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God’s Love in a Bottle

johnsons

One year ago this week I started couponing. I discovered CVS, I got paid to buy Glade candles at Target, and I basked in the wonder of it all! It was truly exhilarating to be able to get stuff I needed for free and to get paid to buy other stuff. I really felt that coupons were a gift from God, just one more way He had provided for us since I decided to quit my job and stay home with the kiddos full-time. The first week of December, whilst still in the throes of CVS-newbie excitement, I discovered that my kids needed baby wash. So, I thought I’d go to CVS to get myself some Johnson’s baby wash and pay for it with my CVS ExtraCare bucks. I had a $1 off manufacturer’s coupon as well. Alas, when I got to CVS, I discovered the baby wash was $4.29. $4.29!?!? No way was this new-couponer going to “spend” that much of her ECBs on that. I decided I would just save my coupon and use it to get some reasonably-priced Johnson’s at Target later in the week.

The next day, CVS put out an e-mail coupon for $2 off Johnson’s baby wash. I am not lying. Hot Dog! I was excited! With my $1 off manufacturer’s coupon and my $2 off CVS coupon, I could get the price down to $1.29. Now THAT is a price I was willing to spend my ExtraCare Bucks on! So I went in and bought a bottle. And guess what happened? There, on the bottom of my receipt, I got a $1 ExtraCare Buck BACK for buying the Johnson’s. It was an UNADVERTISED special that I knew nothing about. So, between my $3 in coupons and my $1 ECB I got for buying it, I paid 29 cents for the baby wash.

The limit on this deal was five. You KNOW I got my coupons together and went back and got four more!

I went from not having any baby wash to having enough for months, and I got it all for just pennies. Wow!

So, that’s a great story, right? Super-neat how that worked out, eh?

To me, it’s not a story of a great deal. It’s a story of God’s great love for me.

You see, November 2007 had been a tight month for us, and with Christmas looming that first week of December, there is a reason I was being tight with those ExtraCare bucks. But God is my provider, and He meets my needs because I have placed my trust in Him. I needed baby wash, and I truly believe that God gave me that great deal to encourage me on my couponing path. He provided for even my kid’s most basic needs through coupons – the day after I walked out of CVS not willing to pay $4.29 or even $3.29 on for the baby wash, I got a $2 off coupon in my email! And it was CVS coupon that I could use with my manufacturer’s coupon. And THEN I got $1 back for buying it! Not a coincidence, people. (In this post, my Bloggy BFF Jill calls this “God Showing Off”.) God worked that out for me and used it to empower me. I think when I first started couponing, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to stick with it, but after the Great Baby Wash Heist of 2007, I have truly never looked back. I ask God to bless my couponing efforts, and He DOES! My most recent CVS receipt tells me that my year-to-date savings there are over $6200. And to that I say, THANK YOU LORD!

I mean for real, how cool is it that the Creator of the Universe cares what I pay for baby wash?? FREAKING COOL!!

What do you need today? Why don’t you ask God and give Him the chance to meet your needs in an amazing way?

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My Thyroid and Why You Should Always Listen to 83-Year-Old Women.

Several months ago, I was talking to my 83-year-old grandma, and all the sudden she said this:

“You know, Oprah just found out she has a thyroid problem and she immediately lost 20 pounds. Maybe you need to have yours checked.”

Thanks A LOT, Grandma.

I didn’t think much about it until a few weeks later when I was sitting talking to my other 83-year-old grandma. She looked at me thoughtfully and said, “Do you have thyroid problems?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” I replied. “Why?”

“Because I think you have a goiter.”

Well ok then. Obviously my post-partum self was looking HOT if even my ever-loving grandmothers were dogging my appearance.

In any case, I still didn’t give this thyroid theory much credence until I was sitting in the exam room with Andy at his diabetes doctor’s office, and there was a poster about thyroid disorders on the wall.

“Look at that,” I said. “That list of symptoms is like a description of me. I have every one of those things.”

After that, I did a little digging online (you know how I am about online research) and became convinced that my grandmas could have been onto something.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was able to get an appointment with Andy’s diabetes doctor, whom we love (because she pretty much saved his life last winter, but that’s a whole other story). During my appointment with her, she examined my neck and said she could palpitate my thyroid, and she shouldn’t be able to do that. She also noticed the spot where my hair is thin (a symptom of thyroid issues and the bane of my existence). So she ordered up an ultrasound on my thyroid and referred me to a dermatologist for the hair thing.

Which brings us to today, when I’m going to both of these appointments. I’m a little nervous about it, I guess. I’m not even sure there’s anything wrong, but if there is, it would be nice to know what it is and get it sorted out. It appears that most thyroid disorders are easily treated with medication, so if that’s what it is, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be too difficult to deal with.

In any case, the moral of the story is this. Listen to your grandmas. Though they may not phrase their advice with your fragile self-esteem in mind, they have in fact picked up a thing or two along the way.

I’ll keep you posted.

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WFMW: Trader Joe’s

Almost exactly a year ago, I asked our lovely readers to help me out with my dinner issues (small issues like cooking it, for example), and as always, you came to my rescue. You had great ideas… but dinner is something I still struggle with. I don’t get home until 5:45 each night, and so time is of the essence.

Anyway, when I posted the plea for help last year, our in-real-life friend Krista left a comment saying that she finds shopping at Trader Joe’s really helpful. I stuck that in the back of my mind and always meant to go there, but never got around to it… until about three weeks ago. And now I am hooked!

They have a great selection of frozen food, dairy, wine and beer. And really, what more do you need? Oh, fresh produce, you say? Yes, they have that too. Bread, pasta, salsa, vitamins – they have it all. And none of it has any preservatives or high fructose corn syrup.

The only problem I have is that I like to plan my shopping trips ahead by looking online and getting an idea of what to buy, but as far as I can tell, the Trader Joe’s website doesn’t list their products (not very helpful, Trader Joe people!). So if you’re a TJ fan, help the rest of us out by leaving a comment with some of your faves (mine include salsa-flavored tortilla chips, mini tacos and Two Buck Chuck). Thanks!

Easy weeknight dinners – that works for me! For more WFMW tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

(P.S. Don’t forget to enter our fabulous Itzy Ritzy giveaway!)

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