I've had a great week so far...very relaxed here at home, and I haven't gone out too much. I'm trying to learn how to find things to do at home instead of going out all the time just to walk around stores to "get out of the house." I'm definitely NOT a homebody, but I'm trying to limit my outings due to the cold weather, and I don't want to overtax Ellie. Therefore, my outings have been more purposeful and accomplished. I did my grocery shopping on Wednesday and got some pretty good deals, and only spent $43 (saved $20).
I got great deals on pasta and drinks this week. I bought a bag of Mueller's egg noodles for $1, some Ronzoni whole wheat pasta for $1 each (lasagna and spaghetti), plus some Barilla farfalle pasta for $1. Barilla was on sale for $1 each, and I had a $1 coupon on two Ronzoni whole wheat pastas, and $1 coupon for any Mueller's pasta. Plus, I bought 3 boxes of Coke products for $9 (unhealthy, I know, but Billy and I love our soda, so I figured we would only buy it when it's on sale and we can fit it into the budget!). I also bought 15 32 oz. bottles of low calorie Gatorade for 67 cents each ($10.05 total-normally $1 each). I did all of my primary grocery shopping first, and then went back and got the Coke and Gatorade once I saw that I could fit the extra $20 into our grocery budget for the week.
Last Friday (the 31st) I used some expiring coupons and also got some good deals at Target. I bought two Tide travel size detergents (97 cents each) and used two $1 off Tide coupons, so those were free. I will never use my Tide coupons on a real jug of detergent because it's too expensive, so I figured I would use the coupons and get stuff for free! Plus, we were completely out of laundry detergent and I told myself that I would make my own detergent this time. Also, I got 4 rolls of Scott toilet paper for 64 cents (used a $2 manufacturer's coupon and a $1 Target coupon). This isn't a deal, but I finally bought a new hairbrush (I've been using the same one since I started college....or maybe even back to high school, can't quite remember!). Anyway, the thing was disgusting and the bristles were falling out, so I finally bought a nice new hairbrush!
Today I went to Babies R Us and bought a 40-count package of Earth's Best diapers, which are normally $10.99. They're the eco-friendly, chlorine-free kind, which I would normally never buy because they're more expensive than normal diapers. However, I've used them before so I knew they worked fine, and I had some coupons! I first used a Babies R Us coupon that made the diapers $5, then a $1.50 manufacturer's coupon, so I ended up paying $3.50 for a whole pack of diapers! I bought size 2 (the only pack left!), because Ellie still has 300 size 1 diapers left (not exaggerating on the number). I thought it was time to start stocking up on the next size.
Other than my deal hunting this week, I made my meal calendar for the month of January. I've made it one of my goals to try new recipes every month to add to my recipe repertoire, so this month we're trying beef stroganoff, homemade lasagna (new recipe without meat), ravioli bake, chicken fettuccine casserole, farfalle festival, stuffed shells, and Italian chicken. I know almost all of these are pasta-based dishes, but we LOVE pasta (plus, it's cheap!). I already made a baked ham (first time for me!) and Billy says it was really good. I ate a little bit of it, but I'm not much of a ham person, so it wasn't a big deal to me. The only reason I made it was because Apple Ford gave Billy a ham before Christmas. They also gave him a 12 pound turkey before Thanksgiving, and I made that just before Christmas, which was also a first for me.
Today, I've been working on my January goal: making a cleaning list. Even though I can sometimes have a VERY messy house, I really do like things to be clean and organized. Money Saving Mom posted a blank version of her cleaning list, which you can find here. I used this template to create my own cleaning list, which includes daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and biannual cleaning tasks. If you want a sample of a cleaning list, you can see Money Saving Mom's here. I did refer to hers to give me some ideas of what I need to do around the house, and then I sat down and made a list of everything I want to accomplish in my home. I am very excited that I finished this little project, as I feel like it will really help me get things done at home and live a more streamlined lifestyle.
This week I've realized just how blessed Billy and I are...we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. We have a home, and all of our basic needs are met. Even though we don't have much money, we have very few financial worries (mainly just paying off my and Ellie's medical debt). Billy is finally in school, and doing something he is truly passionate and excited about. I have 3 prospective jobs, all of which I can do from home, and will most likely be able to cover our mortgage and basic bills without Billy having to get a part time job. Our daughter is healthy and she's growing and changing every day. Even though we've faced some difficult circumstances in the past, God is faithful and He has brought us closer together and closer to Him through everything. My prayer is that God would continue to work in our lives to bring Him glory, and that He would be the center of our world.
Blessings to you and yours......Kristen
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