Started this as a Facebook post, then it got too long, which puts it in the blog post category, as you will see...
After writing two blog posts tonight, I started thinking about the strange things that blogging and social media are. While brushing my teeth, I created these definitions:
Facebook Status: A place for people to broadcast their opinions, unsolicited or not.
Blog: A place for people to expound upon their unsolicited opinions.
Facebook comments: A place for people to counter or agree with the expressed opinion (definitely solicited--after all, you posted it on Facebook).
Facebook Shares: A way of expressing your opinion by posting the link to a blogger who expressed it better than you can.
Two questions:
1. Are we more opinionated now than generations before us, or do we just have more means of expressing our opinions? How did people share their opinions pre-social media?
2. How much of sharing our opinions online actually affects the world around us?
I guess that is three questions. It's getting late. I'm taking my unsolicited opinions to bed now.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Post-Pregnancy Bods: Some Thoughts
Don't worry. This isn't a post complaining about my body, or the weird (and gross) things that happen after having a baby. I remember hearing some of that at a baby shower before I was married and thinking, I will never have children. I will say, it's not as bad as it sounded then. No, this is my thought about how our focus should not be on the body after pregnancy, at least not in the way we generally concern ourselves....so keep reading. :-)
I had a thought yesterday about the focus we place on post-pregnancy bodies. A woman was commenting on some of my dancer friends and how you'd never know that any of them had had kids. Normally, I wouldn't get all up in arms about a comment like that, but it caught me off-guard this time because she was saying it to kids. In all honesty, I think she realized it was a weird thing to say to a group of kids, because she kind of hesitated trying to transition from that comment to the actual point she was trying to make. Nonetheless, it evidenced the fact that as a culture, we focus a lot on a woman's post-pregnancy body. How long it takes for her to get back into her old jeans, pre and post pregnancy weights, etc. etc.
I thought about the message that was already being given to these kids. When a woman is pregnant, she is fat, and if she still looks fat after she has a baby, that is bad. But if she can look like she never had a baby, that is good. So I thought about what message these kids SHOULD be getting from watching moms who have had babies and then still gone back to dancing. This is the message I hope I can share with girls, whether they be my own daughters, or my students, or my nieces...
I wished that instead of celebrating how these women had "gotten their dancer bodies back", we could be celebrating the fact that their bodies are capable of creating life and then returning to full dance activity. That these moms have the support of husbands to allow them to experience both the joys of motherhood and still enjoy the passions that filled their lives before having a baby.
I really do feel blessed to have the opportunities I do to continue dancing and even helping to grow a small dance company here. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without Dustin's support (not to mention the sisters and sister-in-laws that babysit for me). I've tried to reduce my time outside the home so I'm only doing my most favorite things right now--so I can have more time to do my most favorite thing, which is spend time with my family. I never really pictured that becoming my most favorite thing, but babies really change your heart. (Husbands do it, too--but for babies, you are irreplaceable. If you aren't mom, no one else is being mom) And I know I'm a lucky girl to "have it all" even if some of it has to be in very small doses.
I had a thought yesterday about the focus we place on post-pregnancy bodies. A woman was commenting on some of my dancer friends and how you'd never know that any of them had had kids. Normally, I wouldn't get all up in arms about a comment like that, but it caught me off-guard this time because she was saying it to kids. In all honesty, I think she realized it was a weird thing to say to a group of kids, because she kind of hesitated trying to transition from that comment to the actual point she was trying to make. Nonetheless, it evidenced the fact that as a culture, we focus a lot on a woman's post-pregnancy body. How long it takes for her to get back into her old jeans, pre and post pregnancy weights, etc. etc.
I thought about the message that was already being given to these kids. When a woman is pregnant, she is fat, and if she still looks fat after she has a baby, that is bad. But if she can look like she never had a baby, that is good. So I thought about what message these kids SHOULD be getting from watching moms who have had babies and then still gone back to dancing. This is the message I hope I can share with girls, whether they be my own daughters, or my students, or my nieces...
I wished that instead of celebrating how these women had "gotten their dancer bodies back", we could be celebrating the fact that their bodies are capable of creating life and then returning to full dance activity. That these moms have the support of husbands to allow them to experience both the joys of motherhood and still enjoy the passions that filled their lives before having a baby.
I really do feel blessed to have the opportunities I do to continue dancing and even helping to grow a small dance company here. I know I wouldn't be able to do it without Dustin's support (not to mention the sisters and sister-in-laws that babysit for me). I've tried to reduce my time outside the home so I'm only doing my most favorite things right now--so I can have more time to do my most favorite thing, which is spend time with my family. I never really pictured that becoming my most favorite thing, but babies really change your heart. (Husbands do it, too--but for babies, you are irreplaceable. If you aren't mom, no one else is being mom) And I know I'm a lucky girl to "have it all" even if some of it has to be in very small doses.
Yo-ho, yo-ho! The Toddler Life for Me!
Well, we are in full swing with toddler-dom. Corbin now reaches most everything dangerous in our house. I've caught him with kitchen knives twice (Dad has been taught to put them in the sink or far back on the counter). We throw great tantrums getting into the carseat, before most naps, and fairly regularly now for bedtime. We prefer pushing the stroller rather than riding in it (so as to stop and fill the cargo area with all the rocks we find on the ground). And he can destroy the living room (and kitchen, bathroom, and my own bedroom) faster than mom can load the washer.
Ah yes, we are living the toddler life.
There are some fun things, however. I love watching him make new discoveries (the key word there is "watching" as opposed to walking in to the next room to discover the new discovery). Some new discoveries:
• Lifting the toilet seat
• Flushing the toilet (fortunately, we've only made it that far. Aside from a binky which got thrown away after its swim in the white ceramic pool, nothing has been flushed down--as far as I know).
• New words: He can sign "more" and "please" although he isn't always willing to do so. He understands the words "drink"and "eat" for sure, as well as "hug" and "kiss" and we are working on signing "thank you".
• Giving hugs and kisses. Definitely my favorite by far. The first day I realized he understood this, I think I asked for a million hugs.
• "So soft" is something I say when he lays his head on his pillow pet or a blanket or anything soft. So now if I say "so soft" he lays his head on me or whatever I am holding. It's really sweet.
• Rocks. This kid loves rocks. Our neighbors have all rocks (desert landscape) and they are so nice to Corbin. Good thing because I think he steals a handful of rocks each time we walk by. We rarely walk farther than the corner anymore because he could sit and play with their rocks forever.
• Candy. Much to my chagrin he has discovered candy. It seems like kids quickly connect the sound of rustling packaging with delicious sweet treats because Corbin somehow always knows when you are holding candy. And he makes his intense desires known!
Another new development for us has been making new friends. We are so excited to be getting to know neighbors and ward members...finally. It seems like it has taken a long time to get acclimated to our new area, and I was really missing my old ward. But yesterday we met a mom with a boy Corbin's age at a yard sale across from our house. She lives down the street and came over tonight to introduce her husband to us. They are really sweet and I'm glad they live so close.
We also went tonight to visit a couple from our ward who has a baby boy that will turn 1 this month. The wife is from the Philippines so it was fun for Dustin to talk mission areas with her and mission foods, etc. She is a convert to the LDS church and so we will get to teach her new member lessons. I am so excited to be working as a missionary again. I've missed feeling a part of the work (my own fault, right? Many are called but few choose to do the work...)
Corbin loves being with other kids, but tonight I realized that he needs LOTS of wind down time before bed, especially if he's been stimulated by playing with other kids. He had a pretty bad tantrum before bed tonight. I am going to do my best to be home from 4:00 on in the evenings so we can have quiet time before bed. He just seems to do better that way. Sleep is a real battle right now. He's waking up multiple times in the night again, which is really frustrating. But I am praying for patience and I feel like the Lord is blessing me with the help I need.
We also made another discovery today. I call it play-group church. I wish it existed every Sunday, but today was Stake Conference so they had the auxiliary rooms set up for overflow. We checked it out and sure enough, three other young families were in there, toys on the floor, kids wandering the space, Cheerios and books to be shared among all. It was so nice. I heard about half of what was said in the meeting, but it was more than I would have heard wandering the halls with Corbin.
The most interesting thing I noticed, though (interesting for me as Corbin's mom), is that when nap time approached and you could tell that all the kids were needing to go home for naps, where the other kids wanted to be held or cuddled, drink bottles, etc., Corbin seemed to get more and more wild. It was evidence to me of what I read about in my sleep training book. There are different types of personalities which she lists in there, and I had pegged Corbin for a "spirited" boy. People have told me that he seems mellow, so then I questioned it. But in this book, she says that spirited children need more wind-down time before sleeping, and that they are prone to tantrums when they get overtired or over-stimulated. The trick, she says, is to avoid the tantrum by getting them down for naps or bed at the first sign of tiredness. The difficulty for me in that is that I can't tell Corbin is getting tired until he is so wild, I realize he is overtired. He just gets more and more wound up until I'm going nuts, and think, oh wait, he needs to be sleeping. Enter total tantrum...
