Free book and granola bar!

Here's a link for a great new free book for you: www.gfa.org/wm "Be among the first to read this gripping narrative that displays the redemptive power of God among the most fragile. This next great wave of transformation is changing the lives of children, their families and entire communities. Filled with riveting stories of God's redeeming love. Your heart will rejoice as you share in their triumph. This dynamic book will open your eyes to an amazing move of God."

And here's a link for free Kashi cereal or bar: http://www.kashi.com/kidfriendlyfoods

I had a great birthday...worked from 7-1, went to see our good friends the Gaskills off at the airport (Rwanda bound!) and then Mike took me out for dinner. I had a coupon for one restaurant that ended up being out of business, so we went to Giannos...and it was very tasty:). Mike also bought me the book 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. It's a keeper. I can tell that much and I've only read a tiny bit. She focuses on gratitude and finding reasons to thank God no matter where you are or what circumstances you are in. As my regular readers know, this is an area of my life that I constantly need help in. Why is it that our natural inclination is to grumble and complain? I truly believe that "God lives in the praise of His people;" I have seen the evidence in my own life. When I consciously force myself to thank Him in the midst of trauma/difficulty, when I find reasons to praise Him regardless, I change, even when the circumstances don't.  And this is what Mrs. Voskamp shows us....so pick up a copy at the library!

I'm an All You semi-finalist!

I came home from a 12 hour shift today to find an email that I officially made it to the top 10 in the All You grocery challenge!! I am still pumped! When I found out that there were over 7000 entries last year and even more expected this year, I figured I didn't have a shot in the dark. So, to those who followed and cheered me on, thanks! I send in all my receipts tomorrow and will find out if I make the top 3 by August 5th, but either way, I am just totally stoked to have even made it this far. And tomorrow is my 43rd birthday...so happy birthday to me:)

Here's a look at the freebies I got on Tuesday:

The Soyjoy bar, Crest, Scope, floss and firearm safety video were mail freebies...the 2 tapas servers and sponge were free after that sweet $10/$10 coupon for Pier 1 (regularly $23.00...I paid a few cents in tax). Then I had coupons for free Phenom Coconut water, full size Pantene, & Lipton tea. The IAMS catfood was almost free after a $5.00 off coupon. The beautiful moth?? I found him deceased outside the Pier 1 store--for someone with a bug collection, it was like Christmas! (I know, I'm weird.) I LOVE this hobby!!

Yesterday, I helped my daughter set up her first checking account that included her life's savings and about $300 dollars more for her first college semester. She was feeling pretty excited ("reckless" was her word, actually) until she wrote the first two checks to her college. All of a sudden, looking up all her textbooks on http://www.half.com/ and going to Edward McKays to compare prices became very important to her. (Half.com won, by the way). I love it when the lightbulb comes on. When I went to bed last night, she was tallying her savings. That's my girl!

My boss gave me a b'day card today that said, "It's your birthday, do something CRAZY. Go to a restaurant without a coupon!" (Thanks, Jodi:) As you can see, I have a reputation. I also have a BOGO coupon for my birthday dinner tomorrow night.

God is so good and I am such a blessed woman. Thanks for reading, family and friends!

Good Free Stuff: Pier 1, backpacks, Nivea, paint, dog treats and more

It's always nice when we've been on vacation to come home to a mailbox full freebies: Honey Nut Cheerios, new Glad Febreeze trash bag, Miracle Whip, can of Alpo (already used:),a coupon for free 8 pk Jif-to-go and  full size Downy Unstoppables! The Downy was a http://www.vocalpoint.com/ freebie, and I highly recommend that you become a member if you aren't already. They have the best freebies out there, bar none.

Here's a great coupon for $10 off a $10 purchase at Pier 1. It's only good  until July 27, so hurry in! I'm hitting the store this afternoon: http://www.pier1.com/DailyDealy/tabid/953/Default.aspx?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=FanAppreciation

If you haven't seen the deal yet, Office Max is once again offering 100% refund (with your max perks card---sign up for free online) on the purchase of one or even TWO backpacks! http://www.officemax.com/ (wait for the backpack ad to scroll by; good this week only). This is a really great deal, and since Staples has only 50% back this week, I'm guessing this might be as good as it's going to get this year. These are really high end backpacks, some retail for $130.00 or more! I did this last year and then used the money back to get ink for my printer and a new shredder. If you don't live near the store, shipping is free for orders over $50.00 online. I do this anyway to save on gas. Also, if you don't have an ebates account yet, go there first: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=94Ggv5UtRDNLQspdeKYU7Q%3D%3D and sign up for an account. You will get 3% of your total back. I love getting my checks from ebates...I go there first for all my online purchases! Also, if you are new to Ebates, you will get a $10.00 gift card just to sign up...good until 7/26.

Here's a link for a free Nivea lotion sample: http://www.allyou.com/coupons-deals/daily-free-samples-00411000069695/free-nivea-sample-00411000072830/

Coupon for free pint of Benjamin Moore paint:
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/portals/bmps_en_ca.portal?_nfpb=true&np=public_site/articles/promotions/promo_arborcoat_pint_sample&_pageLabel=fh_getinspired_ca

Free Shout Wipes sample: http://www.facebook.com/shoutlaundry?ref=ts&sk=app_6009294086

Free sample of Natural Nibbles dog treats: http://naturalnibbles.com/ (look for the link in the lower corner)

Enjoy the rest of July and snag some great freebies:)

Lobstahhhhhh! Conclusion to the All You Challenge: Day 28

Well, today is the last day of the All You Challenge and I'm really glad that I entered! At the beginning of the four weeks, I set four personal goals:

1. Spend, on average, only half of the allotted amount of $150.00. I ALMOST succeeded: My average was $78.00.
2. Find ways to make healthy changes without too many grumbles from four hearty teenagers who are all runners and very active. This was probably my biggest success, which makes me very happy! Some changes included: substituting water for sweetened drinks and having no dessert or fruit for dessert at the noon meal, buying pretzels or low fat tortillas/chips rather than my high fat weakness, buying lower fat alternatives for mayo, dressings white bread, and butter, baking healthier desserts from scratch (and using low fat ingredients, less sugar and whole wheat flour) instead of relying on cheap but unhealthy prepackaged items: rice pudding, carrot and pumpkin cakes, sugar free jello and angel food cake, and substituting whole wheat/grain bread for white bread.
3. Find ways to do all the month's regular activities without breaking the budget: This included a steak dinner on July 4th, two 2 day trips that required eating out, entertaining friends two times and providing produce for friends, having a birthday party for my son (14 guests!) and perhaps the most difficult-spending a week of vacation time, having some annual not-so-healthy treats (smores, red hotdogs, lobster) and STILL staying on budget. My goal was NOT to delete special things from our diet completely, but rather to eat healthy a majority of the time and then feel no guilt when it came time for treats!!
4. Prove to myself and the naysayers that having teens doesn't mean you can't eat healthy foods on a budget.
Kids live what they learn. Sure it's hard, but you can do anything you put your mind to!

As I mentioned in my blog, I did a victory dance when my kids told me after week 3 that they thought the challenge was already over and that they really hadn't noticed a big change--i.e. I was the one who thought it would be difficult, not them! My husband mentioned just today that he felt we were eating better for the last month. This is a huge success in my books!

When I first started down the road to saving money, I would find myself looking at other savers and would make excuses about why I couldn't do what they do, things like: She doesn't work outside the home; they don't have 4 teenagers, they have a pantry stockpile to fall back on, he has a garden, she uses coupons....you get the idea. Now, instead of making excuses, I ask myself , "Why can't I do that?" And I do. Sure, we live in the city, but we plant a little garden anyway. I don't have time to be an extreme couponer, but I have enough of a stockpile that I could survive for a week on what I have (and I pretty much did!) Yes, I work outside the home, and some weeks it gets a little hectic, but with planning, I can still have home cooked meals most nights. I have realized that excuses are just that, excuses. Maybe I have to turn off the TV for a couple of hours and bake a few things, or stop at an extra store on my way home, but I can make a difference in how my family eats. Now I also know that we can eat healthier for less, and I will continue on the journey. Thanks, All You, for giving me the motivation to take things a step further!!

Last day:
Breakfast: cheerios/oatmeal, coffee, OJ, milk
Lunch/Dinner: family reunion time! I provided a cake, baked beans, lemonade, and potato salad. The best part? My brother provided the lobster and steamed clams---ahhhhhh, what a way to finish the challnege! Thanks, bro:)

Digging into the steamers.

The Sky is Always Bluer; All You Day 27

I know, I know--you're sick of reading about how great Maine is, but honestly, isn't that sky gorgeous? (I was laying on my back on the shore of the lake when I took this picture.) Absolutely wonderful day; very little humidity and about 75 degrees. Of course, I miss my mom. I think of her often, but there is healing just in being here. Perhaps more thoughts on this later.

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.


Day 27

Wow, can't believe that there is only one day left! I picked up a few groceries yesterday at Hannaford:
2 cans of baked beans (easy way out, I know), "crystal light" style lemonade 6 pack (this equals about 35 cents for a 2 liter), 2 bags of Cape Cod chips (I got multi grain and lower fat varieties) 3# of clementines, cake mix for a picnic$15.00  Today I picked up a dozen still-warm -from-the-chicken-eggs from my neighbor for $2.00 and she threw in a pint of homemade strawberry jam to boot (thanks, Melissa!!) I found out the kids had bought some junk food when I wasn't around--two 12 packs of soda, some chips and some gummy worms. Even though this wasn't from my budget (they thought because they bought it it, I didn't have to count it; they actually felt badly after the fact: "We're not going to make you lose the challenge are we???") and even though I don't have a receipt, I'm going to liberally add $16.00 to my total...I think that's only fair, even though I don't think they spent that much.


