Couponing first post in the series

I need to come up with a good name for this series, any ideas?

As I promised WEEKS ago, I am now starting my series of posts on couponing. I have been doing a TON of research and compiling of information to make sure that I relay all the correct information. This being said I am still learning myself! I am finding and learning new things every time I turn around! I have several websites/blogs that I refer to daily! (All of which I will be including in these posts. Just not exactly how each post will pan out exactly, I'm winging it). Please make sure that you check with all the stores around your area for their policies. You should be able to find these on their websites or by just going to the service desk and talking to a manager.

There are several things you should know about couponing to be successful.

1. You WILL feel overwhelmed at first, it is okay, I still do today and I have had great success in just over a month.

2. You will have to put sometime and effort into collecting coupons/finding the deals each week. I spend about an hour every day or so.

3. Do NOT try to get every deal.... ever (no matter how good you get at this), this will make it impossible for you to be successful! (and then I would be worried about hoarding and wasting money on things you won't use)

4. If you are doing this correctly you should be that crazy person at the register with ATLEAST 30 coupons.

5. Be proud of yourself, not embarrassed and ashamed. I have found the last two times, people are more curious about how I save so much than having to wait in line while the cashier is scanning all my coupons. Be polite, patient, and open with your experiences and savings and you will find that people are more entertained than bothered.

6. Do NOT try to start with both the grocery store and drugstores at the same time. Pick your most used grocery and start there, I would recommend using just that for about 6 weeks, so that you have it down pat, before throwing in 1 drugstore.

7. Most importantly be prepared to make mistakes! Understand that this is not an easy task and you have to figure out what works best for you.

8. Most importantly HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

I'm hoping that friday I will be able to make a coherent (I'm having foot surgery thursday) post about either why you should coupon and/or how coupons work. Please let me know if there is something specific you want to know, so that I can research and find the best place to put it in this series!

Happy couponing (and learning)!

Today I feel like

Today I feel like the worst person on the face of the planet. I feel like I have given up on someone entirely too early. I feel like I have been selfish with my feelings and my hurt. I feel like I have not given her a chance.

Today I just want to curl up in a corner and say that I am sorry, for not being there, not understanding, not being the friend needed.

Today, my heart is breaking even more than it has before. I am so sorry my dear friend.

I'm not sure where to even start with my apology as I am nost sure it will even do justice for the neglect and undesereved doubts! I am so sorry!

I found an awesome deal!

I found an AMAZING deal today at my publix today!

But just so you know, whatever you do, DO NOT take pictures of the isle signs! I did this today so that I could get my coupon binder in order of the store to make more efficient and I got told that I was NOT ALLOWED to take pictures, this occured in isle 5 of 13. So as you can imagine my next 8 isles were written out and kind of combobulated.

But anywho, the point! My mom bought me an oral b power toothbrush for xmas from target, it was marked down from $70 some odd bucks to 34.99, and then I had a $10/1 coupon from the p&g insert to make it 24.99, which I though was a pretty good deal. Just the brush and no replacement "head" brush thing.

So Brad decided that he wanted one, so when I was going to the store today, I was looking at all the booklets that publix has and noticed that they had $10/1 oral b coupon for the toothbrush and then I had another from p&g coupon from todays paper for $10/1, so i dedcided that I would look. thinking that it would be way more expensive, boy was i wrong!

Publix (in my nashville store) had an oral-b vitality power toothbrush for 26.99. (now I am still learning, but my store will allow you to stack a store coupon (which has an LU # usually on the bottom) and a manufactures coupon (which says manufactures coupon on top), I checked with the cashier before she wrung them up and was told that I should be able to do them both and the computer would beep if it was not allowed, which it obviously did not)

so

toothbrush 26.99

store coupon -10.00

manufacture coupon -10.00

_____

total price 6.99 before tax

what an awesome deal!

Now this being said, should I find out from a reader that we (cashier and myself) made a mistake with this I will be returning to the store to fix my error!

As I am still very much learning, and still somewhat overwhelmed, please make sure that you check with your store to see what their rules and regulations are! I have not been able to find them other than what the staff has verbally told me and from what I can tell all stores are different!

I'm too tired to write!

I know I promised several people my coupon hints and sites yesterday, but to be completely honest I am too dang tired to even think about putting together a coherent and useful post about couponing. I'm sorry, hopefully tomorrow will be the day!

But I do have to tell you about this horrible melt down we had yesterday and ask for you advice!

Yesterday my sweet, adorable, can't do anything wrong (he he he) 5 yr old threw this MASSIVE fit, in public.........in target! Now I'm not just talking about crying, I can deal with that, but SCREAMING the ENTIRE way through target. Now, this has become something that has started over the past year, but has never happened in public and never to this extent. We make sure to tell her that fits are not okay and that they are not exceptable. They also mostly occur when her way has not been gotten. Typically when a fit begins, she is sent to her room to calm down after given the option to either stop fussing and talk about the situation or go sit in her room. When sitting in her room she is to sit in the very middle without any distractions so that she can think about what is going on. (We are trying to get her to work on feelings when they are starting and through them so she understands what is going on in her brain and express them, but we are not anywhere close to this yet.)

What worries me most is that lately when these fits start it is also starting to begin with aggression, usually hitting something like the door when she is walking out of it, or snatching as hard as she can so that her arm is wound back and propels all the way around the front of her body. This is in NO WAY acceptable and will not be tolerated. When this sort of out break begins she is once again told why that action is not acceptable and told to either explain why she did that action and to calm down or go sit and think. If the fit is completely out of wack and is drawn out excessively or we are told no she wont sit in time out SEVERAL times, she will recieve a spanking and an explaination and be put in timeout until she is calm enough to sit and talk about why she responded the way she did, and the action(s) that landed her in the punishment she received. I am not one that likes to spank, so we try not to use this route unless absolutely necessary.

I know that I have a problem with yelling and I am very actively trying to work on this, I am trying to use an athoritative/calm voice. We explain to her that she is NOT a bad girl, but the choice she made was not the best choice to make. I don't quite know where to go though, I feel like the whole situation is getting worse, and I can tell you that I really don't think timeouts are working, by the time she calms down, she can't even remember what she is so upset about. I have tried taking away toys for negative attitudes and this is not effective, I don't think spankings are effective either. I am at a loss for what to do. I have also tried making her do things that she doesn't like, ie sweeping, cleaning, basically manual labor and this has no effect, she finds a way to like said chore.

I would really like to nip this attitude in the butt before it gets any worse. Please offer any advice you can give! Anything that may have worked for kids in your family, things your parents did with you. I love my daughter very much and want her to grow up and understand why we can't act certain ways, and have good morals. I am just lost.

has to be one of my favorite

This age that Tyler is currently at, has to be one of the most fun.

They have yet to learn to talk back, but are still learning what is okay and what is not. They are also learning new skills and things every day.

They still think that everything is funny, and will still let you cuddle.

Tyman is really funny right now. He is learning like crazy and just has the best personallity I could ask for.

Here is his latest new adventure/heart attack for mom, because it never takes place at an opportune time. Usually when standing right by some table with sharp edges, or even more fun, jumping off something, like say oh a brick fireplace, or a bed that is taller than him.

But enjoy

The craziness it has returned.

To be completely honest, after we moved to Nashville I was sure that our life was going to slow down and we would be able to relax, boy was I wrong! Was I ever wrong! And I can't tell you how thrilled about it I am! I think that we are all so very happy in our new surroundings. I think that we finally feel like we are where we need to be.

So we finally got here on Oct 8 and we have been on the move ever since. Of course the 9th was brads 30th birthday so we unpacked and set everything up for the next two weeks. On the weekend of the 23rd we went to visit my mom for her birthday, and then mid week the same week we went back to Kentucky, to visit my dad. The day we returned we took part in all the halloween festivities, which I might add lasted for 3 days.

