Guest Post

Just wanted to let y'all know that I'm guest posting today for my sweet, thrifty friend, Ashleigh, while she spends some well-needed time away with her very own sweet newborn Adeline!

Head on over to Thankfully Thrifty to hear about what you just won't find in my kitchen!

Make sure to chime in with what we wouldn't find in your own kitchen.

date night budget-style

Justin and I got the gift and blessing of a date night tonight! My aunt is in town and was happy to watch Miss A while we went out for the evening.

I can count the number of dates we've had since Adeline on two hands. We always have such good intentions but we get so tired and busy that we let it slip as a priority.

We've really been working on trying to at least do a date night a month- I know, not perfect, but getting somewhere! We do have A LOT of evenings together on the couch and more impromptu time together. :)

When we do a date night, we really work hard to still stay within our budget. It's always fun to see how God can take a little and make it into such a fun, full time together! Tonight was no exception.

So tonight we started with dinner at Bucca di Beppo. We shared a salad and an entree (their portions are HUGE)!

Savings: $10 from a $10 off $20 or more coupon from our local fundraising coupon savings book.

Next, Justin planned for us to go bowling! We haven't bowled since our first or second year of marriage. :) We had a ton of fun and had kinda forgotten that playful/flirty/competitive side of dating. Success. :)

Savings: $15 savings with a buy one game/get one game free coupon from our local fundraising coupon booklet.

After bowling, we hit a Starbucks drive-thru and both splurged on frappuccinos.

Savings: $5 with my birthday freebie drink and $5 for the other drink with a gift card.

We ended our night at Barnes and Noble- both grabbing a stack of magazines (I NEVER take a moment to look at magazines anymore. Such a treat!) and sat to enjoy our picks for a while.

Overall, our $75ish date cost us around $15 of our personal money after using gift cards, coupons, cash we had been gifted, and choosing some free fun. Blessings!!

We came home to a sleepy Adeline (it's often so much easier to just let Adeline go to bed late on this rare occasion than leave step by step directions for whoever is watching her. Plus the fact I'm still nursing her- just easier all together! :)

We had such a blast and are always so blessed when we are intentional to spend alone time together. I'm so grateful for a man that pursued me like crazy before dating and still does 5 years into marriage.

why you should shop at Goodwill

Recently I wrote a post on shopping at Yard Sales and why you should jump on that bandwagon! Well today's trip to Goodwill got me excited to tell you all about why you should also shop at Goodwill! I often run into Goodwill when I'm near it and have a few minutes to kill.  Honestly, the most time I usually need (even when just taking my time) is about 30 minutes or so.  I put Adeline in her umbrella stroller, and off we stroll through Goodwill.

Today's finds steals:

-Target navy button-up hooded jacket (12 months):  $1.50

-Vera Bradley ID holder:  $1.87

-The Grouch Ladybug board book:  $0.50

-A Christmas gift for someone that reads this blog so I can't show a pic (brand new):  $4

And my favorites...

-TWO pairs of infant girls Stride Rite shoes (one pair size 2, one pair size 4; one brand new in box and one just like new):  $1 each

The best part about it:

-The jacket would retail for at least $10!

-The Vera Bradley ID holder would retail for at least $10...and can easily be sold on eBay to more than double my money (my plan!).

-The board book can be sanitized and looks never touched...and will be one thrown into a stocking or added to a goody box for Adeline for Christmas.  (This would retail for at least $8.)

-Each pair of Stride Rite shoes would retail for $30-$40 and anywhere from $15-$30 on eBay.

-The other gift I can't show would retail for at least $25.

That's around $100 worth of stuff for just under $11!!!

Convinced yet?

Tips on "Goodwill-ing":

-Don't be turned off by the smell.  Just sayin'.  (Had to get that one out of the way.)

-Sanitize your hands when you leave.  (Okay--another one I had to get out of the way.)

-Look for name brand clothes and shoes.  (You'll get the best deal.)

-Check out the jean department! Seriously, people get rid of crazy, ridiculous, high end jeans that look like they have never been worn.  (Many of them probably haven't.)

-If you're like me, you don't want the smoke smell on your clothes...smell any clothes before buying them.  If they've been in a smoking home, they will still have a lingering smoke smell.

