Resolution-Tuesday June 23

Spending: $0

With this nearly 100 degree heat, today was the day to stay in and not go anywhere.

Energy Saving: I didn't use any gas I stayed home. My errands will be done another day and I will combine them with a trip out to round with Doc. The air conditioner was on set at green 78 degrees. Late afternoon we had my friend Vickie and the kids over for an evening "cool off" swim and wear out the kids before bed. No need for a pool heater the pool was a warm 86 degrees from all the heat. The towels were hung out on the clothes line to be reused next time instead of washing them right away. A breeze had come up after our swim and we shut the AC off.

Family Time: Swimming with the girls and while Doc and Becca did Drivers Ed homework, Detamara and I learned to play SkipBo. No TV tonight :) We had a great time and will be starting playing a game each evening for an hour before bed.

Resolution--Monday June 22 Accountability

Monday June 22 Spending: $8.50 for produce bought on the Square. 2--$1 heads of cauliflower, 6--Zucchini $.75 each, 2 Cabbage $1 each and 6 mini cucumbers $.35 each.

The garden produce is now available and I can't wait until next Friday and I will head to the Amish Produce Auctions and buy it myself. Many of the vendors at the Farmers Markets around here buy and resell it from the Amish. Once the freezer is fixed the girls and I will be freezing veggies to replace our stock.

Resolution-Sunday June 21 Accountability

Today's Spending: $5.25 for 2 Sunday Newspapers and $19.89 Coupon Clippers (four weeks of ones I wanted).
Total Spending $25.14



Instead of buying four newspapers like I normally do, ($13.00+) I bought 2 ($5.25) and am ordering the coupons I need every three or four weeks through The Coupon Clippers. Savings per month by using the coupon clipping service. $12.00 Coupon/Newspaper Budget: $42 a month. $5.25 a week newspapers, $20.00 a month coupon clipping service.

I ordered coupons twice before and I like the service. With having my own "mini superstore" stocked with double coupons and don't need as many. This way I get the coupons on what I normally use. I am also saving trees by buying unread newspapers.
We always buy the Chicago Tribune and I also read the Milwaukee Journal for Wisconsin news.

I ordered from coupon clippers a bunch of differing coupons including 10- $1.00 off Kraft Dressing Coupons, 12 Dawn Essentials $1.50 coupons and Becca's current daily obsession the Premade Minute Rice 2-pack packages $1.00/2 the coupons are good until Sept. (we go through a pack a day for her snacks). I ordered 50...yes 50. I know that I could make it myself for much less, but she likes to be independent, and as Doc says it limits how much she is making at a sitting and waste. After coupon they are around $1 each. Becca with her autism is obsessive and with her Noonan syndrome causes her to eat the same things over and over again. I am stocking up on the coupons as I will buy it anyway.

Resolution--Return to my roots

For the past few years, with the new found wealth of being a Doctor and Doctors Family we spent money we didn't need to. We have all the electronic gadgets--some of them my sanity to manage several teens with extraordinary gifts and challenges to keep my sanity, but others we really didn't need. I could spend money on whatever I wanted and still found the best deals. Did we really need all of the things we acquired?

Our times that really matter is the time spent with our kids and the simplier the better. I have returned to my coupon clipping deal making habits that kept us fed through the times we didn't know where our next paycheck was coming from. Only God knew how we were going to eat the next day or if tiny Becca was going to survive. We found that all we have can be taken from us in a moments notice that is life. What is trually important in life is awakened by trials that enlighten us how little all of our worldly goods really matter.

With the fall of our economy, many of us are looking into ourselves, our budgets and finding that all the stuff we have accumulated has cost us alot of money, takes money to manage, and clutters our lives. The stuff we have bought since our frugal days means less money in the bank. I have not used credit cards, we have student loan debt, our house, the loss on our house in Michigan to pay for.

I am returning to my roots. I wasn't just frugal, I was thrifty, and if we didn't need it we didn't buy it. I am going back to my notebook where I have to justify every expenditure. We will be writing down EVERY PENNY we spend. Everything else will be saved or put into paying off our debt. We do have one big expense our trip to California for Marissa's wedding and we will be driving to save money everything associated with that trip.

My goal to pay off all our debts, house, etc. within the next 8 years. We came up with a plan and
I will be posting my challenge each day on cost cutting and saving on my blog. It will be my
Monitor on holding myself accountable.