High Value Coupon on Soft Scrub

Soft Scrub is one of those cleaners that I love, but can't always afford. You all know my affinity for bleach, and Soft Scrub puts out a great product. Thanks to moneysavingmom for this great tip, you can print $1 cpns here. The manufactures cpn does not say don't double, so on dbl cpns at Price Chopper,this would be a great deal!!

I was able to print the cpn twice. Happy Scrubbing:)

~Michelle~

Eating From the Pantry With God's Provision

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalm 68:19 KJV


It's 9a.m. here on the East Coast, and dinner is done! Aaaahhhh. What a great feeling. The Chili is on the stove, the bread bowls are on the counter thawing, and the tossed salad is put together and in the fridge. As I was putting together my meal I was praising God in my heart for His continual faithfulness to me and my family. Let me explain...........


As I prepared the Chili that we will have for dinner, I praise the Lord for the wisdom He has given me in the area of couponing. Most of the ingredients I used I had purchased for pennies. Secondly, the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes I used were given to us. The tomatoes were given to us by my Uncle, and I plan on sharing our meal with him tonight. The onions I used were given to me by my Father-in-law. Someone had given them to Him for making a monetary donation to a food pantry. He was also given a bag of salad and a dozen eggs. He passed those along to us as well. I used the eggs to make dessert for our Sunday meal and the salad was used for that meal as well. We shared our Sunday afternoon meal with some folks from our Church.

The tossed salad that I made for tonight's meal was with 2 bags of Garden salad mix from Aldi that I purchased this week for .49cents a bag. The tomatoes and cucumbers were given to us. Our Church receives produce on Mondays from a local store. Over the last few months we have been given bread, mayo, lots of produce and fresh fruit.

Sunday morning our Pastors wife called inquiring if I had an extra winter coat. I frequently hit thrift stores and She is aware of that. There is a lady in our Church in need of a Winter coat. I didn't have one but told her I would definitely keep my eyes out for one in my travels. Later that afternoon my Uncle called, (The one whose wife recently passed away, my dear Aunt Dee) and wanted to know If I knew anyone who needed a coat. He had several of hers he was going to give away. I will pick up that coat tonight when I deliver his meal. I will deliver the coat tonight to the Lady in our Church.

Are you staring to see the picture? God blesses us in so many ways, and blesses others through us. As I reflect on the daily provision of our Heavenly Father I am so thankful to be His child. My Uncle did not know a lady in our Church needed a coat, but God did. Our God is ever so faithful.


I had mentioned in an earlier post you can read here, that I would share some of the scripture God used to help me after my Aunt passed away. The one scripture I referred to most was Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. KJV God is faithful and we can trust in Him.


We are living in uncertain times. Just recently I had shared with my Husband I was starting to fret over finances. Heating our home in the Winter is always a major financial challenge! Lord help mine thou unbelief!


The goodness of the Lord must be remembered daily. As we walk with Him, may we all be encouraged to trust Him for all our needs~!



Blessings,

~Michelle~

Eating From The Pantry Challenge Update

Well I wanted to update you all on our eating from the pantry challenge. As I shared in a recent post, my pantry wasn't completely stocked. My freezer was less than full and I didn't have nearly the reserves in my health and beauty pantry as I normally do(Yes, I have two pantry's!)

but I decided to start where I was and use up what we had on hand.

I am not going to post our full meals but I did want to share what we have been using.

2 boxes of Betty Crocker mashed potatoes

1 box of Betty Crocker Scalloped potatoes

3 cans creamed corn

1 can cream chicken soup

2 packages of Jello

Can of Tuna

Pecans

From the Freezer

2 Loaves of bread

Chicken Legs (I made fried chicken for the first time this week. It was yummmmmmmy!!)

Pork Chops

2 bags Frozen Veggies

1 Package of homemade Turkey stock (Made from our Christmas Turkey)

From the Fridge

Sour Cream ( I had a couple of containers that I had bought a while ago on sale w/cpn. I needed to use them so I made Coffee Cakes and gave them to some folks at our church)

All different kinds of fruit that needed to be eaten up before it went bad!

I did grocery shop this week and coupon the sales. I was out of most paper products and really need to start couponing again. However I have tried to supplement or build meals around what I have on hand. That has been helpful to allow me to spend a little more on things I am out of.

I am gearing up to make February the kick off to De cluttering. I am still thinking of all of the details, but I hope some of you will join me. Spring will be coming and I would love to be clutter free before I start my Spring cleaning! Stay tuned for further details.........

Blessings,

~Michelle~

CVS Loreal Lip Gloss Deal

Thanks to moneysavingmom for the heads up on this great deal! I stopped at CVS yesterday and found that they had a few Loreal lip glosses left. I was able to pick 2 shades that I liked and will wear!!

I had received an e-mail from Loreal .You can visit here. Just register and you will get coupons e-mailed to you. I was e-mailed a $3 off any 2 products. Which I used at CVS yesterday, making my total $1.54 for 2 with tax. The best part was a $1.50 ECB printed out from my fall spending bucks. So I really paid 4cents for 2 Loreal Lip Glosses! Regular retail; $7.99 each.