-Look for items that you know have a high value and (if you're into eBaying) you can sell on eBay.  (Vera Bradley is a huge seller on eBay!!)

-It's hit or miss.  So even if you don't find much one week...you may find tons the next.

-It isn't necessarily true that a "ritzy" area will have a better Goodwill.

-Look closely on the shelves...up, down, in-front-of and behind.  Move things around to find things behind them.

-Think "re-purpose".  You can do a lot with a can of spray paint and a creative idea in mind.

-I rarely shop with an agenda.  If you're looking for it...chances are...you won't find it. Shop with an open mind.

-The fun is in the hunt!

-Dig as much as you're comfortable with.  The infant clothes are usually in a big bin at our Goodwill...so I dig through it.

-Go middle of the week...they've had time to clean and prep everything people cleaned out of their closets and didn't sell at yard sales or consignment sales from the weekend.

I really like that Goodwill employs individuals that need a job and often employ individuals with special needs that may not be able to get a job other places.  You're shopping for a good cause and getting a deal...double bonus!

(Since I'm loving me some Goodwill today...I'm linking up with Jamie!)

why you should yard sale

If you know me or have read my blog for long, you know I'm all about a deal.  I'm naturally thrifty-minded and, for me, it's a thrill to seek out a deal.  Many Saturdays, I get up and hit the yard sales around town.  Some mornings we go out as a family.  Some mornings it's just Adeline and me.  And occasionally, Justin stays home with Adeline while I go out for a bit in the morning.  This morning I flew solo and had tons of luck!

Total yard sales: 5

Total time:  1.5 hours

Number of items purchased: 12

Total spent:  $6

I found Adeline gobs of books at a couple of the yard sales! I was able to buy 5 board books at my first yard sale for $1.50, including Tigger Bounces into Fall (so cute!).  I then bought Clifford's First Halloween and a Max Lucado board book, as well as a sing along nursery rhyme CD for $2 at my next yard sale.

After that I headed to another yard sale and found an awesome oval frame that I've been wanting for a crafting project that's up my sleeve! I'm currently giving it new life with some spray paint and a little makeover.  (Justin was disturbed that the family left their family photo in the frame.  Seriously...it's a reprint of an old family photo.  He wants me to burn it so it doesn't haunt us. ha!)

My last planned yard sale was a flop.  High prices and junk I didn't need.

The last yard sale I went to probably excited me the most and I just found it following signs.  Love when that happens.

At this yard sale I found a Bailey Boys gingham romper set and two pairs of shoes for Adeline!

I had just told Justin the night before I wanted to find some bright red shoes to go with Adeline's lady bug Halloween costume...found them! I only paid $0.50 for these and they're Gap!

The deal of the day...century maybe...was the Bailey Boys outfit.  This thing was probably between $30 and $40 new!! I bought it for $1!

Tips for "Yard Sale-ing":

- Search Craigslist or your local paper around Thursday or Friday for listings. On Craigslist, under "for sale, garage sales"...search by the town names you want to shop in.  I search by my county, then I search by the specific cities I know I want to shop in.

-Go early but don't worry if you aren't there when they first open.  Sometimes you'll get better deals as the day goes on because people just want to get rid of things!

-Take cash and coins...and preferably set a limit.

-Look for prices that are about 10-20% of what they originally would have sold.  (Or try to do even better!)

-If something isn't priced...ask!

-Just think: sanitize.  My favorite option is Clorox's Anywhere cleaner.  Makes toys and books brand new! Porous items such as fabric, can be thrown in the washer.  Small pieces like plastic blocks can be put into a mesh laundry bag and put into the top rack in the dishwasher!

-Be bold and ask for a lower price if you think it should be lower.

-Group items together and ask the seller for a price for the group.  (For example, I bought 5 books for $1.50.  Originally, they wanted $0.50 a piece for the books, meaning I would have paid. $2.50.  I just approached the seller with the group of books and politely asked if she would take $1.50 for all of them.  It was a yes and I got an even better deal!)

-Don't give up.  Some weekends you will have a lot of luck, while others you won't have any.

-Go with items in mind and think about how you can repurpose or give new life to an item! If you're willing to put a little creativity and/or elbow grease into something, you can save SO much money by shopping at yard sales.

