STRETCHING Our Dollars...

When Jon and I realized that our romance was blossoming into "till death do us part", we began discussing our dreams, goals and hopes for the future. One of the many topics of conversation included making responsible decisions regarding our finances.  As a couple, we knew it was important to agree on how we would manage our money, and aspired to work as a team to accomplish our goals. To be honest, money, bills, budgets and the weight of it all stressed me out!! To alleviate this tension, Jon and I decided that it was best for me to manage the checkbook so that I had knowledge of how much money was being spent. I had learned the discipline of frugal spending from my parents. My mom and dad viewed money as a blessing, and took great effort to be responsible with this gift God had given them.  Because of this perspective, my parents were always able to help people in need and pay their bills in full, including their mortgage and our college tuition.

Through the years, Jon and I have learned to integrate a few practical habits into our lives that have made a HUGE difference in our monthly spending...

1) Our family rarely eats meals out.  I've made it a priority to prepare dinner every evening, with a few rare exceptions. Challenging? Yes, at times, but the key is planning ahead.
   a)Map out the meals you'd like to serve during the week, and make your grocery list accordingly.  Go to the grocery store with a specific list and your price matches (which I will discuss next).
   b)Use a crock pot to prepare meals in the morning on those days when you know you'll be running around until dinnertime. It's great to arrive home to the yummy aroma of a meal that's ready to eat!
   c)Double or triple your favorite recipes and freeze the leftovers. This provides you with a healthy, inexpensive meal that is ready to cook and serve on those crazy, busy days :).
   d)If you're one who loves the experience of eating out, treat your family to ice cream or your spouse to a coffee date a couple times a month. It's fun to splurge once in a while.
   e)Take the time to calculate the savings gained from eating meals at home.  I guarantee the amount saved will give you motivation to continue.
*Two great resources that provide tips on meal planning, great recipes and even printable grocery lists are: emeals.com and orgjunkie.com (under menu planning resources).

Chicken Taco Salad--one of our family's favorites!!

2) When shopping for groceries, I always try to use price matches at our local Walmart.  The grocery store ads come out on Wednesdays, so I set aside time at the end of each week to make my grocery list using these ads.  Many times I add or subtract from my list based on the good deals in the paper.  For example, I decided to make spaghetti this week because the pasta sauce in the Price Cutter ad was $.88 for a 24 ounce can. (I bought three...I used a couple cans for spaghetti and the remainder for manicotti.)  I also added strawberries because Aldi's had them on sale for $1.79 per pound.  As I approached the register on Tuesday, I looked at my cart thinking it could be close to a $200 shopping trip.  I cannot tell you how excited I was when the cashier said, "That will be $142.82."  I floated to my car and called Jon as soon as the food was out of the cart!!

Eagleeyedeals.com is a website for shoppers in our area.  All the local grocery store ads are compiled and listed for easy and quick access. It's been very helpful for me when I've forgotten my price comparisons at home.

3) Jon and I go through our budget at least once a year.  Last summer we reduced our expenses $50.92 a month by researching and switching our internet and home phone carrier, and cable provider. We are currently shopping around for a different home/car insurance company because our home premium will be increasing by over $600 a year. No, thank you!

4) I love clothes, accessories and shopping for good deals. In recent years, I've been selling our clothes to a local consignment store. It takes some time to go through everyone's clothes, but it has definitely payed off. At the end of last summer I gathered all of our outgrown, unused fall/winter clothing and took it to "Just For You" in Nixa. In December, Karleigh and I went shopping and discovered I had $93.00 in credit due to the sale of our used clothing! In addition, they give an extra 10% off if you use it to purchase clothing in the store rather than taking the cash. Here are a few items I purchased last week, without spending any money...

This blue "Forever 21" shirt was $8.00 at "Just For You" (which is already a great deal).  It only cost me $7.30, which was taken from my store credit.

This gray "Forever 21" dress was $9.00 at our local consignment store.  It cost $8.10 in store credit...I didn't spend a dime :).

This cute dress was $14.95 before my discount.  The final cost was $13.50, deducted from my store credit.  AMAZING!!

There are many ways to stretch your dollars~ it just takes a little time and organization. Several scriptures encourage being good stewards of your time and money.  Proverbs 21:5 states, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."  Proverbs 24:3 also reinforces this thought, "A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense." I want to build the home God has given me with His wisdom and direction. My prayer for you this week is that God will show you creative ways to build your home, which in turn will bless the people around you.  Please post some of your personal experiences finding money saving deals, helpful websites, and/or frugal DIY ideas.  We can learn so much from each other!!  Much love to you all...