Spendwise Moms

What's For Dinner Tonight? Veggie Hoagies

2012-02-18T10:44:00.005-07:00

I wanted to try something new today, so I made meatless meatballs. Recipes I looked at had a variety of ingredients, so I just did my own thing. I had some cooked rice in the fridge and added Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, a couple of eggs, oregano, basil, dried chives, onion, garlic, pecans and bread crumbs. I threw things in depending on what I had on hand, so next time I am sure they won't taste the same. My teenage daughter loved them and didn't even know they didn't have meat in them. My husband loved them, too, and so did I. I made some marinara sauce and put the meatballs in it and we had them on homemade hoagie buns with lettuce and cheese. I love it when something turns out much better than you expect! I will use brown rice next time to get the proper protein complement.

New Winner for Soup

2012-02-18T07:52:00.002-07:00

The winner for the soup giveaway never responded and didn't leave an e-mail address, so we have chosen a new winner: a8383. Please respond within the next 48 hours to claim your prize and send me your address, phone number and e-mail address. Thanks!

Simple Savings: Just Buy the Gas

2012-02-17T21:07:00.002-07:00

After being in a car for a long time when you travel, it is so tempting to get out and buy drinks and snacks at the place where you are filling up for gas. When you stop, just buy gas and nothing else. For the same amount of money you would have spent on overpriced snacks, you could easily buy a lot more food at the grocery store. You could also save the money you would have spent and buy other food that is a little healthier like Subway or Taco Bell. The healthiest and least expensive thing to do would be to have snacks and food prepared ahead of the trip and bring them with you. Remember to bring a cooler if necessary.

$5 Weekly Pantry Challenge - Spent $5.20

2012-02-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Bio: Nicki is one of the Spendwisemoms. She is going to post about the $5 pantry challenge from now on. She was married in the past year and is a full time student. They are on a very tight budget, but want to stock up their pantry little by little.

Here is her first post:

My goal with the weekly pantry challenge is to build our family's one month supply of food. Hopefully I can make a dent in it bit by bit. This week, I could have put back one of the cans of corn, but I'll just spend 20 cents less next week to make up for it.

Winner of the Progresso Soup and DVD Giveaway!

2012-02-15T21:27:00.002-07:00

kathyf is the winner of the Giveaway. Please send me your name, address, phone and e-mail to mom@spendwise.org in the next 48 hours so I can submit your name to claim your prize.

Thanks to all those who entered. Have a great day!

$50 Weekly Grocery Challenge - Spent $49.10 Total

2012-02-15T09:54:00.004-07:00

I went this morning to get a few things before I had an appointment, but didn't have time to get everything. They didn't have some of the things I wanted and some things were overpriced so I am looking elsewhere. I bought the following:

Couscous 99 cents
Curry powder 27 cents
Cumin seed ground 16 cents
Cumin seed whole 15 cents
Masala Garum 46 cents
Serrano pepper 6 cents - they didn't have red bonnet or habanero peppers
Green onions 50 cents
Organic Bananas 86 cents
Omega Eggs - 2.49
Roma Tomatoes 80 cents
Organic skim milk 3.69
Italian shredded cheese - Two @ 2.39 each
Shredded Co-jack cheese 2.39
Organic Feta Cheese 3.99
Hot Mama Salsa - 4.69 (made local - this was a splurge; hopefully the much better taste will help my teenage daugter be able to deal with the Black bean-butternut squash quesadillas)
Organic carrots - 1.19
Black beans 89 cents
Olives - sliced 93 cents
Red onion 38 cents
Bag of Spinach 1.99
Cilantro 59 cents

Total: $33.24 so far...

I will try to get a picture up later.

2nd trip:

Sunflower seeds 69 cents
Brown Mustard seed 6 cents
6 Organic Kiwis 1.50
Canned tomatoes Free with coupon
Deli Roast Beef 4 cents (I had a 3.00 coupon)
Tropicana Orange Juice 3.00
Organic apples 6.64
Organic Romaine Lettuce 1.89

2nd trip total: $15.86

How did you do this week? Did you stay in your budget or get some great deals? Link up and share!

Question: Scotch Bonnet Pepper

2012-02-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

I need to use a Scotch Bonnet Pepper for the Indian dish I am making this week, but saw on the internet that they are about 100 plus times hotter than a jalapeno pepper. Has anyone ever used them that can share their thoughts about this?

Menu for the Week: Feb. 15 - Feb. 21

2012-02-15T06:47:00.002-07:00

Another week of weekday vegetarian and eating meat on weekends only. We don't feel as heavy and full as usual, but I think we have eaten more sweets to make up for that! It was a challenge this week, coming up with recipes. Last week, we liked the Greek Quesadillas and Veggie Gratin, but didn't like some of the others. I am putting in a few new ones and hope someone in the family likes them!

Shakshuka
Gumbo - leftovers from last weekend that we will have this weekend
Pizza Bread for weekend
Greek Quesadillas - since everyone liked them last week
Spinach/Feta Pies - (made with pizza dough and shaped like calzones)
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Quesadillas - I
have squash in the freezer so I am making these. My husband will love them and my teenage daughter will hate them.
Tarka Dal - I might as well try an Indian dish; I already have the lentils!

I have mixed feelings about trying some of these recipes, but it breaks the monotony of regular meals. I hope they turn out and taste alright.

Cool Storage Ideas

2012-02-10T08:50:00.002-07:00

If you are trying to think of storage ideas for a kid's room or for other parts of the house, look at these two webpages. My kids aren't young any more, but I really like the ideas in some of these pictures. Go here and here.

Simple Savings: Have a Potluck

2012-02-10T08:18:00.002-07:00

Instead of going out to dinner, have some friends over and have a potluck. You can save yourself a lot of money and have a chance to enjoy your friends and try new dishes since everyone brings something. It is also less stressful and less expensive than making everything yourself. Rent a movie from Redbox and everyone can enjoy it for together only $1. You can even reserve movies ahead of time on the internet. You can also have everyone bring their favorite game and play games instead. Being with other people that you enjoy doesn't have to cost a lot for anyone.

Conquer Clutter: Kids' Rooms

2012-02-10T07:35:00.003-07:00

One challenge for most mothers is helping their kids keep their rooms clean. One question to ask yourself is, "Who bought all this stuff?" Many times the source is ourselves. We are the ones that buy too much for our kids and then get frustrated when their rooms get messy. So, there are two things we can do: help the kids declutter the stuff we already have and be wise about the amount of stuff we bring into the house. I know from personal example that I have no one to blame but myself, at least until the kids are old enough to have a job and buy things for themselves. Looking back, there were a few toys that stood the test of time: Legos and Playmobil. I would still buy some of our very favorite books, but use the library to check out most of the books we read. I would also buy a few games because I think they can teach family members how to take turns and how to be a good sport. I have been guilty of buying too much for our only grandchild. I have tried to cut back, and even send money instead of gifts sometimes. But, when I do buy something, our daughters know that they can do what they want with it. If they don't want any of it, they can just get rid of it. I choose not to take it personally because they should be able to decide what is best for them and for their family. I had my turn to choose with my own kids. It is the thought that counts and they shouldn't have to keep anything they don't want. I should be wise enough to ask them what they want or need before purchasing gifts so they don't end up being clutter for them or a waste of money for me.

What do you do to keep your kids' rooms clean? Link up and share!

What's in Your Trash?

2012-02-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Bolt Insurance company had this interesting Trash Infographic on their website. We have reduced our trash by half, but I am sure we can do better. This summer we will start composting and see how it goes. We recycle everything we can and we are trying to avoid buying things with a lot of packaging.

Are there some things you can do to reduce your trash?

Whole Wheat Lion House Rolls

2012-02-08T21:14:00.004-07:00

I have been using whole wheat most of the time instead of white flour this week. I made these Lion House rolls and used 100%whole wheat (hard white wheat this time). They rose very nicely and tasted light and yummy!

Leo Babauta on Conquering Clutter

2012-02-08T08:43:00.002-07:00

If you have a few minutes, I thought this article was a good motivator on conquering clutter. I liked the parts about WHY we should declutter. He also gives some different ideas on how to start.

I decluttered most of the house last year, so I am keeping it up by getting rid of something each day. I have an ongoing list here of the things I get rid of each day.

$50 Weekly Grocery Challenge: Spent $45.52 so far...

2012-02-08T07:03:00.009-07:00

It is important to find the right balance when you are deciding how much to spend on groceries. You may not have a choice, if finances are tight. If you do have a choice, remember that spending the least amount of money may not be the best in the long run. I know I could spend less than I do. But, I like to include some organics and lots of fresh produce. So, I am sticking to my $50 per week instead of spending $25-$30 now for the 3 of us. Food lasts much longer now that our teenage son is in college, but it is nice to have the extra cushion in the food budget to try new recipes and buy an occasional pineapple that we all love to eat. It is more important to eat real food than it is to spend less and eat processed food, even if you can get it dirt cheap. In the long run, you will be healthier.

This is what I got from my shopping trip today:

Orange Juice 1.99
Bag of spinach 1.99
White mushrooms 1.34
2 lbs. lemons 1.88
Organic Carrots 2 @ 1.19 each
Organic Feta cheese 3.69
Ricotta cheese 1.79
4 different kinds of Tilamook cheese in bags 2.39 each
2 heads of green leaf lettuce 99 cents each head
Omega Eggs, no hormones 2.49
2 cans of garbanzo beans 79 cents each can
Allspice 1.50
Gala apples about 5 lbs. 5.02
Red onion 40 cents
Baby bella mushrooms 1.69 (swiched because they are cheaper than portabella mushrooms)
Grape tomatoes 1.49
Orange pepper 99 cents
Organic bananas 1.10
Pineapple 1.80

Total: $44.66

Not pictured: Great northern beans 79 cents, celery stalk 7 cents for a total of 86 cents
that are not pictured.

I still have $4.48 left. I need to buy some milk tomorrow since the milk at the store today was too close to the expiration date. I will also look for Jamaican spices in bulk if I have extra money left after the milk.

How did you do this week? Did you stay in your budget or get some good deals? Link up and share!

Small Steps to Healthier Eating

2012-02-08T06:47:00.002-07:00

I think we eat pretty well. I cook most of our meals from scratch. But, there are some small things I have been doing to improve the quality of the food we eat. For example, when I made Oatmeal muffins this morning, I used whole wheat flour instead of white. I also had a fresh squeezed orange instead of bottled or frozen orange juice. We are trying to eat salads at dinner time most nights before we eat the main dish. I made whole wheat rolls yesterday with the Lion House roll recipe. I stopped buying processed snacks and made my own. I am now trying to replace homemade snacks with fruits, nuts and veggies. I am trying to avoid buying food with high fructose corn syrup. We try to use fresh fruits and veggies whenever we can, then use frozen next and canned as a last resort. If you are used to having cold cereal in the morning, try making hot cereal. It doesn't take very long and you can add fresh fruit and nuts to it or raisins or other dried fruit. We are trying to include more beans and less meat. We plan to limit our meat, but not to get rid of it completely. These are small steps, but they do make a difference.

Note: If you are not used to eating wheat, take it slow. Mix white and wheat and gradually change to whole wheat. You can have some unpleasant digestive side effects if you change too fast if your body isn't used to it. I would do the same with beans, too. Eat a little at a time until you get used to it.

What are some things that you have done to eat a healthier diet? Link up and share or leave a comment below.

Giveaway: Free Progresso Soup and DVD!

2012-02-07T13:35:00.010-07:00

It is pretty cold here in Montana. I usually make most of our meals from scratch, but sometimes there is a night when something quick and easy is nice to have. That is why I keep several cans of Progresso soup in our pantry. We have friends that only buy Progresso to eat in hotels when they are out of town. If an emergency happened, and I had no power, it is nice to know that I have something I can feed the family that is quick and easy.

