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Simply Frugal

Container Veggies

Food costs are on the rise. We have all seen it. We are all trying to manage and figure out hwo we are going to pay for those same growing grocery bills with a budget that is not growing. Try your hand at growing some veggies. I am not talking about starting a veggie patch out in your yard. Many don’t have the time, energy, desire, or resources for a home garden. However you can grow quite a bit of veggies in containers such as larger flower pots and 5 gallon buckets. Tomatoes are a GREAT choice for the first time veggie gardener because they are so versatile and you get a lot of yield per plant. This means you could grow enough tomatoes of 3-4 plants to keep you in spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, salsa, soup, and salad for quite some time! Container gardening is a great way to do a little money saving on the groceries, without having to have a master’s in Greenthumbology! It’s simple and it’s frugal!

These are my thoughts.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Laundry, Laundry, Everywhere and Not a Thing to Wear

Recently, I was chatting with a mom I met at the library regarding simple living. I mentioned that I only own clothes that are solid tops and bottoms and she was amazed. Not amazed as in, “WOW! You are Super Woman!” Her reaction was more accurately, “Wow! I never thought of that?” What amazed her was that the idea is SO simple and easy, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it.

I have a 2 fold reason for solid tops and bottoms. The first reason is that I can pull any top and bottom out of my closet or dresser at any time on any day and know that I have a match. This really helps if I have gotten behind on laundry! Secondly, my shirts get stained so easily that I spend VERY little on them and often am in need of new ones, so I don’t have to think about it when purchasing. Any solid v-neck t-shirt at about $3 each is a WIN for me! I can easily replace these shirts without one moment of wasted time thinking about if the shirt will match anything I own.

I often find that mom’s purchase so many single items that they have TOO MANY clothes and never anything to wear. This can be so overwhelming, not to mention frustrating, on those oh so chaotic days. I recommend that you only keep 9-12 everyday shirts on hand at any given time. Each time you purchase a new shirt, one must be given away. If you use this system you will stop and think before you buy another shirt, because you may not have any you are ready to pass on. Think that is the only benefit, OH NO! It does not stop there! When you limit the number of items in your wardrobe, you will also have LESS LAUNDRY to keep wash regularly. You can only get so far behind before there is nothing left hanging in your closet, right? When this happens you will HAVE to do the laundry. If you have 20, 30, 40 tops to choose from, you could put your laundry off for quite some time. When that day comes, WOW will there be lots to do!

Just to clarify, I have more than 10 shirts. My shirt count usually runs around 10 v-neck t-shirts, 5-10 tank tops, 10 long sleeve tops, and 4-5 dress tops (varying in sleeve length).  Every top is solid colored and matches every bottom I own. I never have to think too much, I never have to spend too much, and I never have to worry about overloading of laundry. You can too can put this into practice, and you don’t have to wait until your whole life is simplified to do it!

So, what are you waiting for?

These are my thoughts.

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Simply Frugal

Frugal & Simple…Is it always a savings?

Simple & Frugal living are two different concepts. Simple living has a focus on deliberate and voluntary simplicity, which does not always mean low cost. Frugal living is a lifestyle that is focused on spending the least amount of money possible on any aspect of living. However, these two lifestyles DO cross paths from time to time. When that happens it is time to evaluate whether a lifestyle method fits YOUR goals.

For example, I am not a coupon clipper. It has been years since I have seen coupons that save me any money. The time it takes to keep track of coupons in addition to the fact that I would rarely purchase a product that has a coupon makes this practice neither frugal nor simple in my life. Make sure you take time to evaluate certain methods of saving money from time to time. Compare how much you are saving with how much time you spend on the actual activity to determine whether this is worth your time and efforts.

I encourage buying in bulk when the cost is significantly reduced to buying in small quantities. However, if you don’t have the cash to purchase the bulk, and have to put it on a credit card, you have saved nothing. If you do not use all of the bulk item before its expiration, you have actually wasted your money. If you want to get the savings of bulk try to find one or two other families to share the expense and the bulk with. If everyone can chip in cash to purchase an item in bulk and split the item so that you ensure that it will be used to its fullest, then you WILL save.

If you are new to frugal and simple living, start slowly! You can spend a small fortune trying to gather items that are “must haves” for frugal and simple lifestyles. Keep the objective of your new lifestyle in the forefront and take it in baby steps. You cannot run before you can walk. If you want the new lifestyle to stick you must practice each small step before taking the next step. Be certain to take your personality into effect, so you don’t waste your money on products and books that suggest ideas that fit the author’s lifestyle and personality and are not adaptable to yours.

It is important that with any simple and/or frugal lifestyle choices that you check yourself periodically. Every 3-4 months ask yourself what is working and what is not working with your family and make changes accordingly. This can save you TONS of money and stress in the long run!

These are my thoughts.

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Simply Frugal

Curb Appeal for Less

You can dress up the outside of your home with some simple, frugal, and usable plants that will provide curb appeal for less.

Using potting soil, or good soil from your composter, fill several smaller plant pots. Add seeds from a variety of different herbs to the pots according to the package directions. Once the plants begin to grow, plant the pots in your garden by digging a hole the pot will fit in leaving the top band exposed. Once these plants begin to grow, they look beautiful! This is also an easy way to determine weeds from your plantings…if it’s growing outside the pot, it’s a weed. This is so simple, but the frugal aspect is twofold. Firstly, herb seeds and the other components for planting are very inexpensive. But the savings don’t stop there, because you can take clippings from the herbs to use in your cooking saving you from having to buy herbs.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Homemade Tomorrow

How often do we think about how much we could do from scratch if we just had more time, resources, were more organized and crafty, etc. We have a million and one excuses reasons why we don’t do more homemaking from scratch. This is all fine if you don’t desire this form of simplicity in your life. But if you do, this thinking is continual source of procrastination.

