Locally we have an area wide consignment sale that is HUGE. I did a post on this sale several months ago. We're now looking forward to the second sale for this year. As I mentioned before, our family survives off of this sale. This sale is how the Lord has provided the clothing needs of our family as well as the toys and other accessories that we've needed.
Well, this season, we really can't even afford to benefit from this sale. With baby number three on the way and still not even half-way paid for, we don't have the extra funds to put into making purchases at this sale, even if they are necessities.
We've been struggling not to be discouraged about our financial situation, and have been trying to focus on keeping our faith and trust in God to provide for us as He has promised. We chose to trust Him for our children and when we would have them. Now we are reminding ourselves that God has chosen to add this new little blessing to our home, and when and how He sees fit, He will provide for our financial needs with this baby. We fail to not focus on, "I don't know where we're going to get that money from."
One huge blessing God has poured into our lives in the last twenty-four hours as a reminder of His faithfulness to care for us is regarding our concern about how we would have things to get the girls through the winter if we couldn't afford to spend money at the local consignment sale. I grew up on hand-me-downs, but it doesn't seem that people within our circle do hand-me-downs. We've never received any for our kids. But as I said, God has provided in other ways, and we've been fine.
Yesterday I pulled out what I thought was the only bin of winter clothes from the girls for last year and went through to inventory what we had and to see what we would need for this coming winter. The girls enjoyed playing dress up as we tried things on to see what fit and what didn't. Thankfully my three-year-old hasn't grown much since last winter, and everything was really baggy on her last winter. Some of the clothes are still baggy on her at this point, and I'm prayerful that they will get us through the short period of cold weather that we enjoy here. Sadly, there was almost nothing for my eighteen-month-old. She had been such a chunky baby last winter that I tagged and attempted to sell most of the things that would now fit her for this winter, because I thought she would be long past that size by the time this winter rolled around. Well, as it is, she really hasn't grown as much as I'd anticipated.
Discouraged, I inventoried what I had for her. My husband and I discussed last night what I would absolutely need for that one and the new baby (which at that point, I hadn't pulled out the bucket of newborn clothes), and we determined that even spending bare minimum, we'd be stretching the funds too far. I half-heartedly prayed about it while talking with my husband about the special prayer time I had had just the day before about trusting God to care for our needs as He has promised.
This morning I went out to the garage to get the bin of newborn clothes and found another bin labeled "Winter 2010." (I know, it's not size specific--that was becoming too much of a headache for me. I just started sorting by season.) So I dragged that box in the house along with the newborn bin. I went through that winter box first and found quite a bit to fit my eighteen-month-old. Enough to meet what would be the bare minimum for necessity. Then I sorted through the newborn stash and made inventory of what I had for a winter baby from birth to six months. Even though this is my second winter baby, there still wasn't much. I really didn't have much for my second child--about 5 sleepers and a ton of onesies. I finished my inventory, set that box aside, and looked at the very small stack of items that I had set aside during this process to sell at the upcoming sale.
I then went to the garage one more time to grab the bin labeled "M2M - winter." The box of stuff to be sold at the sale. It was full of items that didn't sell last winter, and I was simply going to add my small stash of items I collected today to the bin of clothes. I dragged the bin into the house to make room for the handful of items. When I opened the lid I almost squealed in delight!
Until that moment I had forgotten how disappointed I'd been last winter sale when most of my items didn't sell. I was confused because it was decent stuff that I thought would sell for sure. But the sale was REALLY big that season, and it was hard to sort through the items because the racks were so overstuffed. So it was easy for items not to sell. Inside that bin was more than I need for my children for this winter! Including the new baby.
Well, praise the Lord, those items didn't sell. God knew that this winter we would need those clothes. He knew that we would have a new baby on the way and would need the newborn items I had tried to sell last year as an attempt to have money to spend at the sale last year. He knew that because of the new baby on the way we wouldn't be able to afford to buy anything at this current sale. He was providing for the needs of this year a year ago when He allowed my items not to sell!
Now all we really need for this winter are dresses, since my oldest only had one last year, and that's getting a little short, and shoes. And even in the shoes area, we may not need those. It just depends on how these little feet grow! There are a few other needs for the new baby, but very few. Most are just desires. :)
So now what was going to cost us too much, will now cost us very little, if anything at all. What a mighty God we serve!
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Count Your Blessings - Winter Clothing
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Being Stewards of the Body and the Bank
This one post from Heavenly Homemaker pretty much explains what I have been saying and thinking about saving money with coupons. I spent many months frustrating myself because I wasn't seeing the same amazing savings each month as so many of my couponing comrades around me. I was seeing some savings, but I wasn't coming out of stores with less than a $10 balance nearly every shopping trip. I spent hours, sometimes more hours than I would be working if I had a part-time job, trying to get my lists narrowed down so that I was paying as little out-of-pocket as possible.
One day I reached a break through, and I had a nice long stretch of paying very little money for lots of product. We got past the point of having no food in our house and no money with which to buy any more food. Eventually we had shelves stocked with food, and I would still stand back and say I had nothing to feed my family. My shelves were stocked with canned soups, bread crumbs, boxes and boxes of pasta, and numerous other items--the only of which that was getting used on a semi-consistent basis was the pasta. We don't eat canned soups, we rarely use bread crumbs, DH really doesn't like pasta, and many of the other items were things that just seemed useless, but I'd gotten them for free. I refuse to by processed foods for my family (Hamburger Helper type things, freezer dinners, pasta or rice mixes, etc.), and we don't do any unhealthy drinks (under which category I consider Crystal Light because of the artificial sweetener).
I was recently discussing with someone the reasons we seem to see so little savings in comparison to others around us. But it all comes down to what you are willing to eat and what you're willing to feed your family. Really, the only way to come out spending nothing on groceries is to feed your family a bunch of processed foods and beverages loaded with artificial sweetener, artificial coloring, and artificial flavoring. When you're trying to adhere to a special diet, for health reasons or by choice, couponing may not seem as beneficial to you. But be it great or small, I am still saving money.
I believe it is just as important to be good stewards of the bodies God gave us as we are of the money God gave us. We can scrounge for coupons and deals, buy out stock at a store, and hoard a year's supply of product in our homes, but what are we doing to the vessels God gave us to care for? I'm a firm believer that many of the illnesses that surround us today could have been prevented by healthier eating. I am by no means a health-freak. That wouldn't fit within our budget, not mention I don't think the picky eaters in this family could survive such a diet. One way I try to keep my family healthy is that I make nearly everything fresh and/or from scratch. By doing so I may be spending more money on a bag of whole-wheat flour and a block of cheese and some produce than I would on several boxes boxes of frozen pizza, but the flour will go a long way (can't say as much for the cheese--we like a lot on our pizza!), and there aren't any added preservatives in our meal. And with three dozen boxes of pasta on the shelf, why on earth do I need a few dozen boxes of hamburger helper when I could make the mix from scratch without the astronomical amounts of sodium? Fruit may be a bit pricey, but it's definitely much healthier than a package of congealed, fruit flavored, dinosaurs or Doras.
We hear all the time about the rise of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but the American people seem to push these warning to a back shelf as if they are invincible. My jaw hits the floor every time I pick up a box of prepackaged food just to look at the nutritional facts and I see the sodium content. Sodium in prepackaged foods (as well as what is sprinkled on to the food after it has been prepared!) is just as life threatening to our children as sugar. (Here is one report I read regarding sodium in American diets.)
But it's not just a matter of what we are feeding our families now. But consider what habits our children are learning and forming. True, we may be teaching them frugality. We may be teaching them to give to others from the surplus. But what about the eating habits our children are forming? If we start our children at such young ages with the habit of eating such unhealthy foods, what are we teaching our children about caring for our bodies, not just our bank accounts? They have very little hope of making it to their adult years without blood pressure issues--especially if there is already heart disease in their family. And before throwing out the excuse that no one in your family has heart disease or diabetes, realize that of the millions of Americans who now find themselves with one or both of those conditions, prior to diagnosis they could have said the same thing.
By no means am I saying don't be a crazy couponer, but I would like to challenge my couponing comrades to think a little bit about the items you're saving money on. You may be saving money now, but is it costing the life of yourself or someone in your family?
One day I reached a break through, and I had a nice long stretch of paying very little money for lots of product. We got past the point of having no food in our house and no money with which to buy any more food. Eventually we had shelves stocked with food, and I would still stand back and say I had nothing to feed my family. My shelves were stocked with canned soups, bread crumbs, boxes and boxes of pasta, and numerous other items--the only of which that was getting used on a semi-consistent basis was the pasta. We don't eat canned soups, we rarely use bread crumbs, DH really doesn't like pasta, and many of the other items were things that just seemed useless, but I'd gotten them for free. I refuse to by processed foods for my family (Hamburger Helper type things, freezer dinners, pasta or rice mixes, etc.), and we don't do any unhealthy drinks (under which category I consider Crystal Light because of the artificial sweetener).
I was recently discussing with someone the reasons we seem to see so little savings in comparison to others around us. But it all comes down to what you are willing to eat and what you're willing to feed your family. Really, the only way to come out spending nothing on groceries is to feed your family a bunch of processed foods and beverages loaded with artificial sweetener, artificial coloring, and artificial flavoring. When you're trying to adhere to a special diet, for health reasons or by choice, couponing may not seem as beneficial to you. But be it great or small, I am still saving money.
I believe it is just as important to be good stewards of the bodies God gave us as we are of the money God gave us. We can scrounge for coupons and deals, buy out stock at a store, and hoard a year's supply of product in our homes, but what are we doing to the vessels God gave us to care for? I'm a firm believer that many of the illnesses that surround us today could have been prevented by healthier eating. I am by no means a health-freak. That wouldn't fit within our budget, not mention I don't think the picky eaters in this family could survive such a diet. One way I try to keep my family healthy is that I make nearly everything fresh and/or from scratch. By doing so I may be spending more money on a bag of whole-wheat flour and a block of cheese and some produce than I would on several boxes boxes of frozen pizza, but the flour will go a long way (can't say as much for the cheese--we like a lot on our pizza!), and there aren't any added preservatives in our meal. And with three dozen boxes of pasta on the shelf, why on earth do I need a few dozen boxes of hamburger helper when I could make the mix from scratch without the astronomical amounts of sodium? Fruit may be a bit pricey, but it's definitely much healthier than a package of congealed, fruit flavored, dinosaurs or Doras.
We hear all the time about the rise of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but the American people seem to push these warning to a back shelf as if they are invincible. My jaw hits the floor every time I pick up a box of prepackaged food just to look at the nutritional facts and I see the sodium content. Sodium in prepackaged foods (as well as what is sprinkled on to the food after it has been prepared!) is just as life threatening to our children as sugar. (Here is one report I read regarding sodium in American diets.)
But it's not just a matter of what we are feeding our families now. But consider what habits our children are learning and forming. True, we may be teaching them frugality. We may be teaching them to give to others from the surplus. But what about the eating habits our children are forming? If we start our children at such young ages with the habit of eating such unhealthy foods, what are we teaching our children about caring for our bodies, not just our bank accounts? They have very little hope of making it to their adult years without blood pressure issues--especially if there is already heart disease in their family. And before throwing out the excuse that no one in your family has heart disease or diabetes, realize that of the millions of Americans who now find themselves with one or both of those conditions, prior to diagnosis they could have said the same thing.
