I feel like I could be back. I have a private journal that is very heavily regulated as to who can read it. I think the relative anonymity yet obvious public presence of this journal would be extremely beneficial. I hope that the Lord can speak through me to use my testimony to His benefit. Must feed my Fab 4 and then I hope to be back tonight with a more in depth entry!

A Big Weekend

Thank goodness for the weekend ahead of us! The work week has been painfully slow, with sales and calls next to nothing. While it's good to have a slow day here or there, the past few months have been really rough. We don't budget my commission into our take home pay, but it's always nice to have that little extra to pay down our debt. So, I am praying (and I would appreciate your prayers, as well!) that sales calls pick up and I am able to increase our take home pay.

I made a rather large purchase today, too! I have been dreaming about owning an elliptical since I started working out in gyms. I love ellipticals and they are my favorite machines. I found a great deal on a Norditrack elliptical. They paid my shipping, threw in an extended 3-year warranty, and gave me three IFit workout cards with Jillian Michaels (my favorite Biggest Loser trainer!), - AND it was on SALE! Needless to say, I am so *STOKED*! I plan on using this to institute my "Getting Back on Track" challenge. I will work out a minimum of five mornings a week, and get my body back into shape!

Tomorrow, Billy is going to our local plasma donation center. We both figured out that if he donates plasma twice a week and I do it once a week, that will be an extra $360/ month. You can't really beat that! It's a 3 hour set up the first time you go, for the physical, the paperwork, and all the odds and ends. However, each time after that it's about a half an hour to an hour. $30 for an hour is awesome. So, we're planning on doing that to boost our amount of money to pay down our debt.

Well, I have a little angel named Delilah to tend to... it's time for bed. It's so COLD in Louisiana right now... I am not accustomed to anything under 40 degree weather! I'm freezing!

My Weekly Grocery Trip!

This week's sales were actually very decent. We're still growing our stockpile and attempting to be as frugal with our money as possible. We are following Dave Ramsey's plan to get out of debt. Currently, we have our baby emergency fund in place, and are paying down our debt. We have considerable debt leftover from the business we owned back from 2005-2007. We had one customer that didn't pay us a $7000 bill and that just ruined us financially. Anyway, back on topic! My grocery trip! I got everything you see pictured at Kroger's, WalMart, and Target, and spent a total of $12.35!

At Target, I picked up the Kashi TLC cereal bars. They should have been on sale for $2.66/ each, but mine rang up at $3.29 each. I had two $2 coupons found here (thanks, MoneySavingMom!). I did go back in to try to reconcile the difference, but the manager on duty was less than friendly and didn't want to give me back my money. I do plan on calling Target today just to talk to the store manager. I don't like being treated rudely! With my $2 coupons, my total was $2.91.

Next, I went to WalMart (where again I faced an unfriendly cashier when I began using my coupons) and picked up 10 of the BeechNut Toddler's Let's Grow meals, 3 of the Johnson's Buddies Soap, and one of the canned Muir Glen organic tomatoes. I had 10 $1 coupons for the BeechNut from my local newspaper, and I had 3 $1 coupons for the Johnson's Buddies Soap found here (thanks, MoneySavingMom!), and a $1 coupon for the tomatoes found here . My total after coupons was $2.84, for 14 products!

Lastly, I went to Kroger to pick up a few more items. They are having an awesome 10/10 sale this week. Rice A Roni was $1.00 a piece. I had two 0.50 coupons (the link is expired or else I would definitely share!), and my local Kroger's doubles coupons up to 0.50. These two coupons doubled made the Rice A Roni free! Also, the Green Giant boxed veggies are on sale for $1.00 each. I had two coupons for 0.50/1 and 2 coupons for 0.50/2. I also loaded my Kroger's card with coupons from Cellfire and Shortcuts. Shortcuts had two 0.50 coupons available, and Cellfire had one $1.00 coupon available. After my manufacturer coupons doubled, and my Cellfire and Shortcuts coupons were applied, my total out of pocket for the 6 Green Giant boxed veggies was $0! I also purchased 3 Buddies at Kroger, with a $3 Catalina coupon I had received when I purchased 3 Buddies previously at Kroger's. This coupon made the 3 Buddies soaps 0.27 for all three! Next, I purchased two packs of Cottonelle toilet paper. My Kroger's has recently raised the price for the Cottonelle. It used to be 0.99/pack but is now 1.19/pack. I had two 0.50 printable coupons found here and those both doubled to make my out of pocket cost 0.19/4 pack! Next, I purchased 3 boxes of Hamburger Helper (definitely not the healthiest option, but great for those nights I'm in a pinch for time!). The Hamburger Helper is also on sale this week for $1.00/box. I had a coupon for 0.80/3. I also had two coupons from Shortcuts for 0.75/3. All three of these coupons applied to my total and made my out of pocket cost about 0.23 a box! Lastly, we were out of ketchup and mustard. Kroger had the Hunt's ketchup on closeout for $1.43, which was less than Heinz at WalMart. So, I picked up two and also grabbed a small bottle of mustard for 0.69. My total spent at Kroger was $6.60!

