My "Going Out" Child Kit......

Yesterday, I went out to begin my Christmas shopping. I like to complete my shopping in what I call 3 rounds to keep things organized and less stressful for me. Which is as follows:

1st Round-Extended family & Pollyannas
2nd Round-Daughter
3rd Round-Husband

During these times, I have my 3 year old daughter with me. As we moms know, running errands, especially 4 hour long ones, can be even more draining if we have a crying or whiny child to care for as well.

To prevent against that, I always have a child kit. What is that you say, just a few things I have in a bag that I put in the back seat of the car in case my daughter starts to become restless or bored.

My kit contains the following:
1. 1 pull-up, pants, and a few wipes-in case of an accident
2. Child Had Sanitizer wipes
3. Pen and paper for drawing
4. Pre-K activity book-she loves to do the activities in this book
5. 1 reading book-she loves to read
6. 1 juice & snack- in case we are stuck in traffic or in a store; this would hold her over until we got something to eat.
7. Her favorite CD- currently its the Imagination movers.

This kit has helped me many times and therefore making my shopping trips more pleasant and easier.

Do you carry a child kit with you? If so, what items do you pack?

Video of Shopping Trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made a video of my shopping trip. I couldn't figure how to upload a video to blogger so I pt it on you tube instead. Here's the link, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiN0-ouIPFM

If you like it, let me know in the comments and I'll make more videos!

Enjoy your day!

Video of my shopping trip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiN0-ouIPFM

Click the link..........

Enjoy your day!s

Super Savings-How'd about $110.15 in Groceries!

Shopping Trip-April 30, 2009-May 15th, 2009

Note: We are a family of 3 who budgets $100.00 to buy groceries every 2 weeks. This equals out to be $50.00 a week; which is $7.14 a day for 3 people to eat 3 meals..including snacks.

Acme-$41.00
Shoprite-$48.85
Produce Junction-$5.25

Total of all my (3 stores) items BEFORE savings/coupons = $205.25
Grand Total I paid OOP (3 stores) = $ 95.10
Saved $110.15

Here’s what I purchased:

Produce Junction-
Aspargus-$1.75
Green Apples-$1.00
Blueberries-$2.50
---------------------------------------------
Total = $12.75
Total in supermarket = $27.00 (priced)
Total Saved = $14.25

Acme-
11 Boxes of Kellogg's Cereal (for stockpile/giving some away)
V8 Tropical Splash
2 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta
Archway Molasses Cookies
2 huge bags of Tortillas
1 jar of salsa
2 boxes Sunrise Capri Suns
1 2-liter Ginger-ale
3 6pks of Soda (orange, black cherry, grape)
¼ lb of Turkey Breast
1-lb of Extra Large Shrimp
2 cartons of Strawberries
1 Chocolate cookie mix
Puffs Plus Facial Tissue
Vlasic Relish

Total BEFORE savings/coupons = $81.71
Total AFTER savings/coupons = $40.42
Total Saved = $41.29

Shoprite-
Box of Popsicles
2 boxes of Begal-fuls
2 bags of Green Giant Broccoli Steamers
2 boxes of Barilla Pasta
2 Stayfree Pads
2 Lb of purple grapes
2 boxes of Purina Cat Food
Box of Kids Sanitizer hand wipes
Reynolds Aluminum Foil
Whip cream
3 boxes of Tasty cake Krimpets
Lysol Bathroom Cleaner
Lysol Wipes
Lysol toilet cleaner
Electrosol Dishwasher tabs
½ lb. Turkey Breast
2 Glade Sprays
Colgate Toothpaste
2 boxes of Keebler bite snacks (for my dad)
4-pack of Ocean Spray Juice (for dad)
24-pack of Nestle Spring Water
Raid Ant Bait
Breyer’s Strawberry Ice Cream
2 packages of Sargento Cheeses
2 Langers Juices
6pk of Portuguese rolls
Tomato Paste
3 big cans of crushed tomato sauce
Can of Star-Kist Tuna
2 bags of Carolina rice
4 Bottles of 2-liter Pepsi

Total BEFORE coupons = $96.54
Total AFTER coupons = $48.85
Saved $47.66 ( had this amount from coupons ONLY; not including store savings)

Oh, how I LOVE coupons!

My 2nd Trip To Kmart & Pre-Spring Cleaning!!

I went to Kmart again last night.

I was able to go once my hubby came home; mainly due to my daughter falling asleep (she burned herself & cried..poor baby, so we couldn't go to bible study)and my hubby laying down after dinner.

I scored many more GREAT deals and wish I would've done this sooner when they had this sale in the past.

I got $81.98 of items and paid $32.45 (not including tax..i never include tax). I saved $49.53!!! Boy, did that feel great.

Here's what I purchased:

Caress Body Wash
Johnson & Johnson Lotion
3 Mother's Day cards
1 bottle of 64 oz Snuggle Fabric Softener
Arm & Hammer Essential Cleaner
Huggies Diapers
Huggies Wipes
3 bottles of 64oz Gain Fabric Softener
2 Glade Warmers
2 Glade Air Fresheners
Glade Freshener
2 Post Trail Mix Cereals
Chips
2 canister of Sim Jims; 16ct.

I Love Coupons.

Moving On`````````````````````````````````````````````

Also, I have been cleaning up a storm today & washing clothes...............
Let's see, I did my daughter room, our office, bathroom, kitchen, living & dining rooms. I also baked some milk chocolate & white chocolate with walnut cookies today.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on cleaning our bedroom and our basement/laundry room. Since our basement/laundry room is finished..it's like having another room in the house... ..so I have to keep that tidy as well.

I am a little tired now, but pleased that I have a clean home. Enjoy your evening.

Saved $92.10 During Supermakert Outing!!!

Did pretty good on this shopping trip. As always I take no credit, but give all glory and thanks to GOD for makign this possible.

My family budgets $200 a month for grocery shopping, which equals $100 each shopping trip. I had 5 $20 bills in a envolope in my purse (to aviod over spending)and 3 places to tackle.

I went to Acme, Shoprite, & Produce Junction-Budget $100 cash

Grocery Shopping (Apr. 17th-Apr. 30th)

PJs

 2lbs of Broccoli Crowns
 Bundle of Asparagus
 Bag of Baby carrots
 1 cartoon of Strawberries
 4lbs (8) Plums
 3lbs (5) Apples

Total at Supermarket = $25.00
Total at Produce Junction (Farmer’s Market) = $9.50

Shoprite

 Tropicana orange juice
 White vinegar
 Box of Ice pops
 3 boxes of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran
 Grapes
 Popsicle maker
 3 bags of stemmers green beans
 Turkey Hill Ice Cream
 Baking Ingredients
 Shredded Cheese
 Corn on cob
 Dole salad
 Yellow onion
 1 tomato
 Munster cheese
 Turkey Breast (deli)
 6 pk of Kaiser rolls

Total BEFORE savings = $ 39.43
Total AFTER savings = $31.17

Acme

 2 boxes of Suddenly salad
 2 bags of Kettle potato chips
 Bottle of cooking white wine
 2 4/pk of bath tissue
 Mustard
 2 bags of croutons
 Paper towels
 4 packs of box juices
 Case -24pk of water
 2 V8 veggie/fruit juices
 6 2/liter sodas
 Box of dark brown sugar
 Milk
 Storage bags
 Air freshener
 Orange juice
 Sour cream
 2 boxes of broccoli
 Huggies baby lotion
 Huggies body wash
 Kotex pads
 Pork chops
 Ground turkey
 Chicken breast
 Italian Sausage
 Bananas
 Sloppy Joe mix

Total BEFORE savings = $121.62
Total AFTER savings = $53.34

Total Budgeted for 2 weeks ($100), for family of three. Total amount of food bought was $186.05. Paid $93.95 cash out of pocket. Saved $92.10!!!!!!

Saved $80.51-Re-stocking Pantry!!

Went to Acme to stock up on some items for our pantry. Since we needed chicken, milk, etc…I matched coupons with the current sales and saved a ton of money.

Note: We are a family of 3 who budgets $200.00 a month for food. This trip, however, came from our savings fund, since stocking the pantry usually occurs every couple (3 or 4) months.

Budget $50.00

Betty Crocker Brownie Bowl = $2.19
Marcal Paper Towel = $1.99
Herr’s Potato Chips = $1.59
2 liter Ginger Ale = $1.89
2 Bounty Towels = $2.50
Snuggle Fabric Softener = $4.99
2 Pringles chips = $ 4.00
2 Ziploc Storage Bags = $5.58
4 Boxes of Uncle Bens Rice Mix = $9.56
3 Tubs of Betty Crocker Frosting = $ 7.17
2 Boxes of Ronzoni Pasta = $3.78
2 Betty Crocker Warm Delights = $5.58
Kellogg’s Mini Wheats = $5.29
Kellogg’s Special K –Blueberry = $4.79
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran = $5.29
Box of Potatoes = $1.99
Baking Supplies = $2.39
Vanilla Extract = $5.29
Nestle White Chocolate Morsels = $3.49
Nestle Milk Chocolate Morals = $3.49
Dozen of Eggs = $2.39
Cool Whip = $2.99
Totino Pizza Rolls = $2.69
Johnson & Johnson Children’s Detangler Conditioner = $3.99
3 Dial Liquid Soap = $6.00
Bulk Chicken Breast = $4.56
Bag of fish fillet = $4.99
1lbs of Extra Large Shrimp = $8.99
Bananas = $1.06
Pineapple = $3.99
Gallon of 1% Milk =-$3.39

Total BEFORE savings/coupons = $129.37
Total AFTER savings/coupons = $48.86

I saved $80.51!!!!!!!! Even the cashier told me “coupons are the way to go”. I said “yep, when you put in the time, they are worth it”. No wonder I can NEVER get the FREE Hams/Turkeys during the Holidays...I never spend enough...which is a good thing...LOL

I came $1.14 UNDER my “Pantry Re-Stocking” Budget!!

Some GREAT deals I came across were:

1. I received 4 $5 off a purchase of $50 or more from ACME in the mail-so I used one of them.

2. Acme had a sale on cereal/milk-buy 3 boxes of cereal for $7 and get a gallon of milk free. I had 3 $1.00 off coupons on each box of cereal, which brought the price to 3 boxes for $4.00 and I got a FREE gallon of milk! (We now have 12 boxes of un-opened cereal.)

3. I bought 2 Betty Crocker brownie bowls which was 2 for $5.00. I had 2 $1.00 off coupons which came to $3.00 and I got a free dozen of eggs as part of the deal.

4. Bought 3 Betty Crocker Frosting on sale for $1.99 each. Used 3 coupons which took $1.00 off plus an Acme store coupon for $1.00 off.

5. Had a Free Marcal Paper Towels Coupon.

6. Had a $2.00off coupon of any size Snuggle Crème Fabric Softener. Acme had it on sale for $3.99, used coupon for this.

Coupon Tip: I buy a Sunday paper on Saturdays and look through the coupons; if they are really good, I will buy more newspapers; at least 2. That way during the good sales, I can buy the same item multiple times and use coupons on them as well.

Update on Easter Budget: Progression so far.......

In my previous post, I mentioned how I was trying to do everything I needed to purchase for Easter within a set budget.

Daughter's Items (Dress, stockings, shoes, socks, hair bows), :$50.00
-Update: The Lord has blessed me very well in this area. I was able to find GREAT bargains. Here what I found thus far:

Dress (one she'll wear at least 4 times over)- $24.99
Shoes (got them on sale and had a coupon)- $7.99
Stockings- $1.99
Pocketbook (no hat or glove since she wont wear them)-$6.35

Amount remaining for dress socks & hair bows: $50.00 - $41.32 (total spent above)= $8.68. I'm hoping to get her dress socks and hair bows with that. Lord willing, it can be done.

Planning for Easter with a BUDGET....

Just like with all the other wonderful Christian holidays, it's ever so important to have a plan, list, and budget in place; especially if we are known to over spend. I try as much as I can (through God's guidance) to give my family a great holiday without going into debt.

With Easter fast approaching, I am starting my planning today. This Friday, we are going to see a Easter play (we have seen it before and it was fantastic). I have to get my materials and such to make some Easter baskets, write a list of decorations/items that need purchasing for Easter Dinner...we are hosting this year. I also have to buy the food that I have to fix as well. I'm going to tidy up our home the Saturday before Easter, so I wont to do any cleaning when I get home from church on Easter. I just want to decorate and get the food warmed up when we get home as we will have guests arrive at 5pm.

Here's my Budget so far:
Easter

Item/s Budgeted

(5) Easter Basket supplies/goodies $20.00

3 Bags of Candy $3.00

Food I have to cook (rice, broccoli, brownies) $10.00

Decorations/balloons/table cloths, etc $10.00

Easter dress for Issy (something she can
wear more than once, shoes (will spend extra for good shoes so she can wear them on multiple occasions), stocking, socks,
hair bows) I have a coupon for the dress & shoes.... $50.00

Misc $7.00
____________________________________________________________

Total tentative Easter Budget = $100.00

The above number may sound like a lot but compared to most people, if they kept track of how much they spend on Easter for clothes/shoes/accessories for the kids, food, and entertainment...they'll find that what they spent is well over $100.

This will be funded from our savings and is not included in our monthly budget.

Enjoy your day!

Kohls: Over $119.00 worth of items for $38.00!!!!!

I saved $81.93!!

Yes....I went and picked up some items from Kohls that would've been $119.93 but due to sales and clearance prices I paid $38.00 (incl. tax)! I saved $81.93!!

Since we bought our 1st home back in Jan. 09, we have been trying to find ways to decorate it with nice things but for an inexpensive price. We've been doing pretty good and bought most of the items we already have on sale or clearance. My rule of thumb when entering a store is to go straight to the clearance section. I have been very lucky in that department and I give all the credit to GOD.

Here's what I bought:
Dark wood wall frame that hold 3-5x7's. ~Org. price-$49.99 Clearance price -$9.99
Cocoa & Mug set~ Orig. $14.99/Clearance price -$1.49
Door Hanging decor~ Orig. $14.99/Clearance price -$1.49
Candle~ Orig. $9.99/ sale price - $4.99
Garden Flag~ Orig. $9.99/ sale price $5.99
2 wall inspirational portraits~ Orig. $19.98

Now I gotta find my camera so I post a picture so you all can "see" it.

Enjoy your day!

Oh, how I love JC Penny!!!!

Before Macy's became my favorite store, it was JC Penny. Unfortunately, they shut down and the nearest one happened to be 25min away.

I decided to venture out to JCP to see what sales they had, especially for Home Furnishings; our living and dining rooms are very bare..LOL.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot (Praise GOD!) Here's what I purchased:

2 brown/salmon colored pillow- orig. $20 each, paid $7.99 for each
1-2 photo wall picture-orig. $59.99, paid $6.97 (clearance)
1 walnut/black picture frame- orig. $59.99, paid $6.97 (clearance)
2 sea green window panels for our office-orig. $35.00 each, paid $2.97 each (clearance)
3 photo album gift set-orig. $20, paid $3.97 (clearance)

Paid $42.70 for all this....My receipt said I saved $212.60!!!!! Oh, how I love JC Penny!!

My First Real CVS Shopping Adventure Was A.........

Success, to say the least!

I saved over $32.00 on my first time there with no ECBs!

Here what I did:
I had a $4.00 off a purchase of $20.00 coupon; so I figured I'd start with that.
I had some items I wanted to purchase such as diapers, wipes, snacks, etc.

Since I already had some regular coupons in addition to the $5.00 off Huggies coupons, I'd thought I try CVS and see how I come out.

I bought:
1 Pack of Huggies Diapers
1 Pack of Pull Ups (Huggie's Brand)
3, yes..3 Huggies wipes
VO5 Conditioner
Betty Crocker Brownie Bowl
Bag of Pretzels
1-2 liter Sprite
1-2 Liter Cherry Coke

I had a coupon for EVERY item listed except for the sodas, shampoo, and pretzels...

Here's what each item cost:

1 Pack of Huggies-9.88 (on sale) -$5.00 (Huggie's coupon) = $4.88
1 Pack of Pull ups-$9.88 (on sale) but it rung up as $17.99 and I got it for FREE!!!
3 packs of Huggies Wipes $7.99 - $3.00 off (Huggies Coupon) = $4.99 for all 3!
VO5 Conditioner = $0.99
Betty Crocker Brownie Bowl $1.66 -$0.55 off = $1.11
Bag of Pretzels = $0.79
Both 2 Liter sodas = $3.00

So my total OOP was $12.47 for all this stuff!!!

Saved $32.81 according to my receipt

And I earned over $16.00 in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) AND another $4.00 off a purchase of $20.00 coupon for next time! (I think we already had $16.00 in ECBs and just didn't know it..LOL)

I will surely be visiting CVS again in the near future and printing out more Huggies Coupons..LOL!

Saved $56.14 On Groceries for 2 weeks!!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!

Shopping Trip (March 1st-March 14th)

Budget-$100.00

Acme-$33.13
Wise Garlic Potato Chips $1.00
Canola Oil $2.99
Yeast $0.99
Dora Fruit Snacks $ 1.67
Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treats $1.67
Kellogg’s Blueberry poptarts $1.67
Kellogg’s Strawberry Poptarts $1.67
3 bags of Planters Trail Mix $3.00
Box of Rice a Roni $0.99
Fanta Orange 2 liter Soda $1.00
2-2 liter Dr. Pepper sodas $2.00
Nestea Lemon Ice Tea-2 liter $1.00
Simply Orange Juice-1/2 gallon $3.00
Daisy Sour Cream $1.34
2 Sunday Papers $3.00
2 Stayfree personal feminine items $5.00
1lb of Large tiger shrimp $5.13
2 boxes of breakfast sausage $2.50

Total BEFORE coupons/savings = $ 69.80
Total I paid out of pocket AFTER coupons/savings = $33.31
Saved $36.67!!!

Shoprite- $47.44
6-pack of poppy seed Kaiser rolls $1.40
Bag of Tortilla white corn chips $1.89
½ gallon Strawberry Ice Cream $1.99
½ gallon Vanilla Ice Cream $1.99
Kraft shredded cheese $1.99
Pork Chops $4.62
Crescent Rolls $2.50
Bag of plain potato chips $1.89
Nestle Mint Chocolate chips cookie dough $1.68
2 lbs of collard greens $2.18
BIG bag of candy $2.00
2 Santa Fe Salsa Dips $2.00
Large Organic Eggs $2.50
Quart of 2% milk $1.39
Secret Deodorant $4.59
Baking Item $1.00
Chewing Gum $0.99
½ LB Pepper Turkey $4.90
Box of Linguine pasta $0.99
Parmesan grated cheese $1.48
3-Langers Juices $5.00
Box of Super Pretzels $2.50
Dozen Regular Large eggs $0.99
Rice Cakes $1.66
Loaf of Wheat split top bread $1.69
Carton of Strawberries $2.50
1 Onion $0.26
1 Donut $0.59

Total BEFORE coupons/savings = $ 67.09
Total I paid out of pocket AFTER coupons/savings = $47.44!!!!
Saved $19.65!!

Produce Junction - $14.50
Blueberries
Bag of Granny smith apples
Pineapple
2 lbs. Red seedless grapes
Bag of Spinach
Bag of Carrots
Bag of Red potatoes
Bag of Romaine hearts
2 lbs of Broccoli
Total = $14.50
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All 3 stores-----Acme $38.31
Shoprite $47.44
Produce Junction $14.50
__________________________
Total Food Money Spent $95.25

Came $4.75 Under Budget!!!!!!-Coupons are a HUGE help!!!!!!!!

A Recession!! What Recession??

My hubby, bro-in law, daughter, and I went to Delaware last Saturday to purchase a t.v. for our new home.

Note: my hubby always wanted a nice, big t.v. and since we budgeted for it, we figured this was a great time to buy.

So......
.....................we go to Circuit City first and the parking lot was so full; I mean full! There was not one parking space available. We had to drive around a few times before there was a space and there were other cars coming in the parking lot every second. When we got in the store, there were people everywhere in the store; buying moves, cameras, video games, and don't even mention televisions. It seemed like everyone was buying one and not small or medium sized ones either. These were 50in and up; so we're talking $1500 and higher. The lines were long, kids crying, people carrying lots of cash, yes carrying around cash, and hardly any carts left. We looked at several televisions they had left in the store. We didn't find a television and since we refuse to settle, we went over to the Best Buy.

They had a bigger parking lot and it too was full. We had to drive around in circles before a space was free. They too had people everywhere in the stores with computers, cameras, t.v.'s, video games, and printers, etc in their carts. They had long lines and only 2 lanes open (doesn't that just bother you). So I turned and asked my husband, "how in the world are we in a recession with everyone buying up all this stuff. I thought people were cutting back?". I guess I was wrong on that one.

So, when we found a t.v. we wanted to purchase, guess what?! They were sold out completely. So we looked around and found another t.v. and they were sold out of that one also. So we looked again and found another one and go ahead and guess.....they were sold out! I was thinking " how in the world a place that specializes in electronics are sold out of all three types of t.v.'s?" We asked the associate about it and he said everyone came and bought them up.

So we left there empty handed as well. That's the beauty of having a budget...we can go somewhere else and take our time finding what we want. We WILL NOT buy something just to be able to walk out the store with a bag or something in our cart; but I had hoped we would find a t.v. for my hubby

O.K., so I figured either the media is feeding us untruthful information or people aren't saving and using their money for these items or using their credit cards.

I wonder which one is it? I think it's the latter of the above statement.

Which one do you think it is?


Quick savings goal update:
We have 4 months of our monthly expenses saved! Woo Hoo!!! Now we are working on 5 months! It can be done, even on our 1 income; yes, 1 income.

Bibile Money Matters

Article taken from biblemoneymatters.com.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26

Israel was losing the war against the Syrians. God’s prophet Elisha was dying. All seemed bleak.

King Joash visits the dying Elisha. Joash begins to weep. He knows Elisha’s death will prove a great loss to Israel.

“Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha tells Joash.

“Put your hand on the bow,” Elisha says. The king does this and then feels the prophet’s own wrinkled hands wrapped around his.

“Open the window eastward.” Joash does.

“Now shoot!” Joash shoots.

“The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance.” Elijah tells him. The arrows represented the Lord’s deliverance in Israel’s battle against Syria.

“Take your arrows and smite upon the ground,” Elisha tells the king. The king smites the ground three times.

Elisha becomes angry. “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” (2 Kings 13:19).

Do you limit God’s blessings like Joash did? Do you smite the ground a measly three times when a whole quiver full of arrows is available to you?

God has made us joint heirs with Christ. He offers us innumerable blessings and promises. Yet we are content to live on crumbs when a banquet table full of spiritual delicacies is spread for us.

We wallow in despair when God offers us joy. We live in anxiety when prayer can bring us peace. We feel lonely even though God is always with us. We tremble in fear when faith could help us stand. We struggle to endure when Christ offers the gift of long suffering.

God’s promises are exceedingly great and precious. Grab them. Claim them for your life.

Don’t limit God. The Lord of the impossible is waiting for you to call on His name. Will you call on Him now?

My Reflections on this reading.......

When we make an honest effort, then GOD will step in and do the rest.

We all have our own personal situations regarding our finances. There was a time when I HATED to look in our account; I HATED seeing the account in red. I didn't want to see the results of my constant spending because I then would feel ashamed. I couldn't see how I was failing so much. I just figured GOD would get us out of whatever situation I got us in. I would just pray and then hope he would act.

I didn't realize how being responsible with money corresponded to being responsible with all other matters within the church. Isn't finances apart of running a church successfully? Wouldn't I want someone who was responsible with their OWN money to run a company I owned or was an investor in? Of coarse I would! Wouldn't anyone! Bills would need to get paid; up keep to the church would need to be managed; taxes paid; supplies for the church such as fans, chairs, books, toiletries (tissue, towels, etc), and other things. Being responsible is a vital part of being a leader; in fact it's a job requirement.

I then understood what Jesus meant by his parable of giving out the talents to the men. When one of the men didn't do anything but bury his, he got nothing because he did nothing. The others went and made more (responsibly) of what the Lord gave and as a result, the Lord increased their talents. I realized that is what I needed to do. I needed to be responsible and find ways to increase what the Lord has given me. Now that didn't mean I should go out and get a job, but rather DECREASE our bills and spending! Yep, DECREASE bills and spending. This was done by turning out lights in rooms I wasn't in, turning off the t.v./computer when it's not is use, having limited cable or no cable instead of premiun cable, etc.

I soon started picking out items in the store with care and then right before I got to checkout, I go through my cart and go through EVERYTHING. I ask myself":"Do I need this item?"; then I ask " Do I need this now or can it wait?"; then I ask " can I get this cheaper somewhere else?". Once I ask myself that, then I determine whether to purchase it or not. And trust me I have put back many items that I really wanted to buy. I mean some really nice stuff.

So in all, it took me a long time to get where I am regarding money. It took a lot to become responsible. Looking back I'm glad that the LORD took me through the pit, so I could learn to be a good steward of my family's finanacies. Besides, It's nice to be able to offer help to others, when they have a need.
Remember " To Get A Blessing, First, Be A Blessing" ( Uncle Bill-my pastor)

Macy's is doing it again & Wallpaper Progress!!!!

If you go to Macy's today and wear the color red, you'll get 20% off your purchase (exceptions apply). If you are a Macy's charge customer, you'll get even more off. I probably will be going there today! Since I still have to get some things for our new home, I might as well get a discount while I'm at it.

BTW: My husband was loving the pots/pans I got 2 days ago. When I told him they were $100, he said that was a good price; when I told him I paid $40 out of my pocket, he was shocked and amazed.

P.S. We are making great progress with the wallpaper. Thanks for all the ideas/suggestions you all gave us. We tried the hot water and tide detergent and it worked! Even my husband was shocked at how well it worked and we didn't even need to buy that expensive wallpaper remover they sell at Lowes/Home Depot. As for getting the excess glue off, I saw an online suggestion; one man said he used duck tape and it worked GREAT , so I'm going to try that. We also have some family memebers coming over to help us; we have a great family!

In addition, we had a wallpaper company come and give us an estimate to see how much would it cost if they removed the paper. You wont believe the price they gave us; to remove the top wallpaper in our dining room (we have a chair rail), 1 wall in the living room, our foyer (which isn't big), the wall going upstairs, and the hallway upstairs (which is small, not big at all); guess how much: $800!!!! Yes, $800 big ones. $800 dollar bills! Of coarse we said no way! They must be crazy!! LOL.....That's food shopping for 4 months!!! NO way, Jose!!

I'll keep you all updated.

Deals & Updates!

When I checked my blog this morning, I realized that I failed to put up a post yesterday. I was out of the house most of the day; running errands, going to Bath and Body Works, Circuit City, Target, Macy's and BJ's. Even though I did all that when I was done, I went straight to our new house to remove some more wallpaper.

While I was out, I took note of the sales that were happening in the stores. As a side note: I have been going out to stores more often lately and that's because we have to buy things for our new home and of coarse we have a budget set for that.

Bath and Body Works: They had some 75% off deals that looked interesting but I didn't get any of that. They did have a Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume that I thought of getting because my husband got me a huge gift set for Christmas. The perfume was $24.99 but discounted 75% off would have been $6.24! I did have a coupon that said if I bought something that totaled $10, I could get a free item worth up to $12! So I bought a Sea Island Cotton scent gift set that was only $10 and I got a Sea Island Cotton bubble bath for free!

Circuit City: I went in again to see if they further discounted their items and it seems they did, but not too much. They did have the WII remote for $22, regular price would have been $30.( we need an extra remote) but I left the store empty handed, unlike other people in the store ( I'm glad I can say no to myself).

Target: I LOVE target, I really do. Unlike Walmart, they are very helpful, the aisleS are orderly, bathrooms are cleaner, the bright red colors everywhere makes me feel cherry, and they have better quality items. They are however MORE expensive than Walmart, but I like the customer service. I did pick up a Shovel ( which was $17!), garden gloves ( our new home has one!), trash bags, and some other things. Sales at Target aren't as grand as other places but they do have some GREAT clearance deals when you can find them. I also saw some size 2 huggies that had like 150 diapers on clearance for $14.68 and I had a $1.50 off coupon so I could have gotten them for $13.18; regular price was $30.00!! That over 50% off! It was hard for me NOT to get them, but I didn't know of any children in my family who currently are in size 2 diapers.

Macy's: I absolutely LOVE this store. They have high-end, quality items that are affordable. I had a 10% off coupon; I got a stainless steel pots/pans set that was $100, but after discounts I got it for $40! That's $60 off!! One lady who bought the same set was a Macy's credit card customer and she got the same set for $15. Man, sometimes, I want to be a Macy's credit card customer (because off all the extra discounts), but then I think of the bill and I change my mind. I also got Issy a cute red coat/jacket that was $75.00; of coarse I didn't pay that crazy price. However it was on clearance for $30 but then because I had red on yesterday, the cashier gave me an extra 20% off, so I paid $16 for a coat that was $75; even my husband was shocked!

BJs: This is a place like Costco/Sam's Club. You can buy items in bulk from here. I totally recommend places like this if you use more of a certain item. We bought diapers, wipes, cereal, bacon, lotion, body wash, etc. You pay a membership fee but they give you coupons and you can use coupons out the newspaper and internet!

After I did all that, I went over to our home and started taking off more wallpaper, gathering trash, etc. Boy was I tired when I got home a little after 7pm and all this with a 2 year old.

Have a great day!

