Along with everyone else, I've made my New Year's resolutions. Be more active, exercise a little more (Wii Fit!) etc. But the next one may seem a little odd. I resolve to go to the grocery stores only once a month! In between I will get veggies from the farmer's markets and milk from places like CVS and Walgreens.
Strange I know, but I have finally realized that I have no self-control in the grocery store and fall prey to those sales every time, even if I already have the items on hand. "It's such a good deal," "I had a coupon for that," have been my mantras, which wasn't a bad thing, except I had been going way too often and now our shelves overflow with food that needs to be eaten!
So between Ruel and I, we will come up with meals using ingredients we have available, supplementing with fresh fruits and veggies. I am proclaiming now that I will not shop for groceries again until at least 2/9/10 or later. It would be interesting to see how long I could really go...
But let me tell you about my couponing. I save a lot of money on basic staples, if only I could stick to just those items...I'll share some tips.
1) If you have a coupon for something that you always use, hold onto it and see if you can wait for a sale, otherwise, make sure to use it, don't let it expire even if you don't need the item right away, it's a savings! Especially true for baby items like diapers and baby wash. If you are worried that the tot will outgrow a size first,get the next size up!
2) Use baseball card holders to display your coupons in a 3 ring binder and organize the way your grocery store is laid out.
3) If the store will allow it, combine manufacturer coupons with store coupons. Make sure to check and see if your store will take competitor coupons (Publix will here in the south)
4) If you see a BOGO (Buy one get one free) remember that if you have a coupon that allows you to get X cents off when you get two, you are saving!
When I go once a month this year, I will have all of my coupons ready and probably shop Wal-Mart for utility stuff (paper goods, cleaning, non-perishable), shop Publix for those that I have coupons to combine, and then Winn Dixie for their meat section BOGO's. Today, I was able to get 2 boxes of Huggies diapers for the price of one, along with a host of other deals.
Now to Christina.
She's doing so well and has not been sick for almost a month now (knock on wood). Not quite sleeping through the night yet, but the time she gets up is creeping later and later. We went from 2:30 to 3:30 and this morning it was 4:30. I'm holding onto the hope that 12 hours straight is around the corner. She still goes down around 6:30 though, so it's going to mean early mornings!
Her hair is starting to fill in and is now just starting to grow over her ears. We don't think it's going to be raven black like Ruel's, but aren't sure yet what to expect.
Christina absolutely loves bath time. She has ever since the day she was born. I think it's because I really enjoy baths myself. At Christmas we bought her a small inflatable tub that looks like a giant rubber ducky. This transitioned her from the cradle type tub. She loves being able to kick the water and slap her hands down. I think we could leave her in the water all night! She just contentedly plays.
On January 21, she will be 6 months old. She continues to eat like a fiend and we are talking about when to introduce that 3rd meal (lunch). It's hard to get in dinner some nights because we pick her up aroun 5:00 and by the time we feed her at 5:30/6:00 she's getting really tired and can be fussy some days.
Life has reached a new normal here and Ruel and I love it. Christina is a shining light in our lives and each day there are new joys to behold.
We hope everyone is well and staying warm in this very cold winter.
Love, Kaycee
