Couponing 101: Part 4

This one is so easy it's going to knock your socks off. Or your flip flops if you're not a sock wearer. I'm not. A sock wearer, that is. Spring rolls around and Old Navy supplies me with an endless assortment of colors in flip flop style. Putting them away in fall may be one of the hardest things I do...

Did I mention I tend to ramble? : )

Numero Quatro:

BE IN THE KNOW. The Dish. The 411. 

I subscribe to several blogs via e-mail so that I can peruse the deals at leisure. The sign up link is usually on the right side of the page at the top. And it's free. Just sayin'. There are tons more out there - these just happen to be the ones I follow. They usually have the same deals posted and vary only slightly (but it's that slightly that sometimes brings in the great deals).

The Krazy Coupon Lady

Money Saving Mom Food Lion (and other regional stores) deals HERE.

Deal Seeking Mom

Coupon Connections

This Frugal Life

For limited-time coupons or when I'm on-the-go/homeschooling, I've 'liked' couponing pages on facebook. Then I discreetly check my phone when it buzzes during school and not-so-discreetly give a huge WHOOP!! and run to the computer to get a free full-size product. I really wish I was kidding... And I hate to admit it, but I've liked so many manufacturer pages on fb to get coupons that I now receive most deals ahead of the couponing blogs. Here are the facebook pages I follow (you'll need to already have a facebook account to like these):

I Heart Kroger

A Frugal Chick

"Cents"able Mom

Coupon Beat

Stockpiling Moms

Coupon Pro

You can also go like the fb pages of the blogs I mentioned earlier - blogs usually have an 'f' link at the top right for their fb page.

The Military, Living Overseas and a Failed Marriage (AKA Part One)

I visit a lot of blogs and often get frustrated that there simply isn't enough information to judge what kind of people they are... or even what kind of Christians they are (not that I'm JUDGING... but I do like to know who I'm talking to).

As I was recently having this thought, I realized that I'm a little sparse in the info area.

So here is the slightly stylized, very abbreviated story of me.

I apologize if it seems like you're reading the exploits of a mentally deranged person (these are supposed to be uplifting and encouraging, after all!) - it gets better I promise!

ADULTHOOD

 A year after graduating from high school (in Panama City, FL!) I joined the Air Force, following in my father's footsteps. I was immature, immodest, conceited, arrogant, stubborn (that one may still be in the house), and generally just not very educated about the world at large. In short, I was a teenager. 

After finishing basic training in San Antonio, TX my dad said I had a mouth like a sailor. But I had finally learned how to properly run (after throwing up a few times) and follow orders (after crying a few times).  I hear the Air Force basic training is pretty nice compared to the other services.


Then I went to technical school in Biloxi, MS where I almost didn't learn how to work on computers. Did but almost didn't. Halfway through I became much more concerned with my social life than I should have been. Just to give you a picture of how very self-focused I was.

When I completed tech school, I was assigned to Kunsan (koon-sahn) Air Base in South Korea. WHAT?!?! Yep. South Korea. I was shocked too. And I quickly found out that if you do not have a solid moral system in place, you won't keep your head above water.


Suffice it to say that I don't remember most of my first year there. Or adequately recall the names of all of my "boyfriends". I am not proud of that year and I deeply regret how I spent it... drinking, smoking and much worse stuff. I cannot ever take it back but I can and have learned from it. It's very obvious now that I was not at all prepared to be in charge of my own life... Parents: take this as a warning to prepare your children and not shelter them! (I still claim complete responsibility though)


My second year in Korea was much calmer after I became completely disillusioned with these vices (except smoking) when I witnessed my friends' drunk cavorting while I was on call (could not drink). Someone licked a floor. It was not funny. It was gross. And like me, they probably didn't even remember what they did. (that's only one example... much worse things happened).

I may have stopped all of the idiocy but everyone remembered it and, to them, I WAS still that person.

Mind you - I still dressed scantily, smoked, and hung around the same people. I spent more time in the gym, at work, and volunteering but mistakes cannot be erased just because YOU say they are.

REAL ADULTHOOD

Towards the end of my tour there, I met a complete stranger, had a handful of dates with him and felt very loved because someone treated me nicely without wanting more. He asked me to marry him and I said yes. 

Can we collectively slap our hands to our foreheads? *SMACK* Annnd done.

We came back to the states, got married, had a horribly honeymoon (don't ask) and he went back to Korea for the rest of his tour while I went to my next assignment at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX.

It did not go well from there. 

Apparently, you cannot actually get to know someone in a matter of weeks. The older me can look back and see that I was just at fault as he was. The younger me is wanting to make a list of everything he did wrong. He left and I have not seen him since. It took a year to get a divorce because I could not find him. Divorced.

I am forever going to be a divorced person now and I am grieved that I am a horrible example to those who know me on  how to resolve marital issues. I cannot express enough how much that distresses me. I don't want people to believe that if at first you don't succeed at marriage, try try again. If I had been this person then, it may have worked out. It's not about who they are - it's about who you are! (this does apply to abuse, obviously)

This concludes Part One, but stay tuned for Part Two... it gets really steamy. 

Kidding! But don't worry, it's only uphill from here!

Couponing 101: Part 3

When I think back to before my couponing days I feel so embarrassed.

I was NOT fulfilling my role as a Proverbs 31 woman, wife, or mother.

It makes me cringe to think of the overspending I was doing by cooking just whatever I wanted to, buying things that were full price and without coupons, going OVER-budget with that spending... Now I'm saving us money off of our normal budget AND getting about 1/3 more in groceries and personal care items than I was before. Who WOULDN'T want to do that???

Now I know the feeling of happiness that comes with pairing a $1/2 coupon with a BOGO sale. Oh yes, the sweet smell of a deal... 

If you're a SAHM, then you likely have time to do this. If you're not a SAHM... you're probably not reading my blog. In the rare chance that I've reeled one of you in (cue evil plan music), YES, you CAN do this. I watch most of the deals on my phone (e-mail and facebook) and only go to the computer when I need to print coupons out.

I'm not saying that the desk is a lovely sight... or that all of my coupons are perfectly cut out and organized... but I'm still able to get er done. : ) That was for my Arkansas family that may be reading, btw.

So here's #3... HAVE A SYSTEM.

 Click HERE for image credit and an AWESOME tutorial on making your own pantry checklist

1) Budget.

- Have a SET amount (and be surprised when you come in UNDER budget!)

- Grocery shop when you're paid, not throughout the paycheck (you'll only get what you need) Stick to the list goes along with this.

- Control the cash flow

--- I've heard that taking cash in an envelope helps women take more note of what they have to spend. (I don't do this but hey, whatever works.

--- After I make a list of every SINGLE item I'm getting, I calculate the deals, coupons, and regular prices to ascertain what can be spent at each store. At the top of each grocery list (I normally go to FOUR stores!) I write the dollar amount I have to stay within... at the end of shopping, I add up what is in my cart (taking note of the cost as I go) and have even had to remove a few items! When I first started the whole couponing thing, I made a list of most things I buy and went on a price-finding mission to fill in that list with the prices at each store. Not fun, but it has helped me IMMENSELY!

NOTE: I have an awesome hubby who is willing to give up half of a Saturday every other week with me so that this can take place. If you are not in this lovely position, don't give me stink eyes.

2) Meal Plan

- Create a plan that lasts through an entire pay period (or longer, if you're adventurous)

- Base your plan on what's in your pantry, stocked up items, and deals of the week. If chicken quarters and bbq sauce are on sale, have bbq chicken! If you have tons of frozen veg stocked up, plan two meals a week with veg! If there's a box of rice-a-roni that's about to expire, use it now!


- DO be crazy and plan theme meals, breakfast for dinner and leftover nights.

- DON'T be a micro-manager and plan out the minute details of every bite that goes in your mouth. You'll stress yourself out!

-- Keep essentials for pb&j, grilled cheese, hot dogs, mac&cheese... on hand and you can mix it up for lunch. You know, playing it off the cuff... living on the edge... 