The thing about making things from scratch is that you don’t have to make everything from scratch. The simplicity of making things yourself should be rewarding as well as benefit your family. If you have no desire to learn to sew purchasing a sewing machine, fabric, needles, thread, and do dads galore will end up being nothing more than clutter. You don’t have to sew home décor items, clothing, period costumes for your kids, etc to validate your journey to simplicity. If baking is not your thing, don’t stress yourself out with making muffins for a church brunch...buy them.

All this said, DON’T put off the simple homemade activities you do enjoy for a chaotic convenient store bought life. If you enjoy baking, schedule a baking morning each week with a pre planned list for each week of the delicious items you will bake. Make enough to freeze some for other days. Enjoy sewing? Use fabric you already have and take on one project and complete it. Have a green thumb? Spend time growing your own flowers and vegetables and forget those other projects that you have no interest in.

Your life of simplicity is YOUR own. You are unique. So is the path of your journey. Don’t put off all homemade activities because you are overwhelmed by the amount you think you should be doing. Pick one that you want to do and get started!

These are my thoughts.

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Simply Frugal

Lower Your Insurance the Simple Way

Insurance is one of those bills we have to have, not because we want to, because it is normally government mandated. Most states require you to carry automobile insurance. It you have a mortgage you must carry home owner’s insurance and for some an extra insurance called PPI. Renting while saving for a home? Then you may have renter’s insurance. Health Insurance. Cancer Insurance. The list can be pretty extensive and exhausting; not just for you to manage it, but to pay for it all!

Although many of these insurance options are required for us, we can look at cutting costs in some unknown ways. My friend recently told me that her home owner’s insurance was cut by approximately 50%! All she did was sign up for a free program. They send an adjuster type person to your home who evaluates the home for safety and efficiency. They gave her a signed document that stated that her home met all the state requirements. She gave that to her insurance company and WHAM! 50% reduction!!! Check with your local officials and utility companies to see if they offer any programs such as this one. Often times utilities companies will send a rep to check your home for efficiency and this will also give you a reduction in your bills; if not from the company up front, then on your bill as they give you guidelines to make your home more energy efficient.

You can do this with automobile insurance as well. Call your representative and ask to go over your policy. Ask for recommendations on how to trim the costs of your insurance. Call another company and ask for a quote on the same insurance. If the price is different, let your current rep know that. Don’t be afraid to switch companies! If you are going to save a couple hundred dollars a year, it’s worth your time! Also, there are often deductions that they don’t advertise. Some may be for certain type of safety devices. Perhaps your vehicle is rated with an airbag. If your vehicle has a passenger side airbag, ask if there is a reduction for that as well. Have a clean driving record? CALL your insurance agent and remind him/her. Often times it is worthy of a deduction. They are not going to call you and ask you if are eligible for these discounts!

Most insurance companies I have dealt with over the last couple decades are willing to work with a customer who takes the time to call and ask questions or have a home check done. Even health insurance companies will give you a discount if you have a health exam yearly! Take a few moments each week to tackle one of your insurance bills in this simple way; your bank account will thank you!

These are my thoughts.

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I Can’t Live Simple Until…

It’s summer now; Officially. For everyone summer usually marks a time of relaxation. Some of us homeschoolers school year round. For our family, we school throughout the summer because it is so hot here. We prefer to take time off in the winter when the weather is cooler and more enjoyable for outdoor play. However, we still have time during the summer that we use to relax.

It’s important that you schedule down times throughout the year regardless of your schedule. For example, if your children attend school, you may schedule a week during the school year that they have off from school as a relaxing week for you at home as well. Don’t schedule any activities. Do not make appointments for that week. Although it may seem more convenient to schedule appointments and activities for that time, you will find that those activities can be squished in to your schedule during regular time and make no difference. But having a week that is planned for nothing can make all the difference.

Take time to look at your schedule for the next few months and see when you can schedule a few days for nothingness. If you have it in you, try to schedule down time through the end of the year. RESPECT the schedule that you set up and say NO to anything and everyone who puts pressure on you to schedule something during those days. This period of nothingness is PARAMOUNT to re-centering yourself and gaining the benefits of simplicity. Life will keep spinning forward, don’t miss the opportunity to schedule time to STOP and enjoy it!

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Simply Frugal

Deliberate Shopping

We don’t always have a lot of time. Shopping is time consuming and tedious at best. BUT there is something to be said for deliberate shopping. What is deliberate shopping? Simply put it is taking time to shop. Be conscious of your purchases. Take time to compare prices and check labels for ingredients. Don’t always buy what you know. Right now prices are changing rapidly and frequently. Once a month take time to shop deliberately. Be certain what you are purchasing is the best bang for your buck.

If you do this at least once a month, you will begin to notice you actually enjoy this time of shopping. For me, I cannot do this effectively with others in tow. So, the hubby and I make plans that I will have an hour or so to shop on my own once or twice a month. My future goal is to have time to do this once a week, because the results are bigger savings and a less chaotic mind. This simple activity makes frugal living a blessing in disguise. Make time to do this and your wallet will thank you because your money will be right where it belongs!

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

A Place to Call Simple

Moms are often dissatisfied with their home environment when they are ready to make the shift to a more simple life. They look around and see all this stuff. They feel overwhelmed at the thought of downsizing and organizing all that stuff. This usually results in it being left alone and mom thinking she can’t possibly begin a simple life until she has a HUGE amount of time to accomplish the task; which no one has! Mom may decide to repaint, redecorate, or re-stage rooms instead of eliminating the stuff to simplify. However, this doesn’t get rid of the stuff, and this mom never really feels that sense of simplicity.

Is this you? Do you want a simpler life style, but your home doesn’t seem to co-operate? Start SLOW! Pick ONE room you spend a lot of time in as the target room. Your goal is to transform this room into one that is simple and comfortable. This means clutter free for most people. I often recommend that mom pick the master bedroom, because having a peaceful environment that is her own can often change mom’s demeanor. She may get more recuperative sleep or find that spending 5 minutes in her room with God is all she needs for refreshment throughout the day if there are no distractions like piles of laundry.

