So I have managed to get my coupons back in order, started shopping smart again and have removed all of my credit cards from my wallet to keep myself from using them on a whim-something I tend to be really horrible about.  For me, it's never about "Oh, I have to have that!", it's always "That is an awesome deal!".  The problem is I tend to forget about the interest I will be paying in the end, so it's really not that great of a deal if I use my credit card. 

I am going to work on getting my shopping trips typed up so you can see how it works for me, but it may take a few days as I have quite a bit of homework due this week, so I apologize for the delay.

The who, what, where and why

Let me start by saying that my name isn't really Ethel.  It's a nickname my husband of 18 years gave me when we were first dating, so when working on a blog name, it seemed appropriate.  I have contemplated started a blog for over a year now, but life kept getting in the way. I wanted to do this blog for two reasons-to help others and to help myself.

I am the mother of 3 girls-ages 17, 13 and 4.  I am currently enrolled full time for my Associate's in Health Information Technology and working part-time for LionBridge.  My life, just like everyone else's is hectic and crazy.  As a mother and a wife, I am passionate about my family in addition to saving money on our everyday needs and the anti-fracking movement.  With a family of 5, I need to save as much as I can, but I also need to ensure that everything we have worked for will not be destroyed by the gas industry.  We live in a rural area, something I never thought I would contemplate leaving, but the gas industry is definitely causing me to rethink that. 

My goal for 2013 is to get out of debt, get some money in a savings and complete my Christmas shopping as close to free as possible and want to share every step of this with all of you!

I have moderated a freebie message board and a work-at-home jobs message board in the past, so I'm hoping to bring some of that to you also!  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions!