Happy Friday- outfit & a few sales

Happy Friday!! I am exceptionally excited and happy today, because it is my last day of work until Wednesday of next week!!  I took the day off on Monday, and Tuesday is Mardi Gras, of course!!! 
We'll be headed into the Big Easy on Sunday for a little Mardi Gras celebration.  We're going to the Bacchus parade on Sunday afternoon.  Will Ferrel is the grand marshal this year! But I'm sure we'll watch all of the parades that day.  Last year during Bacchus we got a parking ticket.  Let's hope we find a good spot this year!
I want to share a few peeks of my outfit today. 

This dress is from Gap.  I got it during a 25% off sale a few weeks ago.  I love it. I think its so versatile. 
If anyone has any weekend shopping planned there are plenty of sales for President's Day!
Loft 30% off full price purchase (in stores and online)
Gap up to 40% off (in stores and online)
Banana Republic 25% off sale items (in stores and online)
J. Crew 30% off all factory items online

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and Happy Mardi Gras!

XO-Heather

FRUGAL FRIDAY: CHEAP DATE NIGHT

Happy Friday everyone! 
So since this week was our anniversary I thought it would be fun to share some quick tips for cheap date nights.  I'm really easy to please when it comes to going out to dinner or a date night.  I don't like expensive restaurants because it's not worth it to me, and I'm 100% ok with pizza and beer for a date night!
So here's my tips for cheap dates:

1. Sign up for restaurants' email lists.
1. I put this #1 because it is the best tip I have.  For our anniversary we got a coupon for a free dinner at Texas de Brazil (at $50 value), a free pizza at Rotolos, a free appetizer at Lone Star Steakhouse, free chocolate covered strawberries at The Melting Pot, and a few other offers.  A lot of restaurants will send you an initial offer and something on your b-day and/or anniversary.  Use these coupons!  We are saving the Texas de Brazil because it's good until November.  But last Saturday night we went to Rotolos, ordered a pizza, drank and hung out for a few hours for $15!!!
2. Sign up for daily deals sites
1. They always have great offers for things to do in every area.  I always buy the Fandango tickets when they are like $12 for 2.  If you go to the movies it is $18.  So that is a $6 savings.  I keep the codes in my email.  Then when we have nothing to do I check out the movie times and use one of my codes for Fandango I already bought!
2. My top sites are: google offers, groupon, daily deals, screamin' daily deals, & living social
3. Use restaurants.com
1. You can do a search for restaurants in your area and buy $25 gift certificates for $2!!!!
2. Read the fine print and make sure there are no restrictions.
4. Hip2Save.com does a Weekend Restaurant Round-up every Friday to let everyone know of the deals at restaurants for the weekend.
1. She also does a weekend retail round-up for shopping
5. Go to a restaurant a little early for happy hour to get cheap drinks and appetizers
6. Check out local wineries and breweries.  
1. Sometimes they give free tours and samples
7. Cook at home together
1. I put this last because I cook during the week everyday so it's not my ideal thing to do for a fun night.  Plus, my kitchen is small so it's hard for us to do this.  But other people may enjoy this!

If you start signing up for all these email lists I would create a separate email account for them to go to.  This way it isn't clogging up your inbox.  Check it a few times a week or every other day.

And just for fun here are a few of my favorite pics from my wedding- since it is my anniversary week!!!  I had the easiest best experience planning my wedding.  We had a small wedding, and it was SO SO fun!

 Our venue. I love this! It's my background on my computer

 me & my youngest niece

me & my dad

clearly this isn't the most flattering picture but i love how happy i am!

ha!

me & my mom

me & my parents

me & my bridesmaids my sister is farthest to the right!

my big sis in my sorority sang while we lit the unity candle

my dad & i dancing to Hank Williams, Family Tradition!

