Category Archives: Finances

Meal Planning Sundays: Two Week Meal Plan

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I realize that it has been a long time since I have posted my weekly meal plan!  This meal plan (mostly) follows my Frugal Monthly Meal Plan with a few changes (very few!).  As usual, we have a pretty tight budget again this month, so I’m keeping it simple and homemade!

This is my plan for two weeks!

Breakfasts:

  • Banana chocolate chip oatmeal muffins (I’ll post this recipe soon!)
  • Blender pancakes (make a large batch and eat through the week)
  • Eggs and toast
  • Breakfast tacos (venison/pork sausage, egg, potato, cheese on homemade tortillas)
  • Homemade granola

Lunches:

  • Any combination of these: Zucchini muffins, blender pancakes, sliced/chopped fruit and veggies, hummus and cheese sandwich, homemade whole grain crackers, sliced cheese, boiled eggs, deli meat roll ups, etc.

Dinners:

Monday (Meatless Monday)

Tuesday (Taco Tuesday)

  • Soft tacos (made from homemade tortillas, crockpot chicken breast, leftover beans made into refried beans, and toppings)

Wednesday (Baked Potato Bar)

  • Baked potatoes with toppings

Thursday (Whole Chicken Night)

  • Whole roasted chicken, roasted veggies, garlic toast

Friday (Game Night)

  • Game night!  Finger foods!  Stove-popped popcorn, venison dried sausage and/or uncured salami, veggies/fruits, sliced cheese

Saturday (Something Special Saturday)

Sunday (Simple Sunday)

  • Omelets (venison/pork sausage, cheese, sweet peppers, onions)

Snacks:

Other Homemade Staples:

  • Whole grain tortillas (fresh ground, soaked… recipe came from an e-book!)
  • Bread (fresh ground, soaked)
  • Yogurt
  • Yogurt ranch

Non-Food Homemade Items:

  • Laundry detergent- 1 bar of grated soap, 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda; use 1-2 tablespoons in each load!  This works better than expensive, chemically-laden detergents!

My List:
(I buy most of my groceries for two weeks and save a little bit for the second week, for produce and last minute items.  This is food, household, and personal care products)

Costco ($50)

  • Carrington Farms Organic/Unrefined Coconut oil ($15.99 for 54oz at Costco!!)
  • Kerrygold butter (grass-fed butter, 1.5 pounds for $6)
  • Ruta Maya Coffee (fair trade/organic, roasted in Austin, TX!  And, it’s actually several $$ cheaper at Costco))
  • Tillamook cheese (I typically buy raw, but this is cheaper at about $3.45/lb, compared to $5.99/lb and the cows mostly are pastured… plus, we LOVE the taste of Tillamook)
  • Half and half (I have tried to just put raw milk in my coffee, and it’s not the same!)
  • Veggie straws (pretty much the only snack item that I buy these days)

Walmart ($50)

  • Coconut sugar (I usually buy sucanat, but my only source is about 20 minutes away!)
  • Earth balance (since Karis can’t have butter!)
  • Nitrate-free lunch meat (1 salami, 1 turkey, and 1 ham)
  • Natural peanut butter (I don’t buy organic, but I buy natural… made with only peanuts and a dash of salt)
  • Organic olive oil
  • Toilet paper (Charmin Basic… just a 4 pack this time because we have some)
  • Sponges (Scotch Greener Clean)
  • Fels Naptha soap (for homemade detergent)
  • Floss (picky with this…)
  • Razors (4 pack, hubby and I both use men’s)
  • Mulch (2 bags, for front beds)
  • Cucumber and zucchini seeds (because some aren’t sprouting)

Sprouts ($70)

  • Whole chickens x 2 (cage free, hormone/antibiotic free, $1.69/lb)
  • Coconut milk
  • Hand soap (Lavender)
  • Dish soap (Lavender)
  • Mayo (the one thing that I cannot let go of…)
  • Cage Free eggs (1 carton)
  • Bananas (2 bunches)
  • Organic Zucchini (4)
  • Organic Apples (6)
  • Strawberries (3 containers, on sale for 4 for $5!)
  • Avocadoes (6, on sale for 2/$1!)
  • Cantaloupe (2- on sale for $1 each!)
  • Organic Lemons (4)
  • Organic Sweet potatoes (2)
  • Onions (2)
  • Dates
  • Cashews (1/2 lb)
  • Tisdale Sweet Red Wine (2 bottles, on sale for 3/$10!)

Co-op ($12)

  • Raw milk (I have been buying 3 gallons, but we don’t go through it all since Karis has to drink coconut milk!  This time I’m going to buy 2 gallons and see how it goes!)

Vitacost ($23 with shipping)

So, my total this week is $205, which leaves me with about $45 for next week (and I probably won’t even need it)!  So, that’s about $205-250 for two weeks of whole, real foods and natural products!

(The list was made before I left for the stores, but I ended up adding just a few things… so what you see was my actual spending)

Hope this helps!  It’s so awesome to know that it IS possible to eat well and use natural products on a budget!

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Frugal Monthly Meal Plan

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It’s ready!  I feel as though I may have missed SOMETHING, but for now, this is what it is.  I will keep it updated as I think of things… and I will include this in the page at the top titled “Meal Planning Sundays” (which I SO desperately need to update!!).

Here’s the link:

Frugal Monthly Meal Plan

Just a reminder of what this is (in case you missed it!)… Our family is going to be on a tighter budget from now through the end of the summer, so I have decided to come up with a plan so that we stick with real foods and stay with-in our much smaller budget.  I will do what I can to continue buying organic, but that won’t be priority #1 at all times because it just won’t be in the budget.  I’m going to do my best to continue buying raw milk, raw honey, etc, but again, it may not happen.  I’m trying to cut out all non-essentials, but with life being busy, there will be times that I buy things that aren’t essential.  Again, this is my “ideal plan,” and I’m hoping to be able to mostly stick with it!  I will give myself grace at times because life is life!

Some things that I will be (mostly) cutting out in order to stay with-in our budget: Vitamins (the desire is to eat well enough to be able to cut these out!), eating out (which isn’t healthy anyway!), most processed foods (even healthier ones), cutting down on my coffee habit (giving myself some grace/freedom, but trying to cut down),  and I’m mostly cutting out anything “special” and keep things super simple.  I’m planning to just shop at Costco and Trader Joe’s (with the exception of getting our wheat berries through Azure Standard every few months and our milk through the co-op every two weeks).

Let me know what you think!!

Fun Things Ahead!

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almostspring!

Okay, these things may not be that fun for you… but they are for me :-) .

I have been working on some things that I’m excited to share!

The one that I’m most excited about is a “Frugal Master Meal Plan.”  Things around here are tight and will remain tight through the summer, so instead of being down about it, I’m seeing it as a challenge!  I will use this challenge to become more frugal and more organized in this area.  I’m hoping to get this up on the blog in the next few days.

Not only are we going to try to grow more of our food (planting several gardens and growing our chicken “family”), but we are also going to make our meals more simple, and well, cheap.  I’m also going to continue making our own detergents, using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs, using reusable bags for grocery shopping, using reusable water bottles, and using reusable containers for lunches.  Not only are these things frugal, they are better for this world that God made :-) .  The only paper products that we plan to continue buying is toilet paper… because honestly, I’m just not ready to give up on TP.  We’re hoping to “grow” in this area over time!

My plan will include a simple plan for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (to rotate), as well as a list of foods to choose from for snacks.  Following these plans will be a list of our whole foods staples that we keep on hand (and plan to use to make these simple meals!).

My goal is going to be to spend less than $350-400 a month (about $90-100 a week)… and I would prefer to spend even less.  This will mean that we will only eat meat a few times a week, many things will not be organic (unless the price difference is minimal), I will only shop at Trader Joe’s and Costco (with the exception of our milk through the co-op), and I will buy very few processed foods (meaning, I will be in the kitchen a bit more).  I plan to make most of our snacks, and all of our bread products (which, I already make most of our bread products, but will do even more).

I am spending this week weaning myself from caffeine because next week Robert and I are backpacking, and I don’t want to be having caffeine withdrawals while I’m hiking a mountain with 25 pounds on my back ;-) .  I’m hoping and praying that when I get back, I won’t need coffee every morning, and my soda consumption will be gone.  I realized the other day that even though stopping by Sonic during happy hour isn’t expensive up front, the cost grows over time, and the styrofoam cups are SO bad for the environment!  Also, there is NOTHING healthy about sodas.  This will save us money!