By no means am I saying don't be a crazy couponer, but I would like to challenge my couponing comrades to think a little bit about the items you're saving money on. You may be saving money now, but is it costing the life of yourself or someone in your family?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday Market
Saturday my husband decided we would do our grocery shopping together while we were out running other errands. Believe it or not, I think I prefer shopping with just myself and the kids! He's not really that bad, but to me it always seems to take longer when he tags along. I'm more purposeful and walk through a store as if my britches are on fire, he's very laid back and relaxed. He hunch over the shopping cart with his elbows resting on the handle bars and idly pushes the cart through the store. It was beneficial to have him on this trip since my daughter decided she needed to take an extended vacation to the restroom--I didn't have to haul my youngest daughter and all of my coupon/purse stuffs into the bathroom with me. :)
Okay with the sarcasm, Saturday was a great trip! We have my oldest daughter on almond milk, and I plan to keep our kids on non-cow's milk. This past week Publix had Silk almond milk 2/$5, and there had been a $2/1 printable coupon available. Through the graciousness of many acquaintances and friends alike...and some people I don't even know...I was able to pull together nearly 20 coupons. Some of them I didn't acquire until after this shopping trip, so I'll redeem those tomorrow before the sale ends. So Saturday alone I was able to purchase $56 worth of milk for only $8! (Sorry to my FB friends, I believe I calculated wrong the other day and posted the totals wrong. :/ )
I came out of the store with 6 bags of Banquet nuggets, 16 cartons (there's 6 in that case in the picture) of almond milk, 2 marinades, 2 salad dressings (which around here are also marinades), 2 packs of slivered almonds, 2 packs of craisins, 2 boxes of granola bars (which DH had just been asking for!), 2 bags of pretzels, 2 bags of Sunchips, a bottle of vitamins, and 4 boxes of pasta (as if I really need anymore, but I'm trying to keep a continuous supply instead of buying so much en masse)...and what is the total you want to know? I paid $38.28 oop, and will be getting back a $10 rebate gift card!
I also hit up Staples on Friday to take advantage of the free printer paper deal. I bought 2 packs of HP ColorLock paper at $5.99, used 2 $1/1 coupons (had to do this in two transactions), and submitted for the $4.99 rebate. I used their easy rebate, which I had misunderstood the easiness of it. I had been told that you can get the rebate back by PayPal rather than waiting 4-6 weeks for it to come by check. But I understood that to mean that the rebate would be rather quick. However, when I submitted it, it still said a processing time of 4-6 weeks, it will just go to my PayPal rather than a check being mailed. Oh, well. It's money back in the bank at some point in time!
So we're now a little low on funds for this month's grocery budget, but out of this month we're getting back $30 in rebates. ($10 in gas cards from the Kellogg's cereal last week, $10 from the Staples paper deal, and $10 from the Banquet/Con Agra deal)
Okay with the sarcasm, Saturday was a great trip! We have my oldest daughter on almond milk, and I plan to keep our kids on non-cow's milk. This past week Publix had Silk almond milk 2/$5, and there had been a $2/1 printable coupon available. Through the graciousness of many acquaintances and friends alike...and some people I don't even know...I was able to pull together nearly 20 coupons. Some of them I didn't acquire until after this shopping trip, so I'll redeem those tomorrow before the sale ends. So Saturday alone I was able to purchase $56 worth of milk for only $8! (Sorry to my FB friends, I believe I calculated wrong the other day and posted the totals wrong. :/ )
I came out of the store with 6 bags of Banquet nuggets, 16 cartons (there's 6 in that case in the picture) of almond milk, 2 marinades, 2 salad dressings (which around here are also marinades), 2 packs of slivered almonds, 2 packs of craisins, 2 boxes of granola bars (which DH had just been asking for!), 2 bags of pretzels, 2 bags of Sunchips, a bottle of vitamins, and 4 boxes of pasta (as if I really need anymore, but I'm trying to keep a continuous supply instead of buying so much en masse)...and what is the total you want to know? I paid $38.28 oop, and will be getting back a $10 rebate gift card!
I also hit up Staples on Friday to take advantage of the free printer paper deal. I bought 2 packs of HP ColorLock paper at $5.99, used 2 $1/1 coupons (had to do this in two transactions), and submitted for the $4.99 rebate. I used their easy rebate, which I had misunderstood the easiness of it. I had been told that you can get the rebate back by PayPal rather than waiting 4-6 weeks for it to come by check. But I understood that to mean that the rebate would be rather quick. However, when I submitted it, it still said a processing time of 4-6 weeks, it will just go to my PayPal rather than a check being mailed. Oh, well. It's money back in the bank at some point in time!
So we're now a little low on funds for this month's grocery budget, but out of this month we're getting back $30 in rebates. ($10 in gas cards from the Kellogg's cereal last week, $10 from the Staples paper deal, and $10 from the Banquet/Con Agra deal)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Market Monday
Well, I'm a day late, but definitely not a dollar short!
For the first time in months I actually did a drug store run. And I think for the first time ever both CVS and Walgreens were successful trips without any glitches...well there was one small "glitch" that I noticed after getting home, so I'll go get it "fixed."
The other day I did a quick Publix run to use up some expiring coupons. I came out with all of this for $10.89!
My Walgreens trip was quick, simple, and profitable. Got mine and my husband's favorite Easter candies for cheap! I got the M&Ms for $1 a bag!! Sadly, I didn't have a coupon for the Cadburry's, but they were still a great price anyway. I did the toothpastes first in two transactions, and put the combined $6RR toward my third transaction which included the candies and the tissues. I started with no RRs and my goal was to leave with no RRs so I didn't have to stress over remembering to use them up later. So I paid $7.36 for all of this. I was surprised until I realized that I'd failed to calculate tax before going. Tax on this was more than one bag of M&Ms!
CVS was again, quick, simple, profitable, and I thought uneventful. When I got home I realized that my ECBs didn't print for one of the toothpastes, so I guess I grabbed the wrong one. I'll go back to exchange it and hope that they still honor the coupon price that was used...if not I'll just return it.
And last but not least, Publix. This didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. I ended up needing to split the transaction between two stores because one was out of the cereal. That messed up the number of $/$$ coupons I was able to use. I would have had $15 if I'd been able to do this all at one spot. As it is, I still was able to use one $5 coupon for each transaction.
I also ended up picking up a few extra items that I hadn't previously known an amount for, so I hadn't worked that into my calculated total. The internet list that I'd printed off of Southern Savers didn't list the Campbell's soup sale, so I'd also forgotten to include that. So my total in store jumped about $12 from what I'd planned before walking into the store. But since I was still saving money on items I needed, I didn't feel too bad about it. I also wasn't able to dig up any of the $1/2 Kellogg's coupons for the Smacks, but my husband really likes those, and I figured the free milk helped balance out that purchase. :) And sadly, that cereal won't last as long as people might think it should. But I must commend my husband, he's gotten much better at rationing his cereal and practicing self control. But he could seriously happily live off of cereal and rice--speaking of rice, they were all out of that so the poor man must suffer with pasta for at least one more night. :) My most exciting purchase for myself was the Campbell's cream of mushroom soups! My daughter seems to be tolerating dairy pretty well, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to cook with cream of mushroom soup again!! The hummus was my only splurge item because it's something I've been wanting to try anyway. Now, how do you eat hummus? With something, in a recipe, or by itself?
So, to summarize Publix, spent $41.07, saved $94.64. Purchased 51 items and used 23 coupons. Not the best savings margine ever, but good, and I got stuff we really needed!
For the first time in months I actually did a drug store run. And I think for the first time ever both CVS and Walgreens were successful trips without any glitches...well there was one small "glitch" that I noticed after getting home, so I'll go get it "fixed."
The other day I did a quick Publix run to use up some expiring coupons. I came out with all of this for $10.89!
My Walgreens trip was quick, simple, and profitable. Got mine and my husband's favorite Easter candies for cheap! I got the M&Ms for $1 a bag!! Sadly, I didn't have a coupon for the Cadburry's, but they were still a great price anyway. I did the toothpastes first in two transactions, and put the combined $6RR toward my third transaction which included the candies and the tissues. I started with no RRs and my goal was to leave with no RRs so I didn't have to stress over remembering to use them up later. So I paid $7.36 for all of this. I was surprised until I realized that I'd failed to calculate tax before going. Tax on this was more than one bag of M&Ms!
CVS was again, quick, simple, profitable, and I thought uneventful. When I got home I realized that my ECBs didn't print for one of the toothpastes, so I guess I grabbed the wrong one. I'll go back to exchange it and hope that they still honor the coupon price that was used...if not I'll just return it.
And last but not least, Publix. This didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. I ended up needing to split the transaction between two stores because one was out of the cereal. That messed up the number of $/$$ coupons I was able to use. I would have had $15 if I'd been able to do this all at one spot. As it is, I still was able to use one $5 coupon for each transaction.
I also ended up picking up a few extra items that I hadn't previously known an amount for, so I hadn't worked that into my calculated total. The internet list that I'd printed off of Southern Savers didn't list the Campbell's soup sale, so I'd also forgotten to include that. So my total in store jumped about $12 from what I'd planned before walking into the store. But since I was still saving money on items I needed, I didn't feel too bad about it. I also wasn't able to dig up any of the $1/2 Kellogg's coupons for the Smacks, but my husband really likes those, and I figured the free milk helped balance out that purchase. :) And sadly, that cereal won't last as long as people might think it should. But I must commend my husband, he's gotten much better at rationing his cereal and practicing self control. But he could seriously happily live off of cereal and rice--speaking of rice, they were all out of that so the poor man must suffer with pasta for at least one more night. :) My most exciting purchase for myself was the Campbell's cream of mushroom soups! My daughter seems to be tolerating dairy pretty well, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to cook with cream of mushroom soup again!! The hummus was my only splurge item because it's something I've been wanting to try anyway. Now, how do you eat hummus? With something, in a recipe, or by itself?So, to summarize Publix, spent $41.07, saved $94.64. Purchased 51 items and used 23 coupons. Not the best savings margine ever, but good, and I got stuff we really needed!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mom2Mom - Moms blessing Moms
The logo on the new Mom2Mom t-shirts accurately describes how the Mom2Mom sale has affected our family. I want to give a special thanks to Anne and Lisa and to their families for all of the hard work and time that they put into our local Mom2Mom sale. I know these families sacrifice quite a bit of time, not just for the one week of each sale they hold, but year round as they prepare sale flyers, update and perfect their tagging system and software, building more racks for clothes to hang on, reserving facilities, and SOOO much more. Just watching Anne and Lisa at the sales makes me tired!
One tough financial decision in today's economy is to choose to be a stay-at-home mom and live on one income. But God promises to provide for our needs. Along with blessing us with children, God also blessed us with the Mom2Mom sale. Anne and Lisa, I want you to know how much God has used your hard work in the life of my family . I want you to know that I greatly appreciate all that your families put into these sales.
I grew up living off of hand-me-down clothes, and not ones that fit. We got the bags of clothes that people didn't even want to take to Goodwill. But that is how God provided for my family growing up. Naturally, every parent wants better for their child, and I am no different. But my husband works for a ministry, and while one income is a struggle for anyone, ours is a rather small one. I couldn't see that my children would possibly have better than I had growing up. But then, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, someone asked me if I had heard of the Mom2Mom sale. I was told it was a consignment sale where I might be able to find some things for our new baby.
Might was such an understatement. When I showed up for my first shopping trip at a Mom2Mom sale, I was SO overwhelmed! I think I spent the first hour just standing there watching everyone. It was incredible!
Thanks to Anne and Lisa and the work that they and their families do, my girls have all of their clothing needs met, and even come out with some things on their (or Mommy's) "want" list. I had never shopped in real stores for clothes for myself, and now I never shop in real stores for my kids. Yet, unless I told people (which I do, why not brag on God's goodness!), no one would ever know that my kids clothes were pre-owned. My girls wear all big-name brand clothing, and can hob-knob with the "preppy" kids, and never feel out of place or ashamed of their appearance. While some people boast how much they paid for their kids clothing and other items, I boast on how little!
