Super Savings Sunday!

I had coupons that expired today for a sale that is going on at Owens (our local Kroger affiliate) this week and next. And since I didn’t get my list together and finalized until yesterday morning (while we were in Michigan), I had to do my shopping today. So, after church, the kids and I hit the store with my list and coupons in hand.

(Please ignore my kids’ toys piled high in the background – that’s Jenny’s idea of “putting them away”.)

The Breakdown:
Non “Special Sale” Items
4 pkgs of Kroger sliced cheese (12 slices) = $.88/ea (savings of $1.21/ea)
2 Folgers Brazilian blend coffee (788g) = $3.69/ea (except that the cashier ran one up at $7.46, savings of $3.77, should have been $7.54)
2 pkgs of Kroger Whole White Wheat Hot Dog buns = $.29/ea (savings of $1.49/ea)

“Special Sale” Items (for every 10 items purchase, $5 taken off total – not included in per item savings)
10 Hungry Man dinners = $2.27/ea (savings of $.85/ea)
4 pkgs of Ziploc containers = $2.50/ea – 2x $1.50/2 Qs (savings of $1.84 on two and $1.64 on two)
2 bricks of Velveeta = $3.97/ea – 2x $1off Qs (savings of $2.00)
4 boxes of FINISH tabs (for my mom) = $3.49/ea – 4x $2.50 Qs (savings of $4.60/ea)
4 SOBE LifeWaters = $.99/ea – 2x BOGO Free Qs (cashier only gave me credit for final price of $.49/ea, savings of $.25/ea, should have been $.50/ea)
12 pkgs of Kraft cheese (8oz) = $1.99/ea – 6x $1.00/2 Qs (savings of $2.00/ea)
4 bags of PF Goldfish (6.6oz) = $1.38/ea (savings of $.80/ea)
4 boxes of Philadelphia cream cheese (8oz) = $1.49/ea – 1x $1.00/4 Q (savings of $.25/ea)
4 pkgs of Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies = $1.69/ea – 2x $1.00 Qs (savings of $1.48/ea on two and $2.48/ea on two)
2 cans of Hormel Chili (w/ beans) = $1.29/ea (savings of $.05/ea)
Savings from “special sale” = $25 (additional $.50 per item)

Total Shelf Value: $185.42
Total Paid: $67.73
Total Saved: $117.69 (63%)

"Songs of Deliverance" by Marilynn Griffith

This book made me really uncomfortable, but not necessarily in a bad way.

First of all, I was in culture shock through most of it. Having grown up in a conservative Baptist home, I still struggle with culture shock walking into some “Community” churches, let alone the culture shock I got from the more “Pentecostal” church setting of this book.

Secondly, the book dealt with the “ugly side of life”. The side we all know exists, but most of us try to cover up and hide within our Christian circles. Marilynn Griffith did anything but hide from these issues with her characters. She forced me, as the reader, to face these issues head-on, along with the grace that comes when the issues are brought to the feet of our Savior.

This book started off “running” and didn’t stop until I put it down. The flow was actually fairly easy to follow, even though the story is being told from multiple first person POVs and in different times (flashback and current day). The story sweeps up the reader and immersed me fully in the characters and their lives.

Though the writing, story, etc. were done well, I’m not sure if I’d read another book from this author, just due to my lack of comfort with the content and culture.

Thanks to Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for providing a copy of this book for me to read and review.

Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin

4 Days to a Forever Marriage {Twitter Party Announcement}

The World of Animals {book review}

Random Ramblings, vol 130, issue 809

RR#1 – The last 36 hours passed in a blur, and yet I feel like we had a nice visit with J’s parents in MI.

RR#2 – Jenny is really funny when she’s tired. One second she was asking for me to put on her DVD in the car, and the next, she’s bent in half – fast asleep – snoring really loudly.

RR#3 – David was drinking his milk on the way home, and he discovered that if he flicked the lid, milk would spray him. What he didn’t realize was that it was spraying the window next to him, too. (Hopefully I’ll remember to wash that window.)

RR#4 – We tried to buy groceries at Kroger on East Michigan Ave (in JXN) today, and discovered that their prices are about 20% higher PER ITEM than our prices here. We quickly put the few items in our cart back where we got them from and left the store. I will have to get groceries after church tomorrow.

RR#5 – I napped a LOT today. Not very long any of the times, but I definitely fell asleep at least three different times. Could be due to the fact that I didn’t sleep much last night (thanks to Jenny tossing and turning) and ended up getting up at 6am. I have a feeling I’ll be hitting the sack early tonight as well!

RR#6 – We are on the path to kick some major debt butt in the next couple of months. We’re hoping to have our biggest debt completely PAID IN FULL by this summer – possibly even sooner!

RR#7 – That “thing” I keep mentioning I’ll tell you about soon is looking like a very real possibility. I just need to work some of the logistics out before I spill all.

Would love to hear your RRs and/or your thoughts on mine. Have a BLESSED weekend!

Online Money Making Resources

Less than a year ago, I started trying to “make money online“. I signed up for lots of survey sites and tried out different affiliate programs. I decided to check out how much money I actually made over the past year or so with some of these programs and was happy to see some of the results:

Opinion Outpost has been my “biggest” source of online revenue. I started taking surveys with them on 3/7/09, and as of today, I’ve earned $57.50 with them. (Cash out minimum is $5, or 50 points.)

Another source of revenue I’ve found is selling gently used books on Cash4Books.net.

Swagbucks is another way I’ve been able to “earn money online”. Using Swagbucks as my main search engine, I’m able to earn points to purchase gift cards for Amazon.com (can also use points to get Paypal cash).

IPSOS i-Say is another survey site that I’ve had success with. They also have a $5 (or 50 point) cash-out minimum.

**Please note that affiliate links are included in the post above. If you have any questions about any of these “revenue sources”, feel free to contact me for more information. I have personally used all of the above sites with positive results, and thus recommend them based on my personal experience.**

Winner of "The Moon Shines Down" Announced!!

5 Elements in a Well-Balanced Prayer Life

"The Silent Governess" by Julie Klassen

Do you like Jane Austen’s novels? If you do, you will LOVE Julie Klassen. This was my first encounter with Julie Klassen’s work, but it will definitely not be my last. She writes with the setting and style of Austen, but without the language barrier.

The secrets at Brightwell Court – home to Lord Brightwell and his son, Lord Bradley – run deep, and they threaten to tarnish the family name. But when Olivia Keene stumbles upon one of these secrets, she’s willing to keep quiet for fear that her own secrets might be brought to light.

The Silent Governess is a story that grabs readers from the get-go and doesn’t release them until the end. Brilliantly written and woven together, the story takes readers back to the early 19th century of England – a time of servants, governesses, Lords and Ladies. The story is full of mystery and intrigue, love and romance, religion and faith.

Thanks to Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Top Ten Tuesday: Quotes from Transforming Prayer

Water's Edge by Robert Whitlow

The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz