Toys!

Today I stopped by Target to check out their toy clearance. One of my goals this year is to stock up on toys for kids and adults birthdays so I don't have to go out and impulse buy and buy things full price. So here is what I got today.

Now I really wanted this all to be stored in my toys closet, for some little kids birthday parties. However, I got to thinking... and this may be a horrible mommy move, but as I see it, whatever pays the bills down so D and K don't have to remember us being in debt and we can coach them on money saving/ reasonable spending/ cash only purchases when they are older. Last year when my husband switched jobs we had extra money coming in, and we decided to get the kids a 'just because' present... a thomas the train - train table. They loved it, still do. Well since we got this train table today, I thought since Thomas the Train is kind of valuable we could sell it for more than what we paid for this new train table and put it towards debt. Is that mean? Yes probably...which makes me kind of sad, but D&K seem to like their new train table! Here is the mark down tag that was on it!

However, BONUS... Dane priced checked it and it was $20!!! TWENTY DOLLARS!!! Great deal or what, originally $79.99!!! Wowza.
We also got two of those little Play my Way customizable play center! Why 2??? Well I think they would make great gifts for some toddlers, not to mention the price!

Originally $49.99 marked down to $12.48!!! Seriously!?!?!?!? AWESOME!! So if you are my friends or relatives reading this post, you may see this again in the future in your home.

So, our monthly budget for gifts is $40, on those 3 toys plus some little toy Dane got for D and K, we spent $49.99. So I took the $10 cash out of the clothing money this month. I did spend $15 today on stocking up on some more clearance 3T clothing (old navy is having take an extra 40% off of clearance, and childrens place is having a take an additional 50% off of clearance)!

My next post will be about organization!

FREE breakfast at Chick-fil-A!!

I love saving money!! One of my favorite places to take D & K is to Chick-Fil-A, for a lot of reasons!

1. Let's face it, it's delicious.
2. Toddler friendly (most days), nice playground.
3. They let you exchange the kids toys for FREE ice cream (my kids enjoy that more then the toys)!
4. My kids can run around and get out all of their energy before nap time (yes we stay there that long some days!).
5. D & K get to meet new kids, and learn how to interact with other kids.
6. The customer service is top notch!
7. Did I already say it was delicious?!

So, last week when I went to take my kids there for breakfast one day I picked up their newsletter which consists of their calendar of events. This week they were having FREE breakfast. Now I don't know if this deal is at all Chick-Fil-A's but you may call to find out. It is at Baytown though! So I told my husband last night that he needs to get some Free breakfast on the way to work, so he can tell me how it works ;0). He told me it was completely free (a 3ct. chicken mini's). So D&K& I decided to go eat breakfast there again, normally we just go about 1x a month. I wasn't sure if they deal was for each individual person or if it was per order. However, it was for everyone!! I splurged to buy a dr.pepper and the kids an apple juice so my total was $3.76. I could have done this deal free, and I might tomorrow if we go (hello cinnamon buns!). I could have just brought their sippy cups with water or apple juice from my fridge, and a bottled water for myself. It truly would have been a FREE breakfast. However, $3.76 isn't horrible when we usually pay around $11 bucks for breakfast there.

So if you are interested, and you live near Baytown, TX snatch this deal up! If you don't live near Baytown, TX well call your local Chick-fil-A to see if they are offering this. I highly recommend liking your cities Chick-fil-A on facebook, and also getting their Calendar of events once a month! I'm going to talk my husband into going during Free craft night. ;)

PROUD!

So 2011 only began a week ago, and already temptation to charge has hit us twice. We are photographing a wedding in May, and we really need an extra camera. However, we are going to rent one instead of purchasing one. Sure it cuts into our profits and we are basically photographing a wedding for nearly free after renting the equipment. On the same token, it's much better then being a couple of thousand dollars more in the hole.

Today, my husband texted me about new laptops and how we can both get one for under 1k. I told him no. He has been bugging me since this AM about it, and I keep saying no. I think he finally gets it.

We are the ones who got ourselves in debt in the first place. It's not going to make life any easier racking up more and more...and more. If we stick to our guns this year, I hope to at least be half way through our debt. Then we will just have one more year of struggles, and then boom.... we will have money! I can't wait until that day. I know this will be a long year ahead, but if we stick to our guns and not charge anything for this whole year, and put extra money towards debt (and use the Dave Ramsey method) then it will be rewarding seeing where our sacrifices had led us!

This post may be a insignificant to most, but to us, it's a step in the right direction. It showed me that it IS possible to say NO! I would love a new lap top, but I also know that my desk top is still on my desk once this (my lap top that has a screen hanging on by a screw) laptop breaks, I will have that to go to. It will just have to work, until our debt is paid and we can save and pay for it with cash.

Hello 2011!!

One of my New Years resolutions is to continue this blog. God only knows that I need to! Our debt is out of control and my main resolution this year is to get out of as much as we can. So I will be sharing the percentage we are at each month. I will also be sharing my deals that I score, and some craft projects! I hope there are still a few people out there reading this :).

January 2011 Debt percentage - 100% (includes everything but the house and our car)

This week I plan to organize my coupons, and make a budget. I also plan to use the envelope cash system.