Finally...

After missing my camera for a week, I found it yesterday while searching the house for the check book. So now, an update.

Today we went to Raleigh to pick up some raw milk (not all pictured) and other dairy items. Since we were there we stopped into Whole Foods and got a little over 2 weeks worth of groceries. Almost everything we bought was organic and I was really surprised at how cheap everything was. Some things even cheaper than the commissary.

My "baby" in the Moby.

They were playing "catch" although neither one of them actually caught the ball.

See the ball in the top left corner?

Farmer's Market and more

The little boy and I had a date and went to the Farmer's Market while daddy and Annabelle slept in. We had fun and bought several handmade items for gift's for this upcoming Christmas.

Organic and Local peaches, apples, and pears. Organic Bell peppers and Potatoes.

A quick trip to Food Lion with Annabelle ended up looking like this....

Kashi Cereal free after coupon

2) loaves Sprouted bread

banana chips

organic walnuts

organic figs (these are so YUMMY)

organic green beans

organic carrots

bananas

kale

grapes

mango

squash

zucchini

watermelon

Saved $15.50 after coupons!

Living life

We've been living life. I am making it a goal to spend more time with my kids, and more time doing "fun" things like taking them for bike rides, or runs with the dog. I much prefer riding than running, it's easier on this pregnant mama....although we still get some funny looks. A very pregnant mama, pulling two kids in a bike trailer...I'm sure it's a sight.

Last night Annabelle wanted to "go" so we packed up and went to the commissary.
I was very happy to see that they now carry Country Save Detergent! We use it on our cloth diapers, but ordering it online is about $18.99 per 10lb box, and you have to pay for shipping. The commissary carries it in 5lb. boxes for only $5.99! Huge savings! I also had 5 coupons for any Seventh Generation Product so I stocked up on their dish washing detergent (my fav. we've been using it for about 6 months now), and a bottle of non chlorine bleach. Plus some fruits and veggies for our green smoothies!

I really love this little boy. He brings me much joy. Annabelle is still sleeping so we had breakfast without her (don't worry, she will eat when she wakes up). It's nice to have one on one time with my little boy.

Amazon Subscribe and Save

A case of sucanat we recently got from www.amazon.com.

A huge money saver that I have found recently is Amazon's Subscribe and Save program.

Buying real, organic food can be a challenge sometimes. It costs more and it's not always easy to find. Two things we buy regularly are sucanat, and maple syrup. I prefer organic, especially for the maple syrup since the non organic versions have been found with formaldehyde in them....YUCK! This is where Amazon.com comes in. When buying with there Subscribe and Save program you get 15% off and FREE shipping....what's not to love about that?

At our co-op Organic Maple Syrup is a little over $30 per 32oz. bottle, with Amazon.com its $22.74. We get this brand.

Organic Sucanat is $4.72 per 1 lb. package. Amazon.com's price for the same exact brand is $3.00 per lb. I buy this brand.

And remember shipping is free!

Green Smoothies and more

I decided to get up with hubby this morning at 5am. There were several things I wanted to get done before the kids got up at 6:30.....yep, they are early risers.

How my day started out

Last night's grocery loot so I can make our first ever green smoothies...total spent just shy of $6

The ingredients I used to make our Green Smoothies


Blending the fruit first

Adding three handfuls of spinach

The end result. We each had a glass, Levi was done with his first, then drank the rest of Annabelle's

Then we went out to hang some diapers



The verdict on the smoothies: They were actually good! I was really surprised! I have read about them for about two years now but thought, yuck! I am glad I finally caved in and tried them. It will become a treat we have several times a week. I was also equally surprised that the kids liked it. I didn't use any sweeteners and it was sweet and didn't taste anything like spinach.

