I have really been trying to save money using all the coupons I can. I have a friend in the ward that is so great at using coupons and gets all kinds of free stuff every week. After I was put into the Relief Society presidency, she approached me and asked if she could teach a coupon class each month because so many women were asking her how to do it. So last month we had a class and I learned A TON!! I have really been impressed by how much I can save if I just know where to look and how to use my coupons.
Last night we had another class and one woman brought a receipt from a few months ago and then one from last week. She bought, basically, the same things except the receipt from a few months ago was significantly higher than the one last week. I have been working on it but so far I have only been able to save 50% of my grocery bill (for example, if I pay $120 for groceries I usually have about a $60 savings, so the total would have normally been $180 before coupons).
Today I was cleaning the kitchen when I received a phone call from another friend in the ward who is also trying to do the couponing thing too. She said that at Albertson's they had a great pie/ice cream deal and that I had to get down there. I grabbed Courtney and went down. They had a deal where you buy 1 pie (that's rather large, by the way) for $6.39 and you get another pie and 2- 1.5 quarts of Breyer's ice cream FREE!! So I went a bit nuts (hey, it's cheap and almost Thanksgiving/Christmas time). I bought 3 pies for $19.17 and got 3 more pies and 6 of the 1.5 quarts of ice cream for FREE. So that's like getting each thing for only $1.60!
I ended up using the in-store ad to get some Skippy peanut butter for .99, Ragu spaghetti sauce for .88 and Land-O-Lakes butter for $1.25. All in all, my final total savings (after coupons and that awesome pie/ice cream deal) was $82.95!! And I only paid $40. I felt pretty excited!
Anyone want pie and ice cream?! ;)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
What the kids were up to...
Well, from what we can understand, the kids had a GREAT time with Grandma Pack. She drove them all over the place and bought them fun stuff and played with them. They did have a few hiccups though.
On Thursday night they ate dinner (spaghetti) and then went to the store to buy groceries (I think). Grandma let them pick out something to buy and Ethan picked out beef jerky. He LOVES beef jerky. He then ate the entire package of beef jerky and threw up all night long. Poor Grandma and poor Ethan! Courtney, as she happily tells us, slept through the whole thing.
Friday morning was "Dad's and Donuts" where the kids can take their dads (or anyone else) to show them around their school. Grandma wasn't sure how Ethan was feeling and wasn't sure if she should send him to school, but he finally decided to go. Grandma drove him to school and he got to show her all around and they bought something at the Book Fair.
Courtney and Grandma played, went on jogs and did all kinds of adventures. They had soccer practice, soccer games and all kinds of things. They played with friends and Grandma helped them invent a new game using the bounce house and the slide. They were in kid heaven. Then Saturday night Ethan had some ice cream after a Grandma/Ethan date and threw up. Again, poor Grandma and poor Ethan. But they both survived.
Sunday was Stake Conference and I think they did well. We were home last Sunday night.
Monday morning when Ethan was at school and Courtney was at preschool, we went Christmas shopping. We picked up Courtney then I had one thing after another and Grandma was great to stay at home and entertain whichever child was there. Then on Tuesday we ran errands in the morning, picked up Ethan from school in the afternoon then took Grandma to the shuttle station. Courtney cried and cried when Grandma left. But we kept telling her that we will see Grandma again at Thanksgiving in a few weeks.
Again, my kids are lucky to have such great grandparents who they love so much!!! Thanks!!!!
On Thursday night they ate dinner (spaghetti) and then went to the store to buy groceries (I think). Grandma let them pick out something to buy and Ethan picked out beef jerky. He LOVES beef jerky. He then ate the entire package of beef jerky and threw up all night long. Poor Grandma and poor Ethan! Courtney, as she happily tells us, slept through the whole thing.
Friday morning was "Dad's and Donuts" where the kids can take their dads (or anyone else) to show them around their school. Grandma wasn't sure how Ethan was feeling and wasn't sure if she should send him to school, but he finally decided to go. Grandma drove him to school and he got to show her all around and they bought something at the Book Fair.
