Random Thoughts Tuesday 8/14

• We got back a $10 rebate from paint today so currently, we are over budget by only $4 now for the Renovation. Matt is going to take some scrap metal to the recycle center on Thursday so that will put us under again until I purchase the matching bed set for Kendall.

• Zach is currently sleeping in his new room, he "tried" giving up pacifiers last night but that did not go well. He currently only has the one in his mouth which is a decrease of 3. I really don't see how he is going to give these up! But I also do not want to give up any more sleep in this battle.

• Matt is starting to work in his new office. I "think" all the work in the other rooms is finished! We even switched out door knobs on the little girls room after Kendall managed to lock herself in. So now that door does not lock.

• I am not planning a huge grocery trip this week. Instead we hit up Walmart tonight for the couple of items we are out of. I was only able to find one of the 5 deals I was looking for with my coupons. But on the bright side, we found a $1 clearance table with shorts for Zach. I purchased 6 pairs of shorts and 1 T-shirt as well as a skirt each for the girls. Total spent even with groceries $24!!

• As I moved clothes this weekend and yesterday, I discovered/confirmed that only Zach will be in need of clothes for this winter. He does not need a new coat or shoes or pajamas. My goal is to spend less than $75 on clothes for him this winter. Hopefully, I will be able to find a really good sale on jeans and pants as this is the biggest need for him.

• We started a new schedule around the house this week. We have moved every one's bedtime to 7:30 except for Wednesday nights. Kendall and Lily both will be up later till at least 8:30 because of church. Lily also will have a second late night due to cheerleading.  The even bigger change is a schedule during the day, which greatly reduces television watching and includes "school" time daily except for Thursdays. So far both evenings have gone much smoother and things seem not so "hurried".  Matt has work time and hopefully we can find a balance and maintain it!!

Renovation Update

Lots of changes have been going on this past weekend. So I wanted to start sharing with you. We have not spent any more money but mostly likely will end up spending more on a matching bed set for Kendall and a third dresser for Zach as he is sharing a closet and needs some more space.

Kendall's new bed it fits so well


Notice the cool strip and both the new dressers in Zach's room

 

The finished product
Right before bed............... don't they look innocent?

Grocery Store Challenge

What is my challenge? Spend as close to $20 a week at Food Lion over the next 4 weeks while purchasing items we need or to add to the stockpile based on sales. I am also going to give myself $10 a week to spend at CVS to keep rolling ECB. So that is a total of $30 a week for the next 4 weeks to feed our family of 6.

Week One Shopping: Total Spent- $32.01
Week Two Shopping: Total Spent- $84.24
Week Three Shopping: Total Spent- $ 198.84

Week Four Shopping: This week we are definitely back on track. Since I am on vacation, Matt and I hit Harris Teeter for Super Doubles at 7am on Wednesday. We spent $21.64, saved 86.06 or 80%. I also managed to hit CVS this week to stock up on Tide. This remains the one item that I am brand loyal on so to hit a stock up price is awesome. I spent 23.51 saved 39.11 or 62% including enough Tide for 6 to 8 weeks. Total Spent $ 45.15

Reflection: According to the number I was success for 2 of the 4 weeks. But in reality I was able to reduce my normal budget of $800 to $361 or less than half, that makes it a success! I am at least looking at my food budget differently now instead of cool this is a good deal let me stock up or we are going to need this in the next month so I will buy it now, I am now looking at the things in my pantry going unless we are out lets hold off purchasing!

Renovation update 8/09/2012 The Numbers!

One of the advantages to staying home on vacation this week, is that we are making amazing progress on the renovations. Haley's room is 100% complete. See below for all the details!

