I want a new car really bad!

This is my current Tahoe...2001....had it since it was new. Great, great car! I am comfortable in this car...it always starts. Its the only car the kids have ever known. But, the bumper is crunched due to a small collision with a tree when I was backing up one day..no big deal, right? My kids now call me the 'Five-Mile menace' because ALL of my collisions are when I am going slow...hey, I have a lot on my mind! And..that's only three MINOR fender benders..

So, anyway, this tahoe has seen it all..throw-up, dirty diapers, car seats (and the stuff that grew under  the car seats :-)..plastic moldings broken..scuffed paint..dirty seats. You know how these cars get abused with kids. It's yucky.

However, new cars cost outrageous amounts right now. I test drove this Acadia..very sweet car! Love the dual sunroofs, third-row seats, back-up camera, and mpg. However, to get one of these awesome vehicles..even a used one..is like $30,000. Whaaaaaaat??? And to make matters worse, I have actually been comtemplating it..and financing as well! I know, Dave Ramsey is screaming in my head right now.

I am working furiously to sell stuff on Ebay and raise the money before I buy..so hard!! I need inspiration! I am not even close to being able to buy..Tahoe isn't worth much..only about $3800 on a good day. So, I don't think I am getting the Acadia...still working on that one.

So..I'm back to couponing..haven't done much of it in a while. I got sick of buying nothing but processed foods for my family. I am going to work very hard to only buy stuff we will actually use that is GOOD for us!

Fingers crossed...

OKAY..SO ITS BEEN AWHILE..BUT CHECK OUT THE PROGRESS!!

Hi guys..I know its been a long time since I blogged about the mortgage, but we have never left the fight..not even when I wanted to. Tom is truly single-minded about getting this thing paid off...much to my chagrin sometimes... :-)

So here's the recap of life since we last met.

Mortgage Balance (as of March 2010) $220,269
Mortgage Balance (as of June 15, 2011) $165,000 - WOWSA!!

That is just about every spare dime going into this debt, mind you. We aren't suffering, we could be doing better. This is with a bonus check and more than a year of budgeting to see this change.

The biggest change has been using the a heloc to pay on the principal payments. It's a complicated plan, but we are saving interest by using equity in the house to make huge principal payments, then Tom's paycheck is sent to the heloc to keep its interest down. Its a very time consuming and intense plan, but its working.

WOO HOO..workin it out!

ERIN GO BRAGH!

February was a huge month for us! Sold a bunch of stuff on Ebay and worked hard on saving! Check out the new mortgage balance...$220,265! After next month, we will be hitting the fences as we will be entering the part of the payment cycle where the principal portion of the payment is larger than the interest portion. Woo Hoo! So this is the cruise ship we will be taking a vacation on VERY SOON!

It's Humpday..No Groceries Needed... :-)

Pantry stocked...check. Freezer stocked....check. Refrigerator stocked...for the most part.

Well..this has never happened in our entire 15 years together..I don't have to spend any money at the grocery this week. Of course, if we run out of milk or need some produce, I will go get what I need, but there won't be more than $20 spent at any store or restaurant for my family this week!

It's really awesome because I have finally figured out a few things that are helping me to see that we actually do have food when it might appear that 'there's nothing to eat'...I have much more to learn in the family planning and budgeting world, but I think this is a good start.

In fact, I know we need more milk as we have about 1/3 of a gallon left, but I think we can make due until Saturday..or least we are going to try!

Awesome Budgeting Links..

In our budget, the area where we have wiggle room is groceries and misc. If I can save money buying food and household items, then that is more we can send to the mortgage. I have gotten back into couponing full time, and I have collected quite a few helpful bookmarked sites that help me when I need to shop.

This is the full list of sites I regularly check each time I go grocery shopping for the latest deals, coupons and savings tips:


http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ --- awesome forum and the best coupon database to look up where to find a certain coupon.

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ --- membership site that lists the deals at my local stores. Free 1 month membership to try it out.

http://www.couponmom.com/ --- great site that has all the good stuff, but it's free. I like it to check on the few Walmart deals available. The layout can be hard to follow which is why I pay the small amount for TGG, but this site is very helpful.

http://www.faithfulprovisions.com/ --- great blog by Kelly about deals she finds on the web and in our local stores. She mentions new coupons, freebies, and awesome bargains she finds.

That's it..I go through all the lists and forums, get my coupons together and head out! Couponing and deal scouting is very easy to do and it saves me at least 30% without even trying.

Kroger Craziness..Must..Get..10 Items!!!

I spent all day long after dropping kids at school going through my lists of Kroger deals and matching coupons with the extensive deals going on right now. The marketing geniuses at the Kroger Co. know we cannot resist the 'Buy 10, Get $5.00 Off' sale. It effectively takes an extra $.50 off the total of an item already on sale, and you don't have to get 10 of the same item to get the deal..you can mix and match.

So, for instance, today, I got Rotel tomatoes for free, Kraft salad dressing for $1.69 (which I had an add'l coupon for, so it was actually $1.19 for two), and Green Giant Steams for $.59 each. The list of items on sale is staggering, and using coupons along with this sale is what creates the great deals I just mentioned.

In order to find the great deals, I use Kelly's site at Faithful Provisions that I have mentioned before. I think I am going to add her button to this blog because she is so darn helpful actually. But, I get the best help from The Grocery Game which is so organized with columns and rows where the final prices are displayed AND I can print off only the deals I need. I love it...it has paid for itself every single month I have used it. It's free to try it for a month..then after that it's like $20-30 for four stores lists.

I like to use both sites because The Grocery Game is great for grocery deals while Faithful Provisions is awesome all week long for deals with the email updates. There is a ton of information to be found on each site. I am compiling a list right now of my favorite blogs, websites and email lists that share coupons and deal discussion. If you decide you would like to try TGG, please tell I sent you...not sure if it makes a difference, but worth a shot.

Motivation & Suga

My lovely and talented younger sister, Jeanne, just sent me her original poem called "You Gotta Move" which I will publish if she gives the okay later, but it got me thinking.

You see she also reminded me of my grandmothers..both of whom were incredibly hard-working and industrious women who loved their families and taking care of everything in the most efficient manner possible.

My mom's mom was Vance Walker Noel Anderson originally from Huntsville. She was a tiny little thing with a great smile and the BEST COOK! When she died, I think it was rather like karma that I inherited her great cookbook even though it would be years before I actually took an interest in cooking! She made her own mayonaise, salad dressings, marinades, and much more. Maybe I might post one or two sometime. Yummy!

Walmart TOY Clearance Now!

I was in Walmart yesterday, and the lady was marking down the toys for a large clearance. I don't know how much the markdown was as the kids and I were in a hurry. But its a whole row of clearance deals. This is the time when I stock up for selling on Ebay, Amazon and also buy ahead for birthdays coming up.

The past 4 years, I have been able to sell toys for 6 weeks up to Christmas and in smaller amount throughout the year. Unlike clothes or any other category, toys have been the most dependable group to sell for me.

Sign Up for the Eat Better America Coupon Booklet and Receive $10 in Coupon Savings

Sign Up for the Eat Better America Coupon Booklet and Receive $10 in Coupon Savings
Signed up for this yesterday...hope the coupons are better than last years. :-)

No More Harris Teeter Fudge Pie!!

saved $7.99 on one desert!

I am so pumped! I have had an obsession with Fudge Pie forever, and I had always bought them (when I could find one) at the grocery store for some outrageous price - $9.99 or more! Those days are gone!

We finally found a good Fudge Pie recipe that isn't too much like a cream pie and isn't too much like actual fudge...this is the bomb. Try it and you will see! The best part is that it only cost $2.00 to make it when I got the pie crusts on sale last month!

1 stick butter
3 tsp cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry one at a time stirring each really well. Only add eggs after they have been beaten beforehand. Pour into prepared crust (I like Pillsbury). Bake at 325* for 35 minutes.