SAHMs - Changing Your Lifestyle.

Ok, so yesterday I told you all that all mom's CAN be a SAHM and I know you were all dying with anticipation, right?! Just say right haha. So here goes...

There really is no reason to have two incomes in a family. The problem comes when you live above what one income could afford. When a family has two incomes, they adjust to a higher living style. They buy more expensive things - it is just how it is. I think the biggest piece of advice I would give to any starting up family without kids is to expect the woman to want to be come a stay at home mom. If they buy a house and such that doesn't allow that, she won't have that option and it may really cause her to be unhappy. So, leave that option open
This starts when you buy a house. When you buy a house you need to make sure that you could make the payment with only one income. Also, is there a need for two cars? Generally, yes, but honestly, you can survive with one. Make sure the payments can be made with just one income.

Ok, so those are two big things that can help open up the option of being a SAHM. But, say that you already did those things, and you could make it on one income, but it would be really TIGHT and you're worried. What do you do then? I'll tell you! haha

As a SAHM, you will have extra time, maybe not a lot, but put down the blog or facebook for awhile haha.

You see, a lot of things that will save you money, take extra time. I know a lot of SAHMs who tell me that they worry about money but they refuse to do anything that would be a "pain in their butts" or take time away from something else.
Here is my list of ways to save money:

1. CLOTH DIAPER! I personally am just starting up so it is taking extra money now. The startup cost can be a bit higher, if you buy all brand new. DiaperSwappers.com is a great place to get gently used diapers. Just wash them up and they can be half the price of new ones! I won't buy anything with stains and most sellers tell you if there are stains. A family can spend around $800 per year per child in diapers. Spend $500 - this is brand new, you honestly can get a lot used for tons cheaper, and you are DONE! And they are reuseable for the next baby!

2. Use cloth wipes. I spent $6 on fabric and have made a bunch of cloth wipes. A simple wipe mixture is 2tbsp baby oil, 2tbsp baby wash and 2 cups water. Or, a lot of moms just use water and add soap if the baby really needs a cleaning, but i prefer that mixture! Wipes may seem cheap, but a family can use, on average, $100 a year on wipes. Go cloth!

3. Coupon. This takes time - I take about 2 hours a week on clipping, organizing, and matching sales. 2 hours?! Coupons can save a ton - honestly, there are tons of websites to teach you how to coupon correctly and I promise you will save money.

4. Create a stockpile of food of things your family eats alot or you use to cook with frequently. The grocery bill will go up at first, but then will go down drastically! My stockpile is sooo good that I spend on average $30 a week - which is meats, dairy stuff like eggs, deli meats and fruits/veggies. If something is low in my stockpile, I find some coupons for it, and get as many as I need.

5. Make your own baby food. It isn't hard. I have only made a little bit, but I can tell you I've already saved close to $20 and that adds up! It doesn't take a lot of time, effort, or money. Its great! Also, it is healthier for them. There are no preservatives in it or pesticides if you buy organic!

6. Check out yard sales, flea markets, and second hand stores. I don't always buy stuff from these places, but I like to check them out for cool decorations that I can redo cheaply and make my own. Its like an adventure. I love Once Upon A Child also. The toys are gently used that I can give a good cleaning and be great. Also, when babies are young, they go through so many clothes. This is the perfect place to get a lot of good play clothes that they can get dirty!

7. Ditch paper towels and napkins. Yup, I said that! Honestly, you don't need them and its just more waste for the landfills. Get some cheap towels at the dollar store to use for your cleaning. Get good dishtowels and rags for the kitchen. Get some fun fabric at a craft store and sew your own cloth napkins or buy some at Target or Wal-Mart. Wash them when they are dirty!

8. Make your own cleaning products. The products you buy in the store have a ton of harmful chemicals. Personally, I don't want Caelyn around those. I only use store bought cleaning products for the bathroom and those are still the "green" products that are out lately because of this go green movement. The best cleaning products are vinegar, baking soda, and lemons which can all be purchased for very cheap.

9. This is something I don't do which I regret.. BREASTFEED! Hello, this is free and the best thing you can do! I don't need to say much more about this!

10. Create a small vegetable/herb garden. This saves on the grocery bills, you can make healthy meals for your family and if you combine this and making your baby food... then your baby food is FREE and you know where it is coming from! How perfect is that?!

11. Cut back on your electric bill by line drying your clothes during nice weather. Plus, who doesn't love the smell of line dried clothes?!!?

See.. this is just a few things you can do. There are plenty more. You can save money, but it will take your time. I wish all women knew this because I wish all mothers could be SAHMs.
As I said yesterday, I consider myself a part-time SAHM, but I do everything I can to stretch the money that Robert makes. He works hard and I want to be able to get a lot from that money. So, I take the time to do extra laundry for her cloth diapers, I take time to coupon and everything else.

Also, if you cloth diaper and use cloth wipes, think about selling homemade cloth wipes and learn how to make cloth diapers. I myself am looking into doing this. This is a great way to bring money into your home and still be a SAHM!

I hope this helped someone!

This and That

Today was a long day for me - Wednesdays ALWAYS are. All together I had 6 hours of class time, plus baby time, cooking dinner, studying, and a late night trip to walmart which resulted in nothing. (I'm trying to figure out what to get my dad and also my grandma for their birthdays which are tomorrow, technically today since I am writing this after midnight) This reminds me of just how much parenthood changes even daily activities. I remember when a 9pm trip to walmart was most definitely not late. Now, 9pm is bath and bed time. I almost felt bad for going and throwing off our nighttime routine! We used to make late night trips to get movies and late dinners at Kings or Eat n' Park. Well now, I think I much prefer these days to those days.

I don't have much exciting to write about, yet. I'm sure something good will come around. But, I do have something to share with you that I've been waiting for a day when I have nothing to talk about. If you coupon, you will appreciate this.

I know that I clean out my coupon organizer about every month, because it seems like most expire at the end of the month. I generally throw them away, but not anymore. What do I do with them? Well I send them to military bases overseas is what I do!
I love a site called Moms Need to Know and one day while reading, I can across a post about sending expired coupons overseas. This is definitely something we all can do just to help others!

Roughin it

I have to be real for a moment.. Being a Mommy isn't all fun and games. Caelyn lately seems to have found her attitude or who knows, but things around this house have been a little bit difficult. Robert works frequently and long hours, so most days it is me and the princess. Before, I could do things around the house and such. But lately, it seems like all she wants is for me to hold her! Is this normal? I can't wait for this stage to go away! I love holding my baby - I cuddle her and squeeze her (not hard!) and just give her loving. We both love it. But, I've never been a momma who holds her baby non-stop. So, why the sudden change?
I have no answers for this question. Before, she loved to watch tv in her vibrating chair. Now, this lasts for only 10 minutes - enough to wash bottles - maybe. The only thing she does still love is her binky. Praise God for whoever invented the pacifier.

Ok, so enough complaining. Even though I complain, I am still so thankful for my angel. I love to watch her sleep - it brings tears to my eyes.

See, that made me feel better.
Ok, so today was grocery shopping today! Usually I enjoy this day, but today not so much. I feel like I'm losing my mind - literally. I forget everything lately. Normal? Who knows. My mom said that lots of women after having a baby tend to be forgetful.

