Breakfast Burritos
Tortillas: 0.99
10 Eggs, scrambled: 0.83
Turkey Bacon 6 pieces: 0.65
French Fries: 1.12
Ketchup: 0.30
Salt, pepper
Total
3.89
We keep it really simple at our house. Just cook everything and roll it up in a tortilla. I know it is not very fancy but it is real life! Sometimes you need a quick and easy meal. (We used french fries because that is what we had in the freezer :) ) It was pretty good too.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A Word on Gift-Giving
I love to give gifts. I love to find the perfect gift for someone for their Birthday, Christmas, Wedding, you name it. However, I am learning quick that with a limited budget, I cannot afford to do all of the wonderful things I would like to for all of the people that I know and love.
We budget $35 a month for gifts. Some months we do not need to buy gifts and so the money is saved for big Birthday months (ours are April, June, and July) and Christmas. This gives us a total of $420 we can spend throughout the year.
This does not sound like very much because it's not. I have learned to give homemade gifts from the heart so that they will still fit in the budget, and hopefully they will still be meaningful to the recipient.
Siblings' Birthdays: One of the gifts that I started giving to our brothers and sisters for their Birthdays is a loaf of homemade Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Bread from lilluna.com. This bread is as good as it sounds. I like it even better than the kind from Great Harvest. I wrap it up in Saran Wrap and stick it in a paper bag with a bow. You can smell the bread even through the paper and it is delightful. You can find the recipe here.
The recipe makes 5 loafs so I usually scale it down to two (giving one loaf away and keeping one for ourselves. Shhh!)
Kids' Birthdays: For my little Eli's Birthday, I like to stick to the rule: something they WANT; something they NEED; something to WEAR; something to READ. I personally think that we can get too carried away with kids' Birthdays. I know that we all love our kids and want to give them everything in the world to show them our love. But the thing is, they do not need EVERYTHING they want. If they get everything they want every Birthday or Christmas they will learn to expect everything they want and be dissapointed if one year they do not get it all instead of being grateful for what they did get. That was probably a major run-on sentence but you get what I mean.
Kids' Christmas: For Christmas, I follow the rule above but just double or triple it, depending on the budget that year.
Parents' Birthdays: For both sets of parents, we do something a little more special than bread because they do so much for us. We still do not spend a lot because we can't, but we try to do a little something extra to make their day a special one. The same goes for Christmas.
Spouse Birthdays, Christmas, and Anniversary: For each others' Birthdays and Christmas, we try to keep it at $50 each. For our Anniversary, we usually just go on a nicer-than-usual date.
Whatever it is that you spend on gifts, follow these steps
1. Name an amount that you will spend on each child, parent, grandparent, sibling, ect. for each event. For example: Kids Christmas: $70 each X each child, Kids Birthday: $50 each X each child, Parents' Birthday: $35 X each parent, and so on.
2. Add them all together and that is your total gift money for the year.
3. Divide that amount by 12 and that is what you budget for each month so that when the big day of Christmas rolls around, you will already have the money set aside.
We budget $35 a month for gifts. Some months we do not need to buy gifts and so the money is saved for big Birthday months (ours are April, June, and July) and Christmas. This gives us a total of $420 we can spend throughout the year.
This does not sound like very much because it's not. I have learned to give homemade gifts from the heart so that they will still fit in the budget, and hopefully they will still be meaningful to the recipient.
Siblings' Birthdays: One of the gifts that I started giving to our brothers and sisters for their Birthdays is a loaf of homemade Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Bread from lilluna.com. This bread is as good as it sounds. I like it even better than the kind from Great Harvest. I wrap it up in Saran Wrap and stick it in a paper bag with a bow. You can smell the bread even through the paper and it is delightful. You can find the recipe here.
The recipe makes 5 loafs so I usually scale it down to two (giving one loaf away and keeping one for ourselves. Shhh!)
Kids' Birthdays: For my little Eli's Birthday, I like to stick to the rule: something they WANT; something they NEED; something to WEAR; something to READ. I personally think that we can get too carried away with kids' Birthdays. I know that we all love our kids and want to give them everything in the world to show them our love. But the thing is, they do not need EVERYTHING they want. If they get everything they want every Birthday or Christmas they will learn to expect everything they want and be dissapointed if one year they do not get it all instead of being grateful for what they did get. That was probably a major run-on sentence but you get what I mean.
