Couponing My Way to Our Vacations…

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The last few weeks I have fielded like more question than I can count about our vacation habits.  While I get that it’s really none of people’s business (and I say that with peace and love!), I also get the curiosity.  We do like to travel a lot.  So if you have ever been curious how we do it, here are a few questions I have been asked and my answers.

Q: You go to Disney a lot, how is that possible?  It’s so expensive!

A:  Yes, yes it is.  For us the savings comes down to a lot of things.  First being our time share with Disney.  We use that as our hotel accommodations.  And, if we don’t have the points left, we stay at a value resort. Value is the cheapest, but our second favorite to the other hotels.  We also buy Disney gift cards at Giant Eagle when fuel perks are high.  I sometimes even use credit cards to buy those cards sometimes at an extra percentage of 2%-5% cash back.  We use the dining plan when it makes sense.  We don’t when it doesn’t make sense for that particular trip.  Depending on length of stay, and how soon we’ll be coming back to Disney, annual passes are sometimes a better deal than individual tickets.  Even more so when we get a discount with our Disney Vacation club/timeshare.  We get food discounts with Annual Passes and free Memory Maker (aka, they take pictures for us, a service that can be pricey when purchased a la carte, but let’s face it…when the vacation is over memories and pictures are what you have left).  We get food discounts with DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  We aren’t souvenir people, and neither is M.   We share meals sometimes.  I have groceries delivered to help with food cost for the easy things (breakfast bars, water, pop, juice boxes, etc.).  I use Southwest points to pay for our flights.  It all adds up.  Our next upcoming quick trip is costing me about $50 out of pocket (which includes a car rental for one day that we don’t usually do).  Plus food.  But, to defer the food cost a bit, I’ll be using some gift cards that I earned for free from a rebate website.

Q: All your traveling is expensive – Disney, Aruba, Vero Beach, etc.  You go to some nice places!

A: We do.  And we know we are blessed.  Each of these I have couponed my way to our vacations.  I use Websites and Apps like Ebates, Mr. Rebates, My Points, Ibotta, Fetch, Shopkicks, etc. (and if you have interest in any of these, let me know and I would be appreciative to send you a referral link!) to get cash back, gift cards, etc.  Plus regular old printed coupons.  My child has been conditioned that we probably won’t get it if we don’t have a coupon, discount or a gift card.  Extra bonus if we have all of them!  Most things go on promo eventually.  Sometimes you have to be patient.  Additionally, I shop secondhand.  A lot.  M has a ton of toys and clothes.  More that she needs I know, but a lot of that came from a garage sale, Salvation Army etc. for $1 vs the $25 it was in the store.  Including some of her birthday and Christmas gifts.  She is okay with that and I for sure am.

Q: Flying isn’t cheap.  How can you afford for all of you to go?

A: Southwest.  When the flights first become available.  Points that I have earned from our credit cards.  And I earned enough points that either M or Dan fly free for all of 2018 and 2019.  I love their companion program.  I am happy with their luggage policy.  I am happy with their direct flights to Orlando from Pittsburgh.  Just learn how to work with the system.  Ask…it’s like a sport to me, so I’m happy to share!

Q: How can you plan so far ahead?

A: I have to.  I want to show M as much of this world as I can and traveling in itself is a teaching tool.  “When you travel with your children you are giving them something that can never be taken away, experience, exposure, and a way of life” ~Pamela T Chandler~.  To do that and to do it so I can still retire someday, I do it ahead to get the cheaper flights, rates, etc.  And then I watch those rates and if they drop, I get a rebate.  And quite honestly, for Disney…you really have to.  The restaurants book up early.  By early, I mean 180 days ahead.

Sure…this is all a lot of work, but in the end, it’s worth it.  It’s a game to me.  A game that I’m really good at.

