Making the Most of Our Christmas Tree

This year we decided to cut down our own Christmas tree.  We haven't done that since Princess' first Christmas.  We certainly ended up paying for the experience, as we don't have any friends or land of our own to go cut one down on.  The experience was well worth it, but I like to get the most for my dollar.  So I'm going to attempt to take the needles from our lovely balsam fir and make them into draft stoppers.  My goal is to try to make 2 for us as well as some for gifts next year.  Maybe if they come out well, I might even try to make a few to sell.  I found general directions to start with:  see it on Pinterest here.  I am sure I will make my own variation once I get to the actual sewing part.  Putting the money spent on the Christmas tree toward saving money on heat, sounds great to me!  What do you spend money on that you can in turn use to save money in another area?

Christmas Aftermath

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Ours was great, even with working around the weather.  Now that it is over we have started preparing for next Christmas.  Yep, that's right we've already started.  I have gone through all the bags, bows and tissue paper and packed away all of it that is still nice.  No sense to spend tons of money just on the wrapping!  This year a lot of the good sales started before Christmas.  We went to Michaels right before Christmas when they were running the 75% off sale and picked up photo ornaments (they make great grandparent gifts!), some wreath decorations (we went with a fake wreath this year to try to cut back on expense), scrap booking stickers, ornaments for Princess to paint and give out for gifts next year, a lemax house and few odds and ends for the Colonel's train set up that the kids love.  We went to Walmart and got the Colonel a shirt ($2.47 for an xxl!), gift tags that are perfect for the kids learning to write, bows, a few ornaments,  another piece for the train, a window cling,  bath paint for the kids, candles, a gift set, a chapstick gift set.  We went to Toys R Us and The Children's Place to get Christmas shirts for the kids and one of their cousins for next year.  Some of these will be birthday gifts and some will be put away until Christmas next year.  But by buying it now at at least half off if not more, it really makes a big difference in stretching our Christmas budget.  Too help even more I had been saving up my swagbucks and redeemed them for a $25 Walmart giftcard.  I put that toward my after Christmas sale shopping which helped us save even more!  What are some of your best frugal living tips for Christmas??

DIY Christmas Card Holder

Christmas is by far one of my favorite times of year. I like to be able to see all of the Christmas cards that we receive so finding the right way to display them can be a challenge.  Most Christmas card holders that I've seen end up having the cards all covering each other.  So I went to Michaels and found some garland and clothespins.  The garland I picked has the plastic chain inside it.  I took the clothespins and painted them green to help them look like the leaves on a poinsettia and blend in a little better.  Then I hung the garland up (Ours actually worked out to be two garlands) and used the clothespins to attach the cards.  It displays the cards very nicely and was not overly expensive.

Stretching the Christmas Budget

By this point in the year, I am almost done with Christmas preparations.  There are so many ways that I have saved this year, but I will start with the ones that are most applicable to this point in the year. 
For our Christmas cards this year, I was able to redeem points from Huggies rewards to get 25 4x8 photo cards for only the cost of shipping.  Since we need more than 25, I went with 2 different designs from 2 different companies.  The 25 from Shutterfly only cost me $5 for shipping - that is a savings of just over $20.  Then I went with Walmart for the other 25.  Their cards are a little less expensive and I was able to get free shipping.  50 cards for $15 was the total which breaks down to 30 cents a card. 
I definitely take advantage of the rewards programs.  Huggies will have toys every once in a while.  We use our disney movie rewards, swagbucks, and shopkicks as well.
Then there are coupons.  I love my coupons.  Coupons combined with sales are even better.  I try to use coupons from swagbucks.com first because you earn 10 swagbucks for every coupon you use.  Earning points toward gift cards by using coupons - even better!  Stores like target run their own coupons that you can combine with manufacturers coupons.  Combined with a sale I saved $20 on one of Buddy's gifts.  Occasionally there is a coupon that will cover the full price of something such as the $1 off of ecotools.  This has allowed me to get numerous bath scrubbies for gift baskets I'm putting together.
Store promotions have also helped us this Christmas.  Our grocery store is running a promotion on dishes.  So we have been able to put together a nice Christmas gift for another family member that we couldn't otherwise afford.
The last way I save money is by making the gift.  This is one of my favorite ways to stretch the budget.  Not only do I save money but more importantly it is more personal and has more meaning.  I usually use Pinterest to get ideas.  Here are two of my boards that are related to this: Gift Ideas  & DIY

How do you stretch your Christmas budget?

