Frugal & From the Heart

Mother's Day and Rob's birthday fall on the same day this year... :0) I have been really working hard at making things MUCH more simple and frugal around here, so I thought of some frugal gifts that come from the heart to give on these special days...

Rob's B-day:
* kids will write and sing him a song
* We will make him a chocolate mayo cake w/ peanut butter icing...his FAVORITE!
* kids will make him cards
* I will clean his car
* we will make a video having each person state reasons why we love and appreciate him...we will watch it on the computer together, saving the money on a dvd...
* we will have a cook out for mother's day and his b-day together!

Mother's Day for my mom & my MIL
* kids will make cards
* I am going to paint a small flower pot (we have it) and have kids put their fingerprints around the rim in bright colors...we will create a Mother's Day poem and put it in the pot.
* the kids will bake something
* I will take a picture of all the kids together and print, laminate and put a magnet on the back
* I am going to put scrapbook paper in a frame and print some scripture to add to it.

For my Mother's Day
( Yes, I am planing my own day as my husband has a lot on his plate right now...and it's not his "thing"...he would spend money, and I don't want anything...just my family...but the kids will want to do something...my oldest daughter will head all of this up)
*kids make cards
*clean my can
*go for a nice drive to look for deer
*make fuse-a-bead crafts
* and the cook-out

All of these things INVOLVE the kids DOING things...not just going to the store with money and picking something out. These gifts will cost us nothing...but love and thoughtfulness :0)
I am looking forward to gearing our lives toward a more simple way of living...not everything needs to come from a store to be special!

Needing Frugal Organization!

I feel like everywhere I look there is an unorganized mess! We are "re-doing" our kitchen...so my free time is being filled with that...but I don't feel like it's just that. I feel un-inspired to want to get things together. Maybe it's the winter blues, I don't feel sad, but kinda lazy. I don't have much time, maybe that's it. I tend to see a lot to do and shut down! I also think space is a HUGE issue for me! I am not always the most creative person when it comes to finding ways to store things or make the best use of my space...So, for the next few weeks I am going to be brainstorming frugal ways to get organized. I don't want to spend a lot of money on storage containers, shelves, and the such. for starters, of course, will be do de-clutter! From there...not a clue what I am going to do! Ha! Any ideas?

Another Frugal Day!

I wrote a post the other day about all the kids clothes, going through them, and making a list of just what was needed. Today was the day we went to the thrift store to pick up what we needed. I was amazed at how easy it was to shop...all because of the list! I had each child's name, what they needed and the size. Other people could look and see what was needed and look for it! We were about 45 minutes total...and that is with them all trying the clothes on! It was amazing! We ended up with 22 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts, and 2 pair of pj's for $85!!! I was thrilled! We also packed our lunch and drinks and ate in the van....another big savings of anywhere from $50-$90...depending on where we would have ate. It was a good day!

Frugal Friday

I have set aside Fridays to review my week and do a "frugal check"! This week was pretty good as far as being frugal goes!
* I made homemade pizza
* I made my own crafts, with all the "stuff" needed for each child in a zip bag, like you would get from oriental trading!
* I resisted buying new things
* I went through EACH and EVERY piece of clothing for all 7 kids and moved things around and was able to make a small detailed list of the needs we have.
* I am going to the thrift store to buy the things on this list (tomorrow) instead of buying new at the store.
* Hubby took our hinges and handles from our kitchen cupboards to work and ran them through a grinder thing (I'm ignorant...I know) and they look as good as new! Saving us a minimum of $60! I know this because we priced the cheapest ones at Lowe's :0)
* I cooked all meals...no going out here!!

I think all in all this was a pretty frugal week :0) I like to take the day to think about the week past and think about the week coming up. Trying to come up with new ways to save, but also writing it down weekly, the ways we didn't spend, helps keep me motivated and not bored with being frugal :0)

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes!

