My Review of On This Day in Christian History

On This Day In Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs, and Heroes by Robert Morgan has a story for each day of the year. Although I have not read the entire book, I have read several weeks worth of stories. I was happy to find a creative blend of stories ranging from sobering to inspiring to even humorous. There were some stories that brought tears to my eyes and others that made me left me in awe at the price that others had paid for their faith. The stories range from the early church to the current century. Robert Morgan has done an excellent job providing a variety of characters and events from history. When I first started to read the book, I wasn't sure if all of the illustrations would be serious or if I would be bored, however, I have been pleased with how interesting this book has been. My husband and I both read each day's story in the evenings. I would highly recommend this book for any Christian that loves history. The book is an excellent tool that shares the heritage of so many of the saints of the Christian faith. I also appreciated the Scripture references that went along with each day's story. This book will be useful for families with older children who are looking for devotional stories to share with their children to give them a knowledge of how their faith should not be taken for granted and to give them heroes to look up to. There are many great discussion opportunities that can be derived from this book. I received a copy of this book for review from Thomas Nelson Publishers and was not obligated to have a positive opinion of it, however, I have greatly enjoyed it so far.

My Review of First Things First by Kurt and Brenda Warner

I found First Things First by Kurt and Brenda Warner to be inspiring in so many different areas. Although, I personally am not a sports fan, this book captivated my interest from the beginning. The Warners are very open and honest in every area. They tell how they met and the struggles that they worked through as a couple before they got married in coming to a common ground in their beliefs. By sharing their backgrounds and history before they were famous, they show the foundation that they have for who they are today and why they hold the values that they do. They share their disagreements and present a very sincere picture of who they are and how they operate as a couple and as a family. Although they are Christians, they by no means claim to be perfect or to have it all together. The Warners have excellent rules for their relationship within their family as well as for how they treat other people. They seem to try very hard to aim for balance in their lives and to have appropriate boundaries in every area. They are very giving and generous people with not only their money, but with their time and resources as well. There are several creative marriage and parenting concepts in the book and I really enjoyed reading it. I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers for my personal review and was not obligated to give a positive opinion of the book. I will most defiately be giving this book to the sports fan in my family and highly recommend it.

My Review of Hataras Girl by Alice Wisler

Jackie, hitting age 30, without a husband and dream career in place, feels like everyone else is moving forward in life while she is on hold. But suddenly, her lifelong dream of owning a special bed and breakfast, that holds a special place in heart heart, is within her reach. At the same time, it seems that the man of her dreams has arrived as well. As the story unfolds, we see that Mr. Wonderful, aka Davis, may not be all that he strives to appear and there are secrets that need to be uncovered. Could it be that her true love has been right under her nose all along?
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be predictable, with few surprises, but the story held my interest until the last page. It was like watching a favorite movie. Even though you have seen it before, you still love the story. The characters in Alice Wisler's novel are interesting. I love how she portrays the compassion and determination of Jackie. The family and friends in the story bring the story to life in a captivating way. The setting of North Carolina is described in such a way that you feel like you are there. The ending brings closure to the story by bringing Jackie to her true love, justice being served to the culprit, and happiness and hope for the future being found by all.
I was happy to receive a copy of this book from Bethany House for review and was not obligated to publish a positive review.

My review of Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce

I received a copy of Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce for my personal review from Bethany House Publishers. Amy is a woman who hits the age of 30 and her life has not gone as planned for her career, ambitions and love life. She lives with a quirky housemate and has a romantic interest in a man named Eli, who seems to have not caught any breaks in life, but his abstract and artistic nature attracts her, despite his lack of success in life.
I have to say that this was a difficult book for me to read. The characters were not people that I felt like a could relate to and I failed to experience the connection that the author tried to achieve. As I continued to read the story, I was hopeful that it would improve and that there would be some sort of a "hook" that would capture my interest. However, I continuously was bored with the story line and felt like I had to force myself to finish reading the novel. The ending did not provide the closure that I hoped for and left the future of the character somewhat open ended.
I also was disappointed in the way the story portrayed the morals of some of the characters. I felt that some of the situations the "Christian" characters in the book were a part of were somewhat questionable for a Christian novel. I didn't feel that there was a prevalent Christian message throughout the story. In my opinion, the book may be better received by a secular market. I also felt that the description of Eli's past was not graphic, but was overly blunt and to the point for my personal taste. I would not recommend this book to Christian readers. For whatever my personal opinion is worth, I feel that Christian fiction should have a stronger Christian message throughout its pages.
On the positive side, the author does have a unique way of wording her chapters and is obviously a gifted writer. I would be willing to read another novel by the author in hopes that some of her other stories would provide a more interesting story line.

My Review of A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heitzmann

I was excited to receive a copy of A Rush of Wings to review from Bethany House Publishers. I have to say that I was interested from the first page. Kristen Heitzmann weaves a fascinating story about Noelle St. Clair, a wealthy young lady who flees her life for reasons that she cannot completely understand. With pieces of her memory missing, Noelle finds herself on a ranch in Colorado, a haven of rest for her to hide and heal. Noelle finds herself caught between the affections of two brothers who are very different from each other.
I loved the way that the author ties the two parts of Noelle's life together by contrasting the luxury of her life as a "spoiled little rich girl" and the freedom that she finds as she embraces her life on the ranch. Bits and pieces of the puzzle are revealed as the tale is told and the book kept me interested until the last page. Heitzmann has created a variety of characters who are realistic and true to life. She does an excellent job of conveying their struggles and not resolving each conflict with ease that is not the reality of life.
I very much enjoyed the fact that as a Christian novel, this book did more than just give a cursory mention of God and the characters' relationship to Him. I appreciated the fact that God was very much a part of the resolution of the situations the characters dealt with and how well the author explained their struggle to come to terms with God's will vs. their will.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading Christian fiction! I really enjoyed reading it and plan to pass it along to others.

My Review of Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

I was really excited to review Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo for BookSneeze. This book is the true story of a little boy who, during a surgery, has an out of body experience and returns with stories about being in Heaven and meeting Jesus as well as family members who had already passed away. The boy, Colton, is too young to have learned the information that he knows, but yet his experience lines up with accounts in the Bible.He also has recognition of people in his family that were in Heaven that had passed away befor he was born and he had never seen or heard of.
I read the book cover to cover in one afternoon! Todd Burpo tells the details of their son's sickness and hospital experience. He is extremely honest about his feelings and emotions throughout the experience. When Colton begins to share bits and pieces of what he had experienced during the surgery, Burpo and his wife are amazed that he is describing details about Jesus and Heaven that he had not been taught. Colton's simplistic, child like way of conveying what he had seen and experienced was so inspiring and touching. There were moments througout the book that I had tears in my eyes.
There were many different Biblical truths that were shown throughout the book.The book was an excellent reminder of how our life here is simply a journey to our eternal life and how we really do have a hope when we have a relationship with Christ. The passion of how Colton wanted to be sure that everyone knows that Jesus loves them and that He REALLY loves children was such a precious truth that we so often forget.  I found this book to be extremely comforting, especially if you have lost a loved one. I will definately be passing this book on and recommending it to other people.

The One Year Mother Daughter Devo

I recently signed up to review books for Tyndale Publishers. The first book I received from them was the One Year Mother Daughter Devo by Dannah Gresh and Janet Mylin. I had read books by Dannah Gresh before and really liked. Since Brad and I work with the teenagers at our church, I thought I could also get some great ideas to talk about with the girls. This book is designed for pre-teen girls, but I found it is also relevant for a lot of our Junior High girls as well.
The book has some great ways to connect with your daughter each day. There is something to interest your daughter, no matter what type of personality she has. There is a devoional to read each day and in the side notes, there are topics to discuss with your daughter. It has interesting and fun stories, as well as crafts and recipes to enjoy together. Each day, you have the opportunity to read and discuss spiritual matters with your daughter and when you get in the routine of spending that time together each day, you find that your daughter opens up more and more. My daughter is excited for us to have Bible time together each day and we both look forward to discussing the topic of the day.
Although, the book does not delve into any "deep" or "heavy" issues, I still found it to be relevant for today and it is a great tool to keep the lines of communication open with your daughter. I have really enjoyed the book and will continue to enjoy using it with my daughter throughout the rest of the year. Dannah Gresh and Janet Mylin have done a great job creating a positive and upbeat book for mothers and daughters to enjoy together. I will definately be recommending this book to other moms who have tween daughters.

Some Helpful Websites and Blogs

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827311


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827311


http://www.myfrugaladventures.com/

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827308


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827308


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827308


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827308


http://www.blogger.com/goog_1323827308


http://www.southernsavers.com/



Electronic Coupon Sites

http://www.shortcuts.com/

http://www.cellfire.com/

http://www.kroger.com/



Sign up for free samples and coupons

http://www.vocalpoint.com/

http://www.buzzagent.com/



Find out what next weeks coupons are

http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/



Order extra coupons and flyers.

http://www.thecouponclippers.com/

http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com/




On Facebook, you can find our group under Deal Finding Divas

Making Money Shopping at CVS and Walgreens

I get a lot of questions about how I save so much money with CVS. So here is the scoop on how the system works. The following links explain it in detail. But I will give you an overview of how I use it.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/03/cvs-101.html
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/03/qa-making-cvs-w.html

Basically, the store offers Extra Care Bucks (ECB’s) on certain items each week. ECB’s are store credit. So you buy items that generate ECB’s and then use the ECB’s to purchase items the next visit that will generate MORE ECB’s and the process continues. Once you start the process, you just continue to buy items with your ECB’s and when combined with strategically chosen coupons, you save money. I very rarely spend more than $5 out of pocket at CVS. Most of the time, after the ECB’s that I make on my shopping trip, CVS had more or less paid me to shop there.

SOY JOY BAR Example


Buy 4 Soy Joy Bars, get 4 ECB’s (limit 5) This means I can get 20 bars


I had 3 BOGO coupons and 15 ECB’s.


My out of pocket expense was $2 and they paid me $20 in ECB’s.


So I made a profit of $18 in store credit.

CVS accepts coupons at face value, however you can “stack” the coupons on a single item, like I explained earlier. When I spoke with the manager, she said that they don’t have a coupon on the amount of coupons that you use in your visit. They do reserve the right to limit you, however, the sale itself will usually set a limit on how many deals you can take advantage of to get the ECB’s, even if you still use coupons for items that are not on sale.

Obviously, the first time that you shop at CVS, you will not have any ECB’s to get items for free, so you will have to spend some money out of pocket. However, once you start the process, it works very well.

They also have a green bag tag that you can keep and scan each time you shop there for using a bag you bring from home. Every 4th visit, you get 1 ECB.

You can also join the CVS advisory panel and they will reward you with ECB’s for providing input for them.



Walgreens

Although, I don’t use the Walgreens system, it pretty much works the same way. The link explains their system.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/01/walgreens-101.html



I should add here that stores are not losing money when you use coupons. The manufacturer reimburses them for the coupons. The managers at Kroger and CVS both said that they encourage customers to bring their coupons.

Why I Love My Kroger Store!

The primary reason that I shop at Kroger is because of their coupon policy. They triple up to .39 and double up from .40 to .50. Everything over .50 is face value. They also have Mega Sale Events where they mark their items down CHEAP and I usually have coupons for a lot of the items on sale.


I also love them because they mail me coupons about once a week that are based on my purchases. My Kroger card keeps track of what I buy and then the store sends me coupons that they know I will use.

I can also load electronic coupons on my Kroger Plus card that can be bundled with other coupons.

Although I don’t meet the requirement yet, if you are 55 or older, you get a 5% discount every Tuesday…maybe I should start using my mom’s card….

The manager at my Kroger told me that the coupon limit was 10 per item type. So if I have 10 boxes of Cheerios, I can use 10 coupons. He did tell me that the cash register will automatically stop accepting the coupons if you try to use more than that. However, this is a big limit and there are not a lot of items that I would need to use more than 10 coupons on.

