Homeless and Happy!

Today is the Big Closing Day!! We go to sign the papers to close on the sale of our house. Technically after 11:30, we will be homeless. Technically. We get to stay here as long as we need to til we find our next "Casa de Weaver". The hunt for a house is going slow. We were so set on building, but now we are looking at pre-existing homes again. Our builder was a BIG disappointment, so we fired him. Only he doesnt know it yet. Were trying to get a set of the floorplans from him for almost 3 weeks! He kept forgetting, then he wouldnt call, then he wouldnt show up when he was supposed to, etc. Last Wed was the final straw for me. He was supposed to bring the plans by our house betweeen 7 & 8pm after 2 1/2 weeks of phone tag and forgetting. Not only did he NOT SHOW UP, he hasn't called us since! I told Chris, if he has the nerve to call back, to tell him HE's OUT!! If just getting the plans is this difficult, I would hate to see how he is during the building process!! The only downfall is, his price he quoted us was AWESOME!! I am just praying that the Lord will send us who HE wants to build our home, or just show us a great house at a great price! We arent in a hurry, but now that we are signing the papers, I am just anxious and excited to move!! I really need to practice my patience here, I don't want to make the wrong decision and regret it later! Please pray for us as we seek God's guidance in where we need to be! Thanks for reading!

Oh, the decisions!!

We are faced with a big decision to make pretty soon: where to build. When we first put the house up for sale, we had our hearts set on Eagleville, in a little subdivision called Eagle Crest. Long story short, I had a very unpleasant experience with the listing agent for those lots. Not long after that, the lots just disappeared off the realtracs website.I assumed they all sold, or the developer went under. So, we began searching again. We found a neighborhood called Forest Ridge that is only about 5-8 minutes from where we live now. It is very secluded, large lots, and super nice houses! We decided that was where we wanted to go if possible. The only problem is the lot prices. The cheapest lot they have listed is $17,000 more than the price our builder included in our quote. Now I am sure these prices are negotiable, but I don't know about 17K!! However, if that's where God wants us, He will work it out.

So, this past Sunday, while cruising through Realtracs website, what did I stumble on? The lots from Eagle Crest are back up for sale, AND with a different listing agent!! AND, the price of the lots there are right on target with our builder's quote! Mind you we just signed the contract for the sale of our house this Wednesday, so the timing on this is awfully weird. I called the agent listed who was SO very nice and much more honest and helpful then the last one. Apparently the disappearance of the lots on the web were due to the developer finding himself a new listing agent. I guess I was not the only one with a not so nice experience! Now I am torn. I really love the small community of Eagleville. It is such a beautiful area, although it is further away. And that is where the rub comes in. My family is not thrilled with the thought of us moving so far out. Don't get me wrong. They support whatever decision we make, and have told us that we have to do what we think is best for our family. It's just that it is hard enough now to get together, and moving 15-20 minutes further away will not help this situation. Chris and I really need guidance to know what God wants us to do. Please pray for us as we strive to make the right decision in this. My friend Nicole and I went on a little road trip with the our babies yesterday to Eagleville. We drove through our potential neighborhood, and then ate at the local Mexican restaurant there, which by the way, is FABULOUS!! Here are some pics of the lots we like in Eaglecrest:




This lot is nice, but not my favorite. The land seems kinda low, so I am wondering about water issues. It is 0.81 acres.


These next few pics will be of my favorite lot. It is on a slight hill, with a creek in the back. And LOOK at the views behind it!! Beautiful! This lot is 0.93 acres.

Giving God the Glory!!

I am so blessed and most times I compain about the littlest things! God is really working on me with this. Sometimes all you need is a different perspective. Not that it will be easy to do, because complaining comes SO naturally to me, so I have a long battle ahead! I was talking to Kelly this week, and we got on the subject of complaining, and how things could be so much worse than what they are! But that was not even my AH-Ha moment! These words came out of my mouth, "Think of it this way, why in the world would God want to bless us with anything else, when all we do is complain about the blessings He already gave us?" Whoa! I have heard this so many times, and totally agreed, but something about this particular time just got me. Not at first, but after our conversation I kept thinking about what I had said. God has recently answered a HUGE prayer in our lives, and yet I was finding little things to complain about. What I mean is, we recently sold our house after 6 months of hardly anyone calling. I really tried hard not to complain about the slow process, and I may have failed a time or two, but I really tried!! In an answer to our prayers, God sent us a buyer, and the best possible scenario we could have asked for! 1)Our buyer is giving us the price we had set as our "have to have" price. 2) Our buyer is allowing us to stay in the house as long as we need to (within reason) until our new house is built! 3) The rent they are charging us is cheaper than our current house payment!!! Is that an answered prayer or what!?!?! So what do I do with it? After trying so hard not to complain about NOT selling, now I am finding little details to question, and allowing satan to creep in and give me doubts. God showed me after my conversation with Kelly, to stop trying to take the wheel, and just let Him drive! Stop griping when He just handed us what we were asking for! So here I sit, praising His Holy Name, because he loves me this much! We will be technically homeless in 2 weeks(when we close), and I am smiling about it. God is in control, even when we don't see it. Just because the pieces don't fall in place the way like, or even as fast, God see's the whole puzzle, and He knows what is best, NOT ME!! Like I said, I have a hard road or giving up my so called "control" and complaining, but right now, God has my full attention, and I hope it stays that way!! Thanks for reading, now we just wait in anticipation of what God is gonna do next!!

