Mum's the Word

How to Take a Vacation For Which You Haven't Saved

2012-05-03T16:25:00.001-05:00

My husband and I decided that a vacation this summer would be a priority. I have a very specific budget for this summer to cover my husband being able to work full-time on his dissertation for his Phd. A money plan for vacation was not part of that budget, unfortunately. There just wasn't any money there in my budget...or so I thought.
We were going to dip into our savings, just a bit, to go to the beach with my family. After a little planning, however, I have found some money in our very strict budget to take a vacation without spending our savings. Here are a few steps to finding money in your budget for an unplanned vacation:
1. Look at what expenses you will not incur while on vacation: groceries (we will have a set price for the entire vacation that will include groceries, gas, lodgings, and utilities). So, what I did was assign the grocery money we would spend while we are at home to vacation: that covers $75 of the cost. I looked in my refrigerator to see which leftovers, freezer staples, and canned goods could cover the week before we go on our trip. It turned out we have enough pantry staples to avoid the grocery store for the week before we leave. We put that $75 towards vacation.
2. Decide if there are any sections of your budget that are less important to you than vacation. For me, I happily sacrificed our measly $25 clothes budget and put it towards vacation. Eating out budget for the month of may? Yes, I will put that towards vacation as well.
3. Find an odd job to do. We know that my husband will have a day of work (not included in our normal income), and we know, roughly, how much money he will be paid. So, we allot that money to vacation as well.
With just a little investigation, I have found money for our vacation without going over our budget.
We will have some fun soaking in the sun...

My Personal, Financial Victory

2012-04-24T15:28:00.001-05:00

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5).

I am going to present a mini-series on budgeting for the next few days. I don't trust just anyone with budgeting advice, and I don't expect you to either. That's why this post is my success story.

Before I got married I had over ten thousand dollars in the bank. Now, this may not seem like a huge amount, but I was 21 and a full-time student working a part-time job, and I had purchased two cars during my driving career. That money was especially helpful because my husband had all but drained his savings account to purchase my beautiful engagement ring.
When we first got married we didn't budget at all. We were both in school full-time, and we worked part-time, so the money was not rolling in. We ate out probably 3-4 times per week, rented movies, went out to movies, went to concerts, bought Starbucks, I know...crazy, right?
Soon, our savings began running out. That's right about the time I found out I was pregnant. Now, we were planning this pregnancy, but there's nothing like seeing the plus sign on the end of that stick to start the money signs ticking off in your brain.
Our ultimate goal was for me to be a STAHM (Stay-at-Home-Mom), and we knew that money in our savings account would never be a given for us; it was time to make a plan.
I am a planner. I always have been and probably always will. So, I wrote out a rough budget for us to follow. I didn't really have any experience in budgeting, nor had I done the adequate research, but nevertheless, with diligence (and my husband working his bottom off), we were able to save a little money last summer.
This year is where I really want to share my success (and the Lord's faithful hand) with our finances. Now be prepared, some of these numbers may cause your jaws to drop, but I swear that they are the truth.
About two months before our son was born I quit my job. We were then a one income family from about the middle of January 2011 to the present. Our grand total of income (before taxes) last year was $16,000.
Besides our normal monthly expenses, we also had to get not one, but both of our cars repaired.
Our plan was to use our savings to supplement my husband's monthly income, and let our savings dwindle down until this summer when my husband would work obscenely long hours to build our savings back up again (my husband is getting his PHD). After budgeting pretty consistently for several months we were able to save about $5,000 over this past school year. Yes, we have to be careful about the money we spend, and we do have to track each dollar, but we haven't lived in a cave for the past eight months either. We've eaten out some, my husband and I went on a three day vacation, and we have been able to buy birthday gifts, share money with others, and still buy some frivolous items as well.
This is a testimony of the fact that if you track where your money is really going, and do something to keep monthly costs down, it is possible to save money even on a miniscule income.

I will soon share some of my advice for budgeting. Watch for updates!

Living Social Deal

2012-03-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to a coupon for a month of unlimited Kickboxing classes for $19. If you are interested check it out! It's a great deal!
If more people sign up I can get my deal for free!

