Passionate Penny Pincher put together the ultimate Aldi, Costco & Sam’s Club price comparison chart. This is super helpful to know where to get the best prices on staple items.
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3 Ways To Be A Better Friend
Last weekend, I went to Maryland with my friend Tam to support her as she spoke at the Whole Women Weekend Conference. When Tam posted about this on her Instagram account, comments popped up about what a wonderful and caring friend I was.
As I read the sweet and kind comments from Tam’s followers, I kept thinking in the back up my mind, “But that’s just what friends do…”
We support each other. We have each others’ backs. We rearrange our schedules for each other. Tam has done this time and time again for me and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get to be on the cheering lines for her this time!
The past few days, I’ve been reflecting on friendship and how this is an area I’ve learned a lot about and grown in during the past five years. And I’ve been thinking about what a blessing it is that I now have these kinds of relationships — the deep, authentic friendships that I craved and prayed for for so long.
As I’ve shared here before, for many years, I craved authentic and meaningful friendships with other women but struggled to develop anything other than more surface-y relationships.
As time went on and I so longed for close friendships and it seemed like not many were happening, I began wondered if something was wrong with me, if I just wasn’t connecting with the right people, or in the right circles.
It took me a long time to realize that these types of relationships are out there, but you have to look for them and work at them. They don’t just happen; they have to be cultivated.
You have to be willing to open up, to make sacrifices, to go deep, to rearrange your schedule, to be vulnerable, and to keep reaching out. After years of praying for safe friendships and learning many lessons along the way, I’m so humbly grateful for the rich gifts of deep friendships in my life that I have with a number of beautiful women.
These relationships didn’t just happen; they were cultivated, developed, and nurtured. I’m a work in progress when it comes to relationships, but I’ve grown and learned a lot in the last few years.
And because so many women have come to me in recent months sharing how lonely they are and how much they wish they could develop deeper relationships, I wanted to share three ways I’m learning to be a better friend.
{These are simple things and I’m barely scratching the surface when it comes to relationship-building in this post, but I hope that these might inspire you to think of ways to further develop relationships with women in your own life and circles!}
1. Show Up.
Sometimes it means sacrifice or rearranging schedules. Other times it may even mean getting less sleep. It might mean setting aside life for an hour or an afternoon to show up: to be with a friend, to call a friend, to drop everything to go sit with a friend who is struggling and just listen.
When you make a commitment to show up, that’s when friendships blossom. With Tam, we have a commitment to see each other every Monday evening. No matter what is going on in our lives, unless we are out of town or sick or some other something that can’t be changed, we show up at the same time every week as families to just be together. As a result, our friendship has flourished.
Showing up doesn’t necessarily just mean being together in person. It could be showing up by texting a friend to ask how she’s doing. It could be sending a card. It could be making a phone call. It could be sending a gift. It could be an offer to help. It could be dropping something on someone’s front porch.
It will look different in different situations. But in every case, it will mean us being willing to open up ourselves — our time, our schedule, our gifts, our hearts — to show someone that we care about them.
2. Go First With Vulnerability.
Be the first to say “what’s going on in your life?” and to share authentically. Sometimes we are fearful of opening up and letting others into the deep, raw, vulnerable places of our hearts and souls.
When you choose to go first with vulnerability, it makes the other person feel comfortable to do the same as a natural response.
Bravery and honesty in relationships are what breeds depth. When we say, “This hurts.” Or, “This is hard.” Or, “I’m struggling.” Or, “Will you forgive me?”
3. Ask Great Questions and Then Listen.
My mom taught me this. She is the most amazing “question asker” in existence. She can have a conversation with pretty much anyone for hours because she knows how to ask great questions.
When you ask questions, it opens up the door for people to share with you because it shows you’re interested. And the most important part is to listen after you ask the question. Wait for a response, and ask a follow-up question.
One thing I like to ask people when I meet them but know very little about them is to say, “Tell me about yourself.” It’s an open-ended question that usually provides enough springboard for me to ask follow-up questions and then really get to know someone.
