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!!

How I Spent My Birthday

Warning; This post contains no shopping deals but some reflects that you may or may not agree with so read at your own risk.


This morning I was treated to Breakfast in Bed which was Sausage Gravy and biscuits. Then I spent most of the morning "hanging out" with Kendall and Zach with spurts of mindless TV throw in! Kendall has started using the term "hanging out" whenever she wants to sit and cuddle or just sit with me so I really am enjoying this "hanging out.

Next we headed to the China Buffet for sushi and more for lunch, nap followed very nicely. Finally we headed to the pool with leftover pizza for dinner. It has been a quiet relaxing uneventful birthday, I wish for many more just like it!

I don't feel any older by turning 40 today but I have begun to realize a couple of things over the past month that this is the perfect place and time to share. First, we are officially finished with the baby stage in the house. I can honestly say that I have no desire to have any more babies in my house. I love newborns and even infants but I am thankful that even now all the kids are walking, talking and can feed themselves. It has been 7 years since I have been able to sit down and enjoy a meal or time at the pool for even 10 minutes without another body attached to mine. I always wondered how people knew their family was complete, now I know you just do.  We are now entering a new stage in life but it is fun and exciting. Next, our lives finally feel like we have exited the roller coaster. The past two to three years have been constant turmoil, change, worry and unending list of things that need to be accomplished. I know that we still have things that need to be finished and we certainly are not financially stable but we have a plan,and know that God is providing and directing our steps. With my full time status at work, I will have "regular" hours to a degree, with a no longer need to "fill" time with a second and third job. I plan on continuing to work the second job as time and need allows but it will no longer be a part of our regular income. Matt and I have talked this week, several times about establishing a routine for the days. This should accomplish several things including getting the kids on a more regular routine and providing time for Matt to focus on building his business. Finally we have almost finished with renovation and everyone should be happy in their space for at least a year. So even knowing storms will and are coming we can drift and enjoy the down time.

Happy 40th Birthday to me!

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.

Renovation Picture update!

The latest numbers will follow.... but this is much more fun!

This is the dresser/clother organizer that Haley ended up choosing. Her room is now complete!

Lily and Kendall's room is now almost complete as well! We decided to build and replace Kendall's bed! Here is a sneak with the final to follow by the weekend.

Vacation vs Staying at Home!

One of the traditions for our family since the first summer that Matt and I met is a week long trip to Myrtle Beach SC.  This year with the changes in our financial situation and our desire to renovate to make the house more useable, the annual trip was given up. I am probably the most upset about this than anyone, but I am trying to make my week of vacation as fun and productive as possible.

One of the great part of our vacation is I build a stockpile of junk food and sodas for the kids to consume. I decided to allow a moderation of junk food at home this week. So far the kids have enjoyed donuts for breakfast for 2 of the 3 mornings as well as candy 3x daily for the last couple of days. A bag of Cool Ranch Doritos has also been consumed in less than 3 hours. I would say that so far this area is pretty equal for vacation vs staying at home.

Besides spending time at the ocean every day, the kids usually like to spend several hours at day at the pool. Sunday, we celebrate Kendall and Zach's joint Birthday Party at the pool. Monday, Zach, Kendall and I spent a couple of hours for swim lessons, currently the plan is for all of us to go to the pool today (Wednesday). My plan is to spend all afternoons at the pool on Friday, Saturday and maybe even Sunday. The will definitely get us more pool time then we would normally have at the Beach. Now if I could just get my feet in the ocean even for 1 day, life would be perfect!

Shopping is a major event during our normal vacation. We are definitely keeping this up while staying at home. On Tuesday, we spent the afternoon at IKEA. It was lots of fun and we were able to get most of the furniture to make our moves complete! Matt and I shopped at Harris Teeter this morning for the Super Doubles event and I plan to hit CVS today as well. I will be taking Haley and Lily school shopping on Thursday so I think the shopping is definitely the same.

The final reason, I look forward to vacation especially in the last several years, is spending additional time with the kids. I can honestly say that by staying at home this year, has given me more stress free time with the kids. No set schedule definitely reduces the stress on a person!

So in conclusion, I wish we could even go to the beach for a couple of days but since that is not possible, we are making the best of staying home together as as family this year!
Hopefully new pictures and more post will appear the second half of my vacation week than the first!

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~!!!

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?

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.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

