This budget-friendly, freezable recipe is a favorite at our house! It’s a unique twist on pizza and spaghetti that’s simple to put together and can be made up ahead of time.
Guest post from Brigette Shevy.
Why we love Pepperoni Spaghetti
I often serve this when we invite families with small children over for dinner… it always goes over well!
When I got married, I was given a copy of the family cookbook from my husband’s family – with all kinds of relatives contributing their favorites. This is my version of a recipe I discovered in that collection.
It’s an easy recipe to be creative with. Try using different cheese combinations, switching out the spaghetti noodles for another kind of pasta, or adding your favorite pizza toppings in place of the pepperoni.
I’ve also made this with brown rice pasta to make it gluten-free. It just depends on what you like and what you have on hand.
Since I started having my children take turns planning and helping me make dinner on Friday evenings, Spaghizza shows up quite regularly at our dinner table on Friday nights.
If you’re looking for a new recipe that’s made from staple ingredients, is simple to make, and picky-eater-appealing… here you go!
Pizza Baked Spaghetti Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ½ cups spaghetti sauce (one 23.5-ounce jar)
- 8-12 ounces (2-3 cups) shredded cheese (all mozzarella, or a mixture of your favorite pizza-friendly cheeses)
- 3.5-ounce package of sliced pepperoni or any of your favorite pizza toppings
How to Make Pepperoni Spaghetti
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Generously grease a 9″ x 13″ pan and set aside.
3. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package directions until al dente.
4. Immediately rinse cooked noodles in cold water until cool. Drain well.
5. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs, milk, parmesan cheese, and seasonings.
6. Toss cooked noodles into the egg mixture and transfer to a greased 9×13 pan.
7. Pour the spaghetti sauce on top of the noodles.
8. Place half of the pepperoni on top of the sauce followed by the shredded cheese and then the remaining pepperoni.
9. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
How to Serve this Spaghetti Pizza Recipe
As with all pasta dishes, it pairs well with garlic bread, salad, roasted vegetables, and fresh fruit. It also tastes fantastic as leftovers later in the week (although you may want to add a bit more sauce when reheating it).
How to store Pizza Baked Spaghetti
If you have leftovers, simply store them in a covered food storage container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
You can also free individual portions (with a little extra sauce) for quick lunches.
Pizza Spaghetti FAQs
They are very similar and could easily be substituted for one another if you run stuck. However, pasta sauce is usually chunkier than pizza sauce, and can sometimes have additional ingredients like cheese, or more spices.
Yes — you can burn the cheese and pepperonis if you bake it for too long. If you’re worried about this, simply cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning and the noodles from drying out.
The most likely answer is you simply needed more sauce (maybe your noodles were undercooked so they soaked up too much sauce during the baking process). Feel free to add more sauce (even after you bake it) if the noodles seem dry.
Baked Spaghetti with Pepperoni
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles or any other noodle
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup parmesean cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2½ cups pasta sauce 23.5 ounce jar
- 3 cups shredded cheese mozzarella or any other favorite
- 3½ ounces sliced pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Generously grease a 9″ x 13″ pan and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package directions until al dente.
- Immediately rinse cooked noodles in cold water until cool. Drain well.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs, milk, parmesan cheese, and seasonings.
- Toss cooked noodles into the egg mixture and transfer to a greased 9×13 pan.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce on top of the noodles.
- Place half of the pepperoni on top of the sauce followed by the shredded cheese and then the remaining pepperoni.
- Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
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Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy. She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
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Taking baby steps: I set a goal to save $10 this month with coupons
Taking baby steps: I set a goal to save $10 this month with coupons
Carla emailed in the following tip:
I am one of those people who cut out all kinds of coupons, only to let them expire and end up throwing them away. At other times, my piles of coupons look like clutter so I recycle them all. I just have never had the motivation to keep on top of my coupons, thus I have too often just given up my quest to save (at least with coupons) at the grocery store.
This morning I was thinking about the new month starting and of ways, once again, to try to cut my budget a little. My immediate thought was “no coupons” but I reconsidered. Now, my goal for the entire month is to save $10.00 on my groceries using coupons. I know that I could probably save more, but I think I will have better success with baby steps!
This will not include any discounts I get with my shoppers card, just coupons. It will also not include any money I may save using coupons at restaurants. I am hoping to see this work, and if so, next month I will try to up my amount of savings by using more coupons. For this next month, I will be keeping good track of my saving and will be thrilled to reach my goal of $10.00.
I thought I would share this idea with you all, in case you are a beginner at trying to save with coupons, or you are like me, discouraged due to my lack of having a previous method that worked. I think it will all come down to baby steps! -Carla
Note from Crystal: If you’re brand-new to using coupons, be sure to check out my 31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget series. Also, find your store deals listed in the Store Deals section of our site. And finally, don’t forget to use the Coupon Database to print coupons for items you’re already planning on buying.
Early to Rise Challenge: Day 1 (Your Mindset Matters)
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Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
Woohoo! It’s Day 1 of the Early to Rise Challenge and I am so stoked about how many of you are committed to participating in this challenge.
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to stop over here and leave a comment telling us what time you are committing to get up every week day morning in March. Please remember to be realistic. This is not a contest to see who can get up the earliest or who can survive on the least amount of sleep. On the contrary, this is about making the most of your mornings — whether you get up at 4 a.m. or 9 a.m.
Also, you’ll want to grab a copy of Early to Rise by Andy Traub if you haven’t already done so. He’s offering it at the discounted price of just $4.99 through the end of the day today (March 1, 2013). You can read my review of Early to Rise here.
Your Mindset Matters
I love how Andy begins his book with challenging us to stop thinking negative thoughts. That’s the best way to set yourself up for defeat.
If you read about this challenge and started shaking your head saying, “I can’t wake up early” you’ve already gotten yourself headed in the direction of failure. If however, you commit to a realistic time to get up and then you approach it with confidence and a can-do attitude, you’re much more likely to actually follow through.
You can do it, I know you can! So believe it and then follow through with it!
What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?
Me? I got up at 5:31 a.m. to be exact.
What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join in the Chatter!
Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
How to Change Your Life Without the Guilt of Failure
Guest post by Andy Traub of Take Permission
Moms are amazing. I know this because I have one and now I’m married to one. Moms are also universally too hard on themselves. You’re hard on yourselves because the work you do is hard to measure. You constantly feel behind and rarely feel the tangible results of your hard work.
So how can you as a mom make measurable change in your life? How can you make changes that leave you feeling more joy and freedom and less guilt and unhappiness?
1. Be realistic about the results.
If you want to read a book and you haven’t read a book in a year, don’t make a goal of reading a book in the next 24 hours. Set a goal of reading through your book in a week.
Don’t set the same timeline as your friend with one child does when you have four kids. Don’t assume you’re going to build your habit and never skip a day. Assume you’re going to mess up sometimes because you are!
Be honest and realistic. That’ll save you lots of guilt. Guilt is a horrible motivator of long-term behavior.
2. Protect the time to put the change in place.
If you want to build a habit of reading, or exercising, or napping for 30 minutes a day, then look at your schedule for the week and schedule two times each day to complete your goal.
Why schedule two times? Life happens, that’s why! You’ll hopefully make at least one of the times work.
3. Don’t try to do it alone.
We’re all afraid of failing when we try to make changes in our lives. The good news is that fear hates community (I’m pretty sure I stole that line from Jon Acuff). Community brings encouragement and accountability and will help you succeed in putting change in place long term.
Yesterday, Crystal announced a 30-day Early To Rise challenge based upon my book. She understands the power of community. She knows that moms need encouragement every day and community brings that encouragement. Find community when you want to change.
Note from Crystal: The 30-Day Early to Rise challenge begins bright and early tomorrow morning! Are you participating? Leave a comment to commit to the challenge here, if you haven’t already.
4. Give yourself a pass.
You’re too hard on yourself. You’re not perfect. No other mom is perfect (despite what you see her post on Facebook).
When you’re trying to make changes in your life you should expect that you’re going to fail. You’re going to fail because nothing worth anything is easy to do. If it’s hard then you’re on the right track!
Remember that you’re trying to make change, and change is work. Work isn’t easy but it’s worth it in the end.
When you fall of the wagon and you get discouraged remember that you knew it was going to happen! Don’t let temporary setbacks become permanent failure. Everyone has setbacks. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
5. Make joy your goal, not discipline.
Make your goal not to be disciplined, but instead, to be filled with the joy that comes from living the kind of life you want to live. Discipline isn’t a goal I get very excited about, but pursuing a joy-filled life is something I can get out of bed for.
What do you want to change about your life and how can you make the goal more about joy than discipline?
Andy Traub is an first-time author, professional podcaster, occasional blogger, encouraging teacher, doting father and grateful husband. He and his wife, Sara, struggle to stay warm most of the year in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where they live with their three very young children. You can read more of Andy’s writing at Take Permission.
Why I Shop At Aldi
Update: If you can’t get the links to work, try copying and pasting this into your browser: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/aldi-101-why-i-shop-at-aldi/.
Gimme Some Oven has a very extensive series on why she shops at Aldi. It’s fantastic — especially for someone who feels hesitant about shopping at Aldi.
Here’s a snippet:
Over the years, countless friends have been surprised and intrigued when I tell them that I do at least half of my grocery shopping at Aldi. Yes, I also frequent Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s (did you know they are owned by the same company that owns Aldi?), and our local Kansas City large grocery stores. But about eight years ago, I set foot in my first Aldi and have been a happy and loyal customer ever since!
A few weeks ago, though, I asked my Facebook followers what they thought of shopping at Aldi. And I was surprised when quite the heated discussion took place. People seem to have some pretty passionate opinions about Aldi! So I am fully aware that I may take a little heat for this series. But in talking with many friends about the store over the years, I have found that most reservations I hear about the store come from old rumors that aren’t true. And often, people are just iffy about going for the first time because they simply don’t know what to expect or how to navigate some of Aldi’s quirks (carts, debit cards, etc.).
Read the whole post.
Do you shop at Aldi? Why or why not?
You’re only one defining decision away from a totally different life
You’re only one defining decision away from a totally different life
“You’re only one defining decision away from a totally different life“. Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker
We’re currently in the midst of making some life decisions that will potentially have long-lasting implications, so the quote above from Mark Batterson really hit home when I read it in The Circle Maker a few weeks ago.
Decisions can be difficult, especially when you know that they are likely life-defining decisions. They aren’t just “should I have peanut butter and jelly or tuna fish for lunch?” decisions but “how do I want to spend the next 10 or 50 years of my life?” type decisions.
However, oftentimes, it’s the “small” daily decisions that add up to a completely different life. For example:
- Years of daily deciding to stick with your budget instead of swiping a credit card and spending money you don’t have can put you in a position to be debt-free and give generously.
- Months of eating less and working out more can result in a smaller dress size, more energy, and better health.
- Years of investing in and nurturing your children on a daily basis can result in mature, well-grounded adults who go on to lead successful lives.
We all so want to make not just good decisions, but the right decisions. Decisions that we won’t regret for years to come. But how can we know what a right decision is?
Since my husband and I are Christians, we pray for clear direction and peace from God when making decisions and we also seek the counsel of those with experience and wisdom. In addition, there are two questions we ask ourselves that serves as a big indicator when making decisions:
- “Where do we hope to be in five or ten years from now?”
- “Will this decision move us closer toward our goals or further away from our goals?”
It might seem like overkill to ask yourself these questions with the small decisions, but truthfully, as indicated above, it’s often those seemingly small decisions that define the course for our lives. So don’t overanalyze the peanut butter and jelly decisions, but do know where you’re headed and then ask yourself daily if you’re making decisions that are moving you closer or further from where you want to go.
Those little decisions in the day-to-day, add up to a lifetime of difference. Decide well!
Do It Yourself: Homemade English Muffins on a Griddle
OlgasFlavorFactory.com shows you how to make homemade English Muffins on a griddle.
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Homemade Freezer Biscuits Recipe
Say goodbye to canned biscuits. This recipe is a winner. It’s quick, easy, inexpensive, and so practical. Best of all, you control what ingredients go in it, unlike canned biscuits that you buy at the store.
You will love these easy homemade biscuits!
Say goodbye to canned biscuits forever!
This recipe is a winner. It’s quick, easy, inexpensive, and so practical.
Best of all, you control what ingredients go in it, unlike canned biscuits that you buy at the store.
Homemade Biscuit Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter, shortening, or coconut oil (I used all coconut oil in the last batch and it worked well, but they did taste a little coconut-y.)
- 1 3/4 cup milk
How to Make Homemade Freezer Biscuits
1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
2. Add in the shortening or butter and mix until crumbly. (You can use a stand mixer or food processor to save time and effort).
3. Add in the milk and mix until a shaggy dough ball forms.
4. Roll dough onto a floured surface and cut it into several biscuits, being careful not to twist the biscuit cutters, as that can create flatter biscuits (just press the biscuit cutter down and pull it right back up again).
