Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 3:50 PM
With the economy in the shape its in right now, everyone must learn to make the most of what they have. Its time to quit running here and there without planning ahead and making the most of the fuel in our vehicles, time to quit making last-minute choices for our meals, and time to start using our brain to greater capacity. In other words, its time to get back to the basics and that's what I'm going to talk about here for a moment.
Let's face it-our dollars aren't going as far as they did a year ago! Many folks are already living paycheck to paycheck, and with the budget being stretched beyond its limits nowadays, we must learn to cut back. One way to do this is by planning ahead. We know our children have birthdays, so let's keep our eyes open for bargains throughout the year, pick them up when they're on sale, and put them back for gift-giving. The same thing applies to many other areas, as well. Stock up on supplies whenever the price is lowest. If your budget won't allow you to stock up all at once, just purchase an extra pack of toilet paper, or an extra bottle of shampoo, and put them back in the storage closet. Forget they're there, and go ahead and buy it again when the sale rolls around the next time, and do the same thing. Before you know it, you'll have an extra 6 months worth of supplies stored away! I do this with many items, including canned goods. The key to this is rotating your "stock." When you purchase something new, put it behind what you already have on hand and use the oldest items first. You won't have to worry about expiration dates that way! It's not a bargain if you keep it so long it expires and is no longer usable!
Another way to save is to plan ahead with your meals. Sit down and make a list of your family's favorite entrees. You may have a dozen things listed, or you may end up with a list of 30 or more! Either way is fine. After that, sit down with another piece of paper, and plan your menus for a week or two (or even a month, if you want to!). Go through the grocer's sale papers and make a mental note of what is a bargain this week. Then go to your entree list and find those things that can be prepared with what's on sale. If there's a great buy on ground beef, then plan to use a lot of it. If nothing else, purchase extra and freeze it for the next week's meals. If chicken is on sale, do the same. It helps to freeze things in portion sizes, or even to cook ahead and freeze things for later use.
I like to make entrees ahead of time and freeze them for those days when I'm rushing (okay, yes, that's nearly every day, but you get my point!). If I'm making spaghetti sauce, I'll double up and then freeze a quart or two. Sometimes I'll even cook an extra box of spaghetti noodles and make a dish of baked spaghetti to pop in the freezer. That way I only need to pull it out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator, top it with mozzarella the next day and bake it for an hour or so. Served with a salad on the side, it's become an easy meal for me to get on the table to feed a hungry family!
As the last of the summer produce goes through the markets, pick up some extra and freeze or can it. Broccoli can be cut into pieces, blanched, and then frozen (plunge into boiling water for 1 minute and then immediately put into ice water for a couple of minutes to blanch it). You can spread it out on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and then when its frozen, bag it in freezer bags, label and date it, and you'll have frozen broccoli when you need it. The same works for corn (yes, even on the cob), carrots, green beans, and many other veggies.
When planning your menu, think about what you can make for one night and then reuse the leftovers for another night. An example: I made chili the other night, and then took the leftovers and made it into a topping for spaghetti. I served the spaghetti on the plate, topped it with the chili, then put diced onions and shredded cheddar on top of that. Very good and very popular at a certain restaurant I love to go to! If I had had any more leftover chili, I could have made a chili pie out of it--pour the chili into a baking dish and top with spoonfuls of either thick cornbread batter or biscuit dough. Bake until the chili is hot and the topping is browned, and you have a delicious chili pot pie! There are many possibilities (don't forget the ever popular chili dogs!).
As you can see, it pays to plan ahead, especially with your menus. Don't just think about today, give thought to how you can simplify your life and your budget by planning ahead a bit. That's called Getting Back to the Basics in Life!
Throughout the years, I have learned to sit down and take the time to plan out my menus 2 weeks in advance. By doing this, I am able to do several things at once:
Make a more accurate grocery list
Save money on my grocery budget by planning meals around the sales and what is available in my own pantry
Stay on track with my personal schedule by planning Crock-Pot meals, casseroles, and more formal dinners
Eliminate the neverending question of, "What's for dinner?"
Help plan each day early in the morning, thus avoiding the loss of valuable time and the last minute rush to figure out what to cook for supper
I have had many ladies who have asked me to share my menus, and so have decided to do so here on my kitchen blog. One key thing to keep in mind is to remain flexible, however. There are always the inevitable crises and emergencies that come up and when this happens, one needs to be able to adapt quickly in all areas, including the preparation of meals. With that in mind, here are my menus for the next 2 weeks:
Chicken & Stuffing Bake, Mixed Veggies, Fruit Salad
Tuesday 2/12/08
Broccoli Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Wednesday 2/13/08
Bacon & Eggs, Grits, Home Fries, Biscuits
Thursday 2/14/08
Chili, Cornbread
Friday 2/15/08
Hot Dogs with Chili, Potato Salad
Saturday 2/16/08
Chicken & Dumplings, Salad
As you can see, I plan nights specifically for leftovers, and this helps prevent things from going to waste in my refrigerator and enables me to make full use of everything I cook. I also try to have one night per week, at least, for a meatless meal, making sure to incorporate foods with plenty of protein in other forms. I rarely serve dessert after supper, but if I choose to do so, I try to make something that is appropriate for the meal. In other words, a *heavy* meal would call for a lighter dessert (such as a fruit parfait), whereas a meal that is simpler would allow for a dessert that is a bit more intense (such as puddings or cakes).
When I had my daycare, I also planned the breakfast, lunch, and snacks for each day, not only for the reasons listed above, but also to allow my daycare parents to be aware of what their children were eating and to plan their own meals accordingly.
I hope this menu and these tips/ideas help you with your own kitchen and time organization and budgeting!
I have really been wanting to update this blog, and it feels good to finally have it done! I hope you like the changes I've made here.
Life has been a bit busy this week, and I've accomplished much. I've taken down all of my Christmas decor and packed it up and put it away nice and tidy for the next 11 months. I've purged and organized my storage room, which was sorely in need of some attention (more so than this blog was!). I've done a lot of cleaning in my kitchen, but there's more that I want to do (the term "book shelf" comes to mind!). I've also redecorated the living room (somewhat), due to the gift of a sofa and recliner.
There's plenty left to do this week....a thorough cleaning of the bathroom, writing my newsletter, and thorough cleaning and organizing of my sewing room/office. Oh, and a load of laundry waiting to be done!
It's back to school next week for me, which is why I've worked so hard here at home this week. Besides that, I always have a sense of setting things in order for the new year, and this has surely been done. I've started my new journal for the year, as well, and am filling it with scriptures, thoughts, and wonderful ideas.
I pray your new year has gotten off to a wonderful start, and continues to be filled with His Word and many blessings!
Monday morn has dawned yet again, and as is normal, it has been a busy one for me. I have had that flu going around for the last week, and thankfully, I seem to be recovering from it at last! I missed my first day back to school for Winter Quarter last Thursday due to a 102° temperature , but Praise the Lord, my fever has broke, and the aches and pains are working their way out, as well! God is so good!
I've spent the morning doing quite a bit of cleaning and blessing my home. The Christmas decor was take down and put away Saturday (after which I cheerfully went to bed!), yesterday I spent resting, and now after this morning's work, my home is once again in order and clean! Praise God! He never ceases to amaze me...giving us just what we need when we need it the most - including physical strength and energy! Hallelujah!
I will be working on cleaning my desk this afternoon, pressing my clothes for school tomorrow, and loading up my book bag with the necessary supplies for yet another quarter of college. They're calling for some snow and possibly some showers tomorrow, so I'll be sure to tuck in my trusty umbrella.
Well, off to enjoy the cup of Vanilla Chai I just fixed.....
