So first, let me say, Kroger is so overpriced! But, you can get good deals when they have a sale, especially when you have coupons to pair it with. So while my savings sound pretty good, keep in mind, Kroger is overpriced, to me anyways. That's why I do my main shopping at Walmart!
Here's the breakdown...
Nerds (for Trunk-or-Treat at church): originally $3.19, after sale $1.50
2 bags Kraft 8oz. Mozzarella Cheese: originally $3.69 (oi! - the Great Value bag at Walmart is only $1 something), after sale $0.99
2 bags Kraft 8oz. Cheddar Cheese: originally $3.69, after sale $0.99
2 packages Kraft 16 slice American Cheese: originally $4.69, after sale $0.99
Hot Pockets: originally $2.14, after sale $1.50, after .50/1 coupon, doubled, a total of $0.50 (woohoo!)
2 boxes Jell-O: originally $1.49 each, after sale $0.77 each, after .50/2 coupon, doubled, a total of $0.27 each
Those double coupons are fantastic! So I think I am definitely going to at least leave myself open to make a weekly trip to Kroger, if double coupons can come into play for me. If I don't have any coupons to use at Kroger, I'm better off just price matching their ad at Walmart.
I also made a trip to Target today, and didn't find all the deals I was hoping to find, but did get a couple of good finds. I got another pack of those Bic Soliel razors for 99 cents, a CFL lightbulb for free (was on clearance for $2.48 and had a $2.50 off coupon), and a new rug for our back door for $1.48 on clearance! Also got a Christmas present for one of my little nieces, but I don't want to share that, since she might find out about it if I posted it. :)
And on the total opposite end of saving money, we had to spend some serious money today, paying Anthony's school bill. Let me elaborate. In order for Anthony to qualify for federal financial aid for grad school, he has to be at least a half-time student which is 5 credit hours for grad school.
Well, his program has been "discontinued" at the school, but they are letting any students who were already enrolled finish out the program, just not accepting any new students into the program. So it seems like the program has kind of been put on the back burner and they are not doing as much as they used to. Last year, Anthony took 2 classes (6 credit hours) each semester, but this semester, they only offered one class that he needs. He would gladly take 2 classes if they offered another, but obviously, that was not an option this semester.
Long story short (kind of), we thought he may be able to fill out a form to kind of "override" that, explaining that it wasn't his fault he only had one class, but turns out, there's no getting around it. So today we had to pay the bill to avoid late fees. We had the money, so it's not a huge deal, just took away a lot of our "pad" in our checking account. I am REALLY hoping that in future semesters he will be able to take 2 classes, because we can't keep paying out of pocket right now for his classes.
But then on top of that, Anthony says his car is not acting right, so of course, like I always do, I assume the worst about it. He said he's going to look at it this weekend and see if he can figure out what is going on.
So I'm a little worried about money right now, and I HATE that. I know that God has provided for us, above and beyond what I could have imagined, since I stopped working. And I know, in my head, that He will continue to provide for us, just has He has done in the past. So why do I worry? I just can't figure it out! I am making a major effort to not worry, and just to trust God to take care of us, but I would love to hear any suggestions on how YOU deal with worry!
Whew! That was a lot of stuff. It actually makes me feel a little better just getting it off my chest. :) Anyways, now I'm getting back to the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy! I love fall TV!
2 comments:
This will say it's from Ralph, but it's from me Tara! (Mom T)
Tara, you are doing GREAT at couponing! Not so great with the worrying issue huh?
I could give you lots of advice - things I have learned, mostly through the Word and good Christian books. But the one thing that STOPS me in my tracks, is something Pastor said that I have never forgotten. When I start heading down the worry path the Holy Spirit brings this thought to my mind. Worry and faith/trust can NOT coexist. It is one OR the other. Not both. If I am worrying, I am absolutely NOT trusting God. The thought of not trusting God abhors me, and my thoughts turn around quickly. Just remember, if you are worrying, you are not trusting. Our God is worthy of our trust! Hope that helps. Love ya, Mom T
Mom T here - again. I have to tell you the other thing about worry. REMEMBER that God INTENDS for you to have problems. "In the world ye SHALL have tribulation..." Not to be negative, but we should actually EXPECT/anticipate that things will go wrong sometimes. The challenge is - to respond to the trial in a way that PLEASES God.
When you get older, you want to be able to look back on situations and say "Well, God got me through this and God got me through that in the past." Remembering those things help you to face the next trial. The hard times we face, and seeing how God got us through them, INCREASE OUR FAITH for future trials. We have to ACCEPT the trials that come, like the song says, "As from a Father's hand."
One more important point about worry. (Obviously God had REASON to teach me so much about this subject!) God does NOT give us grace to worry. Worrying really is like experiencing (at least in our minds)a bad event WITHOUT God's grace. Ugh! Who wants to do THAT?! IF the bad thing really happens, God's grace WILL be sufficient to get you through it.
Hope I didn't over do it on the advice. These thoughts made a huge difference for me, when I really got hold of them.
More Love,
Mom T
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