One of the biggest reasons for creating MommyLuvs2save was to create a community of moms and dads who want to help their family save money when buying essentials in order to free up money for debt repayment. My own family has paid off over $111,500 in consumer debt including credit cards, student loan debt and 2 vehicles. I am a teacher at heart. I want to use the skills that I have learned to help YOU ditch debt. I want to encourage each of you in your efforts so that one day you can feel the freedom of being debt free. I’m not quite there yet either (we still have a mortgage) so I need encouragement as well 
It can be very difficult to pay down debt. There are many temptations to spend money. We live in a culture that encourages debt and spending. In addition, expenses come up and there never seems to be any extra money for paying down debt. I want to urge each of you to participate in a challenge. Just leave a comment about one positive step you’ve taken for your family each day. Did you eat in instead of going out? Did you save money at the grocery store? Did you pay extra on your credit card? Leave a comment below and we will cheer one another on every day and every step of the way.
The challenge is to leave a comment about what YOU have done to work on getting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $50 Amazon gift card at the end of each month. To participate in the challenge you must comment on at least 10 posts during the month.
* I will also be sharing my progress from the day prior.
My Progress: Ohhh yesterday was a fun deal day. I went to Big Lots for the Friends and Family 20% off day. I was so excited because they had our favorite bread (Nature’s Own) for only $1.30 per loaf minus the 20% + Town House crackers for only $1.50 – 20% = $1.20 per loaf. The regular price at the grocery store is $2.99 each, so it’s quite a nice savings. I got 6 loaves. I got a few other things, but stuck to the list even with my two little “helpers”.
I did the Walgreens Lays/Doritos deal twice. It ended up being $.62 for each bag and I got 32. We are set for the girl’s birthday party and pretty much any other party for the next few months. The cashier was a guy and he obviously thought I was hosting the biggest superbowl party ever. Don’t worry, I left lots for future shoppers. It was a great deal and it didn’t require any coupons, which was awesome. My stockpile is starting to be awesome. I promise to take pictures of it next week. I know I’ve promised before, but I “ultra” promise this time ~ he he.
Well, ahem, here is the expensive part of the day. My little Olivia has wanted a dog since she could say the word “dog”. My mom has a golden retriever and she has a friend where she got hers. Well, there is another litter and of course my mom called me. We went last night to check them out you should have seen the girls. Well, long story short we are getting a little guy and no it’s not free. I know I should have/could have gone to the shelter, but I’ve always wanted a Golden and since I know this is a reputable place, I (we) felt it was worth it. Our new little friend will be coming to live with us next Saturday. We are in the process of coming up with a name. The two contenders are Max (from their favorite show “Max and Ruby”) and Biscuit (after the star of the Biscuit early readers). I think we’re leaning towards Biscuit. Any ideas? I spend a little time putting a few requests on Freecycle to see if anyone has puppy stuff. Hopefully we can defray the costs a little bit anyway. Olivia is giddy over the puppy. Every sentence she speaks contains the word puppy.
What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it You could make 2013 your year. Who will the January winner be ? We’ll see…
Oh, I am so excited for your girls! It’s like Christmas all over for them.
My son’s name is Max, so we found out (4 years ago) that we were having a girl, everyone was bugging us about what we would name her, even though we didn’t have a clue. So to hush people up, we would say “Ruby” and if they had a toddler at home, they would get the joke and laugh. 
Oh the girls are going to LOVE him!!! We had a dog that was 12 yrs old that died at the beginning of Dec. my kids grew up with this dog, and of course we were heart broken (my hubby said I was taking it harder than the kids…which I believe that I was looking back). So my hubby found a dog which was the same as our last..a Rottweiler locally, he was the last one in the litter and they only charged me what they had in vet bills for him. I picked him up 2 days before christmas and my family couldn’t be happier! This snow makes it tough for him though : ) but he loves it!
Yesterday was a “No Spend”day for me. Especially since so much $$ was spent earlier this week. Will have to go to the store today since we are going to get another round of snow here again along with freezing rain. Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe week!!
That’s awesome about the dog! We debate back and forth on getting one, but we’re holding off for now, especially since we move so much and don’t know what the future will hold. Maybe when the kids are older.
Yesterday wasn’t too bad. Sold a few things and got paid for a custom sewing order. Returned a couple things to Kmart. Went and bought my birthday cupcake for the kiddos and I to share today. Went and redeemed my gift certificate my husband got me for Christmas for a massage. It was nice to be in the quiet, but the whole thing was just okay. My mind is too busy right now.
Today should be fun! Going birthday shopping with a friend and will hopefully exchange my Coach bag and wallet that I’m not too fond of for something else. Should be a fun day!
I’m so excited that you are adding a puppy to your family. I do however want to share 2 sites with you because I am very strongly into rescue and we foster animals. Reputable breeders don’t just have litters available usually so I will just share these websites with you so I don’t sound preachy. There are many breed specific rescues out there that can find you the breed you are looking for. All of our pets are from rescues and they are the best animals ever.
http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html
https://sites.google.com/site/petsboardfaqs/home/getting-a-new-pet/finding-a-reputable-breeder
Thanks for sharing. That’s wonderful that your family does that. We had a very bad experience with a bad breeder 8 years ago. We got a black lab puppy and he died from cancer at only 5 months old. It was awful. I would never want to go through that again, so I wanted to go with what I knew was a good place. Thanks for sharing the information so it doesn’t happen to others
I also have something I’ve been meaning to share with you ladies I just keep forgeting when I come on to post. There is an app called Viggle that you can download and you check in to tv shows and get points for checking in plus bonus points for checking into specific shows during primetime. When you accumulate enough points you can trade for gift cards. Its really easy to do and once you check into the show you don’t actually have to watch it, you just have to be checked in for 10 mins to gain the bonus points. I’ve included a link http://join.viggle.com/eeyoreem
Yesterday we had breakfast at McDonalds after the 9:00 game. I spent $2 at the concession stand while at the game. I ended up buying a large package of Gatorade to keep at the house and to take with us to the game so my kids wouldn’t be asking constantly to go the concession stand. I hate to see how much money I have spent during basketball season. Sometimes I wonder if its a good idea to have your kids in sports. I know it is good for exercise but they will nickel and dime you to death. Between concession stand, entry into the games, warm up suits, t-shirts, ads, gas money, etc. its crazy.
I wonder why you don’t buy water bottles and refill them with water before each game? No kid needs the sugar of gatorade and it is expensive; it is alarming how we now think there needs to be food and pop or the like at every event—sports, work meetings, social get togethers. It is like we think we are going to starve to death if we are not always within the sight of food. YOu are right, sports participation is expensive enough, and it is a good lesson for kids to learn that to get one thing (like sports) you economize in another (like drinking water instead of juice). I think you save two ways—on the drink and then later on not having dentist bills from cavities brought on by sugar. (And, speaking personally, most of my adult life has been a struggle with weight. My parents meant well, but they did us no favors with constant juice, desserts every night and rewarding or consoling us by taking us to McDonalds.)
I returned some things I didn’t need yesterday. I stopped by goodwill and found a nice little bedside table for $3.95! I cleaned it up and will paint it today. Amazing what you can find there.
Awww the golden reminds me of our golden/lab mix, Sugar. Just have to say, best dog ever, they are so great with kids. Our Sugar is gone 2 years now but I still miss her. She used to get all excited and all 4 paws would prance like a Lipizanner(sp?) Stallion. We thought she would outgrow it when she was no longer a puppy, but she always did it whenever she was excited! Congrats on the new family member!
Tempted to go out to eat last night but went home and finished our leftovers instead.
Congrats on the puppy…they are wonderful additions to a family. Our Pitt bull (they are also awesome dogs with kids) passed away almost a year ago and as much as we wanted another pit we downgraded to a smaller dog so that we could take him places with us so in came Tyson the whippet. My kids had a few names picked and after we went to the foster home (he was a rescue). We were in the car and the kids were back there asking the dog what name he liked…whenever they said Tyson his little tail would wag like crazy.
I know when we were looking for puppy things we found a lot on craigslist.
Welcome to the pet owner family. We have three dogs and we had a goat.. next is chickens. A little money spent yesterday on groceries. Made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. I figured I would jump on the bandwagon. Hoping to a no spend day today, hoping for a no spend day today.
Funny you mentioned names. Just yesterday I was talking to my daughter about what names they have as contenders for the baby she and my son-in-law are expecting. I can’t imagine why, but she didn’t like the names I suggested. Since you asked for suggestions, I will offer them to you. How about Ford, Nixon or Reagan? I personally think they would be a fine name for any lucky child or 4 legged friend to have! No matter what the name, having a pet will bring a lot of joy to your lives. Congrats on your addition!
Yesterday I wrote and submitted another 5 reviews for ViewPoints. I was surprised to see them with another paying offer again so soon. Other than that, it was a very low key day. Still not feeling 100%. Staying home, getting extra rest and not spending any money.
Congrats on the new puppy! We have 2 dogs & love them! I can’t wait for you to post a picture of the girls with the puppy-they are adorable!
Worked a few hours from home today before hubby & I went to a movie & grabbed pizza on the way home. Love that since it was paid with cash from our envelopes, I didn’t have guilty feeling.
I read something years ago. When naming your dog, you should have the name be 2syllabels because most commands are one . I have been debating a fur baby , my current one is 17+ .
Yeah, we’re thinking Biscuit. Wow, 17+ you must be a good doggie mommy !
Congrats on the new puppy. I love all of our animals. I can’t imagine my house without them.
Yesterday the boys had a basketball skills special olympics event. They were feeling good on Fri & the event is low key. No running etc. We did stop out for lunch at a place my daughter used to work since we were in the area (almost an hr from the house) It was $34 for the 4 of us. Yikes! They were thrilled so it was worth it. The rest of the day they just rested up & we watched a movie in the evening. I planted cilantro, basil, & dill. It’s been in the 70′s here.
I got my first check for mystery shopping. It was only $15 but it was a fast food shop so not too bad.