We are in the midst of growth spurt city around here! It seems as if ALL 7 kids have outgrown their clothes! I was putting off the dreded task of sorting out the clothes that didn't fit any longer. It seems like such a HUGE task to me...they have to try things on...we have to try to figure out if it is worth saving for the next person and so on. Last night I took the plunge! I sorted all 7 of the kids' clothes and made a detailed list of the needs that we have. As you can see in the picture I started folding the ill fitting clothing...then gave up and started to make a messy pile..LOL.. The great thing about this pile is that we didn't pay for any of those clothes! Those were all handed down from other people we know! God's provision is so amazing! We don't have a lot of extra money...living off one income (I do babysit...but don't make much at all...and sometimes I don't get paid) can be tight! I was rejoicing in the fact that God is such a loving God and provides for us in such a great way!! Not pictured is the clothes already put away waiting for others to grow into them...two other bags to give away. Some of these will be put away, given away, or used for rags. On Saturday (after we put the first coat of primer on our kitchen cupboards!!) Hubby is taking us to the thrift store to get the things on my list of needs :0)

Click-n-Pull!!

We fell out of the habit of going to Sam's Club over the holiday's...not a good thing! Since November I have been going grocery shopping weekly at Wal-Mart....and hating every moment of it! Then it dawned on me to go back to Sam's Club to get a month worth of food in one swoop :0) A few days before we were going to go, I read a lady's blog and she mentioned "Click-n-Pull"...light bulb moment!! I went on the site...and clicked on all the stuff I wanted and we simply went and picked it up! I was SO AWESOME! I spent less as well :0) When we started going to Sam's Club I would spend between $400-$500...by the time we stopped going I was spending around $800!!! WAY to salty for us! Yesterday I spent $342 at Sam's Club...then had hubby stop at Aldi for a few things...spent another $40. For a month worth of food (minus fresh produce, milk & bread) I spent $382! YEAH! Now, I just need to make it last! It doesn't get better than that....shopping at home...then driving to the store just to pick it up! Sam's Club is an hour drive from our house...so when we would all go in and shop we would be gone from home for about 4 hours or more...so we would always end up eating out. A trip to pizza hut for us is around $80 or so! This time we were so fast...only gone for 2.5 hours...we left after breakfast and were home for lunch! Saving more money :0)

Frugal Friday

This week was a good one for being frugal! I didn't do anything amazing...but I didn't spend either :0) I made homemade lunchables....for 9 people....so that saved us about $14. I switched from cleaning with paper towels to rags. This was a hard one for me as the kids do a lot of cleaning in chore time, so it was easier for them to use paper towels...but not as frugal...so now we use rags. I keep them in a cute container that the kids can easily get at. I did a few "make-do" things....like; I needed ice cube trays to make colored ice (the preschoolers are doing an ice theme this week, and we are going to paint with colored ice today!)...my freezer makes ice cubes, so we didn't have any, I used an egg carton. I needed crackers or cornflakes for my meatloaf...instead....I took 5 minutes and ran about a billion heel pieces of bread through my food processor and now have enough bread crumbs to use instead of cracker/cereal crumbs for a long time! I have simplified my meals by far...they are healthier and way less variety! What I mean by this is...if I buy 3 different kinds of crackers...and they eat all but a few in the bag...then we have odds and ends of crackers...but say I only buy "x" amount of the same kind of cracker...then there will be less waste and less for me to try to decide. We LOVE Ritz crackers...they work for many different kinds of treats...you can put pb on them...jelly on them...tuna, cheese...lots of different variety in ONE cracker! We also are eating fruit and veggies with every meal. To me...in my mushy mind, this is way more simple! I have been cooking more of the meals...where breakfast used to be cereal...I now cook on most days. this is more simple and frugal...and it keeps them full until lunch...hence cutting out another snack...frugal and simple! I am lovin' this! :0)

Frugal Fun!

I have set Friday aside to think on frugal things....doing this will help me keep on track with trying to be frugal to get out of debt! A few frugal things this week were; grocery shopping... I went with CASH and a list... I kept track of what I was spending as I put things in the cart. I was shocked to see all that I got for $103! Another was fun....we have been feeling bad about not getting the kids "out" to have fun. They play outside daily....but it just seemed like we should take them "out". I threw that thought away and just plain old went outside WITH them...we had a ball! I do this very often...but this time I had it in mind that we were saving money by not thinking we needed to take them "out"...like to a movie, or McDonalds PlayPlace or something! I have stayed home all week...so no extra trips to the store...at all. That saved money as well :0) And we counted up all that we were able to put away (extra) to put towards debt and I think it was around $1,200! YEAH!!!

Winter Comfort Food

We love this easy and frugal recipe in the colder months! The kids have named it "Thanksgiving in a Pan"! :0)
Layer in a large pan:
cooked chicken or turkey (cut in pieces) mixed with some cream of mushroom soup
cooked corn (we always use leftover)
mashed potatoes
prepared stuffing

then bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until nicely browned and crispy on top!
We love this as it is such comfort food and reminds us of Thanksgiving! We created this recipe after Thanksgiving one year using all the leftovers. I am known at my house for putting all the leftovers in a pan, putting cheese on top, and baking it for dinner :0) Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not....LOL....but it uses up the pesky leftovers. Speaking of leftovers...what we usually do is this...we take a portion out of every meal we serve through the week and put it in a small container and freeze....then, once a week we give the frozen meals to an elderly man to cut down on his food costs. We love doing this...it helps us use the leftovers, and it helps this single elderly man not have to cook (which in my opinion is not a safe thing for him to be doing)...win win situation!! Is there someone who could use your leftovers??

Money Talk

Let's talk money! We are making a plan and new budget to get out of debt before the end of 2o12....I know...it's a LONG term goal...but we are in a lot of debt! So, I think I will try to devote Friday's to thinking about ways to save, budget, and keep on track. I am frugal by nature and love a good deal...so I will be re-visiting my old ways of saving and trying to think of new ways. I must say I fell into the world of convenience while adjusting to my all the sudden large family last year! We went from 2 kids to 7 kids in a year~ that was a BIG change! We are all settled, adopted, homeschooled....now is the time to take our finances seriously and be good stewards of all the Lord has blessed with! We are going to make our budget tomorrow...but I have a few ideas in my head for saving some money already!

~ Make more SIMPLE meals...like tonight was spaghetti,meatballs, garlic bread...we don't need so much variety all the time!

~ Serve more natural and filling foods...we will eat less if we eat more filling foods, not chips and junk.

~ Drink water all day except for one drink of juice and one drink of milk.

~ work on making sure lights are off when we are not using them.

~ Try creative things to make new outfits with clothes we already have....this will be especially for the little ones who share clothes.

~ Make sure we wait 4 days before buying anything we don't NEED....during the 4 day period we need to see if we can make do without it or figure out another way to do the job (so to speak)

~ make homemade snacks...like a slice of toast...something SIMPLE...not pre-packaged stuff!

~ Eat the portion size that's correct! We always eat WAY too much!

~ Don't even "thrift shop" for fun! Only when there is a NEED!!

~ Save one of my babysitting paychecks for Christmas shopping for next year

Those are just a few of the things I should be doing...and am excited about doing!

Another thing I am wondering is what is an appropriate food budget for a family of 9...we are all home all day (except hubby, but I pack his meals...so he eats our boughten food) and I babysit 2 children all day....What is your food budget?

Full Freezer...Thanks to God!

The Lord has provided much for us this year in the way of food! We have been blessed with people giving us groceries (an older lady that can't get things used up before they spoil), people have given us beef, pork, and gave us the deer they shot...as well as what hubby has shot. He was blessed with shooting another doe on Friday! Saturday we put away 4 deer. Our freezer is full...and we are set for the year! It's nice to now know we don't have to worry about buying meat for a whole year! I will probably buy some pork, fish, and chicken as the budget allows....but it would not be necessary if we didn't have the money for some reason. I am a happy lady, for sure!

Soggy Toast

Soggy toast is one of our families frugal favorites! My husband grew up eating it, and so my kids have always eaten it. I personally do not enjoy soggy toast...but you may! First, you heat milk and butter in a pan, and then dunk in toast until it's soggy! We add salt and pepper to the milk and butter. It's a hot and cheap meal that the kids LOVE! It's also nice to eat when you have a soar throat...and we have several with strep throat right now...so it was perfect! This breakfast is also easy enough for children to make on their own :0)

A Very Blessed Hunting Season!

We have surely had a very blessed hunting season! I am VERY ready for it to be over as we have been at it since the first Saturday in October. My own husband has only got to shoot one deer, but we have been blessed with 4 others! We generally put 7 deer in the freezer every year, but we had some leftover from last year...so even if Rob doesn't shoot anymore, that should be enough. We are so thankful for the provision...God meets our needs everyday, I love to see what and how He does! This weekend will be full of all the gross stuff that goes into taking care of the deer to put into the freezer :0)

Frugal Things Make Work!

We went to my SIL's house on Sunday for Thanksgiving, we had a great time! She had cleared out the space where she kept all of her homeschooling books, and had LOTS to give away. So, I took a good long look....and came away with a big bag and a big box of goodies! She also gave us a big set of wooden cubbies!! I just need to figure out how to get them home from her house, she lives 2 hours away! While there we got to skin and cut up a deer that my FIL shot! YEAH!!! Oh...she also gave me a few things to use as Christmas gifts....they were really nice and in perfect condition...so I was happy!
Here's the work part.....and please don't get me wrong...I LOVE frugal things, and GLADLY accept the work....it's just funny to me to see how much work came from these things...LOL
For all the books she gave me I had to totally clear off tow shelves that run the length of the room. One of the shelves held all of Ashley's clothes. We went through each item and got rid of an entire garbage bag, and saved a WalMart bag full for her younger sister to use later. That created work....I then had to make space in the family closet for Ashley's clothes. NOT and easy job! That led me to going through 8 other people things and sorting all of those clothes. WE got rid of a few bags and got many items to put away for younger siblings. Now I need to buy $50 worth of bins to store all of the "too small" clothes in order to make room for the free books! Ok...there's more....in clearing and sorting all of the clothes and using the bins that used to hold Ashley's clothes I had enough bins to label and sort all the books my SIL gave me, great! But now I need to sort all of MY homeschool books, that are upstairs, to put into the labeled bins. That is a lot of work! Still more....Cyle is home now, so we needed more space, and I need to make space for the new cubbies that my SIL, so I am iin the process of trading desk spaces. I won't bore you with the details, but it's a lot of sorting and moving. I need to sort a dresser that holds my fabric and move it to Colton's room, and clear of another small set of shelves to make room for the cubbies. WOW! All of that came from a box of free books! LOL. I'm thankful for it as now we are even more decluttered and organized! Oh...and we had to grind, bag, and freeze the deer meat. We enjoy doing it, we are so very grateful for the meat. We have now put 63 bags of meat in the freezer! I guess my point is this...if you are willing to do a little work, you can save a bunch of money by accepting other people cast offs :0) Most everything we have, someone has given us. We appreciate and enjoy this very much. With raising 7 kids, we don't have a lot of extra money, but we do have the ability to do hard work...and we like it!

Homemade Christmas!

The budget is really tight for Christmas this year, so I am making a whole bunch of gifts for the little kids and a few for the older kids. It's seems like my little kids are easily pleased with homemade things....my older kids would be too if I could figure out what to make them! LOL
As for the littles...here's a list of some of what I am making.
Bean Bag Toss...made out of a diaper box and other materials I already have... FREE
Clothes Pin Drop....made out of a coffee can and clothes pins...FREE
Polly Pocket Houses...made out of boxes and other recycled materials...ALMOST FREE
Embroidered pillow cases for all 7...$1 each
Mod Podge'd note books for all 7...$1 each
Princess Wands....for 3 little girls...Almost Free
American Girl Sled....from an old wooden decoration, painted to look new....FREE
Dog House and New Dog...made from box and used stuffed animal...Almost Free
Barn and animals....made from box...will buy animal...so CHEAP
Stitcheries....FREE
That's all I can think of right now. Soon I will take pictures and share! I spend about an hour in the morning working on the gifts while the kids are still asleep! Then I wrap as I go...the bigs play a game with the littles and I go wrap! I am getting excited about Christmas!!

Frugal Food

Hubby hunts...a lot. He shot a small doe the other night. WE primarily eat only what we shoot. We do not buy meat, it is an expense we just don't want..and another bonus is that we know where our meat is coming from! We usually take it to the processors and get it ground and bagged...last year was $.79 a pound and we get around 7 deer done. (people give us the deer they shot to use). Rob was able to make a meat grinder from an old Cabella's hand crank meat grinder someone gave him. So we ground our own meat! We got 24 BIG bags of meat. I'd say they were about a pound and a half for each bag! Free meat is good meat!

Frugal buy!!

This is a picture of the new curtain I made for the living room and a new sun catcher I got for .99 from CBD!!!

a closer look at the sun catcher

a closer look at the curtain :)

The curtains cost me $1.25 a piece to make ! Pretty and frugal ...just the way I like it!

Have a blessed day!

New curtains in the making!

This is the fabric I got at Walmart yesterday to make new curtains! It was only $2.50 a yrd~ so the curtains will be much cheaper than buying them pre-made :)

The first fabric (paisley) is for the shoe room...the second fabric (brown) is for two valances in the living room, and the last fabric is for two full length curtains in my room. I am trying to redecorate my room in red and black....that may sound cheesy, but I am doing it in red roses and black accessories. I think it will be romantic :)

Have a blessed day!

Kim

frugal day!

Today I took DD out for an afternoon of shopping as she had a lot of Birthday money to spend. While we were out I got 3 Christmas gifts for next year on clearance....I got 2 pairs of pants and an outfit for 90% off! And to top it all off we went to a new thrift store in town and I got 3 sweaters for 50% off!! I was pretty happy! DD got a few of her toys on clearance as well, she is learning to be a bargain shopper! YEAH!!
Not too much is new here...just trying to keep up! The weather has finally broken and we have been playing outside a lot. It is going to be time to collect sap soon and make syrup :) It is fun, but takes forever and we get just enough to last us the year! LOL. I am also working on lowering our grocery bill...I feel like I am spending too much and am working on that. We have been doing some Spring cleaning, but that is getting really boring, so I am going to take a break and sort through some kids clothes and get ready for Spring and summer, that will be a nice break :)
School has been going ok, but we are ready to start wrapping things up for the year. We are making sure we are getting in the things we really want and learning what we had planned....this school year has zipped past!!! Before we know it it will be time to plan for next year!
Foster child #2 is really going through some hard times, so that is going to be time consuming. And all 3 foster kids have court next month. We are hoping to be able to adopt two of them :) We are praying for God's will here.
Well, it's time to put the 3 little kids to bed...so that's it for now!

simplify

This was interesting....about a month ago we moved all the toys into one room (all the downstairs toys)...and when we did that we cut our toys in half...(we have 5 little ones who play with them)...not one child noticed that there were less toys! So, Monday we went through and cut the toys in half again..still not one child noticed! That is telling me that I wasted hundreds of dollars on toys that nobody cares about! It made me sick, but also encouraged me at the same time. I realized that we don't need much to be happy or "entertained". I have always felt bad if I could not get my kids a lot of toys for Christmas and Birthdays...but obviously they are not feeling bad! If they don't play with most of the toys they have that shows me that they don't need them and I NEED to quit buying so much! I feel even more refreshed and can't wait to go through the house with my walmart bag and get rid of more "stuff" that is not needed. I bet I could really cut my cleaning time in half! I have already done this and decluttered a lot...and I keep doing it. But this time it is a bit different, I am seeing the difference between what I want and what I need and how long will I care about getting something that I just "want" compared to something really useful?? I don't know if that makes a bit of sense or not..lol...but that is what is running through my simple mind today :) Have a blessed day!