Our Fall 2017 Trip to Disney

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I had so many thoughts rolling around in my head from this trip and so many people asking me thoughts and tips from this time, I figured this was the best way to spit it all out.  So here goes.  If there is any bouncing around, I apologize.  I will try to keep it organized but I came back to a Sh*%  Show at home, life, and M’s 5th birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas New Years…well you get the point.  My brain isn’t what it used to be.

Summer/Fall 2016 we purchased DVC (Disney Vacation Club) via resell and then shortly before our trip added a 25 point contract direct.  Let’s me just say, I’m in love.  I NEVER thought I would be able to stay in the hotels/rooms that we were in.  Each one was different and amazing.  It’s basically buying a coupon, I know.  But it works for me and my family.  And if asked if I would do it again, the answer is YES!  This trip was everything I wanted (If only Disney would have gotten their calendar correct and had the Christmas party start on our last day it would have been perfect).  Perfect?  No.  But awesome none the less.

Upon arriving at the airport after dropping off our car at Globe parking, I went to check our bags in and realized my wallet was not in my purse.  Thank God we were early…however the taxi driver I swear couldn’t have driven slower.  I had Dan’s phone to communicate to everyone because he had also called me an Uber as I was running away from them trying to get to any vehicle that could drive me home.  However, Dan’s phone locked me out and I couldn’t log back in after I got home found my wallet. In the meantime, Dan and my parents had searched all bags looking for the wallet, and were unable to get in touch with me!  All turned out well though.  Wallet was retrieved and vacation mode resumed after my heartbeat finally settled back into rhythm.

The plane was full and M was bouncing off walls with excitement.  Thankfully I had packed a small pack of Legos which she and Dan built on the ride (Tip: Pack a paper plate if bringing Legos on the plane. Helps them to not roll around; however there is still a Lego head floating on some Southwest airplane…).  After arriving at MCO and checking into the Magical Express (How fabulous is it that you don’t have to pick up your bags and take them to your room??) we were on our way to Bay Lake Towers.  Check-In was a breeze and the staff was excited to give Mom and Maddy both their Birthday pins.  I snuck up to the room while Dan, Mom, and Dad distracted Maddy and put a bag of little gifts, a note from Tinkerbell, and some pixie dust on the bed.  I then snuck back out and waited at the door until everyone came up.  Our room was ready first so we went up to check out the view.  Who doesn’t want to open their balcony door and see the castle and rides like right there?  It was amazing.  After putting away the few things in our carry-ons we went down to the Quick Service restaurant in the Contemporary.   Not bad, but certainly doesn’t have the options that Pop Century has (another one of our favorites).

After a quick meal at Contempo Café, we went over to Magic Kingdom to make sure everything was set up for the girl’s Annual Passes and our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets. My mom, Maddy, and I are going back in May, so it made sense for us to buy the AP and not buy separate tickets for both trips.  Also, with the discounts and Memory Maker that comes along with it, the Pass is just a good deal for us.  We then jumped on a bus to Disney Springs and planned to browse around for a while.  And grab ice cream.  That is a requirement on all vacations for us.  Lots and lots of ice cream.

The next morning after another amazing breakfast at Chef Mickey’s as it was super cold and not yet pool weather we did some resort visiting.  We went over to the Grand Floridian, and then over to Wilderness Lodge.  At the Grand Floridian we visited the location of the statue for the little boy who lost his life last year.  Broke my heart again for that family.  Such an awful tragedy at what is supposed to be the happiest place on earth.  At Wilderness we checked out the pool and the beautiful lobby.  Hoping to stay there soon.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was later that night.  It was wonderful.  The lines were light (except for the usual subjects of Mine Train and Peter Pan), the candy was beyond plentiful and the atmosphere was awesome.  Dan, me, Mom, & Dad “Disney Bounded” as Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, & Donald and Maddy was an adorable Pluto, because as she said, “Someone needs to be Pluto!”  For those that say it’s crowded and not fun…you are just a Debbie Downer!  Those parties are awesome and I really think the fireworks for Halloween are better than any at other times.  Love the Halloween Party!  Remember if you are going to these “Parties” you can usually get in at a little before 4pm and stay until close, but the party doesn’t officially start until 7pm.

