We have all shopped dollar stores at one time or another. I used to go in there to buy little toys or cheap plastic bins. I have now started to really look at dollar stores and how they can help us to stay on budget. As part of my plan, I have been trying to become an educated consumer. I have started to watch pricess for items that we use regularly so I know when I come across a deal. Now I try to go by the dollar store before I go to the grocery store to see if there are any items there that I can cross off my list. For example we drink a lot of Chrystal Light, it has replaced sodas in our house. I can buy the Wyler's brand for a dollar at the Dollar Tree. This is better than half price. On the other hand, we have learned that the big tub of cheese puffs is not a good exchange for Cheetos. When we can save on one thing, it helps make buying the name brand a little easier on the another.
A dollar store is also a great place to offer a treat to your kids. Sure you can pick out anything you want! They are usually fairly seasonal, so in the summer we end up with floaties and bubbles, at Halloween a book or stickers.. you get it.
On the negative.. I do not like Dollar General. I feel like they lure you in with the whole "dollar" thing but stuff in there is expensive! I went this morning to pick up a few sand toys and thought, well I'll take a few minutes to look around. They had Capri Suns (a big win at our house) covered in sale labels priced at 2 for $4. Uhm.. they are $1.73 at WalMart EVERYDAY. So be wary about Dollar General. I prefer the stores that only $1 to find my super deals in. Dollar Tree is usually clean and the people are pleasant.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Memorial Day....
This weekend I hope you take the time to really think about those who put their lives on the line so that we can live in this country. I have received, as I'm sure you did, several forwards that talk about the number of casualties from all the wars this country has fought. I think this song says it all. Happy Memorial Day and God Bless.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Thought for today..
I'm in a grey mood today... I am trying so hard to be thankful for everything God brings. Sometimes though, I just need to have a few minutes to be, well, grey.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Ephesians 12:1-2)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Ephesians 12:1-2)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Going on a budget has helped us loose weight!
I wouldn't say I am in competition with the folks on the Biggest Looser, but I will tell you that since the meteor strike, I have lost about 45lbs and my husband has gone down a waist size. We are definitely not doing the latest and greatest diet craze, simply because we cant afford to anymore. (or maybe its because we choose not to afford to do that anymore)
In the 12 years of our marriage, my husband and I have done everything from aloe-vera juice, to diet pills, to prescription diet pills, high protein, low carb, no sugar, and even juice you take at night before you sleep that was supposed to melt the fat right off you. We lost a few pounds here and there, but having kids has definitely brought those back on (for both of us!).
Now that we are living on a budget, we are loosing weight, FOR FREE! If I could figure out how to market this we would be Oprah-rich! A friend asked what we were doing and I had to actually think about it. Here is what I came up with:
Thessalonians 5:8 "...let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. "
In the 12 years of our marriage, my husband and I have done everything from aloe-vera juice, to diet pills, to prescription diet pills, high protein, low carb, no sugar, and even juice you take at night before you sleep that was supposed to melt the fat right off you. We lost a few pounds here and there, but having kids has definitely brought those back on (for both of us!).
Now that we are living on a budget, we are loosing weight, FOR FREE! If I could figure out how to market this we would be Oprah-rich! A friend asked what we were doing and I had to actually think about it. Here is what I came up with:
- We are eating a lot of the veggies that come from our garden.
- We spend a lot more time with our kids doing cheap stuff - riding bikes, playing outside, going to the playground, going Geocaching
- We are eating less at meals - if we get pizza we just get one pizza, not two
- Cutting out most of our sodas - we drink a lot of Crystal Light in my house, sodas are now treats we go into town for
- Instead of going out to lunch after church on Sundays, we go on a picnic
Thessalonians 5:8 "...let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. "
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tried: e-Mealz
Grocery shopping is like going into a black hole for me. Sure I showed up with a list that I hastily made and even coupons that I clipped, but always seemed to spend too much money. Not only did I spend too much but once I got home I realized that the items I bought really didnt have a rhyme or reason to them. So instead of one big trip for the month, I ended up making a small trip to the store every couple of days. While I realize that for some folks that works out just fine, for our family it was a money-pit. First - we live more than thirty minutes from the nearest grocery store. With the price of gas it added up quickly. The town we live in does have a small gas station/grocery store/ hang out/ bait store in it, great for milk or bread, but the higher prices make it impractical for regular trips. Second - I find it nearly impossible to go to the store and only get what is on my list. Sure that Matchbox car was only a few bucks, and the petunia looks great on my porch but we didnt need them!