I have had nothing but positive experiences with this store. They are very helpful and never hassle me over my coupons. They are usually excited to see how much money I save.

Some Tips and Tricks

Tip #1
Buy what you need, BEFORE you need it. The key to saving money with coupons is to buy the items you need from the store when they are on sale and you have coupons for the item. Most stores have rotate the items that they have on sale on a 6-8 week rotation, meaning that the item will be on sale every 6-8 weeks.

So, when you get your coupons, don’t use them immediately just because you have them. Watch your sale ads and see when it goes on sale.



Tip #2

Shop the stores with the best coupon policy. I personally shop at Kroger and CVS primarily, unless I see a really good deal elsewhere. However, these are my 2 store that I focus on. Try to find a store that has a DOUBLE and TRIPLE coupon policy. Our Kroger stores have this policy and so I am able to save the most money there. More on Kroger and CVS in a minute.

NOTE: I have found it helpful to focus on only 2 stores. If you shop every grocery store in town, then you are taking a lot of time and will be stressed out with no energy by the time you finish. If you have time to shop each store, then you will most definitely get the best deals, but most of us do not have a lifestyle that accommodates that much shopping.

There are other good deals available at other stores, but your time is also valuable. I do look at other store ads to see if there is a SUPER deal (such as low cost meat) and will make an extra stop for items such as that, but as a general rule, I limit my shopping to those 2 stores. You may enjoy shopping at other stores, but these are the stores that I have had the most success with.

Obviously, I keep an eye out for great sales at the mall for holiday and birthday gifts as well. I have had great success at JC Penney and Kohl’s with their sales and newspaper coupons.



Tip #3

Use more than 1 coupon on the same item. Depending on the store’s coupon policy, many times you will be able to use more than one coupon on the same item. I call this “stacking.”

EXAMPLES:

1. You can use a manufacturer coupon AND a store coupon on the same item.

2. Load electronic coupons on your Kroger card. You can go to shortcuts.com or cellfire.com and load electronic coupons on your card. These e-coupons will deduct on top of any coupons used for the same item that you bring to the store with you. If there is more than one e-coupon for the same item on the different sites, my understanding is that Kroger will take 2 of them in addition to your paper coupons.

3. When you have a BOGO coupon, most of the time you can use additional coupons with the item. The store reads the BOGO coupon and deducts the price of the second item because it sees that you purchased two items. You can then use additional $off coupons for one or both of the items. Many times the store computer calculates the BOGO coupon separately, enabling you to use a coupon per item in addition to the BOGO.

Using this method, a couple of weeks ago, I bought 2 Steamfresh Meals for Two, priced at $5.49. I had a BOGO coupon and then two $1.50/1 coupons. So I got both of the Steamfresh Meals for $2.49. This deal could have been better if the store had also had the item on sale BOGO. J

This week, there was a special on Tide for $5.88. I had a BOGO, plus a $3/1 and a .35 (tripled to $1.05) so I was able to get to full size bottles of Tide for $1.89!!!

*Also, be on the look out when you are the store for items that have a coupon sticker on them. A lot of times, the store will accept the sticker coupon in addition to the coupon you already brought with you. I was able to get some Nestle Toll House cookies very cheap this way.



Tip #4

Check the clearance bins. I get almost all of my meat at Kroger from the discount section and save 50%-75% routinely. I have also found good deals in the clearance bins that I have had coupons for, so I always make sure that I take all of my coupons with me to the store.



Tip #5

Stock up! When you find a great deal, stock up on it! If you need to do separate transactions according to the store’s coupon policy, then do it. Take advantage of the sales. We have done this many times with our local Market Basket when they put their chicken on sale for .30/lb. or less. Brad and I will both go so that we can get double the limit.



