Taking A Moment to Relax

So today I want to take a moment and spend the time to let everyone know that I spent the time relaxing and it made the day all the more better. I have been under alot of stress and have been worried about trying to find a job and starting our future. We have had some big changes recently, We are looking at getting a home, a new car for me, and a job for me. So far I haven't had alot of luck and that has stressed me to the max. I am still looking and will continue to look until I am able to find something. However today wasn't about that, today was about taking the time to relax and try to take things easy so that way I can take the time to search some more.


Wish me luck!

Snowangel

Frugal Happenings!

Hi All!

I haven't done a frugal post in a bit but since this weekend I hit a huge consignment sale and a 7 mile yard sale I thought I would update you all on what I found! This weekend our local Dollar Generals had a sale on their diapers, they were half off so I got 248 diapers for under 24 dollars, I totaled it up and it was $0.09 a diaper and such a steal especially since they were all in our little ones diaper size so I grabbed all they had. They had dollar general brand and huggies for half off. I got an 80ct of Huggies for $7.85 and several 54 cts of Dollar general brand diapers for $4.47 each. I thought it was a wonderful deal!

My next stop was a consignment sale at the county fair grounds, they had tons of baby items and children items, carseats, bouncers, clothes, etc for great prices. I found a new crib sheet set, a shape sorter, a hand painted train shelf, and some cute onesies. All for under 15 dollars :)


My final stop was at a 7 mile yardsale! Each year the county has 7 miles that they dedicate so people can set up and and have yard sales back to back. I didn't find but some storybooks, I bought most of the classsic disney books for $1.00 and a talking winnie the pooh book.


Just racking up over here on the deals :) Last Week I got two chairs- a minion and a ninja turtle one as well as a paw patrol table for 6 bucks at Dollar General's Buy 1 get 2 free Deal!

Baby Cartoons and Political Nonsense

My little guy is five months now and as I sit here typing up this blog he is watching mickey mouse and it got me thinking. Cartoons are just like the political debates and posts everywhere, it is silly, and kinda annoying. While I love mickey after having a baby I just can't imagine watching it anymore haha. I feel the same way about watching the posts on facebook and hearing nonstop about the election. Yes, I am registered to vote, yes I plan to vote.. but I do not like either candidates. People are usually one way or another this election. Either voting for Trump or Hilary but did anyone ever really think about our third party candidates?? Yeah, we have more than two people running this year. Johnson is running and he was on the ballot for the last election as well. I voted for him last election and will be more than likely to vote for him again seeing as the other two candidates are possibly the worst candidates to ever run. But to be honest I am just voting because it is my duty as an American and while I believe everyone is entitled to their right of speech I cannot wait til after this election is over haha. 


With Love,

Snowangel

PS- Vote!!!

Gummy Bear Giveaway

http://blog.candyconceptsinc.com/2016/07/14/national-gummy-bear-day/


Love Gummi Bears? Enter this giveaway hosted by Candy Concepts!!! Info below

What:            Free – 5 (Five) Pounds of Wild Fruit Gummi Bears

When:           Enter by July 15^th, 2016 – 9:00pm EST

Where:         Candy Concepts, Inc.

How:             In the comments below, tell us you’re favorite flavor!

Did you know that gummy bears originated in Germany? This popular gelatin based candy comes in all shapes, flavors, and sizes. Normal size for a gummi bear is 2 cm high. Candy Concepts, Inc has the 12 wonderful Wild Fruit Gummi Bears in 5 pound and in 20 pound increments.

Enjoy flavors like Orange, Pineapple, Apple, Watermelon, Lemon, Cherry, Banana, Lime, Strawberry, Raspberry, Grapefruit, and Grape. Check it out today!

Come and help us celebrate “National Gummi Bear Day!” We are giving away 5 pounds, yes that’s right, delicious 5 pounds of Wild Fruit Gummi Bears. Be our lucky winner!

• Contest ends at 9:00pm on July 15, 2016.
• A winner will be randomly selected and notified by email by July 18, 2016.
• Once you are notified, Candy Concepts will ship your free candy.

See official contest rules and conditions at Terms and Conditions

http://blog.candyconceptsinc.com/2016/07/14/national-gummy-bear-day/      enter here!!!!

Letting Panic Take Over

I do not post too many personal things on my blog about myself because I still like to keep some privacy but a friend back home was talking about her own anxiety disorder and it resonated with me in such a way I felt the need to address mine in case it might help someone else. I have panic disorder, I have had it since I was 17 years old. I used to have panic attacks several times a week and couldn't focus on my school work, my college applications, and any other deadlines I had in my life. I barely could make it through the motions of a normal day and I hated myself for not having control over it. I was sent to a counselor who decided the only thing they could do for me was to medicate me, which I hated even more than the loss of control. Once I decided how much I disliked the medicines I decided that I would find some way to control myself, someway to help bring me back down. Because once my panic started, I would become agitated and cry, and scream, and my thoughts would become so bleak as if there was no hope, no light to my life. I slowly realized if I could let myself express my panic to others and then take a breath to calm myself enough. Then I would sit down and replan out whatever it was that was bothering me in a way to overcome the roadblock in my life. It helps, some days are better than others, and I wonder if I will ever be able to fully control that side of me that gets so upset every time something goes wrong or even when I think it may go wrong.  Reading my friends blog, I realized that sometimes you just need someone to know whats going on, and say hey I understand, I can relate. That feeling that someone gets you helps.

I hope that my words reach out and help someone who need that feeling in their life. May you find the peace that your mind and heart needs and know that there are others who feel the same.

With Understanding,

Snowangel

Budgeting and Emergency Funds

Hello All,

Today I decided to talk about emergency funds. I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and I hated it, sometimes we didn't have the money to pay our bills and the electric or cable would be turned off. When I asked my mother, she would say that she didn't have the money to pay it and it would be payed within the next few days. As I got older I decided that I would better budget out my money and live within my means. I read books, I started writing down my bills and what I would spend each month. While that was fine and dandy, I realized I still wasn't keep track of everything. So I was told by a friend to open a spreadsheet and write it down, then I would total it so I knew what money I would spend each month and had it written down. After I did that, I was able to figure out what money I could send to my savings and decided to start an emergency fund. I would take a few dollars per month and add them to my savings account and not touch that money. After awhile it adds up and you have a small sum to cover those months when you need a little extra money for bills, for automotive costs, and any other unexpected funds that you may not have planned for. 


Have A Frugal Day!

Snowangel

A child is born!

I haven't written in awhile, due to being constantly tired. However I am now typing this as my sweet sweet baby boy sleeps in his bouncer next to me. That's right, I finally had my sweet angel. He is now  two months old and sleeping through the night which excites me. I cannot believe it has been two months since I have written a post! However I have been still trying to do my swagbucks, and bing rewards, and a few surveys here and there in between taking care of a little one. May I say it is very hard and yet I am able to still earn a gift card or two here and there. I hope everyone is doing good and still working frugally towards their goals. Recently my partner and I have decided to up our goals and hopefully we will soon be able to tell you all about it.

Stay Frugal!

Snowangel

PS- Here is a pamper rewards code that is good until  6/20 11:59 CST FB84SL2DADDAY16. Good for 10 pts :)

Yard Sale!

So this weekend I decided to hit some yard sales!! WHOO! I haven't been out to check out yard sales in forever and was super excited to get out and spend a little bit and pick up some items that were on my list of things to get. The last time I did check out some yard sales was several months ago haha, growing up my family went every weekend and I find all kinds of deals even deals on stuff to put up for my friends and family members as gifts! I did miss out on the furniture I wanted because I slept in til 7:30 am but I did still find some deals. So here is what I found

A Thomas the Train Rug priced at 1.50. It was wrapped up, so it just looked like a rug and shoved into the linen products in a baby section. This rug retails around 20 dollars!!

Two 10 packs of Hangers for 2.00. I have been looking for hangers for my little guys room! So yay for super cheap hangers! Also this money went to support a church's (not a church I attend) missionary trip.