Courtney and Grandma played, went on jogs and did all kinds of adventures. They had soccer practice, soccer games and all kinds of things. They played with friends and Grandma helped them invent a new game using the bounce house and the slide. They were in kid heaven. Then Saturday night Ethan had some ice cream after a Grandma/Ethan date and threw up. Again, poor Grandma and poor Ethan. But they both survived.
Sunday was Stake Conference and I think they did well. We were home last Sunday night.
Monday morning when Ethan was at school and Courtney was at preschool, we went Christmas shopping. We picked up Courtney then I had one thing after another and Grandma was great to stay at home and entertain whichever child was there. Then on Tuesday we ran errands in the morning, picked up Ethan from school in the afternoon then took Grandma to the shuttle station. Courtney cried and cried when Grandma left. But we kept telling her that we will see Grandma again at Thanksgiving in a few weeks.
Again, my kids are lucky to have such great grandparents who they love so much!!! Thanks!!!!
Day #4 - Going home
It was our last day in Monterey and we finally figured out how to sleep longer. We walked back to the breakfast place we had found for something to eat. By the time we got there it was around 9 a.m. and there was a crowd. We didn't have to wait long though and were seated outside. It was a bit chilly but nice. Since we would be in airports all day we decided to eat a big breakfast so we wouldn't be hungry at lunch time and save money not eating airport food.
After breakfast we scheduled a car to take us back to the airport but there was a VIP that needed the car at the same time we did, so we had to go about 45 minute earlier than we had wanted. Oh well. We checked our luggage at the airport and then went through security. One thing at small airports is that they need something to do, so they had to swipe Bryan's shoes for explosives and made it a bit hard to get through security. We had to laugh because there were 4 security agents and only about 5 people per hour going through.
We again got to walk on the tarmac to get to the airplane and then took off from the tiny airport. At LAX we had to wait about 15 minutes to load on a shuttle and this crabby woman (I think she was a drill sergeant in another life) told everyone where to stand and when they could move. Then we went to the main hanger of LAX to wait for our next flight.
We learned a few things on this trip and one of them is that we aren't very good vacationers anymore. When we go on a trip with the kids it's an ADVENTURE not a VACATION. We had way too much time in the airport and not much to do, so it made the day long, but we finally got to Las Vegas.
We then took the shuttle back to St. George and slept most of the way, which made it really nice. When we got home we woke Ethan up to say hello and tried to wake Courtney up. She just rolled over and yelled "Dad, that's enough, I'm done!" at Bryan before going back to sleep. (She didn't remember it in the morning.)
Anyway, we had a great time and are so grateful to Grandma Pack for coming to take the kids for us. They all had a great time!
After breakfast we scheduled a car to take us back to the airport but there was a VIP that needed the car at the same time we did, so we had to go about 45 minute earlier than we had wanted. Oh well. We checked our luggage at the airport and then went through security. One thing at small airports is that they need something to do, so they had to swipe Bryan's shoes for explosives and made it a bit hard to get through security. We had to laugh because there were 4 security agents and only about 5 people per hour going through.
We again got to walk on the tarmac to get to the airplane and then took off from the tiny airport. At LAX we had to wait about 15 minutes to load on a shuttle and this crabby woman (I think she was a drill sergeant in another life) told everyone where to stand and when they could move. Then we went to the main hanger of LAX to wait for our next flight.
We learned a few things on this trip and one of them is that we aren't very good vacationers anymore. When we go on a trip with the kids it's an ADVENTURE not a VACATION. We had way too much time in the airport and not much to do, so it made the day long, but we finally got to Las Vegas.
We then took the shuttle back to St. George and slept most of the way, which made it really nice. When we got home we woke Ethan up to say hello and tried to wake Courtney up. She just rolled over and yelled "Dad, that's enough, I'm done!" at Bryan before going back to sleep. (She didn't remember it in the morning.)
Anyway, we had a great time and are so grateful to Grandma Pack for coming to take the kids for us. They all had a great time!
