I know many of you think I have fallen off the face of the earth but I can honestly say that I have had one busy summer. The biggest news is that we have moved! I have updated my pictures and you can see a picture of the new house in the slide show at the top of the blog. We moved in June. We found an awesome house that fits perfectly with our family. Our house sold in 21 days! The entire situation was a total blessing and God controlled. The people that bought our house and the lady we bought our new house from were all just incredibly gracious and cooperative through the entire process.
In addition to moving, here are the other news makers of the summer:
1. Moved my daycare business. I am still very successful with my business and all of my families moved with me.
2. Logan started Kindergarten. I just can not believe he is old enough to start school. He loves it. He has a great teacher who really is passionate about her job and loves working with the kids.
3. The twins turned 3. We had a small family birthday for them at our house.
4. Mace and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.
5. Mace's dad and step mom came to visit us.
I guess that is about all that has happened over the last two to three months.
I am really going to try and put forth a great effort to keeping our site up to date with pictures and information.
Please continually check back for more updates and pictures of the family.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Preparing for Easter
The Lord has been speaking to me these last several weeks about preparing my heart for the Easter Holiday. A couple of weeks ago, I had breakfast with two dear friends. During our meal, we got on the subject of Easter and I revealed to them that the Lord had been telling me to prepare my heart for Easter. We do all kinds of preparation for Christmas but somehow we loose the meaning of Easter and do not do nearly the preparation for this Holiday as we do for the Christmas season. I went on to tell them that Easter is just as important as Christmas. I told them that I could not figure out why it was like this. After breakfast that morning, I did my Saturday errands and stopped in at Lifeway Bookstore to look around. While I was there, I was browsing and found a book that would be an answer to my prayers. The book was called "Preparing my heart for Easter" by Ann Marie Stewart. It is devotional workbook that is an eight week course on getting your heart prepared for Easter! An amazing book!
I thought to myself, "Ok Lord I will buy this book. I get your message!" I guess it truly was meant for me to have this book as it rang up on sale! Thank you Lord! AS the next week passed and I did my study, my heart was convicted on the way that I celebrate Easter with the children. So once again I found myself asking God for help with this area. The next week Logan brought home a really cool resource for me to use. His teacher had made them "Resurrection Eggs" to teach the story of Easter in a kid friendly version. WOW! This was so cool. I am constantly amazed at how God will use anyone and anyway to help you get the message HE is trying to give you. I stand in praise today for the different ways He has used various opportunities to teach me what He wants me to do. I can honestly say that this year we will be celebrating Easter with a new perspective and a new approach. I have even passed this on to the Daycare Children I watch in my home. I have always known the meaning of Easter and celebrated it but never before I have been so consumed with the feeling to truly prepare my heart for the meaning of the season. So this year when we celebrate Easter, I do hope that we have prepared our hearts to celebrate Easter in its truest meaning! I pray that your families will too! Have a wonderful Easter and spend some time reflecting on the day and the meaning of the day. Thank You Lord for the lessons I am being taught! Praise God that I am not the same person I was last year and Praise God that I am learning more and more about you!
I thought to myself, "Ok Lord I will buy this book. I get your message!" I guess it truly was meant for me to have this book as it rang up on sale! Thank you Lord! AS the next week passed and I did my study, my heart was convicted on the way that I celebrate Easter with the children. So once again I found myself asking God for help with this area. The next week Logan brought home a really cool resource for me to use. His teacher had made them "Resurrection Eggs" to teach the story of Easter in a kid friendly version. WOW! This was so cool. I am constantly amazed at how God will use anyone and anyway to help you get the message HE is trying to give you. I stand in praise today for the different ways He has used various opportunities to teach me what He wants me to do. I can honestly say that this year we will be celebrating Easter with a new perspective and a new approach. I have even passed this on to the Daycare Children I watch in my home. I have always known the meaning of Easter and celebrated it but never before I have been so consumed with the feeling to truly prepare my heart for the meaning of the season. So this year when we celebrate Easter, I do hope that we have prepared our hearts to celebrate Easter in its truest meaning! I pray that your families will too! Have a wonderful Easter and spend some time reflecting on the day and the meaning of the day. Thank You Lord for the lessons I am being taught! Praise God that I am not the same person I was last year and Praise God that I am learning more and more about you!