So my week 4 total is: $71.00


Groceries: $71.00


Hannaford: $36.00
WalMart: $17.00
Neighbor's eggs: $2.00
Kids' purchases: $16.00


Eating Out $0.00!!


This makes my weekly average for the 4 week challenge $78.00!!  I'll be honest, my goal was to cut the allotted amount ($150.00) in half. If I wasn't adding in the kid's purchases, I would have made it at $74.00, but overall, I still feel very good about the month. Tomorrow I will write about my conclusions and thoughts for the whole chi-bang.


Brunch: (we slept late) Oatmeal pancakes with sugar free syrup, clementines, OJ, milk, coffee
Dinner: lasagna (I used turkey sausage, spinach and low fat ricotta for a healthier version), green salad, smores on the fire pit, milk

BOGO Starbucks & Free Shampoo, All You Day 26

Free sample of Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/EnhancedRenderContent.aspx?id=99490&cm_mmc=dt-_-moisture%20rescue-_-walmart-_-sample

Free Starbucks tall drink when you buy VIA iced coffee: http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/via

Free John Frieda product to the first 1000 uploads: https://secure.self.com/magazine/sweeps/0811_john_frieda/entry/long/

I will be updating daily on the All You Grocery Challenge, which runs June19- July16. The Challenge: spend only $25 per person per week or less ($150.00 for my crew) to feed your family, including eating out...but do so in a creative, healthy way. An * denotes our own garden food; (parentheses indicate healthy changes.) Winner gets $1000 and a write up in ALL YOU magazine! Please know that for grocery purchase totals, I round to the nearest dollar.


Day 26 (only 2 1/2 days left!!)

Breakfast (on Mosquito Island): Italian Herb and Cheese Muffins, pepperjack cheese, clementines, boiled eggs, a few blueberries--picked fresh, water, coffee
Lunch: salmon patties, fresh peas (thanks, Jerry!), sugar free jello, water
Dinner: sandwiches at my sister's house (thanks, Bev!)

I think pictures speak louder than words:

toasting hotdogs

ahhhhhhhh

the start of smores....

 

Can you find the blueberries?

Morning Java

Life in Vactionland: All You Day 24 and 25

Good Morning Blogger Friends! Absolutely loving my time here in Maine....here's a morning picture for you:

I am acutely aware that the Maine woods is not everyone's cup of tea. We have folks stay in our cabin all the time, and I can tell within 30 seconds what they really thought of the experience. My favorite question: What exactly do you DO there?? Well, what do you mean by that? You don't have to do anything at all, and that's what I like best! In a world filled with constant activity it's very nice to wake up and not have one thing on the agenda...at least that's my opinion. For the last two days, my interent connection has been sporadic--I have to say I was a little disappointed when it came up fine this morning.

And family. It's been so nice to see everyone. Yesterday my brother Doug and Cindi came by...she brought a jar of homemade blackberry jelly. I had to try a spoonful and oh man, was it good! Then in the evening we went to my brother Jerry's house. I brought all the ingredients to make a lasagna but forgot one thing:  Mainers are sweltering with the 87 degree temps and my sister-in-law refused to let me use the oven! We had burgers on the grill. Saturday we are having a family reunion. Yes!

Today, we are going on our annual overnight camping trip to Mosquito Island, a tiny dot in the middle of Junior Lake, with nary so much as an outhouse. The whole island is maybe 120 feet long. Cooking is over an open fire pit, which limits what we bring. Again, more foods that I buy once a year:

Day 24(yesterday)
Breakfast: french toast, sugar free syrup, milk, coffee
Lunch: veggie mac and cheese (have you tried this yet? a serving of veggies in every serving of pasta...very good, my kids devoured it), ham, apples
Dinner: (compliments of my bro) burgers/dogs, veggie platter, sugar free carbonated lemonade (this was another new product try from Walmart, 68 cents for a 2 liter, about half the price of soda and none of the calories. There were about 5 different flavors, including pink, cherry and blueberry. Regular lemonade was a hit with my crew.) I made rice crispie squares after promising Judy that the microwave was all that was needed!

Day 25
Breakfast: cheerios and/or fried eggs and toast, OJ, milk, coffee
Lunch: grilled cheese on whole wheat, bananas, water
Dinner: (on Mosquito Island tonight--pics tomorrow) hotdogs roasted on a stick, chips (this is the first bag of chips that I've bought during the entire challenge...a big deal for me because this is my weakness!), clementines, smores, water

Groceries:
Walmart: 2 # hotdogs, hotdog buns, chips, mozarella cheese, eggs, milk, lemonade, margarine, OJ $17.00
Hannaford: 3 pack romaine lettuce, 3# clementines, 1#carrots, ricotta cheese, (turkey sausage), 2 # bananas,
pepper jack cheese, 2 packs bordens sliced cheese $21.00