Pick one week to work on this room. Before Day 1, put some thought into what you would like to change and what is within your budget. Ideally this is a great project for not spending ANY money, but if you haven’t painted your room in five years, it might be time for a coat of pain in a warm, muted, neutral tone to help set the environment. Schedule de-cluttering activities for one or two days in a row. Get rid of as much as possible. Remember you are looking to simplify! Less stuff around you really does change your mood within the room and there is less to take care of, cutting down of weekly cleaning time. Less cleaning time means that you can do something else during the extra time! WAHOO! Who wouldn’t like to gain a little time each week? Use Days 3-6 to paint and re-organize your room to accomplish a tranquil environment.

Once you have accomplished a simple environment, keep it that way. With less stuff in the room this will be easy! As you find the enjoyment of having this one place of simplicity in your home that you can rely on every day, you will find yourself inspired to take on each room of your home, one simple step at a time.

These are my thoughts.  

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Simply Frugal

Valances and Café Curtains

Window dressings can be costly. Frugal homemakers have long known that they can dress their windows for less by purchasing them at thrift stores and yard sales. They also know that using old sheets, table cloths, and fabric can be made into several different styles of curtains. Here’s a VERY simple and frugal way to make valances and café curtains.

Consider using cloth napkins and dish towels. One of the reasons these are such a great resource is that you can often find matching or complimentary sets at thrift stores and yard sales for just a few cents. Also, they are already finished, so it is just a matter of putting them together in curtain form. This can easily be accomplished, even without a sewing machine. Assemble the napkins or dish towels side by side until you have enough to be 1 ½ times the width of the window. Now, you will want to “close” the seams of the edges in the center of the curtains. You can do this on a machine, or use a needle and thread to tack them “closed.”

If you will be hanging them on a rod, fold the top down the correct width to accommodate the curtain rod to be used. Using a sewing machine or needle and thread, sew that piece, being certain sew the ends well. That’s IT! Hang it and you have some very cute, stylish, and custom curtains that are simple and frugal!

These are my thoughts.

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I Can’t Live Simply Until…

Simple Schedule for Change

Making life changes can be inspiring, uplifting, and invigorating, but they can also cause some undue stress. The fact is that we get so excited about the end result of the life changes that we forget to enjoy the journey, with its peaks and valleys. We can become so focused on the end result that we want the actual process can become frustrating and depressing. Even when we are praying for our end result it is all too common that we are our focus. One important piece of this puzzle is that we need to try to remember that we are doing this for the glory of God, NOT for the glory of ourselves. Our motivation must always be in the right place for us to be able to handle both the peaks and valleys appropriately.

All this aside, I regularly recommend that when one is striving towards a life change, she needs to take it slow. Deliberate, well thought out steps are keys to success. Take the idea of having a more simple life. The thoughts of what your life will be like when you reach that goal are so peaceful and content. Then we you snap back into your present reality and wonder if there is any possibility of truly getting to the end of the journey. Although the end of the journey is important, the journey itself is what gets you to the end.

Firstly, you need to give this area over to God. Yes, I know that you are supposed to accept His offer, by giving control of your life to Him, but I also know there isn’t a woman I have talked with that hasn’t had the daily struggle of accomplishing this. God has a plan. He designed us this way so that we would need to call on Him to help us on our transformation journey. This is true for every area of our lives. For me, I do this is in small segments. I officially have put my life in His hands, but my human control freakiness does take over from time to time. When I recognize this in a particular area, I make a point to work on that particular area.

Next, ask God to show you small steps that you can make towards your simple living goal. Don’t rush this part. Do your research. Long suffering will produce the greatest results when you are listening and waiting; sometimes for long periods of time. The trick with this part is to be content with where He has you at the moment. As information is revealed to you about some changes you are to make, mark them down on a list.

When you get to the point of a workable list, make a simple schedule. If your list includes turning off the TV one day per week, consider your family schedule. What day would be the most effective? What activities will you put in place of that time? Will preparations need to be made for those activities? Remember to consult with your husband for advice. Now, mark the days and activities on your calendar. Remember to include a note to yourself for any preparation items that may be needed.

As you begin to schedule simple living techniques in this slow manner, you will find that each time you add a new one on, it will become easier and easier to incorporate. The reason being is that you will have learned to digest and apply these ideas because you have been giving yourself time to pray, converse, think about, and plan. While this process is simple in and of itself, it is often rushed through in these harried times.

Take time with God TODAY to begin on your journey to simplicity.

These are my thoughts.

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I Can't Live Simply Until...

Simply Frugal De-cluttering

One basic tenant of simple living is having less stuff. Doesn't that sound so easy? Less stuff. It doesn't get more simple than that. Well...that's a nice thought isn't it. But getting there is MORE than half the battle!

About seven years ago I went through a nesting period and I decluttered with a tenacity unknown to anyone except a nesting mother. A year after baby I noticed that someone kept putting things in my home while I was sleeping, or something, because there was stuff everywhere. I tried to get back into that nesting mode, but my attempts seemed futile at best. I was so strongly desirous of getting rid of stuff that I began dreaming of myself saying "Beam them Up Scotty!" while looking at piles of stuff on the transporter deck. YES! Problem solved. What I needed was a transporter for the unwanted stuff! That is when my mindset began to change.

I noted that the only way to control stuff, was to buy less of it. That was a GREAT and oh so unique thought process, that surely I would be remembered as one of the masters. Master of what, I had no idea! But what to do with the stuff we had. Hmmmm...

