My Weight Loss Journey! PART 2.. Foods I am eating!

Here are the foods I am eating to lose weight! I used this website for the nutrition photos.

 I am a very picky eater, always have been! With that said, it has its advantages and disadvantages! I like plain stuff, nothing fancy! That is good. I don't like sweets that much, which is also good! I do like bacon though and that is the hardest thing to cut out of my "diet". I eat it during my "off" day though which is one reason I haven't lost all motivation. I could eat a pack of bacon a day and eat it for all 3 meals and be completely content for the rest of my life! That is bad! It is so greasy and I was eating that a lot the week of my down slide so it may contributed to my breakouts! So bacon and I decided to take a break and only have weekend visitations. ;) My answer to my bacon problem? Turkey bacon! It doesn't taste as good but close enough! I make it in the microwave so it gets extra crispy. I hate it when its rubbery. The best brand I've found is Butterball thin & crispy. Yum! I eat that with instant oatmeal every morning. If you don't like the same thing everyday then switch it up! But I love it so I eat it every morning. The kind of oatmeal I eat is the Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal packs. Not the best for you, but I like it and its a lot healthier than what I would have normally eat! You have to find a balance you are comfortable with in order to stay motivated and keep your self discipline. I eat 4 slices of turkey bacon (60 calories) and a half a packet of the maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal (80 calories). Most mornings I just drink water but sometimes I drink 1 cup of skim milk. So when i drink water then I eat a 140 calorie breakfast which is amazing. It keeps me full until lunch. Im sure the ACE helps but oatmeal is one of the top foods to eat when you are trying to lose weight because it keeps you full!

I found the nutrition info for this bacon but my packs say 30 calories instead of 25 but everything else is the same!

Did I mention I got like 20 packs of this turkey bacon for like .45 cents a pack?!! How? Coupons people! Save a Lot had these on sale for 1.00 a pack and I had coupons for .65 cents off! I put them in my freezer and they have lasted me for months! Who says eating healthy has to be expensive? If I find deals like this I will be sure to share so make sure you subscribe if you want to lose weight cheap!

Here is the oatmeal I eat. It is under $2 a box for 10 packets. I like the taste of this Wal-Mart store brand better than the name brands!

We also get fat free skim milk (you guessed it Great Value brand because we're cheap). I used to drink milk all day everyday and we would have to buy a gallon atleast every other day. Now I hardly drink it and we buy it once every week and a half or something! See, eating healthy does save you money! There are 80 calories in 1 cup of this milk. I couldn't find a photo. 

My breakfast is around 140 calories.

That covers breakfast, now on to lunch! I usually eat lunch around 12 or 1 sometimes later like right now because I've been writing this blog post lol! For lunch it usually something different each day or I may eat the same thing two days in a row depending on what Im in the mood for. Most days it is a tuna sandwich and low fat Ruffles brand chips (about 2 hand fulls). I have small hands so don't go overboard. A serving size is about 15 chips and I probably eat about that or a little more. I dont try to focus on servings as much now because Ive got it down pretty good on how much I should eat. When I first started out, I was measuring everything like crazy! But anyway, it just depends on what store Im at when I buy the tuna. I dont have a preference because tuna isn't something I get excited for. How about you? It is pretty healthy though. I use low fat mayonnaise to mix in it. Not too much, maybe 1 tablespoon light mayo to 1 can of tuna. I try to make it so it isn't too dry but not too thin. I eat about half of what I mixed up on 2 pieces of 100% whole wheat bread. I know some people say good things about it and some don't like it for weight loss but it works for me so I'm eating it! I get 2 different brands that I tend to lean towards just because they taste good and the nutritional facts seem better than the rest I have seen. I know labels tend to tell fibs or little white lies. You know the ones that have some truth but leave out the bad stuff! You are really supposed to pay more attention to the ingredients rather than the nutritional facts but I'm not very good at those big words. Maybe I should? But like I said I'm doing something right so I'm going to keep it up until I learn better.

Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread has 50 calories, 1g fat, 10g carbs, 2g dietary fiber, and 4g protein. But it also has a long list of ingredients with words I can't pronounce which leads me to believe I can probably find some healthier bread.The serving size is for 1 slice so make sure you double that if you eat 2 slices with your sandwich!

Sara Lee Classic 100% Whole Wheat bread has 70 calories, 1g fat, 13 carbs, 2g dietary fiber, 2g sugars, and 3g protein. Same goes with this one, this is for 1 slice so make sure you double when counting calories if you eat 2 slices per sandwich!

You should typically try to avoid sugar because that is the #1 weight loss sabotage! Yes, you should try to avoid sugar, rather than fat when it comes to reading nutritional labels. This one also has a long list of crazy ingredients. I don't have a whole foods store around here and organic and healthy foods are hard to find so I make due with what I've got!

The tuna I have on hand right now is IGA store brand and it has 60 calories, 0g fat, 0g carbs, 13g protein. There are 2 servings per container and since I eat half of the can this is pretty much how many calories, etc I take in.

The mayonnaise I eat is from Save A Lot  and I didnt choose this brand for any particular reason other than the fact it said light mayonnaise while I was already in the store. :P Here is what it says on the label:

Portmann's Light Mayonnaise serving size 1 tablespoon:

50 calories 

5g fat

1g carbs

So for lunch my tuna sandwich is around 260 calories and my water is 0 calories. That is a pretty good lunch. 