So, along with my Frugal Master Meal Plan will be pictures of our more secure chicken pin (that should be finished soon!), pictures and our garden plan (we will finish that when we get back from our trip), and pictures of our backpacking trip (which, these aren’t really part of our frugal living… but they are a part of our desire to be outdoors more!).

It’s so nice to feel like myself again, and to be back to enjoying this part of life.

Grocery Budget Breakdown for 2013

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Some would say that I’m too picky about what foods and supplements that I buy. I would say that I want our family to be as healthy as possible, and to do that, it costs a bit more (of course, we don’t buy a bunch of processed foods that add up quickly, and we rarely eat out to do this!). Robert and I have spent a lot of time discussing the fact that we both would spend a little more for higher quality… including our food, backpacking gear, camping gear, clothes/shoes, etc. But, we will also spend time searching to find the best price, even if it takes us a while.

You see, I can either spend more now on food or spend more later on medical bills (and this is truth… I’ve seen it time and time again). I can either spend a little more now on shoes and keep that pair for a long time, or I can spend more over time because I have to keep buying shoes. I can either buy good hiking boots that would last years (and be better for my feet), or I could buy cheap hiking boots, possibly hurt myself while backpacking, and still have to buy another pair pretty quickly.

I could keep going, but you get the picture.

My grocery budget has increased over the years, but not because we are buying more… but because I’ve finally made the budget meet reality. I have struggled regularly because I felt like a complete failure every month because we would go over the budget that I had set for myself. I tried $400 a month and failed miserably. I tried $500 a month and struggled with that as well.

Our current grocery budget is $600 a month (or $300 every paycheck), and this is very realistic and consistent for our family of five (this includes everything including food, supplements, and household products… and if we eat out, that comes out of this budget). Now, summers will be a bit more difficult (since I won’t be getting a paycheck), but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. My hope is to be able to stock up on some foods like coconut oil, raw honey, bulk/dry foods, cod liver oil, vitamins, etc so that we can make it through the summer without making those purchases. We have a little while until we have to worry about it :-) . I’ll begin planning for that in a few months.

I have spent some time today making a new grocery buying checklist to help me simplify, including the amount that I will have budgeted for each place that I buy from. I have searched and searched to find the cheapest and best sources for real, quality food. This does mean that I will be buying from more than one place… and I’m finally okay with that. I have created a printable grocery budget breakdown that I will be using for my grocery shopping planning.

Here is the breakdown:

Weekly Purchases, $50 per week
(buy things as needed)

Sprouts

  • Produce, in season, on sale
  • Uncured salami, turkey, and or ham
  • Uncured sausage (if on sale)parchment paper
  • Uncured bacon (if on sale)
  • Almond milk (for Karis)
  • Canned coconut milk
  • Frozen fruit
  • Arrowroot powder (for homemade deodorant)
  • Bulk foods, as needed
  • Parchment paper (I like the Natural Value brand)
  • Anything needed for a recipe

Wal-mart

  • Items needed for homemade cleaners, detergents, and products: vinegar, baking/washing soda, etc.
  • Toilet paper
  • Ziploc bags
  • Greek gods Greek yogurt (this is the cheapest place to buy it… and Robert loves it with homemade granola)

Every Other Week Purchases
$280 per month

Real Foods Co-op ($90 each time, $180 monthly)rawmilk

  • 8, half gallons of organic, grass-fed, raw milk
  • 1/2 share organic, in-season produce (sometimes)
  • 2 whole cage free, organic chickens
  • 2lbs organic grass-fed ground beef (sometimes)
  • 3 dozen organic cage-free eggs (we also get eggs from our backyard chickens)
  • Essentials oils, as needed (I will begin buying these through one of the ladies that runs the co-op)

Costco ($100 per month, total… buy what is needed only)

Whole Foods

  • Sucanat (it is so much cheaper here than anywhere else… I just pick it up when we’re in tvitamincode womenhe area!)

Every Other Month ($120 total)

Amazon (subscribe and save, odd numbered months)

Green Pasture (also odd numbered months)

Fermented cod liver oil is pretty expensive, but I feel that it is worth it. I’ll explain more in another post!  (Until then, check out Why Fermented Cod Liver Oil? over at Cheeseslave)

Azure Standard

For the most part, my meals are all made from these foods (which I try to always have on hand). I plan the actual meals around what produce I receive through the co-op, and what produce is on sale at Sprouts.

