Shopping List for August 28th- Sepetember 2nd

This week has a ton of great BOGO offers and both food and non-food essentials.  Here's the items I think are the most stock up worthy:

Heinz Ketchup

Luzianne Tea Bags

Kraft Shredded/Blocks of Cheese

Reynold's Aluminum Foil. 

(I used the printable link listed and was able to print 4 copies of the $.75 off Foil coupon!)

Ball Park Franks

Planters Peanut Butter

Also note that Winn-Dixie has dozen eggs for $.99 all week long

Click here for your complete printable shopping list 

Online Coupon Class ~GREAT DEAL TODAY ONLY~

Many people have wanted to take a coupon class from me but haven't found the right class time to match their schedule or are so busy with work and kids that it's almost impossible for them to leave home or work for my two hour class.  Here's a solution for you:

Today only, Crystal Paine, the author of the popular blog, "Money Saving Mom" has an incredible deal on her course called "Grocery University".  This is what Crystal says about "Grocery University":

What is Grocery University?

Grocery University is a 2 hour, 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget, regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.
This original, in-depth course goes deeper than anything you’ve ever seen before and will have you stretching your grocery budget further than you ever thought possible! It’s produced by my good friend, Carrie Isaac, a mom of five and owner of Springs Bargains.
In this course, Carrie has taken her years of experience teaching live seminars and developed a comprehensive strategy that’s proven to reduce your grocery budget. Carrie produced this course in 2010 and sold it successfully to thousands of people.
When I found out that Carrie was planning to discontinue selling Grocery University because her plate was too full, I approached her and asked if we could buy the rights to the course. We’ve been working on tweaking and updating the course over the past few months and it’s finally ready to be re-launched.

Here's how the sale works.  If you are reading this early in the morning, you can get an amazing price!  Even at full price it's a bargain if you use the techniques to reduce your grocery budget in half!

Don’t Miss Our Crazy Sale Tomorrow Only!

You won’t want to miss the re-launch TOMORROW. Trust me, the crazy, special, you-won’t-want-to-miss sale starts bright and early tomorrow morning and it’s worth getting up early for.
Why? Well, because the early bird truly gets rewarded:
5 a.m. CT – we’ll kick things off with the low, low price of $2.97
8 a.m. CT – price goes up to $3.97
11 a.m. CT – price goes up to $4.97
2 p.m. CT – price goes up to $5.97
5 p.m. – price goes up to $6.97
8 p.m. – price goes up to $7.97
11 p.m. – price goes up to $8.97

Click the banner to be taken to the buying page or for more information!

Shopping List August 14th

This week's shopping list is ready.  

Instructions for editing online:
1.  Open the link and choose download from the File menu.  I recommend downloading as an excel or spreadsheet.
2.  Delete the lines of items that you will not be purchasing this week.
3.  Enter how many of each item you do want to purchase under quantity.
4.  The total price should calculate itself.
5.  After you have your list complete, highlight the total column and hit the Auto Sum button which looks like a Greek E.
6.  Subtract your coupon amount and you should have a pretty good idea of your rough cost at the store.

This week's highlights:
Ground Beef for $2.49 per pound
Green Peppers $.69 each
Dove Shampoo, etc for $.40 each
Smithfield ham slices for $1.10 each
Peanut Butter and Jelly both BOGO in time for back to school and stocking the food pantry for Bradford County.  If donating you may drop off these items at my house and I'll make a group drop for the Food Pantry.

Click here for this week's shopping list!

Ways to Save Money: Kellogg's Family Rewards

While I'm fasting from teaching this year, I am determined to save money in every area of our life!  One of the biggest expenses for any family of any size is food.  Kellogg's offers a rewards program similar to Coke rewards. 

You sign up, enter codes from Kellogg's products and then you can redeem them for coupons, discounts, and free stuff.  I use mine for printing high value coupons, then pair those coupons with a BOGO sale.  Win-Win.

If you haven't signed up for an account you go to the Kellogg's Family Rewards  pageand enter your information.  You probably have some Kellogg's products in your pantry from recent sales on cereals, Pop-tarts, and Eggos.

Here are some free codes to help you get started too:

• HIMONEYSAVINGMOM for 100 points
• KFRSATURDAYBONUS for 50 points
• CEREALANDMILKABC for 50 points
• backtoschool2014 for 50 points
• GETFUELFORSCHOOL for 20 points
•  KELLOGGSBONUSPTS

The time I studied the wrong Sunday School lesson and then got asked to teach

God has asked me to write this blog, even at my own expense which I'm sure this post is going to be.  But my God is bigger than my own failings so I must tell you about this time I studied my Sunday School lesson so diligently, ready to discuss matters of deep importance, and ready to see God move.  Yeah, it was this past week.  I studied and blogged about the wrong lesson.  Then I was asked to fill in as teacher, unbeknownst to me yet, that I indeed was a week behind in the lessons!

