Frugal Friday

I found the above quote and I like it.  Our choice years ago for me to stay home and be a full-time mom was a result of a value I had to create a different life for my children than I had growing up.  But that was a hard choice because I got a lot of push back from people in my life.  "You can't live on one income."  "Why would you do that?"  "We are working women which means we have to make sacrifices."  Well, I didn't want to sacrifice time with my children so I could work 12 hour days in a ministry (which is what I was doing at the time).

As I look back on my life, that was the best decision I ever made.  It's been hard and it's forced me to find ways to make ends meet without relying on extra money to do that.  But it's been so worth it.  And the process of being frugal, has helped me to help others on this same path.

Some ways I've saved this week:

$ I am discovering the benefit to having only 3 of us at home.  My food bill has gone down!

$ Continue to make my own breads.  I know exactly what goes into them and they only cost a few cents to make.  They do not last as long as store bought bread because they don't have preservatives in them, but when they are starting to get stale, I turn them into bread crumbs and put them in the freezer for later use.

$ Cookies, fresh from the oven.  I have been making my own baked goods for years and now, when I eat store bought, I can taste the difference.

$ I love flowers, but don't get them very often.  Love Aldi because I can get a dozen roses there for $8.  They last a very long time too.

$ I've been making my own glaze from my jams and jellies.  This was a pork loin with blackberry-jalapeno jelly glaze.  Yum!

$ I made cream of tomato soup the other day and it was the easiest thing to make.  It took about 12 minutes to make and involved just a few ingredients - onion, diced tomatoes, heavy cream.  Dice and saute 1/2 an onion in olive oil, add a pint of diced tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 8 minutes.  Blend in a blender and return to the pan.  Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  If you want a lighter version, add milk instead of the cream or add some vegetable broth.

$ Nathan bought a used jeep a few years ago but it's been more of a burden.  He has been making larger payments to get the loan down quicker, but every time something goes wrong with it (which is a lot) the cost to repair it is expensive.  So yesterday, he and Dan went to trade it in and got a smaller Honda.  We have had a good experience with Hondas and it should save him money in the long run.

$ Emily was able to get a job on campus and will be making payments on her account and that will help us next semester when her bill comes due again.

$ And it seems that no matter how hard you try, things break down and you need to replace them.  Our vacuum broke and since we have wall to wall carpeting in the entire house, I need it!  However, I was able to get a vacuum that meets our needs, is a bag-less canister, and did a fantastic job!  It was on sale for $59 so I am happy.  I had just vacuumed the other day, but yesterday when I went through with the new vacuum, the amount of dirt and dust I picked up was amazing.  So apparently, the old one was not doing a good job!  I'm hoping this will also help with Nathan's dust mite allergy which is severe.

$ Made my own laundry detergent.

That's my frugal offerings this week.  How are you doing?