Day #3 - Whale Watching
When we talked about going to Monterey for our anniversary we wanted to go whale watching. I checked out some companies and did some research and got us tickets on a nice whale watching ship. Right now is the time for blue whales and killer whales so I knew we would have a great time.
We woke up early (as usual), took our time getting ready, walked to a breakfast restaurant we had discovered the day before (that had GREAT hot chocolate, by the way), and split a meal. This ended up being a really good thing because it was a ton of food even split by two people. Then we walked to the Old Fisherman's Wharf to check in for our whale watching expedition.
When we went into the shack to check in they told us that there were high swells. We didn't know what that meant so we asked if that had an indication on whether or not we would see whales. They told us that they can never guarantee that we will see whales or not and that the swell didn't change any part of their non-guarantee to see whales. They offered to re-schedule us for another time or refund our money. We talked about it and decided that we wanted to go on the trip. So we waited around until it was time to get on the ship.
We loaded on and took off. The "naturalist" on board told us about some of the animals we saw as we were pulling out to sea. Then the swells and waves began. It was fun at first because we went up and down and up and down. Then people started throwing up and the fun boat ride turned into 2 1/2 hours of misery! We ended up not seeing anything except a bunch of people at the back of the boat throwing up. And then both of us were pretty queasy. We never threw up but we certainly didn't feel very good. And it was really cold!! We had taken coats, gloves, scarfs and hats, but it was still really cold and miserable out there. (As a side note, I got an email after we got home saying they would let us go on another whale watching adventure for free to make up for the horrible trip, so we didn't imagine how bad it was.)
When we docked, everyone was happy to get off the boat. Bryan and I walked back to the hotel, took LONG naps and decided that we don't need to ever get on a boat again. We didn't even want sea food for dinner! ;) So we ate Italian and then watched a movie in our room at the hotel while trying to recover. The sad part was that we had planned on renting bikes that afternoon, after the boat, but we hadn't felt good enough. We had both really looked forward to the bikes. But we'll do it next time. ;)
Here are a few photos from our boat adventure.
We woke up early (as usual), took our time getting ready, walked to a breakfast restaurant we had discovered the day before (that had GREAT hot chocolate, by the way), and split a meal. This ended up being a really good thing because it was a ton of food even split by two people. Then we walked to the Old Fisherman's Wharf to check in for our whale watching expedition.
When we went into the shack to check in they told us that there were high swells. We didn't know what that meant so we asked if that had an indication on whether or not we would see whales. They told us that they can never guarantee that we will see whales or not and that the swell didn't change any part of their non-guarantee to see whales. They offered to re-schedule us for another time or refund our money. We talked about it and decided that we wanted to go on the trip. So we waited around until it was time to get on the ship.
We loaded on and took off. The "naturalist" on board told us about some of the animals we saw as we were pulling out to sea. Then the swells and waves began. It was fun at first because we went up and down and up and down. Then people started throwing up and the fun boat ride turned into 2 1/2 hours of misery! We ended up not seeing anything except a bunch of people at the back of the boat throwing up. And then both of us were pretty queasy. We never threw up but we certainly didn't feel very good. And it was really cold!! We had taken coats, gloves, scarfs and hats, but it was still really cold and miserable out there. (As a side note, I got an email after we got home saying they would let us go on another whale watching adventure for free to make up for the horrible trip, so we didn't imagine how bad it was.)
When we docked, everyone was happy to get off the boat. Bryan and I walked back to the hotel, took LONG naps and decided that we don't need to ever get on a boat again. We didn't even want sea food for dinner! ;) So we ate Italian and then watched a movie in our room at the hotel while trying to recover. The sad part was that we had planned on renting bikes that afternoon, after the boat, but we hadn't felt good enough. We had both really looked forward to the bikes. But we'll do it next time. ;)
Here are a few photos from our boat adventure.
