Life In a Shoe

Giveaway: Grocery Shrink Plus menu planning

kimc — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:15:10 +0000

If you need a little help in the organizational field, you already know you want this. If you’re fairly organized, you might think you don’t. That’s what I thought when Angela first emailed me. Some people are probably chuckling under their breath because the organized version of myself died a long, slow painful death many years ago, but flying by the seat of my pants seems to work most of the time, so why would I want help? After all, my family hardly ever goes hungry just because I fell down on the job.

My sample menus and instructions were fun and easy, and the breakfast braid received rave reviews in our house. I love that the recipes and shopping list come in a variety of sizes with an option big enough to feed our whole family! I also love that instructions are complete enough that I could simply hand them over to one of my daughters – this may come in handy when our baby arrives in October.

Because I am so busy being organized (cough, cough) I asked Angela to tell you more about Grocery Shrink. Here’s what she had to say:

Hi, I’m Angela Coffman, a homeschooling mom to 6, aged 12 to 1. As the owner of The Grocery Shrink, I’ve spent years helping families eat well for less. I love food, and presenting a well prepared meal for my family makes me happy. But when the babies come close together and projects pile on projects, things don’t always go perfectly. How about you?

Have you ever had a little panic attack when you realized that it was almost time for dinner and you still didn’t know what to fix? Or spent all day working on a huge sewing project and served cold cereal and milk for dinner? When the family eats all the dinner and there’s no leftovers, are you stuck with boxed macaroni and cheese for lunch the next day? On budget meeting day, are there ever little fights about the amounts from restaurants and grocery stores on the debit or credit card statement?

You’re not alone. And I’d love to help. You’re busy, not lazy. There’s only so much time in the day and mothering, homeschooling, and ministering to the needs around you takes a lot of that time. Having a menu plan would relieve the stress; you know that already. But menu planning is time consuming too—and sometimes the meals end up the same, week in and week out.
I’d love to tell you about a new service called Grocery Shrink Plus. Every week GSP emails out meal plans for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for 7 days. You get a shopping list and an action plan that you can print out for your fridge. Once you have a habit of checking your action plan, you’ll never forget to start your slow cooker in the morning or marinade your chicken overnight again!

GSP uses natural foods such as brown rice; and whole grain flours. You’ll learn how to make Greek Yogurt at home to save money. And you’ll learn how to make your own whole grain bread too. But if you don’t have time for these things, no worries. The shopping list will tell you what to buy instead.
We know that many of you are suffering with dietary restrictions, so there are money conscious adjustments provided for gluten free and dairy free. And if you are on a fitness plan, there’s a special section for each meal to help you with that too.

Large family? Small family? Each recipe comes with a chart with amounts for families of 2, 4, 8 and 12. Several of our mothers are handing an older child the menu plan to cook from as a training for their future family. Other moms are finding that now that they are more relaxed they are more able to let their younger children join in the food prep. And Dads enjoy knowing exactly what to do when Mom is sick.

On a budget? Grocery Shrink Plus is an extention of our Grocey Shrink business which focuses on reducing food bills. Our plans use low cost foods and when you use the pantry system for shopping, you’ll save even more.
You may be shocked to learn that GSP only costs $5 a month! It’s a huge time saver and stress reliever, but because we have so many subscribers we can keep the price low for you. GSP isn’t for everyone. If you have an egg allergy or choose to eat vegan, you’ll find some of the recipes challenging to adjust.
If you’d like to find out more visit www.groceryshrink.com/menus to download a sample recipe and find out what our subscribers think of the program. We also have a facebook page. I’d love you to come and join the discussion and see what all the excitement is about!

THE GIVEAWAY:

Angela will be giving one Life in a Shoe reader a full year of free menu planning worth $60. That’s 52 weeks of fun recipes, helpful tips, shopping lists, and more!

To enter, do any or all of the following. The more ways you enter, the better your chance of winning! Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Leave a comment on this post. You must do this.
Blog about this giveaway (3 entries for doing this!)
Join the Grocery Shrink email list. You’ll also receive a free copy of Angela’s ebook, My Debt Free Story: how I paid off $89,000 in 6 months.
Like Grocery Shrink on Facebook.
Join the Grocery Shrink Facebook group.
Pin something from Grocery Shrink (leave a link here with your comment).
Subscribe to the Life in a Shoe newsletter to be automatically entered in all giveaways, including this one!