Great shopping deals

Box of Donuts

24 count box of Sprite can soda

BBQ Chips

Gallon of 2% Milk

Box of mutli-colored pasta

2 boxes of DiGornio Garlic Bread/Pepperoni Pizzas (Yum)

Reynolds Foil

Kellogg’s Fruit Loops

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (Hubby adore these)

Kellogg’s Strawberry Mini Wheats (Hubby loves these)

Kellogg’s Blueberry Mini Wheats-(Hubby likes these)

Pillsbury Pie Crust

Bananas

Fresh Garlic Bread

Bag of Garden Salad

2 Sunday Papers (One for me and my mom; loads of coupons)

Huggies Wipes

Total BEFORE Coupons/Savings: $66.54

Total after & out of pocket cost: $30.00!!!!

Saved OVER 54% and if you noticed, most of the items are name brand which in this case was cheaper than generic.

Shopping Deals

You are probably wondering how did I manage to get this much stuff and for what price. I'll first list everything I bought, how much I paid out of pocket, and much much I saved.

As you can see from the picture above what I got, but I some of the items you can't see because they are so small.

I usually shop once, maybe even twice a month for our non-food items. This includes baby items such as diapers, wipes, clothing; or household items such as laundry detergent, trash bags, tissue, paper towels, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. I budget $150 a month for these items, which is pretty good. I usually buy diapers, wipes, chicken, soap, toothpaste, and a host of other things in bulk, so when you figure that into $150, I come out pretty good and it's usually cheaper that way.

Here it goes:

Huggies diapers
Johnson & Johnson's children soap
2-pack air freshener
Multi-surface pledge cleaner
Dryer sheets
ALL Laundry Detergent
Ring Pop
Cooking Spray
Baking cups
box of freeze pops for Isabelle
Body wash
Dial liquid hand soap
Suave deodorant
Ziploc Bags
2 Bounty Paper towels
Quiltern Northern Toilet Tissue- 6 pack
3 boxes of Puffs Plus Tissue
South Park Desk calender for hubby
8 Containers of Luvs baby wipes
28oz of baby wash ( the biggest you can get)

Total BEFORE savings/coupons for all items in picture = $69.19

Total AFTER & Out of Pocket = $49.61!

Saved $19.58! I had $80.00 budgeted for this bi-weekly shopping trip so I am $30.39 UNDER Budget!!!!!

Grocery shopping

Shopping Trip-Jan 14th-Jan 22nd

I still have 1 store to visit.
Budget for Acme-$15.00

Shoprite

3 Langer’s Juices
Lysol toilet cleaner
Trident gum
2-4 packs of cottenelle toilet tissue
1 pack of lunchables
Brayer’s strawberry ice cream
Box of popsicles
Pack of shredded cheddar and monetary jack cheeses
Lysol Kitchen cleaner
Cartoon of whipped cream
2 cans of Pringles
5 lb. bag of potatoes
Pie crust
Baking items
Ritz crackers
Texas toast croutons
1% milk
1 Box of 8 go-gurt yogurt for issy
1 box of Swiss Miss Mocha hot cocoa
1 Box of whole grain spaghetti
1 personal pizza
1 Box of strawberry toaster struddles
2 boxes of tri-colored pasta
2 cans of Musselman’s baking apples
Bottle of ranch dressing
McCormick sea salt
Cartoon of frosting
1 pack of permanent markers

Total BEFORE coupons/savings=
$65.28
Total AFTER/paid out of pocket=
$45.36
Saved over 30%

Pathmark

5 boxes of iced tea/fruit juices
1 water
2 packs of Nestle cookie dough
Package of chicken breast
Strawberry waffles
Ziploc storage bags
Head of cabbage
2 lbs. of bananas
2 liter Pepsi
2 liter raspberry ginger ale
2 liter grape soda
1 bag of chips
Quaker cheddar rice cakes
Quaker Carmel rice cakes
Quaker Oats cereal
4 cans of soda
Betty Crocker potatoes
Dietz & Weitzen pepper turkey breast
1 loaf of wheat bread
Hunts pack of bbq sauce
Cartoon of strawberries

Total BEFORE coupons/savings=
$63.06
Total AFTER/paid our of pocket = $27.08
Saved over 56%

In addition, when I looked at my Pathmark receipt, it says I saved $87.10 so far THIS YEAR, and I only been there twice! YAY!!!

How did your shopping trip go? Please share!