DIY Faux Magnolia Wreath

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DIY Magnolia Wreath I’m a big fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines.  So big that I paid $10 on Amazon to watch Season 2 of Fixer Upper after I saw Season 1 three times.  During the third round of season 1 Darren said, “Haven’t we seen this one before?”  I just smiled and handed him some popcorn.   Season 2 didn’t disappoint.  Chip had me screaming, laughing, and cringing and Joanna made me want to appreciate my kids a little bit more.

Greenery breathes life into a room. If I step back in a space and feel like something’s missing, Read more…

Top 15 Economic Survival Foods

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Top 15 Economic Survival Foods

Yesterday I asked you to think about how you would spend $100 if that was all you had to feed your family for the month.  I’ve never lived on such a small budget for our family.  Even when we were getting out of debt and had 3 small children (instead of 6 big ones) our budget was $185.   That’s as low as I’ve ever gone.  There are a bunch of great ideas in the comments and several people even mentioned giving it a try for a month.  Report back if you do, but understand I’m not asking or even suggesting someone try it.  It’s just a mental exercise.

Here’s a list of the highest nutrition lowest cost foods I know.  Some of them have been smeared online as unhealthy foods (ahem…..whole wheat, cough cough….potatoes), but since the dawn of creation they have sustained healthy human life.  If God made it and called it good for food, it’s good enough for me. None of these links are affiliate links.  Links are for proof of price.  There may be lower cost options available locally. Unlinked foods are from Aldi.

1. Whole Wheat Berries:  $15.48 for 25 lbs;  274 servings at $.05 each.  I would grind them fresh for pancakes, whole wheat bread, English muffins, tortillas, pitas, cracked forhot breakfast cereal, sprout it for salads etc. It would be our main diet staple.

bucket of wheat

2.  Long Grain Brown Rice: 5 lbs for $3.38; 50 servings at $.07 each.  I would use it to make rice, pilaf, soup, pudding, hot breakfast cereal, and yes–sprouts.

brown rice package

3. Dry Pinto Beans: 4 lbs for $3.82; 52 servings at $.07 each. I would use these in soup, casseroles, with rice, veggie burgers, ground as flour to add protein to bread, and grow sprouts etc.

pinto beans

  1. Rolled Oats (Aldi): 42 oz for $2.39; 30 servings $.08 each.  I would make hot breakfast cereal; add it to bread, muffins, pancakes etc.

Background of rolled oats, a grain cereal in which the seeds have been milled and rolled for use as a cooking ingredient and breakfast cereal

  1.  Popping Corn: 2 lb for $1.98; 27 servings at $.07 each. I would pop this for snacks and grind it for cornbread and hot cereal mush.

popping corn

6. Celery: 1 stalk for $1; 16 servings for $.06 each. Soups, salads; with peanut butter. The beauty of this food is you can regrow it from the base.

7. Potatoes: 10 lbs for $2.99; 20 servings for $.15 each; baked potatoes, soups, home fries; mashed potatoes, bread.

8. Carrots: 2 lbs for $1; 8 servings for $.12 each; salads; soups; muffins, pancakes;

9. Eggs: $1.59 a dozen; 8 servings for $.20 each

bowl of eggs 2_edited-1

10. Milk: $2.15 a gallon; 16 servings for $.13 each.  I would use it in pancakes; hot cereal; biscuits; and yogurt making

11. Peanut Butter: 40 oz for $2.99; 35 servings for $.09 each.  Sandwiches, muffins, and as a dip for veggies and fruit

12.  Apples: 3 lbs for $2.69; 9 servings for $.29 each

13. Bananas: 4 lb for $1.16; 16 servings for $.07 each

14. Onions: 3 lb for $1.99; 12 servings for $.16;  add to soups and casseroles to add flavor and nutrition

15. Whole Chickens: 5 lbs for $4.75; 16 servings for $.29 each.  I would boil chicken for bone broth soup and remove the meat to combine with beans, rice, etc…and make it stretch.

chicken whole

Everything on this list totals $49.36 and has 589 servings averaging $.08 each.  (Keep in mind it takes several servings of different foods to make a balanced meal.)  I still have half my budget left to do this again or find a little more variety to add to the mix.  While I was shopping and doing the research for this post, they had chicken legs on sale for $.49 a lb; oranges 4 lb for $3; broccoli for $1 a lb and avocados for $.39 each.

In March, I could add nutrition by gathering wild edibles like lamb’s quarter, clover blossom and leaves; violets; wild chives; and dandelion.  Hunting for more protein options is another possibility. There are also 30+ harvester drop off locations in driving distance from my house where we could get free food several times a week.  Area grocery stores donate product to them for a tax deduction when they get close to their sale date. Most of these drop offs do not ask for registration or proof of income, but do require some wait time to stand in line.

When I made my purchases I would also think about what could regrow into food for the future.  For example, celery and green onions can be regrown from the base. Potatoes can be cut into pieces and planted in the spring.  Right now is the time to start seeds from peppers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe.  You can grow them from seeds found inside your purchased food. Here’s more info on growing a garden from grocery store food and here.

What do you think? Did any of the cost per servings surprise you?

 

 

 

If you only had $100

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I’m guesting posting over at Don’t Waste the Crumbs Today on 5 Fail Proof Ways to Reduce Grocery Spending.  I’d be honored if you’d come visit with me and check it out.

What if you only had $100
Think carefully about this question and put your answer in the comments below.  What would you buy to feed your family if you only had $100 for the entire month?  Let’s say you have a decent pantry of staples like yeast, salt, spices, and oil, so you just needed to buy food things.  I want to know what you would you get and what would you would cook with it to keep your family alive and healthy.

I think about this some times when I hear that my donation of $20 can feed a family in Africa for a week.  What are they eating?  Is it balanced?  Would I be too proud to live on it?  When my husband suddenly lost his job 8 years ago, we faced a time like this.  I told Darren that with $200 I could run the whole household for the month, not just food.  It was a fun challenge and one I was equally happy to have end.  Not until I had to do something drastic did I see what I was really capable of.

Let’s pretend it’s drastic.  What would you do?

 

 

Just pushing a car down the highway…don’t mind me

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Heidi's 16th Birthday

Friday night we threw a little skating party to help our oldest daughter turn 16.  It was so much fun to pick out the playlist for the event.  I’m keeping the list for when the skies have been too gray for too long.  How can you go wrong when Van Halen’s Jump; Ray Steven’s Mississippi Squirrel Revival; Piano Guys’ Cello Song; and Taio Cruz’s Dynamite all made the cut?  It was a great mix of all the things Heidi loves including a few bits of soundtrack from her favorite movies. Our only sadness was the private school held a basketball game that night so not many of her friends from her old school could come.  We had a lot of family and just enough friends to make it a lot of fun.  Here’s the best part–everyone gave skating a try, even the grandparents, which was unexpected and delightful.

Heidi's 16th birthday 2

The next day her youth group was going ice skating.  We picked up her friend, Brandon on the way and partway down the highway, ran out of gas.  This is my first experience with running out of gas.  We’ve only had this car a couple of months and I haven’t figured out all it’s quirks yet.  Our old car had about 20 miles to go when the warning light comes on.  This car has about 2.

I couldn’t coast to the left because that was a highway entrance ramp.  I couldn’t coast to the right, because there were 2 lanes of fast moving traffic over there.  I put on my hazard lights and thought for a bit.  I had successfully pushed my car up an icy driveway twice that week to get to school on time, and  I had two permitted drivers in the car…what could go wrong?

I told the kids my plan, moved Heidi into the driver’s seat and Brandon volunteered to help push.  We pushed that thing at least half a mile to Costco to buy gas, laughing all the way.  A really nice stranger jumped out of his car when he saw us and helped us push.  His wife drove past cheering us on :).   A 2nd stranger helped us the last few hundred feet when we were the most cold and tired.  That’s one for the memory books.