$50 Per Week Challenge

2012-03-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

For a few weeks I was efficient with my grocery shopping, skilled in stretching meals for days, and brilliant at cost-saving maneuvers; but then I got tired and sloppy.
I will not lie, it is extremely trying at times to not be able to cook gourmet or imaginative meals, eat dinner out, or invite large groups of people to my house for dinner or dessert. It comes down to the facts, however, and facts don't lie when it comes to money and exceeding budgets. So, spending reform is in order.
Admittedly, we did make some spending allowances for this month; my husband I went on a vacation in celebration of three years of marriage (and a newly-weaned baby), where we ate out for every meal. I felt that for those three days we were gone it was important for me to not think about money or how much we were spending on tips alone.
This all brings me to my main point, which is: for the month of April I will attempt to spend an average of only $50 per month on food and household items for all three of us. Now, this will not include diapers or wipes. I will be honest about how much we are spending, report when I exceed my budget and how to rectify it, and I will share my recipes and cheap dinner ideas.
Now, this gives me a couple of weeks to research and compare prices, figure out what I should buy in bulk, and plan a menu. I will share any information I find with you, my readers, and I am open to feedback and advice.

Question: What are your money-saving techniques?

Hello Again; I've Been Remiss

2012-03-13T20:12:00.001-05:00

Hello to my faithful readers. I promise I have not dropped off of the face of the world, I just have a baby, a husband, and a messy house that keep me busy. If you couple those things with a lack of internet access you can easily explain my lack of blog posts as of late.

But, some things to come...
A carrot cake recipe that I made for my son's first birthday
Easy, Cheap calzone recipe
A cheap, but successful dinner idea
Pictures from my trip to Nashville
Some tips about keeping sane while trying to stay on top of housework

Lately I've been setting a timer to accomplish my household tasks. My goal this week is to make my bedroom into a sanctuary that is really, truly restful when I retire there ~~every evening~~ in the middle of the night. So, I spent about twenty minutes twice a day in my room putting clothes away, finding a home for all the loose odds and ends lying around, and getting rid of junk.
My room has never looked as good as it does this week (which is sad), but regardless, I'm happy. I feel like I'm really accomplishing a lot every day, and it really makes me feel proud to know I've served my family by working so diligently on getting my house organized.

Well, my son needs to go home and get in the bed, so I must end this post and try again some other time when I have more time; so, I'll see you again when my son is grown, I guess. Just kidding, I'll be back in the next couple of days.

Greetings from Nashville!

2012-03-07T09:53:00.001-06:00

My husband and I are enjoying some of the less popular sights of Nashville. Yesterday we stumbled upon the most fascinating place we've visited so far.
It may sound a little morbid, but the Mount Olivet Cemetery was much more impressive than we even anticipated.
We passed it on our way to downtown Nashville, and it looked mildly interesting so we stopped by on our way back to our hotel. I tell you, this was the most interesting thing we've seen in Nashville.
There are tombstones, mausoleums, and statues from the 1800s, entire families are buried together, and there were several graves where it appeared the entire family (children and all) died within a year of each other. There are so many stories here, and we are going back when my camera battery isn't dead.
Pictures to come... But here is just one introduction picture to rouse your curiosity:

An Interesting and Free Thing to do in Memphis

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

I haven't visited this place, but I think I will soon.

5668 Poplar Ave.

Open from sun up to sun down at Memorial Park. Depictions from Christ's life carved in natural crystal stones. I think we'll visit it soon.

Garage Sales: Some Tips

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Our garage sale turned out to be successful, despite the fact that it snowed the moment we opened shop, and the fact that we didn't advertise very well.

But I'll give you some tips on how to organize a more successful garage sale (if you are so inclined).
1. Give yourself more than a week to organize. Time can be the difference between being totally stressed out and irritable (as I was), or throwing a successful and peaceful garage sale that will be worth the work put into it.

2. Don't individually price clothing, dishes, or other small items. We found it was more profitable to let people offer their price; on a couple of occasions we earned more from offers than we would have made if we had priced it ourselves!

3. Advertise, advertise, advertise! We used Facebook and we made signs to put up the night before. But if you take out a classified ad you may have more of a turnout!

4. Pick a date where there's no way it will snow!

5. Post some individual items on Craigslist. We actually got a few people coming just to buy a specific item and ended up buying other things as well! This turned out to a really

6. Remember that is just a garage sale; it isn't anything to lose peace in your house over!

My Frugal Project

2012-02-22T00:30:00.000-06:00

I really wanted a decorative box for a huge space on my bookshelves. I thought the space needed something pretty that could also hold my Bible, journal, and pens.
I started making a list of all of the decorative/organizational things I would need to make my living room complete with a place for everything, and everything in its place. But as I made this list, I realized that it would end up costing me money just to make my life more simple; it didn't make sense to me. So, I started searching for something I could use in that space--for free.
What I found was a board game box. So...I found some card stock paper, and taped it to the front where it would show, and covered all visible spots of the board game box.
Here's a side view:

Here's the finished box:

And... Here's the box in the space I wanted to fill!


Grand total=$0!

Caramel and Chocolate Glazed Shortbread

2012-02-21T12:37:00.002-06:00

This recipe as promised.

But first, I apologize for my lack-luster posts these past couple of weeks. I’ll give you a little update of what’s been going on that has kept me from posting as often as I’d like. First, for the past week my son (now almost a year old) has been running a fever of about 101 degrees. I took him to the doctor have three days of said fever to discover that he has a pretty bad ear infection. He hadn’t complained, hadn’t tugged on his ear or given me any type of indication that his ear was hurting. That’s the first thing. The second is that in addition to an ear infection, my child has been a late bloomer in the teeth department, receiving his first tooth just a couple of weeks ago. I thought that first teething experience passed without the horror I had heard about, but I was wrong. With the onset of this ear infection my son decided it was time to cut 4 new teeth this week! We, my husband and I, have been up all night and day comforting a screaming baby, and nursing colds ourselves.

Then, to top that off, my son showed what looked like an allergic reaction to the antibiotics his doctor put him on. My husband called me on Sunday afternoon as I took a stroll after lunch to tell me M had woken up from his nap with a rash spreading over his whole body. I ran part of the mile home in shoes that dug into my feet like a dog gnawing a bone and held him as we quickly called his doctor. It turned out not to be an allergic reaction, but rather a very common reaction to amoxicillin. Regardless, I was drained both physically and emotionally from such a tiring week.

Things seem to be looking up so far this week, but all three of us are still recovering from the ordeal.

So, how’s that for an update? Now onto the recipe!

The creation was Caramel and Chocolate-Glazed Shortbread Bites which I found in Good Housekeeping: Brownies.

I thought this recipe was going to be a challenge for me (I’m not much of an experienced baker), but I actually found it to be quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks), softened

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Caramel Filling:

1 Cup packed brown sugar

½ cup honey

½ cup butter (1 stick), cut into pieces

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup heavy or whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

As for the chocolate glaze, I saved myself time and money by buying Duncan-Hines Chocolate glaze instead of making my own; it turned out quite well.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13” by 9” baking pan with foil. Grease foil

2. Prepare crust: in large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until cream, about 2 minutes. At low speed, gradually beat in flour until evenly moistened )mixture will resemble fine crumbs).

3. Sprinkle crumbs in prepared pan. With hand, firmly pat crumbs onto bottom and about ¼ inch up sides of pan to form crust. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Place on wire rack.

4. Prepare filling: in 2-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, honey, butter, granulated sugar, cream, and vanilla, stirring frequently, to full rolling boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high; set candy thermometer in place and continue cooking, without stirring, until temperature reaches 248 degrees, or firm-ball stage (when small amount of mixture dropped in very cold water forms a ball that does not flatten upon removal from water).

5. Pour hot caramel over warm crust. Cool in pan on wire rack 1 hour or until caramel is room temperature and has formed a skin on top.

6. Pour glaze over filling; spread evenly, being careful not to push caramel layer around. Cover and refrigerate until bars are cold and glaze has set, at least 30 minutes.

