Still waiting on the Insurance Company

It has now been 17 days since my big kitchen fire. NO money yet from the Insurance company! They said they couldn't really do much until they received the fire report from our city fire department, which was faxed last Tuesday. They had to make sure it was an actual accident and not intentional. Hello! Listen to the 911 tape if there was any doubt. I was a shrieking, crying mess.

My contractor is ready to go, my microwave has been ordered, cabinets are complete, we just need a check and all of this mess can be fixed in about 1 week. Except the painting. That is going to take a while.

Our kitchen and living room are really one big great room with a 20 foot vaulted ceiling. The entire ceiling has to be primed, retexturized, and then painted. Then we get to prime and paint all of the walls, doors, trim, and base boards.

And, help, because my husband now wants to paint the great room orange! No, not an actual Florida Gator orange, but a color called "baked clay" and then use "persimmon" as an accent color. My furniture is red! And unless he is planning on buying new living room furniture this stuff is going to clash more than Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan! Yeah, my husband, the decorator, Not! He thinks that just because our yard looks gorgeous that he can now decorate the inside walls too!

Easy Money: Complete a survey from Proctor and Gamble

Thanks goes to Carrie at Money Saving Methods for this tip on this easy survey from Proctor and Gamble. If you qualify, they will send you another survey in approximately 3 months. Once you take the second survey they will send you a $20 gift certificate to giftcertificates.com. I took the survey in about 3 minutes and at the end it gave me the message that I would be getting the second survey. Now I just need to mark my calendar to look for the survey and not delete it thinking it is junk mail. Hope you qualify!

Click here for survey.

Walgreens: Very cheap diapers for the week

Jennifer, at Sisterly Savings, has written an awesome "how-to" post about getting Walgreens brand diapers for close to free this week. I will definitely be following her instructions. Thanks Jennifer!

Sisterly Savings: Walgreen's Diaper Deal week of 6/29

Preparing for a Frugal Vacation

We were not planning on taking a vacation this summer, more or less our summers home from school are "staycations". However, my dear husband has been given a slot at a summer computer workshop in South Florida, on the beach, for a full week. This slot and the accompanying hotel stay, gas/mileage, and per diem meals will be paid from a grant that our school board received. He was chosen because of his high level of expertise and has been given the extra job of creating and maintaining our county's website (he's getting paid for that, too). He was the only person from our county chosen to go to this workshop so the hotel bill, etc. would be the same regardless if all of us go or not. So we are all going.

Activities:
We will be staying on the beach for the week of July 14th. The kids and I will be spending the days at the pool and beach while my hubby goes to class. Each evening we hope to do a fun, but frugal activity together.

I will research some of the areas attractions to see what might interest us. The Everglades will be nearby and we've never been there.

MEALS:
So, my mind is trying to think about how to plan for this trip. We have budgeted $750 for the entire week, after all expenses have been paid for by work. So, initially we will have to pay more and then get some back. The hotel we are staying at has a free, full breakfast each morning and free water and fruit at the pool during the afternoons. We can also buy a cup from the hotel and fill it free anytime with soda from the fountains at the on-site diner.

The hotel room has a microwave (which we haven't had at home since the fire), small refrigerator, sink, and dishwasher. I'm thinking about bring our two crockpots to make simple meals in during the day for our dinner at night. Going out to eat is not only expensive but not a fun experience with the baby at this age.

We will hit a nearby supermarket to buy snacks for the week.

Any ideas for frugal meals?

Car Ride:
The kids will need some stuff to keep them busy since it will be a six hour long drive to our destination. We will need some motion sickness medicine for Christin who gets car sick. We will need to stop periodically so the baby won't get too fussy and so the kids can run around and expend some energy.

Any ideas here?

I've got a lot to think about and plan for our trip. Any tips for planning, packing, car ride activities, meals, and frugal activities are greatly appreciated!

A Day in the Frugal Life

I'm trying really hard to have a frugal day today. Because life has been going way to fast, things have been crazy, things have been hard, and I just want a day without fuss, money, or difficulty. I am hoping that this is the day!



What I've done so far:

7:00 am- I'm up and taking a shower. The lights are off in the shower room because there is a lot of natural light. I washed my hair with bought on sale, with a coupon Dove Shampoo and Conditioner. I actually shaved my legs (isn't it a blessing when you actually get to shave your legs because no kids are screaming that they need you) with a razor I got free in the mail, using cheap-o hair conditioner bought at the Dollar General. By the way, why do they call it the Dollar "general". Is it because things used to be generally a dollar there because it isn't true anymore. It should be called the Mostly Under Five Bucks Store.



