It Is Done!

Today we paid off the remaining balance of my student loans!  ELEVEN MONTHS EARLY!!!!  I’m SO EXCITED!!!!  We also paid off one additional bill that has been lingering for a while.  It feels SO GOOD!!!  I’m thankful for the Lord’s provision and Keith’s decision making.  We have a plan to keep chipping away at our debt, follow a strict budget, and to save for our someday home and other aspirations.  We still owe some on the truck, his student loans, and a little bit more to Asbury.  We have ZERO credit card debt!  It makes us feel so FREE!  YAY!!! 

 

In celebration thereof, we purchased tickets to the Pirates Opening Day at PNC Park…and I’m thinking maybe I might make us a nice steak dinner one night this week. 

Saturday Savings

Total spent this week: $57.70 for groceries AND other misc. items, toiletries, etc. Seriously, I should change the budget to $60/week instead of $50 because that is usually what I spend. I could shave that extra $5-10, but most of it goes to super-deals for stock up, so it's no big deal.


Rite-Aid: Saved$6.50 with coupons alone PLUS getting another $12.99 in rebates! Savings included several free items including Hershey Bliss... YUM, Glade scented oil refill, and some personal items. Coupon savings were great for dish soap this week AND I always wanted to try Crest Whitestrips, but I'm too cheap to pay $20+ for them. With rebate and coupon I got some for $7... not bad!



Giant Eagle: Cleaned house with coupons and double coupons! Saved $13.29 in coupons PLUS $6.15 in doubles and another $8.26 in store specials. Total saved = $27.70 which is OVER HALF what my entire cart load cost. I paid a whole $27.47 out of pocket! Isn't that awesome! It cut my groceries in HALF!!!!



Luckily we didn't actually need much, but I was able to get the usual essentials for the week... milk, cream, etc. and found some great items on sale that were dirt cheap with coupons... I picked up 4 deoderants (2 for him and 2 for me) at a quarter a piece! YES! I got 3 more tubes of Crest for $1.33 per tube and they were the big tubes too. I got two large boxes of pop-tarts for $1.40 each. Not something I buy often, but K is always looking for a snack. That's a cheap snack. The best sale of all... I got 2 Purex x2 laundry detergents for $1.50 each. AWESOME price! To round it off I picked up a couple free cans of dog food for a friend and also landed myself 2 free packets of kitty treats for Crystal and Wizzy.



So this weeks finds were great! Now don't mention to my hubby about the deoderant or toothpaste. He will flip when he sees we have about 10 of each in the closet. He he he... but soon enough I shall pack some up and share with those in need.

Say, anyone need coupons for baby-stuff? I have a nice handful of them... pampers, huggies, gerber, cheerios, etc. The first one to leave a comment of interest in that regard gets them... I will mail them, but you will have to email me your address. **UPDATE - The coupons have been claimed.**

Weekly Savings

Not much at Rite Aid this week. I did get 2 bottles of Lysol Kitchen cleaner for $3.50. I've already seen the ad for this coming week and there are a BUNCH of deals and some FREE STUFF with rebates! SAWEET! I'm planning already!

Walmart has Starburst Jelly Beans for $1.66/bag. I had a coupon that brought that down to $1.16/bag. They also had Betty Crocker cake mixes and frostings for $.88 PLUS I had coupons for $.50 off each so I got them for $.38 -- AWESOME. I had another reason to shop there... I was looking for the prize for my blog-give-away... FOUND IT. (To be revealed soon enough) Additionally I found a really cute twin size quilt-type bedspread for $5, so I picked it up for one of our spare beds.

Groceries... I picked up some fresh veggies, milk, creamer, cheese, etc. I had several coupons for yogurt and Steamfresh veggies. I don't usually buy the Steamfresh ones because they are generally 10 oz. packages for the same price as regular 16 oz. package. In this instance, the Steamfresh actually cost me the same price per oz. (with coupons) and the nice part is that I can cook them in the wrapper and the serving size will be perfect for one whole meal. I also picked up a beef roast, some pie crusts (for more quiche), and some soda for K. All in all, with coupons, some of them doubled, I had a savings of over $10 on groceries today.

Weekly Savings - Grocery

This week I shopped at Giant Eagle. Again, our freezer and pantry are rather full, so I was only looking for really good deals and a few odds and ends.

I found good deals *some with added coupon savings, on butter, cereal, frozen veggies, and maple sausage.

Total saved with store sales and coupons = $17.50

Total weekly budget for groceries = $50

Groceries = $40.04
Rite Aid = $13.52
Total spent $53.52

Weekly Deals - Rite Aid

I'm so loving this new hobby of mine. I'm quite the stock-piler these days!

