Harris Teeter Super Doubles 3/12!

I had to go back for round 2. I just had to. Basically I was forced to.

(2) Kraft Homestyle Mac and Cheese $2 each
          $1/2 = $1 each
(1) Campbell's Go Soup $2.99
          $1/1 = $.99
(1) Smithfield Ground Pork 16 oz. $3.99
          $1/1 = $1.99
(4) YoCrunch Yogurt $.75 each
          $1/4 = $1, or $.25 each
(1) Visine $5.29
           $2/1 = $1.29
(2) Cooked Perfect Meatballs $2.87 each
           (2) $1/1 = $.87 each
(2) Brisk Sugar Free Lemonade 2 Liters $1.50 each
          $1/2 = $1, or $.50 each
(4) Diet Dr. Pepper 2 Liters $1.50 each
          (2) $.75/2 = $4.50, or $1.12 each (these coupons were not subject to doubling)
Total: $15.34
Savings: $25.86, a 63% savings!

Harris Teeter Super Doubles 3/10!

(1) Jingos! $2.50
          $1/1 = $.50
(2) Juicy Juice $3.49 each
          (2) $1/1 = $1.49 each
(4) Yakisoba Noodles $1 each
          (2) $1/2 = Free!
(2) McCormick Gravy Mix $.60 each
          $.55/2 = $.08, or $.04 each
(1) McCormick Grill Mates $2.59
          $.75/1 = $1.09
(1) HT Paper Towels $6.77
(2) WhoNu Cookies $2.50 each
          $1/2 = $3, or $1.50 each
(1) Smithfield Ground Pork 16 oz. $3.99
          $1/1 = $1.99
(1) Lean Cuisine Salad Addition $3.34
          $1/1 = $1.34
(3) Kahiki Egg Rolls $2.69 each
          (3) $.75/1 = $1.19 each
(1) Stouffer's Lasagna $8.39
          $1.50/1 = $5.39
(1) Tropicana Strawberry Banana $3.99
          $1/1 = $1.99
(2) YoCrunch 4 pack with Fruity Pebbles $3 each
          (2) $1/1 = $1 each
(1) HT Skim Milk $2.97
(1) Oscar Mayer Carving Board Pulled Pork $6.99
          Free coupon = Free!

Total: $35.10
Savings: $50.50, a 59% savings!

My Recent Finds.

As you know, I love a deal. So I'm sure you've at least assumed that I shop at TJ Maxx and Ross and Tuesday Morning and Big Lots. No? haha Well it's true. I pop my head in at least once a week at each store. Is it bad that the employees at Tuesday Morning know my zip code by heart? I do enjoy getting the scoop on sales before others know though, so totally worth it.

I thought I'd show y'all in photos what some of my deals have been lately!

My $4 porcelain coffee mug with hot pink silicone lid. Love these colors! I'm just glad it didn't say Maxxinista like most of their other coffee cups right now. I don't know what's going on there. A marketing mistake, clearly.

50 blue and white paper straws for $4. Obsessed! And this pile of green plastic? Drawer organizers. 8 pieces in all. You snap them together the way you want them to be! Spring cleaning a little early around this joint! They know how to pull at my heartstrings at TJ Maxx. Bright colors.

Did I mention this Kate Spade vase I got on clearance at TJ? $23. I waited patiently for this baby. It was $40 to begin with. I waited weeks. When I saw it on clearance, I grabbed it so fast. Then I asked Matthew if it was okay if I spent $23 on Kate Spade. And really that was a rhetorical question. The answer was yes no matter what he said. It has butterflies etched all over. I'm not really a butterfly person, but I'm a Kate Spade person. Therefore, I'm a Kate Spade butterfly vase person.

 This blue zebra dress was a $16 find at Ross. After scoping the whole store and ready to try on my other items, I strolled over to the dresses "just to see if there's anything good!" as I told Matthew. And there was! Fit like a charm and didn't think twice about buying it!

Oh, and this little winner here caught my eye so quickly I'm fairly sure I went into shock for a moment. I didn't even care what size it was, I was trying it on. And then I found the next size up! I tried them both... but I mean I don't need 2 of the same thing, so I bought one. $35 for Michael Kors. This top is ridiculously cute on. I'm not crazy about the gold chain, so that may be taken out. But I am so happy about this find!

As I browsed the baby section, you know, looking for things to buy my future niece or nephew, I found this. And I had to have it. $3 for this diaper rack thingy. I don't even care. It has a barn. And it's perfect for my future child, whenever that may be. Not trying to announce anything here. I'm just getting prepared by buying things I love when I see them. You know how it works when you go to look for a specific item and search to the ends of the earth only to learn that it doesn't exist. I'm trying to avoid that, so I'm buying way early haha.

Found this melamine platter for $4 at Tuesday Morning a few days ago. It's so cute! The tag said $5, and I was okay with $5. I would have been okay with $10. But it rang up for $4 and I loved it even more. Again, for my future child's room.

And these next few are of fabric fat quarters I got at Tuesday Morning. If you know me, you know I love cows. This fabric has been there for a while and I wanted it badddd. But who buys things for their future child that hasn't even been planned or scheduled or anything? I mean I am not trying to jinx anything. My sister convinced me to buy it before it got gone. So I did. $10 for 7 pieces of fabric. I could care less about the ones with fruit, but I love the farm prints and the plaid.

 As I was sitting in class a couple weeks ago, one of the local shops posted some jewelry at deep discounts. I had to have them! So I messaged them over facebook to make sure I got them! $10 for this necklace and earring set.

And $2.50 for each of this bubble bracelets. 

I just realized this post makes me look like a shopaholic. I prefer to be called a dealaholic. Thank you.

A Valentine's Recap!

Fortunately, I did not have to work or go to school on Valentine's. Since I had a free day, I had planned to go to Raleigh to drop off a resume and run a few other errands. My sister told me about this new store at Brier Creek called Versona. This is definitely my new favorite place! They had the cutest clothes, jewelry, scarves, hats, and other accessories. And everything was very affordable! I only left with one thing for myself and two for someone else. But I will be going back.

I also went to GiGi's cupcakes, because everybody needs a cupcake on Valentine's. I decided to surprise my sister at work and picked up a couple cupcakes for her. However, she had already been that morning and gotten four cupcakes. So then she had six! Her work had ordered pizza for lunch, so I indulged myself. It was good. It had been too long since I last had pizza.

Once I got home, I started cooking dinner. I had these boneless back ribs from Sam's in the freezer. I'd pinned a recipe and decided to give it a try. Seriously, these ribs were awesome! I had leftovers for lunch, and there is another plate left (thank goodness). I also made cilantro potato salad.. a pinterest find. Cilantro is like top 5 on my favorite things list, so yeahhh, I'm basically in love with this stuff. And then we ended our meal with our Chocolate Chip Cheesecake cupcake and our Birthday Cake cupcake. To finish off the night, we planned to watch Taken 2, but they were out at the Redbox. So we got The Watch. It was hilarious! Lots of horrible language, but funny nonetheless. Anything with Vince Vaughan and Ben Stiller is a winner!

Also, Matthew brought home some roses and a funny card! It said, "To me, you're sweeter than a pina colada, more beautiful than a piano sonata, good looks and great heart, you're the whole enchilada, so loving you isn't a choice, I just gotta!"

At work the next day, I found red tulips on my desk and a giant Hershey's kiss! Matthew planned dinner for Friday night, so we got Outback takeout, my fav!

It was a great Valentine's this year!

