http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/ Coupons, coupon forum, printable grocery coupons, grocery store coupon matchups, printable coupons, coupon trading, coupon database, coupon trading, deals en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:52:19 GMT vBulletin 720 http://static.hotcouponworld.com/forums/images_hcw/misc/rss.jpg http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/ http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2597-road-trip.html Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:55:14 GMT I am approaching today with guarded optimism. My youngest son is a senior in high school. Today we are headed to Alabama to check out a school that... I am approaching today with guarded optimism. My youngest son is a senior in high school. Today we are headed to Alabama to check out a school that has offered him a full scholarship. I know that i's a fantastic opportunity for him to go to college for free, but, it's 8 hours from our home. This is the child who would not stay overnight at summer camp even though his older siblings were there with him. He is a homebody. He is beginning to get excited about the possiblities of college. We honestly just didn't expect him to not live at home. There are several decent schools that are within driving range or at least within weekend visits home. I'm not really sure where this visit will leave us.

However, there is one thing that could be good or bad. My son and I will be in a car together for 8 hours both ways. He and I don't always see eye to eye. He is headstrong. (I have no idea where he gets that from) He is very techy, I am to say the least not. He is "into" Guitar Hero and Gaia online and World of Warcraft and The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. I am not. He is 16, enough said there. But, he is witty and intelligent and knowledgable about many, many things. He loves art and music. He loves reading and learning. I think it's going to be a very, very interesting trip.

So, for now, I am off. We will learn a lot in the next couple of days. There is nothing like a road trip. ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2597-road-trip.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2576-sunday-mornings.html Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:47:17 GMT There is just something relaxing about Sunday mornings. It's quiet. I'm usually up before the sun. It's peaceful. No kids yet, the dogs are usually sleeping. (I can hear the gentle snoring of my pug who is curled up on the back of the sofa)

I get up in the morning. I slip on my tennis shoes (they look fantastic with my fluffy light blue robe) and trek out to locate where the paperboy might have hidden my paper for the day. I only have so many trees and bushes he can hide it under, but he does make it a challenge. Days such as today, while my dogs run to the door and stand there watching me, and I was making my way through the snow, I enjoy the game a little less than on warm sunny mornings. But, there it is, hiding under the pine tree! I get my paper, stomp the snow off of my feet and head inside.

Before I sit down to check out the sales and coupons (the only real reason I have for getting the paper) I stick something scrumptious in the crock pot for the afternoon's dinner. Today it's a pork roast. Yummy. I can't wait until it starts filling the house with it's wonderful aroma. Then I fix a glass of ice cold diet coke (my substitute for coffee) and sit down at my computer and pull out all the ads and coupons. I've read what is supposed to be in the ads and what coupons are supposed to be in the paper (although my paper seems to miss some of the good coupons for some reason) but until I hold them in my hand and can touch and feel them and devour them, I can't wrap my head around the sales.

The websites I visit do a great job of pointing out the sales and the coupons that make the sales even better. But I want to see the ads with my own eyes. Kind of like, that sale sounds like it's too good to be true.

While I am perusing the ads and relaxing, my dear sweet husband generally goes out to the bakery and gets us fresh doughnuts. I know, this is an extravagance, but, it's cost is accounted for and everyone loves it and he enjoys doing it. So, it's yummy doughnuts for breakfast.

Once I have eaten my doughnuts and read my paper, I clip my coupons and file them. Then I go to hotcouponworld and compare lists for the sales and the coupons I have. Then I start my day with laundry or whatever household chore I really need to attend to. But the time relaxing and reading just gets me that jump start on the week. ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2576-sunday-mornings.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2563-giveaways.html Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:06:52 GMT * hotSacks and lounge socks (http://kmmmom.blogspot.com/2009/01/hotsacks.html) * jane4girls is having another great giveaway. She is giving... hotSacks and lounge socks

jane4girls is having another great giveaway. She is giving away a set of hotSacks to one lucky reader. These are like the bags you buy at Kroger or Meijers to use instead of those wasteful plastic bags. But, they are free from adverstisements. This is a really great prize. I hope everyone enters.

JANE4girls $800 Annual Budget For A Family of 4

Another giveaway that I found (through erin's site) is for some fabulous soft lounge socks on Lindsey's site:

Frugal and Fabulous: Giveaway: KN Chenille lounge socks!



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spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2563-giveaways.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2550-warmth.html Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:18:23 GMT No matter how much I want to complain about the high cost of heating, nights like tonight put everything into perspective. It is -2 here right now.... No matter how much I want to complain about the high cost of heating, nights like tonight put everything into perspective. It is -2 here right now. That's before the wind chill factor is added in. Schools in the area are canceled. The news keeps going over again and again on how to protect yourself if you absolutely must go out. Then, they keep showing a piece about how the homeless shelters are filled to capacity. These people who are crammed in there would have no chance of survival if they were left on their own out in the bitter cold.

Wow, I can complain that I'm cold as I run to my car to start it up and get it warm before I drive off. I can remind my son to put on socks or an extra shirt when he goes out. I can complain about the towel that's blocking the draft under my backdoor that keeps getting pulled away by my pug because she likes to play with it. I can complain that it seems like my furnace is running constantly. But, you know what? None of that is important. We are safe and we are warm. We have a solid roof over our heads. We have heat and water that is not frozen in the pipes. We have plenty of sweaters and blankets and warm socks. Life is good.

I feel for those unfortunate souls who are not as blessed as we are. I hope everyone takes a moment today to realize the good fortunes in their own lives. It's wonderful that we sometimes can donate to food banks because of our couponing efforts. But is that enough? It really makes me wonder what more I personally can do as I sit here in my comfy chair wrapped in my robe pecking away at my computer while the rest of my family sleeps all snug and warm in their beds.

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I received an email today from little crow foods giving me a link for a free coupon for their product. Normally, I make my own breading for my fried chicken, but if they want to give it to me for free, who am I to complain. Here is the link and under comments, just write "free coupon"

Little Crow Foods

I did contact the 5 companies I posted about yesterday through email. Bumble bee is the only one that wanted a upc code, so I just entered 0000000 because I didn't happen to have any on hand.

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Spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2550-warmth.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2541-making-contact.html Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:56:24 GMT Have you ever wondered how people score those fantastic coupons for frees or high value $$$ off items? One of the best ways I have found is to... Have you ever wondered how people score those fantastic coupons for frees or high value $$$ off items? One of the best ways I have found is to contact the companies. People think to complain when things are bad, but what about letting a company know when they are doing good. You may be surprised at the results. I have gotten free coupons for seapak shrimp, country bob bbq sauce, pledge, toothpaste, dog food and a plethora of other things. All I did was email and compliment the company on their product.

So, here is a challenge to you and me. Tomorrow, I'm going to contact no less than 5 companies with a compliment and see what happens. I used to do it all the time, writing to a few companies everyday. Now my mailbox is sad. It's missing all those great freebies and coupons. So, just to give my mailman a little more job security, I'm going to start writing again.

My list for tomorrow:

Baber foods:

Barber Foods Contact Info

Bird's Eye:

Birds Eye Foods : Consumer Relations : Contact Us

Boca Burgers

Contact BOCA Foods | Wholesome Veggie Burgers, Chik'n, Breakfast and More

Bumble Bee

Contact BumbleBee | BumbleBee.com

Del Monte

Contact Us

These links were compiled from http://www.hotcouponworld.com/index.php , my favorite source for news on sales and coupons.

I'll start with those, and move on from there. Hopefully, I will score some freebies to get me moving in that direction again. In today's economy, I'll take all the deals I can find.

