pricematching.

I have to admit something that truly pains me a little bit. It's hard to believe, but Walmart actually made me a tiny bit happy this week. I know, hard to believe.

But one word sums it up: pricematching.

You've probably seen their commercials over the past few months and may have even figured that, like many advertisements, there was a lot of fine print involved. So I've been giving it a try once in a while over the past few months........and well, I must say, I've been very pleasantly surprised. Not one hassle. Not one argument. They simply adjust the price.

Their marketing technique may even work brilliantly if it continues.

I was one who being fed up with such horrible customer service & long lines had said

see ya Wally's and hello Trader Joe's & Target.

And I love my TJ's & Target there is no doubt.

But I also have this thing called the Bottom Line and for us right now, every single penny counts.

So I save the ads that come in the weekly circulars and write down all the best prices I see. (It works easiest for me to write them all down in a list so I can easily tell them at the register instead of digging through 4 circulars.)  

Aldi's & Bottom Dollar are the ones that work best for me. Aldi's doesn't have brand names, Bottom Dollar has some....but where I have scored so big is in the produce!

We seriously go through the produce. I have paid close to $20 a week sometimes.

Produce can be so expensive, but A & BD throw out some really great deals.

(btw, I was also able to do deals on bacon, sausage, toilet paper & sugar as well)

Here's some of my happy produce deals:

 cantaloupe & pineapple: 99 cents each

3 lb. bag of onions: 89 cents/bag (yes, that's 7 onions!)

5 lb. bag of potatoes: 1.68

sweet potatoes: 29 cents/lb.

4 lb. bag of oranges: 1.97

strawberries: 1.68

bananas: 39 cents/lb

baby carrots: 97 cents

All in all, my total for produce was 11.66.

Without pricematching, it would have been 23.37.

And so that, my friends, is significant enough in my book to occasionally drag myself back. =)

So now you know why my shopping day essentially takes up my entire day {around taking care of the kiddos}. I do my 2-week meal plan, write my list, plan my pricematching, manage coupons.....thankfully I only have to do this every 2 weeks. :)

Here's what we'll be eating the next 2 weeks:

{I'll let it go without saying that fruit/veggies will be obvious sides.}

T: sweet & sour chicken/rice - 'cept changing the sauce

W: Ham/Cheese Sliders - trying this for the first time!

Th: Carbonara Pizza

F: doing a restaurant review for the Momtourage

{Bd's Mongolian Grill!}

S: Hamburgers on the grill/potato wedges

S: dinner at friends for Easter

(making homemade crescent rolls & dessert)

M: Omelets/Bacon

T: Ricotta/Tomato/Basil Pasta

W: Chicken fajitas

Th: homemade bbq meatballs/mac & cheese

F: tuna sandwiches/sweet potato fries

S: chicken/bacon/tomato/avacado quesadillas

S: Sloppy joes

M: Quick Quiche

T: Chicken parm/pasta

Also going to try some homemade ranch dressing, since Graham goes through it like it's going out of style.

And now, I think I need a snack. =)

A fresh buttermilk oatmeal muffin should do!

Children of the Cloth..................

It is hard to believe I have been cloth diapering now for over a year! I have learned a lot in that year! I get a lot of questions about it, so here is my general synopsis of what has worked for us.

Andrew first asked me to consider CD's right after Graham was born. At the time, I think my reaction was something like, "are we going to stop using electricity too?"!! I had no idea that this was a huge movement and that there are tons of amazing, easy options available and that lots of moms are going this route! Of course, with a newborn, I didn't have too much spare time to research, so I basically went with the simplest, cheapest method I could find. I started out with 24 prefolds & 3 Thirsties covers. For inserts, I used strips of cloth (from old t-shirts and such).

(Bummis cover)

Thirsties covers are great. They have a great fit around the legs that really keep leaks from happening. One thing I don't love about them is that the front tab is not very high, so when they're not wearing a onesie, they tend to leak out the top. About 5 months in, my Thirsties covers started soaking right through the cover. I thought I was going to have to buy all new covers, but at the time, I instead purchased 3 all-in-ones of Bumgenius 3.0. [cue*choir singing!!!!!!!!!! ] If I would have known these existed..............! These are a diaper/cover/insert all in one piece (though you do pull out the insert to wash). So, LOVE these and they have worked perfectly for night time! I usually do add an extra insert, but he does not wake up with that sopping, dripping mess of an overnight pre-fold! So, after I started using these at night, the Thirsties covers stopped leaking! Apparently they were just getting too much use! Somewhere along the way, I also added this cute polka-dot Bummis cover. I love the material, it's a lot more water-resistant than the Thirsties. However, the leg openings do not close as well as the Thirsties. I also picked up 2 of these Bummis covers. They are certainly nothing fancy, but at only $5 each, they are a steal and I like to use them for naptimes!