The next week was normal and just getting used to everything. Then Brad was one during the week for army stuff. And then this past weekend was abby's birthday party, which was crazy, fun but crazy. This weekend Brad has army all weekend. We have a birthday party and we are going to be preparing for thanksgiving, which is in a week.

I am so very excited that my grandparents and mom/ stepdad are coming for thanksgiving. So next week we will be busy as little bees. Then my birthday is wednesday and I am taking the kiddos to tammie for the weekend, while I have surgery on my foot. Tammie will be here the following week while I recover to help with kids and myself while brad is working. I will be unable to do anythng for two weeks, so she will either take Abby back with her, or Brad will be staying home with me. All of this depends on how I am feeling. We will then have 1 week until christmas. Can you believe it one week till christmas?

I think that maybe after valentines day we may actually slow down enough to catch our breath!

I know this post is completely unorganized! I am sorry, I just needed to post something so that I could get my brain around the next several weeks.

Today is a day of thanks!

Today is veterans day, a day that I am so very proud of, yet for so many reasons, makes me so very sad.

Today we and I do mean we, myself included, actually take the time to say thank you to all those that have given up so much for this country, for the world. We as a society acknowledge on this day that we could not live like this alone. We acknowledge all those that have served, are serving, and will serve in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans day and Memorial day are really the only two days that most people acknowledge what our servicemen and women have given up for us!

Our servicemen and women don't just sign a contract when they join the military, they for lack of better words sign over themselves and their lives to every citizen for their chosen time in service. When you sign that line, you are telling everyone in the world, that you want to be here to serve them, you want to put everyone else before you. No matter what job you hold, you want to be here to honor and protect those around you, before yourself.

It does not matter if that service member was/ is a quartermaster, or a musician, or an instructor. It does not and should never matter if that member has or has not been in hostile territory. We have all given you our word that we are going to do what we need to do to protect you the citizens of the Unites States, and our brothers and sisters in arms before ourselves.

Each member has a very important job in the military no matter where they are located, or how menial or demanding they have, we all support each other. Some service members are used in very dangerous positions in all parts of the world, but they could not do that job without their counterparts that are cooks, a much more laughed about job. Those Cooks cold not do their job without the truck drivers, whom bring the supplies needed to feed all the soldiers. The truck drivers can't do their job without the petroleum specialist, which take care of everything that has to do with fuel. Musicians are often laughed at and told that we just play our instruments and what are we going to do with the enemy? T he soldiers that have been able to sit and listen to the Rock Band perform while they are deployed and just being able to sit and relax, or their families while they are deployed being able to let their hair down and be entertained. Although I was never deployed, I can't tell you how many people were impacted by the music played from all musicians. I can not explain to you the emotions that I have seen coming from soldier and their families. The moral that so many provide is immeasurable.

What people forget is that we are all trained together, and then are sent off to specific jobs. We are all trained to shoot a rifle, we are all trained to throw a grenade, we are all taught hand to hand combat, we all have to pass basic first aid, we all have to pass the same tests, at anytime, we all have to be able to pass tests that we train for in addition to our specific jobs.

Today take the time to appreciate all service members, those who have given their life to protect us, those whom have never seen a day of combat, those whom have said I want to be a protector of this country no matter the price, I want to opportunity to serve you and protect you which is the greatest gift from God! I want to help keep you safe and comfortable! I want to honor and give my all, no matter how menial my job, I will give 110% all the time, I will give my heart to do the best job I can!

Today and every day, take the time to understand, that a service member is doing everything in their power to make this world a better place, one step at a time, one job at a time, with the support and understanding of all our comrades no matter what!

Thank you all who have served with me, served before me, and who have served after me, for helping to mold the person I have become, for helping me to understand what a true family is, and for giving me the OPPORTUNITY to serve you! Your hard work, effort, and heart will never be able to repaid.