Ready for Rebates!

In the past I've only submitted a rebate for my phone.  But recently I read a blog post on Couponing to Disney about using rebates to grow your Disney fund.  Since we have limited time I decided this was something I need to take advantage of.  Today I am prepping my rebates to mail off.  They're rather easy to put together and mail off.  The price of a stamp is well worth the return!  Here are some of the rebates I'm working on today:

1)  Lysol Dual Action Wipes.  You can download the form here, but the purchase must be made by April 30th.  Since this date is fast approaching get on it!  They will refund the purchase price of one canister of Lysol wipes.  These are something we use regularly, although I haven't tried the dual action ones yet so getting some was a no brainer!  Plus, I had a coupon for $1 off of two so it saved me even more money!

Everything I need to mail in for the Lysol rebate.

2)  Science Diet Ideal Balance.  Also, a try it free promotion.  I regularly use Science Diet food, but getting to try a new type for free is great!  This was also a great deal as it was $1 off at Pet Smart.  Then I had a $5 off coupon I used cutting the price in half.  To top it off I had a coupon for a free can of wet food with purchase of dry food so I really made out.  You can download the rebate here!

3)  Miller 64 $5 Rebate for meat purchase.  This is a no beer purchase necessary (NBPN) rebate I got off ebay.  They reinburse you for the cost of your meat.

4)  Landshark $6 Rebate.  Another NBPN rebate.  I bought chicken and they will refund me $6.

5)  Corona $10 Rebate.  Yet another NBPN rebate for meat purchases.

Here's the deal.  I obviously purchase meat on a regular basis so the NBPN rebates are great!  I am refunded for the items I need to feed my family or clean our home.  Then I take the rebate and put it into our Disney savings fund.  Basically, thanks to rebates I should have about $33 in rebates coming in 6-8 weeks for our Disney fund.  While I spend the money on stamps and I purchased the NBPN rebates on eBay so I spent a little over $4 on sending them all in, but the profit will go straight into the account and the rest comes out of our normal budget.  Small price to pay for big rewards.

Not too shabby for "found" money in return for what I normally would buy anyways, eh?

Super Doubles Haul

I promised to share some of my couponing adventures on the road to Disney so here is an example for all the inquiring minds of a super doubles trip at Harris Teeter.  This was my trip last Wednesday.  The only thing missing from the picture is two packets of taco seasoning that I forgot to include in the photo. I've been been meaning to make a second trip back to HT for some more steals and deals, but so far our schedule this past week hasn't allowed for it.  Either way, the savings were a plenty!

Retail Price: $77.32

I Paid: $20 and some change

Saved: $57

If you're not couponing, don't you think it might be time to start?

Score!

I love a good bargain and follow a lot of the bargain sites such as zulily.com, totsy.com, mambargains.com and the like.  Often times I can find great Disney items on these sites.  I missed out on Mickey t-shirts today, but I did score a great burger press and cookie cutter combo for $10 on zulily.  This will be perfect for our surprise moment for the kids come trip time!  Our plan is to have them open a card on their advent calendar and find out they'll be leaving for Disney the next day!  Originally I was planning on getting a Mickey cookie cutter and making rice krispy Mickeys like I'd seen on Pinterest, however now I think I will make a whole meal of it!  Burgers and dessert all shaped like Mickey!

If you're in the market for some Disney at a discount they have a few other items that are fun for those of us who love the mouse!  Mickey, Toy Story and Cars t-shirts for only $8!  (Sadly they seemed to run out of Liam's size in all the Mickey ones before I could check out.  Next time!)  There are also ADORABLE dresses in the Disney spirit.  I so wish I had a little girl to get these for!  They are to die for!  And there is even numerous versions of the slinky dog from Toy Story!  (I so debated getting one of these because they are adorable!)  There are even tons of Disney books!

And I even spied, with my mesmerized eyes, a Mickey bag slatted for tomorrow's sale!  So, if you're not a member of zulily, hop on over and join!  Score some great deals to get you ready for Disney or whatever life throws at you!  You won't regret it!

*Please note: I'm in no way affiliated with or compensated by zulily for giving them a shout out today.  They just have cool stuff!

Couponing To Disney?

Being a military family we are pros at flexibility.  For once, this seems to have worked in our favor.  (Knock on wood.)  Needless to say, when one of my closest friends booked a pre-deployment trip to Disney I was insanely jealous.  I have been wanting to go back since our last visit and couldn't handle waiting any longer.  I called Disney and booked our own magical pre-deployment vacation.  It's going to cost a pretty penny as usual, but I know it will be worth it. 

Disney 2009

Recently I stumbled across a great blog called Couponing to Disney.  (Thank you Pinterest and my fabulous friend Jennie!)  I am infatuated with the idea that by couponing, something I already do, I could save for Disney.  My goal is always to pay cash for everything, so I'm really enjoying her take on saving for Disney, even if I am doing things a little ass backwards.  (Pardon my "French"!)  While we've already booked our vacation we only put down a deposit and are growing our own Disney trip fund each month to pay off the balance.


