Tips to SAVE on your Grocery Bill

First things first...

Is anybody else as obsessed with them as me?!?!

An American Princess?!?! I know, I know she won't be a Princess, she'll be a Duchess, but CLOSE ENOUGH! She is absolutely stunning (I need a white coat) and I just love how he looks at her! Prince Harry has always been my fave out of the two. Aren't they so cute together? I thought they were so sweet to each other in their interview. Mike dreams of having a Corgi and when I told him the Queens Corgi's took to Meghan right away he was like "She's a good one and extremely lucky!" HA! Did you hear the story about her ring? So thoughtful. I will be anxiously counting down the days until Spring 2018. I CANNOT WAIT to see her dress!

Fun fact, Mike and I were married the same year as Will and Kate and we all joked that our wedding was the REAL royal wedding that year. I remember thinking about how I wanted all the women at my wedding to wear fancy hats. Those royals sure know how to do it! So who's up for getting married next year?!? I need another "royal wedding" to attend. #nopressure

Okay, on to saving on your grocery bill.....

The biggest question I get asked is how we afford to have four kids (five including Auntie Lexi). I'm a stay at home mom and my husband is an electrician. Well, if you want to get technical he's an electrical apprentice and does not have his electrical license yet. We're a few months out from that. In  the past 3 years we've cut our income drastically when my husband switched careers and added 2 more kids to the mix. Our expenses went up and our available funds plummeted. We were panicked and weren't sure how we would afford LIFE. It took us awhile but I can say proudly that we have figured out how to feed our family of seven with a budget of $150-$175, sometimes $200 a week. Yep, we keep it under $200 a week. And truth is, I don't use coupons. I always ALWAYS forget them. Mike get's so upset with me about this. A lot of these tips are due to Mike. He is SO CHEAP, but it helps A LOT so thanks babe for showing me the way.

Let me preface this by saying non of these "tips" are ground breaking and I'm sure a lot of you do all of these things but just in case and because I've been asked about it....here is what we do.



Set a food budget and do your best to stick to it. Whatever you think is feasible and doable for your family.

Buy in bulk. If you have a BJ's, Costco, or anything like that go there. We hit up BJ's once a month, most of the time, some months we just go to the grocery store, depending on how our budget worked out for that month. BJ's saves but can get expensive so we don't always go. But when we do we get the kids school snacks, drinks, chicken nuggets (etc), fruit, meats, diapers, wipes, eggs, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. It's usually a big expense up front but lasts us all month, and sometimes longer depending on the item. You've really got to plan out what you're going to get there and this is one place I never EVER forget my coupons!! They have the best ones!

Once a week shop at Market Basket. Not sure if you have one near you but if you do, stop shopping at your regular grocery store and go here. EVERYTHING is on sale and/or cheaper and it's all the same stuff as at other grocery stores. I don't know how they do it but this mama is thankful they do! I've noticed at Shaws and Stop n Shop (again local grocery chains here in Massachusetts) EVERYTHING is 2 for $5 or 2 for $6. Well, Market Basket has all the same stuff but majority of it is 2 for $4. Which doesn't seem like a big difference but it add's up. The first time Mike and I went to Market Basket (because we always grocery stop together...it's our date night, no really, it is..) we filled up two whole carts for $200. So, if possible find a grocery store with significantly cheaper prices. It sounds like a no-brainer but my most frugal neighbor had no idea how much cheaper Market Basket was than Stop n Shop. It's true some people get stuck in their own way and don't buy into the hype. But this is one thing I can tell you is worth it. It saves us so much!

If you can, buy store brand. My mom and I get in arguments about this...she doesn't believe me that it's all tastes exactly the same but IT DOES. Love you Mom! Again, it's going to save you like $1 on each item to just buy the store brand stuff. It also add's up. There are some things I won't buy store brand but most things we do. Examples are milk, butter, bread, mini bagels, snacks, lunch meats, pasta, shredded cheese, cream cheese, waffles, apple slices, herbs, seasoning, sauces, water, etc.

More expensive doesn't always mean better. For example, my kids LOVE pizza. Instead of ordering out at $14 a pizza we grab 3 frozen pizza's for $10 at the grocery store and everyone is happy.I can get 3 Red Baron Pizza's for $10 and feed my entire family with leftovers. They're delicious too and are ready faster than if we had it delivered.

