Balancing the Family Budget...

Being a stay-at-home-mom is all about balance, especially when it comes to following a budget. Luckily for me, Ian is a super nerd and he takes care of the family budget. I often make fun of him because he is very diligent when it comes to our budget and utilizes an Excel spreadsheet to keep everything organized. I haven't looked at the actual budget in months and so I rely on Ian to tell me what is available for me to spend. And because I am no longer contributing financially to the family, I balance my need want to shop with bargain hunting.


I love a good bargain and I love to use coupons. It is such a thrill for me to have a cashier total up a big purchase and then hand him/her a stack of coupons and watch the total drop... and drop. 


JCPenney: Ian and I each received $10 off a $10 purchase coupons last month. I also received a $15 off a $15 purchase coupon, bonus! After deciding that neither he nor I needed anything from JCPenney's, we decided to purchase a few articles of clothing for Bella. With Ian's coupon we purchased a Carter's dress set, which included two dresses and two pairs of bloomers and a Carter's romper set, which is included two rompers. Total cost for four Carter's outfits: $1.06. There was a huge sale, so we really racked up savings. Using my coupon I purchased a Carter's dress set, which included a dress and bloomer set and a romper. Total cost for two Carter's outfits: $1.04. Finally, with my $15 off coupon, I purchased another Carter's dress set and a Carter's romper set, each set included two outfits. Total cost for four Carter's outfits: $1.04. Yes, that's right we purchased 5 outfits for a mere $3.13!


Publix: 2 boxes of Philip's crab cakes, 7 bags of steam fresh vegetables, 2 Chicken Viola meals, 4 bottles of salad dressing, 1 gallon of organic milk, 2 tubs of cream cheese, 2 lbs of pork, 5 canisters of Crystal Light and 2 jars of pasta sauce for a grand total of $88.33, but only paid $38.33! We stocked up during an awesome BOGO event at Publix, in conjunction with store and manufacturer coupons. I also purchased a pack of 27-size 4 diapers for $1.99 the other day... that's 7 cents a diaper!


BJ's Wholesale Club: 1 box of 176 Pamper's Baby Dry diapers, 1 box of 168 Pamper's Cruisers diapers, 1 box of 168 Luvs diapers, 1 box of 27 Pamper's Little Splashers swim diapers, 1 box of 16-individually wrapped containers of mandarin oranges, 1 box of 16-individually wrapped containers of peaches, 1 bottle of 100 oz of Clorox color safe bleach and 2 big bottles of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce for a grand total of $190.71, but only paid $153.04. We used manufacturer coupons, along with BJ's in-store specials and coupons to maximize our savings. It was like getting 2 boxes of diapers for free! 


These are just a few examples of how I've been saving money recently. I will admit, that couponing and bargain hunting is a bit time consuming, but to me, it's totally worth it. Saving money makes Ian happy, which makes me happy and as the saying goes, "happy wife, happy life!" Unfortunately, I usually use the money saved to buy things we probably don't need... like a new dress for me! =)


Well, Bella is awake from her nap and it's lunch time... time to eat some of our recently purchased bargains from Publix! 


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella