To answer some questions

A couple of you had asked some questions about the great deals I got while couponing.  I will do my best to provide a little insight/answers.

1. Where do I get my coupons?  Some I get from my parents Sunday paper, but most of them I print from various coupon websites.  Instead of listing all the coupon websites, or searching through them each time I want to find a coupon, the easiest way is to check out the coupon blogs.  The Krazy Coupon Lady has lots of deals, and is updated very regularly.  She also has an awesome section under the link 'print coupons'.  This goes through a huge list of products alphabetically, and will link you through to any coupons available.  For instance, I needed to get aquaphor for poor Hannah (who like her mother, suffers from dry skin). I was able to print a coupon for Aquaphor using her website.  Another website, which has good deals, especially on groceries and happens to be local to where I'm at, is Queenbee Coupons.  This is another site which links to coupon printing websites.  Those are the two main blogs I use, along with my friend Alyshia and her sister Audrie's shopping blog.  They have been so helpful cluing me into deals I might have otherwise missed. 

2.  How do I get such good deals?  Really, I'm just a novice at this whole coupon thing.  I've gotten a couple of good deals, but there are so many more that I've missed.  The trick is to match manufacturer coupons with store coupons/sales. The best way to get good deals is to stay on top of the blogs.  Last weekend I was alerted by the blogs previously listed that Albertsons would be doing 'double coupons'.  They then listed the appropriate combination of coupons and where they could be found or printed, in order to get things free (like the sweet potato fries) or really cheap (like my eye shadow).  Albertsons is doing doublers again through tomorrow (if you don't get the Sunday paper, you can ask the customer service counter for a copy, to get the coupons), so I'm hoping to get some good finds again! I have been kind of busy with Hannah over the weekend so I haven't had much of a chance to put together a shopping list yet, so I'll be looking for deals tonight.

Like I said, I'm really a novice at this whole thing, but if you have questions/want to talk coupons, I'm up for it!

Unrelated: Hannah tried her first momsicle tonight.  It's a hit!

Sparkly me!

I got some good deals couponing today.  I went to Albertsons, and was able to get two bags of sweet potato fries for free, and some cover girl eye shadow for $.86.  I was trying to find a neutral color of eye shadow, so I selected bedazzled biscotti, thinking it looked safe.  Turns out the bedazzled part means sparkles.  It kind of takes me back to middle school when I intentionally wore glitter around my eyes.  So if you see me, and I look extra sparkly, it's because I am.

a new hobby perhaps

A week ago I went to a beginning couponing class taught by these lovely ladies.  They gave tips, advice, and instruction, and it was just what I needed to get going.  Yesterday evening, our family of three headed out to target to make good on some deals they had alerted me to.  I got free dishwasher soap, and two pairs of jeans for cheap.  I'm not a pro-couponer yet, I don't even have a binder or very many coupons, but I'm headed that way.  I'm making a point to check the couponing blogs, I might even get a newspaper subscription and hopefully soon I'll get the hang of it.  I'm all about finding a bargain, and it seems like it could be a good hobby as well as help our budget go further.

Speaking of which (our budget, that is), Daniel is looking for a job.  Thankfully he has been doing some programming recently, but it's not full time or permanent.  He's looking for anything really, so if you have leads/ideas we're happy to hear them.  We're also willing to relocate if necessary, although it just might break Hannah's grandparents hearts...and mine too. 

I love Olympia.  I go through phases where I have a relocation fantasy.  The most recent is New York City (this one happens a lot).  I watched You've Got Mail twice last week.  My excuse is that both Hannah and I were sick, so it's ok to be lazy when you're sick.   In my fantasy I imagine we're moving somewhere.  I then wikipedia the location, go on craigslist, look at all the apartments on there and imagine what life would be like somewhere else.  Then I remember that I like only paying $750 in rent and having my parents five minutes away. 

Last night I had some tangerines kicking around from a bountiful basket I got the end of January and I juiced them by hand.  The sweet freshness of the juice kicked in my southern California fantasy (another favorite).  I could get used to fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast...but for now it'll just be a day dream.