Frugal Friday: A time to be frugal and a time to be practical
As most of you know, my life has dramatically changed for a short season. Instead of cooking, cleaning, playing hide-n-seek with my girls, grocery shopping, and the myriad of other things I usually busy myself with, I'm spending most of my time in as-near-of-a-lying-down position as possible to attempt to keep my meals down.Yes, morning sickness has a way of causing one to step back and simplify. It's a hard season, but it's a good season. And the end result is something worth every single moment of nausea.
However, I have to make it to the end of these nine months first, so that means shifting into survival mode. My usual frugal nature gets partially chucked out the window while I do what it takes to make it through each day.
The hardest struggle for me when dealing with the first and second trimester sickness is meal preparation as I usually want to stay as far away from the kitchen as I possibly can. There's only one problem: we have to eat. I don't have a live-in chef or live-in maid and my husband is gone at work much of the day, so it's up to me to feed myself and my girlies.
My husband and I decided that instead of getting carryout food multiple times per week, we'd substantially raise our grocery budget as a temporary solution. This extra wiggle room allows us to buy more "fast foods" that are also pretty healthful, too--things like Annie's Homegrown macaroni and cheese, beef hot dogs, and lots of finger foods for the girls.
Raising our grocery budget by $30 or so per week is a big jump for our small family, but if it allows us a little bit more smooth sailing through these uncharted waters, it's every bit worth it to me. And in the long-run, I think it will also save us more money (not to mention being more heathful) since the default would likely be picking up dinner from a local restaurant three nights per week--and that adds up fast!
It's only a season and it will pass. Hopefully in a few months from now I'll be all motivated to jump back into baking, bargain shopping, and cooking from scratch. In the mean time, I want to survive intact, and maybe with a smile, too!
What about you? Are there seasons of life when you've had to let go of some of your frugal ways in favor of doing what was practical? And any great and extremely quick and easy meal ideas for me? I'm making a master list to work from over the next few months and would love your input.
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Labels: Frugal Friday, Pregnancy and childbirth
posted by Crystal Paine at 11:47 PM
76 Comments:
Dear Crystal,
You are so smart to look for ways to make things easier during this season. The food preparation can be very difficult - spending an extra $30 on easy to prepare meals is wise. It will surely aid you in keeping your relationships in tact; which is so valuable.
Have a great day,
Stacy
Crystal, I wouldn't worry too much about not being frugal some days as you move through this season of life. I see frugality as something I do so that we can afford to not be frugal when the situation calls for it. =)
I'm wishing you all the best and praying for the sickness to go.
Congratulations! What a wonderful blessing. I think it's great that you are allowing yourself to do what it takes to help that baby grow! One thing that was easy and healthy I made when I was pregnant with my 8th and 9th (twins) was a bean and cheese burrito. I ate one or two of those EVERY SINGLE DAY. My body craved protein, but I didn't ever feel like cooking meat and the beans and tortille combo did the trick. I'm so happy for you and I hope this morning sickness wears off soon! It's no fun, but you're right...worth every second!
Oh, P.S. I would be honored if you linked up to my Homemaker Mondays carnival on, yes, Monday. Hope to see you there!
I agree with Melanie, don't worry about frugalness right now! Your hardest task is finding resting time with two little ones. But here's a tip...Slowcooker meals! Check out the book Fix it and Forget it 5 ingredients or less. You can still have a great meal and not hurt your budget and spend little time in the kitchen. Also consider finding a sandwich maker at GoodWill. It makes for quick lunches, just add a side of fruit. Here's two recipes for the machine: http://coupongeek.blogspot.com/search/label/dash%20and%20dine
I make these when I don't feel well enough to cook. (28wks pregnant)
Have you thought about spending one day in the kitchen and preparing freezer meals. I know you don't feel well, but could you make it through one day of cooking. Perhaps you could have a friend help you. Then you could have healthy home made meals that just need to be put in the oven.
Toni
Hi Crystal,
I think raising your budget to make things easier right now was a great idea. I never had severe morning sickness with my two children, but with my daughter, our first, I was on complete bedrest for 15 weeks. Talk about survival mode! My husband was working and in college too. It was crazy! Also, with our son, complications started at 13 weeks and I once again found myself on bedrest while caring for a 16 month old. As far as cooking went, my hubby is a good cook, but it was a lot for him to have to cook every night after work. (He really didn't mind, he was so sweet about it!) The crockpot really came in handy! In the morning my husband would put whatever I told him into the pot and we'd have supper when he got home from work. I know you have bad morning sickness, so I'm sure the thought of smelling this might be awful. But maybe you could put the crockpot in an unordinary place, maybe a second bathroom or something where you could just shut the door and not have to smell it. Crockpot food is easy, yummy and usually much cheaper. (I know because I use mine a lot!) =) I hope this will pass soon for you.
