We watch English TV shows, movies and the like all the time from Netflix and rarely turn on the regular TV which is fine with me because if/when we do watch cable…..he moans and complains about the commercials and the content in general! He is right, there are too many  commercials and for the most part there just isn’t anything worthy of my time on the television…..especially if I can get it on Netflix sans commercials!

We almost cut it off completely last fall…I agonized a bit as one of the only shows I like….is yes, I admit it…..General Hospital!  I was a bit crushed that I had to give up my daily fix of GH and my hubby said I could probably watch on line etc….but that seemed like a lot of work to me!   Then I thought, well, we will save a bit of money on our monthly bills and that’s a good thing so OK, yes let’s do it…..well, we didn’t do i!.  Our youngest had just gotten bitten by the Noggin bug and was enjoying Max and Ruby, Franklin, and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast just to name a few so we relented and kept it on.

Fast forward 6 months and Noggin has recently moved to Boomerang and Nickelodeon which unlike Noggin….has commercials for all the toys and junk out there to attract the kiddies and it’s awful.  She was starting the “Mommy, I want that!” syndrome!  And I, well I was a bit convicted last week about my GH addiction and what a time waster that is…..not to mention HGTV….yes,  I love that show Design to Sell and Design on a Dime! Not that I sit in front of the TV for hours or anything….but even 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day…..that’s a lot! I could be doing the decorating and the crafts rather than watching them on the TV right?

So, I had a talk with my youngest about the TV on Sunday night and Monday morning, I told her that if we didn’t have Noggin and the other shows on the big TV downstairs….that maybe we could get some more movies for her and we could spend more time together doing things like puzzles, play-dates, going to the park, and maybe doing some more crafts etc, how would she like that?  and she thought about it….and said that sounded like a great idea!  So, I am pleased to say this week we have not turned the TV on at all….(OK, I confess, I turned it on yesterday during GH but felt like I was cheating so I turned it back off!)

My son is more into computer games and the like….and the stuff he watches, well, let’s just say garbage in…..if you know what I mean!  And he spends his time between his dad’s and my house so he will get his TV fix at his dad’s house.  So, while there is moaning…..he’ll get over it….right!

It was kind of a “trial” for me if you will and I can honestly say I really haven’t missed it so I guess am ready to pull the plug!  It’s a very freeing feeling really! Wahoo!! (and my husband didn’t even have to lay down the law or anything!!!!!) So, Monday I am heading down to the Cable office with my digital box and calling it quits on cable!

If you have any thoughts or success stories on this do let me know!!!! I am all ears! especially since the TV isn’t on!

Cheers!

Grace

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I want to share a change we recently made as a family to save money…..We all have to grocery shop right?  We have always done this as a family.  It isn’t always a stress free experience for me because my darling husband pays for the shopping and tries very hard to keep us within his budget.  We all know how challenging this can be.  I remember when our daughter was born and we had to buy diapers and wipes and all the little extras that babies need…..I thought he was going to go over the edge!  He wanted the budget to stay the same even though we had a new person to feed and take care of.  In the blur of it all I think we actually did it, although I don’t know how!!

The latest challenge was when the gas prices skyrocketed causing the price of groceries to go up, up, up.  We were at that time shopping weekly.  I suggested to my husband that perhaps we start shopping every two weeks and see if it doesn’t save us a bit of money.  Like most we tended to buy a lot of the same things  sometimes when we didn’t really need them ( I am not the best at checking the cupboards before making my list ), just out of habit causing our bill each week to be over $100.00.  My thought was if we shopped every two weeks and tried to keep it around $200.00 then we would be ahead and if it was less that more the better! More money to play with!

We started doing this and we really have saved money and have been able to keep a “pantry” of staples as well.  We occaisionally run out of milk or fruit and have to stop in between for those items but overall we are ahead of the game.  We always shop from a list, we have a basic list on our computer and we go through it and mark what we need for that shopping trip adding additional items as we have need and since we save it each time I can see what we purchased previously and know from that whether we need it again or not.

Shopping from a list is important too! It may seem a bit rigid and basic but it really prevents shopping on a whim which can cost you a lot when you get to the checkout!  I think we all want to provide nice meals for our families but also have enough money left over to do fun things with our families as well…..like go out to eat! Which is one of my favorite things to do!

Our new schedule has made our shopping less stressful for all of us, we have a blast doing it as a family and we don’t have to go to the grocery store every week!!!  It’s all good!

Question:  What kinds of things do you do to save money at the grocery store?  I would love to hear your ideas….

Happy Shopping!!!

Grace

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This morning was no different, we needed to be at church early to set up and work the coffee bar and make all the free coffee etc.  My son likes to help so it is usually, my hubby, my son and myself.  Well, our youngest got up and climbed into bed with me before the alarm and I thought…..Whoa, way to early to be up as it was nice and dark in the bedroom.

She informed me it was morning time and she was headed downstairs to play and watch “TVT”.   I closed my eyes for just a moment …..when the alarm went, it was  7:15 !  I drug myself out of bed about 5 minutes later.

Our youngest daughter has decided that she likes dressing herself which is really a great help so this morning I got her some clothes and asked her to get dressed because we had to go to Sunday School this morning.  I left the room to continue getting myself ready and didn’t think much more about it.

Finally ready, we headed out to the car and I got her in her carseat and she said “Careful mommy my pants are falling down.”  I looked down and noticed that she had them on backward!  Thinking that was just too funny but that she can’t possibly go to church like that I said to my husband, ” can you please turn her trousers around before you take her to class…..??”

After church and finishing in the coffee bar my hubby went to pick up our daughter and we all headed for home.  I got in the house and looked down at my wonderful little girl and noticed she STILL HAD HER TROUSERS ON BACKWARD!!!

I looked at my husband and said, “Why didn’t you fix her trousers?”  “Oh”, he said, “I guess I didn’t hear you…….”

Selective Listening at it’s finest!!!!! sigh….

Smiles!

Grace

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I know I have talked about the day’s getting away from me but it seems to be happening more lately, I have so many things I need to do and …….the time is just not there.  Take yesterday as an example.  I woke up early put my breakfast casseroles in the oven ( I made them the night before!) and jumped in the bath after getting breakfast for my kiddo and getting her situated for a moment anyway and taking Sasha out for a leak and feeding her breakfast as well! Then by 8:30 we are out the door to a MOPS leadership meeting……which lasted until 11:30 then I had to clean up……so, by noon I was picking up our daughter and calling my hubby to let him know we were just heading home.

Home….just for a moment, to get lunch for my little darling and then at 12:45 we are off to pick up my wonderful husband and head for Fred Meyer to do our grocery shopping…..we like to do this as a family and as my hubby is the primary cook (Yes! this is just the best!) in our household he really likes and needs to be there……and besides he thinks I spend too much money when I go by myself…….hmmmmmmm. (It’s true! Proofreading husband!)

We get our shopping done…..zipping all over the store which is our custom, he sends me thither and yon to get the things he passed on our list….(yes we have a list!) It is about 2PM by the time I pull into the drive once again…..I get my sweetie out of the car, situated doing something then start unloading said groceries…..my husband loves this part…..I do it all and he doesn’t have to lug it all in the house….it makes him very happy.

We buy 2 weeks of shopping so while trying to take in bits of General Hospital in between unloading the groceries it takes me about an hour to get it all done and put away.  Yes, you might say that wasn’t the most effective use of my time but it is General Hospital and one has to make exceptions once in a while.

Then 3:10 the phone rings, it is my hubby, he is just about to head home and had I looked the thing up on the computer for him…..no, I said, no time….., he then says he will do it after exercising and then we are all going to Home Depot!

At 3:20 my ex-husband calls, says I can pick my son up anytime as he had evidently quit wrestling….which bums me out immensely but what’s is a mom to do?  I was going to do this after Home Depot….but deciding to skip that and let my hubby and daughter have some dad/daughter time together.

I head out the door about 3:40 stop for a coffee and then a 40 minute drive to get my son, by 5:15 we are home after stopping briefly at the store and then I head out the door again to take the dog for a walk.

Back by 6:15 no sign of my daughter or husband I decide that tonite must be a mommy night to cook dinner so I start that and get the dog fed once again.

Wondering just a little where the shopper’s were, I get dinner ready and at just about 7PM they show up, dinner finished I look back as we sit down to eat and wonder where the day went, no time to blog, twitter, check my email, facebook, do my web work nothing………..sigh!

Have a brilliant Saturday……I am going to!!!!!

Grace

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