New Blog!

Follow me over at my new blog, Mothering Blindfolded!

A Sudden Turn of Events...

I've been blogging here at Life in #3 for a little over a year now. Since that initial post, this blog has taken many forms, and I've thoroughly enjoyed learning about blogging and becoming a part of the wonderful online community.

But now, I've realized, it is time to move on. To explore something new, fresh and exciting. It is time for me to let Life in #3 be just as it is- the documentation of our lives while living in apartments number 3 in Ft. Thomas, KY. To morph it into something else would be disrespectful.

So, as I make the move from married college student and transition into my role as a mother and dedicated writer, it is time for a new blog- one that emcompasses more of who I am and what my family is all about.

Our move into a new apartment in a new city has and will require us to pack our belongings and start somewhere fresh. And Life in #3 will be packed up as well... It's a bittersweet farewell, but I'm excited for what's next!

Thank you for reading and sharing here with me this past year, it's been quite the ride!

Freezer Cooking Day- Attempt #2

It's officially freezer cooking weekend again! Boy, that month went by fast! I am so glad I did some freezer cooking last month- it really helped during those times when I didn't feel like cooking. This time, I'm going to make sure I don't run out of flour.

Because we are moving next month, I don't want to put too much into the freezer. I'll be keeping my recipes simple and won't be double batching much.

Here's my plan:

• 2 Batches of Chocolate Chip Pancakes


• 10 chicken fajitas with cheese and salsa


• 1 package of cookies


• my special chocolate cake (sister's bday)


• 2 batches of pizza dough (bread machine)


• 2 batches of chocolate chip muffins (can you tell we like chocolate?!)

This should provide us with some quick lunches, breakfasts and desserts, but it won't be so much that there is a lot leftover. My plan of attack:

• Saturday- Pancakes, Muffins, fajitas, pizza dough
• Sunday- Cake, cookies

If you would like to join in on the Freezer Cooking day challenge, link up at MoneySavingMom.com, where you can get ideas from other ladies doing the challenge. Here's more information about OAMC or freezing cooking.

Kroger Savings and the Coupon Mom

Recently, I've been reading, Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom to help refresh myself on maximum grocery saving ideas and learn some new ones. I became so inspired, I just had to go to the grocery. I'm counting it as part of next week's budget, because it was all stockpile. Here's a picture of what I got:

After shopping at Aldi all month, it was nice and refreshing to pick up some name brand idems again. And Kroger milk is soooo good, in my opinion! Everything I bought I had a coupon for (the milk was a promotion). Before coupons and sales, the total for everything above would have cost $41.61...

My total bill was $13.85! That's 67% savings!

I could have bought more (for example, the chicken was at its lowest price point), but I need to keep the freezer low since we will be moving out of town in less than a month.

The book really inspired me to further reduce my grocery spending. I already don't spend much at the grocery store, but now I'm learning strategies on how to get it even lower. One of the things I'm currently working on is creating a price book for the three major stores I shop at. I will be updating this price book once a week for two months to help identify trends in most sales. And since the stores I shop at are major chains, I won't have to worry about figuring out a new store once we move.


If you are looking for ways to cut back in your budget, I highly recommend Stephanie Nelson's book. She is the grocery shopping and couponing guru of today.

Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

CVS savings week of 2/21

I was able to go snag some CVS deals this week again. It feels so good to get great deals on household products I would otherwise have bought down the road anyway.

My transaction was pretty simple this week. I bought a Lady Speed Stick deodorant on sale for $2.99 and a Colgate toothpaste on sale for $2.99. I used one coupon for each product (0.50/1 and 0.75/1), bringing my total to $4.50. I also bought a resuable bag tag for $0.99, so before taxes my total was $5.49.

I had $4 from ECBs last week, so I only paid $1.49 plus tax for these three items. And I earned another $4 in ECBs to use next week as well! My resuable bag tag was scanned, so after three more trips to CVS, I will earn back the initial 99 cents I spent on it too.

I didn't go to Walgreens this week, since the deals were slim to none, and I always end up spending more out of pocket there anyway. I sure miss the days when Walgreens still had their giftcard rebate program!