My 6 Month No Spend/Must Save Money Challenge

No more Paycheck to Paycheck! Going through life living this way is a real bust. Paid on Friday broke by Monday, and you still have to make it for another 2 weeks until you get paid again. Does this sound familiar to anyone? This is the position that I have found myself in for years. As much as I have used coupons and shop store deals, I have realized that these things alone will not be enough to stop this paycheck to paycheck hamster wheel that I am living in. I knew I had to make a change when I noticed that my kids would always say " Mama can we get this when you get paid?" or "Did you get paid this weekend?" I felt so bad, I realized that unknowingly, I am teaching my kids how to live a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. I knew that something had to change. I do not want my kids to grow up with this distorted concept of money. This got me to thinking that some serious and dire sacrifices are in order in my life effective immediately, which led me to this challenge that I will start that will run from 01/01/2016 until 07/01/2016. I wanted to give it an end date so I don't feel overwhelmed and defeated before I even start, but my plan is that once I have been doing this for 6 months, it will become a way of life for me. Now I know that some things will need to be tweaked along the way, but for 6 solid months this will be my life:

• No more eating out: Meals will be cooked at home, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
• No shopping: Whether it be clothes, shoes, hair products, makeup, NOTHING! Unless it is something that is absolutely necessary, and there is no substitute for it.
• Create a menu plan weekly: make a grocery list from that menu, grocery shop only from the list, and continue to use my coupons to help lower the cost of my groceries.
• Limit my grocery spending: I am challenging myself to only spend $125/week for all groceries, paper products, toiletries, and coupon deals(stock pile items), for my family of 3.
• Save $250/pay month: Dave Ramsey stated that everyone should have a $1000 emergency fund, for the rainy days that will come. This is on the top of my list, and should have been my first bullet point, but I have to do the previous 4 things in order to be able to save that amount. I'm hoping to meet this savings goal in 4 months (wish me luck)
• A small release: I have decided that I will allow $20 for family activities for the month, and $20 for pampering myself...now I know, I know, I'm supposed to be saving, but for me, it will seem easier to do, if the kids and I have something small to look forward to each month. 

Well that's it guys, this is the rules that I am challenging myself with, I would love if you guys could come along with me and make some savings/spending changes as well. Feel free to alter these goals to fit your lifestyle. Please comment below and let me know what your 2016 financial goals will be. If you can only do one goal, that is okay, it is one goal in the right direction. I will like to do weekly check ins on my progress on Saturdays, so tune in. Well that's all I have for now guys, until next time, I'm signing off, OSM.

Dollar Tree Deals

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in with a few photos of some great deals that I found at the Dollar Tree. I find it so hard to pay anything over $1 for certain things, when I know I can find it or something equivalent to it at the Dollar Tree. That's just me. Things like foil, toothbrushes and toothpaste, baking pans, laundry baskets, mop buckets, sandwich bags, gift bags, and the list could literally go on and on..........we would be here all day. I will just show you some of the things that I was able to capture during my short visit there (I have to make my trips short to keep from spending $100 at the Dollar tree)

Free food from Chick Fil-A on 59 and Kirby

Don't miss out on this great deals guys! Visit http://www.chick-fil-a.com/59atkirby and click on Events for more details. You may have to copy and paste the link in your web browser, if you are unable to access it from the link. Until next time, OSM

5 must have items when traveling with kids

This is a high travel time for most people going out to visit family and friends. Traveling alone is a task within itself, and then try doing it with kids, it’s truly a task. There are a lot of things to remember to have such as: boarding passes, Identification, all of your luggage, etc. Now imagine grabbing all of that, and 2 little ones as well as their belongings (oh my kids told me they’re not little ones anymore…lol). It’s very easy for the non-boarding necessity items to get lost in the shuffle. While you are packing and preparing for you trip, don’t forget some of these other key components that are also needed while flying with kids.

    1.     Entertainment: If you are going to be on a flight that is more than 1 hour long, you must have some form of entertainment for your kids. Whether it is books, electronics, card games, movies, puzzles, coloring books or music. (Check out the Dollar Tree, they are great for coloring books, puzzles, card games, and even chapter books. As a tip, give your child $5, and let them pick out 5 items to take on the plane with them) Children attention span is very small, so being confined to a plane with little or no movement allowed, can be daunting on kids. Make sure you have something that can keep their interest, and entertain them for the flight time. Or else your flight will not be a happy one.

    2.       Snacks: Okay so maybe your kids would be fine with the salted snacks and small drinks that they give you on the plane, mine are not! To them it is actually a ritual going to the store and purchasing snacks to take on the plane. (These snacks can also be purchased at The Dollar Tree) Remember you can’t bring drinks in the airport, so this is the only thing that will have to be purchased at the airport. As soon as we hit the plane, my kids tear into their snacks, so this is always a must have when we are traveling.

    3.       Disinfectant Wipes: I personally do not like my kids using public restrooms, just because of the unsanitariness (is that a word?) of it, but y’all know how kids are, when they gotta go, they gotta go. I love, love, love, the Clorox disinfectant wipes (you can get these at Walmart in the travel toiletry section for $1.00). They can fit in your purse or a small bag, and really come in handy in a pinch. They’re also good for wiping down the fold down table that you use on the plans as well as your kids electronics when exiting the plane. (Electronics harbor a lot of bacteria)

    4.       Extra Tissue: I always like to keep extra tissue handy. Whether it’s for blowing noses, wiping hands, or in the restroom if they have run out (which can happen!!) Tissue is always a necessity to have. You can get a 3 pack of Kleenex from Walmart for .99 cents.

    5.       Gum: Lastly gum. Simple right? As simple as it is, it is easy to be overlooked, because it’s a small detail, yet it is very much a necessity. There is nothing worse than a child with their ears popping as your ascending 10,000+ miles in the air. My kids know, as soon as the plane starts moving, to stick out their hands and receive their gum. It really helps. Even this flight, we were picking up on some turbulence, so the pilot had to ascend a little farther into the air, and immediately my daughter’s ears started popping, and she was begging for gum, and she wanted it right away!

So that’s it guys, my 5 must haves. I hope this is helpful to make your travels a little easier. Let me know what are some of your must haves when traveling with kids below. Until next time, I’m signing off, OSM

Excedrin deal at The Dollar Tree

Quick post to tell you how I got (4) 125 count Excedrin and only paid .75. Sooooo, in last Sunday's paper, there were these coupons in there:

Don't worry, if you did not get a paper, you can also go to www.coupons.com and collect this coupon (I think there is a 2 same coupon limit when printing, but don't quote me):

Well The Dollar Tree, has these 125 count Excedrin medicines in stock now. So $1 is already a great deal, but when you combine them with the coupons, it's like a steal. first you need to check with your local Dollar Tree for there coupon rules. My Dollar Tree discounted down my $1.50 coupon down to $1, stating that I could not get the full value of the coupon because it is more than the item, and they would not accept the $1 coupon, because they said that it was ONLY for the 80 count. (side eye). If you print your coupon off of www.coupons.com, you should not have an issue, because the coupon is valued at $1, and it states that it is for the 20ct or larger. So they valued my (3) $1.50 coupons down to a $1, and .25 cent was taken off for tax, so in the end, I received (4) 125 count Excedrin boxes for a total of .75. The proof is in the pudding.

Share your coupon story with me below, if you so choose to try this out. Until next time, signing off, OSM

Growing up as a kid who did not believe in Christmas was tough on me in my younger years, not the celebration of Christmas, but because I had to go back to school and hear about all of the wonderful gifts my classmates had received over the holidays. I'm not gonna lie, it made me feel slightly inferior and down right jealous that I had not received anything. I wouldn't dare to ask my parents to buy me a gift, so that I too, could embark upon this conversation of gifting, but I always wished that I could get just one thing, one thing that I could come back bragging about. As time went on I worried about it less and less, then not at all. I went on to have my own kids, and history has a funny way of repeating itself, because sure enough, that same feeling rang true for my kids as well.  The questions of, "why don't we have a tree?" "why don't we decorate with lights?" and "why don't we get any gifts?" were the questions I started to get from my children. Of course, I had to explain to them that we don't believe in Christmas and why we don't. Then an idea came to me that I felt would excite my kids without compromising our beliefs. A New Years Day Scavenger Hunt!! I explained to my kids that while we do not celebrate Christmas, the fact that we were allowed to see another year in Yahweh's creation is reason for a celebration. I took advantage of all of the after Christmas sales, and bought some gifts for the kids, wrapped them like presents, and hid them around the house with clues attached to them leading them to the next gift. (So no they didn't have a tree to look under, but the scavenger hunt was just as, if not, more exiting) My kids absolutely loved this hunt!!! It brought them so much joy, and they have looked forward to it every year since. It stopped the why, why, why questions in my kids, and also brought a smile to my face, and I think that it pacified some old feelings I may have harbored inside of me from my childhood, unknowingly. I hope this post is helpful for someone who has gone through or is going through something similar. Leave comments below on your thoughts and experiences growing up with or without Christmas. Until next time, I'm signing off, OSM

5 necessities when battling a cold

In this ever changing crazy winter season (at least in Houston), it is almost inevitable that you will get some sort of cold or cold related illness. After just battling one myself, my first must have is something that I should have gotten more of, but didn't, and it prolonged my cold. I have learned a very valuable lesson from this cold. You MUST take care of yourself. I took no time off from work, and I still tried to keep my kids schedule the same with all of their after school activities, and weekend fun, even though I was sick. This is an ongoing issue that us moms have to pay attention to: Take Care of Yourself!!!!

1. Rest-Rest is the most important of the must haves. When you neglect your body of the proper rest,it delays the healing process (I learned this the hard way). The suggested amount of sleep that we get is 8 hours, well that's on a normal night, when battling a cold, you need anywhere from 10-12 hours, as your body is taking up more energy to fight off this cold. (give your body a break!)

2. Your favorite cold medicine.-Now I have always been the type that did not like to take cold medicine. I would always let my colds go away on their own, but not this time! I took the Daytime/Nighttime Cold Gel Tabs by Equate, and I must say it worked wonders!! I started to notice an improvement within hours, and it made me wonder, what the heck have I been thinking about all these years?!?!


3. Hand Sanitizer. This is also a must have and for obvious reasons. With all of the coughing, sneezing, sniffling, and nose blowing, there are a few germs buzzing around all of that. A nice travel size bottle of hand sanitizer will work wonders, and also keep from extending your cold longer, by you reintroducing more germs to your immune system.


4. Kleenex. Speaking of coughing, sneezing, sniffling, and blowing your nose.You need a pack of Kleenex nearby at all times. Besides needing it for sanitary reasons, you don't want to be walking around using your hand or sleeve of your shirt to catch those bodily fluids now do you? They come 3 small packs in a bundle for .97 cent at Walmart at the check out counter. Get you some.


5. A Great Lemon Tea. A great Lemon Tea with Honey and Lemon is a great drink to have when you are battling a cold. The warmness soothes your throat, which you need after all of that coughing, and it also gives a warm sensation to your body and promotes rest (which we have already talked about). For now there is a $1.00 coupon off of Lipton teabag teas on www.coupons.com.


Well guys that's all for now, I hoped these helped. If you have any must haves that you use, please share them in the comments section. Until next time, Signing off, OSM

5 Free Kid Activities to do in Houston

Hello moms! I don’t know about you, but I love to find deals that I can do with my kids that won’t break the bank. One thing that I love about Houston is the vast amount of kid’s activities that you can find at a low cost or no cost. Today we are talking about no-cost things, which is my favorite!

1.       Discovery Green’s “Screen on the Green”

OMG guys, I love this place!  Discovery green which is a wonderful park that offers many different activities at various days and times. Their events website is: http://www.discoverygreen.com/ebevents, check it out when you get a chance. Now back to the “Screen on the Green”, this is an activity, that’s being held on Thursday nights now (during the warmer months, they do it on Saturdays). It’s basically an outdoor movie theater, it’s absolutely free, no limit on the amount of people you can bring, and the best part about it is that you get to bring your own food. Pack a picnic basket/bag full of food and beverages, some blankets (extra blankets now), and also a folding chair, if you prefer to sit in a chair over the blankets.  Now it’s a little chilly now, so if you don’t like the cold weather, now is not the time for you to go, but if you don’t mind the cool breeze, and are looking for something to do during the week with the kids, this is a great outing. Now if you have a few extra dollars to spend, they also sell food, drinks, beer and wine. You cannot bring your own alcohol or any glass containers. They are located at 1500 McKinney (Downtown Houston), Houston, TX 77010, try to arrive a few minutes earlier to get good parking.

Tonight’s 12/03/2015 feature film is: The Polar Express, and it will be running from 7:00-8:30PM.

2.        Houston Museum of Contemporary Craft

Another great option for an outing with the kids, that is both educational and entertaining. On the first Saturday of every month, the HMCC, hosts an event called: Hands on Houston, where are art expert teaches you and your children how to paint, sculpt, or assemble some type of craft. All of the supplies are provided to you when you arrive, and there is no need to make an apt or call ahead, you can just drop in (Yes that’s how they roll). There is a new project each month, and the different times that we have been my kids have loved it each time. They are located at 4848 Main Street (mid-town Houston), Houston, TX 77002, and their events website is: http://www.crafthouston.org/events/. Check out the website at the top of each month to see what new projects will be taught for the month. This activity is ideal for the 5-12 aged kids, but younger kids and older kids can enjoy it as well. The activity runs from 11:00AM-3:00PM.

This month’s project is decorating wooden toy trains, and it will be held on this Saturday, 12/05/2015

3.       The Houston Children’s Museum

Now unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Houston has one of the best Children’s Museums ever! With a vast amount of indoor and outdoor activities for the kids to enjoy, TCM is a great place to bring the kids out to let off some of that end of the school week steam out. TCM also have activities that are both educational and entertaining. Now the last time that we went I noticed that my 11-year-old son was not having “as much” fun as he used to have, so I guess he feels that he is “getting too old” for TCM, so I would say the ideal age is between 4-10, but again it’s still a great outing for the whole family. And guess what, every Thursday night, from 5:00-8:00PM, it is Family and Friends night, and it is absolutely free to attend. Check out their website at http://www.cmhouston.org/calendar. TCM is located at 1500 Binz Street, Houston, TX 77004 (Downtown Houston). Parking in the TCM’s parking lot will cost you, but there is tons of free street parking after 6:00PM

4.       The Houston Zoo

Every first Tuesday of the month, the Houston Zoo allows free admission from 12 noon until closing which is at 5:00PM (last entrance allowed at 4:00PM). Since the kids will be out of school for the winter break, January 5^th, 2016 will be a perfect day to go out, and let the kids see, feed, and play with the animals. You can also check out other events and they’re daily schedule at their website: http://www.houstonzoo.org/plan-your-visit/events-calendar/. The Zoo is located at 6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030. Free parking outside of the Zoo’s main entrance.

5.       Discovery Green’s “Young Writers Workshop”

I love, love, love this program. Every single Saturday from 10:30-11:30AM, the Discovery Green Park offers this free young writers program, that helps kids with using their imagination and creativity by writing stories based on fictional situations. They write for about 30 minutes, and then the kids (if they want to) get to share their writings with the other young writers and the parents. This program helps kids on so many different levels: it allows them to explore their creative mind in a non-academic atmosphere with no pressure to make a “good grade”; it also allows them to build relationship with other children in a structured yet playful environment; it also builds the kids confidence to be able to present their ideas and imagination in front of other kids and adults, with no judgement or right or wrong way of doing it, and in a care-free environment. This activity is a must do, the age range here is more so for the 7-13 kid range.

Well ladies, I hope this has been helpful, and I will continue to share any resources that I find out about with you. Until next time, I'm signing off, OSM

3 Tips for Dealing with Mommy Guilt!

Meet the One Single Mom

Hello loves! My name is Marshall. I'm an a single mother of 2, a foodie enthusiast, an avid couponer, an aspiring glam girl, a writer, and a blogger, just to name a few things. Did I also mention that I'm looking for love and trying to live a minimalist-ish lifestyle? A mouthful right? I know, but such is the life of One Single Mom. Juggling the kids, work, and still trying to have a fulfilled personal life can get hectic on a single mom. I wanted to start this blog to document and share my journey through life's experiences, while building a community filled with support, encouragement, and real life advice for all of the fellow single mom's out there like me trying to get our ish together. Come along with me while I live an authentic and transparent life and share my experiences/advice/lessons learned along the way. Be sure to comment below and share this with other others that will benefit from this. Also share with me know your experiences,  advice, and mommy tips. Until next time,  Signing off, OSM