Mar. 4, 2007 - Like a Rollercoaster
It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Things have been like a rollercoaster around here lately. I just wanted to take this opportunity to pop on and say hello...let you know we are still alive and well. The kids and I are all doing okay, but we've had alot of personal things going on and school has been happening, but on a less traveled path lately.
My main rule has been that something educational must be taking place during regular school ours. The only "Must-Do's" I've demanded are Math, Bible, Writing and lots of reading... They have to turn in one essay each week and spend at least an hour a day reading. Then their math and bible are just keeping up with their regular lessons. Other than that, they can work in their text books, educational video's, educational software, I don't care...just do something educationally productive. Aside from that, all they have to do is log everything they do so that they can turn it in at the end of the week...I think this actually motivates them to keep busy and not try to slack off.
It's actually worked out really beautifully! And the best part has been nobody fighting over computers (we share two), kids working together on projects, quiet reading and independent studying, etc. I hope to have things back to normal in another week or so, but it has goneover much better than I had anticipated--praise God!
I hope everyone has been doing well and I can't wait to be able to spend more time online again and reading up on everyone's blogs.
Until next time...
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Jan. 27, 2007 - Challenge: Cut Back on the Grocery Budget Blues!
The what? That's right..."The Grocery Budget Blues!" Do you get blue from all the spending your family does just to eat? Are you sick of spending and arm and a leg every month just to feed your precious crew? Do you have other bills that need attention, but you just can't seem to squeeze any money out of your paycheck to get to them? Have you looked at your grocery budget lately?
Are you throwing food away? Is the majority of your spending on processed foods? You know the kind...boxed dinners, jars of gravy, frozen veggies with sauce in the package, frozen pizzas or lasagna, cans of soup, frozen fried chicken, frozen pancakes or waffles, Bisquick or pancake mix, etc.? If you are, you can save so much by simply making these same items yourself from scratch. Does the thought of cooking from scratch scare you? If it does, it's probably just because you've never really had a lot of experience with it because it is not hard! It's unfamiliar, not difficult, and certainly not impossible!
Many people are under the false misconception that cooking from scratch takes so much more time, or is so hard. If you aren't used to it, it's not in your comfort zone, but like anything else, when given time, it will be. After you do it a few times, it will become like second nature to you. Try it and see for yourself! Hey, this could even be fun!
Let's take a look at some of the basic principles that can help you cut your spending down. Just by implementing a couple of them, you could start to notice a big difference in your monthly spending.
Basic Principles:
*Do not waste. It's like throwing money out the window! If you have even a small amount of leftover food from a meal, toss it in a freezer bag or small container in your freezer. Save it until the next time you make soup, casserole or a stir-fry. You may want to keep them in separate bowl/bags...veggies in one, rice, beans & pasta in another, meat in a third, and bread in another for making bread crumbs, croutons, etc. Some people keep them all in one and that's okay too, just depends on your taste and cooking style.
*Keep a price book---either mentally, or on paper. Know a good buy when you see one! Then buy extra so you can hopefully avoid buying it again until it goes back on sale. Then you are never paying full price. Buying Loss Leaders (good buys/sale items) helps you to get the most for your money.
*Bring a list. Helps you stay organized and avoid over spending.
*Try to minimize your trips to the grocery store. The less trips you make, the less opportunity you have for over spending!
*Stock up your pantry and freezer with the loss leaders. A well stocked pantry helps you avoid overspending and when it's stocked using loss leaders, it helps save you so much money! Remember to rotate your stock so that you are using the items bought first, before the items bought last. The same way you would milk in the fridge.
*Cooking from scratch--healthier and cost less. There are a ton of great recipes and ideas on the internet, as well as in the book store or your local library. You can make pancakes or biscuits from scratch so much cheaper than buying a mix or premade frozen. Same thing for gravy, helper type boxed meals, or fried chicken, etc. It's cheaper and healthier-forget about all that sodium!
*A weekly menu plan to follow and shop for. It will help you immensely to write your list if you know exactly what you'll be needing, and it will help avoid waste as well.
*Keep kitchen organized. Organization is key to a happy kitchen!
*Involve the family. I find that kids love to feel needed and help out. If they feel like they are contributing, they may be much more willing to help and enjoy the process along the way.
*Take lunches whenever possible to avoid eating out and wasting money.
*Avoid the temptation to order in or eat out--the freezer is your friend! Make some extra meals next time and freeze it in the freezer for a night when nobody wants to cook. If most of the work is done for you, and you only need to warm it up, you may find that much easier to avoid the temptation of just ordering in instead! Some great ideas for frozen dinners are chili, soup, casserole, lasagna, etc. Some things are better off not frozen, so do your research and be happy you can learn much of this from other peoples mistakes and not by trial and error. There are a TON of great websites and books out there! Try Once A Month Cooking, you will find a ton of great information and recipes in there!
I know there are people out there who have no concern over their grocery spending, simply because they don't need to, but those people are very unlikely to be here now, reading this! For the rest of you... I know there is something else you'd rather spend your money on, than to waste it unnecessarily. There are too many starving people in the world, to be wasting food. Imagine if you could save $100. a month on your normal spending, that's $1200. a year and is plenty enough for a nice little mini-vacation, or who knows what else...maybe pay off a credit card?
I challenge those of you who are not already taking steps to cut back, to really commit yourself to the challenge of cutting down your unnecessary spending. I recommend starting small by implementing just a couple of the principles and don't try to overwhelm yourself too much at one time. Slow and steady is best for long term success and satisfaction. Maybe start with just one or two meals a week and see how that goes. After awhile you'll find what works well for you and your family and just take it from there.
Keep a journal and log all of your spending for an entire month.. You may be surprised to see how much you really spend! Be sure to drop in and let us know how you're doing and what successes you've had. Don't be discouraged if you splurge here and there...we all need that once in awhile and the most impotant thing is the successes you HAVE made, not the ones you haven't--don't be too hard on yourself, instead give yourself a big pat on the back and say, "good job!":-)
You may like to keep a savings jar in your kitchen and every time you do something that saves you over what you would normally have spent, you can put the money in the jar along with a note of how you saved it, then watch it grow!
I have learned over the years myself and have grown to enjoy the challenge myself, I hope you will too. I am a single mother with four children. I know I can easily and comfortably feed my family for $350 or $400. a month even without using what I already have on hand if need be. In fact, I know without a doubt that I could do it on quite a bit less than that if I had too, but for myself and my family, we have found a comfort level that works well for us and still allows for some occasional splurging now and then.
I also believe in keeping our menus healthy and that the lower you go, that eventually you have to start cutting out the nutrition and I don't care to do that. I find that if done very carefully, I could feed my family on about $300 a month and still maintain a healthy diet, but it would require a strong commitment and determination to really buckle down. It would also require us eating less of the foods we really enjoy. I will add though, that if I had a garden, that could be done much easier and on even less. It also depends of course, on the cost of food where you live, it's not the same for everyone.
I am blessed because I have been in dire need before and have had to feed my children on very little. I pray that none of you ever have to go through what we went through, but I will add that had it not been for those very hard times, I would not have learned what I know now. Further more, I am confident now, because of knowing what I know, that if ever in a situation like that again, it will be alot easier and less stressful for me, because I have the experience and knowledge gained from my previous experience.
Please be sure to post your own tips and ideas with us here and share your successes too:-)
I hope everyone has a fun time with it and that this has helped you to get a start on cutting out your Grocery Budget Blues! Be sure to keep checking back for more resources and ideas as we explore more ways to enjoy the journey:-)
Until next time...Maddy
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Jan. 27, 2007 - Precious Moments With My Daughter
My daughter and I have been reading together from Elsie's Girlhood, by Martha Finley. What a wonderful read!
My daughter and I enjoy reading together anyway, but I am especially fond of the Elsie Books since I know my Granny, who passed away many years ago, when I was just ten years old, used to enjoy reading them herself as a child. I loved my Granny so very much and it took me a long time to get over her passing. I was not raised in a christian home, I think that was part of the reason I suffered through so much with her passing, but even now when I think of her and how she enjoyed these books, it makes me feel so close to her again.
If you've never read them, or have a daughter who hasn't, I'd highly suggest it. It is a very uplifting series and the character, Elsie Dinsmore, has a very strong moral and Godly nature. It is definitely one of those must-have books for a young girl.
It's so nice to sit back and melt over the happenings in Elsie's life. My daughter and I take turns reading aloud and can just go on for hours sometimes. I hope you'll read them too. I'm sure most libraries will have them and I always find great prices at christianbook.com. I'm certain you can also find free copies of at least some of the Elsie books online at some of the free libraries, like gutenberg.org.Hope that helps:-)
Until next time...
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Jan. 20, 2007 - My Frugal Kitchen
Being frugal in the kitchen is sort of my expertise. I've been doing it for a long time and actually enjoy the challenge, though it was originally started because of need, not enjoyment or because I wanted a new hobby. We were broke and that was just the reality of it.
I thought I would share with you, some of my tips and ideas for keeping a frugal kitchen and saving money on groceries. I hope it may help someone who's in need.
First things first... the most important rule in my kitchen is "DO NOT WASTE!" Don't let anything go bad before you've either used it, or frozen it for later. Even if you have just the smallest amount of veggies or potatoes or something left over from dinner, don't throw it away. Instead, put it in a freezer bag or small container in your freezer, and when you make soup, stew, stirfry, or some casserole next time, you can add that to it. The same thing with bread...save it all for later to make bread crumbs or croutons.
Next, I would suggest keeping a pricebook, either mentally or on paper, and stocking up on the loss leaders (good buys) that go on sale. Your pricebook will help you stay on top of prices and then try not to buy anything unless it's what you'd consider a good buy. Additionally, when you do find a good buy on something, I'd stock up on it to hold you over until it comes on sale again. Having an extra freezer is very beneficial.
For instance, sugar... I pay $1.65 for sugar at my local dollar store and occasionally it goes on sale for $1.50 (which is what it used to always be a few months back!) and when it's on sale I try to buy as much as I can, within reason. Occasionally, I pay $2.06 at Aldi's for sugar, which is in a 5 lb bag, verses a 4 lb bag at my dollar store... if you do the math, it's pretty much the same price, so it makes no difference which one I buy really, other than the fact that when I buy it, I usually buy quite a bit and I would rather grab it at the dollar store than waste precious room in my cart at Aldi's, when I'm already stuffing it full with other items.
Because I keep it stocked up, I can avoid being tempted to pay $2.49 for sugar at another store because I am running low...I try to simply never let that happen. I am not always successful however, and I do occasionally run low on something (usually playing the waiting game to see if I can catch a sale), or worse yet, out of something, but not very often:-)
Now, you may not think paying the extra difference is any big deal to even allow yourself to worry about it. The fact is, if it were just one item once in awhile, maybe it's not such a big deal, but believe me, if you consider that same small amount over many different items, many different months, just imagine the cost difference over the course of a year. It all adds up, and even If you are on a tight budget already, don't fret! You can still stock up your pantry and freezer, just start off small. Use your weekly sales ads to find the best deals and start from there.
The next big thing I do that helps me keep my grocery spending down, is simply to cook from scratch. Now, you may be thinking...how can she use the word, simply, in that sentence? Maybe the idea of cooking from scratch is a bit scarey or overwhelming to you, but I can assure you, it need not be. The truth is, in most instances, cooking from scratch is not much more difficult or even time consuming than cooking from a box. Additionally, you are not only saving yourself money, but your family will be eating a healthier meal (processed foods are generally full of sodium!), and in my opinion, you simply cannot put a price tag on that benefit:-)
Still not convinced? Maybe you just haven't had any experience cooking any other way? The internet is full of great recipes and ideas, and your local library has some wonderful books to help you as well, but the best way to learn, is just jumping in and trying your hand at it...in no time at all, you'll have some tried and true family favorites. Maybe you'd like to start small and work your way into it... replacing 1 or two meals a week with something homemade.
Applying these basic principles will help the average family to cut cost in their monthly food spending. If you want more ideas...
You can try once a month cooking, or just cook enough for two dinners instead of just one, and freeze the second one for another night. There are several benefits to doing this, but the best benefit in my opinion, is that you then have something quick and easy in your freezer, which didn't cost you a small fortune and it will help you avoid the temptation of calling your local pizza joint when you don't feel like cooking and are in the mood for something quick and easy. Much cheaper than take out or ordering in, and even cheaper than buying processed food from your grocer.
You can eat more beans and legumes in your meals and cut out some of the meat. Beans are so much cheaper and very healthy. In many of my meals now, I use meat more to flavor a dish and beans, lentils, split peas, etc. to fill the dish out. We also eat some vegetarian meals every month... of course, I have two vegetarians in my home, and we really enjoy trying out new recipes and such.
Instead of traditional steaks for dinner as the main course, how about steak and bean burritos, or stirfry? Instead of chicken as the main course, how about chicken and dumplings, orange chicken, or sweet & sour chicken stirfry? Instead of buying gravy in the bottle, or with a packet, try making it homemade--it's not difficult and it can save you so much money! Just getting into the habit of making some simple changes in your routine, can make such a difference, like saving your chicken bones for broth and then freeze them in an icecube tray. Once they are frozen, you can put them in a bag and the next time you need some boullion or broth, just grab your cubes.
I try to keep healthy snacks in the house, like veggie sticks... carrots, celery, green pappers, apples, etc. They can be served with peanut butter and raisins. Homemade muffins are another big hit in our home and so many different ways to make them... nuts, dried fruits, etc...if you are feeling really spiffy, try making your own yogurt! It's so much cheaper than buying store bought and makes a nice treat.
I do serve juice once in awhile, and even Koolaid or soda about 3 times a month, but mainly we drink water. It's healthier and cheaper... of course, if you don't have good water from the tap, it gets more costly and you may want to consider a filter/pitcher, like Britta. We also have tea once in awhile and I also have a cup or two of coffee most days. If your family drinks a lot of soda or Koolaid type drinks, you can take another chunk out of your monthly spending if you cut back on that.
You can try a new recipe every week, then work up to two... see what works for you and your family and enjoy pocketing the extra left over from the grocery budget...whatever will you do with it? Maybe a vacation, a new car, retirement, maybe you have a room in your home that could use a make-over?
Here are some wonderful resources to get you started, some of my favorite books; More-With-Less Cookbook, Miserly Moms, and Once A Month Cooking.
I can easily feed my family of five, including two hungry and ever-growing teenage boys, on $350. to $400. a month, and could do it on quite a bit less than that if I needed to, and have at times in the past. The key is following all the basic principles I've just shared with you. It works great for us and I hope you may find something useful for your situation too:-)
Until next time...
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Jan. 15, 2007 - Finally...
Well, things are finally starting to get back to normal around here after the ice storm. It's still very cold and very white outside, but no new precipitation and that's a good thing. The roads are beginning to get better and that's a very good thing!
I'm very proud of how well we did these last 3 days, in terms of productivity anyway. We did get a lot done and it was a very nice weekend in spite of the weather.
No snow days for us today, school was in session for a full day. I've got a chicken in the oven and the house is so clean, I just love it. Everything just feels good. Well, there is this one thing...
We have decided to get rid of the puppy. We've only had him a few weeks (rescued him from the cold), and he's just too aggressive for us. He's gotten so much better, but still is too much for us to handle. He does his business everywhere and is too aggressive when we try to correct him or stop him from chewing on something, or someone he shouldn't. That is the main issue I have with him. We ended up getting him a crate and putting him in it when he's out of control, but we end up having to put him right back in and it's hard to listen to him barking all the time. We've had several puppies in our care before and never had one this aggressive. I just think he'll be better off elsewhere, and I normally try to find a new home for the animals we rescue, because our animal shelter puts them down after 3 days, which is why I've held onto this little guy so long, but after praying about it, and discussing it, I just feel that maybe it would be best for him. I'd hate to think he'd hurt someone. It's in God's hands now.
Well, other than that...it's been a very good day:-)
Maddy
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Jan. 13, 2007 - This is the Day
(Psalm 118:24)
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Jan. 13, 2007 - Brrr it's Cold!!!
Well, it's freezing cold outside today and the roads are far from safe with this ice storm, so we are staying close to home and trying to make the best of it. My daughter is moving out of her attick bedroom today and trading with her brothers for a downstairs room. I am very grateful, as my boys tend to be very loud at times and frankly, they really wear me down at times since I work from home and am constantly having to hang up the phone and come ask them (again) to be quiet! We are hoping having them upstairs in the room farthest away, it will help alleviate some of the stress there. Beyond that, we are doing some much needed early spring cleaning. We've recently welcomed a new puppy into our home...well, *welcomed* may be too strong a word... we have begrudgingly accepted him on a trial basis, after much debate and against my better judgement. Don't get me wrong...he's oh so cute, but cute isn't what makes a good pet and I still have some serious doubts with this one. Anyway, thank goodness we don't have carpeted floors! Still, I just can't seem to get rid of the constant urge to clean lately, go figure! And, to reward ourselves for the productive day, we have several movies we borrowed from our local library and will close the evening with a nice, relaxing movie night:-) I hope everyone else is staying warm and safe this weekend. Until next time...
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Jan. 12, 2007 - New Girl on the Block
