Record your Yourth - what happened after high school...

So after I got into the college of my dreams, I spent that summer working as many hours as I could and saving as many pennies as I could.  I left for Franklin in the fall with much anticipation and excitement!!!

I met one of my best friends that first week at FC.  Like the first night or two she sat outside of her dorm room SOBBING on the phone to her boyfriend...who was like 20 minutes away.  I know I walked passed her, rolled my eyes and thought not nice thoughts.  Within just days though I got to know her much better and we became very close! 

The rest of the year was filled with friends and classes and working - I worked all the way through college and still left with loan debt!  I worked part-time in the campus bookstore and did some volunteer work with the theater department (and after that year - ended up being the theater house manager for the next three years).

I didn't make it home often - the drive was only about an hour and fifteen minutes but I didn't have a car of my own.  If I wanted to get home, I had to have my parents come get me or hitch a ride with someone else headed that way.  I was lucky that there were a few other people from my area that were at FC and could hitch a ride if needed.

I've often told people (and still do say) that you couldn't have paid me to go to another school.  Purdue University is just 1/2 hour from my house...a nice large state school that probably would have left me with a bit less loan debt at graduation but not my cup of tea!  My graduating class at FC was actually smaller than my graduating class from high school - it was perfect!  I knew most of my classmates and many of the upperclassmen in just a few weeks time.  It was such a "family" to me and I really enjoyed that aspect of school. 

I graduated from FC with a BA in Journalism...  I left FC and didn't go into the field though.  It is something that no one can take away from me and an experience that totally shaped my life and I wouldn't change any of that for any reason. 

This is my fifteenth (and final!) post with Mommy's Piggy Tales recording my memories in just 15 weeks. If you're interested in doing the same for yourself, swing by her place to check it out! She will be starting a new session soon!

Click here to read my post from last week, where my twelfth grade finished up my high school years quite nicely.

Marsh ad highlights - 9/16 through 9/22

The Mega Sale is STILL on (make sure you get the right amount of items!) and there's a four-day Tailgate Sale too!

Tailgate Sale (Thursday through Sunday, 9/16 through 9/19)
Food Club brats - $2.99 ($1.50)
Ruffles potato chips - $1.98 (save $2.01)
2lb Fried chicken strips - $3.99 (save $1.00)
6-pack Coke products - 4/$9.88 (save $8.88 or more on four) - limit one

Mega Sale items - Buy any 10, get $5 off instantly!
(final price listed - see the ad for specifics!)
Food Club or Sargento cheese - $1.49
Dean's cottage cheese or Breakstone's sour cream - $.99
California Pizza Kitchen or DiGiorno pizzas - $4.49
Kraft Mac & Cheese dinner - $.99
Oscar Mayer bologna or Food Club ketchup - $.98
Gatorade - $.58
Tropicana or Dole juice - $2.49
Swiss Tea or Green Giant Steamers - $.99
Jell-O pudding or Gelatin - $.49
Nature Valley granola bars - $3.49
Bull's-Eye bbq sauce, Red Gold salsa or Tuttorosso pasta sauce - $.99
Progresso soups or Pillsbury Grands! - $.99
Pillsbury Grands! cinnamon rolls or Oreo cookies - $1.99
Mids, Planters or Totino's - $2.49
Red Gold Sloppy Joe, tomatoes or sauce - $.49
Crystal Light or Yoplait yogurt - $1.49
Wanchai Ferry Asian meals or Macaroni Grill meals - $5.49
Marie Callendar's Bakes - $3.99
Herbal Essences or Aussie - $2.00
Old El Paso dinner kit - $1.99
Betty Crocker mix or Pillsbury Toaster Strudel - $1.49
Edy's Eskimo Pie or Nestle frozen novelties - $2.49
Kellogg's cereals, Nutri-Grain bars or Nature Valley granola thins - $1.99
Jell-O, Yoplait Smoothies or Dannon yogurt - $1.99
Keebler, Kellogg's or Betty Crocker - $1.99

For the entire week enjoy sale items like:
Boneless rump or round roast - $1.98/lb (save $2.21/lb)
Center cut pork chops - $1.98/lb (save $2.01/lb)
Eckrich franks or sliced bologna - B1G1 FREE (save $3.29 on two) (mix and match!)
Marsh bread or buns - $.99
Red Glob or Seedless red, black or green grapes - $.99/lb (save $1/lb)
Hostess snacks - B1G1 FREE
Libby's canned veggies - 10/$5
Libby's canned fruit - 10/$10
Perdue chicken thighs or drumsticks - $.98/lb (save $1.01/lb)
El Monterey Tornados - 2/$4 (match with recent $1 for a $1 final price!)
Pop-Tarts - 3/$4.98
Food Club singles - 2/$3
Aunt Millie's bread or buns - B1G1 FREE (free item must be same kind as purchased item)
Quaker oatmeal - $1.88
Act II popcorn - 10/$10
Quaker rice cakes - 10/$10 (recent coupon matches maybe!?)
Campbell's condensed soups - 10/$10
Ortega taco seasoning mix, dinner kit, shells or sauce - 20% off
Nature's Own bagels - B1G1 FREE (finally - some bagels on sale!!!)
Q-tips - $2.48
Dole salads - 20% off

I'm thinking there are probably some good coupon match-ups in here too.  I'll try to keep an eye out for Bargain Briana to post her match-ups - she does an amazing job!

Got another good blog to share...Stuff Christians Like

I just found this blog at the end of last week and definitely haven't searched it for all it's worth (I'm sure!) but I wanted to go ahead and get this out there!

Stuff Christians Like was

Started on March 21, 2008 as a reaction to the wildly popular blog Stuff White People Like which was created by Christian Lander, Stuff Christians Like is a blog about the funny things we Christians do. And what they just might reveal about our faith.


The site is written by Jonathan Acuff, a preacher’s kid/copywriter who lives in Atlanta with his wife and two kids.

I just found this last week when I read that Jon joined Dave Ramsey's staff and he posted a short article about "7 Ways Working for Dave Ramsey is Like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory".  It was hilarious!  So of course I had to go find his blog and I wasn't disappointed.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Weekly shopping - we barely eeked it out!

1 Deans cottage cheese was $1.89 for .99
3 Shamrock milks was $4.17 for FREE
2 Breyers ice cream was $10.98 for $4.98
2 Mission tortilla 8" shells was $5.18 for $3.18 (should have been $1.58)
3 El Monterey Tornadoes was $8.37 for $3.00
5 Kraft Velveeta Shells was $9.35 for $4.95
1 Double Stuf Oreo was $4.19 for $1.99
4 packages (appx 8lbs) split breasts was $24.84 for $7.40

Okay - so the highlighted items are what prices SHOULD HAVE BEEN with the Mega Sale Marsh had going on.  I'm going to have to look at the ad but I'm thinking we should have had $5.00 off our bill for purchasing 10 Mega Sale items (the seven listed above plus a pizza and I'm not sure what the other two items where).  I tried to call Marsh just now about it but no one answered.  I'll be going there tomorrow!

We also bought things like sour cream, milk, OJ, rice, yogurt, black beans, bread, eggs, and some fresh fruits.

All totaled we spent $78.30 (had $2 from my mom for her gallon of milk) and saved $54.48 which was 41% - which if I'm right about our Mega Sale items should be a bit different!

So, only $1.30 over budget as of right now - I'm hoping that will change after tomorrow.

Unsure...

So.  I hadn't planned to take a week plus off from blogging.  I normally try to post Monday through Thursday for sure and if something good comes up over the weekend, make a post about that as well.  But here lately I've just not been feeling the blog.  I'm really struggling with what my purpose is and why I do this. 

I LOVE writing.  I love sharing my thoughts and processes but sometimes feel like I'm writing to myself (which with tracking my grocery store purchases is great because it's become short of like a price book for me).  I'm just not sure where I want to go with this.

I don't think I'll ever be a FishMama or Money Saving Mom but I would like to be!  I'd love to have a spot where I can share my thoughts and ideas about life in general, money, deals/bargains and our Total Money Makeover journey that could be a great spot for other women (moms or not) to utilize.  But I think that both FishMama and Crystal at MSM do that so I'm not sure where I fit in.

I've thoroughly enjoyed linking up to Record Your Youth with Janna at Mommy's Piggy Tales for the last 14 weeks and look forward to wrapping it all up this coming Thursday.  But again - I don't see that side of what I've blogged becoming anything permanent.

So I guess I'm looking for any ideas or suggestions.  I don't even know if there is anyone out there who reads my blog on a regular basis.  I know there are girls from the Record Your Youth group that follow through those posts and I know that if I've linked up to FishMama's Ultimate Recipe Swap that someone might click through but that's about it.  I don't know if me putting more out here would be a benefit to anyone or not. 

When I originally started this - I wanted to share deals/bargains but so many other people do that (and do it way better than I do and much more quickly as I only access my blog in the evenings). I still do share if I find something really good but once again - I don't think I have much traffic so I don't share like I should (or could).

If you read this, why do you visit my blog?  Do you visit regularly?  If you don't visit regularly, how often do you stop by?  What else would you be interested in seeing in this spot?  If you could leave me a comment or email me at kcbonly@hotmail.com I'd very much appreciate it.

At this point, I'm going to continue to do what I've done in the past (Monday is my shopping from the weekend, Tuesday a blog to share, Wednesday the Marsh ad highlights, Thursday is Record Your Youth (for one more week at least) and sometimes I even share the Kroger ad highlights and coupon previews).

If you do stop by regularly, thank you - I hope to make this a better place for me and for you.

Record your Life - 12th grade tied it all up nicely.

Last week's post was short and sweet - I didn't want to get to far ahead of myself and sharing more than that would have done so.  My 12th grade year was an awesome year for me.  I had decided in the spring of my junior year to apply to Franklin College so I could major in journalism.  I had never set foot on the campus but knew it was the right spot for me.  And then for my 18th birthday - my acceptance letter from Franklin!  It was absolutely awesome.  It wasn't until that spring that I finally set foot on campus but I knew deep down that I wouldn't want to be at any other school.  Getting into Franklin (and the journalism school) was awesome!

That Christmas break I spent 10 days in Mexico - Mexico City and close areas on a Girl Scout trip.  I've mentioned before that Girl Scouts was a big part of my life (and it still is - even today).  Girl Scouts truly helped shape who I am and this trip did so more than any other trip I had been on.  Not only did I get to meet so many new people, get a sunburn on New Years Day and experience the first snow in Mexico in like 15 years, I also met a little boy who changed the way I looked at everything.

Let me back up some...  I had "senioritis" - bad.  That's when you're a senior in high school and you want nothing more than to get O.U.T.  I seriously considered dropping out of high school after first semester because I was so done with school.  I had my acceptance to Franklin, I had all of the credits I needed (so I wouldn't have technically been quitting...just finishing early) and was ready to be done. 

But part of our trip to Mexico was to go to a small village - think dirt floors and thatch roofs - and just spend some time playing with the kids.  We taught them songs and played games.  We took little trinkets and gifts and this one little boy.  Ohmy...  His eyes when I gave him a small box of crayons was just mind blowing.  Here he was...had never seen a crayon before and I was ready to throw away half of my senior year of high school. 

I graduated with the rest of my class that year.  And I did my senior speech on "senioritis" and how that little boy totally changed it all for me (I got an A+ on that speech too!).  I'm so thankful I was able to experience that trip and will never forget those big brown eyes...

This is my fourteenth post with Mommy's Piggy Tales recording my memories in just 15 weeks. If you're interested in doing the same for yourself, swing by her place to check it out!  She will be starting a new session soon!

Click here to read my post from last week, where my eleventh grade changed my career path.

Record your Life - 11th grade changed my career path.

When I began 11th grade I wanted to be a librarian.  Still.  And I had wanted to be a librarian since like 1983 - when I was six.  I love to bury my nose in a book and I even love to physically bury my nose in a book and smell the paper, ink and glue that binds the pages into a story that will take me away. 

But 11th grade made me realize that I wanted to be a journalist.  And a photojournalist.  I wanted to write!  I wanted to travel the world behind a camera and share stories of everything I found. 

I had spent the previous two years on our local high school's newspaper staff but that year really grabbed me as the turning point in the "what I wanted to be when I grew up" situation.  I knew I needed to be thinking about my future career because the next year was going to begin the process of thinking about college.

So I spent a lot of time that year writing.  Whatever my newspaper advisor would give me, I'd write.  I'd take the camera with me and go see what I could find.

You'll hear next week about where I decided to go to college and why and I'll even share where I'm at now with it all but this year...this was the year that I wanted to grow up and be a journalist. 

This is my thirteenth post with Mommy's Piggy Tales recording my memories in just 15 weeks. If you're interested in doing the same for yourself, swing by her place to check it out!



Click here to read my post from last week, where my ninth grade memories are all about a boy.

Marsh ad highlights - 9/2 through 9/8

Marsh has a Labor Day sale going on - all seven days of their ad! 