Kids' Christmas: For Christmas, I follow the rule above but just double or triple it, depending on the budget that year.
Parents' Birthdays: For both sets of parents, we do something a little more special than bread because they do so much for us. We still do not spend a lot because we can't, but we try to do a little something extra to make their day a special one. The same goes for Christmas.
Spouse Birthdays, Christmas, and Anniversary: For each others' Birthdays and Christmas, we try to keep it at $50 each. For our Anniversary, we usually just go on a nicer-than-usual date.
Whatever it is that you spend on gifts, follow these steps
1. Name an amount that you will spend on each child, parent, grandparent, sibling, ect. for each event. For example: Kids Christmas: $70 each X each child, Kids Birthday: $50 each X each child, Parents' Birthday: $35 X each parent, and so on.
2. Add them all together and that is your total gift money for the year.
3. Divide that amount by 12 and that is what you budget for each month so that when the big day of Christmas rolls around, you will already have the money set aside.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Night 3 Dinner (1/26-2/2)
Beef Stew
Stew Beef 2.98
1 packet Beef Onion Soup Mix 0.50
2/3 bag baby carrots 0.75
4 Russet Potatoes (had already)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (already had)
Frozen Green Beans (1/2 bag) 0.50
Water
12 Homemade Rolls (35 cents)
Total
$5.08
Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add stew beef and cook just intil browned on outside. In a large pot, add soup mix and 4 cups of water. Add vegetables and meat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve with homemade rolls.
Stew Beef 2.98
1 packet Beef Onion Soup Mix 0.50
2/3 bag baby carrots 0.75
4 Russet Potatoes (had already)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (already had)
Frozen Green Beans (1/2 bag) 0.50
Water
12 Homemade Rolls (35 cents)
Total
$5.08
Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add stew beef and cook just intil browned on outside. In a large pot, add soup mix and 4 cups of water. Add vegetables and meat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve with homemade rolls.
When in Doubt, Check Online
We decided to get rid of our huge entertainment center (refinsihed from the D.I.) because we move a lot and didn't want to be hauling all around the country. I started shopping for a wall mount for our tv to save some space and to protect our tv from our little toddler.
I checked the selection at Wal-mart in the store and their wall mounts were priced at $95-$189. I was thinking, "Are you kidding me? It is just a piece of metal and some screws!"
$95 was definitely not in the budget so I decided to check online. I am not kidding you I found one on the Wal-mart website that looked just as good for $17. I ordered it and it has been working great.
I have had many other similar experiences just like this.
So moral of the story is, when in doubt, check online!
I checked the selection at Wal-mart in the store and their wall mounts were priced at $95-$189. I was thinking, "Are you kidding me? It is just a piece of metal and some screws!"
$95 was definitely not in the budget so I decided to check online. I am not kidding you I found one on the Wal-mart website that looked just as good for $17. I ordered it and it has been working great.
I have had many other similar experiences just like this.
So moral of the story is, when in doubt, check online!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Food Storage: List to build it at $10 per week
This is a very economical way to build your food storage slowly. My mom wanted this list so I thought I would share it with all of you too!
This list will build you a years worth of basic food storage for one person or a 3 month supply for a family of 4.
