Lowering Rent & Mortgage Payments

We've been 'living small' in less than 300 square feet for over a year and half now. 

I've lived on both ends of the housing market. I've paid high rent & mortgage payments in order to have a larger home and we've lived in older & smaller homes in order to save money. And of course we're living rent free right now.

Our 300 sq. ft. home (bedroom not shown).

Downsizing as radically as we have will not be something that appeals to everyone. Frankly, I can't imagine that we would be living this life if my husband had not become disabled. We did talk about it a lot because of the amount of hours it took to maintain our previous home and questioned if it was the best use of our time and money from an eternal perspective but we just couldn't quite let our hands relax from the grasp of what we owned.  But, now that we're providentially here it seems so natural and so easy and I wonder why we didn't do it sooner.  I guess we've adjusted just fine because my little home actually feels 'spacious'.

  Let's face it. The economy has not snapped back as everyone had hoped. I have several personal friends who's husbands will be losing their jobs and the nightly news has shown thousands out of a home due to flooding back east. Thinking 'outside the American Dream house' could be your ace in the hole if a similar situation comes your way.  Downsizing could be a viable option to an easier life financially or help you fulfill your dreams of being a stay at home mom or ministry.

"Tiny Homes", a new housing alternative!

If you stop to think about it.. the basic function of a home is to protect one from the elements. That goal can be reached in many different ways.  Throughout history people have lived in huts, teepees, tents made from animal hides, homes of all sizes and made from all kinds of material to alternative housing such as boats and RV's. During the depression families even moved in together and that is happening again in our generation due to the burst of the housing bubble and loss of jobs. Also, housing can be obtained in exchange for employment which is what we are currently doing.

Sewer pipes remodeled into hotel rooms in the Dutch town of Vriescheloo.

Exposing my thinking to alternative ways of housing throughout the years has helped me with our transition into 'living small'. I read missionary stories first to my children when they were living at home and I continue that practice for myself to this day. It helps remind me that the majority of the world does not live in homes over 2,000 square feet or even 1,000 sq. ft. ( I've read that before 1970 the average size family home was 1,000 square feet or less. )


Currently I've been spending some time reading about families who live full-time in their RV's. I've been scanning over my belongings to see what I could live without if we chose that option in the future. I know we could do it and thrive (by God's grace!).

I'm sure of it!  (Big Smile)

Does living with less appeal to you?

Extreme Couponing... NOT!

I was finally able to watch an episode of Extreme Couponing a few weeks ago.  Wow! All I could think about was how 'sharp' their minds must be to figure out such huge transactions. I almost blow a brain cell just doing a few transactions at a time.

I've been going with a friend a couple times a month to show her the 'ropes' in getting free items at the drugstores in our area. I'll be the first to admit that I just don't have what it takes at this age of life to go extreme in this couponing arena. But I'm very happy about what I have learned. 

 I'm able to get free or nearly free body soaps, bar soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, floss, hair scrunches, chap stick and aspirin to help stretch my $200/mo. grocery/household budget. I try to get 3 or 4 items ahead to last until the next free deal.

 Normally I'll look through the Sunday ads for RiteAid, CVS and Walgreens flyers to see if they are offering any free items that give out Register Rewards. I'll circle those deals in my newspaper which I will end up taking to the store. I'll also go back through the same ads and circle any other items that are on sale.  I will also circle 3 or 4 items that cost $1.00 or less (I'll tell you why later).

I then check out REFUND CENTS to see their write up on the drugstore deals. They list every deal that the drugstores offer.  I used to have a list of websites that posted drugstore deals but it was a lot more work and not always reliable. I pay around $1.25 a month to use their service and it's definitely been worth it. Next time I plan on splitting the subscription with my friend. I will not order the magazine next time because it was full of rebate offers that I really wasn't interested in.

I also check out HOT COUPON WORLD  and use their coupon database to see if there are any coupons that I have missed. You can 'stack' manufacture coupons with store coupons and Register Reward deals.  Every coupon available is listed on this site and tells you where you can find it.


Next, I look for which free deal offers the highest Register Rewards. That will be my first deal at the cash register. If I can find a manufacturer coupon I will save even more money. I then take the Register Rewards and use them to purchase the next Register Reward deal and so on and so forth down the line.

I've learned to stack my grocery cart with low cost items I can use just in case I've miscalculated. Walgreen's cash registers have a bunch of rules I'm still trying to figure out like you have to use as many coupons as you have items. I think another rule is that they only count the bottom line cost AFTER Register Rewards so I keep these low cost items in the cart to grab in case I'm short on items to spend with my RR's.

Does this make any sense? Please feel free to ask questions.

Christ is Risen!!

Our Marriage: A Testimony to God's Grace

Today is our 27th wedding anniversary! If you had known us the first five years of our marriage you would doubt that we'd ever make it to 27 years. But, what did we expect? We were two sinners committing to a lifetime of love and serving one another. Did we think our flesh and the enemy of our souls would just lie down and cooperate? I think not!

I look back on these 27 years and marvel at the grace God has shown us. Kevin was not a Christian when we married and I was a young Christian. I remember the first time I actually turned to God's Word for help. I had left Kevin after a huge fight and was sitting in a park with my bible. I found a passage in James on strife and thought to myself, 'yep, that is his problem Lord' when suddenly I was convicted that the Lord was talking to ME through those verses. Me? I had thought the entire problem with our marriage was HIM. That was the beginning of a long, long journey of imperfectly learning how to confront the BEAM in my own eye. (Matthew 7) A journey that never stopped and continues to this very day although there are still times that I deceive myself and put the blame on him.



I believe one of the biggest lessons I learned in the earlier days of our marriage concerning living in peace with my husband was not to stay offended at his words or actions. (1 Cor. 13:5) I had a habit of getting offended at something he would say or do and then would make him pay for his sins by either giving him a 'look' or the cold shoulder. I haven't obeyed that Scripture perfectly and at times I still struggle with it but I'm learning more and more how the glorious Gospel applies to my everyday living which is helping me in this area of my marriage.



A holy God who WAS offended by my sin and had reason to be ... yet loved ME (and you) so much that He sent His "ONLY" Son (think long and hard about that) to die in "MY" place so that there would be peace between us. Christ took the wrath "I DESERVED" instead of making me pay the price for it which is death! Now, in light of what Christ did...how can I turn to my husband (but.. oh my... I still do at times) and hold any of his sins or offenses against him when I have been forgiven of so very much!?!



I'm thankful as a Believer that I didn't enter into a binding marriage covenant with my husband alone. I'm so eternally grateful that my God entered that marriage covenant with us because if I know anything at all I know that this marriage would not have worked if God, through His Holy Spirit, had not been constantly working in us to conform us into the image of Christ through every single fight and every single offense. (Romans 8:28,29)



"I love you my husband and I look in hope to our God to continue the work He began in both of us 27 years ago when this young, naive girl saw stars in her eyes when she looked into yours. I'm so grateful to have you as my husband. Thank you for loving me.. warts and all!"

CVS Free Deals

A friend came by tonight to learn how to get free (or nearly free) items from the drugstores. I'm no expert.. I'm still very slow at the whole process but love sharing what I've learned.

So this is the only deal we worked on. CVS was out of 2 of the other items that we could have received for free. The best time to work the 'free' deals is at the beginning of the week. Oftentimes the stores won't restock the free items at the end of the week.

Oral B Manual Toothbrush $2.99
- .99 ECB, limit 2
- $2 (PG 4/3)
- B1G1F (RP 3/13)
Final Price = 2 free 

                                                                      


We actually paid $1.54 for 2 toothbrushes and then received 2 ECB's back on the receipt making the toothbrushes free. I used the 2 ECB's to purchase 4 Reeses Easter eggs for the grandchildren.

I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get $1,000 of groceries for free but I'm thankful for the little I have learned. I'm able to keep a moderate stash of toiletries that I get for free or nearly free.  It greatly helps stretch my $200 grocery budget.


It was fun! :=)

Hurry.. RefundCents is free today!

I use Refund Cents to simplify my couponing.  They do all the footwork for you by researching the best and lowest priced deals all over the internet and at the major drugstores. Be sure to check out the CVS, RiteAid and Walgreen's links on the right side bar.


Hurry... they are opening up their service for you to see FREE today!

REFUNDCENTS

If you have any questions then let me know.

Economically Challenged Book Lovers

If you are a book lover then you already know that it's a bit of a challenge to keep your habit supplied. *Smile*  I've read that the library is a good source for those who are economically challenged but  I rarely find the books I'm looking for.

Enter PAPERBACKSWAP!

This is how it works. When you join you are given a few free credits to start. You can add to those credits by selling your own  books. Their system to sell your books  is very easy. You just enter the ISBN and it will bring up a picture of your book immediately.  They will ask if the book is in good selling condition and that's it. Once someone requests your book you are given a certain amount of time to mail it. Once the book is received they will go to the website and mark that it's been received. That is when you receive your credit. Now you're ready to purchase a book with your credit.  You receive 1 credit for each book or 2 credits for audio books.

It costs approximately $2.30 to mail a book using book rate so any book I choose through PS will end up only costing me that amount.

I have ordered a lot of books through PaperbackSwap over the past 5 years or so. I've never had a bad experience.  In fact this past month I received The Five Silent Years (about Corrie Ten Boon's last 5 years), Chicken Soup for Caregivers and the audio tapes for Pilgrim's Progress. Of course they do not have the newest books available so I put those on my Wish List. If the book becomes available then I am immediately notified before it's listed to the public. 

Do you have a favorite used book club? How do you support your book habit?