When people ask me for ideas on saving money and how I have time for cooking so much from scratch my number one answer is Menu/Meal Planning. This saves so many extra trips to the grocery store, time during the day and lets me have a wide variety of food in our diet.
There are many online resources for meal planning. Some even provide a grocery list once you have chosen all of your meals. I have looked into some of these tools and for our family they just don't work well. The main reasons they don't work well for us is that there are certain common foods we just don't like and we also have some food allergies in the family (to very common foods).
I've done my planning several different ways over the years and I still change it up depending on how much time I have and how motivated I am to sit and make a plan. I have also taken breaks from meal planning but always come back to it because it just makes things so much easier for me.
Sometimes I pull out several cookbooks and just flip thru until recipes catch my eye. At other times I take stock of what we have in the cabinets and freezer and make a plan from those things. If I have a bit more time in the evenings I'll check out some favorite recipe sites and see what I find. I also ask the kids and Matt if there is anything they want on the menu for that week (typical answers from the kids are homemade pizza or pancakes :) ). No matter what method I choose I sit down with two pieces of paper, one for a list of recipes and one for the grocery list. On the list of recipes I'll note what cookbook the recipe is in and what page it is on. For recipes I print I clip them to the menu.
Another tip that I've found helpful is to note in the cookbook if the recipe was something we liked, something I made changes to, or if we didn't care for the recipe. This has saved me time because I can skip over any recipes that I've already noted that we don't like.
Over the past couple of years we have started getting a vegetable share from a local farm. The day before we go to get our share I get an e-mail with a list of what will most likely be in our share. I use this list as a guide for choosing recipes. I also have some basics on hand that I can put together in many different ways.
As you can see, this process is very adaptable but will certainly minimize those times of staring into the fridge or cabinet trying to figure out what to make. Also, if you have a busy day planned you can plan a quick or easy meal for that day, cutting down on a lot of stress.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Frugality Idea: Having Fun (with a Spiritual twist) :)
It's fun to see how seemingly random things are used by God. A few weeks ago some ladies online and I decided to do a Bible study together. We all have children who are 2 1/2 (with many of us having other children also). We settled on the book "The Power of a Positive Mom" by Karol Ladd. I was unfamiliar with this author but liked the summary. We have only done 3 chapters so far but I'm really enjoying this study. Not only has it been a great study on parenting; the author encourages you to focus on a verse or verses from your reading to memorize.
In my post on frugality I had mentioned one of my priorities was to Have fun! Some of the ways I had listed to achieve this was to do crafts, etc. Well, this week in "The Power of a Positive Mom" we were encouraged to foster our children's natural, God-given gifts. Showing that their talents come from God and all they have is to be used for God's glory. Chapter 3 focused on speaking encouragement to our children. One quote that caught my eye was "We can use Scripture to encourage our children as well. We can compliment them on demonstrating the same kind of loyalty that Ruth showed toward Naomi or on being a good friend like Jonathan was to David" (pg 46). The author also asked us to look for those things that really capture our children's interest. What they love to do!
I had an idea in mind but wanted to see if the kids would really be interested. As soon as I told them my idea they loved it and off we went. Here is what we did. I let them choose a Bible story for us to read together. They both chose the story of Zaccheaus. So I pulled out my Bible and read, then I asked them the following questions:
1) Why didn't people like Zaccheaus? He had cheated them, been unkind.
2) What example did Jesus show to the crowds? He showed love for someone who wasn't very loveable..He lived out "love your enemies"
3) What happened when Jesus went to Zaccheaus' house? He believed and was saved.
4) What can we learn from Jesus? That no matter how unkind someone is we still need to be kind and to show them God's love. We don't know what is in their heart and they may just be waiting for someone to show them God's love before they will believe.
5) What can we learn from Zaccheaus? When we realize we have sinned we need to repent and turn from our sin. Zaccheaus didn't just say he was sorry he actively showed the change in his heart.
While we were discussing these questions Ethan was drawing and coloring a storyboard/background of what happened (he did two, one of when Jesus saw Zaccheaus in the tree and one of Zaccheaus' house). Ethan loves to draw and is very artistic. He also decided to build two Lego figures to place in front of the background (to act out the story). Hailey loves anything musical and will often write little songs so her task was to write a song about what happened. She was very excited to do this.
Not only did this activity give the opportunity for spiritual discussion but it also highlighted their talents, was a lot of fun for them and was free! I'm certainly planning to do this again in the near future.
In my post on frugality I had mentioned one of my priorities was to Have fun! Some of the ways I had listed to achieve this was to do crafts, etc. Well, this week in "The Power of a Positive Mom" we were encouraged to foster our children's natural, God-given gifts. Showing that their talents come from God and all they have is to be used for God's glory. Chapter 3 focused on speaking encouragement to our children. One quote that caught my eye was "We can use Scripture to encourage our children as well. We can compliment them on demonstrating the same kind of loyalty that Ruth showed toward Naomi or on being a good friend like Jonathan was to David" (pg 46). The author also asked us to look for those things that really capture our children's interest. What they love to do!
I had an idea in mind but wanted to see if the kids would really be interested. As soon as I told them my idea they loved it and off we went. Here is what we did. I let them choose a Bible story for us to read together. They both chose the story of Zaccheaus. So I pulled out my Bible and read, then I asked them the following questions:
1) Why didn't people like Zaccheaus? He had cheated them, been unkind.
2) What example did Jesus show to the crowds? He showed love for someone who wasn't very loveable..He lived out "love your enemies"
3) What happened when Jesus went to Zaccheaus' house? He believed and was saved.
4) What can we learn from Jesus? That no matter how unkind someone is we still need to be kind and to show them God's love. We don't know what is in their heart and they may just be waiting for someone to show them God's love before they will believe.
5) What can we learn from Zaccheaus? When we realize we have sinned we need to repent and turn from our sin. Zaccheaus didn't just say he was sorry he actively showed the change in his heart.
While we were discussing these questions Ethan was drawing and coloring a storyboard/background of what happened (he did two, one of when Jesus saw Zaccheaus in the tree and one of Zaccheaus' house). Ethan loves to draw and is very artistic. He also decided to build two Lego figures to place in front of the background (to act out the story). Hailey loves anything musical and will often write little songs so her task was to write a song about what happened. She was very excited to do this.
Not only did this activity give the opportunity for spiritual discussion but it also highlighted their talents, was a lot of fun for them and was free! I'm certainly planning to do this again in the near future.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
One Thousand Gifts
Isn't it amazing that the most simple of ideas can be the most profound and life-altering. The book "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp is just such a thing. A dear friend of mine gave me a copy of this book one day at church with a note saying how much she had been encouraged by it's message. On the ride home I decided to flip thru the first few pages. I was immediately pulled in by her style of writing and by her open and honest journey to discover what gratitude really is all about.
What does gratitude look like in our daily lives? Are we truly thankful for what God has given us? Do we even see all that He has blessed us with? The author is challenged to write out 1000 gifts that God has given her. As she moves thru the process of listing these gifts her perspective on the things around her, even the most minute things, is changed.
I know many people who have started gratitude journals. I've never been one to keep up with a journal but am definitely a list keeper so I loved the idea of a simple list. I have started this list and have been finding myself looking for those gifts. Looking for those things that I take for granted or overlook in the busyness of life; and when I see one...slowing down to truly appreciate and thank God for his love and care. It's amazing how when you are focused on nourishing an "attitude of gratitude" so many other areas of your life are affected. I am reminded over and over of how limited my sight is, how skewed my perspective is and how perfect God's plans are.
Another of the challenges, which the author echoes from Scripture, is to give thanks in all circumstances ("in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18). God's deep desire is for us to give thanks no matter what we face because our thanksgiving shows that we are trusting Him, that we truly believe He is good and His plans are good, that we can see beyond the temporal, to His eternal purposes. Whether or not we understand the "whys" we can thank Him that everything he allows into our lives He will work for good (Romans 8:28) and that each circumstance we face is leading us further along in the perfect plans that God has for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
What does gratitude look like in our daily lives? Are we truly thankful for what God has given us? Do we even see all that He has blessed us with? The author is challenged to write out 1000 gifts that God has given her. As she moves thru the process of listing these gifts her perspective on the things around her, even the most minute things, is changed.
I know many people who have started gratitude journals. I've never been one to keep up with a journal but am definitely a list keeper so I loved the idea of a simple list. I have started this list and have been finding myself looking for those gifts. Looking for those things that I take for granted or overlook in the busyness of life; and when I see one...slowing down to truly appreciate and thank God for his love and care. It's amazing how when you are focused on nourishing an "attitude of gratitude" so many other areas of your life are affected. I am reminded over and over of how limited my sight is, how skewed my perspective is and how perfect God's plans are.
