A New Routine

We tried something today that I think may become the new "norm" at our house. Brandon wasn't going to be home for dinner, so I made "dinner" for lunch, (he's almost always home for lunch.....lucky us!) and I thought that the boys and I could just have something small later. I loved it! Rather than spending the morning cleaning the house only to mess it up again later making dinner, it's over and done with. And you know how dinner is....for a stay at home mom, it's one of the big to-do's of the day. One more crossed off, and now I have the afternoon to myself while the kids nap! Those of you who can't do this.....envy me. It feels so nice.

As a side note, remember that homemade laundry soap I was going to try? LOVE IT! It cleans every bit as good as the stuff I bought before, (Surf powder....I'm a cheapie) and it costs me..........are you ready for this? A PENNY PER LOAD! That is assuming that the borax powder and washing soda boxes really have four batches worth in them, but hey, even if I'm off by a bit, maybe it will be five cents. I can still live with that. And it was so easy to make. It took about fifteen minutes, but only about five of that was actively doing anything. So go ahead....try it. It will save you money, and it's kind of fun to say you make your own laundry soap. ;)

As a wrap up for the grocery challenge, I think that I'm going to stick with $75 a week for good. I've learned a lot this month and for the first time last night, I went to the grocery store and didn't stress at all. I bought diapers that I didn't need yet because they were on sale, I bought a few little extras, (like a night-light for Parker and a new drain plug for the bathtub) and I didn't stress over whether or not we really needed paper towel or could we make do without? And guess what? I got everything I needed and more and was $10 under budget. It was so nice. By the way, if any of you know how to, or know where I can find a tutorial for homemade yogurt, let me know! I'd love to try it. I hear it's super tasty and cheap.

Grocery Challenge Week 4

We're almost there! September has gone by soooo fast. And so has my money! Actually, I'm doing so much better than I thought. At the end of last week, we were out of everything. I was going to allow myself to splurge a bit to stock up again, and actually have some nice meals, (it got a bit silly at the end of last week trying to "make do") but then I decided that I needed to make my best effort to really stay on budget. So, I made a moderate meal plan and went to the store armed with coupons. Are you ready for this? I used $3.25 in manufacturer's coupons, got a total of $13.16 in shopper's card savings, and then, (best of all) the store honored a gift certificate I had from three years ago that had been lost, and found only a few days ago worth $25.00. My total bill came to $99.87 but with the gift certificate my total was $74.87. I made it by the skin of my teeth! See the blessings that come from trying to live (more) within your means? We have truly been provided for as we've tried this experiment this month.

We've also learned the value of "home production". I've learned how to can this year, and the savings, (and quality) are soooo worth it. I know a lot of people say that your time is so valuable that it often isn't worth it, but I say either you have the money, or you don't........if you don't, your time is better used in saving the money. Besides, I love the satisfaction of having made something myself. It really makes me feel as if I'm taking an active part in providing for my family. I've also been gathering "recipes" for other homemade products besides food. For example: floor cleaner, and laundry soap. The floor cleaner has already saved us so much. For a small fraction of the price of prepared floor cleaner, I get a much larger amount that lasts longer and does just as good of a job. I'll have to keep you posted on the laundry soap. I was just barely able to find a store here that carries the required items, so I'll be making it this afternoon, and will have to keep you posted as to whether or not I like it, and if the savings are worth it.

One more thing.....a friend gave me a tidbit of advice this week that really hit home. In saving money, (as well as eating more healthy) every bit of "processing" adds to the price. For example, dry beans are cheaper than canned, although they require more preparation at home. Also any extra processing often decreases the quality of the product. Processing can decrease the nutritional value of foods, or add unnecessary preservatives and other "yuckies". Think how much tastier and better for you homemade bread is than store bought! I'm convinced that healthy living can be affordable if you're willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen!

This challenge has really opened my eyes this month, so thanks to Mary for putting it out there!

GIVEAWAY!!!

Okay......another fantastic giveaway! If you like the $75 a week grocery challenge, you're going to LOVE this! Kelly at The Morris Tribe is giving away a free copy of Mary Ostyn's new book "Family Feasts for $75 a Week". I want it! I want it! Head on over to check it out. Here's hoping I win!

Grocery Challenge Update and Homemade Tortilla Help

I have to say that I'm really proud of how well I've stuck to the grocery challenge. We've run out of a lot of items this week that would normally be essentials for me, (bread, eggs, etc.) but I've decided that it was just a good opportunity to learn how to make do. I've gotten back to making homemade bread.... a habit that sadly I haven't been keeping up very well since Paige was born. I've realized this week that I can, (and should) be more self-reliant, and I've learned how to make things that I would usually always buy. Thanks to that and some generous neighbors sharing their garden bounty, I really haven't felt as pinched this week as I thought I would. One large bag of tomatoes a neighbor gave us made three delicious dishes. Spaghetti sauce, bruschetta, (that my husband liked so well he ate it for lunch alone) and salsa.

One of the things I learned how to make this week was tortillas. Ah.....tortillas. A staple at my house. I love how they can be part of any meal - breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Don't look too close at the picture....this was the very first batch.

To make these I used this recipe that I found after a quick google search. I was really excited about the fact that it called for only 2 t. of oil and no shortening. BUT......they tasted like flat baking powder biscuits. Not what I'm looking for in a tortilla. The texture was great, the dough was easy to handle, but I couldn't get over the flavor. Does anyone out there have a good recipe, that is as easy to make as these? I could google search again, but I thought that a recipe that came with a recommendation would be nicer than repeated trial and error by me. I would love to keep making homemade. It was so cheap and easy. Even if your recipe calls for shortening, send it on anyway. I'll get over it. I mean really, I just load them up with cheese anyway, so what's the point, right?

Grocery Challenge Week 3

So, I think I'm going to make it in the grocery challenge! I succeeded last week in not spending any money to make up for the week before. I did a little shopping this morning and spent:

• $15.00 on a box of diapers
• $1.84 on syrup, (does anyone else go through that insanely fast?)
• $1.82 on bananas at .39 lb. (a pretty good deal around here....I'm wishing I had bought more to dry into banana chips......but it's really not a good month for spending extra for us.)
• $17.98 on cheese. Killer deal. Two 5 lb. bags of shredded cheese. Usually I spend about $15.00 for one 5 lb. brick of cheese. I had to snag this bargain and I'll separate it out into smaller bags to freeze for later.
• $6.49 for toilet paper.
  

This brings the total for the week to $43.78. This will not only make up for the first week, but put me ahead by about 5 dollars, (whew!). I'm going to have to get creative for dinners this week. We have some leftover turkey that I can make turkey tetrazinni with, also some leftover soup that I made with some of that same turkey. I'm thinking we'll have bean burritos/tostadas another night, spaghetti and vegetables, and then I'll probably have to start using the potato reserves.....potato soup, baked potato bar, stuff like that. It might get interesting around here, but my husband is loving this. We've been trying to smash down some debt lately, and this is really contributing.

Grocery Challenge Weeks 1 and 2

So....I just barely joined the grocery challenge, so I've already blown it, BUT I plan to make up for it. My husband is going to LOVE this. We always squabble over whether or not it's feasible to spend less than $100 a week on groceries. Until I found Owlhaven I thought not. But hey, if she can do it with 10 kids, I've got to be able to do it with my three right? Question though...I usually count anything I buy from Wal-mart, or whatever grocery store in my grocery budget.....diapers, cleaning supplies, whatever, (I'm not into separating everything out from the receipt). Does that count in this grocery challenge or not? I'm going to have to look into that. Anyway, full disclosure, I spent a total of $170.50 this week. Arghhh. I hope Brandon is not reading this. Like I said though, that total includes some cleaning supplies too. Also, we have company for the weekend, so I bought some extras that I normally wouldn't. However, I am positive that I can make it through this next week without buying a single thing between leftovers, and what we have in the pantry. So, making that a two week total, I'm only over so far by $25.50. I think I can make that up throughout the month. Wish me luck!

If you want to join the grocery challenge, click here!