Frugal Living Learning
As most of you know, I have been doing a lot of research on frugal living these days. I have learned so much. I have learned so many different money saving tips and different ways of doing things to make life simple. I have learned how to make homemade laundry detergent, my own version of Cascade dishwasher detergent, my own air fresher, along with may other ways to stretch our dollars. It is amazing to me what the Lord has taught me during the process of researching. I truly feel that my relationship with the Lord has grown stronger. He has been teaching me how to be a good steward of my money as well. I think with the economy weak these days that the Lord is taking care of our family by teaching and showing me new things everyday with frugal living and simplified living. If you are wanting to learn how to save money I strongly recommend you start now and you start with internet research as there is a TON of information out there to help you get started!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Katie's New Word
Katie has a new word...night night. I was taking her to bed the other night and told her "night night" and she repeated it. It was so cute. She can now say mama, dadda, bubba, katie, night night, nana, lele (for my sister Lisa), and hi. She is growing so fast. She definitely is all girl. She loves her kitchen and play dishes and walks around trying to feed everyone! We are excited about this new milestone!
Pictures will be added soon I promise!
Pictures will be added soon I promise!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
More Teeth for Katie...
Katie woke up this morning with two more teeth breaking through. This will be four on the top and two on the bottom! She has been a little cranky these last few days and now we know why :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Homemade Laundry Detergent
As most of you know, I have been on a mission to find frugal living techniques that are easy to apply to your life and really do save you money. Well this weekend, I attempted to make homemade laundry detergent. I did the math and it really will save our family money especially since I do an average of three loads of laundry per day. This attempt was a complete success. I can not believe that I actually made laundry detergent and it smells good, works well, and saves me a ton of money! I am so excited about this new tip. If you would like to know how to make it or would like more information, feel free to email me. You could also research it on the internet (like I did) there is a TON of websites, recipes, and helpful hints out there. I am so excited that I just had to share with all of you (my three or four family members who actually check this site often for updates...hahaha...LOL).
Simpleness = Happiness
Since the beginning of this summer, I have been given a “mission” from the Lord. This mission was to simplify my life. I prayed a lot over the course of this year for my number one goal, to find balance.
This summer the Lord answered my request by speaking to directly and clearly to me. He told me that in order to find balance I needed to simplify my life in ALL aspects. As I began my mission, I worked on areas of my life that I thought needed simplifying. I started out with simplifying my house. I cleaned out every closet, every drawer, every cabinet, every box, every file, every shelf, and everything. I thought that this was it. However, when I completed this task I felt good, I felt organized, I felt simplified but it did not last long. A few short weeks later, I felt the Lord saying simplify does not mean just one area; I meant every area of your life!
Next, I proceeded to simplify my finances. I would love to say that this area is complete but I am working on it diligently every day. I have come along way in this area though. The first place I started was the area of the finances that were solely my responsibility and that I had complete control over…the grocery/household budget. I signed up for a very popular coupon deal and savings website. I started following their published advice, subscribed to the Sunday newspaper for the coupon inserts, clipped coupons, used the coupons, made meal plans, and shopped by a grocery list. I cut out some of the luxury items and reduced the frequency of other luxuries. I started becoming “FRUGAL”.
There is so much I could write on the frugal topic but I will say that after researching frugal living, it became apparent that this was part of the Lord’s message to me. Most, if not all, frugal living websites will tell you that frugal living equals simple living. I conducted A LOT of research on this topic and applied frugal living tips which would help me to simply my life and save money. Frugal living research helped me to simplify my meals. Simple meals equaled simple dinners which created peaceful dinnertimes where I could relax and enjoy a meal with my family. My favorite way to save time and money at dinner time was to stock the freezer and pantry. I always buy meat in bulk at the lowest sale price. After my shopping trips, I cook and season the meat, freeze the meat in freezer containers and use it whenever I need it. Since it is precooked and pre-seasoned, it saves me a ton of time in the evenings!
My journey did not stop at the grocery store. I was lead to simplify the management of my household. I made a family planner (some may call this a family notebook). This really helped me to get things organized. I also created many dividers for every aspect: school, recipes, documents, travel, pantry and freezer inventory, calendars, address and phone numbers, and many other family specific needs.
Once the notebook was complete, I looked over my work with satisfaction until I looked at the calendar section. WOW. Our calendar was full of all kinds of activities, events, and places to be. It was an eye opening revelation. I could not find a few hours to spend as a family. Boy, I needed to simplify our family and my personal calendar. Hence, my mission was not complete. I continued to work towards simplification.
After I had completed these areas which needed simplifying, I thought for sure I would feel peace and a sense of accomplishment. No, I did not. I ask the Lord, “Lord what else is there to simplify?” I did not get a quick response.
One afternoon, I was watching a Beth Moore study on television and she was teaching on “how to love difficult people.” She explained the whys and the hows on this topic and then as I reviewed my notes on her teachings, I realized that the Lord was speaking to me again about simplification. This was the area I had ignored…simplifying my relationships. I took an inventory of my relationships and started making changes in this area. I got started and it was tough. It is tough to realize that some of the relationships I was involved with were nothing short of a negative complicate blah that was holding me back and weighing me down. I really had to make some tough decisions with the Lord’s help and guidance. This caused me to pull back from relationships with people who I needed to love from a far because I needed to love these people the way they needed to be loved and not the way they wanted to be loved. I could not love them in this way without pulling back. I did and it felt GREAT! I could see a change in our relationship and it made me happier.
