Samples and more couponing

Free samples with coupons!

I happened to earn one $10.00 gas card for this deal. I placed the other $10.00 I got from the previous week.

Year to date saving's $892.39! total Spending 238.47   :)

Well the couponing is getting better and better. I happened to get a shot of my lute a few weeks back but the latest trips I have yet to record.  I started  couponing about a year ago. At first I had to spend some time at it but now I barely prepare.  You can see on the receipt I paid a little over $8.00 for all this stuff. My saving's for most trips usually is $60-90 at cvs. My highest savings at the grocery store has been 90% but lately only about 30-60%. Unfortunatly the EXTREME couponers out there have caused some of my favorite stores to change their coupon policies recently :(
Sometimes I don't get the brands I would prefer. Like the pantene in the background but it's better then nothing for now. I am also building a stock pile and I have given some stuff to neighbors that have been having a difficult time right now.  I got free Pantene coupons on face book. I ended up getting a $10.00 off Pantene coupon and the pantene was on sale 2 for $6 plus 2 ECB back. Just a little insider note facebook is a huge coupon data base and I have received free items and also high dollar coupons on there. I recently just reactivated my account but for months I have had a moch account to just get the coupons.    I couldn't pass up the deal on milk but we do try to stick to raw milk but there is no couponing for that and around here a gallon of raw milk is $6.00-$9.00.  Let me tell you I will be getting my little jersey cow soon. I've learned that a mini jersey can produce up to 7 gallons a day(not that we would need that much). Okay sorry going a little off point there!

I wanted to mention the samples that you can get too. Most products offer samples for new promotions. So keep your eye out for some links to those.

You can also see on the receipt  (last picture) on here the chance to win $1,000 if you take a survey. Most receipts offer this so keep your eye out for the chance to enter and win.


You can also see my total spending and total saving for the summer, just click on the picture to enlarge
 to view the savings.

What has really helped me in my coupon learning is some great coupon bloggers. I use the google reader to keep track of their recent posts. Some great coupons go online and these women bloggers catch them and post them.  It is just like my coupon blog but they update their blog hourly. It saves me a lot of time being able to view what' s a steal for the week. Because high dollar coupons online don't always stay for the whole month and some are only available for one particular day. 

Here are my top 5!


http://couponkatarina.com/

http://www.couponingtodisney.com/

http://mojosavings.com/

http://www.passionforsavings.com/

http://passionatepennypincher.com/


P.S. ALWAYS check your receipt after you shop. A few months back I was charged $ 24.00 for a head of lettuce. The lady accidentally rang me up for a case of lettuce instead of 1 head.  I have also encountered cashiers that don't want to push my coupons through because they won't scan. Don't hesitate to call a manager over. The other day I had $45.00 worth of coupons that wouldn't scan. The lady said they won't scan and she persisted to charge me full price. I then asked to see a manger and the manager pushed my coupons through.

"180" Movie (Public advisory graphic content)!

How the hell should I know?: Ron Paul on Jon Stewart...

How the hell should I know?: Ron Paul on Jon Stewart...: Part 1... The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Part 2... The ...








"We shall know them by their fruits"

War On Terror Or War On Freedom?

War On Terror Or War On Freedom?






A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
 

Home Made Hair Cuts!

Before

Before

After

After

Before(and not a very good pic) with the classic Milton lazy eyes!

 I got some tips recently from Tiff on how to cut the kids hair. I had watched You Tube video's before to try to learn but never did a good job. I've been meaning to get a book on it but I hadn't done that either. So one afternoon we cut all the boys hair. Blonde hair tends to show mistakes very easy so it gets a little tricky. I had planned on taking pics step by step but I didn't do that either. I got a few shots of the boys. I hope I don't forget next time I go to cut it that's why I should of would of could of on my blog. The kids did pretty good but its always is tough keeping them still especially when I'm a slow poke while learning to cut their hair! I happened to forget a before pic of Ayden and an after of Thayne.

House Update!

Looking at the back yard from the left side of the house

There is a creek that runs to the left of our property and runs down ending at the dug out pond.

Looking out from the front porch there is a huge pond to the far distant right. You can see a telephone pole to the right as well that is where the front of the property ends.

side view of the front porch

I love these windows(which I guess were french doors at one time) This side of the house will need to be re-sided. So the windows will eventually go. We plan on adding a third bedroom and extending our bedroom and creating a master bath from this side of the house. I hope to add windows or something similar because I love the light that these windows let in.

looking out from the driveway

 Well I have some new pics from the new house. We are still in the process of closing the deal so I don't want to get too excited just yet. Who am I kidding though I'm already pretty excited!!!  We hope to close no later then October 7th. Since we did not buy our current house through a  bank we are able to sign it back over to the owners and we will be in the process of that shortly. We are hoping to be in the house before the Holidays. It is a little bitter sweet having to start from square one again. We will miss our 200 year old tree's and of course all of our awesome neighbors.  We are planing on trying to keep as much as we put into this house. We will be pulling up our new floors soon..  It is going to be a long winter!!!

A New Dream!

I received a video link from my sis a few weeks ago. I was inspired so much that I thought I would share it here.  I also came across a local farm here in Bedias that grows the duck weed!!!  I am so fascinated how information flows to you when you are interested in a subject.   I was waiting for a call back from a local farmer  here and happened to start reading their biography. When the farmers mentioned they grow duck weed I got excited, because before this video I had no idea what it was!!  I was relieved to learn that most farmers this year have had a very bad year due to the drought. When you are growing pesticide free it becomes very challenging. I hope to learn more of these skills particularly organic composting in the future.  Most fertilizer you buy in the stores are made with crude oil and it is another unnecessary waste.  We planted late and with the drought our plants did not do as well as we hoped.
  I can say that this urban farming will be a new dream of ours and another goal for substantial living.  I hope as a Nation we can learn to consume less. There is no need for the chickens we eat from the stores(Tyson company and more) to never see day light or never walk in their lifetimes. We must protect our environment and protect the plants and animal life in it. If we as individuals allow this to continue it will be one of our biggest demises or it possibly already is.  I guess it will have to start with the individual. I am trying the best that I can but it is hard so I understand the mighty task at hand.  I do refuse to buy certain products and certain brand of foods.. I am learning about how to make soaps, house hold cleaners and more.  I will not contribute to the problem but will try to continue to find ways to find solutions to the many problems we face. I have a long road to go but ultimately our efforts can hopefully promote change.

Our Buddy Blake Turns 7!

Can you see the smudge on my lens, "Little Buggers"!

We had a really fun day watching all the kids play in the water.  The boys ended up sleeping over for a all boys sleep over. When these boys get together they have such a great time! I'm hoping to plan a sleep over for our boys birthday this year..  I still can't believe how fast the kiddo's are growing!  They are already big enough for sleep over's!  Can I cry now!!! :)

We got the house!!!

 Great news came in today that we got the house!!!!!!!!!!!  We put a cash offer in for $12,000 and the owners countered $17,000 so we then countered them for $ 15,000 and they excepted!

We will possibly be closing the deal no later then next Friday!  We will spend the next few months gutting the house and fixing it to make it livable. It needs some foundation work and a new septic tank but for the price the repairs are worth it. I forgot to mention that we will be .5 miles from Tiff and Mike. The kids are very excited that they will get to ride their bikes to their cousins house!  I will post more picks of the back yard soon. The ones online don't give the land the justice!!!


Thanks for all of you who put some positive vibes out for us this week. We really couldn't be happier to know we are one more step closer to becoming more self reliant!

Bangsters are at it again...

This was a few months ago so hopefully some of ya out there got to see it.

 At a time I thought like Ben(I'm pretty sure he is lying through his teeth when he says gold is not money though) and thought of gold as an asset, as a commodity and not as real money.  I grew up with paper in my pocket and eventually a plastic card that let me have freedom of purchasing without even having the paper on hand.. Without that plastic card right out of high school I would of needed a co-signer for the first apartment I rented.  If Ben admitted Gold was money a few months ago then he would have to explain what a fiat currency is.. If you are willing to dive into the rabbit hole of what a fiat currency is then you will see where the Gangsters(Bangsters) are headed.



