Far Above Rubies

It seems appropriate to write about exercise since I've officially lost 15 pounds and 2 inches in 123 days.  I have done this naturally and without spending any money.  I have an exercise routine of 30 min a day 4x a week and consume, on average, 1300 each day.  Of course, I do allow myself a cheat day once each week since  studies  have shown it helps you long term in creating healthy eating habits.  I am, by no means, an expert when it comes to diet and exercise.  I simply found this is what worked (and is still working) for me. I have always enjoyed the gym.  There's something invigorating about burning off stress while making your body stronger.  Most places we had memberships for were on the inexpensive side, but all that changed after our first child was born.  We discovered, very quickly, that if we wanted to find a gym that had childcare than we were going to pay...a lot...of money.  (I would like to give credit to the Ont...

Several weeks ago I attended a class on  Extreme   Couponing hosted and taught by wonderful friends, Jeremy and Bethany Hoffman .  Jeremy has been couponing for approximately 1 year and has saved his family thousands of dollars!  I have been asked by many people to pass along the information I had learned.  This is a list, that was complied by Jeremy, of the top money saving resources.  If you have specific questions, please let me know.  I love to share information, hear about your experiences, and  continue to find ways of saving money! My personal goal is to lower each grocery bill by 50%.   One day I will master the art and get items for free, but that doesn't generally happen for me...YET.   Useful websites for coupon to store sale matchups. *  couponmom.com *  mymommataughtme.com *  extremecouponingmommy. blogspot.com *  wnydealsandtodos.com *  totallytarget.com *...

Since moving to Rochester in 1997 and, more specifically, since the opening of  Savers  in our area a few years ago, I've heard my mom remark several times about how she wished they had thrift stores around when my sisters and I were children.  Thrift stores and garage sales are one of my favorite shopping stops.  Whenever we need clothes and shoes, birthday and Christmas gifts, household appliances, books, you name whatever else, you better believe we hit our "used items" stores before even considering buying something full price. In just this past year we've gotten; clothes for Bella, a massive My Little Pony collection, a doll house and stables complete with accessories, a Little Tykes grill and hutch, a bigger bicycle for Bella, shoes and clothes for myself, costumes for our Halloween party, and the list goes on and on.  The best part is, we never paid more than $5.00 for any one item and saved ourselves hundreds! For those of you who are uncomfortable...

Many of my Rochester friends are unaware that I was not born and raised here.  I turned 14 the summer of 1997 when we moved from the Tug Hill region to Rochester.  I often giggle as many of you from upstate complain about the snow.  I should show you the Facebook pictures of my friends still living in the Redfield/Vorea/Sandy Creek/ area.  Now THAT is snow, and many of them still have small piles in their yards just waiting for the sun to melt it down.  While I miss my Vorea family and Sandy Creek friends, I do not (in any way) miss the crazy amounts of snow they receive. I typically send out information and links that pertain to those of you in the Rochester area.  A wonderful friend, Sue, sent me a link for those of you further North East who prefer to buy their foods fresh.  " Freedom Rains Farm  established in 2013 was born to continue the tradition of providing great tasting, healthy produce to its' community."  They farm all organi...

I don't know of anyone who doesn't stop and look twice when you see a "free" sign on the side of the road next to furniture, when a friend offers you free food, when you win a free shopping spree, when you can fill up your gas tank for free, etc.  F.R.E.E. is probably one of our most favorite words!  Free means we don't have to spend a penny and we owe nothing.  So, why is it so difficult for us to open our hearts and accept God's free gift? Jesus, God's only son who is fully supernatural and yet completely human.  Jesus, who knew before even being born, as an innocent baby, into this world the  unimaginable  suffering he would endure.  Jesus, the boy who never disobeyed his parents and loved unconditionally.  Jesus, the teenager who wanted to spend his time in the Temple reading, learning, memorizing and gleaning from the Scriptures and Jewish teachers.  Jesus, the man who resisted Satan, healed his neighbors and taught us how to spen...

I love walking into a grocery store with no real idea of what I'm buying and just let the shelves "speak" to me.  There is something fun about deciding what you want to buy for the week as you're walking down isles, looking at items, and determining whether or not that's a food you would like to incorporate into your weekly menu.  It's also a great way to make your grocery bill extremely more than it should be.  Of course, this relaxed grocery shopping experience was before I had children sitting in the cart or walking down the isles. If you want to save yourself both time and money make a weekly grocery list and only step foot in a grocery store one time each week.  When you go to the store do not stray from that list no matter how badly you want that candy bar on the end cap, or those cookies on sale.  It takes discipline and self-control, but it will keep you from overspending and exceeding on your budget.  This also helps keep you from buying those...

We're coming up on my favorite time of year: farm stand and farmers market season!! I grew up in a neighborhood with farm stands. A few times a week, we would stop in and buy our fresh fruits and vegetables. I remember buying ears of corn that had been picked so recently, they were still warm from the sun. We moved into a new area a few months ago and I've already started asking the locals where the best farm markets and stands are. I just can't wait for the growing season to get here!! In my experience, the locally grown fare I can get in the summer, costs a fraction of what I pay for the less appealing grocery store produce, that's available in the winter. Every year, I try to come up with ways to make the savings and quality of local produce last through the winter months. One of the ways I do that is by stocking my freezer with soup. Homemade soup is a great, easy way to eat your veggies during the winter. I freeze some larger portions, for ...