About

Whipping Up Some Cookies!

A little about myself.  I am blessed to have a loving husband and two beautiful children.  The greatest gift my husband gave me was allowing me to stay home with our children.  They keep me busy, but they keep me going.

I’m a typical mom trying to balance life: God, family, friends, my home, laundry, menu planning, and saving a buck or two along the way.  I have up days and down days.  Some days all I want to do is play with my kids.  So some days that’s what I do!  My son(Peyton) is two and my baby girl(Abbie) is 11 months.  They are growing way too fast.  I believe my biggest job is to train my children in the ways of the Lord and be an example to them.

I started DenverMetroMoms to help others in the Denver area save money on everyday items, find inexpensive meal ideas, tips for stretching your budget, become debt free, and have family fun!  I hope by reading DenverMetroMoms you’ll learn how to save money and be able to save more!

In May 2007 our son was born which meant I was no longer working outside the home. Since we only had one income we had to take a closer look at our expenses, and I received a monthly food budget. It was a change! Not only was it much lower than before; it now included diapers and other baby necessities!

Over the next year and a half I had to be creative, but thankfully we had a store with low prices on fresh produce, dairy, and canned foods. I always thought generics were cheaper and didn’t think I would buy the items with coupons. Boy was I wrong! In February 2009 I was searching for ideas to stretch my dollar. Our second child was born in January so now I had two children in diapers and the same grocery budget! I came across a blog similar to this one that had tips on living frugal and using coupons.

In April 2009 we moved to the Denver area and I subscribed to the Sunday Denver Post. I get coupons every week now, and I love it! I want to share with you how I feed my family of four and buy household products on approximately $40 per week. 

I’m not perfect and I don’t always buy everything on sale especially when I’m not prepared(and I kick myself).  The thing I’ve learned about saving money and stretching your dollar is to take it in small steps.  I didn’t do it all in a week.  It’s taken a lot of time and planning.  Start small.  We can’t do it all(I have to tell myself that all the time).  We won’t make it to every deal(and that’s ok) and we won’t always have a plan for dinner, but we can have fun trying and learning!

I’m excited to start helping you save time and money!  Take a baby step and sketch out a menu plan for this week using some of the items you have in your fridge, freezer, or pantry and what items are on sale.  Then make a shopping trip to get whatever items you may need.  I guarantee you will feel better and won’t have that dreadful question of “what’s for supper/dinner tonight!”  You’ll already know and have all the things you need-I bet you’ll save a buck or two too!  Have fun!

Please feel free to contact me here with any questions, suggestions, or deals you find!

Danielle

And I’m Erica.  I have been a loyal subscriber to Denver Metro Moms almost since the beginning. When Danielle posted that she was planning to leave Denver I contacted her to try to fill the void when she left.  She really has helped my family with her strategies and  advice and hopefully I can achieve even a portion of what she did.  I am a mom of a ‘tween and a toddler so I think I know some of the issues that our readers struggle with.  My family relocated to the Denver area in 2008 in an attempt to get our family into a more wholesome enviroment  and I have been so impressed with the people I have met here.   My husband and I are both in Real Estate Development and when the downturn came it was a very challenging time.  I had never considered the idea of staying home and raising babies.  It didn’t seem possible and I worried that I could handle being around kids all day, every day.  By the time our son was on the way my husband and I were able to come to an understanding that I just had to be mom and that everything else came after. Letting go of a career you have grown up in is hard to do but not nearly as hard as saying goodbye to your kids every morning. So I am a reforming “Undomestic Goddess” and am totally in love with doing all this mom stuff. Using coupons and learning to be smart with my money has been so empowering and has transformed my life.  Hopefully I can be a guide and share my tips to help you do the same.      

Erica