It occured to me that with the stuff we had and didn't need beaming it up to some unknown location was like transporting my stuff to a landfill. I don't think so. Alas alack, what's a mom to do with a house FULL of stuff? We have never had any luck with yard sales. We don't have time for Ebay, what with all the picture taking, posting, weighing, packaging, and transporting the stuff to the post office. Oh and those post office lines! Ebay doesn't make me enough cash to pay for my time in those lines!!! Just this year I came up with an idea that was absolutely SIMPLE and FRUGAL!

I have mentioned the fantasmic blessing of such groups as Freecycle in which anyone can acquire stuff posted for free. You can also post items that you want to get rid of for free. But with a house FULL of stuff to deploy, posting individual items and making arrangements to have each one of them picked up was daunting, to say the least. That's when my plan came into affect. Have a Freecycle Yard "Sale."

Schedule a week to ten days to declutter your entire house. YES, I said your ENTIRE house! EVERY room! You can schedule a room or two per day. Gather some boxes from grocers, etc to place your unwanted stuff in. You do NOT need to spend extra time organizing like things together. Just DO it! Be ruthless! You will need a clearing station; a place to put all your unwanted stuff. When the whole house is devoid of unwanted items, pick a Saturday to post a Freecycle Yard "Sale" to as many lists as you have in your area. You will want to list some key items groups of items, but it is NOT necessary to list more than 10. Post your address and mention that everything will be in your drive way; noting that for one day only everything is free on a first come first serve basis. (Do not promise to hold any item for anyone.) On your Yard "sale" day move all of the items out of your garage and line both sides of your driveway. This allows "shoppers" to pick through items with ease.

The first time I did this, I did not have a chance to post until 1 pm on a Saturday afternoon and thought we might not get many people because who would be home on their computer on such a gorgeous day. Soon you will hear the words, "If you post it, they will come." And come will they!!!! That particular day ALL of the items except for a few small items were GONE by 5 pm! We didn't have to wait for 5 or 6 yard salers and then haul our unwanted stuff back into the garage. We didn't have to deal with haggling. We knew our items were not going into the landfill. We didn't spend a dime on advertising or gas to cart the stuff to a thrift shop. It was SPLENDIFEROUS!

The best part for us was that we were helping others. Someone did mention that "shoppers" may be picking the items up to sell in a yard sale themselves. Our reply was that we didn't care. Our main objective was to rid ourselves of these items and get them into other homes. If that meant someone else turning a buck, then God has used us to bless them!

Push back that feeling of being overwhelmed. You CAN begin living simply today!

These are my thoughts.

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Combat Gas Prices Part II

Last week I discussed ways to cut back on gas and other energy costs associated with running your home. This week I want to address the issue of vehicle fuel. I use the term “vehicle fuel” because not everyone operates a vehicle that runs on gasoline; some use diesel fuel. If you think your gasoline prices are high, check out the cost of diesel next time you are at the pump. It will look as though you are getting a bargain!

The first thing you want to do is look at your driving schedule. Pull out your calendar/planner and look at your average schedule. For simplicity’s sake you may want to consider consolidating your away from the home events, but this will not save you much gas, as you will be driving to these places anyway. However, there is a savings in the distance from and to your home to a mid point, which can result in a few miles per week.

Look at how many events you have away from the home and consider ways to conquer those outings in a more gas conserving way. Does your child play on a sports team? When you show up for practice, how many mini-vans do you see in the parking lot? Is it possible for you to organize a practice carpool? If there are 20 kids on a team and each family agrees to take only 2 additional kids to practice, that means only 6 families would be driving each week. That saves 14 families gas during that week! If you can get parents to commit to taking 3 additional children each week, then only 5 families would need to drive to practice each week.

I have mentioned this next idea before, but make a family challenge, like a game. How many consecutive days can you keep your car parked? My record is twelve. That does not mean I never left my house for 12 days. But whenever we left, other than for my husband to go to work, we left as a family and we got all of our needs taken care of. For example, although I don’t like shopping on Sundays because I don’t like crowds, knowing that the entire family is out for church already, we now do a portion of our shopping on that day.

In addition, if Dad works outside of the home, give him a shopping list for the stores that he passes on a daily basis. This costs no extra gas and still gets your family the items they need. This seems simple, and the actual process is, but it is also a sacrifice. Dad is tired after a long day at work. Stopping to do the shopping is not going to be on the top of the list of things he wants to do when he clocks out. Additionally, this means Dad will be returning home later on those days. As we see it, these are sacrifices worth making. J

Do you have any outside commitments that you may be able to accomplish without leaving the home? For example, if you type the weekly bulletin for your church, could you do this from your home computer and send the file to the church secretary?

Here’s the hardest thing for us to DO something about: cut back on outside commitments. When someone calls and asks if you can come to do something, say No! This can be done gently and kindly. How many times per week are you attending a function at your church? I am not advocating that if all of those visits are of vital importance to you that you scratch them off the list. However, are there events you feel comfortable cutting back on? Currently, our church is “open” on Sunday, Monday, & Thursday. We normally attend all services on Sunday (we don’t have an evening service on Sundays, but there are 2 services in the morning and a children’s Bible study.) We no longer attend on Thursdays due to the cost of gas. However, I usually make a point to call our pastor and get a review or ask to borrow the disc (we record each service). Since we have our Pastor and his wife over for dinner on Monday nights, it made sense to change the location of our Bible study to our home. This helps our pastor too, because they do not have to drive to an additional location. If you have a woman’s group that meets and only discusses issues or a Bible study, is it possible to arrange for those who cannot drive there to call in with a conference call or speaker phone? Also, we have a lady who calls in for a Bible study through her computer using Skype!

If your children are in a theater production, again think about carpooling with other parents. Once the production is over, consider not committing to another function for a set period of time. Same goes with sports. No one is saying that your child should never be involved on a team, it’s how you are handling the cost of transportation to get there. We have a son who plays hockey. Our children are only allowed to participate in one outside activity each. He is the only one involved in a sport, which allows us to fit his schedule in. However, the location is an hour away. We determined the ability for him to participate in a family meeting. We discussed pros, cons, and distance, cost, etc. The other children were on board with supporting him in this. One was willing to take a cut in pay to help our overall monthly budget, which in turn helps us to be able to transport him there. We also agreed to cut back on a family on some budget items. Think outside the box, and let your family help in this area. You can’t do everything, especially at gas prices today. Your children will be rewarded with the ability to make choices using God’s priorities when they are on their own if they are involved in helping with the process now, and seeing you applying it now.

Even harder than those mentioned above, check your Homeschool activity schedule. Are there activities you can walk away from? Talk with your children and set up an activity priority list. Stick to the top three.

DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT! I know we are always in a hurry. I am a Jersey Lead Foot by nature, so this is one of my daily struggles. I detest driving. I have never liked it. I would rather be driven any day of the week. So I rush to get everywhere even when I am already on time or early, just so I can stop driving! But driving the speed limit is a crucial aspect of saving money on the gas you are actually using. You car uses less gas and gets better mileage, the slower and more consistent speeds you drive.

Don’t Stop. I mean this literally. Try to view what is going on in front of you and predict when a light will change or if traffic is sluggish. When you notice either of these occurring, simply take your foot off the gas. Coast to your destination or stopping point. Typically, I can see a light turn ahead of me and determine if I can make it to the stop light by coasting around the time the light will change to green again. In this way I never use the break. Every time you use your break, you have wasted gas that was pumped into the engine to make your car go. You don’t get to re-use that gas, next time you put your foot on the pedal.  This is something that takes practice, but becomes much easier more quickly when you condition yourself to the speed limit.

Check the owner’s manual or the website specs of your vehicle for the amount of gas your vehicle injects into the engine each time you turn the ignition. Now look for information about gas usage during idling times. Compare these numbers. Generally, it is MUCH cheaper to turn your vehicle off than to leave it idling. But each vehicle and manufacturer is set up differently, so get the specs on your make and model.

Take one week off per month from driving. Do you always have tasks that you run out of time to do because your family is on the go? Commit to not driving for one week per month. This makes a HUGE difference!

If you are a two vehicle family, crunch the numbers to see which vehicle is the most fuel efficient and use that one the most. In our family I drive a mini-van that gets terrible gas mileage. The hubby drives a large diesel truck that gets GREAT gas mileage. For the longest time we were using his vehicle for family outings and errands because it cost us the least to operate. Now, prices for the diesel fuel make it MORE expensive to drive even though it gets significantly better mpg. This means that other than work, the truck is parked. This has changed several times for us in the last year, so do the math every month when you are doing your family budget.

Consider public transportation. If you live in an area where bus, tram, shuttle, train services abound, check the cost for monthly passes. Do these modes of transportation offer a family pass? Do they have stops that would allow you to accomplish your outings easily? I have been checking into this since we have a bus system in our area. What I found is that the fare for certain outings would cost significantly less than driving. Other outings would not have a cost savings, and certainly I can’t shop at a warehouse club and get my purchases home on the bus. The one thing that really makes this a great option is that some buses have a bike rack on the front. This opens your usage of the system. Another wonderful point in using this when it is cost and outing effective is the experience. Homeschoolers can learn a LOT from travelling on public transportation!

MOST importantly, consider your family as a whole when making decisions. You need not implement all of these tips to make an impact on your gas expenses. Start slow if this is very uncomfortable to deal with. Also, your family may choose to cut way back on other budget categories, or eliminate some categories all together in order to compensate for the price in gas to be able to run whenever and wherever you choose. The best plan is one that fits YOUR family!

These are my thoughts.

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Combat the Cost of Gas

Think the cost of gas is high? Me too. Today I heard a news report that predicted gas would reach $5/gallon before summer's end. The same report included information about a raise in electricity prices as well. Although it wasn't included in the reports, this will directly affect the cost of other items, especially groceries and other necessities. With all these prices rising and our paychecks remaining constant, how can a family stay within their budget?

One way to combat prices is to take a stern approach to re-evaluating your gas usage. If gas is your main source of heat and cooking energy, you are going to do a bit of number crunching as the prices continue to rise. The good news is that the winter is behind us, so there won't be heating costs. But summer is around the bend. For those of living in the south, we already have been running our air conditioners for the last few weeks.

With home cooling costs, think just inside the comfort zone. By turning your thermostat up to 78-79 degrees, your a/c will run less. If you have an automated thermostat, use the day night settings. This can really be an energy saver. If your home is cooled by means of window units, only run them when you are home during the mid season. As the hotter months come around, keep the units at a constant temperature; preferably at the warmest you can tolerate.If you still have need of a heat source and you have some type of wood burning element (stove, fireplace, soapstone insert) consider using it exclusively.

Cooking is another issue. I have spent time today trying to forecast the most efficient method of cooking with the estimated rise in cost of energy. As best I can figure with "ghost" numbers, small electric appliances will be the best methods of cooking with the least amount of money spent on gas and electric. The small appliances I evaluated and found to be the best were the crockpot, electric skillet, counter-top grill, and microwave.

I have never cooked in a microwave (ours is nothing more than a bread box). However, using the energy sticker (your appliances will either have a sticker or an imprint of wattage on them) I was able to calculate that it would be less expensive to use the microwave to roast a chicken than either a gas or electric oven. The crockpot yielded an even higher energy savings for roasting the same chicken. The good news for us, is that spring is here and summer is fast approaching. This means that we are less inclined to want to heat up our kitchens by using the oven and stove top. Small electric appliances are an excellent resource for the homemaker to help cut energy costs.

A much over looked resource for energy efficient cooking today, is the old fashioned charcoal grill. Gas grills are wonderful (we have one). They are quick to light and heat up. However, with the cost of gas today, it can be costly. Even if you already own a gas grill, consider purchasing a charcoal grill. They can be very inexpensive for a bare bones model. Either way, grilling keeps household energy costs down.

