Prov 31vs10.An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11.The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
12.She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13.She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.
14.She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15.She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.
16.She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17.She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18.She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
25.Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
26.She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27.She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28.Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29."Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all."
I believe that a wife's priority should be her and her husband's home. I don't believe a wife shouldn't go to work outside of her home, but that her priority should be the home. Even though I am a stay at home mom, I have to evaluate where my priorities are too. I can easily be entertained by TV shows, movies, friends, & horses and still be home.
A few verses above (notice, I did skip a few) that I noted while reading this tonight:
14. "Bringing my food from afar." If it's a very good price and I need it (and it's not ridiculous), I'll drive far to get it. I don't mind driving.
15. "She rises also while it is still night..." I'm definitely not at this point. Sorry Mark. ;-)
16. "She considers a field and buys it." Sometimes us wives that spend more time with house-stuff have the benefit of wisdom in related things. Not that we shouldn't approach our husbands with high priced decisions, but to know that we have the ability (and responsibility!) to learn all we can about it and bring that knowledge to the table in order to make the best decision possible. We are capable of learning about something by ourselves and helping with the decisions.
"From her earnings she plants a vineyard..." The money that she earns (*gasp* her job), she does something fruitful with it. It isn't wasted, it's used for the benefit of the family: for savings or for something the family has been hoping to get but didn't need, or maybe to start an investment in something that may make money later!
17. "She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong." I need to get back to the gym.
18. "She senses that her gain is good." I know God will bless me for my hard work. I'm not doing this for a blessing (I'm sure it's mostly to avoid the natural consequences), but because responsibility bears good fruit in every case.
26. "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." I hope one day I can come close to this, because I fail everyday.
27. "She looks well to the ways of her household and is not lazy." Am I taking an honest look at my house - is it running as smoothly as it could be, does it need some changes? What can I do, with diligence, to make it run well?
28. "Her children (and husband) rise up and bless her..." Children don't rise up overnight. But they will. There is a light at the end of this seemingly pointless, but in reality, eternal tunnel.
Friday, February 26, 2010
My Pantry is Full....My Budget is Hopefully Staying Unbroken...
My stockpile is running well. This week, I spent about $40 on groceries because I had everything I needed in my pantry already. Including meat. It was a nice feeling. I'm waiting for a good price to stock up on Ziploc bags before I run out.
When you go into your stockpile for something, check and make sure that you aren't close to running out. If you are, write it down on a notepad, and, looking through the flyers/online sales, etc., keep your eye out for the lowest price around. If you've done a pricebook and know what the lowest price is, it should be going back to that price soon. If you can hold out buying it until it reaches that price (and if you run out, try and improvise with other things), you'll be maximizing your spending plan.
This is my weekly list, usually:
Sandwich Bread/Whole Wheat Rolls
Fruit
Vegetables
Milk
One or more stockpile items I'm close to running out of, that are at their lowest price.
I rarely follow that well. But as long as I have a good stockpile, I really don't need to buy much else. It's been really neat seeing my pantry stay stocked, and my need list stay small.
When you go into your stockpile for something, check and make sure that you aren't close to running out. If you are, write it down on a notepad, and, looking through the flyers/online sales, etc., keep your eye out for the lowest price around. If you've done a pricebook and know what the lowest price is, it should be going back to that price soon. If you can hold out buying it until it reaches that price (and if you run out, try and improvise with other things), you'll be maximizing your spending plan.
This is my weekly list, usually:
Sandwich Bread/Whole Wheat Rolls
Fruit
Vegetables
Milk
One or more stockpile items I'm close to running out of, that are at their lowest price.
I rarely follow that well. But as long as I have a good stockpile, I really don't need to buy much else. It's been really neat seeing my pantry stay stocked, and my need list stay small.
Recipe Book is Coming Along
My recipe book is coming along. I'm going to take some pictures pretty soon. I've printed out quite a few recipes recently and have put them in a 1 1/2" pretty green binder. With sheet protectors. It looks awesome. Pictures to come.
I'm really looking forward to having all of my "regular" recipes in there, plus a few empty spots for the new "winners." I'll make one or two new main recipes a month (to stretch the budget) and decide whether or not it makes the book. I'll probably do new sides more frequently because 1) I have fewer side recipes, and 2) they are less expensive.
My last post on my recipe book, I said I wanted to write the cost of each meal (to feed about 4 people). I'm just going to write that in on every page (not type it) because I think the prices will change over time.
Why write the costs of the meals down? To make sure I don't make too many expensive meals in a week. Of course that's going to take a lot of time because I have to actually know how much the materials cost...
This is going to be awesome, too, because it will contain all our family favorites that my children will be used to. In 2006, my mother-in-law made all of the daughters a recipe book of her favorites. Some of those recipes made it in my book already, and I just love that they can be passed down generation to generation. I hope my future daughters-in-law appreciate that! *Fingers crossed*
I'm really looking forward to having all of my "regular" recipes in there, plus a few empty spots for the new "winners." I'll make one or two new main recipes a month (to stretch the budget) and decide whether or not it makes the book. I'll probably do new sides more frequently because 1) I have fewer side recipes, and 2) they are less expensive.
My last post on my recipe book, I said I wanted to write the cost of each meal (to feed about 4 people). I'm just going to write that in on every page (not type it) because I think the prices will change over time.
Why write the costs of the meals down? To make sure I don't make too many expensive meals in a week. Of course that's going to take a lot of time because I have to actually know how much the materials cost...
This is going to be awesome, too, because it will contain all our family favorites that my children will be used to. In 2006, my mother-in-law made all of the daughters a recipe book of her favorites. Some of those recipes made it in my book already, and I just love that they can be passed down generation to generation. I hope my future daughters-in-law appreciate that! *Fingers crossed*
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Blog Feature - email subscriptions
On the left side of this page, you can subscribe to this blog if you enter your email address, type in a verification word when prompted, then click on a link in your email inbox to confirm.
Each time I update this blog, you will get emailed, and thus remember to read it. :-)
Each time I update this blog, you will get emailed, and thus remember to read it. :-)
Double Coupon Week & Coupon Websites
Harris Teeter is having double coupon week at their store. I am planning on at least 2 shopping trips on separate days (because you can take advantage of the doubles only once a day). Check out the Harris Teeter link on the right column for all the stuff you could get free.
When you print coupons from websites, you sometimes have to install a coupon printer. Downloading the printer hasn't bothered my computer at all. Coupons (dot) com is the one I most frequently print coupons from. Other sites you have to put your information down.
If you have a problem with giving websites your email address, you can make a completely different email address up, and use that one each time you sign up for newsletters/special offers, etc. You can forward that email address to your regular one, and put it under a different label and check whenever you'd like (I LOVE gmail!!). That way your regular inbox isn't filled up with a bunch of offers.
When you print coupons from websites, you sometimes have to install a coupon printer. Downloading the printer hasn't bothered my computer at all. Coupons (dot) com is the one I most frequently print coupons from. Other sites you have to put your information down.
If you have a problem with giving websites your email address, you can make a completely different email address up, and use that one each time you sign up for newsletters/special offers, etc. You can forward that email address to your regular one, and put it under a different label and check whenever you'd like (I LOVE gmail!!). That way your regular inbox isn't filled up with a bunch of offers.
New Addition to Blog
This week, I spent some time searching out Virginia blogs that post the coupon match-ups every time a new ad comes out.
I have been wasting some serious time looking for good deals at my local stores from other people's blogs. That's all well and good except when they live in Florida or in California or in St. Louis!! Their sales may not be the same as ours (and I've frequently had problems with this...).
Anyway, I FINALLY landed on this website (you may want to check it out): becentsable (dot) net and it has some really cool resources. You can become a paying member and get other cool stuff, or you can just search around for free.
I like Farm Fresh double coupons & Kroger & Food Lion. So I added some blogs you can click on (on the right column) that will give you updated coupon match-ups that are in your area (if you live here in VA). And if you're like me and don't get Food Lion ads in the mail, these will help.
If you don't live in VA, you can find your state listed on the becentsable website under "Grocery Store Deals."
Let's see if this works for me. I'll keep you posted. :)
I have been wasting some serious time looking for good deals at my local stores from other people's blogs. That's all well and good except when they live in Florida or in California or in St. Louis!! Their sales may not be the same as ours (and I've frequently had problems with this...).
Anyway, I FINALLY landed on this website (you may want to check it out): becentsable (dot) net and it has some really cool resources. You can become a paying member and get other cool stuff, or you can just search around for free.
I like Farm Fresh double coupons & Kroger & Food Lion. So I added some blogs you can click on (on the right column) that will give you updated coupon match-ups that are in your area (if you live here in VA). And if you're like me and don't get Food Lion ads in the mail, these will help.
If you don't live in VA, you can find your state listed on the becentsable website under "Grocery Store Deals."
Let's see if this works for me. I'll keep you posted. :)
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