Off to Epcot for Mom’s birthday the next day.  And speaking of Birthdays…this trip was to celebrate both Mom and Maddy’s.  With the birthday buttons and the “Birthday Princess” sash Maddy got on her birthday there were lots of well wishes and free desserts for both of them.  I will say Mom had had enough attention by mid-day on her birthday but my kid (who is just like her mom) celebrated all week long.  At every park and at every hotel.  This was I think our first day ever that it didn’t rain on our Epcot parade per say.  I swear it rains every time we are there.  We did a bit less of the “Future World” part of the park and spent more time walking around the countries.  I feel like our girl’s trip we will do this even more.  We did ride the new Frozen Ride, and Dan and Dad pouted because Test Track was again closed that night due to a break down.  That night we popped over to the Boardwalk for wonderful birthday dinner at the Flying Fish.  One of the best steaks I have ever had.  And I’m not a huge red meat person.  But it was soooo good.  I will say we didn’t stay to see all of Illuminations that night.  I love the concept of the show, but it is one show overall that I can give or take.

The next day was pool day and ‘Ohana for dinner.  It was semi warm so we did head to the pool that afternoon after a quick monorail trip over to Epcot for the girls to ride Test Track.  M loved it.  And this was another perk of our AP.  In and out for two rides, filled up our popcorn buckets and back to the pool in about an hour and a half.   We realized that we were at Disney World the same time as Dan’s cousin and our reservations at ‘Ohana were 5 minutes apart.  We couldn’t have done that if we tried.  No seriously.  ‘Ohana reservations are hard to get!  Thankfully the staff was able to seat us together, although I feel like they thought we were not telling the truth, but I swear we had no idea that they were going to be down there and only found out thanks to Facebook.  M and Avery loved celebrating their birthdays at dinner that night!  Afterwards we headed over to the Poly beach to watch the light parade on the water then back to the hotel to watch the fireworks from our room.  I have to say.  That was one of the best parts of being at Bay Lake Towers/Contemporary.

Maddy’s Birthday was spent at Magic Kingdom and was a beautiful, fun day.  We rode all her favorites, she got to do Bibbity Boppity Boutique, and we had dinner at the Crystal Palace.  She loved BBB and we would do it again.  We brought her own dress (bought off of Etsy as she doesn’t like “itchy” dresses) and they did her hair, makeup and nails.  It was a full day even though we had to leave the parks by 7pm because of the Halloween Party that night.  We again got to watch fireworks from the room and got ready for our next day at Universal.

Our day at Universal started with an Uber trip to the park.  We did not yet have a rental car so it was the easiest way to get there and back.  We enjoyed the day at both parks taking the Hogwart’s train between the parks.  Most of the day was spent in the Harry Potter areas.  I borrowed a magic wand from our friend (Thanks Spence!) for Maddy to use at all the magical areas.  They are super cool but expensive if you don’t go to Universal often so it was great that we could borrow one.  We really really enjoyed that day, but I will say we are still Disney people.  At least until Maddy gets a little older.  There aren’t enough rides to keep Maddy interested at this age.  And Dan and my Dad aren’t roller coaster fans so that limits you a lot.  For older kids and roller coaster fans though I could see how you would just be amazed!  We Ubered back to Disney Springs for dinner that night and then back to the hotel.

The next day Dan was off to the airport to pick up our rental car.  By mid-morning we were packed up and off to Vero Beach after a stop at Disney Springs to use our last dining credits and snack credits.  They thankfully were able to transfer some of our luggage and hold it at the Polynesian until we got back.  That is the hard part about a split trip.  Lots of stuff.  Even with free laundry services, there is lots to take when you are staying for 12 days.  And Disney for us requires stuff.  Hats, bows, ponchos, food (because we snack in the room and parks and still take stuff in for Maddy), light up stuff etc.