Sorry about all the images! I just kept adding!!!! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday: Fit on a Budget

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I got up at 5:30 this morning and did the Couch 2 5K program with Mocha.  As I was jogging I started thinking about this idea for a post...
We all need to exercise, right?  Even if we aren't trying to lose weight it is necessary for our health.  I'm a firm believer in exercising and keeping a healthy heart.  Although, I don't exercise every single day and some weeks I don't get around to it at all.  But I don't believe in being lazy every single day for the rest of our lives.  I certainly do not claim to be a fitness enthusiast or expert either.  But I have always been very body conscience.  Even though I don't think I am "fat", I have some issues with my weight.  It's all part of my perfectionist personality.   
I REALLY love good food.  Really, words CANNOT even explain my love for food.  One of the ways I feel better about myself is by exercising.  I figure, at least I'm trying, right?!
We all make excuses for not exercising, including me!  One excuse for not exercising is budget...  Gym memberships can be very pricey.  But exercising does not have to cost a fortune.  So here are my "fit on a budget" tips.

• Get outside! Walk, jog, or run!
• ITS TOTALLY FREE!  Some fresh air always makes you feel better.  But the downsides: it can be pretty boring and monotonous and the weather.  It's really hard for me to get outside when it's super cold and when it's 100 degree Louisiana heat.
• Try to C25K app.  I think it's 99 cents.  I love it!  I've read that interval training burns more calories too! 
•   Make your own circuit!
• This will take some investing at first.  But it will be one time costs, and you can usually find these items at TJ Maxx or a garage sale.  Get a few sizes of dumbbells, an exercise ball, and resistance bands.  Then look up some circuit-type exercise routines on Spark People, You Tube, or just Google it.
• That brings me to my next step... There are a ton of online videos and routines.  You can find some on Netflix too.  You can also look into Exercise TV.  
• Check out your local library for fitness DVDs.
• You can also invest a small amount of money in a few quality DVDs.  Pick some up on Amazon.  I know the Jillian Michaels DVD's are pretty good.  
• Use your Wii if you have one to play fitness games.
• Gold's Gym 
• EA Sports 
• Wii Fit 
• Find a gym with no contracts.  
• I am REALLY funny about signing a gym membership contract.  I WILL NOT do it.  I don't like to be stuck in something.  Things change, situations change, jobs change, you move, etc... and I get bored easily. There are too many factors that play into where I work out.  I don't want to be stuck with something.  24 hour gyms are a good place to start.  My husband has a membership to a Snap fitness 1 mile from our house.  So we added me to the plan for $15/month.  But I can cancel it at anytime.  I like that.  I also found a gym near my office that strictly teaches classes.  They have Zumba, kickboxing, Body Pump, spin, step, and a ton more.  Best part: I can either pay for a month of unlimited, or I can pay $5/class.  I like to pay $5/class.  I really only like to do Body Pump because I hate lifting weights on my own, and I really enjoy that class.  I usually only go once a week though.  So I use that in combination with walking on the treadmill or doing C25K outside.  So I work out in a group setting or on the treadmill at a gym for less than $40 a month.  I pay around $20 for body pump and $15 for Snap.  

Sorry this post is so wordy!
What are your fitness tips?  How do you keep your wallet and waist in check?
XO-Heather

3in30 Challenge: Final Thoughts

I didn't do a very good job of updating you guys during my challenge.  But here's how I did:

• Do some form of exercise 3x/week
• DONE! 
• I surprised myself and did pretty good here.  I may not have made it to the gym 3 times every week all month.  But I went at least twice and took the pups for a walk on the other day.  
• Start and finish 1 book on my list
• DONE!
• I started reading Stealing Faces on my iPad at the beginning of the month.  I'm about 65% of the way through.  It's not super exciting.  Some days I can get into it and get really far.  But other days I'm just not interested.  So I started and finished Lauren Conrad's book, Lauren Conrad Style. I've had this on my coffee table for a few months.  I started and finished it in the past 2 weeks, reading a little each night.  It was a great book.  I loved it!
• Stay on budget
• Here is where things went south.  You'd think since I blog about frugal living I would knock this out of the park.  But it's not always easy, and sometimes things come up.  
• I went a little over on our grocery budget, about $100.  I started buying healthier snacks for husband and I to keep at work.  This is hard because we don't like the same things.  So it is almost like buying double.  I also went to the produce stand every week instead of just buying my produce at Wal-Mart or wherever I went.  Usually the produce stand is cheaper, but not always.  I like to go there to get my fresh food because it is local.  
• I also want to clarify that I don't use coupons on every thing that I buy.  I also won't say, "no, can't get it. don't have a coupon."  I just try to do my research on the best deal for an item and find a coupon.  But it doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes I buy things on a whim.  Some weeks I don't feel like deal hunting or worrying about the extra leg work.  I'm in a hurry, and I just need to get in and out of the grocery store.  But I usually only let that happen about once a month.  But it is also so easy to let the grocery bill get away from me while not worrying about it.  $100 is a good bit to go over budget.  So I MUST do better next month and quit being lazy.
• We also went over $60 on the auto/gas budget.  This is something I don't care too much about since it's so hard to alter it.  Husband and I commute to and from work, and we obviously have to go every day.  I also travel to some of our dental offices sometimes.  But I do get paid mileage, which goes straight to the savings account.  I do this to account for the extra maintenance on the car.  Our friends and family live out of town.  So we spend A LOT of time in the car.  I was also due for an oil change this month too.
• Husband had to pay for his last section of his CPA exam.  This went under our Miscellaneous section.  And let me tell you, these are NOT cheap!  But he only has 1 left to pass.  He's taking it the week before we go to Vegas in November.  I'm so proud of him! 

