Stocking Up Before Baby

 You guys know by now that I am a couponer and love to stock up on items for super cheap. I have been spending the last few months trying to fill my stockpile and get items as cheap as possible before Ellie arrives. I always love to save money but I figured with a baby coming I wouldn't really feel like heading out to the store too often once she arrived so it was better to have all sorts of essentials already stocked. I watched a few youtube videos and found a few lists online that shared lists of what to stockpile before baby- not just baby items but household items as well so I thought I would compile my own list and share it here if anyone is interested! I'm also going to share a few photos of my current stockpile because I'm pretty excited with the amount I've accumulated lately.

Stock Up Before Baby List

Baby Items

• Diapers (Obviously...) Every chart online says a different number but I looked up a few on Pinterest and just sort of guessed what we would need. I am completely stocked up for newborn through size 3, so I will be working on size 4 and holding off to see if I even need size 5 or 6. I wasn't afraid of buying too many because I made sure they were less than 20 cents a diaper and we plan on having at least one more kid in the future. Also, diapers make great gifts for baby showers!
• Wipes- Again, obvious but make sure they are one cent a wipe or cheaper!
• Bottles- Just a few free sample bottles to try out and find the kind you like. 
• Formula- Free samples are available through Enfamil and Similac. Even if you plan on breastfeeding it doesn't hurt to get the samples just in case. You can always donate them!
• Clothes- Not a ton, but look for clearance clothing and stock up for the next year.
• Baby Gear- I will share more of the gear we received at our shower and what else we picked up in another post, but we ended up with a lot of stuff. Probably not all necessary, so talk to friends and family and do your research to see what you will actually use and love. I plan on updating once Ellie is here and we actually know what she will use.

Household/Personal Items

• Paper Towels
• Toilet Paper
• Tissues
• Qtips
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Lotion
• Shower Gel/Soap
• Deodorant
• Laundry Detergent
• Dryer Sheets
• Laundry Scent Boosters
• Sponges
• Dishwasher Tabs
• Cleaning Sprays
• Dish Soap
• Aluminum Foil
• Plastic Wrap
• Ziploc Bags
• Parchment Paper
• Lysol Wipes/ Other Cleaners
• Garbage Bags
• Paper Plates
• Toothpaste
• Hand Soaps
• Bathroom Sprays
• Vitamins
• Medications- Tylenol, Tums, etc..
• Razors
• Batteries

Pet Items

• Pet Food
• Pet Treats
• Pet Medications

Food/Drink Items

• Water Bottles
• Soda/Juice/ Other Drinks
• Snacks
• Ingredients For Simple Meals
• Ingredients to Make Freezer Meals

Post Partum Supplies

• Pads
• Tucks Wipes
• Ingredients to Make Padsicles
• Ice Packs

That's what I've come up with so far! Let me know if you think anything is missing from my list and I will add it! I've been working hard at stocking up for a few months now and would love to know what else I should be grabbing at the store!

Toy Clearance!

I have a love of saving money, couponing, and clearance hunting! I share a lot more of that on my instagram but I thought I would share a quick tip about toy clearance here on the blog today.

Every year in July Walmart and Target clearance out a ton of toys. They are looking to make room for the new toys that will be released for Christmas and they want them out of their store, ASAP! This is great news for clearance hunters because the prices drop fast. I have been to Walmart twice in the last week and from the first trip to the second the prices had dropped substantially. Many of the toys get up to 90% off, but if you see something you really want I suggest buying it at 50% or 75% since it could sell out.

On Saturday I went and stocked up on a ton of toys. Now, I know I have no idea what my daughter will be into yet. She could not care for Frozen at all, however most of the toys I've been buying will be gifted to her before she turns two. I'm guessing that up until age 2 she will be excited for any toy (I'm also hoping for the same with clothing since I've been clearance hunting for clothes for quite some time too!)

I always grab items for the other kids I buy for and do need to go back and get some more items for them as well. I love that by buying toys on clearance I can still spend the amount I want to spend on them but get them so much more for the money! (Also I buy for 4 kids who all have birthdays in December/ January so that's 8 gifts between birthdays and Christmas- clearance shopping is the way to go!)

Here's everything I picked up during my second round of shopping. The first round I picked up some Frozen barbie dolls. (Again, if my daughter has no interest in Frozen they are something I can sell at a yard sale someday- brand new in package or I can pass them on to someone else who does like Frozen)

Both of the bigger toys were over 50% off, which was great for larger toys. I love that I can give Ellie the little seahorse for Christmas this year and will save the other toys for future birthdays and Christmases. I actually picked up the puzzle because I know a ton of people who love to do puzzles and can use it as part of a gift and the LOL surprises are for some little girls who love LOL and opening surprises. 

I am planning on going back for another round because I desperately need to stock up on boy gifts for my friend Rachel's son and my new nephew Max. I find it much more exciting to buy for the girls, but there are great deals for the boys as well. 

I haven't been to look at the Target toy clearance yet, but generally the prices are higher than Walmart but you can get good deals there too. 

Do you stock up at the toy clearance sale? I know this will be great going forward when Ellie is invited to birthday parties and we need to purchase for more kids. It's not only a great way to save money, but an awesome way to be able to gift more. I love being able to give a ton of toys to my favorite kids!

Saving Money Preparing For Baby- Clearance Diapers & Wipes

On Sunday I ran into Walmart just to do a quick shopping trip and grab a few things we needed. Anytime I'm in Walmart I run through the baby section and just take a look for any clearance- clothing, gear, whatever it is I know buying it on clearance is a smart decision. I had seen a ton of couponers and clearance hunters mention diaper and wipe clearance at Walmart, but couldn't find any when I went on previous trips. This time however I was so excited because I was lucky enough to stumble across not one but two displays of clearance diapers!!!

 
This is the first display I saw which was mostly filled with pull-ups. I know at some point we will need pull-ups but currently I am most focused on diapers so I did leave those behind. I grabbed a few boxes of the newborn diapers because I am assuming that Ellie will be small enough for them for at least a short period of time. We also plan on having another child someday, so whatever we don't use up we will save for the next baby, or pass on to family and friends!

The second display I found was even better! It was packed with Hello Bello diapers in size 2 and size 4. I grabbed the two size twos that I saw and a few boxes of the size 4. Each box was $15 and the smaller packs were $7. My per diaper cost was no more than 20 cents per diaper which is precisely the top amount I would like to pay for all diapers. 

My trunk was filled with diapers and I was so thrilled! I honestly thought I wouldn't be lucky enough to score this deal because my Walmart is notorious for being more expensive then others around the country and I don't see a lot of the clearance that other people report getting. I am interested see if in the coming weeks they clearance out any other items and will definitely keep my eyes peeled. 

As I mentioned, I am working on creating a diaper and wipe stockpile and I plan to spend no more than 20 cents per diaper and 2 cents per wipe. It's been a slow process but here is where my stockpile currently stands...

I am keeping bigger size diapers in the basement along with my overflow wipes. I don't want to put too many in her room so I have been putting them down here for the time being. You can see that I maintain a pretty big personal care stockpile as well. I am trying to keep this stocked so we don't need to run out when Ellie arrives. I would like to have everything we need in our personal "store" so I will keep couponing and looking for good deals!

Not diaper related but on the other side of the basement I keep household goods. There are tons of bottles of laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, paper plates, napkins, dish soap, etc...I know it's not a huge stockpile but I buy in small quantities and am not an extreme coupon by any means. I love that I don't have to rush out to get items because we don't run out of these items. 

In the center I've started stacking boxes of diapers. I also try to keep a stock of toilet paper, paper towels, and gifts here. In the baskets there are razors, toothbrushes, etc... 

We haven't gotten too far in Ellie's closet DIY yet. I did order the pieces we need to get started but I have only taken down the existing shelf and spackled the insane anchor holes someone decided to drill. I plan to have baskets inside of her closet and they will hold the back-up diapers and wipes that we will keep in her room.

The top drawer of her changing table will hold diapers and wipes (see below) but I will put extras in her closet for quick access. The ones I plan to put in her closet are in the picture above. All others will be kept in the basement. I'm hoping that my plan will allow me to "restock" items from the basement when I have the opportunity to but never run out of items in her nursery. I will keep you updated on that particular organization plan when it's in use!

My friend Brittni gave me a bunch of diapers that she had leftover from her girls and I happily brought them home! I love all the Honest diaper designs they are just so cute! 

I would love to know if you stockpile anything in your house and if you built up a diaper stockpile before you had your kids?

Have a great day everyone!

Weekly Couponing Deals: CVS and Walmart

Happy Monday everyone! 

We are finally over the winter sickness and hopefully that will be it for us this year!

Yesterday we headed out shopping and there are some pretty great deals you can snatch up so I want to share them with you guys so you can get them too!

If you aren't following me over on Instagram definitely do so because I try to share couponing deals as I do them so you'll often get them faster if you follow over there.

Also before I share these deals, make sure you have the following apps:

Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Receipt Pal, and Receipt Hog.

These apps are rebate apps and give you money back for purchases you make every day. I use these to my advantage to lower the amount of money I spend on groceries. 

If you use this referral code for Fetch Rewards you will get 3,000 points when you sign up with is the equivalent to $3. It's a great way to get started!

My referral code for Ibotta is: tjq9bq  if you want to use that as well!

Okay, so lets talk about Walmart. If you like ice cream then run!

Some of the ice cream is on clearance for $1 including the Ninja Turtles ice cream you see in my cart above. My store didn't have as much as other stores I've seen on Instagram but we still managed to find a few things. The Breyers is NOT on clearance but there are points on Fetch Rewards so you can get it for a decent price.

Fetch is amazing for giving out free products! I was able to buy this Ready to Heat Chicken Broccoli Rice and I received the full amount back on Fetch Rewards. You still have to put the money out initially but getting a free product after the rebate is still amazing! 

Another great deal at Walmart is the clearanced baby pouches. Some of them are as low as 25 cents! I  checked the expiration dates of the ones I found and they were all 2021, so no reason to worry about that. If I had a baby I would definitely stock up!

One of my favorite people to watch for couponing deals is Coupon Katie you can find her through that link on YouTube or on Instagram or TikTok. I love that she doesn't overcomplicate things and doesn't go overboard. She also just seems like a super cool person and I think we would totally be couponing friends in real life!

Now lets talk about CVS.

Buy 1 Crest Toothpaste for $3
load $2/1 coupon to your card in your CVS app
Pay $1
Receive $1 back in ECB (ECB= Extra Care Bucks)
FREE

Buy 2 Garnier Fructis (I purchased one shampoo and one conditioner) for $7
Use $3/2 coupon
Pay $4
Receive $3 back in ECBs
50 cents each

I truly don't think you need to go overboard and buy 100 of something just because it's on sale. I see a lot of people buy a ton of one item and then resell them and if that's your jam then that's great! I would prefer to just get what is free or super cheap and slowly build up my stockpile. I want to make everyone understand that in order to coupon and stockpile you can build it up slowly! You can buy only one or two items and still be building your stockpile.

Well that's all for today, I hope you are able to get out and get some deals! Have a great day!

Kohls Deal!

This is a Kohls deal that you guys definitely do NOT want to miss! 

To do this deal you will need to order on Kohls.Com, and here's how I got these pillows for less than $2 a piece!

-Add 8 The Big One Pillows to your Kohls.com shopping cart.
-Select ship to store to save shipping.
-Use the following coupon codes:
POPCORN20
LABORDAY
BEDBATH20

With tax my total came to $13.28 which is $1.66 per pillow which is an amazing deal!

I really want to get back into couponing and a deal like this is exactly why. So hop over to Kohls.com and place your order right now! Mine was ready same day and who knows how long this will last!

Black Friday Shopping!

Hey loves! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with your loved ones! Ours was very nice and we have round two tomorrow with the other side of the family.

Today I went out for Black Friday...

to the DMV. Yes, that is the line for the DMV. I had to officially change my name there and thought no one would be heading there on Black Friday. Boy was I wrong as I stood outside for 45 minutes in 15 degree weather behind 50 other people who got there before I did. Good news is they were super efficient and I was out of there within a half hour once the doors opened!

I managed to get a few Black Friday deals but I honestly try to avoid the stores as much as possible so I'll share the deals I took advantage of that are still going on so you can take advantage too!

Pictured above are all my freebies from CVS! I walked away with more money in ECBs then I spent to get all these items. Definitely check out the CVS flyer for everything you can get for free because this isn't all you are able to get! I love shopping at CVS!

I also placed an order on American Eagle where everything is 40% off and free shipping! I picked up two new pairs of jeans, a bra, pajama pants, and 10 pairs of underwear for $135!

I love picking up my Erin Condren planner for the new year every Black Friday and today was no exception. My LifePlanner would normally be priced at $60. They are all 30% off today and I had a $25 coupon code from the order I placed last year (yay for never expiring coupons) so I was able to pick up my new planner for only $24 including shipping!

Tim and I made a quick trip to Walmart this morning where he picked up a couple of video games for $25 and $35, which was a great deal for him. I found the Kodak Wireless Printer  for only $49! I picked that up as well as a refill pack for $13 since this is normally a $100 product.

Later I plan on heading to Stop and Shop where I hear if you spend $100 on gift cards you get $20 towards groceries printed on your receipt! I will be taking advantage of that since I buy so many gift cards for family members!