• Wordless Wednesday- will have a new pictures of Haley's room with the new bed set that we purchased on Sunday. Lily has a matching set and we bought a coordinating blanket to use on Haley's bed!
• Matt is currently working on painting the ceiling in the new room for the little girls. We have changed our color design yet. The holes are patched so now the real fun can begin.
• Matt was so nice to point out a math error on my renovation budget this evening so now I am hoping to save the rest to use at IKEA.
• I have been focused all Spring/ Summer on not wasting any of the veggies that we get from the Produce co-op. Saturday night that became a failure due to a migraine and steamed snap peas that turn bad!
• This Saturday, will be our last day to pick up produce, so far this summer, we have frozen around 3 dozen ears of corn, several packages of spinach, a couple packs of broccoli, 5 or more packs of green beans, 2 packs of diced tomatoes and 6 cans of Rotel. This is all with the surplus that we could not consume in the week. 
• Currently in my crock-pot, I am attempting to make a vegetable soup starter, using items that would be throw away or go bad before I could use them. I added a bunch of celery (leaves and all), carrots, green onions, couple cloves of garlic and some fresh dill. Hopefully after cooking for 12 hours I will use the blender to make the base to freeze for use this winter. The color was really pretty to start so who know how it will turn out.
• I really enjoyed being a Mom today. Matt needed to work on some things for VBS, so I took the 3 little kids to the pool. Lily had swim team practice so I was able to spend some quality time with just Kendall and Zach. After practice and ice cream we all swam laps and played for a bit. Driving home, I looked in the mirror and all the kids were singing with K-LOVE. The thought actually occurred to me "This is why I always wanted to be a mom."
• We are currently looking at our cell phone plan. It is time for me to get a new phone and because I have a basic phone the choices are really limited. I am even considering an Iphone. 
• In an effort to conserve energy and ultimately save money, we have adjusted our thermostat to 74 degrees. That is 4 degrees higher than where we started the summer. We are running the ceiling fans a little bit more but the house is actually staying pleasant. From reading 78 is the ideal temperature for the summer. I know we won't get there but I may sneak it up to 75 in another week or so. 

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

Kendall is 4!

Birthdays are a big deal around here! In fact, that usually means not only do you have a birthday but usually at least one other day to celebrate it. Kendall turned 4, Sunday July 1st, she is actually getting to celebrate for 3 days.

First on Thursday, we went to Winston for Birthday pictures, lunch at Olive Garden and a trip to the Toy Store. We call this our Celebration Day!

Next Sunday evening we invited Paw Paw and Granny, the Pierces and Sandy with Lucy over for Birthday cake.

"Back Pack from Dora the Explorer" Matt let eveyone help add the letters

Finally on August 5th will be Kendall and Zach's combined Party! Lots more pictures to come!

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.

Where does the Time go?

6:25pm-Rush to clock out of work and head to the pool to pick up kids.
6:26pm- Attempt to call Matt, can't talk, Kendall hurt her lip at pool.
6:30pm-Call back from Matt, Kendall okay, decide to pick up a sandwich and fries for dinner.
6:50pm- Arrive at pool, share fries with everyone and eat sandwich.
7:00pm- Help Lily with shower so she can go to tumbling practice.
7:20pm- Attempt to leave pool with Kendall and Zach to come home for bedtime.  Zach is unhappy, screaming at the top of his lungs, long drive home.
7:30- Call my mom to drown out Zach's screaming in the car.
7:40-Arrive home, time to shower, dress and put Kendall and Zach to bed.


What does an hour look like at your house? Join in over at Stacey's Mothering Moments

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!

National Donut Day!

Today, June 1st, is National Donut Day!  Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut of your choice just for going into the store. If you know me, you realize that these are one of my FAVORITE foods. I have been working long hours this week at work but unexpectedly was finished today a little after 4pm.  Earlier today, we planned a trip to Salisbury which included a meal out, stop at Krispy Kreme and then a quick trip to Harris Teeter.  I initially was not sure that all this would be possible but being able to arrive at the restaurant at 5pm made it so much easier!

Our stop at Krispy Kreme was the highlight of the whole trip, not only did we all get our free donuts, but the original glaze were hot, melt in your mouth, hot, I wish I could eat a whole box, hot!  I had debated on just how many to purchase, the cashier was so nice that after getting our 5 free donuts, a dozen hot glazed and a dozen assorted, she asked if I had a coupon. I didn't but her next response shocked me "that is okay I have some." Laying beside her register were BOGO coupons. So we ended up with 29 donuts for $8.55 or $.20 a donut. This is an 80% saving on my favorite food in the world!  So the only thing better than a free donut is a hot fresh free donut!

The stop at Harris Teeter yielded a saving of 55% but no free donuts. I did manage to stock up on bottled water, eggs and hair products.


Did you claim your free donut?

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!

Closet Remodel- Wordless Wednesday

We actually can now both dress in the closet if need be! Everything has a place and it all fits!

IKEA shoe rack

Very top of the shoe rack

This is the view looking in the door

To the left of the room spans 8 feet

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.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

• My Mother's Day was fun. Matt and the little ones made me an awesome omelet for breakfast. At lunch, we grilled out with friends. Next came a long nap with the rain. We ended the day at my brothers for dinner. The kids played for hours and I ate way way too much.
• Cheerleading is down to one night a week for the next month. Unfortunately, the practice last 2 and half hours.
• We survived the yard sale!!!Which means our trip to IKEA on Thursday should be even more fun since I have several things in mind, I want to find!
• Today is the last "steady " paycheck for  Matt for at least 3 years.  It is scary and exciting all at the same time.
• We made a short and one of least expensive trips to Costco on Monday. We were able to spend less than an hour in the store. Of course we have already discovered something we forgot.
• Our budget for the month is on track.  I am actually hopefully we will finish ahead of the plan.
• My weight loss for the month is way off tra ck.....UGHHHHHHHHHHHH
• At least, I am managing to pray and read a devotion 5 times a week.
• I will soon be moving this blog to it's own website, the hold up is learning how to use Word Press.
•  Harris Teeter is starting a Triple coupon event tomorrow and I have no plans on going at all.