Guest Blogger The Savvy Steward

Today I am featuring a guest blogger. Annie Shaw from Savvy Steward is so graciously offering to bust the 'I can't save much/any money with coupons' myth. After reading Annies post, think of some questions you would like to ask her because SHE IS COMING BACK to do a Q&A for all my fabulous readers! Aren't we lucky?

Annie  was featured on the news for saving $15, 000 last year couponing. Yes, THOUSAND not hundred. It was this clip that caught my attention and had me thinking I CAN do this. And folks- let me tell you Annie is the real deal. You are about to meet a Godly woman of integrity, who I know personally. So please do not roll your eyes and say 'yeah right' SHE IS FULL OF IT.  After you read my blog, go check out Savvy Stewards blog and see if you can join in on one of her classes. Alright, enough  of me. Drum roll please.... HERE'S ANNIE!

Debunking The Coupon Myths:

Everyone has their own idea of how to save money. For some, it is eating out 3 times a week as opposed to 4. For others, it is taking the sales flier with you to the store, planning to buy healthy but cheap items…and then throwing all the expensive junk in instead. And for a handful of people, it is stocking up on items that you can get for extremely CHEAP or FREE, so you never have to pay full price again. I am in that handful of people. Many times I get comments about how people envy my stockpile and desire to learn how to get their own cool stockpile. (They don’t envy me, just my stockpile. I am just not as cool as 25 bags of free frozen veggies. Lol) BUT, more people often ask questions that lead me to believe, they just don’t think couponing will work for them. One of my long lost friends, Sarah, recently asked if I could debunk some of these “myths” that many believe about coupons, brand names, and fresh foods!

Myth #1: Your list will be limited to ONLY what you have coupons for and usually what you need is NOT what you get coupons for, the brand you use, etc.

Busted: Your list is always going to include the items that you need and want. The problem is, Americans are a “we want what we want…and we want it now” nation. If you truly desire to save money, you will start realizing that if you just wait a few weeks, you can get whatever you want/need for free or close to free. If you seek any specific brand, all you have to do is go to Ebay and type in the brand. (example: Gillette coupons). If you do not find that coupon anywhere, just contact the corporate office via their website and they will send you coupons!

Example: Your husband loves Gillette Fusion Razors. They are $11.00 a piece at CVS and pretty much every other place around. You pay $11.00 for that razor every other month, or so…which equals to about $66.00 a year. Just for a crazy razor for your husband. If you waited, you can get these razors free using a coupon and an extra care buck, about every other month at CVS! Seriously…just by buying your razor at CVS, you can save $66.00 a year!

You can normally stock up on whatever item it is that you love, but you have to be willing to wait for the deal…and then go out and get it!

Myth #2: It is cheaper to shop Aldi’s.

Busted: Aldi’s is for lazy shoppers. Lol. At least in my case! Whenever I did not want to spend the time to pull together my coupons and such, I would shop at Aldi’s. But, the truth of the matter is this: I spent more money…and got a pantry filled with sodium enriched food. Consider the fact that things rarely go on sale at Aldi’s and that you can not use a coupon. Now consider the fact that your local grocery store will often have sales and not only allow you to use coupons…but double them!

Example: Here is a price comparison of common items I might buy at Aldi’s compared to what I pay for name brand at Meijer with sales/coupons.

Aldi’s                                                                                          Meijer

Generic Spaghetti O’s .69                                                  Real Spaghetti O’s .25 (I buy reduced sodium!)

Generic Chicken Noodle soup .43                                     Campbell’s Chick Noodle .25

Loaf of Wheat Bread .89                                                  Aunt Millies Wheat FREE or .50

Cream cheese .99                                                             Kraft Cream Cheese (FREE or money maker)

Carton of OJ 1.99                                                            Tropicana .50 -1.50

Onion Soup .49                                                                Lipton Onion Soup FREE

Generic A-1 1.49                                                             A-1 THE REAL STUFF FREE + 2.00/meat!

Generic Koolaid 1.49                                                      KoolAid FREE ( made $16 to take 20 cans)

Generic Miracle Whip 1.99                                              Kraft Miracle Whip .75

Generic Oatmeal 1.79                                                     Quaker Oatmeal Free (this week even!)