I felt that there was still a piece of the pie missing. There was something that needed more work…it was my relationship with the Lord. I had worked so hard on everything and made great accomplishments or so I thought. The Lord wants us to be free from bondage, complicated messes, and negative energy draining situations. There is a time to be in the middle of these things so that you can show others the light of the Lord and give testimonies and to be a witness of God’s glory. However, God is not complicated. He is a simple God, His commandments are simple and so should our lives. I started doing things with HIS simple commands in mind. Yes I am still working on this area but WOW what a relief I have knowing that my house, my calendar, my family’s lives, my life, and my relationships are simple and happy. I am happier, healthier, and richer because of this God given mission for my life. So I guess simpleness does equal Happiness!!!!!!!
This summer the Lord answered my request by speaking to directly and clearly to me. He told me that in order to find balance I needed to simplify my life in ALL aspects. As I began my mission, I worked on areas of my life that I thought needed simplifying. I started out with simplifying my house. I cleaned out every closet, every drawer, every cabinet, every box, every file, every shelf, and everything. I thought that this was it. However, when I completed this task I felt good, I felt organized, I felt simplified but it did not last long. A few short weeks later, I felt the Lord saying simplify does not mean just one area; I meant every area of your life!
Next, I proceeded to simplify my finances. I would love to say that this area is complete but I am working on it diligently every day. I have come along way in this area though. The first place I started was the area of the finances that were solely my responsibility and that I had complete control over…the grocery/household budget. I signed up for a very popular coupon deal and savings website. I started following their published advice, subscribed to the Sunday newspaper for the coupon inserts, clipped coupons, used the coupons, made meal plans, and shopped by a grocery list. I cut out some of the luxury items and reduced the frequency of other luxuries. I started becoming “FRUGAL”.
There is so much I could write on the frugal topic but I will say that after researching frugal living, it became apparent that this was part of the Lord’s message to me. Most, if not all, frugal living websites will tell you that frugal living equals simple living. I conducted A LOT of research on this topic and applied frugal living tips which would help me to simply my life and save money. Frugal living research helped me to simplify my meals. Simple meals equaled simple dinners which created peaceful dinnertimes where I could relax and enjoy a meal with my family. My favorite way to save time and money at dinner time was to stock the freezer and pantry. I always buy meat in bulk at the lowest sale price. After my shopping trips, I cook and season the meat, freeze the meat in freezer containers and use it whenever I need it. Since it is precooked and pre-seasoned, it saves me a ton of time in the evenings!
My journey did not stop at the grocery store. I was lead to simplify the management of my household. I made a family planner (some may call this a family notebook). This really helped me to get things organized. I also created many dividers for every aspect: school, recipes, documents, travel, pantry and freezer inventory, calendars, address and phone numbers, and many other family specific needs.
Once the notebook was complete, I looked over my work with satisfaction until I looked at the calendar section. WOW. Our calendar was full of all kinds of activities, events, and places to be. It was an eye opening revelation. I could not find a few hours to spend as a family. Boy, I needed to simplify our family and my personal calendar. Hence, my mission was not complete. I continued to work towards simplification.
After I had completed these areas which needed simplifying, I thought for sure I would feel peace and a sense of accomplishment. No, I did not. I ask the Lord, “Lord what else is there to simplify?” I did not get a quick response.
One afternoon, I was watching a Beth Moore study on television and she was teaching on “how to love difficult people.” She explained the whys and the hows on this topic and then as I reviewed my notes on her teachings, I realized that the Lord was speaking to me again about simplification. This was the area I had ignored…simplifying my relationships. I took an inventory of my relationships and started making changes in this area. I got started and it was tough. It is tough to realize that some of the relationships I was involved with were nothing short of a negative complicate blah that was holding me back and weighing me down. I really had to make some tough decisions with the Lord’s help and guidance. This caused me to pull back from relationships with people who I needed to love from a far because I needed to love these people the way they needed to be loved and not the way they wanted to be loved. I could not love them in this way without pulling back. I did and it felt GREAT! I could see a change in our relationship and it made me happier.
I felt that there was still a piece of the pie missing. There was something that needed more work…it was my relationship with the Lord. I had worked so hard on everything and made great accomplishments or so I thought. The Lord wants us to be free from bondage, complicated messes, and negative energy draining situations. There is a time to be in the middle of these things so that you can show others the light of the Lord and give testimonies and to be a witness of God’s glory. However, God is not complicated. He is a simple God, His commandments are simple and so should our lives. I started doing things with HIS simple commands in mind. Yes I am still working on this area but WOW what a relief I have knowing that my house, my calendar, my family’s lives, my life, and my relationships are simple and happy. I am happier, healthier, and richer because of this God given mission for my life. So I guess simpleness does equal Happiness!!!!!!!
Katie's One Year Check up
I took Katie to the doctor today for a check up and she is doing great. She is growing so fast and developing right on track.
She weighs 22 1/2 pounds and measures 30 1/2 inches long. She is in the 90% percentile for height and in the 75% percentile for weight. The doctor said she is going to be tall! I have a feeling that all of our children are going to be TALL!!!!
She is doing great. She is walking, climbing, waving bye bye, playing peek-a-boo, can say mama, dada, that, bubba, and nana! She loves baby dolls and likes to feed them a bottle, she loves books, musical toys, and loves her pretend dishes. She is definitely all girl! Our little princess is growing so fast! I will be sure to add pictures soon.
She weighs 22 1/2 pounds and measures 30 1/2 inches long. She is in the 90% percentile for height and in the 75% percentile for weight. The doctor said she is going to be tall! I have a feeling that all of our children are going to be TALL!!!!
She is doing great. She is walking, climbing, waving bye bye, playing peek-a-boo, can say mama, dada, that, bubba, and nana! She loves baby dolls and likes to feed them a bottle, she loves books, musical toys, and loves her pretend dishes. She is definitely all girl! Our little princess is growing so fast! I will be sure to add pictures soon.
Monday, February 16, 2009
February Happenings!
Boy has this month been busy! Each of the kids have been sick with sinus infections. Tanner was the sickest of them all. We actually took him to the doctor and found out that he has/had pre-asthma bronchitis. He was on medicated breathing treatments several times a day for a couple of weeks. It was pretty rough. Of course it made its rounds through the house with Mace being the latest victim! He was actually off of work for several days and did go to the doctor to get some meds. I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last post but with the sickness running wild in our house I have been far from lazy! The blog site just had to take a back seat! Anyways, I am hoping that we are back on track for the rest of the month. Hope every one is doing well and enjoying the month of February!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Katie's First Birthday
Katie is officially ONE!
We celebrated with a small family party at CiCi's Pizza. Katie has done alot of growing during the week of her first birthday. She has two new teeth on the top and has began walking all over the place.
She really likes baby dolls and knows how to feed them with her pretend baby bottles. She also likes play phones and dishes. She has really grown. I will be adding pictures soon of her birthday party for everyone to see how much she really did enjoy her presents and cupcake!
We celebrated with a small family party at CiCi's Pizza. Katie has done alot of growing during the week of her first birthday. She has two new teeth on the top and has began walking all over the place.
She really likes baby dolls and knows how to feed them with her pretend baby bottles. She also likes play phones and dishes. She has really grown. I will be adding pictures soon of her birthday party for everyone to see how much she really did enjoy her presents and cupcake!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Test Results for Katie
We just got the phone call from the doctor about the ultrasound Katie had done yesterday on her kidneys. It came back fine! PRAISE GOD!
The doctor will continue to monitor her at the upcoming appointments for added measure but he thinks she is fine. We are just so thankful that our God is a God who listens to our prayers and answers them! Thank you everyone who stood united with us in prayer!
Have a Wonderful New Year's Holiday!
The doctor will continue to monitor her at the upcoming appointments for added measure but he thinks she is fine. We are just so thankful that our God is a God who listens to our prayers and answers them! Thank you everyone who stood united with us in prayer!
Have a Wonderful New Year's Holiday!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
December and Christmas Update
December for the Salinas Family was very eventful!
We took a trip to Gatlinburg (Smoky Mountains)at the beginning of the month. We stayed at the Westgate Resort and had a wonderful time. We did some shopping, went to the Wonderworks Museum, and did some major relaxing.
Logan was in his first ever Christmas play at our church. He was a wise man. He was so cute and did a great job. He did not have any lines but did have to sing with the entire cast two songs! He did wonderful!
We celebrated Christmas with lots of traditions. Unfortunately, we were not able to do some of our traditions as three of the four kids were sick on Christmas Eve. Katie started running a high fever the week before Christmas and we took her to the doctor where tests were performed. The results showed a kidney infection. To make a long story very short...after four trips to the doctor and four different medicines she is feeling better and doing great. We will be going Monday the 29th to Vanderbilt for a kidney ultrasound/mri for Katie. They want to determine the cause of the kidney infection since she is so young. Please stand united in prayer with our family for Katie's healing. Luke and Tanner took turns being sick on Christmas Eve. We spent the morning at a Walk in Clinic only to find out that they both had a stomach bug. Even though our Christmas started out rocky, it turned out to be a really GREAT Christmas. We spent time with our family and enjoy as many traditions as we could fit in with the kids being sick. We did a lot of simplifying this year (which has been a message that the Lord has been giving to me all throughout the year) especially with Christmas and to be completely honest, this Christmas was one of the best. I emphasized with the kids this year about what Christmas means and why we celebrate Christmas. I tried to have a religious/Christian meaning for each of our traditions and because of that I think this Christmas was the best since we were more focused on the true meaning and in the true spirit of Christmas! The best gift I received was on Christmas morning when Katie said "momma" for the first time!