I'm at 400 calories total and have 800 more to go for the rest of my day since I try to aim for 1200 calories! No more than that but you should atleast try to reach the 1200 or really close. If you don't eat enough then your body goes into survival mode and stores all of your fat and food instead of digesting it which keeps you from losing weight! So if you have been dieting and hardly eating but can't figure out why you are not losing weight this may be the reason! 

For dinner we usually eat when my husband gets home from work around 5 pm. We have something different each night but we eat chicken more than anything else because its good, healthy, and you can make so many different kinds! My switch it up between baked potatoes and mashed potatoes and either green beans, peas, corn, or another veggie. We usually only eat 2 sides with our meat. I only eat 1 boneless chicken breast or 2 boneless chicken tenders depending what we have. I buy those bags of frozen boneless chicken breasts or tenders. You can get them anywhere but I find they are cheaper at Save A Lot. They are now around $6-$7 a bag. The bag lasts our family at least 3 dinners. Our family is 4 people during the week and 5 during the weekends when my stepson is here. :)

I don't really count the calories for my dinner. That is where I use proportions and serving size. I try to eat only 1 piece of large meat or 2 pieces if they are small. I pick out a medium size potato if we are eating baked potatoes. For example I reach into the bag and there 3 different sizes, I usually pck the large for my husband, the small ones for my daughters, and the medium one for me! I usually don't eat it all though. I do put sour cream, shredded cheese, butter, and bacon bits on it but I don't go overboard with it! Use your head! You probably know how much is TOO much! But don't overthink it either because it will make you crazy! Trust me, I've been there!

For the veggies, I just eat as much as I want. Meaning, I don't really like them but I know I need to eat them. I probably don't eat as much of them as I should! But I probably eat atleast 1 serving with my dinner not counting the baked potato. (Corn, Beans, Peas, etc)

My snack is usually fruit like a banana or an apple. I usually lean towards a banana because it usually satisfies my craving for a snack and it gives me energy because of the potassium! If during the day I'm feeling weak or drowsy I eat a banana to help me to feel better! This isn't everyday because most of the days I just eat 1 snack before bedtime but sometimes I need a little pick me up during the day! If Im craving something sweet, I will eat a very small bowl of Wheaties cereal or a hand full of almonds covered in dark chocolate! They are super yummy and good for you too! I get  mine from Wal-Mart in the section where the beef jerkey and nuts are. Its a huge bag and it costs around $10. I know it sounds a little steep but it lasts you for a month if your kiddos and hubby doesn't find it. They keep you full and they really do taste good and are good to eat if you are craving chocolate or a candy bar!

I will post PART 3 which will be my exercise/work out routine tomorrow, as well as more food options and etc! So please subscribe and share me on Pinterest so you can keep following me. I hope I can give you pointers and share my mistakes and what I've learned along the way! 

My Weight Loss Journey! How I lost 30 lbs in 3 months PART 1

Ok so I know this isn't a DIY post but I wanted to share my weight loss journey with all of you! I was just thinking maybe if I share how I did it (and am still doing it), it could possibly help someone else.

From the time I was little I was always super skinny, too skinny really! In high school I think I weighed 105 and I'm 5'7"! I ate whatever I wanted to so it wasn't like I wanted to be skinny! I ate junk food, fried food, you name it! But I think I just had a really high metabolism because I also wasn't into sports or anything like that so I rarely got any exercise. I never had to worry about being overweight. I always had to worry about being UNDER weight! I know most of you are thinking "lucky you" right? Wrong!

Being so skinny meant other girls found me as an easy target. Whether that meant mean comments or trying to start a fight. They knew if they started a fight, chances were that they would win! They were probably right! I guess some people feel like they need to make someone else feel bad to make themselves feel better. Yes people, being told you are too skinny, you look like a bean pole, you need to gain weight, you look DEAD, you look like you are on crack DOES HURT people's feelings!!!!! So for anyone out there who is overweight and thinks "being skinny" will solve all of your problems it's just not true! You need to lose weight to be healthy, not because you think your life will be easier. I'll save that sob story for another day, because this is about my journey now.

I got married at 18 years old to the love of my life and best friend. We got pregnant really quick and we had our baby when I was 19. My body changed. Drastically! It didn't help that when our little one was only 10 months old we got pregnant again! Needless to say it wasn't good on my body!

Pre babies I was probably around 115-120 lbs. A pretty healthy weight but could have stood to gain a few pounds. After coming home from the hospital with our 1st bundle of joy I weighed around 150 lbs. After coming home from the hospital with our 2nd, I weighed 161 lbs. So I gained a total of around 55 lbs.

How in the world could I gain so much weight just by having babies? I was pregnant so I was under the impression I could eat whatever I wanted and how much I wanted! After all, I was eating for two!  WRONG! If you are pregnant let me tell you right here, right now that you still have to eat healthy most of the time! We lived right outside city limits so Taco Bell, McDonald's, you name it was only a couple minutes away. City Limits + Pregnant girl = gaining 55 lbs! lol

I did go to the gym with my hubby for most of my first pregnancy. But I stopped going because I was tired, moody, irritated, sick....pregnant! Who wants to workout when you're pregnant? I only went because my husband was into fitness and body building when I first met him. I think I was a bad influence because when I quit so did he. He didn't want to take more time away from "our time" just to go work out.

So girls, please keep eating healthy and working out while pregnant. Even if that means walking a few days a week! It's better than nothing! You can have Taco Bell but limit it to a couple days a week instead of twice a day like me. Sometimes I would even get 2 combos instead of 1 as embarrassing as it is to admit that.

