Christ in Me…How Does This Help With Grief? | Prayer Communication with God

Christ in Me…How Does This Help With Grief? | Prayer Communication with God



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A Blessed Reality | Prayer Communication with God

This week we have been introduced to the divine architecture of Holiness. What is your perception of it? Are we walking in a blessed reality? #Prayer #Encouragement #BeMore





A Blessed Reality | Prayer Communication with God

The Coverings | Prayer Communication with God

The Coverings | Prayer Communication with God



Are you walking in your prayer covering this morning?



#Prayer #Encouragement #BeMore

Coupons = Savings...Should They be Treated as MONEY IN YOUR POCKET?

 COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS...every where you look and if you listen to a lot of conversations they are all about coupons.  In today's economic times everyone is looking for a way to save money. Every little bit helps, right?  With TLC's Extreme Couponing,
all the talk is about coupons. Clipping coupons is a hobby I started in January as way to try to save some money going out of my house.  Grocery shopping was something I hated! I hated it with a passion.  It was disheartening for me to leave the store with $100 - $150 a week being spent on groceries and very few items in my cart.  It was plain depressing. The cost of groceries and gas are steadily increasing and my income wasn't keeping up with that increase.  We had to do something different just to survive!  Not only survival for ourselves, but I have a heart that deeply desires to help others.  How can I help others if we are barely able to survive?  My answer....COUPONS!

A friend of mine introduced me to coupons.  I had tried using coupons before over the years and I truly didn't see any real savings.  Why would I think this time would be any different?  This time was different because I had someone teaching me the right way to utilize my coupons for the maximum savings!  Now, I am NO extreme couponer. I will be the 1st to admit that.  I do NOT know all of the secrets of couponing. I am learning as I go.  What I do know is that since January I have saved $1200 on my grocery bill!!

First I learned how to get more products for basically the same amount of money I was spending. I did this for quite a while.  I went from wondering if my groceries would last to the next pay check to having things in the freezer all the time.  I went from wondering how I could help someone in need to helping several people who were on fixed incomes or facing layoff.  I do not think I will ever have extra rooms filled with overflow items from stockpiling because each time I save, I look for someone to help.


I am not faulting or putting down anyone with extra rooms.  I believe they also help others from their stockpile and they can give more in bulk than I could.



How do you do it?  How do you save so much money on coupons?  The first thing I had to do was change my thought process. I could not go into the grocery store with the same thought pattern.  I had to learn to shop differently.  Before couponing, I would look into the cabinets and decide what we needed.  I would attempt to plan my meals for the next week and go to the store.  There were times I spent more than I planned just to get what I needed.  That was depressing and took money from somewhere else it needed to go.

My friend called me and began teaching me.  She told me about some sights to go to in order to print coupons such as: WeUseCoupons,  Koupon Klipper, and Southern Savers.  There is also Coupons.com.
Visiting these sites allowed me to print coupons and start learning ways to save money.  Each of these sites have very valuable tips on couponing.  A couple of things I strongly encourage if you are beginning to coupon is to KNOW YOUR STORE'S COUPON POLICY and AVOID COUPON FRAUD.  If you are reading tips and something feels unethical, don't do it.  Listen to your conscience.  Most of the sites I have come across are legitimate and just want to help you save money.  Some people will do anything to save a dime.  If someone is using coupon fraud to gain extra savings it is the same as STEALING and it hurts everyone using coupons.  I also encourage you to be a courteous couponer.  Don't wipe the shelves out.  Save some for others. Everyone needs to save all the money they can, we don't have to be greedy.

Success with coupons comes just like success with anything else, you have to PLAN.  Don't be so loyal to one store that you knock yourself out of savings at another one.  Don't be so loyal to one product that you miss savings on another one.  Compare the sales at your local stores.  Look at the coupons you have available and plan your trip.  Make a list and stick to that list.  Do not go to the store hungry because you will spend more money by putting more in your cart than what is on your list.  Avoid impulse buying.  Stores put candy, magazines, and such at the check out to encourage impulse buying.  Set goals and track your savings.

If you come to the checkout with two or more full shopping carts, your loyalty card, and an envelope full of coupons; you may want to break your order down into multiple orders to prevent the cash register from locking up on you.  Ask me how I know this one. I learned, the hard way, that cash registers operate on a spreadsheet type system.  They go by line spaces.  Once you use all of the line spaces the register locks down.

Coupons are as valuable as the cash you have in your hand.  Coupons = Dollars.  Some stores will double coupons.  I know my store will double coupons up to about 50 cents. What does this mean? If you have a coupons for 50 cents off of one item and your store doubles 50 cent coupons you are actually getting $1 off of that product. 

Couponing can equal the amount of time of a full time job.  It can be addicting!  Do not let it run your life.  You have to keep it in balance or it will take over.  It can also lead to hoarding.  These are things a lot of people do not consider or think about it, but they can happen.  Keep this in mind as you start your couponing hobby and savings.

Blessings and happy savings to all!
Regina

Unplanned Trips, Going Back to School, Degrees for Life Experiences

Good afternoon. I write to you today after a wonderful, unplanned weekend trip to Cherry Grove Beach, North Myrtle Beach, SC.  Having not been to the beach in over a year, we decided to take off and go.  We rode the four hours to the beach to find most every motel booked and the ones with vacancies were closed.  We rode for several more hours looking for somewhere to stay.  We started in South Myrtle Beach.  The home of The Bowery, where the famous country music group, Alabama, got their start.  This section of beach was packed to the max with only a couple of Vacancy signs flashing and offices locked up tight.  I had never thought about the possibility of a motel office being closed.  We were exhausted after working all day and riding all night.  We rode to North Myrtle Beach.  We found one hotel with a vacancy sign...it was next door to a "gentleman's club"! No way was I staying there with my daughters!  We stopped at a Best Western which was filled to capacity.  I asked her if she could recommend any other place in the area.  It was nearly 4 A.M. at this point.  She told us to go over a few streets and see what was available there.  I am so glad we followed her advice!  Doing so led us to La Dolce Vita Villas!  The motel owner was kind enough to crawl out of bed at four in the morning and show us her last available room.  It was perfect! It slept four, so there was enough room for my husband and myself as well as the kids.  It had a private bedroom, a futon sofa/bed in the living room and a full kitchen; not a kitchenette!  Among the amenities was free wireless internet connection.  They went above and beyond to make this stay a good one!

  If you are ever in the area and are looking for a great place to stay check them out!  You won't be sorry!  Do you bring your pets on vacation with you?  This is the place for you!  They are pet friendly. They do not charge extra for your pets and there aren't restrictions that you find in other places!

Thanks to their free wireless internet, I was able to check in on my school work. That's right, I said school work. I completed my first full week of classes last week. I am working on an Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology.  I am very excited to be returning to school. I chose to go to the University of Phoenix because their credits are transferable to other schools.  My experience with them so far has been nothing but good!  I feel they have a system that puts their students on the road to success!

This brings me to my next topic....Getting degrees for life experiences.  I was surprised when I first heard about this today, but it is something that you can truly do.  Someone came into my office today. We were discussing returning to school, the benefits it will offer you, the dedication and work involved with school work, etc.  He mentioned someone that he knows who went to the site below and got his degree.


www.affordabledegrees.com


It isn't buying a degree, although, I must admit that this is the first thought that came to my mind as I looked into it.  They are simply giving you class credit for the work and other experiences you have met in life.  There may be some classes required if your experience doesn't equal the requirements for the degree program.  It is much cheaper than returning to the classroom and you have your degree in about 14 business days.  This is interesting. I must admit it's not something I know a lot about. I am still looking into it.  I am enjoying my classes, so I can't even say it is something I would do...but the opportunity is there for others who may be interested.  These degrees come from an accredited school and the state recognizes and honors these degrees [at least SC does].  Do you know anyone who has gotten a degree this way?  What are your thoughts and opinions on earning a degree through life experiences rather than a classroom only setting?

I can hardly wait to hear from you all!  Please do comment as this is a  Do Follow Blog!

Blessings,

Regina

Week of Savings

Good afternoon!  I am writing to you this evening from my front patio.  I was blessed with a beautiful table for my patio.  It is so nice to sit out here and feel the breeze and listen to the crickets and the frogs...aahh the country life.

For about six months now I have been trying to find ways to save money. I started couponing back in January.  This has been a learning experience for me but one that I welcome! I mean, who doesn't like FREE stuff and saving money?

  I never realized just how much you can save using coupons!  Just this week alone I saved about $150 on my grocery bill, almost half of what I spent.  I am not as good as the ones on TLC's Extreme Couponing, but I am working my way there!  Check out some of my "LIKES" on my FACEBOOK page.  There are too many too mention them all, but check them out for ways to save on your grocery bill too!

Blessings and HAPPY SAVINGS TO YOU!
Regina

Trying Times...Hope Always There!!

This week has been a very hard week for me.  I watched childhood friends bury their oldest son.  Such a tragic loss of a young life, and then I faced  some trying times in my own family.  I won't go into the details but I will say this, there was a time this week when I thought this burden was too heavy and I just couldn't do it any more.  My heart was shattered into a million pieces and I didn't know if it could ever be put together again.  I have buried two children, and this pain I was experiencing was just as devastating to me as those losses. 



http://l337projects.com/2010/05/03/reason-8-why-i-want-to-meet-steve-pavlina/



I knew there were people praying for me. Some knew what we were going through, others didn't but still prayed.  It was through the power of their prayer and their wise council which helped to turn things around for me.  Have the circumstances changed? No, not completely, but that's OK, because MY OUTLOOK on it has changed! What I thought was hopeless wasn't.  When I cried out to God that this load was too heavy and I couldn't carry it anymore...He heard my cry!  He carried this load.



http://rwgracenotes.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-mend-broken-heart.html


He showed me that there is still HOPE!  He renewed my strength, my very spirit.  When I was overwhelmed, He calmed me.  When my spirit was troubled, He calmed the storming sea inside of me and brought me peace which surpasses all understanding.

We have a long way to go before we will be on the other side of this, but it will be OK!  We do not have to go through it alone. He is there to carry us through it all.

Friend, when your world is collapsing around you cry out to Jesus to lighten your load.  You have your life, you have your family.  Pull them close to you and thank God for the gift they are!  When someone tries to destroy your family, fight for them!  Let the world outside know that no matter what they are YOUR GIFT FROM GOD and you will not take them for granted and you will not sit back quietly and watch them be hurt.  Hang on tight to those blessings and know that you aren't alone in what you are facing!  Many others have walked a mile in your shoes. They understand how devastating this is to you and they are there to help you.  Don't lose site of the light at the end of the tunnel. It may be dimmed by the tears and the hurts, but it is there!  Pick yourself up, be willing to see the TRUTH even when it hurts, and decide to walk in that truth.

It was through the prayers that went up for me this week that I was able to see that light getting brighter and brighter.  The power of these prayers have shown me that the hurt was dimming my eyes.  Hurt is like a big bunch of briars in the wilderness.  They snag you and can hold you hostage.  Don't hang on to those hurts.  Release them.  As you do, they, too, will turn you loose.  You will walk out with scrapes and bruises, scratches and some scars, but YOU WILL WALK OUT into the LIGHT of LOVE and the arms of your family.

I pray that you will listen to the video below and find the hope buried in you!  Nothing is so big we can't overcome it. We can't do it alone, but we don't have too!  God is there to help us, and He puts family and friends in our lives to help us.  SEARCH FOR YOUR HOPE!  IT'S THERE!




Blessings to you all!

Regina