Life in my Snow Globe...

Hi all!!

In case you do not know this, I go to a church called Momentum and I love it!!!  My pastor is great at preaching sermons that easily relate to life situations.  This past Sunday he spoke about life in a snow globe.  He talked about how snowglobes are perfectly contained little scenes inside a ball of glass.  But normal people don't live in snowglobes...our lives are not perfectly contained in a round, Christmas-y, shiny, glass ball.

Then I watched the movie "Elf" today.  Now I know many of you probably aren't huge fans of the movie.  Or maybe you are.  Yes, Will Ferrell isn't always known for his clean sense of humor but he really showed some skill in playing a human raised by Santa's elves in this family film.  Anyway, back to the snow globe...

As you can see in the lovely picture above, Buddy is holding his snow globe of New York City that Papa Elf gave him before he heads to the big city to find his biological dad.  Buddy is very naive and is given lots of advice by Papa Elf about how New York City is not what might be imagined from looking at the snow globe.  All throughout the movie, we see that Buddy is obviously not quite aware of the reality of human life.  Why should he be?  He spent his whole life in the fantasy land of the North Pole and is only connection to real life was a picture of his birth parents and a snow globe with a tiny New York City skyline.  When he begins to feel the sting of what it can really be like to be a human, Buddy gets discouraged.  I am sure he felt that this trip to find his dad had not turned out as planned.  Instead of making snow angels, ice skating, eating a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as he can, and snuggling with his dad, Buddy was let down.  Until the end when Santa showed up and everyone had Christmas spirit and yay!!!! (not real life...lol)  Also, sorry for the spoilers.

Now, to tie it all together.  Sometimes I, personally, feel like Buddy the Elf.  I view life through my little snow globe of possibilities and I end up getting let down.  Often it is because I am just to darn idealistic.  My pastor talked on Sunday about how we sing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" in celebration of the holiday season and all the happiness it is supposed to bring, but not everyone will be dreaming this Christmas.  Some people will be morning the loss of a child, like the parents of the Sandy Hook elementary students.  Some people will be struggling to pay their bills and put Christmas dinner on the table, not to mention the gifts for the kids!  Some people will be battling addictions and hiding their pain from their relatives, trying to be "normal" for Christmas supper.

Then there's my situation. This holiday season has found my husband and I will a bit of a financial crunch.  Pay cuts and numerous bills (like the hundreds of dollars on my cat's vet bills), doctor visits, and buying Christmas gifts has caused some stress.  Our snow globe has been all shook up.  I remember today how I had planned on my husband getting a Christmas bonus like he did last year and planning how we would use it.  When he said he wasn't sure he was getting one, I started to panic.  Having extra money around the holiday season makes everything better.  Finally, I began to accept that it may not happen.  Then he comes home today with a holiday bonus that was even better than last year's.  Funny how things work out...(it was God, definitely).

Another part of my situation that I will discuss is the fact that I have been very idealistic when it comes to career choices.  I am so idealistic that it took me two years to settle on a major!!  I wanted to save the world, and I changed career options like Taylor Swift changes boyfriends (see what I did there? :-p).  Finally, I decided on social work.  I was going to save the world through caring and helping people.  *cue "awwws", warm fuzzies, and soft baby kittens*

Here's the problem: I do not live in a snow globe.  You might be wondering how this ties in, but I will get there.  My snow globe included me getting my degree, going on to grad school, hopefully getting a doctorate, and a counseling license.  I would start my own practice or work in a college somewhere teaching or counseling.  I would help people.  It wasn't till a few Sundays ago when I was sitting in church and God hit me with a ton of heavenly bricks: He said I needed to reconsider my career plans.

Whoa, God, hold up.  What?  But I was going to help people!!  You are helping people, He reminded me.  I thought of my preschool class, which I teach a couple of Sundays out of the month.  I was presented with the idea of ministry.  Before, I thought that I was not cut out for ministry.  I went to a very strict private Christian school in high school and I joined their servant leadership program.  There, I was told that I was not meant to be a leader or a teacher.  God wanted me to be in background.  So I assumed that I was just cut out to be the person at church who cleans the bathroom or hands out flyers, not someone who teaches a class of 12 + preschoolers on Sunday morning.  Suddenly, it hit me.  I'm already in ministry.  For some reason or another, I was simply under the impression that ministry was not a life long thing for me.  That Sunday, I felt God showing me that it is.  All the sudden, my desire to get a PhD has turned into a desire to learn more about children's ministry.