We’ll take entries for 7 days, then choose a random winner.

Online classical, Christian supplementary classes for homeschoolers: Founded in 2007, LTA teaches students to think well and communicate effectively. Worldview, philosophy, civics, writing, web design, and more. www.livingtheanswer.org/

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Happy Birthday, Megan!

kimc — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:43:17 +0000

Today is Megan’s 14th birthday. While people are not defined by their possessions, we think some of Megan’s favorite things tell a lot about who she is. Here are 14 things that we think she would number among her favorites:

Her Kindle. She reads voraciously on a very wide variety of topics, and I love to see receipts for her new “purchases” come through on my email account. They’re nearly always free from Amazon’s Kindle store, since she prefers old books.
Her vintage suitcase. She paid way too much for it at a thrift store, and never regretted the decision. It’s so her.
Her camera. She has a magic eye when it comes to photographing children, and her sisters pooled their funds for Christmas of 2010 to buy her a very good quality DSLR camera.
Her owl ring. She bought it on Etsy. It’s cute and quirky like she is, and she loves it so much she kept it even after it broke.
Her short stories. They’re funny and smart and nearly always have a surprise or two, and they provide a fascinating glimpse into what she was reading at the time.
Her red high-top Converse. After her Dad, she was the first to get the Converse bug. There are now something over 20 pairs of Con’s in our house.
Her “Complete Works of Lewis Carroll.” Inspired her checkered duct tape (see below)
Her checkered duct tape. Kaitlyn bought it for her because she knew it was perfect, and Megan carries it in her purse because she dreams of using it against bad guys. It wouldn’t be the first time; she’s read it in the news.
Her trenchcoat. She wanted one for years, and was excited beyond words when she finally found one at Plato’s Closet for just $12.
Her purple zebra-striped fuzzy blanket. She wakes on crisp mornings with a smug grin and inquires, “Did you sleep well? Did you stay warm last night? Because I did!“
Her music. She has a talent for discovering quirky, folksy artists that become favorites among her sisters as well, until everyone is sick to death of hearing them. Then she discovers a new one. Johnny Flynn, Mumford and Sons, and Jenny & Tyler are some of her discoveries.
Her handmade leather journal. An early birthday gift from Kaitlyn, purchased in Seattle at the Pike’s Place Market. Even the paper is handmade, and the cover smells better than any dead cow I’ve ever sniffed.
Her hair. Her super-thick supermodel hair with its lush waves and ringlets is the envy of her sisters.
Her old-fashioned manual typewriter. She doesn’t have one yet and nobody bought one for her birthday, but we’re sure she’ll own it someday because she already loves it so dearly.

Happy birthday, Megan! We love you!

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4 Moms: Homeschooling in a rotten mood

kimc — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:10:49 +0000

I’m going to assume this week’s topic refers to the students’ mood, because I am never in a rotten mood. Especially not now, even though my older children are old enough to sit themselves down to school when told and my younger ones know that late morning is OUTSIDE PLAY time. When they think I’m in a rotten mood, it usually means I’m correcting them because they are being disobedient.

Oh, wait. We were supposed to talk about our own mood? Oh.

Well, the short answer is we don’t homeschool when I’m in a rotten mood – or at least, we shouldn’t. Just like we shouldn’t run errands when I’m in a rotten mood. For that matter, we shouldn’t do anything at all when I’m in a rotten mood because the very first thing on my to-do list should be, “Repent.” It’s often easier said than done, but moods have a powerful trickle down effect, and a cranky mom will quickly find herself with cranky children on her hand. Attitude correction only becomes a bigger and bigger project when you put it off.

Maybe this is where it’s good to keep in mind the goal of homeschooling. Academics play an important part, but they are not the end goal. We are preparing our children for adulthood, teaching them to serve Christ in every area of life. If mom is in a rotten mood and just spreading her mood to the people around her as she tries to teach her little ones the 3 R’s, we are heading in the wrong direction.

We need to leave our gift at the altar – or our schoolbooks at the table – and settle offenses.

At this point, if my kids read my blog they are staring slack-jawed at one another, shaking their heads in disbelief. ”If she really believes this, why does she walk around being crabby?” Because I am sinful, prideful, and I like to blame my bad attitude on the sinners around me.