My Super Savings Today.....

I had an awesome week at my 3 Sunday stores today (CVS, Walgreens, and Publix). Total OOP (out of pocket): $30.30 Total Saved: $335.77. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself!! Ok, so here is the run-down: (the prices in parentheses are the normal price when not on sale)



Walgreens:

1 Almay Pure Blends Foundation (9.99)
4 Almay One Coat Mascara (31.96)
1 Almay Pure Blends Lipgloss (7.99)
1 Vick's Dayquil Capsules (6.00)
1 Bic Soleil Razor System (6.99)
1 Vick's Nyquil Liquid (6.00)
1 Bayer Contour Glucose Meter (79.99)
1 Bayer Breeze 2 Glucose Meter (79.99)
2 Hallmark 20pk tissue paper (3.98)
1 Kleenex Cottonelle 12ct Toilet Paper (6.99)
1 Breathe Right Nasal Strips (5.99)

Total Value: $245.87
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $22.42
TOTAL SAVINGS: $223.45 or 90%
Got back $17 of RR.....

CVS:

1 Children's Zyrtec (12.99)

2 Children's Benadryl Liquid (14.38)

1 Scott 8pk paper Towels (10.99)

Total Value: $38.36
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $1.92 (used 9.57 left on giftcard)
TOTAL SAVINGS: $36.44 or 95%
Got back $10 ECB...............

PUBLIX:

8 Ragu Pasta Sauce (17.52)
2 Hunts Ketchup (4.58)
2 Chatham Village Croutons (2.98)
1 Publix Old Fashioned Oats (1.59)
1 Pledge Grab-It Cloths (3.99)
2 Publix Brand baby wipes (4.98)
4 Cover Girl Lip Slicks (13.16)
5 Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough (14.45)
5 Nestle Tollhouse Morsels (12.50)
1 Scotch Packaging Tape (3.19)


Total Value: $78.94
Total OOP after sales/coupons/tax: $5.96
TOTAL SAVINGS: $75.88 or 96%

Grocery Bargains this week......

It was another fan-tab-ulous shopping week!! Not alot of time to write, but the overview looks something like this:

Between Walgreens, Publix, CVS, Kroger, and Food Lion, I got $314.37 worth of stuff (after taxes) for only $57.79 OOP (out of pocket)!! YIPPEE! And I still have $9.57 left on a CVS giftcard (from transferring an RX), $10 in CVS ECB (extra care bucks), and $10 in Walgreens RR (register rewards). Awesome week!! See below:





Walgreens
Total OOP: $28.70 Total Savings: $87.04
Total Left: $10 Register Rewards



CVS
Total OOP: NONE!(I got a $25 giftcard from RX transfer, used $15.43 of giftcard)
Total Savings: $52.12 (Not including the giftcard)
Total Left: $9.57 on Giftcard, and $10 ECB



Food Lion
Total OOP: $8.23 Total Savings: $15.62



Publix
Total OOP: $4.84 Total Savings: $60.52



Kroger
Total OOP: 16.02 Total Savings: $23.85
(The chicken was not on sale and no coupon, so that was full price, about $7.00 for both, which means everything else cost me $9.02-- not bad)


Pretty good week! Well, we are off to Mom and Dad's for Sunday Dinner, then to church!

Another great $$ saving week!!

Well, it's been another great money saving weekend!! I got $145 worth of groceries for $35 bucks!! Pretty awesome!! First, here's the loot!!







