My CVS plan for the week of June 1

June 1st is already here! I can't believe it! Here's my plan for CVS this week. Remember, I allot myself $15 per week to spend here. But this week I'm going to go over that to stock up on paper goods we will need for the summer.

If you are new to CVS please check out this great primer by Jessica at Life As A Mom.

See lots of Money Making Scenarios and other deals at Money Saving Mom.

-Good Deals-

~Buy $20 in Charmin, Bounty, or Duracell and get $10 ECB back. Look for coupons in June 1st newspapers!
~Buy 3 Pantene for $10 and get $3 ECB back
~Buy $20 in Pampers and get $5 ECB back (Jumbo packs are on sale $7.99 each)

-My plan-

First transaction:
2 Bounty @ $5.99= $11.98
1 Charmin @ $4.99
1 Duracell @ $2.99
Total= $19.96 (I think this will round up to $20 to get the $10 ECB back but if not I will have to then buy another pack of batteries)
Minus $4 off $20 which I got on my last receipt
Minus $4 ECB from last week
Minus $.25 Charmin coupon
Minus 2 $.25 Bounty coupons
Minus 1 Duracell $1 off coupon I got in the mail from somewhere?
Total out of pocket: $10.21, Earn $10

2nd transaction:
3 Packs of Pampers @ $7.99= $23.97
Minus $2 off 2 coupon from June 1st newspaper
Minus 1 $2 off any Pampers diapers
Use $10 ECB from above
Total out of pocket: $9.97
Earn $5 ECB

3rd transaction:
3 bottles of Pantene=$10
use 3 $1.50/ 1 coupons from June 1st
Total: $5.50
Use $5 ECB bucks above
Pay $.50 and get $3 ECB back which I will use to buy milk

I really wish they would release some new $/$$ coupons!!!

We Interupt this Blog for a History Lesson

This evening my dear husband and I were watching this week's episode of "Last Comic Standing" on our DVR. For the most part we enjoy this show, especially when the comics can be really funny without any bad language or vulgarity. I think it shows a lot more talent when you can be funny without being filthy. ***Actually, we turned it off because it had a lot more bad language and questionable content than we remember it having last year. 2 thumbs down!***

Anyway, on this episode people are auditioning for a chance to get onto the big show. This one comic was talking about Jesus. He said something to the effect that you know Jesus was an important person because when he died we starting counting time in years.

Being that I am a Christian and a former high school history teacher I cannot stand it when people don't understand our calendar system. There really is no excuse for the common misconception that A.D. means "after death". I suppose people think this because B.C. does in fact mean "Before Christ" but A.D. does not mean "After Death". Just think for a minute.
Christ lived on earth in a human body for 33 years. If B.C. means before he was born and A.D. meant after he died, then where would the 33 years of his life go?

A.D. is Latin for "In the Year of Our Lord" meaning the year of his birth. So 1 A.D. is the first year of his life. Therefore 33 A.D. would be the year of his death. And for you scholarly types, think about this. A Catholic monk thought up this system in 525 A.D. and he was probably off by a few years. Most historians think that Jesus was actually born around 4 B.C.

So please don't refer to A.D. as After Death. If you do, then you are essentially erasing the 33 years that Christ spent on Earth and those are 33 years I'm certainly not willing to give up!

Do you do "My Coke Rewards"?

I've only recently joined this customer rewards program. I don't know why I didn't join earlier. It is so easy. Maybe it's because I didn't really want to admit my addiction to Diet Coke with Lime! But I admit it. I know it's not good for me. I know I should just drink water. But . . . Now I just admit defeat and collect the caps or flaps from Coke products and enter them online. Each product is assigned a point value. For each 20 oz. bottle I earn 3 points and for every 12-pack I earn 10 points. I have been cashing out at 100 points and selecting to receive a coupon for a free 12-pack of any Coke Product. I combine these coupons with sales at CVS and usually earn Extra Care Bucks in the process. It really is rewarding and keeps my Diet Coke with Lime habit going.

But you don't actually have to buy all of the products yourself to earn the prizes. I made it known where I work that I collect the points and my friends have been giving me their caps. My friend Sheila (who is even more addicted to Diet Coke than I am:) recently gave me a bag of about 15 caps. Thanks!