Day #2 - The Aquarium
Bryan and I have a problem. We wake up at 5 a.m. every morning so when we go on vacation we still wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning. NOTHING IS OPEN that early. On Friday, we had tickets to the Monterey Aquarium. It didn't open until 10 a.m. So took our time getting ready, walked around the hotel and took photos, went to the cafe downstairs of the hotel for some breakfast (again, a coffee place makes TERRIBLE hot chocolate) and then went walking.
Bryan took his tennis shoes which were about 10 years old. They had holes and he was hating life as we were walking around. So we sat on a bench and watched the seals and the waves until a shoe store opened at 10 a.m. Then I got some new shoes (hey, they were on sale!) and Bryan got some new tennis shoes. We ran back to the hotel (we didn't have a car because everything was close) to drop off the shoes and then went to the Aquarium.
It was really neat. They had a lot of huge tanks full of animals. We saw sharks and all kinds of fish, sea stars, I got to pet a sting ray, we saw sea horses and all kinds of things. It was great. We went to lectures on sharks and the ocean. I kept thinking how cool Ethan would think this was.
We spent a few hours at the Aquarium before buying some gifts for the kids and leaving to get lunch. We ate a little cafe near the Aquarium and I had the best clam chowder in a huge bread bowl! That's the life.
We went back to the hotel and took a nap (Bryan watched football and napped) and then we went to a movie (Harry Potter with the first 15 minutes in 3D). We were pretty hungry after the movie and didn't want anything near the hotel, so we hiked for a while until we found a pizza place. We got a small pizza and a drink and then walked back to the hotel to eat.
It was a fun day!
Bryan took his tennis shoes which were about 10 years old. They had holes and he was hating life as we were walking around. So we sat on a bench and watched the seals and the waves until a shoe store opened at 10 a.m. Then I got some new shoes (hey, they were on sale!) and Bryan got some new tennis shoes. We ran back to the hotel (we didn't have a car because everything was close) to drop off the shoes and then went to the Aquarium.
It was really neat. They had a lot of huge tanks full of animals. We saw sharks and all kinds of fish, sea stars, I got to pet a sting ray, we saw sea horses and all kinds of things. It was great. We went to lectures on sharks and the ocean. I kept thinking how cool Ethan would think this was.
We spent a few hours at the Aquarium before buying some gifts for the kids and leaving to get lunch. We ate a little cafe near the Aquarium and I had the best clam chowder in a huge bread bowl! That's the life.
We went back to the hotel and took a nap (Bryan watched football and napped) and then we went to a movie (Harry Potter with the first 15 minutes in 3D). We were pretty hungry after the movie and didn't want anything near the hotel, so we hiked for a while until we found a pizza place. We got a small pizza and a drink and then walked back to the hotel to eat.
It was a fun day!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Anniversary Trip...Day 1
We are on a trip for our 11th anniversary!! I thought I would take a quick minute each morning to post what we are doing so the kids can see what we're up to. ;)
Last Wednesday, we flew Grandma Pack in to Las Vegas and then she took a shuttle to St. George where a very excited family picked her up at the shuttle station. The kids wouldn't go to bed until she got there so we all went to pick her up. So they stayed out really late.
Thursday morning we got up early, got things ready and then Bryan and I took the shuttle from St. George to Las Vegas to catch a flight to Monterey, California (via LAX). We had a while after the shuttle let us off until our flight so we booted up the computer and used their free wi-fi to play around on the internet. We also got some hot chocolate from Starbucks and didn't like it at all!! We had to add a bunch of sugar to it and it was still really bitter. But it was warm.
The flight from Vegas to LAX was short (about 45 minutes) but then we had a 2 hour layover. We ate lunch, looked around and then tried to find our gate so we would be ready when the plane came. But we only found a sign with our gate number on it next to a bunch of stairs. After walking around for a while, we decided to ask someone for help. The woman asked us to wait a minute and then we went outside and loaded onto a little shuttle bus that took us to a satellite station where our little 48 passenger plane would be loading. Bryan loved the shuttle ride because we were out on the runway at LAX with all these planes going by us that were huge. He wanted to ask the driver to stop so he could get out, but didn't.