1. Haley's new room- Haley has moved across the hall to the largest bedroom with a half bath attached. a) Scrap popcorn ceiling- completed, b) repaint ceiling-completed c) Remove wallpaper boarder-completed d) repaint walls- e)Replace window- has been order. f)Complete floor in closet g) move window treatments.DONE!!!! Furniture needed: 2 new dresser for clothing. After much debate at IKEA, Haley chose a clothing system that included pull out boxes. She was able to move all her clothing due to the deep boxes. Officially Haley's room is finished.
2. Lily and Kendall move into bigger room- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) Remove wallpaper boarder d) repair walls and door e) Paint walls f) Purchase and hang new window treatments. g) Matt is planning to make a new twin bed frame for Lily to use. h) change light fixture for new fan already purchased. Furniture needed: New closet divider, bins.  All these items are complete! After discussion, Matt is currently staining a new wooden bed frame for Kendall. My goal/plan for tomorrow is to get all the drawers labeled to make putting away clothing easier. Lily will have her own closet. Kendall and Zach will share the closet in Zach's room.
3. Zach gets his own room and closet- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) adapt currently color (yellow) to boys room probably pin-stripping and maybe stickers. Furniture needed:Due to changes in the budget, we decided to purchase 2 small dressers for Zach's room. Currently, Matt is working to get the wall art complete, and then the ceiling. My best guess on when Zach will be changing to his new room is prior to Labor Day. Not this week but we are making steady progress!
4. Matt's office- Matt will need furniture only for this including -desk, chair and shelves. These needs have dramatically changes especially due to our budget and trying to get the most out of it. Matt has decided to make a desk with an old door and unused floor planks. In addition, he was given an awesome chair so it will now be a matter of arranging and using things we have as our budget is gone.!

 Spending Totals for Renovations
Budget information:$1000
Total spent $470 with $530 remaining. 
Total spent $595 with $405 left.
Since the last update, our planned trip to IKEA has been completed. We spent $339 on everything including several candles and all the new furniture. Matt has made 2 small trips to Lowes this week as well to purchase paint and supplies for the bed, total spent $80. For a grand total this week of $419.

We currently are $14 over budget at $1014. I am planning to continue sharing with you updates so that you can see how far we can stretch this last spending spree. I also want to be able to see on average what we spent per room.

Grocery Store Challenge 8/2/2012

What is my challenge? Spend as close to $20 a week at Food Lion over the next 4 weeks while purchasing items we need or to add to the stockpile based on sales. I am also going to give myself $10 a week to spend at CVS to keep rolling ECB. So that is a total of $30 a week for the next 4 weeks to feed our family of 6.

Week One Shopping: I stopped at Food Lion after work on Wednesday. I purchased Coffee Filters (a need), 2 12 pack rolls of toilet paper, 1 6 pack of paper towels and 3# of ground beef. I used the 5/25 and 2 $0.75 coupons on the toilet paper. Total spent $20.15, saved 12.50. I also got a Catalina coupon for $2 off $10 of the house brand products. My plan is to save this for next week to use to increase my saving.
CVS- After looking at the ad on Thursday and Friday, I decided that their were really only one deal that started on Sunday that I would be interested in. So Friday night, Matt and I headed to CVS to use his card for another Twizzlers deal , free candy and an I-Tunes card. I was surprised to learn that I could not use ECB for the purchase of an I-Tunes card.  I ended up spending $12.01 with a total of 7 ECB for the next couple of weeks!
                                                  Total Spent- $32.01

Week Two- Matt and I went to Food Lion on Wednesday night. I had a list of four items that we were completely out of. So I purchased Olive Oil, Sour Cream, Freezer Bags, Sandwich Bags, 4 2L Sodas and a pack of gum.  Total Spent $19.00. I did receive another Catalina coupon for $1.50 off 10 of the house brands. Fast forward to last Saturday, stops at both CVS and Food Lion. CVS, I scan my card and received a free Children's Gummy Vitamin. So I purchased a total of  4 AMP energy drinks and the vitamins total spent  $1 with 6 ECB earned. You can read the highlights of the Food Lion trip, we spent $64.24. Definitely, failure.
                                                  Total Spent- $84.24

Week 3- This week started off much better. I stopped at CVS on Wednesday to complete the Suave deal. Purchased 2 bottles of Kid's Shampoo and 4 bottles of Body Wash. Total Spent $5.84 with 4 ECB earned.   After looking over the Food Lion ad and realizing that we were completely out of milk and cheese, I decide that this week would also be a fail. We had to have the car serviced in Winston so I planned at stop at Target and Costco. Target was awesome, I purchased a swim top for me, dress for Lily, school supplies and cups and napkins for the party for $43. In the spirit  of the challenge, I only purchased items at Costco that we were out of. I spent $150.00 Part of the rationale for my decision was that if I stuck to the challenge and purchased milk and cheese at Food Lion, I would have spent the $20 this week in addition to another $150 or more in 2 weeks when the challenge is over. In addition, I am on vacation next week so I want to have options to eat at home without the urge to spend money out on meals.