People also throw their empty 12-pack boxes away with the flaps still attached. Yesterday must have been stock up on soft drink day at our dance studio because there were 4 12-pack boxes just lying there on top of the trash can. My daughter Christin crawled under the seat of the car and hid while I snagged the codes. (Hi! I'm Angie and I sometimes dumpster dive.)

Another source is trading for codes online. I haven't done that yet but I know that you can do this type of trading at Hot Coupon World and Slickdeals.

Do you participate in My Coke Rewards? Did you drink all the Coke yourself? Do you have a Diet Coke addiction? I think I'll go enter more codes now while I sip my last Diet Coke with Lime. I hope CVS has a sale soon!

$10 off $30 @ Walgreens May 30th only

Thanks to the wonderful folks who post at Hot Coupon World for the alert on this coupon for $10 off a purchase of $30. Print it out and take it to Walgreens on Friday, May 30th and get a really good deal for yourself. You can use it more than once if you find some really great deals.

Here are a few scenarios:

For those needing diapers: (Thanks tangomoon!)

Buy 3 Huggies jumbo packs at $9.49 each.

Buy anything else in the store to bring your total to $30.

Hand them the coupon for $10 off and then any Huggies coupons you may have on hand. I have 3 $1.50 off coupons.

Pay out of pocket: $15.50 plus tax

Then send in your receipt for a $5 rebate from Huggies. Print the form here.

Total for 3 packs after coupon and rebate: $10.50

For those with a soft drink addiction:

Buy 9 twelve-packs of Pepsi products @ 3 for $10

Total= $30

Minus Walgreens coupon= $20 for 9 packs or $2.22 for each pack

Baby Formula! I don't know the prices but if you have some formula checks to use with this coupon it would be a great deal!

Like candy and a movie?

Buy Hershey's mini bags which are BOGO this week. Get the ones that have the movie points on the pack. Use the $1 off 2 bags of Hershey' s coupon in the new June Easy Saver Booklet available at the stand with the sales flyers. Then send in receipt for $5 back when you spend $15 on Hershey's products from the May Easy Saver Booklet.

Last, send in your points for 3 Free Movie Tickets from Hershey's. The form in on the specially marked bags of Hershey's.

Last, need charcoal?

Buy 6 nine-pound bags of Kingsford charcoal = $30

Minus the Walgreens $10= $20

Print and use 6 of these Printable Kingsford coupons= $8 for 54 pounds of charcoal! That's a lot of grilling!

Happy Shopping!

Do you have a New Garden? You're not alone

NPR reports that growing your own veggies is a popular choice this year.

"The cost of groceries is going up this year, and so are the numbers of people who have started growing their own produce. Now seed companies are reporting a surge of orders. The last time there was a surge in home gardening was 2001, the last time we were in an economic recession."

I know that this is the first year since 1999 that I have planted a garden, albeit a small square foot garden. I have at least 2 personal friends who are growing their own produce for the first time this year.

Last night we ate the first veggies of the garden- 5 humble yellow squash-and they were delicious. There is just something about growing your own stuff! I also have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and watermelon growing in there. On my front porch I have an herb garden with parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary and basil. And I should be picking fresh, juicy peaches in the next few weeks. My new peach tree is burdened with tons of smallish peaches. Wild blackberries are growing along our property line and I hope they will be ready for picking by mid-July.

I'm hoping to save about $500 off our grocery bill by growing our own stuff this summer and am already planning what I can grow for the Fall and Winter.

How about you? Have you entered the world of growing your own stuff?

Debt is Dumb: Financing Furniture

Dave Ramsey says that Debt is Dumb. I think he is right. After all, finance companies spend lots of money advertising and trying to get us to use their product. One of the most prominent debt advertisers are furniture stores. You know their drill- Buy now, pay later. They are not doing this because they love us and really want us to have nice stuff. They really just want to make a profit. And profit they do by convincing consumers that we really can have it all right now without even making a payment for three years! Here's why the kind of debt is dumb:

First, we convince ourselves that we can save up the money over the next few years and then pay it off when the first payment is due and avoid any finance or interest charges. Really? If that is the case then why don't we have the money already saved up and just walk in and pay cash? It's because we're not really savers. We are spenders. That's why we're even considering doing such a dumb thing.

Second, we say that we will go ahead and make monthly payments and have it all paid off very soon. Well, this could work out but what if our income level changes or there is a major catastrophe and all of a sudden we don't have the money each month to make the payments. It is best not to count your chickens before they hatch.

Third, furniture is a depreciating asset. It is going to worth only about 40% of what you paid for it once it is actually in your house. Sad, but true. It would be even sadder to me to be paying for it three years later after my kids have yucked it up or have destroyed it.

Last, furniture just isn't built the way it use to be. Furniture stores offer mostly sub-par furniture that is not made of solid wood. Of course there are exceptions and some stores off absolutely gorgeous, well-made furniture but their prices usually take me out of their market. I would much rather save up some money and then find some great deals on antique or older furniture that is well built and has a classic style. Craigslist, garage sales, and flea markets are where I shop for my furniture now. With cash in hand it is easier to get a bargain and a great piece of furniture.

Oh, and experience is the best teacher. I've fallen for the finance your furniture tricks. Been there, done that, not doing it again!

What about you? Do you have a debt is dumb story involving financing furniture?
Have you successfully bought furniture with cash?

RSS Subscriptions

Something is going on with my RSS feed. I had two feeds running for some reason. It happened when I switched to my own domain name. So, I think I have consolidated them but if you are subscribed to my feed and it isn't coming through you may need to resubscribe. If you haven't subscribed it is very easy and makes reading blogs so much easier than having to click through to each website. Instead, each time one of your subscribed blogs is updated you get the new post directly into your reader or email.

I use Google Reader and love it. I have my favorite blogs set up on my iGoogle homepage and each morning and afternoon I check it for new posts.

To sign up for my feed simply click the orange icon on the far right side of the screen. You can choose your reader or subscribe by email. That way you'll never miss my updates.

Oooey Gooey Mexican Chicken Recipe

This stuff is so good!
4 frozen chicken breasts (boneless works best but use whatever you have)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup of salsa
up to 1 Tb. cumin
up to 1 Tb. chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1-2 cups of monterey jack cheese
Put all of the ingredients, except the cheese, into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and add grated cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve however you wish.

We like it over yellow rice, rolled up in tortillas, or even as a dip with corn chips.

Make It Yourself Mondays takes Memorial Day Off

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day with your family and friends. I am so grateful for the brave men and women who have given their lives for my freedom and grateful to those serving now for the peace and security they are providing to my family through their sacrifices.

We will resume Make It Yourself Mondays next week. (My last week of school!) I want to challenge you to think of your favorite restaurant meal and then recreate it at home and post how much it would have cost at the restaurant and how much you can save by making it at home. I can't wait to see what you creative, frugal people can come up with for that!

This Week's Menu Plan

Menu Planning saves you both time and money. By planning your meals you know how much time to allocate to preparation and cooking and can plan other activities around it. You save a ton of money because you are not constantly running to the store to pick up just one or two items only to leave with a cartful and you certainly won't need Mickey D's when you have dinner planned.

Here's my menu plan for the week:
Monday (day off from school)- Lunch- leftovers from Sunday's grilled ribs
Monday- Dinner- Homemade beanie weenies, rolls, sliced cucumbers

Tuesday- Dinner- Marinated Shrimp, rice pilaf, fresh yellow squash

Wednesday-Dinner- Frozen Lasagna, garlic bread, salad

Thursday- Dinner- Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes, sausage)

Friday-Dinner- Ooey Gooey Mexican Chicken, pico de Gallo, rice

Lunches- Leftovers, ham or turkey sandwiches, tuna salad with crackers

This weeks best bets at CVS and how I'm spending my $15

I allow myself $15 per week to shop at CVS. Sometimes I spend less but this week I'm starting with no Extra Bucks. Here's what I see as good deals.

Sunday and Monday Only Deals
**Buy One Get One Free Pepsi 2 Liters including Sierra Mist and Mug Rootbeer
Print 2 coupons for BOGO Free Sierra Mists and come home with 4 free 2 Liters!

**Revolon Nail Polish is one Sale for $3.99 and get $3.00 extra bucks back
Use the $2 off Revlon Cosmetic coupon from last week's paper 5/18 and make $1
~~I also got a $3 off any Revlon product coupon from the coupon printer when I scanned my card last week~~

**Kraft Barbecue Sauce and French's Mustard on sale for $.66 (stock up for summer!)
~~Coupon for mustard was in the March 9th newspapers to make it even cheaper
~~Print coupons here for or here $.50 off French's Mustard Coupons (make it only $.16 each)

All Week Deals
~~Buy $20 worth of Playskool diapers, wipes or baby accessories and get $5 ECB. This is a CVS Brand so you can use your $3 off $10 CVS Brand coupons that usually print out.
Printable coupons at Very Best Baby

~~Buy up to 2 bottles of Tide for $5.99 each and receive $2 ECB each.
Register to print a coupon for $1 off any Tide Free at Kids Health Matters

May Monthly Deals which can make you Money
~~$4.69 ECB Tums Quik Pak 24 ct LIMIT 2 FREE after ECBs
Print coupons here for $2.25 off each pack. Get paid to buy them!

Here's what I am buying:

Transaction #1

4 Sierra Mist 2 liters $4.00

2 French's Mustard $1.32

2 Bottles of Tide Free $11.98

2 Revlon Nail Polish $5.98

Total before coupons: $23.28
Minus coupons:
2 BOGO Sierra Mist -$2
2 $.50 Mustard -$1
2 $1 off Tide -$2
1 $2 off Revlon -$2
1 $3 off any Revlon CRT -$3
Total after coupons: $13.28
Earn $10 ECB

Transaction 2
Buy 2 Tums @ $4.69
Buy 1 Bounty Basics @ 4.99
Total: $14.37
Minus 2 $2.25 coupons
New Total: $9.87, use $10 ECB from #1 above
Earn $9.38 for next time

Do you shop your local Farmer's Market?

Our town recently began hosting a Farmer's Market (or Farmers' Market?) on Saturday mornings from 8 until noon. I have visited the market 4 times and have been very pleased with the quality and price of the items offered for sale.

We are in prime "summer" garden production here in North Florida. I thought I would let my local readers know what is for sale at our market and encourage you to visit and support our local farmers. Here's what the email for this week said would be for sale:

Sweet Corn (I heart fresh corn!)
zucchini
yellow squash
onions
herb garden plants
kale
chives
carrots
tomatoes
cabbage
new potatoes
bell peppers
cantaloupe
cucumbers
collards
pecans
farm fresh eggs
variety of annual flowers
variety of perennial flowers
homemade breads and sweets
dried spices (these are only $1 per container usually!)
alcohol-free flavorings
and possibly other great things!

Do you have any tips or money saving strategies for shopping a Farmer's Market? What items are usually your best buys?

Gas Prices

Gas in my area hit $3.95 yesterday. I'm so glad there are only 10 days of school left. Our plans for the summer will be to stay home. We will be a really close-knit family after all that time spent together. Or we will be crazy! Either way with gas this high our activities will be severely limited.

What price is gas where you are? How is it affecting your summer plans?

Congratulations Christin!

Once again I have to brag on my oldest daughter Christin. She performed an original, self-choreographed jazz dance to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" tonight in our school talent show. She was very enthusiastic, smiled a lot, and gave a great show. Out of more than 40 acts, she won 2nd place! Way to go Gizzy!

Love,

Mom

2 Free Bottles of Kraft Salad Dressing

If you received the newest edition of Kraft's "Food and Family" magazine, there is a coupon in it for a free bottle of Kraft Salad Dressing. This week it is BOGO at Winn-Dixie, so if you use it there you actually will get two free bottles. I did this yesterday along with the Ball Park hotdog deal.

If you don't have a Winn-Dixie, I would suggest hanging onto the coupon because eventually Publix, etc. will most likely put the Kraft Salad Dressing BOGO.

If you don't receive this free magazine you can sign up at Kraft Foods.

Hot Deal Alert: Winn-Dixie: Hotdogs and Buns

Starting today, Winn-Dixie has Ball Park Hotdogs on sale for BOGO @ $2.99 each. There is a coupon dispenser in front of the hotdogs (and another on the bread aisle) for a free Package of Sara Lee Hotdog buns when you buy 2 packs of either Ball Park hotdogs or Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage. The great thing is that the Buns are also on sale for BOGO.

So the deal is:
Buy 1 pack of hotdogs @2.99
Get one free
Buy pack of Sara Lee buns @2.39
Get one free
Scan coupon for Free Sara Lee Buns -$3.00
(it says up to $3.19 but at the self-checkout it scanned automatically for $3.00 off even though the buns were $2.39; so I got $.61 overage)

Total for 2 pack of hotdogs and 2 packs of buns: $2.38

And remember you can freeze both the hotdogs and the buns for a cheap lunches all summer long!

