Recently my health has gone down-hill... pretty badly. Don't worry - it is nothing serious, I'll be OK after a while! But for now, I'm pretty miserable. Thus the reason I haven't been blogging or anything lately. I feel kind of OK right now, I'm hoping that this is a sign I'm on the up-hill climb now... but not counting on it.
I've been sick for more than a month now and I haven't had energy or strength consistently enough to even organize my coupons lately, in fact I'm about 4 weeks behind! (I'm secretly glad there aren't going to be any coupons in the paper this Sunday.)
Anyway... the point I'm getting to is this... Like I've said before, I started using coupons and after a few months we already paid of a huge chunk of debt. We are still on the track to being totally debt free by the middle of 2012 (out of all of our current debt) and we should also be able to get me anew car!!! (I'll post more about the car later.) In addition to that, we are even planning our kids very first Disneyland Vacation!!! I'm very excited about this, and I will probably do a small blog-post series about Disneyland too! :)
But, these last few weeks when I've been sicker than a dog (not sure exactly what that phrase even means) I've really been grateful for the fact that I've been able to start a nice sized food storage. Thanks to coupons the last few months, we were able to stock up on a lot of food and house-hold products.
When I got sick, I had no energy at all to go to the store. My husband had to go to work, and when he'd get off of work, he had to come straight home to take car of our kids and myself. So when ever he went to the store, he always had to go really quickly and only was able to have time to get the basics, bread and milk. He has been so wonderful; going to work everyday, coming home and taking care of the kids, making dinner, getting them ready for bed, cleaning the house, doing dishes and the laundry... the whole while I am sitting on the couch half dead and barely able to life my head some days. So a HUGE thank you and I love you to my husband!
Back to the point though... :)
SO... We have been relying a LOT on our built up food storage this last month and it has been such a life-saver.
When I finally feel well enough to get back to our normal routine I will have to play catch-up again on a lot of the things we've used up, but it has been so nice to not have to worry about the fact that I can't even go to the store to get basic groceries for my family.
My kids have had food to eat (and lots of it) as well as clean clothes and all their needs have been met because of our storage.
On a side note... My kids LOVE that I've been so sick. Because all day when Daddy is at work, we all get to sit on the couch, read books and watch a lot of TV. Don't get used to it kids... The TV will be off for about a month once Mommy feels better and we are all going outside for a LONG time to make up for this :)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Smith's Mega Event for Cars 2
This week at Smith's they are celebrating the upcoming release of Cars 2 by having a Mega event! Buy 5 participating items and get $5 off at the register!!! I'm very excited about this... and the movie coming out!
My husband and I are going to be taking our two oldest to the movie for an outing, and this will be the first time my little girl has ever been to the movies! :)
Also, they've got a GREAT deal on Watermelon this week, only .20 per lb. I know I'm gonna go get a couple of them. I love me some watermelon!!! PLUS, did I mention its seedless? :)
Check out this weeks full list of deals at Smith's here.
Or look at other stores this week.
Also, don't forget, that if you are going to go watch Cars 2 in theaters, you can earn Disney Movie Rewards points if you take a picture of your movie ticket stubs and upload them through your account! Click here for more information.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Keeping Up With The Joneses
"'Keeping up with the Joneses' is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to 'keep up with the Joneses' is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority."
"An inferiority complex, ... is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. An inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement."
We all compare ourselves to others at one point or another (and more frequently than we may like to admit) and honestly, I think that is how we are built! We are programmed to see the accomplishments of others and realize the worth of those accomplishments. When we do, that recognition can trigger in us a sense of "healthy competition" that pushes us to then do the beast we can in turn.
This comparison/competition cycle is a very good thing when kept in check and placed in the proper perspective. But too often, and in today's society a lot more frequently that it has been before, it gets out of hand and in a very real way un-healthy!
In my opinion, "Keeping up with the Joneses" is the epitome of self demoralization. When all wea re doing is trying to keep up with our neighbors, or be better than so-and-so... we are cheating ourselves of who we are as individuals. We become obsessed over one-upping each other and loose sight of being our unique best.
Maybe the reason we can never seem to "keep up with the Joneses" in the first place is because the Joneses are happy!
Example:
Your neighbors on the left have the perfectly manicured yard with beautiful shrubbery and blooming flowers. They are always outside caring for their property and enjoying the outside weather.
Your Neighbors on the right have a green lawn, a small perfect house and a beautiful boat in their driveway. They are seldom home on weekends because they take their boat out and enjoy the lake.
You see your neighbors and want what they have! So you work hard, maybe even get a second job to pay for that boat. But because you are working so hard you don't have the energy to work on your own lawn, so you hire someone else to do it for you. After a while, you have the perfect yard, a great boat and can now enjoy your weekends on the lake and your weeks in the yard. But something is missing.
If you looked closer, you would have noticed that your neighbors on the left with the perfect yard, you never see a car in their driveway... It stays locked up in the garage because they seldom use it, apart from going to work. And, that car is a 30 year old heap of metal running on it's last leg. It gets them where they need to go and they don't feel any need to trade it in right now.
While your neighbors on the right have that amazing boat and are able to take every weekend away on the lake, their house is small and barely fits them and their two children, but it is also a lot older than you thought it was and needs a lot of work!
The whole while, your neighbors on your left were looking at your messy yard with all the toys and dead patches where the boys won't stop digging up the dirt longing and wishing they were able to have children of their own to tear up the grass and flowers.
On the left, your neighbors climb into their truck early Saturday morning and pull away from their small, falling-apart-house pulling behind them their inherited boat to get away for the day and take a break from the endless repairs of their home as they try to keep up with the endless chores and kids, wishing they could afford to fix it up for good or just move!
We all need to get to the point where we can see the Joneses and use that desire for what they have as a motivator to get accomplished what we need and want, and what we really need and want, not just the same things that they have because it looks greener on the other side of the fence.
You may not have that boat, or the perfect yard, or the even the children you want right now... But I firmly believe that you are where you are meant to be at this particular moment in time! Be grateful for what you have, long for things you want and work for them. But don't let that longing overcome your entire life. You were dealt the cards you have. You made the choices you made and where you are now is a result of that.
The future will always change, just try to be happy where you are for now.
Remember and learn from yesterday
Plan, hope and prepare for tomorrow
Live Today!
"An inferiority complex, ... is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. An inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement."
We all compare ourselves to others at one point or another (and more frequently than we may like to admit) and honestly, I think that is how we are built! We are programmed to see the accomplishments of others and realize the worth of those accomplishments. When we do, that recognition can trigger in us a sense of "healthy competition" that pushes us to then do the beast we can in turn.
This comparison/competition cycle is a very good thing when kept in check and placed in the proper perspective. But too often, and in today's society a lot more frequently that it has been before, it gets out of hand and in a very real way un-healthy!
In my opinion, "Keeping up with the Joneses" is the epitome of self demoralization. When all wea re doing is trying to keep up with our neighbors, or be better than so-and-so... we are cheating ourselves of who we are as individuals. We become obsessed over one-upping each other and loose sight of being our unique best.
Maybe the reason we can never seem to "keep up with the Joneses" in the first place is because the Joneses are happy!
Example:
Your neighbors on the left have the perfectly manicured yard with beautiful shrubbery and blooming flowers. They are always outside caring for their property and enjoying the outside weather.
Your Neighbors on the right have a green lawn, a small perfect house and a beautiful boat in their driveway. They are seldom home on weekends because they take their boat out and enjoy the lake.
You see your neighbors and want what they have! So you work hard, maybe even get a second job to pay for that boat. But because you are working so hard you don't have the energy to work on your own lawn, so you hire someone else to do it for you. After a while, you have the perfect yard, a great boat and can now enjoy your weekends on the lake and your weeks in the yard. But something is missing.
If you looked closer, you would have noticed that your neighbors on the left with the perfect yard, you never see a car in their driveway... It stays locked up in the garage because they seldom use it, apart from going to work. And, that car is a 30 year old heap of metal running on it's last leg. It gets them where they need to go and they don't feel any need to trade it in right now.
While your neighbors on the right have that amazing boat and are able to take every weekend away on the lake, their house is small and barely fits them and their two children, but it is also a lot older than you thought it was and needs a lot of work!
The whole while, your neighbors on your left were looking at your messy yard with all the toys and dead patches where the boys won't stop digging up the dirt longing and wishing they were able to have children of their own to tear up the grass and flowers.