7:20- Ten minutes of prayer time. Easily could have been so much more today but the baby started crying.



7:25- Time to feed the baby. Breast is best and free! I dress her in a onesie that was given to us and a Pamper's Diaper that was practically free from CVS. I heart CVS!



7:45- Get the older kids up and get them ready for VBS. Today's the last day. My dear husband is outside putting mulch around some flower beds. He bought the mulch on sale with a $10 off coupon at Lowe's. I get dressed. I'm wearing a t-shirt I got free from a conference and shorts that are so old that I have no idea where they came from.



8:30- Kids eat breakfast. Just keeping it real because they are all having frozen Go-Gurts.

We bought those yesterday as part of the Winn-Dixie deal. They then brush their teeth with free toothbrushes, free toothpaste, and swish with Free Listerine Smart Rinse.



8:50- I eat breakfast. Today it is oatmeal and toast. The bread was free with a Sara Lee coupon and the oatmeal was from my stockpile of oatmeal that I bought in January.

My dear husband drives the kids to VBS which is about 5 miles from our house. He drops off a prescription at CVS on the way with a $25 gift card free coupon for transferring the Rx.

9:00- Put the first load from Mt. laundryneverendsaroundhere into the washer. It's an all cold water wash with half the recommended Purex detergent that I bought with a coupon when it was BOGO at Walgreens. They will get two final spin cycles to get out as much water as possible before going into the dryer.

9:10- Baby Camryn is tired of playing on the floor so she sits with me for a few minutes at the computer. We talk about letters and numbers and pull up the bank account. Now for a few minutes at Starfall.com (It's a free sight for little ones). Into the swing that was the given to us she goes. Time to eat her toys.

9:15- House is quiet and I start blogging. Wait, I forgot to check the AC temp. I have to make sure none of the little kids or the big daddy kid messed with it without my knowledge. Nope, it is still set at 78 degrees. Back to blogging. . . .

I'll be back later to update my frugal day! Hope yours is frugal as well.

Prayers Desperately Needed

This is one of my daughter's best friends. Her mom is one of my very dearest friends, too. She was diagnosed with leukemia this morning. She is 11 years old, the oldest of four girls. Please be in prayer for her and her sweet family. They will begin aggressive chemo tomorrow.

If any of you have been through this with your child or know a child who has gone through this, if you could please email me. I want to learn everything I can about this situation and how best to be a comfort and help to their family.

Good Deals At Winn-Dixie thru July 1st

Winn-Dixie has a special running this week that when you buy 4 participating General Mills/Betty Crocker products you get an instant $3 off your order. Here are the participating products:

General Mills cereal: 2/$5
Yoplait 6-pk kids drinks or GoGurts: 2/$5
Betty Crocker brownies or muffins: 2/$4
Totino's Pizza Rolls (40-ct): 3/$10
Old Elpaso Dinner Kits or Fresh Mexican style smooth salsa: 2/$3
Bugles or Chex mix: 2/$5
Betty Crocker warm delights or cookie mix: 3/$5
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel, Scrambles or Pancakes: 3/$6

Many of these have online coupons to print and use with this deal or coupons from recent inserts.

Chex Mix $1 off here. Several sites for $.60 off here and here and here.
Betty Crocker Warm Delights $.55 off here and here.
Toaster Strudel $1 off here and here
Cookie Mix $1 off 2 here or try here

My plan:
2 Chex Mix $5
2 Cookie Mixes $3.33
Total: $8.33
Minus instant -$3 off
Minus $1 off Chex and $.60 off Chex -$1.60
Minus $1 off cookie mix -$1
New total: $2.73

2 Toaster Strudels $4
2 Warm Delights $3.33
Total: $7.33
Minus instant -$3 off
Minus 2 $1 off Strudels
Minus 2 $.55 off Warm Delights
New total: $1.23

Also, Suddenly Salad is on sale for $1 per box. Print $.40 off coupons at some of the same sites as those above and get a box for only $.60.

Could You Survive in Poverty?

I attended a workshop this week on "Understanding Poverty" and how it affects the learning of our poorest students. It was a great workshop, where I actually learned some things that I can apply in my classroom. But I thought I would share with you 3 quizzes that we had to take to see if we could survive in poverty, the working class, or wealth. The first quiz is on poverty.

Here are some of the questions to see if you could survive in poverty:

1. I know where to go in town to buy from the best yard sales.
2. I know where dumpsters are that I can access to get thrown-away food.
3. I know how to make bail.
4. I can physically defend myself.
5. I can keep my clothes from being stolen at the laundromat.
6. I can buy a problem-free used car.
7. I don't have to have a bank account to survive.
8. I can live without electricity or a phone.
9. I can use a knife as scissors.
10. I know what to do when there isn't enough money to pay all of the bills.
11. I can move in half a day if needed.
12. I know how to apply for government assistance.
13. I know how to barter, trade, and make a deal.

I answered "yes" to numbers 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 13. Some of these are just part of being extremely frugal, I think. So I guess I could probably survive in poverty. Although I hope I never have to do so. I really don't get #9! Why would you need to use a knife as scissors??

So, could you survive in poverty? Which ones are your "yes" answers?

Target Deal starting Sunday, June 29th

June 29- July 5th Sunkist, AW Root Beer, Canada Dry, and 7Up 12 packs will be on sale 3 for $7. You can use 3 of the $1 off coupons found here to make them $1.33 each pack. And you will get a free 1.5 quart Edy's Ice Cream for free when you buy 3 of the 12 packs. (no coupon needed; part of ad).

Root Beer floats, Yum!

Fire and Life Update

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. Last week was a whirlwind to say the least. The cleaning team was here everyday last week for 5 to 6 hours per day. It was great but kinda weird to have them here cleaning my house while I watched the Price is Right on the couch with the kids. Do your kids love TPIR? On the days we watch, we each pick a contestant and pretend to win everything they do. Whichever one of us wins the most gets to pick lunch for the day. Kinda silly but its a great hour just to chill together and it gets them out of the hot sun during the late morning hours.

Back to last week, the girls had dance practice for 5 hours on Monday and Wednesday in preparations for Applause Nationals which was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Jacksonville. Caleb went to a local VBS with friends. All of us spent the weekend nights in Jacksonville since the girls had to be completely dressed and ready each morning at 8 am. We had a great stay at the Omni and it was nice to be out of our house and not have to look at the destroyed microwave. It is very creepy. The girls and their dance teams were awesome and took home tons of trophies and great memories.

Tomorrow I am faxing off the last of the papers to the insurance company so hopefully everything will continue to move along quickly. This week is our church's VBS week and Tuesday and Wednesday I will be attending an "Understanding Poverty" workshop for teachers offered by our Title 1 department. It looks like it will be very interesting.

I can't believe it is already the last full week of June! Where did the time go?
How's summer going for you?

Coupons found at Walmart

At my local Walmart, in the sporting goods section, I noticed new Florida Fishing and Hunting booklets put out by the State of Florida that list requirements for licenses, limits, etc. It also contains two good coupons. The first coupon is $10 off $50 at Dick's Sporting Goods (requires a purchase of hunting, camping, or fishing supplies) and the second coupon is for $10 off $50 at Sports Authority and can be used on anything. Both of these coupons are good until June 2009.

The Sports Authority coupon would make a good deal on sale items. We are planning to purchase an outdoor basketball pole and net combo for Christmas this year. I will be saving this coupon for the next time those things go on a good sale.

If you have a young son in your life, this booklet would make for an excellent non-fiction read. I know that my son loves to read stuff like this.

Should we go back to our old way of doing things? No Way!

I must admit that this year, aside from the birth of baby Camryn, has been very difficult with a lot of financial setbacks. But there are only two options I must consider when thinking about whether to continue on our quest to be debt free except the mortgage by the end of next year. The options are to go back to how we used to live (stressed out, nervous, pessimistic about the future) or continue on our path. Faced with how we used to live, I must choose to continue on our current path.

Here is a look at what we were paying out per month in 2005 to our debt (taken from my May 2005 bank statement):

Sears card: 100
MBNA Card 1: 250
MBNA Card 2: 125
Discover Card: 75
Bank of America: 350
Two car payments: 715
Furniture: 65
2 personal loans: 140
Sallie Mae: 65
Target Card: 25
Childrens Place Card: 25

Total to Debt (making minimum only payments)= $1935
Amount leftover after paying all the minimums on the bills and buying groceries $-400

Today's Debt
1 Car Payment: 490
Sallie Mae: 65
Personal Loan: 300
Amount leftover to snowball or take care of all the setbacks that keep popping up~$800-$1000

So, even though 2008 may not be shaping up to be the best year for us financially there is no comparing it to 3 years ago when every single pop up wreaked havoc on our very unstable finances. We are managing our setbacks without relying on credit or loans. And that is a great feeling!

