I did get out yesterday to buy gifts for DD's with my MIL gift money. I picked up two $10 items for each from Build a Bear. I used the rest of the money to purchase each of them a pair of pajamas, and a long sleeve shirt from Old Navy.

I will spend today inside because of the very cold temperatures! I will wrap the newly purchased gifts, clean, exercise and hang out with the family. It looks to be a no spend day!!
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We have an amazing $320 in our checking account after purchasing a weeks worth of groceries. Prior to Christmas I can think of only $15-$20 in items that will need to be purchased. Not sure where DH stands on gas for his car, so that is a possible purchase.

On Christmas we will travel two hours away, so we will need fuel for that trip. By the 29th, I will need to purchase more groceries. It sure would be nice to have some cash leftover at the end of the month. Does anyone hear home equity payoff bells ringing? I think I do!!

We are about to be hit with blizzard like winds. Tomorrow's high will be 1 degree. That doesn't even cover the wind chill. Can you see why I might want to stay in?

I just sent DH to the grocery store to get our groceries for the next week. I have a list that even includes what we need for our Christmas gatherings. I'm in charge of pumpkin pie, a sausage & egg casserole and cresent rolls.

I'm going to run out after he is back to finish Christmas shopping. Yes, I said I was done, but mother in law sent money for me to buy gifts for the girls. Lucky for me I know what I want to get. There will be two stops...Build a Bear and Old Navy.

After those errands...I'm inside for at least the next 24-48 hours! Time to spend some time playing games and watching movies!!

Amazingly, for the first time, I have finished my holiday shopping by the 10th of December! I just can't believe it. Everything has fallen into place beautifully.

Next on the list is wrapping!! That part I really like. I bought 6 rolls of wrapping paper for $3.98 at Walgreen's earlier in the season. Actually, these may have been free, I might have used my rebate money!

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My great deal today was on snow globes. Each daughter wanted one. At Kohl's I found two. Original prices were $19.99 and $24.99. They were marked down to $5.99 and $7.49 respectively. So, guess that makes them 70% off. Subtotal was $13.48...and I had a $10 off coupon!! With tax, I paid $3.69 out of pocket for these two beautiful snow globes. I am, of course, thrilled!!

My goal this week was to finish our Christmas shopping. I didn't make it...but I was close.

I finished for everyone on the list except our two daughters. Of course, we are buying the most for them. The main reason I didn't finish is because I need to add up how much I have spent on each of them.

I really want to stay within the budget, so I had to take a break for the weekend to evaluate where I am. Maybe I'm done, maybe I'm not.

I took my oldest cat to the vet today for her distemper and rabies vaccines. Total vet bill $40! Each vaccine was $15 and the exam was $10.

Turns out my cat is overweight by about 3 pounds. I wonder if this has anything to do with the table scraps my husband feeds the cats? Yes, the vet thinks so. He said it would be okay to trim the dry cat food back.

I needed to get the rabies vaccine in order to have her licensed for 2009. The license is $3 for one year. I will pay these this week for both cats...just $6 in all.

On a side note, my cat meowed very loudly all the way there and back. I think she HATES the car. I'm so glad the vet is only one mile away!

I'm going to try to get all my Christmas shopping done this week. I crossed 4 people off my list yesterday when I shopped at Sears with my Land's End gift card. $0 out of pocket!!

I will be out again today to finish up a few more. I have to wait until at least Thursday to finish the kids. I'm going to a Scholastic warehouse sale on Thursday so I can get some good deals on books they want. You might check their

website to see if there is one happening in your area. Books always make great gifts for kids of any age. They even have books for adults!

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I netted $60.98 from my ebay sales last week. I will add this to my next payment on the home equity loan!!

Yesterday, we decorated our home for Christmas. Of course, we don't buy new decorations every year!! Some years we need more lights or more garland depending on where we are living at the time.

This years total for decor: $3!

I buy new red bows to hang from the outdoor light fixtures. Only needed three and they were $1 each.

After the holidays, I will try to pick up a few of those on clearance so I don't need to buy at full price. Clearanced lights aren't a bad idea either since there always seems to be a string that goes bad!

We were also blessed with snow while decorating!! Just perfect...and free, too.

My oldest daughter lost her glasses after swimming class on Friday. They looked everywhere at school, but they could not be found. I brought her a spare pair and she has been wearing them since.

She has asked the secretary the last two days if they have been turned in...they have not. She can't see the board very well at school, so after school we went to JC Penney's optical to order a new pair.

The lost pair was only $49 back in August. This same pair was $79 today. Obviously, the sale was not as good. We also tacked on an additional $10 to get them by Friday of this week. Of course, it was not money I wanted to spend, but was necessary.

If the glasses are found...we will have a duplicate spare pair. The two older ones we have could then be donated. I'll let you know if we ever find them.

Money spent today: $89.00
We ate dinner at home. We had french toast and juice, but it was so tempting to pick something up since we were out running the glasses errand around dinner. I did good!!

Yesterday, I took my parents, sis and kids to a very cute antique store here in town. My daughter's just love the store. My DD1 has an apron on her Christmas list. We decided while at the store that she could pick one out for her gift...but that she doesn't get it until Christmas. It was marked at $12, but with their "Pop a Balloon" Sale, I got it for $9! My ballon had a 25% off slip of paper.

Here's what she picked:

The family was in town to celebrate my birthday which is tomorrow. We visited the botanical garden...free admission for all of us with our membership. Lunch at botanical garden, paid by my parents. They also treated us to bowling! Unfortunately, my score was the lowest ever. I had a 28!! My daughters had higher scores because they had the bumbers up! LOL! I did better the second game with a 78! Can you tell I'm not a professional? I was just having an off day.

DH is still out of town for another 5 days. This is not the first time he's been away on my day, but I'm a big girl and can handle it. Tomorrow I'll share what I purchased for myself!

I treated them all to Apricot Chicken in the crockpot from this

website. We also had mashed potatoes, salad and apple pie from the local orchard (2 blocks away). Yummy!!

It was a nice day celebrating with family.
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I have ebay auctions ending today. I will sell at least 4 of the 10 items I have listed. There seem to be quite a few people watching...so I'm hopeful for some good returns. I'll update in a day or two.

At the beginning of the week, I had $60.10 in our checking account to last until payday on Friday. We are doing great. There has been some spending...here let me tell you about it.

I already mentioned in a previous post that I bought DD a coat for $20.94. Checking balance now equals $39.16 and remains there. But, I've spent more.

I had $6.00 in my wallet. I used $1.50 to buy a cookie mix for girl scout snacks on Monday. Yesterday, I spent $4.12 at the grocery store for cilantro, 2 cans black beans and feta cheese. My parents were in town and I didn't think two cans of soup were going to cut it for dinner. Remaining cash $0.38.

Today, I turned in cans for my deposit refund and received $3.15. Cash now in my wallet: $3.53. I then bought hot chocolate packets on sale for the kids with a coupon. I spent $1.58 (20 packets). Cash remaining $1.95.

Oh, actually I have more cash in my wallet because my parents reimbursed my for a book I purchased for my sister on their behalf. Add in another $13.23. Cash now in my wallet: $15.18!

I went on a Walgreen's shopping spree today, too. I had a gift card with a $28.60 balance. I left with a balance of $10.90. I spent $17.70 on the items below after sales, coupons and tax. Can you tell I'm thinking ahead to the holidays?



I'm thrilled to be doing so well. It does help that DH is out of town, but I feel like I've done well to stay within some limits this week. I do have motivation...that extra checking account money will be going to my Christmas Fund. I guess the cash that remains will, too!

DH is out of town this week. This means I tend to make simple meals for the girls and I. I went looking in the cupboards to come up with some meals for the week. This is what we are having for dinner:

Sunday - BBQ Chicken & Broccoli
Monday - Cheese Pizza, carrots & apples
Tuesday - canned soup, cresent rolls
Wednesday- Spaghetti & Frozen veggies
Thursday - Microwaveable meals
Friday - Bean tacos
Saturday - Eggs or Pancakes, applesauce

Obviously, I splurged on the microwaveable meals. I spent $5.37 on these alone. The total grocery bill was $44.99. I did have quite a few things on hand, particularly for the dinners. The rest was two boxes of cereal for breakfast, and items to fill the girls lunches for the week. Of course, there are some snacks in there.

Last night, I bought DD an outfit and shoes. Total at Kohl's was $69.74. I'm not thrilled with that price at all. She is happy and the shoes should last her quite awhile. She also found some items that no longer fit...so I will get those up on ebay soon, to help offset the cost.

I still have $60.10 until Friday's payday. I hope to have most of that left to put towards the Christmas fund.

Payday will be this coming Friday. We have $200 left in our checking account that is within our budget.

Things we need to buy:
Dress shoes for DD1 (band concert Tues)
Pants for DD1 (if we can find a deal)
Groceries for 5 days

I think we will be okay. It will get a little tight at the end. DH will be out of town next week, so the grocery budget can be a little slimmer!! I'd love to end the week with some left over so that I can add it to my Christmas cash.

I'm loving these Walgreen's bargains lately. In two transactions I scored the following...

Airheads candy
2 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner
3 200ct Kleenex
2 3pks of Scotch Tape
3 Triaminic Strips (for kids)



My total out of pocket was $13.41. Tax was $1.67. I'm even eligible for a $2 rebate on the tape! I also received a coupon for $1 off my next purchase at Walgreens.

There is another coupon this week for $5 off a $20 purchase. You can get it

here. I didn't use one this week for my deals...it would have caused me to spend more than necessary. Can't have that!!

Car repairs....ughh!

My DH is off work this week. We needed an oil change and thought the brakes were at the point of being replaced. Yep, they needed replacing including the rotars. Turns out we needed new ball joints, too.
Car repair bill totaled $750. That is after a free alignment and a 10% off coupon.

So this month there will be no extra payment to the home equity loan. I'm pretty disappointed in that, but extremely grateful that I have the money to pay cash for this repair.

I have about $500 in a checking account and the remainder will need to be pulled from the emergency fund OR some cash I have been saving for Christmas gifts. I think I need to dip into the gift fund rather than the emergentcy fund. We have four more paychecks before Christmas, so I think I can find money to cover holiday expenses.

I hope my ebay items sell big this week. I need to go found some more now! Wish me luck.

Today and tomorrow, Walgreen's has coupons for $5 off a $25 purchase. You do have to spend $25 after all discounts and coupons. You can get your coupon

here.

Today I purchased the following:
2 Glade Scents 2*3.29 = 6.58
2 Glade Gel Warmers 2*1.99 = 2.98
2 Glade Oil Refills 2*1.99 = 2.98
Crest Toothpast 3.00
Glide Flossers 3.00
2 Hershey bars 2*.39 = 0.78
4 Bars Dove Soap 4*1.19 = 4.76
2 Hefty Storage Bags B1G1 = 3.29
Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent 2.99
2 Conditioners 2*3.99 = 7.98
(Herbal Essences)

Total Before Coupons $40.34
B1G1 MQ Glade Scents -3.29
Glide Floss MQ -1.00
Crest MQ -1.00
Conditioner MQ -3.00
B1G1 MQ Glade Warmer -1.99
B1G1 MQ Glade Oil refill -1.99
50% off Conditioner -2.00
Laundry Detergent MQ -1.00
Walgreens coupon -5.00
Subtotal $20.07
Tax 2.00
Out of Pocket Total $22.07

I used $20.27 in coupons or discounts. I will get a $1 rebate for each glade item and $1 on the laundry detergent for a total of $7 back.

At the time of my transaction two Register Rewards printed, one for $3.00 because of the Dove purchase and one for $2.00 because of the Crest purchase. I can use these on my next purchase at Walgreen's.

So today I got all of this for $10.07:
Out of pocket $22.07
Less Rebates -7.00
Less Rewards -5.00
Total $10.07
Here's the picture:

If you are interested in these kinds of deals at Walgreen's or CVS you may want to check out this website. If you register on the site, you can also search the coupon database for coupons you can print right from your home computer.

In case anyone is wondering, will I use all of this stuff? YES!! Everyday, I use soap, conditioner, laundry detergent, toothpaste and floss. I also use storage bags and was out here at home. The Hershey bars will be a treat for the girls. The glade items were technically all free after the rebates and coupons...and they will be used here at home (we do have cats!) or donated to my daughter's teacher who uses them at school.

I'd love to hear about your deals. I actually did better last week on lots of cleaning supplies.

If you missed it last week, the $5 off a $20 purchase at Walgreen's is back again. The link to the coupon is

here.

The coupon is good for this Friday and Saturday only. So hurry!!

I will be purchasing the generic Zyrtec for my daughter. They have 150 pills (5 month supply) for $29.99. I will use my coupon to purchase this for $24.99. That's $5 per month!!

It is a little rare that I shop at Walgreens. I really usually only buy bubble mailers when they are three for $1. I use these a fair amount when selling on ebay. Yesterday, I went twice!! I took advantage of the $5 coupon off a $20 purchase. See my post yesterday for the link...it is still good today!