Anyway, I can't blame it ALL on pregnancy! It has been 6 years since he having my last bundle of joy and instead of trying to lose the weight, I kept gaining! I gradually gained 20 more pounds throughout the years. I didn't exercise. I didn't eat healthy. I didn't drink water because it made me sink. The thought of it made me sick! We would eat fast food at least 3 days a week, sometimes more. On weekends we would even eat fast food 2-3 times a day if we were out all day. Bad, bad, bad!!! Processed foods and sugar are the worst things you can put into your body! Just because it's easy and quick doesn't make it okay.

I had wanted to lose weight ever since after having my last child 6 years ago, but always kept putting it off. "Oh I'll wait to start on a Monday", "I'll do it next week", "I'll start tomorrow", "I'll wait till I get a treadmill", etc! Throw out an excuse and I've used it! It was depressing being overweight because I wanted to look good for my husband and myself. I wanted to feel good about myself and wanted him to have a wife he was proud to be with, even though he says he has always thought I was beautiful (insert awww best husband award here). I'm a stay at home/work at home mom with my own small business so that meant sitting around all day on the internet, watching tv, and eating junk food!

It is HARD to lose weight! It is HARD to get the motivation to lose weight! It is hard to keep that motivation as well. I used to think it would be so easy to lose weight. I would think why in the world don't they just exercise and eat less? I thought if someone actually wanted to lose weight then they would. In a way it is true, but it is also very hard to do.

I tried weight watchers a couple years ago and lost 10 lbs in a month but I didn't stay motivated so I gained it all back and more. Diets don't work. Plain and simple. You have to want to be healthy to be able to lose weight. You have to have motivation and self discipline. Diets are a right now kind of thing so once you lose the weight you pretty much stop dieting. That also means you gain the weight back and a lot of times plus more!

I got my motivation almost 4 months ago when I stumbled upon a Facebook page promoting and selling a diet supplement called A.C.E which stands for Appetite Control & Energy. Now I know what you are thinking, she took diet pills!! No they are not diet pills that make you lose the weight! You have to have a prescription to be able to get diet pills because you have to be a so much overweight before you can get those. These are like the kind they sell at Wall-Mart or other drug stores. They give you energy and take away your cravings. They help you to feel full so you aren't hungry all the time.

ACE has changed my life. It gave me the motivation that I needed. It keeps me full so I only eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I occasionally have a snack before bedtime. I don't over eat either which used to be a huge factor in my weight gain. I would think if I ordered food I needed to eat it all even if I was full because I would be wasting money.

 Also just so you know, I DO NOT sell ACE. I do NOT work for ACE in any way. I do NOT get any money or any compensation from it. This is 100% honesty. I want to share because it may help you. If you don't want to take a supplement then that is totally fine. You can still read about what foods I eat and what exercise I do. You can't lose weight just by taking ACE. You have to exercise and you have to eat healthy most of the time.

Losing weight is a a lifestyle change and that is why diets don't work! You have to keep yourself motivated and find your willpower to stick with it. I eat healthy during the week and then one day on the weekend I eat whatever I want to. I don't go overboard but I treat myself to Mexican food or whatever it is that I didn't allow myself to eat for the other 6 days of the week. I think this helps me stay on track.

If you want  to learn more about ACE you can visit the ACE website here or comment below with any questions you may have. I'm not a professional or anything so I just have my opinions and experience to go on. Before taking it or anything else, I recommend asking your doctor about it to make sure it is safe for you to take. I have heart problems and I take it but that doesn't mean you can or should. It has all natural ingredients which was what got my attention in the first place! I take one a day and skip a day a week to help boost my metabolism. It costs $1/each pill and you can get as many as you want in multiples of 2 for anyone wondering. But taking ACE isn't the only thing I do to lose weight!

I have to eat healthy and get some exercise in to be able to lose weight! You also have to drink LOTs of water! I mean like all day. I used to HATE water!!! With ACE you have to drink a full glass of water when taking it. So the first thing I do when I wake up at 5:30 am  every morning is take my ACE and drink a full 16.9 oz bottle of water. I love water now! I even choose to drink it over anything else and that includes when we eat out! I try to drink atleast 4-5 bottles of water a day. I know those plastic bottles aren't good for our planet but I have well water and anyone who has it knows it does not taste good! Getting city water is on our to do list!

How much have I lost since I started trying to lose weight and taking ACE? 30 lbs! I lost 30 lbs in 3 months! I am so proud of myself! I didn't think it was possible. I still want to lose atleast 20-25 more lbs but it depends if I am pleased with my body. I might not even want to lose that much I dont know. So my goal for right now is 10 more pounds. I recommend setting smaller goals for yourself that are within your ultimate goal.

I joined the 90 day ACE weight loss challenge which started my main motivation at the time. That is when I lost my 30 lbs. I recommend joining a similar group because you keep each other motivated even though you are competing against one another. You make new friends who are going through the same thing as you are!

Make sure you drink your recommended daily amount of water! It helps you to stay full and flushes out all of the bad toxins from your body! It has cleared my skin tremendously too! After having children, my body was really bad, and that meant my skin as well. I had an occasional breakout during my teens but nothing major. Then I started getting acne as an adult in my 20's! That also made me feel even worse about myself. Now my skin is so much better! Except for right now....a couple weeks ago I lost my motivation and started eating out everyday for over a week and guess what? I gained 5 lbs and my face broke out super bad! I hadn't had a breakout before that in 2 months! So now I know what is causing it. Putting bad food into my body and not drinking enough water was causing the acne all along. So now, thanks to my week of greasy bad food I am paying for it! I lost those 5 lbs that I had gained thank goodness!