Walmart vs. Aldi

As most of you know, I love getting a deal on anything from food to clothes and even toilet paper. I'll admit I have an issue haha! I don't go grocery shopping very often, some due to the fact we are broke the majority of the time but mostly because I buy at lower prices and stock up. We did a big trip a little over a month ago getting enough produce and other necessities to last for a couple weeks. But it ended up lasting a month. There were a  couple of runs to the store for bananas, milk, and bread though. I eat a banana almost every single day. And I don't like them yellow. I want them green! This past Monday, on my wonderful day off school and work (and not because of the holiday), I had time to actually get some groceries. We had gone to Walmart the night before to get a few items that we absolutely needed, but I saved the rest for Aldi. I just wanted to show you guys a comparison between the two and how much I got at each store. A lot of people don't like Aldi, I guess because they don't have many name brands. But I threw brands out the window a long time ago. There are very few brands, as far as foods go, that I must have! Maybe this will make you want to give Aldi a whirl.

Walmart
Poptarts 16 ct. $3.50
Mott's AppleSauce $2.68
Drainpro $2.97
Gain Dish Detergent $1.97
Great Value Pancakes $3.24
(4) Diet Caffeine Free Sundrop $1.00 each
(2) Diet Rite Cola $1.00 each
Animal Crackers $2.48
Great Value Marshmallows $.96
Tony's Pizza $1.36
Rice Krispies $2.98
Bananas 2.71 lbs. $1.54
Total: $30.79

Aldi
Sweet Potatoes 3 lbs. $1.69
Red Potatoes 5 lbs. $1.49
(2) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix $.49 each
Lunchmate Ham & Turkey Sub Kit 20 oz. $4.99
(2) Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix $1..45 each
(2) Bread Crumbs $.89 each
Tomatoes 3 pack $1.19
Skim Milk gallon $3.49
Sirloin Tip Steak 2 lbs. $10.03
          $2 off coupon = $8.03
(2) Bugles $.99 each
(2) Fit & Active Turkey Hotdogs $1.29 each
Coconut Flakes $1.49
Blueberries $1.59
(2) Mushrooms $.79 each
Frozen Peaches 1 lb. $1.99
Frozen Strawberries 1 lb. $1.99
(2) Fruit Gushers $1.49 each
Turkey Tenderloins 2 lbs. $4.99
Peppers 3 pack $1.99
Total $50.82

I know this isn't a direct comparison because I obviously bought very different items from each place. But I feel like I got so much more for only $20 more! Not to mention I bought 6 lbs. of meat at Aldi, and mostly got extras at Walmart. The produce at Aldi is unbeatable in price. It is always the cheapest as far as everyday pricing goes. And just to throw this in, I usually buy milk from wherever. The milk at Walmart was $4.23 a gallon! I refuse to pay that much right now. We go through a gallon a week, so that's over $50 for the year!

All Sorts of News!

Well, only a couple things really.

I found out about a week ago that I got another scholarship for school this year! Although it's only $200, that basically pays me back for the books I had to buy for this semester. And I was definitely not expecting it since I ended up getting a grant that paid for everything and then some. So I have to go to the scholarship ceremony next week which happens to be on a clinical day. Although I looooove clinicals (rightttt), I am really glad that I get to miss one of the 12 hour days!

The time changes next weekend which means it will be getting darker even earlier. Last year I didn't worry about it at all because I was still keeping a normal schedule. However, this time around I will be having those 12 hour clinical days. Going in when it's dark and coming out when it's dark! I know that my body will take a toll during this. When it's dark, my body says "let me sleep!" haha. Not seeing the sun for a couple days will be hard as well. I already know I'll feel like time is just passing me by and I'm getting nothing accomplished. Luckily, we have less than 2 months of this semester left! I am so glad and thankful that the time is passing so quickly. Barely more than 6 months until graduation!

I officially started Christmas shopping last week! I'm usually done by now, but it's hard to buy stuff when you are busy studying and working and trying to get some rest and especially when you're short on cash. I cannot wait to be working full-time again! I know I'm not going without the necessities but it is hard to come from a time of having everything you needed and most of what you wanted to having most of what you need and just a tad of what you want. As y'all know, I'm still deal hunting to get the most for the little I have to spend! We went to a few stores last night. Of course I bought 3 Calphalon serving spoons at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that cost $18 after coupons ($5 off and 20% off). Then I went to TJ Maxx and found the exact same things on clearance for $2 each! Of course I got them and I'll be returning the expensive ones!  I'll take $6 over $25 any day. And yes I've been scouring the Black Friday ad releases even though I'll be working that day. I'll send my elves out if I find something good!

