Saturday Coupons

Dear fellow Couponers,
Just wanted to give the local readers a quick tip. Lately the coupons in our local Sunday paper The Post-Star have been very sparse. So much so that I canceled my subscription after months of little to no coupon inserts.
However a friend recently shared with me that the Times Union Saturday edition, is full of coupon inserts most weeks.I have been purchasing the paper now for several weeks and it is absolutely true! It is also .50 cents cheaper than the Sunday paper.
So for all of you frustrated coupon clippers grab the Saturday edition of the Times Union! You won't regret it:)
Blessings,
~Michelle~

Hello, Is Anybody Out There?

It sure has been a while since we all chatted!

As per my last post(all the way back in June) I have been recovering from what I now know to be a pretty big surgery.

At first things were great and I felt well. However it has taken me a while to get back on my feet full force. I am not one for sitting around much and that could have definitely contributed to it taking some time for me to " feel myself again".

I also have struggled with a few unpleasant side effects of my surgery. Insomnia and Hot flashes. Neither are very fun I have to say! When you are not feeling your best it is hard to cope when you have had very little sleep, night after night. And hot flashes well lets just say they are an entity all their own!

Around August, I was starting to have a rough time. I wasn't feeling well and not dealing with stress to great. As many of you know my Husband is the youth director at our church, and we take the Teens to camp every summer.

Usually I love camp as much as the Teens. I play the games and camp is fun! But not this year. I struggled in my flesh and yes in my spirit.

However God is in the details. I very much needed the great messages I heard at camp and God really spoke to my heart. I came home still weak in the flesh, but renewed in my spirit.

I spent the remainder of August staying close to the Lord. Doing what I could physically and meditating on God's Word. I have limited couponing and and I waned in my zeal for frugality. It seemed pointless to me to have 5 deodorants in my pantry when I had 14 loads of laundry and my house hadn't been cleaned in a week! I truly did not have the energy.

By God's Grace and mercy, I am feeling my old self again and have a renewed interest in couponing and saving money. So much so, that I have challenged my family not to spend any extra money in the month of October! We are planning on attempting to save in every area, from cutting down the number of loads of laundry each week (Yes that means that my teenage son may have to wear something twice in one week!) to keeping the lights off , to eating from our freezer and pantry, to what ever it takes to save!

I truly am looking forward to couponing and all my frugal activities again. Especially since winter is fast approaching, and for us that means buying fuel oil . I will be posting on our October challenge, so please stay tuned.......

I hope to be back to regular blogging and frugal tips.

P.S. Don't you just love the pretty fall picture. Here in Upstate New York the leaves are changing and it looks like it will be a spectacular parade of color!!

It is by His grace and for His glory,

~Michelle~

Relaxing.......

As you all may have noticed I haven't been around much. On May 28th I had surgery. I knew I was having surgery for a bit, but choose not to mention it to many. I am not much on fan fare.

I praise God for the bucket load of mercy that He showed me both before, during and after my surgery. As I have noted many times afore.. My God is always in the details.

I am healing and feeling much better. While my surgery was definitely necessary (and put off for much to long,) I am so grateful that it was nothing life threatening. All reports came back A O.K.!!! At present I am kicking back (Very hard for me to do) and slowly getting back into a daily routine.

I am so very thankful to my husband and sweet son for all the help they are to me. They have cooked, cleaned and everything in between.

I am looking forward to the canning season and have all ready started planning my entry into the County Fair. Do any of you watch Andy Griffith?There is a very funny episode where Aunt Bee enters her very bad tasting pickles in the fair. It is very funny and is one of my favorite episodes. Hopefully mine won't taste bad!

I pray all my blogging friends are well. I look forward to jumping back into the swing of things shortly. Stay tuned..............

~By His Grace~

Michelle

My Power Source

The light bulb. Amazing device. Incredible invention.
Even a small watt light bulb has the ability to light a large space.
There is no doubt that the light bulb has changed the American standard
of living forever. I don't know about you, but I have taken this little bulb for
granted. I have often forgotten it's incredible potential to light my way.

