I have never been a big one for coupon clipping, but I do try. Especially with formula and diapers these days. Those items get quite expensive!
And I can only imagine the cost of feeding a family....it's worth the time to clip coupons.
A friend told me about an online coupon site yesterday. She isn't tight on money, but she said, "Why wouldn't I print coupons and use them to save us money?"
It's called coupons.com
Looks like there are plenty to choose from!
Here's a website I've heard good things about:www.pocketyourdollars.com
It is a neat inter-active site that answers your questions as well as helps you save money.
I am not sure if you can use the coupons if you are outside the Twin City area, but it might be worth a try!
Happy Shopping!
Just this morning, I had to reorganize my priorities when my husband asked me if I would go golfing. His buddy canceled on him. He had the tee time and he was looking forward to a good round.
I was looking forward to a morning to myself.
But my husband had asked me to go golfing.
I have learned to have the word 'sure' on my lips for times like this. I have learned that I will enjoy myself once I am out on the course. I have learned that Dean and I need to capture time together like this...so I have learned to say 'sure'.
I know it sounds selfish that I wouldn't jump at the chance to go golfing with my husband, but last minute invitations usually mean that I have to say 'no' to alot of other plans. That is hard for me to do.
Re-organizing my priorities is a very common exercise for me. Interruptions seem to be an everyday occurrence.
Learning to be flexible and re-organize my priorities has made me good.
Today I was flexible but today my interruption was a game of golf with my husband. Other days my interruptions might not be so fun. If I hesitate to drop everything when my husband asks me to go golfing, you know I have had to work on being flexible for the not-so-fun interruptions.
It's not only moms with small children that need to be flexible and mindful of their priorities.
Any woman who wants to be good...to be better, must work on flexibility and her ability to re-adjust her priorities as needed.
I am less than three weeks from my due date and there is one thing I know: I have a lot to learn about what makes a mom good or what makes a good mom.
I believe our society will tell us one thing, our friends might tell us another, books might offer another perspective, Biblical truth yet another.
I feel I have so much to learn about being a mom! Not just a mom of one, but now of two. I love to observe my friends and learn from what I see them saying and doing. I also learn what I don't want to say and do.
Mothering is a role that keeps me on my toes...all day, every day. I often ask God for the strength, energy, grace and patience to be the mom that Samuel needs.
Because what Samuel needs in a mom is different than what Sophia needs, or Maddie needs, or Natalie needs, or Noah needs, etc, etc.
It's so difficult not to compare my role as a mom to my friends. I can learn from them...and ask them for their advice and opinion, but it's an ongoing lesson for me to realize that what my child needs is me - not me trying to copy how my friend parents.
That's a lesson I'm continually learning.
This fall in Homemakers with Hope we are going to be talking about what makes a mom good.
Is that different from what makes a good mom?
What would you say makes a mom good?
Moms have a difficult time doing what they really want to do because they spend their day doing things for others. Everything and everyone takes priority.
Moms who are good realize that. Stacy is realizing that as she prepares for child#2.
She sees that taking care of business now will allow her family that much more enjoyment and comfort in the long run.
Moms who are good know they need to continuously reorganize their priorities.
Stacy is expecting her second baby any day now. The due date is Sept 7, but the doctor said she is ready to go as soon as her little one signals she's ready to come forth:)
Our blog is abit side-lined because of the impending birth. Stacy is busy getting all the last minute tasks done as well as continue to mother 10 month old Samuel.
Be patience with us. We will resume with more consistent postings but for now just keep enjoying the random postings.
Anyone want to guess the day, date and time of this new little miracle? What name would you give her?
I read an article in the paper this week about 2 sisters in a dispute over a lottery ticket. One sister won $500,000. Years before the 2 sisters had typed up a 4-line agreement which said that they would share in any future winnings from lottery, cards, or bingo. They actually had the agreement notarized.
They used to gamble together frequently, play the same numbers and play the slots. They used to share everything.
Along the way, the two had a disagreement. They haven't spoken to each other since 2004.
The sister who didn't win the $500,000 had her attorney contact the winning sister and demanded half of the money.
