Budgeting For A Family Of Six

This has been a blog post that I have gotten many requests for, but that I have found daunting to hammer out...because well it is involved and will be very, very long! I have talked about budgeting and saving money many times before on here. But, what I have not done is walk you through exactly how we do what we do.

When we got ourselves in major financial trouble the year after Vivi was born, we turned to our church's financial ministry and were connected with an elderly gentleman who had retired from making lots and lots of money, to help the church members learn how to balance and budget theirs. He was hardcore, ya'll...bringing me to tears at times as I had to let go of the "American Dream" that had been laid before me when I got my college degree. No... life was not about making the most money possible, buying a house and car, and acquiring stuff, stuff, and more stuff. The Lord used that time in my life to say "Let it go. Let go of everything you didn't get emotionally that you feel spending money will fill. Let go of feeling like you have to keep up with people you don't even really want to keep up with. Let go of needing things to satisfy, when only Christ alone can." So I did. We did. We sold our house and moved into a tiny two bedroom apartment with two kids that we lived in for 18 months. We have fond memories of that time when we hunkered down, I extreme couponed...and we carved away at our debt.

And you know what? Obeying the Lord was tough. But it came with SO many, many blessings. And we are still, 3 years later, crawling out of the hole. But the end is in sight. And one of the many blessings that have come about as a result of our financial stewardship has been that in 3 years, we have not incurred a single dime of more debt in any way, and have managed to pay off more than $10,000 of debt that once threatened to drown us.

So it CAN be done. We didn't do our money well with 2 kids, and we paid dearly for it. But we are now doing really well with 4 kids...so that just shows how far we have come! My husband works 2 jobs so I can be here to raise our kids. We stick to our budget. We don't have cable, flat screens, the latest vehicles or gadgets. I don't have a purse or shoe collection. Billy can't collect the guitars he wishes he could. We don't have Ipads or Iphones. We just can't. But our kids are very well dressed and they have amazing birthday parties...and even with all the sacrifices of not acquiring more stuff...we have found a lot more freedom and contentment in what we do have.

So onto the how of budgeting, planning, and paying off debt as a family of six!!

Our first step in working with our financial advisor, was to sell our house, (which we took lots of flack for amongst the American Dreamers in our life) sold furniture, and downsize in a big way. Any extra funds acquired during that step goes directly and fully to credit card debt.
Our second step was we cut up ALL credit cards, 3 total for us. We determined to never use credit again. We determined to never, never open a store credit card even with the allure of a discount or delayed interest payments...and believe me I have had to get attitude with some very pushy salespeople!! We only went back on that one time to buy a fridge when we moved, but paid it off before the interest incurred.

Our third step was to plan our budget around a Percentage Guide for Family Income that we got off of Crown Ministries website. Here you will see all of the free down loadable worksheets I will be talking about. These sheets are a vital part to doing this! The percentage guide is super important when doing your budget, so choose the one that represents your family size. You need to see how you are allocating your income and where. For instance, housing on all income levels should only be about 30% of what you take home after taxes. Many, many people use up 50% of their monthly income to their housing...keeping in mind that this includes your rent/mortgage AND utilities, housing taxes, AND home owner association/storage fees. We had close to 55% of our income going to housing expenses. What does this mean for you? You MUST downsize in some way to be able to make your budget work. Another important thing to point out with this sheet, 5% of your monthly income should always go into savings. Always. That is the only way you will remain out of debt.

Our fourth step was to do a 30 day spending diary, found here, where you and your spouse write down every single purchase you make and for what. This will be important when you are ready to create your budget sheet, so you will know how much money needs to go where and where cuts can be made.

Our fifth step was to create an "emergency fund" of $1000 working up to a savings of 3 months income. We have not gotten that far yet! This will allow you to tap into that fund for new tires, repairs, Dr.'s bills, and the like that pop up unexpectedly to which you would have normally used a credit card for. This is very important to stay out of creating more debt for yourself.

Our fifth step was to create our budget and to get to a balance that zeroed out. Meaning every single penny we make is allocated to a section of the budget. Cuts get made where they need to to buffer the more expensive items. This is our most important form and the exact budget sheets we use every single month is found, here. This budget is tight, as it should be. We choose to do cash only envelopes for gas, groceries, eating out, pets, medicine, gifts, and haircuts. We keep it them in a little white photo file box on our desk. Billy hits the bank at every paycheck and takes out he exact amount we need to fill the envelopes. This means that I spend the same amount of money on groceries every week, which requires me shopping with a list and a calculator. You have to be planful with the weekly ads, or coupons, or where you choose to shop. I have noticed if I shop off a menu for the week (including specific snacks)...I always have cash left over vs. when I just wander the aisles and hope for inspiration. I am hoping to become more disciplined with this over the summer.

Our sixth step was to fill out our Income allocation form found, here. This is where you allocate what paycheck will pay what bill/need and on what day of the month this will happen. We pay everything about 2 weeks before it is due.

Our last step is that we have a Freedom Account set up at another bank that we deposit a set amount from each paycheck into. This pays for birthday parties, holidays, Christmas, and vacations. We budget how much we are going to spend on each person at Christmas for instance, total that up and divide that by 12 months. That tells you how much cash beginning in January, you need to put each month into that account. Then when December comes, we pull out the money and get to shopping. We plan one to two vacations a year, plan how much it will cost us...and save the money up in the account. That way everything we spend money on...everything...is cash only.

This is just to get you going! There is so much more information on the Crown Ministries website. I have heard Moms say that they just can't afford to let go of a second income. But I argue that you can. Cuts will have to be made and you will have to have discipline in spending. I had a hard time of it for about 6 months. It felt SO restrictive, and sometimes still does. But we know that our value is not in what we get to purchase, it is the size of our family and the fact that we have made it possible for me to be home with our kids. You and your husband will have to do a real check as to what is of greatest value in your life...and be willing to let the rest go.

Phew! It took me two days to compose this post, but it is here and I pray will be of use to your families! You can click on the label below, Saving Money, for other posts I have written on this topic. And as always leave any questions you may have in the comments box.

My Super Formula Sweep

When Jasmine was born, I had several people send me formula coupons for Similac. They were from the newspaper and came as a set of two on the page, one for $5 off any size and one for $3 off any size. They were to expire May 31st. Well, I have been using the $5 ones on the cans of powder formula each week, which takes a $21 box of formula down to $16. But there was no way I would be able to use all the coupons at purchasing only one container a week, and we couldn't afford to buy multiple containers with our grocery budget as it is. I was sad to have to throw out so many great coupons in a week when they expire.

Well....
A few days ago I was in Target and noticed that they had Quart sized Ready Feed formula on sale. The green bottles (sensitive-spitting up) were marked down to $3.86 from $6.99 each. There is nothing wrong with them. They do not expire until next year. The orange bottles (sensitive-gas) were on sale for $5.49 from $6.99. This may mean not much...except I had those coupons that said any size Similac formula! So today I took them up on their offer!

As I said, with a $5 coupon, I usually spend $16 for the powder container on the left. It makes 41 4 oz. bottles for a value of about 40 cents a bottle. I used 7 coupons to purchase the ready feed formula bottles on the right for a total of $4.91. That's right! They will make my baby 56 bottles at the cost of 8 cents a bottle!

Now that is a savings!

**Side note for those wondering...you can switch your baby's formula up from bottle to bottle as long as it is within the same brand and it should not affect their digestion of it. Jasmine does not have a sensitive tummy, but it costs exactly the same as the regular formula so we go with it to avoid tummy issues...so far it is working great!

Pottery Barn on a Budget...part 2

Today, I created my own version of this fall wreath that was featured on Pottery Barn's website for $59. I did it for about 60 cents because I already had the wreath, so I just had to print the photos in sepia. That inspired me to compare all of my bargain Pottery Barn creations around the house...in the form of a collage! I told ya'll I am a huge fan of this company's decorating style. You will see just how true that is! Each collage features PB on the left and my home on the right.
Entertainment center purchased 6 years ago at Haverty's,
the doors fold back flat like the PB one.
Fireplace screen and matching tool set purchased last year at Target on clearance.

Bedding set purchased at Kohls on sale last year, using birthday giftcards.

Sectional from Ikea.

The purchasing of the new furniture forced me to take a critical eye to some other areas of the house that have been a bit neglected. The guest/kids bathroom is always a wreck with toothbrushes all over the counter and bath toys, towels, and clothes scattered across the floor. It is my daily challenge to keep it neat. But in the event that guests come to stay, or we have visitors...which happens a lot lately with ECI, caseworkers, CASA...you name it...I want the bathroom to be guest friendly and appealing.

So here is my updated-no kid's crap-

(I mean adorable little bottles of shampoo, butt wipes, and hair bows)...
bathroom shelves. All prettied up for visitors. I did this in about 15 minutes by just moving some stuff in from other parts of the house and putting all the random stuff in the cabinet under the sink.

My inspiration: These pretty bathroom jars from...guess where? :)

I stole the soap in a jar idea.

We all have random vases that are not in use, right? So throw some soap bars in it. The scent is marvelous and gives the impression the bathroom is clean. And I added a long standing Martha Stewart decorating tip...tying a couple guest towels together.
This keeps them fluffy and clean, since they won't be used by us every day.

I always offer a clean hand towel or these bathroom paper towels,

so guests do not have to use the same towel my kids slobbered on all day. ;)

With small bathrooms, you have got to maximize your space.

And since we rent, we can't paint or renovate. We are thankful for the pretty new faucet they installed and the towel bars we installed and will leave here when we move. That helps!

Now...I will be moving on to the kitchen...and our playroom needs some serious revamped organization. It is just piles of toys at this point.

You can really do a lot on a budget, and if you aren't creative...order PB's free catalogs to arrive at your house...then shop sales at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Target, Craigslist, etc. to match the decor you love.

That should get you started!

Budgeting w/the cash only system

This month marks two years that Billy and I wrote a budget and went cash only. We had dabbled in it in the past, but never stuck with it. It is much like a diet in that sense. I have had readers ask me before to explain our system, but I wanted to make sure this system was going to stick and last before I went spouting off anything like it was the gospel. After two solid years of living credit card free, I think I can honestly say....it works, you can do it, it will truly change your finances. Now, keep in mind I am no Suze Orman (yes, it's spelled that way, my smart husband and google confirmed it)...so don't go asking me for 401K advice or stock options, or saving for your kids college funds. I am just trying to get food for my kids, eat out every once and awhile, and be able to save for next summer's trip to the beach. That is the extent of my money knowledge.

But what I can tell you, is how to get out of debt. It won't be fast. It won't be easy. But it can be done. We are halfway there. And that says a lot because we had a HUGE mountain to climb. A little bit of background on what got us here...

In the spring of 2008, we found ourselves with 2 kids on one income and in major trouble. In an attempt to lower our monthly expenses, we chose to sell our house. At that time we also had quite a lot in credit card debt rolling over every month and virtually nothing in savings. Thankfully we did not have store credit cards to worry about. They were all major credit card companies, one of which I had had since I was in college. Our house got 2 bids in 20 days and our not so savvy real estate agent, had us go with the couple that had no down payment. The day before we were to close, and happened to have our whole house packed and ready to move into our tiny apartment...they could not get a loan. So our not so savvy real estate agent advises us to let them rent it for the month until their loan is approved and then they will buy it. So we move out, have them sign a lease contract that seemed full proof, and moved out. They paid that month's mortgage and before the next payment was due they up and move out. We contacted a real estate attorney who advised us not to pursue them because the expense would far outweigh the outcome. So here we are living in a 2 bedroom apartment, paying rent and stuck with a couple months mortgage on the house. All of our money was tied up in paying these two bills, along with our moving expenses...so we began to have to live off our credit cards for a period of about 4 months. It was devestating. In that time, every single purchase...just about...went on credit cards. That got us into a financial crisis. We approached our church, who helped us and put us in contact with an amazing financial coach who put us on a very, very strict cash only system and budget. This budget sheet below is similar to the outline of what we do every month. He taught us to "allot what you will pay before you buy", so we became intentional about what we purchased. Gone were the days of the random diet coke at 7-11. Our coach taught us how to surrender our finances to God, how to pray for His guidance, and how to practically deal with our finances. We began to create envelopes for groceries, gas, birthday gifts, eating out, dr. co-pays and meds, dog expenses, clothing, giving...etc. We put a set amount of cash in each pay check and when the money was gone, we would no longer purchase from that category. This forced me to be a savvy shopper so I could stretch our cash. He also had us begin to aggressively pay off the highest interest credit card, cut them all up, and commit to never using credit again for anything. At that time we also began to put money each month into an emergency fund which once we got to $1,000...we were to stop putting money into and begin to put that money towards the credit card. This ensured that in the case of a need arising, like a flat tire or a dr. bill...we would have money and not have to turn to a credit card. This also allowed us to pay one card off completely in about a year. In addition to the envelopes we created a "Freedom Account", which is just an additional checking or savings account that you put money into for expenses like auto maintenance, Christmas, Birthday parties, vacations, etc. That way you are intentionally saving a set amount each year to cover those expenses that always come up. You can learn much more about this system from daveramsey.com (we have done his Financial Peace University in the past), which is where you can purchase envelopes like these:

Or from Crown Financial Ministries which is the system we do now (we use just plain white envelopes). Many churches use one of these systems to teach their members about managing their finances, so your church may be just the place to go for help. I warn you not to get into the trap of saying "well, I can use my credit cards because I pay them off every month"...we did that for years, but then what happens when a lean month comes and you can't pay it off...then that month turns into a year. I understand people who travel and have to use them for business expenses, or who live internationally and have to use them for online expenses and airlines. The bottom line is, if you budget and have worked into that budget paying off your credit care entirely...and are disciplined to do so, you can make it work for you. Just make sure you are saving aggressively every month as well. What this has meant to us is, in 2 years we have paid off half of our debt, we have a month's worth of expenses in our savings account, we bought furniture with cash, we have done two Christmases now and are on our 3rd of no credit card usage, we have taken 2 cash only vacations, and we were able to move out of the tiny apartment into a four bedroom house. Billy also quit his job at S.tarbucks and was hired by a mortgage company that thankfully is able to pay us a little more. We are currently trying to wipe away all of our credit card debt in the next two years, save for our vacation to Florida next summer, and will begin to think about saving to move out of this house in the summer of 2012. Billy works two jobs and I have done some childcare over the past 2 years. I am still actively pursuing some kind of part-time income. I had a family set to come interview us this weekend and after cleaning the house and prepping for their arrival, they were no call no shows. So, so aggravating. But I will continue to trudge along. I have learned over these "lean" years that God does provide ALL that we have. Our children are abundantly provided for with food, clothes, shoes, toys. This usually means I have to be intentional when asking for gifts from family members for their birthdays and Christmas. We intend that no matter what our income is, we are committed to continue to strive to be good stewards of our finances and our spending. We continue to reevaluate "needs" vs. "wants" and are hoping to raise our kids to learn good money management skills. We are thankful to God that we learned these hard lessons early in life. We are hopeful for what the future will bring. We don't desire to ever be "rolling in the dough" in an attempt to live lavishly. We want to use our resources to build our family, allow me be able to raise the kids, contribute to the Lord's work, and support our children's endeavors. Learning how to earn money, how to spend it, and how to give and save it makes us appreciate all the more what we have and can do with our money. It is only by God's continual grace in our life that we are able to do what we do and have what we have. We hope to continue to honor Him with the income that He has given us.

Double Dollar Coupons

Okay, I know ya'll remember my FREE grocery post from last week's shopping. Well this week was even better!! Kroger is doubling all manufacturer coupons that are 75 cents and a dollar today only. As you can see from the receipt in just clipped Sunday paper coupons alone w/the doubling and tripling I saved $60.08! Combine that with sales items for a total savings of $89.13 or 49% of my grocery budget! I bought groceries for my family of four (minus produce that I will buy at Target tomorrow) for a grand total of $92.12. Just some of the great deals I was able to purchase today were 4 packs yogurt for 49 cents and the kids yogurt packs for free, free kid's shampoo, free deoderant, free shave gel, free cheerios, free black pepper, 89 cent Colgate, 99 cent mini pretzel bags, 40 cent ketchup, AA batteries qty. 8 for $3.oo., an 8 pack of juice boxes for Isaac's lunch for $1.50, a large pump of body lotion for $1.19. WooHoo!

I must be a true stay-at-home mom if this is the kind of thing that makes my weekend!!

Don't forget to clip those coupons friends, and happy shopping!!

Free Groceries...UPDATED

***UPDATED***

Sorry I didn't post how I got these for free! Oops! Okay here we go item by item. First of all I clip coupons in the Sunday paper and many times will have multiples of the same product. I only use these coupons if the item is already on sale or a necessity. The 3 major grocery stores in our area double coupons up to 50 cents and triple up to 35 cents. So this savings can really add up. In this picture, I purchased the cereal, water, hotdogs, ground turkey, cheese, spinach, and mustard at buy one get one free deals at the store. In conjunction, you can use coupons for BOTH items. For example if you have two coupons for mustard and the store sale is buy one get one free, I have had cashiers allow me to submit both coupons because "technically" I am buying two. I know this may sound sneaky but it is all in picking the right cashier. Older women will ALWAYS scrutinize your coupons. Teenage boys never will. SO choose your cashier wisely when couponing unless you want to be in line for a long time explaining all your purchases...not fun. Kroger sent me coupons for free cake mix, hot chocolate, and waffles (so that accounts for those). Then I used store coupons in conjunction with manufacturer coupons to get the suave children's shampoo for free. The hot fudge, whipped cream, and cherries were free if you bought a carton of icecream. So there you go! My real trick is combining store coupons/deals with manufacturer coupons that get doubled and tripled. This has allowed me to triple a coupon for a sale item and get that item for free with the store owing me 5 cents! Ha!! Just make sure you clip coupons every sunday so they will pile up and do not use them at walmart and target unless they are for a $1.00 or more and the item is already on sale. IT isn't worth it otherwise because they do not double and triple. Make sense? Also, I shop with a calculator and only pay cash that way you are forced to be choosy on your choices and won't get sucked into impulse buys. I pay $125 once a week for our family of four- no more. It is amazing when I am careful how much I can bring home! So I hope that helps ya'll become super shoppers too. Thanks for asking, Rebecca!

I had a little extra time Friday morning as Billy was home with the kids. So I did my once a week grocery shopping but went to two stores across the street from each other since they both had different specials going on in their weekly ads. Taking advantage of the store sales and using coupons I had, this is a picture of all the FREE products I brought home (minus a cucumber that was already put away). You read that right, everything in this picture was free! Between the two stores, my receipt reflected that I had saved over $80 on groceries. Billy said "Wow, I can't believe you were able to buy all this for that amount of money! We don't have room for it all." I just smiled. Yeah for bargain shopping!

Billy emailed this picture to our financial advisor.

He replied back that he and his wife were very proud!

P.S. I made that reduced sugar cake mix into chocolate cupcakes with reduced sugar frosting for a potluck last night, and they were all eaten in about 10 minutes! Noone knew they were "diet". Go Pillsbury!

Gotta Love C.raigslist!!

This is what Isaac will be waking up to tomorrow morning!!

I'm so excited for him. It's like his birthday or something!

Let me back track by saying, we do not normally buy the children toys throughout the year. They get gifts from us on their birthdays and Christmas and their adoption day celebrations. Throughout the year they get clothes and toys from Billy's parents when they visit and his aunts. So we do not feel the need to get them new things. We do not want them to grow up with a sense of entitlement, along with the desire to have the latest gadgets. When we go to Target, they don't ask for toys and DVD's, or even candy at the checkout, because we don't buy those things. An example is that Isaac has been carrying around a little Thomas train toy and Gordon toy for about 4 days now that Jarrett had given him from his collection. Isaac doesn't have a track or any other Thomas toys. Today we were lounging together and I said "Isaac, did you know there are other trains, like Percy and a bunch of others; plus some kids have really cool big train tables like at Barnes and Noble." He said "That's okay, Mom. I just like these." Awww...

The last thing he was really into was around his birthday when Bob and Larry were all the rage.

So onto why he will be getting all these toys and it's not a holiday. He has only seen maybe 4 Disney movies. Cars was his first and recently, Toy Story and the sequel. At a party a few weeks ago he picked up a woody doll and buzz doll and played with them solely for 2 hours. Billy told me that Toy Story 3 comes out June 2010. By then he will be five and a half and really into this type of thing. So today I thought, let me see if I can find one of the buzz and woody dolls on C.raigslist. So I did. And not only did I find the dolls, there was a set of TONS of toy story toys for an amazing price. I didn't think much of it, but mentioned it to Billy. He shocked me when he said "I'll email them and make an offer." And they contacted us back! Billy had to drive far to get them but that was okay because they came down on their already great price quote.So these pictures are of what we got! I couldn't believe it when Billy brought them home! Costume pieces, a huge backpack that looks brand new, tons of dolls, two books, a Memory game, vehicles...you name it! I was shocked to find this, and all at such an incredible price. New, this Lot would have been over $300, easy. He is just going to be thrilled. I expect he will say "where did this come from? and why?" :)

I have bagged about half of it up, which is why the 1st pic I took doesn't have everything displayed. But I wanted to give him a lot of it at once. Probably because one of my sister and I's fondest memories growing up was when my Mom did something like this for us. We were in elementary school and she worked hard as a waitress during the graveyard shift. One morning she came home bearing huge bags from Toys R Us. In them were the latest Jem dolls and clothes (ya'll remember those), two Jem convertibles, their doll friends, and who knows what else. She also had purchased multiple packages of these really nice fisher price playfood sets that were big at the time, and brand new Cabbage Patch Dolls. We were in shock!! It was the middle of the year, not for any reason. We said "Mom, why did you do this?" She said "I got big tips last night and I wanted to shop for my girls." We loved those toys for a long time, but more important the feeling of sacrifice and love stayed with us far past us outgrowing the toys. Now, I think Isaac is too young to appreciate how special this moment is for me. We are on a tight budget, and just don't spend money much for non-essentials. But this was too sweet to pass up. I love my boy immensely. And I love what he loves (I mean you should see me at their birthdays, their presents delight me more than them!) Also, it can be hard to find appropriate toys for Isaac. We don't play with weapons and I don't like a lot of the evil looking action figures. We don't see the latest kids movies, so often times he plays with the same 3-4 things everyday; the trains, his Rescue Heroes, his cowboy hat and scarf, and my stuff...grrrr. ;)
His little imagination is taking off and he will really enjoy re-in acting his favorite scenes from the movie. I confess I am one of those Moms who fasts forward through all of the "Sid" scenes, and any other part I deem "bad". :)



Gotta shepherd those little hearts, but I think a cowboy and space ranger are pretty harmless! I'll take pics of him playing with his new toys!

Spend Less ***Updated Coupon System With Photos!***

Below is my original post. Skip to the italicized part for the updated version.

I have become such a coupon crazed Mom. I almost don't want to buy anything anymore if it isn't on sale or has a coupon. We don't get the Sunday paper, but Billy sometimes works that night at Starbucks and when the store closes, the papers get thrown out. So he is able to get me the coupon packs from the paper. I store them in a binder with baseball card holder sheets to organize them and see them easily as I shop. I confess, I feel like a dork with my binder, reusable cloth grocery bags, and calculator. But I tell myself it is worth it! The three major grocery stores in our area all double and triple coupons. One day I saved 52% on my bill using a combination of store sales and coupons. I have gotten eggs for 27 cents and boxes of cereal for a dollar. The fun part is when you have 2 coupons for a dollar off something and they are buy 2 for $3. That is fifty cents a piece! I did oatmeal this way. I also love to combine store coupons w/manufacturer coupons. Double the savings!

We use coupons for oil changes, hair cuts, restaurants...if places send us a decent coupon- we will probably check them out!

My favorite recent bargain was a snowman sweater at OSh Kosh B Gosh for my nephew. It was on sale for $2.99 which is awesome to begin with for a $28 sweater. At that time it was an additional 50 % off all clearance items PLUS I had a coupon. I paid 74 cents for the sweater. No joke. A great way to stock up on birthday presents is to take advantage of Toys R Us' buy one get one free. They do this on Little Tikes toys and Crayola products throughout the year.

It is a sad fact that I actually get excited now when Wed mail arrives because of the grocery store ads. If I play it right and use the coupons for things on sale already, I can save BIG. I used to spend over $200 every week or so for our family on groceries. I have scaled that back to right under $100. And we still have money leftover for pizza! Our fav. deal is a huge 18 inch supreme from Costco for only 10 bucks. And it is good!

