It's a dumb title; I know. I just thought it was clever. I haven't had any bread orders in months, which is completely fine with me. I'm not running around trying to keep my girls occupied while I sweat away in the kitchen kneading and stirring and baking. The only thing I miss is the money. Perhaps this is God's way of telling me to slow down, take some time for my family, and forget about the money for a bit.
On another money-related issue (ha!), I've been careful to watch my grocery spending. I have stockpiled a fair amount of things. I do not like the word stockpile. It sounds too Y2K-ish for me, but I guess it IS what I'm doing. I have 15 cereal boxes in the pantry right now. No, I will not be buying any more for several months! That's a nice thing - being able to cross off one of my weekly purchases. We go through a large amount of cereal each month. Between snacks and actual bowls for breakfast, we consume about a box-worth a week. So, 15 boxes isn't really that much when I start to calculate it all out. I have 5 boxes of cake mix. I love making my own from scratch, but when I can get a box for about $.20 I am definitely grabbing a few. Oh, and yes I did remember to get enough frosting for them. One of my biggest annoyances is going to make a cake mix and finding that I didn't pick up any frosting when I bought it. Seems logical - you buy one, you buy the other - but it's happened several times over the past several years that I've wanted to make a quick cake and frost it to take somewhere or have for dessert that night and I have cake but no frosting. This time, I'm prepared. :)
I went to Meijer today to grab some very cheap and some free items. I have been receiving, by mail, high-value coupons for items and even several FREE item coupons. I forget why I received it, but a box of Kraft goodies came yesterday with some coupons that included 2 for free items. When I write to companies online to thank them or tell them how much we like their items (and I don't lie - I tell them what specifically we like and why and sometimes some things we don't like), they are very appreciative and almost always send coupons by mail as a Thank You. My receipt today said I saved $31 with coupons and another $30 or so with store sales....that's over $60 in savings! I paid $44.08 for a cart full of groceries and was able to get several of some things to stock up. I am extremely thankful for what I've learned lately about grocery shopping, coupons, sales, and purposeful shopping.
Next week, I plan to only buy produce (no milk...I bought 2 today that will last til the next paycheck), so that'll hopefully leave us with leftover budgeted grocery money. My goal is to have $20 left over on the 31st to roll into our camping fund. We are so excited to go camping in July. Iris is the only one that remembers going camping the last time. Lily and Addy will have so much fun. I hope Addy's walking by then; it will be dreadful to have to carry her around all week. Too hot! And I'm hoping she will be weaned by then....selfishly. :) Too hot!
God has entrusted me with so much for my family. It's amazing the responsibility we have as parents - feed, clothe, raise our children, financial planning and budgeting, etc. It is my job to guard my daughters' eyes and ears from things they shouldn't see or hear. TV is my biggest enemy right now. It is so hard to find afternoon cartoons for the girls that don't have "stupid" or "dumb" or "i hate you" in them. My girls repeat everything and when they hear it on TV they think it's ok. I know I let them watch too much TV, so this week it has been my goal to only let them watch a total of 3 hours a day. I know some of you are cringing right now that they are allowed to watch that much a day - believe me, that's a huge cut in hours. I usually let the TV just play all day. Even if no one's watching; it's background noise. But shows and commercials come on that I'm not paying attention to and before I know it my girls are glued to Spongebob or some other older kid show that uses language I don't let my children use. So, as much as I'd like to say I let them watch only educational shows and no more than 2 hours a day....well, we're getting there. No Spongebob anymore; I've said that before and found myself putting it on for them so they'll stop whining while I cook dinner - but not anymore! And no more than 3 hours a day. No TV during breakfast, no kid shows for Iris while the other 2 nap, no TV for lunch or dinner (that's not a huge change, they don't usually watch during those meals), and only shows that I know will not be using bad language. Disney and PBS are pretty good bets for nice language. And I don't allow myself more than an hour of TV during the day. I could get carried away with silly shows during naptime but I have other things I should be doing (what's that Proverbs 31 verse about idleness? whatever it says, that's what I want to be doing).
