Mommy Stays Home

WAH Idea-Before And After School Child Care

2011-09-12T16:54:00.004-05:00

It sure seems like I all my WAH ideas lately havehad something to do with children. I promise that soon I will have something for you that does not involve having extra children in your home.

Today I would like to focus on before and after school care for children in your neighborhood. If you call your local schools and ask them what their rate is for latch key you should be able to set your rates just slightly lower to make yourself more appealing to parents.

By watching kids only before and after school you should only have children in your home for 2-3 hours per day. Make sure to check with your state to make sure there are not any restrictions on how many children you can have in your care at one time or if there are any mandatory licenses that you may need.

So Let's Get Going- Income Earning Idea

2011-09-10T22:59:00.002-05:00

My friend, Crystal, over at Money Saving Mom has a series going every Wednesday on how to make more money without working harder. I have to say that it is a wonderful series. She made a suggestion last week about starting businesses that will result in residual income. I am still researchers more ideas on how to go about starting these type of businesses, but in the mean time Crystal suggested a really interesting idea for making some money while still staying home. It is called Preschool In A Box.

Basically the idea is this...I am sure many of you have considered starting an in home daycare to make some extra money, but you really don't want to have kids in your home 8-10 hours a day. Joy Anderson is the genious behind preschool in a box. She shows you how you can start an in home preschool and only work 2.5-5 hours a day and make more money then you can with daycare. I checked out her site and it is completely legit. In fact, I ordered her free informational cd. I think she has some great ideas. So go check it out for yourself.

Let's Try This Again

2011-09-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

ZOOOOM EEEKKK!! That is how I feel I run this blog. Run as fast as you can and then come to a sudden halt! Ugh, one of these days I might get it right. Let's try once again to get things going.

I have so many ideas to share on making some extra income as lots of homemaking ideas. So here we go again.

Is It Ever Too Late To Become A Stay At Home Mom?

2010-09-22T22:09:00.002-05:00

Once again it is late and I have run out of time and energy to write anything new. Here is a post I wrote answering a readers question.

I thought I would share these questions with everyone because I am sure that there are others who are wondering the same thing.

Reader Lisa asked,

"I wonder is it ever too late to become a SAHM?" and "Is it possible to give up high paying job and live on a teacher's salary?"

I think it is NEVER too late to become a SAHM. Our children need us no matter what their age. I am sure that you would love to be able to go on field trip, games, and other events with your children during their school age years and not have to worry about taking time off of work. I would refer you to Titus 2. I am sure many of you have already read it, but it only confirms that the Lord meant for the wife to be at home taking care of her family.

I know that many woman worry about the loss of income that would come with them quitting their job. I would advise you to take it to the Lord in prayer and trust him to take care of your finances. He has said that he will provide for all of our needs.

I can understand how busy a mom gets with her job and taking care of a family. My mother is the Facility Administrator for 3-4 dialysis units in our city. She is in her 60s and has know idea when she will be able to retire. She is stressed and tired. At her age this should not be the case.

I heard a preacher say once that husbands should do everything they can to support their wives being at home because asking her to work and take care of a household is literally slowly killing her due to increased stress and lack of rest. I realize that there are circumstances when a wife must work or her husband is not supportive of her decision. This is when I would again recommend prayer. Ask the Lord to soften your spouses heart. He sure did a number on my husband.

As to the question of being able to make it on a teacher's salary I can say first hand that YES you can. My husband is a teacher at a technical college. We are able to take care of our monthly bills and still have some money left for paying down debt.
The way we are able to do that is by the choices we make. Often times we are asked to go out to dinner or on vacation and we have to say no. We are sometimes looked down on, but we know that 10 years down the road we will be debt free, car payment free, and mortgage free, and our friends will still be in the same place they were.

In conclusion, remember that you can fulfill your dream of becoming a SAHM at any stage of you life and you can learn to live on one income. It is all a matter of where your priorities are. When your children are on their own are they going to remember the "stuff" you bought them or the quality time you spent with them.

I would love to hear back from you. Let me know how things are going on your journey. No matter what choice you make you have to do what is right for you and your family. Remember to take it to the Lord in prayer. He knows your heart.

WAH Home Job- Consignment Sales

2010-09-20T22:34:00.004-05:00

I was hoping to post the third part of the work to home series, but time did not permit that today. I still wanted to post something, but since it is very late I will just give you a quit WAH job idea.

Have you noticed that kids clothing consignment sales are popping up everywhere? These can be a great ways to bring in a little extra cash with minimal effort. You may be thinking that you do not have anything to consign. How can you make any money? Well, by flipping clothing. People make money flipping houses. Why not kids clothes and toys? A friend of mine said she knows of a woman who has profited $400 on the last 2 sales she has flipped clothes at. She told me that this woman will go to garage sales and ask people if she can fill a bag for $1. Most people will tell her yes. She then turns around and tags these clothes to be consigned and makes a nice profit. I am sure this could be done with many childrens items.

So there you have it. I am sorry if this is not well written. I am falling asleep at the keyboard.

For more ways to learn about saving money check out my other blog Natural On A Budget.

Transition From Work To Home-Part 2

2010-09-16T22:22:00.001-05:00

Part 2-

Ask yourself these questions...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not

lean on your own understanding. In all your ways

acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Do you find it heart wrenching every time you have to leave your precious children in the care of someone else (sometimes a stranger) everyday as you leave for work? Do your children beg you to stay home and not leave? Do you cry all the way to work? Do you simply want to follow the teachings of the Lord and become a keeper of the home?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you need to read this series. I decided before I had children that I wanted to be a SAHM. When career day would come around in high school people would ask me what I wanted to do for a living. The only thing that I could ever imagine was a mother. Oh, I had dreams and interests in other fields, such as medicine, but nothing ever felt as right as being a wife and mother.

After I got married I knew that I would have to plan in advance if I wanted to make my dream come true. Unfortunately the man I married did not understand my desire and expected that I would always work. I had to do a lot of praying for the Lord to change his heart. After the birth of our first child my husband had come around and I am now doing what I had always said I would do as a child.

So how did I get to where I am today? Planning and Prayer. I can not emphasize enough that you must plan ahead or you will most likely fail. The first thing you need to learn how to do is adjust to living on one income before you quit your job. Sit down with your spouse and plan out a budget using his income alone. For great information on budgeting visit Dave Ramsey's site on money management.

The second thing you need to do is set a realistic date to quit work. If you have a goal in mind you are more likely to reach it.

Next you need to build an emergency fund to cover anything that may happen that you will need to pay for once you actually quit work. I would also recommend using your current income to pay off debt. You are learning to live on just your husband's income alone so you should be able to put anything extra toward paying of debt. You want to make sure that you can have the least amount of bills possible for you husband's income to pay.

The last thing you need to do once you have come home is try to get into a routine. It is really easy to just let yourself become lazy and get nothing done. You will find yourself at lunch time still in your PJ's and the house a mess and your husband may stop in for lunch. He will wonder what you have been doing all day and if having you home is really going to work. You managed to keep up the house when you were working. You need to be able to do the same thing once you are at home. Your new "job" is to make sure that you spend time with God daily, then your husband, then children, and then the house. Find someone who has been a SAHM for awhile and get her advice.

Next time I will begin to go into each of these steps a little more in depth. Keep praying about your decision. God will provide a way if this is truly the desire of your heart.

Transition From Work To Home-Part 1

2010-09-15T08:10:00.003-05:00

Part - 1
Is staying at home for everyone and why do you want to do it?

"I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord,' plans for your

welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

I thought that since I had taken some time off I would start the transition from work to home series over again. I am sorry if any of you have already read it, but I did not want to leave anyone out. If you are looking for some inspiration about transitioning from work to home you need to read Larry Burcket's book Woman Leaving the Workplace. This book is where I have found a lot of my info for this series.

I have always loved this verse. It has helped me through many difficult times. When there are days that I do not know how my husband and I will be able to afford for me to stay home I think on this verse and remember God's promise to take care of his children. If you are struggling with the decision to come home, you are not alone. God can and will take care of those who put their trust in him.

I hear of more and more women lately that are wanting to leave work and become a SAHM. Unfortunatly many of them do not see how this can ever be possible. As a nation we have come to believe that to make it in life we need to be a dual income family. Some women have supportive husbands and others do not. It is possible financially to live on one income. I am not going to tell you that this will come easily. As with anything worth having you have to work at it.

Statistics show that the number of women quitting their jobs is on the rise. Mothers are looking at what has happened to our nation's children when their mother's are taken out of the picture and not raising them at home under their loving care.

There are many mothers today, especially in the Christian community, who feel that they are supposed to stay home, yet they feel like they are letting their families down because they work out of the home full time. There are many mothers who have tried to quit, yet have had to return to work because they did things out of order and did not completely prepare themselves and their families for the transition.

I can only give suggestions to help you with your transition in this series. There is no guarantee that this will work just like there are not gurantees that staying at home with your kids will ensure that they grow up to be model citizens. Please do not take your decision lightly. Make sure that you pray with your husband before any final decisions are made. Only God knows the plans that he has for us.

Through out this series I would like to touch on the topics of having a supportive spouse, fears, budgeting, homeschooling, income earning ideas, and when to return to work. Stay tuned until next time for the actual planning process and what steps to take first.

Eversave: Greeno Bambino $26 for only $13

2010-09-15T07:37:00.003-05:00

Greeno Bambino is on Eversave today only. The deal is for $26 worth of product for only $13. If you are new to Eversave you can sign up and get an instant $5 credit making your purchase total only $8.

Greeno Bambino has a flat rate shipping fee of only $5 which you can use your Eversave purchase toward.

I noticed in their sale section that they had LOTS of items well under $26! This could make for a very inexpensive gift.

Thanks Organic Deals

50 Bean/Lentils And Rice Recipes

2010-09-14T12:51:00.003-05:00

This is something I wrote for my other blog Natural On A Budget last fall. It was such a hit over their that I thought I would repost it here. Beans and rice meals are a great way to save money when you are a stay at home mom and needing to stretch your grocery budget.

After buying a lot of bulk beans and rice last week I decided I needed to look for some inventive ways to use them so we do not get bored with just beans and rice. I have obviously not had a chance to try all of these, but I have made a few. All of which were quite good.

I tried to look for recipes that did not include meat to make these more frugal, but there may be some that do have it in the ingredient list. Of course you can always adapt the recipe to your taste and budget.

I also tried to find recipes that did not require strange or expensive ingredients, but were still varied and interesting, including two desserts. (Check out the recipe for chocolate hummus at the bottom.)

Italian and Mediterranean
Minestrone
Pasta e Fagioli
Italian Black Beans and Rice
Hummus and Veggie With Pita
Falafel

Indian
Curried Lentils and Rice
Chola (Channa Masala)
Butter Chickpea Curry
Lentil Curry Dip
Lentil Curry Snack
Dhall

Southwest
3 Bean Chili
Taco Salad
Rice and Bean Burritos
Taco Soup
Taco Pizza
Mexican Lasagna
Spanish Rice With Bean Dip
Bean Quesadillas
Layered Bean Enchilada Casserole
7 Layer Tortilla Pie
Pintos With Mexican Spices and V8
Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Southern
Red Beans and Rice

Soups and Salads
Chickpea Soup
Chickpea Pasta
Lentil Soup
Split Pea Soup
Black Bean Soup
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Lentil Curry Soup
Moros y Christianos
Chickpea Salad
Pasta Bean and Veggie Salad

Indian (American)
Indian Fry Bread (Tacos)

Asian
Pho
Chinese Fried Rice

Caribbean
Caribbean Rice and Beans

Misc.
Lentil and Rice Casserole (Easy, cheap, and YUMMY!)
Lentil Soup With Mashed Potatoes (Think shepherd's pie)
Black Beans and Rice Burgers
Bean Chili Over Baked Potatoes (Just like it says. Leftovers over baked potato)
Caramelized Onions and Beans
Lentils In Butter With Veggies and Cornbread
Sauteed Crispy Chickpeas
Savory Lentils and Rice
Chickpeas With Sweet Potato ans Summer Veggies
3 Bean Casserole
Black Bean Tortilla Bake
Chocolate Hummus (I think this sounds interesting)

OK, after putting this together I am hungry!

