Pool Time

We found a free pool sitting on the side of the road a while back.  

I've been wanting one like this all summer!

Wes was skeptical but I made him pull over and let me out. 

I felt pretty lucky to find one for free...I didn't even mind carrying it home all by myself a few blocks...haha!

Our little kids love it!  They love the slide whether or not there is water in the pool. 

These little ones are just the cutest!  

I spent the morning hacking back our blackberry bushes and they spent it playing in the pool.

I love my sweet children!

Would You Believe?

Would you believe that I just used this title for a blog post about saving money?

I'm a dork, I know.

But back to the important part. Saving money.

Would you believe that I got this



and this



and this



for this?


I did. :)

Last One, I Promise

This is the last post about savings. I promise I won't post anymore...for a long while at least.

Yesterday I got some coupons at Smith's and I used them today and got these.



(2) Gallon sz Freezer Bags
(2) Quart sz Freezer Bags
(2) 3 packs of Scotch Bright Srubbies :) Not sure what they are really called.
(1) 2 pack of children's crayola toothbrushes
(1) Disposable Plates
(1) Men's Degree Deodorant
(1) Women's Degree Deodorant

After coupons and sales I paid $2.16 out of pocket.

So $.24 cents each item!

The toothbrushes were $1.00 on sale without a coupon(one of their 10/10 deals). That's pretty good for kids toothbrushes, right?

Another Entry About Saving

Yesterday I posted that I saved a ton of money on jeans, make up and at Smith's. And I was super excited about it.

Well today I got all this using that $5.00 rebate at Rite-Aid and a $10.00 rebate I got at K-mart today.



Here's the list in case you were wondering what you are looking at.

(2) Smart Sense Dishwashing Detergent
(3) VO5 Shampoo
(1) Germx Hand Sanitizer
(2) Aluminum Foil 40 sq ft
(1) Napkins 120 ct
(2) Smart Sense Mouth Rinses
(1) Purex Laundery Detergent 46 loads

Grand Total Out of Pocket: $5.55

Divide that by the 12 things I got and it comes out to about .46 cents each item!

That just feels good! :)

Just Bragging, That's All

So today was an excellent day for me when it comes to savings! You might laugh and think these are not really that great of savings. But for me, they at least felt great! :)

First stop of the morning, Khols. I had a $10.00 off $10.00 or more.

I got these for $4.25. Oh ya baby! And if you didn't know I put holes into like 5 pairs of jeans during the months of January and February, so these were definitely a needed find. :)


I saved $26.00!

Second stop, Rite-Aid. I'm so being pulled into their points and up rewards right now, I'm probably not really saving but I like to think so. :)

I went because I had a 1 up rewards coupon to use (basically a dollar off anything in the store). I went for garbage bags because I had a coupon but the coupon wasn't for the right bags and I DID JUST BUY 4 BOXES of garbage bags last week. :) (For $2.00 each I might add). :)

But they were having a great sale on Maybelline products and I will need mascara soon.

So I got these using that 1 up rewards point.

I'm so Plain Jane, it's sad really. I should try bolder colors...someday...okay probably not. :)

These were buy one get one free and I really wanted to get to $15.00 so I could get another $5.00 rewards rebate. So I bought the eye shadow too. (Totally sucked into the sales gimmicks, I know).

I paid $15.70 for $20.36 worth of makeup. But I now also have $5.00 to use next time towards a purchase. :)

And finally I don't want to bore you with more details but let's just say I am currently holding two $5.00 gift cards to Smith's and three $1.50 off your next purchase coupons, that I got today. :)

And finally, finally. A few weeks ago, I got these at Deseret Book for $1.00 total! Still doin' the happy dance about that one!



K. I'm done bragging now. :)

I Just Couldn't Resist

A $5.00 off coupon came in the mail the other day from Deseret Book. It required no minimum purchase. I technically could walk in and get something under $5.00, up to $5.00 for FREE.

Well I saw a picture frame that I totally wanted for $7.99. I could justify spending $2.99, right?

Well when I got there they were on sale for $4.99! I could totally see my cute little girls filling up the frame.



But then I saw the boy one. I just couldn't resist getting one for Jared too. I mean, how cute would a baptismal picture of him look inside? (I do realize that is about two years from now.)

So I justified that since the original plan to buy one was going to cost less, why not buy both for a little more! I'm a sucker, I know.



But I still feel like it's was a great deal and I love the frames.

It only cost me $5.64 total!

I do realize that my whole spending more than I was planning to, is the exact reason why they have those kind of coupons. :)

I Know You've Heard This From Me Before But...

I just love Love LOVE JoAnns Fabric Store!

And I love even more their COUPONS!

Why am I trying to surpress my desire to shout this from the rooftops today?

Well for one thing I don't want to be the town crazy. :)

But the REAL reason is that their most recent mailer had a $5.00 off coupon for any regular priced item originally $5.00 or more.

Well I bought these today.





I know, I know at this point you are thinking, "Cookie Cutters? She's excited about cookie cutters?"

But yes as a matter of fact I am.

We have been in serious need of some new ones. Yesterday we made sugar cookies and our kids had to use the stars from Christmas. :)

Anyways, the cookies cutters cost $5.49 regularly.

So with taxes I paid $.52!

Oh ya!

Good Deals @ Soap.com

Okay this might seem totally cheesy but I guess I'm willing to post about this particular website because I feel like I got a pretty good deal and wanted to share it with others.

So Soap.com.

I first learned about it after buying diapers at Diapers.com.

At Diapers.com I felt like I got a really good deal too. The first time you buy diapers you get a 30% cash back credit. Which was awesome because the diapers were cheaper than the stores and the cash back credit that i got I used to buy Novalee's birthday presents this year.

Wow, I'm totally off topic.

On Thursday I ordered these things on Soap.com. They have all sorts of household items.

Suavital Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets 80 sheets
Nature Made Mult For Him Vitamins and Minerals 90 ct
(2) Suave Body Lotion 32oz
(2) Suave kids 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner
Reach clean Burst Floss 55 yds
Crest Plus Scope Toothpaste 6.2oz

First time users get $10 for free after buying from diapers.com. Plus orders of $25.00 or more get free shipping.

So I paid $15.39 for all of these products after discounts, free shipping and e coupons.

On Friday afternoon the next day these arrived.


One day later, pretty great, right?

The total price without shipping would have cost $26.14.

I wanted to make sure I got a good deal before posting this so I price compared at Wal-Mart which generally is pretty cheap.

I found everything but the exact lotion.

I found a few similar ones and just guessed they probably would cost $5.00 or so.

With that guess, at Wal-mart all these things would have cost us $28.41 without taxes.

$28.41, and even $26.14 is quite a bit more than the $15.39 I paid.

If you decide to look and buy I have a promo code BRAN3960 that offers 15% off your first order.

But try the codes at this website and see if you can get a better deal.

Also if you want the promo code for diapers.com go to babycenter.com and on the right hand side there is a link for 30% cash back credit. My promo code BRAND3960 offers 15% off. I'm not sure if you can use more than one code but you should try.

That's all. Hopefully this isn't too lame. But since I have no clue how to use coupons I thought these websites were pretty great and wanted to share!

Crafts and Good Deals

Project 1:

A while ago Wes said that maybe I should refinish our couch pillows.

What? Wes inviting me to be crafty! Okay!

So here are our yucky pillows before.





I couldn't find any material I liked for a while. Finally out of desperation and a coupon sale I bought fabric I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

It should be pretty easy to make pillows. I mean really they're just squares, right?

Wrong!

The big issue was the old pillow stuffing. It was made of chopped up foam and padding.

What a Mess!

And on top of that my material was too thin and so my first pillow was bumpy so I had to take out the stuffing and make a liner.

