Hello, I'm a bargain addict.

               I love writing, whether it's journaling, taking notes, writing emails or letters, sharing thoughts or venting some frustrations, I enjoy it. It's like talking except the words are still there once you've finished. I get in my head though when I write, and doubt myself. My grammar isn't the greatest, and I worry if it's really worth it and whether or not I can engage readers. I guess time will tell. But incase I do engage others, I feel i should share some things about myself, and one of the biggest things about me as I am a penny pincher. I love to save!

            If this is your first post that your reading on my blog, hello! I am a married, stay at home mom of 4, and I decided to break out of my shell and start blogging. Or pick it back up, it depends on how you look at it. I want to have a journal of what my thoughts were for years to come, as well as share tips that I think will be helpful to others. Currently my kids ages are: 11 years old, 5 years old, 4 years old and a 9 month old. My 11 year old just got his ear pierced, my 5 year old is a rock star in kindergarten (her teacher's words ) my 4 year old is full of personality and just got into super heroes (though Thomas the train is his favorite still) and my 9 month old is mobile, growls when he is excited or wants something, and loves to play. Sleep is not one of my 9 month old's favorite things this week, as he has woken up a few times each night for the past week. I shall blame this on teething,  a sleep regression, or just that he wants to be the boss, who really knows anyways. And having a reason is always better than not, so you have someone or something to blame ;) .

           Besides the love I have for my husband and children, I also have a knack for saving money. I might even say it's a talent to find a deal, or to be a smarter consumer. It's not something that just happened over-night either. My friends and family, know that for years I have been a successful bargain hunter. I can save on all of my families needs, whether it's groceries, household items, clothes or gifts. I also save on bills and utilize resources that some people don't even realize are available. And I brag about my deals,  I would describe the feeling of scoring a deal as a "high" that I get. Since I was in middle school, and we had a budget of $100 for school clothes for the year, I learned how to make a dollar stretch. Sure I may not have had the newest fashion choices, but I had plenty of things that I liked. I guess I never really cared about what was considered "in season" but rather what fit and if I liked it or not. Not much has changed today, but the options have multiplied. I love browsing goodwill (are you aware they get target closeouts now), and we have many discounted/ wholesale stores that are fairly new to check out, as well as closeouts (Marc's comes to mind). I shop the ads for grocery deals and plan my meals accordingly. Having a family of 6 and one income, it's more important that I stretch every dollar as far as I possibly can. Just because I save money too, doesn't mean I give up quality.

 

I also try to be as informed as I can be as a consumer. For instance do you know about Apples to Apples: Energy choice a tool that allows consumers to shop around for their energy supplier? It's easy to do, and can save you money on your electric and gas bills by looking at suppliers, their rates, and contracts. I'm surprised that more people are not made aware of this useful tool. Have you seen the energy supply representatives coming door to door, maybe from IGS? Well with this tool you can look up the information you need as well, and maybe even switch to save money on heating or cooling costs. Just make sure to pay attention to your bill and contract, to make sure you are getting the best deal out there. There are other tools available too, and I'll go in depth in a later blog post, to really get into each one.

Research I have learned, is my best friend. We can google anything we want to get information on, and with a few clicks, we can read reviews of products and services, as well as get comparisons for a variety of things. Google isn't the only way to research things, sometimes a friend has some good tips, or a blog, or maybe even an app. When I was Christmas shopping this year, I would google items for costs to see if it was a deal I was seeing or not, also if the item had good reviews. It's a little bit of work, but it helps avoid impulse purchases. When I shop, most of the time I don't have anything too specific I'm looking for, instead I keep it pretty broad and spend time browsing. I also use coupons for as much stuff as I can, like laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, wipes and cleaning products. I used to buy the cheap detergent and my clothes weren't getting clean enough, now I clip coupons and shop the ads to get the brand name stuff for less. I used to not be a brand snob, but with my laundry pile getting bigger, I need something that works the first time in the wash, and to make clothes have the most life in them as they can. I also utilize the dollar stores, Giant Eagle deals, Aldi's, and Marc's. Again I'll write more about these later, and in more detail.