Now on to lunch meats, which is what the kids and Mike live on during the week. This is just a small tip but when I order my meat at the deli I order a specific type say Honey Ham and then tell them to give me whatever is on sale. To us, it all tastes the same.

This one seems pretty self explanatory but before you grab your favorite item off the shelf look at what's on sale that week. For example, I know it's really bad for us but my sister and I like soda. So depending on what's on sale we switch between Pepsi and Coke. I honestly like Diet Coke better than Diet Pepsi but to save a few bucks I tolerate it. Mike does this with Gatorade and Vitamin Water too. We switch between brands of all different types of food and drinks. If nothing is on sale for a particular item that week, we don't buy it. This one was hard for me to get used to but I'll just buy something else that is on sale to make that week. It is EXTREMELY rare for the Sasses to buy ANYTHING that isn't on sale. (I do this with clothes too!)

Speaking of sales, try your hardest to not buy things simply because they are on sale. I've seen people with so much meats piling up in their freezer, or a bunch of sides that they usually wouldn't buy, that they will never end up using but they felt like they had to buy it because it was on sale. Only buy what you absolutely NEED. Do not do not do not impulse buy!

MEAL PLAN! This is by far my biggest tip. Figure out what you are making for the week. What days your kids are going to buy lunch/bring lunch. What night your going to order take out because you won't have enough time to cook. Figure out EXACTLY what you need for the week. I hate hate HATE throwing out food we didn't use. So I write it all down.

For example:

Monday night - Spaghetti & Meatballs - garlic bread
Tuesday - Tacos // Quesadillas 
Wednesday - Baked Chicken - carrots, green beans, stuffing
Thursday - Frozen Pizza - salad
Friday - Pork Chops - corn, potatoes, salad
Saturday - TAKE OUT // Leftovers 
Sunday - Chicken Broccoli & Ziti - rolls

This is just a random example. But it gives you an idea. I'll get everything I need for the week and that's it. Plus, there's no guessing game come 5 o'clock night after night. We already know what we are having. One of my friends has a chalkboard she uses as a weekly menu board in her kitchen. I think its a great idea!

That brings me to my next tip. Write a list!! Don't go in blind and impulse buy. It's the worst thing you can do and the easiest way to go over your budget. Write a list, look at fliers, figure out exactly what you need, what's on sale and only buy that. This and meal planning also makes it easier to eat healthy. 

These are all super simple things that in the end will add up to save you a lot of money. If you're better with coupons than I am you'll save even more. This is what works for us and hopefully you can pick up something here or there that'll work for you too. I hope this helps!



Let me know in the comments if you have any tips I may have missed!

Scentsy Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Emily Donga!!!

You've won a $20 warmer of your choice along with a wax bar in whatever scent you choose!

Andrea will email you so you can claim your prize! 

A HUGE thank you to Andrea for hosting this giveaway. I had so much fun working with you and hope we can do it again. xoxo

If you are interested in hosting a Scentsy party of your own and getting Scentsy for FREE or are interested in placing an order, make sure to contact Andrea. CLICK HERE to visit her Facebook page.

I hope everyone has an amazing week and a happy happy Thanksgiving! 

The kids have school today and tomorrow, then they are on Thanksgiving break. Yep, our town did without the half-day on Wednesday and we have no school! :) We are really excited about this. I LOVE when my kiddo's are home with me!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scentsy :: GIVEAWAY ::

So, have you tried Scentsy yet? I'm sure you've heard of it but if you haven't tried it I'm here to tell you that it is 100% worth all the hype!

My friend Andrea, who I've known my entire life, is an independent sales consultant for Scentsy and has been working with the company for a little over a year. So, when she gave me the chance to try out their products I jumped right on it! I'm a candle lover through and through. I ALWAYS have at least one candle burning in my house at all times. Scentsy has warmers, which are basically flame-less candles and for so long I've fought the urge to try them. I felt like I'd be cheating on my REAL candles. So I didn't even look into Scentsy. I thought that's all Scentsy was but it's so much more. 

CLICK HERE to check out Andrea's site.

