Something I Wrote Long, Long Ago
My husband has to ship in his laptop this next week to get it repaired and he was cleaning everything off of it. In the process, he has found some very interesting files that I completely forgot about. Here is one such file --I wrote this way back when we were first married. Some women on a message board were discussing saving money on groceries and here are a few snippets of my contributions to this discussion. I don't follow all of these things now, but I thought that some of you might enjoy reading it. Some of this I've already written here before, but some of it is new. It was fun to go back and refresh my memory about our very early married months. Excuse the bad grammar and hastily -written content. Inspite of the atrocious style, there were some good ideas here... if only I still followed all of them! There is a season for everything, though. Maybe someday I'll have Kathrynne start coupon-shopping for us.
Snippet 1: Budgeting
We do eat convenience foods---but only because I get them with coupons for basically nothing. For instance, I often get TV dinners for $0.35 each, so that is worth it to me. We also eat a lot of whole grains, whole wheat bread, and fresh produce. I try to always pray before I enter the store that the Lord would provide good deals for us, and He is always faithful, it is incredible!
I highly recommend Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms book.... it has saved us a lot of money! From the way we live, you would never know we live on about $1000 a month for everything!
Snippet 2: You Can Live Within Your Means
My husband is in charge of our finances. He makes the decision and pays the bills, but I know how much we have in each budget category. We usually go over everything once every other month or so together to kind of see where we are as far as savings and spendings and see if we need to rework anything. My only financial oversight is in our groceries.
We made out our budget together (like I said) and then tweaked it after we were married, once we had figured out how much each category was really going to cost us.
We truly believe that you can live within your means, no matter how little they may be, with a little creativity, trust in the Lord, and the willingness to do without. A budget has been a wonderful thing for us...there is freedom when there are boundaries. Another motto I often adopt is, "You can always do it for less." There are so many things in life that people pay way more for than they have to. With a little work, research and creativity, you can figure out a less expensive route. It does take patience and perserverence though!
Snippet 3: Practical Ideas
Meat: If you purchase your meat at the gocery store, find out when it is reduced and shop at that time. I go grocery shopping early in the morning because I have found our store marks down meat and produce then and I can get the best selection. We only buy chicken or steak type of meat at the grocery store because we prefer high-quality ground beef. You can usually ask the meat dept. when they mark meat down and plan your shopping accordingly. Since we cannot afford high-quality ground beef, we just don't buy it. Although my husband would enjoy having it now and then, he realizes it is a sacrifice we must make at this season in our life. And we eat quite well without it. We make lasagna and spaghetti(We just add a can of chopped, seasoned tomatoes to the sauce for some zest) without meat. And just use refried beans in tacos. When I can get boneless, skinless chicken breasts reduced (which is usually every three weeks or so that I find a really good selection of them), I buy all of them that I can and then take them home and cook, chop, and freeze them in meal-size portions....that way, when I need chopped chicken it is waiting in the freezer.
Our menu for this week:
~Italian Chicken over Noodles
~Ham and Beans (one of my husband's favs and this is as cheap as it gets---we just boil a ham hock or small piece of ham in with the final cooking of a bag of Great Northern Beans, season to taste with salt)
~Homemade Pizza (Also extremely cheap---we just usally like pepperoni, cheese, and colored peppers on it--and I get the colored peppers whenever they are on the reduced produce rack and then chop and freeze---I can usually get about 6-8 for $0.49-0.99)
~Chicken Noodles Over Mashed Potatoes (Just make chicken noodle soup with less broth and serve over mashed potatoes)
~Lasagna
~Hearty Chicken Soup
Dairy: We drink very little milk (we try to use up a half gallon in about two weeks!) so that saves us a lot right there. I know there are mixed feelings about calcium and such, but my parents never gave us milk to drink when we were growing up and we all are very healthy--- my family of nine went through a little over a gallon a week. If you reduce your milk drinking, you can cut your grocery bill very quickly.). We do use cheese rather generously. I buy cheese from Aldis or get it when it is on sale in the pre-grated bags (you can freeze those).
Coupons, Meal Planning, and Stocking Your Pantry: I am a huge coupon shopper! But I NEVER allow myself to buy something with coupons that is not worth the price. Just because you can get 80 cents off does not mean it is a good deal. Another thing, time is money. If you do not have time to clip coupons, don't beat yourself up for not doing it. But if you do have time, it can save you a lot. Every Sat or Sun night (Since I go grocery shopping on Mon morning), I go through the store ad with my coupon box (I have a large tupperware tub with a lid that my coupons are organized in) and make out my grocery list and menu for the week. I always keep a running grocery list on the side of our refrig that I add to throughout the week as I notice we need to purchase something---(Since I keep a pretty well stocked there usually are only a few items on this list). As I go through the ad, I keep in mind what coupons I have in my box and if it seems to be a good deal, I pull out the coupon and stick in a envelope labelled "Coupons to be Used Today" That way it's all ready for me at the store in the morning. This whole planning and pulling coupons process usually takes me maybe 15-20 mins.
When I get to the store, I check the reduced items first and then go through every aisle of the store----starting from one end and working to the other. The reason I go down every aisle and scan all the shelves is because there are often closeouts or manager's specials that I would miss otherwise. I use a calculator to make sure everything is within budget.
About stocking your pantry, if you think it's impossible, let me tell you, it isn't. Try to just maybe start with just spending a few dollars each week towards it. Usually every store that I am aware of (unless it is some place like Aldis or maybe Wal-Mart), has a few really good deals every week. For instance, this past week, Kroger hadDel
Snippet 1: Budgeting
Before we were married, my parents encouraged my husband and me to make out a budget. Our budget allotment is $35/week, but I usually spend between $25-30. There is just my husband and I, but we do share a lot of food and household goods with others. Before I got married in January of this year, my mom had me plan the menus and shop on a budget for our family of 9. That was a really good experience for me.
We do eat convenience foods---but only because I get them with coupons for basically nothing. For instance, I often get TV dinners for $0.35 each, so that is worth it to me. We also eat a lot of whole grains, whole wheat bread, and fresh produce. I try to always pray before I enter the store that the Lord would provide good deals for us, and He is always faithful, it is incredible!
I highly recommend Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms book.... it has saved us a lot of money! From the way we live, you would never know we live on about $1000 a month for everything!
Snippet 2: You Can Live Within Your Means
My husband is in charge of our finances. He makes the decision and pays the bills, but I know how much we have in each budget category. We usually go over everything once every other month or so together to kind of see where we are as far as savings and spendings and see if we need to rework anything. My only financial oversight is in our groceries.
We made out our budget together (like I said) and then tweaked it after we were married, once we had figured out how much each category was really going to cost us.
We truly believe that you can live within your means, no matter how little they may be, with a little creativity, trust in the Lord, and the willingness to do without. A budget has been a wonderful thing for us...there is freedom when there are boundaries. Another motto I often adopt is, "You can always do it for less." There are so many things in life that people pay way more for than they have to. With a little work, research and creativity, you can figure out a less expensive route. It does take patience and perserverence though!
Snippet 3: Practical Ideas
Meat: If you purchase your meat at the gocery store, find out when it is reduced and shop at that time. I go grocery shopping early in the morning because I have found our store marks down meat and produce then and I can get the best selection. We only buy chicken or steak type of meat at the grocery store because we prefer high-quality ground beef. You can usually ask the meat dept. when they mark meat down and plan your shopping accordingly. Since we cannot afford high-quality ground beef, we just don't buy it. Although my husband would enjoy having it now and then, he realizes it is a sacrifice we must make at this season in our life. And we eat quite well without it. We make lasagna and spaghetti(We just add a can of chopped, seasoned tomatoes to the sauce for some zest) without meat. And just use refried beans in tacos. When I can get boneless, skinless chicken breasts reduced (which is usually every three weeks or so that I find a really good selection of them), I buy all of them that I can and then take them home and cook, chop, and freeze them in meal-size portions....that way, when I need chopped chicken it is waiting in the freezer.
Our menu for this week:
~Italian Chicken over Noodles
~Ham and Beans (one of my husband's favs and this is as cheap as it gets---we just boil a ham hock or small piece of ham in with the final cooking of a bag of Great Northern Beans, season to taste with salt)
~Homemade Pizza (Also extremely cheap---we just usally like pepperoni, cheese, and colored peppers on it--and I get the colored peppers whenever they are on the reduced produce rack and then chop and freeze---I can usually get about 6-8 for $0.49-0.99)
~Chicken Noodles Over Mashed Potatoes (Just make chicken noodle soup with less broth and serve over mashed potatoes)
~Lasagna
~Hearty Chicken Soup
Dairy: We drink very little milk (we try to use up a half gallon in about two weeks!) so that saves us a lot right there. I know there are mixed feelings about calcium and such, but my parents never gave us milk to drink when we were growing up and we all are very healthy--- my family of nine went through a little over a gallon a week. If you reduce your milk drinking, you can cut your grocery bill very quickly.). We do use cheese rather generously. I buy cheese from Aldis or get it when it is on sale in the pre-grated bags (you can freeze those).