The article said the suing sister didn't want to drag her sister into court but she believes she is due a share of the money. "I miss her so much, and I love her...but all I want is what is rightfully mine. All I want is my share, nothing more."
As I read this article, I thought of what I posted earlier in the week...the exercise of listing what we have in our lives that we truly LOVE. I was referring to 'stuff' but this article was a sad reminder that often we can love 'stuff' or 'money to buy stuff' more than we love the people in our lives if we aren't careful with our choices.
For Home Improvement this week, just review the exercises from this week's postings. Realize that to become a wise woman we must be wise in our choices as well as in our actions.
If wisdom comes with age, these 2 sisters should be quite wise...the younger sister that is suing is 83...her older sister is 87.
This article is a great example that growing older sure happens alot easier than growing wiser!
Are you too busy being a janitor to your stuff to take time to identify what you really love? It took me awhile to realize how much stuff I have that I just move around and dust.
Have I acquired too much of a good thing?
While raising my kids, I added to my possessions thinking I was building my home. Looking back, I wished I had asked myself some key questions:
Am I willing to maintain all this stuff?
Is my space becoming crowded?
Does my stuff give me daily enjoyment?
Do my kids get daily enjoyment from their stuff?
Are they willing to spend time and energy to care for their stuff?
Do I ever feel I have too much 'stuff' around?
Asking key questions rather than nagging my kids to clean their rooms may have been more profitable. If they could truly show me that they loved and maintained their stuff, I could have backed off abit.
Idealistic? Perhaps, but I think too much of life is just maintenance.
I am living lighter these days. I am trying to surround myself with stuff I truly love.
Try it in your home and see if you don't love the freedom it brings.
Frank Lloyd Wright said:
"Many wealthy people are little more than the janitors of their possessions!"
Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect with very modern designs. His homes didn't avail themselves to alot of 'clutter'. He used sleek lines and open spaces.
Nowadays I don't think we have to be wealthy to be janitors of our possessions. The mini-storage business is a new phenomenon for this generation and it is a booming business. We can even own a home with sleek lines and open spaces and still collect stuff!
The self-storage industry grew from about 289 million square feet in 1984 to nearly 2.2 billion square feet by the end of 2007, according to the Self Storage Association.
We pay to store our stuff!
Without looking around your home, make a list this week of all the things you truly LOVE in your daily life.
Then categorize them:
Clothes
Furniture
Accessories
House
Pets
Garden/yard
Car
Appliances
Is the maintenance of all this stuff a blessing or a burden?
These days Ryan and I are working on some house projects. We are finishing our attic (painting, carpet, and a little sheetrocking, mudding, taping, etc.), getting new windows and we had to buy a new storm door for the front of our house.
In all these decisions we are weighing time, money, and quality. Some projects we are doing ourselves to save money. Some we are asking friends and family for help. Some we are hiring contractors to get them done quickly (hopefully before baby girl arrives in about 5 weeks!).
As we look at our options, I have been talking with Ryan's parents and trying to determine what is best for our family, what is good quality, what is economical and what would be best for resale.
There are so many things to consider!
We don't plan on moving anytime soon. But I am also not naive enough to think we'll be in this house until our kids are grown (not sure the kitchen has room enough for the food it will take to feed multiple teenagers :).
I find it stressful and tiring to call contractors, get estimates, weigh our options and then hire someone. It is so time consuming...and it's emotionally draining.
But at the same time, trying to do all this ourselves is stressful and time consuming. We are not exactly home project people!
I want to do what is best for resale, but I also want to make decisions in the best interest of our family. I want to create a space that we love, will be comfortable in and will use because it is to our liking. I desire good quality, without choosing the most expensive options.
I'm asking the Lord to give us wisdom and unity in our decision-making, to help move these projects along quickly and for peace regardless of whether or not this all gets completed in time for our new baby.
It's times like these that I am reminded that clear communication is essential in a marriage relationship. I am reminded that our money is not our own - God is the one providing for us, for our family and for our home. I am reminded that it takes time, work, and energy to make a house a home. I am reminded of Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."
