Quote of the Week

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.  

 -  Author Unknown

We all have days that seem like everything that could go wrong did, but within each day there is a bright spot.   Some days we just have to look deeper than others.

Don't Let Your Bundle of Joy Cost a Bundle

The economy may be improving, but for those new parents and parents to be, there are new expenses on the horizon, and it is a broad horizon spanning 18 years or more.  This requires commitment and sacrifice, but it shouldn't land you in the poor house, at least not in the first few years of life...as scenes of Harvard flash before your eyes.

But first things first, you need to prepare for your upcoming bundle of joy.  You need clothes by the bundles, diapers, food, baby toiletries, and maybe formula and bottles.  You may wonder what I'm doing writing a post about baby stuff when all my children have four legs and fur.  Well, the answer is simple.  I want to help people save money, and steer them in the direction of value and information.

There are a number of websites out there devoted to coupon savings, where to get the deals on diapers and how to work the system to even get free stuff.  I have sorted through and pulled out what I think are some good ones.  Some are simply money savers, some have reviews and others will relate their experiences so you'll know you're not alone in baby-land.  

Smart Shopping

Let's start with money saving.  After all that's probably at the top of everyone's list.  This first group isn't baby-specific, but they provide sale information and coupon match-ups for food, household goods, personal care and baby items.

Hip2Save.com
This site has a myriad of different savings from Target and Wal-Mart to the 3 major drugstores, Walgreen's, CVS and Rite Aid.  She has even included store guides so you'll learn how to take full advantage of the savings available.  Yes, there are things to learn about drugstore shopping, and all three stores are different.  She also offers lot of on-line deals like books and toys from Amazon. 

Southernsavers.com
This one covers local grocery stores such as Harris Teeter and Food Lion plus other regional stores with coupon match-ups.  It also covers the same 3 drugstores, offering another take on the same sales.

Sometimes grocery stores such as Food Lion, have printable coupons on-line.  In addition to food and household items, there are usually several sets of baby care coupons.

Just for Baby

Babycheapskate.com
This provides information on cost-conscious decorating, baby product reviews, coupons and sales and diapers and other products.  There is a product review on diapers, and what other mom's have to say about the different brands and styles, including generics/store brands.

Babycenter.com
A wealth of baby information, health and support, links to blogs, questions and answers and more.

Alternative Shopping Places

This may not suit all new parents, but I suggest checking out thrift stores, and consignment shops.  Every parent wants their babies dressed in adorable little outfits, and they should be.  However, they grow out of everything so quickly, especially in the first year, that it can be very costly to keep up with their ever-changing dimensions.  While you can't cover all your baby's wardrobe needs at these places, you can find new, or nearly new items, even brand names, for a fraction of mall and specialty shop prices to help offset the other costs.

Hand-me-downs

Network with friends and family who already have children.  Baby clothes will be outgrown before being worn out so see if someone has clothes to loan or give away.  The same goes for items like strollers, car seats, high chairs and cribs.

Other Links

Diapers.com (free shipping on orders over $49)

Babies Online (free coupons and magazines and samples, and more)

Wal-Mart Baby (97¢ shipping to your home)

Restaurants.com (save money on a parents night out, babysitting not included)

Passion for Savings  (check here for Wal-mart deals, and more)

Centsible Savings (check here for Wal-mart deals, and more)

There is much repetition among the coupon sites.  Many cover the same stores and have the same coupons.  You just need to find the ones that best> meet your needs.  As always, pay attention to your coupons for restrictions such as size, item count, etc., and use coupons appropriately.

Our Happy Easter Weekend

It was a happy Easter here in the Sunny South, and a gorgeous weekend in many areas so I've heard.  The flowers were blooming and the skies were clear and blue.  Saturday night we had a pre-Easter/birthday combination dinner with DH's family.  In addition to Easter, we were celebrating my niece's and bil's birthdays.  We had grilled lamb, and a red velvet birthday cake for dessert.

The fastest hands!

 Happy Birthday!

Afterward we dyed Easter eggs.  That was the first in years for me.  It was fun, and they turned out pretty good, considering we had blue, green and 3 oranges to work with.  I don't know what happened to the red and yellow.

Ready, Set, Go

I think the Easter Bunny would be proud of these!

We started off Easter Sunday by attending the Easter service with Ashley and Kevin and the kids, followed by a pleasant lunch at El Paisano.  Then Ashley and I and the kids went to PetSmart to get hermit crabs, while the guys went home to check out the leaking refrigerator.

I got a short video of the crabs, named Hans (Scott's) and Cannonball (Michael's).  Hans is wearing the natural colored shell and Cannonball is yellow and black with a red stripe.

I suppose you're wondering why the boys were telling the crabs to say "crab cakes".  When I took pictures, instead of "say cheese" I was going to do "say crab flakes", like the crab food, but it sort of came out wrong - hmmm...what was I thinking?

Hans actually got out of the shallow dish three times, so we had to get a deeper container to prevent further escape.

"I've got a plan."

We hung out with them for the rest of the day, and had a wonderful beef stew for dinner. Ashley's Dad and Kevin's brother's family all joined us in the kitchen for dinner.  

Happy Easter everyone!

Quote of the Week

This comes a little late this week.

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange.  

- Author Unknown

This is a gift we all benefit from, both giving and receiving.  

A New Addition

Saturday was an exciting day for us.  This type of event doesn't happen every day or even every decade for that matter.  My DH is now the proud owner of a 2002 Honda Accord.  It's got it all, comfy leather seats, power this and that and...drumroll please...a sunroof!  That is a first for either of us.  This ends his two-year search for just the right car.  He went through several phases like I'd like a Corolla, no maybe a Civic.  We looked at car after car in under the broiling summer sun until he concluded that he'd just keep his car for now.  OK.  It was always brimming just under the surface though, the notion that the time was winding down to replace it.  Next there was the "I can just get another Saturn" phase. There were a few out there, but that model/body style is getting hard to come by, and that passed into "I'll just put new tires on it and keep driving."

When my car died back in November, I launched a search of my own.  That renewed his interest as well.  My search took us through the dead of winter and we endured bitter winds as we looked at car after car, and test drove them through snow and slush.  In the process so began his Accord phase, and we drove 4 before finding the right one.  We almost ended up with a silver one (no leather), but our offer was declined.  Fine.  Things usually work out the way they are supposed to if you don't force the issue.

On Thursday we found another gold one on-line.  We looked at it Friday evening, and went back the next morning for a test drive.  Once the decision was made that this was the car, and we had our "number" in mind, Tim, our long-suffering salesman came out to give us their "number". Can you guess?  They weren't exactly in the same neighborhood.  Again I said, "I'm sorry, I was hoping you'd be getting a new car today".  Tim said he would take our offer to the manager to see what he'd say.  Tim had been gone for a while, so thinking we were just out of luck again, we were about to leave.  But wait... here comes Tim, and he's walking with purpose.  Apparently the fact that we were there with our checkbook ready to buy and drive carried some weight, and our offer was accepted.

So here it is! 

I am happy and excited that he has a "new" car.  Now, it's my turn!