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

Today is the 13th anniversary of being married to my wonderful husband, best friend, and superman. It seems that time has flown by during these 13 years. We have actually been together for 19 years and we tease each other that we grew up while being married.

Here's a snippet of our story:

We met in band. We were both band nerds, although he was 2 years ahead of me in school. I followed him to college at Stetson University. I worked really hard and graduated in 3 years instead of four. I graduated on a Sunday and got married the next Saturday. What a whirlwind of a time that was! I wouldn't change a thing about it at all.

I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have my husband. He is a gentleman, a hard worker, a talented musician, a superior daddy, and the love of my life. I hope the next 13 years and beyond are as full of love and life as the first 13. Happy Anniversary!

Dance Pictures. I need help.

Okay. Here's the deal. I love, love, love my girls' dance pictures. I want to buy 1 large image of them together to hang prominently somewhere in our house. But I can't choose which one. I love them all. But we are on a budget so we are picking 1 together shot and then 2 individual shots of each of them. Here are the choices for the together picture. Please leave a comment or vote for the photo we should choose. Thanks!

Lovely Pink Ballet

Short Purple Tutus

Jazzy Gold

What's a Mama to do?

Make It Yourself Monday

Sorry this is so late in the day. I was having computer issues last night and this morning but the bugs seem to have worked themselves out.

Make It Yourself Monday is a chance for all of us to share our favorite ways of Making things Ourselves instead of eating from the drive-thru or prepackaged, expensive foods.

My "Make It Yourself" recipe is for a quick, thrifty salad that can be a salad, a super cool summer sidedish, or as a main meal if you add in some grilled chicken.

I had a version of this at a ladies' luncheon recently and found that this combination works best for me:

1 Package Oriental Ramen Noodles
1 bag of Broccoli Slaw or 1 Head of Napa Cabbage
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar (any variety you like)
1/4 cup sugar
seasoning packet from ramen noodles
2 TBS. butter

Directions: Chop or toss the cabbage/slaw with the chopped onions. In a frying pan on the stove, melt the butter, add the package of Ramen noodles (crushed), and the sunflower seed kernels. Stir until golden and toasty.
Mix up the oil, vinegar, sugar, and seasoning packet to form a dressing.
Toss everything together and enjoy.
You can add grilled chicken to make it heartier.
Don't let this sit too long as the crunchies will get soggy. If taking this somewhere, I transport everything in separate container and toss together before serving.

Total cost: $5.00 or less depending on sale items.

Please share a favorite tip, trick, or recipe that helps you save money by "Making It Yourself".

Stupid Car Tricks Part 2

So, if you read stupid car tricks part 1 (which was really long and bless you if you read it all) then you know I left off with the part where we traded in our two financed cars so we could get a new to us financed mini-van. We lowered our overall monthly payments but (and there always is a but) we only had 1 van. Two parents. Two kids. One van. It could be done we told ourselves. People do it. We could do it. Turns out we didn't do it for longer than 6 months. We were weak. My dear husband needed his own transportation you know since we didn't work at the same exact school 4 classrooms apart or anything!

So, we of little money, sought a cheap ride for dh so he could drive to work and then tennis practice and still get home without me dragging out a toddler and a baby all hours of the evening to pick him up after tennis matches. So we found him a used Ford Ranger Pickup which of course we promptly financed to the tune of $250 per month for 5 years. So, now we had a mini-van at $465 and a truck at $250. Stupid car debt of $715 per month!!!

Looking back I can't believe how stupid we were!!!!

So, (I've started every single paragraph with so, so far!!! Heehee) everything was not good. We were stressed out. But boy no one could have predicted that it was about to get worse. My dh lost his job when someone's nieces' boyfriend's sister needed a teaching job. (And those of you from small towns knows this is not a far stretch!) Then September 11th hit and there were no job ops. Oh, and we had had our 3rd child by then too!

Hubby decides to become a stay-at-home dad for a year and go back to school to get an AS in computer programming. He was getting a small amount of unemployment (due to 9/11 and the Grace of God) and when that ran out they paid him to go to school (again, another government program due to 9/11). But there was no way we could make all of these crazy payments. Remember that we were in credit card debt too.

So, I, as a desperate wife turned to frugality. I read the "Complete Tightwad Gazette" and other simple living books. I learned to spend less but I didn't learn anything about actual finances. When we couldn't make both car payments I wrote myself a check from our last credit card, deposited it into my bank account and then paid off the mini-van note with the money from the credit card. This way I could lower my "minimum monthly payment" from $465 to $250. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. But at that time, I thought I was doing what I could to get by.

Fast forward 4 years we were making good money. Still in debt up to our ears. We got house fever. We had rented most of our married life, then we bought a used mobile home and lived there four years. We wanted out of it. We wanted something new. I worked feverishly to improve our credit scores. We saved a little bit of money and paid off our smallest credit card debts.

We bought our home in March 2005 and moved in with our mini-van and pick-up truck. Three months later mini-van died with major electrical problems. We still didn't know about Dave Ramsey so we traded in the mini-van and bought a brand-new 2005 Ford Freestyle. We still had a year to pay on the truck and we added the Freestyle payment of $490 per month.

Then we found Dave. So we paid off the truck early, attacked our credit card debt, and are driving these cars until their wheels fall off. DH's truck is now 10 years old, and other than a few dings is still going strong. After we pay off the IRS, we are going to double up on the Freestyle payments. I will never have a car payment again. We are done with stupid car tricks!

"Stupid Car Tricks"

~While reading the boards at Living Like No One Else, I ran across a post from a family that is $115,000 in debt and $32,000 of it was on an upside-down car loan that it less than 1 year old. That means they bought that car while they had over $80,00 in loans/credit cards already.

~Last night on Dave Ramsey's T.V. show a caller wanted advice on how to get rid of $65,000 while he looks for a job. Turns out that $50,000 of that amount is car loans.

~There are many commercials on T.V. and the radio enticing people to come buy a new, energy-efficient car so they can "Save" money on their gas bill. And people probably will!

But I shouldn't judge because I have been there and done that with my own stupid car tricks.

Here's our "cars" story and how we arrived where we are now.

My husband's first car (way before we were married) cost him a total of $800 that he paid for in cash from money he received as high school graduation gifts. It was a horrible, ugly, big car. He drove it for about a year then sold it to move to college. He got back most of what he paid for it best I can remember. Dave would have been proud but Dave wasn't around then. My husband however, vowed he would not ever drive such a horrific "beater" again.

Fast forward a year when I got my first car. It was a used Dodge Shadow that my mom financed and paid for out of her single-mom with 3 kids salary. Dumb. But she wanted me to have a car to drive to and from college which was going to be about 3 hours away. I drove it, she made the payments which were $270 per month for 4 years.

Fast forward 3 years, my dh graduated from Stetson University and got a very entry-level job not paying much. (The economy was in a recession of sorts then too.) He needed a car so he could drive to and from work (30 miles away). He saved up a little bit of cash and then bought a used Honda Accord with payments, of course. Payments of $285 per month.

The next Spring I graduated from Stetson University, we got married, I got a teaching job, and that's where everything went crazy. My mom's car bit the dust and I essentially gave her the Dodge Shadow back. She had paid for it. I gave it to her joyously because of everything she had done for me. So, then we had 1 car, worked different hours and lived 30 miles away from our jobs.

DH took me to work and my mom picked me up. (Is anyone thinking we weren't ready to get married? Duh!) I stayed at mom's house until DH got off work, came by to pick me up, and we went home.

Well, that got old rather quickly. We decided that I needed a car. We bought a used Saturn and I was as happy as a lark. Now we had two car payments, one at $285 and one at $265.

Fast forward two years and we have a baby. DH's car breaks down repeatedly. The last time it broke down it needed about $3,000 in repairs. We didn't have $3,000 so we just traded that sucker in on a brand, spanking new Honda Civic. Payments of $360 for 5 years. Now we still had two cars but the payments were now $360 and $265.

Fast forward another two years and baby #2 arrives. We can barely afford anything at this point because we are maxed out on credit cards, have student loans, daycare costs, and 2 car payments. We get very "wise" and trade in both cars for 1 mini-van. New payment $465 per month. (We actually thought this was great. We went from 2 payments totaling $625 to one payment of $465.) And it was until. . . .

