Frugal -- Cheap -- You decide

So, I'm always looking for ways to cut my big costs down.  As my kids get older and eat more and their acitvities cost more, I'm looking for ways to cut out excess but still provide a wonderful life.  Here are a few ideas that I've tried lately!

Shopping... One of my big methods is to stay out of the stores!  The longer I can wait, the better I do.  I've attached a magnetic pad of paper to my refrigerator and I'm training everyone in the house to write down what we need.  Then, when I do head into a store I can choose to pick up the items if they are a great price, or I can choose to wait for another time.

Cash... I'm also trying to use more cash when shopping... it makes me more accountable to my budget.

In the kitchen... with the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm right now, I don't want anything to go to waste.  We have some wonderful tomatoes that were beginning to go bad.  Instead of letting them continue to rot, my friend told me about freezer pasta sauce.  I gave it a try... it is so easy!  {Olive oil and garlic in a pan, huge chunks of tomatoes, seasoning and let cook down for about an hour and a half. When finished puree and freeze.} I've made several batches and even purchased more tomatoes so that we will benefit from our homemade sauce for several months.

I also picked blackberries at my sisters house {for free!}  I brought home a huge bowl and got to work making jelly.  My husband kids are not fans of seeds, so I spent time straining the seeds from the blackberries, but it wasn't too much work and they will all be happy.  The kids even helped with a few batches which gave them pride and satisfaction of making something for our family.

{With my thought of being frugal I also want to provide healthy meals for my family... I don't know that my tomato sauce adventure is really frugal... I'm sure I could find sauce with coupons and on sale for much cheaper, however, my sauce is full of other "stuff"... however, I may have thrown in some eggplant and such :)}

How cute is Phinneous!??!?!

My supplies

Finished product

Laundry... I do massive amounts of laundry! I've seen recipes for making laundry soap and decided to give it a try.  I made the liquid soap with the kids... we had a great time and it didn't take too long.  I started using it yesterday and I must say it smells good and our clothes look clean, so I must declare it's working.  I'm keeping track of the number of loads of wash I'm able to do.  The supplies cost me about $6 and I'm told it should do 576 loads of laundry... so cool!!!





What ideas do you have?

The coupon craze...

So, I'm reading blogs, printing coupons, organizing them {{ha}}, reading books, more blogs, watching video posts, etc.  I think it all comes down to what works for me!!! I'm not exactly sure what that looks like... yet... but I'm getting there.

I think I'm going to try the "shop with cash & a calculator" method... could be interesting.  I've noticed that there are certain items I buy in which there are so many coupons it is just WRONG if I purchase them without saving any money... yogurt, cereal, etc.

I've also been reading more about cooking ahead and freezing meals.  I believe this is going to be essential in my life.  My boys are eating... a LOT!  And they want food... snacks are not cutting it.  I think I'd like to implement a day of cooking... I don't think once a week is realistic for my life, but every 2 weeks I'm envisioning spending a day in the kitchen... prepping.

Any ideas?!?!?

"Home-made" Pizza

Some of us love pizza, some of us don't... but we eat what's put on the table.

We've discovered the joy of making our own pizza... don't get too excited, I still buy pre-made crust. Our favorite is this... and I wish it came it whole wheat... I do want to try to make my own crust, but in the meantime we'll stick with this. (Best price Winco $1.58)

I topped it with 1/2 cup of sauce (I used Classico red sauce).

Pre-shredded Mozzarella and Colby Jack Cheese.

Half the pizza I covered in pepperoni.

The other half I covered in mild italian sausage (precooked... I used the pampered chef meat tool to get it nice crumbled) and black olives (which Pepe chopped for me using the pampered chef food chopper).

Baked for 13 minutes on my pizza stone and it was fabulous! The entire pizza was gone :)

We had a green salad made with butter-leaf lettuce, cucumber, red pepper and avocado.

A scrumptious family meal for a few dollars and a lot of taste and fun.

Do you have one yet?

REVOLUTIONARY!

After many of my friends had recommended it, I caved today and purchased the Shark at Costco. This is awesome!

- I was able to put it together by myself!
- I quickly swept/vacuumed
- Plugged in the shark and went to town.
- I did my hardwoods and then moved right to the tile -- I didn't change anything... just kept mopping.

My floors look great and they feel clean!

Link-up :: The Simple Things

We were at the mountain, playing and enjoying the snow... the kids were screaming with delight with each sledding adventure down the hill... then I heard the soft sound of bells. I turned and saw these beautiful Clydesdale horses pulling the carriage... it was simple and magical.

I *love* this... who's joining me?

Has anyone done this?

I think it's genius!

40 bags in 40 days Challenge

The gist of it: During Lent (40 days) rid your house of 40 bags of stuff...things you don't love, don't use, junk, accumulated stuff, clutter, garbage.

Who's joining me? This is really motivating me... happy bagging!

shhhh :: Don't Tell

It's Friday morning and my Friday's are always planned for me. I am either
a) in Baby' Girls Kindergarten class (they meet every-other Friday) or
b) I'm in my own classroom prepping for the upcoming weeks.



Today was suppose to be a Kindergarten day, however, Pepe is home with an ear infection. He's been on meds for over 24 hours, but is still experiencing pain. (Or he's doing a really good job pulling one over on me.)



So, now I've canceled the Kindergarten morning and I'm just at home. I feel like I'm hiding... sneaking from someone or something. I'm going to "pretend" like I am in Kindergarten and work on my action research proposal. I've not had a chance to work on it all week and I need to have the rough draft finished NOW. (I've found that I am so exhausted in the evenings, that I'm no prodcutive in this class at all. I have to save my work for day-time hours -- which I don't have many of.)



So, between my proposal and laundry (thought I'd go ahead and get a weekend jump on it), I will be busy for the next few hours.


Happy Friday!

What Not to Wear...

I'm sure you've seen the show... Clinton... Stacey... the fashion police.

My wardrobe is not so good, but fine for me. I teach preschool... a t-shirt, my dockers and I'm good to roll. My teaching partner Miss S (whom loves all things fashion), volunteered to go through my closet and help me pull things together.

Now this is where I am so sad that I didn't grab the camera!

She had a hard time believing me when I'd tell her how small my wardrobe and closet is. She saw it with her own two eyes tonight with the comment... "What do you mean you gave your husband the biggest part of the closet?!?!"...

What can I say... he has more clothes than me.

So, first I had to pull everything out of the closet and we went through all of it with a big, black garbage bag (it really felt like What not to Wear). I got rid of everything that didn't fit or that I didn't love... I mean everything!!!! I filled the entire bag.

Then, we organized into piles... casual/preschool clothes, dressy clothes and sweaters/jackets.

Next, everything went back into the closet. This is where I had to think. I had to decide how it made the most sense to hang my clothes. I've always hung everything by color, but decided to try something new. I put all of my casual clothes together by color with my casual jackets/sweatshirts next to them. My fancy shirts by color with my skirts next to them. I hung my pants and dresses together.

It looks really great and I can see everything. Miss S has a list of a couple of basics that I need to add back in... or in other words... go shopping!

When we get together again, we are going to put some outfits together, including accessories.

I am so thrilled with the time she gave me. But, I was even more thrilled with her honesty. She wasn't afraid to talk about the shape of clothes that work best on me. EVERYONE should go through this process... it was great.

Now... when do I get hair and makeup?!?!?!!

Coupon Codes

I realized the other day that my calendar would run out after July... time to search for a new one. I found one that looked promising, and decided to buy it. When I went to purchase, I was going to be charged $15 for ground shipping... WHAT?!?!?!? Ridiculous.

So, I kept looking. I ended up finding the same calendar on TinyTruffles.com (it's a mom calendar... which makes me cringe slightly). I bought the refill version because it come spiral bound and I don't need fancy, just doable (it gets tossed in my purse, etc). So, I checked out and saw that shipping was $5... then, I noticed the coupon code and thought... "if there is a coupon spot, there must be one out there somewhere"... I quickly googled the coupon code and tried it... guess what... I saved myself 10% off of my order!!!!

Hopefully, after all of this I will like the calendar that arrives. I have three kids schedules (and you know how I enjoy them being kept busy), my work schedule, my school schedule and hubbies schedule... not to mention the "life in general" schedule. I'll let you know how it works out.
Oh, the point of this... ALWAYS check for a coupon code before checking out... you never know what you'll find!

Sunny Monday - Gladitudes!!

Thought I'd join in...

1. Grateful for 12 years of marriage and ready for many more (we've been together for 15 years; yikes!)


2. Three kids that got along beautifully on an awesome 80 degree spring day! They built a shade fort for resting.

3. Hoops (especially the ones that go in)
4. Concentration (see that tongue)
5. Cooperation6. Water



7. Homemade chicken stock (watch-out Martha) -- can't find my photo... just use your imagination!


8. Lemonade :: fresh squeezed from Myers lemons (YUM!)



9. The support and means to be going to school to attain my Masters degree... it is sometimes very difficult to have a 'glad' attitude about homework -- especially with three active kiddos.

10. A day of family fun and relaxation.

Weekend Happenings

...edited to add pictures...

1. Found the site 24/7 moms (see button on side and click to view)... looks like it should be a good one.

2. Did mounds of laundry... none of it is put away yet.

3. Walked with a friend and kids and dogs... always an adventure.

4. TONS of homework... I may be posting as much over the next 6 weeks... this is a research class and I am overwhelmed already with only 1 week in.

5. Attended the school carnival (YUCK!)... not a fan, but the kids had fun.

6. Boys' were invited to a birthday party (together), so we took baby girl for a date night. She picked App!ebees (really?). It was all worth it to see her excitement. Dinner for 3 at App!ebees is not cheap... if I'm going to spend that kind of money I should be somewhere else. Don't get me wrong... App!ebees is fine... for lunch with a girlfriend, but not date night with hubby.

7. Boys' cut off all of their hair... pictures soon.

8. This clothing site looks promising for kids... a part of Gymboree, I believe.

9. Clipped coupons, shopped and saved $12 just in couplons... under $100 in groceries for the week.

10. Last month I challenged us to cut our grocery bill in half... just because... we didn't get it in half, but we did cut it by 1/3... YEAH for us... it felt great and we still ate great... we just made better choices!

Happy Monday!

A little of this and that

1. My day began with roofers to clean my mossy roof. Jeep went crazy... barked all morning. I felt bad for him. He didn't know what to do.

Positive note... he will protect us.



2. I thought I'd get ahead of the game and put our dinner in the crockopt... nothing fancy just some chicken and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Make a pot of rice after work and a great dinner. Well, right before I left the house I decided to just throw some rice in with crockpot... I came home to a ooy, sticky, stuck on the pan mess. I'm fighting a cold... so after teaching I invited my friend to come over for a protein shake (you know... watching those lbs). I made her shake through the pressure washing sounds and the mud Jeep was tracking in the house and the panic attack I was having (it was a mess outside... I wasn't sure that they could get everything cleaned up). I went to make my shake and DUMPED its entire contents into the bottom of my freezer. So, without even too bad of words spoken, she helped me clean out the entire thing. What a mess. Oh, that was while the door bell was ringing and the workers needed the garage door shut... I'll get right on it.

Positive note... clean freezer.

3. I threw out the dinner... yes, I did... I threw it out (with help from Velma)... Dinner plan... eat every left over in the refrigerator and like it!

Positive note... no more leftovers.



4. I was exhausted... I did not put the laundry away... I said I'd put the laundry away.

Positive note... the clothes are clean.


5. I love my hair cut... fast and easy... that's a positive! (Although I look possessed in the photo... I'm really not :)
6. I woke to snow... no delays (that's a positive).


Ah, another day. Maybe the laundry will get put away today, maybe dinner will turn out today, maybe I'll keep my freezer clean. It's all okay!

And the winner is...

#3... Jenny...

My photographer is 7 years-old... so bear with me until I get a real photo!


Now... imagine me before I went in... my hair completely covered the hood on my sweatshirt... There was a lot of hair on the ground. I've been razor cut for volume (need a little of that)... it's shorter in the back and longer in the front... but not too drastic...

Fun stuff... changes are good.

Thanks Tracy!

Hairspray

It's time for a new do... my favorite gal called and can get me in on Friday! Yeah for me. My hair is REALLY long right now and I love it... when I take the necessary time to do it... product, blow dry, straight iron, big curlers in the top for volume, fluff, spray, etc. Too much for me right now... lately I've been seen with a messy bun on most days. So I'm thinking shoulder length... which will take probably 5 inches off. And... I know for me that shoulder length is very doable. Now... I'm approaching my mid 30s... don't want to look like a frump... I still need the fun factor... Here are some thoughts... in photos...

Thought #1:
Lady in Red

Thought #2
ESPN's Andrea Kremer

Thought #3
Jenny

What do you think? Any ideas? Where do you go for inspiration? Friday is rapidly approaching... for now... a messy bun, again!

It's Friday!

1. My homework is finished

2. It's garbage day (my favorite... I LOVE to get all of it out the door)

3. Basketball games

4. Having friends over for appetizers after the games

5. Jeep is off to the groomer

6. The kids are home... no school / teacher inservice

7. Toy cleaning at the preschool

8. A trip to the library (hopefully-- a kid request)

9. Attended a PTA meeting last night and learned A LOT from a school board member

10. "They" are predicting snow for this weekend (aaagh... we've had enough to last awhile)

Have a great Friday!

Finances

We've not only heard about the bad economy, we've all felt in some way or another. I had a moment to catch Oprah this afternoon. She was recapping "Your Best Life"... health, fitness, sex and finances. Suze Orman has made her finance book available to the public for FREE... but only until Thursday night. I downloaded my copy... I have no idea if it will be what I'd like it to be, but for FREE, I'm willing to give it a shot. Download your copy soon.

Organizing is in the air

It must be the time of year... fresh start, wind blowing, rain pounding... time to organize!

Raising Russells, Mustard Seeds, and Life at 7000 Feet to name a few. When I googled 'organizing blogs' my hit was over 2 million... we are all addicted to it. I really like to have my stuff organized, but what about the stuff in my head and heart. I enjoy reading posts at the Simple Wife to help me think and organzie that part of me.

This is the year of declutter... in all areas of my life. We are busy as is everyone I see, but it certainly helps to have a plan. Dinner has been prepared for the past two nights (before 5 o'clock peeps... I had a plan), the house is reasonably picked up (I wouldn't be embarassed if you stopped by for a cup of coffee) and I've managed one workout (my arms and legs hurt) and I have another one planned for today. It takes a plan... let me rephrase that... it takes a flexible, realistic plan!

Words, Routines and Things

I am a routine girl. I like a schedule with flexibility. I like my kids. I love my kids, but it was time for everyone to be back on their routine. That being said, Pepe, the oldest, broke the routine yesterday (the first day back to the routine) with a boom... I don't want to swim on the team anymore... Wwwwwwhat?!?!?!

Now, in my heart of heart, I've known that this would come. The team has been a great opportunity and it has provided much for him, but I knew that it wouldn't last. I just wasn't ready for it to be over. I've always said that I want my kids to have many experiences and as long as they put forth effort and didn't 'quit' that I was happy. I don't feel like Pepe is quitting... he's been at it for almost a year. He loves his coach, he loves the water, but he's done. I was, I must admit, crushed at first. Not because he doesn't want to swim, but this is one of the first things in his life that he is taking control of. I have a responsibility to raise a man... and yes, I do believe that it starts now.

So, as we work through this week I have to be careful. I do not want to guilt him into continued swimming (he also plays soccer, basketball and baseball... it's not like the boy isn't busy... it will help me out not running him to practice 2x a week... but still my heart is heavy) so I have to be careful of my words (see the Simple Wife's post about words) and my tone. Knowing Pepe, he's been having these thoughts for awhile... he is like his Dad (okay... and me) we think about things. So, if he's verbalized it, it is probably time to hang up the gear. I want Pepe to walk away with the confidence that he tried something new, he stuck with it and when it didn't fit he walked away respectfully. He should be proud of what he has accomplished, because I certainly am.

Now... what am I going to do with all of his extra energy in the middle of winter?

Reduce, Reuse, Organize

The garbage hadn't been picked up for three weeks... I was going crazy. I love garbage day... it's a fresh start for me each week. Watching my garbage and recycling accumulate for three weeks disgusts me. I've been cleaning and organizing during our Arctic Blast these last weeks and generating more 'stuff' to get rid of. I was down to one of my last projects (not last projects in the house... don't get me wrong) to complete during vacation... the kids art supplies. I was ready to dump the crayon tub, the marker tub, paper tub and just start over. But, I thought of all of my garbage and recycling sitting at the curb and decided to be more frugal about the process.


I began with the crayons... do we need 10,000 crayons for three kids. NO... they don't appreciate their crayons. Why pick them or not break them when you have 10,000. So, I began sorting. I love crayola crayons, so I pulled all that was left out of the box. I was left with 9,000 crayons... so I sorted them back into their containers to drop off at an undisclosed location (thrift store). I wanted them to look nice so that they would get a new home (what's wrong with me). See the brown basket... I picked that up at the undisclosed location while dropping off a huge bag. I think it will work beautifully for the everyday art supplies.

• set of markers
• set of crayons
• scissors
• glue/ tape
• pencils / sharpener
• ruler
  

Don't you think that a child will love these organized crayons? I sure do. My kids are left with a manageable amount.

Same process with the markers. I really think that because we had so many, the kids didn't have a need to care for them. I was appalled by the number of markers that I had to throw away. Here is what we are left with... no pink, red, etc. In due time, I will buy a new set and we will have a set of markers. I'll let you know if my experiment works.

Ah... organized in the basket. But wait... I really thought that I'd be getting rid of the big organizer, but I couldn't justify it. I have it, it works... it just needed to be tweaked. It is now organized and labeled. I don't have a fancy label maker (would love one) so I used my handy pen and sticky notes cut in thirds with a fresh piece of tape. The art area is now the family art area... it's now just the kids. I've added some of my supplies... I let the kids use them anyway, we may as well store them together. I also moved the art area to the laundry room. They can do art at any time... maybe this will help all of us. I feel good about the things I got rid of and even better that I didn't dump the entire thing and start over. There is a time and a place to dump it all and begin again, but his wasn't one of those times. Reduce, reuse and organize!

Have you ever?

The things I've done are in bold.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain -- Does Dog Mountain Count -- it hurt!
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Kind of fun... join along if you'd like!