My friend, who is due in January with her third, has always had terrible morning sickness (all day really) and with this pregnancy she started drinking the red raspberry tea and the mama's red raspberry brew from the bulk herb store. She said it really helped. It's great for pregnancy in general but will help the sickness. The website is http://www.bulkherbstore.com. Hope this helps. God bless you and congratulations again for another blessing!
Oops, I accidentally hit enter before I changed the title. If you could delete #23...
The season hardest for me to be frugal is the holiday season. That's the time when have to buy more "specialized" foods and ingredients. This year I hope to be planning ahead and looking for deals ahead of time! I won't be cooking the Christmas meal this year, so that will help the December budget out a little bit!
I think in general, we have to allow ourselves to a little breathing room every once and a while. The $30 increase for your family is temporary and you will be back to your old self as He wills it! Thanks for candidly sharing about this topic! It's easy to get sucked in and feel like you are failing if you "miss" a week or two due to stresses and other circumstances! God has called us to Him, not our couponing abilities or how well we maintain our frugalness!
Blessings!
It's so true - budgets are wonderful and make us good stewards of the blessings we enjoy, but not to the detriment of your family's health and happiness. Sometimes we have to spend a little extra to save (surely eating out would have cost your family more than $30 per week!)
Hang in there..."morning" sickness is SO not fun! Thank Goodness He ends it with a sweet, precious bundle of joy!
Many Blessings!
Donna
There definitely have been seasons of taking it easy for our family and it all worked out fine.
You've saved all year in grocery bills, so it is OK to spend a bit more during this season... I think that is great and a better investment for your family at this time. (Health and relationship wise!)
One smart thing to do if you get a moment of energy and little sickness might be to make a large batch of homemade chicken fingers/nuggets and freeze them. Those would make quick dinner meals and be fairly healthful. Add a veggie and your mac/cheese you would be set.
Same with spaghetti--simply try and double up and freeze some left overs to make on those--not feeling so good days.
I definitely think that adjustments have to be made during pregnancy to maintain everyone's sanity!! The kitchen is the last place I wanted to be during first trimester. I mainly wanted to be asleep in the bed:)
I think that is a very wise choice! Praying for a short morning sickness period for you!
Black bean, cheese, and salsa (if you can hack it!) quesadillas are good and fast. I add diced chicken sometimes, too. Good for a quick protein meal or snack.
I always struggle with cooking during morning sickness too. Since we're TTC again now, I'm trying to plan ahead by stocking up a bit (I often can't stand grocery store smells even). I'm planning to try the same ideas you are - more convenient (less cooking) grocery store items in the place of at least most of the takeout we'd otherwise need. I think that's the best you can do. Please do share what works out best for you - I'm sure that would be useful for a lot of us.
Jennifer
One of my favorite quick meals - brown a pound of ground beef; fix a box of Velveeta shells & cheese (the kind with the cheese sauce, not the powdered cheese); mix all together with a can of tomato soup. Done!
Crystal, God bless you during your pregnancy. A couple of items that are convenient yet not quite as unhealthy that my kids have liked are Morningstar products (especially the corn dogs) and some of the frozen meals. For example, when my kids were as small as yours, I would sometimes purchase one Smart Ones spaghetti meals and split it between the two kids, usually supplementing it with a piece of toast or something. It was easy and quick, and yet it wasn't so unhealthy or expensive. I haven't bought one recently, but those meals used to be around $1.50. I pray your morning sickness passes quickly.
Just wanted to say congratulations on your new blessing!! SO happy for your family! :)
Wish I lived close enough to come over and 'help out' with anything you need.
Take it easy and hope your nausea passes quickly. Have you ever tried those "morning sickness pops" that are advertised?
Congrats on the blessing from God. I wish I had some easy meal ideas to give you but since I only have one babe I haven't gone through having to buy fast foods yet.
I know that when I was pregnant I loved eggs they are quick to cook up. As for the little ones around the house fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers, toast and pickles are all easy prepared lunch ideas!
Hello, congrats! I wanted to say that with one child or with the four that we have now, we are on the same income. The Lord provides and my husband busts his bottom. I don't know how we do it but it is true. If the lord were to bless us with another we would continue to make it.
With the morning sickness. I used to get migranes REALLY bad (I am medicated now that is "safe" while pregnant) but when we had the two little ones and I was pregnant I used to lay in the couch and they would sit up on my hip (I would lay on my side) they would watch vegi tales (and other random learning shows). That way I could doze and knew exactly where they were. I also got the pillows off the bed and would lounge on the floor with them as they played. They did not seem to "need" me as much if I was on their level. As far as food prep goes... Find something that you CAN eat. There are a few things that I was able to keep down. Keep that on hand. Then do the basic cooking for your family and remove yourself. You know what they like. It does not have to be lavish. If you can even sit at the table and prep foods and then your hubby can throw it all together. This too shall pass my dear. I am praying for your good health to resume. Blessings to you and the baby.
Happy day.
Bless your heart you poor thing. I can't imagine being that sick and how hard it must be. You are such a brave soldier, not even a hint of whining when it just must be next to unbearable! I'll be praying for you. You are so wise to raise your grocery budget because yes, with two little ones, you have to just survive! You would spend more getting take out too! I know I probably have no business giving YOU advice but smoothies would probably be a tolerable thing to you since the have no smell really and they are cold. Just a thought.
~Jennifer K.
One meal that is pretty easy to prepare ahead of time and freeze for a quick meal later is Pumpkin Pancakes with a side of yogurt and fruit. I'm allergic to eggs so this is the recipe I use and everyone loves it for any meal (or snack):
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tbs. natural sweetener
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 cups milk or soy/rice milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbs oil
1. Combine flour sweetener, b.p., salt & pumpkin spice & set aside.
2. In a blender combine milk, pumpkin puree & oil and blend. Pour wet into dry and mix until just combined.
3.Cook as you would with a regular pancake.
4. Top with pure maple syrup or other topping.
I pray that this time with pass quickly!
Lisa
Congratulations Paine family!
I totally understand the 1st and 2nd trimester morning sickness. I had it with 4 out of 5 kids. Some things that I did to help get the work done is not being afraid to ask friends or family for help. Also, on my good days I found that taking the little extra time to make double of a meal and stick it in the freezer helped me on those days when I could barely get upright.
As for quick and easy meals, two easy one come to mind...all in one meals in the crockpot, and sloppy joes and chips or fries and a veggie.
You are right this season isn't any fun but it is soooo worthwhile! Take one day at a time and do what you can without feeling any pressure to do more!
Raising your grocery budget $30/week is much less than you would spend on take-out. Unfortunately I speak from experience. When I was pregnant with my youngest 2 years ago, my oldest was 16 and driving, and it was WAY too easy to send him out for fast food for himself and his brother (when DH was working) when I was gagging and sick.
Rest when you need to rest. We did a lot of simple meals (think scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, ramen noodles, even frozen pizza/fish sticks) during my last pregnancy (when DS wasn't going through the drive-thru, LOL). For a few weeks, ramen noodles and broccoli were all I could keep down, for some odd reason.
Take care of yourself, hopefully you'll feel better soon! If it hasn't been mentioned already, that nasty nausea means the hormones are up and the pregnancy is going well. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!
You are wise putting your health ahead of a strict budget. It will be money well spent, an investment in your family, which is priceless.
All your frugal companions will cheer you on, and perhaps learn that there is a time for eveything, even processed foods! Yikes!
I wish I had some sane advice about morning sickness, but I don't.
Blessings!
Opps. I accidently but by blog link on twice! Could you fix it for me? Sorry!
Janeen
I absolutely agree that you are in survival mode and should do what you need to do!
Remember, there is NOTHING wrong with a bowl of cereal or a PB&J for dinner. The kids will turn out just fine anyway. :)
I hope this nausea doesn't hit you as bad as the last two. :) My heart goes out to you!
I agree with your plan. We recently have been looking at our current budget and trying to see where we can cut back so we can put more towards savings. We found that out Dining Out budget was our downfall. I am also pregnant and some days I am so tired from homeschooling and daily chores that we end up ordering something. So over the past to months I have tried increasing my grocery budget to include more quick meals for those days I am just not up to cooking. Also I am buying more ingredients for meals that are easy to double and freezing half so we can easily make a meal if needed without having to go out.
Crystal,
I'm not doing much linking these days since I'm adjusting to life with my newest addition and blogging is on the back burner.
You are reaping the benefits of being able to live like no one else because you've been living like no one else! It's great that you have the flexibility to make such a sensible adjustment.