Progresso Soup has 40 different flavors with 100 or less calories per serving. They are having a S ooper You contest and three lucky winners have a chance to receive the following:


•	Round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles, CA
•	4 day/3 night hotel accommodations
•	$1,000 cash card
•	$1,000 fashion retailer gift card for clothing purchases
•	Salon makeover including hair, makeup and nails
•	2 tickets to this season's live finale of NBC's The Biggest Loser Enter the Souper You^® Contest by going here. for your chance to win the ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood!

On our blog, We are giving away a Prize package of:

(2) VIP coupons for Progresso Soup and
(1) Copy of the "Biggest Loser" Workout DVD

You can enter by doing any of the following:

1. Tell us your favorite Progresso Soup flavor.
2. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google and leave a comment letting us know.
3. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment and let us know.
4. Tell us your best weight loss advice.

You can enter up to 4 times per person.

Contest ends on February 14, 2012

"Disclosure: The Progresso^® Souper You^® prize pack, information, coupon, and giveaway have been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark."

Menu for the Week: Feb. 8 - Feb. 14

2012-02-07T09:47:00.006-07:00

We survived our first week of eating meat only on the weekends. It wasn't too bad. I just have a hard time thinking of meals that are meatless, so there will be some repeats from last week.

Soft tacos w/homemade tortillas
Lentil Gratin
Greek Quesadillas
Veggie/cheese Pizza
Hummus & pita bread
Carib-beans
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Spinach, Ricotta and Portobello Gratins
Weekend:
Gumbo
Go out for Valentine's day on Saturday to be able to avoid crowds and to have the option of eating meat!

I hope my family will keep up being good sports this week. I tried to find some recipes with variety and mix them with ones that I know they will like. I won't make all of these, but I want to have the ingredients on hand to make any of them.

25 Things to Throw Away Today

2012-02-07T09:40:00.002-07:00

I found this post by Paul Mitchell that had some great ideas. If you have a few minutes while you eat lunch, head on over and see if any of them are things you need to do. I went through my medicine cabinet recently and had some outdated medicine I had to get rid of. We also have some cans of paint we have saved. I didn't think that the paint on the wall may have dulled and they wouldn't match any more.

Conquer Clutter: How Many Knives Do You Need?

2012-02-06T08:16:00.002-07:00

Many years ago, I had a lot of knives. I would use a different one each time I needed one. I was tempted to buy one of those blocks full of knives. I finally bought one good quality paring knife and was hooked. I washed it each time I used it instead of getting another knife out because I really like the knife. I ended up purchasing a couple more knives that were a good quality throughout the next year or two. I wanted a butcher knife, a paring knife, a small serrated knife and a large serrated knife. That was all I really used and needed so I just donated all the rest. I have not regretted it for a minute. Since I make most of what we eat from scratch and make our own bread, these are the knives I need. It is different for everyone.

Too many times we have the mind set that more is better. We get more than we need and things end up being clutter instead of being used. How many knives do you need? How many towels do you need? If you live alone, having 14 towels is a little excessive don't you think? Think about what you have in your home and donate or sell the things you really don't need. It will make cleaning the house easier, finding things easier, and you will feel better since you will have less to take care of.

The Compact: My Experience

2012-02-06T06:16:00.002-07:00

After reading the post on Spendwise Moms about the Compact, I decided to give it a try in January. My husband and I have already been living very frugally, but I was curious how much not buying new would change our lifestyle. Besides buying new for food, health, and safety items, I decided I was also free to use gift cards I already have. I’d buy everything else used.

Overall, I didn’t notice much of a difference. I was tempted a handful of times to purchase a new item, but I didn’t feel deprived by deciding not to purchase. In every case, I was able to find a creative solution by reusing or adapting something I already had at home. Really, it wasn't a major lifestyle change--in truth, having made an "official" commitment just provided a good reminder.

The biggest surprise for the month was how much fun I had shopping second-hand. Somehow it was far more satisfying to strike gold at a secondhand store because I had to search more for it. In addition, the social experience of shopping second-hand was far better. I went with my sister and with friends, and in all cases we had a delightful time spending time together, especially since we could go home guilt-free after making such frugal purchases!

The biggest dilemma was what to do for gifts. There were two birthdays and one baby shower this month, and I hadn’t considered this ahead of time. When I give gifts, I prefer to give something that does not look secondhand. For one of the birthday gifts, I was very lucky and found some great items at a secondhand store (one even had a tag still on it!). However, for the other birthday and the baby shower, I didn’t have time to explore several secondhand stores, so I purchased gifts new with gift cards instead. In one case, it ended up being cheaper than it would have to buy a gift secondhand, because I bought the gift on sale AND got free shipping, so I didn’t have to pay to ship the gift to the family member.

What are my conclusions from the month? First and foremost, I usually don’t need what I think I need. In most cases, secondhand is the way to go. It is more environmentally friendly and more economical. However, I will not rule out retail shopping because if you’re wise, you can sometimes find new merchandise for the same price as secondhand. My plan for February is to live a modified version of the Compact. I will shop primarily secondhand, but will consider shopping new if I can find comparable prices.

I would highly recommend that everyone try their own version of the Compact for at least a week. You may be surprised at the changes that result, or you may discover that you've been living this way all along. Whatever the case, it's a good reminder that self control and a little creativity go a long way.

Simple Ways to Save: Dump the Disposables

2012-02-03T14:54:00.003-07:00

I love disposable dishes because of their convenience, but in the past 6 months we have tried to reduce our carbon footprint. One of the things to go was the disposables. I use cloth napkins, rags instead of paper towels for cleaning, real plates, cups and silverware for meals. We reduced our trash, reduced shopping and also reduced the amount we used to spend on these things. I find I like soft cloth napkins to wipe my face with and they are much more durable than paper. It took some getting used to at first, but I am developing good habits and saving the earth and money at the same time!

Conquer Clutter: Don't Leave It For Your Kids to Deal With!

2012-02-03T07:36:00.002-07:00

We lived in a 1400 square foot home when I was growing up. Now that I look back, I don't think my father ever got rid of anything. I went to help him clean out the house before he moved, and we filled up a 15 foot long dumpster to the top and still had enough stuff to fill a 2000 square foot home. It was like an adventure going through each closet that was filled to the brim with stuff. At the time, I wasn't as careful about what I threw away because I only had a few days. Now that I look back, I probably threw away things that were worth some money. When I was first married, I also helped an older lady in our church go through stuff before she moved. They were wealthy and had tons of stuff. They had a storage unit for 15 years with stuff in it that they never looked at. I went through some of the stuff, but they ran out of time and her kids just had Goodwill haul it all away. 15 years at 100 dollars a month and they just hauled it all away to charity.

Go through your own stuff and keep it under control so you don't leave a mess for your kids. On the flip side, kids shouldn't expect their parents to hang on to their stuff and clutter their parent's house. When you get married or graduate form college, take your stuff with you. A friend of ours had a daughter who didn't want her stuff she had growing up in her new home because it would make it cluttered. It is your stuff, so take it and do what you want with it. If you don't want it, then give your parents the freedom to dispose of it. Don't expect them to hang on to it.

Conquer Clutter: Are You Making Progress?

2012-02-02T10:10:00.002-07:00

Sometimes when people declutter their home, they just shuffle things from room to room. One room looks good, but all the stuff they got out of that room gets put somewhere else in the house. When you declutter, make sure that you are getting somewhere. If you don't need or use something, sell it or get rid of it, don't just put it in a different place.

Simple Savings: Cut Your Own Hair

2012-02-02T10:05:00.002-07:00

Cutting hair yourself can save you lots of money. I can't say that I enjoy it, but I do enjoy the savings. I only have one child at home now, so sometimes I will get lazy and give her a coupon to get it cut for 5-7 dollars, but they do a good job. My husband, on the other hand, likes me to cut his hair. The money we save can go for a date night that week or be saved towards something we really want. When we had 5 kids at home, it was really worth it to cut everyone's hair myself.

If you don't feel comfortable with your hair cutting skills, find a friend who knows how to and barter. I think bartering should make a come back. Both parties save money and both get something they want if done properly.