Getting more bang for your buck

Here in the Kelley Clan, we have three kiddos, three cats, a dog, an ever hungry daddy, and then there's me. Let me tell you, I hate shopping. HATE. I hate shopping with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. Never mind that shopping for a family this size is a massive time and energy suck. Forget completely the fact that taking three children into an establishment for any stretch of time longer than five minutes results in an earth shattering melt down. No, the real reason I loathe shopping is the panic attack that comes at the register.

My heart races and my palms get sweaty as I hear the slow beep-beep of the scanner. I mentally calculate everything that I've put in the cart and what I believe my total should be as I make nervous small talk with the cashier.  Did I account for sales tax? What is the least important thing I grabbed in the event that I've gone slightly over budget? It's nerve wracking.

I will never forget the time, before my husband and I were married, that we were down to our last $13 with a week left before my next payday. We were down to our last few days of groceries and we're almost completely out of diapers. We walked into our local grocery store in a panic.  How in the world are we going to make this work? I walked through the store carefully placing things in our cart. Ultimately we walked out of the store with a week's worth of food and a pack of diapers. My husband stared in awe like I was some kind of super hero. Mom saves the day.

The cost of living is ever growing. A few years ago, $20 went a whole lot further than it does today. I know there are a lot of mom's like me out there looking for the best way to stretch a dollar. So I've decided to do a post about how I do it.

Step one seems so simple,  but I can't stress enough how important it is. Plan, plan,  plan! Take an inventory of what you already have. Figure out what you can make out of it. Then use that to make a menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From that make your shopping list and really stick to it. You might be surprised at how little you actually need to buy. Just don't forget your list when you go shopping.

Use a rebate app. Now you're looking at this post with a raised eyebrow. Just hear me out. I know it's been around for a while,  but if you haven't tried it, I suggest you jump on the Ibotta band wagon. It allows you to get money back on things you're already going to buy. Even if you don't buy name brand, they have any brand rebates and they do mean any brand. Even the grocery store brand. You can earn up to a couple dollars back per purchase. Then you have the Walmart app. After your shopping trip, upload your receipt to their app, and they do the rest of the work for you.  Someone scans local ads for lower prices on the products you have bought. If a lower price is found, you get the difference. Both apps can be found right in your play store and they're so worth it.

I know what you're thinking. That seems like a lot of work. It is a little bit of work, but how much time are you going to spend scrolling aimlessly through your phone anyways? At least this way you are getting a little return back. In my family now, I'm able to stay home. Saving money is an absolute must. I just look at it as part of my job; one that provides me the ability to spend lots of quality family time.

What are some of the things you do to save your family a dollar or two?

Momsters

I remember way back, during my stay in Germany, we only had a few channels and they were all different varieties of the same Armed Forces Network. They had the cheesiest commercials you would ever see in your life.  Ever.  There was one commercial in particular that always made me giggle. A cartoon mom is busy with her day to day. The kids are playing, she's making dinner, paying bills and doing a fantastic job of adulting. Then she's on the phone. We all know what children do when mommy's on the phone. The children start horse paying right under her nose.  She asks politely several times for them to go play elsewhere,  but it had no effect. Then, seemingly out of nowhere she turns into the dreaded momster. The commercial then directs you to the numerous services to help you control your anger and develop peaceful parenting skills.

As hilarious as the commercial is, it's only funny because it strikes a chord with most mom's out there. If it doesn't, I commend you but, you aren't human. Seriously. I understand the peaceful approach to parenting and I truly try to utilize it.  There are times, however, mid tantrum,  when my own temper overcomes me. I have found my boiling point and I yell.  Ultimately, I feel guilty afterwards for losing my cool. I have become the dreaded momster.

You know the one. It's the woman who had barely rolled out of bed and hasn't had a cup of coffee yet. It's the mom that just went to bed an hour ago because the baby just feel asleep and the older child just peed her bed for the 5th time that week. It's a real Jekyll and Hyde situation. Be real, we can all be momsters at times.

I didn't start out this way when I first started my mothering journey. I told myself I wasn't going to be that mom. The one you see scolding her preschooler in the aisles of Walmart.  I was cool and collected. Then there were two... Then three. And by the time the third came,  there went my cool right out the window.

Now, I'm not saying my house is filled with the sound of mom yelling constantly. It's not. We play barbies and boardgames and watch Dora the Explorer. We go to the park and have tickle fights. Most of the time, being a parent is fun! What I am saying is that when my four year old is kicking her door,  my three year old wants one more TV show and my one year old refuses to nap, all while I'm on the phone with the doctor, I can be a momster.

I've had to come to the realization that it's OKAY.  I'm human. I will make mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect parent and the only ones I've seen that claim to be are either sorely inexperienced or they're doing it wrong. I can't beat myself up for being fallible. I'm a mom and to my kids I'm Super Woman... even if I am the occasional momster.

Hot Tea and Honey

We've got a little bug going around the Kelley clan.  To the average person it's the common cold. In this house, it's a monster that turns my sweet, lively children into grumpy couch potatoes. It comes complete with itchy throats,  sniffles and all night coughing fits. Times like these are the perfect opportunity for my oldest daughter to beg and plead for hot tea with honey. Oh yes, that age old home remedy for a case of the yuckies. It's perfect. The steam opens her airways, the honey sweetens her drink and soothes her irritation. 

One of our favorite tea pots

It reminds me of when I still lived at home with my parents. Late at night when I couldn't sleep or the anxieties of life got to be to much, my mother would bring me to the table and make me a cup of hot tea. We would just sit and enjoy each others company.  We would talk and laugh and cry together.  I remember wishing that time would stand still. The planets and stars would align and the weight I was carrying would melt away into peace. Very few times in my life have i known complete peace, but a few minutes of quality time with someone I hold so dearly always did it for me.

 That's a habit I carry with me still. When the hustle and bustle of a long day has passed and the children are in bed, my husband and I come together and unwind over a pot of tea. He prefers the hint of spearmint in Celestial Seasonings' sleepytime tea and I'm more of a chamomile girl, but together we calm down and bask in our quiet time. Sometimes we talk about our day. Sometimes we discuss religion and politics. Then there are times when we sit in total silence. Regardless of where the discussion leads, we end our day relaxed and unified. 

Maybe our predecessors had it incredibly right in using tea to heal their ailments. It's healing properties go far beyond soothing scratchy throats and runny noses. It soothes the heart and mind. I pray that when my babies are grown, they look back and reminisce about their mom and her hot tea with honey. Who knows?  They may just carry on the tradition for my future grandkids. 

Our favorite herbal teas