My household has been a "cord cutter" since we moved in June of 2015. That means that we do not have a cable subscription. I don't feel that we are missing out on anything, and we have other means to watch tv or movies. One of the best purchases that I got was my indoor digital tv antenna. I get local channels, plus a few more. PBS is free, and they have kids programming Monday thru  Friday, and I can watch my local news. Sure I can't record, pause, skip, or rewind anything, and I have to watch commercials, but it's free TV. We also have an XBOX One, and an Apple TV that we can download apps and watch things there. Our Wii U is also a lot of fun. 

The last big thing that I do to save money, besides a good budget, is to take advantage of the free or cheap entertainment. I love the library, and we go to different branches as something to do, and some have other things to keep you busy, or free kids programs. Plus with a library card, you can download an app called Hoopla, and rent items right on your phone or tablet for FREE! There are also many parks to take advantage of. And when you live in Stark County, there is the Hall of Fame festivities to take advantage of too. Downtown Canton has First Friday every month. There is a free splash park in the summer as well in Canton, and Massillon has a free wading pool. There is always something to be found in our community. I'll try to post a monthly calendar of events and again I will go into more details later. I'm just getting started here anyways :) My main point was that I have an eye for a deal, and I want to share what I have found out with others, in hopes that they can save money too. I'm not an expert, and this is just my experience and what I found that works for us. Stay tuned for my in-depth posts to come down the line as this journey continues.

Have a great day!

-C

REBOOT! Here we go Again.

    Hi again, or for the first time, or whatever. 

    I am trying to figure out the best way to blog. I've been wanting to do this for years, but something always comes up and I chicken out, and then blogging gets pushed back again. So, I'm ordering a REBOOT and am going to actually publish this, and put it on my Facebook page so I can't hide it anymore. And I'll leave up my old blog posts, because that is what they are, is old, and I thought them at one point so... I want to blog not to connect with others (we have social media for that, and sometimes I feel there is too much connecting ) but to jot down my thoughts, opinions, feelings. Writing is a beautiful, and as Voltaire says 'Writing is the painting of the Voice". 

   Eventually, I want to write down my memories and posts for my children down the road. Today I am just getting over the fear of being seen. Not that I think a blog that I write would ever generate many people, it's more nail biting for people you know to read your shit. Will this post rub someone the wrong way, is this how I seen things happening, is it offensive, is it genuine, blah BLAH BLAH. I'm done with the overthinking. And if something I write pisses someone off, that's their problem right?>

Anyways. Moving on, For this blog, I will focus on parenting (obviously) since I am raising 4 beings, maybe something about relationships, a touch of current events, but I really want to focus on being frugal. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I do have a gift for finding amazing bargains, and saving my family money. Currently we are a family of 6, living off of one income; and I stretch every dollar as far as I can. We have a 4 bedroom home, 3 boys, 1 girl, 2 dogs, a fishtanks and we make it work. Yes it has been difficult at times, but it isn't impossible, and we really are doing alright. Best of all, we have what we need, and sometimes we get what we want, most importantly, we're happy. I want to use this blog as a way to share different things I've found that help us be frugal, or deals to be found, or maybe just not getting ripped off. I never pay full retail price for anything, I coupon, shop the ads, shop the wholesale stores (which i Will be listing in later posts in my blog, with full reviews), I love goodwill, Aldi's, shop clearance, take advantage of apps or rewards in stores, I research, and it all comes together nicely. I follow a pretty strict budget, where bills are always paid first, and we are "cord cutters" meaning we do not have cable or satellite tv. Instead we have internet, apps, and I love my indoor antennas. As does my 4 year old who is currently watching "Thomas the Train" on PBS while I type.

In hopes of keeping up on blogging, I will say I hope to write again soon. 

