It was exciting when the thought of having to replace our current car because it just hit 203K miles and has some cosmetic problems, transmission issues, needs new tires and so on.

We don’t want to put tons of money into it because the worth of the car is less than 1K and if the transmission goes out we are sunk.

We took a portion of our tax return to save and build on to put towards our new to us car. Here is what we are looking for:

– 2005 or newer

– 100K miles or less

– Sedan sits 5 person

– perferably a Mazda, Toyota or a Honda

Those are our criteria, because this car needs to last us at least two years because by then the hubby will be done with school or close to it. Our kids will be older and we will have friends to drive around! We will be in a better financial situation than we now. This car is needed to get us by but still be economically sound with minimal work and so on.

The excitement has worn off. We have visited several websites online including, craigslist, dealerships and so on. We have gone to dealerships and looked around. We have even had our friends look for us as well.

The first hurdle was waiting for the money to come and now its here. The temptation of it being spent is stressful so I am now to the point of just wanting to get it done and over with.

Its fun to go look at cars but not so much when you find something you like and then realize its out of the price range. It’s very disappointing and discouraging.

So what are we doing for now. Adding more to our envelope. I almost feel at this moment that we will have our entire budget in hand by the time we actually go to buy.

Well starting on a Monday we test drove a car we liked. Financing was an issue because we were 1500 shy of our original budget. Thankfully we were able to be financed by Friday and signed papers.

So what did we get a 2007 Hyundai Sonata with 115K miles on it. We are satisfied with our purchase. Great car but it took 4 weeks from start to finish with this ordeal of finding us a new car.

Our old car still drives, noisy! It has now reached 208K miles on it. We plan to keep it going till it really dies!

Update– Our Mazda got backed into but we did get the worth of our car and more. We are now back to being a 1 car family.

Western Theme Table Decoration

Need a simple Western Theme Table Decoration? Here is an easy to make centerpiece that will not cost much at all. If you don’t have any Mason Jars there are some great alternative vases at Dollar Tree that will look as good. The one pictured above is actually a mug but it still looks great!

What you Need:

– Mason Jar

– Skewer Sticks

– Red or Blue Hankerchef

– Brown, Blue (or Jean) Cardstock

– Glue and/or Tape

– Brown Crinkly shreds (Dollar Tree)

How to Make:

1. First you will need to take your blue and brown cardstock and cut out the Sheriff Shape and Howdy Shape. Both Shapes can be purchased in the Moms Saving Money Store in SVG, PNG and PDF files.

2. Once you have your pieces cut out you will simply glue and tape them to the skewer sticks. Let them dry well.

3. Add your brown crunchy shreds to the Mason Jar or Vase of your choosing.

4. Stick the Skewer sticks in the Mason Jar as desired.

5. For added Western feel, take your red or blue handkerchief and either lay it flat or fold into 1/4 and lay in the center of table. Place your Mason Jar in the middle of the Handkerchief.

That is it! You are done!

Topic: Western Theme Table Decoration

I left you last week with checking off products as you get them. Isn’t it exciting to start collecting your basic needs to start a home. Soon you will be excited to put everything in place. Now is the time to get the rest of the family on board and excited.

1. Get everyone on Board. Get the kids involved and help them get exited for their bedroom and how they want it to look.

Remember you are starting over and you can choose your theme and still be frugal. You can find alternatives inexpensively. I mentioned that I found pink kitchenware at Wal-mart from their back to school College section. I found them on clearance so I was very excited. I even have gone to Dollar Tree and found that they have pink Zebra print pots and pan scrub, Kitchen Towels and placemats. I asked the hubby would he mind. He said “no” so I guess he is ok with my zebra addiction. I love Zebra print and I like the pink as an accent. So exciting. So you see you can create your dream kitchen or any other room and still be frugal and not spend tons of money. I am excited. It feel great to start over and get what I want. Before when we first got married we went with blue and white so kind of generic colors and everything did match but very bland. I have a friend who is giving me some dishes similar to the ones we use to have and I am very grateful for them. There isn’t enough for all five so I still plan on getting black or pink dishes. Black are more likely and easy to find at a low cost. I also found black oven mitts and pot holders at Dollar Tree.

As the weeks have gone by we have looked at clearance and sales. My daughter just like pink so my mother in-law found her a light pink and blue comforter which will work great for a Hello Kitty theme room so we will look for some Hello Kitty Accessories to match her room. Now that we have a point of reference we can look for some great deals. This is so exciting for her that she can pick out items she really likes.

topic: Getting everyone on board

Have you had to start over whether it be by choice or by circumstances. I have. Once from when I moved from Idaho all the way to Virginia to start college and then again after I have been married 10 years.

Because of financial circumstances and a whole lot of other STUFF, my husband and I had to make the call, it was not by choice but because of circumstances that we gave just about everything away and moved in with family.

We are very grateful we had the ability to do so. We have struggled over the course of the year to find jobs, change jobs, get the kids in school, relying on family to watch the kids, make new friends, find our place in a new church, make car repairs, keep Moms Saving Money, LLC going. It has been a tough road.

They (whoever They are) say kids are resilient and make a move and changes easier than adults, I don’t know, I never moved as a child. My children seem to be doing fine and we often have to remind them why we are living with family and don’t have a place of our own.

It hurts when one will ask if they can save their money to buy a home so we can live in. One day we will get there but not by using the money our children have manage to save.

Enough back story,  lets talk about moving forward and starting over. The idea consuming me for the past week and half. Why? Because now that the hubby and I both have jobs and he is going back to school, it is time we look forward to starting over. We still have a long ways to go before we move out on our own, but in the meantime we need to start preparing.

Have you thought about it? What it would take to start all over. When you are young and you move from your parents to go to college or move out on your own or even when you first get married you think of these things. What you will need and want. Isn’t it fun to add items to your registry? Well this is very similar. You see the last time I even thought about what items I would need to start a home was when I was planning my wedding and that was 11 and 1/2 years ago.

So what does starting all over look like? Well think for a moment on all the items you will need to acquire moving into your new place.

If you have no furniture you will need to find ways to get the furniture you need. So here is the first obstacle. Since we have no furniture we also have no room to store it while we collect our foundation of items.

First I have to be realistic and look at the basic needs we have to get a sense about what is needed and the amount of money I can expect to spend.

Here’s my list. I have 3 kids so that means I need furniture for a minimum of 3 bedrooms. My boys will be sharing a room. Remember we are trying to only acquire the bare minimum.

Bedroom #1 – Boys

– Beds (frames and mattress), Bedding Sets, Curtain(s), Trash can, Dresser, Bookshelf

Bedroom #2 – Daughter

– Bed (frame and mattress), Bedding, Curtain(s), Trash can, Dresser, Bookshelf

Bedroom #3 – Our room

– Bed (frame and mattress), Bedding, Curtain(s), Trash Can, Bookshelf

I then had to realistically look at other rooms we need to get basic furniture items.

Kitchen

– Table and Chairs (5)

Living Room

– 1 Couch, TV Shelf/Entertainment Center, Lamp(s), End Table(s)

I then realized I need to get items that are necessities but because it will take awhile to get in the routine of being on our own. I don’t want to get so tight again that I would like to have a buffer of health and beauty products, cleaning supplies, and Kitchen items.

The household items include Tissue paper, trash bags (I can start collecting plastic grocery bags for the smaller trash cans in the room), Feminine products, Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion, Toothpaste, Razors, Toothbrushes, Deodorant, Laundry Detergent, Dish Detergent, and so on.

I know the above items seem small but we have been there when we were not able to afford a $1 to get shampoo because we needed to put it towards gas for our car. I don’t have to worry for a couple of months, so therefore between moving on our own and now, I will coupon and take advantage at getting the best deals to acquire enough for a years worth. Yes I am paranoid, I do not want the same situation or similar to repeat and I want to be able to be prepared and give an example for my kids on how to plan ahead.

So each paycheck until we move out I will be buying 1 furniture item and 1 of each household item for example a pack of toilet paper. Do you ever sit down to think about how much you use in a year? For our family keep in mind my kids are small and they tend to use more than they really need, so toilet paper goes fast with us. So before we moved in with family we used a 12 pack of double rolls in a month between 2 bathrooms. So with that in mind I want to have 12 packs of 12ct double rolls before we move on our own. So the average cost is around $7 for 12ct. So I know I need to save $84 for 1 year supply. This is a game to me so I want to see how much I can save while I still get the 12 packs I want to acquire before moving out.

I will update this post I get to my goal and how much I actually paid.

Because something always comes up and you have to be flexible check out my Frugal Fresh Start Week 1 – Follow our family journey on how we will start over with a Frugal mind.

Does your church need social media? Yes if you want to engage the 30 somethings and their families. Social Media is an effective tool for churches to easily get information out, advertise, encourage and connect.

1. Make sure your Church is connected by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even Pinterest, yes Printerest!

2. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT post every few minutes, have a 20 minute interval at least. If you post several times within minutes you might as well close your account. No one likes being overwhelmed with TOO MUCH Information at a time. Let people breathe. Allow your News Feed to be taken in strides.

3. DO NOT go a couple of days without posting, Posting infrequently loses your audience and loses your place in Social Media.

4. Be Intentional and provide relevant information for events such as time, place and if child care is provided.

5. Post only facts. Do not post your opinion. Just like a Pastor cannot tell you from a pulpit who to vote for, you SHOULD NOT use Social Media to do so either. Use common sense.

6. DO NOT assume your fans know where your church is or what time an even typically happens. Treat them like a visitor and give them all the necessary information they will need to come to your event or help or whatever the case may be.

7. DO NOT disable your comments. Use Social Media as a way to connect and let your audience talk to you and ask questions. If an unappropriate question is asked or posted be honest and let everyone know that they can call the church and set up a meeting or phone call to address their concern. DO NOT answer the question on Social Media.

8. DO NOT use Social Media to sugar coat God’s Truth. Let His Truth stand on its own. Let it be a tool and allow people to find you.

Topic: Social Media 101 For Churches

Need a quick and simple Fall Centerpiece Decoration.

Look at how beautiful this centerpiece is made by the wonderful ladies at Union Baptist Church in Hayes, VA. I cannot take credit for I am not crafty with flowers at all!

Many of these flowers can be found at Dollar Tree and Wal-mart inexpensively. You can also find some burlap as well. See how they made them into roses. Aren’t they just awesome.

I wish I could write out a tutorial for you on how they were made but unfortunately I cannot take credit for them and I do not know how they are made.

What Fall Centerpieces have you done? I would love to see, leave me a comment below in the comment section below.

Topic: Fall Centerpiece Decoration

This is a sponsored post. I was given the product in exchange for a review by the PR agency representing the product.

Weeping Willow Tree Tutorial

This is a Luau Umbrella Cover from Wholesale Costume Club. You can find many other party decorations from Wholesale Costume Club. The Luau Umbrella Cover is design to be placed on top of existing patio umbrella but for the sake of our weeping willow tree we are using a regular umbrella you could find at your local Walmart.

This Weeping Willow Tree will be a great addition to any outdoor party theme including Rio. Check out other Rio Movie inspired decorations to make your party one of a kind.

What you Need:

– Luau Umbrella Cover

– Regular sized Umbrella

– Tripod (You can find a used one for around $5 at a Thrift Shop)

– Duck tape if your tripod does not have the umbrella connector holder.

How to Make:

1. Attach your umbrella to the tripod either in the umbrella connector holder and fasten tightly. If not available then use duck tape to adhere it to the umbrella.

2. Open the umbrella and place the Luau Umbrella Cover over. Make sure to spread it out evenly.

That is it! You are done!

A very simple and easy way to make a Weeping Willow that gives you an outdoor feel. Check out how you can build a Tiki Bar of  your own.

You can see how well this is made, it will not tear easily. There are two sections where it is sewn all the way around to keep its form and make it much easier for the umbrella cover to slide right over an umbrella. Just to warn you that it does have some weight to it and trust me it will fit back in the box if you need to put it up for the season. Again I want to remind you that this Luau umbrella cover fits over a standard patio umbrella but for our Weeping Willow we have used a regular personal rain umbrella.

Topic: Weeping Willow Tree Tutorial

Captain America Favor Bag

What you Need:

• Red Favor Bags
• Blue, White, Red Construction Paper or Card Stock
• Glue ore double sided tape
• Cutting Machine or scissor for manual cutting

How to Make:

Step 1

First you will need to get your Captain America Shapes. You can get the FREE Captain America Shield Pattern shapes here. The File downloads as a zip file. You will need to unzip the compressed file to use the files on a cutting machine or print out. Make sure to separate the layers with “To Each Its Own.”

Step 2

Once you have your shapes cut out you will need to get your red favor bags. You can purchase these at Dollar Tree for 10 count for $1. They can be found in the party section of the store.

Step 3

Glue the star in the center.

Step 4

Glue the white base and the red stripes.

That is it! You are done!

Check out other Captain America Party Ideas

Topic: Captain America Favor Bag

Simple and cheap to make, which is my kind of craft! There are so many simple Tangled Party Ideas that you can make in a day and add some big decorations to your party at a very minimal cost.

Don’t forget to check out 11+ Disney Tangled Birthday Decoration Ideas.

What you Need:

– Silver Plastic Tablecloth

– Black Plastic Tablecloth

– Yellow, Pink, Purple Cardstock

– Packaging Tape

– Glue

– Brown Cardstock/Construction Paper or Brown plastic tablecloth

How to Make:

1. Take silver Plastic Tablecloth that can be found at Dollar Tree in the Wedding Section of the Party Supplies.

2. Measure your door and cover the door cutting off excess, cutting in the shape of a Tower. Mine resembles the image of the tower in the Tangled Movie.

3. Add your window (you can use black plastic tablecloth) and for added fun make a braided hair hanging from the window.

4. Take Brown cardstock or plastic tablecloth and make a window door frame.

5. Cut out flowers using 2 sizes to cut out yellow, pink and purple. Mix and match as desired. Glue together and tape on your tower door.

That is it! You are done!

Topic: Rapunzel’s Door Tower