-Look at the tags! (Often, you can find designer kids clothes for super cheap at yard sales.  I know I can buy many clothes, such as Target, Kohl's, etc. very cheap on clearance and with store coupons in the store.  I often don't buy those types of clothes at yard sales.  However, you can't even find yard sale type deals on designer clothes when you buy consignment.  I don't pass up a designer outfit that's priced right at a yard sale.  Often kids clothes have been worn once or twice and look brand new.)

-Make it fun.  I often stop by McDonald's and get a large diet coke to take along with me for the ride.

still in her jammies...enjoying her new treasures!

Enjoy the hunt!

How Much Can I Save in a Year? August Update!

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.cait-theblessedlife.blogspot.com" _mce_href="http://www.cait-theblessedlife.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5575605478_84ee822740_m.jpg" _mce_src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs170.snc3/19765_265054143834_265050838834_4530250_4491090_s.jpg"/></a><br />

   

 This was another slow month for me with starting back to teaching.  I did seem to score quite a few freebies this month, which I can't complain about at all! I also was able to utilize coupons to save on some purchases for nursery decor!

August Savings 

$69.10

2011 Total Savings

$603.82

Best of Savings

Free or Almost Free Items this month with coupons:

-Secret Deodorant

-Floss

-3 pack of onesies

-3 trial packs Cascade Action Pacs

-Hostess Mini Muffins

-Rightguard Deoderant

-2 packs of Safeguard soap

-Carefree Liners ($0.09)

A Little Savings Tidbit

It's often cheaper to buy travel size and/or trial size of items.  A lot of people think, "Why waste a coupon on a travel or trial size item when you can put it toward a larger size?" Two words:  Unit price.  (The price of the item per quantity (oz., lb., etc.).  Yes, I could have put my three $1/1 coupons toward bigger bags of Cascade Action Pacs, but instead I put them toward the 4 trial size bags and got three packs for free, plus a fourth for almost free due to overage from my coupons (the packs were actually less than $1 a piece).

  

Now it's your turn! The linky isn't working today, so comment below with a link to your page! Then go to Ashleigh's blog and comment with your link as well!  Whether its an update on your savings so far this year or just a great trip you had with great savings! Anything goes! Also, make sure to go check out Thankfully Thrifty to see how Ashleigh's savings are going so far this year!

How Much Can I Save in a Year?

This should be fun! I'm joining up with Ashleigh over at Thankfully Thrifty to see just how much money I can save in a year with coupons.  Yep, just coupons! This will include anything I purchase and use a coupon/promotion to get a discount.  Groceries, toiletries, clothes, and even restaurant savings will be included.  You can see more specifics on the guidelines on Ashleigh's post here.

You know I already keep a running total of my savings on my sidebar, so this will just be a little more specific and include a post at the end of each month to share my savings from the month.

What you can look forward to in my "How Much Can I Save in a Year" monthly posts:

-Monthly updates on my savings.
-Monthly updates on free items from the month.
-Monthly tips on saving money that you can utilize.
-An occasional video post on my savings (see below for a taste of that).

We would love to have you join us! If you would like to, please leave a comment with your link on my post at the end of the month or send me an email letting me know you would like to be included and I will included a link to your blog in my monthly posts.


And in order to make this kick-off to savings even more fun, I'm including a little video of my savings from my shopping trip today.  Let me apologize in advance for a few things:
-Boone's whining toward the end of the post.
-I annoyingly chew gum at the beginning of the video.
-I misspoke and stated that I had a $2 off coupon for the chips...really they cost $2 and I had a $1/1 coupon making them $1.
-This is my first video post of myself.  Enough said.

My questions for you:  In general, are you interested in saving money using coupons? Are you interested in tips to help you saving money? What would you like to hear about? Where do you feel you're a little "rusty" on saving money? What types of posts would really benefit your household budget? I would love to hear your input in hopes to meet your needs in the upcoming year and get you motivated to save.

christmas spending savvy

Today's topic...

Thrifty Christmas Tips!

<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://cait-theblessedlife.blogspot.com"><br /><img src="http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab38/theblessedlife/polka-dots-green-white-1.gif" border="0" alt="button" /></a>” /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Grab the button and link-up for the fun!

If you've read my blog for long, you know that I'm all about being thrifty and saving money! Our budget is our friend.  And that fact doesn't change around the holidays!

