When There's No Time to Coupon, Aldi to the Rescue!

Let's be serious, when you're juggling work, housework, and a teething toddler, sometimes you just don't have the time or energy for it. So I wanted to find something that was cheap with or without coupons. Then I remembered reading a blog post about Aldi a while back.

What is Aldi?

Aldi is a cheaper alternative to a typical grocery store. How they keep prices low:

1. Shopping Carts: all of their carts are in one spot. You put a quarter in to retrieve your cart and return it to get your quarter back. No employees to pay to retrieve them.

2. Bags: you bring your own, or purchase 'reusable' ones at checkout.

3. Box System: they do not stock shelves. Everything is stacked in boxes.

4. No Credit Cards: they do not accept credit cards to avoid paying the fees.
(They accept cash, debit, and EBT)

My Aldi Experience

I hadn't been to an Aldi in about 10 years so I decided to go just to check it out and see how it had changed. They recently added an organic line (including snacks for babies/kids!) and I even spotted some gluten free items if that's your thing. I had planned on going just to look around and take mental notes on prices and products... but I left with a cart full of groceries (29 items).

My son is quite particular when it comes to fruit and snacks. So I grabbed an assortment for him to try since it was cheap enough to purchase a variety without messing up our budget. First thing I had him try was the Simply Nature squeezable apple/banana pouches. It went very well:

I only wish my Aldi had a variety of flavors especially because a package of four pouches only cost me $1.99! Yes, fellow mommas, only .50 a pouch! I rarely get name brand pouches for that low even with coupons.

I should mention that they did have some name brand products, including: Pampers (happy momma!), gatorade and Tampax (for only $3, whaaaat?!).

Long story short, I'll be going again! Have you tried any Aldi brand food? How did you like it?

Potential DIY Projects to Save Money

Having recently moved to a much larger place, naturally there was a long list of items we planned on buying or replacing. We gained extra rooms which all had to be baby proofed, decorated (by decorating I mean things as necessary as curtains), and we needed larger items for storage, etc.

Here is a general list:
Nightstands
Kitchen Organizer (for mail/family calendar, etc)
Table Runner
Bedroom Curtains
Bedskirt (previous one ruined by cats, sigh)
Outdoor Furniture (we gained a screened in porch)
Outdoor Shelving (for our sons toys/herb garden)
Wall Art for: bathroom/bedroom/kitchen
Dresser
Coffee Table
Kitchen Mat
Seat for Bathtub for our son (Safety first!)

Note: Before I started this project we had already bought a few items we could have done in a cheaper manner, but... lesson learned!

With our income now, we could easily purchase a few items at a time, brand new, with no issues. However, with my new goal of becoming a stay at home mom, I'm hoping to do a lot of this by doing or making things myself. I have a few ideas for some of these.

Luckily my fiancé Matt is pretty handy with tools and we have access to free pallets. So we can build some of these ourselves only having to pay for paint and finishes. Which will save us HUNDREDS!

I also have some pretty basic sewing skills, which I'm hoping will help with some other potential projects such as the table runner, curtains, bedskirt, etc.

As I attempt each project I will keep you posted on how we did them, what we should have probably done differently, etc.

But for now...
Have you ever built anything with pallets? How did your project turn out and are you happy with it?
What did you DIY that saved you money? I'd love to hear about it!

The Quest

Things I wanted at age 20: an apartment in a city, a 9 to 5 in an office, Starbucks all day-- every day, a very full and very large closet.

Things I want at 27: to afford to stay home with my son.

Yes, 20 year old me would have a heart attack.

Unfortunately, my degree hasn't gotten me very far. I make more money cake decorating in a grocery store than I would be making in my (what was) "dream job." 20 year old me wanted to write for a newspaper. Which, in the right setting probably would be great money. Though, time and decisions have brought me back home to a small town in Connecticut who's streets are lined with churches and gas stations... I never really understood how people live solely on faith and gasoline, but to each their own.

We have a plan to move but, like with most things, it's going to take some time. Matt is in school to become a nurse and works 40 hours+ a week and I work 30 hours a week cake decorating. I also do direct selling with Jafra Cosemetics in my spare time. Usually, one of us is home with the baby while the other is at work. So as you may have guessed, we get very little time as a family.

"Sounds like a lot, why don't you just put your son in daycare and get a real job?!," almost everyone.

For the following reasons:
-I love being with my son, he's pretty freaking amazing.
-Are you aware of how much child care actually costs?!
-The thought of sitting in a cube all day causes me actual pain.

So this project, Stuff Mommy Makes, is a journal of my quest to becoming a stay at home mom. I'll be experimenting with ways to make a household run more smoothly and cost effectively. Along with trying different methods of making money from home.

Got any secrets? Tips or tricks? I'd love to try them!

-Holly, future stay at home mom