I have read every method possible on lowering your grocery bill. From apps, to coupons, to watching sales, and honestly nothing worked for me. I tried couponing. I am not very good at it. Or maybe I just don't understand it. I know a lot of people succeed in couponing but I don't need 30 bottles of shampoo just because it was on sale.
My household consists of myself, my husband, and my 22 month old. A week we were spending $250 - $350 a WEEK at the grocery store. That equals to $1,000- $1,400 a month for groceries. That is insane if you ask me! For the life of me I couldn't figure out what we were buying! I literally cut our grocery bill in half all by myself! Like I said I read and read and read about all "magical" things that were suppose to help me save money, but nothing seemed to work. I'm sure if I now go back to those strategies I may be able to save even more. But for the time being I am going to stick with this method! Here's how I cut our grocery bill in half! 1. Make an actual grocery list: I would end up spending all this money at the store and end up coming home and still need items.
By meal prepping I know exactly what lunches & dinners I will make for the week. Every Sunday I meal prep our lunches or snack boxes.
Make categories so while your going through the isles it is easy to see which items you actually need.
I never understood the hype about Costco and BJ's, until I had kids, a husband, and started meal prepping! Once a month we go to Costco to stock up on items for the month. By stocking up on these items we are not buying them weekly, which saves us money every week. Now you still have to contain yourself in Costco. Sometimes If i'm really hungry and try samples I think that we "need" that item then. No you do not. Stick to the list and the meals you are trying to make.
Peapod has changed my life! Peapod is a service through Giant that delivers your groceries to your home. You must spend $60 minimum but can order as many times a week as you want. You get to pick your delivery date and time. The produce and meat is always super fresh because it comes right from their warehouse. Peapod is not available everywhere. You have to live within a certain range. You can find all that information on their website. When you first sign up you get 60 days free delivery. After that their is a delivery fee. Typically it ranges between $7-$9. Also when you first sign up you get $20 off your first bill. You still receive the sale price if an item is on sale at the store and are able to use coupons! By not actually having to step foot in a store I immediately save.
By using these methods here is what our weekly and monthly grocery bill is now! Once a month to Costco: spend roughly $250- $300 Weekly: store trip using Peapod Service: $80-$100 I budget in weekly to send $100 through Peapod. I honestly am always under that $100 mark every week! So that grocery bill went from $1,000- $1,400 a month to $570- $700!! What a difference!! Also not allowing my husband to tag along to the store helped us stay on budget as well ;]
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Well we have finally reached the point where it's time to pack for the hospital. With Asher I did not pack correctly at all. I had forgotten multiple things and was mislead as to what to actually pack. I read alot on pinterest and Google about what to pack, but honestly alot of those things did not seem necessary. So here's what I am taking to the hospital this time around!
I feel really prepared this time! I hope this helps all you expecting Momma's out there! I go for comfort! The Hospital Bag:
Toiletries:
I packed for Adam and I. Last time I forgot hair ties! How in the world did I forget hair ties! Also last time I tried bringing full size bottles and literally everything that was in my shower. This time I scaled it down but still have all the essentials! 
Pumping Bag:
Call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card. They will tell you if your insurance covers a pump and will give you a phone number to call. I then called the number my insurance provided me and it was a simple process. They verified my insurance and coverage, ask a bunch of questions, and ordered my pump. Also what was nice going through them is that they have pumping supplies at a discounted price. So along with my pump coming I also have milk bags, cleaning wipes, and breast pads coming too! The hospital will provide you with a pump to use while there. I had a horrible experience and asked 3 times for someone to show me how to use it and if I was doing it right. I ended up being frustrated and not using it the whole time in the hospital. Once I was home, I had a friend come over and she taught me all the functions of my pump! 
Baby's Bag:
I love to be prepared and ready. Last pregnancy I went in for a check up and ended up not leaving. I was induced at 36 weeks. I thought we had a whole month still to prepare. This time around I know it is a little early but I want to be ready this time!
My goal this time around for this pregnancy is to be as prepared as possible! Not only were my husband and I first time, sleep deprived parents, but also very unprepared. We thought we were prepared. There are a lot of things people leave out when discussing pregnancy , child birth, and once baby as arrived. Since we have been through this once, I feel I have a better game plan and can prepare alot better! We are the family that everything unexpected does happen to, so I am accounting for all of those possibilities as well.
One of the most frusterating things was that we seemed to run out of everything. I'm talking EVERYTHING. My husband was constantly running to the store at 11pm, 1am, 3am for the most random things! This time around I hope to alleviate all of that unnecessary running. Jan 2nd this year we woke up to a pipe that had burst in our house. It has been quite the experience but we are staying positive and alot of good has actually come out of it! Three rooms were ruined with water, which included, living room, playroom, and our storage room. We are still in the middle of renovations but they are wrapping up fairly quick! With the storage room being destroyed I am now able to actually make it a functioning storage room. I have plans of getting shelving so I have a place to put all of my stockpile! This room is going to be packed with all of the essentials and labeled. So instead of going to Giant at 1am, my husband can walk to the basement and grab what is needed! I do plan to post pictures once it is complete! Back to my list! This is a list that I have come up with of things that we use alot of, run out of frequently, or just easy convinence to have on hand. My goal is that for the first 3 months after baby girl is here is that we do not have to run to the store, except for things that you cant stockpile. Examples: milk, creamer, eggs, bread. I only want my husband to have to run maybe once a week for those items. I plan to be doing most of my stockpile shopping at Costco, Target, & Giant. Bathroom:
Update: I have added photos of my stockpile! The only thing not pictured is all my laundry detergent & softener because I keep that above my washer and dryer.
I had wanted to stockpile diapers when I was pregnant with Asher. I did not because everyone was telling me not to, that they grow out of diapers so fast, and that it is a waste of money. Well from experience, having to send your husband to the store at 11pm because you are out of diapers is not ideal when your exhausted. Each child is different and grows at a different rate. I don't plan to over do it with the stockpile, but I want a good cushion. I don't want to be running all the time for diapers! What I am doing right now is when I need diapers for Asher, I pick up a bag for the baby as well. A great tip my bestie just told me last is that Wal-Mart accepts name brand diapers for returns, even if the diapers are not bought there. Well how great is that! She got a lot of diapers at her baby shower and had an over abundance of size 1 diapers. Once her little one was in size 2, she took any unopened boxes/ bags of size 1 diapers to Wal-Mart and exchanged them for size 2. Great tip to know! Asher did not last long in size 2 or size 4. I based my list off my experience with Asher. Like I said it is not a huge stockpile but I know it will help! A diaper raffle is great for baby showers! Diaper Stockpile List: Newborn: 1 box (Asher was out of these quickly!) Size 1: 3 Boxes (Asher was in 1's for awhile!) Size 2: 3 Boxes Size 3: 4 Boxes Size 4: 1 Box 
I have big plans for 2018. I have alot of goals I would like to meet and I feel I have picked realistic goals! I literally have a list for everything! Lists are really helping me keep focused and help me remember what to do. Alot of these goals I plan to have met by April at the latest. I plan to meet these goals before baby A #2 arrives! If you are planning to become pregnant or are currently pregnant, you are going to want to follow these next posts over the next few months!
So stay tuned! I plan to post all my lists and my recipes! I hope this can help others that are expecting! I know it seems like alot, but hey once you start nesting, that would be a great time to knock these out! I have wonderful friends that want to be involved and my mom plans to help me get all of these goals accomplished before the baby is here! I plan on doing these things end of Feburary/ March. I am due in May but you never know! Asher was 4 weeks early! Other things I will be doing that I probably wont blog about are my baby registry and maternity pictures! I have a very busy next few months, but am super excited! I want everything to be finished so I can just enjoy both my babies!! Trying to reduce stress! 
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