Couponing

I know, I said I would post everything that I bought and how much I paid for them, but I just don't have the time. I put all of that up on my facebook page already...sorry ladies. Just know that I saved over $900.00 and I've only spent about $275.00. Keep in mind that I only purchase things that I use. Also note that my stockpile has been a work in progress over several years. I did not just accumulate all of our products in 1 months time. We have a garden and because of that, I have been canning everything in it for over 3 years now. Happy couponing!

My newest addiction

What a title right? I guess I could be addicted to worse things that couponing...drugs, alcohol, facebook(oh wait, I'm addicted to that too)...I guess I should tell the story of how I became a Krazy Coupon Lady. So, about a month ago I saw a show on TLC about extreme couponing. Last year I had already bought a binder and the stuff to put in the binder, but then with no direction, I just didn't move forward. But that Tv show changed everything. Ever dream of having a wall full of FREE toilet paper? I do, but not because I think that's awesome. I have 3 kids and right now, two of them use sooooo much tp that it's unreal. I would just like to never run out. The other day, Jonathan had to buy toilet paper with his own money because once again, he had used tp to clean the bathroom. I have patiently tried to explain that tp doesn't just grow on trees...he told me, no, it comes from our storage room. So, long story short, to show him just where it comes from and how much it costs for tp, he had to bring his piggy bank to the store and buy tp with his own money. I'm pretty sure he's learned his lesson on how expensive things are and that they don't just magically "appear" downstairs in our store room. Any how, free toilet paper. A myth right? Nope. It is attainable. I have yet to get it for free. My least expensive tp trip was $1.99 for 6 rolls. I was stoked. That is freaking cheap and it wasn't for the "cheap" brand either. (Hey, some of us have values) How about free cat food? I just bought 6 boxes of Purina Beyond One cat food and I paid only taxes on it. This week at Smiths, I'm going to get free pasta. How is all this possible? Coupons. I kid you not, billions of dollars are out there floating around in the form of coupons. Once I was like many Americans. I carelessly threw them away, thinking they weren't worth my time or effort. Now, I'm discovering that they are worth just that and sometimes they are worth up to $10.oo off a product. A couple of my friends along with thousands of strangers think that coupons are only for junk food. I will tell you what I told a friend of mine last night when he said just that. I got a coupon the other day for $2 or $3.00 off pork. That stuff is good for you. Today I just bought a bag of salad and it had a $1.00 off coupon taped to it. I combined that with the sale at the store and paid .89 for the bag of salad. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First I need to explain why I have decided to coupon. There are many reasons. The funnest reason is I like to see just how high my order gets before I give the checkout lady my coupons. But the biggest reason of all is, I want to save money. This year our family has gone through quite a change. We now have 75% custody of the kids and because of that, they live with us through the year. Now, we have always had enough money to feed the children, however, we now have to come up with an extra $600.00 so that we can drive them halfway cross country so they can visit their mother. With gas the price that it is (and it keeps getting worse), we need to save every penny we can. This is why I coupon. Why pay $2.99 for toothpaste when you can get it for free? Sounds illegal doesn't it? Well, it's not. Again, manufactures print out coupons for their products. As long as they are valid coupons from them, you can use them on the products they specify. If you happen to use those coupons with a sale that some store is having, you could wind up getting those items for free or close to it. So, apart from saving money, I said it was fun. It really is too. Sure, sometimes I get tired of clipping coupons, sometimes it would just be easier if I could just go to the store and not worry about those little pieces of paper. But then I look out the window and see the new car I am driving and realize that because I have made it a priority to clip coupons and save my family some money, I can now drive a new car, it makes it all worth it. Now, some are skeptic about the amount of money you can save by clipping coupons. Let me let you in on a secret that not many people know. You can save over $10,000 a year just by clipping coupons. How do I know this? Well, I read it in a book....here we go right? We shouldn't believe everything we read in a book or see on tv right? Wrong. With the amount of money I have saved over the last 4 weeks using coupons (for things I only use and need), if I keep going like this, in one year I will have saved my family of 5 $10,800! That's just on food and household supplies. Crazy right? I give all the credit of learning this secret to The Krazy Coupon Lady. (Jonie Demer and Heather Wheeler) Those two ladies are amazing. Jonie was on that TLC show and that's what really got me started. A few days later, one of my friends had a picture of some items bought at a store. I read the totals and tried to figure out how she only paid pennies for a million items. I had to ask. She sent me to The Krazy Coupon Lady site (KCL for short). The site is amazing and makes couponing so easy. my first day, I saved a ton of money. As I have progressed, I have saved hundreds of dollars on items that my family uses. Some may think that I am crazy...I tell them to make sure they spell it with a K. I am Krazy. I love to save money. Let me give you some examples of how I have saved money over the last month on things I regularly use. Today Albertsons is having a sale on Kraft bbq sauce. 10 for 10(that doesn't mean you have to purchase 10 of them though, just 10 participating items. However, when you find out how much I paid for them, you would buy that many as well.) When you buy 10 participaing items, you automatically save $5.00. Win right there. But when you add them with, say a .75 off one kraft bbq sauce, it's a win win situation. If you buy 10 bbq sauce it lowered the price from $1.49 to .99 each. I had 10 coupons for .75 off. That means I paid .24 for each bottle. If I had more coupons, I'd go back and get some more! The other day I had 6 coupons for $3.00 off Purina Beyond One Cat food. At Albies, the cat food was only $2.68. That' means I got them completely FREE! Who doesn't love free?! Anyway, the savings are huge, but you still have to invest time into clipping coupons. I do this Sunday evening while we are watching a movie or while the kids are taking a nap. You have to be willing to drive to several different stores on a weekly basis (maybe even a daily basis). Some are willing to to that. I am. If you are serious about saving money, this is the thing for you. I suggest to go to the KCL site and read what they have to say. IF you are interested in saving money by using coupons, I also suggest that you download their coupon binder and then USE it. It's free. If you are interested in reading the book, you can buy it or borrow it from me (I want the book back though). If you need help after you have made the decision to save your family literally THOUSANDS of dollars, call me and I will help you out. We can teach each other and become KRAZY together. Happy shopping!