Oh well, they are only little for a short while in the eternal scheme. I will try to keep remembering that.
Ah yes, we are living the toddler life.
There are some fun things, however. I love watching him make new discoveries (the key word there is "watching" as opposed to walking in to the next room to discover the new discovery). Some new discoveries:
• Lifting the toilet seat
• Flushing the toilet (fortunately, we've only made it that far. Aside from a binky which got thrown away after its swim in the white ceramic pool, nothing has been flushed down--as far as I know).
• New words: He can sign "more" and "please" although he isn't always willing to do so. He understands the words "drink"and "eat" for sure, as well as "hug" and "kiss" and we are working on signing "thank you".
• Giving hugs and kisses. Definitely my favorite by far. The first day I realized he understood this, I think I asked for a million hugs.
• "So soft" is something I say when he lays his head on his pillow pet or a blanket or anything soft. So now if I say "so soft" he lays his head on me or whatever I am holding. It's really sweet.
• Rocks. This kid loves rocks. Our neighbors have all rocks (desert landscape) and they are so nice to Corbin. Good thing because I think he steals a handful of rocks each time we walk by. We rarely walk farther than the corner anymore because he could sit and play with their rocks forever.
• Candy. Much to my chagrin he has discovered candy. It seems like kids quickly connect the sound of rustling packaging with delicious sweet treats because Corbin somehow always knows when you are holding candy. And he makes his intense desires known!
Another new development for us has been making new friends. We are so excited to be getting to know neighbors and ward members...finally. It seems like it has taken a long time to get acclimated to our new area, and I was really missing my old ward. But yesterday we met a mom with a boy Corbin's age at a yard sale across from our house. She lives down the street and came over tonight to introduce her husband to us. They are really sweet and I'm glad they live so close.
We also went tonight to visit a couple from our ward who has a baby boy that will turn 1 this month. The wife is from the Philippines so it was fun for Dustin to talk mission areas with her and mission foods, etc. She is a convert to the LDS church and so we will get to teach her new member lessons. I am so excited to be working as a missionary again. I've missed feeling a part of the work (my own fault, right? Many are called but few choose to do the work...)
Corbin loves being with other kids, but tonight I realized that he needs LOTS of wind down time before bed, especially if he's been stimulated by playing with other kids. He had a pretty bad tantrum before bed tonight. I am going to do my best to be home from 4:00 on in the evenings so we can have quiet time before bed. He just seems to do better that way. Sleep is a real battle right now. He's waking up multiple times in the night again, which is really frustrating. But I am praying for patience and I feel like the Lord is blessing me with the help I need.
We also made another discovery today. I call it play-group church. I wish it existed every Sunday, but today was Stake Conference so they had the auxiliary rooms set up for overflow. We checked it out and sure enough, three other young families were in there, toys on the floor, kids wandering the space, Cheerios and books to be shared among all. It was so nice. I heard about half of what was said in the meeting, but it was more than I would have heard wandering the halls with Corbin.
The most interesting thing I noticed, though (interesting for me as Corbin's mom), is that when nap time approached and you could tell that all the kids were needing to go home for naps, where the other kids wanted to be held or cuddled, drink bottles, etc., Corbin seemed to get more and more wild. It was evidence to me of what I read about in my sleep training book. There are different types of personalities which she lists in there, and I had pegged Corbin for a "spirited" boy. People have told me that he seems mellow, so then I questioned it. But in this book, she says that spirited children need more wind-down time before sleeping, and that they are prone to tantrums when they get overtired or over-stimulated. The trick, she says, is to avoid the tantrum by getting them down for naps or bed at the first sign of tiredness. The difficulty for me in that is that I can't tell Corbin is getting tired until he is so wild, I realize he is overtired. He just gets more and more wound up until I'm going nuts, and think, oh wait, he needs to be sleeping. Enter total tantrum...
