Sharing Ways We Save

This week we....

laid clothes out to dry on the porch and hung them up in the bathrooms on hangers to dry because the dryer stopped working....(it should save money on the electric bill right, we are hoping that maybe we can use google and maybe repair it ourselves)

Cut $133.00 from our budget by changing cell phone carriers and removing car insurance from the second vehicle we do not drive.  (we may prayerfully consider selling, but we do not know yet.)

Made fudge pops, chocolate chip cookies, and beef stew from scratch

It was our week for the food program at the local church and we received a dozen eggs, bacon, some burger, pasta sauce, a couple canned goods, boxed pasta and to our surprise a bag of snack size Hershey bars that will be great to make some more cookies etc with.  There were over 75 families participating in this giveaway.  I can see we are not the only ones working to make things stretch as far as they can go.  (and yes I know I could work outside the home, but we have tried that and it does not work well for us.  I am currently researching ways to make money while at home but waiting on the Lord's leading.)  In the mean time we are working with all that is available to us.

We also went to the thrift store that allows us to fill a shopping bag for $1 and picked up one pair of shoes in the next size, two pairs of pj pants, and a sweater for the school year for my daughter, and a tank top for my son as well as a camo top that is for a Build A Bear.  He is very into army stuff right now, so i knew he would love it.

We have been pulling pop tabs off all the soda cans we can find to support my new hobby.  We are saving the cans too.

 (This is a latest creation...I am seriously praying about opening an ETSY shop maybe or taking them to a local craft fair or bazaar.  Just charging a couple bucks for them maybe and see what happens.  Sorry that the picture isn't better I used my hubby as a hand model to show a friend...but of course if I post for sale I will use a female model.)

Re purposed a dog food bag as a trash bag.

Redeemed Swagbucks for a 5.00 e gift card to Walmart and another $1.62 from the Savings Catcher App

We bank with a local Credit Union because they do not charge fees for having an account. They also offer a rewards program where you get a point for every $5.00 you spend using your debit card.  We have had the account for a little over a year.  We had earned some points, and I used them to order something for my husband for father's day.  I am super excited.  We have an nice little package to put together for him that will have cost us .75 cents out of pocket so far!

Today a friend treated me to Panera and I found out on my rewards card with them that I have free coffee for a year!  That is super exciting....I can't figure out how or why I have it....but I am excited either way.

We also after weeks and weeks of waiting have our first round of mealworms that we were able to breed ourselves!  I was about to give up and feed the adult beetles to my lizard, when I spotted lots of tiny little baby meal worms.  I learned how to do this on ehow.  We have two lizards that eat the meal worms.  Once I plant some greens we will be able to feed our lizards from our personal stock of things here at home!  That will be so exciting.

Shopped Walmart on Sunday when they start marking down the stuff they need to move, and scored two rotisserie chickens for $1.99 each.  So far one has been stretched for at least two meals.  

The final thing I can think of this week is that we were saving to do a big surprise party for my son's 10th birthday that would have been kind of expensive but worth it.  My husband asks him what he wants to do for his birthday....he says he would be fine with staying home and just having a few friends over.  I can do that....Might as well do what he wants right!

I hope each of you have had a wonderful week.  Everything you do is important.  Don't let anything or anyone tell you otherwise.