A Winnie the Pooh Photo Album for 1.00. I have been looking for a photo album for my little guys ultrasound photos and finally found one! I knew I was gonna spend at least a dollar on it whether I bought it new or not. Thankfully I found one that matched his decor for only a dollar! I scooped it up and am now getting ready to fill it with all his ultrasound photos.

The last item I got was a cloth diaper. They had a Bumgenius Albert Freetime Cloth Diaper for 10 dollars at the same church yard sale I got the hangers from. I have been wanting this cloth diaper for forever and could not see myself spending retail for it, so I have been keeping my eye out for some that were used but still very good condition. Free times can go for up to 20 dollars a piece and I got this one from a momma who hardly used it for 10 dollars and again the money went to helping a missionary trip. I snatched it up and it is currently being stripped so it can go in my stockpile of cloth diapers

All in all, I am pretty happy with my purchases and part of my money went to charity :) Definitely check out yard sales in your area, you might be surprised as to what you find!

So I debated over writing a blog post this week or not. I couldn't decide what I wanted to blog about this week. I have decided to write about what was on my mind. I know I do not have a good number of readers and those who do read my blogs probably wonder why I blog or how I choose my topics.  It is all completely by random to be honest, I blog because I thought that maybe I could help someone out with my frugal happenings or tips. I grew up really poor and have just a little bit more money now than what I had when I was a kid. I am not rich by any standards but I make ends meet. A lot of my childhood has been on my mind lately with thinking about how I am going to raise my child. I want him to want for nothing, to have everything I never had but at the same time I do not want to spoil him. I debate things like this over and over in my mind, how I might want to raise my children because to be honest I don't know what I am doing. I work on all the parenting things a little at a time or when they come up at that point and I need to decide my stance on the matter. Like for example I do not want him to have my sugar habits, I want him to eat healthier than me, to live a healthier lifestyle. I struggled with my weight and self-confidence and still do and I never want that for my children. I also do not wanna have them addicted to sugar and soda, I don't want them to have to grow up too soon. I want them to have the childhood I gave up to help my mother raise my sisters. Maybe it is the small things right now that I have to make decisions but I hope that I make the right ones for my kids. To repeat what a friend told me today, its your child and your decisions. Hearing her say that helped me because even if I do not make the best decision for my child at least I attempted to raise them the best that I could. 

Wishing you all the best,

Snowangel

Frugal Happenings and Whatnot

So still working over here on making sure I blog weekly about my life, all the cool stuff  I am doing and whatnot. So this week in my long journey of frugalness, I picked up some decor and house stuff from my neighbor. She gave me three red and brown rugs for my kitchen, three throw pillows, two containers of wooden coasters, and two dark red curtains. All of this home decor already matches what I have in my home so that was super lucky of me. Slowly but surely my kitchen is coming together. I am super excited, also in frugalness I have stayed home alot and haven't used but a half of a tank of gas in almost two weeks, which saves me 16 dollars!

In other news, yesterday my friends showered me with gifts at a surprise baby shower in my honor. I had lots of fun, and even though it was a few of us we played a few games, and ate some good food. I am so excited about having friends I can share these moments with in my life. I have always struggled with making and keeping friends and I can't believe I am lucky enough to have a small group of friends that I enjoy spending time with. So back to the gifts, I got a bunch of baby clothes, some bath and grooming products, two handmade blankets both of which were beautiful, a gift card, and some washcloths that were made into a washcloth bouquet. All of the gifts were much needed and will come in handy after my little guy is born. Also this saves me a good bit of money cause now I do not have to buy some of those items.

I also wrote thank you cards to my friends who gifted me at the shower. I used thank you cards I had at home and saved myself a trip out to buy some as well as the cost of the cards.These cards were cards I have leftover from another event so they came in handy.


I hope everyone has a frugal day!

