February 15, 2011

news & happenings

One of the most exciting things began for me this past week-- I became a personal shopper. Such a God-given opportunity that is blessing my heart even more than my wallet.

I've always been a thrifty girl, searching for cheap chic and loving the thrill of a good bargain hunt. It developed when I was younger, out of necessity more than interest, but quickly turned into a full-time hobby. A year ago I began learning to coupon. At first I spent hour upon hour clipping from the Sunday inserts and printing dozens of coupons from the internet, but as time went on I slowly started to grasp the rhythm of sales and begin to master the art of frugal living. Much credit is due Southern Savers, an incredibly well-organized and easy-to-use coupon blog.

A few weeks ago, I ran into a friend at CIU while I was sorting my newest batch of passed-along coupons. She approached the subject of grocery shopping and needing to save money, and before I knew it, she was asking me to coupon & grocery shop for her! Thrilled, I jumped at the offer and immediately began working out a system to organize my new-found opportunity. Last week I made my first trip, which was much more successful than I thought a first trip could be, saving my friend 60% off her grocery bill. Now if only I looked as cute as Jessica Simpson while shopping...
What a wonderful side job this has become. Praise God for an exciting way to bring in a little more income and find fulfillment in doing things God created me to do.

In other news... we leave for California in a week!!! We have appointments and meetings set up and a lovely couple to show us around SoCal. After a cancelled trip to Omaha this summer, we're looking at the possibility of moving a little sooner than we originally thought. Much will depend on if we have jobs set up for us before we move, but we may be moving as early as the beginning of July, which is only 4 1/2 months away. Thankfully though we are 65% of the way to having all the money we need for the move + 2 months of living expenses.

Thank you Lord for tax returns. My wonderful husband got me a Canon 50D for my birthday, and it has proven itself to be worth every penny. We've been saving up for a decent camera for a year now, so with the money we'd saved plus some tax return mula, it was a nice reward after what has seemed like a long wait.

the mrs.

3 comments:

  1. Judy,
    You look wayyy cuter than Jessica Simpson :)

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  2. At first I thought I read that wrong, but no, you really said 60%.That is awesome!

    -connie

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  3. can't get enough of your blogs, love you.

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