So all in all, I got 2/3.  Which is good, right?  I'm a little upset with myself about the budget.  But it's ok, because we have a good buffer in case we overspend.  It's not like we spend outside of what we earn.  We just can't put as much in savings if we overspend.  But there's always next month to make it up.  I am DETERMINED to be under or right at budget for groceries for the month.
Do you set personal goals for the month?  If so, how'd you do? 
I'm excited, because the weather is supposed to be great.  Tonight I am going to a Yoga class with a friend.  It's called Vino & Vinyasa.  They will have a wine reception after.  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday- Coupon Organization

This week's Frugal Friday topic is fun for me, because I love to organize.  I am going to talk about the 2 different methods I have tried for organizing my coupons.

When I first started couponing I didn't have much of a stash.  So I used a small accordion file that I kept in my car.  I found a few from Target in the dollar bin, like the one below.  I put different categories based on sections in the grocery store on the tabs and I would just throw my cut coupons in there.  That worked for a little while, but when my collection of Q's started to grow it got a little annoying.  It was a lot to search through when I was looking for something.  Another major downside was that I would go through all of the inserts each Sunday and cut every Q I thought I might use and file it in the right category.  That didn't last very long!  But this is a great method if you are only going to use mail coupons and coupons you print online.  Plus, this can be kept in your purse when you go grocery shopping.   

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On to my next method and the current method I use: the coupon binder.  This is probably the most popular method for organizing Q's because it is the easiest way to see what all you have.  At first I used a regular old 3-ring binder with baseball card sheets and dividers.  Each divider has a category written on it.  I cut the Q's and put them in a slot in the correct category.  Now I've upgraded to a nice Case-It zippered binder, pink of course.  I still have the same baseball card sheets and dividers I bought over a year ago.  I found the binder on clearance at Target for $9.  These binders are usually $20-$30!

 I mostly put internet printables and Q's I get in the mail in the binder sheets.  The only thing I do different now is I don't cut any Q's from the Sunday paper inserts.  I keep those whole in a side pocket.
Before I go grocery shopping I look through my binder and grab Q's for anything I need.  Then I go to We Use Coupon's  coupon database to look for Q's for products I don't have one for.  It will tell you the link if it's an internet printable and I print it.  Or it will give you the name and date of the insert it is in if there is one.  Then I pull out that insert cut the Q I need.  You can use their database here.  I put all of my Q's in an envelope with my grocery list on the front.  I DO NOT take the binder with me in the store, but I do keep the binder in my car.  This helps if I need to stop somewhere on the way home, or if I read about a great deal on one of the websites I follow I might go at lunch.  So I always have access to the coupons I need.  Not cutting the inserts saves a lot of time and energy.  Collin, from Hip2Save, has a great video here about setting up a coupon binder.

The categories I use are:

• at the front I have a misc section that I put retail Q's (Old Navy, Gap, etc) or Q's for anything free so I see it right away
• produce (really anything that can be found near produce)
• condiments (salad dressing, bbq sauce, or anything near that section)
• canned/packaged
• dairy (really anything cold goes here)
• frozen (anything that can be found in freezers)
• grains (bread, pasta, etc)
• breakfast/cereal
• snacks
• home items (cleaners, candles, etc)
• personal care items (toothpaste, soap, etc)
• cosmetics & hair care
• paper (tissues, toilet paper, ziplocs, etc)
• pet

Now here's my binder!

