I have been couponing for about a year now. While I was pregnant over the summer I got serious about couponing and actually started saving a lot of money. We went from spending about $80 a week on food, toiletries, etc...to spending $35 a week. Typically the only time I spend $5 or $10 more than that is if I am buying formula. Even then, I only spend about $20 a month on formula-- I think the average family spends $150 a month on formula. So needless to say, I save a LOT of money through coupons and it is such a fun hobby. My friends Darla and Julie also coupon so we bounce a lot of deals and ideas off of each other on a regular basis. It's a lot of fun honestly. This week is a HUGE week to be a couponer if you have a Kroger in your area. Here is a picture of my Kroger trip from today (I've made this trip 2 different times because I bought 2 newspapers and had 2 Kroger cards for ecoupons):

Tonight I made Greenlee's baby food for the first time. I thought it was be so labor intensive and take too much time but it was the opposite. From start to finish it only took about 30 minutes. Tonight I made asparagus and zucchini. I just steamed them in a steamer basket for about 10 minutes and then popped them in the food processor. Afterwards I let the purees cool, divided some for the freezer and some for the refrigerator, and I was done! A "bunch" of asparagus made about 2 weeks worth of baby food and 2 zucchinis also made 2 weeks worth. Right now it takes her about 3 days to get through a 4oz jar of baby food so it doesn't take much to make a few weeks worth of food for her. I think it's just as cheap to buy the jarred baby food since I use coupons, but organic can be pretty pricey even with coupons so it's nice to just be able to buy organic produce at Kroger and make her food if I want to. Plus, with making her food, she will be able to try different fruits and veggies that aren't available in the jar, such as: cherries, blueberries, pumpkin, yam, cauliflower, avocado, broccoli, plums, zucchini, and the list goes on! There are so many types of fruits, veggies, and proteins that aren't available to buy in jars or even certain grains like millet and lentils. I want Greenlee to try all varieties of foods early on so she won't be a picky eater and I think making some of her baby food will help accomplish this goal. Bon a petit :)

It dawned on me the other day that I have no updated my blog concerning our cloth diaper experience since Greenlee was born. I've experimented with SOO many types of cloth diapers since she was born and have definitely decided on my favorites. So far, the All-In-One diapers are my favorite because there is no stuffing involved-- it's exactly like a disposable, except you wash it. They are super absorbent, so I use them primarily for naps because she can be in them for several hours and we don't have any issues with leaks. The diapers I ended up not liking I managed to sell, and used the money to buy more of the ones I like :) Here are a few pictures of Greenlee in her cloth diapers.