Income Earning Idea: Personal Grocery Shopper

2010-09-11T20:21:00.003-05:00

Photo Credit

I am sure that I am not the only mother out there who wished that there was some way to make money while still staying home with the kids. I have searched and tried so many things. Some that have worked and some that have not. Today I am starting what I hope will become a weekly feature on income earning opportunities that can be done either from your home, with kids in tow, or as your own business.

Today's income earning idea is to become a personal grocery shopper. I have actually considered doing this one myself many times. In fact I asked several friends what they thought of the idea and had a very positive response.

There are so many people out there who could use help getting their groceries...

New moms
Elderly
Home bound
Working professionals
Working moms
Those who have recently had surgery
The list could go on and on

Here are a couple of places that you could possibly advertise...

Country clubs
Doctors offices
Grocery stores
Office buildings

Some of the ideas that I have had to help stream line this business would be...

Ask each client to provide a pre-paid visa or store gift card so that you are not having to pay anything out of your pocket.
Get different colored shopping bags so that each client could have their own color and tag them so that you can easily make deliveries.
Get a professional catering cooler so that you are able to keep cold things cold and hot items hot. This would be extremely important. Nobody wants to receive melted ice cream.
Make up a flyer highlighting what you do, your prices, and the reason why having a personal grocery shopper may benefit the individual. Don't forget your business cards. Vistaprint often has offers for free business cards.

If you still have questions about running your own personal grocery shopping business I have listed several sites below that I have found that explain how to get this business off the ground in much greater detail.

How to start a personal grocery shopping business- This article has great info including sample pricing and a ready made flyer.
Brochure-Templates and Youtube video for making your own brochures.
Another great article with a different perspective.

Let me know if anyone decides to try this and how things go. I am sure others would love to hear as well.

That Still Small Voice

2010-09-09T22:31:00.002-05:00

I can not believe it has been a year and a half since I last posted on this blog. I am sure there is no one still reading it, but the last couple of days I have been praying and asking the Lord to show me a way that I can be a blessing to others and have a ministry while still being a full time wife and mother. I really feel that I am being led to pick up this blog again. We will have to see where things go, but my heartfelt prayer is that in some small way I will be able to touch the life of even just one person.

I am about $500 Short Each Month From Staying Home

2009-03-24T14:52:00.002-05:00

This is an old post that had quite a few comments. I thought it was worth posting again. We are all looking for ways to cut back. Hopefully this will help....

I had a reader mention recently that she was about $500 short per month from being able to balance the budget and stay home. I hope that this post will somehow help others see that you can make this work.

How much are you willing to sacrifice to stay home with your children? This is a question that I often have to ask woman when they ask me how I manage to be a SAHM on my husband's teaching salary. The other statement that I often get from people is "Oh, you are so lucky to be able to stay home with your children. Your husband must have a good job." I have to make sure that I am polite and say thank you I know I am lucky, but what I want to say to them is luck has nothing to do with it. I stay home by choice and I make choices daily that keep me there.

What are some of the luxuries or so called "needs" that you may have to sacrifice to stay home? I have decided to put together a list of things that my family felt we did not need and truly have not really missed. I realize that some of these things we may be able to have again in the future, but for this season of our lives they are not necessities.

I am going to put an approximate dollar amount to the things on this list so you can see how quickly you can "find" that extra $500 in the budget. It may not seem that you will have any material comforts left at first, but I think you will soon realize, just how little you really need to be happy. The Lord said that he will make sure that we have food to eat, clothes on our back, and a roof over our head. This is the ultimate picture of true contentment. To be happy with the simple things in life. I will not say that I am not still struggling daily with contentment, but I am trying.

Cable tv Total we saved $100/month going with minimal cable, phone and internet.
High speed internet (We do have DSL, but a slower version)
Call waiting
Caller ID (Ok this one I miss)
Long distance telephone service
Cut Blow money $50/month
NO eating out except special occasions $50-$100/month
Gym membership $50/month
OnStar $15/month
Budget groceries Depending on your family $100-$200/month
Try to get your electric and gas on an average payment plan For us this saved about $50/ month
Use less water, shower every other day. $5-10/month
Eliminate trash bill (A little radical, but it can be done.) $30/month
Cut back on your driving to save on gas (If you don't work this should be easier)$50-$100
Cut family clothing budget. Try garage sales and thrift stores. $25-50/month
Coupon shop or make your own cleaning supplies $10-15/month
Put a $5 limit on gifts. This can force you to be creative. With coupons I still am able to come up with some nice gifts. $25-$50/month
Cancel magazine subscriptions. $10/month
Come up with free or cheap entertainment. Keep an eye out for coupons or free events, or try having a family night at home. $25/month
Possibly sell one car $300/month
Before quitting your job eliminate debt. $100-$300/month

As you can see these numbers can very quickly add up.

Realize that some of these changes will not be permanent. They are just some things you may have to sacrifice for a season to make your dreams come true. You can eventually start adding some small things back in. See Crystal's post here about living on a very bare bones budget of $1000 a month. It is amazing.

Think of saving money as your new "job." You are not technically being paid for it, but you are sort of making money. Remember all the expenses you will no longer have by not working out of the home. The average mom only makes a couple of dollars an hour after all the expense are paid so she can work, unless you have a very high paying job. That hardly seems worth it to me.

Work Clothes $25-50/month
Dry Cleaning $25/month
Work Lunches $50/month
Daycare! $400-500 per child per month
Gas $100/month

Things you will gain as a SAHM...

Seeing all your child's firsts and not hearing about it from the sitter
Being able to go to all school events and field trips
Showing your children by example how to live a Godly life
Seeing those beautiful smiles first thing in the morning and knowing you will not have to leave them with someone else.
Being able to stay home with a sick child and not miss work
Home cooked meals
A happier family because mom is not stressed out
Time to plan a menu, shop, and save money
Quality time with your husband
This list could go on forever. You can add some of your own perks.

Making Your Own Groceries: Butter

2009-03-19T15:21:00.003-05:00

Ok I have to start out by apologizing for not getting pictures of my butter making adventure for you. I know it helps to see the steps as they are described. This is the first in my series of making your own groceries. The cost of a gallon of raw milk for me is $2.50. I used 2 gallons to make about 8 oz of butter. So for $5 I will have milk, butter, cheese, and whey. Not to bad, plus it is much healthier.

Here is what I am planning for future posts...

Bread

Yogurt

Tortillas

Mozzarella cheese (I will be making this for the first time)

Pita

More as they come to me. I have lots of ideas.

My husband and I are striving to either make, grow, or raise as many of our own groceries as possible to save money, and also this will help us know exactly where our food is coming from. I think it is kind of a fun adventure to learn so many things that women used to do everyday without even thinking it was anything abnormal. I want my children to know how we get food and not to just think it comes from a grocery store.

One thing I find interesting is that from 2 gallons of raw milk you can make butter, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

I forgot to mention that I finally found a source of raw milk about 30 minutes from my house for $2.50 a gallon! That is a steal compared to the $6 a gallon I have been paying for organic milk.

Here are the steps for making butter...

1.)Skim the cream off of the top of raw milk. You can buy cream if you want, but it will defeat the purpose of saving money.

2.)Fill a food processor 1/3 full of cream. I filled mine to the max liquid line.

3.) Set the food processor on high and let it run for about 10 minutes.

4.) At this point you should have the fat separated from the milk. You should see chunks of butter in the milk. Scoop all of the butter out into a clean bowl.

5.) Run COLD water into the bowl and squeeze out all the excess milk with a spoon. Repeat this step until the water is clear.

6.) Squeeze out all the excess water and you should have a nice ball of butter.

For a much better tutorial on this with pictures go to Heavenly Homemaker.

I promise for the next post I will remember pictures.

I Finally Have A Dryer!

2009-03-17T08:41:00.003-05:00

Our dryer decided to quit drying clothes about 3 or 4 months ago and ever since I have either line dried them in the house or have taken them over to my parent's house and used their dryer. I tried hard not to complain, but it was getting to be a little old considering I have 2 small children and I babysit 2 more on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can imagine the size of my laundry pile.

We thought we would have enough to get a used one, but February was an expensive month. Jack had pneumonia twice, Madison and I both had doctors visits, and I had to go to the dentist 4 times to have old fillings redone. To top it all off our insurance was supposed to cover Jack's nebulizer in full, but we later got a letter stating that they would be applying it to our deductible and we would be responsible for paying the entire bill. Thankfully we do have insurance so a lot of the above was covered. In total we paid nearly $1000. We do have money in savings to put toward paying off our car, but we hated to spend it. So I just kept drying clothes without a dryer.

I now have 3 things to be thankful for...

1.) We are all healthy again

2.) We were able to pay cash for our medical bills. We did not have to go into more debt.

3.)My dad showed up at my house yesterday with a BRAND NEW dryer in the back of his truck. Not used but NEW. He said he would be back later to install it and haul away the old one. To say the least I nearly started to cry. Especially when I found out where the money came from.

My grandmother passed away nearly 2 years ago and my dad finally got her life insurance money. He had planned to buy himself a four wheeler to go hunting with, but instead he decided to pay off his credit card (this is a huge step for him), buy me a dryer, and put the rest in savings. So my grandmother sort of bought be a dryer. It was so nice to see such a selfless act. It makes me want to do something for someone else.

What are you thankful for today? Head on over to Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratituesday.

Green Smoothies

2009-03-17T08:17:00.004-05:00

I thought that for St Patrick's Day I would share my take on green smoothies. I got the idea from two of my favorite healthy blogs Passionate Homemaking and Heavenly Homemakers. They both have great recipes for green smoothies/slushies. I took both recipes and kind of made up my own yummy green smoothie. They are so good for you and even my 1 year old will drink them. Unfortunately my 3 year old will not, but she does not care for smoothies of any sort. Weird I know. Oh well.

Green Smoothies (I tend to eyeball amounts)

Frozen strawberries

Frozen or fresh banana

A couple hand fulls FRESH spinach (Frozen tastes terrible)

A little juice (or water)

Yogurt or kefir (I use homemade for extra nutrition)

Honey if you like (I leave this out)

Put everything in the blender and blend very well. All of the spinach should completely blend away and leave you with a nice green colored drink. You can hardly taste the spinach. The fruit does a nice job of masking it.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can add any fruit you like as well as change out the greens. Experiment with what you like to eat. Start out with only a little spinach and eventually you can add more as you become accustomed to the taste. This is a great way to get some nutrition down picky eaters.

One thing I discovered is that you do NOT want to use frozen spinach. It does not blend well and will leave chunks in your smoothie. YUCK! It also leaved behind a strong spinach flavor.

Head on over to Tammy's Recipes for more of today's kitchen tips.

Healthy Coupon Links

2009-03-16T21:19:00.004-05:00

Here are the coupon links I have find for healthy food...

$.75/1 Fresh Del Monte Pineapple here and here

$1/1 Cascadian Farms (Great frozen veggies)

$1/1 Muir Glen product

$2/2 Ians natural chicken nuggets

$1/1 Country Choice Oatmeal

$1/2 Odwalla Juice

$1/1 Biokleen (Watch for this to go on clearance)

$.50/1 Method (At Target)

$1/1 Lifeway Kefir

$1/1 Sunspire baking chips

$1/1 Maranatha Nut Butter (Watch for clearance sales)

$1/1 Blue Diamond Nut Thins

$.75/1 Santa Cruz (Hand on to these. Kroger often has large jugs of lemonade on sale for $2 in the summers. After the coupon double that makes it $1 for organic lemonade!)

$1/1 Organic Valley cheese

Various Stoneyfield Farm products

Various Horizon Organic coupons (These are nice when the gallon milk is marked down)

I will try to add to this list as I come across coupons. You can eat healthy with coupons you just have to plan. I know you can do it!

Just as a side note I found organic butter at Target today for $3.50 a pound. This is about $1 more then Kroger brand, but about $2-3 less then national organic brands. I feel that butter is a place I can splurge when I have the extra money to do so since most of the antibiotics and growth hormones are found in the fat of diary foods.

I am hoping to start a series on how to make most of the items we eat or buy weekly in the grocery store. It is so much cheaper and healthier to make your own. If there are any request as to what you would like me to start with let me know.

