Friday, April 22, 2011
Free Coffee for earth day!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Days 19 &20: $8/day challenge!
DAY 19:
Yesterday we had a lovely morning together as a family and I decided we would "splurge" and ORDER a pizza for dinner! USUALLY the only pizza we get in this house is $5 Little Ceazers Pizza's, but tonight Dustybegged requested Papa Johns. Although I was hesitant to spend our moola on the pizza, I did locate a FREE medium cheese pizza with any pizza order!
My husband was happy, I was pleasantly surprised by the high value coupon ( even if we did go over our $8!), and the boys were THRILLED with a pizza night with Mom and DAD!
TOTAL FOR TWO PIZZA's: $12.45 (we did use some of our rollover! TOTAL rollover remaining: $7.06)
Since I knew that we are nearing the end of our challenge, I figured I still have rollover to spend, so why not spend it?!?!?! Jack was in need of cleats for baseball and after looking at the Sports Store catalog that came in the Sunday paper (cleats priced at $29.99!!!!) I knew I had to make a trip to the local thrift store! Wouldn't you know it, there were a pair of size 13 Adidas cleats perfect for a certain little boy! Even more perfect, the $3.50 price tag! WHOO HOO!
TOTAL FOR JACK'S CLEATS: $3.50
TOTAL SPENT DAY 19: $15.95 ((Total rollover remaining: $3.56))
DAY 20
Day 20.....the day before our last day of this challenge! I WANTED to do some really great coupon shopping today for the WOW effect, but, Gas was needed...BLAH! Maybe tomorrow!
TOTAL SPENT ON GAS: $10
TOTAL SPENT DAY 20: $10 (Total rollover $1.56)
Yesterday we had a lovely morning together as a family and I decided we would "splurge" and ORDER a pizza for dinner! USUALLY the only pizza we get in this house is $5 Little Ceazers Pizza's, but tonight Dusty
My husband was happy, I was pleasantly surprised by the high value coupon ( even if we did go over our $8!), and the boys were THRILLED with a pizza night with Mom and DAD!
TOTAL FOR TWO PIZZA's: $12.45 (we did use some of our rollover! TOTAL rollover remaining: $7.06)
Since I knew that we are nearing the end of our challenge, I figured I still have rollover to spend, so why not spend it?!?!?! Jack was in need of cleats for baseball and after looking at the Sports Store catalog that came in the Sunday paper (cleats priced at $29.99!!!!) I knew I had to make a trip to the local thrift store! Wouldn't you know it, there were a pair of size 13 Adidas cleats perfect for a certain little boy! Even more perfect, the $3.50 price tag! WHOO HOO!
TOTAL FOR JACK'S CLEATS: $3.50
TOTAL SPENT DAY 19: $15.95 ((Total rollover remaining: $3.56))
DAY 20
Day 20.....the day before our last day of this challenge! I WANTED to do some really great coupon shopping today for the WOW effect, but, Gas was needed...BLAH! Maybe tomorrow!
TOTAL SPENT ON GAS: $10
TOTAL SPENT DAY 20: $10 (Total rollover $1.56)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
DAYS 18: $8/day challenge
Before I give a break down of the past two days I wanted to share with you all something that really spoke to me this morning. Through this challenge, I have taken a deep look into the way I view my material possessions. Although it is fun to have "stuff", it is SO not what is important in my life. It is my children, husband, family, friends, and the choices I make that are important.
1 John 3:17 says "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person"
I really believe that now-a-days people forget how important GIVING is. Now don't get me wrong, I know a lot of givers, but in general society today is very selfish. I am not trying to tell you to go and give away your fortune, but would it kill ya to SMILE at someone in the supermarket? HUG someone that needs a hug? Give of YOUR time to help a friend (or a stranger?). GIVE anonymously to someone who has fallen on hard times? I challenge each of you this week to GIVE something that is precious to you...just give it to someone! Whether it is your money, time, an ear to listen, or a material possession, I am sure that the recipient will be SO very thankful!
DAY 18: $8/day challenge
I started the day off at a spin class which I can only compare to child labor. You sweat from places you didn't know prespired, you have a hard time "breathing through" the hard times and your butt and crotch hurt. At least a got a baby out of labor! I must admit, I did feel pretty amazing after I finished the class! (A BIG thanks to Jen S. for dragging my butt there!) Now, some of you may be asking yourselves "How do you afford a gym membership?"......Let me tell you......I REALLY wanted a membership at this fancy shmancy health club that opened a few years back, but knew that $100 was not exactly in the budget (Dusty was unemployed and we were barely scraping by). So, I looked online and saw that they were hiring for a weekend position. The pay was AWFUL, but they included a free membership for you AND your kids! 2 Hours of free child care a day....sign me up! I applied, interviewed and was hired a few weeks later. I now work a few Sunday afternoons per month. I make a few extra frogskins for myself AND get a free membership!
COST OF MEMBERSHIP AT FANCY HEALTH CLUB: $0
After the amazing workout, Jack and I headed out to the first of two parties we had for the day. We were honored to celebrate Jack's friends' birthdays (twin girls). This was our 4th kids birthday party this MONTH and if I wasn't so fantastically frugal, all these parties would have been VERY costly. You see, I not only stockpile groceries, I also stockpile presents! This may seem crazy, but I would bet money that you would be somewhat envious of my "gift closet". It is a WHOLE closet devoted to gifts for people. I have gifts appropriate for newborns-grandparents. I have a multitude of different size clothing in BOTH genders! Most of this stuff i found on a clearance rack after a holiday, or purchased with a coupon that made it free or almost free. My "gift closet" not only saves me a TON of money, but even more importantly, TIME. I am the worlds biggest procrastinator, so if I didn't have the closet to "shop" in, I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off 10 minutes before a party started!
After the first party, we headed out to celebrate my friends birthday! I know she loves starbucks and had just received a $10 giftcard for renewing my Denver Post subscription. I knew she would appreciate it more than I would so I kindly re-gifted the card (she called me this morning asking me how I purchased the GC with an $8/day budget...I let her in on my secret!). I also added a little something from my "gift closet" to finish the gift off.
TOTAL COST FOR BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR 3 PEOPLE: $0!!!
All in all, we had a wonderful day and only spent $.99 on some Sour Cream I needed for the potatoes I was bringing to the party!TOTAL SPENT DAY 18: $1 (rollover $7, Total Rollover: $11.51)
**Day 19 will be up later tonight**
Friday, April 8, 2011
A new dress=happy kate! $8/day challenge DAYS 16 & 17
Howdy all! Sorry i did not post yesterday....the whole $8 went to gas...again. So dumb. With that said,
TOTAL DAY 16: $8 (total rollover $2.20)
DAY 17
Today I cleaned all morning and decided to take the boys on an adventure since it was so nice outside. We went to a friends for a bit to play in THEIR backyard (it is amazing how just a change of scenery can stimulate little minds!). I also made a quick stop in at Kohls (shhhh, don't tell Dusty!). You see, I know I am on an $8/day budget, but by God a woman has to shop! My birthday is fast approaching and I would *like* to have something spectacular to wear on my special day! After browsing the sale racks and only finding bulky sweaters and "grandma" pants (no offense gram) my eyes lit up with excitement when i noticed a certain dress dangling from the 80% rack. Could it be? Could the dress I have been eyeing since DECEMBER possibly STILL be there, AND on sale. Ladies, (since I know any men that were reading this have stopped) I desperately wanted this green asymetrical dress...and actually DID buy it. It cost me $60.00 and the guilt of paying that much on something for me RIGHT before Christmas was just too much to handle (I know this may not seem like a ton of money for some, but to us it is). I returned it a few days later, regrettably so. I have thought of this dress many a day and daydreamed about wearing it to my cousins wedding, a night out with the girls, a date night, etc....But, all the fantasizing in the world could not make the dress magically reappear. I knew it was forever gone. UNTIL TODAY. You should have seen my face when I spotted the dress, the ONE and only dress on the sale rack. There was NO way that this dress could possibly be my size, or could it??? Hesitantly I picked up the dress took a deep breath and looked at the tag. There, staring back at me was my exact size, I could not believe my eyes. Even better than the size 0 (lol!!) was the price tag. $12....YES, $12. To make that sweet, sensuous $12 even better was the $5 off and 15% off coupons I was holding in my hands. The dress is shown below:
I realize you all may not like this dress, but it really is adorable on ( or so I think). I will be celebrating my birthday with this frock on and will post pics after the event!
I threatened told the boys that if they were good all afternoon that I would take them to the dollar store to pick out a prize (YES, I bribe my kids). After MUCH debate, they both decided to get guns that shoot balls out of them....go figure!