Grocery store trips

Yesterday my husband volunteered to take Annabelle shopping with him. She was really excited! Since he was already out and I planned on going to the store today, I suggested that he drop me and the little boy off while he and Annabelle ran his errands. He then proceeded to tell me he would take both kids with him so I could go at it alone. I was a little surprised and didn't think he knew what he was getting himself into! He said if I do it, he can too. Probably true, but I never take my kids clothes shopping with me, especially the little boy. Finally, he dropped me off at the store, by myself. Two hours later (I was done about a hour before) he showed back up with Starbucks in hand, a treat he knows I love. He loaded the groceries in the van for me and off we went back home. He said the kids were good!...WHAT? Why aren't they ever good for me?

Here's what I got:

Food Lion: Spent:$1.23 Saved:$22.40

Commissary:

Spent: $34.41 Saved:$63.25

I also get to send in for a $10.00 Rebate!

The best part of the trip is when I found many .50 off coupons for any Starbucks ice cream! They have the little ones for .50 each. I bought a case of them, and after coupons they were FREE! And the 22 packages of tuna they paid me to take home, .25 per pouch!

Late Food Lion Run

On my way to pick up some medicine for the little boy I dropped in to Food Lion and made three transactions.
Total Spent:$3.80 Total Saved: $41.44

The Bacon was free after the $3.00/1 coupon here. Just sign up and you'll be redirected to a $3.00 coupon. You can print it twice by using the back button. I printed two from my computer and two from the man's computer.

I used many FLIPS(Food Lion Internet Printable coupons) to get the other stuff free or close to it. Visit www.afullcup.com and go to the Food Lion forum, if your new to it all.

Getting adjusted..

My living room has looked like this for almost a week now since the man has been home. We come home to sleep and that's about it. The house was a huge mess. My wonderful husband cleaned it for me while I took a nap. He even did laundry! Sometimes he amazes me.

This little guy is finally out of the hospital. He still has lots of Dr.'s appts. ahead of him and tests to be done. I am trying to get used to writing down everything that goes into his mouth. Sometimes it can be a challenge since Annabelle feeds him without me knowing it. This little girl is well, a little girl. She loves being back home were she can play with all 10 pairs of shoes she has, not to mention the purses, necklaces, and yes stickers.

While the man was getting ready for work this morning, Annabelle and I ran to the store real quick. We got all this from Food Lion for $1.86...total savings, $23.21

Our CVS trip from the other day. I ended up spending about $10. More than I wanted too, but I needed the infant Tylenol.

All in all, I am trying to get back on a routine. The kids are loving being home. Which is a good thing, because generally they just want to go, go, go....wonder where they get that from.

Food Lion Fun...

I took Annabelle on a trip to a couple Food Lion's Friday to get her out of the hospital. We went to three different stores and made twelve transactions. We got a whole lot of applesauce and canned organic veggies and organic baby food.
Total spent....less than $4!

Commissary Trip

I needed just a few things, but had a rebate for $20 back when you spend $50....so I bought some things to add to our stockpile.

For $59.45 we got: Plus I will also get $20 back!

1) head Romaine Lettuce

3lbs. onions

organic celery hearts

2lbs. green beans

2 bananas

6 oranges

4 ears corn

1 head cauliflower

3 zucchini

2 squash

1 pint blueberries

2 pkgs Swiss cheese ($1Q)

1 pkg Munster cheese ($1Q)

4 bags croutons

2 boxes fish sticks (free after coupons)

1lb coffee ($1 Q)

5lbs. organic unbleached wheat flour

pepperidge farm cookies ($1Q)

4lbs. raw honey

1lb organic sour cream (free after coupon)

8 pkgs peanut butter crackers (free after coupons)

real bacon bits

1 1/2lbs. organic butter

6 cans biscuits (free after coupon)..buy the grands Jr and use the $1/2 coupon!

organic relish ($1Q)

organic jam ($1Q)

2) single serve Starbucks ice cream (its soooo good)

1) pint. Haagen dazs ice cream

1) bottle BBQ sauce

5) cans organic veggies (used $2Q)

3) cans fruit

6oz. almonds (used $1Q)

After coupons I saved $32.00 with the rebate it will be $52.00!