At Vero we had two awesome days at the pool with an amazing view of the ocean in both of our rooms.  We ate the first night at their restaurant that was in the hotel and Dan, Maddy, and I ate at a great local Mexican restaurant.  The day before we left it was rainy and cloudy in the afternoon so we headed into the town.  Let me just say on a Sunday afternoon in off peak season it was not worth it.  We did hit a local brew pub on the way back to the hotel.  That night we played miniature golf as we had already done the campfire the night before.

Annnnddd we are back off to Disney World.  The Polynesian was awesome.  We got there early and our room wasn’t ready so we headed to the pool after lunch in their quick service restaurant.  I will say like at Contemporary, the quick service was “ehhh”.  Not awful but nothing to write home about.  I coaxed my kid to go down the slide at the pool because she loved the one at Vero but she was not a fan of this one.  It is a tube and it is dark.  Oh well.  She did try and that’s all that matters.  We also found that we like the quiet pool at the Poly too.  It was close to our rooms, had mug refills and zero entry for Maddy.  M loved the pull down bed with Lilo and Stitch on it and since all 5 of us were in one room, Dan and I took the pull out couch for two nights.  I will say they weren’t as bad as I was expecting from what I had heard.  The room was a little tight with 5 of us, but the amazing walk in shower made up for it!

I do have to review our in room meal that night.  We got ‘Ohana served in room.  We ordered for 2 Adults and got enough food for all 5 of us.  More than enough.  If you couldn’t get a reservation at the restaurant I would say this would be an okay way to get ‘Ohana but personally, I wouldn’t do it again.  Food was luke warm, and it just wasn’t the same.  People rave about being able to order ‘Ohana to their room.  We were just “ehhh” again.

Our last day in the parks was spent open to close at Magic Kingdom.  Seriously.  I have never seen the “Kiss Goodnight” before but we saw it this trip.  We rode all the rides we like at least once, and many multiple times.  We did go back to the hotel mid-day to hang at the pool.  It was a nice break and was possible because we were on the monorail.  I don’t know how people do it when you have to take a bus back and forth to the hotel.  To me that is a waste of time.  You spend so much time in transportation when you could have just found a quiet spot at the parks to relax.  Oh well…to each his own!

On our final day after checking out and checking into our airline, we headed to ‘Ohana for our final character meal.  Another one I wouldn’t recommend.  The food was okay, but I felt we had better food and character interactions elsewhere.  Also, if this is one you go to regularly you will notice they no longer bring out bacon.  You can ask for it though for no extra charge.  We won’t be going to this one again.  But we like to try at least one new restaurant each time we go.  We have our favorites, but we try hard to branch out when we can!

On the note of DVC…Here are a few things I would recommend if you are new to DVC.  We had no dirty room issues.  You see it pop up a lot on Facebook groups and blogs, but there was no issue for us.  I’m sure that some of these people have had real issues, but sometimes I think people forget it’s a hotel.  And they try to keep it as clean as they can, but it’s still a hotel.  Also before we went I had a fear of lack of storage in the rooms because of FB groups.  At both Bay Lake and Vero we had tons for all 3 of us.  Poly was a little more limited due to the pull down bed and there were 5 of us in the room.  I feel that that is the only place I could have used some temporary shelving (which I brought but at that point we were only there for 2 nights so it stayed in my suitcase) hanging in the closet.  Other things I wish I would have had or glad I did have…liquid hand soap (I hate the bar soap to wash my hands…especially with contacts), paper/plastic cups (they had paper plates…why not cups?), a hair towel (as DVC doesn’t get towel service daily having that extra towel was great), a soap dish for the shower.  One big thing we had which I will not bring next time is pool noodles.  Lots of the pools had them and they just ended up being a pain.  Two more things that I was really looking forward to was the Top of the World lounge and the Beach at the Polynesian.  I was not overly impressed on either.

