$75 a week for groceries.
Is that even possible today in the world we live it!?

Our budget is pretty tight right now and we are trying to save for a house as well. My goal is to save as much as possible wherever we can.

Living frugally has always been a part of our marriage. I love thrift store shopping, finding the best deals etc...it is like a game-how much money can I save this time.

Now that Jason is gluten free things are a little more difficult (oh the days of buying 3 lbs. of pasta for a mere dollar).

We have also been going mostly dairy free and mostly sugar free.

On $75 a week.

Some weeks we make it and other weeks we go a little bit over but we are still in the beginning stages of it and learning new things every week which helps!

Did I mention I have so much fun with it?

I know I may seem really odd because of that BUT saving money really can be FUN!

So how do I do it?

I think the thing that has helped me the most is:

Meal Planning.

I make a list of meals that I am going to make for the week (a lot of people do monthly but right now for our family we are sticking with weekly shopping more on that later).

I am addicted to love Pinterest. A lot of times when I am browsing I will pin meals I want to try later on my Healthy Eating Inspirations board. When it comes time to choose meals (I normally plan at least six meals) that is normally the first place I go for inspiration. Any meals that I don't make during a particular week I will roll over to the next week.

Once I have my meals I then go through the recipe ingredients. Anything I don't have on hand gets written down under that meal.
Example:

Meal #1: Cornflake Chicken
Veggie: Broccoli
Starch: Mashed Potatoes

To Buy:
-3 Chk. breasts
-Box of Cornflakes (1)

I don't list anything else because I know I have a package of frozen broccoli in the freezer waiting to be used, potatoes in my pantry waiting to be used and extra butter in the freezer.

I repeat this process and then, once I am finished with all of my meals, I transfer it over to my big shopping list which I divide up by store.

I am planning on sharing my weekly shopping trips with you on here. I think it will be fun but also help keep me motivated!

So look for a post coming soon!

What about you?

How do you save money on your grocery bill especially if you have food allergies or special diet needs in your family? I would love to hear about them or any questions you all may have!

Blessings!

 Not only do I have my husband who is my prince but I also have my little man.

Daddy is his hero and Elijah's favorite time of day is when Daddy comes home from work! They have so much fun playing together! 

I am so thankful for my husband and the love he has and shows our little boy. 

I really do think that the more I watch them together the more I fall in love with them both!

What about you? Does your husband have a special way he bonds with your kids? What are some memories you have of you and your Daddy growing up?

It happened.

A little later he was playing by the couch and I was reading in my chair. I looked up and noticed that he had a pen in his hand (isn't that just the one of the funniest expressions). Getting up to investigate I discovered this:

It was at that moment I realized that how I reacted was going to set the foundation for how I would react from here on out as the Mama of a very busy baby boy.

Option #1:
Get uptight and upset because, while he didn't realize what he was doing this time, my couch had pen on it! What would Jason say and again-my couch has pen on it. How am I going to get it out? Ugh what an inconvenience.

Option #2:
Well, so the pen has gotten on my couch. That is OK I am going to go on pinterest and look up a solution and just clean it myself because honestly we paid $10 for this couch and it is not the end of the world.

I went with option #two.

I was thinking about that later that evening and I realized that there will be messes created by little hands. Toys that constantly could be picked up. Windows and doors that need washed because of little hand prints all over.

But you know what? I am OK with that.

Because I have realized that this will all be gone some day. All too soon I will be past these baby years and then I know I will wish for those little hands. I will wish for toys all over my house. I will wish for hand prints on my door.

That day will come. My baby boy will grow up someday. And I know it will come way to fast. So in the meantime I am going to cherish each moment with my baby. Yes, some days will be frustrating. Sometimes I will want a house that stays clean without constant cleaning up. Sometimes I will just be exhausted and want to sleep!

But that will come soon enough.

So for now-for this moment I am going to cherish that smile:

Oh that iPhone...

My Dad got one. Then my brother. Then my sister. Then it was finally my turn! Well, our turn. We had just moved to our new apartment and it made the most sense. I mean we didn't have internet so it would help us when we needed to look something up. It took awesome pictures and movies and my camera was not really working that well. Plus it was time for an upgrade on our phone so we got it free.

Be still my beating heart!

I was so excited. I started to instagram, tweet, facebook, check my email, watch a movie on YouTube, catch up on my new favorite show and in about two hours become absolutely obsessed with my new iPhone.

Yes, it was handy.

But all to soon it became an incredible addiction in my life and not only started to effect my relationship with the Lord but also with everyone around me.

As someone who has struggled quite a bit with managing my time and not being addicted to social media and my computer it is laughable now that I look back. At the time however, I just tried to convince myself that it was going to be just fine.

Right.

For months the Lord was whispering to my heart. Urging me to fully surrender the one thing that had truly overtaken my life.

"Give up the iPhone Katy. It has become an idol in your life."

"No it hasn't Lord," I would reply, "It does not come before You! I still read."

Yes, I did still read. It took about 5 minutes daily-while I was spending over 5 hours a day wrapped up in my own little world of social networking.

Soon however, the mere moments I had been attempting to spend with the Lord dwindled slowly away. I was too busy to notice. Most of the time.

Soon however I began to notice I was angry a whole lot more. Bitterness and unforgiveness towards some people and some situations were taking their toll as I began to lash out at those around me who I love most dearly.

Where did I turn to in all this?

Jesus? The Word? Prayer?

Sad to say I did not go to my Heavenly Father-even as He stood their with hands stretched out to receive me.

Instead, I began to find my satisfaction and fulfillment in my iPhone.

This went on for months.

I was absolutely miserable and all along I KNEW what I needed to do! I needed to make no provision for the flesh and get rid of my iPhone and surrender to my Savior with my WHOLE life.

But I refused to do it.

I lost my joy. I felt like I was shriveling up inside.

Always looking for satisfaction.

Always looking for fulfillment.

But never actually surrendering to the Lord so I could find true joy and peace in living once more.

Finally one day my brother just completely randomly asked me why I was so angry all the time.

I was shocked that it was that obvious I had not been doing well! That was the turning point.

A few days later I surrendered and my husband and I went to the Verizon store and got my phone switched over to a regular one.

How can I even explain the joy that obedience and surrender to the Lord Jesus brings.

I felt as though I truly was able to live again.

I started having my devotions every day, really cleaning my house, exercising, reading books and spending more time with my sweet little man.

Freedom.

Surrender brought freedom.

Funny how the enemy twisted freedom in my mind.

True freedom and fulfillment is not found in social media. It is not found in family. It is not found in friends.

True freedom and fulfillment is found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Is He asking you to surrender something to Him today?

Do not hesitate!

So I got rid of my iPhone...and it was the best thing I have ever done!