Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic~ 08/08/2015

Lowe's will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on August 8, 2015 at 10am.  My younger boys love doing them and the older ones love helping the younger ones with their project:)

If you are looking for a great free activity that you can do with your kids- you should check out the Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics. Little Michael and Nathan love them. They love being able to do hands on projects with our help.

The boys and hubby are super excited about this series of clinics~  Marvel Avengers Assemble Summer :)

To sign up for this Build & Grow Clinic, simply go to the Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic website, which they have redone to make it more user friendly. I am loving the new website. You register all your information. Then when you visit the website to sign up for an upcoming clinic, all you have to do is sign in and check which kids you are signing up. Don't forget to print and sign the waiver. And you and your child(ren) are ready for a really cool FREE hands on project.

Once you and your child(ren) complete the project they will receive a neat patch to put on their Lowe's Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowe's Build & Grow apron and goggles:) The more clinics you do, the more patches you get to put on your kids apron and they can show them off with pride:)

July 2015 Goal Update

How did we do with our July goals?  Let's see:

1) To not eat out or at least to not pay out of pocket, with the exception of tips. If we want to treat the family to a meal out, we will make sure we have a gift card to cover all of us.
Did fabulous with this goal.  

2) Pay off our last credit card
Still chipping away at this.  We are very thankful that we were able to make a nice big dent in this credit card balance :)

3) Not to use any of our credit cards for 2015. To pay cash for everything.
Doing great with this :)

4) To maintain our grocery budget. Our current grocery budget is $400 month for our family of 6. Our goal is to use up to that amount to feed our family healthy nourishing meals.  If we are lucky enough to come under our monthly budget, we will save that amount.
We did great and ended up with $9 left :)


5) To create a monthly meal plan for our family, to use leftovers more efficiently and to make use of everything in our pantry and freezer.
Doing fabulous with this.

6) Lose weight- My goal is to lose 10lbs this year.
I was able to drop this goal back down to losing 10 pounds- yea!!  I didn't exercise as much as I would have liked.  Time to change that and lose this baby weight :)

7) Complete the Couch to 5K with hubby
Did not complete any of the Couch to 5K program :(

8) Morning devotions, prayer time and more bible reading
Doing great with our church's website, which will read the bible verses to you :) 

9) Monthly date night with hubby- whether we go out or stay at home, pop popcorn and rent a movie
We had a double date night :)  We went to the movies with Chris and his girlfriend.


10) To spend quality family time together. With everyones schedule and us running all over creation, I would love to spend more quality time together- no tv- us playing games, talking, enjoying each others company.  I think we are going to claim Saturday's as family fun day:)
We attempted a Saturday Family Fun day by going to the zoo only to have it pour and we were unable to go :(

11) Not to use our dryer to save on electricity and lower our electricity bill
Doing fabulous, by not using the dryer, I now have the electric bill down to what I was paying for our teeny house back in Virginia.  Not using the air or heat is a huge plus also.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Florida weather :)

12) To do 1 project a month and blog about it
Wow- I really need to get on the ball with these monthly projects.  I have several in the works and hope to get them done soon :)
 
13) My older boys want to run a 5K~ a color run to be more specific.  So, I am jumping on board with them, after I finish my Couch to 5K program :)
Still waiting to hear the color run date.  Which is great since my running days have kind of fizzled out :(

14) To make and use more non toxic cleaners
I am still researching and working on this one :)

How did you do with your July goals? 

