FLK- Funny Lookin' Kid

Did you know that FLK- Funny Looking Kid- is actually used in the hospital setting??

I am serious.

As a NICU nurse, I see quite a few kids that I would denote as "funny looking." At first glance you are like, "Hmm, something just isn't right here." But after a while, you learn the baby's sweet personality and all of those things that once made them funny looking start to become part of who they are and what you love about them. I love those cute, funny lookin' kids!

People give me that same "Hmmm, something just isn't right here" look when I tell them I am the oldest of six kids. They give me that same look when I tell them that I was homeschooled all the way up until college; that I lived on a farm; that I only dated one guy; that I never lived with my boyfriend/fiancé until we were married; that I married a youth pastor; AND that we are living WAY below our means and working on getting out of debt.

Yep, I am that funny lookin' kid!

The one that clips coupons, gardens, shops for clothes at Goodwill, eats leftovers, doesn't go out to eat very often, hardly ever goes to the mall, and hasn't bought a brand new pair of jeans in 3 years!

But, you know what?? It's okay to be the odd one out. People may think you have lost your mind when you say "no" to things because you are getting out of debt. People may look at you funny when you say you are working to pay off your house or student loans- 'cause who does that anyway? People may call you strange or a little weird. And, frankly, you are! Getting out of debt is not the norm, folks!

Let 'em stare! Let 'em galk! Let 'em call you a funny lookin' kid! 'Cause in the end, you'll be the one laughing!

Frugal Millionaire Moments



 I have started reading other blogs...on being frugal!

And you know what?? It's so much fun! Remember I said being frugal could be fun?! I love reading about how people are saving money in order to fulfill a goal or just because they have to! So many wonderful ideas!

One blog I am now reading is The Prudent Homemaker and boy, does she live frugally! One thing that the author does every week is list all the ways she lived frugally that week. It is so fun to read through the week and see how their large family came up with fun, frugal ways to save money!

I decided that I wanted to do the same thing too! I may not list things every week, but when there are moments of frugality in our home, I will be sure to share them!

So, here it goes for the first week!

On Sunday night, I did my coupon shopping at Shoprite. My absolute favorite thing in the world to do! By combining my coupons with the sales, I spent $24 and saved $53.22 on everything from pasta noodles, pasta sauce, frosting and eggs to shampoo, vitamins, and trashbags.

On Monday, I went to the local library and got a library card! I rented a few movies and a magazine! Much cheaper than going to the movies or even renting from Redbox 'cause the library is FREE. Plus, you can rent books and magazines too!

I had been given some whey from a friend who made homemade yogurt! I absolutely love all the nutrients that whey has to offer and love using it in bread! So, Tuesday, I made two loaves of homemade bread with whey...and it was delicious!

On Saturday, I clipped hydrangeas from my yard and placed them in a vase in our living room! Growing our own flowers and produce saves us money and allows us to have beautiful blooms in the home for free!

My sweet husband is an incredible finder of deals and did a Starbucks survey to receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. He combined his gift card with a deal going on at Starbucks- buy one espresso drink; get one free- and got two venti espresso drinks (Salted Caramel Mocha and Pumpkin Spice Latte) for FREE! A wonderful treat on my way into work!


What did you do to live like a frugal millionaire this week?

Breakin' It Down!

I have never been much of a dancer...neither has my dad. When it came time to discuss the Father/Daughter dance for my wedding, there was some hesitation...on his part. I was like, "Dad, we HAVE to do the dance! It's tradition." And Dad? He quietly smiled. UNTIL, I learned from my brother (who is an amazing dancer) that they had been practicing together. What?? My dad practicing dancing?? I was super excited! I was going to have my Father/Daughter dance!

While I can't really "break it down" on the dance floor, there is a dance that I am good at breaking down- the dance of a budget. I am no expert on the matter, but my husband and I have been living on a very tight budget now for about a year. And, let me tell you, in the moments of practicing, some toes have definitely been stepped on!

Just like in a dance, there are certain steps that must be taken to make the dance of a budget work. I am going to lay out a few of them for you as you learn the rhythm of life on a budget!