Winn-Dixie This Week

While there aren't many great deals that caught my eye there was a $5 off a $40 purchase coupon on the front of the flyer. You can combine that coupon with manufacturers coupons and pay less than the $35.

Since we are about to go through replacing stuff in our kitchen I am not stockpiling anything for the next few weeks because I don't want to have to store it elsewhere. But here's my plan for Winn-Dixie.

Red Grapes $.99 per pound. An excellent price. Grapes are wonderful summer treats when frozen. Just pop them into your mouth and it is so sweet and refreshing. My kids like to freeze them then put them into their cups and fill with water or Kool-aid. It keeps the drink cool and then they eat the grapes.

Blue Bell Ice Cream $3.33 This brand still actually has 1/2 gallon tubs of ice cream

A1 Steak Marinade BOGO plus use the coupon for $1 off 2 from June 15th paper and it makes them only $.65 each.

Sara Lee Bread BOGO I will combine this with my $1 off milk when you buy Sara Lee bread coupons. These were on a display near the bread.

Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken BOGO. We love the Chicken Cordon Bleu. Use this printable coupon for $1 off each one. This makes them only $1.50 per pack.

Granny Smith Apples $1 per pound

Butterball Deep Fried Turkey Breast in the Deli BOGO Makes it $2.00 each but use this $1.00 off Printable coupon and it is the best deal on deli meat I've seen in a long time! There are also blinkie machines in my deli for $.75 off each one if you can't print the coupon.

And if I can find the $1 off meat when you buy Hamburger Helper I might get some of it since it is $1 per box and right now at coupons.com you can print a coupon for $1 off 2 boxes, making it only $.50 per box!

For more deals, check out Cassie's lists for Publix and Winn-Dixie at Homeschooling Four.

Fighting my own Frugalness

In listing items that were damaged or destroyed by the fire and smoke I found it to be excruciatingly painful to say that items are no longer usable. Everything within me says that it could be salvaged or it could still be used even if it is not in perfect condition. But out it must go, especially any items that my baby might come in contact with while playing or scooting around. Still, it hurts my frugal soul even though I know that I would not want anything in our house that could be potentially harmful.

Note to self: just let it go.

Damage Estimate: $20,000

This is the initial estimate by my insurance company's adjuster. That is so much money for a fire that was over and done with in less than 10 minutes. The cleaning team is coming back tomorrow. They finished the bedrooms today. They are tackling the dining room and foyer tomorrow, living room and kitchen on Wednesday and all the carpets on Thursday.

The adjuster expects to have to replace all of my kitchen cabinets and countertops. We are hoping that they can still match the existing cabinets and not have to replace but one 4-door unit above the stove. If they can't do that and have to replace all of the cabinets we will have a much bigger mess which will involve plumbers, electricians, and redoing our tile backsplash and tile floor.

The cleaning team is not sure that they can get all of the grease and stains out of my carpets and if not we will be recarpeting the entire house. Tomorrow I have to complete an affidavit of loss of personal property. Do you think they will think I'm crazy if I list 10 each of cake mixes, brownies, salad dressings, mustard, and 45 peanut butters?

It's going to be a long month.

Fire Update

We had a very nice Father's Day yesterday despite the fire and evidence of it everywhere in our house. We are hoping that the insurance adjuster will come out today to give us an estimate of what they are going to do for us in terms of replacing damaged items. On Saturday the Service Master cleaning team came and began to clean all of our hard surfaces. They will be back today to start on some of the deep cleaning and detail work.

The house will be a revolving door today. The insurance adjuster is supposed to be here. The cabinet guy is coming by to take measurements and to see if they still have this same style in stock. The cleaning team is coming back. The air conditioning team is coming to clean our all of our ducts and vents.

I have made a list of everything we have thrown out from the cabinets and kitchen, including my precious stockpile of baking goods and condiments. We have no knives, as the entire butcher block of them was destroyed. Three pots and 2 baking sheets were destroyed along with my wood cutting board I've had since we got married. The carpet in 3 rooms will need to be replaced and possibly 2 sets of curtains. And my husband's antique quilt made by his grandmother will need to be professionally cleaned. Oh, and then the entire house and all of the ceilings will have to be primed and painted.

So, we will see what the adjuster says and go from there. It's going to be a busy summer after all. Thank you for all the prayers, posts, calls, and email. It is such a blessing to have friends in times like this.

I nearly burnt our house down today

I will tell you the whole story when I'm able to put it into words. I'm still in shock and dealing with insurance adjusters and a cleaning team. The good thing is that we are all okay and the damage could have been a lot worse. The cleaning team is coming tomorrow to do a surface cleaning and then will be back Monday for a deep cleaning. There is greasy soot all over the kitchen and living room walls, the ceiling is black, the cabinets on one side of my kitchen are gone, the microwave melted into the floor, and the stove is shot. Please pray for my family as we deal with this mess and say a prayer of thanksgiving because God really is good.

Walgreens $5 off $20 June 13th only

Walgreens has put out a new coupon for $5 off your purchase of $20 today in stores only.

Click here to print your very own.

Limo Ride for the Last Day of School???

This story just blows my mind. An elementary school actually sent home a note asking parents to not send limos to pick up their kids on the last day. Apparently, in the past, this was done and wreaked havoc in the small parking lot. Umm, what about wreaking their chance at ever having a chance in the real world?

I am sorry but I think that parents who do these kinds of things for 6th graders are way over the top! Imagine what these kids will expect when they reach high school or college. All because their parents felt the need to show off.

I don't know the economic status of the households who would do this type of thing but I can imagine that if they are "normal" Americans they are carrying a 30 year mortgage, $10,000 in credit card debt, 2 car loans, and little or no money in savings. Yet Jr. needs a limo ride home from school.

I think this kind of outlandish behavior is occurring in many places including my own small town. In my town it may not be limo rides but it is birthday parties, Christmas gifts, electronics, and now the school you send your child to. Of course I want my kids to be happy but I don't want them to grow up thinking that things and more things are the source of happiness.

If the parents at this school truly wanted to leave a lasting impression on their kids they should take the day off, personally pick the kids up from school, go get an ice cream cone and celebrate another successful year in school. That would be a great memory worth much more than any limo ride home.

What do you think? Have you experienced this kind of parent behavior where you live? How can we encourage one another (instead of competing against each other) to just let kids be kids?

Me and My P.A.L.S.

Did you ever have a friend that no matter how long it has been since you've been in touch you just pick up where you left off as if time just stood still? I am so blessed to have many friends like this in my life and the three with me in this picture are among them.

I'm the one sitting on the left with my brightly colored pick and brown shirt. (Finally, a picture of me on my blog!) Directly above me is Penny, to her left is Leslie, and seated to my left is Shannon. We were best friends from 7th grade through high school and collectively we were known as the PALS (Penny, Angie, Leslie, Shannon). Pretty cute acronym, huh? We were such nerds! No wonder 3 of us grew up to be teachers and one of us is the financial director for a 5-county preschool consortium!

This picture was taken just a few week ago the weekend before Mother's Day at Penny's church. She's the pastor's wife over there. We were her guests at a Mother's Day luncheon and it was the first time we had really been together since graduating from high school in 1992. I can't believe it has been 16 years!!! Where does time go?

We talked for hours and hours. It was so sweet to see them again and realize how much we still have in common. So, we are not letting life get in our way but rather making life sweeter by getting together again next Tuesday. Having friends is so important, especially these days when everything seems to be wrong in the world. True friends are a frugal blessing. You don't have to pretend to anything but who you are around them. They understand when you don't have money for anything other than the $1 menu at McDonalds. They totally get that you are paying off debt and don't ask you to do things that would interfere with that plan. And they soooo understand that sometimes you just want to be that care-free girl with no burdens, no baggage, and no clue from 1992 even if for only a few hours every few months for the rest of your life!

Works for Me: Uncommon Uses for Cooking Spray

We have had some squeaking doors and cabinets for awhile now in our house. The front door, my bedroom closet door, and the cabinet door underneath my bathroom sink squeaked entirely too much today while I was trying to make myself rest in hopes of getting rid of this monster cold. I could no longer take it. I ransacked the garage looking for WD-40 but could not find any. I had to find a solution.

I found it in the kitchen- My can of generic cooking spray. In just a few short bursts of this marvelous product my ears and head felt better when someone opened a door. This was the first official day for all of us to be home together and I think every door opened and shut at least a billion times today. But it didn't matter, they didn't squeak anymore. So if you have squeaky hinges try cooking spray. It smells a whole lot better than the other stuff.

Here are some other uses for cooking spray that I've actually used in the past:

1. I have sprayed the front of my car with cooking spray during Lovebug season. Those things are nasty to try to remove after their dead little bodies bake in the sun. Using the spray made the job much easier. I don't do this anymore because I like to watch my kids wash the car. With bugs on it they are outside a whole lot longer.

2. Spraying your cheese grater or the blades of your food processor with cooking spray will ensure that clean up is much easier, especially if you are grating sticky stuff like cheeses or marshmallows (yeah, I tried that once, didn't work!)

3. Spray your plastic container with cooking spray before putting in leftovers that contain tomato sauce. This will prevent them from staining.

4. It also makes derby cars go fast so your kids can win prizes at the Awana Grand Prix. Just bring it along to race day and coat the wheels with spray. Graphite has nothing on Pam!

Favorite Things Tuesday

Sarah at Fiddledeedee! has started a Tuesday meme asking us to write about our favorite things for the week. My favorite thing this week is my Neti Pot. What?! You've never heard of Mrs. Neti Pot? It is simply fab!

I bought my Neti Pot with Extra Bucks from CVS. It was $14. It was a great investment if it keeps me out of the doctor's office because this week I have gotten a wicked summer cold. I'm extremely stuffy, my ears are clogged, my throat is sore, and my glands are swollen.

This weird thing actually helps me breathe. My kids scream and run when I use my Neti Pot. They think it is simply a horrible procedure. But I swear by it. It makes me feel much better even if I look like a freak when using it. See what I mean by watching this video.


Now doesn't that look fun?

Debt is Dumb: Because you can't enjoy having extra money

Man, being a grown-up really stinks sometimes. Being a grown-up in debt really stinks when you suddenly have some extra money. Because the money isn't yours. You promised it to some CEO millions of years ago. And you ended up paying them like a million times more than your first owed them. That's why they are rich and you (read: I) are not.

So today I should be happy because the IRS is completely paid off and we paid extra toward our 3 remaining debts. But I'm dreaming of stuff I could have done with that $5,000! Yes, $5,000.

We could have vacationed across America. We could have bought a new washer and dryer and this summer we wouldn't have to watch our 10 year old washer walk across the floor on the spin cycle! We could have . . . fill in the blank.

But, we're grown-ups; grown-ups in debt. And we are getting out of debt so we did what most not-normal grown-ups in debt do and we put the entire amount toward what we owe. So enjoy it while you can Uncle Sam and Sallie Mae. Next year the money's all ours!

Tomorrow We Will be Rich

Yes, tomorrow is the day. It has been circled in red on the calendar and the anticipation has been building. Tomorrow, June 10th we will be rich.


For about 4 hours. Or maybe less.


Tomorrow my husband will receive 4 paychecks and I will also receive 4 paychecks. Then on June 24th we will each receive yet another paycheck. So is the life of teachers in my county. We get 2.5 months of pay all within 2 weeks in June. It sounds wonderful and yet terrifying all at once. And for couples who are both employed by the school system, like us, it can be extremely terrifying. After these checks we won't be paid again until August 31st.


We have a plan. We have a budget. We know what we are doing with this money. Repeat.

Here's the plan.

1. Tomorrow we will pre-pay all of our normal monthly recurring expenses such as the electricity bill, phone, Directv, etc. We have decided that this is the best solution for us. Last year we tried putting the money into savings and then just withdrawing it when we needed it. You know what? We ended up "needing" it far more than we really "needed" it. At the end of the summer we were struggling. Really struggling just to keep milk in the refrigerator and gas in our vehicles. We know we are spendthrifts! So this is our strategy.

2. Tomorrow we will also pay on our debt. We are paying off the IRS!

3. We are also paying $500 extra toward our student loan and $1000 to our last personal loan. We already sent in money to pay on our vehicle loan.

So after tomorrow our debt will look like this:
~ IRS- $0
~ Student Loan- $2400
~ Personal loan- $3600
~ Vehicle loan- $16775

4. We are also spending some money on home improvements @ $300, paying for the kids' day camps @ $440, and paying for the last month of dance classes.

5. We are putting $1000 into a summer fun account. This will cover any daytrips we make, 2 birthday parties, and an outdoor waterslide for the kids for the summer. No plans for overnight vacations this year.

