Dear Cost Plus World Market, My Old Friend

Earlier this week, I submitted this letter to World Market via http://www.worldmarket.com/. 

To Whom it May Concern:

Please come back to Minnesota!!  We really, really miss you here.  The state is relooking at our liquor laws which could potentially allow sale of liquor on Sundays. (I've heard that's why you pulled out of the MN market.)  If Minnesota is out of the question, please consider opening a store in Hudson, WI.  If you build it, Twin Cities citizens will come.  Even on Sundays.  Especially on Sundays!

All the best,
A Devoted World Market Customer who prefers tactile shopping

For background, World Market closed up shop on their stores in Minnesota in the Spring of 2009, and while I made out like crazy during their store closing sale, I really miss that store.  The nearest store is 4 hours away in Des Moines, Iowa.  I'm not sure what else is in Iowa, but it would be hard for me to justify driving 8 hours round trip to visit a store.  I don't like paying for shipping, especially on big items that may or may not work out in my space.

This weekend, like many stores at the end of the quarter, World Market is having a coupon promotion offering 25% off your entire purchase.  I've been eyeing these stools for my kitchen counter, but it's going to take free shipping AND 25% off for them to take a spin at my house:

Elana Barstool

Courtesy of World Market

I plan to keep waiting and hoping.  (Although I did just find a free shipping code: SPRINGSHIP, it doesn't erase the large item surcharge of $20/chair, and if they don't work out the way I've been imagining them, the return process would not be fun.) 

Until then, I do have some store opening news. I received this in the mail the other day:

I don't think I've ever been to a Gordman's before, but I've heard great things about it.  Apparently, it's like TJ Maxx or Marshall's.  I figure the more places to peruse the clearance racks in my town, the better!  The Grand Opening is today...and on the back of the flyer is a coupon:).  I'll let you know if I find anything!

Update:  The Grand Opening is actually next Friday, April 1st, but the store opened their doors yesterday for the first time.  If you ask, they'll give you a 15% off coupon when you walk in the door:).  I forgot my camera, but there are lots of interesting things in the lamp, mirror, end table sections.

Proof that Couponing is Worth the Effort

Here is a small portion of my grocery purchase from this week:



I paid $1.43 total for the above items at our local grocery store, Rainbow.

Cost Breakdown:
Green Giant Vegetables x 2: $1 per box with a 50 cent off coupon each that doubled = FREE
McCormick Italian Spice Grinder: $2 with a $1 off coupon that doubled = FREE
Ken's Ranch Dressing: $1.66 with a $1 off coupon that doubled = Better than FREE (-$0.34)
Ritz Munchable Crackers: $2.69 with a $1 off coupon that doubled = $0.69
Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta: $1.49 with a $1 off coupon that doubled = Better than FREE (-$0.51)
Rhodes Dinner Rolls: $2.59 with $1 off coupon that doubled = $0.59
Kraft Homestyle Meals: $2 each with $1 off 2 store coupon combined with 2 $0.50 off each coupons doubled = $1 total ($0.50 each)


In order to print off all my coupons, I need computer paper.  I scored a great deal at Staples this week on these guys:

I purchased 2 reams of paper for $5.99 each. I used two $1 off coupons bringing my total per ream to $4.99.  I also will receive a Staples Easy Saver Rebate for $4.99 per ream x 2. 

$4.99/ream cost - $4.99/ream rebate = FREE paper

FREE paper = More coupons and more art projects

More coupons and more art projects = Happy Kiddos + Happy Momma

I get most of my coupons from a single Sunday paper, websites like http://www.coupons.com/, and links from blogs like http://www.hip2save.com/ and http://www.pocketyourdollars.com/.  So simple, so easy.

The Good Stuff

It's so easy to get lost in the minutiae of the day.  Mundane domestic tasks like clothes washing and folding, meal preparation, grocery shopping and general pick up can consume a day.  Sometimes I'm left wondering why I'm working so hard doing the same exact things every day....and then a moment happens that makes you remember why it's all worth it.

