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 $25 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:   We had another blizzard here yesterday.  The girls were off all day, so between that and the snow, I didn’t get much done.  I did did do a lot around the house.  The girls had lots of fun playing out back in the snow.  I made grilled cheese and hot cocoa for lunch. I also cleaned our bathrooms and washed the sheets on our bed.  I took advantage of the Kmart BOGO for $1 sale to get the girls winter boots.  They ended up being $12 each.  After dinner we drove over to our local Kmart to pick them up.  

I made all meals at home.  I made a big pot of spaghetti for dinner.  I cut the meat in half and saved the rest for another meal.  Nobody noticed, not even Ro who is a major carnivore.  I checked in on my Ebay listings.  There aren’t any bids yet, but it’s only been 24 hours, so I’m not too bothered by it.  I signed up for 2 free magazine subscriptions and got a few others in the mail.  I added some MyCokeReward points to my account.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 $25 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:   I had myself a fun little frugal day yesterday.  I got a free medium coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts because our hometown team won their game on Sunday.  I also picked up a 5lb. box of Cuties (little oranges) from someone on Freecycle who’s kids didn’t like them.  The girls love them.  I also went to CVS and Walgreens for a few deals.  The mail contained a few freebies including a 4 pack of Starbucks K-cups and a lotion sample.  

I made all meals at home yesterday.  I actually had left over mashed potatoes from Sunday, so I used those and added a new meat and veggies and voila – easy, cheap meal ! I listed a few things on Ebay last night that should sell.  That should help us add a few $$ to the old savings account.  I managed to find new uniform shoes for Kayla for only $7.89 online last night with FREE shipping and I’ll get 6% cash back from Ebates too. I had just paid $54 for Olivia’s over the weekend, but they didn’t have her size anyway.  I was thrilled to snag them for Kayla though as hers are getting too small as well.  I also grabbed 2 long sleeve graphic thermal t shirts in their favorite colors for Christmas gifts for them.  My total for the shoes and 2 shirts was only $12.18 shipped.  You have to love that !  I did a few surveys last night and added 68 Swagbucks.  It was a pretty productive day

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 gettting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   It snowed a blizzard here yesterday.  We were expecting a coating or maybe an inch at most.  It started flurrying around 9:30 and it was still snowing by 9:30 last night.  Before it started snowing too badly I ran to get Olivia new uniform shoes.  I can’t believe how fast her feet are growing.  She is only 6 and the shoes we bought yesterday are a 4.5, which is really big for 6.  I guess since Ro wears a size 19 we’ll have to add $$ to the shoe fund.  These particular shoes cost $53.  They are the second pair I’ve bought her since school started.  This is why I need to coupon – ha ha.  

We had 2 parties to go to for the same person.  My brother and his wife split up a few years back (unfortunately), so we went to my niece’s party at my brother’s and then to my niece’s party at my sister’s house(dropped the “in law” a LONG time ago).  We had a great time at both parties.  We gave her a basket with lots of free (after coupons) make up and a gift card to Target that I earned from a survey company.  The only issue we had was the snow and ice.  The girls have a 2 hour delay today, so they get to sleep in a little.  I earned some Swagbucks and did a survey before turning in ! It was a good weekend.  I hope you had one too.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   We had lots of family fun yesterday.  We went to a breakfast Christmas brunch in the morning.  They had all kinds of food there.  It was really great to be able to sit, relax and chat with friends. At the end of the brunch there was tons of food leftover.  They asked us to take home a few boxes of pancake mix and a few new bottles of syrup.  These girls of mine love pancakes, so of course took them.

After breakfast we made a pit stop and got our Christmas tree.  I noticed that the prices were higher than last years prices.  When I went to pay I noticed that it took my last dollar.  I said something like “Wow, that cost all of our money” meaning the bills I had on me.  Olivia heard me and spent the rest of the night worried about our finances.  No matter how I tried to explain that we were ok and that we still had some money in the bank, she just kept seeming stressed about it.  The upside was that she didn’t ask for one thing at the store ha ha.  The rest of the night was uneventful.  We did enjoy going out to look at lights before bed !

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   I went to the Christmas bazaar at my old work yesterday.  I sold chili like I do every year.  It was a cold, rainy day so there weren’t as many customers as usual.  I had a great time hanging out with my old coworkers and the kids.  I broke even with the chili when you factor in the supplies, but I barely noticed because it was so nice seeing everyone.  I did get the girls a few Christmas books at $.50 each.  I also got a few free pretzels.  We had chili and rice for dinner, so at least I didn’t have to cook.  

I ran to the grocery store after the girls went to bed.  We were out of fruit and I try to never let that happen.  The girls love their apples and bananas.  I picked up a few other bargains while I was there.  Today we are going to a free Christmas pancake brunch.   I’m hoping we have the time to attend a free kid’s workshop at Home Depot before brunch.  They will get the chance to make a free tic tac toe board.  They love playing it so I thought it would be fun for them.  We haven’t been able to get our Christmas tree yet because of all of the rain.  We’re hoping to go today.  When I was a kid my parents would wait until Christmas Eve to get the tree.  My mom would dress us in our rattiest clothes and mess our hair up hoping to get a sympathy discount on a tree.  I guess by Christmas Eve the tree sellers were happy to get rid of the trees.  Ro and I like to get our tree much earlier than that so we can enjoy it

I earned 112 Swagbucks yesterday.  I also did a few surveys and listed a few books on Amazon !   Yay, I’m so happy it’s the weekend.  

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day although I was exhausted at the end of it if that makes any sense.   I spent the entire day at my parent’s house hanging out with my mom so my dad could go to work.  We had a nice time.  I think I baked about 6 dozen cookies and made lunch for both of us.  I also made a lasagna that everyone seemed to love.  I did manage to run over to CVS in the morning before heading over to my mom’s house.  I got the free body spray that I posted about and 2 bags of the Hershey’s Kisses for only $.40 total. I was really happy with that.  

I spent a good part of the night making chili.  I make it every year for a Christmas bazaar at my old work.  I usually make 3 crockpots full.  I sell it for $5 a bowl.  I usually come close to selling out.  Today is the bazaar for this year, so we’ll see what happens. We may go and get our Christmas tree tonight.  The girls are really into Charlie Brown this year.  I asked if they wanted a Charlie Brown tree, but they’re not going for it – ha ha.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 $25 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:   Is it really bad that I Christmas shopped for the girls at Goodwill yesterday ?  Well I did (gulp).  I went with my parents to have a look around and there were some brand new books that I knew the girls would love.  I figured I’d rather pay $.47 each than $4 each.  I could only find one Magic Treehouse book though and Olivia is obsessed with them because their teacher is reading them to the class in school.   I also got 2 new(ish) games.  Now I just have to scrape the Goodwill stickers off lest they think that Santa shops there.  My mom had a good time getting some Christmas decorations and puzzles.  She’s really into puzzles right now.

I got a few awesome online bargains yesterday.  I got 2 games at Kmart for $5.  I’m hoping to pick them up today.  I made breakfast and dinner at home and packed the girls lunches for school.  I ate lunch with my parents, but low and behold my dad had a coupon.  He’s getting to be a frugal shopper now that he’s in charge of the money.  My lunch (and each of theirs) only cost $5.  We were all happy with that.  The mail consisted of more catalogs full of things we’re not going to buy – ha ha.  I did get a great deal at Kohls.com on 2 Nike swimsuits for the girls.  They were on clearance for $4 each and 20% off + FREE Shipping made them only $6.40 shipped for 2 Nike swimsuits.  That and the books were my favorite deals yesterday.  

I earned a few Swagbucks and did some surveys after the girls went to bed.  It was a pretty productive day !  I hope you had one too !

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   I woke up a little late yesterday, so I ended up taking the girls to school.  After doing that I ran to the grocery store to redeem some coupons that were set to expire last night.  I was able to get a free roll of paper towels, a 4 pack of Scott TP for $1, a free bag of frozen veggies, a free bottle of conditioner and a free orange.  I also bought supplies for chili that I plan to sell at a Christmas Bazaar on Friday.  It should be a fun day because I will get to see a bunch of my old coworkers.

