32 weeks and counting
Well, I am 32 weeks yesterday and we had our Dr. apt today. I just love our OB dr. and am so thankful that he is a deacon in our church and a very Godly man. I wanted a Dr. that I knew we would on the same page Biblically and we have been so lucky to have him. So, I am measuring perfect, gained only 1lb and baby Jacob was kicking like a mad man for him when he listened to the heartbeat. My bloodpressure looks great and all in all he is VERY pleased with everything. If you guys could be praying about my mom coming to stay with us. My mom is so far away and wants to be here for the most important time (for me that is RIGHT after the baby is born for a good week or two). Pray that it will be clear for when she should buy tickets and all that fun stuff.
Also, in light of reviewing our budget very carefully since we are going from two incomes to one, I have been seeking new and creative ways to save money.
If you want to share with me what is your creative way to save money that would be great.
I will share my latest one but you can't laugh at me - it works for us. I always bought skim milk and would gringe at the increasing cost of this, $3.60 a gallon in most places. RIDICULOUS! So my brilliant idea is that I now by 2% milk and put 1/2 of it in another gallon jug and then I add water to the rest of the gallon. I take one gallon to work (because i have breakfast at work in the morning). Anyways, to me it tastes the same and it works for us and a gallon of milk is less than $2.00 again.
Ok- share your ideas! :)
posted by Troy & Sherry @ 10:04 AM
11 Comments:
I use distilled white vinegar to mop floors with(the stink doesn't last too long) and I use water to wash windows and mirrors with - I wipe with a microfiber cloth. A gal in MOPS mentioned tub/tile solution that I plan on trying once my current cleaner is used up - you mix 1/3 blue Dawn dish soap with 2/3 of white distilled vinegar - spray it on and leave it for a few minutes and wipe or srub as usual. I'm also using dryer balls - $10 at Bed Bath and Beyond - they're supposed to last 2-5years and no more fabric softener to buy - I did some research and people really did seem to like them.
Glad to here of your good report!!!! That's always a relief! love ya' k
Very clever with the milk...I'll have to give that a try!
ALDI...
we save so much money shopping there! we use walmart for just a few brands that we really prefer. In general, their milk prices are always the cheapest and the cost of their other foods always make it worth the trip....
Make your own baby food!!! i know this is a few months away, but I made all my baby food with luke (except if i could hit a really good sale). But all you need is a stove, a food processor (or a baby food grinder...you can get them at Meijer for 7 bucks). The only things you need to really cook are the veges. I would just send the fruit through (later our dinners) through the baby grinder and add water to the really thick things. For the things I cooks (like carrots, green beans, squash, sweet potato...i would do big batches and put them in ice cube trays to freeze and then put in ziploc bags. It was perfect serving size! and when one ice cube wasn't enough we started useing two. I think i made a bunch one time and it lasted him like 2 or 3 months and it only cost us pennys! plus is was really handing when we went places casue the frozen food would just thaw out and was ready to eat whenever. The food grinder was so small we would just take it with us to family/friends houses and then out to the occasional restraunt. ....that was my biggest $$$ saver with kids.
ok, so sorry for all those typos...:-)
with only one income won't you guys qualify for WIC? that saves us a lot every month with 5 kids under 5 who qualify. you would qualify if you are nursing, otherwise your baby will just get free formula.
I totally agree with Megan about making your own baby food--you will save TONS of money! I used all canned fruits and veges (get low sugar and low sodium) so, I never had to cook anything. Works great! When the kids were a bit older, we kept the food grinder on the kitchen table and whatever we were having for dinner would go through the grinder and that's what they got. No problems...
Shop garage sales for kids clothes and toys/books...
Use coupons; buy generic. Are you members at Sam's? That would save you tons in diapers alone!
Happy savings!
Karen Helmer
Never, never never for all the tea in China would I have made my own baby food. I have been way too busy to bother with that. Can you tell that I hate cooking?!
Yeah you should look into WIc. We didn't qualify :( It depends on Troy's income then I guess.
Thrift stores and yard sales have been my saving grace. Plus coupons...you won't have to spend much on diapers if you save all the coupons in the newspapers and all that are sent to you when the companyies catch wind that you have just had a baby :)
I also love doing the Walgreens and CVS free/almost free items. Very fun and get lots of expensive toiletries cheap cheap cheap.
Diaper tip...Walmart's white cloud worked just as well if not better than the Huggies for us. Much cheaper! We learned that from a coworker of Allen's.
That's a loaded question! :-) Buy meat in bulk and repackage into freezer zip locks when you get them home from the store. Extra Tip: If you do this you can ad your marinade or seasoning BEFORE freezing then as it is thawing all the flavor is filling the meat even before you cook it.
Start eating hot cereals that you can buy in bulk rather than boxed processed cereals. Hot cereals are much cheaper per serving.
Use a shopping list! I know this sounds elementary but in my 10 years as a Pampered Chef consultant I found that the people who spend the most money shopping DO NOT use a list.
Find some practical online FREE menu planning services if you don't like to cook or don't cook well. Often they provide a week's menu's with the shopping lists.
Look online for cleaning product recipes like your other friend shared. You will spend a FRACTION on homemade cleaning products than you do buying stuff by the bottle.
The only word of caution I have is if health and wellness are important to you find ways to keep buying real food rather than packaged processed stuff (even though the packaged processed stuff is usually way cheaper). If it doesn't matter than you'll find plenty of ways to save money on your grocery bill.
Ok.... I'll stop now.....
Shirley
Mom of 6
I had the same doctor as you and I must agree...He's awesome! :)
You look great and I'm so happy for you guys! Hope things continue to progress well!
Miss you!
I probably don't have anything new to add, but these are the things we've done.
Sam's Club to buy generic diapers and wipes in bulk. We also bought things such as bags of frozen veggies, laundry detergent, etc. Be careful though, not everything at Sam's is cheaper.
Shop at Aldi's as much as possible.
Buy clothes on clearance or at a thrift store/consignment shop.
Make baby food. I didn't make every different kind, but some are easier than others (such as sweet potato, banana, and apple sauce).
Buy meat on sale and in bulk packages (re-packaging as an earlier post mentioned).
Nurse the baby. I know this isn't possible for everyone, but it saves tons on formula!
The Entertainment book is nice for making eating out more affordable. Sometimes you can get one meal free at certain locations.
I'm glad your pregnancy is progressing smoothly and that everything looks good!
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