Week 1 2-48oz bottles of oil
Week 2 50 lb wheat (or 25 lb flour)
Week 3 4 lb macaroni and 4 lbs spaghetti
Week 4 6 cans meat or fish
Week 5 1-28 oz bottle peanut butter
Week 6 5 lbs honey
Week 7 25 lbs of sugar
Week 8 15 lbs dry milk
Week 9 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soup
Week 10 6 cans meat or fish
Week 11 25 lbs Rice
Week 12 1 lb yeast
Week 13 10 lbs dry beans
Week 14 6 cans evaporated milk
Week 15 1-28 oz bottle of peanut butter
Week 16 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soup
Week 17 25 lbs flour
Week 18 4 lbs macaroni and 4 lbs spaghetti
Week 19 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soups
Week 20 1 lb baking powder, 1 lb baking soda, 5 lbs salt
Week 21 2 lb yeast
Week 22 2-48 oz bottles of oil
Week 23 15 lbs oats
Week 24 2-3 lb shortening (cans)
Week 25 25 lbs flour
Week 26 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soup
Week 27 25 lbs Rice
Week 28 1 gallon vinegar
Week 29 10 lbs dry p beans
Week 30 5 cans cream of chicken soup and 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
Week 31 5 lbs brown sugar
Week 32 10 lbs oats
Week 33 6 cans meat or fish
Week 34 25 lbs sugar
Week 35 50 lbs wheat (or flour)
Week 36 6 cans meat or fish
Week 37 1 lb yeast
Week 38 5 cans cream of chicken soup and 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
Week 39 2-48 oz bottles oil
Week 40 50 lb wheat (or flour)
Week 41 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soup
Week 42 1 lb yeast
Week 43 8 cans fruit, vegetables, beans or soup
Week 44 2-3 lb shortening (cans)
Week 45 1-28 oz bottle peanut butter
Week 46 15 lbs dry milk
Week 47 15 gallons of water
Week 48 10 lbs dry beans
Week 49 2-48 oz bottles of oil
Week 50 1-28 oz bottle peanut butter
Week 51 6 cans evaporated milk
Week 52 5 cans cream of chicken soup and 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
Some weeks you will not have spent as much money, so set aside the extra for those items that will cost a little more. For every person in your family double or triple the amount of the item you are buying that week. Or if you are like me, you may just buy half of the amount listed and build food storage for several years. Do whatever fits your budget.
Night 2 Dinner (1/26-2/2)
Last night we had Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches from Chef-in-Training
Ingredients:
Chicken 1 lb, cooked and shredded 1.79
Kroger Light Caesar Dressing (partial bottle) 0.50
Iceburg Lettuce 0.99
Parmesan Cheese (already had it)
pepper, parsley
Homemade Hamburger Buns 0.35 for 12
Total
$3.63
This was seriously mouth-watering-ly good! I have made this chicken recipe from Chef-In-Training before and love it every time. I was in a pinch for time so I just threw them on the stovetop and they turned out great. You can find her recipe here
This was my first tine making homemade hamburger buns and I was a little nervous to try it out but they turned out so fluffy, they cut in half easily, they were super fast, and they were so yummy that I will probably use them as a roll recipe too.
40-minute Hamburger Buns
(like large sliders so you may want to double recipe)
2 tbsp yeast
1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/3 cupe vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt, and enough flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface (I just knead my dough inside the bowl for less mess); knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Ingredients:
Chicken 1 lb, cooked and shredded 1.79
Kroger Light Caesar Dressing (partial bottle) 0.50
Iceburg Lettuce 0.99
Parmesan Cheese (already had it)
pepper, parsley
Homemade Hamburger Buns 0.35 for 12
Total
$3.63
This was seriously mouth-watering-ly good! I have made this chicken recipe from Chef-In-Training before and love it every time. I was in a pinch for time so I just threw them on the stovetop and they turned out great. You can find her recipe here
This was my first tine making homemade hamburger buns and I was a little nervous to try it out but they turned out so fluffy, they cut in half easily, they were super fast, and they were so yummy that I will probably use them as a roll recipe too.
40-minute Hamburger Buns
(like large sliders so you may want to double recipe)
2 tbsp yeast
1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/3 cupe vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt, and enough flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface (I just knead my dough inside the bowl for less mess); knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Where to Stash Your Savings
We love our Credit Union, America First. They have been great to work with and we have never had any problems with them. However, their interest on their savings account stinks! It is only 0.10% right now. We made pennies a month is all when we had our money in their savings account. I knew there had to be something better out there.
That was when we discovered Ally Bank. We opened up a High Interest Savings Account at an interet rate of .90% That is 9 times more than America First!
I chose Ally Bank because there was no minimum balance to open, there are no monthly maintenance fees, it is compounded daily to maximize profits, and it is FDIC insured.
There is no risk with this type of savings account. There are accounts with higher interest rate returns but usually those accounts are more of an investment type. I just wanted a place to store our emergency fund where there would be no risk, our money could still be put to work, and a place where it would be easily accessible if we ever needed it.
It works out great-- we just deposit into America First and transfer to Ally online.
If you would like to open up a savings account or explore Ally, click here.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Where to Buy: Laundry Detergent
Sooo I am sure you have seen lots of homemade laundry detergents floating around. I have tried the one with Fels Naptha, Washing Soda, Borax, and hot water. It works pretty well. I will probably keep the ingredients for it in my food storage. However, I noticed that it does not keep my whites as white as I like them, even with bleach.
So along with baby wipes, I like to buy my laundry detergent at Big Lots. It is only 3.80 for a bottle of All which does 38 loads. It does a great job and one bottle lasts me about a month. I have bought other brands as cheap as 2.50 there that work just as well.
So along with baby wipes, I like to buy my laundry detergent at Big Lots. It is only 3.80 for a bottle of All which does 38 loads. It does a great job and one bottle lasts me about a month. I have bought other brands as cheap as 2.50 there that work just as well.
Night 1 Dinner (1/26-2/2)
Night 1 (1/26-2/2)
BLT's
Turkey Bacon 1.99
Lettuce 0.50
Tomato 0.50
Homemade Bread 0.40
Total: 3.40
Pretty straight forward, just slap them together!
**A little trick I learned from Pinterest: Line a cookie sheet with foil and bake the bacon on that at 375 until it looks done. So much easier than cooking a little bit at a time in a frying pan!
BLT's
Turkey Bacon 1.99
Lettuce 0.50
Tomato 0.50
Homemade Bread 0.40
Total: 3.40
Pretty straight forward, just slap them together!
**A little trick I learned from Pinterest: Line a cookie sheet with foil and bake the bacon on that at 375 until it looks done. So much easier than cooking a little bit at a time in a frying pan!
Grocery Receipt 1/26 to 2/2
Saturday was grocery shopping day and I thought I would share my receipt and recipes for this week with you can see how we eat cheap.
Smith's Marketplace
Beef Roast ~3 lbs 8.07
Kroger Italian Dressing Mix 0.50
Kroger Ceasar Dressing 1.50
Dry Beef Onion Soup Mix 1.00
KVLU Mac and Cheese 0.58
Stew Beef 1.2 lbs 2.98
Chicken Breasts 1 lb 1.79
5 Bananas 0.85
4 Gala Apples 2.75
Kroger Whipped Topping 1.00
Kroger Whipped Topping 1.00
Kroger Frozen Green Beans 1.00
Kroger Frozen Mixed Vegetables 1.00
Kroger Turkey Bacon 1.99
Dozen Eggs 0.99
Tortillas 8 count 0.99
Carrots 0.99
3 Roma tomatos 0.67
Iceburg Lettuce 0.99
1 Cucumber 0.79
1 Yellow Onion 0.44
Total 31.92
*If I post a recipe with an ingredient not listed here it probably means that I had already
stocked up on that item and didn't need to buy it.
Smith's Marketplace
Beef Roast ~3 lbs 8.07
Kroger Italian Dressing Mix 0.50
Kroger Ceasar Dressing 1.50
Dry Beef Onion Soup Mix 1.00
KVLU Mac and Cheese 0.58
Stew Beef 1.2 lbs 2.98
Chicken Breasts 1 lb 1.79
5 Bananas 0.85
4 Gala Apples 2.75
Kroger Whipped Topping 1.00
Kroger Whipped Topping 1.00
Kroger Frozen Green Beans 1.00
Kroger Frozen Mixed Vegetables 1.00
Kroger Turkey Bacon 1.99
Dozen Eggs 0.99
Tortillas 8 count 0.99
Carrots 0.99
3 Roma tomatos 0.67
Iceburg Lettuce 0.99
1 Cucumber 0.79
1 Yellow Onion 0.44
Total 31.92
*If I post a recipe with an ingredient not listed here it probably means that I had already
stocked up on that item and didn't need to buy it.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Chicken Spinach Enchiladas
I made these enchiladas for the first time a few weeks ago for one of my $5 dinners and they were seriously the best enchiladas I have ever put in my mouth! Even my 14 month old could not get enough of them. No lie, I think that every single person on the earth needs to make and taste these suckers.
(Photo from tasteofhome.com)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
4 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
10 oz frozen spinach, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper
9-10 flour tortillas
10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. LIghtly grease a 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shredded chicken. sour cream, spinach. 1/2 cup of the pepper jack cheese, minced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Spoon the mixture into each of the tortillas. Roll, and place the tortillas seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the green enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining pepper jack cheese.