When I got to school this morning, one of my students said, “I saw you Saturday, pushing your car down the road.” Yep–that was me.

Have you ever run out of gas?  I hope not, but if you have I’d love to hear about it.

Frugal Friday #7

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If you’re new here:  On Fridays I share a few frugal things I did during the week.  Then in the comments you to share a frugal thing or two you did during the week.  If you are a blogger feel free to link to your Frugal Friday post in the comments and we’ll come check it out.

Frugal Friday

  1.  I made soup, 3 days in a row.  They were different soups: tortilla soup, beef and vegetable (to use up leftover veggies) and chicken with homemade noodles.  I love soup because it’s a one pot meal, fast, nutritious and filling.  Hot leftovers pack well in a thermos so my kids can have a warm lunch at school.  The third night Dub said, “Oh!  Soup again!”  He tried to make it sound cheerful, but I could tell I was pushing it, lol.  Since soup is mostly water, it saves on the grocery bill and just feels right with the snowy weather we’ve been having.
  2. I used swagbucks gift cards to amazon to buy art for Darren’s office. It was mostly free and every little bit helps to bring this project under budget.

blue map

4.  I built a huge picture frame from an inspiration photo.  I did buy the wood, but even so the project was around $30.   Buying one custom sized from hobby lobby would be more than $100. I haven’t learned to use a router yet (still a beginner wood worker), so I just duct taped the picture to the back.

Shared boy room after 3

Here’s the inspiration. Scale is hard for me to estimate in before photos, but the more afters I do, the easier it is.

Brandon and Grant's Room Gray rugby stripe

I’ll give the details about the room next month :).

It’s your turn. Inspire us with some of your frugal activities this week.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

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One of the lowest cost food categories is soup.  Soup is mostly water but still filling and comforting.  I love that soup is a meal in one, saving prep time and money on side dishes.  I usually add a hearty bread for the men, but skip it myself to stay on track with my fitness plan.

Recently the weather has turned super cold and white, so we’ve been enjoying night after night of various soups.  Is there a limit on how many days in a row one can serve soup?  I don’t think so–that would be like saying there was a limit on the number of days in a row you could eat pizza.  Crazy.

I posted this photo on instagram and got a couple of requests for the recipe.  My husband’s sisters made this soup for the family when they were growing up and the first time I tasted it, I begged the recipe from them.  It’s the perfect thing for a crowd or when someone isn’t feeling well.  Full of rich bone broth, it’s soothing and healing.  When someone is suffering and I feel powerless to help, I make soup!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole roasting chicken (4-5 lbs)

12 cups water

5 tsp mineral sea salt (you can use less, but we go for 1 tsp per quart of food/liquid)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh black pepper

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 onion chopped (I had red on hand, but any kind will work)

Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is falling apart.  If your chicken was frozen, allow 2.5-3 hours to cook.

Remove chicken and bones to a bowl to cool enough to touch. Skim any foam off the top of the broth and discard.

Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove vegetables to a second bowl.

Remove meat from bones and chop.  Store meat with the vegetables in the bowl.

Keep a bowl of water close for re-wetting your hands as you work with the noodle dough.  This will keep it from sticking.

For noodles combine:

2 cups of unbleached flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

2 eggs

4 Tbs water

Knead everything with damp hands then roll out 1/4 inch thick.  Dough should be dry and barely hold together. Cut with a pizza cutter into strips about 3/8 inch wide and 2-3 inches long.  Bring the chicken broth to a full rolling boil and drop the noodles in.  Separate with a spoon when they first go in.  Boil for 15 minutes then turn off the heat.  Return vegetables and chicken back to the soup and sprinkle the top with dried parsley.  Don’t skimp on the parsley–it makes it so pretty and appetizing.

 

 

 

How to Shrink Spending with a Grocery Ad

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how to shrink spending with a grocery ad

Every week on Tuesday or Wednesday I get a mail bundle of the grocery ads from my local stores. They come to everyone for free and if somehow we get missed we can go to the store website and sign up for them.

When the ads come, I take 5 minutes to look through them and write down on my shopping list the store name and the awesome deals I want to buy there. I spend the most time on the front and back pages of the ads, because these are where the loss leaders are posted. Loss leaders are items sold below profit level in hopes to lure people in the store and spend a bunch of money on profitable items.  If they have a limit beside the price, you can be sure it’s a loss leader.  When I shop for those items, I usually only buy those items, but I also look  in the meat and dairy sections for manager specials.  These are items that are close to their sale by date and need to be frozen or used up right away.  I have purchased meat for $.50 a pound this way to store in my pantry freezer.

When I’m looking for good sales, I keep in the back of my mind the regular prices of these items at Aldi.  If I can’t remember, I make my Aldi run on the way to the conventional grocery store and double check the price.

Some weeks the ads aren’t worth getting out for and we just eat from our pantry.

Random Stuff:

  1.  The grocery stores are paid by the brands to feature their products in the ad. The most prominent the item, the more they paid.
  2. Brand names also pay the store for prime shelf locations (eye level stuff) which makes those items cost more.  Look high and low on the shelves for the best values.
  3. Each store pays around $40,000 per week to put their ad in your home.  If it didn’t increase their profits, they wouldn’t do it.
  4. Brand name items often have a coupon available to match with the sale price. Sometimes this makes the item cost less than the private label, sometimes not.  Always do the math.  (I rarely mess with coupons.)
  5. Most families buy a lot more than the sale items, keeping the grocery stores profitable. I’m one of the few exceptions.
  6. The majority of my shopping list is the DEALS I can get, not a list based on recipes I’m planning for the week.  Then I plan meals from the low cost foods I have to work with,  sometimes grabbing a special item or fresh produce to bring it all together.

What do you think?  Is this the way you’ve been doing it all along?

How the Pantry Method Saved Me Thousands

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how the pantry method saved me thousandsThe average family of 8 spends between $1200-$1600 a month on food.  We spend $620 ($550 for groceries, $40 for eating out and $30 for lunch allowance for my husband.) A difference of $580-$980 a month.  That means over a year we are saving $6,960-$11,760.  We have been living this way for more than 10 years for a cumulative savings of $69,600-$117,600.  Around here, that’s enough to pay cash for a modest house.

The pantry method allows us to spend less.  I buy food at the lowest prices possible and enough that I don’t have to buy that item again until it’s at the lowest price again.  Then…listen up this is KEY…I meal plan based on what I already have on hand.  I’m using that sale stuff up, not hoarding it.  I’m only buying the stuff we eat, not crazy stuff or junk food just because it’s on sale. (Though sometimes we’ll grab a rare treat when the price drops.)

I do have a meal plan service complete with shopping list.  The services is usable with the pantry method also because I base all the recipes off the healthy low cost foods in most American Pantries.  The cool thing is if you buy ingredients for a recipe and end up not cooking it, you’ll use them next week in something else.  Nothing is wasted.

Sometimes there are weeks when I don’t buy anything.  Either because the sales weren’t worth it or we were just to busy to go out.  That’s when I’m especially thankful for a well-stocked pantry to cook from.

I love to shop at Aldi, because I know their house brand prices will beat most sale prices at the regular store. Since I shop Aldi frequently I have a lot of their prices memorized. Then on the rare occasion the conventional store advertises a lower one I recognize it and can stock up.

I’ll also occasionally shop at salvage food stores like Dirty Don’s or Cargo Largo.  Those are local non-chain stores, but I’ve found every urban area has something similar.  Do a yellow page internet search for salvage grocery stores in your area.  It’s really important to know prices when you go into these places.  Some of them will be good deals but a lot of it will be retail or higher.

Tomorrow I’ll show you how I find the deals I’m going to take advantage of for the week.

