I cheated...

So I cheated on my New Year's Resolution.....

We went to Litchfield on Saturday and spent some time with my best friend Sarah (Fischer) Anderson and her husband Tyler. We went to the liquor store and I bought myself a bottle of wine. No coupon, no discount. On Friday, we got Emma's 3 month pictures done. I had a coupon for the pictures but then we went and got her ear's pierced which I did not have a coupon for. Two items with no savings, means I have to do this resolution for 2 days longer.

Emma did excellent with her ears. She screamed but then once it was over she was smiling again. I am glad I did it at this age because she hasn't found her ears yet so she isn't pulling on them.

Last week Corey and I decided to try the "cry it out" method. This means that we decided we would let her cry when she wakes up at night in an attempt to train her to sleep through the night. For those of you who are new parents..you understand this. For those of you that are not...I am not a bad parent. Babies get in the habit of waking up at night, just like if you set your alarm at 7am every morning and go to bed the same time every night, eventually your body will just start waking up at 7 am automatically. This is what happens with babies. You can do it as of 2 months old but I decided to wait. Then she began to really settle in to a routine in the last couple weeks so we decided now would be good. She needs to be in bed by 7:30, about 6:30 she begins to get really tired and its almost impossible to keep her awake so we start our routine at that time (bath, reading, bottle, etc). She would wake up between 2-2:30 every night and when I would feed her she would eat 2 ounces and then fall asleep as I was burping her, so this told me that she wasn't truly hungry.

So last Thursday night, we put her down and about 2:30am she woke up. We didn't get up but watched her on the monitor (we have a video one...LOVE it). She was so tired half of the time she had her eyes shut and just did this half attempt at a cry. She has two very distinct cries: hungry and sleepy. After about 40 min of her crying on and off I decided to go in and put her pacifier in her mouth. When I got back to bed I looked at the monitor and she was already sleeping. She really likes the pacifier to go to sleep but doesn't keep it in her mouth through the night. Now 40 minutes seems like a long time but she would cry and then stop for a long time and then start again, I promise it isn't as bad as it sounds. Friday night around 3:30 I could hear her getting restless so I ran and put her nuk in her mouth before she woke up and she kept sleeping. I don't want her to rely on the nuk but at the same time I wanted to train her body to keep sleeping. Saturday night we were in Litchfield but we put her down, moved her a total of 4 times and she never woke up. She probably fell asleep around 8 or so and didn't wake up until 7:30. Then Sunday, she didn't fall asleep until around 9 because she became over tired but then didn't wake up until 5:30. I can get used to all of these situations. As her body was trained to wake up at 2-230 my body was starting to get in that habit as well and I wasn't able to get back to sleep..but now I think we will be good for a while.

I know there are some of you who are going to play Devil's Advocate and tell me that her sleeping patterns will change, don't get used to this, and blah blah but guess what- I will deal with that when it comes, for now I will enjoy.

Cha-Ching!

My January resolution is in full swing! I am addicted to this saving money gig! I have about 10 hours of research in but it doesn't feel like work. I am enjoying it. These 10 hours include surfing the internet in finding "saving" blogs, coupon sites, and other deals. Based on this I have been pretty successful. I even found a blog that compares stores ads with available coupons. For example: last week Target had a deal on Lean Cuisine frozen meals and there was also a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off when you buy 2. It is nice because they do the work for you..yet they are not local so sometimes the deals are not the same.

I choose to go to Target for grocery shopping for a few reasons:
1. I love Target. It is bright, clean, and reliable.
2. They are about the same distance as a true grocery store but I like the idea of being able to pick up other items at the same time.
3. Target Rewards: When I use my DEBIT card I receive 5% off my total purchase. (They used to only offer this for their credit card but now also offer it if you connect it to you existing Debit card...I wonder if they are having a problem with collecting on those credit cards!).
4. Their prices are very similar, and usually cheaper, than other places.

Saturday I went to Target and it was the first grocery experience of the new year, and first time under my resolution. Now, originally I said that I would buy groceries without a coupon but I think I may go back on that because I think I can do it with coupons. There are only certain items that I need to buy without a coupon. We have a freezer full of beef and pork so I don't need meat coupons so I just need to find things to go with it..and that isn't hard. So back to my trip...it was also the first time that I had to ask them to price match. I had called earlier to find their guidelines. If you want to price match at Target you go through the main line for everything NOT getting matched and then you go to the Service Desk for everything that is. WHAT IS PRICE MATCHING? Price Matching is when you bring a competitor's ad in to a store and they honor the competitor price. For example, Coborns had a deal on Special K cereal at $1.99 plus I had a buy one get one free manufacturer's coupon..so I got 2 boxes for 1.99..lucky for me I had 2 coupons so I ended up getting 4 boxes for 3.98!!!! That is insane since each box is usually $4.39. Anywho, the point of price matching is so you don't have to go to every store to get the merchandise you want..plus you can still use manufacturer's coupons PLUS any in-store coupons (for the place you are at..Target will match ads but not take competitor's coupons!). So I went through the normal line and unloaded half my cart. Then, I went to the Service Desk and unloaded the other half. My savings: Of the 73 items I purchased...I only paid full price for 9 of them..and since I got 3 milks and 2 cans of tuna..I only paid full price for 6 different items. I was pretty proud of myself. My final savings including coupons, Target rewards, and matching ads: $36.11.

I have learned a ton from reading blogs though...and have even considered starting my own!

Here are a couple things on coupon etiquette:
-Don't assume every store price matches- it isn't true. Call your favorite store and ask!
-Keep manufacturer's coupons until there is a store coupon and/or in-store special. If I would have used my BOGO free Special K coupons without the in-store special I would have paid $8.78 for 2 boxes instead of $3.98.
-Don't be afraid to stock up on non-perishables as long as you have the space.
-Don't buy things you won't eat/use just because you have a coupon. This isn't truly saving anything.

You may think I am crazy for buying 4 boxes of the same kind of cereal and that is ok-I have been called worse :) The thing is, Corey and I both love it and we eat cereal every day. Plus I bought 4 boxes of Chewy Granola bars because I got them cheap as well. Corey and I go through a box of 10 a week (we each eat 1-2 per day). Therefore, I know we will go through it.

Another deal I had this week: Office Depot had copy paper on sale for $1 (after mail-in rebate). I also found a $1 off coupon, which I saved instantly. So I paid $13.56 in store but am sending in the rebate and once I receive the money- I will have received both reams of paper- FREE!

I could go on and on ..(I am also changing to rechargeable batteries since Emma's toys eat them up like crazy..might as well change now instead of buying "disposable" ones that are bad for the environment and are equivelent to throwing my money in the trash..especially since you can buy Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries on Amazon for almost the same price of "disposable" ones...).....but I will stop :)

All in all- I am quite satisfied with this month's resolution...........

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!

2010 was a great year for us and we look forward to an even more wonderful 2011. Looking back, I feel like I was pregnant for the entire year..and for 40 of the 52 weeks: I was! I traveled for my job for the first couple months until my body told me that it didn't like the mini pea-pod growing inside. In February I stopped traveling and hung out in the metro area for work. Corey raced his 3rd season and "3rd time's a charm" was not true in this case. It was a tough season! Then shortly after the conclusion of racing came our lovely baby Emma Louise Eystad. We have officially survived the first couple months as new parents.

On New Year's Eve Emma visited her Godparents and Godsiblings in Rice (Thank you Muehlbauer family!) while mommy and daddy went to the Tatge residence. We had a blast (like usual) with Kari and Carter. We played games and drank a little. Then around 10pm we headed to DB Searle's where we met up with some of our friends. It has been a long time since I have been downtime St. Cloud (May 22, 2009 in fact...my wedding day) the music was good but it was just a little too loud for my liking so once the ball dropped we jetted. New Years day we picked up Emma and spent some time with her Godfamily. Then we stopped by the Sabraski house on the way home and hung out with them. Then off to our house for a relaxing evening and an exhausting day following.

Emma was almost over her cold and then got it back-double as bad. She has a runny nose and a cough that doesn't stop. Poor thing! She just wants to cuddle with mom, literally. She hasn't been good at daycare and she wouldn't eat for Corey either...I get home and wa-la she wants to eat and sleep with mom :) Love that girl!

Here are some pics from NYE -

Kari Tatge and I

Me and Corey. I was so worried he was going to make a face and look dumb that I am the one that ended up looking away...

I am SO blessed with wonderful friends and family as well as a healthy family. I can't say it enough -- I am so lucky!

January Resolution-Save Money!

Hello hello-

I am not one to keep New Years resolutions, in fact I don't even remember any I had last year. This year I decided to be a bit more realistic. I am going to attempt to have a new resolution every month, for a total of 12 for the year. For January: Don't buy anything unless it is on sale or I have a coupon. The only exceptions I could think of would be gas and groceries (which I still look for coupons for but it's impossible to find a coupon for some things, like milk...believe me I have already tried). I can sometimes get coupons for gas off my grocery receipt, but I won't require it every time I fill up. I am already a coupon clipper. It takes a little bit of time but once you get in the habit of checking-it is so easy! To benefit the most you also need to research and plan. Every week-end I go through the newspaper and internet sites to cut coupons. Then I gather them and decide where it is best to shop. Some stores will match competitors but it may not be beneficial. Target matches all competitors yet they have their own brand (Market Pantry) and therefore don't sell some other brands. I try to make my grocery/necessity list before I go out, that way I can look up specific things online. If you want to try this resolution with me, visit these websites to get started:

http://www.coupongreat.com/- for groceries and beyond, online or in store!
http://www.target.com/ then go to the bottom and choose "Coupons" these are only good at Target. Also, if you are a consistent Target shopper get their Red DEBIT Card and save 5% every visit...this is not a credit card. It links to your existing checking account but still saves you $.
http://www.redplum.com/- get the Sunday paper for the coupons? Cancel it! Get the same coupons here!
http://www.coupons.com/

Here are some more websites that offer you low prices on every day things or extra bonuses:
http://www.thevalueconnection.com/
http://www.amazon.com/ - in love with this site. Even with shipping costs (which are usually waived) it is cheaper than stores.
http://www.ebates.com/ - Shop online? Earn rewards for your normal spending!
http://www.upromise.com/ - shop at their vendors and they will put money aside for your child's college fund.

So many options and so much money to save! It is rare for us to go grocery shopping at Target and save less than $15/visit. Join me for my Jan. Resolution!