One more food preparation option that will help with slashing home energy costs, are "uncooked" dinners. These are meals that are comprised mostly, if not solely of uncooked or previously cooked ingredients. For example, salads can be made in abundance and with a great variety. Left over meat from another meal will make a great protein topping. Sandwiches are another wonderful option to use leftovers. Sandwiches can be simple or complex, you choose. Planning ahead for these types of meals is the way to go. When you are making chicken for dinner one night, be sure to cook enough to stretch for another two or three simple uncooked meals. In this way you are using the energy source and heating up your kitchen only once.

These are some tips to get you thinking about how you can change a few methods you may be more accustomed to that will help you to reduce your energy costs. The next post will focus on ways to cut back on vehicle energy costs. 

These are my thoughts.  

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Simply Frugal

The Best Bang for Your Buck with Kids' Clothing

Clothing can be expensive; especially with kids. Hand me downs are one of the best ways to cut down on clothing costs. A way to tweak that system or just for kids clothing in general is to develop a pattern for your purchases, BEFORE you shop.

Kids out grow their clothing so quickly! On top of that if you have multiple children of different genders, hand me downs can be difficult to accomplish. Finding clothes that are sturdy and cost effective can be difficult. Remember that smart marketing executive who realized that kids have the biggest impact on purchases within a family? Well, the exec was so smart that it was discovered that if you market clothing directly to children, parents will buy it! Thus the influx of clothes marketed with characters. These characters not only encourage kids to want them, but after they are purchased your children are now walking billboards for that character, resulting in even more sales. I hope that marketing executive got a bonus for finding a way to advertise the company's products for free by using our children and having US pay for it!

Another marketing executive determined that they could help homemakers so much if they sold kids clothing in sets. Oh, happy day! Clothing that is prematched...until you get it home, your child wears it one time, it is laundered and replaced in their drawer...never to worn as a set again. LOL!

Don't get me wrong; our kids have clothing with characters from time to time. We also have had clothing that is a set. One of our children is not as influenced with characters as he is with a particular genre of clothes. He sees a t-shirt with some sport on it and he wants it! But there is a way to make your children's wardrobes more simple and do it frugally.

Firstly, stay away from patterns. Patterned tops and bottoms often limit the matching possibilities as well as the passing down of said items between different genders. A solid red t-shirt can be worn with just about any colored bottom AND can be worn by both boys and girls! That said, if your daughter likes pink and the next child is a boy, don't restrict pink from her wardrobe completely. However, limit the amount of pink shirts, so that some shirts can be handed down. There are several shades of blues, greens, purples, yellows, and oranges, that can be worn by both. Big brother's t-shirts can be paried with a simple fabric bottom to make a dress for younger sister. This would be very difficult to do with gender patterned or specific character clothing.

Wth bottoms, solids are the best way to match tops AND promote hand me possibilities. Solid colored cotton shorts and sweats can be handed down regardless of gender with ease. Blue jeans can also be handed down. A pair of boys jeans can be girl-i-fied with the additions of a pretty patch,lace, ribbon, or iron-on. Another great idea is take boys jeans and khakis and turn them into skirts for younger sisters. This is EASILY done. The small pieces of fabric needed to make the transition will allow you to really customize those boy bottoms into girl friendly clothing items.

This process also makes dressing MUCH more simple for children. With solid tops and bottoms, pairing clothing takes only a moment, because most everything will match. Additionally, solid colored clothing is consistently LESS expensive.

These are my thoughts.

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Simply Frugal

The Simple Way to Maintain Your Budget

In the last two years it has been noted that Americans use their debit and credit cards more than their checkbooks. In fact, their usage has more than doubled! This is great in some ways, but it can be a nightmare for the budget conscious. When I left the envelope system of budgeting, in lieu of my debit card, something amazing happened. My expenses went up. In short, it is so much easier to spend one or two dollars here and there when the actual paper cash isn't coming out of your hand. It's like we aren't really spending that money or something.

However, you CAN have a debit card AND stay within your budget. Actually, you can do this for all your budgeting needs for the household. The best part, this is a simple process.

Use a separate bank account and debit card for all your household purchases. For the most ease, you and your husband might want to look into opening an other account at your current bank of choice if you are pleased with their services and they offer no fee banking. You will likely ahve to place a minimum of $25-50 dollars in the account when you open it. This is a good thing, because it will enable you to use all of your budget without penalty. Confused? Read On.

One good reason for this set up is that your husband can transfer money weekly or monthly, in an amount that totals your family's total budget for the month. When you go to the grocery you will know exactly how much you have to spend and not a penny more. A way to provide accountability for yourself is to agree that if you go over your budget by $2, then that amount will be deducted from the next month's stipend. In this way, you will have not only an incentive to stay within your budget, but a method of discipline for your budgeting. One extra bonus with this method, is that it is much more simple to track your household expenses.

The beauty of this process is that you will do nothing differently than you do now. You will simply have a separate account with which to do it. Simply Frugal!

These are my thoughts. 

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I Can't Live Simply Until...

How to Begin Achieving a More Simple Life

So many moms desire a more simple life. A life that is encompassed by more time for family devotions, read alouds, story telling, art, journaling, game nights, movie  nights, or just time to stay at home. Homeschooling moms are often especially desirous of more time at home. Often times we find ourselves on the run for so many activities. We search for outside activities that will round out our children's education such as music lessons, book clubs, co-ops, science classes, 4-H, theater, voice lessons, youth groups, mission trips, community service, sports, etc. Somehow we have all succumb to countering the old adage that homeschoolers are unsocialized. We go so far in the other direction to counter this, that we find ourselves rarely home.

