The Blood Pressure Battle

Yeah, let's just say the blood pressure is staying elevated. I am still battling my blood pressure. I swear I can feel when it goes up but my doctor says there is no way because it's not high enough. If this is the case, why can I not sleep when it's high? The doctor says it is because I am already inclined to have panic attacks. And when I take my blood pressure and it's high, I am probably having anxiety. This makes my blood pressure go even higher. Whatever. Even if I can't feel the blood pressure, I am battling the anxiety. I was able to get my Xanax refilled today (thank you to the dear doctor I saw today) and I am speaking with God everyday about my health. Begging actually to make all these problems go away. I know that He has a purpose in my life and there's a reason He is allowing me to go through this. It definitely has made me rely on him more and myself less.

I know I didn't do a song on Son Day so I want to do one today that I have really grown to love. I grew up listening to Amy Grant and she has only improved with age.

Publix+CVS= $481.89 for $67.12

Can I just say that I heart CVS and Publix? I AGAIN had great trips at both of these places. It was dog food week at Publix:

 

This is 61 bags of dog food and they were $.49 each. That is 244 pounds of dog food for $29.89 (before tax). I was very excited. I have two big boys. This will last us around 14-20 weeks depending on what they eat. I also got:

I spent a total of $59.41 at Publix on $405.84 worth of stuff. (Mostly dog food). That was a savings of 85%

4 boxes of Ritz Munchables

4 boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks

4 bags of cheese

4 blocks of cheese

4 bags of Starburts

2 bags of Skittles

4 Weight Watchers Ice Creams

4 Beech Nut baby meals

At CVS: 

I got:

2 Colgate Toothbrushes

1 Halls Cough Drops

2 Axe Body Washes

2 Dove Men's Deodorant

3 boxes of Band Aids

4 Glade candle oil refills

Without any sales or coupons: $ $76.05
Out of pocket cost $$8.93
Extra Bucks Left Over $10.00 (I actually MADE $1.07)
Coupon Amount Used: 
Savings of 88%
Savings counting ECB left over: 100%
# of Transactions: 2

I had a pretty good weekend. My tip this week is to monitor Southern Savers for any great deals that are coming up. She can't tell you exactly what the deal will be but can tell you what coupons you need to print. However, for the dog food deal, she did say how much this would be because it was such a great deal. Also, she wanted everyone to have time to order the coupons. Not all coupons that are published come in the local newspaper. I bought the $2/1 coupons. I bought 100 of them for $15. So, if you add the $15 in to my total of dog food, it still makes each bag $.73..which is not bad. I haven't ever bought coupons until now. If I find really good ones, I will buy again if they make the price worth it.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Publix+Bilo+Ingles+CVS=A savings of 75%

This weekend was not great for my family. Michael's grandfather died on Thursday so this weekend was spent with his family. However, couponing is a form of therapy for me so I did find some time to go to the grocery store.

Ingles shopping trip

I paid out of pocket of $21.30. This is $56.46 worth of stuff. This is the best I have done at Ingles. I generally stay away from Ingles because they are simply too expensive and not coupon friendly. However, there was some pretty awesome deals there this week. I got:

2 packs of Chinet plates
2 Gain laundry detergent
3 cans of Hormel chili
2 boxes of New York Texas Toast
2 containers of Chobani greek yogurt
6 jars of Bertoli pasta sauce
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 container of Clorox washing machine cleaner

All for $21.30. This IS the best I have ever done at Ingles.

I also went to my two favorite places: Bilo and Publix.

This is $173.10 worth of stuff for $53.97. WOW. Again, I LOVE Publix and Bilo when I am couponing. I am going to try to list everything that I got but I might miss something. If I do, the picture is there. I got:

1 Bag of Purina dog food
4 packs of Lance crackers
4 Bags of Pepperidge Farm cracker chips
4 boxes of Cheez Its
6 containers of Country Crock butter
4 loaves of Pepperidge Farm Raisin bread
2 bottles of Dawn Dish Detergent
1 box of Gain dryer sheets (cashed in my last coupon and raincheck)
7 boxes of Mueller's noodles
2 packs of Borden Cheese
8 packs of Springer Mountain Farms each a pound or more a piece
1 Jar of Duke Mayo
1 box of Decaf tea
4 packs of Yoplait kids yogurt (love this stuff)
1 jar of Philidelphia Cooking Creme
4 packs of Vigo saffron Rice

And that's it. But, I think that's enough. I was crazy excited!

And finally, I had my best CVS visit EVER! I look forward to more of these.

I spent $ 27.93 out of pocket on $139.82 worth of stuff. And I got:

1 Bottle of Head and Shoulders
3 bottles of Suave body wash
6 Suave deodorants
3-3packs of Listerine pocket packs
2 packs of Reach floss
2 bags of Easter candy
2 Cadbury Eggs
1 Zantac
1 Allegra
1 Lysol no touch handsoap system
3-12 packs of Coke products
2 boxes of Triscuits
4 boxes of Robin Eggs Whopper candy
1 Cobroxin pain relief spray

Without any sales or coupons: $ 139.82
Out of pocket cost $ 27.93
Extra Bucks Left Over $12.99
Coupon Amount Used: 
Manufacturer: $ 21.50
Extra Bucks:   $ 52.43
Savings of 80%
Savings counting ECB left over: 89%
# of Transactions: 4

This CVS visit is the best I have ever done I think.

I am very excited that I have finally gotten the hang of this process. My coupon tip for this week is to take advantage of any sales or specials the store has going on. If they are out, get a raincheck. Sometimes store specials will be better than what is actually on sale from the manufacturer.

Total before sales and coupons:  $369.38
Total saved after sales and coupons:  $279.17
Total Spent (minus leftover ECB):  $90.21
Savings Percentage: 75%

SON days

This has been a rough weekend for me and my family. My husband's grandfather passed away on Thursday evening. This weekend has been spent with his family. I never really knew my dad's father and I wasn't really close with my mom's father. My grandparents are Michael's grandparents. I have known them all my life and I feel as if I have lost my grandfather.

The Anatomy of a Panic Attack

Imagine knowing something bad is going to happen. You don't know what and you don't know when. You just know because you feel it in every fiber, nerve, and cell in your body. You start to feel chilled (or really hot) even though the heat is on and you're wearing a jacket. You start to feel dizzy, not like the room is spinning but more like you can't get your balance. Your palms become sweaty but your hands are ice cold. All of a sudden you can't breathe in and out. You feel as if you are drowning. Your heart starts to race and your chest hurts. Your head may even hurt and you swear you're having a heart attack. Maybe you start crying but maybe the fear is so great that you don't know what to do. You start trembling uncontrollably and you know that the bad thing you feared has just happened. You have just had a panic attack.

For me, this is how a panic attack feels. At the time, I swear I'm dying. And afterwards, I feel as if I have ran a marathon. Sleep, along with God and Xanax, follows because I'm no good for anything else. I can't think clearly or concentrate for a couple hours afterward.

Because I have learned to recognize how they start, if I can make it through the first 15-30 seconds (which can seem like years) I will have managed to calm myself down enough that I will not have a "full blown panic attack." I'll have, what I call, a "semi panic attack." This includes everything up until the difficulty breathing. There have been times I have skipped it all and went straight to the rapid heartbeat. At those times, if I can make it through the first 15 seconds..no longer..I won't have a full panic attack. I do a lot of self talk and self reassuring during this time. I know if I am able to control it, it won't get bad and I won't feel like I am dying.

Coming to this point where I can talk and write about this has taken lots of counseling, talks with God, and Xanax. All this has been a part of my recovery. Without them, I am not sure what my mental state would be. Honestly, my last panic attack was a few weeks ago but I have just gotten to where I can write about them. I am so proud of myself for how far I have came since October. I can do this. I'm going to do this.

Making Money Tip

I think one habit that a person falls into is signing up to take surveys, doing a few, and then not doing them for awhile. What will happen is you will do this and then you will want to go back and do surveys. You will then realize that you aren't getting a lot of offers to do surveys. That is because you stopped taking them. If you start taking surveys, and keep taking surveys (even one a day), you will continue to receive offers. If you don't stay at least somewhat active, the offers will stop. I suggest responding to at least three surveys or offers a week. This will keep your account active and keep the surveys coming.

A Savings of 85%

I had a great weekend at CVS this week. I didn't go to the grocery store but I did go to CVS. 

I bought
1 Charmin 16 count
1 Bounty 12 count
2 Gain Dish Detergent
1 Charmin Freshmates
2 Dentek Picks
1 Purex Complete 3 in 1
2 Herbal Essence products
1 Tena Adult Pads
1 Irish Spring Deodorant
1 Dial Nutri lotion
2 Crest Pro Rinse

Without any sales or coupons: $ 85.95
Out of pocket cost $ 22.42
Extra Bucks Left Over $10
Coupon Amount Used: 
Manufacturer: $ 19.73
Extra Bucks:   $ 31.46
Actual Cost $12.42
Savings of 85%
# of Transactions: 5

I believe this is the best I have ever done at CVS. I am ecstatic about this trip. No, I don't need adult pads but my grandmother does. I also don't need Crest Pro Rinse or the lotion. However, these items were free with coupons and gave me extra bucks. With those extra bucks, I bought stuff I needed: toilet paper, paper towels, and the rest of it.  Plus, I still have $10 Extra Bucks left. I am stoked.

I do my CVS trips in separate transactions. If there are other customers behind me, I will let them go before me out of common courtesy. Just because I am crazy, doesn't mean others have to watch!

Anyway, hope you guys all have a good week.