 

First step- Keep track of spending!
 If you don't know how much you are spending, you won't know how much to budget for. Make a chart with different categories- Auto, Entertainment, Personal Care, Home maintenance, Food, Clothing,  etc. Then, take one month and keep track of how much you spend in each category. Don't worry about the amount! Just get an idea of how much you are spending. I think you will be surprised!

Second Step- Write down monthly expenses!
 There are those certain items that never change- Rent/Mortgage, Utilities, Phone bill, Cable/Internet, Car payment, Saving, Giving, Student loan payment, Credit card bill, etc. Write down how much you are spending in those categories on a monthly basis. Everything, except for utilities and maybe giving/saving, should be a set amount.

Third Step- Put the First and Second step together!
 Once you have spent a month keeping track of your spending, come up with a set amount that you can spend in each of those categories. For instance, you find after keeping track of spending in food that you spend $400 a month. However, you know you can cut back, so you make your budget $350. Do the same thing with all of your categories.
 Lay all of the columns out on a spreadsheet and total up each column. Then, add all the columns together. That is how much you are planning to budget per month. If this is more than you make, you have a problem. Find ways to cut back in things like Entertainment, Clothing, etc. Your budget should be what you take home. Don't leave discretionary money- put a name to every dollar you make.

Fourth Step- Follow the budget!
 The fourth step is the hardest part. This is where all the months of practice and planning finally play out. In order to follow the dance of the budget, you have to follow the steps. By sticking to your budget, bills will be paid; money will be saved; and you will begin to have peace of mind.

Just like the dance with my dad wasn't perfect, neither is a budget. Go with the flow of the music! Sometimes, things will come up that you will have to accommodate for and that's okay. A budget should be fluid and changing with whatever is going on in your life. But, don't forget step four! Stick to the budget and the results will amaze you!

Saying "NO!"

  Awwww! Taking a minute today to reminisce about our honeymoon last year...such wonderful memories! Today marks one year since we got back from our honeymoon and so many times over have I wished to be back!

It has also been one year since we made a commitment, a choice, a conscious effort to get out of debt. As Dave and I stepped off the boat from our cruise and on to the plane that would take us home, we knew things would be different. No more expensive dinners out. No more exotic vacations. No more shopping sprees. No new vehicles. No home of our own. And the hardest for me, no kids, until we are out of debt. Whew! That's a lot of "no's" and like a two year old, I have had my share of tantrums. Saying "no" to the things in the moment is very hard for me.

We live in a society, in a generation, that is all about immediate satisfaction. When I cannot be immediately satisfied, I get frustrated. When I FEEL like I am not being treated fairly, I have a pity party. But you know what?? Life's not fair and sometimes the answer is simply, "no." When I say "no" in the present, it allows me to say "yes" in the future. Much easier said than done.

A statement that my husband and I repeat over and over again is a famous Dave Ramsey statement that says, "Live like no one else today so that one day you can live and give like no one else." What our parents are now enjoying- homes, new cars, nice vacations- took them thirty years to attain and we think we can attain all those things by the time we are 30!! Patience is a virtue and one I am having to work on daily.

As much as I would like to hop back on a cruise ship and enjoy a week long vacation in the Caribbean, I know that getting out of debt is what I need to say "yes" to right now. Saying "no" is the hardest part of getting out of debt! No to coffee trips to Starbucks when we have our own coffee at home. No to a new coat when I have a perfectly good one at home. No to eating out when we have a fridge full of good food. No to a new car when our cars work perfectly fine. No to buying a house when renting allows us to save money. When I make the conscious, committed choice to say "no" it ultimately means I am saying "yes" to getting out of debt.

One day, I will be back on a cruise ship enjoying sunsets on the Caribbean. But for now, I am enjoying the memories of the past and the promises of the future!

Eating healthy while couponing...on a budget...is this possible?

If you are hungry, this probably is not the best blog to be eating...I mean reading... at this time! See what I mean? Being hungry makes you read things that aren't really there!!

People have asked me multiple times, "How do you eat healthy while couponing? All those coupons are for processed items!"; "There is no way to eat healthy with couponing- you really won't save any money." While it is true that a lot of coupons are for processed foods, there are a lot of coupons for OTHER things i.e. shampoo, toilet paper, batteries, napkins, paper towels, etc. When I coupon, I don't necessarily coupon for food items. I coupon for things I will use and that I can stockpile for later on- like paper towels and toilet paper. When I SAVE money in the categories of household items and personal care items, I have MORE money to put in the food category to buy healthy food.

