going campin'

Alexandria is leaving tomorrow for a 4 day camping trip with a church group.
Earlier, the boys went in her room to tell her their going to miss her. When she lifted her arms to do the "get out of my room hand motion" (like directing traffic) they thought she was reaching out, so they both went in for a hug. It was clearly not her intention to hug them, it made for a pretty hilarious moment. It's going to be so boring without her around, she's quite the firecracker!

lucky number seven.

So my exploits at CVS continue, and I got all of this for $7
Two boxes of Cereal alone are ordinarily about $8!

This is how it all played out...
Cheerios were 2 for $6 with 2 ECB'S back.
I also had $1 off coupon, and I earned $1 ECB with their quarterly earnings program thingy.
So I spent $5 and walked out with $3 ECB's.
This week there are several deals where products are free after ECB's,
Like pencils, tape, and feminine hygiene products.
So, those things were purchased with the $3 I had, which earned me the bucks right back.
A lot of the deals this week coincide with coupons from today's paper.
Like the razors, there was a $2 off coupon, they were priced even lower than the ad, and I earned $3 back. So $8 razors were about $2!!
I was disappointed that they only had one more febreze thing left, (I'm going to try it over the cat box.) My original plan was to buy two for $13, use $8 in coupons, and get $5 back in ECB's...but it's cool.

hippie fair finds.

After years and years of hearing about the hippie fair in Belo Horizonte (an open air market in the middle of downtown held on Sundays.) I finally had the chance to see for myself the marvels, the wonders, the steak on a stick, the crazy people screaming in the street...it was great fun! Here is some of the treasures I found...

My new life goal is keeping ketchup off this table runner.

Pink flower towel for the bathroom,
& several plain white towels.

things above.

\

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:2-3

house of duke.

Brazil love.

dad +me.

shopping love? not so much.coffee love.

They were preparing for the afternoon rush. If you look behind the pastry case on the plates, afternoon coffee is a shot of espresso, a shot of mineral water, and a tiny bite of brownie.

momma love.

plastic love.

Ordem e Progresso

Come Morning, I wont be around here anymore.
I'll be heading South.
Packing up,
mommy guilt in tact-
I'm taking off.

I always feel bad leaving the kids.
I know, just as well as they do, that nobody can take care of them like I can.

They'll have a ton of fun with Carlos.
I"ll have a ton of fun with my parents.
It will be just fine.
Until heads hit the pillows at night-
that's the hard part.
That's the part everybody hates.
But you sleep it off, and wake up one day closer to sweet reunions.

I keep telling myself that people go visit their parents all the time.
This ain't no big thing.
We've all got to spread our wings a little.
But just the same-there's no place I'd rather be than home.

The top 3 things on my list this week were:
Shampoo/conditoner
laundry detergent
pads (sorry boys)
So I read up on the deals and figured out my game plan.
This these things combined would normally cost me around $25, depending on sales and such. But with a little planning and coupon printing/clipping, I was able to get all of this:

Yesterday, I purchased a
Swiffer Duster Starter Pack (great product)
& Febreze.
Total $10.
I got $5 in back ECB's.
I spent those on
2 -24 packs of pads,
and got $2 back in ECB's.

Today I spent $20 on Aveeno (shampoo, conditioner, and facial cleanser.)
I used:
- $4 off $20 CVS coupon.
-2-$2 off Aveeno coupons
-$2 ECB's
paid $10.
Got $10 back in ECB's.

Then I bought:

Purex 3-in-1 laundry detergent (I had $3 in coupons and a mail in rebate, so these will end up being free, plus $5)
Bounty paper towels
travel toothbrush kit
hand sanitizer
travel size hand lotion
cotton balls
eye makeup applicators

After coupons and ECB's I owed $4.
Got $2 back in ECB's

Approx $54 value for $24.
(I will get $7 back if I remember the rebate)
$2 up in ECB's

The one where I'm still talking about coupons.

First, for the things I never buy...

Fruit Gushers (*a.k.a crack-for-kids, the devil's brew, should be outlawed* were the bribe reward for well behaved little ninos, that allowed their mama shop in peace with no smack downs, or running in the pathway of the elderly in motorized shopping carts.) they were half off-about $1.00.
Alexandria chose the flan for her treat, AFTER I said no to vienna sausages-she's such a puerto-rican :)
Publix Brand Cheese Singles (a.k.a. processed cheese food) was the Publix mystery penny item. So for a penny, I said yes.

The things we got for free after coupons were :
2 bags of Chex mix, 3 Pillsbury refrigerated dough, 6 Yoplait yogurts.

Almost free:
2 Kid's Cuisine meals, 2 Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Veggies, Hunts Ketchup.

Being the perfectionist I am, I still feel like I could have done a little better. I bought the 3 boxes of General Mills cereal at REGULAR PRICE... I never do that! BUT, I had 3 coupons, so I saved about $3.50 or so. Driving around to other stores or waiting for the sales wasn't practical this week. We needed food now!

Also, over the last few weeks I have been getting our fruit from the Farmer's Market...I save about $1.00 per pound on apples (that are delicious!) and they actually have bananas that aren't completely green.

CVS-ing!!!

So, when last we spoke about CVS, I was up $4 in ECB's.

This weekend I find myself in need of some makeup.
MAC or Bare Escentuals wasn't in the budget right then so...
I went to CVS!
I shopped the sales and got a little thing of foundation ($9 value, on sale 50% off)
and used my ECB's... I payed only 40 cents or something silly like that.
I do not love cheap makeup but it's certainly better than none at all.

Today market a new week of deals.
I think I did pretty well.
I'm still learning and establishing my stockpile of coupons.
So with the learning curve and a moderate case of A.D.D.
I managed to spend $19.00 and I walked out with about $45 worth of stuff.

• 1- 24 oz. Dove Go Fresh Body Wash.
• 1- 13.5 oz. Dove Cream Oil Body Lotion
• 3- 2.6 oz. Dove Deodorant(s)
• 3- Colgate Max Fresh Toothbrushes.
• 2-10.3 oz. Dawn Botanicals Dish Soap.
• 1-Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm.
• 1- Burt's Bee's Lip Shimmer.

I think the moral of the couponing story is that you have to say goodbye to brand loyalty.
I don't really mind giving up my favorite brands to save some cash. Also, stocking up is the best way to save. I have never been a bulk shopper, but when you can get 3 tooth brushes for less than the price of one, you've just got to do it. I also bought 3 big tubes of Colgate toothpaste at Target for $2.

oh yeah.

Higher Education.

Matt is done with the little kid program at church.
He's on to bigger things in the 1st - 6th grade program.

He's taking it all in stride.