo TX for eight to ten months. Eight to ten months is long enough to get a temporary, insignificant job or be a stay-at-home hubby. He definitely doesn't want to play house hubby for that long, and I don't blame him. If the role were reversed, I wouldn't want to stay at home when I knew I could be contributing to our family by bringing in some extra, much needed income. He wanted to work, but he wanted the job to be meaningful and useful for the future. He did a little research and discovered people are more inclined to get hired onto a fire house if they have had some previous paramedic or E.M.T. experience. He was accepted and classes start August 15! The classes run until the beginning of December. We will have to spend a couple months a part, but it is a small sacrifice to make to be able to see my husband still follow the path that he wants so desperately to pursue. I'm one proud wife to see my husband further his education and still chase after his dream. He will make one helluva E.M.T.!