Even Mommy has benefited from the sale! Of course I've found maternity clothes there, but I've also found many of my normal, everyday wear in the juniors section. So, it doesn't help me look my age, but it keeps us on budget!
I have also been blessed to work with Anne and Lisa for volunteer shifts each sale, and they are always such a sweet blessing to me. I've interacted more with Lisa than with Anne, and I always walk away feeling so encouraged and like she's a good friend, even though we only talk twice a year!
I've had people ask me if I shop at Mom2Mom, and my honest answer is always, "I don't shop anywhere else!" Very, very rarely do I set foot in a "real" store in search of clothes, and almost as rarely do I go to a store in search of any other children's item. God has truly used the Mom2Mom sale to bless our family and provide for our needs and even to fulfill some of our desires.
One tough financial decision in today's economy is to choose to be a stay-at-home mom and live on one income. But God promises to provide for our needs. Along with blessing us with children, God also blessed us with the Mom2Mom sale. Anne and Lisa, I want you to know how much God has used your hard work in the life of my family . I want you to know that I greatly appreciate all that your families put into these sales.
I grew up living off of hand-me-down clothes, and not ones that fit. We got the bags of clothes that people didn't even want to take to Goodwill. But that is how God provided for my family growing up. Naturally, every parent wants better for their child, and I am no different. But my husband works for a ministry, and while one income is a struggle for anyone, ours is a rather small one. I couldn't see that my children would possibly have better than I had growing up. But then, when I was pregnant with my first daughter, someone asked me if I had heard of the Mom2Mom sale. I was told it was a consignment sale where I might be able to find some things for our new baby.
Might was such an understatement. When I showed up for my first shopping trip at a Mom2Mom sale, I was SO overwhelmed! I think I spent the first hour just standing there watching everyone. It was incredible!
Thanks to Anne and Lisa and the work that they and their families do, my girls have all of their clothing needs met, and even come out with some things on their (or Mommy's) "want" list. I had never shopped in real stores for clothes for myself, and now I never shop in real stores for my kids. Yet, unless I told people (which I do, why not brag on God's goodness!), no one would ever know that my kids clothes were pre-owned. My girls wear all big-name brand clothing, and can hob-knob with the "preppy" kids, and never feel out of place or ashamed of their appearance. While some people boast how much they paid for their kids clothing and other items, I boast on how little!
Even Mommy has benefited from the sale! Of course I've found maternity clothes there, but I've also found many of my normal, everyday wear in the juniors section. So, it doesn't help me look my age, but it keeps us on budget!
I have also been blessed to work with Anne and Lisa for volunteer shifts each sale, and they are always such a sweet blessing to me. I've interacted more with Lisa than with Anne, and I always walk away feeling so encouraged and like she's a good friend, even though we only talk twice a year!
I've had people ask me if I shop at Mom2Mom, and my honest answer is always, "I don't shop anywhere else!" Very, very rarely do I set foot in a "real" store in search of clothes, and almost as rarely do I go to a store in search of any other children's item. God has truly used the Mom2Mom sale to bless our family and provide for our needs and even to fulfill some of our desires.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Money in the Bank!
My (almost) three year old loves money---don't we all?! While many people will say that you shouldn't discuss money with young children because it adds an unnecessary burden to their young shoulders, I beg to differ. I do agree that there is no need to lay a heavy responsibility on a young person where money is concerned. Meaning, they don't need you to tell them about all of your bills that are (barely) getting paid, all of your outstanding debt, that you might not have a house if you don't pay a certain bill, etc. But I do think that we can start instilling important values in our children at a very young age to help them to understand the importance of being responsible with their money---and hopefully, they won't have to worry about all of the problems mentioned in the previous sentence!
In my home growing up, money was always scarce, and it was a burden to every member of our family. But there was still a credit card. We might not be able to put food on the table or pay bills, but if there was something that my dad really wanted, or if there was something that really had to be paid, out came the credit card. Neither my husband nor I were really trained in how to manage finances, and in my case, that's because my parents didn't manage theirs. They just survived--somehow. No one ever taught us that if you don't have the cash in the bank to pay for it, then don't put it on a credit card.
We've had a long, hard road in the short five years we've been married, and a lot of debt has been put on credit cards. We would have loved to do the Dave Ramsey program, but we couldn't even afford to do that by the time we realized how far we had sunk. We are (slowly) by the grace of God, beginning to float back to the top of the pool we have been drowning in. Over a year ago we chopped up all of our credit cards and started living cash-only. Not an easy thing to do when we are living on one income and our debt was 60% of our annual income!
I desperately tried to learn how to save money with coupons, and was failing miserably. The only thing that kept me fighting my way through sales ads, coupon clipping and organizing, money-saving blogs, and all the lingo floating around on those sites is that fact that I had to do this. Couponing was going to be key in our fight for survival. God brought two ladies along my path who each had been couponing for a while and each held a couponing class. Between these two classes, and the fact that I'd been trying my hand at this for some months prior to a class, I began to have "successful" money-saving shopping trips. The fight was hard, my stress level (and sometimes my blood pressure) was high, but I kept plugging away. Eventually, I was bringing home receipts of 50%, 70% and even 90% savings! Now it's the norm for me to see such savings reflected on my receipt, and I get disappointed when I have to buy basic items that never go on sale and my receipt doesn't reflect at least a 30% savings. I still get elated with each money-saving shopping trip.
We now actually have a savings account and money in that account! Each month I pull out the budgeted amount of money for groceries (in cash), and each month I have a goal for how much I want to have left in my wallet at the end of the month. Some months it is more, and some it is less, but whatever it is, that excess goes into our savings account. Last month our bank account actually had money left in it at the end of the month! And we put that into savings. Each time I get a cash-rebate on an item, rather than putting that money back into my grocery budget, we automatically deposit the rebate into our savings account.
