Good Stewards Class Notes: Couponing and Frugality

A friend and I spoke at a women's breakfast at my church on good stewardship of our money. While that is a huge topic, we mostly touched on how to save money by staying out of debt and couponing. Couponing is much more than just clipping coupons, it is a state of mind where wait to get what you need until you can get it at a good price. Once I saved over $700 on our family vacation by keeping my eyes opened and making 1 phone call. Below is more of a list of jumping off points, than a how to. It is the resources to get you started. Here is the hand out with a few added links and notes:

First of all, you may want to read this post I wrote comparing frugality with good stewardship. This part can be easily overlooked, but it is very important to have the right perspective.

There is also this post on couponing myths like, "There is nothing I would use coupons for."

Coupon lingo can be confusion to new be couponers, here is a site that translates for you.

Basic Principle

It is very simple, you use a coupon on a product that is already on sale. But you just don't buy one, you buy enough to last you to the next sale, usually about 3 months. See, the old way of couponing was buying a box of zip locks because I ran out. As an after thought I use 1 coupon as well. The new way is waiting until zip locks go on sale, then using the coupons I have to get several boxes. The old way I would get 1 paper, the new way I would get at least 4!

Four papers may sound like a lot, but you must have several to make your effort pay big. You can ask family and friends for their unwanted coupon inserts. If you cannot find any free paper inserts, even if you buy a paper, it would more than pay for itself.  If you are single or are just maintaining a stockpile, you may be able to get by with 2-3 papers.  As you keep reading, it will make more sense.  It also really depends how good the coupons are that week, I do not get 4 every week.  We will talk more about that too.  

Below there are more notes and links about coupon inserts and printable coupons. I also wrote 2 other posts on couponing here and here.

Here is a no coupon way to save money:

Homemade Laundry-detergent

This laundry detergent saves a huge amount of money. We buy its three ingredients for less than five dollars, and the resulting concentrate lasts our large family(the Duggars, not us) 3 months! It's a watery gel that produces low suds inside the washer. The ingredients are usually available in the laundry-products aisle of the supermarket — or order online. (Check recipes on the Internet; there's also a dry version of this laundry soap that's good for top-loading machines.) ~From 19 and Counting (Duggars) TLC on their recipe page. Added some comments myself. I have post here and here about this before. I have tried the dry recipe, it is not as good.

Ingredients:

1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
 1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

(All these ingredients can be found in the laundry isle at Shoprite.) 

Equipment: pot, grader, 5 gallon bucket, an old laundry-detergent bottle

Instructions:

1)Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan. Cover soap with hot water. 2)Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.

3)Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. 
4)The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using.

For top-loading machines: Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.

For front-loading machines: Use 1/2 cup per load.

Coupon Inserts:

There are a few different publishers of coupons. They are:

Red Plum
Smart Source
P&G Brand Saver (Protector and Gamble products) 
GM Everyday Saver (General Mills)

You will find the title up at the top of the coupon insert. Occasionally, there may be 2 Red Plums and/or 2 Smart SourceS. The date is printed on the spine.

Sources:

Philadelphia Inquirer: Best coupons most of the time, has more coupons per Smart Source insert, but no Red Plum. This paper is best bought on Saturday, if you don't have it delivered and costs about $1.75. However, the some Shoprites sell it for $1 (Medford, NJ).

Burlington Country Times: has less coupons per Smart Source insert, but does have a Red Plum. This paper is best bought on Sunday from the Dollar Tree for $1 of course.

All You: A magazine sold only by Wal-mart, full of a lot of coupons. You can get a subscription from Amazon or from their website www.allyou.com Also, you can print coupons from their website.

Individual Coupons Printed from the Internet: Here are some safe sights to print coupons from:

www.coupons.com

www.smartsource.com

www.target.com

www.redplum.com

There are more available, many companies offer coupons (see “Is this printable coupon legitimate?” ). Remember, you can print 2 coupons per computer. So, the more computers you have access to, the more you can print. You will have to download a program, but it is perfectly safe. It just makes sure you cannot print out more than allowed.  

Weekly Preview: Find out what some of the good coupons, how many inserts, what inserts are in the paper, and how many papers to buy of this weekend. She posts it on Saturday.

www.momsneedtoknow.com

To buy weekly inserts:

www.madcoupons.net www.couponsthingsbydede.com

Ebay – search for inserts by date - “coupon inserts 1/9." You can also buy single coupons. I saved $60 once by buying Almond Milk coupons on Ebay. FYI you are paying for the service to cut and ship, not the coupons - that is illegal.  Yes, there is such a thing as coupon fraud, and it is serious.  

Websites:

www.hip2save.com -watch videos on shopping at a specific stores

www.livingrichwithcoupons.com (local shopping deals, and videos on putting together coupon binder)

www.thekrazycouponlady.com (videos, couponing 101, store policies) – authors of Pick Another Check Out Lane Honey

www.totallytarget.com (Great for all your Target deals!)

What can I buy with coupon and for how much?

Free	Cheap
Toothpaste and Toothbrushes Mouthwash Deodorant Saline Solution Over the Counter Drugs Razors Shaving Cream Feminine Hygiene Products Cake Mix, Pancake Mix, Brownies, Cookie Mix Soap and Body Wash Cosmetics Shampoo and Conditioner Pasta and Sauce Cleaning Products and Dish Soap Laundry-detergent Oatmeal Snacks Toilet Paper Paper Towels Cereal Candy and Gum Vitamins	Flour Sugar Seasonings Diapers Paper Towels Toilet Paper Tea and Coffee Laundry-detergent Cereal Cosmetics Diapers and Wipes Canned Foods

Buy Prices:

What are the items you should put in your stockpile? The list is long, but here are some:

Condiments (BBQ Sauce, steak sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo)

Rice and Pasta

Snacks (crackers, nachos, salsa, popcorn)

Canned Goods (tomatoes, sauce, soups, vegetables)

Cereals

Cleaning Supplies (cleaners, garbage bags, laundry)

Drinks (water, soda, iced tea, coffee, tea, juice)

Dairy (butter, creamers)

Meats and Fish (keep frozen)

Health and Beauty Products (band aids, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, etc.)

Start your stockpile slowly, only looking for those items that are cheap or free. Within 4 weeks of starting your stockpile you can start to see approximately $50 knocked off your grocery bill. Within 8 weeks you can get to as much as $100 or even more off your weekly bill.

You will NEVER pay full price again!

Meats:

• Ground Beef 80-85% Lean $1.69- $1.99/lb
• Boneless Chicken Breasts $ 1.69- $1.99/lb
• Bone in Chicken Breast $ 0.79/lb
• Whole Chickens $ 0.97/lb
• Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks $ 0.79/lb
• Boneless Pork Chops $ 1.49/lb
• Boneless Pork Loin $0.99/lb
• London Broil $ 1.69/lb
• Top Sirloin Steak $ 3.99/lb
• Flank Steak $ 4.99/lb

Also be sure to check at Acme for “Manager Specials” they're will be a white coupon for an even lower price!!

Here is a sample buy price list, make your own according to the things you buy:

Cheese $1 or less for a bag of shredded cheese Ground Beef $1.75/lb Chicken $1.67/lb Milk $2.50/gallon (whole)- I freeze my milk if it's lower than this and I want to really stock up Cleaning Supplies (lysol wipes, bathroom & kitchen cleaners) $.50 or less Toothpaste/brushes FREE Cereal $.75 per box or less

Brownie and Cookie Mixes Less than $.50 or FREE Dish Soap $.25 or FREE Scott TP less then $.25 a roll Kotex Pads FREE Saline Solution FREE Granola Bars $.50 Chinet Paper Plates $.50 Bisquick $.90 or FREE Fruit Snacks $ .50 or less Deodorant FREE Body Wash FREE

Cooking:

Plan your meals, save money. Plan your meals around what you brought cheap or for free, save A LOT OF MONEY!

www.allrecipes.com (ingredient searches)

www.savingdinner.com (season dinner planning, easy, whole foods and healthy)

Monthly Meal Planner

Donations:

Only keep what you can use before it expires or 3 months to a year's worth at most. I might be able to get 20 tubes of free toothpaste, but I cannot possibly use them before they expire. While you are shopping for your household, pick up some items you can get FREE to donate!

Food shelters, missionary housing, charities that work with the needy ( i.e. homeless, women's shelter, aid to single mothers, pregnancy centers etc.) are just a few ideas. Keep your ears open, and you will hear how you can make a big difference just by spending your time. If your neighbor loses their job, you can just go to your stockpile to grab some things to help them. I have asked some people evolved with different ministries in our church, specifically what they need and how many people they plan to reach. This gives me an idea of what to look out for in "free" products, while making sure all my efforts and perfectly good supplies are not wasted.

Links to Helpful Handouts:

• What is a catalina?
• Coupon fraud alert
• Is this printable coupon legitimate?
• Coupon lingo
• Frequently asked couponing questions answered by Living Rich with Coupons
• Ten steps to becoming a crazy coupon lady by the crazy coupon ladies of course
• Coupon Basics for couponing newbies by Hip2Save
• Couponing 101 by Living Rich with Coupons
• Coupon fraud caught on tape

Final word
All this free and cheap items can make a newbie couponer go a little crazy.  Just please be sure not to clear the shelf, other shoppers are buying too.  A practical rule I use is no more than 4 items per store, unless it is a deal where you have to spend a certain about.  For example, buy $10 of Hunts products and get a $5 catalina off your next order).  It doesn't matter if you are going to donate them all.  There are families who seriously depend on these deals to make it, I am speaking of basic needs here, like heat, food and shelter.  If it is the last day of the sale and the store still has tons, then it is FINE to go crazy.  God wants us to be good stewards of our money, no matter what your income!  Other than that, please remember the biblical practice of gleaning in the wheat fields!

Books and Resources

• America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams by Steve and Annette Economides www.americascheapestfamily.com

-Lots of U Tube videos (link from their website)

-Great chapters on budgeting, saving and getting out of debt – very practical and realistic

• The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey www.daveramsy.com/home

-Great debt free living book

• The Duggars: 20 and counting! By Michelle and Jim Duggar www.duggarfamily.com & www.discovery.com/tv/duggars

-Great testimony of debt free living and good money saving tips

-This is where I got my recipe for Homemade Laundry-detergent

• Green This! Volume I: Greening Your Cleaning by Deirdre Imus

-Easy to implement with good information, excluding her conspiracy theories:-)

-She has other volumes available on green living

• Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely www.savingdinner.com

-She has a few other cookbooks as well.

-Weekly dinner menu plans based on season available foods, on a healthy, whole foods diet. She includes side suggestions.

-Simple, cheap and easy dinners that taste good too!
-Her books are great, but I think her eBooks and subscriptions are outrageously priced 

• Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey! By Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler www.thekrazycouponlady.com

-Excellent book on how to coupon, and fun to read!

*Use your local library to read these books for FREE. Even if your library does not have the book, you can ask for it through inter-library loan.

Good Stewards: Stewardship vs Frugality

This Saturday I will be speaking to the women at my church about being good stewards of their money, so I thought a blog post would help me get all my thoughts in order. The subject is quite vast. I am choosing to focus on the stewardship verses frugality, and how to go about that in a practical manner. FYI - when I am speaking of stewardship, it is in the monetary sense.

Good stewardship of our money looks different for different people. Cable TV would be frivolous for us, but not for my sports loving friend. There are seasons when time is short and we need to spend money on time savers or hired help, or risk insanity and poor health. How you spend your time can be as important as how you spend your money. It is important to keep in mind that spending time saving money can be well worth it, as it is adds income, which is untaxed and free to save or spend. It is a way in which a mom can stay at home with her children and still add to the household income. Our motives that steam from our hearts defines our penny pinching ways as either stewardship or frugality.

Stewardship and frugality are sometimes the same things and others times not. Frugality becomes bad stewardship when we give cheap gifts people really can't use. Hoarding goods we can't possible use, when someone else really needs them. Donating essentially junk like canned beets or stained clothes. Putting other members of the family under constant scrutiny of money spent. The motive is not to please the Lord, but of self reliance and selflessness.

A good steward lives generously, while using the money in the most efficient way possible in their circumstances. They view everything they have as belonging to God, and their love of God causes their thoughtfulness regarding how they make use of their resources in their charge. They also take time to enjoy life and the blessings God has given them in a balanced manner. A good steward lives their live in such a way as to be financially open to the plans God has for them, whether it be going on the mission field or adopting a child.

The Heart of Frugality

Here's an interesting blog post on frugality by Tim Challies.  It's not what you might expect...