Joining in on Biblical Womanhood's Getting Back on Track Challenge!

I don't know about the rest of you, but with the New Year, I had a lot of new "goals" set up. My first goal? To finally get a handle on my weight. It's been a struggle my entire life, but it's never really been an issue until I started having kids. My weight has ballooned to an unhealthy 215. Yep, I'm putting that number out there for all to see! My goal this year is to get down to 150 lbs, around a size 10. I think a size 10 for these hips having had three kiddos is a great goal! Now, we don't really have the funds for me to join a gym. At one point, we were contemplating me joining the gym at the local university Billy attends. However, with the unpredictability of my job situation, we're leaning more towards purchasing an inexpensive, but still quality, elliptical or treadmill. Should my job end (as it has been threatened so many times), then Billy will go back to working full time. In that situation, I wouldn't have time to visit the local gym, due to his erratic work schedule and his going to school full time, as well! So, we pray for a little extra money in our tax return, and that we are able to fund an elliptical purchase. I have several workout DVDs, my favorites being the ones by The Biggest Loser trainers. However, it's sad to say I am that out of shape that I cannot do one of those much longer than 15-20 minutes! So, my goal is to work up to those and really just to get physically fit.

My second goal this year, my primary goal I should say, is to really learn to submit. I have been struggling with this even longer than my weight! I come from a home that was headed by a single mother. This was not a chosen situation, as my father passed when I was 10. My mother remarried and my stepfather passed when I was 14. So, there has been a lot of hurt in my life due to losing my father figures, which are so important for a little girl. In turn, my mother really stepped up to the plate. She worked her behind off, and while she may not have been perfect, she really tried her best and she's got three great kids to show for it. I have a hard time submitting to my husband (and even to the Lord, I'm ashamed to say) because of my childhood. I am used to the woman being the head, the woman being the boss! I am used to that stereotypical feminism. This is something I desperately want to avoid! I don't want to be a feminist, and I want to submit to my husband, as I am called to do so by the Bible.

So, I should say my goals for getting back on track this year are to:

6-630 AM, get up, feed Delilah
700 AM, workout on my *new* elliptical (when I get it!)
730 AM, bathe
800 AM, my work day starts

I work from 8-5, and during the day I'd like to take some time to read God's Word and pray. There is also something my heart has been leaning towards, and it's the topic of head covering. That, however, is an entirely new entry! Have a blessed day!

Getting Back in the Swing of Things!

Morning all! It is a BEAUTIFUL (albeit cold!!) day here in Southwestern Louisiana. Today is my first day of work at my new shift, I am going to be working 8-5 Monday through Friday. Friday was a very hard day for me, as a dear coworker and friend was let go from the company. I am hoping we can stay in touch and we can visit when I go to visit family and friends in Slidell.

This weekend was a great one, we got to spend a ton of time with my mom on Sunday, that left the boys thoroughly spoiled and with several new toys. She also brought me 54 eggs! Yep, 54!! She raises chickens on her farm, and those little girls are egg-laying machines! Sunday afternoon we were able to see The Tale of Despereaux, so if any of you want a review, I definitely give it two thumbs up! Very cute movie and age appropriate for little ones. The boys loved it, and Delilah even managed to stay awake throughout most of it and enjoy.

Billy also started back to his old shift, of 4-8 in the morning. He's feeling a bit tired now, but I know once we all adjust, it'll be great to always have the nights and weekends together.

As most of you know, I am a die-hard coupon-er. I set a budget for this month of $350 on groceries and health/beauty items. So far, I've come up to almost $198! Yikes! That $350 also includes any money we spend going out to eat and the like. So, this weekend, with us going to the movies as a family and snacks and treats, it put a big dent in our budget. However, we are blessed to have a good stockpile of foods, so really all we need is our fresh produce and milk (no eggs, though, LOL!) for the rest of the month.

Now a quick update on Miss Delilah Marie Sunshine (and yes, that is her full name, I love it!)... she's 3 months old (as of 1/2/09) and rolled for the first time from belly to back on 1/6/09. She is the biggest sweetheart and such a blessing to our family. Donovan absolutely adores her and I love the way he looks at her with such love in his eyes. I can tell they are going to have a special bond, because whenever she may be fussing and I can't come right away, Donovan goes to talk to her, and she quiets right down. Trenton and her have a great relationship, as well, although Trenton doesn't much care for her crying... he tends to avoid her at that time!

Donovan will be 4 in about three short months. I cannot believe that I have a four year old! It's flown by and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Donovan is so bright, he loves books, he got his first "video game" (a Leapster 2) from MaMere and PaPa for Christmas. He loves to play that so much, we've had to limit it to 30 minutes a day!

Trenton is 2 1/2 now, and he is our mischevious child! One smile and he will melt your heart. His blond curls don't hurt, either! He is adorable and so sweet and loving. He defintely prefers Daddy over Mommy, but that's ok. Daddy needs his little buddy, and I love seeing their relationship. Daddy can do no wrong in his eyes.

As far as the weight loss goes, I am down 13 lbs since 12/29/08! Go me! I am starting to work out today and am hopeful that the weight will continue to go down so I can be healthy for the boys and have be a cute bridesmaid for Jess's wedding! I don't want to ruin any pictures - LOL!

Well, work is beckoning and I need to fold some laundry as well. Have a blessed day!

A Thrifty Shopping Trip!

Now, I know this "thrify" craze has been sweeping the nation, and it's certainly got me caught up right in it! I'm learning and striving to stretch our dollar further and further - as far as it can go! I have learned a lot from several great websites - MoneySavingMom & Hot Coupon World, to name a couple, and I'm starting to use a lot of their great tips in my every day life.

First, CLIP coupons! I know, I know, it's a tedious, and not-so-fun job, but I promise it will save you a ton of money! Second, MATCH those coupons with your local grocery stores weekly sales flyers! I have local to me a Kroger, Albertson's, Market Basket, WalMart, Sam's Club, and a KMart. I also have a CVS and a Walgreen's, which I do really well coupon'ing there as well, too!

Today I gave myself a budget of $50 and wanted to see what I could come up with. It takes me about an hour or so to ready myself, by going over my sales flyers and gathering my coupons. Billy (my husband) and I decided to take the whole family and make a little outing of it. We had to stop at both WalMart and Kroger.

First, at WalMart we got:
10 boxes of Ronzoni SmartTaste pasta
3 bags of Hershey's chocolate & butterscotch chips
2 packs of candy canes
1 3-lb bag of rice
2 Blue Plate mayonnaise
1 Country Crock margarine
1 Italian dressing
1 Smucker's all natural peanut butter
Green Onions

White Onions
Celery
Pepsi (for me!)
Soft Peppermint sticks

Grand total @ WalMart after coupons - $34.97

We ran to Kroger right after, where the boys had a melt down so Billy took them home (we sadly cannot fit comfortably into one vehicle - we own a Honda CR-V and a GMC Sierra, but three carseats makes for a not so comfortable squeeze). I picked up the last few things on our list.

Kroger -
2 packs Huggies diapers
2 4-packs of Cottonelle toilet paper
2 smoked sausage
2 cans ReddiWip
1 bag Kroger brand french fries
Organic bananas (bought the organic on accident, we usually don't buy organic bananas)
1 jar Kroger salsa

Total spent @ Kroger after coupons - $18.67

Grand total $53.64! A smidge over my budget of $50 for the week, but not too shabby!

Next week will be a slow week because of Christmas, but our freezers are stuffed and our fridge and cabinets are full, so we are blessed! Do you have any good grocery trips to share? Leave me a note with your blog address!

Public Blogging!

This is my first leap into public blogging. I have been a private blogger for over seven years now, but I feel like it's time to leap into the world of the unknown! Let me give you a little bit of background about myself....

My name is Christy, and my husband's name is Billy. We've been married for almost 5 years, and together for over seven. We have definitely had our ups and downs, but we have a very solid love and foundation to our marriage. We have three children now, our oldest two our boys, Donovan is 3 1/2, Trenton is 2, and our baby is Miss Delilah, born 10/1. She has brought a whole new depth of love to our family. The boys adore her, and she is the sweetest baby I've ever met! We currently live in a small town in southern Louisiana. My husband is going to school to finish his electrical engineering degree. We hope to be done with school in about 4 years.

I am currently a work at home / stay at home mom. I am able to work from home for an online only retailer and be with my kids as much as possible. My husband is home during the day when he's not in school (he works a very early morning shift at a local hardware store) so he cares for the kiddos when I'm focused on working. We are VERY blessed by this job, and though it's not secure (due to the ever changing economy) I know God will provide whatever way He sees fit.

I am hoping the point of this blog will be to post pictures and the like for our friends and family that we moved far, far away from, and to post about all my frugal homemaking and thrifty shopping. I'm a bit of an addicted coupon-er, but I figure there are worse things to be addicted to. I also hope to publicly blog about my struggle with my weight and my goal of losing a good amount this year. Billy has a 10-year reunion for high school this spring and one of my best friends is getting married in October and I am a bridesmaid!

I consider myself very lucky and blessed. I have a great family, great extended family that I married into, and great friends. :)