Ground beef - $1.48/lb (save $1.01/lb) limit 10lbs
Ground chuck - $1.68/lb (save $1.61/lb) limit 10lbs
Ball Park franks - $.99 (save $2.40) limit four
12-pack 7-Up, Coke or Pepsi - 4/$10 limit one
Aunt Millie's Honey hamburger or hot dog buns - $.99 (save $1.70) - match with recent $.55 coupons for $.44 final price!
Lay's - 2/$4 (save $3.98 on two)
Perdue chicken leg quarters - $.68/lb (save $.81/lb)
Nabisco snack crackers - 2/$4 (save $1.50 or more on two)
Kraft cheese (singles, 100-Calorie packs, cubes, chunk or shredded) - $1.99 (save $.50 or more)
Marsh ice cream - $1.88 (save $1.61 or more)
Honeydew melons - B1G1 FREE
In-husk bi-color corn - 10/$2 (save $3.00 on ten)
Sunbeam bread - $.99 (save $1.40)
Eckrich smoke sausage - 2/$4 (save $4.98 on two)
Eckrich sliced bologna - B1G1 FREE
Sara Lee turkey breast - $5.99/lb (save $1.70/lb)
Eckrich ham - $4.99/lb (save $1.00/lb)
Kellogg's Poptarts - 3/$4.98
Sweet Baby Ray's sauces - B1G1 FREE
Lawry's marinade - $1.98
40oz Heinz ketchup - $1.78 (not as cheap as Walmart had it earlier this summer but a good price!)
Chi-Chi's salsa - B1G1 FREE
Kraft mayo or Miracle Whip - $2.49 - match with recent $1.50 off two for $1.75 final price
Kellogg's cereals - $1.99 when you buy three
Kool-Aid FunFizz - B1G1 FREE
Rice a Roni or Pasta Roni - 10/$10
Marzetti dressing - B1G1 FREE
Mission tortillas - $1.79 - match with recent $1.00 blinkies (coupons from the machine hanging on the shelf) for a $.79 final price
Bounty or Charmin - $5.99 - match with recent $.25 P&G coupons for $5.49 final price
Dixie napkins, cups, plates or bowls - 2/$4 (there had been coupons out there...if there are again - you can get cheap paper products!)

I see some good coupon match-ups out there!  I'll try to find Bargain Briana's Marsh ad match-up and post it here too - she always has great match-ups!

New blog to share... The Prudent Homemaker

As always, I click and click and click and have no clue how I got to where I go to but tonight I found this post about stockpiling.  Wow.  What an awesome story! 

And she shares what a well-stocked pantry looks like. 

This one is going on the favorites list - there is so much information here and not enough time to tonight to read it all.  There is a LOT of information here - I hope you can find some good out of it.  I know I will.

Week of 7/30 through week of 8/20 grocery budget

So I actually should have shared this sometime last week but I'm a bit behind on this.  I hadn't printed out my current budget sheet (which I keep in my checkbook) which means I hadn't taken last months out and gathered all my receipts together to share.  And I feel like I'm missing a trip - this just doesn't seem right for some reason.  I've gone through the history on the blog here though and looked through all of my receipts.  As far as I can tell - this is right.  Go us!

7/31 Kroger - 18.47, saved 32.74 (66%)
8/1 Marsh - 30.45, saved 13.03 (30%)
8/7 Walmart - 7.49, saved 6.00 (in coupons, clearance saved me 6.00 also) (?)
8/8 Marsh - 50.13, saved 14.80 (23%)
8/14 Walmart - 6.94, saved 6.04, (50%)
8/14 Marsh - 14.48, saved 1.89 (12%)
8/14 Walmart - 12.36, saved 1.01 (?)
8/15 Marsh - 62.25, saved 40.72 (40%)
8/22 Marsh - 84.14, saved 23.00 (22%)

Total spent for the month:  286.71
Total saved for the month:  145.49
Appx savings for the month:  34%

So - under budget (as far as I can tell) and pathetic savings - not a bad combo I guess!  Here's hoping for a better month this time around.

Weekly shopping at Marsh - not bad but not exactly good either.

We shopped kidless yesterday!  She's such a good shopper though, I actually kind of missed her.  She doesn't make us buy anymore (or spend any less).  Here's what we got:

2 Doritos was $7.98 for $3.99 (B1G1 FREE)
2 Wavy Lays was $7.98 for $4.00 (2/$4.00)
4 Food Club shredded cheese was $11.56 for $6.68
2 Lipton Rice and Beans was $2.60 for $1.98

We also bought garlic toast, taco season, sour cream, biscuits, lunch meat, yogurt, milk, buns, Coke Zero and fresh fruits and veggies.

Total spent: 52.28
Total saved: 25.98
Percent saved: 34%

And the Coke Zero killed us! It was on sale three 12pks for $10.98 which is something I'd NEVER pay. But on the end of each 12pk was a coupon that said $1.00 off Coke Zero. I read it and reread it... It seemed to good to be true. So I was going to get three 12pks for $7.98 which is pretty much my goal price ($2.50 or less per 12pk). BUT only one coupon worked (of the three) so I paid $9.98 for three 12pks which is normally what I'd pay for FOUR 12pks. Grrrrr. Next time I'm reading the coupon better!

Not to Baby Step 7 yet, but I still enjoy giving.

So, one day last week at work a co-worker stopped by my desk and we got to talking about coupons (which is a joy for me!). She had questions about doubling and which stores in our town double and using multiple coupons (for multiple items). I tried to explain the P&G $.50 Crest coupons and how those coupons got me FREE Crest at Kroger in the week or two prior. She was pretty much shocked (and excited) that such transactions could be done and wanted to know more and about my Dave Ramsey journey but had to leave for an appointment.

Tuesday I found her in a work room loading a cart and decided to stop and ask her how she was doing. We got to talking again about coupons and then about Dave Ramsey and Brian and I's 12 months of working the "Dave Ramsey diet". I found out that she's had a rough go of things lately. I had heard bits and pieces here and there but had no clue all that she was facing (and still don't - but she did share a bit more with me than I had heard prior).

At that point I knew that one of the sets of books I had recently purchased from the Dave Ramsey Store was meant for her. When I purchase extra books I never have a set person in mind. I keep them in the basement until I hear someone's story and it lays on my heart that this one person is the person I should be helping.

And that is exactly how I felt after speaking with her Tuesday morning. I felt pressed to give her both a Total Money Makeover book and the TMMO workbook so that she too can know what peace and freedom Brian and I are experiencing (even with another year to go on our debt snowball).

When I went back to work after lunch, I took her these two books. I told her, "I buy these and keep them until I hear someone speak that needs them and I want to give these to you." She tried to say she'd give them back but I told her I wanted her to mark in them...to USE the workbook and make it her own...to read it at her pace and refer back to it again and again as needed on this journey.

It isn't an easy journey. It's hard. And it takes a lot of work. But you know what? The weight that has been lifted off Brian and I (in just the last 12 months, with another 12 months to go) has been exhilarating. We can breathe.

I had an email this morning from my co-worker. She said,

"I can’t begin to thank you enough. Your thoughts, kind words and compassion are amazing and an inspiration. I can’t wait to finally start that book tonight – this is one book I’m going to really take my time in reading and studying. I’m so encouraged and can’t wait to start seeing some changes. Once again... thank you."

And THAT is why I give these books away and share everything (openly and honestly) about what we've gone through, what we are doing and how we've done it. If you have any questions about how we've faced this journey, please ask. Comment here with your email address and I'll email you back or email me straight up at kcbonly@hotmail.com - I want to be able to help everyone feel the same sense of peace that Brian and I feel.

Record your Life - 10th grade was all about a PARTY!

Ahhhhh...10th grade. That was the year I turned 16 - and I got to have a P.A.R.T.Y! Now, don't get me wrong - I had always had birthday parties but this one...this year stands out.

I had a group of really, really close friends in high school. There were about 20 of us who hung out at school, after school, at work and on the weekends. Our parents all knew each other (well, everyone knew my parents - my dad is a teacher and my mom has worked for the schools for 20+ years) so many times you could come to our house and find a whole gaggle of teenagers hanging around. My parents always preferred us (my brother and I) to hang at home with our friends than be out running around.

So this year in particular, I was able to have an evening party at our house and everyone got to come over. By the end of the night there was a broken picture, blood (but not from the broken picture), trampled plants and newspaper EVERYWHERE. We also had some tears, a fight and a break-up/make-up too (we were 16 - remember!?).

The night started off innocently enough. I don't remember it really. I'm sure we ordered pizzas and had them delivered and ate cake and opened presents. I remember getting a leather jacket that I had been dying for from my parents. I still have many of the birthday cards my friends gave me from that year - a girl only turns 16 once you know! The excitement really began when my two girlfriends B and T showed up.

B has two little brothers. Apparently they had spent the whole week prior to my party tearing the daily newspaper up into tiny, itty-bitty confetti type pieces. There was a whole black trashbag FULL of newspaper confetti. I swear - it took both B and T to carry that bag into the house (and T was no wimp - she was a shot put and discus throwin' mama!). It was FULL. Like - if you moved it just a smidge the bag opened a bit and a little piece would flutter to the floor. FULL.

So these two girls showing up with this big bag of confetti made the party go from laid back and calm to crazy in about 10 minutes. L (a guy friend who I started school with in kingergarten) grabbed a handful of confetti and stuffed it down B's shirt. Then another friend grab another handful and put it down another friend's shirt. Well before too long there were piles of confetti on the blades of the ceiling fan and the fan got turned on. Those pieces landed in the food and drinks and in people's hair and just about everywhere else. At one point D picked up a handful to put down S's shirt and she took off sprinting for my bedroom. Well, my door was shut so she kept running down the hallway. She ended up in my parents room (hiding by the bed...which my dad was sprawled out on watching TV) and D just threw that handful towards S. My parent's bed, their floor and their dresser was covered in confetti. It ended up in the toilet. It ended up IN the floor vents. It ended up in my bedroom and my brother's bedroom (both doors closed). It was outside. It was inside. It was in our clothes, our hair, our mouths. It was a mess!!! It was so much fun though!

Later that night, L and D decided to have a wrestling match. It was all cool until L threw D over the back of the couch (which was a "wall" between the living room and dining room) and D's foot hit the wall as he fell over it and a picture fell off the wall, breaking the glass and causing a bunch of us to just about die laughing because just 10 seconds before everyone was all loud and rambunctious but in that second you could have heard a pin drop.

Also at the end of our street is a creek (the road ended in a cul-de-sac) and there was a pipe that crossed the creek. Several of the guys crossed it and a few of the girls too - one girl fell though on the little path to get there and split her knee open. I was thinking the worst and expecting a trip to the ER but my mom fixed her up with a butterfly Band-Aid and she was good to go.

After we got back to my house from crossing the creek pipe some of the guys were being dumb and kept trying to moon those of us inside the house from outside (through the big picture window). Little did they know they were trampling my dad's hostas under that window. Needless to say - that was probably the thing that upset my dad the most about everything!

And then of course there was the drama that always involved 16-year-olds. A break-up and a make-up. To be honest...I was excited about the break-up 'cause that boy was CUTE. But M and N made up before the night was over and I was happy really because N was a good friend and I hated to see her cry.

For the next ten years, if my parents moved furniture (or when they bought new furniture and moved the old out) there would be itty-bitty pieces of newspaper confetti hidden away somewhere that fluttered to the floor and reminded them of the craziest birthday party I ever had.

This is my twelfth post with Mommy's Piggy Tales recording my memories in just 15 weeks. If you're interested in doing the same for yourself, swing by her place to check it out!


Click here to read my post from last week, where my ninth grade memories are all about a boy.

Marsh ad highlights - 8/26 through 9/1

Marsh has got their Under a Dollar Event going on!  Lots and lots of items for $.99 (or less!).

Marsh hamburger or hot dog buns
Bar-S jumbo or bun length franks
Armour LunchMakers
Eckrich Loaf or sliced pepperoni
Betty Crocker potatoes or Suddenly Salad
Kraft Mac & Cheese - $.58
Bush's beans - $.79
Tommy Atkins mangoes
Food Club canned veggies - $.68
Lipton Sides
Hamburger Helper
Kool-Aid Bursts
Buddig chipped meats
El Monterey burritos or chimichangas
MaMa Rosa's deluxe or pepperoni pizzas
Fresh limes - 3/$.99
Red Roma tomatoes
Nestle or Skinny Cow - 1ct items
Propel Fitness water - $.79
Cousin Willie's microwave popcorn
Dole Pineapple or Tropical Fruit salad
Food Club marshmallows
Food Club pudding snacks - $.88
Food Club relish - $.98
Easy Mac or Velveeta
Frusion smoothies - $.88
V05 hair care - $.98
2-liter Pepsi

What else can you watch for?
40% off all Fresh Perdue chicken
Food Club cheese (slices, chunks or shredded) - $1.67
Hormel cooked ham (deli meat) - $3.99
Marsh milk - 2/$4
red or green seedless grapes - $.99/lb
Doritos - B1G1 FREE
6-pack Pepsi - 4/$8.88
Powerade - 10/$10
Aunt Millie's bread or buns - B1G1 FREE (free item must be same kind as purchased item)
Thomas' English Muffins - B1G1 FREE
Crystal Light mix - B1G1 FREE
Bounty and Charmin - $5.99

And that's about it for me.  Just like last week - I'm thinking there isn't too much exciting stuff going on this week but with my luck - I'll blow the budget.  Again.

Shout out for Mommy's Piggy Tales!

So, if you visit me regularly you've seen my posts on Thursdays recording my life with Mommy's Piggy Tales.  Well, each week she also features some of us who link up to her and this week - I was included!  What a rush. 

So what is this Record your Youth thing that Janna's got going on?  Check out this info here and if you're interested, get started on the next session which begins on October 7th.

For now though, you can keep checking back here to see how the last four weeks of my life unfold as I remember it.  For me it is getting easier and easier to remember things to share!  Remembering things from pre-school and kindergarten was a little difficult! 

Thanks again Janna for the shout out!

Weekly Marsh shopping trip...it was bad.

We completely blew the budget.  Completely!  And I thought for sure that we were going to be under budget.  Ugh.  We bought several items that weren't on sale (but we bought Food Club brand - we needed things like butter, sour cream, cheese slices, OJ, yogurt, cream cheese, and eggs).  We bought one item that had the tag listed as $1.77 but rang $2.99 (and I didn't go back because I was too tired to fight over $1.22).  And then I only had three coupons...

1 each Charmin and Bounty - $5.49 for each (used two coupons for these two items)
1 Aunt Millie's Slimwiches was $2.99 for $1.34 (this was the other item I had a coupon for)

And along with other items like cottage cheese, Pillsbury dough items (for two different meals this week), milk, western ribs, black beans, fresh fruits and veggies, lunch meat from the deli, some pasta salad and some Lipton soup onion mix (for meatloaf this week) and we spent $84.14 - almost $10 over budget!  Our savings were $23.00 or a measly 22% - sad, huh?

Here's hoping for a better week next week!

Record your life - ninth grade was all about a boy...

Who at the time I thought I was gonna marry.

I know, right!?

Oddly enough - I saw that boy tonight, at a viewing for his aunt who had passed away this past Monday.  I hadn't actually seen him in at least five years.  It's probably even been more - I just know the last time I saw him I was at my previous job and I've been where I'm at now almost five years.

Anyways, this boy in ninth grade actually happened in the summer between eighth and ninth grade.  I was a band nerd (yep!) and started playing trumpet in sixth grade.  Every four years our high school band group went to Disney World at Christmas break to march in the New Years Day Parade (it was amazing!).  In order to save money up for that trip, we worked at our local newspaper stuffing the "guts" of the paper in (the ads and inserts).  We never actually received any money - we just tracked our time and the newspaper paid the money directly to the band director (well, probably a secretary but we never saw the cash).  We did this starting June that summer...because my class was going to get to go that Christmas!  So my freshman year of high school, I was able to go to Disney World with my fellow band mates (mostly my best friends!) and had an absolute blast.

So while working at the newspaper, I got to know some of the upperclassmen (they had to work too - I'm sure there was a certain requirement but then I think you could also go above and beyond to not have to pay any out of pocket).  One of the upperclassmen was a guy - C.  He was going to be a SENIOR.  Yeah, I thought I was hot stuff.

We got to know each other pretty well and by August that year (my freshman year, his senior) he asked me to be his girlfriend and gave me his class ring (which I think I wore more than he ever did!).  My parents weren't SUPER excited about it...he was 2 1/2 years older than me (I was an old one in my class and he was a young one) and he d.r.o.v.e.  A car.  Mmmhmmm.  It wasn't until I turned 15-years-old in November that they would let me ride with him...and then it wasn't to be outside of the town limits (which isn't very far).

We spent a lot of time together that year.  Because we were so involved with band - we spent the whole summer together (band camp you know...like six hours a day - preparing for State Fair competition) and then into the fall was football games and then pep band through the winter for basketball.  Then spring rolled around and it was time for him to graduate. 

I'm sure at the time I was devastated.  I loved him (as much as a 15-year-old can love someone) and didn't want him to go away.  I don't remember now when we broke up for sure...  I know we dated through is first semester at ISU and maybe even that whole year and maybe even after that.  I think I'd have to go find my old diary to remember for sure.

Anyways - he was a great guy and today when I saw him...I didn't say a word to him.  See, he married this girl (sometime in the spring of 1995, which I only remember because when I went to his sister's graduation open house he "wasn't allowed" to talk to me) and well, she doesn't like me.  Not sure why but she doesn't.  So today at the funeral home I gave hugs to his sister (who was like a sister to me!) and his parents (whom I still love to pieces and even told them so) and kinda walked right past him.  It pretty much sucked.  We spent the better part of two years...probably even closer to three together. 

So ninth grade was all about C.  He meant the world to me!

This is my eleventh post with Mommy's Piggy Tales recording my memories in just 15 weeks. If you're interested in doing the same for yourself, swing by her place to check it out!


Click here to read my post from last week, where my eighth grade memories are about nothing!  Okay, so maybe nothing but it certainly wasn't much in the memory department!

Marsh ad highlights - 8/19 to 8/25

Need some frozen stuff?  Check out Marsh's Frozen Food Sale!  Three days only...Thursday, Friday and Saturday you can get some great deals on frozen items like:

Marsh ice cream - $1.59
Food Club veggies - $.89
Tony's Original pizzas - $1.69 (use the in-ad coupon to get these for only $.99!) - read the details for more info!
Healthy Choice entrees - $1.79 (use the in-ad coupon to get these for only $.99!) - read the details for more info!
Ocean Eclipse seafood portions - $.89
Food Club garlic bread - $1.39
Hot or Lean Pockets - $1.69
Toaster Strudels - $1.49

Now - I'll admit I'm not sure if some of these prices are decent or not.  And there is a Limit 10 on each of the above items!
For the rest of the ad you can find things like:

