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A birthday favor: De-lurk!
As I mentioned earlier, I'm celebrating a birthday this weekend (Should I let you guess which one? Let's just say that I'm closer to 30 than ever before!). In honor of this getting-closer-to-30 day, I'm taking off the next three days from blogging to do more of my very favorite thing of all - spend time with my family. Last year's Birthday De-lurking was so much fun, I've decided to make it an annual event. So, while I'm on my little blogging break, would you do me a favor? If you read my blog (that means you read it daily, or weekly, or monthly, every other month, or this is your first time, etc.!), would you take just a moment to comment and let me know you are here?
I love blogging, but more than anything, I love hearing from you all. I'm glad you're here, whether you comment daily, weekly, once in a blue moon, or have never commented at all. I hear from many of you often, but according to my site stats, there are more than a few thousand people who read here with some consistency that I've never heard from at all. Sometimes it seems weird to be writing for a mostly faceless, nameless audience. I usually am happy to just let you read and never comment - after all, I rarely comment on blogs either. But this weekend, since it's my birthday, could you take just a moment and introduce yourself? Tell me how long you've been reading here, or how you found my blog, or where you're from, or something interesting or dull about yourself. You don't even have to leave your real name, if you'd rather not. You don't have to agree with me on much of anything. In fact, you can be a polar opposite of me! - I'd just love to know you're here and to have a little idea of who you are. After all, if it weren't for you, I'd have no reason to blog! If you'd rather not leave a comment, you can send me an email - my address is here. By the way, I don't say this enough but thanks so much for being here. I feel so blessed and unworthy to have so many wonderful friends and encouragers here - especially during this last difficult year. You all have blessed me and lifted me up immensely. God is good. I really and truly know that.
Frugal Friday: Less is More - Part 1
 Sorry for the delay in posting this - I was only just now able to get internet access. My family invited us to go to Branson with them for my birthday. Since Branson is one of my absolute favorite places to go, especially this time of year, Jesse was kind enough to make it happen.
As most of you know, I love getting good deals - especially when it comes to grocery shopping. However, I've learned over the years that while getting good deals can be a great thing and can save your family a lot of money, just because the price is cheap, it doesn't mean it's a good deal - at least for your family.
For me, bargain shopping is not about accumulating stuff, it's about being a wise steward with the resources God has given us and stretching my husband's hard-earned money as far as possible. If you're not careful, getting good deals can quickly turn into more of the accumulating of stuff, though. Too much stuff - even if you got it free or only spent pennies on it - is still too much stuff. It will clutter up your life, suck up your time, and result in a chaotic, unorganized home.
Being a wise steward means learning that often, less is more. In this series which I will be exploring in my Frugal Friday posts over the next few weeks, I want to share some things which have helped to save me time and money and keep bargain shopping in check.
#1 Stay Home!
Staying home is one of the simplest ways to have more time, spend less money, accumulate less clutter, and well, to plain just live a less frenetic lifestyle.
A lot of times I'm asked how I get so much done. I'm no wonder woman, but I do know that one of my "secrets" to efficiency is that I am home almost all day, every day. I've purposely said "no" to a multitude of outside activities and opportunities because I know that running around with two littles for most of the day not only wears me out, it is a surefire way for me to spend more money (i.e. trips through the fast-food lane while we're out, swinging by to check out a sale I see signs for when I don’t really need anything, or ordering carry out for dinner because I'm exhausted and didn’t have time to make anything for dinner) and get less done. It's just not worth it, folks.
Now, am I saying you need to cut out every outside activity and commitment and never step foot outside your doorstep? No. What I am encouraging you to do is to carefully evaluate all outside commitments and see if there are some that are really necessities or if they are just cluttering up your life for no good reason.
I have purposely limited myself to one grocery shopping trip a week for time, money, and efficiency's sake. Outside of my once-a-week grocery shopping trip, unless there is some incredibly knock-down drag out good deal on something we need and use and we're going to be right in the vicinity of that store or it is right down the block from us, I just pass the deal over.
Knowing that I've only got one shot at grocery shopping each week motivates me to do the best I can do in that one shopping trip. It also forces me to make sure and write a thorough menu and grocery list and to have determined the sales and matched them with my coupons ahead of time. If I forget to write an ingredient down, I have to do without.
Besides grocery shopping which I've found I have to do at least every 7-10 days so that I can have plenty of food to cook, we really do very little other shopping. I hit the second-hand stores or a large community-wide garage sale twice a year to buy clothes for myself and the girls. We also make a trip to the office supply store once or twice a month for business supplies. Other than that, shopping trips for anything else are a rarity at our home. I make it my goal to learn to make do with what we have or to learn to live without.
One of the nice side effects of this mentality is that we don't have a lot of clutter. In fact, some would probably think our home looks really bare. Compared to many, it is, but it makes things so much simpler. I'd much rather have only things we need, use, and love taking up residence in our home, than to have our rooms bulging with stuff we don't need, haven't used in a long time, and don't like in the first place. For us, less is more, I tell you!
It's so simple but it really works: just stay home!
To be continued next Frugal Friday! --------------------- Leave your frugal tip or link below. Remember to keep it family-friendly and to link directly to your post, not your blog home page.