There are a ton of deals out there today, go take advantage and if you can do it from home!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Couponing Week of 11/19- Target, CVS, Bath and Body Works, and Walmart

Good morning everyone!

I'm here to share my couponing deals from yesterday at a few different stores. I always love couponing the week of Black Friday because CVS in particular knocks it out of the park every year. 

Since we're already chatting about it- let's start with CVS!

I basically purchase anything that I end up getting free at CVS so here's what I picked up.

Hershey Chocolate Bar 77 cents
paid 77 cents, received 77 cents in ECBs
FREE!

 Hershey King Sized Chocolate Bar $1.88
paid $1.88, received $1.88 in ECBs
FREE!

Trolli Sour Gummies $1.99
paid $1.99, received $1.99 in ECBs
FREE!

Wet and Wild Mascara Set $4.99
paid $4.99, received $4 in ECB
99 cents!

I also used a $4 ECB from my last couponing trip.

I paid $6.30 out of pocket and received $8.64 in ECBs for my next trip, which will be later this week during the Black Friday event!


Next up a pretty lame Bath and Body Works haul...

The only deal I got at Bath and Body Works was a buy three get two free deal. I picked up I've items from the winter candy apple line. The two shower gels and two body lotions are gifts for the girls I have judging dance team tryouts and the body cream I'm keeping.

I paid $41.20 out of pocket or $8.24 per item- not a great deal but it's fine!


Next up, let's head to Walmart where I picked up quite a few items.

I picked up:

BIC Simply Solei Razor 3 pack #3.27
used $2 coupon
$1.27

Command Hooks $2.38

3 Purex Crystals $2.97 each
used buy two get one free coupon
$5.94 or $1.98 each

2 Hefty Gallon Storage Bags $1.98 each
used $1/2 coupon
$2.96 or $1.48 each
(I will also be submitting for a $1.50/2 biota credit!

3 Bags of Hershey Kisses $2.98 each

Bag of M&Ms $2.84

2 Oreo Candy Bar King Size $1.34 each
used $1/2 coupon
$1.68 or 84 cents each

I paid $28.13 out of pocket for this order.

Next up, Target!

Target was so disappointing- I had a few deals I wanted to do but couldn't find any of the products in store!

2 Strerlite Plastic Organizers $6.99 each
used 10% off Cartwheel
Paid $6.29 each

I paid $13.46 out of pocket.

Not a bad Sunday for couponing! I can't wait to head back out for some more deals! :)

What did you get couponing this week?

CVS Couponing: Week of 6/20/16

Well it's Monday again...how does that happen so quickly?

The best part about starting a new week is all the new coupon deals happening. Here's what I did at CVS this afternoon.

2 Purex Laundry Detergent $1.99 each, no coupons needed!

2 Colgate Battery Powered Toothbrushes 1ct $5.99 each

buy one get $4 ECB back

Final Price: $1.99 each

2 Bounty Paper Towels 12ct $9.99 each

1 Charmin 16ct $9.99

used two $1/1 bounty printables

used one $1/1 charming coupon from the 6/5 Red Plum

Submitted for three $1 Checkout 51 rebates

Submitted for one $1 Ibotta rebate

Final Price $4.32 each

Milk $1.99, no coupon needed

Water Bottle $1.57, no coupon needed

I used $3 in coupons and $13 in ECBs.

I paid $36.51 out of pocket and applied for $4 in rebates.
I also received $18 ECBs to use during my next trip so not a bad deal at all to get some necessities!

What couponing trips are you doing this week?

CVS Couponing This Week!

Tonight I headed out to coupon at CVS before my Zumba class! I haven't really spent time planning a couponing trip in quite a while. This trip was just a small one but I got a few great items for cheap!

Suave Shampoo and Conditioner 

on sale for 2 for $6 or $3 each

used $3 off 2 coupon, making each one $1.50

Paid $3, received $2 back in ECB, making each one 50 cents, or $1 total.

Colgate Mouthwash $5.29

Colgate Toothpaste $3.79

used two $1 coupons, making my total $7.08

Paid $7.08, received $4 back in ECB, making each one $1.54, or $3.08 total.

Nexxus Travel Hair Spray $3.49

used a FREE Nexxus Travel product coupon I received in the mail

Paid $0.

I also used a $5 CVS Extra Care Buck.

My total before sales was $20.15.

Sale prices brought my total to $18.57

Coupons brought my total to $5.08

Tax brought my total to $6.38

I paid $6.38 in cash and received $6 in ECB to use in my next transaction! Not bad! 

Have you done any couponing lately?