***I do not devote a lot of time to couponing, nor am I a crazy deal-seeker like you may have seen on TLC's show.  But making the conscience effort to buy ahead when on sale, research the best deal, find a coupon, and use it has made a world of difference in our grocery bill.  Even if it is just price-matching at Wal-Mart- it is totally worth the effort.  I simply buy a Sunday paper every week, take the inserts out, and throw them in the binder.  I follow Hip2Save and Totally Target on Twitter.  So I get updates throughout the day when a new coupon becomes available online to print.  I print coupons from company's Facebook pages, www.coupons.com,  www.redplum.com, and tons of other sites.  I just throw the ones I print into the binder and zip it up if I'm not using it right away.  Then once a week I go through and cut and file them.  Then I have everything nicely organized and visible for Sundays when I do my grocery shopping.   
So what do you think?  Have I persuaded anyone to shop with coupons yet?  I would be more than happy to answer any questions about it!     

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday- Multi-tasking Products

Instead of doing a frugal Friday about coupons or grocery shopping I am going to tell y'all about some items that have several different uses.  This is a great way to stretch your dollar since most of these products are cheaper than the real version and can be used for multiple things.

• Monistat Anti-Chaffing Gel
• This is a great makeup primer.  It usually costs $5-$7 at Wal-Mart, Target, and drugstores.  (They occasionally put out coupons on coupons.com too.)  I can't even remember where I first read about using this as a primer.  But I figured "What the hell!  I'll try it for $7."  If you look at the ingredient list and compare it to a makeup primer, the ingredients are almost identical.  I have been using the same $7 tube for around 6 months now.  I still have half  left.  I have very sensitive skin, and I have never had an issue with this.  I also use it on my eyelids as a eyeshadow primer.  I put a small dime-size amount all over my face after my moisturizer dries.  It makes my mineral makeup go on so smoothly and last all day! 
• Vaseline
• I bought a travel-size jar of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly several years ago for $1 at Wal-Mart.  I still haven't made a huge dent in the little jar.  This has a ton of uses- be creative!
• Use it as a chapstick
• Use it as a cuticle cream or a deep moisturizer for hands and feet at night
• I often use it as eye makeup remover.  I wash my face first.  Then if there's a little left under my eyes I dab a little bit with my finger and wipe away with a cotton ball.  Or if I smudge my eyeliner or mascara while getting ready I put a little on a Q-Tip and even out the line.
• Hair Conditioner
• use it as shaving cream
• Toothpaste- any white and non-gel
• use it as a silver polish with a toothbrush or rag
• get crayons off walls
• overnight zit cream
• bug bite or bee sting ointment
• Baby Powder
• Great alternative to dry shampoo.  I've used baby powder in my hair for years when it gets a little greasy.  You can buy it for $1 at the Dollar Store instead of a more expensive dry shampoo.  
• Baking Soda
• Add a teaspoon to your shampoo bottle to help remove buildup
• Great to sprinkle on top of your toothpaste to help whiten your teeth

Do you have any non-traditional uses for products?  I would love to know!
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday- Save to Spend

I just realized my blog turned one month old yesterday!!! 

One of my favorite parts of using coupons and being frugal is that it frees up my money to spend it elsewhere.  What's the fun in pinching pennies if you have none left to do anything with?

 The grocery, health & beauty items, and household budgets are one place anyone can really manipulate.  Our gas/car budget is set and there is really nothing we can do about that.  The husband and I both commute.  So it's not like we can just not buy gas... We have a miscellaneous category that random things and emergencies fall into so that we don't have to pull money out of savings.  Keeping a tight watch on the things that we can help allows us to do fun things together and splurge a little.

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One area I splurge in is my hair.  I like to go to a nice salon to get my hair cut and colored.  I've tried going the cheap route in that department, and it never turned out in my favor.  I have fine hair, and I'm picky about the shade of blond that my hair is.  So to me, it is worth it to splurge in the first place.  If not, would you have to pay someone to fix it and pay double?  That has definitely happened to me before.  So I learned to fork up a little more up front so that I can feel good about the way I look.

