My Big Savings Post with helpful hints

Keep in mind that I'm not a super or extreme couponer. There's a lot I don't know, and I also don't have the energy to crazy about it. But I decided I wanted to save some money if I could.

First 3 pics are of my current formula and baby cereal/food stash. It's really not that impressive but it's good for me. All this has been obtained within the past 6 weeks. And I've gotten it all this formula/cereal/diapers/wipes under $100.

-1st drawer: 3 Enfamil RTF (ready to feed), 1 similac RTF, 2 Gerber cereals, 2 beechnut cereals, 1 Enfamil ETF 8 oz bottles, 1 wegmans large can, 1 enfamil nutraginamen large can, 1 similac small can, 1 enfamil large tub, 2 enfamil small cans, 4 gerber cereal packets
-2nd drawer: 3 Neocate cans, 3 large Similac tubs, 2 Enfamil RTF 8 oz bottles
-3rd drawer: 5 gerber cereals, 3 beechnut cereals, some packets of cereal, a plum organics pouch, and a hell of a lot of jarred baby food

Andddd Diaper stash, Again not that impressive in the couponing world but I've gotten all these in the past 4 weeks.

3 pack of Pampers wipes, single pampers wipe, single target wipes, 1 small box Pampers overnights, 1 small box Pampers swaddlers, 1 large box Luvs, 1 jumbo pack Huggies overnights, 1 jumbo pack Huggies lil Swimmers, 3 Wegmans brand diapers(there should be an Asterisks next to them lol), 2 small boxes Pampers swaddlers

1) You have to try. No one is going to just hand you a free box of diapers. Some people say it's too much work which is fine. Just dont do it then. You get out of it what you put in.

2) You MUST join the mommy coupon trading sites on facebook. Not only can you trade coupons and rebate checks but other mom's will alert you to stores with crazy deals going on or ways to stack coupons. Seriously, these groups are invaluable. Another example is just today, another local mom gave me a large Similac tub and small Similac can for FREE. She had posted in one of the area mom groups offering it. I just so happened to see it as soon as she posted an jumped on that. Keep in mind, I got lucky. For every 1 you get lucky...there are 20 more posting that you miss out on cuz you see them too late. I can invite anyone to the "good" groups if you want.

3) Stacking. This is how you get good deals. Up north it IS harder. A) we have a lack of variety. In the south they have many many more grocery/supermarket/discount store chains. We have maybe a half dozen here and many don't even let you use coupons. Ever hear of Tom Thumb? YEa... that's a chain somewhere...and you can get BOGO Huggies there right now with their store coupon. WE don't have smaller chains like that here. So yea, it's harder just because of the lack of variety.

Back to stacking. The way to get a lot of money off is look  for a sale or discount, then to stack a manufacturer (MF) coupon, with a store coupon, rebate checks, and any additional discounts like Targets Cartwheel app.

Obviously it's hard to find the tri- or quad- or quin-fecta of all those deals. But when it meshes, it's a beautiful thing.

The best thing to do is 1) look for things on sale (again, ladies in those coupon trading groups are helpful!) or on clearance and then 2) use your coupons in the stacking manner.

4) Types of Coupons
A) Get MF coupons in the newspaper, printing out online, or trading. You can also call the company directly and/or sign up for brand programs (more on this later). To print online- go to the store website, company website, P&G.com, and Coupons.com

b) Then look to see if the store has sotre-specific coupons...Target is the best at that. Go to the store website and print. Or look on their app to see if they do mobile coupons. Some stores like target will also text coupons. For example, Text "baby" to 827438 and they'll send you baby related coupons weekly.

C) look for special apps like Targets Cartwheel app. It gives you an extra usually 5-10% off certain items. It can be combined with their store coupons.

D) Rebate checks. These are usually sent from the company and are usually for formula. (more later)

5) OTHER things
OK here is where I talk about some other tips. Other ways to get coupons are as follows:

A. Call the companies. Ironically, many won't give you coupons if you just ask. You have to play the game...you can "praise" them or, and I think this works better, "complain."


 My ratings of handful of baby companies:

POSITIVE-
1) Enfamil is HANDS DOWN the best baby company for customer service. They have sent me a free sample can, and coupons, and 2 cases of RTF (i had one of those offers that you have to call them) and the reps are super nice.  I just asked for a sample and they gave. SOmeone else I know called bc she couldn't find a certain formula in the store..and they sent her 4 BIG tubs! I can't praise this company enough.