As of today, Katie, Luke, and Tanner are feeling much better and enjoying their new toys! However, Logan started getting sick today. I think he has caught the bug that Luke and Tanner had so the next round has began!
During the busyness of the season, Luke became potty trained! YEAH!!!!!
Tanner has had a couple of successes but dont really care one way or the other when it comes to pottying.
Katie can now say momma, dadda, bubba, that, and nana. She also has started taking steps with out any assistance and received her first baby doll for Christmas. She also likes music and will dance when she hears music playing. Her new tricks are blowing kisses and playing peek-a-boo!
Mace and I both had several days off for the holidays and it was very nice. This is one time that I can honestly say that I feel like I have had a couple of days off. It has been great to have some down time.
I guess that sums up our December.
Make sure that you pay close attention to the pictures in the slide shows at the top and the very bottom as they are all NEW and UPDATED pictures. I have been working hard on getting the website updated.
Take care and I will post again soon.
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we pray for blessings for your family in the NEW YEAR.
We took a trip to Gatlinburg (Smoky Mountains)at the beginning of the month. We stayed at the Westgate Resort and had a wonderful time. We did some shopping, went to the Wonderworks Museum, and did some major relaxing.
Logan was in his first ever Christmas play at our church. He was a wise man. He was so cute and did a great job. He did not have any lines but did have to sing with the entire cast two songs! He did wonderful!
We celebrated Christmas with lots of traditions. Unfortunately, we were not able to do some of our traditions as three of the four kids were sick on Christmas Eve. Katie started running a high fever the week before Christmas and we took her to the doctor where tests were performed. The results showed a kidney infection. To make a long story very short...after four trips to the doctor and four different medicines she is feeling better and doing great. We will be going Monday the 29th to Vanderbilt for a kidney ultrasound/mri for Katie. They want to determine the cause of the kidney infection since she is so young. Please stand united in prayer with our family for Katie's healing. Luke and Tanner took turns being sick on Christmas Eve. We spent the morning at a Walk in Clinic only to find out that they both had a stomach bug. Even though our Christmas started out rocky, it turned out to be a really GREAT Christmas. We spent time with our family and enjoy as many traditions as we could fit in with the kids being sick. We did a lot of simplifying this year (which has been a message that the Lord has been giving to me all throughout the year) especially with Christmas and to be completely honest, this Christmas was one of the best. I emphasized with the kids this year about what Christmas means and why we celebrate Christmas. I tried to have a religious/Christian meaning for each of our traditions and because of that I think this Christmas was the best since we were more focused on the true meaning and in the true spirit of Christmas! The best gift I received was on Christmas morning when Katie said "momma" for the first time!
As of today, Katie, Luke, and Tanner are feeling much better and enjoying their new toys! However, Logan started getting sick today. I think he has caught the bug that Luke and Tanner had so the next round has began!
During the busyness of the season, Luke became potty trained! YEAH!!!!!
Tanner has had a couple of successes but dont really care one way or the other when it comes to pottying.
Katie can now say momma, dadda, bubba, that, and nana. She also has started taking steps with out any assistance and received her first baby doll for Christmas. She also likes music and will dance when she hears music playing. Her new tricks are blowing kisses and playing peek-a-boo!
Mace and I both had several days off for the holidays and it was very nice. This is one time that I can honestly say that I feel like I have had a couple of days off. It has been great to have some down time.
I guess that sums up our December.
Make sure that you pay close attention to the pictures in the slide shows at the top and the very bottom as they are all NEW and UPDATED pictures. I have been working hard on getting the website updated.
Take care and I will post again soon.
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we pray for blessings for your family in the NEW YEAR.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
My Frugal Tips
Because several people have asked me to share my money saving tips on grocery shopping, I thought I would post what I do in hopes that it helps someone else save money. My logic is if I save money at the grocery store then it frees up money that can be spent on other things so this serves as my motivation every week.
Frugal living does not mean complicated. If fact it is quite the opposite. Frugal living is getting back to the basics of household management.
