Well, hello there!

I'm back!

As you may recall my family and I moved halfway across the country to New York City.  Astoria (Queens) to be more exact.

I truly have not been couponing recently for a few reasons:

1. Time.  Getting a house settled, having guests, traveling and getting to know the neighborhood has taken most of mine.  Now, 3 months later we are now settling into a routine and I am learning my local stores.
2. No one coupons around here!  Seriously.  The grocery store across the street won't take internet printables and the other just recently started.  Sometimes they look at me like I'm crazy.
3. Change in diet.  While we often had fresh fruit/veggies in the house, meats, and "grocery store perimeter" items, we also had a ton of boxed stuff.  I am getting my family away from this and choosing healthier items - even if they cost more and aren't on sale.  Choosing more all natural and organic items and less processed.  I wanted to get out of this rut back in MN, but had a hard time with limited choices available....and our very limited income.

So, life is settling - I know our stores, we are getting a routine and our budget worked out - and with that my couponing has once again picked up!  It's exciting to see how much I can save.  I don't get a paper here with coupons in it, but we get a little flyer with some, and I've turned to mainly internet printables.  I'm shopping the sales and planning meals around them.

What to look forward to in this blog?  I will be writing out my grocery/drug store choices each week - it will highlight some of the best sales from Key Food, Trade Fair, CVS, and the local organic store.  My budget each week is $100.  That may seem like a lot, but it's not for our area.  From those lists I will be making my meal plans.  I will also be highlighting coupons for organic and all natural food that I find.  Occasionally there might be some Target deals thrown into the mix if we adventure in that direction....it's not close to our house, so it's about a once a month excursion now.  Same with Whole Foods - they and Trader Joe's might pop up from time to time.  We'll see!

If you are interested, join me in this adventure!  Please share with me your thoughts and opinions and any deals you might find too!

-Brook

In 5 Weeks...

We'll be living in New York City.

Hence the complete absence from my blogging.

Our house finally sold, PRAISE THE LORD!  Nearly three years on the market, lowering the price more times than I can count....ahhh, it's been a long road.

We at first were going to stay in Hutchinson....
Then we thought we'd move to Minneapolis....
All the while knowing NYC was where we would eventually end up and be our "landing spot".

Time has disappeared on us and we are just going to make that giant leap from small-town, MN to NYC.  Queens to be exact.  I am ecstatic to be moving back there!

It's a given we have just a few things going on.  We have sold much of our furniture in a recent garage sale (made over $1,000!), and have been downsizing drastically.  I've been focused on the move, attempting to still do coupons and deals, but not nearly to the capacity I once was.

I haven't decided what to do with this blog yet.  I may continue blogging about deals I find once I am in NYC, but I know life will be different...the nearest Target is just miles away; however, it's a hefty subway ride (we will not have a car)-so it won't be on my "daily errands" list anymore! :)  Plus, there are oodles of deal type sites out there already for NYC that I have stumbled across.

Maybe I'll just simply blog about using our money wisely, yet as richly, as we can in NYC.  I'm just not sure yet.

So perhaps, I will be back soon.  Perhaps it will be 5 weeks (or more) until you hear from me!  Thank you for reading.

PS. Currently at Cash Wise the Lunchables are $1.00 and if you buy a certain amount you get a $1.00 off your next shopping order Catalina.  I bought 5 Lunchables and that was enough to trigger the coupon.  Easy on the go toddler food.  Love it.

-brook

Econo deals coming EVEN MORE laterz...

Hey folks, sorry the Econo deals aren't up yet, I full intended to get them done this evening; however.....we ended up in the E.R.  My little guy has been battling a cold the past few days and this afternoon took a turn for the worse.  I took his temp and it was 104.  After a short discussion with my Mom, who has been in nursing for over 35 years, she thought the E.R. would be a good idea.

Turns out, she was right!  Mom usually is. :)  Henry has RSV.  Since he's two, it's more like a really, really bad cold, we have to monitor his fever and just make sure he doesn't get any worse.  Whew!  The doctor was very, very glad we brought him in though - he said it was the right move, he could have gotten quite a bit worse overnight.

So, I'm drained tonight...Econo deals will get done at some point tomorrow!

Econo deals coming laterz...

After the 2 ginormous ad match-ups of Cash Wise & Target, my eyes are practically crossed from being at my computer so long!  I KNOW there are some Econo deals that I want to share, but they will have to wait!  Sorry!  My sanity comes first. :)  I'll try to get them up later tonight.

-b.

Cash Wise Deals Coming Soon!

I apologize again this week for being mostly absent from the blog world - with the busy Christmas season and preparing for vacation in just a few days, my free time has been eaten up by my To Do list.  :)  However, I will at least get Cash Wise deals up this week!  I hope to get that done for you tonight.

-Brook

New Sidebar Item - Hey, It's Free!

I added a direct feed from my favorite freebie website, "Hey, It's Free!" to my sidebar on the right side of the page.  Check it out for all the greatest current freebies!

Good Read: The Lazy Girl's Guide to Coupons

For anyone that wants to coupon, but the whole organized box/binder/pouch freaks you out a tad...check out this post --> HERE <--

I have a big-o-box, sorted alphabetically by brand.  I clip all like brands together, meaning all my Huggies coupons are clipped together in the H envelope.  This makes the clipping/sorting/storing part take longer, but I can usually find a coupon very quickly in the store.  Which is handy with a toddler!

And I just can't yet let myself pass up a steal.  My giant box comes with me in every store....!

Neno's Blog Award

Geri over at Heart N Soul Cooking surprised me with this lovely blog award!!!  THANK YOU!!

Neno's Award—-Rules and Regulations

1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.

4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

I love blogging because of the people you can meet, the online community that is formed, the amazing things I learn, and it truly helps keep me organized!  I like to do a quick post on coupons other bloggers mention - or deals I have found around town.  I re-read my blog later to remind me to take advantage of some of those deals!  I love reading recipe and food blogs that encourage me to stretchhhhhh my imagination a bit in the kitchen!

My blog is fairly new, and I have not made it known to much of anyone.  I have had a few people stumble upon me-which is wonderful!  I hope to make this blog a bit of a "one stop spot" for people in my small town to see what the best deals are around here.  Our town has been hit HARD by the economy, and I know there are more families than just ours learning how to make a dollar go further.

Here are a few of the awesome blogs I like to read-passing on the award:

North Dakota Frugal Mom - a fellow Cash Wise shopper/deal poster 

$30 Weekly Grocery Challenge - this was one of the first "money saving" blogs I found, and I recall my jaw dropping a bit at being able to live on only $30.  Now, I've learned - it is possible!  Very encouraging and lots of great deals found here!

Meal Planning with Connie - a wonderful blog to encourage me to keep doing the meal planning, and lots of awesome recipes!