Sunday, September 18, 2011

Just Tell It Like It Is

When people come to our house we make every effort to have it feel nice and inviting. We work to make it clean, decorated, child-proof, and whatever.

But then we're busy, we work, we have callings, responsibility, then there are all those family things that you try to squeeze into the one-day weekend and it seems like there just isn't enough time to actually live in a house like that all the time.

In an effort for this blog to reflect the state of our house right now, I present to you a typical Sunday afternoon:

Do you have those days where your toy bins look like this:

Because you family room looks like this:

And the kitchen looks like this:

And that is milk that has been forgotten for more than a day...

Yeah, we're not put together all the time either. Good thing it's Sunday, the day of rest, and I can think about dealing with it all tomorrow.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Subscribe & Save

So - I'm turning into an online shop-a-holic. Since I have a 1-year old child I have no real desire to go to the store with a child that hates her car seat and is independent and wants to walk everywhere I have been buying my GROCERIES online - and I have to say that I LOVE IT!

I have decided that I personally hate coupons. I feel like it takes up too much of my time and printer ink. Plus, it's horribly frustrating to go the store and have them be out of what I have a coupon for because some woman before me bought 20 bottles of mustard and I only wanted 1! I've tried various grocery sites over the years and am responsible for my families meal planning, making, and grocery shopping. I have stopped cooking from boxed items and I make most things from scratch. I'm not able to buy everything online for a good deal but I buy several non-perishable grocery add-ons through Amazon.

I stop at the grocery store about every 10 days to buy milk, yogurt, and produce. I stop at the lds cannery about once a month to add to my staple items and then I watch sales for other things and stock up when their cheap. In watching sales and learning my prices I have learned that Amazon is sometimes wonderfully competitive to good grocery store deals. Plus, Amazon offers 3 things that the grocery store doesn't - no sales tax, free shipping to my door, and I know if it's in stock without leaving my bed!

In addition, my husband takes a lunch to work just about everyday. Oliver is a creature of habit and has been eating PB&J since 1st grade. That coupled with a piece of fruit, some carrots, a Yoplait yogurt, and a treat make a complete lunch. The treat part is where Amazon comes in (if I was a better wife he'd have homemade cookies or something to take - and he does maybe 2% of the time - so it's the other 98% we're discussing). I have been able to buy cheez-its for $1.50 per box, teddy grahams for $.28 per package, organic fruit snacks, organic crackers, etc. I also buy Kraft Mac&Cheese (because nothing else is as good) for $.48 per box.

The other benefit to amazon shopping, if you aren't going to coupon, is that disposable diapers and wipes are cheaper than anywhere else! They come to my door, I can get one delivered the next day if I'm in a pinch, and I don't have to wait for a Costco coupon. I'll admit that diaper deals are better with coupons and rite-aid rewards, blah, blah, blah but as previously disclosed that's just not for me. We also do cloth diapers 95% of the time and I just need a box is disposables for when we camp or vacation and so I'm interested in convenience. I can get Huggies, delivered and with no sales tax, for cheaper than Kirtland brand with a coupon. That is success!

Anyway, shopping on Amazon has actually lowered my monthly grocery bill even further (which I didn't think was possible) because I'm not tempted to buy other stuff at the store because I just don't walk down any of the aisles. I walk the perimeter and out! It has also added to my food storage (I bought a 12-pack of Skippy Organic PB (Oliver is a PB brand snob) for $1 a jar) and now it's just waiting when I'm ready. If you don't have storage space then maybe this route isn't for you - but I LOVE AMAZON GROCERY SHOPPING!