Early End of 30 Days of Thankfulness and What’s Coming Up

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I decided to end my 30 days of Thankfulness a bit early… I feel that I have covered everything that I am thankful for, and more!  I am ready to move forward and live out what I am thankful for! :-)

I am now planning on focusing more on natural living, home management/homemaking, and natural pregnancy/childbirth.  I’ve had a recent renewed passion for them and can’t wait to share!  Through all of the travel that our family has been doing, we haven’t been eating well, and every-time that happens I start to feel bad physically/emotionally/mentally.  I need to get back to doing things the way I know is best!

Coming up on This Crazy, Messy Life:

Weekly Meal Plans (and links to recipes)

Recipes for My Favorite Frugal/Healthy Foods

Ways to Eat Healthy and Frugally (and how to do this without spending all day every day in the kitchen!)

Recipes for Natural Remedies and Homemade Cleaners

Fun (and Messy) Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Ideas for Homemade Gifts

Bible Study for Kids and Adults (how to keep it simple with a hectic schedule!)

Natural Pregnancy/Childbirth/Home-birth (will get back to Childbirth Education class after Christmas gifts are made!)

Holiday Activities and Recipes

Keeping Life Organized, Simple, and Intentional

 

Before I start on all of this, I want to tell you now that I will never do all of this perfectly (I’m human and we’re busy!), but my goal is to live a more healthy and natural lifestyle… and start doing this more consistently.  I have started writing about this and stopped because I was worried that I would make a mama feel that they weren’t “living up” to some ideal… but I decided that we all have things that we’re passionate about, and it’s okay to share!  I can’t be responsible for how others feel… BUT, I will make sure to be honest with everything… Like the fact that I still struggle with drinking sodas…and I spent way too much on Christmas gift making items ;-) .

The start to all of this for me is not drinking sodas anymore, and not eating out (which, now that my husband is in charge of finances, rarely happens anymore!).  I have cut way down on sodas, and I have decided that the only way to truly stop is cold turkey.  I ordered some water kefir grains and hope to make this often as a nutritional alternative to soda… and I will probably order a kit soon to make kombucha!  If you don’t know what any of this is, stay tuned and I’ll share :-) .

Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

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I have posted about this topic off and on for years… and I will say that it has taken me all those years to finally refine my process and become consistent.  Anyone that knows me well knows that I have been a very black and white person (in many areas).  I tend to lean one way or the other… and have always struggled with balance and consistency (which go hand in hand in my opinion). I have literally been praying that God would give me wisdom in this area AND a “frugal mind.”  I’ve been praying that He would give me a strong desire to manage our money better, not spend as much on impulse, eat out less, tithe consistently, and just do better at budgeting all together.  I’m not fully there yet (I randomly took the kids to ChickFilA on Wednesday without planning it… and it was not in my budget), but I’m getting there!  And I give God all the glory.  It may sound silly, but for someone who has struggled in this area for YEARS and constantly walking around feeling defeated, it is a breath of fresh air.

My desire has been to be able to do two things consistently… eat healthy AND spend as little as possible.  This seemed like an impossible task… and as I wrote about on this post (Real Food Budget “Reality Check”), I just felt that it would never be possible.  The problem was that my understanding of real food was a little skewed.

Sometimes food that is organic and/or grass fed/pastured is just NOT realistic.  That’s just the way it is.

On that note, I still buy mostly “real food” (with the exception of a “treat” if it’s on sale!).  Today, I went to the store and spent $62.  I came home with mostly fresh foods… whole chicken, ground beef, lunch meat (the kind with no nitrates), lots of fruits/veggies, some spices, whole wheat pasta/organic pasta sauce (because they were on sale CHEAP), some canned tomato products, Coke Zero (yes… my one really bad vice when it comes to eating healthy… but I’m not going to lie about it…), etc.  I feel that I got quite a bit of food for what I spent.  All I will need to buy before next pay check will be milk.  My dad is bringing me some eggs from his chickens.  Last week I only spent $55.  At the beginning of the month, we will make our Costco run and get most of our staples that will last through at least the month (most of them longer than that).  We will probably spend $150.  So, we spend on average between $60-100 a week.  We used to spend about an average of $150-200 a week.  I would say our budget has been reduced significantly!

