From My Heart

If you have $9 and a basket full of samples, would you consider helping out the victims in Joplin?

I often post freebies and samples here on TFF and the hope is that these items will bless and meet the needs of your family.  However there also comes a time when because of these freebies and samples we are able to bless others.  It’s not always easy, trust me I know it’s painful at times to see your stockpile dwindle but just imagine yourself having lost everything, literally everything.  It becomes much easier to part with your stuff.

We  had the kid’s dive into the toiletry closet and grab items to donate.  We gave them complete freedom to give as they felt led, and it was such a blessing to see them go through and find things they thought the people of Joplin might need.  They discussed why a certain item might be needed and why another wouldn’t be.  Then they went through our school closet and pulled out markers, crayons, and other items that they thought the children might need and enjoy.

My husband also dove in and gave from his stockpile of razors, etc.  Then with mad Tetris skills, Mr. Frugal strategically packed the boxes. When all was said and done we had stuffed 3 priority boxes (approximately $9 each to ship) full with everything from my daughter’s American Girl books to necessities like OTC medications and deodorant.

The kids were overjoyed to be able to do something to help.  We’ve been hearing about and reading about the devastation, just feeling so helpless here in sunny CA.   This was a very tangible way that we could give back.

Would you like to help?

Melissa, a Money Saving Mom reader who lives very near the destruction, is helping with the relief efforts and she and I communicated yesterday about specific ways you all can help those in great in need in the Joplin area. Her husband’s ministry (Mustard Seed Global Fellowship) has teamed up with The Bridge (another local ministry) to form a shelter and supply distribution hub.

They can use all of the extra supplies you can send including the following:

::Non-perishable Food (most are without electricity and gas, so sending food that doesn’t need to be cooked is especially helpful)

::Toiletries (deodorant, shampoo, soap, body wash, razors, shaving cream, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.)

::Towels

::Clothing

Please send the items to:

The Bridge
3405 S. Hammons Blvd
Joplin, MO 64804

They will distribute them to those who need them most.

Be sure to package your items securely. Wrap any bottles or items that might leak in plastic, to prevent spills in the box. If you are sending towels or clothing, please send items that are in good condition.

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The devastation is absolutely horrific.  Listening to screams and cries of surviving victims that lived through the tornado in this video made it all the more real to me.  I sat crying just thinking about all the other cries that went out, yet didn’t survive. I’ve received emails from readers who have lost friends and loved ones.  It’s absolutely heart wrenching.

How can we help?

I emailed Crystal at Money Saving Mom and she has been in contact with a few readers who are on the ground in Joplin.  Many of us have a large supply of toiletries that we could pull from to donate.  I’ll be putting together a box today and shipping via a priority mail.  If you get a flat rate box for around $8.00 you can fill it with quite a bit with no extra charges for weight.

Melissa, a Money Saving Mom reader who lives very near the destruction, is helping with the relief efforts and she and I communicated yesterday about specific ways you all can help those in great in need in the Joplin area. Her husband’s ministry (Mustard Seed Global Fellowship) has teamed up with The Bridge (another local ministry) to form a shelter and supply distribution hub.

They can use all of the extra supplies you can send including the following:

::Non-perishable Food (most are without electricity and gas, so sending food that doesn’t need to be cooked is especially helpful)

::Toiletries (deodorant, shampoo, soap, body wash, razors, shaving cream, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.)

::Towels

::Clothing

Please send the items to:

The Bridge
3405 S. Hammons Blvd
Joplin, MO 64804

They will distribute them to those who need them most.

Be sure to package your items securely. Wrap any bottles or items that might leak in plastic, to prevent spills in the box. If you are sending towels or clothing, please send items that are in good condition.

Thank you Crystal for giving us a tangible way to help.

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This weekend is pretty much as exciting as it gets.  First Friday night I’ll get to see Francesca  Battistelli LIVE in concert at the Design 4 Living conference.  Then the next day I’ll be speaking!  Amongst some very talented women, I was asked to speak at 2 breakout sessions. I’ll be sharing about TFF and giving them a peak into the world of couponing.  They expect 1,200 women to attend the conference!

Would you like to download the same flyer I’ll be handing out tomorrow?  Well guess what, you CAN!  Here is the TFF Coupon Tips PDF, feel free to print a few for friends.  It has my Top 5 Coupon Tips, where to find coupons, info about the Online Coupon Class, and a little bit about me.  It’s double sided so, just stick the paper back in the printer and print on the second side, fold it in half and you’re ready to go!  Please note the actual PDF file is a bit large, so it may take a minute or two to fully download.

If you’re planning to be at the conference, I’d love to meet you!  I wish I could say what I’ll be wearing, but I have tried on 10+ outfits yet to find out.

Thanks Abe for your hard working the flyer!