Input requested: PMS with a good attitude
How's that for a title? All the male readers here (all three of you!) can now click over to another blog. For the rest of you ladies, I am sure some of you can identify with this email I received: My husband and I were discussing the issue of PMS, since I get it pretty badly each month. This discussion led me to wonder, "How can I control my irritability during those few days a month when my body is chemically at war? How do godly women who also suffer from a few days of depression/crankiness handle it?" I really need advice because my moods are radical and I always say really mean things to my husband on that/those day(s) and then the next day I feel fine and happy and loving toward him. I would love to hear from all kinds of women on how to keep a godly Christian attitude even through PMS. -Mrs. S Any advice, thoughts, words of wisdom for Mrs. S. and the rest of us on this? Do share! And if you'd rather not leave your name, feel free to comment anonymously.
The froggie saga
 We bought Kathrynne some three ghost shrimp, two frogs, and some goldfish for her birthday at the beginning of this year. (Yes, I know what you're thinking, "You bought frogs? Obviously, you have no boys in your house!"). Besides one very hearty betta we had when we first got married, these were the first "pets" we'd ever gotten so it was a rather big deal. We've quickly learned we probably aren't cut out for owning pets, though. First, the shrimp mysteriously disappeared one by one. Our best guess was that the frogs ate them even though the man at the pet store promised they wouldn't. Next, Froggie #1 turned up missing. We thought maybe he had died in the aquarium, but no, he was nowhere to be found. It perplexed us greatly that he someone figured out a way to get out of the aquarium and then that he could be hiding somewhere - anywhere - in our house waiting to jump out at the most inopportune of times. We had no idea how he managed to get out of the aquarium in the first place, but somehow he did. We tore the house apart and didn't find him anywhere. I was just sure I'd wake up one morning and he'd be sitting on my face or something. Weeks later, we finally found him shriveled up and dead underneath Kathrynne's bed. I was never so relieved. Froggie #2 managed to be not as adept at scaling aquarium walls as Froggie #1, so Froggie #2 lived happily in the aquarium with the goldfish until a few weeks ago. Then he also turned up missing. Guess where I found him this morning? Shriveled up under Kathrynne's bed (What is it about her bed?!). I'm thinking maybe we should stick to being goldfish owners and shy away from any other more exotic pets. I have to say, though, that at least we only have problems with losing shrimp and frogs at our house. Over at Kim's place, they can't keep track of their tarantula. I think I'll take a little lost froggie in my house over that any day!
Kathrynne's rendition of "Whiter Than Snow"
Challah!
After my laundry soap disaster, I was a bit leery of trying anything very domestic for awhile. Notwithstanding, I worked up the courage to attempt making challah today.  I mixed up the dough in the bread machine to save on time and energy. It took me a few attempts to figure out how to braid it correctly, but I finally got the hang of it. I brushed mine with water (Jesse's not big on things being brushed with egg as the recipe called for) and sprinkled it with sugar.  And what do you know? It's not as pretty as Tammy's, but it wasn't a complete flop either! We all loved it and it's definitely something I'll be making again. Speaking of recipes, for those who haven't been frequenting my new Money Saving Mom blog, there's lots of good stuff up over there, including our $35 menu for this week.
True love isn't stamped with an expiration date
 Anna has a great post here on the crazy phenomenon proposed by a German politician that marriages should expire after seven years. The whole discussion - as Anna said - is so ludicrous, but it hits home to the fact that this culture has completely lost sight of the meaning of marriage. God, the original Creator of marriage, clearly instituted marriage as between one man and one woman for life. Marriage is not a contract that we choose to discard at whim, marriage is a covenant between two persons in the sight of God "till death do us part."
In this age of instant gratification, marriages are fast becoming just another disposable commodity. As long as it feels good, stay in it. When the going gets tough, move on. But is that true love? Of course not.
True love overlooks the shortcomings, it keeps on loving even when the tough times hit. True love is not a disposable commodity. And that is why God created earthly marriages to be a picture of our Heavenly marriage. Christ has loved His Bride, the Church, even when we error, even when we go our own way, even when we fall down. He doesn't give up on us just because we are struggling. As Christians, we have the incredible privilege of showing a beautiful testimony to the world of a God-honoring marriage which depicts Christ and the Church. No, we won't ever have a perfect marriage on this earth, but we can have a little taste of our Heavenly marriage as we seek to follow the principles found in God's Word concerning marriage.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:22-33
Graphic from AllPosters.com
Just FYI
I'm blogging over at Frugal Hacks today. Lord-willing, I'll be doing this every Saturday. Nothing life-altering or earth-shattering, but I thought some of you might enjoy knowing. Plus, another plug never hurts for a great site put on by some of favorite frugal friends!