Here's my simple meal, and kids love it too. Not too sure if it meets your high standards for healthy or not, but give it a try:
Cranberry Chicken
mix in a big bowl:
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 8-oz bottle French/Catalina salad dressing
1 pkg French Onion soup mix
6-8 pieces boneless skinless chicken (I cut it into cutlets and dump the pieces into the mixing bowl as I go, or you can dump the mixture over the chicken pieces in a big baking dish. Better yet, mix it IN the baking dish, and you have no major prep-dishes to wash!)
Bake uncovered 1 hour at 350.
This works with frozen chicken pieces as well. Just add 15 min. cooking time.
Serve it over rice, and steam-nuke a favorite side veggie (we like corn with this meal).
It's making me hungry just writing about it! : )
Enjoy,
Merrilee
P.S. Not sure if you're near one, but Trader Joe's has excellent and healthy quick-fix meals, snacks, and frozen stuff that I highly recommend.
I agree that sometimes it's worth it to be willing to spend a bit more and not worry about frugality so much.
When my husband was in chemo treatments, we didn't up our groceries too much (as I was still able to cook most of the time), but we really upped our recreation budget. We were out so often with dr's appointments, surgeries, treatments, etc. that it seemed we just always needed to be able to eat out. I didn't have the prescence of mind or the energy to bring along food with us, so we ate out a lot. We bought an Entertainment book, so we often could eat 2 for 1, which really helped. It was worth it, to not have to stress out about the money in that area!
Good decision! Hope this time goes quickly and smoothly!
Crystal, I just read your news!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! We will keep your family in our prayers!
That seems like such a wise choice. It is so good to know when to change our goals to keep our priorities in order.
Take it as easy as possible and enjoy every minute of this blessing. At least the ones where you are keeping food down. :)
Is there anyway your church can help? COuld your husband ask the elders if they could organize the women to make a few meals each week for you?
Maybe some women could come in to your home to help for a few hours each week.
I always think that it is better for the women to make meals for the pregnant woman while she is pregnant and experiencing morning sickness than after she has her baby.
It wouldn't hurt to ask your church if they could help out.
-Zan
Crystal,
Congrats! I am pregnant too and just getting over the morning sickness. For some reason canned soup is really appealing to me right now. Not something I normally do but it tastes good to me and it's so easy! I'm allowing myself to just buy it because it's still cheap...not just as frugal as I usually want to be!
i love your websites. the LORD is using you to help women be better moms. i have been using what i have learned to help moms close to me.. thank you for all you do and for obeying and listening to the LORD... congraduations on your new baby..
Dear Crystal,
Congratulations on your new little blessing! Survival is survival and you are definitely in a time of survival! God asks of us to be good stewards of not just money, but of our family and health as well.
You are making the right decision to adjust your budget to suit the season of life in which you currently find yourself.
As for crockpots - my experience is that the sheer smell of the crockpot *all day long* would make my nausea/vomiting worse. Any kind of cooking meat - worse. Any kind of cooking - worse. Any kind of being on my feet, meaning not horizontal - worse. Any kind of grocery shopping, especially the meat or sea food department - all kinds of worse.
I had my hubby do something we never do any other time: Buy frozen meals that I could maybe tolerate. I soon figured out which would work and which wouldn't. Homemade whole wheat bread seemed to always sit on my stomach best, if you know someone near who could make you some.
The children did lots of pb&j, bean burritos, toast, cheese & crackers, cereal, etc. Had to be something without a smell and easy prep.
One good word for take out ~ it doesn't make your house smell like cooking! Smell was one of my biggest triggers. Anything that kept the smell out of the house was a blessing to me!
If I could keep myself from going into the downward spiral into the deep dark hole, we were all better off!
So, buy those convenience foods and take outs and rejoice that you can do so! They are there for such a time as this : )
In Him,
Laralee aka The Tent Family
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Provision of God for Future Generations
Congratulations! I've been there. You'll sail right through it and hardly remember the hassle.
Can you have your husband do some cooking on the weekends? Something like a big pot of spaghetti sauce to put in the freezer, or a batch of burritos for eating later? Or something like roasting a chicken and browning hamburger enough for the week ahead, so that you just have to throw ingredients together instead of smell the cooking all the time....?
Amy
That's exactly what my family has had to do these past couple of months and you're right, it's only a season. I haven't used a coupon in easily 2 months, and it's a really nice break in my opinion. I'm 13 weeks pregnant and it has been a really tough pregnancy unlike my first. Take it easy, the couch will become your best friend!
