Saving Families Money Since 2007
Snail Pace Transformations shows you how to turn a shopping bag into a cash envelope system.
Sweet Kisses and Dirty Dishes shows you how to make a fabric cash envelope system.
Since I’m neither crafty nor creative when it comes to things like this, we use the free envelopes the bank gives us to put our cash in. Yes, I know, we’re all original like that. 😉
KJ emailed in the following tip:
I have four children, including a newborn. I drive my older two children to school so all of us need to be ready to go in the morning.
In order to make the mornings go smoother, I wanted to have my two school-aged children pack their own lunches. I also wanted a variety in their lunches and not all cheese sticks 🙂
So I posted this on the fridge:
- (1) sandwich/granola bar/bread or muffin
- (1) fruit/veggie/yogurt/cheese
- (1) drink
- (1) cracker
- (1) dessert
- Have your lunch packed by 7:45
- Pray before you eat
- Have a great day!
On the weekends, I will bag the desserts and crackers. I then put the baggies in a large bag labeled desserts or crackers in the pantry. I make the PB&J sandwiches (put in freezer), and bag the fruit or veggies. I will also make the granola bars or homemade muffins. There is also a shelf in the fridge that is “their shelf”. That is where we keep the drinks, fruit, homemade applesauce, etc… for their lunches.
I timed it once and that whole process from start to finish took me 20 minutes! Much quicker than trying to put everything together in the mornings.
I like it because it is one less thing I have to do in the mornings. They like it because they can choose what they put in their lunch that day. It works well for us!
JustLaine.com shows you how to make a giant homemade chalkboard.
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.
Looking for ways to recycle your trash — and spend less on toy? Here are 20 ideas to turn your trash into toys.
My kids have created some of these ideas all on their own, but there are some fantastic new ideas for us there, too.
I re-created our well-loved Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole into a more portable version tonight. Honestly, after making it, I’m not entirely sold on the idea of putting it in muffin tins.
It would work well for an at-home lunch with little people who have small appetites. But for anyone over the age of three or four, I think it might be more convenient to make the casserole, bake it, and then divvy it up into portion-sized airtight containers to freeze.
This is a recipe that freezes really well — baked or unbaked. And it thaws well, and re-heats well. So no matter how you decide to divvy it up and freeze it, it’s hard to go wrong.
By the way, if you’ve not tried this recipe yet, it’s a big favorite of ours. In fact, my kids request to eat it for breakfast when we have leftovers in the fridge! (Truth be told, I usually let them. But hey, it has grains, dairy, protein, and veggies. So I don’t think it can be that detrimental to eat for breakfast. And it’s probably loads better than most boxed cereals on the market — especially if you make your own homemade soup mixes!)
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!
I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results. You can follow my personal Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.
I saw this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownie recipe on Pinterest last week and immediately knew it was a must try idea. I mean, it’s hard to go wrong with pumpkins and chocolate chips mixed together.
It was super easy to whip up. I went ahead and doubled the recipe so that, if it turned out, I could give half the batch to some friends of ours who recently had a baby.
I don’t think I layered it thin enough in the pan because my final results turned out quite a bit thicker than the original recipe. And I used mini chocolate chips (that’s all I had) and those sank a little more than the original recipe’s picture looked like it did.
That said, the final result was very delicious. Not quite like a brownie to me, though. It was more like a pumpkin spice cake with chocolate chips in it. But I can overlook that technicality. 🙂
Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest recently? If so, I’d love to hear how they worked out for you. Feel free to leave your blog link in the comments if you blogged about your experiment!
Jennifer emailed in the following tip:
I had been wondering how much I actually saved using coupons — and if it was really worth all my time and energy, since sometimes I only saved a couple dollars at one particular store.
So recently, we started to actually track how much we saved in coupons at every store, and then we put that same amount into our savings account.
Now, each month (and each year) we can SEE exactly how much we saved with coupons… and see that my efforts really are worth it. This is a really simple concept and it makes saving a little more fun!
We’re working with Silas on learning to recognize his numbers right now. So this Clothespin Number Match-up Busy Bag from Confessions of a Homeschooler has been perfect for practicing!
All it requires is a pack of clothespins (check the dollar store for these), this printable, and a plastic bag.
Laminate or print the Clothes Pin Number Match-up on thick cardstock, write the numbers on clothespins, and stick it all in a plastic bag to have handy for when you want to keep your youngster busy while you’re working on something else.
Find more Busy Bag ideas here.
Guest post from Michelle of The Willing Cook
Do you sometimes gaze at your co-workers deli-prepared lunch, wishing you could just have one bite? Sure it may have been a bit pricey, but all caution is thrown out because it looks so good.
But, wait! You can’t have that deli sandwich because you have Celiac Disease or food allergies. I understand your pain. You just want a good gluten, dairy, and egg-free deli-style sandwich that quenches that desire.