The husband is really picky about clothes.  So while I can find a $1 pair of jeans, a nice $25 outfit from Loft, and shoes from Payless... The husband only wears certain brands, but they last him for a long time while I change how I dress often.  Now I make sure we buy them when they are on sale or at the outlet, but he's not wearing a shirt from Target.  I think it's a little harder to imitate nice Men's clothes and shoes.  We're both ok with it since we plan for it.      

Another area we splurge in is our entertainment budget.  This probably sounds like a lot of money, but we each get $100/week cash to spend on whatever we want.  I call this "play money."  We go out the eat together on the weekends, go out with friends, go to the movies, eat lunch with co-workers occasionally, take trips (Vegas in November), and go shopping.  When the $200 total runs out... That's it! 

NYC 2005

snow-mobiling in SD 2008

TN 2009

Destin 2011

So you're probably thinking... If you're so frugal why do you waste $800-$1000/month on eating out, etc... But to us, right now, that is what's important.  We don't have kids yet.  So why not have fun and make memories together and with our friends while we have our freedom (ha)?!  Once we start a family that money will go to daycare, diapers, and food.... So I want to enjoy it now.

So while I am really picky about how much I will fork out on groceries, household products, and health & beauty items I have the freedom to have fun with my friends and husband while we can!   

So what do you splurge on?  Do you budget for your splurges?
Happy Friday!
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday- A Suggested Guide

I've had a lot of people ask me how to get started couponing.  So instead of me giving a lengthy explanation that may or may not make sense... I wanted to send everyone to a site that I use often, and one of the sites that taught me how to coupon.  Take a look at this couponing guide by Collin from Hip2Save.  This guide explains everything way better than I would be able to.  Her site gives you updates all day with the best new deals.  I love it! 

On an unrelated note, I'm so happy it's Friday.  I've been exhausted all week.  We haven't rested much since before our trip.  I have plans to watch movies, read, and eat all weekend.  I can't wait.  I got these 3 books in the mail from Amazon yesterday.

Lauren Conrad Style

 

The Carrie Diaries

 

What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style

 

I'm really excited about the book by Jessica from What I Wore.  I love her blog!
Hopefully everyone has a great weekend.
XO-Heather

Frugal Friday- Myth Busters + Trip

Happy Friday!  I'm so anxious for tomorrow.  I have a hair appointment, and I've been rocking some serious roots lately!  I've been trying to decide what to do with it... darker? keep it light? cut? let it grow?  decisions... decisions...

There are a lot of common couponing myths out there.  I used to think a lot of them were true.  But I'm here to bust a few of them for you!
1.  Coupons are for stuff you won't use.  
This is completely false!  Doesn't everyone use toothpaste, shampoo, soap, razors?  The list could go on and on.  I use apparel store coupons all the time too! 
2.  Coupons are for processed junk food.  
This may have been true in the past.  But now there are so many organic companies out there, and they are jumping on the bandwagon!  I've used coupons for fresh fruit, bagged salads, organic peanut butter, organic chicken, yogurt, regular and soy milk... and many more.  Even Whole Foods has store coupons which can be combined with a manufacture coupon.
3.  Shopping at Wal-Mart is cheaper.
This tends to be the one that gets me the most since I used to be such a Wal-Mart shopper.  Sure, sometimes you can find things cheaper at Wal-Mart.  But more often than not,  I can get something significantly cheaper (or even free) at Target, Walgreens, or CVS.  I do this because these stores have store coupons (Target's you print from their website, Walgreens are in their ads and in a coupon booklet in the store, and CVS prints out @ the register or the Q machine in the store) that you can stack with manufacture coupons.  If you use the 2 on top of something being on sale its usually a rock-bottom price.  If I go to Wal-Mart with a list now I find myself spending way more money than if I just shop the sales everywhere else.
4.  Only poor people and old ladies use coupons.
I can't tell you how many times people make comments about others who use coupons.  When did saving money mean you were poor or old?!  I save as much money as I can on groceries, toiletries, and household items so that the husband and I can do fun things with our money.  Or so that we can buy nice clothes, shoes, and I can splurge on my haircuts and highlights.  Actually, according to a study by the Neilsen Company people who make over $70k annually are more likely to use coupons more frequently. 
5.  Couponing takes too much time.
This one could go either way.  It definitely depends how much you want to put into it.  The people on the crazy TLC show spend hours and hours a day clipping, sorting, and planning.  I certainly don't do that.  Now I don't have a stockpile like they do.  But I don't need one either.  My personal opinion is that no one needs that much of one thing unless you are going to give it away or donate it.  I have a very small stockpile of things I use often (body wash, lotion, razors, shaving cream, soap, facial moisturizer and cleanser, soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing).  But that is about it.  So I don't have to spend HOURS getting ready for a shopping trip, because I'm not "extreme."  I check out the websites I mentioned a few weeks ago for the match-ups, clip and print my coupons, make a list, and head to the store.  EASY!