As my youngest is whining, I'm thinking about how easy it would be right now to let them go downstairs and watch cartoons to keep them quiet for a while. Nope. They've used up their hours today and so have I. So, I am finding other ways to spend our time - catching up on blogging, organizing things we've gotten out throughout the day, and soon I will start dinner. To think of all those hours I've wasted watching unimportant shows during the day when I should have been doing things to bring honor and glory to God - keeping my home orderly, budgeting or planning grocery outings, interacting with my children, or (more importantly!) spending time reading my Bible and praying. I have slacked so much lately with that. I've gotten away from my routine of morning exercise and Bible reading before the girls get up. I need that; I need that time to be quiet and just read and talk to God and ask for His help throughout the day that is starting. I am so frazzled otherwise; I lose my temper too quickly, I snap at the girls, I have zero patience, I am self-centered, I waste money on impulse purchases, I waste time on things I shouldn't be doing. God wants to hear from me; He wants me to ask Him for things. It needs to be a priority - an early morning priority before I get lost in the day. I am no good to my family if I haven't touched base with God first.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Big Picture
I have to get this blog in before I get the girls bathed and in bed. Tonight, I just want to lie on the couch and zone out watching tv. I have to be careful, though, because my youngest is trying to grab the laptop, and my older 2 are wrestling about 3 feet away from me. What was I thinking?!
This week is the second week of the paycheck, so funds are touch and go this week....for lack of a better description. :) I shopped on Thursday for this week's actual groceries, so I will just be grabbing my CVS, Walgreens, and Target deals/steals/freebies this week until payday on Friday. Then we have my brother's wedding on Saturday, so we'll be out of town Friday and Saturday, and with church on Sunday....looks like those groceries will have to hold us over til next Monday. (crossing my fingers)
This morning, I rushed around during my oldest's 30 minute ballet class and ran over to Walgreens. Here's my shopping detail:
Bought Schick Hydro 5 (sale price of $7.99, and 5 RR's back)
Quilted Northern 12 double rolls (sale price of $5.99 - not great - with no RR's)
Used $5 off coupon for Schick
Used $.50 off coupon Quilted Northern
Had 4 RR's left over from last week's trip (had to buy 2 $.33 caramels at checkout to use my two 2 RR's - stupid Walgreens rules!)
Paid $6.60 out of pocket and got 5 RR's back....not bad!
After naps this afternoon, the girls and I ran to CVS. Of course, their scanner was out of paper, so I couldn't print any extra coupons and the line was too long once they refilled it....I was definitely not going to wait in line with my 3 little ones! So I continued with my purchases, hopefully without missing out on bonus coupons for the 3 items we bought. :)
Bought Jumbo Huggies (sale price of $8.49, and 2 ECB's back)
Gallon of Milk (sale $2.59 and 1 ECB back)
Carefree Liners (sale $1.00 for 22 pack)
Used $2 Huggies coupon - that I got when I submitted a feedback email online to them!
Used $1 off any Carefree item
Used 5 ECB's from last week's trip
Paid $5.09 out of pocket and got 3 ECB's back....again, not bad!
We rushed over to Target, where I transferred my Rx from CVS...and used a coupon to get a $10 gift card with the Rx transfer.
Paid $5 for the Rx, got $10 gift card!!
Bought Scrubbing Bubbles (no longer at $7.99 sale price, but was only $8.69 not on sale)
Used $5 off Scrubbing Bubbles Starter.
Bought construction paper and kid safety scissors
Total was $8.70, paid with gift card.
Used a coupon to get another $5 gift card when I purchase the Scrubbing Bubbles.
Walked out with $1.30 left on the one card and another $5 gift card. Only paid $5 for the Rx!
The girls made "cards" for Dad while I made dinner. What a great deal day! Hoping to get over to Jewel in the morning to pick up a few more Gatorade and Baby Basics diapers (with my $4 off coupon) to use up an expiring $4 Jewel Catalina. And THAT should be the end of shopping for the week.
Now, I just have to find something to wear for the wedding and we'll be all set! I found that it was so easy to find things to wear for nice occasions while I was pregnant - something stretchy and some sandals and I was all set. Now I actually have to put some thought into it! Haha. Regardless of what I wear, it'll be a great time and I'm so excited for my brother and my soon-to-be sister-in-law!
This week is the second week of the paycheck, so funds are touch and go this week....for lack of a better description. :) I shopped on Thursday for this week's actual groceries, so I will just be grabbing my CVS, Walgreens, and Target deals/steals/freebies this week until payday on Friday. Then we have my brother's wedding on Saturday, so we'll be out of town Friday and Saturday, and with church on Sunday....looks like those groceries will have to hold us over til next Monday. (crossing my fingers)
This morning, I rushed around during my oldest's 30 minute ballet class and ran over to Walgreens. Here's my shopping detail:
Bought Schick Hydro 5 (sale price of $7.99, and 5 RR's back)
Quilted Northern 12 double rolls (sale price of $5.99 - not great - with no RR's)
Used $5 off coupon for Schick
Used $.50 off coupon Quilted Northern
Had 4 RR's left over from last week's trip (had to buy 2 $.33 caramels at checkout to use my two 2 RR's - stupid Walgreens rules!)
Paid $6.60 out of pocket and got 5 RR's back....not bad!
After naps this afternoon, the girls and I ran to CVS. Of course, their scanner was out of paper, so I couldn't print any extra coupons and the line was too long once they refilled it....I was definitely not going to wait in line with my 3 little ones! So I continued with my purchases, hopefully without missing out on bonus coupons for the 3 items we bought. :)
Bought Jumbo Huggies (sale price of $8.49, and 2 ECB's back)
Gallon of Milk (sale $2.59 and 1 ECB back)
Carefree Liners (sale $1.00 for 22 pack)
Used $2 Huggies coupon - that I got when I submitted a feedback email online to them!
Used $1 off any Carefree item
Used 5 ECB's from last week's trip
Paid $5.09 out of pocket and got 3 ECB's back....again, not bad!
We rushed over to Target, where I transferred my Rx from CVS...and used a coupon to get a $10 gift card with the Rx transfer.
Paid $5 for the Rx, got $10 gift card!!
Bought Scrubbing Bubbles (no longer at $7.99 sale price, but was only $8.69 not on sale)
Used $5 off Scrubbing Bubbles Starter.
Bought construction paper and kid safety scissors
Total was $8.70, paid with gift card.
Used a coupon to get another $5 gift card when I purchase the Scrubbing Bubbles.
Walked out with $1.30 left on the one card and another $5 gift card. Only paid $5 for the Rx!
The girls made "cards" for Dad while I made dinner. What a great deal day! Hoping to get over to Jewel in the morning to pick up a few more Gatorade and Baby Basics diapers (with my $4 off coupon) to use up an expiring $4 Jewel Catalina. And THAT should be the end of shopping for the week.
Now, I just have to find something to wear for the wedding and we'll be all set! I found that it was so easy to find things to wear for nice occasions while I was pregnant - something stretchy and some sandals and I was all set. Now I actually have to put some thought into it! Haha. Regardless of what I wear, it'll be a great time and I'm so excited for my brother and my soon-to-be sister-in-law!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Movie Night
I had movie night tonight with the girls. We had a pizza picnic in the living room while we watched Shrek the Third. Normally, I would NOT let them eat dinner on the floor in the living room, but I figured we could do something fun since we were without Dad tonight and they were slightly bummed about that.
After we ate, my 2 year old came over by me and said "I lub zu mama". I almost cried. I didn't even initiate it, she just came over to tell me. It was the sweetest thing ever.