Generic Salad Dressing 1.19                                           Kraft Salad dressing FREE

Generic Cream Soups .59                                              Campbells Cream soup FREE

Generic Taco Shells .99                                                 Ole El Paso Taco shells .79

Generic Boxed Stuffing .89                                            Stove Top .50

Generic Frozen Steam Veggies 1.89                              Birdseye Steamfresh FREE

Bottled Water 3.79                                                       Ice Mountain 2.49

Generic Hefty Bags 1.99                                               Hefty Bags FREE

Generic Margarine .99                                                  I can’t Believe Its Not Butter FREE

12 oz Shred Cheese 1.99                                            16 oz Kraft Shred Cheese 1.32

To Show the real savings, multiply all of these items by 25:

$663.75                                 $208.75

Okay girls, BlessedMama here- I just did the mathand $455.00 is the difference. My retirement, savings, vacation, kids college funds could certainly use that kind of boost! Yours? Back to you Annie!

Myth #3: Coupons are for brand name items which are always more expensive than store brand!

Busted: That is actually true for the most part. Coupons ARE for brand names…which typically ARE more expensive than store brand. The problem comes in where a coupon and a sale price makes any given item CHEAPER than the store brand. This happens every week. I rarely ever buy store brand. In fact, I just checked my pantry and I have only 3 store brand items in it. They are chicken bullion (I just like this kind!), sugar (it was free), and Tortilla chips (.99 at Kroger).

Example: Generic stain remover was 2.79 at my local Meijer. TIDE stain remover was on sale for 3.79. I had a 3.00/1 coupon. I got TIDE stain remover for .79. I purchased 15 of them at this price and will not need anymore for the rest of the year. (Hopefully) 

BlessedMama Again- Annie spent 11.85 on a YEARS worth of stain remover. She saved $45.00, and will not be buying that item again for another year... Hmmm... Sounds like a plan to me!

Myth#4: The most expensive part of my list is organic and produce. Coupons are for junk foods only.

Busted: Where there is a will, there is always a way! My husband and I are currently on a 12 week Body For Life Challenge. While it is not easy, I still saved 50% off my clean food total. And that was with only 1 hour of prep work! I typically get all of my frozen veggies and fruits for free. I often get 1.00 off any produce coupons (have some right now!) If you are brand specific to organics…email the company and get their coupons. They have them. Just ask.

Myth#5: This takes too much time, time IS money!

Busted: I am a home school mom, a Pastors wife, and drive 45 minutes to get to my grocery store. You can do it. This is just an excuse. Please never say it to me. LOL

I take about 2-3 hours of prep time and then 45 min at the store. I spend about $35.00 at the store, and save about $150.00. If time is money, then I just made over 50.00 an hour. Sure, I could have spent those 3 hours of prep time, sitting in front of the tv or talking on the phone, but why would I when I know that I could make $150 in those 3 hours? If someone said that you could work for 3 hours and get paid $150…would you do it? Of Course! I know women who work 50+ hours a week…and still coupon. I know women who stay at home with 5 kids under the age of 7… and still coupon. I know women who have to drive 45 minutes to the store … and still coupon. 3 hours a week to save your family $7800 a year, is SO worth it. The typical cashier has to work 27 hours a week to make this much in a year! It is a matter of priorities, if saving money is not yours, then that is totally ok and up to you! But, it does not take much time when you think of how much you earn!

Thanks Annie!

Wow! Anyone elses head spinning? Good! Keep those wheels turning ladies and think of what to ask Annie. I already have some thoughts... The FREE really has me wondering!

While my blog will not become a frugal find blog on a regular basis, because there are so many great gals out there who do it SO much better than I ever could, I will be featuring some things over the next week or two to give you the resources to save money in this new year. I shared in my last post how I have been convicted to change certain things, and obviously being a good steward of what God has given us is one thing I am continuing working on. I realize more and more that no matter how little or much money we bring home, this is a LIFESTYLE. I mean, so what if hubby made 6 figures, (WE WISH!) WHY throw money away?

Remember- ask those questions in my comment box!

GIVEAWYS! and other fun/thought provoking stuff!

Let me start with the Giveaways! Centsational Girl is giving away fine art! Check it out. I DO hope I win the Root Series for hubbies office. He is into anything that grows, bonsai, cool looking 'root structure' etc. What a perfect Fathers day gift, eh?

ALSO- hopeful Housewife over at Hopeful Home is doing a giveaway TOMORROW featuring my Etsy shop. Up for grabs is a scarf and brooch of your choosing. I will be adding some more vintage items to my shop tonight before the giveaway so check it out TOMORROW. Did you catch the TOMORROW part?

Okay- onto other things.

In my last post I mentioned savings. Ah Money. We love it, we hate it, we need it, we want it, we abuse it, or we use it wisely. In our case we are continuing to try and be more wise with our finances. Sigh. SIGH. I KNOW we are to be good stewards. Its TOUGH! And up until this year I admit I have seen it as drudgery, avoided the little things that add up, ignored the Holy Spirits whispers to my heart about my fountain cokes at $1.00 a piece every where I go... And the clearance rack at Target, and Kohls, Old Navy, etc, etc, etc. And oh, the thrift stores! How easily my little treasures can add up there! So- whats a gal to do? My hubby talked ALOT to me about my spending, and it went in one ear and out the other. After all- I was't spending much! its not like I went to the mall and blew $100.00 a week! And then I saw the effects of his paycuts. They add up to almost the cost of our mortgage monthly. And I saw a quote by Dave Ramsey that was something to the effect of 'Say No today so you can say yes to tomorrow'. It got methinking. I DO NOT want to be barely eaking by as an old couple, dependant on my kids, or the government because I did not adequately prepare. And I know that my husbands prayers for my heart attitude to line up with his were answered. God had my attention. God has SO much to say about money. And I know that while we have had our share of difficulty, paycuts, medical expenses and such we could be doing so much more. Here are a few things we are doing different this year.

Cutting out the t.v. No- we haven't gone amish :-) We have had cable for about 6 months(yes, only 6 months), and it was savings at first do to a bundling of our services. BUT now if we cut it out we will save $30.00 a month. We are NOT buying a converter box. Why? Glad you asked. While I do not think by any means that it is wrong to have a t.v., I feel for us much more good will come out of not having one. Shaun and I will spend more time communicating instead of being tired and vegging out in front of the good old 'idiot box'. We are spending wisely AND using our time more wisely.  We will both be more apt to pick up our bible, a good book, a sudoku, etc. Our brains will get more exercise, and so will our hearts. As a mother I won't be as tempted to say 'SURE you can watch t.v.!' so i can get XYZ accomplished. Now- this will be tough at first for all involved but we WILL have a dvd player that will still function, and we have tons of card and board games. The t.v. goes after the Superbowl, or before, if our beloved Colts lose tomorrow night.

NOT buying a 2nd vehicle. Due to Shauns schedule we can actualy share a car quite easily. We were planning on buying a car this spring, now we are asking- Do we really NEED 2 cars? No, we don't. Let's let that money sit in the bank, and save on insurance, and gas, and maintenance, etc. Why in our country do we believe we need to cars, and 2 new ones at that? We have made due just fine since July and will continue to do so. If his schedule changes and the need arises, the money will still be saved, so no biggie. We can look, find, wait for the best deal on a used mini van, and not buy out of a false sense of need or on a whim.

Not feeling entitled to go to Starbucks, the video rental box, etc once or twice a week. These things really add up! If I went to Starbucks once a week we are talking a $20.00 per month expense! And quite frankly our budget cannot handle a $20.00 monthly bill. When you begin to look at things as a BILL it makes you think. Would I sign us up fora  $20.00 lawn or cleaning service? NO! We cannot afford it. So WHY are we renting new releases, and getting the $1.50 candy every weekend? We need the time for US, DON'T need the calories and sugar, and should be going to bed early not staying up till 1 am to fall asleep in front of the $3.00 movie we rented. Please don't hink I am saying you can never do these things, but when we do them less, don't we appreciate them more? I cannot help but think of Laura Ingalls Wilders recollections of Christmas as a little girl. A piece of candy and a hair ribbon to her were a treasure! Oranges a treat, and a treat they got 1 time a year! How I wish my children were so appreciative instead of whining when they don't get something at the Meijer checkout. Would doing less make them more appreciative of what they do get? Probably. And by doing less I mean by the worlds standards. My boys love to snuggle up and read with us, and play cards, and giggle and laugh, and build tents and take hikes. They don't need Chuck E cheese every week to grow up whole. They need us, lvoe, and encouragement and the Lord.