Since discovering all-in-one diapers, I have been keeping my eyes peeled for steals & deals!! I recently was able to score 3 all-in-ones for FREE!! However, because they were a freebie, I am on a waiting list to get them. I can't wait to use them!! One of them is this adorable Happy Heiny's All-in-One in Mocha.

But my new love is most certainly the Gro-Baby line! Of course, even as I tell you this, they recently changed to Gro-Via. But I THINK they are still somewhat the same. I already have one of these, and hopefully will get 2 more (from my freebies). These are awesome and only include a cover & snap-in insert. The top of the cover comes up higher, so no leaks out the top either! You just pull out the insert to change. They also sell a disposable insert for when you are the go. Of course, my thinking is, if I have to use a disposable insert, I might as well use a disposable diaper that I can find for $3-4 a pack. But anyways, I am looking for ways to add to my stash of these for sure!  

When I first started, basically I would throw G in a disposable for something as simple as running to the Post Office. :) Now, I even sometimes change him away from home and have even used them on vacation! I will say, it just gets much easier as you go. For when you are the GO, you carry soiled ones in a special Bag. Probably sounds gross, but it's not that bad.

The most negative view most people have of them is the LAUNDRY. For me, it's one load every 3 days. Has not been a big deal at all! The worst part is dealing with the grossness. Yes, there is some grossness involved. :) I have way more familiarity with my son's you-know-what than I would prefer. I am really thankful I have a basement for sure! I keep all the soiled dipes down there until ready to wash. For those without basements, I am wondering, how do you best contain everything?? (above they air out between uses).

Oh, another great thing about the all-in-ones? They are one size from birth to potty training, so I don't have to buy more as he grows! (Hence, the rows of snaps on some of them).

So, bottom line, I am really glad I made the switch. I have spent less than $175, which is about 4 months of disposables! If you are thinking about making the switch, definitely consider it! I am sure you will do your research better than me and find out it might not be as bad as you think. :) 

Some great sites to check are Diaper Junction & The Natural Baby Co. & Kelly's Closet & Franklin Goose (they gave me the freebies, so definitely have to pitch them!).

These 2 blogs (CD blog & Diaper Whisperer) host diaper giveaways every week!! I have yet to win, but can always hope. :)

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So, those of you who have gone this route, what have you learned that has been most helpful in making it as convenient as possible and what diapers do you love the most??

Probably the most time-consuming thing in the laundry for me is folding the inserts. So have you found great inserts that work well? I have tried using a pre-fold diaper and they just aren't very absorbant it seems.

___________________

Less diapers in our landfills.

More money in our pockets.

What's not to love?!

Stretching a buck @ Target..................

I think it drives some people crazy to hear about other people great deals that they score. I don't want to drive you crazy. :) I post this because a) I am so thankful & it is a blessing to us b) because I only learned how getting these kind of deals was possible by seeing others people's successes.
I have been slow to get into the deal game. #1) I was absolutely opposed to running to 6 different stores a week #2) for me, I could have consistent savings by doing all my shopping a wal-mart.
Recently I added CVS to my game plan. If you see all the rite aid/walgreens/cvs deals that are posted each week, it can be quite overwhelming. So I kind of kept an eye on all 3 and until I decided that CVS has the total best plan. You can buy products and immediately use your "extra bucks" on the rest of your purchases, they don't hassle with you over coupons (my walgreens experience!) and they have amazing promotions. I could go on about the deals I am [slowly] starting to score there, but I am sure that would bore you. So all that to say, IF you're contemplating any of them, CVS might be worth your time!
I also see Target deals posted, but Target just isn't convenient for me to get to, so I usually don't go. However, this week, I was totally lured by a hobo bag. :)
So I spent some time going over the Target deals for this week, printing my coupons and making my plan! (yes, it does take SOME time, but I figure that part of my job description is stretching our dollars as far as possible) :)
I was able to get all these products for just $10! (Total without sales/coupons would have been $33!)
Polo shirt for Andrew - $8 sale, $3 coupon=$5
Pure & Natural hand soap - $3 each, $2 coupons=$1 each
Pillow - $2.79, $1.50 coupon=$1.29
Johnson's buddy soap - $1.02, $1 coupon=2 cents :)
Annie's mac-n-cheese - $1.25. (I didn't have a coupon, but it was on sale, and well, I just love mac-n-cheese!!) This organic one is my current fav!

And the bag lure that brought me in (but you never know IF you'll be able to get the deals other people have).....SCORE. This amazing (it's actually orange) hobo bag - 74 cents (after my coupon, which apparently is not available anymore!).
So I'd say for this week, it was worth the trip!
I hope you're able to snag some great deals this week as well!