This trip was overall purely amazing.  As my one shirt says, “In my favorite place with my favorite people”.  I truly was.  I saw my baby be super brave and try new things and have an amazing birthday, was able to watch my Dad tear up as he opened the room in Vero with that great ocean view, and while my mom isn’t one for lots of attention I know she loved the well wishes on her birthday and that amazing meal that night.  As for Dan and I…we are just blessed to be able to take them and make these memories.

How to save money on your Disney trip…

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So, I have been getting a lot of questions lately about how I save money on a trip to Disney. So here are some of my best “practices”. If you have specific questions on your trip, I’m not a travel agent, but always willing to talk Disney and give my opinion if I can! We plan on taking M as much as we can. Not always for a full week, so that is a big money saver. I’m okay with going down there for a long weekend. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sad to leave on a shorter trip but if it gets us there more often, I’m good with it.

“C”lue- My biggest one is to go off peak season and the Fall is our favorite time. They usually do some dates with the “free dining plan”, and that is another money saver. If you are going to be down there for some of the days that qualify, you can split your trip up and get the free dining for part of it. Their Halloween event at the Magic Kingdom is phenomenal and it’s Food and Wine festival at Epcot. I know that the older kiddos are in school, and my mom (a retired teacher) will kill me for this, but take them out of school if you can.

“L”ink- The Chase Disney card. This website gives you both options. The pay one will sometimes “pay” for itself within a few months, but you need to look at both options to see which one will work better for you and your family. You can rack up “Disney Dollars” and those can be used to pay for your trip and/or things onsite. The one with an annual fee you can use towards flights as well.

“T”hought- It’s always a debate for us on whether to stay at the Value resorts and upgrade to the dining plan with one sit down meal and one quick service meal (YES! You can do that and just pay the difference!) or to just stay at a Moderate Resort and get the dining plan we want. My best advice on this one? Ask the people at 1-407-W-Disney or your favorite travel agent. They will price out both plans for you. I never try to do it myself on the web. They can do it quicker and somehow always get me better pricing than I see anyway.

Hope this helps and honestly, I’m always open for a Disney talk if anyone has other suggestions or questions!

Birthday Freebies!

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If you didn’t know, it’s my birthday month and I celebrate my birthday all of March (and sometimes into April!)

Because I’m going to have a lot of links in here, I’m combining my “C”lues, “L”inks, and “T”houghts this week because one of my goals is to always keep my posts pretty short and easy to read.  Here are some birthday freebies that you can sign up for.  These are my favorites.  There are more, but the rest are just desserts or something small.  If I missed a good one that you know about, please let me know so I can add!

“C”lues, “L”inks, and “T”houghts:

Benihana- $30 off for your birthday!  Sign up here for the Chef’s Table: http://profile.benihana.com/registration/

Bravo- Pick up a myBravo card in store and register it online.  Get a Free Entrée for your birthday!

IHOP- Free Entrée up to $7 for your birthday and Free Entrée upon registering! http://www.ihop.com/my-ihop/create-your-ihop#signupnow

Red Robin- Free Burger for your birthday.  YUMMMM!  Sign up here: https://redroyalty.redrobin.com/find_location

Noodles & Company- Free bowl on your birthday!  Sign up here:  http://www.noodles.com/noodlegram/

Max & Erma’s-6 free cookies on your birthday.  Sign up here: http://www.maxandermas.com/goodneighbors/

Steak & Shake-Free Double burger and fries.  Sign up here: http://www.steaknshake.com/eclub

Mall @ Robinson-Free $10 gift card.  Sign up here: http://www.shoprobinsonmall.com/user/new/?

Mad Mex-Free Burrito. Sign up here: https://secure.madmex.com/bbmadmex/register.aspx  However mine hasn’t showed up this year yet in the mail.  I’m sad!

