After the Deluge

Maybe it wasn't a deluge, but my part of SoCal received a record amount of rain yesterday.  Okay Mother Nature- we're good now.  What do you do after two days of rainy weather?  Get your tires changed and run other errands of course! This is what I wore.

Like my outfit? I only paid $12 for it.  The shirt ($4) and wedges ($5) are thrifted.  The purse was a present. I paid $3 for the sunglasses at GAP. My jeans were free! I used my birthday coupon from Express to buy them.  High waisted flares with a raw hem- yes please! If you are not an Express Next Rewards member, you are missing out.  

After having my tires changed I headed over to Walgreens.  I wasn't planning on making a trip there, but decided to take advantage of the HOT Ziploc deal going on this week.  I used two $1/2 coupons, 5,000 Balance Rewards points, and paid $1 +tax. I got 2,000 Balance Rewards points and a $3 Register Reward to use later.  I love getting household essentials dirt cheap.  

Speaking of household essentials- Target has a decent household essentials coupon this week that I am looking to put to use.  Paper towels and fabric softener are on the list! Here's to hoping that I can find good manufacturer coupons to use.  Wish me luck.

Walgreens Deal Shopping Results

I scored this deal using only digital coupons!

Yesterday's trip to Walgreens wasn't quite a success, but it wasn't a fail either.  My Walgreens was out of the Scott paper towels, so I opted to hold off on my 2nd transaction in hopes that either they will restock or I will find another Walgreens with the paper towels in stock.

 I was able to score the oral care deal that I planned on, but my Register Reward didn't print- ugh.  The manager was super kind and gave me 10,000 Balance Rewards points instead- 6,000 for the Register Reward that didn't print and 4,000 for the "inconvenience".  All in all, I spent $6.96 and got 10,500 Balance Rewards points ($10.50).  Pretty groovy.

How did I do this you ask?  See my post here.

Another Rainy Saturday

My sweater is from H&M and is only $18.00! Leggings, boots, and purse are old.

This is what I wore on yet another gray and rainy day in Southern California.  We attempted to explore Balboa Park, but quickly abandoned that plan when it started raining.  Then we headed over to Balboa Bar and Grill and had the best burgers we have had in a while.  The rest of the day was spent visiting local game stores so T could search for Dungeons and Dragons minis.  I know he is a nerd, but he is my nerd and I love him.

Now I am off to decorate a birthday cake and make nachos.  Burgers+fries+nachos+cake today= gym tomorrow.  Have a great evening everyone- I will be watching Trolls. Ah... the life of a mom.

Welcome to Double Digits

Meet K. She loves baby dolls, unicorns, and Haribo Berries. Her top and pants are from H&M and still available in stores.

Today is K's 10th birthday.  She is a smart, funny,creative, inquisitive, and sassy girl. I am sad that my baby is growing up, but excited about the young woman she is becoming.

I always buy my daughters clothes for their birthday.  Kids grow so fast and yada, yada, yada.  My trusty stand-by's for K have always been Old Navy, Gap Kids, Justice, and Children's Place. While these are still stores that fit K's style bill, I wanted to try something new.  This is where H&M enters.



We spent her birthday visiting local game stores. Her top and pants are from H&M and still available in stores. 

 I am not new to H&M.  I used to shop there frequently. I bought K's baby and toddler clothes there. I had just forgotten about H&M.  Well we were reintroduced and I fell in love.  So many cute clothes at great prices.  Extra bonus- if you donate used clothing they give you a 15% off coupon.  Woo Hoo! This year I bought K two outfits and a pair of shoes at H&M.  She loves them and I still have money in my wallet.  The shirts ($12.99) and pants ($9.99) in both pictures are still available in store if you have a 4th grade fashionista at your house too!

* I am not in any way affiliated with H&M. I have just been recently reintroduced to H&M and want to share my love for the store.

Walgreens Deal Shopping Week of Feb. 19

This week Walgreens is offering 5x the Balance Rewards Points on transactions of $10.00 or more.  To take advantage of this offer, your total must reach $10.00 BEFORE coupons.  This week I plan on doing 2 transactions. I will use a bonus coupon on both transactions.

Transaction 1

PROMO: Buy 4 Crest/Oral B/Scope @ $2.99 and receive $6.00 Register Reward

Buy:
1 Oral B Toothbrush @$2.99 (use $1.00 digital coupon loaded to card)
1 Crest Pro Health Toothpaste@ $2.99 (use $2.00 digital coupon loaded to card)
1 Oral B Glide Floss@ $2.99 (use $1.00 digital coupon loaded to card)
1 Scope Mouthwash @ $2.99 (use $1.00 digital coupon loaded to card)
1 Crest Mouthwash @ $2.99 (use $1.00 digital coupon loaded to card)

Use 5x the points coupon

Total before coupons: $11.96 +tax
Total after coupons: $6.96 +tax
Receive: $6.00 Register Reward and 717 Balance Rewards Points

Transaction 2

Let's use that $6.00 Register Reward!