I snagged a few online deals yesterday.  I got the Turbo DVD that I posted about last night.  I also got a few Amazon deals that I paid for with a credit. The mailbox was filled with catalogs.  I had to laugh because there was an American Girl catalog with a picture of an AG bike with a pet trailer.  Can you believe that the price for that bike (without the trailer) was 4X the amount of a real bike that I posted last night -crazy !!  I made all meals at home including a dinner of leftovers.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  We took the girls swimming after dinner.  We spent over an hour there and had a great time.  I paid the mortgage online.  I paid an extra $100, which isn’t much, but it’s a whole lot for a December payment if you know what I mean.  It was a good day !

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   Yesterday was a decent day.  Cyber Monday is always fun.  I did manage to snag a few deals.  I also ran to meet up with a fellow Freecycler.  She was giving away a big box of office supplies.  The box included 5 reams of printer paper, several notebooks, several packs of construction paper in a variety of colors, a huge thing full of blank CD’s that you can record on, a box of paper clips, staples and 4 bottles of white out.  I can’t figure out why anyone would give away printer paper.  Doesn’t everyone need it ?  Of course I use it for coupons and deal planning, but the girls also love it for drawing.  We are stocked up for awhile between the printer paper and all of the construction paper.  I listed a few of the girls coats that are too small on Freecycle.  Hopefully a few other little girls can use them.

I swung by Chick fil a because they were giving free breakfast entrees out.  I got a free waffle.  I actually didn’t like it that much, but it’s better to find that out when it’s free than when I’ve paid full price for it.  We got a lot of mail, but was a whole lot of nothing – catalogs, brochures, credit card offers (no thanks!).  I made all meals at home.  I made spaghetti with meat sauce and rolls for dinner and it was a hit.  The girls went back to school yesterday after the Thanksgiving break and they came home with tons of homework.  We spent about 2 hours on it.  Once they went to bed I worked on a few surveys and earned some Swagbucks.  It was a decent day.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   My day yesterday was exhausting – ha ha.  We got all of our Christmas lights up using only what we had on hand.  I was so tempted to go out and buy a new this and a new that, but in the end we decided to be frugal.  Last week I got an estimate for someone else putting up the lights, but they wanted a staggering $100/hr.  I could never pay that kind of money for that.  We are getting such satisfaction from having done it ourselves.  The only problem was that we did it totally backwards the first time and had to do it again.  My legs were so tired and achy last night that it was hard to walk upstairs to go to bed.

I did run to the grocery store yesterday to get a few things for the lunch boxes.  I made all meals at home last night and packed the lunches for today.  I clipped some coupons  for deals that I want to do today.  I listed a few things on Ebay and prepped a few that I sold already for shipping today.  

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   We had a super fun family day yesterday.  Actually Ro had to work, but we had fun with extended family.  I went first thing and picked up a bunch of stuff from a lady I’m friendly with from Freecycle.org.  She was giving away a case of Kraft mac ‘n cheese cups, 6 boxes or Rice a Roni, 6 boxes of microwave popcorn (3 bags each), a brand new set of really nice king size sheets, 3 First Grade workbooks and huge bottles of TreSemme shampoo.  I gave a lot of it to my brother because money is kind of tight and they have 3 little kids.  He was really excited.

After lunch we took my brother and his family and one of my sisters and my nephew swimming with us.  The place we swim had an open house, so everyone had a blast swimming together.  We stayed for a few hours and then stopped to have a slice of pizza.  Actually between the 12 of us we got 2 pizzas and drinks.  My brother insisted on treating even though we were doing a tug of war with the check billfold.  I did get him to let me leave the tip.  They had a special at the pizza shop, so I think it was only $30 for the 12 of us, which wasn’t bad for dinner out for 12.  