Oh well, they are only little for a short while in the eternal scheme. I will try to keep remembering that.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Walking Monster
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Temper Tantrums and Walking
So Corbin's first birthday is coming up in just a couple weeks, and I'm told it's normal at this age, but I can't handle the temper tantrums! For one thing, he's too big and strong for me to contain, so when you add his strong-willed personality and throwing his head back, I just have to put him down now.
So my question, how do you guide his head so it doesn't hit the floor, or at least doesn't hit hard, and still ignore the tantrum so it ends as quickly as possible? Is it feasible?
I hate to do a whole post on temper tantrums since it's not something I really want to remember about my sweet baby boy. But I figure it's also a sign that he is growing up and exerting his independence. It's so strange that he has his own ideas and can actually make choices about where he goes and what he does.
Speaking of choosing where to go, I just added "Walking" to the title since it's also a new development as Corbin approaches turning 1. Corbin now chooses HOW to get somewhere, which is REALLY strange. Although he still chooses crawling most the time (because it's faster), he is getting more and more stable on his feet. He LOVES walking while holding my hands because then he can run. He would do it all day if I was willing. But he's starting to take more steps on his own as well. This morning, I was in my bedroom and Corbin was in the hall, and I suddenly saw him toddle into my room on only two limbs. It was so crazy to see him! I get so proud of him when he tries.
Dustin and I laugh because he walks better when he is holding something in one or both hands. It's as if he trusts the objects to hold him up, like he's holding someone's hand(s). We call it his magic object which helps him walk.
Well, I'm done avoiding my chores. I'd love to hear some thoughts on tantrum control...
So my question, how do you guide his head so it doesn't hit the floor, or at least doesn't hit hard, and still ignore the tantrum so it ends as quickly as possible? Is it feasible?
I hate to do a whole post on temper tantrums since it's not something I really want to remember about my sweet baby boy. But I figure it's also a sign that he is growing up and exerting his independence. It's so strange that he has his own ideas and can actually make choices about where he goes and what he does.
Speaking of choosing where to go, I just added "Walking" to the title since it's also a new development as Corbin approaches turning 1. Corbin now chooses HOW to get somewhere, which is REALLY strange. Although he still chooses crawling most the time (because it's faster), he is getting more and more stable on his feet. He LOVES walking while holding my hands because then he can run. He would do it all day if I was willing. But he's starting to take more steps on his own as well. This morning, I was in my bedroom and Corbin was in the hall, and I suddenly saw him toddle into my room on only two limbs. It was so crazy to see him! I get so proud of him when he tries.
Dustin and I laugh because he walks better when he is holding something in one or both hands. It's as if he trusts the objects to hold him up, like he's holding someone's hand(s). We call it his magic object which helps him walk.
Well, I'm done avoiding my chores. I'd love to hear some thoughts on tantrum control...
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The System
As I've started to really enjoy couponing, my system has evolved, but I'll give you the most simple way I started so you can go from there to find what works for you.
1. Buy a Sunday paper.
2. Clip coupons (There are methods where you don't clip them but you just save your inserts--I might start that at some point, but for now, I like to clip them so I know what I have.)
2b. I'll cover online coupons on another post so as not to bog you down. It's something I just added to my system.
3. Organize your coupons. (Another reason I avoided this--I thought you had to get all involved and buy a fancy binder, etc. All I did was put some paper in a regular 3-ring binder and stapled my coupons right to the papers. Each paper was for a different category.)
4. Look through the ads. You can get the paper ads or look them up online. I tend to do both. Some come in the mail to me and others are in the Sunday paper.
For St. George, I tend to do Smith's, Lin's, Walgreen's and Albertson's. Look at the ads one at a time and create shopping lists for each store as you go.
6. Pull the coupons you need for each store. I have an envelope for each store. As I look through the ads I write on my list anything that is on sale that I already need, or anything that is on sale that I have a coupon for that I can stock up on at a great price.
7. Put the list and the coupons in the envelope and go shop before the week ends.
FYI:
Smith's sales are Wed to Tues
Lin's are Mon to Mon (so on Mondays you get deals from both weeks)
Albertson's are Wed to Tues
Walgreen's are Mon to Sun
Walmart has ad match so you could potentially get all your shopping done there. I haven't tried it because it's easier for me to do 2-3 short trips a week with my baby, than to do one long trip that gets everything. Also, remember I coupon for my shopping fix so I "need" to go every once in a while so I don't go wander D.I. :-)
OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE
Expiration Dates
For better or for worse, I don't get bogged down in expiration dates. I'm sure there are some coupons that I miss out on but good deals are always coming around, I decided. The coupons that are for things that are most important to you will be at the forefront of your memory most likely so you'll be aware of their expiration dates. I just organize by category and call it good. Haven't missed anything too amazing yet. :-)
What's a Good Deal?