TOTAL FOR 2 BALL GUNS: $2.16
TOTAL DAY 17: $5.59 ( rollover $2.31 Total Rollover: $4.51)
On a very random side note, I would just like you all to know that I am doing something RIGHT now that I never do. Are you ready....I ....am .....baking! I just took out my first pan of cupcakes and they look AWFUL. How can someone mess up cupcakes you ask......let me explain. I LOVE to cook, but for some reason ANYTIME I bake, I ruin it. if anyone ever asks me to bring a dessert, I bring my "famous" Rice-Krispy treats...because there is NO oven involved! I thought it was my oven, but I just got a new range so that can no longer be my excuse. Damn. My friend who's birthday I am baking these for better REALLY love me! I will post pics once I try and salvage these God-for-saken messes! Wish me luck!
TOTAL DAY 16: $8 (total rollover $2.20)
DAY 17
Today I cleaned all morning and decided to take the boys on an adventure since it was so nice outside. We went to a friends for a bit to play in THEIR backyard (it is amazing how just a change of scenery can stimulate little minds!). I also made a quick stop in at Kohls (shhhh, don't tell Dusty!). You see, I know I am on an $8/day budget, but by God a woman has to shop! My birthday is fast approaching and I would *like* to have something spectacular to wear on my special day! After browsing the sale racks and only finding bulky sweaters and "grandma" pants (no offense gram) my eyes lit up with excitement when i noticed a certain dress dangling from the 80% rack. Could it be? Could the dress I have been eyeing since DECEMBER possibly STILL be there, AND on sale. Ladies, (since I know any men that were reading this have stopped) I desperately wanted this green asymetrical dress...and actually DID buy it. It cost me $60.00 and the guilt of paying that much on something for me RIGHT before Christmas was just too much to handle (I know this may not seem like a ton of money for some, but to us it is). I returned it a few days later, regrettably so. I have thought of this dress many a day and daydreamed about wearing it to my cousins wedding, a night out with the girls, a date night, etc....But, all the fantasizing in the world could not make the dress magically reappear. I knew it was forever gone. UNTIL TODAY. You should have seen my face when I spotted the dress, the ONE and only dress on the sale rack. There was NO way that this dress could possibly be my size, or could it??? Hesitantly I picked up the dress took a deep breath and looked at the tag. There, staring back at me was my exact size, I could not believe my eyes. Even better than the size 0 (lol!!) was the price tag. $12....YES, $12. To make that sweet, sensuous $12 even better was the $5 off and 15% off coupons I was holding in my hands. The dress is shown below:
TOTAL FOR MY MAGICAL DRESS: Regularly $60, on sale for $12
TOTAL AFTER MY COUPONS AND GIFT CARD: $3.43...that is correct, out of pocket I paid $3.43. I WON'T be returning this one!I t
TOTAL FOR 2 BALL GUNS: $2.16
On a very random side note, I would just like you all to know that I am doing something RIGHT now that I never do. Are you ready....I ....am .....baking! I just took out my first pan of cupcakes and they look AWFUL. How can someone mess up cupcakes you ask......let me explain. I LOVE to cook, but for some reason ANYTIME I bake, I ruin it. if anyone ever asks me to bring a dessert, I bring my "famous" Rice-Krispy treats...because there is NO oven involved! I thought it was my oven, but I just got a new range so that can no longer be my excuse. Damn. My friend who's birthday I am baking these for better REALLY love me! I will post pics once I try and salvage these God-for-saken messes! Wish me luck!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Awesome deals at the King soopers by my house....also DAY 15
I love Wednesdays, why you may ask?? Well, on Wednesdays the ads for this weeks sales get released. Pathetic, aren't I?!?!?!?!? Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the King Soopers a block from my house is having a GRAND RE-OPENING sale and let me tell you, the sale looks pretty awesome! I would HIGHLY recommend you come and check it out if you are in the North Denver area. The location is 104th and Federal. Some of the best deals I saw were:
Colorado Proud Milk: $1.69 (this is an AWESOME price considering I haven't seen it below 2.15 in some time!)
5lb box of CUTIES: $3.88...also there is a $1 off coupon in last weeks paper making this $2.88!!!!!
93% lean Ground Beef: $1.79/lb!!!! This is a STOCK up price!!!!
Post cereal (select varieties): 2 for $3 Captain Crunch/Raisin bran and others.
Red Seedless Grapes: $.88/lb great price :)
For my Organic peeps:
Organic Braeburn Apples: $1/lb
Horizon Organic Yogurt (32oz.): 2 for $5
There are many more great deals going on so head on over! The prices are valid until Tuesday, April 12th!
DAY 15
After noticing the deals at my local king soopers, it was hard to not go and stockpile some of the items featured. I did know I wanted to make my Homemade spaghetti sauce so decided to just pick up (1) pound of the 93% lean ground beef and after scanning my pantry knew I needed (2) more tomato pastes. Since I do stockpile, I had everything else I needed to make the sauce.
TOTAL FOR MEAT AND PASTE: $3.60 If I didn't have such a crazy day, I would have taken a picture of HOW much sauce I made! It is amazing how inexpensive it was to make and it will last us a month! I was also able to make dinner for a friend on bedrest, and jar some for another friend!
I also put $8 of gas in my tank. Once again this made me irate! Seriously, $3.49/gallon?? I was sick to my stomach for the whole 10 seconds it took me to pump my $8 of gas!!!!
TOTAL FOR OVERPRICED GAS: $8
TOTAL DAY 15: $11.60 (NO rollover today, and we used $3.60 of rollover. Total rollover remaining: $2.20)
I also want to address one more thing tonight. For anyone who watched the show "Extreme Couponing" tonight on TLC, I wanted to let you know my thoughts. First of all PLEASE remember this is REALITY TV....most of these woman do not go on shopping trips like that all the time. Second, although I do maintain a stockpile of things my family uses on a regular basis, the woman on this show are HOARDERS! Please, please, please do not associate me with this. I Donate items that we will not use and always pass my extras on to friends and family. Lastly, if you are new to couponing, please realize that YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND 6 hours a day clipping/organizing coupons! For anyone that knows me, you all know I am a busy woman. I have two wild kids, am active in my church, I work a part-time job, and By God, I AM A BLOGGER...LOL! (I had to throw that in there!). I do NOT have even an HOUR a day to mess with coupons. So please, understand that this IS extreme!
Colorado Proud Milk: $1.69 (this is an AWESOME price considering I haven't seen it below 2.15 in some time!)
5lb box of CUTIES: $3.88...also there is a $1 off coupon in last weeks paper making this $2.88!!!!!
93% lean Ground Beef: $1.79/lb!!!! This is a STOCK up price!!!!
Post cereal (select varieties): 2 for $3 Captain Crunch/Raisin bran and others.
Red Seedless Grapes: $.88/lb great price :)
For my Organic peeps:
Organic Braeburn Apples: $1/lb
Horizon Organic Yogurt (32oz.): 2 for $5
There are many more great deals going on so head on over! The prices are valid until Tuesday, April 12th!
DAY 15
After noticing the deals at my local king soopers, it was hard to not go and stockpile some of the items featured. I did know I wanted to make my Homemade spaghetti sauce so decided to just pick up (1) pound of the 93% lean ground beef and after scanning my pantry knew I needed (2) more tomato pastes. Since I do stockpile, I had everything else I needed to make the sauce.
TOTAL FOR MEAT AND PASTE: $3.60 If I didn't have such a crazy day, I would have taken a picture of HOW much sauce I made! It is amazing how inexpensive it was to make and it will last us a month! I was also able to make dinner for a friend on bedrest, and jar some for another friend!
I also put $8 of gas in my tank. Once again this made me irate! Seriously, $3.49/gallon?? I was sick to my stomach for the whole 10 seconds it took me to pump my $8 of gas!!!!
TOTAL FOR OVERPRICED GAS: $8
I also want to address one more thing tonight. For anyone who watched the show "Extreme Couponing" tonight on TLC, I wanted to let you know my thoughts. First of all PLEASE remember this is REALITY TV....most of these woman do not go on shopping trips like that all the time. Second, although I do maintain a stockpile of things my family uses on a regular basis, the woman on this show are HOARDERS! Please, please, please do not associate me with this. I Donate items that we will not use and always pass my extras on to friends and family. Lastly, if you are new to couponing, please realize that YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND 6 hours a day clipping/organizing coupons! For anyone that knows me, you all know I am a busy woman. I have two wild kids, am active in my church, I work a part-time job, and By God, I AM A BLOGGER...LOL! (I had to throw that in there!). I do NOT have even an HOUR a day to mess with coupons. So please, understand that this IS extreme!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 14: $8/day budget
First of all, I would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone for taking the time each day to read my blog. I am baffled still as to how people have been reacting to this. I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement and hope to have more reader involvement in the near future!
I also wanted to let you all know that I am currently in a situation to pay some kindness forward. You see, I clean houses....this may not sound very glamorous, but I love to clean and I make my own hours...for me, it is the perfect job...for right now. I recently read about a non-profit that provides maid service to women who are battling cancer. Being a healthy mother, I can only imagine the daily struggle it must be to try and maintain your health/family/finances, and of course a clean house when you are sick with such an awful disease. With all this said, I am currently searching for one deserving Mother who is either battling cancer herself, or who has a child who is sick with cancer to provide my service to. If you know of anyone who may be a good candidate, PLEASE email me at katethecouponmom(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Okay moving on....
DAY 14
After my terrible day yesterday, I am happy to report that I am back on track! Today I was quite productive and there were no major meltdowns...praise God! After dropping Jack at school, I stopped in at my parents for a cup of coffee....the folgers at my house is just not doing it for me and I know my mother only brews starbucks! After a nice visit, Luke and I headed over to a friends to try and help her with her meal planning/budget for the next few weeks. This wonderful friend of mine has 4 children 4 years of age and younger (bless her heart!) and struggles with her grocery budget each month. I feel like we have been making a LOT of progress and she is finally getting the idea that you CAN'T just throw things in your grocery cart...you need to plan out your trip! So, after a tutorial we stopped in at Sprouts (a "farmers market" style grocer) and practiced what I preached. I showed her how I weigh out all my produce and try not to exceed what i have budgeted. She did wonderfully, and I did better than wonderfully! I budgeted $3 and spent exactly $2.99!!! How's that for accuracy?!?!? I purchased (1) Zucchini (1) yellow squash (1) onion (1) bag of pears and (1) bag of carrots!!
After the shopping excursion, I picked up jack from school and for a brief second wondered if I could just drive through somewhere and pick up lunch..would anyone know??? Well I didn't and I am SO happy that I resisted the urge. My kids don't ask for it, nor do they even enjoy fast food....I enjoy the convenience of it, ME, not them (although two weeks ago I would have said otherwise)!!! I am slowly but surely breaking that habit. We are healthier now both physically and financially because of it! So awesome!
We came home, and I decided that my pit of a car needed some TLC. It was so discusting and I just couldn't take it anymore. Usually I go down to the local "wash your own car" place, but when you are working with $8/day, you wash your own car! I got out the ol' shop-vac and went to work. I now have a nice and tidy automobile and didn't spend a penny :)
TOTAL FOR A CAR WASH: $0
TOTAL SPENT DAY 14: $2.99 (rollover $5.01, Total rollover $5.80)
Tip of the day: Now that the weather is warming up, get out the cleaning supplies and do a little scrub-a-dub-dub. You will feel so much better once your house/car/office is in tip-top shape! If you don't feel like cleaning, give me a call, I know a great cleaning lady :) !!!!!
I also wanted to let you all know that I am currently in a situation to pay some kindness forward. You see, I clean houses....this may not sound very glamorous, but I love to clean and I make my own hours...for me, it is the perfect job...for right now. I recently read about a non-profit that provides maid service to women who are battling cancer. Being a healthy mother, I can only imagine the daily struggle it must be to try and maintain your health/family/finances, and of course a clean house when you are sick with such an awful disease. With all this said, I am currently searching for one deserving Mother who is either battling cancer herself, or who has a child who is sick with cancer to provide my service to. If you know of anyone who may be a good candidate, PLEASE email me at katethecouponmom(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Okay moving on....
After my terrible day yesterday, I am happy to report that I am back on track! Today I was quite productive and there were no major meltdowns...praise God! After dropping Jack at school, I stopped in at my parents for a cup of coffee....the folgers at my house is just not doing it for me and I know my mother only brews starbucks! After a nice visit, Luke and I headed over to a friends to try and help her with her meal planning/budget for the next few weeks. This wonderful friend of mine has 4 children 4 years of age and younger (bless her heart!) and struggles with her grocery budget each month. I feel like we have been making a LOT of progress and she is finally getting the idea that you CAN'T just throw things in your grocery cart...you need to plan out your trip! So, after a tutorial we stopped in at Sprouts (a "farmers market" style grocer) and practiced what I preached. I showed her how I weigh out all my produce and try not to exceed what i have budgeted. She did wonderfully, and I did better than wonderfully! I budgeted $3 and spent exactly $2.99!!! How's that for accuracy?!?!? I purchased (1) Zucchini (1) yellow squash (1) onion (1) bag of pears and (1) bag of carrots!!
TOTAL SPENT OF FRESH PRODUCE: $2.99
After the shopping excursion, I picked up jack from school and for a brief second wondered if I could just drive through somewhere and pick up lunch..would anyone know??? Well I didn't and I am SO happy that I resisted the urge. My kids don't ask for it, nor do they even enjoy fast food....I enjoy the convenience of it, ME, not them (although two weeks ago I would have said otherwise)!!! I am slowly but surely breaking that habit. We are healthier now both physically and financially because of it! So awesome!
We came home, and I decided that my pit of a car needed some TLC. It was so discusting and I just couldn't take it anymore. Usually I go down to the local "wash your own car" place, but when you are working with $8/day, you wash your own car! I got out the ol' shop-vac and went to work. I now have a nice and tidy automobile and didn't spend a penny :)
TOTAL FOR A CAR WASH: $0
TOTAL SPENT DAY 14: $2.99 (rollover $5.01, Total rollover $5.80)
Tip of the day: Now that the weather is warming up, get out the cleaning supplies and do a little scrub-a-dub-dub. You will feel so much better once your house/car/office is in tip-top shape! If you don't feel like cleaning, give me a call, I know a great cleaning lady :) !!!!!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 13: A major bust!
My big boy Jack will turn 5 in a couple weeks and I can hardly believe it! He is not-so patiently awaiting his "Super Mario Brothers" birthday party and asks me every day..."how many more days till my party?". With that said, today I realized I better get my show on the road if I am going to be ready for a "Super" birthday party!
This week one of Safeway's in store coupons featured Kelloggs fruit snacks for $.99. Since these are usually priced at over $2/box, AND they have mario themed fruit snacks, I knew this was a deal I could not pass up. Jack picked up 2 boxes of the mario fruit snacks, and one box of princess snacks for all his lady friends (my boys IS a looker)! The cashier was awesome and even did some mario voices for jack!
TOTAL FOR 3 BOXES FRUIT SNACKS (will be for the goody bags): $3 (it rang up strange and charged me no tax?!?!?)
Next, I had promised the boys a movie rental and they were STOKED that "Tangled" was released today! Thankfully, I had a free code to Blockbuster for a free rental...would you expect anything less?!?!
TOTAL FOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: $0
Somewhere between here and there, our day went from TOTAL awesomeness to a TOTAL disaster. Luke would not nap, Jack was over emotional, and I had HAD it with their fighting. I knew I had to go to King Soopers to buy things for at least a few nights of dinner. The thought of taking my possessed children out in public was terrifying....even worse than the thought was the actual outing itself. Allow me to explain....
You see, the kind people at King Soopers know me. They know me as two separate entities. First, I am the jovial coupon shopper who always stops to ask you how you are, talk about your kids, let you know whats going on with me...overall this shopper is GREAT....Then there is the crazy lady who drags her two screaming children in the store. It is inevitable that Luke will climb out of the cart and run away from me. This lady is a mess....she is usually yelling at her kids, and is near tears. Today I was the latter. It was a DISASTER.....at one point a sweet old lady stopped me, grabbed my arm and said "oh honey, we've all been there, hang in there". I wanted to cry. So with that said, I did what any other super mom would do, I grabbed a donut out of the bakery and shoved them in their faces...BAD move. It actually made the situation worse. So after not paying attention to what the heck was in the cart, I proceeded to the self check-out....two screaming children in tow. All together this is what I purchased:
We needed ketchup, grapes were on sale for $.88/lb, dusty requested Bratwurts so we needed buns, Chicken legs were on sale for $.99/lb AND they were marked down on managers special :) (this will be our protein for about 3 meals) AND if you notice, there are some powdered donuts snuck in there....mama was stressed!
TOTAL SPENT ON GROCERIES....$8.31!! AHHH, my first day of going over our $8! Thankfully we did have $4.10 rollover.
TOTAL SPENT DAY 13: $11.31 (we used all $8 and $3.31 of our rollover..ugh oh....Total Rollover: $.79)
Tip of the day: If you see me in the grocery store with my two monsters, slowly turn around, walk away and pretend you do not know me. Really all joking aside, please extend grace to those you see struggling out in public.
