We Paid Cash: Our Honeymoon and more...

A testimony from Krystal of Simple Finance Mom: When my husband and I first got married, we decided to put our money into a savings account instead of splurging on a big honeymoon. Instead, we promised ourselves we would do […]

Here's what's new: We Paid Cash: Our Honeymoon Brigette’s $65 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 We Paid Cash: Our Honeymoon A testimony from Krystal of Simple Finance Mom: When my husband and I first got married, we decided to put our money into a savings account instead of splurging on a big honeymoon. Instead, we promised ourselves we would do a big trip on our one-year anniversary. You know, when we had more money… Then year one came and went with no trip. As did year two. And then year five. And then year eight. Last year, our ninth year of wedded bliss, we laughed at how naive we were in thinking we would have more money later in our marriage. Kids. Pets. A home. Good ol' Murphy who always pays a visit from time to time. But then we realized it was time we stop putting ourselves last on the totem pole. It was time to plan a "honeymoon." We know our marriage is one of our greatest investments. So we committed to going on a week-long trip to celebrate our ten-year anniversary, no matter what. While we knew we didn't want to spend an outrageous amount of money, we wanted to go on an international trip. After doing our due diligence and having a few discussions, we compromised with a budget that felt right for both of us. In order to pay for our trip, here a few ways we saved. We tapped into our Vacation Savings Account. Each month, we have a small amount that is saved automatically for our summer trips. Last year, our trip was smaller knowing we would have this big trip coming up. It really helped our stockpile of savings grow little by little over time. We set aside our tax refund. This was a great jump start to our budget, and covered all of our round-trip airfare. We skipped using a travel agent. My hubby gets all the credit here. He spent hours and hours researching locations, things to do, travel expenses, etc. We were fortunate to be gifted a timeshare for our resort stay. A family member was gracious enough to give us a week at a resort. This limited the resorts we could visit, but it literally saved us thousands! We only paid the fees and taxes for our visit. We planned flights well in advance. Again, hubby gets the points for this one! Once we decided a location, he price checked flights and airports. When prices dropped, we jumped and bought our tickets for a great discount. We shopped around for excursions. We only did the things we really wanted to do, not everything that was offered to us. Experiencing the culture was amazing! We loved every minute of it! At the end of the day, we learned that while we can't afford frequent trips that cost thousands and thousands of dollars every year, we also can't afford to NOT invest in time alone as a couple. Strategically saving over time bonded us as a team, and afforded us an unforgettable trip. The memories are worth far more than the meager budget we started out with. Krystal is a teacher turned homeschooling mama of two. She recently paid off over $80,000 of debt with her husband, and now writes about making family finances simple. You can read her debt free story, as well as tips for budgeting, saving, and investing for beginners at Simple Finance Mom. Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small?Submit your story for possible publication here.        Brigette’s $65 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 Aldi 1 bag Nacho Tortilla Chips – $1.09 2 pkgs Strawberries – $1.78 1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.75 1 pint Grape Tomatoes – $0.69 1 3-lb bag Pink Lady Apples – $4.49 1 bag Lemons – $2.99 1 2-lb bag Peaches – $1.78 1 bag Broccoli Crowns – $1.39 1 bag Organic Kale – $1.99 1 bag Zucchini – $0.99 1 bag Romaine Hearts – $1.99 1 head Cauliflower – $1.95 2 bags Baby Carrots – $1.78 2 bags Red Grapes (4.95lbs @ $0.69/lb) – $3.42 1 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes – $3.49 Baking Powder – $0.99 1 can Pumpkin – $1.39 1 canister Old Fashioned Oats – $2.39 3 dozen Eggs – $1.89 2 16-oz carton Egg Whites – $3.78 2 pkgs English Muffins – $1.58 1 pkg String Cheese – $2.29 2 gallons Whole Milk – $4.08 1 16-oz carton Heavy Whipping Cream – $1.69 1 bag Pepperoni – $2.19 1 64-oz carton Orange Juice – $1.69 1 48-oz jug Vegetable Oil – $1.85 1 loaf Whole Grain White Bread – $0.99, plus receive $0.10 back from Checkout 51 – $0.89 after rebate Total: $59.28 Harris Teeter 2 pkgs Crunchmaster Crackers – $4.48 – used 2 $1.00/1 printables plus receive $2.00 rebate from Checkout 51 and $1.50/2 rebate from Ibotta – $1.02 MM after coupons and rebates! 2 Old El Paso Taco Boats Dinner Kits – $3.98, used 2, plus $1.00/2 evic – FREE after coupons 1 box Welch’s Fruit Roll – $2.00, used $1.00/1 Welch Fruit Rolls – 9-10-17 SS; Includes 6 ct Only (exp. 10/21/17), plus receive $1.00/1 rebate from Checkout 51 – FREE after coupon and rebate 2 Larabars – $2.00, used $0.75/2 printable (doubled), plus $0.50/2 evic – FREE after coupons 2 cans Campbells Well Yes! Soup – $2.98, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled) – FREE after coupons 3 cans Luck’s Beans – $1.80, plus receive $1.20/3 rebate from Ibotta – $0.60/3 after rebate 3 boxes Hamburger Helper – $3.00, used $0.75/3 Betty Crocker Helper Regular or Ultimate Skillet Meals – 7-30-17 SS (exp. 09/23/17) (doubled), plus $0.75/3 evic – $0.75/3 after coupons 2 Taipei Entrees – $4.00, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled) – $1.00/2 after coupon (These make great lunches for my husband at work as he LOVES Chinese food!) 1 Yoplait Mix-In – $0.90, used $0.25/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.25/1 evic – $0.15 after coupons 5 Yoplait Yogurts – $1.85, used $0.50/5 printable (doubled), plus $0.50/5 evic – $0.35/5 after coupons 6 cans Harris Teeter Green Beans – $2.04 2 pks Naan Pitas – $2.98, used 2 $1.00/1 printable – $0.98/2 after coupons 1 3-lb bag Yellow Onions – $1.29 2 cans Bush’s Chili Beans – $2.00, used $0.75/2 printable (doubled) – $0.50/2 after coupon Total after Coupons and Rebates: $6.64 Grocery Total for the Week: $65.92 Weekly Menu Plan Breakfasts Everyone is responsible for making and cleaning up their own breakfast. Choices include: Veggie Omelets, Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Boiled or Fried Eggs, Cereal, Fruit, Toast, Zucchini Bread Lunches Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fresh Veggies with Dip, Grapes x 2 Leftovers x 4 Tossed Salad Bar Dinners Taco Boats, Fruit Salad Pepperoni Pizza on Naan Bread, Tossed Salad Baked Chicken, Creamy Milk Rice, Roasted Broccoli, Pumpkin Muffins Egg McMuffins (Fried Eggs and Cheese on English Muffins), Green Beans, Fruit Hamburger Helper (Yep – ha! I do this on occasion when we need a fast meal with minimal clean-up…my family doesn’t have very refined taste buds as they LOVE this stuff!), Strawberry Kale Salad, Failproof French Bread Cheesy Hamburger Potato Soup, Pumpkins Muffins Leftovers        Latest finds on Pinterest This Crockpot Creamy White Chili with Chicken is easy to make and super delicious! Serve it with cornbread for an easy dinner any night of the week. freezer meals Latest finds on Pinterest This Crockpot Creamy White Chili with Chicken is easy to make and super delicious! Serve it with cornbread for an easy dinner any night of the week. freezer meals     Click here to safely unsubscribe from "LITE Feed, Money Saving Mom®." Click here to view mailing archives, here to change your preferences, or here to subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.