Saving Families Money Since 2007
Today’s question is from Amanda:
I love all of the freezer cooking posts that you have! However, I’m wondering if you or any of your readers have suggestions for low-carb freezer cooking meals?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
As you well know, I’m an avid reader. Not only do I love to read, but I find that a steady diet of good books challenges my mind and inspires and motivates me as a person.
If you’re a full-time college student, a busy professional, and/or a mom of a few children, you might feel like there’s no time in your day to fit in more reading. Well, I disagree.
Head on over to The Better Mom where I’m sharing 15 of my favorite ways to find more time to read. Have any great ideas to add to my list? Leave them in the comments!
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.
Let that brilliant {ahem!} remark sink in for a moment.
While it might seem like it’s the most basic of basic statements — and it is! — we sometimes forget to apply it. Or, as is often the case, we don’t even consider an alternative to paying for what we normally buy.
Homemade cleaners are one such example. None of us wants to live in a dirty home (or, at least I certainly hope none of us do!). Because of this, we buy cleaners because, well, that’s what everyone else does.
Here’s the thing: commercial cleaners are often pricey. And the manufacturers are smart. They play on our desire to have clean homes in the most efficient manner so they create products for every single cleaning project known to man.
Whenever possible, they make super slick gadgets that require refills so that you have to constantly be spending even more money to purchasing refills so you can keep cleaning your house. Before you know it, you are literally washing hundreds of dollars down the drain each and every year.
This is why I’m a fan of homemade cleaners. Unless I can get some amazingly sweet deal on a cleaner by paring a coupon code with a sale, I just plain don’t buy commercial cleaners. In fact, after making many of my own cleaners, I’ve come to believe that almost every commercial cleaner on the market is a rip-off.
Instead of spending tens of dollars each month on special cleaners that are designed for one specific job, go to the dollar store or Aldi and buy some vinegar, baking soda, and spray bottles. These are just about all you’ll need to clean almost every item in your home. Seriously.
You can get a little fancier and make actual homemade cleaner recipes if you’d like. But you don’t have to. You can just spray on vinegar and water and wipe off or scrub most tough stains with a little baking soda and elbow grease.
Earth Easy has a long list of how to clean your house using just baking soda, vinegar, soap, borax, washing soda, alcohol, and cornstarch. You might have to make a trip to Walmart to pick up a box of washing soda or borax, but I bet you already have all of the other items on hand already.
How much you can save by making your own cleaners is going to vary widely, depending upon which cleaners you make, how much you usually spend on cleaners, and how many people you are cleaning up after!
But let’s say you have an initial upfront investment of $30 to purchase the supplies listed above and let’s estimate that these supplies last you for 12 months. That’s like paying around $2.50 per month for all of your cleaners. If you only use baking soda and vinegar, it’s going to be significantly less than this.
If you typically buy commercial cleaners on sale, I’d say there’s a good chance you are purchasing an average of 4 cleaners of some sort each month, at around $2-3 per cleaner. At this rate, you could easily save $100+ per year.
Now obviously, your situation might be completely different. If you’re typically only buying cleaners for pennies each by pairing coupons with sales, it might not save you any money at all to make your own cleaners. However, you will for sure be using fewer chemicals in your home and you will also not have to worry about chasing down deals and pairing them with sales.
Actually, most homemade cleaners can be made in less than a minute. And if they save you $1-$2 per minute of time invested to make them, that’s like making an hourly wage of $60 to $120 — and it’s tax-free money.
In my book, that’s definitely worth the return on investment. And some cleaners don’t even require that much time because you just spray the vinegar on or dump some baking soda on and scrub. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
I’ve linked to a number of homemade cleaner recipes below, but the internet is truly a goldmine of homemade cleaner recipes. Honestly, you can find a recipe for just about any and every cleaner you usually use.
Just Google it or type it into the search engine on Pinterest. Now, I can’t guarantee that the first recipe you try will be a home run success. But if you keep experimenting, I bet you’ll find a good homemade recipe to replace just about every one of your favorite cleaners — all for pennies on the dollar!
