Cowboy Baby Diaper Bag Packing List

Here's a printable diaper bag packing list in a "cowboy" theme.
This is a great tool for new moms so they don't forget something they'll need when out on the town.
It should fit well in a diaper bag pocket or you can turn it into a hang tag.

 

This would be so cute in a diaper bag as a gift for a cowboy themed baby shower!

 If you are having troubles printing the list, send us an email as budgetcowboybaby@gmail.com and we can send you a printable file.

CVS and Walgreens Black Friday Haul

I visited my local CVS at midnight on Thanksgiving morning in order to get all the great deals.

Here is what I bought for $22 dollars including tax: ($162 worth of product!)

1 Theraflu Daytime or Multi-Symptom (TS 1 pack) @ $.99 each

1 Theraflu Caplets 8 ct  $1.87 each
Breathe Right Nasal Strips  $5.99 each
Cepacol Lozenges 16 ct  $4.99
Excedrin Bonus Back Extra Strength 8 ct. + PM 8 ct.  $.99
Advil PM 4 ct.  $0.99
Advil 10 ct.  $2.99 
Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues 50 ct.  $1.50

When to Clean Out Expired Coupons

When you clip and save multiple coupons, there's always going to be some that you never use in time and they expire. Then after the expire, most people aren't able to use them anymore and they are just wasting space in your coupon folder/ binder. So when should you clean them out?

My advice is to clean it out monthly; usually before the first week of the month. It will take some time so make sure you have at least 30 minutes to work on it before you start. Put all of the expired coupons in an empty envelope. You can label it "expired" on the back.

Military families can use expired coupons for up to 6 months past expiration. However, they only accept manufacturer coupons; not restaurant or store. For more information on how to label your envelopes and where to send them you can go here.

If you choose not to donate them to the military families, please remember to recycle them! Couponing should be as eco-friendly as possible on our part.

Small Business Saturday in Michiana

Just a reminder that Small Business Saturday is tomorrow! (November 26th)
Try to make a point to shop locally and help support small business in our community!
I'm sure there will be lots of great deals out there!
For more information on the Small Business Saturday movement you can read more on the official website.
If  your looking for small businesses in your area you can visit this website and type in your zip code for businesses near you.
I personally recommend checking out these small businesses in Michiana:
Jolly Nails
Between the Buns
Gloria Jean's in Granger
Explorations Toys
Orange Tree Gifts
Wakarusa Dime Store
Al Bar Ranch
Uptown Kitchen
Flourish Boutique
Sorella Boutique
Suellen Miller Designs
Kilwin's Chocolates

Product Review: Itzbeen Care Tracker

 

The Itzbeen Baby Care Tracker is an amazing device for new moms. I recently bought one at my local Babies R Us for about $25.  The concept is simple and easy to use. 

Instead of writing down when you last fed your baby, you just press the feeding button and it starts a timer. It has four different care buttons: diaper changes, feedings, sleeping/awake time, and an extra button for whatever you choose. I use the extra button for when I give him gripe water for tummy aches.

You can also set timed alarms so once a care time passes a certain length the Itzbeen will beep and flash the care button red. This way you can set it to when you should get a bottle ready or measure out medicine.  The beeping can be muted as well using a switch on the side of the Itzbeen and the device will only flash for alarms.

For breastfeeding moms, there is a slider on the bottom that will remind you if your last feeding was left or right. 

For night time, there is a flash light function and a button to turn on the back-light.

Also there is a lock function so you can't accidentally hit a care button when you didn't mean to.
This device has made all the care scheduling a breeze for me! It's really nice for when you have a babysitter as well since they know exactly when the baby last ate, slept, and was changed so he won't be taken care of wrongly without you there.
With the Itzbeen, taking care of my baby is less stressful, easier, and there's a lot less crying!

One Stop for Black Friday Deals! Walmart is pricematching!

Just released on Wal Mart's website, they are planning on price matching any other store's printed Black Friday ad for exact items!
The only catch is if a store doesn't start a deal until 4am or etc, Wal Mart can not price match until 4am for that store.
Other than that, you can get all your great bf deals in one stop!
Just be sure to print off the article on Wal Mart's website found at http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/10743.aspx just so there isn't any confused cashiers!
Be sure to tell all your friends by sending them a link to this blog post!

Happy shopping!

What is Stockpiling?

Once you've gone on a few shopping trips with coupons, you may want to take it to the next level of saving: stockpiling. Stockpiling is when you buy items in multiples to save until you need them later. That way later on you won't have to pay full price. This is one of the best ways to save money.