It has been discussed in many venues that American children are over scheduled. What is often overlooked, is that homeschool children are more than over scheduled to say the least. In our own circles we often joke about schooling in our vans, because there is simply no time at home to do so. How can we possibly school at home when we are gone 4 days a week with activities. Not only does this leave our children with a harried sense of what life is, but it leaves mom worn out with a constant thought of what comes next and what needs to be prepared for it.

Once we are involved in this complex lifestyle, it can be hard to get out or even pull back. We over commit not only ourselves, but our children as well. Often times we find ourselves dreading that our commitments control our lives. But we can regain our lives for our own. It can be done. YOU can help your family return to a more simple lifetstyle.

In desiring a new lifestyle, it is most important for you to consider God's desire for your lifestyle and that of the lifestyle of your family. Unfortunately, all those social and academic activities are a distraction from God's desire for us. There are so many things in our world that can distract from God's set priorities for our lives; even those that are related to our church. When our priorities are mis-ordered, it can be easy to rectify by going to God. Deuteronomy is filled with God's command for us to follow Him fully in His way. we are human and as such we let our self desires get in the way. We can turn this around, by acknowledging that we have gotten away from His priorities for our lives and asking Him to help us.

In the same vein it is necessary for us to use the direction given us in Titus 2 to train our daughters. It is crucial for us not to cover up our weaknesses and our stumbles. Talk with your children about God's priorities for their lives as well. Discuss how your family has allowed distractions (be specific here) to swerve away from God's priorities. Pray together as a family for guidance to return to God's desire for your family. This will mean sacrifice from everyone. Children may need to scale back to one or two activities. You may decide that you can continue to be involved in your Boy Scout pack, but that you will need to step down as Scout Master. Whatever it is, discussing and maing decisions as a family will enable your children to not only see the importance of God's priorities in their lives, but to also learn first hand how to return to them when life takes over and leads youa stray.

By giving God your busy distracting lives and asking Him to help you to return to His desires, you will find simplicity. This will likely mean baby steps. You may need a few months to get things in order with any commitments you may personally have. You may be the volunteer organizer at your local hospice center, the children's theatrical director, a leader in your church's youth group, or head of decorating your altar. If God leads you to sicontinue any of these activities, then you many need time to give notice and/or train a replacement. Whatever your steps, your children will benefit from working through a process to a more simple life with you.

These are my thoughts.  

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Can I Have Some More, Please!

Food for When You are Away from Home

Did you guess what today's post would be? I bet you were at least thinking about the fact that our family is away from home AND food is a HUGE cost when away.

A great way to cut costs when your family is away on vacation is to prepare some of the meals yourself. One of the ways to do that, is to use a handy little appliance like a snack maker.  These little beauties are easy to pack and are light weight. But don't let their size fool you, they can supply your family with a LOT of food at little cost. As you can see in this picture, this snack maker can handle 2 "sandwiches" at a time. There are several meals you can make in here with little more than bread. Any type of grilled sandwich is the obvious meal, but consider some other options. Add a little scrambled egg mixed with vanilla and sugar and you have french toast. If you are in a hotel, you can use the ice bucket for a bowl to mix the eggs and dip the toast and cook, or you can pour a bit of the egg on top of the bread and cook. Pancake batter works exceptionally well, as does biscuit and muffin batter. As you well know biscuits and muffins can be either sweet or savory opening you up to a WIDE variety of options for meals.

There are other snack cookers that work equally well. Some have deep wells that are perfect for cooking small meals that will hold a wider variety of foods. These are equally portable and light weight. However, you can make belly filling omelets, stuffed sandwiches, hot pockets, biscuits, pancakes, biscuits, and just about anything you can think of.

When staying in a hotel, many have at least a small fridge available, but even when they don't, it is less expensive to shop each day for a few simple items to assemble in these little cookers to provide filling meals at little expense to your wallet.

Let's say you are spending 4 days in a hotel and you have the typical family of 4 to feed. If you served breakfast each day and two night time meals. When the midday comes, consider stopping in a grocery for some fruit, a loaf of crusty bread and small block of cheese. Your lunch meals will cost approximately $7 (not including drinks, but you can easily grab cold drinks for around $3 or less). So lunch for 4 days would total $40. Breakfasts cost you around $5 each, totalling $20 for the length of your stay. Ok, so far you wil have spent $60 on 8 meals. Now, the two of your snack maker dinners will come in around $8-10 dollars for supplies for a maximum total of $20. That brings your total meal costs to $80 for 10 meals. That only leaves the last two meals for your dinners eaten out. Just for balance we will say that one meal will be pizza and the other a nice sit down joint. The pizza dinner will be 2 pies at $15 each, water to drink at no cost. after tax and tip the total pizza meal's cost will $38.10. The nicer meal will run around $10 per plate with water to drink at no cost. After tax and tip this meal will cost $50.80. This brings the total for the 2 dinners eaten out to $88.90. AMAZING that the cost of the 2 meals eaten out is more than the cost 10 meals prepared in your hotel room! The total for your 4 days with 3 meals per day is $168.90. Not bad! But to really see the savings this can provide, the avg cost of a family of 4 eating out 3 meals per day is $140. This means that you would have spent $560. Using a little snack maker will have saved you....are you ready?  $391.10! Now THAT is a savings!

You all know that this week we are camping. You likely know that we also aren't the most rustic of campers, in that we have an RV. However, I do not cook inside unless the weather is inclement. We use a grill, hot plate, and 2 little snack makers. These little snack makers can be used anywhere you have electricity available to you. 3/4 of the food we have used on this trip came from our home, so I would have to look at the price book to figure out how much I originally spent on the groceries. BUT, I know for certain that our total food cost is under $200 for our family for 8 days. It is a bit higher than our normal costs, because I love those little treats, like s'mores when we are camping.

When traveling, consider the best way to cut costs on food that fits your family and your budget!

These are my thoughts.

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I Can't Live Simply Until...