However, in and of itself this light bulb is worthless. It has not reached it's full
potential. In it's current state it is ineffective and frankly, of little use. There is nothing
I can do to make it shed any light. I can't will it to shed light. I can't put it with other bulbs hoping to make it produce light. In fact the truth is, the only thing that can make this light
bulb arrive at it's full potential, is it's Power Source.

However plugged into it's power source, the possibilities are endless. One small light bulb can shed light into an entire room. Total darkness is obliterated by the power source of the light bulb.

Our precious Heavenly Father is the Power Source for His children, through the saving grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. Until the day that I accepted the free gift of Salvation, I too was living in total darkness. There was no light. I had no power. I, like the light bulb was ineffective and frankly of little use. The day I accepted God's gift of Salvation, I tapped into my Power Source. I now have unlimited power for the Master's use. I can shed light where ever I go. However, I must stay tapped into my Power Source.

The Power Source I am referring to is the Word of God. The living truth. I am as ineffective and powerless as an unlit light bulb without it. See, I have no strength in and of myself. I must be filled with the Spirit through the reading of His word to have any power in my life. If I rely on my family, friends, church, etc. to meet my emotional and spiritual needs, I will be disappointed. My joy and strength must come from the Lord.

I must read my Bible. Digest it. Meditate on it. It is my constant source of strength.It is my comfort. My guide. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I am powerless without it. I shall defend it and uphold it as the final authority in my life in all matters of faith and practice.I will fight for it and not be ashamed of it. I will proclaim it and hide it's word in my heart. It is the most precious possession I own, and I am eternally grateful for it's life changing power. It shall take me eternity to praise Him for it. Men have died for it and Mother's have wept on it. Soldiers have carried it and Countries have been founded on it. I praise God that it's words will not come back void. It is my Bible, a love letter from my Heavenly Father. May it's words burn in my heart.

By His Grace,

~Michelle~

Mega Coupons In Sunday's Paper

It is being reported in the blog sphere that there will be 4 coupon inserts in this coming Sunday's Paper. So for you coupon enthusiasts, it will be worth hunting down a couple of copies!

Frugal Tip: Don't be afraid to let friends and neighbors know you collect coupons. People who don't use them are usually more than happy to give them away. Write them a thank you note and give them a small gift from all your great coupon scores! The blessing works both ways:-)

Happy Coupon Clipping
~Michelle~

A New Blog Find

Friends, I have found a delightful new blog that I would love to share with you. I have visited this site often and have been blessed each time I have stopped by.
This is a young woman by the name of Jen whose wisdom seems far superior to her years. She posts mouth watering recipes, and thought provoking content. Something to feed the tummy and the soul! If you follow the link here, she is giving away a delightful apron and handbag that she herself has made.
Above all, it appears she has a heart for the Lord. She has a very feminine blog and posts many lovely pictures. Her blog is truly delightful. For the Teen girls in my Sunday school class, this is definitely a site for you. I hope you all enter and win one of her fantastic giveaways!

Blessings,
~Michelle~

First Time Target Deals

I have to admit, I have not been a huge fan of Target. I

rarely shop there and on the few occasions I have, I have not found

many deals. Today I take all that back. Let me share my deals

with you. First I got the above candles. They were $5.99 each

but I had (2) $4cpn that I had printed off moneysavingmom.

The total came to $3.98 +tax. However I got a $5.oo Target gift card,

making them free + overage!

Deal #2. I kinda screwed this one up because I did not print

enough cpns @ home, but it was such a good deal I got it

anyway. The cereal is on sale for $2.39/bx. If you buy 5 boxes

you get a $5.00 Target gift card. I had only printed 2 cpns. But after

using the 5.00 gift card in Deal #1, I paid 4.95 for 5 boxes of Special

K cereal. Less than $1.00 box!!

Deal #3. Total OOP for this deal .77cents. I had a $1.50/2 on

the shells, $1.25 on the deodorant and a $2 cpn for the snuggle.

So for all the above I spent $10.19. I think that is pretty good. Thank you to Moneysaving Mom and A thrifty Mom for all these great deals. I will definitely be looking at the target deals a little more closely!

Michelle