Bake in ovenn for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
(Photo from tasteofhome.com)Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
4 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
10 oz frozen spinach, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper
9-10 flour tortillas
10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. LIghtly grease a 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shredded chicken. sour cream, spinach. 1/2 cup of the pepper jack cheese, minced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Spoon the mixture into each of the tortillas. Roll, and place the tortillas seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the green enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining pepper jack cheese.
Bake in ovenn for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Easiest and Best Pizza Crust Ever!
We love pizza at our house! It is sooo much easier on our pocketbook when we make it ourselves. Usually pizza crust takes a long time with all the kneading and rising . . . this crust takes only 10-15 minutes and it turns out soft and chewy! I make it so much I have the recipe memorized. This is a great and inexpensive dinner. I can make 3 pizzas for less than $5!
Easy Pizza Dough
(I like to triple the recipe and make 2 pizzas for a thicker crust.)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp yeast 2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F) 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp salt
1. Let yeast, water, and sugar sit for about 10 min
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients
3. Roll out onto pizza pan and top with desired toppings.
4. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes
(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
Easy Pizza Dough
(I like to triple the recipe and make 2 pizzas for a thicker crust.)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp yeast 2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F) 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp salt
1. Let yeast, water, and sugar sit for about 10 min
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients
3. Roll out onto pizza pan and top with desired toppings.
4. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes
(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)
Where to Buy Baby Supplies
Diapers: We have tried lots of brands of diapers. We do not like the Wal-mart off-brand. They leak and gave our little baby lots of rashes. We like Pampers and used them for a while until we discovered. . . . Up and Up by Target. These diapers are so affordable and we have not had any problems with them. Our little one is in a size 4 and they come out to be only $0.16 per diaper! The smaller sizes would be even cheaper! If you check their website they will sometimes even have coupons for the Up and Up diapers for extra savings.
Wipes: The best place I have found to buy wipes is Big Lots. Their wipes are only $.70 to $1.00 for a package of 80. I will usually go there to stock up, buying 5-10 packages at a time. Look at this ad! You could get your wipes even cheaper if you go out and buy them Saturday 1/25/13 The Rewards card is not a credit card. It is just free little card that they scan at purchase.
If you do not have a Big Lots where you live try this trick I discovered:
If you buy wipes in the baby section with all of the diapers you are probably paying too much. If you go to the section of the store where they stock the health and beauty products, (shampoo, body wash, hygiene stuff) there will be a section where they stock baby shampoo. Usually somewhere near the bottom shelf there will be wipes. There will be canisters of wipes or packages of wipes and they will a lot cheaper there. I have found they work just as well as the name brand wipes. This method has been specifically tested at Wal-mart but I would assume it would be the same for other stores.
Wipes: The best place I have found to buy wipes is Big Lots. Their wipes are only $.70 to $1.00 for a package of 80. I will usually go there to stock up, buying 5-10 packages at a time. Look at this ad! You could get your wipes even cheaper if you go out and buy them Saturday 1/25/13 The Rewards card is not a credit card. It is just free little card that they scan at purchase.
If you do not have a Big Lots where you live try this trick I discovered:
If you buy wipes in the baby section with all of the diapers you are probably paying too much. If you go to the section of the store where they stock the health and beauty products, (shampoo, body wash, hygiene stuff) there will be a section where they stock baby shampoo. Usually somewhere near the bottom shelf there will be wipes. There will be canisters of wipes or packages of wipes and they will a lot cheaper there. I have found they work just as well as the name brand wipes. This method has been specifically tested at Wal-mart but I would assume it would be the same for other stores.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Grocery Buying Tips
We live on a $130 per month budget for groceries. How do we do it? Here are some things I do that help cut down the grocery expenses.
1. I plan my meals for the week before I go shopping. I am only allowed 32.50 per week for all of our groceries. I usually plan and buy for 5 dinners per week. The other two days we just eat leftovers. All of the dinner recipes I will be posting on this blog will cost around $5 dollars or less to prepare. We do not eat a whole lot of fresh produce unless it is on a way good sale. I will usually buy frozen veggies and canned fruit. Before I go shopping, I check grocerysmarts.com.
Grocerysmarts.com is an amazing tool for checking out weekly grocery deals. I mostly use this to check on produce and meat deals for the week. I will mostly only buy the items that I need which has the word "Extreme" next to it. It is way nice too because it lists the grocery deals by store.