¹⁵For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ~Romans 7:15-24

If we try to do school when attitudes are amiss, we are teaching and learning exactly the wrong lessons. We are teaching our children that sin is acceptable in ourselves, and others need to just live with it. While it’s true that we are all sinners and will always have sin in our lives, we should also be vigilant to put down our sin nature whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head. Just because it is in us doesn’t mean we should allow it to camp out on the front room sofa and offer it a big glass of iced tea.

The other moms are talking about it, too. Here’s what they say:

Connie at Smockity Frocks reminds us that we are big girls and ought to act the part.
Headmistress @ The Common Room exhorts us scripturally and reminds us that some days, it’s just fine to cast your bread on the waters by heading to the pond to feed the ducks.
Kimberly @ Raising Olives explains how to do an attitude adjustment on Mom.

Upcoming topics for 4 Moms:

May 31 - teaching children to cook
June 7 - How did you know you wanted/could handle a large family
June 14 - Q&A
June 21 - How do you keep up your energy?
June 28 - favorite freezer meals

19 weeks: I am mean to my friends {pregnancy update}

kimc — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:10:57 +0000

I’m 19 weeks now, and to celebrate I did something mean. I’m just kidding: It was totally an accident, but it was still mean.

Last week I ran into a friend who hadn’t heard our news yet. As we hugged in greeting Sheila exclaimed, “Oh, you have a tummy!” Have I ever told you I’m hard of hearing? It’s not bad, but I do have a lot of trouble filtering background noise – and there was a lot of background noise just then. I gave my friend a puzzled look and she repeated her comment. I missed it the second time as well. The third time I saw a look of apprehension and embarrassment cross her face. ”Oh no – did I…?” Luckily Perry was there, and he chose that awkward moment to fill me in. Ten seconds earlier would have been nice, but I was grateful nonetheless, and I think Sheila was too.

It was nice to be on the other side of that dilemma, since I did nearly the same thing to an acquaintance a couple of weeks ago. As with Sheila, I ran into her in the middle of a big noisy crowd. They have a big family like ours, and as we were exchanging news and updates I told her I was due in October. She congratulated me and said something about “I…in October too!” When you’re hard of hearing, you rely heavily on context and piece together the words you catch. She had already told me that her youngest was over a year old, so without hesitating to think about the possible consequences, my brain filled in the missing words something like this: “I’m due in October too!” I think you can figure out the rest. My friend was gracious, and laughed about her tummy – which had played absolutely no part in my mistaken assumption – and Perry laughed at me, thankful that it was a fellow mom who had made the blunder rather than himself.

Obligatory preggo pics

One in my everyday outfit: sleeveless polo, soft stretchy skirt that goes from 0-9 months effortlessly, hair in a flexi clip, and bare feet:

And one in The Dress. Please ignore the bad hair day. I asked Lydia to just snap several photos quickly since I always slouch and make weird faces in photos. Her reply? ”I know…”

Baby at 19 weeks

Weighs about 9 oz.
Scalp hair has sprouted and continues to grow.
Gender is clearly visible.
Legs are becoming proportional.
more

I guess this is the time many people would learn the gender of their baby, but we’re among the shrinking minority that waits until Christmas to unwrap that particular gift. ;) Don’t be offended; I’m just ribbing those who like to find out ahead, including my own husband. I used to think I would want to find out but didn’t want to foot the bill for an unnecessary ultrasound, but with my last pregnancy I realized that I love the surprise at the end of labor – not just meeting the baby I’ve carried for 9 months, but finally learning the baby’s gender as well. If I needed an ultrasound for some reason I’m sure I couldn’t resist finding out, but I’m thankful that I’ve been surprised each time so far, and I no longer wish for an excuse to learn ahead of time.

Just for fun, I want to take a poll. Of course I would love to hear more about how you feel in the comments!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Exercise

Er…was that a rabbit over there?!

Updates! What’s new in your pregnancy? Bonus points if you share a pic.

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The Trunk

kimc — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:04:02 +0000

You know how little kids will often jump to conclusions that are entirely wrong but perfectly logical?

We currently have the van plus 3 smaller cars: the Mustang (angels sing each time I say the word, even if it’s 2/3 owned by Deanna and Kaitlyn), the Kia, and a Trunk. We bought the Trunk to replace the Kia because we expect it to be more reliable and gas efficient, but we had to park it until we could do some needed repairs. In the meantime Perry drove the Kia to work most days, treating himself to the Mustang occasionally.