-- My children are all under the age of 6 so don't know to complain yet that I only give them fruit and milk for breakfast. HA! Fooled them! : D We do a hot breakfast on Saturday and cereal on SONday and a random day with muffins so it's not boring. Again, whatever works for you...

3) Eye-ball Your Pantry

- Create a list of items that you constantly use (every time I go shopping, I pick up a different stock item (flour, sugar, rice, cornmeal...).

--My list is laminated and backed with magnets, stuck to my fridge at this very moment. Whenever I get ready to go shopping, I refer to it to make sure I'm including everything.

 -- You can put little boxes on it and mark off items with a dry erase marker when you're running out of them, if you're so inclined.

- Watch for deals on those items specifically.

--- If toilet paper, toothpaste, paper towels, etc. are on your list of stock items, you would wait for a deal to come up then buy as many of that specific item as you can (not all in one trip, mind you... know your limits!)

Hope this has helped you... come back soon for more!

Couponing 101: Part 2

This may seem like the simplest thing in the world but people STILL aren't doing it!

BUY GENERIC!!!

Great Value is the Wal-Mart generic brand

(I do not own this image)

-- Buy generic items for everything that you can (unless you NEED Folgers like I do)... food, cleaning supplies, baby needs, paper goods, personal care... it goes on. They may not be in as expensive packaging and the diapers don't have that Huggies elastic strip, but they do the job and save you money!

-- Only use name brand coupons if they make the price lower than the generic (you'd be surprised how often they DON'T).

-- Often private labels like Krogers and Food Lion go on sale (while Wal-Mart generic does not). When canned vegetables are on sale for $0.40, I call that time to stock up!

If you're still having issues with buying generic, take a moment to evaluate the emphasis you place on image and esteem. A Walgreens brand diaper will catch just as much as a Pampers or Huggies, but it costs a fraction of the price. It IS possible to live within your means, save money, and present an orderly and well-disciplined image (which is more important than a costly one, I assure you). The next time you go to the store, compare the cost of name brand and generic milk, cereal, paper towels, french fries, mustard... and ask yourself if it's more important to be surrounded by status symbols or to assist your husband (you are a HELP MEET) in providing for your family?

Couponing 101: Part 1

New to couponing?

Not sure where to start?

Want to see hundreds of dollars melt off of your grocery bill?!?!?

 Image Credit

I regularly see around $250 in savings and I have a growing stockpile and a full pantry.

Yep, I'm amazed too.

It's possible and it's nothing like the Extreme Couponing show on TLC.

Start here at The Krazy Couponing Lady with her Beginners section. She's Joanie from that same tv show but she's real, helpful and quick to admit it if she's wrong.

Come back tomorrow for more tips!

Still Alive! ... And Menu Planning

So... I *may* have disapeared for a while. It was for the best. I needed a break from the blog world to be a little irl (in real life).

And now I'm back a little more capable of managing my blog time!

Monday - DiGiorno pizza & sides (go here for a $2/1 coupon on facebook) I was lucky enough to pair two $4/2 coupons with a sale at Krogers!

Tuesday - sloppy joes and fries (Hunts sloppy joe sauce $10/10 and ground beef $2.99/lb at Food Lion - seeing a trend here?!?!)  : D

Wednesday - cinnamon rolls (They were on sale for $0.98 at Krogers and I had coupons!)

Thursday - Pioneer Woman's colby-bacon chicken sandwiches

Friday - tuna casserole, baked potatoes (YES that's TWO carbs!), crescent rolls (wait, that's three carbs... more for me!) ... crescent rolls were also $0.98 at Krogers

Saturday - Black-eyed pea gumbo and cornbread

Sunday - leftovers

Monday - DiGiorno and sides

Tuesday - P-Dub's chicken nuggets, homestyle mac & chz (try adding some Philly cooking creme in this!), vegetables

Wednesday - cinnamon rolls

Thursday - pasta and red sauce (sauce on sale at target for $0.95), salad, crescent rolls

Friday - hamburgers and fries

Saturday - bbq chicken, rice, corn on the cob (with guacamole and chips)

Loving the Freebies

I'm becoming addicted to freebies. My name is Susan and I love freebies.

It started with blog giveaways... I just kept winning them!

And then I discovered House Party. At www.houseparty.com you sign up for parties - if they choose you, you only have so long to register for that party to lock it in, then they send you a lot of free stuff to keep and hand out to your friends.

Which led me to Coffee-Mate. I was signed up for their newsletter and I received an e-mail asking if I wanted to sign up for a themed party night. They're doing a promotion for Free Flavor Friday. Awesome.

So they sent me a Game Night Kit, with a poker set and Cranium and tons of coupons for free Coffee-Mate creamer. I invited friends over and we got to drink coffee, play games, eat snacks and one lucky person walked away with a brand new poker set. And it was all FREE.

In this economy they're doing that? Coffee-Mate is my new best friend. Not that I wasn't already loving their Coconut creamer.

Coffee-mate Special Edition Coconut Creme, 15-Ounce Units (Pack Of 6)

The moral of this story? Sign up for e-mail newsletters of  your favorite products.

Quiet Time Books (OR Mommy-gets-some-sleep-while-driving-16hrs Books)

 (May take a while to load - is pretty photo intensive)

I cannot take credit for these awesome books.

I mean... I made them. But I didn't originate the idea or even the individual designs.

I found each page from different places all over the web and the full credit goes to those creative moms (and MY THANKS for the sleep I got while driving from Virginia to Arkansas for CHRISTmas).

You'll need:
Felt in multiple colors
Fat Quarter
Velcro
Buttons, shoelace, yarn, embroidery thread...
Hot glue gun


Cover

For the cover, I used fat quarters (on sale for $0.99 at Joann's). Fold it in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew all the way around, leaving a small opening for turning. Trim corners, turn and slip stitch opening closed.

Slip Stitch Illustration

Image Credit

I was in a hurry when I was doing the covers (the night before our trip, as usual) so the velcro got hot glued on. I would recommend white velcro, but I had already overspent my Joann's budget so I used what I had. : ) Thank the Lord for husbands who budget. I also hot glued the cover to the binding so the girls wouldn't keep "misplacing" it.

Pages

Each page was one sheet of felt - I put a thin line of hot glue around all the edges and folded it in half to seal. 

Book for 2 yr Old

   Stick people (holder hot-glued) 

Can you tell we're Rapunzel fans?

Color Matching (yes, that's supposed to be a palette)

Notebook Coloring page

(has a strap of felt wrapped around notebook, glued to page)

Baby hand not included.

Town with Car Garage

 Barn with Animal Finger Puppets

(was all sewn with a blanket stitch and took FOREVER)

Book for 4 yr Old 

More Stick People

Picnic (velcros on) - the only one I haven't finished - still needs a fork, knife and cup

 

Funny Face Man (already missing some eyes)

velcros on

 Kitchen with Counting Cupcakes

Coloring

Numbers

Purse with Goodies 

(fastens with button, blanket-stitched)

Book for 6 yr Old

Weaving

Tying Shoelaces and Buttoning Flowers

Girl with Dress-up Clothes - just don't look at her face... or hair.

(has several more outfits... somewhere)

More Stick People

(LOVE the colors and eyes Evie did)

Heart Tic-Tac-Toe

 Coloring Page

Girl with Yarn Hair

(in hindsight, should have done full-face girl with hair that could be braided)

Binding

For the binding, I stacked all of the pages together [with all additions (notebook, crayons, car...) inside] and measured for width of binding. I cut this out from a scrap piece of felt. Then I put a line of hot glue down the inside seam of the pages and added them one-by-one to the binding, starting at the very edge. I had a bit of extra binding on one of the books but I just trimmed it off. 

This was one of the most FUN projects I've done and it just didn't get boring because I was always doing something different.

A Hard Truth for the Moms

The highlight of every modern woman's life...

The fully planned calendar.

Hmm...
 

I did an in-depth study of Titus 2 women recently and learned something new.


Titus 2:4-5
 ⁴That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
 ⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

"Keepers at home" originates from the Greek oikouros. This is a compound word from oikos- house, household, family; and ouros- a guard, be “ware”, guardian, a watcher, a warden. 

 We are meant to make our home our NUMERO UNO PRIORITY. In our husband's absense, we are to watch over it just as he would. Can we do that if we are always over at friend's houses, chatting and gossiping? How about endless playdates? I'm pretty sure they didn't have extra-curricular activities back then either. Every note in every study I'm reading only has the exception: Whenever they are not called out by works of necessity, piety, and mercy.

Now, don't get your panties in a wad yet. I DO think our children need some socializing (though I'm sure our definitions are a little different). But if we're choosing quantity over quality, something is amiss.  A balance should be made here - but with the home as the PRIORITY.


Do you really believe that any home could flourish if it's keeper is not in it?



Here is another gem in Timothy on keeping the house as well...

1 Tim 5:14  
  ¹⁴I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house (oikodespotein), give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

Oikos , meaning “house” and depostes, meaning "master" unite to form the word oikodespotes. Now the Apostle Paul makes use of a verb corresponding to this noun oikodespotes, namely, “to master the house,” oikodespotein. He says, 1 Timothy 5:14, “I will that the younger women marry, bear children, oikodespotein, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” The woman has been appointed master over the home. (loosely taken from Katherine Bushnell's study)

Does this mean that a woman is free to master over those IN the house? Nope. Sorry, ladies.

I like to think that this means I have free reign over choosing wall colors and picking out rugs. (shh. don't tell my husband I said that... he likes to have a say in me not getting to "artsy")

What it may ACTUALLY mean, is that we are the Managers. Not the owners or CEO... but the down-in-the-dirt MANAGERS.


We wake up every morning (no off time for us) and punch in as on duty, the second our feet hit the floor. This is our paid-for-by-God sunrise-to-sunset JOB. 

We wipe noses, wash dishes, fold laundry, prepare meals, push swings, teach math, vacuum carpets, spoon baby food, clip coupons, potty train, break up fights... and it's all right there in the job description.  

And I thank God every day that there aren't any Powerpoint slides. = )

I've recently discovered that, if I put tennis shoes on in the house, I actually feel more like getting everything done. I suppose that's akin to people putting on a uniform or suit to go to work. Just a side note.

Welcome to your first day at work...

Today is the Day...

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately where people are complaining.

It's SOOOOO easy to complain.

I know, because I'm in that boat too.

I'm tired. The kids are getting into everything. The baby won't stop crying. I have appointments to make. The house won't stay clean. We don't have enough money for new glasses. I can't get my bible study in. The laundry piles are eating me alive!!! 

That's not hard at all. I typed those in about two seconds.

It's even more easy to let the complaints swallow you whole and sink down into the mire of just trying to survive each day. (I'm really picturing the house collapse around me and sink down into the ground)


I was getting swallowed alive by the monotony and the endless struggle I have in racing towards my pillow.

So God started leaving me clues on how to climb out.

First, our pastor talked about Christ's 1000 year reign and how we wouldn't have to struggle with our flesh anymore - it really got me to thinking about how I'm struggling directly against my flesh and the devil every single day.

Then I started coming across verses about my days.


Colossians 4:5 (KJV) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. (seizing every opportunity)


Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (the song has been on my mind as well)


James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

 We have only been given ONE life to live. And as Christians, we should WANT (besides being required) to live it FOR God. 


All we have is today. Tomorrow is not a certainty (though eternity is). 


If I don't live this very second for Christ, I can never get it back to do over. All of my seconds before this that were wasted on me are gone now. When I was googling this morning, I was NOT spending time with my kids.

The dishes don't matter. (trust me on this one)

Worrying won't get me anywhere.

What I can do is bring glory to God with my actions.


A little less time on the computer. A little more play time with my children.

A little less time trying to keep the house clean (it just aint gonna stay that way). A little more time praying and reading God's Word.

A little less time watching tv. A little more time teaching my daughters some life skills.

See a pattern here?