We survived our first year of homeschool

Whew! We made it. It's over, we officially have a 4th grader, Kindergartener and a preschooler. It was rough going, stressful at times. I heard a lot of
"I can't do this"
"I hate school"
"This is too hard"
"I don't want to"
"This isn't fun"
Some which came out of my mouth. But we stuck it out and finally finished. I feel the expectations were not met on a lot of things but that's ok. I know there's a ton to improve on and change, as a family we are working together to make it all worth it and I am excited to start another year!! There's lots more in store at DCA homeschool and I'll be sharing it all on my Instagram! So don't forget to follow me to keep up with the Doerrlers.

Dare to compare

A year ago I posted the first pictures of our new house and I thought it would be fun to compare and see how far we've come!

Front room/entry

Eat in kitchen

Kitchen

School room/extra room

Living room

Our room we switched with the boys

Sarin's room

Living on less and being Content with what you have

I figured this topic would be good since we're going through our toughest time of the year financially.
I feel like we have struggled financially for 95% of our 10.5 years of marriage. (Exception of getting taxes back) I told the story of when we were at rock bottom and at one point having $0 in our bank account. That was a turning point in our marriage, and not just financially. I had been in charge of our money for those first six years and me being the spendy one and not being good with money that obviously wasn't the best choice!
Mark stepped in and we began our journey of turning our finances around by starting a budget and learning where all our money was going. It did help and we slowly got the hang of it. We even followed the cash system for a while which also seemed to help.
We have had emergency funds but they don't last very long and we don't replenish them like we should. We used cash but when it ran out we'd take it from somewhere else like we shouldn't. We've had to skip bills and pay twice the next month. It wasn't until this past summer that we got our first credit card only to put the major expense of Mark's truck's transmission on it. After having multiple vehicle repairs, dental, contacts and glasses along with the truck payment we have racked up more debt in the last year than in our 10 years combined!
So deperate times call for desperate measures. But what do we do now when we are still struggling? Come up with a different plan!
Just this week we had no money left in the budget, with a date night, Valentine's and Kyron's birthday what were we going to do?!
We used the resources that we had. First we cashed in our change jar. We ate supper before our date, then went thrift shopping and I got a pair of nice dress pants and a couple shirts for under $8. (None of my clothes fit!) Then we were able to get the kids some balloons and chocolate for Valentine's at the dollar store. We were able to check out Discovery center passes (a science museum) at the library to take the kids for Kyron's birthday. Lastly, I went through my cupboards and posted some stuff for sale on Facebook to make a little extra money for extra groceries which we will need before we get paid again. I even made some cupcakes for a friend's son's birthday to make a few bucks.
Every effort counts. Even after taking to a friend she suggested I apply for food stamps. After the 40 minute interview and felling like this was the answer to a problem we've had for a while she told us that our gross income was just over the limit! Seriously?! I was angry at first, not only because we don't live off the gross but that I thought this was the answer, the plan, the way that would help us finally pay our bills on time especially in the worst month for us financially.
I came to the realization, we were going to be ok! If we've never been on food stamps before, why would we need them now? Yes, it would have made us a little more comfortable, but God doesn't call us to live comfortably, He calls us to trust Him. He asks us to be good stewards with our money, not waste what He's given us on worthless possessions. "Where your treasures is there will your heart be also." Matt. 6:21 Our goal is to give our money to God and those in need. God also wants us to test Him! He wants to use that money for more than you could ever imagine, so let Him show you that and He will overflow you with blessings.
We have paid tithe throughout our entire marriage, and God has always provided for our needs. We believe that God has given us the ability to work and make money, and therefore He deserves for us to let Him use the money for His good.
Living on less requires sacrifice. Some of which we don't miss, others are a convenience and some a "keeping up with the Jones" status.
What are some things we sacrifice? Well these are just a few but we have found ways to cut back on spending by:
Having No cable
We don't eat out (except on dates 1 time a month)
I don't get my hair/nails/massage professionally done (unless it's a gift)
We don't go to the movies (unless it's a date)
I shop at Aldi
We don't buy new cars (only have had two car payments in 10 years with having 10 vehicles)
I don't jump on the newest direct sales kick (It's all about what you really need and can get by without)
I thrift shop for clothes (and other household items)
My husband makes a lot of things from wood for me around the house
I re-use and repurpose things (use what you have)
We use the food pantry at church
We buy things cheap/used or discounted
We hardly do subscriptions (got rid of netflix, honest company) I do have a clothing one but only bought one thing and haven't used it again because we haven't had the money
We don't use store cards (unless we can pay for it then and there's a sale) haven't used them in a year
Don't have credit cards (just the one with the transmission on it)
Declutter and get rid of things you don't use (sell to make a little cash)
Mark does our oil changes and is able to replace a few parts on our vehicles
I cut everyone's hair except my own(only had to do Sarin once, had a friend do mine last summer)
Find ways to make a little extra and put it towards your debt or cut back on expenses and put that money aside. Think about all the money you could save!!!
I'm sure I'll think of more when I post this but you get the idea. We find ways to make it work, if we don't have the money we don't buy something. All our extra money needs to go to debt right now and in the next couple months we have a great plan in place to help us achieve goals for ourselves financially. While saving up to do things we want. I'd love to hear anything you do to save a little money!! It's always cool to see other creative ideas that people come up with!

THM Meals

Welcome to the new year! I know lots of us make resolutions we don't stick to and each year we say this is the year I'm going to do it! Well since starting Trim Healthy Mama which I've talked a little about I feel like I should try a little harder to tackle some other things I've never been able to stick to. Meal planning and saving money! Sounds easy enough right? Well everyone's budget is different and everyone's debt is different and everyone eats differently. But I thought I'd share with you my meal plan for our first paycheck in the new year to give you an insight to what types of food we eat :-)
I'm going to be listing them with their recipe as a picture since they are all in the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook!
When I make a meal plan it's more of a guideline, as in, I don't have a set meal on a set day, it's a list of meals I make whenever it feels right, or need something quick or I have ingredients that won't last long and need to use them first. So it's a loose plan but I make a list of meals and groceries based off what I already have in the house making sure to not get more than I need which helps me to save money!
I try to always have a soup and double it to make it last longer. And try and do a meatless meal to cut down on prices for meat.
So here it goes
Dinners:
Tomato bisque 93

Fatato soup 117

Fajitas 53

Swedish meatballs 61

Asian stir fry 84

Mini meatloaf 155

Chicken parm 161

Pizza 211

Usually soups last three days, all meals are leftover for Mark for lunch and us if there is any. A main choice for lunches are sandwiches or I'll make up a salad for myself with (on a good day) lettuce, cheese, canned chicken, tomatoes, green pepper, bacon and hard boiled eggs with dressing. I've made my own ranch but have some store bought on plan stuff I'm using up first.
Breakfasts:
Cookie oatmeal 249

Granola crunch 255

Giant pancake 261

Chocolate waffles 265

Egg muffins 237

The kids love cereal so that's a go to for them if I don't make anything. Otherwise oatmeal or pancakes (not on plan) or leftovers from other breakfasts for them, and I have eggs with bacon. Most mornings I have a cup of coffee (if it's an S meal) with my homemade creamer.
Desserts:
Chocolate Zucchini cake 296

Peanut butter brownies 315

Ice cream 363

I don't normally have desserts but because of a few epic fails around Christmas I thought I'd give some baking a try (most treats I've tried were no bake) and who doesn't love dessert anyway?!
Snacks:
Thinnies 455

Gluccie pudding 351

Fat stripping frappa 418

Baked tortillas w/salsa
Wasa crackers with laughing cow cheese

I'm interested to see if anyone has tried THM and if you have had any recipes you've loved?!

Week four of Advent

We made it past the Advent season. During which time we made new traditions and shared memories the kids will remember for years to come!
Here's a look back at our final week:
We finished our bird feeders just need to hang them up!

Made personalized mugs for hot chocolate.

Looked at Christmas lights around town while eating popcorn chicken ;-) Something I did as a kid. (One time but thought it was memorable)

All of these were set to a radio station and had the lights blink to the songs. The kids love Christmas music! There was one that even had a line that went for blocks. It was definitely the best one ;-)

We watched more Christmas movies and had popcorn.
Played some new games we got for Christmas. 

Video chatted with Mark's family while his dad read the Christmas story.

Opened stockings.

Had a PJ happy birthday party for Jesus at church!
Acted out our own Christmas story.

Open presents scavenger hunt style and just had a relaxing time as a family.

We hope your family had safe travels and enjoyed a stress free Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus!