Birthday Shopping

So, one of my best friends has a daughter that turned 5 today. This means one thing... PRESENT SHOPPING! Okay... my hubby and kids are involved in sports but my hobby is SHOPPING! I could happily spend all day in a grocery store as long as I had on a great pair of flip flops :) Well, typically a present for me means going to the store and spending $25 on a present, bag, tissue paper, and card. Tomorrow I am going to try to cut that cost to as much as I can. My plan is to avoid the cute little $19.99 toys and opt for something that is more unique. I can tell you right now... those end caps at Target, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens do me in EVERY TIME!!! So, I am going to look through my Inbox and purse to see what coupons I have and go from there. I am finding this very exciting...it's like a whole new hobby for me :) Would it be completely crazy if I started rewarding myself with little stars if I do good? Probably...but it might be fun!

Welcome

Welcome! I guess I will jump right in and tell you about myself. I am married and have two kiddos. I consider us blessed to be a two income household. Both of my kids are in elementary school and me working allows us to let our kids participate in several extra curricular activities. Currently both kids and my husband take Taekwondo, my son plays baseball, my daughter is on a competitive cheer team, and we are also very involved in church activities. Recently we decided we were going to have to pay off our debts and get prepared to buy our first home. So, this will be a journey through learning to STOP SPENDING, pay things off, and (of course) talk about my family.
So, most people ask me, "how can you say you are trying to save money and still put your kids in so many activities that cost so much money?" My reply, "I didn't say I was trying to eat lentil soup everyday or do other severe money saving things (like use old newspaper for TP)." I just realized we wasted so much money! It was nothing for us to eat out 3 times a week. I am just trying to learn to stop wasting money and start saving. Hey, maybe I can save enough to retire! LOL