Occupation:
I have been a SAHM for the last 2 1/2 years, prior to the adoption of
our oldest son. We have recently added 4 more children to our family
through the "miracle" of adoption!
If I had a day to myself...: RELAX!!! I would love to get a pedicure and manicure if money were
not an issue. I would just spend the day pampering myself.
Money Saving Tips: My 5 children take their lunch to school so we have to have a wide
assortment of snacks, etc. Dollar Tree has a lot of snacks that they
like that can be divided up into snack size baggies (Great Value Brand
baggies). I clip a lot of coupons, especially for snack items and
cereal. I pick up things starting mid-summer (or earlier) for
Christmas. Recently, Dollar Tree had Barbie and Ken (Mattel brand!)
outfits for $1 that I bought for my daughter for Christmas. They also
usually have a good selection of books for my avid young readers, such
as Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. I absolutely LOVE going to yard sales and
get many name brand clothes for my children this way. I recently got my
two oldest boys Doc Martens shoes that looked as if they had never been
worn for $2 a pair!! We shop the Goodwill Thrift Store in a neighboring
town for books as well.
Bargain Hunting Strategies: Dollar Tree, JCPenney, Sears, and Wal-Mart. I like Target as well,
but the nearest is about 2 hours away so I don't get there much. Look
for clearance racks! A friend of mine says she loves to go shopping
with me because I can see a bargain as soon as I walk in the door. End
of season sales at JCPenney are the best! Buy larger sizes for next
year.
Products we can't live without: Malt-O-Meal cereal (it is much more affordable when I don't have
"coupon bargains" for cereal and even seems to go farther).
Great Value and Equate (Wal-Mart brands) ANYTHING!
Hunt's Snack Pack pudding
In the Kitchen: I always clean as I go. I unload the dishwasher prior to dinner and
put everything in as I finish, so normally all that is left after we eat
is loading our plates (which everyone does for themselves) and any
cookware. A favorite easy recipe of ours is to take a package of the
small frozen burritos or chimichangas (thawed), quick fry them to get
them crispy and put them in a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with a large can
of chili and cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. My husband and I
garnish ours with sour cream, salsa verde, black olives, etc. My oldest
son likes to take the left-overs (when there are any!) in his lunch.
Organization: I am still trying to figure out organization for 7 people but
probably the way I have stayed sane so far is tubs, baskets, etc for
everything! We have a small tub just for homeschooling materials (our
children attend a private school but we work with them at home as
reinforcement). We also have a basket for medicines and first aid items
and the small three drawer things are perfect for my daughter's hair
accessories. We purchased the huge totes to use as toy boxes for our
children and two of them to store our winter clothes which double
(stacked) as a "TV stand" in our two youngest boys room.
No
matter if you're a working mom, a stay-at-home-mom;