Todays Healthy Grocery Trip

2009-03-16T20:54:00.004-05:00

I went shopping today and was able to use some coupons toward produce, organic bread, and other things. In another post I will try to share some links to some great natural coupons. I had hoped to show you a picture of my shopping trip, but my sweet husband had everything put away before I had a chance. I can tell you that I only spent around $41. Coupons can be so helpful. Sometimes it is worth it to buy something that you do not plan to use just to get an overage toward the items you do plan to use. You can always donate the extras.

Since I could not get a picture here is a list of what I got...

3 # organic apple

organic lettuce

2.19 # organic banana

Nature's own organic bread

1 # organic beef

Kroger natural peanut butter

2 jars Classico spaghetti sauce (I liked this brand because it did not have high fructose corn syrup or soybean oil)

1 Large can V8

1 can green beans

1 can peaches

2 cans pears

1 can madarin oranges

Daisy sour cream (This brand is cream only without additives)

apple juice (I prefer not to buy this, but my daughter needs to have as many fluids I we can get down her)

2 packs strawberries

Local whole wheat flour

2 boxes freezer bags

1 bag garbonzo beans

1 bag frozen stir fry veggies

1 bag frozen bell pepper and onions

1 sm container plain yogurt (To make my own yogurt with)

1 cucumber

1 bag Nature's own buns

World Market olive oil (My favorite brand)

1 box Always Infinity (I had a free box coupon, plus $2 came off that was already loaded to my card)

Coupons used...

2 $.75 Nature's own (No longer available)

$1 off V8

1 $.35 off Kroger frozen veggie (mailer)

$2.50 off next order coupon

Free Always Infinity

$10 off next order coupon (This was a Walgreens Register Reward. I read at Common Sense With Money that if you ask your store some will take them as a competitors coupon. I decided to ask the cashier. She just said she would see if it would scan. Guess what it did!)

Total OOP $41.22

Total saved $34.72

I obviously could have saved more if I had gone to Aldi's to get my produce. I decided that I would rather spend a little more for better quality especially since I was planning to use the $10 off catalina.

Homemade Laundry Soap

2009-03-13T23:11:00.006-05:00

I found a great recipe for homemade laundry soap on the Dugger website. I have been playing with the idea of trying it for myself. When I saw that this recipe worked well for a family of 20 I new that it must work well.

I have also found that using plain white vinegar in the rinse cycle makes a very frugal and natural alternative to fabric softener. Don't worry it does not leave a vinegar smell behind.

I am really excited to try this recipe for 2 reasons

1.) It costs much less then any prepackaged laundry detergent. According to the recipe each batch only costs about $2 and makes 10 gallons. Depending on the type of washing machine you have this will do anywhere from 180-640 loads of laundry!

2.) It is all natural and a very green alternative. I have children with very sensitive skin, and the fact that this recipe does not have any dyes or perfumes is a plus.

This recipe was taken directly from the Dugger's website. I felt it was best not to mess with any of the wording so that you can achieve the same results. I am not sure how to give proper credit for this.

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Make sure to check out this website for tons of great frugal recipes and incredible parenting advice.

My $.87 Shopping Spree

2009-03-13T20:57:00.006-05:00

After sales, coupons, and $$ off your next order I got all of this (plus a few things not pictured) for a grand total of $.87!!

I just realized I got a picture of my sweet husband making gnocchi for dinner.

I had such a great shopping trip today. After reading Crystal's tip about the Huggies coupons being used for single packs of wipes I decided I needed to go shopping today. I had already used all of my $5 coupons on diapers at Walgreens, but I had 11 $3 coupons left. I had access to 4 printers for these coupons in case you were wondering how I managed to get so many. The above picture was in 3 transactions. I am planning to donate all of the wipes and cereal to my church's food pantry. I am well stocked on wipes from Walgreens earlier this week.

Transaction #1...Dillons/Kroger

6 boxes Huggies wipes $2.50 each -6 $3 coupons
2 boxes Glucerna cereal $3.99 each -2 $5 coupons (I received 2 $2.50 OYNO coupons)
1 gallon Horizon organic milk marked down to $3.90
1 Big K gingerale
1 box Fruitabu organic fruit snacks marked down to $2
1 Russell Stover Private Reserve marked down to $.75

Total out of pocket $4.35
Received $5 back off of my next order

Transaction #2 Dillons/Kroger

4 boxes Huggies wipes $2.50 each -4 $3 coupons
3 Russell Stover Private Reserve $.75 each - Buy 2 get 1
1 large can Muir Glen tomatoes marked down to $1.75 - $1 coupon

Total out of pocket $1.13

Transaction #3...Leekers

1 can Pringles - Free item coupon (Special treat for family)
1.96 pounds bananas $1.31
-$1 off next order coupon

Total out of pocket $.39

Total out of pocket $5.87
Recieved $5 off your next order coupons
Grand Total $.87

Total savings $45.94

Coupons Are Only For Junk Food

2009-03-12T13:59:00.005-05:00

If I had read the title of this post 2 years ago I would have completely agreed, and for the most part I still do. That said I would like to show you that there are some coupons out there that can be used for organic or natural foods. I still think that buying organic ingredients and making your own food is definitely cheaper, but not everyone is able to spend time in the kitchen cooking every meal. Later this week I will try and post some recipes that use whole foods that are frugal and easy to prepare.

I am always on the lookout for organic coupons. I seem to find them everywhere. If you have a health food store anywhere near you make sure to check them out. They often have coupons in their magazines or in my case a whole book of coupons that comes out every couple of months. I always grab several. The nice thing is that the coupons are for REAL food like butter, milk, veggies... A couple of weeks ago I was able to get 2 bags of organic carrots for $.99! I have also been able to get Cascadian Farms fruits and veggies for $.50 a bag buy combining coupons and sales.

Make sure to keep an eye out in your local grocery store as well. In either March or April of last year they had coupon books for Earth Day. These came in very handy. I always check to see what items might be on closeout in the health food section and then see if I have coupons for them.

If you remember to buy your produce in season you are usually able to get organic items for the same price or less then conventional. Here is a good list of seasonal produce in your area. Also see if you can buy locally at a farmers market. Or better yet grow your own. Even if you only have room for a container garden you can grow fruits and veggies. If you have noticed from some of my shopping trip pictures I rarely buy cleaning products or processed foods. I will admit that I cave and buy a few junk food products when a craving hits or I can get something for free. These items are either saved as treats for my kids or donated to my church's food pantry. Sometime I feel bad donating food that I prefer not to feed my family, but I also want to help as much as my budget will allow. I would hope that if I ever were in a position to need help that someone would help me. When I do donate I try to make sure the food is at least somewhat healthy.

If you are looking for coupons for "real" food there are numerous sites that you can go to. Often if you will go to a manufacturers web site they will offer you a coupon. For example Seventh Generation and Muir Glen tomatoes.

Here are some great articles on buying organic food with coupons.

How I Buy Organic Fresh Food For Pennies

Tips For Saving Money On Organic Foods

HUGE List Of Organic Coupons (I mean HUGE)

Tweaking The Purpose of This Blog

2009-03-10T21:21:00.002-05:00

I have really been thinking about stopping blogging altogether, as I am sure you have noticed by my extreme absence. For some reason I keep coming back. I seem to miss it. If I still have anyone reading I think I will try to take this blog in a new direction.

I do not like just posting about deals and grocery trips. To me that seems to defeat my original purpose for starting this blog. I still have lots of friends asking me how on earth I find such great deals. This also seems to be the top thing that people visit this blog for. We are all trying to cut back and simplify these days. My goal will be to help those who are interested learn how to still eat a natural whole foods diet and stay within their budgets.

I think I will still post about the good deals when I see them, but not everything. There are so many other bloggers who already have this covered and do a great job. I would really like to concentrate on helping wives and mothers take care of their families in the most frugal yet most natural and healthy way. It is a passion of mine to learn about Biblical principals for raising a family, being good stewards, natural health care, healthy cooking (especially for kids) and more as decide what will work with this new direction.

I will still be posting on how to make the transition from work to home, but also adding in some things about how to live a more natural yet frugal life.

Couponing For Diapers

2009-03-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of my Walgreen shopping spree this last Sunday. I was down to 2 packs of diapers so I decided it was time to restock my supply. I have considered going to cloth diapers recently for a greener alternative. I even have a friend who has offered to loan me her's. I am still trying to decide what direction to take. I guess I figure that since Jack is 16 months I will hopefully be able to start potty training in a couple of months. His sister was finished potty training my 22 months. I have heard that boys are harder.

Total for the above....

6 bag diapers
5 184 count bags of wipes
2 packages of raisins
1 Glade Sense and Spray

Total oop about $24
I received $30 in Register Rewards
Total saved over $60

I could have saved $6 more off of my total making it $18, but Walgreens only had 1 Sense and Spray. I needed 2 to get $4 overage. I also had to use a $3 coupon instead of a $5. I could have printed another one at my mom's, but I decided it was not worth the drive to her house and then another store. Considering 1 pack of diapers is on sale for $10 I think I did pretty well.

$10 off $10 at QVC

2009-02-02T21:37:00.003-06:00

I have never bought anything from QVC before, but I decided to go for it when I came across this great deal. I love it when places offer $10 off of $10 order. If you hurry and go here you can get all the details on how to get in on this. I also noticed that there was free shipping on many items today. I am not sure if free shipping continues tomorrow or not. There were several items at or a little above $10 so you could get a great deal.

I bought some Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies that I have been wanting to try. They ended up costing me about $6.88 for 4 items. This included tax and shipping. I will also get money back from using my husband's Ebates account. If you already have an Ebates account don't forget to go through them to get 3% cash back on your QVC order to make this an even better deal. If you have any plans to order something online soon make sure to use Ebates to get coupons and cash back. They will be sending out checks on Feb 15th so now would be a great time to order if you have plans to.

Thanks For Helping

2009-01-29T10:13:00.001-06:00

I wanted to say thanks again to everyone who has signed up for Swagbucks. It is amazing what referrals can do. I am currently saving to get a $50 Lowes gift card to use on the house this summer.

Would you like to learn how to get FREE gift cards just for surfing the web? It is just like google only you get "paid" to do it. Find out more here.

Dillons Deals Jan 28-Feb 3

2009-01-29T10:02:00.004-06:00

I have not been able to get up my Dillons deals the last several weeks due to being sick and then having both kids catch it. Right now Jack is fighting pneumonia and possible RSV. I have not been getting much sleep. Thankfully he is doing much better and is off the prednisone which was making him sssooo hyper. We were quite worried for awhile when the Dr checked his oxygen levels and it was only 93. God has been good and he is on the mend. Now if I could only get some sleep.

Anyway since Dillons has decided to extend the Mega Event for another week I thought I would direct you to Sarah's site for the match ups since I have not had a chance. Thank you so much Sarah for sending me these. Don't forget that these deals will work at Kroger stores as well.

I should have taken a picture of the cheese I was able to get last week. They had a blinkie right next to the cheese for $.75 off which doubled to $1 making each bag only $.49 each!! I bought 20 and my husband went back later and got 10 more. I am so glad that cheese freezes well.

Nutritious Freezer Meals

2009-01-17T21:35:00.002-06:00

I am really excited about the carnival that Lindsay will be hosting at Passionate Homemaking next Tues Jan 20th. She will be hosting a Nutritious Freezer Meal Carnival. I have always been inspired by her ability to feed her family delicious, healthy meals and still stay withing budget. It should be interesting to see what she comes up with for this one. I am also looking forward to seeing what others have to add to this carnival. It should be fun. If you would like to participate make sure to head on over to Passionate Homemaking next Tues or even sooner for some great inspiration on frugal, natural living as well as some encouragement on your walk as a wife and mother.

Today's Swagbuck Code

2009-01-15T11:06:00.000-06:00

I noticed this morning that Swagbucks has a new Swagbucks code up. If you click on the large number that tells you how many bucks you have you will be taken to a page that has a box you can type in a Swagbucks code to receive a free point. After you type it you click on Give Me and you will automatically have an extra point. Make sure you hurry these codes tend to expire quickly. The code is also case sensitive.

Here is the code....GreenThursday

Cheap Green Giant Veggies

2009-01-15T10:50:00.003-06:00

I mentioned the other day that I was planning a trip to Dillons this week to get some Green Giant boxed veggies that are on sale 10/$10 this week. There are some $.50/1 coupons here as well as some ecoupons you can add to your Dillons card here and here. If your store doubles coupons that would make them FREE. I had many coupons that I had been saving up hoping these would go on sale soon. My Dillons will honor expired coupons up to, I think, 6 weeks past expiration. It depends on who you talk to.

I was also able to get some more free Cottonelle toilet paper. Right now I have around 14 four packs and a large pack as well as 5-9 more coupons for more. All the 4 packs are free if you use the $.50/1 coupons here and here. Remember you can hit the back button and get 2 coupons per computer per site. Go here and here to print these coupons.

Here is what I got yesterday...

28 boxes Green Giant veggies
1 pack Cottonelle
2 packs Kotex
1 Colgate Total
1 can Kroger Tuna FREE with Cellfire
1 box Kroger kleenex
1 bag cookies to stop screaming children

Total for everything I paid under $20. That is a HUGE savings considering the veggies are regularly priced at $1.99 each! I should have paid $2 less except I forgot my husband's Dillons card to use on 1 pack of Kotex and 2 boxes of veggies. Oh well still a good deal.

Free Subscription To Kiwi Magazine and Organic Coupons

2009-01-15T10:28:00.002-06:00

You can go here to sign up for a free subscription to Kiwi Magazine and get $5 in Earth's Best coupons. I get this magazine and I really like it. It is full of green living ideas for moms.

New Cellfire Coupons

2009-01-13T18:15:00.006-06:00

Cellfire has added new coupons today. They have several that are good for Kroger brand items. I love these coupons because you do not usually see Kroger coupons. They are also nice because you can load them to your Dillons card and not have to worry about remembering to bring them to the store.

Cellfire also has several coupons that are good towards things like Huggies diapers and Colgate toothpaste. Since these coupons are loaded to your Dillons card and are virtual coupons you can stack them with a paper coupon which can add up to some big savings if you manage to get the item on sale.

For example I found Kotex on sale this week for $3. I used a $.75 paper coupon that doubled to $1 and the Cellfire coupon came off for another $1 making the Kotex only $1 each. I was able to buy 2 packs and only pay a total of $2. That is less then the cost of one! Let me know if you have questions about how ecoupons work. You can also add coupons to your husband's card if he has one.

Don't forget about these other sites that let you load coupons to your Dillons card....

Shortcuts P&G Brandsaver

There are lots of paper coupons that match up to them. Tomorrow Green Giant boxed veggies will be on sale for $1 each. When you combine the ecoupons and paper coupons they will be FREE! I have been saving my Green Giant coupons hoping they would go on sale soon. I will try to take a picture and do a post on what I get tomorrow. See you can get healthy food with coupons.

Whole Foods Diet and Hummus Recipe

2009-01-13T10:24:00.004-06:00

I have to admit that I LOVE hummus. My husband loves it when I make this recipe. From all the research I have done chickpeas are very good for you which makes this dip extra healthy since it contains olive oil, tahini, and garlic. Yes, it is a bit high in fat, but it is good fat. I am a firm believer in eating full fat and whole milk as long as it is healthy fat and comes from a reliable if not organic source.

If you are wondering about why I believe in eating this way you should check out the 2 books that completely changed the way my family eats, The Maker's Diet and Nourishing Traditions. In fact my husband lost around 60 pounds eating real butter and full fat diary. HMMM that seems to go against everything we have been taught. I feel we should eat our food the way the Lord made it and not mess with it too much. If I could find a source of farm fresh milk anywhere near here I would be buying it.

Using coupons to eat a whole foods diet can be a bit of a struggle. Since we are currently working to pay all of our debts off we have decided to compromise on a few foods, but I have to say that eating a whole foods diet can be just as cheap if not cheaper then using coupons alone for processed foods. I strive to use my coupons to help of set the price of some of our produce and other things. There are also great sources of organic and whole food coupons if you keep an eye out for them. Maybe I should do a post on just organic couponing or what I spend on a whole foods diet. The way I have found we save is by making nearly everything we eat. It is amazing how much you can save when you are not buying premade or processed foods. It is so much healthier and cheaper, even when you can get some things for free. My sister-in-law said once that she would rather pay more for food now then pay much more for medical bills later.

All this said here is my favorite hummus recipe...

15 oz garbanzo beans (chick peas, I use dried beans, but you can use 1 can)

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tahini (sesame "butter" found in the health food section of grocery store)

1/4 cup lemon juice

olive oil to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend together. If the hummus is too thick you can thin it with olive oil or a little water.

Place in a bowl and garnish with pine nuts, paprika, and a little olive or sesame oil if you like. I usually don't.

Serve with pita or fresh veggies.

It Still Fits!

2009-01-12T16:12:00.004-06:00

My daughter has been asking to see my wedding dress the last several weeks. I finally gave in and pulled the big ol thing out. Think miles and miles of tulle. I finally got it all out of the bag when she decides it would be a good idea for me to try it on. I am happy to say that over 7 years and 2 kids later it still fits just the way it did on my wedding day. The only thing on me that was a little bigger may have been my hips. I don't remember having trouble getting it over my hips the last time (yes I stepped into it).
I guess chasing after two small children is more of a workout then I thought.

Madison enjoyed helping me carry my train up the stairs so I could look in the mirror. It was so fun to see the look on her face when she saw her mommy "so pretty." I barely had any makeup on and my hair had been under a baseball cap all day and she still thought her momma was pretty. Of course then came all of the questions about where was I at your wedding and I think I will marry Jack or daddy. I love being a mom. She later had to wear the veil around for awhile.

Ebates: Earn Money For Shopping Online

2009-01-10T11:40:00.003-06:00

I decided to order a book from Borders today and remembered too late that I should have used my Ebate account to order it. I only ended up paying $.03 for a $20 book after coupon, gift card, and shipping to the store, but it would have been nice to have also received a 4% cash back rebate as well.

After realizing that I had forgotten I decided to check Ebates and see what other Borders coupons or rebates they had. When I got to their web page I discovered that any new person who signs up can get an automatic $5 deposited into their account, or $10 gift card to Borders or Target, plus some other gift cards. My husband signed up and they are now shipping him a $10 gift card to Borders!

I love to use Ebates whenever I shop online because I know that I can usually get a rebate and some sort of coupon code. It is free to sign up plus you can have your earnings sent to you in check form or deposited into your PayPal account. Sounds like a good deal to me. You can go here to sign up and check it out for yourself.

Reducing Debt in 2009

2009-01-09T14:24:00.004-06:00

"Just as the rich rule the poor; so the borrower is servant to the lender."

Proverbs 22:7

My husband and I have been working on paying down our debt since last summer. After reading Dave's Total Money Makeover we both decided that we had had enough of owing money. The Bible teaches us that we are to owe no man. At the beginning of our marriage we only had $3,500 in student loans and no other debt. Unfortunately we decided to listen to what others were telling us and take out student loans, car loans, and a mortgage. We did not know that there was any other way. Debt was just something that everyone had. We were even told that student loans are considered "good" debt. How could we have been so blind.

We are now paying off a student loan we used to pay for a truck that has been totaled for almost 3 years now. My husband was always against taking out loans, but I usually managed to talk him into it. Thanks to him we have a lot less then we might if I had gotten my way.

Thrift Florida Mom is hosting a monthly debt buster meeting. I have decided to join in. We have a HUGE goal this year. I believe that you should always aim high. If you don't you will never know what you can achieve. If you don't make it at least you gave it all you had. I have prayed about this so many times. I am trusting the Lord to help take care of us. I know he has put it on my heart to be debt free. With the Lords help it is possible although it will take sacrifice and extra jobs. I would love to hear from you. Any encouraging words you can leave would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to follow the lead of Florida mom and list out my debts so that each month you can see my progress and hopefully you will be inspired to tackle your debt this year.

Car loan $6,300 - We owed around $14,000 last June

Student loan $8,500

Student loan $10,500

These are approximate numbers. I have the 2 student loans in forbearance right now. We are putting everything extra we can toward having the car paid off by May or June. My ultimate goal would be to be debt free by January 2010 which would mean paying $2,100 a month toward debt. My family thinks I am crazy. My husband teaches at a technical college and I stay home. To help with this goal we are on a very strict budget and we are planning to take on some extra jobs.

Auntie Anne's Preztel Coupons

2009-01-08T16:19:00.004-06:00

I decided to take my kids to the mall for an Auntie Anne's pretzel today. I decided to go hunting for a coupon so I could possibly make this a free trip. I am also planning to use a $5 gift card to Sears that I earned from Adperks. I was excited to see that there is a FREE pretzel coupon in the new Entertainment book as well as you can go here and sign up to have a coupon sent to your email box every month.

By the way thanks to everyone who has signed up for Swagbucks. I was really surprised to see I had "earned" some points while I was sleeping last night.

Free Gift Cards

2009-01-07T13:18:00.003-06:00

I am sure that you have heard of Swagbucks by now, but if you haven't you really should be using it.

Basically Swagbucks is a search engine that you can use just like google and any other search engine. The bonus to using Swagbucks is that when you search for things you will occasionally be rewarded with a swagbuck or 2. After you accumulate enough you can redeem your swagbucks for things such as Starbucks gift cards, Amazon gift cards, and tons of other prizes.

The other great thing is that if you have a website or even an email you can refer friends and earn extra points. For every point your friends earn you will earn the same number up to 100 points.

There are lots of other ways to earn bucks. The best way to learn about the program is to go ahead and visit here. It is so easy to get started. I just ordered my second Starbucks card. I love getting free coffee just for surfing the net like I would be doing anyway. Go ahead and give it a try.

Paraben Free Products At Walgreens

2009-01-06T15:04:00.004-06:00

I noticed when I was in Walgreens today that they have the Yes To Carrots line buy one get one half off. If you go here you can get a buy one get one free coupon. When you combine these deals you can get 2 products for 1/4 of the price.

Here is the break down...
Average price is about $8 x 2 = $16
- $8 BOGO coupon
-$4 Walgreens sale
Total is $4 for 2 products!

I also noticed that they have some of there Seventh Generation products on clearance. Head on over to Money Saving Mom to get the details on how to get $2 off these products. The clearance prices I noticed were just over $2.

Great deals on organic and natural foods

2009-01-05T09:30:00.004-06:00

I ran into some really good deals this weekend on organic and natural foods. Since we try to eat mostly whole and organic foods this causes a bit of a stretch in our budget at times. I was really excited to run into some sales this weekend. So if you live in or around the Wichita area you might be able to get in on this.

Green Acres has Cascadian Farms fruits and veggies on sale for 2/$3 and 2/$6 for a 10 oz bag. When you combine this sale with a $1/1 Cascadian Farm coupon you can get frozen fruits and veggies for around $.50 to $2.50 each.

They also have 5 pound bags of potatoes on sale for $2.99. That is less then Kroger, Target, or even Walmart.

The last place I found great deals was at Satchel Creek Steaks. They are a local ranch that raises hormone and antibiotic free grass fed beef. Every Friday they have Fill Your Freezer Friday. Which means everything in their freezer is 50% off! You do have to pay a one time fee of $20 to be able to participate, but it is well worth it. I was able to get 5 pounds of ground beef, all beef brats, and 2 precooked burgundy roasts for about $25. Not bad for good quality meat. To buy just the ground beef alone at Dillons would have been $25.

I'm Back!

2009-01-05T07:48:00.003-06:00

Thank you to everyone who sent encouraging emails for left comments. I needed to take some time and reevaluate where I am spending my time and where I wanted to blog to go. From the steady stream of visitors I am still receiving I have decided that I will continue to post, but maybe not as much as I used to. I will try to make sure that I get up the most time sensitive items as well as some posts on encouraging mothers in there journeys. I had trouble not posting items for the last several weeks and just letting this blog sit while I did other things.

The one thing that I will not do is tell my children to go play and let mommy finish "working" on a post. Time spent with them is too important. I also have not been giving myself as much time to spend in the Bible as I should. That will be my top priority.

Since today is Monday I will try to have a menu plan up later today.

Sorry I have been gone so much

2008-12-12T15:24:00.004-06:00

I have not totally abandoned my readers, but I have been praying and thinking a lot about either cutting back some from this blog or simply stopping it all together. I have realized that it is taking up way more of my time then I should let it take up. I have been trying to work out a schedule so that I am only allowing myself certain times of the day to work on it.

I have been receiving comments and emails from readers telling me that they like what they are seeing and have been able to benefit some from reading. I will try to continue the Dillons deals on Wednesdays and a few of the best deals I find throughout the week as well as some encouraging words, but the time I have spent in the past will have to be cut back some so that I am able to fulfill my job as wife and mother first. I hope you will all understand.

In the meantime here is a great link to a Christmas ornament project that a reader sent me.

Thanks Sarah!

Just Curious

2008-12-07T15:09:00.003-06:00

I am working on getting feed burner on my blog. I am not sure what I am doing so I would love to know how many of you have subscribed to this blog?

I am also wondering what topics you would like me to research and post about? Is there anything I used to do that you miss or anything different that I have yet to touch on? What keeps you coming back? I would like to make sure and post about things that are helpful and interesting to you. Thanks for the help.

Scripture Sunday

2008-12-07T15:06:00.003-06:00

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

This is the only thing we should remember about Christmas. It is so hard to remember through all the other holiday events we have planned. Try to remember the true reason we celebrate.

Work At Home Job Idea

2008-12-04T17:04:00.004-06:00

If you have been looking for a way to work from home for any length of time I am sure that you have at least looked into transcription in some form or another. I have worked as a medical transcriptionist myself so I can tell you that this is something that can be done. The only problem seems to be that most of the time when you think of transcription you think about medical transcription and you probably do not feel like you have the qualifications it would take to get started in this field.

There is hope for you if you have no formal medical training. Have you ever considered working as a legal or general transcriptionist? If you are able to type at a reasonable rate and you have a good grasp of grammar and punctuation this may be something that you could consider, but there is still the problem of needing some training and how to find your first job.

I have discovered that the blog Transcription Talks offers a down loadable training course called Transcription 101, that is significantly cheaper then any other training course I have seen. Believe me when I say that I have researched this subject. The rates I found usually ranged in the $1000's and you still had no guarantee of a job. I myself paid a local woman about $400 to train me. I ended up working as a medical transcriptionist for her until her business folded. I loved it and I earned back my start up cost very quickly.

Normally I would not advocate paying anyone for an at home job opportunity, but this is more like an investment in your education. I cannot guarantee that you will find a job after you have finished, but you will at least have the no how and it may work to your advantage. The cost of Transcription 101 is only $30! I wish I had known about this when I first started. You can go here to read more about it. Right now you can email the author and she will send you the first chapter for free so you can check it out and decided what you think.

You can also try Violet's College Fund. She has a ton of ideas on how to get started in this field and what companies are hiring.

Oh How They Make Me Laugh

2008-12-04T16:51:00.003-06:00

I went with Madison's class on a field trip to see the play The Gingerbread man this morning. When we got home we decided to make some real gingerbread men. After I got them in the oven I had to take a phone call. When I came back into the kitchen this is what I found.

She had the spoon and the bowl on the floor just helping herself. I guess it's a good thing her brother was napping or he would have been right in there with her.

Homemade Christmas Decor Part 3

2008-12-04T16:33:00.003-06:00

Today we made cranberry wreaths and cornucopias. I am hopeful that by the end of the week we will have the tree up and decorated. It has been such a busy week that we have not had a free evening with my husband home to put it up.

To make this cornucopia you will need some brown paper or a paper bag. Trace a 12"-14 " bowl and cut out the circle. You will then cut the circle in half. Each half circle is then folded into a cone and taped or stapled. I then cut a small hole in either side and attached a piece of raffia for a handle. I would have preferred twine, but raffia is what I found. I then placed a holiday pick inside. This is not quite as nice as I had hoped, but it will still look OK on the tree. You can cut a scallop edge on each one if you like. I am planning to make about a dozen for the tree.

These cranberry wreaths are very easy. Just string some cranberries on a piece of thread and tie off at the end. I am also planning to use these on the tree.

Tomorrow we will be stringing popcorn. I may not post pictures because we all have seen this done before.

Are you wondering why I decided to go for all homemade and mostly edible tree ornaments this year? Cost was one factor, but the biggest one was my 13 month old, Jack. I figured if he got them off of the tree and destroyed them he will not be ruining my nice ornaments. They will be at the top of the tree.

I will let you know how the homemade star topper goes when we have a chance to get it made.

Dillons/ Kroger Deals 12/3/-12/9

2008-12-03T21:48:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately there are not too many great deals at Dillons this week. Please someone let me know if there are any that I did not see. I am doing this while I am rather tired so I may have missed some.

8 HOURS ONLY DECEMBER 4th 4pm-MIDNIGHT

There are numerous 10/$10 items, but most of them are Kroger brand so there are not any coupons to use with them. Here is what I was able to match up...

M&M's 14 oz $1.68

-$1/1 from 11/16 RP

Final $.68

Nestle Jingles 12 oz $1.68

-$1/2 Here

Final $2.36 for 2 or $1.18 each

Healthy Choice Canned Soup 10/$10

-$1/3 from 10/26 SS

Final $2 for 3 or $.67 each

REGULAR WEEKLY DEALS

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken BOGO

Kroger Cheese 33% off

There was a shortcuts coupon

Honey Nut Cheerios $2.99

-$1/1 here

Final $1.99

Cottonelle 4 pk $.99

-$.50/1 here and here

Final $.49

There were a few other items that had coupon match ups, but they were still not great deals. Hopefully next week will look better.

Homemade Holiday Decor Part 2

2008-12-03T21:02:00.006-06:00

I managed to get 2 more ornament projects finished today. We are going for mostly homemade ornaments this year. I have no idea if it will all turn out the way I want it to. Today I dried orange slices in the oven and made cinnamon ornaments.

To make the orange slices you lay cut slices on a cookies sheet. (Cut them much thinner then I did) You then dry them for 4 hours on your ovens lowest setting, around 170 degrees. After 4 hours you flip them over and then check them every hour. They are finished when they are still slightly moist. This way they will retain their orange color. They will finish drying as they cool

To make the cinnamon ornaments you will need to combine 1 cup of cinnamon and 3/4 cup of store bought applesauce (homemade is to watery). The dough will be stiff. Roll it out between wax paper to about 1/4" thickness. You can then cut them into your desired shape and lay them out to dry for several days. Make sure to put a hole in them so you can hang them. I found that a straw makes a great tool for this. After they have dried you can decorate them or leave them plain.

Another tip about the cinnamon ornaments-Make sure your children know not to eat the dough, and make sure they keep their fingers away from their eyes. I had to constantly remind my daughter today.

Tomorrow I am hoping to show you the cornucopias we are working on. I thought they would be finished today, but who would have thought it would be so hard to find fake holly this time of the year. I have plans to try one more store tomorrow.

If you are interested in seeing where I have been getting some of my ideas you can go here for some inspiration of your own. I am also planning to have Madison help me string popcorn and make mini cranberry wreaths for the tree. I think I will see if my husband can make a star for the top using some sticks from the yard and then paint it gold.

Free $10 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

2008-12-03T13:29:00.001-06:00

If you go here you can send 3 of your friends a $10 Restaurant.com gift certificate. You can send it to 3 friends everyday between now and December 25. This is a great promotion and really easy to do. Do you have anyone on your Christmas list who might enjoy this?

Building An Emergency Supply Of Food

2008-12-03T08:23:00.002-06:00

I have been considering lately starting an emergency stockpile of food. You can never predict what is going to happen in the future. Hopefully this is something I will never need, but it never hurts to be prepared. If you missed the guest post at Money Saving Mom yesterday about this subject I would highly recommend you read it. It is much better written and more detailed then I could give you.

Homemade Christmas Decorations Part 1

2008-12-02T20:17:00.004-06:00

I did not get quite as much accomplished today as I had hoped. Jack was very cranky and cried most of the day. I thought I would show you the few things I managed to get done. Tomorrow I am hoping to give you some web sites and recipes for tons of do it yourself Christmas decor as well as some examples of what we are planning. I also hope to get some cleaning supply recipes posted.

I found these out in the garden today. I planted them last April!

Dinner on a budget. Pot roast, broccoli, homemade bread, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

This is a really cheap and elegant way to decorate. The tangerines cost about $1.69, the cloves were $2.00 (only used 1/2 container), free branches, and a pretty bowl.

30 FREE Holiday Picture Cards

2008-12-02T09:33:00.005-06:00

***Update-This deal works for anyone. I had it shipped to my house and I got 75 prints plus 30 Christmas cards for about $2.50.***

This is a great deal. If you go to this link here from Money Saving Methods you can learn how to get 30 free holiday picture cards shipped to CVS for at grand total of $.48! I wish I had a CVS near me. I think I will have to see if I can find a way to get this to work anyway.

Stay tuned later today as I post about my adventures in making my own laundry soap. I have also started making some of my Christmas decorations.

Free Razor Sample

2008-12-02T09:26:00.002-06:00

Right now you can go here and sign up for a free Schick Quatrro Titanium razor. I saw this on another blog yesterday and then on another one today. So I decided I needed to pass it along. Razors are my favorite freebie.

Everything Is On Sale At The Vision Forum

2008-12-02T09:19:00.004-06:00

I thought I would pass this on to anyone who would like to buy any Christmas gifts from the Vision Forum. I know that I have many of their books and cds on my Amazon wish list. Maybe I should pass this on to my family as well. They are also offering a $5 flat rate shipping for any order.

Today's Shopping Trip

2008-12-01T15:06:00.002-06:00

I went grocery shopping today knowing that I needed to only buy essentials and the things I needed for making laundry soap (I still need washing soda) and decorating for Christmas. I went to Aldi's, Target, and Dillons. I am hoping to do a post on our homemade Christmas decorations soon.

The produce I bought is not organic, but sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

Dillons

Gallon Organic Milk $6.19

-$.55 coupon

Total $5.19

Whole Cloves $2.02

Cottonelle 4pk $.99

Cellfire coupon $.50

Total $.49

Fels Naptha Soap $1.29

Total spent $9.62

Aldis

3lb Gala apples $2.69

3lb Granny Smith Apples $1.99

8oz Mushrooms $.99

3lb Tangerines $1.69

3lb Oranges $1.99

Total Spent $9.94

Target

Borax $2.99

Broccoli $2.29

-$1 coupon

Total $1.29

Marshmellows $.89 (Splurge for a treat for a family get together tonight)

Plain whole milk organic yogurt $3.39

-$1 coupon

Total $2.29

Box of organic tube yogurts $3.19

-$1 coupon

Total $2.19

Total minus tax $9.65 (I had some things for my mother on the same receipt)

Total for the day $29.21

$1 Glade Products At Walgreens

2008-12-01T07:45:00.003-06:00

I went into Walgreens last night to pick up a couple of things for my mother to use as Christmas gifts. I hit the jackpot on Glade scented oil candles and flamless candles. Both of these items are on sale for $3.99 this week.

Scented oil candles $3.99 x 2

Used BOGO coupon

-$2/1 coupon

Total for 2 $2 or $1 each

Flamless Candle $3.99

-$3/1 coupon from recent insert

Send in for $2 ES rebate

Total- I made $1 after rebate!

Making Homemade Cleaning Supplies And More

2008-12-01T07:31:00.004-06:00

Since I do not have a reader Q&A planned for this Monday I thought I would let you in on my experiment of making my own cleaning supplies and personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant.

Why would I even bother with this? Well for two reasons-price and health. Most cleaning supplies, shampoos and other toiletries are very expensive. Even when I can get them free I feel uneasy using them due to all the man made chemicals in them. I have been doing a lot of research this last year and many of the chemicals in our shampoo and body washes are carcinogens. I read in a book recently that baby shampoo used a chemical to numb a babies eyes and that is why it is considered tear free. They can no longer feel the chemicals burning their little eyes! I don't know about you, but that is not something I want to use on my children. Their tiny bodies can not handle the amount of chemical residue that is left behind. A lot of the diseases and hyperactivity that has become so common today has been linked to some of these chemicals. I will try to find some of these articles and link to them when I have more time.

I think that anyone wanting to save money and quit their jobs to stay at home with their kids may be interested in learning how to do some of these things simply because it is cheaper. I recently read a post on Common Sense With Money about homemade laundry soap and how it only cost $.01 per load to use. That is much cheaper and safer then even the cheapest premade soap you can get.

Here is a list of what I plan to make in the next week or so. I will keep you updated...

Laundry soap

Fabric softener

Deodorant

Shampoo

Conditioner

Liquid soap

Lotion

Tooth paste

Facial cleanser

All purpose cleaner

Glass cleaner

Furniture polish

Menu Plan Monday-Using Up Stockpile

2008-12-01T07:14:00.003-06:00

I have a lot of food that I have stockpiled from all of the sales the past several weeks. My husband and I decided that it is time we started to use most of it and not buy as many groceries the next couple of weeks. I started this last week and only had to buy a couple of things such as milk, eggs, and cheese. This week I should only need to buy a little bit of fruit and milk.

We have also decided that I have let my couponing and deal hunting get in the way of our whole food diet. I am going to try and see if I can continue to eat whole and/or organic with coupons and still remain within budget. I will let you know how things go. I am learning how important it is to eat with the seasons not only for nutrition, but also for budgeting.

Monday

Breakfast-Soaked oatmeal, fruit

Lunch-Millet,boiled eggs, corn

Dinner-Beef roast, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls

Tuesday

Breakfast-Homemade toast, eggs

Lunch-Beef roast, rolls, broccoli

Dinner-Crock pot chicken, acorn squash, pasta

Wednesday

Breakfast-Toast, plain whole milk yogurt with honey, fruit

Lunch-Home canned applesauce, chicken strips, veggie

Dinner-Bean and chicken burritos with homemade tortillas, veggie

Thursday

Breakfast-Soaked oatmeal, fruit

Lunch-Organic french fries, beef roast, fruit

Dinner-Chicken and bean soup, veggie, and rolls

Friday

Breakfast-Moms group

Lunch-Tuna salad, fruit

Dinner-Pumpkin pancakes, eggs, fruit

Saturday

Breakfast-French toast or dutch pancake, fruit

Lunch-Chicken strips, egg noodles, veggie

Dinner-Soup and rolls

Sunday

Breakfast-Cereal and fruit

Lunch-Family lunch

Dinner-Chicken, rice, and veggie

Reader Input Needed

2008-11-29T07:54:00.003-06:00

Since most of my readers are women I feel comfortable asking this question. I have been trying to find a homeopathic or natural alternative to ibuprofen or stronger medication to control my cramps every month. I also tend to have terrible PMS. I am not sure how my family is able stand me some months.

My cramps have been so bad in the past that I have been in the ER for a demerol shot. My Dr. has tried birth control, but I refuse to take it for several reasons. The only things that seems to work are ibuprofen, moist heating pads, and if I am too out of control Lortab. I hate to continue to take these medications. They make me sick for several days after my cylce not to mention what they are doing to my body. At one point I had severe heartburn and reflux due to the ibuprofen.

Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. I went to Green Acres yesterday and they suggested either cramp bark, Vytex, or one other thing that they were out of. I think I will have to just start trying some things to see what works.

Have a great Saturday. I am headed to an out of town baby shower and will be back later this afternoon.

New Glade Catalina Deal

2008-11-29T07:46:00.002-06:00

Glade is running a new catalina deal until December 28. I have not had a chance to check out the prices of some of these items yet, but with all the Glade coupons around right now there has to be some way to make this a good deal. Note this does not start until next Friday, but that should give me some time to come up with a good deal.

Buy any Glade Plugins Air Freshener or Glade Candle product bewteen 12/5-12/28 get...

Buy 3 get $2 catalina

Buy 4 get $3 catalina

Buy 5 get $4 catalina

My game plan so far is to buy the Angel Whispers scented oil candle holder regularly priced at my Dillons for $4.99. I will use 2 BOGO coupons and 2 $2/1 blinkie coupons.

Hopefully it will look like this...

4 candle holders $4.99 x 4= $19.96

-2 BOGO

-2 $2/1

Total $5.98 for 4 candle holders

-$3 catalina

Final cost with catalina $2.98 or $.75 each!

Walmart Money Maker!

2008-11-29T07:32:00.004-06:00

Sorry I have been playing hookie this week. My husband has been off since Wednesday and we have had 3 family gatherings. I plan to get back to my regular posting schedule this next week. Thanks for hanging in there.

I was in Walmart yesterday and snagged some really great Black Friday deals, but they paid me to take a few items. Here is the scoop...

Arm and Hammer baking soda is $.46 each

Use $1/2 Here

Final $-.08 for 2

Goodie Ouchless Poneytail holders regular price $1.42

Use $2/1 here

Final $-.58 each!

Dave Ramsey Books On Sale

2008-11-25T09:55:00.003-06:00

I noticed today that Dave Ramsey has a Thanksgiving special running on many of his books and cds for $10 each. That is a great deal. I think I may get a couple of books to give as Christmas gifts. I have to say that after reading Total Money Makeover my ideas about money and how I handle it changed drastically. I would highly recommend you look into this investment.

Scripture Sunday

2008-11-23T07:33:00.003-06:00

Psalm 100:4-5

"Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise is name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

It is the time of year when we should remember all the things we are thankful for. Here is my list of things that I am thankful for in the last year...

I have an incredible family

We have plenty of food

My husband is employed

We have a beautiful house

We discovered how to pay off debt and we have actually paid off some things!

I am free to worship the Lord and go to church (I am reading Tortured For Christ)

Both of my parents are in good health

My grandfather accepted Christ before his passing in January

I have a Father in heaven who is watching over me and taking care of all my needs

Praise the Lord for his continued faithfulness in our live. Verse 5 says that his faithfulness continues through the generations. This is why I believe it is so important to be at home training our children. They are the next generation. They will be teaching the next generation, our grandchildren. I don't know about you,but I want to be sure that my children are teaching my grandchildren about the Bible and all that the Lord has done for us.

If you would like to make a list of the things you are thankful for this year feel free to leave your name and link to your post below. Have a blessed Sunday.

A Great Article On Being Content Despite Circumstances

2008-11-22T10:17:00.003-06:00

Lindsay has a great article posted today on how to be content despite our circumstances. She always has such great words of wisdom. I would highly recommend you read this article.

Next week I plan to get back on track with the Transition To Home Series and Work at Home Job ideas. I feel like I have gotten a little off track in the last week or so. Since this will be a holiday week I can not say how much I will be around, but I will do my best to answer questions.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Who Says You Can't Get Healthy Food With Coupons?

2008-11-22T09:36:00.003-06:00

I decided to do a little coupon shopping without the kids on Friday. I came home with a ton of veggies. My cabinets and freezer are full! I am determined to only get bare essentials the next 2 weeks. All of this came from Dillons (Kroger) and Walmart.

Dillons

1 Idahoan potato $1.00
-$.40 coupon
Total $.20

14 Boxes Green Giant Veggies
I used various printable and insert coupons
Stacked with 1 ecoupon
Total I am not sure

2 bags Birds Eye Veggies $2.00
- two $.35/1
Total $.60 for both

2 bags Birds Eye Veggies $2.00
-$1.00/1
Total $1.00 for both

Colgate Toothpaste $2.06
-$.75/1 coupon
-$1/1 Cellfire coupon
Total $.06

Baking Soda $.65

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.69
-$.50/1 coupon
-$.55 ecoupon
Total $.14

No Yolk Noodles $1.55
-$.50/1
Total $.55

Total around $9 (I had a few items on my receipt that I bought for my mother)

Walmart

2 Boxes Kashi Bars $2.97
- two $2/1 coupons
Total $2

2 bags Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour $2.76
- two $1/1 coupons
Total $3.52

1 Kotex Liners $1
-$1/1
Total FREE

2 Goodie Ouchless Ponytail Holders $1.46
- two $2/1 coupons
Total $1.08 OVERAGE!

3 bags Green Giant Steamer $1
- three $1/1 coupons
Total FREE

Total Spent around $4.30

Total for the day about $14!

Total saved with coupons and sales around $52

FREE Dr Pepper

2008-11-21T18:52:00.001-06:00

It appears that Dr Pepper will have coupons on its website for 24 hours this Sunday for a FREE 20 oz Dr Pepper. Go here to check it out.

FREE Crest Spinbrush From Walgreens

2008-11-20T13:45:00.003-06:00

Apparently this deal is not working. I have heard from at least 2 people that the ES coupon is for the $14.99 spinbrush that is not on sale. Sorry about the confusion.

Crest Spinbrush is on sale this week for $4.99. You can use the December Easy Saver coupons from Walgreens this weekend. There is $3 off coupon for Crest Spinbrush. When you stack it with this $2 coupon here it will be FREE.

Recipe Thursday

2008-11-20T10:22:00.002-06:00

Today is Recipe Thursday. I think I am in a fall recipe mood. Everything seems to have pumpkin in it. Today I am planning to make pumpkin pie with my daughter. I have found one of the easiest recipes for pie crust that I have ever tried. To make it even simpler to do I make it in my food processor. It is a matter of adding the ingredients and turning it on. What could be easier? I often make several of these and freeze them for quiche or something else later.

Easy Pie Crust-Makes 2 crusts

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cold water

Put everything in a food processor and blend until a ball forms. Roll out and place in a pie pan. Fill with desired filling. Cook as directed for your particular pie.

The original recipe can be found here.

If you would like to participate in Recipe Thursday please leave your name and a short description of your recipe with a direct link to your recipe in your blog below. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Free Bakery Or Dessert Item From Borders Cafe

2008-11-20T10:16:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for letting us know about this great deal. From November 21-23 you can use this coupon here to get a free pastry with any 20 oz drink purchase. I plan to buy an Italian soda. They are one of my favorite drinks and they are much cheaper then coffee. I think we may have to have a family night at the book store this weekend.

Dillons Deals 11/19-11/25

2008-11-19T16:15:00.003-06:00

The deals are not as great as they have been the last 2 weeks, but there are a few. I think they are trying to push the frozen veggies.

Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Veggies $1.00
-$.35 from 10/12
Final $.30

Green Giant Boxed Veggies $1.00
-$.50/2 ecoupon
-$.60/2 here
Final $.25 each when you buy 2

Kroger Frozen Vegetables $1.00

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50
-$.50 from 11/16 insert
-$.55 ecoupon
Final FREE

Wheat Thins $1.98
-$1/2 Here
Final $1.50 each when you buy 2

Kroger Cheese 3/$5
-$.45 Ecoupon
Final $1.22

Ritz 2/$5
-$1/2 here
Final $2 each when you buy 2

Kraft Cheese 2/$5
-$1/2 from 11/16 RP
Final $2 each when you buy 2

Tennessee Pride Roll, Cooked Link, Patty 2/$6
-$1/1 from 11/16 RP
Final $2 each

Pillsbury Crescents $1.77
-$.35 here same as in my side bar
-$.50 ecoupon
Final $.07

Sweet Rolls $1.77
-$1/1 here or $1.25/1 here
Final $.77 or $.52

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits $1.77
-$.50/1 here
Final $.77

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 4/$5
-$.50/2 from 11/2 SS
Final $.75 each when you buy 2

Pillsbury Dinner Rolls $1.99
-$.50/1 Here or Here
Final $.99

Rhoades Rolls $3.49
-$.50/1 from 11/9 SS
Final $2.49

Heinz Gravy 10/$10
-$1/3 Here
Final $.67 each when you buy 3

Uncle Ben's Rice $1.77
-$1/1 from 11/16 RP
Final $.77

McCormick Grinders 10/$10
-$.25 from 11/16 inert
Final $.50

Cucumbers and Green Onions $.69 each

Sweet Potatoes $.44 lb

Celery $.88 each

Kroger Potatoes 5 lb bags BOGO

Kroger Canned Vegetables 2/$1

Kroger/Dillons Catalina Deal

2008-11-19T14:13:00.004-06:00

I had something print out on my receipt the other day that told me about another catalina deal. I am assuming this would be at all Kroger/Dillons stores. I have not had a chance to figure out a good deal for this yet. Let me know if you come up with anything.

This deal is good for any Crest or Oral B product.

Buy 2 or more totaling $10 get $2 catalina

Buy 2 or more totaling $20 get $4 catalina

This deal is good from 11/2/08-1/03/09

More Organic Coupons

2008-11-19T08:11:00.002-06:00

I love organics, can you tell. Earthbound Farms will give you $1.75 in coupons and a free guide to buying organic when you take their short quiz. It took me just a couple of minutes and I actually learned some things.

Wednesday Giveaways

2008-11-19T08:04:00.001-06:00

Do you have a giveaway going on your blog? Well that is the topic of todays carnival. If you would like to list your giveaway here I would love to have you join in. Unfortunalty I do not have anything this week, but maybe next week.

Reader Q & A

2008-11-19T07:43:00.002-06:00

I have had several readers asking why I would mention soaking flour before cooking muffins. I guess maybe I should clarify why I believe in soaking your grains before you cook with them. One very good book that explains this in more detail is Nourishing Traditions by Sallon Fallon.

Basically by soaking your flour, oatmeal, or any other grain you are breaking down the phytates and making it more digestible as well as helping your body to use the nutrients in the grain better. Most grains need to be soaked overnight using either buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, or lemon juice. Grains should be soaked at room temperature on the counter. It takes a little more effort to remember to do this ahead of time, but it is so much better for you nutrition wise.

If you are interested in a really great article that explains soaking grains better then I can I would encourage you to visit Passionate Homemaking. Lindsay does an excellent job of giving you the why and how to soaking grains. Her site is full of frugal ways to live a more natural life.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T07:27:00.002-06:00

Hosted by 5 Minutes for mom

Jack had a runny nose and was trying to blow it by himself

Mommy Tip Tuesday

2008-11-18T19:34:00.008-06:00

Well, I realize it is rather late to be posting this, but I figure we can continue it tomorrow. I finally got Mr Linky to work. YEAH!

If you would like to participate in Mommy Tip Tuesday leave a link to your site with your mommy tip of the week.

Here is mine...
To help our 3 year old start to grasp the idea of save, spend, give with her money we decided to use 3 Pringles cans. (Guess who ate most of the chips?) We let her decorate 3 pieces of construction paper and then I labeled them Save, Spend, Give (tithe). We then put the pieces of paper on each can.

Each week she is given $.50 and we help her put her money in the correct can. She loves it and really looks forward to getting her money out of her tithe can to take to church. She also cleaned out her spending money one day when she wanted to buy some bubblegum.

So far it seems to be working.

What is your mommy tip?

Peasant Bread-No Kneading Required!

2008-11-18T08:47:00.005-06:00

This is an excellent bread that I make whenever I don't have time to make a bread that I have to knead. Especially since I dropped my bread maker and shattered the glass dome.

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2 cups all purpose bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
I often add oats, millet, or any other seeds I have around

Combine the yeast, sugar, water, and salt and let set 10 minutes.
Add in the flours and stir until well mixed.
Place dough in a well greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Shape into 2 loaves and place on a cookie sheet.
Cook 375 for 30 minutes

Cranberry Pumpkin Scones and Banana, Carrot, Apple Muffin Recipes

2008-11-17T20:23:00.005-06:00

I was thinking about posting my recipes from the things I baked today. Since I had a reader request them, I think I will go ahead and do that tonight.

Banana, Apple, Carrot Muffins

This is a recipe that I found and tweaked to make it a bit healthier. One of these day I am going to remember to soak the flour before hand. These are a great way to get some fruits and veggie down picky eaters. My daughter loves them and actually asks for carrot muffins to take for preschool snack.

If you are interested in the original recipe you can find it here.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1-2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

3/4 cup of sugar (I use half this amount. I hate to use it at all. I think I will try honey)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup millet

Mix the above ingredients together and spoon into muffin pan.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

Quick and easy

Cranberry Pumpkin Scones

These did not turn out nearly as pretty as they usually do since I ran out of baking soda.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour (Just to help make them softer)

1/4 cup sugar or honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes) cut up

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup applesauce

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I leave these out)

1/3 cup dried cranberries (Today I used fresh chopped up)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1.) Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

2.) Cut in the butter until it resembles fine crumbs.

3.) Add pumpkin, applesauce, nuts, and cranberries, stir just until moistened.

4.) Transfer dough to a greased cookie sheet and pat down into an 8 inch circle.

5.) Use a knife to cut dough into 8 wedges, do NOT separate wedges.

6.) Sprinkle with brown sugar

7.) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Tomorrow I think I may post my recipe for peasant bread. It is a no knead yeast bread that is so good. Not to mention that it is really easy to make. I really miss my bread maker.

Grocery Trip 11/17

2008-11-17T20:05:00.003-06:00

I promised I would do a post on today's grocery trip. I went to Aldi's and Dillons. I had not planned to buy quite so much, but some of the prices were so good, I decided to stock up for the next several months. You should see my pantry, fridge, and both freezers. I think I need to start buying only basics the next several weeks.

Dillons...

New York Croutons $1.89
-.50 coupon
Total $.89

Gold Medal Flour $1.99
-$1 coupon
Total $.99

Cage Free Eggs $2.69 (I splurge on good eggs)

Daisy Sour Cream $1
-$.50 coupon
Free

Light Bulbs $.89

Garlic $.40

Bananas $1.32

Pinto Beans $1

Kidney Beans $1

2 bags of rice $2

Local Wheat Flour $2.65

2 King's Hawaiian Rolls $.99 each
- two $1 coupons
Total FREE

Total before coupons and sales $24.37
Total after $14.88

Aldi's...

3lb Granny Smith Apples $1.99

4 Grapefruit $1.56

2 lb Grapes $2.68

Celery $.59

9 lbs onions $2.97

3 Acorn Squash $2.97

2 lbs Cranberries $1.98

12lb Sweet Potatoes $3.96

Total $19.88

I sold some of the sweet potatoes and onions to my mom. I am planning to go back and buy some cheese at Dillons that I forgot to buy. Madison asked for some this evening and reminded me.

What I Accomplished Today

2008-11-17T16:24:00.007-06:00

Well putting your days goals up for everyone to see sure does keep one motivated. I managed to get to everything except the kids craft cabinet. I hope to have the laundry washed by tonight so I can fold it tomorrow. I decided to have Madison watch Veggie Tales while I slept on the couch instead of finishing. Needless to say I will now have to redo my general pickup of the house. Oh well such is the life of a mother. At least she let me nap.

Jack and Maddie helping

Finished apple, banana, carrot muffins and pumpkin cranberry scones

I guess I will add this to tomorrow's list.

List It Monday Progress

2008-11-17T12:58:00.006-06:00

Well I am not nearly as far down my list as I had planned to be. So far I have groceries and the laundry half way washed and dried. I went shopping at Aldi's and Dillons. I spent around $35. I will do a post of the specifics a little later, but I will tell you I got 12 lbs of sweet potatoes, 3 lbs of apple, 9 lbs of onions, 3 squash, and 10 lbs of flour. Plus a lot more. Here are some pictures.

Mt. Laundry. This includes all sheets, towels, and clothes for the week. Hopefully I can have an after picture by the end of the day.

List It Monday

2008-11-17T08:31:00.004-06:00

I am still not able to get a Mr Linky into my posts. I spent about an hour trying yesterday with no luck, but I would still like to do my week of Mr Linky. If you would like to join me for now you can leave a comment with a link to your post and I will make sure to get it posted quickly. If anyone has any ideas to help me get a Mr Linky in my post please feel free to leave a suggestion.

For today I would like to have everyone share their 6 most important things to do list. I know that Mondays can be very crazy around here and I try to do too many things at once and end up feeling overwhelmed. I have found that if I list only 6 things and no more that I get more accomplished and don't feel like nothing is getting done. I am a list maker by nature, just ask my husband.

I will try to take pictures of my progress today, but with the entire family down with colds I am not too sure how much will get done. I just put my 1 year old down for a morning nap at 8:15 and my 3 year old is still sleeping. They must feel bad to sleep that much.

My 6 most important things to do list...

1.)Laundry
2.)Groceries
3.)General pick up of house
4.)Make scones
5.)Make banana bread
6.)Clean out the kids craft cabinet.

Maybe a little ambitious for a day like today, but we will see. I think that posting my list will hopefully help keep me accountable to getting things done and not slacking off. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-11-17T08:01:00.003-06:00

I am planning to keep things simple this week with lots of healthy, kid friendly meals. I do not need many groceries this week due to some of the great sales Kroger has been having the last couple of weeks. I will post my shopping trip later this afternoon after I go shopping.

Monday

Breakfast-Blueberries, yogurt, toast

Lunch-Roast turkey breast, green beans, and apple

Dinner-PB & J, peas, fruit (Daddy works late)

Tuesday

Breakfast-Crock pot oatmeal, raisins, bananas

Lunch-Couscous, boiled eggs, veggie

Dinner-Meat loaf, mashed potatoes (with cauliflower & zucchini), green beans

Wednesday

Breakfast-Eggs, with potatoes and fruit

Lunch-Homemade chicken nuggets breaded with squash, fruit, and rolls

Dinner-Potato soup, rolls, fruit

Thursday

Breakfast-Pumpkin pancakes

Lunch-Bean and cheese quesadillas, carrots,oranges

Dinner-Crock pot chicken and rice with veggies

Friday

Breakfast-Yogurt, homemade granola, fruit

Lunch- Mac and cheese with sweet potatoes snuck in and steamed veggies

Dinner-Stir fry with rice and veggies

Saturday

Breakfast-Egg fritata, fruit

Lunch-Mini pizzas with veggies in the sauce and homemade crust

Dinner-Apple chicken wraps with mixed veggies

Sunday

Breakfast-Toast and eggs with fruit

Lunch-Family lunch

Dinner-Leftovers

No Spend Months-A Good Read

2008-11-17T06:10:00.002-06:00

I always thought I did a pretty fair job at saving money and using what I had on hand. After reading the post I found at Simple, Natural, Nourishing I am not so sure. Shannon has decided to embark on 2 months of no spending above the absolute necessities. She is not even buying food for awhile. I was very impressed with her for giving this a try. I mentioned it to my husband and he thought it would be an interesting thing to try at the first of the year. This would sure give us a great kick start to paying down our debt in 2009.

Scripture Sunday

2008-11-16T15:11:00.005-06:00

Psalm 37:8a

"Do not fret, it leads only to evil."

How many mothers can say that they have never worried or fretted about something? I would say very few if any. As women we naturally tend to worry about anything and everything. This verse is a little bit of a continuation of a scripture from a couple of weeks ago. We need to let go of our situation and le God do the worrying for us.

I am having some trouble getting Mr. Linky into my post. If you would like to participate in Scripture Sunday please feel free to leave a comment below with a link to your post.

Leather Baby Shoe Giveaway

2008-11-15T19:37:00.008-06:00

These baby shoes are just too cute. They are also only half the price of regular soft sole leather baby shoes. They are only $18 each! The best part is that Passionate Homemaking is hosting a Bugaloo Kids giveaway right now. So head on over and check them out. I am planning to order several pairs for my little guy. If you order 3 or more you can get free shipping.

You have until November 21st to enter. You can also get a second chance entry for posting about it on your blog.

If you are thinking that you might want to order some of these shoes and would also like to help support this blog please click the picture above to get to the Bugaloo web site. I would really appreciate it. Thanks

Upromise Has E-coupons!

2008-11-15T17:01:00.000-06:00

I found out that Upromise is now offering e-coupons. I am not sure how I managed to miss this up until now.

If you are not familiar with Upromise you can go here to read up on it a bit. Basically Upromise is a company that has a huge database of places that will give you a rebate towards a college savings account or paying down your student loans. They are definitely worth checking out.

These ecoupons are still loaded to your shoppers card the same way shortcuts and P&G are, but there is a difference in the way you get the money. It is not deducted immediately from your grocery bill, but put into your Upromise account for later use. You still get the money back, it just takes a little while. If you had planned to by the item anyway you might as well get a little incentive on the side, for example Huggies. I also noticed that a lot of the Upromise ecoupons matched up with some of the paper coupons that can be printed right now as well as some of the P&G and shortcuts coupons.

Here is how you load them...

1.)Go to Upromise and log in if you are already a member. If not you will need to create an account.

2.) You then go to manage my account. From there you can activate coupons or enter your shoppers card #.

3.)At the top of the page you will select Earn Rewards and then select ecoupons.

4.)Select the coupons for your card, but remember that Kroger only allows a max of 45 coupons per card from all the sites.

5.)Click activate coupons. That is it. It is really pretty easy.

Every little bit helps when you are saving for college or paying down student loans. This could really begin to add up after awhile.

Help support this site by clicking on the banner above or to the side of this post to sign up for Upromise.

Thanks to Andrea at Mommy Snacks for this info.

FREE Mineral Makeup

2008-11-14T09:04:00.002-06:00

I saw a post about Everyday Minerals about a month ago, but I thought it was worth mentioning again. I LOVE the makeup and it is worth every penny. Especially if you prefer to wear mineral makeup. I think it is comparable to Bare Minerals at a fraction of the price.

If you go to Everyday Minerals site here you can order a sample custom kit that contains 5 items. You get 3 foundations, 1 blush, and 1 concealer for FREE! All you pay is the shipping which is around $3. I ordered this about a month ago and I am still not finished with even 1 of the foundations yet. I will definitely be ordering from them again. They have a ton of colors to chose from.

Has anyone else tried makeup from this company? What did you think?

I Have Started A Facebook Group

2008-11-13T22:50:00.004-06:00

Please join me on my new facebook group. Anyone is welcome to join. I am hoping that this will be a place where everyone can join in and help each other on our journeys as wives, mothers, and keepers of the home. Please feel free to post any homemaking ideas you have, great coupon deals, or any other topics that you would like to discuss. I do ask that we keep the discussions family friendly. Hope to see you there.

Oh, and I would love to have you as a friend on my personal facebook page. Feel free to add me as one of your friends. You can never have too many friends.

Week of Mr Linky

2008-11-13T21:45:00.003-06:00

I don't know about you, but I love to join in when I see a Mr Linky posted. It is so fun for me to see what other bloggers are up to as well as getting some inspiration for my life or blog.

So starting this Sunday I am going to start a week long marathon of Mr. Linky with a different topic pertaining to homemaking, parenting, or anything else I find interesting. I am hoping that some of them will become permanent fixtures to my blog. We will just have to see how things go. Here is my proposed list. This may change some throughout the week. Please feel free to leave any suggestions for Mr Linkys that you would like to see. I may consider changing my line up. I will give a better description of what each one is about on each day of the week.

Scripture Sunday
List It Monday
Mommy Tip Tuesday
Hot Deal Wednesday
Recipe Thursday
Giveaway Friday
Save It Saturday

Struggling With Contentment

2008-11-13T14:03:00.017-06:00

I Timothy 6:8

"But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Do you ever find yourself struggling with being content with what you have and not wishing you had what everyone else seems to have? I know that this is something that I must daily ask the Lord to help me with.

I will often find myself looking at what some of my friends or neighbors have and wondering if there is some way that I could possibly afford it or maybe even barrow the money for it. That is when I have to stop myself and thank the Lord for all the wonderful blessings that he has already given me. I have a beautiful home, food on the table, clothes, and a family that loves me. What more could I need?

The one thing that I have been struggling with the most lately is my the unfinished renovations in my house. We bought our house last January and had to redo nearly every surface before we could move in. Luckily we were living with my parents rent free at the time. We had the money to do the things we needed to do to make the house livable. Then we were introduced to Dave Ramsey. We knew that we needed to get out of debt, but just figured it was something we would eventually get to.

As of April we decided to put the major renovations that we had left on hold so we could concentrate on getting every penny of our debt paid off. As of today we have been able to pay off all credit cards, medical bills, and have put a huge dent in our car loan, but to be able to do that we have not worked on the house except for things we can do for free such as clean up or things that cost very little.

This is where my contentment issue comes in. I want to feel like my house is finished. I can clean all day and still not feel like my house looks clean. We have no threshold between the dining room and living room, which means my 1 year old is eating pieces of grout. I have no quarter round in the living room and hall. We still have yet to get a new dishwasher and range hood. The biggest thing that is bugging me is that the master bath has been untouched and now has a leaky toilet that is leaking dirty water all over the nasty, original linoleum floor, and I have plastic tiles falling off of the wall. I would also like to finish the basement someday.

I am really struggling with not taking some of our debt money and finishing some projects. We would have enough equity in the house to possibly sell it and pay off our debts completely. The only problem is where would we live?

All of that said I am truly learning a lesson in contentment. I feel this is a way the Lord is teaching me a lesson I will never forget. I look around me and see a mess, but there are others in this world who would see a palace. There are some who have so little and barely a house that is standing. Who am I to complain? Thank you Lord for all the things I have been blessed with. I pray that I will always be thankful.

I thought you might be interested in seeing the progress we have made on our house since January. So here are some pictures.

The old dining room with blue carpet. We attempted to take down the wallpaper, but opted to spray knock down texture.

The living room with blue carpet. Who would put that over original hard wood?

Pre renovation kithen

The old kitchen

MMMM, grout. One of Jack's favorite snacks.

The basement. Thanfully the previous owners had the anchors put in the walls to fix the foundation issue. Don't you love the smoke stained orange walls and linoleum floor. I can pick all the tiles up and move them.

These are all current pictures of the master bath

Master bath

Another view of the current master bath

The living room

The dining room now.

A view from the kithen into the dining room. I love my new oven. The old one I had to go to the basement and flip the fuse box to turn it one and off. Plus it was BROWN.

Praise the Lord for my almost finished house.

A Great Article On Leaving Your Job Behind

2008-11-13T13:38:00.005-06:00

Emily from Violet's College Fund wrote an article about cutting things from your budget so that you can afford to quit your job the same day I wrote my post on the exact same subject. She made a lot of great points that I did not touch on. Go here to read it.

Reader Q & A

2008-11-12T15:00:00.000-06:00

I had a reader ask me if it is ok to print your internet coupons with black and white ink to save money or will the stores only accept color copies?

I thought this was a great question and I am sure that there are others who have wondered the same thing. I am happy to say that YES you can use black and white ink. I have never had a problem with a store not taking one of my coupons because it was not in color. I have had them reject them for other reasons though.

You do need to make sure that you have a good quality copy otherwise the bar code may not scan.

Don't forget that on most bricks coupons you can often print 2 copies. Once you see the thank you for printing our coupon page don't close that window. Wait until your first copy is finished then you should be able to hit your back button a couple of times and get a second copy. The bricks system will not allow more then that.

To gain access to more of the same coupons you can always see if someone will let you use their computer and printer. This is worth it if the coupon is a high dollar one.

Dillons Deal 11/12-11/18

2008-11-12T14:15:00.004-06:00

Dillons has decided to extend the 10 Item Mega Event for one more week! The deals are the same so rather then re listing them all again you can go here to see my post on all the great deals for this event.

There are several other items on sale this week

Jennie-O Whole Frozen Turkey $.77/lb

Dillons eggs 3/$4

Kroger Cheese $1.68

Ground Chuck $2.19/lb

Grapes $1.19/lb

Squash $.99/lb

Big Bags of Fruit $2.99 each

Select General Mills Cereal $2.99
-$.55/1 here or $1/1 here
Final $1.99

Tide $5.99
-$.50/1 from 11/2 PG
Final $4.99

Hormel Chunk Chicken or Ham 10/$10
-$.35/1 from 9/20 SS
Final $.30

Hormel Chili with beans
-$1/1 from 11/2 SS
Final FREE

Libby's Pumpkin 10/$10
-$1/2 here
Final 2/$1

Martha White Muffin Mix
-$.55/2 from RP or $1/3 from 11/9 RP
Final Varies

Pillsbury Frozen Rolls or Baked Goods $1.99
-$.50/1 here and here. There are also several inserts
Final $1

Gold Medal Flour $1.99
-$1/1 here
Final $1

$1 off Horizon Organic Butter

2008-11-12T13:32:00.003-06:00

Here is a link to print a coupon for $1/1 Horizon organic butter.

Possible New Blog?

2008-11-11T20:34:00.002-06:00

I have been playing with the idea lately of starting a new recipe blog. I am thinking of calling it Meals For Mom: Healthy Whole Foods Your Kids Will Actually Eat. I would like to center it around posting recipes and help for moms with picky eaters, myself included. I struggle with getting my own child to eat her fruits and vegetables. Of course there would also be plenty of other types or recipes and kitchen help. What do you think?

I Am About $500 Short Per Month From Coming Home

2008-11-11T19:33:00.005-06:00

Cable tv Total we saved $100/month going with minimal cable, phone and internet.
High speed internet (We do have DSL, but a slower version)
Call waiting
Caller ID (Ok this one I miss)
Long distance telephone service
Cut Blow money $50/month
NO eating out except special occasions $50-$100/month
Gym membership $50/month
OnStar $15/month
Budget groceries Depending on your family $100-$200/month
Try to get your electric and gas on an average payment plan For us this saved about $50/ month
Use less water, shower every other day. $5-10/month
Eliminate trash bill (A little radical, but it can be done.) $30/month
Cut back on your driving to save on gas (If you don't work this should be easier) $50-$100
Cut family clothing budget. Try garage sales and thrift stores. $25-50/month
Coupon shop or make your own cleaning supplies $10-15/month
Put a $5 limit on gifts. This can force you to be creative. With coupons I still am able to come up with some nice gifts. $25-$50/month
Cancel magazine subscriptions. $10/month
Come up with free or cheap entertainment. Keep an eye out for coupons or free events, or try having a family night at home. $25/month
Possibly sell one car $300/month
Before quitting your job eliminate debt. $100-$300/month

Work Clothes $25-50/month
Dry Cleaning $25/month
Work Lunches $50/month
Daycare! $400-500 per child per month
Gas $100/month

Things you will gain as a SAHM...

Seeing all your child's firsts and not hearing about it from the sitter
Being able to go to all school events and field trips
Showing your children by example how to live a Godly life
Seeing those beautiful smiles first thing in the morning and knowing you will not have to leave them with someone else.
Being able to stay home with a sick child and not miss work
Home cooked meals
A happier family because mom is not stressed out
Time to plan a menu, shop, and save money
Quality time with your husband
This list could go on forever. You can add some of your own perks.

I would love to hear from you to find out if posts like this one are helpful or not. I have been getting the feeling lately that most of my readers prefer to just see coupon, deals, and grocery store post.

New Cellfire Coupons

2008-11-11T18:40:00.004-06:00

Cellfire has some new coupons to load to your grocery store card. A couple of them are repeats of the last ones. If you have already redeemed your coupon for FREE oatmeal you can reload it to get more. I also noticed that the Goldfish and Cottonelle coupons are back.

You can also load coupons for $1.50 off of Colgate Maxfresh and Colgate Total toothpaste. If you combine this with the $1/1 for both kinds of toothpaste from the 11/2 Smart Source these should be FREE.

I also thought that I should give an update on possibly tripling these coupons. I have come to find out that the information I first received was false. You cannot use both Cellfire, Shortcuts, and paper coupons. You can use either Cellfire or Shortcuts combined with the paper coupon, but not all 3. At least you can still double your coupons. That is still not a bad deal. I am sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Thanks to Marcy at Stretching a Buck for posting about this.

New Printable Muir Glen Coupon!

2008-11-11T18:32:00.002-06:00

I have to say that I get really excited when I find an organic coupon. I have not seen a new Muir Glen coupon for quite awhile. Right now you can go here and print a $1/1 off any Muir Glen product. You can often find tomato paste for less then $1 at Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Dillons. I love FREE organics.

Free Coffee At Target

2008-11-10T21:05:00.004-06:00

Target has a new set of coupons out this week. You can go to Stretching a Buck to see all the coupon match ups, but I was most interested in the coffee coupon. Target has put out another $1/1 coffee coupon. This time there are no restrictions as to how much you have to buy. Some super targets have small sample bags from about $.99 to $1.07. When I went today to check it out they were cleaned out. So instead I got a very small amount of the bulk coffee and ground it up. I actually liked this better since I got to pick from more flavors. I think I ended up paying less then $.30 after my coupon. Not too bad for coffee.

I also noticed that Coffee Mate creamer was on sale for $1.79. If you use a $1/1 here the creamer is only $.79. Or you can check out my Walgreens post to get 2 creamers for $.49 total.

Printable Organic Coupons

2008-11-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

If you are anything like me and you prefer to eat organic food, but often find it a bit on the pricey side I have found a site that offers a bunch of printable organic coupons. To see what they have to offer go to Project Organic Eating to find out.