The cashier was a young guy who said that's a really great deal!

Thanks moneysavingmom::)

~Michelle~

Modest Feminine Apparel

For those of you who know me well, you know I love all things feminine. The girler, the better. I love lacy, flowery things. Miss Jen over at blessed femina has a beautiful post on modest feminine clothing. I encourage you to read it here. She has a beautiful blog that inspires me each time I visit. I have never met this young maiden, but from reading her blog for some time, it appears she is as lovely on the inside as the outside. She has a spirit of femininity that encourages me. Stop by and comment on her site. I am sure she would be blessed.

Happy Lord's Day:)

~Michelle~

Challenge to Declutter

Is your house full of stuff? I mean stuff you don't use, stuff you can't find, stuff you don't want?

I know mine is. Amy over at the Finer things has a great post/challenge here. It sure inspired me. I'm not sure I have 730 items to get rid of. Truth be known I probably have double that.

I may make February my de clutter month. 3 items a day for 28 days. That would be 84 items. Or maybe I will de clutter a room a month. 1-2 items a day for a month/ per room. I realize some rooms may have more items than others. Like my home office that looks like a bomb has hit it, versus my bedroom which I make a great effort to keep clean & tidy. Still I think I rather like this idea.


Probably needs a few more details worked out. Like will I sell the stuff or just give it away? Donate to goodwill or save for a Spring garage sale. Maybe a little of all the above. This idea definitely deserves a little "think time". Anybody else think this is a great idea?





~Michelle~

Saturday Times Union

For my local readers, I just picked up the Saturday 1/10 edition of The Times Union. There are 2 very packed coupon inserts!

The Times Union is $1.50 versus $2 for the Sunday edition of The Post Star. My friend Laura told me of this deal a while back & I have been taking advantage of it ever since. Thanks, Laura:)

If possible you want to pick up your paper early in the day, as I have had difficulty finding a paper later in the day.

Stay tuned for more deals.........

~Michelle~

Eating From The Pantry Challenge

From Left to Right, Mrs. Laura Braley, Mrs. Teya Miller, Me:), Mrs. Wanda Rouley

Well in my last post I shared with you that I was going to join the pantry challenge over at money saving mom. I also shared that I was going to challenge you all to "start where you are." Maybe you don't have a full pantry right now. Maybe you don't even have a pantry!

The key is to start somewhere. Take inventory of all your cupboards and anywhere else you store food and see what you have! If you could reduce your food budget by $5.oo this week, wouldn't that be a start?

I do not have a full pantry. I used a lot of what we have had in our pantry over the last few months. That pantry was a huge blessing during a time when I didn't have the time or energy or desire to go food shopping. At any rate,I decided in the spirit of adventure to call a couple of girlfriends and host a recipe swap exchange day. I hosted it yesterday from 12:30-2:30p. We had a wonderful time. I made an inexpensive Lemon Sponge cake recipe that I found in an Amish book I was reading. Very yummy:)

We were inspired with new recipes and we each brought a cookbook to share. We swapped cookbooks with each other to be kept for 30 days and returned to its owner. A fun frugal way to get some new recipes. I encourage you all to put on your thinking caps, get inspired and host a fun get together!

The Blessings of Family

Dear Blogging Friends,

I know it has been some time since I have posted. On November 2, 2009, my dear Aunt Dee passed away, unexpectedly. She was sitting in her chair making out her Christmas list.
My Aunt was a huge influence on me growing up and a very big part of my life as an adult.
If you have read my blog for any time, then you know that I lost both my parents at a young age. Both my Mom & Dad were only 59 when they passed away, exactly 3 years apart.. My Aunt was 65.

When my Mom died that left a giant hole in my life. My Aunt did a wonderful job of filling that hole. She was a wonderful friend and confidante. I miss her terribly. She left behind a husband of 46 years, my Uncle John. My family is trying to be there for him in every way possible. My Aunt & Uncle had no children of their own.

My Aunt was my Fathers only sibling. After my Aunt passed, I struggled with many things. First there was no longer any relative who knew my history so to speak. I was devastated by that fact. That might sound strange to you, but the fact that most of all my 1st degree relatives have passed on was very difficult for me.

The Holidays have always been a great celebration in my family. It has been a difficult few months. My husband & friend Wanda, have been a huge support to me. I thank God for You both!!

The clouds are starting to lift and I feel a sense of new beginnings with the New Year. Although I miss all of my family dearly, I praise the Lord for the blessings of family & friends that are in my life. I will share with you in the future some of the scripture that was a tremendous help to me over the last few months.

I plan on taking part in the Pantry Challenge over @ moneysavingmom. I will be posting of my progress and also challenge us all to start where we are.

I pray you had a blessed holiday with family & friends. That time is truly priceless.

Blessings,
Michelle