Excerpt: Over the weekend I came across some video of America’s self-proclaimed cheapest family. They got me thinking about frugality, a topic that is all the rage in Christian circles today (or at least in some Christian circles). I have discussed this issue once or twice in the past but want to return to it today. Why? Because a lot of people put a lot of effort into frugality and I think many of them do so without thinking deeply whether what they are doing is right or wrong. They are saving money and this must be good, right? I’m not entirely convinced. So hear me out.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

~Catherine

Crazy Couponing = Crazy $$ Part II

You will find it helpful to start small. The first step can be really easy. Just start collecting coupons. You do not even have to start cutting them. Ask family and friends who get the paper, if they could give you the coupons they are not going to use. For example, my mom and my sister give me their coupons. Then, as I got more of a handle of it, we subscribed to the weekend paper. If I like the coupons, my husband will run out to buy some extras for me. For example, when the P & G insert comes out, my husband goes up the street and buys 4 papers. I know that sounds like a lot, but believe me, it will more than pay for itself.

Here are some examples of how & how much we saved:

• Just from planning my meals, looking at the circular and bringing my coupon binder to the store I have saved $69.44 in one shopping trip to Shoprite in which I only spent $57.57. This means I purchase $127.03 worth of groceries for $57.57. Another time I saved 47.29 and spent 37.98. Most of my Shoprite trips look like this now. We save more that half our bill. It is my coupons that made the difference. I use my coupons on sale items and save big. It helps to plan you meals around what is on sale.
  
• You can buy cereal for a quarter. Acme has Cheerios on sale for $1.75. You have a coupon for $.75 off one box. Acme doubles coupon under $.99 up to $1.50. Your $.75 coupon becomes a $1.50 coupon. Bingo, cereal for a quarter. Needless to say, we have a quite a stockpile of cereals. If you think that is crazy, buying diapers for $3 will make you hit the roof.
  
• By looking at the blog posts from Krazy Coupon Lady and Living Rich with Coupons, I have been able to get things for free and make money. Like the time I spent $12 at CVS and received $14 in extra care bucks.
  
• Rebates are wonderful. Rite Aid has a very easy rebate program, you can see this month's rebates by looking on-line or picking up a paper copy in the store. By checking my couponing blogs, I stay on top of manufacturer's rebates. The blogs list exactly what you need to buy and where to get the rebate form. One time at Right Aid, I bought $65 worth and was paid $18 to do it.
  
• By combining rebates with coupons, store rewards (like CVS's extra care bucks -basically money to use on your next trip printed at the end of your receipt), and store sales, you can get some good deals. One time I bought 2 Aveeno 8 oz Daily Moisturizing lotions; 1 Aveeno Shampoo and 1 Conditioner for $1.45 plus tax (totaling $2.81). This is how: CVS had a promotion, if you brought $25 worth of select Aveeno products, you would receive $10 in extra care bucks. However the products were also on sale, which meant I actually had to spend $30 to make the $25 because 3 products where just under the $25. On the $30 purchase, I used a $4 extra care bucks, and 4 manufacturer's coupons totaling $ 6. So, out of pocket I spent $21.45, but then I got $10 in extra care bucks. On top of that, Aveeno was running a rebate in which you would receive a $10 rebate for purchasing $25 worth of Aveeno.

Next post I will explain how I made my coupon binder, and what I do with all those coupons. Later I will post on websites and individual stores.

Here is part one if you miss it:
Crazy Couponing = Crazy $$ Part I

Crazy Couponing = Crazy $$ Part I

Cutting coupons seemed silly to me. I would have never thought I would get stuff for free by cutting coupons, and I did not even know I could be PAID to buy things I got for FREE. It is crazy! It is not easy. It is work, but is pays very well and it is fun - or at least it is for crazy type A/homeschooling moms like me. However, I do think just about anyone, of any age and gender, would love couponing.

What I am not going to do in this post is tell you how to coupon because people have already done a better job of that. For starters, you can go to Krazy Coupon Lady website and click on and read beginners. Personally, I just read the whole article and gradually started couponing, but you could do it in 10 days. Then, I would suggest you read their book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey by Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler, the women behind the website. It is a laugh out laugh way to learn couponing. It is written to our generation, by 2 moms like us. This book was very helpful to me.

Another big help is finding other crazy couponers like yourself. It helps to have someone more experienced than you to ask questions or get tips from. It was through friends that I first learned about couponing, and I have learn a lot from them. However, if you do not know any other crazy couponing people, I think you will find the book mention above as more than acquit to equip you to coupon, and the rest you will learn on your own.

Living Rich with Coupons website is another place you can learn about couponing. She has a whole section for beginners. Later, I will do another post listing all the couponing websites, as well as all about my coupon binder, an essential accessory.

Tomorrow I will post about an easy way to start, as well as some facts and figures of how couponing has saved us a lot of money. Seeing what an average person can do, helps me see how it will fit into my own reality. It was my friends' stories of couponing that caught my ear and made me set aside time to figure it out. It is worth your time. It is money you can add to your income, and it is ALL tax free!

Good Stewardship: books and resources

Books and Resources

• America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams by Steve and Annette Economides http://www.americascheapestfamily.com/

Lots of U Tube videos (link to videos from their website)

Great chapters on budgeting, saving and getting out of debt – Very practical and realistic

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

http://www.daveramsey.com/home/

Great debt free living book

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• The Duggars: 20 and counting! By Michelle and Jim Duggar

www.duggarfamily.com and http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/duggars/

Great testimony of debt free living and good money saving tips

If you lose your recipe for homemade laundry soap, you can find it at their website under recipes!

• Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning by Deirdre Imus

  Easy to implement with good information, excluding her conspiracy theories :-)

1^st volume in a series

There are a few Christian “green” books too, just haven't read them yet.

Borrow it from the Burlington County Library for FREE

• Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely

www.savingdinner.com - She has a few other cookbooks as well

Weekly dinner menu plans based on seasons on a healthy, whole food diet

Simple and easy dinners that taste good and are cheap

It even includes easy sides suggestions.

• Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey by Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler

  www.thekrazycouponlady.com

  Excellent book on how to do couponing, and fun to read

Debt

Piggybacking on Catherine's debt free post, I wanted to share our story in the adventures of debt free living. Today, after all, marks an important milestone - we paid off my husband's student loan.

About a year and a half ago, we decided to switch to a debt free lifestyle by using a few simple methods:

• Only use cash to buy items. If we do not have the money, we do not buy it. (see Saturday Night Live Clip below) Even when our refrigerator broke, we did not buy one until we had the cash. That meant living out of a dorm size refrigerator for over a month until God provided us with an old one from a friend. Not that we ever spent big money on luxuries like a big screen TV, but we probably would have thought in the past that we HAD to have a refrigerator right away, and put the purchase on a credit card.
  
• A budget on a weekly basis
• Pay off our smallest loan 1st, than use the budgeted amount from the smallest loan to pay toward our next smallest loan, and on it goes until our mortgage, God willing, is paid off. This system is nicknamed the debt snowball. Let me give our example, our loan with the smallest pay off amount was our car loan. Once the car was paid off we had an extra $250 to pay on top of our budgeted amount for my husband's student loan for a total of $550. Now our we have $800 towards our next loan, our credit card.
  
• The first thing we did though was put $1,000 in the savings for emergencies. We tend to have expensive ones here - hence the credit card debt. When an emergency arose, such as dental work, medical expenses or car repair, we had in the past no choice but to use the credit card.
• Getting additional income through hard work. Another reason for the debt was the year that my husband loss his overtime, which we counted on. If you have a chronic illness, you can easily spend a few hundred dollars on medical expenses in one month even with good health insurance. There is no way to stay out of debt other than to bring in additional income. We had already cut everything back possible. I got a part time job for a while, and my husband received his overtime back. This money helps us cover our unexpected expenses and pay down our loans faster.

By paying off our loans, we will have less overhead expenses and more money. After our credit card is paid off, we will save for a large emergency fund, a large purchase fund, and home repairs fund. We hope to buy our next car with CASH. Then it is on to our mortgage.

These two books were extremely helpful, and I highly recommend you get them from your local library (COST $0):

America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money by Steve Economides and Annette Economides - Yes that really is their last name. Great book. They are a homeschool family with five kids who lives debt free on a modest income by being smart, thrifty and hard working.

The Total Money Makeover by David Ramsey

The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families--How they Do It by Jim Bod and Michelle Duggar - Thrifty ideas, as well as their story how they live debt free with 19 kids.

Here is a very funny clip that makes a lot of sense:
Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford from Saturday Night Live (saw this one on I.O.U. U.S.A a DVD on America's national debt problem, which is also very good)

There is a lot more I could say about how paying off debt is liberating, how you are more available to God, or how living simpler is so much better. But, I will save that for another time.

