Friday, May 16, 2014

Finances on Friday

I'm linking up again over at Renaissance for Finances on Friday!

Well, for the last week David and the six youngest kids have had some sort of stomach virus and headache. At least I nor the four oldest have gotten sick, but some of the younger ones felt better for a day then relapsed. So, I don't know that things were really all that frugal this week. As a matter of fact all that is on my brain is pregnancy, so I can't even think of pursuing anything other than what I'm already doing.

I really wanted a garden this year, but since we thought we might be moving (which turns out God shut that door and we are totally at peace with that, so we are looking into some other options) and so we didn't plant anything or get anything ready to plant anything. But, I guess it turns out for the best in the long run as I really already have my hands full and especially with a new baby I don't want to be going crazy trying to garden.

All of the kids and I have enough clothes, shoes, socks, etc. right now, so thankfully no more will need to be spent on that kind of stuff at the moment. I will probably just need to get a few summer outfits for the new baby. So, all set there.

Maintenance and repairs on both vans are done so HOPEFULLY nothing goes wrong and our 13 year old vehicles continue to run well, we are all set there as well.

Those are our two biggest expenses outside of rent and food.

Anyway, this week I............

  • Filled up with gas at Sam's and saved 5 cents a gallon.
  • Went thrift shopping with Brittany on Sunday afternoon and found three shrugs/cover-ups/what do you call thems? I have several maternity and nursing tank tops that I'll be wearing and I don't like to go with bare shoulders so I needed a light something to go over them. I found a black one at Ross for $7. It had a small hole in the bottom (barely noticeable) but they took an extra 10 percent off. I also found two more at Goodwill- a blue one that is more of a shrug, and a purple one that is a little longer- $4.50 a piece.
  • Used my store card at Walgreen's for the sale price on a few gatorades for the upset tummies.
  • Sold quite a few books for the Currclick Mother's Day sale. They were all discounted 70%, but it added up.
  • Found Brittany a satchel purse on sale for 50% off on the Thirty One website. She wanted one for her missions trip this summer.
  • Made sure the kids used their cups and plates this week, and it worked for the most part-we saved having to wash a lot of extra loads of dishes.
A Dinner Plate Dilemma....

All of our dinner plates have been broken. (Are we the only family where EVERYTHING breakable and some things thought to be unbreakable are utterly destroyed?) I was looking around at yard sales the other weekend for some cheap dishes and didn't find any.

Well, actually I thought I saw a box of plates at the youth yard sale when we were helping set up, but I had to leave early to pick David up from work and I couldn't find them. A friend set them aside for me, and when I dropped the kids off the next morning to work the sale, our youth pastor said he was going to sell them for $40, but would let me have them for $20 if I wanted them. It turns out they are fine china. I really didn't want to pay $20 for a few plates and I didn't want fine china since I couldn't microwave them or put them in the dishwasher, so I told him no. He said if they didn't sell, he'd just give them to me. They didn't sell.

My sister in law was out looking around that morning, too and she said she'd keep an eye out for dishes. She found some and set them aside for me at the church. She wouldn't let me pay her for them, either. On Saturday, after the sale was over Timothy brought out this set of Christmas dishes and said the youth pastor set them aside for me. I told him I didn't think so, that the other box with the China was what was set aside. He went back in and got the China and we left. I forgot to get the dishes my sister in law had left for me.

Tuesday Brittany brought home the dishes that my sister in law had gotten for me.

They were the Christmas dishes. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, because I don't know if I can't eat off of Christmas dishes unless it is, in fact, Christmas time. And I don't want to use the China because I already have a set of china that I don't use because you have to have to hand wash. So, I debated for over a week on whether I was going to just go to the dollar store and get a few plates or should I just use the Christmas dishes or china and not spend any money.

So. I decided to use the Christmas dishes. I don't know if I will want to break out into choruses of "Jingle Bells" during dinner or watch "It's a Wonderful Life". We'll see.


And for the "Use it up challenge"........

  • Found some random things in the freezer and used them (not all in the same meal though): 3 fish fillets, 1/2 bag of spinach, some chopped onion and bananas.
  • Used a few free address labels that came in the mail for some bills I needed to mail
  • Cut a few old file folders into squares to make flash cards for one child's Awana verses
Don't forget and link up over at Renaissance and share your financial stories!

5 comments:

Terri said...

I'm sorry you've all been ill. Feel better soon!

Rhonda said...

I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

Funny about the dishes it can be Christmas every day at your house.
About the china, I say go ahead and use them. If they have metal on them, your dishwasher will probably wash it off after a while.

Courtney said...

That is true about the China. I may just do that. They are pretty plates.

Rebecca said...

Glad that you personally have been spared the sickness. SOMEONE needs to be well to take care of the other sick ones. It might as well be the pregnant one who has enough pains (if your pregnancies are anything like mine)as it is.

I am right there with you on the dishes. I would use the dishes you have for now and then head to the nearest flea market/ antique barns. Every time I go to flea markets I find Corell plates (my favorite kind of dishes for our family). I find them randomly at yard sales too-but they are hit or miss. Definitely check out the flea markets. I always pick up the plain white ones if I need them or not because I know EVENTUALLY, I will. If you aren't partial to plain you are almost guaranteed to find some. And if you have mis-matched patterns of corell that would work to your advantage with your 'use YOUR plate for today!' method of cutting down dishes because they will remember their distinct pattern. (I do this with cups. Everyone gets a different color for the day.)

As for the garden and house~ I am so sorry to hear about the house but very thankful you are at peace with it. The Lord must have something greater in store for you- and maybe AFTER the baby is born which would be a bonus. Our moves have always (except the last one) coincided with births and it ain't fun.

As for the garden- you could go to the garden center and get a few cherry tomatoes and give them to an interested child to plant. Even a few tomatoes will supply all your tomato needs for the summer, you'll feel like you didn't miss gardening and one of your children will have a pet project to enjoy this summer. Cherry tomatoes (and pear tomatoes) I have found are one of childrens' greatest delights!

There- now that I wrote a book the day must begin!

Courtney said...

Rebecca, we always have some major thing going on along with births, too. If not moving, a job change (or loss) or SOMETHING else is going on. But, not this time. This has been, well, a "boring" pregnancy. And, I am NOT complaining!

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