A Way to Save (Recycle)

This last month our city just began recycling. At first I seemed a little frustrated trying to figure out what goes in what bin, now I am realizing I do not have to buy trashbags for anything that is recycled. My trashcan this week only had one bag in it. Typically it is full!!! So had I known that recycling saves not only the resources on our planet and now our pocketbook, I might have gotten on board a little sooner. Going green is important, I was just lazy in taking all these products to a local recycling center. Maybe this is a way you can save too. Also I know certain locations pay you to take pop cans, etc. So check around your local area and see how much money you can SAVE!

My next adventure is going to be checking out a compound bin for all our food. I have also heard this is great. I will let you know what I find out this spring, when I do more research for our garden. Stay tuned for how to save by planting your own garden!

Do you love going out to eat?

So many Americans love going out to eat. I have heard by lots of viewers that they are not willing to sacrifice going out to eat. Many due to exhaustion of working a full days work. Here are some tips on keeping your out to eat expenses down.
1. Look at your local restaurants and see what day they offer for the kids to eat free. Make a list you can keep in your purse for those exhausted days.
2. Keep the local flyer's on coupons on restaurants. Many times there are good deals for the family. Keep a little folder and put it in the car you frequently use.
3. If your not tired of fast food restaurants, like McDonald's, etc. Use the dollar menu! A family of 4 can eat for about $8.
4. Drink water when out to eat... This is the most expensive item on most restaurant menus. On average it only cost the restaurant 28 cents for the cup and 3 cents for the soda. So when you pay $1.99 for a drink. Your giving them a huge profit. A drink at a restaurant cost more than a 2 liter at Wal-mart.
5. Use www.restaurants.com to get a gift card cheaper for a restaurant
6. Keep a cash system on how much you are going to spend in a week or month on restaurants. When your out of money, thats its... Don't spend anymore!
7. If you love to eat really expensive ask for a gift cards to that restaurant for Christmas or birthdays. This will help off set the cost to you.
8. Get on the restaurants email list. Many times they send coupons over email (Zios is very good at this)
9. Plan ahead if you know you go out to eat on Sundays because of church and the time crunch. Make a crock pot meal Saturday that you can just plug in before you leave for church. Learn your schedule!
10. Look for free items! For veterans day Applebees, Golden Corral, Hy-vee offer free meals. Also for firefighters on firefighters day Baskin Robbins offer free ice cream to all.
11. See if the company you work for offers deals for using corporate savings. For example Sprint has a website all employees can use for deals. Are bank also does this.
12. Eat lunch instead of supper. Huge savings! Some times the same meal is $2 more for supper than at lunch.
13. Share meals with your spouse. Get an appetizer and one meal. This is usually filling enough to get you home!
14. Keep a goodie bag in your car if you travel a lot or have sports events... This will allow you to make it home to make a meal if you prefer to eat at home.
15. If your not to hungry, and have kids with you at a nice restaurant order a kids meal. This is usually cheaper. Check the prices though!

Childrens Orchard Deal December 5th

On December 5th Childrens Orchard is having a great deal on kids clothing! $5 for just one bag.... Fill it how you like... My husband and I love when stores do this... It allows for you to stock up on many items for a great price... Expect lines and crazyness, but have fun!!!

Louisburg Cider Mill

What a great field trip for the kids during the Fall. Enjoy the aromas of freshly made apple cider. This is one of my favorite spots to take my kids.

October 2009 Ciderferst & Craft Fair
September 26th & 27th and October 3rd & 4th
Huge Pumpkin Patch - Corn Maze - Craft Fair
Fresh Cider Making - Cider Donuts - Live Music
Food - Picnic Area - Kids Activity Area
Hay Castle- Hayrides

http://www.louisburgcidermill.com/events_calendar/october/

Aquafest Olathe

Sept. 19th @ Cedar Lake Park This event is free!!! 11A.M. to 2p.m.