The picture above was found on Flickr with the title "Get in Debt, Get Fat and Die at Walmart no less."

Debt Free

Dear Friends,

Hello! This is Catherine posting. :) Recently, my husband Matt's heart has been stirred to pay off all our debt (with the only exception of our mortgage). We're very close to reaching that goal... a little left on a car payment and a little left on a college loan. The closer we get to paying these off, the more freeing it feels.

But there will always be more purchases, right? How long can we sustain being out of debt before the next thing comes along? We're at a crucial point where we need to make a decision... are we going to commit to managing our finances in a way that leaves us debt free?

With the impending arrival of Baby #3, we have some new purchases on the horizon. Namely, we have to take the plunge and buy a minivan. Our first clue that we will soon outgrow our current vehicle was when we tried to put a third carseat in there. We couldn't close the doors! :) We have a practical need and an important decision to make. Will we take on more car payments or will we search for a used van that we can afford without financing it?

Last night, Matt expressed that he would really like to do that latter. That means going without the latest bells and whistles and perhaps having to wait patiently until the right van comes along.

I haven't done a lot of reading up on living debt free, but as I've thought about it a little, I came up with the following list of benefits:

- It will allow us to wait patiently for God's provision.
- We will be more prayerful about the dollars we spend.
- When God provides, the thanks will go to Him. (James 1:17)
- It will be so freeing! Debt is always burdensome whether you owe the bank, parents, or friends.
- It will allow us to give more generously and radically.
- It kills covetousness and wanting things that are beyond our means. If we can't afford it, we can't have it.
- Our focus will be placed on kingdom building and things eternal. How much better will it be to store up treasures in heaven? (Matthew 6:19-20)

Matt sent me this John Piper video over email last week and it really made us think about our long term financial goals. What do we want to treasure?



If you live debt free, what advantages/disadvantages have you experienced from living this way?

---------------------------------
Image credit: Alan Cleaver

Life is Not a Photograph

Looking at a blog site today, I began to think - this woman's life looks like those pictures that comes with your frame. How does she get those bows to stay so neat and prim in girls' hair? Where is the mess? Where is the disobedient child? Where is the toilet left unflushed or worse?

It is easy to look only at pictures and see a perfect life that we do not have ourselves. Life in not a photograph. Do not believe Satan's lie that your life is so much worse when compared to others. No man is perfect except Jesus. Everyone is dealt a different hand. I very much doubt a women would post such pictures only to make others jealous and covet, that would not match the Godly statements that are so helpful and encouraging. While thinking the best in others, be ware of your own sinful thoughts. When negative thoughts pot up, squash them and chose positive thoughts and God's truth.

There is a difference between getting ideas for your own household and putting yourself down. We can view successes of others without being too hard on ourselves because only the picture is perfect. The photo was taken with the purpose to show the good side. No one has it ALL together.

Use Godly successes of other people to make chances in your own life, but remember patience, God's provision for you at this time, seek God's wisdom and apply it to your life. Again, remember not everyone is dealt the same hand. I must say, the woman from the blog mentioned above only has GIRLS, boys are so different. She has a large modern home, which is much easier to keep clean. Perhaps she lives in another state where taxes do not take up 1/3 of their mortgage payment. Or maybe they were determined to live without debt, and are able to afford so much more without owing others. On the other hand, they could be up to their eyeballs in debt too, though I hope not. Maybe she has a maid. You get the idea. I must admit, I really want to go back to the blog to look for an I don't have it all together post!

Once I heard a homeschool speaker talk about a photo taken of his family. It was a beautiful picture with smiling, well-behaved children. Then he told us that it was taken shortly after a huge family argument. There is always a story behind every photograph, and it is not always a perfect one.

The Myth of the Perfect Family Follow this link to an article on perfection that I stumbled upon while looking for a photo for this post.

Photo at top taken from here.

A Bit Too Much

These GAP carpenter pants for kids come with paint splattered on them, they could be yours for the bargain price of $30.99 - on sale from $34.50. Or you could just burn your money, at least it will give you warmth for a few seconds. It is ironic, you could buy this pants or feed a family of five for a month in a 3rd world country. I suppose people who would buy these pants hire someone to pant, so their kids would not have the opportunity to get the "worked in" look. Wealth is a blessing, to be enjoyed, used wisely, bless others less fortunate and to further Christ's Kingdom. Even if you are not a Christian, how could you buy these pants and sleep at night. Buying ripped jeans okay, but pants stained with pant - come on!