August 24 Shopping Trip!

Aldi
3 lbs. Fuji apples $3.29
3 lbs. Golden Delicious Apples $3.29
Broccoli $1.69
(1) Wheat Crackers $1.29
(3) Dried Fruit $1.49 each
(2) Mushrooms 8 oz. $.79 each
(2) Sliced Cheese 10 slices $1.99 each
1 lb. Strawberries $1.79
(2) Jif to go 8 pack $2.29 each
Total: $26.48

Harris Teeter
(5) Fiber One Bars and Brownies $2.50 each
          (2) $.50/1 coupons
          (1) $.60/1 coupon
          (1) HT $.50/1 e-coupon = $8.80, or $1.76 each
(1) Chex Mix $2
          (1) $.60/1 coupon
          (1) HT $.50/1 e-coupon = $.30
(6) Hamburger Helper $1 each
          (2) $.75/3 coupons = $3, or $.50 each
(6) Green Giant canned vegetables $1 each
(4) Mueller's Spaghetti $1 each
(6) Progresso Soups $1 each
(4) Sweet Potatoes $1.77
(8) Yoplait $.40 each (e-vic special)
          (1) $.60/8 coupon
          (1) HT $.40/6 e-coupon = $2.40, or $.30 each
(2) Davidson dozen eggs $3.69 each
           minus B1G1 sale
          (2) $.75/1 coupons = $.69, or $.35 each
(1) gallon skim milk $2.97
(4) Lunchables $1 each
Total: $40.06
Savings: $50.63, plus I'll get $1 in my SavingStar account for the Chex Mix and the Fiber One Brownies


Food Lion
(2) Prego $1.67 each
          (1) $.50/2 coupon = $2.83, or $1.41 each
(1) My Essentials Grape jelly 32 oz. $1.77
(1) My Essentials Frosted Shredded Wheat Cereal $1.79
(2) Duncan Hines Brownie Mix $1 each
(2) Oscar Mayer Deli Shaved Lunchmeat 16 oz. $4.99 each
          (2) $1/1 coupons = $3.99 each
(2) Baby Carrots 1 lb. $1 each
(1) Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai 52 oz. $5.44
2.4 lbs. Bananas $1.38
(1) Garlic $.50
(2) Angel Soft 12 double rolls $4.49 each
Total: $35.84
Savings: $12.65, plus I'll get $1.15 in my SavingStar account for the jelly and cereal

Just Save
3 lbs. Butterball ground turkey $2.49 each
(1) Lowe's Foods Sandwich Bags $3.25
(2) Better Valu Vanilla Wafers $1.19 each
3 lbs. Clementines $2.77
(1) Snuggle 32 oz. $2.99
(6) Kellogg's Cereals (Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Corn Pops) $2 each
          (2) $1/3 coupons
          Buy 3, Save $3 = $4, or $.67 each
(5) Lipton Tea with Apricot 8 pack $7.49
          clearance price of $1.99
(4) Lowe's Foods macaroni and cheese $.50 each
(1) Sweet Baby Ray's $1
(1) Duke's Light Mayo 32 oz. $2.99
Total: $40.37
Savings: $56.86

Total Spent $142.75
Total Saved: $120.14

Recent Deals!

I haven't posted any deals in a long time, because I haven't really bought a lot of stuff in a while. There were even a couple of empty shelves in my freezer! Not sure how long it's been since the last time I saw it that way.

Last week I went to Harris Teeter for a super quick trip. I got 6 bags of Tostitos and 2 - 12 double roll packs of Angel Soft, that I had a raincheck for. After coupons, I spent $17.41 and saved a total of $16.17, not considering the regular price of the Angel Soft. They manually keyed in the raincheck price. So I think I saved about $8 more than that since it's regularly about $9/pack.

