Cutting Costs

Since people on facebook have had questions about things that I've been posting about my couponing, I thought I would whip up a blog post about it before I take James to speech this morning.

Back when we lived in Baltimore, I went through phases where I used coupons for things that we bought, but I wasn't very organized about it. There was that one shopping trip where I got my total from $400 down to $93. I thought recently, with trying to put money into my doula business and save for midwifery school, that it was time to stop reminiscing about when I used to coupon and get back into doing it.

Yesterday, I posted my shopping totals on facebook: Original total: $241.19. Sales & coupons: $117.67 off. Total spent: $123.52.

Here's how I did it:

- The past couple of weeks, I've been working on getting my coupons more organized. I bought a binder, tabs to separate the different sections and plastic sheets with 3, 4, 6 and 8 sections to hold coupons.

- I visited the websites for Tops and Price Chopper to match up the coupons I had on hand with their weekly sales:

http://www.pricechopper.com/

http://www.topsmarkets.com/

- I made up a shopping list based on things that were on sale that I thought we would eat and could make meals with.

- James and I started out at Tops, where we spent $34.03 on an order that was originally $80.96.

- We then went to Price Chopper and spent $89.49 on an order that would have been $160.23

We got some great deals at Price Chopper. For example, they had bread "Buy 1, Get 2 Free." I also decided to try the Emerald Nuts Breakfast to Go box. They were on sale for $2.99 and I had a $1 off coupon, that, combined with the dollar coupon doubler, made the box $0.99.

** A note: I often see people write online that they don't bother with coupons because "You can only buy crap with coupons" or "There aren't any coupons for healthy food." In the past couple of weeks, I have found and used coupons for organic eggs, organic yogurt, Greek yogurt, almond milk, Newman's Own cereal and pizza, popcorn, nuts, Seeds of Change organics, frozen vegetables, etc. You can feed your family healthy food at discounted prices:

Homeschooling Week of 5/2

I'm not sure how we got to May 6th already, but it seems to be today's date. The week was really quite a blur.

With me working 10pm-7am and being a bit fuzzy during the day, the kids have almost started unschooling. Both Patrick and Delilah did some lessons on http://www.time4learning.com/ this week. I'm really starting to appreciate time4learning because the kids will actually do it unprompted. So if I'm napping on the couch, they'll hop on the computer and do Math, Language Arts, Science or Social Studies. Patrick is enrolled in their fifth grade level and Delilah is doing second grade.

We did manage to make it out to two homeschool activities this week. The kids had their Homeschool P.E. class at the YMCA on Wednesday afternoon, where they played raquetball and volleyball. Thursday afternoon, we went to the homeschool group at the library, where the kids celebrated Cinco de Mayo with stories, music, games and crafts.

I'll be away in New York City tomorrow for the Neonatal Resuscitation class. I've been studying the book all week. Let's hope that I can remember the important stuff.

Practically Perfect Day

The past twenty-four hours were about as perfectly balanced as our crazy schedule gets.

Last night, I worked at Walmart from 10pm-7am (gotta save up for school). When I got home in the morning, the kids were all still asleep. I checked email, ate something (waffles w/Nutella) and straightened up  the house a little.

Patrick and Delilah both did some lessons on http://www.time4learning.com/ while I napped on the couch and the little boys played. I woke up around 2pm, a long nap.

I woke up to find that the house was just about the messiest that I've ever seen it. Pretty much every room needed to be cleaned. Patrick, Delilah, James and I straightened and cleaned from about 2-3:30pm. At 3:30, we dropped off books at the library, went to Chipotle for a late lunch, then to Barnes&Noble to get the kids some books. While out, I got to talk to a doula from Binghamtom (we set up a lunch date) and one of the ladies from our group, the Doula Connection in Syracuse.

From there, we went to the YMCA so that I could work out and do some studying while the kids played. I worked on Patrick's 5th grade test prep book with him and worked on really soaking in the info in my Neonatal Resuscitation book.


My index card version of the Neonatal Resuscitation flow chart

Wonderful Husband Tim made a couple of frozen pizzas so that the kids could eat again before bed. We fed them pizza, brushed teeth and did vitamins. Tim read us a chapter from Acts and we all prayed together.

Tim and I are watching an episode of "The Event" that we recorded yesterday. At 9:45pm, I'll be back out the door for the overnight shift at Walmart (gotta pay for school).

Study, Study, Study...

I've mailed off my check to the National Midwifery Institute for their handbook and application! When that arrives, I will be applying to midwifery school :)

My Textbook of Neonatal Resuscitation arrived in the mail today. I'm all signed up for Karen Strange's class in New York City on May 7th and am looking forward to it.

This morning, I actually managed to get some studying done. I took the kids to the North Y here in Syracuse and put them in the playroom from 10am-12pm. During that time I:

- did pages 1-7 in The Anatomy Coloring Book
- reread p. 1-14 and did page 60 in the Birthsong Midwifery Workbook
- read the Introduction and p. 3-12 in Orgasmic Birth
- talked to Doula Chris Herrera from the CNY Doula Connection

The goal for tonight will be to get started on studying my new Neonatal Resuscitation book.