Fall, or Autumn as many of us choose to call this beautiful season, is upon us. I think the *official* time of it's beginning is tonight sometime, but for many areas of our country, it is already here! As I've gone through this week, the temperatures have dropped, I've seen the beautiful leaves changing, and the air just has a clean & crisp feel and scent to it.
This is the time when we need to turn the focus in our homes to cozying up for the upcoming colder months. Change out the wardrobes for warmer clothing and darker colors, pull out the afghans, blankets, and quilts, and change the very essence of our home.
I like to use different scented candles this time of year, in accordance with the season. Now, my favorite candles are the Yankee Candles, but I will use others. Some wonderful scents are on the grocer's shelves, and many candlemaker's live in my area and sell their wares at the local flea markets. Candy corn, coffee scents, apple and cinnamon scents, and of course, pumpkin scents, will all help to change the atmosphere in your home.
Lovely arrangements of foliage will also enable you to change the atmosphere of your home for the Autumn season. Sturdy wicker baskets of fall leaves with their resplendent colors, potted mums in their beautiful colors, spicy potpourri, pumpkins and gourds all work for the atmosphere intended. If you have small children, you can still decorate. Some of things I did when I had my daycare were wall hangings (think along the lines of wall quilts or quilted wall hangings), a display on the top of my entertainment center with fall leaves and gourds (there are some beautiful silk leaves that fit this purpose well), a change in my tablecloth, runner, and placemats, and even changing the pattern of your favorite paper towels will all add to your home decor.
Another way to bring the fall season indoors is to have a *Cocoa/Tea Basket* kept sitting on your kitchen counter or kitchen island. You know the spot - where everyone tends to congregate when coming home. Find a pretty basket and fill it with different cocoas and teas (your family's favorites), a bit of sugar or sweetener your family uses, some swizzle sticks (honey ones are great!), and even a small tin of cookies to enjoy with your beverages. There are also some delicious cider packs at the grocer's now that add just the right amount of spice to your life!
I hope these ideas have given you a start on celebrating this lovely time of the year. The time when we slow down a bit after a busy summer of fun and play, and get back into the business of family life at home more, learning, and loving.
Well, it's that time of the year again! Spring is just around the corner ~ yes, I realize it's still cold in many parts of our country, and it is here in West Virginia, too. But rest assured, Spring WILL come soon!
I remember back when I first started setting up housekeeping (back before I realized it wasn't just housekeeping, but *homemaking* that I needed to be doing), I would get all tensed up around this time of year. You know what I mean...all the media attention given to getting your house spotlessly clean and organized, having the right cleaning chemicals for the job, the right organizers, etc. In other words, spending money you couldn't afford to throw away on things that weren't really needed if you couldn't afford them. Besides, I had 3 sons in diapers and couldn't keep up with the day-to-day chores! How was I supposed to do even more?
Then I came to the realization that my day-to-day work wasn't really a *chore* after all! It was in reality a BLESSING to me! I had been blessed with a lovely and beautiful home, and wonderful family to live in my home with me, and enough food to feed everyone. What was I complaining about?
So I began to see those piles of dirty dishes as a blessing - the chance to clean them so I could refill them with delicious, nutritious, and satisfying food for my family to eat. The dirty floors? A blessing to wash so I could watch my babies taking their first steps on them! Those dirty diapers to be laundered? A blessing that would only last until they were potty-trained! (and they make wonderful cleaning and polishing rags afterward) Those unmade beds? A blessing to remake and fluff up for my family to lay down on and get their much needed rest that night. It became an honor for me to be the one to insure that all was being done to make my home a sanctuary for my family.
But still...what about all those expensive cleaners and organizers "they" said I needed? Well, not a problem. It wasn't something that I had the money for, so I figured I could make do without them.
Now mind you, this doesn't mean I jumped right in with glee on Spring Cleaning! Oh, no! Although homemaking was now a blessing to me, I still had those moments when I just couldn't keep up. But I figured if I took it a few minutes at a time, it was better than nothing. So I started out as my children did...with baby steps. I was still holding on to the edge of something, but making progress.
I started in the room that was usually the hardest for me to keep clean ~ the kitchen! And in the kitchen, I started in a cabinet at one end and worked on it. I took everything out, washed it with plain old soap and water, put some lovely shelf paper down (in those days, my shelf paper was usually something the children had colored and had on the refrigerator door - so I cleaned off that door at the same time to make room for more of their artwork), and then put things back in nice and neat and organized. I didn't have a lot back then, so it wasn't hard to organize it, but I did what I could. I made progress. After it was all back in I cleaned the front of the cabinet nice and clean. It took me a couple of weeks to get that whole kitchen Spring Cleaned, because I only spent a few minutes a day on it. But when it was done ~ oh, my! What a true blessing that was to me! It became even more of a joy to go in there and cook, and I think I became a better cook then, as I had more encouragement from my clean surroundings.
When I saw what a joy my nice clean kitchen was, I decided to move on to the next hardest room to keep clean - the Bathroom! Yikes! That room took a few days, yes. I tossed out old medicine, makeup that wasn't used any more, old razors and bottles of stuff with just a tiny bit left in the bottom. I became ruthless with it all. But you know what? It became clean...and organized! And I didn't need to spend $$$ on fancy chemicals and organizers to get it that way!
Another thing I did through all of this was to write down what I needed to do. This probably was the start of my *list making* habit! LOL Anyone who knows me well, knows I have lists for everything I do. But this was the beginning one. I listed everything that needed to be cleaned, where I wanted to put things, how I wanted to clean everything, and when I wanted to clean it. I planned, and then planned again, and then I planned some more. I set up a schedule. I had my plan. I knew what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, and what my ultimate goals were with it. And then I worked my plan. And I stuck to my plan. Even when it become an act of perseverance, I continued on with it. It took me many weeks to get my home Spring Clean that year, and then Fall came. Remembering what all I put into it that Spring, I wasn't about to let it build up again for next Spring to be just as hard. So I pulled my Plan out again, and did it all over again. It didn't take me nearly as long that time!
I kept that Spring Cleaning Plan for many years. I reworked it a few times, in keeping with the different homes I lived in as we moved. But finally, I had it so fine-tuned, I didn't feel I needed it any more. I wish I had kept it though. Because although I don't need it personally now, I have reached the age in life where I'm blessed to tutor a couple of younger ladies that are where I was back then. So I'm making the Plan all over again to share with them. And they're understanding why I do things the way I do them. Why do I clean out a drawer here and there throughout the winter? Why do I routinely go through my closets and reorganize in bits and pieces? Because this way, the task of blessing my home isn't nearly as daunting to me. And have mercy, they're beginning to be list makers, too! Oh boy!
I'm so glad you've joined me here! Welcome to my little homestead here...please, have a cup of tea with me, and let's spend a while chatting here in my kitchen.
Homemaking is such a lovely, gentle, and necessary art form. Some look upon it as work, but I choose to look upon it as a privilege and a blessing. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the fruits of my labors, and keeping my home is definitely *instant gratification*! As you bend over and scrub that bathtub one more time, look and see how shiny and spotless it's become. The germs are all gone, and it sits patiently waiting for a loved family member to step in and wash the dirt, grime, and worries of the day away. How rewarding this is!
There are so many wonderful aspects to keeping our homes. It involves more than just cleaning, per se, it involves blessing our home. Speak words of blessing as you clean, as you prepare meals to nourish your family's bodies, as well as their spirits. Put some lovely praise worship on, and give God all of the praise and glory for having a home to clean and the strength and knowledge to do so in a pleasing manner to Him.
I will be writing more about keeping our home in a little while. I hope you've enjoyed our little visit today....I look forward to seeing you again!
This weblog is a compilation of happening's here in my home. I include homemaking tips, recipes, and encouragement for the homemaker who realizes she is a God-ordained Keeper of her Home.
, but Praise the Lord, my fever has broke, and the aches and pains are working their way out, as well! God is so good! 
