Happy New Year

A little Kelleher update:

We are expecting baby 3 to arrive any day now (the due date is still two weeks out).

Michael is teaching at a Catholic boys’ high school in Toledo, OH, so that’s where we live now.

Nikki is 3 1/2 and starting to learn some reading. She is also getting very good at memorization. So far she has memorized two poems, and we are currently working on Psalm 23.

Penny is 20 months and really starting to talk more. She’s only put together one or two two-word sentences, but her vocabulary has grown pretty quickly over the last month. She surprised me yesterday when we were at the Disney Store and she saw a doll and said, “‘Punzel!” I did not know she knew Rapunzel’s name.

I started my own business at the end of October mostly for fun, but also to help accelerate our goal of paying off the rest of my student loans and saving a down-payment for a house. You can check out my website here.

I’m currently knitting up a little sleep sack for the baby. It’s adorable, and you can check it out here.

Lacy Socks

So, those lacy socks I mentioned in my last post were finally finished just after Christmas (a Christmas present for my sister). Of course, before I boxed them up, I forgot to get a picture of them. I didn’t get a picture of my Van Gogh hat before I donated it, either! I’ve got to get better about this! I am starting a new pair of lacy socks. I had thought they were for me when I started, but as I was going, I realized I was spending a lot of my knitting time praying for someone while I was making them. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to give these as a gift to the person I’ve been praying for?” So, I think that’s the plan for those.

I doubt I would ever try to sell the socks. For one thing, the materials are more expensive (I don’t know why sock yarn is so expensive!), and for another thing, they take SO much time. I don’t think anyone would pay what I would feel I should ask just for a pair of socks (definitely more than $50)!

I know I’ve been promising to get some more items posted in my store. Some of you may know that I donated a bunch of things to Michael’s school for an auction fundraiser they were doing. So, that really cleared out my inventory. Then, I started making things just after Christmas, hoping to get some posted, but they got bought up before I ever had a chance!

So, now that the holiday is over, and I’m slightly caught up on my grading, maybe I can get a little work done!

The girls are doing great. Penny likes to walk (while holding my hands), and follow Nikki all over the house. Nikki has had a renewed interest in her baby dolls (not sure what sparked it). She’s named them all “Penny,” and she loves putting them down for a nap. Everyone has to kiss her “Penny” babies when it’s nap time. She’s also announced that her “Penny” pooped and needs a change. When I told her to go change her, she said, “No, Momma do it.”

For now, we’re enjoying our NH winter that seems low on snow (the main snowfall they got here was while we were on Christmas vacation!). Michael is busy (as always) with school. This year he’s teaching some US History as well as the Latin and literature classes. He really loves it too. That’s been fun, because one of my online classes I’m teaching is also US History, and it seems like our readings are almost always in sync! It’s been fun to discuss and learn together.

Boheme Sweater for Penny Pie

I love knitting. And I’ve finally had a little time to get back into it. I barely did any since last winter! It’s such a shame, I know. I think I got burnt out on a pair of lacy socks I was working on (sock #1 still not finished!).  They’re cute though, and one day I will reveal the masterpiece!

In any case, this was a perfect project to get back into it. I wanted to make something for Penny (since I made something for Nikki when she was tiny). I decided on this sweater. The pattern was a breeze (after I checked the internet on how to do a few things). I’m so happy with it! Except I wish I hadn’t skimped on the yarn I bought. I got something acrylic! I know, horrible, right. I don’t have a huge expendable budget, though, so I have to make do.

I’m in love with this. I feel like I want to make them in every color! Perhaps using some nicer yarn this time? The pattern calls for bulky sock yarn. But from what I’ve seen, sock yarn is the most expensive. But it can be so adorable!  Anyway, now you can see how crafty I am!