DSW- $5 off of $5.  Even if you get free socks, it’s a good deal!: https://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/user/rewardsLanding.jsp?&REDIRECTED=true

First Watch- Free Entrée.  Sign up here: http://www.firstwatch.com/eclub/

Atria’s-Free Entrée.  Sign up here: http://atrias.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe

Houlihan’s-Free Entrée.  Sign up here: http://www.houlihans.com/email-club?sid=173

Walnut Grill-Free Entrée.  Sign up here: http://walnutgrill.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe

Moe’s Southwest Grill-Free Burrito.  Sign up here: http://moes.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe&InputSource=W&__utma=57442860.1483593898.1395511657.1395511657.1395511657.1&__utmb=57442860.1.10.1395511657&__utmc=57442860&__utmx=-&__utmz=57442860.1395511657.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)|utmccn=(direct)|utmcmd=(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=6170103

Qdoba-Free Entrée.  Sign up here: https://www.qdoba.com/users/sign_up

Don Pablos-$10 for your Birthday.  Grab a card in store and sign up here:  http://donpablos.com/

Like I mentioned, there are other freebies from Eat & Park, Arby’s, Buca, even American Eagle if you sign up for their e-clubs, but  with all these Free Entrée who will have time for all the little ones?!?!  Most give you a time limit of the end of the month that your birthday is in or two weeks.  (one before and one after your birthday.

Happy Freebies All!

I didn’t mean to leave you hanging

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So, I didn’t mean to not complete my last post about couponing but I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone. Couponing can be a pain in the butt but I think it is worth it. I mentioned writing the date on the front of the coupon flyers. That’s a must for most couponing sites (of which there are thousands of). Also, take a look at the name on the outside of the flyer. It will either say Red Pack (RP) or Smart Source (SS) on the front. Occasionally you will see Procter and Gamble (PG). You will see the abbreviation for these on the different coupon sites with the date after that. It tells you where you can find a coupon for that item. For example: You want to find a coupon for Tide. Go to the coupon database I told you about in my first blog http://www.southernsavers.com/coupon-database . Type in Tide. You may see ones you can print. You may also see one that says RP 1/19 or SS 1/17 after it. That means if you look in the Red Pack from 1/19 or the Smart Source. There should be a Tide coupon in there. Remember every paper is slightly different. Even the Trib and Post Gazette so I would say it works about 85% of the time. I save the sale flyers for about three months then toss them. That way you don’t have to cut coupons every week.

“C”lue – In some cities half of the coupon flyers come in that pack of flyers in your mailbox each week. So before tossing these in the recycle bin check to see if there are any packs of coupons in there!

“L”ink – I love the show Parenthood and we watch it every week. Usually on DVR because I can’t stay awake beyond 10pm…sometimes 9:30. With that said I’m a crier and this show makes me cry a lot. Happy tears though too! Check out this Buzzfeed for examples why: http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/23-times-parenthood-made-you-cry-happy-tears

“Thought – Little Duck Organics Tiny Fruits – So M started eating solids by eating anything she could get her hands on. Then she decided she didn’t want any meat in her diet. Now there are days all she wants is carbs, carrots, and bananas. These are great little dried fruits that she eats like candy and they are good for her. I’ve tried them too. A 9 out of 10. Only reason I didn’t give them a 10 out of 10 is they are a bit expensive for the small bag.

I’m not an extreme couponer, I just like to save lots of money…

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I would never make the tv show for extreme couponers.  I do coupon, but I use them on items that we will actually use.  You won’t go to my basement and find 100 cans of green beans.  Ok, maybe 10, but I swear I got a good deal!  No one coupons the same.  You will take tips from here, tricks from there and coupon your own way.  You will also find your favorite stores to coupon at.  Mine are Giant Eagle, Target, and CVS.

