Bargain Hunters

One thing I have passed on to Karl is my love to bargain shop. He now loves to cruise from clearance end cap to clearance end cap at Target. One time at the NEX (military version of Target) Karl came across a $300 point and shoot camera for $50. Now while we didn't really need this small digital camera, there one feature that he couldn't pass up, it is completely waterproof. 

We finally got to put it to use. Here are the best shoots we got last weekend. 

I can't wait to try it out again! Maybe I need to take a trip to Great Wolf Lodge just to see how well it works! ;)

Back to School Savings

As many of you know I am a coupon and bargain junkie! For those you wonder, I use the blog Hip2Save for all my deal seeking. Great website for all those looking. I have looked at lots of these type of blogs and this one by far is the best in its organization. The woman that runs it is a military wife that lives in NC.

 

So I wanted to share the latest Back to School savings that this blog helped me to snag.

All that costs me only $16.18! That a $13 pencil sharpener, $4 command strips, $5 packs of paper….etc. I didn’t get all the original prices but I think I have about $75 worth of supplies there. In that picture there is one cent glue, free pencils, ten cent composition books, ten cent pens, etc.

 

Also, the great thing about the website is it lays everything out for you and there is a great print feature where you can ‘X’ out the deals you don’t want and print only what you are going to buy! Therefore, I was able to go to THREE office supply stores in 45 minutes total with my two year old. That is almost as impressive as the low price I paid.

I confess…I spend money to save it!

I am a bargain shopper. Thus, I get adrenaline from buying something that is a super good deal. I went to buy light bulbs, thought they were $2.38 and I paid only $0.70. I left the store happy. Well, today I went to buy soda at Walmart, walked down the clearance isle and found a easy bake oven for $9, they are usually $24. A steal right…so while I didn’t need a easy bake oven and hadn’t planned to buy one in the near future I am now the proud owner of one. I spend money to save it (get it now?)

 

Brady was beyond pumped about the oven she could use though…

Four years ago…

Four years ago today, I meet our first born, Brady Olivia. My life changed so much but every single change has been amazing and awesome. This blog is going to be long winded as I review our day today, so I will let the last four years be shown by birthday pictures.

 

June 12, 2007 First Orthner ‘family’ picture

June 12, 2008

June 12, 2009

June 12, 2010

June 12, 2011

 

Now about our amazing amazing day! Brady got to plan every detail of the day, well every detail except for the ‘super special fancy surprise’ we had planned for her.

 

• Overnight we built the vanity that Grandma shipped. So this morning the giant box that had been in our living room was replaced with a beautiful white vanity. Brady asked us if Santa Claus brought it. She played with that for a while.

• Opened her gift from Beppa and chose to watch a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode.

• Then she wanted to have breakfast. She wanted a yogurt pop and bacon. She helped make the bacon. I think she ate like 10 + slices of bacon. You think that is bad, wait to you hear about lunch

• Then Grandma and Caddie wanted to web chat. So I placed the computer on Brady’s vanity. She spent the whole time looking in the side mirrors at herself.

• Next, we revealed to Brady what her super special fancy surprise is. The video was posted in the previous post. But here she is later walking around talking about it and feeling her ear lobes. Also, Reese gave Brady the present she picked out herself…ugh, we have now entered the Barbie world. However, Reese as you can tell was very excited to give.

• After we watched another episode of Mickey. We headed off to lunch. Yep, she picked ice cream for lunch. She got to have any toppings she wanted… marshmallows, gummy bears and cherries. I think that is little girl heaven, especially when put on top of pink strawberry ice cream. We sang happy birthday and put a candle on the ice cream.

• Off to the mall to get her ears pierced. They did them at the same time, smart people at Claire’s you know! Not a single tear or whine from her. She was a super super big girl. Now, lets hope I can remember to clean them 4 times a day for 6 weeks…yikes. A couple of sweet stories, first while they were marking Brady’s ears, a girl asked if I was her mom, then proceeded to hand me a ring-pop to give her. She said “I remember getting mine done and it hurts a lot”. I thought that was the sweetest gesture from this preteen. Second, after it was done and Brady was smiling ear to ear, Reese announced it was her turn. Karl said it was Brady’s special gift for turning four. Reese then responded “I am four.”

• Next Brady wanted to use her birthday money from Beppa. She used up that money real fast in Claire’s. She got three necklaces, bracelet, lip gloss, press on nails, studded brush and a new purse. This picture of the press on nails kinda weirds me out to look at!

• We ran into a balloon guy at the mall….perfect! Brady got Minnie and Reese got Mickey. The man saw it was Brady’s birthday and gave her a flower as a gift. This balloon guys was by far the best I have ever seen.

• Brady next choose to go to a park, but the weather was no good. So the next best thing….Toys R Us, especially when they give you a balloon and crown.

• Dinnertime rolled around and the birthday girl wanted McDonald’s. IT worked out because they had an indoor play place, so she got to play in a playground after all.

• Lastly, she wanted to go home to let off a floating light like those in Tangled with her friend from next door. The rain from earlier had cleared but it was still too windy so I improvised. It wasn’t as spectacular as Brady wanted but I did my best. She wanted it “to float to the next city”

 

If you are still reading this, sorry to make this a long post. However, it was a wonderful day and I wanted to get all the details. Brady planned the day and it turned out to be very special.

What real Couponers Do

I just have to say that I do care for that new show Extreme Couponers at all. I bothers me that people will stock up 3 years worth of diapers, when they are unmarried and don’t have kids. I have watched the show twice and I just keep thinking, why can’t these people drop it off at a food shelter. I know they must have food on their shelves that expire soon.

 

So I have to share with you what I think is the right thing to do if you are able to get your hands on good deals.

 

Here is my shopping trip to Walgreens today. I paid $15.07 for $69.20 worth of groceries.

 

There are things in here, like the 6 bags of Chex Mix that I paid very little for (AKA 43 cents a bag), but 2 are going to be kept for my family the rest is being donated to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH).

 

Or there are things that I just got for free (after coupons) like the toothbrush. Again, this is going to the RMH.

 

Lastly, I even had a few moneymakers… meaning I had more in coupons then the item costs. There are Women’s soy supplement pills in there. No, I don’t need them, but I ‘made’ 50 cents by putting them into my cart. I don’t know who I am going to donate them to yet, but I will find someone.

 

We are gathering items for the RMH again for Brady’s birthday gifts this year. So I have been using my weekly Walgreens trip to stock up for them. This week they are getting everything in the picture except two bags of Chex Mix, curling moose, and those menopause pills   Anybody need menopause pills?

 

I love being a couponer because I can save money for my family, but I can also donate to those in need on a family friendly budget!

Shopaholic

So I have been looking forward to March because I have sent in my mind that would be the month I would do Brady’s spring clothes shopping. Reese gets the hand me downs. Well, the past week has been in the mid 70s so I decided to go ahead and get out last years short sleeved clothes and put them all out in the closet. Plus I figured this would give me a good idea of what all I need to buy…

 

Here is the girls’ closets after I brought everything out that would fit them again this year (remember while looking at these, I have NOT shopped this season)

 

Brady’s Closet…

Reese’s Closet…

 

Also note, they both have a load of laundry with the pasts week’s short sleeved clothes in it….UGH

 

First, how did this happen? Can you tell I love clothes and shopping for them…which leads me to my next point…I am somewhat depressed about the lack of need to shop for spring clothing in March.