When I was pregnant, which seems for like the past 5 years:) we let go of all frugal ways. I was sick so much that cooking was unbearable, so we ate out or we ate frozen dinners. My husband did the food shopping which resulted in more junk food than usual. I did not feel like doing CVS Deals at all as I was too sick to get out much. Ethan is 8 months old now and I find now I am starting to get back in the groove on saving at the grocery store and doing CVVS deals. It does get better, remember it is only temporary. Good Luck to you!
I'm so glad to hear this, as I first found your blog in the midst of all that (pregnancy, etc), and I found it virtually impossible to get the energy and stomach to make it on even $50 a week for just the two of us (well, 3 if you count the growing tummy). I am glad you are doing this and can't wait to see what creative ideas you come up with for avoiding food, but still providing it for your family! It will be tremendously helpful the next time around.
One thing I did when I was pregnant was have hubby cook up a bunch of raw meat. I couldn't STAND raw meat, the smell or texture of it, for my whole first trimester. So he'd cook a whole bunch up and then I could add it to make quick meals more nutritious.
I remember that feeling all too well!!!! But i didn't have any littles around at the time so it was easy to stay out to of the kitchen and let hubby take care of the cooking.
I say do what you need to do. The time will go by quickly in the grand scheme of things.
Do your girls like pasta? It's simple, cheap and can be dressed up with all kinds of sauces and veggies! Quick and easy!
Did you see this at handprintsonthewall? If not you might want to check it out
http://www.handprintsonthewall.org/2008/09/03/natural-relief-for-morning-sickness/
Blessings~
Crystal,
Will your family eat chili? A friend of mine has a great "pantry chili" recipe...if you can get your husband to brown some ground beef for you and drain it and put it in the fridge or freezer for you, just mix it about half an hour before dinner with one can baked beans (any flavor you like!), one can chili beans, one jar spaghetti sauce, a little garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. It is super tasty chili, especially when you use the brown sugar flavored baked beans. It's great protein for you, too. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips or corn bread.
I just wanted to encourage you by letting you know that when I was still nursing my toddler my morning sickness was not as bad. I ran across a book (maybe Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, or Adventures in Tandem Nursing) that actually backed up my theory. That because we are nursing our hormone levels are different therby causing less morning sickness. I had only a few weeks of really bad sickness. Then I was (mostly) fine.
Also, massage played such a huge role in keeping me feeling young and unpregnant. Combine that with chiropractor and I felt fantastic.
As for food: Annie mac and cheese, spaghetti, frozen pizza from deli section, hot dogs, sandwiches (LOTS), popcorn and fruit, cereal...any of these for supper are easy. We did these a lot during the end too.
Congratulations, Crystal! I'm excited for you. I'm 14 1/2 weeks pregnant with our first right now, and the first trimester (and a little beyond) was incredibly difficult - I was sick 24/7.
Our grocery bills went up quite a bit during that time, as I just couldn't manage our normal menu plan and grocery shopping. My husband took over the shopping, and purchased many healthy convenience foods and a lot more organic fruit than usual, since that was all I seemed able to keep down. I'm so glad that you wrote this post, since I was feeling so guilty about spending the extra money. You really helped me feel better about the additional expense, and now that I'm no longer constantly nauseous, things are returning more to normal.
God bless you in this new season!
Frozen chicken patties, or popcorn chicken or nuggets, placed in bite sized pieces atop a green salad and drizzled with a sweet-tangy dressing like vidalia onion vinaigrette or honey-mustard. Could add boiled eggs, cheese, croutons, etc, but we really like just the chicken on greens for a super fast, super easy, reasonably healthy meal.
Maybe keeping a supply of tortillas, cheese, peanut butter, beans and rice always handy would be good. If Jesse could make up a pot each of rice and black beans on the weekend to stick in the fridge, you'd have healthy food to grab for you and the girls.
Maybe ask your mom and sisters to make up a bunch of breakfast and lunch burritos and/or kolaches and freeze them for you?
Add a can each of tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and peas to two boxes of mac 'n cheese for a variation which packs more nutrition value.
If she's strong enough, let Kathrynne cut their sandwiches out with cookie cutters, then you munch on the scraps while the girls enjoy their special shaped sandwiches. My nanny girls love this, and maybe it would make Kathrynne feel like she's helping more.
Well, those are just some thoughts. Hope this season passes quickly and healthfully!
Congrats on your 3rd on the way! Wow...when I first started reading here, Kathrynne was only a few months old!
Through my pregnancy and even now with a young baby, I find myself continually going back to a combination of these easy meals when we just need to grab something:
-Smoothies (I make mine with plain organic yogurt, banana chunks, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries -all frozen. Add enough juice or a juice/water combination to make the right consistency, and some crushed ice.