If you struggle to know how to crack the door into deeper relationships, a few starter questions could be things like: “How are you really doing?”, “What are you excited about right now?” “What is the hardest thing going on in your life?” or “What are you learning right now?” or “How can I pray for you?”
These questions are so much better than just saying “How was your day?” These kinds of questions give you a peek into someone’s heart and pave the way for closer, authentic friendships.
How do you invest in your friendships? What suggestions or tips do you have for ways to be a better friend? Tell us in the comments.
Shared Sep 2, 2015
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Our Almost $0 Baby Budget For Our 1st Baby (How & Why We Did It)
Our Almost $0 Baby Budget For Our 1st Baby (How & Why We Did It)
Ten and a half years ago, we welcomed our first child into the world — a beautiful baby girl, Kathrynne. Jesse was in law school at the time, I was trying to piece together enough income from various online pursuits to keep us afloat, and needless to say, we were poor as poor can be.
We were so poor, in fact, that we spent right around $0 out of pocket on baby things. Not because we didn’t want to spend anything, but because we literally had no extra money to spare.
As best as I can recall, the only thing we spent money on was a baby blanket. For real.
{I was overdue and we realized that we were going to be having this baby sooner rather than later and it was January, so we probably needed more than the one blanket we’d been given by a friend!
We scrounged together a few dollars, went to Walmart and bought a blanket, and that was the last we spent until Kathrynne was close to one year old and we went and bought her a cute new outfit to get her pictures taken for Christmas gifts.}
How did we spend almost zero out of pocket on baby things? Well, here’s how:
1. We Used What We Were Given
We were blessed with very generous friends. So blessed, in fact, that we ended up having three different showers thrown for us! One was by Jesse’s co-workers, one was by our little church, and one was by our church back home.
When people asked what we needed or wanted, we suggested practical things — like diapers, wipes, onesies, sleepers, and blankets. We ended up being gifted enough clothes to make it through almost the entire first year of Kathrynne’s life without buying her any new clothes.
A few people went in together and bought us some of the larger items — like a stroller, playpen, and carseat.
2. We Willingly Accepted Hand-Me-Downs
Some friends kindly offered to let us borrow their baby items or passed along baby clothes to us. We willingly accepted all of these offers and they were a huge blessing!
Yes, Kathrynne may not have been outfitted in name brand, brand-new clothes most of the time, but she survived just fine! Plus, I discovered that I didn’t have to worry if something got stained or ripped because it was already used and worn. 🙂
3. We Focused on Needs Versus Wants
It’s nice to have some of the non-necessities, but I’m here to tell you that your baby will be just fine without them.
Kathrynne didn’t have very many outfits per size. In fact, in most sizes, she only had 6 outfits, plus PJs. Yes, this meant I had to keep up on laundry more, but she survived.
We also had very few toys or baby gadgets. Some of the gadgets are nice and helpful, but very few could be considered actual necessities. {I wrote a post here with a list of what I consider to be the only items you really need to buy for your baby.}
This might not work for you. You might not have friends who bless you with multiple showers or offer you hand-me-downs. But I hope that this post encourages you to think outside the box and to realize that babies can get by without all the bells and whistles.
What are your best tips for saving money on baby things? I’d love to hear!
Join me for my daily LIVE Morning Motivation Show!
Did you know that I’m doing a daily, LIVE video show each weekday morning around 7:30 a.m. CT? You can watch live, leave comments, ask questions, and interact with me. All in real-time!
It’s so much fun and I just love the personal interaction. Each show is usually 15 to 25 minutes long and I share practical and inspirational motivation to help you begin your day well. I also take a few off-topic questions, tell you about my crazy adventures and mishaps, and give you a little peek behind-the-scenes at our every day lives.
To join us, just download the Periscope app on your device and search for @MoneySavingMom to find my profile and my most recent video. You can choose to be notified each time I go live each morning so that you don’t miss the live broadcasts.
If you miss the live show, you can watch the re-broadcast link any time over the next 24 hours on the Periscope app. I also just set up a Katch.me account this week and all of my broadcasts will be available to watch there, as well. Check it out here.
Why I Buy Big Ticket Items from Costco
Becki emailed in the following tip:
I thought I’d share why I always buy big ticket items at Costco. My husband really wanted to buy a treadmill many years ago. We used it for 3 1/2 years, and then the display panel broke.
First he looked into repairing it, but the part cost almost as much as the treadmill. I knew Costco has a good return policy, but by the time I was considering returning it to Costco, we were at 4 1/2 years from the purchase date.
I had no receipt… so I was shocked when I called to ask if I could return it, and they said, “Sure. Bring it in!”
Since I knew the approximate purchase date, they looked it up on their computer by our membership card and gave us a FULL REFUND on a Costco gift card. I don’t think I’ll ever buy something Costco sells from another store again. That is an amazing return policy.
Why We Didn’t Use Cloth Diapers After Our First Child
Cloth diapering is one of those things that is a frugal no-brainer, or so it seems. Using cloth diapers is often much less expensive. It’s better for the environment. And it’s a one-time investment that pays for itself again and again and again — especially if you have more than one child!
However, while we exclusively cloth diapered for our first child, we chose not to use cloth diapers with all our kids after that. Why? Well here are 4 reasons:
1. Our Kids Had Extremely Sensitive Skin
Kathrynne, our first daughter, had no issues with cloth diapers. Which was a huge blessing because we had no money at that season of our lives. And I do mean no money.
Some friends of ours gifted us a full set of Fuzzi Bunz diapers and it was one of the best gifts ever. We never invested a dime in diapers — other than paying for the laundry supplies and electricity to run the washer and dryer.
But when Kaitlynn came along, it was a different story. Every kind of cloth diaper broke her skin out. We tried a few different brands. I tried putting them on different ways. I tried washing them different ways.
To no avail.
Only Pampers diapers didn’t break her out. So I finally just gave in and gave up on my plans to exclusively cloth diaper her, too.
2. I Learned How to Get Diapers for Free
By the time Kaitlynn came along, I had discovered this thing called Drugstore Shopping. By carefully pairing coupons and sales with rebate deals, I was able to not only get groceries for free, but I was also able to get overage — and I used that overage to cover the cost of diapers.
When Silas was born, I had learned about Swagbucks and I was able to use my points called SB to earn free Amazon gift cards that I used to buy diapers for him. Best of all, when he was a baby and toddler, Amazon Mom did all sorts of incredible promotions that netted all of us some of the hottest diaper steals. I kid you not, the prices were insane — like $1 to $2 per package of name brand diapers shipped!
3. I Found the Washing of Diapers to Be Very Time-Consuming
Okay, so this might brand me as utterly lazy, but after a year and a half of washing diapers multiple times per week, I was just plain tired of washing them. You always had to stay ahead. You always had wet and dirty diapers in your laundry room and it seemed like you always, always needed to be washing more diapers.
After my third child was born, I was stretched so thin and struggling with exhaustion and postpartum depression that messing with cloth diapers just felt overwhelming to me. Just being honest here…!
4. I Was Tired of the Stink
And to be perfectly honest, I was tired of the stink. Despite what people will tell you, one of the unpleasant side effects of cloth diapers is that they do stink. You can put them in the most expensive stink-proof bags on the market, but when you dump them into the washing machine to wash them, it’s going to stink… and it can be a pretty overpowering smell.
Now here’s the thing: I still think cloth diapers are a great decision for many families! It’s a great way to save money and I’m so glad we had that option when Kathrynne was a baby.
However, I thought that an honest article like this on the cons of cloth diapering and why we didn’t exclusively cloth diaper all of our kids might be helpful to some of you who are in the middle of deciding whether to take the plunge or not.
As always, do what works best for you and your family. And don’t feel guilty if it’s completely different than another family!
Do you use cloth diapers? Why or why not? I’d love to hear!
Possibly the Most Important Message You Will Hear This Week
Today, I want to give you possibly the most important message you will hear this week…
You are enough. Exactly as you are.
You don’t have to be more, try harder, or do more. You are enough.
If you can really and truly believe this with all of your heart, it will change your entire life.
As you probably know, if you’ve been reading here for any length of time, I’m a big believer in owning your own gifts. I think it’s so important that we cheerlead and celebrate each other.
One evening while my four blogging friends were at my house last week, we decided to intentionally encourage each other to pursue and embrace our individual gifts.
We all sat at my kitchen table and went around and shared what our own gifts were. Then, each of us affirmed those gifts and shared other gifts we’ve seen in each friend. It was such a beautiful time of building each other up and celebrating who God has created each of us to be.
When we got to one of my friends, she had a really difficult time verbally telling us what her gifts were. In fact, she said she was not even sure she had any gifts at all. It broke my heart, because when I look at this friend I see so much talent, ability, and potential.
I could also identify, though, because that was me just a few years ago. I constantly felt like I didn’t measure up. I compared myself to others around me.
Break Down The Lies Inside Your Head
I’ve been on a journey the past few years to break down the lies inside my own head that tell me I’m not good enough. For a long time I didn’t want the gifts I had, and I fought against it.
I wanted to be a gifted writer who inspired people with beautiful word pictures. I wanted to be domestic. I wanted to cook and sew and create beautiful things.
But the truth is: When I try to write all artistically, it just falls flat. I can’t seem to figure out how to arrange basic wall-hangings in the rooms of my house. And I am totally not a chef.
You know what? I’m discovering that that is okay.
I have other talents God has given me. I have the gift of encouraging people to pursue their dreams and goals. I have the gift of marketing and strategic thinking: I can look at a situation and pinpoint what needs to be done in order to increase your income. And I’m a communicator — with the gift of taking big picture ideas and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces.
I could waste my life wishing these weren’t my gifts or I can choose to invest my life owning the gifts that I’ve been given. I could fritter away countless hours wishing I were someone else, or I can embrace who God has created me to be.
I want to stop playing the comparison game and instead choose to learn from others and be inspired by their special and unique gifts, and then own the gifts that I’ve been given. Because I’ve discovered that when I own my own gifts, I experience such fulfillment and excitement.
You Can’t Own Your Gifts If You Don’t Believe You Have Them
When my friend finally had the courage to voice a gift she had, it was like a dam broke inside of her. She cried and we cried with her because we were so excited for her to actually believe she had gifts and talents.
And it’s been so amazing to watch how that first small step of voicing her gifts out loud has started her on a journey of now wanting to embrace and exercise those gifts. It makes me thrilled!
The world needs her gifts — and the world needs YOUR gifts, too! But until you believe you have gifts and until you can recognize them as gifts, you can’t own, embrace, or exercise them.
If you are not sure what your gifts are, think about what makes you come alive, what makes you excited, what you love to do. Also, ask people around you to share what gifts they see in you. Often, others can see our gifts more clearly than we can.
I Feel Versus I Am
Recently, I walked into a room to find my daughter staring at herself in the mirror. She started saying, “I’m not beautiful. I’m ugly.”
It broke my mama heart — especially because I think she is absolutely gorgeous and she has the sweetest spirit so much of the time. I told her she may feel like she’s not beautiful, but the truth is that she is beautiful.
We talked about the important difference between “I feel” and “I am”. Sometimes, we might feel like we are not enough or like we are a failure, but that doesn’t mean that we are these things.
I told her that she’s more than welcome to voice how she’s feeling (“I feel ugly” etc.) In fact, I want to know when she’s feeling like this so that I can encourage her and remind her of the truth.
However, I told her that she’s not allowed to say “I’m ugly.” That’s a lie and we don’t allow lying at our house.
Those might seem like strong words, but I want to raise my children with the clear understanding of the truth: they were created for a purpose, they have unique gifts and talents, and there are always going to be voices (real or in our heads) that will try to put us down and make us feel like we’re not enough.
I want my kids to go out into the world equipped and empowered to know the difference between lies and truth and to know how to replace wrong beliefs when they get stuck in their head and make them feel less than.
