frugal living

Mar
06

Snow Day Randomness


I have something to tell you that will get me nothing but dirty looks from all of Ohio and most of the greater Midwest: I like snow. Well, I like it sometimes, and only in reasonable amounts. But when the conditions are just right, I like it.

As a kid, I would look out my bedroom window at night to see how much snow was falling under the streetlight at the corner of our backyard. Then, the next morning, I would listen to the radio as they rattled off the long list of school closings, hoping mine would make the cut.

That was back before you could simply click on a website to know the good news. I think when I was a kid, they were still chiseling the closings into stone, then sending word via carrier pigeon to the nearest telegraph station. But regardless of the method of transmission (or how many historical time periods I just referenced. or how impossible it would be for a carrier pigeon to deliver a message carved in stone), the news was bliss.

This morning, I actually texted my son's phone with the news that his school is closed so he could find out quickly and go right back to sleep. My, how times have changed! (Lucky kid.)

One thing that hasn't changed is the fact that I love a free snow day! I had some post ideas swirling around in my head today, but it's a snow day so you get the quick and easy version.

Here goes, in no particular order....

  • I want to make cut-out cookies. Because I didn't do any for Christmas. Or Valentine's Day. Just thought I'd let you know.

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  • You should read the first two chapters of Philippians. Right now. They really are life changing.

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  • I'm reading the book From Garbage to Gourmet. It is seriously good stuff. I love anything about being frugal, and this book is one of the best I've read. It's all about using up every bit of the food we buy to avoid wasting our money and our resources. It is packed with information, ideas, and recipes, and it's presented with lots of color and in snippets, so it's easy to read.
     
    Riley was looking at it over my shoulder in the orthodontist's office yesterday, and even he liked it. I figure any book about food and frugal living that has the endorsement of a ten year-old boy must be worth reading. Today and tomorrow only, From Garbage to Gourmet is on sale for just $4.99 (that's 50% off!), which you'll easily save on groceries after just a week or two of applying the principles it teaches. Since, if you're anything like me, you'll forget to buy it until two minutes after the sale ends, you might want to click over to get your copy now. Don't worry, I'll wait until you get back.

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  • In other book news (like that intro?), my friend Kayse is practically giving away her book Getting It Together (click to read my review). If you have ever wanted to put together a homemaking binder, or if you simply need some cute printables to organize...well...everything, then you won't want to miss out on this $1 deal. Just use the code GETfor1. There are limited quantities at this price, so go ahead, and I'll wait for you to get back from buying this book, too.

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  • And with yet another infomercial (Hey, it's a snow day; I can do what I want.)...the talented ladies at Christian Mommy Blogger are sharing their knowledge and blogging skills with the rest of the world through their new consulting venture. I have to tell you that I love these girls! They're rock stars, and they don't make you feel like an idiot when you ask them if you're going to break the Internet. If you have a blog (or wish you did), you should check out their new services and enter to win their consulting giveaways. It's fine if you want to head on over there to learn more or enter to win ...I'm getting used to waiting.

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  • I love chocolate chip granola bars. Don't know why I just told you that, but it's true. And it's a snow day, so I get to say random, stupid stuff.

Hope you have a fun day making snow angels, or drinking hot coffee and tea, or organizing your kitchen cabinets. Whatever makes you happy. Personally, I plan on doing all of that. Except making snow angels. While I love looking at the snow, I totally hate how cold it is. But that's alright because (say it with me) it's a snow day!

What is one thing you would like to do on a snow day? And how do you feel about chocolate chip granola bars? Please share!

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Jan
18

Goal :: Better Financial Management

"The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain."
(Proverbs 31:11)

My husband goes to work everyday while I stay at home eating bonbons and buying stuff off the Internet.

Just kidding.

I work (kind of) hard managing our home, and I rarely ever buy anything fun online. As a matter of fact, I rarely buy anything "just for fun" anywhere. Around our house, I'm the one who pays the bills and balances the checkbook. That job takes some of the joy out of reckless spending.

In my heart and and mind, I know managing our finances is a matter of trust. Yes, I need to trust God to provide for our needs and trust my husband to work hard to take care of our family. But there are also people who are trusting me and my management of our household monies. My family trusts that I'm going to pay the bills on time so we have a home to live in and utilities to keep us warm. And my husband trusts that I'm going to put in the effort to wisely use the paycheck he works so hard to earn.

My husband doesn't look over my shoulder when it comes to the money I control. He just expects that I'm getting the bills taken care of on time to avoid late fees and that I'm not being too frivolous with my discretionary spending. He knows I'm good at being frugal, and he assumes I'm giving my best effort. He trusts me.

I'd like to think I'm pretty tight with money (usually, I am), yet, like with my homemaking, this is another area where I've gotten lazy. I used to squeeze every penny until it cried for mercy, but not so much anymore. While I'll admit that I needed a little balance when it came to our finances, I think my attitude has gone a bit too far in the opposite direction. I know there is so much more I could do with a little effort. I could move past "good enough" and get back to saving money and contributing that savings to our family's bottom line. I can be worthy of the trust placed in me.