7. When cold, lift foil, with pastry, out of pan; [eel foil away from sides. Cut lengthwise into 6 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 8 bars. Store bars in refrigerator, in tightly covered container, with waxed paper between layers, up to two weeks.

8. Now, I tried to cut the shortbread, but it turned out to be rock-hard. So, mine turned into pretty small “Shortbread Bites,” which kind of made them into more of a candy rather than shortbread. So, do whichever works for you.

Until the next time!

My Special Project this Morning

2012-02-18T13:50:00.000-06:00

Sit tight; I will be posting Mum's the Word's first ever recipe! It's not entirely frugal, but I did cheat with one ingredient (and saved $5). I won't tell you what it is, but here is a picture to give you an idea:

I am finishing up the final touches, and then I will post the full recipe for your dining pleasure!

Make a Plan, Save Money

2012-02-16T15:45:00.000-06:00

This week I did not make a menu plan for the week. The result: I spent almost twenty dollars more at the grocery store this week.
The second mistake I made was going to the store starving, the result: I spent more money on stuff I didn't really need.

This next week I will make a detailed menu, and I will eat a snack before I go to the grocery store.
I like to have a plan. My friends sometimes tease me that I seem to have a plan for everything. My motto: make a plan for any obstacle but expect for nothing to go according to plan. They laugh at me because I have a plan for if someone breaks into my house while I'm home, or what I would do if I had to move in with my parents or the in-laws.
I have a plan for if we ever have disposable income, and I have a plan for life right now.
But all of those things are beside the point. My point is: if you have a menu plan, or a plan for what kind of food goals you have for the week you'll be a lot less likely to spend too much money.
It takes me anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to make a menu for the week (including Martin's food, my husband's food, and my diet food). I check my pantry for ingredients I don't have to buy (sometimes I do this before I make my list to see which ingredients I have to build meals around). I make my meal plan with all of the ingredients I need for each recipe and exactly the right quantity; I can mark things off my list as I go through my cabinets and freezer and determine exactly how many onions, etc. that I need to buy.

Also, if I know that I really don't want to eat unhealthy food during the week, I don't buy unhealthy food. The result? Less money wasted on stuff I will only regret eating.
I also plan for a fun night. Frozen pizza, fast food, or some other kind of cheap and easy meal for a day I just run out of time to cook, or I am too tired to cook. For the other days I try to cook dinner earlier in the day (around 10am) so that I know it's finished before something unexpected comes up in the afternoon.

These are my money-saving tips; do any of you have any you'd like to share?

Free Things to Do in Memphis

2012-02-15T13:42:00.001-06:00

As I write this I am in the Central Library. Therefore, the Library will be the first free thing I advocate. I love coming to the library. It may sound pretty boring to some, and if you aren't a big reader it may be a drag for you, but I just love putting the baby down for a nap at the grandparents' and heading to the library for a date with myself.
I wander the aisles looking for "how-to" books on anything from knitting to my most recent project, "How to Write a Mystery Novel." It is such a nice and quiet place to look around, read, and get ideas...and it's free!
My husband and I (before we were married and a few times after), would end our dates by going to Davis Kidd and sitting next to each other to read. I guess that may not sound great to some of you, but to us it was a wonderful, relaxing way to spend time with each other without spending money. Sometimes, if we were feeling a little more extravagent, would head down to Borders, buy a cup of coffee, and swap interesting facts we would read. I love to find books of jokes and tell them to him. Laughter is the best medicine, and sometimes the best jokes are stupid ones.
Try going to a bookstore the next time you want to go on a date but can't spend any money.
If you are looking for a fun morning for the kids, check these story times out:

Barnes and Noble:
The Wolfchase Barnes and Noble offers a Story Time on Tuesday mornings at 11:00

Bookstar:
On Saturdays at 2:00 Bookstar offers a storytime. In addition there are often other activities for children during storytime, call (901) 323-9332 for more information.

Children's Museum of Memphis:
Tuesdays at 10:00, CMOM holds "My First Book Club" for children which includes crafts, activities, snacks, and stories. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays at 12:00 children can relax while listening to a story.