Boneless English roast - $1.98/lb (save $2.51/lb)
5lb box Michigan Red Haven peaches - $3.99 (save $3.00)
Perdue whole chicken - $.87/lb (save $1.12/lb)
Libby's canned veggies - 2/$1
Nabisco Chips Ahoy! cookies - 2/$4
Bounty or Charmin - $5.99 (match with recent $.25 coupons from the August P&G insert for $5.49 final price)
Hershey's or Nesquik milk (look for Shamrock Farms too!) - 5/$5 (if you find the Shamrock Farms, match with recent $.50 coupons for FREE milk!)
Get a $10 Rebate Check by mail when you purchase any 10 Kelloggs, Keebler, Sunshine, Morningstar or Eggo products - see the ad for details.
Aunt Millie's bread or buns - $1.29
Aunt Millie's Slimwiches - $1.89 (yay!  LOVE these - match with recent $.55 coupons for $1.34 final price)
Orville Redenbacher popcorn - B1G1 FREE
Hostess Donettes - B1G1 FREE
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - $1.99
Creamette pasta - 10/$10

Did I miss anything good!?

I was looking for a blog topic tonight...

and so I asked LeeAnn about money (and saving it).  Here's what she had to say:

What is money?
I don't know.
How do Mommy and Daddy spend money?
By saving.
What is a coupon?
Well, a coupon is some stuff that we cut that we buy stuff that we show on the list that is on sale.
Where is Mommy's favorite store to shop?
Grocery store.
What do you do when you get money?
Save.
Do you ever spend your money?
To buy toys and candy.
What else should I know about money?
Money is great to save. 
Why?
Because so we can save them so we can buy groceries and cars and trucks and toys and games and movies and coloring books and back packs and markers and crayons and pencils and paper doll toys.  That was a lot I said!Anything else I should know?
Um.  If something, or your house gets on fire - you just buy a new one. 
Anything else?
I want you to think about some stuff.

Ahhhhh - the brain workings of a four-and-a-half-year old!  I'd like to think that Brian and I do a pretty good job of talking about money with LeeAnn, but maybe there are some things we need to change. 

She is right that a coupon is something we cut and then use to make a list...sometimes, in order to get her excited about shopping (although she normally does just fine), I will take pictures (from an ad or from the coupon) and tape them to a paper and then list how many we need of each (she's been working on learning her numbers) and then she is in charge of those items at the store.  It does take us a little bit longer (she thinks she has to get EXACTLY what is on the pictures) but she thoroughly enjoys being in charge of the shopping for those items!

And she does save her money - every penny she gets goes into her piggy bank.  We do take some out on occasion to hit up the store with (or the garage sales).  And she's right - she usually buys a toy (but rarely candy...not sure where that came from!).  And she is certainly right that money is great to save!  As you can see - she is also on a school supply kick (although she got no new school supplies this year - she's just going to preschool).

As for the buy a new house after a fire...  We were just discussing this evening that we need to go through her toy room and weed out what she doesn't use.  Last fall - there was a fire at the home of a young girl we do Girl Scouts with and so we went through LeeAnn's clothes to give them some.  So now - whenever we discuss giving to someone in need, she correlates that to giving to someone who has had a fire.  I don't know exactly where she came up with buying a new house though.

So - I think for being 4 1/2 it's a good thing she doesn't think money grows on trees.  And saving money is good!

And we can't forget about Marsh - a quick trip and regular weekly shopping!

Saturday after work I swung by Marsh to see what meat was on sale, but after Brian working until 5am (Friday night shift...ended Saturday morning) and getting next to no sleep, he decided fried chicken from the deli was just as good.  I got fried chicken, pasta salad and a chef salad from the deli and a gallon of milk for $14.48, saving $1.89 or 12%.  This is just another reason to make me really want to try out e-mealz!

Our regular weekly shopping on Sunday went pretty well.

6 Mentos gum was $9.54 for $2.94
3 Barilla pastas was $4.29 for $3.00
9 Kellogg's cereal (Frosted Mini Wheats and Frosted Flakes) was $35.37 for $13.41 (plus am getting a $10 mail in rebate for purchasing 10 Kellogg's items)
2 Kellogg's Eggo waffles was $5.10 for $2.55 (B1G1 FREE)
2 Frank's hot sauce was $2.50 for -$1.00 (yep, got paid $.50 for each bottle)

And of course we got things like canned tuna, canned tomatoes (Red Gold 10/$10), yogurt, lunch meat, frozen corn, mac 'n' cheese, black beans, jelly, Food Club jalapeno dressing, taco seasoning, fresh fruits and veggies and more milk too. 

Of course, after so many trips to Walmart and Marsh already (and having had extra money from the last two weeks) we were down to just $62 in the grocery envelope.  I was actually kinda sweatin' it when we were checking out.  Our total? 

$62.25

Yep, we had to dig a quarter out of Brian's pocket to finish out trip.

We saved:  $40.72 or 40% - not the best but honestly, better than I was expecting.

So I'm planning on setting back $15 from the next budget and getting a three-month subscription to e-mealz.  I'll let you know how it goes!