Sometime soon, I’m going to be updating my etsy store with more items. I am ashamed to say it, but I forgot to get pictures of my “Van Gogh” inspired hat (inspired by the Almond Tree in Blossom painting).  I’ve already sent it off to be auctioned away at the HFA Gala Auction. I might actually go to the auction, and if I do, I’ll try to get a picture of it. I want to produce some more of those, and some new designs I’ve been cooking up. So, keep an eye on my etsy store!

Snazzy Butternut Squash Soup

**Name of soup suggested by Heidi and Michael (a collaboration).

We had an awesome sale on Butternut Squash 2 weeks ago. I’ve been longing for some good Butternut Squash soup, but had been disappointed with recipes I’ve tried in the past. I decided to create my own recipe. Michael says it’s the best soup he’s ever had. It was great as left-overs too! I always find that’s the case with soups. Because they’ve got so much more time for the flavors to blend.

1 Butternut Squash
3 cups Chicken Broth (or water + 2 chicken bullion cubes)
1 can Coconut milk
3 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp.red curry powder
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. or less cayenne pepper (I really just did a quick shake of the bottle over the pot, but it was not much)*

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the squash and cut it in half. Lay it open in a baking dish filled with 1/4 inch water. Season with salt and pepper and dab with butter. Cover and bake 40 minutes.

2. Once squash has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and put chunks of squash into the blender. If your blender is like mine, you may have to add some of the chicken broth to make it blend smoother. You will also probably have to puree the squash in batches (2-3). Empty into a soup pot.

3. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Perfect with an autumn ale.

*I enjoy a little spice, and it seemed to fit in quite well with this soup. Still, do it to taste, and remember that Cayenne packs a punch! With the little bit that I added, I couldn’t taste it at first when I was making the soup. But during the meal it came out in just a nice mild heat. Perfect!

Another Coupon Update

Despite just having the baby, I’ve kept up the coupon shopping. I’ve mostly toned it down a lot though. Taking advice from several coupon veterans, I have narrowed my shopping to one grocery store per week, and one drug store. However, this week, I ended up doing two grocery stores and two drug stores. I just felt like the deals justified it, and I didn’t let myself over think it. I also think that the longer I do this, the less time I have to spend on it.

I’ve been getting my groceries for around $30-40 per week now, and diapers have still been under $5 per pack. This week I bought three packs for $1.00 each.  This is great since they’re normally priced at $11.99!  It’s also nice since Penny has gone through 8 packs of diapers since she was born already! It’s incredible! I thought I was so well stocked before she came, but she goes right through them.

Favorite things about coupon shopping:

• The thrill of the hunt
• Diapers for less than 1/2 off
• Cereal for under $1.00
• Full freezer and full pantry
• I don’t have to shop every week if I don’t want to
• I can afford to make substantial donations to the food pantry
• Regularly getting free toiletries, household items, and groceries

Things I don’t like:

• Clipping the coupons
• Filing the coupons
• Forgetting to buy things because I didn’t have a coupon

Penelope Rose

We have the newest member of our family with us now. She was born on May 26 at 1:52am. She was 8 lbs. even, and 19.5 inches long.

It’s been a lot of fun watching how Nicolette responds to Penny. At first she was shy, but now she likes to feel her hair, hold her, and help mommy calm her down.

Now we’re just settling in, getting used to eachother, and trying to find a good schedule. Penny still sleeps A LOT. I think she looks a lot like Nicolette did.

Catch-up! Weeks 10, 11, 12…?

So, it’s been a little while, and I didn’t update. I haven’t been too intense with the shopping, because we had my parents in town for an extended Easter weekend. I know that I went to Shaws for about $20.00 (it included a $6.50 turkey and some other odds and ends I wanted for while they were here). Then we had to make a few other trips out throughout the weekend since Nicolette came down with ANOTHER stomach bug. Poor kid. This one was way worse for her than the one before. Anyway, In all, I think we probably spent $50.00 for that week. We didn’t get anything exciting since a lot of it was grabbing stuff while we were already out. I got really bummed that $50 or so dollars were spent and not a ton of stuff recieved…haha. Silly.