I am looking for doula clients who are due this summer to help with my midwifery school fund. If you know anyone in or near Syracuse who is due this summer, please give them my number: 443-690-6212.

- Doula Liz Baer

Home/Mom-schooling Week

Despite how tired I've been with working nights, I've still managed to get the kids out of the house. Last week, on Monday, we went to this great pond with our friend Donna and her son, followed by ice cream at Gannon's Isle. Gannon's is a local ice cream place here in Syracuse that makes their own ice cream.

http://www.gannonicecream.com/

Here are the pics of the kids at the pond:

This Monday, we went to the bouncy place at Driver's Village with some other doulas from the Doula Connection and their kids. It was fun for the kids, but incredibly loud and really hard to keep track of everyone.

We managed to make it to the library both this Friday and last. Patrick has been getting into reading the "Goosebumps" books.

Patrick and Delilah have both done most of their homeschooling the past two weeks on http://www.time4learning.com/ I have plans that include writing a review of their program. What I can say about it right now is that it makes me feel like we aren't completely neglecting the homeschooling while I'm spending lots of time working and sleeping weird hours.

This week, I signed up for Karen Strange's Neonatal Resusciation class being held in New York City on May 7th. I ordered the book from amazon and bought my bus ticket. I'm pretty excited about taking another class with Karen (loved her workshop for doulas in Rochester last year). One of the special things about Karen's class is that is focuses on resuscitation for out of hospital providers (i.e.- homebirth midwives).

http://www.newbornbreath.com/

Tomorrow, I'm mailing off my request for a school handbook from the National Midwifery Institute :)

Time for Working Mother Magazine

After the first half of this week, I think I'm ready to admit to being a "working mom." We're still homeschooling (of course) and I do handle the child-educating, house-cleaning when I'm home, but I'm not here with them all day, every day anymore. Luckily, Tim is a great, hands-on dad and we also have an amazing babysitter for when my work overlaps with his (no, you can't have her number).

I haven't announced it here on the Internet, but last week I started working overnights at Walmart to save up money for midwifery school and also to pad our family savings a little bit.

My week has looked like this so far:

- Sunday night- worked 10pm-7am at Walmart

- Monday- Took James to speech at the school at 9:30am. Ran errands with kids. Went to the Y and worked out a little bit. Did schoolwork with the kids. Slept from about 5-9pm. Worked 10pm-2am at Walmart.

- Tuesday- Went to the Wise Symposium from 9am-6pm. http://www.wisecenter.org/ Met lots of people from woman-owned and operated businesses. Networked. Came home and slept for about 2 1/2 hours. Went to work at Walmart at 10pm.

- Wednesday- Got home from work at 7am. Showered, dressed, checked email. Babysitter got here at 9am and I went to Crouse Hospital to interview the Nurse Manager of their L&D unit for my neglected BirthWorks CBE Certification project. Left there around noon. Hung out with the kids and had a friend over to visit until about 3:30. Put on a movie for the kids at 3:45 and went to sleep. Mama in labor called me at 5:10pm and I headed back to Crouse for her beautiful, amazing (and quick) birth. Got to Walmart in time for work at 10pm.

- Thursday- Got home from work at 7am. Just about literally slept the day away. The kids played and watched TV until 3pm when I finally got up because their friends were knocking on the door asking to play. I spent about an hour cleaning the house and we're now about to head out to get ready for tonight's Doula Connection parents' meeting.

Hopefully this weekend will be a quiet one. I have one meeting with a client Saturday evening and one mama due in a couple of weeks who I don't think will have a baby this weekend (but who knows?). I'm looking forward to having some family time and actually seeing my husband.

Bestest Vacation Ever

Gail Hart and Jan Tritteden speaking.



Maryl Smith leading us in the song "Renegade Midwives"



The amazing Eugene Saturday market street performers.

"The Wide Sisters" performing!

Sing it with us!





Books :)

My conference stash

Hillarious sign that I kept seeing in Oregon

Best parts (hard not to write an essay here):

- Staying up until 2am talking almost every night

- The mom who said "I felt the power of the universe in my uterus."

- Going to the Eugene Saturday market

- Realizing in the sessions that so much of what is being taught should be common sense

- Ladies' dance night!

- Meeting someone who gave birth to breech twins at home

- Morning Glory, the Pizza Research Institute, Red Agave... all of the tasty food

- The sense of community with people you'd never met before

- Buying myself lots of books; Orgasmic Birth, Survivor Moms, Holistic Midwifery Vol. 1 (Frye), Let Birth Be Born Again

- Meeting a Mennonite sociologist who studies grassroots movements, particularly midwifery

- The "Tricks of the Trade" session where everyone shared their knowledge

- Listening to Gail Hart talk

- Sitting with Elizabeth Davis on the plane from Eugene to San Francisco

Now, of course, I'm already looking forward to next year's conference!