So you wanna be frugal?

People will do anything to save a buck.

Seriously, have you watched the show Extreme Cheapskates on TLC?
 

Sorry, but I refuse to reuse my dental floss or pee in a jar just to save a few dollars. Not happenin folks!

However, with becoming a one income family I have been on the lookout for ways (that are not disgusting!) to help us save some money.

I follow many different coupon sites on my Facebook and have gotten some awesome deals on gifts or household necessities from them. Some of my favorites are: Raining Hot Coupons, The Krazy Coupon Lady, and The Frugal Girls.



Groceries

The biggest part of my weekly shopping list is decided based on a blog that an awesome lady in my hometown started! Walmart is the main place to shop at in our little town and Mrs. Emily Graves learned how to take full advantage of their ad match policy. She puts out a comp list weekly (Wednesday nights) with our local competitors prices on everything from shredded cheese to diapers. I have saved so much money using this list and base my meal plan off of what I can get a great deal on that week. You can also combine the comp list with coupons! Score!

Get the comp list here

I don't consider myself a pro at using the comp list by any means but after some trial and error I have found what works for me during trips to Walmart so let me know if you have any questions!

Pinterest was a great resource (Imagine that!) when I started to meal plan. I wanted to know how to save money by planning ahead and let's be real, this momma doesn't always feel like putting a lot of effort into cooking. So if our meal for that night is already planned out or I can just throw something in the crockpot I am much more likely to feel up to the job!

The best tips I got from all of my research was to use your leftovers! Plan a leftovers night where the whole family gets their choice of what they want from that weeks meals or plan your leftovers into meals on another night. Every couple of weeks I will make a huge pot of chili and then dish out some for the fridge, freezing the rest. I will eat the chili in the fridge for lunch occasionally but then the chili in the freezer gets pulled out for other meals. We can make chili dogs or frito chili pie among other things, 3 meals in one!

Another great tip was to shop in your own pantry! I forget what I have in my cabinets half the time and the other half I used to not take the time to look, just put it on the grocery list and go. Now I take the time to check ingredients off my list that I already have. I also go through the fridge and check which items are about to expire and need to be used. I can then plan a meal around those items and save us more money!

The best site I found for meal planning was Blissful and Domestic. She inspired me to be smart when planning ahead and I have tried many of her recipes, all of them are great!

Formula

I had some complications after birth that caused breast feeding not to work out for me. It was tough at first but I've accepted it and am very happy with how formula feeding has turned out! Formula became extremely important for us but it is super expensive! Luckily I had registered on many different websites to receive free samples of Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber formula. We have received many FREE large cans of formula in the mail and I continue to get $5+ coupons from them. I never ever pay full price for formula!

Similac StrongMoms

 

Register Here

 

 

 

Register for savings

 

Clothes, accessories, gifts, and more

I spend WAY too much time shopping online for things I don't need but also have been able to find great deals! With Christmas coming up and being on a budget you always want to be able to find good quality gifts but for a low price. I have purchased many items from Pick Your Plum and loved everything I have received! I also have a new diaper bag on its way from Simple Addiction that I paid under $20 for so I'll let you know how that comes out. I have yet to order much off of Zulily but am always seeing great deals and feel tempted to spend almost daily!

Groupon is also another one of my favorites as I have found deals on gift cards (Pay $5 for a $10 gift card) and specials on tickets or activities around KC.

 

Go there now for $19 Stanford & Sons Comedy Club tickets!

Add myHeartlandLove to Facebook and be informed of great deals as I find them! I don't have much going on with my new page yet but soon it will get kicked into gear! I'm continuing to work on the items for my Etsy store but don't want to jump into this venture without making sure everything is done right! I will be revealing my creations on here and on Facebook when they are up for sale!



In other news, we are ready to Rock Chalk in this house tonight!

Ok well, some of us are... Go KU!

The Story of Us- Part 2

If you need to catch up on our story, you can read Part 1 here.

Almost 1.5 years later (Fall 2006), I was over 3 hours away from home at Barton County Community College and Kyle was still at Emporia. Both of our relationships had fizzled out but I had been so busy with dance, school, work, etc. that I hadn't been back to Emporia for awhile. In October, my sister called to invite me to come down to Emporia for her last night working at The Dugout, the best bar at the time at ESU!

I couldn't wait to get away for the weekend with my best friend in tow and let loose! This night was extremely packed at the bar as everyone loved my sister and she was a great bartender! Of course Kyle and his friends came down to bid farewell to Jen and we proceeded to flirt most of the night. At one point he was teasing me about kissing him and a friend was egging it on. I ended up leaning over and kissing him while sitting on the pool table during the chaos.




Our first picture together after I went to his indoor softball tournament in Topeka





 

From there we started travelling to see each other almost every weekend. I surprised him at his Halloween party and he drove down to watch me perform in Great Bend. It was a 2- 2.5 hour drive but I would go late at night and drive back early in the morning, making it back in time for class.

Halloween 2006

There are so many memories of how much fun we had in those few months. Competing at darts, walking to the park to swing, driving in the country, testing Kyle's sports knowledge, drinking games, "mudding" in my Ford Taurus, jamming to NSYNC in the car, Great Bend Zoo, Ben & Jerrys with movie night, parties with friends, New Year's Eve, The Dugout, and I could go on and on. We could have so much fun just sitting around either of our houses, doing nothing.

New Years 2007

Christmas 2006- We unknowingly got each other Braves hats

 

 

Kyle asked me many times to make things official and I never told him yes. I knew that a relationship with him would be serious and I just wasn't ready for that. I could tell that he was head over heels and it scared me as I had unresolved issues. We dated off and on until May of 2007 when I knew I had to call it off for good.

I remember driving to Emporia and sitting outside his college house having the goodbye talk. I told Kyle I just wasn't in it and we needed to be done. Even though Kyle was hurt he never uttered a negative word and just let me know that he really cared. I felt horrible but I just wasn't feeling it at the time and needed space to be on my own.

Visiting me at Barton- November 2006

 

 

Hanging out at Babe's during a random drive to Etown

Sister's Birthday- January 2007

I had done college visits at Emporia State but came to a decision that I was going to attend Kansas State University. My closest friends were going there and all of my friends at Emporia I had met through Kyle. I knew things would be awkward and it made my decision a little bit easier.

Looking back now I get a little mad at myself that I made that decision. I had many good times at Kstate but also struggled there and wished I would have went straight to ESU. I feel like I lost years of time with Kyle we could have had together (as I think things might have been different if I would have been living there) but then I have to remember that things happen exactly the way they are supposed to. We went through experiences that made us a better fit for each other and we learned many lessons from our relationships while we were apart that made us that much more thankful to have each other.

"I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true."

-"God Bless the Broken Road" Rascal Flatts

 
 
 
 

Winter 2006- One of my favorite pictures of us

So thankful for this man!

 To be continued...