Preparing for Christmas

It is that time of year again.  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday.  However, I cannot stand the rush, crowds, or extra stress of the season.  I do everything possible to avoid these things while saving money.  We try to focus on what the season is about - and it most certainly is not about rude, pushy shoppers; crazy amounts of stress; or being super busy.  Our holiday focuses around family and trying to be a blessing to others.
I start planning Christmas the day after Christmas.  Ok, I've already started planning next years Christmas.  I am just about done with this year's Christmas.  As I finish up (or spend time on Pinterest) I find ideas that would be good gifts for people, so I start making my list for next year.
There are so many ways to save money on Christmas, but still have it be meaningful, heartfelt, and not cheap. 
We draw names among the adults on one side of the family.  This is so helpful in decreasing stress, saving money, and creating a less chaotic family event.  Personally, I would much rather put our budgeted amount into one nice gift as opposed to a lot of cheap ones.  We will be drawing this year for this year and next year, which is exciting because then I have all year to prepare and sale shop.  We are hoping that the other side of the family will also be willing to pick names for next year.
As the Christmas season approaches, I will be talking about my Christmas preparations and how we save money.  

Giving by Donations

For the sake of this post by donations I mean the things that are already around the house that have been put in the give away pile.
Honestly this is one of the hardest areas of giving for me to talk about.  Our rule of thumb when it comes to separating between the donation pile and the trash pile is that it if the item is not in good enough condition that we would use it ourselves, we do not donate it.  If the item is missing nonessential pieces we tell the person we are donating it to and allow them to make the decision.
If someone tells us no they do not need a particular donation, we do not take it personally.  If we really want to help in a specific situation we ask what that person needs and go from there.  Our aim is to help, not overload them with things that they now have to find a way to pass on.  Their time is just as precious as mine and I do not want to create the burden of more work for them just because I wanted to help my way instead of the way that was needed.
It is important to remember that when it comes to donations, the conditions are not your ideal.  If they were, the people receiving the donations would not need them.  I think a lot of people forget this and do not realize how long it really takes put your life back together after things like a fire.  I still remember very clearly how it made me feel when I was reamed out for having my toddler present while I was going through some donations for her that were broken to the point they were not useable.  Not only was I extremely hurt and angry that someone would even consider giving a toddler who had just gone through the effects of a fire something so broken it couldn't be used, I was in shock and disbelief that people could be so judgmental about circumstances beyond my control.  If I was able to have my way, the fire would've never happened and my daughter wouldn't have had to have everything in her home taken away at least until it could be thoroughly cleaned.  But here I was a trucker's wife with no babysitter trying to piece back our lives as fast as possible to create the stability for our daughter that had been lost.  And any of you with young children know that they love to be in the middle of whatever you are doing.
There were many, many people who blessed us with absolutely amazing donations for whom we will be forever grateful.  These people were my light and hope in the midst of a very difficult time.
We donate first to those that we know personally that have a need and then the rest usually goes to an organization like Goodwill.
Who do you usually donate your give away pile to?  If it's an organization, what kind of donations do they accept (clothes, toys, books, etc.)?

Read the Rest of the Series on Giving Here:
Giving with Coupons 
3 Ways We Were Throwing Away Giving Opportunities 
Giving on a Limited Budget 

Giving With Coupons

I coupon as much as I can to help supplement our income and make up for a portion of what I am no longer bringing home.  We have also extended this to our giving.

Sharing the Coupons with Family and Friends:   We have several older family members, as well as a few disabled ones that are on a fixed income.  My older family members find it difficult to use a computer, making it difficult to experience the full benefits of coupons.  When I am couponing for my family, I keep an eye out for anything that I know they will use.  If I am not sure I call and ask.  Anything I find I clip and mail out.  We do not limit our couponing to helping those on a fixed income.  We use it to help any family member or friend that is open to coupons.  Right now this one of the big ways that we are able to give back to those that have invested so much in us.

Using Coupons to Buy Things for Those in Need: Each year we try to have our children pick out a toy for Toys for Tots that is for a child around their age.  By using coupons we are able to stretch that money even further and either get something a little nicer or get a little more.  We also try to use coupons when buying gifts for others to get them nicer things or make the gift a little larger.

Sending Expired Coupons to Families Overseas:  We first heard about this idea on Extreme Couponers.  However, the show made it sound like the coupons could go to any military family.  Because we have a family member in the military we found out otherwise.  Through Pinterest we found this great website http://www.coupsfortroops.com/ that gives the addresses where you can mail the expired coupons.  They then send them to the families overseas.
How do you use coupons to give??  

Check out our Pinterest Board Giving on a Budget.  Do you have any great pins that encourage giving on creatively or on a budget?  Share them with us.

Next week we will talk about Giving with Donations.

Missed the Beginning of the Series?  Find it Here:
3 Ways We Were Throwing Away Giving Opportunities
Giving on a Limited Budget

3 Ways We Were Throwing Away Giving Opportunities

When I was trying to figure out ways to increase our giving, I started by looking in our home.  I was kind of surprised to find that we were actually throwing away ways to give.  These 3 ways were all found right in my kitchen!









Box Tops

While these little squares found on many groceries aren't much, each little bit makes a difference.  It isn't about how much you have to give, but making the most of what you have.  There are so many schools out there that collect these.  We chose to donate ours to a school that made a huge difference in my life.  Head Start had told my family I needed counseling because I didn't like all the fighting that went on around me.  My grandmother heard about this school and they provided me with scholarships, so she pulled me out of Head Start.  This particular school brought back my smile and gave me such a passion for learning that I decided I wanted to be a teacher.  Their website also offers coupons and other promotions.  Visit their website at

                                                Campbells Soup Labels


Similar to box tops, but in our experience not as many schools collect these.  There are still plenty out there that do.  We send these to the same school as our box tops. I am fairly new to this website so I can't give you the details of all it has to offer.  Find out for yourself at http://lfestage.familytime.com/

Feeding America
Many boxes and canned goods have coeds on them where various websites will donate so many meals to local food banks.  These usually include a place to enter your zipcode to have the meals donated to the food bank in your area.  (I apologize for not having a picture of this one.  We apparently used up everything that had a code on it before I could get a picture.) 

Giving on a Limited Budget

One of the first basic principles in Your Money Map is increasing your giving.  As the holidays approach, I thought it would be a good idea to take a break from how we've pinched our pennies to do a series on how we give on a limited budget.
Giving means a lot to the Colonel and I.  We have been blessed with a lot through the giving of others and we think that it's important to us to pass that on.  It is also extremely important that our children grow up knowing how to give from the heart.  When we read the chapter on giving it was discouraging.  Trying to decrease our debt and take care of our children leaves very, very little for giving.  Then there is the issue of where to give.  There are so many places and ways to give.  With the economy the way it is there are even more in need.  Here is a little diagram of our giving philosophy:

 

We start with our family members, doing for them what we can.  Especially those that are disabled or on a fixed income.  Next we try to give back to the people and organizations that have significantly blessed or positively changed our lives in some way.  Next is giving to the needy in our own state, then our own country and finally to the other countries of the world.  Everyone's heart is pulled in a different direction when it comes to giving and it is important to give in the direction your heart leads.  

Finally, came the dilemma of how to give.  Fortunately I love a challenge.  I prayed, kept my eyes and heart open, and walked through the doors as they opened.  Shortly after we would walk through one door, another would open.  We would go through that one and another would open and so on and so forth.  Through all of this we have learned that where there is a will , there is a way.  If your heart is truly in it for the right reason - to bless someone else and meet their need, not to draw attention to yourself or get any kind of personal gain.  On that note giving for the right reason we have found that giving does leave a real sense of joy in our hearts.  We have also found that if you are willing to chance it and take that first step, then giving on a budget is actually quite easy.

In our next post we will talk about 3 ways to give we were actually throwing away.

How to Begin the Organization Process

An Area Before We Organized It

When I began this process I would pick a room to start in.  Then I would take the time to plan what I wanted for a result.  There are so many ideas out there on the web.  I have also found a lot of great ideas on Pinterest.  Another way to find organization systems that really work is to pay attention to when you go and visit someone.  Most people are more than happy to give an organization tip or success story.
My plan could be as big as the whole room (right now we are in the process of planning out how we will organize the kids rooms when Buddy moves into a big boy bed) or more often I see something on a much smaller scale that I think would work and decide to give it a try.

