Happy Halloween 2011

Brynn was REALLY excited about Halloween this year. Libby didn't really understand Halloween until she was 3.5 years old. Brynn is understanding it a year earlier. I think by watching Libby she understands that it's fun to dress up and get candy. Brynn is also REALLY excited about Christmas already given that all the stores have Christmas stuff out. Anyway, per usual the girls dressed up as princesses - no one princess in particular. This is Libby's third year as a princess and Brynn's second one. Whatever. They like it.

Mike and I thought it would be funny to dress up as The Price is Right contestants. We even got online and found out the measurements of the name tags and made shirts using The Price is Right font. We know that we're dorks but we had fun.

Couponing

Mike and I have been saving a lot of money with coupons. We've gotten BBQ sauce, toothpaste, liquid dish detergent, and other stuff for FREE. We've also gotten yogurt, shampoo, floss, soda, chips, vitamins, cereal and frozen veggies really cheap. I thought I might share some of what we've figured out. Truthfully, I will not pay more than $1.50 for a box of cereal anymore.

We keep all of our coupons in this old light bulb box.

Each category gets an envelope and all the coupons that we have go into the envelope. We have categories such as: body wash/soap, diapers, pizza, hair care, frozen foods, shaving stuff, cereal, pet stuff, batteries, etc. The envelopes are alphabetized. When the grocery ads come out we look at the ads and match up sale items with our coupons to maximize our savings. I like to plan out the shopping trips ahead of time but I still bring the coupon box to the store in case there is an unadvertised sale that I can take advantage of with coupons. The box is a perfect size - it fits in the seat part of the cart. If a store has vitamins for buy one get one free and you have 2 coupons than you can use 2 coupons and get a steeper discount! We have been getting lucky with deals lately but we are by no means EXTREME couponers. We just appreciate how much money we've been able to save.

Kindergarten Picture

About our girl:

Age: 5

Grade: Kindergarten

Favorite Color: Pink and Gold

Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese and Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Clothing Size: 6

Shoe Size: 10

Favorite thing at school: Centers (play time)

Best Friends: Madalynn and Max and Alli

Favorite toy: Polly Pockets

Favorite TV Show: Wild Kratts