Makin Money

Oh yes, today I made money with a coupon! 3 whole cents. I am super excited.

I had a $1 off coupon for Ivory soap, and the cheapest package they had was a 3-pack for 97 cents. I didn't know if the coupon would work since it was worth more than the purchase, but it went through! -$1 off the end of my bill. So... free soap!

...ok, so I know that with tax and everything I didn't really make money, but hey, I'll take it!

My first adventure in couponing

Earlier this week I went to a two hour class my friend Lori taught about saving money on your grocery bill, in part by using coupons. I've used a few coupons in my lifetime, but didn't really understand the ins and outs of using them or how to really get a good deal with coupons. Combined with watching Extreme Couponing on TV a couple times (ok, those people are just crazy), I felt inspired to try my hand at the art of couponing.

I had some trouble getting started because we don't get the Sunday paper, and thus don't get the coupon inserts. A Facebook friend gave me the tip to check the library- jackpot! They had a huge basket of pre-clipped coupons ready to dig through. I snagged a whole bunch and then started scouring store ads/coupons to find things to stack my manufacturers' coupons with. I was able to find a few products that we'd use and that I had stackable coupons for and gave it a try.

I went to a couple stores today, but the first and most successful was Kroger. This was my haul:

This is $15.80 worth of products... I got it for $5.97! That's $9.83 in savings!

Here's the breakdown:

Old Spice: 2.29 x 2 = 4.58
S coupon -1.00
M coupon -1.00
=2.58

Secret: 1.67 x 2 = 3.34 (on sale)
M coupon -1.50
=1.84
(I messed up here and got the wrong kind to use my 1.50 S coupon... didn't realize it til now. Oops.)

Crest: 3.49 (on sale)
S coupon -1.50
M coupon -1.50
=0.49

Oral B: 1.99
S coupon -0.75
M coupon (.75 doubled to limit) -1.00
=0.24

Tax: 0.82

Grand Total = $5.97 (saved $9.83)


Even though I screwed up one of my deals, I still feel good about saving so much money (and spending so little!). I think I'll keep learning as I go... and it will take less time for me to figure it out ;) Next week I'm going to try my hand at Walgreen's Register Rewards game... I was going to this week but the product I was going to buy was sold out.


I did go to Target today also, and although my deals weren't as spectacular I'll share anyway:

Old Spice 3 pack: 4.24 (clearance)
M coupon -1.00
=3.24

Charmin: 13.99
Sale -2.00
S coupon -1.00
=10.99

2 Cover Girl cosmetics: 4.99 + 4. 24 = 9.23
S coupon -2.00
M coupon -2.50
=4.73

Tax: 1.39

Grand Total: $20.35 (saved $8.50)


At least all my coupons worked correctly! We weren't actually planning on buying the Charmin or the Old Spice, but we got good deals and we need those things anyway, so it's all good. Nathan is set on deodorant for a looong time...

I hope you enjoyed my extreme couponing adventure... I did :D

Naturalizers

Welcome back, Wallet Moth fans!! Sorry for the very...very... very long break! I keep thinking I should resurrect le moths, so here I am!

I've had quite a year... I had my first baby boy, Orion, on November 19, 2009. He's the cutest baby ever (of course) and we've loved having him around. I'm a stay-at-home mama now which is great. Orion is 8 months old and learning to crawl :)


On to the shopping!

This post is all about shoes... more specifically, Naturalizers. My good friend becca, of Fashion Me Fabulous, is a huge fan of Naturalizers and has had great experiences with them in regards to comfort and quality. Lately I've run across some amazing sales on them, so I've stocked up!

These are definitely the most comfortable of the bunch. I'm honestly a little torn about whether they're stylish or not, but I figure a comfortable heel is a good investment regardless. They're leather wedges (low heel) with an adjustable strap. These are from Elder Beerman.

Cost: 25.00


Check out these pretty metallic flats! I love flats but have a horrible time finding a good fit... they invariably give me blisters. These are not excluded from that statement. However, they're a big improvement from all my previous flats and they're very comfortable. Also leather, from TJ Maxx.

Cost: 30.00 (however, I had a gift card so they were really free!)

These are the most recent purchase... Fashion Me Fabulous made me buy them. They're gray with a tint of lavender. They have the cutest heel ever. Now these are not the most comfortable shoes in the world... I don't know if maybe some "petals" for my heels would help or not. But... they're still ridiculously cute.

Cost: 27.00 (they would have been 37.00, but I found a $10 discount code online! Score!)


And that leads to a tip for today: if you're going to buy something online, always Google discount codes for the item or site you're ordering from. You can often find a code for free shipping, a percentage off, or even a dollar amount off the price.

If these shoes spark your interest, you're in luck! Naturalizer is currently holding an end-of-season sale with up to 70% off select shoes! The gray ones pictured here are now 23.70 plus shipping. Happy shopping!


I'll try to keep the posts coming! Hope hubby doesn't mind if I shop for blog material ;)

The boots, an update

Well, I wore my new boots all day Tuesday, which included a short shopping trip, a couple hours of work (in-house walking), driving, and some walking outside. They did really well! They were very comfortable, and the thing I was worried about (loose-ish heel) wasn't a problem at all. I did get a mild blister on the little toe of my right foot at the end of the day, but I'm sure with wear the leather will stretch and settle to fit my feet better.

Overall I'm more than satisfied with them and will keep them!

...I'm just glad I bought them before I decided to put us on an allowance/budget system ;) Now I think I'm going to save up for these. I need something I can wear with my knee socks!!

Shopping too much

Hello long neglected blog! It's not that I haven't had anything to post, but that I've been lacking the time and ambition to post it! I got a bit of Christmas money so of course I went on a shopping spree (or two)! Unfortunately for my wallet I spent more than a bit of money... hm. I'm returning one thing so maybe that'll make me feel slightly better...

The first item I want to show off is this purple dress I got from the clearance rack at Charlotte Russe. It's got a vintagy feel and I think it's elegant without being stuffy. I finally (after a long time of wanting one) got a wide belt yesterday so I can cinch the waist if I want to.

Cost: 4.00


I stopped at a local consignment shop (New Enuf) and stumbled upon these amazing shoes. I picked them up with my sister-in-law in mind because they were her size, but I put them on my feet and they fit me! Good for me, bummer for her. They're yellow leather pumps made in Spain. They were even 50% off. Super cool!!

Cost: 4.50

Always a sucker for buttons and happy colors, this skirt caught my attention right away. It hits a few inches above my knees and is both cute and comfortable. Again, it looks vaguely vintage, so I've gotta love it.

Cost: 7.00


OK, here's a major splurge for me. I've decided recently that I'm going to stop buying cheap shoes and start buying more leather. I'm also addicted to boots. I have some amazing vintage black "riding boots" that aren't the most comfortable things on earth. I have black heeled lace-up boots. But I don't have any basic black boots that I can actually walk around in. I found these at 50% off and loved them, but walked away because I dind't want to fork over the cash. I found some awesome trendy boots for about half the price and texted hubby, "$30 super cool trendy boots or $70 leather investment boots," and he answered me "investment," so I hurried back to these babies. They're a teensy bit loose at the heel so I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep them (maybe I could get those little stick-on "petals"?). I love them, so I'm hoping my feet do too.

Cost: 70.00 (ouch!)


Any thoughts/votes/suggestions on the boots?

Homemade

I just LOVE this fabric. I kept seeing it at Jo-Ann Fabric and thinking how pretty it was, so when it was 50% off last time I was there I just had to buy it, so I snatched up a yard. It's a medium weight knit with some stretch.

I've been working on my seamstress skills lately, and I love working with knits because the weight and stretch makes them pretty forgiving. I decided that my fabric needed to be a dress.

I should probably post a picture of me wearing the dress so you can get a better idea of what it looks like, but I do really like how it turned out! I'm so proud of the sleeves- this is the first time I've attempted them!


I have lots of learning to do, and using a pattern probably wouldn't hurt, but making your own clothes is really fun! I'm learning as I go. I've just been tracing clothing that fits me onto the fabric and going from there... so far it's working pretty well for me. If you have a sewing machine and some spare time, give making clothing a try!

Cost: 5.00

Warm Fuzzies

I'm a sucker for soft, fuzzy things. I spotted this black (fox?) fur collar at an antique store yesterday and was intrigued. I think stand-alone collars are a cool idea in general because you can add them on to any outfit, and this one felt so amazing I just had to get it. It was unmarked for price so I had to ask, and the lady called the stall vendor and said, "she said 12 but she'll take 10." Hmm. I don't think she was supposed to tell me that second part. But hey, I'm not complaining! After considering it for a few minutes I decided to go for it and add a touch of luxury to my life.

I'm an animal lover so have always been wary of fur items even though I really do like wearing fur (it just feels sooo nice!). I felt pretty good about this purchase though; since it's vintage/second hand I don't feel like I'm financially supporting the industry.


It's so warm! It should be perfect for winter. What I like about it is that I can even wear it with a plain old t-shirt. Fun fun!

Price: 10.00