Money Saving Monday!

My son's first day of Kindergarten!

Now that my son is back in school and I'm wrangling only two children, I get a little bit more done. I'm not sure how that is but it works out that way. I miss him so much, though!

Last week wasn't a full week of school but I got a few things done...

I continued to line dry clothes clothes a few times a week.

I continues to work on Christmas presents, including dish rags from yarn I bought with Swagbucks, so nothing out of pocket. 

I only spent 10$ at the grocery store this week, this week I will need to work on stocking the pantry some more before winter time.

My husband and I worked around the homestead in the evenings, mowing, weed eating, harvesting the last of the garden produce. It's about time to bush hog it all down for the fall.

I earned some Swagbucks, I'm saving them for Christmas gifts.

I've been keep the thermostat higher while my husband is at work to conserve electricity.

Dropping big brother off at the bus!

Money Saving Monday / Catch up?

Wow, I really want to get back into posting a lot more often, it's been a while. It doesn't help that I had no computer but now i do!

We have had a busy summer between a week long trip to the beach, a larger garden, and various activities around the homestead, including some home improvements. Of course, I never get as much done as I'd like but every bit helps. 

All three of my children at Outer Banks, NC.

We had the best vacation I think we've ever had, it was perfect.

My wonderful hubby and I.

On to ways we saved money...

I've started Christmas shopping/ working on homemade gifts. I feel like I'm behind but at least I've started!

The garden is finishing up but we have eaten lots of yummy food including green beans and cucumbers. We also processed and froze almost 100 ears of corn from our generous neighbor.

I made a couple homemade birthday presents, including a hairbow holder. I need to start working on a baby shower gift also.

I've been line drying as many loads of clothes as possible and haven't used the dryer much this summer until this week, as it has been rainy.

I've been keeping the air conditioner set at 72, which may not sound high but for my husband, it is. :)

I've also been slowly building our food storage and pantry over the summer to help into the winter..

Money Saving Monday

Harper was trying to do my hair. That's her new hobby. Wyatt likes to beat the toilet while he watches.

How we Saved Money Last Week:

I was able to do my taxes online last week for free. My federal came in this morning!

I helped my mom do hers online also but she had to pay as hers were more complicated and she works out of state. But I received over 20$ back through Swagbucks.

We're using ours to pay off some bills and this will help our budget as we won't have to pay  out so much each month.

I did one large shopping trip to last through the month, so hopefully I can only do a quick fill in trip later.

I earned 10$ on Swagbucks.

Money Saving Monday

We *enjoyed* about 8 to 10 inches of snow this week which is unusual in our area. So we spent 5 days at home without going anywhere! It was so nice to spend a few days as a family with no outside interruptions. School is still out for today and probably tomorrow but my husband had to return to work today.

I'm spending the day catching up on a long to-do list and a lot of cleaning because we are hosting my grandmother's 74th birthday dinner here tomorrow!

I was still able to get a few things done even in the snow!

I cashed out for a 5$ Walmart card and 3$ on Amazon from Swagbucks. (I split my points up between Walmart/Sam's to help the grocery budget and Amazon to help with gifts.)

I downloaded a free item on my Kroger card, it was a box of rice. I will pick this up tomorrow when I pick up a few things for our party and stock up on Kroger's 0.49 cent pasta sale. To save money this week I'm going to cash in my change jar to pay for the items I need. I do this every few weeks to stretch the budget.

I borrowed a bag of books from my sister in law to keep me entertained :) 

I made a batch of homemade floor  cleaner.

I continued to work on homemade gifts.

Money Saving Monday!

Ignore the bad quality, it was dark, but at eight months old, someone thinks he's big enough to try to start standing and walking. He's trying to get to his two year old sister sleeping on the couch.

Ways we Saved This Week:

We continued to eat down the pantry as I have kept a stockpile and expiration dates are approaching.

I only spent 20$ this week at Aldi, which included diapers.

While I was there I found bananas for 0.29 cent a lb and the bunches were buy one get one free because the were getting ripe.

We bought a pantry cabinet at Target as I don't have nearly as much room to store food as I'd like. My husband could have built one but materials have increased so much that we just bought one. I do consider this frugal as it allows me much more storage to stock up on deals. I cleaned out and rearranged all my cabinets and took inventory after we purchased it.

I cashed out for 5$ on the Louder app.

I've continued to work on this year's Christmas gifts.

My husband did another side job which paid for us to get a huge load of gravel to spread in our driveway. It turns into a huge mud slide when it rains so this has needed to be done for a long time.

I was given a huge bag of hand me down pajamas, so we've been slowly going through those and sorting sizes.My two year old can wear the same size as the almost five year old. And she doesn't care if her jammies are for boys! 

We finally turned on our gas stove heater so next month's electric bill should have some savings. Our high today won't get above freezing! We had over and inch of snow yesterday.

Money Saving Monday!

I took my $10 Swagbucks from last week and cashed it out for Walmart. I used it to buy a large cone of Peaches n Creme yarn to crochet dish clothes and hot pads for various gifts for the year.  Between that and the clearance cross stitch kits I got at Hobby Lobby (which included a frame), I've got a lot of stuff to work on throughout the year for Christmas!

We used a gift card that we received at Christmas to go out on a date night and only paid 2$ plus tip for a nice steak dinner.

I found some clearance stuff at Walmart for 75% off. I found some small gift bags for 0.11 cent. I was happy as I hate spending money on things to just give away.

I made homemade floor cleaner for the week.

My husband traded some work for a load of manure for our garden. We no longer have cows so this will help our garden grow this year.

We've been eating out of the pantry and freezer , some things were getting a bit old.

Money Saving on Monday!

his favorite Christmas gift.

We enjoyed a relatively peaceful Christmas, excluding the sickness and multiple doctor visits. The baby ended up with RSV and my daughter had a double ear infection.

Besides that our savings included:

We stayed home a lot due to sickness, saving in gas and other money I would have spent. 

We ate at multiple family member's homes and ate many leftovers.

I did make it to Sam's Club and Hobby Lobby for clearance items for next year. I was able to purchase a few rolls of wrapping paper, Scotch tape, holiday cross stitch kits, ornaments and candy on a deep discount. Some of the wrapping paper was not holiday colored so I purchased it to use for birthdays all year.

I finally did a big shopping trip so that should keep me out of the store for awhile.

I cashed out for 10$ on Swagbucks.

I spent a lot of time decluttering and cleaning out my kitchen and laundry area. This was frugal because I found laundry detergent and a few things I didn't know I had. I'm trying to purge 2,016 items in 2016. I'm well on my way!

Last Week's Savings!

Last week was pretty busy but I managed to accomplish a few things!

I cashed out for 5$ on both Swagbucks and Louder.

I made a few more Christmas presents,including ornaments and hot chocolate spoon stirrers.

I found some hand me downs from my oldest son that will fit my youngest now. Happy find!

My husband got a Christmas bonus so I took care of some shopping.

Bentley met Santa at church!

Ways We Saved Money Last Week!

It's my goal to save as much money as possible for my family.I try to save on small things so we can splurge on big things, like growing our homestead! 

Last week:

We decorated our tree and our home using things we already had.

I ordered our family ornament and only had to pay shipping thanks to a coupon I was sent.

I lucked up and found meat at Aldi on closeout! I got huge packs of chicken for under a dollar and ground beef for less than a dollar a pound.

My husband did  a side job and we'll be using the money to set up our gas fireplace (that we got in a trade) This will help us save money each month on heating and help us in our quest for a more off- grid life.

I cashed out for 10$ from Swagbucks.

I continued to work on homemade Christmas gifts.

More Simple Christmas

I love Christmas.

My children love Christmas.

I don't love the price tag or the consumerism of it all.

The Gifts!

This year the gifts (read: toys!) are being kept to a minimum. I also asked family members to cut back or to not send anything. We have too much stuff and too little space. 

That being said. I did brave Walmart on Black Friday for 30$ Lego and Duplo sets.  Blocks are the hot thing at my house. 1500 Legos and 200 Duplos for 30$ each?! I couldn't pass up the price. I also got a small character table as a combined gift for them to build on. This is to keep the Legos out of the living room as the baby is mobile now!

Those were their main gifts (from you know who.)The baby got two 5$ Fischer Price toys. The rest of their Christmas is either homemade or bought with Swagbucks or other deals.

All three are receiving a book (a yearly tradition.) One bought with Swagbucks, one bought on deal on Black Friday, one bought at a store closing for a quarter.

All three will receive a blanket. The oldest two were kits bought at Joanne's with a coupon and a gift card I won at their grand opening sale. The baby's is a large receiving blanket made from fleece bought on Black Friday for 1.49$ a yard.

Santa fills the stockings and its usually candy ( which has been the Friday Freebie at Kroger a lot *wink*) and other small items bought throughout the year on sale/clearance including .50 cent crayons and.25 cent paint sets.

For our (large) extended family the gifts are the combo of Swagbucks bought items, homemade gifts, or homemade treats.

The Decorations!

I buy all of the wrapping paper, bags, tissue paper, decorations, etc. on clearance the week after Christmas. I re use as much as possible. Hobby Lobby near us has a lot of stuff in the Christmas section including tape, tissues, scrapbook stickers, etc. that I use all year long and it's so cheap!

The children each get an ornament each year. This is a tradition. This year we will just be doing personalized monogramed ornaments. This is my mother-in-laws business so it will be very cheap.

I bought a Fischer Price Little People nativity set in January to help tell the Christmas story and is a hands on activity for the kids. We put it up yesterday and the children love it! and it's sturdy!

Our tree two years ago. My boy was so little!


Food!

We eat at various family member's home for the holiday and bring a dish to each. I keep costs down by shopping sales and stocking up when prices are at the lowest. Baking items go on sale in December!

I keep a stocked pantry so I'm able to make lots of items without additional shopping.







I was in no way compensated by any brand names/companies in this post. All opinions are my own.

Starting to Blog Again and Frugal Accomplishments!

Our newest addition, Wyatt!

I have not blogged in a lonnnnng time. I need to get better about accountability and keeping track of various things so I'm back!!

Last week was Thanksgiving so of course there was extra spending but I was able to do a few things to stay frugal and one was so exciting, it makes up for any additional spending I had to do!

• I ordered a free 8x10 photo from Walgreens. It was a group shot of my husband's entire family and a weekend beach trip in the summer.
• I received a Friday Freebie from Kroger and ended up with .20 cent of each gallon on gas. I will use those when my tank runs low and will get to fill up for around $1.50 a gallon.
• My husband did some side work and ended up trading for a gas fireplace. We've been wanting to purchase one and at around 350$ this was a huge blessing!!
• I used surprise points from Kmart to get my son a new pair of Wrangler jeans for only .82$ out of pocket and that's all I bought in the store.
• We ate leftovers for a few days.
• I got a few things on Black Friday (Legos for my son and Duplos for my daughter and flannel at Joanne's for less than $2 a yard)

Frugal Accomplishments

I've been a little absent but I plan on posting more regularly again..

We just celebrated Harper's first birthday!

These accomplishments may have been from the past few weeks.

We've been harvesting cucumbers and banana peppers from the garden.

I stocked up on toilet paper at .25 cent a roll, my stock up price. 

I've only been using about a 30$ a week grocery budget. 

I've began Christmas shopping/planning.

I have been utilizing the library every week.

I used a gift card to stock up on diapers.


What did you accomplish?

Hanging Rock State Park Photo Overload!

We had a mini family reunion a few weeks ago at a state park about an hour away from us. We hiked all the way to the top. My sister in law carried Harper on her back, she is a strong woman!  Bentley hiked by himself. He did good until we got almost back to the parking lot and he had a bit of a meltdown. But overall I think it went well. 

We celebrated my nephews birthdays while we were there. It was so nice to all be together for a day!

I don't know how he does that with his tongue!

Playing in the leaves!

Sitting quietly together for a few minutes!

Weston, my youngest brother in law, Megan my oldest sister in law, and my two babies!

Frugal Accomplishments and Weekly Goals

 My sister in law Alyssa, having fun with Harper on a hike two weeks ago!



Last Week Accomplishments:

I received another bag of hand me downs for Bentley and my wonderful sister in law gave me some clothes to look through for myself! :)

I finally got my garden in the ground! We ended up planting 12 tomato plants, 4 watermelon, 4 cucumber, 2 green bean, and 4 banana pepper plants.  Michael built me a raised garden bed and filled it with part dirt and a little dried cow manure. All the plants are looking well. 

I also received a barely used bread machine from the same wonderful sister in law. I'm so excited!

I used coupons to pick a few things at the store including detergent and pasta. 

I filled out a rebate form for ground beef purchased at Walmart. I will receive a refund check for about 5$

I signed up for two more online classes at the local community college. I wasn't aware I had any funds still available until the last day but I got registered for Spanish and US History online and had some money still left over. I used in to purchase a new jump drive and headphones. I should still receive a refund check of about 350$ in two months or so.

Goals

Things I need to accomplish this week:

Clean out my refrigerator

Paint my front door

(I already have the paint)

Do a few school assignments and reading

Make a trip to the library

This Week's Frugal Accomplishnents

This Week: 

my car was in the shop a few days so I stayed home most of the week.