Once I have a plan, it's time to put it into action.  I start by weeding out whatever I am organizing.  I divide it into 3 piles: Keep, Give Away, Trash.  Next, I handle the give away and trash piles.  I have found that it is best to do this right away.  If I wait the excuses keep building and it never gets done.  The Colonel is the king of procrastination, which at times can make moving forward with organization very difficult.  He is finally starting to see the benefits of organization for our family.  Next comes making sure the organization system we want is affordable and will fit where it needs to go.  There are times when a system I think is really cool just won't fit where I want it to go.  Then I either go back to the drawing board or get creative and make my own adjustments to make it work.  I also find that it is best to plan for one type of thing per container and to leave a little extra space in the container. 
Finally comes the fun part of purchasing or making the parts needed for the organization system. Some of the basics we have found helpful can be purchased at our amazon store.  There are some diy ideas on our pinterest board.  If you like what you see, please feel free to follow us.
Once the project is completed you get to sit back and enjoy or, as I often do, use that sense of accomplishment as motivation to start the next project.
Sometimes the process of organization is easy and other times it feels like the hardest thing you have ever done.  If you read Organization - Our Story then you will know our bedroom was the only area left to organize before our first apartment burned down.  When I started thinking about unpacking and organizing our bedroom in the new apartment I would get major panic attacks and migraines.  I couldn't even get to the actual organizing part.  I did a lot of journaling to help process the feelings.  The Colonel was extremely patient with me and forgiving as I would tend to flip out at him over the stupid little things rather than face the elephant in the room.  Journaling got me to a place where I was finally ready to face the elephant.  The first time I started unpacking/organizing our bedroom I doubt I lasted more than 5 minutes before I broke down and cried.  Nightmares started and I kept getting this awful sense that something awful was going to happen.  I kept reminding myself that I was doing this for my family and none of us deserved to live in clutter or chaos.  The more I worked on the room, the longer the time I could spend in there got and the better I felt about it.  Our plan to maintain it still needs some work, but the basics are finally done and the past has been conquered.
Do you have an organization success story?  

Organization - Lessons Learned

• Less is More - We have learned to have things to improve our quality of living not live to take care of the things.  More things means that they take longer to clean and take care of.  It is also very hard to remember everything you have when you have a lot, which leads to buying doubles and essentially wasting money.

• It is Ok to Say No - We have had many things offered to us in the course of our marriage.  We have had to learn that if we don't need it or it does not reflect us that it is ok to say no.  Some are ok with this and others get offended even though we always try to say no as politely as possible.  We had to ask ourselves if it was better to live with unnecessary things, take time away from our children trying to re-donate the item, or to risk offense. While not what we want, we have come to the conclusion that in these cases it is better to risk offense.  We have also learned that if the giver has the best interests of our little family that the offense wears off rather quickly and they do understand that we are trying to give our children the best life possible.
• Organization can Create a Happier, Less Stressful Environment - I am not talking about the ocd it can't ever look like it's been lived in kind of organization.  I am talking about the we have what we need and everything has a place type of organization.  The not having to hunt for the keys, knowing what bill needs to paid when, and being able to sit down with the family without those dirty dishes haunting you.  For me as a trucker's wife I find this to be an absolute necessity, a big time and money saver, and very valuable for my sanity.
• Organization Saves Money - When we know what we have and where it is we don't need to buy all kinds of extras.  I have also found that by knowing what I have many times I can repurpose  an item instead of going out to buy a new item.  We have also found that Christmas and Birthday lists save money for the giver and make them feel better because they know they are getting a gift that our child needs/would really like so their money is not being wasted.

