Prescriptions

As part of our frugal living lifestyle we have recently learned about some great deals from both Wal-Mart and Kroger regarding prescription medications.
They offer LOTS of prescription medications for $4 for a one month supply or $10 for a 3 month supply. It is a much better deal than our company's prescription plan which charges $20 for a 3 month supply. Wish I had known about it sooner! You can check out their lists on their websites.

Cow Hearts

As you may know, both of my daughters are homeschooled.
Yesterday at our homeschool group they got to experience something really cool. In their Zoology class they were able to pet a pig and a goat since they had learned about them that week. They have both milked a goat and fed baby goats with a bottle. Cody learned, through hands-on experience, that pigs have hair and that goat's eyes have rectangular pupils. Goats also chew their cud, or as Cody says - they swallow their food, then spit it back up then swallow it again.
Casey had the chance to dissect a cow's heart in her class. She thought it was awesome. She also thought it was cool that she was not grossed out, but some of the boys were! Evidently, dried cow heart fat looks very similar to Feta cheese. Who knew?
Overall, yesterday was another great day of homeschooling!

Laundry Soap Recipe

I have used my homemade, super frugal, laundry soap in a couple of loads and cannot tell any difference between the loads washed with my store brand and my homemade. So, here is the "recipe":

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Bar Ivory soap
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax 20 Mule Team Powder (laundry aisle at Publix next to the previous item)
A 5 gallon bucket with lid
Saucepan
Empty laundry soap container

- Grate the bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add soapy water, washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved.
Fill bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight.
-Stir it up well (it will be "gloppy") and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Even though you use a 5 gallon bucket, it makes 10 gallons because you fill the empty container half full of detergent and fill the rest of the way with water.
The washing soda and borax cost about $5 and I used only a fraction of each. Buckets are about $5 as well from Lowes and can be reused each time. I love homemaking!

Dave, Part 2

So, Joe and I went to hear Dave Ramsey speak last night and really enjoyed what he had to say. He talked about the "economic crisis", the media, mortgages, his faith, and Biblical principles for managing money. He was AWESOME!
One thing that really struck me was that he talked a lot about the spirit of fear and how it can cause people to react with such panic. I am praying that God will keep the spirit of fear away from me and my family and that we will make our decisions according to His will, not out of random, raw emotion.
I would HIGHLY recommend Dave Ramsey's books if you are in debt, or just want to better manage your money.
We were frugal before reading his book, and now we are choosing to be ultra-frugal!

Dave, Part 1

Tonight Joe and I are going to hear Dave Ramsey speak. We are really looking forward to it because Dave helped change our lives. My parents told us about Dave after we had incurred quite a bit of debt. I bought his book, Total Money Makeover, read it, and implemented his strategies. Within about 8 months we became COMPLETELY debt free (other than our home mortgage). It will be exciting to hear what he has to say tonight as we are facing some potentially uncertain times.
We do know that God was the main factor in getting rid of our debt because He really convicted us of the fact that living with debt goes against what He wants for our lives. We feel He uses people like Dave Ramsey to further help us down His path.
I will write again tomorrow and let you know how it went!

HAT TRICK!

Our 5 year old, Cody, is the tiniest girl on her soccer team. She is also generally the smallest girl on the entire field during games. However, she has an advantage she has Super Speed (she will tell you that is her super-power). And she is right. Those little legs can run!

During today's game she scored 3 goals. Not three accidental goals either, these were dribble the ball down the field, around the other teams' players, to the middle, shoot and score goals.

It was fun to watch her go!

October 31

Casey & Cody

Beaver & Snow Princess

Our family walked around the neighborhood last night with a bunch of our neighbors, many we had never met before. The girls had fun and it was cool to get to know people a little more. One neighbor friend of ours was giving away free hot dogs and drinks and their driveway became a great gathering place. That was the point. To get neighbors together to meet each other.

We normally don't "do Halloween", but it was a wonderful opportunity to get out and visit.