Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

September & October Grocery Shopping Totals

September was a good month for grocery shopping. There were lots of good deals, plus Kroger doubled fuel points if you shopped on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. I did almost all of my Kroger shopping on these days for that reason. After coupons and surveys, I managed to accumulate $0.80 off a gallon in fuel rewards! Andy and I both filled up at the same time to take full advantage of the full 35 gallons. He pulls on one side of the pump and I pull on the other, so we can pump gas until we've reached the limit. That little trick saved us $28 on gas just for that fill up! Here are a couple of … Read More...

10 Best Thanksgiving Books for Children

Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away! Now that it is November, it is time to gather all your Thanksgiving picture books. I collected a lot of Thanksgiving books over my 10 years of teaching, but there are certain ones that are my favorites. I read these books every year with every class. If you are looking for the best Thanksgiving books for kids, here is a list of my top 10 favorite Thanksgiving books for kids of all ages. I have a leaning towards historical Thanksgiving picture books that the kids enjoy reading but are teaching at the same time. Picture books are a great way to … Read More...

How to Make Money with Vitality Rewards

As I talk to Lutheran teachers and church worker friends around the country, I am continually amazed by how many people are not using Vitality rewards through the Concordia Health Plan. Vitality is an excellent perk of our Concordia Health Plan! This post is for you - all my fellow Lutheran church workers! (If you are not Lutheran but your company also uses Vitality, then this post still applies to you as well.) Let me preface this by saying – I am not a Concordia Plan representative nor am I receiving any compensation for writing this post. This is my personal understanding of how Vitality … Read More...

When Mom Life Feels Exhausting

I don't write this to take exhaustion lightly. If you struggle with exhaustion related to illness or depression, please seek help. If you are a mom struggling with occasional exhaustion from all the demands placed upon you, read on.  Sometimes...life is exhausting. You know who knows this fact better than anyone? Moms. Moms are the ones trying to keep a million balls in the area - for themselves, their husband, their kids and too many others. Moms are the ones mentally keeping to do lists of everything that needs to be done while cooking breakfast, holding a crying baby and … Read More...

Easy and Quick Fiesta Soup Recipe

Looking for an easy soup recipe? Try making this quick fiesta soup recipe. You'll love the slightly spicy, cheesy flavor of this soup - but you'll love even more how quickly you can make it! The weather finally turned cool this weekend. It took much too long (in my humble opinion) but now the temperature has cooled off dramatically. We are bundling up and sleeping under cozy blankets and ready to eat lots of soup. We eat a lot of chili in our house but I like to have some variety in our soup rotation. When I need a slow cooker soup, I chose my 5 ingredient potato soup. When I need … Read More...

11 Tricks to Get Dinner on the Table Quickly

One of the most challenging times of day can be the dinner time hour. What mom hasn't fretted over how she can get dinner on the table quickly? When everyone is hungry, things seem to unravel quickly - at least in our house! I have learned a couple of tricks that help me get dinner on the table quickly for my family. Some may seem obvious but if they help another mom who is struggling with the dinner time hour, then it is worth it. Besides, sometimes stating the obvious helps us all look at the routine through a different lens! When it all comes down to it, a lot comes down to simple … Read More...

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