Because here’s the thing: If you believe a lie long enough, it becomes truth to you and you begin under that lie. You’ll not only think it, but you’ll believe it and you’ll let it cloud everything in life — from your relationships, your friendships, your work, your art, your parenting, and more.
We have to fight for the truth! The truth that says that we are enough. That we have worth. That we have unique stories, unique gifts, and unique perspective. That we don’t need to be more, try harder, or reach a certain milestone in order to be enough.
You are enough — exactly as you are.
Replace the lies you’ve been believing with truths. Embrace who you God has created you to be.
It’s a conscious effort and something you have to do over and over again. But if you commit to replacing the lies with the truth every time they pop into your head, eventually it will become a habit, and the lies will dissipate as you live under the truth.
Own your gifts. Embrace the truth. And watch it beautifully transform your life from the inside out!
What are YOUR gifts? How are you embracing them? Tell us in the comments!
6 Goals For This Week (& why I’m giving myself a break!)
The past 10 days have felt like an emotional roller coaster ride for me. There were a lot of unexpected things thrown at me all at once. By the grace of God, I made it through. But it left me feeling drained and physically and emotionally exhausted… and more than a little tired!
Case in point: I wrote this on Instagram on Friday when I was in Maryland at a conference with my friend, Tam:
The hair dresser says my hair is blond. I don’t usually think so, but maybe it is considering that in the last 24 hours I have:
1) Almost left my hotel room to go to an event only wearing one big earring.
2) Forgotten which hotel room # I was staying in (had to go down to the front desk to ask!!).
3) Couldn’t find the blow dryer in my hotel room and looked everywhere for it in my entire room only to discover it was right on the wall in the bathroom.
4) Got out of the shower to discover I had only shaved one leg!
5) Could not figure out how to get the blow dryer to work. Tried and tried and tried and was starting to just think I was going to have to show up with wet hair when I finally realized that IT WASN’T PLUGGED IN!
As a result, I know that the best thing for me this week — especially since I’m having surgery on Friday — is to have a quiet week with very short to-do lists and lots of margin time. Because I clearly need some rest and down time! 🙂
With this in mind, I’m sticking to six simple goals for this week…
My Goals From 2 Weeks Ago:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Start our fall homeschool schedule.
2. Finish reading one read aloud book with the kids.
3. Write a love note to Jesse.
4. Write thank you letters with the kids.Personal Goals
5. Exercise at least 5 times.
6. Finish at least two books.
Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
7. Host friends from out of town for a little Blogging Retreat this weekend.8. Write notes to the Compassion children we sponsor.
Business Goals
9. Write an article for an upcoming piece in a magazine.
10. Get everything ready for our big Make Over Your Mornings sale.
This Week’s Goals:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Finish reading one read aloud book with the kids.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse.
Personal Goals
4. Get at least 7+ hours of sleep every night.
5. Finish reading two fiction books.
Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
6. Write notes to the Compassion children we sponsor.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
3 Ways We Eat Healthier and Save
Guest post from Alex of Good Steward Club
Two goals my husband and I are always working on are saving money and eating healthier At a glance, it appears these two goals are at odds. But our use of coupons has actually enabled us to meet both of those goals in an unexpected way.
Here’s what we do:
1. Clip coupons for all toiletries and household expenses.
I watch for deals at CVS and Target on paper products and stock up when I can get them below my price points. CVS will often send me coupons that I can add to my card for dollars off my entire purchase, such as $5 off $15 or $10 off $30. This sweetens the deal when I already needed toilet paper! Using Target’s Cartwheel app often results in further savings on cleaning products as well (and just about anything else you can think of).
I’ve found that while there is sticker shock when you look at the price tags for cosmetics and personal care items at drugstores, they are the absolute best place to shop for toiletries. Between the cashback programs (ExtraBucks at CVS, +Up Rewards at Rite Aid, etc.) and the store coupons that can be added to your card or printed to stack with manufacturer coupons, I have walked out of the store with countless free and moneymaker shampoos, body washes, and facial care products. Yes, please!
2. Use discounted gift cards.
This is one of my favorite savings methods because it doesn’t require much work at all. Gift Card Granny is a great search engine for available gift cards at discounted prices. Because grocery store gift card discounts are on the lower end (1-2% off), I like to purchase drugstore gift cards to further save on toiletries and household expenses.
At the time of this writing, CVS cards are selling at more than a 17% discount!
3. Shop the manager’s special section.
Meats are some of the most expensive products you can buy. Even as we have removed grains from our diet and begun purchasing more meats, our grocery budget is lower than it has ever been because I load up on the manager’s special meat cuts and plan our meals accordingly.
I’ve gotten grass-fed beef, steak, seafood and more for 30-50% off the lowest price marked. Since meat coupons are few and far between, this is the best way for me to use coupons on your actual food purchases.
We have cut out all processed foods (with the exception of an occasional carton of ice cream when we have company), and I’ve been amazed to see that our grocery expenses have actually gone down.
Even though I’m no longer using coupons on most of our food purchases, I’m saving so much money by using coupons and discounted gift cards, that I’ve been able to allocate more of our budget toward eating whole, healthy foods. Our wallets and our waistlines thank us!
How have you been able to save on healthier food choices?
Alex is a full-time homemaker and blogger at Good Steward Club. She is passionate about educating others on the many ways to save money as an act of good stewardship out of love for God.
How to Make 20 Busy Bags for only $5
Sara in Shanghai shows us how to make 20 busy bags for only $5 using items from the local dollar store.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
3 Pieces of Advice I Wish I Could Give My 23-Year-Old Self
Guest post from Angela of Setting My Intention
If you told my 23-year-old self that, 20 years in the future, I would be writing a blog about decluttering, I would have laughed.
When I was 23 years old, I had just graduated from college and traveled across the country (with only one large suitcase) to serve in an inner city ministry.
How did I get from one large suitcase to a house full of things that need to be decluttered?
I moved into an apartment…
got married…
had kids…
moved into a home…
In other words, life happened.
If I could give my 23-year-old self advice, here is what I would tell her:
1. Invest in Experiences, Not Things.
You will be tempted to “nest” many times: when you get a new apartment, move into your first home, have children. Along with that temptation, you will want to buy many things. Try to resist that temptation.
Experiences and time are the best gifts to give and receive.
Instead of making a wish list of things you’d like as gifts, try making a wish list of experiences that you’d like to give and get on your birthday and/or holidays.
When you do decorate your new spaces, only keep and purchase things that you love.
Invest in a few lovely pieces. Use your local thrift stores — they are often goldmines if you look carefully. Keep open spaces in your home.
2. Be a Thoughtful Consumer.
Wait to purchase things until you know what you need and will use.
When my husband and I were getting married, I naturally assumed we should have a wedding registry. However, we were clueless as to what we would actually use and need. We registered for many items that “we might be able to use” because we had that nifty handheld scanner that made it so easy!
The same thing happened to us when we were having our first baby. We registered for the things listed in the baby books that told us what we absolutely must have.
Can I just give you a heads up? You will NOT need a diaper genie. Wrapping them up tight, or plastic bags work just fine. You might even consider cloth diapering.
Again, wait to purchase things until you know what you need. It will save you the time later when you end up donating or consigning the pieces off of your registry!
Another tip: kids’ consignment sales have great, barely used items for a fraction of the price.
3. Don’t Get Emotionally Attached.
What your priorities or life circumstances change, don’t be afraid to get rid of the things that are no longer relevant or important to you.
Here are some areas to consider and declutter on a regular basis:
- Clothing/purses/shoes
- Books
- Papers/yearbooks
- Photos
The memories have been made, the mementos can be let go of.
If you are in your twenties, what advice has been most helpful to you? If you older, like me, what advice would you give your 20-something-aged self? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Angela blogs at Setting My Intention. She is a wife and mom to three boys. She works part time outside the home, and full time inside the home. She loves to spend time outside with her family, read, write, and most recently, run. She writes about simplifying life and developing healthy habits.
One Week Grocery Shopping Haul for a Large Family
Jamerrill has a great post up sharing her grocery shopping trip for her large family. If you have a large family, I think you’ll be inspired by her post and video.
Gretchen’s $36 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Homeland
2 Ragu Pasta Sauce – $1.50 each, used $0.75/2 coupon from the 8/23 RedPlum insert (doubled) – $0.75 each after coupon
Mt Olive Sweet Relish – $1.19, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – Free plus overage after coupon
2 Yoplait Yogurts – $0.50 each, used $0.40/2 printable (doubled) – $0.10 each after coupon
2 Herbal Essence Bodywash – $2.50 each, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled) and $1/1 coupon from the 8/23 RedPlum insert (doubled) – $0.75 each after coupons
2 Planters Peanuts – $1.69 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) – $0.69 each after coupon
4 cans Libby’s Green Beans – $0.75 each, used $1/4 coupon from the 8/23 RedPlum insert – $0.25 each after coupon
1 Wishbone Salad Dressing – $2.19, used $0.75/1 coupon from the 8/23 RedPlum insert (doubled) – $0.69 after coupon
Buy 4 General Mills items, Get Free gallon of milk:
1 Golden Grahams Cereal – $2, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon
1 Honey Nut Cheerios – $2, used $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – $1 after coupon
1 Cheerios – $2, used $0.75/1 printable (no longer available) (doubled) – $0.50 after coupon
1 Go-Gurt – $1.99
1 gallon Milk ($3.75) – Free after sale
Total with tax ($1.69) after coupons and sales: $11.43
Dillons
1 pkg Grapes – $1.85
1 pkg Kroger Tortillas – $1.50
1 loaf Nature’s Harvest Bread – $2.50, used $1.05/1 e-coupon – $1.45 after coupon
2 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1 each
5 Muller Yogurts – $1 each, used $1/5 e-coupon – $0.80 each after coupon
1 Kroger Tortilla Chips – $1.25, used $0.40/1 mailer coupon – $0.85 after coupon
1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $0.99, received $0.25 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.74 after rebate
1 Cascadian Farms Granola – Marked down to $0.99
1 Hormel Turkey – $3.99, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $3.49 after coupon
1 Kroger Cream Cheese – $1
1 bag Apples/Peaches – Marked down to $0.99
1.60 lbs Tomatoes – $1.58
1 bag Kroger Brown Rice – $0.89
1.76 lbs Bananas – $1.04, received $0.20 Ibotta rebate – $0.84 after rebate
2 Cucumbers – $0.50 each
Total with tax ($2.05) after sales, coupons and rebates: $25.22
Total for all grocery items: $36.65
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Eggs & Toast
Oatmeal
Cereal x 2
Egg & Cheese Quiche
Lunches
Baked Potatoes, Broccoli
Vegetable Soup, Crackers
Tossed Salad x 2
Apples, Cheese, Crackers, Veggies
Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit
Lunch with my family
Dinners
Brown Bag Burritos (from the freezer), Steamed Cauliflower, Chips and Salsa
Easy Baked Ziti, Tossed Salad, Homemade Bread
Chicken Pockets, Green Beans, Fruit Salad
Grilled Chicken, Tossed Salad, Mashed Potatoes
Chicken & Rice Casserole, Steamed Carrots
Homemade Pizza, Veggies
Leftovers
Whole 30 Freezer Cooking Plan
3 Things To Do When You Feel Hopeless and Discouraged
As many of you already know, this past week was a whirlwind of unexpected, frightening news for me and my family. A routine doctor’s visit turned my life upside down, and it left me sort of reeling. (You can read the details in this blog post, if you’d like more of the backstory.)
Through this experience over the past week, I have a newfound appreciation and empathy for those of you who are enduring major life struggles each and every day. I know that what I went through last week pales in comparison to some of the situations you find yourselves in, but in these moments I felt emotions I have never felt before.