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the December winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   I didn’t have my typical Black Friday yesterday.  My normal BF is to get up at around 3:45 am and meet my mom and sister at Kohl’s or some other store to start shopping ending at around 10 am with breakfast.  As it turned out this year our Thanksgiving company didn’t leave until midnight and the girls didn’t get into bed until around 11:30 pm. I think we all slept in until around 9:15 or so.  By the time I was showered and downstairs it was around 10 am.  I think it’s the first year I’ve done that in a decade or two.  That being said, it was great.  I felt happier about it as the day went on.

I had a $10/$10 purchase coupon that had to be used by 1 pm at Kohl’s.  I was able to snag a Christmas tablecloth that was 55% off for only $1.24 after the coupon.  I was in line by 12:30 or so and I was shocked at how long the lines were.  I can’t imagine what it looked like at 4 am.  I watched the news last night and they were showing all of the BF fights that had broken out.  At one of the malls not too far from here there was a fistfight (in front of children) that ended in one of the women using a stun gun on the other woman.  WHAT ? That is so crazy.  What is wrong with people these days.  I’m all for a good deal, but I have to draw the line at carrying a stun gun – ha ha.

Ro and I did take a ride out to one of the outlets nearby in the afternoon. I was looking for this awesome blanket that my mom has.  It’s a faux throw that is so luxurious. The girls and I do a lot of snuggling and it’s a necessity to have a cozy blanket to cuddle under.  I was excited to get the blanket less than 1/2 off.  I also splurged and got a little lighted tree for in front of the fireplace.  It can be used year round (just branches with lights ), so it was a good buy.  All meals were made at home yesterday.  We had turkey followed by more turkey.  Ro was very happy with his Thanksgiving meal so he was quite happy to have it again.  I actually caught him eating a cereal bowl full of coleslaw mid-day.  I had to wrestle the big serving bowl off of him lest he eat the whole thing.  I guess he likes my coleslaw.  Maybe I should make it more than once or twice a year.

I took the girls for FREE slurpees at Turkey Hill.  They had to have their own little BF deal, didn’t they ?  We drank them as we drove around a few neighborhoods looking at the Christmas lights that are popping up all over.   I hope you guys had a fun day.  Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st ? Wow !

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 $25 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:   I didn’t leave the house yesterday.  I spent the day cooking and enjoying family.  My brother and his family came to dinner and then my nephew and his expecting wife came for dessert. We had a great time. My brother helped me weather proof the window in the girl’s bedroom.  It’s been a little colder in there than in the rest of the house and I am trying to do what I can to make it warmer in there.  I didn’t do any deals or shopping yesterday.  I was tempted to run out for a few deals, but in the end I just felt like getting everything done so I could enjoy the rest of the night.

How was your night ? I hope you had fun with your families.  I haven’t decided what I’m doing today with it being Black Friday.  I may run out and do a few deals, but I didn’t get up and out by 4am like I normally do.  I just think there are so many online deals to do without fighting the crowds and standing in line for hours.  Whatever you’re doing I hope you are having fun.  Make sure to leave a comment to let us know about all of the bargains you are able to snag !

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   The girls were home from school and Kayla didn’t feel much better.  I ended up taking both of the girls to the doctor and they got tested for strep throat and sure enough they both have it. We got antibiotics, so between the copays and the meds it was $44.  I also got them each a $1 ICEE to soothe their throats.  Luckily they started feeling better hours after they took their first dose.  The doctor assured me that they will no longer be contagious by dinner tonight, so we should be okay to have our company.  I did call and let everyone know so they could decide if they wanted to ditch us or not LOL.  Everyone is going to risk it.  I spent some time cleaning and disinfecting everything, so hopefully we’ll be okay.

I made all meals at home.  The mail contained a sample of K-cups.  It also included a $5 gift card for Sam’s Club and a $10/$10 purchase card for Kohl’s.  I do not enjoy shopping at Kohl’s on Black Friday because the lines are crazy and my fellow shoppers seem a tad bit grumpy (that’s putting it mildly), so it takes the fa la la out of my first shopping trip of the season.  I’ll have to find another time to use my $10/$10 coupon. 

I ran into Walgreens to get a few deals including $.99 eggs.  I also used an in store coupon to get $.39 padded mailers for items that I had to ship out for Ebay.  I ran over to the post office to ship 2 of the items.  I may have to get more of the mailers before the sale ends on Saturday.  My brother and his family are coming to dinner tonight.  He was telling me that there is a gift he REALLY wants to get for his son and even though money is VERY tight, he wants to get it.  I was so excited that I found it for $76 less than he was hoping to pay ($124 instead of $200).  I’m going to pull him aside and tell him tonight.  Hopefully it helps him out a little.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends.  I want you to know that I am truly thankful for each and every one of you.  I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful holiday with people you love and care about.  I hope if you are making a meal it’s easier than you thought and more delicious that you imagined it would be.  Enjoy and have a glass of wine for me !  Darn, I forgot to buy any wine.  Oh well…

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   It was kind of a rough day around here yesterday.  Kayla woke up saying she had a tummy ache.   She got up and dressed and seemed to feel fine when she got on the bus.  I think on 6 of every 10 days one of the girls says they don’t feel well when they wake up.  They usually get a drink of water, get dressed and perk up.  Anyway, since she felt better I sent her to school.  Apparently she didn’t feel well all day long in school.  She slept from the time she got off of the bus until she went to bed at 9.  Now I feel like the crappiest mom alive for having her go to school.  Oh well, hopefully she’ll feel better today.  

While my poor, sick child was sitting in school, her crappy mom (that’s me) went to to take care of her mom.  We made 3 pumpkin pies and a huge cheesecake for Thanksgiving.  It was good to get a jump on all of the preparations.  I hope to get the coleslaw made today, so that I don’t have to do everything tomorrow.  My brother and his family are coming.  I just hope Kayla is better in time.  On top of Kayla not feeling well, my mom was feeling really sad for most of the day.  She’s been pretty “up” lately, so it’s totally normal to have a day when you just feel sad.  She still can’t speak although she does say some words here and there.  

I didn’t do any surveys or earn many Swagbucks yesterday.  I had such guilt I just held Kayla for most of the night. I did take advantage of a few Amazon deals with a credit.  I got the Bubble Guppies DVD deal and a few others.   I hope today is a better day .  Hope you had a good one though…

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   I had a busy, busy day yesterday.  I am hanging out with my mom today, so yesterday was my day to get the Thanksgiving shopping done.  I used my $20 certificates (used 2, still have 1) to get all of the food.  I also baked 2 loaves of Amish bread.  After doing the shopping I went and picked up a bunch of food that my favorite Freecycle.org friend was giving away.  It included 4 boxes of applesauce sippers, a HUGE box of Goldfish crackers, 3 boxes of cereal, the biggest unopened jar of Jif peanut butter I’ve ever seen, granola, baking soda, soup and 5 bags of pistachios. All of the food was new and unopened.   Later in the day she emailed back to see if I could come back today because she forgot to include a few things.  She also asked if we had a King size bed because she had a new set of sheets to give away.  

I’m going to share the food with my brother and his family because money is tight there and I know they’ll put the food to good use.  They are coming to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, so I can give them lots of stuff to take home.  I’m going to try to get some of the desserts made today while I’m at my mom’s house.  She has a few pies to make too, so I can help her while I make mine. The mail included 2 four pack samples of K-cups and a few free magazines.  I made all meals at home and earned some Swagbucks.  I listed a leather coat on Ebay last night.  We originally bought it on Ebay for Ro, but it was listed as a 4XLT, which Ro needs.  When it came it was a 4XL.  I asked the seller about it and told him that we needed to return it because it wasn’t long enough (Ro is 6ft. 10 and the T stands for Tall).  The seller told me to keep the coat and resell it.  He refunded all of our money.  It’s a really nice, new coat.  I finally got around to relisting it.  We’ll see how it does.  

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   I had a decent day yesterday.  I ran out to get our turkey because Ro only has until today to present the receipt to get reimbursed at work.  I got one that was just about the amount that we will get back.  I also got a few other great buys at the store including a few 5lb bags of flour for $.99 each + a few other deals. We came home and relaxed for awhile.  The actually girls went off playing – nicely (a rarity) and I actually fell asleep for 45 minutes.  It felt so good.  

I ran over to CVS to snag a bunch of their freebies (after ECB’s). I went a little later in the day because of my nap.  I was surprised that they still had every deal I wanted.  The only issue was that the ECB machine ran out of paper halfway through printing my rewards.  The cashier had to call the manager.  They came up with a solution to give me a credit back to my debit card for all of the items.  I was happy with that, obviously.  

We ate breakfast and lunch at home and then went to my sister’s house for dinner.  They are going to be away at Thanksgiving, so we had what we lovingly called “Fake Thanksgiving”.  We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all of the trimmings.  It was our dress rehearsal for the real deal on Thursday.  Everything was really good and it was nice to be together – as usual.  I did some surveys and caught up on my Swagbucks after the girls went to bed.  The only bummer of the day is that somehow Kayla’s winter coat has gone missing and it’s about 25 degrees around here.  Her old coat won’t zip.  I was going to head out to Kmart after our pre-Thanksgiving meal, but my sister found a gently used coat that one of her daughters used.  Olivia fell in love with it, so she is lending Kayla her coat and using the new(to us) one.  It saved me having to run around last night buying one.  Hopefully her other one will turn up…

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 getItting debt free each day. One winner will be chosen to win a $25 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:   We had a fun day yesterday.  We took a road trip to try to get Ro a pair of sneakers at a discount store.  He wears a size 19, so we try to find them as inexpensively as possible.  The trip was a total bust because we drove about 30 minutes only to find out that the store had closed down.  Poor Ro was so bummed.  We did enjoy our little Road trip though.  We stopped for lunch.  It was less than $30 for the 4 of us and it was really good.  It was a splurge, but I didn’t spend all of the allotted grocery money this week, so it worked out. Hmmm, now we still have to figure out where to get GIANT shoes at a little, itty bitty price – ha ha. Ro looked around some on Ebay, but he didn’t see anything he was crazy about.  

We ate dinner at home.  My cousin and his wife came to visit for a few hours around dinnertime.  They are expecting their first child and they are over the moon.  It was so fun.  I have written about John and Mia here before because they are a very special couple.  I couldn’t be happier for them.  I did the drugstore deals for all of us last night.  There are some fabulous deals to be had starting today.  Be sure to go early to get in on them.  I mapped out my deals.

My favorite deal that I did yesterday was done at Toys R Us.  I realized at about noon that yesterday was the last day to cash in two Groupons I had bought for Toys R Us.  The total value was $25.  My sister in law had also given me a $5/$25 purchase coupon.  I went to TRU and ended up getting $30 worth of Christmas presents for the girls for only $.77 !  It was awesome.  I got 2 gifts for each of them (on clearance) and most of their stocking stuffers.  I have to start finding hiding places for presents around here because these girls of mine get nosier by the minute  I earned 82 Swagbucks.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…

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 $25 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:   I had a pretty good day yesterday.  Ro was off with me so we went to our usual breakfast spot.  They have a $1.79 breakfast special.  I also did a good deal at the grocery store. My store is running a promotion where when you spent $100 on select gift cards you get a $20 catalina towards your next purchase.    I was able to get catalinas for $60 worth of FREE food that I can use this week.  It will pay for our Thanksgiving dinner + lots more !  I was really excited.

We ate lunch and dinner at home.  I am working on cleaning out the freezer and fridge in preparation of Thanksgiving.  Speaking of which, the buffet server I got on Amazon the other day with a credit arrived yesterday.  It’s really nice.  It has 3 compartments to keep everything warm.  It should come in handy next week.  The mail contained a few FREE magazines and a bunch of holiday catalogs.  I earned some Swagbucks throughout the day in between activities.

What did you do? Leave a comment We’d love to hear about it  You could make 2013 your year. Who will the November winner be ? We’ll see…