Godsfaith’s Weblog

I was in utter total dismay yesterday when I signed into Iheartcvs.com and realized there was no online coupon available for $ of my purchases (eg. $2/ off a purchase of $10). So, Scrap cvs this week…..(I’m not done with them yet….I have patience) So, I started looking around at who had what on sale, and what I needed……Scrubbing bubbles…….we like em……they clean stuff without much effort…….Walgreens……Now, I have been saving my coupons like a good shopper for a long time. I started the monumental dig. Goal: any scrubbing bubbles coupons or related products…..So, after a year at my desk an hour digging out coupons for my 4 stores this week. I will share what I did at Walgreens with you…….

4 cans of scrubbing bubbles $10

2 scrubbing bubbles wipes $5

2 scrub bubb toilet gels     $9.50

1 scrub bub shower foam $ 3.99

3 crest toothpastes $5.96

3 crest toothburshes $5.96

1 6hr energy shot (filler) $3.99

subtotal bout $44

minus

4 $1.00 off scrubbing bubbles coupons

1 $1.00 off shower foamer

2 $1.00 off toilet gel

1 b1g1 shower wipes

1 $1 off shower wipes

3 $1 off crest toothbrushes

3 $1 off crest toothpaste

3 $1 off crest toothpaste (walgreens coupon)

3 $1 off crest toothbrushes (walgreens coupon)

total is 23.50

used giftcard

I will get back $14.50 in rebates…..(I could have worked this out to be free, but I wouldn’t have got what I actually will use) (I do love that toilet gel, it covers a multitude of woes)

Faith

In our house, we have a special diet to accommodate. My daughter (12 months), is allergic to wheat, legumes, soy, eggs, dairy (all not just cows milk products), and beef. So, what works for me is buckwheat pancakes. Contrary to popular belief….buckwheat is not in the wheat family. It is technically an herb.

BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

1 c oatmeal

1/2 c buckwheat flour (you can get it in bob’s red mill packages in whole foods)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 c to 1/2 c rice milk (vanilla is fine) (enough to make it like a thick mud pie)

1tbsp canola oil

1 tsp honey (I will use 1 tbsp of brn sugar)

mix it up and cook as any pancake batter. I like to add cinnamon to mine. I also use it for waffle mix. a variation you can use is also replace the 1/4 c  rice milk with 1/2 c pumpkin stuff from a can and 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice…..i dress with a little powdered sugar and serve warm. You can also serve with syrup if you like. It is a good way to get extra fiber in your diet and some veggies if you use the canned pumpkin…… That is a breakfast that works for us.

for more ideas go to rocks in my dryer

Faith

Ok, every blog gets a confession. This is mine….

I am not a blogger by nature. My world moves much to fast (the world in my mind) to blog it all. I am DOING, thinking, DOING, working, DOING, and not stopping often to catalogue. But, I DO read. I read meaty, deep, interesting, thought provoking books….often…….so, thus the tag…….

The rules of this meme are as follows:

Grab the nearest book.

Open the book to page 56.

Find the fifth sentence.

Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal/blog along with these instructions.

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

Tag five other people to do the same.

Book, Blessed are the barren……the social policy of planned parenthood (yep, who is ready to raise hands and words in protest?)

Pg. 56 starting from the fifth sentence….

But the abolition of public school religion quickly became the abolition of a public school morality, and Planned Parenthood’s forces, geared for a nationwide battle from the very beginning, rushed to fill the void. They fought with special effectiveness where they have always fought, in the least representative institutions of our society: the courts and the administrative bureaucracies.

There you have it folks, the Lord’s hand in this meme business (if you ask me)…..I will leave all conclusions up to you. I will say, it is interesting to see the enemy’s agenda in retrospect. I highly suggest you pick up a book that is not the least bit entertaining….one rather, that challenges your world and provokes intention in the actions you choose in your everyday life…

Once again, I do not know 5 people in this blog world….And, there are no tag backs. Perhaps tomorrow I will lighten the mood a little with some cvs action…….cause, shopping is always fun.

