My shopping trip went well Friday, although I'm sure as I write this and review, it could have went better. This is good for keeping me accountable and hopefully reaching my own goals of being a better shopper and saver.
I had $250 for two weeks. When I shop, I shop for everything. Birthday presents, household items, cleaners, paper products, groceries, etc..so my list is quite lengthy. I also shop every two weeks, only buying bread or meat sales in between.
As always, my first stop was the Trade Market (Bent-n-Dent). I bought 3 gallons of milk, saving $1.71 on those 3 gallons. I stocked back up on cans of diced tomatoes at 39¢ a can. I bought 10 cans and saved $2.60. Several other items gave me a savings of $2.45 for a total savings of $6.76. Even if I only save a few cents, I will go ahead and buy what I need there. There is truth in, 'A penny saved is a penny earned.' I spent $24.12
I made my way to the Dollar Tree where I purchased our body wash, shave cream, glass cleaner and some black socks for DS's new job (?)--(see earlier post) among other things spending $7.56
From there, Wal Mart. This is usually where I spend the bulk of our monies. I had quite a list which also included out of the ordinaries like: 2, $5 gift cards, socks for me and undies for DH. I also had to download my pics on a cd and I printed off a few as well. DD needed contact solution and she has to use a certain brand which isn't the cheapest! These items alone came to $28.90 before tax. Then I made other needed items that are of a normal sort. I'm not going to bore you with my entire shopping list, but it was quite lengthy. My subtotal before coupons was $128.92. I had coupons for many of the items and the total on the coupons was $12.47. My complete total after taxes was $115.16.
On to Dollar General where I spent $6.48 on trash bags, fabric softener and the store brand of Lysol.
My next stop was Save A Lot. I needed cans of veggies and cream soups. I also bought 4 pounds of ground turkey. A few other items gave me a grand total of $33.82.
My last stop was a local grocery store. I threw my receipt away, so I can't remember every item I bought. I do remember I bought some ice cream, green beans and some other items spending $18.28.
We went out on Saturday and I picked up some things on sale at Target and spent $9.35. I had $1 in coupons.
Add in the 52¢ I spent at CVS. Here, I saved in coupons and ECB's.
My spending total so far was $215.29.
My savings total was $27.73.
I still have a little more than $34 for the bread or the meat sales that may happen over the next 2 weeks.
I'm pleased with how this turned out, but I believe I can make better use of my coupons.
We'll continue this journey and I hope you'll share how your shopping and saving is coming along.
Blessings.....
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
CVS, Part 3 and My Last CVS Trip
For part 3 of learning how to shop at CVS, head on over to Centsible Savings.
I truly hope you have found this to be helpful and I'd love to hear if you gave it a try and how well you did.
To be honest, I had whittled my bucks down to only $3 and I didn't earn any this week with my purchases, so in some eyes, I may have failed, but like I shared before, I'm not going to buy something, simply to earn an ECB. I've got to need it in order for it to be profitable to me.
My CVS experience last week was as follows:
1, 6.5 oz Aquafresh toothpaste, $2.50
1, Palmolive 10 oz dish soap, 97¢
1, Waterproof Mascara, $2.99
2, Rolls CVS paper towels, 99¢ & 49¢
I used a $2 coupon on the toothpaste, 50¢ coupon on the dish soap. These were manufacturer coupons.
I used a $2 CVS coupon on the mascara and the paper towels were buy one get one half off.
I had $3 in ECB's.
Grand total, plus tax: 52¢!!
No, except for the paper towels, I didn't need these things at the moment of purchase.
Yes, they will most definitely get used and they will not spoil.
Too good of a deal to turn away.
Later today I will try to get the post out on the rest of my shopping trip.
Together we can help each other become more aware of what we're spending and how to get the most with that money.
Blessings..........
I truly hope you have found this to be helpful and I'd love to hear if you gave it a try and how well you did.
To be honest, I had whittled my bucks down to only $3 and I didn't earn any this week with my purchases, so in some eyes, I may have failed, but like I shared before, I'm not going to buy something, simply to earn an ECB. I've got to need it in order for it to be profitable to me.
My CVS experience last week was as follows:
1, 6.5 oz Aquafresh toothpaste, $2.50
1, Palmolive 10 oz dish soap, 97¢
1, Waterproof Mascara, $2.99
2, Rolls CVS paper towels, 99¢ & 49¢
I used a $2 coupon on the toothpaste, 50¢ coupon on the dish soap. These were manufacturer coupons.
I used a $2 CVS coupon on the mascara and the paper towels were buy one get one half off.
I had $3 in ECB's.
Grand total, plus tax: 52¢!!
No, except for the paper towels, I didn't need these things at the moment of purchase.
Yes, they will most definitely get used and they will not spoil.
Too good of a deal to turn away.
Later today I will try to get the post out on the rest of my shopping trip.
Together we can help each other become more aware of what we're spending and how to get the most with that money.
Blessings..........
Monday, January 12, 2009
Not the Best of Days.....
It's been an incredibly trying day around here.
I promise to get back on track with my posts tomorrow, but after so many emotions in high gear today, well....
My DS got a job last week....or at least we think he did. He got hired. Knows how much per hour he'll be making. Was told to buy black pants and certain shoes. Was told he'd be working Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week. Was told to call this morning and get his schedule. So he did.
This is what he was told when he called: "Well, I can't work you in this week, call back next Monday and we'll see what we can do."
WHAT???!!!
Talk about those Mama Bear Claws coming out.....
Here my baby was so excited to start his first job and then "we can't work you this week"????
Somebody explain that to me.
Fact is, don't mess with my babies. Period. I know you understand where I'm coming from.
Then I get a phone call. It's DH letting me know that he had ran into some people that we went to church with at a previous church. They asked had we heard about the son of a family we knew....and we know them well.
Our daughter dated this boy for a year and broke up with him when she just couldn't fight the Holy Spirit anymore. It was a hard year for her and she poured her all into this relationship, but she ended up emotionally exhausted and after much prayer, ended the relationship. It was the very best thing for both of them.
Anyway, we found out this morning that he was killed in Iraq....how was I going to tell her this.
She was at work and so I met her there when she got off and told her. There were tears and a huge mix of emotions and I drove her home.
She seems okay..going on with normal things, which is very much her way of dealing with grief..shock..hurt.
I also know from earlier phone calls that DH has had a very stressful day at work and so he's going to need (and deserve) a double portion.
I ask that you really lift this family up in prayer. I cannot even begin to imagine their pain.
So anyway...it's been one more day. Add to that my total disasters all over my house (which drives me nuts) and I'm ready for some real down time even though I should stay busy just to stay afloat.....
Blessings........
I promise to get back on track with my posts tomorrow, but after so many emotions in high gear today, well....
My DS got a job last week....or at least we think he did. He got hired. Knows how much per hour he'll be making. Was told to buy black pants and certain shoes. Was told he'd be working Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week. Was told to call this morning and get his schedule. So he did.
This is what he was told when he called: "Well, I can't work you in this week, call back next Monday and we'll see what we can do."
WHAT???!!!
Talk about those Mama Bear Claws coming out.....
Here my baby was so excited to start his first job and then "we can't work you this week"????
Somebody explain that to me.
Fact is, don't mess with my babies. Period. I know you understand where I'm coming from.
Then I get a phone call. It's DH letting me know that he had ran into some people that we went to church with at a previous church. They asked had we heard about the son of a family we knew....and we know them well.
Our daughter dated this boy for a year and broke up with him when she just couldn't fight the Holy Spirit anymore. It was a hard year for her and she poured her all into this relationship, but she ended up emotionally exhausted and after much prayer, ended the relationship. It was the very best thing for both of them.
Anyway, we found out this morning that he was killed in Iraq....how was I going to tell her this.
She was at work and so I met her there when she got off and told her. There were tears and a huge mix of emotions and I drove her home.
She seems okay..going on with normal things, which is very much her way of dealing with grief..shock..hurt.
I also know from earlier phone calls that DH has had a very stressful day at work and so he's going to need (and deserve) a double portion.
I ask that you really lift this family up in prayer. I cannot even begin to imagine their pain.
So anyway...it's been one more day. Add to that my total disasters all over my house (which drives me nuts) and I'm ready for some real down time even though I should stay busy just to stay afloat.....
Blessings........
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Submissive Wife and a Busy Day
I've got a busy day ahead of me today.
Today is the first real shopping day of the new year for me. DH and I decided that instead of trying to do the finances our own way separately, we would start the new year working on them together. We admitted that in our marriage, finances were the only spot that we were on separate pages and frankly it wasn't working for us. I spent too much and he doesn't want to spend anything.
Now...I know I have all of these posts on saving money, so you're asking how do I spend too much?? Well, like I've confessed before, I have a very hard time passing up a bargain and believe me...there are truly a lot of bargains to be found!! But when a bargain causes you to overspend, it's no longer a bargain.
DH thinks that you can still buy a gallon of milk for $1.25,a loaf of bread for 50¢ and feed 4 adults and the occasional friends on $30 a week...he needed a wake up call as well.