Here are links to homemade cleaning recipes I have tried or want to try. My honest reviews are alongside those I’ve tried. Not all homemade cleaners are all they are supposedly cracked up to be, so I hope to save you some effort by letting you know which ones I didn’t find to work well.
If you have amazing recipes for some of the ones I found to be “meh”, I’d love to have you link them in the comments!
Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner — This looks like it would work well!
Homemade Window Cleaner — This one works really well.
Homemade Soft Scrub Cleaner — This works great for cleaning tubs, tiles, sinks, and toilets!
Homemade Shower Cleaner — I’ve heard rave reviews on this one and hope to try it soon.
Homemade Scrubbing Bubbles — I found out after I made this that the two ingredients cancel each other out so it wasn’t really effective at all.
Homemade Dishwashing Detergent — This was was okay. Not stellar. Just okay.
Homemade Laundry Soap — This one worked decently, though I found that I had to wash my clothes in hot water for them to get clean and, even then, some of the stains didn’t come out.
Homemade Foaming Hand Soap — This is the easiest recipe ever and works SO well!
Homemade Oxiclean — This one worked alright but didn’t work quite as well as Shout.
Homemade Miracle Kitchen Cleaner — I can’t wait to try this!
Homemade All Purpose Cleaner — This one is simple to whip up and worked pretty well!
Homemade All Purpose Lemon Powder Cleaner — This one worked fairy well but had a very strong lemon scent.
As I mentioned in my 2012 Goals Final Tally post, I’m trying to be much more specific and simplistic in my goals this year. I not only want to keep in mind what is realistic, but also make sure that all of my goals are clearly measurable.
If you’re brand-new to goal-setting, be sure to read my post on How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals.
Here’s my list of 25 Goals for 2013 and an update on how I did in January:
Personal Goals
Read through the Bible in a year using this plan. {I’m on track with this so far.}
Run in at least one 5K race.
Complete the Couch to 10K program.
Memorize Romans 1 and 2 with Jesse. {Memorized five verses from Romans.}
Wake up by 6 a.m. and exercise, shower, and dress by 8 a.m. every day. {I didn’t do as good of a job as I would have liked to on this goal, but I made some good progress and am hoping that February is even better!}
Read 150 books/ebooks {See my list of 48 books I’m for sure planning to read here — I’ve read 18 books so far in 2013, so I’m on good track to hit my goal!}Marriage Goals
Read 3 marriage books.
Finish reading through the Psalms together as a couple.
Have overnight stay (sans children) at least every other month. {Done in January.}
Go on at least one date per month. {Done in January.}Mothering Goals
Continue Grace and Truth memory book.
Ice-skating lessons for all three children during the first quarter of 2013. {Started these in January.}
Swimming lessons for all three children during the summer.
Finish at least 37 read-aloud books. {We finished 2 books in January and we’re almost done with a few more, so we’re on pretty good track here.}Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family Goals
Begin weekly accountability meetings with my friend Jerica.
Get together with friends for a playdate or lunch at least once a month. {Done in January.}
Continue being involved in our local church, couple’s group, and blogging accountability group.
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family.Financial Goals
Use a portion of the proceeds from my next book project to fund a well project.
Fund our Child Survival Program for 2013.{Done — yay!}
Buy a new bedroom set.
Invest in another rental property.Business/Blogging Goals
Release two new ebooks.
Attend one speaking conference.{I attended the She Speaks Intensive in January.}
Finish and submit the manuscript for my next book.
If so, tell us how you’re doing in the comments or leave a link to your blog post update below. Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!
Well, last week wasn’t as productive as I’d hoped, but at least I’m chipping away at things slowly but surely. And I have high hopes for this week! 🙂
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read two chapters of Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy
aloud at lunch. Read two chapters of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh at dinner.
Read two chapters of The Amazon Stranger with Kathrynne, read two chapters of Little House on the Prairie with Kaitlynn, read two chapters of Farming with Fatherto Silas.