I didn't always coupon this way, though. When I first started, I bought anything that I could save money on- cookies, granola bars, cereal, canned food, candy, etc. However, this did NOTHING good for our personal well-being, so I switched my thought process in couponing. Instead of buying things just because they were on sale, I switched to buying things because we needed them and would use them.

Eating healthy on a budget is difficult. I am not going to lie. However, it is possible. Here are some ways that I have found to save money, live frugally, and still eat healthy.

1) Coupon for items that aren't food related and save in other categories of the budget. With the savings in other categories, use that to buy the healthier options at the grocery store.

2) Only buy the food items that fit into your current eating plan. Don't buy food items just because they are on sale!

3) Grow a garden! Whether you live on 10 acres or have a 10 inch porch, you can garden! There are inside gardens; there are potted gardens; there is square foot gardening; there are places to rent small plots of land to garden. Where there is a will there is a way!

4) Shop at off-brand grocery stores. Our favorite is Aldi. Bananas are usually 29 cents a pound; bags of baby carrots are usually 65-99 cents a bag; eggs are $1.29 a dozen; yogurt is 39 cents a container, etc. Aldi is BY FAR the cheapest place to grocery shop without coupons, on a budget, while still eating healthy food!

5) Be okay with not eating organic. WHAT???? I know. This is crazy talk. I didn't say don't eat HEALTHY, I just said, don't eat organic! If you are on a budget to get out of debt, save for a purchase, or whatever the reason is, there will eventually be an end. When that debt is paid or the item finally purchased, then you can go back to paying big money for better food. I understand that there are people who legitimately cannot eat processed foods, and really, I don't eat much of that. However, for those that are on a strict diet and want to stick to a budget, you will have to find other areas of your life to cut back. Maybe you can add an extra $15 to the weekly food budget and get rid of your monthly cable bill...just a thought. :)

It truly is feasible to live well on a tight budget...and coupon! Just tonight, on a food budget of $50 a week, my husband and I had a delicious dinner of salmon, rice, and cantaloupe. And last night? We had chicken fajitas complete with garden fresh tomatoes, avocado, beans, and salsa! It takes a little planning, but it is totally doable.

Oh, and just in case you wanted to know. The items in the above picture (excluding the toilet paper and paper towels), after coupons, cost me $0.03. That's some frugal living and pretty healthy eating right there!

Frugal Vacations!

This weekend is our first anniversary- I can't believe it! Is it me or does time feel like it is literally flying?!?! This has been one of the best years of my life- paying off debt, living frugally, and all!!

For our first anniversary, I would have loved to have gone to a beach resort somewhere warm- sat on the beach, read a book, stuck my toes in the sand, and been waited on hand and foot. However, the budget told us that wasn't possible this year, so, we came up with an alternative. CAMPING!!

Again, the start up costs for camping can be a little pricey, but once you have the materials to go camping, it is a very cheap vacation. I have been collecting camping items for a while because I absolutely love being outdoors. Here is a breakdown of the approximate cost of the items needed to go camping:
Tent- $60-$100 for a 4-6 person tent depending on the quality
Sleeping bags- $25-$50 depending on the quality
Camp chairs- $15-$30 depending on the quality
Dishes (plates, bowls, cups, silverware, pots and pans, tea pot, dish rack)- $60-$80
Lamps/Flashlights- $10-$25
Air Mattress (queen)- $30-$50
Camping stove- $75-$100

Plus, all the other necessities needed and/or wanted. These price breakdowns are just an estimate. But, I don't like to spend lots of money, so here are ways to save money on these items:
-Shop yardsales for dishes, flashlights, even tents!
-Shop Goodwill or Salvation Army for all of the above items!
-When changing out old dishes for new or old pots and pans for new, save the old ones for camping!
-Shop stores going out of business (bought our air mattress and camping sheets for 25% off when Kmart went out of business in our area!)

Once you have your camping items, buy some plastic bins and store all of your camping items in the bins. Makes it easy to transport to the campsite, easy to maintain at the campsite, and efficient to store when you are home!

