Before I had kids, I just figured making your own baby food was a daunting, impossible task.  Think again!  Once you get the hang of it, its quick and easy.  I use the ice cube method and I love it.  My favorite trays are the silicone cube trays you can find at the store now.  They are a buck or two more, but so much easier to freeze with and they make perfect 1 ounce cubes.  A perk to making your own baby food is you know what you are feeding your child. I have tasted that jarred stuff and it has no flavor! Also, you would not believe how much money you are saving.  The way Miss Gabby eats, we would go through eight or more jars a day!

The first part of this series is all about the mashables.  You don't even need to freeze these, just mash the food up before it's time to eat.

My favorite mashables:

• Bananas
• Sweet Potatoes (cooked)
• Avocado

Bananas

• Pretty self explanatory, just peel and mash with a fork.  I like to serve with a scoop of rice cereal or oatmeal 

Sweet Potatoes

• Wash and microwave for 3-4 minutes each.  Don't forget to poke them with a fork!  
• Let cool for a few minutes and then scoop out the insides.
• Mash with a fork.  
• I usually mash enough for 3 days, so about 2 potatoes.  They are great with mashed bananas.  
  

Have you tried to make your own food?  What are your favorite combos to make?

Diaper studies! {update, no longer available}

 This company no longer does diaper studies.  I am soo sad!

Hello!  I know this may not be relevant to everyone, but I know you have to know someone with kids in diapers.  There is a company called Arquest which wants you to sample diapers.  I have done this study 2-3 times and I just love the free diapers!  Depending on the size of your little one(s), they send 20-120 diapers for you to test and in the end of the study you get $10 as well.  As expensive as diapers are, this is so worth it!  Last time I did this study, I got Huggies, but the brand will vary and you may not even know what brand you are testing.


Interested?  Here's the info:

• If you have girls, call: 1-888-342-7372 ext. 646 (there is usually this sweet southern woman you talk to)
• If you have boys, call: 1-888-342-7372 ext. 634
• They may have openings now, but if not they will put you on a list and you will be contacted as soon as you are needed.
• You can always leave a message, but they run on normal business hours, central time

If you are interested in taking surveys, check out my post on the topic!

New parents: where to sign up for great coupons

Since I am pregnant again, I am starting back at square one for baby supplies like diapers, bottles, etc.  I always recommend signing up on as many websites as possible to get coupons sent to you.  I also recommend using your "junk" email so your inbox isn't bombarded with unwanted emails.  Also, you might want to consider signing up other family members (think aunts and grandparents) so you get multiple coupons! Ask first though! As always, some are better than others.  Here is my list of favorites:



*NOTE: If you are clicking on links, you might want to right click and choose "open in new tab/window".  I cannot figure out how to change it so you wont be directed away from the page!*

1. Gerber Onesies. Every 2 months or so they update their printable coupons.  I like their onesies and it is easy to pair these coupons with a sale!
2. Huggies.  Dont forget to save the codes from the packs of diapers.  I have gotten at least five $25 Visa gift cards from playing their instant win games.  Also, they mail out coupons every few months.
3. Pampers. Save the codes from these packs of diapers too!
4. Formula companies.  They send out a lot of freebies before the baby is born, especially.  Similac, Enfamil and Good Start
5. Clothing stores: Babies r Us and Target are my favorite.  Also, even if it's not your first, start a registry to get nice gift bags in-store filled with freebies and coupons!  Dont forget: you can combine store coupons with sales & manufacturer coupons!!
6. Sign up for Amazon Mom.  You get 30% off AND free shipping.   Plus, lately there have been great 20% off or $10 coupons in the regular baby magazines.  I found a box of over 200 Pampers Swaddlers for $20 shipped to your door!  Thats a great deal! 

There are many, many more ways to get baby items for great prices.  I could talk about this topic all day!  If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to email me or comment on this post.

Even if you are not pregnant, I would sign up for any regular brands you use with your baby and toddler.  If you don't end up using the coupons, you can always give them to another friend who is a parent!

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 

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