Good Day

     

Breastfeeding

There's this thing about being a parent in today's world: we have the ability to research. Not saying that our parents or those who've parented before have failed or anything. but we have the capability to ask questions, seek opinions, research, data, studies, ect. We know that smoking is bad for you now, whereas years ago it was the thing to do, and they even said it treated some illnesses.
        Being a parent today we have many options, to use cloth diapers or disposable, breastfeeding or formula, co-sleeping or crib, different theories on parenting- whether you want to use the Ferber method- also known as cry it out, or attachment parenting; the choice is the parents. I choose to breastfeed my daughter, exclusively for the first 6 months (as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics) and I use cloth diapers. I find that cloth is not only friendly on my check book, is better for the environment (though some disposable diapers argue otherwise- I'm not convinced though that trees being destroyed and artificial gels made in a lab are better on the environment then using a dryer to dry your dipes but whatever you wanna believe or follow). Also with cloth diapers, there's this "addiction". Once someone starts it's all they can talk about, I mean c'mon they're super cute, and cushy, and eco-friendly, and all the patterns oh my... There's no chemicals touching my little girls bum, she;s rash free, there's breathe-ability and since she's exclusively breastfed, her dipes don't need to be rinsed yet, because breastfed poop dissolves in water. Some pretty cool stuff.
        Anyways back to parenting. Our parents made their own choices to raise us, and I strongly feel that we should be encouraged or supported on our own journey in parenthood. There's a new report daily on all the problems with people's health in the United States. Obesity is on the rise in childhood, more and more cases of diabetes, Alzheimer disease,  Parkinson's,  mineral and vitamin deficiencies plus many more.
     As a parent we hope the best for our children- some moms bank cord blood because of the stem-cells in the umbilical cord that if a health problem ever happens they have those cells to help cure whatever is wrong. I choose to wait to start my daughter on solids til I feel she's ready. I never put cereal in her body (that's linked to obesity check out parenting.com ""Babies know how much they need to drink based on volume, so upping the calories in the bottle can cause them to overfeed and become overweight," says Dr. Shu." ) Anyways obesity is linked to diabetes, as well as high cholesterol and other issues and i wanna give my daughter the best chance to prevent any disease. And how do we know what causes certain problems? We don't, but some studies have looked at certain issues within parenting and have actually provided the data for it. 
    Amazing huh? 
    Well why don't people get that sometimes their way is the best way, and if you dont want to accept their opinions then your wrong. Ok people, it's all about the parents choice. Studies are there for a reason. And please don't argue with a mother over her child. Until that child is 18, the parents have ALL the rights to do with their children as they please. Grandparents are grandparents for a reason, you had your chance to raise your own children and do as you please, why not give your children that same opportunity.




Note: I am not a professional and if needed I will provide various links for why my opinions are the way they are, if you want to read up on breastfeeding or diapers or different theories on parenting try whatever search engine you please, and look for a good source- .edu, .gov, this study, kellymom, there is so much out there. But ofcourse everything is bias and you can find a statistic to verify anything you want- look more complex

Christmas

Just finished watching Miracle on 34th St with my children. And i can't help but want to believe in Santa again. Then my son (who is 6) asked me about babies and Santa, and what if a baby is bad. So we got on the discussion of what is bad. A baby cannot be bad, because they cannot grasp the concept of right or wrong, and even when a person distinguishes the 2, it does not mean they're a bad person. My son replied with "Mommy, people make mistakes huh, everybody does". I told him that he's right, and we shouldn't fault everyone for their poor choices, or their lack of beliefs. Amazing how one movie and one season can lead to a great conversation about life :) I'm off to clean now, but wanted to post this real quick as trying to "journal" my thoughts. Even though we can't see Santa Clause, whose to say that he doesn't exist, people are in the giving spirit, everyone gets along, and it really is a Merry Christmas.

What's considered Normal? What's in? I'm lost!