Andrea gifted me with a basket full of SO MUCH Scentsy goodness. From warmers to laundry detergent and something for my dryer to a car air freshener to an oil diffuser to body wash to counter cleaner....the list goes on and on and on. There was stuff for me, stuff for the kids and even Mike was looking forward to seeing what everything did! I was so excited to try it all out and didn't even know where to start!

First, lets begin with the obvious ... the warmers.

How pretty, right?!

To me the best part about the warmers was how good they smelt. It gave out much more of a scent than a candle and I LOVED that. I like to walk into a house or a room and have it smell great and Scentsy definitely helps with that. I have two toddlers in diapers and two dogs, I need all the help I can get! (HA! Just keeping it real people!) I tried out a bunch of different scents, kept the warmer on all day and Mike kept commenting on how great they smelt.

Scentsy bars in the warmer before they melted

Basically you plug in the warmer, turn it on, it lights up so beautifully, you put in some wax and it warms the wax giving off a great smell without all the toxic chemicals and soot that comes with candles. They are warm and not burning hot, making it more safe and using just as much electricity as if you had a lamp on. I swear I need one for every room in my house now!


Scentsy Bars are safer than wick candles because no flame is required for the wax to melt and release the fragrance. Since the wax is melted and not burned no harmful chemicals or pollutants are release into the air. So, there is no flame, smoke, soot or lead.


They have warmers at all different price points so everyone can find something that fits their budget.
On average one warmer will cost you $30 and you'll buy 12 wax bars a year so together it will cost around $80. (one wax bar per month). Compared to one jar candle a month at $21.99 each -- that is going to average out to about $263 a year in candles. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather spend $80 a year and do without the harmful chemicals. It'll save you around $183 a year!! And you all know, I'm all about saving money! :)

These are a couple of the scents Andrea gave me to try out and I have to say the Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl was my favorite. But I'm definitely a Fall candle scent kind of girl, so that's probably why. I also tried out Sweet Cream Spice and Autumn Sunset (told you, Fall scents) and I loved those too! I can't wait to try something with a Christmas scent!



Now onto laundry....

I'm going to be honest, I had no idea Scentsy had laundry products. But I told Mike from here on out I'm not using anything BUT Scentsy laundry products. Our clothes have never smelt better. It's concentrated so you use minimal detergent with each wash and it got out all the stains my lovely kids put on their clothes. I'm hooked! I used the detergent, the washer whiffs and a dryer disk. I can't wait to try out more scents. I used the scent Black Raspberry Vanilla and I would definitely recommend it. It smelled SO yummy without being overbearing. Even Mike liked the scent and he isn't really into laundry detergent with anything but the typical clean smell.

The dryer disk was really cool. You just throw it in your dryer with your clothes and it's good for about 15 washes. It really gave the clothes that extra layer of fresh scent. I need to buy these in bulk!

Body Wash  

Body wash for you and the kids! 

The kids stuff is an all in one -- hair and body wash. It smells great, surprise surprise, and the kids really liked it. It comes out in a foam and it made it really easy for all my kids to wash up themselves. Even Tenley followed along and did what she saw her big sister doing. Clean kids who smell delicious....just makes me want to love on them more!! :) The adult body wash was great too. My sister has been using it as well and told me how much she liked it.

Ahhhh.....the oil diffuser. 

This was Kamryn and Logan's favorite! I used it in their room every night and it doubled as a nightlight. Here it is just lit up in white but it also has an option to glow in 16 different colors, which they obviously LOVED! We've all heard the hype about essential oils and Scentsy is all about it too. I'd set up the diffuser before bedtime with some water and a couple drops of the twinkle twinkle oil and it would soothe them to sleep with the smell of chamomile, eucalyptus and lavender. Their room smelt great, they loved the colors and I loved that they slept soundly!


Counter Cleaner

Behind the warmers this might be my favorite product Andrea gave me. I think my first order is going to be counter cleaner, Seriously. It has an ammonia-free formula and with repeated uses it gets stronger. It smells INCREDIBLE and doesn't have that typical cleaner smell which at first had me skeptical, was it really working? But after using it for a week I realized it definitely was working. It's awesome and safe to use on all surfaces. I used it in my bathroom, on my counter tops, Tenley's high chair, on my stainless steel appliances and Andrea told me she's even used  it on her carpet to get stains out. 