Couponing- this is a new one for me. Oh, if I got coupons I would use them, but then I saw THIS clip.  And it got my wheels turning. I started searches, and reading, and spent hours pouring over the how to's. I always thought that coupons were a gimmick. I mean $0.10 off of 2 cas of soup? HELLO! Why waste my time. Then I learned about the drugstore game, and stacking, and printables, and YEE-HAW! the lights came on!

I mean who knew that if you Have a 'Buy one get one coupon' AND the store has the item on sale B1G1 you get that item for FUH-REE!!!???!!!???!!! WHERE have these resources been all my married life?!?!?!?!?! And you can actually use 2 coupons for those things that are B1G1 free or B1G1 1/2 off.

I am learning the art of stockpiling and cutting out. I actually did not buy myself a 2 liter of Coke this week. I may be going through withdrawl BUT I stayed UNDER budget! Hubby suggested trying off brand cola. I gave him the look that could melt the North Pole. I cannot wait until I can spend $9.00 and come home with $70.00 worth of groceries. At least I hope it comes to that. Just to give you an idea of ho the first fruits are paying off I SAVED $118.47 at the stores this week. I matched my adds, my coupons, my printables, my stores, etc. I went to Walgreens, CVS, Meijer and Aldi. The drug store trips took 5 minutes each. I got FREE eyeshadow this week, and FREE cleaners and FREE Kraft Naturals cheese. Nuff said.

We are putting our under budget money in a seperate jar NOT buying more with it. If I had $100.00 budgeted for X this weeek and only spent $89.00 this does NOT mean I can go to Target and score a pair of cute shoes, or shirt for $11.00. That is the kind of thinking Washington does. And look where it has landed us. At the end of the month we add up the jar and see how much we save. And then we decide WHERE it goes. Retirement? College? Undies and socks? Those %$#& medical bills?

We have envelopes for grocery, gas and entertainment. The ONLY thing that should come out of the account on a regular basis are the budgeted for bills, and the alloted cash amount transactions. No more little $2, $1, $15 here and there. NO MORE.

We are saying no to more and yet I think we will be living more adundantly. While you will not find me refusing to color my hair to save money you will find me stockpiling my haircolor when at rock bottom prices. I will still dress stylishly, no housecoats or holey jeans here, I will just not get something new as often as I would like.

So- now that I have shared my challenges or should I say oppurtunitys for the new year I shall go and finish uploading to etsy for TOMORROW.

P.S. Anyone know how I can get spell check on my blogger dahsboard? Methinks I need it...

Christmas Catch up

Did y'all survive and enjoy the Christmas season this year? Ours was nice. I had alot planned the week before Christmas, with family in town, hosting, having a cookie exchange. The day after family left I kind of 'checked out'. I felt 'peopled out' if you know what I mean. I love hosting, I love having family in town, but I needed some time to just myself. Hubby had 5 days off work and we spent a lazy week together with the kids. We hung out in p.j.'s on Christmas day and built legos, played Didj, and played with Noodle.

My Inlaws and Hubby were good to me- I received some ADORABLE clothes, and a pair of black boots and some brown scrunchy buckle boots that are HOT! My Inlaws always spoil us.

We have been to the carshow, had movie nights, game nights, reading nights, snowball fights, bowling nights,  and lots of snuggle time this Christmas break.  The 29th the tree came down. As did the moutnains of fresh greens, and anythign else glittery. As much as I loved my Christmas decor this year I was so ready for it to go. And the next day was spent making Pottery Barn and Ballard Knockoffs of bottles, and some moss balls.

I've neglected my blog to focus on my family, and really have been enjoying the little things. Ya know- like snuggling WAY TOO LONG on the couch in the morning watching Tom and Jerry with my 3 yr old. Or falling asleep reading on the couch next to my man instead of upstairs in the office by myself glued to the LCD screen. So this morning is a morning of catching up on the blogs I follow. With Coffee in hand, of course.

Before I leave you with some pictures-  Did any of you decide to do something different this year? Not necessarily a 'resolution'- those always get broken! But a committment to well, be different in some way. Maybe a commitment out of necessity? Or Conviction? Hubby and I are reading through the bible together in 1 year. Its been good so far, although I must say I DREAD Numbers and parts of Chronicles... Lord show me SOMETHING through those books!

I also have decided to work harder at my grocery budget. Aren't groceries ridiculously expensive? Seriously folks! I have been perusing websites and such and will have some posts for you coming up on being more grocery budget savvy. That is if I can figure it out myself! Enjoy your day and we shall talk again soon!

A manly teacup for the tea drinking man!

WHY are my pictures all over the place???? Oh well- hope you enjoyed a small glimpse in our lives- I need to get pictures from My Inlaws camera from Christmas at their house!

Have a wonderful CHRISTmas everyone!

Company is here.They flew in safe and sound and we are loving it! They are loving my puppy. My Uncle plays musical chairs around the room strategically placing himself next to  whoever has the puppy so he can find ANY oppurtunity to have the lil guy. Even the 'Do you want me to take him outside?' Translated. "Give me the puppy NOW! I want a turn!'  I am loving it. My Aunt and I have been a whirlwind in the kitchen. I love it. My cousin crashed my place last night as I tried to stay up and watch a Brad Pitt movie. Girls- not even his handsomeness could keep my eyelids up last night!
 In less than 48 hours I have hosted 2 events, as well as a Christmas party for 1st graders at my sons school. I cooked for 20 people after cooking for 10 women the night before. i have stayed up late making gifts for little girls and family and gotten up early to bake, cook, clean, etc. My puppy is an early bird. EARLY early bird. He is great but it is rather like having a 6 wk old baby! I adore hosting- I am truly in my element when cooking and entertaining. However, this morning I am glad the past 3 days are behind me. This morning I have NOTHING to do. Nothing. NICE. Give me some coffee, my bible, and a snuggly kid wanting to curl up and watch Pink Panther.  This afternoon is Christmas at the grandparent In-laws. Awesome! :-)

Cookie Exchange recap

I had so very much fun tonight! A Lovely group of women, and delightful edibles! I made this soup recipe and it was KILLER! Maybe a little less basil, but really, really delicious! I wanted my friends to have something to take home with them besides sweets and so I whipped these up last minute. Literally.

I had 2 different verses and an enlarged Noel Noel Born is the King of Israel. I let them fight out what verse/saying they wanted. It almost came to blows with a red maglight... Poor Ali- she was rather fiesty! ;-)

The ornaments didn't turn out quite as nice as I wanted, and yet as I was modge podging and drilling and tying I realized that as we are trying to teach our children that Christ is the best gift EVER, that He came for our imperfection, my friends could be reminded of His perfection to redeem our imperfection as this ornament hung on their tree.

I enjoyed the girly talk, and the chocolate. I feel like my belly will pop if its poked. And now I am off to finish the kids teachers ornaments, my sons teachers scarf, and 11 brooches for the girls that always say to me 'Mrs. C. I like your flower!'

Sleep tight my bloggy friends.

Aw Fudge!

I spent yesterday baking. Tonight i am having a cookie exchange, and had cookies to make. I  also made fudge and truffles, the boys made Chocolate covered pretzels for their teachers. Do you have any idea how messy  a 6, 5, and 3 yr old can make a kitchen with melted chocolate???? Anyways- I had hubby sample my fudge and I wanted to shae this recipe! he said it was 'fudge heaven'- and this man is NOT a big sweets eater!