-Peanut butter toast
-Buttered toast with hardboiled eggs on top
-Cheese and crackers
-Healthy cereal
-You can buy already cooked chk strips in the deli or frozen sections...or better yet, have your hubby grill up a bunch of chk to freeze to add to salads or sandwiches, if you own a grill. (If not, could he go to a friend's house to borrow one?)
-Baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt, etc.
Just add various raw fruits and veggies...or steam or saute veggies like broccoli or spinach, and you've got a meal.
BTW, when I was pregnant, I found that I really craved fizzy drinks, but didn't want to drink a bunch of soda. I really liked to add a little 100% fruit juice to plain sparkling water...it was so good and not too bad healthwise!
I'm definitely also in a season where I need to simplify. I've been overwhelmed by the various responsibilities I have right now and one thing to go for a while is CVS shopping. I've been overwhelmed to even think about, so yesterday I purposely used up all my ECBs buying things we needed that would NOT give me ECBs back. It made me cringe, but now I have $0 ECBs and I am free not to even think about it for a season. I didn't even look at the Rite Aid or Walgreens ads. Aside from laundry detergent and TP, we have all the personal care items we need for months and I feel so free knowing that I won't be drugstoring for a while. When I want to start again, I know exactly what to do to rebuild my stash.
If I think of some quick, easy and frugal meal ideas, I'll pop back over.
Congratulations!
We are expecting #5. Thankfully, I'm over the sickness now. I found decaff tea first thing in the morning very helpful. Someone else mentioned soup but for some reason, I like cuppa soup in the first trimester. It seems to help the sickness-I know it isn't very healthy and it is the only time I even want to drink it!
In terms of the family and the budget, how about some meals with pasta? Pasta doesn't smell much and your husband could prepare it quickly if you weren't up to preparing anything. Reasonable pasta sauces are relatively inexpensive in the shops and protein can be added with a tin of tuna, or grilled bacon or cheese.
Salad can be brought, if necessary and fruit is a healthy and easy dessert.
Annaelisabeth
Congratulations!! I am so happy that the Lord has blessed your family with another joy!
Since I have an only son who is eleven, during the summer I take a break from blogging and keep my bargain shopping trips down to a bare minimum. He and I try to do many fun things during his summer break and I figure once he's a teen, he's not going to want to hang out with mom much! So, I'm enjoying every summer with him that I am given!
I figure that going full speed ahead with my bargain shopping September-June is better than none at all!
I'll be praying that you feel better soon!
It seems like you just had baby #2.
Hope things go well. I am hoping the Lord will bless us soon.
You poor thing morning sickness is awful! My easy recipe is abox of stuffing in a casserole dish add a layer of sliced turkey(I use deli) and a can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup diluted with milk. Pour it on top and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.I make potaotes to go with it. Plus we have chili and the next nite use it for taco salad.
Prepared foods, paper plates/cups/bowls (except dinner), lysol wipes, and gel tab dishwasher detergent are a few of the ways I have simplified (even though it costs more). With the paper goods, I found with feeding 7 we would have to run the dishwasher 2-3 times a day. So we go paper/styrofoam for breakfast and lunch and real for dinner. So it actually might be less expensive to than running the dishwasher as much. Anyone done a cost analysis or environmental study? It also saves me time in seasons where I was nursing, changing oodles of diapers, and now homeschooling. And the gel tabs I love because with the powder and gel, I felt there was always residual left in the bottle/box. And my kids can help more easily if we use the tabs. Lysol wipes make cleaning the bathroom much quicker. I could get by without these items, but it makes life easier and cleanup quicker.
Congrats on your happy news! I have posted an easy recipe on my blog for pita pizzas. It's easy and kid friendly. Best of all- no strong smells so it shouldn't make your nausea any worse!
First off, congratulations! And secondly, I wanted to say that you could have been writing for me in this post! I am about 9 weeks pregnant with our sixth, and I, too, can barely pull myself up from either the couch or, pardon the graphic description, from being hunched over the toilet! We have also had to add to our grocery budget on more time/user friendly meals because 1) I can barely stand up, and 2) I cannot be around food for very long. I have not been able to keep much of anything down, including water, so I do have concerns about getting dehydrated. Thankfully, my dear 13 yo daughter has been helping out tremendously. But, sadly, the start of our homeschool year has not gone as planned. But as you said, it is all worth it in the end. God bless you, sister, as you survive through this exhausting yet blessed time!