The laundry detergent that wasn't
Okay, so you all know that I'm a rather eclectic person. I love some modern conveniences and technology (like my pink laptop!), but I also have a soft spot in my heart for many old-fashioned things, too. My love for the old-fashioned coupled with my frugality seemed like a perfect fit for making my own laundry detergent. Or so I thought. I had seen Tammy and others rave about homemade laundry soap... how easy it was to make, how inexpensive it was, how much money they were saving by using it, and how much better it was for one than traditional laundry detergent. I kept thinking, "I really should try that."When Erica Johns from Super Mom's Health and Wellness offered to let me try the laundry detergent kit she sells, I jumped on it. Here, at last, was my chance! And so, Thursday night I set about to realize my longtime dream of making my own laundry detergent. I couldn't have been more excited.   First, Kathrynne and I took the bag of Ole Pioneer Laundry Detergent and lavender scent and dumped the laundry detergent mix it into a pot on the stovetop.  We added 6 cups water and heated it on medium-high until it was dissolved (the instructions didn't say what temperature to use, just to heat it and stir constantly until it was dissolved). It took quite awhile to dissolve and I got a little impatient after a number of minutes of stirring and finally decided it was good enough.  So I followed the next direction to let it cook on medium-high for 15 minutes.  The directions said it was supposed to look like honey after 15 minutes. I got distracted (what's new?!) and let it cook a little longer than 15 minutes (maybe more like 20-25 minutes?), but when I came back to check on it, it didn't look much different than before and certainly didn't look much like any kind of honey I've ever seen.  The next step was to get two one gallon containers and pour half of the soap mixture in each. It was then that I realized I hadn't thought through what I was going to put all this detergent in. I finally scrounged up a bucket and a bowl and poured half of the mixture in each. I added enough cold water to make a gallon each and mixed well (maybe I added a little too much water? I was using a 3/4 gallon laundry detergent bottle to add the water in.) and then set the detergent aside for 24 hours.  The next day, I went to use the laundry detergent. It had separated all right, just like the instructions had said. When I shook it up and poured some into my washer, it looked like - well, the best I can come up with is that it looked like baby spit up. Um, I've been seeing enough of that recently, so I really wasn't excited about my laundry soap looking like that, too. After dumping in half a cup of this "baby spit up" laundry detergent into my washing machine, I noticed there were no bubbles and the proceeding loads of laundry I did did not seem to be getting clean. So much for my brilliant idea to make homemade laundry soap! I think I'm just not cut out for being a pioneer woman! For the time it took and the mess it made, it just really didn't seem worth the end result. Maybe I should just stick with buying detergent on sale with coupons like I have been for years? But I really don't want to be a quitter and give up on something just because the first time it didn't work. So, help me out here. For all of you who have made your own detergent before, what did I do wrong? I'm positive it wasn't the detergent mix (which I'm sure is a wonderful product that I completely botched!). Any suggestions or thoughts? Is homemade laundry detergent really supposed to look all lumpy like mine does? ---------  Oh and I had to add: Erica was kind enough to also send me some Natural Shampoo bars and some Lavender and Loofah Goat's Milk soap - we've very much enjoyed these chemical-free soaps. I especially love using them on my little girls. The less chemicals, the better, right?!
Winner of the Everlasting Love Note Folio
Frugal Fridays: A winner and an announcement
When you feel like no one notices
 I read this article (thanks to a few readers for sending it my way!) this morning and not only was it an encouragement, it got me thinking. I don't know about you, but I know I certainly have days when I feel like no one notices. Like I'm slaving away 24/7 for nothing more than to wake up and do it all over again. And sadly, I've been guilty of not only thinking these thoughts, but letting my family know by throwing a great big pity-party about it. When I feel like this, I've lost focus. It's a clear indication that I am living my life for the praise of men, not to glorify God. That I'm living for me first and forgetting the One Who gave His life for me so that I might give of myself to serve those God has called me to serve. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
- Philippians 2:3-8
As moms, let us not forget Whose steps we are following in as we go about our daily mundane tasks. Sometimes the most noble and worthwhile deeds are those that are done behind the scenes - the ones only God sees. We are building the future generation - one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time. Graphic from Art.com
WFMW: ABC Bible Memory Book
 I wasn't planning to do a WFMW post today, but as I was sitting at the table after lunch reading Kathrynne her ABC Memory Book, I realized I had never mentioned it here and knew I had to tell you about it. I'm always on the lookout for good resources for young children and this is definitely one of my favorites. When I was a little girl, my mom used the ABC Bible Memory Book to teach me some of the very first verses I learned. Many years later, I still fondly recall this little book and the verses in it. My mom was kind enough to get a copy for us so that I can use this same book with Kathrynn. The ABC Bible Memory Book is easy to use and Kathrynne loves it. She will literally beg for me to read it with her. Plus, with reading through it often, she is picking up on more and more of the verses without any work or effort on my part. In addition to encouraging Bible memory, this book provides a simple way to review the alphabet and to learn numbers in the Bible verse references. There are 26 simple verses included - one for each letter of the alphabet, of course! For each verse, there is also an accompanying picture and a short little lesson or poem to read. My only complaint with the book is that some of the verses do not start with phonetically correct pronunciations of the letter. For instance, the verse for the letter "c" is "Children obey your parents in the Lord."Phonics aside, this book provides a great resource for teaching Scripture to young children in a simple and straight-forward manner. And that works for me!How do you teach Scripture to your younger children?
How much do you think he spent?
