Guest post from Alexis of Clip Your Cash
If I had to pick three words to describe myself, “frugal” would definitely make the list. In fact, when it comes to what my family eats, how we entertain ourselves, and the other things we buy on a regular basis, money, and more specifically how we can save money, almost always plays a part in my decision-making process.
This mindset has allowed my family to spend less, save more, and try new things. But I am most thankful for the fact that it has given us the ability to make important life decisions regardless of the financial impact they will cause.
The biggest example of this benefit happened years ago when my husband was finishing up his law degree…
After years of schooling and more student loan debt than I care to admit, my husband finally realized something: he did not want to be an attorney. In fact, he did not want to have anything to do with the law and instead, he wanted to take an entry level position in a completely different field.
Given my frugal ways, when my husband came to me with his discovery, he was a little uncertain of how I would respond. From a strictly financial perspective, this was a huge blow. My husband wanted to take a job that would be a dramatic cut in pay, even though we were just about to start paying back a huge student loan debt.
However, despite the financial implications, after learning just how much my husband was dreading his legal job (and his excitement over this new opportunity) I knew that leaving the law field was the right choice. And although it was definitely not an easy time in our lives, the fact that I knew how to keep our daily expenses to the bare minimum gave us the ability to make this decision despite the financial blow it caused.
Once our decision was made, I started working even harder to cut corners wherever I could. I used coupons, cut the cable, turned off the A/C, and more. Within a year, my husband got his first promotion and the financial strain started to lift.
It has now been about seven years since my husband switched careers, and I can definitely say it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. He loves his job and has excelled in his new field.
Even though frugality may not be that exciting in our consumer-driven world, I am so thankful for this mindset. I know that by saving on our day-to-day expenses we have the financial freedom to make the right choices on important life decisions.
So while clipping a $1 coupon or skipping a morning run to Starbucks may not seem like much, rest assured that in the long run, these actions can make a huge difference in your life!
Alexis is a stay-at-home mom of a four year old daughter and two year old son. When she is not building Lego houses or playing with Play-Doh, she blogs about strategic couponing at Clip Your Cash.
photo source
Target
5 boxes Mom’s Best Cereal – $1 each, used 20% off Cartwheel coupon – $0.80 each after coupon (I was SO excited about this deal as we love this cereal! I might have to run back and get a few more boxes before the week is over.)
Total with tax ($0.28): $4.28
Dillons
3 Totino’s Frozen Pizza – $1.34 each
1 Bob’s Mill Gluten Free Pie Crust – Marked down to $0.99
1 Bob’s Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour – Marked down to $1.99, used $1 off natural foods e-coupon – $0.99 after coupon
2 Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $1 each, used $1/2 e-coupon – $0.50 each after coupon
1 Yoplait Greek Whips Yogurt – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
1 Kroger Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – $6.99, used $1.45/1 e-coupon – $5.54 after coupon
3 Kroger Greek Yogurt – $0.99 each, used $0.50/3 e-coupon – $0.82 each after coupon
1 Twix Egg – $0.59, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 bag Kroger Potatoes – $2.50
Items a part of the Mega Sale (Buy 5, Get $5 off instantly):
1 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes – $1.99, used $0.50/1 printable – $1.49 after coupon
1 V8 Carrot Mango Juice – $1.69, used $1/1 printable – $0.69 after coupon
1 Hormel Turkey Deli Meat – $2.49, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $1.99 after coupon
1 Cascadian Farms Cereal – $1.99, used $0.75/1 e-coupon – $1.24 after coupon
1 Gogurt Yogurt – $1.49
Total with tax ($2.08): $27.46
Aldi
1 dozen Eggs – $1.48
1 gallon Milk – $2.42
1 bag Halo Oranges – $2.99, used $1/1 Snap rebate – $1.99 after rebate
1 bag Spinach – $1.79
1 carton Half & Half – $1.89
1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $0.79
2 Cucumbers – $0.39 each
1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.29
1 pkg Old Fashioned Oats – $2.29
1 pkg Chia Seeds – $2.99
1 canister Raisins – $2.89
1 pkg Pure Vanilla – $1.99 (not pictured)
1 pkg Baby Carrots – $0.99
1 Grape Jelly – $1.45
1 loaf Bread – $0.99
1 pkg Strawberries – $1.69
1 pkg Raspberries – $1.99
Total with tax ($2.19): $31.89
Total for all grocery items: $63.63
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Homemade Granola (I’m planning to make a big batch this week.)
Scrambled Eggs and Toast x 4
Fruit & Cereal x 2
Lunches
Peanut Butter & Jelly Rice Cake Sandwiches, Oranges
Turkey Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks
Macaroni & Cheese, Fruit
Pizza Quesadillas, Veggies
Veggie Soup, Crackers
Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
Leftovers
Spinach Smoothies/Tossed Salads x 5 (for me)
Dinners
Chicken & Rice Casserole (using leftover chicken and rice from our Hawaiian Haystacks last week), Tossed Salad
Cabbage & Venison, Grapefruit, Apple Crisp (using frozen apples from last fall)
Venison Stew, Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Grilled Chicken, Tossed Salad
Venison Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, Biscuits
Turkey Sandwiches, Tossed Salad, Fruit
Date night
Snacks
Yogurt with Raspberries, Skinny Monkey Oats Cookies, Double Fudge Banana Muffins, Nut Mix
