June Food Stamp Challenge: the end

I'm so glad this is over. 
I'm so thankful that we don't have to live on food stamps. 
I'm so happy I don't have to document my food budget anymore.

I thought this would be a fun challenge, but the last week proved the opposite.  We went over our $360/month budget.  Katy at the Non-Consumer Advocate set the limit at $101/person making the total $404, but I thought I could be under that.  I ended up near Katy's limit.  Now remember that the Oregon Food Stamp program allows a family of 4 to receive $668 in food stamps.  That is only for food items, no toilet paper, shampoo, etc.  That is $22+ a day to be spent on food.  At $400/month it ends up at $13+ a day.

I learned a lot through this month, but most of all that my bulk shopping can be a hindrance sometimes.  I like to buy everything I can in bulk e.g., dry goods (oatmeal, raisins, flour, etc).  This can be detrimental to a monthly budget if you're not careful.  I also starting purchasing local milk and at $4.99/gallon that put a big pinch in the budget.  But, I'm learning slowly to work around it :)

What did you think of the JFSC?  What would you have done differently?  How much do you spend on groceries a month?

6 months in

It's been 6 months since I started The Compact and I'm here to write a review of what I've learned thus far.

1. Buying used saves you TONS of money
2. Buying new is sometimes okay
3. Talking to other people about what I'm doing usually makes them roll their eyes
4. It's fun to shop at thrift stores
5. I've discovered all the thrift stores in the Valley and like most of them.
6. The Hubbs still rolls his eyes at me when I suggest buying something used instead of new.
7. The Hubbs likes when I save him money
8. When Miss A gets a new shirt or dress she says "Mama, did you get this at the Army?"  *Salvation Army Bargain Center*
9. In my "crowd" that I hang around with (read: fellow crunchy mamas) they are stopping by the thrift stores more and more :)
10. I get to write about my scores here on this little blog




Here is a refresher of what I've purchased new thus far:
A twin bed for Miss A & a pillow
A king bed for us
Shoes for the kids (Stride Rites, See Kai Runs, New Balances, etc)
Fabric to make a few things
Underwear and bras using Kohl's free $10 gift cards
Maintenance items for my Mitsubishi & The Hubbs' Suburban


These are the items I stated in January that I would allow myself to buy new:
Hygiene items
Safety items (Car seats, child safety items)
Vehicle maintenance items (however we do shop at the junk yard for certain items)
Mattresses/pillows
Undies/bras/socks

So, what are you thoughts now that I'm 6 months in???

Camping & bees

We're headed out camping this afternoon and I stopped by WINCO to pick up a few things before we go.  I went down the seasonal aisle looking for zinc oxide sunscreen and didn't find any :(  But I did find yellow jacket traps and I knew we needed another one for the back yard (1 isn't cutting it) and I thought it would be a good idea to buy one for camping.  Bees are usually hanging around when there's food, and I don't want any of us to get stung.  They were $4.88/each and I hope to catch many of those little buggers this weekend!

Do you have bothersome yellow jackets in your yard?  How do you keep pests away while camping?

Carnival of Nursing in Public

I found this site on Facebook and thought I'd share.  Yes, it's not exactly on-topic, but eh, o well.

http://codenamemama.com/2010/06/21/carnival-nip-call-submissions/

Happy Tuesday!

June Food Stamp Challenge: Grocery shopping week 4

I blew it today.  I spent all but about $25 of what was left in my budget.  I forgot my coupons at home as I was rushing out the door with the kids so that The Hubbs could catch an extra hour of shut eye on Father's Day.

I had $110.26 left and spent $84.27 leaving me with $25.99 left for 9 days.  I still have to buy this week's milk which will cost $20, leaving me with $5.99. I may be able to make this work, but I'm not going to stress about it.  I had to buy extra things for camping this weekend like paper towels and hotdogs, etc.  We'll see how the week goes :)

Father's Day

How did we get here?  It's been 7.5 years since we met on that fateful November evening.  I was working at the YMCA behind the check-in counter and he scanned his card.  The funny thing about this story is that he had been a member for a few years and I had never seen him.  Is that God or what?  That evening my friend Claudine was working with me and once he scanned his card, I told her that I thought he was really cute.  She got all giddy (we were like 13 year olds again) and then she did the unthinkable.  As he walking out of the locker room she went and told him that I thought he was cute.  I was mortified and thought that this was not how an adult acts.  My face was brick red and he came up to me and said "Your friend tells me you think I'm cute".  I said "yeah".  He got my number and we went on our first date the following night.  We saw Jackas* and had a great time.  He ended up staying late and watching TV with me at my house.  We talked about a ton of stuff that night.

6 months later we were engaged.  3 months after that we were married.  This August we will be married 7 years.  It's been the best journey of my life.  He is my rock.  He's quirky, funny, and caring.

He became a father in November 2007 and again in March 2009.  He loves being a father and it fits him so well.  He's very patient with the kids and loves them like nothing else.

Unforgettable

I happened upon this article through a link at We are THAT family.  If you have children of any age, it's well worth the read.

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/article.cfm?eid=4400C65E-CCB3-3D68-C94A4815A5F6088D