It's one of those months where several additional expenses and some impulse decisions really put a dent in my already dwindling funds and I even got a raise!
Here's how I still managed to save these past few weeks:
-Made breakfast muffins and granola bars
-Worked on feeding more table food with the baby, so don't need to make as much baby food anymore
-Switched to a toddler formula a few weeks ago which is about $8 cheaper than her other formula
-Found some cheap math books to try for school by comparing prices online and got them used-very good for a low price from Barnes and Noble marketplace (it was cheaper than Amazon).
-Made homemade iced pumpkin cookies (I will post this recipe later, it is awesome and I modified it to cut calories)
-Made two pans of lasagna, one for dinner that night and the other to freeze to have a quick meal on hand when I'm too tired to cook
-Took Austin to the free kids workshop at Home Depot
-My mother in law took us out to dinner a few times while Ryan's dad was out of town
-A family from church who raise chickens gave us a dozen eggs. Made some yummy breakfast burritos last weekend with these!
-A coworker gave me some unopened packages of lunch meat that she didn't use for a class activity
-We combined trips to save on gas. Dropped my car off to get serviced in Henderson, then picked up awards for the Cub Scouts on the way home. We had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and the kid's meals were free for their Mondays in September special.
-I've already started comparing prices online for Christmas gifts for the kids. I bought gifts in October last year, so in December I wasn't broke. It was really nice!
It takes preparation and discipline to be a savvy saver and I will be the first to admit that I have the occasional splurge or slip-up that puts us off track temporarily.
For example:
-We went the movies twice in the past few weeks and paid full price for our tickets instead of getting them ahead of time at Costco. We also bought popcorn, soda, and candy.
-I decided to retract my commitment to make all my own breads. Austin is in the full day kindergarten class now and I will need to make him a sandwich for lunch every day, so we will be going through more bread. I just can't bake that much and also do the other million things I need to do.
I am continually amazed at how the Lord has provided for us in all sorts of ways so that when we are a few days short of the next paycheck and almost empty, we always seem to get by. I spent the last of my money on Cub Scout awards (I will get reimbursed eventually), so Ryan put extra money in my account to cover the other bills coming out. When he got home, he got the mail and there was a check from our mortgage company for the escrow overage. I am truly grateful for the blessings in my life.
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