Spring Break on a Budget

This week was spring break for Brunswick Co., so the Headricks made a special budget for the week. First, I prayed for self-discipline because I'm guilty of costly vacations :)-- one of my greatest weaknesses.

God went before me every step of the way, and I got off to a great start last Friday by hitting the jackpot at ABC Consignment, which was having its seasonal "fill a bag" sale. I bought two bags of clothes for Ireland (American Eagle, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, etc.) and put it all together and made about 5 outfits. Total Cost $10! Yep, that's 5 outfits for $10. And the Easter bunny stocked Jeffrey up with water guns, buckets, and a kite for under $10.

After an amazing Easter Sunday Service at Generations Church, I prepared a home-cooked buffet for the family and we enjoyed left overs for several days (no dining out necessary!). This week we have had our fair share of sundaes, too... I found maraschino cherries at the Dollar Tree for $1, so I decided to stock up on ice cream, bananas, and whip cream as well. They were delicious, and it was so much less expensive than going out for sundaes.

And of course, since we LIVE in a vacation spot this year, we didn't need to travel anywhere! No money spent on hotels or gas. The beach is only 8 miles away and the Water Front Park is just 1 mile, so between the light house, parks, museums and the ocean I only spent an extra $10 in gas cruising around town. To top it all off, Generations had a discipleship weekend for the youth and Ireland 
got to go (and paid for it herself).

Between the beach, the maritime museum, consignment shops, ice-cream sundaes and discipleship, our Spring Break cost less than $50 and we had an absolute blast!! Of course, I must admit without the God-given weather things would've been much different. So thank you Jesus for the beautiful weather and special blessings throughout the week. This body stayed on budget!

March is a wrap

So-- I made it through March with my "extreme coupon" budget. It wasn't easy, but it was fun! I've realized I'll probably never be a die-hard couponer, but I did love the challenge and the savings. It definetly takes organization, discipline, and desire...:). Keeping your coupons grouped together, and making time to print, cut and sort them takes a NEED or at least a strong "want" to keep you going. Mine was a little bit of both. I needed to cut our original  $220 weekly grocery budget to $100-125 and I wanted to get the largest quantity/quality food for it. This definetly didn't happen overnight; it took several weeks of budget cuts to take the final plunge to $100/week (and that includes toiletries). And we did it!! No one starved, felt deprived, or really "needed" for anything. We did run out of a few things here and there and if it wasn't in the budget we didn't get it... ie. bread, peanut butter, chips etc.., until the following week.  So this month is a bit different. While I am still going to coupon and stick to roughly $100/week, I'm going to go to Delly's Deals and find the best price matches, make my list and stick to just want I need, 4 days at a time.

Happy shopping,
Karen

Three more days!

Ok so I've tried to extreme coupon this month and while I have had some success it's not easy, yet! First, it is tough staying disciplined. You must plan it out. In week two I tried to get everything in one trip. Big mistake!  For me, it works best to shop twice a week and only stock up on what is almost free, or it ruins the budget. I have three days left and if I don't spend more than five more dollars I will end the month feeding a family of four that LOVES to eat on $400.  Wish me luck. :)

Extreme couponing

Today is day 7 of my extreme couponing and I ended the week with $62 of savings. I Spent $75.69 on $137.69 worth of groceries/toiletries. My best yet!! But I still feel like I can do a bit better. I shopped mostly at Lowes Foods this week with two trips to the Dollar Tree and one to Walmart.
So today I am reloading. I've printed most of my coupons and I've check out the sales and I really think I can actually start stock piling groceries. My goal is to stick with the $75 budget, but get more food with it and start a grocery closet for donations. Wish me luck!

Happy shopping!

March Madness

Well, it's March 1st, and I am gearing up for my first month of extreme couponing! I read an article last week about the 4 stages of couponing, and I realized that while I have always used coupons and have done well with my budget, I have never been an extreme couponer. So, I read the tips, clipped my coupons and made my list.

My first trip was this morning at Lowes' Foods, and I saved 41.91 and spent 39.85. That's about 51% savings! The only thing I bought that wasn't either on sale or on sale with a coupon was a gallon of milk for 3.79. I am thrilled!! Now, this kind of couponing does take a bit of work-- I spent about three hours this week getting organized and preparing my shopping list. But it was so well worth it!

This was just day one of week one so I have a lot of "month" left, so I will keep you posted on how I do.

Here are a few of my best buys.
Sara Lee coffee crumb cakes $1.00 each (reg. $3.99)
Tyson honey dipped chicken 3.19 (reg. $6.49)
Martha white muffin mix .69 (reg. $1.19)
Maxwell house coffee 5.99 (reg. $10.29)
Velveeta singles 1.49 (reg. $3.95)

Happy Couponing!
Karen

Delly's Deals

If you want to learn how to extreme coupon.... Delly's Deals Coupon Class Saturday, April 12, 2014 1:30pm until 4:00pm Cape Fear Alliance Church Cost - $10, must register and pay by March 28th. You will be eligible for some door prizes, as well as, receive $50 worth of coupons from Delly. We encourage you to invite friends and family as we have a minimum number of attendees required.

Fitness 101

Move your body! It's that simple. Fitness doesn't have to be intimidating, just start moving and the rest will fall into place. I know, not everyone loves to work out like I do, but I also know that almost everyone would like to change something about their body. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be consistent. Wheater you walk, lift weights, enjoy a cardio class or swim. It all leads to a healthier body.