I am constantly amazed by my children. They can frustrate me to no end some days; then other days they are the most thoughtful and sweet girls. They really know how to push my buttons while we're out running errands, but I really love when they calm down while we relax at home. My oldest is a know-it-all (at 3! I thought for sure that wasn't coming until the teenage years!), but she can say the silliest things sometimes and we laugh so hard! My 2 year old is really coming into her own lately, and she really enjoys conversation instead of just playing. While we drive to the store or wherever, she asks some thought-provoking questions or makes up scenarios for whatever she catches a glimpse at as we drive by. Her creativity overwhelms me, and I just can't wait to see how she'll use that in the next few years in school. My 'baby' who just turned 1 has developed quite a personality and really became a Daddy's girl over the last few weeks. Even though she whines when I'm not around, she has such a joyous and excited expression when Daddy gets home or is playing with the older 2. She really wants to crawl over there and lie on him. It is adorable to see him interact with them....sometimes looking to me for translation of their phrases or stories. :)
For all the worries we have as adults, our kids are so carefree and loving life.....which is exactly how I believe it should be. They love people and animals and everything. They have their moments of crying when they're hurt or upset or angry, but give them 2 minutes and they are back to their amazement of the world. They don't hold grudges, don't care what others think about them or their appearance, don't pay attention to all the dirt and germs that sometimes drive me crazy trying to clean up. They just love life. I hope my children are always loving life and loving everything life has to offer.
After we ate, my 2 year old came over by me and said "I lub zu mama". I almost cried. I didn't even initiate it, she just came over to tell me. It was the sweetest thing ever.
I am constantly amazed by my children. They can frustrate me to no end some days; then other days they are the most thoughtful and sweet girls. They really know how to push my buttons while we're out running errands, but I really love when they calm down while we relax at home. My oldest is a know-it-all (at 3! I thought for sure that wasn't coming until the teenage years!), but she can say the silliest things sometimes and we laugh so hard! My 2 year old is really coming into her own lately, and she really enjoys conversation instead of just playing. While we drive to the store or wherever, she asks some thought-provoking questions or makes up scenarios for whatever she catches a glimpse at as we drive by. Her creativity overwhelms me, and I just can't wait to see how she'll use that in the next few years in school. My 'baby' who just turned 1 has developed quite a personality and really became a Daddy's girl over the last few weeks. Even though she whines when I'm not around, she has such a joyous and excited expression when Daddy gets home or is playing with the older 2. She really wants to crawl over there and lie on him. It is adorable to see him interact with them....sometimes looking to me for translation of their phrases or stories. :)
For all the worries we have as adults, our kids are so carefree and loving life.....which is exactly how I believe it should be. They love people and animals and everything. They have their moments of crying when they're hurt or upset or angry, but give them 2 minutes and they are back to their amazement of the world. They don't hold grudges, don't care what others think about them or their appearance, don't pay attention to all the dirt and germs that sometimes drive me crazy trying to clean up. They just love life. I hope my children are always loving life and loving everything life has to offer.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Nivea at CVS; Scrubbing Bubbles at Target
CVS has a sale on Nivea body wash and shower gel this week, as well as Nivea lip care. I bought 3 Nivea 16 ounce body washes and 1 Cherry Lip Balm for around $16. I used 3 of the $4 off for each of the body wash and 1 of the $1 off for the lip balm. Because I reached $15 pre-coupons, I got 5 ECB's back. So, I paid $6.39 (for items and tax) and got 5 back! 3 body washes and a lip balm for $1.39....not bad!
Later, I plan to head to Target to buy 2 of the Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean bottles that are on sale for $7.99; I will use two $5 off coupons and pay around $7 and get two $5 gift cards back. I plan to use that $10 to get my girls some shorts. Seems we go through them soooo fast....and Mondays are the day Target moves kid clothing to clearance (or already clearance items move up in clearnance percentage - 30% now 50%). Hoping to get a few pairs for my older girls.
Happy Monday!
Later, I plan to head to Target to buy 2 of the Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-A-Clean bottles that are on sale for $7.99; I will use two $5 off coupons and pay around $7 and get two $5 gift cards back. I plan to use that $10 to get my girls some shorts. Seems we go through them soooo fast....and Mondays are the day Target moves kid clothing to clearance (or already clearance items move up in clearnance percentage - 30% now 50%). Hoping to get a few pairs for my older girls.
Happy Monday!
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