In search of ideas

I need ideas for what to get DH for his birthday! He's one of those that says he doesn't want/need anything, so it makes it really hard to buy for him. His birthday is next week, and I'm at a loss as to what to get him. I could always go with sweatshirts to keep him warmer at work this winter, but that doesn't seem adequate. So what else? He has every tool imaginable and is always drooling over the new models that come out. Maybe a gift card to his favorite home improvement store? Although please please don't touch my kitchen again honey... that one didn't end well. It's a mess.

From one addiction to the next

I finally broke my husband's addiction to Pepsi a few months ago. :) He had been drinking about 4 cans of it every day, so that was major news.

Now, his new addiction is Powerade and Gatorade. Good thing these are on sale around here a lot lately. I've even snagged carts full of them for free when combining sales with coupons.

That's a whole lot better than shelling out over $15 for two big packs of Pepsi, which didn't even last two weeks. And I don't have to smell Pepsi on his breath anymore, bonus! :) LOL I can't stand the stuff.

We're trying...

Recently we starting TTC baby #2. Our daughter just turned 2 years old this summer, and I feel like I'm finally ready to try for another little bundle. I had a hard pregnancy the first time around. With high BP, I was labeled high-risk and had weekly doctor visits.

They decided to induce my labor at 38 weeks, and after 24 hours in labor, the doctor ended up performing a C-section due to lack of progression after my water had broken. They ended up having to put me under as they fixed me up afterward. The experience was traumatic for me, and I don't even recall holding my daughter for the first time. The whole ordeal was all fresh in my mind for a long time.

So we're two months into trying, and we're 0-2. It will happen soon. I just have to be patient, but that's a difficult concept to grasp right now. :(

What I've become...

I've become an avid coupon shopper over the past few months. It sounds odd to say but the highlights of my day sometimes are finding sales/clearance on items I have coupons for - and then stocking up on the item. I love saving money, it's like an addiction now!

I've come to realize that as a SAHM, I might not be making big money, but I sure can save big money!

I'm active on several couponing message boards, participate in a few coupon trains, and even have my mom saving her coupons for me (she doesn't use them). Since the beginning of July, I've saved almost $900 by shopping this way. It's amazing!

Target clearance rocks

Today I ventured out to Target (ended up getting soaked by the heavy rain, but that's another story).

The store I frequent had some jewelry marked down to 75% off. I picked up a pair of 10K white gold hoop earrings for my teenage SIL's birthday, for $7 and change. *shocked expression* Now if only I could justify buying a pair in yellow gold for myself... LOL

The countdown continues!

I haven't posted in forever; the days have been flying by!

There are exactly 4 weeks until we leave for Disney. I can't wait, it's going to be so much fun. :)

We're still working on saving up a nice cushion for gas money, food, and memorabilia. But it's getting there.

We're taking along our own beverages and snacks for throughout the day. Our hotel offers a free breakfast, so that's one less thing to worry about.

It doesn't really feel 'real' yet, to be going on this big adventure in just a few weeks. Maybe when it's time to start packing it will finally hit me. Maybe. :-p

SUPER TICKED

I set this blog up and was hoping to register it to my account on PPP. I attempted to do so a few days ago and received an error that "this URL has already been taken". I sent a message to Customer Support over there and they replied this morning that someone else has my blog under their account! Who does this kind of thing?!

I am NOT happy this morning.

Birthday party menu

This coming weekend, I'll be hosting (hostessing?) my daughter's 2nd birthday party. The theme this year is Minnie Mouse. :)

I finalized (and did the shopping for) the menu over the holiday weekend. Here's what we'll be having:

hamburgers and hot dogs (on the grill)
potato chips
7-layer salad
applesauce jello (strawberry, yum!)
ice cream cake from DQ

My total at the grocery store for items to make everything (except the ice cream cake) was $38.60. The cake costs $26.99 at DQ (a tad pricey to me), making my food total for the party $65.59. I'm expecting 11 guests total, but bought enough food to feed up to 16 (and that's allotting a hamburger AND hot dog per person, which probably isn't likely to happen).

For 11 people, that makes my per-person cost $5.96 ($3.51 not including cake).

For 16 people, my per-person cost is $4.10 ($2.41 not including cake).

Vacation expenses

We've already taken care of some of the major ticket items for our upcoming vacation. We've booked the hotel we'll be staying at in Florida, bought a GPS system to help us navigate, and purchased passes for Disney World.

Expenses still to come will be: food to take along on the road trip, gas, a night's stay in a hotel along the way, tolls for toll roads, and then the money we spend while we're actually at Disney World.

Hotel for 7 nights: $576.22
GPS system: $157.81
Passes for 5 days: $460.96

Total so far: $1194.99

Planning a trip to Disney World

Hubby and I are planning a trip to Disney World this fall with our toddler. It will be a first-time visit for all of us. I'd like to make it memorable, while still affordable on a small budget.

We're planning on driving there so flights are not a concern.

We've already booked a hotel so that's not a concern either.

Any suggestions on:

what to see?
where to eat?
other activities?