A few things that keeps us budget-focused during the holidays...

-First things first...create a Christmas spending budget and stick to it.  (We go as far as setting a specific amount we're spending for each person.)

-Pay with cash.  (If you've budgeted for an item, you can easily pay cash for it.  If you pay with cash, you won't feel the expense after Christmas, too.) 

-Keep a record of every gift you buy so you see how much you have left to spend on someone.  It helps you stay focused when you shop and allows you to easily see how much you can still spend.

-Go in together with someone on a gift that may be too much to spend.

-Make a gift.  Handmade is always cherished!

-Buy in groups.  For example, Old Navy recently had a buy one, get one free sale on sweaters...there you can get a better deal on an item, plus you will have an item for two people on your list.  Or many times Bath and Body Works offers deals when you buy three or more of something.  If it would be a nice gift for more than one person on your list, go ahead and buy three of them (as long as you have a recipient in mind).

-Hunt for deals.  If you've vowed to be more crafty with next year's gifts...hit up the day after Christmas sales for 50% off items.

-Host a Christmas party together with a friend or another couple.

-If you can't afford it...don't buy it.

And really...remember things are just things.  Giving should be joyful, not a budget burden.  The real gift of Christmas is that God's love was given to us in a manger.  His love and grace are ours for the taking and giving.  Share that priceless message with someone this Christmas.  It's absolutely free.  How much better does that get?

What are your thrifty holiday tips?

Link up your Christmas musings (anything else you have on your heart/mind) tomorrow for our final day of the 12 Days of Christmas link-up!

great lengths

This picture is what caused me to go to great lengths.

My sweet, handsome hubby's hair.  The length and the shaginess.  Well shaginess for him at least.  His lovely, fine hair only grows one way...straight out.  It doesn't lye down.  It only wants to stand straight up.  And it demands to grow fast. 

So in all my thriftiness glory, I decided to take it upon myself to go to great lengths to cut this man's hair.  $12 a pop just doesn't "cut it" for this Dave Ramsey family, especially with how often he needs his hair cut.  So for $23 we purchased a clipper set so that I can start cutting his hair at home.  (That's less than two hair cuts!)

And after reading the directions very carefully so we didn't reenact the hair cutting experience from our pre-wedding days where I cut his hair way too short, I successfully cut Justin's hair.  No bleeding and no gaping holes in the cut.  Plus, he was even happy with it.  And he's not always so easy to please. :)

How about you ladies? Do the men in your life trust you with clippers? Have any funny DIY hair-cutting stories? Let us hear 'em!

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!

file cabinet makeover

See this beauty?

It's had a home in our office/"Boone's room" (as you can see from the crate in the background) since we moved in and has looked so pitiful the entire time.  It has glass stains....

And other nasty flaws....

But it's been hidden between our desk and Boone's crate...out of sight for the most part.  But definitely not out of mind for this "what else can I fix, organize, makeover, rearrange, or repurpose in our home" chick.  (And on this poor file cabinet's behalf, can I add it was free? I got it from my sweet grandma when she moved from her home to a nursing home.)

If you read my lovely little post here about my $3 Wal-Mart clearance contact paper, you know that I mentioned I had some ideas stirring already when I convinced myself to put this in my cart.  Well today was the day that I went into the office and just couldn't stand it anymore.  Anyone else get those spurts of home makeover energy? When it hits me, I jump on it.

So check out the process of our (less than) $3 file cabinet makeover with contact paper.  Yep, I said it.  Contact paper.

I started up one side first.  Key with this stuff...patience. 

See, even God can work through contact paper. 

He teaches me patience in just about every tiny moment of my life.

You want to get the corner started, and then peel away the backing slowly as you smooth out the bubbles or crinkles that appear.

I continued this process over the top of the file cabinet and down the other side.

I cut the bottom and then folded it under.  (Ignore that bubble there on the edge...I smoothed it out.  Plus, if you can't get it smoothed out, just use a little pin to puncture the bubble and it smoothes right out.)

You saw a glimpse of the still-ugly top and bottom parts of the file cabinet above.  (The parts above and below the drawers.)  To solve this problem, I measured those parts and then measured the area on the back of the contact paper so I could mark my measurements and cut them out to apply.

