• Staples: Spent $2.72 and Got $4.99 Back!

    This week Staples had a couple great deals.  I was happy to get a pack of paper this week for free with a rebate and a $1 coupon.  The last few months we had been turning in any used toners and receiving $2 to $3 per toner to use on a future Staples purchase so I used one of the Reward Checks today for this shopping excursion since we needed to restock our label tape and paper.  The Learning Boards were a great price and I plan to stick them in the girls backpack when we travel in April.   I was able to get a handful of items for $2.72 and received $4.99 Rebates.

    • 1 – Hewlett Packard 8.5″ x 11″ Multipurpose Bright Paper (500 sheets) – $5.99
    • 2 – Dry Erase Learning Boards – $1.00 each
    • 1 – Brother P-Touch Label Tape (Black & White) – $11.99
    • 2 – Zanny Bandz Glow In Dark (24 Count) – $1.00 each
    • 1 – Up Up Away Recognition Certificates – $1.00

    The total was over $24 with tax before using coupons.  Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $1.00 Hewlett Packard printable Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $20.00 Staples Rewards Cash for turning in Toners ( learn more about their toner recycling program, how you can participate and save on future Staples purchases)

    I received $4.99 Staples Rebate:

    • $4.99 Staples Rebate for Hewlett Packard Paper

    Sign up for a Staples Reward card at your local store and get money back from items you purchase.  Staples will offer bonus rewards on a variety of items when you use your Rewards Card.  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at Staples.  Plus you can help the environment by recycling your toner and you receive extra cash towards your next purchase.

    For those of you who shop regularly at Staples please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at Staples.

  • My Parents Are Coming!

    Mom & Dad's picture from our 2010 Cruise adventure together!

    I am very excited to have my parents come out for the Holidays this year.  The majority of my family lives in the Midwest (Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri areas).  We were not able to make it out there this year for the Christmas season so they are coming to see us along with my youngest brother Josh.  The girls are very excited to see Grandpa Russell, Grandma Penny and Uncle Josh. We will be celebrating Christmas and enjoying family time during their few days in South Carolina.  Thankful to have parents who love us and enjoy spending time with our family.

    Somehow I managed to wait until the last moment to finish cleaning and organizing for visitors.  I have some major projects completed but they are flying into Atlanta today and will be arriving early afternoon yet I still have cleaning to do….hm….  I will still be posting on the blog but they may a little shorter during the time that our family is staying at our house.  If anyone is bored today you can help me power clean! =)  Hope you have enjoyed time with your family as well over the Holiday season!

  • Don’t Leave Home Without: Your Phone

    We live in a society with cell phones.  They store our contacts, calendars, and contain many pieces of information.  Some people have even replaced their home phone with a cell phone to save extra cash.  Cell phones make us more accessible for anyone wanting to get in touch with us.

    On my way to a meeting recently I realized that I left home without my cell phone and going back to get it would make me really late so I continued on my way.  I was going to be back in the area in a couple hours and decided I would pick up my phone then, emergencies rarely happen so it shouldn’t be a problem.  Boy was I wrong!  During the meeting another person in attendance received an emergency text for me.  I used her phone to call my husband to find out what was going on.

    The school was calling because one of the girls was sick and they needed someone to pick her up right away.  My phone was on my desk therefore they left me a message then went on to call my husband at work but his phone was disconnected.  Later we found out that they didn’t dial his number correctly (switched some numbers around).  The school nurse proceeded down the list of contacts for the girls.  They got a hold of my brother who happened to be out of state working in Kansas at the time, obviously, he would not be able to pick her up any time soon.  Thankfully my brother knew my husband’s phone number and was able to get the message to him so he could reach another person in my meeting.

    I left my meeting early and had her picked up within 45 minutes of the initial phone call.  It is amazing the domino effect that happens when someone needs to get in touch with you and the cell phone is left at home.  Don’t leave home without your phone because that could be the day when an emergency occurs.

    The crazy thing about all the commotion was my daughter wasn’t even sick….grrrr….she saw a classmate throw up at school and when the teacher asked she said her stomach hurt too.  She had no fever,was  bouncing off the walls, and eating well although I made her take a nap.  Maybe a little rest was necessary for her that week, who knows!

    I am a firm believer that you are only as organized as you need to be.  Don’t Leave Home Without……is a mini-series of items that you really shouldn’t leave home without in today’s society.  Most days I am organized which saves time and energy for the entire family, however, there are times that life gets crazy and items somehow manage to find another location in my home.  If something is not in it’s place (even though the spot it is in makes perfect sense) it can cause additional drama, scurried moments, and in the end laughter. Hope you enjoy the humor as I have (later in the day or in some cases later in the week).