Planning more mindfully

In my quest to save money and live more frugally I have come up with a handful of solutions I have committed to my journal to start implementing.

~Buy more sales and bulk , preferable bi-weekly on pay week
~Purchase meats or supplies that will get us more than one meal
~When preparing meals always try to prepare two , one to eat and one to freeze for the following week
~Make all cookies from scratch and make a triple batch, roll the cookies and freeze individually then put in freezer bags to pull out--try to accomplish this "baking day" on Saturdays
~Use the co-op I belong to for spice orders, try to grow as many for this seasons harvest for drying for during the year
~Put the food money in a ziploc bag and take it from there (using the debit card is too easy!)

So there:-) a little start and my wheels are still churing and I am taking a moment here and there to check out frugal living blogs to glean some good ideas. Have a great tip? Do share!

Strategies for Simplifying

I spent alot of time yesterday trying to figure out where all the money is going and where we can make some cuts. In the process the good Lord revealed to me I have become quite lazy--OUCH!Armed with information I will cut our cable , that will save almost $60 per month and if I discontinue the landline service another $45 per month. I need to call the cell carrier and see if I can have my plan go on an as needed basis and that will determine which phone takes the hit. The cell phone is $60.per month. The biggest expenditures are our fuel and food. Since hubby has to get to work his weekly fuel of $80-90 can't be tweaked too much but mine can. I need to stop the sporadic trips to "pick this up" and become alot more organized in planning my weekly shopping and errands. I need to practice more hospitality and invite friends here for fellowship. I live a bit out of the way but I can extend the offer and cut down my time out. I need to learn to be more content with my home surroundings. I love the above picture , it looks like my countertop which really brings me alot of joy.

I will be more responsible in getting the wash on the line and not touch that dryer! Sun kissed laundry is the best and if I pay closer attention to the weather reports I can get the clothes on the line and not worry about rain. I will also try that homemade soap I have seen on the internet. Angie has what I think is a good one so I will give it a go. I don't pay alot for laundry detergent as I buy it in the bulk size at BJ's but I will try this one and do a cost comparison. Definitely better on the environment. Besides laundry billowing on the line is a pretty site I think:-)

I need to really take stock of my cupboards and cut our food bill down---way down. I do prepare most foods from scratch but I have become lazy and bought some box mixes and baking items. Get out my grinder and Bosch and make my breads and goodies. It does take more time but the benefits are healthier and tastier. Stockpiling the kitchen, see if I can shop sales of items we use in the area of meats and cheeses. I need to come up with lunches that don't use the expensive lunchmeats.

Get the etsy shop going by spending my available time in pursuit of sewing and designing . Stop any impulsive tv watching such as cooking shows! With the cable out I will be less tempted at night to watch Marth clips on demand and get to my sewing and needlework to create items to help bring in some income.

I also need to make plans to get my female goats a sweetheart. I am not a lover of goats milk or cheese but I do love the soap. If I use the milk to make soap I could sell that too or use it as gifts. My husband and I also discussed the need to share our simplicity goals with family and ask that birthday, anniversary and holiday gifts be at a minimum. To consult is on gifts for the children as we really need them to receive useful and fun items but not gifts to encourage laziness or appetities we consider undesirable.

Well, enought for now. I will be posting this journey on the blog so I can track progress. And I welcome any help in this area if you have some frugal living tips to share:-)

Simplify, simplify

I do love this picture but, no, you won't find me on the porch with wash basins doing the laundry. You will however, find me very much trying to simplify my home. I spent over $200 dollars this week at the grocery store and it cost me over $70 to fill up my car alone. The fuel prices are almost at $4.0 a gallon and no cap is in site, unfortunately. I do believe alot of families are in the same boat. I need to really take stock of our habits here and make some changes. I think some laziness has crept in and I have not been running as tight a ship as I should! So, some goals for the week:

~Make a new budget and figure out where costs can be cut
~Prioritize time out and errands, can I do them in one day?
~Check the pantry shelves and baking cabinet
~More scratch baking and cooking, perhaps start stockpiling items more often
~Develop recipes that call for less meat while satisfying my husband who loves meat and potatoes
~Check out electric usage
~Can we stop cable and save money there and on a landline and go just cell phone
~Finish the garden so we may have produce this summer and fall--more squashes!
~Homeschool planning...find best prices on what I need for the coming school year, can I borrow or trade
~Check out some other blogs that promote simple living to glean ideas
~Get the etsy shop stocked ---use all available nighttime hours to sew

Well. that is it to start I suppose, I will tackle a few goals daily and see if I can arrive at some answers but what I do know is we can't keep staying afloat in the current situation comfortably.

Preparation

I have a very busy day today. I need to finish and tweak my talk for the ladies brunch tomorrow at church on "A Ladies Noble Calling to be the Heart of the Home". There will be over 100 ladies and daughters there! I am also on the baking committee for the breakfast so am off to buy the ingredients to make it all today so I can just reheat in the am. I am making my Blueberry Cottage French Toast Strata, two vegetable quiches and a cranberry/orange bread. Thank you to all who sent me a quote or story to help with my talk. If you think of it please pray that my message will be well received or at least hearts will be open to what I am speaking about. Sadly, today, the world doesn't value being a Keeper At Home and our daughters are not offered the option to have this be their vocation. I hope to give ladies another way to look at preparing our daughters for God's calling according to Scripture:-)

Enjoy your weekend and see you back on Monday!

Simple Luncheon

It's a pleasure to be able to serve a delicous lunch to my family. Being a SAHM has this benefit. I delight in setting the table so it is pleasing to the eye. Those lovely flowers were a Mother's Day gift from daughter #2. I made a salmon and corn chowder and it was voted delicous unamimously. We have had a bit of rain and chilly temps here so the soup and hot rolls were just what we needed. Here is the receipt:

SALMON AND CORN CHOWDER

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion , chopped

3 med red potatoes, about 1 lb cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, if frozen do thaw

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp paprika

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper , to taste

filet of salmon skinned, 1.5 lbs. cut into 1-2 inch pieces

juice of one lemon

1-2 tablespoons fresh dill

1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Add onion and potato and cook , stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. Add broth, and bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until potato is tender.

2. Stir in corn and add next 4 ingredients ; return to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add salmon, and simmer 4 minutes or just until fish flakes. Add lemon juice and fresh herbs and season with additional S&P and herbs to taste if desired. Garnish with a sprig of dill and serve hot.

We had 6 very good bowl fulls with about enough for three more bowls to enjoy tomorrow. Whoever gets to them first that is!

Shop Update May 22nd!

I have been sewing my little heart out here to add some very adorable (in my humble opinion;-) girlie thingies and imaginative play items. All handmade and embelished. Stop by on May 22nd to see!

Clothing Necessities

As the seasons change one must give thought to the childrens clothing and its appropriateness for the season. For Spring here is a list of what each child needs to accomodate each day filled with play, work, church and gatherings. Our world today has fed us the false notion we need a closet and bureau full of clothes to "get by". Not true. If we are faithfully taking care of the laundry and checking regularly for stains or mending the following list should be sufficient to last the season.

For Girls:
Two pairs of jeans (we call them work pants:-)
Two pairs of lightweight pants
Three pairs of shorts
Four short sleeve shirts
Two long sleeve shirts
Two dress blouses (white)
Four jumpers or casual dresses
Two skirts
Bathing suit
5 pairs of daily socks and underwear
2 pairs of dressy socks
2 sweatshirts or sweaters
1 outerware jacket
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of sandals
1 dress shoe

For Boys:
3 pairs jeans
2 casual khakis or dockers
4 pairs of shorts
4 pairs t-shirts short sleeved
2 t-shirts long sleeved
3 casual dress shirts, short sleeved
2 sweat shirts
1 jacket outerware
5 pairs day socks and underwear
2 pairs dress socks
bathing suit
1 hiking boot
1 sneaker
1 sandal

I collect old homekeeping books and thought this list was very interesting compared to what we feel we need today;-)

Laundry List for Family of Four and Two Servants
~ A Fortnight's Wash, Circa 1880
~~from Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping

20 pairs colored wool stockings
20 neck cloths and collars
8 nightcaps
5 cambric gowns
6 flannel petticoats
5 colored calico gowns
30 shifts
8 pinafores
2 cotton nightcaps
4 pairs drawers
12 table napkins
4 breakfast tablecloths
4 pillow cases, fine
2 kitchen tablecloths
6 dusters
4 knife cloths
3 pairs common sheets
7 silk hankerchiefs
20 white cotton hankerchiefs
4 frilled collars and tuckers
2 muslins
2 pair white woolen stockings
2 flannel waistcoats
26 pairs cotton stockings
2 coats
2 pairs trousers
10 white shirts
4 fine tablecloths
4 tray cloths
2 pairs fitted sheets
20 towels
6 glass and 8 kitchen cloths
4 kitchen hand cloths
3 coarse pillowcases