5. Combine scraps, roll them out again, and cut more biscuits — continuing this process until all the dough is used up.
6. Preheat oven to 450ºF and let biscuits rise while the oven preheats (or freeze for later — see instructions below).
7. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes.
8. Enjoy with butter, honey, and/or jam!
How to freeze homemade biscuits:
To Freeze: Flash freeze cut biscuits on a cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then remove and place in an airtight freezer bag.
To Bake from Frozen: Pull the desired number of biscuits out and let them thaw for 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes. (You can bake them straight from the freezer but they won’t rise much.)
Freezer Biscuit FAQs
It could be that your baking powder is expired, but the more common issue is overworking the dough. When you play with the dough, it gets warm, and when the dough gets warm, the “fat/butter” starts to melt into the flour, causing the biscuits to be flatter.
Dry and crumbly biscuits are often caused by adding too much flour. Always start with a little less flour than the recipe calls for — it’s OK for the dough to be a bit sticky.
Easy Homemade Freezer Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold butter can also use shortening or coconut oil
- 1¾ cup milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Add in the shortening or butter and mix until crumbly. (You can use a stand mixer or food processor to save time and effort).
- Add in the milk and mix until a shaggy dough ball forms.
- Roll dough onto a floured surface and cut it into several biscuits, being careful not to twist the biscuit cutters, as that can create flatter biscuits (just press the biscuit cutter down and pull it right back up again).
- Combine scraps, roll them out again, and cut more biscuits — continuing this process until all the dough is used up.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF and let biscuits rise while the oven preheats (or freeze for later — see instructions below).
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes.
- Enjoy with butter, honey, and/or jam!
HOW TO FREEZE BISCUITS
- Flash freeze cut biscuits on a cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then remove and place in an airtight freezer bag.
HOW TO BAKE FROM FROZEN
- Pull the desired number of biscuits out and let them thaw for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes. (You can bake them straight from the freezer but they won’t rise much.)
Nutrition
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Ask the Readers: Wedding Gifts on a Budget
Today’s question is from Jenny:
I’m a work-at-home mom and my husband and I are living on a tight budget. We were just invited to a wedding and we aren’t quite sure how to handle the gift. Do you have any suggestions for inexpensive wedding gifts? We don’t want to seem cheap, especially when most people give monetary gifts of $50 or more. Thanks!
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
The 30-Day Early to Rise Challenge Begins on Friday (grab your ebook for just $4.99!)
The 30-Day Early to Rise Challenge Begins on Friday (grab your ebook for just $4.99!)
As I mentioned a few days ago, beginning Friday morning (March 1, 2013), I’ll be hosting an Early to Rise Challenge right here on MoneySavingMom.com.
Here’s how the Early to Rise Challenge will work:
1. I’m encouraging everyone who would like to participate to commit to a specific time they’ll be getting up every week day morning in March. You can choose whatever time is best for you, but please remember to be realistic. This is not a contest to see who can get up the earliest or who can survive on the least amount of sleep. On the contrary, this is about making the most of your mornings — whether you get up at 4 a.m. or 9 a.m.
2. Every week day in March at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll post a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
3. Want to blog about this challenge? I’ll have a link-up at the bottom of each post if you want to blog about the challenge each day. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
4. Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account (still getting this set up!), I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRiseChallenge to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
I think this public accountability is going to be fantastic! Who’s with me?
Assignment
1. If you’re joining in the challenge, please leave a comment and tell us what time you are committing to get up every weekday in March. Remember: be realistic!
2. Also, you’ll want to grab a copy of Early to Rise by Andy Traub if you haven’t already done so. He’s offering it at the discounted price of just $4.99 through Friday. You can read my review of Early to Rise here.
If you prefer to receive the daily chapters via email, you can sign up for those using the link in the book after you purchase it. In addition, Andy has recorded all of the chapters so you can listen to them, if you’re more of an audiobook person rather than a reader.
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Yes, You There, You’re a Leader — So Start Owning It!
Not too long ago, I was attending an event for online business owners. One of the workshop presenters asked for a show of hands for who was a leader in the room.
In that group of around 100 online business owners, guess how many people raised their hands? About seven people.
The speaker went on to explain how every single person in the room should have raised their hand because we are all leaders in some sphere of life whether it’s as a mom leading her children, as a business owner leading your team, as a blogger or author leading your “tribe”, as a Sunday school teacher leading your class… no matter who you are or what you do, if you’re past about five years old, you are a leader.