As promised I'm going to give you the details of a SMALL Target trip I did a few weeks ago.  Often I run to Target on my lunch break to scoop up some deals each week.  I have an obsession with Target.  I just love the atmosphere and all of the great deals I get there.  Sorry for the bad pics, it was with my iPhone.  
 

I bought Target brand disinfecting wipes, jeans, rubbing alcohol, and 2 cans of Aussie hairspray.
Up & Up Disinfecting Wipes, 35 ct $2.19, Regular Price
-$0.50/1 – Up & Up Cleaning Item, Excludes Trial/Travel Size, Target Coupon – (target.com)
Final Price: $ 1.69
UP & Up Isopropyl  Alcohol, 16 oz, $1.02, Regular Price
- .75/1 Up & Up First Aid Item, Target Coupon - (target.com)
Final Price: .27
Aussie Hairspray, $2.27, Regular Price
-$3/1 Herbal Essences/Aussie Styler wyb any HE/Aussie Produt - (7/3 Proctor & Gamble insert)
Final Price: $1.54 for 2, or .77 each
Mossimo Brand Jeans, $4.98, on 75% clearance
-$3/1 women's jeans, Target coupon (target.com)
Final Price: $1.98

My total would've been $12.73 before taxes, but I paid $7.83 total. Now that's not the greatest savings in the world. But I got a pair of cute, well-fitted jeans and a few necessities. 
Target is one of my favorites places to shop for clothes.  They always have really cute items on their clearance racks.  I think the jeans coupon is still available to print.  I know the last time I checked they still had a ton of clearance jeans left.  This coupon could make for free jeans if they are even cheaper now.

Frugal Friday- My Jouney to Couponing

Each week on Friday I will share a frugal tip or story with you.  This will probably range from clothing to housewares to groceries to health and beauty items.  

I started couponing a little over a year ago- way before that crazy show!  You see, it's just my husband, me, and two dogs in our household.  We shouldn't be spending too much money on groceries, right?!  Well, we were!  And I'm talking crazy amounts, like $600-$800/month on groceries for two people.  I was an avid Wal-Mart shopper.  Each Sunday the husband and I would go grocery shopping together.  We would walk in with a small list of things we absolutely needed- usually just toiletries and personal care items.  When we would get to the food section we would walk up and down each aisle and just put whatever was appealing in the cart.  I never had any idea how I would use those items at home though.  When we'd get to the register it was usually around $120-150.  We were doing good if we were at $100.  We would eat out all weekend and during the week, because I had no idea how to put all that food we bought together.  But we never tracked our spending.  So I had no idea how much money we were blowing on food alone!

I had a wake up call when a friend told me she starting using coupons during one of our monthly girls nights.  She gave me some websites to check out.  These websites do all of the coupon match ups (matching a manufacture coupon with a sale and possibly a store coupon) for you.  Some of my favorites are Hip2Save, Totally Target, and Wild For Wags. 

I quickly became addicted to it.  I set a grocery budget of $375/month and a health and beauty budget of $25/month, and I started tracking all of our spending with Smallspend. 

Now each week I spend a little bit more time on Sundays doing research, buying what is on sale, and using coupons for those items.  I get only one Sunday paper, and I print a lot of the coupons online.  I never wait until I'm out of an item to buy it.  If there is something I use often I buy it when it's at a rock-bottom price by matching a sale with a coupon.   

This has freed up a good chunk of our monthly income for other things- like building an emergency fund and taking a trip to Vegas in November!  Now that I know how easy it is to get things see cheap I can't imagine not using coupons.  I'm so thankful I learned about this before starting a family! 

Next week I will give some of my tips for couponing, a few myth busters, and share a recent Target trip. 

Happy Friday!  

XO- Heather