She's Sun and Rain

Over $500 dollars. That is our record high on grocery spending in one month. Never again will we do that! I thought that shopping at Wal-Mart was a good, inexpensive idea when we first got married. Having been single, I had no idea what it meant to really grocery shop or feed a man. I typically ate meals like cereal for dinner, or a combination of rice and peas with some salt and pepper. Perhaps that's how I stayed so skinny. I was only in Augusta, Ga from November after our wedding to June when we moved. I tried to keep our grocery budget to $100 a week, so $400 dollars a month for 2 people. That is too much. When we left Georgia in June and moved to Wilmington, NC (trying to figure out what we were doing) we spent some time with the Smith's. Thankfully Meg taught me a little about budgeting and couponing. We now shop at Harris Teeter and do not spend more than $60 a week on groceries. This includes toiletries, paper products, etc. Get an envelope, put your grocery money in ...

 I am no expert and I know several reports have a list out about the best time of the year to purchase specific items. What I do know....Memorial day and the week after Christmas have the best sales so far that I have seen. Really. Adam and I have held off on buying anything new for a year and a half while trying to pay off debt and get caught up from last year. Now that we are doing Dave Ramsey's financial peace university we actually have an envelope for clothing and it is high time that we replace some old things that need replacing. I also "had a growth spurt" after we got married, so shorts were in drastic need. You can find the best times to buy items at Kiplinger's , Lifehacker.com , or Real Simple . And next Memorial Day I suggest you hit the mall for some really great deals! Here are a few pictures from our Memorial Day. I hope yours was fabulous! Colin and Katelyn having a blast! Where there are guys, there are games. Me, Quinn, and Mama...

This weekend we will move into an apartment! I cannot contain my excitement :) But then again, why should I? We have been out of our house in Augusta since June so we've been staying in different places...and we are so ready to be settled again. It's been a huge blessing to stay with friends and learn to be content in any circumstance but we are looking forward to our own little space. I house-sat for so many years that my stuff was in storage for 4 1/2 years before we got married. I still have stuff that is in boxes from 2005! Needless to say I am ready to unpack and organize and decorate. Just part of being a woman, wanting things to be "homey". It's hard to believe that this season of our life is coming to an end because it has been such a whirlwind experience. We have learned a lot about life and about each other. Our marriage is definitely stronger from it all. What a first year! We will definitely be celebrating come November! We sold the truck this week so ...

It's very comical to me that the older I get, the weirder the things are I get excited about. This week for example: our house rented. YAY YAY YAY. This means a lot of things. It means that we will actually be able to pay our mortgage, the water bill, and the rental company with what the renters are paying. This is an amazing thing. We are thrilled! We are getting better at using coupons and saving money. Now, I'm not the type to announce to the world on facebook every time I save a few bucks, but we are excited to be better stewards of what God is giving us. I never knew that I didn't have to spend a fortune at the grocery store to still cook well for my husband and have the things we need. That is something to get excited about. :) I also never thought that I would be the type of person to make a menu for the week, but the truth is, when you do...you save money. If I can save money on food to buy a new....(insert cute clothing item or house decor here) then I'm all ab...

I don't like the feeling I get when I look at others' blog rolls and see my title halfway down the page, meaning I have neglected my blog. Oh dear blog, how I love you so! :) As you may well know, we are going through the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover to get out of debt, get on a budget, and start building 'wealth' (eventually). That being said our cute little house in Grovetown is missing a few things. We got everything, and I mean everything we needed for our kitchen from the wedding. I love cooking now because I have all the supplies I need! We bought a new kitchen table and chairs last February ish when he bought the house. My aunt and uncle gave us a great desk and bookshelves for the room we are calling the office. But we have dreams and goals of getting furniture for the living room and bedrooms someday. However, while we are doing our "debt snowball" we have an envelope (Dave uses the envelope system...see www.daveramsey.com) for furniture. Anythin...