Date Day With My Husband

My husband has a hard job of sorts, so most days when he gets home all he wants to do is eat dinner and then relax in front of the tv, play a video game, or read a book. A while back we ruled out it being practical to have a weekly date night, instead opting for a monthly date day.

Most Saturdays my daughter is at her father's house, these are great times for us to do this. We budget for it before hand so that it does not cost us to much. On these date days we usually spend between 20 to 40 dollars, but never more then that unless it is a special occasion.

Last Saturday we went to my favorite used book store, and with the store credit we have for trading in old books and video games, I got 9 new books and spent about 9 dollars in the process. We also walked around the mall looking at stuff, but mainly we spent the day talking. The two of us will look for any excuse we can find to have have a conversation. The best part about this fact is that my daughter is starting to do the same thing. She no longer wants to eat dinner watching something, instead, she wants to sit and talk with us.

My date day got me to thinking, in this day and age when so many are so busy and time has become just as valuable as money, what are some frugal things  you do to keep your relationship fresh and on track?

Food Waste Friday

I, like everyone else, follow a few blogs on the subject of being frugal. One of my favorites does a food waste blog each Friday, and I have decided to take the challenge and do the same myself. So from now on each Friday you will hear about my wasted food for the week, and hopefully keep me on track to keep that under control.

Our biggest food waste is bread. I have a little basket that I keep my bread in, and sometimes my daughter or husband will think the current open bread is to stale and will open the new one I just bought. They then will place the old bread at the bottom, where it sometimes gets hidden under all the other stuff, and it will go unnoticed until it is green. I try to not let this happen, because I do make my own breadcrumbs out of the old bread. This week I am very proud to report that they did open a new loaf, no one eats the end slices, and they placed the old bread on top of the shelf so that I could see. No bread wasted this week. 

I did have to throw out one onion and some fruit that got tucked behind everything and forgotten. Also one thing of yogurt.

All in all this has been a good week, and I think I might have everyone on bored to help cut back on the food waste. 

Easy Dinner Idea (Tuna Casserole)

I must admit that I did not have a blog planed for today. I am not sure why, and somehow had thought that I had one written out and ready to go. I found out how wrong I was when I got up at 6am this morning to wake up my husband and daughter for the day, and found that I did not have one saved.

I have tried to come up with something witty and informative to write about, but after a week long headache, and a gross bathroom clean up that had to be done today, I just can't seem to come up with anything. So I will past the recipe I used for last nights dinner.

Tuna Casserole (My daughter calls it tuna yummy)

2 cups rice(cooked)
2 cans drained tuna
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
1 bag frozen veggies of choice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of shredded cheese of choice.
Spices of choice

First I cook the rice by bring 4 cups of water to a boil. I add rice and bring back to boil, turn down to low and simmer covered for 10 minuets. I use this time to drain tuna, chop mushrooms and open can of soup. When rice is done I add it all to a casserole dish and mix everything together. Put oven on 350 and cook for 15 minuets. Take out of oven and add cheese and spices of choice. I always add paprika to the top of the cheese. Place back into oven and cook until cheese is slightly browned or melted.

This is really not hard to make at all, and can feed at least four people with these amounts.

Working With A Headache

Today is going by slow and hard. I woke up with a nasty headache. I am very glad that this is an easy week. the only thing I am really doing is keeping up with my online stuff and dealing with family when they get home from school and work. I am lucky that my family understands and does not demand a lot from me when I get like this.

Ants

We have lived in this house for almost two years now, and we have had an ant problem from the start. I think the main reason for this is that the house was empty for a long time before we come along.  We have tried store bought products and finally an exterminator. In the end nothing worked. So I tried my own DIY type of thing and now we have no ants. This is what I did.

Outside of the house: I poured a mixture of equal parts boiling water, lemon juice, and white vinegar on all ant hills I could find.

Inside of the house: I made a mixture of borax and honey.

 I still see a small stray ant, but for the most part the ants are gone. It's great.

 

How I Make My Own Laundry Soap

I have had fun trying to find ways to cut cost while still maintaining some form of normal in my house. Over the course of a month I found that I was spending almost one hundred dollars on laundry stuff alone. This had to change. I sat out and researched ways to cut this cost, and I have found that what works for me is to make my own soap and fabric softer. These are the directions I use to do this.

 Laundry Soap
 4 Cups Boiling Water
 1 cup white vinegar
 2 cups borax
 1/2 cup of cheap shampoo or left over bar soap

I will boil the water, add the vinegar and borax. If I use the shampoo I just add it, if I am using bar soap I will grade it down to a find powder and add it last. Mix and let cool. I also will sometimes add baking wash to it, but alot of the time I can not afford this.

Fabric Softer
2 cups of hair conditioner
3 cups of distilled white vinegar
6 cups boiling water

 Boil the water, add vinegar and conditioner. Stir then pour into container and shake well, let cool and ready to use.

 My daughter loves making these. This had cut my cost down to about 20 dollars a month so far.

Making Extra Money Leads To Family Time

Having just one income for our family of four can sometimes be trying. There is a Kids Expo happening in my town this weekend, and I really wanted to take my daughter to it because one of her favorite teen stars is going to be there. I really didn't think we were going to be able to go, until I got a call from my father in law. His mother, my grandmother in law, had a rental house that needed to be cleaned so a new renter could move in. It was an all day job and I got $100 for it. Along the way, I got to have lunch with my grandmother in law for the first time, actually this was the first time I ever spent any time with her at all other then small hellos at the family get functions. It was nice getting to know what is seen as the head of this family. She plays a huge role in the family, and in my own way I got her stamp if approval, plus I now have the extra money to surprise my daughter with.

Wal Mart

I normally hate this store and do everything in my power to stay away from it. I can never seem to walk in there and spend less then 50 dollars, and most of the items I can actually get cheaper at another discounted store. Today however I went with coupons. I came out with 9 items, 3 of which I did not have coupons for, and only spent 14.77. That breaks down to about 1.60 per item. I am ok with what I got, but not happy about one big thing. I had went out there for a certain reason, but the item I wanted was sold out, so I am worried that I might miss a really great sale that could in the end make me money. I guess I will be wal mart hopping tomorrow.

Dinner For 4

Last night I found myself not feeling very well. Monday's always are hard for me. I have never been a morning person and getting up so early still is not an easy thing for me. I wanted to put something together for dinner that was both easy but still good. So we had dirty rice with hamburger meat, red and yellow peppers and onions, corn on the cop, and a fluffy biscuits. This whole meal cost under $10 and was done in about 20 minuets.

Keep At It

I have this very bad habit of starting projects, like this one, and never seeing them through. I have tons of ideas that I just start and then get distracted by other ideas and projects. This week I am going to work on seeing each one of those ideas through. I have made a list of the top ones that I want to do, and I will do each one in the order on my list, not moving on to the next one until the first one is finished, or if I can do both at the same time. .................................................................................................................................. Today I am going to post my blog, post my frugal tips, then I am going to find new ways to bring in extra money and new ways to save what money I already have. I have a pretty good system going right now, but I know that it can use some more planning and I can do better. .................................................................................................................................. I am also going to work more at taking time out of my day to do something just for me. I need to get back to my writing for personal reasons, and not just writing for work. I am going to slow down a bit and enjoy the things I have now, while not worring as much about the things I don't have

Making Time

I don't get a lot of time to spend with my extended family, mainly because I live so far away from them. Today we all got together at a really nice park, this was the first time I have seen most of them since I was a child. It was nice catching up, and having that feeling of being apart of something bigger, can sometimes be a good thing. I think that from now on I am not going to let distance stop me from staying in touch. There is a lot that can be learned from family, especially the older generation, and I am running out of time to learn from them.

Baking

Yesterday my daughter wanted to make muffins. She did not want to make your average everyday muffins, so she pulled out our cookie pan from Yule and made little people muffins. Baking in our house is something that is new. I use to just buy the products from the Deli or we ate them out of a box, because of this we don't have a lot of decoration type things for it. I really wish I had all the stuff she needed to make her muffins look more like little people, and today when I go to the store I will be getting them.

Making Homemade Hamburgers With My Daughter

The best part of doing everything at home is spending more time with my daughter. She is loving learning how to cook. I have to admit that it surprises me by how little she knows. V's Hamburgers. Hamburger Meat Steak Sauce Barbeque Sauce Seasoning of choice Mix everything together then pat out patties. Cook until desired brownness. Hamburger meat was on sale, 8.50 Steak Sauce 3 cents worth Barbeque Sauce about 3 cents worth For $8.56 we made 10 patties.

Rain Check

Before I started trying to be more frugal and mindful of my spending, I would never speak up when something I wanted on sale was sold out. I definitely did not speak up when it was a buy something get something free type of deal. ................................................................................................................................. Well, today I got my first store rain check. I shop at my local grocery store because they offer a weekly meal deal type of sale. You buy one big thing and then get three things free, in the end it comes out to at least three dollars in savings for the other items, and they are always something that I can use. This week the store only had two of the things I was supposed to get for free and was out of the third thing. ................................................................................................................................. When I was checking out, I made sure to mention this to the cashier and I was given a rain check so that I can come back in a few days when the item is back in stock. I know it seems silly that this is the first time I have ever done this, but in all honesty, I have never spoken up before. From now on I know this is something I will always do.

Try something new your way (Toco Soup)

A while back at work my husband tried a coworkers taco soup and he liked it so much he asked for the recipe. I love to cook new things and normally, when cooking something new for the first time, I stick solely by the instructions provided. Last night I went ahead and made the soup my way and it was a huge hit. ................................................................................................................................ The normal recipe is as followed: ................................................................................................................................ 2lbs ground beef(can substitute black beans), ................................................................................................................................ 2 packs of taco seasoning, ................................................................................................................................ 2 packs of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans drained Shopeg corn, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans tomatoes, ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans kidney beans (1 light 1 dark), ................................................................................................................................ 2 cans pinto beans, ................................................................................................................................ Now the adjustments I made to this is that I don't cook anything out of a can, so I used 1 cup of dry pinto, kidney (dark) and black beans. I also added green and yellow peppers and onions. I added everything together and let it simmer for about 3 and a half hours. I served it with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. It was a huge hit and I have been asked to keep making it. This was easy to make and it only cost me about 8 dollars to make. Not using the canned foods saved me a lot of sodium intake and money. Also I made a huge stew pot full and there is enough leftovers for a few days worth of lunches. Next time I will add rice.

Lost Art

Over the weekend my family went to a big extended family type of dinner, it was all old school country cooking, with pretty much everything made from scratch. While we were there, I overheard a few of the men talking about how the only food they really ever get to eat anymore comes out of a box and is cooked in the microwave, all in all, this made me sad for them and it got me to thinking. .................................................................................................................................. My daughter is eleven years old and she can't cook anywhere near as much as I could when I was her age. I may be a little old fashioned, but I think it is important for our girls to learn how to take care of their families when they get old enough. I know that this statement is going to make some people bat an eye and I know that a lot of people are going to feel that it is not just the lady’s job to do this, but I think that in the end we are loosing our hunt and gathering roots. .................................................................................................................................. I love that with me being more frugal, I have spent so much time in the kitchen, teaching my daughter how to make everything from scratch and it surprised me that she did not know that everything we can buy in a box can be made at home with our own hands. She is loving that we are spending so much more time by doing this, it has brought us so much closer, and she likes that she is learning how to not only take care of herself, but her family when she gets older. .................................................................................................................................. What are some things you think we have lost along the way?

Have A Plan

I really thought it would be great to start up this blog and various other social programs to get the word out there on something, while there are many, that is still done only by a few people. I am on day three of this project and am learning that I need a plan. I have, in a way, already started working with a plan, but I am finding that I am coming short in the daily goals I have set for this project. .................................................................................................................................. I write my blogs the day before I post them, and always have a tip to post on sites like facebook and twitter that goes along with the blog, but coming up with a new tip each day, a tip that is unique and informative is proving to be difficult. I tend to over think everything I do, and this project is proving to be no different. .................................................................................................................................. When you first sit down to put together a plan, it is always good to start with what has to happen first. Yes I know this might seem silly, but if you are only planning out how your going to reward yourself for reaching the goal, then you might not ever take those first step out the door. (I almost did this) Make a list of what you know you have to work with, and start from there. For me, this means knowing that each morning I get up and turn on my computer, check email, post tips, fine tune the blog and post the blog. The rest of the plan just seems to fall into place once I know what I need to do to get started and what I have on hand to do this with. ................................................................................................................................. What are some types of things you plan out even though there may not seem to be a reason to?

Reward Sites

There are thousands upon thousands of reward type websites out there, and while I know that a lot of them are scams, this should not make you stay completely away from them. .................................................................................................................................. I have been working with one of these sites for years now and it is still my favorite, MyPoints. You can shop at most of the big online sites, get a discount for being a member, plus get the rewards points on top of it. I check my email each morning and there is always at least one email from them where I don't even have to buy anything, I just have to go check out the sponsors website. That nets me an easy five points. ................................................................................................................................. I have signed up for a few other rewards programs over the last few days, still getting the hang of how these work, and putting together a bit of a routine to make sure I don't forget them. Each one has different rewards to offer and in the end each one has the ability to save me a lot of money and get me things that I would ordinarily overlook because of the price. In the end it only cost me just a few moments out of my life. ................................................................................................................................. On a side note, I really want to put a warning out there that as mentioned above sometimes if it seems to good to be true then it is more then likely a scam. I used to work in a call center for a cell phone company, so I also want to point out that if it requires your cell number to text you any type of confirmation codes, this can and usually does result in you signing up for a monthly requiring charge on your cell phone bill. If this is the case, they will send you a text message that will say as much, just reply to the text with the word stop and phone your provider either right then or the next day and they should be able to make sure you are unsubscribed and have that site blocked, some will even reimburse you if it is within twenty four hours. ................................................................................................................................. What type of rewards program do you use or why do you choose to stay away from them?

Waste Not Want Not.

We moved into our house about two years ago, and to our ongoing horror we have a huge ant problem. This problem of ours has made me have to find new ways to keep my dry goods and other types of food safe from the ever roaming little pest.

I started keeping old jars, mayo, peanut butter, pickle, anything that had a good tight lid to keep them out. This has proven to be one of the most money saving ideas I have found to date. I use to buy Glade storage bags or something like it, and have to throw them away after a while just to have to re-buy them. Over a year I would spend roughly one hundred and fifty dollars on just keeping my food stored safely.

My house also seems to collect pens and pencils of all kinds. My daughter will take some of the plastic jars and paint them in all kinds of ways, which gives us great pen holders through out the house. She has gotten so good at it, that most of them looks like something we would have bought at an office supply store, except for the fact that we didn't have to pay five to ten dollars for it.

I know that this may seem a bit simple, but there are lots of other things around the house that can be reused in some form or another. I have an old plant pot sitting on my front porch that we use for a trash can. This saved us a few more dollars from having to buy a new one when ours got blown away by a storm. Our trash can in our laundry room is an old box that works out great for a fast place to put all the dryer lent.

We also keep spray bottles, and in a few weeks my daughter and I are going to try out making our own body spray with essential oil. We make our our own foaming hand soap and hand sanitizer, so those old bottles get used a lot.

Today’s task is to find ways to reuse what seems like old disposable items around your house. Send me your ideas and what you find. Hidden treasure are lurking all over the place, we just have to stop and look.

Introduction of Sorts

Last January, it is now April, I found myself without a job. Things were going good. I have a great husband, a wonderful eleven year old daughter, and my cousin now living and depending on both my husband and myself. We both made good money, so the four of us were living a nice little life with little worries. It was pretty good.



In January it was decided that I would find a new job that was less stressful and left me with more time with the family. I was only home and only got to see my daughter about one day a month, and it was starting to take it's toll on my mental stability, as well as my daughter's. I knew that finding a new job would be heard,but I also knew that in the end this was something that needed to be done and the pros just out weighed the cons, yea at the time anyways.

Five months later, I still have not found a new job, and now all our savings and income tax money is gone, things have gotten a lot harder. We find ourselves worrying about how we are going to feed everyone and pay all the bills. Plus what about fun time and family time. Yea I need to rethink how things are done around the house.

The very first change was learning new ways to shop and new ways to save money. So far this is an ongoing learning process and I am going to take you through the journey with me. Each day I will post about what I did and why I did it, of course I will also explain the cost savings that come about from the changes I make.

My working background is in customer services, so I have quite a few skills to bring to the table from this. The most important one right now being time management and planing. I need to know just where every penny is going, and how I can cut that penny in half to make things last longer. I am also having to do all of this while doing everything around the house myself. I canceled our lawn services, I clean my own gutters, I do all my own cooking. My husband and daughter is loving it, but in a way so am I. I love being more involved and more hands on.

So, this is just a small introduction in what got me started with this. I know that there are many other sites and blogs about the same topic. I have spend a few weeks now browsing and searching, the task has been hard and at some points overwhelming. I am hoping that in the end this can be a one stop shop type of thing.

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