I'm going to be honest...I love shopping! Okay okay, what girl doesn't right? Well I actually know quite a few girls that don't. But I do, but with one flaw...I hate spending money! Not an easy thing to overcome. This summer I've been studying Proverbs 31 - as I woman, I highly recommend reading & studying it! Early on (about the time we went gluten free - eek), I came across this verse..."She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard."
Proverbs 31:16. The Proverbs 31 woman is wise with money...careful, cautious, thoughtful with it. Our grocery budget since going gluten free has risen drastically! I'm settling into it now, learning where to shop for each item, and we're eating at home more which is never a bad thing! I'm striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman and certainly MONEY is a great place to focus on (seeing as it's such a huge cause of marital problems)!
So this week has provided not only a lot of shopping opportunities for me, but also some savings! I wanted to get all school supplies, school clothes, and of course groceries this week. I pre-ordered Payton's school supplies through our school in May (wanting to spread out the cost of supplies). So I only had to buy Savannah's and thankfully I stayed $17 below the budget the school had provided. I was very happy with that. I purchased a few really cheap things at Office Depot (like $.01 folders!) and went to Target for the rest. I had a $3 off Crayola coupon (yes I only get Crayola crayons, markers, & color pencils), compared prices on other items to get the best deal (like buying the non-sharpened pencils verses the pre-sharpened which were crazy expensive - I can sharpen just fine), & I used a $5 gift card that I'll tell you about below.
I went ahead and bought a few outfits from Target for the girls that were on clearance & sale. I had a coupon to receive a $5 gift card with the purchase of $50. So I separated my purchases to be able to use it right away. I purchased the clothes having enough to receive the gift card. Then I purchased the school supplies and used the gift card. I was proud of my sale purchases & coupons! I know that other places might have had cheaper prices, but it's 108 outside and the money I saved with the gift card I felt more than covered what the difference might have been (not worth driving me & the girls all over town using gas and getting dehydrated)!
The girls and I also hit Children's Place. Of course we started at the clearance section which was a little 'not clearance' enough for me. :( So I looked through the sale items and found a couple I thought were good deals and more than just a t-shirt type outfits. I also had a 20% off purchase coupon which helped a good deal. Bonus, right now if you spend $75, you get a free slap bracelet watch! So now the only thing the girls need are new tennis shoes. I'll wait until right before school starts for those in case those smelly adorable feet decide to grow on me!
Finally the groceries...I was very blessed that the girls had a sleep-over at their Nene & Papa's house with their cousins last night. This allowed some quiet time to get things accomplished today, including price saving at the store. I love shopping at Tom Thumb, but I certainly don't love most of their prices. However, over the last 6 months, I have watched some of their prices drop & picked up on some great deals (by accident mind you). Today I happened to go to get a few items since I was right by it. I was super excited for a few reasons. First, I found they did carry the gluten free bread & hot dog buns that Chris likes! SCORE - closest grocery store carries what we need! Second, they had buy 1 get 1 free on several types of bread for the girls and I (to stay in budget we do regular bread) AND buy 1 get 1 free on Mission corn tortillas which we use for a LOT of things since going gluten free! SCORE - freezing 1 loaf of bread & 1 pack of tortillas will allow those to get us through longer! And finally, I have NEVER walked into Tom Thumb and not been greeted kindly by at least one employee! SCORE - I left feeling better than when I went in! (and I seriously love to grocery shop without kids - I'd do it for others if they asked!) So, saving money & being treated kindly was a huge win at the grocery store today - thanks Tom Thumb! "Be kind and compassionate to one another." Ephesians 4:32
Ok, so now for the mentor part of this post. Chris and I were so incredibly blessed over the last 20 weeks to attend an amazing program for ALL marriages called ReEngage! We were doubly blessed during the 16 week closed session by having amazing facilitators. They are indeed a couple that walk with Jesus! They are both faithful & love our Lord and it shows...individually & in their marriage. By keeping it real in our sessions, they allowed the rest of us to be honest with ourselves, our spouses, & the other couples. Not a moment was wasted in our group and each of us walked away stronger in our marriage and as individuals. It was truly a joy to witness them give their testimony last night as we also celebrated the completion of our sessions.
The wife said something that will forever stick with me and I pray it challenges me as well. She said that even though they are truly happy, she doesn't want to live the same life year after year...she wants to continue to grow in her relationship with God & in her marriage. WOW! Who needs movie stars? I sat in amazement listening to her, wanting to strive to work towards growing each year...afterwards I had to keep myself from asking for her autograph! I hope to continue to meet with her after this because she is truly a mentor! And likewise, her husband is equally a wonderful mentor to the men around him. I know he's had an impact on Chris during this time! In a world where we're suppose to look a certain way, have a certain house, drive a certain car, be in a certain club, wear a certain size, how refreshing it is to see two people who are so real, so in love with the Lord and do His work both individually and through their marriage. So I encourage you to keep everything focused on the true prize, everlasting life, and listen to the Giggles from Heaven!
Tammy Jones
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
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