Already there have been several Forget the Joneses success stories circulating on the site. Who didn't ready about Stormy and her savings of $1800 already? Click here:
We've saved 1800 so far with FTJ Project

Or BESTMOMMYSAVER paying off her credit cards? Click here: Paid All My Credit Cards!!!!!!!

If you have a success story (big or small), please share it with us. You will be inspiring thousands of other members to achieve the same success!

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Here are some stories about members who have experienced unexpected benefits from FTJ:
~ Optimistic about New Years "pact" with DH!! ~

(My own dh):
Unexpected benefit

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My MIL's birthday is the 24th, which is right after the spending freeze ends, but I decided I was going to do my best not to spend any money on her birthday. She's very materialistic and I never know what to get her anyway, I always feel it's inadequate. So I used some of my Coke rewards and got her a Kodak calendar (I did pay $5 shipping.) and it is great! I've filled it with pictures of my kids through the year, matching the month, ending with our big family group picture in December. I've also decided that now is the time to finish a project she asked us to do more than a year ago...scan some pictures. So I'll give her some CDs with pictures and her calendar!

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Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. ~Oscar Wilde

Since join this site I have been help greatly with cutting down on my groceries. Starting the FTJ project has been an additional help. I have learned to really think about our needs and wants. I'm also learning self-discipline when it comes to spending. Well, last Friday the 4th after paying all our bills not including food our family as left with $37.00. A few months ago I would of freak out. I would not have known how to use that $37.00 to feed my family of four. I would of taken from a bill so that I could get groceries, which would put us deeper in a hole.

This time I did not freak out I used the principals that I learn since joining the site. I was only four days into the freeze, but in those four days I had learned enough about my needs, wants and discipline to be able to use my $37.00 wisely. I did not need to take money from our bills. Using what I already had and really seeing what we needed we were able to eat good for a week off of $37.00,same thing goes for this week.

So I don't have any extra money since starting the FTJ project but I'm able to make ends meet during this slow season for my dh work. I wish I knew about this site earlier.

My mom's birthday was yesterday and I spent all week trying to figure out what I was going to do for her. I normally go buy her something and it just gets added to her collection of "Stuff".

I received a poem thru email written by a 17 year old cancer patient callled Slow Dance that was very touching. So I typed it up and matted the poem with some scrapbook paper I have and framed it in a frame I had. The present cost me nothing, and my mom was so touched by the poem and it's meaning that she couldn't even finish it without crying. She said it was the best present I could of gotten her. That meant alot.

Thank you MommySavers and FTJ.

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"God determines who walks into your life…
it’s up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay and who you refuse to let go." - Anonymous

Yesterday ~ I put ALL the scrapbooking items I was going to buy (on clearance) back! Doesn't seem like a big feat, but if you are a scrapbooker, you will understand how much of a success this was!

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Our groceries have been like the widow's jar of oil.

There is a story in 2 Kings about a widow who had nothing left but a jar of oil and and she poured out the oil into new jars the oil kept flowing, enough for her to have lots and sell the remainder. When we started this project the plan was to eat through the cupboards. I didn't think we'd last 3 days (I don't stock up much), but it's lasted two weeks and I'm still finding meals in there. I've saved hundreds of dollars on groceries that would have sat there probably for years because my cupboards had a ingredients that I didn't generally use day to day .. lentils, navy beans, barley, crackers, lots of half packages of different kinds of pasta. I'm wondering just how long it's going to last but so far, with a little creativity, I've been able to stretch what I already have much farther than I ever could have imagined.

2 Kings 1-7

Elisha Helps a Poor Widow

1 One day the widow of one of the LORD's prophets said to Elisha, "You know that before my husband died, he was a follower of yours and a worshiper of the LORD. But he owed a man some money, and now that man is on his way to take my two sons as his slaves."

2"Maybe there's something I can do to help," Elisha said. "What do you have in your house?"

"Sir, I have nothing but a small bottle of olive oil."

3Elisha told her, "Ask your neighbors for their empty jars. And after you've borrowed as many as you can, 4go home and shut the door behind you and your sons. Then begin filling the jars with oil and set each one aside as you fill it."

5The woman left.

Later, when she and her sons were back inside their house, the two sons brought her the jars, and she began filling them.

6At last, she said to one of her sons, "Bring me another jar."

"We don't have any more," he answered, and the oil stopped flowing from the small bottle.

7After she told Elisha what had happened, he said, "Sell the oil and use part of the money to pay what you owe the man. You and your sons can live on what is left."

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Mom to dd (age 9) and ds (age 11)
blogging daily about purpose and personal identity

I was also able to stretch my groceries very well for the first 12 days. However, yesterday I had NO food left and I ended up spending $212 at the grocery store. Ouch! And that is with no junk food and no cokes. But I did realize when I filled up my car this morning that I had just gone 14 days on $25 of gas. That is amazing! I usually spend that much a week. So that was a nice little unexpected bonus from all of this staying home we have been doing. I'm thinking I can save a tank a month, or around $50, just by paying attention and not running to different shops all around the city.

I forgot another great bonus - I won't call it a success quite yet but we are well on our way - my ds started showing signs of wanting to potty train right around the time the spending freeze got started. I put him in pullups and he has been doing great. We have been home so much that it has been easy to tackle. He is only needing new pullups after nap and in the morning, so I am about to start saving lots of money on diapers. Yay!

Now that you mentioned this, we saved a lot of money, too, when our kids were potty training...because it's the easiest to potty train when you stick around the house the first few days. Great success story! Saving money more ways than one!