My Change of Perspective on Leadership
I understood why very few people raised their hands at that event, though, because I used to not think I was a leader either. In fact, it seemed almost egotistical for me to even consider that I might be a leader in some sense of the word.
But I started reading John Maxwell (if you’ve not read any of his books, you must make that a priority in your life ASAP!), and it transformed my thoughts on leadership. I began to realize that I absolutely was a leader in certain realms.
I’m called by God to lead and teach my children with my husband and God has put a strong calling in my life to lead women by encouraging and equipping them to be better stewards of their time and resources and to live life on purpose.
When I finally owned the fact that I am called to be a leader, it completely changed the way I approach life. Here are three things I’m learning are especially important to be doing if I want to be a leader:
1. I Must Pour Into My Own Life
How can you expect to effectively give out to your children or your class or your team or your readers (whoever it is that you are leading) if you aren’t constantly replenishing your supply? This is why it’s imperative for me to spend time in God’s Word and prayer every day and why I’ve become very intentional about reading good books.
What are you doing to pour into your life and build yourself up to lead in those areas you’re called to lead in? If you can’t think of anything, today’s the day to set a few small goals and start working on them!
2. I Must Surround Myself With Wise Mentors
Just because I now own the fact that I’m a leader does not mean I’ve in any way “arrived”. Oh goodness, no!
I have so much to learn and so far to go. Because of this, I need wise people around me to help steer me, challenge me, motivate me, and correct me.
In the last few years, I’ve been especially intentional about cultivating relationships with those who are more experienced than me in life and seeking their counsel and advice. More than anything, I want to be teachable and willing to learn from others — even when it means admitting that I was wrong and asking for forgiveness (something I have to do so often!).
3. I Must Live a Life of Integrity
A while back, I was in a session at a conference listening to a woman speak on how important it was to be a person of your word. She gave some examples of times in her life when someone had promised her something and then they’d not made good on their promise.
I was challenged by her statements because I know that I have a tendency to make promises to people with good intentions, but then life happens and I don’t always follow through. I was further challenged because I later saw this same woman practice what she preached.
You see, this speaker had said earlier at the conference that she wanted to meet with me. I thought it was a nice gesture, but I knew she had a thousand and one things going on and didn’t really expect a meeting to actually happen.
But, to my surprise, she made good on her promise. In spite of her busy schedule, she invited me up to her hotel room later in the day and we had a great chat together.
You know why I was especially challenged? Because just a few months ago, I’d told someone at a conference that I was available to meet with them at a certain time. At the last minute, something came up and we didn’t get to meet more than in passing.
I later followed up and apologized via email and was able to answer some of her questions through email. However, I know that I disappointed this person by making a promise I didn’t keep. That’s not integrity and that’s not how I want to live my life.
How are you seeking to develop yourself so you can be a more effective leader?
photos from Big Stock
It might be well-worn and scratched, but we love our Craigslist table.
It might be well-worn and scratched, but we love our Craigslist table.
“You might not want to sit in that chair.” I said to our guest last week as we all went to the kitchen table to eat dinner. “It’s kind of getting wobbly and I would hate for it to break when you sit down.”
He moved to a different chair and we had a good laugh over it. We then proceeded to tell our friends how we bought the kitchen table and six chairs used on Craigslist for about the price you’d pay for two new kitchen chairs.
Since then, it’s become much more worn, scratched, and covered with numerous dents and crayon markings. The chairs are mismatched and missing some of their spindles, and yes, a few are rather wobbly and in need of repair.
But it’s our table.
It’s lived through so many memories with us. It’s been the anchor for so many wonderful meals and conversations. We’ve gathered around it to meet new friends, share deep heart-to-heart talks, and read countless books together. It’s been the surface where we’ve kneaded bread dough, colored pictures, worked math problems, and pored over the atlas dreaming of trips to far away places.
Jesse asked me not too long ago if I’d like to replace our kitchen table with something nicer and newer. I immediately responded that if we ever need to replace it, I want to buy another well-used table.
Why? Because I don’t have to worry about the scratches and dents and pen marks when we buy it already good and used. They just blend right in! I’ve not had to worry whether someone added additional nicks and dings to our well-used table, so I’ve freely let the kids play with play dough, color, draw, cut, glue, pound, and everything else they do when crafting and creating.
Sure, our table wouldn’t win any award for being the most beautiful piece of furniture, but it’s been the catalyst for so many memories and so much creativity that it’s much more beautiful than any high-dollar dining room set would ever be to me. It’s our Craigslist table and we love it!
5 Tips for Achieving Financial Freedom on an Irregular Income
Guest post from Angie of Live Healthy Save More
Choosing to live debt-free is a challenging task for anyone, but it is especially difficult for anyone dealing with an irregular income. In today’s changing economy, more and more people are adopting freelance, self-employed, and contract-style careers.
Sticking to a budget, paying off debt, and saving can be incredibly difficult when your income varies from month to month. Long term planning can also be very challenging when there is no way to predict how much money will be coming in.
My husband and I have been in this situation for the last two and a half years. He is a freelance violinist. I am a doctoral student, freelance administrative assistant, and blogger.
We went through Financial Peace University our first year of marriage, and it changed our lives. However, many times we had to adapt Dave’s suggestions to fit our “non-traditional” lifestyle. Although it has not been without set-backs, we have learned a lot about how to plan and budget with a irregular income.
Here are five simple tips you can use to harness the power of your variable income to achieve your goals:
1. Build a larger emergency fund.
Freelance or contract income is often incredibly unpredictable. Gigs or contracts fall through, or customers delay payment.
In light of this unpredictability, I highly recommend building at least a three-month emergency fund before putting any extra money toward paying off debt. This will give you a large cushion to rely on in case you have a slow month or a job unexpectedly falls through.
We learned this one the hard way. When we only had a small emergency fund, we often found ourselves on the ever-revolving cycle of having to put essentials on the credit card while waiting on a payment from a previous job.
2. Budget a month in advance.
Another way to prevent the credit card cycle and to avoid frequently draining your savings is to budget a month ahead. For example, everything we make in February goes towards paying the bills in March. February’s bills have already been covered by January’s income.
Being a month ahead gives you the flexibility to have a whole month to prepare if gigs or contracts dry up. It also allows you to wisely allocate unexpected extra income.
If you know next month’s bills are covered, you can put this extra income towards savings or debt payment. If you are receiving a tax-refund, you could use it to jump start your month ahead budgeting.
3. Know your seasons and stockpile accordingly.
Living with a “non-traditional” income often comes with seasons of feast and famine. It is important to plan for these seasons as much as possible. For example, I know that we have less income in the summer.
This means that during our busy season (February through May) I intentionally look for extra deals and sales. If spinach is on sale for 99 cents, I may buy two bags and freeze one for later use. I take extra time to coupon and add to our toiletries stockpile. I also garden in the summer to reduce our grocery bill.
4. Get organized.
This is a huge key to success on a variable income. Know when your big non-monthly bills are due and save monthly whenever possible. We use automatic savings bank drafts to ensure we will have the cash for our yearly instrument and rental insurance payments.
Also, keep track of all income. We use a modified version of this spreadsheet. This will help with long-term planning.
This spreadsheet can also help with tax planning. You can also use this to track receipts and possible deductions. I am not a tax expert, so I will not attempt to offer tax advice. However, I will say that it is imperative to keep track of your income and to have a plan for tax payments. We also learned this one the hard way!
5. Stay in your day.
Although planning ahead is vital to financial success, everything must be done in moderation. Planning can quickly turn to obsessing, especially when there are unpredictable months ahead. I limit the amount of time each day that I spend working on our finances in order to prevent excessive worry.
A friend, who has recently overcome a major life obstacle, shared with me her secret to success. Her motto is, “Stay in your day”. Plan wisely, but do not allow your planning to pull you from living well in the present.
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
~Leo Buscaglia
Do you have irregular income? What are your tips for sticking with a budget? I’d love to hear!
Angie is a doctoral student and online writer. Outside of her academic pursuits, she loves creating useful and innovative online content about healthy living. She also enjoys spending time with her amazing husband. Her other favorite things include chocolate, sports, and sunny days. She blogs at Live Healthy Save More.
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Surround Yourself With Frugal Friends {Week 8}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Surround Yourself With Frugal Friends {Week 8}
At the beginning of every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
A few of my frugal friends: Ruth from Living Well Spending Less, yours truly, Rachel from Surviving the Stores, and Ashley from Ambient Promotions.
I was being interviewed for a magazine article this afternoon and one of the questions the interviewer asked was, “What are some of your top tips for families who want to cut their budget?”
