Happy Halloween!

Since David and I have been together, we have created our own little Halloween tradition. Each year, we attend some sort of corn maze together to celebrate the upcoming holiday. :) Although in the past we have gone to The Maize at Suavie's Island, the Groupon sold out faster than I had expected and without a Groupon, you are looking at a few hour long line to get into the maze.

So instead, we decided to go to a nearby farm here in Sherwood. We've been there a few times to look at the fruit and vegetables, but never for their corn maze. It was SO fun! It took us almost an hour to get through (at one point we thought were finished, but somehow we ended up back at the entrance and had to restart using the map, haha). It was SO much fun and it was such a fun little date. We even ended up going on a hay ride down to their pumpkin patch to find a pumpkin! We weren't going to get one, but we found the most perfect pumpkin ever and are going to paint it to put out for this weekend. Speaking of that... I need to go buy some candy... This is the first time we'll get to pass out candy! :)

Anyway, here are some pictures from our fun day at the maze. :)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Couponing Adventure #3!

I have to say, I feel like I am getting the hang of this coupon thing. I don't want to jinx myself, because I honestly feel like luck has been on my side, but still! :) I love seeing how much money I am saving David and I. It's like a little bonus paycheck when you think that you are still spending a certain amount, although you may pay a lot less.


Today I did a small couponing trip (at Target, of course!) and found a few really good things.


First of all, please excuse the HORRIBLE quality of this picture. My camera battery died so I had to take a picture using my cell phone camera. If you like taking pictures on your phone, I would not recommend buying a Go-Phone. I had a good camera on my phone and then I broke that phone, and my little Go-Phone has been my replace. Regardless...

Today's haul included:


1 box Garlic Texas Toast
2 two litres of Sierra Mist Naturals
2 bottles of Listerine Mouth Wash (one big one and a travel size)
5 boxes Crest 3D Whitening Toothpaste
2 Tubes Covergirl Lash Blast mascara (my favorite kind EVER. It makes your lashes look like the commercials, for real)
3 bottles of Every Man Jack products (David's face scrub and post-shave lotion)
1 box Lucky Charms
3 boxes Fruit Roll-Ups


Total # of items: 19
Total cost before discounts and coupons: $125.56
Total cost after discounts and coupons: $20.05
Average cost per item: $0.95


I am very pleased with the trip. I didn't get a ton of stuff, but I did get good deals. :) For example, my mascara is usually $7.49 ($7.29? maybe?) each tube, and I got two. Think of it this way...

$7.49 x 2 = $14.98

When I only spent 5.07 more than that for my entire purchase, it's a huge score. Without coupons and stuff, I would have only been able to buy my two tubes of mascara, one 2L of pop, and the Listerine. Instead, I got all sorts of fun things. :)


I am noticing that there are a lot of great deals out there on cosmetic, cleaning supplies, and first aid type things. If you look at this post and the previous one about couponing, there is a lot of that sort of thing in there. One deal that is too good not to share that I figured out was the Listerine deal.


My Target store (Sherwood) has Listerine Zero Total Care two packs on clearance for 3.24. There is a coupon on Coupons.com for $2 off, PLUS there is a Target coupon stuck to the bottles for $1 off! That means I only paid $1.24 for a two pack of Listerine!


Scenario:


Buy 1 Listerine Zero Total Care double pack on clearance        $3.24
Use $1 off Listerine Zero Total Care product      -$1
Use $1 off Target coupon stuck to the package of the Listerine      -$1
Total cost: $1.24
(Usually $5.99)
:)

Make sense? Hopefully it does, if not feel free to ask me.


Good luck fellow couponers/aspiring couponers, until next time. :)

Happy Birthday Hubby! :)

I already posted about David's birthday (I think...) but on Saturday we finally got to go and do what David's birthday present was all about.

I'll give you a hint...

OOOOOOOO EEESSSSSSSSS UUUUUUUUUU!!!

:)

David and I went with my parents (for my dad's birthday present too) to the OSU vs. Arizona football game! It was David's first time going and it.was.amazing!

We left Gresham at like 8 and stopped at Don Pedro's for a breakfast burrito before beginning the trek to Corvallis. We were lucky enough to not have any traffic on the way there, and found a parking spot about two minutes from Reser Stadium. It was like one great thing after another!

We met up with my second cousin and their friends at their tailgate area and hung out for a bit before the game started. It was so fun to see so many Beaver fans in one spot at the same time.

When my mom and I originally purchased the tickets, we had NO idea that we were buying tickets so close! We ended up being in row seven, which actually was four rows up from the field. We kept walking further and further down and were laughing because we had no idea we had got such good seats. Yay for that pleasant surprise.

