Light at the End of the Tunnel

We did not have insurance in 2007 and I had some serious health issues that came my way and was hospitalized for 2 weeks! The total bill that we owed was $40,000 (not being specific on cents here). It seemed as though a damper had poured over our lives but we knew that God would provide a way for us to pay this debt, as we took full responsibility to pay it ourselves! We were the ones who could have afforded health insurance but chose to not get it because we thought our money would be better saved each month. Well let me tell you - we learned our lesson through the school of hard knocks and we now have health insurance.

So since around the Winter of 2007 up until now we have been paying loads of money monthly towards our medical bills. We have finally moved towards the end are seeing that light at the end of the tunnel!!! We only have roughly $3,300 left to pay!! God has truly provided and we have tried to be faithful stewards and repay this debt we owed to the hospital. There were times I was faced with filling out the forms for financial aid or a handout, but each time God said NO. I realized this was one lesson that we had to learn on our own.

We plan on having it paid it in full hopefully by this Summer! But I'm already rejoicing because what we thought would take YEARS on my husband's income.......has not! You can see the tracker I made below PROVING that all things are possible with God!

Free Sample of Starbuck's Instant Coffee

Click on the link below to sign up for your free sample of Starbuck's new Via Ready Brew instant coffee!

http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/via/freesample.asp

Dairy Prices Going Down

I noticed that last month and this month, that dairy prices have gone way down! For example: Milk was running anywhere from $2.68 to $3.00 at its lowest and now it is just $1.98 a gallon. Then string cheese is running 16.5 cents each or $1.98 for 12. It was 25 cents each and if bought in packs of 12 would run up to $3.00. Not only that but I noticed that block cheese also has gone down to about $2 a pound, since I buy in 2 pound blocks, its only $4.

I'm happy about it and definitely drinking more milk and eating more cheese and find myself putting cheese on a lot of things that I normally didn't!

I suppose you 'could' stock up on milk and freeze it, same with the cheese but I prefer mine fresh. I have froze cheese before (never froze milk yet), but the cheese after thawing was mushy and hard to shred.

What I suggest during this time of low dairy prices is to prepare more meals that use dairy products. Take advantage of the moment before it passes!



**UPDATE - I did a google search about dairy prices going down and sure enough this isn't just limited to my area, its nationwide. Here is a quote about how much the prices have dropped in comparison with recent years:

Milk prices are down more than 50 percent from last summer after hitting all-time highs in 2007 and notching the second highest prices on record in 2008.

You can find the full story here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29035077/

Free Breakfast at IKEA

This Friday the 13th through Monday the 16th, you can get a free breakfast and coffee at IKEA.  It is only available until 10:30am. 

Go here and scroll down to the bottom:

http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/

Free Meal at Denny's!

The photo says it all! Tomorrow is the day to go get your free grand slam meal! : ) You can read about it on Denny's website.

Thanks to Linda G for the info!

Tuna Tacos

Serves 9


Ingredients:

• 1T oil
• 3/4c onions
• 3/4c diced tomatoes
• 3/4c tomato sauce
• 1/8t pepper
• 1/8t Tabasco sauce
• 2 cans tuna, drained and flaked (10oz)
  

Other: Tortillas, lettuce, cheddar cheese


Instructions:

Saute onions in oil till tender. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper and Tabasco sauce to the onions and cook on medium for 5 minutes. Then add tuna and cook till warm throughout. I like to mix in 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese at the end and mix till melted.

Spoon mixture onto tortillas and add lettuce and any other toppings of your choice!

The filling is enough for 9 tacos and only 50 calories a serving! Combine that with a whole wheat tortilla and that gives you 180 calories per serving. This recipe is also frugal and will save you money! My daughter doesn't like tortillas, so I put her filling on a slice of wheat bread.