How do I do this??  I’ll be honest… I have tried the couponing thing, and I just haven’t ever gotten “into” it.  Most coupons are for things that I wouldn’t normally buy… and I would rather spend that time cooking/baking from scratch.  I do this mostly buy meal planning and simplicity.  If there’s something that I want to cook/bake but I don’t have many of the ingredients already, I move on.  Or if it just has a lot of ingredients (especially complicated ones), I move on.  Instead of buying canned pumpkin, I buy a whole pumpkin, cut it open, steam it, and puree it.  It makes a whole container full that I can use in many recipes.  Instead of buying bread, I make it.  Instead of buying convenience packages of things, I buy larger boxes and put them into small baggies.  I make a very simple meal plan because it’s cheaper AND I am more likely to stick to it.  When I plan complicated meals and I’m too tired, I would just prefer to go out to eat.  We make all of our lunches, every day.

Here’s an example of what a meal plan for the week looks like (this one is for this coming week):

Dinners
Monday- Roasted chicken, roasted veggies, toasted homemade bread
Tuesday- Bean burritos (with homemade tortillas, pinto beans, avocado, tomato, and lettuce)
Wednesday- Chicken salad (using chicken from Monday)
Thursday- Quinoa Taco Skillet
Friday- Omelets and toast (with homemade bread)
Saturday- Homemade hummus and veggie pizza
Sunday- Tuna salad sandwiches

Breakfasts
(just alternate these through the week)
Coconut banana muffins
Toast, eggs, and fruit
Oatmeal and fruit
Smoothies (any combination of fruits with frozen kale, greek yogurt, and almond milk)
Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Lunches
Sandwiches with homemade bread and natural lunch meat
Leftovers
Wraps (with lots of veggies!)
Boiled eggs, cheese, and
Fruits/veggies, hummus and crackers

Snacks
Fruits (this week we have apples/peanut butter, grapes, bananas)
Apple sauce (unsweetened)
Carrots and cucumbers (with homemade dairy free ranch)
Pumpkin/Chocolate chip cookies (dairy free)
Pita chips/Triscuits with homemade hummus
Veggie Chips (buy these from Costco)

Foods to Make Homemade
(every weekend I make these for the week)
Honey Whole Wheat bread
Tortillas (we actually prefer unbleached flour instead of wheat… not as healthy, but still better than store bought!)
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Coconut banana whole wheat muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies
Dairy free ranch
Pinto beans (I don’t have a “recipe” for these… I soak them overnight, rinse, add water back in, add chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, onions, then cook on low for about 4 hours.  I used to use a crock pot but it broke).

 

Our List of “Staples” that we will be buying from Costco on our next trip:

Coffee (we buy a HUGE bag of “Texas Pecan” coffee beans)
Raw honey (made in Dallas) ($14)
Coconut oil (unrefined, organic), 54oz (normally anywhere from $25-$40… and I get it for $15!)
Organic ground beef, 4 pounds ($14)
Whole chickens (I think it comes in a pack of 3… can’t remember… not organic… we can’t afford it even there)
Tillamook cheese, 2 pounds ($6.50)
Frozen veggies, 4-6 pound bags ($5)
Veggie Straws (made out of potatoes, tomatoes, spinach)
Fage Greek yogurt, plain (for smoothies)
Organic/cage-free eggs (about $6 for 2 dozen)
Some fresh fruits/veggies (spring mix for $4, avocados, etc)
Medjool dates
Pinto beans

Other things we buy (but don’t need this trip):

Organic quinoa (4lb bag for about $9)
Rolled oats
Canned black beans
Canned salmon (wild-caught)
“Kids” Greek yogurt (Chobani)
Brown rice
Dried Fruit
Pita chips
Whole grain crackers
String cheese
Organic olive oil
Almonds
Maple

I don’t have the prices for a lot of these things memorized… But I WILL say that I won’t buy them if they aren’t cheaper than any other store (we have all options available here).  So… they save us significantly!

*Edit- I forgot to add this*
I say that I have found balance because I don’t stress if we don’t eat perfectly all the time.  When we have the opportunity to eat other things (like at a potluck, for example), we do.  We feel that relationships are more important than anything else!  Also, there are times when I’ll buy something that is processed if we are having a crazy week and just don’t have time to make something from scratch.  Life happens.  The worrying about it in the past is what made balance and consistency so difficult.  I’ve learned to live and just do these things as part of life.