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On Good Friday all of creation groaned.  The sacrifice Jesus made is beyond anything I can imagine.  I can remember vividly when the reality of what God did through Jesus hit me.  I’d been a believer for many years, but when this thought came into my mind it tore me to pieces.  God gave his ONLY begotten Son.  My son was five at the time, and the very thought of him being punished for something he didn’t do made me ill.  However that thought brought to life what Jesus did for me in a new way, one that will never leave me. It seems so simple, but it was such a profound moment for me.  I’d be crushed if my child had to undergo any sort of torture at all.  Let alone for something he didn’t do and even worse if it were FOR something I did wrong!  Yet that’s exactly what Jesus did for us, to the point of death.

Praise the Lord the tomb was empty and we are new creations!

The past couple of years for my family has been a roller coaster of emotions, challenges, and huge moments when all we could do was rely on the faith we have in our God.  The first year was excruciatingly painful at times, I desperately cried to the Lord to bring us through to the other side of our journey.   This year we’re there and we’re looking back with our jaws dropped open, in awe of our God.  He is faithful, He knows us intimately, loves us unconditionally, and craves to bless us.

The song above came into my life 2 years ago and I haven’t stopped using the lyrics as a prayer.  I can remember using it as I cried out to the Lord in desperation when everything in my world felt as if it were caving in.  I shouted the words in celebration when the Lord provided in a mighty way for our family.  In my weakness and in my strength God was beside me and he heard my cries.

I realize that not all of my readers are Christians or believe in God at all for that matter.  However we are committed to always being clear that the driving force behind The Frugal Find and why we do what we do comes from our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  In everything we do we want to glorify and honor HIM!

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I know you’re probably thinking “when is she going to get it together over there!” I know, I know…sometimes a few posts and weekly store deals are late (or never make it up at all!) and I am so sorry for that.  As a reader you should know it takes HOURS to match up the coupons to the store deals each week (grocery and drugstore).  It’s not something we can whip up in a small matter of time.  With that said, when you’re reading your favorite blogger’s deals – make sure you thank them, that would really encourage them!

My email inbox is a constant source of new work to do, often filled with time sensitive deals that trump a weekly deal.  I try to get those up for you so that you don’t miss anything great.  That also leaves me running out of time at times.  Also, if you’ve sent me a more personal/specific email please know that I WILL respond, but it may take me some time.

I’m working on getting better at sticking to my schedule and have made huge strides since last year, when this blog wasn’t a “job” yet.  So I just want to thank you so very much for your patience as I try to navigate the waters of TFF.  My family and my health is also very important to me, so long gone are the days of staying up until midnight working.  I just can’t do that anymore and I’m sure you understand.

How can you help?

• If you see someone leave a comment/question on a post that you know the answer to, it would be so very helpful if you could take a minute to respond to them.
• If you see someone ask a question on the TFF Facebook Wall, same thing applies.
• I NEED your questions – I’m working on an FAQ page and would love any questions you might have.  Please contact me with anything you’d like to see answered, just add FAQ to the subject to save me some time in sorting through the emails.

Thank you everyone for understanding,
now onto the regularly scheduled programming here on TFF!

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What I have learned and am continuing to learn has come from my husband who reminds me, I simply can’t do it all and that’s ok. The other half of what I’ve learned has come from Crystal at Money Saving Mom who has taught me how to do the things I CAN do in the time I do HAVE.

We all have 24 hours in the day, how are we spending them.  Quite literally, how are you SPENDING them? I’ve learned to look at time like I do my finances, I have X amount of time as I have X amount of dollars.  I’ll choose to spend X on this and X on that.  Mr. Frugal and I are working out the nitty gritty details of our time budget and if there is interest we’ll share more here on TFF.

For now, I’m sending you over to Money Saving Mom she has a FREE eBook call Time Management 101 and today she released a new batch of Household Management forms that I’ve used and have been a real blessing to me.

My first tip, and this has revolutionized my time, but it’s likely one that will make many of you cringe as it did me when I first thought about it.  Get up BEFORE the kids. I whined and complained when I started thinking about this, it just didn’t seem fair that after years of staying up with crying babies, changing diapers, night feedings and the like that I still hadn’t earned “sleeping in until 7am”.  It seems like it should be a right of passage once you’re out of those years of life   However I been trying it for the last month or so now and have been blown away!  I feel so refreshed getting some quite time before the kids bombard me with the everyday kid stuff, I’m ready for it now – bring it on!

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Photo Credit: Red Cross Blog

Japan. It’s on my mind, but if I’m honest – not nearly as much as it should be.  Since we let cable go we’ve been quite detached from media as a whole and the simple fact is we’ve missed, the countless I’m sure, replays of the trajedy.  While I think this is good to a certain extent, it’s also allowed me to live “in my own stuff” instead.

We all have stuff going on in our lives, we always will.  Some of us have a lot of stuff; cancer, marriages in turmoil, children in crisis, God only knows the pain many of you are going through.  Then there is the other “stuff” the busyness of life that gets in the way of seeing the pain our friends are going through, I’m guilty there.  Lord forgive me. While yes I do “have my own stuff going on” it’s no excuse.

You see I’ve spent some time wallowing in the many areas of life I need to improve on all the while be glazed over and completely missing the Tsunamis around me, quite literally.  While some of the stuff I do have going on is really important and needs my attention I simply can’t allow myself to be blind to these bigger issues in the world.  Have you been there?  Are you there right now?

What can we do to help?   Financially, you can give.  There are many organizations on the ground right now in Japan that need our help. However I find it very hard to know which organization is best, which one has the the highest percentage of my money going directly to the victims, and so on.  I found this website, Charity Navigator, it has a wonderful article on what to do and what not to do as you prepare to make a financial donation to relief efforts.

With that said, it’s during times like this that your local agencies see donations drop drastically.  So if you’re not able to donate financially to the efforts in Japan I’d highly suggest you call your local shelter, food bank, children’s services dept., or other program in your area.  They’re likely looking for the products you have sitting comfy on the shelves of your stockpile.  We can’t feasibly send those products to Japan, but in lieu of those that can send money – we can donate locally and tie up those loose ends here at home.

Also, there are several phone companies offering FREE texts and calls to Japan, thanks Thrifty Mama!

AT&T – Free U.S. Phone Calls to Japan until March 31, 2011.

Verizon – Free phone calls, text and multimedia messaging for wireless customers to Japan until April 10, 2011.

Vonage – Free Calls to Japan until 8:30pm ET March 18, 2011.

UPDATE: Oh boy, I really really hope this post was not misunderstood.  As I was driving home this morning I though maybe someone would think I was saying that those of you with painful life events going on currently need to think outward – that was NOT at all my heart on the issue.  It was a personal realization that I have friends with painful situations and that there is major devastation going on, and that I personally need to think outward.  I sure hope that was translated through my typing.  If not, I hope you know that THIS is what I truly meant.

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The motto of  TFF really truly is what guides every decision we make behind the scenes here.  Each and every post I publish has a purpose – to help you Save more, so you can Give more, so you can Live more.

By saving money on groceries, toiletries, gifts, etc you are putting your family in a better position financially.  As a result of these savings – it’s very likely you’ll be able to give more to the needs of those around you, through actual goods or even possibly financially.  When we give, we’re blessed.  It’s not why we give, but it’s a natural by-product.  The joy you’ll feel when you give is just as addicting as deal hunting.

What do we mean by Live More? I think it can mean a few things…and does depending on your situation.  It can mean you’re financially freed up to spend money on the things in life that matter to you.  It can also mean peace, a peace of mind that comes when you know you will have food on the table for weeks to.com/e.

We’re passionate about what we’re doing here to help you (and ourselves) navigate the waters of finances – which are sometimes stormy and sometimes it’s a day at the beach.  I know that my readers come from every walk of life and you are here for a myriad of reasons, and I love that.  I’m so thankful that you are here. We will continue to always keep our motto at the forefront of our minds as we bring you deals and personal finance tips here at The Frugal Find.

I’d love to hear from you…what does The Frugal Find’s motto mean to you?   What has it meant in your life?

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After proof-reading this post, I almost didn’t publish it.  Then when I couldn’t figure out what Category to label it, I almost didn’t publish it again.  But oh well, here it goes!

When I’m drinking a cup of coffee at home, I have to have a teaspoon in it.  Gripping the cup without a teaspoon under my thumb feels strange.

I hate elbows, especially dry ones.

The thought (or feeling) of biting or pulling cloth through my clenched teeth (or those of my kid’s teeth) makes me cringe.  Just typing this out made me cringe.

I like the smell of skunks and gasoline (in small doses).

I cut the Box Tops off of every single package before I throw them away, we homeschool.

We have owned at least 10 couches in 10 years.

I look for coupons and catalinas on the ground in parking lots.

I love office and school supplies, they have a stockpile area of their own.

I hate reading instructions, typically it goes like this… “Honey can you read this and tell me what I need to know?”

I have the mindset that “in the end everything will work out” while at the same time I also have the mindset that “everything is going to go wrong“!

I’m a perfectionist, who isn’t very perfect at all.  If I make an error on my grocery list, which happens all the time – I have to crumble it up and start all over.

I love babies, skip two years, and then I love them again. Mostly kidding

I find movies, almost all of them very boring.

The fact that I couldn’t come up with an even number (5, 10, 15) quirky things about me annoyed me.

That’s all from the top of my head this afternoon. Are you quirky too?  PLEASE share your quirky behaviors in thecomments, don’t leave me feeling quirky all by myself!

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