How to Shrink Your Bills and GROW Your Pantry at the same time

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how to shrink your bills and grow your pantry at the same time

I’m so excited about today’s post!  It covers the theme of this whole blog AND is
the concept that makes living with a smaller grocery budget possible.  I only recommend drastically reducing a grocery budget in an emergency, like we did when Darren suddenly lost his job.  Otherwise it’s so much better to do it gradually.  Like weight loss, when you reduce the grocery budget gradually, you are more likely to be successful and actually keep the spending down.

  1.  The first month, keep your spending the same. Spend 80% on food to eat now and 20% to stock up your pantry with the rock bottom sales you find.
  2. The next month reduce your budget by 20%.  Spend 80% of the new budget on food to eat now and 20% to stock your pantry.
  3. Continue the process reducing your budget by 20% each month and following the 80/20 rule until you have reduced the budget to as low as you need it to go.  From here on the 80% of your spending will be to re-stock the pantry with awesome deals.  You will eat primarily out of the pantry and use 20% of your budget for fresh stuff like produce and dairy products.  Keep in mind the 80/20 percentages are flexible approximations.

Price Chopper Haul

Here’s a real life example with numbers.  Joselle has 3 children and they currently spend $1200 a month on groceries.  They have trouble coming up with money when something extra like a birthday party or school fundraiser pops up.  If she could reduce her budget to $500 a month it would change their WORLD but even a little reduction would help.  Her first goal is to beef up their emergency fund.

Month 1 she budgets $1200.  She spends $960 on food to eat now and $240 on food for the pantry, stocking up on the items she notices to be particularly good deals.

Month 2 she budgets $960, spending $768 on food to eat now and $192 on really good deals for the pantry. She saves the extra $240 to beef up their emergency fund.

Month 3 she budgets $768.  She spends $615 on food to eat now and $153 on really good deals for the pantry.  She saves the extra $432 to beef up their emergency fund.

Month 4 she budgets $615. She spends $500 on food to eat now and $115 on really good deals for the pantry.  She saves the extra $585 to beef up their emergency fund.

Month 5 she budgets $500 (Goal!)  She spends $100 on food to eat now and $400 on really good deals for the pantry.  She saves the extra $700 to beef up her emergency fund. She plans her meals based on the food she has in her pantry and restocks when she finds the right deal.

In 5 months Joselle has built up a nice pantry for her family, plus added $1,957 to their emergency fund.  She now has an extra $700 a month that she can plan into her budget where it’s needed most.

What do you think?  Would this method work for you?

How to Shop Online with Cash Envelopes

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Last week Ann asked a question that deserves it’s own post: “The envelope system wasn’t realistic for us. We do a lot of our household purchasing online, not at a ‘brick and mortar’ store. Also, paying utilities and rent with cash would be extremely inconvenient as opposed to writing a check or paying online. I actually tried a system like your sister’s once (it was on a whim and just an idea I had) but it got to complicated and tedious to stick with and became so it wasn’t worth it to me. Would you share your thoughts on online and utility transactions with the envelope system? Thanks!”

I do a majority of my shopping online too, especially when things are really busy.  We still use the cash system to keep ourselves accountable with the budget.  When I purchase with a debit card or online, I immediately take the cash out of the corresponding budge envelope and put it in an envelope to take back to the bank.  If we are low on funds, I take the money back right away.  If not, we save the cash to fund part of our envelopes with the next month.

There are several things we budget for only virtually and don’t carry an envelope for.  This includes our utilities which are auto drafted from our checking account and gas which we use our debit card for.  These are things that budgeting a different amount for won’t change the reality.  Unlike food or clothing that we could make different choices to drastically reduce spending.

I use the same cash back to the bank method for my Target Red Card.  It’s a debit card and using it saves me an extra 5% plus offers perks like free shipping online.  Since I have to move the cash right away that keeps me from overspending just because there are perks to the card.  I wrote more about Target Red Cards here.