This week one of Safeway's in store coupons featured Kelloggs fruit snacks for $.99. Since these are usually priced at over $2/box, AND they have mario themed fruit snacks, I knew this was a deal I could not pass up. Jack picked up 2 boxes of the mario fruit snacks, and one box of princess snacks for all his lady friends (my boys IS a looker)! The cashier was awesome and even did some mario voices for jack!
TOTAL FOR 3 BOXES FRUIT SNACKS (will be for the goody bags): $3 (it rang up strange and charged me no tax?!?!?)
Next, I had promised the boys a movie rental and they were STOKED that "Tangled" was released today! Thankfully, I had a free code to Blockbuster for a free rental...would you expect anything less?!?!
TOTAL FOR FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT: $0
Somewhere between here and there, our day went from TOTAL awesomeness to a TOTAL disaster. Luke would not nap, Jack was over emotional, and I had HAD it with their fighting. I knew I had to go to King Soopers to buy things for at least a few nights of dinner. The thought of taking my possessed children out in public was terrifying....even worse than the thought was the actual outing itself. Allow me to explain....
You see, the kind people at King Soopers know me. They know me as two separate entities. First, I am the jovial coupon shopper who always stops to ask you how you are, talk about your kids, let you know whats going on with me...overall this shopper is GREAT....Then there is the crazy lady who drags her two screaming children in the store. It is inevitable that Luke will climb out of the cart and run away from me. This lady is a mess....she is usually yelling at her kids, and is near tears. Today I was the latter. It was a DISASTER.....at one point a sweet old lady stopped me, grabbed my arm and said "oh honey, we've all been there, hang in there". I wanted to cry. So with that said, I did what any other super mom would do, I grabbed a donut out of the bakery and shoved them in their faces...BAD move. It actually made the situation worse. So after not paying attention to what the heck was in the cart, I proceeded to the self check-out....two screaming children in tow. All together this is what I purchased:
TOTAL SPENT ON GROCERIES....$8.31!! AHHH, my first day of going over our $8! Thankfully we did have $4.10 rollover.
Tip of the day: If you see me in the grocery store with my two monsters, slowly turn around, walk away and pretend you do not know me. Really all joking aside, please extend grace to those you see struggling out in public.
3 major things I am noticing :)
Since starting this challenge, I have been noticing some major differences in our lives.
For example, we have not thrown out ANY food over the past 2 weeks. Everything I have made, we have eaten till it is gone. My husband is not a fan of leftovers, but living off of $8/day you quickly realize that you either eat what is here, or you don't eat at all!
Second, I have lost 5 pounds since the start of this. As my aunt Mary likes to say "I like my poor people skinny". Instead of cruising through the drive-through, we come home and make something to eat. It has been a HUGE eye opener to me on just how much of the "stuff" I eat is not necessary!
Third and most importantly, my husband and I have been communicating much better and this month we were able to pay ALL our monthly bills with his first pay check. This in itself is a huge accomplishment. Instead of stressing about money and bills, we are actually LAUGHING about how much money we have to pay off debt ( we are currently doing Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover").
I realize that living off of $8/day is a bit unrealistic for some, but I would encourage you to look deep inside your soul and think about what is TRULY important in your life.
Day 13 will be up later tonight!!
For example, we have not thrown out ANY food over the past 2 weeks. Everything I have made, we have eaten till it is gone. My husband is not a fan of leftovers, but living off of $8/day you quickly realize that you either eat what is here, or you don't eat at all!
Second, I have lost 5 pounds since the start of this. As my aunt Mary likes to say "I like my poor people skinny". Instead of cruising through the drive-through, we come home and make something to eat. It has been a HUGE eye opener to me on just how much of the "stuff" I eat is not necessary!
Third and most importantly, my husband and I have been communicating much better and this month we were able to pay ALL our monthly bills with his first pay check. This in itself is a huge accomplishment. Instead of stressing about money and bills, we are actually LAUGHING about how much money we have to pay off debt ( we are currently doing Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover").
I realize that living off of $8/day is a bit unrealistic for some, but I would encourage you to look deep inside your soul and think about what is TRULY important in your life.
Day 13 will be up later tonight!!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Days 11 and 12: $8/day challenge.
Sorry for the delay on posts, but we had a very busy weekend! Our $8/day challenge was completely put to the test this weekend and I am happy to say that we stuck to the plan....for the most part :)
DAY 11
Saturday was Dusty's "basketball day" so he headed out with his friends to watch the games. I knew this could be a HUGE buster of the $8/day challenge, but he assured me he would find a way to only spend the $8. He bought lunch with most of the $8 and also had drinks and put them on his running tab (his friend owns the bar). HE TOTALLY CHEATED...but hey, i give him props for getting creative.
DAY 11
Saturday was Dusty's "basketball day" so he headed out with his friends to watch the games. I knew this could be a HUGE buster of the $8/day challenge, but he assured me he would find a way to only spend the $8. He bought lunch with most of the $8 and also had drinks and put them on his running tab (his friend owns the bar). HE TOTALLY CHEATED...but hey, i give him props for getting creative.
TOTAL FOR BOYS GAME DAY:$8
I put the boys to bed at my parents house so I could head downtown to pick up Dusty and go to an engagement party for Dusty's college roommate. The event was held at some swanky club downtown. They had V.I.P bottle service so the drinks were free ;). I walked into the club and was instantly greeted by LOUD (understatement) music, half naked girls (when and why did the 80's fashion come back??!!), and an abundance of drunken men. At that moment I realized two things: A) I am an old lady who prefers sitting on my couch watching netflix to "clubbing" and B) if I have a daughter, I will NEVER let her out of the house...ever... It was wonderful to see some old friends and celebrate the future wedding of a dear friend, BUT after about 45 minutes of trying to have a conversation (the music was SOOOO loud) I pulled my husband out and we headed home!
TOTAL FOR NIGHT OUT WITH THE MAN: $0 (I did enjoy a nice glass of champagne from the table service, it was DELICIOUS!
TOTAL FOR DAY 11: $8 PLUS whatever the heck may be on my husbands tab...punk!
(total rollover $3.60)
DAY 12
We had a wonderful Sunday as a family and enjoyed just hanging out together. This afternoon we were honored to attend the wedding reception of one of Dusty's old b-ball players. The reception was held at Cinzetti's Italian Restaurant and let me tell you, it was AMAZING! The boys, Dusty and I had such an amazing time celebrating with Fox and his wife Mariah. I did stop at walgreens on the way to the reception to pick up a card...we did give a monetary gift that I am NOT including in this challenge. I will stick to the challenge for birthdays and other "gifting" but NOT for our tithing and for this in particular wedding gift!
TOTAL FOR RECEPTION/DINNER/CELEBRATION: $2.50 (hallmark card)
As i was blogging i heard my husbands car pull away. I was about to wrap day 12 up with a $6.50 rollover, until he walked back in with a bag from Burger King.....he is in BIG trouble! I have no idea how in the world he could be hungry after eating just a few short hours ago at an ALL YOU CAN EAT ITALIAN BUFFET!!! I am literally sick because i ate so much. SO, i will add in his trip to the BK...
TOTAL SPENT ON A POINTLESS TRIP TO BK: $5 ($.50 rollover, total rollover, $4.10)
TOTAL SPENT DAY 12: $7.50 (rollover $.50 total rollover $4.10)
Tip of the day: Accept and embrace your age. If your 7 year old daughter can fit into your neon mini dress, PLEASE, for the love of God, do not wear it out in public :)
Friday, April 1, 2011
DAY 10: $8/day challenge, a little yummy in my tummy...
Today I caved and stopped to pick up lunch. I was TRYING to only eat at home for the duration of the challenge, BUT today Chipolte sounded amazing (and fast...I was on a time crunch). So, I did what any other crazy person living on eight dollars a day would do...I searched for a coupon and headed to get some burritos! I found a buy1 get1 coupon which made my very hungry husband happy and purchased our lunch.
Total for my burrito bowl and his burrito with coupon: $6.40 (rollover: $3.60 )
This ended up feeding me, dusty and the boys for lunch AND I still had leftovers for dinner!
Also today, I used ALL $24.35 rollover on gas. It KILLED me to use ALL our rollover on gas, especially since it only provided me with a little under a half a tank....
Total for my burrito bowl and his burrito with coupon: $6.40 (rollover: $3.60 )
This ended up feeding me, dusty and the boys for lunch AND I still had leftovers for dinner!
Also today, I used ALL $24.35 rollover on gas. It KILLED me to use ALL our rollover on gas, especially since it only provided me with a little under a half a tank....
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