It is so awesome to have found this balance and consistency!  Like I said… it has taken years!

Reality

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The Reality of “Real life”
This week has been rough for me… and it took me a while to figure out why.  I finally came to the realization yesterday that Satan doesn’t want me to live in freedom… he wants me to live in bondage.  So, he will do whatever he can to try to put me back in that place.  Especially since I’ve been giving God the glory!  He doesn’t want God to be glorified.

So… I have been worried this week.  And stressed.  And exhausted.  I think part of it is coming off of months of being busy (good busy).  Robert and I went on an amazing trip to New Mexico, then we bought our new house and moved in, then I went to junior high camp and had a blast, then Robert was out of town on mission trip and I was with my parents, and now we’re back to “real life.”  Real life is amazing in lots of ways, but in some ways it’s just hard to accept that all of the fun trips are over :-) .

Also, I knew I would have to come down off of that “high” that I was on and come back to reality.  And I’m okay with that.  I would rather live in reality (including the ups and downs).

Eating Well and Exercising
I’ve also been a bit frustrated with my weight loss.  After just losing 7 pounds, I’ve hit a plateau.  I stand on the scale and either see that it didn’t move, or it went up a pound (then down a pound, then up a pound…).  And it’s frustrating because I’ve been working so hard.  I eat below my calorie maximum every day.  Today will be the 6th day in a row that I’ve exercised (that’s the plan every week).  I have gone down a size… very comfortably (in fact, they are a bit loose).  Robert and I were talking last night and I’ve decided that even if I don’t lose another pound, I need to be content with where I am.  I’ve over-come some food/drink addictions.  I am exercising 6 days a week!  It feels good emotionally, mentally, and physically.  I am proud of where I am and thankful that God has gotten me to this place.  So if I don’t lose one more pound, I’ve made more progress than I ever thought I could make.  This is reality.  Reality is that I am who God created me to be and I’m beautiful to Him.  I’m also beautiful to my husband and he really feels that I don’t need to lose any more.  That’s all that matters.

The Reality of Finances
When we lived in Oak Cliff, we were making it, but barely.  Robert was working every weekend.  Our bills were way more than our regular income.  The reality of that is that it wouldn’t be possible long-term, so we sold our house and bought a small, inexpensive home in Frisco.  I also got a job teaching part-time at a preschool (which I haven’t started yet!).  My thought with all of that is that we would finally be comfortable financially… without all the extra side-work.

Robert and I sat down and took a hard look at everything.  The reality of our financial situation is hard to digest.  We are blessed in that we are doing so much better than we were, but things are still tight.  We will make enough money each month to “make it” (and I’m SO thankful to God for this!), but if we want to save anything (first baby-step) and pay off debt, Robert will still have to work some side jobs.  We will always tithe, so that won’t change.  God has provided for so much, and I’m so thankful for that (we’ve had a lot of un-expected expenses hit us), but we also need to make changes in the way that we live in order to do Dave Ramsey’s baby-steps (we’re starting from square one thanks to these unexpected expenses).

Instead of buying a new stove, we decided to just fix the one that we have (it’s not pretty and doesn’t match the other appliances, but it is functional).  Instead of re-modeling the kitchen, we decided to live with it the way it is (it is functional, after-all).  Instead of buying pre-packaged foods, I am back to making (most things) from scratch.  Instead of buying the kids new play-dough (because all of theirs has dried out), we made home-made.  No more eating out (which is hard for me, mainly).  This is the reality of where we are.  And it’s hard, but it’ll be good.  Back to being home more (except for work/school, of course!).  Back to eating healthy in an in-expensive way.

Reality is… life isn’t easy.  Finances will be tight until we get debt paid off.  I will have days/weeks in which I’m not emotionally happy.  That’snormal.  Joy doesn’t = constant happiness… it just means that no matter what’s going on around me, my hope is in Jesus and His promises.  Where my treasure is, there my heart will be also.  If I treasure things of this world over eternal things, then my heart will be anxious and stressed because nothing in this world is guaranteed.

Need… or just Want?

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Since I decided to stay home, I have been reading many books about saving money and living simply.  One thing that I have seen repeatedly is that the more we have, the more we think we need, and the more anxiety it causes.

I have seen that played out in my life (while I worked), and I can attest to that… 100%.  When we made more, we spent more, and we felt that we needed more… and with how busy our lives were because of “needing more,” I was a mess.

One of the first things on the list of ways to save money in Money Saving Mom’s book was to downsize our house.  Every-time I read something about downsizing, I immediately felt convicted.  Our current house isn’t HUGE, but it is more than we need, it is far away from Robert’s work, etc.  I felt as if living here meant literally throwing money away every day (between high mortgage, gas, and tolls).  I knew that we needed to make a change.

This is what really spurred me on to feel that we needed to start looking into selling and buying a smaller home. We could have possibly made it work to stay here… but Robert would have to work side jobs every weekend to make that work… and I had to tutor (which was difficult while homeschooling, etc).  It just isn’t worth it!

I shared my blog post about processing through some pride that I have through this in a group on Cafemom (a Christian group), and I was amazed at how many women think they NEED a large home.  There were several that said that they think 2000-2600 square feet is too small!  What?!  To me, that is huge!  It kind of caught me off guard!

Then, I came back to the realization that the world tells us these things… We NEED a large home, lots of stuff, expensive things…  You know, the “American dream.”

I’m not saying that anyone that has a large home is wrong… I think it’s just the heart of the matter.  For someone to think that they absolutely NEED a 3000 square foot house, I just wonder what they would do if they ever lost their source of income!  There is way more to life than a large home.

I would LOVE it if we could afford a 2000 square foot house, but we just can’t right now.  I think the biggest thing for me at this point is that I’m truly becoming content in all circumstances… even if that means a small house, in a neighborhood that’s just “okay,” living with very little stuff.  In fact, I’m beginning to think that I want to continue living this way even if/when we make more money.  It would be so nice to live simply until we pay off all of our debt!

It’s a hard change to go from what I thought I wanted and needed to what we truly need.  It has taken a lot of prayer, processing, and adjusting in my heart and mind, but I’m getting there :-) .

I’m still struggling with day to day purchases… it’s so easy to just spend money.  And I’m not very disciplined… But, I have to just take it one day at a time… I WILL get there… and I believe that making big changes (such as in the type of house that we buy) are the most important. I had every intention to start the cash budgeting on May 1st, but we weren’t able to get to the bank until almost a week after Robert got paid (the bank isn’t close… we need to change that)… so I decided to try again at the next pay day :-) .

Some books that I find very helpful in this process are The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine and Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider.

The Money Saving mom book is Dave Ramsey principles, coming from the perspective of a mom… so I find it very helpful for our family!

More to come on this topic… we’re just getting started!

Meal Plan for April 30-May 6

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I planned my meals around what we have in our pantry/fridge/freezer only this week :-) .  I will probably have to buy milk, bread, and eggs… but that should be all!  Here it is, if you’re interested!

Breakfasts:

  • Baked Oatmeal
  • cereal & yogurt
  • eggs and toast
  • oatmeal in a pot
  • Bagels and cream cheese
  • Smoothies

Lunches:

  • ham & cheese sandwiches
  • PB&J
  • leftovers
  • Chili and rice
  • finger foods
  • pasta and sauce

Dinners:

Pantry Challenge

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Between food that we brought, food that my in-laws have bought or already had, and food that I have recently bought, we have SO much food.  We have been eating out too much because we have been on the road or really busy, so food that I bought to eat, hasn’t been eaten!

Yesterday I spent $58 at Target to get the basics (we were out of laundry detergent, milk, bread, some produce, etc), but I hope to not have to buy anything else for a while (with the exception of milk, eggs, bread).

Some friends of mine are doing a pantry challenge, and I decided to join in!  I am also starting our “cash flow budgeting” next week, so this is the great time to start that. I can get some grocery money built up in that envelope, which will make things easier to begin.

I will probably continue the pantry challenge past next week, but I’m going to start with one week :-) .

I struggle with cooking here, mainly because the kitchen is downstairs and we live upstairs, but that’s not a good enough excuse to waste money :-) .  My plan to make it easier to cook at home more is to keep it SIMPLE. I don’t plan on doing anything outrageous… just simple/cheap/easy meals.  Tacos, spaghetti, burritos, breakfast, sandwiches, grilled cheese, etc.  For me, that is the best way to guarantee that I won’t eat out… keeping it simple :-) .

Simple.  Simple.  Simple.  That is my new favorite word and way of living!

Anyone want to join in this pantry challenge??  It’ll be fun!