Once I applied those parts...you'll see that in a minute...I cut any overlapping contact paper in the back of the filing cabinet at the corners so that I could smooth the paper down onto the back surface of the filing cabinet.  (This part is always against a wall, so I didn't worry how neat it looked.)

And the final project....

A closer look...

And tucked back all snug and cozy...and much more pleasing to the eye...between our desk and Boone's crate.  (I told him he now has "wallpaper" in a part of his crate.)

I love how this turned out. 

Thrifty? Check.  Aesthetically pleasing? Check. 

One more project off of my to-do list making me very happy? Check.

So now that I have a lot of contact paper left on this roll and I am so impressed by the actual tasteful look of the design, I'm wondering what other contact paper project ideas you have.  Have you ever used contact paper in a different sorta way? Do share!

Happy weekend!

a not-so wordless wednesday...a simple, cutesy, and thrifty idea

Somehow I always seem to break the "Wordless Wednesday" implied rules....because I'm wordy.  I guess my goal on Wednesdays is to keep it short and sweet....that's my version of "wordless".

This is what you see in the middle of our kitchen table right now.  We're not fancy people, so this fits our home to a tee.  I love it because it's so sweet, springy and was very budget-friendly.

The goods:

Apples:  bought for a recipe I am making this week (I keep hinting at this, and I promise I will share pics and the recipe for this delicious dish after this weekend.  Believe me, you'll want to eat it through the screen.)

Bowl:  party of my lovely white bowl collection from our wedding gifts (use what's in the cabinets!)

Daisies:  left over from my beautiful Valentine's day bouquet...they outlasted the roses big time (and I would pick daisies over roses anyday!)

Vase:  don't remember...but I love the idea of it not really being a vase and is really a country-style pitcher (sweet tea anyone?!)

Placemat:  one of four we got for a wedding gift...I rarely use my placemats for placemats...they usually end up being a centerpiece "splash of color" instead.

 

What's your centerpiece style?
Be inspired.  Shop your home for cutesy, simple centerpiece items. 

spring decor and repurposing

Spring is in the air.  Hallelujah!

I bought a great crock flower pot at our local flea market for just $7.  It was sitting in our extra bedroom waiting to be filled with flowers on the back deck when it gets warmer...and I decided to do a little repurposing to incorporate it into our foyer for some "springing up" decor.

Before

After

I simply flipped the flower pot over, placed some fake moss left over from my flower cube craft and placed this cute little bird I found on clearance for $3 at Kirkland's at the top. 

 (I love the little bird...my grandma loves birds and it reminds me of her...and spring of course.)

So there you have it.  A little mini spring makeover for the foyer of our little nest.  What do you have around your house you can repurpose in a unique way?

I'm linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party. 

an award and a thank you!

Thank you so much Thankfully Thrifty for an award shout-out!

Ashleigh at Thankfully Thrifty has become a "bloggy friend" of mine. :) She's in Dallas...I'm in good ol' Kentucky...but we've found lots of similarities. Striving to be stewards of God's money? Check! Crafty? (well she's much more impressive on that end! Check out her cute clutch.) Check! Cute "puppies" that seem to be more like our babies? Check! If you're not in the blogging world...it's the best part of it all...making friends with people you would have probably never come in contact with!  Check out Ashleigh's blog for thrifty tips, AWESOME links to freebies, her amazing deals, and all things crafty and cutesy.  Thanks again, Ashleigh!

 Now to pass on the love...Check out my post from about a week ago on my blog tribe to find some great ladies whose blogs bless me! (So cool that I've added Thankfully Thrifty since then...I challenge you to continue to grow your list as I do mine! It's just plain fun!)

So in honor of any of my new (or old revisiting) bloggy friends....here are a couple thrifty tips for your Tuesday morning.

1.  Coupon Buddies--
Find a few people that get coupons that they don't use all of them and swap coupons! Sounds simple? It is! (It's "being green" with your coupons, too!) My mom and my grandma are my coupon buddies.  We're so serious about this that my grandma hands me a stack of coupons when I come into church on Sunday mornings and my mom has them waiting for me in a grocery bag at her house when I come by. haha...we're hard-core coupon people! Check out this stack of coupons I got from my mom the other day.

This makes my heart happy.