Coupons, Meal Planning, and Stocking Your Pantry: I am a huge coupon shopper! But I NEVER allow myself to buy something with coupons that is not worth the price. Just because you can get 80 cents off does not mean it is a good deal. Another thing, time is money. If you do not have time to clip coupons, don't beat yourself up for not doing it. But if you do have time, it can save you a lot. Every Sat or Sun night (Since I go grocery shopping on Mon morning), I go through the store ad with my coupon box (I have a large tupperware tub with a lid that my coupons are organized in) and make out my grocery list and menu for the week. I always keep a running grocery list on the side of our refrig that I add to throughout the week as I notice we need to purchase something---(Since I keep a pretty well stocked there usually are only a few items on this list). As I go through the ad, I keep in mind what coupons I have in my box and if it seems to be a good deal, I pull out the coupon and stick in a envelope labelled "Coupons to be Used Today" That way it's all ready for me at the store in the morning. This whole planning and pulling coupons process usually takes me maybe 15-20 mins.
When I get to the store, I check the reduced items first and then go through every aisle of the store----starting from one end and working to the other. The reason I go down every aisle and scan all the shelves is because there are often closeouts or manager's specials that I would miss otherwise. I use a calculator to make sure everything is within budget.
About stocking your pantry, if you think it's impossible, let me tell you, it isn't. Try to just maybe start with just spending a few dollars each week towards it. Usually every store that I am aware of (unless it is some place like Aldis or maybe Wal-Mart), has a few really good deals every week. For instance, this past week, Kroger had
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:00 AM
11 Comments:
And speaking of tacos... Here is my gift to you! Lentil Tacos. Very yummy, very healthy, and very cheap! I've had many people make suspicious looks at the title and then beg for more...
1/2 C Brown Rice
3/4 Cup Lentils
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 C Water (make the third cup a little scant)
Mix in covered casserole dish. Cover and Bake at 300 degrees for about 1 hr and 40 mins. Treat just like regular tacos. Eat in shells or tortillas. Or dump in a bowl, top as you like, and eat with chips. Yum!
thanks for sharing that! =) Some of it seems familiar. ;-)
~Samantha
Hey Crystal, I remember when I asked you about How you and Your Dear Husband saved money on Groceries.
Do you have a coupon for eye glasses????!!!! LOL - did you make the type really really small for blind people like me????!!!! :-)
No milk! We go through a gallon every other day. It is actually all I drink except water and tea right now. In fact thinking back to my childhood, all we ever had to drink was milk or water. :)
-Zan
Blestwithsons: Lentil tacos-- yum! I have some coked lentils in teh freezer. Do you think my hubby would know the difference??? :)
CAGMomof2: Were you on that message board??
Cheryl: you are way too funny! Sorry for it being so small of print. When I copy and paste, the font does all sorts of funny things and if I try to change it, it will usually end up looking very bizzarre! I'm still way too computer-illiterate!
Zan: I think it might depend upon where you live or something. My brother-in-law is from Michigan and their family drinks milk like crazy! We are always teasing him about his milk "addiction." :)
I used to literally hate milk. Then I got pregnant and craved milk (is that weird or what??). Now that I am nursing, I still crave a bowl of cereal with milk -- something I used to never, ever eat. I would even drink milk when I was pregnant! If you knew how I used to be, you would know how funny that is! So, we go through a bit more milk now -- more like maybe 3/4 gallon a week.
We go through lots of milk too. We usually go through about 4-5 gallons a week. I cook a lot with it, and the older 4 dc drink it with lunch and supper. I almost never pay more than $2/gallon for it.
Ohhhhhhhhhh how I wish we had an Aldi!!!!!!!!!
blestwithsons: Thanks for the yummy-sounding recipe! I can't wait to try it. (o:
Yes Crystal I was on that message board.
Lol...so there is hope for me yet huh, Crystal? I hate milk as well and really can't drink it unless it's in a smoothie or with some type of flavouring mixed in. I'm hoping that when/if my body needs calcium it will let me know via cravings. Pregnant and lactating women do have much higher calcium requirements to non-pregnant women and men so that's probably why you enjoy/crave it nowadays! Interesting how your body knows what to crave isn't it?? I'm craving watery fruits like watermelon, berries, peaches etc and I'm sure it's due to my increased need for water as the blood volume and amniotic fluid all require so much water. Very cool how God made our bodies to work.
I know this is an old posting, but I'll write anyway!
We don't drink much milk either. We get powdered milk and mix it up as we need it. We usually have a quart in the fridge mixed up, but not always. I just about fained when I saw that milk cost nearly 3 dollars a gallon in our store- we pay 1.40 a gallon, and since we buy a huge 20 quart box of it at a time, we don't run out and have to run to the store.
The trick is to mix it really well and keep it very cold. We also drank skim milk before powdered, so there was not much taste difference. If you drank a higher fat content milk, it may take some getting used to.
My mother rarely ever gave us milk or juice. She said she saw so many kids who refused to drink anything but Kool-Aid, Apple juice, and milk, and she did not want us to be those kids. She taught us to like water, and now that fact saves me a fortune!
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