Faith

Now, I am a huge cvser…… I have cut our budget a ton with the stuff I get there. This week I got:

Transaction #1

$9.99 1 Gillette fusion razor

$.10 filler from clearance isle or gum

=$10.09

-2/10 CVS coupon

-4/1 Gillette coupon from Oct. P&G insert

=$4.09

get back 5 EB for purchasing 1 Gillette Fusion razor

Transaction #2

4 packs of diet coke 4/$13

-2/$10 coupon

-4 $1 off coke zero from the vocal point home mailer (they will work for diet coke too)

$7 out of pocket

$3 eb back

That was all for this week, but last week rocked! Seriously! Check this out!

The deal I was shooting for was the kimberly clark buy$25 get $10 back in eb. My goal is to make it all free…….cause, who dosen’t need free diapers and wipes? So, here is what I came up with…….

Transaction #1

huggies mega pack supreme      $15

arnicare pain relief gel                $8.99

arnicare pain relief gel                $8.99

arnicare pain relief gel                $8.99

l’oreal advanced revitalift

wrinkely stuff that is expensive $11.99

ambi bar soap                            $1.99

ambi bar soap                            $1.99

ambi bar soap                            $1.99

whew…………total is                   59.93

COUPONS (before I have a heart attack please!)

-$3/$15

-$1.50 huggies (home mailer)

-$6.00 (3 -$2 arnicare coupons from internet)

-$3 for l’oreal wrinkle cream (newspaper)

-$9 ambi coupons (yes the internet coupons work on the face bars)

pay $ 37.43 (prefer if it is in extra care bucks, I am carrying a high balance on eb until I see some prices on groceries worthy of stocking my pantry with)

get back$9 for ambi

$11.99 for l’oreal

$24.00 on arnicare

= I’m out $7.56 (for now……..just wait for it)

transaction #2

$2.99 for huggies wipes

$2.99 for crest pro health mouth wash

$4.99 for nivea mens body wash

= 10.97

-$2/10

-$$.50 for wipes

-$1.00 for crest pro health

-$1.00 for nivea body wash

=$6.47

$4.99eb back for nivea

$2 eb back for crest

so, down another $.48 (wait for it….)

transaction #3

2.99 for huggies wipes

$2.99 for crest pro health

$4.99 for addidas deod

=$10.97

-$2/10

-$.50 for huggies wipes

-$1 for crest pro health

-$1 for addidas

=$6.47

$2 eb for crest pro health

$4 eb for addidas deod

so, down another $.47 (yes just wait for it)

transaction #4

$2.99 for huggies wipes

$8.99 for arnicare gel

=$11.98

-$2/10

-$2.00 for arnicare

-$.50 for huggies wipes

=$7.48

$8.00 eb for arnicare

wheww, finally up a whopping $.52 cents on that transaction (wait for it)

transaction #5

$2.99 for huggies wipes

$8.99 for arnicare

=$11.98

-$2/10

-$2 for arnicare

-$.50 for huggies wipes

=$7.48

ta da!!! $10 back in eb on this kimberly clark deal

$8 eb back on arnicare

all in all i am up $8.97 in eb!!

Whew, now you know why I end up with thousands of dollars in cvs stuff to donate! I keep the diapers and wipes and one tube of the arnicare for my hubby (super sports man!), oh, and the mouthwash….the rest goes in the cvs bin of stuff we don’t need….

When shopping at cvs, my trick is. take the thing I want, figure out how much I can take off the price by pairing it with other items that are free (cause the money is coming back) and a $ off coupon. This reduces the price of the thing i want and makes it more affordable, then we donate some of the excess….

Faith

I got a swift kick in the pants to get moving on this blog tagged for a meme….

So, my dear BFF motherhen over at  www.shipfullofpirates.com has tagged me for something called a meme. So…..

The rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag sixish people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.s
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six useless facts interesting things about me……. here goes……

1. I buy hundreds thousands of dollars worth of cvs stuff for pennies, and donate it.

2. I adore destruction, only if I am allowed to engineer and do the rebuilding. This includes remodeling, landscaping, flooring, fixtures, whatever you can imagine…..I can learn how to do…..

3. I shave my Yorkie……Yes, she prefers bald…. She actually lays down and lets me shave her (even though she barks protectively anytime i run the vacuum or the food processor or any power tool for that matter)

4. I can cook just about anything you ask me to. I can also make up a new recipe with just a list of ingredients…. this includes baking……

5. I bought 12 million dollars worth of wine…… and someone paid me to do it. Can you figure this one out?

6. I collect willow tree angels. They are so beautiful, and capture the essence of emotion so plainly. I could never express that.

So, that concludes this coerced blog post, just kidding, this meme….and I must say, my one and only lone Internet friend is…….motherhen…. so, I can not say I know 6 people to tag. But, I really enjoyed this meme, and perhaps now I will have a reason to blog…as I have been introduced into blogdom.

Faith

Anyone who knows me, know I am an avid reader. I can go through a scary number of books in a week if I settle in and read. But, there are a few books I read on a regular basis to keep my mind focused on God. In the area of parenting I happen to be a fan of Michael and Debi Pearl and their book “To Train up a Child”. It helps keep my focus on child training in line with God’s. They also have a great website that is an abundant resource for parenting ideas and problem solving ideas.

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/

I also like just about any book by Elizabeth Elliot. Lately I have been referring often to “Keep A Quiet Heart”. I find that she has a style of writing and laying out her ideas that is easy to follow. The Lord has laid a plan out for my life, and it is so easy to get side tracked. Fighting against what is natural in our tendencies is the hardest thing we will struggle with as women on this earth. Mrs. Elliot remindes us not just of what we should be thinking and doing, but why. I have found that knowing why we do the things we do is essential in growing into a mature adult and parent. This book has been an encouraging resource for me.

The last book I seem to refer back to often is A.W. Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God”. Now this is a meaty book, and I tend to read only one chapter at a time. If you want to truly “find God” in an intellectual way in your life and heart, this one is for you. It is one man’s instruction manual on how he followed hard after God, and what the Lord revealed to him in his life and spirit. A truly deep read.

I love reading, and not every book I read is study. Make time to read. If your children see you reading and enjoying it, they will learn to as well.

Faith

So, Who am I and what do I have to say? My name is Faith and I am a wife to Steve and a mom/stepmom. We are a blended family trying to live in the world and not be of it. I am a worker for God first, others second, and I put my faith in God to take care of my needs.

I adore shopping, and love bargin hunting. I am a CVSer, a Walgreens pro, and a coupon hog! I did the cut my grocery bill by half, and now I don’t even shop at the grocery very often…….I have moved beyond! I have spread the word of God in almost every store I frequent, I have given and recieved encouragement, found fellow christians, and by God’s grace helped a few new ones!

I love huge projects at home. Tearing stuff up and putting it back together is definately my idea of fun! Through some of these remodeling, landscaping, and repair projects…..I have met most of my curious neighbors and been able to create opportunities to spread the Gospel again! Praise God!

I love to cook. I love to feed people, it’s something I enjoy greatly.

I have a wonderful Husband who is a man on God’s mission for his life as well…. He is my partner, best friend, leader of our family, and my best source of encouragement.

We have 5 children between the two of us. In order of birth…Heather 23, Anthony 21, Jenna 20, Zoey 8, and Hope 10 months. It is a yours, mine, and ours kinda family. We struggle with the best of ‘em spiritually, and try to help each other where we can and encourage each other to grow according to God’s plan for our lives.

So, I want to open a window to my world to whom ever would like a peek…..

God Bless,

Faith