I think the suggestions about crock pot meals are right on target. Fix it and Forget it (mentioned earlier) would be good. You can get the ingredients prepared (cut up) when you are feeling ok (or at least less nauseous!) and just throw them in the pot when you're ready. You can cook a big batch and put that new freezer of your's into use! :o)
And don't forget...this is just the beginning....I think the change is more than "a short season". Your life is forever changed and will keep changing and evolving. Once your little baby is born, you'll have three little ones to keep up with! Having a little extra stocked up in your freezer will be a blessing.
It's so funny that you should mention practicality and frugality - sometimes they seem to conflict, but I think we can make it work. I've been dealing with this very thing - NOT the pregnancy thing :) but trying to merge being practical and being frugal.
My advice would be to utilize the Kraft Food & Family magazine. Those meals are easy to make and easy to shop for. If your husband is willing to do some meal prep, have him look through and plan a couple meals he'd like to make. That way you don't have to think about it and it makes it easy for him!
When I was foster parenting while working full time, I lived a whole lot more conveniently just to survive. Unfortunately, that "season" was two years and became a lifestyle. It's taken a while to cut back, but it's a necessity now that I'm an adoptive parent (no foster care reimbursements). So, yes, seasons come and go, and it's a blessing that you CAN increase your grocery budget for this time.
Anyway, I wanted to suggest buying frozen waffles. My son is the same age as Kathrynne and he can pop them in the toaster on his own. He can put just about anything in the microwave too if I tell him what numbers to push.
I really liked the suggestion of using paper products to have fewer dishes to wash. Hopefully you'll find some things here that will work for you. You have a lot of experienced readers!
The extra $30 a week is well worth it, during this season in your life! I hope that your morning sickness won't be so intense.
Do you have friends at church? I would see if anyone can bring you some meals- i know people will usually do that after the baby is born- but you might need the help now! I'm sure you would do the same for someone else- so ask! God Bless.
Good for you for making the decision that's best for your family!! We have a daughter that's almost a year and a half and a little one that's due in about a month - we moved houses in July, and during August my mom was in the hospital and I was sick, so needless to say things were crazy. We definitely found our grocery budget went up out of necessity, but we (mostly!) maintained our sanity! Congrats on baby #3!
I don't think I cooked for about 14 weeks when I was was first pregnant. I couldn't even THINK about chicken or fish without wanting to puke. My mom saved my life by coming and cooking a bunch of meals for the freezer. Helped my DH get through those weeks without starving!! I know it's different when you have kids already. Maybe there is someone who loves you who's be willing to stock your freezer a little.
I agree though, that sometimes sanity must override budget!
Jessie
Hi Crystal! I'm so excited to finally be able to offer tips on something here! My husband and I both work, and he does most of our real cooking when we have dinner together. But when it's just me, I go for something fast. Here are some ideas:
- Love the Amy's meals! The veggie lasagna, shells and spinach feta pockets are my favorites.
- English muffin pizzas! I use whole wheat and try to get a healthy sauce with some veggies in it
- greek yogurt is a wonderfood! I eat it with mixed berried and a little granola - you can always use honey to sweeten it if you like.
- Egg white omelettes, any time of day. I buy the Eggology containers of 100% pure egg whites from Whole Foods and then add in whatever I have on hand. My favorite is chopped tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella. Yum!
-Quesadillas are great. If you need something super fast, just place some shredded cheese and (optional) shredded cooked chicken on a tortilla, microwave for one min, fold, cut and enjoy!
-I also add shredded grilled chicken to soups for an added boost - tomato soup, buttersquash - it's great and helps me get my protein.
I hope this is helpful!
Alex
What a wise decision!
I am a mom of 5 and this is my favorite "no smell", fairly healthy, easy meal: box of stuffing from Aldi's; a vegtable of some kind; a rotisserie hen/chicken that my husband picks up on the way home from work. Around here there is usually some grocery store near by that has rotiseerie chickens on sale for 4.99. If you have a small family you can use the leftovers for sandwiches. If I was in "queasy mode",I would just make sure my husband sliced up the meat and served it in the kitchen while I am seated in the other room :). I discovered this meal when I was on bed rest, then had a baby in the NICU for 9 weeks...a kind friend would stop by with a rotissery chicken each time she was at the grocery near my house. Sweet memories of God's provisions!
Blessings,
Cassie
Congratulations again, Crystal! I hear you on the 1st AND 2nd trimester sickness- I was very ill with my first until about 20 weeks, then worse with my second until 28 weeks.
I think you and your husband have hit upon a great option for this period of time. We love the Annie's products over here for our busier stages of life! I'll also second the poster that suggested the 5 ingredients or less crockpot meals. That really helped us a lot when I was pregnant and very ill with #2.
