Frugal Fun

Lately, I find myself getting very excited about coupons. It’s obvious it’s rubbing off on my children when I hear them screaming…”look, a coupon!”. I’ve had a couple great shopping trips lately where I leave a store with bags of items and I didn’t spend anything, but instead, they gave me money! I remember a few months ago reading blogs about moms who were saving over 50% on their spending and how stores would pay them to shop…I thought “yeah, right”. Now, I’m the one doing it.

Now the other comment usually that comes to the table is that you end up buying a lot of junk or things you don’t need. And that can be the case…but you have to make choices to get the best bang for your buck for your household on great items you need. You might be surprised at some the coupons out there for healthy food. Recently, Food Lion had $1 off coupon you could use on fresh produce and there was an online printable coupon out there for 75 cents off of fresh pineapple to use at any store. There’s even $1 off coupons for gluten-free products here.

A couple weeks ago, I went to Rite Aid and left with two packages of Huggies diapers, organic lip balm, laundry detergent, and light bulbs. After coupons, they paid me almost $2 and I will be getting a nice rebate check from purchasing these items in a few days.

My two FAVORITE frugal blogs are Money Saving Mom and Southern Savers.

These ladies do a fanastic job keeping us informed about the best deals to be had. They both also have Facebook pages you can “fan” and keep up to date via your FB page.

If this is something you’d like to jump into…just take your time. Pick one or two stores to focus on. Rite Aid and CVS have become my favorite for lots of free household products. It does involve time, but there are great dividends. I’ve been at this about six months. I still have lots to learn, but I definitely feel that it is a worth the time and energy.

As a one-income family…this helps us to reach goals, like keeping momma home with the children, homeschooling, and working on our “debt snow-ball“. In addition to couponing, over the past few years, we’ve learned other money saving opportunities like growing our own food and preserving, eating foods that are “in-season”, using cloth diapers, harvesting deer and butchering it ourselves (thankfully Paul just got his first deer of the season a couple weeks ago), and buying in bulk when we have the chance. This past month we were able to purchase a couple of bushels apples from a nearby Amish community and we made homemade applesauce and canned some for this winter.

As a side note too, I recently read this fascinating article about the frugal fun that millionaires enjoy…#1 on the list…spending time with children and grandchildren…..and gardening was in the top categories also. Also, per this author’s research, only 27% of millionaires live in houses valued over $1 million. Hmmm….I know my couponing won’t make me a millionaire, plus that’s not our goal. But it can help with our family reaching other goals like being in a position to give more. Read here about this young family with some radical goals…like saving in one year enough cash to pay 100% for a home…talk about inspiration!

One final example of our recent coupon savings….last week, we stopped at a couple stores and spent $45 out of pocket with a savings of $83. So that’s a savings of 64%. I was very pleased! We came home with items like bread, yogurt, cereal, rice, diapers, paper towels, lunch meat, baby food, and of course some cookies (hey, sometimes it hard to pass up the cookies when they are FREE with the coupon).

Happy couponing!

~Ma

Cereal Alternative-Homemade Cinnamon Cocoa Granola

Are you looking for a healthy alternative to cereal? When you read cereal box labels, do you cringe and only imagine where the ingredients came from?

Here’s a homemade granola recipe packed with a nutritional punch. It’s so easy and my family begs for it! Thanks to my friend, Kim for sharing this with me.

Using your crockpot/slow cooker. Spray or spread oil in the crock.

In a mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups oats, old fashioned
1/4 cup wheat or oat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup Flaxseed meal (I buy the whole seed and grind up, cheaper this way)
1/4 cup oil (preferable butter or coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup apple juice, cider, or water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cocoa

Mix well and place in crock pot. Cook on low setting with lid slightly ajar (I use a wooden spoon). Stir occasionally over 2-4 hours. Cool and store in airtight jar/container. Use within 1 to 2 weeks. (It probably won’t be around more than a day or two if your family likes it). I keep it the fridge.

Using the crockpot results in a more chewy granola. If you prefer for it to be crunchy, you can spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and put in oven at 225 degrees for 20-30 minutes with the oven door open.

Also the above recipe is a fairly small amount, so after you try it and if your family likes it, you can increase the volume. I normally triple the recipe and it will last for several days.

If your children are accustomed to eating really sugary cereals, this won’t be that sweet. You can increase the honey and add dried or fresh fruit. Also, if you don’t have these exact ingredients you can mix it up and try out some other things. I’ve found it’s a fairly adaptable recipe.

Enjoy!

Radical Womanhood Book

Thanks for this link Lisa, at Ancient Paths.

It definitely has peaked my interest.

~Ma

Back from camping

Hanging out at the swing..

We had a great week camping with friends to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot). Lots of time to visit, talk, sing, pray, eat and play! The children went on several hikes on the 85 acre farm. They even built a succah out in the woods on their own. There were many special moments. One particular moment was neat when several of the children (on their own, not directed by parents) gathered together with their own instruments and began to play and sing worship songs together.

We returned on Thursday and unloaded the vehicles and tried to get everything put away.  I’m still working on that!

Yesterday, the children built miniature “succahs” out of graham crackers and dried fruit and nuts.   They turned out very cute.  Morgan even used pretzels to resemble a fire inside the succah.

Decorated succahs

 

Building....

Gardening, Canning, Preserving, oh my (it’s a zoo around here)

It’s been awhile since we gave any updates.  My mind is often blogging, but unfortunately there’s just not enough hours in the day to actually get on the computer and type… in between the gardening, canning, and caring for the normal day-to-day with little children, and nursing a three-month old.  Amazingly, he expects to be fed every 3 hours!  Usually he needs me about the time I’m trying to load the canner with the next batch of jars.

I must admit, I’m not good at multi-tasking…but often I have ten things going at once and it drives me crazy!  Then I must take a breath and at the end of the day let the undone stay undone….sigh…

It’s been an exciting, busy and sometimes stressful summer.  Our garden has done well.  We are so thankful to YHVH’s blessing on our harvest.  Here’s a recent picture from the summer…

This is my second summer to use my pressure canner.  I really enjoy getting our pantry stocked up.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding to preserve food this way.  Most all of our jars belonged to Paul’s grandmother.  A few years ago they were passed on to us.  We are so thankful!  I often think of her when I’m filling the jars.  These are the very same jars she labored over for her own family too. 

That very thought comes to mind often when I think of women of the past.  I realize more and more everyday that we have no clue what is real work.  Maintaining a large garden to feed your family year round was a necessity just a couple generations ago.  A couple other bloggers whom I frequent have great ideas to share on this very subject…visit them at Vaughnshire Family blog
and Country Hearts Blog

Here’s little excerpt from Country Hearts at Home….very thought provoking…

“I realized that I had become dependent on the local grocery stores to provide my every need as far as food goes. I was beginning to wonder, how would I provide food for my family if something happened and the stores were not able to keep the shelves stocked? Am I ready to feed my family during a local, national or economic disaster? As the keeper of my home, these were serious questions.
Furthermore, how am I preparing my daughters to be keepers of their future homes in regards to this issue? Surely I can teach them how to make weekly/monthly menus and grocery lists or teach them how to find the best deals through coupons or weekly sales. Those skills are very important when if the grocery stores are overflowing with food, but what if that was to change some day? Perhaps this would not happen in my lifetime, but what about my children and grandchildren? What kind of skills can I pass down to the next generation that will be of great value during a difficult time? “

For me, in addition to these reasons there are also other reasons for learning these skills. When you preserve your food, you know exactly what has been done to it and what has been added to it. Once you make the initial investment in the items you need (canner, tools, jars), you are preserving food much cheaper than what you would spend to purchase the food, plus factor in the nutritional value and there’s just no comparison.

If canning is something you’re interested in doing…I encourage you to try it out. It’s pretty simple and a great skill to learn!

