Stockpile Challenge, Week 2

Quick post continuing with the Moms By Heart Stockpile Challenge.

Here's a quick recap: use your clipped coupons, store deals, and clearance items to slowly build a stockpile of good in your home, spending 10 dollars at a time.  The goal is to have enough goods that  will last until the next sale or great deal, so you end up multiplying your supplies while spending less.

Here is my photo of this weeks 10 buck grab. ( I was a little excited about this)

Before I break it down I must say this- my boys LOVE the AXE body wash, but it is usually around 6 bucks a pop, so I don't get it unless I can find a sale. Two of those alone usually break $10.  I was excited about this find!

Shopped at Fresh Market (This includes a $5.00 rebate at checkout on Unilever products)
AXE body wash $2.99 ea : Coupon, buy two get one free (scanned minused $3.49) spent $5.48
Degree deodorant $1.99 ea  ($.75 off coupon) spent $2.48 on two
Ragu Spaghetti Sauce $.89 ea - (no coupon used) spent $2.67

grand total $10.63 (remember, I had some change left over from last week)

Now because there were several really good deals in the store I bought more then what's pictured above, but I went in the mindset to see how far I could make 10 bucks go, and did a few great sets like what's pictured above. 

Keep clipping those coupons and go for the extra stash above and beyond what you are buying to get you through the week.  It adds up!

Some days I hate it here

I am being totally honest.

Some days I see the stained glass windows, the tall ceilings, the sloped roof, and I sigh with a happy heart. My house feels like a cottage, and we seriously love spending time together here.

Other days, all I see are the cracks in the walls, the not so level floors, the old linoleum and the lack of storage.
Some days it smells musty and old. The walls are thick and I can't hang up a picture. The carpet, although redone, feels old.
My kitchen is more like a Smithsonian display of 70's hideousness than a workspace.

Some days I curse it, and even cry.

It is the day of upgrading. Friends and family alike, moving into new (great priced) homes with a pantry in the kitchen and real live mudroom. It is the age of big homes, beautifully painted and decorated with stone and stucco in yummy warm colors. It is the day of a great room and cold storage....
none of which I have.

I am sorry sweetie, that some days I don't appreciate it.
I know we are over indulged and many people live beyond their means.
I know that in just 24 months we will not even have a house payment. (I can't wait)

I know that we would not be different, happier, more content just because we change locations.

I know it is never good to compare and compete.
I know we are blessed.

I know we are better than we deserve.

But just some days....
I want more.

Am I bad because of that?

I want this silly gadget

I want, I want , I want....

just like a toddler I am stomping my feet and whining for the Kindle 2 from Amazon.

As you may (or may not)know, we live on a budget. A semi-intense, kind of gazelle, Dave Ramsey budget. Our current success, (I have to put this in so you understand where I am coming from) for living on a budget the last 2 years, has been over $52,000 paid off in debt. We just throw any extra cash towards it, and have quit buying on impulse and credit. NO more car payments, no RC Willey, no credit cards of any kind, just lights and shelter are left as bills.

NOW...that means 2 years ago I would have just bought this little book gadget when I felt like it, but nowadays I don't work that way. I am currently saving my tips from my clients, toward my Kindle, and it is accumulating nicely- however I want it now!!!

I was putting my cash in it's 'KINDLE' envelope and I said to my 10 year old..."Man! This is taking a while! I want this so bad!!!"

He stared at me (the victim of my 'save your money if you want that' lectures) in disbelief.
"See mom!" He said, very firmly,"it's not as easy as you think!!!" He of course, is mad I don't dish out the cash for his purchases. He is probably very satisfied seeing me suffer. But we have a policy;

No lending in our family. PERIOD.

Anyway...I just had to let you know I am itching for this thing, and at the rate I am going I should be able to order it in 2 weeks or so. But dang it, it sure takes discipline to not just get on there and get it now. I have also resisted the urge to order my Snuggie (living by proxy in Kristina's, however) and stopped buying books since the saving has begun.

Instant gratification is very tempting.....

I must be a true blooded American!

I hate to say I told you so

But.....

An e-mail from a relative today really got me thinking. He was venting about his financial struggles and the frustration he is feeling. He even sent a letter to the President saying, "Where is the help for the little guy?"

While I understand what it is to struggle, and I hate to see anyone suffer, I am so grateful for the goal me and my hubby-sammy made almost two years ago to BE WEIRD and start paying off our debts. The recent financial pain has not hurt us as bad, and we have been able to remain calm in crazy times, and hopefully we have taught our kids who to do so also.

We have sacrificed (hello cruise I missed!) but also been blessed (unexpected trips, anyone?) and I have not regretted ONE DAY of putting my extra money towards what matters...the future.

What is so great about having something now? The only things I need now are my family, my health, and my ability to believe. I hate to sound all sappy and preachy, but please....if you know are digging yourself deeper, just stop. I promise.....it is easier than you think.

this picture was taken the day we gave back our Honda Pilot and quit making a car payment. Man, I love that extra cash flow each month!

Keeping Busy

I am not sure what I was thinking, but this summer I had a panic, worried I will never get out of debt unless I get working.... but the thing is, I am working.

I'm not sure why I feel, some times, I have to leave the house 'dressed up' to feel like I am working. The last few weeks have kept me hopping, and the free time I was planning on when school started has been filled with appointments. My Dave Ramsey phone call also helped me appreciate what I have.

I realized how lucky this really is- I kind of have the best of both worlds (seriously, I am so blessed! :-) and had to take a minute to thank people who may be reading this blog... many of you are clients, or have sent clients my way, and I have the best clientele imaginable. I realized by switching gears to do something I enjoy, doing it with a better attitude, and being grateful for the ability to do it, I have more business.

It is very humbling to know I have friends and acquaintances who trust me..... in a perfect world we wouldn't need help in working out stress, tension, and troubles... but this world isn't perfect. So I guess that means I have a job.

I talked to Dave Ramsey

Ummmm hello, he is kind of hot in this picture, right? (Thanks Cassie, for agreeing with me!) My husband disagrees, and said attending one Total Money Makeover Live event is enough..... I simply suggested we travel and see him again, that's all. The show was AWESOME..... okay, back to topic. I will not become a Dave Ramsey groupie.

I responded to an e-mail about working moms that stay home, and got a call from his office. Lara hooked me up to talk to Dave, which I did today, while pictures of the kids and our family scrolled on air. What a cool thing- to have listened to him for over a year and a half, and now I got to talk to him and be part of his message. It was a pretty fulfilling moment. He was complimentary and excited, and thinks my massages are cheap (hey- 40 bucks is kind of a lot around here!) and I was thrilled to be on the show.

We are still working on our debt snowball, working on the last debt... our second mortgage. I can't wait until the day comes that I am screaming in his ear on that phone... "We're Debt Free !!!!" . Today was just a taste of that goal.

Thanks Fox Business and Lampo for calling me and letting me in on the show. It airs Labor Day, on the Fox Business Network (which Spanish Fork cable doesn't carry) if you get it.....let me know! Until then I am just doing the happy dance.

I got to talk to Dave.

Conversation Starter

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you see another version of this t-shirt on my back, and you know how much I love it. I decided to throw this on yesterday after the parade and wore it most of the day. I still had it on when taking my kids to the carnival for a couple of rides which I promised them earlier in the week. What I didn't realize is the stir it would cause. A husband signaled his wife from across the crowd and pulled her behind me to read it. Another couple whispered and pointed and talked as I turned around, wathcing so they could read the front. As that was happening another man walked up to me and actually asked me about Dave Ramsey and if I had seen him LIVE (an enthusiatic YES!). Even a group of teens behind me were reading it and laughing, saying "that shirt is cool". I kind of had to pretend like I didn't notice and act normal, but it was a wierd experience.

Are we all so overcome in the "debt is normal" mindset that to see someone saying something different is really that strange? I think we have forgotten how great it feels to own assets over owing on liabalities. Mike and I are currently paying off our 1st and 2nd mortgage, and I wanted to include this quote (which I used in my "Freedom" talk in church on Sunday- a whole different Blog post!) for you guys all to think about this weekend.

Owning a home free of debt is an important goal of provident living. ....a mortgage on a home leaves a family unprotected against severe financial storms. Homes that are free and clear of mortgages and leins can not be foreclosed on. When there are good financial times, it is the most opportune time to retire our debts and pay installments in advance. It is a truth that the "borrower is servant to the lender."
James E Faust

Until next time... I must wash my shirt and wear it more!

Slamming doors and Having Words

Don't be deceived by the pictures on this blog. We are not just a family of sweet, freckled face boys that grin at mom. Proof of this fact; the front door . This is my precious wood and window door of my happy old house. This door has seen more visitors then I could imagine. It has served me well.

I was working on a client and heard my boys yelling at eachother- and then the shatter of glass made my stomach drop. Sure enough, Hayden had slammed the door in an effort to express himself- and completely shattered it. Note: this is the second door he has damaged from slamming. Upstairs he dislodged a door frame last month. We made him help fix it and gave him a 'time-out'. Not enough, obviously.


Door slamming now carries a hefty fine in our homes- up to Five bucks a pop. He will be paying for at least half of this glass piece (which is $100.00). We are waiting for the glass to come in, until then it is cardboard and painters tape. There is beauty all around........

Dave Ramsey has happened! My Total Money Makeover Weekend...

Dave Ramsey. You either love him or hate him or you haven't heard of him. But if you haven't tried out his message you are missing something. I have not talked about this on my blog, but I am going to now. In 15 months Mike and I have crossed off every debt but 2 from our "to be paid" list. We have paid off over 30 THOUSAND dollars. We have NO CAR PAYMENT at all. We dropped off our Pilot this weekend to the dealership (Lease is up) and drove off in our paid for Honda Odyssey.

The majority of people in this counrty live PAYCHECK to PAYCHECK and have consumer debt constantly hanging over them. Imagine our pay day now... we have NO car payment, NO credit card payment, NO Lowes or RC WIlley payment.... it is a SWEET feeling. And all for the price of one book (which actually was a gift, so it was free!)

Every day I live I am more and more excited for my future. I just got back from a 2 week vacation in Orlando that we carried around enveloped of CASH to pay for whatever we wanted! Can you say Freedom??? And we are just an avergae family! Wait a mintue..... now we are not..... we DON'T BELIEVE IN DEBT!