Thoughts?

July in Review

Blogging: Actually on track for the month as this will be my 16th post of the month. I am currently running 2 series so maybe that is what is helping stay on task for the month. I am currently posting on both blogger and my very own web page. Hopefully in August I will move over to the site that Matt is designing! Goal: 15 per month

Devotions: Starting to hit my stride in this area. I have once again hit my goal! I know that is one of the reason that things seem to be going smoother. Goal is 3 a week.

Groceries: For the first time in several month grocery spending is down. We spent 508.72 on groceries this month which included school and party supplies! I am very excited to see this number. I did do an average for the year, currently my average is $809 a month. I am sure that by December with no diapers that I will be able to bring this down to the set budget.. Grocery Budget is set at $800 per month, this includes diapers, cleaning supplies, food and toiletries.

Financially:This month we maintained again.Some exciting things did happen, I will be going full time so that means an increase in pay as well as a decrease in medical expenses. Matt has not had time to focus on growing his business so with a combination of these two things in the next month. I am going to try and stay on track. Goal: To be Debt free except for mortgage by the end of the year. This was established prior to our learning of the significant financial changes that are occurring so I am trusting God to provide direction in this area. Currently we are focused on meeting budget each month!

Weight-I have been able to start exercising at the pool at least once weekly. So that is a huge plus. I have not been on a scale recently. I will at least get an idea of my weight for next month. Goal to exercise 3x a week and to be down to 150 by December by losing around 4 # a month.


This month I have met 3 of 5 goals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best month to date~!!!

Saturday Shopping Success = Grocery Challenge Failure

We decided to make a shopping loop through town on Saturday morning, with a stop by my parents to play with their new puppy first. The local Aldi advertised a food dehydrator for $19.99, we actually bought some apples and bananas to try out the dehydrator. Next stop CVS, I scan my card and received a free Children's Gummy Vitamin. So I purchased a total of  4 AMP energy drinks and the vitamins total spent  $1 with 6 ECB earned.  Finally stop was Food Lion, the reason to purchase party supplies for Kendall and Zach's party next Sunday. Matt and I both scanned our MVP cards, which produces some very interesting and useful coupons. Ground Beef is currently on sale for $1.99 a pound, one of the coupons was $5 off $45 Butcher's Beef. Combining sales and coupons we purchased: 4 bags of Cool Ranch Doritos, 10 Food Lion brand Sodas, 3 Pespi Next Soda (sale 0.79 with one coupon 0.55/1 and a second 1.00/2) Gallon of Bleach, 5 cans of veggies  (sale 0.33 each), 2lbs of Ground chuck reduced to $5.09 and 21 pounds of Ground Beef. Our total was 64.24!!!  Total saving was 49% or 60.59. I am so excited because of the amount of meat this trip included.

Now if you have been following the Grocery Store Challenge you realize that is is definitely over my $30 but as I have said before we eat food and so this deal was too good to pass up!

Grocery Challenge Update

What is my challenge? Spend as close to $20 a week at Food Lion over the next 4 weeks while purchasing items we need or to add to the stockpile based on sales. I am also going to give myself $10 a week to spend at CVS to keep rolling ECB. So that is a total of $30 a week for the next 4 weeks to feed our family of 6.