It all started a week ago last Saturday.  I did not read or study my Sunday School lesson and it was Saturday night and I was feeling upset with myself that even though I had a whole week I did not pick up the lesson book once.  I made excuses; it had been a crazy week; we had been school shopping almost every day; it was hot.  Whatever.  I just didn't do it.  Then my husband and son come home from a marathon shopping day.  Tax Free Weekend. First of the month. Gone all day shopping. 

God bless them.  They came home with bags full of clothes that they didn't try on at the store!  It was a madhouse, dressing rooms were full, people were everywhere, I thought all the sizes were the same were the words my 14 year old son had coming from his mouth.  All I could think was they had wasted an entire day and may have little show for it.  Oh, irony of ironies!  I had an entire week to study 3 pages of a Sunday School book and it didn't happen. 

Knowing that both of them had band camp to attend beginning bright and early Monday morning, the laundry needed done, and their school shopping had to be finished because there would be no more days that would work out before school started, my husband made the executive decision that we would get up early Sunday and head back through the very same stores they had been to on Saturday to return, exchange, and find the right sizes.  This time with the two little girls, age 6 and 2.  Oh boy, it was going to be pure joy, said no mom ever.

So all of that to say that we didn't attend Sunday school.  I was off the hook.  I could just catch up the next week. 

Then last week, I picked up my Sunday School book, and just turned to the bookmarked page.  Ahem, last week's lesson!  I read, I studied, I prayed, I looked up commentaries on the verses to gain deeper understanding.  I loved that lesson.  It was meant for me!  It was all about hallowing God in our hearts and if He is truly the Lord of our life then we have everything we need to face our deepest fears, insecurities, and sufferings.  So timely in my life! I meditated on those words all week.

Saturday morning my friend, Kim, from Sunday School messaged me to ask if I might be able to fill in as teacher for our class.  Some work schedules had changed, and she thought I may be willing.  Oh yes, I said!  I am willing.  Last April, I had said to God, "I will do anything."  I meant it.  But then Saturday happened.  I was going in a million directions as a mom of 7 usually is and well, I thought I had it ready.  I mean I had read, studied, even printed quotes from Nik Ripken, then I printed some photos from the current persecution of Christians in Iraq, and I went with it.  I prayed, just a little, but mostly I was just relying on myself and what I had done to get me through the lesson.  This is a life-lesson that God is always trying to teach me!  Why don't I recognize it when I'm in the middle of an "I can do this, I've got this" moment?

So we get into the car, we are going to be on time because I made sure all of our outfits were ready, breakfast was easy, life was good.  Then as we turned the last corner into the parking lot, fear gripped my heart.  I realized that I had not been to Sunday School last week!!!!  Now I was scared, fearful, feeling out of sorts, the very thing I had read and studied through 1 Peter and 2 Timothy was about to be lived out in my life in the spotlight. 

2 Timothy 1:7   New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Now to be fair, the lesson was a continuation of on the topic of faith and definitely had some of the same overlying themes of rejoicing in the suffering and being blessed in persecution.   But the verses were different than what I had read and studied.  So right there on my way into class I asked God for forgiveness.  I had "puffed myself up" and became prideful that I was in control of that lesson when clearly that is not what God intended, that Sunday or any Sunday, in any class.  I asked Him to take control of the situation, to give me a clear mind, to help me use the right words to meet these ladies' needs on this Sunday in this class.  And He did!  And He always does!

Deuteronomy 31:6  New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

I'm not sure how the ladies felt about the lesson, but I sure did learn something valuable!  He is teaching me that whatever He has in store for me must be done through Him, in Him, by Him, for His Glory and nothing else.  It can't be about me, it can't be about what I can get from it.  It has to be about Him and His Kingdom.  And that is hard for this girl who has always prided myself on my own knowledge, my own resourcefulness, my own devices as you will; I am a very "me" centered person. 

He is chipping, ever so slowly, into the deepest recesses of my heart and soul to reveal His ultimate masterpiece that will reflect His love, His kindness, His justice, His Holiness, His Word, and His Goodness to this dark world.  Come Lord, Jesus, Come!

Goals for the Week of August 11th- 17th and how I did on last week's goals.

Goals for this week:

Home: 
1.  Get coupons purged and in order.  They have taken on a life of their own!
2. Begin on dresser transformation.  Didn't get started on this last week.
3.  Continue making sure all counters are cleared before bedtime and adding cleared floors! (If the floors and counters are cleared then it looks clean!)
4.  Go through bought school supplies and have kids get their backpacks ready.
5.  Make Sr. pic appointments for Brandi and Christin.