Every morning, little Bethany heard him refer to one of the cars: “Go get in the Kia,” or “Let’s take the Mustang today,” or “Put my bag in the trunk.”

She’s a sharp cookie. She knew which one was the Kia and which one was the Mustang. Therefore she deduced that the little green car on the far side of the driveway must be The Trunk.

Oh – and one more thing about the Mustang. You should see Parker grin and do a fist pump every time he says the word, “Mustang!” Leg room may be a little tight in the back seat, but he doesn’t mind. His legs are only 13″ long.

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Q&A with the 4 Moms: dealing with comments on your big family, weaning babies, going from 1 child to 2 – and beyond!

kimc — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:09:26 +0000

It’s Q&A week with the 4 Moms, friends, and here are a few of the questions I received on the Life in a Shoe facebook page. So sorry if I didn’t get to yours this time. I’ll try to make time to answer more questions in a separate post soon!

1. Jennifer asked, How hard was it going from having 1 child to having 2 kids? And was going from 2 to 3 easier then 1 to 2? thanks!

Jennifer, I think this answer depends on a lot of factors: the mom’s temperament, the children’s temperament, lifestyle, etc. But I think the biggest factor might be the time between your children. For me, one and two children were easy. Three was harder – many say that it’s the hardest – but four was the hardest for me. I think that’s because mine were so very close together. My oldest was only 4 when my 4th child was born.

My theory is that when a child reaches the age of about 5 years, they are old enough to become a net asset. That’s not to say that they can take care of themselves, but they can help enough to make life easier rather than harder: they can dress themselves, get a glass of milk for themselves or their younger sibs, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, wipe up a spill, start the DVD player…Oops – did I say that last one out loud?

That means that when your oldest turns 5, adding children to the mix will begin to get easier rather than harder. You’ve reached something of a tipping point. If you have 2 children by then, 3 children will seem a little easier when the time comes because you’ll have a helper that you didn’t have with 2 children. If you have 3 children when your oldest turns 5, then 4 will seem easier.

Of course the age can and will vary from one child to the next depending on the child’s maturity level and how much is expected, but you really can expect it to get easier as time goes on.

2. Josalyn asked, How did you decide when to have another? And how did you decide a comfortable budget not a selfish one?

Josalyn, I posted a few years ago about our position on birth control and a bit about how we arrived there, so the short answer is that we don’t decide: we self-consciously leave that to God. Perry has a more detailed post about our journey but it’s not quite finished yet. :)

Regarding the budget, we try to be good stewards of what God gives us, always tithing off the top and trying to provide for the future as well as taking care of current needs. In the past, we had a more relaxed view of debt and often carried a credit card balance. In recent years, we entirely got rid of the credit cards – even the “emergency” card. Now we keep an emergency fund instead, and are working hard to pay off the modest mortgage on our home/land as well.

3. Sara asked, Kimberly touched on this a couple of weeks ago, but I need ideas of things for my kids to do this summer! My oldest will be 8 yo, then we have a 6 yo, 4 yo, 3 yo, 1 1/2 yo and due in Sept. with baby 6! We need to increase our chore duties, but some other supervised ideas would be helpful! Thanks!

Sara, we do a very relaxed school schedule year round so we don’t have to come up with ideas to keep busy during the summer. :) However, the kids do have a fair amount of free time every day, and once their chores are done here are some of the ways they spend it:

Sewing
Drawing
Reading/researching a personal interest
Playing games alone, with each other, or with me
Water play, especially on hot summer days
Forced labor*

*Forced labor is primarily for those who utter The Forbidden Words. You know what those are, right? “I’m boooorrrrred.”

4. Adrienne asked, What do you say to all the people with comments? With six kids eight and under, I’m going to go crazy. What do you do when they are negative within earshot of children?

Adrienne, I think being the second generation of a very big family gives me a huge advantage. I have a very thick skin when it comes to those comments. I have found that most comments come from people who mean well enough and may just be lacking in manners. I answer pleasantly and positively and they just don’t bother me. I often try to slip a little something meaningful into my answer:

Comment: You must be a lot more patient than I am. I can hardly handle having one!

Answer: I wasn’t this patient when I had only one, but I think God uses kids to help teach us, too. I’m still learning patience every day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comment: That’s a lot of kids. Is it a religious thing?