This has been something I've researched a little just out of curiosity, and not surprisingly, those extreme couponers have LOTS of information online. But rather than worry my pretty little head with so many numbers, I decided that trial and error is the best way to learn. I figure, if I'm getting even 25 cents off and item, I'm already paying less than I would have at that store so I just go for it. Then when I get home, I usually check walmart.com's price for several things to see if I got a good deal. It's not fool-proof, but I figure if I got it for cheaper than I would have at Walmart, I did pretty good.
The more you start to pay attention, the more aware you are of what's a good deal. There are also websites like Freebies2deals.com and XOXO Frugal Momma on Facebook which tell you when a price is good for stocking up. They also have links to online print-at-home coupons so you can get the exact deal they describe. I tend to check their posts now just to see what free things I can get each week.
Free Things
Set up an online account for your Smith's card and every Friday you can download that week's free item. Then you have a couple weeks to go pick it up. Smith's also has coupons that you can load right onto your Fresh Values card right from their site. The only bummer about those is that they override any paper coupon you might have used so you have to kinda remember which coupons you loaded.
For example, I could have gotten free toothpaste the other night using a 1.00 off coupon, but I forgot I had a 75 cents off coupon on my card. It took that first so I couldn't use the other. I still only paid 25 cents for toothpaste so no big deal, but it's an example....
Check Your Receipts
Extreme couponers organize better than me, I'm sure, but so far, my system has worked pretty well. One thing I've had to learn is to not be afraid of being the "crazy coupon lady." I check my receipts every time now--sometimes there are coupons that didn't get on there (like store coupons at Walgreen's that I forgot to point out to the clerk), or sales that didn't register (Smith's Buy 5 Save 5 deals and you accidentally only bought 4), or something that was listed in the ad that didn't ring up as listed. You have to pay attention and not be afraid to point things out. I've found that they are always really helpful at all the stores, and they can even go back in and fix your mistakes for you (like if you forget to give a coupon or don't buy enough of an item).
1. Buy a Sunday paper.
2. Clip coupons (There are methods where you don't clip them but you just save your inserts--I might start that at some point, but for now, I like to clip them so I know what I have.)
2b. I'll cover online coupons on another post so as not to bog you down. It's something I just added to my system.
3. Organize your coupons. (Another reason I avoided this--I thought you had to get all involved and buy a fancy binder, etc. All I did was put some paper in a regular 3-ring binder and stapled my coupons right to the papers. Each paper was for a different category.)
4. Look through the ads. You can get the paper ads or look them up online. I tend to do both. Some come in the mail to me and others are in the Sunday paper.
For St. George, I tend to do Smith's, Lin's, Walgreen's and Albertson's. Look at the ads one at a time and create shopping lists for each store as you go.
6. Pull the coupons you need for each store. I have an envelope for each store. As I look through the ads I write on my list anything that is on sale that I already need, or anything that is on sale that I have a coupon for that I can stock up on at a great price.
7. Put the list and the coupons in the envelope and go shop before the week ends.
FYI:
Smith's sales are Wed to Tues
Lin's are Mon to Mon (so on Mondays you get deals from both weeks)
Albertson's are Wed to Tues
Walgreen's are Mon to Sun
Walmart has ad match so you could potentially get all your shopping done there. I haven't tried it because it's easier for me to do 2-3 short trips a week with my baby, than to do one long trip that gets everything. Also, remember I coupon for my shopping fix so I "need" to go every once in a while so I don't go wander D.I. :-)
OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE
Expiration Dates
For better or for worse, I don't get bogged down in expiration dates. I'm sure there are some coupons that I miss out on but good deals are always coming around, I decided. The coupons that are for things that are most important to you will be at the forefront of your memory most likely so you'll be aware of their expiration dates. I just organize by category and call it good. Haven't missed anything too amazing yet. :-)
What's a Good Deal?
This has been something I've researched a little just out of curiosity, and not surprisingly, those extreme couponers have LOTS of information online. But rather than worry my pretty little head with so many numbers, I decided that trial and error is the best way to learn. I figure, if I'm getting even 25 cents off and item, I'm already paying less than I would have at that store so I just go for it. Then when I get home, I usually check walmart.com's price for several things to see if I got a good deal. It's not fool-proof, but I figure if I got it for cheaper than I would have at Walmart, I did pretty good.
