Entitlement

Do you get the Focus on the Family magazine, thriving family? There is a great article in the November/December 2009 issue titled, "Bucking the Entitlement Trend".

Here is the summary of the article:
It starts off discussing the fact that the author's son states that he is the only kid in his Middle School who does not have a cell phone. When she ask some of his friends, they all state that they have phones. She then ask how many pay for them. No one raises their hand.

It doesn't stop at a cell phone. They want their own computer or car. They want, want, want. They feel they are entitled to these items. When they enter the workforce, they expect the corner office, tons of off days, high salaries and respect of their elders.

We do our children no favors when we give in to their wants.

Yesterday after church, Mal wanted to go to the Guad because everyone else was going. Nevermind that we had to be in Gardendale by 2:00 because of a prior committment to 9 girls to help them out on the ball field next week. Being rushed all afternoon was not a good idea. So I told her no. Well, the "no" made her pout and made me very angry. I do not like the pouting when you do not get your way!

(Not to mention that I've been trying to save money on the food front and had just bought groceries on Friday afternoon. We have plenty of food in the house. Why go and spend $20 on one meal just because everyone else is doing it?)

Back to the entitlement article...

If we give in to our children now, they will grow up thinking this is how all adults should treat them. When they run into an unfriendly boss or have a conflict in their marriage, they will not know how to react.

So what do we do?

Teach our kids the value of hard work and money.

Let them develop confidence through adversity.

Promote and accurate view of self.

Cultivate the quality of empathy.

If you would like a copy of the article, I'll be happy to share! There is a lot more detail than I could cover here.

Coupons for Christmas

If you haven't already bookmarked this site you need to...
www.abundantfoodsavings.com (AFS)

Not only do they have great Target coupons (read this as store coupon which could be stacked with a manufacturer coupon for greater savings) but they list other great links to some great coupons.

With Christmas quickly approaching and our dire need to save money while still enjoying the season and being able to give (I love to give!), coupons for items other than food are big on my list.

At AFS, scroll through their posts and find a plan for the Almay deal at Walgreens (as well as Lubriderm lotion) and a link to print Target coupons on some possible gifts! Some of their posts are the same as found on other blogs but some I haven't seen elsewhere.

And as always, find a few blogs that provide you with the information you desire and focus on those! Time is a valuable commodity.

Let's talk Turkey

FYI...

WalMart has turkeys at 40 cents a pound. Got me two gobblers for about $14.00. I'm going to give one to the Mom-in-law. Bonus points!

According to my mother (who actually picked them up for me) the turkeys at Springville WM were bigger than the ones at Leeds. Of course, she claimed the biggest one as her own although it is in my freezer.

CVS $/$$ coupons + Rite Aid + Walgreens

Be sure you go to southersavers.com and select the CVS link. Print off the two $/$$ coupons to use at CVS. You have to do a quiz for one but it will not take very long. The quiz is $5/$30 and the "peel-back" is $5/$20. These can definitely come in handy.

I saw where Rite Aid will have Herbal Essence B1G1 next week. There are B1G1 coupons available and Rite Aid's coupon policy will allow you to them so you will get 2 for free. Sweet!

Yesterday, I posted about the Almay deal at Walgreens. I can't use Almay so I was going to look for other makeup deals. Then a light bulb lit up and I remembered that makeup is on the Christmas Store "toy" list for the older kids. Why not get some free makeup and donate it to the Christmas Store? I'm there!!

Have you found any deals lately?

Publix deals and more

Wow!!! Publix is great this week. But I really don't "need" anything specific. How can you turn down some of those great deals though?

Betty Crocker potatoes for 7 cents. Sweet! Coffee creamer for a possible 79 cents (can't find the $1/1 coupon to make it 19 cents). Even Sweeter! Free Tylenol. YES! (Especially since I can't take anything else.)

So it looks like a small trip for me this week...approx. $46 before coupons...roughly $20-25 after if I can find the coupons I need.

I need some makeup so I'm going to hit Walgreens and CVS to see what I can do. I have to be careful with which brands I use. I wish I could use the Almay deal at Wags. Check it out! Good thing I've got $7 RR from Wags and $10 ECB from CSV burning a hole in my pocket. I'm going to need them.

What deals have you found this week?

Random Pondering

DH got up around 4 this morning to search for the elusive big buck. Eventually, he woke me as well. As I was trying to get that last hour of sleep I decided that I would talk to God. He is always up at that insane hour. I prayed for myself. Nothing wrong with that. I just know that any and all of my problems have to be turned over to Him. I feel like I literally have to make that statement during my prayer time for it to be fact even though I know He knows my thoughts. It is just how He made me. But I just say to my God, "You know what I need...I don't. Would you mind fixing me?" Of course I know that it isn't that easy. We wouldn't be so lucky. We do have to take the time to listen for His direction to fix us.

The speaker at Tablescapes was wonderful. Her "Light" definitely shined through. As she was speaking I thought to myself, "I wish I was like her. I wish that I could radiate my love for Jesus like she does." But I don't. I let my earthly desires take over and become my focus. It is so weird. Even though I know what I need to do and actually desire to do it; I "forget". It doesn't feel like I would be the real me. So maybe I'm not supposed to be that way. Maybe that is my desire and not His. He may want to use me in a different way. He may like the fact that I want to be that way and that pleases Him for now. When it is time, He will let me know. While this world would be a better place if we were all like the speaker, that is my opinion and not necessarily God's plan. Oh, the faith of a mustard seed.

Circumstances got you down?

If you missed Sunday's sermon, let me recommend that you listen to it online. Very good message for the earthly situations we are facing right now.

Read Matt. 6:25-34. This is the "Don't worry about tomorrow" command. It is so true. God knows what we need, when we need it.

As was suggested a couple of weeks ago, read a Psalm every day. Tonight he read Psalm 121 and 123.

Psalm 121 begins; "I lift my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord; the Maker of heaven and earth." (Sound familiar - Praise You in This Storm)

Psalm 124 begins; "I lift my eyes to you"

Notice that in both, the psalmist is "lifing his eyes". We should focus our eyes upon God; lift them toward Him. Instead we lift our eyes to the thing of this world. We focus on the things of this world. DO WE EXPECT THE EARTH TO HELP US WITH OUR PROBLEMS; THE SAME EARTH THAT ONLY HAS CONTEMPT FOR GOD?

And always remember, we make time for the things that are most important to us. Where is your time spent?

EXCUSES AND COMPLICATIONS (subtitled SLOW DOWN)

How many times has your alarm gone off on a Sunday morning and you hit snooze and began thinking of reasons to stay in bed and skip church?
{I think} my throat is a little sore. I stayed up too late last night. I’ve been going non-stop for a week; I need a break. I can read my bible at home and get as much as I would get at church. (And yes, those excuses came way too easy to me while writing this.)

Now, how many times have you gone ahead and gotten up and felt fine…not tired at all? Probably most of them if you didn’t let the excuses win.

Think about how tired Paul must have been as he travelled. Think about how tired he was while in prison. Nothing stopped him from telling others about Jesus. He knew that God would sustain him with what he needed to continue.

We are a society that is caught up in the captivity of activity. We feel we must be busy or we are failing. Perhaps the reason that we are craving “busy-ness” is really because God is causing us to feel a craving for Him; we just will not stop long enough to listen.

Redirect your focus to seek God first and He will direct your paths (Matt 6:33).

Rethink your motivation. Are you trying to please people or God? (Gal 1:10)

Rest in God’s will (Heb 4:10) “Anyone who enters God’s rest also rest from his own work.”

And “Whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God!” (1 Cor. 10:31)

I have the above for lines written on an index card on my cubicle wall at work. I see them every day.

Additionally I have the following verse right above my computer monitor. We really need to pray for our nation!

“If my people who are called by my name will humbles themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

Don’t let excuses and complications keep you from you going to church and hearing God’s word for you that day.
Beth

Take the Challenge

Contribution from Tiffany...isn't she the best!!

The kids in Club 56 were challenged to memorize Matthew 25:34-36 this week. Below is the complete passage in Matthew that was the focus of Wednesday's lesson. I'm going to try to memorize this along with the kids. Will you do the same?

Matthew 25:34-40
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Tiffany

Do you have a mentor?

From Tiffany:

I have found one in Mrs. Therolene Beachem. I got to know her through the Apples of Gold ladies' Bible study class. Then about a year ago during a Wednesday night prayer service, I heard her pray... REALLY pray. I knew at that moment that she was the one who God wanted me to learn from. I began to find ways to be around her more often. Now we are great friends, and she takes every opportunity to teach me about being a Godly wife, mother, and servant. She is truly a blessing to me.

Who are you learning from? If you can't name anyone in particular, I strongly encourage you to begin looking around you. Who strives to be obedient to God? Who is faithful and submissive to their husband? Who is a sincere and mature Christian? Who is God leading you toward? A Godly mentor can bless your life!

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home; to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.—Titus 2:3-5, NIV

Tiff

Working on being a good steward

Proverbs 31:15
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

So how can I buy $108 worth of groceries for $44 including tax? Well for starters I subscribe to southersavers.com blog. AND I check the website throughout the day. Because I do that, I was able to get in on a deal on Friday to get two B1G1 coupons for eggs.