Loyal readers...will you please share with me your money saving tips?

Here is my Coupon System

My process starts on Wednesday, when I receive the newest store ads in the mail.I circle great deals (like the 10 for a dollar kiwi...normally 33 cents a piece in off season!) I also circle items that are on sale and I have coupons for (the softsoap on the right).

Then, based on what stores have what deals over the next week- those specific coupons will go in individual envelopes. Usually 4-10 coupons per envelope.

I then write on the envelope specifically what I am using coupons for that coincide with what I found in the ad. For instance, Land O Lake butter sticks that I use to make my popular cupcake frosting are usually a shade over 3 dollars a box of 4. Well they are currently buy one get one free. I also have a coupon for 50 cents off that they will double. So I will get 8 sticks for around $2.00. That is a deal! Same thing goes with the sliced almonds I like to put on our salads and the kids oatmeal- buy one get one free plus I have a coupon, can't beat that! This particular store has also been adding a coupon for $10 off a $100 purchase, so I make sure to use that as well. OF course you never know what specials are not in the ad, until you get to the store. So I also carry along this:
This is a folder with baseball card holders, each containing coupons. Duplicates all get put in the same sleeve. They are organized by where they are located in the store. I decide which store I will be doing my "big" shopping which is usually on Sat. or Sun. to get the best deals. The stores are busy at that time of the week, so shop as early in the day as possible or late Sat. night. For the other stores that I may just be just buying a few items that are good deals, I will space those trips out over the 7 days that the sale runs. The stores in our area that offer week long double and triple coupons are A.lbertson's, T.om Thumb, and K.roger.


I store the ads with their coupon envelopes tucked inside them

in the inner pocket of my folder.

On Sundays, I get the paper and add all of those coupons so they will be

ready for Wed. when the new store ads arrive.

OF course I almost always check the generic price to see if it is cheaper than the brand name with the coupon, which a lot of time it is.

Look at your receipt after you shop to see how much you saved!

It can be alot of fun.

Grocery shopping is fun again!

I used to love grocery shopping and then we hit a budget crisis and now I hate it because it is so hard to get what I want to feed my family at a good price. We can't really afford Central Market or Whole Foods, so when I walked into our area's latest little beauty today....it was bliss! Near our school has been construction on a grocery store called Market Street. My Mom and I went today and spent two hours with the kids there! They had the best coupon offers for lots of free products including smoothies in the cafe...yum! Plus $10 off a $50 purchase. You have to ask for them at the customer service desk. It is laid out so nice like the other mentioned stores, but they sell everything we would normally buy plus all the items we cannot find in one store, like our Annie's bunnies!!

We bought this cereal which is new. They have every single Annie's product off the website including ones we have never had before like:

Plus they had options in the organic milk area for school lunches!
Horizon organic has been replaced around here!

You can get a coupon for free green reusable sacks and they give you grocery credit every time you bring them back instead of using plastic bags!

But...the thing I was most excited about was the 40% off meat bin. The meat manager told me that they only keep the freshest meat in the display case, so when it has a few days left to go until it is to be sold by, they mark it down and put it in the bin! We can eat it within 3 days or freeze it. I got chicken for less than $2, swiss steak, a pot roast...and other stuff. I have had to really cut back on meat I cook because of the rise in grocery costs, and I am not a huge fan of meat products myself, but protein is the best way to fill Isaac up- so this discounted meat is going to be a real blessing in our life!

Their prices were comparable to Kroger, not as good as Walmart. But, with a lot of the products being there that I can't get other places, and their store brand canned goods were a great price plus that meat bin- this may turn into my regular grocery store. I won't even go on about the bakery and floral section!! Let's just say I am in love with this store, if you couldn't tell by this enthusiastic, rambling post! I am taking Billy there today to try the free coffee and we are taking the kids and cousins back tomorrow to get pictures with Diego!