Then last night I headed to Target to get a few deals.
2 Angel Soft 36 Double Rolls $15.99 each
          Buy 2, get a $5 gift card for your next purchase
Total: $33.80
Savings: A ton considering a 12 pack sells for $9 at Harris Teeter!

2 Up & Up 15 oz. Baby Shampoo and Lotion $1.52 each
          (2) $1/1 Target coupons = $.52 each
Up & Up Sunscreen 30 spf $4.54
          $1/1 Target coupon = $3.54
2 Up & Up Hand Soaps $.99 each
          (2) $.50/1 Target coupons = $.49 each
Travel Bottle Set $2.97
St Ives Travel Size Face Scrub $.97
Cutter Skinsations Bug Spray $4.49
          $1/1 coupon
          $2/1 Target coupon = $1.49
Tank Dress/Swim Coverup $12.80, reduced from $20
Chino Shorts $8.98, reduced from $20
Bandeau Tankini Swim Top $13.98, reduced from $20
          $3/1 Target coupon = $10.98
Black Boy Shorts $17.99
          $3/1 Target coupon = $14.99
Total: $42.61 (after $5 gift card from previous purchase and gift card from returned items)
Savings: $42.24

Christmas Is Coming!

School is done!!! I ended up with A, A, B, C. Woohoo! I wish I could say these three weeks would be a true break, but then I'd be lying. I have to work several days over break, which is not a complaint. I am extremely thankful for my job and that they are so willing to work with me! Words will never be able to express my appreciation! And with all that I make working, I will basically be making back all that I spent on Christmas haha!

We already did our gift exchange at work last Thursday! I got some great stuff that I really needed: a small pocket notebook (for clinicals), Burt's Bees chapstick, Bath and Body Works lotions, some chocolate truffles, and a $20 Target gift card! Everybody got some really great stuff!

This week I've been finishing up my Christmas shopping. I've been to Raleigh every weekend for the last three weekends haha. And the last two times I bought one thing each time. It's just so nice that when school is out I can actually relax and breathe and do things because I have free time and not just because it's necessary to do! It's so much more fun that way.

I've got to finish making some gifts for Matthew and my brother-in-law, Jeff. I have to return some stuff to JCPenney's just to buy it back with a coupon (that's coming out on Wednesday). It's worth it to save $10! I've wrapped all but 4 gifts I think. Matthew still has to finish shopping (and he only has to buy gifts for me) and wrap it all. We did manage to finish buying stocking stuffers last night. Those are always hardest to buy because you want to buy small stuff that the person would like but also maybe some creative ideas and you don't want to pay a lot for each item. I've found that the smaller the item, the more outrageous the cost!

Black Friday Deals!

I did not go out shopping on black Friday. I had to work, and the computers were down most of the day. But I still managed to snag a couple of deals that I am super excited about!

A few weeks ago I had taken a survey after purchasing a couple things from Coldwater Creek. I have been waiting for a sale and free shipping so that I could use my $10 coupon! I got this dress for $15! It was regular $100! This will be perfect for the weddings coming up this year!

I also got three dress shirts from Jos. A. Banks for $20 each! There are two men in my life that are impossible to buy for... bet ya can't guess who they are! I was so happy to get these at such a deal. They are around $70 regularly!

And after getting off work last night I wanted to go to Tuesday Morning and see if they still had a ceiling fan I had seen. Matthew and I asked my parents for new light fixtures for the house. You get such fun Christmas gifts when you become an adult haha! We had looked at Lowe's and were shocked at how much ceiling fans cost... $100 for the cheap builder grade up to whatever you could ever possibly want to spend! Of course all the ones we liked were at least $200. So we rushed to get to Tuesday Morning before they closed at 7 p.m. and the fans were on sale! They were $115 marked down to $80!!! We got a 52" Hunter ceiling fan with bronze. I love it and cannot believe it was only $80! It's very similar to this one on the Lowe's website, which is selling for $230!

I am happy with the few deals that I got! I still have more Christmas shopping to do (mostly for my dad and Matthew). We are probably going to put our decorations up this weekend. And I will eventually start wrapping gifts!