Most of the coupons I used can be found here.

Food Lion and CVS

Food Lions trip from today and CVS' trip from Sun.

All this for under $7
Under $3

The best deals were the diapers and organic raisins. Raisin's were about .79 each after coupons. Can't beat that! I don't think I will never need to buy oatmeal again. Well for two years anyway. We have a little over 30lbs now.

One more time

I found some $3/$30 coupons good at Food Lion today only. I just had to go one more time.
I got all this for $22.94....and saved $53.50. I felt pretty good considering the Tide alone cost $13.59 per bottle and I got two!

Because of all the free orange juice and Starbucks my fridge looks like a store shelf.

More Food Lion Deals

I can't seem to keep myself out of Food Lion this week. The coupons are wonderful making for some really great deals! I plan on making one more trip today after I drop off a friends birthday dinner.

All of this for under $2.50!

Veggie tacos and more savings

Last night we had veggie tacos to use up some squash and zucchini. They we yummy!


Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet, saute a chopped onion. Add squash and zucchini, cook until tender. Add a tablespoon of fajita spice, stir. Serve in warm corn tortillas.

A friends birthday is Sat. The kids and I are taking her family lunch so she doesn't have to cook. So I needed some sausage. I also needed mayo for 2 dz deviled eggs I plan on making for tonight's bible study. So off to Food Lion we went this morning...again.

We got all this for a little under $6. It should have been less. The cashier didn't scan a $1.50 coupon I had. I didn't realize it until we got home.

Diaper Run?!?!

We cloth diaper, but there are times when we use disposables...at night, when we go to church and when we travel. There is a great sale at Food Lion right now on diapers for 5.99 a pack. I have lots of coupons to make these really cheap.... I got all this for $47.82. That makes it about $3.18 per pack and the rest of the items FREE!

All in all I got 15 packs of diapers in various sizes.

Total spent: $47.82

Total Saved: $122.21

Milk Run

It was that "time" again. You know when you have no milk in the house. It happens about every week here. We can easily go through 5 gallons a week. While at the store I found some great deals. Salad kits marked down to .69! And 2.99 watermelon (seedless at that).

Then we stopped to meet a kind lady and buy some used goods from her. All for $36! I feel like I won the lottery...except I don't gamble.

Quick Food Lion Trip

We didn't really need anything, but there were a few things I wanted to get before the sales ended tomorrow. We got all this for a little under $5 after sales and coupons.

CVS plunder

We went to CVS yesterday for another week of FREE school supplies. We have two cards so I was able to get double the FREE stuff. We are now fully stocked with school supplies. I'll do another post on how I store it all.

I paid a total of $2.62 out of pocket and that was for tax only. Not to bad in my opinion.

More Food Lion Deals

We made a couple more trips to Food Lion today while we were out. I think I am now well stocked on pasta and pizza sauce.

What is it about apples in a bag that make them so good? Really, I think they taste funny. But the kids will eat a whole package each and want more....regular apples not so much.

My Food Lion Trip

All of this for only $8.90 a savings of over $120!

We went to Food Lion today to stock up on some of there super deals that I didn't want to pass up. Go here to see a current list of the Food Lion coupons. Here's a break down of what we got.

9) small Glade candles (FREE after coupon)

2) larger Glade candles ($1.50 after coupon)

1) Box Kleenex

2) Hand sanitizer

3) Baby wipes

2) Gauze rolls

1) pt. Starbucks Ice cream

1) Bunch bananas (the kids ate three on the way home)

2) Pineapple Chiquita bites (we ate these in the car)

2) Bottles Starbucks Frapps

1) Canister Oats

1) pkg. wheat Hoggies

1) Cantaloupe

2 1/2lbs. chopped ham

Cheese

6) sm jars Ragu

2) lg jars Ragu

2) boxes cereal

Retail Value: $131.78 Total after coupons: $8.90