It took a while but we finally got loaded onto the small plane. Originally in Las Vegas they didn't give us seat assignments for the small plane. When Bryan asked about it at LAX they said they would call our names. We were kind of antsy when they loaded up and we still were sitting there waiting for our names to be called. Finally they called us and let us on the plane but our seats weren't near each other. After they shut the doors, Bryan switched to the empty seat by me. There was another couple who had been waiting to get on the plane also but they had a carry on bag. It turns out that the little plane didn't have any carry on room left so we were allowed on the plane and they weren't (we didn't have a carry on). I would not have been happy had I been them.
It was fun to ride on a smaller plane. It was a bit creaky but we got drinks on that plane, which we didn't on the larger one. After another 45 minute plane trip, we landed at the Monterey airport. It was pretty small but we got to climb off the plane and walk on the tarmac, which made Bryan's day!
The hotel had sent a car to pick us up and the driver was a young kid who spent two years playing for the St. George Roadrunners baseball team. So we had a lot to talk about on the way to the hotel, which wasn't far from the Monterey airport.
We then explored the hotel and walked all around Cannery Row. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump's (the restaurant that Forest and Bubba start in the movie Forest Gump). We shared shrimp and it was really good! Then we walked back to the hotel.
It was a long trip out but we're happy to be here. Here are some plane photos Bryan took at LAX and then a photo of us at the hotel.
Last Wednesday, we flew Grandma Pack in to Las Vegas and then she took a shuttle to St. George where a very excited family picked her up at the shuttle station. The kids wouldn't go to bed until she got there so we all went to pick her up. So they stayed out really late.
Thursday morning we got up early, got things ready and then Bryan and I took the shuttle from St. George to Las Vegas to catch a flight to Monterey, California (via LAX). We had a while after the shuttle let us off until our flight so we booted up the computer and used their free wi-fi to play around on the internet. We also got some hot chocolate from Starbucks and didn't like it at all!! We had to add a bunch of sugar to it and it was still really bitter. But it was warm.
The flight from Vegas to LAX was short (about 45 minutes) but then we had a 2 hour layover. We ate lunch, looked around and then tried to find our gate so we would be ready when the plane came. But we only found a sign with our gate number on it next to a bunch of stairs. After walking around for a while, we decided to ask someone for help. The woman asked us to wait a minute and then we went outside and loaded onto a little shuttle bus that took us to a satellite station where our little 48 passenger plane would be loading. Bryan loved the shuttle ride because we were out on the runway at LAX with all these planes going by us that were huge. He wanted to ask the driver to stop so he could get out, but didn't.
It took a while but we finally got loaded onto the small plane. Originally in Las Vegas they didn't give us seat assignments for the small plane. When Bryan asked about it at LAX they said they would call our names. We were kind of antsy when they loaded up and we still were sitting there waiting for our names to be called. Finally they called us and let us on the plane but our seats weren't near each other. After they shut the doors, Bryan switched to the empty seat by me. There was another couple who had been waiting to get on the plane also but they had a carry on bag. It turns out that the little plane didn't have any carry on room left so we were allowed on the plane and they weren't (we didn't have a carry on). I would not have been happy had I been them.
It was fun to ride on a smaller plane. It was a bit creaky but we got drinks on that plane, which we didn't on the larger one. After another 45 minute plane trip, we landed at the Monterey airport. It was pretty small but we got to climb off the plane and walk on the tarmac, which made Bryan's day!
The hotel had sent a car to pick us up and the driver was a young kid who spent two years playing for the St. George Roadrunners baseball team. So we had a lot to talk about on the way to the hotel, which wasn't far from the Monterey airport.
We then explored the hotel and walked all around Cannery Row. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump's (the restaurant that Forest and Bubba start in the movie Forest Gump). We shared shrimp and it was really good! Then we walked back to the hotel.