Clearly I'm not great at keeping up on blogging. Maybe I'll get better this year. Umm, my last post was in October of last year.. Let's see.... Oh I did get married!!! It wasn't the celebration of the century, nor was it the simple bbq in my grandparents backyard that I so desperately wanted. It was great, so many people I love and that loves me was there. My husband cried, I cried, families cried, it was great...
Anyways so I've been married for 8 months now, we just had our baby girl on June 14th, and my son is still growing big. I have yet to return to work, but am enjoying motherhood and college and its working for us. In the short time I've been married, I've been wondering whats normal? You know, what and where did the ideal relationship, life come into play? Was it all of those disney movies growing up? Chick Flicks? Drama? TV shows? My family? Friends? Church... Geesh you start looking into all of these social groups and viola, answers are there but differ from one another.
I fight with my husband, I nag him, he irritates and annoys me, he likes to play, I want to be organized, and we go round and round. We love each other as well and can just talk and be comfy with each other. I don't have any amazing "Catherine Anderson" romance novel plots in my life, but I like it. And we have parenthood as well as matrimony to deal with. A 6 year old boy, a 3 month old girl, 2 female dogs, and 2 cats. Whoa huh. And we're in our twenties to boot!!
I'm proud to breastfeed my daughter, I use cloth diapers, my cooking skills are improving, and I'm getting really good at hiding our messes, I mean cleaning!
Anyways back to my question, what is normal? In a relationship can you admit that you fight? Is there more then the fighting. Do you spend your days starring into each others eye, spending hours in bed til your sore? Do you hold hands? Devote both of your lives to God and practice obeying, respecting one another? As a parent, spare the rod spoil the child? Go green and buy organic? Practice R.I.E. how bout self soothing and independence. Show your kids love and discipline, and wheres the line?
See why I question everything. Ugh.
I'll write more later, my little lady needs a butt change and my dog needs out :)

School question: 1

So I go to a community college. I've been to the private schools and 4 year colleges, but since I wanna stay in my hometown I decided a 2 yr degree is more cost effective than a 4 yr. It;s cold and rainy outside, and I'm so tired. But I get tired of people comparing my schooling to be less than that of others. I still do my work, and get the same degree, my credits also transfer. I'm not the smartest person or anything, but it hurts when someone disses something that your doing to better youself. So I'm wondering, are they jealous because they're life is boring? Are they just mean? Or are these people snobs? That is my point to ponder for now. I'll write later with what I come up with.

Day One

It's September 27, 2010, a little after 8:30.And I decided to start a blog. My mind is always racing and my thoughts are endless. So I wanted to jot them down. So hello bloggers or whomever may stumble across my blog. I am not claiming to be a specialist in anything I write about, whatever I write is my opinion, and is influenced by my life.
For starters I guess I should say some stuff about me. I'm 21 years old,a full time student, and a mom, plus I have a full time job. I am getting married January 22, 2011 to my best friend and love of my life. We currently have our own house, 2 dogs, a cat, and some fish. I like music of all sorts, as well as reading, and going on road trips. I don't claim to be perfect and treasure every mistake I've ever made because that's what makes me ME!
I take care of people for my job, and I love it. I like helping and believe myself to be a personable woman. I was raised by various members of my family, and though I'm sure I'll complain about em in my blog at some point, I love them all unconditionally.
As I mentioned I'm getting married in less than 4 months. The church is booked, same as the hall which includes just about everything we need for the reception (minus photographer, dj, and favors) and I ordered my invites and RSVPs. I am planning the wedding by myself. And me and my fiancee are paying for everything ourselves. It sucks but hey, atleast we really get the final say in everything. My bridesmaids dresses are picked out from davids bridal, and my colors are black, white and silver. Our song is "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban, and the theme is sort of a memories type thing. The girls dresses are black, and I let them pick em out. They are the ones to say that they "can so wear it again". I don't see myself as a bridezilla but I do want our day to be special. I found my perfect dress for 25 dollars at a resale shop- its a brandnew 838$ dress that has never been worm, but is like 2 years old. It fits perfectly and I feel like a princess in it. I got great ideas for songs for my ceremony and the reception. We choose January because in Ohio there's not much going on after the new year, and we like the idea of escaping for our anniversary down the road. We're thinking of the Poconos for our honeymoon. It looks like so much fun, and the perfect romantic get-a-way for newlyweds and its in our budget.
I'm happy and content with my life. It's busy, but interesting. I can't wait to be done with school and hopefully help home-healthcare become more popular. I'm not one for politics but I will get active for something I truely believe in.
Oh and I absolutely love my man with all my heart. He drives me crazy at times and presses my buttons, but we're perfect for each other and accept the other for the way we are.
That's all I got for now, I didn't wanna come off as too philosophical for my first blog, or too bitchy- don't get me wrong, future blogs will have my philosophical views or me venting, but that's not all I'm about. I guess I'll see how this goes. :)