First trip, I purchased primarily things I needed anyway.

1 gal milk $3.19
coment $0.59 with store coupon
shave cream $2.29
2 glade spray$1.98 with store coupon
foundation $5.99
candy $2.99
crest $3.79 free after rebate
6 mailers $2.00 with store coupon
SUBTOTAL $21.83
glade coupon-$1.75
crest coupon-$0.75
store coupon-$5.00
sales tax $0.70
TOTAL $16.02

After the $3.79 rebate I will have spent $11.53 for these 14 items for an average of $0.82 a piece! I'm thrilled.

I decided to come home and see if there were any other items in the ad or the Easy Saver Catalog that I might need. I printed off another $5 coupon and set out to buy the following:

Shampoo $4.99
Conditioner $4.99 $5 rebate for 2
nail polish $4.79 Free after rebate
4 soups $5.00 with store coupon
gum $1.19
tax $0.66
SUBTOTAL $21.62
coupon -$5.00
coupon -$0.50
TOTAL $16.12

I will receive rebates of $9.79 bringing my actual cost to $6.33. For 7 items, the average cost per item on trip was $0.90. FYI, the soups were the large chunky type. We eat these quite often around here.

I have already input my receipts on Walgreens.com and requested a gift card. As a result they will add 10%. Total expected gift card $14.94. Considering I spent $32.14 yesterday for 21 items and I will receive almost 15 back...I'm beyond thrilled. Average cost per item: $0.82. That is a great price for things like shampoo, makeup, milk, and chunky soups.

I maybe could have bought more items for free, but they aren't things I would normally buy. Even the nail polish is rare, but I bought it in blue to give to my 11 year old for Christmas.

Did anyone else go yesterday? Any one planning to go today? How did you do?

Yes, that's what I paid today for gasoline. I remember last summer the highest I ever paid was $3.29...now it seems cheap.

I was on empty...so I filled it full. There don't appear to be any shortages here in midwest. For that I am thankful.

My husband is a diet coke addict. I had been selling mycokerewards on ebay a while back, but that is no longer allowed. So, I decided to start accumulating them with no expectation of redeeming them.

After browsing the rewards, I noticed that magazine subscriptions are available. I picked Better Homes and Gardens. Nice side benefit to his bad habit!!

I may order DH Popular Mechanics, too. The dilemma is that DD brought home her school fundraiser...magazine sales!!! So, do I purchase Popular Mechanics to help the school? I could still redeem it free through mycokerewards, and pick something else for the girls...maybe American Girl magazine. I will be weighing my options.

We are still getting ready for the first day of school, just over a week away. Last week we made it to the orthodontist for head gear, eye exams for both girls and bought new sneakers.

At the orthodontist, I made the first of four payments on oldest daughters head gear. Each payment is $100. Dental insurance will pay 50%.

Eye exams for both daughters are covered in full by our insurance. Only one daughter has glasses. She did need a new prescription. We ended up getting frames at JCPenney's optical center for only $49!! This includes a warranty on the frames, too. I think I spent at least $150 last year on glasses, so I feel thrilled with this.

I'm sure I could have done better on shoes, by going to Payless shoes, but we ended up at Famous Footwear. I did get the 2nd pair at 1/2 price...but a total of $80 was spent on two pairs of sneakers. They should last most of the school year depending on growth. A side note here...my oldest daughter now has the same size feet as I do. We can share some shoes!! That will be a savings at times.

I also bought the girls each a new shirt. So far that is all the clothes that I have bought. I expect they have enough to wear for a few weeks before the weather gets cooler. I could be wrong about the weather though. It is already cool here. Only 80 degrees the last few days and expected for the next week, too. Yes, my a/c is OFF!!

Happy saving!

Yesterday, we went to Radio Shack to get the DTV converter for our 2nd TV, that we have in our bedroom. I had the $40 coupon and it would have expired today.

So, the converter was originally $59.99 minus the $40 coupon. It should have been only $19.99. However, I fell for the 1 year replacement for another $5.99. My husband said we didn't need it. My brain was thinking that if it stopped working in a year, I would have to pay the full $60. But really, how often do these things stop working? (I mean the converter, not my brain!!)

I think I will see if I can get it refunded. If it does go out in a year, I will probably put the $60 on a newer digital TV instead...or even go with out our 2nd TV. I have cash for these things, I really don't need insurance on a little box I paid $20 for.

