I know that I haven't been very active on the site lately, so I wanted to let you all know what's been going on in the life of The Budget Queen this week. As you all know, Liam was supposed to have surgery last Tuesday. However, when he went in to the doctor on Monday for his pre-surgery exam, he had tonsilitus! So, we decided to try another round of anti-biotics to get him well enough for surgery. Tomorrow he will see the doctor again to try again for surgery on Tuesday. He has been doing much better, but today he started having diahrea. I know, it's crazy, but if we don't do this surgery he won't get better. So, I hope that they will do it this week. We have been hibernating all this week to keep him away from any potention illnesses, so I haven't been out shopping very much. Infact, I JUST got my grocery shopping done today...I normally shop on Thursday. My husband, The Budget King, watched the kids for me today so that I could get a bit of shopping done, so I will let you in on all of the deals I found.
First, here is what I have been fighting all week. We have been having some serious issues with the baby's insurance. As of this moment, I will be paying up to $3,800 for this surgery. 3 months ago we applied for the LA-Chip Affordable Plan for him and he was accepted. Well, because we already had insurance and adding him would be free, I chose not to take the LA-Chip plan. The baby continued to have problems, and with my insurance I was having to pay for everything, so I decided that I did, after all, want the LA-Chip plan. I was still getting the bills in the mail for the LA-Chip policy, so I called them and asked them if I could pay the past due balance and get him back on the plan. They said that I could and that he would be active right away, but he wasn't! Everyone we called gave us a different answer. When it came down to admitting for the surgery, both the doctor and the hospital told me that I would have to pay full price because the LA-Chip plan is still not active. So, for the entire week, I have been calling everyone that I possibly can to try to fix the problem and get the policy active. I have talked to over 20 representatives from the Medicaid office, the Lousiana Office of Group Benefits, the Lafayette Health Unit, Catalyst Rx....you name it, I have tried. Apparently the program is very new and they have never seen a case like mine so they are doing everything that they can to fix it. It has gone from the local, to the regional, and now the state level to get it resolved. So, please pray that the insurance goes through because they will cover 90% off the surgery....tomorrow I have to pay a deposit of $1700 just to check in. IF the LA-Chip kicks in, I will be reimbursed.
As far as shopping goes for this week, I actually ventured off to Super One. Although I normally go to Wal-Mart because they price match, everything I was going to price match was from Super One, so I decided to go there for a change of pace. Turns out they had tons of unadvertised deals, which I posted in the forum. So, I was really glad that I went. I spent more than I normally do this week because of the baby's surgery. I bought everything that I could possibly think of that the baby would be interested in eating, just because I want to be prepared for a loss of appetite. I also stockpiled a few of those unadvertised deals that I couldn't pass up and bought some things in bulk because they were cheaper per ounce.
Today, I went to CVS, Target, and Walgreen's. At CVS my transaction was like this: I bought a box of SoyJoy bars for $6 and got $6 in ECB's. Then I bought 2 boxes of CVS Allergy Relief and used my $6 ECB's from the SoyJoys to pay for them. The difference was about $2. Then I used those ECB's plus 2 $1 off Playschool coupons to buy the Playschool wipes that were on sale. So, my final cost was about $3.50.
At Target, I went on a hunt for the 75% off toy sale. It was a great sale with 3 isles of toys on sale from 30% off to 75% off. I was able to get some great deals on presents for a birthday party and for Christmas next year. There were even baby sets. You just have to check it all out for yourself!
At Walgreen's I ran into the perfect clearance sale. There were shampoos, conditioners, and styling products on sale for $1.09 to $1.59 and I had coupons for almost all of them! I ended up paying $.68 for 4 bottles. I wish I had more coupons! I posted the clearance sale in the forums too.
As for the website, the new site is on the way and is expected to be done at the beginning of March. It will include everything that we already have plus more! I will have a kick-off meeting at the end of this week with Bizzuka and they will show me some preliminary ideas for the site. I can't wait! There are so many things that are happening, I can't wait to tell you all everything! I will be sure to post as new things come up.
I hope that you all have a great week and continue to post on the site while I am out for a day or two after the baby's surgery. If you see anything while you are out and about, please post it! I appreciate all of you so very much!
P.S. I was interviewed and photographed by The Daily Advertiser today, so please be looking for me in the paper!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Cat's Out of The Bag
This week was the beginning of TheBudgetQueen.com coupon swap. Our first swap was Tuesday, January 6th, 6:30pm at Barnes and Nobles on Johnston St. in Lafayette. There was a fantastic turnout and we had a great time swapping all sorts of money saving tips and tricks in addition to our coupons. I really enjoyed meeting everyone! I got home very late that night!!! At the coupon swap I let the cat out of the bag. Yes, it is true! TheBudgetQueen.com is going to be completely redone by a very dynamic web design company called Bizzuka. (You can check out their portfolio at bizzuka.com) I am so excited and can't wait to see the completed website, which will be launched at the beginning of March '09. The site is going to be totally interactive, I will even be able to teach classes online! Woo Hoo! I am also in the process of taking the site national! So, continue looking forward to some fantastic changes that are in the works for TheBudgetQueen.com.
On another note, my youngest son, who is 15 months old will be having surgery on Tuesday morning. Don't worry, it is a simple out patient procedure. He will have tubes put in his ears. The last couple of months has been a roller coaster of illness that have never completely cleared up, including an ear infection that has been there since before Thanksgiving. He is even sick now, running fever of 104.9. We are hoping that we can get it down low enough to operate on Tuesday. He really needs this surgery to stop the cycle. So, please keep us in your prayers, we can use all we can get this week.
I am still in my shopping funk. I think that it may partially have to do with the fact that my pantry is fully stocked and I really don't need anything. I just haven't been that excited about running out after my deals the last 2 weeks. I did go out to Walgreen's today to get the Bounty paper towel deal, because I needed those. I also went to Super One to get my Electrasol, but they were completely out...bummer. I did cheer up a little when I got to Walgreen's because there was tons of make up on clearance. I got lip glosses, pressed powders, and base for $.75 each. Then, when I walked in to Super One there was a huge crate of Teddy Bear cookies, (like Teddy Grahams) 1lb bag for $.50, so I bought 4 bags. My family will love these. Little hidden deals like this, that are not advertised and I didn't hear about somewhere else, really make me smile. Hee hee.
Someone recently asked me how my diet was going, so I thought I would catch everyone up. I was doing the protein diet which was working fabulously but........let's just say it caused enough stomach problems to make me reconsider. So, I decided to switch to Weight Watchers. Obviously, I cannot afford to pay for a membership, so I went to Walmart and bought a Weight Watchers magazine and used the menu plans inside. I guess if I really would have thought about it I could have gone to the library and just copied the menus. I think I will next time. Anyway, they are really good and they work! Thus far, between the 2 diets, I have lost about 11lbs. I'm hoping that sharing my progress will help motivate me, because I need it! I have become very comfortable with my weight, but I worry about my health as I age, so I would like to get it under control as soon as possible.
Well I hope you all have a great week and I can't wait to see you all at the next coupon swap!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
New Years Resolution....or the lack there of
I've been so busy that completely forgot about my New Year's resolution. There is so much going on with the website that that alone is a huge goal for the year. I can't wait for all of the amazing things that are going to happen this year. I can't think of anything that I haven't already committed to. My life is so full of all of the things that I love that I can't imagine adding anything else to it. I don't think I have the energy or the time! I mean, do I have to have a New Year's resolution? I feel like I do things everyday to improve my life, what more can I do? I have a growing and successful business that I love, I stay home with my family, I spend time with my spouse, I go to the gym everyday, I try to be as healthy as possible, I don't smoke or anything like that, I help people, I have tons of friends, and I am very spiritual. What else is there? I wish I had more energy to do it all. Sometimes I feel like I am over stressed and irritated. I guess I need to work on relaxing and being more peaceful. So, if I have to have a resolution I guess it would be to learn to manage stress better. That would probably be the most meaningful thing to me. So there is my New Year's Resolution.
This week was the end of RSV for the baby, so I haven't gotten out of the house much. At the last minute, we ended up having a New Year's Eve party here! Because everyone was still recovering from the craziness of Christmas, no one ever thought about New Years Eve. Around noon everyone started to call asking what our plans were. Because of the baby, we had no plans to leave the house, so everyone decided to come here. It worked out fine because I had plenty of food in the house including frozen gumbo and bread from my new bread maker. I threw together a few snacks and deserts and everyone brought something with them. We had so much food and wine! It was fabulous. I even ran by the Dollar Tree and picked up a couple of last minute party favors and sent the boys out to spend my $25 entertainment budget on fireworks. Together with the neighbor's fireworks we had a full display for the evening. There is always something interesting happening here in the Theriot house!
As far as shopping goes, I was able to get a little shopping in. LOL! I am honestly so tired of shopping and my house is fully stocked! I don't need anything else. My pantry and freezer are full and I have all of the drug store items I could possibly need. Well, except for maybe some baby wipes in about a week or so. Anything else will have to go strait to charity. Now's the time for me to put some of my extra money in savings. I did chase one good deal this week for some Garnier Fructis products. At Walgreen's there were several Garnier Fructis products that were on clearance for $2.19 and there was a $2 off coupon for them in the Easy Saver catalog. So, I paid $.19 for each of them. They were mostly products that I don't use, but I donate to the Faith House every month, so they will appreciate it. I also tried Fred's to find out about the double coupons on Saturdays and found out that they double any coupon up to $.70. I bought about $15 in groceries, just the fresh items that I needed: milk, salad, bananas, oranges, baby food and baby wipes. I used a coupon for the baby food and one for the wipes. That's it for the week! I checked out the CVS sales ad for tomorrow at iheartcvs.com and didn't see anything for me to run out after. The only thing that I saw that I might possibly go for was buy 1 get 1 50% off wipes and paper plates. I can do this and use my $2 off of $10 CVS brand coupon to save even more. I'm ready to take a break from shopping for a while. I guess Christmas got the best of me!!
HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!
Thanks so much for reading my blog. I hope that you are blessed with everything you dream if this year!
This week was the end of RSV for the baby, so I haven't gotten out of the house much. At the last minute, we ended up having a New Year's Eve party here! Because everyone was still recovering from the craziness of Christmas, no one ever thought about New Years Eve. Around noon everyone started to call asking what our plans were. Because of the baby, we had no plans to leave the house, so everyone decided to come here. It worked out fine because I had plenty of food in the house including frozen gumbo and bread from my new bread maker. I threw together a few snacks and deserts and everyone brought something with them. We had so much food and wine! It was fabulous. I even ran by the Dollar Tree and picked up a couple of last minute party favors and sent the boys out to spend my $25 entertainment budget on fireworks. Together with the neighbor's fireworks we had a full display for the evening. There is always something interesting happening here in the Theriot house!
As far as shopping goes, I was able to get a little shopping in. LOL! I am honestly so tired of shopping and my house is fully stocked! I don't need anything else. My pantry and freezer are full and I have all of the drug store items I could possibly need. Well, except for maybe some baby wipes in about a week or so. Anything else will have to go strait to charity. Now's the time for me to put some of my extra money in savings. I did chase one good deal this week for some Garnier Fructis products. At Walgreen's there were several Garnier Fructis products that were on clearance for $2.19 and there was a $2 off coupon for them in the Easy Saver catalog. So, I paid $.19 for each of them. They were mostly products that I don't use, but I donate to the Faith House every month, so they will appreciate it. I also tried Fred's to find out about the double coupons on Saturdays and found out that they double any coupon up to $.70. I bought about $15 in groceries, just the fresh items that I needed: milk, salad, bananas, oranges, baby food and baby wipes. I used a coupon for the baby food and one for the wipes. That's it for the week! I checked out the CVS sales ad for tomorrow at iheartcvs.com and didn't see anything for me to run out after. The only thing that I saw that I might possibly go for was buy 1 get 1 50% off wipes and paper plates. I can do this and use my $2 off of $10 CVS brand coupon to save even more. I'm ready to take a break from shopping for a while. I guess Christmas got the best of me!!
HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!
Thanks so much for reading my blog. I hope that you are blessed with everything you dream if this year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas Week
Wow! What a week! Can you believe that it is finally over? I cannot believe all of the Christmas gifts that we gave and received! My house is chock full of everything including toys. I cannot wait to start purging all of the stuff that we don't need anymore. I plan on giving some stuff to the faith house. In January they always ask for linens, from blankets and sheets to towels, so that will be a good place to start. Other than that I will be bringing all of the kids old toys and clothes to Baby Basics and pretty much everything else to Goodwill. I just started using Baby Basics and I really like it. It is not consignment, they pay you up front for the things that they want. I find that she pays really well.
I am so excited about my Christmas gifts. My mom gave me a refrigerator! Yes, a stainless steal double door refrigerator! I love it. And the best part is that she got it on Black Friday for 50% off. I taught her well! I also got a bread maker from my husband, which is something I have always wanted. I find that bread is very expensive in the stores, so he got it for me. I made my first loaf of wheat bread today and it probably cost me less than $1. And, it was so good! I can make almost anything with it, including jam! I love it. He also gave me a mixer, and oh, did I mention he also got everything on Black Friday? He was able to get me so much cool stuff that I have been wanting forever. He even got me a laptop backpack which was perfect because I am always on the go with my computer. Anyway, Christmas was awesome!
The baby did get sick however. He contracted RSV, so we had to cut our visiting short and come home to the emergency room with 105 fever. Yep, that will cost me a pretty penny. It's funny because I was trying to call around on the way back from Mississippi to find out which hospital would be cheaper! I know, it's ingrained in me. We finally ended up at LGMC. I hope it was worth it! I will know when I get the bill! Ha Ha.
When I came back I did try to hit some of the after Christmas sales, but there was nothing really exciting left over. I had waited too long. I wish that I had shopped when I was in New Orleans or Mississippi because there were still plenty of things left when I was there. OH, I almost forgot, I did get a few things at Sam's the day after Christmas. My MIL had a business card for Sam's so we got in earlier than the general public and I was able to get enough Christmas paper, ribbon, and gift cards for next year. I love Sam's because the quality of their products is always good, so I know that it was worth it. And, this paper will last me 3 to 4 years! It was just one huge roll. I also got a few nice things at World Market like a Christmas tablecloth, napkins, and crackers. So, I actually did get a few things, just not as exciting as I thought it would be. I really wanted a Christmas serving set, a tree with built in lights, and presents for next year. But, when I went out it was all gone. Next year I know better! There are still a few deals available online, but again, nothing really exciting.
This week I am excited about the grocery deals. Albertson's is having a huge buy 1 get 1 free sale, so I am planning on stocking up on a few things. I really don't need anything for this week at all, but I want to stockpile since the deals are so great. I just hope that I can get out of the house sometime soon. I have been stuck in the house for days because the baby is so sick. So, hopefully my hubby will let me out soon!
I am so excited about my Christmas gifts. My mom gave me a refrigerator! Yes, a stainless steal double door refrigerator! I love it. And the best part is that she got it on Black Friday for 50% off. I taught her well! I also got a bread maker from my husband, which is something I have always wanted. I find that bread is very expensive in the stores, so he got it for me. I made my first loaf of wheat bread today and it probably cost me less than $1. And, it was so good! I can make almost anything with it, including jam! I love it. He also gave me a mixer, and oh, did I mention he also got everything on Black Friday? He was able to get me so much cool stuff that I have been wanting forever. He even got me a laptop backpack which was perfect because I am always on the go with my computer. Anyway, Christmas was awesome!
The baby did get sick however. He contracted RSV, so we had to cut our visiting short and come home to the emergency room with 105 fever. Yep, that will cost me a pretty penny. It's funny because I was trying to call around on the way back from Mississippi to find out which hospital would be cheaper! I know, it's ingrained in me. We finally ended up at LGMC. I hope it was worth it! I will know when I get the bill! Ha Ha.
When I came back I did try to hit some of the after Christmas sales, but there was nothing really exciting left over. I had waited too long. I wish that I had shopped when I was in New Orleans or Mississippi because there were still plenty of things left when I was there. OH, I almost forgot, I did get a few things at Sam's the day after Christmas. My MIL had a business card for Sam's so we got in earlier than the general public and I was able to get enough Christmas paper, ribbon, and gift cards for next year. I love Sam's because the quality of their products is always good, so I know that it was worth it. And, this paper will last me 3 to 4 years! It was just one huge roll. I also got a few nice things at World Market like a Christmas tablecloth, napkins, and crackers. So, I actually did get a few things, just not as exciting as I thought it would be. I really wanted a Christmas serving set, a tree with built in lights, and presents for next year. But, when I went out it was all gone. Next year I know better! There are still a few deals available online, but again, nothing really exciting.
This week I am excited about the grocery deals. Albertson's is having a huge buy 1 get 1 free sale, so I am planning on stocking up on a few things. I really don't need anything for this week at all, but I want to stockpile since the deals are so great. I just hope that I can get out of the house sometime soon. I have been stuck in the house for days because the baby is so sick. So, hopefully my hubby will let me out soon!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
This Week in My World
This week was amazing because of all of the phenomenal steals and deals that are happening for the holidays. We are reaping the benefits of holiday deals and a bad economy. Here in Louisiana many of us are oblivious to the pain that many of our neighboring states are enduring this holiday season. Layoffs have been terrible nationwide and stores are trying their best to make up for the dip in spending. Stores are offering deals like they never have before and employees are hard to find. Even though we have yet to be hard hit by the economic downturn here in Louisiana, we are reaping the same benefits that everyone else is. The only bad aspect is the lack of help in the stores. The prices may be low, but you are on your own! Please keep all of these laid-off employees in your prayers this holiday season and help them as much as you can.
This week I was able to get quite a few steals that I was really happy about. At Kohl's I got a diamond necklace for $21.99 down from $90. I also got 2 shirts there for my grandpa for $5 a peice. They were marked down on the clearance rack, but when I got to the register they took an additional 20% off. Old Navy had some pretty great sales, almost everything was 60% off and clearance was an additional 50% off. I was able to get a whole new wardrobe for a needy child for $40. The next day I had to go back because the coats were on sale for 60% off. When I walked in the door I lucked out because they were handing out $10 off and $5 off coupons to the first 200 customers. So, I was able to get my daughter's coat for only$12, originally $42.50. (I got a $5 off coupon). My grocery bill wasn't bad either. I only bought about $35 of groceries this week. I was able to get those free because I returned a couple of coats that I realized I didn't need. And CVS had some deals this week!!! There must have been close to 30 items that were free with Extra Care Bucks, plus I used my CVS gift cards that I earned from my prescriptions, so I got 3 bags of stuff for FREE! I know that there is more that I probably did this week, but these are all of the deals that I can remember right now.
I hope these help you to find the rest of the presents on your list and MERRY CHRISTMAS! I will be thinking about all of you this week. I hope that you got everything you needed under budget and without going into debt. Please e-mail me if you have any last minute Christmas questions. I would be more than happy to help. Take care.
This week I was able to get quite a few steals that I was really happy about. At Kohl's I got a diamond necklace for $21.99 down from $90. I also got 2 shirts there for my grandpa for $5 a peice. They were marked down on the clearance rack, but when I got to the register they took an additional 20% off. Old Navy had some pretty great sales, almost everything was 60% off and clearance was an additional 50% off. I was able to get a whole new wardrobe for a needy child for $40. The next day I had to go back because the coats were on sale for 60% off. When I walked in the door I lucked out because they were handing out $10 off and $5 off coupons to the first 200 customers. So, I was able to get my daughter's coat for only$12, originally $42.50. (I got a $5 off coupon). My grocery bill wasn't bad either. I only bought about $35 of groceries this week. I was able to get those free because I returned a couple of coats that I realized I didn't need. And CVS had some deals this week!!! There must have been close to 30 items that were free with Extra Care Bucks, plus I used my CVS gift cards that I earned from my prescriptions, so I got 3 bags of stuff for FREE! I know that there is more that I probably did this week, but these are all of the deals that I can remember right now.
I hope these help you to find the rest of the presents on your list and MERRY CHRISTMAS! I will be thinking about all of you this week. I hope that you got everything you needed under budget and without going into debt. Please e-mail me if you have any last minute Christmas questions. I would be more than happy to help. Take care.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Watch Your Cashier
I was going over my receipt from Wal-Mart this week and realized that the cashier did not correctly price match a few of my items. Instead of .88 per lb she put .98 per lb. I realize that it doesn't appear to be much, but it adds up when you're stockpiling. So, my bill should have been about $5 less!! I normally try to keep track of exactly what they are putting in, but I couldn't see it on the screen. I really don't think she meant to, but if I would have caught it I could have saved myself some money! Lesson for the day: watch your cashier (or the screen)!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Simple Sunday
Yesterday I had the pleasure of having coffee with a magnificent group of older men. I went to CC's to do my regular work and ended up having a range of conversations with them. They were great! We talked about money, the economy, greening our houses and so much more. Each one of them shared with me how cheap their electricity bill was. One of them even said that if it weren't for surcharges his bill would only be $6! Talk about frugal! These men know what it's like to have to survive a depression. Well, our time is coming, so I want to learn as much as I can from them! I even had a chance to teach them a few of my tricks and they were amazed at what I was doing too. One of them said that he doesn't run the heat at night. Another said that he only eats when he goes to work because the business pays for it. It seems as though none of them run their electricity when they aren't home. We can learn a lot from their generation. My challenge for you today is to talk to your older relatives and friends about hard times and how they survived. If you hear a great idea please post it so that we can all learn!
After I met with them I went to CVS to take advantage of all of their free deals this week. I got a Nova blood monitoring system, saline nose spray, SleepMD, Pantene Shampoo (coupon in Sunday paper!), and 12 Christmas mugs. It was all free because of Extra Care Bucks and gift cards from prescriptions. Oh, and I took advantage of the deodorant deal as well. The Soft and Dry has a coupon on the bottle that you can peel off and use it in addition to the extra care bucks. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Happy Saving!
After I met with them I went to CVS to take advantage of all of their free deals this week. I got a Nova blood monitoring system, saline nose spray, SleepMD, Pantene Shampoo (coupon in Sunday paper!), and 12 Christmas mugs. It was all free because of Extra Care Bucks and gift cards from prescriptions. Oh, and I took advantage of the deodorant deal as well. The Soft and Dry has a coupon on the bottle that you can peel off and use it in addition to the extra care bucks. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Happy Saving!
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