Frugal with food

I cook a lot. Its a trade off I made about a year or 2 ago. I want lots of kiddos and food was and still is our main expense. You would think it would be the house payment, but nope. These kids can eat. With number 4 on the way it is even more imperative that I keep the food bill under control. I try really hard to eat at home every single day. There are the occasions when Taco Bell or Burger King calls my name. Even then I try to be frugal. Its a new concept for me, but I'd like to share with you a few tips that I have picked up as far as food goes.

1. You have to cook at home. Its way better to make stuff from scratch. We have a rule around here that if it comes in a box or bag its probably bad for you. Now that's not to say we don't buy packaged foods sometimes, but I need to emphasize sometimes. The internet has recipes for homemade sides and tons of slow cooker meals that will save you big bucks. It just takes a little more time to prepare, but saves you a lot of money in the end. Don't be afraid to try new recipes. Some of them will suck, but some you will love and you will be so proud of yourself for being all Betty Crocker.

2. You have to plan. You just have to. Some people make detailed shopping lists and plan meals for weeks at a time. That is great if you have the discipline to stick to it, but I am a bit more erratic. I make a list of at least 6 meals that I would like to make that week and scope out the fridge and pantry to make sure I have the makings. If you keep your pantry well stocked with staples this should be fairly easy. I look at the list each afternoon and decide what I want to make that evening. It couldn't be easier. It also keeps my grocery store trips cheaper because I am usually only picking up odds and ends.

3. You are not a chef......unless you actually are. There is no need to wow your family and friends with over the top fancy food. If you have small kids like I do then you know they won't eat anything with any kind of flavor. The more bland the better. Make things that are simple and easy. You don't have to keep changing it up constantly either. I have about 4 or 5 lunches that my kids eat and I rotate through them. We have about 20-30 different dinners I like to make depending on how I feel that week. As for breakfast, we rotate between cold cereal, eggs, and pancakes that my husband makes on the weekend and freezes. If I am in a baking mood I will make muffins or cinnamon rolls, but those are occasional treats. If you have a bread machine it will save you even more time making quick breads and doughs. And its not hard!

I am always learning and scouring blogs and websites for different ways to save a buck. So far these few things have made a drastic difference in our budget. I hope you adopt some of these tips or this encourages you to search for ways to be more frugal in your own life. Contentment is the key. If we can learn that then we have won half the battle.

Couponer or Hoarder?

Lets be honest we are all trying to pinch pennies so when I heard about this show my interest was peaked. Could I really get half or even all my groceries for free simply by navigating the Sunday paper and a few store circulars? It sounded enticing enough so my neighbor and I put our best feet forward and started clipping. We even went to a class that taught the ins and outs of how to be a coupon pro. The challenge was set. Beat the stores at their own game.

I tried. I really did, but I kept finding one common denominator that made it nearly impossible for me to cash in on the big savings. I don't buy crap. I don't buy processed premade frozen or any other way altered food. I like to buy fresh ingredients and I like to buy organic as often as I can. I was smashing into a health wall. So I consulted the pros and they say that you buy stuff you don't really need so that you can create a credit which will pay for your veggies and meat. What they don't tell you is that deals like that don't come around too often and you must devote a lot of your precious time to finding said deals so you can get your lettuce for free. It sounded like a lot of work and you know what? It was.

I started paying closer attention to the folks who were really good at this and something kept creeping to the surface. Almost every single one of these extreme couponers appeared to have OCD. They are food hoarders. Rooms full of food and household products. It was in their showers under their beds and consuming their garages. They talked about how it was a full time job and how they constantly thought about coupons and deals. I was starting to get scared. I want room in my house for my family not my pre-apocalyptic stock pile. I just wanted to save some money not be indoctrinated.

The final nail in the coffin of my couponing adventure was swiftly hammered in as I sat on my couch eating a frozen pizza I had purchased on sale. What was I doing and for God's sake what was I eating? I don't buy frozen crap! I don't feed my family this way. It hit me like a mack truck. In order to be successful at couponing I had to sacrifice my time, money and the health of my family. No thanks. I don't care if people say you can eat healthy by couponing. Show me your stock pile and I will show you closets full of soda and rooms full of sports drinks and yakisoba noodles. I will show you freezers full of frozen processed meals full of chemicals and preservatives. I don't claim to be a tree hugger, but living in the northwest has taught me heaps about food and health. Last time I checked nothing that can last on a shelf for months is good for you.

If you want to coupon and it suits your family and your needs then more power to you, but don't don't try to convince me that this is anything but redirected OCD. My Bible tells me not to worry about tomorrow what I will eat or wear, but to trust him. I will buy healthy food for my family whether on sale or not. I will cook and prepare meals I can feel good about because my kids health depends on it. And as soon as there are coupons for fresh veggies and fruit then maybe I will reexamine my stance, but for now the case is closed.

Its my party

We should celebrate. We, Dan the man and I, being of average income and middle class status deserve a pat on the back. We have gone an entire pay cycle without charging. It was tough, but we lived on what we had and we are proud of it. We sorta had this meeting of the minds when Dan realized our last credit card was maxed out.



He panicked.



I rolled my eyes.



I had seen this coming. I have been busting my tail trying to be Suzy homemade, not to be confursed with Suzy homemaker whom I am sure uses boxed meals, credit cards, and doesn't recycle. I was doing a bang up job. I spend most of my day in the kitchen cooking stuff because stuff is cheaper when it ain't in a box. We still managed to overspend. When I say we I mean Dan. He is a typical guy. He wants something to show for all his hard work. He needs to see the fruits of his labor in blue ray on a flat screen the size of Texas.



But he had his moments and joined me in the fight. We decided we would not charge, and we did. Yay for us. I started thinking credit cards were bad and for the most part they are. They can be kinda handy though. They can make or break you depending on how you use them. Now I know credit cards companies are nasty subterranean institutions of evil, but you do have a choice in the matter. So we made a decision today to charge something. This is when a credit card can come in handy.



Dan had worked some overtime and expected it in this check, but it wasn't there. He found out later is was coming in the next one. Ooops. So we decided that we could afford to charge a few grocery items to hold us over until the next check. The credit card saved the day. Now all Dan has to do is pay it off with his overtime funds and we are back to zero. We have all of them payed off except one now. We are going to work our way out of this hole because after all......we dug it.



Its hard. I want to buy stuff. I want to buy the kids stuff and eat fast food and shop for clothes, but I have to be a grown up now. Chronologically I am so I should probably start acting like it. The kids depend on us and we need to set a good example so when we are gone not only will they know how to be wise with their money, but maybe we can give them a bit to start with.
Its certainly worth trying. So I am......we are. I hope Dan can stay on the wagon. He really wants another tv and doesn't really enjoy doing overtime. Pray with me people.

Lean times

Lets face it, things are pretty tight right now. I have three kids and 1 income. I understand tight. At the same time I am an eternal optimist. It is something I am sure Dan has been annoyed with on many occasions. He is a complainer and really just wants to tell me how it is without my silver lining input. I don't know how I ended up this way. My parents are in the same camp as Dan. Downer town. Population 3. Nothing is ever good or happy and someone is always plotting a conspiracy. They see my carefree attitude as naive. I am not, however. So if you are a negative Nancy you might not want to continue reading or you might just have to change zip codes.

I have gleaned a lot from this recession. Gratitude is at the top of the list. I am blessed to have what I have and I know it. I have been thinking about all the things that this financial down turn has forced me to do. I can do more than I thought I could. You know the old saying about necessity and invention, well its true. Here are a few things I have learned to do. They have saved me money and made me feel kinda smart.

I can cut hair. No, I can't cut YOUR hair, but I can manage a clipper cut pretty well. Dan and the boy have the blessing of quick growing hair. Almost every 2 weeks I was sending them out for hair cuts and watching my money go down the drain along with the cast off hair. My neighbor has been cutting her boys hair for years. She is actually good at it, but after a few short youtube videos I was confident enough to give it a try. I am not gonna say my first attempt was art, but it wasn't terrible either. Each cut has gotten better and faster and my wallet has gotten a little fatter.


I can make those fancy starbucks drinks. Again, my neighbor who is thriftier than she thinks, makes her own coffees. I never thought I could make those lattes and mochas at home. Never. It probably was just cheaper to buy them. WRONG. I got turned on to yard sailing.....that is what I am calling it. Mental picture aside. I got an espresso machine for 7 bucks, a lesson for free and some coffee syrups and voila! I am now a barista. Watch out. The only problem is I can have a latte anytime I want.....which makes me pretty hyper, but doesn't cost me a dime.

I can cook. For reals. It has taken me 10 years to figure this out, but I am about to blow your mind.

Good food takes time to cook.

Let that sink in a minute. ........

It really does. The only exception would be stir fry. Its pretty quick. All the additives and crap in fast food and boxed foods are put in there to speed things up. Real food takes time. Once I learned this and started cooking with real food the skies parted and things started coming together. Now maybe I need to clarify something. I use canned things and frozen things too, but if all it needs is reheating then it isn't real food. You can do better than that. I have learned to make soups, stews, pastas and things I never thought I could tackle because I decided to slow down. I also learned that butter is your friend. It really is. And here is the kicker, it saves money. Cooking at home, using real food and taking the time saves money. I already hear you saying, but I don't have time! Well then sacrifice a bit of your weekend and make meals and freeze them. Its not hard. I am blessed that I do have the time and trust me I don't always want to. It has made all the difference though.

I don't like the times. They are pretty lean, but I love learning new things and feeling all Donna Reed. It just seems to strike a chord with me. I think we are all capable of more than we think. We just need a little push sometimes. And when the push comes, don't fight it grow with it.