2. We do not buy processed food like cereal, crackers, chips, pre-made chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Hot Pockets ect. These items will really rack up your grocery bill fast. I stick to the basics when I go shopping and basically everything we eat is homemade. Because we do not have cereal for breakfast, I make inexpensive breakfast cassroles, my own pancake mix, and fruit-oatmeal bakes (recipes to come soon.)
3. I try to go shopping by myself and will not buy anything that is not on my list. When I bring other people with me, I tend to get sucked into buying items that I did not originally intend to buy. I go by myself and stick to my list.
4. I know where to shop. The majority of my shopping is done at Smiths because they tend to have great sales and I like the rewards points earned from being a fresh values customer. There are some items though that can be purchased cheaper elsewhere. Yeast, flour, sugar, and sometimes cheese are cheapest at Costco or Sam's Club. You can buy a 25 lb bag of flour at Sam's for just $7.67. The yeast and sugar are also great deals.
5. We stock up on staples at good prices. When you have mass amounts of everything, you don't need to go to the store as often and when you don't go to the store, you don't spend money. We stock up on yeast, flour, sugar, cheese (at Sam's), canned spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, and canned fruit. I buy about 4 gallons of milk at a time, freeze them, and bring a gallon out as we need it. Because we have this food stored up, we can sometimes go even 2 weeks without going to the store if needed. You may have to build your storage up slowly to make it fit in your budget (flour one month, tomato sauce the next ect.)
1. I plan my meals for the week before I go shopping. I am only allowed 32.50 per week for all of our groceries. I usually plan and buy for 5 dinners per week. The other two days we just eat leftovers. All of the dinner recipes I will be posting on this blog will cost around $5 dollars or less to prepare. We do not eat a whole lot of fresh produce unless it is on a way good sale. I will usually buy frozen veggies and canned fruit. Before I go shopping, I check grocerysmarts.com.
Grocerysmarts.com is an amazing tool for checking out weekly grocery deals. I mostly use this to check on produce and meat deals for the week. I will mostly only buy the items that I need which has the word "Extreme" next to it. It is way nice too because it lists the grocery deals by store.
2. We do not buy processed food like cereal, crackers, chips, pre-made chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Hot Pockets ect. These items will really rack up your grocery bill fast. I stick to the basics when I go shopping and basically everything we eat is homemade. Because we do not have cereal for breakfast, I make inexpensive breakfast cassroles, my own pancake mix, and fruit-oatmeal bakes (recipes to come soon.)
3. I try to go shopping by myself and will not buy anything that is not on my list. When I bring other people with me, I tend to get sucked into buying items that I did not originally intend to buy. I go by myself and stick to my list.
4. I know where to shop. The majority of my shopping is done at Smiths because they tend to have great sales and I like the rewards points earned from being a fresh values customer. There are some items though that can be purchased cheaper elsewhere. Yeast, flour, sugar, and sometimes cheese are cheapest at Costco or Sam's Club. You can buy a 25 lb bag of flour at Sam's for just $7.67. The yeast and sugar are also great deals.
5. We stock up on staples at good prices. When you have mass amounts of everything, you don't need to go to the store as often and when you don't go to the store, you don't spend money. We stock up on yeast, flour, sugar, cheese (at Sam's), canned spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables, and canned fruit. I buy about 4 gallons of milk at a time, freeze them, and bring a gallon out as we need it. Because we have this food stored up, we can sometimes go even 2 weeks without going to the store if needed. You may have to build your storage up slowly to make it fit in your budget (flour one month, tomato sauce the next ect.)
Amish White Bread
Our grocery budget is only $130.00 per month to feed our family of 3. Really it is like we are feeding a family of 5 because my husband is 6"4' and eats 3X as much as me :) Anyway, because our grocery budget is so small we make our own bread. I figure it costs about 40 cents a loaf homemade vs. $3 a loaf in the store.This Amish White Bread recipe is a gem that I just discovered from allrecipes.com. It bakes up nice and high and the crust is soft and thin so it cuts just like store bought bread does. It does have a slightly sweet taste but it works great for pb & j's, garlic bread, cheese sandwiches, dipping in soup, ect. We like it with everything basically.
