Last year, when my blog was only about 6 months old, I read about the “Ultimate Blog Party” (sponsored by 5minutesformom.com) and decided to join the fun…..and fun it was!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Here’s a little bit about me and what you’ll find on my blog:
Who am I?
I’m a wife, mom, educator, and “extreme couponer” among other things. My husband and I have been married for almost 8 years now (we’ll hit that “milestone” in June) and we have a beautiful daughter who will be 6 next month and a super cute son who will be 3 tomorrow. I have worked in education for 11 years now and I love it because it gives me a chance to make a difference in the life of children. Around the time my daughter was born, I quickly realized that having a baby really does change everything and one of the big changes was the expense! I started reading message boards and using coupons here and there to save money. At that time, I thought I was doing pretty good. Somewhere along the way, I discovered “extreme couponing” and now I love to see how much bang I can get for my buck. I also learned to play the “drug store game” (shopping at CVS and Walgreens) and so now I get most of my health and beauty items for free or close to free. Our family grocery budget is $40 per week and we’ve been living on that since January 1, 2009. If you read my Menu Planning Monday posts, you’ll see that we’re not starving and we’re actually eating some really yummy things.
About my blog
I started my blog about 18 months ago as a way to share my deals with my friends and family. It has grown along the way and I enjoy being able to help others learn to save money! Here are the weekly posts you’ll find on my blog:
Scenario Sunday ~ Scenarios for your favorite stores like CVS, Walgreens, and Target (I also add match-ups for Publix and Kroger on Wednesdays when those ads come out)
Menu Planning Monday ~ My weekly menu plans including recipes and Weight Watchers points
Tip of the Day Tuesday ~ Tips about couponing and other money saving tips and ideas
Website of the Week Wednesday ~ This is a new feature. I’ll be highlighting a new money-saving website every week!
Thrifty Thursday ~ This is one of my favorite weekly posts. I share “thrifty” ideas and I have a link-up for other bloggers to share their thrifty tips. I have gotten some great ideas from other people’s posts!
Freebie Friday ~ Links to great freebies plus free weekend fun for your family!
Savings Saturday ~ Sometimes I post scenarios on Saturdays and I also try to post pictures of my $40 weekly grocery trips
I’m also a big fan of the Dave Ramsey plan. My husband and I took the Financial Peace University class a year ago and it has changed our lives. Sometimes I share our experiences with that program. My goal this year is to have a 100% cash Christmas and so I’ll be sharing my tips and progress along the way if you want to join me!
If you’re new to couponing and not really convinced yet that it really can make a difference, you might want to check out my “What I’m Willing to Pay for Things” post!
There are lots of great prizes this week during the UPB. Here are a few I’d like to win:
#5: Baking Magic for Kids – mini cupcake kit for two winners – I know my daughter would LOVE this!
#27: Collected Recipes Cookbook binder
#31: $20 Amazon gift certificate
$32: $25 Target gift card
#37: $20 Visa gift card
#39: Be My Guest Certificate (2 nights tay for a family of 4 at any Hilton Garden Inn)
#52: $25 Amazon gift card
#55: $20 Amazon gift card
#61: $25 TRU e-gift certificate
#70: $25 Kroger gift certificate
#73: $30 Amazon gift cards (2)
#87: $30 Amazon gift certificate (2)
#88: $25 Amazon gift certificate
#100: $25 Wachovia gift card
#105: Get Fit pack
#106: Letter of the Week preschool curriculum (2)
#107: $25 Target gift card
I’d also love to win a custom blog design! (there are several that are being given away this week)
Thanks again for stopping by!
Just stopping by from the UBP at Five Minutes for Mom. I love your site and am subscribing to your RSS feed. I would appreciate it if you visited my blog and did the same! I'm looking forward to reading more and getting to know you better.
Cascia
The Healthy Moms
http://www.thehealthymoms.net/2010/04/welcome-to-healthy-moms-blog-party.html
We're very like-minded! I love saving money. Glad I stopped by from the UBP!
I'm always impressed at people who do so well with coupons! I would love to have a $40 grocery bill!
Dave Ramsey ROCKS! Good luck on your Christmas goal — we've been cash only for about 4 years now. Crazy stuff. Have a great weekend!
Hi I came over via the UBP. $40 a week!!! That is amazing; I'm going to have to come back when I have more time and figure out how you are doing that!
Oooh, your blog sounds like fun! Stopping by from the UBP!
Glad to see you at the party! Hope you have a great time and get a lot of new traffic – your blog has helped me so much! Have a great weekend!
(penguinelk from bbc)
Christina – xristya@rock.com – I admire your frugality, and love your site! I'm here for the UBP, a non-blogger (do enough writing for a living every day!) but a blog READER! I'm also a poet, artist, journalist, did a local TV series on the arts, and am now reviewing for http://www.movieroomreviews.com and http://www.musicroomreviews.com, the ones that say Written by Christina on the top and bottom! I agree that raising a family changes everything and respect you sharing your tips on how to get along!
I stopped by to mingle a bit. 🙂 I will totally be back. I'm a homeschooling mom who likes to clip coupons and save money, so I need all the help I can get.
Just stopping by from the UBP! It is nice to see another family with a weekly food budget close to ours. We can not spend more than $60/week and we are a family of 5! I'm going to follow your blog to get more money saving tips! Happy Blogging!
Just coming by from the party. Nice to meet you. Love saving money although I'm more crazy on the clothes/shoe sides of saving although I love my coupons!
I wish i could learn to use coupons so well!
I'm visiting from the UBParty. It's nice to meet you 🙂
Have a great week and enjoy the party hopping!
Aloha!
Great site! It is fun to see other frugal blogging mommies! We have a fun giveaway that ends tomorrow.
Barbie & Joelle
Sugar & Spice and Frugal Advice
http://www.sweetfrugaladvice.com/2010/04/5-minutes-for-mom-ultimate-blog-party.html
Great site! It is fun to see other frugal blogging mommies! We have a fun giveaway that ends tomorrow.
Barbie & Joelle
Sugar & Spice and Frugal Advice
http://www.sweetfrugaladvice.com/2010/04/5-minutes-for-mom-ultimate-blog-party.html
Great site! It is fun to see other frugal blogging mommies! We have a fun giveaway that ends tomorrow.
Barbie & Joelle
Sugar & Spice and Frugal Advice
http://www.sweetfrugaladvice.com/2010/04/5-minutes-for-mom-ultimate-blog-party.html
Great site! It is fun to see other frugal blogging mommies! We have a fun giveaway that ends tomorrow.
Barbie & Joelle
Sugar & Spice and Frugal Advice
http://www.sweetfrugaladvice.com/2010/04/5-minutes-for-mom-ultimate-blog-party.html
Hi! Stopping by from the UBP! I Hope you’re enjoying the party! I love saving money too! Have a great weekend!
http://www.iamamoneymagnet.com