2010 savings {recap}

and yet another post to look back on 2010.

as you know, i tracked everything that i spent and saved on groceries, so i thought it made sense to share the final results.

to clarify, i consider "groceries" to be all of our non-restaurant consumable foods, plus all personal care type items & paper products (everything from shampoo to toilet paper). it also includes diapers, and earlier in the year it included baby food and formula.

we are a family of 3.5 (i say that because spencer is not at our house full-time).

i did a VERY good job of tracking all expenses, except for december -- i got lazy and i think i missed a few trips. and for the record, i will not be tracking in 2011. i proved to myself that it's worth the time & effort to coupon. that's all i needed. without further delay...

total retail value of all grocery items purchased:

$11,852

total dollars saved:

$4,710

percent saved:

40%

weekly average spent:

$137

at some point during the year, i stated that i wanted to get my weekly average down to about $125. obviously, i didn't do that. i'd still love to strive for that (but will not track to see if i hit it). overall, i think it's not too shabby! if we can get coleman potty trained, that should lower our average pretty quickly :)

best of 2010 {in photos} PART 2

here is part two of the best of 2010 in photos, originally inspired by elise but i've seen several similar posts since then.

~ best brand re-launch and fourth of july work event ~

~ best handmade card ~

~ best birthday cake ~

~ best way to stay cool ~

~ best kids' salon ~

~ best beach vacation ~

~ best iPhone picture edit ~

~ best future wife ~

~ best neighbors ~

~ best picnic ~

~ best mini album ~

~ best first day of middle school ~

~ best daycare party ~

~ best committee ~

~ best injury ~

~ best nap ~

~ best honest snapshot ~

~ best baseball birthday celebration ~

~ best dressed family ~

~ best caretaker ~

~ best football game ~

~ best 18th birthday~

~ best roll in the hay ~

~ best ball player + best fan ~

~ best middle sister moment ~

~ best pumkin carving ~

~ best coach ~

~ best inherited habit ~

~ best 60 year anniversary party ~

~ best hair ~

~ best victory ~

~ best ride to the airport ~

~ best photo shoot location ~

~ best first carousel ride ~

~ best winter spot ~

~ best new attraction in town ~

~ best blackmail photo ~

~ best pouty face ~

~ best gamecock party decor ~

~ best spiral thrown by a toddler ~

best of 2010 {in photos} PART ONE

inspired by elise, and many others in the blog world, i decided to post some favorite photos from the year. as i started scrolling through the thousands of pictures in my flickr account, i realized just how difficult it is to narrow down favorites! below you will find some highlights from the first half of 2010. stay tuned for the second half tomorrow.

 i highly recommend reviewing your photos from the prior year. it really was eye-opening to see our life at a glimpse that way. it's a smack in the face as to how blessed we truly are.

~ best oyster roast ~

~ best cousin for cuddling ~

~ best napping position ~

~ best pool player ~

~ best babysitter ~

~ best lawn art ~

~ best scrappin' sisters ~

~ best black eye ~

~ best basketball player ~

~ best miniature gamecock fan ~

~ best idea for a 12 year old's birthday party ~

~ best cowboy party ~

~ best valentine cutie ~

~ best non-girly valentine's ~

~ best cupcakes ~

~ best snowball trade ~

~ best archery tournament ~

~ best mulch lover ~

~ best birthday boy ~

~ best bookmobile ~

~ best granddaddy moment ~

~ best county council candidate ~

~ best monkey party ~

~ best leprechauns ~

~ best easter egg hunt ~

~ best first easter bunny visit ~

~ best school project ~

~ best easter table ~

~ best small dog ~

~ best big dog ~

~ best organizational project ~

~ best bathroom remodel ~

~ best face-to-face with spurrier ~

~ best eagle scout ~

~ best back-up plan ~

~ best decorated meet-n-greet ~

~ best road side stop ~

~ best spontaneous splash fest ~

~ best learning experience ~

~ best fifth grade graduation ~

~ best new addition ~

~ best daddy/son road trip ~

~ best redneck water park ~

~ best yard toy ~

~ best summer camp ~

~ best summer festival ~