Answer: Yes, we’re Christians. The Bible teaches that kids are a blessing, so we’re thankful for each one God sends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comment: You have how many kids?! Is this your last one?

Answer: We’ll see. We believe kids are a blessing from God, so we’re happy to take them as He sends them.

Most of the time, people respond positively when I do – or I’m just naive and oblivious enough to think they are being positive. Either way works for me. :)

The rare negative comments that the kids hear may become the topic of conversation later, but again it just doesn’t occur to us to be hurt by the comments. It goes something like this: “Better you than me. I can hardly stand my own 2 kids!” Kids whisper as we leave, “I feel so bad for that lady’s poor kids. It doesn’t sound like she likes them at all!”

5. Lindsey asked, What do you do with all the completed work? Workbooks? Artwork?

Lindsey, maybe I’m a bad mom but we keep little or no schoolwork. The kids think it’s fun to be allowed to toss or dramatically destroy finished workbooks, and I encourage it because it’s one less thing I have to find a place to store. They do keep journals and sketchbooks, as these take a long time to fill and require relatively little space.

We also have some artwork in the file cabinet, but often we choose to scan or photograph art rather than saving the original. This lets us save it digitally and also makes it easier to organize and share.

6. Kayce asked, If you breast fed. How did you wean? Baby led, sippy cups? My daughter is 15 months.

Kayce, I breastfed all my babies so far. In 8 out 10, weaning was a sort of joint agreement. They began to lose interest and I was happy to let them eat more solid food and nurse less until we both entirely forgot about nursing. Those 8 were weaned anywhere from 12-20 months old.

In two cases, the nursing baby began to transform into a demanding toddler who wanted to be nursed RIGHT NOW and didn’t deal well with delays. Those children were gently but firmly weaned some time after their first birthdays (around 14-16 months, I think?) primarily by breaking their schedules up a bit: I purposely delayed the first morning feeding by distracting them with food or a cup of milk; I nursed them a half hour before bed instead of just before bedtime, etc. When they learned not to expect feedings at a concrete time, it became much easier to fill them up on solid food and drinks and entirely skip feedings, and over the course of a few weeks they were painlessly weaned.

The other moms are taking questions this week, too. Here’s what they say:

Connie at Smockity Frocks answers the age-old question, How do you do it all?
Headmistress @ The Common Room, who reviews several recent Q&A posts
Kimberly @ Raising Olives talks about potty training, life with a newborn, and beginning homeschooling

Upcoming topics for 4 Moms:

May 24 - Homeschooling when in a rotten temper

18 weeks: almost halfway {pregnancy update}

kimc — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:41:08 +0000

I was afraid that weekly updates would prove a challenge, and this week it feels that way. My belly got bigger, I took my vitamins, I slept in late a couple of times, and now I’m 18 weeks along instead of 17. What’s to tell? My next appointment is still over a week away, and the halfway mark in 2 weeks seems like the next milestone to look forward to. In the meantime, I’m thankful to be feeling well and enjoying the small but frequent movements I can feel.

I’m beginning to have a bit of swelling in my feet and ankles if I don’t remember to put them up during the course of the day. This is a problem I never had to deal with until my 8th pregnancy, and now it seems to come a little earlier each time. Any tips on preventing it would be welcome, especially since I’ll be spending a lot of time on my feet during the Texas Republican Convention in a few weeks.

Belly pic

Baby bump is definitely growing. I think I may be cute already. I feel cute, but I’m not sure if I can stand 5 months of cuteness. Even puppies and kittens outgrow cute faster than that. Of course The Dress helps. In my regular clothes, I have more of a baby lump, not nearly so cute.

Oh, but speaking of clothes, here is my pregnancy excitement of the week: after spending a lot of fruitless time searching the Goodwill and other thrift stores for maternity tops, I visited a baby consignment shop and learned that I’ve been doing it all wrong! I found maternity tops for the same price as the tops at the Goodwill, but here instead of hunting for a needle in a haystack every item of women’s clothes was maternity! I had assumed that prices would be sky high but they were very reasonable, and I came home with about 5 maternity tshirts in my favorite colors plus a couple of dressier tops, a skirt, and my first Bella Band. One had the ruched sides that I’ve been longing for, and the others were more plain, but a little 1/8″ elastic stretch-stitched into the side seams created that ruched look and now I have an almost entirely new wardrobe! Now I’m thinking of pretty-ing them up even more with Kaitlyn’s ruffle-neck tutorial.