So here are the basics.

First-go to southernsavers.com and read the Getting Started Guides (drop down at the top of the banner). No sense in me repeating what someone else already has typed and you've got to learn the lingo.

Second - Expect to pay a little more than what you budgeted to start with as you build up your stock-pile. (And by stock-pile I don't mean WWIII stock-pile, just extra staples.)

Third - It will take a lot of time at first to get organized and figure what the best method of organization is for you. Google will be your best friend. Google "couponing organization" and search around to see what might be something you use.

Here are some blogs that I subscribe to. Some post the same things since they feed off of each other.

Deal Seeking Mom
Freebies 4 Mom
For the Mommas
I heart cvs (or I heart walgreens)

And some of the blogs have links to other blogs but don't get into too many of them.

Southernsavers.com posts the ads on a schedule each week. For us, Publix is posted early Wednesday morning. I normally shop Monday afternoon so I can get the penny item. Always read the comments. You can get a lot of useful information from them and they help with the learning curve.

Most of your home and beauty items can be gotten super cheap at Walgreens, CVS or Rite Aid. I use Walgreens for the most part because my OOP (Out of pocket) can be so low when I roll the Register Rewards.
For example, today I bought 4 boxes of Quaker granola bars ($2.50 each); one bottle of Walgreens hydrogen peroxide ($0.29); one bottle of John Frieda conditioner ($5.99). Total $16.28 before tax. Paid with register rewards (RR) from two weeks ago ($13.00); 1 $1/1 John Frieda from this Sunday's coupons; 1 $1/2 quaker granola. Total OOP was $1.52 and I got $5 RR from the granola bars and $3 RR from the John Frieda to use on my next trip. The RR usually expire in two weeks from their issue date. Also, since I had 6 coupons (2 manufacturer and 4 RR) I had to have 6 items; hence the hydrogen peroxide. Anything that you can get for free, get it. If you don't use it, donate it to the church or elsewhere.

Next Walgreens trip (WAGS) will be 2 Ban deodorant (3.00 get $1 RR); 2 Nyquil (10.00 get $5 RR) and 3 Halloween cups ($0.18 each) - these are my "fillers" for the coupon vs item count. I will pay with the $5RR and $3RR from the previous transaction plus $1RR from two weeks ago.
NOTE: You can't use a RR to pay for the same manufacturer purchase if you want to get more register rewards (i.e. I couldn't use the $5 RR from Sunday's trip to buy more granola bars if I want to get that RR again. But I can use the $5 RR from the 2nd transation to buy the 4 boxes of granola on trip #3)
Second transaction estimated OOP = less than $3.00 will get a total of 6 RR for next trip.

It took me about 4 weeks to get where I could save about 50-60% off my weekly bill. And it takes some patience to make multiple trips (Walgreens is usually a lunch time quick trip). Wal Mart is still a thorn in my side. It is hard to feel like I'm saving any decent amount of money there. I do buy most of my meat there since they price match (best way to save at WM is pricematch). I stocked up on meat today and paid $80 but got 9 meals worth of chicken; 3-4 meals from smoked turkey sausage; 2 packs of lunch meat; 2 packs of diced and 2 packs of chunk ham; 3 gal milk; 1 can bread crumbs; and addl Sunday paper (3 inserts this week); 2 oil candle refills and 1 3-wick candle. I will not need much meat for a while (plus it is almost deer season).

That is enough for this message. More to come...

Baby Steps...Day by Day

From Tiffany:

Attached is Life Action's "Put Off, Put On" list. I'm committing to read 2-3 of these per day which will: 1- help me to pick up my Bible and read it daily, and 2- keep my mind focused on becoming more like Christ. Unless I flood my mind with the things of Christ, Satan's worldliness creeps in & tries to make a home. I'm kicking him out.


Philippians 4:8

8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Tiffany


Note from Beth:
I couldn't attach the pdf (new to this blogging world) so...
Below is the link. I'm not sure it will work by clicking but you can copy and paste into your browser. You will need to scroll down to find the Put Off Put On pdf.

http://www.lifeaction.org/revival-resources/pdf-downloads/#

Answering the call

When God talks, we should listen. Sometimes we don't slow down enough to really listen and if we do listen, we don't always act. We can come up with excuse after excuse to keep from answering the call. Obstacles are obstacles if we let them be.

I choose to listen. I choose to support my fellow women of God with encouragement, accountability, friendship, a listening ear.

Email me with suggestions, ideas, etc. that you want to share and I'll enter it into a post. We can "talk" through the comments.