2. Birthday outing with Kathrynne.Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:7-8.
4. Exercise 4 times.5.
Finish reading The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears, Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete and One Woman’s Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan, Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning, Making Room for Life: Trading Chaotic Lifestyles for Connected Relationships
, and The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse.
Homemaking Goals
6. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.
7. Finish 30 rows of the scarf for Kathrynne.
Business Goals
8. Finish first draft of final chapter for my book+ do a thorough read-through of all other chapters.
9. Create slides & practice talk for BEECH Retreat.
10. Attend & speak at the BEECH Retreat.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read two chapters of Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Have friends over for lunch.
Personal Goals
4. Memorize Romans 1:7-8.
5. Exercise 5 times.
6. Finish reading Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete and One Woman’s Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan, Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning
Homemaking Goals
7. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.
8. Finish 30 rows of the scarf for Kathrynne.
Business Goals
9. Finish editing the final draft of my manuscript and send it out to those who are critiquing it before I turn it into the publisher.
10. Begin working on tweaking my talk for the MAPS event later this month.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
iCanTeachMyChild.com shows you how to make homemade Brown Paper Valentines.
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.
I’m so honored to be on the panel of judges for the Top 10 Blogs for Book Lovers Contest hosted by Story Cartel.
Head on over to Story Cartel to nominate your favorite book blog. Here are the details you’ll want to know:
- Nominate your favorite blog in the comments section, and make sure to include a link to the blog so we can find it.
- Explain why you like the blog.
- You only have one vote, so use it wisely.
- Nominations close March 1, so get your nominations in quickly.
You can nominate your own blog, but you may want to trade nominations with a friend. Also, a blog must be nominated more than once to be considered for the award.
We started the week off by celebrating Kathrynne’s birthday. She picked to have friends over for two different playdates and go out on special outings with Jesse and me. I took her to her favorite toy store and she had fun picking out some things.
And no birthday is complete without a trip to Coldstone Creamery!
I headed to Florida early Thursday morning for the BEECH Retreat. This was on the drive to Captiva Island. It was breath-taking!
I met so many amazing people and had so many incredible experiences on this trip. I hope to blog more about things I learned in the future, but in the mean time, here are a few pictures from the weekend…
The view from our first night’s dinner on the lawn. It was cold and windy but oh-so-beautiful!
Two gals I got to meet and know: Jill from Blessed Beyond a Doubt and Tabitha from Meet Penny.
This is me with Victoria — a sweet and spunky friend of mine who I’ve been inspired by for a very long time. It was wonderful to finally meet her in person. Check out her blog at Snail Pace Transformations.
We had a luau on the beach on Friday evening. It was warmer that night, so it was truly beautiful.
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting John G. Miller. My husband and I have both been blessed by his books and his encouragement to be personally accountable instead of looking for someone else to blame. His keynote on Saturday morning was extremely inspiring!
And in real life, he’s amazingly generous, gracious, and warm-hearted. You can follow him on Twitter at @QBQGuy and if you’ve not read QBQ, it’s a must read!
It was fun to get to meet and hang out with Ashley from Ambient Promotions. She does my ebook marketing and oversees the daily running of my other site, eReader Girl. She’s hilarious in real-life — just like I expected her to be! — and we stayed up too late laughing over all sorts of funny stories.
This was the view from my room balcony. I couldn’t believe how loud the ocean was lapping up against the shore at night!
Brianne was Compassion’s representative and she and I just hit it off. She’s spunky and full of life, and she and I both bonded over our love for giving. She blogs at Our Savory Life.
A second big highlight of the retreat was getting to meet and spend a little time with Michael Hyatt. He’s everything I expected him to be: engaging, humble, energetic, a good listener, and full of wisdom. If you’re not following his blog, you should be.
When I arrived home, Kathrynne was very excited to show me her new moves on her rip stick. She’s becoming quite a pro at it!
And Kaitlynn was so excited because she learned how to ride her bike without training wheels this week!
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & Cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit
Marinated chicken, veggies, fruit, crackers, and hard-boiled eggs
Leftovers x 2Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Peanut Butter Banana Bread With Chocolate ChipsFreezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)
Peanut Butter Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Brownie WafflesDinners
Chicken & Broccoli in the Slow Cooker, rolls, fruit
Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes, fruit, scrambled eggs
Chicken Enchilada Casserole, green salad
Twice Baked Taco Potatoes, green salad, broccoli, fruit
Spaghetti Pie, steamed veggies
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
Guest post from Tessa of TessaHardiman.com
This is a first for me — my first new haircut, that is. Typically, my hairstylist can go on autopilot while trimming my usual ‘do. I haven’t changed it up much over the years… until recently.
I debated whether or not to get bangs for a few weeks. I noticed many of my favorite celebrities wearing the style. I thought, that really looks good on Taylor Swift, but I don’t know if I could pull it off or not.
Then, I stumbled upon a picture in a magazine. The model looked eerily similar to myself. It was a sign! I tore it out and headed to the design studio.
Getting a new haircut may not be a big deal to many of you, but I abhor change. Variations of any kind scare me. I prefer things to stay in their nice, neat order, so I know what to expect. I absolutely cannot stand it when something doesn’t go according to plan. I know… I have issues, but that’s just who I am.
So, for me to decide on a different hairstyle is somewhat of a miracle. Changing a hairstyle that you’ve had for years is a lot like trying to modify other habits we have.
Whether it’s starting a new diet, beginning a new career, or altering your spending in order to pay off your debt. Any change is hard.
The best way to change something is this: don’t think… just do. The first step is the hardest, but it gets easier if you don’t over think it. You trick your psyche into thinking you can do it when you take immediate action. There’s not enough time to prepare excuses.
When you take that first step forward, you empower yourself to keep pushing forward. Not over-thinking the first step is the easiest way to start doing.
Tessa Hardiman is a teacher by day and word slinger by night. You can get a free copy of her new book when you visit her website TessaHardiman.com.
Guest post by Abby of Mother on a Mission
I enjoy thinking big when it comes to saving money. Getting a great deal on a large purchase, like a plane ticket, can often surpass the savings you’ll see from a month of clipping coupons for the grocery store (don’t worry, I do that, too).
With countless websites promising the deepest discounts on airfare, it would be entirely possible to spend hours upon hours in search of the lowest rate. Instead of wasting time doing that, you can follow a few easy tips to save yourself the hassle and headache of an hours-long search.
My personal favorite is kayak.com, because it really just facilitates your search of hundreds of other sites, both individual airline sites, like Delta, and discount airfare sites, like Expedia. Just use whatever website you’re most comfortable with, since most offer similar features.
Typically, the cheapest days to fly are in the middle of the week, and the most expensive days are Friday and Sunday. So, if you want to get the best price on a plane ticket (and if you have wiggle room in your plans) select the “flexible dates” option when you search. This will allow you to select a date, and then search up to three days before and after.
You can also choose to search nearby airports. I recently bought plane tickets for my husband and I to fly to Florida for a friend’s wedding. I listed a larger city as the destination airport, but I also opted to search nearby airports. I ended up booking flights into a smaller airport that is actually closer to where we’ll be staying. Not only are the departure and arrival times ideal, but the price was about $50 less per ticket.
Southwest sometimes gets a bad reputation for their no-frills approach to flying. By cutting costs, though, they’re able to pass their savings on to the customer. In addition, Southwest consistently receives top scores in customer service. The thing to remember about Southwest is that the only place to find their airfare is through their own website; a search at an independent travel site will not include results for Southwest.
Southwest allows each passenger two checked bags for free, and they’re one of the few remaining airlines to do that. Most other airlines charge at least $25 per checked bag; depending on your travel plans and your potential need to check luggage, this is a savings that should be taken into account when booking a flight.
You can’t clip a coupon for a discount on airfare the way you can for toothpaste, but there are still ways to save. If you work for a large company, you might get travel discounts through your employer. Don’t forget to do a quick internet search for a coupon code before you purchase.
And remember, the savings don’t end when you book your flight. Keep looking for ways to save money once you reach your destination!
Abby is a work-from-home wife and mom who recently relocated from Oregon to Mississippi. She enjoys baking, front-porch-swinging, and road trips. Abby blogs about southern living and saving money at Mother on a Mission and runs the Etsy shop, Three Thousand Miles, with her sister-in-law.
Kroger has announced that they will discontinue doubling coupons at all 118 Kroger stores Midwest region (NKY/Cincinnati/Dayton Division) beginning March 1, 2013.
I had a feeling this was coming. And I’m predicting that it won’t be long before Kroger discontinues double coupons at all their stores. 🙁
However, while this is disheartening news, remember that there are many, many other ways to save besides double coupons. Be sure to check out the helpful series on In the Land of No Double Coupons that I posted awhile back.
Thanks, My Litter!
Today’s question is from Amanda:
I know pre-packaged sandwich meat is generally unhealthy and pricey. What suggestions do you have for minimizing this cost? I have a child who always takes a ham sandwich for lunch and husband who loves meat and cheese sandwiches.
Is buying a whole ham and having it sliced (then freezing it) a better idea?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Looking for a hearty, healthy, pancake recipe to add to your breakfast rotation? Try these easy and delicious oatmeal pecan pancakes!
Guest post from Brigette Shevy.
Valentine’s Day is an all-day celebration at our house! My children spend hours making decorations, writing homemade cards, and dreaming up red-and-pink-themed menus (not all of which are actually usable/edible).
We like to start the day off with a special breakfast – and these hearty, filling pancakes are always a hit!
Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes are fairly simple to make, but the toasted pecans add that “special” factor. You could even make them heart-shaped if you’re feeling extra ambitious!
Serve them with a side of red berries to incorporate the Valentine’s color scheme.
The recipe is adapted from my mother-in-law, and is one my husband especially enjoys. These pancakes are a little bit healthier and a whole lot heartier than traditional pancakes, making them especially yummy during the cold winter months.
For my pancake-loving family, nothing says “I love you” like waking up to a big plate of Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes, served with lots of butter and real maple syrup!
Optional Toppings:
* In place of buttermilk, pour 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar into a 2-cup measuring container. Add milk until it gets to the 2-cup line and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
** To toast pecans, sprinkle them on a buttered cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch them carefully so they don’t over-brown.
1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the oats, ½ cup flour, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add additional flour if needed, then stir in the toasted pecans.
4. Preheat a buttered griddle over medium heat.
5. Mix together the topping ingredients.
6. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto hot griddle and cook for 2 minutes, or until the pancakes start to bubble.
7. Flip pancakes and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until both sides are brown.
8. Spread hot pancakes with butter, sprinkle with topping ingredients, and drizzle with warm maple syrup.
9. Eat and enjoy!
Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
I hope your family loves these delicious pancakes as much as we do!
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
Mornings just got so much easier with this FREE list of 50+ Easy & Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Busy Weekday Mornings!
The view from my balcony on Captiva Island this morning
Um, about that freezer cooking I was supposed to do on Wednesday and blog about yesterday? Well, I had grand ambitions, but I ran out of time and steam on Wednesday since I was getting ready for an early flight to the BEECH Retreat yesterday morning.
So the freezer cooking just didn’t get done. Such is life sometimes.
Thanks for your patience and understanding when I’m not always able to follow through with everything I plan to do. If anything, I hope it encourages you to know that I so do not have my act all together and I definitely drop the ball on things sometimes — or other times I just choose not to do them in favor of sleep. 🙂
But I’ll do my best to actually do my freezer cooking plan next week. 🙂
In the mean time, I’m enjoying a wonderful few days staying on Captiva Island. It’s gorgeous here — cold and windy, but beautiful. My keynote was last night and so now I get to soak up the wisdom from the other speakers (like Michael Hyatt and John G. Miller!) today and tomorrow.