how do i love thee?

i. love. publix.

there are many, many reasons but let me just name a few ...

we just got back from a quick trip to get some veggies, because i feel like we've been eating lots of carbs lately.
pasta, pizza, pot pie ... cookies!

#1 reason why i love publix today:
i usually like to stroll down the baby aisle to see if there are any deals.
i've never found one as exciting as the one i found today!

mrs. meyers baby shampoo and body lotion are on clearance ... half off!
it's my favorite bath product for webb!
i love the smell, but most importantly the ingredients.
cheapest i've found it is at t.j.maxx for $7.99.
publix's sale price is $4.99.

if you haven't tried their products for your little one or yourself, you should!
you'll LOVE them!
my publix said the products were on clearance until sold out.
so get there quick!

#2 reason why i love publix today:
webb was holding some face wash i was going to buy and then he decided to throw it on the floor.
the bottle broke and cleanser was everywhere!

i kinda sat there looking at the bottle on the floor and thought, "hmmm ..."
so i grabbed another one (+ the one on the floor), took them both to the register, and explained what had happened.
while giving my explanation the cashier started bagging up the broken face wash, like i was going to buy it ....
and then said, "oh that's okay, i'll just damage it out." amazing!

thank you publix for making my dreary afternoon so delightful!

it's the little things ...

sunday savings

i love whole foods! like the rest of nashville.
but, i will say i don't do tons of shopping there because of the price.
however, there are some things that i prefer to buy there and no where else.
one being a rotisserie chicken ... but only on sundays!

i recently discovered that rotisserie chickens are $2 off at whole foods on sunday.
usually $7.99, they're discounted to $5.99.
that's a pretty good deal for a free roaming chicken!

whole foods is down the street from where we go to church.
so we've started a little sunday afternoon ritual.
church then pick up the chicken.
... and some 365 organic pb, uncured turkey hot dogs for webb, and some very random item that casey wants ...
like seaweed for homemade miso soup!

rotisserie chickens are great just as they are.
like tonight i served it with a baked sweet potato and sauteed spinach.
(a new favorite around here b/c it's so easy! ... a little coconut oil, garlic, salt and pepper. takes less than 2 minutes.)
or you can shred it and put in tortilla soup, enchiladas, or this yummy pot pie!

the options are endless!

lots and lots of diapers

it's estimated that new parents spend $860 on disposable diapers in the first year.
that's $71.67 on diapers in a month!

someone once told me ... never buy diapers without a coupon.
from my experience i've learned ... never buy diapers unless they're 50% off after using coupons!
yes, it's possible. i had no clue that this was even an option until webb was about 8 months old, or $573.36 invested.
i thought using diapers.com was my way to save big.

it was this post on southern savers that changed my way of shopping for diapers.

what i've learned:
buy the sunday paper
-if you're just getting the paper for diaper coupons, you can go here to see what coupons will be in sunday's paper before you buy it

buy jumbo diapers
-more often than not the way to get the cheapest diaper is to buy the jumbo pack

stock up
-if the deal is good and there's not a limit to how many you can buy(this happens at drugstores), buy as many packs as coupons you have

look at the sale adds or check money saving mom for diaper sales in the grocery store
-usually diapers are the best deal at the drugstores, but sometimes kroger can surprise you on what they offer

if you need more info on couponing, i would read this and watch this.

personally, i buy all my diapers at CVS. if you have a CVS nearby, they have the best deals.
then walgreens, then rite aid.

here's what's on sale this week at CVS:
buy 1 pampers big box at $21.99, get $10 ECBs
use $2/1 coupon from the 6/27 redplum insert
$9.99 after coupon and ECBs

like i said, typically the big box of diapers aren't the best deal, but in this case it is. i had this $2 off 1 pampers diaper from last months paper. so i used it and paid $19.99 + tax. BUT, i got $10 in ECBs (or extra care bucks) back. which is essentially free money that can only be used at CVS. so i really paid $9.99 + tax for the box of diapers.

so next week or the next, when pampers or huggies are on sale again, (i use to be an only pamper fan, but now i get whichever i can get the best deal on ... pampers or huggies ... i've kinda grown to like huggies ... especially at night) and i am sure that i will have a coupon for them, i'll get them for free after using my coupon and ECBs. because when it comes time to pay, i'll use my ECBs instead of cash. really, i could get two jumbo packs out of my leftover money, since the coupons and ECBs always make the diapers half off! (jumbo packs are usually $11 full price)

it's kind of empowering to know that you'll never have to pay full price for diapers!

let me know if you have questions ...

it's the little things ..

i haven't talked about my couponing adventures in a while, but i got such a great deal this week that i have to share it!!

i've been a bottle washing machine for almost a year now (next week will be 1 year!). i really had no idea how much bottle washing there would be with a baby. there's just no way around it.

since webb has come into my life there are a few things that i've become particular about. using natural, non-toxic household products is one of them. i love seventh generation, especially their free and clear line.

this is why i LOVE publix and why couponing makes me so happy ... seventh generation dish soap is buy one get one free at publix this week! if you go to the seventh generation website and click on coupons you can get 4 one dollar coupons off the dish soap. i had a couple more coupons already for their products, so i stocked up!! i won't be buying dish soap for a year. some of you may think that i'm crazy but it's pretty exciting to me!

