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.