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our "Stupid Cars Story"!

Spending Money Procrastination Examination

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a die-hard procrastinator. It is one of my many flaws. I stress the "many". My motto since high-school has been, "No matter how long I have to do something, that is how long it will take." When it comes to spending money there are some reasons for and against procrastinating.

Reasons Not to Procrastinate

1. The number one reason I can think of to not put off things until later is the hazard of Late Fees.

~~If I borrow books from the public library for free but do not return them on time it costs money. I once returned a book to our library 2 years late. No kidding. It was packed up in a box when we moved to our house and sat in the attic for 2 years. Cost: $31

~~Credit cards charge enormous late fees which can then turn into overlimit fees if you are close to being maxed out. Been there, done that! Thankfully we are now credit card free.

~~If your utilities get shut off you usually have to pay a re-connect fee and sometimes supply the company with a hefty deposit. Yep, I'll admit to having my phone shut off once.

2. Stress and Guilt

Waiting until the last minute creates stress in your life and usually ends up costing more money. ~~When you put off what to cook for supper you are more likely to eat fast food.

~~When you put off buying birthday gifts you usually pick up something that will cost you more than if you had planned it out earlier.

~~When you need to do something and you keep thinking about it but not doing it, you can go crazy with guilt. Ask me how I know!

~~ I once repeatedly passed by a dry cleaner's where I had taken a dress to be cleaned. I always drove by on the wrong side of the road and didn't bother picking it up then. Or I would pass by the store and then remember the dress but was in too much of a hurry to turn around. I never picked that dress up. It's long gone to the Goodwill or something but now I have pangs of guilt every time I drive by that store.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done stupid stuff like that!

3. Waste of Time

~~The time you spend thinking and dwelling on a task is actual time you could use to do the task or another equally important task.

Reasons to Procrastinate

1. Put off buying things you think you "need" and make do with what you have. Right now I "need" some shorts for summer. I just keep wearing the old ones. School will be out in a few weeks and I will be mostly at home for the summer. My summer attire for staying home doesn't have to be "new". Old will do.

2. Put off buying a new book then get it at the library for free. Just remember to return it!

3. Put off buying groceries and really dive into what you have in the freezer and pantry. Let your kids help you think of possibilities with what you have on hand.

4. Put off major purchases and wait for the end of the model year sales.

When has procrastination cost you money?

What are you putting off now in order to save?

Please share your stories and tips for us professional procrastinators!

Quick Post this Morning

Whew! What a week. I'm so glad it is Friday! I'm feeling a lot better, thank you for all your well wishes and prayers. 14 more days of school.

Today and this weekend will be super busy. We are actually supposed to be in 3 places at once tomorrow. Yeah, right!

I will leave you two blogs that I have frequented lately. If you haven't read them they are a real treat. Hope you have a great Friday!

Nesting Place Be sure to check out her posts about window Mistreatments.

Blissfully Domestic This sight has become a daily read for me. I love how many different ladies contribute and all the wonderful menu plans.

Life's Trials and Learning Lessons

I think that I must have a lesson or two to learn because I've experienced trial after trial after trial lately. There seems to be no end to the difficulties yet I know that this is just a time in my life where God is showing me something. I'm not sure what it is yet but I hope I find out soon!!! LOL!

An Awesome Friend

My wonderful friend Susan took these photos of the kids while I lay in wrenching pain in the Emergency Room from a kidney stone Friday afternoon. You know you have a great friend when she:

1. Comes to your house, picks up your kids from a panicking husband and takes your oldest 3 kids, her daughter and step-daughter to an outdoor photo shoot full of pollen and bees.

2. Calls the Emergency Room to see how you are, tells you that she has your oldest 3 kids while hubby has the baby (he can't deal with them all at once without me there!).

3. Has her husband take your oldest daughter to a promised sleepover in another town because you are in the ER and hubby is at home with the baby and no car seat!

4. Comes to the ER to pick you up because you are so messed up by pain killers that you can't drive.

5. Takes your Rx into the drugstore for you to get more painkillers just in case.

6. Pulls over on the side of the road because you are sick to your stomach from pain and medication.

7. Takes you home to rest and keeps the kids at hers for an impromptu sleepover at her house.

8. Calls you in the morning to see how you are doing and sends these pictures for a great Mother's Day gift!

I love you Susan! You are awesome! Thanks for Everything!