So, yes, the initial cost is going to be anywhere from $400 to $500 dollars. But once you have these items, you will always have these items. You can easily pack up for a long weekend and all you would need to pay for is food and the campsite cost (which is usually $20-$30 a night). Another bonus? You can camp at places you have always wanted to visit without paying the huge lodging fees. List the places you have always wanted to go, find a campsite near by, and save!!

 

 

We had most of the items before our camping trip, but with the few items we did have to buy, campground fees, and food, our anniversary weekend only cost $120! That's what I call vacationing like a frugal millionaire!

Back to the Basics

Gardening.

Dave and I were very new this year at this very old tradition and have loved every minute of it! We have eaten our weight in spaghetti squash and have garnished every possible meal with fresh tomatoes! Dave's coveted plant? His peas. He loves his peas.

To start a garden was not a cheap endeavor. We decided to do square foot gardening which is wonderful for a small yard, but has a little bit of an upfront cost to get started. And though we can't say we stopped buying vegetables all together this summer, we can say it has helped subsidize the cost of our weekly food bill and we are eating much healthier because of it!

Gardening all started because of our dream to become frugal millionaires. We wanted to learn how to produce our own food and grow what we eat! See?? Frugal can be fun and educational! Dave picked up some books on square foot gardening last winter and the dreaming and planning began!

We were slightly ambitious this year (let's be honest, I was ambitious this year) and we filled, I mean FILLED, each 1'x1' square with as many seedlings as would fit! In total, we had 2 boxes of 12 1' x1' squares, which means, we were going to have a lot of produce! About halfway through the summer, we had to pull some plants because they became too big (like a spaghetti squash plant, a zucchini plant and a pumpkin plant). All in all though, we had an incredibly successful year!



This year, we harvested tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots.

We also harvested broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, onions, peppers, radishes, peas, and beans. And did I say more lettuce, kale, and spinach???

 

 

Watching the plants grow, picking the produce, pulling weeds, and enjoying the fruits of our labor was a definite success this year! Though we may not have saved a ton of money, we enjoyed some delicious homegrown produce, were able to barter fresh vegetables for farm fresh eggs, and we learned the importance of knowing what's in your food and where it comes from!

 

As I washed the vegetables for salads and chopped up herbs for different recipes, I couldn't help but feel rich! Growing your own food definitely brings a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction!



The Coupon Queen!

The Coupon Queen. This is now affectionately my new nickname at home. at church. at work. Yes, I have come to be known as the queen of couponing in my own little circle!

It all started with a dear friend of mine, Keshia Flanagan, who was quite the coupon queen herself. She taught me the tricks of her trade when I was single. And though it was a fabulous way to save money, I didn't quite get into the whole coupon thing and gave it up after about two months.

Then, I got married.

Now, it's like a mini Christmas at our house every Sunday as I leap from bed, run to the door, and take into my hands the cherished Sunday paper with all of its Sunday coupons! Ahhh, so fun!

Many people have asked how I do it- the couponing- and so here, in the best way I can, I will share with you my tips and tricks to becoming the next Coupon Queen!

First, you have to obtain the coupons. I have the Sunday paper delivered to my house every Sunday for $1 a week (a fabulous deal I got at a local fair this summer). However, you can also purchase the Sunday paper at Dollar Tree for a dollar, or at any grocery store or gas station convenience store. I also use coupons.com where they have tons of great coupons to print right at home! Just a heads up- the limit for printing coupons is two per coupon!

Second, find the weekly ads for grocery stores. Shoprite is by far my favorite store to find the best deals in our area! Coupons are okay for saving money, but in and of themselves, they won't save you a ton of money. In order to get the best bang for your buck with coupons, you have to match them to current sales going on at the grocery store. Sit down with the ad, figure out what you would buy that is on sale, and then match your coupons to the sale. When I first started couponing, I would go to three different grocery stores to get all the best deals. That quickly became very impractical for me, so now, I just stick to one grocery store and CVS to find all my great deals!

 

Third- time to clip those coupons! Listen up for a minute! ONLY clip coupons that you will use! And by that I mean, only clip coupons for things that you will use. It is easy to get caught up in the great deals, believe me, I know! However, you are actually wasting money if you are buying things you wouldn't normally buy just to get the good deal! Once they are clipped, you will need to figure out a system to organize all of your coupons. I use an accordion file where my coupons are separated by category. For example, Breads/Cereals/Dry goods; Personal products; Household/Paper products, etc. You will then have to periodically go through and weed out the coupons that have expired. That is my least favorite part...it's like throwing out money!