Feel free to send me questions if you have any about canning.
Blessings to you~
Ma

MY GARDEN

Our daughter wanted to post about her garden.  She decided she wanted to do her own garden this year.  Paul tilled her a spot and she’s done the rest of the work.  She has grown everything from seed except the tomato plants.   I think this is pretty impressive for an 8 year old.  I know I never could have done this at that age.  So here’s what she had to share

Hello,

Here  are  some  pictures  of  my  garden.   I  am  growing the following:

corn

green beans

tomatoes

squash

cucumbers  &

peppers.

So going on, my  corn  plants  are  so  tall.  They  are  as  tall  as my brother, Josiah.  My  tomatoes  are  great.  In fact , I  have  little  baby  tomatoes!

I  hope  you  like  this  post.

God  bless  you  &  your  family!

Morgan

Gardening 2009

Fried green tomatoes sounding good?

Wow, what a year this has been.  Moving to a new house in January, we had no idea what (if any) garden we would have this year.  Paul wrote in a previous post here here about what we are attempting to do. To our amazement, we have an even bigger garden and lots of great help this year.  We have been blessed immensely to cross paths with some very Godly families who desire for their children to learn some great work skills.  So Paul is getting the opportunity to “mentor” a couple young men in our garden endeavors this year.   It’s also a great time for our young children to work alongside some older children too and see a model for working hard.  It’s amazing what work young people can accomplish when they are eager and motivated to learn.  Here’s some great homeschooling opportunities!

The never ending job of weeding...welcome to organic gardening

In one evening, they were able to weed most of the garden,  plant 200 more feet of bean seeds, water most of the plants, and have lots fun.

400 feet of green bean plants (600 planted in all)

Bunny rabbit's view of the green bean plants...

Squash plants

Cabbage

Young warrior working the soil

I love this picture with the horses in the background.

Tennessee is truly a beautiful place.

Even though our garden is behind schedule, we are excited about the coming weeks and the harvest, Lord willing.  It further helps us understand the process of growing food and the reminder that most of the time we live under the illusion that food just magically appears at the grocery stores.  In reality it takes many weeks, lots of time, energy, and sweat!  And ultimately we can toil, but it is the Lord who gives the increase.

So how are things growing for you in your garden?  We’d love to hear from you.

~Ma

Pan Seared Kale

We are beginning to harvest some kale from our garden.    We’ve had so much rain around here and are VERY behind on getting the warm weather crops planted.  Our cool weather stuff has faired pretty well…especially the greens.

Like any green, be sure you start out with a TON of this stuff because it will cook down to nothing!  This a fabulous recipe from my friend’s cookbook.  Thanks Kris!

My four-year-old prefers to eat the kale raw–actually he likes to get down on his hands and knees and eat it right out of the garden.  It’s true…I wish I had a picture of it!  If I can remember, I’ll take the camera to the garden next time.  The rest of us like it cooked up with some yummy butter and garlic.

• 2 bunches of kale
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 Tblsp olive oil or coconut oil
• Celtic salt to taste

Saute garlic in butter in iron skillet on med-hi.  Add kale and olive or coconut oil and add a top/lid.  Stir frequently so garlic will not burn.  Add salt and lid simmer for 30 minutes on low.  Kale should be soft and tender.

Enjoy!

~Ma

More pictures…

I can’t believe the baby is almost 2 weeks old.  We are enjoying his sweet newborn snuggles. 

~Ma

Proud Papa

I love these pics of Paul holding his new son soon after his birth.  Can’t you just see how proud he is!

Our midwife got this great shot of him.  Hey, he looks great for being up all night and helping deliver his son at 4:00 am!

 

Big sister and brothers stayed with Meme and Papaw during the night, but couldn’t wait to get home and hold their new little baby brother.  I love this picture…I’m calling it “Goldie Locks and the Three Brother Bears”

Eli is already asking when Jesse will be crawling.  He also ran to his room and got a big truck for Jesse to play with.  The truck was a big as Jesse!

This makes momma cry…

Hope you enjoy the pics…please leave a comment (yes, you)…we’d love to hear from you!

~Ma