Stockpile Challenge

I have been looking at different ways of shopping over the last few months.  I would like to shop on the "offense" instead of the "defense".  What does this mean?  It means that I will stock up on items that I know we need when there is a great sale.  All of us have things we just automatically get at the grocery store or at the drug store.  Things like butter, milk, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.  Those things that may not even be on our shopping lists because we just know we need to pick them up.  I've been looking into ways to change my shopping to stock some of these items without breaking the bank.  Lori over at Moms by Heart has started a series this year that has really interested me.

The goal is simple~~stock up on everyday items you use when they are on sale.  By stockpiling, you will have enough to get you through until these items are on sale again.  Therefore, you will never be paying full price for any of these items again.  Lori has made this do~able on a small scale by using just $10 per week.  I'm starting out with personal care and home care items.  We have a Walgreens nearby that I can get great deals at.   Walgreens allows you to use store coupons along with manufacturer coupons.  I already take advantage of these sales {I haven't paid more than 50 cents for toothpaste for quite a while!}, so I just need to take it up a bit.

I'd like to have a 6-12 month supply of personal care items.  I'll start at 6 months and then increase it as I get there.  Thankfully we have lots of storage space in our home for these items.  Here's what I have figured out as my stockpile list.  I may change these up a bit after I pay more attention to our usage of these items.  Remember, we have 7 people in our family {four who are basically adults} so those of you with smaller families may gasp at some of these numbers! ☺


toilet paper~7 rolls per week =168 rolls
tissues~3 boxes per month =18
feminine supplies~1 box tampons and 1 box pads =6 boxes of each
toothpaste~2 tubes per month =12
Dixie cups~1 box per month =6
contact lens solution~1 bottle per month =6
deodorant~4 per month =24
toothbrushes~7 per month =42
liquid hand soap~we make ours last longer so 2 large refill bottles should last about a year.
dish soap~1 bottle per month =6
dishwasher detergent~we make our own and I try to stock up on the ingredients when they go on sale.
shampoo~3 bottles per month =18
conditioner~4 bottles per month =24  {remember I make our own fabric softner with conditioner}
bath soap~3 bars per month =18
bathroom cleaner~2 cans per month =12
laundry detergent~I usually make my own, but if there is a really good sale that I can add a coupon to, I may consider getting it.

Remember...this is for EVERY DAY ITEMS that we use EVERY DAY!  This is NOT extreme couponing where we have a pile of peanut butter and dog food filling our garage.  The intent here is not to buy things just because we can get them for a low price!  The intent is to stock up on the items we regularly use when they are at the lowest price and adding a coupon to make them even cost even less.  In this way, I will never pay full price for these items again.

I'd love to know if you shop this way and how it works for you!

Blessings,

Be Careful Little Eyes....

source~free digital photos

"You know better than that!"

 

This was recently spoken by my Four Year Old! 

 To ME!!

Oh, WOW!  How many times have I spoken those words?  Apparently way too many!  This was a much needed reminder that little eyes {and ears!} are always watching me. 

Watching how I respond to situations.

Watching how I interact with others.

Watching where I place my priorities.

Watching and listening to EVERYTHING!

So many times my children hear me say things in frustration.  So many times my children see me react to a situation instead of act upon it.  So many times I have been an un~Godly example to my children.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Matthew 12:34

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.  Proverbs 4:23

My heart attitude is the real problem, sometimes.  I get caught up in emotions or whatever may be going on that I forget about those little eyes and ears.  I forget to ask the Lord to change my heart to conform to his.

My daily prayer is that I would be a good example to my children.  That they would learn good things from me and not just bad.  I don't want them to grow with some of the bad habits that I have.  I want my mouth and actions to reflect the nature of my heart, a heart after God's own.

When I remember that little eyes are watching me, I'll remember that God's eyes are upon me also.  What a difference this will make in my life.

Blessings,

Large Family Frugal Living~Eating While On Vacation

Our kiddo's eating breakfast at an Oasis near Chicago this spring



Our family recently took a family vacation to the Creation Museum.  Taking a family of 7 on a trip can get costly.  So, we try to cut corners where we can without compromising the joy of the trip.  One of the things we cut corners on is eating.  We have a few tricks that we employ when we are travelling.

~~We find a hotel that serves free {hot} breakfast.  We all eat a good breakfast, and we don't have to dip into our food funds.  My hubby has become a pro at finding us a hotel that is within our price range and still serves a hot breakfast.  In fact, on this trip he found us a great hotel that not only served a delicious, hot breakfast~~they also served a delicious meal for dinner.  We knew they were serving a dinner also, but we really were expecting sandwiches or something simple.  Instead we were pleasantly surprised they had full dinners including desserts!  This saved us a lot for the couple of days we were there. 

~~We skip lunch and bring our own snacks.  This may or may not work depending on what we may be doing during the day, but we usually have a cooler along with us on vacations and fill it with things like juice, cheese and crackers, baked goods, or pretzels.  This will tide us over and then we'll eat an early dinner.

~~We check out what restaurants the cities have.  Hubby is great at this also.  He'll look online and even request mailed information from the cities we are travelling to.  We then look into ways to eat cheaper.  Things like "kids eat free nite" or online coupons help our budget.  Sometimes we just order a pizza and have it sent to our hotel room because ordering a couple of pizzas is sometimes cheaper than taking our family to a restaurant.

~~We get a hotel room with a kitchen.  Every fall we go to a waterpark hotel in the Wisconsin Dells and get a room with a kitchen.  This way we bring our own groceries and make our own meals right at the hotel.  We never leave the hotel, and don't have to have a meal budget.

~~All you can eat buffets.  This is not always a good idea, as they are sometimes costly, but once in a while it is a good deal. 

We want to have a good time on vacations and enjoy ourselves.  Eating out is one of those areas we don't want to miss either.  By using some money saving idea's we can enjoy our vacations without breaking our budgets!

Blessings,

Wordless Wednesday!

The view out my front door.  {Yes, I know how dirty the window is....just keeping it real for you!  If you come to my house, you will find dirty windows!}

Blessings,

Where Have I Been?

It's been a while, my friends.  I apologize for that.  The reason for my disappearing act is that our computer was broke.  I guess we now know what will happen if you drop a laptop!  It took several weeks to get it fixed, and I took that time to focus on my family and enjoying our summer.  So, I thought I'd share with you what we've been up to the past month!

I hope you are enjoying your summer.  It is flying by way too soon and I've got to start ordering curriculum.  It won't be long until we start our homeschool year again!

Blessings,


{By the way, the picture of me and Sunshine in the van may worry you!  We were at a campground heading to our campsite.  Sunshine was sitting on my lap because IN the campground it is ok because you can only go 10mph.  I would never let him do that if we were on the road!}