I went to 3 different stores. Walgreens, Publix, and Kroger. What is not pictured above is my frozen stuff from Kroger. Here is the Rundown:

Walgreens:

4 Skippy Peanut Butters
4 Ragu Pasta Sauces
1 Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion
2 Hydrogen Peroxides
2 Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers
1 Snicker Bar (filler item)

Total after Sales/Coupons: $21.85(2 transactions with $4 Register Reward Coupon left over)

Publix:

4 Lipton Family Size Tea Bags (24 ct)
4 Knorr Sides
3 Betty Crocker Potatoes
4 Hunts Diced Tomatoes
2 Swanson Chicken Broth Cartons
1 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
1 Publix Brand Disinfecting Wipes (free)
1 Publix Brand Coffee (Penny Item)
2 Eat Smart Vegetable Bags
1 Ball Park Hot Dogs

Total after Sales/Coupons: $4.79 (used $4 Walgreens coupon)

Kroger:

2 Bumble Bee Tuna Pouches
4 Sister Schubert Rolls
4 Healthy Choice Complete Meals
1 Pepperidge Farms Garlic Bread
1 Totinos Pizza Rolls (40 ct)

Total after Sales/Coupons: $8.07

Overall Out of Pocket Total: $34.71
Savings listed on all receipts: $110.27

The trick with my new way of shopping is to stock up when it is on sale. I have converted my hall closet into a pantry, and my freezer in the garage is just about full. Last week I got 10 Mayfield 1/2 gallon ice creams, and 20 Green Giant frozen veggies for $19.30($90 value). Pretty Awesome!

Sorry to keep it so short, but I am keeping Livvy today. Kristi and Travis are at the hospital, and little Ally Claire should be here soon!! YAY! I am not used to havin 2 kiddos running around, so I gotta run! Ta-ta for now.......

How much? $185??? No, try FREE!!!

Ok I know I haven't blogged in a while, as usual. But today, I gotta tell the world, or atleast the few who read this page, all about my BARGAIN shopping this morning!! Praise God!! See photos.......












Hence the title..... $185.00 worth of merchandise, and that is not including taxes either.........ALL FOR FREE!!!! You should see the smile on my face at this moment. Man oh man. Wanna know how? Well, even if you don't, I'm telling anyways! Here goes:

(The prices listed next to each product are the regular price at each store before the item was on sale.)

Rite Aid

First of all, I transferred a prescription to Rite Aid, and got a $25 gift card. Then, I got:

3 Jumbo Pack Huggies Diapers ($35.97)
2 Huggies Wipes ($6.98)
4 GE White Light Bulbs- 4 pack ($15.96)
1 Proantinox Liquid ($6.99)
1 Wet Ones Anti-Bac Wipes Can ($3.29)
2 Tresemme Shampoo-large bottle ($10.98)
2 Tresemme Styling Products ($10.98)
1 Tresemme Conditioner-large bottle (5.49)
2 J&J Bedtime Creamwash ($11.38)
2 J&J Bedtime Lotion ($11.38)
1 J&J Head to Toe Wash (with free bubbles-$5.69)
(I bought the J&J stuff last week when it was on sale)


Walgreens

1 Q-Tips 600 ct ($4.99)
1 Thermacare Neck wrap ($2.49)
1 Bic Soleil Disp. Razors 4 Pk ($4.99)
2 Crest Cavity Protection Toothpaste ($4.00)
1 Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup ($1.50)
1 Campbells Cream of Chicken ($1.50)
1 Mott's Applejuice ($3.79)
1 Walgreens 2pk AA batteries ($0.99)

Publix

4 Glade Fragrance Collection 10oz Soy based Candles ($8.99ea= $35.96)


Total Value: $185.30

Total Due after Sale, Store,& Manufacturer Coupons(and tax): $62.74

Minus $25 Rite Aid Gift Card : $37.74 out of pocket

Rebate check from Rite Aid (Single Check Rebate): $39.99


SEE? All for FREE! Actually, I MADE a $2.25 PROFIT! Can you believe it? And the rebate check from Rite Aid is an actual check that you take to the bank, not to mention they have another offer going as well. If I spend another $12 at Rite Aide before Oct 17th, I will get a $20 gift card to their store. WOW. Did I say that I LOVE saving money!?!?! I LOVE SAVING $$$$!!! It is like a drug to me. That sounds bad, but it is true. I guess since I am a SAHM, this is my way of helping with the finances. It is alot of work, and planning, but I love it!! Kind of like my "job". I thought I saved alot before with coupons, but this is madness! All thanks to my friend Sarah who told me about the BEST website EVER!! (www.southernsavers.com) This is where I found out how to do all this stuff! Awesome!!