Last 2010 Thrifty Mom To Be Tip!

Nursing tanks and nursing bras are a must for new moms. I'm a first timer but have already received a good bit of advice on what to get and when to get it.

The best time for a nursing tank, I'm told, is during or right before the last few weeks of pregnancy. The best time for a nursing bra is a few weeks after the birth.

I'm rather impatient right now. I want to be able to pack my hospital bag, have everything off to the side and be ready. I'm 32 weeks pregnant and so I'm not in the last few weeks but I went ahead and took a bra and made an easy modification. I'll be sure to buy more tanks or bras when the time comes (thank God I have a coupon!) but for right now, this is what I did:

I took a bra, a tank and hook and eye loops and created a simple nursing tank and a nursing bra. It's super simple to do and I don't have good enough photos to show of the process but basically attach the loops to the bra and tank.

This was pretty simple for me. I'm not a seamstress and I honestly don't sew very well so doing it this way worked best. Didn't take much time at all. If you need better directions, feel free to comment and I'll explain it better!

Here' s a bad picture of the bra, sorry!

Postpartum Stockpile: Schick Razors

What I thought would be a quick trip to Walmart turned into a bit more of an ordeal. I did make it out with a few goodies but your mileage may vary depending on your Walmart and the way they take coupons.

A Schick 10 (with 2 bonus) pack of disposable razors is on sale for 1.97 right now. There was no listed date that I could see that mentioned an end date.
In the 12/5 SS (Smart Source), there is a coupon for 2 dollars off a pack of Schick disposable razors. Sounds easy enough, right?

The coupon even states that you can't have cash back if the coupon exceeds the retail value which to me states that it counts for these razors as well as the other Schick disposables (2 pack, 3 pack, etc).
I was at first told because the picture of the razors is not on the coupon, it doesn't work. Then it was that the razors had to be marked up for the coupons to work. Either way I was lucky enough to make it out with three bags of razors.

I'll look into this more so I can offer a better solution on how to handle it if a problem comes up for you. You could also do as I might do soon and just avoid Walmart altogether.

Besides razors, I was able to get more Olay soap. In the 12/26 PG insert, there is a coupon for 2 dollars off an Olay bar, body wash, or lotion. The 2 bar package is 2.48 also at Walmart making it 48 cents for a two pack. I got two two packs.

I think my soap and razor stockpile is done for a long time. I still have to get my inventory list together but I think we're good to go for now!

Target baby clearance

I just went to Target and saw that they are having a sale on baby items. It was mostly clothing but they have some crib sheets on sale as well. I even saw a pack of receiving blankets with their own 1 dollar off coupon so even that's a deal.
Christmas outfits are marked down to 7 dollars. Carters rompers are marked down to 3.98. Dwell also has a few items on sale too including bumper pads for cribs.
I've decided to be very stingy with my budget right now so I didn't buy any baby clothes but I did buy a changing pad cover. It was the only one they had and it was marked down to 3.26 from 12.99! It looks brand new too. It was an online item so I guess that's the reason for the discount.
I've attached two pictures. Hopefully it will work as I am typing this from my phone as an email.
If you head to your local Target and spot any really good deals, let me know!!

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Update and Tidbits!

It's just about January! Can you believe it? I really can't.

Here are just a few quick updates:

I haven't been posting due to a family death that really changed up the holidays. My computer is still on the rocks and so getting anything done is just the hardest thing to do right now. As soon as that's taken care of I will be back full swing.

I also took a small break from couponing. I've been focused on work and trying to get everything done in time for maternity leave (4 weeks to go) besides dealing with family stuff.

My most recent deal was at Target yesterday. I'll try to update with more information as soon as I can. If you are looking for free bottles of lotion and 50 cent Lysol fabric/furniture spray, check back soon! I'll post links and further information on that.
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What I really wanted to post about was the new year. It's coming up so soon.

I love to have resolutions for my daily life but I also want to make some for my thrifty life.

For the new year, I'd like to get better control over my stockpile. I want to keep an inventory list and most of all I want to know how much I'll need of each item per year. What's the point of that? It will help me to keep my pile to an appropriate amount and anything over that will go to a charity and family in need.

Aside from that, I want to find sources for my newspapers besides still spending money on them. I need a subscription, sources, etc. That's important if I ever want to get better at stockpiling too.

I want to get better at grocery shopping. With household items, I do ok. With food its a little harder for me but my goal is to figure out how to majorly cut down our grocery bill. My sister has graduated and so she's living here now and Jett will be here at the end of February. Though he wont be taking up much food, I'll still need to keep up with my diet in order to feed him.

Anything else?

I can't think of anything but I'm always up for ideas. How do you plan to keep up with or improve your budget and couponing? I'd love to hear all about it!

Just a reminder!

I wanted to remind you guys that my computer is currently down so if you see a post with super long links and a Blackberry message on the bottom, it has not been edited!
I post during the day from my phone when something pops up but I don't get my hands on a computer till nighttime. So be patient with me! I'll be editing and will hopefully be back to my computer soon!
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Seventh Generation Rebate!

I got an email from Seventh Generation about a new rebate.
If you purchase a pack of their chlorine free diapers, you get a voucher for a pack of their wipes by mail.
This offer only applies to in store purchases made between 12/9/10 and 12/16/10.
You can get your rebate form here and find a store that carries the product here.

Brita pitcher deal!

There is a buy one, get one rebate available for select Brita pitchers.
The rebate works for the Bella, the Grand (in orange and pink), and the Space Saver (in blue, green and white). Buy two pitchers and Brita will send you the cost of the least expensive or equal cost pitcher.
To make it a sweeter deal, they have a pledge you can take in regards to cutting down your water bottle usage and a coupon for 5 dollars off your pitcher that you can print after you take the pledge.
The pitchers at the Walmart here are ranging from 12 dollars upwards of 22+ dollars. The pitchers hold 6-10 cups each.
The pledge can be taken at this link: http://www.filterforgood.com/
 The rebate is available at this link.


If you tend to buy a good deal of water bottles like we do, a filtered pitcher will come in handy and while I do think this is a good deal, I opted to use the coupons for cheaper pitchers instead.

The slim fit, 5 cup Brita pitcher is 9 dollars at our Walmart and with the coupons, I decided to buy two and pay 8.66 counting tax total. I won't qualify for the rebate but I'm the only one in the house that needs cold water. I'll fill up one, let it get cold and aim to drink two pitchers a day. My family can fill the other as they go. Works for us!

Sunday Coupon Preview

This will be a really quick post. Sorry it's coming so late but at least you know what coupons to look forward to for any deals this upcoming week.

This Sundays paper includes the following coupons from either the Smart Source (SS) or the RedPlum (RP):

3.00/1 Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers
2.00/1 Huggies Little Snugglers or Little Movers Diapers
1.00/1 Huggies baby wipes (180 count or larger)
5.00/1 Similac 1Qt Concentrated Liquid product
5.00/2 Similac 1Qt Concentrated Liquid product (This coupon can't be used UNTIL January 1, 2011)
2.00/1 Enfamil large sized powder (22.2 oz or larger)
2.00/on any size Triple Cream (baby skin treatment)
10.00 off 50.00 or more purchase OR 15.00 off 75.00 or more purchase- Old Navy

I'll keep you updated on any deals I hear about that can be matched with these coupons.