2) Gerber is pretty good. I emailed and asked for a sample of their probiotic drops and they sent some. I also called and asked to be put in their cereal club and they sent me 4 samples (a dietician will be calling me for an inerview and to continue in the club). They are somewhat elusive though about getting formula checks or coupons.

3) Pampers is good, but you can't just ask them for coupons, they won't send them. Complain and they'll send $10 off foils. I called when I had a leak 2 nights in a row...I suppose some people lie but I have some morals here lol. I got 2 $10 off foils, $1 off wipes and $1 off tide coupons

4) Luvs is pretty good. I emailed when I had tabs rip off diapers. They are sending me coupons in the mail. I've heard someone else say though they when they called before, they wouldn't send them anything. So maybe it's hit or miss.

NEUTRAL-
5) Similac is okay, they wont send samples if you ask. They will send you coupons though. I got about 5 coupons when I called... a $5 off one and a bunch of $2 and a $1.

NEGATIVE-
6) Beaudreaux Butt Paste wouldn't send any samples or coupons when I asked. However, they have $1 off coupons all over the place that you can print...

7) Lansinoh kinda sucks. Wouldn't give any coupons or samples when I asked.

8) P&G won't send you anything if you praise them. No idea if you complain.

9)Target sucks lol. They have a baby coupon mailer. Which has amaaaazing coupons. However, it is the MYSTERY in the mom coupon world. Like the bermuda triangle of mom coupons. No one knows how you receive it. And Target won't tell anyone. They say if you get a Red Card, recently opened a registry that boosts your odds. But millions of us have done that and... nothing. IF you call, they blow some smoke at you and won't tell you how to get on the mailing list for it.


B. BRAND PROGRAMS - sign up for all the formula companies programs. Sign up for Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber. Enfamil and Similac will send $5 rebate checks periodically (also sign up all your relatives lol). You can also sign up for Pampers and Huggies and get codes from their diapers/wipes...and they have a rewards program where you can redeem them. Gerber used to send checks but they don't anymore, so they're a hot commodity in the coupon world.

C) APPS:
Checkout51, and Ibotta. They will give you money back for buying certain things when you take a picture of your receipt. Shopkick gives you "kicks" for scanning things which are points. I'm not gonna get into them all right now, and I myself don't always have time to deal with them. But I know of some people who easily get $50-100 back a month


Ok there are probably way more tips and ways to save but I'm getting tired of talking about it, and this is pretty much all that I do.

Summertime, 7 months

 My baby will be 7 months on Thursday. 7 MONTHS! I wrote last time about how he seems to have "changed" but now he's REALLY changed. He is so curious, is always reaching for something. He is just so busy. He grabs onto anything close by; your hair, your glasses, your phone (He loves phones!!), his diaper (clean...or dirty), baby food jars (closed...or opened.) It's crazy. My mom said he's more advanced that me and my sisters were at that age...typical grandmother LOL. He finally knows his name and responds to both "Callum" and "BooBoo."

I never documented his 6 month appt info. Which was 6/24...technically 6.5 months old. He was 27 in long (62nd percentile), 17lb 13 oz (50th percentile) and his head was 17.75 in (79th percentile, he definately gets his head from his father). Totally healthy and developing normally. We delayed getting any vaccinations as recommended by the homeopath and have an appt at the end of august to catch him up. His pedi was totally cool with waiting.

We were talking today about how he can so easily reach all the toys on his Exersaucer and his feet touch the ground and he doesn't need any blankets to support him. When we first started putting him in it he did. THe crazy thing is, you talk about these changes like "oh remember when he couldn't reach..." and you're talking about 1 month ago. Because he changes SO fast. It's mind boggling.

He also is starting to army crawl but his main way to reach something is to roll from his belly to his side, and back to his belly. That allows him to scooch forward in a sideways-forward fashion. Which must be easier than actually crawling. It's so Callum to do that. He also sleeps on his belly sometimes now. This, the child who would scream bloody murder only about 6 weeks ago if placed on his belly.

His biggest thing is his sudden STRONG attachment to his mama. I had read on the Wonder Weeks app to expect that. But holy moly. He goes down to bed okay but has been waking up about 3 hours later (except last night, he did 6 hours!!) to eat. After that, he wants mama. He'll fall asleep while eating... then I'll try to put him back to bed and he cries and cries until I get him. Bring him into bed with me, and he falls back asleep. And it almost looks like he's been sedated - how quickly he falls asleep. Of course I love it as a mother, that my baby loves me and when he's cuddled up with me he feels safe and sleepy. But the practical part of me knows that it's well, impractical. I don't want him to get in a habit of sleeping in my bed. Because, I don't like sharing a bed lol. He's attached during the day too, trying to leave the house yesterday for an appt was awful because he was just so clingy. I don't hate it though because I know someday he won't want me around, let along want to literally cling to me.

He reaches out now to be picked up. It's a rudimentary reach. He doesn't always do it, and it's a little weak looking. But it's a reach. I love it.

Temper tantrums. Gah! He has such a little temper. I didn't realize babies had such personalities. His personality is already so formed. He gets frustrated so easily... stamps his feet and grunts and whines. If he doesn't get his own way , he whines. If something he wants is taken away from him... watch out!! He was chewing on a piece of pita bread at a restaurant the other day. And my mom took it away because it was really soggy and we didn't want him to choke. He freaked out. Screaming and crying and letting everyone there know that he was pissed off. Later that night, I put him in his crib for a few minutes as I ran around doing stuff around the house, and he didn't want to be in there. So he started SCREAMING. Like, he sounded like a toddler. I am so nervous for his real toddler years because I think he's going to be a "willful" child. Who throws temper tantrums.

But I still love his sweet little faaaaace!!

Poop. He has been having some crazy blowouts. Like poop everywhere - himself, the changing table (the pad and the table itself), wall, everywhere. I don't understand how he makes so much poop. Also he is constantly kicking now (impossible to get him dressed!) which means he kicks his feet into the poop. And he also is always trying to reach for things and just generally flails around so that he sometimes gets the poop on his hands... and consequently his face. And basically everywhere since its on his flailing hands and feet. Nothing like getting someone else's pee and poop all on you on a daily basis...and not even caring.



The Rash. It looks SO much better! No idea why. I've just been putting CereVe cream on it, and some Eucerin and the candula ointment. Please pray that it stays away. He still has red excema in his joint creases and on his cheeks but it comes and goes and I don't worry about that as much since that's normal and common and doesn't look horrendous.



So I'm on summer break. I'm working per diem a little bit at the hospital but it's so nice to be home. I could get used to this. Sorry but working fulltime and having to take care of a baby is stressful. So much easier when you eliminate that fulltime job. I miss my paycheck though!!! I start working again (part time) at the school in august for all the sports prep stuff, so I'm not off for too too long. We have no major plans... I want to do some fun outings and clean and organize the house.

with his godparents: Cousin Johnny and Aunt Lindsay

We had him baptized on Saturday, July 5th. It was really nice and he was a perfect angel. I mean he really was. No fussing or crying the entire day. He didn't even cry to eat... at the party afterwards I got a bottle out and was like um, let's feed him he HAS to be hungry. We were in the processional and then had to stand in front of the church and give our intentions (the priest asked us a couple questions. and yes, it was unsettling to be up in front of the entire church). Then we sat in the front row. So Callum was able to look back at the entire congregation and entertain them. His godfather held him for a long time and he was grabbing his ear, gave him a wet will, touching his face (oh that's anther thing, he touches faces now like a blind man trying to memorize your features), and just being goofy. Then he suddeny fell asleep on his godfathers shoulder just in time for us to be called up to the baptismal font. So then I took him and we went up there and the priest did his thing and Callum was baptized and slept through it. Everyone clapped then, and he woke up and gave a surprised look around at everyone, and then settled back down on my shoulder and fell asleep. He was just so sweet that day. I post a few pictures on facebook. But I'll post them again here. I have 42373232 more to upload, I just haven't had the time!

during

Looking around at everyone clapping

sleeping on his godfathers shoulder

Callum with his aunts, uncle, and mama

I've been thinking about all the planning I did while pregnant. All the things I planned to do, the things I read, the childbirth class I attended. And, most of it was a waste lol. You can't plan this. This baby is nuts. Life with a baby is nuts. You just go with it and adapt. People always say that, and before I had a kid I was like yea yea I get it. I can imagine. But I didn't really KNOW what it was like until it happened to me. That's how it is with anything though, you don't really know until you actually experience it. And now I have (which sometimes I still find hard to believe. Was I really pregnant? Did I really endure the pain of unmedicated childbirth? Am I really someone's MOM!?)