Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

I came across a post on Simple Mom this weekend (via Rocks in My Dryer) entitled “The Great Myth“. It was a great reminder that none of us, no matter how it seems, is able to do it “all”. I was particularly struck by these two quotes:

“Every choice we make in life is both a choice to do something and a choice to not do something.”

“And at the end of the day, we need to trust that God gave us the energy to do those things to which He called us, and no more.”

I hope you’ll read the complete post and find encouragement for those days when you just don’t seem to measure up (at least in your own mind).

I’ve acquired a new hobby.  In an effort to stock up on some of our household staples and hopefully save a little money I’ve started playing the “drugstore game.”  It’s kind of a puzzle putting together sales, coupons, and store rewards to get household and personal care items for pennies on the dollar.  The challenge keeps my brain working as I put together different savings scenarios, and it’s fun to play the puzzle and to come out with inexpensive goods.  I’m hoping the budget likes it, too.

Here’s what my Walgreens week looked like this week:

Transaction 1
$2.00  Sunday paper
$4.99  Children’s Tylenol
$4.99  Children’s Tylenol
$4.99  Children’s Tylenol
$16.97 Total 
-$3.00 Mfg coupon from Sunday paper
-$4.50 Wags October IVC ($1.50 each)
-$5.00 Register Reward from last week
$4.47 Total OOP (before taxes)

Earned $7 in Register Rewards to use for future purchases.

Transaction 2
$1.99  Dawn dish detergent
$1.99  Dawn dish detergent
$5.99  Pert Plus shampoo (large bottle)
$4.49  Oral-B Pro-Health toothbrush
$1.00  M&Ms (two small bags)
$4.49 Clerz Plus eyedrops for my contacts
$19.95 Total
-$1.99 Wags weekly coupon (Dawn B1G1 Free)
-$0.25 Mfg coupon for Dawn from paper
-$0.50 Mfg coupon for Dawn from paper
-$3.00 Mfg coupon for Pert from paper
-$2.50 Wags October IVC for Pert
-$0.75 Mfg coupon for Oral-B from paper
-$5.00 Register Reward from Transaction 1
-$2.00 Register Reward from Transaction 1
$3.96 Total OOP (before taxes)

Earned $4.50 Register Reward to use for future purchases.

Transaction 3
$3.00  Two bags of lollipops for Little
$2.99  Two new toothbrushes for Little
$4.49  Oral-B Pro-Health toothbrush
$3.49  Swiffer Dusters
$3.49  Swiffer refill cloths
$3.49  Swiffer refill cloths
$3.49  Swiffer refill cloths
$4.99  Charmin bath tissue
$29.43 Total
-$1.65 Wags weekly coupon on Charmin
-$0.25 Mfg coupon for Charmin
-$0.75 Mfg coupon for Oral-B
-$5.00 Wags $5 off $20 purchase
$21.78 Total OOP (before taxes)

Earned $9.50 Register Rewards to use for future purchases.

I spent a little more in my third transaction than I wanted to, but they didn’t have all of the items in my original scenario so I had to substitute a couple of items that were slightly more expensive.  These were all items that we needed, though, so that’s okay.

In summary, this week I spent $30.21 (before taxes), saved $44.63, and earned $14 in Register Rewards to use in the next couple of weeks.  And we’re well stocked on Tylenol and Swiffer products for the next several months. 

This is fun!

I’m wondering…

Who came up with the term happy medium?  And did they ever find one?  If so, can they give me some pointers?

Yesterday I was reading Steph’s post titled Thanks for Sharing and it reminded me of something I heard Sunday evening at our Life Group meeting.

At the beginning of our meeting time we include the children as we sing worship songs and ask a couple of questions. This week’s question was, “What is your favorite tradition this time of year?” One of the girls raised her hand and answered something to this effect (I really wish I could quote her exactly, but the phrasing has slipped my mind):

“My favorite thing is gifts and wrapping the gifts, but even if there are no gifts the most important thing to remember is the real gift, the reason we have Christmas, that baby Jesus came, and that is the most important gift.”

Advent perspective from the mouth of a 6 year old; a reminder we can all use this time of year.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about simplicity and living a simple life. Over the past few days and weeks, the idea seems to be everywhere I look – on blogs I read, in my Bible class at church – pervading my thoughts. My ideas aren’t cohesive enough at this time to write about my perspective on the topic, but I wanted to share a couple of links to blog posts that I’ve enjoyed recently.