I will continue to post other free (or nearly free) activities to do in Memphis over the next week. Enjoy!

Super Cheap and Easy Crockpot Dinner

2012-02-09T11:19:00.002-06:00

If you are like me, the title of this blog post has all of your favorite words in reference to dinner.
I had no time or ingenuity yesterday, so...

I browned a pound of ground beef and tossed it into the crockpot with a can of rotel tomatoes, corn, and two packages of Ramen noodles (without the seasoning), and a little bit of taco seasoning. I call it: Ramon Noodle Surprise.
I would say this meal costs a total of $3 if you shop at Aldi and would feed about 4 people (or two people for two meals).

I hope to have an awesome report about the excellence of my garage sale after this weekend. But until then AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
May I make it through this experience with my sanity intact.

Frugality Has Taken a Vacation

2012-02-07T10:14:00.003-06:00

Not really...

I'm just extremely busy organizing this garage sale, so I don't have very much time to update this here blog. I would love for input from my readers, however.
Do you have any awesome ideas for being frugal?

I will update later this week... please don't give up on me!

Poor and Stingy are Not Synonyms

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

When I am struggling financially or personally, it is easy for me to forget or choose not to help others in need. I always have a good excuse, I’m too busy, I don’t have enough money for groceries; how can I give to someone else? I don’t have time to get everything done in my house; how am I supposed to give time to anyone else? But as a follower of Christ, I have been commanded to give to others even out of my poverty.

Jesus instructed me to visit the sick, widows, orphans, those in prison, and He commanded me to care for them. I am called to give the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink, and help those in trouble. More often though, I get caught up in my own troubles and forget to serve others.

Now, some months I may not have a lot of money to give, but I have time. If I can’t fund someone in financial trouble, I can volunteer to help care for their kids, or clean their house. I can give leftovers, or canned goods from my pantry. I can give them my clothes, or make them dinner. In my troubles, I don’t want to forget to be kind.

If people like Mother Teresa can give everything they own to the poor, choose to live among lepers and beggars, and continually sacrifice their own comfort and health for the sake of others, I can give my meager McDonalds money to someone else. Or, I can leave my dirty dishes, and instead, give that time to someone who needs someone to talk to.

When the five thousand gathered to listen to Jesus, the disciples tried to send them away at dinner time, but Jesus said, you give them something to eat. That’s what I’m called to do. Even when the loaves and fishes or dollars in the bank aren’t enough to satisfy that need, when you give as the Lord commanded, you may gather twelve baskets full of leftovers at the end.

I am not writing this to guilt anyone into giving to the poor; you have to make your own decisions about money and time. I’m not even saying that every Saturday I volunteer at soup kitchens because I do have a child and responsibilities at home, but rather, I’m talking about a giving attitude. I want to have a heart for those in need just like Jesus did, so that I may have compassion for those in need that I meet along the way.

So, when you’re struggling with money or personal issues don’t forget to be kind. (I’m saying this to myself).

…For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? “And the King will answer… ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:35-40).

Becoming a One Car Family

2012-02-03T18:02:00.003-06:00

In my quest for frugality, I realized that one place that sort of unnecessarily drains money every month is our second car. Now, I know that it may be impossible for some families to live with only one car, but we are making it work.

I only have one child, and my husband works about half a mile from our house, so I recognize that our situation is unique. For the sake of full disclosure, however, I will share this frugal tip:

Become a one car family. I now either drop my husband off at work every morning (yes, I lug my son into his car seat—sometimes still in his pajamas), or I live without a car for the day. I also recognize that because my extended family lives within a mile of my house, I’m also at an unfair advantage to most of the population, but bear with me.

By suspending the insurance on one of our cars (if you drop the insurance completely you will have to pay a down payment when you renew), we are saving about $60/month on insurance, and we are saving some gas money as well. It may be worth the extra expense to you for the convenience of the second car, but for those of you who are seeking to be frugal by necessity, dropping the second car could save you enough each month for groceries or for a cell phone bill.