Baby at 18 weeks:

Can hear, and may be startled by loud noises (my poor child!)
Is about 6″ from crown to rump, and weighs 7 oz.
Goes through the motions of crying.
more

Exercise

I walked 5 miles over the last 7 days. Also, I finally did some informal online research and learned that there is probably no reason I shouldn’t do pushups and kettlebell swings as I was doing before I got pregnant. I thought that they worked the abdominal muscles too much, but found no such warnings. On the downside, I can barely do 10 pushups now instead of the 40-50 I was doing a few short months ago. I can’t blame extra weight, because I only gained 3 or 4 lbs. so far – although it does seem obvious that I’ve gained far more than that in my belly. Maybe my pushup muscles migrated to my midriff. :)

Getting ready to leave for a walk. Mrs. R, these pics are for you. [wink, wink]

How far along are you now? Pics? What’s new?

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4 Moms: Favorite frugal tips

kimc — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:25:08 +0000

This week we 4 moms of many are sharing some of our favorite frugal tips. I’m already busy making this harder than it has to be, asking myself if ”favorite” means the tips we enjoy the most (or complain about the least), or the ones that save us the most. Or maybe our favorites would be the most creative ones, that make us happy just because we thought of them. Maybe our favorites are the ones that are so deeply ingrained as habits that we don’t even think twice about them, but then it gets really hard because we might be utterly unaware of them and then how would I tell you about them?

And if it’s hard to decide on the criteria for the word favorite, how about a definition for the word frugal? This blockbuster post on Frugal Hacks reminds us how widely our definitions can vary, and maybe when I decide which frugal tips are my favorites you’ll just snort derisively and mutter, “She calls that frugal?” Or you might be horrified and send the link to all your friends: “Can you believe she does this to her own family?!”

Now that you’ve been exposed to all my deepest self-doubts and neuroses, I’ll share a few of my best tips for stretching a single income in a double-income society. Some may seem too obvious, but I suspect much depends on where you’re standing and what you already do or know.

Save on food:

Cook from scratch. If you already do some scratch cooking, expand your skills by tackling new recipes: Enchilada sauce, pizza crust & pizza sauce, tortillas, biscuits, pancakes. This adds some work in the kitchen, but cuts your grocery bill and simplifies shopping because you buy greater quantities of staples like flour but less individual items like canned biscuits, bread, english muffins, bagels, and pancake mix.
Buy in bulk but always check unit prices. Bigger isn’t always cheaper, so don’t get fooled.
Shop the specials but check unit prices again. Not everything in the weekly sales flyer is a good deal.
Always watch the prices as your items are rung up. I get overcharged on at least one item almost every time I go to the store, especially sales and clearance items. If you catch the mistake before your order is finished, it’s easy to fix. It’s much harder if you wait and have to go through customer service.
Use what you buy. It seems obvious, but even a great deal is a waste of money if you don’t use what you buy.
Do some menu math. You might be surprised at the results.
Drink milk and water. Juice may have a few vitamins but is loaded with sugar – natural or otherwise. You get much more bang for your buck by eating fresh fruit. Other drinks have little or no nutritional value, so the less you drink of them the better.
Learn to eat meatless meals. Don’t make the switch all at once if you are heavy meat eaters, but begin having a meatless meal every now and then. Skimp on the meat in regular dishes, and teach your family to see it as a garnish rather than a main dish. It could be that your family won’t miss the meat at all!
Avoid eating out. Even a cheap meal out usually costs much more than eating in, so do your best to avoid eating out. It’s fine to treat your family to a restaurant meal, of course, but make it a planned event. Don’t let it happen by accident or default just because you failed to plan.

Save on repairs:

Take care of possessions. Reduce the need for repairs by taking good care of the things you own and use.
Ask how you can save on a repair. Some shops will let you order and provide the parts for a repair, just charging you for labor. If you can find a better deal on the parts than they offer, you can save some money. Prices are often negotiable, too. You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
Do your own repairs. You can do many of your own repairs on autos, appliances, furniture, walls, plumbing, and more. Don’t know how? Learn. The internet is a wealth of free information at your fingertips. If you need to actually see how a repair is done, YouTube is a wonderful resource.
Borrow tools for repairs. If you need a particular tool that you aren’t likely to use often, ask around for a loaner. Besides your own friends and acquaintances, Home Depot and Auto Zone often loan specialty tools for free.
Make it last or do without. Use cars, appliances and other big-ticket items as little as possible to extend their lifespan. When it’s time to repair them, ask yourself if it’s really worth the cost. How much would you miss it if you chose not to repair it?