The more you start to pay attention, the more aware you are of what's a good deal. There are also websites like Freebies2deals.com and XOXO Frugal Momma on Facebook which tell you when a price is good for stocking up. They also have links to online print-at-home coupons so you can get the exact deal they describe. I tend to check their posts now just to see what free things I can get each week.
Free Things
Set up an online account for your Smith's card and every Friday you can download that week's free item. Then you have a couple weeks to go pick it up. Smith's also has coupons that you can load right onto your Fresh Values card right from their site. The only bummer about those is that they override any paper coupon you might have used so you have to kinda remember which coupons you loaded.
For example, I could have gotten free toothpaste the other night using a 1.00 off coupon, but I forgot I had a 75 cents off coupon on my card. It took that first so I couldn't use the other. I still only paid 25 cents for toothpaste so no big deal, but it's an example....
Check Your Receipts
Extreme couponers organize better than me, I'm sure, but so far, my system has worked pretty well. One thing I've had to learn is to not be afraid of being the "crazy coupon lady." I check my receipts every time now--sometimes there are coupons that didn't get on there (like store coupons at Walgreen's that I forgot to point out to the clerk), or sales that didn't register (Smith's Buy 5 Save 5 deals and you accidentally only bought 4), or something that was listed in the ad that didn't ring up as listed. You have to pay attention and not be afraid to point things out. I've found that they are always really helpful at all the stores, and they can even go back in and fix your mistakes for you (like if you forget to give a coupon or don't buy enough of an item).
Thoughts from a less extreme (but enthusiastic) Couponer
Ok, so like I mentioned in my last post, we've put ourselves on a pretty strict budget and tried to start cooking at home more. Dustin encouraged me to try couponing and turns out, I love it. In fact, I'm probably getting border-line addicted, which might make the budget thing an issue again.
Some friends have asked my system so I said I'd post it here. I've drawn a few conclusions about couponing that I'll start out with. (I'll put the system itself in another post for those who aren't interested in or too busy for my phisophizing....)
THE HUNT
I enjoy couponing because I enjoy finding great deals. My mom taught me the art of thrift store and yard sale shopping ("treasure hunting" we sometimes call it) from a young age, and I've always enjoyed the search and the find. I didn't mind being in the store for hours to find a great deal, and I almost always found that thing (or things) I didn't know I needed. :-)
The thing is, at this point in my life, I don't need any more stuff. I don't need clothes, I don't need interesting retro furniture pieces that I'm going to re-make "one day," and I don't need more cookware or whatever else I tend to pick up at these stores and yard sales. And besides that, I don't have any room for any of it. But food? You always need food. It gets consumed regularly. So couponing has been killing two birds with one stone for our budget. I get my "treasure hunting high" from finding great deals at the grocery store and in the ads, so I save the money I would have spent at D.I. on things I don't need, and I also get the food we do need for less.
My point? If you are like me and like to shop, couponing might be a good outlet for you. Because for me, the shopping was about the hunt, not necessarily the catch. Ya, a new pair of jeans is fun, but the buyer's remorse is almost not worth it sometimes.
The opposite might be true as well. If you don't enjoy the shopping process, you might not be a couponer, or at least you might not enjoy it. But you can keep it pretty simple--I basically cut out a portion of Facebook time (which who doesn't need to do that anyway) to go through ads and clip coupons. I can also work on it while I watch a show at night with my hubby so it doesn't have to be your new hobby if you don't want it to be.
A COUPONER's FOCUS
Ok, one of the reasons I put off couponing before is because I felt like there weren't coupons for the things I buy. Well, that has changed in two ways.
1. I became a mom and so I do buy things now like Cheerios and boxed meals, which are things that OFTEN have coupons available.
2. I changed my focus to creating food storage. When something non-perishable is a great deal, you stock up. You have canned foods and boxed meals for a rainy day (like the end of the month when you've maxed your grocery budget and you are trying not to go back to the store till next paycheck)
Couponing has also made me more aware of the grocery ads. When you coupon, you want to use your coupon when the item is also on sale so you maximize your savings. By looking through the ads (something I rarely did before), I have started to notice when the things I DO buy (that I don't necessarily have coupons for), are on sale. I am able to get the best deals on produce, household items, milk, eggs, etc. just by going to the store that has them the cheapest that week. Most of my savings has actually come just from getting sale items, I think.
