I'm a Believer!

Okay I'm going to totally gush on this post so if you ever thought about ways to save money keep on reading.  Here's my check list: I'm a stay at home mom, we just moved to a different state and we just bought a house.  All three of those things could probably tell you that we recently spend a HUGE bulk of our savings and we need to save every new penny that comes in our doors.

I save $70.44 on this trip.

The hard part? My hubby and I are admittedly impulse buyers. It doesn't matter if it's the grocery store or the mall we tend to walk home with things we weren't planning on coming home with.  It didn't matter very much before while we working but now that kind of spending is just asking for trouble.

I've always been interested in couponing. I've seen the shows and read other mom's blog and I was always amazed that they could find such great deals.  I've kept an eye on a really great blog called The Coupon Project for the past year but I was never serious about trying all the tactics.  I really tried out her tips this week and I'm AMAZED.  On average at each shopping trip I save about 50% from my bill.  My refrigerator and pantry are completely stocked with food.  I even have meats and produce too!  The best part is I'm under $80 for the grocery budget I set for this month.  So besides milk, fruit and orange juice we're good for the next month.  I love the fact that I can provide my family healthy meals, save money in the process and not have to run to the store all the time.  Her blog is really easy to follow, she provides the place, deal, coupon link, making and keeping to a budget.  I highly recommend her site if you've ever been interested.  I can't wait to see what kind of savings I'll see after I've been at this for a few months.  Are you a couponer?  What's the best deal you've gotten?

Leave My Computer Alone!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norton Small Business by Symantec for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I count myself lucky that my husband, sister and brother-in-law are all computer savvy.  I can only get by on the day to day things.  If something goes wrong like, it doesn't boot up, it's slow or just won't work.  I can't do anything about it.  There have been a few times were the hardware stopped working and I had to wait until my husband came home.

At least my husband sets up my daily internet surfing so I'm mostly goof proof.  He makes sure that we have a good firewall, virus scanner and more.  I also don't click on everything I see.  My parents however, do.  My parents are are small business owners in real estate.  If something goes wrong on their computer it's more detrimental because of their business.  We might loose a  few pictures while they have the potential to loose important receipts and documents related to their business.

The unfortunate part is that even with computer savvy people in the family my parent's don't listen to their words of advice.  They click on random pop up ads. They don't update their virus software or firewall.  They wait until the computer is on its death bed before getting help.

That's why I think it would be a great idea for them to get the Norton Small Business by Symantec.  Our family has used Norton before and we know that it is reliable.  I think this program would work the best for my parents since it does most of its job automatically.  They can surf the internet and not worry about their files or the computer speed.  It will even tell you if a website or file is safe. This would be the perfect time to pick up either Norton 360 or Norton Internet Security 2012.  The newest versions just launched this past September. The best part is we can get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now.

Are you shopping for a way to protect your computer from your kids, hubby or wifey?  Have you used Norton before?  Which program would work best for you?

Awesomeness = Grandma!

Are you a marathon shopper?  Maybe the one that gets to the stores the night before a HUGE sale for the best deals?  I've seen some amazing pictures of the deals people have been getting from the Black Friday shopping trips and a part of me (a very SMALL part) wonders what it would be like.  Part of the reason I'm not into going shopping on BIG deal days like Black Fridays was because I was dragged along for each one as a kid.  Now in my old (35 years of old) age I'd rather do my shopping in the comfort of my home, in my sleeping clothes and have it delivered right to my door.

Luckily, my mom is still into braving the shopping crowds and her only granddaughter is reaping the benefits.  I want to get Isabel a doll house this year.  I put one on her Christmas list in the hopes that "Santa" will do the honors.  My mom stepped up to the plate and got her this AMAZING dollhouse!  She found a Black Friday deal where she saved about $100 on it.  It's huge and it comes with 34 pieces of furniture.  I can't wait until Izzy sees it.  I know she's just going to go crazy for it.  So Black Friday Shoppers, what kind of awesomeness did you find out there today?

Cooking Memories

I can't cook. Wait! No, I can cook but I'm not a foodie.  I hope I would eventually get there but right now I'm more of a get something on the table to feed my family.  I admire those that can whip up an amazing meal on the spot from scratch.  If you're own of those, this awesomeness is for you.  Do you have all your recipes in your head or written down on flash cards or note book paper?  Wouldn't it be great if you could have them all in one spot, printed and bound like a real cook book? Or if not your recipes, your mom's or grandma's?  Wouldn't be a great gift to give your mother or grandmother something like that.  If you're interested, check out this deal below and tell me what you think.

