the blessing box

This week is Natalie's first "Blessing Box" Tuesday over at her blog, Extraordinary Love.  I was very excited to join in!

Blessing one:

Really, my mood is a blessing right now.  With starting school tomorrow, I really wasn't sure if I would be in the "mood" to join in the blessing box this week.  However, I have been hanging onto my Savior and praying for my heart and mind to be in the right place as summer comes to an end.  Just as always, He has answered my prayers in His time and in His perfect way.

Blessing two:

The first blessing leads me to this blessing....my classroom is finally "complete" and ready for my 22 kiddos to arrive tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.  I feel very blessed to work with wonderful people and have a job that is such a blessing.

view from the back of the room

view from our "sink room" door (it connects my classroom to the next door classroom)

view from the classroom door

Blessing three:

I feel really blessed when I get deals like this.  I feel like saving money on groceries and other necessities is a blessing from God in order to stretch our budget.

Kroger has a deal right now where if you buy $20 in school supplies (brands include: Papermate, BIC, Expo, Avery, Sharpie, Crayola, Planahead, Mead, Five Star, Carolina Pad) you get a $4 Catalina. (Coupon that prints out as money toward your next purchase.)  FYI:  The regular price is the price counted toward the $20.

Transaction 1:

Purchased 11 Crayola Crayon 24 count at $.25 each (regular price is $1.99)

Total: $2.75 and received $4 catalina

Transaction 2:

Purchased $9.98 worth of groceries

Used $4 catalina

Total: $5.98

My total spent was $8.75.  The Catalina basically made all 11 packs of crayons free and then gave me $1.25 off my groceries that I needed.  It's definitely a blessing to get paid to shop!

Blessing four:

I'm blessed to have these two in my life...they make it so joyful! They came to help me in my classroom this afternoon as I was putting finishing touches on things.  (And the McDonald's they brought was pretty nice too!)

Boone as a baby

Blessing five:

Summertime.  Need I say more?

a sharp idea

When I did the file cabinet makeover using contact paper posted about here, a lovely reader gave me the idea of using some of the extra contact paper to make-over some office accessories.  What a sharp idea! A couple afternoons ago, I whipped up this little makeover for our pen and pencil holder.  (Mauve and green is good and all....but I just wasn't getting a good vibe from this accessory mixed with our freshly updated office.) 

So in about 5 minutes, I measured the length of the holder, cut the amount I needed, and slowly wrapped the holder while pulling the backing of the contact paper off as I went.

It's as simple as that! I still have some of this cute contact paper left.  Maybe I will cover Boone's crate in it next to match the rest of the office. ;)

deals and steals

I had lots of blessings with my shopping trips to Kroger and Walgreens on Thursday.  It definitely took me a little bit of time to plan out my shopping trips (probably about one hour).  However, overall, I saved $19.74 in coupons.  I like to look at this as money I have made to supplement our income....if you're not spending it, you're making/saving it.  If you make $20 an hour and work a 40 hour a week job...that would be a $41,600 salary.  (Plus I get to save this money...and it's tax-free...even better!) I think that's definitely worth the one hour a week of clipping coupons, printing coupons, meal planning, and list making.  To add to that, because I had my trips completely planned out...down to a sticky note with the list for each store and coupons already pulled for each store and separated, I was finished with Kroger, Walgreens, and a bank stop all in less than an hour.

Kroger

Total spent: $30.94

Total saved: $16.74

35% savings

Best deals:

*Kroger is running a summer savings special where you get $4/4 items on their designated list (which includes a lot of items...you can find the entire list in the store or part of the list in their weekly ad.) Remember that at Kroger you can use an ecoupon loaded onto your Kroger card and a MC from coupon inserts.

For this deal I purchased the following four items:

Charmin 12 pack- $6.99

-use $3/1 Kroger ecoupon

-use $.25/1 coupon that will double from 8/1 P&G

-Summer Savings bonus $1 off

$2.49

Downy Fabric Softener- $4.99

-use $2/1 Kroger ecoupon

-$1/1 coupon from 8/1 P&G

-Summer Savings bonus $1 off

$0.99

Two Old Spice Body Washes- $2.99 each

-use $2/2 Kroger ecoupon

-Summer Savings bonus $1 off each

$0.99 each

Other Kroger deals:

Cascadian Farms Organic French Fries- $2.49 on sale

-use $.75/1 from coupons.com

$1.74

Private Selection Organic Natural black beans- on sale for $0.89

Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant- $2.49 each

-use BOGO coupon from 7/25 RP

-use $1/2 coupon from in-store coupon generator

$.75 each

Walgreens

Total spent: $1.67

Total saved: $3.00

64% savings

First Transaction:

Crayola crayons 24 pack- on sale for $1

Get $1 in Register Rewards

Pay $1 plus tax out of pocket

Second Transaction:

Two 10 pack Penway #2 Pencils-$0.09 each

Cottonelle Fresh Wipes 42 count-$1.99 with in-ad coupon

-use $0.50/1 coupon from July All You

$1.49

 *Use $1 RR from previous transaction

Pay $0.67 plus tax out of pocket

There are many opportunities to give away school supplies right now.  My church is collecting supplies for kiddos in need of supplies, many stores allow you to purchase and leave supplies right there in the store, and you can even call your local school district and/or specific schools around you to ask for specific supply needs.  These are all great options for some of the deals and freebies you can find right now in the school supply sections.

Found any of your own great deals lately? Feel free to share them in the comment section!

a budget buddy

 source

As most of you know from reading my blog, we live on a budget.  And lately with grad school, it's an even more tight budget.  Thankfully, although it's tough sometimes to not be able to buy all the "extras" and things we just want...we're being so blessed during this season of our lives where we only focus on the necessities.  And as Dave Ramsey says...."Live like no one else...so later, you can live like no one else."  That's a commonly quoted statement in our home right now as we try to remain focused.

Well I'm always looking for something to help keep things "together" and organized while budgeting.  I love, love the blog Money Saving Mom.  Although I'm not a mom yet, she gives amazing advice on how her and her hubby got the point they are as frugal parents where she is able to stay/work at home.  Anywho...she offers awesome advice that really is in line with mine and Justin's money beliefs based on our Christian faith and what the bible says about being stewards of what God has give you and not to be in debt to others.

Mint.com  is a great resource I found through Money Saving Mom's blog and has become my "budget buddy".  If you're into budgeting (which I highly recommend) and enjoy organization like me (umm, yes please!), then this website is great for you.  (This isn't an endorsement...simply my own opinion for what it's worth.)  It links to your bank account (100% safely....I researched) and allows you to tag all of your transactions to fit specific sections ("envelopes" in Dave Ramsey language) in your budget.  You can set the specific budget for each section (i.e. eating out, gas, electric bill, etc.) and it shows how much over or under you are on your budget based on your transactions.  Being crazy about using cash in our envelopes to remain on track, we set an "envelope" budget and just tag that transaction where we get the money out each month as "envelopes".  The great thing is, you create the names and can even add a transaction if you need to just to remain right on track.  (For example, we recently just cashed one of Justin's checks.  I still wanted it to go through on mint, so I added the transaction to claim it as income.)  What's so great about this is that areas where we don't use cash for our envelope system, such as gas and tithing, we can keep track with how much we are spending much more easily than before.  Finally, you can even get help organizing setting aside money each month toward a "goal" such as a new car or even school payments.

If you are more interested in the "envelope system" lingo and want to check out Dave Ramsey, you can find his website here.

Questions about this? Feel free to ask! Your own ideas and thoughts on budgeting? I would love to hear them! Do share!

a washington wednesday

One of my favorite family traditions are our family vacations.  We grew up taking a vacation every summer and it's always so much fun and something I always look forward to.  This year my family (mom, dad, my little bro Matt, Justin, and me) took a break from usually going to the beach for vacation and went to Washington D.C.  We went when I was really young, but I didn't really remember anything other than seeing my great uncle's name on the Vietnam Memorial wall and seeing the Declaration of Independence.  Funny what sticks out in early memories.  It is so amazing what all you can see at our nation's capitol.  Truly amazing.  I'm not even a history person....but the history behind what you see is fascinating.  If you've never been, no matter what part of the country you live in, it's definitely worth the car ride or plane ride.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Jefferson Memorial

perfectly stated

hanging out with Mason

on the Metro

part of the twin towers at the Smithsonian

in front of the white house

view from Lincoln Memorial

Larry Maggard--my great uncle

Vietnam Memorial

Washington Monument

changing of the guards

mis padres and the Wright Brothers' airplane

our capitol building

where the Star Spangled Banner hung

Iwo Jima memorial

my grandpa...POW in WWII

bittersweet

Well I'm in my final week of summer and thought I would share my progress on my summer to-do list.  I wasn't very successful with my list last summer, so I'm excited that I did half of what was on my list for this summer. (Plus lots more that wasn't on my list.) 

-make homemade treats for Boone 

Find the recipe here.

-start an exercise routine....daily walks/jogs with Boone and.....hello 30-day shred

The shred part has gone just okay...I didn't make it all 30 days due to going out of town.  However, I have been much more active this summer, which I'm happy with.  The couch to 5k training program is next on the list! 

-daily bible reading and studying 

I have been much more adamant about reading my bible daily.  I have really enjoyed Completely Irresistible: Drawing Others to God's Extravagant Love (Loving Jesus Without Limits) by Shannon Ethridge.

-start my etsy shop

Yay! I did it.  You can check out my etsy tab at the top of this page or read about it here.

 -add curtains to our living room and bedroom  

You can read about that fun and simple makeover here.

-paint our office and kitchen 

Well I only got the office accomplished.  I decided I didn't want to take on removing wallpaper this summer.  It can wait.  But you can read about the office makeover here.

Still on my list.....

-explore nearby shelters and non-profits for ways I can serve and places I can bless with some of these freebies and great deals I find

I have found some outlets at church for some of my freebies and deals. 

-read books from my reading list here

I read more blogs and magazines than anything this summer. 

-starting a little writing project that's been on my heart

Still pondering this one....really, I just need to take the leap. 

-get away with Justin for a mini vacay

We decided to forgo a mini vacay to save money for a big vacay later this year to Disney World! We're so excited! My sister-in-law is a "magic maker" with a travel agency and worked so hard to find us great deals...everything is planned...even down to reservations for our meals! We can't wait to get away together.  (If you ever need a Disney travel agent, let me know...my sister-in-law is amazing and so knowledgeable about all things Disney!)

As you other teachers out there know, the end of summer is a bit sad and bittersweet.  However, I'm trying to get myself excited to go back.  It always gets better once I get into the swing of things....and I'm so thankful for such a blessing of a job.  It will be my third year teaching...and hey...third time's a charm, right?

miscellany monday

One-No I have not abandoned my blog.  Or reading your blogs.  We just got back from a wonderful family vacation to Washington D.C.  and I have not had time to blog or really be on the internet much at all.  It was a nice break.  Pictures to come and I'm looking forward to catching up on my blog reading and posting this week!

Two-I have yet to open our crock pot after two years of marriage.  However, I'm planning on dusting off the box, bringing it out from the basement, and using it this fall and winter.  I know some people swear by their crock pots. What are your favorite (easy, yummy, and healthy) crock pot recipes? Please share!

Three-Couch to 5k begins this week.  Yikes! I'm getting so pumped, though.  And I'm hoping (and praying) this excitement rubs off on my hubby...poor thing.  He's so busy with school, work, and side jobs that I'm hoping he can squeeze in the time here and there for us to train together.  I'm so looking forward to getting my body into shape.

Four-Is it normal to think your first born might not be as sweet and well-behaved as your puppy-child? Seriously...I'm the oldest in my family.  I know how all the hardcore attention, parenting, and spoiling goes to the first child.  Well Boone gets treated pretty well for a dog...more like our baby.  We often laugh about this and wonder how in the world we will get a human baby as "well trained".

Five-I'm not trying to be political or anything.  Really...I promise.  But The View?...really President Obama? Come on.....don't you have better things to do and, shall I add in there....more important things to do.  (Needless to say, we didn't see him while we were in DC....he was too "busy".)  I just feel like it's kind of like the rule that a parent shouldn't be their child's friend, but instead their parent.  I just don't think the president should go for the popular role when he's supposed to be the leader of our nation.  That role should be beyond the control of popularity status.  Do your job....and do it well.  Beyond that, it doesn't matter what people think.  Okay, I'm stepping off the soapbox.


Six-I forgot how hilarious my 20 year old little brother is.  (I'm talking tears in my eyes...trying not to pee my pants funny.)  He really had me laughing so much over vacation.  (And then when you get him and Justin going together...that means even more stomach cramps from laughing.)  He is my little bro, and of course we still "pick" at each other here and there,  but I so enjoyed being around him this past week.  With him being away at school and me so busy with life in general, I don't get to be around him enough.  I love that I truly enjoy being around my family...what a blessing.

Seven-Our pastor shared an amazing message on Sunday morning about the importance of radical giving as a christian.  I love, love radical giving.  We're called to it as Christians and it simply makes life so much more joyful.  Have you ever paid for the car behind you in the drive-thru? Ever left a huge tip just because? Have you ever given of your time even though you were incredibly busy? If so, you've been Jesus to someone.  I just love that!

Happy Monday and Happy Miscellany to you today.  Enjoy the day.