GOALS FOR BETTER FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

  • Keep our accounts balanced. Daily. On my Daily Do List, "balance checkbook" is one of the tasks I plan for every afternoon. Doing it everyday might seem like overkill, but by regularly peeking at our accounts online, I always know if we are staying on budget and how to compensate if we aren't.

  • Pay bills early. I never get pink slips, and I'm not exactly worried about having an eviction notice nailed to our door. But I tend to push the time limits on paying the bills. I often wait until the last day possible, then I frantically try to pay the balance before I turn into a pumpkin. It's just silly. Or stupid. I need to set aside time weekly to pay all upcoming bills and make sure our accounts and budget are balanced. Then, I need to guard that time and use it wisely. No more excuses.

  • Make a better grocery list. I have been a master at grocery shopping on a budget. I'm talking ninja-quality shopping. As my kids have gotten older and my time has gotten tighter, I've lost my touch. Now, I throw together a quick, thoughtless list before I race out the door to the grocery store. Once I'm at the store, I toss things into my cart as if money grows on trees. I need to take the time plan a menu and think about what's on sale and how I can save at the store. Also, I have some ideas for a frugal grocery system that will save me both time and money once I get it worked out. It would be worth my effort.

  • Clip coupons. I still clip and file my coupons, but, again, I've lost some of my ninja skills. I let the unclipped coupon packs pile up, and then I'm forced to buy items at full price simply because I'm unprepared. Take the time. Save the money. That's the goal.

  • Look for ways to save and to be frugal. Years ago, I hung all of our laundry on clothes lines in our basement because I wanted to save money on electricity and didn't want to replace our dying dryer. I'm not planning to do that again, but I know that having an attitude of saving makes a difference, even without such extreme measures. A penny saved really is a penny earned, and all those pennies will eventually add up to dollars. I need to continually be evaluating if there are more cost effective ways to do....everything.

Click to learn more about my goals for a better new year and for links to all the posts in this series.

Who manages the finances at your house? Tell us in the comments!

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Nov
21

Turkey Stock

After the meal has been prepared and the dishes cleared from the table, there is one final thing I do before I collapse onto the sofa on Thanksgiving Day.

I make soup.

Well, I don't actually make the entire soup, but I make the beginning of soup. I make turkey stock. Every year I try to talk myself out of doing it because I really don't feel like doing ANYTHING after I've spent the whole day cooking a huge dinner and trying to be thankful. But it is just too easy, and I love having it to use in Turkey Noodle Soup or Turkey Pot Pie when I'm trying to get rid of a few more leftovers.

This is so simple, and it almost counts as "clean-up". I start by getting out my crock pot. When I'm picking the last of the meat off the bones to bag up and put into the fridge, I drop those empty bones into the pot (that's the clean-up part). Also, throughout the day when I'm peeling onions or cleaning celery and carrots, I'll wash them very well and save the trimmings to throw into the pot with the bones. (I hope that doesn't gross you out!)

The bones and veggies get covered with water and cooked until I'm ready to go to bed. If I'm in no mood to strain turkey stock, I just take the crock pot insert out to the chilly Ohio garage to stay cold until morning. It may need reheated before straining. Since I rarely have room in my refrigerator to house a big 'ol container of stock, I let it cool, if needed, and pop it into the freezer to be used in the coming days.

Now, here's the recipe (without all the commentary):

TURKEY STOCK

Ingredients:
turkey bones from roasted turkey
turkey neck and giblets, if desired
fresh herbs, such as parsley and thyme, if desired
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 onion, each washed and cut in half
OR
washed trimmings from carrots, celery, and onions

Directions:
Place all ingredients into slow cooker and add 12-cups water, or enough to cover.  Cook on low for 6-12 hours.  Strain and discard solids.  Allow to cool before refrigerating or freezing.

 

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Oct
25

31 days to {a routine} ordinary :: day 22 ~ cutting costs

I don't know about you, but my life has gotten really expensive. Between the gas prices, grocery prices, and utility prices, I feel like money is leaking out of my wallet like water. On top of that, the my kids seem to get more expensive with each passing year. They eat more, wear nicer clothes, and take longer showers (don't get me started on that one!).

Since the cars and the kids won't be disappearing anytime soon (thankfully!), I need to get serious about saving money. With all the busyness of life, I've dropped the ball on pinching pennies lately. In order to fit saving money back into my hectic life, I have to plan it into my routines.

Here are a few of my ideas to get me back on track:

Manage laundry - I need to consider how I can wash fewer loads per week. If I stick to a system of only washing one or two loads each day (with a couple days off, too), I can save on water and electricity, not to mention time.

Schedule errands - I talked about planning my errands the other day. I really need to think about the most efficient way to route my running around. It's also important for me to choose the best day for each regular errand.

Cooking more (and better) - For many years, I baked all of our bread. I also regularly made homemade pancakes, biscuits, and English muffins. I'd like to get back into the routine of doing regular baking and cooking. Not only are most of these items cheaper when homemade, but they are also healthier. Plus, when I have healthy, homemade snacks around, the kids are less likely to grab the more expensive treats lurking in the pantry.

I'm sure there are many more things I can do to save some bucks here and there. If I get started by making a few simple changes, others will hopefully follow.

Click to learn more about 31 Days :: to {a routine} Ordinary and find links to all the posts in this series. You also can subscribe to have all my posts delivered directly to your inbox, or you can follow along on Facebook.

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Sep
20

The Total Money Makeover

I'm cheap. I might as well admit it. I don't usually like to pay for things that I can get somewhere else for free. That's one of the reasons I'm such a huge fan of the public library. Tons of book, no money required. Who doesn't love that?


When it became obvious recently that we needed to get control of our finances, I immediately clicked on the library website and reserved Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover. I'd read bits and pieces of their copy before, so I knew it was just what we needed.

In The Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey shares common sense financial advice in a way that doesn't make me feel stupid. No CPA lingo that goes over my head. I get it. All of it. (Well, all of it except a few of the investing concepts, but I'm not exactly needing to understand that info yet.) The book dispels the myths our culture has sold us concerning how we treat our money, and it lays out the "baby steps" needed to break free from being normal and broke. And to prove it works, there are dozens of testimonials from people who have used Dave's steps to get their finances in shape.

The Total Money Makeover  has encouraged and challenged me. I think I'm ready to start the journey to financial freedom.....maybe. You see, I've been here before. I've started the steps in the book, made some charts, and filled in some spreadsheets. Then I've taken the book back to the library, gotten sidetracked, and fallen into the same old bad habits. I really hate riding that roller coaster. I want to have a "money makeover" that will last a lifetime, like the book promotes.

So, I'm going to break the cycle. I'm going to unclench my fingers from my too-empty wallet (and maybe cash in a Swagbucks gift card) and buy the book. I need to see it sitting on my shelf, nagging me to stay focused for a better future. I need to pick it up and read some of the many testimonials when I feel discouraged with our progress. I need to flip open Dave's wisdom when we're trying to make a financial decision. We need a total money makeover, and buying this book somehow makes me feel more committed to following through this time.

Buying the book will cost a bit more than a trip to our local library.  That's true.  But it just might be what we need to save us a lot of money and frustration in the future.  I suppose I could call that a bargain.

Note:  Affiliate links were used in this post.  Please read my disclosure for more information.

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Mar
17

TV Money

When I was a kid, I spent my summer mornings watching TV game shows. I know, I know, I should have been out playing, but I wasn't. I was busy watching the magic of people making money by spinning wheels, pushing buttons, or solving puzzles.

As I got a little older, I came to realize that the magic of those shows wasn't so very magical. It was actually kind of silly to watch grown-ups jumping up and down over winning less money than it cost them to fly to California. When I found out that they also had to pay taxes on their earnings, the bubble really burst.

As an adult, I've resisted watching game shows, or any other television, during the days. I almost never turn on the TV for my own amusement when my kids are around, and I rarely even watch it when I'm alone at night.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against television. My kids certainly watch more than their fair share, but I'd rather do my watching with my hubby. It's too much of a distraction for all of us in the daytime, and we have way too many channels for me to sort through when I'm occasionally by myself in the evenings. I'd much rather pop in my DVD of Pride and Prejudice, which I've already seen more times than I can count (literally!). I LOVE it!

But recently, I've started watching a different kind of TV. Money Saving Mom turned me on to Swagbucks TV, and I have to admit that I'm hooked.

Search & WinIf you don't do Swagbucks yet, you don't know what you're missing. After you sign up for a free account, there are a variety of ways to earn points. So far, I've earned most of mine by using it to search the web.

I use the Swagbucks search engine to look up every website or blog I want to visit, even if I regularly visit it and already know the web address. I downloaded the Swagbucks toolbar and made the Swagbucks website my homepage to help me remember to use it.

I don't get points for each and every search, but I usually earn points several times a day. Once I reach 450 points, I cash them in for a five dollar Amazon gift card. Without even trying very hard, you can easily earn at least one gift card each month. With a little effort, you can earn many more. It's the easiest way I know of to earn money.

Once you've signed up, watching Swagbucks TV is one more way to score points, and lots of them. I didn't think too much of the feature when it first came out, but my mind is changed. You earn three points for every ten videos played, and you can do this twenty-five times in a day. I don't have that kind of time, but while I'm doing housework or sitting at the computer, I open a new browser window and let it play in the background.

Yet, it's much more than just background noise. I really like the shows. A lot. Today I've been watching cooking segments with Giada De Laurentiis. It's like watching a cooking channel with only the shows I want to see and without all the commercials. How great is that?

And as long as I don't let it distract me from tasks I should be doing, I think it's enhancing my homemaking skills. It's inspiring me to be more intentional about the art of homemaking. Today, it's definitely made me interested in trying out some new recipes that I think my family will enjoy. It's a win-win kind of thing.

So, do you watch Swagbucks TV? What's your favorite show? Tell us about it in the comments!

This post is linked to Life As Mom.

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