Toddler Proof Wall Decals

Do you rent? We do. When my hubby was chosen for these new orders we agreed to rent a place until we knew for sure that we would settle down here. We didn't want to go through the rush of trying to sell like we had to with this last move. That was WAY too much stress and I don't even want to get into the crap our house is worth now because of the economy.  So now we're renting. One reason I was sad to move was because I took time to decorate the baby's room.  I love how it turned out and I made sure it wasn't obnoxiously girly.

Even though we have to rent I still wanted my little girl to have a beautiful room full of color were she would want to spend her time dreaming and discovering.  The down side was since this was a rental I wouldn't be able to just paint like I did at our last house.  So I found the next best thing.  At one of the discount sites I frequent, Zulily I found these decals that I could put on the walls to decorate.  I finished putting them up yesterday and I LOVE them.  I was concerned that they wouldn't come off without leaving adhesive on the walls or take off paint.  I moved a couple of pieces while I was putting them up and this morning I found a few stuck to her bedding.  When she woke up she must have peeled them off.  Two were stuck to each other, one was on her shirt and the other on her bed.

Usually, those would be in the trash can.  Not these, I just peels them off, took of as much lint as I could and stuck them back on the walls.  Yeah!  They're even toddler proof!  I randomly see them on different discount sites so if you happen to run across them.  They're great and you don't have to be stuck with white walls anymore!

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Back to School

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bealls. All opinions are 100% mine.
Walking through the malls or the local shops I can't help but notice that it's that time of year when "back to school" shopping is a high priority on most mom's minds.  Fortunately, my daughter is only two so I have a few years before I have to deal with that frenzy.  My aunt however, is going through that with my younger cousin.  She's a little fashionista in training and only the latest trends will do.  At the tender age of thirteen she pairs skinny jeans, a stripped tunic under a solid cardigan with a wide belt and a pair of hoop earrings.  All her outfits have to be what's in style and she could give me a mommy make over without batting her eyes.
When it is my turn, I will buy most of the "back to school" things online rather than face the crowded malls.  I already do most of my shopping online.  I seem to find better deals for less hassle.  I love the fact that I can browse through different colors, sizes and departments in my pajamas and have my items delivered to me.  Bealls offers the best combination of deals I've seen in a while.  For this weekend only, if you shop during Friday through Saturday every piece of clothing or shoes you buy is tax free for Florida residents.  If your order is over $50 you get $10 off your purchase and there is no shipping charge.  Right now there is Mega Sale for "back to school" items and I've seen things marked down as high as 58%.  Those kind of savings would make my wallet happy.
Even though I'm not shopping for back to school the deals were so good I found something for Izzy.  She absolutely LOVES Dora the Explorer and I found a backpack that looks just like the one from the show for 40% off at Bealls.  That would be great to pack up some toys to go to grandma's or to pretend she's going to school.

Relocating

We're relocating to WA state in a little over a month.  I'm excited and a little apprehensive about the move.  I've come to love our current home and will miss it.  I'm not looking forward to the packing, unpacking and decorating to make our next house a home like this one was.  With each move there is an ENORMOUS job of sorting through the "junk" we've accumulated and identifying the pieces we will need for the new house.  I hope this will be the last relocation and WA state will be our permanent place to live.

I've already started sorting the pieces of furniture we're not bringing.  The bed in the guest room is over 7 years old so that definitely has to go.  My hubby got it while he was stationed in England and it's an unusual piece.  I was lucky enough to find a replacement queen storage bed.   I really like the South Shore Breakwater Queen Bookcase Storage Bed in Chocolate Finish and it helps that it's 27% off right now.

I also found a great accent chair through become.com for the spare room.  It's a Knoll Bertoia Side Chair, it's made of chrome with your choice of color for the seating pillow and the frame.  I'll probably choose red for a pop of color.  Fortunately, those are the only pieces of furniture we need to replace. After going through become.com, I also found a 5Pcs Twin XL Bedding Multi Dots Microfiber Comforter Set that would go great with Izzy's room.  The move will give me the perfect opportunity to redecorate her room which I wrote about here.

A special thank you to www.become.com for supporting Mama Tales.