Week 10: Anyway, last week, I didn’t really feel like there was anything really awesome at the grocery stores, so I didn’t go shopping except to go to Rite Aid really quick for a diaper deal.

Week 11: RITE AID: Spent: $7.78 (Net: $0.28); Saved: $16.29; Earned: $7.50
Got: Pampers Cruisers – Jumbo pack, 1 Sunchips bag, 1 Gillette Fusion Power Razor, 1 Crest Pro-health Toothpaste. All for $0.28!!! Sweet!

Week 12: So then this week I had to go to the store. It’s time. We need milk, etc. So, it was time. Still nothing AWESOME. Oh well. I did stock up on meat. Chicken breast for $1.99 which is about as good as I’ve seen it “in these parts,” and I managed to get a pound of ground turkey for $0.99 and a pound of ground turkey breasts for $1.69. As well as some chicken thighs for about $1.00/lb. Nice! So, we’re all stocked up on the poultry for a while! I wonder if Turkey tacos are any good? I’ll post a more in depth look at week 12 once I decide if I am going to do any drugstore shopping. But so far, I’ve spent about $60.00. A litte above usual (but is that okay since I only spend $0.28 last week?).

Up next: baby updates!

Week 9: Final Fling

All for $12.00

 I had mentioned that I would probably go back to get more Doritos at the great discounted price. Today I got 6 more bags, each for $1.00. Then I decided to buy a bunch of yogurt. It was inexpensive, and we like it, so I got 12 cups for $4. That adds up to $10. I had also talked about getting a ham on sale, but there is no room in the freezer. However, I did hear about a deal through the blogs: free cereal! Because of what cereals were left at the store (some were totally cleared out, and I did go to 3 different stores), I ran out of some coupons and wasn’t able to use others. So instead of free, I got all this cereal (28 boxes) for $2.00.

All adds up to $12.00.

Crunching the Numbers: Coupons and Time

A lot of people ask the question, “Is couponing really worth the time? Doesn’t it take lots of time?”

I will admit that you don’t have to spend as much time as I do. It’s just become a bit of a hobby for me. I think I spend a few hours a week clipping and planning. The rest of the time that I spend, I am reading different coupon blogs. But, I’ve learned a few things. Most of the blogs are also reading other blogs. So if you’re following a good blog, you’ll get all the good deal alerts in one place. You don’t have to read several blogs to stay on top of it all. For New England, I recommend Maven of Savin’ or Frugal Living and Having Fun (I have links to both on my side-bar under the Coupon section).

Anyway, I do think that you can do it without spending too much time. And, if you have favorite TV shows, you can do like me and clip while you watch!

I just read a very interesting article on the financial benefits of coupon clipping. The author did a breakdown of the average coupon savings compared to the time spent. If you treat coupon clipping as if it were a job with a paycheck, how does $86.40 an hour sound? And that is tax free “income!”

When I think about it, last week I saved almost $150 on groceries. I probably spent about 3 hours clipping, sorting, and putting together my list. I also spent an extra 2 hours shopping. So if you calculate 5 hours for $150, that’s $30/hr. Still sounds good to me! However, in week 6 I saved about $225. That’s $45/hr!

Still, with couponing, my menu planning, list making, and coupon clipping is replacing my old method of menu planning and list making. What I mean is, if I spend 5 hours a week on coupon planning and shopping, it’s not 5 extra hours that I would normally have. What I used to do is go shopping once every two weeks. I’d spend and hour to two hours making a menu, then making a grocery list, and then about an hour in the grocery store (sometimes longer, depending on how busy it was there). So, 3 hours every 2 weeks or 1.5 hours a week. So really, I’m adding only 3.5 hours per week to my old routine…It’s really not so bad!

Coupon Experiment: Week 9, Baby!

Week 9!!! This is becoming a way of life for me, for sure. When I think about paying full price for things, I cringe.