Making a Carseat Cover and Other Frugal News

Hi All! As most of you know, I am expecting my first child in just a few short weeks, 6 weeks to be exact! I decided that I wanted to try to take it as cheaply as I could. So these past few weeks I have been combing the internet and checking out prices, doing curb alerts to pick up items he needed and researching homemade solutions. Today I decided I would post about my new work in project (WIP)! I am making a carseat canopy, yay!! I got a really simple design on the internet and will be making it with some fabric I have at home which I found in the bins at Walmart for .97 a yard and it is Winnie the Pooh so it will totally go with his Pooh theme in his nursery. I am super excited to try it as I am needing projects to keep me focused these last few weeks. I will be posting the super easy pattern below for you all to check out. In other news, this week for a curb alert I found a lady giving away used little boy clothes ranging anywhere from NB to 12 months. I got them from her and after a nice wash they were as good as new. I sorted them by which ones I new would work and weren't stained too bad and am proud to say that with my curb alert I got my little guy 20 new outfits to him! So that saved a ton and they are in bigger sizes too so I wont always have to rush to buy him the next size up! I am a big advocate of making sure you have a supply of clothes in the next size up just in case your baby grows. I have a small stockpile of clothes for him in sizes all the way up to size 4 in little boys. So my little fellow can grow as he pleases. Another yay for this week is that I finally found some decent deals on a car seat and breastmilk freezer bags were on sale this week! I bought an Evenflo Convertible Carseat on Amazon for 52.99, it is the #1 best seller for Convertible Carseats on Amazon, Lansinoh had 100 ct freezer bags on sale for 13.88 when they are normally 17 dollars,an add on item a Baby Einstein Bendy Ball that I originally ordered at 5.59 but hours later when it dropped to 4.88 I had amazon price adjust it for me saving me 71 cents more, and another add on item that was a gift for a friend a Petmate kitty cap for 1.09. With my gift card, I paid almost 63 dollars which is a steal! I will also post links and pictures for all of you to see!

Hoping you All have the Most Frugal Day!

Petmate Kitty Cap for 1.09- Add on Item on Amazon

Evenflo Carseat $52.99 on Amazon 
Evenflo Carseat

Baby Einstein Bendy Ball! This is going up as present for my little guy! Was 4.88 now down to 3.94! -Add on Item on Amazon
Bendy Ball

Breastmilk freezer bags, normally 17 for 100, I got on sale 13.88 for 100!

Breastmilk Freezer Bags

How to Save Money on A General Cleaner

If you clean like I do, you go through tons of cleaner a month! However I stopped buying actual cleaner years ago. Instead I make a solution of Water, Vinegar, and Dish Soap. I use it on everything. Yeah it does make your house a little vinegary but the vinegar is better for you, better if you have children about, and you don't have to worry about fumes. What I do is take an empty bottle, you can buy them for a dollar a piece at most stores. Do two or three squirts of dish soap (I usually use Dawn), a splash or two of vinegar and then fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. This stuff I use to clean counter tops, I use it to mop my floors, use it to clean my showers, and bathrooms. It is cheap, easy to make, and you don't have to have a gazillion cleaners for every little thing!

Price of Vinegar Solution: I paid 2.98 for 2 gallons of vinegar( they last 6 months for me), .99 for a bottle of Dawn, and just a few pennies of water.

Curb Finds!!

Yesterday I was at home just relaxing when I found on the curb near me some awesome finds. Curb finds are where I go and grab some stuff that people were leaving out just to get rid of, they know that people in our neighborhoods will come and get it before trash day and they want to make sure that it doesn't go to the dump and goes to someone who needs it. We even have a facebook page for our neighborhood as to where and what is out on the curb. It has been everything for toys, clothes, fire pits, all the way up to furniture. Just this weekend there was an entertainment center out on the curb.

However my curb finds were related to baby stuff that I had not yet knocked off my list yet for my little fellow. I found:

1. Babies R Us Walker Retail Value : $39.99

2. V-tech Bouncing Colors Turtle Valued at : $39.99

3. Fisher Price Activity Walker Valued at : $27 dollars, possibly more

4.  V-Tech Learn and Discover Driving Toy Valued at : $ 17

All these items needed were a little cleaning and new batteries and they worked as good as new and I have new to me items for my little guy after he gets here. I highly support curb finds and re-purposing things people no longer want. 

Wishing all is well with my readers! Also feel free to post any curb findings you may have :)

Getting Back into the Swing of Couponing

So as many of you know, I run this page to help others save money, or help with their budgets and whatnot. However I also am an avid couponer. I have been couponing since I was 16 years old, I grew up in a super poor family and couponing helped stretch our budget. I have since taught various numbers of people including my own family members how to coupon. So here are some tips to get you started.

1. Only buy papers for the people in your household, for example it is me and my husband currently with a little one on the way, so I buy 2 papers a week for coupons. If there are some awesome coupons that week, yeah pick up a few more, however I have learned that there are cycles which sales go through and if you just buy enough to last you six weeks you should see that product on sale again after six weeks so you can stock up on more!

2. Use your own method of couponing, I staple my inserts by each coupon, then cut out. It saves me so much more time than individually cutting out coupons. I also do the binder method, where I place them all baseball card holders and then inside of a school binder. I have them labeled by where I would find them in the store, like canned good, frozen section, meat section, etc.

3. I cannot tell you this enough, you don't need 100 toothpastes haha, just get a few for your family, believe it or not toothpaste expires. Also if you need some to get you started dollar tree sells colgate, crest, and V05 shampoo and conditioner, I think they even sell white rain you can always grab one or two of those low cost items to help start your stockpile, as long as it is a dollar or under I usually grab it :).

4. Don't be greedy! I never never clear a shelf, I refuse to. Even if I desperately needed something that week I only grabbed one or two. Leave some for a fellow couponer! They might just be starting out and needing that awesome deal!

5. You can write companies for coupons! If you really like a product or dislike a product, contact them on their website and let them know, they might just send you coupons for you opinion!

Thats all I have for today! Please feel free to let me know if you need some help starting out!

To Cloth Diaper or Not to Cloth Diaper

I have been back and forth on this debate over and over again. I am not sure if I wanna cloth diaper or not. I have been to classes, read articles, watched youtube videos, and connected with moms from all over to see what their experiences were with cloth diapering. However, I still haven't decided. I thought maybe I could get a few and try them out here and there before investing myself too much into cloth diapering, however I am still not sure about even investing any. I am not sure how I am gonna feel after my little guy is born and how I am even going to manage feeding him, taking care of his diapers, washing them, and all the other facets of being a mother all while keeping my home clean, taking care of my cats etc. The whole idea is a little daunting to say the least, I know I can buy a whole pile of diapers for around 200ish possibly less depending on if I use my free gift cards and whatnot to help out. However I still hesitate, what if I invest too much and don't like cloth diapering... what if my baby doesn't take to it? All these questions go around and around in my head, and my husband doesn't want to cloth diaper. He isn't a fan of it no matter how much it might save us in money and having to run out to get diapers... he doesn't want to do it and my family isn't into cloth diapering as well. I have heard constant comments from my mother and about how I won't like it, and it is too time consuming because she wanted to cloth diaper my siblings and I originally and didn't because of the time it took. Also there is the debate about if they go to daycare about whether or not the daycare would be cloth diaper friendly, the same can be said about a babysitter. So I still debate it out, so readers what did you do with your little ones if you have them or what did your parents do with you? Looking for some insight to help me figure out what I am going to do!

Thanks for reading, 

Snowangel :)

Picture, just cause :)

Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent Review

So I tried out a new detergent, this detergent is called Seventh Generation. I actually really liked it. I have been struggling to find a detergent that doesn't have me breaking out in hives again and I know that my little one on the way will probably have the same skin issues I have so I have been on the hunt to find skin sensitive products that we can both use. I think I may have found it, I was trying out some samples they gave me as part of their community project and it works. My skin had no reaction to the detergent and it got my clothes clean :) Which is a bonus to me, because I feel that sometimes you sacrifice some of the clean feeling of your clothes with sensitive skin products. 

Here is the website to their community: https://generationgood.socialmedialink.com/

I am not sure if they are taking new members or not, but it worth a shot to look at and see if they are. They have sent me samples of baby wipes and samples of laundry detergent so far!

I received the samples for free in exchange for my honest review :) It is very honest and totally mine