check out this blogger...

Wow she is my hero. I cannot imagine four people living on an 800/year food budget. I am still reading back thru her articles but already, my mind is whirling planning how to incorporate her achievements in my own family.

http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/

I know most people do not have to resort to this degree, but if you can, why not? Imagine what we could save a year? And if we put that entire savings towards paying off our mortgages.... how many of us would pay our mortgages off in a few years, versus 30!!!!

We are finally recovering from Mr. Daddy's surgery. He is fine now and into March maddness. He has games going on laptops and the TV..... obviously he is doing much better.

And he was called back to work.... Of course he can't go back to work due to his surgery, but still... a praise.

Sometimes it is these small pats on my back from God that keep me smiling. It is almost as if he whispers.... "Don't worry, I am here, all will be well".

And so it will....

Meanwhile, I plan to learn some frugal behavior. I also went to www.frugaldad.com. What a great site. Seems we have been using a lot of his ideas for years... based on my cars, their years, their milage, their rust levels....

But guess what.... we have a new used car and it only has 60,000 miles on it!!!! Right now, it is parked in the garage. We will save it for trips and long drives. Honestly, our other vans, with 200,000 miles each... are all driving great. People may stare... people may wonder when the rust will break and the car disolve into nothing more than an engine and seats on the road.... but until that happens... we will drive them happily, knowing we have not had a car payment in about 8 years... maybe a bit longer. Lets see... our last new van was 1998.... financed for 4 years... paid off early... so maybe 2001 ish. Yes it looks like 8 years without a car payment. Our oldest vehicle is a 1994... and older than our youngest 4 children (as my 14 year olds point out on a regular basis). And now we have a 2006!!!! Wow we feel modern.... And no payment of course. Mr. Daddy's parents offered it to us at such a low price... we pretty much had to take it. Otherwise, we would never have bought another vehicle.

OK off to find more bargain blogs.... will keep you posted on my favorites. And once I get our budget lined up... I will post it as well.