That downslide was definitely a wake up and the motivation I needed to keep going! I got to remember how much better I felt while exercising and eating healthy! That week was miserable, even though I was eating the foods that I wanted. I remember a quote I saw on pinterest.

I hope these motivators help you like they have me! I have a whole pinterest board filled with them! I like to look at them daily to keep myself motivated! Some are funny and some are just simple truth or brutal honesty!

Read my next post for the foods I have been eating to lose weight!

FREE TRICK OR TREAT BAG!

Get a chance to win this super cute trick or treat bag handmade by me!!! It has an adjustable drawstring closure so your child won't lose his/her candy!!! Good quality and so much better than those cheapos that rip that you buy at the store!

All you have to do is click here to be taken to my facebook post, share the photo, be a fan of Laken's Creations (which is my business page). You will then be entered to win! There will be only 1 winner and will be chosen by random.org. Make sure when you click share that it is set as public so I will be able to see that you shared! Easy peasy!

FREE HALLOWEEN GRAPHICS! Little Witches Bottle Cap and Ribbon Graphics

Make sure you subscribe to my blog and follow me on Pinterest to keep receiving FREE graphics and tutorials! I make and share my own custom ribbon graphics, bottle cap images, party supplies, and more! So please subscribe to my blog and I will keep sharing my work with you for FREE!

Here is today's FREEBIES! I also have her in brunette if you are interested just send me a message via facebook!

Another Distressed Zebra Furniture Makeover

I love the mixture of modern and vintage so I have incorporated it into my home! That seems to be the theme lately and I'm loving it! The only thing I did with this beauty was paint and distress it then cover with gift wrap! Yes I said gift wrap!!!

What you need:
Elmers School Glue
Paintbrush or Sponge brush
Paint
Gift Wrap
Mod Podge
Scissors
Measuring Tape

1. Make sure surface is clean.

2. I recommend a sponge brush to paint on elmers glue. Start in sections. Like do one side first because the glue will dry pretty quick. Once you hurry and get 1 coat of elmers glue on your section go back with your paintbrush while the glue is still wet/sticky and paint over it. Doesnt have to be perfect which is the best part about distressing stuff! Then go on to another section while that is drying and do the same thing until you have 1 coat on your entire piece. If you are decoupaging your piece then do not paint or put glue on this area. Only paint the areas that will be seen.

3. Do a second coat of paint if you wish. The Elmers Glue creates cracks in your paint which is how you get that crackle look! If you do a second coat it covers a little more but its whatever you prefer!

4. Let it dry completely!

5. Measure the parts where you will be putting the gift wrap (or you can use fabric, scrapbook paper, or similar as well) and cut it to the size needed or piece together as you wish.

6. Use a sponge brush (a new clean one) to brush the mod podge onto your furniture. Then press on your gift wrap and smooth out making sure it is lined up the way you want it. Be sure there are no wrinkles. I use my hands but if you need to you can use a credit card.

7.  Once you have your gift wrap on let it dry for about an hour, then go back over your gift wrap with a layer of mod podge to make it shiny and sealed! You can do 2 coats if you wish but 1 was enough for mine.

And you're finished! So easy! The best thing is you have a unique piece in your home that will not be identical to anyone else!

Goodwill Chair Makeover

My husband and I scored 2 old chairs from Goodwill for just $4 each a few days ago and over the weekend we gave them makeovers! It was so easy and it was our first chair makeover!

First we took off the seat cushion. My husband unscrewed it from underneath and it came right off! The fabric was stapled on so I just pulled it right off. That left a piece of foam and wood. I lay those aside.

We did the same with the back cushion (or whatever you call it!) and it was harder to get off due to a bazillion staples! So my hubby had to use a knife to pry the staples apart and then use pliers to pull them out. Bless his heart! He definitely loves me because as hard as it was he didn't complain! That cushion was just a piece of foam wrapped inside of fabric. So I layed that to the side.

My husband sanded and painted the chairs while I worked on the cushions. Goes a lot quicker when you are a team! I lay out my fabric on the floor then laid down my foam cushion and then put the wood piece on top of it and cut my fabric about 4 inches all the way around in the same shape as the foam and wood.

 Next I pulled tightly and stapled all the way around which was super easy and quick! The corners are a little tricky but you just have to work with it until it looks okay.

With the other cushion I took the foam piece, wrapped fabric around it like a present and just hot glued the fabric onto the back.

After the chairs were dry (took about 2 coats of regular flat black paint and 1 coat of gloss spray because thats what we already had laying around the house) I hot glued the back cushion onto the chair to hold it in place, while I stapled it all the way around. I then added a piece of lace flower rosette ribbon I bought from Walmart.

The final step was laying the seat cushion down and screwing it back in place! That's it!

So easy and I think they turned out great! My husband and I are thrilled with them! What do you think? I wish I would have taken more pictures but I always get excited and forget. :)

FREE $5 Arby's Gift Card! You better hurry!!