The hardest period of time for me to be more frugal was while I was dealing with post partum depression after my second son was born. I was struggling so much just to care for the daily needs of my kids, myself and my husband that adding on couponing and bargain hunting was just not possible. Thankfully it was just a few months, and my husband and my sister helped me so much with household things and with caring for the kids so that I could recover and take care of myself too.
Dear Crystal,
I haven't been around your blog for a while - we're expecting a baby (girl) too (I'm 22 weeks along), and my time online has been dramatically cut down. I was so thrilled to finally visit and see you're expecting number 3! Congratulations.
Since it's your 3-rd pregnancy, you probably more or less expect what it will be like for you. For me, things improved greatly after the first trimester. Now I still have to keep a watch on myself so that I'm not overtaxed, but many days I feel upbeat and energetic again, with lots of cooking thrown in. Those first few weeks/couple of months were hard, but so worth it!!
Crystal,
I think you've made a wise choice in upping the grocery budget for now so you can buy easier-to-fix foods. We did the same when I was first preggo with #3. In the long run, it is cheaper than eating out constantly.
Would you be able to have one of your siblings (who sound like wonderful cooks) come over for a weekend and cook up a bunch of meats or casseroles so they are easier to fix?
Another idea is to have Jesse chop up lots of fruits and veggies and make up 5 main dishes on the weekend so things are easier to grab and reheat or grab for the kids.
I have tried EVERYTHING "in the book" and online for getting rid of morning sickness. It is so discouraging and emotionally and physically taxing. Obviously anyone who suggest saltine cracker fixes has never had morning, noon, and night sickness.
I mentioned before that Unisom helped me. I had tried it during the day with B6 in my 2nd pregnancy and found it made me feel worse. But this time around someone suggested skipping the B6 and taking just half a pill at night. This really and truly helped my sickness. I know you are all for the most-natural pregnancy you can have, and I am too, but if a teensy, weensy little half-dose of a sleeping aid gives that much relief, I'm all for it. For me it was a choice between hanging over a toliet all day and snapping at my kids or feeling mostly normal with just a bit of queasiness and able to actually eat nutritious foods for the unborn baby's sake! Our third baby ended up being our healthiest and biggest baby yet!
Other things that gave some small relief with nausea:
*cranberry spritzers or dried cranberries
*Lemon or lime fizzy drinks
*Holding my breath while doing diaper changes and having a barf bucket handy
*Skipping prenatals and taking Flintstones
*Cinnamon gum
*Lots of extra water/liquids
*Ginger snap cookies or ginger tea
I also found emotional support to be vital to get me through. Having a pregnancy buddy who also had severe morning sickness was wonderful because we pulled each other through and encouraged each other during those days when we felt we couldn't be nauseous another minute or the nights when we would just sob and want it to be over with. So, find a friend, online or in your town who is going through it at the same time and lean on each other!
Great frugal tips collection, I hadn't seen the "linky" approach before.
I am praying that you get through your morning,noon, and night sickness quickly. Thank you for your inspiration. I have no children at home but we do have horses and dogs who are our children! Thank you again.!
Nancy
Sounds like a good plan! I think you are right it may save you money in the end. We ended up just not eating alot of the time, which is not so great either. Cold cereal is a great thing to do, if you can get healthier ones then not too bad for you to give the children. Sandwiches too as there is not cooking involved. I could not smell food pretty much at all though.
Anyhow, another tip that you might have discovered. Sleeping alot really helped me, but with toddlers it is a struggle. I would put one laying down next to me so I could hold onto them and the other one on my legs with books. If they got up I woke up enough to tell them to get back.
Crystal - This is a meal packed with protein and fiber and takes only about 3 minutes to prepare:
1 lb of chicken
brown rice
can of mushroom or chn soup
water (a little more than can instructs)
Dump it all into a 13x9 and add whatever seasoning you can stomach - paprika and garlic powder are good options. It will be super liquidy, but Bake at 350 until chn is cooked and rice has absorbed the water (cook it covered).
One other thing: if you're looking to seriously boost your protein, consider the Weight Control instant oatmeal packets. It has a lot more fiber and protein, but is more expensive. With your newly expanded budget, you can afford them now. :) Best wishes.
Not to be mean, but I'm SO GLAD I'm not the only one!!! I thought I was being pathetic but I just have not been able to do much bargain shopping since my pregnancy began and I've been feeling pretty badly about it. You are always an encouragement! Thank you!
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