After going through the usual suggestions I give (things like setting financial goals, getting on a budget, etc.), I said, “I think it’s also important that you surround yourself with frugal friends.” While this isn’t necessarily the usual financial advice you receive, more and more, I’m beginning to believe that it’s a key factor in helping people stay motivated and on track financially.
Why You Need Frugal Friends
Think about it: if everyone you associate with it spending money pretty extravagantly and telling you that you “deserve” this, that, and the other — even if you can’t afford it — it’s going to be hard to stick with your resolve to live frugally. On the other hand, if many of your friends are living frugally and simply, if they are content and totally “get” you when talk about buying something secondhand or saving up to pay cash for things, it will be a lot easier to keep on your slow and steady journey toward debt-freedom or achieving your other financial goals.
In addition, when you hang out with frugal friends, you are inspired with new money-saving ideas, you are motivated to not give up, and you can laugh at all the crazy things you do in order to stay on budget.
It’s much more fun when you don’t go it alone. That’s why I encourage everyone who wants to live frugally to start an official Frugal Club or at least find a great gang of frugal friends that you can brown-bag your lunches with.
Some of the ways you can save money by having frugal friends:
1. You’ll Be Able to Swap Skills
Your frugal friends will more than likely be glad to barter skills and talents. It saves everyone money — and it saves you all a lot of frustration, too.
Your frugal friends might also be interested in having regular swap parties where you swap clothes or toys your kids no longer need or even items you got for free with coupons.
2. You’ll Learn New Skills and Money-Saving Tactics
Your frugal friends will teach you new money-saving skills and techniques you would have never thought of or tried on your own. Pretty much every frugal idea I know of is something I’ve learned from another frugal friend.
In addition, my frugal friends have challenged me to try things I probably wouldn’t have tried on my own — like making homemade soap!
3. You’ll Stay Inspired
Whenever you’re feeling burnt out on sticking with a budget, just call or email one of your frugal friends and she’ll be sure to listen and then remind you of why you’re doing what you’re doing — and that it will be worth it.
4. You’ll Have Fun
It’s a lot more fun to save money when you’re among friends who are also committed to living frugally. Plus, they’ll laugh at your crazy thrift store experiences or used car adventures.
Don’t Have Any Frugal Friends? Don’t Despair!
If you don’t know a single frugal friend, don’t despair. Start looking for them at your local library, mom’s groups, church, thrift store, used book sale, or gardening club. You just never know where you’ll find an amazing frugal friend, but if you keep your eyes open, I promise there are some other frugal folks who live in your area!
In the mean time, read money-saving books and blogs to help you stay motivated and inspired. They aren’t the same as real-life friends, but they will still help you stay motivated. And if you have trouble finding local friends, see if you can find some good accountability partners online — maybe even people that you meet in the comments section here on MoneySavingMom.com.
Do you have frugal friends? Tell us what you’ve learned from your frugal friendships and your best tips for finding frugal friends.
Spilled Milk and the Power of a Mama’s Words
This morning, one of my children started the day by accidentally spilling their entire bowl of cereal and milk all over the kitchen floor.
And it wasn’t just a neat little spill (is there such a thing?). No, cereal and milk were spattered all over the place.
It was not the best prelude to a Monday morning and I wanted to get frustrated over it. I quickly caught myself, though, when I looked into the eyes of this child and realized that the last thing they needed from me was shame. Instead, they needed grace.
I had the opportunity to either speak words that would hurt my child, or bless my child. Instead of venting, I stopped, took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “Here. Let me get you a new bowl of cereal. And let me wipe you up. Don’t worry about the spilled cereal. I’ll clean it up.”
You know what? I felt so much calmer just saying those words. My child immediately smiled and all was well. And it only took a few minutes to clean up anyway.
But lest you think I’m some rockstar mom, let me tell you that I totally failed in this regard just yesterday — and it was over something much smaller than milk and cereal splashed all over my kitchen. I got upset. I yelled. And I said hurtful words.
Words that wounded. Words that penetrated. Words that shamed.
For the rest of the day, some of my family members carried heavy hearts and discouragement as a result of my words. Even though I asked forgiveness, the damage couldn’t be undone.
As was so evident to me yesterday, our words have lasting impact — either for good or for harm. In 25 years, the spilled cereal and milk and the inconsequential things that happened yesterday will long be forgotten, but my words can never be taken back.
My new mantra: “Grace, not shame.” Will you join me?