Organization - Our Story

Organization is not a strong point of our family.  It has grown to matter much more to me than to my husband.  In our first apartment everything was a disaster.  It looked like we belonged on an episode of Hoarders.  Just about everything was a hand-me-down and very few of those things were a true representation of us.  All the disorganization created a lot of stress and strife in our relationship.
As the Colonel was preparing to start his trucking career and go on the road, it was important to me (being left home with a toddler) that the apartment was manageable.  Unfortunately, the Colonel procrastinated and essentially when he left for training I was left with a very upset 18 month old and a disaster of an apartment.  For those of you about to go on the road, leaving your family in this situation is NOT a good idea on any level!  Leaving your family set up for success will give you more peace of mind on the road.
So I began to organize our apartment little by little.  I had finished every room except for our bedroom when our apartment burnt down. We were very fortunate to be given a lot and had a lot of things that were salvageable.  And so the process started all over again.
This time we began weeding out as well.  If it was not truly us or something we would use we got rid of it.  We all done having children (I had just had surgery to ensure this) so all the clothes Princess had outgrown that were not neutrals were donated or went to a consignment shop.  We had bits and pieces from at least 3 different dish sets.  We kept the most complete one for every day use and bought a complete set, donating all the rest.  We also learned to say no as nicely as possible to donations we did not need, even though a lot of people got very offended (we really did not need 5 playpens etc. and when you are dealing with all the fire clean up, putting your life back together, and taking care of two very young children all while your husband is gone because he still has to truck to provide for us you really don't have the time to figure out how to re-donate all the donations you don't need) This process continued as we prepared to move into a new apartment about 8 months after the fire.
Then it was back to a disaster of an apartment as we unpacked in our new home..  We worked very hard to go through, weed out, and make the most of our space.  Many of our ideas for the set up of our apartment came from the Nate Berkus Show.  Now we are finally at a point where we are organizing little areas and maintaining our organization system.  Mainly we are very careful what we bring into the apartment and we are very careful about what we ask for for birthdays and holidays.  If we have to much of something, we will put something like "No stuffed animals please, the kid's don't have any space for anymore" on their Christmas lists.  Our family and friends understand that we don't want our children living in all kinds of clutter with no space to play so they do not find it offensive.  We also go through the toys and clothes before birthdays and holidays to donate, consign or throw out anything our children no longer use or have outgrown.  Our kids even get involved because they love that they can give to another child in need and that that child will love their toys as much as they did.
(I apologize for our lack of pictures.  Many of our before pictures got destroyed in the fire)
How does all this relate to becoming debt free?  Find out in our next post Organization - Lessons Learned

A Blessing in Disguise: Giving up my Dream to be a Stay at Home Mom

When we moved into our current apartment, we had to really evaluate the contribution of my job to this family. Even through the stress and frustrations I love teaching. It has been my dream since I was in preschool. But to continue in my job, I would be putting both of my young children into the childcare system. This would cost us approximately $300 a week, just a little less than my weekly paycheck. Add in gas and other work expenses and I would be paying to go to work while someone else raised my children. I did not have children to let someone else raise them, so I finished out the school year and became a stay at home mom. My husband was concerned that I would regret giving up my dream. I can't lie, I did struggle with some resentment until I figured out that I had not given up my dream. My dream had simply changed form. I still teach. My students are just my own children instead of other people's. When my kids are both in school I may go back to teaching in a classroom, but that decision will be made when the time comes. This was by far the best decision for my family. With one parent gone so much because he is a trucker, my kids have really benefited from the stability of having the other parent in the home. My toddler is no longer afraid of groups of people. My preschooler has a much better relationship with both of us. I no longer feel stretched quite as thin. My stress level is lower and I sleep better at night. I am not costing my family money by trying to keep my dream the way I thought it should be, I can now focus entirely on my family, and I get to teach my two most precious treasures. Definitely a blessing disguised as a sacrifice! What sacrifices have you made for the financial benefit of your family that have turned into blessings in disguise?  

Introduction

We were given Your Money Map by Howard Dayton (a Christian perspective for money management) for Christmas. We had already been trying to decrease our debt, so we figured it couldn't hurt to see what the book had to say. One of the first steps was to write down everything we spent for 1 month. It was anything but convenient, especially for my trucker husband. However, it was very worth it. By doing this we had a concrete visual of where our money was going. Much of our money was going to groceries, food for the truck, clothes and other basic necessities. The other big area was my husband's cigarettes. I started researching ways to save money around the house, which I will share with you in the next few posts. This is also when I learned everything I could about couponing. A few months later with multiple reasons, my husband was ready to quit the cigarettes. He has been smoke free for 4 months now! Great for his health and it's freed up over $100 a month! Interested in taking this journey with us? Purchase your own copy of Your Money Map here.

If you are interested please leave a comment so that we know.  Thanks!