It was a long trip out but we're happy to be here. Here are some plane photos Bryan took at LAX and then a photo of us at the hotel.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween Night
We had our awesome neighborhood Halloween Party last night! I love our neighborhood. They shut down a street and we all bring over food assignments and have soups, hot dogs, chips, cupcakes, drinks and the adults sit around talking while the kids play in 2 bounce houses set up in a neighbors driveway. It's so much fun and everyone looks forward to it all year long. Our street usually brings the apple juice and cups but this year I switched with a friend who wanted a break. So I made a soup (clam chowder) to share with everyone. There were about 8 crockpots full of soup and they were all empty at the end! We have fun families who all dress up as a theme and some families who don't dress up. It's a great time to see everyone and meet new neighbors and just have fun.
It was a crazy Saturday. We carved, or painted in Courtney's case, pumpkins in the morning and then we had soccer games in the late morning and early afternoon. Courtney's game was first and it went well. While she napped in the afternoon, Bryan and Ethan went to his game. Then Bryan took our soup over to the party set up while I got the kids in their costumes. Grandma and Grandpa Oman brought them over candy and took photos and then we were off to our party!
The kids don't go for the food until the bounce houses have filled up with people, so they were bouncing for quite a while. When they were tired of that, they ate a hotdog and then wrestled on a lawn with their friends. At this point we lost Courtney's socks and hair bow, but she didn't seem to care.
When things were winding down at about 6:30 or so, groups got together to take kids around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Courtney's best friend, Hayley, sought her out and so they went together with Hayley's older sister and her best friend. Their moms were great to take them around! Ethan hooked up with a bunch of friends and they went around with another parent. Bryan stayed behind to help clean up and I went home to greet the trick-or-treaters.
I had bought 6 bags of candy (yeah, I know, last year we gave out pencils but I had a coupon and the candy was WAY cheaper than the pencils, so I decided to cave in) and it was almost gone by the time Ethan and Courtney returned home. They then took over the handing out candy duties and when we ran out Ethan had me give him candy from his bag to hand out!
We then turned off the outside light and began sorting through the kid's candy. They got to eat one piece and keep 5 pieces for later, then the rest was put back in their sacks to wait for the Halloween Fairy to take it away at night. (The Halloween Fairy takes the candy and leaves a toy in its place.)
Bedtime was late and they slept great! They loved their Halloween Fairy toys too! Great Halloween Night!!
It was a crazy Saturday. We carved, or painted in Courtney's case, pumpkins in the morning and then we had soccer games in the late morning and early afternoon. Courtney's game was first and it went well. While she napped in the afternoon, Bryan and Ethan went to his game. Then Bryan took our soup over to the party set up while I got the kids in their costumes. Grandma and Grandpa Oman brought them over candy and took photos and then we were off to our party!
The kids don't go for the food until the bounce houses have filled up with people, so they were bouncing for quite a while. When they were tired of that, they ate a hotdog and then wrestled on a lawn with their friends. At this point we lost Courtney's socks and hair bow, but she didn't seem to care.
When things were winding down at about 6:30 or so, groups got together to take kids around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Courtney's best friend, Hayley, sought her out and so they went together with Hayley's older sister and her best friend. Their moms were great to take them around! Ethan hooked up with a bunch of friends and they went around with another parent. Bryan stayed behind to help clean up and I went home to greet the trick-or-treaters.
I had bought 6 bags of candy (yeah, I know, last year we gave out pencils but I had a coupon and the candy was WAY cheaper than the pencils, so I decided to cave in) and it was almost gone by the time Ethan and Courtney returned home. They then took over the handing out candy duties and when we ran out Ethan had me give him candy from his bag to hand out!
We then turned off the outside light and began sorting through the kid's candy. They got to eat one piece and keep 5 pieces for later, then the rest was put back in their sacks to wait for the Halloween Fairy to take it away at night. (The Halloween Fairy takes the candy and leaves a toy in its place.)
Bedtime was late and they slept great! They loved their Halloween Fairy toys too! Great Halloween Night!!
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