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!?

Saving Money on Homemade Pizza

We do a homemade pizza every week but since cheese prices have gone up, I needed to think of a way to still have our pizza but also not use as much cheese.  I cut down on the cheese today and then added on some toppings (mushrooms for me and ham for hubby and daughter).  It really seemed like there was a lot of cheese, even though I used less!

I did the calculations and one block of mozzarella, which is 32oz (2lbs) will make 4 of our pizzas, which are extra-large (16-inch).  I used to only get 2-3 pizzas out of a block of cheese but dividing it by 4 really helps stretch the cheese out for the month.  Also, shredding the cheese and then shredding it again with a bottom shredder attachment really makes for a fine shred so you don't have clumps of cheese, but rather a nice thin layer.

Another thing I started doing is squeezing the leftover sauce out of the freezer bag and using it for dip for the crusts.  I normally don't eat my crusts but now I do with the dipping sauce and my daughter really loves it too.

More ideas coming soon because I've been brainstorming ways to make things stretch!!

Being Wise in Your Finances - Part 1

What does God have to say about finances in His Word?  We see numerous passages that God is against debt and the Christian shouldn't purposely pursue debt but I understand that certain uncontrollable situations (medical bills), can leave us chained up in debt.  It isn't the time to take a handout or to find ways to not pay back what you owe - it is the time to pray and see the mighty hand of God take care of that debt!

A lot of times, people's financial situations are the result of their own choices.  Let's say that an uncontrollable situation such as a hospitalization occurs to you as it did to me a few years ago.  Let me insert this in here - you SHOULD have had insurance instead of spending your money on fancy cell phones, new cars, etc. but we learned the hard way by being uninsured 4 years ago.  You are left with a $50,000 medical bill.  The hospital tells you about the charity program based on income and they send you the form to fill out.  You can sign that form, which asks for all your expenses (even tithes) and send it in hoping to get it written off telling them (as most of those charity forms state) that you CAN NOT and DO NOT have the money to pay that debt back.  Charity is for those who are really without, not for those who would rather spend their money on other things.  You are giving your word that you can't do it.  Can you honestly say that truthfully?  I couldn't and though it would have seemed the easy road out, I knew in my heart that God wanted us to pay our debts back that we owed.

The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. ~Psalm 37:21

Then we got to see the mighty hand of God move, got to receive his financial blessings and realized that we made the right choice.  I had gotten another bill and noticed that somehow $24,000 was missing on the bill.  I called to find out what had happened and the whole medical billing staff was stumped because they said, it was taken off our bill but there was no reason as to why, who did it or what.  But they verified to us, saying we didn't owe it and someone had taken care of it for us!  Talk about a hallelujah breakdown!  Who knows, maybe God did it LOL!  Still to this day, its a mystery but they said it was valid but they don't know who forgave that $24,000.  We continued making the rest of the payments over 4 years and repayed our debt.

What if we had taken the other road and got the handout lying and saying we couldn't pay the debt, when we knew we could have over years of payments?  I believe, as its so commonly seen, that we would have created our own financial disaster because God doesn't bless lying and not repaying your debts.  We wouldn't have gotten to see the hand of God move so miraculously and we wouldn't have LEARNED through discipline of paying a bill over so many years that we never wanted to be in debt again and go without health insurance!!

The above example is just one, but there are other scenarios you can imagine that lead people into their financial ruin as they go against the principles set up by God.  If you pay your tithe, give offerings and follow God's Word in your financial dealings - you will find that the overflowing of blessings never ending!

Until Next Spring/Summer.......

Seeing how my life gets very busy during the winter months with homeschooling, I will not be keeping this blog during that time. I hope to return to blogging here next spring/summer. Until then......

Budgeting 101 - Necessities

In my budget, you may have noticed that we budget for groceries and then what we call "necessities". You may be wondering what all that entails and I hope to answer that in this post.

We are pretty minimal from what we used to be a few years ago when I 'had to have' all different kinds of perfume, hair products, face items, etc. However, I learned I don't need all that and I'm quite content with just the basics. Our necessities budget is separate from our grocery budget. Meaning, when I spend $120 a month on groceries that is JUST food, not necessity items.

So what counts as a necessity for our family? Here is our list and we only buy as needed:

• Toilet paper
• Deodorant
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Soap - for shower use and to make my liquid hand soap
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Breath mints
• Trash bags
• Aluminium foil, plastic wrap, ziploc bags
• Lysol
• Face lotion
• Contact solution
• Hair gel
• Body spray
• Dishwasher gel - sometimes I make my own
• Baking soda
• Dish detergent - I use Ajax
• Vinegar, tea tree oil for my homemade all-purpose cleaner
• Borax, washing soda and Fels Naptha for my homemade laundry soap
• Q-tips
• Cotton balls
• Dryer sheets
• Fabric softener
• First Aid items
• Sunscreen
• Razors

I keep a price list of my necessities so I know what price they average. Most of the items above are not purchased monthly, but rather bi-yearly or yearly. We used to buy paper towels all the time but you really could do without and we like using hand towels for drying our hands. I also don't use perfume because I love fruit smelling body sprays and evidently the bees love it too because they won't leave me alone haha. ;-)

For my hair, I'm pretty minimal now - shampoo, conditioner, coconut oil and a comb! I don't need anything else, except if I curl my hair I will use my heat-protectant spray but I haven't done that in a long time.

Budgeting 101 - Free Printable Monthly Budget Worksheets

Here are 2 free printable budget worksheets I made today, one is blank and the other lists the necessary expenses that I blogged about in my first post here.  I left some blanks at the bottom of the prefilled one in case you need to add more, enjoy! ;-)

Free Printable Monthly Budget Worksheet


Free Printable Monthly Blank Budget Worksheet

Budgeting 101 - What is a Budget?