I had begun to read some "family financing" books prior to the meteor strike. To deal with this budgeting situation, they advised that you make a menu for the month and stick to it. So we did. We wrote down a months worth of dinners into a blank calendar page, then made a list, and did our shopping off of it. Simple as it sounds, that took at least 4 hours to do. And well.. I still spent a ton of money on groceries! (it seems that my family expects to have dinner every night!)
Finally I read about e-Mealz. I honestly am not sure if it was on a Dave Ramsey site or just one of those times I was aimlessly purusing the internet. I wasnt thrilled with paying for it, but I did as a trial. We chose the Wal-Mart Points Menu for a family of 4. If you havent looked at e-Mealz, then you should take a minute or two and do that. They offer several menu varieties: vegetarian, low fat, low carb, regular, and ones that match to several national food chains. You can even view sample menus to try out before you buy it! Now for the magic - they not only give you a menu for the week BUT they give you a shopping list complete with prices and organized by grocery category!!! The menu is nice, but honestly, the shopping list was what impressed me. It is so easy, my husband could do the shopping. Everything was layed out and exact. As for the prices, our menu usually suggested it would cost around $80 for the week. I can tell you that I usually spent much less than that. I know they go by the national average for the grocery chain, but I could plan on it being around $10 to $20 less.
Now the nay-sayers are thinking "but what if my family doesnt want to have chicken fiesta?" or little Timmy cant eat "shimp and broccoli." Not a problem. Just go through the shopping list and scratch off the items that are related to that dinner. It is easy to since they are numbered.
e-Mealz is a great budget friendly way to plan your grocery expenditures. It is about $5 a month and you will probably make it back in great deals and new ideas.
I had begun to read some "family financing" books prior to the meteor strike. To deal with this budgeting situation, they advised that you make a menu for the month and stick to it. So we did. We wrote down a months worth of dinners into a blank calendar page, then made a list, and did our shopping off of it. Simple as it sounds, that took at least 4 hours to do. And well.. I still spent a ton of money on groceries! (it seems that my family expects to have dinner every night!)
Finally I read about e-Mealz. I honestly am not sure if it was on a Dave Ramsey site or just one of those times I was aimlessly purusing the internet. I wasnt thrilled with paying for it, but I did as a trial. We chose the Wal-Mart Points Menu for a family of 4. If you havent looked at e-Mealz, then you should take a minute or two and do that. They offer several menu varieties: vegetarian, low fat, low carb, regular, and ones that match to several national food chains. You can even view sample menus to try out before you buy it! Now for the magic - they not only give you a menu for the week BUT they give you a shopping list complete with prices and organized by grocery category!!! The menu is nice, but honestly, the shopping list was what impressed me. It is so easy, my husband could do the shopping. Everything was layed out and exact. As for the prices, our menu usually suggested it would cost around $80 for the week. I can tell you that I usually spent much less than that. I know they go by the national average for the grocery chain, but I could plan on it being around $10 to $20 less.
Now the nay-sayers are thinking "but what if my family doesnt want to have chicken fiesta?" or little Timmy cant eat "shimp and broccoli." Not a problem. Just go through the shopping list and scratch off the items that are related to that dinner. It is easy to since they are numbered.
e-Mealz is a great budget friendly way to plan your grocery expenditures. It is about $5 a month and you will probably make it back in great deals and new ideas.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
How it started...
We weren't always a family that was very careful. We didn't treat each other well. (well, as parents we didn't treat each other well). We didn't watch our money carefully. We weren't very good about waiting for much of anything. Sadly, it took a meteor hitting our life to bring us to our senses. We went from being a two income family, to a one income family in about 15minutes. We had about $500 in savings and about $50,000 in credit card debt. We had two car payments, a house payment, and not a clue. I write these numbers and can feel the shame of it all. What were we thinking?
This blog is about how we got, and are still getting, back on track. This is about learning humility and finding new strengths we never knew we had. This experience has brought us closer together as a family and really put us on a path to true happiness. I hope that I can help someone else who is where we were and in some cases still are.
This blog is about how we got, and are still getting, back on track. This is about learning humility and finding new strengths we never knew we had. This experience has brought us closer together as a family and really put us on a path to true happiness. I hope that I can help someone else who is where we were and in some cases still are.
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