Savin' a Little Money....Yippee!!

Interested in making your dollars go a little farther? Heather has given us some ideas. The following is shared with her permission from her own blog. You may have some more ideas or suggestions you'd like to give.

DISCOVERING THE ART OF COUPON SHOPPING
So, my friend Rachel has introduced the idea of "coupon" shopping to me. Yes, I knew coupons existed, I just didn't understand how to use them to the best of my advantage. I went to Dillons yesterday and saved 44% on my grocery bill! I paid $39 for $70 worth of groceries. Without going into too much detail I wanted to share a little of what I've learned this week.
1. Dillons doubles coupons up to $1
2. You can download coupons onto your Dillons card. (who knew?!?!) I explain this below.
3. You can save some major money by using all these coupons when Dillons happens to have the same products on sale. This means you need to do some planning by only shopping for things when they are on sale and you have a coupon(s) for that item.
4. The Kansas City Star newspaper has tons of coupons in it!!! Several savvy couponers suggest that you buy at least two copies so that you have more coupons when certain items are on sale.
5. There's some great sites that teach you how to "coupon shop." The first two sites listed are places where you can print coupons from your computer. The rest are sites that explain coupon shopping in more detail.
Here they are:
http://www.slickdeals.net/
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.comicalcouponcents.com/
http://www.iheartcvs.com/
http://www.becentsible.com/
http://www.mommystayshome.blogspot.com/

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Here are 2 sites that I found where you can load coupons onto your Dillons card. (I found the second site this morning!)

The first site is the easiest to get to: It's http://www.shortcuts.com/ just follow the instructions. You'll need your Dillons card w/you so you can enter the number onto the site.

The second one is hard to get to so follow these directions carefully...I can't figure out another way to get you there:

type www.frugalhomemakerplus.blogspot.com/2008/05/super-saving-saturday.html into your URL or click on it here.

When you get to that page you'll see a picture of food. Under the food click onto where it says "loading coupons onto your store cards"
When you get to this next page in the 2nd paragraph you'll see the words Go here, here and here. Click on the 2nd "here" and it'll take you to the protor and gamble site for loading the coupons. Don't bother with the other "here's" as the first one no longer works and the third one you've already done!

I have confirmed with Dillons that at check out you may swipe your card and use a coupon from the newspaper, etc. at the same time for the same product! Woo Hoo!!! I got 4 things FREE at Dillons yesterday by doing this! (EXAMPLE: I had a coupon loaded onto my card for .50 off of toilet paper. I also had a paper coupon for .50 off of toilet paper. The toilet paper was on sale for 1.50. So, with my paper coupon doubling to $1 plus my .50 e-coupon loaded on my card, the TP was FREE!!!

Hope this helps!

~ Heather

Me or Him?

How do we decide when to spend money on ourselves versus spending that money for a good work for God? For example, I can afford to take my family on a small vacation, or I could send that money to a missionary or donate to a cause, but I can't do both. What is the right thing to do?

God's Will Versus My Will

Whoa.....it's been way too long since I've posted anything. Are you guys checking in every now and then? Someone sent in a topic she'd like to discuss--this whole idea of God's will vs. my own. She says that sometimes she thinks we force them to mesh or don't recognize that they are often different and wonders if she's the only one who gets caught up in these traps of worldly desires that are not from him. I'm more than certain she is not alone. Any comments?

For Women Only

Heather passed this info along to me, so I thought I'd post it. Family Life Today will have Shaunti Feldhaun on their broadcast 5/5-5/9 talking about respecting our husbands. She's the author of For Woman Only. Heather listened to her last year and really enjoyed what she had to say on this topic. If you haven't read the book, it's pretty insightful as to how our men think and view things (from their own point of view).

FM 90.1 at 9a.m. or you can go online to www.fltoday.com and listen also.

Slowing Down

I have deliberately over the last few years tried to slow down a bit and be home more. Seems like there is always something to do or be involved in that takes you away from home. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Commanded to Respect?