Even if you have a very large income, budgeting is still important. If you have no budget you have no way of telling how much you spend on what. The easiest way to explain a budget to those who may not understand the concept, is to show you what a budget includes. It is basically a list of items and then you budget an amount for each for the month. I recommend Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" plan for getting out of debt - we followed it and it worked for us! You can buy the book online or at a bookstore or even Wal-Mart carries it.

1. Tithe & Offerings
We tithe on our GROSS income (income before taxes are taken out) and ALL increase in our life - whether it is gifts from others or winning something, we give God His tithe. If you don't tithe then don't bother reading my financial posts because they won't apply to you. 10% of all your increase belongs to the Lord and you should also give in offerings because God blesses givers and those that obey His Word.

So, tithe is the first thing we take off my husband's income, of which I choose to keep private. We also give in offerings and budget these as well.

2. Housing
You have to have a place to live, whether you own, pay the bank or rent from someone - you have a certain amount you pay for your housing. I did a post about reasonable rent and you can read that here. Dave Ramsey recommends you only pay 25-35% of your net income for housing.  Make sure you are not living above your means.

3. Housing "Needed" Expenses
Living in a home comes with expenses and if you rent, your landlord may not cover all your utilities so you need to budget for these. These are things such as electricity or gas, water, sewer and garbage. Our sewer is included in our rent but we must pay the rest. For electricity, we practice a lot of money-saving tips and you can read a post on that here. Water is based on usage, so you can practice conserving water to lower your bill. Garbage is usually a set price and you can't really change it, just don't accumulate too much garbage to where you have to pay extra. You can recycle paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, etc. and some garbage companies give you a discount off your bill depending on how much is in your recycle container.

If you own a home, you will have needed repairs and maintenance. That is why you should never buy a home until you know you have money, not only for the mortgage and insurance but also for the repairs and maintenance costs. We rent and almost everything is taken care of for us and we are just responsible for the yard, replacing light bulbs, etc.. The lawn mower and weed-eater are a one-time cost and only the gas for the mower is to be budgeted.

I'm throwing home and renter's insurance in here, although its not a bonafide need - you would be better off with it than without it! Homeowner's insurance covers your home in case of fire, water damage, etc. Renter's insurance covers only your belongings. Homeowner's also pay property taxes yearly and renter's pay it but it is included in their rent cost.

4. Housing Extras
This is where everything else falls in because they aren't pure "needs". I'm talking about phone, internet, cable tv and any other luxury you add in. Besides the phone, you probably could do without the others if you had to for a certain time to cut expenses. We have gone without internet for 6 months to a year to save money. However, now my husband's job requires it. We don't own a TV, therefore we don't pay cable.

If you own a home, of course you will have even more extras from upgrades, renovations and additions. These are not NEEDS though, they are merely wants and you can wait on these things.

5. Car
A car is mostly a need in our society. To go to the store, work and other places you need transportation. You should never go in debt for a car! It is stupid to pay interest on a vehicle! STUPID! You can easily buy a used car with savings - even $600 because our friends have been driving their $600 car for a few years now! So having a car payment should not be a concern and if it is, you need to pay that debt off quick.

To run a car you will most likely need gas. So make sure you budget this. You can save on gas easily by staying home more and going out less. Also, budget for yearly license fees.

Car maintenance, car insurance and repair costs need to be in your budget. Maintenance deals with oil changes and so forth. Keep it up to date to keep your car running smoothly. If you want to save money in this area, simply learn to do it yourself. Car insurance is something we all should have and shop around for the best deal. Also, be aware that if you get your home or renter's insurance from the same company as you get your car insurance, you usually get a hefty discount. Also, having an accident-free record gives you a discount.

6. Food & Necessities
This is where most people can cut costs. You need to figure out how much you need to feed your family and come up with a budget for food. Then also, budget for necessities - toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc.

7. Medical
Health insurance, to me, is necessary! We learned the hard way - I was in the hospital for 2 weeks with NO insurance and we are still paying that bill to this day! Let me tell you plain and clear - if you think it won't happen to you, WAKE UP! You can't say a car will not hit your or you will not get cancer - you need to prepare for these things. I could have accepted charity for my hospital bill but we knew God didn't want that and we should pay our debts. God has rewarded us and what probably would have taken who knows how many years only took a few as we are paying the last payments next month!

So needless to say, we have insurance! So budget for the monthly costs or yearly cost if you do a medical savings plan. Dental falls in here as well.  If you don't pay for your own insurance you are basically throwing the bill on someone else, so you should, as a Christian, budget for this expense.

8. Life Insurance
Life insurance is a need, especially if you have children. A husband should make sure his wife will be well taken care of in the case of tragedy. If he has children, even the more so he should insure they are taken care of!

9. School
Whether you have expenses with your child's school or you homeschool - you need to budget for school costs. Make a list of every known expense you can imagine that will occur for the year and budget for that. You can easily homeschool on $300 and sometimes more if you choose new materials. Pick your curriculum and stick with it, if its working - don't buy just to buy, unless of course, you have money to blow.

10. Haircuts
Since this is a Christian blog, I don't cut my glory - so we only budget for my husband's haircuts.

11. Clothing
This is not only clothing but shoes and socks as well. We buy seasonally - fall and spring and usually do not purchase clothing any other time. Same for shoes and socks, etc.



I don't think I've missed anything and if you didn't see something on this list, it probably isn't a need. More to come as time permits!