Right now we are hosting an online party exclusively for my readers so CLICK HERE if you are interested in making a purchase and trying out any of the products. This is a great idea for Christmas gifts!! This online party will be open until Sunday night, so get those orders in!

If you make an order you are eligible for 5 entries in our giveaway! So make sure to click on the giveaway link below to enter! And don't worry, no purchase is necessary to enter the giveaway! You can simply like our Facebook pages and leave a comment here and be entered as well, just make sure you enter what you did in the raffle-copter, found in the link below. 

Now drum roll please......

We are giving away a $20 warmer and wax bar in the scent of your choice to one lucky reader!

Thank you Andrea for this awesome giveaway and for allowing me to try out all these products!! 

CLICK HERE for your chance to win and I will announce the winner Monday morning! 

GOOD LUCK!!

This post is not sponsored by Scentsy but a collaboration between two friends. All opinions are my own. 

Life Lately...

Hey! I hope you're all having a great week so far. We're coming off a busy few days, and it'll pick up again at the end of the week. I keep saying I need a week of downtime but I don't think that's going to happen until after Christmas. Ah well, 'tis the season to be super crazy busy!!

I want to congratulate this pretty lady right here.
She was accepted into one of her top schools!
We're so proud of you Lou! Can't wait to see what's next for you!

So, I'm not sure if I've talked about it but Logan was a teeny tiny bit behind when it came to talking. Not so behind that it raised any red flags, but behind enough that I worried. When Kamryn was 18 months old she was talking in full sentences, where as Logan didn't REALLY talk until he was 3. Kensington is JUST like Logan but even more behind than he was at 3. She talks. Says more words than I can count but she mumbles a lot and isn't really talking in sentences. She can put 2-3 words together but for the most part its "Milk, please" "Mama, blankly". Not, "Can I have some milk please?" or "Mama, I want my blankly." So, yesterday at her check up, along with our pediatrician we made the decision to get a intensive hearing test done at Children's Hospital, just in case it's a hearing problem and set up an appointment with an early interventionist to see if she does need some speech therapy. Our pedi isn't concerned but just as a precautionary, it's better to get these things checked out sooner rather than later. Other than that she is a perfectly healthy 3 year old, on track developmentally and sits perfectly in the 58th percentile.

Our big 3 year old girl!

If anyone has any experience with speech therapy let me know. I have no idea what to expect or even she's even going to require it. I'll keep you all updated.

I have the BEST family!

This past weekend my cousin Steph and her husband Dan came up to Boston with Dan's band the Josh Abbott Band and we all went to see them play. We had a great time! We don't see our family from Texas nearly enough. They're the best and the main reason I would move to Texas in a heartbeat. ::fingers crossed Mike someday agree's:: It's always a great time when we're all together. This visit wasn't nearly long enough and we all cane to the conclusion that next time we need more time, and the rest of the gang! We missed you Linda, Donnie, Megan, Corey and crew!

Well, I'm off to a parent/teacher conference with Logan's teacher and then it's back here to work on a post that your all going to love! Have you heard of Scentsy?! I'm collaborating with my friend Andrea and we have a great giveaway coming your way just in time for Christmas!! I am SO excited!!! And you should be too!!


Have a great day!
xo, Kristen

Donut Grow Up, Kensington!

On Sunday we celebrated our Kensington Bree who is turning THREE on November 11th!

Kensington LOVES donut's! So the party theme was "DONUT GROW UP"

I found all the decorations on Amazon.

We gave her a big donut cake and some mini donut cakes, which she thought were donuts.

The cakes were done by "Cakes by AnneMarie" - if you have local you can find her on facebook. 

They were absolutely delicious!!! Look at how great those look?!? She does an fabulous job! The Sasses will be calling her again! 

I can't believe my Kensington is (just about) three!! These three years have absolutely flown by.

She had a cute little outfit on complete with a tutu and a shirt that said "Donut worry about thing". But she wouldn't stay still for me to take a picture. If anyone has any please send them my way... It's so hard for me to remember to take the time to snap pictures. 

Thank you to all of our family and friends who came and celebrated with us. We love you all so much!