But how? Chances are that you aren’t going to find it at the corner deli. Well, I’m here to offer you a brown bag lunch idea that is fairly easy and should meet your dietary restrictions and your desire for good food.
{free of gluten, dairy, egg, & more}
Tuna Salad Ingredients
Directions:
Mix together all the tuna salad ingredients in a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
Gluten-Free Flatbread Ingredients
Directions:
To assemble your sandwich, scoop out 1/2 cup of tuna salad onto the center of your flatbread. Top with slices of tomato and avocado; season with salt & pepper. If dairy is allowed, add a little feta cheese to your sandwich for an added punch.
When packing this to take to work or school, I recommend keeping the tuna salad and flatbread separate and assemble when you’re ready to eat it. A soggy sandwich could ruin your whole day!
Enjoy this simple and flavorful gluten and allergy-friendly sandwich! And be sure your co-workers see it too 🙂
Would you like more allergy-friendly brown bag lunch ideas? You can find more ideas at The Willing Cook by clicking on Lunch Ideas for School/Work.
Michelle is blessed to stay home with her three children (ages 10, 7, and 4), while her husband works to provide. When she’s not experimenting with allergy-friendly meals, she’s blogging about it at The Willing Cook. Through the Willing Cook, her hope is that you gain peace of mind in your kitchen (and your pocket book) and are able to serve those you love who suffer with food allergies.
I have been following your site for a few years now. I have a pretty difficult question for you. My husband is a youth pastor and makes $460 per week. We have three children with one on the way.
We want to save and budget better but don’t know how to on such a small amount. We do not have cable, or internet at home and the only thing we do that we do extra is eat out due to our crazy ministry schedule. Any help or suggestions would be AMAZING!!! -A very stressed wife
My heart goes out to you in the stress you’re experiencing! I wish I could hug you in person and tell you it’s going to be okay.
You might have some tough days ahead of you, but you are going to survive. So don’t lose hope, okay? That’s the first step to your success.
Here are some practical ideas and suggestions that I thought of for your particular situation:
It’s easy to feel discouraged when you only have a little bit of income coming in, but I know many, many families who are surviving on $460 per week or quite a bit less. So it is entirely possible.
But a budget is imperative. Even if you feel like you don’t have enough coming in, you need to maximize the mileage of every penny you’ve got and a budget is the best way to do that.
I highly recommend reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Your library should have a copy. It will walk you step-by-step through the basics of setting up and sticking with a written budget.
Once you have your budget put together (and I’d heartily encourage you to sit down and get it done by this weekend, if at all possible), really go over it with a fine-toothed comb and consider what your basic necessities are. These will be things like food, shelter, transportation, and clothing.
What are the barebones payments/purchases that you must make to survive? Make these items your top priority in the budget before considering spending money on anything that is a non-necessity.
Often, when you strip your budget down to the barebones, you’ll realize that you actually have more wiggle room than you first thought you did. And that’s always an encouraging thing!
Taking the time to consider and determine your basic necessities will prepare you for this step: to cut out as many expenses as you can. It sounds like you’ve already cut many things — like cable and internet — but you could definitely cut out eating out, as painful as it may be.
Find creative ways to make meals at home more doable by using the crockpot, having freezer foods and snacks at-the-ready, and prepping ahead for the week on the weekends. It’s not a fun proposition to give up eating out, but remind yourself that it’s a short-term sacrifice you are making for the good of your family’s budget and for long-term success.
If you can carve out a few extra hours each week, put these toward doing things to increase your income. Sell anything you have that you don’t need on Craigslist, eBay, or in a garage sale. Look into the possibility of doing house-cleaning, teaching classes, or babysitting. If all else fails, there’s always the option of getting a newspaper route.
I encourage you to read The Other 8 Hours and 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think if you’re feeling like you just don’t have any extra moments in your week to put toward income-earning possibilities.
As I said in the beginning, your attitude will make or break this situation. A can-do, committed, creative attitude will take you worlds further than a frustrated, complaining attitude will. And I promise you’ll enjoy the ride a lot more, too.
Choose to bloom where you’re planted — even if it feels like it’s among thorns!
What advice do the rest of you have for this reader? Please chime in with encouragement and practical tips in the comments!
photo from Big Stock
Okay, so this recipe probably won’t win the award for being the least time-intensive recipe to pull off… especially since it requires a few more steps than a typical PB&J sandwich.
However, it’s creative and different — and might be an fun option for a picky eater. And I think it was significantly easier than the homemade uncrustables were.
By the way, if you want to make things even easier for yourself, just make Freezer-Friendly Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches.
Cut the crusts off the bread (you can use them to make homemade bread crumbs or homemade croutons). Roll out the bread with a rolling pin to flatten.
