Feelin' Good

It started with the back of my insurance policy envelope and a black Sharpie. Sipping my 3rd Diet Coke of the day (yipes), I put pen to paper and began with one word. Mortgage. Next to it, I wrote the monthly amount. Beneath that, I wrote out all of our other "fixed expenses" until the legal sized envelope was full to the bottom. My stomach twisted into a knot, and I contemplated just sniffing the heck out of that Sharpie until my anxieties faded away (does that work? I have always been intrigued by "huffers"...), but as I persisted with finalizing this list of responsibilities, ending it with the $540 we spend a month on Noelle's daycare, I realized one thing....one very important detail.

I WON'T BE DOING THIS ALONE ANYMORE!

It dawned on me that we will have TWO incomes very, very soon. In fact, Luke's first day on the job was today. We will be FAR from rich, but do you know how good it felt to realize that the sole responsibility of paying our mortgage, TV/Internet, phone, gym, life insurance, electric, gas, water, & Noelle's daycare bills will not only fall on my shoulders? Knowing that Luke will be able to contribute takes so much stress off of me.

When I finished my list, I smiled. I SMILED....at a list of bills?! Maybe those Sharpie fumes were working afterall...

Live & Learn

When Noelle was born, she only wore one kind of diapers. Pampers. Preferrably, Pampers Swaddlers....so soft and even with that handy yellow line that turned colors when she peed. Oh yes, Pampers, you made my life easier. I wasn't wild about the baby Sesame Street characters at the waist, but at least it wasn't that hellish Winnie the Pooh and his little friends (i.e. Huggies are not allowed in our home).

Then, as Noelle got bigger, I grew tired of the Pampers price tag. Yeah, I used coupons, but still...I much preferred spending money on a cute little dress for the nugget or a gallon of ice cream instead of making sure she had a fancy booty. So, I decided to give Luvs a try. They were a few bucks cheaper than Pampers, so I thought, "Why not?" Tried them...luv'd them...I saw no difference between them and the Pampers Baby Dry.

So, after a couple of weeks with Luvs, I tested my luck once more. I thought to myself, "I could save even more money if I tried Target diapers!" Yes, I did the unthinkable. I bought generic diapers. I got just a small pack to see if they were worth anything...and to my surprise, they were great! No leaks, not stinky, and they even fit her better than the Luvs did. Not to mention the fact that they are super soft and have a cute blue and green polka dot design on the entire diaper. And the price? Around $7-$8 cheaper than Pampers. That's a savings of about $15-$20 a month on diapers.

Now, maybe in the beginning when Noelle's poop was runny and highly prone to leaks and PUBS and all kinds of traumas, the Target dipes might not have worked, but now, they are just fine....and I have no problem saying that I will put generic diapers on her now so that we can have more money for more important things later. Also...I have tried the Up & Up (Target brand) wipes, and they are lovely. They are the same exact weight and texture of Pampers wipes. In a related note, I buy Meijer brand formula as well because it has the SAME EXACT ingredients as the Enfamil Premium with the same exact amounts...and it is literally under $12 for the large can and Enfamil is $23 for the large. Say wah?

All that being said (giggles nervously)...I did succumb to the Cynthia Rowley for Target designer diapers (by Pampers). They were sooooOOOOOooooo cute...and she can't even fit in them yet....but I thought for "special occasions" (OK...let's face it...her wedding wouldn't be special enough to wear these expensive things) they would be adorable. So what if I paid nearly $1 PER diaper? Luke's exact words were, "She better be pooping golden turds in those things!"

So...my point in this post is this...don't be afraid to try generic...it's not as bad as you think and doesn't scream "I'm a bad mom!" It might, however, scream, "I needed some extra money for a shopping trip and potty training my 4 month old wasn't a realistic option so I got the cheapest diapers I could find, k?"

It's that lovely time of year when we begin to receive our tax refunds...which in reality is just a false sense of feeling like the government is giving us money because HELLO this was our money we originally earned anyway....but, I digress. It is still a great feeling when you trot out to the mailbox in the t-shirt you have been wearing for 3 days and your flip flops with socks (wait, just me? nevermind...) and see a nice, fat check.

At our house, 'tis a great feeling until reality sets in that this money is going straight to a savings account not to be touched. No shopping spree for me! Right now, there's about 100 things on my list to buy, but if I could buy myself a Mother's Day gift (since it's my inaugural celebration), I would swing by the jewelry store for this little chotchky...

It's only $1200. What? Too expensive? You see, I would justify it by saying that it is aquamarine, which is Noelle's birthstone. It is also done with chocolate diamonds, which is quite unique. AND...since I am planning on being a mom for the rest of my life, it really isn't a lot of money if you spread it out over the course of a lifetime...right? If I live another 75 years, that only amounts to $16 a year. Wow, don't I sound like one of those "Sponsor a Child" infomercials that are on at 4 a.m.? "For just 95 cents a day...."

Sigh. Never. Gonna. Happen.

'Spose I will settle for saving the check from Uncle Sam for a rainy day...or for when Luke's car will inevitably need thousands of dollars of repairs.

Sucker for a Sale!

I am such a sucker for a sale. I blame my mom. She taught me how to be a bargain hunter at a young age. We never bought much if it wasn't on sale, but if it was on sale, we went hog wild! I have heard that a deal isn't really a deal unless you really need it, and I have tried to apply that to my adult life as finances have rested entirely on my two shoulders. What I found today at Carter's and Baby Depot, I believe, are needs and will be put to great use soon!

I went to Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory first. Burlington Coat Factory really perplexes me because it is not just coats. Why is it named this? It is really like a TJ Maxx. It has really good prices, but I don't frequent there much because it is usually very disorganized and messy. I don't like to have to step over items on the floor to get to something else or see nothing in its proper place. However, I went in because I had an advertisement for the breast pump that I wanted being sold at 25% off. Men, you will probably want to quit reading because this really won't interest you.

My knowledgeable friend Jenna, mother of Miss Avigail, has helped me to realize that I should not but a cheap breast pump. I need to get one that works well and works quickly. She speaks very highly of her Medela brand pump, so I decided a while ago that I would want that one, too. I have done a lot of research on prices, and the cheapest I could find was on Amazon for about $250. They list in stores at almost $300. Yes, that IS a lot of money for those of you thinking that same thing. However, I will use it for a while with this baby, and then if I am blessed with any subsequent children, I will use it with them. Hospitals rent them for $40 a month or so, but they aren't that portable (from what Jenna says), and if you use it for 6 months, which most people do (or more), then you will have already paid for your own if you would have just bought it in the first place. This also isn't the type of thing you can buy used...for obvious reasons!

So...I ducked into Baby Depot, stepped over piles of disorganized clothes and other items, and I found two Medela pumps. One was just the type I was looking for, regularly priced at $279.99. I took it up to the register and the lady scanned it at $209! $70 OFF! I had to get it! I knew I wouldn't find it cheaper than that, so I went ahead and jumped on it. YAY!

Then I went to Carter's. The window said take an extra 30% off the already low clearance price, so why not? I went in and fell in love with a ton of adorable stuff. Some for girls, some for boys, and a lot that could work for both. I found a variety of sizes, and I even found some great holiday specific stuff for WAYYYYY cheap. I paid $46.52 for 13 items, most of them 2 or 3 piece sets (including tax).

I always love to check my receipt and add up what it would have cost me if I would have paid full price for my sale items. This goes back to when I would help my mom shop for Angel Kids, her charity she does for needy families at Christmas, and we would get things on mega-sale and then figure what we WOULD have paid. It is always so rewarding to that (and it takes away a tiny bit of guilt!).

I added it up, and I WOULD have spent $196 on the clothes I bought! So, basically I saved $150. WOW!

So, between the clothes and the pump, I saved a whopping $220 today. I am very happy with this and excited to add more to the baby collection.

Baby E, get here SOON! (but not too soon)

Ode to Aldi

In a world where, on any given Saturday afternoon, I can drive down 96th street and see men and women standing along side, holding signs that read, "Homeless, Hungry, Help Me," I hesitate anymore to say that we are poor. We, in fact, are the very opposite of poor. We are very rich. We are rich with love, blessed with all the material possessions we could possibly need and most of what we want, and I have a stable, steady, honest income that provides food, entertainment, shelter, and savings. Luke is in school to become a physician, which will pay off in the future. We are rich, compared to the true poor. 

However, I am into saving a buck anywhere I can. I love coupons. In fact, I used a 50% off coupon at Michael's today on a $6 can of spray paint. Hey, that $3 I saved can get me a value meal at McDonald's...(I shouldn't be thinking about McDonald's...)! I feel that I am a pretty competitive shopper...I won't pay more for something at one store if I can get it for less someplace else. However, for months, I have resisted the urge to go into the Aldi grocery store just a stone's throw from my favorite supermarket, Meijer. I love Meijer, and I always thought they had really great prices (and they do, compared to Marsh and the poor quality of Wal-Mart). I am a creature of habit. If I like going to the bright, shiny, mega store, it is going to be difficult to get me to switch. However, Luke convinced me to go to Aldi for our groceries because 1) we were extra low on money due to the Kiawah trip, and 2) Luke went there before Kiawah and I really liked the food he bought there. Why not?

We went in and did a fair amount of damage. The goal was to spend $60. We ended up spending about $65, but we got a ton of stuff, including some very comparable, high quality items that I normally get at Meijer. I knew that we ended up saving a lot of money, but I really wanted to know exactly HOW much we saved compared to the already low-priced Meijer, so I went last night and priced out the receipt with comparable items at Meijer. I even tried to find the cheap Meijer generic brands to compare with. I did the math, and we ended up saving around $32! Our bill would have been about $100 at Meijer, but only $65 at Aldi! Yesssssss!

I will say that Aldi doesn't have the best selection of "health" foods. If you are into organic or sugar free (which I especially look for), you will need to go to a bigger store. However, for your frozen products, milk, eggs, baking needs, cereal, chips, salsa (they have some amazing salsa in their deli for about $2.50 less than Meijer), cookies, cheese, etc....Aldi is your jam! :-) 

So, people, in this day when "the economy" is a common mention at the dinner table, don't pay more when you could swallow your pride, go to Aldi, and swallow a whole lot food for a lot less money. Be smart!