What coupons??

Hey, I didn't get that coupon!!

Sunday Coupon Preview tells you what coupons should appear in your newspaper.  Though not all newspapers get the same coupons.  The bigger newspapers, Chicago Tribune, give better coupons then smaller ones, QC Times.  Sunday Coupon Preview offers a detailed list with what amounts the coupon will be. 

***Coupons and Values might differ depending on region and newspaper***

Book Review: The Pink Lady: The Many Lives of Helen Gahagan Douglas

Helen Doulgas rubbed elbows with many famous people in her life and lead an amazing live as actress, politician, humanitarian and many other things.  Sally Denton lets you not only into Helen's life but the world of everyone else she encountered and charmed.  Though not as long as one would assume, it was a great incite into Helen's life.  I would suggest it to any one interested in Helen Gahagan Douglas' life.

Frezer Sale!!

In the market for a freezer?  Thinking about buying one but not sure?

Jewel and He-vee are both having deals on freezers coming up. 

Jewel's freezer sale starts this Sunday (2/27) and only have about 50 per store.  They are 5.3 cubic feet Igloo freezer.  They will be $159 and comes with a coupon book worth $160.  The coupon book comes with a lot of free items and you'll be able to stack with B1G1 to get both items free.  More information is here. 

Hy-vee's freezer is going to be $199 with $199 worth of coupons.  I think it's for 5.0 cubic feet CF freezer but don't know that much more about it yet.  The deal is to start next week (2/3). When I hear more about it, you'll be the first to know.  :)

Debt Free

My husband and I have decided to get rid of all out debt and go with the envelope system.

I use to listen to Dave Ramsey and kept trying to get my husband to listen to him and read his books.  On one of our trips to see his parents he finally ran across his show (while looking for sports :)  ).  We listened to him every chance we got on our drive to Iowa and finally got his book from the library to read.  My husband was the one who checked it out but I stole it and read it at night.  We decided that we wanted to be debt free and provide for more for our children. 

It's only been a month but we have paid off the American Express Card, Best Buy, and this month we plan on paying off the last our the credit card we were using.  We have stopped using credit cards all together and have set up a budget this month.  We have one more major bill then it's just car payments and student loans. 

According to our budget we should be able to put about $400 in savings and make two car payments in March.  We are hoping to be done with the car payment next year and then just start working on the student loans. 

If you are struggling with debt or are tired of being stressed out about it I recommend Dave Ramsey.  Listen to him and you will see what I mean.  Read his book and you will be wanting to do it too.

Target sale

Who loves almost FREE frozen food??  I do!! I do!!


Target is having a really great freezer sale currently.  You buy ANY 7 freezer items and get a $5 target gift card.  There are some items that are about $.87 which makes them almost free after gift card.  I went out and got veggies and burritos (both $.87) and got a gift card.  That makes them about $.13 each.  Not bad.  Now run out a pick some up before the deal is over!

Resolutions

I want to state what my tesolutions are for the new year and new me.  I know its been almost two months since the new year started but it's better late then never. 

1. Learn to play the piano. 
Long ago I use to play an instrument, which wasn't very good to begin with, so I want to get back to playing.  It's going to be a form of stress releif for me. 

2.Learn to speak French (even if it's just the alphabet and numbers) 
Learning another language has always been a goal of mine and this is the year I really do it.  I pick French because I REALLY want to travel to France. Being able to speak the language while there would be awesome. 

3. Start a blog and stick to at least one entry a day. 
This blog is part of that resolution.  One entry per day might be a lofty goal but I think I can hadle it if I really want too. 

4. Master the art of baking cookies.
I have started on this goal with two different cookie recipes that I want to master.  My husband says they taste great but I'm not sure about that yet.  I want to be able to make the cookies perfectly, one is a cookie cutter and it came out such a mess my first time making them.  I ended up just making one big cookie so I wouldn't have to deal with the dough anymore.  The other dough was not a cookie cutter one but another kind of sugar and came out a lot better.  I plan on mastering these two kinds of cookies this year.

5. Get in shape.
Where we moved there is a great path that I will be able to walk/run everyday.  I started doing the Wii fit for three weeks now (sort of slacked off this last week).  I have a Zumba video and also puchased another dance video that I will be doing.  I just have to get the motivation to keep working out.  I have been able to get recipes and have been cooking at home every meal so I have been able to eat healthy.


I think that is all I really want to get done this year.  I know that my life is going to be filled with more things I want to get done but without knowing when we will be moving again I think these are the ones I can stick to without having to be in one area more then a year.  Wish me LUCK!!

Getting Organized

After a month getting the house set up and the kids getting settled, I was finally able to work on my coupons. I haven’t been able to organize my coupons since around August but since the holidays they got way out of control.

I had a whole bag of coupons that were expired!!

For now I decided to just file my coupons as whole inserts so I didn’t have to take a whole lot of time today organizing them. I usually file them in zipper binders so when I make my shopping lists its a lot easier.

New Beginning

Recently moved to the Quad City area, we have found ourselves with a wide range of new beginnings. My husband has started an intense 6 month training program which leaves him with only about 2 hours each night with the family. E, my only daughter, started a new public school. She attended a Montessori school for two years before we moved so a public school is a little different. She seems to be adjusting well and has made friends not only at school but with the kids across the street. My two boys, K and C, are doing well too. C had learned to crawl and is starting to pull himself up on everything. He his getting more independent and likes to play with K and E. K is starting to pretend play and loves learning about everything. Our dog is even learning to deal with the move.

As for me, I guess I'm handling it. I grew up in Arizona and never lived that far from my parents. Being on your own away from your family for the first time is hard but when you have to take grand kids away, its even harder. Being a stay at home mom in a new city is challenge. Having young kids, whom you don't want to take in the cold to much so they don't get sick, make it harder.

This is a blog of new beginnings, interesting finding and great adventures...Welcome to All My Favorite Things!!