Spread peanut butter and jelly on bread. Roll up and cut into four parts.
To freeze: Put a lunchbox-portion of sushi in small plastic bags. Put all bags into a large ziptop airtight freezer bag and freeze up to six weeks.
To serve: Take as many serving-sized bags out as you need and let thaw for 30 minutes to a few hours before serving. They can also be warmed in the microwave for quick defrosting.
Recipe from Food.com.
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!
I know this isn’t going to help my reputation for messing up recipes at all, but I still had to share… 🙂
We were having guests over for lunch on Sunday after church. Saturday was a rather busy day with a wedding we attended in another town and some other things that had to get taken care of.
So it was quite late before I finally got started making the Bread Machine Buttery Rolls. I dumped everything into the bread machine and got busy finishing cleaning up the house while the dough was mixing in the machine.
When the dough cycle was finished, I went to take it out and form it into rolls. I noticed immediately that it seemed a little stiffer than usual.
But I figured the dough just needed to rise and it would be fine. I formed the rolls, put them on a pan, and curled up with my book while I let them rise.
20 minutes later, I checked on the rolls and they hadn’t risen at all. Maybe they just need some more time, I thought.
So I went back to my book and read for another 20 minutes. By now it was well past midnight, and I should have been asleep.
20 minutes later and they still hadn’t risen at all. I finally gave up on them and decided to go ahead and bake them hoping that that would work some kind of miracle.
But baking them didn’t change anything, except cook the dough. They looked pathetic.
I decided to taste one and see if maybe they tasted well enough to be salvaged for our lunch the next day. What in the world? I thought to myself as I took a bite. They were really salty and funny tasting.
And then it dawned on me. Remember that big bag of Homemade Pancake Mix I made not too long ago? Well, apparently I had mistaken it for whole-wheat flour. No wonder they tasted gross and wouldn’t rise.
Needless to say, I gave up on roll-making and went to bed. In the morning, I somehow hurriedly pulled off making a quick batch of rolls and getting them baked before heading out the door for church. They weren’t the most beautiful batch of rolls I’d ever made, but at least they were better than the Pancake Batter Rolls. 😉
Lesson learned: Don’t put unlabeled bags of baking mixes in the freezer and assume you’ll remember what they are the next time you’re baking!
I’m excited about this unique ebook! Anne Bogel, a wise woman whom I had the privilege of meeting earlier this year, has written a fantastic ebook on a subject that direly needs to be addressed.
You would not believe how many times women have emailed me to say, “How do you do it?” They want to know how I can manage to homeschool my three children, run a business, write, and still have time to read, spend time with my husband, and enjoy life.
My “secret” is a lot of what Anne outlines in this ebook: a) I delegate. b) I don’t do a lot of things. c) Our home environment runs differently than many families — and we’re entirely okay with that.
Both my husband and I are an integral part of the economics of our home. We both have our own businesses and we both make sacrifices for each others’ success. We’re a team and that means that there’s give and take.
Our home life and schedule isn’t a neat little package all wrapped up with a bow. In fact, every day at our house is different. Sometimes my husband works late and I cover the “night shift” for him. Sometimes I have a writing deadline and he covers the “afternoon shift” for me.
What is working for our family right now might not work for your family, and that’s totally understandable. Anne’s ebook profiles 30 different women with 30 unique situations and shares how they are finding a successful blend of work and family. So no matter your family’s situation or desires, you’ll find lots of suggestions and insight to help you figure out a rhythm that works for your family.
Through September 22, 2012, Anne is offering a coupon code for my readers. Use coupon code MSMGREATDEAL to get $3 off Work Shift, making it just $5 to download the ebook.
(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)
ButterWithaSideofBread.com shows you how to make homemade dairy-free mint chocolate chip ice cream.
So, I was excited about this idea I had for making Mac N’ Cheese Cups, inspired by this recipe from Once a Month Mom. Only my idea pretty much flopped.
You see, I had some boxes of Annie’s Mac N’ Cheese on hand, so we used that instead of making the sauce from scratch. But then, since I never use muffin liners, I decided we’d skip using those and just put the mac and cheese directly into the muffin tins.
I was hoping that these would pop right out after baking. But they didn’t. In fact, it didn’t really stick together at all.
Oh well. I guess we saved you having to try it yourself — and it’s not like the Macaroni and cheese isn’t edible, it’s just not real lunchbox-friendly. 🙂
Live and learn, right?
Oh and I also wouldn’t recommend turning your back when your 3-year-old is in the kitchen helping you.
Because you might end up finding him painting the sliding glass door with mac and cheese! 🙂
Check out this recipe on Once A Month Mom for a more tried and true Mac N’ Cheese Cups recipe. You can also find a Dairy-Free/Wheat-Free Mac N’ Cheese Cups recipe over on Milk Allergy Mom.
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!