Week One Shopping: I stopped at Food Lion after work on Wednesday. I purchased Coffee Filters (a need), 2 12 pack rolls of toilet paper, 1 6 pack of paper towels and 3# of ground beef. I used the 5/25 and 2 $0.75 coupons on the toilet paper. Total spent $20.15, saved 12.50. I also got a Catalina coupon for $2 off $10 of the house brand products. My plan is to save this for next week to use to increase my saving. 
                                   CVS- After looking at the ad on Thursday and Friday, I decided that their were really only one deal that started on Sunday that I would be interested in. So Friday night, Matt and I headed to CVS to use his card for another Twizzlers deal , free candy and an I-Tunes card. I was surprised to learn that I could not use ECB for the purchase of an I-Tunes card.  I ended up spending $12.01 with a total of 7 ECB for the next couple of weeks!
                                  Total Spent- $32.01

Week Two- Matt and I went to Food Lion on Wednesday night. I had a list of four items that we were completely out of. So I purchased Olive Oil, Sour Cream, Freezer Bags, Sandwich Bags, 4 2L Sodas and a pack of gum.  Total Spent $19.00. I did receive another Catalina coupon for $1.50 off 10 of the house brands.


Thoughts- Because of the challenge this week, I know I have saved money. Food Lion is currently running several "stock up deals" including Ground Beef for $1.99 and canned veggies are 0.30. I resisted the urge on Wednesday. I am planning to head back to Food Lion on Saturday to buy a couple of party supplies but these will  not be counted in the budget as I gave myself an out because of the Birthday Party.

Any one want to share?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

1. My house is really really quiet at 8:17am!!! Why? Because this week our church is having Vacation Bible School. The kids spend from 9-12 for 5 days at church learning, doing crafts and playing games. This year the theme is "Jesus is My Rock"  Haley is the official nursery person and a general helper. Matt is in charge of games. On Monday, they had 116 kids!  From everything I have seen and heard is was awesome. All the kids were singing new songs first thing this morning.
2. This week has also turned out to be one of the busiest of the summer. In addition to VBS, Monday Lily had cheerleading, I went to pick tomatoes. Tuesday- Matt has a meeting tonight at church. Wednesday- we have to mow our jungle aka yard and pick tomatoes again.
3. My brother is gone with his church on a youth trips so he suggested I come over and claim as many tomatoes as I wanted. Yesterday, I picked 8 gallons. I am so excited about this because we  now have 15 cans of diced tomatoes in our freezer. By the looks of the vines, I probably will pick another 5 gallons on Wednesday, with the plan of a another batch of Salsa. I need to check again on Friday,if I can pick another 3 gallons then those will be used for more diced/stewed tomatoes.
4. We have several answers to prayer this week, first we received out of the blue a check to cover the purchase of VBS t-shirts, and the above tomatoes are another. I have been praying for some extra tomatoes, I have even debated on purchasing some  to freeze. We typically use at least one recipe a week that calls for 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes. My goal this summer was to get a stock pile in the freezer to save this cost.
5. The food co-op ended this week, but I was able to add a batch of salsa and another 4 ears of corn frozen. We will be using some of the corn this week as side dishes as well.
6. I will be updating on my Grocery Store Challenge tomorrow, but to be honest it has been a little bit difficult for me. I currently have a list, of items we are completely out of and my goal is to stay under the budget and purchase all the items. If I were not doing the challenge, I definitely would have already gone and purchased these items because I consider most of them staples. So the challenge is working, but not as easy as it sounds.
7. Nothing new is happening with the renovation simply because we don't have the time. I am being to wonder if it will be finished before my week of vacation or if it will become the way I spent my vacation?

Grocery Shopping Challenge

I love a good challenge. After several years of reading blogs and even writing. I have seen  a lot different various on grocery challenges such as "feeding a family of four for $100 a week." or "Eating from pantry."   This is my own version, the first of which I have attempted and shared from day one! Feel free to leave a comment and join me!

How I decided on this:  I have slowly been adding to the stockpile since the first of the year, currently most of the cabinets are full. I received in the mail last week 4 coupons for $5 off $25 at Food Lion each one good for one week. I have already spent $312 on groceries this month and really need to take a big chunk out of the grocery budget to help pay some auto expenses. School starts in 4 weeks and prior to that I will have to restock on snacks and other lunch items. I definitely want to use the $5/25 coupons from Food Lion especially since I pass 2 on the way to work and historically they don't have a good coupon policy.   I also realize that I could never do an eat out of the pantry challenge something always seems to come up and we need "x". So after thinking and deliberation I decided on the $35 a week Grocery challenge for the next 4 weeks starting today!

What is my challenge? Spend as close to $20 a week at Food Lion over the next 4 weeks while purchasing items we need or to add to the stockpile based on sales. I am also going to give myself $10 a week to spend at CVS to keep rolling ECB. So that is a total of $35 a week for the next 4 weeks to feed our family of 6.
 I am going to make 2 exceptions or  rule bending items up front. First, I will not be counting my final trip to Costco and/or produce stand to purchase last minute items for Kendall and Zach's Birthday Party. I have already purchased most of the paper product but plan to purchase watermelons and sweet items along with Pizza and drinks to serve.  Second, the rumored Harris Teeter Triple event, if this occurs I will use the CVS budget to purchase items is there are too good of deals to pass up!

Week One Shopping: I stopped at Food Lion after work on Wednesday. I purchased Coffee Filters (a need), 2 12 pack rolls of toilet paper, 1 6 pack of paper towels and 3# of ground beef. I used the 5/25 and 2 $0.75 coupons on the toilet paper. Total spent $20.15, saved 12.50. I also got a catalina coupon for $2 off $10 of the house brand products. My plan is to save this for next week to use to increase my saving.  Success so Far!!!!!

Shopping This Week Including Renovations

Sunday, our local Big Lots offered 20% off everything. My mom grabbed a coupon for me and then both Kendall and Zach stay at their house while we shopped. I was hoping to grab several things for the renovation.  We purchased 2 bedding sets one for Haley and one for Lily, in addition we found a coordinating blanket for Kendall's bed. My current plan is to use the extra pillow shams as topper for windows. Matt has scraped and painted the ceiling and started working on the walls. It will take at least 2 coats of paint so no new pictures for a week or so!
Updated Spending Totals for Renovations
Budget information:$1000
Total spent $470 with $530 remaining. 
Big Lots spent $55. for new bedding. Lowes- Spent 70. for blinds, wood for Lily's bed and miscellaneous. Total for the week $125
Total spent $595 with $405 left, we are half way with our budget. Hopefully the majority of the rest will be spent on new furniture at IKEA.

I also shopped at CVS on Sunday, I came away really disappointed because I spent $4 more than I should have because I forgot to use my ECB on  my first transaction. I ended up spending $16 overall. I was able to purchase 4 bottles of Head and Shoulders shampoo, 1 bottle of sunscreen, 1 candy bar, 5 2Liter Sodas, and 3 bags of Twizzlers candy. Not really a bad trip just one I screwed up and it took about 10 minute for me to rethink and fix the problems.

I also stopped at Food Lion today, but more details regarding this trip and my 4 week grocery challenge will be up tomorrow.

Renovation Update 7/12/2012

UPDATED PICTURES:

Haley actually put some sweat equity, she painted the trim work for a little over an hour!

Moved in and Happy!

1. Haley's new room- Haley has moved across the hall to the largest bedroom with a half bath attached. a) Scrap popcorn ceiling- completed, b) repaint ceiling-completed c) Remove wallpaper boarder-completed d) repaint walls- e)Replace window- has been order. f)Complete floor in closet g) move window treatments.DONE!!!! Furniture needed: 2 new dresser for clothing.
2. Lily and Kendall move into bigger room- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) Remove wallpaper boarder d) repair walls and door e) Paint walls f) Purchase and hang new window treatments. g) Matt is planning to make a new twin bed frame for Lily to use. h) change light fixture for new fan already purchased. Furniture needed: New closet divider, bins.
3. Zach gets his own room and closet- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) adapt currently color (yellow) to boys room probably pin-stripping and maybe stickers. Furniture needed: NONE
4. Matt's office- Matt will need furniture only for this including -desk, chair and shelves

Budget information:$1000
Spent $300 @ Lowes for new window and ceiling fans
Spent $120 @ Lowes on paint.
Total spent $420 with $680 remaining 
Spent $50 on more ceiling paint and drop clothes to start the next room.
Total spent $470 with $530 remaining. Matt so kindly pointed out my math error so I had to correct!

Summer Renovations

Big things are happening around here, renovations being one of them, along with the series that is associated with them. Be sure to follow along with us to see real life numbers and some pictures as well. Amanda has decided to venture out to life on her own, we are excited and praying for her as she starts new things. For the rest of us it means we are moving rooms, which means lots of work and changes.
Our goal for this project is to get everyone in their new spaces completely prior to school starting. A second goal is that we finish this entire project for under $1000. Matt and I have decided that we are only spending $1000, if this means that certain furniture can't be purchased then it will be put on hold. In regards to blogging about this renovation, I will provided at least a weekly update with numbers and pictures.
Breakdown of projects:

1. Haley's new room- Haley will be moving across the hall to the largest bedroom with a half bath attached. a) Scrap popcorn ceiling- completed, b) repaint ceiling-completed c) Remove wallpaper boarder-completed d) repaint walls e)Replace window- has been order. f)Complete floor in closet g) move window treatments. As you can see we are half way finished with this room. Hopefully Haley can move over the weekend. Furniture needed: 2 new dresser for clothing.
2. Lily and Kendall move into bigger room- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) Remove wallpaper boarder d) repair walls and door e) Paint walls f) Purchase and hang new window treatments. g) Matt is planning to make a new twin bed frame for Lily to use. h) change light fixture for new fan already purchased. Furniture needed: New closet divider, bins.
3. Zach gets his own room and closet- a) Scrap popcorn ceiling, b) repaint ceiling c) adapt currently color (yellow) to boys room probably pin-stripping and maybe stickers. Furniture needed: NONE
4. Matt's office- Matt will need furniture only for this including -desk, chair and shelves

We have already purchased and installed a ceiling fan in the playroom which has made a real difference in the temperature in this room.
Budget information:$1000
Spent $300 @ Lowes for new window and ceiling fans
Spent $120 @ Lowes on paint.
Total spent $420 with $580 remaining

June in Review

Somehow the month of June is coming to an end and my youngest daughter turns 4 in 2 short hours WHAT?  I must have missed something!

Blogging: This actually marks the 10th post for the month.  I really don't know where the time has gone but moving on. I already have 2 blogs in my head so maybe July will be the month I hit my goal.  Matt is working on moving the blog to its own website, so more changes are definitely in store.
  The Goal: 15 per month
Devotions:  Goal met for the month of June! Yay Yay Yay!
Goal is 3 a week.

Groceries: We spent $950 on groceries this month.  This was a month that included stocking up on drinks, cereals as well as other staples such as sugar and flour.  I did also purchase 3 bags of diapers which hopefully will be the end of buying diapers. Matt and I have discussed several times this month that couponing is not as money saving as it was just a year ago. I have needed to purchase several items that a year ago, I was able to stock pile for free.  My stockpile is slowing growing again. We are going to challenge ourselves in the month of July to spend only on items that we need to significantly reduce this expense.
Grocery Budget is set at $800 per month, this includes diapers, cleaning supplies, food and toiletries.

Financially: I am going to continue to use real numbers not for sympathy but to keep myself accountable. June was the first month that Matt had no income in. We did manage to stay somewhat on budget and everything is paid for!  I am going to consider that goal met for the month. I have been unable to add to our emergency savings account or set aside additional monies for future expenses so we do have a ways to travel but so far God is GOOD!
Goal: To be Debt free except for mortgage by the end of the year. This was established prior to our learning of the significant financial changes that are occuring so I am trusting God to provide direction in this area. Currently we are focused on meeting budget each month!

Weight- No comment
Goal to exercise 3x a week and to be down to 150 by December by losing around 4 # a month.

Our Summer Entertainment

As we discussed and debated, while trying to eliminate as much excess spending as possible from our budget over the past 6 months each activity was completely analyzed.  For entertainment this summer, we chose to continue paying our community pool dues. A look at strictly the numbers is: Pool dues $300 a year due in April, weekends available to use the pool 15 so a total of $20 a weekend.   This in reality is a lot cheaper for us than any other entertainment, I have found. In addition to the weekends the pool is open all week long. Some times we actually use the pool an addition 2-4 times during the week. Using just one additional trip each week the cost becomes $20 a week for unlimited swimming and fun. In addition to our family of 7 using this benefit, we have 8 guest pass that the older girls split. Out of town guest are free so that leave us pretty well set for the summer. This year, Lily is competing on the swim team and both Kendall and Zach will be receiving swim lesson for a week that are included with membership as well.  Over the past several weeks, we have spent at least 6 hours a weekend at the pool. The pool also provides a grill that can be used for dinner, no additional cost for gas!  I definitely thing that this is one activity that we will continue to enjoy!

Food......

One of the consistent things you read as you search for ways to save money/get out of debit is to figure out where you are spending money that you are unsure of. For our family, most of the unaccounted spending is eating out. We like to eat out. This has been a pattern for our entire marriage. During the first years it was just easier for Matt and I to eat out especially on the weekend the girls were with their father. Then as a stay at home mom, I deserved to have a weekend off so it was easier for us to eat out or during the times when life gets crazy, with people going everywhere  grabbing something to eat meant we got to eat together. Even as the roles slowly changed, eating out was a way of life. A favorite activity was to spend time going out to eat with friends especially after church on Sundays.  Last summer a trip to the pool usually ended up with fast food or pizza. As I began to look at ways to reduce spending, I knew that eating out was a huge step but I will be the first to admit it has been one of the most difficult.  We worked on reducing it to once a week and as of May, it is down to special occasions and/or using found/unaccounted for money.

As I said this has been a difficult area for me to give up/reduce, especially on the weekend or when things are really busy. But I am glad to say that this week, we have managed to reduce and fight the urge!  Yes, we did eat out yesterday, with found money.  But we have had 3 delicious meals at home today!!  This morning, we started early with a trip to Lowes to replace the kitchen light that burn out another $30 bulb last week. We decided to just purchase a new light because of the frequency that we have to replace bulbs and considering how little light it actually put out.  We were able to find one on clearance so that helped. Matt fixed pancakes prior to going to Lowes. After coming home and installing the light, we decided on BLTs for lunch using our first home grown tomato, as well as fresh lettuce from the co-op box.  This afternoon, we spent time in the yard as well as cleaning out the insides of both cars. Our normal thing is that at the end of a really busy day, it is easier to order  pizza or fast food simply because we are both tired but not today.  I decided to fix fried chicken, made potato salad and cole slaw with all fresh ingredients again from the co-op box. I was excited because we even have enough to use as lunch tomorrow!  A weekend without eating out, slowly but surely we can do it!

May In Review

 This has been a very difficult month for us in many areas, but we are continually reminded that God has a plan for us, so we press on.

Blogging: This actually marks the 11th post for the month. Not quite my goal but at least the number is going up! In addition during the next month, another goal is to move this blog over on its own site and convert to Word Press or something similar.
 The Goal: 15 per month
Devotions: I am going to say a fail for this month. Things have been really busy and crazy but that is not an excuse. I would estimate that I have read a devotion 2x a week for this month. I know what I can do to improve this one!
Goal is 3 a week.

Groceries: We spent $600 on groceries this month. I had hope to significantly reduce this amount but I am happy to come in under budget for the month overall.
Grocery Budget is set at $800 per month, this includes diapers, cleaning supplies, food and toiletries.
Financially:Hold on to your hats! According to our budget we are $200 short for the month. This represents money that was to be used in the future for Auto expenses and gifts.  So in reality we survived and had to cut no major corners to achieve it! God is Awesome and an on time God
Goal: To be Debt free except for mortgage by the end of the year. This was established prior to our learning of the significant financial changes that are occuring so I am trusting God to provide direction in this area. Currently we are focused on meeting budget each month!
Weight- UGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I don't even want to consider what is going on.
Goal to exercise 3x a week and to be down to 150 by December by losing around 4 # a month.

This is the second month that I have used real numbers in regards to Finances, the purpose to encourage ourselves as well as others!

Saving Money on Food

We like to eat. This is a fact!  One of the biggest areas of our budget is our groceries and we have been working steadily on reducing our dinning out expenses. I read several different site and have been absorbing any and all information  I can about reducing expenses. Some of the tips actually end up cost us more money and others just don't seem to work for us but I thought I would share a couple that seem to be working.

