Favorite Things Friday!

Three months ago my friend (Brooke O) and I decided to attend one of the Faithful Provisions Grocery Workshops! It was amazing and very uplifting! In a time when everyone is discouraged, she has found a way to make it and does so by hard work but she does it! She starts off by saying "I bet you thought all you would be eating is potatoes and rice, NOT true!, Last night our family had shrimp and grits!" The way she works is using the sale aids for certain grocery stores and coupons and works her weekly menu into it! She also stock piles. She talks a lot about where to find the coupons and what policies each store has about using them. (ex Kroger doubles when the coupon is $.99 or higher) She also gives handouts that I find to be VERY useful! Like giving price amounts on items when they are a "great buy"! She has cut her monthly budget from $1,100 to $250! Amazing. She updates her website to let you know what deals are going on. She also gives you yummy recipes that I have found very useful!
This is what her grocery list looks like:
Kroger

2 - Covergirl eyeshadow (FREE)
2 - Triscuits ($1 ea)
3 - Mott’s Applesauce
2 - Lysol cleaner
Simply Orange
Cantelope
2 - Stubbs
Strawberries
2 - vinegars
2 - tortilla chips (penny item- free)

Total Groceries: $54.08
Total Savings: $ 29.80 (55% savings)
Total OOP: $ 24.53

Publix

organic potatoes
2 - organic milk (mgrs spec. for $1/ea)
2 - organic eggs (mgrs spec. for $1/ea)
baby spinach ( mgr spec. $1.25)
bananas (marked down $.28/lb)

Total Groceries: $ 28.99
Total Savings: $ 21.24 (73% savings)
Total OOP: $ 7.75

Mission Statement

Founded on the principles of Luke 12:24, Faithful Provisions is dedicated to showing you how to save money by encouraging and empowering you to be a good steward of your finances.

My Story

My name is Kelly and I am a wife to the most amazing and wonderful daddy in the world, and mommy to a boy and a girl under the age of 3. I love to cook, shop for amazing deals and share what I do with others. God has faithfully provided for our family to allow me to stay home and raise our children and make the most of the income my husband brings home. I love to teach and encourage others who want to do the same!

The following verses in Luke were my inspiration for the name of this blog!

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ” - Luke 12:22-24

The first question I always get when I meet someone or teach a class is “How did you start doing this?”.

So, here is my story…

About 3 years ago, after our first child was born, I had a great job working for a big Fortune 500 company. After she was born, I immediately felt God tugging at my heart to walk out in faith and leave my great paying job. This was not an easy decision, I was bringing home half of our income and without it, and we were barely going to get by each month. As excited as I was to stay home, I really dreaded the financial impact on our lives… especially knowing that over 50% of marriages end in divorce due to financial troubles.

So, after returning to work for 2 months, I gave my 2 week notice. From that day on I was able to clearly see God’s hand in our finances and his deep care for us in our day to day lives. We did our first budget and were floored at how much money we were actually throwing away each month on non-essentials! It is amazing what you can live on, versus what you THINK you have to have to live on.

I was first introduced to this way of saving by my dear friend Bekah. She had always shopped this way; her mom had taught her to use coupons and shop sales. So, one night in January, she had me and my little sister over and taught us this new way of shopping. It was like a light bulb went on, and that was the beginning!

Over the next few months I got better and better at it and after 1 year, had reduced our grocery and eating out budget from $1,100/month to about $250/month! As I began to get better at it, I had friends asking me about how I did it and we taught my first class in my friend Christina’s home, with about 30 women. From there, we began to teach a class monthly in her home and they were always packed; we were starting to turn people away for the next month’s class.

From that, I began to start an email list of about 200 people who wanted to receive frequent updates on deals and coupon matchups. After about 2 years of doing this, I decided (after much urging from my awesome hubby!) that I needed to learn how to make a living off of what I could do, by starting this blog and charging for classes.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without believing in God’s word and how He will faithfully provide for those who believe in His son Jesus. Through our faith in Him, we have been abundantly blessed and shown a way of life we didn’t know existed. My hope is that in seeing our journey, you will be encouraged to step out in an area that God is calling you too… to trust Him!

God Bless!
Kelly

Her website is www.faithfulprovisions.com