Paint splatter carpenter khakis

Rosie Turn In Your Rivets

This is my last weekend working at CLC Bookcenter. During the past year, I have worked between 10 to 20 hours a week at night and on Saturdays. Now this season has past, and it is time to return to my homely duties. My main job in life is training my children to become God honoring adults (we personally do this through homeschooling) and running a peaceful household. I may not get many pats on the backs, nor any honorary degrees, but those are just things of this world. They are not to be compared to our heavenly reward or even just the joy one receives from serving God. Oh, and by the way, I do have a concentration in Women's Studies, so do not think I am just dumb conservative being suppressed by men. My "main job" mentioned above is one of ways I think is important to impact the world, and I LOVE my job.

The main reason for me getting a part-time job in the first place was not to go on a family vacation, but to pay bills. The company my husband works for as a software engineer cut all overtime, even on red hot projects like my husbands, which are usually have immunity. My husband applied for many part-time jobs, as well as I. Finally, I got a job first. We had enough for paying our monthly bills, but if something extra, like a car repair or health expense, came up, we did not have the cash ready.

Another big reason was our desire to live without debt except for our mortgage. Our long term goal is to be completely debt free. While we have not reached our short-term goal yet, I can see how much more we have each month when you lower your overhead by paying off debt. We have not started any paperwork yet, but we would love to adopt. By paying off our debts, we will be able to make that financially possible.

The plus side to working was that I no longer felt hopeless and anxious about our finances. While the job did add stress, it was actually less stressful working than not. And believe me, homeschooling is hard enough without adding a job. Just google homeschooling burnout mom and see how many hits you get. Surprisingly, I have found lots of home school moms work part-time. Their families just need that little extra paycheck. Additional bonuses were that I learned a lot to help me grow in my faith because I was working in a Christian bookstore. As well as, improving my time management . I am looking forward to using this on my extra time.

When you tag-team work (sharing caring for the kids with your spouse while the other works), it is important to make a extra conscious effort on your marriage. I must say, we probably talked more often with my job because we would chat in the kitchen when I got home from work. Also, I noticed my husband had a greater appreciation for me being home. This was also true for my kids.

Some people told me that the job was good for me because it would give me a break. Working is not a break. It was nice to talk to other adults, be in an adult environment, but if I want a brake I will do something refreshing or at least lock myself in our bedroom. It was not fun to get behind on housework and homeschooling preparations.

When I took the job, we thought Saturday afternoon and evening would not upset our household that much because we usually had outings or did cleaning projects in the morning. However, I soon found out how physical the job in the bookstore would deplete me so, that I would need Saturday morning to recover from working Friday night. The house has suffered a lot too. I just could not do it all.

Another negative side was that working in retail, I would catch so many viruses - no matter how much hand sanitizer I used. Whether this is from a low immune issue or not, the results are troublesome either way. This is the reason I have quit before reaching our goal, my health has really taken a toll for the hard work. Lots of people work hard, some people just do not have a constitution that can handle it. It is just getting to the point where my paycheck is being handed over for doctor visits and medicine. It makes much more financial sense to stay home, and work at stretching our dollars even more. We have had a very strict budget and have paid cash for everything from the start of our debt free goal, there is no cappuccino habit or eating out a lot. However, I can use the additional time to make improvements, many money saving tactics require time.

Now, I am looking forward to supporting my husband in his career. He works a ten hour day now overtime has been reinstated. That means when he is at home, he needs to rest, recuperate and spend time with the kids. I need to take care of the house so he can keep up with the heavy work load. Houses do not clean themselves, nor do kids - or at least not without heavy training. Not that I am saying stay at home moms do not work hard, especially homeschooling moms. I am saying the situations are different.

Looking Forward . . . Excited about my free time. Hoping to improve my health. Glad to have more family time before the kids grow up and have families of their own, and our sweet, little family times are just memories.

Rosie the Riveter (poster at top-J. Howard Miller's "We Can Do It!", commonly mistaken to be Rosie the Riveter)

Photo is of Ms G. and I at CLC Bookcenter.