1. One or more meatless meals a week.  For the last several weeks we have achieved this for at least one lunch and one family dinner. Last night, I think, we discovered the most unhealthy meatless meal around. Fried squash and zucchini with creamed spinach on chips. It was awesome, especially with the fresh produce we picked up.  I usually take my lunch and most days this is a salad, Matt and the kids are eating salad at least once a week as well.
2. Grow your own veggies or join a produce co-op. This encourages us to use a variety of veggies but I admit I gave away the beets.  We also are trying to be very conscience and not let any of these go to waste. Even just growing a container garden with tomatoes and cucumbers is easy to start and make some great sandwiches.
3. Stock up on soda when they are on sale. I drink approximately a 2 litter of Diet Coke at least every 2 days. However I refuse to pay more than $1.00 a bottle. So this week, the local store has  a sale of 4 for 0.99, I purchased 12. If I see these at a lower cost then I would stock up on more. We also are keeping tea made on a regular basis and kool-aid both of which are cheaper options than soda.
4. Refill water bottles. Guest get a fresh unopened bottle but there are actually studies that show water from the fridge is purer than some of the bottle ones. I buy some for guest and pool use but at home use a cup or refill your bottle.
5. Ground beef can be added to and stretch so that 1# is all that is needed for a meal to feel all 7 of us. Examples are meatloaf, tacos, and Salisbury steak.

Do you have any good suggestions for stretching the grocery budget/

Thrift Store Finds and Friday Night Treats

Thursday turned into a shopping day for us. Both Lily and Kendall had eye appointments in Charlotte in the afternoon, so we had planned on a trip to IKEA.  It worked out that before going to Charlotte, we spent some time in the local thrift stores (Goodwill and Salvation Army). The Salvation Army is brand new, I was really surprised at the nice furniture that they were offering. For the morning, we spent a total of $40. At Goodwill, we purchased a total of 7 clothing items, 1 shirt for Zach and the rest for Matt and I.  We had on our list for IKEA purchasing new silverware.  We really didn't need new silverware really our need was for forks. At the Salvation Army, I was able to purchase forks at 0.25 each, I bought 16 of these.  As I have mentioned many times, saving money becomes not only a choice but a way of life. Clothing, especially for adults, is expensive so the first choice for us is to check out the thrift stores before looking to purchase new items.  I am not going to even say we probably saved x by buying both the clothing and the forks this way but I do not have a doubt that we did save money.

On Friday after dinner, we started talking about going to grab a treat of ice cream. Our first instinct was to head to either the ice cream shop that is owned locally or Sonic.  The kids obviously loved this idea and finished all their dinner. As we are heading out, I mentioned that we could always go to ALDI, purchase ice cream and bring it home. At first it was a casual joking comment, but as we started talking about it, it started to make more sense. First for the same price or less that we would spend on a stop at the ice cream shop we could all pick out a different variety of ice cream. Next, this would allow us to enjoy ice cream all weekend to say the least. Finally, it would also be a shorted trip for us, which was the deciding factor.  We spent $12 at ALDI, came home with 5 different boxes of ice cream.  Saving money is slowly becoming even more of a way of life for us.

Yard Sale

I was doing so well, with blogging, that is.  I was posting at least every other day...but then it happened...we started planning it....the yard sale.

I have over the past couple of weeks been reading several different books, blogs and websites about budgetting and getting your finances under better control. One suggestion that was given in almost all everything I have read is to sell things that you are no longer using. Sounds easy right....

Wrong.....thankfully it only occurs at most once a year but let me tell you it took every bit of time and energy I had for a week.  Matt has pitched in as much as I did if not more during the day to gather items from out of closets, buildings and cabinets that are no longer being used, with all this preparation  things should go smoothly.....

Wait.... Lily and Matt decide that this sale is not complete without a refreshment stand. Next, I decide that the profits will go toward ice cream and candy at the pool.

Finally all the preparations are made.. I even managed to get out of work earlier than planned, all that is left to do is get the clothes out of the attic.  Opps..... I forgot that I had 8 boxes of clothes up here.

There is a car in the driveway...it is too early... only 6:30...oh well let the fun begin...

We did survive the yard sale, after a trip to both Goodwill and the dump, the profits were counted and we are purchasing a second freezer with those. Ice cream money is secure for at least the month of June.

But most importantly  the junk is gone from our house for at least a couple of months until I start boxing up stuff  again......