It's a Cup of Tea

I had to share this. I am LOVING this adorable lamp from Anthropologie! Too bad it's $198 (not including the shade). Yikes! Of course, this is coming from the person who buys most of her decorative items (including lamps) at Hudson's Treasure Hunt in Mobile, ALABAMA. Anywho, it's fun to look at even if you would never spend that much money on something that boosts your power bill ;) Go HERE to view it and to pick out a cute shade.

So Long, February

Well, it's already March! This month has flown by. I have learned a lot, and it seems like I keep getting better and better at couponing! I can't wait to continue to help others with their money-saving adventures. I have started keeping a monthly spreadsheet of our grocery expenses. This helps me track my progress, and it's fun to see how all of the hard work paid off! Without further ado...

February Savings

Feb. 1: Publix-spent $14.21, saved $48.19

Feb. 6: Publix-spent $13.22, saved $74.77

Feb. 15: Publix-spent $24.68, saved $54.15

Feb. 20: Publix-spent $29.42, saved $94.10

TOTAL: spent $81.53, saved $271.21

As you can see, this was an "All Publix" month. Not only have I saved close to $300, but the apartment is still completely stocked. I skipped out on grocery shopping the last week of February because I had absolutely no room for any more non-perishables. Hopefully, some of the billions millions of boxes of pasta and the ridiculous amounts of pasta sauce will soon make their way into the cabinets. I have to admit that I'm pretty tired of looking at them. Spaghetti, anyone?? Again, I shouldn't be complaining. Better to have tons than none :)

Our Future :)

I have a feeling this is exactly what Caleb and I will be doing when we're 90 years old. They've been married 62 years, and they provide entertainment at the Mayo Clinic before their doctor appointments.

SO CUTE!

Sweet Little Nothings

"Don't forget: That I love you very, very, very, very, very.......................................very much"

It's always nice to wake up in the morning after Caleb has gone to work and find this written on my "Don't Forget" notepad on the fridge. He's such a great husband, and I'm so thankful for everything he does for me. I couldn't ask for a better best friend :)                                                                     

FREE Redbox Codes

These DVD rental boxes are found outside many Walgreens and grocery stores. To find the closest Redbox near you, go HERE. You must return the DVD by 9 p.m. the next day.

Try entering one of these codes to get a FREE movie:

BREAKROOM

DVDONME

DVDATWAGS (Walgreens only)

Style on a Budget

Ever feel like you are in a decorating rut? Or you feel like you don't have enough money to make it out of that rut (like in my case)? This will be perfect for you! I am LOVING this Web site. Besides having tons of decorating advice, it also has a daily tip for updating your style on a budget. Be sure to check back every day for a new tip!

Today's tip:

Fresh Light - Drastically change an old lamp by adding a new shade. Take it a step further by embellishing the lampshade with stencils, stickers, or buttons.

Happy Wednesday!

My Publix Trip 2/20/10

Whoa! I've never gotten this much food at Publix before. I'm starting to think I need to back off on the grocery shopping for a while...most of this food is still sitting on the kitchen table because my cabinets are completely stocked! But I guess I shouldn't be complaining :)

Order Total: $29.56
Sales Tax: $4.86
Total: $34.42
minus $5 Mail in Rebate for the Ziploc bags
Grand Total: $29.42
Total Savings: $94.10
That's savings of 76%!

What I bought:

2 jars of Classico pasta sauce
2 bottles of Ken's steak marinade
2 bottles of Wishbone salad dressing
4 boxes of Progresso chicken broth
4 cans of Progresso soup
1 box of breadsticks
7 boxes of Mueller's pasta (variety)
1 package of Oreos
1 bag of Nature's Own Sandwich Rounds
4 boxes of Zatarain's rice
3 cans of Hunt's tomatoes and sauce
1 box of Mac & Cheese
1 box of Cheerios
2 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats
1 bag of Wise cheez doodles
2 packages of Simply refrigerated cookie dough
2 cans of Pillsbury sweet rolls
3 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
7 boxes of Green Giant veggies
1 3-pack of Dial bar soap
2 2-packs of Greener Clean scour pads
3 boxes of Ziploc freezer bags and storage bags

Overall, this was a great trip for me! I actually had fun shopping. Plus, I got to bring a Publix newbie with me (thanks for going Kristin)! She did great for her first time. Guess what that means? You can do it, too!

To top it all off, I picked up more free paper towels over the weekend from Food World. If you have been keeping up with your newspapers, don't throw away the "Free or $1 off Marcal coupon." Food World has these paper towel rolls for 10 for $10, which means you can score these for FREE! I have 6 rolls! They aren't super fancy or scented or anything (and they don't have pretty little flowers on them), but they work for what we use them for.

Enjoy!

Need a good match up?