“C”lue: Get a Sunday paper.  Want to make it easy?  Have it delivered.  You can have the Sunday paper delivered for about a $1 a week.   If you find a deal it can be cheaper.  I promise you can easily make that money back by couponing.  Keep an eye out this time of year at places like the Auto Show or Home Show.  Usually there are booths there to sign up.  The second I bring it in the house, I take out the coupons.  Look at the spine of the coupon book, I find the date and write it on the front.  I will explain in another post some of my next steps, but if you don’t have the coupons from the paper you are missing a big chunk.

“L”ink: Fooducate – http://www.fooducate.com/ A cool site that rates the foods we eat.  Great for those of you on a diet.  And it’s January, so is there anyone out there that isn’t on a diet or at least trying to eat better?

“T”hought: On a Trader Joe’s kick lately.  Trader Joe’s Chicken Burritos – Chile Verde.  Not bad for a frozen burritto.  6 1/2 out of 10.

And it begins…

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So for at least 5 years now, Dan has been telling me I should write a book.  Not going to happen.  For one, I have.  I was in 5th grade and it was for toddlers.  Even though it was published nationally, that’s where it ended.  My English is crap and my spelling is worse.  In fact, I admit that Dan checks a lot of my in-depth emails to clients before I send them off.  I know what I want to say, but it doesn’t always come out that way.  Dan calls it “Carrie Speak” and in that, he is well versed.  So basically I’m saying if you are reading this, excuse my bad English and yes I know my mother taught English…doesn’t matter…I stink at it.

Tonight at dinner he changed his “write a book” to “start a blog”.  I blew him off, but it was bugging me through putting Maddy to bed and then folding the 3 loads of laundry.  Who wears all these clothes anyway?  There is only three of us. I digress.  I thought about what he said I should put in it and thought about what I wanted to write.  I also thought about if I really want to do this.  There are so many blogs out there and what is going to make mine different?  I’m not funny so I knew that wasn’t going to be it.  What does everyone ask me all the time?   Couponing, Disney, and Opinions.  But opinions on what?  Places to go, things to eat, websites I use…anything really.  Dan and I try to do different things.  Especially now with Maddy.   Our food choices are changing and our places to go are expanding.  Kids will do that to you.  This blog isn’t going to change the world, but my goal is to share my little bits of wierd things and hopefully help someone along the way.

So that’s my goal.   I want to blog at least once a week, and I want to help.  If I can save someone $10 or let them know a great new food to try (or one to avoid), then good.  I also promise not to do just mommy tips.  I also plan to share a lot of the websites I use or blogs I read.  Rarely is my stuff new, I borrow from others.  But sometimes isn’t that the best stuff?

I plan to post these every Friday.  This week maybe I will do two.  I’m just hoping I don’t do four blogs and get busy and forget.

“C”lue: When looking for printable coupons I check out this database first… http://www.southernsavers.com/coupon-database  simply type in the product you are looking for.  If there are printable ones in there it will tell you.  There is more to this site that my sister-in-law shared with me a few years back, but that’s for another blog.  Start here.  I will give you more information about this site later.  It has saved me thousands of dollars.  Probably half of that was at CVS.

“L”ink: Vinegar and Dawn Dish Soap makes a great tub cleaner.

Wierd sounding I know, and stinky I admit, but it works.  Our tub is crap and until we can afford to get rid of the plastic overlay that they put over the old tub I have to keep it clean.  Nothing seemed to get that plastic clean.  This does and it does it with not a lot of work.  Find more details here: http://thecraftpatch.blogspot.com/2012/05/pinterest-tested-tub-cleaner.html.  My only change?  I use a magic eraser from the dollar store to wipe (not scrub) before I rinse.  Even works a bit better that way.

“T”hought:  Trader Joe’s Mini Ice Cream Mouthfuls – 12 in a box.  10 out of 10

Love.  Can’t say enough about them.  Run don’t walk to buy these.  But buy many boxes.  They are small and you can eat 2 maybe 3 in a sitting.