2.  Frugal Fabric Softener--

My momma taught me this one! I have been guilty of always buying drier sheets.  Well, this great tip cuts down on how much fabric softener you buy...big time. Whew! The directions on the bottle won't tell you to do this....but I am asking you to be a thrifty rebel here.  Grab a waschcloth and cup it over the top of the bottle.  Simple turn the bottle over once to wet a spot of the washcloth with the fabric softener.  Throw the washcloth into the drier with your clothes and you'll have the same fresh smell and soft-to-the touch clothes.  (And my favorite...no static.) Of course, you may need to adapt how many times you do this onto the washcloth depending on if you are a get-it-over-with-as-fast-as-you-can laundry person like me and do huge loads.  (Dollar off coupon in that stack of coupons you saw earlier helped me get this for about $2.)

Enjoy your day!

blessings, Cait

a budget warm and fuzzy

I discussed here how the hubby and I follow Dave Ramsey's envelope system.  (FYI...it's a cash-crazy, insanely intense form of budgeting).  Sounds fun, huh?! Oh...it is! (No sarcasm there...I am budget-crazy enough to really mean that.) Check out his website for details...or email me personally if you have questions of what all the fuss is about.

Anywho...when we first got married I had no, I mean no idea of how to grocery shop for the two of us.  I had done the minimum grocery shopping needed to get me by in the dorm and my apartment in college.....but that didn't prepare me for "wifehood".  Well, so we budgeted a whoppin' $100 a week (yes, I said week) for groceries...for the two of us.  No babies.  Not even a puppy for the first 8 months.  This is where I will give you permission to laugh at me.  Yes, laugh at my ignorance.  It's okay, I'm human. :) Well, let's just say after a year and half of marriage, I kinda feel like I have our eating patterns down.  I know what we need for lunches (we both take our lunch every day to work) and I plan my meals for the week before I go to the grocery.  So I dropped our grocery budget to....drum roll.....$50 a week.  Oh my heart is smiling.  That puts us at a savings of $200 a month.  That's $2400 a year.  I could keep going. My mind plays these little games on the envelope system. 

February has been our first month on this "slashed in half" grocery budget.  Last week I came home sad.  Before leaving, I cut my coupons like crazy (only the ones for items we actually buy), had them organized just-so like I blogged about here, studied Kroger's ad, strategically planned my list according to sections of the grocery so I wouldn't be distracted by running all over the place and could focus on my coupons and unit prices, and I still came in over budget.  With coupons...my total came to $61.00.  Boo.  However, I got home, pouted a little, and my sweet hubby reminded me that I had cut our grocery bill by $39.  With that, I felt better and even more determined to win this fight.

So fast forward to this week's grocery trip.  After reflecting...last week's trip did include our drinks that last us a couple weeks and other items that are a little more expensive, but last us a while.  (I have learned that it seems every other grocery trip is like this.  The next week's trip is usually just for some "necessities" to add to the pantry for the week.) This week was one of those "necessity" trips.  I do use that term lightly...as I am still learning, folks. :)  Are you ready for this? Remember how I told you I get easily excited? Well I was tonight.  Our grocery bill came out to be $28.75! Yay for the "newlywed" wife!

So if you add the previous week's bill, this week's bill, and the $9.50 we paid for Boone's food that we bought this week (yes, we include his food in our grocery budget.....he is our child after all).....we came in at $99.25 for two week's worth of groceries.  (Some of the items of course will continue to carry over into other weeks.)  That means for the first two weeks of this month we have spent what we spent on just one week's groceries in past months.  Oh, I love this!

A few things that made this week's shopping trip so "warm and fuzzy":
-Boone's Purina dog food was on sale from $14 to $11 and then I had a $1.50 off coupon.
-When pouring Boone's food into his bin, we found a "free" coupon for a Purina granola treat...so he got a $3.99 treat for FREE. (We love our frugal puppy.)
-Kroger doubles coupons $.50 and under....even if it says "do not double"....gotta love those grocery rebels!
-Simply the fact that Kroger has great "generic-brand" products that are much cheaper and you don't feel that you are sacrificing quality.

Check out our $28.75 spread....that does include the ingredients to make a heaping amount of that yummy tortilla soup I gave you the recipe for on a previous blog.  (We have snow on the way, people.  A good homemade soup is a must-have!)