More info:http://www.olatheks.org/parksrec/programs/trails/thingstodo/aquafest

Spinach festival Lenexa $1.00

The fee is 1.00 however they have events for the whole family.

Saturday, September 12, 2009Time 9 am - 5 pmSar-Ko-Par-Trails ParkFee $1.00, under 13 free

Reasons to clean

Cleaning for one is very therapeutic! It can help you feel better. I know when I am having a bad day if I look at my kitchen or bathroom and its messy. I feel completely awful! However if I go in an tactile the task of cleaning it, I feel wonderful!!!

While cleaning you can organize you fridge... This is a great way to save money. Have a shelf designed just for left overs, this way when someone is hungry they know where to look. I know while cleaning out your fridge you realize "wow I forgot about this leftover and have to throw it away." On average in an American household we throw away $70 worth of leftovers a month! Take $70 multiply by 12 months you get that's right $840 a year, you have just thrown down the sink (literally).

Another way cleaning is therapeutic. You find things that you no longer, need, use or want. SELL, SELL, SELL! Garage sales to 2nd hand stores, to craigslist, there are many ways to sell your items! Have a corner in your garage or storage room just for this... As you find items throughout the week, put them their and sell even just once a month... You will be surprised what you can make at even a garage sale. I had one a few months ago and made over $800. Hey, that's an extra payment on something!

Get creative, organize your toy room or kids bedrooms, you will find tons of toys they no longer need. Sell that unused treadmill that you haven't used in years. No the dog in your house doesn't use it when your gone... Cleaning allows for great times to reflect on your life. It can help you appreciate the things you have... It shows God you appreciate them as well. These are ultimately his things, and what and how you treat them is ultimately up to you. Do you not want to honor the blessings God has given you?

You will also find extra space that you need for something else that is out of place. Get rid of the 2nd coffee pot that your neighbor gave you. Really is that a sentimental item! Organize pictures, you wouldn't believe just by going through them and putting them in albums saves space! Instead of buying the next house up the road who has another bedroom for your storage, save money and clean out the rooms you have.

How do people decide when and how many children are enough?

This is a struggle my husband and I are going through. We have 2 perfectly wonderful great children. After have the foster kids in our home, we are not even sure if we want more children due to so many reasons. Here are some that we have come up with:

• Added Stress
• More mouths to feed
• The expense alone is much more
• Jealousy of time between children
• Harder to get places or do anything
• More householdchores
• Pretty much more of everything
• Sibling Fighting
• Less time with each child

We have always desired a large family, but yet we have found one struggle after another. From having a hard time getting pregant, to the miscarriage, to the pre-term labor. Now we have a really hard case which was supposed to be an adoption case. However is a reintergration case. Wow, after writing all of this, no wonder my heart aches. I had always dreamed of being a large christian family full of love and compassion. Maybe I wasn't supposed to feel this way. Maybe this my own desire and not God's. How do I know? I know that I hate living month to month wondering am I pregant. I hate the hoping and then finding out no, again!!! So maybe its time for a new chapter in my life. Almost everyone around us is saying you have 2 beautiful children one boy and one girl what else could you want. Well maybe I should feel this way. The hard part is I am starting to fall in line with this thinking. My husband is so burnt out from this case he has pretty much given up on all his dreams in regards to having more children. Thats what saddens my heart the most. Hearing him, after all he was the one that kept saying he wanted like 10 kids. Now he is saying enough is enough.

The thing that looks the most appealing to stopping would be we would never have to move. We probably will not outgrow this home. We could get rid of all the baby things I have been holding on to. We possibly could afford college for the two of them. Get debt free a whole lot sooner. Its hard because almost all of this is materialist. I know materials do not bring happiness. But the stress of being wall to wall furniture and living on top of each other. And all the FIGHTING drives me crazy. So where do we go from here. I do not know. I feel like I am sitting on a fence waiting for the wind to push me one direction. I do not want to make a rash decision, yet I do not want to forget this crazyness and end up in the same position again. I really don't know if I could manage having a large family. Maybe that is why all of this is happening. Maybe I would go crazy or something.... Who knows.... I just wish I knew where to go from here.

Well we got the news this is the last week.

We have heard officially that kiddos will be moving this next week sometime. Which is sorta difficult yet I am excited to see what is next for my family... I know homeschooling will be starting soon! I am anxiously excited. I am a little nervous since this is my first year and she has attended public school for kindergarten and first grade. So I am jumping in.... Wow that is scary. I have signed her up for a few extra curricular activities. Now I have to figure out a schedule that works for the whole family. I wonder how mom's get it all done. House cleaning, and teaching, cooking etc. I would love to hear about schedules that work for you. Do fathers help out with this stuff or is all up to the moms? These are the questions I have...

Do you need a promotional code listing?

Promotionalcodes.com is a great place to find promotional codes on almost all stores... At least the most frequent ones. There are free shipping codes to discount codes on this website. Find the store of your choice and check it out the code and use the savings for your pocket!!!!

Traveling to citys

I found this awesome website called. Citypass.com This website allows you to get cheaper deals on certain citys... The cities included on these deals are: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hollywood, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Fransico, Seattle, Toronto. It also includes southern California. On the left side of are the lists of citys... Click on them and check out the deals...

Garage Sales for Winter Clothing

Do you need winter clothing for your little ones? If so start checking out garage sales. Garage sales are a great way to cloth your children especially young children this way. Sometimes you can even find new clothing that has never been worn for a reasonable price. There are also group garages sales. For an example, www.herewegrowagain.biz is a large garage sale that happens a couple of times a year. Their prices are not retail and not garage sale. They are right in the middle. However as the sale goes on prices get cheaper. This is what I wait for. I believe if I am not mistaken on Saturday all prices go 50%. So check it out later and see if you can even find some play clothing for your kiddos.

Do you know where every dollar goes?

If you do awesome Job!!! Make sure to follow the good ole' budget. Yes I said budget. I know most people hate this word, but it works. Sit down figure out what you want to spend on each item, and what you are spending. Do not cut it all at once! That is a disaster waiting to happen, you will certainly fail. That can make all parties feel frustrated! Label items from clothing, to food, restaurants, etc. I personally pull out everything I can in cash. This keeps me from spending money I do not have! I am tired of giving Visa, Master Card my hard earned money arent you? Whether you right it out on paper or for the nerd, use an excel spreadsheet.. (That is what I call my husband, so please don't be offended) There are also things like quicken to help you keep a closer track on your money. Find what works for you! Debit cards can be a bad thing when you do not realize how much money you are spending! Pay attention, right it out... You can make financial goals of where you want to be in the future this may help you stay on track. Happy Tracking Your Money!

Great ways to save money and still get Holiday decor

After any holiday you will find almost everything on sale if not 75% off or so. I do this with all my christmas items especially. Christmas is my favorite so a few days after the rush is over I head to my local wal-mart and target and shop the clearance. I got all my goodie bags for next year for $1. These will hold up 100 people's worth of food items. I love baking goodies so what a great way to save yet allow people to enjoy. Halloween is another great way to get cute costumes. Even if you do not celebrate you can still get dress up clothing for your children much cheaper after the holiday... Being patient is the hard part I know I do it alot.... Another great way to save in the holiday season is celebrate christmas with your family after christmas. Get great deals after Christmas. What a great way to get more things for your family with out missing the holiday. Get creative if you see something on sale that you know your child will still want a few months from now purchase it and put it in a special spot so you will not forget... ;)

Gift Certificates

Another great way to save is on plasticjungle.com. This website allows for you to buy, sell or trade gift certficates. So if you need to make money and have a left over gift certficate you no longer will be using, this is a great way to get rid of it. Most gift certificates can be purchased a lower price than what it is worth. Check it out and let me know what you think about this. I just found out about this website so if you have used this please make a comment and tell us about your story... Thanks