You better hurry for your chance to grab a $5 Arby's gift card! All you have to do is go TO THIS SITE and take a survey! As your reward, they will send you a free $5 gift card! It's super easy! I'm always a little leary of taking surveys because usually they NEVER end! They make you either buy something or sign up for things in order to receive your gift but I did this one and it really works! There are 20 something questions about fast food and coupons and a few about yourself and thats it! So hurry! Your gift card is supposed to arrive 2-4 weeks after taking the survey!

Coupon for FREE Starbucks Refreshers in Pepsi Insert 4/29!

Be on the lookout for a coupon for a FREE 12 fl. oz. can of starbucks refreshers beverage, any flavor up to $2.39 ex5/19. This may be regional so make sure your region's insert has this coupon before buying multiple papers! The coupon is in the Pepsi insert this Sunday!

Some other coupons in the 4/29 pepsi insert include:

$1/2 Pepsi NEXT 2liter Bottles
$1/2 Bags Of Tostitos Tortilla Chips
$1/2 Sun Chips MultiGrain Snacks
$1/2 Bags of Lays Potato Chips
$1/1 Any Lays Potato Chips
$1/2 5ct or Larger Boxes Of Quaker Oats Chewy Granola Bars
$2/2 Packages of Starbucks Via Ready Brew

Free Bottle Cap Images

Bottle cap images are used for many crafts! You can make bottle cap jewelry, magnets, hair bow centers, kitchen backsplash, and lots of other things! Here are just a few to get you started crafting. Just click on the link below the graphics to go to flickr so you can download these cute designs! Keep a look out for new freebies every week! If you see anything else in the album feel free to take what you need! :) 

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE GRAPHICS

FREE Ribbon Graphics!

Remember THIS POST about how to make your own handmade ribbon? Well I thought I'd make it a little easier for you to get started! How about some FREE ribbon graphics? Anyone a Blake Shelton fan? ME ME ME!!! Hopefully you are too but if not, I'll share another one just in case. ;) You can right click and save as onto your computer! Easy peasy right? Oh and before you print, don't forget to mirror image if your transfer paper says to do so! I will post a link below the images for you to go to my flickr account so you can download them. If you see any other graphics you want, feel free to take those too! :)

HERE IS THE LINK FOR YOUR FREE RIBBON GRAPHICS!

DIY Decoupage Ceiling Fan

Bored of that old brown ceiling fan? Decoupage it!

Supplies you will need:

Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper (you can use fabric or gift wrap too)
Scissors
Paint

Step 1: Clean your ceiling fan!
Step 2: Take the blades off and make sure they are free of dust.
Step 3: Paint your blades a color that matches your scrapbook paper or fabric.
Step 4: Lay a blade on your scrapbook paper or fabric and trace on the backside. If you use scrapbook paper, you will need to piece it together in atleast 2 pieces...that is how I did this peace sign fan and you can't even tell. If you use fabric you don't have to worry about that.
Step 5: Cut it out and mod podge onto the blades. Make sure you smooth out any wrinkles. Let dry.
Step 6: After about 20 minutes of drying time, mod podge over top of your blades and let dry again.

You're done! If you want, you can spray paint the metal part of the fan any color you want. You can also spray paint the globe but it does cast a tint of whatever you paint it. The pink on the globes makes a pink tint in the room. Thats ok because my girls like that! ;)

I will have to post a tutorial with pictures soon since I will be making 3 more of these in the weeks to come. So make sure you follow me so you get the update!

TIP: You can put a different print on the other side of the blades so if you get tired of one side you can flip it to the other side for a quick change!

DIY Under $10 Headbaord

So I was tired of the old ugly headboard we had on our bed and sure wasnt about to pay the price of a California King headboard! The sheets cost enough and are hard enough to find as it is! So of course I'd make one! I wish I would have done a tutorial but this was my first time making this ever and didnt even know if I was doing it right. But here is a breakdown of what we did...

Supplies

Plywood from Lowe's (cheapest I could find) $6 (you can make 2 out of this so I count it as $3)
Flat sheet from Walmart $5
Twin size foam mattress pad Free because my mother in law gave me her old one. They cost $10 at Walmart though.
Rhinestones Free because I already had them but they are around $3 at Walmart.
Staple Gun
Drill
Screws
Rhinestones
e6000 glue (already had some but its under $3 at Walmart)

First Step: Measure the width and length of your bed to see what size you will need to cut the plywood and foam.

Second Step: Cut your plywood and foam to the size you measured.

Third Step: Lay out your flat sheet face down (good side should be backwards touching floor and inside of sheet is what you should see facing you) Next, place foam down on the sheet kind of in the center and have even widths on each side of foam. After that, place your plywood down on top of your foam and make sure it is centered straight with your foam. It doesnt have to be perfect but pretty close.

Fourth Step: Wrap your sheet over onto the plywood and use a staple gun to staple the sheet onto the plywood. This is where it is easier to have someone helping you (like my wonderful hubby). If you dont have anyone to help you thats okay dont freak out! You can do it!! Make sure you pull tightly as you staple so that when its all stapled, the front of the headboard is neat and pulled pretty tight...you dont want to see any wrinkles or loose fabric. If you end up with a few wrinkles and loose spots dont give up and throw it out in the yard just yet, you can fix that in this next step.

Fifth Step: Turn your headboard over and if you think it looks good you can leave it like this but if you want it "fancy shmancy" like I did then you just drill in your screws. Make sure you have short screws that wont go all the way through your wood. You just want it long enough to push down the material (sheet) into the plywood. You can measure out and place a dot like I should have done, but if your like me and are super duper impatient you can just go with it and hope for the best!