I will be honest, it is really difficult some days. I get frustrated at times, but it will pay off at the end of the month if you sacrifice convenience now. Also, if you don’t sell the extra car and merely suspend the insurance for a while (our insurance company will let you do it for up to six months), you will still have a car when it becomes a necessity again, and you won’t have to pay a down payment on a new car, or pay to buy the new car.

More to come in my frugal adventures!

Frugal Suggestions for the “I Take My Coffee with Cream and Sugar” Crowd.

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

~~I love coffee~~. I love the caffeine that comes in my cream and sugar. My coffee is very important to me. It’s kind of an experience for me every morning. If I don’t get to have my “coffee-time” in the morning, I just feel like a rug got pulled out from under me.

I guess it’s because that’s really the only time of the day that I get to be truly alone. I make my coffee the night before, so when I wake up all I have to do is push the button and prepare my breakfast before I sit down with a hot cup of coffee and my Bible.

It’s a really precious time to me. But, with a still pretty young child, I don’t get as much sleep as I’d like. By the afternoon I’m ready for my second or third cup of coffee of the day. If you add a couple of tablespoons of cream and a spoonful of sugar, both the calories and the cents add up by the end of the week. So, to combat both of these issues I considered cutting the cream and sugar out of the equation and just drink the coffee black. I tried for a couple of days, but it just didn’t feel the same.

I prayed about it. Yes, I do pray about if I should have cream in my coffee or not. I felt freedom to still have my cup of coffee in the morning with cream and sugar. But, being the frugal person that I am, I decided that all subsequent cups of coffee during the day would be taken black without sugar. This way I would protect the sacredness of my morning coffee-time, and still stretch the container of creamer even further. This may seem like a silly dilemma, but it took a couple of dollars off of my grocery bill this week, so it’s not silly to me.

Leftovers in Disguise

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

I am the leftover Nazi in my house.

To the dismay of my husband, I generally advocate that we eat the same thing again and again until all of the leftovers are gone. This is a feat of extraordinary perseverance as I have yet to learn how to cook for only two people. So, for the past almost three years of marriage I cook dinner and the leftovers sit in the fridge until I discover it three months later.

This simply was not working for our shoestring food budget. Now I am an advocate for eating all parts of the cow ,or the carrot, or the meatloaf, or whatever it is we eat for dinner to prevent waste.

Therefore, this week I tried something different. This was the only time I was successful, so far, in obliterating all of the leftovers in my fridge, and my husband had no idea I was recycling leftovers.

I started out with the following recipe from Sharing the Love cookbook by Peggy Washburn Courtright:

Easy Pleasing Meat Loves

2 lbs Ground Beef (I used ground turkey sausage for $1.89/lb)

1 (6-0oz) pkg Stove Top Stuffing (I used a piece of very toasted bread, chopped very small and added extra Oregano)

1 c. water

2 eggs, beaten

½ c. Kraft, original barbecue sauce, divided (I used probably twice this much)

Mix all ingredients except for ¼ cup of the barbeque sauce. Shape meat mixture into 2 oval loaves and place side by side in 13x9 inch baking dish. Top loaves with remaining ¼ cup barbecue sauce. Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes or until center is no longer pink.

I also made instant mashed potatoes to go with it.

We barely ate half of it in two days.

When I realized that the leftovers would go bad before I could finish all of them, I came up with a plan: mini shepherds’ pies.

I used a muffin pan and lined the bottom of about 6-8 of the cups with a tablespoon of meatloaf. Next I topped it with about a tablespoon of the leftover mashed potatoes, and sprinkled each with a little sharp cheddar cheese. I baked it in the oven until the cheese was melted. Now, they may not be perfect shepherds’ pies, but all of the leftovers were used, and I didn’t have to make dinner for the third night in a row.

Seems like a success story to me.

Garage Sales and My Adventures in Frugality

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

I generally hate garage sales, but sometimes they are necessary. I never really have enough to sell to make it worth it, I rarely have a whole Saturday to devote to not making any money, and I like my stuff. This month, however, I need just a little extra income.