I received a bag of hand-me-downs for my son which were greatly appreciated. He was in need of summer clothes.

I combined my errands on the same day as Harper's 9 month Well Child check up. Everything went great. She is very tall for her age.

Used printed coupons to buy a few groceries.

I used ECB's at CVS to get a pack of diapers for .52 $

I started seeds for the garden.



What did you do last week?

Frugal Accomplishments

Bentley's aunt was styling his hair

We've started a new tradition of Family Game Night. This week we played Scrabble and ate popcorn. (I've had the game since I was little, it was still at my parents so I brought it home to enjoy.) My son is only 3 so he just watched and it helps him learn the alphabet.(Cheap family fun/homeschool = win/win!!)

I'm not going to the grocery store this week. I'm trying to eat up some odds and ends in the pantry. 

I plan on staying home most of the week to save on gas. 

I bought a floor stand up fan. It was 20$ but I believe during the day when my husband isn't home I can keep from turning on the a.c. and just run the fan in the living room. We spend most of our day in this one room. I won't have to cool the whole house until it gets hot!

I attended a baby shower hosted by a friend and she sent home a bunch of leftover food with me. It was very yummy.

Printed coupons for items I use.

Harper and I at the baby shower

Easter

Easter!!

I am so grateful for our Savior who suffered and died for us so that we may be saved!

We celebrated Easter at both set of grandparents. Bentley and Harper both enjoyed their baskets, even though Harper didn't like her movie or clothes! She wanted Bentley's toys.

We don't really stress the "Easter Bunny" thing but when Bentley and I were discussing the Easter story and I told him that Jesus loves him very much, he said, "Yeah! The Easter Bunny loves me!"  Not exactly right.. but ok.. I actually said the Easter Bunny is just a game but that went right over his head.

I didn't put in any chocolate ( My husband was appalled that Bentley didn't get a chocolate bunny!)  Just a few Starburst. A new movie, clothes, etc. 

Frugal Accomplishments

Frugal Accomplishments

This week :

I received free samples of shampoo and conditioner in the mail

I received a free magazine in the mail

I completed two Pinecone Research surveys, earning 3$ for each

I took advantage if a CVS deal for a free photo book. I made a book of my son's third birthday party from February.

(I decorated his cake using toys he already owned.)

I froze leftovers in single size portions including taco salad meat and extra chopped onions.

I purchased 2 backs of markers for free using coupons.

I picked up a free ginger ale from Kroger.

Couponing Trip

I did not get any pictures of Saturdays mini couponing trip. I took some things to my mother in laws home and then I forgot to snap a pic when I got home. 

At Walmart I was able to get:

A family size bag of Cheeze Doodles 3$

            ( that went to my MIL)

2 bottles Vidal Sassoon shampoo 2.47$

A Lunchables P3 protein pack 1.00$

Two Cuisine dog food packs. 0.70$

I used the following coupons:

3$ off Wise food coupon ( promotion from their website)

2 2$ off Vidal Sassoon coupons

0.75$ off P3 Pack

1.00$ off two Cuisine packs

My total was $1.52

Frugal Accomplishments and An Update!

My sweet girl!

It's been a rough two weeks My daughter and son both had the flu and my daughter also had pneumonia. Five doctor's appointments within one week, breathing treatments, multiple meds, and two weeks later, they're feeling much better. 

But.. during those two weeks my daughter got her two bottom teeth and began to crawl!

I was able to accomplish a few things though:

Our insurance covered everything(including a nebulizer) except 10$ of one appointment.

Received 3$ from Pinecone Research.

Printed coupons which made a few items almost free: shampoo, candy (for the Easter baskets), chips (which were a big treat because I don't buy them)

I also found a kite on clearance at Walmart for .50 cent for Bentley's Easter basket.

Bagged up some items for the Goodwill store. Yay for decluttering!!

Re-used some baggies

There's been unseasonably crazy weather here but I've kept them thermostat down a couple degrees and heating one room with a small heater at night.

Received some hand-me-downs for my son.

Received an email with a free drink from Sonic.


We bought 6 more chicken to replenish our flock that were all eaten when we moved. Eggs are almost $2 at our Walmart. I did stock up on them at .89$ at Aldi this week. I bought 5 dozen. I would've bought more but I still had some left from when they were .99$ a dozen.

Today's snowman. My son is the smallest one. The rest are my bro and sis in laws!  We were only supposed to get one inch, we got about 8!!