Intentional Living

I started my adult life on a quest for frugality. Although I would like to say that I entered that life by choice. I can't. I would also like to be able to say that I chose the path of frugality as a means of focusing on stewardship. I can't. As with anything, God has given us  our lives as a process with peaks and valleys to help grow us up and transform us into the image of Christ.

My adult life was started in the depths of poverty. Not poverty as is experienced in third world countries. Not even poverty as is known in America. I was a young college student with little money. My story is the same as millions of others. If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, then I might very well be a mother in that area. I began researching options for living on less. God has granted me the wisdom to not only find that information but the ability to apply it everyday. Success with frugal living has been fruitful for our family.

Over the years our thought process has changed. Although our income increased, we maintained a lower level of living. We found contentment with our lives where they were. I recently taught about simple living online. If you wouldliek to hear the audio, you can purchase your ticket for the UHSE 2008 here. Oh yes, we did some extra things. We had the opportunity to take some wonderful trips and experience some things that others may find frivolous or desirable. When one of the littletons had turned 6 months old, he had been in three time zones, touched the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico, been to islands, gone from the east coast to the west coast to Pike's Peak, visited Mexico twice, been on two cruise ships,was a season ticket holder to an NHL team, had his jersey signed by several NHL players, touched the Stanley Cup twice, and visited Disney. That is A LOT. We joke that his life has been all down hill from there! 

Reading that you might think, WOW! You may even be thinking that we had reached a point that didn't require us to live frugally. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Often times when we see family's from the outside, we don't allow oursleves to get the facts, that will show a very different picture than what we conjure up in our minds. Let's check out that list on a more realistic level, shall we?

Here is how that all panned out:

• 2 Business trips (paid for by employers)
• 2 cruises (last minute dirt cheap fare + no air fare needed, because we live in Florida. Honestly if I told you how little we paid for those, you wouldn't believe me!) Parking was free because my husband is handicapped.
• NHL tickets cost so little because our team had always been the alst in the NHL. Being a season ticket holder we go to free events that have players available for signing and pictures with the Stanley Cup. Again parking is free because my husband is handicapped.
• Disney passes were purchased by all the grandparents as presents. Again, we live in Florida so there is little travel expense We camp, so accommodations at that time were less than $15/night, if we stayed in Orlando, which is close enough for us to drive to for the day.

Does any of that seem like what you thought? I would think not. Now add to that the fact that we have never had another year that has been equivalent to those 6 months. Hmmm...the picture keeps changing.

While I felt like I was living out of a suitcase for 6 months (which I didn't like at all) we knew this would never happen again in our lives and made a conscious decision to intentionally soak in all of the experiences we could. When one goes cruising, the basics are included in your fare (i.e room, food, and some activities). If you want a drink between meals, you pay for it. If you want to play bingo, you pay for it. If you want to take a class, you pay for it. Ports of Call are free to get off at, but you have to pay additional for any shore excursions and/or food away from the ship. I am here to say that we never ate accept at our given meal times, no extra drinks, no paid for activities, no shore excursions. We didn't do anything that required an extra charge. Money wasn't in abundance and well, we chose to take the experiences that were available at the lowest level of travel and we were content!

You don't have to have a whirlwind six months to live intentionally. We have continued to live our lives in this manner without all that travel. We do look back and discuss the fun moments of that time, but there are no better than other more simple experiences we have encountered. I get just as jazzed with the opportunity to hang out on the beach on a perfect day. Why, just yesterday my heart began to soar while sighting a ladybug traveling amongst the leaves of the brush in an area of undeveloped land.

So what is intentional living? Simply put to live your life intentionally is consciously choosing the lifestyle that you want and being aware of all that it encompasses. If you have chosen a life on a homestead with farming opportunities, be aware of all the experiences you have before you. When your child accomplishes something for the first time, engages in a new level of conversation, or just has a special look about him/her make an intentional mental note of the moment. Take time to note the changes God has made in you. Note the transformation that God is working on now. If you live in a city, enjoy the sites and sounds around you that are unique to that style of living. Take time to note those changing aspects of your husband (i.e. hairstyle, skin spots, thought processes, etc).

Every life is unique and filled with so many experiences that we often overlook. To coin a phrase, "Stop and smell the roses." Don't take for granted that they are there. Some day they won't be. It's that simple.

These are my thoughts.

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Simply Frugal

How to Make FREE Paintbrushes

I have often used those little foam brushes from the hardware and craft sections of stores for little projects such as stenciling, scrappbooking, touch up painting, small areas I am painting, painted details, and staining. Not only does the price of those little buggers add up after awhile, but they don't last long either. Here's a way I found to make those same style paintbrushes for FREE!

Items Needed:

carpet scraps

OR

padding scraps

clothes pins

All you need to do is cut a piece of carpet or padding to the desired size and shape, fold it over, and secure with a clothes pin. YES it's that SIMPLE! Shag carpet is GREAT for painting textures. Loop pile carpet is excellent for anything, especially detailing. Carpet padding is ideal for any painting project.

Where can you get carpet and padding scraps? Why local carpet sotres of course! Last month I posted about asking for carpet samples to make FREE Door & Car Mats. These same suppliers are likely going ot be more than happy to have you take away some of their rubbish. They pay for rubbish removal. Anytime someone wants to help out with that, they will likely take them up on it. If a store wants to charge you for their scraps, say thank you politley and walk away. You should NEVER pay for someone else's rubbish! I have not yet had this happen to me, but I wouldn't be surprised to receive an email from a friend who did have that problem. There are too many places that sell and install carpet, so don't worry.

Keeping these small supplies on hand is a great FREE resource for you. My favorite activity to use them for is texture painting and touch-ups! I never feel guilty about using the carpet/padding for 5 minutes to touch up a few areas and then discarding that carpet/padding, because it didn't cost me a penny! It's that simple.

These are my thoughts.

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