Marriage:
1.  Pray for Chris daily.
2.  Write Chris a sweet note for his first week back with students.  That first week is so exhausting and overwhelming.  I want him to know I am in it with him. 
3.  Transfer direct deposit information.

Finances:
1.  Call Directv and get lots of things canceled.  Since I'm not working this is definitely an area that has to go!
2.  Advertise coupon classes.  All money going toward electric bill!
3.  Shop wisely and carefully.

Personal:
1.  Study Sunday School Lesson
2.  Begin Wednesday night ladies' group study of "7" by Jen Hatmaker.  I will be blogging through this and am so excited!
3.  Finish "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode".

How I did last week:

It was a much more hectic week than I anticipated mostly because my husband, Chris was gone with Caleb to band camp and even though they came home Thursday, he still had band and orchestra commitments Friday and Saturday that sprung up.

Home-  I DID Manage to do most of these things!
1.  Bathrooms and kitchen counters cleared off before bedtime.
2.  Turn on the dishwasher!  Seriously, we all load our dirties all day long but no one actually turns the thing on!
3.  Make sure little girls leave no clothes on the floor.  They change like 1531 times a day.
4. Begin working on dresser transformation.  NOT YET!
5.  Finish reorganizing back porch since I brought home wooden shelves from school.  I found them sitting on the side of the road a few years ago and snagged them for my class.  Seriously, teachers fund almost everything you see in a classroom from their own pockets.

Marriage
1.  Pray for Chris everyday, especially this week while he's chaperoning band camp!!!
2.  Text him something sweet and nice once a day.
3.  Transfer our direct deposits to his account.  Tried to do this but the person in charge was on vacation.

Kids
1.  Call to make some dr and dentist appointments.  I think everyone needs one or the other, oh the joy! (Put this on hold until I know their before and after school practice schedules)
2.  Talk to each one individually about any other Back to School needs they have.
3.  Check on school schedules and enroll for FLVS if necessary for anything
4.  Begin reading from Junie B Jones, 1st grader to Camryn and Annika.  Camryn's going to 1st grade this year!  (We read through Chapter 5 and loving it!)
5.  Make Senior picture appointments for Brandi and Christin.

Personal
1.  Read and Pray with ifequip.com  Finishing up the study of Acts
2.  Read and Study Sunday School lesson
3.  Finish Undaunted by Christine Caine (Awesome book!!!)
4.  Finish Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine
5.  Walk the block 4 nights with the kids (only did this 1 night)
6.  Watch the debut of Jen Hatmaker's new show on HGTV Thursday night at 10 pm
7.  Attend "Sole Hope" party hosted by my fabulous friend Nikki.  We will be making it possible for kids in impoverished countries to have denim shoes to prevent Jiggers. (Caleb had a band camp performance and the very same time)

Blog/Business
1.  Post weekly menu  (Did not even do this!  With my husband gone, we mostly ate sandwiches or snacks, oops!)
2.  Type up some paperwork for "Angie's Grocery Fairy Service" 
3.  Watch sales information for Publix and Winn-Dixie to plan coupon order.
4.  Make weekly shopping list.
5.  Write 3 content blog posts this week.

Last Week's Frugal Accomplishments

I read and follow Brandi from "The Prudent Homemaker" blog.  Each week she posts her Frugal Accomplishments.  It is amazing the ways to save money and of course I can't remember everything that we did but here's a taste of what was frugally accomplished last week at the Hopkins's house.

Sunday:
~I went with my husband, Chris, and son to return clothing they had bought on Saturday that did not fit well.  They didn't try them on first.  I knew that they would both be gone all week for band camp and then tired next weekend.  So off we went.

~I used a 20% discount code to buy an already on clearance dress at JC penney for $25, instead of $60.  I need a few new church outfits and I loved the nautical knot pattern in my favorite colors of blue and grey.  Samantha even approved!

~I reused a piece of aluminum foil that was covering a bowl of leftovers.  I shared those with the baby girl for lunch and washed the bowl.  Then after supper I reused the bowl and the foil for a cover.  Maybe I can keep this up for a few days to actually encourage the eating of the leftovers!

~Chris  wanted to run to Walmart to pick up travel size toiletries for band camp.  I reminded him that we have a slew of travel stuff from recent trips plus a cabinet full of full-sized items.  Between both they were set with everything they needed.

~Reused shelves from my classroom for my back porch and some outside porch only toys.

Monday-  I have no idea what went on Monday!

Tuesday:
~While in Gainesville, I stopped by the bread store and bought lots of loaves and rolls marked down to $.50 each.  Some we will eat right away, a few others went into the freezer for next week.

Wednesday:
~~ Deep cleaning the bathroom with baking soda and blue Dawn dish soap solution

~~Reused two of Chris's no longer matching thick, white, ankle socks as my "rags" of choice.  They slip right over my hands making it possible to clean with both hands at once.  They are fabulous for cleaning around the sink and faucet.

~Salvaged a baggie full of lettuce from the nearly eaten, mostly forgotten iceburg in the refrigerator.  Will make at least two more sandwich toppings.

~Washed and dried some rugs outside while the kids played in the kiddie pool

Thursday:
~Added a bit of water to my conditioner bottle to get the last bit out.  Some of this lids can be difficulty but just twist until they pop off.  Just because the conditioner was cheap or free doesn't mean I shouldn't still try to get every drop out of it.

~Toothpaste is almost gone so I carefully folded from the bottom to get more to come to the top.

~Ate leftover chicken and dumplings for lunch

~Watched a braiding video on Youtube to try a new style bun for Ciarra's hair for dance class.

Friday:
~Entered all my recent mycokerewards that I have collected from all the BOGO Powerades we've recently bought.

~Entered my Kellogg's reward codes from all of our recent BOGO cereals and BOGO Eggo's

Saturday:
~Shopped sales with coupons and spent $25.00 at Walmart.  Uploaded my receipt to Checkout51 for $1.50 on milk and a bonus $1 for a special code I received from them.

~Uploaded same receipt for a free movie ticket for buying Freshchetta pizza.

~Used up some fresh peaches that I had bought at the fruit stand on Monday in a peach cobbler. 

Back to School Rebate from Publix

There's a great new Publix $10 rebate just in time for Back to School.  With this promotion when you spend $30 before coupons you will get back a $10 Publix gift card.  You can also have multiple receipts so everything doesn't have to be purchased in one trip.  Sign up here.

Here are the qualifying items:

Participating products include: Reddi-wip®, Chef Boyardee®, Banquet® Chicken, Pot Pies, Frozen Meals and Brown ‘N Serve Sausage™, Peter Pan®, Snack Pack®, Van Camp’s®, Libby’s®, Hunt’s® Ketchup, Orville Redenbacher’s® Gourmet® Popping Corn and Poppycock®, Crunch ‘n Munch®, Gulden’s® Mustard, Hebrew National®, Marie Callender’s® Frozen Items, Healthy Choice® Frozen Items and Soups, P.F. Chang’s Home Menu® Appetizers and Meals for 2, Bertolli® Frozen Items, PAM®, Slim Jim®, Manwich®, H.K. Anderson® Pretzels, DAVID® Seeds, Egg Beaters®, Tennessee Pride® Breakfast Sausage, Breakfast Sandwiches and Gravy and Wolf® Brand Chili.

Best deals this week are Chef Boyardee which are on sale for $1.00 each
You have a Publix coupon for $1 off 4 and a manufacturer's coupon for $.50 off 4. 
That makes them $.63 each.

Also Banquet Brown and Serve Sausage and the Orville Redenbacher are BOGO this week. 
The free one doesn't count toward the $30 but still makes it a great deal.
The sausage are $2.19 BOGO or $1.10 each. The Orville Redendbacher includes the 6 count boxes, 10 count minis or the jar of kernals and are priced at $5.59. 

Personally, we buy the jars of kernals when they are BOGO.  We like to make our own on the stove and all five of my big kids know how to do it.  Then we add our own flavorings.  Plus, if you buy the kernals you will be ready for fall crafts like this one from Pinterest.

Here's the best way to do the rebate this week:

Buy 16 Chef Boyardee

Buy  4 Orville Redendbacher

Buy 4 Sausage

Total= $31.56

Use the Pubix coupon= -4 (tell the cashier to enter the LU number 4 times)

Use the manufacturers coupons for Chef Boyardee= -2

Use a $5 off $30 if you have one.

Total paid-  $20-25.56

plus get back a $10 rebate. 

Sunday School on Thursday::1 Peter 3:13-16;4:1-2

Each Thursday I will share what I have studied for my weekly Sunday School lesson.

This week's title is "Ready Faith" and begins with the question, "When have you chosen to endure difficulty for a future benefit?"

I can say that I haven't done this nearly enough!  I can think of many instances where I should endure difficulties for a future benefit or times when I started out ready to be strong but then caved and gave up.  It's just hard to see that the pain and suffering for a time will reap benefits in the future.

My current failures:

*Potty-training my two year old!

*Teaching my kids to put away things when they are finished with them 

(I could still use this lesson myself!)

*Couch to 5K

*Diet after diet, plan after plan

*And tonight I totally failed to plan, prepare, and serve a meal at all.  Cereal, leftovers, bread dipped in marinara all counted as dinner tonight.  For real.

What God's word says:

And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 1 Peter 3:16-17

Can I just say that I love that this word comes from Peter, my current Bible crush.  He's saying who can do you harm if you are living and doing for Jesus.  But he's the same Peter that denied Christ before the crucifixion, not once, but three times because he was afraid!    He ran away.  He hid.  He cried.  He did not understand.  But evidently he had a change of heart, literally!  What happened to cause this change?  Sufferings in his life! 

I read a book a few years ago called "The Insanity of God" by Nik Ripken.  This book was told from Ripken's perspective as a missionary who went to third world countries to document the suffering of Christians who endured persecution.  What he found astounded him.  In the face of such public humiliations and physical sufferings by Christians in those countries, Christianity spread.  It was and is like wildfire under persecution.  Because people you love, day after day,  suffer physically, emotionally, and financially for Christ but yet at the same time their hope and joy multiplies, they sign more songs of praise, they defy human nature and don't turn and run.  They have strength and hope and talk of a glorious future.  Wouldn't you want what they have?  I would!!!  What did they know that so many of us don't?  Where did their strength and passions come from?  I think that it comes from this little, but powerful, part of the passage:

"but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts"

When I acknowledge Christ as Lord I am saying that I surrender to him because he is holy, set apart, the only one of his kind, the one who deserves all praise and glory.  If he sees fit that I suffer who am I to question it?  And when I suffer, I do not have to fear what I am up against.  The hope I have in Christ conquers all the fears I have of those that cause me to suffer or want to harm me.  

This is why Joseph did not fear when he was sold into slavery, why Moses was able to stand before Pharaoh, why David went up against a giant with a few stones, why Stephen continued to preach even while being stoned to death, why missionaries travel to places where Christianity is illegal, why Christians held home churches in communist Russia at the same time they were being thrown in prison, why a mom can endure prison in a foreign country even while pregnant and awaiting her death sentence for proclaiming Christ as her Lord. 

Do they have something that I don't?  Am I truly willing to suffer to advance the cause of Christ?  That is a hard question to answer while I'm sitting all cozy in my air-conditioned home with Internet, a refrigerator full of food, and three cars parked outside.  But what if it was all suddenly gone.  What if I suffered great loss?  What then would my testimony be?

Today I can truly say that I think I would choose the suffering.  That certainly would not have been my answer three years ago.  But a change has happened in my heart too, just like Peter.  Christ is sanctified as Lord of my Life in my heart.  

I know that He is who He said He is and He will do what He says He will do.  

Therefore, in the realization that I am going to be annoyed and have inconveniences and suffer and maybe even persecuted for my beliefs and the actions associated with those beliefs,  I will do as He commands in the rest of this passage.  I will be ready to share what Christ has done for me and why I had a change of heart.  I will tell others about the hope they can have in Christ.  I will do what He says is right.  And in all of these things, with Him as my Lord, I shall have no fear.

Shopping List for August 7th-12th

There is a fantastic Tide deal this week at Winn-Dixie.  I wrote the details on the Facebook page but here is how it breaks down:

Buy 9 Tide (44.91) plus 1 Downy or Bounce (4)
Use 3 $5 off 3 =$33
Use a $5 off $30/$50 if you have one. = $28
Send in for a $10 rebate. = $18
Plus get $.45 off per gallon in Fuel Perks

If you don't need/want to have that much Tide or don't want to mess with the rebate just buy 3 Tide for $14.97, Use a $5 off 3, making it $9.97 for 3 bottle of Tide plus get $.15 off per gallon in Fuel Perks.  

Other great deals are
BOGO Capri Sun
Free Ziploc bags when you buy Jif in the green flyer for Publix or BOGO Jif at Winn-Dixie

Click here for your weekly shopping list

Coupon Class at Lake Butler Church of God, Thursday, August 14th

I am excited to announce that the Lake Butler Church of God will be hosting a coupon class on Thursday, August 14th at 6:30 pm.  Anyone is welcome to attend the class for a fee of $20, which includes all of the handouts and guides needed to get started couponing and coupons that match the weekly sales.  Your first trip to the store will net you more than $50 in savings maybe even more.  After my last class a friend saved $300 the first week of shopping with my instructions.

Please click here to sign up.   You may pay by paypal ahead of time or cash at the door.  If you have any questions please comment below or message me on Facebook.

Looking forward to being in my hometown for an evening of fellowship and coupon talk!