Last week Meredith at Like Merchant Ships did a series entitled “How to Live Well on Less”; links to each post in the series can be found here. She writes about budgeting, purchasing, decorating, and finding beauty in what you own.

Then I read a post by Brant at Letters from Kamp Krusty titled “Here’s to Nothing!” in which he writes about how his family’s approach to life has impacted others in their neighborhood.

I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on simplicity as well – what “simple living” means, how it can be accomplished, things you’ve done to simplify your life or household. Leave a comment and let’s see what where this discussion might lead.

Sheryl at Peanut Butter and Jelly Boats is challenging herself to 21 days of prayer and fasting to help her overcome some issues with what comes out of her mouth (see post here). She invited her fellow bloggers to join in the challenge, and I’ve decided to come alongside both in praying for her and challenging myself.

Although I’m not planning to share whether or not I’m fasting (I’ve decided that this is best left between God and me), I will write about the specific things I’m praying about and through and how God is at work in those things.

Now, since that last sentence was clear as mud, let’s get started.

~~ I will be praying, along with Sheryl, about the words that come out of my mouth; this is a constant struggle. I want the words that I speak to be edifying, gentle, and kind whether I’m speaking to a stranger, a friend, or Matt and Little. I will focus specifically on praying the following verses:

~~ I will be praying about the sale of our house and our impending move; that everything we do will be to the glory of God.

~~ I will be praying about finding a new church home in Nashville. It took us a year and a half to find a church here (that’s a long story for another time), and I’m hopeful that the lessons God taught us in that time only have to be learned once.

Today is actually day two of the challenge (yep, that’s me – a day late and a dollar short), so for the next 20 days I will be praying with and for Sheryl about the words of our mouths and also about these other things.

In other (but somewhat related) news, I’m also challenging myself to get back in the habit of exercising; I’ve always heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit, so the timing is just right. For the next 21 days I will walk or do some other form of exercise (like load and unload boxes) for 30 minutes each day. As a kind of accountability, I will add to the bottom of my posts a note about whether or not I’ve had my walk for the day. So far, so good – Little and I walked for at least 30 minutes both yesterday and today.

A few days ago I was tagged by my wonderful SIL Lu to play along in a meme. I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my great and insightful answers, and you shall wait no longer…

1. Last year I experienced the miracle that is life for the first time – pregnancy and childbirth – what amazing and beautiful experiences.

2. In 2004-2005 I experienced buying and then selling (11 months later) a house for the first time. I learned that when you offer your life, your marriage, your home to God and truly mean it, He sometimes takes you up on the offer.

3. In the last four years I’ve learned how very difficult it is to leave a group of friends who are like family and that the work involved in maintaining a strong friendship across the distance of hundreds of miles is worth it.

4. Over the last four years I’ve grown in my understanding of God, His will, and His church and learned to trust and believe in new and increasing ways.

1. I want to have more children if it is the pleasure of God to bless us in that way.

2. I would like to experience the freedom of living a debt free life (we’re almost there!).

3. I want to teach Little to read.

4. I would like to learn at least one new skill or hobby.

I honestly can’t remember who all has already participated in this one, so I’m not going to tag anyone. If you would like to play along, let me know in the comments so I can read your responses.

“Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam

This is one of the songs on the soundtrack of my high school years. I’m so glad someone finally figured out the lyrics.

I’ve learned a few lessons this week that I will be able to carry with me throughout my life. Hopefully, by sharing these lessons, I can save you from experiencing something similar.

Life Lesson 1 – Bath Towels: It is never good to step out of the shower only to realize that the closest towel is in the closet at the other end of the hallway. Unless, of course, you prefer to dry your body with toilet paper.

Life Lesson 2 – Frozen Vegetables: Always follow your instincts on how long frozen vegetables should be microwaved, even if the package states that one cup of lima beans should be microwaved on high power for 10-12 minutes. Unless, of course, you prefer your lima beans crunchy.

Life Lesson 3 – Lemonade Mix: Lemonade prepared from a powdered mix is not very good when you use a ratio of two quarts worth of powder to four quarts of water. Unless, of course, you prefer your lemonade half-strength or are looking to stretch a buck.

Profound lessons, are they not?