Grocery Shopping and Pantry Organizing

I have not been grocery shopping in forever! Matthew and I have both just been on a long run of eating out. It was just so easy when my schedule changed because of school. Eating out is expensive. And it finally has taken its toll. As you read last week, I got back in the meal planning game. Now we're into week two of consistent meal planning! This weekend we went to the grocery store and got a bunch of stuff that we needed. We're not only meal planning for dinner, but also for breakfast and lunch.

As of today, Matthew is going to be taking his breakfast and lunch to work with him instead of buying fast food. I see Matthew as being the bigger challenge because he loves to go out for food. But in order for us to stick to our budget, this has to work. So every night I am going to get Matthew's lunch bag ready for the next day. I also need to find him a real lunch bag instead of a Wal-mart bag! haha I'm such a great wife!

We now have a variety of breakfast foods (cereals, poptarts, protein bars, smoked sausage) and snack foods (chips, dips, cookie bars, goldfish) and fruit (apples, bananas, pears) and lunch foods that are not so healthy. I will make healthy lunches my next goal.

And after the huge grocery store haul, I felt compelled to clean out the pantry and organize it! It looks so amazing! There is a breakfast section, a snack section, a baking section, a pasta section (it's sad that I have over 15 boxes of pasta). I also bought these cute canisters. So excited to get them! I'm going to put my sugar and flour in them.

 

 

I also bought this two-level wire rack today at TJ Maxx. I have been wanting something to put my fruits and vegetables in. I've been using a wire bowl, but I had just one. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like my fruits and vegetables touching each other. Is that weird? It has rope around the rims and looks like an old antique. It's super tall too. I saw it yesterday but thought $25 was too high. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was so glad that they still had it today! I think I would have cried if it was gone haha.

Monday!

I am telling you, time seriously is flying by lately! What is going on?

I had another impromptu speech in public speaking last Thursday. I guess it's supposed to make us more comfortable being in front of people. Well, after I gave my (supposed to be) 2 minute speech and sat back down, the girl next to me asked why I was so red. Ever heard of anxiety or being nervous or being scared to death? Yeah, that's me! So my face, neck, and chest turn a few shades of red. It's normal, at least for me!

Friday, we had our huge CPR hands-on exam and written test. After being the luckiest person in the room and going first, I am happy to say that I passed both parts with flying colors! I only missed one question on the written test and got to leave class an hour early! I spent the afternoon with my mom and two of her friends going to a furniture consignment store in Knightdale (great stuff there.. lots of Pottery Barn things). We also shopped at TJ Maxx and Baskin Robbins. The only thing I bought was a mocha blast haha!

The weekend was a blur, but it was back to school today. We learned how to wash our hands. Did you know that a 4-hour college class could be based on that? Neither did I. We also got fitted for masks and learned how to dress in a sterile gown and gloves. It was like playing dress up, but being more serious about it. Luckily, there's a photographer in our class so she got some great shots!

And what did I do after all of that hard work? I shopped! I told you that all of this free time is killing me! But I didn't even spend $50. So proud of myself! I got a cute owl, decorative napkins, and some Peeled snacks (http://www.peeledsnacks.com/) at TJ Maxx. I've been wanting to try those snacks but have only seen them online. I was afraid to buy them not knowing if I'd like them, so I'm glad I saw them! I got some sconces and a cute tin bucket at Ross. And I hit the motherload at Michael's! If you need anything crafty or decorative, go to Michael's this week. Run to Michael's this week, or like right now! Most stuff was 50% off. Scrapbook paper was 6/$1! Picture frames were half off. Photo boxes were 6/$10, regularly $4 each! All flower stems are half off. Seriously, go! I am already wanting to go back and I just left a couple hours ago!

I'll add pics later of all my goodies I bought today!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

After spending the week before last sick, I kind of let my diet slide last week. I feel really bad about it but I'm just more determined to get back on track this week. And since I've yet to start exercising, that is going to start ASAP! I really want to get back to my old self, when I was happy and outgoing. I really need somebody to keep me accountable with this whole diet and exercise thing. I also need to start cooking more and eating out less. It's digging a hole in my bank account! Cooking at home is so much cheaper, especially when I use my coupons!