Start out small. The best items to start a stockpile of are toiletries. Once you find a free or cheap item such as toothpaste, buy at least 3 of them. Remember to use coupons on these items if you can!

Martin's Supermarket Match-Up 11/21

These deals run from 11/21/11 to 11/27/11 in the Michiana area.
The entire ad can be found here.
These are only the deals that have a coupon match up, not all of the deals for the week.
Prices in red are great deals for that item.

Beverages

Tru-Moo Chocolate Milk Gallon $3.29
$.55/1 http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=BFEFLN4DJDRCA
or $.55/1 (10-09-11 SS)
$2.74


Breakfast

General Mills Cereal,Select Varieties, $2.00
Limit five with your Advantage Card
$1/3 (10-23-11 SS)
$1.67 each wyb 3


Canned & Packaged

Only 1 Newspaper: 11/20 Matchups

Here are Michiana area coupon match ups you can use if you only have the coupons from one 11/20 South Bend Tribune.
This is great for beginning couponers or those of us who don't have a lot of time to dedicate to couponing.

Meijer:

$0.99 Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce,
-$1.00/2 Ocean Spray printable coupon
$0.49 each wyb 2 

$0.99 Stove Top Stuffing
Buy 4 Get 1 FREE instantly at the register. Limit 1
Buy 5 or more in one transaction, get a $1.50 checkout coupon valid on your next order.
Pay $3.96 for 5, get a $1.50 catalina

$0.49 each wyb 5

Cowboy Themed Baby Shower

 

Homemade paper and twine banner. Horse shoes as decorations. red and gold theme. Cowboy napkins from Hobby Lobby. Plain red paper plates and bowls.

 

Yellow and chocolate cupcakes from Sam's Club. Bought horse shoe plastic rings as cake toppers online. Used bandanas in mason jars to hold old fashion hard candy sticks from Cracker Barrel.

Store Coupon Match-Ups

Before sitting down to match your coupons to your shopping list, do your research! Many websites match coupons to a stores weekly sales ad for you. This will save you a TON of time and as the old saying goes "time is money".
First, decide what store your planning on shopping at. Then, you can Google search for the coupon match-up of the week. Use keywords such as "STORE NAME coupon match up".
A few websites I use are thekrazycouponlady.com and bargainstobounty.com
The match ups often tell you about printable coupons you can use for items and give you the links to them.

Do I Really Need a Coupon for Something I Never Buy?

After looking through your inserts, you may only see a few coupons you would actually use. However before tossing out the rest, ask yourself these questions:
1. If I can get this cheap enough would I use it?
2. If I can get this free would I use it?
3. If I can get this free can I give it to a family member or friend?
4. If I can get this free, would I be able to donate it?
Now, if you answer "yes" to any of those, look at the value of the coupon itself.

Labeling Your Coupon Book

Once you've found your accordion coupon folder, you need a system to organize your coupons into so you can find them easily while making a shopping plan or at the clearance rack of your favorite store. You can do this best by making each slot in your folder a category that makes sense to you. Some coupon folders are pre-labeled but the cookie-cutter version doesn't always work for everyone.
Here are some sample categories to help you get started. Remember to use what makes most sense to you and your shopping needs.
Baby (ex: diapers, formula, lotion, baby food)
Baking Goods (ex: sugar, cake mixes, break-n-bake cookies, flour)

Sunday Newspaper Inserts

The Sunday newspaper has coupon inserts that are full of coupons for products you probably already use and new products. They look like small booklets and are in the section with the weekly ads.
There is a Smart Source insert, RedPlum insert and P&G insert. Other inserts such as Target or Wal-mart are also in the paper on occasion. However, not all inserts are in the paper every week. Some, such as P&G, are only printed once a month. Usually the first or last Sunday of the month has the Most inserts depending on when the first of the month lands in the week. For example, the 10/30/11 newspaper had all of the inserts since the first was on a Tuesday.

How to Start Couponing

When I started couponing, I didn't know where to start! It becomes overwhelming watching experienced couponers and you can get easily frustrated. So here is my guide to just getting started.

First, sign up for a weekly Sunday newspaper delivery. This is the easiest and most convenient way to get your coupons. You could also save money and ask a friend or neighbor for their coupons from the paper if they don't use them.
Second, get yourself a cheap accordion binder to keep your coupons in. You can buy them very cheap at dollar stores or office supply stores. Buy one with at least ten slots. You can also buy them pre-labeled or label the categories yourself.