So now we are a cash-only household with a growing savings account---but still a small mountain of debt remaining. At the beginning of this year we sat down and wrote out some financial goals. Our main goal was to be out of debt by the end of this year. We've had a few hindrances and obstacles come up, but we're still aiming for it anyway. Emma, a major Daddy's girl, frequently complains or asks about Daddy going to work. But she also will tell you why he goes to work, so that we can live in our house and have food to eat and can put gas in our car. I think we can easily relay these concepts of earning and spending money into our children at an early age.
We don't share our financial burdens with our daughter. But she does know that sometimes we can't do things because they cost too much money. Why shouldn't a child be taught such a thing? It would be a bigger crime for both the parent and the child if the parent indulged the child's every whim, and the child never had a concept of paying his way. (I went to college with plenty of kids who had no concept of paying for anything--I often wondered (and still do) how those kids survive once they hit the real world and have to start earning their keep.) My daughter will often tell someone, "I want to do something, but we can't because we don't have lots and lots of money," or something along those lines. I'm not teaching her that so people can feel sorry for her and giver her a hand-out. I'm teaching her that so that she realizes that we can't just have whatever we want whenever we want it. In part this is teaching her to deny her flesh. One thing we stress over and over is that God has blessed us with the things we have, and that we need to remember to be thankful for what He has given us. Now when we say something like that she will stop what she's doing and thank God for whatever item we are talking about at the moment. (She's so cute!) It is important to help my child learn thankfulness and contentment.
Over the last few months, there have been large things that Emma has asked for and has been told that we can't do because we don't have enough money. At this point, the concept of money was too far over her head. So we decided to bring it down to her level, and now I'm getting to the real point of this whole post. We discussed some jobs that we knew or thought she should be able to handle, and we downloaded a chore chart for her, and customized it in Adobe. To get this:
We've been doing this now for three weeks, and it is now habit for her to open the blinds when she gets up and close them when Daddy comes home (or the sun goes down). She still needs reminded to put on clean panties each day. :) But each of these items on this list are becoming habit now. No, we don't make our three-year-old take out the trash, but she likes to put the clean bag in the can, so we made that one of her jobs. These are simple tasks, but she's learning responsibility, and she love to be able to put a star on the chart! (We had been using stickers, but ran out, so now I just draw a star on the chart.) For each completed chart she gets $1.
Up to this point, we still haven't gotten to the money side of the chart yet. She knows that when she does a job she gets a star, and when all of the boxes have stars she gets money. She also knows that she is saving her money to go to the circus, "A long time away," in October. But because I've had no easy way of keeping track of her money, I haven't really paid her anything yet. In addition to saving money for the circus, I wanted her to begin learning the concept of offering her money to God. She already takes money to Sunday School each week, but of course it's our money. Since she is going to be making money, I want her to understand that it needs to be her money that goes in the offering. I also think it would be nice for her to have some money of her own to spend on something from time to time. And so, after a (very) little bit of searching, I found this:
I love it!! This is a transparent (meaning my daughter can see what's in it) piggy bank with 4 different compartments: save, spend, donate (offering), and invest. The only thing that could make it better is if it kept track of how much was in there! I think this just landed high on her birthday list. :) I've noticed in the last few days a lack of excitement in her chores. While I do want her to obey because she was told to do something, this is a little different. This is a job she was given and told she'd be paid for. Wouldn't you lose your enthusiasm for your job if you weren't getting paid (or rewarded)? Well, I think this will help bring the excitement back as she'll be able to see the money she's earning and be able to begin learning now the responsibility of saving some, the freedom of spending some, and the reward of giving some. Not sure what to do with the "invest" section yet. :)
I saw some systems that do keep track of the child's money, like an ATM system. But she will tell you that credit cards are pretend money and are not good to use. I thought it would be somewhat backward reasoning if we got her something that required her to use a debit card. If someone else has something they've used or an idea they like, I'm open for suggestions!
In my home growing up, money was always scarce, and it was a burden to every member of our family. But there was still a credit card. We might not be able to put food on the table or pay bills, but if there was something that my dad really wanted, or if there was something that really had to be paid, out came the credit card. Neither my husband nor I were really trained in how to manage finances, and in my case, that's because my parents didn't manage theirs. They just survived--somehow. No one ever taught us that if you don't have the cash in the bank to pay for it, then don't put it on a credit card.
We've had a long, hard road in the short five years we've been married, and a lot of debt has been put on credit cards. We would have loved to do the Dave Ramsey program, but we couldn't even afford to do that by the time we realized how far we had sunk. We are (slowly) by the grace of God, beginning to float back to the top of the pool we have been drowning in. Over a year ago we chopped up all of our credit cards and started living cash-only. Not an easy thing to do when we are living on one income and our debt was 60% of our annual income!
I desperately tried to learn how to save money with coupons, and was failing miserably. The only thing that kept me fighting my way through sales ads, coupon clipping and organizing, money-saving blogs, and all the lingo floating around on those sites is that fact that I had to do this. Couponing was going to be key in our fight for survival. God brought two ladies along my path who each had been couponing for a while and each held a couponing class. Between these two classes, and the fact that I'd been trying my hand at this for some months prior to a class, I began to have "successful" money-saving shopping trips. The fight was hard, my stress level (and sometimes my blood pressure) was high, but I kept plugging away. Eventually, I was bringing home receipts of 50%, 70% and even 90% savings! Now it's the norm for me to see such savings reflected on my receipt, and I get disappointed when I have to buy basic items that never go on sale and my receipt doesn't reflect at least a 30% savings. I still get elated with each money-saving shopping trip.
We now actually have a savings account and money in that account! Each month I pull out the budgeted amount of money for groceries (in cash), and each month I have a goal for how much I want to have left in my wallet at the end of the month. Some months it is more, and some it is less, but whatever it is, that excess goes into our savings account. Last month our bank account actually had money left in it at the end of the month! And we put that into savings. Each time I get a cash-rebate on an item, rather than putting that money back into my grocery budget, we automatically deposit the rebate into our savings account.