I had my jewelry party on Thursday and it was a big success! I've never had any kind of product party, but I had a lot of fun and I'm getting a lot of free stuff! I sold over $500!!! That earned me more than $250 in free jewelry! Plus, I earned $75 in free jewelry by having more than 10 people at the party, having over $100 in advance orders, and by keeping my original party date! I also earned 8 half-price items! I think I ended up getting 14 pieces of jewelry for myself (I let my mom use one of the half-price items) for less than $150! I'm pretty excited about it.

And I did go to TJ Maxx and Pier One this weekend. And I did buy some lamps! My mom and I actually went to the Bulluck's sale first because they have a ton of lamps. But I didn't find anything I wanted or wanted to pay for. I found a lamp at TJ Maxx that I loved! But they only had one. I found another lamp that I liked, but I'm really considering taking it back. I have an issue with things being symmetrical and the same. And it's really bothering me that the lamps don't match. Dang that OCD! I will try to put pictures up this week of both of the lamps. The one I really like is a glazed ceramic base that's blue and cream and just amazing! I tried to find one online but I can't. So maybe I can go to Homegoods or another TJ Maxx and see what I can find.

Thank goodness it's a new week and I hope it's a great one!

Thrift Shopping!

Since I have no money and need some clothes to wear before I end up at work naked one day, I asked a friend of mine to show me how to thrift shop since she's always wearing the cutest clothes from thrift and consignment stores. She accepted the challenge and we went to a few stores around town Saturday! Now I have been to thrift stores in the past, like Goodwill and Salvation Army. But that was during my time of being what I call a mix of punk/iwanttobedifferent/comfortable. This basically means I only looked for "cool" tshirts then! And there were the couple of trips to find clothes for tacky day at school, etc.

I really wasn't sure if I expected to find anything Saturday. I've been kind of down on myself lately about my weight and the size of clothes I'm currently wearing. And as badly as I want to change, I have yet been able to motivate myself. Remember though! Tomorrow I am starting out my new exercise and healthy eating process!

Surprisingly, I ended up with a ton of stuff!

I ended up with these two shirts at Goodwill.

And I got this shirt and tank top at the new consignment shop.

I also got this cute flower pot to plant some herbs in!

I got these two dresses at the other consignment store.

Can you believe I only spent $50.14??? I really was surprised at the brands I saw in the stores: Jcrew, Ann Taylor, Talbots, etc. All great brands that cost a ton! Of course the only bad thing was that if I saw something I really liked, then they didn't have my size. But luckily I found other things I liked and that fit.

Attempting To Be a Good Housewife...

I decided that this weekend I would work on becoming a good wife and maybe start getting the house organized. There are still gifts to be unpacked and put away, old things to be boxed up for a future yard sale (when I hit the time jackpot), thank you cards to be written, and junk mail to be thrown away. Quite a list, huh? We have been working every weekend on this!

So yesterday when Matthew was off, we didn't do anything around the house. We did go shopping though! There was an extra 20% off registry purchases at Belk's, so we with our tons of gift cards, decided it was time to use them while there was a sale! I got.. we got another set of sheets, a down comforter, and a KITCHENAID MIXER!!!! Can you figure out who was in charge of these purchases? Definitely not Matthew! I haven't pulled it out of the box yet, but I am most certainly searching for recipes so that I can get in there and use it today!

We also went to Tuesday Morning, where I got a file box that is super cute! And we went couponing at CVS, Walgreen's, and Rite Aid. You can read about that over here http://dealforreal.wordpress.com/. I used the folders I bought yesterday and added some glam to them with all of my scrapbooking goodies! I labeled them for each of the places we have bills for each month. This is my attempt at organization! And the cute folders that came with the cute file box will be used for other things like taxes, insurance, school, and other miscellaneous things. Soon, you won't even be able to recognize my house because it will be cleaner and more organized than ever!