Save on clothes:

Shop secondhand. If you’re used to buying new, secondhand stores may give you the heebie-jeebies at first, but that feeling passes. Thrift stores can be a great resource for high quality items for far less than you would pay for a new cheaply-made counterpart. Some items are brand new and still have tags from local retailers. We routinely find shoes that retail for hundreds of dollars in thrift stores for $10 or less. I have 2 pairs of boots that I absolutely love: one cost me over $100, and the other pair was like new for $4 (but retails for nearly $200). I bet you couldn’t tell which was which.
Enjoy hand-me-downs. Let it be known that your family appreciates hand-me-downs, and you may never need to enter a thrift store – except to drop off donations. Many people would prefer to give their children’s outgrown or out-of-favor clothes to someone they know rather than donate them to a business, but they need to know that you want them. Brag up the adorable bag of dresses that ____ passed to your daughter, and others will know that pride doesn’t stand between you and a new free wardrobe.
Plan ahead. Don’t wait until summer to hunt for a new summer wardrobe. Whether you’re shopping new or used, it pays to plan ahead. Great prices are easier to find at the end of the season than the beginning, so think about what you’ll need next year.
Repair and remodel. It doesn’t take mad sewing skilz to do minor repairs. Even some very impressive alterations take more creativity than skill. Get outside your comfort zone and you might be shocked at what you can do. Check out what Kaitlyn did in less than 10 minutes to pretty up a plain t-shirt.
Extend the life of your clothes. Washing and drying is hard on fabric, so if it’s not dirty don’t wash it. When you do wash it, consider hanging it out to dry rather than using the electric dryer. You’ll save 3 ways: less electricity, less wear and tear on your dryer, and your clothes will last longer.

Save on purchases:

Don’t fall victim to SOS. Shiny Object Syndrome is a dangerous disorder that can wreak havoc on your budget. If it’s new and cool, force yourself to wait and make a careful decision after the excitement has worn off a bit.
Don’t just ask yourself if you’ll use it. Go a step farther: ask yourself if you need it, or if you’ve truly missed having it. Did you just realize you wanted it when you saw it on the shelf, or is this a great deal on an item you’ve been looking for?
Shop around. Don’t assume that a sale – or a thrift store find – is a great deal. Take time to check prices, or make sure you already know prices when you are shopping for an item. If you weren’t already shopping for the item, you probably don’t really need it right now.
Know the return policy and save your receipt. Leave yourself room for buyer’s remorse, and be ready to act on it. Even many thrift stores allow returns under the right circumstances.
Don’t fall victim to the spend-to-save fallacy. Some deals make you feel like the more you spend, the more you save. Stop and think: if Option B leaves less money in your pocket than Option A, it’s probably not a savings.
Eye buyer’s insurance with deep suspicion. There’s a reason stores offer you those extra insurance policies, and it’s not out of the goodness of their hearts. They profit on the deal, which means somebody loses on the deal. The odds are against you, so unless you have good reason to believe you might beat the odds, just decline.

And a bonus tip: Don’t be shy. Ask for discounts. Ask for add-ons. Many prices are negotiable, and you’ll never know unless you ask. Negotiating is a dying skill in the US, but is alive and well in much of the world. Help bring it back! Be courteous, but bold. Smile when you make a request, and thank them whether or not you get what you asked for. Here are some phrases I have used successfully:

I would love to have this, but it only costs $8.99 new. Can you come down on the price?
I think my daughter would really like this dress, but it has a hole here. Can you take something off the price?
I love the color of this shirt, but it has some faint spots – see? Can you adjust the price?
I’m looking for an oven like that. Can you do a little better on the price for me?
If I buy these 3 items, can you throw this in for free?

What are some ways that you save money?

