Heading out on a vacay!

Ok-
I have about a million things to do( packing-ugh!) and I am deliberately putting them off to write in my blog. I wonder why I do things like this to myself. It only adds to my stress. But really, I feel like I have things somewhat in control, I just hate packing. I mean hate it.
I wonder if there was a cute packing list out there. Maybe even illustrated. I'd love that.

Well, I guess I should get started.
I should.
I really should.

Or maybe I will see if I can find a cute illustrated packing list.

Bye!

Summer's on its way!

I went camping with my kids this weekend, which didn't work out so well. (Broken lift pulley system in the camper- which was just fixed last summer for 800 bucks-growling face!) but rather than come home, we ended up going through Kennewick, Washington. I LOVE that little city. I mean LOVE it. Wide open blue skies, can see for miles and miles, pretty hills, and green grass. It was gorgeous.

And the weather was mostly nice too. I can get a might grumpy with grey skies for a long time, so it is nice to get away, even if only for a few days and see the sun.

And, I had time to sit down and blog hop. Found a delightful new blog, Kitchen Stewardship, and another one I liked, Fancy and Frugal. It is so nice to know that there are lots of people out there who care about the same things I do, and who create things so that I can shamelessly copy them, especially with decorating. I am clueless when it comes to that kind of thing.

I've been wanting lemonade. A sure sign that summer is almost here!

Try a little something new, try a little something different

So, I have been doing my couponing thing for about a year now. I am regularly saving about 70-80% on the things that I am stocking up on.
My sister and mom came down to see me at Spring Break. I showed them my KarenCo and they were impressed. My sister (who is getting married and paying for it mostly herself) wanted to learn how to shop that way. Of course I had to show her. Now we are emailing back and forth, I got this, I got this for this...
Yesterday, I got my football playing son 21 gatorades for less than 11 bucks. I also got 6 dishwasher detergents, which were on my stock up list. I feel like I am learning the system.
I am saving up for an intelliscanner next and the software for it (so that I can scan the items that I get and save the list to my computer.
I also got a new phone so that I can use store coupons on my phone (and my sweet little blackberry's was dying slowly- I loved that phone, I really did)
I also downgraded our phone, computer internet service and tv package, which I think will save me about 45 bucks a month. Every little bit helps when you are paying down debt.

Wordful Wednesday: Random Acts of Kindness

I am amazingly blessed by a lot of great people around me. I was having a hard time with something about three months ago.
I belong to a group of women who get together to share issues and then try and solve them in a very positive way.
During my turn to share, I broke down crying because of stress, anxiety, and worry. I put my whole heart into everything I do, so when things aren't going well, it is really stressful for me.
My group took my distress to heart, and each day, one of them would take turns looking in on me and just checking in. They didn't tell me that they were doing this, they just set up a little schedule among themselves and just checked in.
I count that as among one of the kindest things that anyone has ever done for me.
I am no longer stressed out and the situation has passed. But the memory of those kindnesses will stay with me forever.

budgeting works!

I am on a serious debt diet. I mean serious.
I am already an avid couponer and a menu planner. I am also a bit of a "prepper" in that I am a little crazy about having enough food in our house to last us if there were an emergency. I feel really uncomfortable if I don't have a lot of food in the house. While I am not like totally a hoarder, we DO use what we have, we have enough to comfortably feed us for at least a month at all times.
And, I get a serious thrill from hunting down a bargain. I am always searching out new ways to get stuff for free or nearly free. My latest foray is drug store rewards card shopping...

But we have a lot of debt too, from when we were not making a lot of money, and I was a stay at home mama. There wasn't a blogosphere then (Oh how I wish there had been!) and we lived week to week on a sgt's pay with 4 little ones. But we survived on his pay and ashamedly, threw little extras here and there on credit too. Soon enough, those little extra amounts made big, big amounts. Although we've been paying the minimums for YEARS now, the amounts never seem to go down.
My goal is to... this year, pay down my credit card to half of the amount I now owe, AND by this time two years from now, owe NOTHING on that credit card.
So, I looked around, and went with the Dave Ramsey approach. (I already had his total money makeover book and workbook) I bought his envelope wallet(half price at Christmas;) and went to the commissary today with my goal (I was worried it might be too low) and a menu plan for the month. I bought EVERYTHING we will need for a month and even some stock up extras (cookies for a buck a bag, cereal for a dollar ten a box and riesen chocolate chews for 49 cents!)
And when all of my coupons were taken away (41 bucks in coupons:) I made my goal AND had 75 bucks left over. 75 dollars! 75 dollars to pay off on my credit card! I thought what I had budgeted was too low by about a 100 bucks, and to come in at 75 dollars less than my low amount was a miracle. We are spending a ton less than the national average per person for food for our family.
One other goal is to NOT eat out this year. I have been writing down how much I spend in my spending notebook, and it is sad, but in one week, I spent over 30 bucks on McDonalds. I mean, honestly, how do you spend 30 bucks on Mickey D's, in a week?? But those coffees and quick trips to pick up a burger really add up. I'm not so sure how I'll do with this one, BUT, I figure if I absolutely forbid myself, that will curb most of my spending in this area.

Anyway, I am trying new recipes too, that save us $$, like making homemade yogurt in a crockpot. (We eat a ton of yogurt around here) and we'll see how that does. It'll be done in the morning. Also made "cowboy beans" for the first time ever from dried beans, and they ROCK! So good with cornbread. Definitely a recipe that I will make again.

Well, off to celebrate the countdown with Dick Clark and my family! Have a happy new year!

Back in the Saddle Again

I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I last blogged. I guess being a full time working mom with a very demanding job has gotten to me. I am also not good with time management and I frankly lack energy and the will to make myself do things a lot of the time, from the rest of my life being so harried and full. That is one of the things that I want to change in the new year. I thrive on routine, these days off tend to make me tired and lackluster. But with all that in mind, and knowing that I DO have the ability to change, I am setting myself up on a schedule.

Looking over last year's posts, I really saw that I was looking for fulfillment in creativity. That hasn't changed much for me, but I have come to realize that I also tend to jump from one idea to another looking for something to become good at before I really become good at anything. So, that is goal number one this year. Focus on one thing at a time, for one month at a time. This month it is going to be my finances. I am going to set up a budget ala' Dave Ramsey's cash envelope system, write down everything that I spend, and read my two favorite blogs (passionatepennypincher and moneysavingmom) every day. My goal is to get our grocery budget down to a 120 bucks a week, for everything, including all toiletries. I think I can do that, especially with the supercouponing I've been doing and with the surplus of groceries we have around here because I have been stockpiling when there are great deals. (Right now we have 30 boxes of spaghetti in the garage from a really great sale:) So, spaghetti carbonara, anyone?

I love that the end of the year ushers out with it, any old stuff that you don't want to keep. You can start anew with the new year. It is like a renewal of the soul in the heart of winter. I love getting reorganized, setting goals, and getting started on the right foot for a new year. God sure planned that well!

Freezer Cooking

Been cooking in advance of school starting again.

So far today, I've made ...

• chimichangas (16) from this recipe http://www.food.com/recipe/make-ahead-chimichangas-57027

• incredible blueberry/nectarine and shhhh! (spinach) smoothies (14) ( I freeze these in ball (plastic) freezer jars and take out the night before for breakfast the next day

• Crockpot chili (cook meat and put all ingredients together in a bag to just toss in the crockpot on cooking day) (4 recipes )

• Cooked a ton o bacon for future meals (we'll see if this makes it to actually being made into meals with 4 "boys" in the house :)

And we'll see what I get done tomorrow, but that is a pretty good start...