August 2015 Monthly Spending

Here is where I keep a list of our spending for the month of August.  We have a $400 grocery budget for the month.  We did good last month and still had $9.00 left at the end of the month. This is for everything for our family of 6 and 2 cats.  I am excited to see how we do this month. So, lets see how we do this month:

08/01/2015
$10.25- Save A Lot
$10.38- Publix
$15.90- Dollar Tree
$16.69- Walmart
$35.59- Sam's Club
$40.83- Winn Dixie
$6.00- Farmer Market

08/09/2015
$1.77- CVS and got $2.00 ECB
$5.17- Save A Lot
$12.60- Winn Dixie
$17.00- Walmart
$23.63- Sam's Club
$6.00- Farmer Market

08/17/2015
$1.05- CVS and get $1 ECB
$1.06- Dollar Tree
$10.88- Save A Lot
$15.85- Publix
$23.87- Walmart
$55.16- Sam's Club
$5.50- Farmer Market

08/23/2015
$1.06- Dollar Tree
$14.62- Publix
$7.33- Save A Lot
$23.02- Walmart
$32.91- Sam's Club
$5.50- Farmer Market

$399.62 - Running Total

$0.38- Left to Spend 

Yay!!  We did it.  We stayed with in our grocery budget for this month :)

Our Shopping Day 08/01/2015

Our first shopping day of August.  Thanks to what is left in my pantry and both freezers, menu planning was a breeze this month.  That also means that our first of the month shopping adventure was very manageable :)

Here are our shopping trip details:

Save A Lot
$1.99- Blueberries
$2.00- Bread
$2.00- Hamburger buns
$2.29- Cheddar cheese block
$1.13- Peaches
$0.84- Plums
$10.25- Total

Publix
$1.89- Kraft BBQ sauce
$0.00- Kraft BBQ sauce
$1.89- Kraft BBQ sauce
$0.00- Kraft BBQ sauce
$6.60- Soy yogurt
$10.38- Total

Dollar Tree
$4.00- Tissues
$4.00- Hand soap
$4.00- Toilet paper
$1.00- Qt zip bags
$1.00- Zip sandwich bags
$1.00- Foil
$15.90- Total with tax

Walmart
$2.48- Creamer
$3.92- Frozen veggies
$2.96- Ginger
$0.92- Lentils
$2.97- Potatoes
$1.88- Soy Sauce
$1.56- WW Egg Noodles
$16.69- Total

Sam's Club
$4.98- Lemons
$4.98- Milk
$1.49- Bananas
$12.98- Walnuts
$3.28- Ketchup
$7.88- Eggs
$35.59- Total

Winn Dixie
$5.34- 6 boxes WW Spaghetti
$10.56- Beef Roast
$10.72- Beef Roast
$14.21- Stew Meat
$40.83- Total

Farmer Market
$6.00- Zucchinis :)

This shopping trip has been added to our August Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of August.

Our Menu Plan for the week of 08/03/2015

Wow- I cannot believe it is August already :(  August means time to start school, which surprisingly the boys are so very ready to begin :)  School also means crazy busy but fun filled days.

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Homemade Sausage biscuits with eggs and fruit X2
Pancakes with fruit X2
Oatmeal with nuts and raisins X2
Scrambled eggs with fruit

Lunch
Salad with homemade dressing and a banana for myself and hubby-when he is home
Sandwich with carrots and grapes for everyone else or leftovers

Dinner
Spaghetti with zuchinni and garlic bread
Vegan Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo with green beans
Riblets with mashed potatoes and peas
Chicken Legs with mashed potatoes and green beans
Lentil burgers with cucumbers and tomatoes
Chili
Leftover Chili

Snacks
Apples
Peaches
Carrots
Popcorn
Bananas
Carrots
Strawberries
Grapes
Blueberries
Plums
Chocolate PB Smoothie
Banana Ice Cream

Walgreens deals for the week of 08/02/2015

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufacture's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufacture's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 manufacture's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) When redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR
5) 2 coupons can be used with Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Sales :)

Check out Walgreens Coupon Policy here:)

Walgreens has rolled out a program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this program.

PaperMate ball point pens- $0.29
$0.55 PaperMate pens cpn- 07/26 SS

Crayola markers or pencils- $0.99

Kellogg cereal- $4/2
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 08/02 RP
$1/3 Kellogg Krave, Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Honey Smacks, Jif or Mini Wheats cpn- 07/26 RP
$1/2 Kellogg Frosted Mini Wheats cpn- 07/26 RP 

Purex- $6/3
$1 Purex cpn- 08/02 RP

Gatorade- $6/6 and get 1000 points

Hershey spread or syrup- $5/2 and get 1000 points
$0.75/2 Hershey syrup or toppings cpn- 08/02 SS
$0.75/2 Hershey or Reese's spreads cpn- 08/02 SS
$1/2 Hershey syrup cpn- 06/28 SS 

Kleenex- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$0.50/3 Kleenex cpn- 07/12 SS

Ziploc- $5.50/2 and get $1 RR
$1/2 Ziploc containers cpn- 08/02 SS
$1/2 Ziploc bags cpn- 08/02 SS

Nice foil- $0.89 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Renuzit- $0.89 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
Buy 3 Renuzit Get 3 FREE cpn- 08/02 RP

Palmolive- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4
$0.50 Palmolive cpn- 07/26 RP

Wexford mini composition book or memo book- $1/6 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Wexford 2 pocket poly folder or portfolio- $1/3 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Wexford mini highlighter or 2 pocket folder with prongs- $1/7 with in ad cpn- Limit 7

Wexford erasers- $1/4 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford compass or sharpener- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford glue- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford index dividers or protectors- $0.49 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Expo dry eraser markers or Sharpie highlighters- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4
$0.75 Sharpie cpn- 07/26 SS
$1 Expo dry erase marker cpn- 07/26 SS

Wexford index cards or protractor- $0.29 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford poly binder or composition book- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Soho clear box or Wexford Jr legal pads- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Crayola crayons- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Fiskar scissors or sharpener- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford construction paper or dry erase markers- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Wexford pencils or poly composition book- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Bic Cristal pens- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4
$1/2 Bic stationary cpn- 08/02 SS

Crest ProHealth mouthwash or Fixodent- $9/2 and get $2.50 RR
$0.50 Crest mouthwash cpn- 07/26 P&G

Oral B Pulsar, Crest 3D White toothpaste or 3D White mouthwash- $10/2 and get $2 RR
$1 Oral B Pulsar cpn- 07/26 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 07/26 P&G
$1.50/2 Crest toothpaste cpn- 07/26 P&G
$0.50 Crest mouthwash cpn- 07/26 P&G 

Aussie or Herbal Essence- $11/3 and get $2 RR
$3/3 Herbal Essence cpn- 08/02 SS
$3/3 Aussie cpn- 08/02 SS

Got2b- $3.99 and get $1 RR
$2 Got2b cpn- 08/02 RP

Dry Idea or Right Guard- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$2/2 Right Guard cpn- 08/02 RP

Oral B soft toothbrush, Crest toothpaste or mouthwash- $12/3 and get $3 RR
$0.50 Oral B 3D White, ProHealth, Complete, Sensi soft, Indicator or Cavity Defense cpn- 07/26 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 07/26 P&G
$1.50/2 Crest toothpaste cpn- 07/26 P&G
$0.50 Crest mouthwash cpn- 07/26 P&G

Spend $15 on Arm & Hammer Spin Brush or refill and get 3000 points

Rolaids- $8/2
Buy Rolaids Get 1 FREE cpn- 08/02 RP

Nature Made Vitamelts- $4.99 and get 1000 points
$2/2 Nature Made cpn- 07/26 SS

Nature Made adult gummies- $6.99 and get 1000 points
$2/2 Nature Made cpn- 07/26 SS

General Mills cereal- $4/2
$1/3 General Mills cereal cpn- 08/02 SS
$0.50  General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 07/12 SS
$1/2 General Mills Big G cereal cpn- 06/28 SS 

CVS deals for the week of 08/02/2015

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns

3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

To view CVS Coupon Policy- click here:) 

Pepsi 12pk cans- $10/3 and get $2 ECB

Pantene- $8/2 and get $2 ECB
$2/2 Pantene cpn- 07/26 P&G
$5/3 Pantene cpn- 07/26 P&G 

Spend $15 on Loreal eye or nail and get $5 ECB
$2 Loreal face cosmetic cpn- 07/26 RP
$1 Loreal eye shadow or liner cpn- 07/12 RP 

Spend $12 on Revlon and get $3 ECB
$3 Revlon lip cpn- 07/26 RP

Tide or Gain- $11.99 and get $3 ECB
$1 Tide cpn- 07/26 P&G
$3/3 Tide or Downy cpn- 07/26 P&G
$0.50 Gain or Cheer cpn- 07/12 RP
$1/2 Gain or Cheer cpn- 07/12 RP 

Kellogg Mini Wheats, Corn Pops or Frozen cereal- $5/2 and get $2 ECB
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 08/02 RP
$1/3 Kellogg Krave, Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Honey Smacks, Jif or Mini Wheats cpn- 07/26 RP
$1/2 Kellogg Frosted Mini Wheats cpn- 07/26 RP 

7 Up, Canada Dry, A&W or Sunkist cans- $11/3 and get $3 ECB

Renuzit- $0.88
Buy 3 Renuzit Get 3 FREE cpn- 08/02 RP

Post It notes- $3.99 and get $1 ECB

Sharpie 8ct or Expo dry erase markers- $3.99 and get $1 ECB
$0.75 Sharpie cpn- 07/26 SS
$1 Expo dry erase marker cpn- 07/26 SS 

Pay Anywhere credit card reader- $9.99 and get $9.99 ECB

Colgate Total- $5.98/2 and get $3 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 07/26 SS
$2 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 07/26 SS 

Colgate 360 or floss tip toothbrush- $6/2 and get $4 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 07/26 SS
$0.50 Colgate 360 or Slim Soft toothbrush cpn- 0/28 SS 

Herbal Essence or Aussie- $9/3
$3/3 Herbal Essence cpn- 08/02 SS
$3/3 Aussie cpn- 08/02 SS 

Got2b- $4.99
$2 Got2b cpn- 08/02 RP

Dial 3pk bar or Complete hand wash- $4/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Dial bar or Complete hand wash cpn- 08/02 RP

Bic disposable- $6.99 and get $2 ECB
$3 Bic disposable cpn- 08/02 SS

Right Guard, Dry Idea deodorant or Right Guard body wash- $6/2 and get $2 ECB
$2/2 Right Guard cpn- 08/02 RP
$2/2 Right Guard body wash cpn- 08/02 RP 

Spend $15 on Almay and get $3 ECB

Spend $15 on NYX cosmetics and get $3 ECB

Spend $15 on Cover Girl and get $3 ECB
$2/2 Cover Girl cpn- 07/26 P&G
$4/3 Cover Girl cpn- 07/26 P&G 

Spend $10 on ELF cosmetics and get $3 ECB

Milani eye shadow quartet- $9.99 and get $4 ECB

Ecxedrin extra strength or migraine- $20/2 and get $10 ECB
$1 Excedrin cpn- 07/12 SS

Blink, Complete or Revitalens- $7.99 and get $3 ECB
$3 Revitalens cpn- 08/02 SS

General Mills cereal, Scooby Doo or Fruit Gushers- $4/2- Limit 4
$1/3 General Mills cereal cpn- 08/02 SS
$0.50  General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 07/12 SS
$1/2 General Mills Big G cereal cpn- 06/28 SS 

Spend $15 on Sally Hansen and get $5 ECB
$1 Sally Hansen nail treatment cpn- 07/26 RP
$1 Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, Top Coat or Value Pack cpn- 07/26 RP 

Softsoap hand soap- $1.88
Use $1.00 CVS Coupon Center cpn
$0.50 Softsoap hand wash cpn- 07/26 RP

Spend $10 on Listerine, Reach, Rembrandt or Listerine floss and get $5 ECB
$1 Listerine Smart Rinse cpn- 07/26 SS
$1 Listerine floss cpn- 07/26 SS
$1 Listerine 1L cpn- 07/26 SS 

Dawn, Just the Basics dish liquid or Total Home tissues- $0.99- Limit 8

Purex- $5.99- Limit 4
$1 Purex cpn- 08/02 RP