Buy:

1 Tide Pod 12 ct @$4.99 (use $2.00 digital coupon loaded to card)
1 Scott Papertowel @ $4.99 (use $1.00 store coupon loaded to card and $.55 printable coupon)
1 Nice Aluminum Foil @ .99 (use store coupon to get price)

Use 5x the points
Use $6.00 Register Reward

Total before coupons: $10.97+tax
Total after coupons: $1.42 +tax
Receive: 600 Balance Reward Points

If all goes well, I should pay $8.38  for $30.93 worth of products. That is a savings of 73%. Not too shabby for items my family uses all the time.  Check back on Tuesday to see how I did!

10 Things I am Loving at Express Right Now

Dress

Tassel Sarong

Beach Blanket

Sunglasses

Strappy Bathing Suit

Zip Up Pouches

Watermelon Shirt

Off the Shoulder Top

Bow Slides

Pineapple Straw Tote

As you can see I have warmer weather on my mind.  When I found out we were moving to Southern California I was most excited about living close to the beach.  While I don't swim in the ocean (there is fish poop in that water you know) I do love sitting on the beach and soaking up the sun while reading a good book.  Don't worry, I wear lots of sunscreen and reapply frequently 😁.

I like Express because T and I can shop there. A likes their collection of Minus the Leather Jackets.  I never pay retail price there.  There is always a sale or a coupon code.  Sometimes the stars align and you can combine them.

If you are an Express shopper and don't have a Next Rewards Card (not the credit card) I highly recommend getting one. It is free and comes with perks. I love getting my $40.00 coupon every January for my birthday.  Yup, that is a perk of being a Next Rewards Card member.  This year I combined the coupon with a clearance sale to get a free pair of high rise flare jeans.  Yes, I said free... it was awesome!

Orange You Glad

I found my orange print shirt on Poshmark and my wide leg crops are from Old Navy and still available.  Shoes are from Old Navy two years ago.

I know cheesy and unoriginal post title.  I am glad that I found this shirt on Poshmark though!  I missed out on it last year when it was available in store and online. I love the print and bright colors.  It was the perfect shirt to wear on this gray day.  What happened to sunny California?  It has rained at least twice a week since we moved here last month.  I know the state needs the rain, but my state of mind needs the sunshine!

I am mixing the secondhand with the firsthand today.  My jeans are new and from Old Navy.  I will take a cropped, wide leg jean with a raw hem any day. I bought them online a few weeks ago when Old Navy had a 40% off promo code available.  K told me I look like Steve Urkle and that she hates these pants.  K is no longer getting birthday presents.  Just kidding.  Despite what K thinks, these pants are super comfy and super versatile.  I have a lot of outfits planned for these bad boys.  Sorry K.

Do you use Poshmark?  If not you are missing out.  You can find new and used clothes at a fraction of the price.  Maybe you will get lucky like me and find that piece you wanted, but missed.  The app is free.  If you sign up use my invite code: NLJVM then we will both get a $5.00 credit when you make your first purchase.  Who doesn't like free money?

Where does the time go?

Dog walking before deal shopping

Like my outfit?  I scored the shirt (Jason Wu for Target) for $3 and jeans (J Brand) for $4 at Goodwill of North Georgia before we moved.  My shoes are Chinese Laundry and I scored them on mega clearance at Ross several years ago. 

I miss Goodwill of North Georgia. I loved the sales they ran- 50% off the color of the week.  I loved their pricing too. All jeans were one price, all tops, all jackets, etc.  If you live in East Cobb you should check out the Goodwill at Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry- it is tucked behind the Kroger and will not disappoint!

Southern California Goodwill Stores are not the same.  Their pricing is weird and they don't have sales. One store had Old Navy jeans priced higher than 7 For All Mankind jeans- a win for me, but weird.  I am looking for great thrift stores in the North San Diego County area.  If you know of any please share!

Target deals for K's Birthday (please excuse my dirty trunk)

Unlike Goodwill, I can depend on Target to run the same amazing sales everywhere in the country. K's 10th birthday (What?!? 10?!? How did that happen?!?!) is Saturday and I spent the morning shopping for birthday presents.  Target has a hot deal on activity sets, movies, and books this week and I decided to take advantage of it.  My favorite deal was on Playdoh sets.  I combined the sale with Cartwheel and got three sets for less than the price of one!  She will love using these to make "food" for her Snackin' Sara doll.  I also picked up two Babysitters Club books (I kinda nerded out when I saw these in the store) and Trolls on DVD.  I was able to score $90 worth of goodies for K for $52 and some change- a 43% savings.  Not too shabby in my book.