My First Haul As A REAL Couponer

My Wal-Mart Haul for Wednesday, October 17, 2012.

Baby Mum-Mum box of 120 rusks, CLEARANCE                              $5.00

(regular box has 24 rusks for $2.52, would cost $12.60 for 120)

Celery priced marked $1.27/bunch, cashier charged me 2@ $0.97     $1.94

Children’s Tylenol on sale for $4.97

-$3.00 coupon Living Well, bought 3 @ $1.97                                $5.91

Motrin Headache and Migraine $4.83

-$3.00 manufacturer tear pad coupon, bought 3 @$1.83                 $5.49

Purex Bathroom Tissue, 12 DBL rolls $8.96,

Canadian Tire price match                                                          $6.49

Playtex Gentle Glide reg. $7.97,

rollback $6.47-$3.00 coupon Websaver.ca                                     $3.47

Ressolve Spray n’ Wash reg. $2.97,
rollback $2.00-$0.50 manufacturer coupon                                    $1.50
    
Mastro olive oil reg. $7.97, rollback $4.97                                     $4.97

Armstrong cheese slices on sale for $2.00
-$0.75 manufacturer tear pad coupon,
bought 2 @$1.25                                                                      $2.50

Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayo on sale for $4.47- $1.00 manufacturer tear pad coupon                                         $3.47

Pillsbury chocolate crescent rolls $2.97- $0.50 manufacturer tear pad coupon                                         $2.47

Pillsbury Pizza Pops 4pk on sale for $1.97, bought 2                      $3.94

Maple Leaf Prime chicken breasts priced at $10.28
-30% yellow sticker, - $2.00 sticker coupon                                  $5.19

Wal-mart Maple breakfast sausage $4.25-30% yellow sticker, bought 2 @ $2.97                                        $5.94

Kellogg’s Family Size cereal reg. $6.97, rollback $4.97 bought 4 (Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops and Rice Krispies) $19.88
*each box includes free $10 coupon for any Hasbro toy.
Great for Christmas gifts for my 4 kids!!

Skintimate shaving gel reg. $3.16, rollback $2.46
-$2.00 coupon Websaver.ca                                                        $0.46

Edge shaving gel reg. $3.16, rollback $2.46
-$2.00 coupon Websaver.ca                                                        $0.46

Total BEFORE rollbacks and coupons                                           $138.80

Total AFTER rollbacks and coupons                                             $73.14

TOTAL SAVINGS!!!                                                                    $65.66

And don’t forget, I also earned $40 in Habro coupons I will use to buy Christmas presents for my four kids. Hasbro makes My Little Pony, Play-Doh, Transformers, Monopoly, Easy Bake products, Furby, FurReal friends, Littlest Pet Shop etc. My kids love this stuff. Yay me!!

Coupon Crazy!!

I have officially gone coupon clipping CRAZY!!

I met this really nice woman in Walmart about a month ago and I applauded her on her "coupon book". I told her how I used to do the coupon thing, but I was lazy coupon-er and would just let them go to waste. She offered me some tips and I have been coupon crazy ever since!

I have spent hours online registering to different coupon & brand sites and printing coupons. You can even have some mailed directly to you. And yes, I have gone coupon shopping. Now I have my very own, very thick, coupon book. Most importantly, I USE IT!!

Living in the country, I do travel to shop. So I have to make sure to make every trip count. Although I love to shop at Walmart, they don't seem too big on coupon displays. I found great manufacturer's coupons at Sobey's, Shopper's Drug Mart, Co-op/Marketplace and Safeway. (*If you are a frequent Superstore/Loblaw shopper, their store is literally littered with short term store coupons that almost look like manufacturer coupons. If that's where you shop, it may be worth your while to devote a section of your coupon book to their coupons.)

I've printed coupons from WebSaver.ca and had Save.ca mail me coupons. I've registered for samples, freebies and discounts from Proctor & Gamble (the makers of Tide, Always, Crest...).

I've also found some pages worth liking on Facebook and I get a head's up on more great Canadian offers. Savealoonie.com and Mrsjanuary.com are a couple of REALLY good ones who are on Facebook and who also have websites.

That woman I met told me she saves about $500 a month with her coupon book and other money saving habits. Apart from being a mother of four, being a mother period made her coupon story very appealing to me. What mom wouldn't want to save money?

Thanks Ann.

Things Change and So Have I...

"I'm 32 years old. I've been married for 11 years and we have 3 children. Two boys, 10 & 7, and a girl, 4 years old. I am a working stay-at-home mom with a blog!"

Well, that used to be me. Now I'm 33 years old. I am mid-divorce after an 11 years+ marriage. I have 4 children. Two boys, 11 & 8, and two girls, 5 & 1. I am a single mom of four with a blog!

It's been a long time since I've blogged. Partly because of a lack of interest due to my discontentment with my life at present and partly because there just isn't an APP for that!

Hello. My name is Ebbonnie and I am an APP-a-holic. I have an iPhone attached to me like a Siamese twin. But it's all good. My entire life and brain are in my phone. Seriously, I'd be brain dead without it :) BTW: I will try to let you in on any fab APPs I come across as often as I can.

Anyway, I've been through A LOT since September 2010. Duh, obviously. It's nearly 1 am Christmas morning and instead being snuggled in my warm bed with the love of my life, I'M BLOGGING!! I need a life... I need a man...

I've learned that people aren't always what they appear or what they say. You can only really know a person based on the bulk of their actions and behavior. I've learned that you tend to see a person's true colors in the worst of situations. I've learned that in life, there really isn't a single person you can truly rely on. I've learned that not even YOU are aware of what you are capable of. I've learned that sometimes you are stronger than you think you are and sometimes you aren't nearly as strong as you would like to think. I've learned that "kids are resilient" is a definate understatement. I've learned that people who preach forgiveness are less forgiving, compassionate and understanding than people who don't step foot into church. I've learned that EVERYONE makes mistakes and learning from those mistakes is what makes you wiser. I've learned a lot. More than I can blog about at this hour.

I am not perfect. I make mistakes. I am trying to learn from my mistakes. I realize I will continue to make mistakes because I am human. And I am flawed.

I am on the never-ending roller coaster of life. Well, of my life anyway. When I'm up, I am UP! And when I'm down, I am down. I have endured a lot of pain and heartache and I see no reprieve in sight. But I am a mother. A single mother. And life must go on. My babies are fabulous and growing so fast. And I love them dearly.

I am Ebbonnie-Dawn. Welcome to my new life!

Time to Move On

I haven't written on my blog for a long time. I wasn't really sure what I should write or how much to tell. Well, I can tell you this, life in this Home of Loving Chaos has changed. A lot!

Where to start? I've filed for legal separation and have petitioned for divorce from my husband. Our 3 children are not thrilled about it, but I need to do what's best for my 4 children. Oh right, I'm 6 months pregnant!

I have been married to the same man for 11 years, together for 13. And in all that time, I have never truly been happy with him. I have had times where I've somehow convinced myself that I was happy, but I guess I couldn't keep up the charade.

I have been silent for a long time, but no more. My (soon-to-be ex) husband is abusive. He is emotionally abusive to me and he is verbally abusive to both me and the children. So although the decision to divorce should have been a difficult one, because of the children we share and our strong religious beliefs, he made it very easy for me.

I want out! I want to have a better, happier, healthier life. I want my children to have better, happier, healthier life instead of hearing their parents constantly bickering or having their father yell at them daily. I want my children to have a decent male role model in their lives. I want to smile again. I want to feel free to be the best mom I can be without having this dark cloud hover over me.

It's easy for people to ask "why not give him another chance?", but you haven't lived my life nor have you walked in my shoes. A person can only take so much. I'm not saying I am perfect, I'm not and I know I'm not.

It's time to move on to greener pastors and I am SO ready.....

I Am So Not Old!!

I have a long time friend that I've known for over 20 years. Ever since we started getting older (25 yrs old), we've teased each other about our age.

**I am well aware that 25 yrs of age, aka 1/4 of a century years old, is not old at all. Mind you, when you are in high school, 25 seems really old and the age I am now is pretty well ancient.**

Now keeping in mind my best girl friend is a FULL year older than me, that makes it even more fun. Every birthday she reminds me how old I'm getting and I, of course, remind her that no matter how old I am, she is still older!

So now here we are in our thirties. I am 31 yrs old so she'd obviously be 32. She lives in Toronto, Ontario and I live on a farm in rural Manitoba.

She is in a long term relationship with her partner and has no children. I've been married 10 years and have 3 children, 3 dogs and a cat.

She and her partner take trips to Mexico, Texas, Cancun etc and wear bikinis on the beach. I'm lucky if I can escape to Wal-Mart by myself and I try to my best to avoid all things bathing suit-related and I am quite happy being fully clothed if I even make it to the beach.

OK wait. Now not only am I feeling old, but I think I may also be slightly depressed. I mean based on the comparison I just made of my best girl friend and myself, who seems older? No but wait! Not older.....more mature!!!

It doesn't really matter.

I have already decided that although I may forget things, like where I put the phone, where I was going, the only 3 items on my shopping list or what I was gonna say now that I have you on the phone. Although there may have been a few grey hairs spotted on my head. Although my muscles are stiff, my knees ache when it rains and my bones creak....I am so not old!

Sheaves for Christ - How You Can Help

To help support this worthwhile cause, I am making pin-back badges, fridge magnets and key chains. There are 5 designs for you to choose from when you make a donation to Sheaves for Christ (SFC).

With a donation of $3.00, you'll get a pin-backed button in the design of your choice. With a donation of $4.00, you'll get a fridge magnet in the design of your choice. And with a donation of $5.00, you'll get a key chain in the design of your choice.

*got god?

*Jesus loves you, but I'm his favorite

*GOD'S PROPERTY

*A blood donor saved my life

*Get the Mission in Motion, SFC 2009



You can email me (subject: SFC Donation) with your donation amount and design of choice and I will provide you with an invoice you can pay via Paypal or I can provide you a mailing address to send a cheque or money order. Badges, magnets and key chains will be mailed upon clearing of payment, so please provide your mailing address.

For more information on SFC, see below or visit http://www.pentecostalyouth.org/

Thank you for your support!

About SFC
Sheaves for Christ is a fundraising program of the General Youth Division of the United Pentecostal Church International that has raised over $100 million to fund missions and ministries around the world. In 1952, Sheaves For Christ was created to move the gospel around the world and now is the exclusive fundraiser that provides vehicles to foreign missionaries.

Monies for property grants for Home Missionaries and financial assistance to the Tupelo Children's Mansion and Lighthouse Ranch for Boys are a few worthy ministries supported by SFC. These funds help bring restoration to individuals that have been torn from families or riddled with a history of crime and despondency; and collegiate scholarships for students pursuing Christian Education are all made possible through Sheaves for Christ dollars.

This fundraising ministry also helps move the gospel over the airwaves and the internet in specialized programming and provides monies to help chemically dependent individuals and their families recover from drug and alcohol-related problems. When you give to Sheaves for Christ you are literally putting the mission in motion and intentionally moving the gospel around the world.

Who Needs Hobbies Anyway!

I swear this has been the busiest month of my life. Or the busiest 2 months. I'm not even sure anymore. What month is it anyway?

With both boys playing soccer twice a week on different teams and sometimes in different towns, work and devoting our lives to God, there really doesn't seem to be a whole lot of time for ourselves.

As a mother it is really important to me to be on the parent council. I am also on a planning committee for a community event in a nearby city. And I'm trying to potty my 3 year old daughter. Yes, I did say 3 year old. Both my boys were potty trained for day and night by 3. Someone once told me girls potty trained faster and easier than boys. Uh, ya right. I should send my daughter there for a few days and let them tell me that joke again after they've picked up poop 'presents' and washed her 'big girl undies' 5 times a day. Maybe that's why my hydro bill was so high this month. I'll bet with my luck they'd send her back home in 2 days fully potty trained and with an invoice for time and services!

You know, I used to have hobbies. Yeah, those things you like to do when you have free time. At this present time I do have things I like to do, but no free time.

Things I like to do + free time = hobby. Guess I don't have any hobbies.

Since I have decided to serve God full-time (instead of half-hearted or whenever I'm faced with trials, tribulations and a big hydro bill), I have found myself wanting to do more. What more can I do to please God? What more can I do to help the church? So now I'm part of the Outreach committee. Yep, it's a start.

Who needs hobbies anyway?!