Penny is a happy camper at the vets…..
…until we tell her she has to get shots š
Wedding Weekend!
Yesterday we drove down to San Jose/San Martin for my cousin Lyndon’s wedding! The hotel we stayed at was amazing and the view from the top was incredible. The wedding was so much fun and it was held in a beautiful vineyard. Congrats Yasmin and Lyndon! It was also Kori’s 17th birthday, so we are glad we got to celebrate with her!
Birthday lunch at Cheesecake Factory!
Pretending we are on the Tower of Terror in our elevator
At Iguana’s! Featured on the Food Network for having HUGE burritos!
Working out in the nice gym really early!
At the hotel
The ceremony location
My Aunt and Uncle, parents of the groom
Penny loves the dog park!
Morning Ride
Today we went for a quick 12 mile ride, it was very pretty! Casey got to wear his new Saxo Bank jersey too š
Bike Riding
Today we went on another ride with Penny, check it out!
What a great idea!
I love coupons and getting good deals. Some good sites that I print from include:
http://coupons.smartsource.com/smartsource
http://print.coupons.com/CouponWeb
BUT, there is this new way of using coupons that does not require you to clip them or waste paper! They are called electronic coupons and you just save them directly onto your store card, like Safeway, for example. Once you swipe your card at the check out stand, the savings is deducted from the total if you purchased that item! How cool is that?!
These are some of these sites:
I also just discovered some sites that you can buy gift cards from! They buy gift cards or store credit from people that do not want them anymore. People can even trade unwanted cards for more desired cards if they do not want to just sell them. They guarantee the amount on the card and check it before it is sent. It is a great way to save some money on everyday or even special purchases!
They sell gift cards for many, many things. Major retailers and department storesā¦home improvement storesā¦restaurantsā¦movie theatersā¦entertainment venuesā¦hotels and car rentals, specialty stores, shoe stores, furniture stores, computer/appliance stores, ITUNES, book stores, etc.
They charge either no shippingā¦or very minimal shipping. What they have in stock changes from day-to-day. Two of the websites have a feature that allows you to sign up for email alerts letting you know when a particular gift card is in stock. Also, some gift cards are valid at more than one place. So if an Olive Garden gift card is a bigger discount than the Red Lobster, buy the Olive Garden one! You can maximize your savings by using these gift cards towards things that are on sale AND using coupons!
Our bikes got makeovers :)
So today Casey redid our bikes! Mine got new handlebars, a new seat, and new white brake cable housing. It is a very “custom” looking bike says Casey…as he chuckles. You don’t usually see a bike with road bike wheels, a track bike frame, carbon fiber fork, and cruiser handle bars! haha
Casey’s got new handlebar tape and a rack for the back! We love our “new” bikes!
Penny even got in on the action! We made her a bike leash and went on a bike ride with her!
We went bowling today!
Today was National Bowling day so went went! We even got a free game and we both managed to get a strike! Casey beat me by a few points because I choked on my last turn and went in the gutter! Bummer! haha
Casey’s turn!
My turn!
An apple a day…
I recently invested in a juicer for us, the Breville Juice Fountain Plus, to be exact. I researched which juicer I wanted for a long time, and finally decided this was the one. It has 2 power speeds for juicing soft and harder fruits and veggies and cleaning it is not that bad. We have been juicing almost everyday since we got it! I couldn’t be happier! I usually just throw in a little of everything we have and it tastes amazing! Casey drinks his glass in less than a minute it is so yummy! We are definitely getting a lot more fruits and veggies in our diet than we used to that is for sure!
Here is what I usually use to make our juice:
2 apples
2 peaches
2 handfuls of spinach
3 carrots
1 celery stalk
3 handfuls of blueberries
2 handfuls of strawberries
2 handfuls of blackberries or raspberries
1 orange
1 kiwi
My new favorite pastime
So I found some great sites that I thought I would share! I have been really into finding coupons for our grocery shopping trips, finding online deals, and getting freebies. I only clip or print coupons that I know we will use, and do not buy a product just because it is an amazing deal if we do not need it-though it it is very tempting!
Some of my favorite sites that post freebies and have them nicely organized in categories are:
http://www.sweetfreestuff.com/
I love getting Penny natural dog treat freebies from those sites!
I have also been reading up on how to use the “bonus dollars” that certain drugstores such as CVS, RiteAid, and Walgreens offers. There are sites that post the best deals of the week for each drugstore and then post coupons that make the deal even better. Some products in the store will be “free” after you get your bonus dollars printed on your receipt. Those offers, combined with coupons, can give you what is called a “money maker.” You just have to get the ball rolling by purchasing an item that will give you the same amount of bonus dollars in return. From then on, adding coupons into the mix, doing multiple transactions, and rolling your bonus dollars to future weeks, you can get SO much free stuff! And these are some of my favorite sites that make it easy and walk you through it:
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/
http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers
They also have tips on how to cut down your grocery budget, save money, menu ideas, and links to other helpful sites.
I have also found this site that lists recipes that cost under $5 if you buy items on sale! Who doesn’t like to save money?! Pretty neat!
http://www.5dollardinners.com/
Also, check out the free entrance days coming up at these National Parks to see if you can go!