Sadly, the military discount Disney offers expires in September.  Of course, we have planned our trip for after it expires.  Go figure.  We are praying it is extended.  We took advantage of Disney's generous military offers three years ago and they paid off!  Of course, when it is extended the good people at Disney will magically adjust our balance "just like that".    Fingers crossed our fairy godmother is looking out for us!

But I digress...because all of the balance won't magically disappear I will be working to increase our Disney fund by scrimping, saving and couponing!  Kristin at Couponing to Disney has some great ideas and tips.  There are things I haven't tried and I plan to explore some of these options in the coming months.  I'm going to do my best to keep up with the blog and my savings exploits.  I'm a crazy planner when it comes to a Disney trip.   Being goal-oriented I'm hoping this motivates me to stay on top of my couponing and be more responsible with our budget.  (I feel like I've been slacking lately.) 

To start off I'm focusing on really staying on top of my coupons.  I had two weeks worth of inserts to cut and file this week before super doubles at Harris Teeter.  Organizing and planning are key to successful super doubles trips for me so I am well on my way to getting that done.  I spent the past 24 hours clipping and filing and will spend tomorrow putting together my shopping list.  Hoping to stock my fridge, freezer and pantry with lots of staples for my family of four.

So, join me as I embark on prepping for a memorable, magical family vacation.  I plan to blog my journey as I prep, scrimp, save, craft and coupon my way to Disney!  A dream is a wish your heart makes and my dream will be reality soon enough!

The End of an Era

Last week our oldest turned 12.  As in, the year before being a teenager.  The last year of being a child in his mind.  It's a little scary, and quite sad to see how quickly time goes by.  (Because I'm not reminded enough of this watching the fussbucket grow up the past year and a half!)  I think it's fair that I shouldn't be calling him our "little" boy anymore, but I can't promise I never will.  Because even though I see him every day, there's still part of my mind that sees him as a five year old still.  (We won't get into why...ha!)  Regardless, I've decided I'd like to be 12 again solely for the awesome birthday celebration!  C really took the cake with a special birthday weekend planned just for him!

It started on his actual birthday with a relaxed evening at home.  Pizza, a move of his choice and cupcake fondue.  That's right folks, I said cupcake fondue.  Now, I may have been more excited about this than the birthday boy, because from the moment I found the idea on Pinterest I had to do it.  C was the lucky one with the next birthday!  I thought it was much more fun than a boring old cake!  He thought it was cool, but the adults definitely spent more time around the fondue pot!

Saturday morning we headed out to Myrtle Beach and treated the birthday boy to a rocking good time at Medieval Times.  We'd been once before as a family, but this was by far the best trip for us.  We were joined by great friends and neighbors which made it extra fun and  we splurged for the celebration package and were seated in the front row!  This meant that the knights could actually hear us heckling them.  Right up a 12 year olds alley!  The poor knight next to us was such a good sport and really gave it back to Cody!  It was a lot of fun!  Even the fussbucket enjoyed the evening.  He went a little crazy with the banner nearly poking his parents eyes out, but he was well mannered throughout the whole thing and didn't freak out at the loud noises.  What a great present for his big brother.

   We rounded out the weekend with a trip to Ripley's aquarium and lunch at Landry's at Broadway on the Beach.  I thought both boys would really enjoy it.  To be honest, who doesn't love an aquarium.  They're peaceful, colorful, educational and downright amazing!  The best part was the shark exhibit by far.  Oh, and the 75% military discount!  Thank you Ripley's!  (If you're ever in Myrtle Beach, they offer a 75% discount on all their attractions!  Awesome!)  We missed the mermaids, but maybe we'll time it right next time.  Cody got to touch some rays while Liam splashed in the pool and scared them away! It wasn't crowded so the fussbucket could run around which made him happier than being in his stroller.  All around, I'd say it was a hit and we'll go back again.

And now it's back to normal at the Gunny's house.  School, work, tax returns, cleaning, shopping, cooking, Zumba classes and all that being a military family entails.  I'm so thankful for our tween, even when he does drive me insane.  He brings us joy and laughter.  He's not afraid to give us a hug still and he puts up with my crazy ideas.  It's a blessing to be his mom.  I can't imagine a life without him.  I'm glad he has a birthday each year so we can celebrate how special he is and the special role he plays in our family.

Surviving Teething

Here we are going on day three of no nap and this mum is about ready to pull her hair out or have a nervous breakdown, whichever comes first!



Liam, on the other hand, is running from one side of the room and/or house to the other. Never mind that he's overtired and cranky. Forget that he's drooling and running air grade fever. Ignore the five to six teeth he's currently cutting. Nothing will stand between a teething 17 month old and a good time!

It's been a long week. I'm anxious for all these teeth to come through. I'm ready for the sleep regression to end. I'm ready for quiet time to pay the bills and do the taxes. And if I'm 100% honest, I'm ready for a shower.

I know in a year I'll miss so many things about this age, even if I can't see it now. I'll just keep reminding myself of this until this rough patch called teething is done. Until then, one day at a time!

Wordless Wednesday: Motivation

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