Since yesterday was the last day to take advantage of some of the great Kroger deals and I still had quite a bit of grocery money left in the budget for this week, my husband offered to go to the store for me so I could stay home and get some things done - like making laundry soap which I finally did last night and will post about soon! (As an aside, isn't my husband the bestest?!) Jesse came home from the store with all of this:  27 boxes of Kleenex 32 Yoplait yogurts 10 boxes of Old El Paso Taco and Soft Taco shells 6 Armour Lunchmakers 5 cans Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup 2 packages of Mission Tortillas 1 package of Chex Mix The total before coupons and store sales was $111.84.
How much do you think he spent? Leave a comment with your name and your guess.Just for fun, the person who guesses the closest to the actual amount spent will win a copy of Shop, Save, and Share by Ellie Kay (a great book on bargain shopping!) and a package of goodies from me which will include: Basic H cleaner, all natural dishwasher detergent, bath salts, stationery, and some other great household products I've picked up on bargains recently. I'll leave comments open until tomorrow night and will announce the winner and the special frugal treat I've been working on for all you bargain aficionados on Friday.
Tuesday giveaway: Everlasting Love Note Folio
 Cory, a consultant with Blessings Unlimited, has kindly donated this Everlasting Love Note Folio for our Tuesday giveaway this week. She writes about this product: Encourage someone you love with a note from this beautiful collection of floral notes. Each of the four designs is foiled in silver for an extra special touch. The verse, He has made everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11) captures the sentiment of this lovely set of notes. Folio includes ten each of four designs. A total of 40 4"x5" notes, printed envelopes and coordinating seals. This note folio is great because it is compact, with everything you need in one place. To enter to win the Everlasting Love Note Folio, just leave a comment below with your name! By request of Cory, this contest is open to U.S. residents only or those who have an address in the U.S. that this can be mailed to. Comments will be left open until Friday evening, September 21, 2007. I will randomly choose a winner from the comments using Random.org on Saturday and will post the winner's name and have them contact me with their mailing address so their note folio can be mailed to them.
By the way, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Blessings Unlimited, Cory would be happy to send you a catalog of their products. Just email her with your name and mailing address: blessed1 @ inbox.com (remove spaces). Please do not email her to enter the drawing, though. Only comments posted on below this post will be eligible for the drawing.
What do you think? Organic farming a Biblical mandate?
 COMMERCE, Texas (Reuters) - The Hale family has embraced organic farming because it is healthy, good for the environment and less cruel to animals. But do not mistake them for nature-worshiping New Agers or back-to-basics hippies.
They are part of a small movement of conservative Christians who believe the Bible demands an organic or natural approach to agriculture.
Read full article. My husband read this article to me this morning and we found it quite interesting. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Do you agree or disagree with this family's view of environmental stewardship? Do you think that promoting organic foods and good nutrition are tenants of a Christian lifestyle? Why or why not? Hearty discussion encouraged but remember to keep it considerate. :) Graphic from Art.com
Input requested: Memory-making ideas
 I'm sort of having writer's block - er blogger's block - today. It's not that I don't have things I want to write about or an inbox full of questions from readers that I've promised I'd answer soon which I should be using for blog fodder, it's just that I want to be writing about other things. Like the laundry soap I made, only I've not made it yet. Or the Apple Challah I just pulled out of the oven, only that's still a figment of my imagination, too. Or pictures of my precious little girls, but I seem to have trouble catching them both awake and picture presentable at the same time recently (it seems they are perpetually clad in spit-up stained or chocolate covered clothes - no matter whether we just put on clean clothes or not!). Anyway, since I'm sure you'd rather hear about much more interesting things today than all the things I want to be writing about but can't because, well, there isn't much to say about it right now, I'm posting Juliann's question and copping out by letting you all do the answering. I'm positive you have much more interesting and creative things to share than I could come up with right now: I am teaching a seminar at a ladies' retreat next week on "Having Fun in our Families." I have put together a list of fun, memory-making things that we do along with some others have shared with me. I was wondering if any of your readers might have some special tips they would like to share. My intent is to cover traditions, spiritual milestones, physical milestones, plain everyday fun, creating a warm home environment, making your husband and children feel special. Might be a fun post to cover, and give us lots of great ideas to try in our homes! -Juliann
So, help me out here, Ladies. Tell us about your creative family traditions. I'd especially love to hear if you have any special traditions for the Autumn season. If you've blogged about it, leave us your link to peruse! Thanks in advance! Oh, and don't worry, my blogger's block usually lasts all of two hours, so I'm sure that being the usually verbose person I am, I'll be back in full force very soon. And maybe I'll even be able to tell you about that laundry soap and Apple Challah! Graphic from Art.com
Live-blogging the Presidential debate
Deals and more deals
Speaking of grocery budgets, I've been meaning to tell you that Kroger has some really incredible deals right now. Carrie has the scoop here and I left a comment on her post with some more details. These deals end tomorrow night for the Kroger(Dillons) stores in Kansas. It might be different for other states. Feel free to email me if you want to read a more thorough write-up on the deals (biblicalwomanhood @ sbcglobal.net - remove spaces). I'd post it here, but it's L-O-N-G. Also, SuperTarget has tuna for $0.09 right now, at least so I've heard (haven't had a chance to try it myself!). More details here. What other deals are going on around the country this week? Feel free to share and discuss any and all you've found in the comments section.
Cheerful frugality and the grocery budget
Meredith, in her usual flair, has a great post up on cheerful frugality and the grocery budget.After all, frugality is not always about spending the very least. It's about doing the most with what you have. That may mean assigning 25% of each week's grocery money to invest in loss leaders for the pantry. You declare a beans-and-cornbread night so you can bring beef stew to a sick family. Perhaps you don't eat canned chili, but you buy some for the food bank when your coupons made the cans 10-cents apiece. Read the full post here What about you? How are you "doing the most with what you have"? I'd love to hear personal examples, ideas, and input on this as I think it's something we can all learn from each other on.
By the way, stay tuned for an exciting announcement in the next few days for all of you who love frugality. It's something my husband and I have been praying about for quite some time now. And we're finally ready to take the jump.
Suffice it to say, I think she has her mother's sweet tooth
Kathrynne and I were working in the kitchen this morning when she spied the baking soda and asked me what it was. I promptly told her it was some "really yucky tasting stuff." A few minutes later, I turned around to find her coughing and looking completely disgusted. Being the inexperienced mom that I am, it took me a few moments to realize she'd decided to test out my theory that that white powder in the orange box was "really yucky tasting stuff."
And she quickly discovered that Mom indeed was right.
Before I could come to her rescue with a glass of water to wash out that "really yucky tasting stuff", she looked at me and choked out the words in between her coughing:
"I need some sugar."
Why, of course! Don't chocolate and sugar always make everything better?!
Values Voter Presidential debate tonight
I don't often get into politics here but - as some of you know - my husband and I are what you could call "political junkies". Every once in a while there is something which comes up which is worth mentioning. I thought this was one: From the American Family Association:
Mark the date! September 17 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The Values Voter Presidential Debate held in Fort Lauderdale will be streamed live by the American Family Association. What makes this debate different? The candidates will be asked questions related to abortion, immigration, marriage and other issues Values Voters consider important. If you want to see where they stand on the traditional, pro-family issues, don't miss this debate.
And from OneNewsNow: Tonight's forum, which will be moderated by Joseph Farah, the editor of WorldNetDaily, will feature Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Congressmen Duncan Hunter (California), Ron Paul (Texas), and Tom Tancredo (Colorado), John Cox -- and former U.S. Ambassador Alan Keyes, who announced his candidacy over the weekend. The debate will focus on issues of special concern to social and religious conservatives who brand themselves "values voters." The candidates will begin arriving here mid-afternoon, and the debate kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be streamed live via the Internet at ValuesVoterDebate.com and the website for the American Family Association.
No matter what your party affiliation, this debate should prove rather interesting!
Our little baby doll
   Kaitlynn is almost 3 months now (where does the time go?) and melting our hearts more than ever. She is a very happy baby - smiling and cooing and interacting with us almost constantly when she's awake. She's also been sleeping like a champ - something totally new for me as Kathrynne struggled a great deal with sleeping, despite my best efforts, until she was over six months old. (I'm a little afraid to publicly admit Kaitlynn's such a good sleeper, though, lest it doesn't last!) It is especially such a beautiful thing to see our two little girls learning to play with each other. They are fast becoming best friends!
Hymns vs. praise choruses explained
Thanks to Mrs. Wilt for giving my husband and me a good laugh this morning. Ever wondered what the difference between hymns and praise choruses is? Find out here.
Saving money on produce
So much of the time when I post about saving money on groceries, people automatically assume that the only way to shop on a tight budget is to buy primarily junk food. Not so. In fact, I've found that junk food is typically much more expensive to buy than eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies and made-from-scratch foods. Yes, it does take a little creativity and yes, it takes more time and thought to make something other than Hamburger Helper every night, but it really and truly is not as hard or as expensive as some people make it out to be. When buying fresh fruits and veggies - which we consume a lot of around here - I normally go for what is in season and on sale. We also try to buy local and/or organic whenever possible. We're all about supporting our local agriculture and economy whenever we can and we're also all about avoiding as many pesticides as we can. Here's where the fun begins! Instead of having a "Well, that could never be done on a $35/week grocery budget" attitude, I've instead adopted the much more exciting slogan of, "Let's try and see how good we can do on $35/week." Just this shift in perspective makes a world of difference! There are so many options for finding fresh produce at good prices, if you're willing to take a little time to look for them. Some things we've done in the past: grown our own (this works especially well when you have older children who can do a lot of the gardening work with you!), accepted offers from friends to take some of their extra homegrown produce, purchased homegrown produce from friends, or found great buys on produce from local farmer's markets. When those avenues haven't been available, I look for what is on season and on sale at our local grocery stores. I also scour the produce section for mark-downs or things which should be marked-down. If it's not marked down and it's looking quite ripe or overripe, I often will ask for a discount. To this day, I've never been turned down and sometimes they give it to me for free. If it's something that they are going to just have to throw out the next day anyway, I figure I might as well ask if I can take it off their hands for a very minimal price. My rule of thumb for buying reduced produce is: If you can't use it, don't buy it. I don't care how good of a price it might be or that I might have plenty of money leftover in my grocery budget to buy it, if I'm not going to be