Outlook

My husband and I are facing life changing decisions.

The truth is that there are a number of children who call me grandma, and I love it.

With that title comes change. Slow at first, then all of a sudden it is like a steaming train quickly chugging down the track.

The calendar is counting down birthdays that have double digit numbers that add together near the number 100, sometimes more than 100, and 100 is the magic number that says you get to stay home and be a full time grandparent instead of going to work every day.

We are finding that going to work every day is getting in the way of our life.

We are finding that going to work every day to earn money to keep us going is not necessarily the only way to keep money coming into the household at this point.

For years we have tried to save for our old age, and as we look in the mirror we are starting to notice that our old age might be showing up.

So many questions--have we saved enough??

Will we have activities to fill our days??

Do we have the mental and physical capacity to keep going to work??

The thoughts are exciting and frightening at the same time.

So many changes on the horizon to become debt free and self sufficient.

We have been reminded that sometimes you have to take a giant leap of faith in reaching a goal, that two little jumps just will not take you across a large chasm.

On the other side of the chasm I see 16 little ones waiting with open arms to receive more of our time.

A giant leap of faith. Need to get all of my ducks and dollars all in a row.

Coupons

I have a daughter who is a whiz with money. I always knew she could stretch a dollar, but now she seems to be doubling and tripling them.

She is a full time mom with three little children. Her husband works hard to provide for his family. Teri works hard to make the most of what he earns.

She has started clipping coupons and is amazing with her notebook and knowledge of a good deal.

I took a class the other day to help me understand how it works and it is another one of those new tricks this old dog has trouble keeping up with. One phrase in the class that I understood was that you do not buy fruit out of season--you pay too much and it does not taste as good. Well, couponing is buying in season. If there is a sale and you have one or two coupons to 'stack', then that item is in season and ripe for the picking.

All of a sudden, Teri's pantry is full. Her excitement is contagious, and she is willing to help me and her sisters learn.

Yesterday, she helped me find a stack of coupons and wrote the grocery list for me. I went to the store and found the items in the appropriate numbers. I had to purchase a certain number to qualify for the $5 gift card. I do not retain in my brain (grand children burn brain cells at birth--or maybe the cells trashed by their parents during the teenage years just get dumped??) like I used to so I need to go over it a few times. Finally I reached check out and had the oh-oh moment I was expecting, it wasn't too difficult or embarrassing--I picked a wonderful store to shop at--and I was on my way home with my $150 worth of groceries for just $41.

Teri was excited for me. She asked if I felt energized by the experience and I told her NO! I felt overwhelmed and confused, but happy to have a freezer full of veggies for a fraction of what I usually pay. She encourages me with the same words I used to tell her when a task was difficult:

It will get easier with practice

She is right. I think her dad will get this job after he retires. He is worried about the finances in retirement and this is the full time job at home he can have.

One of the clerks at a store Teri shops at mentioned her expertise at couponing and asked why she took the time and effort? She replied that it was her full time job to stretch the dollars her husband provided.

Job well done.