So now we are a cash-only household with a growing savings account---but still a small mountain of debt remaining. At the beginning of this year we sat down and wrote out some financial goals. Our main goal was to be out of debt by the end of this year. We've had a few hindrances and obstacles come up, but we're still aiming for it anyway. Emma, a major Daddy's girl, frequently complains or asks about Daddy going to work. But she also will tell you why he goes to work, so that we can live in our house and have food to eat and can put gas in our car. I think we can easily relay these concepts of earning and spending money into our children at an early age.
We don't share our financial burdens with our daughter. But she does know that sometimes we can't do things because they cost too much money. Why shouldn't a child be taught such a thing? It would be a bigger crime for both the parent and the child if the parent indulged the child's every whim, and the child never had a concept of paying his way. (I went to college with plenty of kids who had no concept of paying for anything--I often wondered (and still do) how those kids survive once they hit the real world and have to start earning their keep.) My daughter will often tell someone, "I want to do something, but we can't because we don't have lots and lots of money," or something along those lines. I'm not teaching her that so people can feel sorry for her and giver her a hand-out. I'm teaching her that so that she realizes that we can't just have whatever we want whenever we want it. In part this is teaching her to deny her flesh. One thing we stress over and over is that God has blessed us with the things we have, and that we need to remember to be thankful for what He has given us. Now when we say something like that she will stop what she's doing and thank God for whatever item we are talking about at the moment. (She's so cute!) It is important to help my child learn thankfulness and contentment.
Over the last few months, there have been large things that Emma has asked for and has been told that we can't do because we don't have enough money. At this point, the concept of money was too far over her head. So we decided to bring it down to her level, and now I'm getting to the real point of this whole post. We discussed some jobs that we knew or thought she should be able to handle, and we downloaded a chore chart for her, and customized it in Adobe. To get this:
We've been doing this now for three weeks, and it is now habit for her to open the blinds when she gets up and close them when Daddy comes home (or the sun goes down). She still needs reminded to put on clean panties each day. :) But each of these items on this list are becoming habit now. No, we don't make our three-year-old take out the trash, but she likes to put the clean bag in the can, so we made that one of her jobs. These are simple tasks, but she's learning responsibility, and she love to be able to put a star on the chart! (We had been using stickers, but ran out, so now I just draw a star on the chart.) For each completed chart she gets $1.
Up to this point, we still haven't gotten to the money side of the chart yet. She knows that when she does a job she gets a star, and when all of the boxes have stars she gets money. She also knows that she is saving her money to go to the circus, "A long time away," in October. But because I've had no easy way of keeping track of her money, I haven't really paid her anything yet. In addition to saving money for the circus, I wanted her to begin learning the concept of offering her money to God. She already takes money to Sunday School each week, but of course it's our money. Since she is going to be making money, I want her to understand that it needs to be her money that goes in the offering. I also think it would be nice for her to have some money of her own to spend on something from time to time. And so, after a (very) little bit of searching, I found this:
I love it!! This is a transparent (meaning my daughter can see what's in it) piggy bank with 4 different compartments: save, spend, donate (offering), and invest. The only thing that could make it better is if it kept track of how much was in there! I think this just landed high on her birthday list. :) I've noticed in the last few days a lack of excitement in her chores. While I do want her to obey because she was told to do something, this is a little different. This is a job she was given and told she'd be paid for. Wouldn't you lose your enthusiasm for your job if you weren't getting paid (or rewarded)? Well, I think this will help bring the excitement back as she'll be able to see the money she's earning and be able to begin learning now the responsibility of saving some, the freedom of spending some, and the reward of giving some. Not sure what to do with the "invest" section yet. :)I saw some systems that do keep track of the child's money, like an ATM system. But she will tell you that credit cards are pretend money and are not good to use. I thought it would be somewhat backward reasoning if we got her something that required her to use a debit card. If someone else has something they've used or an idea they like, I'm open for suggestions!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tasty Tuesday - Recipe Calculator
I've been trying to create one of these for a while now. My husband could have done it (since it's a big part of what he does for a living!), but he just hasn't had the time to sit down and mess with it. But, Richelle over at The Coupon Clipper has created an awesome recipe calculator! I've already spent most of nap time customizing to my items and prices, and have even figured out a few recipe costs! It cost me $.50 to make pizza crust, and my granola bars came to a whoppin' $4.03! A bit more than I would have thought, but considering this feeds us for two days, and we live off of it for those two days, that's not bad! And it's healthy!
Here's a link-up to Richelle's guest post over at Money Saving Mom. I hope I'm not the only one who will enjoy this resourceful tool!
Here's a link-up to Richelle's guest post over at Money Saving Mom. I hope I'm not the only one who will enjoy this resourceful tool!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Life Insurance -- A Necessary Decision!
My husband and I have talked about getting life insurance policies since I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter. But switching down to one income, we just couldn't afford it. We've researched and done some reading here and there. It is almost a weekly, if not daily, burden on my mind. What will happend to the girls and me if my husband were to die? But oddly, though he is the bread-winner for our family, I almost fear more my girls being left without their mommy and being tossed into a daycare. I can't stand the thought of my girls, who are so dependent upon me, suddenly being without me and on top of that, being placed in the care of strangers.
My husband and I have already decided that my policy needs to carry him over for several months on income so that he can stay home with the girls and help them settle into the realization that mommy isn't around. When he feels the girls are adjusted, and he's ready to return to work, he can do so. Ideally, my policy would be similar to his in that it would pay off all of our outstanding debts (including mortgage) and provide for them for several months. It would be nice if he could switch to working part-time so that the girls wouldn't be in daycare full day. With all debts paid off, he would be able to manage this.
With his policy, we want something that would pay off all of our debts and allow me several months to settle and look for a job.