The following are my tips and schedule that I have implemented in my home in regards to saving money at the grocery store:
Sundays – I collect my newspaper and take out the coupon inserts. I also make meal plans on this day since I can look at the sale papers and make out my meals based on sale items
Tuesdays – I go to couponmom.com and print off the weekly list of deals for Kroger. I choose to only shop at Kroger. There are many sites that will teach you how to save at other stores all you have to do is research it. The couponmom.com site does have other stores other than Kroger but I choose the Kroger deals. The reason I choose Kroger is because I get an added benefit by shopping there since they give a 10 cents off gas for every time you spend $100 in groceries. I review the list published on couponmom.com list and circle the items I need.
Wednesdays – I make me a grocery list based on my weekly menu and the list from the site. I go through my coupon stash and collect any and all coupons that might apply to my list and make a note of the coupons on my list so that I can accurately comparison shop.
Thursdays – Shopping Day
Some detailed tips that I do that is very helpful is:
-I made a master Kroger grocery list on my computer in Excel. This list is a layout of the Kroger store by aisle. (I know I am a little OCD on this). This provides me with an organized grocery list which helps me to stay focused which helps to be save time which saves money. The longer you stay in the store the more money you will spend because you will get distracted.
-I also keep a price guideline so that I can estimate the prices of ALL items and be able to stay within my budget even before I go to the store.
-On the master list, I have set up my page to calculate my totals based on department and grand total. This allows me to see where I am spending the most money at so that I can make appropriate changes if need be.
-I plan my meals one month in advance. This allows me flexibility in case I see a certain type of meat on sale, I might opt to change it up a bit or not depending on my stockpile in the freezer and pantry. I also know when I am eating certain types of meats so this helps me when certain meats are on sale as well.
-I keep an inventory of my freezer and pantry. I was hesitate to do this at first but have found that I save time and money because I am buying things I truly need and buying things that I already had and did not know because the item got shoved to the back of the cabinet. While doing my inventory the first time, I organized everything. This did take some time but I don’t have to do it again because I maintain it weekly.
-I organize my coupons by aisle
-I use my Kroger plus card
-I starting making things from scratch like French toast. It is cheaper, healthier, and only take a few extra minutes.
-I stock pile my freezer and pantry.
-I also cook ahead my meat and preseason it so that all I have to do is pull a labeled bag out of the freezer, thaw it in the microwave, and put in my casserole or meal starter.
I have been researching frugal living for several months now and these are things that I have found to work for me. These tips are practical well they have to be in order for me to be able to implement and make them work considering that being a mom of four time is a luxury. I hope that I have helped someone with these ideas, tips, and suggestions.
Frugal living does not mean complicated. If fact it is quite the opposite. Frugal living is getting back to the basics of household management.
The following are my tips and schedule that I have implemented in my home in regards to saving money at the grocery store:
Sundays – I collect my newspaper and take out the coupon inserts. I also make meal plans on this day since I can look at the sale papers and make out my meals based on sale items
Tuesdays – I go to couponmom.com and print off the weekly list of deals for Kroger. I choose to only shop at Kroger. There are many sites that will teach you how to save at other stores all you have to do is research it. The couponmom.com site does have other stores other than Kroger but I choose the Kroger deals. The reason I choose Kroger is because I get an added benefit by shopping there since they give a 10 cents off gas for every time you spend $100 in groceries. I review the list published on couponmom.com list and circle the items I need.
Wednesdays – I make me a grocery list based on my weekly menu and the list from the site. I go through my coupon stash and collect any and all coupons that might apply to my list and make a note of the coupons on my list so that I can accurately comparison shop.
Thursdays – Shopping Day
Some detailed tips that I do that is very helpful is:
-I made a master Kroger grocery list on my computer in Excel. This list is a layout of the Kroger store by aisle. (I know I am a little OCD on this). This provides me with an organized grocery list which helps me to stay focused which helps to be save time which saves money. The longer you stay in the store the more money you will spend because you will get distracted.
-I also keep a price guideline so that I can estimate the prices of ALL items and be able to stay within my budget even before I go to the store.
-On the master list, I have set up my page to calculate my totals based on department and grand total. This allows me to see where I am spending the most money at so that I can make appropriate changes if need be.
-I plan my meals one month in advance. This allows me flexibility in case I see a certain type of meat on sale, I might opt to change it up a bit or not depending on my stockpile in the freezer and pantry. I also know when I am eating certain types of meats so this helps me when certain meats are on sale as well.
-I keep an inventory of my freezer and pantry. I was hesitate to do this at first but have found that I save time and money because I am buying things I truly need and buying things that I already had and did not know because the item got shoved to the back of the cabinet. While doing my inventory the first time, I organized everything. This did take some time but I don’t have to do it again because I maintain it weekly.
-I organize my coupons by aisle
-I use my Kroger plus card
-I starting making things from scratch like French toast. It is cheaper, healthier, and only take a few extra minutes.
-I stock pile my freezer and pantry.