Tip #6

Go for the younger checkers.
This is kind of sneaky, but my experience has been, as has also been indicated on many blogs that I have read, that if when you check out you go to a teenage (preferably male) checker, they are not as likely to question you about your coupons. They usually just scan them so you will hurry up and be out of their line. Also, I make an effort to go to the same checker every time I visit the store. He know that I am honest and am not trying to scam the store by using expired coupons. By making an effort to have a friendly relationship with the checkers, they are less likely to hassle you and most of the time will go the extra mile to make the coupon work if there is a problem.

In saying that, I am always nice to the store employees. If there is a coupon that they refuse to take, for whatever reason, I don’t argue with them. I shop there all the time and I don’t want to get the reputation as the mean lady with all the coupons who holds up the line. I also try to shop at a time when the store is not as busy and if I can, I will let other customers go in front of me so they are not frustrated by how long I take. Most of the time, the customers behind me are very nice and are impressed by how much money I saved.

Getting Started Saving Money With Coupons

How I Got Started


I was about to have our 2nd baby and we had made the decision for me to stay home and no longer work. Obviously, this meant that we would not have as much money and so I asked the Lord to show me how I could manage our money better and to show me ways that I could stretch the money we had. A couple of days after that prayer, I came across some very helpful websites and my money saving adventures began! It didn’t happen over night, but slowly and surely the savings increased…kind of like a coupon snowball.


Take A Deep Breath

Begin with the attitude that you will gradually save more each week. It will take practice to perfect your shopping trips. Don’t overwhelm yourself by expecting to save 90% off your bill the first week. Gradually decrease your budget over the next few months.

Be Prepared---It Takes WORK

Take inventory of your pantry and fridge. Know what you have and what you need. When you find a good deal (free or amazingly cheap) on items that you use, STOCK UP! On the flip side, don’t buy items that you will not use. Just because something is a good price does not mean that you have to buy it. If it just sits in your pantry, you have wasted money, not saved it. However….you can buy items that you know you can donate to charity, like we did recently for Pleasant Hills Children’s Home.
Look through your sales ads before you go to the store, so you can match up your coupons and find the best deals. You can look at your store’s ad online if you don’t receive a copy it in your paper. I look at my couponing as a type of part time job. So the more time I invest, the more I am able to save. A well planned shopping trip and meal plan for the week is key to saving money. I plan my meal plans around the weekly deals, not my shopping based on my meal plans.

Be aware that it will take you longer to shop once you are in the store. Especially when you first get started and you are being extra careful to make sure you have the right size product, it will take you a little longer. However, the more you shop with coupons, the faster you will get at it!

Try not to be brand loyal. There are a few items, such as make up, that I am brand loyal to. However, if you are not brand loyal, you will be able to save much more.

Take your coupons with you to the store. You never know what deals you will find at the store that were not listed in the sales ad.
Know what a good deal is. Be aware of what the regular prices are for items. Just because something is listed in the ad as “on sale,” does not mean that it is. I have seen items “on sale” that are actually higher than the regular price. This comes with a little practice and experience of being watchful of prices.
Also, look out for marketing scams, such as 10 for $10. Most of the time, you don’t have to purchase 10 items because the items are priced individually for $1 each. So just buy the amount that you need.
As a rule, make it a habit to shop weekly.
I have tried to only shop once a month, because it is difficult for me to shop with my kids in tow and we live about 30 minutes from the grocery stores, so I try to go when my husband is available to watch them. By shopping once a month, however, I found that I was not able to save nearly as much money because I was limited on what deals I could take advantage of. I now shop once a week, occasionally stretching it 2 weeks. Many times, I shop late in the evening because that is the only time I am able to leave the kids.

However, sometimes, the sale for the week is not worth driving into town for, so I do sometimes stretch my shopping trips to every other week.

Make the system work for YOU.
What works for me and my family, may not be feasible for you. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t have the time or energy to work the system exactly the way that I or anyone else does. Your time is also valuable. So don’t stress if you don’t have a lot of time to invest. You are not a bad steward of your money if you are not able to use the coupon system to its full potential. Use the resources I am giving you, and then do what works for you and your household. A lot of the tools I am giving you, do a lot of the leg work for you, so for those of you who have less time, the sites listed should be beneficial.