I hope you all got your newspapers today! There were three coupon inserts...SmartSource, Red Plum, and P&G. Here are links to this week's ad match ups:

Walgreens Match Ups
CVS Match Ups
Rite Aid Match Ups

Target Match Ups

More Target Match Ups

*A big thanks to Eastern Shore Mom and Collin at Hip2Save for getting these match ups together!

My Publix Trip 2/15/10

Here's my last grocery shopping trip. Sorry it's so late, but I've had a lot of things going on lately. I am going to Publix again tomorrow, so I will post that shopping trip soon as well. I have to admit, this wasn't my best trip. This is actually the most I have ever spent at Publix. But, I did stock up on some yummy pork chops and produce!

Order Total: $21.82
Sales Tax: $2.86
Grand Total: $24.68
Total Savings: $54.15
That's savings of 71%!

What I bought:

1 bunch of broccoli
1 BIG bag of grapes
1 BIG package of pork chops (on sale, thank goodness!)
2 bottles of Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner
2 bottles of Suave shampoo
2 cans of Del Monte mandarin oranges
1 Betty Crocker cookie mix
1 Publix caesar salad kit
1 bag of Bob Evans fries
3 4-packs of Fiber One yogurt
1 tub of Country Crock butter
1 box of Texas Toast garlic bread
1 box of Jose Ole tacos
1 can of Blue Diamond almonds
1 12-roll package of Quilted Northern toilet paper
and 1 bouquet of flowers -- not a necessity, but how could I pass them up?  It was the day after Valentine's Day, and they were 75% off the original price...so I paid a whopping total of $2.00 for these beauties!! :)

If you are confused and wondering how any of this is possible, do not worry! I will be posting Publix tips and tricks (as well as some other couponing basics) later this week :) Happy Friday!

Can I borrow your scissors? Please?

It's official. I am a coupon freak. I never would have thought that I would be one of the crazy ladies that sits on the couch at night and cuts coupons...and organizes coupons...and repeats. But, it turns out I have become just that (minus the crazy part). As a newlywed, I love a good bargain. Anything we can do to save money is extremely helpful.

Ever since I was a little girl, I was always kind of obsessive about what little money I had. Not greedy, just a little too "particular" about what I would spend and how I would spend it. Basically, I never spent anything. And when I did, I always felt a little bit of guilt afterward. I think my parents even called me a little miser. I would count my coins over and over, dropping them one by one in my pink and white porcelain piggy bank. They should have seen this whole couponing thing coming all along.

As a 21-year-old newlywed, it's hard to believe that I went this long WITHOUT using coupons. I have saved so much, and I have also helped so many other people with their bargain hunting and grocery shopping. It's fun, and it's definitely my new hobby. I'm very thankful that I have the knowledge now to save money and have fun at the same time. Most importantly, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to help others. Everybody could use a good bargain every once in a while :)

Here are a few of my favorite sites for couponing/bargains:

www.bargainbuggyblog.com (she is a Mobile, Ala., stay at home mom -- her blog is what got me started on couponing, and I have learned everything I know from her. She is my coupon role model :)
www.iheartpublix.com (for everything Publix!) In case you don't know, Publix is the place to go to have the BEST grocery shopping experience...they have an amazing coupon policy! If you have one in your area, take advantage of it and GO!
www.easternshoremom.com (another great local site)

To get started, start saving the coupon inserts from your Sunday newspaper. And don't forget to print coupons online, too!
www.coupons.com
www.redplum.com
www.smartsource.com

Be Mine.

Yesterday was our first Valentine's Day as married people, and we had a blast! Caleb got me these pretty daisies, AND he announced that HE was going to COOK a romantic steak dinner. Now, we have not had steak at our apartment since we've been married (~4 months). As you may or may not know, I am quite the bargain shopper...so no steaks for us. They are over my price range :) You can imagine how excited I was to know that we would finally get to enjoy a yummy steak dinner.

We did the typical card exchanging...and soon realized that our cards were almost the exact same. Snoopy. I knew he was going to get a Snoopy card! Why did I get one too?? And then he opened his "present" (it was really something I had found bargain shopping a while back that I forgot to give him)...a pair of pajama pants that were ridiculously too big. They practically swallowed him -- which, by the way, isn't a terribly hard thing to do...he's kinda skinny -- so we will definitely be returning those as soon as possible. But hey, it's the thought that counts, right? Anyway, the food turned out great...who knew he could be such a good cook :)

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

And so it begins...

So, we've finally made it to the blogging world! I know, it's about time. 

In case you don't know already, Caleb and I (Ashley) are very much newlyweds. We got married on Oct. 2, 2009, in Mobile, Ala., and we are very excited about sharing our newlywed journey with everyone. This blog will include stories and tips on just about everything "newlywed"...and more! I think this will be a fun little record of our first few years (maybe more, we'll see!) as a married couple. The fun times, the not-so-fun times, and everything in between. Hopefully you will find this blog helpful in some way. Most of all, we hope you enjoy reading!