-I also cook ahead my meat and preseason it so that all I have to do is pull a labeled bag out of the freezer, thaw it in the microwave, and put in my casserole or meal starter.
I have been researching frugal living for several months now and these are things that I have found to work for me. These tips are practical well they have to be in order for me to be able to implement and make them work considering that being a mom of four time is a luxury. I hope that I have helped someone with these ideas, tips, and suggestions.
Friday, November 21, 2008
November Events
I just can not believe it is time for the holidays. Boy this year has flown by. We have been keeping busy. We have not done a whole lot of anything really but life has a funny way of keeping us busy. I know I need to add some more pictures and I will do that soon. I have been trying to work on a couple of things for the site and hope to introduce those later on. Several of my friends want me to write and post my frugal tips and I have been trying to get all of those wrote down and posted to the site. this is coming soon as well.
I have managed to get all of my Christmas shopping done! YEAH for me! I have cut back alot this year. It is all apart of my "new" frugal living passion. This will be the best Christmas every because I am not stressing over the money I have spent or will be spending. I am very proud of myself and what I have learned in regards to frugal living. I promise I will be sharing these ideas with you on my site in the upcoming week.
I start tomorrow baking for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have 15 desserts on my list. I am so excited for tomorrow to be here so that I can get in that Holiday spirit! There is just something about baking that gets you in the best mood and relieves stress (at least for me it does, I am quirky that way).
Well I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and remembers to get Thanks to the Lord for all of the blessings in your life!
I will post again soon!
I have managed to get all of my Christmas shopping done! YEAH for me! I have cut back alot this year. It is all apart of my "new" frugal living passion. This will be the best Christmas every because I am not stressing over the money I have spent or will be spending. I am very proud of myself and what I have learned in regards to frugal living. I promise I will be sharing these ideas with you on my site in the upcoming week.
I start tomorrow baking for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have 15 desserts on my list. I am so excited for tomorrow to be here so that I can get in that Holiday spirit! There is just something about baking that gets you in the best mood and relieves stress (at least for me it does, I am quirky that way).
Well I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and remembers to get Thanks to the Lord for all of the blessings in your life!
I will post again soon!
Katie is Standing Pretty!
Katie stood alone today for the first time. She did not take any steps but I know it will not be long until she does. I can tell that she definitely wants to be in the action..just like a girl! (haha)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Day of Prayer
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
I am asking every believer in Jesus Christ to set aside Monday,
November 3 as a day of fasting and prayer . I would urge you to review the prayer of Daniel on behalf of his people in Dan . 9:3-19, and to pray that way
for our nation. And finally, I would ask you to distribute this call to prayer as widely as possible so that the greatest number of people would lay hold of the throne of grace all at once. It may be that God will show mercy to America , that He will shed His grace on her once again. Thank you for joining with me in this effort.
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
I am asking every believer in Jesus Christ to set aside Monday,
November 3 as a day of fasting and prayer . I would urge you to review the prayer of Daniel on behalf of his people in Dan . 9:3-19, and to pray that way
for our nation. And finally, I would ask you to distribute this call to prayer as widely as possible so that the greatest number of people would lay hold of the throne of grace all at once. It may be that God will show mercy to America , that He will shed His grace on her once again. Thank you for joining with me in this effort.
Friday, October 31, 2008
How we add Jesus to Halloween
If you are like me than you are always searching for an avenue to teach your children about Jesus. I wanted to share with all moms the best resources I have found to add Jesus to your Halloween/Fall Traditions. The following websites have some really great ways to use a pumpkin to illustrate, tell a story, and share a special devotion with young children and older children. I hope these websites will help you teach your children.
http://www.dltk-bible.com/how_a_christian_is_like_a_pumpki.htm
http://www.beau.org/~vickir/halloween/
http://www.christiancrafters.com/craft_pumpkin.html
My favorite book for fall to teach children is
The Pumpkin Patch Parable By Liz Curtis Higgs
I purchased mine from Amazon.com but several local bookstores either carry during the fall season or can order it for you. Retail Price for the Book is $6.99 but I found mine on sale!
Enjoy the opportunity to teach and share Jesus with your children on this fun night!
http://www.dltk-bible.com/how_a_christian_is_like_a_pumpki.htm
http://www.beau.org/~vickir/halloween/
http://www.christiancrafters.com/craft_pumpkin.html
My favorite book for fall to teach children is
The Pumpkin Patch Parable By Liz Curtis Higgs
I purchased mine from Amazon.com but several local bookstores either carry during the fall season or can order it for you. Retail Price for the Book is $6.99 but I found mine on sale!
Enjoy the opportunity to teach and share Jesus with your children on this fun night!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Katie's 9 Month Check up
Katie went to the doctor last Wednesday for a check up. She is growing and developing right on track. She is about 20 pounds and measures 29 inches. She is the 70th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height.
