Hiatus!

My 30 day money saving challenge is still on but due to a sickly 3 1/2 month old Finding Pennies is on hiatus. When he starts sleeping again and I regain sanity we'll pick back up.

Day 11-12: A Family Affair

I have one of those families. You know the ones I'm talking about; the loud, in your life, tons of cousins, always together type of families. When my husband first started coming to family events when we still dating he described my family as the "Big Fat Greek Wedding" type of family. Ironically his was very much like the Millers and he is, in fact, a Miller.

This fact can sometimes be an overwhelming thing but having family around can help save money. Many coupons only give you the discount if you buy so many of a given item. My husband and I will probably not use three packages of toothpaste anytime soon, but we can go in on the deal with family and make it cheaper for everyone.

Eating together is another way to save. Making one dish and bringing it over to your parent's/aunt's/cousin's house is a lot easier than making the whole meal. There are certain dishes that I love to make that don't freeze well and feed way more than just the two of us. I get to make my dish and enjoy the company of others.

Even if you don't live near family you can still pitch in with friends on cheap and easy meals. You get to socialize without breaking the bank.

-Mommy Cori

Day 9-10: Splurge Only Dining/Items

Again, sorry for the lapse. I'm still getting over the flu. I did tell everyone it has been a rough week, right?

We've decided to designate some restaurants and even some favorite items at the grocery store as "Splurge Only". These are places we will go or things we will buy only on a very rare occasion or when we have a coupon to make it worth buying.

I found a coupon for Quizno's- buy one sub and get the second free. I love Quizno's but we usually only get it about once a month when such a coupon comes out. My friend Sarah does the same thing with Texas de Brazil. Her and her fiance go about 1-2 times a year when they get a birthday coupon for buy one get one free. You can be a good saver and still splurge on occasion. The trick is to make your splurges a little less guilty.

The same thing goes at the supermarket. Buy generic brand unless you have a coupon for the name brand that you may like a little better. You still may spend a tad more than you would have on the generic brand but you'll feel a lot less guilty about it!

-Mommy Cori

Day 8: Summing Up Week One Of The Challenge

I'm not going to lie to you and say that this has been the best week ever. I've actually had a really horrible week. We've had a lot of personal things happen that we didn't think would be in the cards when we started our challenge. I've had a death in the family, worked way too many hours while sick, and got diagnosed with H1N1 Flu. Not great. It has been hard...

But, surprisingly, this challenge was not the toughest part of this week. It was actually kind of fun. It has been almost like a game between my husband and I to see who could figure out ways to save money. My friends have gotten involved too. I've been getting pearls of wisdom from other ladies and moms who are also on a budget.

Better yet we are eating healthier and my poor neglected kitchen is getting the use it deserves. I have renewed my passion for cooking, baking, and inventing new recipes. Hopefully Konner will learn that mommies and daddies make food; that it doesn't magically appear out of a paper sack with a pig tailed girl, golden arches, or a big derby hat on the front.

I do imagine that it will get a little tougher in the weeks to come, but I hope that we are rewiring ourselves to be a frugal family. If the article I posted or my and my husband's personal challenge have inspired you to take a financial fast, please please please write me a comment, e-mail, or facebook message letting me know how it has been for you. I'd love to hear about it!

Pennies found this week: Coupon shopping, making my own all purpose cleaner, freezing bread, cooking at home, preparing and portioning myself, and avoiding eating out.

Thanks for all the encouragement and tips over the course of this week!

-Mommy Cori

Day 6-7: Make It Yourself

Sorry for the lapse yesterday. We had a death in the family and I was attending a funeral.

Something I've discovered this week is that making/preparing/portioning yourself is almost always cheaper. If you like pudding or Jell-o, buy the box mix and then portion it out yourself. The same goes for applesauce. I always keep applesauce in the house. Instead of buying the small self servings I am now keeping a large jar of the generic in my fridge.

Cheese is cheaper by the block than pre-shredded. One 2lb block of cheese can last my family a couple weeks. I just grate or cut what I need.

Snack cakes for kids' lunches can also be expensive. I've found a recipe for a really good homemade snack cake/cookie!

Ingredients:

1 package favorite cake mix (look for the ones on sale!)
1 container frosting that goes with desired cake mix (coupons?)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 375. Mix cake mix, eggs, and applesauce until well blended. Use a small cookie scoop to place 1inch balls of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Coat the bottom of a glass in flour or powdered sugar and use to press each ball down into a cookie shape. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Cookies will be a cake-like consistency and not doughy on the top when done. Frost with desired frosting for a Cake Cookie or frost the bottom of one cookie and place another on top of it for a homemade snack cake.

These cookies/snack cakes are awesome! I've made them with the white cake/frosting and with red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting.

Another tip: Keep yourself well! I got the flu and had to buy TamaFlu for my family. Getting sick definitely does not save pennies.

-Mommy Cori

Day 5: Taking Advantage of Free Stuff

You don't always have to work to find ways to save pennies; sometimes you just stumble upon them!

Take advantage of free opportunities. My work is switching from making our own waffles to using frozen waffles. I think it stinks for the customers but it is good for me! I got two free bags of waffle/pancake mix. I am going to make a bunch of waffles on my day off and freeze them for future mornings. (Thanks for the idea Melissa!)

Not everyone will stumble on a waffle/pancake prize but there are hidden opportunities to snag free stuff sometimes.

Day 4: A Wise Investment

Today we continued with our good cooking habits; using things we already had in the pantry and fridge. I've noticed that I am a lot better about keeping a clean kitchen now that I'm using it more often! I also saw an article today about how Target will accept one manufacturer's coupon and one Target coupon on the same item.

I let go of a few pennies today but I think it was a wise investment. We tithed at church. I know it may sound simple but I really do believe that trusting God with your finances is one of the best investments you can make. Hopefully He will see that we are using what we have to serve him and bless that investment.

I also spent a little money on my birth control prescription today. (Sorry guys that read this!) But hey, $30 a month is A LOT cheaper than another baby. I love my little Konner but I don't want to add the clan just yet. I guess that counts as a wise investment too.

-Mommy Cori

Day 3: Working With What You Have

I am so proud of my husband today! I knew that he supported our new lifestyle choices but I didn't expect him to embrace it like he did last night. Andy is very fond of iced sweet tea and a certain brand of iced green tea. I don't buy it very often (and I'm certainly not going to during our financial fast) because it is expensive. He can go through a $2-3 gallon in a couple days.

I walked into our kitchen last night and found him scrounging through our many boxes of herbal tea. He took the initiative to find a box of green citrus tea and make his own pitcher of iced green tea. I hadn't even thought about that!

We decided to extend Andy's wisdom of working with things we already had to our lunch. I have a bad habit of buying bread that ends up going moldy before the last of it is used. So for lunch today I told my husband that he could pick what I would make but it had to include the bread. We decided to go with grilled cheese and tomato soup. I used one of the many cans of soup that has been sitting my cabinet for a while. My hubby bagged up the extra sandwich and put the soup in a container. He is going to take it for lunch tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure next time I buy bread, I'm going to put aside half of it and freeze it. That way it'll stay fresh until we have a chance to use it. Then again, with us cooking at home and taking our lunches to work, we may get to our bread a lot faster now.

Tip of the Day: I don't know if it is cheaper, but I always keep a jar of applesauce in my fridge. I use it as a substitute for oil in my baking. It cooks the same and is a lot healthier. Plus I love having a little bowl of applesauce with my lunch.

-Mommy Cori

Day 2: Trying to Start Smart

Today I decided to tackle my first trip to the grocery store as a reformed mommy. I started by eating lunch before shopping to minimize impulse buying. I also went to my mom's and clipped some coupons from her newspaper. (We don't have a subscription.) I tried to shop smart. I bought staples and things we use often. In all I spent about $75. Part of that was a $15 can of baby formula and about $15 worth of ingredients for a massive batch of chili.

After my shopping trip I got started on my huge pot of chili. We ate chili tonight with my in-laws and should have enough for Frito pie tomorrow with my parents. I also froze a few more servings big enough for my husband and I. We plan to use it as a base for other dishes in the future; chili puffs, cornbread pie, hot dog or burger topping, and maybe even to put on top of enchiladas.

Melissa, a stay at home mommy of two, gave me the link to a site all about homemade green cleaners. I used the formula in it to make my own non toxic all purpose cleaner. One large jug of vinegar and two boxes of baking soda cost me $3.52 and will probably make at least 15 batches of cleaner. It actually works really well too! It cut through the chili splatter on the stove!

I also found a potential way to make a few extra pennies today. Last week I made up a new recipe for "taco puffs" and brought some to work for my lunch. I let one of coworkers try one and she seemed to really like it. Today she asked me if she could pay me to make a bunch for her and freeze them. I may actually get a little business making cakes and "bake and serve" dinners on the side. I'm hoping that doing this along with my Avon business will help keep us going when I make the leap to staying at home.

I'd almost decided to constrain myself from spending any of my Avon profits on product for myself but I found out today that a few well chosen items can actually help sales. I bought a set of earrings from my demo book last week that appear in my current catalog. I've been wearing them around and have had several compliments on them. I've been able to point out in my books exactly where they can buy them.

I think I found my pennies for today and I had fun doing it!

-Mommy Cori

The Challenge

Today we got the call. Another prospective job that my husband applied for went to someone else. We are second place again.

No, he isn't jobless. He actually works two jobs but neither is that great and they certainly aren't the type of jobs that make us glad we went into debt going to college. I also have a job; and that is my problem. I have a three and half month old little boy and I long for, more than anything, to be able to stay home with him.

After getting our news I quickly flung myself into "poor me" mode and decided that the world must be conspiring against us. I want desperately to quit my job before Christmas. I know that my current job will require hours over the holidays and I did not have a child so that I could miss out on the important parts of his life. While posting to friends on FaceBook about my current state I surfed over to MSN.com and found this article about taking on a 30 day challenge of not spending.

A light bulb finally came on in a brilliant flash.

If I want to stay at home, I'm the only one holding me back. My husband getting a better job would help but ultimately my ability to manage my home and money would make a bigger impact. I also strongly believe that my God and Savior does provide for us and that he gives us the desires of our heart if they are pure and serve Him. The problem is that he sometimes gives us every tool we need but we don't take hold of it.

I have friends that literally have to count every penny. I complain about having to work instead of staying home with my son but how often do I order take-out because I'm too lazy to cook? How many times a month do I go buy a $5 cup of coffee when I could make it for pennies at home? If I want to stay home, I have to make it happen.

I, friends, am taking on the challenge and I hope to chronicle my progress in this blog. My only hope is that making myself blog daily about my efforts will keep me accountable to this. If it helps anyone else make the leap in the progress that is an added benefit.

My Pennies Found Today: I just started today by talking it over with my husband. We decided to make it a family effort. Our first big leap of faith was to cancel our Direct TV. We have internet, movies, and a Wii; do we really need it? Plus we have a three month old, dishes that always need to be done, and a pile of laundry that never seems to go away. If we can't find ways to keep busy, shame on us.

-Mommy Cori