Fall is in the air!

Oh, how I am enjoying this beautiful weather we have been having. The Lord has blessed us so much with the different seasons. He knows right when we need a break from a certain season by starting another one. Amazing. 

Life has been full of surprises lately. Most of them have not been good. In the past few weeks, our car got broken into (they stole the cd player), the car almost died on us (we replaced the catalytic converter and the radiator), our water heater was replaced (we had been taking cold showers for a few days because we didn't know what was going on with it--it was replaced on a Friday morning: thankfully I took a shower the night before and I ended up brushing my teeth at work), and now we are trying to get our septic line fixed. The issue with the septic was noticed two years ago by the city, but no one informed us about this until after we bought the house. At first, they told us we have 30 days to get this problem fixed (that didn't happen). That did not end up being possible due to the fact that no one would call us back. Finally, last week a plumber came out to take a look. He told me that it would probably cost us between $1200 - $1500 for the line in our yard. (that was the good news) The bad news was that if the city wanted, they could have us run a line into the middle of the street and check for any other problems. And if there are any problems, that could cost us $5000 - $6000 on top of the first payment! OUTRAGEOUS!

We are putting all our trust in the Lord! He has been providing what we need and we know that He will continue to do so. I am glad that we can see God working in this situation already because it would be hard for me to be as calm as I am with this septic line issue. 

On to a happier note! I went grocery shopping last night at Walgreens, Publix and Rite Aid. Let me tell you it was amazing! It took me all afternoon to plan out my shopping strategies and lists. And I must say, I did better than I thought I was going to.

Walgreens was my first stop. In my pocket, I had $4 in Registry Rewards to use, so I was already ahead of the game. I purchased 1 Crest Toothpaste, 2 Trident Packs of Gum, Bottle of Cola, Sm. Pack of Candy Corn (for Nathan), and 4 Right Guard Deodorants. Total OOP: $1.78 with $1 Registry Reward left over. So, I got everything for $0.78! 

Publix was up next! I had quite a bit to get here but I was trying to keep my cost low. As I was walking in the breakfast isle, I saw that the Kellogg's cereal was 50% off. So, I looked through my coupons to see if I could get an even better deal. I saw a lady looking at Cinnabon and asked her if she would like a coupon to use to try it out (it would have made it $0.75). She then turned to me and said oh let me see if I can give you a better deal on your cereal. She then handed me about 20 - $1.00 off coupons for a box of Kellogg's cereal and 10 - Buy 2 boxes of Kellogg's cereal get a FREE Ice Cream Shoppe Pop Tarts! (Her daughter's job was to give out and/or place the coupons on the boxes of cereal but she was out of town, so her mother filled in for her.) I was there at the right time! I ended up purchasing 8 boxes of cereal (Special K, Cinnabon, and Frosted Mini Wheats) for about $7.00 plus 4 boxes of FREE Pop Tarts! Of course, I had to share the wealth so I gave two other people the remaining coupons. Everything I purchased was either BOGO or on sale and I had coupons for a good portion. Total OOP: $71.35 Saved: $75.75 (That is a little over 50% savings!) The only thing that we will being purchasing is milk, yogurt and coffee! 

Final stop: Rite Aid!  I ended up having to stop at two because the first one did not have what I was there for! Thankfully, I did not waste any gas having to do this; both were on my way home. Hailey was running low on size 1 diapers and Rite Aid was having a great sale on Huggies so I had to jump on it. I purchased 2 jumbo packs of Huggies Supreme Little Snugglers and 1- 16 count pack of Scott Tissue. Total OOP: $19.72 Savings: $17.00 Plus, I will be getting a $10 gift card back and it printed $5 in Up+ Rewards! That is like paying $4.72 or $1.57 each! 

Thanks to Southern Savers, Money Saving Mom, and Faithful Provisions! Without these key websites to use as tools, I would not be saving as much money! Again, this is a way I see the Lord working in our lives and providing us with the things we need. If you would like any tips or suggestions please visit these websites. Also, search for other blogs for stores near you. No matter where you are or what brand you eat, you can save money! I still buy all of the name brands that Nathan and I love. 

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!