able to use it before it goes bad, there's no point in me buying it. So, I buy what I can reasonably use and then have fun being creative! This week, before we went to Kroger, I prayed - like I try to always do - that the Lord would bless our shopping, give us wisdom in our purchases, and help us to stretch our grocery budget as far as possible. Like usual, God was so faithful to hear and answer those prayers. We ended up leaving the store with a cart full of groceries that retailed at around $120. After reductions, sales, and coupons, we paid $29! Here were some of our produce finds:  4 cartons of cherry tomatoes reduced to $0.29 each. 1 bag of lemons reduced to $0.49 1 bag of key limes reduced to $0.99 2 bags of organic oranges reduced to $0.99 each. We paid a total of $4.62 plus tax for all of that produce. That's a little more than what one of the bags of organic oranges normally costs! I could have purchased more than I did of most of these items since they had more of them, but I didn't want to buy more than I thought I could reasonably use before they go bad. We've been eating the tomatoes for snacks and lunches and I made homemade lemonade/limeade with the lemons and limes. (As a side note: I'd never purchased key limes before and doubt I will again. They were too tiny to work with. Oh well, I'll know better next time!)   Kathrynne and I made juice for breakfast two mornings with the oranges and we still have enough left for another two days! Do you see how fun creativity, frugality, the blessing of God, and a can-do attitude can be? Have you had any great frugal finds or has God blessed you with any super deals this week? We'd love to hear about it! Related: No need of spoil
And the winner is...
...D from Slices of Life. Email me and I'll get your $25 gift certificate to Sierra Brooke sent to you! For those who didn't win, but would still like to order some cute clothes from this website, Shannon, owner of Sierra Brooke, emailed me and said she'd like to give all the readers of this blog 10% off any purchase. Just email her shannon @ sierrabrooke.com (remove spaces) and mention you saw this on Biblical Womanhood and she'll kindly take 10% off your order!
And we interrupt this Frugal Friday...
...to tell you that my husband has started blogging again! He always has such great things to share and the best link finds ever. Stop by and say hello.
Frugal Fridays: Frugal weight loss
 For something different today, I'm tackling a recent question from reader, Hope, on frugality and weight loss. She asks: If you're interested and willing, would you write a post regarding frugality and weight loss/health? I know you're losing baby weight and you may have other knowledge to share, too. My story is that like so many, I'm overweight AND in debt. The two seem to go together and it seems to at least partly be from the inability to say no to yourself. Anyway, I'm on Dave Ramsey's plan (thanks to you!) and I'm trying to cut back all things that are a non-necessity. Currently I have lost 25 lbs in the last 3 months by doing Weight Watchers ($39.95 per month) and exercising. I have a $42 a month gym membership but I haven't used it in months since I've been exercising at home. I have about 100 lbs more to lose. These two things would be easy to cut out of my budget and I would save $62 per month. However, I need the accountability of a weigh-in to continue to lose the weight so I'm hesitant to cut Weight Watchers. I've been working out at home all summer but once the rain hits I may need to go to the gym. Do you have any advice? Hope, first off, I just wanted to say that I'm so impressed at your motivation and determination to become more disciplined! My mom always says that discipline in one area of your life invariably spills out into discipline in other areas of your life, too. So, way to go! Since the only weight loss I've ever dealt with before is losing pregnancy weight, I'm not sure that I am the most knowledgeable on helping with this question. I do know that determination and discipline go a long way, as does accountability.
Here are a few thoughts I had for you and then I'll open up the floor for others to share:
I would first examine what it is about Weight Watchers that is helping you lose weight. I am guessing it is the accountability. I've never been to a Weight Watchers meeting before, but I've heard that you have to weigh in and I know that if I knew I had to weigh in in front of someone else every week, that would be a big motivation to me! I also think you have to track points and they keep track of that as well, am I right? Both things are basically that you are just paying for accountability. You could easily accomplish this same thing without paying the money by asking an acquaintance or two to be your accountability partners. But, you would need to make sure that anyone who is going to be your accountability partner is going to be a "slave driver." By that I mean, you don't want to weigh in front of someone who is too positive and is going to respond "Oh honey, you're doing a great job. I'm so proud of you for your hard work, even if you gained five pounds this week." No, you want someone who will really and truly keep you accountable for the long haul and won't let you be a slacker. However, if you can't find someone who will be this sort of persistent, force-you-to-be -disciplined accountability partner, then I say that paying for Weight Watchers until you reach your goal weight and maintain it, might very well be the way to go. In the long run, losing the weight and keeping it off will not only make you feel so much better and give you so much more energy, it will also invariably save you a lot of health problems in the future. And sometimes, paying for something means you are attributing value to it and thus will follow through with it. As far as a gym membership goes, I'm not sure what sort of exercising you've been doing, but there are many cheaper alternatives to paying full-price for a gym membership. I've heard from some that you can often swap a few hours of nursery services each week at the gym for a paid membership. That might be something to look into. Don't be afraid to be creative and think outside the box. Call around to different gyms in your area and see if they have any discounted rates for those who can't afford a full-price membership. Ask for a deal. Who knows what they might say? After all, it never hurts to ask! If you are walking as part of your exercise, you could find an indoor place to go and walk on rainy days. What about a large store, or mall, or church or school with a gym? Again, think outside the box here and see what you might come up with.