I couldn't name this post The Joys of Couponing because unfortunately, I didn't need much that I had coupons for or anything that I want to stockpile.
I did get a bottle of Dawn dish soap for $.53 at CVS! Thats awesome! If you have a CVS around you, they are on sale for $.98 and I had a $.50 coupon off. I have a $.25 coupon off that I will use tomorrow - I forgot paper towels!
The P&G book in yesterday's paper had some good coupons - my favorite? A coupon for a B1G1 - Buy any 36-60ct Tampax tampons get an 18ct for free! That was awesome - Since I had my first menstrual cycle after having the baby and it has been almost 3 weeks long. Normal? Who knows.
All together today I saved around $10 in coupons, plus an additional $8 off on sale items at Krogers. While at Krogers, I got a coupon for $1.50 off my next shopping trip and $.75 off 6 Gerber 1st stage baby food which run $.97. Caelyn isn't using them yet, but I have started to buy them. This is one of the reasons I love Krogers - that they give coupons out at the cash register.
I'm thinking about making some of my own baby food - maybe.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening - I'm going to go try to figure out what my child wants haha.

Contacting Companies

As I've mentioned before, Robert and I definitely have to budget. One day, I hope we will have the luxury of not having to, but until then, it is a must. I budget no more than $50 a week on grocery items, including baby items. That is only $200 a month to feed us 3. I hope one day to cut that down once my couponing skills and food stockpile gets better.
How do I only spend $200 a month? Well for one, I meal plan. I am going to do a whole section on meal planning. I never thought of it before but I love it and it definitely helps me save money. And.. I coupon and I shop at a grocery store that doubles all my coupons $.50 and below.
I have tons of coupons - more than I probably would ever need. I get them from my weekly newspapers. I buy about 4 each week. I buy the All You magazine once a month. I print coupons online. I also contact companies and sign up with companies.
I suggest if you want to contact companies to set up an email account just for that because you will get a lot of emails. Unless you don't mind this that is.
I have signed up for many companies and almost all of them will send you coupons from time to time.
Some of these companies are:
Beechnut
Gerber
Similac
Luvs
Huggies
Little Remedies
Pedialyte
Birds Eye
Arm and Hammer
Del Monte

I have applied to many other companies. Either sign up for their newsletter or just shoot them an email. I once sent an email to Birds Eye telling them how much I enjoyed their products (I didn't even ask for coupons, but I generally do) and I received a whole book of their coupons!
Apply for the companies that you use most frequently and also write them emails. Almost all companies will send you some kind of coupons either via email or regular mail. Make sure to leave your street address and your email address!

Joys of Couponing

Lately, I have been into couponing. I mean come on, who doesn't like coupons? Robert and I are definitely on a budget. But, I don't want us to eat like we are on a budget. Also, I don't want to depend on frozen pizzas. I would get sick of them and that is very fattening. I spend time each night looking for deals. I generally find some good ones.

Where do you find good deals?

Before I started couponing, I was always shopping at Wal-Mart. Now, I go to Krogers. Why? Their prices tend to be a bit more than Wal-Mart. Their sale prices ROCK! But, more important to couponers, they almost always double coupons and on certain days, they actually TRIPLE coupons! That means that if you have $.50 off an item, you actually will get $1.50 off! That rocks.

Caelyn is now 2 months old. It really is unbelieveable. She is precious.

For about a month now, we have been putting cereal in her bottles. She has reflux so she needs a thicker formula to hold it down. We use Beechnut cereal and we love it! I love the pourable container which makes it easier.

The doctor told us to give her juice if she is constipated. So, in order to regulate her and sometimes help her because it does happen, we give her 1oz water and 1oz juice every day. She loves it, plus it helps her stay regular. Today, I needed to get some more apple juice (I think she prefers pear juice) and I had a $1/2 Gerber Juice. I was way happy. So I got 2 and they were on sale for $2 each. Thats $3 for two! Then, at checkout, after buying more items, one of the printout coupons they give out was $1.50/3 plus a $.50 off next purchase! So, I sent Robert out after I got home. He got 3 32oz bottles for $3.50! So today, I got 5 bottles of Gerber juice for $6.50! They don't expire for almost a year. By then, we will be done with them! Goodness, we will be done with them within a month or so! That made me happy today.

Plus, I have a sleeping baby on my chest. I don't often let her sleep on me anymore, but sometimes, I just love to let her.