The game started and the Beavs went into half time up 30-6. It actually ended up being a pretty close game until the end (it was the Beavers FIRST win of the season!) and won 37-27. After the game, we were able to go onto the field and took some pictures.

We had such a good time and loved that we had great seats, amazing weather, good parking, good food and lots of time to just hang out with other Beaver fans.

Here are some pictures I took capturing the day:

Couponing Adventure #2!

Hey everyone! I am so sorry I have not been updating my blog very often. But I thought since today, I did a successful couponing trip (by myself!) I would share what I was able to get and what deals are out there. :)


As always, I shopped at Target because I can pair my coupon deals with my discount and my 5% off Target debit card for an even better savings. :)

Today I got...


2 rolls Jimmy Dean sausuage
1 package Market Pantry Bacon
3 packages (18 ct) Orbit gum
1 9V Energizer battery
3 boxes Kraft Mac-n-Cheese
3 (2 pack) boxes Pillsbury Breakfast Sandwiches
1 Dove Shampoo
1 Dove Conditioner
2 boxes (12 ct.) Eggo Waffles
1 Suave Shampoo
1 Suave Conditioner
1 (2 pack) Vaseline Lotion
1 Vaseline Lotion
1 box (6 total) Market Pantry Chicken Sandwiches
1 box Market Pantry Nacho Cheese Pretzel Bites
5 boxes Crest 3D Whitening Toothpaste
2 bags (18 ct.) Ricola Cough Drops
1 Dawn Dish Soap
1 package Halloween Oreos
1 Mitchum Deodorant
2 Sure Deodorant
1 (2 pack) Airwick air fresheners
1 Airwick air freshener warming unit
3 (2 pack) Hot Pockets
3 Stoffer's French Bread pizzas
2 Gain Laundry Detergent
1 box (18 ct.) glass Rubbermaid Storage Containers
1 (2 pack) OSU car decals
1 Up and Up Face Wash


Total # of items: 53
Total cost before discounts and coupons: $166.11
Total cost after discounts and coupons: $78.19
Total savings: $87.92
Average cost per item: $1.48


Whoo hoo!!


There were a TON of BOGO Free coupons in last week's newspaper. I haven't really had a chance to cut any coupons from this week, so I'll let you know if there are any good deals. I did shop a little on clearance (Gain laundry detergent and decals) and the storage containers are on sale, as are a few other items on my list.


Overall though, I got a ton of beauty items which are great because you can store them and use them later! :)


Good luck everyone! If you want specific coupon deals or scenarios I used today, comment and I'll let you know what I did. Also, if you know of any good deals out there, please comment and share! :)


Have a great night!

Ice Skating

Date nights are always fun, and David and I like to try different things, whether its going out to eat, going to see a movie, walking around the town, or even ordering in and watching a movie.


Friday night, we decided to go out and try something completely new for us to do as a couple.... ICESKATING!


We live down the road from the Sherwood Ice Arena and when I received a coupon in the mail for $7 off admission, we knew this was something we wanted to do.

Me standing outside the Ice Arena, sorry it's so dark!

When we got there, we were not surprised to see that we were the oldest people there skating. How much older we were was the surprising part. David and I were at least 10-15 years older than most people (which is saying a lot since I am only 21). It was hilarious. It seemed that the Ice Arena is the place to be as a middle schooler on the weekends. David and I had SO MUCH FUN though.

David putting on his skates

Ice skate feet

Here we go!

Stepping on the ice, David and I both felt like a baby deer learning how to walk. I couldn't stop laughing because I was sure we were both going to fall and knowing us, it would not be a gentle, graceful fall to the ice. It would be a big dramatic scene with screams or cries for help or something. Luckily, neither of us fell, although there were a few times I did scream out when I was losing my balance.


I used to want to be a professional ice skater. I'd practice around our pool table on my rollerblades growing up. Of course that dream has long since gone, but I was extremely impressed with some of the the younger people. There were two boys who were going so fast and like cutting in and out of people. I'm convinced they are hockey players. There were also young girls in the middle doing the fancy turns and spins and skating backwards.


All of this was very advanced compared to me, haha. David was able to go fast and skate backwards and stuff, but not me. I was taking my sweet time, and was perfectly content doing so. :)

Anyway, if you ever get the chance to go ice skating I would highly recommend it. It was probably one of the most romantic dates we've ever been on. There was something about holding hands and gliding around in a circle that was amazingly romantic, especially when they turned off the lights and turned on the disco balls and strobe lights, while playing "Drop it Like it's Hot." Yeah, that happened.


:)


We had such a good time and can't wait to go back. 

Couponing!

Well, I see why people are addicting to couponing.

I have tried several times to get in the groove of couponing but I could never really figure it out. Yesterday though, I had a coupon breakthrough. I experienced my first coupon-high. Haha!

I got online yesterday and started looking at my favorite coupon blogs, Frugal Living NW and Coupon Connections, as well as the coupons on Target.com, and Coupons.com. After looking through them, I started seeing the deals making sense, sparked off the Simply Lemonade coupon that a guest at my work gave me (bless her heart).

So, I packed up my coupon box, and headed to Target where I can save even more by pairing the coupons with my discount and my Redcard. As I pulled into the parking lot, I received a call from my sister who happened to be on her way to my Target store too! It was a hilarious coincidence and it worked out perfectly for us!

A lot of the coupons I had were buy three, get one free type situations, so I was able to use my coupon and Kat was able to pay for half, because really, I don't need five boxes of Cherrios. :)

I was having a heart attack over how full my cart was. I don't think it's ever been so full before and I can see where the stress of couponing comes in, especially when we went through the check out lane and the total crept above $100 ($105.28 to be exact).

After Kat and I went through everything and divided it up between the two of us, I purchased the following items:

2 bags of Crispy Crowns
1 family sized Stoffer's Lasagna
1 family sized Stoffer's Mac-n-Cheese
1 bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
1 bag of Taco Doritos
1 loaf of 12 Grain bread
1 package of Sandwich Thins
1 package of Pillsbury break-and-bake cookie dough
2 tubes toothpaste
2 toothbrushes
3 boxes angel hair pasta
1 package of turkey deli meat
2 triple meat Party Pizzas
2 pepperoni Party Pizzas
2 cans of Cream of Chicken
1 can refried beans
1 can olives
2 jars of spaghetti sauce
1 jar of alfredo sauce
1 box Cheez-Its
3 boxes of Cheerios
8 13-oz bottles of Simply Lemonade
9 13-oz bottles of Simply Apply juice
2 13-oz bottles of Simply Orange juice
4 13-oz bottles of Raspberry Lemonade

Total:

55 items = $105.28

BUT!

I spent a grand total of: $34.85

I am SO excited and am going to try and be really consistent with my couponing. I'll let you know if I find any really good deals.

Speaking of that, Coupon Connections actually blogged about a deal I found about toothpaste. Find it here. How cool is that? She got the location mixed up, I got my deal at the Sherwood store, but still! :) Whoo hoo for making a realllllly popular coupon blog! :)

Good luck! If you want any deal ideas or want to know how I got certain products, let me know and I will try my best to help.

Happy couponing!

Birthday Boy!

On September 4, 1985 Kevin and Sue Green gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Who knew that 25 years later he would be marrying... ME! :)


David turned the big 2-6 this Sunday and to celebrate, his side of the family met us at Red Lobster for dinner on Saturday night! We enjoyed some amazing food and had a great time having the entire family there together. Since David's folks live in Minnesota, they haven't been able to spend the last couple birthdays with him. Thanks to the birth of my amazing nephew, Everett, they were able to be here on David's birthday! :)


Saturday night/Sunday morning (it was exactly midnight), David opened the gifts I got him. I had them numbered from one to three, and they were all different sizes. First, he opened a plain black knit hat. I could tell he was a little weirded out... who gets a beanie for their birthday? Haha. It will make sense soon, I promise.


Second, David opened a bag that had a black OSU t-shirt in it (are you catching on?). He was really excited and I was happy to see it fit perfectly! He starting catching on too and was smiling sooooo big. It made my heart so happy.


Finally, he opened the most exciting present. Two tickets to the OSU vs. Arizona State football game on October 8! :) He has never been to a Beaver game, so it should be really, really fun. David was so excited he actually got a little emotional. He is so sweet. :)

David at Target wearing the new shirt I got him.

Sunday we slept in and went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. David found a burger and french fries (with salt and vinegar on them) that he LOVED. I, of course, had chicken strips and french fries. Yum, yum, yum.


We came home and snuggled with a movie and then David had to go to a work meeting.


Overall, it was a really relaxed birthday but we both had a lot of fun.


This weekend we are completing the celebration with a trip to the BEACH! My family has a beach house in Lincoln City so we will be going there for a couple days to relax. It's actually the first time since we have been together that we won't have to bring homework or think about school and everything! Whoo hoo! I am SO excited and it's supposed to be 82 degrees the whole weekend! :)


I am so thankful for this man and love him so much! I'll post pictures once we get home. Have a great weekend everyone and stay cool!