Since the weather is nice, I've been running or walking everyday, which has been great! I also enjoy a few exercise DVDs and found it's much more effective for me than trying to just do my own calisthenics or pilates routine. Also, this doesn't help with the rain thing, but it's another thinking-outside-the-box way to guarantee some regular exercise - sign up for a walking newspaper route! We recently took two walking routes on as an entrepreneurial thing to do as a family. The pay isn't that great, but the exercise is fabulous and when you've contracted to do the job, you have to do it whether you feel like it or not!
Now, for a few of my own personal weight-loss ideas: Moderation is key. Only eat when you are hungry and then, do not overeat. I repeat, do not overeat. This will go a long way in curbing the pounds. If you feel somewhat hungry, try drinking a big glass of water and see if your hunger goes away. Sometimes that's all it takes to tide you over for awhile. If you have a habit of eating while you are on the computer or sitting in front of the TV, slice up an apple or two to eat or a bag of carrots instead of that bag of chips or package of Oreos. Not only will you get in some great nutrients without much thinking about it, you'll also save yourself a lot of calories. As an aside, limit vegging or lounging in front of any kind of screen as much as possible - this will also help keep the pounds off!
Avoid processed foods. Not only are they not good for you, they are usually loaded with calories and artificial stuff. Rid your cupboards of anything artificial and then don't buy any more of it. Along the same lines, avoid anything that says "Reduced fat, reduced calories, reduced sugar..." these types of foods are usually crawling with artificial junk and do not help your health in the long-run. Instead of eating artificial foods, learn to enjoy made-from-scratch goodness. Make it yourself, if at all possible, and your pocketbook will thank you!
Avoid sugar. This is a big one for me and probably my very hardest since I admit to having a sweet tooth. I do allow myself a few desserts per week, but since I'm trying to lose my last few pounds of pregnancy weight, I'm really cutting back. And it's amazing the difference it makes. What has helped me is to just not have sweets in the house as much as possible. Also, when I'm craving something sweet, I will eat a piece of fruit instead or bake some whole-wheat bread and then eat it fresh with honey and butter!
Drink water. Cut the caffeine addiction and you'll cut a lot of calories. Instead, drink lots of water. I also drink some fresh homemade juice and herbal teas. As much as I love drinking coffee every now and then, I've resigned myself to avoid it until I've finished losing the last of this baby weight. I have a huge mug that I fill up with ice water and carry around with me all day. Having it nearby me throughout the day means that I drink more. I try to drink the equivalent of at least eight glasses of water a day when not nursing and at least 12 glasses of water when nursing. For extra zest, I'll often squeeze a little lemon in the water, or make healthy lemonade.
Eat a diet high in fiber. I try to have the majority of my diet be made up of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Not only do you feel better eating this way, it's better for you, and it's hard to gain extra weight on this kind of diet! Always be looking for ways to incorporate more exercise into your life. Park farther from the door of a store and briskly walk. Take the stairs whenever you can. Stand instead of sitting. Jog instead of walking. Don't eat after 8:00 p.m. This might seem like a strange one, but it works. If you are really hungry after 8:00 p.m., eat some veggies or a piece of fruit to curb your hunger.
Take on a new hobby or interest. It's not my usual thing here to tell you to add something new to your plate (um, no pun intended), but if eating is a sort of "hobby" to you, branch out and try some new things to get your mind elsewhere! Volunteer, organize your closets, plant a garden, do some in-depth cleaning project, learn a new domestic skill, go clean someone's home, take a class, start a business... do anything you can do that gets you away from food and keeps you busy! Pretty soon, you'll realize that you're so busy doing other things, you've forgotten to eat! (Please note: I'm not advocating we just cram our life full or that we live a life so busy that we often forget to eat. But sometimes, we need to get out and get distracted so that we can get over addictions - which is really what over-eating is.)
Ask the Lord for grace. This is the most important. Don't try to lose weight in your own strength. Go to the Lord and ask Him to help you, to give you the discipline, and the self-control. He is able! Those are some of my thoughts on the subject. I'd love to hear others "weigh in" with advice, personal testimonies, or tips for losing weight without breaking your budget. Also, if anyone has any advice or experience with Weight Watchers, gym memberships, or other weight loss programs or helps, please do share in the comments section.
Related: French Women Don't Get Fat
--------------------- Have a frugal tip or a post on any subject pertaining to saving money? Post your link below so we can glean from you! Remember: Please link to your actual post, not to your homepage. If you are unsure how to do that, please email me and I'll be glad to help. Duplicate links or links having nothing to do with frugality will be deleted. Keep if family-friendly! Thanks so much for participating!
Fall is in the air!
