Life Simplified

  • Life Simplified: Set the Timer!

    It has been a really busy few weeks and I don’t anticipate that it will slow down any time soon (maybe in May).  The girls and I will be traveling over their Spring Break so I have a lot to get done before our fun time begins.  If you are like me I want everything to be caught up before I leave on a trip  – bills paid, house cleaned, emails returned, inbox empty, garden planted and weeded,  etc….  however, the “to do” list is generally much longer than the hours available in the day. When I am working on a project I want to stick to it until it is completely finished.  There are major benefits having this personality, however, the downside is that I may get that one project completed but there are 27 other projects that haven’t even been started.

    One of the ways that has helped me stay on task and be more productive (I have been using this a lot lately) is to set the timer.   I have a small timer that I can take with me from room to room.  My timer has been well used the past few weeks, I even lost it for a couple days while getting ready for the yard sale!  I anticipate it will continue to be used in the upcoming weeks as well as I prepare to travel with the kids.  I set the timer for an increment of time to help motivate me and keep me focused on getting the task done.  When the timer goes off that means I am done with that project for the moment and need to move onto the next task (which can be very hard for me at times especially if I am really close to finishing the task I am currently working on).  Here is an example of some of the activities I do during a day with my timer (every day is different so this just an example of activities I set the timer for throughout the day):

    • 30 minutes – Exercise
    • 45 minutes – Quiet Time
    • 10 minutes – Prep for Dinner
    • 10 minutes – Eat Breakfast
    • 30 minutes – Check & Respond to Emails (sometimes I do this 2 to 3 times a day)
    • 60 minutes – Blog Posts
    • 60 minutes – Work Projects
    • 30 minutes – Pick Up the House
    • 60 minutes – Fold & Put Away All Laundry for the week on Laundry Day
    • 30 minutes – Lunch
    • 45 minutes – Homework with the Girls
    • 45 minutes – Make Dinner
    • 30 minutes – Dinner Clean Up and Wash Dishes
    • 15 minutes – Packs Lunches for the Next Day
    • 30 minutes – Clipping Coupons
    • 30 minutes – Matching Coupons with Weekly Ads
    • 30 minutes – Pay Bills & Balance Accounts
    • 10 minutes – Power Clean My Desk (or on some days find my desk)

    If I get to all the tasks that had on my list that day I will reward myself with 30 minutes of “free” time which usually means spending extra time with the family, reading, writing, or something else rewarding yet beneficial.  A lot of times during breakfast or lunch I will spend time reading or answering emails as well.  I have found that days when I work on the computer I don’t get anything done in the house and days that I spend concentrating on home projects I don’t get any work done so as in my attempt to try and balance life a little bit more the timer has become a fun trick that works well for me.  Although the computer work is important I do have some moments when I get sidetracked by a great article or Facebook or something else and before I know it the time has flown by and an hour has passed (same things happens on home projects).  The timer helps me track the time better and alerts me especially when I have gotten distracted from the task at hand. I do not set the timer for family time or family oriented meals and tasks because those are important for the entire family.

    Now if I could only find a way to set a timer for travel time, shopping and waiting to check out, ha!  Although I must say I am becoming a little more efficient in shopping too by only going directly to the items I need and not “browsing” through the entire store.  Not everything works well with setting a timer but there are some tasks I noticed will consume larger amounts of time if I don’t put a time limit on them.

    How do you balance it all as a Wife, Mom, Business Person, etc…?  Do you have other ways that help you stay on task?

    Photo by ellie

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (February Update)

    Now that we are almost through February 2011 you may be wondering how I am doing with my No Grocery Shopping Month Challenge.   I am wrapping up week 8 of my “No Grocery Shopping” goal.   This month has been harder because the pantry and freezer are getting lower but for the most part I have been doing well as long as I do my menu planning ahead of schedule.  When I go over what I am going to make for supper that morning, check for the ingredients, and have a plan everything goes so much smoother. Here are my criteria for purchasing any grocery items over the last 8 weeks:

    • FREE – I don’t want to waste free grocery coupons that my family will use while doing this goal
    • Necessity – Milk, Eggs, Bread, etc…
    • For Someone Else outside of my household. For example I make meals for new Moms in our church and if I need to pick up an item for them on the way to deliver a meal that will be an exception.

    Although with all that being said I did have to purchase a few items not really within my guidelines for one meal recently.  I was in charge of making our Community Group meal at church last Wednesday, we have an average of 16 to 20 people on Wednesday night.  While we still have plenty to feed our family of four, I did pick up a couple items from the store to make the meal last week since there are people in the group that have food allergies and I wanted to make sure I had items that they could eat.  The extra items that were not in my guidelines were:

    • Bananas which I bought at Save A Lot | Rite Aid for $0.19 a pound to make homemade banana pudding, it was delicious!
    • 2 lb bag of Green Giant Potatoes for $2.49 to make homemade potato soup, my friends recipe!  You can find more of her great recipes at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life!
    • 1 cup Heavy Cream for homemade potato soup
    • 1 onion for $0.68 for the homemade beef stew

    So now you know that I didn’t entirely hit my goal of no grocery shopping except for necessities.  When I first set the No Grocery Shopping challenge I was hoping to get through the month of January, the fact that I plan to make it to the first few days into March with only a few extra purchases during the challenge is a huge win (at least for me).  In the month of February the only other groceries I have purchased are:

    • 5 gallons of Milk
    • 2 packages of Cheese
    • 1 Loaf of Bread

    For the most part the No Grocery Shopping challenge went fairly well.  I spent a little over $19 (including tax) for the month of February on grocery necessities.   We even did extra activities during this time of cutting back.  Doing this challenge may seem silly to some but it has made a huge impact on my way of thinking.  It has been a wonderful learning experience and made me appreciate how many blessings we have in our lives.  I hope to do a similar challenge in the future to help remind me of the importance of saving as well as using the items we have on hand.  Even with the challenge we were still able to participate in several extra events in February while only using items in our freezer or pantry:

    • Hosted Guests in our Home
    • Made food for a Super Bowl Party
    • Brought Treats to the Girls Valentine’s Party
    • Brought Cupcakes and Drinks to the Girls Birthday Party for School
    • Had Snacks for Girls Night

    I do have to say that I had a hard time buying the few extra items that I purchased this month……I felt guilty buying extra food during this challenge especially when I know we still have plenty.  I am grateful for an amazing husband and two wonderful kids who put up with me throughout this adventure.  It is my plan to try and make it through the first few days of March (only 1 more week) with this goal, which will be 9 weeks of only shopping for the necessities (with a few hiccups in the mix). I want to thank everyone for all the support and encouragement along the way.  One of the BIGGEST ways that helped keep me accountable is that I knew people were watching, reading and commenting on the blog.  Thanks for being a part of my life and helping me at least feel like I touched a finger tip on my goal.

    So what’s next!!!!  In the next few days I will be sharing with you my next Grocery Shopping Goal, don’t worry it won’t be as extreme, however I want to continue to utilize the stockpile we still have and not waste what God has given us.  With this new challenge it will allow me the freedom to Grocery Shop for the family yet stay within a budget, PLUS perks!  Stayed tuned as I unveil what is coming up next and if your up to it you can join me in the next adventure!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

    Photo by Little Blue Hen

  • Life Simplified: Laundry Day

    For those who don’t know me…….I am NOT a big fan of doing laundry.  Don’t get me wrong , it gets done in our house because I don’t like wearing dirty clothes but doing laundry everyday is almost like torture to me.   Before discovering a system that worked for our household I would delay doing laundry until the last possible moment (ie…someone was out of underwear) then do a huge batch.  The laundry would then sit on the guest bed waiting to be folded and put away.  Many times if you wanted to wear a certain shirt or were looking for clean underwear you had to dig through a massive pile in search for an item.

    Thankfully, we had a season in our life that forced me to get organized in the laundry department as well as other areas.  Several years ago my husband took a contract position in a town an hour and half away from our home.  Since the girls were young and not yet in school the entire family commuted with him on the contract.  The company gave him an allowance for an apartment and we were able to find one less then the amount we were given so we could save a little bit extra.  A couple of the downsides to the apartment being less expensive is that it was tiny and it didn’t have a washer and dryer hookup.  Since we came “home” on the weekends it wasn’t that big of a deal, however, that meant we had to keep track of groceries in two houses plus carting laundry back and forth every week.  During this season in our marriage I learned a lot about organizing and planning especially with living in two places at one time, an apartment during the week and at home on the weekends.  There were several benefits to our family doing laundry only once a week:

    • Less Stress for Mom because once laundry was completed on Saturday it was done for an entire week.
    • More Cost Efficient as far energy, water, and laundry soap.
    • Only 4 Loads of Laundry per week (on a typical week we do 4 full loads of laundry for an entire week:  1 – Sheets & Towels, 2 – Light Clothes, 3 – Dark Clothes, 4 – Whites)
    • Saves Time when I do everything all from start to finish in one day.  The laundry gets washed throughout the day and for about an hour in the evening I take the time to fold, hang up and put away the items.
    • Happy Family – no more digging through piles of clean laundry on the bed looking for underwear or a shirt, etc…. everything is cleaned, put away and ready to be worn.
    • Cleaner Home when the piles of laundry are no longer stacked on our guest room bed or in front of the washing machine our home is neater.
    • Items are Pre-Treated prior to being put in the laundry basket instead of trying to remember which ones to spray when I am putting them into the wash machine.
    • Organized System – having a specific day and task to accomplish enables me to get it done for the week and move onto the other tasks that demand my time and attention

    On the weekend we had to get the laundry done in order to have clothes to wear for the next week so it was a great motivator.   Even though that was several years I still do all our laundry in one day.  I no longer have to get it done on the weekends so currently laundry days are Monday’s at our house.   Everything is washed, folded and put away all in one day.  Since starting this organizational task it has allowed additional freedom in my week plus it has been a blessing to my family.  I no longer dread doing laundry because I know it will be done completely on “laundry day” and I will not have to think about it again until next week.  My family no longer has to dig through piles of clothes looking for something to wear.  It was a win-win situation for everyone.

    Even though that season in our life was difficult balancing the two households looking back on it I realize how many rich blessings and memories were created during that time as well.  It is during the times of stretching and change in our family when we discover new ways to make life more enjoyable for ourselves as well as those around us.  Having the opportunity to look at our organizational system from a different perspective may be all it takes to make it more efficient.

    Do you like doing laundry?  What works for one family may not work for another.  What are ways you use to help make your time doing laundry more efficient?

    Photo by Jon Yu

  • Life Simplified: Hosting in Our Home

    One of my goals in 2011 is to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given us.  I have been sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.  One of the areas I am working on is making the best use of my time.  While spending time hosting family and friends in our home is important to me I must also make sure there is time on the schedule to spend with my immediate family.  The girls are growing up fast and the times we have together are precious.  In order to make sure I don’t go overboard I am setting a goal for myself and asking for your help to keep me in line.

    Here are the current challenges I am working on:

    Explanation of the Goal: As a family of four we LOVE hosting people in our home!  We are blessed to have a home to share with family and friends  whether it is for a party, game night or just to hang out together.  I would probably host a get together several times a week if we had the time, money, and energy to do it.  Part of learning how to simplify my life is making decisions on what to do with my time.  Hosting typically requires time for cleaning, cooking, prepping, and/or decorating for guests.  It is my goal to host at least one other family in our home once a month but no more than four.  When I spend time hosting that means I must give up some for something else.  Having up to 4 hosting events in our home means that there will be time to spend together as a family of four.  I want my girls to have the experience of hosting even at a young age.  Sharing our home and their toys is a valuable skill they can learn at an early age, but they like anyone, need a time to relax and refresh.

    We have already started working on this goal.  We had 3 families of three over in the month of January.   February is a busier month in our household not because of Valentine’s day but because we will be hosting the girls birthday party.  One of the many benefits to having twins or higher multiples is their birthday parties hit at the same time.  Brina and Karlie’s birthday party will be our major event this month and we have at least one other hosting event already on the schedule.

    I will share with you the challenges, successes, and updates as I go through this journey so you can keep me accountable or even go through it with me by participating  and sharing your story. Taking the extra time to invest in the lives of others is important to our family.  I hope that we have been able to host many people in our home without going over board.  It is important to me to make time for my family on the weekends as well as the people around us!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

    Photo by MaryTClark

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Recipes)

    I am now wrapping up week number 5 in my No Grocery Shopping challenge!  It has been a fun adventure for our family as we continue to find ways to make the food in our fridge and pantry stretch!  Some of the recipes over the last few weeks have been a huge hit in our family for years while others were different.  We are always looking for ways to create healthy meals that everyone enjoys without wasting the food we have in our home.

    For those who have been emailing me about what we’ve been eating here are a few of our low budget main dish recipes:

    Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

    I came up with this recipe a couple years ago when I was trying to use up some leftovers in the fridge.  It has since become a favorite at our house.  The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator.  We usually have a stock pile of Wacky Mac because we use double coupons at Ingles, Bi-Lo, or Publix plus we get extra money back from Upromise eCoupons which makes most of our purchases of Wacky Mac free plus some overage.  Dairy products are regular staples in our house so it makes this recipe fairly easy to make anytime.

    Print Recipe

    Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

    The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator. It is a simple recipe that is almost impossible to mess up.
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time1 hour
    Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, Wacky Mac
    Servings: 8

    Equipment

    • 9x7 Pyrex Casserole dish

    Ingredients

    • 12 oz Wacky Mac Veggie Noodles (Any shape pasta can be used, but the girls love the mixed shapes and colors of Wacky Mac)
    • 1-2 cups Milk (depending on how rich you want it, powder milk works too or add a touch of sour cream to increase the richness)
    • 1 cup Velveeta Cheese (cubed)
    • 1 tbsp Butter or Margarine
    • 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I use up the partial bags in our fridge so it is usually Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Colby, etc..)
    • 2-3 cups Water (You want 4 cups liquid, if you add more milk, reduce the water)
    • dash Salt, Pepper, and Garlic to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Add all the ingredients above except the water to a casserole dish.
    • The water will be different based on what you add to your casserole.  Add enough water to cover the noodles and stir everything together.
    • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees.  After 15 minutes of baking stir the casserole than continue baking for an additional 45 minutes.  The top of the casserole will be crunchy (everyone’s favorite part) but should not burn.

    Notes

    I have also been known to cut of cheese slices or put in a couple spoons of cottage cheese.  It really is a “use up the leftovers” type of Marconi & Cheese Casserole!  If you want you can add a cup of fresh or canned tomatoes that tastes great too.

    Chicken Pot Pie

    After several days of cooking we will often use the meat and vegetable leftovers in the fridge to make a Pot Pie.  Our favorite is the Chicken Pot Pie, but we have made several variations of Beef and Ham Pot Pies as well.  You can often get Store Brand Pie Crusts on sale or clearance for a great price if you them on hand use those otherwise the recipe below includes how to make your own pie crust with a few basic ingredients.

    Print Recipe

    Chicken Pot Pie

    A family favorite, chicken pot pie is a simple way to use up the remaining chicken that doesn't taste like a "leftovers" meal.
    Prep Time35 minutes
    Cook Time1 hour
    Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Chicken, Leftovers, Pot Pie
    Servings: 8

    Equipment

    • 9 inch pie pan

    Ingredients

    Pie Crust

    • 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
    • 3/4 cups Crisco Shortening
    • 1 tssp Salt
    • 5 tbsp Water (cold)

    Filling

    • 1 to 2 cups Cooked Chicken (use leftover or canned Chicken)
    • 1 to 2 cups Cooked Vegetables (use leftover or canned Veggies)
    • 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Mix together the ingredients for the crust until the dough is formed, split the dough in half.
    • Roll out half of the pie crust (add more flour if necessary).  Place half of the pie crust in the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch pie pan.
    • Stir together the Chicken Pot Pie filling ingredients.  Add the filling to the pie pan.
    • Top with remaining pie crust.  Roll the edges of the bottom and top crust together.  Cut a few slices in the top of the pot pie, (I usually will do a smile face or Christmas Tree or heart just for fun.  The girls are always looking to see the design on the the top prior to eating it.) 
    • Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Check halfway through and if the crust is getting too dark put a piece of foil over the top to keep it from burning.

    Pasta Night

    We will often have a “Pasta” night which is a quick and easy meal that our family enjoys. It is one of our “meatless” meals.   Many times Pasta nights consists of cooking:

    Print Recipe

    Poor Man's Pasta

    Don't let the name fool you. This is a simple staple that is quick and easy to make, yet still a comforting favorite.
    Prep Time1 minute
    Cook Time8 minutes
    Total Time9 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cheap, Simple
    Servings: 4
    Cost: $3

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups Elbow Noodles
    • 1/2 tbsp Butter or Margarine
    • Grated Parmesan Cheese (aka. "Shaky Cheese")

    Instructions

    • Cook the noodles, drain and add the butter.  Sprinkle Shaky Cheese over your noodles and enjoy.

    Notes

    I add veggies and fruit to round out the meal.   It is quick, simple, and inexpensive. 

    Spinach Chicken Casserole

    This is another one of those quick recipes I threw together to use up some extra chicken we had in the fridge that was a hit with the family.

    Print Recipe

    Spinach Chicken Casserole

    This is a quick "throw together" meal that tastes great and feels like it should have taken more time.
    Prep Time5 minutes
    Cook Time1 hour
    Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cheap, Simple
    Servings: 6

    Ingredients

    • 2 to 3 cups Cubed Chicken (or you can use 2 to 3 frozen whole Chicken Breasts)
    • 1 can Spinach
    • 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
    • 4 oz Sliced Mushrooms (Optional: Canned works best)
    • 2 slices Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese
    • 2 cups Rice (uncooked)
    • 2 to 4 tbsp Water

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Pour the 2 cups of uncooked rice and water if necessary into a casserole dish.  Add the Chicken on top of the rice.
    • Mix together the Spinach and Cream of Mushroom then add it on top of the Chicken.
    • Spread the sliced mushrooms over the spinach mixture.
    • Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
    • Add the cheese on top 10 to 15 minutes before the casserole is done.

    Veggie Beef Soup is another one we put together with items we have on hand.

    Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable.  We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks to make sure everyone is getting the nutritional meals they need.

    I will continue to share with you the challenges and successes so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story.  As I extend this goal into at least the first part of February I hope to have the opportunity to share more about what we are doing to make it stretch!  Let’s see if we can finish yet another week of the No Grocery Shopping challenge!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Meals)

    A couple questions we have been asked several times over the last month regarding my No Grocery Shopping challenge are – What have we been eating?  Do we have any recipes?  I am thrilled that we were able extend this challenge into February!   The quick answer is the meals have been “simple”.   Thankfully my family does not have any food allergies so we can be a little more flexible on what we eat.

    Here are a few ways we made our pantry stretch:

    • Always Eat Leftovers
    • Keep it Simple
    • Make Meals with Few Ingredients
    • Cook 1 Main Meal a Day
    • Cut back on Snacks
    • Make Meatless Meals

    On typical day we eat toast, cereal, eggs,  oatmeal or something we have on hand for breakfast.  The girls have lunch at school so they are covered for that meal.  Jake and I eat left overs for lunch (the left overs are usually from dinner the night before).  For dinner I fix a simple, few ingredients main dish to feed our family of four then add fruits, veggies and other sides to compliment the main dish.

    The first place I noticed a dip in the pantry was with the snacks.  When the kids get home form school they are HUNGRY (they eat their school lunch at 10:30 AM) and are always ready for a snack.  If it has been a busy day for me a lot of times they will grab an item from our “snack basket” on the kitchen counter which contains items such as granola bars, pretzels, crackers, etc…. We have noticed a dip in our dairy products too.  The girls will often have a cheese stick or yogurt for a snack after school so those have been being utilized.  Another snack they enjoy after school is a half of peanut butter & jelly sandwich or peanut butter with honey and veggies which gives them an extra boost of protein.

    One of the neat parts about doing this challenge is I have started noticing trends in our family.  I have seen what we eat more of as well as the items that get left behind more frequently.  It is important to me that we all continue to get healthy meals and snacks, however, I want to eliminate wastefulness.

    Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable.  We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks.  I will be adding the recipes for these items in the next day or two.  It is our plan to continue this challenge yet another week!

    I will continue to share with you the challenges, successes and what I have purchased so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I am thrilled that we can extend this goal and continue to use up the items we already have in our home!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Continued)

    Now that we are through January 2011 you may be wondering how I  did with my No Grocery Shopping Month Challenge.  I did a lot better than I anticipated, but still had a hiccup or two.  Thankfully no one starved or went hungry in our house during my challenge.  We even hosted guests for a few meals!  It took a little extra planning on my part to cook meals from items already in the pantry and fridge, if we didn’t have something we did without it or found a creative way to make it out of what we had at home.  The amazing part is the entire family was supportive of my goal even if that meant a slightly altered menu.  The only comment I received from one of the girls that indicated they noticed was “Mom, did we eat up all the leftovers in the fridge because it looks a little empty?”

    Here is the complete list of groceries I purchased in the month of January:

    • 6 gallons of Milk
    • 1 loaf of Bread
    • 1 package Ground Hamburger
    • 1 package Cube Steaks
    • 2 Yogurts
    • 1 container French Onion Dip
    • 1 container Cottage Cheese
    • 1 package Flour Tortillas
    • 1 box Kellogg’s Toy Story 3 cereal

    The total spent on groceries for this month was $27.95 including the tax.   Milk was by far the most expensive part of our expenditures for the month of January adding up to $18.93.  We had an extra expense of $1.50 from the Kellogg’s Toy Story 3 cereal that did not meet my criteria.  Leaving only $7.52 for all of our other grocery purchases for the month of January which I bought last week.

    The food I bought had to meet the following criteria:

    • FREE – I don’t want to waste free grocery coupons that my family will use while doing this goal
    • Necessity – Milk, Eggs, Bread, etc…
    • For Someone Else outside of my household.  For example I make meals for new Moms in our church and if I need to pick up an item for them on the way to deliver a meal that will be an exception.

    I have decided to continue with this challenge.  It has been wonderful not having to go to the grocery store every week for anything other than milk.  Our pantry still has plenty for us to eat and our freezer is fairly full.  So I am going to continue with this challenge into February and see how much longer I can make it stretch.

    One of the questions I have been asked is – What are we eating?  Do we have recipes for these meals?  To answer those questions I will be sharing a little more about what we are eating and recipes in a later post.

    I will continue to share with you the challenges, successes and what I had to purchase so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I am excited to be extending this goal into the first part of February!  It has been great learning to say “no” when at the grocery store to extras and being creative with we have at home.

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.

  • Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Update)

    We are now well  into week four of my no grocery shopping challenge for the month of January 2011.  It is time for me to give you an update so you can continue to keep me accountable.  Last week was an easy one for us because we were not at home, my husband and I had the privilege of going on a cruise with extended family and the girls were staying with friends. We did take food over with the girls but we didn’t have to buy any essentials or perishable items while we were away.

    Before leaving for vacation we ate the leftovers and most of the perishables in our refrigerator.  This week was the first time this month I had to pick up several perishable items.  Other than a gallon or two of milk a week we have been doing really well.  So far we have purchased 5 gallons of milk for the month of January.  Thankfully all the groceries I purchased this week were marked down except for the gallon of milk I paid $2.99 for at Save A Lot.  Here are the groceries I bought this week at Save A Lot | Rite Aid to restock the perishables in our fridge:

    • Ground Hamburger – $6.39 markdown to $3.18
    • Cube Steaks – $3.14 markdown to $1.59
    • 2 Yogurts – $0.50 markdown to $0.25 each
    • French Onion Dip – $1.29 markdown to $0.64
    • Cottage Cheese (24 oz) – $2.25 markdown to $1.12
    • Flour Tortillas – $0.99 markdown to $0.49

    I spent a total of $7.52 including tax.  By only purchasing the markdown items I was able to save over $8 on the perishable items we needed for our family.  With the exception of the french onion dip everything would meet my criteria of a necessity for our household.  Every home has different perishable items they need to keep in stock; meat and diary fit into that category for us (within reason), although, I have been trying to cut down on the amount I purchase to make sure we really do use the items already in stock.  Fruits and veggies are ones I would consider necessary too (in moderation), however, we are still using up the ones we had from several weeks ago as well as those we froze from the garden this summer.   The french onion dip is one I felt the most “guilty” about buying but since it was $0.64 for a large container and we are going to a Super Bowl party outside our home it technically falls under my criteria of  “for Someone Else outside of my household” (I may be stretching that criteria a little). Even though it was a good bargain and it is for people outside of my home I probably could have made something from scratch with the items already in my pantry.

    I am hoping these will be the last items we have to purchase for the month of January (with an exception to milk) and maybe even into February if I am really lucky.  These groceries should last at least a couple weeks when we put them together with the food we already have in our freezer and pantry!  So far I haven’t done too bad with the challenge.  I have had to pass up on a couple really great deals, but the point is to use the items in stock before buying more.

    I will continue to share with you the challenges, successes and what I had to purchase so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I would love to extend this goal into February if I can make our pantry stretch!

    Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.