True Beauty

I just had to take a picture of the rainbow that I saw this morning!

SO BEAUTIFUL!! The picture doesn't do it justice. It was amazing.

Mail-in form for the $25 Superstore Gift Card

I asked at Customer Service at Superstore today if they had any of the forms that it talks about in the flyer to mail in for your $25 gift card. They were clueless. But I just found one that someone posted online!! Here's the link:
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/748/quaker.jpg

How to get a $25 gift card (or two).

I'm going through all the flyers that I got today and I'm trying to plan my grocery shopping for tomorrow. I found a great deal in the Superstore flyer! When you buy 4 Quaker products and a Tropicana juice, you can mail in for a $25 President's Choice gift card! That's really cool because they also have Quaker instant oatmeal on for $1.98 limit of 4. So I'll buy those and a Tropicana juice and then send in for a $25 gift card! So excited! My goal is to spend only $600 on groceries and household supplies this month. I'm also doing the "Spend $250 get a $25 gift card" thing. It's going to be a big shopping trip tomorrow!

Pajamas for $2.07 !!

Camryn really needed some new pajama bottoms so I was looking through the racks at Superstore and found these bottoms. They're nice and thick and fuzzy. They're part of a set, but the top was missing so they were marked down at 50% off. When I took them through the till they rang up at another EXTRA 50% off! My total bill was $2.07! I was pleased, but I think the teller was even more excited for me than I was!! I love Tasha from the Superstore! She's my favorite teller ever! She makes getting a good deal twice as fun!

"Splurging" for Others

I found this testimonial below and it really inspired me! I want to be able to help other people whenever they might need it. I wish I had a load of money to send over to Japan right now!! (I gave a homeless guy at the bottle depot my loose change today, I guess that's a start!) Here's the post:

"Even though we’ve only had one income for our family of seven, and that one income has always come from the notoriously underpaid field of education, we’ve never had any debt except for our mortgage which we vowed to pay off in less than five years (which we did). Our vehicles, home renovations, computers and all other purchases have always been paid for with cash.

A few years ago we heard about an orphanage in Burundi that was in distress. Its 20 young occupants shared two 10 x 10-foot rooms and had no running water or electricity. A piece of property had been located that had roomier buildings, water, power and a little land (i.e. for gardening, or some animals to help feed the orphans). Burundian refugees in America who were supporting the orphanage had no idea how to raise the exorbitant (to them) sum of $15,000 to pay for this in full, as apparently there were no mortgages in this primitive country.

Hearing about it through an emailed prayer request, my husband investigated the need, prayed and fasted, and ended up writing a check for the whole amount of $15,000! He was able to visit the property a year later with our daughter. What a heart-stopping, choked-up moment that was for them!

God’s ways are awesome and we’re so blessed to be a part of His will. My tightness paid off in that we were able to splurge for others far away when it was really needed!"

-An anonymous reader

Reader Testimonial: Frugality Allowed Us to “Splurge” For Others is a post from: Money Saving Mom

SIMPLE is not the same as EASY!

Keeping my house clean is SIMPLE. All I have to do is clean it more than I mess it. But it's not EASY! (Anyone want to wash my cookie sheets and pots?!)
Staying a healthy weight is SIMPLE. All you have to do is eat right and exercise. But it's not EASY! (I just ate a sugar cookie with extra icing on top!!)
Living within my husband's income is SIMPLE, too. All we have to do is spend less than he earns each month. SIMPLE is not the same as EASY!!
Here's what I've done today to save money and live well:
I didn't go to any stores. I didn't spend any money today.
We had Sweet Chicken from my freezer for dinner.
I said "No" to getting a treat from the bakery.
We have yummy pie and muffins that I baked yesterday.
We played at the park and rode bikes after school.
All free and all part of living well.
My goal is that within 2 years from now, we will be able to live on only my husband's paycheck each month.
I'm open to any ideas and suggestions on how to reach this SIMPLE goal!!

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

To help me reach my goal of supporting our family on only my husband's income, here's what I've done today:
Made two loaves of homemade bread.
Dried two loads of laundry together to save on electricity.
Turned the furnace down one degree.
Practiced my Body Combat routine. (When I pass the training, my gym membership and tanning are all free!)
Walked to the school to pick up Joey from preschool. (A little savings on gas.)
And I'll be going to the library this evening to check out some movies instead of renting them.
Every little penny counts, right?