Challenging Myself.... and I need your help!

It's no secret that times are getting tough. Yeah... Money is getting tight. Jobs are getting scarce. And groceries are getting CRAZY-Expensive!

Cooking for 6 kids... 4 of whom are bottom-less-pit-teenagers is killing my grocery budget!
They are home for the summer, which makes it even worse!

I gotta do something to get my grocery budget under control...
This week, I plan on cooking meals from the food I already have in my house. I have a pretty well-stocked freezer, my pantry is stocked. Lets see how it goes...
I'm thinkin I'll have to buy milk.. Thats all I plan to buy.

Cross your fingers!

Be back soon with today's meal-plan.

How bout you?
What are you doing to help stretch your food dollars?
Share with me!
I need the help!

Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe via e-mail!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Keep Reading »

A full laundry Line makes me happy!

Not only because it means I actually am winning the battle against Mt Laundry. But because I am not spending any money to dry my clothes!

I just had 100 gal of propane delivered and it cost over $300!! OUCH!!

Here is a great poem about the laundry line....

Go hang your clothes....

You'll be glad ya did!

The Clothesline Said So Much

A clothesline was a news forecast

To neighbors passing by.

There were no secrets you could keep

When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link

For neighbors always knew

If company had stopped on by

To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets

And towels on the line;

You'd see the company table clothes

With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth

To folks who lived inside

As brand new infant clothes were hung

So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could

So readily be known

By watching how the sizes changed

You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,

Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now"

When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged

With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon If wash was dingy gray,

As neighbors raised their brows,

And looked disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past

For dryers make work less.

Now what goes on inside a home Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.

It was a friendly sign

When neighbors knew each other best

By what hung on the line!

Author: Marilyn K. Walker

Keep Reading »

Some rules of living frugally

A friend of mine sent me this....
Some good ideas in there....

You should cook at home instead of eating out.

You should not buy a new vehicle if you can make do with an old one.

You should switch off the lights, fan, TV etc when you exit the room.

You should not pay for services that you are fit and healthy to do on your own.

You should not pay full price for any item that will eventually be available on sale.

Thou shalt not pay anything at all for what can be had for free through nature or public offerings.

You should not covet thy neighbor Joneses belongings.

You should not waste – be it money, leftovers or time.

You should entertain yourself through inexpensive means.

You should live by the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse or Recycle.

You should not confuse frugality with cheapness.

I'll add some of mine too.

You should write down every penny you spend. this will help you see where it all goes (I'm working on this one.)

You should always always shop from a shopping list to avoid those impulse purchases.

You should turn off your stuff! when not using it!!

Insulate insulate insulate!

and my personal ones......
I should stay off Ebay!
I should stay off Amazon.com!

Keep Reading »

Week #2 (My Journey into frugality)

The more thought I put into this Journey into Frugality, the more areas of my life I realize could be considered "fugal" if done right.

My Home... Nope, I'm not talking about energy efficiency , though that is very important... I'm talking about space! As I have whined and complained about many MANY times.. we have a very very small house... there are 7 of us living here, this leave very very little space...

The problem is... It it very cluttered. Not "dirty" but cluttered. Every horizontal surface in my house seems to be a magnet for "stuff".
I have stacks of "stuff".
I have bins of "stuff".
I have closets full of "stuff".
I have bags of "stuff".
I have shelves of "stuff".
I have boxes of "stuff".

Too much stuff.

I need to be fugal with my space in my house.
Today I am going to start with my office/desk area.
I am going to purge and throw out "stuff".
I am going to fight my urge to keep things.
This is a very big deal for me.
I don't like to throw "stuff" out. I never have.... I look at my stuff and think.. "Hey I might need that someday!" So it sits in a stack of stuff and I never ever end up using it.

The Mam-of-My-Dreams, however could throw out everything!!
He will be shocked when he comes home and finds things a little less "stuffed & Cluttered".

I mean I want to have a tidy clutter-free home....
I want to be able to showcase the things I really love instead of it getting lost in the clutter.
But I get overwhelmed then quit.

I am NOT going to get over whelmed this time. (I hope)
I will get clutter gone. (or at least greatly reduced)
I will organize the "Stuff" that I do decide to keep.