 Okay, I have to admit that I am the exact opposite of Shannon. I think that Autumn is the absolute best time of year. I can't get enough of the crisp weather, the beautiful foliage, or the wonderful Fall recipes. Speaking of which, ever since the weather has cooled down, I've wanted to spend all day in the kitchen baking. I've been seriously craving apple pie for the past few days and I'm also really wanting to try Tammy's Apple Challah soon. Doesn't that look yummy? What about you? What's your favorite season and why? What are your favorite things to bake this time of year?
Graphic from Art.com.
The home economist
 For those of you who read this article and the ensuing discussions here and elsewhere, I encourage you to read Jennie Chancey's follow-up article posted today. I hope this might clear up some of the misunderstandings that this article caused. Let's look again at the Proverbs 31 woman--that do-it-all Superwoman who surely can't be taken seriously! The main concern raised by correspondents is the economic angle. So let's explore that. A straightforward reading of Proverbs 31 shows that this woman did bring in income with her wise investments: "She considers a field and buys it; with her profits she plants a vineyard"~ 31:16. "She perceives that her merchandise is good" ~ 31:18a "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants" ~ 31:24 The important point to note is that she is not the provider--the breadwinner. Her husband is the one "known in the gates"--he's no lazy bum letting his wife support him! The wife is augmenting the family estate--adding to it through careful production and spending. This is what the wise woman does whether she is saving her husband money or earning extra. When I started a home sewing business as a newlywed, I never imagined it would grow to be a pattern company wholesaling to shops in Australia and Great Britain and all over the US, but it has. God has greatly blessed this small labor I began when my children were small and has enabled me to keep up with it as a family business. I am not the provider. I am not the breadwinner. But my merchandise has brought in above and beyond what we expected and contributed to what we call my "Proverbs 31 fund." And mine is only one story of many thousands!
This is the spirit of Proverbs 31. Not all women will have a talent or gift they can turn into a specialized home business, but most women can help their husbands by bookkeeping, ordering supplies, managing correspondence, etc. I have a friend whose mother has basically been secretary and office manager at home for her husband's construction business since they were newlyweds. All the children now also help in the business. It is a family effort. The husband is the provider, and the wife is his helper. Read the full article.
When I read the initial article which caused such a flurry of discussion around the blogosphere, this is what I took from it. Yes, I didn't agree with all of Pastor Abshire's conclusions and definitely thought the article's method of presentation could have been improved upon, but what I appreciated is that he was encouraging wives to realize their incredible role as the household economist. Sometimes, with all the distractions in life seeking to pull us from the most important, we forget our main purpose as wives - to glorify as we seek to make our own husbands successful. We were created to be our own husband's help meet. It is our job as wives to seek to do everything in our power to honor our husbands and make them more successful. This is our highest calling as wives. This will mean different things for different women at different times since we are all married to different men and in different seasons of our lives! Whether you have a home business or not doesn't really matter, what does matter is that you are throwing your life into glorifying the Lord as you serve alongside and complete the man that God has called you to love, honor, cherish, and submit to. Ask your husband very often, "What can I do for you today?" "Is there anything I can help you with?" Constantly be thinking: "What can I do today to honor my husband and make him successful?" Communicate with him about his dreams, his visions, his ambitions. Find practical ways to help him fulfill those. Look for opportunities to relieve him of burdens. Delight in blessing him in little ways. Admire him profusely. Show gratitude daily. As wives, one way we can honor our husbands is by being a wise steward of the time, money, and resources God has blessed our family with. Through careful stewardship of these resources, we can make our home prosper and flourish, even on a tiny budget. We can bring honor to our husband by stretching his hard-earned money as far as possible, by seeking to relieve his burdens as much as we can, by seeking to make him successful, and by making our home a center for training up the next generation, for ministry to our community, and for evangelism to the lost. What a powerful and incredible role we have! Related: My husband and I recently enjoyed this sermon by Voddie Baucham on the role of the wife. -------- I've opted to close the comments on this post since we already had quite a lengthy discussion on the subject earlier this week. I encourage you to read Jennie's article, especially if you are a wife or hope to someday be one, and then pray and seek the Lord concerning how He would have you bless your own husband and make him successful. If you'd like to comment on this article, you are more than welcome to email me. God bless you all!
Graphic from Art.com
WFMW: Surviving on little sleep
 I am currently 18 weeks pregnant with baby no 2 (due in January) and I am anticipating the sleepless nights that will follow. I coped reasonably well with the lack of sleep after my daughter (now 3) was born, but it is amazing how the mind forgets how difficult it can be to function during the day with lack of sleep. Do you have any tips that you are able to share on surviving /thriving(?!) on less than a full night's sleep? I just thought I would see if you would pass on any tips since it is something you will be experiencing at the moment. I was wondering if any of your readers could share their experiences. With many thanks, Karen
What a great question, Karen, and I'm afraid to say I don't think I have any magic answers! But, I do know that I learned some things the first time around which have helped me cope a lot better the second time around. Everyone always says "sleep when your baby sleeps." I still haven't figured out how that works - especially when you have more than one - and I'm not sure where that advice originated from. Maybe it works for some, but I've never seemed to accomplish it. So, instead of giving you the typical sleep-when-your-baby-sleeps advice, I'll tell you what has worked for me in coping with the lack of sleep that having a baby (or any young children for | | |
