COUPON UPDATE!

Hello, Hello,


As promised I said I would tell you how far my 100$'s went. Well, I haven't gone shopping yet for my household...I plan to do that on Tuesday while people are at work so I don't drive them crazy with my coupon habbits. However, I did go to Target on wedenday before we had company and picked up a few things...leading the total to be 60$ we ended up spending 47 with coupons...not bad but it was only a 20% savings. I'll let you know how my big shopping trip goes next time.

Weightloss Challenge Update

I have been terrible at updating this last week, but in my defense we had company and have been very busy. Anyway, last week I weighed in, and after a month of 2pounds+ of consecutive weight loss, I only ended up losing 0.7 pounds :( but as weight watchers says, if you loose even a half a pound a week your doing good. So here are my current stats.

Last Weeks Weight: 213.7
Current Weight 212.9
Short Term Goal 193 by Oct 20th

So I know what your thinking, that weight was technically taken on the 14th I should update my current weight to match. Well, I have set a promise to myself of weighing myself ONLY on Tuesday mornings. So I'll update it then too. I have an inclining that it wont be much of a change if any as I haven't put the work in this past week. While we had company here I didn't really track my weight, PLUS we went out to eat at carabas...and carbs are not a dieters friend at all. But in knowing this, I also know that the following week will be much better as there will be nothing to distract me. I hope all of you are continuing with your goals and making MUCH better progress than I have been these last weeks and hope to hear your updates.

Coupon Queen? You can be my baby mama!?

Since my post called stay at home mom easy cash flow gained a lot of attention and a large audience base I thought I'd venture into the never ending world of coupon-ing. With shows like Extreme Couponing and grocery prices escalating daily its no wonder people are looking to cut corners and save a few dollars anyway they can. The question is, is it really worth it? Well I did some research and a few test runs at the grocery store to determine if it is. What I found is it can make a HUGE difference if you do it right, but you can also find yourself getting caught up in it and buying or consider buying useless things or things that you have far to many things of...like in those she's extreme couponing. If you find yourself continually buying things that you already have enough of...that's not called couponing that's called being a hoarder. In a bit I will explain how to save money and not just by couponing. But first please look at this photo...if this is your house then you should probably stop buying household items for a while and just buy your food. p.s. You probably have a terrible OCD and hoarding problem if you have this much stuff and have to refill it constantly.
Now onto the point at hand...coupons. So over the last few weeks "I've been lightly couponing" I haven't gone hardcore like the folks you seen on extreme couponing. I'd go through a few coupon adds and combine them with the stores promotions and the stores own coupons. Yes, I did save money about $15-37.00 a trip depending on the amount of stuff I was buying. My best trip my total was $120.whatever cents and I paid $83.01I'm sure if I was hardcore I could buy more and spend less which is why next Friday I am going to try just that to see what I can buy for $100.00 with coupons...however unlike those extreme couponers I'm not going to buy items just because I have coupon for it. Rather, I am going to make a list of grocheys and household items I need and see what I can get on my list with coupons and 100...I will also tell you how long approximately it took for my husband and I to eat it all and if the time was well worth it. In the meantime here are some coupon sites/money saving sites and tips!

For online shopping:
retailmenot.com this website I have used since college simply type the store into the search, select the store and look at the coupon codes and promotions available to you. Sometimes they have printable coupons but I found that the printable coupons are more a seasonal option if anything.

Grocery store coupons!
Coupons.com Provides you with a vast array of manufacturer coupons typically not put in your local paper. Select them and print them out. Be careful though, if your having printer problems and send the coupons to the printer too many times you will reach a "print" limit and may not end up with anything. Check your stores policy, but most stores let you combine these with the coupons you find in the paper.
Savingstar.com-if you shop at a store that has a membership card or a drugstore that has a membership card you can probably start saving immediately. Savingstar is an online coupon program that uses your membership number to give you back coupon money. Rather than deducting it at the register, your "coupon money" goes into savingstar bank and is paid out to you via paypal, Amazon gift card or charity donation once you reach $5.00 while many may not see the usefulness of this because they aren't saving the money immediately, I find it to be a great idea. Think if you use this over the course of the year and get a payout at the end of the year twoards christmas...you could have 50.00$ extra you didn't have before. Perhaps you let it build up for a couple of years, it's a few extra dollars you never had before.
Smartsourcecoupons.com-This website is similar to coupons.com but with less coupons...click and print.
Zavers.com-is a coupon site similar to savingstar. You go online and if you have a membership number can load coupons onto your card immediately. However, unlike savingstar the deduction comes up at the register.
Your local store. Some stores that have the membership card policy also have a portion of their site where you can load they're own coupons/manufactures coupons onto your card...which are then deducted at the register. Most grochery stores that have the membership card policy will leg you combine one printed out coupon, one coupon from the newspaper with the ones you've loaded onto your card. HOWEVER, this is not always the case and every store is different. It has been my experience that if a store says they "double coupons" it's only up to a dollar, and it does not double coupons loaded onto your card. In addition, my local store (price chopper) has several coupons built into their flyer, which requires you to have the flyer to receive the discount. The store I go to also has a "coupon dispenser" that uses your membership card to print out coupons for both manufactures and department coupons...for the bakery or seafood department. Also it seems more and more stores are giving you more gallons of gas for every 50 or 100$ spent at there store. They also seem to do promotions when you buy 25.00 of this compananys items at a time you save 15cents per gallon on gas. Recently price chopper had a deal that for every 100$ you spent on gift cards they'd give you 40cents off per gallon at the pump! Lightbulb! Buy yourself a prepaid visa gift card and use it to buy your groceries and anything else you need. Build it up long enough and you'll have enough forma free tank of gas or use it weekly to take the edge of the pump! Do you have a coupon site or grochery money saving suggestion? I'd love to hear about it in the comments down below. Be sure to check back on Monday for more food saving tips and suggestions! Until then have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend!

Post baby fashion & the dreaded mom jeans

Since becoming pregnant my ability to stay "in fashion" or "in style" has dramatically declined. During pregnancy I was a forced customer into the maternity world. In the realm of fashion, maternity clothes kinda get the shaft; and not because of the elastic waistband. The clothing you buy at maternity stores isn't exactly heinous but it's far from attractive. I found the majority of the clothing was either super tight fitting (which looks wonderful on the models but is something to be desired on the normal person), black, striped OR so baggy that unless you're 8 or 9 months pregnant you just look over weight. Then there's the maternity undergarments, don't get me started on the underwear. If there was ever a time that felt the least sexy in my life it was standing in front of my husband in maternity underwear. Nothing says "Honey I'm sexy" like a maternity bra that doubles as a nursing bra and "bikini" underwear, that's10x the size of your pre-pregnancy underwear to accommodate your ever expanding butt in my 3rd trimester. At the very end of my pregnancy around month 8 I refused to buy anymore maternity clothing. I remember going into the maternity store in September and picking out two shirts, only to have the saleswoman pitch me four more shirts stating that I would need them for other days of the week that MIGHT be cold until my son was due. I also remember not having the patience for her sales pitch and telling her I could always wear my summer clothes and a sweatshirt if I had to...which is exactly what I ended up doing. The only flaw in this equation was that I neglected to realize just how long I'd be wearing my maternity clothing for (as my son was 2 weeks late and I didn't realize how long I'd be wearing the clothing after my son was born).
 For months after having my son I wore maternity clothing (even after getting back to my pre pregnancy weight...which I then gained back and then some you can read about that and how losing baby weight can be fun in my post yesterday) for 3 reasons, first being that I had a c-section and loose fitting clothing was the only thing that would fit under my abdominal brace. The next reason being I was PLANNING on loosing  weight...and didn't want to buy new clothes that I'd soon shrink out of. Lastly, I had my son in November, and I thought I could buy clothing for spring. However, I did find myself buying a few articles of clothing (10 shirts 3 sweaters and a pair of dress pants) by Christmas and then again in spring...the majority of what I bought being Clarence and sale items at Kohl's to save money for the holiday.  So once spring came around I bought a new pair of jeans at Lane Bryant thinking they would be a good choice...because while they didn't flatter my figure the sales associate assured me that the looser waistband that was built into them would be more forgiving until I got my body back. In retrospect I should have known the loose elastic waistband was red flag. I found myself in tears one day over the feeling of feeling "frumpy."and as though I'd never get my body back, forget trying to loose the stretch marks.  Needless to say I later went out with my sister to five stores and finally found two pairs of jeans at Eddie Bauer that both flattered and accommodated my waistline...and they didn't have an elastic band. Honestly, I believe not having the elasticity in the waistband helped kick myself into gear to refocus my energy in loosing weight. As I gained weight I could feel that waistband tightening and stretching almost yelling at me to jump on a scale and become accountable for my weight.
 My best advice to anyone who is pregnant now, or just had a baby is don't sacrifice comfort for style. You can always wear pajama pants when your home, but have something that flatters you and something you enjoy for when you leave the house...or for when you feel like dressing up for yourself or your husband. It's not only essential for your own sanity, and mental health but extremely important for your relationship.
 This evening I was on pintrest and stumbled across an article about how to find the perfect jeans and avoid the dreaded mom jeans. As a disclaimer, for anyone who reads her article I don't agree with her generalized statement that ALL GAP and OLD NAVY jeans are mom jeans, but do feel that she is right about what makes them geared more to an older age group, and what is really a "butt killer" ...anyway without any further adieu here is the articleMom Jeans.
I will be openly honest, I am not a "fashion expert" and I don't claim to be one. I'm sure I "get it wrong" more often then I get it right....but I do know that experience has taught me to buy what makes me feel "pretty, elegant, and sexy" regardless of what others think...and at the end of the day that's all that matters. It's my opinion that if you are unhappy with yourself, it shows through to your infant and they can feel your sadness or frustration.
I welcome everyone's feelings or experiences on this topic. While this has been my experience, many of you may disagree or have had vastly different experiences. Feel free to express them here.

Weight Challenge!

I'm setting up a challenge to anyone whom is interested. To set a HEALTHY weight loss goal, this will be different from you're overall goal. I will post a challenge update every week for you and myself. This will be a safe place to tell each other your successes, and what you fell short on, and how far you are from your short term goal. If your uncomfortable putting it on the table feel free to follow along silently. This short term goal challenge will start this week and will officially end October 20th 2012. If you meet your goal be sure to reward yourself! Get a manicure, buy a few new shirts(you'll have earned them and you'll need them too)! Maybe get facial. Your reward should be something you don't do often! Remember, just because you're a stay at home Mom doesn't mean you don't and shouldn't have some time to yourself, use your exercise time to get away and enjoy yourself, and relax without having to be extra vigilant as to what your little one is up to!

Stats:
Current weight: 213.6
Short term goal: 193
Long term goal: 135
Reward: spa facial and manicure!


Hope to have all of you join in!

Losing the Baby Weight CAN Be Fun!

While I was pregnant with my son, I didn't gain all that much weight...although I started out pretty heavy anyway. Starting my pregnancy I weighed an even 200 pounds! Within the first trimester I lost around 10 pounds from the morning sickness (which  continued through the WHOLE pregnancy) on the day I had Alexander I weighed 216 pounds, keep in mind I vomited 3 or 4 times a week after my first trimester which kept the weight down...and not in a good way! Alexander came out weighing 9 pounds and soon after I had him I was back to my original weight. However, after having him I became very sedentary and rediscovered a taste FOR EVERYTHING! For the longest time I knew I was gaining weight, but I honestly was scared shitless of he scale. I'd avoid it at all costs...I even had a dream that I'd stepped on the scale and it let out a terrible wail crying out get off me fat ass. But about a month ago I got out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror...and for the first time since i was pregnant REALLY looked. I decided in this moment that I was much to pretty of a person to be overweight, let alone obese. So I decided to take action, first I weighed myself for the first time in months...it was agonizing waiting for the scale to calculate my weight. Then those three dreadful numbers appeared...225.2. I told myself, well at least it's not more...I can work with this. The first thing I did was packed up the baby and went for a mile long walk. I immediately started utilizing my weight watchers online membership, that I had neglected for 8 months and started exercising.Once I announced I was on a diet and trying to loose weight I talked to had their own suggestion on exercises and diets that I should try. Their input really got me thinking...what do they know? They may know how to loose weight, but do they know how I need to loose weight? The simple answer was no, they had no idea. My mom told me to go walking, well that's great but that seems like something you do on a nice cool day...otherwise it seemed likes a chore to me. My dad told me to do the insanity workout, and I knew I'd probably quit that 5 minutes into the workout...and never give the DVDs another glance.  My best friend told me to take bike rides...eh for me that's just something you do as a hobby. My husband told me to do sit ups and go to the gym. Personally, I've never been a gym type of person. To me I've always felt uncomfortable going to the gym being the fat person there...it's like they judge you before you're even on a machine. Then once you get yourself onto a machine, and yove worked out for 20 minutes on said machine...you notice the person next to you...you know the type they're the asshole of the gym on the same machine next to you and has been there forever...way before you started on the machine and they're going like a million miles an hour and you know they will probably on the machine for another 40 minutes because they are super skinny and tone. Then you think to yourself I should be on this machine longer, until the person next to me gets off then I won't be such a loser...only then you go for another 20 mi urea and they don't look like they are slowing down anytime soon...so you just give up and leave the gym feeling defeated...perhaps that's just me...but regardless I don't need to be judged. So I took to our swimming pool! The house were renting has a small above ground pool in the backyard. I know some of you are thinking "what can she gain from a pool that small?" the answer is a lot! I swim, tred water, run in place, kick, do handstand push ups,  run around the sides and create a current and then try to swim or run against it. My husband and I play volley ball in it, do high knees, throw each other...and it doesn't feel like a workout...it just feels like fun! In the four weeks since I've been on my diet and started playing in the pool I've lost 11.6 pounds! However as many of you know all to well a NewEnglad summer is short lived, and soon I will be resigned to either finding a gym with a pool or a new activity. Luckily I know if I can't find something else I like I do have the option of finding an indoor pool. But I am thinking about joining a karate and yoga class for the winter. Perhaps if I enjoy it, it'll be something I can do in lieu of swimming in the summer. As some of you may know yoga classed can be expensive, which is why I have taken to looking at sites like groupon and livingsocial for deals! I have set a goal of being 193 pounds by October 20th for my colleges friends wedding and a goal of a 173 pounds by Christmas. Then to be 135 by June. &nbsp I guess the message is, it doesn't matter what you do, as long as your active and your're enjoying it. Everyone has an opinion and gyms are a great place for some people...but they aren't for everyone. Find something you like, maybe its swimming like me, maybe it's horseback riding, maybe you like boxing or basketball do it! Join a team if your competive.  Maybe you're not competive and you like individual activities like yoga or Pilates do those too. Whatever gets you moving and you enjoy will probably give you the best results! Feel like toning up?  Go to the gym if you like, or add weights to your regular activities! Losing our baby weight and extra pounds can be easy, addicting, and fun if you just find the right nitch. So go out there and get active. If the first few things you try aren't for you, keep trying eventually you'll find something and regardless you'll be moving!

Stay at home mom easy cash flow

The thought of being a stay at home mom was never something I thought I'd find myself doing. I had always imagined myself as a nurse manager or some other administrative nursing job. I never anticipated finding myself at home each and every day with my son and our two dogs. But, at twenty five,. I have found myself in this such position. Don't get me wrong what I do is very fore filling for me, and my family; but part of me feels as though my contribution isn't enough. I'm sure their are plenty of mothers out there that feel the same, which is partly why I have started this blog. This blog will give me the opportunity to chronicle the important events in my day to day life.
What's in the name? Buggle & Tuppers is the name of my blog as it is the nickname/"household language" my husband and I speak in. I first nicknamed our son "Buggle" around two or three months of age. What is a "Buggle" you ask...well originally it was a baby that like to cuddle...hence Buggle...but one it seems fit that Alexander is in fact a buggle; what I mean is...he's everything you would imagine a made up word to be...a crazy baby that's all over the place. At times my husband and I refer to some of his actions as "buggling" this of course means that he is crawling around, squirming, screaming or talking....all while getting into some sort of mischief.

<---This would be buggling....Alexander on the floor with the potential for trouble

<----This is a Buggle

Of course, at times I have shortened the nickname to "Bugsy" as a sign of affection. As for Tuppers, comes the imaginary word "tupping" that I created to explain the type of walk my Boston Terrier does. It's not quite a walk, and it's not quite a prance...its somewhere in between. In general though she is a Tuppers. It all makes sense within our household but comes across the Internet as dumb and stupid...which in reality it is....but aren't most fun things?

<---this is an insane picuture of a tuppers....she looks like an angry bat...but I believe she is yawning

<---This is what Buggle & Tuppers! is all about

I do not know how much time I will have for this blog entry as Bugsy is down for a nap at the current moment and has been known to wake up at the drop of a dime...or the spontaneous bark from either one of my dogs. Which considering the current time, I anticipate a bark at any minute for my husbands arrival home.
Anyway, enough with the explanations, onto the real topics money and staying home with your kids....not exactly a finical friendly situation...which is why i have dedicated the next few paragraphs to rant on about all the bullshit you read on the Internet about "working from home." I am currently working on getting licensed by the state to open a home daycare, which will allow me to stay home with my Buggle, watch other kids (which I love doing anyway), eliminate the overhead costs of childcare and feel as though I am contributing a service to the community and contributing to the finical aspects of my family. However, while I wait for the date for the state to come and inspect my home...I have been doing some research and searching for a job that pays you to stay at home....what I've found is all garbage, scams, or has upfront costs. I looked online and found the following, ways you can "get paid" from home.

• Take Surveys....i signed up for five sites claiming to pay you for surveys...what i found is yes, they pay you...sort of. Each site claims to pay you, they even have you input your paypal e-mail for an "easy cash out" or your can choose to get a gift card....or donate it to a charity. Some of the survey sites give you points that you can redeem for rewards, while others have an upfront policy of telling you how much money you have earned. however, they all have same policy, you must earn $10, sometimes $25 before you can cash out. Other flaws include taking a survey partially or halfway and then finding out "they already have enough responses for this particular survey..." which means you don't get the money/points you were promised and you've completely wasted your time. Then there's my favorite scam, you fill out a survey in its entirety and clicked the submit button only to find out "oops" that page doesn't exists or there was an "error" and as a result you do not collect the money or points you were promised. It's unclear as to whether those answers you submitted were saved or lost in space. Essentially the whole thing is a massive scam, you have to take so many surveys to earn enough money to cash out, and in the long run you've probably spent 10 or 15 hours of your time earning $10.00. Additionally, I believe it's the sites intentions to have you take 5 or 6 surveys and forget about the rest, essentially getting free answers for you, as you've probably forgotten about the site and will never take anymore surveys, or if you do, never cash out your bank. So, my advice stay clear of these websites. Having said that, I am an asshole and intend to bring each bank to its minimum cash out allowance, take the money and close the account.
• Become an online "Juror" this is where you sign up to read a mock trail case and vote guilty or not guilty. Supposedly lawyers from your area post on this website and pay you for your opinion on each particular case. I signed up right away as they promised $10-$25 a case...the verdict? It's still out, evidently in the Hartford area no lawyers have posted a case to be reviewed....should one become available the website claims will give you an e-mail to notify you. I'll keep you posted.
• Telecommute! Oh the world of telemarketing and telecommuting...this has to be my favorite because its ridiculous. Most telemarketing companies require you to have experience, how many people have experience in being a telemarketer in general? Then you have to have a "private home office...away from distractions." I want to know what mother, has a room away from distractions...unless you have a private nanny...in which case I'm fairly certain they still hear screaming or laughing etc. Additionally most jobs you are considered an independent contractor and you are paid per call, an extremely minimal amount I might add. In the event that you find a job where you are considered an employee you may be required to pay upwards of 25$ for a credit check and background check. I don't know about you, but personally, my personal credit should have no bearing on the job I am applying for. Finally there are a lot of scams especially on craigslist asking for a social security number ahead of time. Best advice, if you're really interested in this, get hired by a reputable company like atena, where you have to work inside the company office for a year as a customer service agent or a health coach; what have you...and then apply for the telecommute position.
• Become a mystery shopper! I signed up for this as well curious how this could ever be bad job for me (the professional shopper!) What I found out, the wage is not worth the time. I thought I'd find this job to be fun...you get to shop(and get paid to shop), get to buy something and get reimbursed for what you purchased. Well here's the deal, while you do get paid to shop, and sometimes eat out...it's not all what its cracked up to be. You have to go through an online "training certification course" which isn't so bad, but, the tests are somewhat harder than I originally anticipated, and I found myself reviewing the content a few times. Then in order to take a job they company has to verify your social security number in order top provide you with an individual tax form as you are once again considered an independent contractor and not an employee. Once you do all that you are finally ready to start working. Which means you need to select the jobs you'd like to take. Some jobs pay as low as $7.00 and will reimburse you up to $8.00 for your purchase. While other jobs will pay you $35.00 or $40.00 plus will reimburse you up to whatever the company hiring the job finds fit. In order to do a job you need to watch a video on what the company wants you to review and then take a test proving you watched the video, and understand what needs to be done, and reviewed. Following that you have to go to the site, talk with employees while staying "undercover" purchase something, and take pictures of certain aspects such as the store. Then, then you get to go home and submit your receipt to be reimburse, and make sure you went to the correct location at the correct time. Additionally, you then get the joy of filing out a survey and report on store, upload your photos and save your receipt for six months. Honestly, I better be getting paid more than $7.00 and a hamburger or small trinket for the amount of time, gas and frustration that's involved in this business.

There were more suggestions, that I found in my research...but honestly, nothing seemed legit. My suggestions, if you want a little money, and your an animal lover, take up a dog or cat sitting business or dog walking business. Love kids? Open a home daycare. Not an animal lover or can't handle kids that aren't your own, start a baking business. Sell things you don't use anymore on ebay or at a yard sale. Are you crafty? Make things at your leisure and sell them on sites on etsy. Maybe you're good at party planning, and you open your own party planning company. There opportunities are endless with a little ingenuity and desire to work.

As for myself, while I wait for my daycare license to be in my hot little hands, I'll be perfecting my baking skills and working on perfecting dog treats that are gluten free for my little tuppers who has a severe wheat allergy...if they work out perhaps I'll sell them, and market them as Tupper Treats! Until then, expect pictures of burnt cakes and dog cookies.

I leave you with this: