Reusable Roundup!

As a frugal mama who also likes to reduce unnecessary waste, I have slowly replaced everything disposable with a reusable option. So far, here is what we use (and reuse)!

 Cloth diapers and wipes. Detailed posts on this coming soon!:

Facial tissues out of cut-up t-shirts that are getting too worn to wear. I found a pretty box from a Christmas present I got this year and cut a hole in the top large enough for us to grab tissues out:

Here they are all washed and ready to use. And oh-so-soft:

 Cloth wipes for messy hands and faces. I just cut flannel receiving blankets into the shape of wipes. I like to use separate wipes from the ones we use for bottoms, so these get thrown in with the regular laundry.

No more paper towels! We still use the occasional paper towel for really gross or greasy messes, but for the most part we use kitchen towels. Some of our kitchen towels are white burp cloths from when the kiddos were babies (think Gerber prefolds- not thick enough to use as diapers, but perfect for the kitchen). We also use smaller washcloth style rags to wipe the counters down after spraying them with vinegar and essential oil. No more expensive clorox wipes or kitchen cleaners! For dirty jobs like floors, bathrooms, and dusting, we have a stash of plain microfiber cloths under the kitchen sink: 

Cloth napkins! I keep these in a basket in the corner of the dining room for easy access. The basket that I got for $1 at Goodwill Outlet. Score! These napkins go with us in school/work lunches, too:

 Good old-fashioned handkerchiefs. Hubby and I both grew up with our Dads using these, so naturally hubby uses them, too. Now when they become threadbare, I sew a few more from a large white sheet that got a hole in it. We won't have to buy hankies for years, now:

 Ok, so I admit this might not be for everyone, but I find them to be comfortable and easy. Cloth pads/liners, which I just throw in with the diaper laundry. No more running to the store at the last minute for unmentionables ;)

Do you have any other items to add to this list? If you do, please share them!

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

My girls and I love to eat oatmeal in the mornings, and we love to try lots of different flavors in it. One of our go-to additions is peanut butter, but this week we went for something fruity. This is a great use for the quick oats and somewhat soft strawberries that we pick up from Gleaner's. It's creamy and tasty, with much more flavor and much less sugar than instant strawberry flavored oatmeal packets.

Want to make some? It's really quick and simple :)

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
1 1/2 C. quick oats
1 1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 C. water
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. butter
1-2 C. chopped strawberries
dash of salt

Throw all the ingredients in a pot over med-high, stirring frequently until creamy and bubbly. You can add any sort of fruit, such as peaches, blueberries, raspberries, etc. Apples or raisins are great with some cinnamon and vanilla, although the apples may need to be sauteed in a little butter first to soften them up. That's it! Amazing oatmeal on a budget. My kids always ask for more, even my picky little 2-year old.

Oh, and I just had to tell you about the amazing deal I got on Spray n' Wash last week. I stopped by Safeway for some drain cleaner and saw that Spray n' Wash was buy 1, get 1 free. In addition to the sale, each bottle had an attached manufacturer's coupon for 50 cents off. I got all these for $1 each, which is great since we get a lot of stains on our clothes with 3 small kiddos in the house.

Expect the Unexpected

I really shouldn't be surprised when God brings things into my life that I've dreamed of. For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of owning a home of my own. That dream might be finally coming true! Last week started as any other week. David was on vacation, but we had no big plans. That is, until his dad called us early in the week. He knew a couple that was getting ready to list their home and said if we liked it, they would sell it to us instead of listing it. And the great part? David's parents are gifting us the money needed for the down payment as an advance on our inheritance, which helps us to get a better interest rate on our loan.

Well, we went to look at it and liked a lot of things about it, so we're working on the buying process right now. We've already signed a sales agreement, and barring anything major on the inspection, it looks like things will go through just fine. The inspection should happen sometime this week, and I'm trying to be patient :).

So, here are some great things about the home:
*It's only about 5 minutes from our current rental home.
*The price is right in our budget. In fact, it's looking like we'll come out $100 a month less than we're paying now, with our money going into our equity instead of somebody else's.
*It's a good size for our family at around 1200 square feet with 3 bedrooms, plus a large, partially finished basement (that we hope to finish in the future).
*Raised flower beds in the front and a huge fenced back yard with 2 small storage sheds, 3 fruit trees, and a great clothesline setup.
*Wood floors that look to be in fairly good shape.
*The bathroom has been updated with tile and a jet tub.
*A wood stove that heats the home well (plus a whole season's worth of wood that they're leaving here). Not only should this save us money on heating, but also on electricity during the cold months since I can easily cook in a dutch oven over the stove.

There are a few things we'll need to work on, but most of them are cosmetic. The kitchen is a bit rough, but we're going to try to do things ourselves. Such as new hardware for the cupboards, replacing the counter top (with something attractive, but not super fancy), and replacing the dishwasher (we saw some good deals on Craigslist). We'll also need to paint throughout the home, as the walls were painted over wallpaper. I'm thinking I'll learn how to apply some texture and then paint over that so we won't be able to see the wallpaper marks any more. I definitely see a lot of potential for a great home.

Also, being that we're going to need a bit of cash for home improvements, I'll be waiting on my hair for a bit. I hope to do it later, but right now we're investing in our family's future. So exciting!

Hooray!

(Photo Credit)
Today is Good Friday. We're having a church service tonight, and I'll be singing on the worship team for that. For me, there is practically nothing I love to do more than sing. But more than anything, today I am praising the Lord for His willingness to die for me. I am so thankful for Him in my life.

Tomorrow morning we'll dress the girls up and take them to an Easter egg hunt at the church. This will be their first egg hunt, so I'm excited to see their little faces. We'll also try do dye some eggs tomorrow afternoon at home.

Something else to "hooray" about is that we got our federal tax return. As a result, in the last week we have:

1) Paid off the credit card
2) Paid off the car loan
3) Put $700 into savings toward an emergency fund

Now if we can keep the debt snowball going, we should have both of our school loans paid off in about 2 years. If I begin working as a doula, it could get done much faster than that. What a great feeling!

Budget Update and Count the Value Month

(Image Credit)
Over the weekend I enjoyed my time at my women's retreat. I have to admit that I wasn't ready to come back to daily life just yet, but I never am after these retreats. They're so uplifting.

Nevertheless, today it's life as usual. I volunteered at Gleaner's this morning in the child care area and ended up taking the kids with me this time. William screamed half the time, as did Charlotte. At least my kids were the only ones in there for most of the time so they weren't really bothering anyone. I'll be heading back there this afternoon to do my shopping, as well as stopping by the bank to get this month's cash out for our envelopes.

Although I haven't turned it in yet, I finished the "Count the Value" sheet that Gleaner's handed out for the month of March. Once a year we count 4 weeks' worth of what we get at Gleaner's and calculate the value. We also add up what we spent on groceries outside of Gleaner's. It's always amazing to see how God provides for us through this program. We got about $200 worth of used clothing and boots and $395 worth of food and household items. We spent $50 out of pocket for our dues, then an additional $115.27 at the grocery store. We actually used up the surplus from the previous month as well due to buying seeds and soil for our container garden, which I'm still hoping gives us a good crop later in the summer, but since that was something other than groceries, I didn't count it in our total. So far, the plants aren't huge, but they're still alive. That's a plus!

Our budget still seems to be going well. Aside from our budgeted cash envelopes, we've only done a few dollars here and there for some dollar burgers on the run, but we've been good at sticking to our plan. The great news is that we're looking to get enough back from taxes to pay off the credit card and the car, plus put some into savings! The only remaining debt we should have are our school loans. If we're able to stick to the current plan, it shouldn't take more than 2.5 years to pay those off, and then we'll be completely debt-free. Oh, and since David and I don't have a "fun" budget, we're also getting some spending money from our tax return, so I'm hoping to get my grain mill after all. I've got a few other ideas, but that's the one I am really excited about. Not only will it be more healthy, it will also save us money on flour since bulk whole grains are much cheaper than bags of flour at the grocery store.

So, that's where we're at on our budget right now. Plugging along and feeling blessed in the process.

Transplanting is fun!

Over the past few days, I've been working on transplanting some of my veggies to larger containers outside. I am putting them out in the sun during the day and moving them back into the garage at night, or if it's too rainy. Here are the brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbage, and onions.

And here are the tomatoes. If they do well, I'll be giving a couple away since we only have room for 2.

These will be kept under the window in the garage with the peppers, which need to stay warm in their mini greenhouse for now. In here I have green bell peppers and jalapenos, both of which are just beginning to sprout.

I've been using mostly Black Gold organic potting soil in my containers.

But when I transplant, I'm adding a layer of organic compost close to the top as my fertilizer, then I am mixing it in with some more of the soil.

The girls had fun running around in the driveway this morning while I worked on getting the onions and tomatoes transplanted. It feels amazing to dig my hands in the dirt and start getting this done. Hopefully all the veggies yield a good crop for us. Even though it's my first year gardening, I'm hopeful that it will go well.

Later today I am going shopping at Gleaner's and then stopping by the grocery store on the way home. We've spent all but about $40 of the grocery and household money for the month. I'm hoping to have a bit left over, but it will depend on what's available today. We've been going through a lot of eggs and fruit lately, so we'll likely be buying more of those in the next week. I'm hoping to place an order with Azure Standard soon, too. That will likely use a lot of April's budget, but you get a lot for your money.

Monday's Munchies
B: Cream of Wheat, fried eggs, and sliced pears.
L: Vegetable, beef, and wheat berry soup with cornbread.
D: Mini flatbread pizzas.

Yesterday's shopping trip with Dorothy

We switched dinner plans up yesterday since we needed to use up the rest of the sauerkraut on some hot dogs and I was already going to the store for some other things. Dorothy was really excited to come to the grocery store with me after David got home from work yesterday. Most of what we got was from WIC checks, but I did pay cash for a few items.

WIC items
2 doz eggs
3 gal 1% milk
1 frozen grape juice
1 frozen apple juice
1 frozen orange juice
1 lb dried lima beans
1 lb cheddar cheese
1 box Kix
1 box rice krispies
3 cans tuna fish
1 can pink salmon
1 jar crunchy peanut butter
1 loaf whole wheat bread
2 bunches bananas
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 lb spinach
8 jars baby food veggies
8 jars baby food fruits
16 jars baby food meats

Cash items
5 lb bag apples and oranges $4.99
1 jar salsa $1.61
2 boxes butter $4.50
1 pkg beef franks $2.96
total $14.06

Since I paid our $50 dues to Gleaner's this week, our total grocery/household out of pocket for this month so far is $64.06. That's amazing for 10 days into the month! We will need to buy some ground beef and turkey ham pretty soon, so that will eat up a chunk of cash. We'd love to start paying up front for some locally raised meats one of these days, such as buying a 1/4 of a cow for the year. You can get decent prices on meat that you know is going to be healthier for your family when you buy it this way. Plus we'll be supporting local businesses, which is awesome.

Thursday's Tidbits
B: Kix and bananas.
L: The girls had hot dogs and apples with peanut butter. I froze the rest of the soup from the other day, but left out a portion for my lunch. As it already had a bunch of cabbage in it, I added some sauerkraut before I warmed it up. It tasted a lot like borscht that way, so I added a scoop of sour cream to it and ate it with a toasted, buttery whole wheat english muffin. I love me some good soup and bread! Mmmmm....
D: Since we had hot dogs and kraut with green beans last night, we'll be having the potato soup tonight. I'm going to use 1/2 the large bag of mashed potatoes for my base, plus some water to thin it a bit. I'll throw in a diced onion, a couple of sliced carrots and stalks of celery, some diced turkey ham from the freezer, and some chopped red potatoes and simmer it until the veggies are tender. We'll top it with sour cream and cheddar.

Coming up on finals week!

My posting might be a little less frequent in the next week and a half or so as I get ready for finals week. When I'm finished with this term, I will have a lot more time for household things and hopefully more time to take breaks for myself. If I don't take care of me, my whole family suffers for it. I'm learning that as wonderful as it is to be selfless and to serve my family, if I am doing too much, I don't have the energy or good attitude to give them what they need. I'm getting really excited for this break from classes. There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to doing this Spring, especially delving into gardening, which I'll be blogging about along the way.

As for this week, I went to Gleaner's on Monday as planned. March is Count the Value month at Gleaner's. For 4 weeks, we've been asked to write down everything we get and estimate the value for each item, as well as note what we spent on groceries outside of the program. This should be a breeze for me since I'm already writing everything down. David and I were having fun the other night figuring out how much each item was worth since he has a bar code scanner app on his smartphone. We were able to scan and get prices for about half of the items we picked up. I had picked up a pair of Danner boots for David for work (they donate returned boots to Gleaner's) and they were brand new! They were perfect for work, all-black, and even still had the paper stuffed inside them from the shoe store. David looked them up online and they were $160 boots. What a blessing! In the past, we've had to put his work shoes on the credit card and pay interest on them for several months. I'm so thankful that we have been given the opportunity to use this amazing program. It is really changing our way of life. Here's what else we got this week:

Gleaner's trip
18 month jammies for William (still looking for a couple more 12 month jammies)
16 oz sour cream
1 block margarine
16 oz cottage cheese
1 veggie pizza from Pizza Hut
3 pieces of sidewalk chalk for the girls
1 banana cake for the freezer
1 pkg frozen mixed veggies
1 box beef taquitos
9 pieces of whole wheat flatbread
1 box cajun stew mix (just add meat)
1 bag green leaf lettuce
4 artichokes!
1 lg papaya
1 box fruit snacks (for potty training treats)
21 oz. grape tomatoes
1 box snack crackers
30 oz tropical trail mix (special helper item for the month)
1 bag natural veggie stix snacks
1 bag Fritos
1 pkg whole wheat english muffins
6 sesame hoagie rolls
26 oz strained tomatoes
6 sodas
10 doughnuts
1 box Tuxedo crackers
plum pudding
1 can organic cream of celery soup
1 carton Second Nature eggs (mostly whites)

I'll be going to Safeway tonight for WIC things and a few other items. One thing I was really pleased about is that our natural gas bill was about $10 lower this month just from using the new water faucet attachments and taking 5-minute showers. Our electric bill was still up there higher than I would like, but once I figure out the line-drying situation, it should go down by quite a bit.

Tuesday's Tasties
B: Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
L: Veggies with ranch dip, crackers, grapes, and cottage cheese.
D: Chicken vegetable soup with cheese breadsticks from the freezer. The soup turned out really good.



Chicken & Cabbage Soup
1/2 lb cooked, shredded chicken (from freezer)
1 small head purple cabbage, chopped
4 small summer squash, sliced
2 cups frozen carrot & green bean mix
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 med onion, diced
1 can organic diced tomatoes, undrained
3 red potatoes, diced
5-6 tsp better than bouillon chicken base
7 cups water
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley

I threw it all in the pot together and simmered it for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Wolf-it-Down Wednesday
B: Scrambled eggs, sliced oranges, and whole wheat english muffins with butter and honey. When the girls finished their food, we shared some maple bars.
L: Leftover soup with buttered whole wheat flatbread.
D: Ham and baked potato soup topped with cheese and sour cream.

Longing for Spring!

March is here and Spring is so close I can't stand it. Spring means Summer is on the way, which means sun and playing outside! The rain and gray skies around here can get to me after a while. I think the kids and I are all ready for some days outside. In thinking about Spring and Summer, there are some things I need (and/or want) to do to get ready.

First of all, I want to get some yard toys for the kids to play with. Dorothy was quick to notice the empty yard when we moved in, so I told her we'd bring over some toys from Grandma's house and maybe try to find some things at a yard sale as the weather gets nicer.

Secondly, I'd like to get an affordable BBQ or grill and some patio furniture. I'm thinking chicken and veggie kabobs on the grill are sounding really good! I'd love to be able to sit outside and enjoy our little back yard this summer.

Third, I want to set up a good sized clothes line to dry on, especially since my indoor rack is broken now. I'm thinking that as long as it's not raining, I can hang the clothes and diapers outside and they'll dry faster. I might just have to read the weather reports more often so I can plan for the (few) dry days we get. I'm still planning on doing some drying indoors once I find a good, durable solution.

Lastly, I am really excited to start reading up on gardening. I want to grow as many veggies as I can, but I've never done it on my own before. I'll be using some containers and possibly a raised bed if the landlords will allow one out front. I'm hoping to start the seeds indoors and transfer them when the time is right. Which, of course, I don't know when that is, so I'll have to learn about that, too. This is something that I want to get the kids involved in, too. They'll really enjoy watching the sprouts grow and change, and I'm sure getting dirty in the mud will be right up Charlotte's alley.

March is our third month using a budget. We should be getting our taxes done soon, with which we hope to get the credit card paid off so we can start working on the car loan. With the rest of it, we are pitching in for a much-needed weekend beach trip in Sept/Oct with David's entire immediate family... his parents, his two brothers, his sister and her husband, their two kids, plus David and I and our three kids. It will be a full house! If there is anything left to work with, I'm wanting to get some stuff to start the garden as well as a grain mill for grinding our own grain for baking. Yum!

For today, I am working on housework. I'm also finishing up decorating the kids' rooms. My mom found some really cute pictures and shelves for both rooms and I can't wait to get them up. William's room will be a real jungle scene when it's done. When David gets home, I'm going to Gleaner's since I was too wiped out to go on Monday. As soon as I get home from that, we're heading out to small group at church. Long, busy day for sure.

Tuesday's Tasties
B: Cereal and peanut butter toast.
L: Chinese noodle stir fry.
D: My mom brought over some rye bread yesterday, so David ran to the store to get some fixins for reuben sandwiches. He even fixed them up for us. What a guy! They tasted great.

Wolf-it-Down Wednesday
B: Cereal, oranges, and peaches.
L: Reuben sandwiches again!
D: I pulled some spanish rice out of the freezer and I'll make some guacamole to go with chips on the side.

Last shopping trip for February

Yesterday morning I got to take a nice, hot bath while David watched the kids. I was able to lay in the tub sipping coffee. I had time to shave my legs, use some shea body butter, and clip and paint my nails. It was really relaxing with the lights off and candles lit, too.

Yesterday was also my last money-spending shopping trip for February (still have a couple of WIC checks), and I am happy to say that there is $89 left in our grocery/household envelope!
Here's what we got yesterday:

Gleaner's
1 bag caesar salad
1 cheese pizza
1 jar beef baby food
2 lbs grape tomatoes
1/2 lb brussel sprouts
1 bag avocados
4 small summer squash
1 mango
lots of bananas!
1 pan freezer brownies
1 lg bag clam chowder
12 individual plain yogurts (I want to use some to make our own yogurt with WIC milk)
3 individual vanilla yogurts (going to the freezer for frozen yogurt)
2 6-packs unsweetened applesauce
1 box natural hummus mix
1 pkg sourdough english muffins
1 pkg whole wheat sandwich flatbread
16 oz organic cottage cheese
32 oz Tillamook sour cream
5 oz shaved asiago cheese
5 oz shredded romano cheese
1 container artichoke & jalepeno dip
16 oz dairy creamer
1 ziplock of cooked, shredded pork (going to the freezer for later use)
1 bag frozen cooked wheat berries
10 whole grain tortillas
1 can organic soy beans
4 oz contact solution
1 bag shredded coconut
1 box Triscuit thins
1 box chinese style noodles
1 jar Better Than Bouillon veg. base
5 cans soda
3 individual bags Pirate's Booty snack
1 bag all natural ginger snaps
reusable lunch bag for hubby
some clothes for William and Charlotte

WIC
3 gal. 1% milk
1 bag frozen cherries
1 bag frozen peaches
1 lb cheddar cheese

Safeway Purchase
cilantro $0.69
brown sugar $1.79
1 canister oats $3.32
1 bag yellow cornmeal $5.12
1 bag raisins $4.49
Total $15.41

I forgot to factor in David's store trip for Valentine's Day when I was adding up totals the other day. That trip was $21.74 in addition to the $121.55 total I originally posted. So, all things combined, we spent an out of pocket total of $158.70 on groceries and household items in February. I also cashed in $2 worth of soda cans to add to the piggy bank. I am planning on starting a separate money market account that I'll deposit the can money and change from cash purchases into. That will sure beat the piggy bank since it will accumulate interest :). Even though it's only a few dollars, it should add up to more that I'm expecting over time. Every bit counts!

When I was on my way to Gleaner's, I decided to stop by Target for some meduim sized glass jars. They were out of the large canisters (I'll be needing at least 5 of those), but I got 4 medium ones with my gift card $ and I still have just over $16 left in gift card $, with which I hope to get some larger containers for my grains and flours. It may not cover all of the cost, but my mom gave me $10 extra for the phone bill this month (she's on our plan) and I'm adding that to my misc. fund that I'll purchase some household items with. I also found another advantage to using cash envelopes... you can save on gas! Several gas stations have a lower price for gas when you purchase with cash. I got gas at the cheapest station I passed for $3.25/gal instead of $3.33. Even the Space Age station I passed before that (they're usually one of the lowest price-wise) was $3.35/gal. You can bet I was happy to be using cash when I bought that gas. I tend to buy in $20 increments and try to drive as little as possible. Any gas money that rolls over into the next month(s) will be used for vacation gas or as additional car maintenance $. So far, this has been working well. One thing we need to change is our electricity use. Our bill was $11 more than I budgeted for this time. I plan on trying to use more natural light during the day and line dry more clothing/diapers whenever possible.

Monday's Munchies
B: Leftover egg scramble and some cornmeal pancakes with molasses.

The girls ate them right down!

