Resolutions

The end of the year will be here in a few days, so that means New Years and Resolutions.  I only had 1 resolution this last year and that was to weigh less on Dec 31st 2012 then I did on Jan 1st 2012, and I have done that.  Did I lose as much as I would have liked?  No, but that is ok, I am still down for the year and that is the important thing!

I don't have too many Resolutions for 2013 either.  I don't like to make a ton of huge big plans that I know I am just going to fail at LOL.  I prefer to have a few things that I can focus on and do.  There is nothing worse then setting yourself up for failure, no thank you!

So here they are my 2013 resolutions.  First up is I want to successfully complete the Insanity 60  day DVD workout program and earn my Insanity T-Shirt.  To go hand in hand with that, I want to weigh less on Dec 31st 2013 then I did on Jan 1st 2013, obviously if I can do the 1st one I can do the 2nd one LOL.  Next, I want to buy less.  I know that sounds weird lol, but what I mean is, my stockpile is really great right now, so I don't really need more shampoo, even if it IS free.  I need to learn to say no to free stuff if we have more then enough of it.  It's time for us to reap the benefits of our stockpile and live off of it!  I also want to find some place local that I can donate food and personal hygiene items to through out the year.  I want to help others, and this will help to keep my stockpile being used.

So there you have it my New year's resolutions.  I only have 4 for this upcoming year, but 2 of them go hand in hand with each other, as do the other two (kind of).  Do you have any New years resolutions for this upcoming year?

I love my stockpile

What do dish soap, hand soap, body wash, shampoo, shaving cream, laundry detergent, stain booster, toilet paper, paper towels, mouthwash, and toothpaste all have in common?  They are all items in my stockpile that my family has needed in the last 2 weeks.   Most of the items  are items I got for free at some point too.  My family needed the items and they just grabbed them from the stockpile when they needed them.

2 weeks ago, my oldest daughter had the flu, so she was washing her hands, a LOT!  She came up to me one day and told me she was out of soap, I went out to the garage and grabbed another soap and refilled her dispenser.  My oldest had been told to do his laundry about a week ago.  He said he couldn't because we were out of the stain booster and the laundry packs that him and his sister use for their laundry.  My hubby and I just laughed at him as I had him follow me to the laundry room where I had a  cabinet full of laundry detergent and stain booster.

I love that I don't have to go around and check how everyone is doing with everything (cause we all know kids aren't going to tell you they are low, they are going to come running to you when they are out of it and they need it!).  I don't have to make lists and try to remember to buy stuff.  I already have it all at home ready to go, and it was cheap!  If I had to run out just to buy the laundry detergent and the Tide stain booster I was looking at around $15, no thank you!

Deciding to stockpile was one of the best decisions I have ever made!  Do you coupon and stockpile?

A year of savings

Well, I didn't do all of 2012 like I had planned.  Like I said in my last post I didn't keep track of nov or Dec at all.  BUT, I did do Nov and Dec of 2011.  So I can share my savings from Nov 1, 2011 til Oct 31st, 2012.  August and Sept are missing, due to our move, but I am fine with that.

In 10 months I saved our family:

$9,337.87

How awesome is that?!?!  That is my KNOWN savings, savings that I actually kept track of!  If I add in an estimate for July, August, Nov, and Dec I can confidently say I saved between $11,000 and $12,000 for my family this year (if not a tiny bit more!)!

I am so excited for over his number!  I love couponing and I can't wait to see what I save in the following year!  It's never too late to start!  Every little bit saved is more then you had before, so what is stopping you from saving money?  It's a new year coming up in less then a week, don't be afraid to start saving money!

A tiny white lie

So, I told a small white lie to you.  I said I was going to keep track of my weekly saving/spending and share it with you, and I haven't.  Nov and Dec were just too darn hectic for me with 3 birthday's and the holidays.

Sorry!  I am REALLY going to try to do it in the new year.  I've tracked my savings, but I really want to track my savings vs my spending and also see what my over all savings are.  In order to do this, I have to track it!

With 3 birthday's, a trip to TN for Thanksgiving and the hustle and bustle of Christmas was just too much for me to keep up with everything I wanted to do, so my tracking went to the wayside.

I need to get better with my blogging too!  I am always thinking "I need to blog about this" or "that would make a great blog post", and then I don't do it LOL.  So I am going to try to blog more often!

Day 30

I am thankful that November is done!  It was hard coming up with something for every day to be thankful for, even tho I have a lot to be thankful for.  It's a lot harder when you take the time to sit down and write about it!  It was fun to do this challenge (even tho I fell WAY behind!), but I don't think I will be doing it again, at least not as a blog!

Day 29

I am thankful for my family and friends.  They have all helped shape me into the person I am today and I don't know where I would be without them.  They all mean so much to me, and I cherish them all.

Day 28

I am thankful for the opportunity to be a Stay At Home Mom.  Years ago, I could never see myself as a SAHM, but I have to say, I have enjoyed the last 7 years.  It is definitely a lot different then being a working mom.  I was in the Navy when I had my older 2 kids and they went to daycare.  It was nice being with my younger two, and knowing all their first's were really their firsts.  I love spending time with them and watching them grow.  I like that I am able to take my older kids to activities that they want to do, and I can go to all the parent teacher conferences and other activities that happen at school during the day.  I am looking forward to the days whee I can chaperone my younger children's field trips.  I am very blessed that we can afford for me to stay home with my children, and even tho I get frustrated at times, I cherish every moment.

Day 27

I am thankful for Everquest, lol.  Because of that game I met my wonderful Husband, but I have also made some fabulous, lifelong friends.  Some of them I have never even met in person, but they still mean the world to me.  We had triumphs and defeats together, we worked together and formed a bond that a non-gamer may not understand, but that bond is strong.  I love seeing wonderful things happening to them, such as engagements, weddings, and new babies (a lot of these because like me they met someone online in EQ), and I cry with them when they experience a personal loss (just like they were there for me when my Dad died).  I love and cherish my EQ family, all the ones I have met, and all the ones I have yet to meet (but know I will someday down the road).

Day 26

I am thankful for my couponing blogs that I follow.  They do all the weekly ad matches for me, which makes couponing so easy for me to do.  They really do all the hard work, and I get to reap the benefits. When ever new coupons come out, they tell me about any new deals involving them too.  It takes so much less time for me to plan my shopping trips because I can just go to their blogs and see what is a good deal and what coupons I need to make it happen.

Day 25

I am thankful for my kindle.  When we went to Tennessee I took my kindle with me and I easily had a ton of books at my finger tips, without taking up a bunch of space.  I read 3 books while we were gone in Tennessee.  I still enjoy real books, but I love the convenience of the kindle.  Now that I have the new Paperwhite I also love that it has a built in light, so I can still read in the dark (no distracting lights for my hubby while he drives!).  I absolutely love my kindle and I find that I am reading a lot more often with it too since I can download free books whenever I want.

Day 24

I am thankful for college football.  On the 24th we drove 2 hours to Knoxville to watch the University of Tennessee play against the University of Kentucky, and win!  It was a great day spent with my husband, both his brothers, and one of his brother's friends.  UT is my husband's Alma Mater, and it was great to not only watch UT play, but to win also!  We went to another game a few years back which was a very disappointing loss.  After the season UT had this year it was great to end the season with a win.  My husband is a HUGE college football fanatic and it was great to spend some time together doing something that he enjoys.

Us at the game before it started

Pre game warmups, look how great our seats were!

Final score Ut 34, UK 17!

Brothers

Day 23

I am thankful for lazy days.  Sitting back, relaxing, reading, or watching TV with nothing to do and no where to go.  I don't get 100% lazy days very often, but not being in my on home I was able to relax and be lazy the day after Thanksgiving.

Day 22

I am thankful for being able to spend Thanksgiving with my Husband's family.  We got to go to his Grandma's house were we spent time with an Aunt, Uncle, and his brother's, our Sister In Law, and a bunch of the kids cousins.  Then we had a second dinner (my first time to ever have 2 Thanksgiving celebrations) with his Dad, Aunt, and 1 of his brother's again.

I am thankful that we were able to make the trip to Tennessee to spend this time with his family.  The kids had a lot of fun playing with their cousins too.  Hopefully this is something we will be able to do more often.  Family, Food, and Fun, all things to be thankful for.

Day 21

I am Thankful for my baby girl, Aislinn.  The 21st is her birthday and she just turned 2 years old.  The last 2 years have just flown by, she is growing and changing everyday.  Her vocabulary and what she learns just continues to amaze me.  She is our little Diva.  She takes after her Granddaddy, more then any of the other kids.  She has his temper and stubbornness and she is impatient too lol.  But she is so sweet when she looks at you with her big brown eyes (my only brown eyed child) and says Pllleeaassseee so sweetly.  I can't wait to see what adventures we will have with her as she grows up.

Day 20

I am thankful for Blogger.  It lets me write and share my blog with all my friends and family.  They made it easy to set up and easy to use, which is always a plus for me.  I may not blog as often as I would like to (sometimes it's just because I'm a serious slacker!), but I love that it is here for me whenever I want to, or get to use it.

Day 19

I am thankful for airplanes.  Airplanes made it possible for my mom to come from Arizona, and my In-Laws to come from Hawaii for my little ones birthday parties.  It was awesome that Grandparents from both sides of the family were able to be there for Riley and Aislinn's 4th and 2nd birthday party.  We don't get to see them that often, so we cherish the time that we do get, and Airplanes make it all possible.

Page 18

I am thankful for GPT sites.  GPT stands for Get Paid To, these are the sites that pay me to do survey's offers, searches, etc.  I have earned literally hundreds of dollars through them, which has resulted in buying myself and my family numerous items for free.  I have spent almost $200 of free money on Christmas so far this year, I got my husband a kindle touch for free, and I got myself a Samsung galaxy tab2 10.1 for free, all because of my GPT sites.  I spend time on them when I want to and I can do as little or as much as I want, how much I earn is up to me.

Day 17

I am thankful for my car.  For several months after I had Aislinn we had to drive 2 cars when we went anywhere as a family.  My Traverse fits 7, so it is perfect for our family of 6.  We paid a bit extra to have the captain seating in the 2nd row, vices a bench seat and 8 person seating, and I love it.  We may be still paying on it, but we got a great financing deal and a huge chunk of it is paid off already.  I will be driving this car long after it is paid off, so we can continue to fit our large family in it.

Day 16

I am thankful for my Stockpile.  Because of my stockpile I have saved so much money.  I love that anytime we run out of something, or run low on something we can just run out to our stockpile and grab a new item.  Over 50% of my stockpile is made up of items I got for free.