One of the hard things about relationships is respecting one another. We know we are commanded in the Word to respect our husbands, and that is at the top of the list of what our husbands need from us. Some days I'm pretty good at respecting Kenny; other days I fail miserably. The thing I am working on presently is not to put my own agenda on him (which looks like, sounds like, and probably IS nagging). That is a particular weakness I have, and it shows a lack of respect for him. What does respecting your husband look like to you?

Family Fun

What a great time we had Sunday night at our church-wide skating party!! We had nearly 150 people attend, 92 of which were skaters. It was really fun for me to watch families interact together--of all ages. One thing I want to focus on this year is family interaction, rather than everyone going off in a different direction, which is often the case. What are some things you do as a family that are inexpensive, but enjoyable? Maybe we can share some ideas with one another. Our boys would probably say that we focused on working together...cutting wood, splitting wood, stacking wood, mowing, digging holes in the garden for tomatoes...you get the idea. (You notice cleaning the house didn't make the list.) Hey, it was family time. And I bet when they have their own families they'll want to get out that tiller and make a few trips back and forth across the yard with it themselves. Share some of your family together-time.

Tried to contact?

I have been having trouble with my email, so if you have tried to contact me to get added to the blog list so you can post, please try again, and let me know if I don't respond. I check my email daily and try to respond quickly, so if you have sent me an email and haven't heard back from me, please let me know: ginnyreding@sbcglobal.net.

Living Deliberately

I enjoy listening to Dr. Randy Carlson's radio show, "The Intentional Life" on the radio when I have the chance. He says we should evaluate 5 specific areas of our lives to determine whether we are living intentionally: our thoughtlife; our time; our finances; our relationships; what goes in and comes out of our mouths. I find myself getting bogged down sometimes by my own thoughts. I spend time moping over something that didn't go my way, worrying about what MIGHT happen, concentrating on how inadequate I am in some area, fearing for the future. What a waste of time and energy; but how to get out of that habit? Being deliberate about "retraining my brain" is one thing I have learned that helps me. If I can CHOOSE to leave those thoughts and replace them with positive, Scripture-related ideas, I can move in the right direction. I can get caught up in the "what's the world coming to mindset" if I'm not careful---I just saw recently a report of a MAN who used to be a woman now carrying a baby. It's crazy! We are losing our way, it seems. However, if I concentrate not on being controlled by how bad things seem, but rather on the seemingly little things I can do to make a positive difference and live for what is right, I am better off, and hopefully the world is better off, too.

Question from Elizabeth Robinson

When I was in my quiet time this evening I ran across a scripture that I wanted some outside perspective on.

Luke 16:8-9: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwelings.

What issues is this scripture addressing? Obviously the Bible is not telling us to buy friends or to be dishonest in monetary dealings but it seems a bit "smoke 'em while you've got 'em." Is this passage really just addressing charitable giving or sacrificial giving?

Eating Well?

One thing that seems to be consistently hard for some of us is to plan ahead so that we are eating right--and feeding our families well. I thought we might share some tips with one another--recipes, meal planning, shortcuts, healthful eating. Eating out(even fast food) really dips into the pocketbook and can wreck a budget if we do it too often--plus, it's not always the most healthy choice. My first few tips deal with mindset: when you grocery shop, think ahead of what your week will be like and plan accordingly. Look for the sales items and plan meals around them. Will you be gone a good part of the day? Think about using the crockpot for some meals. I often will bake a whole chicken with potatoes, carrots, whatever veggie you like and have that for a meal. I then take the leftover chicken off the bone and have that meat to use with other recipes during the week for some quick meals (chicken fajitas, chicken & rice--whatever your family likes). I'll share more of my ideas later, but I'd like to hear from you.

Struggles

It doesn't seem it should be so hard to live this life God calls us to live, especially regarding relationships. When we love someone, why is it so hard to live together peacefully at times? What are some struggles you have had in your relationships--with God, with your spouse, with your family, with your friends, with your co-workers? More importantly, how have you dealt with these struggles? Or do you have questions for others?

Living the Life

What is one thing you have learned in your walk with the Lord that you wish you had learned earlier?

Relationships with Husbands and God

For a married woman, is it possible to have a strong, healthy relationship with your God if you do not have a strong, healthy relationship with your husband?