The time when Annika had a fit about her grapes

While I was folding laundry for my son's band camp trip, Camryn, age 6, had helped herself to a bowl of grapes.  My kids know that fruits are always allowed for snacking and I try to keep some on hand that they can grab and eat.  Annika, age 2, wanted to be exactly like her big sister and wanted grapes too.  I was in a hurry, like a mama making sure her kid had clean underwear for a week and was leaving in 30 minutes hurry. I knew that I couldn't just ask Camryn to give her sister a bowl of grapes.  Grapes must be cut up for Annika because she's only two and this mama has choking kids on the top of her panic list.  But I didn't have a lot of time to stop and cut them either. 

Honestly, I tried to ignore her but she was whining, and then crying, and then throwing a real fit.  I stopped the laundry, went to the kitchen, grabbed the grapes, two plates, and a knife.  Once Annika saw the knife she started screaming again.  She wanted grapes right then, exactly the same way her sister had grapes- in a bowl, not cut.  I had recently watched this really cool video on FB of a guy cutting grapes with such ease.  He placed them between two plates and slid a knife carefully through all of them at once.  Yeah, didn't work for me. She's crying, I'm frustrated, it's a mess.

I get them cut up and hand them to her on the plate.  She looks at them and screams again.  "Not like them that"  "Not like them that" is what she's saying in her high-pitched, crying voice.  At this point, I walked away.  She's crying, grapes are sitting there, I left. 

Twenty minutes later I am finished helping my boy; he's leaving.  "Bye mom" and a quick hug.  I come back through the kitchen and she's happily sitting there eating her grapes.  The same grapes she didn't want cut up, the same grapes she screamed should would not like. 

Right there I was convicted.  I am that little, crying, sounding ridiculous kid to my Abba Father.  I see something I think I have to have right then and I have a fit.  Thankfully my fits aren't usually in public or with such drama but on the inside of me they are pretty much just like a two-year old.    But He knows best and maybe He says "it's good for them but it wouldn't be good for you in the same way".  Maybe He just wants me to wait on His timing.  And many times the very thing that I want may have been right in front of me and I refused to have faith.  After all, cut up grapes taste the same as whole grapes.  She just needed to grab hold of them to find out.

Considering the grapes, I have thought about my present situation a lot today.  I have to be honest that this month is a scary place.  I have no source of income.  Our "on paper" money has been cut in half.  God knows that my heart is to serve my family and families in my path in a very real and tangible way.  He gave me those desires.  He gave me a past that points directly to helping others survive poverty, cut expenses, get out of debt, and/or worry less about things and more about people.  How will I know what that looks like?  It's so easy for me to look at what others are doing and want my life story to look like theirs.  It's easy for me to demand that God show me right now how all of this is going to turn out.  It's easy for me not to see the good right in front of my face.  Please, oh Lord, help me to be your servant, with your eyes!  May I grab hold of your goodness, your love, your grace, and your mercy hour by hour as you show me the way!

Goals for the Week of August 4-10th

I started reading "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode" by Crystal Paine (Moneysavingmom.com) a few months ago.  At the time I couldn't even begin to put it into practice.  I was too stressed, too worried, too busy, and too depressed to think I could make a major change in my life!  Oh, how wrong was I?  Since deciding to quit my job, I picked up Crystal's book again and am going to make a go of actually using the techniques she teaches to help me in my new ventures in this new life of mine.

Crystal advocates making SMART goals, both short-term and long-term.  Here are my goals for the week, not in order of importance!

Home
1.  Bathrooms and kitchen counters cleared off before bedtime.
2.  Turn on the dishwasher!  Seriously, we all load our dirties all day long but no one actually turns the thing on!
3.  Make sure little girls leave no clothes on the floor.  They change like 1531 times a day.
4.  Begin working on a dresser transformation.  Pics to follow!
5.  Finish reorganizing back porch since I brought home wooden shelves from school.  I found them sitting on the side of the road a few years ago and snagged them for my class.  Seriously, teachers fund almost everything you see in a classroom from their own pockets.

Marriage
1.  Pray for Chris everyday, especially this week while he's chaperoning band camp!!!
2.  Text him something sweet and nice once a day.
3.  Transfer our direct deposits to his account.  We have separate accounts, yes we do!  Best thing we ever did for not arguing about money. 

Kids
1.  Call to make some dr and dentist appointments.  I think everyone needs one or the other, oh the joy!
2.  Talk to each one individually about any other Back to School needs they have.
3.  Check on school schedules and enroll for FLVS if necessary for anything
4.  Begin reading from Junie B Jones, 1st grader to Camryn and Annika.  Camryn's going to 1st grade this year!
5.  Make Senior picture appointments for Brandi and Christin.

Personal
1.  Read and Pray with ifequip.com  Finishing up the study of Acts
2.  Read and Study Sunday School lesson
3.  Finish Undaunted by Christine Caine
4.  Finish Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine
5.  Walk the block 4 nights with the kids
6.  Watch the debut of Jen Hatmaker's new show on HGTV Thursday night at 10 pm
7.  Attend "Sole Hope" party hosted by my fabulous friend Nikki.  We will be making it possible for kids in impoverished countries to have denim shoes to prevent Jiggers.

Blog/Business
1.  Post weekly menu
2.  Type up some paperwork for "Angie's Grocery Fairy Service" 
3.  Watch sales information for Publix and Winn-Dixie to plan coupon order.
4.  Make weekly shopping list.
5.  Write 3 content blog posts this week.

On being broke

I am about to be broke.  On purpose.  I am stepping away from my teaching job after 19 years in the classroom.  For the first time since I was 16 years old I won't have a paycheck.  This decision, of course, did not come lightly.  In fact, it is the most difficult decision I've ever made.  Oh, the idea of quitting was not so hard, after all being in education today isn't easy.  It is actually far from easy! 

For the past 4 years it has become increasingly difficult to do anything other than test kids, plan for testing kids, teach the test strategies, retest, and fear for the unknown when the scores were released.  Add to that a lack of provided curriculum and needed resources, less than one hour of quality planning per day broken into 20 minute sessions throughout the day, meeting after meeting to talk about nothing that would impact actual student learning, and just pure stress from the ridiculous Marzano requirements for teacher evaluation.  Seriously, teachers are supposed to have focused instruction while playing academic games while carrying on side conversation about  a student's baseball game last night.  Please come watch me do all of those things and more every day but not all within the same 30 minute window! Then please tie my hands behind my back with interruptions, unnecessary "professional" learning community discussions, and emails that should be read throughout the day to see if anything on my daily schedule has been changed for the umpteenth time.  The list goes on and on and on.  Ask any teacher you know about a typical day.  I don't think it would look anything like what you remember from your school days.

I am a great teacher by those made up, contrived standards.  I learned to teach strategically to the test and this year I had the most incredible kids ever assembled in one classroom.  Add to that, the fact that I got to spend 6+ hours a day with an incredible team of teachers, all of whom have become my best friends.  When my evaluation is finally complete (months after the school year was over) I expect that it will read "highly qualified".  Every student in my room passed the FCAT at level 3 and above.  I had three kids with perfect scores!  It was a great year and one that I will never forget.  I hope that the students and parents enjoyed third grade.  It sure seeemed like I was having the best year from the outside.  But on the inside I was dying, becoming bitter, and becoming "that teacher" I said I never would become. 

Everything became so satirical to me.  I couldn't even read a teacher blog without thinking "yeah, right!" or "that would take me hours to prepare".  I deleted boards from Pinterest where I had pinned cool teaching ideas.  I just couldn't look at them without thinking that it would not help the kids on the next test if we took time to do that or I would be jealous that somewhere, some awesome teacher actually had permission to teach with passion.  I bought 100's of items on Teacherspayteachers.com.  This is an equally awesome and disheartening site.  Awesome in that with a few clicks of a button I could buy quality teaching plans from other "in the trenches" teachers who were using these actual materials to meet common core standards.  Disheartening is the fact that teachers have had to devote an entire other 40 hours per week creating their own material, running a blog, and marketing their stuff to supplement both a lousy common core curriculum and their lousy paychecks as classroom teachers. 

In early December, a colleague in my district took her own life.  It was such a shock and caused so much pain in our community.  No one spoke openly about the reasons that she may have decided that ending it all was her best and only option but many teachers, especially those close to her quietly whispered their suspicion that recently released teacher evaluations did not help her mental state at the time.   She was known as a good teacher. One that helped students realize their potential.  Throughout her tenure as a teacher she produced quality students with quality work but that isn't always represented by end of the year test scores.  It left me wondering about my own mental state and desire that test scores shouldn't matter that much to me but they were the driving force for me to show up every single day.  The test.  The FCAT test.  The one where my results would justify my means.  Or would they?

In late December I was hospitalized from stress-induced hypertension and panic attacks.  I went on a variety of pills to help with both.  Funny though that on weekends my blood pressure would be within the normal range but as soon as I stepped foot onto campus it would sky-rocket.  Later in the year, closer to FCAT and while on medications, I asked a pod colleague to watch my class while I went to see the school nurse.  She took my pressure and told me that I needed to go straight to the ER.  That was a wake up call.

Interestingly though, through all of that, the idea of letting go of the paycheck is what was holding me back from verbalizing my thoughts on exiting teaching.  You see I like to earn money and  I like to pay my bills.  I like to eat and make sure my kids are fed.   But I (we? Him?) decided that money could not hold me there any longer.  "For where your treasure is your heart is also."  I treasure learning but I no longer treasured the four walls of my classroom where I spent my days teaching. I no longer could stomach the fact that teaching is now all about testing.  The state of Florida is adding even more tests this year and has plans to roll out elementary End of Course exams for kids as young as 7 years old next year.  I just don't understand.  As the farmers say "A pig doesn't get fatter by weighing it more."  Similarly, a student doesn't get smarter by testing them more, as seen in the stagnant and declining college ready kids leaving our public schools.  My oldest daughters will graduate this coming year.  They are the oldest of the "tested generation" and I see no difference it has made in their education.  They are not better off because of the testing and they certainly aren't anymore ready for college or career than students that I taught as seniors who graduated in 2002.   

For the past two years God has sent me on journey. A journey that He planned, prepared, and  instrumented just for me.  This journey included deep Bible studies, doing church with a Sunday school class of the most real women I 've ever known, books I read, blogs I visited, songs I sang in worship, weekly meetings with  a small group of ladies living for Him, Christian friends who challenged me to dig deeper, love more, and show love through service and many, many prayers.   I plan to connect all of those dots in a later post but for now I just want to share that I know that I know that I know leaving the classroom is God's will for me at this time.  He has shut doors and opened others so quickly in the past few months that His love and mercy is overwhelming.  My husband, Chris, has watched me on this journey and I'm sure at times has thought I was crazy.  But he is my partner, my love, and my biggest cheerleader and is sure that this is what God wants for me and our family.

You may be wondering what will she do?  How can her family of 9 survive on one teacher's salary?  I don't know all of the answers.  But I know the One who does.  He has shown me over and over and over that He is in control and He will provide.  My prayer back in March was "God, I will do anything for you."  So here's all that I know for sure right now about what is in store for my family and me. 

I know I have a personal relationship with the King.  He desires for me to have life and have it more abundantly.  He desires that I follow His will, not my own.  He has plans for me that will not harm me but prosper me.  When I question him He simply says, "I am".  When I lean on him I do not fall.  He knows everything about me and knew my deepest issues and insecurities when he knit my in my mother's womb.  He desires that I put Him first.  He asks that I love Him more than any other possession, goal, desire of my heart, person, or reputation I have had as a good teacher.  He says "Trust and Obey".  For the first time in my life I am at the point where I have fallen madly, deeply, insanely in love with His purposes, His kingdom, His people, and His ways.  He will light my path and direct my steps.  He is the potter and I am the clay.  I want to do His will and serve moms and their families.  What that looks like I'm not sure yet. 

I am sure I will be broke.  And broken.   My hope and prayer is that being broken for Him, by Him, in Him leads to the abundant life that He says is not only possible but is waiting for my family and me. I am stepping out in faith and will take it one step at a time following my Savior. I covet your prayers for my journey. 

All for Him,

Angie

What can you get for free or dirt cheap with coupons this weekend?

Using coupons allows my family to have name brand items that we use for free or very cheap.  Is it worth the work?  Oh, yes!  When you have a stockpile you have an emergency fund of a different kind.  If an unexpected bill comes up you can choose to shop from your own stockpile instead of the stores for awhile.  

I love this story that my friend, Michelle, told me recently.  It's nearing time for teachers and school support personnel to return to their jobs.  Many have not received a paycheck all summer and although teacher's do get paychecks they typically get them all at once in June.  Not the best situation even for budget minded people.  Anyway, Michelle's sweet mom is a school para.  She was getting ready for church when she realized she didn't have a bit of hairspray left in her can.  But she didn't panic like she may have in past summers.  She had plenty of cans saved up in her stockpile from earlier sales.  It may seems like a silly little thing but at that moment couponing and stockpiling showed their true worth.  Michelle's mom keeps smiling and looking pretty using up her stockpile all summer! 

 

Here's a list of free items in stores now with recent coupons.

~ Bic Razors at Walmart
Use the $3 off any 1 BIC disposables from the 7/27 SS

~ Lysol No Touch Hand Soap Dispenser At Walmart is $4.97
Use the $5/1 from 6/29 SS and it's free

 

Revlon Nail Files or Nail Clippers – $1.97
$3/1 Revlon Nail Product, exp. 8/9/14 (SS 07/27/14) - See more at: http://www.iheartthemart.com/category/walmart-coupon-insert-matchups/#sthash.9zlSfIYR.dpuf

~Revlon Nail Clippers or Nail Files $1.97-$2.27 At Walmart

Use the $3 off any Revlon Nail Product from SS7/27 and they are a Money Maker!

This is an instance where reading the coupon description allows you to use it on a variety of products not in the picture.  The picture only has a bottle of nail polish.

~Suave Professionals Shampoo at Dollar General  $2.00

Use the $1/1 from RP 7/27 or $1 printable here

Plus use this $1/1 Dollar General printable here