Do You Mind??

One of the toughest things about being a SAHM actually has nothing to do with being a mom.  It has more to do with how others perceive me as a mom.  I know most people know that this SAHM-thing isn't easy peasy.  But I think sometimes people forget what my day actually consists of.  When Tim asks me what we did all day, I usually can't pinpoint more than two or three things ... "Oh, you know, I did two loads of laundry and washed the kids' tub and toilet."  And yes, that literally took me all of 10 minutes to accomplish.  But I did do more than that all day.  I just feel silly having to list it all for you!

Anyway, this is not about Tim.  Tim knows how hard I "work" and what I go through on a daily basis.  I am actually super annoyed today because of something that happened this morning.

It was decided the first week of school that Wednesdays -- my only kid-free mornings -- would be devoted to volunteering at Kendall's school.  I offered to help her teacher with copies and laminating and anything else she may need for the week.  I sign in at 9:30 and stay for about an hour or so.  I decided last week that I would just do whatever I could until lunch time and eat with k, since I've never been able to do that with just her.  So this morning as she dressed herself, we discussed how Mommy would be there to make copies and how I would stay for lunch.  (Tanner was pouting the entire time because he wanted to eat with Sissy ...)

So I dropped K off at 7:30, returned home to get my shower and get dressed, ironed my shirt to look presentable, dressed Tanner and got his lunch ready, drove Tanner to school, rushed back home to straighten my hair, grabbed a granola bar to eat for "lunch," and then headed to the school.  At 9:30 I passed K walking to her art class with her big smile on her face.  Then I noticed she had a substitute.

Great.

Needless to say, the sub had no idea what I was there for, nor did she have anything that needed to be copied or laminated.  The student teacher knew nothing, though she was able to call K's teacher and find out what needed to be copied.  She wanted me to come back tomorrow.  Hmmm.  No.

See, this is where I get annoyed.  Why is my time less valuable because I stay home all day?  If I wasn't going to be able to make it, I would send in a note the day before to let her know ...

Anyway, annoyed.  That's me.  Annoyed me with valuable time.

Everyone Needs to Read This!!

I got this from one of my best girl friends this morning and felt like it was something that should be shared.  It certainly made me feel good!


Every night, someone thinks about you before going to sleep.

At least 15 people in this world love you.

The only reason someone would ever hate you is because he wants to be just like you.

There are at least two people in this world that would die for you.

You mean the world to someone.

Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look.

Always remember the compliments you've received.

Forget the rude remarks.


Though moderately cheesey, all are good things to remember when you're having a bad day. :0)

I Hate to be A Mom Like That ...

I always swore I'd never be one of those moms who allowed my little girl to think she could get by on her pretty face.

But when I emptied Kendall's backpack today, this

totally made up for this.

The Bomb Shelter

"How do you do it?"

That's what everyone keeps asking me.  I don't think my savings are tremendous or unbelievable, by any means, but I've certainly come a long way since I started using coupons.  I mean I'm not one of those people that gets $100 worth of groceries for $10 or anything.  But I think saving more than I spend is pretty awesome.  (And even more awesome is that fact that Kendall stands beside the cashier at Publix now and waits for it to "flip."  She gets as excited as I do!!)  And now it's like second nature to me.  When I first started, it used to take me hours to clip, sort, arrange, and group my coupons.  But now it's an art form.  It's all about the planning!

OK, so how do I do it?  First, I swear by a website called Southern Savers.  I use this site to print my grocery lists.  I just go to the home page, click on the store (I shop at Publix and Kroger mainly), click the box next to what I want/need, and print.  The site has the best priced items listed along with the matching coupons to save the most money -- so this is where the planning comes in.  I try to avoid buying anything that isn't on the list at Publix or Kroger.  When I first started, this was really hard to do.  I mean, I need toothpaste when I need it, whether it's on sale or not.  But once you get the hang of it, you won't need to buy anything that isn't on sale because you'll have a stockpile.

OK, so after I've printed my lists, I pull my coupons.  I get most of my coupons from the Sunday paper, but occasionally I'll print from one of the websites on the list.  I buy a double paper every Sunday so I get double the coupons.  I clip everything that I think I may need, even if it's not a brand I normally buy.  In other words, I clip every coupon except ones for things like blood pressure monitors or diabetic supplies; I won't ever need those.  But I still clip formula,diapers and wipes, though I don't use them, because those types of things make excellent baby gifts or donations to shelters.

After I clip, I sort.  This is a personal preference thing.  Some of my friends use a binder with baseball card protector sheets to sort.  Some of my friends don't "clip" at all; they simply stack the coupon packet on a shelf in the pantry with the date on it.  That way they can just clip the ones they want to use.  I keep my coupons in an expandable check file, sorted into categories like "breakfast," "beverages," "fridge," "freezer," etc.  (On a side note, I usually clip and sort mid week so that my entire Sunday is not consumed with coupon craziness.)

Once my lists are printed with matching coupons and I have my coupons sorted, I can pull the coupons I need for each item.  I use an envelope for each store I shop at.  As I pull the coupons for Publix, I write down how many of each I have on my list (this helps when you're in the store with the old lady running over your heels and the screaming preschooler in the buggy) and insert them into the Publix envelope.  The envelope goes in the purse and I'm ready to shop.  I don't take all of my coupons to the store (again, a personal preference) because then I may be tempted to buy things that are not on the list simply because I have a coupon.

That is the deceiving thing about couponing.  I always thought that if I had a coupon, I should buy it right then.  But actually sales run in cycles.  (This is all on the tutorial on the Southern Savers website.)  For example, toilet paper goes on sale about every six weeks.  So when it's at it's best price, I use my coupons and stock up.  That way I don't have to buy toilet paper again until it's on sale next cycle.

Makes sense, now, right?

Anyway, so once I get home with all this stuff (that I only paid $100 for, mind you), where does it go?

My poor family had to help me stuff paper towels and toilet paper into strange places when this first started.  I think I had 15 boxes of toothpaste in my closet stuffed between my shoes at one point.  Luckily for me, I have a crafty and handy do-it-yourselfer for a husband, and he built some shelves in my basement that serve as my "store."  When we run out of something upstairs, I take a grocery bag downstairs and go "shopping."  It's so nice.  This area of our basement is affectionately known as the "bomb shelter" because I'm fairly certain we could survive down there in case of a bomb or other natural disaster!  Usually more than half of what I buy at the store goes straight downstairs to the shelves to be kept for later.

So that's how I do it.  I'm sure my explanation is oversimplified, but now that it is second nature, I don't even think about it.  And when I do shop without coupons, it feels very strange.  That's why we've started stockpiling for a Florida trip in a  few weeks -- buy it now so we can save and spend the money on things that are more fun than food!