Hey! Just wanted to remind you all to run out and get your Sunday papers!  There will be 2 inserts this week.  Like I've said before, go to the Dollar Tree to save money on the paper. Just don't take all of them in the Madison locations! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and Happy Fathers Day!

xoxo!
Ashleigh

Diapers.com- is it worth it?

I have always been intrigued by Diapers.com.  I always see ads in my magazines and the idea of having diapers mailed right to me for FREE is very tempting.  At the age the twins are at right now, its so hard to get out and run simple errands like for diapers.  On a side note, a few weeks ago I got a message from Huggies saying I won the diapers for a year daily drawing, but I have yet to hear from them again...I have my fingers crossed! 

So earlier this week, I was browsing my Pampers rewards and I saw that I could get gift certificates for Diapers.com.   With just over 1500 points, I was able to get $27 in certificates, plus I had a code for an extra $10 off with free shipping.  So basically, I could fill my cart with $37 of stuff for FREE.  I found many pros and cons with the website.  (I would love some feedback from people who use this site, since I am a newbie!)

PROS:

1. You can mail your coupons in and they can credit your account.  If you know you will mostly buy a certain brand (Pampers, Huggies), this would be a great option!
2. They have a lot of different offers and FREE shipping (mostly on orders over $49)
3. They price match any website for the exact same item.  Strangely, when I tried to price match some diapers from Amazon.com, they disappeared from the website.  Coincidence or not?  

CONS:

1. The prices are WAY above what I normally pay at Target or Walmart.   Without the extra deals, it would not be worth it to even check this out.  It is a matter of if the few dollars extra per pack outweigh the price of gas and struggle to get to the store.

I ordered the diapers on Wednesday and I got them first thing today (Saturday), not bad! Unless I find another great deal, I don't really see myself shopping there much, but it was a different experience.  I got almost 200 diapers for $14.  That is a great deal!  All in all, it was something I just wanted to try, but I love my Target runs wayyy too much to give them up.  Believe it or not, a late night run to Target once the girls are asleep is my little break for the day.

Want to check it out?  Here's the website: Diapers.com and use my referral code: ASHL0574.   

Let me know what you think!

XOXO

Ashleigh 

Movie Screeners

Ok, I've done enough blogging for today, but I have one more thing.  Can you tell my cable box isn't working? haha!  Maybe this should be a sign we don't need TV, I actually clean AND get my "to do" list partially done.  Anyway, I love going to the movies, although I never have time anymore.  I found this website for free movie screenings: Gofobo.  I'm not sure how popular this is, but in larger cities it seems that there are a lot of free movies available.  Unfortunately, in Madison there isn't much exciting.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that its a new and developing site!  One of the best parts of the summer in Madison, though, is the Terrace and they have lot of fun activities available.  Movie Monday looks very promising with their High School movie theme... I would love to see Nightmare on Elm Street or Superbad there.  Plus, the setting on the lake is perfect for summer beer drinking. 

Don't forget to leave me comments and follow for future updates!

xoxo!
Ashleigh

Bookworms!

Ever since I discovered Half Price Books years ago, I have been obsessed.  I am very sad that there will not be one in Michigan when we move, I will go through withdrawal!  If you don't have one around you, I'm sure there are other options.  In Madison we also have Frugal Muse, which I also love.  I am obsessed with magazines and I subscribe to at least 10 different ones, mostly because I find free subscriptions online.  Once I'm done with them, I can hand them in at Half Price, along with books I have read for money.  Each trip I get at least $10 back, which I usually just spend right away there.  They have DVDs and an amazing cookbook selection, as well as their Bargain corner which I get most books for $1.  Also, their children's section is pretty large and wayy cheaper than regular bookstores.  Now that I'm home so much I finally have time to read again (when the girls let me, that is!).  Sign up for their email list and they send coupons and let you know about certain specials they have.  Right now they have a summer reading program for kids 14 and under which you can get a $3 gift card each week for reading 15 minutes (or like us, we read to the girls).  

If you have not been, you should really check it out!  



xoxo!
Ashleigh

For all of the parents out there!

One of the big ways I really learned how to save is when I was pregnant with the twins.  Just in case you didn't know, I have twin daughters who are 16 months old.  Obviously with twins we had to find a way to get everything cheaper.  Here are a few tips to help get you started:

• Sign everyone up you know (ask first of course...) for baby coupons.  You can sign up at pretty much every baby website, although the best are Huggies, Pampers, Gerber, Enfamil and Similac.   Most sign-ups let you opt out of emails, so you don't have to bug the people you sign up with junk mail!  Have the coupons sent to their address, since most companies only allow one account per address. These are great to stock up on diapers, wipes and formula with.  Plus you get a lot higher value coupons through the mail than anywhere else, for the most part
• Buy multiple Sunday papers.  This tip is for anyone looking to save a lot of money.  As I have said before, I usually buy at least 5 Sunday papers.  I have a routine where I cut them out while watching my shows (Real Housewives is my favorite option, haha!).  It sounds tedious, but having more than one of a coupon is great to stockup on items during a sale.  This week Pampers had a $2.00 off wipes coupon in the Sunday paper and I found 7 coupons, which equals 7 FREE tubs of wipes at Walmart (they run for $1.97 there).  If you have a Dollar Tree, get your papers there and save at least $1.00 on the paper!
• Know how to USE the coupons.  If you are lucky enough to come across a Target coupon (it will say TARGET COUPON on top), those are great because you can stack them with a regular coupon for double savings.  A lot of stores allow this: Walgreens, Rite-Aid, CVS, Cub Foods.  This is how you get stuff super cheap.  Right now if you go to the Target website, under COUPONS you can print some great Huggies coupons that you can use with the $3.00 off ones going around right now.  Usually when I go on a diaper run, I wait until they have a $5 Gift Card incentive and I usually save about $70-100 with my coupons.  
• Another obvious way to save on baby food is to make your own.  If you are interested in this option (is sooo easy, I swear!), I can email you my step-by-step instructions.  I made most of the girls' baby food and I feel like it has helped them develop great taste buds...they love everything now!

Ok, that is enough to get you started.  As usual, I have much more information to share, so if you have any questions, ASK!  I loove helping people out!

XOXO,

Ashleigh