Of course, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace has been a huge inspiration for our budget.  However, for more grocery saving inspiration in the blogging world, visit Money Saving Mom.  You can find great coupon scenarios, printable coupons, freebies, links to other money-saving bloggers and tons of other thrifty tips.

Happy budgeting!! (Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?)


blessings, Cait

free tissues and a thrifty discovery

So this post is random.

I have a couple things I have done recently that I wanted to share, so I'm combining them into this one quick post.

Use or lose.

Lets start with the tissue box. For some reason I have had in my mind since moving into our little bungalow that our tissue box has to match the hopefully soon-to-be remodeled decor in our master bath. (Yes, I am that person sometimes...please don't judge.) I always worked hard to find a cutesy floral earthy-tone patterned box of tissues. Well, this time around I ripped the top of the tissue box as I was removing the little flappy thing. I looked at that torn part of the box for a couple days.....and it drove me nuts. Not only did the box not match, but the the ripped part was sticking out like a sore thumb. Like the hole in the wall from where my hubby started our tile removal doesn't... Anywho...this led to a wonderful discovery! Tissues free from the confinement of a box.

Check it out...

This is kind of embarassing...but I will share anyway. I yelled for my hubby to come into the bathroom just to see this. He acted very amused......whether he was acting or not, I don't care...he provided the response I hoped to receive! :) This may make you cringe...but it works for us and we heart the idea. (If this suits your fancy....I just used a long skinny basket that I have had in our house.)

Next random idea....

This idea came from the fact that I am a tad bit tight with money. There are few things I splurge on and one of those is my Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer. I usually tend to go for the off-brands or whatever I have a coupon for...but this stuff is great and one of my must-haves. This makes me look like I'm actually awake to teach those little kiddos at 7:30 in the morning. Well....this stuff isn't cheap. At least not on my terms. And I was at the point where I could not possibly squeeze another drop outta the bottle. So I decided to do something I used to laugh at one of my college roomies for doing.......I cut the tube in half. Yep, that's right. I took scissors and cut it in half like this.....

And look what I found...

Turns out my roomie wasn't as crazy as I thought! That's right! Enough daily moisturizer to last me over an entire extra week...I'm still digging some out! (I'm easily amused as you can see.) I just threw both parts into a snacksize baggie.

Pinching pennies? I highly recommend this! Shampoo and conditioner bottles, body wash bottles, concealer, etc.

So what thrifty ideas steal your heart? Do share!

blessings, Cait

mini-makeovers with pillows

I am a little pillow-crazy. I love how a simple pillow can add so much coziness to a room. So, I have recently completed some mini-makeovers using pillows within our home. Check out the befores and afters.

This fall I changed out our dreary dark red pillows on one of our couches to light, cream colored pillows. I'm not sure if it was the changing seasons or the thought of the creamy, white snow of winter. Whatever it was that inspired me, it's amazing how the new pillows lighten up the room! (Each white pillow was $9.99 at Target.)




Just today I was at Kohl's and found a pair of these great floral pillows for $4 each on super clearance. I could not pass up a deal like that! It really helps cozy up this wicker chair in our living room. (The matching pillow found a home on our extra bedroom bed as I did a little re-arranging with the pillows that were originally on that bed.) See below...



So you may have recently heard the newly coined phrase by thrifty desingers called "shopping your home". We all have that extra "stuff" lying around that we aren't using or that could simply be used in a better way somewhere else in the home. This is a great way to refresh your rooms withouth dishing out any cash from the budget! Well that's exactly what I did...I shopped my home and found these great pillows on the bed in our guest bedroom. Think outside the box...these pillows go with the set from out guest bedroom but look just as great (maybe even better...) with our master bedroom set.
Lastly, you'll see no before pic because we've had this little basket of pillows in our living room since we moved in. I had these pillows but didn't know where to put them...had the basket but nothing to put in it. I loved them both and didn't want to store them in the basement...soooo they become a floor accessory. :)
So you think a room or a few rooms need some refreshing in your home...add (or rearrange) some pillows! You'll love the result!


_________________________________________________
2010 Coupon Savings Running total:
*I saved $5.79 with coupons on my $8.83 Target bill today.
*2010 savings so far....$16.89
(Tip...I had a "buy one get one free" coupon and used a dollar off coupon on the same item. Don't be coupon shy at the store!)


I've linked this post to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party.