Our family is in the process of downsizing, both financially and materially. I am poor and I’m okay with it. We probably won’t ever be in a financial situation where my children can have the new gadgets their friends have, and I really don’t want them to anyway. I like living simply. It really is a freeing experience to embrace poverty and make it something fun and creative instead of seeing it as restrictive.

So, in order to make my “living simply” dream happen, we are getting rid of stuff. I am getting rid of all of my clothes that I don’t wear on a regular basis, (with the exception of dressy clothes). I am going to donate some of M’s toys to his grandmothers’ houses, keep the ones he really enjoys playing with, and try to sell the others. He doesn’t need hundreds of toys; he just needs to enjoy the toys he has, and realize that there is a huge world to explore outside.

I’m selling gadgets and decorations that have been sitting in my garage for a year. I’m getting rid of decorative dishes, books, and furniture that serve no purpose besides being aesthetically-pleasing. I want our house to be simple, practical, and tidy. There should be a place for everything and a use for everything.

I’m selling movies and books that don’t project the values that I cherish, and I’m hoping all of these changes will help to free up more time for being kind to others, and being available to enjoy real, profitable life when it comes our way.

I may not make any money at all from this garage sale I’m having next weekend. I may waste a Saturday morning, but I could make even just $50 to make this month more tolerable; because, if you’re like me, $50 can pay for groceries for a week.

More to come in this frugal adventure!

Learning to be Frugal for the Already Frugal Family

2012-01-29T18:15:00.000-06:00

Frugality: prudence in avoiding waste.

I feel like every time I'm trying to think of a post to write I collide with one of my many character flaws. The purpose of this blog is not to be a confessional, I promise you.
I had kind of a freak out this past week. I won't go into the details, but I can say that I freaked out about money. After spending a day on the couch, languishing and licking my wounds, I realized that the only way to combat this gnawing feeling of increasing fear for the future was to trust the Lord and get proactive about cutting costs wherever I could.

Do you know that when you Google "how to be frugal," or "how to spend less money" the only suggestions that come up are for people who make $50,000 a year, and stop by Starbucks on their way to work every morning? What about all of us truly poor people?
After a very fruitless internet searching session, I decided to head to the library. Same story there. I found about ten books, Being Frugal for Idiots, The Dummies Guide to Being Frugal, Cheap Talks with the Frugal Friends, etc, but none of them gave suggestions for people who are already frugal and who want to cut costs even more. What if I don't have a $3 latte that I can cut out of my budget every day and put it into my vacation fund? What if I already shop at Aldi, make meal-plans, buy generic shampoo, and buy big Tins-O-Coffee but still need to cut costs even further?
I haven't found anything to help people like me. This gave me an idea...
I will devote this blog to the very subject. Now, I'm not sure exactly what that will look like; I am not an expert on saving money, nor do I have any wisdom in the subject...yet. But I want to try to learn how to be frugal with an already frugal budget, and I will share my successes and failures with you, my devoted audience, along the way.
The first step in my quest for frugality was to cancel our Netflix account. This was the one area we'd allowed ourselves to be frivolous with our money. Frivolous, meaning we spent fifteen dollars a month to be able to watch movies whenever we wanted. We decided, however, just this weekend, that Netflix was, in our life, the opposite of practicing prudence in avoiding waste even in the figurative sense of the definition. So, that's $17/month we can ~~save~~ put towards another bill, and time we can spend together.
There will be more to come in the How-to-be-frugal-when-you're-already-frugal quest.

The Mother of Only One Child

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine posted an article on my Facebook wall the other day; it almost brought tears to my eyes. You can read it here. It's a post written to "the mother with only one child," and it is so sweet, so true, and so poignant that I felt compelled to share it with the rest of you.

The funny thing is that this is just what the Lord has been teaching me in dealing with others. I've thought about all of the times I've judged others for struggling with "easy" things that I've gone through myself. I look at other people as weak or easily stressed out when they buckle under the weight of a seemingly easy season of life. The Lord is quick to correct, however, and I've tasted my own medicine recently.
I've had someone belittle my struggles. It hurts. It really hurts. It makes me feel ashamed or weak, inadequate, and small. I'm not small. The struggles I experience are real; the struggles others experience are real. It doesn't matter how small the situation seems to be, or how many more difficult struggles I've seen since then, it feels so big and so difficult because it is. So, I am okay with having only one child and it being really difficult at times. It's okay for me to struggle, to cry, and to feel tired, and I need to have that same attitude towards others.
Thank you Tristan. I really needed to read that article...

Crisis Cleaning

2012-01-25T11:55:00.000-06:00

Every weekend, without fail, I blink and a tornado sweeps through my home, disrupting every room and leaving piles of laundry and dirty dishes in its trail. I don’t know how I miss it every time or fail to prepare for its arrival, but every Sunday morning, like a scene from a horror movie, I leave the secure bedroom bomb shelter and weep at the damage before me.

The same question runs through my mind, “how can three people make this much of a mess in two days?”

I still haven’t found an answer, but I have found somewhat of a solution: crisis cleaning. What is crisis cleaning you ask?

Ah, crisis cleaning is how I regain my sanity. Depending on how much time I have, I set my handy-dandy timer for ten minutes per room or ten minutes total and try to get as many items picked up as possible.

I usually only have about ten minutes total, so I just tackle as many things as I can. First, I gather all dirty dishes and put them in the sink; I make my bed, fold blankets, pick up toys off of the floor. (I now keep a basket in the living room especially for toys so I have an easy fix for the strewn toys). I straighten books on the coffee table. I don’t know about your family, but my family reads a lot of books, and we require several different books all day long, e.g. my bible, my journal, whichever devotional I’m reading, my “fun” book, and, of course, my husband has the biggest book on John Milton you’ve probably ever seen, all of which reside on our coffee table for easy access throughout the day. So, I straighten all of those books, move things that don’t belong in the living room to where they belong. With whatever time I have left I either load the dishwasher or sweep. This usually gets my house to a place where I can breathe and be okay with a relaxed, family day.

I hope this tip helps you find a solution to insanity.

*I wrote this post several days ago (our internet has been down explaining my lack of posts this week), but last night my husband commented on my new "crisis" cleaning method. He said that our house has never looked better and I seem to be more relaxed as well. I say that sells it!

Accept the New Norm and Be Okay with It.

2012-01-18T10:02:00.000-06:00

The other night my husband and I were discussing the current diet I am on. I complained about the ordeal of having to plan my meals and bring my own food to parties. He said something that really stuck with me: "you keep looking at your diet as though it were out of the norm. But you need to look at it like your new 'norm,' then you can really enjoy the cheat days, and learn to appreciate the norm."
Now, of course this post isn't about dieting (though I could spend hours discussing it), but instead I wanted to talk about life with children...

What my husband said reminded me of the frustration I often feel of the state of my house, my slightly altered body (from being pregnant), or just the general chaos that seems to follow me around every day. I always long for a tidy house, a perfectly well-behaved child, a perfect body, and peace and quiet as though it is the norm that has evaded me since my son was born. Then it dawned on me: chaos is my new norm. Once I accept that a messy house and a chaotic day are my life, I can learn to appreciate it instead of resenting the mess.
So this morning I looked around at my messy dining room table, my kitchen sink full of dishes from the night before, toys all over the floor, and my unmade bed and I had a new appreciation for my life. I accept this new norm, and I'm okay with it.

Now, I'm not advising anyone to stop cleaning your house, making your bed, working out, or doing the dishes... what I'm saying is to learn to be content with some imperfections in your life. The blessings in my life are totally worth all of the imperfections that my house and body suffer because of them.

Let's strive for contentment but never for complacency!

I Thought I'd Share...

2012-01-17T18:34:00.001-06:00

One of my all-time favorite blogs is Kingdom Twindom +1. I don't recall how I stumbled across it, but reading it has touched my heart on so many levels.

In one of her posts (you can read it here) she wrote about it is difficult to not let what made you you before you had a kid disappear once the child arrives. Since this topic has been on my mind for a while, I thought I'd let you read it too.
Being a mother doesn't change who I was before; it just adds a new dimension or a new perspective with which to approach life.

Enjoy!