Don't get me wrong...maybe someday I will get a PhD.  But I have realized that I was putting education and school as a higher priority than God.  I was living in my snow globe dreaming away while ignoring the fact that I had almost forgotten to ask God about what I should be doing.  Education is great.  In fact, my degree will be really valuable to me in children's ministry.  The internship I did with DFCS will be valuable as well.  Who knows if I will end up working with someone through a DFCS situation someday and can share God's love to them and their children?  God allows everything to happen for a reason.  He has given me numerous opportunities to grow in ministry.  I have awesome leadership in the children's ministry at Momentum and they have taught me what it means to serve.  My snow globe may have been all shook up again, but it's okay, because God knows what He's doing.

My end point is this: dreaming is a good thing.  It can be detrimental to us as Christians, however, when we put our own dreams for ourselves ahead of God's plan.  God's plan may not always be what we "dreamed of", but it is definitely better than our wildest imagination.  If you choose to live in God's plan rather than your own snow globe of your own plans, you will not be disappointed.  God knows what's best for us, even when it doesn't make sense.

That's all for now.

As a side note, I think every person should watch Elf in honor of Christmas because it's hilarious and heartwarming.

Time to go finish my banana muffins for my husband to bring to his work!

Love to my readers, and remember: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Sincerely,
Julia

Plans...

¹¹ 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. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord
<sup>Jeremiah 29:11

Today I thought a lot about the above verse.  Lately, I've been thinking so much about my future.  2011 and 2012 have been big years for me.  I got engaged and married in 2011.  Throughout this year, I have turned 21, finished my junior year of college, changed jobs, interned, and all while trying to adjust to married life.  I've grown closer to people, made new friends, and grown apart from others.  I've learned more about where I stand on many political and spiritual stances.  My classes, especially around election time, have shown me how much I cannot stand what I call Collegiate brainwashing in which almost everyone in the classes took on the political and moral stances of the professors.  I have seen many friends and class mates go through hard times, whether it be medical issues, break-ups, death in the family, or loss of a job.  Overall, I feel like I've grown up so fast and that I need to slow down...

In other ways, I feel that I still get treated like a child.  Maybe it's because, in academia and even in the church community, older, more experienced people feel they know what's best for your life.  I daresay this happens more to me with church going folks than at school.  At school, I am mostly trained in how to be "culturally Competent" (which mostly means politically correct) and told that I need to get my master's and a PHD.  why?  because I live in the age of female independence.  Even though I am married, I feel that I am looked down upon if I finish college and choose not to become some career woman on the fast track to success.  Like our government, my college emphasizes the importance of birth control and my right to exercise choice on when i want to have children (Nevermind that I have a husband who plays a pretty important role in that whole process).  Being a homemaker is the thing of the past.  For some in academia, being a married woman is overrated.  If you get a Phd or a law degree or own your own company, you could support yourself and  not have to worry about marriage or children getting in the way...  Besides, the economy stinks right now and professors know I will have a hard time getting a job so why not encourage me to stay a student for the next 4-5 years?  Plus I will encumber even more debt and the government will have an even tighter grip on my hard earned money once I graduate and begin to pay the enormous loans.  But it's okay, they tell me.  It'll pay off in the end. 

Onto the  church people.  I am not calling any of my church family on the carpet.  I am more referring to people I have met along the way who are well-meaning, but seem to think that they know what God would want for me.  Many times I have been told that I should not try to prevent having a family.  God will give me all the children I need when I need them.  Others say that God gave me a brain.  He gave me the intelligence to not bring a child into the world when i am young, naive, and not financially "set" (although I hear older parents complain about the cost of children all the time)!  Some people tell me that college will separate me from God.  It will give me scientific or logical ways to represent life that will replace my need for God's sovereignty.  Others argue that I need to see my college campus as a mission field and try and be a light to the community of fellow college students to combat their drunken, overly-sexualized party animal lifestyles (okay I exaggerated that a little...).  A lot of people are concerned that being in the social work field will turn me into a godless bleeding heart leftist who believes that everyone should get on welfare and have abortions.  

Others have been much more supportive than the two extremes I've presented.  Level-headed coworkers and college professors who admire my aspiration to stop getting in debt for the sake of an advanced degree that may or may not guarantee a  job and understand that I may wait until I have saved money to pursue it.  An awesome church family who pray with me and support me throughout this journey called life.  A great pastor who provides guidance on sunday mornings that I can apply to my life.  A very hardworking caring, and supportive husband who admires my tenacity for doing the best i can at everything and gently reminds me that my best is no good without God backing me up....then there are my friends who keep me smiling and help me relax despite seemingly endless homework assignments and projects.  My family supports me and reminds me that they are always willing to help me whenever i am in need.

With the above blessings mentioned, why do I still worry about how my life is going?  I constantly find myself worrying about the perfect plan for life.  Do I graduate in July and then go on to my Master's before looking for work?  Or do I work for a few years and save up?  What if I get pregnant and never go back to school?  Hmm...what about houses?  A house is a dream of mine, but I worry about that too.  What if I can't find the right one?  What if Chris and I have an emergency and we get stuck with a mortgage we can't pay? Children...supposedly gifts from God and bundles of joy.  How long should I wait to have children?  People at school say after PhD...30's maybe?  Others suggest having them while I am still young so I have the energy to care for them.  Do I stay at home with the kids or continue to try and further my career while I allow my children to sit in daycare all day?  What if I can't afford daycare?  What if I have kids too early?  People would probably judge me for having a child before i am "ready" or "old enough" or "can afford a child".  Surely I would lose friends because hanging out with a lady who has kids is no fun.  There are so many reasons not to have children these days anyway...I've even heard some say "wait till we get a republican back in office".  That could be 12 more years!!  Surely I could not wait that long...but I could probably get my PhD.  And be in debt up to my eyeballs...and probably not able to afford my dream house...and waiting tables after my day job to afford the loan payments.  What about getting a good job with that PhD?/  hmm....I may never get anywhere with it...

As I look back over all my processing of these jumbled thoughts, i realize one thing: These are all my thoughts about things that have not happened and, to some extent, are out of my control.  One thing I often forget is that I can plan, but God is the one who knows the big picture.  I only see a small fraction of His grand scheme.  Another thing I realize as I read that paragraph: I have hard time letting go and letting God handle things.  Who cares if  I don't get a PhD?  I doubt any of the professors I know today would even remember me in a few years.  Honestly, I still don't feel at peace when I pray about graduate school, so I am holding that possibility loosely at the moment.  Besides, my hubby is working hard to get his degree while working full time and I would love to be able to cheer him on as he works on getting toward graduation without worrying about all the debt I gained by getting a master's right away. 

The house thing...the Lord tells us in the book of Matthew that he cares for the sparrows.  That means that if He cares enough that one sparrow does not fall to the ground without His notice, He certainly cares about my needs.  Right now, Chris and i have stable housing.  As I have learned through my internship this past semester, others in Cherokee county are not so fortunate.  and the whole issue of getting a mortgage and then loosing the finances to keep it up...I have realized that many people face that risk.  In fact, I am sure many of us could not make it long without our jobs (or without our spouse's job).  I heard so many stories about people will fantastic, high paying jobs, loosing everything in the "great Recession" we are dealing with in our country.  nothing is certain.  But that does not mean God will not meet our needs.  It may seem impossible, but nothing is impossible with god.

Lastly, children...this is a hot topic, I feel.  I have been advised numerous times to finish college before having a baby.  I am totally cool with that.  Fortunately, I am almost done with college and I plan to finish baby-free.  But I am facing another reality entirely: a society in which I feel I am being told to have children.  I have read numerous articles about how it is more popular for women to get established in their careers first and it's okay to wait to have children.  Heck, you can even have fun while you're getting your education and launching your career because Obamacare will give you free birth control.  Pregnant women or women with children who are in my classes are often looked at by other single women or women without children as being "stupid".  "She should have waited", I hear often.  Then what about the "oops" babies?  Honestly, I think it sucks that even women who are married are ragged on about "oops" babies.  Do you think those children will get to heaven one day and God will say: "Oh, yeah, you're that accident that happened because your parents were being stupid and not thinking about the right time to have babies!"  No!  No human being is an accident in God's eyes.  Why do we judge?  Then i realized, I am most afraid of this part of my future because I feel so much pressure to have children at the "right time".  And why shouldn't I have them at the right time?  I can get free birth control now in our progressive and "woman-centered" society".  But lately, God has been showing me that choosing when to have children is between me, my husband, and God.  Yes I want to provide the best life I can for my future children and I want to get my education finished, but I should worry that if a baby comes a little sooner into my life than I expected, that it makes me any less of a good, intelligent, sensible person.  (A side note, I am not currently "baby-crazed" or anything like that.  Mostly i am just irritated that society today seems to think it knows the correct time for women to be having children, etc....)  As a person who works in children's ministry, I know that every child is special and I just wanted to shout out to all the great mom's out there, including mine and Chris's, who have brought children up right despite difficult circumstances.

I leave you, reader, with this:  If you have been feeling like I have about your future, remember that God has great plans for you.  As I have learned, it can be easy to worry about making plans that "fit" with what others suggest or with what society demands.  Remember, God's plans do not conform to the pattern of this world.  We can only see a small chunk of the mural that He has painted for us.  Whether you are worried about finances, finding work, continuing your education, finishing your education, starting a family, or simply worrying about how to get through the rest of the week, rest assured that God has a plan for you.  In the verse, God says that "you will seek me with all your heart and I will be found by you."  This provided great comfort to me.  I have my plans, but I am holding them loosely.  I am seeking God's face and I will adjust my plans according to what i feel He wants for me.  And I trust that He will show me the path to take.  He can show you too.  He has a purpose for all of us.  We just may not see it yet...

God bless you, readers!
Love,
Julia</sup>  

Savings at Kroger and Publix

Today I came across some great deals at Publix and Kroger.  Here are the links to the weekly ads.  You can change the location to see the deals for your specific store:

Publix: http://weeklyad.publix.com/publix/default.aspx?action=entryflash&StoreRef=00636&Adref=publixcom
Kroger: http://krogeratlanta.mywebgrocer.com/Circular/KROGER-419/00419619/Weekly/1

Also, I should note that in order to get the Mega-Event prices at Kroger, I had to buy 10 participating items and use my Kroger Plus card.  So make sure you take note of that before you go.  I believe you can just sign up for a Kroger card at the customer service desk or register.



Here's all the groceries I got today all for $16.82!!  Here's how I did it:

Publix
1. This week at Publix, Prego sauce was on sale BOGO so two jars were $2.05.  I had a .50/2 coupon for Prego that doubled at the register to give me $1 off two.  This means that I got two jars for $1.05.  I had two coupons so I bought 4 jars for $2.10, which is  .53 cents a jar!

2. Silk Almond milk was 2 for $5.  I just bought one at the price of $2.50.  And I had a coupon from the Silk website for $1.50 off.  So I got one half gallon for $1

3. The coffee creamers were 3 for $5 but I only had two coupons so I just bought two creamers.  They were $3.34 together.  I had two coupons for .55 cents off so I got two creamers for $2.24

4. The Hillshire Farms smoked sausage was not on sale, but i did have a publix store coupon for $1 off 2 and a manufacturer's coupon for $1 off as well. I got two packages of sausage for $4.78 (normally it's $3.39 for one).

5.  Colgate Total: each tube was priced at $2.73.  I had two .50/1 manufacturer's coupons and two $1 Publix coupons.  After the manufacturer coupons doubled, I saved $2 off each tube, making them .73 cents each!

Kroger:
I did the 10 item mega event, which means I got an additional .50 cents off each item's sale price. 

1. Ronzoni Pasta was on sale for .99 cents a box.  I bought 3 boxes.  With the mega event, each box was only .49 cents

2. Chex Mix: I bought two bags.  They were sale priced at 1.49 after mega event pricing.  I had a .50 cents off manufacturer's coupon for each bag.  My Kroger double coupons (I've heard that most do, but you made need to ask your store's manager before you hit the register), so I got $1 off each bag.  This means I got two bags for .98 cents!

3. Smart Balance Butter Spread: I found a facebook coupon deal for $1.75 off Smart Balance.  I printed one through my Facebook and through my hubby's.  I bought two tubs of the butter at $1.88 mega event price.  The coupons made it .13 cents per tub!

4. Bird's Eye Steamers Rice Blends - Mega Event price was .99 cents a bag.  I had coupons from the manufacturer's website for .35 cents off the whole grain blends.  These coupons each doubled to .70, making each bag only .29 cents a piece!

5. Lastly, Kroger was having a 3 day manager's special on their bread/buns.  I bought a loaf of wheat bread for .88 cents.  It was not a part of the Mega Event but .88 cents for a fairly good sized bread loaf is an awesome deal anyway.

Overall, I spent $12.16 at Publix and saved $17.34.  That's a 69% savings.  I spent $4.66 at Kroger and saved 20.03 which is an 81% savings!  Needless to say, I am getting hooked on this couponing thing.  I cannot wait until October's coupons come out and the holiday sales start so I can stock up on holiday foods and have some left over to donate to the Thanksgiving food drive at our church. 

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my couponing adventures!  Check back this weekend for more blog posts!

God bless,
Mrs. Hobo

Moe's Burritos at home!

I had a fairly uneventful Tuesday.  Found out that the hubby and I haven't paid "rent" (5 dollars a month fee) for our kitty, Peaches.  I was nervous that the leasing office would be mad at us for just now catching it after 8 months but luckily, they thanked me for being honest and said that someone had forgotten to bill us for pet rent after we paid the pet deposit.  This means from now on, until we move somewhere, we pay $5 a month for our lovely kitty. 
There she is hiding in a box....the cuteness!!!

So after a day of working on couponing, organizing the pantry, and getting a few things ready for the start of Fall semester, the hubby came home from work and we decided to make burritos.  We like to get burritos from Moe's.  Two meals for us there is around $16.  We made our own for much less!

Here are pics of our delicious creations:

Recipe?  I think so!

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 breast uncooked chicken
1 half lime
2 tbsp garlic bits
as much butter as needed
1/2 can black beans
2 cups cooked rice
4 tbsp queso (either tostitos con queso dip or make velveeta and rotel dip)
4 tbsp salsa or pico de gallo
2 medium or large flour tortillas

Here's the drill:
Cook the raw chicken on the stove in the butter/garlic bits. Once it's browned a little, squeeze some juice out of the lime (not too much, unless you want overpowering lime flavor)

Cook beans according to directions on can (microwave or stovetop works)

Microwave the queso or mix up the velveeta and rotel in either a pot on the stove or in the microwave

Make sure you have some rice cooked.

Lastly, warm the tortillas as directed on package (I don't like mine too warm cause it's hard to pick up if it's too hot).

Have your pico de gallo or salsa standing by.

Now, you can construct your burrito whichever way you like.  I did chicken, then beans, then rice, then queso, then pico.  But you can do in reverse if you want.  I won't judge.  These burritos are supposed to be an individualized piece of food art!

Yum, these were almost as good as Moe's (if not better). I can guarantee you can make burritos healthier and cheaper at home than you can if you buy them from Moe's.  And, as stated earlier, you can make a burrito any way you like in the comfort of your own kitchen!  The only downside to making do-it-yourself Moe's burritos is the clean-up...

Dirty dishes are of the devel, enough said.

Anyway, that's all for now!  I will be posting Thursday after I hit Publix to share all the great deals I found :)

Peace,
Mrs. Hobo

Chicken, Waffles, Tupperware, and Blueberry Lemon Cake = my weekend!

Hey everyone!
I had quite an adventurous weekend.  I started by going downtown on Friday evening with some of my girlfriends.  We went to dinner at Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles. It was delicious!  We waited for over an hour, however, because when they called us for our table, two of the members of our party were not there yet so we had to wait longer...Needless to say, by the time we sat down we were all starving!  Here is a picture of the Midnight Train (the famous Chicken and Waffles plate) that I shared with a friend:
Sorry it's such bad quality.  Blame my phone :-p

I think the only thing that would have made this better is if the chicken came in drumsticks and the waffle was a Waffle House waffle.  But overall, this was a great dining experience in Atlanta.

Things to try at Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles:
1. Chicken and Waffles
2. French Fries (so good!!)
3. Mac'n'Cheese
4. Sweet Potato Cheesecake

After our dinner, we went down to a Salsa Dancing restaurant/club (not really sure what it is.  More like a restaurant with a dance floor) called Loca Luna  The best thing I had there was the Xango cheesecake.  It was like a chimichanga filled with cream cheese, fried, covered in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with a berry sauce.  It's a little pricy (around $7 I believe) but it was delicious.  This is a recipe for a similar dessert you can make at home! The drinks at Loca Luna are definitely pricy but the food is really good and decently priced.  We were able to enjoy some Latin music while we ate dessert and watched the women's racing on the Olympics. We watched poor Morgan Uceny fall down in the 1500-M final.  But the rest of races were cool.

The dancing at Loca Luna was far from impressive.  The Salsa music was nice, but it was not a hip-happening place for younger audiences.  Most of the people dancing were middle aged women trying to sing along to the bad dubstep remixes of Katy Perry and Kesha.  Great food, horrible dancing.  lol

After driving home in some horrible storms from my friend's house, I went home and slept for a few hours before getting up Saturday morning to prep for a Tupperware party I threw for a friend of mine.  The party was at my mom's house and all my guests were family members, but it was fun and I won some free things!
Anyway, I made a blueberry lemon cake with cream cheese frosting to serve at the party.  Here's how I did it:
I bought a box of white cake mix (very cheap at Aldi's) and baked it in a 9x13 pan according to box directions.  After baking in the oven, I poked holes on the top of the cake while still warm with the end of a spatula handle and filled with lemon pudding.  This had to sit in the fridge for four hours!  Here is what it looked like after four hours:
Looks a little funny without frosting, huh?

Next, I started the cream cheese frosting . This is a great recipe from Martha Stewart's site.  Here is what I needed:
The cream cheese isn't pictured in it's original form because I had already mixed it up in the bowl before I remembered to take a picture...oops!  Oh well, so I followed Martha Stewart's recipe but added Lemon Zest.  It gave the frosting a very slight lemon flavor without being overwhelmingly lemon-y, since the cake has lemon filling already.

Next step is frosting the cake.  One batch of frosting covered the whole cake:

Mmm!  Looking good already :)

Lastly, I added blueberries.  They came from my dad's blueberry plants.  They were very sweet and tasted great with the lemon flavor of the cake:


Perfect!

So at the Tupperware party, we used the quick chef to make homemade salsa and guacamole.  It turned out very well!  For hosting a party, I got these cute Salt and Pepper shakers, and on-the-go salt and pepper shaker, and an Avocado Keeper!  It was fun.  I got some hostess credit and a free thank you gift as well!  It was a great time for me to buy some Tupperware since I was able to get four things for only around $15!!

Sunday morning I taught preschool at church.  We learned about Moses and the burning bush.  The kids loved the lesson and got to create their own burning bushes with the cardstock coloring sheets and paint.  Church was awesome.  It is Shark Week at church so the sermons are about "sharks" that try to tear us apart during our journey with Christ.  If any of you are interested in hearing this week's sermon, here is the podcast.

Our lunch yesterday was wonderfully nutritious Taco Bell.  We then headed home to chill and relax, watch the episode of Burn Notice we missed Thursday, and then took a drive out to Galt's Ferry at Lake Allatoona.  Then we headed home and made breakfast for dinner.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the first ever crepes I made :/  maybe next time I cook crepes I will take awesomely low quality photos of them with my phone!  Regardless, the crepes were tasty with eggs, bacon, and syrup on the inside.  (yes, we like syrup with our scrambled eggs and bacon!)

Today marks the beginning of my last week of summer.  Classes for my last fall semester ever begin Friday!  I'm beginning to get a little sentimental about my last year at Kennesaw State, but I am glad to be almost done :)  More on that later...I am choosing not to focus on school today :)

I will be posting another Publix  coupon adventure on Thursday.  If I come across anything interesting before then, I will post it as well!  Thanks for reading!
Blessings,
Mrs. Hobo

Adventures at Publix

Okay so today I had my first mini extreme couponing trip!  God bless the kind young man at the publix check out.  I gave him all my coupons first, paperclipped together, and organized to try and make it easier on him.  You always want to be polite when you walk up with 20 + coupons!! (yes, I know, it's a lot but it was worth it!)

Before you start thinking I am like those extreme couponing ladies on TLC, let me explain.  My husband and I are trying to start saving more.  We both work, but because I am in my senior year of undergrad school and interning for free two full days of the work week, I can't bring much money in with my part time job at the office.  Mr. Hobo also has a part time job on the side doing server maintenance from home, but we are unsure how much longer he will have that job.  Therefore, we are trying to save as much as we can so that way we can live on just one job :)   Using coupons is a good way for us to save and stock up on much needed items to hold us over until next year when I start whatever awesome full time job God has lined up for me out there.  Also, we do shop at Costco for many non-perishable or freezer friendly items that last a while so we only have to buy them once every couple of months.  Another quick note, if I get stuff for a great deal at the store I and I don't have the need/want/room for it but I know someone else will, I give it away.  Therefore, I am not the woman who freaks out because her stockpile of lasagna noodles has fallen below six boxes!  Anyway, enough disclaimers...lol

Onto the shopping trip.  First off, there are some super great BOGO deals at Publix.  As some of you may know, Publix does double coupons 50 cents or less.  Also, at my Publix, they take competitor coupons for Target, Walmart, and Kroger (check your store's coupon policy for which competitors they take).  HOWEVER: they do NOT double competitor coupons.  You cannot use a competitor and Publix store coupon on the same item.  Choose the one that gets you the best deal.  Also, you can stack a Publix coupon with a manufacturer's coupon or a competitor coupon with a manufacturer's but you cannot do all three. I have heard some stores will, but my store's coupon policy says they don't so I don't push it.

Here is this week's Publix ad:  http://weeklyad.publix.com/publix/default.aspx?action=entryflash&
This is what I bought today.  After taxes, the value of all this would be $59.57.  I got it for $8.90!

Here's the breakdown (starting with items left to right):
1. Suave Naturals Body Wash - on sale 2 for $3
I used four printable coupons.  I signed up online using my email address and was able to print some coupons that way.  Each coupon was 50 cents off one Suave body wash.  Publix doubled all four of my coupons, meaning I got 4 dollars off 6 bottles, making my total cost for 4 $2!!!

2. Temptations Cat Treats: On sale 4 for $5
I had two 50 cents coupons from a Facebook  deal, 2 50 cents off coupons from signing up for an e newsletter and one $1.50 off two from the Publix Paws pet savings online coupons.  It was a total of $5.50 in coupons. This means I got four bags of cat treats for free and had 50 cents left over, with Publix puts toward paying down your total. 

3. Next we'll talk about the Papermate pens.  Target has an online coupon website.  I was able to print two coupons for $1 off Papermate products (most web coupons have a limit of two prints).  They were on sale 2 for $1.  These are actually really nice pens and this a great deal even without coupons!  Luckily, my Publix lets me use the coupons, even though the price of the item of is less than the coupon value, as long as there is one coupon for each item and I do not try to buy a travel size/sample size item with a coupon meant for the regular size item.  Therefore, I made $1 with the coupons for the pens and it was put toward my final total

4. Now, who doesn't love some Honey Nut Cheerios??  Mr. Hobo and I love Cheerios, especially when they are BOGO free!!.  I had two printable coupons for 60 cents off 1 box.  Even though this is a BOGO deal, Publix will allow you to use 1 coupon for each item because the way the items ring up is half price for each item instead of one showing full price and other showing free on the receipt.  This way, one box of cheerios rung up as $2 and other $1.99 (since the full price of one is $3.99).  This means I got 60 cents off each box and saved a total of $1.20 off $3.99, meaning I got two boxes for $2.79 when normally, it would cost almost $8 for two when not on sale!

5. Bic Mechanical Pencils - On sale 5 for $5, meaning each pack of 10 is $1 by itself.  I had a $1 off coupon from the newspaper a couple weeks ago, making my pencils free.

6. Suave Deoderants - this was a great deal.  Right now, they are BOGO free at Publix.  The price for two, therefore, is $1.99.  I had six coupons, four printables and two from the newspaper.  I bought six sticks.  Since it was $2 off each set of two sticks for $1.99, I got all the sticks for free and made 3 cents

7. Morton Iodized Sea Salt - On sale at Publix for $1.69 a box.  I had two printable 50 cent coupons from Facebook.  The coupons said Do Not Double, so unfortunately, I could not save a whole dollar off each container.  So each salt was $1.19 a container.  However, I made a dollar off the pens I bought, so that made up for the dollar I did not save using the salt coupons. 

8. Second to last on my list, we have the Quaker Chewy Bars!  Yum.  I love taking these in my purse to school so I can munch between classes without stopping at the vending machine.  Anyway, the Chewy Bars were BOGO free making it $2.99 for two boxes.  I had a Target coupon for $1 any two Quaker products and a Facebook coupon for $1 any two Quaker items.  Therefore, I paid .99 cents for two boxes

9. Last but not least, Cover Girl Eyeshadows - Regular price Publix is 2.99 for one color.  Now, Publix has some of the worst make-up/health and beauty prices if you don't use coupons.  However, this month there is a Publix coupon for $1 off any Cover Girl item and I also had a coupon for $3 off two Cover girl products from the newspaper.  I used two of the Publix coupons (they will let you use one coupon per item) and my coupon from the news paper and was able to treat myself to two eye colors for .98 cents!!

So the final total?  With $2.38 for two salts, .98 cents for make up, $2 for body wash, $2.79 for Cheerios, and .99 cents for Chewy Bars, and the $1.53 I made off the pens, cat treats, and deoderants, I spent $7.61 before taxes and $8.90 with taxes.  This was definitely a super successful trip.

My advice to other couponing people: don't expect every shopping trip to be like this.  I have been practicing my couponing for months and this is my first really big savings.  I have had a few other days where I saved more than I spent that is good enough for me.  I will not cry if I have to pay more than a few bucks for all my groceries.  The point for me is to aim to save between 40 and 60% each time I go to the grocery store.  A good rule of thumb is plan your meals around what is on sale and save on items that there are frequent coupons for so you can reserve more money for more expensive, yet necessary items that almost never go on sale or have coupons (like milk, eggs, meat, etc.).

Thanks for reading everyone!! I am glad to be able to share savings tips with you all.
God Bless,
Mrs. Hobo

P.S. Most of the deoderant and body wash is going to my mom and also I am giving some of the cat treats to my parents for their two cats.  I am so glad I was able to get some stuff for them because they put so much money into raising me, it's the least I can do to give back a little bit :) 

Revamped blog!! and Cheesy Penne with Chicken :)

Hello Readers!!

This is Julia Townsend... aka Mrs. Hobo!  (If you all don't know, my hubby's nickname is Hobo and he has a vanity license plate on his car that reads: "Mr. Hobo").  Therefore, I am the Mrs. Hobo.  Anyway, I decided to get back into blogging to share some of my passions with others.  I love cooking, baking, shopping, couponing, crafting, etc.  I can't wait to share some of my adventures!!  I will post links to helpful blogs/sites as I go.  I already have a link for Southern Savers (a really great blog on couponing) and a link for my husband's gaming website, if any of you or your friends/family members play online games. 

For tonight, I am posting my recipe of the evening: Cheesy Chicken with Penne.  I am using this recipe for cheese sauce, but with five cheeses rather than just cheddar:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/cheeserecipes/r/bl30103x.htm

Here is a picture of my starting ingredients:






I also used some flour, garlic powder, onion powder, Mrs. Dash seasoning, salt and pepper in the sauce.

Next, I cooked the penne pasta in a large pot.  I always add a little salt to the water.  I noticed it helps keep the pasta from sticking together when they boil. 

Last, I cooked the chicken in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil, onion powder, Mrs. Dash, and pepper.  I cooked for about 7 minutes, then checked the inside of one of the chicken pieces.  It was still pink so I cooked a little longer.  Once finished, I added to the cheese sauce.  Lastly, I added one can of diced tomatoes (drained) to the sauce for flavor and veggies!  With all that cheese, you gotta get something healthy in there!

Here is a picture of the finished dish :)
mmm...looks and smells delicious!!!

Words of wisdom from my first time doing this recipe:
1. Pay attention when making the cheese sauce.  It can burn easily!
2. You may need more milk than listed in the recipe if you don't want really thick sauce
3. The noodles will get cold while sitting there so maybe do the noodle part last. 

I am just about to dig in!! I am very excited.  Hopefully the hubby will like it too!

Tomorrow I will post about my couponing adventures at Publix and also post the recipes/pictures of the meal I am preparing for someone in my church tomorrow! 

Thanks for reading :)

Update on my Crazy Life

So I got married since I last posted!!!!  *Oohs and Aahs play in background*

That's me and my hubby!! As those of you who know me already know, we've been together since high school.  In fact, I was reading my journal from my junior year when Chris and I met and there was one entry where I talked about AIMing with him and asking him where he though he would be in five years.  At that time, he was 15.  He said: "Well, hopefully I will be starting my career and dating/engaged to someone".  Well, that 5 years is up and he has already started an excellent IT career and he is married!!!  Lol, I had told him then that I would be in college and studying Communications.  Well that part is true (except for the Communications thing).  It was nice to reminisce. 

To all my fellow brides or any do - it - yourselfer's out there, here is my homemade Unity Candle :)

Yeah, so I got the idea from an ad on Hobby Lobby's website.  But I just loved it.  The little calla lilies were my favorite, even though I didn't use calla lilies for my bouquet or the bridesmaid bouquets.  I used silk flowers for the bouquets.  The guys didn't want boutonnieres for their tuxes so I didn't have to worry about that.  Most of the flowers and greenery we used were artificial (I just let you all in on a secret, since most people couldn't tell they weren't real from what I was told).  We used real poinsettias on the stage.  For the reception hall, we didn't really use flowers.  We used floating candles shaped like flowers.  It was so pretty :) And we had a really great dance floor:

 This is me and Chris dancing to "Ghosts n Stuff" by deadmau5 (pronounced deadmouse).  I didn't know until the day of the wedding that we would be dancing with these "deadmau5 heads" on during our first dance. Sure we had a serious dance (our song was "Inevitable" by Anberlin, which Chris sung to me when he proposed), but we had to make things a little more "us"!  After the serious dance, the bridal party and a lot of the, er, younger guests got together to dance like fools.  Since most of us were white, we had very little "groove".  LOL!

Moving on from the wedding stuff, we went to disney on our honeymoon.  I still haven't loaded those pictures.  We had such a great time!  The lines for the rides were really long.  However, it was worth it for some things.  On the last day, we went to clearwater beach and then went to PF Changs in the Millennium Mall in Orlando.  We got a free dessert for being newlyweds :)

Now, two months after this whole wedding thing, Chris and I are enjoying life and just taking things one day at a time.  We have a great apartment and we both have great jobs.  I no longer work for Arby's (that's another long story that perhaps you will have to ask me in person). Now I work as a student assistant in the budget office for the Coles College of Business.  It's basically bookkeeping...it's hard sometimes but I love it so far.

Lately, I've been slacking off on homework to read the Hunger Games trilogy.  I know it's a "young adult's" book, which translates to high school audience, but I love it!!! The movie comes out next month and I can't wait.  :)  Here is the website for the movie:  http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/index2.html

Anyway, I am off to try and work a little bit more on my paper that's due wednesday and maybe do a little writing for fun!

God bless all my readers,
Mrs. Townsend