Here’s what the other 3 moms say:

Connie at Smockity Frocks
Headmistress @ The Common Room
Kimberly @ Raising Olives

Upcoming topics for 4 Moms:

May 17 - Q&A
May 24 - Homeschooling when in a rotten temper

17 weeks: Another milestone {pregnancy update}

kimc — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:26:21 +0000

Baby and I are now at 4 months! Maybe it’s a small milestone, but everything is exciting during pregnancy. I’m pretty sure my belly is really popping out now. The reason I’m sure is because at least 4 people have looked at me over the past week and said things that start with “Wow!” Things like, “Wow! You’re really starting to show,” or “Wow! I guess I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks!”

Want more evidence? I tried to measure my belly and came up with 20 cm, which is roughly equivalent to 20 weeks. See? I’m big. In fact, I’m 3 cm. big if I trust my measuring skills. That would almost put me in the running for twins, if I were the suspicious sort, but I’m not so let’s just forget I said it. Well, let’s make a note of it just in case I do have twins, and then forget it for now.

I’ve gained a couple of pounds now, and nausea is almost completely gone, though I’m prone to heartburn already. Do you ever get it this early? I don’t usually get heartburn until the baby is big enough to put pressure on my stomach, but now it feels like the nausea has just morphed into heartburn instead. I can hardly complain since I have never before made it through my first trimester without throwing up a single time. In fact, I’ve never made it through my first trimester without throwing up hundreds of times! What’s a little heartburn?

My biggest complaint now: heat. Normally I’m that person who is perfectly comfortable when others are fanning themselves with sheets of paper, and I’ve always loudly proclaimed that being pregnant in the summer didn’t make a bit of difference to me. Now, suddenly, I’m a can’t-hack-it-pantywaist. The temperature hits 90, and I sound like a 2yo who missed her nap. ”I’m hot! I’m all sweaty! I want a/c. Waaaaah!” This could be a long summer. We have acclimated to our climate, and the rest of the family finally agrees with what I’ve been telling them: it’s not that bad. But after years of telling my family it’s not so bad, I’m afraid they might enjoy my suffering this summer. Nah, they wouldn’t do that, but I would deserve it if they did. :) [Deanna read this and affirms that she will, indeed, enjoy my suffering.]

Belly pics

Not happening today. It’s raining nonstop, and the OCD in me wants this week’s pic to match every other week so far. That means it needs to be taken outside on the west end of the deck, which means it’s not happening right now unless you want to see me looking like a wet rat. Well, do you want to see me looking like a wet rat?

update: I asked on Facebook, and apparently you DO want to see me looking like a wet rat. I’m sorry to say the rain had almost stopped by the time I got up the gumption to go out. Here’s my rainy day pic:

Baby at 17 weeks:

Baby is about 5″ from crown to rump, or 9″ from head to toe.
Baby weighs just over 5 oz.
Fat stores begin to develop under your baby’s skin this week.
Cartilage in bones is beginning to calcify.
more

I can’t believe the baby is already that big. Nine inches?! It’s like a real, living doll! My belly is growing, but doesn’t feel big enough to have a whole little person in there! I know there’s been a person in there for 4 months now, but this person would fill the entire palm of my hand now, and still you might not know I was pregnant by a casual glance. Isn’t hard to wrap your mind around a miracle like that?

Exercise

I remembered! I did it! Besides last week’s zoo trip – which I will conservatively estimate at 2 miles, and in which I pushed a heavily loaded double stroller up and down a LOT of hills, I also took a 3.1 mile “trash walk” with 3 of the kids. That’s at least 5 miles of walking in the last 7 days. We took 3 large kitchen bags and completely filled them with trash from the roadside, then drove around and picked them up when we were done. It was fun and responsible, and the kids can’t wait to do it again! We will do it again, because there was plenty of trash left.

Are you pregnant? I would love to hear your update again this week. It’s fun to compare notes, and think about where I’ll be in a few weeks, or how far away 17 weeks seemed just a little while ago. Where are you in this journey, and what’s on your mind or heart?

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Knives for Sale

kimc — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:21:01 +0000

posted by Natalie

I have two things I would like to sell. The reason I want to sell these is because my sister’s birthday is coming up and I need money to buy her a present.

Both of us these are brand new from Vision Forum, not from clearance. What I have for sale is these:

Boys Practice Throwing Knife, as shown. There are three knives. This is $12.00 plus $4 for shipping.

And this one is Six Piece Throwing Knives With Sheath, the price for this one is $17.00 plus $4 for shipping.

I will sell both together for $24.00 and free shipping for them. Just leave a comment if you want one or both of them.

I would like to sell these relativity fast, order soon!!

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