She can sit, stand without holding on, walk around furniture, crawl, clap, wave bye bye, says dada and sometimes will say bubba. I have started giving her little bits of table food like pinched off pieces of bread, gerber cereal puffs, and a little banana. She is still on homemade baby food primarily.
She did cut her first tooth on Friday and on Sunday she cut her second tooth. Teething for her has not been that bad. She has only cried once or twice in what I consider to be the painful cry so I guess we are pretty lucky with this with Katie.
I will be taking her in the next week or two for her nine month portraits and will update the pictures on the site soon.
Check back soon for more pictures!
She can sit, stand without holding on, walk around furniture, crawl, clap, wave bye bye, says dada and sometimes will say bubba. I have started giving her little bits of table food like pinched off pieces of bread, gerber cereal puffs, and a little banana. She is still on homemade baby food primarily.
She did cut her first tooth on Friday and on Sunday she cut her second tooth. Teething for her has not been that bad. She has only cried once or twice in what I consider to be the painful cry so I guess we are pretty lucky with this with Katie.
I will be taking her in the next week or two for her nine month portraits and will update the pictures on the site soon.
Check back soon for more pictures!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
October Rambling...
Can you believe it is October already?
We are quite busy this month. We are going to be attending a Pumpkin patch with the Potato group this weekend and letting the kids pick out their pumpkins. I know that they will be very excited. We are going to Bottomview Farms in Portland, TN. We went last year and really enjoyed it.
The kids all have their Halloween costumes. It was such a hard decision this year for Logan. He really could not decide what to be but finally decided on Spiderman. The twins are going to be Superman and Katie will be a Dalmatian puppy (how cute is that?) We will be attending our church's light up the night event followed with trick or treating in mom's neighborhood.
I have been working really hard on trying to find ways to live frugally, frugal Christmas ideas, working on what recipes I will be trying for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and finishing up my Fall To Do List. I have decided to make 16-18 different desserts for our family Thanksgiving celebration. I did have thirty but thought I would spare everyone gaining 10 pounds at Thanksgiving. So just go ahead and give me a Betty Crocker crown (and the money that goes along with that name would be fine as well!)
Mace and I are finishing up the new plans for the house addition which will hopefully get started in the late spring of next year bearing that we do not have any other set backs or changes in our household!
The kids are doing just fine and growing like little weeds. Katie has her nine month check up at the end of the month. Can you believe it...nine months????
Mace is loving his new job at the VA Department.
I have been busy busy with daycare, house work, chores, and the many extra projects that I have going on right now. We have been paying close attention to all the presidential debates and presidential election coverage. I urge everyone to please pray about this upcoming election and the "new" president whomever that may be. This country needs a strong leader, a Christian leader, and a wise leader.
It had been a while since my last post and I wanted to update everyone on the happenings in the Salinas Home. I will update the blog again soon with pictures from Logan's 5th birthday and the Pumpkin Patch event. Take care and enjoy the nice Fall weather!
We are quite busy this month. We are going to be attending a Pumpkin patch with the Potato group this weekend and letting the kids pick out their pumpkins. I know that they will be very excited. We are going to Bottomview Farms in Portland, TN. We went last year and really enjoyed it.
The kids all have their Halloween costumes. It was such a hard decision this year for Logan. He really could not decide what to be but finally decided on Spiderman. The twins are going to be Superman and Katie will be a Dalmatian puppy (how cute is that?) We will be attending our church's light up the night event followed with trick or treating in mom's neighborhood.
I have been working really hard on trying to find ways to live frugally, frugal Christmas ideas, working on what recipes I will be trying for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and finishing up my Fall To Do List. I have decided to make 16-18 different desserts for our family Thanksgiving celebration. I did have thirty but thought I would spare everyone gaining 10 pounds at Thanksgiving. So just go ahead and give me a Betty Crocker crown (and the money that goes along with that name would be fine as well!)
Mace and I are finishing up the new plans for the house addition which will hopefully get started in the late spring of next year bearing that we do not have any other set backs or changes in our household!
The kids are doing just fine and growing like little weeds. Katie has her nine month check up at the end of the month. Can you believe it...nine months????
Mace is loving his new job at the VA Department.
I have been busy busy with daycare, house work, chores, and the many extra projects that I have going on right now. We have been paying close attention to all the presidential debates and presidential election coverage. I urge everyone to please pray about this upcoming election and the "new" president whomever that may be. This country needs a strong leader, a Christian leader, and a wise leader.
It had been a while since my last post and I wanted to update everyone on the happenings in the Salinas Home. I will update the blog again soon with pictures from Logan's 5th birthday and the Pumpkin Patch event. Take care and enjoy the nice Fall weather!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