On the left, your neighbors climb into their truck early Saturday morning and pull away from their small, falling-apart-house pulling behind them their inherited boat to get away for the day and take a break from the endless repairs of their home as they try to keep up with the endless chores and kids, wishing they could afford to fix it up for good or just move!
We all need to get to the point where we can see the Joneses and use that desire for what they have as a motivator to get accomplished what we need and want, and what we really need and want, not just the same things that they have because it looks greener on the other side of the fence.
You may not have that boat, or the perfect yard, or the even the children you want right now... But I firmly believe that you are where you are meant to be at this particular moment in time! Be grateful for what you have, long for things you want and work for them. But don't let that longing overcome your entire life. You were dealt the cards you have. You made the choices you made and where you are now is a result of that.
The future will always change, just try to be happy where you are for now.
Remember and learn from yesterday
Plan, hope and prepare for tomorrow
Live Today!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Top Deals at Smith's This Week
These deals are good through Tuesday, June 14th.
To see the full list for Smith's, click here!
To get to the GrocerySmarts main page and see the full list at other stores, click here!
To see the full list for Smith's, click here!
To get to the GrocerySmarts main page and see the full list at other stores, click here!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Free Items Through Saturday June 11th
Walgreens:
SoBe Lifewater 20 oz. on sale for .99, you get a .99 Register Reward (RR) when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Healthy Woman Soy Supplement 45 ct on sale for $8.00! Get a $8.00 RR when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Omega Smart Super Critical Ultimate Fish Oils 30 ct on sale for $10.00, use Omega Smart Fish Oil $2/1 This Link and you also get a $10.00 RR reward when you buy 1.
FREE plus $2.00 after RR
Reach Floss 30 yds or Reach Total Care or Ultraclean Toothbrush or Advanced Design 2 pack on sale for $2.50. Get 2 and use 2 Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash 1L or larger OR any (1) Reach Toothbrush OR any (1) Reach Floss OR (1) Reach Access Flosser $1/1 (12-31-11) SafeKidsSS-4/17 Coupons and get a $3.00 RR when you buy 2.
FREE after coupons and RR
Applied Nutrition Triple Calcium 90 ct on sale for $10.00, get a $10.00 RR when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Rite Aid:
Blink Tears, 15 ml bottle (LIMIT- ONE PER HOUSEHOLD) on sale for $7.99. Use Blink Tears or Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, any $2/1 (06-22-11) RP-5/22 coupon and also get a $7.99 Single Check Rebate when you get 1.
FREE plus $2.00 after Coupon and Rebate
Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush (limit 2) on sale for $5.99. Use Oral-B Adult or Kids Battery Toothbrush $3/1 (07-31-11) PG-6/5 coupon and get a $2.99 Up Reward when you buy 1.
FREE after Coupon and Up Reward
SoBe Lifewater 20 oz. on sale for .99, you get a .99 Register Reward (RR) when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Healthy Woman Soy Supplement 45 ct on sale for $8.00! Get a $8.00 RR when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Omega Smart Super Critical Ultimate Fish Oils 30 ct on sale for $10.00, use Omega Smart Fish Oil $2/1 This Link and you also get a $10.00 RR reward when you buy 1.
FREE plus $2.00 after RR
Reach Floss 30 yds or Reach Total Care or Ultraclean Toothbrush or Advanced Design 2 pack on sale for $2.50. Get 2 and use 2 Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash 1L or larger OR any (1) Reach Toothbrush OR any (1) Reach Floss OR (1) Reach Access Flosser $1/1 (12-31-11) SafeKidsSS-4/17 Coupons and get a $3.00 RR when you buy 2.
FREE after coupons and RR
Applied Nutrition Triple Calcium 90 ct on sale for $10.00, get a $10.00 RR when you buy 1.
FREE after RR
Rite Aid:
Blink Tears, 15 ml bottle (LIMIT- ONE PER HOUSEHOLD) on sale for $7.99. Use Blink Tears or Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops, any $2/1 (06-22-11) RP-5/22 coupon and also get a $7.99 Single Check Rebate when you get 1.
FREE plus $2.00 after Coupon and Rebate
Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush (limit 2) on sale for $5.99. Use Oral-B Adult or Kids Battery Toothbrush $3/1 (07-31-11) PG-6/5 coupon and get a $2.99 Up Reward when you buy 1.
FREE after Coupon and Up Reward
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