Anyway, here’s an update. I think I went a little crazy this week, considering I made all these trips in one day with Nicolette in tow, and with a midwife appointment in the middle of the day. I kinda got to a point in the day where I thought to myself: “I don’t want to go back out and have to do all this again tomorrow!” So, I made sure I wouldn’t have to!

RITE AID: Spent: $17.96 (Net: $8.97); Saved: $13.00; Get: $2 SCR and $6.99 Mail-in-rebate
Got: 2 Jumbo packs Huggies Diapers, 2 packs Huggies diaper wipes, 2 Organix (yummy smelling) shampoo and conditioners, 1 single serve Pepperidge Farm Goldfish (Niki needed a snack!)
This transaction was for the diapers and wipes, obviously. I figure $8.97/4 diapering items = $2.24 each! Not too shabby!

WALGREENS: Spent: $7.44 (Net: $5.44); Saved: $16.95; Earned: $1.00 Register Rewards (Alice, who hates couponers, was there again. She didn’t scan one of my $1.00 coupons, which is annoying. I’m trying not to imagine that she did it on purpose. I’ll be going back for my $1.00 later!)
Got: 2 packs Oscar Meyer Bacon, 6 Snickers bars, 1 Lightning McQueen (from Cars) toy keys for Nicolette ($2.50), and 3 re-usable grocery bags

CVS: Spent: $9.69 (Net: $8.69); Saved: $43.89; Earned: $1.00 ECB
Got: 2 gallons milk, 1 jumbo pack Pampers diapers, 6 bags Hershey’s and Reese’s Easter candy, 1 bag SweetTarts Chicks, Ducks and Bunnies (my FAVORITE EASTER CANDY!!! I definitely did NOT have a coupon for those! But they were a filler to use a $3/$15 coupon!) 1 pack TicTacs (Nicolette opened them), 1 Crest mouthwash, 1 Colgate toothpaste

STOP & SHOP: Spent: $16.65 (Net: $11.65); Saved: $17.18; Earned: $5.00 Mail-in-rebate
Got: 1 sweet onion, 1 head lettuce, big bunch bananas, bunch of kale, 2 canisters of Crystal Light Peach Tea mix, 2 lamb shoulder chops (ended up being $0.50 total with the manager’s coupon!), Cinnamon Chex, 3 Zip-lock disposable containers, 4 Celeste frozen pizzas (these were $0.88 each and if you bought four you earned 100 points towards S&S gas rewards – or an extra $0.10 off per gallon at their gas station!), 6 Yoplait yogurts

SHAWS: Spent: $25.70 (Net: $15.70); Saved: $55.78; Earned: $10.00 Catalina coupon off next shopping trip
Got: 4 Hot Pockets, 3 gallons Edy’s ice cream, 2 boxes Drumsticks ice cream, 1 Aunt Jemima French toast sticks, 3 cans store brand canned veggies, 1 Quaker rice cakes, 4 boxes Honey Bunches of Oats, 4 boxes Kraft Whole Grain Mac ‘n’ Cheese, 3 bags Doritos chips, 2 bags Wise chips, 6-pack rolls from the bakery.

Week 9 Spending: $50.72
Week 9 Savings: $146.80

I am still contemplating going back to Shaw’s a few times for more Doritos deals: they were on sale, buy 1 get 2 free. Also, Hannaford has Ham on sale this week for $0.77/lb. I think that’s a pretty good deal. So I may be picking one up if I think it might fit in the freezer. That’s a bit iffy.

What’s for dinner this week?
Shrimp Po’ Boys (What can I say? They’re a big hit with Michael)
Grilled Tilapia, rice and salad
Bangers and Mash (with Kale)
Chili dogs and salad (and probably some chips!)
A Sausage & Cabbage skillet meal (From Cheap, Fast, Good)

Baby update: The midwife could feel where the head was (down) which I thought was cool. I always poke around, but can’t really tell which body parts I’m getting jabbed with. Also, I didn’t gain any weight between last visit and this visit. We’re attributing that to the stomach flu. Everything else was great, she said. So we’ve got 10 weeks to go, give or take!