Candy Bar Fudge

1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

 1/4 cup milk 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

11 oz  of caramel melts,  1 tablespoon water 2 cups salted peanuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

Grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, cocoa powder, brown sugar and milk. Microwave until mixture boils. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan. Let set in fridge for 30 minutes.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave caramels and water until caramels melt. Stir in  chopped peanuts. Spread mixture over chocolate layer. Spread CAREFULLY!

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine semisweet and milk chocolate chips; microwave until melted. Spread over caramel layer. Chill for 4 hours, or until firm.

It looked heavenly and I SO wanted some! But alas, I am an almond allergic and Nestles Milk chocolate chips state they are made on the same equipment as tree nuts.I read this AFTER making the fudge, but BEFORE I tried it.  Im heading to the store today to look for more Milk chocolate chips that I can eat!

I also made a coffee fudge- it was good. it called for a dash of cinnamon and I realize i am just NOT a cinnamon kinda gal.

What have you made this week?

In awe

Can I tell you all how amazed, excited and flabberghasted I am at your sweet commetns about my Christmas Decor? Seriously! I mean it. You see- where you guys see beauty I see chole.sputter.cough.hack. subfloors.
Where you all see a tree skirt worthy of compliment I see that I cannot.drape.garland. and more subfloors.missingbaseboards.
God is SO teaching me patience and true beauty gals. If you are new to my blog let me tell you it's been one heck of a year, or two or 6. Last MARCH we had a flood caused by our youngest, some poo, a faulty toilet, and a washcloth. (NEVER leave a decorative bowl of rolled up washcloths on the back of your toilet when theres a 2 yr old around!) Anywho- we had a rather large insurance claim and began tearing into the house. I got EXCITED. Understatement ladies. Then life happened. Our van got crushed, and somehow when we added it to the insurance 4 months prior and just told them to SWITCH our current coverage amounts they left off the comprehensive. Dear hubby somehow missed that in the paperwork. OOPS. UNDERSTATEMENT. So- all that nice new flooring? On hold. My couch reupholstering? on Hold. I got mad. Understatement. The medical bills kept pouring in, my hubby took a 15% paycut,  etc, etc, etc. I do not blog this to complain, or air our laundry so to speak. This is our reality. And it flat out SUCKED! Yet I was reminded that what Satan meant for our harm, God meant for good. Not at first of course. I was hacked off. I wanted MY hosue to look MY way. NOW. After all, I'd waited so long. My kids were getting bigger- it was time to do these things and have more ME time. Self. Self. Icky sticky sinful fleshy self! Thankfully God didn't leave me in my mad.raging.spooiledbrat.can't. have. my. floors. NOW. way.
I am learning so much. We as a husband and wife have grown so much closer, and have seen how every tiny or not so tiny event in our lives has had a purpose to mold us and make us more Christlike. I was actually considering not posting Christmas Tour photos because of the backgrounds of my pictures. I was wishing for amazing photoshop skills, or heck, to actually HAVE photo shop! For awhile I didnt want to have company over. But then I realized thats crazy! Shallow. So what if I am on subfloors for now? Yes, its been 9 months. But my house is clean. My cooking, or so I have heard, is company worthy. And I have come to realize many people get the whole new floors vs. a new car (we are currently sharing 1 car) and if they don't so what. God gets it, He gets my heart, I know what he is asking of me. And asking me to wait until next month or February isn't THAT big of a deal. I think Dave Ramsey would agree?...Thanks for seeing the beauty not the unfinished floors, gals! May God continue to mold me and make me more like Him! Amen? Amen.

The Pasta IS HERE!

We brought home Noodle yesterday. He was ready, and my hubby couldn't handle waiting any longer. Seriously- he's worse than a kid! So- heres some pictures to enjoy!

Ahh... A boy and his dog!

Hey all! I Just wanted to let you know that my Etsy shop and Blog were featured on Hopefull Home this week.

If you haven't checked out her blog pop on over and look at her for an Etsy Alphabet featuring fabulous stores on Etsy with great last minute gift ideas. Yes, you heard me right. LAST. MINUTE. To me this is last minute folks! GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE! Then you can RELAX! Ahhhh......

She also has many great inspirational ideas. I loved the Christmas inspiration post and may just have to go buy a bag of walnuts to paint...

Thanks for the feature Hopeful Home!