P.S. I'm going to post picture of my shopping, the retail cost of everything and then how much I paid for it. I will also post a picture of my stockpile.

My sweet little "smooch"

So I was sitting on my couch the other day eating a golden chocolate oreo (food of the Gods) and Aleyah was sitting next to me. She kept looking at the cookie I was eating. Poor thing wanted one so bad. So, I thought why not? She is 8 months old and that should be fine. No choking hazard here (mom!). I gave her one. Here are the pictures from that cookie. I should have sat her in the highchair, she was making such a big mess. I had to take the cookie away from her once because she got one of her hairs on it. you'd have thought I was taking away her life. She heaved such a pitiful sigh and got huge tears in her eyes. Too cute. Half way through eating the cookie, she fell asleep. Too bad she didn't get to stay that way. She was way to messy and had to be changed. Later that night when I gave her a bath, she had cookie between her toes! How on earth did she manage to do that I wonder? Anyway, here are the pictures I took of her while she was munching on that cookie. I tried to take a video, but my camera wouldn't let me.

Jonathan's 8th Birthday and Baptism

So time has once again gotten away from me...geez! Jonathan celebrated his 8th birthday on January 14th. It was so much fun. We had family and friends over for cake and ice cream and then played Guitar Hero. It was so much fun. A few weeks ago, our bishop came over and we had a discussion about being baptized. Jonathan just sat there with his face turned away, bright pink. It was so funny. I can't believe that he is 8 and was baptized today. It was a huge turn out. 2 other kids from our ward got baptized as well as 4 other children from the stake. We had to open the doors to the overflow to fit all the family members that came to support the kids. It was great. We only got one picture of Jonathan with Ernie. It was so crazy and crowded. After everything was over, we had a family lunch in the Primary room. My parents as well as Ernie's parents came and so did Garrett, Krystal and Kamron, our good friends Tim and his three sweet daughters, Cami, my soon to be sister, my grandma, our other good friend Michelle and Ron, Ronda and their three daughters (Ernie's Brother and sister in law from his first marriage.) It was a ton of fun with good food and great memories. We gave Jonathan his first set of scriptures and he seems to be excited about using them, but they are a little big for his tiny little hands to hold.
Other news in the family, Jonathan and Sabrina are at the top of their classes for school. They are so smart and such great little helpers at school and at home. We are thrilled that they are home with us more now.
Aleyah is growing like a weed. I can't believe that it's been 7 months and 7 days since her birth. She lights up my life and is the greatest little baby...except for the last two nights! She feels she needs to be up every 45 minutes, much to her sleepy parents dismay. Ernie has been really great about that. He helps me feed and change her in the middle of the night because I feel like a zombie when I wake up still tired. She is such a sweet little girl and so very happy. She had her flu shot last week and the week before that, her immunizations. She didn't cry longer than a minute COMBINED and only had a fever after the flu shot. What a great baby girl, we really lucked out of such a sweet heart.
Other than that, not much has happened. We may get a new car within the next couple of weeks. We are looking for a van since we will have to make cross country trips a couple times a year. I'm not thrilled with the mini van idea, I'm more of a truck kinda gal...don't let Ernie see that I wrote that. He wants a truck and I am as opposed to that as I am to a mini van! I guess we will see what happens. Hope you are all well and happy!

Merry Christmas!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to our family and friends!

Since this will be the first year I’ve written a family newsletter, I have a lot to share. Ernie and I were married nearly 3 years ago in the Bountiful UT, Bountiful Temple. It was a wonderful day shared with family, friends and lots of laughter and love.

During the last three years a lot has happened. Ernie moved from downstairs working with my brothers to upstairs working with clients. Jonathan started kindergarten and I nearly died when we had to take him to school. Now he is in the 2nd grade and Sabrina has started kindergarten. They are both the smartest kids in their class. They love to help their teachers and their teachers love them and can’t say enough good things in return. Both kids are good helpers around the house and love to sing and dance. It’s been interesting being thrust into motherhood. I’ve had a few ups and downs but I’m getting better at it and speaking of…

The biggest change just came into our lives on June 29, 2010. Aleyah Annie Upshaw joined our family. She is the sweetest little girl! I love being her mommy. It was quite a surprise since from a young age I was told I’d never have children. For once, I am glad the doctor was wrong. This little girls is such a bright ray of sunshine. She was born at 4:44 am and weighed 6lbs, 9 oz and was 18 ½ inches long. She decided she needed to make a grand entrance into the world, so after 2 days of labor, she came by emergency c-section. Just a little side note about Aleyahs middle name. It’s a very special name that I share with my sweet little grandma Buttars. From a young age I had always wanted to name my daughter Annie. I am proud of that name and I am sure that Aleyah will be proud to carry it on as well. Anyway, both Jonathan and Sabrina are great older siblings. At first Jonathan was a little disappointed that it was another girl, but after a while, he was ok with it. Now he is the best older brother a girl could have. Aleyah loves them both so much and the kids do their very best to make her smile and laugh. Ernie is a great father and you can tell Aleyah looks forward to when her daddy comes home from work. He enters the room and she starts cooing and drooling. It’s the sweetest thing.

So, that is our life over the last three years. We love you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Brooke, Ernie, Jonathan, Sabrina and Aleyah Upshaw



4 1/2 months

I can't believe how fast time flies when you are having fun! I sure love being a mommy to Aleyah! She is the best little girl in the ENTIRE world. I'm not biased either. At first I was prepared for long sleepless nights, LOTS of crying and being cranky because of it all. Not so. I enjoy it all! I don't even mind the nights of no sleep....ha kidding. Aleyah has slept through the night since 3 days old. Sorry all, I got it lucky. During the last four and a half months, I can count on one hand the times I've had to stay up all night. She is such a sweet joy. When she wakes up in the middle of the night, she just lays there and coos so sweetly until I come get her. When I walk in, she smiles and those big blue eyes just make me very happy! As for the crying, she really doesn't do that either. Not even as a new baby did she ever cry that much. I can count of my two hands the times she's cried. The worst so far was when she had her first set of immunizations. Poor little girl didn't stop crying for hours. It was so frustrating because there was nothing I could do about it. I felt bad, but I really feel that immunizations are a necessary evil. I was also impressed with myself. I didn't cry when they gave them to her. I didn't really even get upset. It was sad true, but I was brave. She had a slight fever for the whole day and then slept like a rock that night. She also cries when her diaper is dirty or she feels like she is STARVING. Because she gets so upset when she is wet, I am hoping she potty trains earlier than normal. A girl can hope. Since coming into our lives, Aleyah has been such a joy. The kids really enjoy having a little sister around. Sabrina is always trying to make her smile and Jonathan is always there to help whenever we ask. For Jonathan's first school show and tell, he had us bring Aleyah. The class was so cute. The just ooh'd and aah'd over her. Mrs Commons had to remind them to stay quiet when they started to get too loud. Then they whispered. It was sweet. As the time goes by, more and more of her personality shows itself. She is an independent little girl. She loves to sit up on the couch by herself and look around the room. She doesn't want to be held like a baby either. She wants to be sitting up facing the room. She smiles and laughs and coos to anybody who looks at her. She tags along when I go to work in the mornings and all my customers think she is just the sweetest and cutest thing. I agree. She loves to listen to her daddy and big brother and sister read books to her. She smiles when I sing her songs and tickle her belly. I blow raspberries on her neck or tummy and she giggles. The other day I was holding her and she blew a raspberry on my arm, then last night she blew one on my neck and giggled. Oh so sweet. Nothing better in the world than to hear my little girl laugh and speaking of little girl, she is awake so I had better go....

Aleyah's Photo Shoot

Last Friday we had our friend Jordon take photo's of Aleyah. What a great time we had. Aleyah was so very happy to have her picture taken...well, for the most part she was happy. We have a few pictures where she is royally ticked off. Those ones are pretty precious. Jordo did such a great job of capturing how sweet our baby is. I recommend JHoffman Photography to all my family and friends. She does a great job and is priced well. Thanks go out to my momma for making the tutu that Aleyah is wearing. She did such a great job. Also, thanks go out to sister Christeansen for making the white blessing dress and thanks to Krystal and momma for making the white slip that went under her blessing dress. You guys ROCK! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Fish Pond

So, we've been working on our back yard fish pond for over a year now. It's taken a ton of work and a little bit of money. Ernie and the kids have been outside nearly every night this summer working on it and the garden. We had to take a week off when the baby was born, but finally it's done. It looks so nice and it's wonderful to hear the water running in the back yard. We have a waterfall, 1 Koi, several goldfish and 5 tadpoles. We also have several different water plants and have plans to get a few more. The kids are crazy about it and love to feed the fish. We have to remind the kids to not get on the rocks because we don't want them to fall in. We also have to tell them they can't use their fishing poles on the fish. If we are nice to them, they will feed out of our hands. I will post pictures of the pond soon.

More 5k runs

Sorry about taking so long to update the blog. I've been a tad bit busy. Here are some pictures of 2 more 5k runs that Ernie and Jonathan did. One was at the Portneuf Medical Center (the old Pocatello Hospital) and the other is at the park by the Holt Arena. I'm so proud of Jonathan and Ernie for running! They are doing such a great job and I think Jonathan will continue to run in the years to come. Enjoy!