Contentment

Even though it weighs heavily on my heart much of the time, I haven't yet talked about our financial woes on this blog, because it wouldn't change our situation. With the economy the way it is, we have taken some major hits with our money. Billy lost one of his guitar jobs because people are dropping extras, so he just didn't have the students. Our rent is now going up until our lease is renewed in April because we had a pro-rated deal when we signed that has now ended. All kinds of crazy loops have been thrown our way like flat tires, cracked windshields, needing new glasses, needing a filling fixed, our insurance not wanting to cover Vivi's 18 month check-up, and on and on. And then there is Christmas looming on the horizon...

Well a real blessing has been that for the past month or so we have been meeting with a money coach at our church who is taking us through Larry Burkett's, Journey to Financial Freedom. He has helped us make a budget, do a 30-day spending diary, and helped us to figure out how our income should be allocated. This has helped tremendously. We don't have any real spendable income, so I have scaled back shopping and doing extra activities with the kids-which in turn is also saving us gas! The chapter in our book that we are currently working through is on contentment and I wanted to post a little from that as it is some GOOD stuff!

Our memory verse this week is "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity...I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phillipians 4:11-13) The chapter says, "Our culture is a materialistic, consumption-oriented society that operates on the assumptions that more is always better and happiness is based on acquiring possessions."

The part that speaks directly to me during this time says, "Biblical contentment is an inner peace that accepts what God has chosen for our present vocation, station in life, and financial state...contentment does not mean complacency...but contentment is knowing that I am in the center of God's will."

The bottom line is that God has us in the very place we are for a reason. Maybe it is a time to learn and be chastened for not-so-wise past decisions, like credit cards (which incidentally we cut all 3 of them up and no longer use!) Maybe it is a time for our priorities to be reaffirmed, focusing on what really matters in life and what is just STUFF. Stuff that we didn't come into the world with and that we can't take with us when we die. Whatever our Lord is doing in our present circumstance, he has molded my heart to not only accept it, but to live in the now without grumbling and complaining and wishing and hoping. As humans it is so easy to always be looking ahead to what we want and what we hope to achieve and accomplish, but there are times that God desires we stop and be still. If we constantly move at a rapid pace, how can we hear God's leading and calling in our life. That is hard to do when one is so distracted by life to actually live. Our prayer of thankfulness is that God has provided just what we and our children need. We may not get to partake in extras, but there will come a day again when we will, and hopefully this trial will have grounded us in what is really important in life.

Saving Big on Fall Clothes

(Vivianna last November, decked out in her fall attire.)

Okay, I am kicking off the series with one of my favorite hobbies...shopping! If you haven't heard, this weekend August 15-17th is TAX FREE WEEKEND in Texas. This is for all clothing including shoes, backpacks, and I've heard...diapers! Last year I took advantage of this weekend and it paid off once the weather turned colder. Now you may be saying to yourself...8% isn't really that big of a savings, but what you have to remember is that the stores are competing for your business and will run awesome sales!Plus, I currently have 3 of the leading kid's clothing stores 20% off coupons in my wallet, so that would be an even bigger savings. Unfortunately, we are strapped and I won't be able to participate this year...but I LOVE tax free weekend!

On the topic of coupons...I found Vivi some shoes on sale at JCPenney plus I had a $10 off coupon so that made them 50% off the original price. Gotta love that!

The other way you can save big on fall clothes is to shop for your child a year in advance. I love to shop sales at the end of the season for the following year. This saves me 100's of dollars and gets me prepared way in advance. I've been asked if I buy clothes at resale shops, and although I have no problem with hand-me-downs, I have found that oftentimes these stores are over priced and the clothes look over used. When I can go to Old Navy in January and buy a size larger sweater dress for $4 brand new...I say "forget you!" to the resale shops.

And the final way I Save Big on Fall clothes happens to be at my favorite place to shop for kid's clothing...Grapevine Mills!! They have every kids clothing store under the sun (besides the fancy boutique type) and they are oftentimes outlet prices. Here is a list of my favorites: GapKids Outlet, Gymboree Outlet, The Children's Place, Carter's, Old Navy, OshKosh B Gosh...and several more. ALL in one convenient location! I am not a huge fan of the mall layout or the crowds that flock to this mall...but the prices can be truly amazing!

So that is it!! If anyone would like to add to this topic, I would LOVE to hear all the ways you Save Big on Fall Clothes!!