I was concerned at first that when we got ready to sit down together, major problems might surface. I mean, it's not like I have a smart aleck attitude or anything.......But we pray before we begin and as always, God has been faithful. He just takes that big, mighty hand of His and wraps it around my big, mighty mouth! DH and I have actually done a very good job talking about things and staying on the same page.
With that being said, I want to share a couple of other things before I head out for my day:
Centsible Savings has posted part 2 on CVS shopping. Head over and check it out. I don't have a big CVS run today, but I'll share my small trip with you later.
I also wanted to get my post out on yesterday's "wife" lesson.
Lesson 4's title is "She Brings Him Good Not Harm". We can see by the title that I'm already in trouble here..
2 statements on the first page: "Each partner must be willing to minister to the needs of the other regardless of the response" and "...our highest purpose as husbands or wives is to be an instrument for promoting our partners' spiritual and personal welfare." (Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.)
Like I've said, I think I do pretty good in the submissive wife category, but do I willingly minister to DH regardless of how he will respond? Uhh...not always. I mean, he's suppose to appreciate everything I do. He's suppose to praise me and tell everyone what a blessed man he is to have me in his life. Right?? Well, in all honesty he does these things, but there are times when I do things I think will cause him to rejoice from the rooftop and he never says a word. My feelings get hurt and I run to my corner and pout. Then I decide that if that's the way he's gonna be, we'll see how long it is before I put myself out there again.
But...that's not what I'm suppose to do and it's certainly not how a wife should treat her husband.
A little more studying brought Genesis 3:16 to light.....you know, the more I study this, the more I realize just why the Bible is called the Living Word....I've read this stuff countless times and I'm noticing things I've never "seen" before...
This verse says, "....And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master." (NLT) What!!?? Another translation reads it like this, "....Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (NASB)
Again....What??!!! Plain and simple...he's in charge. Sad thing is, now he has to fight for it.
In Eden, sin corrupted the submissive wife and the loving husband and has been replaced with a struggle for power. This is very evident in today's society. Every where you look, women are demanding to be treated as equal to a man and quite plainly..that's not Bible. That's not how God set this up. It is the very reason so many marriages are in trouble and divorce is rampant. We....I...want to do things my way, not God's and that goes against God in every way.
We also need to realize that, as women...as wives, we influence our husbands. That was made obvious when Eve influenced Adam to eat the fruit. Not only do we influence our husbands, we influence our children. They see how we treat their dad, and they mimic that. If we treat Dad with love and respect, so will our children. If we are hateful and have a bad attitude toward him, so will they.
That is a lot to think about and it's very important to keep that at the front of our minds at all times.
So..here I go again. Thinking I'm doing pretty good and realizing there is much work to be done.
I have an amazing husband. He is definitely the man God chose for me, even when I didn't acknowledge God at all. I am so thankful to be so blessed and he's the very reason I decided to get serious about who I am in Christ and who I am as a wife and mom. I want to do him good, not harm, all the days of my life. (Referring to Proverbs 31:12)
Blessings.......
Today is the first real shopping day of the new year for me. DH and I decided that instead of trying to do the finances our own way separately, we would start the new year working on them together. We admitted that in our marriage, finances were the only spot that we were on separate pages and frankly it wasn't working for us. I spent too much and he doesn't want to spend anything.
Now...I know I have all of these posts on saving money, so you're asking how do I spend too much?? Well, like I've confessed before, I have a very hard time passing up a bargain and believe me...there are truly a lot of bargains to be found!! But when a bargain causes you to overspend, it's no longer a bargain.
DH thinks that you can still buy a gallon of milk for $1.25,a loaf of bread for 50¢ and feed 4 adults and the occasional friends on $30 a week...he needed a wake up call as well.
I was concerned at first that when we got ready to sit down together, major problems might surface. I mean, it's not like I have a smart aleck attitude or anything.......But we pray before we begin and as always, God has been faithful. He just takes that big, mighty hand of His and wraps it around my big, mighty mouth! DH and I have actually done a very good job talking about things and staying on the same page.
With that being said, I want to share a couple of other things before I head out for my day:
Centsible Savings has posted part 2 on CVS shopping. Head over and check it out. I don't have a big CVS run today, but I'll share my small trip with you later.
I also wanted to get my post out on yesterday's "wife" lesson.
Lesson 4's title is "She Brings Him Good Not Harm". We can see by the title that I'm already in trouble here..
2 statements on the first page: "Each partner must be willing to minister to the needs of the other regardless of the response" and "...our highest purpose as husbands or wives is to be an instrument for promoting our partners' spiritual and personal welfare." (Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.)
Like I've said, I think I do pretty good in the submissive wife category, but do I willingly minister to DH regardless of how he will respond? Uhh...not always. I mean, he's suppose to appreciate everything I do. He's suppose to praise me and tell everyone what a blessed man he is to have me in his life. Right?? Well, in all honesty he does these things, but there are times when I do things I think will cause him to rejoice from the rooftop and he never says a word. My feelings get hurt and I run to my corner and pout. Then I decide that if that's the way he's gonna be, we'll see how long it is before I put myself out there again.
But...that's not what I'm suppose to do and it's certainly not how a wife should treat her husband.
A little more studying brought Genesis 3:16 to light.....you know, the more I study this, the more I realize just why the Bible is called the Living Word....I've read this stuff countless times and I'm noticing things I've never "seen" before...
This verse says, "....And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master." (NLT) What!!?? Another translation reads it like this, "....Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (NASB)
Again....What??!!! Plain and simple...he's in charge. Sad thing is, now he has to fight for it.
In Eden, sin corrupted the submissive wife and the loving husband and has been replaced with a struggle for power. This is very evident in today's society. Every where you look, women are demanding to be treated as equal to a man and quite plainly..that's not Bible. That's not how God set this up. It is the very reason so many marriages are in trouble and divorce is rampant. We....I...want to do things my way, not God's and that goes against God in every way.
We also need to realize that, as women...as wives, we influence our husbands. That was made obvious when Eve influenced Adam to eat the fruit. Not only do we influence our husbands, we influence our children. They see how we treat their dad, and they mimic that. If we treat Dad with love and respect, so will our children. If we are hateful and have a bad attitude toward him, so will they.
That is a lot to think about and it's very important to keep that at the front of our minds at all times.
So..here I go again. Thinking I'm doing pretty good and realizing there is much work to be done.
I have an amazing husband. He is definitely the man God chose for me, even when I didn't acknowledge God at all. I am so thankful to be so blessed and he's the very reason I decided to get serious about who I am in Christ and who I am as a wife and mom. I want to do him good, not harm, all the days of my life. (Referring to Proverbs 31:12)
Blessings.......
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Bath & Body Coupon
I love Bath & Body Works! I love to just stand in the store and smell it!
Here's a coupon for a free 2oz bottle of lotion with any purchase. Considering they are running their semi-annual sale, you can get something...even trial size...and this lotion for only a couple of bucks. Coupon expires January 14!
Blessings....
Here's a coupon for a free 2oz bottle of lotion with any purchase. Considering they are running their semi-annual sale, you can get something...even trial size...and this lotion for only a couple of bucks. Coupon expires January 14!
Blessings....
2 Praises and CVS
I want to share a couple of things in this post and then I'll be back later to write a post about this submissive wife thing I'm studying...talk about getting a swift kick in the pants this morning......
We have two praises to share!
First, DD's....exam...went well. Doc was great, she survived and the minor problem she was having was determined to be easily fixed.
Second, DS got a job! In today's economy, with so many losing their jobs, this is a blessing!
Now..in a faaarrrr earlier post (that I can't find at this point), I mentioned shopping at CVS. If you match their sales with coupons, you really can get stuff free or for pennies. It does take some patience and in my humble opinion, some good sense. I honestly refuse to buy something that I absolutely don't use just to get ECB's back. I feel that's wasting and according to some hard core CVS'ers I'm off my nut, but that's okay.
I would try to explain CVSing to you, but I would only confuse you to the point that you would know I'm off my nut so...go on over to Centsible Savings . She is running a 3 part series on how to make CVS work for you. I read part one this morning and she explains very clearly how to get started.
Walgreens does something similar with Register Rewards or RR's as they are better known, but I've found that I don't do as well at Walgreens as I do at CVS.
I'll be back later, but must go wake everyone up to get our school day started!
Blessings....
We have two praises to share!
First, DD's....exam...went well. Doc was great, she survived and the minor problem she was having was determined to be easily fixed.
Second, DS got a job! In today's economy, with so many losing their jobs, this is a blessing!
Now..in a faaarrrr earlier post (that I can't find at this point), I mentioned shopping at CVS. If you match their sales with coupons, you really can get stuff free or for pennies. It does take some patience and in my humble opinion, some good sense. I honestly refuse to buy something that I absolutely don't use just to get ECB's back. I feel that's wasting and according to some hard core CVS'ers I'm off my nut, but that's okay.
I would try to explain CVSing to you, but I would only confuse you to the point that you would know I'm off my nut so...go on over to Centsible Savings . She is running a 3 part series on how to make CVS work for you. I read part one this morning and she explains very clearly how to get started.
Walgreens does something similar with Register Rewards or RR's as they are better known, but I've found that I don't do as well at Walgreens as I do at CVS.
I'll be back later, but must go wake everyone up to get our school day started!
Blessings....
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