Real Mom Profile

10.29.2006

Name: Jolene
Age: 35
Home: Runnells, IA  
Family's Names and Ages:
DH - Dan - 36
DD - Lindsey - 5 1/2
Triplets -
DD - Lauren  - 1 1/2
DD - Hailey - 1 1/2
DS - Brandon - 1 1/2

Occupation:
At home medical transcriptionist

If I had a day to myself...:
Go shopping by myself, get a massage and read.

Money Saving Tips:
Make your own birthday cakes for kids instead of buying them.

Buy things like Halloween outfits a year ahead and pay half price.

Buy meat on sale and divide them up and freeze.

When making a meal, double it and freeze the other half.

A lot of things can be bought in bulk and froze besides meat - cheese slices, shredded cheese, tortillas, bread.

Bargain Hunting Strategies:
I like the dollar stores for all kinds of things, especially cards and gift bags.

I love Target for fashionable clothes but I buy them at the end of the season when they are marked down.

I like Kohl's because they always have a sale and coupons.

Products we can't live without:
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - they even have them in generic at Target. They get rid of crayon marks on the wall or marks on your counters from pens, marks on the floors, etc.

Sanitary wipes - I use them for mainly cleaning up the bathrooms quickly. It is so fast just to grab and wipe.

In the Kitchen:
I buy a bunch of bacon and roll them up individually and freeze them. When I need a piece or two I just take them out and they aren't stuck together.

I keep all of my recipes in a photo album. I cut out recipes and stick it in the album and on the side of the page next to the recipe I write notes to myself about the recipe so I remember short cuts or if the recipe needs more or less of an ingredient.

Organization:
Clean as you go so it doesn't build up.

Open mail everyday and toss out junk.

I have a folder just for me that I keep things in that I don't want to toss but I don't want laying around.