I make the dough in my bread machine by adding the wet ingredients first, and then the dry, making a well for the yeast and put the machine on the dough setting. Then I place it in the pans and let it rise in a warm place covered with saran wrap coated with cooking spray for 30 minutes (I set my oven for 200 degrees and then turn the oven off.) Then it bakes for 30 minutes and you get 2 beautiful loaves of yummy bread for less than $1. This recipe is so easy, anyone can do it!
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
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Directions:
| 1. | In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. |
| 2. | Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. |
| 3. | Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. |
| 4. | Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. |
Mint.com: A Great Budgeting Tool
Soo I cannot take all of the credit for our ability to keep a budget. Mint.com is a FANTASTIC resource. There you can link up all of your bank accounts and it will track everything you spend. You can create a cutsomized budget on the website easily. Every couple days I will log into Mint and categorize our purchases and see how we are doing on our budget. It also lets you set financial goals and creates different graphs and pie charts showing different elements of your finances. I would not be able to budget without mint.com!
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
How do you do it?
We have had many people ask us how our family survives on our small income. My husband is currently going to school and works full-time as a CNA. I stay at home with our son full-time so his income is our only income. People wonder how we manage to survive AND are still able to put money away in the bank. I am always getting asked for tips on how to save money. This is how we do it:
1. We keep a budget: This is the most important part of being financially fit. You have to know exactly how much you are bringing in and how much you are spending. You have to give every dollar a name and follow your budget religiously.
2. We have to have self-control: For example, we each get 25 dollars a month for our personal money. This is for my clothes, make-up, crafts, ect. and his fast food, Dr. Pepper, ect. If we spend our money for that month, it is gone.
3. We have no credit cards: There is no reason to have one. We get by just fine with our debit card and we never go into debt to buy something. Everything we buy is cash-flowed. We even plan to pay 100% down for a car next year. The only loan we will probably ever get is for our home someday.
4. I research deals like crazy: I usually will not buy something unless I am sure I have found the best value. Many of these deals will be posted on the blog,
5. We donate money to our church: I am a big Dave Ramsey fan and he made a good point about charitable donations. He believes God will not place money into the hands of those who He knows will not do anything good with it. I also believe this. I also know that our family is blessed when we give back.
6. We have an emergency fund: We currently have emergency savings that we build on every month (about 4 months worth.) If my husband were to lose his job, (not that we plan on it because he rocks at it) we could survive for 4 months while he was looking for another. OR if we were to have some sort of medical emergency, it would also help out with that. You never know what life is going to throw at you so it is best to be prepared.
7. We spend less than we earn: Sometimes it can be hard to do this on our tight budget, but usually we are able to add to our savings each month. We know that we will never accumulate any wealth (our goal is to have 1 million saved for retirement) if we are spending everything that comes in, no matter how large or small our income is.
1. We keep a budget: This is the most important part of being financially fit. You have to know exactly how much you are bringing in and how much you are spending. You have to give every dollar a name and follow your budget religiously.
2. We have to have self-control: For example, we each get 25 dollars a month for our personal money. This is for my clothes, make-up, crafts, ect. and his fast food, Dr. Pepper, ect. If we spend our money for that month, it is gone.
3. We have no credit cards: There is no reason to have one. We get by just fine with our debit card and we never go into debt to buy something. Everything we buy is cash-flowed. We even plan to pay 100% down for a car next year. The only loan we will probably ever get is for our home someday.
4. I research deals like crazy: I usually will not buy something unless I am sure I have found the best value. Many of these deals will be posted on the blog,
5. We donate money to our church: I am a big Dave Ramsey fan and he made a good point about charitable donations. He believes God will not place money into the hands of those who He knows will not do anything good with it. I also believe this. I also know that our family is blessed when we give back.
6. We have an emergency fund: We currently have emergency savings that we build on every month (about 4 months worth.) If my husband were to lose his job, (not that we plan on it because he rocks at it) we could survive for 4 months while he was looking for another. OR if we were to have some sort of medical emergency, it would also help out with that. You never know what life is going to throw at you so it is best to be prepared.
7. We spend less than we earn: Sometimes it can be hard to do this on our tight budget, but usually we are able to add to our savings each month. We know that we will never accumulate any wealth (our goal is to have 1 million saved for retirement) if we are spending everything that comes in, no matter how large or small our income is.
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