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DAY 17: It's getting harder to say no!

I am feeling the chill of the spending freeze. Mostly because I want to build up my stockpile and I hate missing out on the awesome deals! And...it is getting harder to say no to my husband and kids. I manage all the money, so literally, The Buck Stops Here! They did great the first two weeks but they are starting to get the itch to spend too. For example, I have mentioned before, my daughter goes to a kids acting class. They were offering a party on Saturday the 15th. That way parents can go out and they can leave the kids to watch a movie, dance, have snacks and play. We did not have any plans to go out for Valentines Day weekend but, Annie really wanted to go to the "party" It cost $20. I reminded her that we were on a spending freeze and suggested she ask her Auntie. So a few days later she saw Auntie and asked her if she would pay. She said, yes. Yeay for Auntie!!! As we were talking about the party the next day, I told Annabelle she would be there for 4 hours. She wasn't so sure about being there for 4 hours on her own (so to speak) and she was conflicted and upset. Big brother to the rescue! Leo said he would go. It was for ages 6-18 and additional siblings would be $15. So, I spent the $15 bucks. Annie said, she felt like a VIP with Leo as her bodyguard. And Leo felt proud and responsible. So, its not something I would agree to do every month but, this one time I feel it was money well spent.
I also broke down and got some deals. I had a $10 rewards coupon that was going to expire Feb 22nd, so I HAD TO use it. Here is what I got at CVS: 4-12 pks of coke/diet coke, 2-indv. Scott toilet paper rolls, 2-Hershey asst mini V-Day candy 8.5 oz, 1-Snickers V-day mini 11.5 oz and 2- L'Oreal Lumi Foundation. At Target I got: 3-Childrens Advil 4 fl oz. Guess how much I spent on all of that??? I'll give you some time to think about it..........(insert game show music here, the one that comes to mind is Wheel of Fortune during the bonus round).............Times up!
Ok, ok, the grand total after coupons, rewards, gift cards(earned for purchase) and rebate: $13.43. Isn't that awesome? If I didn't coupon and shop sales and work the rewards system, I would have paid regular price for all those items and would have spent: $76.39. So, for the cost of ONE-L'oreal Lumi Foundation, I got $76 worth of products I use regularly! This is why I cannot pay full price any more.

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