I did not have the emotional or physical strength to do much of anything. I had no appetite. I couldn’t bring myself to really blog and had no desire to get online and tackle tasks I needed to — which is very out of character for me because I love this community here!
As I reflected on all of this, I thought about lessons I’m learning in the middle of this and I wanted to share them in hopes that they might encourage someone else who is going through a rough season. Maybe you have a difficult child, financial struggles, a broken relationship, medical issues, marriage problems, or you just feel plain stuck in life right now.
If you’re struggling today, here are 3 things that helped me last week:
1. Choose Joy.
Focus on your problems and you’ll feel discouraged. Focus on your blessings and you’ll feel encouraged. We can’t always choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our response to those circumstances.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or if the news we receive will change the course of our lives. We do know that we have today to embrace life and live as vibrantly and fully as we possibly can.
Choose to live fully today. Because today is all you’re guaranteed. Dwell in the present, and embrace the beauty surrounding you.
When I experienced my surprise medical issues, I had four blogging friends staying with me. I felt, at first, like it was the worst timing possible. I realized very quickly, though, that God had brought them to me at the perfect moment. Having them surround me with love, prayers, support, and encouragement was exactly what I needed and exactly when I needed it.
And I realized how much I had to be thankful for: not only my friends surrounding me, but also for my husband, my children, having 33 years of life — and a very healthy life, at that!
There is always, always something to be grateful for. Sometimes we have to really look for it, but when we do, we’ll find it — and probably a lot more than just one thing!
2. Reach Out for Help.
I’m a very driven, Type-A, do it all by myself kind of person. Allowing people to help me can be very difficult sometimes, but I’m beginning to really learn the beauty in reaching out and letting people pour into you and help you through times when you’re struggling.
We were made for community. Sometimes it feels easier to keep our feelings and hurts and struggles locked away inside, but sharing vulnerably with others gives us an opportunity to open up and have authentic relationships.
If you don’t feel like you have someone to reach out to, think about the people around you who seem like they are caring people, even if you don’t know them extremely well. I encourage you to reach out — today.
If you cannot think of anyone to reach out to, I’d love for you to reach out to me. You can e-mail me, tweet me, or leave a comment on this post. I do not want you to feel alone, and I would love to pray for you and give you a virtual hug.
I’m sure others here at the MoneySavingMom.com community would love to do the same for you. I want this to be a community where we are here to help, inspire, bless, and encourage one another.
3. Do the Next Small Thing.
I will never forget hearing Elisabeth Elliot’s story after her husband, Jim Elliot, was brutally murdered by the people group they were trying to serve and love. After an elaborate plan to minister to this people group ended in radio silence, Elisabeth Elliot said she had a choice in that heartbreaking moment — a choice to keep moving. She chose to do the next small thing, which was changing her daughter’s diaper.
For me this past week, when I wanted to feel overwhelmed with emotions, I challenged myself to just get up and do the next thing — loving on my family and being a host to my friends.
When you do the next thing, even if it seems so small, it will give you courage to keep taking the next small step. It usually feels so much easier to sit, wallow, and be discouraged. But if we just get up and do the next thing — whatever that might be — we will be able to start moving forward and not feel so stuck.
For those of you going through a seemingly hopeless time, I wanted to recommend two books to encourage you. Being the minimalist that I am, you know that I do not own many books. If a book stays on my shelf, it has deeply impacted me. Both of these books have been on my shelf for a long time, so you know that I really love them. 🙂
- Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose. This book shares the story of a woman’s miraculous faith in the jungles of WWII. I read it for the first time when I was about 13 years old and have since read it multiple times because it had such a profound effect on me. To read of this woman’s faith in the middle of confinement and horrendous situations as a prisoner of war was incredible. She chose joy over and over again and reminded herself of the truth instead of giving to seemingly hopeless situations. Even in some of the lowest points in my life, I always told myself that if Darlene could find joy and hope, so could I.
- Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. This is one of the absolute best books I’ve read about having a calm, restful, and trusting spirit during the trials of life. I highly recommend it.
What helps you when you are struggling or feel discouraged? Leave a comment and let us know!