Here's one:
The other day, I picked up the kids from their once a week Mom's Day Away program, and the car was full of the groceries I had purchased.  Chicken nuggets are a favorite around here, and I had purchased a few packages (okay 10 packages...they were on sale for $1 each=stock up time!!). The nuggets were sitting at the top of the grocery bag (in reality, the entire bag was full of them:)) that I brought inside the house.  Lucky noticed the nuggets immediately and exclaimed, "Chicken Nuggets!  I LOVE Chicken Nuggets."  Then she bounded over to me and gave me the biggest bear hug around my knees and said, "Thank you, Mommy!". 

The exchange completely warmed my heart.  She didn't ask to eat a nugget or open the package like some of her peers might (ie: Charm:)), she ran over to me to show her appreciation for me and my time.  She's only 3.  She amazes me every day.  She makes it all worth it.  Moments like these make it all worth it.  Wrapped in the minutiae of the day are the moments that make up the good stuff in life: the quiet cuddles, the kind words, the loving gestures. 

Here's another:
On Tuesday, Lucky girl and I were playing with her letter blocks in the main level game room when I got the idea in my head to spell out some words with the blocks.  I wrote the word 'sunshine' on a piece of paper and asked her to find the letters in blocks to spell the word.  We worked together and spelled out Sunshine.  I decided that I'd like to use the blocks on the window sill of our new 'learning center'.  I put the sunshine blocks in a box to go upstairs, and then Lucky wanted to work on a new word.  I wrote the word 'smile' on a piece of paper and asked her to work on this one by herself while I went to the office to grab a picture for the frame in the learning center. 

I checked in on her and then brought the blocks and picture upstairs.  I placed the blocks on the window sill, but one letter 's' was missing.  I asked L if she knew what happened to it, and she said she wasn't sure.  I asked her to grab a letter 's' and then bring it upstairs, and she screamed, "No, you can't have my letter s".  It was a strong reaction, and I wasn't sure why, so I just let it go.  'SUN_HINE' was close enough, and I'm all about choosing my toddler battles. 

She came upstairs and handed me an 'm', and I thanked her for it.  It was the second letter in the word 'smile' that she was working on.  It then clicked.  I asked, "Did you take the 's' out of the box so you could spell the word 'smile'?"  She didn't say anything but looked really guilty.  From behind her back, she handed me the 's' and said, "Here's your 's' Mommy.  I'm sorry I took."  I thanked her and told her how proud I was of her for admitting to taking the letter and for apologizing.  What a big girl!  It actually made me teary.  We all make mistakes.  Recognizing that we've made them and righting the wrong is such an important lesson to learn, and she gets it already!

We ran downstairs and found another 's' in the pile of blocks and worked to spell out the word 'smile'.  And then we had a tickle party.  That's the good stuff.  And it happens every day!


P.S.
Please note her 'socks' in the above picture. Earlier this week, I asked her to go up to her room to put some socks on so we could run to the store. This task is a routine one for her. She runs to her closet, puts on socks and comes back down, usually without incident. This time, however, she came back wearing tights pulled up to her shins, which is as far as she could pull them up given that she already had pants on. She walked around our kitchen for five minutes like that. Her stride was cut in half at least and she was smiling the whole time she wore them. She's my silly, sunshine girl.

Loft Space Defined....For Now:)

Last May, we purchased our home as a foreclosure.  It's a gorgeous home.  We love it for so many reasons.  The people that built the home LOVED built-in storage, and we have no shortage of storage places in this house.  We have built-in lockers and a mail station in our mudroom.  We have built-in linen storage in our bathrooms.  Two of the four upstairs bedrooms have built-in desks.  Really, they are just wonderful, and as our kids get older, we will appreciate them even more. 

One area of our home that has built-ins is a lofted area of our second floor.  We've been calling it a 'loft office', but we haven't been sure how to use the space.  Originally, it was built as a home schooling station.  Our kids are too young for school, and we don't have plans to home school.  So what should we do with the space? 

BEFORE (and this is a very nice before..it's looked way worse than this):

Use it as an office?  We have a main floor office that we use to pay bills, store documents, and check email, and although we considered repurposing our main floor office, we liked the idea of having a closed door to all of our important paperwork and we have a big desk already that was used in our previous home.  So, Mr. Lofty is not going to be a true office.

Next, we thought about making it a laundry folding station since our laundry is on the second floor too.  I'm not sure what the problem was but in 2 weeks time we never folded laundry there.  Was there too much room?  I'm not sure, but the laundry just started piling up.  Clean and dirty both.  And then the cleans and the stinkies got mixed together.  And then we decided this area was not a good laundry folding area. 

Another idea was to make it a storage area.  We tried this when we were finishing our basement.  We had cardboard boxes stored under the desk, above the desk and on the floor all around the desk.  While it may be practical, it wasn't pretty, and we are really into simplifying right now.  Our sun porch is full of future garage sale items.  My thought is that if we need to use this space as storage, we have too much stuff.  Also, there is no door to this area, and the idea of kids getting trapped in piles of boxes scares me. 

One idea I had was to make it my 'coupon station'.  I figured I could use the space to print, sort and file away my coupons.  I could keep everything all together and organized.  I even had a printer up there until recently that I could plug my laptop into.  What a dumb idea!  The only time I have to print coupons is when a child/children are napping or after the kids go to bed.  Printers are not quiet.  Our back up printer is especially not quiet.  And then, there is that whole door issue again. The vision of my stacks of coupons flying around the entire second level makes me very irritable. And really, most of my couponing is done on Sunday mornings on the couch with Lucky's help.  My coupon files are smallish and all four (yes 4...it's a bit much, but it works for me) fit easily in my purse.  Conclusion: I don't need a big office space to coupon.

Lately, Mr. Lofty has been our DJ.  We have an old radio that we turn on when it's time to get the kids ready for bed.  We dance and sing and run around.  While that's fun and all, I think the space can be more than just a radio holder.  It will still serve our 'groovin' needs' as Lucky says, but we're adding a little more.  (Actually, Lucky says, "Let's Groove, Mommy".  Okay.  Let's.)

Several things were clear to us:

1.  We had to make the space kid friendly.

2.  We wanted to make the space a little easier on the eyes.

3.  No matter what we did with the space, it would be much better utilized in the future, as a homework station.

So without further ado, here is what the space looks like now:

We made it a learning center by adding accessories we already owned and a few new items.

I picked up a US Road Map (although I need to get the wrinkles out:)), pinned it to a bulletin board and we've already started pinning down places we've traveled together as a family.  It's also nice for pointing out where Oma and Opa are residing (Florida...boo to you and your 80 degree weather:)).

We, of course, needed some books, and I plucked a few from each child's room.

And we added a picture of the kids and Bill, which we printed at Sam's Club.  This desk space adjoins the wall that I added the family pictures to earlier this week, so it's nice and cohesive and now Bill is in a picture:).

Crayons and Stickers are a MUST:

Fun New (to us) Chair:

I fell in love with this chair when I first saw it at http://www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/:

It's expensive, in my mind for a plastic chair ($100 new at Ikea), but I love that it takes up no visual space and it's durable for the kiddos.  And I was able to find 2 on Craigslist for the same cost as 1 new.  We can always add the second when the kids use the space more.  As for now both of their butts can squeeze on one chair, comfortably, it seems:), and we have the second chair downstairs.

Here's our new drawing work station including a couple magnetic tack boards I picked up last week from Target:

In use:

2 kids=2 bowls of crayons:), one is hiding out in the drawer

A little fun with blocks (and it's hard to see, but the note in the basket reads 'Friday!'.  That's a shout out to Rebecca Black.  I love Friday too, Rebecca:)!  And it's only 2 days away!:

Cost Breakdown (If we had an item at our old house, I'm counting it as free:)):

Ikea Tobias Chair (Craigslist, normally $100): $50

Huge Bulletin Board (Michael's Clearance): $18 (I think...I bought it a while back)

US Map (Walmart): $6

Rug (World Market....but we had it in the laundry room of our old house), so...Free:)

Metal Waste Basket (gift): Free

Ikea Green Metal Tree (From Charm's Old Nursery): Free

Blue Picture Frame (Walmart Clearance): $3

A to Z Book Ends (Target Clearance): $4.98

Books from kids rooms: Free

2 Glass Jars filled with crayons and stickers (Walmart): $6.97 each x 2 = $13.94

Magnetic Tack Boards x 3 (Target clearance): $3.74 each x 3 = $11.22

Lamp base (Target clearance): $4.98

Lamp shade (Target clearance): $3.74

Woven Basket (From Old House): Free

Globe (Goodwill): $2.99

Blocks (Goodwill, huge bag most of which are in our game room): $5

Clock (from Laundry at old house): Free

Ikea White Basket (From Charm's Old Nursery): Free

Silver Kleenex Holder (Goodwill): $1.99

Wooden Bowls (Goodwill): $0.99 and $0.49

Picture from Sam's: $0.13

Grand Total: $127.45, not too shabby.  Now, hopefully we'll use the space a bit more.  I know we will in a few years once we start having homework, and at the very least it's pretty enough in the mean time:)



I Heart Free Almay Products!!

I purchased the above for $6.33 out of pocket at Walgreens (thanks to last week's $3 Register Reward) and received $9 back in Register Rewards.  Even without the $3 Register Reward from last week, I almost broke even on the deal!! 

Plackers (which I love) are on sale for $2, and you get a $2 RR back=FREE to me.  Method hand soap is on sale for $2.99, and you get $2RR.  This is my favorite hand soap...it smells great and looks cute too.  I don't often buy it because I can buy Softsoap for $1 or less usually, so this is a great buy for $1.  And if you can find any $0.75 off any Method product peelie coupons, it is as little as $0.25/bottle of soap.  (I found some of these coupons on Method detergent products).

And here is where it gets really good: Almay products are 30% off and if you buy a single product, you receive a $5 Register Reward.  So a mascara that is normally $7.99 is on sale for $5.59, and then you get $5 back.  Great deal, right?  It gets better...my clerk pointed out a $2 off Almay coupon in Walgreen's Spring Beauty Guide (see image below).  For $3.59 out of pocket, I got a mascara and a $5RR.  That's actually better than free.  Time to stock up!!  

Pillow Pile Up

At last....justification that my throw pillow addiction has practical applications!

Have a Happy Day!

Finally, Some Family Photos!!

I realized a couple months ago that aside from our Christmas card photos, we have not taken the time to print out any family pictures in over a year. How is that possible with young kiddos? I don't know, but I think moving into a foreclosed home and then general contracting a basement finish have something to do with it. Regardless, I decided that we needed to display some current, meaningful family photos.

About a month ago, I found some poster frames on clearance (Target, of course), and then I purchased a couple white photo mats at Michael's. This past weekend, we finally picked out two pictures that were taken this past fall on a family outing to Afton State Park on the St. Croix River.  We had them blown up to 11" x 14" size and printed them in black and white at Sam's Club. We chose to hang them (with 3M picture hanging strips...no nail holes!!) upstairs in the hallway between bedrooms. Now, I get a huge smile on my face every time I walk down that hall!!

Here is the hallway before: 

And after this simple, inexpensive addition: 



Cost Breakdown:
Poster Frame (Target Clearance): $3.74
Photo Mat (Michael's with coupon): $3
Enlarged Photo (Sam's): $2.87
Total: Less than ten buckaroos per piece of priceless art!