So now.. I am sitting behind one bin labeled "Throw Out"
One bin labeled "Sell"
One bin labeled "Keep"
and one bin labeled "Donate"

Wish me luck....
If you don't hear from me in a day or two, please send help.... I may have gotten stuck under "Stuff"!

Keep Reading »

Goals for 2008 (My Journey Into Frugality)

This year I want to implement all the things I have been talking about and reading about for a long time, but haven't really put into practice too well yet.

The Man-of-My-Dreams has a wonderful job and makes good money.
He makes more now than he ever has.
The problem is, I end up spending almost all of it each pay period.

No, I don't buy frivolous things. (cept the occasional Starbucks drink)
But I do manage to spend almost everything he brings home every darn time!
We do not buy with credit cards, so we have that covered. (thank goodness! I know darn well I'd get myself into trouble with credit cards!)

This year I plan to be more thrifty.
I am going to try to make it almost like a game.....

How much can I save this month?
How much can I tuck away in the savings account this month?

I'm gonna chronicle my journey to frugality here so we can see how it goes and maybe you can help me see areas where I need to improve. (I'm sure there will be many!)

Here are some of my first goals.... (there will be tons more I'm sure!)

Cook even more from scratch & eliminate all processed foods. (this should not only help my bank account but hopefully our health as well!)

Grow more/ buy less seeds cost WAY less than produce from the store and the quality & taste is 100% times better! (My garden was a disgrace last year!)

Can Can Can!!!... I would LOVE to see my storage shelves full of home-grown veggies that I put up from the garden to feed us all year long! (I really need to get over my fear of the pressure canner!)

Cut those coupons! I know.... most coupons are for processed junk... But I'm sure there are lots I will use if I simply take the time to look.

Pay off stuff.... we make monthly payments on our TV & Computer. Why not double up on some payments and eliminate the interest and get rid of those bills sooner?

Try to limit shopping/trips to town to two times a week. I often find myself running into town almost every day. With a little forethought and planning 90% of those trips are unnecessary. The savings on gas alone will be big!

Always ALWAYS use a shopping list and do NOT impulse buy. Boy oh Boy am I a sucker for impulse items! I run into the store for 2 things and come out with 15! Yes, these are things we'll use and need.. but if I didn't see them in the store, I wouldn't need em, at least not right now.

Plan my family meals by the week and NOT by the day or "Mood". This will help me with that shopping list too!

Get 100% of the light bulbs in my home to those cute curly energy efficient ones. Most are already.. but there are still some suckers that aren't!

Stock -Up . Take advantage of great sales and bulk items that we will use later. Like now.... Black eye peas are crazy cheap after the New Years Holiday. I bought 5 pounds. Dry beans will keep forever if stored right. We'll eat em later and they won't be so cheap next month!

Turn stuff off!! It costs between 1-2 cents per hour to run your computer. By turning off my computer and printer at night I may be saving myself $60 per year!

Earn Your Keep!! I am getting rid of anything that lives here who wont earn their keep! Cows = beef & someday milk. Chickens = eggs/meat, Rabbits = meat, Turkeys = meat, Cats = rodent control for the barn/garden, Great Danes = $ from pups & Alarm system. Otis the killer Boston Terrier Puppy = entertainment & general cuteness. Young-Men-Folk = uh oh.... gotta think about them, they may have to go!

Insulate!! We have a very old house... that means drafty doors and windows.. I'm gonna weather strip anything and everything I can find!

Barter! This is something I'd LOVE to do! Trade goods & services with others. I already do this with one of my neighbors... I bring her homemade jams & jellies & Amish Peanut Butter, and she gives my wonderful homemade candles! There has to be more I can work out! we'll see.

None of these things by themselves is huge... None of these changes should be painful or difficult. I just need to stick to it! That's where my problem usually lies.... I have great ideas then never manage to stick with it. 2008 is the year I will STICK TO IT!!!


any other ideas? Please feel free to comment and give me some more thoughts!!

I'll post more as the days go on.

Join me on my Journey Into Frugality!!!!

Keep Reading »