Obama is scheduled to make a speech on the creation of jobs this week.  He might of already released it. I can't listen to more then 5 min. of the illusion.  Since QE 3 was not unleashed in August because the the price of gold would of went well over 2,000 oz. they are unleashing another scam and not calling it Quantitative Easing.. Hey they might I just would assume another method because the people are waking up to QE2.  Well and I'm really no expert so it might be called QE3 but none the less it is coming.

I really love technology these days. Here is a little clip from a website that sells precious metals. It breaks down a little history on fiat currency and gold.

I have been reading about King David in the Bible and how he commanded Solomon to save up 75,000 lbs of silver to do the Lords work. There is also a great more to the story but shows us that gold and silver is what was intended for us to barter with(not paper or plastic)! Well at least that is the interpretation I get from the scriptures. I also love the Parable about Jesus over throwing the table of the money changers on the Sabbath.  That's got to be my favorite parable. 

It is stated in our Constitution that only gold and silver should be used as legal tender. Unfortunately we have let the establishment run away with our own Laws of the Land as stated in the Constitution.

Just recently the state of Utah passed a bill that allows Gold and Silver to be used for everyday purchases. It will be interesting to see what states adopt this policy next.

"Government spending is always a “tax” burden on the American people and is never equally or fairly distributed.  The poor and low-middle income workers always suffer the most from the deceitful tax of inflation and borrowing." -Congressman Ron Paul

Moving Again?

 Some exciting news here on the Anderson home front this week.  We have decided to put an offer in on a house that is here in town. Originally I have been keeping my eye on the housing market for Zach parents because they are in the process of moving here. A few days ago I posted the video of the house because the video was to big to email.   I liked the house but I wasn't thinking that I might want it for us. 

After I posted the video Zach's Parents told me they are going to wait because they really want the house next door to Tiff. That night I went to bed and awoke at 3:00 a.m. with a gut feeling to try and get this house.  I let the idea pass from me many times before I decided to call about the property. 

It has now been a few weeks and we have decided to put our offer in today! We should know within a few days if we get it.  I hardly can contain my excitement so I had to share!!!!  Here is the link to the house:


http://www.trulia.com/property/3054017416-3240-Dick-Barnes-Loop-Bedias-TX-77831



It has about 2.7 more acreage then our current place. A perfect pastured area for the horses I dream about! It is the same square footage as our house now but only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
 So we will either add on or continue to do school in the kitchen. Since we do not have a garage, our poor school room here has turned into our storage room. I get it cleaned out and bam stuff just piles back up.. I guess I should down size. 15 years of portfolio work and collecting books takes up more space then I would like to admit...
.


"If it will,it will
If it won't, it won't
If it does, it does
If it don't, it don't"

It's all given freely by the grace of God  :)

Summer Schooling

We have continued our schooling over the Summer. I do 3 weeks on 1 week off so we do get a break. With Moving and all the new things we have had to transition too we lost some school days.  I guess I feel it's school everyday here though we always are learning even if it isn't on paper.

 I had to take a pic of the boys with their new books and Keynan coloring one of his birthday posters. I have tried a lot of different workbooks for schooling. I really like these work books http://www.schoolzone.com .I also love http://www.zaner-bloser.com/ work books. I use to get them at Costco and I was trying to get the same low cost if I could find them. I scored at Target one day and got both the books for less then $10. This was before we gave them a haircut my little scruffalumps( post coming soon).

The boys are doing incredible at Math and excellent with the phonics. They both are learning to phonetically read and we are taking it slow. I'm putting more into the phonics and giving the math a break for a bit.. They are also starting to learn music which is coming pretty natural.
I am starting to move into teaching cursive this fall.  Their writing is continuing to get even better. It's amazing watching them grow at their own pace. I've learned to back off and it has helped. Sometimes we just don't get done all we have planned.  You really can't plan 5 hours of school for a 7 year old. Or at least my 7 year olds.. So we have fun and we have fun learning. I should call the learning imprinting because we spend as much time as we need on one thing so it will stick and stay stuck!!!

AHHH The beauty of Homeschooling :)

Building,Birthday and BBQ's

Truly turns 4!

BBQ August 28, 2011

Swee-low Corbin's  new mini wiener!

Mike with his new Mini Dachshunds !!!!