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Spending today: $14.52 (Meijer, Walmart)
Savings today: $85.48
Spending YTD: $113.05
Savings YTD: $431.51 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2541-making-contact.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2530-start-planning-early.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:03:17 GMT I am not a planner. My youngest is going to college in the fall. He is very bright and we are searching for the right fit for him to continue his... I am not a planner. My youngest is going to college in the fall. He is very bright and we are searching for the right fit for him to continue his education. I've always heard that you need to start planning in their Junior year. I figured we had plenty of time. Now all the sudden, we are running up against deadlines and we really have no clue where he wants to go. I hate for him to apply at tons of colleges (and have to pay the application fees to each one) if they are not the right ones for him. We are going on our first college visit next week.

Then, after we find the perfect school, we have to find a way to pay for it. I could have started a college fund, but it's too late for that one. He took his ACT and got a 32 on it, which is a fantastic score and it has already gotten him some offers for scholarships. But, they aren't going to pay for everything, and since I think a kid needs to live on more than peanut butter and probably needs somewhere to sleep every night, I spent the entire night searching for scholarship options.

With the internet, it is so much easier to search than when I was a kid, but because we have waited so long to start, many of the really good scholarship's deadlines have passed. And the National Merit Scholarships, that was just dumb of me not to make him take the test to qualify for that. (You have to test for it by your Junior Year) He excels at that kind of test and we wouldn't be running around at the last minute trying to come up with the funds.

I found a really cool site during my searching last night that is a cross between monster.com and facebook. It is specifically geared towards getting the information out to colleges about the student so the college comes looking for the child. It's called Zinch

College Search - College Admissions - College and University Admissions - Zinch - Home

It allows the student to truly personalize their page to get the attention they need. I'm going to have him fill out his page this week. I looked at the colleges that use this site as a reference tool and was quite impressed with the list.

So, now I have my list of about 30 scholarships for him to apply for. I know he is really excited about the ones he gets to write an essay for. (note the sarcasm there) We will systematically work through them one by one. I will encourage him to apply for whichever colleges he thinks he might want to go to. The application fees aren't terrible really, and I do have some money put away for the "college search" fund.

I just wish I had begun this earlier. Now I am stressed about it instead of enjoying the process of helping him choose. Deep breath. ***sigh***

If I had it to do over, I think I would have started planning when he was in the third grade. Hmmm...that sounds about right. Nice and early.

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Spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2530-start-planning-early.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2516-one-lonliest-number.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:46:08 GMT We have a busy house. My kids are always running in and out. The school teams have given way to jobs and dating and college courses. I only have one... We have a busy house. My kids are always running in and out. The school teams have given way to jobs and dating and college courses. I only have one left in high school and it's his last year. He is also taking a college course this semester. Tonight was the first night of classes. Since my son doesn't drive yet, my husband had to take him to his 3 hour class. My daughter's classes started tonight. My other son had left for work. So here I was. Sitting here all by myself.

I don't know why it bothered me tonight. During the day when everyone is out, I don't even notice the absence of there presence. But, for some reason, this evening, I was just plain lonely. My sister-in-law called and we chatted for awhile, which was really nice. I worked out on my Wii Fit for awhile. I made myself a sandwich for dinner. And as I sat at the computer eating and reading, I realized that it won't be long before this is how it is every night. I must say, that empty nest is not sounded so good right now.

How many times when they were little did I wish for just 5 minutes to myself? A moment to refocus and relax without any responsiblities or any attention seeking tugging on my shirt sleeve. Then as they got older, I just needed a minute to breathe between carting them from school to the game to the dance and don't even think about the homework I needed to supervise. Now, I have my 5 minutes. I have even longer. It's not nearly as fun being alone as I thought it would be. I miss my kids. I miss my husband. I am lonely.


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spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2516-one-lonliest-number.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2499-how-clean-your-house.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:57:50 GMT I have a wonderful home with a husband and three great kids. I have 2 playful dogs. I have what I consider normal "clutter" all over the house. I clean up some, we mess up some. It's a never ending cycle. The thing is, over the years, I have come to embrace our "lifestyle" of a messy house. After all, I reason that my kids will remember the fun we had and the games we played far more than they will remember that my linens were ironed and my kitchen was always spotless. There is a level of comfort given from my surroundings. It reminds me of the security and peace that we have in our family. It makes me think of the bonding of a family.

But then, the words that I fear above all others. "Mom, my teacher is coming over on Sunday."

Quick!!!!! Everyone to their battlestations!!!! They all know the drill. Everything must be put away. All the surfaces must be dusted. The floor has to be vacuumed. The decorations need to be spruced up. I want this place to shine!!!! I want this place to look like Better Homes and Gardens. Okay, maybe the bohemian version of Better Homes & Gardens, but you get the idea.

And after our family pulls together once again and washes all the mirrors and puts away all reminders that someone actually lives here, I can finally relax and sit and wait for the "company". My house is spotless clean.

The only problem is, after the guest has "left the building", everyone relaxes and the house goes back to normal. Not dirty, just cluttered and busy with signs of our bustling life in all the nooks and crannies. We are just that kind of laid back people. Until the next time.

So, if you want to clean your house......invite company over. It works for me everytime.

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Spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2499-how-clean-your-house.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2487-ill-stop-procrastinating-tomo-rrow.html Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:23:40 GMT I lost money today. Again. It's my own fault. I didn't loose it out of my purse or pocket. I didn't misplace it. I lost it because I am a major league procrastinator. I lost it by missing a great sale with great coupons.

I had several coupons that would have garnered me free or close to free items today. I could have gotten enough Reynolds Wrap to last me the rest of the year. I had the coupons, but because it was the last day of the sale, they were out of stock at Walgreens. I know, I know, I could have gotten a raincheck. But, my coupons that would make it free expired today. I missed the sale on the South Beach bars, they were out of stock. I missed several things at Meijers because by the time I got there today, they were out of stock.

This is not the first time it's happened. And this is not the only area in my life where procrastination reaches out and bites me. I have missed deadlines for mailing things in, I have missed appointments because I was going to write the date down on my calender later, I have jumbled up my bank balance because I was going to write that entry in later, I have missed sales before. My kids have been late getting somewhere because I put off getting their uniform together for baseball or soccer. I have been late to family get togethers because I put off making my dish to take along. Over and over, it's the same thing. I'm going to get to it.

So what is the solution? I thought I had it. This is the year that I am working on lots of things in my life. Finances, Health, Home, Self-Improvement. One of my goals was to absolutely under no circumstances, procrastinate. I know that if I just jump in and do things immediately, they are generally much less stressful. That way I would know I wasn't (or my kids weren't) missing an important event. I would never be searching for bills because I forgot to pay them when they showed up in the mail. I would not have the counter that is the hot spot where everything goes that should just be put away. I would not have to worry that the shirt I wanted is at the bottom of a pile with my kids dirty socks on top of it, on the day I want to wear it. I would not miss great sales because my coupons were not organized or I just didn't make it to the store in time.

So, it is with renewed vigor, that I will undertake this task. I have been doing well on a lot of things. But, I have been procrastinating about not procrastinating. So, without any further ado..... I am going to quit procrastinating.

Tomorrow

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Spending: $0 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2487-ill-stop-procrastinating-tomo-rrow.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2471-wii-want-play.html Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:23:18 GMT Let me preface this by saying, I am not a big video game player. I love to play boardgames like Life and Clue and Scrabble. I have spent many... Let me preface this by saying, I am not a big video game player. I love to play boardgames like Life and Clue and Scrabble. I have spent many Saturday afternoons playing Risk or Yahtzee or Monopoly with my children. I love the time my family has spent bonding over the cards or dice or pencil and paper in Pictionary. But then, the children got older. The days of sitting with Mom and putting together a puzzle became further and further apart. I was loosing my appeal. There was a new game in town. It was electronic.