i bought 6 bottles for the price of one.

after coupons, each bottle was 50 cents, regularly priced $2.99.

i saved 15 bucks!

so that's just a small example of what's out there. i usually don't get so excited about the deals offered, but when it's on a product i love ... how can i not!?!

new kicks

webb and i went to opry mills last week on a little shopping spree. with this 80 degree weather, he's been in desperate need of some spring and summer clothes. i had told a friend about our shoe dilemma and she said i should try the stride rite at opry mills. we found not one but TWO pairs of shoes that fit his chubby, stubby feet. they're too cute and i got such deal on them!

some sneakers

... and some sandals

(or as casey calls them, his jesus shoes)

what a week!

lots has been going on in the hester household this week. webb got his first ear infection. poor little guy has not been in the happiest of spirits. to make things a bit worse, the doctor said he's teething! all the sudden his cry has changed too. he's been crying "mamamama". it's so sweet, but he only does it when he's miserable, so it's really more heartbreaking then anything. he's needed some extra love this week.

have i mentioned that i love southern savers?? just kidding! this week i saved big on huggies baby wipes thanks to an unadvertised deal at cvs! i paid $2.50 for a refill pack when i usually pay $8. it's becoming really sad that this is what makes my days exciting! the truth is ... all these savings are making me feel like i'm financially contributing around here. it's a great feeling to be at home and be able to do that. i guess i really sound like a stay at home mom huh?

do you ever go to big lots? i can't believe i'm going to say this, but i love it! for two reasons. on my search for the perfect desk to fit into the closet for casey's office i discovered big lots ... thank you alex! not only did i find the perfect desk ... thanks again alex for navigating me through nashville! but i found webb's earth's best organic baby food for so cheap!! i paid 30 cents a bottle when i usually pay $1. i was so excited that i was loopy! as i was leaving big lots, i went over a bump as i walked out the door and the baby food rolled out of the bottom part of the cart and rolled all over the parking lot. under cars, in front of moving cars, you name it. almost all 50 bottles! leave it to lauren. this is so typical for me. these two sweet women helped me gather them all up while i was trying to avoid a run away shopping cart ... where webb was napping.

so here's the big reveal of casey's new office, writing room, quiet space ... you get my point. let me preface this by saying, if i could have painted it, i would have. if i had a bigger budget, it would have turned out a lot cooler. casey was so surprised. i think i made his day :)

so here it is! and i only spent 50 bucks.

mk, this shot's for you.

taxes ...

the taxes have been filed! so thankful to have that over with, and so thankful for the child tax credit. such a nice little bonus coming our way!

another tidbit for the week ... i went to the grocery store today and thanks to my new couponing hobby, i only spent $65 and got $160 worth of groceries. that even included a variety of organic and non-organic veggies, soy milk, webb's organic baby food, whole wheat pasta, and the list goes on. if you live near a publix, their buy one get one free deals are sometimes next to nothin' when you add coupons. kroger has amazing deals too! as i've mentioned before, my "go to" website is southern savers. i think i'm addicted! i mean, who knew there was so much money to be saved.

my goal is to cut our grocery bill in half for the month. ok, and it would probably help to cut down on the wine too. but there's always box wine!

another thing this week ... i'm easing webb into finger foods. a new friend recommended these dissolvable rice cakes from whole foods and webb seems to like them.

then again, i'm not too sure

don't forget to vote for webb, if you haven't. the contest ends sunday. go big boo!

for your valentine ...

need a gift idea for that special someone for valentine's day? i've got just the idea!

head over to the canvas people and get one free 8 x 10 canvas of your favorite pic for free (thanks al!) ... all you'll have to do is pay for shipping and handling which is $14.95. the 8 x 10 canvas retails at $49.99. i don't know about you, but i love a canvas!

since casey doesn't voluntarily read my blog, i'll go ahead and tell you that i just ordered a canvas for his new office for v-day. very romantic, huh?!? here's what i ordered ... i know, he's wearing my new glasses! i had a feeling that would happen.

it's all about saving

i don't know about you, but i'm all about saving a buck ... especially these days. with the economy as it is and me not working, i've really been trying to get creative on how to save money for our family. i recently discovered a new website that has helped me out with saving some serious cash at the grocery store. it's called southernsavers.com.

it takes a little bit to really get the gist of how you can get the best deals, but once you do, you can save big!

this past weekend i went to publix and saved $52. pretty good for my first time!

try it out and see what you think. if you need to find a way to cut your costs, i think you'll love this site! the best part is that she pretty much "spoon feeds" you all the deals, tells you what coupons you need and where to get them, and you can even print out a shopping list.

I'm obsessed ... with Box Wine!

I have a new love in my life thanks to my sister-in-law. Bota Box Wine, specifically the red box (cabernet). It's sooooo good and such a deal! I have found it for $19.99 for the box, but have heard you can get it for $16.99. The best part ... it's equivalent to 4 bottles! That's 5 bucks a bottle. So tasty and such a treat after a day of handling diapers and spit up! Thanks Al!