I must be going crazy!

On another note, I made our regular home equity payment today. The total amount that went to principal was $24.10! That is up $0.60 compared to the amount that went to principal from last month's regular payment.

UPDATE: Radioshack did refund my money for the replacement insurance because I was within 30 days of purchase. Yes!!

van payment. I've been driving this van for almost 6 weeks and loving every minute of it.

But now, with the payment due today I feel a little dread. This will probably come up every month for me. I just don't like payments of any kind. Of course, I do have some that I understand I will always have, such as utilities. Someday, that is all the bills I would like to have.

So, this new van payment will be auto deducted from our checking account. I signed up right away. I didn't even get a paper statement in the mail. I signed up that quickly! If I have to make a payment to anyone, I love automatic payments. No possibility of missing the due date and incurring extra fees. No stamps to buy. And, it happens the same time every month...no surprises.

Today is payday, too. I expect to be able to start making regular exta payments to the home equity loan now. I'll update on that later.

So, I've been looking through the Sunday ads. School supplies are available already! My kids still have six weeks of summer left.

The good deals I noticed are:

Office Depot

12pk eraser caps $0.01
protractor $0.01
2 pocket paper folder $0.01
ruler $0.01
1 inch 3 ring binder $0.99
6pk highlighters $0.99

Walmart

70 sheet spiral notebook $0.05
4oz Elmer's glue $0.22
2pk Elmer's glue sticks $0.22
24 count Crayola crayons $0.22

Talk about cheap!! Those are some very basic items almost every child needs. There are deals out there, so keep your eyes peeled!

I know my kids are going to need new sneakers for school and a few other basic clothes. I don't usually buy too many clothes before school, unless they are a really great deal. It's still hot for at least the first 6 weeks of school...so I can get the fall clothes on clearance when the time comes.

One daughter will need new underwear and additional socks are also good to stock up on this time of year.

I'm thinking of investing in better backpacks this year, too. I usually buy the $10 backpacks at Target every year, but by the end you can see light through the bottom. These then just get tossed in the landfill! It might be better to spend and extra $20 more to get quality backpacks that could last several years. What do the rest of you do in this area?

I went to garage sales today with my sister. I spent $7.25!

However, I didn't need any of these things...not one of them. This is what I bought:

Roll O Puzz for uncompleted puzzles $1.00
Walkie Talkies $1.00
Glass Jar with flip top lid $0.50
New clear shower curtain rings $0.25
Magic Math for learning math facts $0.50
Designers World game for kids $4.00

So, I just wasted $7.25...well, maybe not wasted. I know my kids will get some use out of several of the items. But did they need them? I may save the Designer's World game for Christmas. This item retails for about $30, but it can be found on sale for $20.

I think I'm better at selling things at garage sales then buying. I must say I did pass up quite a bit of nice things!!

I haven't used this calculator yet, but I heard about it on the Today show this morning. If you are thinking of trading in your SUV for a hybrid or other fuel efficient car you may want to check it out

here.

We just bought a Honda Odyssey...not exactly a fuel efficient vehicle, but better than some. We also own a Ford Taurus that is a sure gas guzzler and my husband will be driving it 30 minutes to and from work each day. I would love to get something different, but I know a paid off vehicle with high gas prices is cheaper than buying another vehicle...unless we could do an even trade. Hmm, what fuel efficient vehicle could I get for $3k?

I hope this calculator helps a few of you out in making the decision on whether to trade or not.

Airfare: $0
Gas: $60.00
Tickets for 4: $120.00
Food: unknown
Lodging: free

Total cost to enjoy the Olympic spirit:
$180 plus food

I've loved the Olympics ever since I went as a kid. I went when they were held in Los Angelos in 1984. It was so fun. You could just feel the competitive, yet unifying, spirit in the air.

All four of us get to see the U.S. swimming trials next week. We don't know which events or which swimmers we will see, but we sure hope to see someone advance to the final team!

This is held here in the US, not Beijing! Hence, the reason we are able to go so inexpensively!!

I was hoping that we would avoid spending any money this weekend. Not happening.

We headed out to our local farmers market this morning to enjoy the outdoors and the atmosphere. I did intend on buying sugar snap peas. They are so yummy right now! I bought two large containers for $6.

However, we also bought a large loaf of ciabatta bread for $5. I also bought the girls a juice drink to share for $4.75 along with a large cookie for $1.50. DH also bought a coffee...not sure on his total. I bet we spent over $20.00. Parking was free!

We then moved our van to another location a couple miles away to enjoy our local art fair that is going on this weekend. The art is pretty expensive to buy, but it is free to look at. One daughter got a free balloon. We stopped to listen to free music while the girls ate the cookie from the farmers market.

My husband is now mowing the lawn while the girls play with the neighbor girls. So, maybe now we can keep to no more spending this weekend.

We do have one errand to run. I need to return a patio screen door that did not fit. Hopefully, we can find the right size for the same amount that I spent on the original. I want a screen door so I can have my patio door open to let in all the nice breezes we are getting today!

Oh, on a decluttering note, I tossed out our old gazebo cover today. We replaced it with a new one this year as the old one was getting pretty torn up.

Now...to find something free to do!

Yesterday, I was getting the house cleaned up. My DH was coming home after 3 weeks out of state. I was able to erase the evidence (ETE) all day long. My girls even joined in and erased their own evidence. That was a huge breakthrough. I hope it continues!! I save so much time, if I don't have to pick up after them.

Another beautiful day here. Nice enough to open the windows and turn off the air. I've had at least four days this month with no air!! I'm guessing weather wise there could have been more, but youngest daughter's allergies also play a factor.

Yesterday, I bought groceries and spent less than $100 for our family of four. This should be enough to get us through the end of the month. I also used my new canvas shopping bags. I brought only one plastic bag coming home. I think I usually come home with at least ten. Huge difference!

I did go to Aldi for my first time yesterday. I took my girls. They loved that you had to put a quarter in to get a cart. We didn't actually get a cart, but the liked the idea. My daughter even brought her own quarter to use!

We picked up 3 things. Baby carrots, bag of red onions and ice cream bars for the girls. My total was $4.29. The woman ahead of me had a cart full of groceries. Her total was $79! I was very impressed with many of the prices. I'm sure I will be back.

This morning we traveled to our downtown farmers market. We bought 1 quart of strawberries for $5, a quart of sugar snap peas for $4 (later saw these for $2 at another stand), a dutch letter for the girls to share for $1.50, and romaine lettuce for $2. Parking was free as was the poetry reading, the music, the view of the river that is finally beginning to recede but is still higher than normal. We saw a three month old puppy, cool art, and many pretty flowers.

I really would love to make this a regular Saturday event for my family. It is just a good time. I think I need to go just a bit earlier next time, so that it is cooler and the crowd is not as thick.

We received $25 rewards from my debit card the other day. This is the extra money that I sent off to the home equity loan payoff. I expect to get a little interest on our money market account and some funds from ebay sales...all will go the home equity payoff.

Today was the sign up for dance and tumbling classes. I paid for the year in full in cash...$730. One daughter decided not to take dance because we expect she might be a bit busier in middle school with homework. This saved me from spending another $300. Love that!! I will hold on to it, in case we did to make a payment towards braces.

I reworked out escrow account today, too. I decided to start saving for dance classes for next year. Turns out instead of my previous monthly amount of $124, the new amount will be $200. I will split this evenly between the two checks we receive each month.

It was a good money day. Tomorrow I must grocery shop because my dearest soldier husband is coming home from three weeks of training. Can't wait to see him.!!

If you don't know what ETE is...read my post from yesterday. I did great with it today!

We decided last night that the girls and I would go to some garage sales today. We lucked out and found a neighborhood sale of 10 homes that we could park and then walk to.

The girls had to spend their own money on anything they wanted to bring home. Many of the houses had kids selling drinks and snacks. I did buy them a donut and a lemonade.

I bought three large rubbermaid containers. When I say large...it mean it. These are 31 gallon size. Each was $2. I paid all in quarters that I had leftover from my garage sale!

Older daughter bought a lava lamp, while younger daughter bought a Bratz doll in a case. Not too bad!! I avoided bringing home stuffed animals. In fact, the rule was if they bought a stuffed animal they had to get rid of 5 when we returned home.
I just hate bringing stuffed animals home when we already have so many...beside where have they been?

In an effort to avoid, spending more money I completed a project today. I bought caulk for our kitchen counter backsplash over a month ago. Today, I scraped off the old stuff and applied the new. I'm good at caulking, so it looks much better than before. Yea me!!

I'm very tempted to take my kids with me tonight for our first visit to Aldi...but I need to get dinner going and clean up a bit. Aldi has some good prices on produce this week...maybe every week, but this week I noticed their advertisement.