{not exactly} Extreme Couponing

I have never discussed this before but a while ago, Ryan and I joined in on the coupon thing. It started as us just using coupons for the things we were already buying. Then we started using coupons to replace things we previously used with new items that there are usually coupons for and now? Now we go to the grocery store the night before double coupon day to scope out the sales and see how our coupons will measure up. The next day we go and use our coupons which usually double to $2 per coupon. It's truly amazing when you watch the price go down.

People keep asking me to tell them how to do it but we are still somewhat beginners so we don't have many tips BUT I will tell you exactly how you coupon the way we do!

1: Find your coupons! From the newspapers, online and anywhere else you can find them such as the coupon dispensers at the store. If there is a good coupon at the store we tend to take a few for a later date.

2. Find out your local grocery stores coupon policy. They usually have them on their website but if they are a local store they may not have a website so you will have to either call or ask in store. Go to the one with the best policy.

3. Find out when double coupon day is. The best double coupon deal is if they will double ANY coupon (which is basically unheard of) or will double up to $1 (which doubles to $2 per coupon).

4. Shop the sales. The night before double coupon day, go and find out what is on sale to get the most bang for your buck! We are saving more by doing that!

5. Don't buy things you wont use unless you are getting them free. Donate what you don't use to a local food bank!

6. Make a budget and don't go over it for the sake of saving 50 cents!

Most importantly HAVE FUN! And share your savings! You never know who might start saving money because of you!

Just for fun, here's our stockpile :)

And here's our best buys from today! Yes, we went out in the 10 inches of snow to coupon. We can't miss double coupon day!!! 4 containers of Silk, 4 bottles of dressing, 2 mustards, ketchup, 2 pizzas, 2 bags of cheese, 4 puffs, 5 boxes of noodles, 2 jars of Alfredo, 2 jars of spaghetti sauce, 2 things of salt, Nature Valley bars and Fiber One bars for under $30!

Hope you're inspired! Let me know if you have any questions! Happy couponing!

I wrote a song

I was playing with Abby on a Fisher Price app that has a keyboard and I randomly sang some lyrics with the keys. It inspired me to actually write and sing an entire song for her and here it is:

Good news!

We had our dinner guests over tonight and we definitely enjoyed each other's company! They have an 18 month old little boy who Abby wanted to play with so badly but he didn't want to sit still, lol. We had dinner and played apples to apples which is always a good time! They are coming over for the Super Bowl too!

I'm so glad that we all got along and I really hope it blossoms into a beautiful friendship!

Navy wife

I have decided that I am going to be a "navy wife" again. The biggest difference between my friendless self and my self that had lots of friends is that I haven't felt like a Navy wife in a long time (and I have a baby now). Since Ryan started shore duty our family life has been awesome but our friendships have fallen apart. I can't help but wonder if it's because we haven't been connecting with people we were forced to know because of frg meetings, underways, deployments and the various gatherings that were so much fun on a ship. 

I got to know so many women from Ryan's old ship and I think eventually shore duty tore those friendships apart. Some moved, most hit shore duty. Recently the last friend I had from that ship got mad at me for saying I was annoyed by the barrage of elf on the shelf posts and pictures and deleted me. 

I hope to become friends with some new Navy wives. All who have husbands on shore. We are having one family over this Saturday, one next Saturday and in a few weeks we will be getting together at another's house. 

I guess part of not really being what I consider friends with people (hanging out and doing more than occasional texting) is that I don't know what an adult friendship is like. I always assumed we would be the people who hosted dinner parties with couple friends and their kids and it hasn't really been that way yet.

I just hope that the future is as bright as my eyes are. I really like these ladies and I hope wonderful friendships will blossom!

Time to be an adult.

An ADULT. You know, the type that has a couple good friends that they see every now and then. The type that owns a home and has a dog and a fence that is so rickity that it needs replaced before it is painted white. The kind that focuses on their family. And God.

I have had a intensely hard time realizing that I am that person. Before I got pregnant with Abby we were the type that partied every weekend. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the social events and being sure that we would be hanging out with friends every weekend but I don't really feel like I miss being drunk. Anyway, when I got pregnant, the hanging out slowed and eventually, when I had Abby, came to a stop. I have had an incredibly difficult time with the fact that I'm not the person my then friends were friends with anymore. I am a different type of adult. Most of them weren't anywhere near settled down and that's their prerogative. Ryan and I were ready to take on this new part of our adult lives, they weren't and apparently they didn't want to be a part of it with us either.

It's ok though. I have slowly been coming to terms with the fact that I need to make NEW friends. The ones that are the same types as us. The ones we have things in common with. The ones that want to be in our lives.

As of right now, I am in the process of getting to know 3 local families better. I am praying that things work out with at least one of them.

I know that you can go on in life with no problems without friends but I feel like it could get old and sad eventually, especially since I already feel that way.

Have you ever had an issue like this in the military life? Maybe even NOT being in the military life? I just assume my readers are military involved because that's what my blog is supposed to be about, so my apologies if you aren't!

Wish me luck!

OMGosh!

Another blog in ONE WEEK?! Say what?! Hah.

On to business as usual... I am about to do something I haven't done in a while: Blog about the *gasp* Navy life.

We have decided with heavy hearts that Ryan is going to reenlist for 2 years come October. He literally HAS TO for us to get out of this house. We call it his "getting out of the Navy reenlistment". After he gets out, we plan to move back to Indiana, close to family. He is going to go active reserve so he can still get benefits such as retirement and insurance.

I know what this means, but, I don't know if you do. Ryan will have a year and a half on a ship. It pains me quite terribly to even think about it. That means underways and probably another deployment. That means leaving not just me. That means leaving US. I don't even want to think about Abby asking me when daddy is coming home. It's going to rip my heart into a million tiny pieces.

For now we are enjoying more of a normal life. We plan to start trying for another baby in May and pray to get pregnant quickly because we don't want to risk me having the baby while he is underway or deployed and we wont know his ship schedule until he has orders. It's already frustrating, lol. We will get through it, though. We always do.

Long time no see

I know, I know. I am absolutely terrible at blogging these days. I can honestly tell you that I am probably only on the computer for a couple of hours a week. Yes, I am always on my phone but have you ever written a blog on a tiny keyboard? It's no bueno.

The last few months have been so crazy busy but I will do my best to tell you about all of the happenings in the Dawson household!

In October we released balloons for Abby's older sibling, with her, for the first time ever (our 3rd year)

In October we celebrated Abby's first holiday, Halloween. This may not be a big or important holiday but it sure is a fun one! We put the fire pit in the front yard and handed out candy. It was a blast to see the cute kids and for everyone to ooh and ahh over Abriella. And to breast feed while handing out candy. I'm a pro ;)

In Novermber Abby had her first bites of food! I only have a video of that so I can't share it but she LOVED it! We also went to what is now our church for the first time. And it lightly snowed as well! Later, my parents and 3 of my nieces came down from Indiana to spend Thanksgiving with us!

 Abby on left, mommy on right!

In December I did a photo shoot of Abby for Christmas, she opened her first presents, met another Santa and traveled to Indiana to spend Chrstmas with family. And celebrated New Years of course! Oh, and, we bought a 2014 Grand Caravan. We have become "those" people. After a trip to Indiana in the G6 we realized we needed something bigger. We chose a van because we plan on having another baby some time soon. We LOVEEEEEE it. While we were in Indiana, by the way, Abby was dedicated to my families church and we also met one of our online mommy friends and her baby! Oh, and Abby went to the er on Christmas (mega early in the morning) for an ear infection. Poor baby was sick pretty much the whole time we were in Indiana!

And that's the end of 2013 in a nutshell! I hope to remember to blog more often this year! Thank you all for sticking around anyway!