Frugal Monday- My Sunday afternoon was not spent clipping coupons & looking up sales. Most of the afternoon, I was consoling Jack & cleaning the house, but I did all my coupons on Saturday & hope to get LOTS more from my mom today from the Sunday paper. (*didn’t have much to choose from that I don’t already have!)

Just wanted to share a few internet “tips” that have helped us save money!

1. sign up for every free club out there - especially you moms with babies

-Huggies, Pampers, Enfamil, Similac, Gerber, Johnson & Johnson, Beech Nut, Natures Goodness, ETC… - great coupons, booklets, and samples (even if you don’t plan on using that brand or item- comes in handy in case of emergencies and also is great to give to a friend in need!) *grandparents can sign up for all of these also!

-Toys R US Birthday club , Publix Baby & Kids, Childrens Place Birthday Club, etc… (great coupons especially around the time of your kids birthdays!)

2. Grocery Help

-going shopping and you don’t have coupons - look for some online

-www.thegrocerygame.com- $1 for 4 week trial - enter your zip code, pick your stores, & they tell you what to stock up on (with coupons) & what is FREE (with coupons) - also tells you where to find coupons and rebates

3. Shopping

GOOGLE - always search for online codes when purchasing things online. & when going shopping search for in- store coupons to your favorite stores and print at home. Most stores with have coupons, you just have to search for them.

These are just a few things we do…

Family Update - Jack is feeling much better. He still is wheezing, but with his treatments his breathing is not as labored. His appetite is increasing, and his sleep is much more regular. Levi seems to be on the mend also, but still has a cough.  Pray for Donald as he goes in on Thursday for an ultrasound to check for gallstones.

Categories: Jack, Levi, frugal
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We dared to venture out today & take the boys to the pumpkin patch….I say dare because both boys have been sick all week, and Jack was diagnosed with an ear infection & wheezing (bronchiolitis) on Thursday.

It went well & the boys & Daddy & Mommy had a great time. The place that we go to really added a lot of new things this year. Levi loved the new “spider” looking slide. I (Judith) went down it with him- they built it out of some type of plastic “pipe”-tube - whatever the stuff was- you FLEW down the slide. I made Donald take him down the “monster” slide! They have a few animals which is always a great hit with the kids. Levi enjoyed the giant sandbox & swings. Levi & Jack had fun playing in the corn box (we had to Jack out quickly though- he likes to put things in his mouth) Levi’s favorite thing was the corn maze. He successfully led us through the maze with his “map” -(a piece of paper that we had to match the shapes with the signs & punch out the shape) Jack LOVED sitting on the hay bales (I know great for the wheezing huh???) & loved picking out a pumpkin.

We took LOADS of pictures like usual (the curse to having a digital camera- 167 pictures in a 2 hour time frame) We put some of the favorites in the October album in the gallery!

Categories: Jack, Levi
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Frugal Monday - I decided instead of frugal Friday - I would have frugal Monday…..I have more time Sunday afternoons to clip & organize coupons & scout out all the sales, because one or both of the boys go to Paw & Nanny’s house after church or they nap all afternoon until it is time to get up and get ready for church at night. so….I use Mondays as my “stock up and save” day!

Today was RiteAid. I thought it might be a disaster trying to go with both boys- little shopping carts + Levi having to walk next to me = potential disaster! BUT I had my list & coupons in hand, I gave Levi a “list” and pencil and we got what we needed & left in recorded time!

Deals of the Day-

3 packs of Huggies diapers - size 3 (for now), size 4 (Jack is getting BIG), & pull-ups - I had a $1, $1.50, & $2.00 coupon + $10 RiteAid rebate if 3 packs were bought! YAY!

2 Jumbo packs M&Ms - sale 2 for 3 plus $1.00 coupon

The rest of my buys were FREE- yes FREE after rebate (besides tax!)

2 chapsticks - stocking up for winter

Triaminic Flu - stocking up for the months ahead

Soft Lips chapstick - never have too many!

Little Cold - for the months ahead

Children’s Advil - bought for Haiti

Excederin - bought for Haiti

I purchased all of this for a total of $25.46 after sales, coupons & rebates!! That is less than what I normally would spend on just 3 packs of diapers!!!! so great day for me today!

plus when I went to pick our mail (from Saturday) at the post office- there were LOTS of coupons sitting right on top of the trash - I didn’t dig in the trash, just moved some around to make sure I got all the good stuff and my mom had all the Sunday paper coupons, so I got those too! Can’t wait to make my next grocery list!

Ebay- plan on selling some more on Ebay this week….I have really thinned out the boys clothes. Most summer stuff went with my mom to help out a village in Haiti. I plan on using this weeks profits to buy a wedding dress so that my mom can take it with her to Haiti in November during their church missions trip. I have previously purchased a few wedding dresses off of Ebay for Haiti! It’s a lot of fun, and the Haitians LOVE lots of lace & beads. I got one New with Tags for $18.00!!! I also plan on trying to look for lots of baby blankets for the children. If any of you moms out there have thin cotton baby blankets that you no longer need or want and would like to donate them to Haiti- contact me.

Family Updates - Jack is crawling all over the place. He pulls up on everything, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks early. He is still a very easy baby, but has quite the temper when aggravated! I think he is getting more teeth, so his sleep is interrupted occasionally. Levi is currently sick, just a low temp and the sniffles. He is really becoming so big and so smart! We are amazed at the knowledge that he soaks in daily. He loves learning new things & loves playing “pretend” - he has a HUGE imagination!

*there are new pictures in the October album

Categories: Jack, Levi, frugal
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Our “frugal week” challenge ended on Sunday…

It was actually refreshing & fun to learn how to spend less, use what was already in the house, & still be full, clean, & happy at the end of the day.

As a wife & mother, it was rewarding to have food prepared for each meal & to stay at home and eat - not like what is sometimes the norm of “uhh….hmmm….nothing in refrigerator or freezer, yeah, let’s just go out to eat or how does a sandwich sound?”

Also, although I do not help in “bringing home the money” - I can be a HUGE help in saving money by learning to cook more affordable meals, being coupon savy, consolidating errands, cutting back on unnecessary spending, bargain shop, etc….

I have MUCH more to learn on being frugal, and not just in the “money spending” aspect. One of the main things, I have been challenged by this past week is on being a homemaker….not just a stay-at-home mom….that is a whole other topic in and of itself, maybe I’ll blog on it in the future……..

Matthew 25- tells the parable of the talents. Our desire is not to be as the man who was lazy and who did nothing with what he was given, but to be as the first & second servant - “good & faithful” We want to use wisely what the Lord has blessed us with.

This week, we have been reminded of how fragile life is, and how life is “but a vapor. ” (James 4:14) & how only what was done for Christ will last.

Janet Bauernschmitt entered into eternity with her Heavenly Father on Sunday morning after a car accident. She was only 24. Although we met once and only knew each other through mutual friends, we have been touched by her life. Her obvious love for the LORD is displayed in the hundreds of people that knew her and have shared what an incredible testimony she had. One post that jumped out to me stated : “Janet loved everyone, she did not see someone as just a person, but as a soul.” During her short time on this earth, she furthered His Kingdom & brought glory & honor to His name. She was a good & faithful servant.

Categories: frugal
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