Recently we were contacted by an acquaintance asking us if she could practice her sales-pitch on us for training purposes. At the time I couldn't remember what she was selling, but agreed to help her out. When she arrived at our home and we learned she was selling life insurance, both my husband and I totally changed our perspective on this meeting. We had been of the mindset, "Oh, we're just doing this as a favor." But then we realized, this is our chance to really learn about life insurance without being harassed with phone calls and emails.
We still haven't made a decision because my husband has been too busy to look over the information provided. But we both know that this is what we want to do. It's just a matter of choosing the plan that is right for us.
In the last three days I have read blog posts, Facebook note, and even an email of people I once knew or a friend of a friend who just lost a spouse. Each case was a quick loss, whether a short battle with cancer or a car accident or whatever. God has really used these to wake me up to the fact that we know not the hour that He has chosen for us to go home to Him. I need to get this life insurance matter settled. It's almost frightening to see these people who our age being diagnosed with late stage cancer and barely having time to accept it before they're put on life support and then they're gone. And twice in the last week I was nearly in a serious car accident. Once with the kids in the car, and once without. Our lives are in God's hands. I have such a hard time trusting Him with that, because I want to always be here for my children, and I don't want to leave my husband alone with such a burden and responsibility. But God know what is best, and no amount of prayer is going to change His perfect timing. But we can be prepared for the after-effects.
I'll just put in a plug here for the friend who is selling life insurance. Her name is Shelly Parks, and she is an agent for American General Life & Accident Insurance. I was very impressed with the information presented about the company and with their prices. If you're interested in speaking with Shelly, I can get you her number.
My husband and I have already decided that my policy needs to carry him over for several months on income so that he can stay home with the girls and help them settle into the realization that mommy isn't around. When he feels the girls are adjusted, and he's ready to return to work, he can do so. Ideally, my policy would be similar to his in that it would pay off all of our outstanding debts (including mortgage) and provide for them for several months. It would be nice if he could switch to working part-time so that the girls wouldn't be in daycare full day. With all debts paid off, he would be able to manage this.
With his policy, we want something that would pay off all of our debts and allow me several months to settle and look for a job.
Recently we were contacted by an acquaintance asking us if she could practice her sales-pitch on us for training purposes. At the time I couldn't remember what she was selling, but agreed to help her out. When she arrived at our home and we learned she was selling life insurance, both my husband and I totally changed our perspective on this meeting. We had been of the mindset, "Oh, we're just doing this as a favor." But then we realized, this is our chance to really learn about life insurance without being harassed with phone calls and emails.
We still haven't made a decision because my husband has been too busy to look over the information provided. But we both know that this is what we want to do. It's just a matter of choosing the plan that is right for us.
In the last three days I have read blog posts, Facebook note, and even an email of people I once knew or a friend of a friend who just lost a spouse. Each case was a quick loss, whether a short battle with cancer or a car accident or whatever. God has really used these to wake me up to the fact that we know not the hour that He has chosen for us to go home to Him. I need to get this life insurance matter settled. It's almost frightening to see these people who our age being diagnosed with late stage cancer and barely having time to accept it before they're put on life support and then they're gone. And twice in the last week I was nearly in a serious car accident. Once with the kids in the car, and once without. Our lives are in God's hands. I have such a hard time trusting Him with that, because I want to always be here for my children, and I don't want to leave my husband alone with such a burden and responsibility. But God know what is best, and no amount of prayer is going to change His perfect timing. But we can be prepared for the after-effects.
I'll just put in a plug here for the friend who is selling life insurance. Her name is Shelly Parks, and she is an agent for American General Life & Accident Insurance. I was very impressed with the information presented about the company and with their prices. If you're interested in speaking with Shelly, I can get you her number.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Dream On
"And having food an raiment, let us therewith be content." I Timothy 6:8There is one matter of conversation that every one of us has in common: finances. Whether you have tons of money, or seemingly no money, I'm sure you still discuss your finances with someone. For us it is a frequent topic of conversation. We believe we are doing the right thing by choosing to live off of one income so that I can stay home with the children. This will probably be a topic that appears on this blog from time to time as well. However, I want to share some thoughts from a conversation my husband and I had this morning.
All of us have dreams. Some of these dreams are goals that we would like to attain, and some of these are things that we will only ever dream of doing. Some of our dreams are desires for things that we would like to have, and some of these desires are for things we will never have. I have dreams. So many things I would like to have. I struggle so often to be content in the current situation in which I find myself. I can never just be satisfied with the fact that God is meeting our needs. I always want more. I want to be able to buy new clothes now and then. I want to get my hair cut and styled. I want to get new shoes. I want to have clothes for my children that fit them properly. I want them to have toys and books. I want them to have a nicely decorated bedroom with matching bed sets. I want a nicely decorated home. I want pictures to hang on the wall, paint to paint my walls with.
But you know what? These are wants. I have clothes on my back. My children have clothes to wear. I have hair on my head. I have a place to call home. And I have children who know that I am here for them.
My husband and I were observing people at church today. This is sadly the place where I find myself struggling with contentment the most. So many of the women look nice. Every hair is in place. Their makeup is perfect. Their clothes are new and nice looking. They have a purse to match their outfit. And their children are wearing the latest designer clothing. But as I sat their today and observed these things yet again, I asked my husband how these people do it. And the answer was simple: the mother works so that the home has a comfortable income so that the family can enjoy these luxuries.
The answer was simple, and what that meant to us was refreshing. Yes, I may still be jealous at times. Yes, I will still want to be able to buy something new at times. But to us, nothing is worth sacrificing our children. I believe God called me to be a mother to my children. It is my job to raise them, to love them, to nurture them, and to be there for them. I do not want to miss that opportunity. I don't want to hand my children over to someone else to raise just so that I can buy things I want when God has already supplied the things I need.
I keep a list on my bulletin board in the kitchen of reasons I stay home with my kids. I plan to make a page on by blog with those reasons, and will add to it as I come up with more. But I use this list during these times of discontentment, or on days when I'm ready to pull my hair out, to remind me that my children are worth the financial sacrifice.
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