Save Money By Going Paperless

That stack of bills that piles up every month is not only a constant reminder of the money that is coming out of your wallet but it is an eye sore. If you are like me, you have those pesky little bills laying everywhere. I am all about getting rid of clutter these days. I hate seeing them laying around. We have went paperless through our bank's bill pay option. In a few clicks, we can pay bills or schedule payments for later in the month. This is really helpful for us because we may not have the money in the bank to automatically draft. However, many companies offer an automatic draft on their payment plans. This is helpful to ensure bills are paid quickly and on time, avoiding those costly late fees.This also saves money on checks or money orders, envelopes, stamps and the gas driving to the post office. Which over time can really add up. It also saves time in writting the checks, balancing the check book and driving to the bank/post office. In my world every little penny counts. That is why I work so hard to find little short cuts to save time and money. Every second counts in our busy lives so this is an amazing option. 

Benefits:

• Save Time
• Save Money
• Ensure bills are paid quickly and on time
• Environmentally Friendly

Food Waste Friday

So I saw on another blog how this lady posts pictures of the food her family had wasted for the week. I got to thinking I am going to do the same because I want to cut back on our waste and what better way to see how much we are wasting than to record it!

Do not tell DH! He told me to use this ground beef to cook with days ago, but I forgot. We bought 5 pounds of ground beef. It sat in the fridge for a while and I thought I should cook it. So I did. Then I forgot about that. 

At least one more meal's worth of Shepard's Pie.

Really good deviled eggs.

This is just what I clean out of the refridgerator. This does not include what was wasted at each meal.

The Kitchen Situation

My kitchen and I had a nice little talk earlier and it sounded something like this...

Me: Clean yourself. You are filthy.

Kitchen: 

Me: Your cabinets are clutter. Your sinks full of dishes. Clean up your act!

Kitchen:

No reply to any comment. Well played Kitchen, well played. Needless to say I am in the middle of cleaning the kitchen in super detail. I can't handle it anymore!

Well at least I will have more items for my garage sale in July.

Jingit

New favorite thing... Jingit. Jingit is an app you can get on your phone and get paid to interact. Watch short commercials for brand name products, answer a few questions and you're done. You request a payout on your Jingit Debit Card and then you spend it! Yay for free money!

Hamburger Helper Casserole

Image from Walmart.com

We love hamburger helper casserole! It is a meal enjoyed by both the kids and us adults. Cook a box of hamburger helper as you normally would. Add moderate amount of ketchup and cheese if you have it. Top with biscuits or croutons. We puree carrots and add to it to get the boys to eat them. They hate carrots. What freakish kids I have!

It's quick! It's Easy and it's tasty!

Reuse to Save Money

Photo by Organic Authority

This is a big money saving hobby/tip that I have just recently learned about. Upcycling. Essentially it is what we were taught in school as kids "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." I never really gave that lesson much thought growing up. As a young adult I became more aware of the environment. I want to preserve nature for my kids and I began recycling but nothing more. 

Now that I have grown up a bit and have kids, it has become something a lot more important to me. We cloth diaper, we breastfed, and co-slept. This was all something that was natural to me. It is was right for my family. It was also good for nature. Now the kids are growing up and we are teaching them to preserve. 

We are also teaching them to be frugal so they can survive in life, especially those college years. I let them reuse paper for art. We save broken crayons to make into more crayons. We donate toys and clothes. We cut up ruined t-shirts for cleaning rags. I want them to learn this. 

There are so many things you can make from materials you already have on hand. Games, gardens, furniture, ect.

Shh It's a Surprise: Part 1

This sweet little guy will be six in August. We are planning a surprise beach trip/birthday party/ visit to daddy's parents for him. This is very unlike us because it is spur of the moment.

My in-loves (I call them in-loves instead of in-laws because in-loves means I chose them, in-laws feels like saying I am legally bound to them) live in a beach town. They are 800 miles away. It has been a year since the boys have seen their grandma and DH has seen his mom. It has been almost 5 years since DH's mom has came to one of the kids bday parties and DH's dad has never been able to come. We will be throwing two parties to keep DH's long time divoriced parents seperated. Since we are short in planning this we are going to have to be creative in saving money!

Here is the plan so far:

* Any tips/OT/holiday pay goes to the trip

* All coin change and left over dollar bills goes to the trip

* Tax Return to the trip

* Cut any and all extra spending 

* No eating out unless it's a very good deal.

* Try to earn as many swagbucks and mypoints as possible to use for gas cards. Matter of fact I may go test drive some cars to get gas cards. Well when that deal is applicable

* We are selling some large items and bulks of kids clothes on online yard sales. 

* We are having a yard sale and may let the boys have a "lemonade stand" as the two little guys know the secret (Thank God they don't talk well enough to blab!) 

* We are scrapping metal. My grandmother and my mom are helping collect cans and my grandmother has given us quite a large amount of heavy metal to scrap.

* We are searching for coins in parking lots when we are out.

* We are planning our events this far out so we can request coupons.

* I am making his cake.

* We are shopping for the higher prices groceries here and are going to take them with us. They jump grocery prices way up in tourist towns.

I will keep you updated on our progress. As of this very second we have $15 in coins. Our goal is $2000 but the min we need is $1500.

Money Saving Monday # 1

Create a Budget and Stick With It!

Every money guru say it but how do you do it when you are living paycheck to paycheck? This is the question that faces so many people in today's economy. More and more people are living from one week to the next without thinking about the future. It's okay for a period of time, until you realize that you are sinking without a plan to keep you afloat.

What is a budget?

A budget is a structured plan for incoming and outgoing expenses. Typically, you know what your paycheck should look like. If your check varies a bit, underestimate how much it will be. 

How to budget?

1. Take inventory of all of your bills.
   This is your housing, car, lights, water, ect. Always over estimate these. For example if your water ranges between $80 and & $110, go with $110 on the budget.
2. Take inventory of your other expenses.
   This is your groceries, gas, clothes, ect. Also over estimate these. It may be helpful to keep a journal of these for a month or two, to give you better accuracy. Always set your budgeted amount out in cash to use. When the cash is gone, so is your right to purchase these items so spend wisely. I use the Dave Ramsey envelope system. He is an amazing money guru. I really love him for all the things I have learned from listening to him and reading his books. Pretty sure he qualifies as my Man Crush Monday #MCM
3. Take your income.
   Again underestimate.
4. Subtract your expenses from what you make.

If you are like me, you are laughing because you are paying out more than you make. This is okay. You'll get through this. You just have to learn ways to spend less and save more. Try to eliminate some of those bills. 

Thank you to the Brave

Its Memorial Day! I would like to thank all the men and women who serve our country. I would also like to thank their families for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. All too often they are forgotten. When your loved one enlists, so do you. Many people do not realize this! Most importantly today, thank you to all the families that have given their loved one for this country. They paid the price for our freedom. 

With that being said... Enjoy your cookout, beach trips, lake/camping trips. You should. Please remember that is not what this holiday is about. It is about remembering those who gave all. Also, this is your public service announcement for the day. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT tell a veteran "Happy Memorial Day." They look forward to Memorial Day as much as most people look forward to the plague! This is about remembering their fallen brother or sister. Thank them for their service instead. 

By the way... that gorgeous man pictured on the left is DH. Love him and am so proud of his service to this country. If I am not wrong this is the second or third day of OIF aka 2 or 3 days after his 21st birthday. 

Sunday Fun Day

My favorite kind of Sunday Fun Day... a free one. Today we took the kids on a trip to the splash pad in our neighborhood for a picnic and water day. We had a blast. DS1 and DS3 jumped right in the water and got drenched. DS2 due to his super powers (he is on the Autism Spectrum and has SPD)  played by the water and got very upset when he was put in the water. *Note to self* NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. We really had a great day. The kids loved it and hammed it up for some pictures. My fair skin beauties got a bit red. While I didn't burn or tan... stupid acne medicine!

This may become a weekend ritual.

Weekly Weight Loss Update: Week 4

One month ago I set out on a weight loss journey. I made a bet with coworkers and we are all fighting for the prize. I will even be honest about my weight loss here (BUT NOONE I REPEAT NOONE IS TO TELL DAVE...TO HIM I WEIGHT 105 LOL or at least that's what I keep telling him). I started out at 179. My weigh-in this morning 165! Woot! It is not where I need to be. The ideal weight for a person of my height and build is below 120. I am barely over 5 feet. But this is a big accomplishment for me. 

When I was pregnant with Kaden (my 6 year old) and his twin (who was a late miscarriage), I gained 110 pounds. I was 225 when I delivered. I got down to 190 and there came Eythan. After Eythan, I got back down to 190 and boom there's Carson. I have since then been working my booty off to lose the weight. However, I must not have been doing it right. For 2 years I have been stuck at 180. Not anymore, I am going to lose this weight if it kills me and it very well may...Fat kid loves to eat!

How I Save Money On Gifts With Swagbucks

I am a bargain hunter. I am always looking for a good deal. Especially when it comes to gift. There have been several years in the past that neither Dave or I had anything under the tree at Christmas, but we have always made sure that the kids have the "Best Christmas Ever" each year. 

We don't have a lot of money to spare. Thank goodness I have been a creative genius...haha! Thankfully, I discovered Swagbucks!!! Truthfully, it has been a lifesaver for me on multiple occasions. 

What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is the search engine that pays you to search. Go about your normal business and use the search engine and you will frequently accrue Swagbucks. Get paid to watch videos, take surveys and polls, even to shop and COUPON!

Swagbucks can be used to redeem many prizes. My favorite is the Amazon gift cards.

Sign up now using the code: F4MBonus (case sensitive) and they will give you 100 points.

About Me

I am so glad you dropped by! I am Sarah, working mom to 3 young boys. They and my husband are my life. I am a nurse and it is has been my passion since I was a very little girl. I love to read, cook, coupon, and try new things. I am an animal lover and enjoy horseback riding. I am a special needs mom with a child on the Autism Spectrum.I am silly and fun loving. I love music, TV and sometimes movies. My husband and I love coming up with fun things to do with the boys. I am country girl and am not afraid to get dirty. My husband is a police officer, so yes, we are pro guns in this house and in fact it is a frequent date night for us!

This is a little about us. My husband and I met 10 years ago, when he was serving at Fort Campbell. We met horseback riding and really did not care for each other at first. Okay, I'll admit it, I was down right nasty to him, but in all fairness, he deserved. He cut me and my friend in line and I let him know real quick to move his (very cute) butt to the back of the line. Shortly after, we started dating. Six weeks later, we were engaged. Two years later we married. Here we are almost eight years and three kids late. 

After we got married, we quickly learned that love was not all we needed to survive. There were these stupid things called bills that if you don't pay them, they will stalk you until they get their money. We have had to learn to adjust our life to fit our bills. Though we will not always be in debt, we have learned some very valuable ways to save and maybe will actually get to retire one day.

This blog is a way for me to share stories about us. A way to save memories for the kids. A way to share our successes and failures as we try new was of being thrifty. I hope that you will be interactive and share your thoughts and tricks with me and that you will learn and I can help you too!

What I hope will come:

• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Pinterest 
• Product Testing and Reviews
• Book and Movie Reviews
• Product Give Aways