L: Shepherd's pie from the freezer.
D: Caesar salad and cheese pizza with the last of the BBQ chicken and some mushrooms, tomatoes, and english cheddar.

Tuesday's Tasties
B: Leftover cornmeal pancakes and bananas.
L: Caesar salad and cheese-toast.
D: Homemade salsa and guacamole to go with black bean and turkey (from freezer) soft tacos on whole grain tortillas. I'll be using grape tomatoes for everything :).

Winco Trip and the Weekend

I've been studying and doing homework all day today since we got home from church. David took the kids so I could have a quiet house. I was able to get all of my homework for the week done today so we can spend the day relaxing and having fun tomorrow (he's off for President's Day!). I need a day to relax, too, so tomorrow should be really nice. I may even get to go to Gleaner's early in the day so dinner won't end up being a rush tomorrow night. Who knows, maybe I'll even take a bath and paint my toenails.

So, on Friday afternoon, I took a quick trip to our local Winco. Their prices are really good and they have a huge bulk section, too. Although I didn't get anything out of their bulk section other than some chocolate chips this time, I now have a much better idea of what I'll be stocking up on when I go there... flours, grains, spices, raisins, nuts, and dried cranberries being some of them.

Here was my tally for Friday's trip:
1 bunch celery $2.07
5 lbs red potatoes $1.98
1 pks sliced mushrooms $1.48
3 lbs onions $1.48
2 lbs carrots $0.88
1.12 lbs chocolate chips $2.32
1 box Tillamook butter $2.28
18 ct. eggs $2.13
1 tub Honey Greek Yogurt $2.50
1 pkg C batteries $3.68
1 pkg. AA batteries $3.68
12 1-pint canning jars for storing baking goods $8.72
Total $33.20

Adding this up with the totals from earlier in the month, our total out of pocket so far for February is $121.55. There is $106 remaining in my envelope (some of that was leftover from last month's budget), but we're coming closer to the end of the month, so we're doing good! I still need some larger canning jars and glass cannisters for the rest of my baking goods and dried beans/peas, but I'm not sure if I'll get those this month or not.

Saturday's Spreads
B: Oatmeal
Snack: I made some ranger cookies just because.

L: BBQ chicken salad pitas (BBQ chicken, onion, celery, and mayo) and butternut squash soup.

D: Not fancy! We had some triscuits with soft blue cheese, leftover whole wheat cornbread, and Top Ramen (I know! So not healthy!). The girls jumped up and down when we told them they could eat pb&j sandwiches (on whole grain bread).

Sunday's Sustenance
B: Homemade granola (Oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sweetened with honey and brown sugar) with honey greek yogurt.

L: Egg scramble with onions, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Topped with some hot sauce and sour cream. Yummo!

D: It's fend for yourself night again, much like last night :). David and the kids are eating at the in-laws' house and I'm making myself a BBQ chicken salad... a spinach salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, and sunflower seeds.

This week's grocery total

Today has been rather successful in spite of my kids having a cry-fest for much of the morning. They're all needing extra love and cuddles today. But I am dressed, the bed is made, my kitchen is clean, 2 loads of laundry are ready to fold, a load of diapers is washed and in the dryer, and I'm getting ready to start lunch. Now, where did I put my patience, Lord?

So far, our grocery & household total spent for the month is $38.35 plus the $50 monthly dues to Gleaner's yesterday. We're 1/3 of the way through the month and have only spent $88.35 of the $200 maximum, but the $38.35 was actually from last month's budget, so we've really only spent just under $50 out of this month's budget.

Weekly Gleaner's Trip
1 loaf wheat bread
1 small container contact solution
16 oz sour cream
8 oz cottage cheese
1 pkg cheese-filled breadsticks
2 med/lg pkgs frozen veggies
1 frozen chicken burger (for David's lunch today)
small pkg herbed mozzarella cheese
small pkg spreadable cheese
2 bagels
1 box gingerbread mix
1 lg can chicken & hominy soup
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch red chard
3 lg potatoes
8 cans diet Pepsi & 8 cans regular Pepsi (lunch drinks for David and I)
1 jar strawberry preserves
2 pkgs chicken/tomato bouillon
2 6-packs unsweetened applesauce
1 box soda crackers
2 bags tortilla strips
2 bags organic blue corn tortilla chips
6 bags tea
1 bag chili powder
1 box instant strawberry oatmeal
6 glazed doughnuts (treat with our coffee in the morning)
6 lg sheets paper (using for art to cover the mirror closet doors in the girls' room)
3 small bags Pirate's Booty & 2 small bags Fritos (David's snacks for work)
1 bag shredded coconut
4 rolls toilet paper
from the clothing area: 3 shirts and a jacket for myself! They're all really cute, too :)

Thursday's Tidbits
B: Eggs, toast, and frozen grapes (yum!)
L: I'll have another burger and some spinach and the girls will have the chicken & hominy soup with sour cream and organic blue tortilla chips with a side of applesauce.
D: Chicken & veggie stir fry with brown rice.

Who says you can't be productive in your jammies?

Today might seem like a lazy day, since we're all still in jammies, but I'm actually getting some stuff done. The kitchen has been cleaned, dishwasher loaded, a load of diapers washed, breakfast made, several diapers changed, and I am currently working on browning some ground turkey for tonight's dinner. Later I will try to get the bulk of my Spanish homework done and maybe sort a box or two that still needs to be unpacked. Oh, and getting dressed might be good, too ;).

Tuesday's Tasties
B: David had oatmeal. The girls had the remaining pancakes as well as some bananas and applesauce. I ate two eggs, some toast, and a banana.
L: David took a dollar to get a sandwich, plus he'll have fruit (they keep fruit at the office for people to snack on). The girls and I will have tuna melts. I'm also going to steam some peas.

D: Soft Tacos. We're using our whole grain tortillas. In the crockpot, I'll cook some black beans with the ground turkey I browned up this morning. This evening, I'll quickly simmer the meat/bean mix with some costco taco seasoning. That stuff is tasty, and a big container of it lasts us a long time! I'll use some salsa fresco I got free with a coupon from Safeway, plus some cheese, tomato, and spinach. We'll top them with sour cream. Yummo!


Budget wise, David's family ended up helping out with dinner last night so we didn't have to dip into our grocery money. I am also only 7 Swagbucks away from another $5 Amazon gift card toward Christmas, which I should be able to get today (plus a bit). Yeah!

Small Grocery Trip Tally

This morning my mom came over to watch the kids while I took a quick trip to Safeway. Thanks, mom! In addition to my WIC checks, I had a few things on my list that we're running low on. Since my husband works for Safeway, we get an additional 10% off of the store brand products, which makes it a bit more affordable to shop there. I also think it's good to support my husband's business whenever I can. Generally, I try to stick to sale items and/or Safeway brand products. Here's what I picked up (linked to The Grocery Cart Challenge):

WIC Checks
2 Gallons 1% milk
1 lb cheddar cheese
1 lb great northern beans
2 dozen eggs
3 cans frozen apple juice
1 bunch bananas
3 roma tomatoes
1 bag yellow onions
36 oz brown rice
1 box quaker oat squares
1 box honey bunches of oats
1 jar peanut butter

Safeway purchases w/grocery budget cash
1 jug Safeway canola oil 2.69 (reg. 4.19)
1 40 oz jug Safeway honey 8.54 (reg. 9.49)
1 box Safeway facial tissue 1.43 (reg. 1.59)
1 jug Safeway dish gel 3.14 (reg. 3.49)
Safeway oxygen pro ("oxyclean") 3.14 (reg. 3.49)
Shout stain remover economy refill jug 6.99
1 lg bag Safeway frozen corn 1.79 (reg. 1.99)
1 lg bag Safeway frozen broccoli 1.79 (reg. 1.99)
1 box Lucerne butter 3.14 (reg. 3.49)
1 value package Safeway chicken thighs 5.60 (reg. 7.30)
total spent: $38.25

The cash I spent today was from last month's grocery/household budget due to the fact that I haven't been able to make it to the bank to make my cash withdrawal for the month. I had $52 remaining from my original $150. I always put our coins in a piggy bank along with pop can money, with which I'd like to start another savings account. The cash goes back in the envelope, so now I have $13 remaining. I will let additional cash build up for larger items like laundry soap or stocking up on good sale meats. So far, I feel like our budget is going really well!

Monday's Munchies
B: Pancakes from the rest of the mix that was in the cupboard. The girls also wanted some sliced oranges.
L: Top Ramen stir fry. I used about 1 C. of a huge bag of frozen stir fry veggies I got at Grocery Outlet for only a few dollars. I added 1/2 c. water and the oriental seasoning packet and simmered the veggies until they were pretty well cooked. Then I crushed the noodles and added them to the mix, stirring and cooking until tender. Lastly, I cracked two eggs into the pan and stirred until the egg was cooked thoroughly. It was enough to feed the girls and I with a bit left over and hardly cost anything to make!
D: David's aunt and uncle are in town for a few days and it looks like the family will be going out to eat tonight. I believe we're going to a Mexican restaurant, so it should be easy enough to keep things affordable. I don't know yet whether his parents will help out with the cost or if we'll pull it from the grocery budget. We'll likely bring snacks and water for the kids so their dinner will be light. Normally going out to eat will not be a part of our budget, but we want to be able to spend time with everyone, so we'll work it out somehow. Family first :).

Thankful for Friday!

I didn't get around to writing yesterday since I was feeling under the weather and William cried most of the day. Both he and Charlotte seem to be getting a bit of a croupy cough. Such is life during the winter. It's definitely better since they've stopped going to day care, but being in the church nursery still gets them sometimes. Now that I'm home, though, it's not as stressful (other than less sleep for everyone). I'm thankful to be able to just be with them. William and Charlotte both ended up in our bed for the second part of the night... and to be honest, I love it. It's so sweet to wake up to Charlotte stroking my face saying "nose" or William snuffling around in search of milk. I feed him and kiss his soft little head often when he sleeps next to me, and I find that having him nurse frequently when he's getting croupy keeps him calm and his airways more relaxed, so we avoid the breathing treatments he had to get when he was 3 months old. They seem to be feeling pretty good this morning other than some stuffiness. I plan on doing basic housekeeping things today... wash a load of diapers, wash and fold some clothes, do dishes, and try to clean the bathroom. This afternoon I will be putting in my volunteer hours at Gleaner's for the month. I'm signed up to work the first Friday of each month from 3-5/5:15 in the child care area. David will keep our kids today, so there will be 3 fewer children ;).

On the topic of our budget, I have begun selling some books on cash4books.net. I sold some textbooks for $118 and am also selling 2 more to Powell's for $10, which is better than the $0 the college bookstore was offering me! I'm not quite sure where I will apply the cash we make from books yet. We're trying to pay off debt and build an emergency savings, so perhaps we should split the money between those two things so we can be closer to both our goals. We have very limited shelf space for books, and many boxes of books in the garage. We'll only be keeping the ones we know we'll be wanting around long-term (ones we'll be likely to use often). And those that we can't sell will likely be donated to Gleaner's. This is going to be quite a long process, but my goal is to get through one box of books a week until they've all been gone through.

I did manage to go through the art supplies yesterday. It didn't take long at all since most of it was in bins already. I just needed to add a couple of medium totes; one each for beads & string and magazines & clippings. In addition, I put the excess crayons & watercolors in a small tote. I moved all of the arts supplies to the coat closet shelf, but my painting things, canvases, and larger drawing pads are in under-the-bed totes in our room. I think it will work well that way. Soon I need to make a batch of homemade playdough for the girls since their playdough is pretty dry and hard to work with now. Once that is done, our craft area will be completed. I also need to organize our office supplies, which are going to go in a stand-alone shelf unit that is in the kitchen/dining area. It has a child-locked door and doubles as a counter for our toater and breadmaker. The art supplies used to live there, but I find them easier to access in their new location. I love getting things done!

Thursday's Tidbits
For our meals yesterday...
B: English muffins with peanut butter and honey, plus some kiwi fruit and grape juice from WIC.
L: Spanish rice with sour cream and plain yogurt with blueberries and a sprinkle of sugar for the girls. David took spanih rice as well. I had the rest of the au gratin potatoes and sauteed half of the snap peas with olive oil and garlic.
D: Shepherd's pie.

Friday's Feasts
B: Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins for the girls. I had eggs and the last blueberry bagel.
L: Shepherd's pie
D: Fish fillets I have in the freezer still. They're tilapia, and I think I will bake them with some lemon pepper and dill. We'll also have the tomato, veggie, and orzo side dish.

Birthday Bedding Set

I celebrated my 30th birthday just over a week ago, and was lucky enough to get a bit of cash and some gift cards as well. I got $50 from my mom, which I used to buy a gorgeous bedding set that came with 2 shams, 3 decorative pillows, a dust ruffle, and a comforter. My Grandma gave me $20, so with that I got a queen sized sheet set. The silver in it looks like it was part of the bedding set even though they weren't the same brand. They look great together, and it feels like our room decor is really coming together.


With the rest of my money and gift cards, there are a few more household items I would like to get that we wouldn't ordinarily have money for: decorative shelves and frames for the kids' rooms, new bathroom cup/toothbrush holder/etc, coconut oil for making lotions and other body products, and a new belt for myself, since my current one has just about bit the dust.

Our budget is going well. February will be our first full month using the cash envelope system. We're also coming up a bit ahead from what I estimated our natural gas bill would be. January's bill was $81 instead of $90, although electricity was $63 instead of $60. But we're still coming out slightly ahead overall. We ordered a free water conservation kit from the Portland Water Bureau. It turns out that any customer of the water bureau can order this kit. So far, we have installed the water saver shower head, kitchen sink faucet head, and the 5-minute shower timer. We're also going to use a bag they sent that you can fill with water and attach to the inside of the toilet tank, which cuts down on how much water the toilet uses with each flush. These things should not only help lower our water bill and help the environment, but the faucet heads will also help with the gas bill since our water heater runs on gas. I've also started rinsing dishes in cold water instead of hot because our dishwasher seems to clean the dishes really well so far. Next on the list is to invest in some compact florescent light bulbs in our high-use areas. I can't wait to see those pennies and dollars start falling off the bills!

On the home front with the kids, life is busy! William is Mr. Fussy Pants lately. He cries a lot unless he is nursing or being held (mostly the nursing). I have a feeling he might be teething, but it's hard to tell. His fussiness makes getting even small things done around the house a huge challenge. As organized and clean as I like to keep my house, it's hard to sit there with a fussy baby, but I am trying to soak in all the cuddles I can while he still likes them. It's so sweet when he nestles his little head into my shoulder. I can't believe he's almost 6 months already.

Charlotte just turned two in January, and she seems to be interested in potty training. She's gone a couple of times, but mostly she just likes to run around nakie and sit on her potty a lot. Today she wore panties for a while, but promptly peed in them and came to tell me it was messy. But we're on the way, which I am thrilled about.

Dorothy is really seeming to need some structure, so I am going to be looking at preschool curriculum. I have a feeling she is going to love it.







Tuesday's Tasties
B: The girls each had 3 of the mini cups of yogurt with some cheerios. I had a toasted blueberry bagel with peanut butter and honey. We all had milk to drink.
morning snack was some more chips and guac, which both girls loved. I also sent hubs to work with some guac and a bag of chips to share.
L: Spanish rice from last night, topped with sour cream. The girls and I shared the strawberries (about 1/2 lb ended up being really good).
D: I am going to bake the breaded chicken breasts. On the side we'll have the bagged salad mix and mashed potatoes and gravy. I may also saute a few brussel sprouts that I picked up at Gleaner's last week. They're really good with olive oil, garlic, and salt. But then, so are most things!

Goal Setting

I earned another $5 Amazon card from Swagbucks yesterday. That combined with my previous $5 gift card and the deal they had the other day to pay $10 for a $20 gift card means that I now have $30 towards Christmas shopping already! And it's not even a month into the year yet. To be honest, I never thought ahead to plan for Christmas. Which is funny because I am always making lists and plans. In the past, I have had good intentions of getting started early, but it just never happened. Well, this year it's happening and it feels great. And empowering.

In fact, I have many hopes and plans for this year.

*Make more things from scratch. For instance, why buy pancake mix when I can make killer, fluffy, whole-grain pancakes for a lot less? Why buy boxed mac and cheese when I can bake a savory homestyle mac and cheese with simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand?

*Start using more healthful and natural options for cleaning our home and our bodies. If I have to hold my breath while I'm cleaning to avoid coughing, then is it really something I should be spraying into the air to begin with? Probably not! I'm finding that for most things, wiping it down with water does the trick. I've also heard that vinegar is great for disinfecting, so I may use a combo of that and baking soda for the dirtier jobs (like the bathroom). I still haven't found a natural option for our cloth diapers that keeps them stink free... I keep going back to the Tide. Any suggestions?

*Stick to our budget and get out of debt. I am really liking the cash envelope for our budgeting system. It's working awesome for me so far, although I think that David might be having a bit of a hard time adjusting to it. It's hard to remember to grab a $20 for gas when we're so used to waiting until the last minute and then pulling out a card. The plus side is that I have cut out all impulse shopping. Like that quick trip to the coffee shop has been replaced with brewing coffee every morning and adding a scoop of hot chocolate. I got a huge can of cocoa for $5 at Costco, and if I want it creamier, I just add some milk or creamer. That can should last me a long time and it tastes just as good to me as buying a mocha. Only it feels even better because I have a goal to look forward to.

*Seek God's direction on where to go with my schooling, doula business, and/or finding ways to make money from home. This is one area I where I just don't know how to proceed. I finished my associate's degree last month with a 4.0, which I am extremely proud of. I am taking a bit of a break right now, as it was just getting to be too much with the cost of day care. Not to mention the stress of too much homework and having to scramble for backup care when the kids were sick. Which, when they were in day care happened quite a bit. As in, every week one of them had something. I am really enjoying being home with the kids and I would love to find something that I could do from home to bring in some income.

Budget Overhaul

We normally stick to a pretty tight budget. To help us make it on one income, we recently joined Gleaner's again when we moved into our new place. One of the requirements when a couple rejoins is that they are required to take a Good Sense budgeting class. The program is based on biblical principles, but if that's not your thing, you can still use the steps to overhaul your budget. Here are some of the basic steps ....

First, we must admit that our culture's view on money and possessions is contrary to what the Lord wants for our lives. Our money is God's. He simply gives it to us so that we can bless others. We need to be responsible with every decision we make, even if it is an *insignificant* purchase in our eyes.

Then, we look at the five areas when it comes to finances. A wise spending plan will help us do well in all of these areas.

1. Earning: Serve the Lord in your work. Be diligent, faithful, and grateful for what He has given you through your job. Then calculate how much you (and/or your partner) earn per month in Net (take-home) pay when starting your budget.

2. Giving: God wants us to generously give! This has been a difficult one for us, since we live on such a tight budget. One thing that helped me is that during our first session, the speaker told us not to get hung up on the 10% tithe at this point. Since most of the people in the class were in tough situations, the goal is to get to where we CAN tithe, and even give beyond that. But that is the eventual goal, not the short-term one. Just start with what you CAN give. For us, this is $40 a month. $20 goes toward a missionary couple and $20 goes toward our church. I know it's not a lot yet, but God will still take that money and use it. Above all, don't get bogged down by guilt!

3. Saving: This is money we keep, not money we give up! Compounding interest works for us if we set money aside each month. First, we need to focus on emergency savings. This should be equal to 3-6 months of basic living expenses, such as housing, food, and transportation. The second type of savings s for replacement. Think of larger purchases that are upcoming (such as a car, a roof, an appliance, etc) and save for them over time instead of putting them on a credit card at the time. The third type of savings is long-term savings for retirement. In all these areas, start with what you CAN do right now. The amount will increase as debts get paid off or as your income increases.

4. Debt: Try the debt snowball! List your debts in order from smallest to largest. Make minimum payments on all the debts except the smallest one. Put as much extra into that payment as you possibly can. As soon as you pay off the smallest debt, roll that payment on top of the minimum payment for the next debt. Do the same thing for the next debt when the second one is paid off. Your payment will keep snowballing until all of your debts are paid off. Do not take on any new debt! Instead, allow interest to work for you. If putting extra money toward paying off debt means eating rice and beans and cutting out movies, going out, and gifts, then so be it. Being debt free is worth it :). We've cut back all expenses that we can. Gifts are down to $15/month, plus the gift cards I earn from Swagbucks. Our entertainment is Netflix at the $10/month plan. This allows for streaming and one mailed disk at a time. I have cut out the data plan on my phone. We use cloth diapers on the two younger kids (which I actually love, for the record. I think they're convenient and adorable). We're going to get creative for dates and family time, including tent camping for vacations.

5. Spending: Make a plan and stick to it. For all variable expenses, consider using an envelope system with cash. We have envelopes for the following: groceries, household, gas, oil/maintenance, gifts, and medical/dental/prescription. As debt is paid off, we will try to add envelopes for things like clothing, vacation, hobbies, etc. Right now, we're bare bones as far as budget goes. And we're still extremely blessed! We really don't need anything beyond what we have now. Be thrifty! If you need something, God provides a way.

Those are just some of the basics of budgeting that we've learned in our class. I'm really excited to put this into practice. If nothing in our budget changes, we'll have all our debt (including student loans) paid off within just under four years! In actuality, it should be even sooner than that. Our tax return is going to likely pay off our first two debts, leaving only the student loans for us to pay. My hope is to earn a bit through becoming a doula. I will likely only do two births a month or so, but any little bit puts us that much closer to being out of debt and saving for the future. And that much closer to being where God wants us to be as a family. I hope you'll be just as excited as I am!