Rite-Aid Deals

Gillette Mach 3 Disposable razors (for handy-hubby)
$6 - $3 coupon - $3 rebate = $0

Venus Embrace razor (for me)
$10 - $4 coupon - $6 rebate = $0

Glade carpet deodorizer (I had enough coupons to get 2)
$1.49 - $.50 coupon - $1 coupon = $0

Neutra Air spray deodorizer
$2.49 - $.50 coupon - BOGO coupon = 2 for $1.99

Scrubbing Bubbles
$1.99 - $.50 coupon - $.75 coupon = $.74

Sneak-Peak Sunday

Hope ya'll had a very nice weekend. Ours was very good. Here is a sneak-peak...

SATURDAY

• Up early and into Butler for my Girls Group - was a fabulous time! Love my lady-friends! I'm so blessed by them.
• Shopped at Target in Butler. Disappointed again. They had the bed-spread I wanted, but only in a King Size and I need a Queen. Finally succumbed to the idea that I am not meant to have said bedding.
• Found some new really cheap and rather elegant place mats. That made my day and hubby approved commenting that they really accentuate our dining room decor.
• Re-organized my coupon box, purged expired coupons, planned sales shopping for the weekend.
• Shopped deals at Rite-aid as per previous post.
• Established next weeks menu plan & calendar notes
• Washed dishes... and there are still more!
• Made BBQ pork ribs in the crock-pot for dinner. Got the thumbs up from Handy-hubby. Yumm-O! I love my crock-pot!
• Went on a date with Handy-Hubby. Saw a movie.
• Fell fast-asleep in the arms of my man...

SUNDAY

• Went to church. Was a lovely worship service. I adored the hymns we sang this morning as they were tunes which I was well familiar with.
• Picked up this weeks Giant Eagle gift-card for grocery budget. Our church purchases grocery gift-cards in bulk and in advance. The stores sell them for 10% less than the value so the church can use them as a fund-raiser. Then I purchase it for face-value and use them to do my shopping. Costs me the same amount, helps me keep within my established budget, and helps the church in return! Each week I purchase a $50 gift-card for Giant Eagle and the church gets $5 of that! It's an awesome plan! Although the church has to purchase like $10,000 at one time to do this, but it is so worth it. It supports our building fund. AND... we can also use the gift-cards to purchase other gift-cards at Giant Eagle if we choose.
• Picked up this weeks groceries. Took Handy-hubby with me. I really should have learned the last time that he doesn't help the budget. He is like shopping with a child... "can I get this?... that?" UGH! But I love when we go together. Also - I don't usually shop on Sunday. It's a mad-house and I have other more important aspirations for our day of rest. In the future... I shall wait and shop on a week-night.
• Picked up this weeks newspaper with coupons. I don't read the paper. I just get it for the coupons.
• Hubby watched some of the Nascar race while I clipped those coupons and organized them.
• Took a 90 minute nap. Shared it with the kitty.... Crystal. It was quite refreshing.
• Washed some clothes. Folded some clothes. Washed some more!
• Exercised
• Tinkered with some work-related things
• Blogged

Groceries Next???

It's just too busy to shop at the grocery on Saturday. PLUS - I like to buy grocery gift-cards at church because it helps the church and spends the same for me!

I check the ads for both local supermarkets, Giant Eagle and Shop N Save. I don't really care for SNS and find that sometimes their selection is lacking variety. I purused the ads and decided that this week I will only shop at GE. I have plenty of meat in the freezer, so I will just be grabbing some fresh produce, bread, milk, and a few good sale items.

Lipton Rice & Noodle packs, Betty Crocker Potatoes & Helpers are all $1.00 each. Those toaster strudels that everyone LOVES are $2 each. I have COUPONS for these items that will likely be doubled! ALL detergent is $4 each and if you buy $15 total on certain items in the flyer, you get a $5 credit towards your next purchase.

Ok - that's all I've got on deals this week! Have a great week!!!

Average $10 - $15 Per Week

I visit Rite Aid almost every week. My average expense is about $10 - $15 out of pocket. I use sales and coupons to get the best deals. Here is what I got this week with regular price noted:

2 tubes of Colgate Total Toothpaste $2.99 each
8 bars of Zest soap $5.99
1 bottle of Olay body wash $5.29
3 packs of gum $1.19 each

Total that: $20.83

How much did I pay? A whopping $7.09!!!! If you average it per item, it adds up to about 50 cents per item! HA!!!

He he he... coupons + sales + I had a $5 gift certificate that I earned a month or so ago. Wha-hoo!!!

Okay... My handy-hubby is going to crack if I buy any more soap or toothpaste! We currently have 6 tubes of toothpaste + 2 tubes that are in use AND almost 20 bars of soap in our cupboard! I can't help it. When those things are SO CHEAP, I must stock-pile. Besides... as my sister Wendy mentioned, these will be handy when the church sends their college & military shoeboxes. So it's all good.

Deal Or No Deal

I did some modest shopping this week and am pleased to have happened upon a few good deals. Because my pantry is plentiful, we could spend our budget on just sale-items this week, which is our goal overall. Ground meat and boneless pork loin were on sale this week. I browned the ground meat and froze it in smaller portions right away. I cut the pork loin into 3 roasts and 3 chops and froze them as 4 separate meals. I'm delighted to report that our freezer is getting stocked up.

Non-grocery sale items purchased with coupons totalled less than $12 this week: (Rite-Aid) 3-pak of K's favorite Irish Spring soap was 47 cents. 3 Speed stick deodorants were 40 cents each. Box of anti-viral Kleenex's was 48 cents. 2 Suave products (shampoo & conditioner) were 72 cents each. Aspirin was 99 cents each. I don't recall each and every item I purchased, but I had a coupon for everything.

The thing I like about Rite-aid is that their rebate program sends you a check each month that you can cash in for cold hard cash. The other drug stores offer savings that can only be spent in their store. I prefer the cash.

Toothpaste and Soap

Rite Aid is having some good sales on things we can always use... Tonight I picked up FOUR tubes of toothpaste (half Crest, half Colgate) and 6 bars of Irish Spring soap (K's favorite). The bill would normally have come to $16.54 but will sales and coupons I paid a grand total of $5.08. We saved $11.46!!!!! I'm so proud of myself.

Wendy... we have plenty of toothpaste for your visit! No need to pack any! HA!!!

Saving and Budgeting

I have been focusing on being thrifty in my spending lately. Part of this focus is about staying on budget at the grocery store. I clip coupons every week. I'm shopping the sales, using the coupons at just the right time and saving a lot of money in the process. Here are some tips that I'm learning to take advantage of:

1) MENU PLANNING - I'm planning meals each week while giving consideration to what is on sale during this weeks shopping trip. Having this plan definitely deters us from impromptu dining out. It also offers my Handy Hubby an opportunity to decide what he is willing to make for us one day this week... so I know I'll have a break. (He's so good!)

2) Making extra and freezing it for later. I make soup or chili and freeze at least two (more than one serving) containers for another day. I make two lasagnas or casseroles and have one for dinner and freeze the other.

3) Make ahead meats. I baked a 9 pound turkey one day last week. There were a lot of left-overs as that was a rather large bird for just two people. The following day I made turkey tetrazzini. The rest I chopped into bite size pieces and popped into the freezer for another quick meal. I also made a lasagna one day last week. I had left-over ground meat that I had already browned. There is enough to make a meat sauce, so I bagged it and froze it. Our meat sauce will be done in half the time next time.

I really am saving funds at the supermarket by carefully planning before I go. I know which stores have the best deals on everything and what I have coupons for. This week I planned three lists - Giant Eagle, Rite Aid, and Shop-n-Save. Lucky for me these three establishments are all on the main stretch of highway near me, all less than 3 miles from home. I got some super good deals at each place! Free lightbulbs. Free jump-drive!! Super-cheap chili seasoning, Ragu, ground round, boneless pork, and pepperoni slices! Add all this it last weeks plunder... we are stocked!

On Money... Budgeting... Spending

Rebecca at Renaissance got me thinking this morning. Read her post on Act Your Wage, Wage Your Actions.

Holiday spending is out of control in this country. My co-worker scrambles to find every last thing that her children desire. Frantically she makes numerous calls to find the hot items on the list. Meanwhile, I fuss over the idea of purchasing an additional gift that I know my hubby wants instead of using some unexpected funds to either pay off a bill, save for our some-day home, or spoiling someone else. As I muse over my options my coworker says "Just charge it" and is amazed when I respond that I do not use credit cards. We are quite focused on getting out of debt and have made huge strides in the past couple of years. With each month I see us climbing hand over fist up up up out of the hole of debt and closer to our goals.

In regards to money... we figure that it is NOT our money, but what we have is provided on-loan from the Lord. We are thankful for such blessing. Managing it is not always easy. We have a budget. We've re-done the budget many many times. The hard part is sticking to the budget! I think keeping the focus is the biggest obstacle. Gift giving is part of the budget. It's HARD to stick to the budget when the desires of ones heart wish to spoil someone BEYOND the budget!

In our household, we usually purchase a sensible gift for eachother, something for a needy family or two from the church angel tree, and a gift for each child in our family. We have 10 precious ones so we have to carefully budget the expenses in order to choose one modest gift for each niece and nephew. Contrary to what some may think... we do not have a large budget for gift giving at Christmas time.

We have decided that TIME is actually a better gift than any. This year we spent one Saturday taking my parents to the Soldiers and Sailors museum, out for dinner, and to a holiday show of the Ralaigh Ringers. We proclaimed that this was their gift from us.... a little spoiling on a night of togetherness doing something interesting and festive. Having a few hours of undivided attention was gift enough for me... and based on their responses we understand that they enjoyed it as well.

I am thankful that our family intends to celebrate with us in our home this year. For me... TIME is the greatest gift and thus I shall be mighty spoiled this Christmas!!!!