Review of April, Goals for May

I can't believe it is already the 10th of May! Woohoo, that means the 6th of June (last day of school) is just around the corner.

April had many uncommon events and activities which led to many more expenses. Happily, we paid cash for everything. No credit cards in this house!

My husband and Christin went to New York for a Week on a school trip. Christin, being frugal like her mama went with $50 in spending money that she earned from a car wash. She came home with $18 left!

We had Spring Break which led to a trip to the county fair. We attended two out of town Regional Dance Competitions which resulted in a couple of trips to a fast food place (although we took our own cooler and snacks) and more gas purchases. We (as in my husband) did some major landscape work in the front yard which added up to about $277 in unplanned expenses. And we had to buy 2 new tires for my vehicles to the tune of $215.

Here are the numbers:
Groceries, food, fast food: $549
Gasoline: $304
Home Improvement: $277
Electric Bill: $132 (This will probably increase as the temperatures climb)
Entertainment/Travel: $357

In the way of savings:
We began a TD Ameritrade account and deposited $100 into it. We are putting in $50 per month.
We maintained our emergency fund of $1000 (Baby Step 1)
We are not saving anymore until we pay off the IRS!

Goals for May:
Pay off the IRS

Survive 2 more field trips and 4 more weeks of school without losing the bank. I have yearbooks to buy, a trip to Universal Studios, a trip to Sea World, and teacher gifts to purchase.

Plan for summer. We will get paid 5 paychecks on June 10th and then not again until August 31st! I hate it but that's the way they pay us for summer.

Grocery budget: $300 (Already spent $24)
Gas budget: $300
Entertainment/travel: $200 for field trips (already spent $60 from the zoo trip)

Everthing else should be normal. Except our car insurance went up $14 per month!!! Yuck!

20 More Days of School

Can I survive? I am so looking forward to summer! Today's events:

school
kids photos taken at an outdoor location
2 hours of dance class
drive Christin to a sleepover
visit with a friend
crash into bed

Thank You! More Snowflakes

Many of you have clicked through my link to sign up for Revolution Money Exchange to earn yourself $25 and to give me $10. Through this I have earned enough money to pay for my oldest daugher to go to a 2-week day camp at our local community college called, "College for Kids". They offer great classes such as Digital Design, Beginning Spanish, Drama, and a class to earn a "certified babysitter" award. She is thrilled and so am I.

If you haven't signed up for Revolution Money Exchange it is a really great way to earn yourself some extra dollars. Until May 15th, they are offering a $25 bonus just for signing up. For every friend you refer they add $10 to your account. It is a secured site, backed by FDIC. My friends and I have loved it and have had no problems whatsoever with their service. You can sign up by clicking the green box on the top right column of my blog. It takes only about 3 minutes and you have your money.

Again, thanks to those of you who clicked thru my site to sign up. Any additional money I earn will go to the IRS for what we owe them!

Snowflakes are Falling

I received $73 yesterday from a couple of different sources. And wow! was it hard not to add some money to the grocery budget for the week. It was even harder to avoid the temptation of eating out because yesterday was such a hectic day.

After school yesterday, I had a meeting of "Delta Kappa Gamma", an eduction honor society to which I belong. It was our final meeting of the year and we were initiating new members in a banquet room of a local restaurant. It was early afternoon so I was not really hungry. They served us tea for free and we were invited to eat from the dessert bar for $4. What I really wanted to do was to call the hostess over and order 4 "to go" meals. I knew I would not have time to cook anything before my husband left for his 2nd job at UPS.

But I didn't order. I called my husband and explained that dinner was not going to happen. He ate a chicken club sandwich (with leftover chicken) and a bag of chips. Once I got home, it was too late to cut up the veggies for veggie fettucini, so I cooked "breakfast for dinner" and we had scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I don't have leftovers to take for lunch today so I will have to find something creative and avoid the temptation to eat out once again!

So, I have $73 in snowflake money to apply toward my IRS payoff. I'm making the payment this morning so I don't have that money sitting in my pocket.

How have you avoided temptations to spend money unnecessarily lately?

Google Searches Reveal the State of the Economy

Every few days I check the stats of my blog. One of the stats I find very interesting is how people got to my site from their Google</