Along with changing my focus, couponing (and the things I can buy with coupons) have changed the way I cook. Where I never would have bought Hamburger Helper before, I couldn't resist buying it at 9 cents a box this week. I noticed that as a busy mom, it's nice to have something there in the pantry that is already a meal. I can add fresh vegetables and experiment with the sauce and such, but the seasoning/sauce packet that's already in the box gives me something to work with. I'm one who hates coming up with meal ideas and I tend to doubt my cooking abilities so for now, these boxed meals are actually helpful.
So now I admire my lovely stock of boxed and canned goods in my pantry rather than trying to stuff yet another dress into my closet (or chair into my living room--yes, that was happening), and I feel really good knowing that if money got tight, we would be alright for a while.
See the next post to see how I'm couponing. I'll keep it simple (in case you are like me--avoiding it because it's too much work to even read how to do it)
Some friends have asked my system so I said I'd post it here. I've drawn a few conclusions about couponing that I'll start out with. (I'll put the system itself in another post for those who aren't interested in or too busy for my phisophizing....)
THE HUNT
I enjoy couponing because I enjoy finding great deals. My mom taught me the art of thrift store and yard sale shopping ("treasure hunting" we sometimes call it) from a young age, and I've always enjoyed the search and the find. I didn't mind being in the store for hours to find a great deal, and I almost always found that thing (or things) I didn't know I needed. :-)
The thing is, at this point in my life, I don't need any more stuff. I don't need clothes, I don't need interesting retro furniture pieces that I'm going to re-make "one day," and I don't need more cookware or whatever else I tend to pick up at these stores and yard sales. And besides that, I don't have any room for any of it. But food? You always need food. It gets consumed regularly. So couponing has been killing two birds with one stone for our budget. I get my "treasure hunting high" from finding great deals at the grocery store and in the ads, so I save the money I would have spent at D.I. on things I don't need, and I also get the food we do need for less.
My point? If you are like me and like to shop, couponing might be a good outlet for you. Because for me, the shopping was about the hunt, not necessarily the catch. Ya, a new pair of jeans is fun, but the buyer's remorse is almost not worth it sometimes.
The opposite might be true as well. If you don't enjoy the shopping process, you might not be a couponer, or at least you might not enjoy it. But you can keep it pretty simple--I basically cut out a portion of Facebook time (which who doesn't need to do that anyway) to go through ads and clip coupons. I can also work on it while I watch a show at night with my hubby so it doesn't have to be your new hobby if you don't want it to be.
A COUPONER's FOCUS
Ok, one of the reasons I put off couponing before is because I felt like there weren't coupons for the things I buy. Well, that has changed in two ways.
1. I became a mom and so I do buy things now like Cheerios and boxed meals, which are things that OFTEN have coupons available.
2. I changed my focus to creating food storage. When something non-perishable is a great deal, you stock up. You have canned foods and boxed meals for a rainy day (like the end of the month when you've maxed your grocery budget and you are trying not to go back to the store till next paycheck)
Couponing has also made me more aware of the grocery ads. When you coupon, you want to use your coupon when the item is also on sale so you maximize your savings. By looking through the ads (something I rarely did before), I have started to notice when the things I DO buy (that I don't necessarily have coupons for), are on sale. I am able to get the best deals on produce, household items, milk, eggs, etc. just by going to the store that has them the cheapest that week. Most of my savings has actually come just from getting sale items, I think.
Along with changing my focus, couponing (and the things I can buy with coupons) have changed the way I cook. Where I never would have bought Hamburger Helper before, I couldn't resist buying it at 9 cents a box this week. I noticed that as a busy mom, it's nice to have something there in the pantry that is already a meal. I can add fresh vegetables and experiment with the sauce and such, but the seasoning/sauce packet that's already in the box gives me something to work with. I'm one who hates coming up with meal ideas and I tend to doubt my cooking abilities so for now, these boxed meals are actually helpful.
So now I admire my lovely stock of boxed and canned goods in my pantry rather than trying to stuff yet another dress into my closet (or chair into my living room--yes, that was happening), and I feel really good knowing that if money got tight, we would be alright for a while.
See the next post to see how I'm couponing. I'll keep it simple (in case you are like me--avoiding it because it's too much work to even read how to do it)
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