Another of the challenges, which the author echoes from Scripture, is to give thanks in all circumstances ("in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18). God's deep desire is for us to give thanks no matter what we face because our thanksgiving shows that we are trusting Him, that we truly believe He is good and His plans are good, that we can see beyond the temporal, to His eternal purposes. Whether or not we understand the "whys" we can thank Him that everything he allows into our lives He will work for good (Romans 8:28) and that each circumstance we face is leading us further along in the perfect plans that God has for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
Jesus, our greatest example, showed this attitude at His darkest hour:
I Corinthians 11:23-25 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you:
that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and
when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is
broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took
the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood."
"Facing the abandonment of God Himself (does it get any worse than this?), Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy." (pg 36)
There are countless blessings that God gives each day, we must simply slow down, be still and truly see.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Figuring out frugality
I know, I know it seems like every blogger in the universe is posting about ways to be frugal. So why do a post on frugality? Well, I've read many of those blog posts and have tried many of their suggestions only to get discouraged when I don't save 90% on my grocery bill by using coupons or because I don't have a chest freezer full of meals all ready to just heat & eat. I would find myself questioning if I was just not being a good steward of the resources God has provided or if I really was just too dense to figure it all out. Then I had a lightbulb moment. The problem was that I was trying all these great ideas that worked for their families. That were based on the priorities they had for their homes. I wanted to be a good steward but had never taken the time to figure out what the priorities for our home were.
I began figuring out these priorities by thinking back over conversations with my husband and trips to the grocery store where he tagged along. Some questions I considered were:
What did he choose to buy? Why?
What things did he have me choose differently?
What do I desire for my family?
What do my kids prefer?
What is our schedule like?
How much time can I dedicate to being frugal (let's face it clipping coupons, cooking meals for a month, even just checking the latest ads can take a huge chunk of time)?
Most important of all, how could I use frugality to show God's love to my family?
After answering these questions, these are the priorities that I've determined. Again, your answers will be different but here are mine (I'm hoping to do blog posts, in the near future, for each of these ideas):
Priority:
Spending time with my family.
Frugal ideas to achieve this:
Meal plan
Cleaning schedule/plan
Cook with the kids.
Use natural cleaners such as vinegar & baking soda so the kids can help clean without being exposed to chemicals.
Priority:
Use high quality foods, organic if possible.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Join CSA
Buy in bulk
Use rewards programs or coupons.
Stock up on marked down meats.
Eat less meat.
Priority:
Teach our kids the joy of a job well done & service to others.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Make family favorites. Think about what family members like and surprise them with a treat.
Make homemade versions of favorite store bought treats.
Make cleaning fun!!
Make surprises for family members (cards, pictures, etc.) or surprise them by serving them in some way.
Priority:
Have fun!
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Crafts
Puppet shows
Acting out Bible stories
Playing in our own private "park" (backyard)
So those are my frugality priorities and some ideas to achieve those goals. What are yours?
I began figuring out these priorities by thinking back over conversations with my husband and trips to the grocery store where he tagged along. Some questions I considered were:
What did he choose to buy? Why?
What things did he have me choose differently?
What do I desire for my family?
What do my kids prefer?
What is our schedule like?
How much time can I dedicate to being frugal (let's face it clipping coupons, cooking meals for a month, even just checking the latest ads can take a huge chunk of time)?
Most important of all, how could I use frugality to show God's love to my family?
After answering these questions, these are the priorities that I've determined. Again, your answers will be different but here are mine (I'm hoping to do blog posts, in the near future, for each of these ideas):
Priority:
Spending time with my family.
Frugal ideas to achieve this:
Meal plan
Cleaning schedule/plan
Cook with the kids.
Use natural cleaners such as vinegar & baking soda so the kids can help clean without being exposed to chemicals.
Priority:
Use high quality foods, organic if possible.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Join CSA
Buy in bulk
Use rewards programs or coupons.
Stock up on marked down meats.
Eat less meat.
Priority:
Teach our kids the joy of a job well done & service to others.
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Make family favorites. Think about what family members like and surprise them with a treat.
Make homemade versions of favorite store bought treats.
Make cleaning fun!!
Make surprises for family members (cards, pictures, etc.) or surprise them by serving them in some way.
Priority:
Have fun!
Frugal idea to achieve this:
Crafts
Puppet shows
Acting out Bible stories
Playing in our own private "park" (backyard)
So those are my frugality priorities and some ideas to achieve those goals. What are yours?
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