What a Thrill!

Updated: So I take back my $5 diapers. They ended up being $11.00 because you could only get one $5 extracare bucks per household. Anyway, still a great deal!

I consider one of my responsbilities as a stay-at-home mom to find ways to save money so that I can continue to stay at home. George just worked for 40 hours straight and while the extra money is necessary and great, it's not a lifestyle that either of us want to keep. I took a couponing class last night that is sponsored and taught by some ladies at our church. Their group is called True Couponing. They regularly save 70-80% off of their grocery bill. One of the ladies is a mother of 4 (7 year old, 2 year old twin boys, and a 7 month old) and spends $125 on her grocery bill, including diapers. That's crazy cheap!

I had my first couponing breakthrough this evening and I had such a rush of excitement. Let me explain. Value box of diapers (Pampers) at CVS were $19.99 (regular price). Once you buy them, you get $5 CVS extra care bucks (it's like a $5 coupon for your next purchase.) So it's like I paid $14.99. I also had a $1.50 Pampers coupon, a $3 off a $15 purchase (from a previous CVS purchase), and $2 CVS extracare bucks. So I paid $14.86 for this box of diapers. Here's the kicker. I got the $5 extracare bucks from this diaper purchase, another $3 of 15 purchase, another pampers coupon, and will get $5 more extracare bucks for my next diaper purchase. I know, I know...get to the point Lauren. I will only pay $5 for the next box of diapers I purchase. We're not talking a little jumbo pack. We are talking 80+ diapers for $5. Woohoo! I can hear the applause in the background.

For those of you that really only read my blog for Hannah and Kate news...we went to Busch Gardens again for FREE! That's right. No parking fee, no admission fee, and no dining fee. Can't beat that. It was a much better experience than last time, minus George not being there. Since we went on a weekday, we walked onto all of the kiddie rides. We did three this time! The best part was that Rachel and Sarah got to come with us. They also spent at least a half hour out on the water area. And they got to give Abby Cadabby (for those of you out of the Sesame Street loop-look her up) high fives. We got some action pictures this time, but they are all on Sarah's camera so I'll share them as soon as I get them.