Why was this new game so appealing? Naturally, it is wonderful for the kids to just be able to play whenever they want, not when we can all find the time. There is the fast action on the screen. There is Mario and Luigi, Donkey Kong and Pikachu, and that guy on Halo. Lots of new friends, available at anytime to jump in and play all hours of the day or night. There were flashing lights and fast growing scores. There was a whole new language to learn, that of a gamer. Try as I might, I just couldn't get into the games. I like the Zelda games from Nintendo, they are slow enough that I can keep up, but the Mario Party, I totally don't understand it. Maybe that's part of the appeal. The kids have this world all their own.

Only problem is, the games were all downstairs and I never got to see my kids (unless they were hungry). Then, the best game system I have ever seen or heard of hit the stores. We bought a Wii! I told my kids from the start, this game stays upstairs where we can all play together. The games are not over my head (for the most part). It is worth it to give up my space in my den in order to get to play with my kids again.

If you aren't familiar with a Wii, It is an interactive video game that requires the players to actually move. No more couch potato video games! We bowl, we play tennis, we box, we ski, we have a ball! This game system is a homerun! The children have risen from the basement. They have come out of their rooms. We are back to laughing and playing together. We are making a point of setting aside time to play as a family. It has been so much fun.

Yesterday, I received the Wii Fit program that my family had been coveting. I was so excited, I could hardly wait for everyone to get home so we could set it up. Who would have thought that I could have been that excited about a video game, for Pete's sake? My family didn't disappoint me. As soon as everyone got home, they all wanted to put their characters onto the game and play. Let the fun and laughter begin! We all want to play Wii together.

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Spending: $43.22 (Kroger $42.71, CVS .51 cents, Walgreens $0 oop)

Savings today: $ 125.92

Spending YTD $98.53

Savings YTD $346.03 ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2471-wii-want-play.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2463-freezing-cause.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:34:09 GMT A couple of weeks ago, I got my electric bill in the mail. I'm on the budget plan and our settle up month is in March. Our bill is high. It's always high. I have switched to the new light bulbs. I follow people around turning things off. But this month, our already high bill had risen another $27 a month to cover the projected shortfall on the account.

We have gas heat on the main floor of our home, but the downstairs has baseboard heaters. My husband also keeps a little space heater in the garage. (his man cave) I know I have said it over and over to everyone here. I have tried to explain that every little bit helps, and please turn off the tv or the computer or unplug the phone charger or take shorter showers (electric water heater) or turn down the thermostat on the heaters during the day. So, of course, it's time for another family conference.

Since my 16 year old son was the only one home when I opened the bill, he became my first "victim" of the budget talks. Since we had talked about the bills being high before and that didn't seem to be getting through, I decided on a different approach. I told him, in order to pay this bill, you would have to work 40 hours at a job making $8.25 an hour. That is an entire week of work, just to pay the electric bill. That doesn't even touch any of the other bills, like the mortgage or water or food.

For some reason, this analogy hit home. It made sense to him. He started turning out lights. He started turning off the tv and reading a book instead. He wasn't playing his video games so much. I was so impressed.

But then, last night, as I was sitting on the computer at 2:00 am, playing around, he comes upstairs. He is wrapped up in a blanket and is shivering. I touch his hands and they are ice cold. The poor boy had been trying to sleep without any heat on downstairs. It is really cold here right now. I made him some hot tea and tried to explain the difference between frugal and fanatic. I told him how much I appreciated what he had done, but it was never my intention to cause him physcial discomfort. With the wind blowing against the house and the ice already formed on his windows, I told him to bundle up and sleep on the couch. I gave him some more tea and he finally got comfortable and fell asleep.

I stood there looking at my dear sleeping son who had gone that far just to help us out. I am so proud of him for trying so hard. I really hope that we see a difference in the bill in the next couple of months so I can show him how all his hardwork paid off. But even if it doesn't go down, one thing did happen. My son grew up a little more. Now I just have to convince the rest of the family to be as diligent as my son. Well, maybe not quite that diligent.

I really don't want anyone to freeze. ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2463-freezing-cause.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2417-day-2.html Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:05:58 GMT So, the first day of the year is done. How did it go? Well, on the home organization front, I washed, dryed and put away 3 loads of clothes and... So, the first day of the year is done. How did it go?

Well, on the home organization front, I washed, dryed and put away 3 loads of clothes and shined my sink. (flylady would be proud)

I cooked dinner at home, even though it was a holiday and my dh's birthday. We had a ham that I had bought in order to send in for a rebate. So, big savings there since basically we were eating free ham.

The only exercise I got was playing Guitar Hero with the kids. Tomorrow, I will work more on that. I am posting on another site and we are doing a virtual walk to Washington D.C. We go on each day and log our miles. From our starting point it is over 600 miles. But, we have a year to do it in. It's quite a goal for me since walking down the block has been foreign to me. One day at a time, one step at a time.

As far as the budgeting goes: I spent $0 today. I love these days.

I finished pulling out all of my expired coupons from my coupon box.

My menu is planned for tomorrow. It's taco night. The kid's favorite. All in all, today has been a success. ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2417-day-2.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2414-new-years-day.html Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:59:23 GMT Have you heard the saying, "if you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always gotten." ? Think about that. Am I satisfied with what I have gotten? I have a fantastic family. I have a wonderful husband, three terrific kids, 2 sweet dogs, a happy home. We have food on the table, clothes on our back and all the material things we truly need. So, what is it that I could possibly want.

I spent the last few weeks in reflection about the good and the bad, the wants and the needs and where I want to be next year at this time. I identified some major things (to me) that I want to see changes in during the next year.

Finances and living on a budget
Coupons and rebates.....make that money stretch
Sustainable organization and cleaning in my home
Exercise (and not just my fingers on the keyboard)
Menu planning and eliminating or at least severely restricting dining out

So, folks are welcome to come along with me on my journey. It may be boring, it may be enlightening. Only time will tell. ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/2414-new-years-day.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/1924-oops-forgot-check.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:42:09 GMT So, I have neglected my poor blog. How's it going? Well, the budgeting is getting easier. Sticking to the budget has gotten easier (for the most part) :giggle2:

I found that I was having trouble sticking to the $300 budget for food and actually was spending all my restaurant budget and my personal blow money on eating out because I didn't have the right food in the house.

So, I upped my grocery budget to $400. I am keeping a log of my grocery purchases on another site and let me tell you, when I know that every penny is being accounted for on an open site, suddenly every penny is being counted! I have 1 week left and I still have $82.16 left to spend (or save). I'm actually in pretty good shape as I have most everything I need for the rest of the month.

I also ordered from Angel Food Ministries. I've never ordered from them before, but out of this months budget, I spent $51 and will get a box with 7 days worth of meals and a second box with 5 more dinners already cooked. Hopefully these will be good and the family will eat them. If all goes well, I'll order a couple of boxes from them next month and slowly I should be able to bring my grocery cost more in line.

:BigHand: Life is good! ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/1924-oops-forgot-check.html http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/979-over-over-over.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:44:03 GMT It's hard to explain what happened.....one day all was well, the next my budget was spiraling out of control!!!!

I knew going in that this month was going to be difficult. We had some unusual circumstances due to some very necessary travel. Suddenly all control was gone. It's much easier when life is going along status quo, but upset my apple cart and I loose my focus. Since dh is not exactly on my mission with me, I sort of lost my burning fire to save, save, save. So, I made up next month's budget already and am trying to stop the bleeding from this months overages.

I am making up next months menu, so I won't stray and will use up some of my extra stockpile stuff. I'm continuing to receive rebates in the mail (I'm up to $120 so far for the month) I'm doing surveys and opening up a new money account that just gave me $25 for joining. (like paypal)

I will work the plan and come up saving again. Here's to March!!! ]]> kmmmom http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/kmmmom/979-over-over-over.html