Sixth Step: Use e6000 glue (walmart craft section) to glue down your rhinestones over top of the screws. If you have covered buttons you can use those too or anything else you may find. Wait atleast a couple of hours to make sure the glue is completely dry so they wont fall off.

Seventh Step: You're almost done! You just need to screw hangers into the back of your headboard so you can hang it on the wall. (We cheated, since our home is our forever home....we screwed some screws all the way into the wall to hold it up...you can't tell because they are mixed in with the other screws and covered with rhinestones :P)


YOU'RE DONE!!!!

10 for $10 Sale at Save-A-Lot!

10/$10 Sale List:
Hindsale Corn Dogs
Gatorade
Fairgrounds Jumbo Hot Dogs
Betty Crocker Snack Size Cookie Mix
Jeno’s Pizza
David Jumbo Sunflower Seeds
TJ Farms Tater Rounds
Oscar Mayer Sliced Bologna
Chef Gusto Mini Pizza Bagels
Gwaltney Roll Sausage
Libby’s Country Sausage Gravy
Big League Chew Bubble Gum
Save-A-Lot TODAY Cereal
Cracker Jack
Banquet Brown ‘N Serve Sausage
Joseph Campione Garlic Loaf

I will have to check for coupons on these because they do accept coupons!

FREE Barilla Whole Grain Pasta at Walmart!

Free Barilla Whole Grain Pasta at Walmart when you print off this coupon from Barilla's Facebook page! Coupon is good for $1/1 making it free at Walmart since it is regulary priced at .98 cents! You get .02 cents overage per coupon as well. You can print up to 2 per computer.

Jolly Rancher Crunch N Chew Candy .39 cents at Walmart

Jolly Rancher Crunch N Chew Candy 1.55 oz is regular price $0.78

Use coupon B1G1 Jolly Rancher Crunch ‘n Chew, 1.55 oz up to $1.19 from SS 4/22 (exp 6/10)

So the final Price is just $0.39 each when you buy 2

Hidden Valley Farmhouse Dressings & Seasonings just .48 cents at Walmart

Use coupon $1.00/1 Hidden Valley Farmhouse Originals Dressing from SS 4/22 to grab you some cheap dressing/seasoning mix at Walmart. Final price is .48 cents after coupon!

Bestlife Buttery Spread or Spray just .48 cents at Walmart

Print off this coupon to score either the spread or spray for just .48 cents! The coupon is good for $1/1 and you are able to print off 2 per computer so this makes for some cheap HEALTHY butter!

Organic Girl Green Onions .58 cents per bundle at Walmart!

If you don't have a garden, print off this coupon for $1.00 off of Organic Girl green onions at Walmart! You can print as many times as you would like so go get you some cheap green onions!

Free Dawn Dish Soap at Kroger!

Free Dawn Dish Soap at Kroger when you use the .50/1 dawn from this month's P&G insert! Right now it is on sale for $10/10 at Kroger. The coupon will double, making the value $1/1 so free after coupon!

Kroger Deals until 4/21/12

You have today and tomorrow to get in on these great deals at Kroger!

Dawn Dishsoap-10/$10 (you DON'T have to buy 10 to get the $1 price)

$0.25/1 Dawn Product (from P&G insert 04/01/12)
$0.50 after coupon and doubles!

 

Green Giant Boxed Vegetables-10/$10 (you DON'T have to buy 10 to get the $1 price)

$0.60/2 Green Giant Boxed Vegetables printable
$0.70 ea. wyb 2 after coupon!

 

Eggo Waffles- 2 for $4

Use .75/1 Kellogg's Eggo Frozen Product from RP 3/11 insert. Some regions received .75/2 so check your coupons first.

As low as $1.25 each when you buy 2 after coupons!

 

Money Maker on Hazelnut Wafers at Walmart!

Print this coupon out and go to Walmart to score some Free + overage Schar Gluten Free Hazelnut Wafers. The coupon is good for $2 off any Schar product and the wafers are $1.67 in most stores so you make around .33 cents! That .33 cents goes toward the rest of your items you purchase. I'm not sure where to find the wafers but they are in a yellow package. Ask a sales associate for help finding it!

Nivea Body Wash .50 cents at Dollar General until 4/21

You have until tomorrow (4/21/12) to score some .50 cent Nivea bodywash at Dollar General. Use coupon $2/1 Nivea Bodywash for women from Red Plum insert 4/15.

Get Wisk Laundry Detergent for $2 at Dollar General!

Wisk is on sale this week at Dollar General for $4 per bottle. Use the $2/1 Wisk Coupon from the Red Plum insert 3/25. This is a stock up price on laundry detergent.

Get .50 Hair Color at Dollar General!

Score some .50 cent hair color at Dollar General with coupon $5/2 Clairol Hair Color from smart source 4/15 insert!! Now thats a deal on hair dye!

Great Blogs and Forums to find good deals

It is hard to find deals all by yourself so thank goodness there are blogs and sites that do all the work for you! Here are a couple of go to sites I have used ever since I first started couponing...

Coupon Mom - super easy as it has all stores and you can just click on a store and it lists all the great deals starting with the free stuff!

We Use Coupons - my favorite by far. It is a blog and a forum. The site was created by Nathan Engles aka Mr. Coupon, which was on the hit TLC show Extreme Couponing and is actually from Kentucky!

So there ya go, two of the best (turstworthy) sites I have found to easily find the best deals. Hopefully you will learn a little from Mr. Coupon as well as myself.

Double Coupons

I know when I first heard someone talk about doubling coupons I was like say what? I was so confused! But its not as crazy as it sounds. Not all stores double coupons, especially where I live. The only place around here that doubles is Kroger and up to .50 cents. This means if you have a coupon that says .50 cents off of 1 product then Kroger will double it to make your coupon value actually $1.00 off of 1 product! And if you have a coupon that says .30 cents off 1 product then they will double it and make it .60 cents off! So when you see those measly low coupons don't throw them away! They are worth more at stores who double.

Walmart was actually doing a trial run of doubling coupons in certain stores, like Huntington, WV but not sure if that is still going on. Hopefully all Walmarts will start doubling so we can all find great deals all the time. The only trouble with that would be, finding deals because so many people would be couponing they would need to constantly stock the shelves. But how great would it be to find free stuff at Walmart every shopping trip?!

You just have to call the stores in your area and ask them if they double. Some stores even triple but I haven't been lucky enough to find a store like that yet!

Kmart in my area doubles on certain dates up to $1.00 and I have found cat food for free because I had a buy one get one free coupon and they doubled that as well! Kmart is the only store that I know that has ever doubled that kind of coupon for me so don't go to Kroger expecting them to double a bogo coupon. BOGO means buy one get one by the way. There are lots of abbreviations in the coupon world so I will have to make a post for that to help you understand coupon talk!

Stockpile Prices-How much should you pay for products?

That was my first question when I first started couponing and stockpiling. I was scared to death I was paying too much for stuff. So I'm here to help! If you are a beginner, this will help. These are prices that I usually pay for each necessity. However, if you feel comfortable paying a discounted price for something then go for it! You have to create your own comfort zone and as long as you are getting something cheap don't beat yourself up about it. You're still saving more money than those that are paying full price for the same product. You will learn as you go along, like I did. You will make mistakes (and I still do). I have been couponing for a year and coupons are not as valuable as they were a year ago but you can still find good deals. You just have to work for it. But if you stick with me, I'll do all the hard work for you. I'll find us some good deals, you just have to find the coupons and go shopping! Don't get discouraged if you can't build a stockpile right away because no one builds one overnight! It takes time. When you do find a good deal, stock up! If something is free or really cheap that you can't pass up why not donate the rest to charity or share with family and friends? You may think 50 tubes of toothpaste is ridiculous to buy but its definitely not whenever I create gift baskets for my friends and family for the holidays or their birthday filled with all the necessities they would be spending their money on anyway. That is what I give to my family each year and I get no complaints. I mean after all, wouldn't you rather get a huge basket of stuff you will actually use instead of that ugly sweater that you won't wear? lol You will find a lot of travel size products for free with coupons (as long as the coupon can be used on travel size). Use those to put in little goodie bags for the homeless or another charity. You could even use those in gift baskets like I do! Those little travel sizes come in handy for vacation ya know!

Toothpaste- Free - .25 cents
Toothbrushes- Free
Razors- Free - 1.00 or less per pack
Deodorant- Free - .50 cents
Body Wash- Free - .50 cents (most of the time free)
Shaving Cream- Free - .30 cents
Shampoo/Conditioner- Free - 1.00
Air Freshners- Free - 1.00
Laundry Detergent Free - 2.00
Medicine (advil, benadryl itch sticks, tylenol, bayer, breathe right, etc) Free + overage
Bandaids- Free
Pads/Tampons- 1.00 per box or less
Dish Soap- Free- .50 cents
Hand Soap- Free - .30 cents


Food is a little harder to stock up on but I do find really good deals.

Minute Maid Frozen Novelties (frozen lemonade, cherry, etc) Free - I had stocked up on 20 boxes of these 2 different times last summer and they never lasted long!
Rice- Free
Pasta- Free
BBQ sauce, Ketchup, Mustard- .20 cents - .50 cents
Cereal 1.50 per box or less (mostly 1.00 or less but 1.50 is a good price for me too)
Candy- Free- .25 cents (such as full size candy bars)
Pop - Free often if you use coke rewards like I do but with coupons you can get 12 packs for as low as 1.00 sometimes.
Bologna & Hot Dogs- Free
You will find other food for free but these are items I have gotten for free or super cheap most often. I just can't think of them all! This should at least give you an idea of how much you can save with coupons. You just have to match those coupons with sales, and to get items free you often have to shop at a store that doubles coupons like Kroger.

FREE Country Crock at Walmart!

Score free Country Crock pumpkin spice spread at Walmart with THIS coupon! Print up to 2 per computer!

FREE Pepsi Next 2 Liter at Kroger!

Free Pepsi Next 2 Liter at Kroger when you load their e-coupon onto your kroger card! Just go here to load the coupon to your card.

Free Fly Swatters & Fly Paper at Walmart with this coupon!

It's back! I got a ton of fly swatters last year and gave some to family and friends. These are the strongest made fly swatters I've seen. With the $1/1 any Black Flag Product coupon from the 4/15 Red Plum insert that makes the fly swatters and fly paper free, you just pay tax!!! They are priced at .98 cents each at Walmart, hand them this coupon and you only pay like .04 cents tax because you get .02 cents in overage from the coupon! If you dont have this coupon, check ebay!

Score some Cheap toilet paper!

Score some cheap toilet paper with this coupon! Click on the word this in that last sentence and it will take you to White Cloud's facebook page where you can print $2.50/1 package of 12 or 24 roll toilet paper. This is around $5 at Walmart so you can get it for half price! You can print up to 3 times per computer. When one coupon prints hit the back button to print again! 

Got a cat? Get your kitty some treats as low as .19 cents with this coupon

Get your kitty some cheap cat treats for as low as .19 cents with the $1/1 crave soft treats for cats in the 4/15 Red Plum insert.

Kroger has these for $1.19 per bag so .19 cents after coupon!

Walmart has these for $1.38 per bag so .38 cents after coupon! Still a great deal.

Target has these for 1.25 per bag so just .25 cents after coupon!

Prices may be regional but very close! You can find this coupon on ebay or my favorite site when you go into the forum and join! Just look for someone willing to trade them.

This is a great stock up price for me! I will be sure to stock up on these!



Handmade Ribbon

This is an example of a hair bow that I made with handmade ribbon. It is our school team. After you buy or make the graphics all you do are these steps...

1. Make sure you mirror the image (image is flipped backwards) If your image is not already flipped when you buy it just open up paint and click on rotate and flip horizontal. Make sure you save a copy of it. Make sure you have the right size graphics for the size ribbon you have. Such as 3/8", 7/8" etc.
2. Print out the graphics on tshirt transfer paper.
3. Cut into strips as wide as it fits the ribbon.
4. Flip one strip over onto the ribbon and iron on, for about 30 seconds. Wait for it to cool and then peel back off of the transfer paper to see how it looks. Continue on to the next strips.

It's easy peasy! If you want to learn how to make your own graphics, go to etsy and purchase a template for graphics. Follow the tutorial if it came with one. I use gimp because you can download it for free so make sure you purchase for the right program. If you dont have photoshop dont buy those templates for it because you will have to buy photoshop and its pretty expensive. Here is a good one to purchase because it is cheap and for gimp. You can figure it out fairly easy but I will try to post a tutorial soon. The basics is you open up the template in gimp, copy and paste photos onto your ribbon template (you can resize the photos with gimp too) and I find it easier to use paint to add text.

Best places to buy ribbon!

So if  you are new to the handmade world then you've probably already realized that ribbon is one of the supplies you will use the most and it can be pretty expensive especially if you are trying to sell your crafts. Either way you probably want to find the cheapest ribbon possible right? Yes, Walmart and craft stores carry ribbon but it is pretty expensive there. Here are the best sites I have found to buy ribbon...

www.unitedcraftus.com - the CHEAPEST place by far to buy solid ribbon. It is made a less stiff than other grosgrain but it works just fine for me and I've had no complaints. You do have to have a minimum of $50 to order but it is well worth it if you are going to be needing multiple colors of ribbon. You get 50 yard rolls for as little as 1.95/roll last time I bought from there! I think you have to sign up and make an account to be able to see the prices but its free to do so.

www.ribbonheaven.com - you have to have a membership for this one but its so worth it. I think it is $29.95 for the membership but its for a lifetime. I think it was $14.95 on sale. They have minnie mouse, m2mg (made to match gymboree) lalaloopsy and all those unique designs you see on ebay that are $1/yard. Except at this site you get similar prints for around $3-4 for 10 yard rolls!!!

www.tabbywabby.com is the owner of the ribbonheaven site. You can buy from this site without a membership but the prices aren't as cheap.

www.ribbonretreat.com is an okay site but not my favorite. I like their grab bags.

www.ribbonsandbowsohmy.com (aka rabom) is a pretty good site if you want higher quality ribbon. I recommend it over the ribbon retreat site.

If you want unique ribbon I HIGHlY recommend making it yourself! It's easier than you think. You can make your own graphics or buy the ribbon graphics on etsy. I make my own graphics for all size ribbon and print my own ribbon. It's the best thing ever because you can personalize it with anything you want, personal photos, favorite teams, names, anything! I will show you how to do this in an upcoming post!



Handmade Mesh Wreath

For anyone who knows me knows that we are DIE HARD Louisville Cardinal fans here in this house. Our rival is yeah you guessed it UK! Boo!! lol but we do live in "wildcat country" and with that said there are a ton of UK fans that live around here so I just have to cringe and deal with it..haha This is just one of the many wreaths that I have made. I used mesh that is weather resistant, tulle, ribbon, and handmade the wood plaque in the center. You can find mesh at Hobby Lobby and the 21"x10yd rolls are $10 there but I found a super cheap site called www.lacrafts.com that has it for only $5.50 for the same size rolls! I bought 14 rolls and after shipping each roll totalled to be $6.25 each! That's a great deal because I can make 2-3 wreaths from one roll! I'm giving away my secrets but this blog is all about me helping you save money with what I know. There are tons of youtube videos out there showing you how to make this but one day soon I promise to take pictures and give a detailed tutorial on how to make a mesh wreath.

Mason Jar Light Fixture

This project was made by my wonderful hubby. I had been nagging him to make me one ever since I saw one on etsy. I wasnt about to pay the $300 price tag when we could easily make one with all the things we had lying around the house! So our cost of this project was FREE!! If you don't have the supplies to make this yourself, I'm sure it wouldnt cost no more than $30.00! The hardest part was having to go up in the attic to hook it up because we had to cut a hole in the ceiling for the wires. If you wanted to put this where a light already is then you dont have to worry! My hubby is an electrician so it was pretty easy for him to do, just hard since our attic is actually just a hole in the ceiling with a few boards to walk across!! He loves me that much! If you have any questions about this project just ask in the comment section below!