 

 

The fourth and final step is matching those coupons up with the sales of the week! My goal every time I go shopping is to save more than I spend! And most of the time, I do it! Just today, I went on my coupon shopping trip and purchased 4 rolls of Charmin toilet paper, 8lbs of Domino sugar, and a 1/2 gallon of Silk almond milk for $0.94 and saved $12.00! That's what I call living the frugal life and having fun doing it!

 

Before running out to the store with your coupons and grocery list, make sure you call or go on the store's website to find out what their coupon policies are. Some will double manufacturer coupons up to $0.50 and some up to $1.00! Some have a limit on the amount of coupons used per transaction; some have limits on the amount of items that can be purchased with coupons. The worst feeling in the world is showing up at the grocery store ready to go and finding out you can't use your coupons or they won't save you as much money as you budgeted for! I still get butterflies in my tummy when I watch the price of my purchase drop hoping that everything will work out!

 

Couponing takes time. Couponing takes strategy. Couponing takes patience. Couponing takes a budget of $50 a week and expands it exponentially! In order to become a frugal millionaire and maintain the title of "Coupon Queen," I gotta keep clippin' those coupons!

Paid in FULL!!

Paid in FULL!! I cannot wait to hear those words from Sallie Mae some day!! There is going to be a nice little celebration happening in our home when that day comes!!

As I was sitting at a Women of Faith conference this weekend, I was struck with the thought that the greatest debt in my life has already been paid...free of charge to me. I was taken back for a moment as I realized, even though I am striving so hard to be debt free here on earth, my greatest debt is already taken care of.

I didn't have to coupon to pay that debt; I didn't have to save to pay that debt; I didn't have to stockpile to pay that debt; I didn't have to work at all to pay that debt. That debt, the debt of my sin, was taken care of once and for all at the cross where Christ Jesus died for me so that I could have a debt free life with Him forever. All I had to do? Accept the FREE gift of salvation!!

Our debt free journey is not just for the sake of being debt free, although that is a huge piece of it. Our journey to being debt free is so that some day, we can give and give and GIVE! Our prayer is that we can be financially debt free so that we have the freedom to tell others about how to become spiritually debt free!

When sin entered this world in the garden with Adam and Eve, all of the rest of humanity would carry that same burden of being indebted to sin. Kind of like dealing with the national debt crisis even though we may not have contributed to it, right?! Just like I am sure the leaders of this nation never tried to get us into debt intentionally, God never intended for sin to reign. But, God, in His love for us gave us choices. Choices of whether to be obedient to Him or obedient to self...and Adam and Eve chose obedience to self. And just like every choice in life has consequences, so did theirs- the debt of sin on humanity forever.  How many times have our financial choices had consequences that eventually left us in financial debt?

But, God, in His love for us, had a PLAN. A PLAN to get us out of the debt of sin in our lives. His plan? To send His Son, Jesus Christ as an offering. a payment. for the consequences of our choice. The coolest part of this plan is that it is free to me!! Because I will never be perfect, never be good enough to please God, there is nothing I can do to pay the debt of sin on my own. BUT, because Jesus was the Son of God, He could pay for that debt of sin. My job? To accept the fact that I am in debt to sin and to choose to follow Jesus Christ and His word and receive the FREE gift of salvation from that debt of sin!!

OH. MY. GOODNESS!! What if someone showed up at your door today and handed you a check for the exact amount of your debt? Would you say, "No thanks, I don't need that. I can do it on my own."? Or would you take it with tears in your eyes and humbly say, "Thank you."? You would be stupid not to take that check!! If you wouldn't take it, I sure would!!

Jesus has a check with your name on it that says, "PAID IN FULL". Will you accept that check humbly and receive the free gift of salvation from the debt of sin? Or, will you walk away and choose not to accept a gift that could change your life forever?

I am thankful my check says, "Paid in FULL." Being spiritually freed from the debt of sin is far more freeing than the day when I will be financially free from debt. Being spiritually debt free makes me the richest girl alive. And you can be too!