6. And $1500 is going into the emergency fund. For emergencies. Life-threatening, life-altering emergencies only.

Since my husband is still working at UPS, his weekly paychecks will cover our food and gasoline expenses. If I can get those budgets down, any extra leftover money for the week will go onto the student loan.

Have I left anything out? What are some "extra" expenses you have during the summer that I should plan for?

CVS for the Week of June 7th

I allow myself $15 per week to work the deals at CVS. Sometimes I spend much less out of pocket. Here is my plan for the week:



~Dove Hair Care products are BOGO. Combined with 2 coupons from today's paper of $1.50 off 1 coupon and it will be a great deal.


~Coke 12 packs are 4 for $11 and then you get $3 ECB back.

~Nivea for Men Buy $10 get back $5.
$2 off 1 printable coupon here. There were also coupons in today's paper.

Also don't forget about the June freebies:
Listerine Rinse for Kids, Oral B toothbrushes, and CVS plastic bandages.

Here's my plan:

Transaction 1: (I did this one last night)
4 12-packs of Coke
Total: $11
I used a free coupon that I received from My Coke Rewards and $5 ECB from last week.
-$2.75
-$5
Total out of pocket: $3.25
Earn $3 ECB

Transaction 2:
2 Dove Hair Products BOGO $4.29
3 Nivea Shave Gels @ $3.99 each
Total: $16.26
- 2 $1.50 off Dove
-1 $4 off 2 Nivea
-1 $2 off Nivea
Total:$5.26
Use $3 ECB from transaction 1 above
out of pocket: $2.26
earn $5

That's all I need for the week!

Tips for Shopping @ CVS

Here are a few tips that many new shoppers at CVS may not be aware of:

1. If they are out of an advertised item you can ask for a raincheck. CVS rainchecks do not expire, therefore once the item arrives in stock you can get it at the sale price.

2. Make sure they write down the price minus any extra bucks you would have received. At least, that's how my store does it. For example, if a toothbrush was on sale for $2.99 and I was supposed to receive a $1 ECB for purchasing it, my store gives me a raincheck for that toothbrush at $1.99. I'm not sure if all CVS do it this way but it doesn't hurt to ask.

3. Sometimes stores will substitute another brand for the brand that was on sale if they run out of the sale item. Last week my store was substituting Cottonelle toilet paper for the Charmin.

4. Most stores change their weekly prices on Saturday afternoon or evening for the next week. During these few hours on Saturday, both week's sales prices and Extra Bucks promotions are valid. Last night I went to pick up the Pampers diapers that were on sale and I went ahead and bought 4 12-packs of Coke. They are on sale this week 4 for $11 and you get $3 Extra Bucks back.

Hope these tips help!

Hello, Summer Vacation!

School's out for Summer! Yippee, I survived! We had a great last day and my daughter graduated from Elementary School. I only shed a few tears. Now, onto my summer list. First up, a nap!

Tightwad Gazette Principles Revisited: Part 1: Buying Stuff

I've broken out the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn to refresh my mind of some really frugal things I could be doing. I love reading and re-reading this book not only for the great ideas but for the general purpose of reminding myself that the simple things are truly good things when it comes to "having it all". I love the solid principles of the book on saving money. Generally there are three themes:

1. Buy it cheaper.

2. Make it Last Longer.

3. Use it less.

You can apply these principles to most areas of buying things. My example today will be pickles. My kids love to eat dill pickles and they have the added advantage of not containing much sugar or calories. They are cold, salty, and crunchy and are just right for a little snack.

I have applied principle #1 to buying pickles. We always stock up when Winn-Dixie or Publix has them BOGO and we have a coupon. I will buy at least 10 jars usually when this occurs which is about every 6 to 8 weeks.

I also apply principle #2 to buying pickles in the summer months. Yep, we can make them last longer. Here's what I do. After all of the pickle spears are eaten up I simply buy a few a cucumbers, slice them into spears and put them into the pickle jar with the remaining juice. Once you wait two days, you have pickles again. I'm growing my own cucumbers this year so perhaps if the kids don't eat them all as soon as they are picked from the vine I could use them
for pickling.

Of course, you could also apply principlel #3 if pickles are not on sale and you don't have any more to eat. Just substitute jars of pickles with another inexpensive, frugal snack until pickles are at a good price again.

The beauty of the 3 steps to saving more is that you can apply 1, 2, or 3 principles to something you buy or you can combine 2 or more of them to save the most.

Let's say that a jar of pickles sells for $3.50 when not on sale and my kids eat 1 jar of pickles each week. I could buy 10 jars for $35. Total cost of pickles for 10 weeks: $35.00

If I apply principle #1 and wait until a BOGO sale and I have $.25 off each jar then I can buy 10 jars for $15.00. Total cost of pickles for 10 weeks: $15.00

If I then apply principle #2 to each of those sale jars by reusing the pickle juice and refilling them with cucumbers I buy 3 for $1.00 I can save even more. Total cost of pickles for 10 weeks: $12.50

If I use cucumbers from my garden, total cost of pickles for 10 weeks: $7.50

By thinking in these terms I can easily see how much money I can save with each step. In the scenario above I save the most money by waiting for a BOGO sale for pickles. By adding in step 2, I'm not really saving much more money (Only $2.50). At that point I can decide if my time spent cutting up the cucumbers is actually worth the relatively small savings. But if I use step 2 and the cucumbers are from my own garden it would be an additional large savings.

Think about the next thing you have on your list to purchase, whether it is a jar of pickles or a new purse. Which of the saving money principles can you apply to this purchase? How far into frugalness are you willing to go in order to save some bucks?

Uncommon Uses for Cupcake Liners

Cupcake liners are awesome, little, usually overlooked tools for a variety of uses. Here are a few ways I use them.

1. I like to bake brownies in cupcake liners. Before I started doing this we ended up with brownie crumbs everywhere in our house. These smushed dark blobs are not fun to get out of carpet! So I started baking my brownies in the liners. We have almost zero brownie mess now and the bonus for us is that there are no edge pieces. I know there are many people who only want the edge pieces, but not us. We are inside pieces people. It is nice to send brownies to classroom parties in these liners too because they are easier to hand out to kids.

2. I use cupcake liners to serve ice cream at my kids' birthday parties. I just scoop out the ice cream a couple of hours before the party, stick them on a cookie sheet and put back into the freezer. When it is cake and ice cream time I pull out the tray and put the liner full of ice cream on the kids' plates. This means that the melting ice cream doesn't touch the cake on the plate either; a cardinal sin for some kids!

3. Cupcake liners are great for giving kids a few treats like pretzels or cheese cubes. They can hold it in their little hands better.

4. Cupcake liners are good for craft projects involving small pieces. If my girls are working with beads and baubles to create jewelry they put the "like" pieces into liners and then they can see everything available better.

5. And of course, cupcake liners are great for making cupcakes, too! Have you seen the popular, fancy cupcake parlors popping up around the country??!! They sell those things for over $3 a piece!

Vittles for the Week

Isn't that what they used to call food? Or is this the name of a brand of Cat Food? I'm so crazy right now with the last week of school that my head is in a complete fog. But I will eat at home, I will cook what we have, we will not spend more money!!!

Sunday we had: baked chicken with homemade Shake N Bake, fresh green beans, and new potatoes.

Monday we had: chicken salad sandwiches from leftover chicken, cucumber salad, and baked fries

Tuesday we had: leftover hamburgers and hotdogs from a school cookout

Wednesday: taco bake** recipe below, corn on the cob, brownies

Thursday: chicken in the crockpot, cornbread casserole, carrots

Friday: low-carb bbq ribs in the crockpot, salad, squash casserole

The ribs recipe comes from the site "Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle" written by my friend Tiffany. She is beginning a "How to Get Started" series for those who are interested in eating the low-carb method. She is definitely being successful with this type of eating and is really losing weight. I can't wait to see her suggestions. Check it out if you are interested in this type of diet.

**Taco Bake**

1 pound ground beef
chopped onion (as much as you like)
chopped green pepper (as much as you like)
1 packet of taco seasoning
splash of water
chunks of cheese or grated cheese (whatever kind you like for tacos)

1 cup Baking mix (Bisquick)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Sour cream
chopped tomatoes

Directions: brown the beef, onion, and peppers in a frying pan. When done pour off grease. Add the taco seasoning and a splash of water. Simmer until everything is blended well. Pour into a greased baking dish (I use 9 x 13). Throw the cheese on top. Mix the Bisquick, milk, and egg together in a bowl and pour over the meat mixture. Bake at 350 until brown and bubbly on top. Served topped with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and anything else you like on tacos. Yum!