My Monday Ramblings #4

Happy Monday all!

 

So I randomly have things I think I want to post here on the blog or tell you all about, so here goes.

 

Coupons:

Do you use coupons? I do! I started using coupons 7 years ago after my first was born and I attend a coupon class/workshop. I've been hooked ever since. However, I don't coupon shop as much as I did 7 years ago, I am always looking for a deal or waiting for a sale to happen.

 

A couple coupons that use often are the survey coupons you get on your pizza from Papa Murphy's . When I take this survey I am able to get a FREE cheesy bread or cookie dough. Because of this my family can eat pretty cheap (luckily I  have little kids that don't eat as much as teenagers).

 

I also take the survey on the back of the Panda Express receipt which get me a FREE entrée. My family LOVES orange chicken and my kids eat it up (as leftovers too), so getting lots of this is a BONUS!

 

As a family we also look for deals when we go to a sit down restaurant like dine early prices or kids eat FREE deals. This saves us a ton of money. We don't eat out a lot, but we do for birthdays, holidays, and such.

 

In addition to these restaurants I use coupons at the grocery store to save money on my weekly grocery trips.

 

FREE Summer fun for kids:

While we're on the subject of coupons let me tell you what we've been doing this summer for FREE (me and my kiddos).

 

We go to FREE school lunch which is offered where I live for all children (even toddlers), and is all summer long.

We also go to the library. My kids like to play the games our NEW library has (we got a NEW local library over a year ago, which I  VOTED for when it was on the ballet....best decision ever!), check out books and videos too!

 

We go to the park often, on bike rides, and we use our yearly pool pass a ton too (I consider our pool pass free since I paid for it back in January)!

 

And my kiddos like to work on projects in the garage while I work on mine. I let them use any scrap wood in the scrap pile. They really do LOVE this!

 

 I just got home from my CTMH convention to find that my kids built 2 ladders (I had just built  a quilt ladder this summer, so not sure if they got the idea from me or not) from scrap wood and they then put them against one of our HUGE trees out back. I sure this makes getting up into the tree MUCH easier! I'm so glad they love building and use their imaginations while developing their talents. It's fun to watch and to see the outcome of their ideas.

 

Summer Chores for the Kids (what we do):

Like last summer, this summer I decided I wanted my kids to have daily tasks that they do. They each have a list of morning chores that must be done by lunch time. Then they get one sticker on their chart. Once there are 14 stickers (14 days) on their chart they get $5.

 

PLUS, they can do extra chores and earn extra stickers which helps them get to 14 stickers faster. I randomly have things I need done, so I ask my kids, "who wants to earn an extra sticker?".

 

I'm actually surprised at how fast they say, "I do". :) What ever the chore is, they have to do it like I would in order to earn a sticker. So if the work is sloppy they re-do it or they don't earn a sticker.

 

Yes, sometimes it's a fight, but worth it to me to teach my kids the correct way to clean, etc.

 

They don't earn any money on a regular basis during the school year, so this summer money is fun for them.

 

This is what's on their daily to-do list:

 

Make your bed

Get dressed

Wash your face

Brush your teeth

Do you hair

Pick up your room (nothing on the floor)

Read for 10 minutes (my little one that can't read yet writes her name, phone number, and birthday. We are also working on her knowing her address. Just the basics with her right now.)

 

These are all pretty simple tasks I realize, but they really help me as a mom get my kids up and going in the morning. Yes my kids have tv time the morning and sometimes drag their feet early in the morning, but mostly they do a great job!

 

 

 

Well I think that's enough rambling for today. Have a great one!