Fun hauls & Grocery haul + Budget

Hey loves!

Today I braved the rain and ran a few errands because I could not put it off any longer.  We must have coffee and dog food in this house at all times!

First stop was Subway for a delicious meatball sub.  It was so good!  The 6 inch ones are only $2.00 right now at my Subway! I knew it would be a bad idea for me to grocery shop hungry and nothing really sounded good at the house.  It was the perfect dreary day for a good meatball sub. 

I went to the Dollar Tree next for a few items.  I needed to get hubby an anniversary card (pretty sure he could care less about one but whatever!) and a few birthday cards.  I needed some things to complete my walking pharmacy and I generally like to just browse around there! 

Spent $20.28

 

What I purchased:

 

microfiber duster- for the tv table and living room in general!

dish scrub brush

mini hair brush + mirror

2 extra large sponges for the two showers

Tums

3 cards

pop up hamper to use when we go out of town next week to put all our dirty laundry inside then lug home!

off brand magic eraser

stain remover pen

mini scrapers for my stovetop!

2 packs of AA batteries

carmex

hair scissors

to go wet wipes

charmin flushable wipes

box of tissue

 

Also my dollar tree gave me a coupon for 10% off to use on the 23rd of this month! 

 

Next I went to every girl's favorite store, Target.

 

Spent $ 24.55

 

I purchased the following:

 

big ceramic dog treat jar on clearance for less than 7.00!!!

altoids

face wipes for our trip

advil

hello kitty bandaids :)

elf blotting sheets

NYC eye liner

travel contact solution for our trip

contact solution for at home

 

Nighty Night tea that I ran in later and got for 4.99.  I hope it helps me sleep!

 

I really hate going to Walmart but it must be done.  That was next.

 

 

Ok so my grocery budget was $87.27 and I spent $79.54

 

I am not including the dollar tree and target into our grocery budget though. 

 

Also this week Jacob is going to be gone a lot.  I am cooking tonight but that is probably it until we leave for a trip.  Also we are having the Book Club Thanksgiving and I am bringing my green bean casserole, stuffing and cranberry sauce.  Other girls are bringing sides and one is making a turkey! Yum! So a few things I purchased here will be for that night.  So I guess I am really cooking two nights this week!

 

I purchased:

 

more eyeliner

first aid kit for 97 cents for my car

camo chapsticks for party of hubbys anniversary present

dove deodorant travel size

light bulbs - speaking of, when did they get so expensive?

soap for our trip

wisp

great value greek yogurt blueberry

great value turkey pepperoni

dog food

honey ham

reduced fat cheddar cheesesticks

cocoa pebbles cereal

grits

stuffing

baby carrots

4 cans of green beans

2 cans of cream of mushroom

cranberry sauce

glade spray

paper plates

facial tissue

French fried onions

bananas

Maxwell house dark roast coffee

dry cat food

wax melts

travel size Lysol spray

 

Well I hope you guys have had a great week so far!  What is one thing you have to get at Walmart?

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Marriage Monday: 8 Years of Imperfection

Exactly 8 years ago today I was getting ready for my wedding rehearsal. 

I was running around doing last minute things around town. 

I got my nails done, and had a pedicure, french tips of course.  Toe nails too!

Ran to the mall, I remember! 

My husband to be was working and I even had to go pick up both our rings!  Romantic huh?

Oh and then I am pretty sure we were late to our own wedding rehearsal!

We were kids.  So young.  We had picked a pizza place for our rehearsal dinner.  It was the place we met though!  So, it had extreme sentimental value for us!  However, not all of my wedding party wanted to go eat there afterwards and some didn't.  And I remember that making me sad!

I was by myself almost the whole day though.  I am pretty sure my maid of honor was working and my mom, probably too. I really can't remember!

I feel kind of sad looking back on that but nothing is ever perfect people. 

If there is one thing that I have learned from eight years of marriage, it is that nothing is ever perfect.

Life is not perfect. 

Marriage is not perfect. 

Your husband is not perfect. 

Do not go into this thinking that he is or that you are or that your life for the next 50 years will be.

It will have it's ups and downs. 

The down's might last a long time, but then your up's might too! 

The best way you can stay in the up's, even through the downs, is the with the Lord. 

There are so many things we would possibly not have made it through if it was not for God and our relationship with him and the fact that we were going to church our entire marriage. 

Yes, going to church does not make you a Christian my friend.  Putting a bicycle in a garage does not make it a car.  However, you will be in the right place to transform your life. 

Church, despite all it's flaws, (no church is perfect either, surprise!) is a safehaven for the sinner.  Just like a hospital is a place for the hurting. 

It is my number one, above all advice for married couples or couples wanting to get married. 

Go to church.  Read your Bible.  Marry someone who believes the same you do.  Pray.  If not together, you pray.  And pray a lot. 

The second thing is to not go into a marriage thinking that you are going to change someone.  If anyone is going to get changed it is going to be by God and not your nagging or fussing.  It is so hard not to try to correct our spouses but we need less talk and confrontation and more whispered prayers to the Lord.  Which is hard!  Not ever will I say it is easy and that I am a perfect wife and do it every time.  But, I sure notice a difference when I do!

If you ask couples that have been married 30, 40 50 years, if their marriage was perfect, what do you think their answer will be?

Release your chokehold.  Let go of what you have been holding on to.  Whether it be a perfect image of your perfect spouse in your perfect house with your perfect marriage with all the perfect things surrounding you...or whatever it may be.  Let it go and literally let God into your life, and your marriage and your problems.

I always wanted to solve my problems the way the world did. 

I wanted to yell and scream and throw things (famous for wiping my hand over a table and everything ends up on the floor-oh yeah, so not perfect!) even destroying a beloved spice collection, crying, leaving.

But friends, that is not God's way.  Now, when I am broken and crying, I pray to him.  I trust that he will take care of my imperfect problems.  And He will take care of yours too. 

I love you guys and I hope that this helps you even a little bit! 

Tomorrow we celebrate 8 years of imperfect marriage thanks to a perfect God!

High Five for Friday!

Good morning loves!

Let's get right into it:

My 5 things currently:

1. I was SO excited when my Erin Condren life planner arrived Wednesday.  LIKE SO EXCITED!!!!
And she is beautiful...

I am having SO much fun decorating her! If you want one contact me with your email address and I can send you a link for $10.00 off! 

2. Getting my hair did!  Ok so today I have a hair appointment to get dark underneath and heavy blonde highlights up top.  I am thrilled.  I haven't done anything dramatic since June and I always love getting my hair done. I will take a pic if yall want me to!

3. My favorite Bible verse this week.  Especially true to those dealing with depression or anxiety.  I had extreme anxiety I felt like, right before and when I left my job.  Provberbs 12:25

Anxiety loses it's power when it is confronted with a positive or encouraging word.  Break open His word, it is the bread of life!

4. I have been loving Trader Joe's Well Rested tea right before bed.  Its yummy.  I add honey.

 

5. The Southern Christmas Show!  Me and hubby are supposed to go today!  I am so excited.  We try to go every year.  It is a huge craft show, that has been going on for over 30 years in Charlotte and I just LOVE it.  I will have to let y'all see some pics and maybe do a haul if I get anything.  They have craft vendors and food vendors and people there to sing!  It is decorated beautifully!  I cannot wait to go!  It totally gets me into the Christmas spirit!

 

Have a lovely weekend!  What are some things that get you into the Christmas spirit?

Grocery Haul & Budget for this week

Hey loves!

Sorry this post is up a bit later than before.  Yesterday wasn't so great and I ended up sleeping in a bit this morning but I wanted to put this up for you all because I took pictures of my grocery hauls this Monday and Tuesday. 

So Monday, I went to Walmart. 

I got the following:
4 2-liter coke products
febreeze air freshner thing! (smells so good)
fat free half and half
4 frozen meals
eggs
2 cans albacore tuna (great for my lunches!)
gum
cat food
dog food
great value disinfecting wipes

Total: $37.88

Tuesday I went to Aldi's to get the rest of what I needed for the week.  Love Aldis, it is so much cheaper and the products are great almost all the time. 

 

I got the following:

 

pack of waterbottles (24 maybe?)

12 rolls of bath tissue

bag of golden delicious apples

coffee creamer

organic linguini noodles

bag of navel oranges

cucumber

Italian lettuce mix

baby carrots

2% American cheese

light sour cream

2% shredded cheese

chicken kabobs

potatoes o brien

organic coffee k cups

Columbian coffee k cups-GREAT by the way, they both are!

fruit squeezies

tomatoes

alfredo sauce

dish tablets

spicy hummus

large ego bag

 

Total:$57.14

 

 

Total spent before this week: $117.71

 

Total spent this week: $95.02 (right under budget!)

 

Total left for the month: $87.27

 

I have 100 budgeted per week.  We should only be in town three weeks this month so that is $300.00 for the month of November.  I should be able to stay under this.  We are stocked up on a lot of things right now but I will have to buy a big bag of dog food soon for around 10 bucks. 

 

I hope you all enjoyed this.  Do you follow a grocery budget?  Where is your favorite place to shop?

 

 



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Where I Went Wednesday: Gatlinburg Getaway!

I am so sorry I did not do the What I ate Wednesday! I still plan to do that I just forgot to start taking pictures yesterday!

So instead of that, today we will rehash my little Mountain getaway me and the hubs had a few weeks ago! 

Around the middle of October I had wanted to originally ride the train in Bryson City so we could see the beautiful leaves in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Great Smoky Mountains are my favorite place in the entire world.

One day I plan on doing a post on how you can visit on the cheap!  Let me know if yall would be interested.  We have went every year since we have been married and sometimes multiple times a year.  It can get expensive but even when were living on very small paychecks we were able to sneak in a trip! 

Ok so this was just a weekend trip.  Like I said, we had planned to go ride the train but it was sold out for that weekend!  So then I decided we would just drive up to the NC Mountains and stay in Boone. 

Let me give you a little advice.  When the leaves are at peak in October, don't wait until the day of your trip to try to call and get reservations!  One of the only places we called had a very basic room at a very basic hotel for over 200.00 with tax.  FOR ONE NIGHT.  Some of you are like, duh Lauryn! Others like me, are saying, wow, really?! Haha.  I am a procrastinator by nature. 

Anyways. 

Hubby mentioned Gatlinburg and I was all for that!  So we drove an extra two hours and ended up at our all time favorite town in the Mountains!  We called the hotel that we stayed at on our honeymoon and was able to get a much cheaper rate with AAA discount. (FYI AAA is worth it's weight in GOLD and has well over paid itself the year I had it!)

So on the way we went!  We drive though the park after we pass through Maggie Valley, not the interstate.  We found this route when the interstate was closed one year due to a rockslide!  Its beautiful though and I would prefer it any day! 

It was so gorgeous!  I just felt like the luckiest person alive driving through that park.  I feel so at peace there. 

We got into Gatlinburg and decided to go check in to the hotel, walk around and get a bite at McDonalds.  Pretty sure I had a happy meal :)

We did drive through Pigeon Forge that night and did a little shopping at the outlet mall. 

I got the cutest cross body bag from Coach and it was on sale!  I ended up getting it for like $48.00 and it's great quality and not too small or too big.  It's perfect!  The only two cross body bags I have ever got were second hand so I was glad to finally have a new one that was in style that I loved!

 

Later on we went back to Gatlinburg and ate pizza at the Best Italian in downtown.  I have heard raves about this place.  The pizza was pretty good.  I got the garlic knots too and we got salads and drinks.  The garlic knots are supposed to be incredible. 

 

My take?  Everything was Good.  Not Great.  LOL.  We ended up paying around 50.00 including tip which is a lot for pizza I feel like, but it's Gatlinburg!  It can be a money trap if you don't watch it!  However you can save a lot of money with coupons too! 

 



Spent the night cuddled in bed by the fireplace in our hotel room. 

The next morning we ate breakfast at the Pancake Pantry which is an amazing restaurant in downtown that is only open for breakfast and lunch.  I got pigs in a blanket and hash browns.  We have ate there numerous times and it's delicious and worth the wait and money.  Yes, we were in a line outside for like 30 minutes! 

On the way home we drove through the Roaring Fork nature trail where we saw the awesomeness of God's beauty painted all around us.  We hiked a tenth of a mile up Trillum Trail where we saw this beautiful stream gushing out of rocks.  It is gorgeous out there.  Completely FREE!  All this enjoyment at no cost to us but gas!

Later we grabbed a picnic lunch and drove back through the park, stopped to eat at a picnic site and then went home.  I miss it already!  Have you been to Gatlinburg? What are your favorite mountains where you live?

8 Daily Things I do to keep my house clean and my husband happy!

So, I am pretty happy with staying at home. 

However I am the type of person who really needs structure. 

Because before you know it I will have three different things going on at the same time and never finish them. 

Maybe it's just me?

Anyways.  I like when things are planned out for me and I have somewhat of a schedule to go by. 

I have not had a real, working schedule since July.  SO here goes.

I have created a daily TO DO as far as cleaning goes, for M-F.  Although on Tuesdays when I have a morning meeting (Weight Watchers...have I not shared that?) it will be different. 

These things must get done every day, preferably between the hours of 10am-12pm. 

1. Make Bed.

 

2. Feed the naughty dog that has torn apart my beautiful outdoor mat from Target that was on clearance.

 

 

3. Pick up Items and put them away....Kitchen table, Living Room, Office. Bathrooms. Bedroom. I am somewhat notorious for having clothes scattered on the bathroom/bedroom floor...

 

 

 

That was the before.

 

 

The After. Nice and clean.

 

Take note Santa Claus!

 

 

4. Wipe Counters in Kitchen and Bathrooms.  This includes doing dishes if they are in the sink!

 

Notice the delicious mint mocha candle burning on the clean countertop.  Ah.

 

 

5. Clean the stove top with damp/dry paper towels.  I have a glass top stove with which I have a LOVE/HATE relationship.  It is the most annoying thing in the world to clean.  Daily you need to dampen a paper towel with water and get all the crud you can off, then dry with another paper towel.  If you are doing a big kitchen clean then you can use the bar keepers friend glass stove top cleaner or another cleaner made for glass top stoves. 

 

6. Quickly sweep up the kitchen floor and near the litter box. 

 

7. If it's laundry day, start my laundry so that I can finish it up in the afternoon.  For example, today I did that.  I also put away a basket of laundry I had sitting there on the bedroom floor... 

 

8. Get dressed and put on makeup.  You might even see me in jeans on a good day.  :)