Tall Dad and I are at the age when our summer is consumed by weddings. Weddings, weddings and more weddings. Celebrating love on it’s most important day is great. Especially in the summer. The weather is perfect, and each wedding seems like it’s own mini vacation. Heck, it gives Tall Dad and I a night out and a reason to have a few adult drinks together 🙂 With Itty Bitty, there are very few opportunities for a night to get dressed up nowadays, so I look forward to these weddings with great enthusiasm. While I love celebrating love on these very special days – my wallet does not. They get expensive, right? Nevermind if you’re in a wedding! Then it triples in price. It’s a lot of money, and a lot of pressure. You have to shop for new dresses, scour Pinterest to get ideas of what to do with hair and makeup, and then go searching for the perfect wedding card. Add a kid to this whole mess and, well, that’s what you’ve got – a giant mess. But, I’ve found out how to help combat some of the downfalls of love’s best day. Hit the jump to find out my ways to save money and manage my kid by using paperless coupons.
Tall Dad and I recently attended a wedding that was in Cape Cod, MA. It was the perfect “Cape” wedding. Beach themes, formal but not in your face formal, cute tea length dresses, lobsters to your heart’s content, live band, all coupled with good friends and family.
The night out was really perfect for the Tall parents. We needed it.
In fact, it was so perfect that I actually bought a brand new dress for the event. But, the only problem was that it looked exactly like the bridesmaids dresses. It was so close that the photographer kept taking photos of us! Ooops. I hope the bride and groom really like us!
Aside from being stalked by the photographer, Tall Dad and I had a wonderful night together. We danced the night away to the soothing sounds of Amy Winehouse, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars and many more. We ate lobster until our bellies waved the white flag, and then topped the night off with a spectacular ice cream bar.
Amidst the food, ice cream, pictures, and the eventual build up of sweat from the constant dancing, Tall Dad kept telling me I was the prettiest girl he ever met. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not – but he did make me feel like it. Maybe it is true. He is kind of corny like that 🙂
I did feel pretty though. Yes, because he kept telling me so, but mainly because I worked super hard on my makeup and dress. I knew I looked good. This Tall Mom’s still got it 🙂
I had done my make up for the evening with some products I purchased recently at Walgreens. I especially love experimenting with eye make up, considering how I recently got my eyelash extensions. (Which are phenomenal by the way. If you have ugly stubby lashes like me, do yourself a favor and get some. It’ll change your life.)
Why did I get my makeup at Walgreens? Well, there’s a shop right down the road from me and I like their selection. But, because I go there so often I’ve downloaded this great app that gives me the ability to electronically clip my coupons! They show right up on my iPhone screen! All I needed to do was scan the barcode on my phone screen at the checkout counter and I saved about $10 when I purchased my new summer makeup.
Wait, what the heck are paperless coupons?
Paperless Coupons be ‘clipped’ to your Walgreens Balance Rewards account and redeemed when you make your purchases. As I said, all you have to do is scan the Balance Rewards Card (via the App on your phone, the actual card or by punching in your phone number) at checkout and it’s automatically applied.
The only thing you have to worry about is syncing your Balance Rewards membership to the Mobile App after you’ve downloaded the app. Once that’s done, you’re off to the money saving races.
Naturally, each paperless coupon can only be used once. Upon it’s use, that coupon will automatically be deleted from your coupon database. Makes sense right? So, in order to save ten bucks like me, all you have to do is download an app, and sync it to your rewards card? Jeez, I do more for my iTunes account every day!
It may not seem seem like a lot, but ten dollars is ten dollars. Seriously, who turns down free money? Of course, each coupon is different so you’re not always going to save that much. But, with my savings that day, I was able to put that money towards my new dress and also towards the gift that we gave the bride and groom.
And, let’s be honest here – it was an excuse to buy myself some new makeup 🙂
In all seriousness though, Tall Dad and I are hoping start saving a lot more money.
Especially after having a great talk with financial experts Derek and Carrie on a recent episode of ParentCast. We have been thinking of lots of ways that we could be saving and we’re already off to a great start – our cars are going to be paid off by the end of the summer and do we really need all those useless channels on our cable subscription? Check and check.
That coupon actually got me to thinking about how much money I spend at the local Walgreens too. Our budget indicated that I spent A LOT of money there. Between the diapers, medicine, vitamins, and my makeup addiction, we should buy stock in that company! But this mobile app makes it worth it.
Yes, the money savings is great.
Holy crap is it great.
But, the best thing about this app is that I don’t have to get the paper, break out the scissors, cut up the coupon, save the coupon from my child’s curious hands (and mouth), get a folder for the aforementioned coupon, bring that folder (with all the other coupons Tall Dad and I have vowed to use) and then match the appropriate coupon to the appropriate item upon checking out.
I don’t have that kind of time or patience.
Neither does Itty Bitty.
I mean, I don’t have the time to take a shower in the morning because of Itty Bitty. I don’t even have enough time to respond to my friends via text unless I’m hiding in the bathroom on the toilet.
Do you really think I have enough time to cut coupons?
In the famous words of Tall Dad, “yeah right, guy.”
But the mobile app prevents all that non sense. I just show up, scan that little bar code and I save money in less than 3 seconds. No kid crying. No stupid folder. No hiding in the bathroom. Wait, strike that. I still hide there 🙂
I’ve already written about how pink nail polish saved my sanity. I’ve also talked about my new love for eyelash extensions. My next suggestion to those new moms out there who maybe feeling a little down or frumpy about themselves is to head on over to Walgreens, put some coupons on your iPhone or android device, and buy yourself some new blush or eyeshadow.
Have fun with that. Watch a couple YouTube tutorials.
Even if you mess up, it’s okay because you can wash it all off. But eventually, you’ll find a new makeup style that makes you feel like you have a little more jump in your step.
Even if you don’t like to do make up, that’s totally fine! Maybe you’d like to buy some new bubble bath, or aromatherapy candles. Do it!
Find ways to do things for yourself. You deserve it.
I get it, it’s tough. Being a new mom is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. The juggling act of being a wife, mother, friend and every other hat women are supposed to wear is damn near impossible.
Adding the financial burden to this act adds fuel to an already raging fire.
You’re spending so much money on this baby,on your baby’s new furniture, on your family, on the new foods that you’re trying to eat so that they’re healthy, on doctor’s bills and on and on and on. There are more bills than I can count.
Yup you’re are a new mom. You’re a new parent. But, you’re still yourself.
Try going out. Even if for only a half hour. Find your pink nail polish. Find your fun colorful eyeshadows like me. I don’t know what makes you happy. Only you do.
Maybe you’re into cabbage Patch Dolls still (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
I’m just sayin’ that you should find your fun thing and do it.
Just go out there and find something that you can do that’s inexpensive that makes you feel better, fun and more like you.
You need to have fun.
Go to weddings, or do your makeup. Get something as simple as nail polish or eye shadow.
…Or Cabbage Patch Dolls…
Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
Great post! You had me rolling. Love the color of your dress, too. Great job with your savings on makeup. That is not too shabby. #client