Anyways, here's how they turned out.





They're not perfect but they'll do. I like how bold they are. Having them really live'ins up the place. :)


Project 2:

In our old apartment I had three totes, one was a cooking utensil tote, one was markers and craft tote for the kids and one was an adult tote (for permanent markers, sharp scissors, etc...).

Anyways, they weren't the most fancy way to keep things organized and I personally hated (don't tell the kids I said that word) having to rotate which tote was on top of the pile of totes and pop a lid every time I wanted something.

So on my first trip to the DI (Deseret Industries) here in Bountiful I found this cool looking basket thing ($4.00).



As a side note, we also went to payless shoes that day because Novalee needed some church shoes. They are always (it seems like"always") doing that buy one pair of shoes and get the second half off. Well hers were $14.99 and mine were regularly $22.99 but already on sale for $10.00 so I got them for $5.00!

Seems random I know but you'll see why I did this little brag about shoe shopping later.

So after a little sanding and painting my basket turned into something useful.

And since it was a basket it didn't really have a divider in the middle of it but who would have guessed Novalee's church shoes box lid (that's a mouthful) fit perfectly in the box.

So...with a little paint and hot glue it became the divider. Granted, probably not the sturdiest divider but hey, it was free and it gets the job done.

Total Cost: $4.00

Project 3

Look at this cool nook in my kids room. I always wanted something like this when I was a little girl. I'm not sure my kids are that into it. But either way, we live our dreams through our kids sometimes, right?

I wanted the kids to be able to play up there without ruining the paint. I also thought it would be cool if it was soft to lay on.

So I decided I was going to buy foam padding at Joann's and cover it in fabric.

Well the Joann's here happens to be right next to the DI. I couldn't help but go to the DI first. And as it turns out I found two foam camping pads for $5.00. I thought that was a find since Wes bought some just a year or so ago for $20.00 each (granted they were foamier, is that a word?)

Anyways, when I brought them home, one fit the window almost perfectly.

After scoring the pads for so cheap I kind of wanted to challenge myself and see how cheap I could make the entire thing.

At best buying fabric to cover the pad from Joann's would cost me @ $3.00/yd, $18.00.

So then inspiration struck and I decided to head back over to the DI to see if I could find anything there to use, such as a blanket or tablecloth.

I totally got lucky and found a bundle of unused fabric for $3.00.

So I used the green-rough feeling material to make a lining, I learned from the pillows that it would be bumpy otherwise.

Then I covered it in this fabric.


Doesn't he make a cute middle eastern girl? Jared just said he's a ninja in the picture. :) Okay ninja.

Here's how it turned out.

Total Cost: $4.00

Project 4:

Wes always feels bad when Meala goes into her kennel at night without a pad.

This next project was for Wes, not really for Meala, who I think is a dog and could probably sleep anywhere and be comfortable and none the wiser.

So those $5.00 camping pads, were two pads rolled together. So I just cut two identical pieces from the left over pad, to fit Meala's dog kennel.

Then I hot glued them together.



Can you see the wear from moving my table received? Poor thing.

Then I sewed a slipcover for it. I've never done anything like this before but it came together surprisingly well and was super easy.

Meala likes it.



She is kind of a pretty dog.

Total cost: $3.25.

Project 5:

I feel like I know all too well what moving does to your furniture and things.

Well this has been moved many, many times.

So I repainted it and covered it in a clear protective coat.

How it looks now.

I should probably update the photo in the frame since that is Jared holding Novalee.

Total Cost: $3.28

Project 6:

My kids like to do crafts too.

So to help us get in the spirit of Thanksgiving the kids worked hard.

And made us these for our home.



And just for fun, some of the kids.

This is what I get to look forward to in the mornings. I really love it. :)

The kids driving their cars.


Cute Sadie


Novalee's growing up so fast!


Oh, yes.

We have a thumb sucker.

We tried to discourage it but she is determined. :)