What Cheap Meals are Made Up Of

One thing I've noticed over the years of living frugally and even super frugal, is that the cheap meals are usually based on the following foods:

• Rice
• Beans
• Potatoes
• Tuna
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Oats
• Flour
• Cornmeal
• Pasta

Planning meals around these ingredients will ensure to keep costs down. Sure, you could live off of ramen, boxed mac/cheese and other processed 'cheap' foods but I don't think they fill you up as well as the above foods and they sure aren't as nutritionally sound. I've gone through a lot of recipes the past few days and it seems that a lot of cheap meals I'm finding include processed foods, canned creams of this and that and ready-made mixes. My goal has always been to use pure foods and make them as cheap as possible. I prefer making homemade cream of chicken/mushroom, etc. for meals than using those nasty cans that are full of who knows what lol. I also want to know what is in my food and those ready-made mixes have things that sure don't sound like food to me.

With the above cheap foods in my arsenal, I'm searching for meals that utilize these to get the ultimate cost-saving meals. My brain is hurting from all the storming going on up there lol......this will probably be the hardest I've tried and thought through a meal plan and I'm not even close to being done yet. There isn't anything new under the sun, but it sure is hard to find that old stuff that has been buried by convenience meals, but I endeavor to uncover it and share it with you all!

 

Living Debt Free - Our Continuing Story

We are moving towards our 2nd year of living debt free and I have to say that this is the life we want to continue living.  Not only are the chains and/or burdens of debt gone, but the feeling of them gone and the freedom to purchase as we have means available makes life much more enjoyable.  We no longer give in to impulses but rather think them through according to what we can afford, not what we could afford if we borrow the money off of someone else; credit.  The scripture is very true:

Proverbs 22:7

".....the borrower is servant to the lender."

Truly, you are a servant or slave to those you borrow from and with that comes the burden, the chains and the stress of paying them back to be 'free' again.  The problem isn't that there may be a time you would need to do that for an emergency, the problem is when you live that way purposely.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

There are no downsides to living debt free because you learn contentment through what God blesses you with in your life.  You don't borrow from the world's system of "got-to-have-it-now" because you know what that leads to - stress, marital problems, discontentment and a multitude of other burdens that will eventually steal your joy.  Living debt free is the tool that can instill peace, contentment, financial freedom and joy into your life and your family.  Our marriage was only ever in turmoil when we were in debt.  Now that the chains have been broken off that bound us, we are freely enjoying life together in a commitment to not sacrifice our joy for a dollar bill or what we can have.

The scripture above speaks of those that covet after money, or those that will be rich - in other words, those that "got-to-have-it."  Having a credit card and/or credit gives way to that sort of lifestyle, but with it, comes temptation, snares and MANY sorrows!  You can be rich without debt and still right with God, however, these scriptures speak of the others that seek to be rich in the wrong ways and with the wrong motives.  Leaving out God and His Word for your financial decisions will only dig your hole a bit deeper and your way a lot rougher in life.  It just isn't worth it!!

I like what Clarke said in his commentary on the above scripture:

It requires but little of this world’s goods to satisfy a man who feels himself to be a citizen of another country, and knows that this is not his rest.

To those that don't have their minds fixed on this world and all its dainties, they are satisfied with little.  I know I have a mansion coming one day, so I'm not going to sacrifice my joy or my family to try and get one in this world that God didn't give us the means to afford.  I've learned to be content in the home that God did provide for us for the time being, even though it may be a mobile home, it is a HAPPY home!  I truly do love this place and though I may wish for a fancy house, I would rather not trade what we have now for the snares that that fancy house may entrap us in.

God brought us on this journey a few years ago when we were drowning in debt of our own making and then on top of that, we had the unfortunate event of hospitalization without insurance, which was in reality another problem of our own making.  For, had we had insurance, we wouldn't have added to the burden we were already under.  We didn't take the easy way out, we didn't take charity that is reserved for those that truly need it, no - we knew we made this bed and we had to lie in it.  We paid off those debts over years and we didn't repeat the same mistakes, we rather chose to do a 180 and go the opposite way - living debt free and insuring our health, life and worldly possessions.  Looking ahead and preparing for the future, rather than being unwise and only caring for the present.

If you never learn the lesson in the financial department and change your ways, you will only continue on the hamster wheel as yet another crisis will soon bring you back to where you didn't win the battle.  The key is to win the battle and change!  Then, and only then, can you have true financial peace that comes with God and contentment.

$100 a Month Grocery Challenge - Meal Plan

We are nearing the last month of freezer meals for dinners, so I don't have to plan those except for the weekend casseroles, which I do monthly.  I only purchase dinner meals on the 3rd month of my budget cycle, which you can read about here.  I decided to list my plan for breakfast, lunch, snacks and desserts and you can view our dinner meal selection here.

Breakfast
Oatmeal
Egg sandwich
Egg with toast
Pancakes
Scone with jam

Lunch
Bean burrito
PBJ sandwich
Egg salad sandwich

Snacks
Carrots and hummus
Almonds & Yogurt
Popcorn and cheese
Fruit, hard-boiled egg
Shake or smoothie
Pita bread brushed with olive oil
Chips with salsa or refried beans

Desserts
Granola bars
Coffee cakes
Oatmeal cookies
More to come.....

I'm still planning what my weekend casserole meals will be as those are the meals with meat.  We have been doing lasagna twice a month and chicken divan twice a month but we are all tiring of those.  I may try out a taco casserole and chicken enchiladas.

 

How to Spend Only $100 a Month in Groceries

I wanted to explain how my budget system works with my meal plan.  With this system, I stockpile and buy enough to make dinner freezer meals for 3 months.  I spend small amounts on certain months and then a large amount the month I buy for my 3-month freezer cooking and keep my stockpile going, which will be next month in June.  It all averages out to $150 a month.  Let me explain:

Month 1 - spend $100

Month 2 - spend $100

Month 3 - freezer cooking shopping/stockpile, spend $250

Average costs of groceries over 3 months = $150 a month

So in order to make it on an average of $100 over 3 months, I will need it to work something like this:

Month 1 - spend $50

Month 2 - spend $50

Month 3 - freezer cooking shopping/stockpile, spend $200

Average costs of groceries over 3 months = $100 a month

I can't really cut down on my stockpile month too much, so that means that the other 2 months are pretty lean.  It is easy to do it on the $150 budget, but will be a challenge on this budget for sure.  I could do $75 for months 1 & 2 and then cut my month 3 down to $150 but I'm not sure I can get that month's food AND 3-months of dinner meals AND keep my stockpile up cutting it that low.  I will see how this month goes and go from there.  Once I get canning going next month, I can can soups, sauces and other things that will lower our budget even more.

The main way I save money is buy making homemade foods - this is not just meals, this is snacks, condiments, bread items and desserts.  Making homemade organic whole wheat bread, pita pockets, pizza dough and on and on is FAR cheaper than buying it from the store, and it tastes better!  This will require a LOT of work on my part but since I'm coming upon my second trimester, they say you get a burst of energy during this trimester and I'm counting on that.

I realized this was a 5-week month, so I'm trying to not do the bulk of my shopping until next week, so I can just purchase for 4 weeks.  I suppose you could call this eating-out-of-the-pantry week.  This also gave me more time to plan.

$100 a Month Grocery Challenge

I'm doing a challenge of living on $100 this month.  This does not include toiletry items like toilet paper, toothpaste, etc., it is just grocery food items.  The reason I'm doing this is because we have spent SO much money on take-out, store-bought bread and convenience items since I was on bed rest for 5 days and also being sick during this pregnancy.  Then our car messed up twice, costing us about $1,500 to fix and it is already having another problem and then the medical bills that I have incurred through this horrific experience are piling on top of all this.  There is more, but those are the major reasons besides - hello, I'm pregnant and we have a baby coming lol.  That alone is expensive!

My new month doesn't start at the beginning of the month, it starts this week, that is just how the paycheck falls and when I get my house money.  This won't be extremely hard for me to manage because we already live off $150 a month with the occasional splurges.  I'm aiming to knock out the splurges and lower the food costs by $50 from what we spend now.  This will take more work for me as I will be whipping up more snacks homemade and get back to baking my bread, but I miss that and am so tired of the store-bought items that don't seem to fill you up!

I will be following some of the ideas from when we lived off $80 a month in 2008 here, with the exception of adding in a few meals of beef and chicken on the weekends.  The meat and cheese will be the most expensive items to purchase, since we buy them organic.  I'm planning everything today and tomorrow and part of Friday and then will do the shopping.  If time permits, I will post my meal plan soon!

My mom has tried to get me to can for years, and after getting tired of paying $2.50 for organic soup, I decided it is time to make my own and can it!  So, I will be starting that up hopefully in June and will try and post the process as I learn!

 

Free Printable Monthly Budget Worksheet

Free Printable Monthly Budget Worksheet

Here is an example of our family budget: Free Printable Pre-Filled Monthly Budget Worksheet

Frugal Tips from Readers

1. You can use any older looking vegetables, carrot peels, onion peels, celery tops, potato peels, etc when making soup stock.  I love making stock because nothing goes to waste! Many times I will store a bag of peelings in the freezer from other dishes that can be thrown in for the stock.    Have stale bread?  Make bread crumbs, croutons, or ribollita (a Tuscon style soup using veggie scraps and stale bread).  Turn a bar of soap into liquid hand soap.  Make your own cleaners and laundry detergent.  Use your local library for books, newspapers, magazines, DVDs, games, and even some educational toys.  Do a clothing and toy swap with friends for your children.  Find free entertainment: library, local colleges, community events/festivals, church functions, invite friends over for a meal and games.  Eat less meat.  Every 6 months I do a pantry challenge where I refuse to go grocery shopping for 2-4 weeks.  All meals must be made from food we already have.  This helps eliminate expired or freezer burned food and it saves us money too.  My biggest ones:  stay at home, make and stick to my budget, and be thankful for what I have.
2. Hi Bev, Here are some things I do to save money around our home.  I try to only use the dryer for bedding and towels.  The rest I hang dry in our upstairs office.  It saves us money and adds water to the air when the house is dry in the winter.  I also try really hard to not use paper towels in the kitchen.  I use white wash cloths I keep in a basket on the counter and encourage my family to use one of them before reaching for a paper towel.  I make our laundry detergent as well and use vinegar as a fabric softener for our towels.  I also make some household cleaners, such as an all purpose cleaner (vinegar, water and tea tree oil) and a glass cleaner (vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water).  It took me a while to get used to the vinegar smell and fortunately the smell dissipates quickly!  I also make dishwasher detergent from Borax and baking soda. I am a former Starbucks fan.  I buy flavored creamers and add it to my own coffee and take it in a commuter mug.  Speaking of coffee, I do brew more than once a day.  I save the grounds in the filter and when I make another serving, I add 1 tablespoon of fresh grounds to the old and brew with fresh cold water.  It saves money on coffee and filters and I notice absolutely NO difference in taste reusing the grounds.   Another way I save money is by giving home haircuts to my hubby, son and daughter.  Last year alone we saved over $400.00 on haircuts!  It was intimidating at first, especially cutting my hubby's hair (he is protective of his locks, lol), but once I got the hang of it, it was easy! My hubby's dress shirts were $1.75 each to send to the dry cleaner.  I wash them here at home and press them while the kids are playing.  It feels good to know I'm saving my hubby money on this! I try to make homemade bread as often as I can.  Sometimes it is not always possible when our schedule is especially hectic, but it makes the house smell so yummy and I know it is cheaper, not to mention healthier than store bought.  That's all I can think of right now.  I look forward to seeing what other ladies say, especially about saving at the grocery store!
3. save the ends of your fresh veggies, egg shells, onion papers (the brown papery stuff on the outside) and most other "scraps" you'd normally throw out in the freezer in a gallon sized freezer bag.  Once full, boil in a pot with some salt, garlic, pepper and onion powder.  Makes a SUPER nutritious vegetable stock.   You can even add some unflavored gelatin to this to give it a little heavier "mouth feel".  When cleaning, the only things that are truly needed are a good scrub brush, good dishsoap, baking soda and vinegar.  You can get almost anything out by mixing a combination of ingredients.    Diapering costs around $4000 from birth to potty training  (more if you have a "slow learner"!) and the best way is to learn to sew or have a friend who sews make you cloth diapers.  A free pattern can be downloaded called Rita's Rump Pattern and the cloth can be washed repeatedly!    there are times when spending a little more money will save you much more in the long run.  Realizing how to decipher that is the key.  If you can make it yourself, do it (IF it'll be cheaper).  If it'll be smart to invest slightly more to reap better benefits then do that.  For example, spending an extra $20 per tire will run you more expensive in the short-term but tends to save you money in the long-run.  Same concept with the "green" lightbulbs.    Collecting rain water (if your space allows) will help your garden and your pocketbook!  You'll collect water that would otherwise be "wasted" causing you to have to spend money to water your garden.  Instead, get a food-grade barrel and collect rain water and roof run-off water in it.  You can even make a compost tea to help feed and nourish your garden!  (compost is another issue that will help you save money AND recycle!)  There are various free videos on youtube that will help with both issues.
4. I save bits and pieces from meals to make soup. I keep a plastic container in my freezer and if I have spoonful of veggies I would use in soup(corn,beans,corrots,peas,etc) or a small piece meat I will put it in the container.After a few weeks there is a pretty good mixture.When the container gets full it's time for soup.All I need to add is maybe a couple of cans of tomatoes. It's almost like a free meal. It's alot better than throwing it in the trash.  
5. My frugal tip is have a plan. Plan for you meals, and shopping lists.  This is the most helpful tip I have. If I don't have a plan and list for my weekly shopping then I will spend twice as much and wander around a store putting things in my cart that I don't need.  We didn't get to garden this year and Farmer's Markets are hard for us to go to. So, I stock up on fresh produce that is easy to be frozen. I wash it up and cut and freeze all sorts of things. I love pullinf out strawberries, bluberries, and fresh peppers in the middle of winter to snack on.
6. During my lunch hour at work, I go to a site that matches coupons to the sale ad from our local grocery store.  I copy and paste the whole list to a word document and delete all the entries I am not interested in.  I print this out and then write in any other items I need to get (or type) and also write out my meal plan for that week that corresponds to what I can get cheap that week.  This way I can get my shopping list and meal plan done quickly.
7. Instead of using baby wipes each nappy change, you can use paper towels and water, (i use the recycled paper ones), not only is it cheaper to use paper towels but its better for nappy rash than using wipes with fragrances and chemicals.

How I've Saved Money

I wanted to write up a post, mainly for myself but for others as well, on how I've saved money throughout this year and a half of transition and my future plans as well.

In the beginning it seemed so expensive buying organic products.  However, now I've learned its cheaper to make most of it myself.  Here is what I've cut out of my budget and made homemade that has saved me loads:

• Bread - there is nothing like fresh homemade bread!  There are no preservatives, no HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) or chemicals in our bread.  It is more satisfying than store-bought bread and we get fuller on one sandwich than we ever did with store-bought.
• Tortillas - wheat and corn; If you haven't had a homemade corn tortilla then you are missing out!  Just masa flour and water and the taste is unbelievable and they go like crazy around here.  Look at the costs of organic wheat/flour or corn tortillas - talk about ridiculous!
• Pancakes - organic, whole wheat pancakes that taste good and are cheap is what makes making homemade worthwhile.  You can easily make a month's worth and freeze them in baggies of 2 for a quick breakfast or snack.
• Oatmeal - how hard is it really to put 1/2 cup oats, 1c water with a sprinkle of salt and cinnamon in a bowl and heat?  Very easy breakfast and cheap!  I've found if I put a whole banana in my daughter's oatmeal, she doesn't even need sugar.  Add applesauce to it for a cinnamon/apple oatmeal and on and on....
• Pizza - we normally just do cheese pizzas and are satisfied with that but every now and then I may throw in some toppings but we love it plain too.  Each slice of my homemade pizza has about 5-6g of fiber and you just can't get that with most frozen or pizza shop pizzas!  It fills you up on just a slice or two so one pizza feeds my family of 3 with leftovers!   I also only need 1/4 of a 2 pound slab of mozzarella cheese to cover the pizza - so one block makes a month of pizza!
• Snacks - everything from cookies, muffins, scones, bagels, granola bars to all kinds of goodies are much cheaper to make homemade than buying the organic varieties!  
• Sauces - making homemade organic spaghetti and pizza sauces is much cheaper, not to mention it tastes better too.  Making it only 4 times a year (every 3 months) and freezing them is a time-saver too.  
• Ketchup & BBQ sauce - it is so cheap to make your own ketchup and BBQ sauce and it doesn't have HFCS when its homemade!  It also freezes well and you can make a huge batch twice a year.
• Salsa - this has been my most recent addition and WOW is the taste better and the cost dramatically cheaper than organic store-bought salsa!  To think I could have been making it this whole time but glad that I found it freezes well, so now I can make it 4 times a year along with my sauces.
• Jam - making your own organic strawberry jam for the freezer is a money-saver!  If you make it twice when strawberries are in season, you will have enough for a year but you can also make it from frozen strawberries.
• Hummus - we have enough beans and tahini to make hummus for a year or more!  Seeing how we were spending about $3-4 for a small tub and it wasn't even organic, we are going to save a lot of money making it homemade and its organic!

My garden was a trial-run this year but I'm settled on doing it now because not only how cheap it is to buy seeds/plants but also how good it tastes.  I only bought organic seeds and plants.

• Carrots - this is our big savings!  We would buy 2 or 3 bags of carrots each month as we love carrots with hummus.  I would pay on sale about $1.50 per bag for organic but most of the time it wasn't on sale and I paid more than that. So for a month it was anywhere from $4.50-$7.00.  For just $1.99, I got a packet of organic carrot seeds (enough to last an entire season with more for next year).  2 plantings so far gives us 44 carrots and we have loads of seeds left that we are planting every 2 weeks until fall frost for a continuous supply of carrots!  I no longer have to pick up a bag of carrots on my shopping trip.  $2 for enough carrots to last us the whole spring/summer and some of fall for 2 years is just amazing!
• Onions - I got 90 onions for around $3 I think it was in spring.  Since you can pick onions anytime throughout their 3-4 month growing period - I have a constant supply now.  If I need an onion, I go pick one and use it!  How amazing is that?
• Sugar Snap Peas - have you ever bought these organic in the store?  For a small bag you pay about $3-4!  For $1.99 I got enough seeds to last me 3-4 years.  We planted 18 seeds in May and we are still eating them everyday!  We get a nice sized bowlful every week or a handful daily.  My daughter doesn't like the store-bought, but she has eaten loads of our home-grown ones! 
• Broccoli - we already used up our spring harvest but will have more for fall.  For $1 a plant, we had 4 large heads with lots of side heads.
• Spinach - another $1.99 packet that will last us 3-4 years!  We had a bowlful of spinach every week with just a few seeds!  This is another spring and fall crop, so we anxiously await planting the fall crop for more spinach.
• Mustard Greens and Kale - for a huge head of either from one seed why would you buy it in the store?  Another $1.99 for a packet of seeds of each to last 3-4 years.  $2 for that many years of produce - is anyone following me here? LOL
• Strawberries - for just $10 I bought 24 organic strawberry plants and watched them grow like crazy.  I know have a mini-strawberry patch with strawberries to eat weekly.  They will produce for 3 years!
• Tomatoes and Peppers - I recently planted tomato and pepper plants and checked them today and I already have a new tomato!  I paid just $1 per plant that will yield me a continuous harvest through the end of summer.  We also have 2 peppers growing already as well.

Outside of food-related savings, I also save in other items for the home:

• Laundry Detergent - I've been making my own laundry detergent since 2006, so for almost 6 years now! I only make it 4 times a year for just $10 a year!  I do however use a cheap detergent for my delicates but may try homemade delicate detergent that is made with Zote soap soon.
• Liquid Hand Soap - For $1 I get enough soap for 3 months - that is just $4 a year for hand soap in our house!  I've been making my own liquid hand soap for 4 years now and still love it!
• All-Purpose Cleaner - my all-purpose homemade cleaner is one of my best money-savers.  I remember the days years ago when I buy all kinds of cleaners but those days are gone!  I clean my bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor furniture and anything else that needs cleaning with this cleaner.
• Torn-up t-shirts - instead of throwing away hubby's old t-shirts, I simply cut out the arms and throw those in the trash and use the rest for dusting rags!  
• Plastic store bags - I save them and use them for our small trash cans throughout the house and change them weekly.
• Paper store bags - one of the stores we shop monthly has these and we re-use them for many things: bringing in produce from the garden, crafts, cover for spray painting to protect yard or deck, etc.
• Refilling Ink Cartridges - we save our empty printer cartridges and get them refilled twice a year.  This has saved us a lot of money as I print a lot for homeschool purposes.
• Reusing Glass Jars, Cans & Containers- I have so many glass jars in use right now that were given to me or those I saved myself.  Everything from sugar for coffee to seasonings are stored in these.  I also save cans for crafts or pencil holders and other containers for my hand soap or other uses.

Future plans on saving money:

• Composting - this is something we want to start doing since we will need compost for our garden every spring.
• Re-using Ziploc bags - I want to purchase the bag-dryer I've seen others use and start washing out my bags and letting them dry since I use SO many every freezer-cooking cycle!
• More Gardening - next year I plan on being more organized with my garden and never having a square empty!  I plan on planting radishes, garlic, potatoes and more and having continous supplies of our most-used produce. 
• Herb Garden - I went to purchase some herbs but couldn't find any organic, so I plan on making my own herb garden next spring from seed.  Then, I will be able to make up my own spice blends!
• Sewing Clothes - by next year I plan on being able to make my daughter's clothing and then eventually some of mine!  I've been able to make her a skirt and curtains for my kitchen but come winter, I plan on getting back to it more intensely.

I feel like I'm forgetting some things, so I may update this post from time to time!

How to Be Frugal Without Extreme Couponing

I understand that some honestly do not know how to feed their families without coupons on a frugal budget.  Besides the most important step - praying and seeking God in decisions with your home management - I wanted to share a few basic tips on how I've done this over years without coupons. 

1. Pray & Have Faith!  - you have not because you ask not really sums it all up doesn't it?  Since when is praying to God for wisdom and help in our budgets and meal planning not important?  Since women thought they could do a better job than God with their own abilities.  Realizing that you need the Lord in this area will open the door for the Almighty to show you wondrous things!  I've watched my flour bin keep lasting when it was supposed to be empty.  I just kept scooping and another scoop would come out and I knew it had to be God.  Then there was our maple syrup jar that miraculous filled itself back up about 1/4 of the way!  Don't tell me that God still doesn't things like this today because you came too late!!
2. Plan for the Month - planning for the month will bring success in your meal planning.  Not only are you prepared, but you save money overall and you go to the store less, which in turn, saves money because you aren't tempted to buy things you don't need!  If you don't have a plan, you have no idea what you are doing or need and you will spend more money and time!
3. Stock up on Staple Items - having 6-months to a year of a stockpile of items that you always need/use can be beneficial because you usually get a deal when you buy in bulk and you don't have to buy these items but once or twice a year and that opens up more money each month in your budget!  We stock up through Azure Organic Farm on things like: flours, rice, oats, beans, canned tomato products, lemon juice, mustard, spices/seasonings, etc.  You can also stockpile non-grocery items that you know you buy every month like: deodorant, hair products, toilet paper, teeth products, cleaning products, etc.  Once you have a good pantry going, you only need to purchase perishable items each month like meat, cheese, eggs, fruits and vegetables, etc.  I explain more about how I do this at the bottom of this post.
4. Keep a Price Book - I normally keep a price list from various stores and update it each month, that way I know where I can get items I buy cheapest.  I shop from 3 grocery stores and sometimes 4 but remember, this is only ONCE a month for my big grocery trip!  I shop from the butcher once every 3 months for my meats for freezer-cooking, so I'm not running around town every week (unless of course I want to for fun lol).  I do go weekly to get bananas and milk or food-craving items or items for fellowships.
5. Make Your Own - this is probably one of the biggest areas you will see savings in, just make your own!  Especially if you buy only organic, making your own will save you a lot of money, but even if you don't eat organic - most things are cheaper homemade, also healthier!  Getting away from processed/packaged food will also benefit you because homemade tastes better and you won't be so hungry because its usually more filling as well.  Years ago, I started making my own products, bit by bit and today I make my own: bread, tortillas, spaghetti and pizza sauces, salsa, hummus, pizza, ketchup, BBQ sauce, granola bars, desserts, and on and on.  I actually just added in salsa and hummus homemade this month - I used to make fresh salsa from my garden a few years ago but haven't since then and this month I'm making it in bulk and freezing it
6. Choose Frugal Recipes - this is one area that most people don't think about.  Choosing recipes is just as important as all the other steps.  If you are using a recipe that calls for all these exotic, hard-to-find items, then how much are you spending to make that one meal?  I like simple, easy recipes that taste good.  I bypass most recipes that have hard-to-pronounce ingredients most of the time lol - although, sometimes I do venture out and try one but simplicity is something I go for.

We just got our most recent Azure Farm order and some from Amazon:

You will notice we have a LOT of tomato products lol - that is because I make my own spaghetti and pizza sauces for 3 months at a time and then this month, doing the salsa as well and the leftovers from the cans go in recipes that call for those items.  We are eating more beans now since we changed our diet to a more Mediterranean style (which we are loving by the way!), so I stocked up on the beans we are using.  I stocked up on Masa, which is the corn flour that is used to make corn tortillas and more as you can see.  The 2 cans of oil are organic olive oil from Spain and this is our first time trying it out after hearing good things about it.

I use food-grade, BPA-free plastic 5-gallon buckets to store our food with gamma-sealed lids that make it air-tight.  I've NEVER had a bug in my food in these buckets!  I'm not going to spend my money to have my food go bad and go to the bugs, so to speak lol.  We now have 11 buckets and can you believe we use them all? They are easy to store as well - they stack!

I also wanted to tell you guys about the great program that Amazon offers.  It is called "Subscribe & Save."  You find an item your family uses regularly, and you get 15% off by subscribing.  You can subscribe to receive that item every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months.  They only charge you when it ships and you can cancel your subscription to an item at any time.  We are using it more and more and finding it is very cheap for most things and I'm saving a lot since using their program!

Hope some of that helps you and your family, happy savings!

Extreme Couponing

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while and by now everyone has heard of this show about "Extreme" Couponing.  The title itself kind of gives you a summarization of what it all entails but there is more to this than meets the eye.  I've seen others become obsessed about couponing to the point its all they talk about.  I wonder to myself - is God so limited to them that he can't provide them with what they need that they must eat, sleep and breathe couponing?

I watched a few episodes of this show on youtube and the whole "spirit" of it is very disturbing.  My husband, only seeing the register clips - also commented on the "spirit" of it all.  Somehow it doesn't seem right to take advantage of a store like that.  It seems greedy, selfish (no regard for others) and obsessive to where it becomes an addiction.  Then, you have those that try and quench the conscience of doing this by "giving" it to those in need or for charity, as if that somehow makes it all ok.  Is it ok?  Do you honestly mean to tell me that stores expected people to come in and clear out their shelves without paying anything?  No!  They were probably thinking a few coupon deals could help out the Average Joe and then they are taken advantage of in such a way that now many stores have to place "limits" on how many per family and placing more rules on coupon use.  YET, you have those that will even work around this by going out of the store and coming back in - that's stealing!  They said 2 per family, not visit!

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the store for needs of ours and they are completely cleared out.  I may not have known about the "gotta-have-it" sale.  Sally May bought enough toothpaste for the entire town, however, she was only thinking of herself, definitely not anyone in town - because they are flat out of luck if they needed any!

Just what is greed?

Greed: a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed.

What is an addiction?

Addiction: the state of being devoted and surrendered to something habitually and obsessively.

What is an obsession?

Obsession: a persistent disturbing occupation with an often unreasonable idea of feeling; broadly: compelling motivation

What is selfishness?

Selfishness: : concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others

Really thinking on those definitions above, you have to search yourself; your intents; motivations.  Are you regarding others; being considerate; displaying courtesy by having it all for yourself?  Is this Christian behavior?

In summary, I'm all for preparation and storing up for your family by having a stockpile of goods, that is pure wisdom.  However, when it becomes the be all, end all of your life and you are literally CONSUMED by couponing and it gives you a "high" - this isn't the "spirit" of Christ.  The mind of Christ that we should share is servant-oriented.  Christ looks on the things of others more than Himself.

Greed, selfishness, obsession and addiction can take a hold of anyone that is highly consumed about money - don't let it destroy you.  You can coupon wisely, pray before you go to the grocery store!  I do this almost every time and God just blesses all over the place and I didn't have to spend 20 hours clipping coupons and scrounging garbage bins!  My God is more powerful than that and he has never failed us yet!  We are still able to make it on $120 a month and even times I wasn't sure what to do (when I tried to do it in my own ability).......I stopped and prayed and God gave me wisdom on how to make it all work and that much more efficiently.  He even filled up our maple syrup jar when I was worried about it running out too quick!  Is the God that fed the 5,000 not able to feed you and your family that you have to use "Extreme" measures?  Our God is able and willing but are you willing to have that faith?

Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Joh 21:6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

How about some EXTREME FAITH for a change!?  Hallelujah!?